#genevieve maxwell

[duckprintspress]

August Releases from Duck Prints Press

August has seen us releasing several new works – a short story on our webpage, four more short stories on our Patreon, and an original artwork on Patreon. Have you been considering backing our Patreon as part of the August Patreon drive but weren’t sure what you’d get? Read on for some examples of the awesomeness available to backers – or, if backing on Patreon isn’t your cup of tea, pop over to our website and buy a copy of our latest short story release!

New Patreon backers during the month of August may claim freebie Duck Prints Press merchandise worth up to $5! Read all about this promotion in this blog post: https://duckprintspress.com/2024/08/01/duck-prints-press-needs-you-become-a-patron-get-a-freebie-reblog-enter-a-giveaway/

(read more!)

New Art

Artist: Zel Howland Title: Chrysopoeia

In this beautiful, haunting piece, the multi-talented Zel Howland created an artwork entitled Chrysopoeia to accompany their short story of the same name.

Viewing Access ($5/month and $7/month backers) | Print-Suitable Download Access ($10/month and $25/month backers)

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New General Imprint Titles

Author: Willa Blythe Title: Tincture of Clarity

Modern with Magic, M/M Rivals to Lovers, Magical Tea Shop Setting. An Add Magic to Taste bonus story!

Teaser: Restaurant Week had never been a good week for Steep—not once in the six years since Emery had opened his beloved little tea shop. Every year they scraped by, struggling to get passersby to darken the doors for promises of royal tea and creamed scones and magical teapots. None of that appealed to the young and vibrant community Emery had found here, beyond the people who always came to see him, special Restaurant Week offerings or none.

Available to all Patreon backers!

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Author: Lyonel Loy Title: Rabbit, Run

Fantasy, Family and Found Family, The Children of War Find Peace

Teaser: Soraya is nine years old, and Zhengyi her oldest living brother is fifteen, when the world rises against their father at last.

“Follow the road,” Zhengyi says. He has taken off his demon war-helm to kiss them goodbye; someone else’s blood stains his face and his armor. “It will take you to your mother’s keep; they will shelter you there. Don’t leave the road, and don’t stop for anyone or anything. I’ll make sure no one follows.”

Available to $25/month Patreon backers!

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Author: Genevieve Maxwell Title: Bubbles and Butterflies

Fluffy Modern F/F Meet-Cute

Teaser: Jill was surprised when she heard the door open behind her right after she exited. The woman who had been in front of her in line was leaving as well. Jill had noticed earlier that she was pretty, but it struck her now that not only was this woman adorable, she was incredibly attractive. When she saw Jill looking, she grinned and raised her hand in a wave. Jill smiled tentatively back and turned toward her.

“Looks like we’re headed the same way,” said the woman.

Available to all Patreon backers!

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New Explicit Imprint Titles

Author: YF Ollwell Title: LA Photographs Itself

Historical First-Person Point of View M/M One-Night Stand

Teaser: It was something about the way Pax dropped the robe that made me realize there was no Playgirl test-shoot after all. He looked over his shoulder in a move he must have picked up from some femme fatale as I considered the pale shape of his spine and the bad stunt scar that sat just above the cleft of his ass… and he grinned.

“Okay, Martin,” he said in a voice barely suppressing a giggle, “I’m ready for my pin-ups.”

Available on our website for $1.99!

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Author: Terra P. Waters Title: Dancing for the King

Fantasy M/M Deity/Worshiper Size Difference. Stand-alone story set in the same ‘verse as The Wayward Timekeeper.

Teaser: Five years ago, when Andelion was 16, he had won the lottery at his school and was given the privilege of, as part of the ceremony, carrying the Book through the temple to where Tenemor sat on a dais. As Andelion had gotten his first close-up look at the god-king, he had been awestruck. Tenemor was of giant stature; his crown soared three yards up. The king’s skin was unnaturally pale, gray, and death-like, nothing like Anavita’s deep, soil-toned brown skin. Nothing like the medium-brown skin that Andelion and his family members all had. And his eyes! Andelion had fallen into those gray-brown eyes, irreparably changed.

In that moment, Andelion decided he would join Tenemor’s harem and become one of the few mortals the god-king loved.

Available to $7/month, $10/month, and $25/month Patreon backers!

[jumblejen]

For Your Own Good

Even with the light of the campfire, the stars were still brilliant overhead. Jesse didn’t get out of the city and suburbs often enough to become accustomed to such a swath of brilliance.

“You’re going to get a crick in your neck if you keep gawping like that,” drawled the man next to him.

“Well, it’s my neck and therefore my problem,” Jesse retorted, never taking his eyes off the sky.

“It’ll be my problem tomorrow when you bitch about it all day.”

Jesse looked at Dawn in annoyance. “If I bitch, it’s gonna be because you won’t take the dang handcuffs off!”

“They’re for your protection.”

“The hell they are.” Jesse scrambled to his feet, not appreciating how hard that was when his arms were secured tightly behind his back.

Dawn stood up and stretched languidly, taking time to raise each arm above his head and over to the side.

“You’re a right asshole.”

“I know I’m right.”

Jesse stared at the fire sullenly, full of seething resentment that crowded out even the majesty of the heavens. He could kick the fire, make Dawn have to rebuild it. But what would that really get him? A little annoyance and a big chance he’d fall on his bum, possibly right into the coals.

He knew one thing; there was no way he was going to stand still. Nope. He didn’t want to sit down just to be ignored by Dawn. It wasn’t the practical choice, but it was the only one Jesse could stomach at the time. He turned and carefully stepped over the log he’d been seated on and started walking away from the fire.

“Where you going?” asked Dawn, voice laced with amusement.

“Away.”

“Mighty fine destination, ‘away’. Lemme know when you get lost.”

It was dark and the woods around the clearing were dense, but Jesse needed to move and so he did. He didn’t storm off like he would have if his hands were free. He was careful. He used the dwindling light of the fire to try and sort what was just shadow and what was a hole likely to send him sprawling.

Small steps. Baby steps. Itty bitty but making progress to the tree line steps.

Entering the trees, Jesse paused, taking in the darkness before him. He should stop and go back, but that rankled. Dawn may mock, and not without reason, but it didn’t mean Jesse had to make life easy for him. If the cuffs really were for his protection, surely they could have been fastened in front of him instead of behind. He kept going, even slower now. His shoulders brushed alongside branches and trunks, leaves and twigs cracking below his feet. The air was full of the scent of pine and rotting leaves and that greenness of growing things. It was a mild night. Maybe there were large animals that would attack in the night without the safety of the fire, but Jesse was too angry to care about that.

Weariness overtook him after an hour of shuffling through the woods. Deciding this would be as good a place to stop as any, Jesse knelt and scooted backwards the best he could until his back was against a tree trunk. He tried to find a position where his arms and hands would be the least impacted but gave up. He wasn’t flexible enough to rest comfortably with his hands handcuffed behind his back.

Jesse sat and listened to the forest, occasionally hearing Dawn’s voice calling his name. ‘Not so amused now’, he thought. He dozed off and on, tired and uncomfortable but filled with that righteousness that so often ends up in stupidity.

“Jesse!”

The call was close and startled Jesse awake. He cursed softly as the cuffs cut into his wrists when he woke. “Quit your yelling. I’m right here.”

Jesse winced as a torch appeared near his face, Dawn’s expression obscured by the brightness.

“I can’t believe you ran away. Come on. Let’s get you back to camp.”

“Will you let me loose?”

“No.” Dawn helped Jesse to his feet gently. “I promise. It’s…”

“For my own good. I heard you the first time.”

Once they were again sitting by the fire, Jesse noticed a thick white line encircling the fire. Dawn turned on Jesse with a growl, “If I hadn’t found you…”

“Christ on a cracker, Dawn,” interrupted Jesse. “Is it really that likely that a bear or wolf or something would have attacked me?”

“Not them I’m saving you from.”

“Dawn. Can you at least tell me why the cuffs…”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” Dawn stood up and threw another log on the fire.

“I –“ Jesse forgot what he was going to say as he saw movement on the other side of the fire. A sound like windchimes fluttered in and out of his hearing. It was a lovely sound. Jesse felt a dreaminess melt over himself. He tried to stand up.

“Shit.” Dawn’s hand came down hard on his shoulder, pushing Jesse back to his seat on the log. “Should have hog-tied you, too,” he muttered.

The tinkling of bells intensified and a woman laughed. “Now, now. I want to see the lad. Bring him here.” Her words dripped with honey. She was tall and beautiful with long flowing hair and a dress that promised many rewards lay just underneath.

“I told you, you can’t have him.”

“But I want him,” pouted the woman who now stood with her bare toes just outside the circle.

Jesse looked up at Dawn. “She want you or me?” he asked muzzily.

“Hush, you.” Dawn looked at the woman. “Get gone. Neither of us want any truck with you.”

“Pooh. You’ve locked him up in steely iron. That’s hardly leaving him to his own free will.”

“Free will isn’t exactly something you’re acquainted with.”

“True.” She flitted quick as a hummingbird to the opposite side of the circle.

Dawn sucked in a breath. To know these things exist is different from seeing it. He hoped like hell the stories were right.

“I do understand this. I want. So I have. Give me the boy.”

“No.”

“Dawn, what’s she talking about?” whispered Jesse loudly.

“Jesse, just stay still. Please. For me.” The desperation and the fact that it was a plea filtered through the haze in Jesse’s mind.

“I’ll stay still Dawn. For you.”

A shriek lanced through the clearing and Jesse felt as though a hot poker had been scraped across his soul. His head cleared and he was terrified.

The woman at the edge of their circle was not beautiful, not human and not happy. Ichor now dripped from razor sharp teeth, her skin run like melted wax, bone shining through in places.

“Dawn,” Jesse whispered like a prayer.

“I know,” Dawn murmured, patting Jesse’s hair in comfort, voice trembling. “Hold on, Jesse.”

Jesse wished he could physically hold on but settled for leaning into Dawn’s leg.

The creature snarled and snapped and shrieked again, pacing in the arc of the circle.

“Hold on,” whispered Dawn over and over.

Jesse clung to it like  a lifeline, the litany keeping him close, keeping him safe. He wondered why she didn’t come up behind them, to stand at that part of the circle and wished he hadn’t.

Dawn sank down next to Jesse, cradling Jesse’s face to his chest, stroking his hair as he continued muttering “Hold on, Jesse. Just hold on.”

Jesse leaned into the touch, trying to focus only on the touch and Dawn’s voice. After awhile, Dawn’s head dropped next to his own, his cheek resting on Jesse’s. The warmth from Dawn’s cheek heated his own and he felt himself relax into the intimacy of Dawn’s nearness.

He lost track of how long they sat like that. Eventually Jesse realized he could no longer hear the creature shrieking. He raised his head. She was gone.

“Dawn,” Jesse said gently. “I think she’s left.”

“Wh-what?” croaked Dawn. He looked around, his relief evident in his sagging shoulders. “Thank god. We made it.”

“Made what?”

“Oh!” Dawn stood up and fumbled for something in his pocket. He quickly walked behind Jesse who felt a tug at his wrists. “Hold still so I can get these off.”

“Holding,” answered Jesse. His shoulders ached as he pulled his hands in front of him and began to rub his wrists.

“Let me do that,” said Dawn, kneeling in front of Jesse and gently massaging first one wrist and then the other.

“Did you just save my life?” asked Jesse.

Dawn blushed. “I think I did, yes.”

Jesse stood up, drawing Dawn to his feet. Dawn moved to take a step back, but Jesse grabbed him by the waist and pulled him in. He wrapped his arms around Dawn, nestling his face in Dawn’s neck as he felt reciprocating arms around himself. “Let’s see what else you can do,” said Jesse.

By: Genevieve Maxwell

Prompts: Handcuffs, Hummingbird, Windchimes; (bonus word Campfire)

[moodletsolver]

Looks like it's time to go see what the Winters family is up to!

[annabolinas]

Anne of the Thousand Days Review: Part 1

Alright, so I got around to writing this review, and boy do I have some hot takes! Fair warning, though; this is so long I'll need to post this in two parts.

“For six years, this year, and this, and this, and this, I did not love him. And then I did. Then I was his. I can count the days I was his in hundreds … In all one thousand days. Just a thousand. strange. And of those thousand, one when we were both in love, only one, when our loves met and overlapped and were both mine and his. And when I no longer hated him, he began to hate me.”

Where do I even begin with this review? I disliked this movie when I first watched it, and after a rewatch, I still dislike it. Anne of the Thousand Days is a tedious slog of a movie which somehow both has a fundamentally weird premise and forgets its own premise at times, especially in its marketing. The poster for this movie claimed that it showed “the most passionate and shocking love story in history!” As we’ll see, though, it’s hard to claim this depiction of Henry and Anne have a grand love affair when they only mutually love each other, at least in Anne’s telling, for one day.

Anne of the Thousand Days started as a Broadway play in 1948, written by American playwright Maxwell Anderson. With Rex Harrison as Henry VIII and Joyce Redman as Anne Boleyn, the play was a critical and commercial success, running for nearly 300 shows. However, as it dealt with themes of adultery, illegitimacy, and incest, Anne of the Thousand Days ran afoul of the Hays Code, so it took over two decades to be adapted into a movie. Most of the blank verse of the play was removed, many scenes were expanded into two, three, or four, and Anne was given a monologue about Elizabeth’s future greatness to shout at Henry in the Tower. Richard Burton was cast as Henry, and the virtually unknown French-Canadian actress Genevieve Bujold was cast as Anne. Burton’s wife Elizabeth Taylor feared the two were having an affair, so she managed to obtain a cameo to keep an eye on them. Taylor had actually lobbied for the role of Anne, but at 37, she was deemed too old for Anne, who (following the scholarship of the time) aged from 18 to 29 over the course of the film. One can only wonder…

The movie follows the basic outlines of history, with a heavy emphasis on “outlines”. The opening scene is of Henry agonizing whether to sign Anne’s death warrant, as we soon transition into a palace ball where Henry falls for the vivacious and charming Anne as his sober, pious wife Catherine of Aragon despairingly looks on. He orders his chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, to break up Anne’s relationship with the “Northern clodhopper” Harry Percy, much to her fury. She vigorously resists Henry’s advances, her resolve only strengthened by her pregnant sister Mary, who gave in to Henry and now carries his child. Mary prophetically warns, “The moment you’re conquered, he’ll walk away.” Despite Anne’s utter refusal to return his feelings, Henry continues to “love” (yes, the quotes are necessary) Anne, and eventually proposes divorcing Catherine and making Anne queen. She accepts, but unfortunately, political circumstances abroad combine to make it clear that the Pope will not grant Henry a divorce. Having fired Wolsey for his failure to get the divorce, and encouraged by his new chief minister Thomas Cromwell (and to a lesser extent, Anne) to break with Rome to get his way, Henry does so. After a tense confrontation, Anne finally tells Henry that she loves him, and they sleep together; she soon becomes pregnant and they’re married in a shotgun, bigamous wedding. 

Anne is reviled at the coronation, but despite Henry’s hopes and Anne’s promises, she gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Henry is furious and his eye begins to wander towards Anne’s lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour. Anne is furious and demands that Henry make everyone swear an oath recognizing their daughter as his legitimate heir on pain of death, leading to the execution of Sir Thomas More. Anne promptly miscarries a boy and Henry, believing his marriage accursed, orders Cromwell to find a way out. Cromwell soon trumps up charges of adultery with five men, incest with her brother George, and treason, which lead to Anne’s arrest. At her trial, though, Henry suddenly (and ahistorically) bursts in and manages to get the only one of the five who confessed to admit he lied under torture. Henry is still unsure of whether Anne is guilty, and he confronts her in the Tower. Anne utterly refuses to agree to an annulment, even if it means her death, and lies to Henry to hurt his manhood, declaring that she cheated on him with countless men, finding them far better lovers. For good measure, she then proclaims, “Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours. She shall rule a greater England than you could ever have built! Yes - my Elizabeth shall be queen. And my blood will have been well-spent.” Henry promptly signs her death warrant and Anne is beheaded by a French swordsman, the movie ending with a shot of the toddler Elizabeth walking towards her destiny.

Incredibly, I did like some stuff about this movie. The costumes, designed by Margaret Furse, are exquisite and mostly accurate; if nothing else, this movie deserved its Best Costume Design Oscar. Even the fact that Genevieve Bujold’s French hoods nearly always lack a proper veil doesn’t matter, in my opinion, since she manages to pull it off. The coronation procession was absolutely stunning, and the recreation of the Tower of London is incredible; they really minimized the distance between Tower Green and St Peter ad Vincula, though. Despite not using surviving Tudor pieces, the score, composed by Georges Delerue, manages to evoke the period really well. 

Concerning the performances, I loved Anthony Quayle’s depiction of Cardinal Wolsey, as he goes from a self-assured, powerful man to a broken, fallen minister. His final scene is heartbreaking, and Quayle humanizes him throughout; even when he breaks up Anne and Harry Percy, he doesn’t seem thoughtlessly cruel. John Colicos’ portrayal of Cromwell as “a man without scruple” is a delightfully villainous characterization, a schemer who owns up to his villainy and revels in manipulation. 

A review of Anne of the Thousand Days, of course, would be incomplete without a discussion of Genevieve Bujold’s Anne Boleyn. While not one of my top three favorite Anne Boleyn portrayals (for the record, Natalie Dormer, Dorothy Tutin, and Claire Foy), Bujold does a good job with Anne. She compellingly portrays Anne’s growth (and increasing ruthlessness) from a lovestruck teenager to a fiercely protective mother, as you can see her grow and harden over the course of the movie. She also captures Anne’s boldness and vivacity of spirit well, although sometimes to the point of straining credulity. Would the real Anne have maintained Henry’s love if she told him at the start of their relationship, “You’re spoiled and vengeful and bloody. Your poetry is sour and your music worse. You make love as you eat - with a great deal of noise and no subtlety”? It seems very unlikely. Anne’s frank declaration to Harry Percy that she’s not been a virgin for a long time additionally seems very incongruous with the historical Anne. Bujold’s acting, too, sometimes feels not just theatrical, but overly artificial and overdone, particularly when she has to express anger. Still, the fact that it is hard to imagine this Anne captivating Henry for seven years is not Bujold’s fault - she performs well the script as written - but that of the writers.

Unfortunately, this is the part of the review where I must tackle the things I disliked about this film. Equally unfortunately, there are quite a lot of them. The elephant in the room is Richard Burton’s depiction of Henry. In both history and popular depictions, Henry was and is the center of his court, someone who shifted from passionately loving Anne to furiously ordering her death on false charges; in any depiction of Anne, he is the other main character. Put bluntly, Richard Burton gives perhaps one of the creepiest portrayals of Henry VIII I’ve ever seen. While not worse than Ray Winstone’s portrayal of Henry as a marital rapist, Burton portrays Henry as a serial sexual harasser and predator. He combines the real Henry’s unshakeable belief in his own self-righteousness with a seedy lustfulness which will stop at nothing, not even claiming he’s only sexually potent with the woman in question, to get into a woman’s bed. There is little trace in this portrayal of Henry’s intellectual or cultural pursuits, and even the times when he exhibits bonhomie feel forced and fake. Furthermore, at only 5’8, Richard Burton is half a foot shorter than the real Henry, meaning he lacks the physical towering presence of the real man; he thus doesn’t physically stand out from his courtiers. In fact, Anthony Quayle as Wolsey is two inches taller than Burton; a screen Henry ought to tower above his courtiers, not vice versa!

Anne of the Thousand Days also completely misunderstands the history of the period, changing it in ways that not only make no sense plot-wise, but which indicate the writers genuinely did not understand the period. Some inaccuracies stem from changing historiography - despite being named after Anne Boleyn, the movie portrays a less politically active Anne than more recent depictions like The Tudors and Wolf Hall. However, this lack of emphasis was the result of the historiography of the time tending to minimize Anne as a political figure; only in 1986 with Eric Ives’ seminal biography of Anne would attitudes change. The inaccuracies I object to are ones which betray a lack of understanding of the basic nature of the history. I’ve already mentioned one of these inaccuracies (Anne admitting to Harry Percy that she’s not a virgin), but there’s several others. For example, Henry is seriously conflicted about breaking with Rome, stating that it would mean “everlasting damnation” and result in his soul being cast into Hell. However, this fundamentally misunderstands the real Henry’s character. When he decided on a course of action, it was not only incredibly hard to dissuade Henry from it, but he often became increasingly convinced of his own self-righteousness. As a pious early modern king, Henry would not have broken with Rome had he harbored as many doubts about its morality as he does in Anne of the Thousand Days. 

Moreover, the Act of Succession in the movie is passed only after Anne agrees to bring Jane Seymour back to court from a (fictional) exile in Northumberland. Henry himself states that “One daughter is much like another. I care not who’s named bastard when I’m dead.” As this Anne points out, this version of Henry is declining to enshrine their daughter’s legitimacy in law so he can sleep with another woman. Unsurprisingly, this did not happen in real life; the real Henry, no matter how much he wanted a son, would not have shot himself in the foot by doing this! To not pass the Act of Succession wouldn’t just harm Elizabeth, but any children, including a son, he had by Anne; Elizabeth, after all, was only heir in lieu of any sons. These are serious departures which go beyond artistic license and veer into a real lack of historical comprehension.

The biggest (and most absurd) inaccuracy, though, comes in Anne’s trial and resulting confrontation with Henry in the Tower. First, Anne is allowed to cross-examine Smeaton, who is brought in, along with her brother George, during the course of the trial. But this greatly downplays just how rigged the real Anne’s trial was, as in real life, no witnesses were called. Even if they had, it is incredibly unlikely Norfolk, who hated his niece in history, would have let her cross-examine them. But then, any semblance of accuracy, realism, or even sense is sacrificed wholly on the altar of drama as Henry himself enters and gets Smeaton to confess that he’s innocent. If this had happened, there would be no reason for Henry to execute him, like Burton’s version promises he’ll do. Moreover, as Smeaton was the only person (both in history and the film) who confessed, retracting his confession would mean there were no witnesses, which would have torpedoed the government’s case against Anne and the men. But Henry does this and then proceeds to mutter, “And yet… it could be true,” which is only explicable in the film if he genuinely thinks Anne is guilty of adultery. The problem is that Anne has never flirted with any of the men on screen; she’s never talked to the ones aside from her brother at all! This means that the accusations of adultery come out of left field, a failure of writing which leaves the viewer wondering where on earth that came from.

PART 2 HERE:

[starrycardcaptor]

if it's not too much trouble,, could this automaton ask for steampunk inspired names,, titles,, && pronouns ?? thank uu greatly !! ^__^

☆ with a wave of his wand , the cardcaptor grants you . . .

names ! ☆ amos , arabella , arthur , barnaby , blaire , clement , constant , cyrus , eliphalet , emerson , genevieve , joel , junius , lavinia , maxwell , meriwether , nat , percival , sophronia , silas , sterling , thaddeus , verne , winthrop !

pronouns ! ☆ brass / brasses / brasses / brasself , bol / bolt / bolts / boltself , bron / bronze / bronzes / bronzeself , clock / clocks / clocks / clockself , cog / cogs / cogs / cogself , gear / gears / gears / gearself , gog / goggle / goggles / goggleself , stea / steam / steams / steamself , tick / tock / ticks (or tocks) / tickself (or tockself ) , time / times / times / timeself !

titles ! ☆ prn in the ticking tophat , prn of the brass buckles , prn / the one who exhales steam , prn who watches the clock , prn who wears corsets and clocks , the cog turner , the sepia-toned clocksmith , the one adorned in gears and goggles !

reminder to understand the origin of your names / pronouns / titles before you use them ! ☆

[audioaujom]

4: A Hanover Welcome

MITT Hub, <prev, next >

Hey everyone! I’m lucky to squeeze this update out because it’s been mostly pre-written for a long time, since I’m stuck hardcore on a bunch of my favorite old DisneyXD shows right now and can’t seem to work on anything else. But I’m making it work! Kinda…

Word Count: 2250

Chapter TWs: Blood and Violence, Torture

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Logan’s back thudding into a wall brought him out of the strange, unfocused daze he had been in since arriving at the Hanover mansion. The place was a maze, and he got bored of watching the same white pillars passing him and the gaudy portraits hung on every available surface. Instead he was now met with dark stone and a tall set of slightly rusted iron bars in front of him.

He blinked, shifting his gaze up to the blank face of Maxwell, who wasn’t meeting his eyes.

“Why are you acting squeamish now?” Logan asked humorlessly, sliding down the wall to the floor. “You are the reason I’m here.”

Maxwell didn't answer him, instead grabbing a heavy pair of shackles from a nearby bench. 

Logan scoffed, but didn’t fight him as they locked into place around both of his wrists in front of him. 

“It’ll be easier for all of us if you just cooperate.” Maxwell suddenly mumbled, earning a dry chuckle.

“While that may be so, I don’t feel inclined to do so.”

Maxwell then turned and vanished up the stairs, his steps and the closing of the door echoing in the dim basement. Logan glanced around from where he was sitting, looking for anything that might be useful.

The place was truly barren, even when he stood and approached the bars to see further into the larger room around him. Faint torch light flickered on the bare dark walls that led into more similar-looking dungeon, Logan deciding to just take a seat back on the floor to wait for whatever was to come next.

At least they are not going to kill me right away. I suppose they must want to know how much I know about their ceremony, and how I found out. Not to mention if I’ve told anyone.

He frowned. He hadn’t at any point from when he first picked a fight with the twins to now been unaware of the situation—it would be hard to misjudge, after all—but the realization of an impending interrogation left a bad taste in his mouth.

A real shame. I quite like this shirt.

Logan’s train of thought was broken by the thudding of footsteps from further up the staircase, him glancing up as the towering frame of Genevieve Hanover slowly came into the light. He watched as she sauntered forward, her dark hair hanging around her shoulders as she unlocked and threw the cell door open to approach him.

She was incredibly tall, the added heels under the hem of her low hanging skirt giving her more than a few inches on Logan if he was standing. Piercing, clouded blue eyes that stuck out from her pale features stared down at him, a perfectly manicured hand resting on her hip. “I’ve got a couple questions for you, and I’d like it if you answer me quickly and honestly.”

“And I would very much like to be enjoying a hot cup of coffee right now, but we are not always given what we want.” Logan retorted, earning a quiet laugh from the elegant looking woman. 

“Can I at least have the pleasure of knowing your name?” She asked, staring at him unblinkingly.

Logan swallowed, glancing back up to meet her gaze with a surprising air of confidence. “Answering even the simplest of questions would set a bad precedent, would it not?”

“I suppose that’s true.” She shrugged easily, flashing him an empty smile as she tied her hair back. “But that will only make this worse for you.”

“I implore you to do your worst, then.”

She seemed to take this as an invitation, gripping his throat tightly in one hand and pulling him up to his feet. He let out a quiet, surprised gasp as he grabbed her arm for support, the tips of his feet barely scraping against the floor.

“Just remember that I gave you a chance to answer me.”

“Duly noted.” Logan managed in between gasps, her grip gradually starting to crush his throat. The passive look on his face seemed to anger her, and he worked to maintain it even as black spots began swirling in his vision in front of her face. Burning fire coursed through his lungs as she threw him back down to the floor, the momentary reprieve as she let go disappearing as he hit the floor hard enough to wind him of the small amount of air he had managed to gasp in. His head spun as he tried to blink the spots away, the air cold and damp as it scorched down his throat.

“You have quite the grip, Mrs. Hanover.” He wheezed out, her clicking her tongue at his remark and moving to tower over him.

“The only thing you should be telling me is your name and how you found out about our ceremony.”

“I’m afraid the lack of oxygen to my brain has caused me to develop sudden onset retrograde amnesia.” Logan snarked, propping himself up onto his elbow on one side as he caught his breath. Normally, his critical thinking skills would prevent him from mouthing off, especially given the circumstances, but he just couldn’t seem to keep himself quiet.

Oh well. They’ll just be killing me either way, right?

Genevieve sighed, shaking her head before kicking him hard on the underside of his jaw, sending him crashing back to the floor. He suppressed a wince, blood sloshing into the roof of his mouth as he collided with the floor again, deciding that trying to get back up only gave her a wider array of options. She smirked down at him, winding up to send her next strong kick to his stomach. He noticed and in the split second he had before her leg reached him, braced himself as best he could and managed to grab onto her leg when she kicked at him, stopping the blow a hair in front of his stomach. The moment of surprise was all he needed, twisting her leg as best he could and sending her crashing face first into the bars of the cell. She grabbed onto two bars as she fell, catching herself but not well enough that where her shoulders hit the metal wouldn’t bruise later. 

Her casual demeanor was gone when she turned back around to face him, anger blazing behind the blue of her eyes as she stalked back over to him. His calm facade cracked a little as he smirked back at her, this only seeming to enrage her further as she hauled him back up to his feet by a bruising grip on his forearms. He watched with an empty expression as she eyed a spot on the ceiling above them. She paused for a moment, clearly calculating something, before wrenching his arms above his head so that way the chain connecting his hands would catch on a lowered hook Logan hadn’t noticed while examining his surroundings. He barely contained a grimace at the abrupt change in position.

Well, this is sure to be unpleasant.

She was no longer smiling, hiking up the side of her skirt to produce a blade hidden in a holster on her leg, the shined metal glinting a bit in the light as she pointed it at him.

He only raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to continue.

“You’re going to wish I had just killed you.” She said lowly, cutting up through the buttons on his shirt after forcefully untucking it to let it hang off his shoulders. The movements with her blade were slow and calculated, catching the folded fabric of his tie and easily slicing it away as well.

“Death would be a superior alternative to this view.” Logan commented easily, earning a hitched breath as the point of the blade came to rest against his neck.

“That’s a sharp tongue you have. If I didn’t need answers from you, I’d cut it off.”

Logan eyed the edge of the blade as she flipped it to gently run the sharp edge down the center of his chest, not drawing any blood but leaving an uncomfortable tingling in its wake. He managed to prepare himself just in time for her to press the blade hard against his ribs on the right side, an inaudible hiss escaping through his teeth as blood started to bead and then run down his exposed side. Without removing her pressure she began to run bloody lines up and down his chest, a criss-cross of oozing crimson decorating the front of his chest all the way up to his shoulders before she stopped and hummed in satisfaction as the first wince broke through his facade.

“You can tell me to stop at any time, you know.”

“I happen to find the abstract nature of your cutting patterns of particular interest.” He said levelly, regaining the composure he lost.

Her face went blank, taking a few deep breaths before taking several steps back. Her expression was one of concentration as she held the knife by the bloody tip, raising it to her shoulder and aiming with one eye shut before she threw it at him.

His eyes widened as it flew spiraling through the air, before the blunt end thudded off of his collarbone. He swore in surprise, glaring at her. “Despite everything else you seem to be good at, your aim needs work.”

“...yeah, not a very good throw.” She admitted, walking over and picking the blade up. “Want me to try again?”

“I can’t say that would be preferable, but you improving your aim could be seen as a worthwhile way to spend your time.”

She sighed loudly, spinning the blade in her hand a few times before looking him up and down in thought. She abruptly stopped, closing the small gap between them and forcing the blade all the way up to the hilt into the flesh of his upper thigh.

This time he couldn’t stop the gasp that bubbled out of his throat, the hot pain that blossomed out from the wound igniting the small cuts and bruises up the rest of his body he had managed to ignore. His stomach dropped at the wicked smile that crossed her face, the smallest flick of her wrist rotating the blade and starting to tear a sickening hole into his leg. He ground his teeth together as his facade cracked further and a grimace overtook his features.

“Maybe I’ve finally found a way to get through to you.”

Logan didn’t respond this time, too busy fighting down the scream of agony in his chest as she twisted the blade further. He couldn’t keep the pain off his face, however, much to Genevieve’s delight. She then suddenly let go, leaving the knife in his leg as she walked around behind him.

His stomach twisted, the first real seeds of fear fighting their way to the surface as he could no longer see where she was. She threaded a hand up through the back of his hair, getting a firm hold and yanking his head back far enough he could look up into her glinting eyes. She smirked as he tried to blankly look back at her, any last amount of his composure falling as she threw his head forward and let go. His hair fanned forward and into his eyes, some sweat sticking strands of it to his forehead as he waited for her to make her next move.

He jumped a little as he felt her hands on one of his shoulders, for once unsure of what to brace himself for. He felt her press painfully hard on his shoulder before a brief moment of nothing, hearing a quiet pop as he was certain the joint was pushed out of place. As soon as she let go of him an intense electric wave of pain jolted out from his shoulder, his head dropping forward with a shout as his position left a constant pressure on the excruciating ache that was his dislocated shoulder. 

“Shit.” He grunted, his breathing coming in more ragged gasps as she came back around to grab onto the handle of the blade again.

“Now… Anything you’d like to tell me?”

“Yes, a question.” He struggled to get a grip on his breathing again, her raising her eyebrows in mild surprise.

“Go ahead.”

“While I feel like this may be crossing a boundary, I couldn't help but notice that look in your eyes. So I have to ask: Have you practiced this on your husband in the bedroom?”

Genevieve didn’t answer, instead wrenching the blade around in almost a full circle before yanking it out, an arc of blood spraying out that she easily side stepped.

This time, Logan screamed.

He panted hard for air as blood soaked down through his pants and dripped onto the floor. He didn’t bother holding himself together, unable to suppress the agony as she lifted his head with two fingers under his chin to make him look back at her.

“I guess all I can do now is let you sit here and think about it. If you haven’t bled out by the time I think to come back down, maybe you’ll feel more inclined to tell me what I want to know.”

He watched as she turned and stormed out, her slamming the door behind her hard enough it bounced back open, leaving the knife on the floor as she disappeared back up the stairs.

Ah, fuck.

[poetlcs]

2023 reading tracker

total: 75/52

sff

a sky beyond the storm - sabaa tahir

enclave - claire g. coleman

a criminal magic - lee kelly (dnf)

the shattered city - lisa maxwell

a feast for crows - george r.r martin

the ballad of songbirds and snakes - suzanne collins

chain of iron - cassandra clare

hell bent - leigh bardugo

chain of thorns - cassandra clare

the bronzed beasts - roshani chokshi

the drowning faith - r.f kuang

how high we go in the dark - sequoia nagamatsu

the jasmine throne - tasha suri

the hunger games - suzanne collins

catching fire - suzanne collins

mockingjay - suzanne collins

a far wilder magic - allison saft

translated

the transmigration of bodies - yuri herrera

portrait of an unknown lady - maria gainza

love in the big city - sang young park

my brilliant friend - elena ferrante

frankenstein in baghdad - ahmed saadawi

la bastarda - trifonia melibea obono

bolla - pajtim statovci

contemporary

you are eating an orange. you are naked - sheung-king

seeing other people - diana reid

the henna wars - adiba jaigirdar

you and me on vacation - emily henry

now that i see you - emma batchelor 

delilah green doesn’t care - ashley herring blake

becoming kirrali lewis - jane harrison

style - chelsea m. cameron

yellowface - rf kuang

the summer i turned pretty - jenny han

it’s not summer without you - jenny han

the charm offensive - alison cochrun

love & virtue - diana reid

the divines - ellie eaton

sincerely, carter - whitney g

crushing - genevieve novak

icebreaker - hannah grace

cleopatra & frankenstein - coco mellors

duck a l’orange for breakfast - karina may

happy place - emily henry

wildfire - hannah grace

i am not your perfect mexican daughter - erika l. sanchez

you don’t have a shot - racquel marie

mystery/thriller

final girls - riley sager

nine liars - maureen johnson

the box in the woods - maureen johnson

a good girls guide to murder - holly jackson

good girl, bad blood - holly jackson

queen of the tiles - hanna alkaf

as good as dead - holly jackson

kill joy - holly jackson

five survive - holly jackson

the dry - jane harper

non-fiction

mirror sydney - vanessa berry

in byrons wake: the turbulent lives of lord byron’s wife and daughter, annabella milbanke and ada lovelace - miranda seymour

the lavender scare: the cold war persecution of gays and lesbians in the federal government - david k. johnson

odd girl out: the hidden culture of aggression in girls - rachel simmons

dinosaurs rediscovered - michael j. benton

queer others in victorian gothic - ardel haefele-thomas

alone time: four cities, four seasons and the pleasures of solitude - stephanie rosenbloom

how to break up with fast fashion - lauren bravo

the white album - joan didion

the gene - siddhartha mukherjee

the new hite report: the revolutionary report on female sexuality - shere hite

my body - emily ratajkowski

historical fiction

the mountains sing - nguyen phan que mai

one for the master - dorothy johnson

tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow - gabrielle zevin

the christie affair (dnf) - nina de gramont

classics

things fall apart - chinua achebe

northanger abbey - jane austen

jamaica inn - daphne du maurier 

[cinaed]

January 2023 Monthly Media

* = Rewatch/reread

Anime/Cartoons

Bob's Burgers 13.11

The Legend of Vox Machina 2.01-2.06

Books

Magic Stars by Ilona Andrews

Sweep of the Heart by Ilona Andrews

The Untold Story by Genevieve Cogman

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

Hexarchate Storiesby Yoon Ha Lee

Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy

Notes From a Young Black Chef: A Memoir by Kwame Onwuachi

An Archive of Brightness by Kelsey Socha

Sword Song by Rosemary Sutcliff

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

Manga/Comics

Yu-Gi-Oh 1-7 by Kazuki Takahashi

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun 11 by Izumi Tsubaki

Oglaf (ongoing webcomic)

Order of the Stick (ongoing webcomic)

Wilde Life (ongoing webcomic)

Movies

 Strange Worlds (2022)

Podcasts

Dungeons and Daddies

Not Another D&D Podcast

Theater/Concerts

Not Another D&D Podcast (Lincoln Theater)

TV Shows/Web Series

Abbott Elementary 2.11-2.13

Cook versus Con 2.01-2.10

Critical Role 3.44-3.46

Dimension 20: Neverafter 6-9

Ghosts CBS 2.11-2.12

Hell's Kitchen 21.10-21.13

Leverage: Redemption 2.10-2.12

Poirot 1.01-7.02

Video Games

80 Days

[mattmurdocksthighs]

OCS + THEIR FAMILIES

DEMIGODS [OC MASTERLIST]

phoebe tonkin as hecate olivia rodrigo as andromeda mendoza piolo pascual as samuel mendoza

jeffrey dean morgan as hephaestus erana james as blake newton olivia munn as penelope newton

jonathan daviss as apollo lilia buckingham as lydia king rachel mcadams as natalie king

jennifer garner as demeter william franklyn-miller as ezra finley kim raver as jennifer finley

jay duplass as hades malina weissman as millie spencer rachel weisz as genevieve spencer

adam copeland as ares caleb mclaughlin as kit andrews aisha tyler as robin andrews

alba baptista as aphrodite [for andrew] maxwell acee donovan as milo river chris evans as andrew river

dianna agron as hebe ella purnell as marnie lincoln cillian murphy as wayne lincoln

jason mantzoukas as dionysus joe keery as damon vaughn mandy moore as maia vaughn

paul rudd as hermes xochitl gomez as cassie todd eiza gonzalez as elena todd

robert pattinson as hypnos noah jupe as evan reeves jennifer lawrence as aurora reeves

tasya teles as nemesis sadie sink as nina walters jake austin walker as aiden walters

marie avgeropoulos as nike louis partridge as nicholas larson lucas bravo as charles larson

zoe saldana as tyche isabela merced as vera alvarez diego luna as michael alvarez

ming na wen as hera lola tung as livia zhou simu liu as benjamin zhou

[duckprintspress]

“A Truth Universally Acknowledged”: Teaser Post the First

Happy Sunday everyone! The crowdfunding campaign for our next anthology, A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice,” is off to an awesome start. Four days in, we’re nearly 70% funded already! This campaign only runs through December 5th, so we’ve got a ways to go and not much time to get there, so do be on the lookout and if you want to back, don’t miss your chance.

We have a LOT of contributors to this anthology, and not a lot of days of campaign, so I’ll be packing a lot of teasers into each post over the next week and a half. Today, I’m sharing crops by two artists and excerpts from three stories! 

-

Story Teaser: A. D. Williams

Title: Silk Gloves and Second Chances

Excerpt:

Caroline had never thought of herself as anything less than sincere. Had she danced around the truth at times? Of course. A lady was not to give away her true feelings unless it benefitted her. She had learned early on to smile and titter, elegant fingers lifted to her lips. To turn her head as she dabbed a handkerchief to the corners of her eyes, wisps of carefully curled hair doing their utmost to hide the lack of moisture. As long as one had developed the skill, it was not difficult to shift a gentleman’s opinion.

She had thought, for a time, that all women were like her if they held sufficient wit. That they all played the same game together, keeping a careful eye on their cards and hiding the winning hand against their breast.

Until Miss Bennet.

-

Art Teaser: Max Jason Peterson

Title: Dueling Darcy

-

Story Teaser: E. V. Dean

Title: Along the Way

Excerpt:

I thought the envelope would be thicker. More money than I’ve ever seen, yet thinner than my thumb. Beige. Unimpressive.

It’ll take me forever to pay it off. Hell, the way the prices are going, gouged by war and greed, I’ll have to sell my kidney to settle it.

I need that envelope so I can leave his suffocating flat. I had expected Daniel’s home to reek with old money and new tech, but was met with a shrine to adventure in places I couldn’t afford to even dream of: regional art, foreign instruments, travel photos. The couple eating diamond-shaped fruit straight from a strange tree in the photograph behind Daniel seem to laugh at me.

Daniel puts the envelope down with a thump and covers it with his clean, pampered nails. “What do you need it for, Martha?”

I don’t like his tone or his question. He agreed to give me the money when I begged for it; now he might take it away if he doesn’t like my answer. Like it’s even his damn business.

Yet as long as the money is in his hands, I have to play by his rules.

“My sister’s missing.”

-

Art Teaser: Jagoda Zirebiec

Title: Moonlight

-

Story Teaser: Genevieve Maxwell

Title: Must Be in Want of a Wife

Excerpt:

Thoughts of Maria Lucas persisted long after the guests had left for their own dwellings and estates. Surprise suffused Georgiana as she caught a glimpse of her moony expression in the reflective surface of a decorative wall panel. That was an expression she hadn’t seen on her face in years—not since she’d almost made the biggest mistake of her life. The initial surprise soon dissipated, and Georgiana couldn’t help but realize she was excited—not frightened—by the prospect of her crush. There was nothing artful about Maria Lucas, so she felt safe from repeating the mistakes of her past. In fact, Georgiana was looking forward to spending her weeks in Hartfordship with a lovely, unexpected friend.

-

Be on the look out! There’ll be more teasers out every day now through the second-to-last day of the campaign (skipping Thursday, sorry). We hope you love them!

Interested in what we’ve shared? Check out our Kickstarter campaign today!

[mystoriesandcharacters]

Heterosexual Parents

Cheryl and Justin Tran

Lily and Kenzõ Sano

Susan and Seo-Yun Moon

Rachel and Michael Macedo

Linda and Trevor Rhee

Charlene and Charles Bubble

Melissa and Nathan Sparkler

Claudia and Spencer Jagels

Janet and Gregory Coffey

Judith and Darius Burdette

Bernice and James Berger

Martha and Jason Sweetz

Regina and Holden Van Dew

Polly and Lucian Marlowe

Leonora and Henry Ekins

Ava and Titus Teaford

Vera and Ivan Borisov

Dahlia and Dante Crook

Lorie and Kenneth Salts

Lucia and Giovanni Capello

Aikara and Ritsu Miyamoto

Barbara and Atticus Madler

Eden and Jarvis Linnet

Marjorie and Caleb Crisper

Sharon and Peter Janzer

Imogen and Gideon Blue

Victoria and Lucas Lacelle

Isadora and Porter Paratore

Charlotte and Edward Paratore

Sandra and Andre LaMane

Aylin and Nicholas Carbine

Ashley and Gordon Naron

Dina and Dewey Decko

Priscilla and Andrew Pearlette

Isobel & Preston Brightwind

Geraldine and Glen Gibbsite

LGBT Parents

Catalina and Natalia Gonzalez

Lisa and Gloria Gaffner

Roxanne and Erin Forestier

Uma and Penelope Taplin

Thora and Jane Pagels

Mitchell and Noel Prickler

Tessa and Iris Welling

Sylvia and Sheila Froning

Avery and Logan Zill

Cole and Stuart Glover

Eddie and Chris Lacer

Ethan and Gavin Balliet

Andrew and Ronald Kidwell

Zachary and Levi Heers

Liam and Asher Crowding

Travis & Cameron Nelligan

Susan & Monica Gooseberry

Gerald & Dylan Nutbrown

Marissa and Leona Turmeric

Divorced Parents

Zelda Zilles & Freddy Valois

Piper Citrus & Douglas Zahler

Felicity & Tommy Axtell

Geraldine & Timothy Turcaz

Brianna & Andrew Berrien

Seraphina & Dominic Marrone

Tamara & Percy Purnell

Marsha & Ross Ebonite

Diana & Alexander Zhōu

Audrey & Maxwell Juneberry

Carmelita & Diego Romero

Alexandra & Johnny Blackberry

Selena & Earl Glowez

Other Residents

Anastasia Novikov

Shannon Twist

Bertha & Ernest Crumble

Nancy Zheng

Lila Wonderstar

Edith Prism

Janice Timmons

Karen Gim

Tammy Cho

Stephanie Song

Renee LeGrand

Evelyn LaMane

Fiona Lavergne

Régine Cardoux

Tracy Timmons

Teens and Children

Clover Tran

Ozzy Tran

Enzo Moon

Prudence Sano

Tyler Zahler

Cory Sparkler

Alan Jagels

Darcy Valois

Sapphire Rhee

Sage Rhee

Mackenzie Macedo

Ruby Marlowe

Ginger Gonzalez

Genevieve Gonzalez

Chloe Bubble

Joey Bubble

Trish LaMane

Harley LaMane

Praline Coffey

Lena Welling

Elijah Welling

Zelda Froning

Kendra Burdette

Jessica Burdette

Zaria Burdette

Fiona Heers

Calliope Snowflake

Juniper Blue

Tiffany Van Dew

Topaz Van Dew

Bijou Carbine

Delilah Naron

Lemon Javins

Mona Kulkarni

Ophelia Davern

Elodie Ekins

Posie Lacelle

Jameson Paratore

Luna Chen

Phoebe Teaford

Esme Berger

Eloise Ollinger

Leona St. Cloud

Alexis Miyamoto

Roxy Capello

Lizzie Zant

Willow Forestier

Wendy Lacer

Desmond Decko

Esther Janzer

Luanne Junebug

Dion Marzel

Julianne Inglett

Heather Salts

Hudson Taplin

Blake Balliet

Mabel Pagels

Axel Crowder

Jasmine Crook

Marco Crisper

Samuel Linnet

Rebecca Madler

Lexi Daffron

Shawn Dasinger

Dariel Farson

Ryan Canright

Dimitri Borisov

Margaux Nelligan

Kate Kidwell

Dexter Axtell

Logan Turcaz

Jacques Berrien

Yvette Marrone

Tobias Purnell

Athena Pearlette

Vincent Ebonite

Nathan Gooseberry

Maxwell Nutbrown

Maxine Zhōu

Isla Brightwind

Juliet Turmeric

Grace Juneberry

Amaya Romero

A.I. Blackberry

Pepper Glowez

Ingrid Muse

Kylie Spize

Agatha Glover

Patty Perrin

Opal Sourtwist

Elio Zill

Mandy Tunesong

Betty Crinkle

Dorcas Cloudberry

Finn De Glam

Zoe Sweetz

Gina Gibbsite

Josephine Joynes

Lola Jentzen

Luca Barone

Kevin Prickler

Haylie Sweetbutton

Brielle Thames

Occupations

Cheryl Tran = Baker

Justin Tran = Comic Book Writer and Illustrator

Lily Tran = Lawyer

Kenzõ Sano = Business Owner and CEO

Polly Marlowe = Mayor

Lucian Marlowe = High School P.E Teacher

Rachel Macedo = Lawyer

Michael Macedo = Lawyer

Linda Rhee = Doctor

Trevor Rhee = Doctor

Zelda Zilles = Music Producer

Freddy Valois = Fashion Designer

Claudia Jagels = Judge

Spencer Jagels = TV Producer

Piper Citrus = Juice/Smoothie Bar Owner

Melissa Sparkler = Weather Host

Nathan Sparkler = Dentist

Charlene Bubble = Socialite

Charles Bubble = Real Estate Developer

Catalina Gonzalez = Chef/Restaurant Owner

Natalia Gonzalez = Chef

Nancy Zheng = 7th Grade Teacher

Shannon Twist = Hair Stylist

Bertha Crumble = Candy Store Owner

Ernest Crumble = Candy Store Owner

Edith Prism = Middle School Principal

Anastasia Borisov = Dance Teacher

Gloria Gaffner = Romance Self Help Book Writer

Lisa Gaffner = Scientist

Susan Moon = Nail Salon Owner

Seo-Jun Moon = DJ

Businesses

Crazy Treats

Moon Mani

House of Styles

Hair 2 Dye For

LaMane Books

Mademoiselle Renée’s Theater

Sweet Snowflakes

Sugar Hills

Hecho Con Amor

Fiery Rockets

The Sparkle

Pizza Pizzazz

Chamber of Imagination

Black Fruity

Funk N Fresh

The Lotus Dragon

Athena's Eye

Game Space

Rain of Petals

Purple Brew

Miss Anastasia S Dance Studio

@unvale-io

[mirandamckenni1]

Best To Worst Books 2022 a selection of books I read in 2022 and some opinions thereof Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction * 02:12 The Boneless Mercies - April Genevieve Tucholke 03:56 The Library Of The Dead - T. L. Huchu ** 05:56 The Stranding - Kate Sawyer 08:09 Sometimes I Lie - Alice Feeney 09:40 The Mermaid Of Black Conch - Monique Roffey *** 11:20 The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson 13:46 Winter’s Orbit - Everina Maxwell **** 17:21 The Last Human - Zack Jordan 20:35 Starve Acre - Andrew Michael Hurley 21:07 The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin 24:00 My Sister The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite 24:50 Black Sun - Rebecca Roanhorse 26:05 The Tiger And The Wolf - Adrian Tchaikovsky 27:42 The 24-Hour Cafe - Libby Page ***** 28:16 Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes 28:38 Dogs Of War - Adrian Tchaikovsky 29:57 The Man Who Fell To Earth - Walter Tevis 31:01 Uzumaki - Junji Ito 33:08 Earthlings - Sayaka Murata 37:42 How To Kill Your Family - Bella Mackie 39:54 Bloodchild - Octavia E. Butler 41:31 Outro __________ LINKS Support Me: ko-fi.com/shonalika Socials: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShonalikaTilak Instagram: https://ift.tt/Cl3UIxt Mastodon: @shonalika@deadinsi.de BookWyrm: joinbookwyrm.com The 2021 version of this video: https://youtu.be/0vysviKo5Yk via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9YyTrDrG9Y

[infinitelistofcreations]

Current list of Muses

 HEAVILY UNDER CO. FOR BIOS N SUCH. MUSE SELECTION PAGE WON’T HAVE CERTAIN MUSES FROM THIS LIST WHILE I RE-ORGANIZE EVERYTHING. ALSO, SUBJECT TO CHANGE. ALL MUSES- LABELED PRIVATE INCLUDED- ARE OPEN TO INTERACTIONS

NPC just means they’ll pop in from time to time with whatever muse they’re connected to, but not technically a proper muse I’ve made. _____________________________________________

Aaron Tilley - side (bio here) Akira Saeki - side/private (bio here) Alexander Pine - private (bio here) Alicia Shay - private (info here) Berton Alfaro - side (bio here) Bianca Langlais - private (bio here) Bryce Winters - side (bio here) Cody Abbott - side Cole Buckette - side Conner Abbott - side Cory Vance - side Diamond Orlando - private Duke Harrison - side Elliot Jones - side Emerald Lane - side Ethan Cooke - private Etsuo Fujimoto - side Francois Martin - side Fuji Okumura - private Gabriella Montgomery - main Galaxy - main Genevieve Lacroix - side/NPC Ginta Ikeda - NPC Henri Langlais - private/NPC Himeno Alamorres - side Hiro Morishita - private Hunter Muller - side Ikuto Chikage - main Ivon Martin - side Jared Wilson - private John Seymore - main Jordyn Keith - private Junichi Wakabe - main Junko Kobayashi - private Katsumi Hirai - main Kennedy Lawson - main Leon Marks - main Lucia Alamorres - private Marco Juliani - main Mitsuki Saeki - private Nana Inoue - side Natasha Bane - main Nathan Yashitaka - side Olivia Casey - private Oscar Banderas - side Quinn Cooke - private Ramon Alamorres - private Remi - side/kinda NPC Russel Erwin - main Ryan Maxwell - side Ryota Murakami - NPC Ryotaro Hikari - side Saiko Inoue - private Sakura Maeda - side Suiren Fuse - NPC Tabitha Perez - side Tamotsu Minami - side Tohru Inoue - side Tomoe Inoue - NPC Tyler Kirk Randal - side Victor Juliani - side Wataru Onodera - private West Marcotte - side Wyatt Fowler - private Yukio Hirai - NPC Zaneta - private

[secretaryunpaid]

Leave it to Leo to throw away any means of contacting anyone in an attempt to avoid Bastien and the security team lol. Only he could be pleasured so easily and also work hard to receive the reward from another. Although I am sure that had he be able to have given it more effort, his charm would have work on “Most likely to get pregnant” before Liam’s love/adoration for his brother talked him up to Genevieve.

I must say that he was lucky to escape the knife situation, lol. He may have ended up as a “Frog Prince” had they actually managed to draw his blood, lol.

These boys have definitely had one adventurous evening despite Maxwell’s “perfect planning”.

Mardi Gras Mayhem Chapter 7: Leo

Series: Mardi Gras Mayhem (click the link to read each one in order!)

Fandom: TRR                                                                       

Pairings: none, this is a guy’s weekend

Summary: The TRR lads celebrate Maxwell’s 21st birthday in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Synopsis: Leo strikes out at the bar and ends up in a precarious situation.

Word Count: 2,672

Rating: NSFW 🍋🍋🍋

Warning: language and lemons and possible murder attempt

This is part of a collaboration written for @choicesprompts March 2023 prompt.

“Well, there’s no way we’re getting back on the other side of the street anytime soon,” Leo observed, “So we might as well make the most of it!”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh, come on, Liam! Live a little! Tell him, Rashad!”

When he got no answer, he turned to look behind him, “Rashad?”

Rashad was nowhere to be found. “Huh,” Leo shrugged before grabbing Liam by the shoulder and hauling him into the nearest pub.

“Leo, should we try to find the rest of our group?”

“We will,” Leo assured him as he pulled him toward the bar, “Later!”

“But-“

“No buts, little bro! It’s time you learned to loosen up and have a good time!” Leo chuckled as he plunked himself down on a barstool and motioned the bartender over.

“Should we at least check in with Bastien? I’m sure the security team will be looking for us, I think they got stuck on the other side of the street.

“You know what?” Leo regarded him seriously, “You’re right!”

“I am?” Liam was surprised, Leo usually wasn’t very compliant about the rules they were given to help keep them safe.

“You are! Now give me your watch!” Leo turned and gave their order to the bartender, “Two bourbons and a pitcher of beer and a pair of scissors please!”

The barkeep didn’t question his request for scissors but Liam questioned his request for his watch, “Um…why?”

“Just hand it over, and I’ll show you.” He replied as he removed his own watch.

Liam reluctantly removed his Patek Philippe original and handed it over, “Could you just tell me what-“

“Perfect timing!” Leo crowed as the bartender delivered their drinks. He slid a glass of bourbon to his brother before tossing both watches into the pitcher of beer.

“Leo! What the hell?!” Liam reached for the pitcher, but Leo scooted it out of his reach and pointed to something behind Liam, “Is that Bas right there?”

Liam spun around to look, Leo quickly pulled the waistband of his pants out and the waistband of his underwear up. He snipped a piece of material before Liam could spin back around.

“What the fuck are you doing Leo?” Liam yelped.

“Freeing you from all the trackers!” He answered as he dropped a small tracking device to the floor and stomped on it.

“There are trackers in our underwear?”

“Well, yours, I ditched mine before we left the hotel!” Leo waggled his eyebrows at him, “I’m commando right now!”

“Leo, I want my watch back!” Liam reached for the container of beer.

Leo used one hand to keep the pitcher away from Liam as he reached for his drink with the other, “I’m doing this for your own good, bro!”

“But-“

“No buts!”

A group of women in pink t-shirts entered the bar and waded through a group of men in green t-shirts exiting the bar. Both sets of shirts bore phrases that all started with “most likely to”. There were shouts and laughter and high-fives as each group noticed the other.

Most of the women headed for a small private room in the back but one busty blonde headed to the bar, walking past Leo as she did. Her skin-tight pink t-shirt was emblazoned with the words, “most likely to get pregnant”, and Leo forgot to guard the pitcher as his head turned to follow her.

Liam dashed around his brother and seized the pitcher, plunging his hands in and rescuing the watches. He frantically dabbed them dry with napkins from the bar.

When Leo finally looked back he said, “Liam, you know there are tracking devices in those, right?”

“No, I didn’t know that but-“

Leo snatched both watches up with a sigh, “Just in case the beer didn’t short-circuit them….”

“Wait! Where are you going?” Liam tried to follow but was cut off by several of the loud rowdy women in pink t-shirts.

“Oh, you’re cute! Come with us!” One of them grabbed Liam by the arm and tugged him toward the back of the bar, away from Leo.

“Excuse me, sir!” Leo called out to the group of green t-shirted men that were headed to the door, “but may I ask where you’re going next?”

A lanky redheaded young man who appeared to be already a little inebriated pointed to the west, “headed back to my hotel, there’s a pool party going on! Might stop at a few more pubs first though.”

One of his companions pointed in the other direction, “Nah, the rest of us are going to catch the parade, then we’re-“

“You’re going in opposite directions? Even better!” Leo cried gleefully as he thrust a watch at each of them, “Happy Mardi Gras!”

“Hey, wow, thanks, man!” The redhead swayed a little as he strapped in on his wrist, “this looks real! Best Mardi Gras swag I’ve ever gotten!”

“You’re welcome! Enjoy!” Leo called as he watched the group exit the bar and split up, heading off in different directions.

Leo turned with a satisfied smile and made his way back toward the bar, meeting his brother halfway across the room.

“Leo!” Liam had finally managed to extricate himself from the woman and had made his way hastily toward his brother, “Did you just give away my watch? That was a Christmas gift from dad!”

“I’ll buy you another one,” Leo responded as he craned his neck and scanned the room, “Did you see a blonde with a pink t-shirt anywhere?”

“It was one of a kind!” Liam protested, “And yes, they’re having a bachelorette party in the back room.”

“How did you know that? Never mind, just take me to them!”

“Fine, follow me, but I’m calling Bas,” Liam pulled his phone out.

They were almost to the door of the back room when Leo caught sight of her at the bar with two of her friends, ordering drinks. He snatched the phone from Liam’s hand as he changed course, “See you later, Li! Thank me later!”

“Wait, what?” Liam tried to follow Leo but the brunette from earlier found him.

“There you are!” She yelled as she grabbed him, “What’s wrong? Aren’t we enough fun for you? There are fifteen about-to-be drunk and horny women back here!”

“Oh…I…uh…” he stumbled after her as she gripped his arm and started walking.

“Wait,” she stopped just outside the door, “you’re not gay, are you? I mean, it’s cool if you are but if you are then I guess you don’t care about-“

“What? No, I’m straight! Well, actually I might be a little b-“

“Oh, good!” She squealed as she yanked him through the door with her.

Leo sidled up to the bar in time to overhear the women talking, “….then I threw his shit out the window!”

“I warned you girl, I knew he was a loser when he invited you over for dinner and his mom cooked it!”

“We can’t all be as lucky as Priscilla; did you know her fiancé is a fucking CEO?”

“I heard Lydia’s boyfriend is some kind of minor nobility in his home country and-“

“Sorry, ladies,” Leo interrupted, “I couldn’t help but overhear-“

“Sure, you could,” the blonde answered, “You’ve been standing there staring at me since you got here.”

“Of course, I’m staring at the most beautiful woman in New Orleans!” he gave her the signature Rys smile, guaranteed to charm the pants off any woman.

She wasn’t having any though. With a roll of her eyes, she turned away.

“Didn’t I see you with your hands down some guy’s pants?” one of the other women asked.

“No, I mean yes, I mean that was my brother!”

“That makes it worse!” the woman exclaimed.

“No, it’s not like that!”

“So what’s your story?” the third woman asked.

“Well, if you must know, I'm a prince!” Leo dropped that bomb and waited. It always worked.

The blond turned back toward him with a snort, “Sure honey, everyone's a prince tonight. Come on girls, let’s get back to the party!”

“No, really!” Leo tried to follow them, “I'm going to be king one day!”

“Sure you are...”

“Wait!”

Leo bumped straight into the bouncer outside the door. The huge behemoth of a man grinned at him, “I’ll let you be my king tonight if you want!”

“Ah, thanks….but no…” Leo backed away dejectedly and smacked right into someone else. He spun around and grabbed at her glass in a futile attempt to keep her drink from spilling, “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay,” she smiled up at him, “Are you really a prince?”

His attention snapped up from the spilled drink on the floor to the woman in front of him. While not the bombshell the other woman was, she was still hella attractive. A little shorter than he usually liked, but she had the goods. Wide hips, narrow waist, big boobs, and luscious lips that gave him ideas.

He brought that megawatt smile to the table and played up his accent, “Why yes ma’am, I am.”

Her eyes lit up, “So you’re royalty?”

“I am, and you are?”

“I’m Simbi,” she giggled, “What’s your name?”

“Leo. Nice to meet you Simbi, can I buy you a drink?”

“You could,” she shimmed closer to him, “or we could get out of here. I live nearby.”

“Lead the way!”

Leo was delighted with this turn of events. Without giving his brother a second thought, he followed her out the door and through the throngs of people lining the street.

A familiar raised voice caught his attention. He glanced to the right as the girl pulled him to the left. Bastien was arguing with the guy he’d given Liam’s watch to. He turned around and dipped his head down, speeding up his pace, and letting the crowd do most of the work of hiding him.

Halfway down the street, he tossed both phones onto a passing float. Let Bas chase that all night he thought with a smirk.

She led him through a small shop filled with crystals and bottles of powders, through a beaded curtain, and up a set of rickety stairs. She made her way down a darkened hallway and pushed open a door at the end.

He followed her inside, pushing the door shut behind them. She pounced on him the moment the door clicked shut.

“I’ve never been with a prince before!” Simbi breathed as she pressed her body into his.

“Well, tonight’s your lucky night!” he told her before crashing his lips into hers.

“Mmm, it must be,” she murmured as she slid to her knees, tugging at the fastening to his purple velvet pants.

“Ah!” Leo’s knees nearly buckled out from under him as her tongue made contact with him, “Oof! I think it’s my lucky night!”

“Oh, the luck is all ours, Your Highness,” a voice called from the darkness.

“What?” Leo’s head spun around trying to find the source.

A woman with deep wrinkles and white hair stepped into his line of sight, “We’ve never had royalty here before. Good job, Simbi.”

Leo glanced down at Simbi. She hadn’t even slowed down in her ministrations despite the appearance of….her grandmother?

“Ah….” Leo’s cock deflated halfway but quickly regained its hardness as Simbi redoubled her efforts, “Shit!” he breathed out as his head fell back.

A clattering sound caught his attention and he glanced back at the old woman. She had placed a metal bowl on the table in front of her, lit a candle, and was running her finger down the edge of a gleaming silver blade.

“What are you- oh!” the woman on her knees in front of him commanded his attention. She had a very talented tongue and he wanted nothing more than to let her finish what she was doing but some sliver of survival instinct fought its way to the surface of his hormone-laden brain.

His eyes slid back to the old woman who was creeping quietly closer to him, blade in hand.

“Nope! Nope! Nope! Sorry!” Leo shoved Simbi’s head away and bolted for the door, pulling his pants up as he went.

“Leo, wait!” Simbi yelled.

He was halfway down the hall to the stairs when he heard footsteps pounding up them.

Shit!

He veered to his left and darted into a cramped room filled with old trunks, a few partially dismembered store mannequins, and a lot of nightmare inducing taxidermy. Tripping over stacks of old books and boxes of odds and ends, and sending rats scurrying in his wake, he made it to the window on the far wall.

His fingers scrabbled frantically at the latch, which was stuck from years of disuse. He heard shouting in the hallway which sent a surge of adrenaline crashing through him. He frantically twisted it one more time and the latch broke, freeing the window. He shoved it open and dove head-first through it.

Leo dropped two stories down into an industrial garbage dumpster. He lay in the piles of putrid garbage as he caught his breath.

Simbi appeared in the window above him, “Leo! Leo! Come back! We only need some of your blood!”

Fuck that!

He scrambled out of the dumpster and took off down the alleyway. Skittering around the corner, he didn’t slow down until he found himself back in civilization in front of a well-lit, well-populated hotel. He patted down his pockets for his phone. Right. Shit! He stumbled into the lobby glancing around for a phone he could borrow.

“Sir, sir, you can’t be in here,” the concierge was scolding him, “there’s a homeless shelter two blocks down.”

��Homeless? No, I’m not homeless, I just need a phone!”

“Smells like you need a shower.”

He spun toward the voice. It couldn’t be!

It was the woman from the bar, shaking her head in amusement, “What the hell happened to you in the last hour, prince charming?”

“I…it’s a long story, I just need a phone so I can call my brother or the head of my security team.”

She peered at him more seriously, “Security team? Still sticking with the I’m a prince story?”

Leo pulled himself upright and reached down deep to find that Rys charm, “Yes, I’ve had a bit of a run-in with an evil sorceress and now find myself lost in a strange kingdom without my valiant knights. Could you help a prince out?”

She laughed as she shook her head, “Fine. You can use my phone, but first, you’re welcome to use my shower if you like.”

“I would love to use your shower! I’m Leo, by the way.”

“Well, Leo, I’m Genevieve, nice to meet you.”

“You didn’t seem to like me before,” Leo observed as they entered the elevator, “What made you change your mind?”

“Your brother,” she answered as she pushed the button for her floor, “He’s a sweetheart and he has a soft spot for you, so you can’t be too bad.”

Leo closed his eyes and gave silent thanks for Liam’s unintentionally fabulous job as wingman. Maybe this night wasn’t a complete loss.

Fifteen minutes later a freshly clean Leo walked out of Genevieve’s bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist, and one gripped in his hand drying his hair, “I don’t suppose you have any clothes I can borrow?”

“I brought dresses. Except for this,” she gestured to her pink “Most likely to get pregnant” t-shirt.

Leo noted the way her eyes tracked up and down his bare torso. He smiled just the right way to make his dimples show, tossed the towel in his hand to the ground, and walked toward her, “I’ll take it!”

“You’ll have to get it off me first,” she teased.

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Forty-five minutes later, Leo left her room wearing the dry, but still smelly purple pants and a pink t-shirt that made a half shirt on him. An extremely tight half-shirt.

The concierge shook his head disapprovingly but gave him directions to the Golden Lantern.

[leelee10898]

Party in the USA

Hey guys, It's @leelee10898.Ive been MIA from CGW for a while, I miss it so much.. In light of the 4th of July, ive thrown together some squad shenanigans for ya!! I tried my damndest to get this finished yesterday, but no luck... I did a super fast edit, so im sorry, but this shit is gonna be flawed lol.. enjoy.

The Royal Jett touched down in Dulles international airport as the girls squealed in their seats. It was 4th of July weekend and they were excited to share it with their men, since not one of them had ever celebrated the extremely patriotic American Holiday.  "Nothing says 4th of July like celebrating in our nation's capital." Anitah beamed as she stepped off the plane, joining the group who already exited. "Well, you're the queen of Cordonia now, she is your Nation now Love." Liam grinned as he kissed her cheek. "Um no offense Liam, but this will always be our nation." Alicia butted in. "Yeah, 'Merica!" Genevieve pumped her fist. "Merica?" Liam whispered to Drake "yeah. Short for America. Just, go with it Li." Drake shook his head. Pam laughed at her friends "ok Ladies, how about we get settled and go find something to get into."

They opted to rent a house instead of a hotel so they could grill and chill the proper way. "Oh shit, there's a pool, I can't even wait to jump in that later." Alicia smirked as she winked at Leo. "Clothing optional love?" He smirked as Liam rolled his eyes. "Why are you two always naked every trip we take?" Liam huffed as the two shrugged. "Well, we could just start right now." Leo began tugging at his shorts.  "NO!" the group resounded. "Hey guys, I seen a huge fireworks tent down the street. We should go check it out." Maxwell walked outside where the group had converged, a glass of purple liquid in hand. "Maxwell, what do you have there?" Drake eyed him suspiciously. "Just some punch." He shrugged, giving the girls a look.

One by one the girls made their way inside sneaking drinks of maxwell's punch. Once they reached a nice buzz they decided to venture off into DC. They watched a parade, sampled some summertime staples including funnel cake and deep fried oreos. There was a carnival being held and they would have a fireworks display at night fall. "Oh! The zipper. I loved that ride."  They eyed the caged ride "how's your tummy feeling Gen?" Pam gave her a look. "It's good, let's do this shit!"

"Are you sure darling? This doesn't look safe." Rashad voiced his concern.  "Psh, safe shamafe. This shit is indestructible,it's probably like 40 years old." Anitah snorted.

"Yeah because everyone wants to ride a 40 year old death trap. No thanks Brooks." Drake held up his hands and shook his head. "Its ok Drake, I think the ferris wheel is calling our names." Pam winked at her husband,  who then adjusted his pants.

Rashad looked at Genevieve, and then to the zipper swallowing audibly she took his hand and led him towards the ride. "It's gonna be ok Rashad.  Do it for America." She smiled at him.

Maxwell had already been strapped in the seat and moved up Liam and Anitah also already on the ride in a cart halfway up. "Ok this doesn't seem to bad love." Liam leaned back as they slowly made their way up letting others on. "Oh it's great. Just wait until we really get going." She smirked. Liam arched his brow "what does that mean,my queen?"

"So how does this work exactly?" Leo asked Alicia. "Well, we basically go around in a circle, and flip upside down, a lot. You don't have a weak stomach do you Leo?"

"No. I can handle it. Liam on the other hand, he's going to puke or scream. Maybe both." He chuckled. "My money's on both.  Anitah is going to laugh at him." Alicia giggled.

"You know Love, thing we haven't done yet." He gave her the signature Rhys smirk "oh. Shit. Leo." She jerked as she felt his long fingers slip between her legs.

"Gen, love. I'm not so sure about this. Why does it move like that?" Rashad began to panic. "It's supposed to move like that. Just calm down,  it's gonna be so much fun." She patted his leg. "It's supposed to sound like it needs 4 quarts of oil on the rickety old Metal?" Genevieve let out a high pitched squeal. "This is going to be so much fun. If you piss your pants, I will laugh at you." Suddenly the ride jerked and picked up speed, their cart reached the top as it flipped over. Rashad let out a long girlish scream as they plummeted upside down towards the ground.

"Oh my god. Oh my god im gonna diiiiie." Liam screamed as Anitah laughed uncontrollably.  She wasn't sure if it was the thrill of the ride, or Liam's girlish screams but she was definitely enjoying herself. "Oh god. Noooooo. Help me!" He screamed again, joining Rashad in fear stricken symphony.

The ride came to an end Liam ran to the nearest trash can, head inside as he puked.  "Told you he would puke." Leo laughed as Anitah stood next to her husband, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back as the other hand gave him bunny ears for a photo.

A dizzy Rashad stumbled off the ride "see baby. That wasn't so bad." Genevieve looked at Rashad who was pale faced. "That was." He retched  "I just…" His hand flew over his face as he bolted towards the trash can next to Liam.

"Looks like those two couldn't handle the ride huh?" Drake snorted as he and Pam approached the group. "Nope. Hey how come you two didn't ride? Scared Drake?" Alicia teased.  "He wasn't scared. We just, had other plans." Pam blushed as Drake pulled her into his side. "Why are your pants unbuttoned?" Anitah questioned, before going wide eyed in realization. "How about we go back to the house, and get this party started." Leo Spoke up.

"For once, I agree with my brother.  I've had enough of this." Liam spit into the trash can. "Wait. Where's Maxwell?"

"Maxwell.  Max." They called, and he didn't come. "He will find his way back. Lets just go." Drake took Pam's hand "Drake, were in Washington,  not Cordonia how's he going to find his way?" Anitah folded her hands across her chest. "He's like a damn puppy brooks. He will find his way home, now come on." Drake grunted as Anitah finally gave in.

Back at the house Drake and Leo ran to the store, returning a short while later with a few cases of beer and some liquor and wine. Still no sign of Maxwell. "I'm gonna call him." Alicia pulled her phone out and dialed his number, they heard it ringing inside.  "Looks like he left his phone behind." Rashad lifted the phone off the counter. "I hope he is ok. Maybe we should call the police?" Pam worried, it wasn't like Maxwell to stray so far from the group.

Finally Maxwell came sauntering in, hands full of bags.  "Maxwell!" Anitah shouted as she wrapped him in a hug "where the hell have you been?" She slapped his arm. "Ouch, hey little blossom that hurt!" He rubbed his arm "I went to the fireworks tent. Look at all the cool stuff I got. "I'll be taking these." Drake reached out to grab the bags, Maxwell recoiled defensively, clutching the explosives to his chest. "No, these are mine. Don't take my toys away Drake."

"Maxwell, let me see what you have." Leo walked over sorting through the bag. "Um Maxwell,  most of these are illegal in DC. Where did you even get these?" Maxwell smiled, oh I took an Uber to Virginia. "Ok Maxwell. You can have these and these." Liam held him out a box of sparklers and some fountains.  "The rest, were putting up." He handed the bags to Bastian.

"Yeah, can you imagine Maxwell with a damn mortar? He would blow up the damn shed over there." Drake chuckled, and then shook his head.

The night went on, the group getting drunker by the minute.  Liam sat perched up on the steps of the pool, wearing American flag swim trunks and a stars and stripes bandana around his head. "Woooooo 'Merica!" He hollered as the group around him screamed " 'MERICA" back. Genevieve and Anitah danced on the picnic table in their skimpy bikinis, beers in hand. Alicia and Leo were busy in the corner. hands all over each other while Rashad and Maxwell played a game of washers.

"Hey, look what fell out of the bag." Pam beamed as she walked over with a small box. "The singing lotus?" Drake looked at it. "Huh. Looks like it plays the star spangled banner, when you light it." He pulled the content from the box and sat it on the patio next to the pool, carefully lighting the fuse and backing away.

The fireworks began to spin, sparks of red, gold and blue shot from the center while it played a very distorted version of the star spangled banner. "Oh my god. My ears, make it stop." Genevieve shouted as she held her hands over her ears.

Alicia stood up, momentarily stepping away from Leo and began to belt out the song.

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

Gen and Anitah stopped dancing, and began to sing along. Pam joining in as well.

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

"Play ball!" Anitah and Alicia said in unison. They looked at the burned out dilapidated flower. "Man that was a sad excuse for a firework. " drake mumbled "Just look at it." The group looked down at the melted heap of plastic and soot.

As the night went on and the sun went down, the group were pretty drunk. Pam and Drake disappeared into the pool shed, Anitah and Genevieve continued to dance and sing on the picnic table while Rashad and Liam looked on. Leo and Alicia ended up in the pool together,  while nobody noticed Maxwell had snuck off again. Anitah had convinced Liam to let her paint his face in the American Flag, so he just sat there arm slung over the chair, red white and blue face with a Budweiser in hand.

Rashad started to babble,  staring straight ahead. He made no sense whatsoever and the only thing he could do was point. "Rashad, what the hell are you trying to say. Spit it out." Genevieve snapped. Finally climbing down from the picnic table she stood in front of him waving her hands in front of his face "helllooooo?"  "Shiminag hemmeinah. Ah ma tha…" he babbled.

Suddenly a firework whizzed past Liam's head and exploded against the pool shed. "Run for cover." Liam screamed as he dove into the pool. Rashad still standing there dumbfounded Genevieve tried with all her might to pull him away, but he wouldn't budge. "I love you, but I don't feel like getting blown up." She yelled taking Anita's hand and jumping into the pool.

"What the fuck is going on out here?" Pam snapped as she and a Drake stumbled out of the shed. Another firework crashed into the shed, pam screamed and ran into the pool. Drakes pants fell around his ankles as he tried to run,  he kicked them off and joined his wife in the pool.

Fireworks were flying dangerously low, explosions everywhere as Maxwell sensed the sudden danger and ran for cover under the porch. Alicia and Leo obvious to the Chao ensuing around them, continued to have sex in the corner of the pool. Alicia opened her eyes looking above her. "Leo. I see fireworks." She gasped. "I know baby. I have that effect. " she smirked as he thrust into her. "No, you ass. The fucking back yards a war zone." She tapped his shoulder, and pointed to the disaster area. Leo loomed around the pool, their friends and family screaming. Bastien on the phone with the fire company, deftly ducked under a bottle rocket headed straight for his head. "Beaumont,  when I get my hands on you." Bastien shouted. "Im sorry bas. I didn't mean to light all the fuses." Maxwell shouted back.

Dark smoke plummeted from the pool shed where Pam was giving Drake a blow job, just moments prior. "Hope they got insurance " Leo joked as he and Alicia swam up to the group. Liam rolled his eyes taking not of their nude forms.  "Where the hell are your clothes?" He held back a snicker. He wasn't three sheets to the wind drunk, he would have been more annoyed at the situation at hand.

"Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave…" Alicia began to sing. "This again?" Drake rolled his eyes.  "Just sing along Walker." Pam kissed his lips.

"O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!" The group sang along,  just as the fire company rushed in putting the shed out.

The following Monday Liam walked into the council meeting, shoulders back, head held high. The hushed whispers began to circulate the room as Liam cleared his throat. "Shall we begin?" After the meeting a young council member approached him. "Your majesty, please may I speak freely?" Liam nodded "of course Lord Nicholas. And its Liam."

"Liam. Why Is there a faded Flag on your face?" Liam hung his head and shook it, recalling the past weekend's antics. Sighing loudly, he lifted his head. "Nick. Have you ever been to America on the 4th of July?"

Tag List: @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ooo-barff-ooo @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @editboutique @wannabemc2 @zaffrenotes @enmchoices @lauradowning29 @lodberg @smalltalk88 @laniquelove-blog @gibbles82 @heatherfilliez @drakesensworld @nikkis1983 @sweetest-marbear @classylady1234 @daniv2278 @rainbowsinthestorm @jared2612 @liamxs-world @notoriouscs @blubutterflyy @captain-kingliamsqueen @whenyourheartskipsabeat @lynne1993 @coldcollectornight08 @be-still-my-aching-heart @kennaxval @the-soot-sprite @hopefulmoonobject @emichelle @cgd03 @kate-mckenzie @mfackenthal @crookedslimecreatorpasta @jemrmax2love @sashatrr @ao719 @cocomaxley @speedyoperarascalparty @riseandshinelittleblossom

[cocomaxley]

CGW Texts

Part of the CGW Universe, a collaborative effort by @ao719 @speedyoperarascalparty @leelee10898 and yours truly.

Summary: What do text messages look like between the CGW crew? These are from Sarcasm prompt list. Enjoy!

Drake & Gen

Rashad & Anitah

Liam & Pam

Maxwell & Alicia

Tag List: @fullbeaumonty @brightpinkpeppercorn @alj4890 @zaffrenotes @annekebbphotography @carabeth @moneyfordiamonds @give-me-ernest-sinclaire @3pawandme @indiacater @ooo-barff-ooo @ownworldresident @tornbetween2loves @perfectprofessorherokid @stopforamoment @editboutique @wannabemc2 @enmchoices @lauradowning29 @lodberg @smalltalk88 @gibbles82 @heatherfilliez @drakesensworld @nikkis1983 @sweetest-marbear @classylady1234 @daniv2278 @jared2612 @liamxs-world @notoriouscs @blubutterflyy @captain-kingliamsqueen @lynne1993 @the-soot-sprite @cgd03