#just a nice little connection to the main story honestly

[shellshocklove]

brat three: i don't wanna feel feelings | joel miller

pairing/AU: joel miller x brat!female!reader – no outbreak

summary: joel’s brat summer is coming to an end.

warnings: this is an 18+ fic so mdni! age gap, enemies to lovers vibes? swearing, drinking of alcohol, smoking, reader wears a dress, heels and makeup but otherwise no other descriptions, use of pet names, some angst, smut, brat tamer!joel, dom!joel, some daddy!joel, manhandling, some light bondage, degradation (whore, slut), oral sex (f+m receiving), multiple orgasms, creampie, unprotected sex (don’t do it!!), no use of y/n

a/n: ok so here's part three to brat! there's one more part planned, and then that's it! <3 big thank you to @dustydaddyyy for reading through this, i love you!! <333 happy reading! 💚

main masterlist / series masterlist / ao3

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free ����🇸 this account stands with palestine. the creator of tlou is a zionist, and the second game is largly based on israel/palestine. please, everyone who interacts, educate yourself about the genocide happening right now, and support/donate.

The gravel moaned under your heels as you carefully left your uber at the foot of the driveway. The air smelled of summer; flower-y notes with a hint of anticipation. Cars lined the driveway, tightly parked with the wheels almost hanging in the air over the ditch. The sky turned purple then pink as the sun started to dip beneath the horizon, the small beams of light coming through the doors of the big barn beamed brighter and brighter the closer you got.

This wasn’t the first time you’d crashed a party, but it was your first wedding. You’d looked up the place online, Pecan Grove Ranch. It was nice, but pedestrian, not filled with the extravagance a party of this size would rank up in your father’s circles – the ones you’d been dragged too ever since you were old enough to put on a charming smile. This felt real, no fake happy smiles and secret codes, just people gathering to celebrate love.

Love.

It had always been a thing that happened to other people. To your friends, to the protagonist in a movie, to the person on the other side of your kiss. They always thought they were in love with you, but love always felt like a joke everyone was in on except for you, a story told to sell movie tickets or for a song to hit number one.

Sex was different, sex you understood. It was like acting, and you had no problem slipping into the role. It was fun, it was a release, it was a fleeting connection you couldn’t help but chase.

One you were chasing right now.

Maybe Joel was right, maybe you are desperate, but it was his fault for leaving you like that, right on edge but without the release. Honestly, it was his fault you were here, you thought as you stood outside the open barn doors.

Off to the side a few of the guests had gathered around a picnic table. Billowing white smoke clouded them as you watched their animated conversation between drags of their cigarettes and sips of their drinks. A small boy ran past you, almost crashing into you as a little girl chased after him with a giggling laugh. They chased each other on the grass, as they ran between the large trees where a million lighting bugs danced between them.

The air felt light like cotton candy, a sweetness of celebrated love coated the faces that emerged as you stepped inside. The picking guitar intro of TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’ met you at the door, followed by a large cheer, bordering on collective scream, coming from the people on the dance floor. Walking slowly, you followed the back wall of the barn. A light breeze came through the open doors and windows, and tugged at your dress as you closed in on the bar. 

Open bar… Nice, Tommy. 

Most of the guest had their assigned seats at the round tables pressed up against the wooden walls of the barn. They must’ve been moved to make room for the dancefloor, you thought as you leaned up against the side of the bar. It was rustic, made entirely of untreated wood and decorated with large white bows. The bartender was around your age, handsome, and painfully bored it seemed by the way he lit up when you approached.

“What can I getcha?” he asked, a charming lilt to his voice.

“Um…” your teeth caught on your bottom lip, as you scanned the drinks menu. They all had quirky names, most likely inside jokes or references to the wedding couple that mostly went over your head.

“One ‘Contractor Juice’, please?” you ordered, holding back from cringing at the name. At least you got this reference, and the promise of mint and citrus mixed with alcohol had never failed you before.

“Sure thing, doll,” the bartender smiled, a little too sweet for your liking, or maybe you’d developed a preference for grumpy frowns.

“So… bride or groom?” he asked, making conversation as he worked.

“Um… groom,” you told him, leaning your back against the bar as your eyes rolled over the tables, searching.

“Ain’t seen you up here yet,” he said, a question unsaid hanging in the air as he handed you your drink.

Turning around, you thanked him and slipped a five-dollar bill in the tip jar. “There,” you said, “Now you can turn off the charm.”

You watched how he tried to hide his smile, as he held up his hands in a surrender, “Who’s to say I can turn it off?”

He smiled when you rolled your eyes at him. It was cute, two dimples separated by perfect white teeth. At the start of the summer, you might’ve let him fuck you at the end of the night, but the summer was coming to a close, and you had your eyes set on someone else.

He had his back turned, but you knew it was him, you’d recognize those broad shoulders anywhere. Something bubbled under your skin then, and your hands felt clammy around your glass – you were nervous, there was a whole room between you, but he still managed to make you nervous.

Maybe this was a bad idea?

He sat with his body turned, his hand around a beer bottle, as he watched the dancefloor move. Your eyes followed his and found Tommy where he danced, his hand clasping a woman’s, a woman you’d only seen in photos.

Joel’s daughter.

She was beautiful. Clad in a dark lavender satin dress, matching the other bridesmaids. Her dark hair was slicked back and gathered at the nape of her neck, held together by a matching satin bow, perfect curls spilled across her back. Her smile was even prettier as she laughed and sang with her uncle, swinging to ‘Build Me up Buttercup’. It was the same smile you could see across Joel’s face as he watched them. 

The drink burned slightly from the acidity at the back of your throat, and you were grateful that he’d been heavy on the liquor. You needed to catch up, let the alcohol loosen you up, pull away your unexpected nerves. 

“Who’s that?” you heard behind you. A warmth coated your neck and cheeks at being caught staring, and the embarrassment mixed with anger.

“I don’t think that’s any of your fucking business,” you scoffed. 

The bartender huffed out a dry laugh, “Jesus, it’s wedding small talk, no need to bite my head off.”

“Well, I’d prefer it if you didn’t talk,” you told him, sending him an annoyed look over your shoulder.

When you turned back around, Joel’s seat was empty, the beer bottle he’d nursed left behind on the table, the only sign he’d ever been seated there in the first place. Your tongue found the straw of your drink, twirling it around while you sipped, eyes scanning the dancefloor.

Nothing.

Did he slip out? Out to catch some fresh air or go to the bathroom? Maybe you could find the restroom, hover outside the door and ‘accidently’ bump into him?

No.

You cringed. Did you even hear yourself? As you took another sip, trying and failing to come up with a plan, a familiar gruff voice heaved a heavy sigh behind you.

“You got to be fuckin’ kiddin’ me.” 

He didn’t look angry, but the way his hand rubbed over his face was worse, he was disappointed to see you. 

“What the fuck you doin’ here?”

“Celebrating Tommy, and–” you squinted your eyes, looking at the name scrawled elegantly next to Tommy’s on the bar menu, “–Maria... aren’t you?” 

You gave Joel an easy smile, and stepped closer, crossing one foot nonchalantly over the other. There was no way in hell you’d give him the satisfaction of seeing you even a bit phased he’d caught you crashing his brother’s wedding. 

A huff escaped Joel at your lie before the corners of his mouth pulled ever so slightly in a dry, sarcastic smile. 

“That’s cute,” he told you, his voice devoid of any humor in it, tone entirely disbelieving. 

“I’ve been known to be described as such,” you grinned. 

Joel didn’t seem to like your joke, his face not moving an inch. “You know this is way out of line, right?” 

“What?” you snorted, taking a sip of your drink as your eyes fanned out over the room for a second, before landing back on Joel, “Aren’t you happy to see me?” 

Joel let out an almost incredulous scoff, shaking his head as his eyes quickly scanned across the room, going to Tommy still on the dancefloor with Sarah. Something seemed to flash over his eyes, or maybe it was the lights but he leaned forward then, fingers wrapping around your forearm in a firm grip. 

“Way to make it obvious,” you said under your breath as he pulled you a bit. Not letting him have it, you planted your feet, “What the hell are you doing?” 

“Don’t be a fuckin’ brat,” he told you, his voice filled with annoyance. 

Something ignited in you then, and you knew you had him right where you wanted him. Unable to contain your smile as the words crossed his lips, you felt them settle in your core, drip down your thighs like sticky honey. 

“You’d know just what do about that, wouldn’t you?” you challenged, your eyes burning into his, and for a second, you had his attention. He held your gaze, and his eyes flickered with the same intensity you felt.

A beat passed between you, and you watched as his jaw tightened, waiting for the bomb to tick down to zero. 

Then it popped.

The guests cheered as a song faded into another, and Joel took a step closer to you. His hand released your forearm to slip around your waist as his eyes never left yours. 

“Come,” he spoke through his teeth, his voice low and quiet.

The feel of his hand so close to your skin sent your brain into a temporary reboot. You’d craved it all week, missed him so close to you, missed his scent on your skin, and you let yourself be steered away. 

Quickly, Joel led you out the barn doors, his hand firmly pressed against your lower back as he looked over his shoulder. The music faded as he guided you towards a handful of small, scattered cabins hidden away behind a grove of trees. The trail snaked its way from tree to tree, your heels digging into the gravel making it hard to keep up with Joel’s pace. He walked with haste, passing cabin after cabin until the hand on your lower back looped around your waist, turning you around to face him as he came to a stop outside the last cabin.

His eyes drilled into your own, giving you a wild look, “I want you to leave,” he said, voice stern.

Leaning into his touch, you tilted your head to the side and let your eyes roll over him. He’d combed his hair back, wavy curls held back by gel. You raised your hand to cup his cheek, letting your thumb run through his trimmed scruff, hints of salt and pepper shone under the rising moonlight. The full of his lips was pressed together in a tight line, your eyes trailing your thumb as you let it gently run over his lips. Something softened in him under your touch, his eyes brown and deep as they watched you, it made your heart pick up its beat, hammering out of your chest.

Leaning closer, your eyes flickered to his lips again, and you thought about how you didn’t know what he tasted like, didn’t know how his lips felt against your own. You were so close now; his breath came out in small puffs against your face. Slowly you tilted your head, your nose accidentally brushing up against the crook of his own.

“You owe me a fucking orgasm,” you whispered.

His hand around your waist tightened, and with a small huff he tilted his head back.

“I owe you nothin’, princess.”

God, he could be stubborn sometimes. 

It might’ve annoyed you if it didn’t turn you on as much as it did. You loved how he made you work for it, and he was worth doing the work. Something deep down inside you knew it. Joel was a good man. If you weren’t careful he’d remove the walls built up by that lonely girl you’d kept hidden inside; one emotional stone at a time. Maybe it was ironic? The man who’d devoted his life to building walls, now breaking them down?

“Why do you deny yourself something you want?”

“You...” Joel swallowed hard, dark eyes watching your face with an unreadable expression, “You're a piece of work, you know that?”

The words stung more than you’d like to admit, and when Joel’s hand slipped from your body as he stepped away, a wave of anxiety washed over you. 

Had you gone too far? 

Joel didn’t look happy, and a small knot started to tie itself in your stomach under his gaze. You watched as he unbuttoned the top button of his tuxedo jacket, making it fall open and showing you his perfectly pressed shirt underneath. His right hand dug into his inner pocket, fishing out a white key card.

His steps were heavy up the front stairs to the cabin, almost dragging, like he moved through molasses. The lock clicked as he held the key card against it, a green light blinking before he opened the door. 

Dumbfounded, you stood at the foot of the front steps. You’d riled him up, played your little game and he’d gone along with it like always. 

Was this how it was gonna end?

He stood in the opening, hand on the handle with one foot on either side –  halfway in, but also halfway out. He didn’t move, his head tipped forward, weighing his options. Then he sighed and pushed the door open, and stepped inside the darkness.

“C‘mon, get in before anyone sees you.” 

The cabin was quaint, but cozy, with only the necessities. It was more like a hut, not bigger than a hotel room. A narrow hallway opened up to the bedroom, with a door to the right leading to a bathroom. Joel had placed his overnight bag on the chair in the corner, a worn leather duffle bag with a dark t-shirt and pair of jeans thrown over it, clearly thrown in a hurry to get ready. White lace curtains hung over the windows, bright against the dark wood of the paneled walls. 

The clinking of Joel’s belt pulled you from the silence, your head twitched like a reflex turning towards him. He’d shed his tuxedo jacket, his broad shoulders fighting against his pristine white shirt. He walked towards you slowly as he removed his cufflinks; the warmth in his eyes had turned darker. Taking a step backwards the back of your thighs pressed into the chair, almost tipping you over, but he caught you, one arm tight around your wrist while the other threw the cufflinks on the pile of clothes behind you.

“You say ‘red’ ‘nd we stop,” he told you, eyes holding your gaze so intently you didn’t dare look away. An inaudible breath pressed past your lips when his other hand cupped your cheek, the touch reminding you to nod your head.

“Or I pinch you,” you said.

A pleased smile spread across his face, “Good.” He punctuated his approval with a light pat to your cheek. 

Stepping away, he nodded towards the bed, an unspoken order, while his hands found his tie around his neck where he tugged at the knot. You sat at the foot of the bed, knees pressed together, waiting for him to make the first move. The white sheets smelled strongly of detergent, nothing like the faded hints of his cologne mixed with sawdust you’d smelled on his own sheets that first night he’d fucked you. 

The tie slipped from his neck and you fell back on your arms, feigning boredom while you let out an audible sigh. It made him laugh.

“What’s so funny?” you queried, your brows pulled together in a frown. 

A smile leftover from his chuckle coated his lips as he stepped closer, your legs spreading for him to slot between as he threw the tie on the bed beside you.

“Nothin’.” 

Over you, he gently rolled up his sleeves with practiced hands before he wrapped a hand tightly around your upper arm. Then he tugged. 

“Hey!” you said, fighting against his grip as he manhandled you. He turned you roughly, his other hand fingering the zipper of your dress, while the other held you in place. “Be careful with the dress,” you whined.

“Stop actin’ like a fuckin’ child,” he muttered, helping you out of your dress.

“A child? Well… that doesn’t bode well for you with what you’re about to do.”

That stopped him in his tracks, eyes burning as he let go of you. “Jesus Christ,” he hissed, throwing your dress over his pile of clothes, “you’re fuckin’ unbelievable.”

Freed from his grip, a smirk pulled at your lips as you shuffled up the bed. Leaning back on your elbows, you seductively parted your legs for him, showing him the darkened patch of fabric scarcely covering your cunt.

“You keep saying that,” you smiled, saccharine and sticky like syrup. 

“I’ll stop when you finally start behavin’.” Joel’s hand wrapped around your ankle, tugging you towards him with a hard jerk, making a giggly squeal escape you. 

“Never– HEY!”

A ripping sound tore through the room, your skimpy panties tattered in his large hands. A smirk spread over his face. The motherfucker looked mighty pleased with himself.

“Surprised you’re even wearin’ these,” he said, thumbing at the wet patch of arousal, before he tossed them to the floor. “A slut like you should’ve gone without, shouldn't you?” 

The warmth of his touch over your knees had you twitching for him, goosebumps following his hands as they rubbed gently up and down your legs. His eyes never left your face though, watching every reaction you gave up. 

“I…” your rebuttal trailed off when he fell to his knees, slotting between your own and spreading you open for him, one hand glided down the outside of your thigh to your ass, while the other found your aching clit.

Then he spat. A thick blob of saliva ran from the top of your mound down your clit, where it combined with your arousal shining through your glistening folds.

“Joel!?” you gasped when the rough pad made contact, pressing down with just the right amount of pressure, spreading his spit around in small circles. 

You kinda hated this part; getting eaten out. No partner had gotten it right before. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable, it could be, but never seeing stars good… And you couldn’t help but think about that first time someone had gone down on you, about the boytoy you’d had wrapped around your finger freshman year. He’d given you an orgasm maybe 60% of the time he’d fucked you (which was a better successrate than your later hook-ups), but his comment as he’d gotten on his knees for you for the first time still rang loudly in your head.

It’s not supposed to look like that, is it? 

The small laugh he’d let out had only made it worse, and you’d dumped him less than twenty-four hours later. Now, you hated having a man this close to your pussy.

Your hand found Joel’s shoulder, where it pushed. “I don’t…” you interrupted yourself with a hand over your face, not wanting to look at him.

“What, baby?” 

Suddenly he was there, hovering above you, caging you in with his body, heavy hand pushing at your own over your face. 

“Ain’t in the mood for the orgasm I owe ya, is that it?” he smirked, and you stayed obstinately silent for a second.

“What is it, hm?” he asks you, “Not gonna let me taste that pretty pussy?” 

Pretty…

“Joel…” 

Your eyes searched his face, looking to find where he’d hidden his lie. His face grew sterner, eyebrows pulling together in a furrow. 

“Tell me.”

Your front tooth caught on your lip and a heat prickled up your neck. You couldn’t tell him, you just couldn’t. Joel’s palm found your cheek, heavy and safe against your skin, letting his thumb sooth you and your eyelids fluttered from his touch. A breath got caught in your throat when he leaned forward, placing a soft kiss to the column of your neck, your pulse vibrating under his lips.

“Do I have to wring it outta you?” he whispered against your skin, his hand gliding from your cheek to fit around your neck. The air between you changed and you forced yourself to snap back into your disguise. 

“I’d like to see you try.”

A deep rumbling laugh vibrated against your skin and Joel found your eyes again. His hand around your neck soothed over your skin and you found yourself pushing up into his hand, daring him to tighten his grip.

“There she is… my brat,” he smiled.

Mine.

He was gone before the possessive word could settle, hovering over your body as he rid himself of his shirt. You couldn’t help but drink him in, he was so handsome, broad and strong with speckled grey hairs trailing to the heavy bulge hidden away behind the soft fabric of his dress pants. His undone belt clicked as he moved closer, climbing onto the bed between your legs.

“Scoot up,” Joel ordered with a tap to the outer skin of your thigh. 

The huff you let out was exasperated, earning you a stern look as his large palms found the cheeks of your ass, patting your skin lightly, before he helped you move. The way he fluffed the pillows behind your back was almost tender, and your eyebrows pulled together in the slightest frown. 

“Is your definition of ‘wringin’ it outta me’–” you mocked his drawl, “–fucking like a boring old married couple in missionary? Is that what you used to do with your wife?”

The way Joel’s eyes hardened made a smile break over your face. Quickly, you regretted the smile when his hand clasped around your wrist, bending it backwards towards the bed post.

“Hey! What are you doing?” you demanded, playfully fighting against his grip, but Joel was too strong.

“Behave.”

“But I hate that,” you exclaimed with a sigh, pushing your head back into the pillow.

His silk tie tickled against the thin skin under your wrist, and you had to turn your head to watch him as he tied your hand to the bed. The way he did it exuded no nonsense; his eyebrows were tied together in concentration as practiced fingers danced over the knots, testing them with a light tug.

“I’m givin’ you what you ain’t closed to earned– so you oughta be grateful, princess, ‘nd thank me,” he told you as he moved on to your other hand.

Joel raised an eyebrow at you when he grabbed a hold of it, daring you to put up a fight again. 

“Thank you, Daddy.” 

The way you said it was sugary sweet, and you knew he didn’t believe a word you said, but a pleased smile settled over his lips either way. Then his fingers found his belt, tugging it from his waist all in one go, his muscles moved under his skin from the strain. The leather felt harsher around your skin than his tie, but Joel made sure to not tie it to tightly. When he was pleased with you, he found his spot between your legs again. 

His rough hands teased over your naked skin, eyes fixed on the way it gave way for him when he squeezed ever so slightly. You couldn’t help but watch him – there was nothing you could do now, your hands literally tied. 

“I oughta tie these too I reckon,” he mused, pushing your legs wider, “but I’m outta rope,” he chuckled, way too pleased with his own joke.

“Ha-ha-ha,” you said, voice dry with an unimpressed look on your face. 

Lowering himself, he placed playful lovebites to the soft skin of the inside of your thigh. The lower he got, the closer he got, you felt yourself brace for impact as your eyes found the ceiling. 

You felt his hot breath first, gentle huffs against your spit-soaked clit. How soft his kiss was, you didn’t expect– didn’t expect the fluttering touch of his lips down your pussy, so gentle against the core of you. A stuttering breath caught in your throat, and quickly you melted against the pillows. 

“Hey,” Joel caught your attention. He had that look in his eyes, something dark and filled with lust as he let the scratch of his rough beard rub against the thin skin of your inner thigh. “Look at me, only me, you hear?” 

He underlined his order with a soothing kiss to the sensitive skin, pulling a nod from you. Pleased, his lips skated downwards, teeth nipping playfully at the skin, leaving small bursts of electricity in the wake of his touch. 

“Such a pretty pussy, baby– all wet ‘nd messy f’me.” Joel spoke with a deep bass, as two fingers found your seam, swiping them through your folds. “Listen,” he told you, as the slick sound of your arousal filled the cabin. 

The beat in your chest seemed louder and louder in your ears the more he taunted you. You didn’t want to do this with Joel – fake it – feel that stone of disappointment sink into the depths of yourself as the orgasm you so desperately wanted fizzled away into nothing. Couldn’t he just rub your clit a little? Finger you instead? 

With his fingers Joel spread you apart and a heat travelled up your neck. You felt so exposed, and you had to fight not to look away from him when he leaned forward with the flat of his tongue, tasting you. A breath caught in your throat like a reflex, and a low hum rumbled out of Joel’s chest, almost in… contentment. Your eyebrows met in a furrow then.

He couldn’t seriously like this? 

He continued to lap at your folds, taking his time, and it felt… good, really good. When he licked a stripe from your hole to your clit, you couldn’t fight back your moan. 

“C’mon, let me hear you, princess,” he said, his tone of voice way too cocky.

He latched on to your clit, sucking and flicking his tongue in a way no man had ever done before. It was intense, sloppy, almost primal. Small, breathy sighs built in your chest, and you wished you could touch him, hold on to him.

Joel licked down through your folds again; his tongue teasing at your hole. “Is–” you cut yourself off with a surprised gasp, reeling from the way his tongue pushed into you. “Is t-this what you call e-eating pussy?” you tried again to taunt, far from convincing. 

Joel didn’t bother with a reply. Instead, he switched his tongue with his fingers. The wet mix of your arousal and saliva made the slide easy. A breathy whimper escaped your lips when he curled them, hitting the spongy spot inside you and hurling you quickly towards your release.

“Fuck,” you sighed, bucking your hips against his lips closing around your clit again.

You couldn’t stay still, your hips moving erratically to meet the swipes and zigzags of his tongue. Never had it felt like this, this good, this perfect. His fingers moved easily in and out, in and out, with a slick squelch. Squeezing your eyes shut, Joel coaxed you closer and closer to your orgasm. The pads of his fingers hit you just right, massaging with every thrust. An increasing pressure swiweled in your stomach around the laps of his tongue around your clit. Your back moved on it’s own, arching off the bed as his makeshift restraints tightened with your movement. A hand found your ass then, holding you flush to his face and you felt yourself starting to wither.

“There she goes… my good girl,” he hummed against you, “Come all over my tongue, princess.”

You let the wave of pleasure wash over you with a broken scream. You didn’t have to fake a thing as your whole body shook with your orgasm. His fingers continued their pace, pushing through your spasming walls and prolonging your ecstasy. Every sigh and whimpering moan was real, and you lost yourself in the buzzing feeling of Joel taking you apart and putting you back together again. 

When the aftershocks fizzled out Joel pulled his fingers, slicked up and soaked from your cunt. A cocky grin coated his face as he brought his fingers to his mouth, licking your cum off his fingers. When your eyes found his, something in them had you slipping under, a want so strong to drown in them. 

He climbed off the bed, your blissed out gaze rolling over him as he removed his dress pants and underwear. You could feel yourself go doe eyed when he took his hard cock in hand, giving it a few practiced tugs as he studied you at his mercy, spread apart and dripping with a mix of your pearly arousal, his spit and your cum. 

He was perfect; his broad chest, tanned under the Texan sun with speckled hairs trailing down his torso where it ended in a dark wiry patch at the base of his impressive cock. Your mouth dropped open in the smallest of o’s – you wanted to taste him again, feel your spit mixed with his precum on your tongue, the thick head of his cock knock at the back of your throat. 

“Daddy…” you pleaded, putting on your best puppy dog eyes.

“What, princess?” he taunted, voice laced with fake pity as he climbed on the bed again. Letting go of his thick cock, he wrapped his hands under your armpits and hiked you upright against the pillows. Under him you couldn’t help but soften at the edges.

“What d’you want, huh? What does my slut want?” he continued, straddling your body, two strong thighs on either side of your torso. He was so close like this, veiny cock inches from your waiting mouth. Reluctantly, you tore your gaze away to find his eyes, focusing hard on finding your words as you could see him start to stroke himself again in your peripheral. The large head of his cock grazed your lips with every stroke, pearling a salty taste of precum for you to taste.

“Why do you ask, when you already know?” you said, your voice lacking your infamous bite. A smile tore at Joel’s face, and a rumbling laugh escaped him as he moved closer. 

“Maybe my cock pluggin’ up that throat will make you behave f’me?” he mused, like he was speaking his inner thoughts out loud and you weren’t even there. “At least  you’d be quiet for once.”

His other hand found your chin, then, robbing you of your answer as he squeezed at the flesh, forcing your mouth to pop open. “Kiss it for Daddy, princess,” he ordered, slapping his cock on your waiting tongue. 

When he let go of your face, you wrapped your plush lips around his thick head, suckling wet kisses to the tip. A lewd moan escaped you at the familiar taste of him, his musk filling your nostrils. It was addicting, Joel was addicting, and you needed more.

The desperate whine you let out, earned you a reprimanding slap to your cheek. “Don’t get greedy now, ‘m gonna give ya what you want,” he told you and pulled back, while the sting prickled away. You couldn’t help the pout forming, and Joel was quick to sooth it away with his thumb tracing over your lips. 

“Listen, baby,” he found your eyes, “You kick me, alright? You kick me ‘f you wanna stop.”

“Okay,” you sighed.

“Okay, what?” he demanded with a slap of his cock against your cheek, smearing glistening precum over your skin.

“Okay, Daddy,” you smiled and dropped your mouth open so he could feed you his cock – all the way this time.

“That’s it, my good girl.”

Eagerly, your plush lips wrapped around his cock, his heavy cock plugged up your throat as he made room for himself. You didn’t gag right away like last time, you had practice now. As he pushed himself deeper, his hand braced himself against the headboard, while the other cradled your head – his rough thumb skated gently over your skin as he gently rocked his hips.

“Fuck,” he moaned above you, “That’s it, slut, let me feel your throat open f’me.”

Closing your eyes, you tried to calm yourself, holding back your gag reflex as tears started to prickle at your eyes. Even with practice, Joel wasn’t easy to take. Your lips stretched wide around the girth of him, swollen and used as spit slicked up his pubes. With each rock of his hips you felt the bulbous head knock at the back of your throat, bruising your flesh.

The sight of you must’ve been pornographic; your throat bulging with every rock of his hips as your spit dripped down your chest, pooling at his thighs stretched over your chest.

A vicious gag choked you, and Joel pulled back quickly, his cock wet with your spit bopping heavily in front of you face. You spluttered between gasps of air, spit bubbling at the corners of your mouth as tears ran in a steady stream, smudging your make-up. His hand cradling your head tightened slightly, tilting you to catch his eyes as something close to worry flashed over his face.

“Don’t close your eyes, you hear me?” his voice was strict, “‘nd I need ya to kick me!”

“Keep going!” 

Your voice was hoarse and wet, but it didn’t seem to convince Joel. His face gave nothing away, stern and hard, teeth biting down a scowl – but his hands were tender, stroking at your skin.

“Ain’t ever been with a woman who’s as much of a slut as you I reckon,” he mused, his hand leaving your face to grip himself, tapping the length of himself against your skin.

“Embarrassing way to admit you haven’t been with a lot of women, Joel,” you told him, hiding your smile behind a soft kiss to the wet head of his cock. 

“Jesus Christ.” A laugh escaped him, surprisingly light for someone out to punish you. 

Moving your head, you started to press light kisses down his shaft, waiting for Joel to take control again, to punish you – like you ‘deserved,’ but all he did was a whole lot of nothing. When your tongue finally reached the base of him, your cheek pressed into the crease between his thigh and hip as your lips brushed gently against the soft skin of his balls – so heavy and full. Wrapping his hand around himself, he stroked in languid motions, like he savored it, wanted to memorize every calculated jerk.

“‘s that what you want, huh?” he asked, voice low and dark, almost tainting, and you couldn’t hold back the mewl escaping you. “Go on then, princess, suck on my balls like a good whore.”

With his other hand he guided one of his balls to your mouth. When you wrapped your lips around him, suckling gently at the sensitive skin, a deep groan fell from Joel’s lips.

“That’s good, princess, that’s so fuckin’ good.”

Being so close, breathing in the masculine musk of him, you almost squirmed under his weight, your cunt desperate and dripping with arousal. You felt so dirty, sucking on the balls of a man more than twice your age as he had his way with you. It would never feel like this again with anyone else – you knew it, you didn’t know how, but you did. 

“C’mon, give the other one some sugar too.”

Humming out in an agreement, you let go with a pop as he guided the other ball into your waiting mouth for you to suckle around. The rhythm of his strokes picked up when you flattened your tongue, licking at the seam.

“God,” he groaned, “such a fuckin’ slut f’me– so fuckin’ desperate for my balls in your mouth–” 

Joel cut himself off with a deep groan, as he backed up, making you chase after him as he held himself at the base, squeezing. Your restraints dug into your wrists, and you whined in defeat. 

This bondage act was starting to get old.

“Gonna come already, old man?” 

Joel didn’t seem to like your attitude, his joints cracking as he climbed back onto the bed, the welcomed weight of him now gone. 

“That’s rich,” he spat, “coming from the one showin’ up here all desperate for me to fuck her.”

“Well, I’m waiting,” you told him with a roll of your eyes, voice bored. 

That seemed to finally inspire some action in him. With stern eyes, and a stern grip, Joel parted your legs to slot between. The way his hands dug into your skin hurt, angry finger-shaped welts as he manuveroured you, had you wishing for the dizzying pain of a bruise tomorrow to remind you of this, of Joel.

Your hips bucked when you felt the blunt head of his cock against your clit, making him throw a hand over your waist to keep you still. A heat coated your cheeks when you heard it, the slick sound of your wet cunt as he dragged himself up and down your folds, coating himself in your desperation. 

“Missionary?” you bit, fighting hard to hold back your moans as he teased at your dripping opening, “You’re so old fashioned.”

“I like to watch brats break when they finally get a cock in them,” he bit back, “Now beg f’mine.”

“No,” you hiccuped, with a weak shake of your head. 

Joel played dirty – his thumb came up to graze over your clit, as he continued to tease his cock at your opening, pressing in slightly and then pulling out again just as quickly. He had you squirming for him in seconds, desperate to feel him make a home for himself inside you.

“Beg, brat.”

His thumb on your clit pressed down harder in tight, practiced figure eights, and you had no choice but to break. You needed him, needed Joel inside. 

“Please,” you gasped, “Please, fuck me.”

But Joel continued circling his thumb, drawing you closer to the edge again. It got harder and harder to stay still as he pushed at your boundaries. Everything inside you screamed for him, like you were a piece of metal and he was the magnet. You couldn’t stay away, you’d always end up pressed against him. 

“Whose cunt is this?” he demanded, suddenly hovering above you, dark eyes staring into yours. A large palm held your head in place, anchoring you to him, his face, this moment.

“Yours,” you whispered, “Yours, Joel.”

His name left your lips as a sight, the syllables stolen out of the air when he pushed at your opening, heavy cock splitting you in two and seating himself in your heat. He had your legs shaking, head lulling into his palm at the pleasurable pressure poking at the depths of you, where no one but Joel could reach.

“It’s okay, baby– you come on that cock if ya need to,” he hummed, a hint of condescension in his low voice as he continued to rub your clit.

Everything was coming to a head. Pleasure beamed through your body, like a supernova, as you exploded for Joel, shaking under his body as your eyes rolled back in your head. Whimpering moans stole your breaths, and you almost didn’t register Joel’s deep voice rumbling against the collum of your throat.

“C’mon… that’s it… good girl, that’s my good girl– y’feel so good, baby.”

His warm breath felt sticky against your skin, and you found yourself hoping he’d never leave; that you could somehow tattoo how he felt against you on your skin, let him mark you as his. 

When your legs stopped shaking, Joel’s thumb stopped bullying your clit. He let you catch your breath, heaving chest slowing to steady rhythm again. His eyes found yours again, and for a moment they were almost tender, as something real started to weigh between you. You wanted to say something, anything, but Joel pulled away, hooking his arms under your knees before he finally started to pound into you, chasing his own high.

“Fuck,” you gasped, your walls already sensitive from the multiple orgasms he’d already given you. The way he split you open around the girth of him, it was always too much, you couldn’t see how you’d ever get used to the feeling of him. 

Joel's breath got heavier as he picked up his pace, balls slapping wetly against your ass, as deep groans vibrated through his chest.

“That’s it, princess, you take it,” he rambled, “Good girl– go dumb on that cock f’me.”

His hands dug into your skin, his mind so caught up in you, in the way you felt squeezing around him.

Slap, slap, slap.

He was so deep, he must’ve fucked his way into your stomach. You felt yourself go limp in his arms, letting him take what he needed, letting him use you for his own pleasure. 

“God, y’were made f’takin’ my big cock, baby.”

“Gonna fill up this pretty cunt– watch it leak outta ya.”

“Please,” you begged between harsh thrusts, your tits bouncing with every sway of his hips, “Please, come inside me, Daddy.”

With a particularly sharp thrust, his balls pulled tight against your ass, and Joel came. Deep groans of satisfaction filled your ears, the sweetest sound, as he pumped you full. He rutted into you until there was nothing left, your cunt overflowing with his sticky seed. A content sigh left your lips at the feeling, your body finally sated. 

Thoughts traveled to the next moments, how you wanted him to pull you into his chest, strong arms pulled tight around your body as you both calmed down. To be held close in his embrace, a comforting hand at the back of your neck. You wanted him to kiss you, longed to feel his lips brush over yours. You searched for Joel’s eyes, searched for a small inkling of reciprocation.

Maybe you’d say something stupid – finally let go of all the feelings you can’t control anymore.

But Joel’s eyes didn’t want to catch yours, and he pulled away too quickly, sliding his softening cock from your ruined cunt. You were gonna make a mess of his sheets, you probably already had judging from the slick feeling on the inside of your thighs as you closed them. 

Something in the air felt loaded suddenly, and you wanted to reach for him, touch his rough skin and ground yourself away from your nagging insecurities– But you couldn’t, your hands were bound. His strong back muscles moved under his skin as he fished his shirt from the floor, now crinkled, ruined. 

“Wanna go again?” you tried, pushing at his back, barely out of reach, with your foot. 

He let you push at him, but the sigh he let out as he stood to his feet to get dressed had your stomach tie itself in a knot. 

“This ain’t happenin’ again,” he sighed, getting dressed. 

“Sure,” you nodded in a scoff, unconvinced as a mischievous smile tugged at the corner of your mouth. Between your legs you felt yourself start to leak, his thick spend running down your folds to your ass, and onto the sheets.

When he finally turned around, large fingers fiddling with the small buttons of his shirt, his eyes finally caught yours. Biting down on your lip, you spread your legs coquettishly, showing him where he’d claimed you. 

His eyes, however, never wandered, the familiar warmth that you had seen barely a few minutes ago now gone, his expression stoic and unreadable. You felt the knot in your stomach from earlier tighten.

“I’m serious,” he told you, and almost on instinct you felt your legs close as he leaned over you, untying one of your hands, “You ever pull something like this again, and it’ll be the last time you ever see me.” 

You felt your face drop despite yourself as he untied the other hand, the corners of your mouth straightening out as a small frown appeared between your brows. You were silent for a moment as Joel walked to the other end of the room, plucking his jacket up off of the chair. Your eyes tracked his movements apprehensively. 

“I thought you liked it when I behaved this way,” you said eventually, and you hated the way your tone sounded. You had meant for it to be a challenge, a call-out of his hypocrisy, but instead you sounded like a child; disappointed and petulant. 

“Listen,” he started, voice calm but with a seriousness that made a nervousness tug at the back of your neck. “You’ve had your fun, and I can tolerate a lotta shit, but–... you gotta learn some fuckin’ boundaries.” Your frown only deepened at his words. 

“Comin’ here–” his voice stalled as he shook his head, shrugging on the jacket “This is my family, my brother’s wedding– my fuckin’ daughter is here… You can’t just show up in my life like some kind of trainwreck every time you need me to fuck you.” 

“How else am I supposed to do it? You don’t exactly text,” you bit back, “And don’t pretend like you don’t like it,” you fumbled for a retort. 

“That’s just a shitty excuse for unacceptable behaviour, and you know it,” Joel said, and you felt yourself get angry at how calm he was. 

It was embarrassing; your cheeks burned bright like a flame, and it fueled a deep pit of annoyance inside of you, one you didn’t even know existed as your jaw bit down in a clench. Lifting your chin in a defiant scoff, you’re not proud of the next words out of your mouth.

“You’re full of shit,” you said with a shake of your head, “You’ll barely last a week and you know it... you love it, love putting me in my place like this.”

“Sure I do,” Joel said with a nonchalant shrug, “But I sure as shit didn't sign up to deal with your antics... that’s a job for your real Daddy, sweetheart.”   

That last comment felt like a slap in the face. A job for your real Daddy. In your chest you felt something cave in, as a paralyzing shock swept over your body. You went cold, so cold as your eyes drifted past Joel, and swiveled into the wood walls. He was right, Joel was right, but you never imagined he’d slap you in the face like this with the truth. 

“So, listen up now, this is what you’re gonna do,” Joel said as he stepped towards you, looking you straight in the eye, ”You're gonna take your shit, ‘nd your shitty attitude, ‘nd you're gonna quietly slip outta here ‘nd pretend like you were never even fuckin’ here in the first place. ‘s that clear?” 

You were barely able to nod before he stepped back and turned his back on you. When his hand found the doorknob, he threw you one last look. 

“You better not be here when I get back.”

part four -> here!

hopefully this was okay? please let me know what you thought of the new part! a comment telling me your favorite part is always welcome, and my ask box is always open to chat <3 and thank you for reading!!

© shellshocklove, 2024 i do not give any permission to repost, translate, feed to AI or redistribute any of my writing, with or without credit!

[channieskies]

Pairing: Lee Know Reader (Fem) Bang Chan

Summary: Your joke turns into you and your boyfriends gift to his good friend for his birthday.

WC: 3920 {Reading Time: 16 Min}

♱‧₊˚. Kinktober: Day 25, [Bondage, Choking, Oral Fixation, Threesome/Multiple Partners]

Genre: Smut, PWP

Nets: @neverendingdreams-net & @mirohs-aurora-society

Warning(s): Dom/Sub Dynamics, Threesome, Vagial penetration, Oral, Anal Play and penetration, gagging, BDSM, Unprotected sex (This is a work of fiction, please protect yourself in real life), Vaginal and anal creampie, Cum swallowing, Pet names (Baby, Dirty Little Slut, Dirty Girl), Please let me know if I missed any!

Authors Note: Happy Birthday to our lovely Cat Daddy, Lee Know. I originally started writing this (last year) for a joint birthday project, but never released it. Even though it's the last hours of his birthday, I still wanted to post this. It's also Kinktober, so why not join the festivities with a very filth filled fic? This has not been beta read or thoroughly proofread. I hope you all enjoy this!! Thanks to @saradika-graphics for the dividers.

Disclaimer: This story does not reflect the real lives or personalities of Stray Kids. I do not know them personally. This is purely a work of fiction.

You exhaled deeply, your main focus was on not choking on your own saliva. You were bound and gagged, laying on the expensive rug of your boyfriend's downtown apartment. The panoramic view of the city was your backdrop to the filthy scene that was playing out, with you as the main character. Guess you could say you were in a festive mood, all things considered. You honestly looked like a turkey with the way your legs were tied. Bent at the knee and tied in two places, once at the ankles and once at the thighs to prevent you from moving your legs in any way your boyfriend didn't like. 

There was a spreader bar attached to the ropes that kept your legs open, your pussy on full display for anyone to watch. Even the people in the high-rise across the street would be able to see any and everything they wanted if their hearts so desired. Your hands were cuffed with the same material your legs were and were connected to the bar that kept your feet apart. You also had a nice ball gag in your mouth, because why the fuck not at this point? You were stuck, but the longer you sat like this, under the careful watch of your significant other and his friend, the more you liked it.

“And you were really up for this? For me to.. fuck her too?” Your boyfriend nodded at the other man's question. 

“She wanted this to be your birthday present.” He sighed, “I normally would object, since I don't like to share, but just look at how she looks.” He stuffed a hand in his pocket as he took in your appearance. 

“She almost looks like she should be the centerpiece on a table, no?” His friend chuckled.

Chris took his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed on it. “You ready baby?” You whimpered and nodded. You were wet and exposed, but thankfully the fire that burned nearby kept her warm and toasty. “You can start, Minho. I kinda want to watch.” Minho was thankful to his hyung for inviting him into his home like this, presenting him with such a beautiful and pliant present. He wasn't one to pass up a good time when one was offered so generously. He stepped closer, his slippers mere inches from where you lay. 

“I heard you've been thinking about this for a while now. Such a dirty little whore, lusting after another man's cock.” He kneeled right next to you and pulled up a little by your neck. “I hope you enjoy all that's coming to you.”

This had honestly started off as a joke. You really didn’t think he would take you seriously when you said it. It was a joke. A bad joke, but a joke nonetheless. You were just going to get a cute cat tower for Minho’s birthday, one he had mentioned he wanted in passing. He was your boyfriend's friend, so anything too extravagant looked a little weird on your end. So when he asked, you jokingly said, “How about I give him some head for his birthday?” You hid your joking smile behind the wine glass you had in hand. But when he seemed to really be thinking about it, you almost told him you were joking until he answered. 

“Okay. I think that would make his birthday. He deserves it after the year he’s had.” You were in shock, your wine almost choking you as you took a sip. It took more than a moment to compose yourself after his unexpected answer. 

“Wait- are you serious right now?” He nodded, “You really want me to give him head? Minho?” You could admit that there was something about Minho that really made you curious as to how he would fuck. You'd heard the rumors about how talented he was with his hips, and it went without mentioning just how much damage that silver tongue of his could do. You'd even had a friend that told you of a girl passing out from the sheer pleasure she felt while fucking him. But head was head and you truthfully shouldn’t be thinking of anything deeper than that. He’s your boyfriend's friend after all.

“Just head? Are you sure?” His lips curled into a smile as he looked at you from the other end of the couch. “Because… we could make this a full blown threesome and make his year.” Just the look he gave you, sent chills up her spine. You’d never seen your boyfriend in this light. He was usually very selfish with your time with him. That was in no way a bad thing, you loved it actually. Due to his line of work, you couldn’t see him as often as you’d like. So his monopolization of your time was seen as sweet and not an act of pure control.

“Huh?” You were unsure. “Threesome? Chris… I was jus-” He cut you off, pulling out his phone.

“I'll contact him.” And that's how You ended up like this, laying in the living room like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey.

Minho didn't bother unbuckling his belt, he just unzipped his trousers and reached his hand in, pulling his member out of the hole in his boxers and through the unzipped opening in his pants. 

“You said she's good with her mouth, right?” Chris smirked proudly as he took a seat on the sofa, legs spread wide.

“Yes. She actually gets pleasure from it. She aims to please.” He leaned back, getting comfortable, so he could enjoy the show.

“You really have no idea just what He says about you in the group chat, do you?” He kneeled next to your head, taking care not to sit on your hair. “All the little nasty things he's said you've done. All the photos he sends us to make us jealous. And now I get to have my turn.” He gently moved your hair from your face, before unbuckling the gag that your boyfriend so lovingly put in your mouth.

Your lips were swollen, mouth tired from being wrapped around the toy ball for quite some time.

“There's that pretty little mouth.” He tossed the gag somewhere behind him, having no use for it now. His thumb traced your lips, smearing the saliva that had settled from the gag.“That pretty little mouth he loves to show off wrapped around his cock.” 

Chris had your permission to show off pictures to his friends. Most of them were faceless anyway, they could imagine anyone they wanted to, it didn't have to be you. He slipped his thumb into your mouth, watching carefully as you sucked the digit. You kept your eyes on him, feeling almost like you were incapable of looking away.

There was a fire that burned in his eyes, one that told you he wanted to do unspeakable things to you.  “Open that pretty little mouth for me.” You did as told, without an ounce of hesitancy. You stuck your tongue out to accept whatever it was he was going to offer next. He slipped his thumb out and quickly replaced it with his cock. 

Minho was longer than you expected. His girth slid into your wet mouth, inch by inch. He placed a caring hand on your cheek as he started down at you, watching you take him in. He paused halfway, head tipping back with a loud groan passing his lips. “Fuck… I se-see why you always show off how well she takes you.” His head tipped forward again. “Her mouth feels amazing.” 

Chris chuckled from the couch. “Yeah, well wait until you feel her tight cunt.” His words made you clench around nothing. You really weren't expecting to get this far, let alone far enough for him to actually fuck you.

Minho started to pull back, before thrusting slowly back into your mouth. His eyes traveled down your body to your glistening folds, the crackling fire adding just the right amount of light to illuminate it. He had the perfect view of it in the strange mirror Chris had set up in the middle of the living room. Just the thought of finally getting to fuck you, made him want to blow his load. 

He'd been curious about you since the first time his hyung introduced you to him. He could honestly detail every second of that moment without missing a step. From the thigh length, form fitting, black dress you wore. To how you smelled like vanilla, tuberose, with a light hint of arousal tied right into what he could recall as being the most sensual scent he's ever had the pleasure of inhaling. 

Even to the smallest detail of the hickey on your neck from what he would assume to be a quick, yet steamy makeout session with Chris before you both entered the restaurant. He couldn't blame the man, you were drop dead gorgeous. He had to applaud him for even making it into the building at all. Because If he was given the chance, he would have fucked you in the parking lot while all his friends waited for his arrival. Nothing wrong with being fashionably late to your own birthday party. 

One particularly hard thrust and the sound of you gagging pulled him back into the room. Your wet mouth had sent him into a daydream, he could see how easy it would be just to drift off until he'd come crashing back down to earth with a soul crushing orgasm. He pulled back, taking his member in his hand, rubbing the tip against your lips in an attempt to ground himself in the moment. He'd seem like a bitch if he came less than five minutes in. 

But you were relentless, even with just him tracing your lips with his tip, you still took the initiative to slot his member between your lips, sucking the underside of it as best you could, given the fact that you were completely bound. 

“She isn't made of glass, you know? I guarantee you she's thinking that right now. She doesn't like being treated like she's fragile. Trust me, she tells me that all the time.” Chris mumbled the last part, but Minho still heard him loud and clear. His eyes met yours and you nodded. Neither of you knew he was taking his time for his own sanity. He resigned himself, taking in a deep breath, then exhaling. He grabbed a fistful of your hair with one hand and led his cock back into your mouth with the other.

He'd have to fuck your mouth like he'd wanted to do all these months. Liked he'd imagine he was doing every time he fucked his fist to the pictures his hyung sent. He'd tried not to fap to them at first, but what else were these benevolent gifts for if not for high quality spank bank material? With a tight grip on your hair he resumed thrusting. Letting you get adjusted, before slamming his cock into your mouth like you clearly wanted him to. It was something about the way you hollow your cheeks. Something in the way you glide your tongue on the underside of his stiff cock. Something in the way your moans sound for him as he fucks your throat. 

If mere pictures could make him unravel, what would happen now that he got to feel you? You constricted your throat, making him groan, causing his hips to stutter. “Fuck…” You kept doing with every other deep trust, making him spiral. Minho came undone, his seed slipping down your throat, despite his best efforts not to cum too soon. He let out a guttural moan, grip on your hair tightening as he came hard. You continued to suck, not wanting a drop to go to waste. “Sto-stop, stop.” He had to pull away, if not, he'd risk overestimation. With the prospect of being able to fuck you he couldn't risk that. 

“Now you know why I always show off, yeah?” Minho felt like he'd gone deaf in one ear and blind on the same side, because he didn't hear or see Chris get up, nor did his words register until after he'd gotten to his side. All he could do was nod, his brain wasn't functioning at a high enough level to form a response. “Scoot. It's my turn.” Minho obliged, crawling a few paces away to give his friend room. Only then did he notice his friend had undressed. It felt like maybe he'd blacked out for a moment, that was the only way he could explain the unexplained time jump after he'd nut.

“You doing okay, pretty girl?” Chris gently wiped a tear that had fallen from your eye. You nodded. You were more than okay. How many other girls could say they were lucky enough to participate in a threesome with their boyfriend and his very handsome friend? Probably not many. You were soaked and ready to have more than just your mouth fucked. “Good. Because I want your best, yeah? You know how I like it.”

He knew you knew exactly what he liked and you were more than happy to indulge him. It was Chris's turn to kneel next to your head. He was even closer than Minho, practically straddling your neck. He bypassed his dick entirely and grabbed his balls, fisting the sack. “Open wide for me baby.” The words barely left his lips and you eagerly did as told, opening your mouth as wide as you could.

Minho waited with bated breath, to finally get a chance to see just how well you took his friend. Pictures, as he'd recently found out, don't do you justice. While they were beyond hot, to feel you for himself took things to a whole different level. Chris was already hard. He wouldn't admit it, but seeing you like this did something to him that he couldn't quite explain. Now, he wasn't saying that the situation would ever happen again, but he could say he was enjoying himself.

You took His balls into your mouth, sucking on the skin as he stroked his length. “You're so fucking good, baby.” He tipped his head back. The combination of your mouth on his balls and his skilled hands working on his own length was euphoric. Minho watched on, in awe of just how well you worked together. You knew your boyfriend well and even without you being able to touch him, you could still lend a hand in pleasing him.

He noticed how you clenched around nothing, wetness already dripping from your untouched cunt. His eyes finally focused on the plug that sat snugly in your ass. Your wetness had dripped over the shiny heart-shaped diamond. God, how he wanted to taste you. Your wetness tempted him, begging him to come closer. He didn't even realize he'd moved until he was face to face with your pussy. He took a tentative lick, unsure if he was even allowed to do it. You moaned, squirming underneath him, alerting Chris to what was happening between your legs. He looked back, an amused smirk on his face.

“Just couldn’t resist, hmm?” He chuckled as Minho glanced up at him, mouth busy between your folds. You could feel him smirk against you, too occupied to answer your boyfriend's question. He went back to work, getting the confirmation he needed from both you and Chris. Was this your birthday or his? Because this was some extreme wish fulfillment here. Your boyfriend's balls in your mouth and a handsome man enjoying his birthday gift between your legs. What more could a girl ask for? 

Clearly you could ask for more. Chris leaned back, pulling his balls from your mouth, just to replace it with his thick cock. You clenched again as you gagged, much to both Chris and Minho’s delight. You pushed even more wetness on the man between your legs’ tongue, making him groan. How could Chris not talk about how good you tasted? How sweet your pussy was to devour? He dove in even more. He wasn’t afraid of drawing, even if he couldn’t swim. His moans and smacks are what alerted your boyfriend as to why you were shaking, why tears were pricking your eyes. He smiled to himself. Glad you were getting pleasure out of this for yourself. While he loved to use you, he didn’t want you to feel used. 

Your hands were balled into fists. This was almost too much for you to take. Your mouth was full, your ass plugged, Minho had just stuffed two fingers inside of you, all while he mercilessly toyed and sucked on your clit. Your legs were shaking, you couldn’t help it. What was a girl like you to do? Chris pushed his dick in as far as it could go. Reaching between his legs, thumb on your throat to constrict your breathing. Your body tensed. This was it. This was how you reached heaven. Your vision blurred, tears beginning to stream down your face as you came. He pulled his cock out of your mouth, allowing you a little room to breathe. Thick strings of saliva connected you to his member as you choked out a long wonton moan.

You couldn’t see the satisfied look on your boyfriend's face, but you knew it was there. Meanwhile, Minho happily ate to his content. He had tuned out anything but the soft cackling of the fire and your moans. He wanted to make you feel good. He knew this was the one and only time he’d get to do so, Chris had told him as much when he gave him the rundown for the night's events. So Minho wasn’t going to take this opportunity lightly. With your clit still in his mouth, he added another finger to your cunt, totalling them to three. He searched for the squishy little pad inside of you, pressing up on it, dragging his fingers back and forth on it. Luckily for him, you couldn’t move, because you seemed like you wanted to run, as overstimulation started to take over. You cried out, unable to do much else. 

“What's he doing to you baby?” Chris asked smugly, index and thumb grabbing your chin, lifting you. He forced you to look at what the birthday boy was doing between your legs. You almost came from the sigh alone. His face was smeared with your essence, eyes completely dark with lust, fingers stretching you out as he continuously hammered your g-spot. Your second climax hit you without warning. Your squirt forcefully being pulled from you, painting the man's face and fingers between your legs. You let out a scream that reverberates off the dark walls of the apartment. Thankfully you knew that the walls were well insulated and the neighbors wouldn’t be calling the cops to file a noise complaint. “Look at that…” Chris almost looked proud at the mess you’d made. “You’re spoiling my baby, Minho.” 

The man groaned against you, still licking up all of your juices, determined not to leave a trace behind. You were intoxicating. Minho was absolutely enamored with you. From the fucked out look that graced your face to the taste, smell, and aura of you. He could shamelessly say that the little crush he harbored for you, might be developing into something more. But he couldn’t think of that now. What would his hyung say if he ever found out his feelings? He pulled back, pushing thoughts of wanting you for his own, out of his head. “You ready, baby?” Chris ran a loving hand down the center of your chest, under your tied arms and over your stomach.

“Since it’s Minho’s special day, I’ll let him decide if he wants your tight little ass or cunt. Okay?” You nodded with wide sparkling eyes. Any bit of tiredness was washed away with the prospect of being fully stretched by two men. That made Minho painfully hard. He groaned as he sat on his knees, fingers finding their way to his member, tugging it to feel a bit of relief as he thought about what he wanted. If he was being truthful with himself, he’d admit he wanted to be shellfish and have you all to himself. But he couldn’t do that, not here. Not when his friend was so nice to share you with him. “What do you say, Minho?”

“Pussy.” There was a hint of desperation in his voice. He needed this. He needed to feel you wrapped around him.

“Pussy it is, then.” Chris undid your restraints, your hands going to each of your wrist to rub where the fabric had left behind little marks. Something to remember the beginning of the night by, at least until they faded. Chris stood and being the gentleman he was, helped you up to your feet. He made sure you were steady as he led you to the couch. First he had you bend over, legs spread, so that he could carefully remove the plug from your ass. But not without toying with it first, pulling it in and out, making sure your hole was nice and stretched for him. Next was the application of lube to both of your holes and his member. “Here,” motioned the bottle towards Minho, who was forced to peel his eyes away from the sight between your legs to take it. 

Chris was the first to lie down on the couch, leading you to lie with your back to his chest. Deft fingers, led his member to your waiting ass hole, and he expertly guided it in. Your head rolled back onto Chris’s shoulder as he filled you up, pushing you down slowly on him, making you take him inch by inch. Minho stood there, just watching as your face morphed into one of pure ecstasy. He was still tugging on his length, readying himself for you. Chris waved him over, letting him know it was his turn to slide in, and he honestly couldn’t wait. Despite not wanting to come off as too eager.

He swallowed the lump of spit that settled in his throat as soon as he kneeled on the couch between your legs. You were spread wide, lubed up, ass stuffed full of cock, while your pussy waited to be filled by him. Only him. He was still gripping the lube in his hand and used a bit more of it on himself before tossing it and lining his member up with your entrance. He slid the tips back and forth through your folds, making you jerk and squeeze your boyfriend. Chris’ grip on your thighs tightened, spreading you even wider. The sight made Minho dizzy. “Please…” The whine that fell from your lips nearly drained the man of his life force. “Please Minho…” You reached a hand between your legs, spreading your lips even more for him. 

He nearly crumbled. He wasted no time, sliding in, feeling your warmth envelope him. His eyes rolled back in the back of his head. This had to be the best feeling in the world. You were warm and tight, made even tighter by your boyfriend stuffing your ass. He took a moment to savor the feeling, before he started moving. That was Chris’ cue to do the same. You bit the back of your hand, to keep yourself from screaming. The feeling was indescribable.The initial pain subsided so quickly it scared you. Chris moved your hand. “Let us hear you, baby.” He dragged his nose along the column of your neck and pressed a kiss under your ear. “Let us know you feel good.”

You nodded, eyes focusing on the man in front of you. His eyes completely focused on where you were connected. Fixated on the way your walls pulled him back in every time he pulled back. The lube slowly mixes with your cream, and the sight would be one he’d remember for the rest of his life. What other birthday was like this? Has there ever been a gift given to him that was better? Nothing could top this. Well- unless he got to do this every year. He picked up his pace, loving the grip you had on him. Your eyes closed, mouth agape, but only long enough for fingers to be stuffed inside it. You felt spit coat your clit, causing your eyes to flutter open in time to see Minho rubbing it fervently. He wanted this to be a mind blowing experience for you too.

Your hand flew to his wrist, almost ready to pry it away. But the pleading look in his eyes made you pause. He angled his hips in just the right way, the tip of his member brushing against your spot, making your toes curl. Tears once again brimmed your eyes, the feeling of both men fucking you open was almost too much to take but at the same time you wanted more. Wanted to give them as much pleasure as they were giving you. You squeezed your walls, tightening around both of them. Chris’ hand that was still holding your thigh, moved to your neck, squeezing it in retaliation. Minho picked up his pace, fucking into you faster, using his years of dance training to further impress you. A few more flicks of his fingers against your clit had you coming undone. Shaking wildly between the two men. 

But that didn’t stop their thrusts, if anything that encouraged them to keep going, extending your hard orgasm. Minho did at least give your clit a break, reaching for your nipples, to pinch and pull on both. You let out a choked sob, feeling on the edge of hysteria. Chris' hand relaxed around your throat, the fingers he had in your mouth stroked your tongue. His hips gave a few more thrusts up into you before he unloaded right in your ass. You grabbed at his hand, nails, digging into the skin of his wrist. You could feel his seed seeping out of you as he stilled. He softly ran his fingers over your sweat slicked stomach, soothingly.

Minho was still going. He leaned in, kissing the parts of you he was allowed to. Your lips were off limits, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get close. He littered your jaw with kisses and bites, then did the same to your neck and chest. Once again he was like a man starved, needing to consume every last bit of you. He left marks all over your skin. Hoping that you would cherish the small amount of time you could share together, because this was certainly going to be burned into his brain. This was now going to be a part of his personality, something deeply embedded into his psyche.

The way you were looking at him, like he had the power to unmake you at this very moment was making his head spin. “Minho…fill me up… please…” You reached a hand out, fingers brushing over his cheek as you looked him in his eyes. This was delusion inducing. He didn’t need you to look at him like that. What was he to do if he fell for your charms any harder than he already had. He shook his head, closing his eyes to break the searing eye contact you had with him.

Chris chuckled, reminding Minho of his presence. “Baby, I think you are fucking with his head looking at him like that.” Minho’s eyes shot open. What did that mean? “Don’t lead him on… tell him what you want.” He grabbed your chin to keep your eyes on Minho. “Tell him again what my dirty girl wants.”

Your tongue darted out, wetting your slightly parched lips. “Cum inside me, Minho….” You were pleading with him now and how could you not oblige? “Fuck it deep into this pussy… it’s yours for the night…” Could he get high off words? It felt like more than his lower head was about to pop. That was all it took for him to burst. He pushed his hips flush against yours, hands moving to your hips to keep them in places as his streams of cum filled you up. You reached for his face again, dragging your thumb over his bottom lip, as your eyes stared deep into his. He didn’t need a kiss if this was how you treated him. But if he had one wish, this night would never end. He’d repeat it over and over again until the end of time.

© ✐Channieskies 『MINORS DNI! This post contains nsfw material. Please do not interact with it if you are under the age of 18. Do not translate or repost here or on other sites. Please leave a like , comment, and reblog if you enjoyed this story.♥』

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The Summer Games BLgin.

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Those Greeks did have that reputation for naked dudes rolling around together so I'm declaring it...

BL OLYMPICS!

I'll be passing out metals in various sporting events, as part of the weekly updates through mid August, just for funzies.

July 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Rebound (Weds Gaga) eps 9-10 of 12 - I guess mass murder is nothing next to having to raise funds for your basketball club. There were a lot of water sports in these eps (no not that kind). I’m not complaining. The street BB playoffs were fun. Frank is GOOD. I didn’t know he played. They aren’t using doubles for this. Meanwhile, it’s a bummer this one can’t be a poly romance. 

Winner!

Gold in Handball

for that shower scene in ep 9 (also... ya know, DUNK TANKS)

Balls in hands of all types.

Briefly must chat about that intro/outro music. It's like Thai autotuned Stray Kids. Which means I kinda adore it.

Century of Love (Weds Gaga) eps 5-6 of 10 - I guess he’s had a long time to learn how to fight really really well. This is a fun show. It does occasionally feel like a bunch of gay boys playing dress up. I LIKE P’Third a lot. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be an actual baddie. I’m finding the music a little intrusive in these episodes. I love the deconstructed suits look, and the velvet blazer. Very 90s. The confessions scene was very cute. It’s a good thing Vee is so easy-going, because the last few months of his life have been truly insane. And now he’s queen of the castle? Still working his convenience store job?

I honestly thought we'd just get kisses halfway through not a full on sex scene. But it was very sweet and tender. Appreciated, boys, thanks. However it’s never a good sign when the sex scene is it at the halfway point, it just means there’s gonna be a lot of trauma to come.

(I gotta say every time Daou smiles he actually looks his age.) 

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - I like them now. I mean as a pair of characters. I wasn’t really sold on the main couple until this episode, and now I’m interested (yes I am shallow). The boy with the glasses is definitely sus. I’m quite drunk, thus I have to say Sailub is the hottest thing on my screen right now. Metas's taste in interior design sucks. OK, that physical therapy session was sexy. I wasn’t sold at first, but now I love this side couple too.

Argh. SailubPon kiss so well. Also COUNTER LIFT!!!! 

Silver in Weightlifting

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - I’m the one who always says this stuff, but this pair might be the best at relationship heat. Let me try to explain. They are good at putting on screen the kind of NRE, want to bone, just really into each other physically and also connected and loving. It’s the way their bodies always arch towards each other. They’re very comfortable in each other’s space in a way that’s really rare to see out of Any BL country but Taiwan. I think they might be my favorite couple currently active. I don’t know how to put it except that

it looks like they want each other,

it looks like they like each other,

it looks like they’re into each other,

and it looks like they GET each other.

It’s nice to see on screen. The plots/stories/narratives that they're given aren’t doing them any favors, but man they’re a good pair. Meanwhile, was I screaming the whole time don’t rip the sample of the custom piece? Yes I was. But it was still sexy.

Sam getting discovered was fun! Yo is gonna burn his arse good.

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 8 of 12 - Okay! Officially boyfriends. I almost like the friendship btw Atom and Mudmee better than the romances. But they all so cute. 

The Trainee (Sun YouTube) ep 4 of 12 - I hate the gf intern so much. I think she is past redemption now - time for death. What is it they say about ADs? they do all the work, for none of the credit but all of the blame.

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) ep 10 of 12 - I guess Peak’s dad really is that awful. Jane is the beard? Got it. The show got suddenly quite sweet and complex. Where did that come from? Meanwhile ,Almond + Latte + sex education is awesome. Great trope we rarely get in BL. 

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - Look, what’s really annoying me is that I am neither upset nor pleased with the show. I like to be driven one way or the other by Meme. Trash watch here. (delayed this week, I can't face it)

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 1-2 of 12 - Out the gate I don’t like it. I don’t really like the teasing thing and the acting is poor. That said, neck kisses in the very first episode do make me happy. So I’m gonna keep watching. As for ep 2, I like the sides, and we have gay brothers trope activated. I also like the paranormal element, it adds some much-needed tension, but it is still a little slow (typical of a pulp).

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I like our poor lost puppy slowly figuring out what’s going on. It’s so elegantly done. Also, the the boy begs his quiet seme to SAY something, you know he’s gonna DO something instead. 

I could have done wihtout the pan around the head kiss. We over that, 8 years ago.

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Why don’t I like this show? I had to think about it quite a bit. It’s the power differential. I never enjoy it when the character with less power is the one doing the pursuing, it comes off as too desperate or something. In this case he is: from the country, poor, and younger, It just makes Takara’s dismissive attitude and snobbery unpleasant to watch. Also, you know me, =/= obsessive stalker behavior. 

It's airing but...

Bad Guy (Korea YT) - yeah, erm, no thank you.

4 Minutes (Thai Netflix/Grey) ep... - Great, a rich boy studying business at uni, suddenly gains the supernatural power to see four minutes into the future. I try to catch up next week.

I have a source, but I simply didn’t have time to watch it. So sorry. Too much traveling too much BL to keep up with. A perfect conflation of conflicting priorities.

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - it's your funeral (or, more likely, one of the main characters'). You can argue but... statistics. You know my feelings on this matter. MY BLOG, remember?

64.media.tumblr.com

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer IS COMING IN SEPTEMBER!!!!

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

Coming Up Next!

7/29 Battle of the Writers (Thai ????) - trailer here, TutorYim return, and while I adore them, I really hope this is better than Middleman's Love. Won't be hard. However: the premise? Ugh. Something something authors fighting - save me. Why don't writers understand that nothing is more boring than writers?

8/4 Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - OMG a uni student who looks too young and a... COP. GAH. The subversion and kink of it all. Please Gaga pick this one up? They made it for US.

8/7 Cosmetic Playlover (Japan Weds ????) 8 eps - office romance around the makeup counter featuring a younger seme and sex by blackmail. I am intrigued. DFTUJ (don't fuck this up, Japan).

8/8 Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs WeTV ) 12 eps - I am so DAMN excited to see Big finally lead a BL. I can't even with this, one of my most anticipated of this year. He's a great kisser ya'll, he's kissed a lot of boys as second lead. I can't WAIT.

8/12 First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) 12 eps - About a singer with stage fright and his timid fan stars Charles (H4 the puppy one) and Michael Chang (the youngster in My Tooth Your Love), plus side couple featuring a Thai actor Jame (Koh in Gen Y) and Liu Min Ting (of Guardian fame). What a damn tean. I can't wait. With thier powers combined!

8/16 The Last Time (Thai Fri YT) ? eps - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something.

8/22 The Paradise of Thorns (Thai movie) theater release - Jeff Satur is back but this does not look like a BL (the gay lover's death is the inciting event). More in Goodbye Mother vein. Looks dark and dramatic. He opposite and extremely well known actor Toey Pongsakorn who has never done gay before.

Addicted Heroin (Thailand adaptation) is also supposed to release this month. GIVE IT TOO MEEEEEE. I don't care about anything else but August back on my screen. It's been almost a decade since he did BL.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

This week's adventures in caption "out of" and "off" are not the same thing. This is an uncomfortable thought.

I'm so tired I'm seeing double. This is all you get.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

Sports in Play (the jokes write themselves) )

Boxing

Breaking

(That's Not) Cricket

Diving (yes, for that)

Fencing (yes, with those)

Handball (exactly what it says, no, read the word.. again)

Rhythmic Gymnastics (obvs)

Squash (snicker)

Surfing

Swimming

Trampoline

Weightlifting

Wrestling

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 10 BEST BL COUPLES OF 2023

So I guess I'm a little late considering it's now 2024 in most places, but well, better late than never. I tried and failed to rank top 20 or even 10 kisses... I just couldn't remember them all or even choose... but most of my top couples have some pretty great kisses, so at least there's that! I can, however, rank my favorite BL pairings from 2023, so... let's do it! I will be ranking these from least favorite to favorite because I think it's more fun that way... Also I credited all the gif makers at the bottom but I did list the tumblr user for each specific gif underneath. If someone wants me to remove their gif, please let me know and I will so! I just wanted to pretty up the post a bit.

Also, to clarify, any couple on a show that is currently airing and not complete yet is not eligible to be on the list for 2023. Trust me, there were many I wanted to include!

Honorary Mentions:

Tinn & Gun | My School President

So, spoiler, a different GeminiFourth pairing will be on the actual top 10 so I didn't really want to include both pairings on the list, but I really did love the two of them in My School President. G/F just have such a wonderful and natural chemistry. The way they always look at each other just feels so pure and sweet. I really like pairings where one is secretly pining for the other, but Tinn/Gun also sorta had a hate/love ISH thing going for a little while. The progression of their relationship to actual boyfriends was just so fun to watch and really well done.

Dong Wook & Do Hyun | A Breeze of Love

I watched this BL so quickly that it didn't really resonate with me as well as some other series, which is why these two didn't make the top 10, however, I really enjoyed their relationship on the show. I love hate to love pairings and I found their backstory scenes really sweet as well. I also thought they had a really nice chemistry and there were some strong kissing moments for a kbl.

Jihan & Jaejun | City Boy Log

I didn't include these two on the main list for two reasons, one: the show is not over yet... i don't think? and two: this technically isn't a BL drama? IDK anymore, but regardless I love this series and this couple so dang much! I love the realness of them filming themselves and how their relationship is portrayed so subtly until their feelings just sort of emerge. They have some really wonderful and special scenes or moments together that we don't typically get on other series. I am anxious to see where the rest of the story goes and I hope the actors get another opportunity to work together. The side pairing is great too!

Top 10!

#10. Ai & Songkhram | Destiny Seeker

These two were so damn fun to watch, I really loved the hate to love thing at the start that quickly turned into love (Or I guess always sort of was???). The actors had such a great chemistry together and they had so many fun little moments and bantery scenes together. While the rest of the series felt a little flat for me, their connection continuously kept me interested.

#09. Ze Rui & Zong Yi | Kiseki Dear to Me

Honestly don't even know what to write about these two or how to explain why I like them, because there wasn't anything particularly special about their dynamic that typically draws me in, but I just really enjoyed the actors chemistry together and I really liked the progression of their relationship and how well they meshed together. Their kissing was extremely natural too.

#08. King & Eua | Bed Friend

Firstly, these two are HOT AF, and I really loved the friends with benefits storyline between these two, but more than that, we have a perfect character imo with King, who was continuously there for Eua and always trying to help him and make him understand how much he really cared. The show could be very dark at times but I love that King was always sort of the shining light for Eua.

#07. Segaski & Yoh | My Personal Weatherman

I can admit that the big draw to this show for me originally was the sexy scenes and moments, and while I do think the series could have done with some more scenery changes and better storylines, considering the time frame, I enjoyed watching the relationship between the two characters develop. It's nice to get a friends with benefits type of relationship and see how it progresses into more than that. And for a JBL it was nice to see some high heat with a happy ending.

#06. Su Yu & Wu Bi | Stay With Me

SIGH. THESE TWO. So I mean, I understand the criticism of this show and their relationship. So many things are implied but personally I felt like the end half made it pretty clear that these two were 100% a romantic couple. (just wish it was clarified when that change happened) But the progression of their relationship from hate to love was so beautiful to watch. Even if it was just a friendship it was worth it imo to see how close they got. Fair warning, the finale episode is not the best lmao, but I hope we get a second season to sort of fix it? Fingers crossed on that one.

#05. Wan & Ki Tae | Our Dating Sim

This was definitely one of the cutest BL's of the year and this couple falls into that category well too. I really loved seeing them re-connect. I love that they were old best friends (with feelings) that had a lot of issues to sort through and we saw some adorable flashback scenes as well as current scenes. I also love that they got together and were mostly happy instead of having a lot of intense drama.

#04. Li Ming & Heart | Moonlight Chicken

These two... so much to say about them and yet I don't really know where to start. Gemini and Fourth just work so well together and I felt like this duo was even deeper than in MSP. They started out on bad terms but quickly became close and I really loved the progression of their relationship and then I adored how we also got to see them together as a couple too. My favorite thing about them was how hard Li Ming worked to try to understand Heart and how he learned sign language for him and encouraged him to get to know others like him and to put himself out there. They also had such a fun banter with playful moments and scenes. It was just so damn pure and sweet to watch with no unnecessary or stupid fillery drama.

#03. Jae Won and Ji Hyun | The Eighth Sense

Something about this pairing just felt so much different than the typical KBL pairing. The show itself was so much deeper and had a more serious tone than we typically get, which was amazing. The actors nailed the roles and you could really feel the tension and longing between them right from the beginning. I loved their storyline so much and the actors seemed so comfortable together.

#02. Yamato & Kakeru | I Cannot Reach You

This was one of my favorite BL's of the year and their relationship was a huge part of it. I thought I was more into hate to love, but clearly, based on this list, that isn't always the case. There is something so sweet and adorable about best friends turned to lovers. I really love too when we see one side pining for the other, so this couple was extremely enjoyable to watch!

#01. Chen Yi & Ai Di | Kiseki Dear To Me

Good Lord these two... they had the perfect formula for my favorite type of pairing. Hate to love, drama, tension, angst, one-sided pining... it was so painful to have to wait every week for more. But god, it was worth the wait and their chemistry was just so good, their kisses were phenomenal too. Def. a memorable pair and a show I will be rewatching very soon!

THANK YOU to all these wonderful humans for making the most amazing gifs that I used in this post!

[dccomicsbracket]

Batgirl (2000)

Perhaps my single favourite piece of writing in the comic book medium. This was my introduction to Cassandra Cain, and is the perfect place to get into her. Everyone should read Batgirl #19, and bask in the way it lays out the core of Cass' character with surgical precision. Puckett's Cass is fascinating: a fine balance of absolute confidence in her ability, crushing guilt about her past, a desperation for redemption and to see others redeem themselves, and a fundamental belief in the preservation of life. 1st batgirl on going, very good overall run, do it for Cass everyone its quite literally required reading for cass, babs, and steph. the way kelley puckett is able to explore cass’s character through her relationships with the other bats and the parallels between her and bruce is actually insane. theres so many little details in the visual story telling as well that just make the experience that much better. the fluidity and expressiveness of the art also adds on to the overall experience. it is literally DCs magnum opus Life changing series.

Young Justice (1998)

It's 6-8 fifteen year olds living in a cave, and their only adult supervision is a robot wind machine one of them graffiti-ed all over within the first five minutes of meeting him. The only two with anything even RESEMBLING normal childhoods are the demigod and the son of two billionaires (literally just some guy). They have an alien motorbike and at one point they save the world from aliens by playing baseball. Everyone in it is just so stupid all the time and I love that for them (god bless 🙏) Never has a comic quite that batshit and quite that sincere graced my presence I just love it and I enjoyed reading it

Blue Beetle (2006)

Just a good introduction to a character with a satisfying conclusion. I love you, Jaime, a guy who's just trying to do his best for his loved ones and his local community. I love you Khaji Da, scrungly lil dude speaking in glyphs. I love you, Brenda, and your complicated relationship with your aunt who adores you, but is also a crime lord. I love you Paco, a genuinely good friend. I love Jaime's family and the way they all adjust to Jaime being a superhero. I love the effort made to portray Jaime as a person with community and connections. i looove jaime sososo much he's such a fun protagonist and the developement of his character + his relationship w khaji da is sooo interesting and well written. i love seeing him bond with his little alien bug parasite !! all of the side characters are also so great like brenda and paco are so fun and la dama is suuuch an interesting character. jaime's family is also so lovely they clearly care abt jaime so much and its nice to see a kid superhero with parents who respect and also deeply care abt their kid. the art is also very fun overall its just a really stellar run Quite honestly one of the best written comic runs I've ever read, DC or otherwise. It flips so many standard comic book tropes on their heads and does it well. The main character is the epitome of just some guy and he is my favorite of all time. AMAZING characters. Fresh perspectives on comics tropes that are so overused it's hard to imagine comics without them. Everyone is worthy of respect and treated with dignity, even the villains. Khaji Da's character arc is amazing. And the adults make me laugh so much. Guy and Peacemaker as mentors who IMMEDIATELY recognize this kid is FAR more emotionally mature then they are, so they're not going to bother with that side of mentoring!

[dallasgallant]

Time period post : Buses and public transport

This one extends a bit off of my post on car culture, as I’ll cover motorlodges but also public transportation! As usual this is sort of an introduction or crash course to the topic, I do encourage you to go looking if you want to learn more!

Public transport-

In the 60’s flying was still fairly expensive and formal, it was a really nice trip or more for business men or other upper middle or outright rich people. There was a matter of price but popularity and access also played a part, most people would likely prefer to drive or take a bus or maybe even a train!

Trains were still a huge part of transportation up until following WW2, after all there were huge efforts like the transcontinental railway in the 1860s to connect the country. They were still fairly popular long form travel up through the 40s and 50s (old movies can be evidenced to that) but as car culture began to rise and interstate highway were built - people shifted their focus to individual passenger vehicles and the freedom of control. The rail system was much more in tact than the remains today but was on the decline.

Busses on the other hand? Huge, especially in small towns (some may even still have trolly systems!) they’d be kept neat and relatively on time — it was also a way to travel! Some who either couldn’t afford or didn’t want to drive a long distance themselves could take a longer bus ride/charter busses and travel the country! Greyhound absolutely ruled the roost in this regard and is still sort of synonymous!

Similar to trains there were bus terminals alongside regular street side stops, it’d be returned to on its regular run or a place to hop onto the next one going a city or so over. Some big and nice stations had little tv chairs that I am obsessed with:

Ash trays and shoe shine stands, news stands and vending machines (hot drinks, candy, cigarettes.) and brochure stands are some other notable features. Yes people used to actually man shoe shine stations… I feel in modern day they’re the stand equivalent to a mall that’s somehow still standing.

Most buses you’d pay a few cents or dollars (depending, likely cents) wherever you’re picked up. But if you’re going a considerable distance. Like Tulsa to Detroit you’d buy a ticket and then show that, you wouldn’t just hop on.

This isn’t to say there aren’t still busses in America, but our towns are larger, cars are the main focus and busses have become a bit dirty and less reliable. Isn’t to say they aren’t still a thing, similar to trains.

“Milk run” - this is an interesting bit of slang I’ve heard from my grandmother to refer to a bus going on its complete route stopping at every small town along the way.

She took a bus by herself from one town to another that were a few hours apart from eachother… about 15 in the 60s and got stranded at a bus station. (Needless her dad chewed out the attendant.)

That story highlights the detail of kids traveling on their own! It was safe* enough if they were aware and knew things well, this would be more contained to a town. Not small children either more 8+ and teens.

Motor lodges-

For a good portion of their existence, Hotels were dedicated to long term stays and located in cities, usually bachelors or businessmen etc. or sometimes renting a room at an older woman’s home.

Motor lodges became the place for the average vacationer. “Motels.” It was more common to see independently owned ones but chains did arise, like Howard Johnsons. An absolute staple of the 60s and roadside Americana… it cannot be understated just how huge these places were- sometimes their restaurants would stand alone! They were nice, fun and amenity filled place, honestly almost a toned down resort of sorts.

Most motels you’ll see beds, shower, perhaps a tv etc. they’d be clean and comfortable.

A nicer motel you’d be set! A color tv, refrigerated air (ac), a heated pool , a cafe next door.

Motor lodges rose alongside automobiles, existing all the way back in the 30s in a slightly different form. They began to kick off in gimmick and style in the real height of the Route 66 tourism era.

The view of Flying and hotels also began to change by the end of the decade, flying became cheaper and incentivized. Hotels began to spring up and offer more amenities and push out some motels, these happening simultaneously.

[deadboydetectives-confessions]

Gonna say this as nicely as I can. If you are one of those people complaining there isn't enough of a certain kind of fic and you never support the fic you do like, that's part of the reason you aren't getting more of what you like.

In my experience, the people that complain the loudest that there isn't a particular thing for them are also not commenting, refuse to read WIPs, and are not recommending the fic when the DO find something they they like.

Doing that is important if you want writers to keep writing at all. But it's EXTRA important if you like a non-main pairing. Or if you like non-shippy fic. Or if you like fic featuring and exploring secondary characters.

I can't speak for other fic writers, but I personally care very little about hits and not a ton about kudos. What I care about is comments. A comment tells me an actual person read and connected with my story. That's what motivates me to write. Even if it's just a string of emojis or a keyboard smash or quoting back a bit you liked.

If I'm writing a niche story with characters other than leads and I have like...5 people who reliably comment on every chapter, I will keep writing. But if I write the niche fic and it's crickets even if it's got a few hits and a handful of kudos, I won't. And honestly I might even delete what is up there. If the fic has 100 hits but 20 comments from people regularly commenting on each chapter, I will keep feeding you.

You get what you give. Commenters and WIP readers are the reason silent readers and people who refuse to read WIPs even have anything TO read.

And before anyone says it: you can easily check to see if a writer has a history of updating regularly and finishing their WIPs. If they do, you have every reason to think their next WIP will also be completed. Conversely, if the person has a history of abandoning work or being really slow to update, yeah I get it. Maybe wait for those folks to finish.

.

[solarwynd]

The best thing about this album is the same best thing about all their album: the fact that it makes me want to listen to Jimin's full discography and I always have a great time.

I don't even need to talk about Face, but I feel like not enough it's said about Muse. I agree with most people that Face is overall better, but listening to Muse beginning to end reminded me of how good it is.

Rebirth it's such a pretty song, I really wish it was longer. Though funnily enough Running Wild is not even 10 seconds longer than Rebirth, and Promise is a similar length. Maybe it being called an intro makes it seem shorter than these other songs? Also, the fact that Jimin produced this song and it sounds this beautiful? I'm gonna need him to produce more in the future cause he's so talented.

Honestly, SGMB doesn't get enough love. I almost feel like the mv makes the song feel more 'childish' to people but when you listen to just the audio it doesn't feel childish, it just sounds fun and light-hearted. I love the little things Jimin and Loco say throughout the song, like "Let's talk about us/Just for you/Yes sir/Can't stop/Take it to the bridge" and the "tog" when they burst a bubble makes me giggle every time. And the "hmmm, I love you babe" is so stinking cute. Also, I don't know how properly describe it, but I love that sparkling sound in the pre-chorus and the bridge (the same one that's in the pre-chorus of Be Mine). I also like that, unlike what you might expect, it doesn't end with the chorus again and instead ends with an instrumental break, similar to Slow Dance.

Speaking of Slow Dance, also love it, it really does sound so romantic. I heard some people complain about Sofia but I actually like her voice, it's kinda breathy but also kinda deep, it's nice. And that instrumental break at the end, chef's kiss.

With Be Mine there's no need to say anything, I felt a connection with that song back when we only knew it's name and I remain a loyal Be Mine stan.

Who truly is pop perfection, Jimin came to prove pop can be good actually, everybody say thank you Jimin.

Closer Than This is the only song that I don't love, but I still like it. I think I'm just a little tired of fan songs (though I do love Letter) and it also feels a little too long. But it's still nice and I get why Jimin made it, specially with it being released back when he enlisted, that was a nice 'goodbye for now, but don't worry we'll see each other again eventually'. That was a good moment to release the song, I just feel that it was a little disappointing to have it be on the album instead of a new song.

But anyway, I love Muse, maybe not as much as Face cause I do love me some depressing music and Face definitely provides in that area, but now and then we can be a little happy, so I appreciate Jimin feeding both the angsty girlies and the romantic girlies, thank you Jimin again.

I realize that me giving a full review of Muse is kinda random and a few months late, but like I said, I listened to the whole album after listening to Happy and I just felt the need to gush about Jimin. Cause who are we as people if not gushers of Jimin? I'm sure you can understand.

I think it’s a given l to compare the rest of the members music to Jimin’s because in my mind, Jimin’s the standard for me. I don’t go in automatically thinking that their music couldn’t possibly be better than his or that I won’t like it better. Cause there’s always a possibility that it could be and I do.

The main reason I place FACE above MUSE is the story telling aspect of it. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how masterfully it was crafted. Jimin genuinely did such a good job it. A lot of times I think about how I lucked out in finding Jimin cause he’s tbh he’s perfect to me and his music really does just scratch my brain right.

[curioussubjects]

I just finished Veilguard, and...I'm really not sure how I feel about it?

All in all: good game, had fun, but still didn't quite hit some of the highs it wanted to hit and it's still not as good as DA2

(Spoilers galore below for everything)

The Good:

Pretty game is pretty;

Love the codexes, especially the ones written by companions or with their commentary;

Speaking of, the Mementos had so excellent tid bits of lore flavor to them, as well;

Regrets of the Dread Wolf was a damn good quest;

Some truly funny party banter;

I actually thought it was really easy to figure out who my Rook is as I played the game, which was much harder for me to do for my Lavellan in DAI;

And speaking of Lavellan, she was in character she WOULD say that she WOULD do that. Bless;

Everything about Nevarra and the Mourn Watch, I wish there was more content there because I was so into it;

Orb and dagger mage is really fun to play, which was VERY surprising considering I don't play close range ever;

I also really enjoyed destroying blight boils for some reason lmao;

Petting cats (they PURR WHEN YOU DO);

Assan <3;

Taash being so autistic;

Teia and Viago my beloveds;

✨Friendship✨

The Solavellan of it all;

And Solas, too. Love that sadsack disaster man;

Maybe this is super basic of me but I liked Varric's narration...idk it's comforting;

Honestly, just Varric in general was a bit safety blanket in a nice way for me because the game feels overwhelming at first;

There's no party like an all Dalish party!

Exploring -- loved finding all the fun details in each location, and I know I didn't even do enough in my playthrough;

I'm weak for stories about guilt, fear and regret. And I'm even weaker when those stories are so obviously about forgiveness and moving forward. Also love. Always love.

The Bad:

The pacing. I've said this before but DAtV could've used a more explicit arc structure or have quests note which level they're meant for or SOMETHING because some times it seemed I was doing quests too early or too late for when I was in the main story. I also thought events kept oscillating from happening too fast or too slowly, and it very much did get in the way of immersion;

The romance. Literally what are you doing Dragon Age that you fumble the romance. Granted, I only romanced Davrin so far, but I'm getting the sense from looking through the tag that maybe Lucanis' romance also feels a bit off? Honestly I have so many issues with the romance progression for Davrin that it's its own section;

I hope this is only a Veil Jumpers issue, but I thought Rook was so separate from the faction. I felt very little connection to them;

I've seen some people point out NPCs talk to Rook like they're a child, and while I don't really agree with that I do think Rook doesn't have enough opportunities to be knowledgeable in their own right. Especially annoying with a mage Veil Jumper Rook! I miss the Inquisition perk dialogue options that let my Lavellan be a smarty pants;

Holy overdesigned armors! Yikes!

Not all areas are as well developed as the others: Rivain is the most egregiously empty and underdeveloped, but I actually thought Arlathan Forest was super lifeless too. So was the Lighthouse! You get the early game discovery bit and then nothing ever again and it's like oh that was really it huh (and the stuff we did get was so good please more?);

I hate to say this but BioWare missed the mark with Rook's place in the group. The companions seemed connected to each other, yeah, but Rook was like some cross between group therapist and not-so-undercover boss. There was none of the warmth Hawke got from their companions (or the Inquisitor, for that matter!). The game really needed 1. a lighthearted party hangout cutscene and 2. companions coming together to take care of Rook (the fact this isn't even a thing in the romance is bonkers to me);

Taash's personal quest being about choosing between being Rivain and Qunari as if that's how culture works is Bad Actually;

The worst minimap I've ever seen in a game wow;

Also: give me back my beacon marker;

The gods were in a regret prison but what were their regrets exactly we just don't know.

The Bad (Romance Edition):

Again, the pacing! Incredibly slow to start (and not in a slow burn way, mind!) and then super fast in the last third of the game;

In fact, the romance seemed to be running on a completely different level than the rest of the story. The last romance scene was incredibly out of place tonally, especially.

The first two romance titles for Davrin are "Thrill of the Chase" and "Hot and Bothered"...and like WHERE????

Davrin never writes about Rook as a romantic partner or as if he has any concerns with the relationship...which we later find out he has, but was news to me;

Tbh, the romance felt like an afterthought. There were cutscenes that in any other DA game there would've been flirting options, for instance, but this time there was nothing (what do you mean Rook can't make a flirty comment when Davrin is shirtless working out with Taash? It's low hanging fruit!);

Not nearly enough flirty banter between Rook and Davrin, which is nuts considering their personalities;

I'm really super disappointed with Davrin's romance, which sucks because he's actually perfect for my Rook and I really like his character. There was so much potential for a really fun romance that was both tense and sexy, but also sweet. But no. Secret good Davrin romance that exists in my head save me.

The ???:

Southern Thedas got scorched when the North didn't how?

Please tell me who was catfishing Andraste;

Making enemies super aggro on Rook unless you specifically have companions taunting was very weird.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #13

A New Dev-elopment

Aw, this is cute:

He's got LITTLE boots... That's genuinely hilarious. Even the littlest Dimmadome is up to dress code.

Ooh, map! I'll be seeing you later. No labels, sadly, but there's a river in the west that curls around the south. Wait, that river's ugly. why is it square.

"Dev is so mean! I wish I knew why he acted like that." -> Uh-oh...

Oh, please tell me we're finally getting blatant child trauma. Also, that's super funny Hazel wasn't going to be teamed with Dev until she was paired because of her wish. I love that way more than her teacher actually pairing them randomly.

Founder's Day?? /war flashbacks to Alden Bitterroot

... Wait, is Dale Dimm an ancestor of the Dimmadomes? Huh.

Nerd.

Oh, NERD??

He's cute, I'm enjoying him more after the last few episodes. Look at the teeth in his chunky little boots.

Hm. A tall place, I wonder if that's the Dimmadome tower building? (Dev's house, I think).

-> It was not, but Dev knew the place and it did have a connection to his dad. I like the implication Dev used to play there. And he's getting more engaged! Good boy. I'm glad this is a slow transition towards Hazel learning things about him and it wasn't a literal flashback episode. This is fun.

skldfj, all the locations are themed around Dev's family because they run everything around here.

SLDKJFSDF, he looks SO MUCH like his dad without his shades. That's great.

I'm once again enjoying that we got a Dimmadome bully instead of a Buxaplenty bully. It's nice to explore another of the big families in the longstanding lore. Of our main families, this was probably the one we went into least.

... If the Buxaplentys run the trains in Dimmsdale (and have since jobs were assigned in the early days), they probably also have a connection here. I wonder if Remy and Dale ever became friends.

Aw, he's keeping the shades off for now. That's sweet. He's having fun!

... Why do I get the feeling we're gonna get hit with him doing a 180 because he trusts no one and decides he'd rather blow up every chance of friendship?

Oh, THAT'S not the microexpression you want a kid to make when he sees his dad. Finally, some good, sweet child trauma in this show... I missed this so much. We're finally getting The Vibes...

His full name's Devin! Or Devon; I'm not sure. I'm glad to know. Also, I'm glad he has a Prime Meridian poster in his room just like Hazel. Ooh, and Crimson Chin! And Dancing Tarantula. That one surprises me. Is it a series or movie in some way?

"Whether new or old, when you have this, you have gold." - The answer to this clue is gonna be friendship, isn't it? I'm not opposed.

Hazel is showing absolutely 0 qualms about breaking into the school and honestly... Chloe would be proud. They would totally be friends.

-> I'm cracking up at Dev quietly opening all the doors while Hazel's trying to tell a dramatic story. She's all about emotions and fun and his default setting is "straightforward response."

Actually, they really do give me Timmy and Chloe vibes. Timmy's schoolmates used to tease him for talking to inanimate objects and I wonder if they also saw him as a grump like Dev, both dealing with difficult home lives.

Aww, Dev is playing along! He's pretending there are lasers so Hazel enjoys sneaking into the school despite him just pushing open all the unlocked doors. That's really cute.

Aw, criminalizing evidence of you being goofballs! That's adorable.

... and the printed versions are in 2D, of course!

I like this one:

It speaks to me.

Y'know, I wasn't expecting to like them as a ship, but I can absolutely see it now. Even if Dev goes back to being grumpy in future episodes, Hazel's seen a side of him that's going to change her way of thinking about him forever. I like that.

Like, at any point from this episode out, if Hazel is portrayed as being fond towards him, I'll be okay with it because they were clearly having a lot of fun playing together, and Dev's brought down his walls enough that he explained why he was having a hard time and he apologized for hurting her feelings.

He very clearly regrets snapping at her and saying he doesn't want to be friends, or at least he regrets it when he sees her storm off:

And he apologizes!! Good boy! ... Yes, he showed up and snapped at her again, but... He got there! ...... He is strugglin'! Big yikes.

I like this a lot more than the ship vibes I'd been worried for, which I'd assumed would be Hazel insisting there's good in him and "she can change him," or "He just needs a friend and then he'll be nice." I like this slower development.

Hazel gives me many Chloe vibes (in a good way), but she has her own unique twist on them. Chloe's whole thing was that she denied things that upset her, including the abuse she faced at home from her "perfect and amazing parents" because thinking about herself or her parents as less than perfect kept sending her into a dissociative spiral that would last for an hour before Timmy got her out of it.

Chloe would try to befriend everyone because she thought there was good in them... although her feelings for Kevin were hilarious ("He's a touch off-putting... in a really off-putting way").

When Kevin turned on Chloe, she yelled at him about how she thought she'd seen good in him, but that "he was really just a miserable piece of Crocker," and she was totally down to fight him with a sword.

Like... Yeah, of course Kevin jumps out her window without responding. She's scary! :(

The face of a girl who will later steal Kevin's hall monitor uniform while he's unconscious and won't feel even slightly bad because "he doesn't deserve it." She's a mess. I love her so much.

Chloe's always funny to me because she denies and excuses a lot of things, but there are a few people who can boil her blood and she loses it every time. Later in the season, she accidentally gives three children fairy godparents after screaming at them and dropping them to miserable. Chloe... Breathe.

But Hazel is not so hot-button. Which is fun, and I really like this- I'm glad Hazel isn't following the same pattern of personality (Always a concern of mine for a franchise that already has few girls, many of whom are love interests).

Hazel's got a different angle, in that she's been annoyed at Dev and glaring at him this entire series up until now, including this episode, and she (seemingly) didn't even intend to make her "I wish I knew why he acted that way" wish, because... she was just griping. lol. She hated him so much this entire show, only bending briefly when she found out they love the same book series (and when she suggested they order lactose-free pizza for him since he can't have any), and I respect that.

-> She paid so little attention to him that she forgot Dale Dimmadome was his dad. That's hilarious- It's the one thing the audience had on him and she saw him on TV and went "... I don't know who that is. Why is he wearing ridiculous boots?" That's so funny. Big "Lex Luther waking up in Flash's body and checking his secret identity in the mirror" vibes, except it's Hazel squinting at the TV trying to figure out why some guy with weird boots is on the news.

She's willing to pal around with Dev when they're out, after he shows he's good at puzzles, even before she gets that hint about his daddy issues. I like that too. Hazel's struggling with missing her brother who was her best friend - her entire world, down to wearing his hand-me-downs - and probably has a much better understanding of separation and loneliness than she would have if Antony hadn't gone to college yet.

Also, Dale calls her a mean name in this scene, so... she gets it. She can tell that guy's bad news and making his son sad.

She enjoys Dev's company. They were goofing around and having a great time as friends even before Dev's daddy issues reveal was in the picture for her. I enjoy that. I take no issue with them growing up to be either platonic friends or romantic, under the assumption that they maintain patience with each other and don't put their walls back up.

I suspect Dev might regress because he's the big rival, so I Do Not Trust that he won't become snappy again, and Hazel is completely justified in being annoyed if that happens, but I could also see her being more patient with him going forward, and that wouldn't bother me. He's fun, chill, and energetic when he's not wrapped in his self-defense mechanism of pretending not to care, so I can see her enjoying his company a lot. I like this.

I guess what I think of it is... I was worried about where this was going, and it went way better than I'd guessed. My thought process was "I cannot blame a kids' show for wanting to show that everyone's going through hard times and you should try to be nice to bullies so they're maybe nice to you, but you also have to be careful not to tip so far in that direction that you're subtly telling kids to ignore if they're being abused."

And it didn't go that way! As far as I can tell, which makes me happy. Even when he ran after her to apologize a few minutes later, she was terse with him until he really did apologize (because he showed up and was still being mean at first). She also communicated, expressing that he hurt her feelings.

I'm glad she's good at communicating her feelings and makes an effort to do so. It makes a lot of sense since she has a therapist for a mother, and we saw her parents calm her down in Episode 1 when she was getting heated. It's nice to see someone having a good home life and some healthy skills.

I really like how:

- Hazel didn't try to change him or deny any of the rudeness he'd expressed towards her. She starts this episode still annoyed at him. - Hazel didn't make Dev feel bad when he started expressing himself more. When he struggled with the idea of a high-five and pulled back his hand, she didn't pressure him. She let him go at his own pace and he high-fives her later on. - After his dad told him it was dumb to care about a treasure hunt to win water park tickets when Dimmadomes can just buy the park, she followed him to his room and gently changed the conversation back to what they were doing, not forcing him to talk about it (and not snooping or wishing). - The instant he's snappy with her, she walks out. She GONE. When he shows up, she keeps on guard and explains that he hurt her feelings. He apologizes and only then does she forgive him- she wasn't trying to excuse him, even though she'd literally just witnessed the reason for his mood change. -> I kind of like that. Hazel's out here like "Dev, listen. Your life is hard and I get that. But that doesn't mean I have to be your friend if you're going to treat me badly." This girl knows what's up. - Even though she desperately wanted to crawl through the air vents and rappel into the principal's office, she listens to Dev's suggestions when he opens all the doors. lol.

They're sweet. I enjoy this status quo shift. I didn't really care for Dev because he was definitely putting off prickly vibes, but I like him a lot more now.

This child's dad was kidnapped and forced to make lemonade underground for 7 years- I totally get why he's hesitant to trust, and the fact that his dad makes him feel like his interests are stupid is rough. I get it, buddy.

Oh, them:

I have to assume that's his Mediocre waist pack from "Weird Science" wrapped around him and that's great. That's a nice detail since in most episodes, he's not wearing it because he's already arrived at school and put it away for class, but in this one, he just walked through the door so he's still wearing it like Hazel has her backpack.

-> He really said " :( "

Dev "Totally down to commit B&E" Dimmadome: why do authority figures not like me?

I really like how Dev is so comfortable with Hazel and/or the idea that he's capable of making friends that he's totally ready to take his shades off the first day back at school. You get this sense that he WANTS to have friends... he's just having a hard time finding someone he trusts, presumably because he keeps his walls up so it's hard for others to get close to him. Hazel's meeting that need, so he's willing to relax.

He doesn't care if anyone else in class will react in surprise to seeing him without shades. He doesn't care if this changes his reputation with the entire school. Like, that doesn't seem to bother him even slightly.

-> Dev, I have good news for you! You can make MORE friends if you continue being friendly!!

-> Man went "I've only had Hazel for 1 weekend and if anything happened to her, I would terrorize everyone in this room and then myself."

I feel like since she's his only known support right now, this can easily swing into a clingy extreme (and I feel like he might have a hard time taking critique from Hazel), but... Step in the right direction.

-> And she's good at communicating. I think he can learn social skills and healthy relationships from her. I want him to meet her parents so he can see their relationship too.

/whispers loudly - I want to see his mom and grandpa. Are they around? Does he have siblings or other relatives? I have to assume he's an only child, but... hm. I'd like to know more about his relationships with other family members, because if Hazel is legitimately his sole support right now... uh-oh.

Also, I enjoy how often Dev keeps casually walking around with his hands in his hoodie pockets. Why even give a character a hoodie if you're not going to pocket their hands? That's cute.

I think it's funny that when he's wearing his shades, he has this "cool/grumpy" aesthetic when his hands are in his pockets, but when they're off, he still keeps his hands in his pockets and he's just... chillin'.

Dev would call you at 2 AM from a Denny's 2 hang. idk why, but that's the energy he gives me. Man doesn't know social norms, but he's always ready to drop everything and hang out.

Dev is the rich guy who way overpays and is confused when told that's too much, except that's him with how he'll be treating Hazel in the future, I think. What do you mean regular people don't fly around the city on a helicopter. What are you talking about.

The waterpark was shut down? ... Why do I suspect Dale was behind this, and Dev's gonna be TICKED.

That was a great episode! I like where this is going; we're getting into the old FOP swing with the underlying abuse themes and that makes me happy. Someone please give that kid a fairy. I wish I knew if the misery rules were still in play in this show.

Cookie's Court

This opening scene is cute. Neat that the punch card came back, as weird as it is, and it's nice to see Hazel relaxing and making goofy wishes.

Cookie's back! She's interesting; I'd like to learn more about her. Does her ferret scarf thing have a name?

Okay, so... Hazel does know she'd lose her fairies if they revealed their magic. We never had the rules explained in this show, which feels weird, but okay.

-> I'm so confused about what is and isn't still a rule. I guess I should assume they're all still in play? But... /gestures with confusion at miserable godkids lore. Did they have to cut that part to keep Dale's backstory, because that seems like a weird choice. Why didn't he get a fairy? It's not like rich kids don't get fairies; Remy had one.

-> I'm not opposed to it taking a while (F in the chat for Timmy having to go through Vicky's torments solo for a year before Cosmo and Wanda came into his life), and Jorgen already snapped at Cosmo and Wanda for jumping on Hazel when another fairy was already working through the hoops to get her, but... my inability to figure out if the misery rule still exists is really throwing off my sense of lore.

I like Whispers Fred's little microphone on his shirt, next to his big microphone and his headset microphone. He has 3... Help him.

Fairy Court!! ... Whoa whoa whoa whoa, Jorgen? You shouldn't be on the stand. AAHHHHH Fairy World's flag is the Rainbow Bridge stripes! I love that. That's way better than the blue one with the star they had in "Oddlympics." I wish I would've thought of that.

AAHHHHH! The court symbol survived! It was in court in the OG series too. Only in "A Wish Too Far" though, I think, since the Fairy Council had a different symbol in "Secret Wish." I remember drawing at least one of these. Lemme see.

Yeah!! This is exciting. I used to draw it on stuff, like the wax seal I use on my Class Overview post for Fairies! I love this.

^ Season 2 vs Season 8. Also, WOW... you cannot get a good picture of it in "A Wish Too Far," so kudos to the art team for taking the time to include it anyway.

In the OG show, the Anti-Fairies have something similar hanging in Anti-Cosmo's castle (although I'm not 100% sure it's got a moon).

I think in one of the live actions, Jorgen takes over as the Green Robe on the Fairy Council (I think in "Fairly Odd Summer"). I wonder if that's why he's acting judge here. I guess it doesn't matter; I'm not that concerned about it since I don't consider that canon anyway.

WHAT! You rip 10-year-old Denzel Crocker's fairies away when Timmy accidentally reveals he has fairies, but you let this slide? Jorgen...

Oh, never mind........ He's not.

Furry!! He's testifying! What a cool ferret.... omg, Cookie's in jail for 10k years. SLKDFJSLDFJ, she has a jail skeleton just like when Cosmo and Wanda went to jail in the musical.

Also, I can't be that shocked at her punishment. Revealing magic on accident is one of the biggest offenses in Fairy World because it endangers their society, so trying to do it on purpose looks really bad.

-> I wonder if Crocker still has his memories since Jorgen stopped erasing them after Season 7. I feel like we'll probably get a Crocker cameo, but that feels like a piece of lore that wouldn't carry over. Hmm...

Fairy World Prison... I gotta look this up.

Okay, it's not "Gland Plan" like I thought, and it's definitely not Abracatraz. Is it "When Nerds Collide" (Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour 2?)

IT IS! What a glow-up! That's fantastic. I love that... They even have all the clouds the same colors. This is gorgeous. Those chains overlap the same way. Wow... That's seriously impressive how we keep seeing these subtle callbacks. I love it <3

Wrapping it up here for today! Thanks for joining me on another liveblog.

[littlemisssquiggles]

In today’s episode, Jaune revealed that Lewis and Alyx were actually residents of Vacuo Kingdom (surprise, surprise) during a time before the Great War. And since we know that Lewis actually returned from the Ever After, it make wonder something curious.

If Lewis was the author of the Girl Who Fell Through the World fairy-tale then it would make perfect sense as to why he omitted himself from the written adventures in the Ever After and chose to make Alyx the protagonist. It makes sense since, unlike Lewis, Alyx never returned home and basically “died” in the Ever After.

So my assumption is that Lewis must’ve maintained his sister’s story through his story about her. That way Alyx’s legacy was able to live on in some shape or form despite the real Alyx practically ceasing to exist after never returning home.

Since Jaune was shown to still be have some qualms over his time in the Ever After, it got me thinking.

What if…Jaune were to (somehow) discover the original journal of Lewis which he had used to record his experience in the Ever After in the Vacuo archives?

What if…Jaune were to meet someone closely connected to Lewis and Alyx while in Vacuo? Like a surviving member of their family bloodline still thriving in modern Remnant.

What if… Headmaster Theodore was that surviving member? I know the main popular theory is that Lewis was one of Ozma’s reincarnations but imagine if Lewis wasn’t an Ozma reincarnation but Theo’s ancestor instead?

I haven’t read either of the RWBY After the Fall books so I’m not familiar with Headmaster Theodore in terms of characterization or like what his backstory is.

That being said, I do, however like the idea of the final maiden being connected to Theo in some shape or form.

For me, I like the prospect of the Summer Maiden being either Theo’s daughter or younger sister or cousin or niece or some important person to him as she’s probably the only family he has left.

Again, I don’t know anything about Theo but thus far, none of the other headmasters of the huntsmen academies have had any reason to be protective of their respective maiden outside of a moral obligation as per Ozpin’s instructions.

To make Theo stand out more, I think it would be a nice change of pace if Theo, the final headmaster, were to share an actual connection to the final  maiden as she is a beloved relative of his.

Why bring this up? Well I like the idea of Jaune forming a close relationship with another Maiden candidate. Maybe he could even fall in love with the Summer Maiden.

Technically, Jaune hasn’t had a legit love interest since Pyrhha and I don’t know about ya’ll but…after six seasons (and half a movie), I’m kind of tired of being reminded of Arkos, ya’ll.

It was the Ship that was meant to be that never got to be because Writers decided to kill it off early.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Arkos. Arkos was a great ship that was gone too soon.

To (finally) close the chapter on Jaune moving on from Pyrhha (since even after all of his growth, I still don't think he's over her as the show keeps constantly bringing up whenever they can)...

I think it actually might be cute if Jaune does end up being romantically involved with the Summer Maiden who he actually succeeds in protecting from Cinder when she comes to steal her powers.

I’ve grown tired of new maidens showing up in the story just to die for the sake of the powers being passed onto a main character.

Since Summer is the last maiden, it would be nice if Summer is the one to stop the cycle of original maiden deaths and she actually gets to live on even after opening the vault.

As much as I like WhiteKnight as a ship, I honestly gave up on it becoming canon after V5 dropped and nothing else was done to further develop Weiss and Jaune’s relationship as a prospective romance.

Yeah sure, V9 tossed us a crumb of Weiss being attracted to Jaune in his more mature Rusted Knight persona.

But after further deliberation, I’ve concluded that that little nugget of hope isn’t enough to get me back on the horse of hoping for a romance between these two.

Do you know what would actually be pretty wild?

If Jaune fell in love with the Summer Maiden who is not only a red-head (like Pyrhha) but is also a descendent of Lewis who is the author of the Girl Who Fell Through the World and thus a relative of Alyx.

And unlike Alyx and Pyrhha who Jaune failed to protect/help/save, Jaune is able to do just that with the Summer Maiden by protecting her from Cinder and thus, the two are able to live happily ever after.

That would actually be wild.

Not saying this would become true in the canon. I'm just tossing it out into the RWBY FNDM ether as a food for thought.

~LMS (2024)

[mysaldate]

I need to thank @drawsmaddy for this incredible set of doodle commissions! This crossover has been living rent-free in my head for AGES now and I so desperately wanna talk about them aaa but I've already bothered all my friends with them so much ;;;

First off we got Michael and you KNOW he had to be the dorm leader of Heartslabyul. Unless Riddle is present in this crossover, then I think it might go either way honestly. On one hand, Michael was perfectly fine following orders when he played the role of Elliot but on the other hand... he is the guy the writers marked down as the sorest loser and he does have major control issues lol. Either way though, I think he and Riddle would have a lot in common and a lot of mutual respect is to be found. Other than Riddle, I think the relationship with Trey would be very interesting too because while Trey does share some traits with Uriel, he wouldn't need to see Michael completely beaten down into the dust to realize that the guy has TraumaTM and start doting on him. Michael would probably find that unpleasant because it reminds him a touch too much of Metatron but Trey doesn't have those usurper tendencies that make Metatron so dangerous so maybe he'd be chill with it eventually.

William is another hot candidate for Hearts dorm leader, definitely with his perfectionism and being used to sitting on the top but I feel like if we take William at the end of the series (or really anywhere past him realizing he does actually have human care and emotions), he would let Riddle sit in that throne and just befriend him. Again, the two are very similar and there is also the same connection with Trey except William wouldn't be a little bitch about it. I feel like he would be Cater's nightmare though because he is way too good at reading people. He'd also get along so well with Azul for obvious reasons xD.

Dantalion is prime Savanaclaw material. Not only is he insanely athletic but he also tends to go for the easiest solution in any given situation. It's not that he's stupid or doesn't think about things, it's the fact he's sick of scheming and playing nice when he can just beat the answers out of someone. I feel like he and Jack could be friends, or even Ruggie if he brings in some of Baphomet's cooking from time to time, and something tells me he would find Azul absolutely insufferable, only "worsted" by the likes of Jade and Jamil.

For Uriel, I honestly consider him staff more than anything but for the sake of the doodle series, he'd be in Octavinelle. Benevolence isn't something he would connect with himself once upon a time but after taking care of William for so long, that soft side bloomed in his heart like a field of flowers... but he can still be cold and calculating when he wants to be. One of Azul's favorite workers due to his gambling addiction which makes it really easy to make the money they pay him for his services in Mostro right back. He joins Trey, Jade, and Jamil on their cooking nights and swaps stories of their dorm leaders together. He does feel a little unsettled by how cruel Jade can be to Azul sometimes though.

I was debating not including Isaac because he's not technically a main character but you know what? He deserves to be here! Scarabia was an obvious choice and not only because he's essentially just Kalim in a thicker font. Isaac's whole character is about resourcefulness. He can get his hands on nearly anything because he knows the right people and has the right kind of money. While he's not as outwardly naive as Kalim, that is exactly why I feel they would get along. Isaac is safe. Kalim deserves a safe friend. And Isaac's heart is big enough to accept all of him. They'd probably establish family connections after school and then they would truly be unstoppable.

Sitri in Pomefiore is another no-brainer. He's so pretty but also always working super hard. Whether it is to find what attitude will get him the best results or his appearance. Of course, this applies to his schoolwork in much the same way Jamil used to put effort in, where he purposely does worse than he should – only his reason is to have people pity him and do things for him. He would have such an interesting relationship with both Vil and Epel imo where Vil likes his dedication and appearance but definitely disagrees with how he uses them. I mean, even forgetting the schoolwork stuff, why do you put this much effort into sneaking as many sweets into the dorm as you can? Epel would be kind of the opposite, I think things would be tense at first but after he finds out about Sitri sneaking sweets and using his cuteness to make people do his bidding, there's definitely a basis for a friendship there.

And finally, we have Camio! Honestly, dorm leader of Diasomnia fits him the best. He is elegant and unquestionably head and shoulders above almost everyone else in his life. I've been considering putting him in Scarabia too due to how much scheming and plots he did in the series but the way it all crumbled when Lucifer got involved kind of prevented that in my eyes. He could definitely understand Malleus a lot, having lost his mother very young and only knowing his father very remotely. His profound loneliness would also be something he can relate to – and the fear of losing the few people he does have. A more light-hearted dynamic would be with Sebek because I'm ngl, Camio and Malleus look super similar if you disregard artstyle differences except for the horns and I think it would be hilarious to have Sebek simultaneously offended that someone dares look so much like his master (dammit Sebek, people can't choose that) and confused because he's such a simp.

But yes, those are the broad strokes of my many many MANY thoughts on this crossover, PLEASE talk to me about it even if you only know one of these fandoms, I will explain everything, just please, my head will explode.

[antianakin]

@46imperialremnant Your ask isn't showing up in my inbox, but I got an email notification for it, so I'm answering it this way.

I didn't think I'd heard anything about it, but it was available at my library in ebook form, so I just read it and got to the bit you're referencing in this ask and realized I'd seen that particular panel already on someone's post about this comic I guess.

Spoilers for Tales from the Death Star ahead if you haven't read it and don't want to know anything about it.

Horror's not really my thing, neither are stories about Imperial characters, so it was kind-of an interesting concept overall, these weird ghost story things about the past Death Stars being told to one of those defected First Order Stormtroopers who's trying to get to the Death Star ruins for... reasons. I don't really get what that storyline is supposed to be about, I don't know what I was meant to get out of it, and I was honestly kind-of disappointed we didn't figure out who the fuck the cloaked figure was at the end and he just disappeared like another ghost. Again, I don't really do horror, so maybe there was an obvious clue about it that other people picked up on that I just didn't, or maybe the lack of answer was part of the point and other people will find that really compelling, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I was waiting for a cool answer about that character and hoping it would help tie everything together and then it just didn't happen and I felt like I got left hanging and so the ending felt kind-of flat to me.

On the one hand, the creativity of seeing all the different variations of horror stories on the Death Star was a cool concept and I appreciated the different writers taking different approaches to it, but on the other hand, again, I do wish it felt like it had more flow and connection from one story to the next and the wildly different tones between some of the stories gave me a little whiplash. Some felt almost comedic in their horror (like the zombie one) while others went for horror that was just fantasy horror but in space (the Wild Hunt reimagined as a Wild Squadron) and others went for horror based on taking canon content and really honing in on the horrific elements already inherent in it that simply weren't focused on in the main storyline (the Tarkin backstory one).

Some of them I liked, others I didn't as much. I think my favorite was the Tarkin backstory, I personally just prefer stories that look at what's already THERE and expand on it in a way that really adds something to the story, and this felt like it did that by having Tarkin haunted by his own past sins and how that parallels all of the ghosts from the Death Star's relatively short history. My next favorite was the Wild Hunt one simply because I think that it was a fun concept to take a more inherently fantasy thing and put it into Star Wars which, while set in space, is very much more a fantasy story than a sci-fi story. The downside to it was that I simply did not care about the characters involved and was more invested in the world-building aspect of the "Wild Squadron." They mention its connection to the Jedi and it brings up all these questions about whether the "Wild Squadron" only started to become a thing post Order 66 and it's directly related to that, or if it's actually FAR older than that and has been around for thousands and thousands of years now. I wasn't as into the weird creature one or the zombie one. 2/4 isn't bad? 2/5 I guess if you count the Sequel timeline story.

It's always nice to see a reference to the loss of Alderaan, the loss of Bail and Breha. I also appreciated that the loss of the Rogue One crew and Saw Gerrera got their cameos, as well (with Saw's ghost actually getting TWO cameos!). It's interesting that it seems to be explicitly only counting DEATH STAR kills, so we see Cassian and Jyn, but not the rest of the Rogue One crew who were killed on Scarif by other means and were already dead by the time Tarkin showed up with the Death Star. Same with Galen Erso who was killed on Eadu (and actually technically killed by Rebel pilots), even though Krennic is there. It's such a clearly intentional choice, and I appreciated that.

I'm eagerly awaiting the new Reign of the Empire novel trilogy about Bail, Saw, and Mon Mothma, though! It's supposed to be for fans of Andor and I am actually really interested in that concept, so here's hoping it's good and we get some great stuff for Bail and his family within it even if he's just one protagonist out of three.

[imfromthemiddlekingdom]

Felony saying that everyone in the universe can access the force if they tried hard enough makes me want to deck him in his fugly face

He’s ruining all established canon in real time. Speed running the absolute destruction of continuity of the SW universe and people are still rooting for him and his blorbo self inserts like there’s no tomorrow. Literally the whole reason I no longer engage in Ashoka content is because he massacred my girl and made her so one dimensional that my Mary Sue self insert fanfics OCs I wrote when I was 14 looks well developed compared to the absolute bland “girlboss kick ass take names” personality Ashoka has right now.

There were so many opportunities for him to explore the absolute potential of angst and conflict within Ashoka in this new series, to give her character a believable story of grief loss and growth yet he threw it all away because he wanted his OC to be the specialist girl that ever lived. This series could’ve been used to explore Ashokas conflicting feelings regarding the Anakin that taught her and was a mentor to her whilst trying to connect it to the monster that killed her family and hunted her culture into almost extinction and tried to kill her, a person he confessed to love as a sister, on Malachor. It could’ve been a good send off to a great character, to have her face that the Skyguy she put on a pedestal in her mind was in actuality the worst sort of scum and have her try to come to terms that just because she can forgive him for being the genocidal maniac he was and still hold love in her heart for who he used to be and also understand why the Jedi, her family, wasn’t the reason for their own downfall.

But alas. We got another series of “the Jedi caused their own downfall!!! Anakin did nothing wrong ever and him killing all my family and everyone I’ve ever known is so not his fault!!! It’s definitely the fault of the unbending stuck in the past council!!!”. Instead of a series that could’ve made Ashoka’s “departure” (literally never going to happen with felony at the helm, he’s going to find a way to make her immortal and then show up 200 years in the future to be the protagonist of another light v dark fight since she’s his special SI) from the series tie in nicely thematically and canonically with every other Star Wars media we have, he decided that the best way to have this series go down is 1) everyone is force sensitive if they tried hard enough ig and 2) the Jedi were bad!!! Their protocols don’t work! They were mean to my little meow meow Anakin Skywalker the greatest Jedi of all times™️ therefore he got to kill them all!!!!

Got a bit off topic but I’m still so mad that he had this chance to make Ashoka truly experience growth like the first 5 seasons of TCW yet he decided maintaining the badass rebel without a cause aesthetics for her was more important then good story telling.

Honestly though, my main problem with this series is that he decided that apparently everyone in the universe can be force sensitive if they “just tried hard enough”. Like your Midichlorian Count no longer matters since even if you were Force-Null you can still be special!!!!

This takes away any and all urgency in the Jedi Fallen Order games. It makes Cals journey absolutely redundant. It throws away all the tragedy contained in having inquisitors being force sensitive kids kidnapped from their parents and tortured till they give into the dark side. If all beings are able to use the force in his universe then there are no consequences to the inquisitors not finding the Holocron that holds the names to all force sensitive children in the universe. There would be no need to them to chase Cal and the Mantis Crew throughout the universe to obtain what they have. They could’ve just went down to any random level in Coruscant and take homeless Force-Null kids and train them.

Even better! It makes the entirety of the KOTOR games redundant!!!! Oh and I guess the hidden path is also redundant since everyone can be force sensitive and no one truly needs more saving from the empire over others :/ totally not like these kids that were saved by the path would’ve been taken and tortured into inquisitors, definitely not since EVERYONE is force sensitive nowadays or is it just the ones Ashoka trains herself because she’s the “living embodiment of the daughter uwu she’s so special and unique look how well she can train a non force sensitive to be force sensitive!!!”

Everyone in the Star Wars universe has Midichlorian’s in their blood. That is a fact. It is also an established fact that the amount each person has is different and is not determined nor dependent on lineage. Force-Nulls typically range in the 1000-3000 count and you need 7000 to be force sensitive and higher to be accepted into the order. (The order isn’t the end all be all of force cultures, Rouge One shows that Jedha’s force culture isn’t restricted to only force sensitives as the Guardian’s were never specified to be only a religious order of force sensitives. And high canon doesn’t depict many other force cultures but we know that there are many force cultures in the universe that co-exist with the Jedi with which the Jedi weren’t in opposition towards; literally not even the witches of Dathomir were oppositions anywhere outside of the battle fields.) You don’t need to be force sensitive to be part of a force culture (Jedha literally has pilgrims who come far and wide to make a pilgrimage to the holy site and not all of them were force sensitive), Sabine could’ve very easily been taught the tenets of the Jedi without retconning her to be force sensitive or making everyone in the universe force sensitive.

No where in either the EU or High Canon did anyone ever say that you have to be force sensitive to be a badass or to make a difference. Hera did not hold the title of the best pilot in the universe just for some rat of a man to come and say that Anakin was the best because *muh force sensitivity!!!!* Some of the most heroic and most influential (good or bad) people in the franchise are Force-Null! And that’s great! It means that the force doesn’t make anyone better than anyone else! It’s a quirk of the universe! To retcon that everyone can and is force sensitive if they tried hard enough is literally cheapening everything the franchise stands for. Andor did not literally give us an entire story about how Force-Nulls in the Galaxy makes just as much of a difference as force sensitives for felony to come out and say that “you know what??? Midichlorian’s are a scam! You get a force sensitivity! You get a force sensitivity! Everyone gets a force sensitivity!!!!”

Sabine was great as she was in rebels, why cheapen it with “oh she’s actually force sensitive all this time!!!” When we could’ve stuck with badass Force-Null Mandalorian can kick your ass five ways to Sunday with her paint bombs and blasters you force wielding asshole!!! Like why even do that felony. Do you want people to hate her??? Nvm ofc you do, you need Ashoka to be the best in every way possible even if it means ruining every other beloved character in this franchise👍

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 7/? Word count: 1362 Co writer: @mistrose23 Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 5. Danish Standards

Matilde was glad she had a moment for herself after a long day full of media duties. Usually, the Thursdays were easy on her. But this year... She was still trying to figure out how to deal with it. She was quite a social person, however, socialising for hours was asking for a lot of her energy. The last meeting had just finished and the track was open to the employees, so Matilde took her shot and decided to go for a track walk. Only to find out she had forgotten her earphones to listen to a podcast. She recently started to listen to 'Help I Sexted My Boss', it was a great podcast by William Hanson and Jordan North to just laugh and think about nothing but the bizarre things they tell. She also loved Leo Skepi, he was teaching about self transformation, but Matilde just loved his energy. But whenever she didn't want to be thinking about serious things, she would listen to William and Jordan.

"Hej," a manly voice said when Matilde just entered the first corner of the track.

Matilde looked next to her and raised her eyebrows, but quickly politely smiled when she noticed it was Haas' driver Kevin Magnussen. "Hej," she replied, slightly confused. It was not like they didn't know each other, they are both Danish and they both work within Formula 1, but they barely spoke to each other.

"This will probably sound weird," Kevin began and joined her for her walk. "By the way, do you mind if I join you?"

"No, please join me."

"Okay, well, hear me out. Louise, my wife, and I went to a birthday party last week. It was the birthday of her best friend and I know her husband. We met a couple of years ago and we hang out regurlarly. His name is Lars Jørgensen. And your last name is Jørgensen. Do you know someone called Lars Jørgensen?"

The eyes of Matilde lightened up. "The teacher?"

"The teacher..." Kevin slowly said, understanding that Matilde knew Lars Jørgensen.

"Yes, that is my brother."

He shook his head and chuckled. "The bastard." He looked at the Danish woman. "It sounds so stupid, but he always spoke about his little sister, living in England, working with cars. He never said it was you, not even last week. And I didn't make the connection until... Literally five minutes ago."

A laugh rolled over Matilde's lips. "It's a small world," she said, still smiling. "But it's quite a known and popular name. I'm surprised we never saw each other at Lene's birthday, like never before."

"Well, we probably did see each other, but didn't realise."

"But it's not like you are an upcoming driver."

"True, unlike you. Honestly, before this season, I never heard of you. Well, not within the motorsport."

"Fair." Matilde realised how nice it was to have a conversation in Danish. Being surrounded by Italian people, or Italian speaking people, was tiring. She was still learning the language and the people in her team barely spoke English. And no one spoke in her mother language.

He was silent for a moment. "I can't process this," he said and chuckled. "Lene and Louise are best friends. Why did Lars never say a word?"

Matilde threw her hands up in the air and laughed. "I have no idea. I mean, he is quite private about his personal life. But other than that, I have no clue."

"Well, I guess we can't blame him now," Kevin laughed. "It's a small world, and yet sometimes connections slip through the cracks."

"It does," she agreed.

They continued walking along the track. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the asphalt, and a gentle breeze rustled over the circuit. While they spoke about their friends and family, Matilde glanced around, taking in the ambience. They both enjoyed the talk, it was about everything but work. It was pleasant to have a talk in your native language, regardless of the person. And the fact that they have a common connection, an important connection, made it even more fun.

When they arrived at the fake harbour, they stumbled against another connection they both had, but didn't know of. Kevin's whistle drew the attention of a runner passing by.

"Bill!"

The runner looked over his shoulder and turned around to run towards them. "Nå, hva 'så?" Asking what was up. He stopped in front of the two people. "What's going on here then?" A playful glint came in his eyes.

"Just two Danes taking a walk on the track," Kevin replied. "Do you know-"

Billi raised an eyebrow, pretending to look scandalised. "A walk?"

"Ah, crap, you caught us. We're actually secret track inspectors, making sure everything is up to Danish standards," Matilde joined the jesting.

"Ah, of course," Billi sagely nodded. "Very important work."

Kevin looked between Matilde and Billi. "Anyway, Bill, Matilde. Matilde, Bill."

Matilde shared a smile with Billi, the good looking Latvian doctor on the medical team, who also happened to speak Danish. The man had deep blue eyes, his beard was trimmed and he just had a haircut. The t-shirt around his torso was slightly too tight, defining his muscles even more. And Matilde knew him too well.

"Come here," Billi said and widened his arms.

Matilde raised her eyebrows. "I will pass, Billi. I'm not waiting for the sweat shower," she widely smiled.

"Oh, come on, it's not like you have not-"

"Next time."

Billi padded her shoulder lightly, slightly uncomfortable.. "It's so good to see you, Mati."

"I'm glad to see you," she smiled.

"Also a connection?" Kevin then asked, watching the two with raised eyebrows.

"Friends," Billi proudly said and wrapped his arm around Matilde's shoulder, making Matilde step away which caused them to giggle.

Kevin looked at Matilde. "I swear, the next time I want to introduce you to someone I know, I will first ask if you know them."

A laugh rolled over Matilde's lips. "Coincidence."

"She practically got connections in every corner of the paddock," Billi said.

She huffed and shook her head. "I wish."

"I will remember that next time I need a favour," Kevin said, having a playful glint in his eyes.

They continued to exchange jokes and laughter, enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere. The three of them strolled along the asphalt towards the pits, sharing stories and poking fun at each other. When the three entered the pitlane, Charles and Carlos were also entering the pitlane; they decided to run a lap as well.

Matilde, Billi and Kevin were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the two Ferrari drivers. Charles and Carlos, on the other hand, had their attention squarely fixed on their team principal, fellow driver and doctor of the medical team. They observed the easy camaraderie between the three, the constant laughter that seemed to be a part of their interaction.

When the Ferrari drivers passed the trio, Charles leaned over to Carlos. "Did you see that?" he muttered quietly.

Carlos squeezed his eyebrows together and stopped running as their lap was completed. "Yeah, they seem to be having a great time. Why?"

"She has fun with everyone," Charles replied, "Everyone but our team."

Carlos chuckled. "Come on. You know she's just being professional with us." He noticed how Charles looked over his shoulder, looking at the group. "She's the boss, after all."

Charles mumbled something under his breath, still not looking away from the trio ahead. He couldn't quite shake off the feeling of annoyance at the sight. It was as if the friendship on display highlighted the distance between Matilde and the Ferrari team, and in particular, himself.

"And she joined us at a very weird time, she's probably still adjusting to the team. She had her contacts from her previous role, plus she had been out of the scene for months. Give her sometime," Carlos continued. "Maybe you should join them for a track walk next time. Who knows, you might find yourself enjoying some Scandi vibes."

"Is Bill from Scandinavia?"

Carlos shrugged. "He is from somewhere up there. Magnussen and Matilde are Danish and Bill seems to keep up with their conversation." He padded Charles' shoulder. "But join them and find out."

A half-hearted chuckle rolled over Charles' lips. "We will see."

Next chapter

[dccomicsbracket]

The Flash (1987)

A perfect run, plain and simple. It established so much of the Flash lore that we know and love, and it introduced some of the most iconic Flashfamily members! Most importantly, it cemented Wally West as *my* Flash, and has so many of my favorite Flash stories of all time, like Terminal Velocity! It’s just…perfect. No one writes Wally like Mark Waid.

Blue Beetle (2006)

Just a good introduction to a character with a satisfying conclusion. I love you, Jaime, a guy who's just trying to do his best for his loved ones and his local community. I love you Khaji Da, scrungly lil dude speaking in glyphs. I love you, Brenda, and your complicated relationship with your aunt who adores you, but is also a crime lord. I love you Paco, a genuinely good friend. I love Jaime's family and the way they all adjust to Jaime being a superhero. I love the effort made to portray Jaime as a person with community and connections. i looove jaime sososo much he's such a fun protagonist and the developement of his character + his relationship w khaji da is sooo interesting and well written. i love seeing him bond with his little alien bug parasite !! all of the side characters are also so great like brenda and paco are so fun and la dama is suuuch an interesting character. jaime's family is also so lovely they clearly care abt jaime so much and its nice to see a kid superhero with parents who respect and also deeply care abt their kid. the art is also very fun overall its just a really stellar run Quite honestly one of the best written comic runs I've ever read, DC or otherwise. It flips so many standard comic book tropes on their heads and does it well. The main character is the epitome of just some guy and he is my favorite of all time. AMAZING characters. Fresh perspectives on comics tropes that are so overused it's hard to imagine comics without them. Everyone is worthy of respect and treated with dignity, even the villains. Khaji Da's character arc is amazing. And the adults make me laugh so much. Guy and Peacemaker as mentors who IMMEDIATELY recognize this kid is FAR more emotionally mature then they are, so they're not going to bother with that side of mentoring!