#i have an entire month backed up now so i wont be going anywhere anytime soon

[wiverntiles]

Sasha: So according to the cease and desist order I got, apparently you can’t ‘legally’ be a therapist if your license is ‘cut out of a cereal box’.

[tomdiddlyumptious]

Can u do a dad Tom holland x mom black reader where they have a 2 year old son ( Elijah ) and a 1 month old daughter (Ellie ) and his fans are being mean because your baby girl is darker than her big brother and Tom tells them to stop on a livestream but they don’t and he takes a break because he more frustrated than reader is . And the next day y/n go to Toms parents house and y’all talk about it and y/n sobs ending in fluff

YOU WONT BELIEVE THE SWEAT I HAVE DRIPPED FOR THIS ASK, I DID DO A LITTLE OVERBOARD, NICE ASK, NICE COCK 👍🏽 OH AND I MADE A MISTAKE ABOUT THE NEXT DAY THING, I WAS CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT

warnings: I DONT KNOWWW, NO SMUT BUT SËX REFRENCES- FLUFF? AND CHILDRENN NOT PROOF READ BITCHES

T.H| TITTIESSSS

Tom smiled as he posted the picture, cuddling into his small daughter as you took care of your son. You both weren’t really doing anything just binge watching Soul Eater because you refused to watch love island.

“I don’t get this show, it’s terrible” “your terrible” you chuckled at him, noticing that Ellie was slowly starting to tear up. “I think someone’s hungry yeah? Come here Ellie” you cooed, Tom picking up the small child and placing her into your arms while he took Elijah, whos currently side tracked from TV, you pulled down your, Toms, oversized shirt to feed Ellie. Smiling as she sucked the soul out of you.

“You know-“ “we can’t have sex” “but Ellie gets to get your nipples and I don’t?” “Do you want her to starve?” “No I want to have sex” he clarified, rolling your eyes you placed some of her hair behind her ear.

Toms phone started to ding and he furrowed his eyebrows, he opened his phone and read the comments “it’s the girl being darker then the boy for me” “why is Ellie darker then Elijah?” “she’s a cheater- I told you Tom” and some trying to defend “y/n is literally darker then Tom, what did you expect? I’m so sorry this is happening” “did y’all really have to put the baby in this? We all know y/n doesn’t play about her kids”

“What’s wrong Tom?” You say, now playing with Eli’s hair. Tom only frowned at you “I’m tired of people thinking that they know most, at this point it’s really annoying” “what’s wrong Thomas?” You asked, more sternly as you pulled lee away, but she starts to cry some so you put her back.

“Nothing love, you hungry though?” He asked, trying not to make you feel anyway at the moment. “No I want you to tell me what’s wrong and right now Thomas, forreal” you made eye contact with him, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not telling you y/n” he simply says, getting up forgetting his phone and walking into the kitchen.

“I have to find out myself then!” You yell, taking his phone and scrolling through your guessing comments?. You aren’t the one to scroll through his phone at any cost because you trust him entirely, but he’s pissed and you need to find out why.

Patting lees diaper you sequenced you’re eyes to read the comments, zendaya saying “they are both so cute! Where have y’all been be seen I need to come over, like right now”, Jacob B commenting “look at lil man!” And others but as you continued to scroll down you found the negative ones.

Just reading them so fast as your blood line ran cold, you didn’t notice that Tom was coming back. “Y/n stop” he says, putting the glass of water down and reaching over Eli to take the phone but you snatched it back. “Is this what they think of me? Of my kids?” You say weakly, showing him the phone as your eyes started to water.

“Don’t listen to them, we brought Eli and Lee for ourself, not for them. Let’s just take a-“ his heart dropped as tears silently trailed down your cheeks, still reading the comments. “You are only making it worse, give me the phone Y/n” “no” “give me, the phone” he said madly, not at you but at others. He reached all the way over, watching out for the kids and taking the phone without a fight.

You detached lee and fixed yourself, lifting your knee and placing her on the pad of your thigh wiping your tears and you took her small hands.

Tom only through his phone on the nightstand and turned off the TV “what are you doing?” You ask him, “let’s take a nap yeah? I’ll when we wake up I’ll do a live or something to communicate with them” he took off his shirt and sat on the bed, sighing as you only seen the back of his head, he ran his hands through his hair, not letting them, his so called ‘fans’ get to him.

Tom laid down and threw the blankets over him, turning off the light and making it as dark as possible although it was only about 1 in the evening. “I don’t think I can go to sleep” you say as he turns in your direction, “then try darling, I really don’t want us to be stressed out love” he gave a smile, playing the the loose curls in Eli’s hair while looking at you.

“Yeah okay” you nod, Tom taking lee again while you took Eli. Eli smiled as he gave you a slimy kiss “ew!” You smiled, you let out a sniffle and Eli frowned at it, kissing your nose. You giggled and wiped it off, noticing an arm around your waist trying to pull you closer you came closer, Toms hand going down to yours and putting his fingers in between yours as you did the same and gave a squeeze. “I love you, y/n” he mumbles, his thumb brushing your knuckle. “I love you too”

“Ready?” He asked, you sitting next to him and the babies are sleep, you nod, “ready”. He started the live, about two minutes in everyone started to join. He took your hand and smiled down at you, returning it you kiss his cheek. Sooner or later he had about 6-9k and he cleared his throat,” I’m pretty sure you’ve all seen the comments and I’d like to ask all of you to stop” he simply asked, the comment bar flooded of hurtful words, they weren’t gonna stop anytime soon. “Lee is a child she doesn’t deserve to be treated this way, you not only hurting her your hurting my wife, MY wife” he pointed to his chest “you also hurting me, y/n doesn’t do SHIT-“ he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing his back.

“She doesn’t do shit but tries to show you how happy we are, for all of you saying that she’s cheating she isn’t, she’s been with me, do you see her skin?” He asked, looking at you and kissing your cheek “she has color, I don’t of course Ellie is going to be darker then her brother, they aren’t fucking twins!” He yells. He gets tired of it and pins one of the comments “maybe you should stick to your color and this wouldn’t of had to happen, you shouldn’t even be here”. “That’s the shit nobody should say, don’t talk to my wife like that you fuckin-“ “that’s it Thomas you asked, calm down” you whispered, his face red as his jaw is clenched, he bites his lip as he apologizes “I’m sorry, but please I just- I’ve worked so hard and found love, I found a wife. It makes me mad that you can’t accept that-that I can’t be happy without one paparazzi and news about me, I want a break and I want a family, and now that I have one none of you support me- or most” he refused to cry infront of them but is was heart clattering. “I-bye” he simply says, grabbing his phone and ending the live.

“You did your best-“ you get cut off by his phone ringing. His mom was calling, he instantly answered “yeah mom- yeah” he sighed “alright we’ll be over”. “They want us to come over” he stood up and took your hand, pulling you up with him he gave you a peck on the lips. “I love you Thomas” you wrap your arms around him. “I love you to, and I’m not going anywhere”

You and Thomas walked to the door with one car seat each in your hands, he knocked on the door and was instantly met with Sam “hey! Give them here-“ “wait give me lee!” Harry said, running up and taking the car seat from your hand making you laugh, Sam took the other and they both walked off to the kitchen with distant talks like “please be my taste tester” “I wanna take photos with you!”

Tom put the keys in your back pocket, walking in he called for his mom and she told them both to come to the livingroom. As you both walked dom sat up and gave you a hug while Nikki gave Thomas a hug. “I’m so sorry about those twats, your children are so beautiful” he rubbed your back slowly.

“Thank you” you whispered, hugging him back tightly. He let you go and rubbed your arms as he gave you a sweet smile, soon treading and Nikki gave you a hug “I love you and your children, we both support you so much and want you to know we are here for you, come sit” she stops hugging you and takes your hand, pulling you to the couch.

Tea was on the white coffee table and you and Tom sat on the mint grey couch, the couch you don’t touch if you live there. “It’s just-“ you sighed, Tom rubbing your back as you fought the tears. “I love your son so much and to think that I would ever hurt him-or you guys in anyway is just so hurtful, and having the pressure of everyone going against me and our child- comparing them as if they can stick up for themselves” you cried, you didn’t fight it. They are your family now, and forever will be. Tom didn’t like seeing you cry at all, it almost makes him cry, seeing you weep and vulnerable isn’t well for him because when he met you you were a strong, independent woman, and you still are but it hurts him too much.

“Yeah” dom nods, passing you a tissue and Tom takes it, pulling your face to him and patting under your eyes. “But they don’t matter, we are your family and we know from our hearts and our mind that you didn’t do anything wrong” Nikki weakly smiles, seeing you cry really is heart breaking, you just gave birth a month ago and depression is so severe. “We love you y/n, your child is our grandchildren no doubt” dom smiles, reaching over and holding your hand gently. “I love you, you are so important to me, our children are so important to me, just all of us in general are so important to me, so important that I’d quit anything for you, for my children, it’s us, a household, a family” Thomas pulls you close.

Eli saying “yum! YAY! More!” In the background with Sam making you laugh, he ends up running to you with a spoon filled with pasta. “Taste! Yummy!” He smiles at you, his baby face and small teeth “hurry mommy!” You smile and open your mouth Eli feeding it to you and you hum in satisfaction. “It is yummy, who made it?” You asked, “I did! I helped sam” Sam walked up to the livingroom, leaning on the wall. “I’m coming!” Harry yells, airplaning lee into the livingroom “pshhhhh” Harry does sound effects, lee laughing making you all smile. Eli jumps in your lap and looks at your face “why are you crying mommy?” You let out a chuckle “because I love all of you” “love you to mommy” he hugs you, Harry handing lee to you and hugging her back, Tom joining as Sam walks closer and sits next to you, resting his head on your shoulder and soon everyone is group hugging. “Umm- your squeezing me!” Eli whispers, everyone laughing as you all just take in the whole thing, happy that this is your new family, other then your other precious family also.

[awoken-artist]

Update on Posts! - Ive moved to another state!

so, yeah this was the biggest...first move ive ever done...

27 years [my entire life] ive lived in california..and now moved out of california to texas.. its a brand new start, im still getting stressed and anxious and..home sick for the most part now im ways away from my old home. thankfully my old house is now owned by my eldest cousin, so we can visit them anytime we visit california, if able. we plan to in july for my grandmas 80th birthday.

not only that but two of my friends are planning to move as well, but have to wait until april to do so...but it was very emotional to talk about the move cause i just wanted to cry... and they are in the same boat when it comes to the move. im happy though i get to hang out with them before leaving, same for one of my other friends too.

my friend brea and I hang out at her house, and watched some anime, but mostly just watched anime we used to watch back in middle school for old time sake. watch a bit of the FMA 03 series but i felt i wanted to watch naruto, and we did and it was my second anime obsession of mine back then and i wanted to revisit because its been way too long. yeah uh WE MADE FUN OF SAKURA AND NAURTO FOR OBSESSING OVER SASUKE AND WERE LIKE WOW XD its hilarious and poke fun at the episodes.

I hang out with my boyfriend more when nearing the end of when we will prepare to move...we hang out at night getting some ice cream after having dinner out with my parents and my boyfriend tagged along with us. it was great but lord i know i ate too much that time.

it was very emotional... we stayed at my aunts for two nights, went to my grandmothers for 3-4 nights then back to my aunts and final day staying was at our house for the final time until we get up at 4 am or 6 am to get ready and leave on the road. [yeah we drove out of cali to texas... not fun XD]

it was very very very emotional when i had to say goodbye to my aunt and uncle, especially my aunt.. she knows im emotional and got emotional herself. she plans to visit in january of next month and i cant wait when she fly on over. my grandma said she'll come to texas cause one of our family members actually lives in texas and she visits her when she can. so gives her excuse to come visit. :3

i can say even though it was emotional to a high degree with saying goodbye to my friends, and my family that im way more close with, it was very very very very hard to say bye to my boyfriend. i couldnt stop wanting to cry and my eyes couldnt stop watering at all, and the feeling of a lump in my throat kept on coming and i just wanted to cry and bawl against his chest. he knows im very emotional person, and.. a worry wart and anxious but he tells me over and over and over again hes not going anywhere and I wont lose him..

i still held onto his grandmothers ring he gave me and his two other rings as well..and the ring he bought me too [even though the rose quartz stone was being a butt staying in >:[ its the changeable stone kind] and i know i'll see him again and dayum straight im glomping the fuck out of him and cry.

i also cant wait until we finally have a house together, i dont care where it will be i cant wait for that in the future. hes my future and im his and we cant wait when the time comes with that. for now we stay in touch on discord and video chat whenever we could.

it'll be a long long journey for me, it'll take some time getting settled in the new house, but otherwise i know i'll feel this way regardless [like moving in with my boyfriend and such if you get what i mean?]

i await what happens next, i am still going to do what i love to do. draw, make art of my characters, do streaming, and more.

i also told myself that i should quit waiting or hesitating to write more of my comic i went back and forth on writing and updating for YEARS on, because i know there will be those that wont like it and will like it. i am no people pleaser, i do want my comics to be entertaining and be great at least to me. im no professional writer but i hope my comic and my other comics you guys will find much enjoyment with.

i also plan on doing comics with my fandom ocs like My hero academia, FMA, and so on.

im now back and settling in my new house and cant wait to share any arts i wasnt able to share in time possibly, with you guys when i was in process of moving. so now im at the new house i can show ya guys.

hope you guys are having a lovely holiday!! ^u^

[seijch]

ANNOUNCEMENT: NOT A HELLO, BUT NOT A GOODBYE EITHER

omg hi ... im like . ashamed to come back after saying brief hiatus in october and then disappearing off the face of the earth til FEBRUARY but under the cut i will be explaining myself and the following, if youre interested (and a tl;dr at the very bottom if you don’t wanna scroll thru this obnoxiously long post):

the reason(s) i was gone for so long

what i was doing during that time (its just a personal account yall can scroll past this idrc)

the status of those um . halloween requests

the future of this account

i. so . Hiatus .

i know. i know . i probably mentioned it when i made the announcement post, but my mental health likes to go on one of those rides. yknow the ones where you go like up rlly fast then down maybe and then up then DOWN .... its like that. i needed a break and every time i wanted to come back or thought about it, something would happen and i would get stuck in my own head.

a big reason for getting stuck in my head was (and i hate to admit this ... i hate to admit that i have Insecurities On The Internet) my feelings of inadequacy regarding my writing. i love to plot fics, i love concepts and characters and making little headcanons but i dont ... know if i love writing rn. and i thought for the longest time that like . whatever ill just push thru it its fine ill be fine but it kinda wasnt lmao you can kinda see it in my halloween reqs and what become of them when i get to that but i began to feel like nothing i had put out or would put out would hold up prose wise (and normally i dont feel like this im much more “idc its my life im living it” but thats not a rant for tumblr LMAO). i still feel like that -- like im better as a reader than a writer. but . You Know :-)

tl;dr: mental state go brrrrr

ii. anywhere here’s wonderwall

when i left, i was in a steadily decreasing mental and emotional state, made worse by a situation at work that really was a case of petty jealousy on my end and rlly isnt very consequential now despite how much pain and resentment it gave me when it Was a problem so i wont get into it. the tl;dr of november and december was me using work as an crutch and distraction -- i know my job, i do it well, it helped me not think about my responsibilities and obligations and inadequacies. of course, as the holiday season grew busier n busier i was scheduled so often that i moved 88 or so miles (according to my apple watch, which i ONLY wear at work since im never anywhere else outside my house) and fell into a cycle of showering n sleeping at my house before going back the next day. (theres definitely something to be said abt capitalism and “grind culture” here but once again its not the time or place snsjkdfds)

at the turn of the new year, i happened to remember a birthday card i hadnt filed away for safekeeping from a friend of mine that id been horribly out of touch with til that point. i started crying because i realized how out of touch id been in general up until that point. the month of january was great for me: i was focused, happy, and in a much better place than i had been before. the end of it brought me down focus wise and im hoping that enough time away from my distractions will refocus me bc i ... need it LMAO and though ive burned out from that level of productivity and gotten distracted again im ... trying to stay positive which i think is the most i can do 😁👍🏼

media wise, i got real into stardew valley (but burned out bc i played it extensively as a way to wind down after work), the pokemon platinum romhack renegade platinum (still havent finished it bc of school n i played it w the intent to see if i could nuzlocke it ... bitch its so hard but its so fun bc of it), briefly assassins creed: odyssey (im one of those ppl who completes an entire region before i move to the next so you can tell i burned out of that one + wouldnt have the time to properly devote to it even if i didnt), got back into genshin impact after pulling for xiao (after not touching it for like . months), and danganronpa. yes . danganronpa 😐 i Know. i stopped playing it after the second trial of the first game bc i was so hurt by the outcome and picked it up in late january only to get sucked in (thank god i had the foresight to buy the second and third games during the steam winter sale). rn im at the start of chapter 4 if anyone wants to come in my asks and um . talk to me abt danganronpa

tl;dr: I’m Into Danganronpa Now

iii. you realize halloween was three months ago right

i mentioned this in the first section, but i love to plot things. every request is plotted or at least has a solid foundation. i had fun detailing what concept i wanted to go with considering what i was given, and there were some bangers i might touch up in the future. but heres whats going to happen to the requests themselves:

there are two finished requests. one will be posted tomorrow and the other will be touched up (just bc i finished it doesnt mean its good 🧍‍♂️) and scheduled for next saturday. as for the ones i never got around to ...

i will not be finishing those requests. i hate to be That Person, but i feel like we all expected this 🧍‍♂️ what i will do is post all of my notes for each request in batches -- requests that have an @ to go with them will be mentioned in the post proper, but anon asks will be pictured. (there are some asks that came from blogs who are now deactivated but i wrote down all the prompts and remember most of those askers so ill cross that bridge when i get there) there will most likely be an excerpt or two simply bc i think i mightve written a few plot points or interactions in the form of bullet points. i rlly am sorry about doing this but i remember looking at my notion doc with all the prompts and feeling ... like i wasnt measuring up n it wasnt just to myself or to some intangible concept of “other” id constructed but it was instead to those who requested n actually WANTED to see and hear and read my writing and i ...... im gonna admit thats another big reason i avoided this site.

regardless, youll definitely get what i have (and likely more than just my bullet points and illegible handwriting).

tl;dr: im sorry. what i have in terms of plot, concept, and interaction for every request will be posted, but i cant say ill ever complete them and mean it.

iv. so what now?

well i mean . im not entirely sure how sold i am on haikyuu in the content creation department (as a creator n to a lesser extent, as a consumer). as mentioned previously, its no longer my primary focus. it doesnt mean im not into haikyuu anymore; i have a lot of love for those boys but i cant rlly say im even caught up w recent fandom activity and also havent even finished s4 pt2 LMAO thats on my to do list

and despite all that, i still want to share my plots n concepts and snippets and maybe even fics. it wont happen anytime soon. it might not even happen. but i mean . its better than me saying i wont write ever again shjdkfs but either way ill probably use this blog as a personal blog w the occasional ask game for dialogue prompts (those are always so fun i love making up aus to fit like . the most mundane prompts)

as for my works (past and any potential future), ive opened an ao3 acc here n ill be editing n possibly expanding on my old works to post there. tumblr, to me, is The x reader hub, but i figure more x reader fics on ao3 is never a bad thing.

ill be deleting/posting drafted posts to the queue since they were all meant to be queued anyway as well as (sorry again 🧍‍♂️) deleting or answering asks in the inbox. (moots if you get a notif from me saying i rbed your post from months ago ... mind your business) im very hard to get ahold of and its ... a problem. expect an overhaul of the nav n shit to reflect my new direction n also because i feel like i cant tell if my passion for carrd is shared by the majority HSDKLFS maybe its better to read my info in a normal post ykwim .......

and of course . if youve read all this n decided im no longer worth the follow, i sure as hell cant stop you. thank you for wanting to, at some point, hear what i have to say -- it means more than you think.

tl;dr: writing will be edited and reposted to ao3, this blog will be a personal blog with a hint of writing (sometimes)

the tl;dr to end all tl;drs:

im back! i wont be as active as i used to due to a lessened interest in haikyuu in general, but i have an ao3 acc now where all my past work will be edited, possibly expanded, and reposted. any future work will also find itself there. my halloween requests will be posted in batches as incomplete concepts, plots, and snippets of scenes; i wont be promising to finish any of them.

there are still fic concepts im attached to and want to finish, but i cant promise any more writing on my end. this blog will be a personal blog with maybe writing, not a writing blog with my personal thoughts all over it.

regardless if you stick around or not, its been crazy sexy cool (equal emphasis) being on haikyuu tumblr even tho i wasnt around for long ... even tho its not my main focus anymore, im still excited to see what the future might hold 🤝

love, ari 💌

[fadiingstarliight]

( @qvietwhispers )

jayden

He barely knew Faye at all but she seemed like a lovely person and he was honestly eager to meet her and.. also then break up her old stuff. When he got there he saw a woman at the entrance but wasn't entirely sure if it was her.  "I was told to look for the enthusiastic shop owner, I'm Jade." he said with a smile on his lips.

faye

Faye wasn't lying, she'd definitely recieved weirder text messages in her lifetime, and if anything, Jade had only intrigued her. She'd been half tempted to text Declan about them, before realising Jade would walk through the door at any moment. She'd been fixing a mannequin by the entrance, draping a feather boa over it when the door charmed. "Hey! That'd be me," Faye chipped happily, a wide smile upon her lips. Her eyes scanned over the other, recognising him from a few odd times he'd been in the shop. She made a mental note to tell Mira later that he was definitely cute. "Ready to smash some shit?"

jayden

Faye was a lot more chirpier in person than he could guess over text but he didn't complain. Her smile was contagious and he grinned back at the other. He suddenly realized that the reason she seemed so familiar was not exactly his previous visits to the store but the video he had seen of her during the elections. This wasn't just any Faye, it was Faye Waters, but he didn't think it was remotely close to a good idea to bring that up. Now or ever if they stayed friends. "Nice to meet you Faye." he said before a small laugh left his lips. "Yes, I would absolutely love to do that as long as you don't write me off as the weird guy who came out of the blue and smashed shit." he chuckled.

faye

Faye had a lot of questions, but she figured he had enough going on without her hounding him about it. "Nice to meet you too, Jade," she told him brightly, the smile never leaving her lips. "I would never," she teased, "Though that certainly is an interesting title, don't you think?" She gave a head up to the other on shift, before gesturing him to follow out back.

jayden

"Interesting title?" he repeated before he got what she meant and a laugh left his lips. "The weird guy thing I said? Please do not." He chuckled and nodded in response to her question, following her to the back room where it was far more abundantly clear that this was the second hand shop with a bunch of old things lined up without any reformation done to them. "Do you do this often?" he asked as the other handed him a baseball bat and he took it from her looking down at it in mild amusement.

faye

"Yeah, weird guy who came out of the blue and smashed shit," She repeated, laughter leaving her lips. "Alright fine, just Jade it is," Faye grinned at him, practically skipping out to the back. She grabbed the bats she kept lying around, handing him one without hesitation. At his question, she laughed. "Fairly often. I used to live in LA, and they had this place called Rage Ground. You ever heard of Rage Rooms? You basically just go there to smash shit. I used to go with a friend of mine Landon, it was a great way to relieve stress." Faye admitted, shrugging her shoulders before pointing at one of the items with her bat. "Give it a try. Trust me."

jayden

Jade looked amused as the other called him the same weird guy thing again before she referred him by his name. "Thank you." he chuckled and listened as she spoke of the rage rooms back in LA, still looking down at the bat skeptically. "I have heard of them, never actually been to one." he told the other. "I mean, it's not often I go anywhere that's not work. I went to New York one time for a wedding, and then Vegas to get married." he shook his head a little as he spoke of his drunk wedding at Vegas. "And I did go on vacation to Miami but I suppose beaches and rage rooms aren't the same thing." He nodded and took a deep breath before he swung the bat with all the strength he could muster at the bunch of stuff, a deafening smash echoing through the room before he turned to look at Faye and laughed in shock. "You are right that does feel good." he said sounding rather startled by that fact. "Are you going to do this too?"

faye

"You're welcome," Faye laughed with him, shaking her head. "Oh they're so much fun," she told him before tilting her head as she listen to him speak. "Did you not want to travel? Or just didn't have time?" She asked him curiously. "You got married in Vegas?" Faye arched an eyebrow, before realising that was probably the divorce that was causing him to smash things. "Well, I went travelling after high school. Been here, there and everywhere. Settled in LA though, but I used to travel a lot with my previous jobs," she moved the conversation from vegas swiftly, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh yeah definitely not, beaches are fun, but a different kind of stress reliever to this," she admitted, pointing at the pile of junk. Faye watched as he swung the bat, laughter spilling from her own lips as he laughed in shock. "Right? I'm not entirely crazy," she teased, before nodding. "Well I can't let you have all the fun." Without hesitating further, Faye swung her bat at one of the cupboards she'd found no use for, grinning widely.

jayden

"Maybe one day. Or maybe there are those in Charleston, I don't know." he mused before he shrugged at her question. "Guess I've always been busy? So I never really thought of it but when I do go I have fun so maybe I should plan vacations occasionally." he chuckled. Not that he would anytime soon having had taken a few days off work to visit Nessa in Miami. Perhaps, next year or so. "Yeah, I did. Would recommend a Vegas wedding but not a Vegas marriage. The trip was actually a lot of fun." He didn't really want to talk much about it but then again he saw no point to keeping it to himself and not talk about it at all. It was a chapter of his life he can turn over and move on from but it was always gonna be there anyway. "Traveling for work doesn't sound like the worst thing." he smiled at her before raising his brows in amusement as she trashed one of the cupboards. He followed her lead, feeling his anger leave him little by little with every swing of his bat. "You're definitely not entirely crazy." he said as he laughed, looking down at the resultant mess.

faye

"Oh I've not actually looked in Charleston," She admitted, tapping her chin in thought. "That makes sense, but you should definitely plan more vacations. Hey, if you ever need a travel buddy, you know where to find me," Faye grinned, gesturing at the store. She wasn't sure he'd ever take her up on the offer, but she loved travelling, and hadn't actually left Wakefield since she'd come back. "So I just need to find someone to get married in Vegas so I can witness it," She joked, laughing. "I'm glad you had fun though." As he spoke of her old job, Faye shrugged. "Yes and no. Sometimes I didn't actually get much time to actually explore anyway." Pulling a face, she swung the bat again. "Somewhat crazy, but only enough that it's fun, and not horrifying."

jayden

"Maybe there is one and we can go." he suggested grinning at her before a laugh left his lips at her suggestion to travel together but he stopped abruptly on realizing she wasn't joking. "You're serious? Like actually travel somewhere together?" he asked her, his words coloured with disbelief at the offer. "That would be ideal." he said, that was a great conclusion to come to from what he had told her about his experience with a Vegas wedding. He simply nodded as she spoke of her old job, she was very vague and he didn't bother to dig more. If she left it and owned a shop here, there was probably a reason for it. "Yep, not completely horrifying." he said before he swung his bat again, this time a few times consecutively, channeling all the anger he felt at himself on the poor dresser which Faye seemed to think was of no use anymore. It went on longer than last time, longer than he realized and when he was done he dropped the bat and sat down cross-legged on the floor, hands in his hair and taking deep breaths to steady himself.

faye

"I'll have to look and find out," She agreed with a grin. At his abrupt stop to his laughter, Faye let out a giggle of his own. "Not used to strangers offering to go on holiday with you?" She joked, "but yeah, why not? You want to travel, I want to travel, could be fun." Shrugging her shoulders, Faye's smile never left her lips. She was pretty sure the other wouldn't take her up on the offer but she meant it all the same. Faye focused on smashing the offending objects, taking her recent stresses with worrying about Dean out on the poor furniture. Faye had finished before Jade had, watching him as he then dropped the bat and dropped to the floor. "You okay?" She asked softly, sitting down opposite him, concern lacing her features.

jayden

Jade chuckled in response and he definitely was not used to this. The last time this happened he had gotten married in Vegas so he wasn't entirely sure it was the best of ideas either. "It could. I would need to take time off work though which wont be happening for the next few months at least." When he finally let the bat fall to the ground and sat down himself Jade's head was spinning. He hadn't really given himself a moment to come to terms with the fact that his marriage with Nessa, if one could even call it that was actually over. "Yeah, yeah." he said distantly, barely focusing on the others words.

faye

"Well the offer's always open, and hey, at that point we may actually know eachother," she mused with a grin. However her cheerful nature faded as she saw how he was, her frown growing as she watched him cautiously. "Hey," Faye spoke softly, reaching out and placing her hand on his bicep. "Talk to me, come on, what's going through that head of yours?"

jayden

Jade hadn't even realized how angry he was about the divorce with Nessa. Not at her, but more at himself. Because it was so many years that he had hoped for something with her when a part of him had always known that they would never work out. She was too wild, different, demanding, and he could never keep up with her. He should have known. And the more he thought of it the angrier he became, and with an outlet for his anger right before him, he used it without holding back. He took a few deep breaths before looking at the other. "I fucked up my own life." he admitted out loud. "I just.. yeah, I knew this was going to be the end result and I dragged it out for years. It sucks."

faye

Faye frowned as he finally spoke, brows furrowing together at the admission. Her teeth tugged on her lower lip, before she shrugged. "Don't take this the wrong way, but people do stupid shit when they're blindly in love with someone. I would know. I've been there." She admitted, voice unusually quiet, it wasn't often Faye spoke about her ex. "You have every right to be angry. Even if it's at yourself. I was, for years. It'll get easier."

jayden

"Yeah, I suppose." he said quietly saddened on hearing that she had a similar situation. "I'm sorry to hear that. Sucks to be us, I guess?" he said, a small smile on his lips but it didn't reach his eyes. He hated how he felt, he hated the anger, he wished he could skip past of of this mess and go right to the moving on. "I hope so. I doubt you have enough things for me to break if it doesn't get better." he added, hoping to lighten the mood.

faye

"Yeah, I guess it does," Faye forced out a huff of laughter, shaking her head somewhat sadly. However, at his comment, the corners of her lips twitched upwards in amusement. "It will, but in the mean time, we should definitely try and find a rage room. Most of this trash I actually rescue," She admitted, "These were lost causes though."

jayden

"That's a good plan. But also, I don't really do this often, or ever. So, I don't know if I need a rage room." he chuckled. As much as he felt good, this shouldn't become a regular thing, right? He didn't know if it was good for him or not. "I think I'm all out of rage now though." he said with a smile. "Do you want to show me some of the things you actually rescued?" he asked the other, not really in the mood to be breaking things anymore.

faye

"Well no, but sometimes this is the healthiest way to get your frustrations out. Better a piece of furniture than snapping at someone you care about," Faye shrugged her shoulders. As he said he was out of rage, Faye grinned again, standing up. "Yeah of course, follow me." She told him, leading him back into the shop.

jayden

Jade nodded in agreement at the others words, she did have a point. He smiled a little as the other got ready to take him back to the front to actually see what she sold in her store. He silently followed the girl out of the room, leaving the destroyed remains of what she called the lost causes behind.

END

[likingletsplays]

Bing’s Heart (1/2)

Authors note:

Anytime King or Bing talk in squirrel it will be in italics

Bing rubbed the back of his neck, his skateboard in hand. It would be so nice to get out of this place; Even if it was only on the grounds. Bing had now lived here for three months but still felt like a defective android. The Googles didn’t help either with their comments about him enjoying skateboarding or videogames. How human he acted or his eyes. He pushed his glasses back up to the bride of his nose and walked out into the sun. He took a deep breath then stared to slowly walk through the grounds. Bim, The newest ego who had just joined them two weeks ago,  was working on digging a hole deep enough for what looked like a young apple tree.

Bing stood and watched him for a good amount of time until he noticed two curious hazel eyes staring down at him from a tree. “Aren’t you scared you’re going to fall?” Bing called out walking closer to the eyes that were hidden in the branches and leaves.

The man poked his head out and Bing couldn’t help but smile. The man had a huge smile on his lips, his lower half of his face was covered in what looked like a peanut butter beard, and on top of his head was a red and gold crown that looked very heavy. “No I’m not scared to fall,” the man said pulling his head back into the branches and leaves, “I love being up high in the trees.” The man landed gracefully at the base of the tree, “It’s one of the few places I can be close to my subjects.”

“Your subjects?”  Bing asked as three squirrels fell from the tree and landed on the man’s shoulders. One of them even scurried closer to his face and began to lick the peanut butter from his jawline.

“These are my subjects,” the man explained gesturing to his shoulders; he held his hand out to Bing, “My name is King of the squirrels, but you can call me King for short.”

Bing smiled shaking his hand, “That’s freaking awesome. I’m Bing.” He took in the whole of King in at that moment. King was thin in stature and a few inches taller than Bing himself. He also had to be one of the most handsome men Bing had ever seen in his entire life.

“Like the search engine?” King asked his head tilting to the side slightly.

Bing shuffled his feet grimacing slightly, “Yes but not anywhere near as good at the Googles.” A few seconds later a squirrel landed on Bing’s head. King squeaked and the squirrel began to climb down Bing. “You can speak squirrel?” Bing asked.

“Yes, my subjects understand English as well but I find this more effective.” King answered a soft smile on his face as he picked up the squirrel from the floor.

“Can you teach me?” Bing asked, switching his skateboard to his other hand.

“Depends if your serious or not.” King answered back.

“I wouldn’t of asked if I wasn’t serious King.” Bing replied a huge smile on his lips.

“We’ll start after lunch then.” King said his smile lighting up his face.

~

Bing didn’t know what it was about this man but he couldn’t seem to get enough time with him. He changed his whole schedule around so he could have more time with King. Bing was not a morning person, he personally wished the mornings and all morning people would burn in a large fire ball, but he dragged himself up from his charging station every morning at six. By one or two, depending on what Dark was having him work on that day, Bing would be able to walk outside to the tree he had first seen King at.

Bing walked out into the overcast day and walked over to the tree. King was perched up on a branch and smiled down at Bing, “Join us up here today?”

“You have an ungodly amount of balance,” Bing said beginning to climb up the tree, “I, on the other hand, am an android. I’ll be lucky to not fall.” He grunted pulling himself up the last bit and sitting on the branch near king.

“Bing I’d never let you fall,” King said scooting over slightly so Bing would have more room on the branch, “Why don’t you ever take off your glasses? I see them on you no matter if we are eating, you’re working or we are all at a group meeting. Inside outside it doesn’t really seem to matter.”

“I’m not like the Googles King. They are able to….hide their eyes. Like they have normal colors when they aren’t processing or projecting anything. I however am….defective,” Bing pushed his hair back from his face, “My eyes are always yellow.”

King nodded slowly, biting on his lip “You know you’re not defective . . . You’re just different from the Googles. I wish you wouldn’t listen to their words. They expect all androids to be like them, but that isn’t really plausible is it? Androids are just like humans, we are all different in our own ways.” Bing smiled over at King who patted Bing’s hand, “Can I see your eyes?” Bing took a deep breath and removed his glasses. King reached hesitantly towards Bing’s face and began squeak.

Bing frowned slightly, “I only understood about three of those words.”

“Well that did you understand?” King asked

“Bing, Beautiful and sun.” Bing answered; most of his attention on King’s wandering fingers that were lightly tracing their way across his jawline and up his cheek.

“That’s not bad considering we’ve only been working for about a week. Its an easier language to speak then understand. A lot of our words can sound similar and if you don’t know all the inflections, it can be quite hard...I said Bing, when I look at your eyes it’s like I’m looking at the sun. It’s breathtakingly beautiful.” King explained dropping his hand slowly a soft smile on his lips. King and Bing sat up in the tree for almost four hours as Bing tried desperately to learn the language. Bing slid down the trunk while King landed gracefully on the floor.both men walked in scilenece for a few minutes towards Ego Inc.

“So what are your plans for tomorrow?” King asked holding the backdoor open for Bing.

Bing shrugged and squeaked “Don’t know?....what are flue doing? Flue flue?” Bing scowled.

“You is like this,” King explained showing Bing how to make the right sounds, “And I have no plans. It’s a Saturday it will be very nice to not have anything definite. Well besides our lesson.”

“Can I take you out?” Bing asked suddenly stopping in the hallway a few feet from the kitchen.

“Take me out?” King asked turning towards Bing a bemused look on his face, “Like on a date?”

“Yeah,” Bing said feeling his face warm. This was another way he wished he was like the Googles, they never blushed.

“Uhh…Sure why not.” King shrugged walking back towards the kitchen the aroma of dinner wafting towards them.

~

Bing ran down the hallway skitting to a halt outside of Bim’s room. He knocked and waited hearing Bim moving inside.

“Yeah?” Bim asked opening the door slowly.

“Look I know we don’t know each other well but we are the same height and same size and I need to look good tonight and you are the first person I could think of.” Bing said in a rush.

“Your the one hanging out with King all the time right?” Bim asked.

Bing nodded, “I’m taking King out tonight and i want to look nice. being in shorts and a tank top wont work for what i have planned.” 

“I should have a pair of jeans and a button up you can barrow.” Bim said. He turned and disappeared into his room. Bing rocked back and forth until Bim came back into view, “Here you go.”

Bing took the cloths then took off back down the hallway to his room. He showerd, dressed then brushed his teeth. He stared at himself in the mirror, “It’s fine he said sure.” He told himself for the fifteenth time. He felt weird in jeans and a button up. There was a soft knock on the bedroom door.

“Why do we have to share a room with you?” Blue hissed as Bing walked thought the room.

“Because this is where Dark put all of us.” Bing threw back at him and opened the door.  He took a breath in and couldn’t help but smile. King stood in the doorway; he wore jeans and a light blue shirt his crown still perched on top of his head and a slight blush on his cheeks.

“You left your glasses off.” King pointed out as Bing closed the door behind him.

“Yeah well…you agreed to come out with me…and you said you liked how they looked.” Bing said quietly.

King pulled Bing into a hug, leaving his arm around his waste, “Where are we going?”

“You’ll need this.” Bing answered handing a sweater over to King, “I’m taking you to see Christmas lights.”

King slid the sweater on, his eyes growing big and his face lighting up with excitement, “Really? Christmas lights are my favorite!”

Bing smiled and led King out of the house. They arrived at the large hotel and began to walk around. Their breath puffed out in front of them while they walked around and looked at the lights. Bing couldn’t keep his eyes off King. Christmas had to be one of the favorite times of year and looking at the lights always made him happy. But King somehow made it better. His excitement was so contagious. By the end of the night King’s hand was held in Bing’s and he had stolen quite a few kisses.

“This is so amazing.” King whispered.

“You made it better.” Bing answered feeling a slight pride in the fact that he had understood King’s entire sentence.

King leaned over and pecked Bing again, “This is so amazing thank you for bringing me.”

“I never want to bring anyone else.” Bing said pulling King into his arms..

King shivered slightly his eyes drifting to the lights again, “Are you ready to go home?”

“Are you?” Bing asked

“Well we’ve seen all the lights at least three times, so I wouldn’t mind going home.” King answered back leaning forward into Bing’s arms.

@tmblr-a-binch @bingiplierdaily

[betweensceneswriter]

Island Hopper - Chapter 4: Skinnydipping

Just what it sounds like. . .

Click Here to Hop to the Table of Contents

Or Read the Entire Work on Archive of Our Own

Previously on Island Hopper Chapter 3 : Hashtag Blessed

The Scots make an effort to be culturally thoughtful for their American friend.

    Leika was one of the most beautiful women I’d ever met, with dark hair and dark eyes, high cheekbones, and the most perfect shade of mocha skin.  She’d already been obviously pregnant when I arrived, even in the body-hiding muumuus she and the other Marshallese women wore.  Now that she was nearly nine months along, she walked with the distinct sway of a very uncomfortably pregnant woman. She smiled as she entered the clinic door, and I quickly ushered her to a chair.

    As I examined Leika, Sharbella explained that women out on Arno didn’t tend to rely on the care of medical professionals to give birth.  The local women had been helping their daughters and granddaughters, sisters and nieces to give birth for centuries.  However, Sharbella told me, Leika wanted me to be there for the birth.  The younger generation put value on Western education and Western medicine.

     “Did you go to the Peace Corps school?” I asked her.

     “Yes,” said Leika shyly.  “But I forget a lot of my English.”

     “Well, I’m still learning Majel,” I said understandingly.  “The children say, ‘Miss Peachay ej ba kon jiddik nin͂nin.”  It made Leika laugh to hear that the local kids still told me I talked like a tiny baby whenever I tried to engage them in conversation.

     “How long you take classes to be nurse?” Leika asked me.

     “Emān iiō,” I said.  “Four years.  And then two more, to become a nurse practitioner.  That means I can do some things a doctor could do.”

    Leika looked at me with wistful admiration.  I wondered what she would have become if she’d grown up in a more westernized culture or a larger place with more job opportunities.

     “Well, this little dude is getting big,” I said, taking the measuring tape off of her belly.  “I’d say you have anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks before he shows up.  First babies tend to decide when they are going to come—and that’s going to be one of three: early, right on time, or really late.”

    Leika looked at Sharbella for the translation, and I smiled apologetically.  With Leika being in her early twenties, it was easy to fall into patterns of talking to her like she could easily understand me.

    I helped her off the exam table, and she smiled.  “I send my brother to get you when time comes.”

     “Good,” I said.  “I am happy to be able to be there to help, and to make sure the baby is healthy.”

    It had been a while since my midwifery rotation, and I wanted to refresh my memory in case Leika went into labor anytime soon, so that evening I sat at the kitchen table with my huge textbooks spread out in front of me.  Today was definitely one time I really missed having access to phones and the internet.  To be able to look up articles, call or email Joe, or watch a video refresher course would have made the process a lot easier.  It felt a little like being back in school, poring over the books and taking notes.  I was grateful, actually, that the local women felt so confident helping in the birthing process, because I’d only been present at a few, and had never presided over a delivery.

    I looked up from scribbling down some suggestions to ease the pain of the mother during labor as well as the basic time line for the phases of delivery to see Jamie staring at me from his spot on the bed where he had been reading a novel, now leaning back against several pillows, a half-smile on his face.

     “I never knew that I could feel this way about a person.  My heart aches, just looking at ye.  Will you come over here so I can hold ye?” He had such longing on his face, my own heart responded with a similar ache.

    Grateful for any excuse to leave the dry academic reading behind, I walked over to the bed.  Jamie reached out his hand to me, and ushered me into his arms.  His chest beneath his tee shirt was warm, and the arm behind me was warm.  I felt slightly sticky.

But, you know, he’s actually wearing a tee shirt.  And she has clothes on.

     “It’s so hot,” I groaned.  “I think you and I should live at the North Pole, just so we can cuddle as much as we want to.”

    Jamie’s chest leapt under my ear as he chuckled. “Scotland might be cold enough,” he offered.

     ���Is it?” I asked.  “I’ve never been.”

     “Hmm.  I have an idea,” Jamie whispered into my hair.  “Do ye want to go skinny-dipping, Ripalle? If we get cold, it’ll feel good to cuddle each other…”

    I met his eyes, raised my eyebrows, and with a suggestive smile on my face I reached across him to turn off the lamp.

    We giggled as we turned off the remaining lights and stripped off our clothes.  In the darkness, I reached for Jamie, finding his hot flesh grown even warmer with his excitement.  He gasped as I ran my hands down his firm body, pulling him to me as I grabbed his backside.

     “Sure you want to go out there?” I asked, as he stroked my hips, then cupped my breast and groaned.

     “Aye,” he said, removing his hands from me.  “‘Tis a boyhood fantasy come true if we do.”

    We wrapped ourselves in towels, and I grabbed a sheet, thinking that should we decide to make love on the beach, I’d rather not get sand in my crevices.

    It was a challenge to avoid descending into laughter and alerting our neighbors, but we managed to feel our way across the yard in the darkness.  Then we dropped our towels at the crest of the beach, Jamie leading me by the hand into the ocean.  Our one concession to safety was that both of us were wearing water shoes.  It would be no laughing matter to step on a sea urchin or poisonous cone shell.

    The tide was on the low side, so we had to wade out a distance before the water reached Jamie’s chest.  By that time it would have been up to my neck, but before then Jamie had put his arms around me, I wrapped my legs around him, and he muscled both of us through the water.  The air was cooler, and the water felt nearly cold, so I relished having the heat of Jamie’s body against mine.

    Jamie stopped walking finally, and began exploring my curves with his hands.  “Oh, Claire,” he started to wax poetic, as he was wont to do when the nearness of my body was driving him mad. “Your body is so luscious…your breasts like…”

     “Shut up and kiss me,” I said, pulling my body closer to his.  In the darkness, I focused on sensations: the slow surge of cold waves making us sway together, the soft pressure of Jamie’s mouth on mine, his tongue exploring the perimeter of my lips, gently tasting my tongue.  He cupped my buttocks and lifted me higher, bringing my cleavage up towards his mouth, sampling the skin under my ear, my neck, and my collarbone.  As he drew one nipple between his lips, electric shocks traveled from my breasts to my groin.  Jamie latched on to my nipple, suckling me until I could feel the pressure of arousal flood my abdomen.

     “God, Jamie,” I said, lifting his face up towards me, wrapping my arms around him and clinging to him with my legs. I felt desperate for him to enter me, but inwardly acknowledged to myself that he often spent so much time on me that he didn’t get a chance to receive.

     “Take us shallower,” I gasped, trying to slow myself down so I could focus on him.   He obeyed, returning to a depth where I could again stand, putting me at just the right height to lick the salt water from his nipples and reach my hands around to grab his muscular ass.

    Both of us laughed at precisely the same moment, which made us pull apart for a split second, and each offer our own explanations.

     “I love knowing exactly how much you want me,” I murmured into his damp chest hair, running my hand down his belly to seize the clear evidence.

    A chuckle rumbled through Jamie’s chest. “I was just wondering if there was a dangerous level of being aroused.  I feel like I’m going to burst.  Or pass out, one of the two.”

     “To shore, then?” I asked. “I only foresee a sandy disaster or dual drowning if we try to make love out here.” Jamie laughed in response.

    We sloshed back to shore, stopped frequently by the magnetic pull of each others’ bodies and lips.  It took a few minutes, but we found our towels and dried ourselves off…slightly.  Jamie was desperate for me now, and dropping his towel, he lifted me as if I weighed nothing, and with my towel still around me, he pressed me against the rough bark of the closest coconut palm.  With his arms holding my thighs, Jamie grunted, easing himself in partway, and then withdrawing.

     “Christ, yer so wet you’re practically dripping,” he moaned, the next few slow strokes proving he was not exaggerating.

    I grabbed him around the neck, supporting my weight slightly, as the pace of his movements and his volume indicated he was very close.

     “It’s no working for ye?” he panted. “I dinna think I can wa…” He spasmed, jarring my back against the tree repeatedly, and ending with one crushing thrust, then gently releasing me to the ground.

     “I’m sorry, Claire,” he murmured.  “Did I hurt ye?  I was rough.   And I didna wait for ye.”

     “Don’t apologize,” I said.  “That was sexy.  I just…”

    He was on his knees in front of me before I could finish my sentence.  This time it was me panting and moaning as he explored me with his tongue and fingers, caressing my rear and thighs with his strong hands.  My climax announced itself with whimpering gasps, and when I had ceased my shaking, Jamie kissed me on the thigh and stood up.

    I clung to him for a moment until my own lightheadedness faded.

     “That was somethin’,” I whispered.  Jamie laughed, we gathered up towels and the sheet, and headed back into the house.

    Back in the apartment, we met each others’ eyes in amusement as we each returned to our former tasks.  Jamie wrapped himself in his sarong, but I was still feeling damp and sat down at the table with my towel wrapped around me.

    After just a few minutes of silence, though, Jamie spoke.  “Christ, Ripālle, you are so sexy.” He stared at me from his spot on the bed, shaking his head.

     “Says the man on the deserted island,” I grinned back at him.  “Flatterer.”

    I noticed then that Jamie looked uncomfortable, needing to speak.  “I’ve been wondering something, and I want ye to be honest wi’ me, even if it hurts me.”

     “Absolutely, Jamie.  What do you want to know?”

     “Did ye make love to Frank, to say goodbye?” He was struggling to meet my eyes.

     “No!” I exclaimed earnestly.  “What made you ask that?”

     “I just…when I first heard about Frank, when I first met you, I couldna understand how a man could let his fiancé leave him behind.  And that was before I had any idea what making love wi’ ye was like, what you were like as a sexual partner.”

     “Well, honestly, Jamie, I wasn’t this kind of sexual partner with Frank.”

    Jamie looked taken aback.  “What do ye mean?” he asked.

    I felt slightly embarrassed, and didn’t want to expose Frank to judgment.  “You are eager, enthusiastic, generous, and very complimentary, and that inspires me to generosity as well.  Frank and I had kind of gotten in a rut.  Sex was good, but pretty routine.  What we have together is anything but that.”

    Jamie had been looking down at his hands with a shy smile, but then he met my eyes with an intense gaze. “Still, Claire, how would any man who had ever been with ye keep his hands off you?  And you and Frank were even in a hotel room together.  Didn’t he try?”

     “He did kiss me,” I admitted.  “He wanted to see how I responded to him.”

     “And did you respond to him?  Did you want to make love to him?”

    I looked at Jamie, inwardly debating whether he could handle the truth. “I didn’t feel like I used to, but I considered it.  He was so sad.  That’s how I used to comfort him.”

    Jamie’s face was stricken.

     “But I couldn’t, Jamie,” I insisted, leaving the table and coming to sit by him on the bed.  “I didn’t want to.  It would have been cheating on you.”

     “Aye,” he said, nodding his head.

     “You knew you were taking that risk when you sent me, Jamie,” I said. “How did you do that?”

     “I kent it was risky,” he said.  “And I did feel a fool once you were gone.  Murtagh said I definitely was one; that if I’d been in my right mind I would never have let you go.”

     “You trusted me, Jamie,” I said.  “That meant a lot to me.  And it made me choose–it made me decide what was most important to me.  Even though I didn’t want to go with Frank, you were right to force me.”

     “I just wondered.  Cause the next day, you were crying when we made love.  And I wondered if maybe ye felt guilty.  Or sad about Frank.”

     “No, I just feel a lot, now that I’ve come back.  I’m grateful for someone who loves me so fully, who focuses on me.”

    Jamie still looked disconcerted.  “You loved Frank once, and you stopped.  I dinna want to, but sometimes I find myself wondering: how can I know you won’t change your mind?”

    I turned to Jamie, and grasped both his hands in mine.  Looking in his eyes, I said, “Til death parts us—and maybe even past then.”

    His blue eyes were wide as he looked at me.

     “It’s a vow, Jamie,” I said.  “We have something special here.  It’s worth protecting.  It’s worth fighting for.  When I proposed marriage, you said marriage wasn’t something you took lightly.  That when you got married it would be forever.  Well, I promise that, too.”

    He stroked my hands with his, running his long fingers over the simple gold band on my third finger.

     “Til death parts us –and even past then,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss on my lips.  Then he lay back against the pillows, and I reclined next to him.

     “So, you joked about moving to the North Pole,” Jamie said.  “Have you thought much about the future?”

     “Not really,” I said.  “In Boston, I was just focused on school and then work.  Every once in a while I thought about what it would be like to have kids.   But I wasn’t much of a dreamer back then, though I’ve always wanted to be an adventurer. How about you?”

     “I dinna ken, really.  I know I like kids.  I know I love you.  I miss Scotland, but I dinna ken if I’ll be able to go back there, with my record.  But, I want to do something good, ye know?  Like, there’s already enough evil in the world.  I want to be good.”

    I snuggled under his arm, the residual chill from the ocean making me relish Jamie’s internal furnace.  “Well, we both chose service professions.  Helping people, healing people, teaching people.  Nursing and teaching are both flexible careers, which we could take anywhere in the world.  But for the present, we’re here.  In this incredible, beautiful place, with each other.”

     “Aye,” said Jamie.  “And that’s good enough, for now.  Whether we adventure in the future will be up to both of us.”

    I sighed in his arms, relishing the thought that no matter what life brought, I would have this.  Suddenly I wanted to look at him, so I sat up, letting my eyes settle on his face, the strong jawline with a little bit of reddish scruff.  The thoughtful blue eyes, under eyebrows that currently were asking me why I was looking at him.  I reached up to touch one of his red curls, still damp from our ocean adventure.  And then I looked at his chest, the muscles of his abdomen, the cut of his hipbones, the strong lines of his thighs beneath the sarong, his copper leg hair, and his long toes.  Having filled my eyes with my handsome husband, I lay back down again.

     “Now, what was that?” he laughed, as I leaned against him again.

     “You’re so handsome, Jamie.  I like to look at you,” I said, feeling him chuckle beneath me.  “I was just thinking that even if I don’t know what the future will hold, I’m pretty happy about the person who will be there with me.”

     “My turn,” he said.  “But I need you naked.”

     “That’s not necessary,” I responded, instinctively bringing my hands up to where the towel was tucked in at my chest.  “Besides, we already had sex.”

     “I just want to take in your beauty,” he said.  “Nothing sexual about it.  Like seeing a nude statue in a museum.”

    I hesitated.

    “Will ye please?” he asked, eyes twinkling, raising his eyebrows.  “Ye did tell me the other day that I was to enjoy you with my eyes.”

    “Tsk,” I rolled my eyes.  “You would use my own words against me.”  I rested my head on one hand.  “Okay, unwrap me.”

    From the care he took in untucking the towel and uncovering me, I got a feeling that Jamie was a child who didn’t destroy the wrapping paper on Christmas morning.  Then he took his own turn gazing up and down at me, a look of longing, love, and pained desire on his face.  He met my eyes in a question, and I nodded.  As he continued to caress me with his eyes, he reached out his hand and stroked my body, his fingers gentle and warm. The directness of his gaze was almost disconcerting, so I lay back against the pillows and closed my eyes, focusing on his touch, like angels’ wings on my skin.

   “Claire,” he whispered.  I opened my eyes, to see his face inches from mine. “I dinna think I could love ye any more than I do right now,” he said, leaning in to seal our union, again, with a kiss.

On to  Chapter 5 : Telephone

Jamie does a science project with his students.

[littlemaatta]

Lowkey - Bryan Rust x Reader

Anonymous said: Since you're taking requests, could I request a bryan rust imagine where you guys are secretly dating because you're someone on the teams sister and you don't want to tell them yet but you're all at a party and you and him are trying to be lowkey and some guy keeps hitting on you so he gets jealous and finally admits that you guys are dating and it ends really cute? Sorry this is so long! Thank you!

A/N: Oh thank you so much for this request! I LOVE Bryan Rust with all of my soul. I also picked Conor to be her brother bc I love that boy. a lot. okay well enjoy! and yes, a boy named adam has wronged me in the past which explains the boy. also damn this is rly long lol oops. 

I recommend watching this video before you read ;)

Warnings: language, drinking, creepy boy, sexual comments/innuendos, 

Word Count: ~1,500

Being the sister of Conor Sheary had it’s perks. Free tickets to games, great seats, meeting some amazing people, getting to ride in the Stanley Cup parade last year alongside your big brother. 

Not to mention that Conor is such a great brother, he is always there for you and you’ve been best friends for your entire lives. Being only a year apart in age, the two of you are very close.

But being the sister of an NHL star, also came with its downsides. The main one being that you fell for one of his teammates and were very afraid to tell your older brother.

Bryan Rust. You and Bryan started talking one night after a game. After winning, some of the guys went out for drinks and Conor brought you along. While Conor was busy dancing with his girlfriend, you were sitting next to Bryan and the two of you got to talking. 

You realized that you had a lot in common and he was just very fun to talk to. By the end of the night Conor had ditched you to go home with Jordan and Bryan offered to drive you home since your brother had been your ride. 

When he pulled up in front of your apartment building he nervously asked if he could have your number and of course you gladly gave it to him. 

From there, you two texted frequently until Bryan finally asked you on a date. 

You’ve been together ever since. The only problem with your perfect relationship is that it has to be kept secret. Both you and Bryan agree that telling Conor might not be the best idea. So you kept it hidden..

You pull up to Sidney’s house and Conor parks the car in the street. Tons of other cars are already lining the street. You climb out of the car  and cross the street to Sid’s house with Conor by your side. 

As soon as you walk in, Sid greets you and your brother with a wide grin. 

Conor disappears as you start a conversation with the captain. 

After talking to him for a minute, you ask if he has seen Bryan anywhere and he raises a brow but points you in the direction where he last saw your boyfriend. 

You thank him and walk away in the direction Sid gave you. 

You soon find Bryan, dancing with Hagelin to a Fergie song, no surprise, and you laugh as you watch them. 

He glances in your direction and winks at you and you shake your head, laughing harder. 

“G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S” Bryan and Carl use their arms to make the letters as Fergie says them. 

You grab a beer and crack it open as you continue to watch Bryan. 

“We flying the first class, up in the sky Poppin' champagne, livin' the life In the fast lane and I wont change By the Glamorous, oh the flossy flossy”

Bryan and Carl continue to dance, singing along and having almost a choreographed routine to the song. The whole thing is extremely amusing to you as you watch with your drink in your hand.

“Hey there, beautiful.” a deep voice says from beside you and you glance over, seeing a stranger and you only nod in response as you turn back to watching your boyfriend. 

The man doesn’t take the hint however, and tries to start up a conversation with you. “Name’s Adam. What’s yours?” 

“Y/N.” you answer, reluctantly. 

“Pretty name for a pretty girl.” you cringe internally at his use of such a cliché line. 

You nod and look at him from the corner of your eye. 

“I know those guys. We’re pretty good friends.” he says, referring to Carl and Bryan in a failed attempt to impress you after noticing that you were watching them. You raise a brow, skeptical that this man you’ve never met before would know Bryan, much less be ‘pretty good friends’ with him. 

“Hm, really? So do I.” you answer, taking a sip of your drink. 

“Oh, really?” he says, seeming to regret his lie. 

“Mmhm.” you hum in response, seeing Bryan look over at you while still dancing. You share a look with him and shake your head as subtly as possible, telling him not to do anything that will reveal your secret.

The song finally ends and Bryan moves to stand next to some of the other guys and continues to watch you and the stranger. 

The man continues talking to you, not leaving you any opportunity to politely bow out of the conversation. 

“Dude, who’s that guy talking to Y/N?” Dumo asks Bryan. 

“I don’t know.” Bryan answers, his voice low. 

Finally, you are presented with an opportunity to leave the conversation when Maureen Kunitz, bless her soul, sees you struggling and walks over, starting up a conversation with you. The man stands silently for a moment as you talk to Maureen and then, realizing she isn’t leaving anytime soon, says a quick ‘See ya later, gorgeous’ with a wink and then walks away. 

“See ya later gorgeous?” Maureen repeats once he is out of earshot, doubling over in laughter. 

“When does he think he will see me?” you say, laughing with her.

You thank Maureen for saving you and then part ways, her going to find Chris and you walking over to Bryan and the other guys he is with. Hags, Cole, and Dumo greet you with smiles. 

“Who was that guy there, Y/N?” Dumo asks, raising his brows suggestively, not knowing that the other Bryan right next to him was the only guy you actually wanted to talk to. 

“No one. At all. Hope I never see him again in my life.” you respond, looking at your boyfriend briefly. 

The three men laugh and then change the topic which you are grateful for. You look at Bryan again and give him a small smile.

He returns it but it doesn’t seem whole hearted. You sigh, knowing he’s angry that he can’t publicly be your boyfriend yet. It’s something that bothers him frequently, especially when other guys flirt with you.

~~

Later, you are in the backyard, by the pool in search of your brother. Until your search is rudely interrupted by none other than Mr. ‘See ya later gorgeous’ coming up beside you and wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

“Hey gorgeous, miss me?” you sigh as the words leave his mouth and are about to put the poor boy out of his misery and attempt to let him down easily but before you can say a word, your boyfriend lets himself into the conversation.

Bryan steps up to you and pushes Adam off of you. “Get your hands off her.” Bryan snaps at the man.  

“And why would I ever do that?” Adam responds with a sly smirk. You crinkle your nose in disgust. 

Bryan grits his teeth together and steps closer to Adam and you grab his arm to stop him from hitting the guy. 

“Bry, stop. Just let it go.” you say quietly, your hands wrapped around his arm, pulling him away. 

“Oh I get it,” Adam chuckles. You continue walking away, pulling an angry Bryan along with you. “Hey, sweetheart, when you get bored with him, call me!” Adam yells from behind you. 

A low growl emits from your boyfriends throat but before he can move to punch the man, you grab his face and kiss him. Successfully distracting him and pissing off Adam enough that he finally walks away, but also very unsuccessfully keeping your relationship a secret. 

“Y/N?” you hear your brother’s voice, making you pull away from Bryan quickly. 

“Hey, Con. Um... I can explain.” you stutter, looking up at your brother nervously. 

“No need. I saw the whole thing. How long have you been dating?” Conor asks calmly, completely shocking you as you thought he would be angry with you for dating a teammate. 

“About 4 months now.” Bryan answers, rubbing the back of his neck, just as nervous as you are and still angry about the persistent guy.

“Congrats, wish you told me sooner, sis,” he says, with a large smile.

“I-I thought you’d be mad?” 

Conor chuckles, “Nah, you guys are good together. I’m happy for you.” he opens his arms for a hug and you gladly return it. 

“Thanks, Conor.” you say after pulling away. 

He nods and turns to walk away but stops and turns back around to look at Bryan. “Rusty, I like you. But if you ever hurt her..” he trails off and Bryan laughs nervously, nodding to show that he knows where the sentence was headed. 

“I would never.” he answers sincerely, making you smile. 

Conor nods, satisfied with his answer, and then walks back into the house. 

You move closer to Bryan again and take both of his hands in yours. “I’m sorry that I kept this a secret for so long. I was scared that Conor wouldn’t approve and I didn’t want to lose my brother or you.” 

“I know. But it’s out now, so it’s okay. Now I can proudly show off my beautiful girlfriend wherever I go.” you smile at that and lean into him. 

He wraps his arm around your shoulder and places a kiss on your temple, leading you back inside and heading straight for the improvised dance floor to choreograph a routine for another Fergie song; but this time, you get to help. 

[tanmath3-blog]

Konstantine Paradias is a writer by choice. At the moment, he’s published over 100 stories in English, Japanese, Romanian,German, Dutch and Portuguese and has worked in a freelancing capacity for video games, screenplays and anthologies.

People tell him he’s got a writing problem but he can, like, quit whenever he wants, man. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

  1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story?

While I can’t be 100% certain, i think I wrote my first story (by way of crayons on notepaper and sticker-rebuses) when I was about 5. It was a collaborative effort with my brother, who was 3, while we were rebooting one of our earlier imaginary playmates, DUCKIE. He wasn’t too bad, but he just lacked the oomph we needed to push him into a franchise.

So we ended up with KITTENCHILDE (first name Mordecai), the richest kitten in the world. He was born with a silver cat toy dangling in front of his face, hated work, controlled the world’s economy and was plagued with moocher relatives.

I didn’t really start working on writing another story until I was 14 and my English teacher at the time told me I was hopeless with the language, so I started writing a pretty atrocious, 200k word fanfic starring every character from every game I’d played so far. I’ve since expunged it from the internet since it was absolute cringe but hey, it got the ball rolling.

2. How many books have you written?

Counting all the stuff that didn’t make it off the ground? I’d say around 6, at last count. The first one was a fantasy western story about an android assassin in a steam punk world. It was called STONE COLD COUNTENANCE and it had voodoo and ancient sorcery and demon dogs but it was so poorly written that I had to make it go away.

The second one was a novel that’s currently stuck in rewrite hell, which began as a post apocalyptic body horror novel. I started working on it in 2010 and have since taken off 50k words, added another 30k, re-worked the setting and now it’s slowly turning into the story of a motorized Mongol Horde coming back in the wake of a fossil fuel apocalypse. I call it the CHROME HORDE and I hate it and love it in the same breath.

The third once is a YA novella that’s still stuck between publishers, titled TEENAGE BADASS. It’s the story of Finn, a monster hunter born, who chooses to leaves the magical comfort of her weird family to venture out into the strange world we call our own. Also, it feature time travelling Nazi werewolves.

My fourth book is SORRY, WRONG COUNTRY, which I am immensely proud of, on account of how I was working on it for 8 years and made it happen. It’s a collection of short stories about everyday weirdness in the heart of post-recession Greece.

My fifth book is a pet project I’ve always wanted to get down to, a novella that’s the first in a series I’ve always wanted to get on with. It’s titled VIOLENCE DAVE and it’s all power metal and space marine rage and all that good old ultra-violence.

And finally, the last one is FUTURESUCK, which is coming out by Sybaritic Press and people tell me it’s depressing but I don’t see how: it’s just the story of the worst time traveler ever, whizzing across the time stream after having erased his own timeline while trying to get rich quick and messing it up royally. He can never get back but neither can we and there’s nothing we can do about it.

3. Anything you won’t write about?

Politics. Can’t stand the stuff. It’s toxic and it clings to your skin and if you aren’t careful, people around you are gonna catch it. There’s nothing more stilted and awkward than stopping a story cold in its tracks just to advertise your leanings or tell people why they’re wrong and I wont’ be changing my mind about it anytime soon.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc…

At the risk of dating this interview, I’m 32 at the time and happily married with the only woman I could ever call ‘wife’. No kids yet, but they’re gonna happen. I’m thinking about 6, so I can train them as trapeze artists on the off-chance this writing thing doesn’t work out.

I’ve worked as a sandwich shop worker, owned a small business selling religious icons, worked in marketing, bookstore sales and even spent a spell living full-time off manuscript editing. But if I had to pick a career for myself, I’d cook for a living. People tell me it’s a crap job, but there’s nothing like the sizzle of cooking oil over a fire to get me going in the morning.

Also, waking up at 4am. People can’t stand it, but there’s no sight better than that pre-dawn light, peeking through the cloud cover on a Monday morning.

5. What’s your favorite book you have written?

So far, it’s gotta be SORRY, WRONG COUNTRY. Mostly because I worked on it for 8 years and I rewrote it a thousand times and I was never good enough for it, but I loved working on it and I think it liked the attention.

It’s a collection of stories from regular weirdos, customers and passers-by I got to meet while the country was coming apart around me and I think they kept me from losing it, especially when things turned for the worse. Hell, even if we slip off the edge of the First World, I’ll still have those guys to keep me sane.

6. Who or what inspired you to write?

Like I said, i started because I wanted to piss off my English teacher, but the person that got me into writing was the Sandwich Captain, a man I kept running into at 2am in the morning when I was working in that aforementioned sandwich shop. He was probably the most interesting man in the world and he hated the attention and he was more troubled than Sisyphus.

And I loved him for it.

7. What do you like to do for fun?

Don’t laugh, but I make pickles. Carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and garlic, chili and bell peppers and onions, oh my. Then I check on them in the middle of the night, as if they were children and worry for about two months before I crack them open.

Also, I like to grow stuff. Nothing too major: maybe some peppers, some onions, when I can. Someday, I might just head off to the boonies, live off the land, then come back just in time to regret it.

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book?

Panic. Worry. Tell people. Feel like garbage. Start planning out the next one. Am I doing it right? I don’t think I am doing it right, at all.

9. Where do you write? Quite or music?

Mostly, I write anywhere. I write at work, between handling customers. I write at home, while trying to wrangle dinner. I never had too much time to write since I started doing it earnest, but I can’t stand music, so I guess I need the..noise?

The hum of humanity, the gentle rumble of the kitchen or traffic.

God, if the world ended I don’t think I’d ever write another word.

10. Anything you would change about your writing?

I don’t even know where to begin: personally, I hate my dialogue, think I need tons of work on establishing hooks, am garbage at pacing and overall wouldn’t publish me if it was up to me. Also, I think my research is atrocious and I have a very heavy hand when it comes to editing myself, to the point where I start second guessing to an atrocious degree.

You know what? It’s best I don’t touch anything. I already hate the entire thing.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer?

Famous? With the attention and the interviews and the podcasts and all that jazz? No, just give me enough to live on and a tank of gas-filled from book sales and a settled power bill and I’ll be happy.

But then maybe I’ll just bellyache and wish I had a movie deal by then.

12. Where do you live?

Athens, heart of Greece, birthplace of philosophers and every terrible idea alike, in a little place overlooking the Acropolis, nestled against the hill of Filopappou. On summer nights, we’re lulled to sleep by the distant baying of strays. In winter, beggars form impromptu choruses in street corners.

We swelter in August and we freeze in December and it hasn’t snowed in Christmas since forever, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

13. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Writing itself, I guess. Also, browsing markets, struggling to reach publishers, trying to finagle a story every chance I get.

It might come off as cynical, but I hate writing for myself. I am the worst audience I’ve ever had: I’m awfully judgmental, offer little to no feedback and am an all-around insufferable smartass.

But writing for others? Man oh man, that’s a blast. I love talking to editors or readers, especially, pitching ideas on the sly and searching for that little nod, that semi-indifferent “go for it” sign and know that I wanna give them something they will enjoy.

Hell, even if I bungle it up I’ll get some form of feedback.

  You can connect with Konstantine Paradias here: 

Sorry, Wrong Country Book link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194633507X/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?ie=UTF8&thanksvoting=cr-vote-R103RDQVJM0OMW#R103RDQVJM0OMW.2115.Helpful.Reviews

Shapescapes Editing Services: http://shapescapes.blogspot.in/p/blog-page_34.html

https://www.amazon.com/Konstantine-Paradias/e/B00HT3BJ2Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1501580795&sr=8-1

  Some of Konstantine Paradias’s books:

Getting personal with Konstantine Paradias Konstantine Paradias is a writer by choice. At the moment, he's published over 100 stories in English, Japanese, Romanian,German, Dutch and Portuguese and has…

[tanmath3-blog]

Konstantine Padadias is an extremely nice man and talented author. Writing has been in his blood for a long time and his passion shows. He has a great sense of humor and has even decided that his children will be trapeze artist. We forgot to mention that he doesn’t have kids yet. Of course this made me giggle. If you don’t know him or haven’t read his books please take some time and introduce yourself. Grab one of his books and please remember to leave a review. Please help me welcome Konstantine Padadias to Roadie Notes…..

  1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story?

While I can’t be 100% certain, i think I wrote my first story (by way of crayons on notepaper and sticker-rebuses) when I was about 5. It was a collaborative effort with my brother, who was 3, while we were rebooting one of our earlier imaginary playmates, DUCKIE. He wasn’t too bad, but he just lacked the oomph we needed to push him into a franchise.

So we ended up with KITTENCHILDE (first name Mordecai), the richest kitten in the world. He was born with a silver cat toy dangling in front of his face, hated work, controlled the world’s economy and was plagued with moocher relatives.

I didn’t really start working on writing another story until I was 14 and my English teacher at the time told me I was hopeless with the language, so I started writing a pretty atrocious, 200k word fanfic starring every character from every game I’d played so far. I’ve since expunged it from the internet since it was absolute cringe but hey, it got the ball rolling.

2. How many books have you written?

Counting all the stuff that didn’t make it off the ground? I’d say around 6, at last count. The first one was a fantasy western story about an android assassin in a steam punk world. It was called STONE COLD COUNTENANCE and it had voodoo and ancient sorcery and demon dogs but it was so poorly written that I had to make it go away.

The second one was a novel that’s currently stuck in rewrite hell, which began as a post apocalyptic body horror novel. I started working on it in 2010 and have since taken off 50k words, added another 30k, re-worked the setting and now it’s slowly turning into the story of a motorized Mongol Horde coming back in the wake of a fossil fuel apocalypse. I call it the CHROME HORDE and I hate it and love it in the same breath.

The third once is a YA novella that’s still stuck between publishers, titled TEENAGE BADASS. It’s the story of Finn, a monster hunter born, who chooses to leaves the magical comfort of her weird family to venture out into the strange world we call our own. Also, it feature time travelling Nazi werewolves.

My fourth book is SORRY, WRONG COUNTRY, which I am immensely proud of, on account of how I was working on it for 8 years and made it happen. It’s a collection of short stories about everyday weirdness in the heart of post-recession Greece.

My fifth book is a pet project I’ve always wanted to get down to, a novella that’s the first in a series I’ve always wanted to get on with. It’s titled VIOLENCE DAVE and it’s all power metal and space marine rage and all that good old ultra-violence.

And finally, the last one is FUTURESUCK, which is coming out by Sybaritic Press and people tell me it’s depressing but I don’t see how: it’s just the story of the worst time traveler ever, whizzing across the time stream after having erased his own timeline while trying to get rich quick and messing it up royally. He can never get back but neither can we and there’s nothing we can do about it.

3. Anything you won’t write about?

Politics. Can’t stand the stuff. It’s toxic and it clings to your skin and if you aren’t careful, people around you are gonna catch it. There’s nothing more stilted and awkward than stopping a story cold in its tracks just to advertise your leanings or tell people why they’re wrong and I wont’ be changing my mind about it anytime soon.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc…

At the risk of dating this interview, I’m 32 at the time and happily married with the only woman I could ever call ‘wife’. No kids yet, but they’re gonna happen. I’m thinking about 6, so I can train them as trapeze artists on the off-chance this writing thing doesn’t work out.

I’ve worked as a sandwich shop worker, owned a small business selling religious icons, worked in marketing, bookstore sales and even spent a spell living full-time off manuscript editing. But if I had to pick a career for myself, I’d cook for a living. People tell me it’s a crap job, but there’s nothing like the sizzle of cooking oil over a fire to get me going in the morning.

Also, waking up at 4am. People can’t stand it, but there’s no sight better than that pre-dawn light, peeking through the cloud cover on a Monday morning.

5. What’s your favorite book you have written?

So far, it’s gotta be SORRY, WRONG COUNTRY. Mostly because I worked on it for 8 years and I rewrote it a thousand times and I was never good enough for it, but I loved working on it and I think it liked the attention.

It’s a collection of stories from regular weirdos, customers and passers-by I got to meet while the country was coming apart around me and I think they kept me from losing it, especially when things turned for the worse. Hell, even if we slip off the edge of the First World, I’ll still have those guys to keep me sane.

6. Who or what inspired you to write?

Like I said, i started because I wanted to piss off my English teacher, but the person that got me into writing was the Sandwich Captain, a man I kept running into at 2am in the morning when I was working in that aforementioned sandwich shop. He was probably the most interesting man in the world and he hated the attention and he was more troubled than Sisyphus.

And I loved him for it.

7. What do you like to do for fun?

Don’t laugh, but I make pickles. Carrots, cucumbers, cabbage and garlic, chili and bell peppers and onions, oh my. Then I check on them in the middle of the night, as if they were children and worry for about two months before I crack them open.

Also, I like to grow stuff. Nothing too major: maybe some peppers, some onions, when I can. Someday, I might just head off to the boonies, live off the land, then come back just in time to regret it.

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book?

Panic. Worry. Tell people. Feel like garbage. Start planning out the next one. Am I doing it right? I don’t think I am doing it right, at all.

9. Where do you write? Quite or music?

Mostly, I write anywhere. I write at work, between handling customers. I write at home, while trying to wrangle dinner. I never had too much time to write since I started doing it earnest, but I can’t stand music, so I guess I need the..noise?

The hum of humanity, the gentle rumble of the kitchen or traffic.

God, if the world ended I don’t think I’d ever write another word.

10. Anything you would change about your writing? I don’t even know where to begin: personally, I hate my dialogue, think I need tons of work on establishing hooks, am garbage at pacing and overall wouldn’t publish me if it was up to me. Also, I think my research is atrocious and I have a very heavy hand when it comes to editing myself, to the point where I start second guessing to an atrocious degree.

You know what? It’s best I don’t touch anything. I already hate the entire thing.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer?

Famous? With the attention and the interviews and the podcasts and all that jazz? No, just give me enough to live on and a tank of gas-filled from book sales and a settled power bill and I’ll be happy.

But then maybe I’ll just bellyache and wish I had a movie deal by then.

12. Where do you live?

Athens, heart of Greece, birthplace of philosophers and every terrible idea alike, in a little place overlooking the Acropolis, nestled against the hill of Filopappou. On summer nights, we’re lulled to sleep by the distant baying of strays. In winter, beggars form impromptu choruses in street corners.

We swelter in August and we freeze in December and it hasn’t snowed in Christmas since forever, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.

13. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

Writing itself, I guess. Also, browsing markets, struggling to reach publishers, trying to finagle a story every chance I get.

It might come off as cynical, but I hate writing for myself. I am the worst audience I’ve ever had: I’m awfully judgmental, offer little to no feedback and am an all-around insufferable smartass.

But writing for others? Man oh man, that’s a blast. I love talking to editors or readers, especially, pitching ideas on the sly and searching for that little nod, that semi-indifferent “go for it” sign and know that I wanna give them something they will enjoy.

Hell, even if I bungle it up I’ll get some form of feedback.

  You can connect with https:Konstantine Padadias here: Sorry, Wrong Country Book link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194633507X/ref=cm_cr_dpvoterdr?ie=UTF8&thanksvoting=cr-vote-R103RDQVJM0OMW#R103RDQVJM0OMW.2115.Helpful.Reviews

Shapescapes Editing Services: http://shapescapes.blogspot.in/p/blog-page_34.html

  Some of Konstantine Padadias’s books:

Getting personal with Konstantine Padadias Konstantine Padadias is an extremely nice man and talented author. Writing has been in his blood for a long time and his passion shows.