#i receive compliments on my emails all the time actually

[kragehund-est]

i pride myself in my writing abilities, but the only things i ever have to write are emails and tumblr posts. i remain underappreciated.

[mattsenthusiast]

𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖙𝖙𝖞 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖔𝖓𝖑𝖞 𝖔𝖓 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊𝖗𝖆~ Matt Sturniolo

Word count: 5330

Summary: The reader gets hired as a photographer for her favourite band. Matt can’t help but be extremely interested in the girl, which leads to him making a bold move on stage.

Warnings: smut smut SMUT, smut with plot though, BDSM; slapping, hair pulling, tying up, blindfold, pain kink, exhibition kink and breath play if you squint, sub!Matt and dom!Reader, mommy kink, nicknames, use of vibrator, oral (m and f receiving), degrading, praising, finger sucking, cum feeding, face sitting, semi-public sex, unprotected sex (wrap it up guys), p in v, the bands name being ,,The Fingerers” is hilarious

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The feeling that was flowing through my veins probably could not be described with words. One of my favorite bands ,,The Fingerers” was having a show in my city, so how could I pass such an occasion? But just being there would not give me the satisfaction I needed, since I was a professional photographer, why not send my portfolio to the venue with proposition to be a scene cameraman?

I didn’t expect much but it was always worth a shot. So when I actually got an email back saying that they would gladly hire me for the time of the concert, I was on cloud nine.

The thought of being so close to them was overtaking my mind. The show was still a week ahead, but it didn’t stop me from planning stuff the whole time. I made sure that everything was perfect- from my equipment to my appearance. Come on I couldn’t pass a chance to look my best in front of the Sturniolos. They were insanely attractive so I obviously had to reach their level if I’m going to stand next to them. Also I can’t hide the fact that I have a thing for the guitarist Matt.

And here I am now, standing in the backstage and about to meet all three of the band members. I anxiously swayed from one leg to another and began fidgeting with the hem of my skirt that reached to my mid thigh.

I was very pleased with my outfit. It was an all black, considering that it was a rock concert and I didn’t want to be too out of place with some light colored clothes. I had a corset top that was paired with the skirt. I wore a big leather jacket over it to add this outfit a little bit more personality. The base was paired with fishnets and high, massive boots that made me taller than I already was and I also added some chains to top it all.

I felt super good with the way I looked today and it was definitely a big confidence boost.

Suddenly I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the door opening and saw three familiar faces in the frame. Nick was the first one to enter the room, when he noticed me there he immediately started talking to me.

,,Hey! You must be the photographer for the show, am I right? I’m Nick and these two behind me are Matt and Chris” he said while pointing to the guys. I looked at them and Chris gave me a wave and smile while Matt just stared at me with his arms crossed on his chest.

Holy fuck and did he look hot as hell. His black, sleeveless shirt was exposing his toned, tattooed arms and collarbones that were begging for me to just bite into them. He also had a leather jacket draped over his right shoulder and a necklace dangling from his neck. I scanned down and my eyes landed on his hands, his fucking long fingered and ringed hands. I was sure that one touch from them could kill me and make me never want to have anything or anyone else touch me. He looked like an absolute daydream. My gaze landed on his face and my breathing stopped for a good second, he was wearing a fucking eyeliner that perfectly compliment his features. My heart could surely be heard from across the room.

I cleared my throat to get back to reality and looked back at Nick ,,yes I’m y/n I’m a big fan of your music guys, I can’t wait to take some damn good pictures for you” I laughed slightly to seem less awkward and he smiled back at me.

Chris walked up to Nick ,,Okay so we need to set up and we’re ready to go in a few. See you there” he gave me a quick hug and walked past me. It wasn’t long until the two other guys followed his lead, but I couldn’t help but notice Matt’s eyes piercing into me as he walked by. My mind was sabotaging me with all of the thoughts that were wildly running through it.

When I turned around and I couldn’t see them anymore I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Fuck this is going to be a long night.

Since I still had a bit of time before the show starts I decided to check if my camera was working. Just as I was about to snap a test picture I saw Matt appearing from the back of the curtains. He was humming a song, not looking into my direction at first, but when he picked up one of the last speakers and turned around to leave, his stare landed on me. He stopped right in front of my camera while I hit the button and the familiar snapping sound was heard. Without any word he just walked away with a smirk placed on his lips.

I looked at the photo I had just taken and fuck the camera was working well. Maybe a little bit too good even, I couldn’t pull my eyes from the sight on the screen. His damn arms are going to be the death of me tonight. I took a deep breath and looked at my phone to check the time. There was about 5 minutes left until we have to start so I took my camera, extra lenses and batteries just in case, and made my way onto the stage.

The venue was prepared fabulously, the lights matched perfectly with the vibe of the band and a screen behind the instruments was showing a big writing that said ,,The Fingerers” in a sharp font.

The boys were already in their places, waiting for the material to be lifted in less than three minutes. Chris was adjusting the microphone in front of him, Nick was hitting invisible drums with his sticks and Matt was tuning his guitar.

I gave them one last smile before making my way to the side where I was supposed to start filming.

The curtains were being lifted as the guys started playing their first song of the night. A huge wave of screaming fans could be heard along with the music. I was glad that I had some headphones on my head because otherwise a headache that would appear later would kill me.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t looking at Matt the whole time, the way his fingers swiftly ran across the strings of the guitar was filling my mind with so many unholy thoughts. I could feel myself becoming wet and had to press my legs together for a bit of friction.

I didn’t even notice when the first song ended and they smoothly transitioned to another one. I needed to take some individual shots of them all so I made my way towards the middle, starting with Nick and his drums. I made sure to catch a good shot of him head banging to the beat and spinning his drumstick in his right hand.

I started walking backwards and turned the camera towards Chris. At that exact moment his eyes were closed as he was gripping the base of the microphone, but when he opened them he turned his head towards me and smiled. After a second his whole body was turned into my direction and he took a step closer. I couldn’t say that it didn’t make me internally screaming because it definitely did.

Then suddenly I felt someone’s back being pressed to mine. I tilted my head slightly to the side only to see Matt’s face being inches apart from mine. I bit my lips and pulled the camera’s attention from Chris to him.

His hair was sticking to his forehead from the heat of the room and his eyeliner was slightly smudged as well. It was time for his guitar solo, but then he did something that I would’ve never expected. He looked right into my eyes and winked at me as he slowly made his way onto his knees, without breaking the eye contact. He flawlessly played the song while throwing his head back with his lips slightly parted.

If I wasn’t weak before then I definitely was now. I was practically fucking him with my eyes. The lust on my face was so visible and the wetness in my underwear was begging to be taken care of. The solo was coming to an end and right when he played the last cords he slightly lifted his body while still being on his knees and threw his head and arms to the back.

Not even five seconds passed when he looked back into my eyes while panting heavily and smirking sinfully. His hands made their way to the back of my thighs, right under my skirt to help himself stand up. Our bodies were so close I could feel him pressing against me. I let out a quiet gasp as he laughed and walked away, getting back to playing.

Matt was such a heavy distraction for me during the show. The glances and smiles he was sending me could easily put me into coma, but I had to stay on the ground for the sake of getting the money from my job. I was so focused on him to the point where I didn’t even realize that they played three other songs and it was time for a break. As the curtains were getting closed I started to make my way to the backstage, just to be stopped by someone. Of course it was Matt, how could it not be.

,,hey guys I’m gonna go to the van really quick because I need to get something. You don’t mind going with me, do you?” he said while looking into my eyes. The eye contact was so intense, I couldn’t even bring myself to let any words fall from my mouth so I just nodded my head. Just after I made that gesture he took my hand into his and led me somewhere to an unknown for me direction.

,,uhhhh sorry but I think the parking lot is on the other si-“ I got cut off by being pressed to a door and feeling Matt’s lips on mine. The piece of wood behind me was soon opened and he dragged me inside of the room, that later turned out to be a bathroom.

His lips were moving against mine smoothly yet so roughly. I could feel his teeth biting my bottom lip and our noses bumping together. If kissing Matt wasn’t a drug then it absolutely should be counted as one. I couldn’t pull away even if I wanted to. One of his hands was on my neck and the other one was grazing the skin under my shirt. We were panting heavily as my hands made their way from his neck to his hair. In the heat of the moment I pulled on it and I was cut off guard from the noise that has fallen from his mouth.

He just fucking moaned

This situation made me separate from him, as a smirk appeared on my face. ,,Looks like someone has a thing for having his hair pulled. I wonder if there’s more things that I can get out of you” I moved closer to his ear, so I can whisper to it. ,,Maybe if I slapped your pretty face then you’d enjoy it too, or if I tied you up and put a blindfold over your eyes so you’d have no control of what’s happening, would you like that? I bet you’d take it so well, like a good boy that you are. You’ve got such a innocent look in your eyes but deep down, you’re just a fucking slut, that would do anything just to have his face buried into something.” The words full of praise yet so degrading were flowing out of my mouth so effortlessly. It was easy to talk like this to a man that just looks like he could be destroyed.

His lips were open now and he was quite literally speechless. I couldn’t help but chuckled at his state and took an advantage of it and turned us around, so now his back was pressed to the door. I took one hand from his hair and brought it to his black pants. It was clear that he was already hard. As i was palming his clothed dick, my lips made its way to his neck as I started to leave wet and warm trail of kisses on his neck. And oh boy when I tell you that he was vocal. His moans and whimpers were music to my ears.

,,please, pleasee- fuck” he struggled to speak ,,If you don’t stop soon I’ll cum into my pants ma, please” he was begging so beautifully and it only encouraged me to keep giving him pleasure.

,,hmmm but you’d like that baby. Getting all dirty in your underwear and then having to get everything done for the night with that mess. You’d feel and remember what I did to you and then at the end of the day you’d beg me to take care of that for you.”

,,I get all wet just by imagining you like this. Fuck I wish I could just ruin you right here and now, you have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this. Every time I’ve watched your shows I would touch myself to the image of you and your dick poking out. Do you get turned on by performing? Do you come just from the sensation of being watched and praised?”

,,mfm fuck, yes” he whimpered painfully and he broke the eye contact.

,,yes what? You need to address me properly slut” I added and harshly grabbed his face, so he was looking up at me.

,,yes ma’am, yes I do find pleasure in being watched, please fuck I can’t take it”

I only smirked at this and went even faster. All I could hear from him were broken noises, that he couldn’t even try to keep in his throat. I stopped touching him for a moment, just to unbuckle his pants, but just as I was about to do it, we heard a knock on the door.

,,hey guys I heard a noise from there and just wanted to check if everything is alright? We’re about to get back on stage” a familiar voice asked. It was one of Matt’s brothers- Chris. I looked at the man in front of me and smiled mischievously. I started to palm him again and mouthed to him to be a good boy and answer his brother.

,,yeah- mmmm, yes we’re about to get out just, fuck, just give us a minute” he sounded so pathetic, barely being able to keep those louder noises in. All we heard was unsure hum of agreement and then a fading sound of footsteps.

,,you did so good, now we have to go back. But first let me just” I took a step back for a moment and reached under my skirt. When I found two strings on my hips that I was looking for, I pulled them down, making my panties go down my legs. Matt’s eyes widened as I stepped out of them and put them in the air to give him a better view ,,now you’re going to take care of them since I was so good for you.” I demanded as I put the piece of fabric into his pocket. A visible blush was place on his face and the bulge in his pants looked even more painful now.

,,Come on sweetheart, you have a concert to finish” I pet his shoulder, giggled slightly and started to make my way out of the room. He took a deep breath and followed right behind me like a lost puppy.

***

It was time for them to play their last song of the show. The lights were flickering, only adding the sensuality to this already arousing situation. The heat of the crowd make sweet drip down my neck and the dirty lyrics that were sang by Matt now were going straight to my core.

The fact that I didn’t have my underwear on was not helping at all. Besides the fact that I had a strong urge to just touch myself in front of all of those people, I found my gaze wandering to the place where I put the lace fabric. If you looked close enough, you could easily spot them in Matt’s left pocket, peaking just a little bit.

Oh I’m going to fuck this man so well after this ends

The minutes that felt like hours were passing by, when the finally awaited moment came. Nick played the last beats of the song on his drums and right after he finished, the fans went crazy. They were screaming and cheering for their lives, and I’m not going to lie that if I was there I would be doing the same. The boys lined up to bow and Matt straightened his arm to show me to go and stand with them. When I reached my destination I was met with his hand landing on my waist, putting a horny grip on it.

,,please go to the room 244. I’ll come to you right after I help the guys carry the equipment and tell them that I’m tired” he whispered to my ear and licked right below it. Just as the curtains were closing, he turned me around and tucked the card to the hotel room into my bra.

,,will do baby” I winked at him and ,accidentally’ brushed my hand against his hard on. Before he could even show me his reaction I moved past him ,,it was really nice working with you guys, you’re all amazing and I hope to meet you again in the future, you know hit me up if you need to take some pics” I sent a smile into their direction and went to the backstage to grab my bag.

After taking all of my belongings I started to make my way into the room. My head full of filthy scenarios that I would love to put Matt in and just make him cry and beg for mercy. I didn’t even realize when the door of the elevator opened and I got out of it.

I admired the beautiful design of the corridor. And holy shit, it must be expensive to rent a hotel here. The floor was decorated with beautiful, red carpet and the walls had multiple paintings on them. The frames were shiny and gold, just like the knobs on the doors. It took me a few seconds before I finally saw the number I was looking for. Gorgeous 244 was visible on the dark wood and I pressed the card that Matt gave me to the small screen. As it let out a quiet beep noise I opened the door and was met with darkness and a strong scent of expensive perfume and mint.

I turned the lights on and the inside had the same vibe as the corridor, golden elements and red, silky sheets. It was extremely spacious and had a big window that led to the balcony. There still was enough privacy though, because I was on the sixth floor. The king sized bed was facing a huge mirror with a shelf right next to it.

I kept admiring the space for a few more moments before I heard the door open. I was met with the sight of Matt, his make up smudged from the sweat and his hair a complete mess. He leaned on the doorframe with his arm crossed as a made a ,come here’ motion with two of my fingers.

He immediately obeyed, his eyes never leaving mine. As he was right in front of me, I grabbed his face and put my lips on him. The kiss even hotter and more desperate than before. He was grinding against me for some friction and lord I could already feel how huge he is.

I didn’t want him to get too confident though so I led him to the bed and pushed him, so he was laying on his back. His pink lips swollen from the previous make out and all I can say is that he looked like a wet dream.

,,I can finally have you all to myself sweetheart, spread out just for me and fuck you look so good on red” I couldn’t even hide my neediness, I was hungry for him and I knew that he felt the same way.

,,don’t think that it would be that easy though Matt. I’m so glad that I prepared myself and took more of my equipment, not just the camera” I took my bag that I put on the floor next to the bed and started to pull out ropes, blindfold, lube and a vibrator ,,it’s not much but once you come to my house with me I’ll make sure I treat you even better.”

With that being said I made my way on top of him, his lips immediately chasing to mine but I stopped him.

,,no touching baby, unless you want me to add more to your punishment, because of the shit that you pulled on the stage. You teased me with no permission and expected me to do nothing? Now be good and take your shirt off for me” I warned and I could see his eyes growing even darker with lust. He lifted the material from his chest and threw it somewhere across the room. I could see his whole body tensing from under me, flexing his slightly toned arms.

After admiring him for a moment, I took the long roped and put his hands to the bed frame. He gladly let me do it, not protesting once. A beautiful knot was being made on his wrists as I finished my work with a little bow.

,,is this okay love?” I made sure and kissed his neck.

,,yes it’s incredible, it feels incredible. Please make me feel good mommy please I need it. Need it so bad”

My eyes widened at the new nickname that fell from him but I wasn’t complaining. It got me a new wave of confidence to pleasure my boy.

,,poor baby, all worked up and I didn’t even touch you. The way you’re so sensitive is so pathetic yet so hot you have no idea. You were made to be used by me.” With that being said I slapped the side of his face. He was clearly caught of guard but the noise that me let out showed that he really enjoyed it.

,,now I’m going to put that blindfold over your eyes. You’re not going to be able to control anything and you’ll just lay here and let me have you however I want. Is this okay with you?”

,,yes you can do whatever you want. My body is all for you fuck” he whined out.

Nothing else had to be said and I tied the fabric around his head, making sure it’s not too tight but also puts some pressure.

,,if it gets too much just say ,red’ and I’ll stop. Otherwise I’ll just keep going so remember it baby” I kissed him one last time before staring to unbuckle his belt.

I was doing it slowly on purpose to keep him worked up. I then moved to his zipper and pulled it down with a harsh motion, so it rubbed right against his dick. He moaned loudly at the contact and lifted his hips up for some more.

I had to push it down in order for him to follow my rules ,,If I remember correctly then I asked you not to move, you’re such a slut that can’t even control himself” the degradation was getting straight to his bulge, making it aching even more.

Finally, I pulled his pants down in a swift motion, right along with his underwear. And when I tell you that he really was big.

He was about 8 inches long and really girthy. There was a vein that sat on the right side of it. The tip was red and leaking with pre-come. The sight of his was incredibly beautiful to a point where I just wanted to suck him off forever if that meant that I could be near him.

My eyes wander a bit up to his v line and I was met with a black ink decorating his pale skin. I couldn’t help myself and started licking and sucking along it. I could sense that his sweet spot was on it by the whimper that was ripped out of his throat. I decided to mark this place with a purple hickey.

Licking my way down to his thighs I was getting so close to where he needed me yet so far. He was tugging on the rope from impatience and neediness and I found it extremely amusing. I finally lick the side of his cock right to the tip.

,,fuck ma your tongue’s so warm, keep going please”

I chuckled and started to suck on his tip. He was enjoying it just as much as I was. I took him about half way in when I decided to reach for the vibrator right next to me. My eyes were literally glowing from the idea and I turned it up to a medium setting, putting it to the base of his dick.

His breathing sped up from this unexpected feeling and it was only going faster and faster as I put the toy to his tip.

,,please too much mmm, I’m going to cum if you don’t stop” his whole body was shaking and I just put the vibrator on a higher setting.

The screams that i was getting out of him were followed by a white liquid shooting out onto his stomach. He panted heavily as the first orgasm of the night washed over him. Matt was expecting me to pull the toy away but I didn’t. I just kept it at his still rosy tip as my other hand stroked the rest of his dick.

I knew he was already extremely sensitive from one orgasm so it would be easy to over simulate him.

,,im going to make you cum so well until you spent and dry. And then I’ll still lick you up to make you clean, do you understand?”

,,yes- yes mommy I understand please I’ll take everything you are willing to give me”

As he finished the sentence another string of cum was splashed onto his abdomen. I finally turned the vibrator off and threw it onto the bed.

Two of my fingers made its way into the pool of come and I dipped them into it. Then I brought it to his lips and slightly tapped them ,,open up for me”.

And that’s what he did. I put my digits into his warm mouth and he closed them and sucked onto my fingers, tasting himself from them.

It was definitely a sight for sore eyes. I pulled my fingers out and bent down to lick the rest of his cum from his stomach.

,,since you’ve already tasted yourself, now you have to also taste me” I made my way up to straddle his face. The fact that I already didn’t have my underwear was extremely helpful in this situation ,,put that pretty mouth of yours into good use now” those were my last words before I sat on his face. The sensation of his nose on my clit immediately made me throw my head back with a long whine. He stuck his tongue right into my core and started tracing circles over it.

He definitely knew what he was doing. I swear I could see stars from how good it felt. I started to grind onto his face, practically cutting his access to the air, which only hade him groan into me.

,,holy shit Matt you’re doing so good sweetheart, just a bit more, I’m almost done- yes yes right there” I made sure to leave little words of encouragement to let him know that he’s doing a wonderful job.

I put my hands into his fluffy curls to steady myself and he moaned. This brought me to the edge and I came all over his face.

,,mmmm baby you did amazing I’m so proud of you, made me feel so good” small whispers were leaving me as I took my time to steady my breathing. Finally, I lifted myself up to see the mess that I left on him, but to my surprise not only did his face was white but also his stomach, yes again.

,,awww did you just come from giving me head I can’t believe it. You’re even bigger whore than I thought” even tho I couldn’t see his eyes I knew he had tears in them from the humiliation. His face all red and he tilted his head to the side to hide it into his shoulder, since his hands were stuck above him.

,,ah ah no hiding there” I took his chin into my hand and turned it my way. After letting go of it I reached behind his head to untie the blindfold and take it off. ,,now listen carefully, I’m going to ride you and you’re not going to pull your eyes away from me. I need your dick buried deep into me more than anything”

With that being said I took off my shirt and bra to give Matt a show. His gaze immediately landing on my boobs and I could see his hands and mouth trying to reach for them.

I took the lube that I put on the bed earlier and squeezed some onto my hand and stroked him a few times before taking his dick and sinking right onto it.

We both moaned in unison and his face twisted in pleasure. It was already tears stained and with black make up running down his cheeks. After adjusting to his size for a moment I started moving up and down on him. The air was filled with the sound of our moans and skin slapping together. Sweat was dripping down my forehead as I went faster.

,,fuck you’re so tight around me ma I can feel you squeezing my dick” he whined out. I knew he was not going to last long because of his previous orgasms.

My hands were rubbing up and down his stomach and my nails were leaving red trails of marks on there. Those will stay on there for a long time and remind Matt who he belongs to.

With a few more moves of my hips I say his eyes roll into the back of his skull and his head being thrown back. The feeling of him shooting his cum deep inside me brought me to edge as well and I came right after him. I rode out our highs for a minute and lifted up from him.

,,wow that was intense” Matt chuckled breathlessly and smile was crippling onto his face.

,,I know baby, but you did so good. Such a good boy for me” I kept telling him sweet nothings while untying his hands and leaving soft kisses along his bruised wrists ,,now let me take care of you, I’ll run you a bath and you just rest here”

,,thank you so much angel. You’re incredible for me holy shit how did I even get so lucky tonight”

With those words being said I passionately kissed him on the lips and made my way to run the bath.

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I hope you enjoyed and that the grammar is not that bad😜 not proofread

[kaeddehara]

DIRTY PICTURES AT WORK — NSFW

[ tighnari + cyno + al haitham ]

♱ warnings — cursing + mild nsfw + bondage

♱ notes — minus kaveh :(( ; lowkey rushed because school is kicking my ass right now

| TIGHNARI |

tighnari is almost even on his phone even after working hours. he doesn’t see a need for it but nevertheless still keeps it on him. sometimes he’ll receive messages or emails and chooses to ignore them when he doesn’t even know who they’re from yet. but there are occasions when he does have a break and he’ll look to see if anything is urgent or needs his attention. but when he sees messages from you or specifically pictures, he can’t help but wonder what that could mean. he hastily opens up your messages only a reveal a couple pictures of you on his bed only covered with some very thin fabric he could only assume was a new set of lingerie you’d gotten to wear.

“i know you don’t check your phone much at work so we can have an even better time when you get home <3”

he’s more than happy he’s alone not only so he wouldn’t get caught, but also to cover the obvious blush lining his face. his long, pointed ears are probably flushed at the point too. his eyes scan the images you sent again and he can’t ignore the way his cock is hardening at the sight of your pretty body. he made sure to send you a message quickly complimenting you, already so anxious for your response. he made sure to save those pictures to his phone so he could go get rid of the problem you gave him in the restroom. trying to hard to keep his embarrassing, pathetic sounds to himself while stroking his pretty cock to the sight of you. all the while, he’s mumbling to himself about how he’s gonna treat you when he gets home <3.

| CYNO |

cyno actually doesn’t even use his phone. he won’t look at it unless you or someone else tells him to. chances are, he can’t even work it that well because of how often he’s not on it. so you when decide to send him some pictures of your cute tits only being cupped by a thin piece of fabric with a sweet message about how you miss him, he has no idea about it until you mention it. you’re all excited when he gets home and ask cyno how his day was and all those little questions you always do. it’s only until you ask if he saw the pictures you sent earlier that he gets confused and shakes his head no. you huff in annoyance but the second he goes to check right in front of you, you can’t help but smile at the shock on his face. he scans those pictures and message so hard you’d think he brain had stopped working for a minute or something. it isn’t too long before he throws his phone to the side and pushed you down against the nearest piece of furniture to have his way with you. making sure to cup your pretty tits while humming apologies and also some questions about why you’d send him that during work unless you’re just asking for it.

“you can’t even wait till i’m home is that it? you want me to get hard at work just so i can punish you?”

and you want nothing more than to being just a smile in that moment with cyno pressing his lips right against yours to keep you from responding so he can have you right now and make up for what he missed.

| AL-HAITHAM |

al haitham is always pretty tedious about how he goes about most things. work or just mundane acts he always does with precision and focus. when he does have some downtime however, most of it is actually spent messaging you or responding to emails that he may have gotten while on the job. hes very good about keeping his business personal and too himself and that makes no difference when you send him certain messages. at first, al haitham doesn’t know how to react whatsoever. he’s practically in awe of the dirty messages you sent along with those pictures of you freshly out of the shower in whatever sort of sensual position you want him to see you in.

“keep working hard and you’ll have a reward when you get home <3”

he deeply exhaled and tried to cover the blushing mess that was his face. it wasn’t long before his break was soon over and he had to get back to work. all the while, his mind would not stop thinking and imagining all the things he would do to you when he got home. maybe some punishment was due just because you thought sending him pictures like that when you knew he was working. he decided to respond to your message as to not leave you hanging, waiting for his answer.

“you’d look better with some rope wrapped around those wrists and thighs”

he knew he sounded so serious but also considered how much you enjoyed his serious tone he’d use when he meant something.

“why not show me when you get home kay?”

he had to turn his phone over at all the perverted thoughts filling his mind every second. all because you wanted to send him those pictures in the middle of his working ours WHILE there were others around. you were in for such a harsh punishment when he got home.

[finniestoncrane]

Portrait Session

Capullo!Riddler x GN!Reader, word count: 1k commission: artist reader is propositioned by edward nygma to paint a portrait of him showcasing all his best features... 💚 commission me here! request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: non-consensual nudity from eddie but is that really a negative? plus some suggestive stuff

Usually, the end of the day was your favourite time in the studio. There was something soothing about tidying up and cleaning things away. It provided that sense of completion, even if you hadn’t manage to get very far in any pieces through the hours you’d spent there. So it was more irritating than anything else when you were suddenly interrupted as you washed your brushes in the sink. You could smell the overly fragrant cologne before you could feel the hand over your mouth, feel the warmth of the breath before the words were whispered into your ear.

“Ok… don’t do anything stupid… because we know how this goes… just, turn around slowly and I might uncover your mouth, ok?”

You nodded, rolling your eyes as you placed the voice. Nothing surprised you much in Gotham anymore, and very little scared you. But there was one thing that you found annoying, more than anything else, and now you were face to face with it.

“Edward Nygma, The Riddler, but of course, you know who I am.”

He flashed a grin and let go of your mouth.

“Yep. Very aware of you.”

“Oh, a fan, hm?”

He raised his eyebrows a few times, smiling at you with a lewd grin.

“Hardly. How did you get in here?”

“I’m The Riddler, idiot. That’s what you’re wondering? Not why I’m here, or what I might do to you?”

He winked and you felt your eyes roll again. Everything about him bothered you, and to be perfectly honest you would rather he killed you or knocked you out to steal whatever he might need, anything to stop him from talking.

“Ok, fine. Enlighten me.”

“Well, you never replied to my email enquiry. So I thought I’d stop by in person.”

“Oh! Yes! I remember that…”

A few weeks ago, you had received a curious email regarding the potential for you to capture the likeness of him in a portrait. You had initially thought it might be a scam, or a prank, but the ludicrous amount of compliments regarding his own features, and the horribly self-indulgent signature which was filled with riddles and more compliments, assured you that it might be genuine. And of course, if it was, you wanted nothing to do with it.

“So you did read it. And you chose not to respond to me?”

“Yep. Don’t get told ‘no’ often, huh?”

“Not by anyone that matters. And ordinarily, you definitely wouldn’t matter. But… your art is… different. Better. I like it. And I really, really want you to paint me.”

You shook your head silently, but he kept pleading.

“Come on! I can make it worth your while. Very worth your while.”

“I doubt that very much.”

Ignoring the suggestive grin on his face, you chose to take a look down his body, letting your gaze linger on his crotch as you served your cutting response.

“Ouch. But I was actually thinking monetarily, for once.”

Taking a quick look around the studio, you considered what a little bit of extra cashflow could do for you. New paints, new materials, restock the cabinets. Maybe add a skylight if he was feeling extra generous.

“Ok… fine. I’ll paint your portrait. Let me get my things set up and we can bash this out as quickly as possible.”

“That’s usually how I operate.”

Scoffing at him, you turned to grab your supplies, some brushes, a canvas, some paints, and when you returned your gaze to Edward Nygma, you found him shirtless and removing his pants.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Uh… duh?”

He spread his arms out to the side, displaying his undressed form to you as his pants slid down his waist, leaving him in just his underwear.

“You’re gonna paint me nude.”

“I am?”

He threw his head back, sighing in exasperation.

“It really is me looking at my best, and I’m sure you’ll agree once you’ve seen me in all of my glory.”

You covered your eyes with your hand and turned your head slightly as Eddie removed his underwear, but you stole a quick glance at him before he told you to open your eyes. Facing him completely, you blinked a few times to adjust to the view.

“Well… see anything you like?”

Annoyingly, you did. He was slim, not toned, with a soft patch of red chest hair, and another patch of the same bright hue around his flaccid cock. And as he grinned, the self-satisfied smirk that usually irritated you, you found yourself blushing slightly.

“Let’s just get started now, come on.”

“Ah, ah, ah! Not quite yet, still got one more thing to do.”

He reached down to his cock, gripping it in his hand, and began to stroke it.

“Woah! Hey! What are you doing?”

“Well, I’m not going to have a portrait painted where I’m not looking my best or biggest.”

“Oh my god.”

“I’ll just be a second. Maybe you could… help me out?”

You let out an incredulous laugh, and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Suit yourself then.”

It was hard to take your eyes off of him as he stroked his cock, and you could see in your peripheral that he was staring intently back at you. Eventually though, the pleasure had taken precedent, and his eyes were closing as he let his mouth fall open. Soft sighs spilled out as his hand moved up and down his swiftly growing length quicker. You could tell he was reaching climax, which definitely wasn’t the point of this at all. And you knew, unfortunately, you should step in to prevent this from going any further.

“Ok… are you ready to start now, Mister Nygma?”

“Sure am, and I’m ready for some other things too.”

With another wink, he looked down to his cock, smiling back at you, a hopeful tone to his words. If he kept this up, you’d be here a lot longer than it would take you just to finish the painting.

[gojoonsaturn]

pairing: singer!Suguru Geto x fem reader

wc: 8158 (i'm sick)

summary: Suguru Geto returns to university after spending a year in treatment for his drug and alcohol addiction. At his friend's party, Shoko Ieiri, he meets you and helps you when you get into trouble. What happens next?

a/n: I would like to explain why Y/n and Mahito are a couple at the beginning of the story. As I love all of the male characters in JJK (except Mahito), so I wanted none of them to have a negative role in this story. Therefore, I decided that Y/n should be dating Mahito at the beginning. Oh, and if you want, you can imagine Suguru sings "Call out my name" by The Weeknd.

warnings: song inspired fic, university au, Shoko and Suguru are singers (actually, everyone is singer here except y/n), mention of drug and alcohol addiction, drug intoxication, swearing, fluff, a little angst, mention of the death of minor characters (y/n's mother), sex. In short, read!

english is not my first language, nor even second, so there may be mistakes, but i really spent a lot of time proofreading and improving my works.

Suguru left the principal's office and felt a sense of familiarity with the university atmosphere, which seemed to have flown out of his mind during his year-long break from Tokyo University of Arts. He was glad to be back on campus.

He called Shoko, his new classmate, to ask about the class schedule. A cheerful voice came from the other end of the line.

"I'm so happy to hear from you!" Geto said, with a smile that Ieiri could hear in his voice. "I just left Yaga's office, and he said he'll put me in your study group, so, I need some information about assignments and the schedule."

They agreed that Shoko would email him all the information about her classes.

"By the way," she added in a tempting voice. "I'm throwing a party tonight! You should come!"

Geto hesitated, as parties hadn’t ended well for him in the past, but Ieiri reassured him that there would be nothing to worry about – there will be just food and low-alcohol drinks.

"I can't make any promises, but I'll keep it in mind." He said, hanging up the phone.

He then went to the parking lot and from there, to the apartment he had rented the day before.

Suguru was a student at the Faculty of Arts, studying music. He often received offers from producers who came to the university to arrange auditions. His voice was exceptionally beautiful, and his lyrics were so soulful that his works were sold for good sums. With the money he earned, Geto was able to purchase a good car and rent a comfortable apartment near the university. Even though the treatment at the clinic was not cheap, he had enough money to maintain his previous standard of living.

The musician entered the apartment and looked around at the empty studio, feeling a sense of loneliness gnaw at him. He thought about how he would spend the evening alone and felt a bitter realization that all his friends had moved on without him. Memories of past parties sent shivers down his spine, but he made a decision not to go back to those types of gatherings.

But he didn't want to disappoint his friend. Suguru changed into a black polo shirt and jeans, checked himself in the mirror, and left the apartment.

Shoko's house was located right on the shore of Tokyo Bay. As Geto drove there, he felt a sense of determination to meet new people and understand what university life was all about.

On his way to the house, he heard muffled music and joyful screams from people. He called Shoko and asked her to meet him. She came out, happy, and rushed over to give him a hug.

"Oh, Geto, I've missed you so much!" Ieiri exclaimed, pulling away and smiling at him. "Let me introduce you to my friends!"

Suguru's expression softened, and he agreed. After a few minutes, they were standing in front of a group of people, and Shoko introduced him as her friend and new classmate.

One of the guys, Mahito, greeted Geto and complimented his music. "I've heard some of your songs. You make great music."

Mahito was standing with a girl who was holding a drink. She seemed bored at first, but when she saw Suguru, she smiled and greeted him as well.

"This is Y/n," Mahito introduced his girlfriend. "She's from Sophia University and studying English literature."

Y/n smiled at Geto, but then seemed to lose interest in the party and disengage from everything around her.

After some time, Shoko approached Suguru and invited him to join her to perform a song they had written together before his departure. Suguru accepted the invitation and joined Shoko on the makeshift stage.

"Friends, I am delighted to introduce you my friend Suguru! This song is the work of both of us, and it was written even before..." Shoko paused, as she was the only one aware of the reason for Suguru's absence the previous year. "A year ago! You will be the first to hear this track, which in a few months will surely be on all of the world's best charts!"

Shoko began playing the song and clapped her hands to get the audience excited. As she sang, Suguru felt goosebumps on his skin. He noted that Shoko had significantly improved her vocals and was now singing as if she was breathing. Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over him, as he had not practiced for a long time. His eyes excitedly scanned the crowd and settled on Mahito's girlfriend. She smiled at Shoko and, surprisingly, started singing along with her. Then, she looked at Geto and winked.

And as soon as the first line was sung, the crowd cheered on him even more and started to whistle with encouragement. The singer listened to the music and recognized that he felt it no worse than he had been a year ago. Overwhelmed by the experience, he closed his eyes in pleasure, only opening them when Shoko joined him in singing. After the song, they bowed to the audience and clapped for each other.

"I have heard this song performed by Sho many times and thought it was perfect, but when I heard it with your part, it's simply heavenly!" Y/n ran up to the performers and hugged Ieiri, then turned to Suguru.

Geto smiled at her and thanked her for the compliment. That's how she knew the words!

Mahito stood next to Y/n, but Suguru didn't notice any encouragement on his face. He tugged at her arm, and she almost looked at him in fright, immediately falling silent. Geto looked at Shoko, who had clearly seen similar behavior from her classmate before. She rolled her eyes and gave Y/n a sympathetic look. The couple moved away into the crowd, and Suguru continued gathering applause with Shoko.

A few hours later, Suguru realized that he was better off without alcohol and drugs. He met some of his classmates and other students from different departments. It was nice to chat with people who shared his interests and discuss music. While chatting with a girl who flirted with him, he saw Mahito leading his girlfriend upstairs. For some reason, Y/n seemed about to faint. Suguru had a bad feeling and left the girl to follow Mahito and Y/n.

On the second floor, Suguru saw Y/n trying weakly to wave Mahito away. However, he continued to approach her.

"Damn, I told you..." She tried to swing him, but he caught her hand and pushed her back against the wall.

"I think she made herself clear," Suguru said, covering the distance between them and pushing Mahito away from her.

Geto didn't know how Y/n had become so drunk in such a short time. Mahito, on the other hand, seemed very sober, even though a glass of something other than soda was constantly in his hand.

"Mind your own business! Go sing with this bitch!" Mahito snapped, pushing Suguru's arm away and moving towards the girl again.

Suguru didn't want to start a fight on his first day back, but he hated when his friends were insulted. So, he calmly pushed Mahito back again, this time with more force, sending the guy flying towards the stairs.

"Leave him alone, please! He's not worth it..." Suddenly, Y/n grabbed Suguru's arm. Through her glassy and intoxicated eyes, he saw her serious expression. "Just help me, please..."

Geto noticed that Y/n was struggling to stand up, and there was a trickle of blood flowing from her hand. Mahito must have hurt her in some way.

He picked up Y/n and carried her into the bedroom, laying her down on the bed.

"I feel like there's something wrong with my mind... I understand things, but I can't seem to control myself..."

Something clicked in Geto's mind. It wasn't just alcohol. "Tell me, have you taken any drugs or pills?"

Y/n shook her head vehemently. "No, I don't do drugs! I wouldn't take anything like that!" But then, a look of realization crossed her face, and she added, "Not intentionally, anyway."

Geto opened her eyes and saw enlarged pupils. The girl began to tremble. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, and he realized what was causing her condition.

"Listen, you don't need to move too much right now. Just lie down and rest. I'll bring you some water. We need to wait for this to pass and give you plenty of fluids." He helped Y/n lay down and covered her with a blanket.

Downstairs, Suguru explained the situation to Shoko. She promised to deal with Mahito and started winding down the party. Guests started saying goodbye and leaving the house. Shoko got a bottle and filled it with warm water, then they headed upstairs to see Y/n.

"I'm so mad at that bastard!" Shoko said, pouring some water into a glass for her friend. "I've told you time and time again that he’s not good for you."

"You're making things worse!" Even in this state, Y/n managed to smile.

Suguru looked at her and remembered how many girls he had seen in this condition. And the worst thing was that he was the one who had brought most of them there. The guilt he felt before his treatment at the center came back to him, and Geto hated himself again. But then, the next moment, Y/n turned to him.

"If it wasn't for you…" She said, struggling to speak. Shoko handed her a glass of water, and Suguru felt all the symptoms that Y/n was experiencing at that moment. Dry mouth, thirst, nausea, chills that were replaced by fever. "In general, thank you..." She smiled weakly and closed her eyes, trying to control her shaking.

"You can go home." Ieiri whispered. "I'll stay with her. I have experience with these things."

She looked at Y/n with sympathy and at Geto with a sense of guilt. She had been there most of the time when he had brought himself to this state. There were countless apologies in her eyes for not being able to protect her friend at that moment.

"Don't worry." He said. "You've done your best and you're doing great." He hugged Shoko and crouched down next to Y/n, stroking her cold cheek with his finger. "She's strong." He continued. "She'll be okay."

For the next week, Suguru joined the learning process. Some teachers were pleased to see him, while others were skeptical, knowing the reason for his absence. The groupmates assisted Suguru with his learning, and he in turn provided them with tips that helped them improve their musical skills.

At the end of the month, each student had to create their own project and present it to a professional music producer. The producers selected the best performers, recorded their tracks in their studio, and promoted them. Naturally, each producer had different criteria and ideas about what music would appeal to their audience. The teachers explained that not being chosen by a specific producer simply meant that the student's music was not in line with that producer's taste.

Geto recalled with a smile his audition experiences, which in 95% of cases ended in success. The secret to his success was that he looked through the producer's repertoire beforehand and created a song that he would perform. His versatility as a musician allowed him to pull off this strategy.

"Yoshiki Yamada!" A joyful Shoko announced to her group a week before the audition.

"His label is the best in Japan for today." Nanami said with excitement.

"Yes, it will be success if we manage to work with him." Geto replied.

Geto turned his attention to Mahito, who turned even darker when he heard the name of the producer. He thought about the incident with Y/n and how Shoko had said she was okay, but he wanted to check on her anyway. Looking at Mahito, Geto decided he would go see Y/n after the audition to see how she was doing.

Geto flipped through the list of artists from the "TOUCH" label and listened to their latest tracks. Love ballads seemed to be the focus of the most recently released tracks.

The young man sighed and leaned back on the couch, feeling like it was time to finish the song he'd started writing before his drug problems started. All he needed to do was improve a few details and it would be finished.

On Friday evening, his band gathered in the auditorium, anxiously waiting for the producer. Shimizu-sensei, the professor who was responsible for organizing auditions, assured his students and prepared them for success.

The door opened, and a man in his middle age wearing a long black coat walked in, taking it off as he came. Shimizu greeted him and guided him to a seat in the center of the front row. Yamada appeared to be a friendly person, smiling warmly at the students and wishing them luck. His eyes fixed on Mahito, who seemed to be pale.

The group sat behind Yamada, preparing to support each other. Utahime was the first to perform, looking very excited. She began with some slightly wrong chords, but then everything went well for her.

Yoshiki took notes in his notebook, writing down various things beside the students' names. After her performance, Shoko nudged Suguru, pointing to Yamada's notebook. Suguru tried to look, but the producer blocked his view with his hand.

Suguru was the last to sing. When he stepped onto the stage, he saw Y/n at the back of the room. He smiled and winked at her.

"Good evening. My name is Suguru Geto. Here's my song, please, Haibara." He turned to the DJ and made a nod, indicating that he was ready to start.

As Suguru began singing, Y/n felt a shiver run down her spine. His voice was so beautiful and enchanting that it made her forget everything else around her. But at the same time, his words made her heart hurt in a way that was familiar. Y/n glanced around to make sure no one else had noticed her own tears, and discreetly wiped them away.

Suguru noticed Y/n looking at him with a new sparkle in her eyes, and he gave her a small smile. He then bowed to the audience and looked over at Yoshiki, who was applauding along with the rest of the group.

A few minutes later, Shimizu invited Yamada up onto the stage to announce the results.

"Dear students! Thank you for such wonderful performances. You have shown that you deserve to be in this university. For now, I won't be announcing the results. Instead, you will all receive an email with an invitation for a follow-up audition. Please don't be discouraged if I don't invite you. This is not a personal decision, but one based on my professional interest in your potential as performers. Remember that not you are looking for a producer - the producer is looking for you. Once again, thank you for coming tonight!"

The students applauded Yamada's performance. They were disappointed that they would not find out the results immediately, but the words the producer used to end the evening inspired them.

Suguru wanted to talk to Y/n, but she had already left.

Everyone in the group was in a state of anxious anticipation for the weekend. They were eagerly waiting for the much-anticipated letter from the "TOUCH" producer and were already imagining recording a solo album with him.

"Guys, check your emails!!!" Shoko sent in the group chat.

Suguru grabbed his laptop and opened his inbox, which contained an email with the TOUCH logo. He caught himself thinking that he was feeling very anxious. With a heavy heart, he clicked on the email, and a short message appeared in front of him.

"Thursday, 7 p.m., Yashio 1-chome"

Only Suguru and Shoko had received the invitation, while Yamada had sent recommendations to the other students for their tracks and overall creativity. Ieiri decided Geto to join her, but as it turned out, Yamada had scheduled different times for Suguru and Shoko - Suguru's meeting was on Thursday, while Shoko's was on Friday.

"That's great! So, you're going to tell me what's going to happen at the meeting?" Shoko sat across from Suguru, contentedly drinking coffee.

"I wish I were the first to know..." The guy smiled and took a sip from his mug of tea.

"Come on, you've met with producers millions of times, but it will be my first time!"

The time until Thursday seemed to drag on, and suddenly, Geto realized that he was even more nervous than he had been before. It had been a long time since he had attended these meetings. When he arrived at the designated location, he took a deep breath and made his way towards the building.

As he rang the doorbell, the wait seemed like an eternity. The door eventually opened, and Y/n stood in front of him. Geto checked the house number and confirmed that it was the right address.

"That’s not a mistake. Come in. Dad is already waiting for you."

"Dad?" Suguru asked in surprise.

"Yamada-san." Y/n smiled and handed him the guest slippers. "Dad! Geto-san has arrived."

He smiled at her formal address. Yoshiki Yamada greeted Geto in a casual outfit, wearing a bathrobe and slippers. After shaking hands, he escorted Geto to his office

"Nice to see you again, Geto-san."

"You can just call me Suguru."

"Well, Suguru, I think your song has a great chance of becoming a big hit. If we work together, it will definitely be number one on all the charts in the country. I want to help you achieve success. The rights to your lyrics and music belong to you, and I will only be promoting your work. Additionally, you will be recording a duet with one of our artists. I’ll send you a list of some of my singers who would match your style. Make an appointment with them, discuss the format of the song, write it, show it to me and we'll make any necessary adjustments before recording at my studio."

Suguru was excited about the idea of recording a track with one of TOUCH's artists and imagined how Shoko would be thrilled.

"In principle, everything sounds great. When can we start recording my song?"

"This weekend, I have already scheduled a recording session for Saturday. Tonight, I will send you a list of potential duet partners via email. Please take some time to review the options and let me know your decision by Friday evening. Based on your response, I will invite one of the artists to our recording session so you can meet them and chat."

Yamada seemed like a man who didn't like wasting time.

Suguru was confused by all the information. "There's a lot of information…" He said, scratching his head.

"Don't worry, everything will be in your email. Now, I suggest we start dinner. Y/n!"

A few seconds later, Y/n appeared in the room's doorway.

"Honey, is dinner ready?"

"Yes, you can come to the table."

Yoshiki stood up and gestured for Suguru to follow her. The young man was still a bit confused, as he had not expected Y/n to be the daughter of Yoshiki Yamada.

At the table, there was a boy of about eight sitting patiently. He looked at the different types of sushi on the plate.

"This is Reiji, my youngest." The man said, sitting down next to his son and patting him on the head. "Reiji, this is Suguru. He'll be recording at my studio."

"Nice to meet you, Suguru-san!" Reiji said seriously.

Suguru responded with a smile, saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Reiji-san." He heard Y/n chuckle at his response.

At dinner, the conversation was relaxed. Yoshiki spoke about the tours his team had been on, and the music his label produced. Suguru felt so comfortable that he began to reminisce about his childhood, when his entire family would gather for dinner in the evenings and share what had happened during the day. Realizing that he was only a guest, after a while, he apologized and said he had to leave.

"Dad, I'll walk Suguru." Y/n said, standing up and nodding to her father.

"Yamada-san, thank you for the meeting and dinner. I appreciate our collaboration. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly between us." Geto shook hands with the producer and headed for the exit.

"That's why Mahito looked so pale when he saw your father." Y/n and Geto went outside.

The sun had already set, and a gentle breeze was playing with Y/n's hair, which fell in disarray around her shoulders.

"I didn't introduce them, but they already knew about each other. Shoko told me that Mahito just needed a contract from my father, not me." Yamada smiled and looked out at the horizon. "Are you in a hurry?" Suguru shook his head.

He had no one waiting for him at home, and spending time with someone was a way for him to escape from loneliness. Y/n came around the corner of the house and they walked down the path leading to the embankment.

"So, you are the daughter of Yoshiki Yamada?" The guy asked. "And Shoko knew. And she didn't even mention it to me..."

"I asked her not to tell anyone."

"Is it a coincidence that your father invited just us?"

"I told my father about Shoko." She said. "She often came to see us, and Dad would hear her. I didn't have much to tell about you, as I only knew you from a party at Shoko's... Though we have a good relationship, and my father listens to me carefully, I try not to mix our personal lives with his work. I understand that Shoko may not be on his radar, but he could give her a chance and introduce her to some people who could help her."

"So, what do you think about me?"

"My father has a good instinct for performers with great potential. You may know some of his artists. I only heard one of your songs, and it was impressive. But to work with "TOUCH", you need to be flexible and able to adapt to the ever-changing trends in the music industry. Today, your song may be popular, but a month from now, people may be listening to Mahito's nonsense."

Suguru listened to the girl seriously, and then he laughed at the last sentence.

"Thank God you said that!" He said. "I don't understand how he manages to study at the university."

"His father finances the university." The girl replied.

"I'm sorry to ask, but how did you meet?" Suguru asked.

The girl explained that they had known each other for a long time, as they had attended the same school. When her mother died, the boy was there for her, and although he had not been perfect, things had changed recently. She explained that Mahito had gotten involved with a questionable company, and she felt like he had been replaced. After recent events, communication was simply not possible.

"And what about the girl you sang about?"

Suguru smiled, and they walked along the shore, enjoying each other's company.

"Well, she had the love of her life, and it wasn't me. When she needed support, I was there for her, which is familiar, isn't it? I honestly thought I was helping her deal with her feelings and move on, but she just suppressed her longing, while I fell in love with her. At some point, he called, and she rushed to him. In the morning, her things were gone from the apartment. I found out he had left her after all, and you have no idea how painful it was for me to refuse to renew our relationship. I realized that in our relationship, I was like a vessel from which water was constantly being drawn, but never returned. It was excruciating."

They walked in silence, each digesting the other's story. The sun had almost set, leaving a thin purple streak in the sky.

"Yes, we both need to see a therapist…" Y/n concluded with a joking tone. "What did help you cope with this?"

Suguru didn't want to admit it, but he knew that sooner or later, Y/n would hear the rumors.

"I thought it would help. Drugs, alcohol. I spent the last year in a clinic."

Yamada didn't seem surprised. She looked down at her feet and kicked a pebble.

"I've been thinking about it too…" She said. "But after mother’s death, Reiji became ill. My father and I went to Europe and spent a lot of time in different clinics. Reiji is better now, and I realized that I needed to be a mother for him at that time. If I started using drugs or drinking alcohol, I can't even imagine what would have happened to my family."

"Are you judging me?"

"No, I'm not. I condemn the girl who brought you to that state. Self-destruction is a way to numb emotional pain, but now you're here with me, walking along the river, recording your song on Saturday and doing a duet with another artist. All of our past actions have led us to this point. Look at it as an experience, even if it takes a year out of your life."

"Wow. You should write motivational books!" Geto laughed and gave the girl a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"You know, it would be great if I followed my own advice."

"Do you still love Mahito?"

"It's a difficult question. Maybe it wasn't love, but affection. He was there for me at the right time. But his recent attitude negates all his good actions. Especially that damn party..."

They walked along the embankment and turned towards Yamada's house.

"I'm glad my father chose you. If everything goes well, then you could become a world-famous artist." Y/n said, her voice sounding slightly distant.

Suguru saw from her face that she was lost in memories of her past and didn't interrupt her. He just nodded at her and walked towards the car. The weather was getting cold, so Y/n pulled her cardigan closer around herself. She smiled at Geto warmly and reached for his embrace.

"Thanks for tonight..." Suguru was a little surprised by the closeness of the girl, but he still put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Upon arriving home, Suguru checked his email and saw a message from the producer. He glanced over the list of artists and smiled with contentment, choosing Yuki Tsukumo immediately. Her name was well-known, and she was famous for her collaborations with foreign artists. Suguru was even pleased that Yoshiki had offered him work with her.

On Saturday morning, Suguru drove to Yamada's studio, listening to Shoko's account of her meeting with the producer. When she found out that Geto will be recording a duet with Yuki, she was elated. However, Yamada had suggested her other artists, and Shoko had yet to make a decision.

Upon arriving at the studio, Suguru saw Y/n and Mahito. He hurried out of the car and headed towards them. Already from far, he could hear blond guy hysterically shouting and waving his arms. Y/n tried to turn away from him, but Mahito grabbed her arm and refused to let her go.

Suguru looked at Y/n with concern, noticing relief in her eyes at his arrival.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

Mahito noticed Suguru's arrival and noticed his former girlfriend's gaze directed at the dark-haired man. His voice dripped with hatred as he said, "So you did fuck her that night! That's why Yoshiki invited you."

Y/n did not let Suguru answer and abruptly pulled away from Mahito's grip, surprising him with her confidence. She looked at Suguru apologizingly and said, "Mahito, please leave me alone."

Suguru was surprised by her confidence and looked at her with admiration. He then looked at the retreating Y/n and the angry Mahito.

"Just because your father finances the university doesn't mean that I can't punch you in the face." Geto's voice was calm, but his jaw muscles betrayed his anger.

Mahito grunted in displeasure, spat on the floor near Suguru's feet, and walked away from the studio.

At the studio, Suguru was given a pass and escorted to the recording area, where Yuki Tsukumo was already seated and chatting with Yoshiki. The singer seemed relaxed, and when she noticed Geto, she smiled and nodded in greeting. Yamada introduced them, and it was clear that he was excited about the upcoming collaboration.

"Suguru, the studio is all yours today, so make the most of our facilities." The producer playfully winked at Yuki, who watched her future collaborator with interest.

As Suguru sang in the recording booth, he observed Y/n conversing with Yuki through the window. The two seemed to have known each other for some time. At one point, Y/n covered her face with her hands, and Yuki comfortingly patted her shoulder. Y/n then shifted her gaze to Suguru, quickly averting her eyes when she noticed him watching.

Suguru gave the sound engineer a thumbs up as a sign of his readiness. He put on headphones and began recording his vocals. Thanks to his experience, the recording went quite quickly. Sometimes, Yoshiki himself made minor adjustments to the process, but Suguru appreciated these tips.

When the vocals were recorded, Suguru left the room for the producer. Yoshiki looked pleased and said, "You've done a great job! Your vocals are amazing!" He shook Suguru's hand.

"Yamada doesn't praise young performers often. You should appreciate these words!" Yuki approached Suguru with a smile and said, "Well, let's discuss our duet."

Y/n got up from the couch and headed towards the exit, awkwardly waving at Suguru while still avoiding eye contact.

Tsukumo and Geto began discussing the upcoming track. Inside, Suguru was happy about how similar they thought with Yuki. Their phrases complemented each other, which Yamada appreciated. He didn't interfere in their conversation, because he saw Suguru as an accomplished artist despite his young age. Yamada had never seen such seriousness in his adult performers.

"I like your ideas! Where did you find this guy, Yamada?" Yuki asked, leaning back on the sofa and tilting her head in interest.

As a result, Yuki and Suguru agreed to meet at the end of the week. Yuki offered to video call each other during the week to discuss lyrics and music.

Two days after the meeting, Yuki called Suguru unexpectedly and invited him over to her place to write music. An hour later, he was standing outside Tsukumo's small mansion. The singer came out to greet him in casual jeans and a black top, being in a good mood. It was difficult for Suguru to imagine that Yuki had ever been in a bad mood.

She invited Suguru inside. When he entered the living room, he noticed a girl sitting on the couch who immediately turned towards him. Suguru's breath caught slightly at the sight of Y/n, who was wearing a knit sweater with one bare shoulder. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and she looked very comfortable. He also noticed a glass of wine in her hand that she tried to hide, but the bottle on the table revealed the truth about their pastime.

"Are you sure you need me this evening?" Geto asked, raising one eyebrow questioningly.

Y/n got up from the couch and wanted to leave when Yuki stopped her with her hand.

"Stay with us, please." Suddenly, Suguru said.

Tsukumo smiled to herself. She immediately noticed that there seemed to be something between Y/n and Suguru, though it was still in its early stages. Without hesitating, she decided to try to bring the two of them together.

Yuki invited them both into a room with music recording equipment. The room looked like the small studio that Suguru had seen in Yamada's office. Tsukumo gestured for Geto to sit in a chair next to her, and Y/n took a seat on the sofa, holding a glass of wine. As Yuki and Suguru began discussing music with technical terms, Yamada grew bored. She continued drinking the wine until she felt warmth on her cheeks and lightheadedness.

"I think I should go..." She stood up from the sofa and swayed slightly, but Suguru managed gently held her elbow.

"Woah, woah! Girl, I can't let you go alone like this! Suguru, could you take her home?" Tsukumo bit her lip, hoping for Suguru's agreement.

"Of course, no problem." Geto said, taking Y/n's arm and slowly leading her out of the room and then out of the house.

In the car, Y/n sat next to Suguru, not knowing where to look. She glanced in the rearview mirror halfway through the ride. Then, she opened the window and tried to catch the wind.

"Am I pretty?" She suddenly asked.

Geto paused for a moment. "It's subjective," he said.

"Subjectively, am I pretty?"

"Yes. You're pretty." Suguru replied.

Y/n smiled slightly.

"Yuki says I'm pretty too. Even beautiful. But I don't understand why I can't find someone to love me."

Suguru saw her serious expression.

"You're young. You'll find what you're looking for."

"But it feels like I'll always be alone."

"No, I don't believe that. A soulmate is out there for each of us. You just need to wait."

Y/n sighed. "Maybe you're right."

They drove up to Yamada's house, and Suguru looked at the upset Y/n with affection. The girl closed the window and leaned her forehead against the glass.

"Thank you for the ride." She said and hurried out the door.

A month and a half later, the long-awaited release of the duet between Yuki and Suguru took place. Yamada had decided to release the duo first, with the intention of releasing Geto's solo track later. Suguru had no objections to this plan, as he understood that the audience would not be as interested in an unknown artist's song if it were released before the duet with super-star Tsukumo.

Following the release of Geto's solo song, Yoshiki hosted a gala event to celebrate his new artist's success. However, Suguru was unaware of what Yamada had planned for him, so he approached the event in a relaxed state.

Upon arriving at the venue, Suguru was greeted by Y/n, who seemed to have recovered from her difficult breakup with Mahito. The two exchanged pleasantries, and Geto noticed how beautiful Y/n looked in her sea-green dress that reached the floor. Her curled hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and her natural makeup only enhanced her natural beauty. She was not only pretty, but also stunning.

Yuki was already sitting at the table, talking with Yamada and another man with dark hair tied into two high ponytails that jut upward and outward. Suguru immediately recognized Choso Kamo, the artist for the "TOUCH" label. As their eyes met, Kamo winked at him.

Next to Y/n, on one side, was Reiji. On the other side, there was a blue-eyed man with snow-colored hair. As Y/n sat down, he whispered something to her, and the girl laughed. However, when she noticed Geto's frown, she looked guilty and bit her lower lip.

"I am very pleased to see you all here today! Unfortunately, most of my artists are currently on tour, but I believe a great opportunity has arisen today." Yamada seemed to be in a good mood, which positively affected the mood of his children, Y/n and Reiji. They looked at each other and smiled. "Today, I would like to announce that "TOUCH" is pleased to welcome two talented young artists, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto!"

Yoshiki gestured towards Suguru and the blond man sitting next to Y/n. Gojo seemed unsurprised, but Geto's reaction was more subdued. Yuki gave him a nod of approval and a thumbs up, while Kamo appeared calm but also expressed his approval.

"Yamada-san, I would like to thank you for this opportunity. It is an honor to work with you." Satoru said, standing up from the table to shake Yamada's hand.

"Geto, did you swallow your tongue?" Tsukumo gently kicked the man under the table, motioning towards Yoshiki.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't expect it..." Geto reached out to Yamada and shook his hand.

"Your track with Tsukumo has been a huge success! Well deserved!" Gojo said, smiling encouragingly at his new colleague.

"Thank you, Satoru." Geto looked at Y/n, who seemed happy.

He didn't know why she was so happy. Was Satoru her new love interest? He tried to stop his train of thought, which had taken on a tinge of jealousy. While the company had dinner, Geto tried to sort out his feelings about Y/n. After their encounter at Tsukumo's, they had seen each other a few times at the studio, exchanged messages, but nothing more. Why was he so concerned about Y/n's interaction with Satoru now?

When dinner was over, Y/n collected the plates and carried them to the kitchen. Suguru excused himself from the table and followed her. She was putting the dishes in the dishwasher and singing softly to herself. As Geto approached her, he heard her singing a song by him and Tsukumo. He smiled at himself and cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh, my goodness! You scared me!" Y/n turned to him and leaned against the counter.

"What? Am I that scary?" Geto asked.

Y/n seemed flustered by his question. "No, you're not scary at all. You look great." She said, covering her mouth with her hand.

Geto tried not to show how much her compliment meant to him, but he could feel his heart racing.

"You look beautiful too."

"Yes, Yuki helped me with my makeup and hair. And the dress… it belonged to my mother." Y/n's tone took on a sadness as she remembered her mother.

Suguru and Y/n's eyes locked. Geto approached the girl and took the plate from her hand, placing it in the dishwasher. When he stood up and was at the same height as her, he felt his breath catch in his throat. He quickly cut the distance between them and gently kissed her. To his surprise, Y/n did not push him away but instead, with a sigh of relief, returned the kiss.

Suddenly, Reiji's voice echoed in the distance, making Y/n pull away from Geto. Reiji entered the kitchen, holding Satoru's hand. The boy saw his sister and happily ran up to hug her around the waist. Suguru stepped away from the girl and leaned against the table.

Y/n asked gently, "What happened, Reiji? " She stroked the top of her brother's head, her eyes fixed on Geto. "Satoru-san told me he has a collection of toy cars! Can I come with you next time you visit Satoru?" Reiji said excitedly about the upcoming trip.

"Reiji, there's no need for you to wait for Y/n to visit me. We can simply talk to your father and, if he allows you to come with me..."

Reiji happily clapped his hands and turned his attention to Gojo. "Come on, buddy!" Satoru picked him up and carried him out of the kitchen, winking at Y/n.

"I'm sorry…" Suguru said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Don’t. That's what both of us wanted, right?" Yamada turned on the dishwasher and looked at a bit confused Geto. "And Satoru is just a friend from school." She said.

Suguru sighed with relief and approached Y/n, kissing her temple. She smiled and snuggled deeper into his arms, breathing in his scent.

Without hesitation, Suguru invited Y/n to spend the next weekend with him, on a date. This news delighted Shoko, who had no idea what was going on between Suguru and Y/n but was still happy to hear that their two friends were now a couple.

Friday evening, Suguru visited Yamada's studio to finalize the details of their collaboration with the record label. While there, he saw Gojo flirting with a receptionist. When Suguru approached him, Satoru happily slapped his shoulder in greeting.

"Y/n has told me so much about you! I hear you make great music. Maybe we can work together on a duet sometime!" The blond man seemed friendly and welcoming towards Suguru.

Suguru smiled and agreed. He then went to meet with the lawyer, but after a brief thought, returned to Gojo.

"What does Y/n enjoy doing?" Suguru asked.

Satoru smiled mischievously, placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend, and began to talk about Y/n.

That evening, Suguru picked Y/n up from the university and took her to his place. She looked a little tired, but when she saw his car, she smiled and gave him a tight hug. There were some boxes and bags of groceries in the backseat of the car.

"What's in the boxes?" Y/n asked, leaning closer to Suguru and putting her hand on his shoulder. From this gesture, his body was covered in goosebumps, and he tried to restrain himself from purring.

"You'll see." he smiled, starting the car and driving to his house.

Once they arrived at his apartment, Suguru allowed Y/n to unpack the boxes. Inside, she found a portable stove and a large soup pot. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Suguru just smiled mysteriously. They went to the kitchen and started unpacking the grocery bags. When she saw the groceries, she covered her mouth in shock.

"How did you know?"

"My sources of information are confidential." He replied with a smile.

While Suguru figured out how to turn on the stove, Y/n smiled to herself as she washed the groceries. Shabu-shabu was her mother's favorite dish, and they cooked it together as a family on holidays.

He watched as Y/n sliced the food with care and sent it to the boiling water. He mentally thanked Satoru for his advice, as seeing Y/n happy warmed his own heart.

"Wow, this is so delicious! I didn't know you could cook." Yamada said as she shoveled a piece of shiitake mushroom into her mouth, closing her eyes in pleasure.

Suguru picked up a piece of meat and handed it on a fork to Y/n, saying, "We have our whole lives ahead of us to learn more about each other."

After dinner, they moved to the living room where Geto had a synthesizer. He invited Y/n to sit down on the sofa across from him, then he kissed her hand like a true gentleman. The girl smiled at his gesture and settled comfortably on the couch.

Suguru began playing a melody that was unfamiliar to Y/n, warming up for his performance. After a few chords, he started singing one of his own songs. Yamada had grown up in a family with a music producer. When her father started his career, there were young performers gathering at their house to compose music. From childhood, Y/n was fascinated by live singing, and it brought her great joy. She remembered how she had thrown a tantrum because she couldn’t sing. Her mother replied that it was not necessary for Y/n to become a singer to find happiness.

"Suguru, you..."

After a few songs, Y/n jumped off the couch and approached Suguru. Geto moved away from the keyboard and let the girl sit on his lap. She placed her hands on Suguru's cheeks and leaned in closer to his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. The sound of their lips meeting could be heard throughout the room, occasionally mixed with soft moans. After a long time, their pent-up feelings of physical attraction finally burst out, and they were both on the verge just because of kissing and hugging each other.

Suguru felt the need for air and pulled away from Y/n. His chest was rising and falling heavily from her embrace.

"Wow…" He said as Y/n drew him in for another kiss.

Geto ran his hands under the girl's blouse, causing her to shudder slightly at his touch. His hands traveled down her back and then to her chest, as Suguru moved one hand to lift the edge of her shirt. He pulled it off, causing Y/n to laugh as the shirt ruffled her hair.

Yamada's skin was velvety, driving Suguru wild. His touch was gentle and careful, like he was touching something precious. Geto managed to pull away from Y/n's lips and move to her neck, trailing down to her collarbones. As he lightly bit her collarbone, she let out a soft moan. Y/n's one hand buried in Suguru's hair, pulling back slightly and revealing his neck. It was now her turn to mark him.

When Y/n moved away slightly, her back touched the cold keys of the synthesizer. Her skin covered in goosebumps made Suguru chuckle. He was impatient to be inside Y/n and, holding her back with one hand, tried to pull off his jeans with the other. However, he couldn't succeed, so Yamada helped him. Finally, his cock was free.

Suguru lifted Y/n's skirt and guided her onto his dick. Two moans of pleasure filled the room as they adjusted to each other. Geto began to stroke her back to help her feel more comfortable. When she was ready, Y/n started moving up and down, gradually increasing her pace.

Suguru had slept with many girls, but this time, his feelings for Yamada were stronger than physical attraction. He felt like there were only the two of them in the world. He pressed his face against her chest, breathing in her intoxicating scent.

When Suguru's cock kissed Y/n's cervix, she dug her nails into his back but immediately moved her hands to his shoulders.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." She said guiltily.

"It's okay, baby. You're beautiful and I would only be glad if you left your marks on me." Suguru smiled, noticing that Y/n had regained some confidence.

When he felt his cock begin to pulse inside her, Y/n's movements slowed down. The sound of their skin slapping filled the room and drove them both crazy.

"May I?" Suguru asked, feeling his release close.

"Yes, don't worry."

He allowed himself to finish inside her and felt his warm cum flowing down his cock. Y/n clung to Suguru's chest, trying to catch her breath. Suguru gently wiped away the sweat from her forehead.

"Let's take a shower together, I'll take care of you." Suguru said, getting up from his chair with Y/n in his hands.

Y/n screamed and wrapped her legs around him.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" Geto laughed, hugging her tightly.

The next morning, Suguru woke up to the sound of music in the kitchen. He smiled and stretched under the covers, but then decided to get up. When he entered the kitchen, he saw Y/n standing at the stove, looking at the frying pan thoughtfully. Suguru approached her and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to flinch in surprise.

"Am I that scary?" Suguru asked, smiling.

"I’ve already told you. My answer remains the same." She replied, kissing him on the cheek.

At breakfast, they looked at each other in silence, smiling at the memory of the previous night. Y/n felt great, knowing that Suguru made her feel comfortable.

"What?" Geto asked, when Yamada smiled and tried to avoid looking at him. "Why do you keep hiding your eyes from me? They’re so beautiful…"

"Because you make me feel embarrassed!"

"I’m just sitting here, drinking tea. How can I make you feel embarrassed?" Suguru laughed, taking another sip from his cup.

"It’s not now, it’s in general…" Y/n drew a circle in the air, referring to their night together.

Geto reached out to the girl���s face, removing the sandwich sauce from her lips and licking his finger. Yamada covered her face in embarrassment, shaking her head. Suguru stood up, walked over to her, and easily picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom.

"I'll kiss you every time you feel embarrassed."

"Then you'll have calluses all over your lips! And I still need them!"

"Wow, Yamada, that's so filthy! "Suguru sat Y/n on the bed and looked at her. Her eyes were shining with joy.

"But I have a good example!" Y/n said, pulling Suguru in for a passionate kiss.

After a difficult year and dealing with drug issues, Geto found himself feeling great around Y/n. He recalled how they first met, remembering her indifference towards him and the way she looked at him while he sang with Shoko. Perhaps already then something had already sparked between them, but neither could have known what kind of spark it was. However, now, as he held her hips in his hands, Suguru felt his feelings for the girl growing by the second. Looking into her eyes, he realized that those feelings were mutual.

[ssuperficialspacecadett]

Friday Fight Night

Chapter Four of the Through the Scope series | Chapter Five

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 3.4K

Chapter Overview: You help Benny and the guys get ready for FFN.

Notes: this chapter is just a bit shorter than what i usually like to post, but i didn't have a lot of time to write this week & i'm actually content with where i ended it ! sometimes u just have to stop a little short so u don't just start typing random shit to meet a bullshit word count u give urself u know? i updated the tag list so if i missed u PLZ LET ME KNOW & i will add u asap !! well as usual...my asks are always open & happy reading <3

*no use of y/n & female presenting reader*

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Why is this so difficult? It's just like every other day at work, except for the fact that it's not. You have been standing in front of your closet for a good 10 minutes now just looking at your clothes. Suddenly nothing seems good enough to wear. Maybe something would be good enough if you knew how to dress for a fight. Should you wear workout gear? No, you weren’t the one fighting. Should you wear a tank top and a tennis skirt? Probably not if it gets as rowdy as Benny says it will. 

“Just pick a fucking outfit, you idiot.” You chastise. 

After yet another once over of your closet you pick out a worn, white t-shirt with an image of Speed Racer on it. It had definitely seen its glory days years ago when you were still in college. If it worked then, it should work now. You take it off its hanger, along with some jeans, and put it all on. You’re tying your shoes when your phone chimes next to you. 

???: Hey, we will be getting to the gym around closing time. Are you staying to help Benny set up? 

???: Oh, this is Frankie BTW

Seeing his name on your screen makes your chest tighten with excitement. You obviously gave him your number so he could text you, but now it feels so real. Something about Frankie texting ‘BTW’ makes you giggle to yourself as you sit on the floor.

You: Yes, I figured I would make myself useful. No point in going home since the fights start at 10:00 P.M. and I might lose my parking spot.

You have to set your phone down before you overthink the most basic text you have ever sent in your life. Just for good measure, you leave it on your bed while you go into the bathroom. Despite your best efforts to remain nonchalant about the whole situation, you find yourself putting on a little more makeup than usual. By the time you have wrapped up and returned to your room an unread text is waiting for you. 

Frankie: Good thinking. See you tonight then.

The rest of your morning has a bit more pep in it than before.

***

Your day at the gym passes by as usual. The only two exceptions were a truck load of last minute Friday Fight Night tickets sales and then compliments on how the gym was smelling. You made a mental note to smack Benny upside the head for throwing such a temper tantrum about it. In between customers you found yourself checking your phone more than you regularly do. You told yourself that it was just because you were excited about the fights and were counting down the minutes and not because you were hoping to receive another text from Frankie. Unfortunately, lying to yourself never really works out. 

In an effort to keep yourself occupied, you answer emails from people that are applying for a gym membership, make laps around the gym to see if you need to replace any of the wipes used to clean the machines, and collect all of the dirty towels for a load of laundry. Much to your dismay, these tasks don’t take very long to complete. By 3:30 P.M. you reluctantly slink back to the front desk where the single most unwanted guest is waiting. 

“There she is! My favorite receptionist! I’m still interested in knowing your name, darlin’.” 

“Good afternoon, Brunson.” You plop yourself down in your chair and pull up the schedule on the computer. “Just working out today? I don’t see that you’re with Benny.”

“You caught me. I want to make sure that I’m in good shape when I fight in a few weeks time.” 

For a few blissful seconds you allow yourself to indulge in the idea of Brunson getting clocked, hard, right in the jaw. 

“Well, enjoy yourself.” You scan his card quickly in an attempt to move him on his way.

“I always do so when you’re here.” He clicks his tongue at you while he walks past your desk. 

“God, he’s insufferable.” You mumble to yourself.

It’s 4:00 P.M. when Benny finally ventures up to the front lobby with you.

“Where have you been? I feel like I haven’t seen you all day, man.”

“Because you haven’t,” He covers his face with his hands and whines into them before coming back up for air. “At first I couldn’t find where the white board I used to write out the fightin’ pairs was. Then there was somethin’ wrong with the beer delivery and they kept me out back for fuckin’ ever. That isn’t even coverin’ all the one on one sessions I've had today or the ones I’m still goin’ to have.”

It’s breaking your heart to see how stressed out he’s getting with all of the things he has to juggle today. You get out of your chair, walk over to him, and rub on his shoulder comfortingly. 

“It’s going to be alright, Benny. I’m staying after work to help you set up and Frankie told me that the guys are coming to help around closing too. You won't be in this alone for much longer.”

He places both of his hands on his hips and exhales deeply.

“Thank you,” You can see the earnestness in his eyes. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. That’s what friends are for, right?”

He smiles down at you from his 6’2 frame and before you can move he pulls you in for a deadly tight hug.

“Benny!” You can’t stop laughing. “Let me go this fucking instant!”

“Friends like hugs from other friends, right?” He yells over your incessant protesting. 

“I’m going to kill you, you know that?!” Your tone of voice doesn’t even sound remotely serious. 

Eventually you get him to unlatch himself from you so the two of you can finish up the work day in order to prepare for this evening.

***

You stand back proudly and admire all of your handiwork. Benny put you in charge of setting up the beer table, so set up the beer table you did. You designed a poster to hang on the wall above the table so people would be able to clearly see their options and their respective prices. You set a long, metal tub in the center of the table and filled it halfway with ice. Then you made a little arrangement out of the beer and poured the last half of the ice on it to keep it cold. The cash box was fully stocked and set to the side. All in all, you did a pretty good job. Thankfully, one of Benny’s regulars volunteered to work it this evening.

“All done over here!” You call over to Benny. “How’s the sign coming?”

You watch in horror as he stands up to reveal a barely legible fighting roster. He must have seen your face flounder when you looked at it because he just tosses the dry erase marker over to you and crosses his arms. 

“Oh, Benny I-”

“I know it looks bad. I’ve never had a knack for all this creative shit.”

You squeeze his hand as you pass him while heading to the white board. He slides over the roster that has been printed on paper for you to use as your guide. You’re so engrossed with your new task that you don’t notice when the guys come in around 8:30 P.M..

“You sure are givin’ Benny a run for his money this evenin’. The place hasn’t looked this put together in…well ever.” That sugary, sweet southern drawl could only belong to one man. 

“Thank you, Will!” You toss over your shoulder.

“Aw screw you, dude. Maybe it would have been if y’all had gotten here when y’all said you would.” Benny notes.

“Blame Fish.” Pope snickers. “He couldn’t find the perfect outfit.” 

That got your interest peaked. You turn around to look at what Frankie is wearing. Regular work boots, soft looking denim jeans, a black undershirt, a worn blue button up with the top few buttons left undone, and finally his cap- oh god he’s looking at you. If you had been a smarter woman, you would have noticed that two thirds of the group standing behind you were looking at your sign. That damned one third of the group was watching you trail your way up his whole body. He’s like an oak; completely unwavering as you take him in. 

“Well, I like it. ” You squeak out as you turn your attention back to the roster. “Now why don’t you guys go make yourselves useful and help Benny?”

You hear a unified ‘yes ma’am’ come from behind you followed by the scattering of three pairs of feet. There truly isn't anything more sexy than men who can follow orders.

All five of y’all work tirelessly for the next hour to get everything finished before the doors open to the public. When you cross off the last item on your to-do list, you decide that you have earned a drink. You sneak over to the beer table and open one of the coolers that you set up behind it that contains the excess bottles. Much to your dismay, the bottle caps don't twist off like you originally thought. You’re on your knees looking around in the extra bags and praying that Benny had the foresight to get a bottle opener when Frankie walks up next to you. 

“Lose something?”

“Just my dignity trying to locate the stupid fucking bottle opener.”

He laughs jovially as he extends his hand to help you up. You take it and sheepishly hand him your bottle when he motions for it. The two of you walk around to the front of the table and you watch as he easily takes out his keys and pops the cap open with a bottle opener he had attached to them. You notice that instead of tossing the cap in the trash he places it back in his pocket along with his keys. Right when he starts to hand the drink back to you he pulls it back towards him. 

“Hey! What gives?”

“I have to test it to make sure it isn’t poisonous or something.”

“Oh my god, you dick.” You lean back on the table behind you.

“You won’t be saying that when I save your life.” He takes a small sip and passes it over to you. “Nope. It’s not poison. You’re in the clear.”

Now it’s your turn. You turn to look out at the gym while you take a drink of your well deserved reward. 

“Wait,” You look over at Frankie. “What if it's a slow acting poison and now we are both infected? I guess you have to stay here and finish this with me so we can go out together.”

He leisurely reclines next to you on the table and takes the bottle in his hand when you offer it to him. “That's some pretty sound logic. I can’t argue with that.”

You try to stop yourself, but you watch as he brings the frosty glass to his pouty lips. They look more pink than usual against the dark color of the bottle. His hands make the beer bottle look so much smaller than it really is. Your eyes wander to that nose you’re so fond of. God, what would it feel like on your clit as he ate his fill of you? Now that you’re closer to him you’re able to see the gray that's intricately woven into his beard and hair. Would it tickle the inside of your thighs when he buried his face in your pussy? Feelings you haven’t had for a man in a long time rock through your body the further you sink into your fantasy. Drifting even further, his adam’s apple bobs as he swallows the chilled liquid. You want to decorate the sensitive skin with blossoming purple marks. 

“What?” He’s looking at you now. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” You say almost breathlessly. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t hog it all.”

“I would never.” The low baritone of his voice reverberates through you. 

Benny, thankfully, yells from across the gym at the both of y’all before you do something questionable. 

“Hey, lazy asses! It’s showtime!”

You and Frankie both let out a breath neither of y’all realized you were holding. He looks down at his watch and then faces his friend with a mild look of annoyance.

“It’s 9:30, man. It’s just the boxers and the ring girls coming in right now.”

You notice that Frankie’s body immediately tenses up after he says this. Confused, you look over at Benny who has eyes as bright as the sun and is making a beeline towards you. 

“I’m sorry.” Frankie whispers down to you. “I’m so sorry.”

“Benny? What are you-?”

“I have a proposition for you.” He says while gripping both sides of your arms. “Do you wanna hear it?”

“I don’t think I have a choice by the look of things.”

“Please be my ring girl.” He gasps.

“Oh my god.” You let your head roll back. “Benny, are you serious right now?”

“Don’t say no yet. Just think about it before you decide.” 

You roll your head over to face Frankie and raise your eyebrows. You’re met with a shrug that is just as innocent as his grin.

“Does this offer have an expiration date?” You inquire shifting your focus back to the man that currently has you in a vice grip. 

“Just think about it.” He pleads.

“Fine, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna say n-”

“La-la-la! I can’t hear you! La-la-la!”

“Don’t you have fighters to go hype up in the locker room?” Frankie cuts in.

“Nothin’ I hate more than when you’re right, Fish. Catch y’all in between the matches!”

With one final ‘think about it’, he bounds off into the locker rooms. All you can do is laugh hysterically at what just transpired. Frankie probably thinks you have lost your mind with the way you are doubled over right now. 

“Hey let us in on the joke, why don’t you?” Pope sits next to you on the table. 

“I could use a good laugh as well.” Will adds blithely.

“What you two could use is a reality check.” you walk around the table and grab a beer for each of them. “God, I can’t believe him.”

You hand Will and Pope their drinks completely forgetting about taking the tops off. Fortunately, that didn’t stop them. Will snatches Pope’s beer out of his hand and positions the bottles where one has its cap resting just barely on the edge of the other's cap. Then he slams them down on his knee and Pope’s opens with ease. After he hands the open one off, he pops his own with a thick ring he’s wearing. 

“I’m thoroughly impressed, Will. What the hell was that?”

“You just gotta learn to make due sometimes.” 

Frankie and Pope both mutter ‘show-off’ under their breaths as Will explains to you the physics behind his little trick. 

“Okay, now back to what Benny was talking about.” You adjust your stance so you can better face the group. “Are y’all in on this? This ‘ring girl’ shit?”

“Can’t say it wouldn’t be fun though.” Pope prods his finger at you. 

“Oh, yes I can.” You say swatting at him.

“You know, Benny. Once he sets his mind to somethin’ he’s pretty determined to see it through.”

“That doesn’t even begin to answer my question, Will.” You groan as you take the beer from Frankie’s hand. 

The movements between y’all are so natural, so fluid that it feels like something you have been doing for years. You see Pope, almost in shock, watch you as you take a drink.

“Can I get some of that?”

“No way, man.” You shelter the bottle against your body. “Three is a crowd and you literally have an open one in your hand.”

“Will’s right,” Frankie reasons with you. “Benny is as one track minded as they come.”

“Tell him to get on another track then.”

“How about this?” Pope counters. “You go into the locker room with Benny and see what it takes to be a ring girl. Then and only then will he accept your answer of ‘no’ if that’s still what you want.”

“If that will get him off my case then that's fine with me.” 

You start to turn towards the locker room doors when a blue sleeved arm reaches over your shoulder and plucks the beer from you. 

“Hey, give that back!”

“I just want to make sure you don’t hog it all.” Frankie’s tone is thick with sarcasm.

“I would never.” You grin.

Pope waits until you have cleared the locker room doors before he whacks Frankie in the shoulder. Unfortunately, Frankie doesn’t see it coming because he is too busy hoping to catch one more glimpse of you.

“If that's how you act around women you think are ‘just cool’ then I’m terrified to see how you act around women you actually like.”

“The fuck was that for? And the fuck are you talking about, man?” He massages the spot where Pope smacked him. 

“Will, please tell me you aren’t as blind as he is?”

“Sorry, Fish. I see it too.”

“See what?”

“That you look like a goddamn catfish whenever you look at her! Eyes all big and mouth agape.”

“I do not.” Frankie mutters. 

“Come on.” Pope folds his arms across his chest. “You think she’s cute.”

“What are we in middle school? You’re being ridiculous. Will?” 

“I’ll be honest, I wanna know too.” He flashes that signature boyish Miller smile.

All Frankie can do is laugh nervously while he removes his cap and runs his fingers through his hair. He knows that he’s in the middle of a losing battle and that he’ll have to concede. They are going to be ecstatic that a woman other than Rochelle has caught his eye. Especially when it's a woman that meshes so naturally with their group. No, what’s stopping him is that a part of himself wants to keep it a secret. To have something that is just his. No prying eyes, no unwanted advice, no consequences, and no one else has to get hurt but him. As soon as the acknowledgement of his affection for you falls from his lips, it's real. As selfish as it sounds, he wants to keep you at arms length. He feels like everything he touches breaks and he doesn’t want you to become the next casualty. You wouldn’t want him if you knew the truth about the things he has done. But then you smile or laugh and he can feel himself falling deeper and deeper into his delusions of grandeur. 

“Well, if you don’t like her then maybe I’ll ask her out.”

“No, you won't because,” Frankie puts his cap back on. “I think she’s cute. Are y’all happy? I like her.”

“Atta boy, Fish!” Will cheers. 

“I knew it!” Pope says as he pulls Frankie in for a hug. “She’s a good one, man.”

“I know she is. I just don’t know if I’m going to do anything about it right now.”

Will’s hand comes to rest on his shoulder. “Why’s that?” 

“I don’t want to fuck it up. To drag her into the shit show that is my life. I don’t even know if she feels the same way either!”

The two other men nod in understanding. Frankie takes a sip of the drink he stole from you and sighs as he looks up at the ceiling. 

“All I know is…is that I like her.”

“Shh!” 

“Pope, you were the one that wanted to talk about this!”

“Shut the fuck up! She's coming!”

“Y’all ready? I’m going to open the doors for everyone!”

The three of them use the time it takes you to unlock the doors and arrive back in order to regroup from their previous conversation.

“Did you,” Will clears his throat. “Did you like the view back there? See a future in being Benny’s ring girl?”

“I like the view from right here, thank you very much.” 

“So,” Pope rubs his hands together. “Who ready to see some dudes get the shit beat out of them?”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

{tag list: @cutesyscreenname @rsquared31 @smol-beb @bitchwitch1981 @avastrasposts @hoeslingz @saltybutteredtoast @javicstories @c-justhere @pimosworld @modernperplexity @beboldbebravethings @modernperplexity @mxtokko @moonliqhtszn @tanzthompson }

[oennpellmell]

Receiving s*xtorsion mail when you are asexual is hilarious

Recently my information fell into a fishing listing. It is annoying because for almost 20 years I managed to keep my professional email out of this type of list (usually it is my trash mail I use to register on site). But sadly last winter, I ordered with my regular email (which was stupid) some engraved bells for my winter tradition. The company I usually used for this couldn't deliver so I found another.... Annnnd the site was a scam. Despite me double checking if it was legit. I only saw the cracks after I passed my order. The "company" was registered in the USA, but when I received the confirmation suddenly I had the info of a Chinese company. Nothing happens for a month then the moment my package "arrived" at the Chinese boarder, I received notification that my credit card had been hacked, which got immediately picked on by my bank. So no damage. Sadly, since that scam didn't bring anything else from me, it seems they moved onto a different tactic, or another group of scammers bought my info, because, for the past 6 months, I have been receiving sextorsion emails. You know the one that start with the info they managed to get on you in the header to make it sound real then tells you to take a deep breath because everything will be fine if you follow the procedure. After they usually explain that you have clicked on a naughty website that downloaded a virus on your computer and remotely activated your webcam to record you visiting other bad websites (they usually followed with a "you know which one" to make you panic if indeed you feel bad about something or make you paranoid of what could be actually pinned on you even if you have done nothing wrong. It is just a mental manipulation) and have tones of videos of you doing things in your bedroom which they compliments as a proof that they have seen it. After they call you a pathetic human being and if you don't want your bad actions to be revealed to your love ones, you need to give them x amount of bitcoins. I guess it would stress your regular Joe to receive that (and seeing the number of people online that freak-out to the copy and past version of what I received, it does do wonder on our lizard brain), but in my case, it couldn't make me laugh harder because.... I am asexual. I am really not into this. At all. If the FBI had a direct view of my online activities, it would be as exiting as the mating life of a panda. So I know this is a bait to make me panic, but it falls flat as a pancake with me, because if indeed they had anything on me, it would be me sitting in front of my computer working or reading or playing Stardew Valley.... Unless Stardew Valley is the thing I should be ashamed of? Not to mentioned that my webcam is disconnected on regular basis, I only connected it when need to have a video chat or do a stream. True, sometimes I do forget to disconnect it but uh.... It would still be just video of me, looking a screen with a resting bitch face for hours. I guess it could be described as pathetic in a way, to quote them. But seeing that my Youtube has hours of me doing the exact same thing during my streams... I am pretty sure the whole world is already aware of my activities at this point. I am really tempted to reply to them to please not send my parents a video of me drinking coffee while watching The Click, or to tell them that I couldn't care less because their info are inaccurate anyway, to pick on their pride a bit, but I won't do it since it would give them proof that at least my email is active. It does pissed me off that my email that I managed to protect for so long fell into a listing.... but at least, I get to snicker when they are "hey we know what you did" and every time I am "Oh yeah... you right, I restarted my day on Stardew because I messed up a quest... such a bad girl."

[antianakin]

Anidala and the possibility of Love Bombing

I’ve recently been introduced to the concept of love bombing, a form of emotional abuse that can be experienced in any stage of a relationship but often occurs in the earliest stages and often used by those with narcissistic traits or PD, and I think this might have occurred in the earliest stages of Padme and Anakin’s relationship and continued into the later stages.

To start I would like to say that I am working from an understanding of love bombing based on reading a few articles and learning about one specific case IRL, but applying signs of love bombing to Padme and Anakin’s relationship (mostly focusing on AOTC, because I haven’t rewatched TCW in a while and don’t know which episodes most of the examples that come to mind are from), this is what I’ve come up with.

1.Excessive and overwhelming attention and compliments.

Anakin pretty much showers her with this throughout AOTC, regardless of her boundaries and discomfort.

2. Excessive following of your whereabouts.

As Padme’s bodyguard in AOTC, Anakin has constant access to Padme’s location and her as an individual, which means he can continue putting forward advances regardless of whether she says no or not throughout the early stages of their relationship. Later, although I doubt it was intentionally on his part, he removes her from any authority she had over him by taking him with her to Tatooine and Geonosis, which prevents her from any option of using her position to override his advances and enforce her boundaries.

3. Ignoring your boundaries.

Anakin repeatedly ignores Padme telling him she’s uncomfortable and displaying discomfort at his advances in AOTC. He later disregards her commitment to her work as a senator in TCW.

4. (I’m going to put a bunch together for this one) Intense declarations of love, the giving of extravagant and unnecessary gifts, and emphasising that your relationship is ‘special’.

When they are going into the Geonosis arena, (although Padme initiates it and is the one actively declaring love in this scene) Anakin uses the opportunity to emphasise their relationship as special, saying: “You love me?! I thought we decided not to fall in love. That we would be forced to live a lie. That it would destroy our lives…”.

Which follows on from Anakin’s own declaration of love earlier in the movie, which would be nothing if not overwhelming to be on the receiving end: “From the moment I met you, all those years ago, a day hasn’t gone by when I haven’t thought of you. And now that I’m close to you again, I’m in agony. The closer I get to you, the worse it gets. The thought of not being with you makes my stomach turn over – my mouth goes dry. I feel dizzy. I can’t breathe. I’m haunted by the kiss you should never have given me. My heart is beating, hoping that kiss will not become a scar. You are in my very soul, tormenting me. What can I do? I will do anything you ask… If you are suffering as much as I am, tell me.”

This kind of long-winded declaration is (from my understanding) actually characteristic of love bombing, although IRL, it takes the form of texts and emails.

In TCW “Hostage Crisis”, he gives Padme his lightsaber, which could be considered an extravagant and unnecessary gift, he does this in order to resolve a disagreement (in which it really seems like he is trying to guilt her into behaving how he wants her to) and essentially declare that his love is more important to him than anything else and that their relationship is so special to him that he’d put his life in her hands.

5. Pressure to commit to a relationship.

Although I don’t think we know if getting married was a mutual decision or not, they did so after an incredibly short time after their reunion and I don’t believe that onset war is a truly justifiable enough reason for such a commitment after such a short period of time. Also, Anakin’s behaviour towards Padme throughout the entirety of AOTC could be considered this.

6. A bizarrely intense and fast paced relationship.

They knew each other for what, a week or two, or less, before getting married? In addition to the multiple love confessions, I think this applies.

7. (Again, a bunch) Being intensely clingy, wanting to know everything about you immediately and telling you their personal details too quickly, and wanting constant validation.

I think the love confession under 4 applies and he arguably ends up oversharing regarding how he views his relationship with Obi-Wan, beginning by praising him before saying: “In some ways- a lot of ways- I’m really ahead of him. I’m ready for the trials, but he feels that I’m too unpredictable. He won’t let me move on.” and “He’s overly critical. He never listens. He- He doesn’t understand. It’s not fair!” Throughout this, I think his tone grows rather petulant and he seems to be looking for Padme’s validation of this view. Immediately afterwards he disregards Padme’s request that he not look at her in a way that she says makes her uncomfortable.

8. The love bomber lashing out when criticised and not taking responsibilities for previous relationships.

A platonic example: After Shmi’s death, Padme witness’ Anakin lashing out in response to his perception that: “It’s all Obi-Wan’s fault! He’s jealous! He’s holding me back!”, which builds on his earlier conversation with Padme, and is followed by the rather terrifying declaration of committing mass murder. I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if the idea of criticising Anakin got linked to the idea of extreme violence for Padme, even if subconsciously. But, back to the point, Anakin places all the blame on Obi-Wan, refusing to acknowledge any fault of his own in the process.

9. Saying the “right things”.

Not a perfect example of this, but in TCW “Hostage Crisis” Anakin resolves a disagreement over Padme prioritising her work by leading her through a specific thought process:

Padme: “Hey, I’m supposed to be on a meditative retreat. We should go away together. I know a place far away from here where no one would recognize us. Yeah, it’ll be like we’re actually husband and wife instead of senator and Jedi.”

Padme: “I–I can’t, Ani.”

Anakin: “What do you mean, you can’t? Oh, it’s only two weeks. We’ll be back before anyone even notices we’re gone.”

Padme: “I have to bring this bill before the senate. It’s important.”

Anakin: “Uh-huh. More important than the way you feel about me?”

Padme: “Not more important, but important. The work I do–the work we both do is in the service of the Republic, to protect those who would otherwise be powerless to protect themselves.”

Anakin: “Of course. But those are ideals. Isn’t our love more important to you?”

Padme: “But I-”

Anakin: “No. No, but. To me, there’s nothing more important than the way I feel about you. Nothing.”

Padme: “Anakin, don’t be so-”

Anakin: “Oh, you don’t believe me.”

Padme: “I didn’t say I-”

Anakin: “I’ll prove it. Just watch. [Pulls out his lightsaber] When I finished constructing my lightsaber, Obi-Wan said to me, “Anakin, this weapon is your life.” This weapon is my life.”

Padme: “No, Anakin, I can’t. A Jedi lightsaber is- Wow, it’s heavier than I thought.”

Anakin: “It’s yours. Believe me now?”

Padme: “If all you, want to do is make fun of me, I think you should just go.”

Anakin: “That’s not what I want. Not at all.”

Then they kiss.

This strikes me as an incredibly manipulative conversation, in which Anakin is aiming to behave in a way that ultimately controls Padme’s reactions throughout the conversation and is both unrealistic and ultimately hollow (Anakin will need to take his lightsaber back, and the gifting of it proves to be detrimental to the later situation).

10. Showing extreme jealousy when you’re with someone else.

The Clovis situation.

I’m not trying to disregard Padme’s agency in the relationship, she does seem to reciprocate to some extent, but I’m just wondering how much of that agency is actually hers.

I’d like to know your thoughts on this if you’re willing to slog through all of this, it sort of got away from me.

@nyx987

I’m really hesitant to apply specific terms like this to characters in Star Wars, I’ve seen certain terms get thrown about in fandom specifically around Anakin and his behavior and the ways that those discussions can get really gnarly. I am not a psychiatrist, I’ve never studied psychology by any stretch of the imagination, so I’m not inclined to apply things like this to Star Wars unless it was specifically discussed in text or by someone like Lucas as something he had in mind when writing it (for example, the idea of attachment and the way Lucas specifically uses it and how THAT applies to Padme and Anakin’s relationship).

When I discuss this relationship and the reasons I think it’s bad, I try to go for things like “unhealthy” that are a bit more vague and don’t necessarily refer to a specific diagnosis. I talk about how selfishness and greed come up in the relationship because those are words Lucas used to describe Anakin. I talk sometimes about how sexism impacts the relationship both from a meta standpoint (everything in AOTC relies on the trope of “when a woman says no she actually means yes”) and an in-universe standpoint (Anakin demanding obedience from Padme as his wife seems relatively intentional as something the audience is intended to view as BAD).

I have used the term abusive before, but I have also seen people push back on that (up until he’s literally choking her, obviously), so I’m trying to stay away from that one these days. I’d maintain that it is a fundamentally dysfunctional and unhealthy relationship for BOTH of them, I think they’re BOTH making selfish choices here and that this relationship brings out the worst of both of them, but that’s as far as I’m currently comfortable taking it.

So, I dunno, MAYBE Anakin is an example of love bombing, but I can hardly consider myself any kind of expert or authority on the subject enough to say one way or the other.

[firthbetterorfirthworse]

Christmas at Pemberley Manor (2018)

This is it. The last Hallmark movie on my list praise be

Elizabeth is an event planner. This is her first time being more than the behind the scenes planner and such - she'll be doing an event for small town Lambton for her old friend George. Her boss Caroline is like hey do a good job since you convinced me to do it under the company name so it'll reflect badly on me if you don't!

Darcy has a new freshfaced assistant who is very very nervous. Darcy always works on Christmas and needs to sell his family manor (Pemberley). He's gonna sell it to an investor who is going to tear it down and build condos.

George is the new mayor of Lambton, and campaigned on making big changes, so expanding the holiday celebrations is symbolic to him even though his assistant is nervous about it. By the way, George thinks Elizabeth is amazing. Er, an amazing friend, of course.

Turns out they went on one date back in the day, but "they" (cough cough, Elizabeth, clearly) decided they were better off as friends.

PS Travis, the assistant, does NOT understand Darcy's jokes. He thinks he might actually get fired if he gets the coffee order wrong. Elizabeth is in line for coffee and is like uh that's not okay. She confronts Darcy in the town car. I think he is bantering, but I think she is arguing.

Travis is like "I didn't ask her to do that, I don't even know who she is." "That's too bad," Darcy mutters to himself.

There's a caretaker for the manor that looks like Santa Claus. He is decorating the exterior for Christmas, even though Darcy doesn't see the point.

Oh no! A water main break under town square. The celebrations are in peril. But they used to host them at Pemberley manor - so Elizabeth wants to convince Darcy to let them use the grounds/manor like they use to, since no one really lives there and it won't be torn down until after the new year.

Darcy is reluctant, for insurance purposes. But he receives an email from the company that someone complained bitterly about the plan to tear down Pemberley, and they want him to engender goodwill. He agrees to host the festival, as long as she agrees to keep his name out of it.

Oh did I mention that Darcy has fond childhood memories of Christmas celebrations at the house, but clearly nothing recent to make him enjoy it.

They only have 3 days to get everything ready! He offers his help, half-heartedly, and she's like GREAT I need you to drive me around I don't have a car. She talks him into it.

Hey George's assistant (Jane) and Darcy's assistant (Travis) have a meet-cute! They're both shy and tongue-tied. Adorable.

Darcy and Elizabeth are spending time together. He is surprisingly open about his childhood memories and how his dad always worked Christmas for the company and so he does too. They have A Moment as they say goodnight after decorating a tree for the window of his house.

The next day she's like oh no I think I offended him and he wanted me to leave. George tell me about him so I don't mess up this festival, since you went to law school together. "It's not my place to talk about him." I was primed to hear some Wickham hate spew forth, but instead he confides in her that Darcy does a TON of charity but only ever anonymously.

Late at night with 48 hours to go, Darcy comes across her still working. He asks what she would do to relax, and she admits that she would probably be baking Christmas cookies. Cut to them in his kitchen, making Christmas cookies. He compliments her singing and they talk about childhood dreams... he says no his father always impressed upon him how he was going to take over his father's company. "What would you do if you weren't" she asks, and he looks at her meaningfully and says "bake cookies." Then they have Another Moment.

The next day Elizabeth and Jane are working together, and Travis stops by, and they all blush and stammer at each other. Both girls denounce interest in Darcy/Travis.

George wants Darcy to make sure he's sure about tearing down Pemberley and that he considers all his options.

It's the day of, and they're fixing up a carriage. Now she's opening up to Darcy about her ex-fiance. She even confesses that when she had to convince her young niece to write a letter to Santa, she wished for true love.

Elizabeth tries to convince Darcy to come out for the tree lighting, but he stays inside so the press focuses on the celebration and not him. Jane invites Travis to come out for the tree lighting, and he eagerly agrees.

The kindly caretaker who looks like Santa Claus, Kristopher, has been operating as a mentor to Darcy. He encourages him to go outside and enjoy the true spirit of Christmas - people. Elizabeth sees him through the crowd and comes to his side. "We make a good team," she says, and he agrees.

There are thirty minutes left what the heck is going to even happen

Oh! Someone snapped a photo of Elizabeth and Darcy shaking hands, and it ended up in the paper. Elizabeth's boss sees it and gasps, but I don't know what reaction that is. Darcy isn't even upset about it.

Oh no! Santa came down with the flu, but luckily Kristopher is there and just happens to look like Santa. Jane suggest that Travis could be an elf so there he is.

George and Darcy are talking about Elizabeth. Darcy is "nonchalantly" asking about them dating in college, and George confesses that he can't help but wonder what it would have been like if she had agreed to a second date. She wanted to be friends and he wanted her in his life so that was enough. But he wonders what she would say if he asked again.

Darcy and Elizabeth almost have Another Moment but then she asks his advice on a gift for George. Darcy tells her George is very fond of her. She says she's fond of him too. He's trying to feel her out - "I'm beginning to think you only appreciate me for my car, is that it?" "I mean, what else could there be?" she responds [eyeroll]

Caroline has shown up and Elizabeth is like uhhhhhhhhhh. She's like why didn't you tell me you were planning an event with Darcy's company?? "I'm not," she says. "I'm planning an event with the city, he just donated the use of the house." Caroline doesn't care because it makes her look bad, that she's not the face of this event that everyone thinks is for Darcy. She insists they'll be up all night going over every detail of the event and see how they can salvage it. Elizabeth doesn't understand because everyone is enjoying the festival, but Caroline is talking about the reputation of her company.

It is now the next day and Caroline hates everything. Elizabeth apologizes to Darcy and explains she'll be taking a step back. Darcy is not happy but agrees not to say anything at Elizabeth's request. Caroline takes him to lunch.

Darcy invites Elizabeth to take a carriage ride with him. Caroline is busy changing the whole vibe to be more elegant. Darcy admits that he might take Christmas off this year to say goodbye to Pemberley, and that he's only selling it because the board of directors decided to.

Oh no! The soloist has a sore throat! Luckily Santa tells Caroline about how Elizabeth can sing even though she's nervous. (Also their grand finale was just an a capella soloist? Not sure why that was their finale, or why they were sooooo worried about it)

George thinks he's gonna ask Elizabeth for that second date. Caroline pulls Elizabeth aside and is like hey take a step back. I need to establish a relationship with Mr Darcy myself, so you're done here. You don't even have to come tomorrow.

There's another Santa mentor moment where he's like hey Darcy you seem down. Darcy thinks George and Elizabeth are better suited, but Santa convinces him to let Elizabeth decide.

George is like hey sorry Elizabeth, Caroline would not listen to me. He tells her she did not let him down. Elizabeth asks if they're still friends and you can see the pain in George's face, but he agrees. Darcy pulls up across the street just in time to see them hug, and drives off.

Darcy signs the final paperwork for the sale.

Now that the sale has gone through, the company cancels the last day of the festival. They're tearing it down and Caroline tells Elizabeth that Darcy headed back to New York.

George admits to Elizabeth that he thinks Darcy cares about him.

Jane calls Travis and convinces him to get Darcy to do something. But Darcy admits that the sale isn't final final until the Darcy board ratifies the contract, so technically Darcy still owns Pemberley.

Elizabeth is like look Caroline I know you don't want me to overstep, but this festival is more important to the town than to you or me. They're throwing it back together.

Travis admits that he lied to Darcy about the helicopter not being ready, and that he was supposed to keep him there until he realized that he loves Elizabeth and she loves him. So they head back to the Christmas festival.

Oh no! The reader of The Night Before Christmas? His wife just went into labor. The public is expecting a minor celebrity to read the story! It would take a Christmas miracle!

Darcy and Travis are stuck in the snow with no service, oh no! Buuuut suddenly out of the darkness comes Santa, I mean Kristopher. Or do I mean Santa, because he says he's had to drop everything on Christmas Eve to make sure Elizabeth gets her Christmas wish of true love.

George insists that they can't wait anymore, but wait! What's this? Darcy! A minor celebrity! He's going to read the book! And also he canceled the sale of the house! A Christmas miracle!

Jane and Travis are together. And Darcy and Elizabeth said "merry Christmas" and kissed, so now it's over immediately.

I would describe this movie as emotionally beige. I didn't love it or hate it. I didn't even like or dislike it. It exists. Jane and Travis are a bit cute. I don't know if it's my secondary-love-interest-sympathy but I wished for more for George. If I hadn't written this post as I watched, I think I would be hard pressed to tell you anything about it at all. And thus ends my thoughts.

[ladyaislinn]

hollywood reporter

After Wednesday’s world premiere, Anderson and Sewell lauded each other for doing such spot-on work. Recalling the experience of shooting the actual interview part of the film after watching and studying the original BBC interview, Anderson said: “We sit down, and so I’m doing it and doing the gestures. But at the same time, I’m seeing Rufus doing exactly what Prince Andrew did. I just wanted to go: ‘What the fuck?!’ You were so good!”

Sewell paid back the compliment, telling Anderson: “You made it very easy for me by making it very difficult for Andrew.” He shared that the interview set felt “strangely safe for me,” but “unsafe for the character.” The actor also shared how he felt upon receiving an email offering him the role. “My initial reaction was actually, I was quite flattered. I was flattered because it was an acting challenge,” he said. “And the script was amazing and somehow managed to make something that we thought we all knew a nailbiter.” While he really wanted to take on the role, he said he soon “couldn’t remember why I had said I wanted to do it, because it took a lot of doing” and it was challenging to play such a public figure. Sewell said part of his interest was also to “try and work out what was going on inside his head and what he was trying to achieve.”

pic below by @brungraf from instagram "Brilliant portrait of Rufus Sewell, Location Curzon Mayfair Cinema"

[jmflowers]

Ok I got a little carried away so you can choose all of these or just like one or two. For the Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🍓 🔪 🏜️ 🦴

Thank you!!

You absolutely did not get carried away! Thank you, this was fun. I don’t usually do this on my phone, but I’m too tired to get up so please bear with me. (Is it bear or bare? I argued with my grade 11 English teacher about this and I still don’t actually know the right answer…)

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I started writing fan fiction when I was probably about 12 or 13? I literally did not have any reference point to the concept - I just loved TV and creating things and writing was an important hobby. I think I was frustrated with a topic not being given the attention I wanted in the show Ghost Whisperer (I was obsessed) so I just wrote it myself. The only way I knew to connect with fandom was through YouTube, as I’d been making fan montages for a while. I edited my story, chapter by chapter, into videos and posted it there. I didn’t end up finding fandom spaces for writing and community until I was about 18, when I joined tumblr and started reading on livejournal and fanfiction.net. I discovered screenwriting around that time, too, and fell in love with the idea of combining these things to make a career. (Only took me another decade to finally bite the bullet and dive in.) I’ve been writing and telling stories literally my entire life, and have studied the art form profusely throughout my education, but I definitely think I’ve seen the most growth in my work through the act of writing fan fiction - it fuels so much discipline while still giving you the space to experiment.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I looooove to research. I spend a lot of my time looking up words in other languages and reading articles about child development. For Vofreude I read a lot about the history surrounding the clitoris and its accurate portrayal in diagrams. I think the weirdest thing I dove deep into was how to hotwire a car, for Epithet.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Anything. I get really overwhelmed by long comments and freak out on how to respond, even though they mean so much. (I worry that people think that means I don’t care about those ones.) I love when people make jokes or compliment in a way that’s silly. Also a huge fan of bookmark notes - I go and read those a lot. I die when someone mentions that they loved something else I wrote for a different fandom and that they’re happy to find me again in a new fandom - that feels pretty life changing. In real life, anytime I can create something that makes my mom cry is an absolute win in my books - she doesn’t cry often, but I’ve gotten her with a few specific things through the years.

I will say, I find it easier to respond to comments in the first few days after a piece is posted. I adore getting comments later - that email notification is one hell of a dopamine boost - but I get anxious about answering. And then I get anxious about there being a comment I haven’t responded to. And then I get anxious about how much time has passed since the comment was posted and I’m not sure if it’s too late to answer. Vicious game.

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing? 

Music. Everything I create always leads back to music. It’s how I yank myself out of blocks, usually. When I listen to music, I start to visualize how things might look or feel and then I try to emulate that in whatever I’m working on. It’s easiest for editing videos, as I picture the scenes that will match up to things. For writing, I just go with the vibes. Most of my stories have an accompanying playlist that I listen to when I’m writing in that universe.

[meganwilhoit]

Digital Retailing: Branding on the Web

Branding is a super important tool and concept, not just for businesses but also for one's personal use. A few months back my school's American Marketing Association (AMA), hosted an event for “personal branding”, and expert individuals came in to discuss what branding was and how we could develop our own “brand”. Although this event pertained to personal branding, it still helped me grasp a better understanding of what branding actually is. And what I learned was branding is made up of a lot of different things, not just the company's name or logo. 

By definition, branding is “is the process of giving meaning to a specific organization, company, products or services by creating and shaping a brand in consumers’ minds. It is a strategy designed by organizations to help people to quickly identify and experience their brand, and give them a reason to choose their products over the competition’s, by clarifying what this particular brand is and is not” (Marion, 2022). 

As more people shift towards the e-retail shopping experience, companies are having to adjust their branding to accurately reflect their company on a digital platform. I also think it should be noted that customers' expectations play a huge role in the differences between online and offline branding. Meeting these expectations is crucial for a company to succeed in branding and overall. Although I do think branding can be very similar between the web and the traditional retail environment, there are also some differences that should be considered to fully optimize the customer experience. 

The first difference is in customer service. Customer service is a part of a company's brand and implementing good customer service will give consumers a better idea of what the company represents. Customer service can be much easier to obtain in the traditional retail environment. Consumers can speak directly to an associate or manager if any issues arise. 

A personal experience of exceptional customer service in a traditional retail environment is when I shop at Altar’d State. They are a women’s boutique with the mission “Our mission is to serve as an inspiration, empower others and give more than we receive. We do this by lifting those who need a helping hand, volunteering our time to enrich lives, and extending the power of prayer.” (Altar’d State, n.d). Whenever I shop with them I am always given the best customer service, from the moment I walk in I am greeted by an associate and they offer to help me find exactly what I am looking for. They will offer a dressing room if I am a pile of clothes and will also offer advice and compliments while in the dressing room. Altar’d State goes above and beyond in its customer service aspects to build its brand and show its consumers what they strive for in a company. But with e-retailing, this interaction and customer service cannot be performed, companies have to use other resources to create these experiences with customer service and stay consistent with their branding. 

An online retailer that I think has achieved high levels of branding through its customer service is Amazon. Amazon has been successful in filling the void of social interaction that is found online. They offer quick shipping with Amazon Prime, even offering one-day/overnight delivery in some areas. They promote “frequently bought together” or “similar products” on all their product listings to offer their consumers more advice and expertise. And Amazon has extensive reviews from customers who have purchased the product previously. Other customers can view these reviews with different filters (such as most recent or best to worst) to find all the readily available information before purchasing. Amazon also has a traditional customer service phone line and email for their customers if any larger issues arise. But the majority of the time customers can navigate through Amazon’s website to make returns or contact supplies. 

Another difference in branding is through packaging design. We all know how a brand's product packaging can help with its branding. Brands can use their logos, slogans, and colors on their packaging to keep consistent branding and help spread awareness of the brand. Some examples are Tiffany’s iconic blue box with the white ribbon or Campbell's classic red and white soup cans. But I also view packaging design as how the product is presented to the customer upon purchase. This can also help a company’s brand differentiate between traditional retail environments and online retailers.  If a company has poor packaging (such as unidentifiable or not securing the product properly) customers are going to associate the company with low quality. 

In a traditional retail environment, the packaging design falls down to how the products are placed in the bag and the branding on the bag. One example from personal experience that comes to mind is Victoria’s Secret. Once I check out my item are wrapped in their color-themed tissue paper (typically white or pink), placed in their classic pink striped bag, and more tissue paper is added to the top. Each of these elements helps their branding. Not only do I feel I have purchased a more high-quality product due to the packaging, but the branding of the bag helps me and other consumers clearly identify the brand. 

In the e-retail environment, packaging design falls into how the packaging is shipped to the consumer. Patagonia is a clothing brand (online and traditional retail) but a huge focus on sustainability and being environmentally friendly. To ensure this message is conveyed through all their channels, they have made a strong effort to make their packaging design more sustainable. Their shipping boxes are cardboard but the inside of their boxes have some of their classic designs to keep branding consistent. They also have made efforts to minimize the amount of packaging required and made plans for their consumers to easily recycle these packaging components. Patagonia is using its packaging design to convey its message of being sustainable while still ensuring the packaging is identifiable to its brand. 

One way online retailers can build their branding and ensure it is consistent with their message is through social media. Over the past three years or so we have seen social media turn into e-retailers themselves. Instagram and Pinterest have even been able to create “shopping centers” on their networks where consumers can easily shop for products and purchase them through the app. Customers can follow companies on social media to keep up on new releases, and upcoming sales, and even enter potential giveaways. Companies can use their social media to connect with their customers on a more personal level while still being in the digital environment. Companies can also use social media to help with their digital branding by posting pictures and videos that accurately reflect the brand and what they are all about, especially since “a picture is worth a thousand words”. 

Two examples came to my mind when thinking of companies that use social media to help build their brand. The first is Patagonia. As I stated before they are huge on sustainability and environmentalism, one of their marketing campaigns was even about “Don’t Buy This Jacket”, which brought awareness to the overconsumption of clothes. On Patagonia's social media accounts, they strive to maintain this message, instead of consistently posting about their products, they actually feature environmental activists as well as consumers wearing Patagonia while performing outdoor activities. This is a great example of using social media to accurately reflect their brand. 

The other example that came to mind was Aerie, a smaller section of American Eagle featuring women's intimates and loungewear. Their purpose is to “love everybody”, and through their social media accounts, they post so many diverse women wearing Aerie clothing, whether that is different bodies or ethnicities, and featuring women with disabilities too. This is to bring love to one another and show that every body is beautiful, not just the “standard” we see all too often in magazines. 

Traditional and online retailers can both use the same branding strategies but they use them in different ways, such as how they create customer service experiences or how they package their products. But I also think social media play’s a huge role in a company's branding. This is where companies can really connect with their consumers and show off their products as well as their purpose and what they stand for. 

References

Altar'd State. (n.d.). Standout For Good. Altar'd State. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.altardstate.com/stand-out-for-good/

Marion. (2022, March 9). What Is Branding? The Branding Journal. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.thebrandingjournal.com/2015/10/what-is-branding-definition/

[amongemeraldclouds]

Helloo, me again back to order 🍵 the tea💕 can you please answer questions number 5, 17, 21 and 24? not sure if we're allowed to ask multiple questions for one order. if not, I'm sorry please just pick which one you want to answer the most💕

Hi love, thanks for the questions! They're all fine, clinking my tea cup with yours while I answer. 💕

5. What's your favorite trope to write?

Enemies to lovers! To feel so much for someone only to realize it was never hate. It always brings me to my knees. Here for the tension and chemistry.

17. What would your ideal day look like?

Actually a similar day to today where I wake up after eight hours of sleep. I start my day with journaling, yoga, then a shower. Then I eat a healthy meal and spend the day reading and writing. There's fresh flowers on my table and jazz in the background for vibes. It's very relaxing. Then tonight, I'll wind down with a good show and spend time talking to friends.

21. What's the best compliment you've ever received? Who was it from?

Honestly, any time I get a compliment for my writing, it means a lot. I think there's a level of vulnerability when you write, even if it's a fic. It's infused with your ideas and expressed in a way that only you can. So for people to appreciate my writing really makes me happy. Even at work, I was recognized for writing good emails haha.

24. What's a big lesson you learned this year?

It's important to let go of things (people, situations, etc) that are no longer aligned with you, even if it means breaking others' hearts, including your own. It's so much easier said than done. It takes a lot of courage and it's difficult, but there are better things on the other side of it.

[newt-and-salamander]

Okay, time to go and overshare online because that's a very healthy coping mechanism and also impeccable internet safety.

Soooo, I had this job as a student assistant for 2.5 years. I worked for a professor (lets call him Mr. J.) and we got along quite well and I am very sure I carried out my tasks very efficiently and well. He repeatedly told me so.

Last year in January I received an offer as a student assistant for a different project (with Mrs. S), and also a different Professor (Mrs. Y) asked me if I would be interested to be her PhD student after I finished my degree. I was overjoyed because I was extremely interested in Mrs. Y's work and had meant to ask her myself but couldn't muster the courage. As Mrs. S worked in the same field, it was clear I would take her job as well.

So I talked to Mr. J and told him I would take a second job and I would need to lower my work load with him from 40 h/month to 30. He was ... not happy. I remember him literally saying "If Y wants to throw her hat into the ring, who am I to stop her", and in what I considered to be honest career advice, he told me not to go into her field as it was not very promising for a university career atm.

Fast-forward to June: It became clear to me that I wouldn't be able to work 60 h/month while writing my Master thesis starting in September, so I went to Mr J. and told him I would need to quit in autumn. It made sense, because the project I worked on with S was very much adjacent to the topic I chose for my thesis. Again, J was not overjoyed to hear this and told me it was "hard to find good people", but I took that as a compliment.

I finished all my tasks in time and I spent several hours in September showing my successor how to take over from me.

I then wrote a long email to J, thanking him for the 2.5 years we had worked together and everything he had taught me - because it was true, he had been a good boss and I had learned a lot and I knew he had made sure to give me interesting tasks. He had even sent me to a work trip to Paris to do some research in some archives there. I appreciated that a lot and I told him (and I had told him before), and wroteI regretted that I had to leave the job, but that I had had a great time. I also asked him if he could write me a employer's reference as it was pretty much my first proper job.

I didn't expect a bouquet of flowers or anything, but I thought he might write back with something like "thanks for your work, good luck with your thesis". All I got back then was a one liner saying he would write the reference.

I already had the feeling back then that he was sulking, but I brushed the thought away as him being very busy. I met him once on the corridor since then, where he very obviously had no time for me. And today I got the employer's reference, 3 months after I had asked him to write one.

It was a generic text about the university, then a list of my tasks which I provided and then 2 paragraphs, of which the first one said also the very generic things about my work behaviour, including 2 typos, and the whole second paragraph was dedicated to how I quit the job because I got another attractive offer and how he regrettet to let me go.

And ... I get it. These things are always very gerenic and maybe I'm reading too much into it. But tbh reading this, I feel very bad, because I think the only effort he put into it was to make sure I knew he was not happy about me leaving, and also this sounds like I left on a whim, while I told him 4 months prior. I am also very disappointed because he never once said thank you or good bye to me, and - as a person who is generally not very sure of herself - I think this letter understates my actual performance. All the time I thought I was overinterpreting his behaviour, but now I think it's safe to say that he's offended. And I don't understand why. I was only his student assistant. I think I did my job very reliably, but at the end of the day it still was scanning books for his seminars and going to archives to take photos of documents for him. I did not betray him in any personal way. I don't see why he would react in such a way. (And I can't stop thinking about the "throwing the hat into the ring" comment. If he felt I should in any way be more loyal (???) to him and IF he had maybe thought of offering me a PhD position, he could have done it then and there. I can't read his thoughts. I am suffering from impostor syndrom anyway, I don't think anyone would willingly want to take me on for a doctorate.)

Anyway, I'm confused and hurt and I wrote him an email asking very nicely to correct the typos. Let's see if that takes him 3 more months.

[purplesurveys]

1834

Do you prefer hardly toasted at all or burnt toast? I generally enjoy the taste of certain foods more when it's on the burnt side, including toast. Also with fries and hotdogs. I like the crunch and the slight smoky flavor.

What time do you have to be out of bed by on a typical day? I work from home and if we're being extremely loose with the rules, I technically don't need to get up until 9 AM. But I like to have ample time to take a shower, make my coffee, pet the dogs, and clear the emails that came in the night before – all these let me get into the ~right mood for the day – so these days I've been waking up at 8 AM to be all ready at my work station by 8:30.

When was the last time you cleaned your bedroom? Start of the year when I did a hard restart to the room, especially after all the gift wrappers and paper bags from Christmas accumulated in one spot.

In real life do you laugh like 'haha', 'hehe' or something else? It depends exactly on the kind of laugh I'm making, or the context why I'm laughing. I can do anything from a hahaha to a hehehe to a hohoho lmao.

Do you know anyone who says things like 'lol' in real life? I know people who say it as 'lol' or as 'el-oh-el.' I do both of them.

Do you have any unusual skills? I have an abnormal amount of knowledge on the Twilight Saga...lol. I never realized how much info I've retained through the years till like 2 weeks ago when Angela, Hans, and I had this random ass trivia contest on the series.

Do you have any bug bites right now? On my legs, I'm sure there are. I've been at the rooftop a few times and mosquitoes have been lurking around there more than usual.

Is there anything annoying you at the moment? 1/2 of my glasses' frames has snapped open so I've had to DIY it with superglue for now so I can still see from both eyes, while I'm unable to get a new prescription altogether. DIY anything just puts me super on edge cause you never know when it's gonna fall apart, and if it does you don't want it happening in public where it can be embarrassing lol. 

Who's your favourite person? I'd go with my dad.

Are you more of a cat or dog person? Dog.

Do you live out of the nearest town? Not sure what exactly this is asking. I live in some part of town regardless? Hahaha.

Do you like to look at other peoples' houses? Sure, especially when they are obviously rich.

Are there any chores you actually enjoy doing? I have my mood where I'll like washing the dishes, but keyword there is mood because I don't always want to do it haha.

What's the weirdest compliment you've ever received? I've definitely gotten strange ones before but I'm usually quick to erase them from my memory so that I don't need to dwell on them anymore, so it's hard for me to remember off the top of my head.

Do you remember all those rhymes like 'i before e except after c'? We were taught this rule in English class, but not through a rhyme. The teacher just said it in plain sentence format – "If it follows a c, use ei" something like that hahaha.

When did you last have an 'Oh, I get it now!' moment? Earlier this week when I was reading the plot of Interstellar.

Would you say you're more witty or childish about jokes? Idk, I can appreciate both.

Do you get on with boys or girls better? Girls, 100%.

Do people often confide in you? Do you like it? Sure. Yeah, it makes me feel nice in a, "It's cool that they trust me" kind of way. I was most surprised when my mom asked me for advice two years ago about job options. She's never asked her own kids for advice for anything, so it was part heartwarming and part overwhelming when she did it with me. It was like...wow why are you pouring your feelings all of a sudden lol? This family has walls, where is it????? hahahahah.

Who is someone you really admire? My dad.

Do you prefer piano or guitar music? Piano.

Do you like helium balloons? I think they're slightly more entertaining than normal balloons lol.

Have your parents ever suspected something untrue about you? Yeah, at one point they were so convinced I was a smoker only because a cigarette got stuck under my shoe once. I didn't know how else to convince them otherwise so I just invited them to smell me as much as they want because they were never gonna get that nasty nicotine smell from me.

Do you have any fears that seem weird to others? I'm scared of cooking...it's more the fire I'm scared of, but yeah it makes me act weird around the kitchen and hypersensitive to any sparks and weird sizzling noises when someone is cooking. In short, I keep away from kitchens for world peace lol

Have you ever wished you'd been born someplace else? Yeah because nobody ever wishes they were born in the Philippines. Why would you hate yourself like that?

What d'you think about videogames? It's fascinating to see how far it's come. From blocks to open-world shit that's so close to resembling real life...it's really cool. I'm not a gamer per se but I grew up around gamers, so I have a soft spot for video games.

Are there any forms of art you personally find pointless? Maybe not pointless, but there are types of art that I don't particularly get drawn towards...like digital art, audio-visual pieces, pencil on paper.

What would you, or do you, study at college? I took up journalism.

Are you tired right now? A little bit, only cause I lack sleep.

Have you ever had, or wanted, a pet ferret? Nope.

Is there anything you find undeserving of the hype it received? Yes, I can think of a few things.

What's something you do a lot? Do these.

Are you currently on any other websites? I have YouTube turned on at the moment, but that's it.

Are you good at using Photoshop? Hard no. Tried tinkering around with it, never got the hang of it.

What were you last embarrassed about? My mom decided that loudly LOUDLY L O U D L Y blasting music at 7 AM earlier was the Best Idea Ever, so not only was that the reason I woke up with a pounding headache, but also why I was on edge the whole morning just waiting for some neighbor to knock on the door and ask her to knock it the fuck off. It wasn't even like jazz or lounge, it was party fucking anthems, the kind of shit you'd play at a bar at midnight.

Are there any clothing items you really want but can't find? I have a green top I haven't seen in a while.

Have you ever been told you naturally tilt your head a certain way? Nope.

What does your dream house look like? I want it extremely modern. Just a big concrete square, lol.

Do you wear a lot of make-up? I don't.

Do you have any projects on the go right now? I mean, just work projects.

What's a habit you find gross? Spitting.

Would you rather have a Poloroid or a Lomo camera? Lomo.

When was the last time you were jealous? Not sure, it's been a while since I've felt jealous.

Are you one of those people who see things for sale and say 'I could've come up with that!'? No.

Do you, or did you, really look forward to when you can finally move away? I do, but I'm not in a hurry either. Being able to move out would give me a sense of accomplishment more than anything else, but I would miss the comforts of the home I grew up in, of course.

Are you the one who holds everyone's bags at theme parks while they ride? Yes that is definitely me, I am that friend, I'd love to hold all your bags instead of wanting to feel like I left my stomach 100 feet in the air.

What's the worst tattoo you've ever seen? I don't think I've ever personally seen a bad tattoo.

What's your favourite name ever? I don't have an all-time favorite name. It always changes, depending on what I think sounds nice at that moment, or what's in style.

Are you a hat person? Mostly a bucket hat person, but sure!

When was the last time you were totally grossed out? Like a half hour ago when I ordered Monte Cristo at this restaurant I'm currently in – this place usually serves it with blueberry jam, so I requested if they can take it out...but when I got the order it had blueberry jam and actual blueberries all over the sandwich. Yes it's a first world problem I GET IT but ick ick ick, gross.

Have you ever forgotten how to do something simple? Sure.

Are you ever jealous when you see couples or friends together? No.

Has anyone ever approached you in the street and asked to take your picture? Nope.

Have you ever disliked something just because most people liked it? It only gets annoying when I see it everywhere, like when I go from one IG story to another and it's like 30 people in a row who went to The Eras tour or whatever it's called. But I don't judge The Actual Thing that people go crazy about.

Does anything hurt on you right now? I'm pretty fine right now.

What song's stuck in your head? Enhypen's Pass the Mic.

[lovemesomesurveys]

Have you ever left your front door unlocked all night? Nooo. We keep our door locked 24/7.

Do you prefer cold or warm weather? Cold, are you kidding? I can think of a few things worse than having your house feel like an oven and sweating in your own home. <<<< Ugh, right??

The last advertisement you saw: What was it advertising? I already forgot.

Do you prefer bar or liquid soap? Liquid.

Do you wear any perfumes / colognes on a regular basis? Not currently, but that's cause i ran out of my NIcki Minaj Pink Friday 2 perfume. I'm obsessed.

Do you have high or low self esteem levels? I'm just a sucker with no self-esteem.

When was the last time you listened to a song on repeat? What was the song? That Dance You Outta My Head song by Cat Janice from TikTok. Her story is really sad.

How do you feel about being in the house alone? I'm okay during the day but not at night at all. And sometimes during the day can be too long.

What was the last compliment you received? It was on my nails I just recently had done. I did cute nails for St. Patrick's Day.

Do you like mint or orange flavored chocolate? I love mint chocolate.

How often do you get spots? Like, pimples? Not often at all as I've gotten older.

Do you believe that when your ears burn someone is talking about you? i say that jokingly, but no.

Are you a good host when visitors come over or do you wish they’d leave? I try to be, but I really don't like and avoid hosting cause i feel I suck and it's so stressful. I'm too worried about everything going well and everyone having a good time.

When was the last time you burnt your mouth from eating something too hot? It's been a long time I don't recall.

What is your favorite foreign language to listen to? (In music or speech) I mean, English since that's my fluent language. I do like some Spanish and Swedish songs, though.

Do you prefer instrumental songs or ones with lyrics? I prefer lyrics, but that doesn't mean I'm opposed to all instrumental music.

Name something simple that makes you happy. Shopping on that damn Temu. It should stress me out cause I shop too much.

What is your favorite instrument to listen to? Piano and guitar.

Pick one: Books, movies or music? Nope, I'm choosing all 3.

Do you carry a bag around with you often? What does it look like? I have my bags I switch out depending on which one I feel like using.

Do you like your natural hair color? No, but I dye it red.

Do you delete your emails / texts often? I never delete texts. I used to be really good about clearing my email regularly to keep it from getting out of hand, but I've been majoring slacking.

What was the last book you read about? It's a murder series. I haven't read in several months ya'll it's not okay.

What color are the walls in the room you’re in? White.

Did you dress up last Halloween? As what? Nope. I stopped doing that several years ago.

Do you have any old friends who you still kinda speak to but it’s awkward? Honestly, it'd be that way with any of my Facebook "friends" that aren't my family. Like, they're people I know from school growing up or went to college with, but we don't keep in touch other than an occasional "like" on something with some of them. If I ran into any of them in public it'd be super awkward.

Name one of your favorite memories. Just being a kid and playing with my Barbies and whatnot.

Are you a polite person? Yes.

When was the last time you used a quote from a movie in real life? Recently, I'm sure.

Have you ever used a chat-up line that actually worked? I've never used a chatline. I did teen chat rooms back in the AOL days when I was like 10.

Can you put your legs behind your head? No.

Do you forget things easily? No.

The last song you listened to: Did it have a male or female vocalist? Male.

Is the heating on in your house currently? Nooo. I'd be too warm. We don't use our heater anyway except for extremely rare cases just to warm it up a little.

Do you often find toothpaste too minty? I use a sensitive one that light mint.

Have you ever had braces? Do you need them? Not for my teeth.

Are you a subscriber to any magazines? Which? Nope.

What does your voice sound like? (Loud, quiet, high pitched, etc) I don't know how to really describe it other than quiet.