#i been thinking about the uptown girl thing for a while

[tanejineri]

posting separately my own doodles from @commandernachos eb/mother magma board! i'm so sad i wasn't able to be there for long (but also really glad i was able to spend time with my friends), everyone there seemed super nice and if there is any more in the future i will definitely be there again

i also really hope i wasn't overbearing :sob: i apologize for my extreme enthusiasm. and im also sad i didnt fill the page with pigmasks like i said i would </3

[exhaslo]

Ghostface!Miguel x Reader PT.1

A little drabble until the poll is done~

Warning: Minors DNI, murder, drugs

It had been a long day and you were ready for some R & R. At least, you wanted to. It was Halloween and you would have loved nothing more than to go home, shower, and watch Halloween specials while munching on some candy and popcorn. That would have been your dream night after a long day of work, but those plans had derailed. One of your dear friends had invited you to a Halloween party. And what's better?

Apparently, your long time crush, Miguel O'Hara, was going to be there.

Now, Miguel was your friend. Had been for years since college. He was as fine as fine could be. You went from good friends to touching yourself to wet dreams of him every night. You had wanted to confess to the man, but he had girls all around him. Miguel was smart and stern. It was like he never took a day off to relax. You wanted to be his stress reliever.

"I can't imagine him at a party. Let alone a Halloween one," You mutter under your breathe as you put your costume on, "I hope this isn't too slutty."

You arrived at the location of the party, growing more worried by the second. This place seemed like those frat parties back in college. Miguel avoided those like the plague. You hesitantly grabbed your phone and noticed an unknown number calling you,

"Um, hello?"

"Hello, (Y/N)" The voice on the other line whispers. You tense slightly,

"Sorry, do I know you?"

"You tell me."

"Look, it's really loud and I'm super nervous right now. I can't even remember if I locked my own door, so I can't say who this is." You admitted, still hesitating on entering the party.

"Why are you so nervous?"

You gulped, "I was told the guy I like would be at a party and, well, it isn't somewhere he would be at...normally. That, and I feel so self cautious with my costume," You admitted.

What harm was there to let your heart out? It did make you feel better.

"Then call him and find out." The voice said in a demanding tone. You sighed softly,

"I was going too, but then you called. Anyway, you are you?"

"Someone willing to spare you."

The call dropped. You stared at the number in confusion, trying to think of who would call you like that. As you finally entered the building, you suddenly recalled the recent murders on the news. The only connection that was made was a random phone call from an unknown number. You heart rate spiked as you immediately called Miguel.

"(Y/N)?" Miguel answered. You bit down on your nail,

"H-Heeeey, so, super random. I was told that you were coming to this party uptown and well....I'm like freaking out because I got this strange call and you know how my brain leads from one thing to another and-"

"(Y/N), I need you to breathe. I'll be there soon."

-----------

You felt relieved when Miguel told you that he was coming. That was about twenty minutes ago. Time was going by slowly and your anxiety was rising. You were on your phone, googling everything about the Ghostface murders. He wouldn't attack you in a public place like this. Right? You were so focused on the news articles that you failed to notice some guys spike your drink.

You tried to calm down by drinking the thoughts away. You had a few shots, plus your tainted drink. Another ten minutes had passed and you were starting to feel woozy. You couldn't focus and decided to head to the bathroom in case you needed to throw up. As you stumbled, your phone rang again with the unknown number.

"Miguel?" You slurred, leaning against the wall.

"..." The voice was quiet at first, "You sound different from earlier."

"I don't feel too good. Migueeeeel," You groaned lowly. The voice grunted on their end,

"Don't hang up on me."

"Hey there, miss. Why don't we take you home?"

Your vision was blurred, but you could see two figures hovering over you. You tried to push them away, gripping onto your phone for dear life. The two men took it upon themselves to take you outside through the back alley door. The phone was taken out of your hands and tossed towards the concrete ground. You tried to complain, but they had covered your mouth.

"Don't think we can wait for the car-"

Before they could even finish their sentence, Ghostface appeared and started to stab them repeatedly. You slumped to the floor, unable to register what was happening. All you saw was red. You tried to come to your senses, barely registering that Ghostface was killing the two men before you. He didn't match the reports. Ghostface was supposed to be a calm and silent killer, not a stabbing maniac.

"(Y/N)! Are you alright?"

All you could do was whimper as you faded to black.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

PT.2 Will be in a bit!

[lovelytsunoda]

uptown girl // mickey "fanboy" garcia

soft kisses shared in the bar light after a game of pool

she would do anything for her nerd boy. except maybe meet his friends in a crowded bar with a pool table where she can make a fool of herself in front of all of her boyfriend's friends. it's a good thing that mickey is a good teacher.

pairing: mickey "fanboy" garcia x female! reader

author's note: he had like four lines and i was prepared to go to war for this man.

the hard deck hummed with activity as she parked her car, flicking off the manual headlights before glancing at her phone, which was pinned to it's magnetic holder on the dashboard.

it wasn't too late to text mickey and tell him something had come up, was it?

as she was thinking it, as if mickey could hear her, her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with a text message from her beloved.

mickey: hey sweet girl, are you almost here? everyone is so excited to meet you!

she sighed, switching the music off and cutting the engine, sitting in the dark car and waiting for the heated seat to lose its warmth. her relationship with mickey garcia was still very new.

they had only been together for a few months, having met at an eighties rock-and-glow dance night. she was standing by the stage, dressed in skinny jeans and a white t-shirt that glowed fluorescent in the blacklight, an old-timey glass sprite bottle in her hands as she sang bonnie tyler at the top of her lungs. he was the best dancer there, with a goofy personality that captivated her from the moment he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a slow dance to 'heaven in your eyes'.

deciding to rip the band-aid off, she grabbed her tote bag from the passenger seat and slipped out of the car, sea breeze cutting deep and sending a chill down her spine as she walked up the weathered steps to fightertown's navy bar.

her sweet boy was impossible to miss, his smile lighting up the whole bar as he stood next to the pool table, his short-sleeved button shirt untucked from his crisp blue jeans.

as nervous as she was, it was hard not to smile when she saw him, watching as he leaned over the table to delicately knock a striped ball into one of the pockets in the corner of the table. after the shot, he looked up, and infectious grin breaking out over his face when he saw her.

"hey, pretty girl." he beamed, passing his pool cue to a woman in a black turtleneck and jeans before he sidestepped the table and pulled his lover into an embrace. "i'm glad you came."

"hi, mickey." she smiled, kissing him softly. "i've missed you."

"are you ready to meet everyone? or do you want something to eat first? i can order you a plate of onion rings-"

she laughed softly, taking his hand in hers. she loved how attentive and sweet he was, always trying to dote on her whenever he could. when they were together, he hated letting her pay for things, even if it meant dipping into his not-enormous navy salary "mickey, it's okay. i have time to meet your friends before i order."

with a soft kiss to the side of her head, mickey looped his arm around her shoulders and they headed towards the pool table. "guys, this is y/n. my girlfriend."

she underestimated how much her heart would swell at hearing mickey say those words. hearing someone declare to the world that they had chosen her.

"y/n, this is natasha, jake, robert, bradley, hallie and javy."

"hello!" she squeaked, waving at the group. "nice to finally meet you guys, mickey has told me so much about you guys."

robert laughed, reaching out to shake her hand. "and mickey has told us even more about you. fanboy loves to talk."

she never though she'd meet someone who talked as much as she did until she met mickey. they could talk for hours, about anything and everything. when they were together, she suspected it would drive the people around them insane. except she didn't know how his friends would react, what they would think of her.

they made small talk for a little, while some of the guys and natasha all took their turns at the pool table. it was team game, although the teams seemed to be a little unbalanced in terms of skill level. mickey had pulled her into his lap, gently rubbing circles on the skin underneath her peasant top.

jake leaned over the table, his pool cue hitting the white ball, white harmlessly dusted the side of the ball he was aiming for, plunking down in the basket.

"god damn it, hangman!" javy groaned

natasha laughed, high-fiving bradley. "sucks to suck, bagman!"

mickey shifted in his chair, hands running up her sides. "our turn, pretty girl. do you want to try?"

she turned back to him, a small glint of panic in her eyes as she took his hand in hers. "i'm not very good."

bradley snorted, taking a sip of his budweiser. "we're miles ahead of hangman, you could break the table and we'd still be ahead of them."

"go on." mickey encouraged, pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder blade. "i'll guide you."

she stood up, still clutching his hand in hers as she moved towards the pool table. hallie passed her a pool cue, and she stood nervously by the table until mickey came up behind her. his hands were warm through her jeans, his back against hers as he guided her into the correct position.

"you got this, sweet girl." he said quietly, kissing the side of her head gently, his hands over hers on the cue. "it's a straight shot into the basket."

mickey stepped back, his hands still on her waist as she took the shot, hitting with just enough force for the white ball to send the orange solid ball into the basket.

one fell swoop.

mickey's side of the pool table started to cheer, and her cheeks flushed pink as she turned around to wrap her arms around mickey, hiding her face from the crowd.

"great job, my darling girl." mickey laughed, kissing her softly. "are you sure you haven't played pool before."

"my grandfather had a table in his basement." she said sheepishly, leaning the cue against the table to she could slip her hands into mickey's back pockets. "but i haven't played a proper game since I was twelve. he sold the table when they sold the house."

"maybe you'll have to play more often." mickey said, leaning in to kiss her softly. "i love you."

"i love you too."

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @thatsdemko @lorarri @sidcrosbyspuck @cartierre @httpiastri

[whiskey-bumblebee]

Hey, hope you're doing good today 🤠 dbf!Hotch who notices reader "having trouble with her car" and he helps her? She's more than capable of doing it herself, but she just wanted a reason for Hotch to come over while her parents were away. She may or may not have self sabotaged it to get him over there shirtless in the blazing sun, offering a dip in the pool as repayment, but hinting at more 👁️🫦👁️ i hope that makes sense lol

I LOVE THIS IDEA! thank you bestie <3 get ready to meet the smartest bimbo ever

Uptown Girl

Pairing: dbf!Aaron Hotchner/Reader (gender neutral!)

Word Count: 1695

Warnings: Innuendo, dbf!hotch (reader is an adult), brief mention of reader's parents (vague but they are Rich).

Tagging: @ssamorganhotchner @hotchsdoormat i think you two will like this <3

You can't hold back a smile as you dial Aaron's number from your parent's house phone. You twirl the cable around your finger as you glance around the freshly cleaned kitchen. There's a chilled bottle of San Pellegrino on the counter, the glass sweating from the heat. It's so quiet that you can hear birds outside, no doubt eating some fallen fruit from the trees outside the kitchen.

"Hello, Aaron Hotchner speaking."

"Hey Aaron Hotchner speaking," you tease. "My car won't start. I know it's your first weekend off for a while, but is there any chance you could come over and help me fix it?"

"Hmm," He says playfully. "And how do I know this isn't some elaborate ploy to spend time with me?"

"Come see for yourself," You reply, smiling. "It just won't start."

"Mhm," He agrees, and you can hear the humour in his tone. "And I suppose you can't just use daddy's Bentley?"

"Daddy doesn't drive a Bentley," You reply seamlessly.

Aaron's stumped for a second, and the line goes silent. "I thought he just bought a new one? A silver Continental?"

"Daddy drives a black Chevy Suburban," You say. (A/N: non-car besties: this is hotch's car <3)

Hotch clears his throat. "Baby, you can't just call me that."

"Aaron, please?" The playfulness has dropped out of your voice. "My car really won't start, and I'm supposed to meet my friend for tennis this afternoon."

"Of course," He replies. "Sorry, I thought you were just trying to convince me to come over."

"Would it be so terrible if I was?"

You feel a pat of guilt seep into your stomach, wondering if Aaron really did have more important things to do than attend to your car trouble.

"No," He adds, quickly. "I'd love to see you. Are you home alone?"

"My parents are in the Seychelles."

"Ah. So not home for dinner, I take it?"

You shake your head out of habit, then say no.

_______

When Aaron's black Chevy pulls up into your driveway, you come out onto the balcony and wave, then rush down the stairs to meet him. Sure enough, he sees your Corvette parked next to your dad's silver Continental.

"So you do have the Bentley," He teases, wrapping his arms loosely around your waist.

You kiss both his cheeks. "It's so good to see you."

"Well, you know why it's been so long," He sighs, caressing your cheek.

You look him over, his casual outfit throwing you off a little: dark blue Lacoste polo, straight-leg jeans, New Balance 574s. It was so different from his typical suit and tie, more dangerous somehow. Where you normally saw yourself as a paramour, sneaking in moments after work with your suit-clad lover, this felt more... ordinary. Like he was picking you up for a day of shopping, or to travel down to the yacht club. Like he might join you for tennis later. You tried to push the thought out of your mind, and to quell the fondness blooming in your chest.

"New York called, and I had to answer," You reply airily. "And you've been busy on cases, so it's not all my fault." You poke him squarely in the chest, and he smiles at the gesture.

"Alright, where's this car trouble you were telling me about?"

You lead him over to the spacious garage.

You slip into the driver's seat and turn the key. The car gives a few revs, then falls back into silence. You do it again for good measure.

"Let me try," Aaron says, leaning through the window.

He reaches into the car, turning the key himself. Sure enough, it doesn't start.

"Does your dad keep a set of car tools around in here somewhere?" He looks around.

You roll your eyes. "I have a set. I might be young and beautiful and wealthy, and young, and wealthy, and beautiful," You emphasize the repeated words, giving him a pointed look. "-but I'm not completely incompetent."

"Of course not, honey," He coos soothingly. "Are they in the back?"

You nod.

He walks around your car, and you watch him go in the side mirror, enjoying your view of his cute little ass in those jeans.

You hear his typical high laughter as he finds the tool set. When he walks around to the driver's side again, you smile innocently.

"What?"

He nods for you to get out, and holds up your tool set.

"The Swarovski crystals are a nice touch," He laughs. "And the pink."

"What? I can't have a cute little tool set to go with my cute little car?"

He rolls his eyes at you, but his grin tells you it's not with any real menace.

You hop out of the car and open the hood, leaning in just enough that you know your shorts will be showing off your assets.

"It's hot," You mention innocuously, and pull off your tank top, tossing it aside without looking back at him.

You hear Hotch take a deep inhale from directly behind you. "It is," he replies.

When you turn around, he's taken his own shirt off. There's just a small patch of chest hair, but the droplets of sweat are just glowing. He's as fit as ever, and you can't help yourself, you reach out and touch his chest.

"What are you doing?" He murmurs. "What about the neighbours?"

You pull away then, and look from side to side. "Aaron, do you seriously think we're close enough to any other houses that anyone will be able to see anything? It's like your place," You say, starting to run your hands down his abdomen. "And I'm sure you remember all of the mischief we..."

"4th of July weekend," He finishes. "I remember."

"You normally don't need much convincing," You say softly. "Is everything okay?"

He nods. "I'm just focused on trying to fix your car so you can go to tennis later. I promise, if we had a bit more time, I'd be all over you."

You smile at that. "Do you have time?"

Aaron leans in and nips at your earlobe. "I would've invited you over today to catch up. I was trying to come up with an excuse," He kisses your neck, "-when you called."

You catch his jaw in your hand and glance at his lips until you're sure he's caught you looking. His lips part, and his breathing turns slow and deep. That's all the encouragement you need, and you kiss him.

Your lips are soft and slow against his own. Immediately, his hands settle on your hips, ever the gentleman, not wanting to go straight for your ass. He does, however, nudge your legs apart so he can slot his thigh between them.

Whining softly, you rub yourself against his thigh.

"Can I be honest?" You gasp as he angles his knee just right, sending hot pleasure through your veins.

"Go ahead," He says coolly.

"I broke the car just so I could watch you come and fix it," You whisper.

Aaron smiles at the fact that you were also trying to come up with some excuse to see him, then his expression lapses into one of sympathy. "Oh, baby. You could've just called. You know I'll come running."

You press your face into his neck, embarrassed by how desperate you were to see him. It wasn't the fact that you wanted him that worried you. Any reasonable person would want him. He was tall, handsome, and had a dick the size of Saturn. No, it was your need that worried you. The deep-seated longing that settled onto you like dust whenever you didn't see him. Sure, you'd been having a great time in New York, meeting people, buying art, hanging out with your best friends, but it was hollow without him. More than once you'd thought of calling him on the hotel phone, letting his deep, calm voice lull you to sleep. You always felt your best when you were around him, like he drew out your best attributes in the same way that a perfect wine would match the meal, note for note.

"You smell so good," You breathe. "I want you all over me."

"We should fix your car first, or call a tow truck. I don't want you to be stranded," He said, stroking your hair.

You shake your head, a small laugh passing your lips.

"It's not that serious. Watch."

You turn your attention to the hood, and after a few minutes, you're in the driver's seat, starting your car as normal.

Aaron quirked his brow at you. "How did you do that?"

"I disconnected the starter relay earlier," You call, then walk back over to Aaron so you can show him. You open the hood again, then show him the plastic box where you can remove the relay from.

"It even has a little diagram showing you how to take it out," You point out, laughing to yourself.

"Right," Aaron replies. "And where exactly would someone like you learn how to do that?"

"Someone like me goes to a lot of parties. Nothing convinces a bunch of wasted rich kids not to drive quite like not being able to start their Lambos."

You can tell the way that Aaron's looking at you, so you don't look over at him.

"Don't do that," You mumble.

"Do what?"

"Look at me like that. Don't give me brownie points just for not being a total asshole."

Aaron sighs lightly. "Okay. But for the record, I think saving lives like that is commendable. Even if they're just 'wasted rich kids'."

"Alright," You say, closing the hood, trying to lighten the mood. "Do you want anything? Lemonade, coke?"

"I'm never sure if you're offering soda or something I could get in trouble for," He teases, catching your hand in his own as he follows you up the stairs to the house.

"Well, I'm sure my dad does have coke in the study, but if you're only looking for trouble," You pause in front of the door, turning around with a wide smile and your arms raised. "I'm right here."

"What about the tennis?" Aaron's already running his hands over your chest, nudging you through the doorway, towards the pool.

You grin. "She'll just have to play singles."

[ultrone]

what music do you think Jackie would listen to…?

very random playlist i know lmaooo i hope it’s at least a bit accurate. i tried to stick to before the 2000s as much as i could 🫡

Gwen Stefani/No Doubt for sure. I feel like she’d specifically love “Cool” by Gwen

I Touch Myself by Divinyls

Crush by Jennifer Paige

Fastlove, Pt. 1 by George Michael

The Cranberries (influenced by Shauna 🤔)

The King of Wishful Thinking by Go West (she got obsessed with it after watching Pretty Woman)

Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer

Back For Good by Take That

Some songs by Fleetwood Mac & Stevie Nicks, like Sable on Blond, I Don't Want to Know, Edge of Seventeen, Only over You…

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) by Kate Bush

Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley

Madonna

Waterfalls by TLC

Right Here - Human Nature Radio Mix by SWV

Living On My Own - No More Brothers Radio Mix by Freddie Mercury

I feel like she’d also be lowkey into Country 😭

Shania Twain

Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Amber by 311

Baby, I Love Your Way by Big Mountain

Angel by Shaggy, Rayvon

The Sign by Ace of Base (medicated Lottie got her into it)

Had a hanson phase lmaoooo 🧐

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

Bitch by Meredith Brooks (she’d sing/yell this one in Shauna’s car)

I Try by Macy Gray

Girlfriend in a Coma by The Smiths

Alanis Morissette

There She Goes by The La’s

Two Princes by Spin Doctors

You Get What You Give by New Radicals

Fast Car by Tracy Chapman (I feel like Shauna would overplay it while driving)

Be My Baby by The Ronettes

Duran Duran

Bon Jovi

Fantasy by Mariah Carey

Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

Livin' la Vida Loca by Ricky Martin

Savage Garden

Uptown Girl by Westlife

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Summer Of ‘69 by Bryan Adams

The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood

Hero by Enrique Iglesias

Whitney Houston’s top hits

Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams

Some Aerosmith songs, like Crazy & I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) & One by One by Cher

I Love You Always Forever by Donna Lewis

Black or White by Michael Jackson

Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows (from the Shrek 2 soundtrack 😭)

Alone & These Dreams by Heart

I Think We’re Alone Now by Tiffany

More Than a Feeling by Boston

What’s Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner

Close to Me by The Cure

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65 ☠️

Endless Love by Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey

Be My Baby & Divine idylle by Vanessa Paradis

Smile by Lily Allen

I’m Gonna Miss You by Milli Vanilli

Conga by Gloria Estefan 🤣

New Kids On The Block

Don’t You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Queen

Hey Ya! by Outkast

Dreaming Of You by Selena

extra… songs she’d listen to if she spoke spanish or was latina cuz i’m mexican and i’ve been thinkin abt this 🙂‍↕️

Tu Dama De Hierro by Marisela

Belanova, especially Rosa Pastel, Me Pregunto, and Cada que…

Formas de Amor by Calo

Mi Media Naranja by Fey

Bazar & No Controles by Flans

Gracias A Dios by Thalia

La Ventanita by Garibaldi

Ahora Te Puedes Marchar by Luis Miguel

Cuando Calienta El Sol by Luis Miguel

Mírala, Míralo by Alejandra Guzman

Virgen de las Vírgenes by Gloria Trevi

Ni Una Sola Palabra by Paulina Rubio

No Puedo Olvidarme Ti by MDO

La Calle de las Sirenas by Kabah

Enamoradísimo by Mercurio

Veneno by Ragazzi

Dile Que la Amo by Kairo

Hombres G

Oye Mi Amor by Maná

Rica y Apretadita (feat. Anayka) by El General

Moriré by La Factoria

Enloquéceme & Shabadabada by OV7

Timbiriche

Amante Bandido by Miguel Bosé

Alejandro Sanz

[coffeeandbatboys]

Omg ok Uptown Girl with Jesse for the celebration! Congratulations my friend!

Seeeeeeesssss 🐍

Damn it you gave me a good one and I've been in Jesse feels lately so thank you!!!

warnings: reader is Padmé's senatorial aid, there's a creepy senator dude, Jesse to the rescue, Jesse sass.

Uptown Girl (Jesse x Fem!Reader)

You peek around you, eyes scanning the swarm of heads. No Republic cog. You frown.

Someone approaches and you nearly regurgitate your drink when you recognize the sharp features. Its the shady senator that you and Padmé often gossip about, and not in a good way.

"Evening, senator." You mutter, not bothering to use his name; especially since you don't even remember it.

He smiles, a sickly thing. "Evening Miss. Aren't you a fine vision."

You grimace at the comment.

"Thanks." You quip ingenuinely, hoping that he'll go away.

He doesn't. Instead, he keeps making comments that are getting you pretty uncomfortable.

You stiffen when he asks you to dance. You politely decline, but he is insistent.

"C'mon, sweetheart. Just one dance."

You physically recoil at the name, as if it's dripping with poison.

Before you can say anything, another voice cuts in.

"She said she doesn't want to dance with you."

You relax as familiar hands settle on your waist. Jesse is behind you, glaring at the offending senator who scoffs. He mutters something along the lines of 'kriffing meat droids', which makes your blood boil.

"She's no concern of yours, buckethead." The jeering voice calls. You match your lover's glare.

"And yet she's your concern? I don't think so buddy."

The senator's lips twitch into a snarl, but he shakes his head and stalks away.

Jesse is too busy asking if you're alright. You nod into his hand, which is cupping your cheek with such tenderness; One that's quite rare for an ARC trooper.

"My hero." You whisper, looking up into his eyes. They're soft and calm and filled with adoration.

You offer a soft smile and he does the same, taking your hand.

"Can I have this dance?"

You laugh a little. "Were gonna get caught if we do that, Jess."

He proceeds to look over your shoulder and have a silent conversation with your employer, comprised of a series of head tilts and nods. Padmé must give him permission, because he tugs your waist towards the exit.

"I swear, Jess. I'm jealous of your ability to communicate with her without saying a single kriffing word."

He rests his forehead against yours. "But I've only got eyes for you, Mesh'la."

You smirk. "Does that mean I'm yours?"

He hums a confirmation, lips tilting towards your own.

You close the gap between your mouths and savor the feeling of the kiss. His lips are surprisingly soft, moving perfectly with yours.

Your foreheads rest against each other again when you pull away, gently swaying to the rhythm of the music flowing outside. You notice that he's wearing dress grays, the fabric starched and hugging his body perfectly. Its criminal how this man can look good in anything.

"Do you want to go home or stay for a while?" He asks, hands resting on your waist.

You lean your head against his chest. "Home." You mumble.

He chuckles and pulls you into his side. "Then let's get going, Mesh'la."

[jtophat]

My Ponyboy Curtis playlist because I love it, I listen to it quite frequently even when I’m not writing stuff involving him, and want to share it.

Fast Car- Tracy Chapman

Imagine- John Lennon

Dark Days- Punch Brothers

Mama Tried- Grateful Dead (The song is originally by Merle Haggard but I listen to the Grateful Dead version)

East Side of Sorrow- Zach Bryan

hope ur okay- Olivia Rodrigo

Renegades- X-Ambassadors

Everybody Wants To Rule The World- Tears For Fears

Boy In The Bubble- Alec Benjamin

Uptown Girl- Billy Joel

Everybody Knows- Sigrid

Friends In Low Places- Garth Brooks

Winter’s Come and Gone- Charles Wesley Godwin (Song originally by Gillian Welch but I feel like this version fits Ponyboy better)

teenage dream- Olivia Rodrigo

Youth- Daughter

Teenage Dirtbag- Wheatus

Friend of the Devil- Grateful Dead

You’re On Your Own Kid- Taylor Swift

Here Comes The Sun- The Beatles

Tomorrow Will Be Kinder- The Secret Sisters

My reason/analysis for each song is below:

Fast Car- I think the desperation for a better life but the cycle of how life can drag you down and make you live the same lives as the people is something that can relate to Pony. I feel like, deep down, he probably has a fear that things may not work out for him as well as people hope and that he may end up living the same kind of life as the rest of the people in his neighborhood which is why I also think it’s a great song to choose to have as the opener for the playlist. I know Luke Combs has a cover of this song and that it may be the more masculine take on it but I feel like the way Tracy Chapman sings it just has so much heart that it really works for Ponyboy. And plus, Tracy Chapman is my favorite artist so I had to go with her version.

Imagine- I think the song has a bit of a daydreamy kind of vibe that can represent how Ponyboy is described as having his head in the clouds. The song is also a call for peace and unity among people and asks them to imagine a world where what divides them no longer exists which is something that I can see Ponyboy longing for.

Dark Days- The song is about how love getting people through difficult times which is something that I think really works for the Curtis brothers because no matter what they love each other and will do whatever they can to help each other, especially after their parents die.

Mama Tried- I think the song works really well for the vibe of the gang as a whole even if it’s something that may directly relate to Ponyboy. And even if Ponyboy doesn’t get into much trouble I’m sure that he gets into more than his mother would have wanted for him (especially after goes on the run for Bob’s murder)

East Side of Sorrow- I think there is so much about the song that relate to so many people in the story but I’ll try to keep my analysis limited to Ponyboy. I think while when song talks about fighting a war that you don’t even know what your fighting for works well for the metaphorical war between the Greasers and the Socs in the books. It’s been going on long before Pony and will continue long after him and no matter what he will never fully understand it even though he too participates in it. “I lost friends in the August heat” I feel really relates to Johnny and Dally’s death, because it was probably about that time that the book takes place. And when the song talks about losing someone in the waiting room and that the doctor did all the could it really brings home the point about Johnny’s death. The song then mentions walking around the Tulsa streets while feeling fucked up which represent Pony’s depression after the death of Johnny and Dally and how he was aimlessly going through life. I also like how the song specifically refers to the east, and of course the Greasers live on the East side of Tulsa. The song then also talks about the sunrise as a symbol of optimism for the future and the sun imagery really works for Ponyboy. After all, sunrises can’t really be that different than sunsets for him.

hope ur okay- I feel like this is how Ponyboy will look back on the people he knew in Tulsa once he finally moves away. I also like how the song references a towhead blonde which is also similar to how Ponyboy describes Dally.

Renegades- I feel like this song really works for Johnny and Pony running away from Tulsa. Even though it’s a bit optimistic for the events in the book, I still feel like it also works for their friendship too.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World- I feel like Ponyboy would really dig the instrumentals of the song and the references to well, people wanting to rule the world works for the story in an odd way that I can’t quite explain. But the vibe of it just really works

Boy In The Bubble- I feel like the beginning of the song is really reminiscent of how Ponyboy and the rest of the gang will get jumped by Socs but in the end where it discusses the home life of the person who attacked the singer represents Ponyboy gaining an understanding of how things are rough all over Tulsa and that even Socs have problems

Uptown Girl- I feel like once Ponyboy starts liking girls (if he does even like girls because I’m not entirely convinced that boy is straight) he would mainly have a thing for Soc girls. The song is about a lower class boy wanting to get with an upper class girl which is what I can see for Ponyboy in the future.

Everybody Knows- The Greasers have the cards stacked against them and everybody knows this, especially Ponyboy.

Friends In Low Places- I was debating between this and Heathens but this won because it’s country (I feel like the gang would really like country music) and the friends in low places is an obvious reference to the gang. I also think that in a way it shows how Ponyboy is out of place in his classes because he’s a Greaser and there are a lot of Socs in them.

Winter’s Come and Gone- I love the outdoorsy vibe of the song and think that Pony would too. I also like the lyrics “so long now I’ve been out in the rain in snow” because I think it can work as a really interesting way of portraying the gangs struggles and how Ponyboy doesn’t feel like he entirely fits in.

teenage dream- Ponyboy really hates it when people refer to him as being a kid which is a sentiment that I think this song shares. I also think it has a slight desperation to be taken seriously which is something that I also think that Ponyboy relates to.

Youth- It only loosely relates but has lyrics like “if you’re still breathing your the lucky ones” which in a way works because it shows that even things are tough, as long as you’re still alive you’re pretty lucky. Because, as we see in the novel, Greasers tend to die young so those of them who still able to keep on living are pretty lucky.

Teenage Dirtbag- I feel like the title of song is probably a bit about how Ponyboy feels about himself. I also think that song relates a bit to teen who are bit more into counter culture/ may get into a bit more trouble which I think works really well with Ponyboy.

Friend of the Devil- From the title alone I think it works. Ponyboy is friends with a lot of troubled people, and some of them, like Dally, some people probably consider a bit devilish. The song as a whole may not perfectly work with Ponyboy but I feel like the vibe of it does

You’re On Your Own Kid- I feel like this is really a Ponyboy in twenty years looking back at his life/childhood kind of song. And also shows how at the end of the day, and even though the gang wants to help him, the only person who is truly looking out for him is himself. He’s not like the rest of the gang. He’s on his own.

Here Comes The Sun- The song has a really optimistic tone has promises of a better future. It also has a lot of sun imagery

Tomorrow Will Be Kinder: The song is hopeful for a future that is better than the present. I think that is the kind of sentiment that Ponyboy holds onto throughout life, especially during his childhood. I think if he doesn’t develop that kind of outlook he will probably be depressed for most of his life.

Some my analysis for this stuff is better than others and not all songs directly relate to Ponyboy, or even the gang/Greasers, but I think the vibe for each song works.

[a-libra-writes]

I goofed this post alfksakfk (iykyk) so! Back to it. This is very fun to think of! also ignore my romeo + juliet indulgences

So, Asa's always been a fairly indulgent and lenient father. He hadn't minded your going off on dates, as long as you were home at a reasonable hour. Yes, you're an adult, but getting your own place was still out of the question unless you were staying at the dorms at college. He never had to worry about you, either. The boys were always the same; college boys, sons of the rich acquaintances in your family's circle, some newcomers at the country clubs. Always the same types.

He never thought his princess would even think of getting involved with gangsters and bootleggers. Asa kept that part of his life very separate from his family. Even if you knew, your mother hadn't a clue. She wasn't the one who'd go along with Asa to the Maribel Hotel for years. Initially you loved it because it meant going to a fun, exciting place with your father, and getting fawned over by the staff. Then it meant getting to see the Marigold Room.

"Listen," your father began gruffly. "I know what you girls get up to nowadays, but - if you're going to be dancing, best do it here. Stay with your friends and no funny business, understand?"

Always too permissive, not that you had a habit of raucous drinking and partying. Getting access to the Marigold Room made you something of a hot commodity at school now, and it led to something else: a cold, club-shaped metal pin being dropped in your palm.

That's how you met him. This too-skinny, too-smiley, too-chatty violinist who played at the Lackadaisy club. You nearly made him forget about the next performance.

You sought him out the next few visits, but it was just easier to meet outside the club. That was like going to the next step with Rocky. He wasn't just some guy you flirted with for a night, you actually wanted to take him on dates. You knew lots of places to take him, and there was just something so .. so cute about how earnest and endearing and affectionate he was. There was no stuck-up airs or obsession with this family or that or thinly veiled condescension. He wasn't dating you because that's what was expected. And while you had plenty of swanky cafes to take him, he had all sorts of places you'd never seen on the "other" side of town.

(There's so many stars once you drive a few miles outside of the city. You two fell asleep naming them and just talking... then woke up hours later in full panic. You snuck back into the dorms at the crack of dawn, covered in mosquito bites and beyond giddy.)

Uptown girl with downtrodden city boy cliche? Yes, absolutely. Neither of you cared.

News that Atlas May was shot frightened you. You'd heard it before reading it in the papers - well, overheard your father's shock as he talked to someone on the phone. Your first thought was some kind of police raid on the speakeasy, and if Rocky was hurt. Asa didn't want you going to the clubs after that, even the Marigold room. He seemed spooked. That was fine - you were seeing Rocky more in the daytime hours, anyway.

Right, your father still didn't know about him ... at least he was too distracted with work to notice your happy mood and the pep in your step lately. Your mother certainly did, and she was harder to avoid. She was so sure it was some college boy. "What's his name, sweetie, we can invite his family for dinner. Oh! Maybe have a lovely afternoon boating. Or brunch at the club, with the Robinsons? What do you think?" Honestly, you'd rather throw yourself from a window.

You'd heard about the troubles Rocky was having at the Lackadaisy, and a few times you asked why he just doesn't perform at the Marigold Room. Okay, you were half just saying that because you wanted to see him more, risky as it'd be. The other half is you were a little worried about some of the things he was getting up to. You noticed the scratches and dents in his car, and his own bruises and messy clothes.

(He'd never wear the clothes you bought him during these little bootlegging adventures, though. He didn't want to mess up the things you so lovingly picked out. They were also the only nice ones he had.)

On that topic, it's really fun to dress Rocky up. You aren't trying to be patronizing or act like he's a charity case, but - he just looks so nice cleaned up, and look, you can't take him to a nice cafe when he both looks and smells like he rolled in dirt (and ... syrup?). So, sure, you bought a shirt here and tie there and maybe a jacket and well obviously he needs pants to match that and it really means nothing that they just happen to fit so well, you definitely weren't measuring him when he was asleep or anything. Rocky isn't bothered by it at all, he loves the gifts and attention. And it kind of does something to him when you smooth out the creases and make sure the tie is straight and hook your arm around his and walk down the street, totally happy and proud of him, not embarrassed in the slightest.

You know he wouldn't fight it if you kept him some kind of dirty secret forever. It'd hurt him so much, of course, but Rocky would let you do it. You knew he'd just smile and pretend it was fine, like he does when you mention your parents keep trying to set you up with this hotshot lawyer's son. You see the flickers of disappointment and hurt when you joke about how your parents would kill you if they knew where you were right now, then he tries to cover it up.

Rocky deserves better, you know. And this really isn't a fun little fling anymore, is it? It's getting serious. He has so much love he's nearly bursting from it and you really, really don't want that to be ruined.

God, what are you going to tell your parents? "It's fine, he's only been a bootlegger for almost a year, before that he was a perfectly honest dirt-poor fiddler! We're disgustingly in love already and he's better than all those snob-nosed spineless trustfund bozos you keep setting me up with!" Yeah that'll go over Thanksgiving dinner just great.

As if fate's sense of humor couldn't get any better, it's Mordecai who finds out first. That shadowy, really unsettling (and actually kind of dorky ...?) gunman your father keeps around. Mordecai is good at remembering faces. When Asa introduced you two, he knew he remembered your's. He saw you once or twice at the Lackadaisy, though he hadn't known who you were at the time. You stood out because you were actually chatty with that ridiculous violinist, where most were exasperated with him.

Mordecai recalls that, and Asa idly complaining about his daughter always ditching the dates her mother set up for her, when he spots you and Rocky out and about. Broad daylight, not trying to hide, but certainly not where the more affluent friends and family of Asa's would go. You were even dressed down and weren't wearing any jewelry.

Yeah, he's not getting in the middle of this. Even as things heat up between the Marigold Gang and Lackadaisy.

Note, Rocky is very aware of who your family is. You never hid it back when you met him, and as far as he's concerned, you're the picture of innocence and can't be blamed for anything your father or the gang do. He's trying to be cute when he calls you 'princess' or 'my lady' and it is cute, but... you also feel kind of guilty. Reciting plays and poetry is fun and games until he brings up Romeo and Juliet again. It used to be romantic, but now it just claws at something in you. "Rocky, come on, you remember how that ends, right?"

(Oh, and there's a matter of keeping this all hush-hush from the Lackadaisy crew, who already know Rocky has a sweetheart because he can't shut up about you, but they don't know who you are exactly. It's best Mitzi or Viktor doesn't catch sight of you, because they'll spot the family resemblance right away..)

And then there's your father finding out. It had to happen eventually, especially with Lackadaisy getting in on the Marigold's suppliers. He makes it clear to Mordecai that if some accident were to happen to "that boy", then you're young, and you'd get over it. This is just some late teenage rebellion, he tells himself. A fling you'll forget all about once the excitement wears off and your school work picks up. Mordecai isn't so sure about that.

He actually tried to warn you about it, but the thing is ... Mordecai is Mordecai. He's staring intently and of course he cornered you as you were leaving the hotel at night and he's deadpan as he says, "I'd begin reconsidering your choice of paramours; there isn't any way that this will end well for him."

"Mordecai Heller, are you threatening me?"

"What? No?" He's startled by the tone of your voice. Did you just pull a knife on him? From your purse? "Put that down - I'm giving you practical advice."

"Oh. .... Maybe next time, don't do it in a creepy alley?"

It's like ice water drops on you when your father brings it up. He just lets out a heavy sigh, the most perfect cliche noise that says he's not mad, just disappointed. Right away you know he thinks this little dalliance has only been around for a few months, if that. "Really, pumpkin? What about that lawyer's son we told you about, he's not half bad looking. Or that rowing team captain, you remember him? He really took a shine to you. Look, I know a guy with a cousin whose son is--"

You get the whole lecture: You're too good of a girl to run around with unwashed gangsters and besides, what about your studies? Think about what your mother would say. Do you really want her finding out? Or the country club, or god forbid, her little society ladies? He'd be sleeping on the couch and you'd be in a nunnery. Some scrawny hoodlum isn't worth all that trouble, is he?

Asa doesn't raise his voice and actually get angry until you defend Rocky, until you actually say his name. He actually slams his fist on the desk, making the candy jars and his name plaque rattle. The conversation is done, so you leave. And of course you go straight to Rocky and don't come home on Sunday for the usual family brunch, or the next one. Your father makes excuses for you. It's little consolation, because you know exactly what the gangsters he employs are capable of. And you don't think for a minute they'll spare Rocky. Why couldn't he have just taken the job at the Marigold Room ...

Onto pleasanter things. One of the greatest nights in your life (so far) was the massive city charity gala that the Maribel Hotel hosted every year. It stopped being fun for you years ago, but this time you had a date. You told Rocky to leave it all to you. Yes, your dad was attending, but he was always off schmoozing with his associates. Besides - this year's theme was a masquerade, no gangsters would be there, it's crowded, and you had Rocky dressed to the nines. No one would notice! It'd be great. This was a little secret you'd been hiding for a month, you just knew he'd love all the music and the ridiculous fancy foods and you just wanted to share something magical with someone you loved. Because you were very, very sure you loved him.

And Rocky looked so handsome you just couldn't keep away from him, and you two danced and laughed at the prissy food and absurd people like you'd imagined. Anyway, it was cut short when you were nearly spotted by Mordecai - who looked wonderfully out of place without a mask and dressed like a funeral director, but you'd laugh about it later. You grabbed Rocky's hand and just ran, and bolting up the backrooms and stairwells of the hotel you knew so well.

Maybe you should have been deflated. A silly, childish desire for a fairytale evening came crashing down thanks to reality, even if you knew Mordecai wouldn't shoot Rocky dead. But it was hard to feel too disappointed when you both were still giddy and laughing, gleefully stealing 'hidden' champagne from the general manager's office and climbing your way up the rickety fire escape - even with your heels and his suit you spent way too much money on - and spending the rest of the evening making out and giggling and watching the city from high above.

[saintsenara]

hi!! for a black family inspired ship ask, i'd love to hear what you think of lucretia/ignatius prewett and dorea/charlus potter

and to keep the silly vibes of the game, alphard/voldemort, walburga/abraxas malfoy, pollux/augusta longbottom, arcturus/horace slughorn

thank you very much for the ask, anon! and for providing me with some ships which require me to do some research!

lucretia black/ignatius prewett dorea black/charlus potter

while i understand the impulse to turn these unions between the blacks and two families who will - in the latter half of the twentieth century, at least - become the biggest blood-traitors going into sexy tales of forbidden love, i suspect that both of these were actually pretty unscandalous matches.

it's very striking in canon that even characters like the weasleys who stridently disavow the more unpleasant bits of blood- and magic-supremacy are susceptible to prejudices against those who aren't pureblood. muriel prewett's disdain for kendra dumbledore connects to her being muggleborn [and she also refers to hermione as "the muggleborn" when she first meets her - it's more polite than "the mudblood", obviously, but it's not great...]. molly weasley is instinctively uncomfortable with many non-magical things [medical treatments, modes of travel] - to an extent that means we have to assume that she doesn't venture into the muggle world without arthur. ron finds harry and hermione's lack of knowledge about the wizarding world vaguely amusing. the whole family - like most of the series' good guys - treat muggles in a way which is paternalistic at best [fudge's condescension towards the muggle prime minister - a man who, in 1996, was working to broker a peace deal in a decades-long sectarian conflict in his own country, and who might have been able to offer some helpful tips in that regard - is a case in point].

all of which is to say, the prewetts and the potters - no matter their more liberal political views - were not still pureblood in the 1930s and 1940s by accident. i'm sure that both dorea and lucretia's marriages were regarded as perfectly sensible ones, to men who came from families which were a little bit odd, but who were otherwise entirely tolerable choices.

[not least because we know the potters weren't poor, even before they earned all that sleakeazy's money, and i think we can also assume the prewetts were also well-off - muriel's entire vibe is giving aunt march sitting on her enormous pot of money while her relatives wait for her to die, and i quite like the idea of molly having gone down a lot in terms of financial security by marrying arthur.]

the other pairings, though...

alphard black/lord voldemort

yeah, i'll back this.

alphard being unmarried, while both his siblings are, is very much giving "confirmed bachelor".

and one of the rules of being a confirmed bachelor in a society with slightly... victorian morals is that you keep your mouth shut about who you meet while cruising in knockturn alley's more sinister establishments.

especially when he's a man who'd kill you if he thought you were yapping about his extracurricular activities...

walburga black/abraxas malfoy

listen, you just know walburga was a bonafide baddie in her day. i bet all the boys were lining up to enter a semi-arranged marriage couched in stifling gender conventions with her.

abraxas fumbled her, i fear, by spending more time on his hair than she did on hers. she wanted to feel the uptown girl fantasy - and he was not making the effort.

pollux black/augusta longbottom

flopping, i fear. despite being an extremely mid-tier specimen, pollux considered himself the sort of man who could attract the sort of woman who'd want to start a tradwife tiktok account and let him control her financially.

augusta, in contrast, was of the opinion that a man who wanted fresh bread baked for him every morning could do that himself.

arcturus black/horace slughorn

canon. i won't explain why.

[jellybeanium124]

so one of the more interesting things for me prior to season 2 while contemplating izzy, is thinking about how he could be a good guy while still keeping his fundamental izzy-ness. the show did not care about this, of course. for me, the main way to keep izzy izzy was to keep him emotionally repressed and grumpy. these are traits that do not conflict with being on the same side as our protagonists, but keep him recognizably himself, an gives him some internal conflict.

in some of my early ofmd fics, back when I was still finding my place in the fandom and didn't care about izzy, I did this a lot. in "The Earl and the Common Man" and "Uptown Girl" izzy is a deuteragonist. he is occasionally unhelpful, but ultimately on the same side as stede and ed. in uptown girl he attends karaoke, but he does not sing. are these great portrayals of izzy? ehhhhhh??? but like, fundamentally, these are traits that don't need to conflict with being part of the revenge community, which is the point.

the repression is so juicy and could've been something that was worked on much more slowly thru season 3. have him be scared of being rejected. have him be scared to confront parts of himself he's kept locked up for so long. have him struggle to say anything emotional out loud. I've seen @asneakyfox's meta about how cutting off his rotting leg and replacing it with the unicorn leg is a metaphor for the personality overhaul, which is like... ok yeah that's a cute metaphor I guess. personality overhauls are still bad writing tho. it could've ended his antagonism without ending all of his internal issues.

[missvelvetsstuff]

Where ya goin, Star?

Biker Bucky Barnes x Rich girl reader

Summary: Reader meets Bucky when the truck hauling her show horses breaks down as she is trying to leave for an event and he works for the mechanic. Passionate, secret love affair ensues. After a confrontation with her father, Bucky decides she deserves better than a poor biker like him and leaves town with his friends Steve and Sam.

Three years later, reader is trapped in an abusive relationship and about to give up hope of things ever improving, when Bucky comes back.

Notes: This came into my head a couple of weeks ago after I heard Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' so I guess it's very loosely based on that. It has been clogging my head up and kept me from focusing on Guarded Heart so I had to toss it out here

Please let me know what you think. I have more planned but need to know someone will read and enjoy it, even a little bit, before I dig into this story any more cuz it's gonna get very angsty.

Chapter 1

Warnings: swearing, angst next chapter, SMUT!! 18+ ONLY No Minors

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a hectic morning as Y/N tried to get everything together and on the road for her next event. The horses were loaded, her tack was polished, covered and set in the tiny tack area in the trailer. She had her riding habit, cleaned and pressed hanging in the trailer closet, helmet on the shelf above it.

Where was her lucky hair net? She was going crazy tearing her drawers apart looking for it. She hadn't competed without it in years and wouldn't stop till she found it.

As she was looking under her bed she heard a knock on her front door so pulled back and went to the door to see her mother standing in the doorway with her net. She jumped up and hugged her "Where was it, Mama?"

Her mother laughed and hugged her back. "Silly girl it was in my bathroom. Remember it got wet so you hung it up to dry."

Y/N shook her head "Oh my gosh, I forgot. Thank you for helping." She looked at the clock "Oh no! I have got to go. I'll see you on Friday mama."

"Good luck dear. I know you'll be amazing. I can't wait to see your new dressage routine on Friday." She kissed her daughter's forehead before Y/N bolted off.

Y/N climbed into the front seat of the truck with her groom and driver Clint. She looked over and smiled, holding up the hair net "Mama had it. I'm ready to go now."

Clint smiled "Alright kid, let's hit the road."

About an hour into their drive the truck started acting up and when they pulled off to look at it, it was smoking badly. They let it cool down but it wouldn't start back up.

Clint grimaced "I'm sorry kid but I think we're stuck." He grabbed his phone to call a tow truck for the truck and set up a truck to pick up the trailer.

When they arrived Y/N couldn't help but hover, nervous about Lulu. It had taken ages to train her to even go into the trailer and Y/N didn't want her stuck in it for too long. Charlie was fine in the trailer as long as he had hay to munch on.

When she found out Clint was going with the broken down truck and another driver would be hauling the trailer she insisted on talking to him while he was hooking his truck up.

"Hi. I'm Y/N. That's Lulu and Charlie in there and they're my best friends. Have you ever hauled horses before? You have to be careful they don't get knocked around too much. I'd be devastated if anything happened to them."

The man looked up at her with the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen and it made her knees weak. Then he looked her up and down and smiled. She felt her stomach explode with butterflies. Suddenly she was very shy.

"Hey doll, I'm Bucky. Don't you worry about a thing. I'll be extra careful with your horses. I promise."

His voice was so soft and soothing she couldn't do anything but stare at him, mouth ajar. She was no virgin but no man had ever affected her this way before.

"You ok there doll?"

She jumped "What? Oh of course. I'm fine" she gave him a shy smile and Bucky felt the butterflies too. For the first time in a while he was interested in getting to know a woman and not just into her pants. He chuckled to himself, remembering just a little while ago when they got the call and he bitched about spending the day driving some princess and her horse to some dumb show. Now he was thrilled that he would have the next couple of hours to talk to this girl. He realistically knew that a woman like her wouldn't have any use for a guy like him but that didn't stop him from thinking about the possibilities, in another life.

Clint came over to check on the horses and Y/N. He looked at Bucky warily "You take good care of them and don't cause any trouble."

He looked at Y/N "I'll meet you there this evening. Get them set up in their stalls and get us checked into the hotel. Early bed tonight, we have to get up early for a practice run since we will be too late tonite." He pulled her into a hug "Watch out for this guy, I've heard about him and his biker friends."

He helped her up into the truck and gave Bucky a threatening look before he left with Steve.

Bucky chuckled and Y/N felt her face heat up "I'm so sorry about Clint. He treats me like I'm 6 instead of 26. It's my father's fault, he's one of those cold overprotective types." She shrugged "My mom says it's how he shows he loves me."

Bucky smiled gently at her "At least he does something, my dad has been in jail since I was a kid."

She gasped "I'm so sorry. That must be rough." And gently touched his arm.

Bucky felt an electric thrill where she touched him and jolted then his eyes darkened looking her over.

She pulled back "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. I mostly work with horses and dogs and they respond well to positive touch. It's just a habit." She looked at her hands.

Bucky shook his head "It's ok, just surprised me. I don't mind."

She sighed softly, disappointed that he didn't feel the same electricity that she felt when she touched him. Of course he didn't, she thought, look at him he's like a god sculpted from marble and look at me... too tall, too curvy and always dirty from horses.

Bucky turned the radio on "You can pick out some music if you want, I can listen to anything."

He watched her out of the side of his eye while she looked for some good music. He had never seen anyone so beautiful, from the twinkle in her eyes to her leather boots she was perfect. She settled on a classic rock station and sat back, trying to look at him without staring. She could see through the too tight sleeves of his t-shirt that he had some ink on his right arms but couldn't tell what it was and was too shy to ask.

After a couple of songs had played she was able to push past the shyness and try to make small talk. They started with the weather and the conversation flowed to all manner of topics from there. The 3 hour drive passed in no time and they were both secretly disappointed when they arrived at the showgrounds.

Once the horses were unloaded and he had unhitched the trailer Bucky was hesitant to leave. He told himself it was out of concern for her safety "Are you sure you'll be alright, doll?"

Y/N smiled at him "Of course I'll be fine. I've been doing this since I was a kid and know most of the people here. Besides I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me. I have to go get checked into the hotel."

She grabbed her suitcase and locked the trailer.

Bucky couldn't bring himself to leave "Why don't I drive you to the hotel and we can have dinner after you check in? I promise I'll get you back to your room early." It took a second for him to realize how that sounded "No, wait I don't mean like that. Not that I wouldn't want that but we just met and I-"

He stopped when he heard her giggle and the sound made him smile. He offered her his hand "Dinner?"

She smiled back and took his hand.

They ate at the restaurant in her hotel but she insisted on paying, having it charged to her room before he ever saw the check.

"That's not fair doll. You have to let me pay next time."

She felt her insides warm, did he really want to see her again. "Next time?" she flirted.

Bucky blushed and looked at the ground "I mean yeah. If you want."

"I'd love to." She handed him a business card "I know they're dumb but I'm supposed to be promoting our stable so I have to carry them."

Bucky flashed her the charming smile that could drop panties in the clubhouse "I'll talk to you soon, Y/N."

On Friday, the last day of the event Y/N smiled when she saw her mom in the bleachers as she she waited to start her routine. She looked around hopefully but didn't see her father, he never came to her events, always claiming he was too busy. She reminded herself to be grateful that he kept her and her horses in the lap of luxury.

Scanning the crowd she saw a pair of blue eyes and her breath hitched. Bucky grinned at her and winked. She couldn't figure out what he was doing here. She had talked about horses and shows and how excited she was to perform her new routine for the first time in front of judges. He seemed interested in everything she had to say but didn't seem to understand the horse thing so she was confused.

Y/N contemplated his appearance here while she waited for her turn and felt butterflies when she thought he might have driven 300 miles just to see her. She shook it off, he probably had to tow someone here or help with their car. A guy like him, a biker/mechanic covered with tattoos wouldn't be interested in boring her, whose life was horses and school.

When her number was called she took a deep breath and guided Lulu into the arena. Once she went through that gate, everything else faded into the background and nothing existed except for her and her horse.

After she was done she left the arena to thunderous applause and smiled feeling like she had done well. She took Lulu back to the barn and rubbed her down before putting her away. As she went to get Charlie ready for her next class, Grand Prix jumping, Clint strolled into the barn.

"Nice round kiddo. You should definitely place for that one." He paused and considered her for a moment. "Anything you want to tell me about your trip here? I noticed you have an admirer here today. Something going on there?"

She looked at him surprised, she had pushed the thought of Bucky away as soon as she entered the arena. "What do you mean? We chatted on the drive here and I bought him dinner to thank him for his help. I had no idea he would be here today.

I don't think he's here for me, probably had another tow or something."

Clint nodded "He seemed very interested in your round and left right after. Maybe I'm seeing something that isn't there but he looks at you like there is. Just be careful, from what I know of him he can be very charming but goes through women like potato chips. His gang has caused a lot of trouble and you don't want to get caught up in that.

I'm going to get something to eat, you want anything?"

She shook her head "You know I can't eat before a jumper class but could you grab me a tea? Lemon, no sugar."

Clint nodded "Got it, tea. We'll go out for dinner tonite."

She smiled "Fine but we have to make it quick, I don't want to miss out on the barn parties. You never know who you'll meet."

Clint groaned "I hate those damn parties. Putting up with those snobs isn't my idea of a good time."

Y/N had an idea "You don't have to stay with me. You can go back to the hotel and I'll just get a ride. I think Britt and Kyra are staying there too."

Clint looked at her skeptically "You hate Britt, remember? She moved in on that horse you wanted."

She rolled her eyes "Oh please, that was last year. I can be nice enough to get a ride. Don't worry Clint. I'm a grown woman.

Go get some rest old man, we have to hit the road early because I have lessons right after lunch." She shoved him gently.

He thought for a minute "Fine but call me if you need a ride. No taxi or uber."

"Of course Clint. I'll call you if I need one but I won't."

By the end of the day Y/N had placed 1st in her hunter jumper class and 3rd for dressage. After a brief chat with one of the judges, who she had known since she was a kid, she had notes on her weaknesses and a game plan to improve before the next event.

They went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and she ate dinner with Clint before he dropped her back off at the equestrian center.

Y/N went through the barn to make sure enough people saw her and a few pics were taken of her there. Then she wandered away from the festivities and pulled her phone out to reread the text from Bucky 'lmk when the coast is clear' and sent a reply 'I'm at the north entrance, it's empty'

She felt a chill when she heard his motorcycle roar up. Bucky stopped the bike and looked her up and down, admiring her black leather hi/lo trench with lace accents, white leggings and black thigh high boots.

He whistled "Damn doll, you look good enough to eat"

She winked at him "Maybe later" she looked him and his bike over "Got a helmet for me?"

He helped secure the helmet before facing forward so she could climb on. Once he was satisfied that it was secure she climbed on behind him, resting her hands gingerly at his hips.

Bucky smirked "You'll need to hold on tighter than that" and grabbed her hands so they met over his belly which pulled her flush against his back. Once he was satisfied. the bike roared out into the street and she gripped him tighter which made him smile.

They went to a small diner to have coffee and talk until Bucky looked at his watch and told her it was time to go. They climbed back onto the bike and headed out until they came across a movie theater.

There was a pretty big line for almost midnight and she commented "I hope this isn't Rocky Horror because I don't have my costume."

Bucky turned and grinned at her "That's not really my thing but this here is one of my favorite movies."

Y/N saw the poster, The Lost Boys, and smiled "Mine too. Sleep all day, party all night, never grow old, never die. It's fun being a vampire" and laughed as he joined her on the last line.

Bucky took her hand and pulled her up to the door, smiling at the doorman who let them in ahead of the line.

They already had assigned seats so she headed to the restroom and he went to the snack bar. When she came out of the restroom she had to look around to figure out which theater they were going to when he came up behind her and asked "Where ya goin, Star?"

Y/N jumped a little because he caught her off guard but laughed when she realized it was him. He put an arm around her, holding their snacks in a tray with the other hand, and guided her to the theater.

Bucky was a perfect gentleman during the movie, not going any further than putting up the arm rest and his arm around her to pull her close.

After the movie they walked back to his bike. He sat down and pulled her to him. "So now what, Star? It's almost 2, do you need to get back into the hotel? Or are you up for more."

Y/N looked at him and fluttered her lashes "Why don't we go back to the hotel and I'll show you what I'm up for"

Bucky grinned and kissed her hard on the mouth "Then what are we waiting for?"

When they made it to the hotel she warned him "I have my own room but Clint is right next door so we have to be quiet."

Bucky smirked "Lets hope the rooms are soundproofed"

As soon as the door to her room was closed Bucky pushed Y/N up against the wall and kissed her, his hands roaming all over her. "Too many clothes, Star" he moaned in her ear.

Y/N let out a little whine and pulled her hands back to struggle with the belt buckle on her jacket. Once she unbuckled it she grabbed the zipper and slowly pulled it down. Bucky helped her push the jacket off of her shoulders and his breath hitched when he saw the pale blue, lacey bra she was wearing.

"Damn Star." Was all he could come up with as he walked her back to the bed and sat her down. He pulled her boots off and then her leggings.

Bucky looked her up and down, seeing the thong that matched her bra.

"Jesus Christ, Star. You are just, fuck. You look good enough to eat."

Y/N shifted, uncomfortable with all the compliments, and covered her soft belly with her hands.

Bucky gently moved her hands and looked her in the eyes "No Star, don't hide from me. Not ever. You are the sexiest woman I've ever seen and I'm gonna worship you like the goddess you are. And you will take every compliment, every bit of affection and most importantly every orgasm I offer.

You understand?"

She nodded.

"No, baby. I need your words."

"Yes, sir." She replied softly.

Bucky growled and tore her bra right off of her.

"Bucky!" She protested.

He grinned at her "I'll buy you a new one" before he took a nipple in his mouth, distracting her while he suckled, nibbled and flicked his tongue against it.

Y/N moaned "Fuck that feels good"

He moved his hand down into her panties and growled when he felt how wet and swollen she already was. "Damn baby, this all for me?"

Bucky pulled his hand away and showed her how wet his fingers were before sticking them in his mouth and closing his eyes, moaning "Fuck Star your pussy is so sweet I need more" and she whined so he pulled away and gave the other one his attention.

"Stop teasing, Barnes. I need you."

Bucky smirked "As you wish, Star" he pulled away to quickly strip while she stared "See something you like doll?"

She nodded "all of it."

"It's all yours doll" he told her softly as he kissed his way down her torso until he ripped her panties off and sat back to look at her pussy, wet and swollen and twitching for attention.

"Please Bucky!"

Bucky felt like he might blow just from the view of her body and the sound of her beautiful begging so decided to put both of them out of their misery.

He buried his face in her pussy and started devouring her, licking and sucking her clit, fucking his tongue into her until she came, squealing his name, and soaked his chin and neck.

When he pulled away, face shiny from her slick, he took a minute to enjoy the fucked out look on her face before grabbing a condom, putting it on the lining himself up, rubbing his achingly hard cock through her juices until the tip caught on her twitching hole and he heard her gasp. He eased his way in slowly, fighting back the urge to bury himself in one thrust because he wanted to feel and enjoy every bit of her.

Y/N whined as he filled her, almost afraid he would be too much but the stretch was perfect, filling her completely. She moaned softly, trying not to be too noisy, and felt his cock pulsing inside her. It almost felt like he was getting harder, the thought making her even wetter.

"Fuck, Star, pussy is so God damn tight and wet and warm, I could stay here forever with you wrapped around me."

Bucky kissed her with everything her had, all teeth and tongues and passion. Then just barely rolled his hips, seeing if she was ready for him to move and she moaned into his mouth.

"You ready for me baby?"

"Yes Bucky, please."

Bucky slowly pulled out and slammed back into her, groaning "I can feel your pussy grabbing onto me, pulling me back in. Like you needed some good cock. Shit, so good."

They built up a rhythm and she bit on his shoulder to keep from screaming how good he was making her feel. Like no one ever had before. She came again and felt like she had left her body.

Bucky held her hands beside her head, thrusting and rolling his hips until she was almost crying, exhausted but needing more. "So good Star. I need one more from you. Need to feel this sweet pussy milking my cock before I can cum."

Y/N shook her head "It's too much, I can't."

Bucky tskd at her "Of course you can. I know you want to because my pussy is squeezing me so tight and getting wetter. Just let go and give it to me."

He reached between them to rub gently on her clit and that was all she needed. Her body froze up and her grip on him became so tight he couldn't move so he just ground his hips against her and let go.

Y/N buried her face in his shoulder and whined to keep from screaming, squirting all over his chest and thighs.

Feeling her cum was all Bucky needed and he groaned before filling the condom. He stayed still for a moment to catch his breath.

He kissed her again, this time it was less urgent but still as passionate, then pulled back to look at her in awe. Usually when he was done he was out the door or sending her on her way but he didn't want that with her. For some reason he wanted to hold her all night which was something he never did. He wanted to see her face in the morning with messy hair and bad breath, he wanted-. Didnt matter, this night was magic but he knew a girl like her wouldnt want a guy like him for real. Fucking the bad boy was one thing but he knew he wasnt the guy that a girl like her would settle down with.

He pulled out, disposing the condom, and pulled her to his chest. They both dozed off until her alarm went off.

"Bucky? Bucky. Its time to go. I have to get up to go home and Clint will be awake soon."

Bucky groaned but got up and went to use the bathroom. He came out to see her halfway dressed in sweats and a t-shirt.

"Dressed again already? Next time we'll have to plan so we have more time." He grabbed her around tbe waist and pulled her close to him hefore kissing her softly.

Y/N bit on his lower lip. "You gonna call me or should I forget you exist?"

Bucky shook his head "You're not getting rid of me so easy. I'll call you. Soon" he kissed her one last time then haphazardly pulled his clothes on, not noticing his shirt was inside out. As he threw on his leather jacket he flashed her a wink. "I mean it" and walked out the door.

[lablass-2882]

It's OC Sunday once again, and I want to talk about more of my Star Wars Ocs!

Okay, look. Between Bad Batches' final season and all the upcoming Star Wars shows........ the brain rot has been real. Well....Star Wars brain rot has been on my brain for a while, but it has definitely gotten worse in the last couple of months. And my best outlet has been info dumping on tumblr.

Anyway.

I rolled a 2. So let's talk about Tally.

The prompts generated for this week are;

1.) Favorite animal

2.) Can they sing

3.) Do they like warm weather or cold weather?

Okay, so it's a running headcanon in the Star War community that Commander Cody likes cats or tookas. Probably both. And that if he could, he would 100% be that dude who owns like three cats and/or tookas in an uptown apartment with lots of plants. (Or he would just own a straight-up farm somewhere in the country). Well, since Tally is Cody's niece/daughter in my au, ....... so yeah, Tally's favorite animals are cats and Tookas. She just finds them so fluffy and cute, and she loves their mischievous energy. Tally would 110% own that one orange cat that you see on Instagram. The one that somehow has all the brain cells and yet none of the at the same time. (It's definitely not named after Obi-wan as a small joke between the two.) Or she would have that spooky/cute black cat that blends into dark areas like a void. She would probably name the cat Void or Creature or some space themed name. Tally would find it as a small kitten and think it's so adorable small. But then it grows up into a freaking Maine coon, so it's a like jumbo sized mass of black fur.

Can Tally sing? Yes. Yes, she can. Quite well, actually. Now, does she like to sing? Noooooo. No, she does not. This girl hates singing in public. She will sing with her siblings (very quietly) or hum along to a song while doing a chore, but if you ask her to get up on a stage and sing in front of a crowd..... oh buddy. She will not do it. No amount of money or praise will make her budge on this either. It's not so much that she has stage fright (she does but won't admit to it) or anything like that. She just hates singing in front of a crowd. It puts a lot of eyes on her, and there are just certain things that she does not like to do in front of a crowd.

Tally like warmer weather. She will put up with cold weather, but she won't be happy about it. It mostly has to do with her prosthetic limbs, scars, and mechanical joints. Cold weather makes her joints work slower, and it can cause her a lot of pain. Especially in her legs and back. Tally can put up with a lot of pain, but some days are harder on her than others. Plus, ever since her injuries, Tally has a very hard time regulating her body temperature. She does better in warmer weather, with her mother species being more adapted to the heat, but in colder weather, her body temp just drops. It's not uncommon for Tally to be camped out underneath a pile of blankets or laying on a heating pad in colder weather.

[vital-information]

It’s past time for Uptown Girls, almost universally panned when it first hit theaters 20 years ago, to be widely reconsidered and celebrated as a Y2K New York City fairy tale. Sure, the plot is far-fetched, and the ending in particular is wrapped up in a nice, convenient little bow, but Uptown Girls is a unique story about what young women can learn from each other.

Uptown Girls goes to darker emotional places than most other light hearted “chick flicks” of the early 2000s, and features career-best performances from Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning, as well as cameos from aughts superstars Mark McGrath and Nas. Uptown Girls was shot by legendary New York City cinematographer Michael Ballhaus, who has also photographed the city for heavyweights like Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols. In his 3-star 2003 review, Roger Ebert defended the film against its haters, dismissing “all cavils about the movie’s logic and plausibility as beside the point,” asserting that “this is not a movie about plot but about personalities.” Ebert was able to see and hear Molly and Ray as vastly different, but equally emotionally complex characters, in a way that his peers were blind to at the time.

…

Molly’s unflagging brightness and Ray’s grim cynicism are both completely earnest reactions to having been pushed into a position where they must parent themselves throughout childhood, and into young adulthood, in Molly’s case. Molly has chosen to never grow up, postponing adulthood for as long as possible, whereas Ray grew up too fast. What makes Uptown Girls so compelling is watching Molly parent her own inner child through parenting Ray, which comes to a head in the infamous Coney Island spinning teacups scene.

…

While not the only contemporary critic to be positive on the film, Ebert was able to see beyond the glitzy surface, bravely standing apart in his refusal to rely on gender bias to express disapproval of a film. Maybe the most significant thing Ebert praised about Uptown Girls was its performances; specifically, he compared Murphy’s comedic talents to those of Lucille Ball. “Molly Gunn is a comic original, vulnerable and helpless, well-meaning and inept, innocent and guileless…Murphy’s performance has a kind of ineffable mischievous innocence about it.”

Indeed, one could imagine a scene in I Love Lucy where Lucy attempts to get a job at a luxury bedding store, and consequently falls asleep on one of the beds, as Molly does in Uptown Girls. Murphy’s face is pure Ball as she realizes (too late) that she’s about to get smacked in the face with a swinging door, in a moment where she needed to look particularly dignified. Thankfully, Ebert was able to recognize that an actress’ performance should not be judged solely on “likability,” but on its more palpable merits, such as comedic timing and vulnerability. Ebert was also more favorable than most critics toward Fanning’s performance. He wrote that “Ray does seem prematurely old…in the case of Dakota Fanning, I think we are looking at good acting.”

...

Uptown Girls might still not be taken seriously today by the larger community of serious film critics and historians, but the film has found its audience of lonely young women trying to find their place in the world. If you search “Uptown Girls” on social media, you’ll find a sea of girls posting about their emotional connection to the film, and of course, their love of Murphy’s performance. Some of this could very well be written off as 2000s nostalgia, but a lot of love for Uptown Girls comes from a place of deep sadness, both for the girls that we once were and the girls we could have been.

— Katarina Docalovich, “Uptown Girls Reminds Us to Connect with Our Inner Child, 20 Years”

[lovelytsunoda]

misc. masterlist

instagram au masterlist

f1

violent delights have violent ends (mick schumacher, daniel ricciardo, pierre gasly, nico hulkenberg) 🌹

mick, danny and pierre knew they would need to fight for seats in 2023. they just didn't know that otmar szafnauer was going to take it literally.

the motorsports fiction recommendation list (part two)

the cedric diggory f1 driver au that nobody asked for but i wrote anyways

f1 drivers as characters from the magic mike franchise

tokyo drift

the day you kissed a writer in the dark ,, han lue 🌹🍑🌩

she's stood by his side for years. his loyal mechanic, the brains behind his brawn. but she'd be lying if she said that it didn't hurt to watch him flirt with those other women in his club, when he came home to her every night in secret.

see also: proud mary ( han lue ) from tina!: the series

the night agent

take one down ,, francisco jenkins 🌩

the fix-it fic we all deserve, and the ending that cisco should have had.

top gun (1986)

tell me something girl (are you happy in this modern world) ,, tom kazansky 🌹🌩

after thirty years of marriage, heather kazansky reflects on the time she spent and the love she shared with tom as she prepares to write her eulogy and say goodbye to her husband.

take my breath away ,, tom kazansky 🌹

temporarily stationed in nevada, tom and heather decide to take a weekend in las vegas to see their favourite new wave band. all the while, all tom can think about when to ask heather to be his wife.

top gun (2022)

sunday in heaven ,, jake seresin 🌹

jake’s favourite afternoons were spent with his fiancée and his dog, with hot drinks and a good book. nice and calm, different from his every day. but tell anybody that and he’d have to kill you.

uptown girl ,, mickey garcia🌹

she would do anything for her nerd boy. except maybe meet his friends in a crowded bar with a pool table where she can make a fool of herself in front of all of her boyfriend's friends. it's a good thing that mickey is a good teacher.

the sixth sense ,, jake seresin (cosy collection 2024)🌹

after a car accident totals her car and leaves her with the ability to see ghosts, an anxious police desk sergeant learns to live with the ghosts haunting her home, and the crush she has on the hot pilot who lives next door

beautiful girl (stay with me) ,, jake seresin (kinktober 2024)🌹🍑

the three lit jack-o-lanterns in their bay window shouldn't have been the lightscape to their sweetest, purest intimate moments, but hey, what happens on halloween stays on halloween.

love, actually ,, robert floyd (the christmas collection 2024)🌹

recently appointed admiral robert floyd feels overwhelmed in his new position, and unprepared to fill the shoes of the late admiral thomas kazansky. when he inherts the job, he also inherits tom's old secretary. cue the romance. inspired by hugh grant's storyline in love, actually

birthday girl ,, mickey garcia (smutmas 2024) 🍑

used to feeling like an afterthought on her birthday (mostly due to its proximity with christmas), mickey sets out to make sure that his sweet lover girl feels treasured and loved

marvel

you've got me under your spell ,, eddie brock (the cozy collection 2024) 🌹

the then's and now's of halloween in the brock household.

[temtamtom]

Any thoughts on Seborga?

Ohhh I love love love him. He's my little guy. My rotten soldier. My sweet cheese. My good-time boy.

I didn't care about him all that much until I visited the town of Seborga last year (I was in the area and wanted to drop by). I started thinking about him a lot more after that, and here we are now. I can't have modern Itabros or Itafam content without Sebby, it just wouldn't be the same 😔

This post might get a lil' lengthy as usual, so I'll put my headcanons and thoughts under "read more":

I feel like he's under-utilized in the brother/family dynamic, which is a shame. He's an interesting contrast to his brothers, who've been around for thousands of years and experienced so many hardships. He's very young and still a little naive to the reality of nationhood. His brothers kept him sheltered throughout his upbringing so he could have an easy, happy childhood. Lord knows it was messy for Romano and Feliciano. They didn't want that for Sebastiano.

Since Seborga is in the region of Liguria, I think he was given to Genova(/Liguria) first as a baby. Genova, who isn't very good at caring for others and knows it, immediately called up Feliciano. One thing led to another, and Seborga soon became part of their family. Sebby and Genova have a relationship but not as brothers. Maybe Sebby sees him more as a close family friend/"zio" type of person. Someone he can turn to for advice when he doesn't want his brothers to get involved in his problems.

The first few years of his life were very nerve-wracking. I have a headcanon that he aged scarily fast for a nation, on par with a human. They weren't sure if he would keep aging and eventually die off, and they didn't calm down until the late 70s/early 80s when his growing slowed to a halt. There was also a lot of debate about what sort of relationship they should have with Seborga. They were raising him from infancy, so were they his parents? Is one technically more of a "parent" than the other? What about just being brothers? Yeah, brothers sound better. Brothers but with more Nuance(TM).

Romano and Feli received an extensive education as children, so it felt obvious that Sebby should attend school as much as possible. Due to their living and working arrangements, Seborga went to school in Rome and consequently picked up a lot of Roman mannerisms. Something that didn't go unnoticed by Genova every time he saw the kid ("Look at what you've done to this Ligurian boy! He's Roman!")

Onto one of my favourite dynamics within the family- Romano and Sebby's dynamic. Grumpy boomer big brother and his baby brother who likes getting on his nerves at every opportunity but, goddamnit, that's his weird baby brother and he still loves him to pieces. I'm a big softie for some loving-big-bro-'mano content. That man will look out for his family I just know it. His doors are always open for Seborga and there will always be food on the table for him, no matter what. Even if Seborga likes to grind his gears.

Seborga grew up reading a lot of comics! He started with the more kid-friendly ones like Disney comics (Paperino, Topolino, etc.) and soon graduated to things like TEX (one of Romano's favourites) and Dylan Dog. As a child, he'd draw his own little comic strips and characters- a hobby that Feliciano actively encouraged.

One of his closest friends is Monaco. Seborga is very close to the French border, and while I was in the area, I got the chance to visit Monaco for a day. The drive was quite easy and relatively quick, so it's not hard to imagine that they would've struck up a friendship since they're quite close! One thing that I enjoy about this friendship is the Uptown Girl/Downtown Boy dynamic they'd have ❤️ I don't know, I just think they're lovely

I'll stop here, but. Yeah. I just think he's neat! A lovely fella

[manysmallhands]

Top Albums of 2024: #9 - 'C, XOXO' by Camila Cabello

After three solo albums of solid Latin pop, C, XOXO represented a distinct about-turn for Camila. While the advance promo was all about her embracing hyperpop, a boast sort of delivered on by the wonderful and frankly deranged lead single “I Luv It”, the truth is often a bit more complicated: roughly half of the ten full length songs here would not have sounded out of place on her earlier records and, even within the more altpop material, some of these songs are more off the wall than others. But what it does feel like is something akin to what U2 tried on Achtung Baby: an attempt to harness a kind of cool that isn’t automatically available for the asking. This was something that she soon found out: the press backlash was often vicious, with reviews taking a “how dare she?!” line full of heavy handed authenticity policing. 

Which is a shame, because for those who actually stopped to listen, C, XOXO has got plenty going for it. Rosalía collaborator El Guincho unites with Jasper Harris (Lil Nas X, Tate McRae) behind the desk and it’s hard not to look at them as a team seeking to balance approaches: El Guincho is most obviously in the ascendency on “I Luv It”, but the likes of gorgeously off-kilter ballad "Chanel No 5" and the snappy, minimalist banger “He Knows” bear his mark too: lowkey, deeply unusual but also bracingly melodic. Elsewhere, one assumes that Harris had the upper hand for the more old style Camila material, such as The Dream referencing summer bop "DREAM-GIRLS" (spot the reference!) and the spectacularly ill timed (tho surprisingly enjoyable) Drake collab "Hot Uptown". 

Camila herself ofc is a key player too, fully in charge as chief songwriter for the first time and truly stepping up on the twitching, soaring "Chanel No 5" and the chatty acoustic melodrama of "Twentysomethings". However, she can sometimes sound a bit stretched - "Dade Country Dreaming" in particular is withdrawn enough musically to leave her verse feeling a little exposed, tho luckily guest stars JT and Yung Miami are on hand to steal the show with terrifically bratty performances. Lyrically she takes a hip hop influenced approach at times, drifting into stream of consciousness flows which mostly sound great but can just occasionally fall a bit flat. Tbh I don’t really mind too much - this is Camila after all, I’m not expecting Shakespeare, and i like the sense of her reaching beyond her grasp - but one wonders if a more collaborative approach might have helped from time to time.

The tendency to hedge bets between the two styles feels telling - commercial concerns doubtless came into play - and also speaks to another slight weakness: both sets of material are largely great but it leaves the album feeling a bit messy and unfocused, something added to by the frequent interludes which bring little of any value. The more unusual songs are also too front loaded, meaning that by the time the second half comes around, the early shock and awe has started to fade a little. But this is fairly minor stuff all things considered: the music on C, XOXO is generally very strong. A flop it might have been but it's clear that she needed fresh thinking and, if she can hold her place in this new lane with a bit more confidence, the Camila Cabello show might have a third act in it yet.