#jessica mak

[alexandriaisburning]

036: Everyday Shooter

Made to escape the dead end of overcomplex, pretentious game design  Jessica Mak found herself obsessed with, Everyday Shooter is anything but what its title suggests. Citing Every Extend and the works of Kenta Cho as its inspirations, Everyday Shooter wears those influences proudly, but manages to deliver not one novel twist on the shooter genre, but multiple. 

Focused on an almost puzzle-like objective of figuring out each stage’s unique chaining system, and in turn how that chaining system interacts with the soundtrack. Like Every Extend Extra, each level plays alongside a unique musical track, with a sound that I’ve heard described as “bedroom rock”, made of dreamy, meandering and atmospheric riffs removed from the polished clarity of a studio album. Sound effects are replaced with guitar samples that complement the song, but  can build up during larger explosions into a cacophony of distorted sound. 

Everyday Shooter lacks the satisfaction in its basic shooting, with relatively simple bullet patterns and enemy behaviors, but here’s a satisfying push in pull in figuring out the chaining system, skirting right up to the edge of danger to achieve the biggest reaction. If Every Extend Extra is a rhythm game--jamming to the sound while waiting for the right moment to set off a chain--then Everyday Shooter is an RTS. It keeps you juggling enemies across multiple parts of the  arena, setting up pieces for the chaining system, and balancing doing damage against collecting score items to build up lives, your single resource. 

Each stage’s chaining system is unique, and can even have sub-objectives depending on which phrase of the song you’re in. In one part of a song you might be fending off robots from reaching a massive eye, before it hits the chorus and the eye opens up  to become vulnerable. Or you  might fight off hectic swarms of enemies amongst the clouds, before they fade to make way for a biplane that pulls you into an aerial dogfight. There’s a fantastic dream logic to all of it, well suited to the abstract art style.

Structurally, it’s basically a playable album, with the length of the stage determined not by how fast you  destroy things, but  by the playtime of each song. Plenty of autoscrolling shooters time their music to match stage events, but without any mandatory bosses or ways to affect the pace, surviving a song is the only meaningful goal. 

Everyday Shooter’s solution to this is an unlock system, where you use the points earned to unlock alternative visual filters, modes, and the ability to play single levels. It works as a purely mechanical method to keep you playing, but is almost one of its biggest missteps. Shuffle Mode is hidden behind this menu, which randomizes the order of the stages. But only do you need to unlock Shuffle Mode, you need to unlock each stage individually to play them within shuffle mode. So even if you’ve completed a stage already, it won’t show up unless you pay for it. Worse still is that each stage costs a serious amount more than the last one, requiring exponentially more effort with each stage. 

With the high difficulty and relatively long stages, I found myself dying a lot during the early stages, meaning fewer chances to earn large scores and an incredible grind to earn enough points to practice those later stages. The problem is exacerbated by the slow rate you collect points, having to physically collect them, with only a slow magnetic pull when in proximity.

Traditional arcade shooters generally focus on mastery and score, often allowing you to see the game’s ending on your first try if you care to put in enough credits. Without more complex mechanics or scoring systems,  Everyday Shooter instead forces you to grind to see the end, as if insecure that it won’t be satisfying enough on presentation alone. 

It’s an unearned insecurity, because even as a visualizer for a short album, Everyday Shooter is largely successful. The visuals alone provide a certain tangibility to the music and the chaining system and accompanying chorus of sound effects gives it plenty of dynamism for future playthroughs. Aside from maybe the first song, I rarely felt fatigued by repeat listens of the soundtrack, and hours of attempts later, it’s still fun to unleash the layers of guitar samples that  result from a big chain. 

If Everyday Shooter  was a little laxer in its requirements to reach the later stages, I could easily find myself returning to it like a favorite album, dropping to play a few of my favorite songs, throwing it on shuffle, or carving out a short amount of time to listen through the whole thing. As it exists now, that’s not an experience you can have until you grind out points over several hours, likely growing fatigued with it along the way. 

Everyday Shooter was released on PS3, PSP, and PC. The PC version has some inconsistencies with controllers, but generally performs similarly to the PS3. The PSP version translates surprisingly well thanks to the original version utilitizing 8 way shooting and movement. 

[damagecompilation-a]

my ass randomly decided to watch all the mcu shows in order despite not giving a single fuck about any mcu movie. because. idk. adhd ig.

i finished daredevil s1 last night c: onto jessica jones s1 c:

[roosterforme]

Covering the Classics masterlist (Bob x OC)

Bob never experienced a romantic relationship like the ones his friends have found. He silently craves the love and attention that he used to think were only real in novels and works of fiction. Then he meets a mystery woman who turns out to be the new literature professor at San Diego State University, and he starts to believe he could have a non-fiction love as well. This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe and the Jake and Jessica universe but can be read on its own! roosterforme masterlist

Beautiful banner by @mak-32

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16

Part 17

Part 18

Part 19 Epilogue

[where-theres-smoak-2]

I am fascinated by the interactions between chani and gurney and chani and Jessica. Here you have three people who are very important to paul and who care about him deeply but who all represent different parts of his identity. Jessica represents the bene gesserit and Kwisatz Haderach part of him, gurney the atriedes Duke, and chani his fremen side. What's interesting is they all want to protect paul, but each of them have a very different idea of how to protect him. For Jessica it's by using the power of the prophecy and Paul's power as the Kwisatz Haderach. For gurney its about military power, the atomics and the fremen army. And when it comes to chani well she's more interested in protecting his soul, helping him stay who he has chosen to be. However chani's want to protect paul more emotionally puts her at odds with gurney and Jessica who seem more concerned with his physical safety, which leads to some interesting interactions.

Chani very obviously mistrusts and dislikes both Jessica and gurney and I get the feeling she puts up with them because she knows they are important to paul. But she also knows that they both have there own ideas of who paul should be, she knows that they both want paul to grasp for power and she knows this could change paul, that it could take him away from her and we see this in the scene where she asks if he'll always be with her, it's showing that fear she has that he won't be.

There's that really interesting scene between Jessica and chani after paul drinks the wol, where Jessica comes to wish chani luck. It's interesting to me that Jessica seemed to have the desire to fix the relationship between chani and paul, she kind of advocates for him by telling chani he didn't have a choice. We see earlier as well when she tells paul that she's sorry about chani, thing is I actually do think she means it, I think she is genuinely sorry that her getting what she wants has caused this rift between paul and chani, almost like she feels a bit of guilt over it but still believes her means justified the end. It's the same when she wishes chani luck for the fight ahead, I genuinely think Jessica doesn't want any harm to come to chani. I do wonder if this is because paul and chani remind her of the love she herself had with leto and maybe she wishes in an ideal world paul could have both be the Kwisatz Haderach but also still be with chani, but I could be misinterpreting that.

Chani's response to Jessica wishing her luck is honestly understandable, zendaya did such a good job delivering that line, 'I'd wish you the same, but it seems you've already won your battle.' It's so full of bitterness but it's also chani calling Jessica out, she's come here all pleading almost and almost with an olive branch but chani is having none of it. As angry as she is at paul for drinking the wol, she knows that Jessica put a lot of work into manipulating both her people and paul, fanning the flames of the prophecy. They were both kind of battling over Paul's soul in a way and Jessica just won that battle, which makes chani feel bitter and angry and I think she holds a lot of resentment towards Jessica.

Then we have those scenes with gurney. As I said above it was clear from the moment he showed up that chani didn't trust gurney and again its understandable considering one of the earliest interactions they have is her overhearing gurney trying to persuade paul into using the prophecy and the fremen army to avenge his father. We get that little moment where her and paul are watching gurney trying to set up his tent and failing miserably, despite her mistrust of gurney when Paul says he is family chani still goes to help gurney showing that she is willing to put aside that mistrust for Paul's sake.

Then we have the war council scene where gurney very much is almost controlling chani, pulling her down when she starts shouting about the prophecy being fake and a means to control them, stopping her from interfering when Paul makes the crowd angry and pulling her down again when everyone bows to paul. But what is interesting to me is yes gurney is constantly stopping chani because he wants paul to get power and doesn't want her getting in the way of that, but there's also this underlying concern for her I think. He says when he pulls her down the first time that she'll get herself in trouble. Maybe I am wrong, but I also feel like maybe he stopped her jumping in when Paul angered everyone, partly because he didn't want her to get hurt. When you look at gurney's character in the first film he was the loyal guard of the Atreides, it was his job to keep the family safe, the Duke, Jessica and their son paul. To me it makes sense then that now that he sees paul as the Duke, he sees chani as he sees Jessica as the duke's lady/partner. So it would make sense if he feels a certain obligation to protect chani and keep her out of harms way.

It's fascinating to me how you've got these three individuals who all care about paul and who are all important to him and yet they are all kind of obstacles to each other's own motivations when it comes to paul and on chani's part there is also that mistrust and dislike over what Jessica and gurney are doing to paul. But despite that there still seems to be this concern for chani's safety from both Jessica and gurney, like they know what it would do to paul if harm were to come to her. They all come from different places and have different wants and views yet they are all connected by that one thing, their love for paul, and I just think that brings about some really interesting dynamics between the three of them.

[sequinsmile-x]

Fire & Ice

The case was over, the danger was gone and they could go home and finally celebrate Christmas.

The case was over, so she'd let her defences down, not knowing that the worst was to come.

-x-

Hi friends,

I actually have no idea where this idea came from. It was meant to only be one part, but me being me I got carried away and it is now two parts. Second part will be up in the next couple of days!

As always, let me know what you think <3

-x-

Words: 2.9k

Warnings: Canon Typical Injury, Aaron Hotchner Whump

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

She had felt nothing short of an exhibit in a zoo for days. 

Every interaction she had with Aaron, no matter how small, was observed carefully by their friends. The two of them watched by everyone in the team with a critical eye, the news of their relationship still fresh to the people they considered their family.

It had ultimately been her decision to tell them. Keeping it a secret had been practical at first, it helped them navigate the journey from friends to more, but then they realised they liked it. Both she and Aaron had enjoyed the peace that had come with the secrecy of the first 6 months of their relationship, the lack of involvement from anyone other than Jack and Jessica something they had both treasured. 

She knew Aaron had wanted to tell their friends sooner than she had, his desire to share his love for her with the world clear in his eyes whenever he looked at her, but she’d been hesitant. It had taken a long time to feel like she was on even footing again after Paris, something she’s sure she would have never found if it wasn’t for Aaron, for his gentle but strong love as she came back to herself, and she didn’t want to shake the foundations again, to change the dynamic of the team once more. 

In the end, it was the idea of not being able to spend Christmas with him and Jack without it raising suspicion that had pushed her towards telling their friends. She’d always loved the holidays, a fact that had surprised Aaron when she’d talked him into decorating his apartment much earlier than he usually would, her knowledge of him and the fact he could never say no to her, especially when she was naked, something she had used in her favour. 

They told the team a few days ago, using the annual party that Dave threw as the perfect opportunity. It had gone exactly how she thought it would. 

Dave had insisted he’d known for months, JJ had smiled knowingly, Penelope had asked intrusive questions and Spencer had avoided eye contact with both of them. It was Derek whom Emily had been most worried about, his dislike of any major change and desire for the truth were two things that made her nervous.

He’d been standoffish, a tension in his frame that she’d expected but had still hurt. He’d barely spoken to her since and it made her ache. 

Ultimately, it had been for nothing anyway. They’d got a call for an urgent case on December 23rd, pulling them all out of their homes and the holiday atmosphere they’d fallen into, and they found themselves hundreds of miles away, helping a team of local detectives hunt down a serial killer who was haunting a town. The unsub was devolving at speed, which meant they knew it couldn’t wait until after the holidays. 

She was furious about it, wanting nothing more than to wake up on Christmas morning with Aaron, snuggled up against his side as Jack burst into the room, his excitement forcing him out of bed earlier than normal. Instead, they’d spent the day in a cold police station in the mid-west, sneaking away to speak to Jack on the phone instead, once again promising him they’d have Christmas when they got home. 

As annoyed as Emily was about the disruption to her plans, she knew Aaron was more upset. He always worried he was letting down his son, that Jack would look back at moments like this and feel like he’d come second to everything else. So she’d pushed her own feelings down, let them roll in her stomach, and tried to help him instead, making a point of making him smile whenever she could, of encouraging him back to their hotel room with the lumpy bed every night so they could have some time together. One advantage of everyone knowing they were together now was that they could share a room officially. He no longer had to sneak back to his room at dawn, and she could take advantage of every possible moment in his arms. 

She groans as the alarm goes off, and she screws her eyes shut, desperate to steal a few more moments of sleep. Aaron chuckles from behind her and presses a kiss to the back of her head as he leans over her to turn off the alarm.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he says, his voice thick and raspy with sleep. She loved how he sounded first thing in the morning, it was a part of him that was just for her, a part of her Aaron that she could have before he slipped on his Hotch mask for the day. 

“Let’s just stay in bed,” she replies, turning in his arms and pressing her face into his chest, hiding her smile when she feels his laugh more than she hears it, the rumble of it passing from his chest into hers, “No more work.” 

“I wish we could, Em,” he says, kissing her head before he encourages her back to look at him, his fingers tangled in her hair, “But the sooner we finish this case, the sooner we can go home and have our Christmas.” 

She hums and smiles sleepily as she looks up at him, “True,” she says, placing her hand on his cheek and tugging him in for a kiss. She sighs as she pulls back, her forehead against his as she thinks about leaving this room, the strange sanctuary they’d found between over-starched sheets and faded art on the walls. The second they were with the team again they’d be under the microscope, every little thing they did or said around each other scrutinised, “Think you can yell at the others for staring at us?” 

He laughs and kisses her nose, his smile only getting wider as she scrunches it up at him, “I think that might be an abuse of my power,” he says, stamping a kiss against her lips.

She rolls her eyes playfully, “What is the point of sleeping with the boss if he won’t yell at your colleagues for you?” She says, the end of her sentence lost to a yelp as he rolls them on the bed, his body over hers as he presses her into the mattress. 

He kisses her fiercely, his hands sneaking under her, slipping under her t-shirt that used to belong to him, his hands on her as he pulls her closer, his palms warm against her lower back, his touch something she now couldn’t live without. She kisses him back, her fingers tangling in his hair as she wraps a leg around his waist, her heel against his ass as he pulls back. She hums thoughtfully, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. 

“I guess you have your uses,” she says playfully, pushing his hair out of his face, and he shakes his head at her. 

“They aren’t that bad, Em,” he replies, his smile crooked as he looks down at her, and she raises an eyebrow. 

“That’s easy for you to say, you aren’t the one Pen sends a daily sex update request to.” 

His eyes go comically wide, “She does what?” 

She chuckles and stamps a kiss against his lips as he pulls away, sitting up next to her as she sits up too, yawning as she rolls her neck. 

“I wish I could say I’m joking,” she says as she stands up, stretching her arms over her head, smiling to herself as he watches her walk to the bathroom, his eyes fixed on her thighs, on the soft skin he’d sucked a bruise into the night before. She turns to look at him and winks as she switches on the bathroom light, “If it helps, I’m always incredibly complimentary.” 

She closes the door before he can reply, his words muffled slightly when he responds. 

“I think you know that does not help.” 

___

She’s sure she’s never seen the team quite so relieved to catch an unsub. There’s a collective sigh of relief when they get a confession, all of the work of the last few days, the time they’d all lost with their families, had at least led to something. 

She sighs as she starts to take pictures down from the board, carefully piling them in a file so they can be handed over to the prosecutor. She smiles as JJ walks over and joins her, the tension that had been in her friend's shoulders since they’d arrived nowhere to be seen. 

“What did Will say when you called?” Emily asks, her smile getting wider as JJ’s does. 

“Henry was already in bed,” JJ says, looking at her friend, “But Will said he was going to make cookies so we could ‘have a proper Christmas’ the moment I get home,” she chuckles and tilts her head at Emily, curiosity shining in her eyes, “How about Jack? Has Hotch called him?”

Emily nods, “He’s speaking to him now,” she smiles as she thinks of the little boy, her love for him nothing short of overwhelming, “I have a feeling I’ll also be talked into making cookies,” she rolls her eyes when JJ raises an eyebrow, “Fine, I’ll watch them make cookies and be the test taster.” 

JJ laughs and looks past Emily, nodding when a uniformed officer they’d been working with beckons her over. She pauses briefly next to her friend and places her hand on Emily’s shoulder. 

“You both seem really happy, Em,” she says, squeezing her shoulder, “If there’s any two people who deserve that it’s the pair of you.” 

Emily presses her lips together, a failed attempt to hide her smile, and she places her hand over JJ’s, briefly squeezing it, “Thanks JJ, that means a lot.” 

She was happy. Happier than she had ever been in her life. There were moments when it didn’t feel real, when the simplicity of the life she’d found herself felt like it was too much, like it would be snatched from her the moment the universe realised she didn’t deserve it. Sometimes, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d watch Aaron sleep, her eyes fixed on the peaceful expression on his face, another part of him just for her, and she’d feel nothing short of unworthy. 

She’d told him that once, her insecurities catching up to her and forcing her to start an argument with him that she’d regretted immediately, her instincts to ruin something before it could be ruined for her still going strong. When she’d admitted that to him, tears she’d refused to shed shining in her eyes as she told him she felt like she didn’t deserve him, all the fight had drained out of him. He’d pulled her into a hug before he cupped her cheeks and held her in place as he told her in no uncertain terms how wrong she was, how much he and his son loved her, how she had been the missing puzzle piece they’d been looking for. 

She was still learning to trust being this happy, to allow herself to feel it, but day by day it was getting easier. She saw everything with him. A house. Marriage. More kids. 

She wanted it all. 

She continues packing away all of the casework and she looks up from the board when she hears footsteps, her smile turning tight when Derek joins her, the tension immediately palpable. 

“Hi,” she says, clearing her throat as she looks back down at the papers in her hands. 

“Hi,” he replies, barely looking at her as he helps her break everything down. She sighs and shakes her head, her patience with her friend, one of her best friends, fraying after days of him barely speaking to her over nothing more than the fact she’d fallen in love. 

“Look, Derek-”

“Morgan, Prentiss,” Aaron says as he walks over, his hands on his hips as he blows out a breath, “I’ve got to go with them to book the unsub at the county jail.” 

Emily frowns as she crosses her arms over her chest, “But that’s an hour away,” she says, sighing as she steps closer to him, unable to stop herself even though they were working, “Why can’t Detective Rooney do it himself?” 

Aaron’s jaw tightens at the mention of the lead detective they’d been working with since they arrived. He was a good man, but in over his head, the serial killer that had torn through his hometown at Christmas the biggest case he’d ever handled. 

“He’s asked for my support,” he says, a wry smile flashing across his face. She sighs, the thought of being here, of delaying going home for any reason, enough to make her chest feel tight again. Aaron notices, because he always noticed everything about her, determined never to let anything slip by him again, her fake death something that still weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he steps forward. He doesn’t touch her, won’t cross that line here, but he does get close enough that she can smell him, his presence enough to ease some of the tension that had started to build back up. He smiles at her, a soft thing reserved for her and Jack, “It’s only another couple of hours,” he says, “Then we’ll be on our way home, I promise.” 

She nods, biting the inside of her cheek as she fights a smile, “Yeah,” she replies, tightening her hold on her triceps so she doesn’t reach out and touch him, “We’ll be home soon,” she says, smiling at him before she steps back, “Be careful, the roads will be icy.” 

“I’m always careful,” he replies, winking at her before he turns away and she shakes her head at him. 

She only looks away when he’s out of her sight and she freezes when she sees Derek staring at them, a stern expression painted across his face. She shakes her head and clenches her teeth as she steps towards him, avoiding eye contact as she goes back to her task. 

“I get it was a shock,” she says, not looking at him as she finishes up packing the first of the boxes, “And I’ve put up with you being standoff-ish for days,” she looks at him, her eyes fierce “But I’d like it if you could get your head out of your ass soon, and just be pleased that your friends have finally found happiness after everything,” she lifts the box off of the table between them, “This isn’t some fling, I love him. He loves me, so get over yourself.”

She walks away, and she makes a point of not looking back.

___

Aaron sighs as he checks his watch, any hope of getting home before the sun rises fading with each passing second. They were on their way back from the county jail, the unsub successfully handed over, and the drive home was dragging out longer than the drive out there had. 

“Keen to get home?” 

He smiles tightly as he turns to look at Detective Rooney and then nods as he looks back at the road, his hands tight on the steering wheel, the bad weather making it harder to drive than usual.

“Yeah,” Aaron replies, a smile flicking onto his face as he thinks of his son, “My son, Jack, said he’d wait to open all his presents until we got home, he’ll be so excited he’ll be bouncing off the walls.” 

“We?” Detective Rooney asks, his eyebrow raised, and Aaron fumbles for a second, realising he’d slipped up, before the other man laughs, “We all knew you were with Agent Prentiss the moment you scowled at one of my men for flirting with her.” 

Aaron clears his throat, trying to push his embarrassment back down, “Well, I appreciate you not saying anything when we were working the case, we try our best to be professional,” he says, his smile tight as he tries to change the subject, “Do you have a family?” 

Detective Rooney smiles widely, “A wife and three girls,” he says, patting his pockets to try and pull out his wallet, “I have photos somewhere, our youngest is only just a year old so this was her first Christmas,” he looks in the back seat and sees where he’d thrown his wallet when they got back in the car, “There it is,” he says, unhooking his seatbelt as he leans back to get it, “My wife was furious I was working, but I told her this is the kind of case that makes or breaks a career-”

His words are cut off by the screech of the tires, the car moving of its own accord as they hit a patch of ice. 

It takes a matter of seconds, but it feels like an eternity, everything slowing down around them as Aaron does his best to gain control of the car again. It feels like it’s floating, any grip the tires may have had long gone as the car spins out of control. 

The car leaves the road and goes down a hill, time only speeding back up as it hits a tree, the bonnet crumbling around wood as if it was made of paper. 

Aaron hits his head hard on the steering wheel, his world narrowing down to the pain in his forehead, the way he feels immediately dazed.  His last conscious thought is of Emily and Jack, and of the promises he might not be able to keep. 

-x-

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[callsigndragon]

The Christmas Date | Chapter 2: Do they know it's Christmas?

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Fem!Kerner!Reader

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman's backseater)

Wordcount: 2.8k

Summary: Y/n "Athena" Kerner and Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw hate each other. Everybody knows. What happens when they have to fake date for a whole week to avoid Iceman and Slider's matchmaking plans?

(there won't be smut in this series)

Warnings: mentions of death (minor character DEATH), swearing, a bit of angst(?), the magical one bed trope.

Tag list: @littlebadariell @xoxabs88xox @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666

(If you want to be tagged comment or sent an ask <3)

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Bradley can be a dick sometimes. He always finds a way of messing around with you. But he eventually gives in and helps you put your story together. And it this is the result: 

You two have been dating for seven months now, after Rooster confessed at the BBQ party Maverick threw at his house on the 4th of July. He saw you there, being so happy, careless and free, a side of you that he didn’t get to see that often these days due to work. He just risked it all and confessed. Afortunately, you also had feelings for him. You've been keeping it a secret so the two of you could still work together. You've talked about confessing everything to your family recently and agreed to tell them on Christmas. But Slider's call ruined the surprise. 

And that's it. 

You two know each other since you were toddlers, all the other important tiny details you know them already. 

"Have you talked to Rebecca recently?" you ask Rooster when you arrive at the airport. He said that he was going to leave the car in the parking lot, in case the whole lie you just made doesn’t work and you have to go back home immediately.

"Yeah, but I did all the talking" he says, opening the trunk and getting your bags. "It's been almost a year" 

"Yeah. A year already…"

Rebecca, Iceman's daughter, lost her husband almost a year ago. John was a marine, served in Afghanistan for several months before he was killed in action. Jessica, their daughter who was four at that time, would never see her dad again. You and Rooster try to tell her stories about her dad, show her old videos that you have on your phone from when she was a baby, and just try your best so she doesn’t forget the memories she has with him. It’s difficult, and you know that when she grows up, the only reminders she’ll have from his dad are the ones you and Rooster had played during years on a screen. 

Rebecca, Rooster and you practically grew up together. You were there when she met John in high school, when she asked him to go on a date, when they made it official, when he asked her to prom, when he asked her to marry him… You’ve always been there. And when Jessica came into this world, you were also there. The little girl was kind enough to come to the world in July, you and Rooster had been on a 3-day leave at the time. She was the prettiest, tiniest and most perfect baby you had ever laid your eyes on. As her ‘auntie’ it was your mission to be the cool, loving relative who would always take care of her. There was nothing in this world you could’ve done to stop her tiny eyes from shedding tears last New Year’s Eve, when her mom ran away from the room after a phone call. Iceman had tried to explain to her in the best way possible that her dad would never come home… but how do you tell that to a child without destroying her childhood? You can’t.

"I can't wait to see our little princess" he says, trying to lift the mood. 

"She must be taller now" 

He nods and moves to the inside of the airport. Jessica it’s, probably, the only topic of conversation you can have with him without arguing. And possibly, the only thing that would make you agree on something.

In the plane, you try not to think too much about the fact that you’re about to lie to your family for a whole week. You’ve never been one to lie and chances of getting caught are higher than you want to admit. 

“Did Becca send you that picture from Disney World?” asks Rooster, pulling you out of your thoughts. Rooster and you thought that it would be a wonderful idea to give Jessica an early Christmas present and send her and her mom on a 3 day trip to Disney World. They’ll come back tomorrow.

“What picture?” 

He gets his phone and opens Rebecca’s chat. “She sent it to me a while ago, maybe she forgot to send it to you” 

“Or maybe she knows about the ‘relationship’ already and thinks that sending the picture to one of us is enough” 

“Yeah, that’s probably it. Here it is!” he turns the phone so you can see your pretty princess wearing a disney costume. Well, actually prince because she is wearing Prince Adam’s clothes. And she even has a red rose. “She’s so cute” 

“She goes to the best place in the world to be a princess and decides to dress as a prince. That’s my niece” you laugh, sending the picture to your phone. 

“Our niece. Don’t keep her all to yourself” 

Noticing that the daily dose of kindness reserved to talk to Rooster is running out, you put on your earphones and take a nap. It’s going to be stressful once you get off the plane, you don’t want to tire yourself before the big show. 

“Do you see my father?” you ask, three hours and a long nap later, when you land. “He should be around here” 

“If you can’t see him, how am I supposed to?” 

“Because you’re a giant and I'm not?” you deadpan. 

“I fucking hate yo- Oh there he is. Smile” he says, grabbing your bag with one hand and your hand with the other, while approaching Slider. “How can you be so old and still have better hair than me?” he jokes. 

“Because I’m better than you. Period.” your father says, hugging you close. “My little girl, look at you! Prettier than ever” 

“Dad, don’t flatter me i’m not telling you what I got you for Christmas” 

“Damn, it never works” he moves away from you and pats Rooster on the back. “Nice to see you, Bradshaw” 

“Bradshaw? C’mon, Slider. You’ve never called me that”

“Well, you’ve never dated my daughter before so now I have to act a little different around you. I need to scare you” he says. 

“You know you can’t scare me, right?” Rooster states, putting his arm around your shoulder and bringing you closer to him. You can smell his cologne. “Maybe when I was six, but I’m older now” 

“You sure? Let me try this then” he stands in front of him, looking eye to eye, and dropping his characteristic smile that always accompanies him. “You hurt my daughter, make her sad or cry and I will make sure the only thing you fly for the rest of your life is a commercial plane” 

You can almost hear Rooster swallowing in fear. 

“Did I make myself clear, son?” 

“Yes, sir” 

And then, just like that, your father smiles again. “Great! Let’s go home, kids. Maverick is already there” he walks away, turning every so often to make sure you are still walking behind him. 

“You better convince him that you broke up with me” he whisper-yells at you. “Because otherwise, he’s gonna chop my dick off” 

“I thought he said you’re gonna be flying with American Airlines” you remember him, trying not to laugh. 

“Oh my god, I’m so dead” 

You arrive at Iceman’s house. It’s surrounded by snow, Christmas decorations and some inflatables such as Snowmen, Santa Claus, fake gifts… Iceman went all out this year. Maybe, in a way, it’s to try and regain the Christmas spirit rather than remembering this time of the year as a sad one. 

“Look at the lovey-dovey couple!” you hear Nick, Iceman’s younger son, yelling from the door. He is just like his father. 

“You could come and say hi to your friends, you know” you shout for him to hear you. 

“Oh, no, please. I don’t want to see your disgusting behavior up close” he fake gags, as if the whole situation could make him want to vomit more than you. 

“We’re only holding hands?” tells Rooster, raising them as a proof. 

“That’s enough for me” he runs into the house, making you roll your eyes. 

“He didn’t get that from me” Sarah tries to blame Nick’s behavior on her husband. 

“Oh my Sarah, it’s been so long” you hug her, she is the only aunt you’ve ever had. And she was the cool type. 

“Please, you need to come home more often! I’m surrounded by aviators” she complains.

“Aunt Sarah, I’m sorry to tell you this, but she’s also an aviator” laughs Rooster, hugging her. 

“But she’s my girl, it’s different. Let’s go inside, it’s freezing out here!” 

You go inside and see a lot of pictures on the walls, half of your life displayed in pictures in a house that wasn’t yours, but whose owners were as proud of you as if you were her own daughter. You walk through the house, feeling a tightness in your chest when the memories from the last time you were here come to your mind. It’s been a year, but you can remember it as if it was yesterday. 

You move to the kitchen to find Maverick and Iceman drinking hot chocolate from Christmas-themed mugs. When they see you, they hug you and ask you about the station you’re at, your job, but none of them seems to be really interested in your relationship with Rooster. Weird, but you’ll gladly accept that rather than a full interrogation. 

All of you sit down, Sarah giving you some hot chocolate too. Talking about everything that has been going on, the new things that are happening in their lives, learning about new hobbies, friends… Just filling up each other makes you feel at home. This is what Christmas feels like. 

“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” asks Iceman sipping his chocolate. 

“I’ve been waiting for someone to bring it up. And I don’t wanna be the prying old woman here but when are you going to tell us how everything happened? Because as far as I can tell my dears, you two have been always arguing.” Sarah is a bit skeptical about the whole relationship thing and, honestly, you can’t blame her. She’s been like your second mom. 

And you really hope that your biological mom never finds out about this. She’s having a wonderful holiday with her husband in Hawaii. 

You look at Rooster, moving your hand to squeeze his and take a deep breath. “Well, you know. Sometimes things are not what they seem to be” 

“So how long has this been going on?” Maverick questions, leaving his mug on the kitchen counter and beginning the interrogation you so stupidly had thought wouldn’t come. 

But you don’t really care too much about the answers. You’ve prepared them with Rooster, you know what to say, how to act, how to smile. You’re not worried about it. And Rooster seems to be a great actor, too. He’s not smiling the same way you are, but his little actions are more credible: how he looks at you when you talk, nodding so you know he’s listening, squeezing your hand from time to time, offers you his mug of chocolate when you finish yours. He even takes a napkin and cleans some chocolate from the corner of your mouth. 

They should nominate you two to an Oscar after this. 

“It’s disgusting to see how cute you are together” your father blurts out. It makes you snort. 

“Thank you, dad. I’m glad you approve it” you roll your eyes, getting up from the stool and walking to get your bag. “I’m going to my room, need to unpack my things” 

“I’ll take them to your room, princess.” Rooster offers, using that stupid nickname that makes your insides turn in disgust. 

“Oh, about that. You’re in Rooster’s room” Sarah says, walking behind you to your ‘boyfriend’s’ room. “I mean, you’re probably done dirtier things than sleeping on the same bed” 

“Sarah, let’s just not talk about our sexual lives, okay?” begs Rooster, following her upstairs. 

She opens the door for you, entering and explaining where the blankets are in case you need some more, but you can’t listen to her. Your whole attention is on the queen size bed with a Christmas themed quilt in red, green and yellow colors. It has dozens of pillows on it, and it seems rather comfortable. 

But there’s only one bed. 

“You sure you don’t want us to sleep in separate bedrooms? We can do that, we want to be respectful.” you offer, but Sarah just laughs. 

“Honey, I’ve been waiting years for this moment. Not you dating each other, that’s still a bit weird but i’ll get used to it I guess. You’ve never brought a partner for Christmas. And I was scared that you would end up alone, actually. Rooster, you’ve always talked about how you wanted a relationship like the one your parents had, but yet you dated that annoying Mindy girl-” 

“Mandy” he clarifies.

“Whatever. She was a horrendous girl and I don’t want to hear about her ever again. And you, Thena. Have you ever been in a relationship? Because you’ve never told me or Terry about it. And she’s your mom!” 

“Sarah, I d-don’t think this is the moment for this-” you stutter a bit, not wanting to talk about the lack of romance in your life. 

“Oh sweetheart, it’s true. You’ve never had a boy-” 

Rooster yawns very dramatically, stretching his arms over his head. “Aunt Sarah, it’s been a tiring day, we’re going to sleep and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay? And you’re wrong. She’s dating me, she has a relationship now. So, please, don’t make my girl more uncomfortable than she already is, thank you” rumbles Rooster while pushing her out of the room and closing the door. You hear the click of the lock and you feel like you’re able to breathe again. 

“Thank you” you mutter. 

“I didn’t do it for you. I’m really tired” he stands next to you, looking at the bed like it was an enemy aircraft that needed to be destroyed. “I’ll sleep on the floor” 

“You’re not sleeping on the floor. I’ll do it” you argue. 

“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor, you’re gonna be complaining about your back hurting you tomorrow and I don’t wanna hear it” 

“There’s room enough for the two of us, you know” you say, really tired and just wanting to get some sleep. 

“Try again tomorrow, princess. Today, I’m sleeping on the floor” 

He doesn’t let you say anything more, getting the fluffiest pillows from the bed, a few blankets and lays them on the floor next to the bed. You try your best not to throw a pillow at him for being so stubborn. He could sleep perfectly on the bed, but he has to be an idiot and try to be a gentleman. ‘Well then, gentleman, I hope your back hurts like shit tomorrow’ you think, grabbing your things and going to the bathroom to change into your pjs. 

Once you come out, Rooster has turned off the lights, and is laying on the floor, looking at his phone. “The door is still locked, in case anyone tries to enter tomorrow morning” he informs you, locking his phone once you’re in bed. 

“Thanks, Bradshaw” you adjust the pillows and cover yourself with the blankets, closing your eyes ready to fall asleep. 

“Is it true?” inquires the man, his voice a bit louder than a whisper, but you’re still able to hear it. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“You’ve never had a boyfriend?” his voice is a bit louder, and you can hear the curiosity in his voice. 

“I don’t think that’s your business” you reply, turning around and thinking that the conversation has ended. 

But not for him. “Well, I need to know, because if you’ve never been in a relationship there’s a lot of things I should do differently around our family” 

“Why do you care so much about it?” 

He moves up from the floor, sitting on the bed and turning the bedside lamp on. “If they know I’m your first boyfriend, they’re expecting me to treat you like a queen. And I need to up my game” 

“Rooster, we’re faking it, in case you forgot” 

He sighs, his hand scratching the scars on his cheek. “Can you please answer my question?” 

“Fine, I’ve never had a boyfriend. Happy now?” you hide yourself below the blankets, not wanting to speak more about the matter. 

“I’m beginning to think that you are, actually, allergic to the whole human emotional spectrum” 

You uncover yourself and kick him with all your strength, making him fall from the bed. “At least I didn’t get dumped” you tease him.

“At least I’ve had some love in my life” he mocks. 

“I hate you” 

“Ditto, princess” he says, and before he can even finish the sentence, you throw a pillow at him and cover yourself with the blankets. 

It doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore.

[alldancersaretalented]

Jump Wins By Dancer

17 Wins: Cami Vorhees

11 Wins: Kayla Mak

8 Wins: Brady Farrar, Brooklyn Simpson, Kya Massimino, Madison Taylor, Vivian Ruiz

7 Wins: Ella Horan, Kamryn Funk, Nicholas Bustos, Ying Lei Pham

6 Wins: Crystal Huang, Hailey Meyers, Katie McCleary, Kayla LaVine, Lily Gentile, Lola Iglesias, Rachel Quiner

5 Wins: Ava Brooks, Brooklyn Cooley, Christina Ricucci, Elizabeth Scott Lanier, Ellary Day Szyndlar, Giselle Gandarilla, Gracyn French, Isabella Jarvis, Jonathan Wade, Kaylin Maggard, Kylee Casares, Lucy Vallely, Mariana Rodriguez, Olivia Alboher, Sarah Moore, Sophia Lucia

4 Wins: Aimee Brotton, Ali Ogle, Ana Maria Zertuche, Ava Wagner, Avery Gay, Cambry Bethke, Camille Cabrera, Campbell Clark, Carly Thinfen, Christian Burse, David Keingatti, Destanye Diaz, Eliana Hayward, Emma Sutherland, Hailey Bills, Halle Lum, Izzy Howard, Jackson Roloff-Hafenbreadl, Jaycee Wilkins, Jayci Kalb, Kelsie Jacobson, Kensington Dressing, Lauren Yakima, Logan Epstein, Madalin Autry, Makaia Roux, Makayla Ryan, Mary Jordan Clodfelter, Mila Simunic, Patricio Lopez, Rosie Elliott, Sabine Nehls, Scott Autry, Sophia Frilot, Sophie Garcia, Stella Brinkerhoff, Sylvia Borash, Talia Gabriel, Taylor Worden, Tim Blankenship, Valadie Cammack

3 Wins: Addison Moffett, Aimee Smyke, Ali Deucher, Allie Andrew, Alyssa Robert, Amy Benedetto, Avery Lau, Bostyn Brown, Braylynn Grizzaffi, Britton Johnson, Brooke Cheek, Brooke Cox, Brooke Toro, Caden Hunter, Caitlyn Polis, Camila Cordero, Candace Vincent, Casey Tran, Chau, Chloe Madding, D'Angelo Castro, Dasha Waldemer, Dyllan Blackburn, Ella Dobler, Ella Jones, Ellen Grace Olansen, Emma York, Erin Bailey, Esme Chou, Findlay McConnel, Fiona Sartain, Fiona Wu, Grace Lethbridge, Harper Anderson, Hayden Hopkins, Hudson Pletcher, Isabel Ulloa, Isabella Lynch, Isabella Vorhees, Isabella Weidmann, Jazmine Raine Werner, Jessica Ferretti, Josie Lutz, JT Church, Justin Pham, Keagan Capps, Keely Meyers, Keira Redpath, Kennedy Anderson, Lauren Shaw, Libby Borash, Lindsey Weaver, Logan Hernandez, Lucia Piedrahita, Mackenzie Meldrum, Maddie Ziegler, Maria Jose Gonzalez, Mariandrea Villegas, Marion Norris, Michelle Quiner, Mini Preston, Miyah LaGrant, Morgan Higgins, Neala Murphy, Nicole Ishimaru, Payton Schultz, Preslie Rosamond, Rachel Louiselle, Reegan Francis, Regina Lozano, Ricky Ubeda, Ruby Castro, Samantha Falk, Savannah Folding, Savannah Manning, Savannah Manzel, Scarlett Ferrell, Selena Hamilton, Sidney Ramsey, Sienna Morris, Sylvie Win Szyndlar, Tessa Marr, Vera Escamilla

[cleopatra33bc-blog]

Y’all sorry I haven’t been drawing. I wanna learn to crochet for this cool blanket pattern I found

[haeccorizon]

DENZIL PATRICK

Fall 2023 Menswear

Daniel Gayle, the designer behind the London menswear label Denzil Patrick, is pretty nifty when it comes to naming his collections. This spring was dubbed London Belongs To Me, while for fall he came up with the equally evocative All Dressed Up and Somewhere To Go. That sense of evocation is two fold. For one, with All Dressed Up...Gayle has tapped into the coming season's new mood for menswear: a bit more glam, a bit more peacocking, and a whole lot more newness when it comes to tailoring. And evocative because Gayle is canny in a whole other way too. There's a rich sense of narrative going on here, personal and reflective, emotive and joyful. And that could be exactly the right approach to be taking now as a tiny indie in a world of behemoth megabrands: To make your label meaningful, tell your own story, not anyone else's.

In Gayle's case, that always starts with family, with all the love, connection, and complication that entails. With All Dressed Up... the starting point was an image of his mother taken during the very early '80s in the multicultural south London neighborhood of Brixton. And, another earlier family snapshot from the '40s, of his grandmother glammed up to go shopping in London's West End, a photograph brimming with the palpable and recognizable thrill of having made the effort and having made the effort and

turned yourself out in style in a

sartorial rebuke to whatever else is going on in your life. "I'd spent so much time talking about my grandfathers, Denzil and Patrick [hence the label name]," he said, laughing, “I wanted to give a nod to the powerful women in my life."

That led him to think about the family home in Brixton; to the very fabric (literally and metaphorically) of the domestic environment-the carpets and net drapes—that have become the prints for red or silver gray plush velvet jackets and silken shirts, or lace wrap dresses which can be layered with sharp jackets and pants with a snug-fit higher waistline. The tailoring was inspired by his snappily suited young Mod uncles, while his fake furs (made from deadstock fluffy stuff) came from that image of granny.

In effect, there's a whole generational and gender interplay going on here. That's powering a lot of fashion these days, but Gayle's is specifically familial. You don't need to know anything about the Gayle clan to feel the emotional resonance in these clothes, but it's there, and it makes his work all the more compelling for it. Make fashion, but mak it feel, is the message here-like the familiar comfort of Gayle's cozy Aran cardigans, which have been recycled from vintage ones, then re-dyed in the most gorgeous shades of scarlet and emerald. It's creative ambition informed by emotion.

Elsewhere, Gayle delved again, as he has done in the past, into his early dance training, giving a nod to the the brilliant, Puck- ish Scottish choreographer Michael Clark, who danced with Leigh Bowery and in BodyMap (the bodysuit the cult '80s London duo designed for Clark featured cut-outs, memorably including one exposing his ass). That led Gayle to explore how fit and freedom of movement can work together-that very au courant wider, sloping shoulder, or the narrow, warm- up pant leg, or the deep curving armholes on a pale mauve duchesse satin tee that's been spangled with jewels. That's not the only decorative flourish. Equally personal, Gayle's partner, the artist James Bosley, sketched a sassy character called Lydia, all Jessica Rabbit curves and Riot Grrrl attitude, who appears on the likes of a sweater with an exposed back. So, yes, dressed up, to be sure, all and with enough thought and imagination to suggest these clothes are definitely going somewhere.

[ghovlpire]

                 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐕𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐓 𝐀 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 - 𝐆𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 !

GENERAL

full name:  sibella  țepeș  drăculea .

nicknames:  sib ,  bella .

age:  twenty - three .

gender:  cis  female .

species:  vampire ( dhampir )

orientation:  bisexual , biromantic bc no vampire is het .

date of birth:  july 13th .

place of birth:  transylvania ,  romania .

residence:  evermore .

occupation:  housekeeper  @  hotel  transylvania .

RELATIONSHIPS

parents:  count  vlad  dracula  țepeș  ( father ,  vampire ) ,  lisa  ( mother ,  human / deceased ) .

sibilings:  that's  a  Very  good  question  *eyes emoji* .

significant other(s):  diablo  corvus  🖤🐦‍⬛

PHYSIQUE

faceclaim:  d.anielle  r.ose  r.ussell .

eye color:  green ,  but  turns  red  when  she's  in  vampire  mode .

hair color:  light brown ,  becomes  purple  when  she  transforms .

height: 5′2″

ABILITIES

flight :  sibella  can  fly !  both  as  a  bat  and  in  her  regular  human  form .  it's  a  lot  easier  as  a  bat  though  —  and  more  fun !

transformation :  sibella  can  transform  into  a  purple  bat .  in  addition  to  that ,  she  can  transform  into  a  colony  of  bats ,  which  is  more  demanding  but  looks  very  nice !  she  can  also  use  her  hair  to  mimic  bat  wings  when  transforming ,  as  well  as extend  her  already  long  hair  into  a  cape  of  sorts .  the  best  way  i  can  describe  it  is  as  some  bayonetta  sort  of  thing ,  like  this  concept  design  piece  for  instance .

immortality :  she'll  never  die !  doesn't  mean  she  can't  get  injured  though ,  but  she'll  most  certainly  heal  from  it  at  a  decent  speed .  it's  a  little  scary  to  think  all  her  human  friends  will  pass  eventually ,  but  she'll  just  wait  for  their  reincarnations !

character inspo:  sibella  dracula  ( scooby - doo  &  the  ghoul  school ) ,  alucard  ( castlevania ) ,  misa  amane  ( deathnote ) ,  elvira  ( pop culture icon ) ,  jessica  hamby  ( true  blood ) ,  minako  aino  ( sailor moon )

                                                  𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓'𝐒 𝐖𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐘?

HEADCANONS

her full name is sibella țepeș drăculea,  but she gave up on using it just before entering high school. while sibella is very proud of being a vampire, it could get a little annoying explaining how to properly pronounce her name, which is romanian. so she settled for dracule instead of drăculea, and rarely mentions her middle name!

while sibella presents herself as a vampire, she is more specifically a dhampir — the union between a vampire and a human. what this means is that she has all the abilities of a vampire and few to none of their weaknesses. an example of that is the fact that she can walk in the sun, though she's a huge advocate of wearing sunscreen. never leaves home without it!

on a similar note, because her mother is human, sibella doesn't really feel the oh-so-famous thirst for human blood. she enjoys it, it's very delicious, but she doesn't need it to live. in fact, she's recently discovered a drink recipe that tastes very similar to human blood; she calls it her 'v juice'!

sibella's voice is one of the most distinguishing features about her. it's very gentle and sweet, but also a bit raspy and whisper-like. she's not a very loud person, preferring to let her fellow ghoul friends scream and howl!

she is the proud mother of an albino snake named carmilla, and loves to spoil the little creature. carmilla presence helps her feel a little more connected to home. she also has a familiar; a raven called lestat.

she is very protective of her friends, and often takes on the role of mom friend of the group. it just feels like a natural fit to her, and it's been this way with all of her other friends, humans or not, ever since she met the other ghouls.

she's a huge, huge fan of volleyball!  never stopped caring about it, even after high school. she's always looking for a new opportunity to brush up on her skills!

because she's of vampiric nature , sibella might come across as a big flirt. however, that's not always the case. she's just a very kind person and her supernatural allure sometimes makes it come across like she's flirting, though she doesn't mind it much since it often gets people to treat her nicely. who doesn't love to be treated well?!

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Great British Energy Bill: Reasoned Amendment to Second Reading

Ayes: 94 (98.9% Con, 1.1% DUP) Noes: 348 (96.5% Lab, 2.0% Ind, 1.2% Green, 0.3% UUP) Absent: ~208

Day's business papers: 2024-9-5

Likely Referenced Bill: Great British Energy Bill

Description: A Bill to make provision about Great British Energy.

Originating house: Commons Current house: Commons Bill Stage: Money resolution

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (93 votes)

Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alex Burghart Alicia Kearns Alison Griffiths Andrew Bowie Andrew Griffith Andrew Mitchell Andrew Murrison Andrew Rosindell Andrew Snowden Aphra Brandreth Ashley Fox Ben Obese-Jecty Ben Spencer Bernard Jenkin Blake Stephenson Bob Blackman Bradley Thomas Caroline Dinenage Caroline Johnson Charlie Dewhirst Chris Philp Claire Coutinho Damian Hinds David Davis David Mundell David Reed David Simmonds Desmond Swayne Edward Argar Edward Leigh Gagan Mohindra Gareth Davies Geoffrey Cox George Freeman Graham Stuart Greg Smith Gregory Stafford Harriet Cross Harriett Baldwin Helen Whately Iain Duncan Smith Jack Rankin James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Wild Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Wright Jesse Norman Joe Robertson John Cooper John Glen John Hayes John Lamont John Whittingdale Joy Morrissey Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Karen Bradley Katie Lam Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Lewis Cocking Lincoln Jopp Louie French Mark Garnier Mark Pritchard Martin Vickers Matt Vickers Mel Stride Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil O'Brien Neil Shastri-Hurst Nick Timothy Nigel Huddleston Oliver Dowden Patrick Spencer Peter Bedford Peter Fortune Priti Patel Rebecca Harris Rebecca Paul Rebecca Smith Richard Fuller Saqib Bhatti Sarah Bool Stuart Anderson Stuart Andrew Tom Tugendhat Victoria Atkins

Democratic Unionist Party (1 vote)

Sammy Wilson

Noes

Labour (334 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Abtisam Mohamed Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Al Carns Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Norris Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison McGovern Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Amanda Martin Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy Slaughter Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna McMorrin Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bayo Alaba Beccy Cooper Becky Gittins Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Bridget Phillipson Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Cat Smith Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Webb Christian Wakeford Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Clive Efford Clive Lewis Connor Rand Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Carden Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Daniel Zeichner Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor Dawn Butler Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Diana Johnson Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Ed Miliband Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Elsie Blundell Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Lewell-Buck Emma Reynolds Euan Stainbank Fabian Hamilton Feryal Clark Fleur Anderson Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Fred Thomas Gill Furniss Gill German Gordon McKee Graham Stringer Grahame Morris Gregor Poynton Gurinder Singh Josan Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Ian Lavery Ian Murray Imogen Walker Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Janet Daby Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Jess Asato Jess Phillips Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Whitby Jon Pearce Jon Trickett Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Reynolds Josh Dean Josh Fenton-Glynn Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julia Buckley Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karl Turner Kate Dearden Kate Osamor Kate Osborne Katie White Katrina Murray Keir Mather Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Leadbeater Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Laurence Turner Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Leigh Ingham Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Louise Jones Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Pollard Maria Eagle Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Markus Campbell-Savours Marsha De Cordova Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Glindon Matt Bishop Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Scrogham Michelle Welsh Mike Amesbury Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Mohammad Yasin Nadia Whittome Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Navendu Mishra Neil Coyle Neil Duncan-Jordan Nesil Caliskan Nicholas Dakin Nick Thomas-Symonds Noah Law Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Pat McFadden Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Davies Paul Foster Paul Waugh Paula Barker Paulette Hamilton Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Phil Brickell Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachael Maskell Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Richard Baker Richard Quigley Rosie Duffield Rosie Wrighting Rupa Huq Ruth Cadbury Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Edwards Sarah Hall

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Robin Swann

[roosterforme]

Covering the Classics Part 1 | Bob Floyd x OC

Summary: Bob is happy for his friends, but feeling like the fifth wheel every weekend has gotten old. Anna's main goal is to fly under the radar as she starts work at San Diego State University with her shiny, new graduate degree. She is convinced that the only company she needs is her own, but a specific flyer in the faculty lounge catches her interest.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, adult language, eventually 18+

Length: 2800 words

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Female OC (this story is part of the Beer Boy/Sugar and Jake/Jessica universe)

Covering the Classics masterlist. Check my masterlist for more! Thank you to @mak-32 for the beautiful banner!

Bob hated it when Natasha was deployed without him. He always ended up feeling like the fifth wheel now that Bradley was married and Jake was dating Jessica. Well, both of those were actually understatements. Bradley was devoted to his wife, and Jake was soppy now that Jessica moved in with him. And Bob's feelings on the matter were never more evident than on nights out at the Hard Deck. 

Without fail, a girl or two or three would hit on one of the other guys, and they would deftly try to pawn said girl off on Bob only for the girl to look rather disappointed and kind of wander away. He just had that effect on women. He was a lot better with the written word than with the spoken, and something just didn't translate well for him when he was met face-to-face with an intriguing smile and an attractive body.

He groaned as he watched another woman head off in the direction of the bar as soon as he nervously stumbled his way through a sentence where he tried to introduce himself. How exactly was he supposed to compete with Jake Seresin anyway? Nobody who originally wanted him was going to settle for Bob. 

"I got you more peanuts." Bob looked up to see Bradshaw's wife smiling at him and holding out a cup. Ever since he visited Chippy's bar, he didn't want to admit to Penny that hers weren't quite as good, but if someone went out of their way to bring him a cup full, he was going to eat them. And it was also nice of her to make sure he was included tonight while Mickey was babysitting his nephews.

"Thank you," he replied softly, and she patted his shoulder.

"I saw you talking to that girl?" she asked, nodding her head toward the bar. "She's really cute."

Bob shook his head as he looked down at his ginger ale. "I mean, yes, she was very pretty, but I wasn't really talking to her. She didn't want to talk to me, actually." He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he looked up at her from his stool. "She wanted to talk to Jake."

She rolled her eyes, and Bob kept his fingers occupied by cracking open a peanut. He craved the familiar intimacy he saw when he looked at his friends and their partners. Maybe jealousy wasn't the right word, but he always felt left out of the loop. They all knew something he didn't, and he craved to be on the inside with someone of his own.

"I'd choose you over Jake any day, Bob. You're smart, and I like talking to you."

He smiled at her as he said, "That may be the case, but you'd choose Bradley over me."

"You got me there," she said with a laugh as she kissed his cheek, making him avert his eyes to the floor. "I'm probably not the best judge of character though."

Bob looked toward where she was smiling now and saw Bradley with his hideous tie dye shirt and idiotic looking backwards baseball cap as Jessica slaughtered him in a game of pool. "Yes, you are," Bob told her quietly. Because as soon as Bradley looked at his wife, his expression became one of complete wonder. 

"Sugar! Come here! Jessica is being mean to me again!"

She squeezed Bob's shoulder and then took him by the hand, bringing him along with her to the pool table. He blushed again as he looked a little nervously at Bradley, but everyone knew Bob was harmless. He was the one just drinking a ginger ale since he had to drive home.

"Baby," Bradley whined. "She won't even let me try to make a shot."

"That's not her being mean to you. That's her being better than you," his wife replied. "And what's the moral of the story again?"

"Women should never be underestimated," Bradley and Jake said in unison.

"That's right," Jessica said as she sunk the 8-ball into one of the corner pockets. "Especially ones who have a PhD and tenure." She handed her pool cue to Bradley and did a little dance. Then she reached into Bob's cup of peanuts and said, "Chippy's are better."

"They are," he agreed with a nod and a grin. He cleared his throat as Bradshaw's wife finally dropped his hand. "So I heard the new semester starts on Monday?"

"Yes," Jessica gushed as she fixed her glasses. "And Brian took a position at the community college, so this should be my best semester yet."

Bob already knew that Jake was relieved that his girlfriend would be going to work in a more comfortable environment every day, but it was nice to see how excited she was. 

"You know what I was thinking?" Jessica asked Bradshaw's wife quietly. Bob wondered if he should step away and give them some privacy, but they both kept helping themselves to the cup of peanuts. "Maybe we could put something up on the notice board in the main building, kind of inviting the other female teachers at the school to have lunch together one day? I felt so embarrassed and excluded from things because of Brian, I just thought it might be nice for anyone else who feels marginalized?"

Bradley's wife nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

Bob listened to them for a few more minutes before he wished them good luck as they started back to school for the fall term, and then he excused himself for the night. He stood outside in the dark parking lot for a few minutes and listened to the sound of the ocean before he climbed into his truck and headed for his silent house. 

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

"Dr. Webber."

Anna looked at the name placard on her office door and bounced up and down. "Dr. Webber," she read out loud again. She had the worst office on campus, no doubt about that. It was miniscule and kind of smelled like stale bread since it was so close to the cafeteria, but she loved it. All of the shelves were crammed with her books, and she could lock the rest of the world out when she needed a minute to herself. She just hoped that the tiny office wasn't a sign of bad things to come after San Diego State University willingly hired her less than a month before the start of the term.

In a matter of eight weeks, she had finally- finally- graduated with her PhD in English Literature and secured a job on the other side of the country. She sold everything she could think of, including her rings, and moved from gloomy New Jersey to a studio apartment in sunny southern California. Sure, all she had in her kitchen was a toaster oven and a mini fridge, but she was on her own. She had nobody to answer to. And she never would again.

"I guess everything is smaller here," Anna told herself as she locked her office door and went in search of the classroom where she would be holding the first lecture of her teaching career. She was too early for the class, but she was filled with nervous energy and decided that walking around would help. 

She looked in classrooms and listened to a poetry lecture on the third floor. She found a really secluded ladies' bathroom as well as a reading nook. Eventually, she and her copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn managed to wander all the way to the main building where she found a faculty lounge.

It smelled like coffee, and there were snacks out on the counter, and everyone was talking in pairs or small groups. She should probably get to know her colleagues, but she also didn't mind the anonymity that came with observing everyone without engaging. She was good at that, and she'd spend too much time around people who needed to be in the spotlight all the time. As she reached for a donut with pink frosting, she saw a notice board across the room and went to take a look. 

The hum of conversation around her was comforting as she read about a yoga class in the quad, alumni night, and a teacher appreciation banquet. Then her eyes caught on a single piece of paper with a plain black font. It wasn't flashy, and somehow it reminded her of a page from a favorite book.

WELCOME BACK FOR THE FALL SEMESTER, LADIES!

If you're interested in getting to know some other women who work on campus, let's meet for a friendly lunch on the first Tuesday of the term! Noon in the quad next to the weird tree.

Anna laughed. She knew where the quad was, but she wasn't sure which tree was the weird one. They actually all seemed a bit out of place to her since she wasn't used to living near palm trees. She started to skim a notice about how to recycle old textbooks, but she didn't get far before she was re-reading the one about meeting up for lunch. 

If it was truly meant just for women, then it sounded kind of nice. She could eat her sandwich outside. She liked weird trees. The idea of having zero men around made it even more appealing. The last thing she wanted was to develop an interest in anyone right now. Or maybe ever again. 

She took out her phone and snapped a picture of the page before checking the time and leaving with her donut. Twenty minutes later, with her class assembled before her in a small lecture hall, she cleared her throat and said, "Welcome to English 205. I'm Dr. Webber, and this semester we will be covering the classics."

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

"You can do this. You'll be fine," Anna said as she walked slowly across the quad toward a palm tree that looked like it somehow started growing sideways about six feet up from the ground. "It's just some people."

But she wasn't good with people. Kevin had been quick to tell her that all the time. He liked to point out that she was awkward unless she was talking about literature or poetry or something from the New York Times bestseller list. Apparently she didn't know how to talk about normal things. Her hands started to sweat as she held onto her brown paper bag and can of ginger ale. 

"Oh god," she groaned as she got a little closer. Truly, there was nothing to be afraid of. It was just two women smiling as they talked to each other with their lunches. But they were both beautiful. Like the kind of stunning girls that Anna was always afraid to talk to when she was a teenager. One was wearing a suit and high heels, and the other was wearing cute brown loafers and some tweed, and she felt like her own outfit looked awful now by comparison. 

It wasn't too late to just walk past them and loop back toward her office and never try to socialize again. "Yes, let's do that." She nodded and picked up the pace a little bit. She could turn left at the weird tree and then maybe even make a run for it. "What are you doing?" she whispered, slowing down again. It was one thing to swear off men, but it wasn't going to be an enjoyable existence if she never tried to make a single friend here.

With a deep breath, she forced herself forward, and then soon two sets of eyes were on her. All she saw was matching smiles as she approached and said, "Hi. I'm Anna Webber. Is this the weird tree?"

"It's the weirdest tree I've ever seen," said the first woman as the other one jumped to her feet. 

"Hi! Are you here for lunch?" she asked as she adjusted her glasses. "I told you someone would come," she whispered to the first woman before sticking her hand out. "I'm Jessica Reed! I work in the physics department, and this is my friend, and we are so, so happy you're joining us."

Anna smiled at how bubbly she was as she briefly shook her hand. "I just got here," she said with a wince. "I mean... it's my second day working here? I just got hired. In the English department. I'm teaching literature." God, could she sound like any more of an idiot right now?

But Jessica gasped in response. "Advanced Literature!" Then both women squealed, and soon the other one was introducing herself and talking about the math department and pointing out a building Anna had never been inside yet.

"It's silly, we know, but we kind of have code names for each other. I'm Advanced Calculus, and Jessica is Advanced Physics. You can be Advanced Literature. If you want." Now she looked a little uncertain while Jessica bounced in her high heels. "Wow, we sound like absolute nerds."

"We are nerds," Jessica confirmed with no shame as she looked at Anna. "I collect scientific journals. She uses math as foreplay with her husband. Do you want to eat lunch with us, Anna?"

Her response came with an ease that she hadn't felt in a long time. "Yes. Please." Then both women were shifting their lunches down and making room in the middle of the bench. Anna took a seat and watched Advanced Calculus pick a carrot stick out of the most beautifully organized lunch container she'd ever seen. She also had a tie dyed lunch box that was charming in a hideous way.

"How's your first week going?" Jessica asked as she bit into a delicious looking sandwich on fancy, multigrain bread. Anna knew she didn't fit in here at all as she pulled a plain turkey sandwich and some peanuts from her bag, but it was all she could afford right now. 

"Well," she said with a sigh. "It's better than New Jersey."

Both women squealed again. "You're from the east coast!"

"Yeah," she replied as she opened her ginger ale. "I grew up in New Jersey. I went to college and grad school in New Jersey. I attempted to move to New York, and then somehow I ended up here." She left out the heartbreaking parts about Kevin, because he didn't really belong in a conversation where she was surprisingly kind of enjoying herself. 

She learned the two women were from Massachusetts and Virginia, and that they both had PhDs from prestigious universities. They were both in committed relationships with naval aviators who also happened to work together. And both of the men loved packing their ladies lunches. 

"Lucky," Anna muttered as she popped a peanut into her mouth and thought about the kitchen in her studio apartment. It was so small, it almost didn't exist. She was almost thirty and essentially still lived in a dormitory. How sad.

"Hey," Jessica said suddenly. "If you like peanuts, you'd probably love Chippy's!"

"What's Chippy's?" Anna asked curiously.

"Eww, no. Don't listen to Jess. Chippy's is a disgusting dive bar on the other side of campus."

"It's not disgusting! He just doesn't clean the floor."

Anna laughed. "I actually do love peanuts, but I'm not a big drinker." Then both women silently studied her, and she could feel heat rising in her cheeks. She'd said something wrong already. Of course things couldn't be this easy.

"Huh. You like ginger ale," said Advanced Calculus as she sat paused with a carrot stick halfway to her mouth.

Anna nodded as she said, "My... well, a guy I know used to make fun of me for being a ginger and loving ginger ale." She gestured to her auburn hair which was clipped up at the back of her head. 

"Are you married? Or in a relationship?" she asked, and she finally bit into the carrot. 

Anna didn't even have a chance to reply as Advanced Physics gasped on her other side. "You like peanuts. And ginger ale. How do you feel about men with glasses?"

"How do you feel about men with greenish blue eyes?" 

"How do you feel about sweet men who blush?"

"Would you ever date a guy in the Navy?"

"Are you fond of beat up pickup trucks and country boys?"

"Do you want to come to the Hard Deck this weekend?"

Anna was starting to get whiplash as she looked back and forth between the two of them. "Wait, I'm sorry. What? I thought we were talking about a place called Chippy's?"

"We were. But now we're talking about a man called Bob."

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

Omg omg omg. Okay, here we are with a story for our lovable Bob. Thanks for reading about the Sugarverse. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 2

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[thecheckeredchaser]

A Summer Job

Ch 9

(Chapter 10 of 11)

A Most Luscious Rose

Rose plopped down on the bed with a plate of four slices of pizza, setting a bottle of soda on the table. Jason eyed her hungrily. He almost wished he had room to eat the pizza himself, which the thought crossing his mind only cemented how much of a pig he was to himself. Rita told him to start the recording, since they were going to edit the shit out of it. He thought she would be more choosy about how she was shown on camera. His molars were grinding together in anticipation. Maybe he was nervous too. He wasn’t piggybacking. It was his turn to be bad cop. He lifted a slice, and despite being too eager, he gently put the slice to her lips. He felt the electricity when her gorgeous teeth tore the pizza into her mouth and her lips closed it all in, aside from a small glob of sauce, that her tongue went back for. He felt the blood rush out of his face and to his groin. He blinked dazed. He wondered if she was purposefully being so dramatic, but didn’t want to accuse her based on her features alone. It made him think of Jessica Rabbit. Rita was just drawn…so fucking hot. But when he looked up at her, she had a satisfied sneaky look, that made him sure she was messing with him. Paired with her hand deep on his thigh, he was certain that he was still playing good cop, even with the roles reversed.

“Chub, you are already so excited. What’s all that about?” she said, accepting another big bite. He wanted to respond in a cool way for the video, but stammered, as he was really struggling with his building attraction.

“I uh, you’re just very beautiful Rose,” he said. Lame. Too honest. He looked at her and she didn’t seem as disappointed. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, just being himself. “And as always your lips are my kryptonite.” He kissed her for a moment and then brought the slice back to her. “Clean it up,” he said, wanting to be more demanding than offering, but coming off soft again. Rita complied, taking three systematic bites to the crust’s edge. “Good girl,” he heard himself say. His eyes went wider than the big screen. They met Rita’s and she suddenly looked horny and eager to do what he said. “I hope you enjoyed your dinner. You could have gone harder. Maybe you were being shy,” he strung the lines together as they came into his mind.

“I enjoyed it just fine. I had a little more self control in front of others.” She didn’t have to say ‘than you’, because she gave a firm tap on his belly. The sound of which was clearly that of a stuffed belly and his grunt further exemplified that. “I was worried there wouldn’t be enough for a pig like you.” He was shocked at how easily she could just tease him. She hardly thought about it.

“Well I appreciate your sacrifice. Hope this makes up for it. How are you feeling?” he said, passing her the crust. “Besides over the moon for stuffed crust,” he said, noticing the glimmer in her eye. She giggled.

“I feel nice. My stomach does feel a little full. But I can finish this little snack easily.” He reached out and felt her belly through her shorts. He wanted to undo them, but having been there, he knew sometimes you had to ease into it. He made an audible “Oh” as he felt her up, beginning to worry that he might get too excited, if he lingered too much. He went to pull his hand away, feeling the forbidden lamp’s flame burn too bright, but she put it back.

“That feels nice,” she moaned, maybe for effect or show, but maybe she was genuine. Jason readjusted his seated position but managed to continue. He brought her another slice and she started chomping at it faster, making little sounds.

“I bet it does. Your belly is so gorgeous, especially when you fill it up. I can’t wait to see it a little bigger.” he placed his hands on the sides of her and attempted to picture it as Rita had to him.

“Just a little,” she baited. His face blazed.

“I don’t want to ask for too much,” he said, proud of the quip.

“You sure about that,” she said, with a wink, making him think of the events next door. She was just better at this than him. What would she do if she was bested?

“Here drink this,” he said, handing her the two liter bottle. “You are doing more talking than eating.”

“No cup?” she said coyly.

“That’s still talking. Just be a good girl and listen,” he said a little sharper. Rita’s eyes lowered and she complied. “That’s better,” he said cocky. She seemed to chug it in an effort to show her own power in the moment. He put his hands to her belly and felt it expand, as well as himself. She finally lowered the bottle and gasped for breath. She swallowed hard and Jason wasn’t sure what to expect. He knew if he chugged that much he’d be burping like a gaseous pig. She put her fist to her mouth for a moment, but no sound came out.

“More,” she said firmly, but after seeing Jason’s face as he struggled for the steering wheel, she corrected, “please Chub.”

“You will certainly grow that tiny belly of yours if you keep this up. Also just hanging around a fat pig like me, it’s bound to rub off.” He slapped his own gut and watched her get weak. “You almost look like you are scared to get so big yourself. Yet you look so fascinated. Probably because you know I’m just starting.” A moan escaped her lips. Check, he thought.

“You want this crust,” she offered him, sounding less demanding. Jason looked at her and could see she wanted him to pretty badly.

"I can tell you're dying for me to say yes. But you ask, even though you know I'm packed full. You're very bad Rose," he said, disciplinary.

"Just a little stuffed crust," she pleaded, "Nothing for a hog like you," she said with scandalous eyes at him. Jason groaned, and started munching on the crust after handing her the next slice, one remaining on the pan. He had told himself he was too full to eat another bite, but the 4 needed for the crust seemed inconsequential when he saw how hot it made Rita. The pressure in his cock was far more encouraging than the discouraging stress on his stomach. Jason reached out and squeezed her belly, as she finished the slice she had been tearing to shreds. He shouldn’t have been surprised when a burp grogged out of her mouth, a delicate hand shielding her mouth. He was momentarily speechless. Despite all the attention that was given to Jason surrounding his burping, he had never heard Rita do it. She was a prime example for poise and ladylikeness in that regard, if one ignored how irreverent she could be with words. She looked a bit surprised herself, and a little bashful.

“I see the appeal I guess,” he said, growling in his words a little. He reached at his crotch, attempting to smother the fire burning, but his contact only made it worse.

“I’m not sure about finishing it,” she admitted, looking a little pained.

“It was a little snack seconds ago, Rose.” She whimpered.

“I talk a big game sometimes.” She watched his hands as they circled her belly. The satisfied moans layered under the uncomfortable winces. Jason wanted to tell her they could stop there, it was the nice guy thing to do. But he looked down and was pressing the final slice to her lips, and despite how full she was feeling, her lips parted again.

“I know you can do it. Think about how much more delicious this will look on your belly.” She squirmed and Jason observed how her shorts button was pulling tight across her middle. He couldn’t resist it now. “These shorts have to be killing you.” He popped the button out the hole, with a single push of his thumb, and had to fist fight his arousal at her gasp of relief.

“Fuck those were tight, Chub,” she exclaimed, thankful. With her belly exposed through her opened shorts, he couldn't stop himself from feeling her soft and tender skin.

“You have such a gorgeous body.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her to even see her finish the slice to the crust. He only peeled his eyes away when she burped again after some heavy breaths, her whine that followed, reeling him in. “You sound like me,” he said, hotly.

“I can’t do anymore. Seriously,” she said, sounding as she said. He wanted to believe her, but knew all too well there was a margin between where the brain thought the body had enough, and he was tempted to flirt with it.

“How about just one more bite,” he encouraged, looking right into her slightly scared eyes. He put a comforting hand on the top of her little bloated belly. “You want it. I can tell.” She slowly nodded and took the crust from him. He desperately watched her take a large bite, closing her eyes as she chewed. He saw that instant of pleasure when she saw she could do what she said she couldn’t. He was absolutely hypnotized by her. He hadn’t even been fully functioning when she forced the rest of the crust into his own mouth. He chewed with stuffed cheeks, looking at her both highly aroused and surprised.

“You win the blue ribbon,” she said, cheekily. She got up, a bit strained, and turned the camera off. Jason fought to get his shorts unbuttoned, absolutely yearning for Rita. “I couldn’t eat anything else,” she stated, “Well, besides maybe one thing.” She got on her knees, letting her belly take the space between his legs. Her elbows propped her shoulders up, pressing into the sides of his belly both uncomfortably and tantalizingly.

None of that mattered when her lips made their way to the base and beyond. “Fucking hell,” he uttered, exasperated. He had been throbbing for the past half hour, so he was more than happy to count the feeding session as concrete foreplay. Despite being so full, she hungrily slurped all over him, driving him to the edge. He squirmed under her in anticipation. She pulled off momentarily, panting. He watched her chest heave over him and yanked at her tank top. “Someone’s a super greedy pig, huh? Wants to finish with these big tits in his face.” He could only helplessly nod. Rita stripped in seconds and lowered herself onto him, placing his hands on her chest. He eagerly pinched and pulled at her nipples. His stomach was too bloated to bend up to suck them like he wanted to, but she seemed satisfied, crying out each time he pulled and released it to jiggle against her body. Jason wanted a better look at her wetness on his rock hard cock. He propped himself on his elbows, craning his neck a little to see over his gut. His belly pushed more firmly into where their bodies met in his lap. Rita, reached for her lips and spread them open gasping as his belly was now rubbing and jiggling on her clitoris. She picked up her pace as she rode him, and when he heard her shrieks, he felt himself let go of his desire to last.

They lay a crumpled and satisfied pile in the bed. “Should have recorded that,” Jason said smuttily. Rita nudged him but laughed. They fell asleep cradling the other’s belly lovingly. All things considered, it was a very good date.

Ch 11

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Of the three European dramas so far remade for UK television by Eagle Eye Drama – the production company set up by the team behind streaming service Walter Presents – Belgian director Dries Vos has worked on two.

The first was Professor T, with Vos directing 12 episodes over its first two seasons. Debuting in 2021, the ITV series is based on the Belgian show of the same name and stars Ben Miller as a university criminologist with obsessive-compulsive disorder who assists the police in solving crimes.

Last year then saw the release of Channel 4 drama Suspect, an adaptation of Danish series Forhøret. It stars James Nesbitt as a detective retracing the final days of his murdered daughter to find out what happened.

Vos directed all eight episodes of Suspect, which has been recommissioned for a second season, and he has now directed all six parts of The Couple Next Door, the latest Eagle Eye adaptation, again for Channel 4.

A dark, psychological and emotionally charged thriller written by David Allison (Bedlam, Marcella), the series is based on Dutch drama New Neighbours and aims to explore the claustrophobia of living in suburbia, where you never quite know what goes on behind closed doors.

Eleanor Tomlinson and Alfred Enoch star as Evie and Pete, who move into a new house in an upscale neighbourhood and quickly befriend their neighbours, traffic cop Danny (Sam Heughan) and his yoga instructor wife Becka (Jessica De Gouw). The two couples then becoming increasingly close until events on one fateful night change all their lives forever.

In Belgium, Vos is known for comedy series and crime dramas such as Women of the Night and De Dag (The Day), which dramatised the events surrounding a bank robbery from the point of view of both the police and the robbers.

“But I’ve always wanted to do some kind of sexy thriller,” the director tells DQ. “I’ve always done these more heist stories like De Dag, for instance, but this was completely different. Eagle Eye talked about it in September 2022, when they had two scripts, and I started reading it and immediately felt it could be something. We then started working on it first at a script level, of course, and then we started shooting at the end of March this year.”

Having worked on remakes in the past, Vos adopted the same approach for The Couple Next Door that he used when working on Professor T and Suspect, which is to ignore the fact it is based on another series and to treat it as if it has been created from scratch.

“I never watch the original series. I never read anything about it,” he says. “For me, it’s just the same as if it’s a new script. Otherwise, you’re in danger of stealing stuff.

“If all this influence comes my way, I might maybe try to change my vision and I just want to be clear, so I always start by trying to search for some pictures, some stuff from other movies, some references. I had some pictures that I showed the writer – there were some stills from a movie I love with some koi carp, and we ended up writing some scenes with koi. We influenced each other the whole time. But if you watch the original series then you’re too attached to what you see. That’s not always helpful.”

With international dramas more accessible to viewers than ever – and Walter Presents doing as much as any other streamer to take local-language dramas around the world – remakes may seem unnecessary. But Vos still sees value in adaptations, believing the same story can evolve through the work of new storytellers in front of and behind the camera.

“It’s easily said, ‘Oh, it’s a remake,’ but you always try to invent it from scratch,” he says. “It’s the way you approach it visually [as a director] but also the way you’re directing those actors. They bring some other stuff with them as well. A writer brings some other stuff, so it’s good if you get the freedom to make it your own.

“If you don’t have that freedom and people just want to see the same as the original, there’s no point making a remake. It’s always got to be filtered through the eyes of a director or through the eyes of a writer so it’s got another perspective than the original.”

The Couple Next Door doesn’t just stand apart from the series it is inspired by, but from anything else Vos has directed in the past. “You evolve as a director, and you’re influenced by things you see and things you think are cool,” he says. “But what I always try to do is ask, ‘What is this show?’ What does this show need?’

“For instance, I like to play with genres, so this could be a romantic movie but also a fairytale or have some thriller elements, and I put them all in a box and shake it a little bit. Then I put my personality in it and there’s something new or a new visual language, or just the way you’re blocking actors or their language is different or whatever. There are so many parameters you can play with. You can still just remake something on a shot-by-shot basis, but what’s the point of it all?”

Taking a cue from De Dag, a key visual trick Vos uses for The Couple Next Door is the multiple perspectives at play as characters constantly watch each other. And it’s not just Evie, Pete, Danny and Becka, but also another neighbour, Alan (Hugh Dennis), who seems to have a particular interest in Becka.

“It’s a story about lots of people. My first instinct was like, ‘Ah, this is a story about Evie.’ But if you dig into it, it evolves a little bit more towards a story about Danny and Becka as well because they have problems in their relationship,” the director explains. “There is also some stuff happening with Pete and Evie at the same time, and so it evolves by having those two couples. In the first episode, we focus more on Evie but then some episodes shift a little bit more towards Alan. I always like to have more perspectives on the same story.

“Those perspective changes are really interesting to play with narratively, but also visually. It’s about the ensemble. When you finish episode six, you will have a complete storyline for everybody.”

The filming locations also added to the claustrophobic atmosphere. Location scouts discovered a cul-de-sac in the Netherlands with homes that create a suitably heightened atmosphere owing to the fact they look like they belong in American suburbia. Filming also took place in Leeds and in Belgium.

“It’s a completely strange setup but that’s why I love it,” Vos says of the exteriors location. “So having that and also having people watching through curtains and watching each other, that’s a cool thing to play with.

“It’s also a bit soapy – it’s got some soapy elements in there. But the series evolves to something completely different and completely dark by the end.”

Throughout the course of the series, it’s safe to say not everything goes to plan for the two couples, as Evie and Danny become drawn to each other over the course of the first episode. Vos used the camera to demonstrate the distances between characters, sometimes starting off distant and drawing closer, and on other occasions becoming more separated.

Of course, the actors are key to getting the right chemistry for the series, particularly Tomlinson and Heughan. Vos jokes that he just says “action… and then stuff happens,” but he also spent time with the actors to break down their characters and explain what he wanted from them.

“They went out for dinner, and there’s got to be a minimum level of trust,” he says of Tomlinson and Heughan. “It’s very interesting to see, but what I was doing was always on a gut level. You don’t have a lot of time because there are a lot of stress factors during shooting, so sometimes you have to decide on the spot.”

The challenges on the show didn’t just come down to finding the right locations to create the drama’s pristine appearance – further exemplifying the show’s theme that not everything is as it appears. In particular, “just finding the right tone was the biggest one for this series,” the director reveals, “I think it works and hopefully an audience will think the same.”

The right tone, one that blends psychological thrills with charged emotion, was still being sought on the last day of filming, and continued into the editing process.

“On the last day we were still like, ‘But what is it?’ Visually we found it while we were shooting but, still, story-wise, it’s only when it’s coming together in the edit that you get that feeling,” he says. “I also spent a year searching for the right music, because music on this series makes a difference. Music can change so much.

“Then when we were at a screening, Hugh Dennis said to me, ‘You found it.’”

Audiences can judge for themselves when The Couple Next Door launches on Channel 4 on Monday. It will also air on Starz in the US and Canada in 2024, with Beta Film distributing the drama internationally.

Can Vos envisage returning for a second season? “Let’s see how it evolves, and if people love it, let’s go for a second series,” he says. “But if it’s a flop or people hate it, then it’s over. Let’s just see what happens in the next few weeks.”

tagged in: Channel 4, Dries Vos, Eagle Eye Drama, The Couple Next Door

🤔 The director @driesvos pushed hard if his perception was a romance narrative in a swinger relationship. If his work has anything, taking this from this and that from that and mixing them with copycat moments from films, as we saw in “The Notebook”.

This reminds Quentin Tarantino’s words once said, “I steal from every single movie ever made”. But a shared bonding experience in a lusciously dark way does not seem romantic at all and life is not a fairy tale, there is never “A happily ever after”. This is not “The Notebook” 2 🫤 with a touch from the Psychological/Thriller film “Rear Window”

[tonin-terets]

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