#claras steamys

[shrimpybbq]

the obx actor reader universe is SO GOOD! I read the one where they were making the new film with pedro and it sent me into a spiral of thinking…

Imagine her and drew have lots of steamy scenes together but towards the end, clara understands alex is an undercover cop and while she’s riding on top of him seductively whispers “I know who you really are alex” and this get’s drew all hot and bothered 😭😩

…… holy shit, you’ve got me gasping eating my breakfast

oh this is so happening

[bananablossoms06]

Anything on the topic of the two wives? (Mrs. and Mrs. Em) I've seen your designs and art with them, but never really anything where they were interacting with each other or just by themself (or maybe I just don't remember)

(Long paragraphs ahead sorry)

I did have old art where William and his first wife somewhat interacted and had character sheets for William's wives (In my opinion he had more than 1 or no wife at all - hence why I have too many AUs)

And in that case I wanted to show kind of the dynamic between Will and his spouses vs. Henry with his spouse because its a whole thing in 3/4 of my AUs. I wont go into full lore (unless someone wants to know) about the main AU but basically William had 3 different marriages where each one of them failed (he killed his first wife despite actually having been in love with her and also killing his second wife). Henry on the other hand was very much in love with his wife but he had a previous romantic relationship with William before meeting her making him have this "stuck" mindset between wanting to be with William and his current wife, he didn't realize he was bisexual and he eventually had an affair on her with William and theres more but to keep it simple...Main au is crazy

In the Beatrice AU its bit different

There is no actual marriage between William and "Clara" they were just romantic partners because William forced himself back into his homo-closet when Henry was very obviously happy with a woman (in this au Henry never had an affair on his wife but still did have past romantic...hints at William though never s3xual like in the main au). William basically never was himself with "Clara" because- even though he's pansexual he has more romantic feelings towards masculinity and (for the most part) biologically born men...Until dating Jack!! But William will always have an obsession over Henry...especially after haven't seen him for a whole decade and they get a bit... "hot and steamy" if y'know what I mean- and despite after Henry haven't been with Elena for almost the same amount of years, he still loves her. He loves her, both William. He's a very complicated man tbh

[terrainofheartfelt]

Liz's definitive track assignment list that nobody asked for (but I know I'm right)

"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone) -- DAIRFAIR DAIRFAIR DAIRFAIR

"The Tortured Poets Department" -- derena breakup track. derena divorce track. take your pick. serena pov <3

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" -- 🪑

"Down Bad" -- changing course because this is rwrb firstprince alex post lake house I'M RIGHT

"So Long, London" -- same for above. acd-coded

"But Daddy I Love Him" -- blair waldorfian. i'm having his baby jk lmao. unhinged.

"Fresh Out the Slammer" -- calling it another post derena divorce. pov both of them. dan floats to blair, serena gravitates to carter. and. fuck it. 🪑divorce. "I served my time" and all that shit

"Florida!!!" -- ivy/charlie. florida woman. fuck this city i'm getting fucked up in the gulf. yeah. she could have been so much more.

"Guilty as Sin?" -- BLAIRRRRRRRRRR s5ep4 if you want to get specific. reading steamy book scenes. gurl.

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" -- JENNY GIRL. "I am what you trained me to be." I MEANNNNN.

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" -- 🪑

"Loml" -- dan. sad dan. sad lonely boy

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" -- serena. always. constantly. (though cherry & I also agree it's firstprince coded)

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" -- louis divorce yeehaw

"The Alchemy" -- serenate reconciliation

"Clara Bow" -- blair & jenny and the girls that are destined to replace them.

[pintsizemama]

Fruitcake

Day 14

Summary: A neighbor gave you fruitcake…Max is not a fan.

Pairings: Max Phillips x You, Max Phillips x Female Reader

Fandom: Bloodsucking Bastards

Rating: Mature

Warnings: language

Word Count: 383

Day 12 Day 14 Christmas Masterlist Main Masterlist AO3 Join my taglist

“I’m home!” You heard Max call out as the front door slammed shut. You were snuggled on the couch reading a book and savoring a hot cup of coffee.

“How was work?” You called out distractedly. You were completely engrossed in your book. It was a steamy romance that was just starting to heat up.

“Same old, same old,” Max replied. “Didn’t have to kill anyone today, so pretty boring.” You were barely listening. you were vaguely aware of your boyfriend bustling around between the kitchen and living room.

“Fuck!” Max’s sudden outburst made you jump and nearly throw your book in the air. “Bleh! What the fuck is this?” You looked up to see Max standing in the doorway leading to the kitchen a large piece of fruitcake in his hand and trying his hardest not to throw up.

“Fruitcake,” you answered. “Clara brought it over earlier.”

“Clara?”

“The women who lives next door,” you supplied.

“That old bat?” You chuckled. Clara was probably pushing ninety, and was as sweet as could be to both you and Max. “This is disgusting.” He tossed the offending cake into the trash.

“It’s fruitcake, Max,” you said. “Of course it’s disgusting.”

“Why would she give that to us? Is she trying to kill us?”

“Tons of people give out fruitcake for Christmas,” you answered. “You’re not supposed to eat it. You just say thank you and throw it away when they leave.”

“If everyone hates it then why the hell do people give it to each other?”

“No idea,” you said. “Just toss the whole thing. I meant to earlier and got sidetracked.”

“Ugh,” Max grimaced as he threw it away. “I’m never gonna get that taste out of my mouth.” He came in to sit next to you. You were back to being fully submersed in your book. “Sweet cheeks, wanna give me a little blood to help me get rid of this flavor?”

“No can do,” you said. “Clara wanted to see me eat a piece before she left, so you’ll have to wait a few hours for my blood to taste normal again.”

“God dammit,” Max groaned. He got up with a sigh. “Guess I’ll have to settle for some bourbon then.”

“Mmm,” you murmured, once again tuning him out to read.

Day 14

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Taglist:

@alexxavicry @amneris21 @awhitewyvern @burrito-stuffs @dreedhudson @greeneyedblondie44 @harriedandharassed @hayley-the-comet @hnt-escape @just-here-for-the-moment @kirsteng42 @lizette50 @loompyinaway @maxwell--lord @mishasminion360 @mswarriorbabe80 @my-sweetheart1776 @peach-child @pedrostories @sherala007 @stevie75 @wakaladjarin @xocalliexo @christinamadsen

[elektrischemaidchen]

Lisztober #14: Perdendosi

I proudly present: A song about the difficulty of learning to love silence, written by someone who can never sit still, always has to be busy with something and has a huge coffee problem. Yeahy! Best combo! It must be so beautiful, the silence. So another real downer today before we get steamy again tomorrow. Otherwise we'll all get depressed. @franzliszt-official : Sorry in advanced that we have to praise your body again tomorrow. But, alas, we love your soul, too. <3

‘What had he forgotten and why? As soon as someone had said something, he forgot it again without the other person realising it, because he was able to give everyone else the wonderful feeling that he was interested in them,’ writes Christian Lindner (the author, not the German politician of the same name) in his book “Sommermusik” about Liszt.

In Franz's life before Weimar, there were always times when he wanted to stop the restless life he was leading. Times when he briefly disappears and then returns reinvented (and louder). At the peak of Lisztomania, he collapses with a fever after touring life, with all its ups and downs, takes its toll. But he doesn't care. The show must go on. He is driven to compose; driven to  catch up his lack of schooling in Raiding through self-study...and everything always has to be perfect. Perfect. Perfect! He writes and listens, he reads and enjoys …and tortures his fingers on his mute wooden travelling piano (which is in Weimar and is so beautiful and sad... if you ever make a pilgrimage there, you'll understand me) in the carriage to ever more difficult feats. (And then someone comes along and says Thalberg was better? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, CLARA?)

And then he sits on a bench here on Nonnenwerth early in the morning and looks at the same sky I'm looking at right now, the mountains once again shrouded in mist, cut off from all the hustle and bustle, while the hysterical Marie has fallen asleep in her bed after yet another row. And he looks out over the Rhine and thinks about his death. And from a letter to Marie, we learn how things must really have been for him at times: ‘You feel it, you know it. For me, there is nothing but grief, ennui, and bitter, anxious sadness in all these things. After all, I am not completely extinguished; however arid and monotonous the path may be, I will walk it to the end.’ Oh, Franz.

We wanted to do the exact opposite musically for today's theme ‘Perdendosi’, i.e. a bit of a crescendo, while the text fights against it, but 24 hours is not enough for that. So let's channel a bit of Evanescence, with a wind machine and flying crows. That's okay too ;)

Incidentally, the refrain is from the poem ‘Vereinsamt’ by Friedrich Nietzsche, who could also write really beautiful things before syphilis and the f***** Wagners made him so shitty.

Welcome back to the Liszt musical!

The silence is dreadful The silence does not stop It roars in his ears And he can hardly stand it And yet in the silence A strange power He cannot remember What it does to him The crows fly swiftly to the city Soon it will snow Blessed is he who still has Has a home now His trembling floats way Has yielded to nature it joins a heart That lies to itself His hands are heavy And motionless on the lap The hardest of all etudes Is his own lot The crows fly swiftly to the city Soon it will snow Blessed is he who still has Has a home now Silence becomes a lover Which he spurned before And a feeling of warmth Blows through his body It is as if an angel Has taken pity on his soul And God's bright lights Made their way to him Don't go away! Don't leave me alone! Where everything is loud, nobody can hear you scream! The crows fly quickly to the city Soon it will snow Blessed is he who still has Home now The life he knew Can no longer continue  on The notes he never played He can now understand them

[angie-long-legs]

🌼 ― a happy memory.

Walk Down Memory Lane

send in a symbol to receive a drabble or meta about one of my muse's memories.

cw: this gets a little steamy towards the end! nothing explicit/graphic, but I put it under a cut just in case.

Contentedly, Anthony draped an arm over his lover's bare chest, his fingers idly twirling the curls that bobbed above the man's shoulders. The pair sat half-upright against the headboard, Vito lazily lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag, and Anthony watching, wide-eyed and wonder-struck as if he couldn't believe his luck.

He was high, and he was in love. All he wanted was to be those two things for the rest of his life, and he would be happy. He was sure of it.

The hand playing with Vito's hair found its way to his lips, plucking the cigarette from between them to sneak a cheeky drag of his own. Unfocused eyes trained on his lover's, Anthony blew the smoke out of the side of his mouth, an unusual mix of cocky and docile as he leaned in to tap the ash into the tray at Vito's side of the bed. The distance had him sprawling over the other man to reach it, his candid smile stretching into a smug, satisfied smirk as he shifted so as to be fully lying on top of him, the intimacy of skin on skin as intoxicating as any drug Vito could supply him with.

Slowly, Anthony pressed two fingers to his lover's lips, returning the stolen cigarette with all the affection of a soft, tender kiss. Vito looked solemn, contemplative - captivated. Brown eyes were furrowed, as though he were looking at something far too bright, but they were gentle. He looked at Anthony with curiosity, with silent admiration. With praise.

"You're incredible."

Anthony's eyes widened, his cheeks flushing as he laughed. Giddy and groaning, he buried his face in Vito's shoulder to hide his flustered expression. No one talked to him like this, no one whispered sweet nothings after the deed was done. His chuckles morphed into a shiver and a sigh as Vito idly ran his hands over Anthony's body, one resting on the small of his back while another petted through his hair. "Y' really think so?" the younger man mumbled, his voice high and hopeful as he nuzzled into his lover's neck and pressed gentle kisses against it.

"Look at me." The hand cupping Anthony's head dipped under his chin and guided him up from where he had tried to hide his blushing face, forcing him to look at him. Vito was a guarded man, that much was clear, but right now as he studied Anthony, his expression betrayed a glimmer of pure truth.

"I know so. Y' ain't like the rest of us fellas, ya know. You're goin' places," the older man assured him. "You're a star, Tony."

With another groan, Anthony once again flopped down to cover his face in embarassment, despite his foolish grin. "Don't call me that," he moaned. "Only my Pa calls me Tony. Y' know I hate it."

He could feel the rumble of Vito's laugh as his face pressed into the man's chest, the steady up and down of it jostling him slightly. "Well, you get inta those movies you're always talkin' my ear off about and I'll call ya anythin' ya want, dollface," Vito countered, playfully ruffling Anthony's hair.

"Ugh, I ain't a kid, Vito," the younger whined, swatting his hand away before pushing himself upright, straddling his lover. Eyes flitting side to side with mischievous intent, Anthony snatched up the ratty white sheet that had been kicked to the foot of the motel bed and wrapped it around his chest, swishing his makeshift gown to blow a gust of air towards Vito. The elder mafioso raised an eyebrow in amusement, sweat-stuck strands of hair blustering around his face.

"Y' can call me... Angelo," Anthony grinned deviously, striking an enticing pose, one hand holding up his bedsheet-dress while the other rested seductively on his hip. "America's new sweetheart: hottest thing ta hit the pictures since Clara goddamn Bow," he flaunted, all the melodrama of the movies pouring out of him as he launched into his sensational spiel. "LA ain't seen nothin' like me, Vito, I'm tellin' ya. I'm gonna make it ova' there. Just you wait."

"I know ya are, baby," Vito replied with an affectionate eye roll, reaching up to cup his exuberant lover's cheek before pushing himself upright, sending Anthony flailing backwards with a squeal.

Leaning towards him, Vito crawled over until he was on top of Anthony, whose glamour-girl bedsheet had fallen undone, splayed out around him like the petals of a flower. Vito caught him in a fierce kiss, letting loose a low groan as legs became entangled and hands began to wander. Anthony's breath hitched in bliss as he was pinned beneath his lover - this was heaven.

When Vito shifted to pepper kisses along Anthony's neck, the younger man stifled a gasp, letting his head fall back over the edge of the bed as Vito's mouth crept lower.

"Take me ta LA, V," he whimpered, one hand winding into Vito's hair while the other tugged at his own. "Please. Y'll take me there, won't ya?"

"'Course I will, baby," Vito muttered, half a mind on Anthony's words while the rest focused on his body. "Anything you want."

Anthony could only respond with a wordless wail, communication limited as sounds of pleasure became his only accessible form of expression. This was all he wanted, forever and always. This was the only thing in the world that mattered. In his mind, he replayed their exchange as though they were wedding vows, like a scene from a movie.

Take me ta LA, V.

'Course I will, baby.

His lips moved as he panted, mouthing the words over and over. A mantra, a spell, a prayer. These were the words that were going to save him.

Anything you want.

[harajuku-cookie]

I have had two thoughts bouncing around in my head for a while involving Gilbert and my IkePri OC, Rosalia:

🔹One sweet of Gil cuddles with Rosalia, involving a tiny spoiler from an event story

🔹One spicy relating to the IkePri act 3/sequel routes, which isn't much of a spoiler, involving a special deal Rosalia makes with Gilbert to allow her to greet their visitors freely

I got encouraged by a server I'm a part of to share them and I noticed that it got way too long to copy and paste with the character limit, so I'm posting it here. Please be kind, I haven't written in a long time so I'm rusty and I'm shy and nervous enough as it is to share this. This is all self-indulgent.

Now onwards with the thoughts! I'm posting it under read more for spoilers and light smut in the second thought.

18+ || Minors do not interact

🔹The sweet thought:

So in one event, Gilbert introduces MC to a group of animals, two dogs named Clara and Adele and a cat named Elise. These essentially become their pets. With my OC, Rosalia in mind, I pictured one day Gilbert returns to his room and finds her napping on a couch, all tuckered out from the day, with the animals surrounding her. The dogs napping beside her on the ground as though protecting her, and the cat by her head. Gilbert does get a little jealous at first, but it is kind of a cute sight and since he sees her lying on her back, he gets a thought. Carefully as to not wake her, he sits beside her sleeping form and lays his upper body on her, legs dangling off the sofa, his head on her chest, listening to her heartbeat. Although she is asleep, her body knows he's there and wraps her arms around him, holding him close, and continues sleeping with a small smile on her face. Gilbert wasn't planning on napping, but now that he was in her grasp, he might as well. They have time and it was comfy, so for now they could forget work and duties and just be beside each other for a little while.

🔹The spicy thought:

Notes:

1. I have zero experience at smut

2. My OC, Rosalia's crest is a cheetah, I'm bringing this up when I use the reference later. She also uses a cane, which I will expand on on her character profile on a later date.

3. I don't know much about IkePri's act 3/the sequels, this set up is based on what I've seen and come across

Anyways:

In act 3/the sequels, the Rhodolitian king (whoever is chosen) and some of the princes go visit Obsidian. So far we've seen Chevalier, Leon, and Yves go and in my particular case, I imagine my OCs, Alina and Zaina also going along with them, half because they're Yves and Chev's respective partners and the other half being that they're Rosalia's adoptive family so they want to see her.

Rosalia of course is excited for their arrival and is borderline bouncing off the walls ready to welcome them and give them all hugs (well for Chev it would be a kind greeting). Gilbert isn't too keen on the idea of that since he doesn't want anyone touching her, but Rosalia comes up with an idea. It's a risque one, but hopefully it will work. She proposed Gilbert a deal: give her free reign to hug her sisters and friends and freely chat with them with no consequences towards them and she'll show him a different side of her in bed that night, one he's been meaning to see.

Rosalia is usually reserved in bed because it's still new territory to her, so she mostly goes with Gilbert's flow, but she's not clueless. She knows a thing or two from stories she's been told by others back in Rhodolite, to her medical research when it comes to anatomy and physiology, to the steamy romance books she's reads. Plus Gilbert has been trying to get her to cut loose and try taking control for once, so why not try it now?

Gilbert can't help but be curious as to what Rosalia will try and she must really want this if she's willing to come out of her comfort zone, so he makes the deal. She gets to greets everyone, give them the longest biggest hugs she's been wanting to give for so long, and catch up on what's happened since they last saw each other. It's a wonderful time and she feels rejuvenated. She hasn't forgotten her deal though. She is a little nervous but at the same time she's excited and now that night is approaching, she goes to her room to gather her things to prepare and heads to Gilbert's.

When Gilbert returns to his room a while later, he finds Rosalia sitting on his bed, hair loose from her usual braid, makeup done, and with a robe covering her. Although she is blushing, she extends a hand towards him, beckoning him closer. Pleased with her promise kept and interested in what she has planned, he approaches her and takes her hand. What he didn't expect was her pulling him hard enough to make him topple onto the bed. Before he could react, which is a first for him, she gets on top and straddles him. She's ready to fulfill her end of the deal, but in order to do that he must let her lead. Tonight she'll be the beast and he'll be her prey.

Gilbert is not used to someone else being in charge of him, but when it comes to Rosalia, the idea is interesting and honestly it wasn't the first time he's had those kind of thoughts pertaining to her. Once he gives her free reign for the night, she's shrugs off the robe to reveal a black lingerie set that he made her a while back, but was too shy to wear at the time. Now she wears it with pride, looking like a cheetah on the hunt for her prey. Pinning his arms to the bed, she begins. From passionate kisses to hard love bites like he leaves on her, Rosalia makes her way down Gilbert's body, removing articles of his clothing along the way.

Once she reaches where he wants her the most, she takes him in her hand and strokes him a bit before taking him in her mouth. His hands instinctively try to move and out his hand on her head, but her hand shoots out to stop him reminding him that she's in charge. She continues on,  teasing him and before he can come, she stops and pulls off, but not before giving him a bite in his inner thigh like he's done to her.

Slowly and deliberately, Rosalia removes the lingerie piece by piece until she's bare before him, Gilbert feeling how aroused she when she takes him in her hand and rubbing the tip along her soaked folds for a bit before aligning it with her entrance and sinking down. Taking a moment to adjust, she slowly starts to move, small bounces until she starts picking up the pace and going harder, faster. Gilbert feels that he's getting close and tries to put his hands on her hips to move her like he wants, but she stops him and pins them down to the bed, reminding him that she's in control tonight and she'll decide whether he's allowed to touch her or not. She edges hims bit for that stunt, moving slower just to tease him, but after a while even she can't hold back and returns to her fast and hard pace until she makes them both reach their climax.

While catching his breath, Gilbert thinks this is a one round thing, but once he saw the look in her eyes he knows it's far from over. Rosalia made sure to make good on her end of the deal all night long. The next day, when they both go meet up with the Rhodolitian side, everything seems normal and business goes as planned. However some of them do notice that Rosalia and Gilbert are depending on their respective canes a little more than usual, their walks a little off than usual.

[clara-teamrocket]

clara? more like ara ara because you make it steamy in here!

... please stop using fire type moves in the pool i hate sauna's

My bad you know how crazy fella is when he gets hyped.

[imjustanauthor]

SHIPPING INFO // ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

Tagged by: @omniishambles ​

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

Tbh I don’t really have any specific OTPs. I enjoy all the ships I write, otherwise I wouldn’t write them. I adore anything with chemistry and where the writer of the other character will plot the ship and talk about all the little details with me ❤️

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Eh... I’ve never really considered it. Historically, almost every ship John’s had has been an age gap. It’s not something he really thinks about, so as long as the character is mid-20s or so then I don’t mind. Someone like Mycroft or Charlie, on the other hand, does consider that kind of thing, so the age gap would need to be smaller.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

The second things can no longer be implied, it’s time to fade to black. Not that it comes up often, lol. Only Sullivan and Charlie have an active interest. People (understandably) don’t want to ship with Sullivan (he’s a bit of a bastard, and not in a particularly hot way), and so far Charlie is theoretically down for it but in reality needs to work through a couple of issues first.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

Yes. I like to write ships that are long term and detailed, so I usually only suggest one if I trust that someone won’t vanish any time soon and that they’ll engage with plotting behind the scenes. There also needs to be chemistry which, for some characters (Mycroft), is easier said than done.

Somme characters are easier to ship with. Charlie isn’t really fussy, so he’s probably the easiest. Still, I’m unlikely to want to write the ship unless the other person has a history of plotting and doesn’t seem to blog hop much.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

As I said, chemistry is needed. All my characters have their references though. Mycroft likes dangerous men that present an element of risk (but also has a soft spot for genuinely kind men), Charlie likes women that could beat him up (but really isn’t fussy and likes nice people in general, men or women), Sullivan likes pretty people in general (but only for flings), and John likes people that make him feel protected. Moriarty isn’t interested, and people really shouldn’t be interested in Siger lol

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

It definitely needs to be plotted. Most of the time, I also like to write the characters without romantic intent first. I’ve only hopped into a preestablished ship a couple times, and all those times they’ve been with someone that I’ve written with in the long term and that I trusted would be down to plot out the details in depth.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

It’s not my priority. I like shipping, but my favourite thing is writing any kind of long term character relationship and working out all the little details. Romance isn’t needed for that, but it sure is nice sometimes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

Hmm... If it has to be with a character I write, I like 12th Doctor/River, 12th Doctor/Clara, Mycroft/Lestrade, and Mycroft/Moriarty. 

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

As previously mentioned, demonstrate that you’re not going to go inactive any time soon, demonstrate that you’re actively going to take part in discussing the plot, and demonstrate chemistry between the characters. Most of this is what I want to see for writing any kind of relationship with my characters though, so really all I’m asking for is for people to be good rp partners 🤷‍♂️

[cozydez-main]

Part 4: The Ex

The summer was full of steamy romances and even hotter days. Eva and Naomi decided to attend a pool party with their mutual friend. Naomi asked Kenny and Akira to tag along as they were the hook up to some “party favors”.

To Akira seeing Eva in a bathing suit made the invite more appetizing even if he had to pretend to be not interested. While walking to the bar he hears a familiar voice..

“Long time no see, A. Funny I’d see you here.”

Akira unexpectedly runs into his ex, Clara Takahara. Their breakup two years ago was a messy one. Clara had been caught fooling around with another Simkuza member. The betrayal had hit Akira so hard, that it sent him into a fit of rage, and he sent the guy to the hospital..

Clara is no stranger to the world of crime. Her grandfather had been a powerful figure in the Simkuza, and her familiarity with the Feng family’s secret life made her betrayal cut even deeper. Seeing her again stirs up unresolved emotions for Akira, but of course he would never tell her.

Naomi stops in her tracks when she notices Clara talking to Akira in the distance. Clara’s flirtatious demeanor was impossible to miss. It’s a familiar sight that she once thought was innocent when they were younger. Eva catches Naomi staring and follows her gaze. The sight of Akira and Clara together sends a sharp pang through her chest. Naomi, oblivious to Eva’s feelings, dishes the juicy details to her bestie leaving no detail out.

His first love, soulmates, broke his heart, left him broken for a while. These words hit her like a ton of bricks. Jealousy begins to take over, but does her best to mask it, pretending she isn’t affected. Eva forces a tight smile and says nothing, but the seed of frustration was already planted. Later, when the opportunity arises, Eva pulls Akira aside to a secluded spot behind the pool house.

Eva decided to keep knowing about Akira and Clara’s relationship a secret for the time being. All she wanted was Akira’s eyes fixated on her.

On her way to find Akira, Clara spots the two lovebirds. Her face hardens, anger flashing in her eyes. But one thing Clara knows is to get what you want you might have to scheme for it.

[unflirtysimmer]

She had learned early on that the sauna was a favorite hangout spot for the Powerhouse group, a place to relax and unwind after a hard workout. As she entered, the warm, steamy air hit her, and the faint scent of eucalyptus and sweat filled the space.

As Mercury stepped into the sauna, she immediately spotted Jacob already lounging on one of the benches, a towel casually draped around his shoulders. He gave her a grin as she walked in.

“Well, look who decided to join us!” Jacob said, his voice light and teasing. He patted the spot beside him. “I was starting to think you were gonna skip out on the best part of the day.”

Mercury chuckled, settling down next to him. “Nah, I just needed to catch my breath after that workout,” she said with a playful wink. “Besides, I know you guys would miss me if I didn’t show up.”

Jacob laughed, nudging her gently. “Of course, we wouldn’t want to be deprived of your charm.” He stretched out, clearly comfortable in the warm, relaxing atmosphere. “But seriously, you were killing it today. You’ve got some serious moves.”

Paolo, overhearing their conversation, piped up from across the room, grinning as usual. “Mercury’s always showing off. But hey, I can’t blame her, we’re all just trying to keep up!”

Ozzy, who had been lying back on the lowest bench, groaned theatrically. “Oh, please. Let’s not turn this into another ‘who’s the best’ competition,” he said with a smile, half-mocking, half-joking. “We’re here to relax, not give ourselves more work.”

Clara, sitting up gracefully, nodded in agreement. “Exactly, darling. I’m just here to detox and enjoy the peaceful vibes.” She flashed a playful smile. “No need to stress over who's lifting the most weight or showing off.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow at Clara, grinning. “Oh, come on, Clara, I thought we were all here to get sweaty together.”

Mercury rolled her eyes with a smirk. “We’re all sweating in our own way,” she said, leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment, letting the heat work its magic.

Paolo grinned, looking around at the group. “Exactly! This is the best part of the workout. No weights, no machines, just good company and the heat.”

Jacob chuckled, looking over at Mercury. “I guess we’re all here for the entertainment, huh?”

Mercury raised an eyebrow, nudging him back. “Oh, absolutely. You’re all my entertainment,” she teased, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

The group settled in, the conversation light and full of laughter. There was no pressure, no competition—just friends unwinding after a hard workout. For Mercury, it was a brief moment of normalcy in a world that felt anything but, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the easy camaraderie of it all.

[the-immortal-redshirt]

Heart of Ice: Chapter 5: "Not a Hugger"

Answering a psychic call for help, The Doctor and Clara find themselves on an extinct planet where the only survivors are frozen from a last-ditch experiment gone wrong. When the minds of the survivors take over Clara's body, the Doctor is faced with a terrible decision- to sacrifice himself to save the person he loves. (Whouffaldi/TwelveClara, T for violence, minor horror)

Read it on AO3

Read it on ff.net

Chapter 5: "Not a Hugger"

Steam wafted up from the vents of the steel Tardis floors, blanketing the entire room in a humid heat. Condensation collected on the cool metal surfaces, dripping to the floor. It was as if the whole ship was sweating.

The Doctor stirred, wondering when he'd fallen asleep in a sauna. There was a sharp pain stabbing him behind the eyes. Wincing, he groaned. Briefly, he tried to open his eyes but immediately regretted it, squeezing them shut again. The light hitting his pupils made the pain exponentially worse.

On top of that, his body felt like it weighed a million pounds. Sluggish and sore, moving seemed impossible.

But something was off. He was wrapped up in something, something soft and warm, and there was an unfamiliar solidness pressing against his back. Whatever was behind him was radiating heat like the sun.

Suddenly, the memory of what had happened came crashing down on him. He had given himself up to the Ergellians…and then nothing. Where was he?

Able to sense the passage of time, he could not account for the memory gap of the last several hours. Were the Ergellians still in his head?

Clara. What had happened to her?

Forcing himself to open his eyes again, he was met with the blurred sight of the console room, the ship purring contentedly. He grimaced, pain shooting through his eyeballs, but the longer he kept them open the more the pain began to taper off. He attempted to bring his hands up to rub at his face but found that he was restrained by whatever he was wrapped in. Raising an eyebrow, he looked down, realizing that it was his own bedspread. How had that gotten here?

Wriggling his way partially out of the covers, he heard a small noise of discontent from behind him. He froze. Turning his head, he looked behind him.

The sleeping face of Clara Oswald was there to greet him. His hearts stopped, why was she there and how the hell had he gotten into this situation? Not that he was complaining, though. Realizing that the two firm objects resting against his chest were her hands, he was flooded with a range of emotions. Relief, confusion, bashfulness, and a strange sense of comfort he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

This sort of close contact was still unfamiliar to him in this body. He had to fight the urge to bristle. But, by focusing on the sensation of her heart beating against his spine, he found himself relaxing into her touch. Whatever the reason was for this, he did not care anymore. Perhaps this was a dream the Ergellians had cooked up for him to keep him from resisting, like the Dream Crabs do.

His cheeks flushed hot, reddening his skin. Clara Oswald, the woman he not-so-secretly loved, here, with him, cuddling him. It filled him with a warmth that was more than just the heat outside.

If this was a dream, he decided it wasn't so bad.

But he needed to get out of here. It was way too hot. Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his face. The steaminess in the room was nearly suffocating. A cloud of water vapor concealed the ceiling in a haze. Reluctantly, he began to disentangle himself from the mass of blankets.

Feeling movement, Clara startled awake. Instinctively, she tightened her grip around the Doctor’s chest, preventing him from leaving. Her heart rate shot up in a mixture of happiness and fear. She was glad that he had come out of his coma, but what version of him had woken up? Was she in danger?

She heard him take in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Pushing the blankets away, he attempted to turn around. Releasing her grasp, Clara let him. Afraid, she shrank back, bringing her arms in to protect herself.

Doctor faced her fully, making eye contact with her. His stormy blue eyes were soft, back to their usual vibrance.

“Doctor?” Clara asked timidly, still wary.

“Clara, I'm not a hugger,” he drawled, unserious amusement on his face.

Clara grinned broadly. All of the worry and fear rushed out of her body. He was back. He had come back to her.

“You stupid old man!” she punched his shoulder lightly. “Don't you ever scare me like that again!”

[dhampiravidi]

real-world OC (Jasmine Wayland)

template adapted from this one!

Basic Information

Full Name: Jasmine "Jas" Kythereia Faulkner (née Wayland) Pen Name/Pseudonym: Zarena Clark DOB:  Sept. 15, 1985 (age 29 as of 2014) Gender: Cis Female/Woman Sexual Orientation: Bisexual Ethnicity: Black (African-American) Hometown: Santa Clara, California Education: MA in History & Minor in Sociology (Stanford '07) Languages: English, some Spanish & a bit of Latin

Appearance

Jas is a 5'3" (1.6 m) young woman. She takes after her mother, so she has light brown skin (with warm undertones encouraged by lots of time in the sunshine), curling (shoulder-length) dark brown hair, even darker eyes, and curvy hips*. Even as she becomes famous, her go-to is t-shirts with cardigans, jeans & boots. When she's forced to look more professional, she wears blouses with nice pants, bracelets & wedge-heeled boots (dresses are rare). Her makeup is pretty limited to black eyeliner & the occasional watermelon-colored lipstick.

FC: Kat Graham

Background

She's loved reading her entire life. Reading has always meant going on adventures & daydreaming in a more solid, respectable fashion. Jas has also always loved the concept of love: finding things that make people happy, having friends who inspire laughter & eventually meeting someone even more beautiful, loyal & wonderful than the sunrise. Yeah, well, it took her a while to find some of that. Her parents have always had a loving marriage. They also pushed her to succeed in academia, to the point where she nurtured her perfectionist temperament & graduated with honors after skipping 2 grades. She also wasn't partying or dating, because it didn't come naturally to her. So when she met Eric Faulkner through a coworker, she thought she was lucky. He was handsome, intelligent, sexually adventurous & he really liked her. He even supported her when she decided to take time off from her wedding planning career, to write a steamy urban fantasy novel instead. Or so she thought. She's currently in the middle of a divorce, because he cheated on her with the aforementioned coworker. (Jas found out 7 months after their wedding, but it had been going on since they were dating, apparently.) Oh, & he's got her in a legal battle, claiming he basically wrote half of her book--the one that just became a bestseller (Blood Ties: Seductive Enchantment).

Personality

Jas is an introvert. She spends lots of time with just a handful of people at once, disliking crowds due to her anxiety. Oddly enough, she loves modern rock music. Her favorite activities include reading, swimming, tai chi, rock climbing, watching action movies, collecting art prints & running her historical misconceptions/queer representations blog, The World Was Conquered by a Bisexual. Basically, she's very introspective, weirdly funny & admiring of the small things. On the flip side, she gets deeply frustrated when a seemingly easy task is hard for her and she equates taking a break with failure. Because of this, she is a hard worker, which helps with her career(s). She's also incredibly loyal and protective when it comes to her friends. Unfortunately, she has trouble valuing herself & in a relationship, she might never believe that her significant other loves her unconditionally.

*yes, despite her FC, Jas is plus-sized!

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection by Talya Blaine

Five heart-felt, steamy, later-in-life short stories

Five women

Five dreams

Five Christmases

With some wishes

And then

…

Each story begins with a steamy dream a woman wakes from as she then thinks about her life and what will happen on the upcoming Christmas holiday. The stories are all short with immediate connection between the main characters and the potential for a happily ever after for all involved. These are feel-good Hallmark worthy shorties that can be read over coffee in the morning or with a nightcap before bed and all will put a smile on your face, provide Christmas cheer, and leave you with a smile on your face.

Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

BLURB

A spicy and heartwarming Christmas romance short story collection Spend Christmas in the California sun with these feel-good, later-in-life contemporary romance short stories. Five standalone short stories. Five sultry dreams. Five hot, sweet Santas whose gifts can’t be wrapped and put under a tree. The California Dreams Christmas Romance Collection includes: Santa & Anna When a divorced baker-to-the-stars bumps into Santa, their meet is anything but cute. Crumbs and icing fly—until Santa makes a deal and delivers not one but two sweet gifts. Santa & Clara When a workaholic Silicon Valley IT consultant reluctantly takes on the role of Mrs. Claus at her client’s corporate Christmas bash, a B-list celebrity Santa coaxes her to reveal her fantasy holiday wish. Santa Cru Sofia practically pops a cork when the Santa she hires for her winery’s big party cancels last-minute—until his stand-in’s earnest plea restores her Christmas spirit. Santa & Monica Stuck together in a luxury beachfront vacation rental, Santa and Monica’s slow-burn connection and dark humor transform loss into found. Santa & Barbara When ex-pat Barb returns home to spend Christmas with her ailing grandfather, Santa helps her reconnect in ways she will always remember. Full of twists on your favorite tropes—enemies to lovers, forced proximity, second chance, slow burn, fake relationship, mistaken identity—with touching, happy endings. Standalone short stories. Mature language, themes, and situations. M/F romances. Heroine POVs. No cheating between characters. No cliffhangers. At Christmastime, these five California dreams just might come true.

[kainoliero]

Halfway in Noli Me Tángere and uhh... I'm just going to assume the publisher stepped in at some point and demanded at least one (1) het romance, just to stay on the safe side. Crisóstomo has this massive steamy passionate vibe about him in literally every scene except for when he's with María Clara. That's when we get a book equivalent of being sprayed in the face with cold water. sure, it's a refreshing break after being in the tumble dryer that's the NMT plotline, but also huh? Ok that happened? whatever.

I'm JUST SAYING the main heroine should have been a man and then we would probably have seen some ~*sparks*~

[onthepageauthorservicesllc]

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