#grub street

[d-criss-news]

Broadway Actor Helen J. Shen Warms Up Her Voice With Wontons

---------- Friday, January 3 I head to the theater early to rehearse with Darren. Normally, after opening, there aren’t any more rehearsals for the onstage cast, but this is a special occasion since we’re recording our cast album on Monday.

----------

Monday, January 6 I wake up and try to romanticize my day as much as possible. Recording an original Broadway cast recording has been a dream of mine forever: When I was growing up, my parents always had a different Broadway album playing at home. This is our opportunity to give a taste of our show to people who don’t live near New York. ---------- We record in Power Station. Some of the most iconic cast albums have come out of there. (Darren said that he recorded “Teenage Dream” there, too.) I try to take it all in as much as I can while also singing nonstop for four and a half hours. It feels so different from what I do every day. Something about singing a song you know will be in just one person’s ears at a time makes you perform the songs a little bit differently. After the session, some of the cast and I decide to go down the street to Ippudo Westside to reward ourselves with a bowl of ramen. I order the Akamaru Shinaji — I love the roasted garlic in it. Perfectly hearty. I think of 12-year-old Helen; if she could see herself slurping ramen broth next to her Broadway co-star Darren Criss, I’m pretty sure she’d pass out.

[cynthiabertelsen]

Home Cooking versus Uncooking

Gourmet Cookbook (Photo credit: C. Bertelsen) Have you ever dreamed of opening a restaurant, where people swooned over your food and generations later, the children of the children of your first customers would say, “ We would have no food memories if it weren’t for (fill in the blank) __________________!” Well yes, I will confess, it’s been a dream of mine since forever. And I haven’t given it…

[vimbry-moved]

has everyone seen that clip of limmy getting sidetracked on a stream over checking how john linnell looks these days from about a year ago btw

"do you think he's bald, by the way? I mean, that's 1990 - look at the forehead. say if I just checked him out, and his hair's all shaved off, we could say "aye, bald". you know, something like that. but I've got a feeling he might be clinging onto it, and we're gonna have a debate, about if that... is baldness. ... oh you FUCKIN bastard. WHAT. wait, wait, wait, wait. wait. WHAA T. that's two-? NO WAYYY. hold on. he's- what age is he? ... SIXTY fuckin three??? [stammering] hold on.... GET tae FUCK.... not lost a ffffUCKIN- .... that the same guy?"

[albatris]

grub sticky

does she spark joy

also I know "design your villains already, coward" won my poll and grub is decidedly Not a villain but consider this. I haven't drawn properly in months and I needed something simple to get back into the swing of things HAHAHA

imagine she's glittery :3c

[streetdevil96]

"CHOMPERZ" (y2kool games jan.2001)

[j-august]

Money is a great fortifier of self-respect.

George Gissing, New Grub Street

[colleendoran]

I went to a lot of comic cons in college. My impression was that most of the creators were… creatives. People that spend long hours in front of a drawing board or a typewriter, building worlds out of the aether that is their brain(s). That’s illustration to me. Physically manifesting the metaphysical, moment by moment. Picking the best moments for each beat of the story.

I -flat out- went to school to be a comic book artist. I just cannot fathom feeding my wife and my boys by manifesting the images in my head into a monthly income. But hey, that’s me. Your work is a continuous source of inspiration and joy for me.

My eldest son loves the power rangers. He he drew the green ranger in pencil on a canvas. He then painted the drawing with acrylic. He had a full-on meltdown when the painting didn’t look as good as he wanted it to look.

I sat with him and explained the process of creating comic book artwork. From blueline to publication. I spoke with him about the value of perseverance, and the value of using mixed media. He waited a day and then outlined his painting with Sharpie. He BEAMED with pride when he showed me the final product. Made me so, so happy.

Rodin was a hack. Dude had no deadlines, and no narrative outline.

Keep being awesome. You are an inspiration to me, to my boys, and to generations to come.

I am so glad you are encouraging your son to make art and enjoy it, and it is great that you find so much to appreciate in comic art and have so much respect for those who make it. We all truly appreciate it.

A few thoughts, if I may.

If you want your son to understand and appreciate mixed media, you might want to move him away from using markers like Sharpies.

If you are concerned about the longevity of the original art, I regret to inform you alcohol based markers such as Sharpies and Copics are not lightfast. That is to say, they fade on exposure to UV light. They do not use pigmented inks, they use dyes.

The fading may not happen today, it may not happen tomorrow, but it will happen sooner than you would like. Many well-known cartoonists who used Sharpies on their original comic pages, or did commissions sketches using them, have seen the art fade markedly (pun intended) over time.

Here's what that looks like.

This Klaus Janson commission has just about gone home to Jesus.

Try to switch to pigment based markers, such as those from Faber Castell, or go wild and learn to use a crow quill.

Also, while I truly appreciate your kind compliments, it's not necessary to do that at another artist's expense.

Rodin was the complete opposite of the definition of "hack".

A hack is a term originally used for one who works on tight deadlines to publisher specifications, and produces poor quality work.

That's not Rodin.

Rodin was a spectacular talent who earned his place in the canon. He came from humble beginnings and spent the first two decades of his career sculpting decorative architectural elements. He obtained his place as a fine artist after many years of struggle.

And even then, a fine artist often works to deadline, as there are salons and exhibit specs that must be met, as well as the requirements of patrons and clients, to say nothing of the grueling formal training aspiring artists were subjected to in the ateliers.

His work often contains strong narrative elements as well, as evidenced by his design for The Gates of Hell.

In fact, for most of the history of modern art, narrative elements were considered anti-art. As someone who prefers 19th century genre art, this attitude is bummerific.

The term "hack" comes from the 17th century term "Grub Street Hacks".

Back in the day writers did not get royalties. Bookstores usually published books and paid writers a flat fee and never another penny, which resulted in a lot of very broke writers, or writers who came from wealthy families who could afford to scorn the sordid topic of coin.

Grub Street was located in London where a lot of book publishers were housed next to brothels and flophouses. It's now known as Milton Street. This area was the location of the lowliest of the low publishing joints.

The great Samuel Johnson was once a Grub Street Hack.

I've just read the most wonderful book about Samuel Johnson which has many amazing details about the development of publishing. The Club: Johnson, Boswell and The Friends Who Shaped an Age. My highest recommendation, though some will be very upset by attitudes and behaviors toward the women in these men's lives.

Johnson, despite many years of poverty, was able to escape after his work eventually earned him a royal pension. When well-thought of creative people couldn't make royalties, they were supported by wealthy patrons and the royal pension system.

While I don't have a formal education, I spent many years doing research for auction catalogues and ghost writing articles about art history, which is why I am annoyingly pedantic about it all to this day.

[lissreads]

I love Gissing, but I've never heard of this one. I found it in the used bookstore today and risked my life climbing the shelves to reach it, so it better be good.

[teachanarchy]

Food Delivery Apps: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

[platycryptus]

when was the last time you saw a weevil this big

The largest weevil in North America, the palmetto weevil (Rhyncophorus cruentatus) lays eggs in the crowns of palms, where the grubs feed and often kill their host in the process.

In Florida it’s considered a major pest due to its habit of destroying ornamental palm trees, but native palmettos and sabal palms (the weevils’ natural hosts) are rarely harmed unless they’re already stressed or damaged. It’s mostly date palms and other exotic species planted along city streets that can’t take the heat and need to be drenched with insecticide to ensure survival.

(Florida, 10/31/23)

[archangeldyke-all]

Hi so uh, what the flying fuck did I just watch? I've been sobbing for the past hour so I wanted to ask for some fluff with Isha, Jinx, Sev and reader. Cause nothing bad happened right? Everyone's alive and well and act III is going to be three episodes of everyone playing happy family :)

everything is fine! it's all fine!

men and minors dni

"quit worrying, sevika." you chuckle, elbowing your wife.

the two of you are walking home from a date-- the first you have been on in months. you've been busy adjusting to the sudden appearance of jinx and isha in your lives, and as much as both of you love it, your love life's been put on the side lines for the time being.

jinx noticed. and she decided the two of you needed a date night. and after a few hours of convincing on both you and jinx's part, several promises to call if something wrong happens, and a pinky swear that she wouldn't play with explosives in the house-- sevika finally relented and agreed to go out with you.

you've had a wonderful evening. drinks and grub at one of your favorite little restaurants, then a nice walk up on the promenade, you and sevika stopping occasionally to stop in shops and buy little trinkets for the house.

now, you're headed home, and the closer you get the more nervous sevika looks.

"i'm just... looking for any pillars of smoke, or something." she mumbles. you giggle and pull sevika to a halt. she turns around, raising her eyebrow at you. "why'd you stop? if there's a fire we need to get hom--" you cut sevika off with your lips pressed to hers, and she sighs against you, her worries evaporating in an instant.

for just a moment, you let yourself lose track of where you are and what time it is, just enjoying the feeling of sevika against you. then, a horn honks down the street, and you both pull apart with nervous giggles.

"'m sorry." sevika sighs, hanging her head and bumping her forehead against yours. "did i ruin our date by worrying all night?" she asks.

you giggle and shake your head. "no, baby. 's really cute, actually. my mama bear."

sevika groans and rolls her eyes, pulling you to continue walking down the street. "c'mon. let's go see how much damage the girls dealt to our poor fuckin' house."

when you get home, you're surprised to find the house... relatively clean.

the lights are off, and a few candles are scattered around the living room. jinx is lounging on the couch, reading a book and kicking her feet. "oh hey. you're home." she greets. you blink confusedly at her. she just chuckles. "i figured since we've started crashing here your sex lives are probably in the shitter. so, y'know. i set the mood. put some flower petals on your bedspread. just-- make sure you turn the radio on loud please. i don't wanna explain to isha what all the... noises are." jinx shudders.

you grin, then leap forward to wrap jinx up in a hug. she groans against you but doesn't push you off-- letting you coo over her. "you're such a nice kid, aren't you?" you ask, kissing her bangs.

"where's isha?" sevika asks.

"sleepin' in our room." jinx says. "i'll go join her so i don't overhear anything." she mutters.

you let her go, giggling a bit as she ducks out of sevika's attempted noogie.

when you turn around to face your wife, she's wearing a shocked expression.

"i told you we have nothing to worry about." you say.

sevika huffs and wraps her arms around your waist. "c'mon. when's the next time the kids are gonna be avoiding our room? we only got a few hours before one of the girls wakes up and comes to cuddle... gotta take advantage..." sevika purrs in your ear.

you giggle, dragging her toward your bedroom, only for her to stop in the hall right outside your door. "sev c'mon--"

"what the fuck?" she asks, pushing open the door to the bathroom.

you glance over, your heart dropping when you do.

the entire bathroom, sink, bath, and somehow even toilet, are stained bright blue.

"what the fuck!?" sevika squawks again.

"what's wrong?" jinx asks, popping out of her room with concerned eyes.

"what the fuck happened to the fucking bathroom, jinx?!" you scream.

jinx slouches and chuckles awkwardly. "oh, that. i was hoping you wouldn't notice that until... later..." she says.

"did you paint our fucking bathroom?" sevika growls. jinx chuckles and waves her hand.

"it's not paint, relax!"

"well what the fuck--"

the door to jinx's room creaks open just a bit, and isha appears by her side, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her hair dyed blue. she smiles brightly at you and sevika when she realizes you're who jinx was talking to, and she darts forward to give you both hugs as a 'welcome home' greeting.

"you dyed her hair blue!?" sevika squeals.

"doesn't she look great?" jinx asks excitedly.

isha nods enthusiastically, giggling and doing a little twirl for you and sevika, her hands coming up to shake her hair. you

you look over at your wife.

sevika's mouth is still open in shock, her eyes darting back and forth between your stained bathroom and isha's new hairdo.

when her eyes finally meet yours, you both burst into exhausted laughter.

"y'look amazing, kid." sevika sighs, ruffling isha's hair. isha grins big and wide, and you pull jinx in for another hug.

"you're helping me scrub the bathroom tomorrow, missy." you whisper in her ear.

"yeah yeah, whatever." she sighs.

taglist!

@fyeahnix @lavendersgirl @half-of-a-gay @thesevi0lentdelights @sexysapphicshopowner

@kissyslut @chuucanchuucan @badbye666 @femme-historian @lia-winther

@sevikaspillowprincess @emiliabby @sevikasbeloved @hellorai @my-taintedheart

@glass-apothecary @macaroni676 @artinvain @k3n-dyll @sevsdollette

@ellieslob @xayn-xd @keikuahh @maneskinwh0re @raphaellearp

@iamastar @sevikitty @mascdom @nhaaauyen @annesunshiner

@mirconreadzztuff22 @veoomvroom @lushh-s3vik4s @katyawooga @lesbodietcoke

@lavandasz @strawberrykidneystone

[sweetbans29]

Teach Me: The Art of Kissing (ii) - PB

Pairing: Paige Buecker x Reader

Previous Part - Next Part

Summary: You and Paige have been best friends for the last 6 years. You trust her completely. And it is because of that trust that you ask her a rather forward question. AKA - You ask Paige to teach you.

Warnings: best friend vulnerability, smitten Paige, kissing (obviously), suggestive, masturbation (not explicit - but there)

Word Count: 5.4k

Teach Me Masterlist & Sweetbans Masterlist

AN: Here we go.

It was junior year of high school when Paige first noticed her feelings for you were shifting. She realized she was feeling more when the two of you decided to take a spontaneous trip in the middle of the night.

You and Paige were lying in your bed, scrolling through IG when a reel appeared on her screen highlighting a 24-hour diner that looked like it served the best breakfast food.

"Yo, look at this," she says as her arm comes over to you showing you the spot. "This looks so freaking good."

You grab her wrist, stabilizing the hand so you can watch what she is trying to show you. Your mouth instantly waters once they start showing some of their menu highlights.

"My mouth is watering." You say and release her arm.

Paige takes a second and you hear her groan.

"What?" You ask.

"It is Rochester," Paige says in a disappointed tone.

"Let's go." Is all you say to get Paige to shoot up from where she is laying.

"Wait, are you for real right now?" She asks, trying not to get her hopes up.

"Let's go get it," you say, sitting up yourself.

Paige jumps on you, tackling you back into the bed, and shakes you out of pure excitement.

"B!" You yell taken back by her excitement. You can't help but laugh as she finally lets you go and jumps out of your bed.

You grab a hoodie from your closet and look over to Paige - you toss it over to her knowing she is going to get cold. I mean it is 11pm. You grab another hoodie for yourself and the two of you take off on your mini road trip to get some bomb diner food.

You put directions into your phone and begin the 2-hour drive. The drive is filled with carpool karaoke and laughs. When the two of you arrive at the diner you order what feels like half the menu. The two of you sit there grubbing on the food.

"This is so much better than the video," Paige mumbles as she takes another bite. You nod in agreement, savoring the pancakes that you just put in your mouth.

When you are both stuffed to the brim, you check out and begin the journey back. It is on the drive that Paige puts on softer music. You thought she would fall asleep on the drive back but she seems wide awake. You are about a half hour from home and you take a little detour.

"Where are we going ma?" Paige asks.

"Ma?" You asked with raised eyebrows, this was a new one. She just shrugs with a little smile. You shake it. "You'll see B."

You make your way away from the town, away from the street lights to a little park. You kill your lights just as you park your car and Paige looks around.

"You didn't bring me out here to kill me did you?" She asks. "Because if you did, I am too full to try and run away from you right now." She says with a little laugh.

"That was my plan," you say now laughing with your best friend. "Fill you up with food so you can't run. No dummy. You don't recognize where we are?"

Paige looks around, taking longer than you thought it would for her to figure out where you are.

"Bonding day freshman year..." you say trying to re-jog her memory.

You see it click in her brain as her eyes get wide.

"I am still so sorry for that day," she says with a laugh.

This is the park where your dad brought all of his teams for a team bonding day at the beginning of the season. It just so happened that Paige her freshman year almost sent you to the emergency room. You turned out to be okay but it didn't help with your freshman year feud.

"You're just lucky I am okay," you joke with her as you get out of the car.

"Where are you going?" She asks but doesn't follow yet. You open your trunk and grab blankets from the back.

"Come on B," you encourage her as you begin walking into a pitch-black field.

"Wait for me!" She calls to you and you slow down for her.

You find your spot and begin laying down the blankets. You see her shivering and throw one of the blankets you have at her. You lay down and pat the spot next to you. She lays down next to you and you help put the blanket over her and cover yourself as well.

Once you lay back down, you let out a sigh - everything releasing from your body.

The two of you lay there looking up at the stars.

You scoot closer to Paige to draw some of her body heat. She brings her arm out for you to hold onto. Being physically close was nothing new to the two of you.

"This is one of my favorite places." You say, eyes filled with the wonder of the stars. "Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed I come here and just look up."

Paige lies there listening, wondering why this is only the first time you are bringing her here. She doesn't speak, waiting to see if you will let her learn more about you. Her heart swells when you do.

"I grew up coming to this park - it is where my mom and dad taught me how to play ball. I would spend hours here watching different people play on the courts over there and just absorb everything my dad would tell me about them." You say. You bring your head to her shoulder, trying to get more comfortable. "From then on, my mom would occasionally bring me here at night to see the stars whenever my dad was out of town for work. We would spend hours here pointing out shapes and just being present with one another. Those are some of my favorite childhood memories."

Paige hums.

"Give me your other hand," you say bringing the arm that isn't entangled with hers out from under the blanket. She does the same and offers it to you.

"Hold it up like this," you lift your arm, palm facing the stars. She reciprocates your movement.

"Whenever I feel like I am failing or like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders I do this." You say looking at your hand. You are so locked into your hand at the stars above that you don't see Paige looking right at you, ignoring the hand she has placed in the air because you told her to.

"It puts everything into perspective. It shows me how big the world is and how small I am. It keeps me grounded in knowing that there is so much more out there than what I am facing." Your fingers wiggle a little and a small smile finds its way to your lips.

"You do that for me," Paige says before she can stop herself.

You turn your head to look at her and realize she is looking right at you. You smile at her and give her arm a squeeze.

"Well, I am honored," you say. "I'm glad you are my best friend."

She feels her heart swell and then crack. It was then that she realized she doesn't know if she will ever truly be content being just your best friend. But doesn't want to say anything to ruin this moment. To ruin your moment.

It is later on in your friendship that Paige realizes you mean too much to her to say anything about the feelings stirring inside of her. So Paige threw herself into meaningless relationships or flings with girls that all had some sort of resemblance to you.

You release Paige from the hug. Part of you is surprised that she actually agreed to this but are super grateful that she said yes not knowing what you would have done if she were to say no.

"So when do you want to start?" She asks slightly scratching the back of her neck. You never made her nervous before but now she is standing before you, her heart rate picking up, and trying to keep her cool.

"Well considering the date is on Friday, maybe tomorrow?" You say. "You get out of practice at 8pm ya?”

Paige looks confused. “Won’t you be there?” She asks.

“No, Coach said he didn’t need me at this one,” you say.

The next 24 hours feel like a week to Paige as she anticipates what the first 'lesson' will be like with you. It is finally right before practice that she snaps out of her nervousness and is reminded that she has hooked up countless times and that you will be no different.

Paige gets through practice, not thinking of you once. It was one of the best practices the team has had and all the girls are on a high.

You are sitting on the couch doing homework when Paige gets back,. She walks in the door and you look up.

"Hey B," you say wrapping up your assignment. "How was practice?''

"Practice was solid - one of the best we've had so far," Paige says plopping down on the couch. She watches you as you finish up your assignment, occasionally pushing your laptop in a playful manner.

Paige loved bugging you while you were working. She would do anything to get a little reaction out of you in your focused state. And your reactions were some of her favorite things in the world. Now was no different.

"I am almost done, just let me finish this and then I am all yours," you say typing away to get it done.

Paige's cheeks heat up as she sinks back into the couch, opting to scroll on her phone while you finish.

Once you're done, you close your computer and let out a big sigh, leaning back into the couch with your eyes closed.

"That assignment was the definition of dumb, there was no point. It was just busy work for points." You say eyes still closed, now rubbing your temples.

"I'm sorry ma, if you're tired we can put on a movie," Paige says. It was a common thing for your tired nights to be filled with movies and you fall asleep within the first few minutes of it. Paige never minded, as she would typically be right behind you with sleep, then waking up with credits rolling and having to wake you up to move to your bed.

"No, no," you say sitting up. "We have a lesson, remember?"

Paige lets out a little laugh, "Oh I remember. How could one forget when their best friend/roommate asks them to show them how to kiss." She says teasing you a little.

"I mean I could always go ask Azzi, I am sure she would help me if you don't want to," You say knowing Azzi would never but wanted to poke at Paige.

"Oh hell no, she wouldn't be able to teach you like I could." She says in a cocky manner.

You let out a laugh. "Oh I know, Little Miss Campus Player." You say and Paige's demeanor changes.

"Hey, you know I don't like that," she says and you immediately feel bad. Leaning over to her, you grab her arms, unfolding them from her defensive position.

"I am messing with you, you know nobody thinks that." She begins to loosen up again. "But you do put yourself out there and girls love you which is why you are the one who is going to teach me." You say now sitting up, excited to begin your first lesson.

Paige sits up as well.

"Okay, what do I do?" You say looking at Paige and she just gives a little laugh.

"I think we should talk about some ground rules first," Paige says and you give her a questioning look. She continues. "I only have two. First, I need you to talk to me whenever we do anything. You need to communicate what feels good and what doesn't. You got to let me know what you are thinking okay?"

You nod and she gives you a look.

"Yes, okay. Got it." You say already breaking Paige's first rule.

"Second, if at any time you feel uncomfortable or any of it is too much, we stop. Okay?" She says.

"Okay," you say understanding the seriousness in Paige's voice.

"We are going to start slow," Paige says, and you kind of slump a little. "Today we are going to ease you in with how to kiss."

For some reason, you blush but give an attentive nod to your best friend. She stands and you follow wanting to question but deciding not to.

Paige speaks as if she knows what you are thinking, "It's less of an awkward position to start if we stand."

You are now standing there like an awkward child, arms by your side.

"Can I?" Paige motions to your hair and you nod. Her hands come up to take your hair out of your braid. Hers is already down, and dry from the shower she took after her practice. You get a whiff of her shampoo and take a deep inhale.

"Did you take my shampoo?" You ask getting distracted.

"Maybe." She says with a smile. "I ran out yesterday and took your bottle this morning." You scoff and take a step back. She gives you a look of 'now is not the time' and you step back to her.

"Okay, okay - sorry. I am just a little nervous." You say wiping your hands on your pants.

"There is no need to be nervous, I got you," she says and takes one of your hands.

You look up at your best friend and her eyes meet yours. You lick your lips and her eyes fall to them.

The number of times Paige has had to swallow the thought of kissing you has been too many times to count. She has to keep her cool now that it is finally happening. It still baffles her how you haven't been in a relationship or even been kissed for that matter throughout all these years. There have been countless parties where you have wandered away with someone for some time and Paige has just assumed things were happening. Paige would never stick around to really find out, taking a girl home of her own to get you out of her head. The morning after, the two of you would never really talk about what had happened and just go about your day.

Paige leans in and your eyes still don't leave hers. Your breath picks up as you feel Paige lift the hand she had been holding to place it on her waist. Her hand comes up to cradle your cheek.

"Are you sure about this?" She asks.

"Yes."

"I am going to kiss you now. Nothing major, just a simple kiss." She says and you nod. She doesn't move a muscle waiting for your verbal confirmation.

"Okay." You say and close your eyes, waiting for her lips to meet yours.

Paige leans down and her lips meet yours.

It's as if time stops. Neither of you move. You are taking in the feeling of somebody else's lips on yours and Paige is taking in you.

It was just a simple kiss but you wanted more.

Paige is the first one to pull away, already missing the feeling of your lips on hers.

Her eyes are still closed as you open yours.

"How was that?" Paige asks, monitoring her breath.

"That was nice," you say. "I wanted more." You admit and Paige's eyes shoot open. "Teach me more," you say starting a fire in Paige.

Paige's hands fall from your face and find your hips. Your hands are on her hips, accidentally giving them a little squeeze.

“Okay babe - just follow my lead,” Paige says as she reminds herself that she needs to go slow. You nod at her.

“I need to hear you,” she says already leaning in. Her eyes burning into yours.

“Kiss me B,” you say as your eyes flutter closed.

Paige takes one good look at you before bring her lips to yours for a second time. This time with a little more force. Her hands slowly finding the skin under your shirt, squeezing your hips.

You let out a little gasp and she uses it as an invitation. Her tongue collides with yours, savoring the newfound taste of you. You let her take the lead as her tongue explores your mouth.

Your hands come up around her neck, pulling her closer to you. Her body is already against yours but you want her closer.

Paige is overwhelmed by you. As much as she has imagined this, she never imagined it would be this good. You are sweeter than she imagined and your touch is electrifying. She’s enamored by you.

Her tongue continues to massage yours until both of you are out of air. Reluctantly you pull back, completely out of breath.

“That was hot,” Paige says and you blush. "Not bad for your first kiss."

"Well I have a good teacher," you say and it is Paige's turn to blush.

"Can we do it again?" You ask and Paige nearly falls to her knees. She would do whatever you asked but can't show the effect you have on her.

"Of course, ma," She says and brings her hand to your face again. "Do you want to try to take the lead this time?"

You shake your head no, "Not yet." She nods and leans back into you.

Her lips meet yours again and you notice it is a little different this time. Paige isn't going as slow as before and there is a fire behind her movements. Your hands come up to wrap around her neck and her hands slide down your backside. They squeeze the backside of your thighs and you take the hint - jumping to wrap our legs around her waist.

You let out another moan. Paige doing everything in her power to keep this just in the realm of kissing.

Paige sits down on the couch, hands coming back to your waist. Your legs straddle her hips, the kiss not breaking once.

Pressure builds in your center as Paige's tongue works yours so perfectly.

You begin to rock your hips - wanting to relieve any of the pressure in your core. It is now Paige's turn to moan as she feels your hips lightly grind into her.

Her hands stop your actions and you let out the lowest whine.

She continues the kiss, too caught up in it realizing when her hands begin to ease on your hips. allowing you to begin moving them again. Your hands come up to Paige's hair - running your fingers through the hair at the base of her head, giving it a light pull.

Paige's next move is unexpected. She lifts you up and throws you on the couch next to her as she immediately stands up. You look at her confused but she just grabs her keys and walks out of the apartment.

You are left on the couch - turned on and confused.

Paige didn't mean to bolt the way she did but she knew if she had stayed she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

She gets in her car and begins to drive. Once she’s on the road, she figures is a safe distance away from you she stops. She puts the car in park and sits there for a second before hitting her hands on her steering wheel.

How could she think this was going to work? Just casually being intimate with the only girl she has ever truly loved and be okay. The way Paige wanted to lay you on that couch and cover every inch of your body with her lips has her head spinning. You had her head spinning when she was so used to it being the other way around with girls. Her eyes close and her hand comes up to her face - her mind beginning to replay the events that happened not an hour before.

Your lips meeting hers for the first time. Your tongue moving so seamlessly with hers, allowing her full control of you. You straddling her on the couch with her hands on your hips. The way your hips moved on hers.

Paige's other hand begins to make its way down to her core as she remembers the sounds you made. The sounds you were making just for her. She begins relieving the tension she has been holding. She reaches her climax in no time, panting and cursing your name as she does.

When she was finally in a place to collect her thoughts, Paige thought about the whole situation again. She thought about whether it would be a good idea to continue with what you asked from her or if she should call it.

If she continued - she would have to figure out how to control herself when you would take the lead. Paige was so used to taking the lead. She knows that when it is your turn she is going to have to display more control of herself than she did today.

If she called it though - she would need to explain why she wouldn't do it anymore, why she couldn't. And sitting here facing the fact that there is a possibility of her having to admit her feelings for you, possibly ruin your friendship and lose you forever diminished the thought almost immediately.

After thinking it through - there was no choice, she had to keep going.

Not checking the time - she picked up her phone and called Azzi.

"P?" Azzi's sleepy voice rings in Paige's ear. "What time is it?"

Paige looks at the clock in her car and curses.

"Sorry Azzi, it's 2..." Paige says regretting bugging her friend. "I just -I..." Paige doesn't know what to say.

Azzi lets out a sigh having a gist of what Paige is going through as the blonde called her late last night explaining what you had asked of her. Azzi was the only person on the planet who knew Paige's feelings for you, she had an inkling when all the girls Paige would hook up with all somehow resembled you. You were oblivious of course.

It was when Azzi confronted Paige about it for the 50th time that the girl admitted she was completely and utterly in love with you but couldn't do anything about it. So whenever Paige would get overwhelmed by you, she would always call Azzi to help pull her back to reality.

"How did it go?" Azzi asks, knowing the sleep she had just awoken from is not long gone.

Paige sat there and talked for what felt like forever - talking about how she had never felt such a connection with anyone before and how easily you had her bending to your will. She talked about how scared she was and didn't know how she was going to keep her cool as the lessons became more and more intimate.

Azzi sat there listening to one of her closest friends, feeling the conflict and knowing Paige was bending herself backward over all of this.

"P, you need to tell the girl how you feel or you are going to combust," Azzi says with a sigh.

"You know I can't," Paige says frustrated.

"Well, how did you leave? Was she normal after your 'first lesson'?" Azzi asks.

"Well...I kind of just ran out," Paige mumbles recalling how she left you on the couch.

"You WHAT?" Azzi yells as she curses herself for being so loud.

"Her hips began to rock against mine and I couldn't take it so I bolted before I could do something I regretted..." Paige instantly fills with regret as the words fall from her lips. Her fleeting moment coming back to her. She threw you off of her and left without as much as a second glance.

"Paige...you need to go fix this," Azzi says and she says her goodbye.

Paige looks at the time, her clock reading 4:12am.

She makes her way back to your shared apartment, not sure what she is going to find when she walks through the door. What she found, broke her heart.

You were sleeping on the couch, in the same clothes as she previously left you in, curled up with your phone in your hand.

Paige looked down at her own phone not thinking about the possibility of you trying to reach her until now. She unlocks it and sees about 30 notifications from you, the last one coming not 30 minutes ago.

She comes up and squats next to you, brushing the hair from your face. Her touch jolts you awake. Your eyes find hers. Yours are filled with sleep as your body relaxes. You sit up slightly.

"Where have you been? I was so worried. Is everything okay? You ran out of here so fast." You say grabbing her arm, trying to find answers in her own tired eyes.

"Let's just go to bed, baby," she says as she helps you up from the couch and leads you to her room. You don't fight her as you slept in hers every other night. You crawl into bed and curl up next to her, sleep already plaguing you once again.

"Don't leave me like that again, B," you say as you drift off to sleep.

She kisses your head and mumbles something along the lines of 'I won't' before sleep takes over her body as she finally feels at peace.

You awake the next morning entangled in your best friend. At some point during your slumber, your places switched. She ended up wrapped around your torso, holding you tightly in place. You look down at her and admire her. She looks like a little kid.

Your hand makes its way through her hair and you feel the vibrations of her groan all throughout your body.

"Just 5 more minutes," she grumbles as she squeezes you tighter.

"Anything for you B," you say and continue to run your fingers through her hair.

Shortly after, the two of you get up and get ready for the day. Neither of you says much which causes a weird tension.

You walk out of your room and into the kitchen where Paige putting together some food.

"I'm sorry," you say to your best friend.

Paige's hands come to a stop and her shoulders fall. If anything she was the one who should be apologizing to you.

"If anyone should be apologizing it is me," she says still not looking up at you.

You timidly make your way to her, stopping a few feet away but now on the same side of the kitchen island.

"If I did something wrong or that made you uncomfortable, I am so so sorry. The last thing I want to do is affect our friendship B. If this is too weird we stop." You say not really knowing what could have caused her to run out like she did other than you doing something wrong.

You are giving Paige an out. The one thing she wanted almost as much as she wanted you.

It takes Paige a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking.

"No, no. I don't want an out. I am good. I just forgot that Azzi asked me to do something really important last night and I forgot." She says as she really hopes you don't see through her lies.

You don't push it, giving her a nod.

"I need to hear you, babe," she teases you, instantly lightening the mood.

A smile makes its way to your face.

"Got it B." You say as she goes back to finishing putting together her food.

You speak again, "I am ready to take the lead."

Paige nearly drops the knife she was holding and looks over at you. Her eyebrows raise and you see the Paige you know and love come back.

"Are you now?" She says, putting down the knife and making her way to you. "What's changed ma?"

"Well after you left, I had a lot of time to think about what we did." You say. "And I may or may not have looked up some 'How To' videos," you are blushing now.

Paige lets out a laugh of disbelief.

"You watched videos?" She says.

"Ya, well you left me and I took matters into my own hands," you say.

Paige's heart falls a little but refuses to make that known.

"Ok ma, go ahead. Take the lead." She says as she crosses her arms.

You slowly make your way to her. Paige's heartbeat picks up as she anticipates the feeling of your lips on hers again. Your hands come up to unfold her arms.

She lets you as they find their way to your waist. Your hands plant themselves on her upper chest as you begin to lean in.

"Make sure you communicate what feels good," you say teasing at the rules that Paige initially set between the two of you.

A smile makes its way to Paige's lips and you take the opportunity to bring your lips to hers.

You start off slow, trying to gain confidence.

Once you feel a little squeeze to your hips - something you are finding as Paige's way of signaling you are doing a good job, you ever so lightly swipe your tongue along her bottom lip.

She opens up immediately for you, allowing your tongue to explore hers. She lets you lead, just like you wanted. You feel Paige hum into the kiss, fueling you.

You push on her chest, causing her to get caught in between you and the counter. Paige gasps at the bold movement. You ease up on the kiss, pulling away slightly.

As you do, Paige follows you wanting more causing you to smile.

"How am I doing?" You say out of breath. Your face stays right in front of hers.

Paige's mind is spinning as she tries to form words. You decide she is taking too long and take her bottom lip and give it a little suck, followed by a little kiss to it.

Paige snaps as she goes absolutely feral by your movements.

In one swoop - Paige flips the two of you around, so you are now trapped between her and the counter. Her hands pressing you into the counter as she takes the lead. The shock comes with a gasp in which she takes the lead.

Her lips are working hard against yours, tongues fighting for dominance which only fuels her more. She is feeding off the fact that you are finding your confidence with her.

She lifts you up so you are sitting on the counter and your hands make their way to her hair, tangling it and pulling her closer to you.

The two of you spend the next few minutes savoring each other. Only pulling away when you hear Paige's phone ring.

Both of you are panting.

Paige walks over to her phone and answers it, having a brief conversation with whoever is on the other end. She hangs up and walks back over to you, you are still sitting on the counter.

She makes her way back in between your legs and you smile at her.

"I don't know what kind of videos you have been watching but you are more than capable with those lips lil lady," she says as her eyes fall to your lips.

You bite your lip and Paige knows she needs to step back before she caves. Before she does, she brings her thumb up to remove your bottom lip from being bit.

You watch as she steps back, still facing you. Only turning to go into her room and close the door.

Still sitting there, you watch her retreat into her room. You feel your heart squeeze as you try to swallow the rising feelings that are blossoming for your best friend. You have only one thought as you remove yourself from the counter and eat whatever Paige was making before your makeout session.

Well, shit.

AN: This wasn't supposed to be this long. Sorry. Let me know what you think about this and the series in general. And as always, thank you for your love and support 💙

[vimbry-moved]

the lugubrious tone of these article headlines/opening paragraphs is getting me

[albatris]

albatris oc showdown round 2 poll 7

Grub the Cat vs The Garble!

Grub the Cat:

kibby cat

old and blind and deaf

purrs like a garbage disposal

will hunt and kill your shoelaces

so so sososo clingy and loving

cuddlebug

The Garble:

it’s vampirism made sentient… it’s the hivemind Of Vampirism

lives in the blood and connects all vampires

it manipulates thoughts and uses all sorts of underhanded tactics to make its hosts do what it wants

it channels life force to the centre and the centre hoards it

the centre of the Garble is one single person who’s now an undead rotting corpse unable to move on… they’ve lost control of the hivemind and there’s no way out babeey you made your bed now lie in it

gives vampires pointy teefs and murderous ability :3

[streetdevil96]

[j-august]

"I maintain that we people of brains are justified in supplying the mob with the food it likes. We are not geniuses, and if we sit down in a spirit of long-eared gravity we shall produce only commonplace stuff. Let us use our wits to earn money, and make the best we can of our lives. If only I had the skill, I would produce novels out-trashing the trashiest that ever sold fifty thousand copies. But it needs skill, mind you: and to deny it is a gross error of the literary pedants. To please the vulgar you must, one way or another, incarnate the genius of vulgarity."

George Gissing, New Grub Street