#leila celebrates 18

[girlgenius1111]

one of your girls

alexia x jenni x leila x reader a celebration is in order after leila makes her return to the national team. smut, 18+. part of the rush verse... for context: Read Part One here Read Part Two here Read Part Three here Read Part Four here Read Part Five here Read Part Six here Read Part Seven here Read Part Eight here authors note: this is very much a co-written fic. it would not be what it is without @vixwritesagain. i can't really say enough about how incredibly & insanely talented vix is. however good you think she is, multiply it by like 10. and you'll feel how i feel after watching her write in real time. for every comment you leave, you better take your horny asses over to vix's inbox and give her all the love. <3

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“I-” You interrupted yourself, pressing a gentle kiss to Leila’s lips. “-Am so proud of you.” 

She grinned bashfully back at you, a rare show of shyness that few got to enjoy. “How proud?” 

“So proud, Lei. You were incredible. I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” 

“Proud enough for a reward?”

You threw your head back and laughed at the hopeful expression on her face. 

“Definitely.” 

Leaning in eagerly, you sank into the kiss your girlfriend pressed to your lips. It only lasted a second, though. Leila’s arms kept you tightly held against her, even when you tried to pull away at the light knock at the door. You broke the kiss, but Leila just shifted, attaching her lips to your pulse point. 

“Lei?”

“Hmm?” Leila hummed. You could feel the grin on her face, and you were pretty sure you knew the answer to the question you were about to ask.

“Who is at the door?” 

Leila pulled back, ignoring the second knock at the door, this one harder and somehow more aggressive. “My reward.” She told you, smiling mischievously as you raised an eyebrow. 

“You… arranged your own reward?” Your lip twitched as Leila refused to look embarrassed. 

“Sí!” Leila said happily, giving you a gentle shove in the direction of the door. With a roll of your eyes, one that was really just for show, you padded over to the door and looked through the peephole. On the other side, Jenni was holding Alexia’s wrist with an amused smile. The blonde looked to be trying to convince her girlfriend to let her knock again. 

Fighting a smile of your own, you unlocked the door and swung it open.

“Hi, cari.” Jenni greeted easily. Next to her, Alexia remained silent, but the small curve of her lips at the sight of you had you fighting a smile of your own. You stepped to the side to allow the two women in, Jenni walking right past to head for your girlfriend. Alexia stopped next to you, though, looking hesitantly at your hand for a minute, before taking it in hers and tugging you further into the room.

“There she is. Ready to celebrate, Lei?" Jenni teased, flopping onto the bed next to your girlfriend, who seemed to be too excited to sit still. "I think you deserve something special for your first game back."

"You scored." Leila pointed out, but her bright grin gave away her delight.

"Jenni always scores." Alexia hummed with an unmistakable note of pride. "And she's always well rewarded for it."

Alexia shifted from your side and took a seat on the other side of Leila. You were left standing while all three women sat on the bed, but you didn’t mind watching them converse. Alexia made it clear that you were still on her mind when she addressed Leila, but spoke English.

“So we can start with you. What do you want your prize to be?” She husked.

“You can have whatever you want, Lei. I am sure you brought plenty of toys.” Jenni added. 

Leila nodded, looking between the two Spaniards on each side of her. Until this point, you weren’t quite sure where you fit into this. When Leila looked up at you, a twinkle in her eye, you were suddenly very sure where this was going. 

“I want you to fuck her.” She said nonchalantly, nodding her head in your direction. Jenni grinned, pulling the other brunette in until their lips met. Alexia turned to you instantly, confusion radiating off her. Even as she reached towards you, standing and pulling you closer by the hem of your shirt, she looked at Leila like she’d grown a third head. 

“For your reward… you want us to fuck your girlfriend? In front of you?” 

Leila tilted her neck to the side, allowing Jenni to begin to leave faint marks on her tan skin. “Sí.” She grinned, looking at Alexia expectantly. 

“That is what you want?” Alexia asked again. She grabbed at your shirt before you could move any closer to her, dragging it up and over your head, even as her attention was still fixed on your girlfriend. 

Leila giggled, and Jenni pulled away from her neck with a smirk on her face. She was highly amused at how Alexia was baffled at Leila’s willingness to share you, whilst simultaneously wasting no time in pawing at your bra. “What, Ale, do you want her to change her mind? Take your toy away from you?” 

At her girlfriend’s words, the blonde frowned. “No,” Alexia all but growled, seemingly looking to prove a point when she turned you both around, and pushed you onto the bed. She was on top of you within a second, and you let out a surprised huff at the sudden movement, raising your eyebrows at Alexia as she settled over you. Her hazel eyes were suddenly just inches from yours, pupils dilated and jaw clenched tightly as she regarded you. Then, her expression softened, just barely. 

“Vale?” She asked, waiting until you nodded to press her body down, her lips capturing yours in what you had come to know as a very Alexia kiss. Once Alexia got started, she didn’t stop. Even when she began running her hand over your bare abdomen, her kisses were demanding. Her mouth moved in sync with yours, anticipating your every move. Before you could part your lips and press your tongue into her mouth, she beat you to it. Before you could let out the content noise building inside of you, Alexia was exhaling harshly into your mouth. Kissing Alexia didn’t give you any space to think about anything but kissing her back. 

You barely heard Jenni clear her throat from next to you, but you did hear the annoyed grunt Alexia let out. 

“Ale,” Jenni called. 

“¿Qué quieres?” Alexia snapped, refusing to look at her girlfriend, instead moving her lips to trail down your neck and chest. 

“Oye. Leila said she wanted us to fuck her.” 

“So fuck her?” Alexia asked impatiently, giving her girlfriend an exasperated look. 

Jenni considered for a moment, before taking advantage of Alexia’s slightly off balance position over you. It only took a single gentle push from Jenni for Alexia to roll off of you with a small gasp. The brunette pulled you closer, and away from Alexia, craning her neck down so she could kiss you. 

You wondered how much time would need to pass before kissing Jenni felt unfamiliar. You’d gone years before, and more recently a few weeks without kissing her, but it still felt like the most natural thing in the world. 

You were rapidly pulled out of that more sentimental thought by Alexia gripping your chin and yanking your face towards hers. You leaned your head away instinctually at the harsh action, a bit startled at the contrast between Jenni’s gentle and Alexia’s rough. You weren’t sure what your hesitance was, but luckily Jenni gave you a moment to think. 

A hand on Alexia’s chest stopped her from moving in again. “What now?” She groaned. 

“Give her a second to catch up, Ale,” Jenni said. Her tone was both comforting and a tad  condescending. 

“I do not remember her needing a second last time.” Alexia grumbled, raising a single eyebrow at you. 

At the mention of last time, you flushed bright red. It was one thing to be between them again, and entirely another to remember the last time it had happened. To suddenly be sent spiralling, full force, into memories of that night. Those hours spent with Alexia, Jenni, and your girlfriend had served as an overwhelmingly hot distraction since. You thought about it in the car on the way to training, in the shower when your mind wandered. You even thought about it when you were with Leila, but seeing as though she was often the one to bring it up, you didn’t feel too guilty about that. A deep breath, in and out. Then, you forced yourself to relax into Jenni’s arms and looked expectantly at Alexia. 

“Get on with it, Putellas.” You said impatiently, refusing to give in to the midfielder’s blazing gaze. Leila chuckled from where she sat on the edge of the bed, smugly grinning at Alexia. The blonde’s gaze flickered to her for a second, then back to your lips. 

Alexia licked into your mouth, hot, wet and demanding. The hand on your jaw slid down until it cuffed your neck. You could feel Jenni’s hand wandering over the swaths of bare skin, then teasing at the waistband of your sweats. 

Groaning into her girlfriend’s mouth, your own palm found Jenni’s bicep. Your legs squeezed together at the tense of her muscles, shifting against the sheets to feel the heat of them both. 

“Needy.” Jenni accused as your hips squirmed when she stroked over them. 

You were quick to pull away from Alexia, twisting to the striker. “More, Jen.” 

Jenni chuckled, lifting her hand to press your stray hairs behind your ear. “Oh, you think you're in charge now?”

Alexia ducked down to kiss at your neck, shifting her hand only a fraction to give herself some space. You could feel her move, kneeling on the bed at your side. 

“Just-” You squeaked as Alexia unceremoniously groped at your covered chest. 

“Just?” Jenni sang, reaching her hand down to pull at the drawstrings of your pants. “Just let us play. Take what we give you and maybe we’ll let you come.”

Alexia pulled at the cups of your bra, exposing both breasts to the cool of the A/C at the same time. The shock was short lived. Half a second, then her hot mouth covered one. 

Gasping, your hand cradled her head to hold her against you. Her tongue swirled around your nipple, feeling it harden with every pointed flick. With the speed of someone who had down this many times, Alexia unclipped your bra with one hand, sliding it away. Her mouth never left your body.

You hardly registered Jenni slipping off the bed to stand. Her fingers made quick work of the knot and before you could so much as whine, she pulled the sweats down your legs. 

You could already feel the wetness between them, but if it wasn’t crystal clear, Jenni made it so when she pressed your thighs open. She let out a breathy groan before bending between them to mouth at the tender skin. 

A sharp bite to your nipple made you jolt. Jenni’s fingers dug in, holding your legs open as your back arched. 

“Again.” The striker demanded. 

Alexia switched sides instantly, gently grazing her teeth over your breast before sucking at the peak. She waited until your nipple was hard and sensitive before biting down. 

“Fuck!” You whined as your eyes tried to focus on the swirls of the hotel room ceiling. 

Then came Jenni’s thumb, stroking up and down your underwear to let you feel how wet you’d grown. Just a few seconds, then the heat of her mouth kissing at the fabric. Your hips bucked against her at the tease. 

Jenni hummed back, pecking at your thighs once more. “Ale. Get behind and spread her for me.” You could feel her hot breath between your legs before her fingers hooked on the waistband of your underwear.

As you helped - squeezing your legs together enough for Jenni to pull the fabric away - Alexia shifted. Strong hands pushed and pulled, manhandling your body until your back pressed against her t-shirt. A peck to your neck, then her hands slid to your inner thighs and spread them wide. 

“How does she look?” Alexia asked as your head dropped back onto her shoulder. 

“So pretty for us.” Jenni hummed. “And so wet. Can you see how wet she is, Lei?” 

You forced your eyes open, scanning the room until you found your girlfriend, comfortably reclined in the armchair in the corner of the room. You recalled the chair being in a different spot yesterday; Leila must have moved it earlier to give herself a better view. 

Your girlfriend didn’t have her signature smile on her face. Instead, she frowned slightly at Jenni, her forehead creasing in what you knew to be faux concern. “I can see.” Leila sighed. “I get her wetter.” 

There was no jealousy behind your girlfriend's words. Just some playful disappointment, and a hint of a challenge. And while you knew if the comment had been directed at Alexia, she would have let her competitiveness take over, Jenni did not. 

“It is more fun to take it slow. Make her beg for us. Right Ale?” 

Alexia hummed in response, one of her hands sliding up your midsection to pinch at one of your nipples. 

“You think I don’t make her beg?” Leila laughed. 

Jenni pulled away, turning her neck slightly to reply to Leila, but you had lost your patience. You grabbed the back of her head and attempted to bring her closer to your core. Jenni froze, showing an enormous amount of neck strength as she fixed her gaze on your face. 

Her hazel eyes stared into yours as she cocked an eyebrow, daring you to keep testing her. You waited a beat before begrudgingly pulling your hand away from Jenni’s head. 

“She just needs to look at you, bebé? And you’ll do whatever she wants?” Leila teased. 

Cheeks turning red, you shut your eyes and relaxed back into Alexia while you flipped your girlfriend off. You felt the blonde behind you smile into your neck, returning her hand to your leg to keep them spread wide.

 Jenni worked with a renewed passion, now, showing that she definitely had taken Leila’s comment to heart. Her tongue moved expertly. It didn’t matter how many times Jenni went down on you, it would always be shockingly good. 

“Tell me how Jenni’s mouth feels.” Alexia demanded. Her voice was quiet but her tone left no room for negotiation. 

“Good,” you breathed. You knew it wouldn’t be enough when Alexia’s hands tightened their grip on your thighs. 

“More. I have heard I am supposed to work on my English.” 

You struggled to force your mind to focus, especially as Jenni’s tongue quickened its strokes over your clit. Your hips rolled against her, picking up her fast rhythm as much as they could with Alexia holding you open.

“She feels… her mouth is hot.” You sighed, not entirely sure you were making much sense. 

“Hot.” Alexia repeated. “What else?” 

“She’s- I’m close,” you groaned, shivering at the harsh licks. “I’m really close.” 

“Sí? Are you going to come all over Jenni’s face?” Alexia cooed. Her tone was mocking and it shouldn’t have pushed you towards the edge the way it did. 

“Yeah,” you managed, your back arching slightly off of Alexia’s body. You were so close, just needing a hint more pressure from Jenni’s tongue, a touch more stimulation. 

“Don’t tell us. Tell Leila.” Alexia whispered, her words hot on your ear. 

“Lei, I- fuck,” You tried. One of your hands found its way to tangle in Jenni’s hair as you tried to bring her closer, make her go faster. “Lei I’m gonna come,” 

“Go ahead, bebé.” Leila sang. You could hear the bright smile in her voice. 

Jenni pressed her face closer, taking your clit into her mouth and sucking. Hard. That was all it took for you to cry out as your orgasm broke. One of your hands tightened in Jenni’s hair, the other frantically grabbing at the sheets as your hips bucked against her face. 

“There you go,” Alexia hummed. “Tan rápido.” You should have been suspicious at how gentle she was being, but you weren’t in the right mindset to do so. Instead, you were completely focused on Jenni’s tongue still flicking against you. You were coming down hard when you felt one of Jenni’s fingers teasing at your tight cunt. You flinched, but Alexia’s strong arms held you firm. 

“Jesus Jenni,” You cried as she pressed inside. 

It was more understandable why Alexia was being so nice. Especially when she banded one arm around your stomach and reached her hand up to grip your throat. She didn’t tighten her fingers. Her hand just rested there, giving a glimpse of the control you knew Alexia was dying to show. 

Hands occupied, Alexia couldn’t stop your lower body from moving. Your legs twitched and squirmed as one finger became two. The stimulation was just on the edge of being too much. Jenni knew what she was doing though, pulling away from your clit for the moment and focusing on pumping her fingers in and out of your pussy. It was a quicker build up this time, and you were getting close to finishing frighteningly quickly. 

Jenni’s fingers curled and twisted perfectly, hitting different spots with every thrust. You could hear how soaked you were, listening to the wet slide of Jenni’s fingers in and out of you. The sound alone was dizzying, and the feeling was otherworldly. 

“Jen,” You moaned again, not sure what you were trying to tell her. It was almost too much, but you definitely didn’t want her to stop. 

“Cari?” Jenni asked innocently, a third finger teasing at your entrance.

“Fuck!” 

“That’s what I’m doing.” Jenni smirked, pressing the third inside. “Now be good and make a mess on my fingers. And then I’ll let Ale have a turn.” 

Alexia’s spare hand danced over your bare skin while her fingers tightened around your throat. It was just enough to restrict your airflow, and an overwhelming sensitivity seemed to take over every nerve ending in your body. You shivered, clumsily reaching up to place your hand over Alexia’s. 

She could feel your rapid pulse under her fingers, hear the quiet whimpers finding their way out of your mouth. “Venga.” She whispered impatiently, “I want to fuck you.”

The hiss of words in your ear did it. A loud whine left your mouth as you came, the muscles in your abdomen tightening as you went hurtling over the edge. The pleasure was mind numbing, blinding, and you were unaware of what your body was doing until it began to ebb.

You practically went limp against Alexia a minute later, a long exhale escaping your mouth as Jenni’s fingers pulled out of your tight centre. 

“Good?” Jenni chuckled. 

You didn’t reply, your attention instead focused on Jenni’s slick fingers reaching up to push into Alexia’s mouth. Alexia parted her lips eagerly, and you noted somewhere in your mind that it was the easiest you had ever seen Alexia comply with what Jenni wanted. You watched as Alexia licked at her girlfriend’s fingers. Her lips closed around them and she began to suck, grunting lowly at the taste of you.

Suddenly, the warmth of Jenni was missing from in between your legs, her fingers extracting themselves from Alexia’s mouth. Together, Jenni and Alexia shifted you over and away, leaving you resting comfortably against the pillows.

You couldn’t help but pout at the loss of contact. Your bare skin left you exposed against the sheets, the only one in the room to be naked.

“You look so pretty waiting for them.” Leila said quietly, more than a hint of affection in her voice. You relaxed into the pillows, feeling your face flush slightly at the way in which Leila’s eyes bore into yours. 

“Leila, ¿así es como se hace su maleta? Es un desastre.” Alexia asked, frowning in disgust as she rifled through the suitcase. 

“She asked you here to fuck her girlfriend, not insult her packing skills.” Jenni flicked her lightly on the ear. “Lei, which is your favourite?” 

The striker held up two dildos, as if she was asking which beverage Leila wanted. As if you couldn’t feel the phantom of both pressing inside of you. 

“Left. But there is another in there she likes more.” 

“Dónde? Debajo de este suéter feo?” Alexia mumbled quietly, ignoring the look Jenni sent her way. 

“Hurry up.” You cut in, your voice embarrassingly whiny.

Frustratingly, neither Alexia nor Jenni even glanced in your direction. They continued to bicker quietly, this time over who got to wear what strap, and you shared an amused smile with your girlfriend. The argument was decided with Alexia silenced by a look you’d never seen on her girlfriend’s face before. 

The two harnesses and two dildos were left on the desk as Alexia reached for the hem of her girlfriend’s shirt, but Jenni swatted her hand away with a roll of her eyes. “This is not about you Ale. Ask Leila if she wants us naked.” 

“I want you naked.” You commented from the bed, sighing in frustration when all you got was an amused look from Jenni. 

“Ouahabi?” Alexia asked impatiently, slowly pulling at Jenni’s shirt as if she was going to sneak it off her. 

The defender hummed. “If you want to come in her pussy, you should take your clothes off, no?”

All was still for a second, then Jenni grinned and slid her hands under Alexia’s shirt. They undressed each other impatiently, not sparing a second to take the other in as more and more smooth skin was revealed. 

You took it all in, though, watching with your jaw hanging open as muscular abs and quads and biceps and everything went on display. You only snapped out of your daze when both women had secured the straps to themselves, turning to you with downright evil grins on their faces. 

You only had time to look fleetingly at Leila, comforted just enough by the warm brown of her eyes that were on you, and only you.  

You were sitting up when Alexia moved across the mattress and settled between your legs. She pushed at your chest, sending you back into the pillows, before she pushed your legs apart. Your eyes were stuck on Alexia’s muscular form. You could have sworn she was flexing as she smirked down at you. 

“Bebé?” Leila called. Alexia frowned when you instantly tore your attention from her, and looked towards your girlfriend. “I want you to be good for them, sí?” 

You nodded, ready and willing to do whatever any of them asked. 

Alexia flicked at your nipple, startling your attention back to her. 

“And I want you to be loud.” She stated, shifting her hips forward so the tip of the strap pressed against you. The heat of her thighs nudged up against your own. “Shouldn't be hard for you. Let Leila hear how well I fuck her whore.” 

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part 1 of 4 :)

[barcaatthemoon]

cuddlebug || alanna kennedy x reader ||

Your cuddle session with Alanna gets interrupted.

18+

Despite all of the changes to United's roster, you felt good about your chances this season. At least you had until the thrashing City gave you at the derby. The game was rough, especially for you. Their backline hadn't given you any room to create chances. You found yourself face to face with Alanna several times, and by the end of it all, your body was looking a little worse for wear.

You arrived home nearly an hour before Alanna did. She had stuck around a little longer than you to celebrate with her teammates. Still, you knew that she had rushed out of there to get to you. If she could have skipped it all and come straight home, she would have. You didn't mind her staying out a bit, especially after losses like this. It didn't feel fair to you for Alanna to coddle you after a loss instead of partying with her teammates.

"You look comfy." Alanna stood at the doorway of your bedroom. You had taken a fairly long and much needed hot shower when you got home. The rinse off at the locker room had been nice, but it wasn't nearly enough to wash away the frustration and soreness of the game.

"And you don't have to be this awkward every single time that we play against each other. Alanna, your name is on the lease. I'm pretty sure that you paid for this bed on your own. Not to mention you did spend a pretty penny buying me this ring," you said as you flashed her your engagement ring. Alanna was listening to you, but you could tell that she didn't completely understood what you were getting at. "You're entitled to come lay with me, in fact, it's encouraged for you to cuddle with me. This bed is too big for me to lay in alone for the rest of the day."

"But I tackled you. It was a pretty clear foul honestly. I would have definitely gotten booked if Leila and Laia didn't distract the ref," Alanna mumbled. You huffed and patted the spot in the bed next to you. Truthfully, all you wanted was for Alanna to lay down with you. You wanted to feel her strong arms around you as your exhaustion began to win the fight you'd been having for an hour.

"Yeah, and I was mad about it in the moment, but right now, I just want my fiancee to come and cuddle with me." You gave Alanna your best pout and puppy dog eyes. It had the desired effect, and Alanna finally stepped fully inside of the room. She changed out of the clothes she had left the stadium in, trading them out for an old pair of Matildas shorts and what looked suspiciously like one of your old training sweatshirts.

You didn't even bother moving over at all in the bed. Once Alanna had started to get close to you, you rolled right into her arms. She seemed surprised by this, even though it went this way every single time that the two of you played against each other. Although, you had to admit that whenever you managed to get a goal or two past her, Alanna was much more prone to pouting and sulking until you pulled her out of it with heavy affection.

"You smell different. Did you get a new shampoo?" Sometimes it was hard to remember that this was the same woman who had strung you along for years. She had been adamant about being a playboy and 'keeping her options open' but Alanna was the softest, sweetest woman you had ever met. She had an extremely sensitive heart, and you were lucky enough for her to have opened it up to you.

"I borrowed a bit of yours because I ran out. Maybe later we can run to the shop and get some," you suggested. Truthfully, you didn't want to make any late-night store runs. It would probably be a week until you went and got your own bottle of shampoo because you'd just use Alanna's until it was out. The two of you had a bad habit of doing that, something both of you knew about but would never admit to.

"Eh, I plan on keeping you in all night. Maybe a bit in the morning too if you can handle that." Now, it was Alanna's time to talk big game. She knew that you'd never back down from a challenge if it was issued correctly. You knew that Alanna would end up tapping out long before she made you do it. She always seemed to forget just how intense your personal conditioning outside of training was.

"And you can, but first, I want to cuddle for a while. We haven't gotten an afternoon like this in a while," you told her. Alanna hummed as she pressed a kiss to your shoulder and relaxed behind you. She kept her hands clasped around yours as the two of you laid there. You were on the verge of falling asleep when you started to feel the first signs of it.

You hated how much your brain tended to run wild whenever you were trying to fall asleep. Alanna's breathing was hot and heavy, and right up against your neck. She had to be nearly asleep herself, a soft snoring passing through her open mouth. You were sure that it was a less than attractive sight, but she had curled her head up so that each breath passed over a pulse point.

The two of you had stayed pretty still aside from some shifting here and there. In that bit of movement Alanna's sweatshirt had ridden up a bit. You had forgone putting a shirt on after your shower and laid down in a sports bra. Alanna's body was pressing against yours, and you could feel the tight muscles of her abdomen as she pulled you in even closer.

It was a subconscious movement the first couple of times. You shifted your hips a little hoping to stop one of the two things that were turning you on. Instead, you just made it worse as you made room for one of Alanna's thighs to press against your center. The third little wiggle of your hips had done you in as you ground down directly on the muscle. Your leggings had never felt so thin in the entirety of the tiem that you had owned them.

"Stop moving around," Alanna mumbled. She sounded a little whiny, just like she always did whenever you woke her up.

"'M sorry," you apologized. The words had come out far breathier than you had intended them to. Alanna jolted a little behind you at the tone of your voice. You definitely felt her body shift behind you, leg sliding further between yours. "Lani?"

"Shh, it's okay. We can do this too. I don't want to do anything too much right now. You had a rough game. We can do this. I'll be sweet for you," Alanna promised you. You turned around to face her, the movement as a whole slightly awkward until Alanna helped you.

You ground your hips against Alanna's thigh as she cupped your cheeks and pulled you in for a kiss. She kept her kisses light, not pushing you to deepen anything. It was more control than what you were used to, but it was still welcome. You loved kissing Alanna, the mixture of her coffee creamer vanilla chapstick always left on her tongue. There was a sweetness to her kisses that nothing could ever really seem to take away.

Alanna's hands fell from your cheeks to rest at your waist. She helped guide your hips, adding a bit of much appreciated pressure. You could feel the subtle build up of your orgasm. It wasn't going to be anything explosive, but that wasn't what you would have wanted. There was something small and intimate about the moment that called for something a little more quiet.

"Alanna," you whimpered, hands balled up in her sweatshirt.

"I know. I know," Alanna whispered against your lips. She guided you through it, not letting go of you until you did so first. You rolled onto your back, suddenly craving a bit of space. Alanna waited for you to pull her in for a kiss before she tried to touch you.

"I love you," you mumbled against her lips. You started to sit up a little, but Alanna pulled you right back into her arms. "I need to change, I can't lay around in ruined underwear all afternoon."

"It's okay, let me take care of you," Alanna said. She helped you out of your clothes, wiped away the mess that she had made of you, and then stripped herself away of her clothes too. The two of you laid in bed together just enjoying the closeness of each other's bodies. A part of you knew that it was a chance for Alanna to see the bruises forming from the match, but you didn't mention it since you got the closeness that you so deeply craved.

[eretzyisrael]

However, UPenn’s Palestinian literature fair appears to be just the latest in anti-Israel events on US college campuses that have been suspiciously timetabled to clash with Jewish holy days.

Harvard University, for example, plays host to something called “Israel Apartheid Week”  — an annual antisemitism extravaganza in which participants have previously celebrated Palestinian terrorists and includes the installation of an “apartheid wall” featuring anti-Israel propaganda.

Last year, the Harvard College Palestine Solidarity Committee decided the hate fest should take place from April 18 to 22, with the apartheid wall installation going up on Sunday, April 17. Remember what started on April 15 and finished a week later on the 23rd? Passover.

Campus anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Riverside also thought nothing of planning its own apartheid wall for May 24 this year — coincidentally, just hours before the start of Shavuot. The wall featured charming imagery such as a solemn-looking Leila Khaled, the PFLP terrorist plane hijacker, clutching an automatic weapon.

Other colleges that have held anti-Israel events during Jewish holidays include Benedictine University, Boston University, Florida International University, Rutgers University and UC-Berkeley.

Nearly 10 years ago, the Doctoral Students Council (DSC) at CUNY, the New York institution whose law school has invited antisemites to address its graduating class for the last two years, backed out of holding a vote on whether to endorse the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement on the Jewish Sabbath following an outcry that it would exclude many Jewish students from casting their ballot.

We doubt if CUNY or any other institution would show the same consideration today.

[tipsycowplant]

🧭 Globetrotter Challenge: Sulani 🏝️

Aloha, nani Sulani

Aspirations completed: 

• Beach Life

Reward Traits earned/purchased: 

• Laid-Back • Inspired Explorer

Skills gained (5+): 

• Fitness 8 • Charisma 5

Collections completed: 

• Seashell Collection (13/13) • Buried Treasure Collection (17/18)

Events attended/hosted: 

• Family Fun Day • Festival of Music and Flowers • Kava Party (Gold) • Fishing Competition • Town BBQ • Town Potluck • Island Celebration • Beach Bonfire • Turtle Hatching

Relationships: 

• Palila Hoapili (best friend) • Keala Hoapili (good friend) • Nani Hoapili (friend) • Nalani Mahi’ai (friend / romantic interest) • Ukupanipo Hekekia (friend) • Makoa Kealoha (friend) • Lilliana Kealoha (acquaintance) • Leila Illes (acquaintance) • Oliana Ngata (acquaintance) • Paka'a Uha (acquaintance)

[natehackett]

joe keery he/him/cis man “ watch out , NATHAN 'NATE' HACKETT has crash-landed into roswell !! they look thirty years old and celebrate their birthday on march fifteenth. they are from reno, nevada, reside in the GREYSTONE COMPLEX and are currently working as an attendant at the lunar laundromat. one thing you should know about them is back in reno, his parents’ garage has his collection of comics and fan memorabilia – combined, they’re worth over $500,000. ” ( guppy, mst, she/her, 21 )

PINTEREST // SPOTIFY HEY, EVERYONE ! my name is guppy (or leila, but you can call me either) and i am twenty-one. i am about to study abroad in australia, but for the current time being i am in mst (mountain standard timezone). i will be playing nate hackett, who is a lover of all things comic books and punk/grunge music. keep reading for a bit more about him and his past!

–* THE PAST / PRESENT

nate is the second youngest of five children (two older brothers – brian & james, one older sister – heather, and a younger sister – beth) and was born/raised in reno, nevada. his dad has retired but owned his own appliance repair business. nate's mother was an emergency room nurse, but she has also retired. his parents now both live in a retirement community in north carolina so they can visit the beaches in the summer season. his eldest sibling inherited the hackett home back in reno, where nate's comic and fan memorabilia collection is stored.

since there were five kids in the hackett house, it was always kind of a whirlwind. there were always birthdays happening, friends tromping through the house, holidays with extended family, and fights over room/toy/clothes sharing. the one thing that nate had to himself was his love of all things geeky.

none of his other siblings shared his interest in various comic books, card/tabletop games, and movies. he was free to explore those interests all on his own.

every week, nate would use his lunch money to buy new issues of comics being serialized. he would draw, at first, by tracing the panels in comics that he found the most intriguing. he branched off to drawing his own heroes and villains, writing storylines for them, and stapling together stacks of printer paper he had turning them into "comics."

the same store where he bought his comics in reno also held various tabletop gaming nights where nate met many friends who shared his interests.

nate got his first job as a sophomore in high school at the comic shop, it was where he spent most of his time anyways so he might as well get paid to be there.

when it came time to decide on after high school plans, nate's dad was urging him to take on the family trade of appliance repair. already, nate's two eldest siblings were working on the family business. one had gone to technical school to become an electrician and the other had done training in general appliance repair while apprenticing with nate's dad.

his third eldest sibling had disappointed nate's mom and dad by leaving nevada and going out of state to study communications. they wanted to be a journalist, not work for the family's appliance repair business.

nate was about to disappoint them just as much, he applied not only for technical schools but out-of-state colleges as well. the university of new mexico gave him a hefty scholarship, and the opportunity to study visual art, but to appease his parents he chose instead to go to central new mexico community college to study heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR).

he loved new mexico so much, though, that he made the decision not to return home after completing his associates. his parents were upset at his decision, but were still proud of the fact that he had chosen to pursue the family's trade with appliance repair. he made the move to roswell after living in albuquerque from the time he was 18 to the time he was 24. while in albuquerque he was working as an appliance repairman but he honestly hated having to constantly zip around from house to house everyday just to do his job. he made the decision that he wanted to work somewhere stable.

when he saw the lunar laundromat in roswell was hiring, he thought it was the perfect fit. he had the skills to fix the washers and dryers when they went down, but he was also could sit at the counter and read comic books during the downtime he had. he could also work on drawing his own comic.

currently his paycheck goes to four things: rent/bills, groceries, comics, and art supplies.

he still does some freelance repair work for extra cash on the side. but, you'll mainly find him at either the lunar landromat, forbidden planet, or at home.

personality wise: nate is real geeky, he appreciates a good pun and rarely takes anything seriously. he will gladly ramble on and on about anything and everything that is related to his favorite subjects (art, comics, magic: the gathering, pokemon cards, the star wars franchise, the warner bros monsterverse, and other weird old movies)

his favorite color is a red-orange, he frequently wears his red-orange windbreaker and a las vegas 51s baseball cap. he prefers dc to marvel, especially because his favorite series is swamp thing. he is most proud of the fact he owns swamp thing #1 with a 9.6 certified guaranty company (cgc) rating. this means it is in near mint condition and alone is worth approx. $1k. he also has a personalized autograph from len wein (the original writer of the series).

he frequently drives to comic cons in the western states (primarily CO, NM, AZ, NV, and CA). for his 18th birthday, his parents bought him VIP passes for san diego comic con which was like his dream come true.

–* POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS

since i know it can be difficult to find some connections off the bat here are some possible suggestions to get ideas flowing. i am also a fan of just starting threads and seeing where muse's chemistry goes.

D&D PARTY MEMBERS / we already know what a huge nerd nate is, but if your muse is also a nerd i am sure nate would love some party members for a d&d group in roswell. rather than an actual dining table, nate's apartment has a board game table. he just eats on his couch instead and uses the board game table for get togethers with the party. this doesn't have to be exclusive to D&D, but could extend to MTG and/or pokemon

FREQUENT FREELANCE CLIENT / is your muse prone to accidents? constantly blaming mercury in retrograde for their fridge breaking or their AC unit leaking? nate is happy to help, for a small price or a gift card to the forbidden planet so he can buy the latest issue of that one comic he's reading.

LAUNDROMAT PALS / since it takes at least forty-five minutes to get a small load of laundry washed and dried, nate is happy to entertain and talk to customers as they wait for their clothes to finish up. if you're real nice to him, he may even give you a detergent pod for free so you don't have to risk a couple of quarters at the janky dispenser.

EMERGENCY CONTACT / since nate's family is all out of state, it could be useful to have a ride-or-die who he can call at any time for anything. he definitely has broken a couple of fingers or slipped while jamming out too hard to the chats while in the shower. who you gonna call? nate's emergency contact!

[tinygmusic]

K-POP GIRL GROUP NMIXX JOINS BILLBOARD LATIN MUSIC WEEK FOR K-POP X LATIN MUSIC PANEL

Rosa Gulliver of TINYGMUSIC | 24th September 2024

Today, global music authority Billboard announced K-pop group sensation NMIXX will be joining the star-studded lineup for Billboard Latin Music Week, the longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world. NMIXX will make history as the first K-pop group to participate in the event, and will be featured in an exclusive K-pop x Latin music panel. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Billboard Latin Music Week returns with an unprecedented lineup of 60+ Latin stars spanning all genres. The five-day event will take place at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater from Oct. 14 - 18, 2024. For the latest information on schedule and tickets, please visit billboardlatinmusicweek.com.   

 

K-pop girl group NMIXX will be featured in the K-pop Goes Latin with NMIXX panel, Billboard’s first-ever K-pop x Latin music conversation on Wednesday, October 16 to talk about how K-pop has exploded in the Latin market, and its future en español. 

“K-pop has cultivated a large, passionate fan base in Latin America, and now we're seeing popular K-pop artists like NMIXX embrace this by singing in Spanish. We are thrilled to welcome NMIXX as the first-ever K-pop artist at Latin Music Week, where their dynamic energy will enrich the event and forge new connections between our musical cultures,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard's Chief Content Officer for Latin/Español.

NMIXX will join previously announced Billboard Latin Music Week artists including Alejandro Sanz, Álvaro Díaz, Bad Gyal, Belinda, Camila Fernández, Chiquis, DANNA, Danny Ocean, Dei V, Debi Nova, Domelipa, Eden Muñoz, Eslabon Armado, Fat Joe, Feid, Gloria Estefan, Grupo Frontera, Igor Lichnovsky, J Balvin, Jasiel Núñez, JOP, Junior H, Keityn, Kunno, La Joaqui, Lele Pons, Leo Campana, Luck Ra, Luis Alfonso, Lupita Infante, Majo Aguilar, Maria Becerra, Mario Bautista, Marko, Mau y Ricky, Mon Laferte, Nacho, N.O.R.E., Omar Courtz, Paola Jara, Peso Pluma, Pipe Bueno, Sophia Talamas, Thalia, Tito Double P, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Yandel, Yeison Jiménez, Yeri Mua, Yisin, Young Miko, and Zhamira Zambrano.

 

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Billboard Latin Music Week has become a must-attend event for new, established and upcoming artists, executives and industry leaders alike. The 2024 edition will feature exclusive panel conversations and performances by Latin music's biggest stars, as well as workshops, showcases, networking opportunities, and more.

Billboard Latin Music Week will coincide with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air on the Telemundo network. Please note, Latin Music Week tickets will not include access to the awards show this year. Instead, Billboard will host a special 35th year anniversary celebration on the evening of October 18 where INSIDER badge holders will receive exclusive invitations to this star-studded event. Closing out the packed week of events, Billboard will be partnering with Bresh to host the grand finale party of Billboard Latin Music Week. More details to come.

 

Billboard Latin Music Week sponsors include Azzaro Parfums, Cheetos, Chevron, DoorDash, Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch Whisky, McDonald’s, Smirnoff, Smirnoff ICE, Ulta Beauty, and Walmart. 

 

Billboard Latin Music Week is proud to partner with Save The Music as its official non-profit partner this year. Save The Music, a 501(c)(3) organisation, is dedicated to empowering students, schools, and communities through music education, ensuring equitable access to resources nationwide, including Miami.

 

For more information on Billboard Latin Music Week and the latest updates, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com. 

About NMIXX

NMIXX made their explosive entrance to the K-pop scene in February 2022 and have been making waves on the global stage since. NMIXX introduced a new genre called MIXX POP, which is a sound unique to NMIXX that blends two or more genres into one song. Their debut single album, AD MARE, sold over 220K copies in the first week of release, marking the highest debut album sales by a girl group in K-pop history. They followed this with the release of their second single album ENTWURF. In March 2023, NMIXX released their highly anticipated first EP expérgo, which earned the group their first career entry on the Billboard 200 chart (No. 122) and sold over 800k copies. Their third single A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream sold over one million copies. NMIXX’s sophomore EP, Fe3O4: BREAK, released in January 2024 further solidified the group’s growing dominance in the industry by landing them at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. The EP also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard World Albums chart and No. 171 on the Billboard 200.

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About BILLBOARD

Billboard is the ultimate barometer of success in music. Through its iconic charts, breaking news, thought leadership, multi-platform storytelling and world class events, Billboard tracks the world’s top musicians and the business that powers them. Since its origin in 1894, music leaders and fans across the world look to Billboard as the most trusted source for music information, spanning 15 countries and published in 10 languages. The prestigious Billboard Music Awards are the only premium awards ceremony that recognise musicians for their undeniable achievements on the Billboard charts, using pure data to determine the winners, rather than relying on opaque committees or undisclosed voters to select the honourees giving fans maximum impact at each year's ceremony, as Billboard's chart data measures fans' engagement with their favourite music. Billboard’s other premium experiences range from the Billboard Power 100 to Billboard Women in Music, Billboard Latin Music Week, and Billboard Live, which connects the most impactful artists and industry leaders with fans from all cultures and corners of the globe. 

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About THE FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH

The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater, an iconic 1950s venue, seamlessly blends Miami Beach's Art Deco elegance with a vibrant rock and roll ambiance. Located adjacent to the Miami Beach Convention Center, this historic theatre can accommodate up to 2,713 guests. With a rich history as the backdrop for many 1960s TV shows, it continues to be a premier destination for the latest in music, comedy, and live entertainment. With its prime location and unique blend of historical and contemporary charm, it is also an excellent choice for corporate events, private concerts, award ceremonies, cocktail reception, product launch, or fundraiser. Our talented staff is dedicated to providing an exceptional experience for every guest. Check out more about our venue at fillmoremb.com.

About AZZARO PARFUMS

Loris Azzaro founded the Azzaro fashion brand in 1967 based on a collection of bright, spectacular, fluid and shimmering dresses, and in 1975 launched his first fragrance. He believed that "life is an endless summer.” It is luminous and radiant. This sunny attitude allows the brand to stand out, with one motto in mind: "Time to shine!" This inspired a new Azzaro symbol – the iconic sundial – and has reaffirmed the brand values. Today, Azzaro Parfums is comprised of five pillars in the US: Wanted, Chrome, Pour Homme, Sport and Mademoiselle. 

About CHEETOS

Cheetos® has been delivering delicious cheesy snacks and making mischief with orange-covered fingertips for more than 75 years. Cheetos believes you should never lose your mischievous spark or playful spirit regardless of what life brings. It is one of the many brands that make up Frito-Lay North America, the $25 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. Follow Cheetos on X , Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. 

About CHEVRON

Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. We believe affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy is essential to enabling human progress. Chevron produces crude oil and natural gas; manufactures transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals, and additives; and develops technologies that enhance our business and the industry. We aim to grow our oil and gas business, lower the carbon intensity of our operations, and grow lower carbon businesses in renewable fuels, carbon capture and offsets, hydrogen and other emerging technologies. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

About DOORDASH

DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH) is a technology company that connects consumers with their favourite local businesses in more than 30 countries across the globe. Founded in 2013, DoorDash builds products and services to help businesses innovate, grow, and reach more customers. DoorDash is your door to more: the local commerce platform dedicated to enabling merchants to thrive in the convenience economy, giving consumers access to more of their communities, and providing work that empowers.

About JOHNNIE WALKER

Johnnie Walker is the world's number one Scotch Whiskey brand, enjoyed by people in over 180 countries around the world. Since the time of its founder, John Walker, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above else. Six generations of skilled Master Blenders have pioneered and crafted bold new flavours that have transformed a small Scottish grocery store business, founded in 1820, into an international whiskey business selling stylish, authentic, and iconic blends. Today's range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Johnnie Walker High Rye Blended Scotch Whisky, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years and Blue Label. Together they account for nearly 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2019), making Johnnie Walker the most popular Scotch Whiskey brand in the world. www.johnniewalker.com 

About MCDONALD’S

McDonald's is committed to the communities it serves, and the people that make up those communities. For more than three decades, the Golden Arches has given back and connected with the Hispanic and Latino communities through initiatives in music, education, and sports, while also supporting local charities and organisations. McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 40,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 95% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business owners. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, and follow us on social: X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

About SAVE THE MUSIC

Save The Music Foundation is a 501(c)(3) music education nonprofit that helps students, schools, and communities reach their full potential through the power of making music. For over 25 years, Save The Music (STM) has addressed systemic inequities in music education by investing in culturally rich communities across the US. Since its inception, STM has donated over $75M worth of instruments and technology to over 2,800 schools – impacting millions of students' lives. And we’re just getting started! Learn more at savethemusic.org.

About SMIRNOFF

Smirnoff has been giving the people what they want since 1864, serving as a catalyst to revolutionise drinking culture across generations: from inventing the Mule and reimagining the vodka martini to creating a cultural mainstay that defines the flavoured malt beverage category with the launch of Smirnoff ICE in 2000. Because the brand is dedicated to the people and their evolving taste preferences, Smirnoff has an option for everyone along with a dedicated history of adding fun to any occasion while keeping diversity and inclusion at the forefront. Truly showing the power of socialising when everyone (21+) is invited to celebrate. The Smirnoff portfolio offers a variety of options for adults across vodka and flavoured malt beverages. Current offerings include foundations in Smirnoff No. 21 Vodka and Smirnoff ICE, a line of flavours in North America and ready-to-serve flavoured malt and spirits based beverages including Smirnoff ICE SMASH and Smirnoff SMASH Vodka Soda flavours. From culturally relevant limited editions to new innovations and zero sugar offerings, Smirnoff has always been known for quality and affordability, and prides itself on giving the people what they want. For more information, visit www.smirnoff.com 

About ULTA BEAUTY 

At Ulta Beauty, the possibilities are beautiful. Ulta Beauty is the largest U.S. beauty retailer and the premier beauty destination for cosmetics, fragrance, skin care products, hair care products and salon services. In 1990, the Company reinvented the beauty retail experience by offering a new way to shop for beauty – bringing together All Things Beauty, All in One Place®. Today, Ulta Beauty operates more than 1,350 retail stores across 50 states and also distributes its products through its website, which includes a collection of tips, tutorials, and social content. For more information, visit https://www.ulta.com.

About WALMART

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is a people-led, tech-powered omnichannel retailer helping people save money and live better — anytime and anywhere — in stores, online, and through their mobile devices. Each week, approximately 255 million customers and members visit more than 10,500 stores and numerous eCommerce websites in 19 countries. With fiscal year 2024 revenue of $648 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.1 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy, and employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at Facebook , on X , and on LinkedIn.

[montygreen]

Happy Birthday!!! 🎉🧁 Hope it’s been perfect 😊

Thank you so much, Kat!!

[deceitfuldevil]

Professional

Matt Murdock X Reader

Summary: In celebration of landing a new job, you and your friends went out drinking the night before your first day to celebrate; and what better way to celebrate than to have a one night stand? That celebration idea seems well and fun until you arrive for your first day at your new job, and your boss’s boss is the guy you just hooked up with last night.

Warnings: lots of mentions of alcohol, drinking, mentions of being drunk and tipsy, mentions of a one night stand, swearing, use of pet names, allusions to harassment, reader is nearly mugged, use of y/n, fighting, mentions of blood, SMUT (mdni, 18+), fingering (fem! receiving), p in v sex, choking, orgasm denial, unprotected sex, creampie if you squint, praise kink.

Word Count: 4.5K

It had been a long day, too long. All the more reason why you were very excited to go out with your friends tonight to celebrate landing a new job after over a year at your old shitty one. It was just you and two of your closest friends, Leila and Casey, getting shitfaced at Josie’s one more time before your schedule was no longer clear. After months of being unemployed and living off your savings, you had finally landed a job as a secretary for an office manager to some law firm in Hell’s Kitchen.

You were practically hired on the spot. The office manager you met with, Karen, insisted she had a good feeling about you. Calling you up later that night telling you when your first day was, you were expected in the office at 7am sharp. So with it being 1am and also being about five shots deep, you had about 6 more hours of freedom and fun. . . and what could be more fun than a one night stand?

That’s exactly what you thought to yourself as you downed another shot and gazed over to the pool tables, locking eyes on one particular man. A blind one at that. “Hmm, watch this.” you said with an amused tone, nudging Leila gently before making your way over to the handsome blind man and his shaggy haired friend. “Oh no, not again.” Leila said under her breath, watching you stumble over to the pair of guys playing pool.

“S-so tell me. . .” you slurred, leaning up against the bar shelf next to the pool table the pair were playing at. “How does a blind man play pool?” you said cheekily, waving a finger tediously at the man with dark red lenses embellishing his face.

“Oh, I can do a lot more than play pool sweetheart.” the attractive man said smoothly. “Oh boy, here we go again.” the longer haired friend grumbled, lining up his next shot with a roll of his eyes. But you paid him no attention, your system buzzing with anticipation about what to say next to keep him on the line.

“Hmm, yeah? Like what?” you quipped flirtatiously, and things only escalated from there. Once you learned each other’s names, he was taking you home and making you scream it all night. No one night stand had ever kept you going for hours on end like Matt did, or maybe it was the alcohol in your system that made it feel that way. Regardless, after passing out from what you were sure was your third or fourth orgasm, the next time you woke you realized it was now 5am.

“Shit. . . shit.” you cursed quietly to yourself as you swung your legs over the side of the bed, feet hitting the cold floor. You turned your eyes back to Matt, seeing him sleeping soundly. You wanted to curl up into his side and stay there the rest of the night, but your first day at your new job started in two hours.  So you quietly slipped out of his apartment, contemplating leaving a note until you remembered he’s blind. You frowned softly to yourself, knowing without his number in such a big city you’d probably never see him again. You closed the door behind you and made your way home.

After coming home you quickly showered and got ready for your first day, putting on a long pencil skirt and an airy blouse trying to mimic your new boss’s look. You stepped outside of your apartment building and hailed a cab, arriving at your new place of work just in time.

“Y/n! Right on time! I appreciate a secretary who’s punctual.” Karen spoke, stepping out of the doorway she was just standing in.

“Thanks Ms. Page, I’ll keep it up.” You said dimly, passing her a coffee you had picked up on your way there. Then locking eyes with the blonde man she was speaking with as he stepped out of what you assumed was his office.

“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was working today or I would’ve brought you a coffee too.” You apologized, sending a tight lipped smile his way. Then you studied his face for a moment longer, he looked familiar but you couldn’t quite place from where.

“Please, call me Karen. And this is Foggy Nelson, one of this firm's law partners.” Karen explained with a smile, gesturing for Foggy to step up. You slowly shook his hand as he did, still racking your brain, wondering where you recognized him from.

“Nice to meet you, I’m y/n.” You said to him as your hand slipped out of his. He just nodded and smiled, his face displaying an emotion you couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Foggy isn’t the only coworker you’ll have here, you’ll also meet his law partner Matt. Who’s not usually this late, what were he and you up to again last night Foggy?” Karen asked, knowing Matt was due in about an hour earlier to go over some depositions.

Upon hearing the name of Foggy’s partner in law, you froze. But you tried to calm yourself down, Matt was a common name and Hell’s Kitchen was a densely populated city. The chances of it being the same Matt you’d just hooked up with the night before we’re slim to none… right?

“Matt and I played some pool at Josie’s and then he, uh, took someone home.” Foggy said quietly, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with you.

“God, another one night stand? Does Matt ever go home alone?” Karen asked with a chuckle, but your heart only continued to sink. Just then, the door to the office creaked open.

“And there’s the womanizer of the hour, late after another one night stand!” Foggy said loudly, allowing you to slowly turn towards the door as Foggy’s partner walked towards you.

“Y/n, this is Matt.” Karen said with an eye roll, watching as Matt extended his hand out towards you. But as soon as your gaze landed on those sleek red lenses, you knew. You just stayed frozen, eyes taking him all in.

Foggy sensed the tense energy radiating off of you, anyone in the gilding could’ve felt it. So he awkwardly piped up and said: “this is y/n, our new secretary.” and Matt clearly remembered you to some extent, or at least your name, because he froze as well at the mention of your name.

“Y/n?” He repeated back, his memories of last night running through his head on a loop. The only further confirmation Matt needed to know it was you was to hear your voice, but then again your perfume mixed with his sweat from his body that was right up against yours the night before should’ve been enough.

But you couldn’t reply, your mouth had gone dry and your head was starting to get dizzy. Your luck was irrefutably horrible, to sleep with some random guy you met at a bar and then find out the next day he’s your boss’s boss and you’ll be seeing him on the daily?

“As much as I appreciate this coffee you’ve brought me, why don’t I show you a great place closer to this office you can stop by from now on? Hmm?” Karen offered, trying to get you out of the office to confirm her suspicions as soon as possible. You turned back to her like a deer in headlights, nodding quickly and following her without the office without saying a word.

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//

As soon as the door shut behind Karen, Foggy turned to Matt with a look so deadly he could feel it. “Really? Really?!” Foggy deadpanned. “What?’ Matt asked innocently, trying to play coy. “Oh don't ‘what??’ me now Murdock. Why do you have to sleep with like half the women in New York? Huh?” Foggy questioned with incredulous shock.

“How was I supposed to know that she was the secretary Karen hired?!” Matt shot back with a playfully defensive tone. Only causing Foggy to scoff, turning back around and walking back into his office. Halting right before he closed the door.  “Just, keep things professional with her from now on. . . okay?” Foggy asked, no, begged Matt. “What, you think I’ll try something again with our new secretary?” Matt asked with an offended tone. “Never stopped you with Karen. . .” Foggy mumbled barely above his breath. “I heard that!” Matt shouted.

“Yeah, I know, I know.”

//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//

As soon as you officially exited the building you turned to Karen and said “Look Karen I’m really sorry, but there’s something you need to know about—”

“You slept with Matt, I know.” Karen deadpanned, almost admiring the shocked expression you gave her. “I wasn’t kidding about the coffee shop, walk with me.” She added on, walking away in one direction as you quickly followed.

“How did you know?” You asked.

“Oh please, the way you froze when he walked in? Or hearing the way Matt repeated your name as if he hadn’t been screaming it all night.” Karen said with a scoff. Her attitude shocked you a bit considering she seemed so mild-mannered when she interviewed you weeks ago.

“Sorry, sorry. That was a bit rash.” She added, probably catching onto your continually shocked state.

“It’s alright..” you said quietly, stepping into the coffee shop Karen had just walked into. “You seem frustrated, is this something Matt does often?” You asked. Karen turned her eyes away from the menu and glanced at you, a little surprised.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes; Matt has one night stands often. But that’s not why I’m frustrated. Matt and I, we have history. It was ages ago and I’m over it now but, I just don’t want to see you get hurt.” Karen said, focusing her eyes back on the coffee menu.

“I don’t think I’m in any position to get hurt, if anything Matt might be a little upset since I left at 5am without saying anything or so much as leaving a note.” You said with a confident tone, considering you’d had your fair share of one-night stands before and have always walked away unscathed. “Besides things being a little awkward around the office for a couple weeks, whatever happened between Matt and I won’t affect my work— I promise.” You added reassuringly, the barista coming up and taking both of your orders.

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” Karen admitted, walking to the end of the coffee counter to wait for her order with you. “I hired you for a reason, and despite whatever conflict you may have with Matt after last night I’m sure you can be an adult and get over it. I'm confident you can be a professional about all this, but that’s not why I’m confronting you about this.” Karen furthered on, grabbing the stack of coffee and handing you a few cups.

“So… why are you confronting me about this?” You asked hesitantly, exiting the zip and making your way back to the office.

“Because, I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Karen repeated with an exasperated tone.

“And I already told you, I’m not in a position to get hurt by him right now.”

“Yeah, right now you’re not, and as long as you don’t pursue Matt any further, you won’t ever be.” Karen said, stopping outside the office building door with you.

“Who said I was planning on it?” You quipped back.

“I’m sure you weren’t, especially not now since he’s your boss.” Karen spoke.

“I thought you were my boss.” You spoke back.

“That’s not the point, but like I said Matt and I had something for a second ages ago and he has his ways.” Karen said, lowering her voice. “Matt is a complicated person, he’s not one for commitment.” She added.

“Again, who says I’m the commitment type either? I only hooked up with him, never asked for his number or out on a date.” You shot back, wondering where the hell she was going with this.

“Just, don’t get involved with Matt anymore okay? It’s workplace policy.” Karen joked, trying to lighten the mood. You smiled gently, agreeing. “Cross my heart.” You replied, drawing an X over your heart in a mocking manner. “Okay, good. Now let’s actually get to work.” Karen said happily, opening the door to the building for you.

Things were a bit awkward around your new workplace for the next few days, but it was nothing you couldn’t handle. But you stayed curious as to why Karen was so insistent you don’t get involved with Matt, but you just chalked it up to her not wanting to see him with anyone else around the workplace due to their history.

Obviously the real reason Karen warns you is because she knows about Matt’s double life, and doesn’t want to see you get hurt like she did. Beyond her reasons, Karen can see you and Matt becoming more situated with each other in a professional sense. Things stay that way for a bit, and eventually you’re so completely comfortable with Matt and in the office that it's almost like you never slept together.

But Matt mistakes your comfort and relaxed manner around the office as a go-ahead, and starts flirting with you. This wasn’t unwelcome at first, and you even flirted back a little. But late one evening after Foggy and Karen had gone home, Matt made a move.

“Y/n, listen. I know your first day here was a bit inept because of our eventful night before, and I’m glad you seem to have gotten past the awkwardness. But I’ve gotten to know you better since you started here and well, I’d like to get to know you even more if you’d come out to dinner with me.” Matt said smoothly, leaning against the doorframe so eloquently. He looked good too, tie discarded hours ago, his shirt unbuttoned a few down from the collar and sleeves rolled above his elbows. But you couldn’t let that get to you, you knew you had to keep things professional.

“Matt, that night we had together was amazing, believe me. But you’re my boss’s boss now, and I’ve just started to be comfortable and friendly with you again. I don’t want to ruin that, can we just keep things professional?” you asked softly, lips turned downwards slightly.

Matt lost his confident energy, clearly not used to being turned down. “Yeah yeah, let’s just keep things professional.” He said solemnly, turning around and grabbing his coat. “You uh, get home safe yeah?” Matt spoke, opening the door to leave.

“Matt, wait please, let’s talk about—” you called out, but he was out the door as soon as he heard your protests.

“Goodnight, y/n.” Matt interrupted, shutting the door harshly behind him.

Initially you were shocked by his reaction, but anger soon followed. You sat in contemplation, considering your next move. You ultimately decided to pack up for the night and go home. But on your way home you passed by Josie’s and decided to take a trip down memory lane.

That trip didn’t keep you sober, but it did allow for you to forget about the rejection you had fed Matt. You stayed glued to the bar, ordering drinks after drink until Josie was cutting you off, saying it was time to go home. You grumbled out a half-assed apology and stumbled out of the bar, barely able to walk straight.

“Matt… Matt.” You croaked out, walking in the direction you believed was your apartment. You were so drunk you weren’t even sure which way was up.

“I don’t know who you’re mumbling about honey but I promise you I can show you a better time than he did.” Some guy shouted at you, crossing the street and walking your way.

“Fuck you, go away asshole.” You slurred, trying to push past him.

“Oh that’s exactly what I’m gonna do, come here darling.” The grotesque man said greedily, grabbing you by your waist and pulling you into a nearby alley.

Naturally, you cried out and started shouting at your attacker. “Help! Ah fuck! Get off of me you prick! Help!”

“It’s the dead of night, the only thing that’ll hear you now are the rats I’ll leave you with once I’m done.” He said darkly, pining you harshly against the wall as he tried to find the zipper of your skirt. You continued to scream out as your head swirled with nausea and adrenaline. You thrashed and kicked at him but he was too strong, overpowering you completely.

“Help!” You shouted out once more, your calls being heroically answered because the next thing you knew, you were no longer being held up against the wall of that back alley.

You slipped down the wall and collapsed down on your side, nearly passing out from the fear of it all. Your eyes catching a glimpse of the man who was harassing you moments before, now laying underneath the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen as he delivered blow after blow to him.

You slowly faded out of consciousness, seeing the masked devil beat your perpetrator to a pulp before watching him turn around and pull you into his arms.

“thank you…” you whispered weakly, the weight of everything you’d just experienced all coming down on you and sleep taking over your body.

Matt knew he couldn’t just leave you there in the alleyway, not with you passed out. Another creep could come along and do the same thing he just stopped the man before from doing. But he couldn’t risk being seen and taking you to a hospital either. “Shit…” Matt cursed to himself, gracefully picking you up and bringing you back to his place.

The harsh beeping of an alarm clock woke you up, and you groggily threw your hand over it. But it felt different, it wasn’t your alarm clock. In fact, this wasn’t even your bed. Did you have another one night stand last night? You asked yourself, thinking back to the night before. But your thoughts were interrupted as someone walked in and rushed to turn off the alarm clock.

“Sorry, I should’ve remembered to turn it off.” He apologized, stepping back once he’d silenced the alarm. You turned your eyes toward the familiar voice and adjusted your gaze. “Matt?” You called out.

“Yeah, it’s me.” He confirmed, keeping the distance he created.

“What are you, why am I here? Are these your clothes? Oh god, we didn’t… again, did we?” You sputtered out, confusion surging through you.

“Hey hey, it’s okay. Take a deep breath.” Matt said with a calming tone, stepping forward back to you and sitting on the edge of the bed. “Yes, those are my clothes, yours are in the wash. We didn’t… do anything last night.” Matt explained.

“Then why am I here?” You asked, slowly sitting up in Matt’s bed.

“Last night you uh…” Matt started, trying to figure out what bullshit story he wanted to feed you.

“Oh my god.” You said just barely below your breath, the events of the previous night all coming back to you. “You… you’re uh,” you said shakily, looking up and meeting Matt’s sightless gaze. “Oh my god.” You repeated. “You’re him, you’re daredevil.” Matt didn’t verbally confirm your suspicions, but his lack of response was all the confirmation you needed.

“You, you saved me.” You realized, the tone of your voice became softer as you announced it. “You saved me.” You repeated. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Matt said with a smile. “You’re not mad?”

“No, if anything this explains why Karen warned me about you.” You said with a chuckle.

“Karen warned you about me?” Matt asked incredulously.

“Yeah she uh, back on my first day when Karen realized we had just hooked up, she warned me to not involve myself with you anymore. She told me you were complicated, I’m guessing this is what she meant.” You elaborated, looking back on your first day at Nelson and Murdock.

“Complicated huh?” Matt cracked.

“Yup, at first I thought it was because of her past with you. Now I understand why.” You said cheekily, wondering how you couldn’t see it before. The mysterious bruises and cuts Matt always showed up with, his consistently exhausted state, Karen and Foggy always making excuses for him. It was all clear now. But you weren’t mad, how could you be mad when Matt just saved you the night before?

“Well I must admit I’m relieved to hear that you aren’t upset, you’re handling the news better than Karen or especially Foggy did, that’s for sure.” Matt said with a relieved laugh, standing up from his place beside you on the bed.

“Wait uh, don��t go.” You said, swinging your legs over the side of the bed and standing up. “Is dinner still on the table, from your offer last night? Or maybe breakfast now?” You asked sheepishly, inching closer to Matt.

“And what if I said I wanted to keep things professional with you, sweetheart?” Matt asked smoothly, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close.

“Hmm, then I’d quit.” You said my teasingly, wrapping your arms around Matt’s neck and pulling him in for a kiss. Matt’s lips moved eagerly against yours as he gently nudged you backwards towards his bed. As the backs of your legs met the bed and you fell backwards, you parted your lips from Matt.

“Wait, work, we have to call off.” You said hastily, reaching down to pull off the sweater Matt put you in. “Already called us out darling.” Matt said with a smirk, helping you to remove your shirt before lowering himself to mark up your neck.

“Oh my god, you knew! You knew I’d– ah, I’d like you more for it, for being daredevil.” You said, a slight hitch in your voice as Matt began to slip off your pants.

“Well like Karen warned you, I have my ways.” He said cheekily, discarding the pants he let you borrow somewhere around his room.

“You heard that?!” You squeaked, helping Matt to remove his own shirt.

“Sweetheart, I hear everything. Including the way your heart is picking up right now from the excitement of being underneath me.” Matt said cockily, slipping his hand between your legs and resting a finger on your entrance. “I can also smell how wet you are right now, all for me.” He added, kissing you sweetly before slipping his finger inside and curling at a delicious angle, causing you to moan out as Matt sealed your noises with a kiss.

“Oh Matt, please.” You whined as he resumed his assault on your neck as he continued curling his finger deep inside of you. “Please what darling? Use your words.” Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as Matt added another finger into the mix, now scissoring then inside of your soaked heat. Admiring how his actions left you at a loss for words.

“Please… please ah!” You cried out, trying to tell Matt what you wanted before he pressed his thumb to your clit and began rubbing quick circles. You hear Matt chuckle lowly at your response, only edging you on further. That tight coil building in your core felt like it was moments away from snapping. “Matt, Matt I’m gonna—”

“Not yet you’re not.” Matt said greedily, removing his fingers all at once and moving away as he cut you off. You let out a frustrated sigh, looking at Matt who was now removing his shirt. A sight to behold, really. Then your eyes drifted lower as Matt removed his pants and boxers along with them, his cock springing free and standing tall. You swallow nervously, nearly forgetting how much you had to take when you hooked up with Matt all those months ago.

“Aww, don’t get nervous on me now darling. You did so well last time.” Matt cooed, reassuming his place over you as he lined himself up with your entrance.

“Please, just fuck me Matty.” You begged, wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Gladly.” Matt spoke as he pushed himself inside of your soaked entrance, stilling as to give you a moment to readjust to his size. As soon as bottomed out, you knew things were going to be different this time. This time Matt already knew every inch of your body and how to make you see stars.

“I almost forgot how tight and perfect your pussy is.” Matt said huskily, teeth running I’ve the shell of your ear as he pulled out and thirst back into you in one languid motion. Your back arched as his cock brushed up against that perfect spot inside you. Matt was relishing in the palpitations your heart produced at his praise. He’d have to keep it up.

Once Matt was that deep inside you, all coherent thoughts and your abilities to speak left. Only moans and whines left your mouth as Matt picked up to a nearly brutal pace thrusting inside of you. Your hands lowered from their grasp around Matt’s neck and started to rake up and down his back, leaving red marks in their wake.

“Such a good girl, all for me.” Matt said through gritted teeth, slamming into you over and over again. The scent of your bodies sweat mixing floating in the air, the sound of skin slapping together, and Matt’s praises in your ear, it was all so pleasurable and even you could hear your heart doing somersaults for Matt. In response Matt brought one hand, still bloody around the knuckles, and wrapped it snugly around your neck. It didn’t take long for that coil in your stomach to build back up completely after that. So when he brought his other hand down to your clit and began rubbing delicious circles, you were done for.

“Matt! I’m, I’m c—” you cried out, but Matt cut you off. “I know baby, go ahead. Cum for me.” Matt said sweetly, keeping his pace as you began to fall apart completely on his cock. The pulsating of your slick heat allowed for Matt to not be far behind you, giving one final thrust as he stilled again, emptying himself deep inside of you. You could feel white hot streaks paint your insides as Matt gave a few more pumps of his softening cock inside of you, making sure you were filled to the brim with his cum.

Relief washed over you as you caught your breath post-orgasm, Matt pulling out and collapsing beside you; leaving a somewhat empty feeling as you began to feel his cum leaking of your still throbbing cunt. But unlike last time, Matt knew you, he cared for you. So he pulled you close and held you tight.

“Thank you darling.” Matt said softly into your ear, allowing a smile to adorn your face as you drifted off to sleep in Matt’s arms.

—

A/N

On g-d, every time I worry that I’ve run out of story ideas I look at one little picture or hear some stupid little thing and I’m writing for hours. Anyways, long but good fic; let me know what you thought!

Much Love,

—Skyler

[tabloidtoc]

Entertainment Weekly, June

Cover: The Pride Issue cover 3 of 4 -- Lena Waithe

Page 3: Contents, other covers featuring Lil Nas X, Mj Rodriguez, Bowen Yang

Page 4: Sound Bites

Page 7: The Cold Open

Page 14: The Must List -- In the Heights

Page 15: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, Iceage -- Seek Shelter, Ziwe

Page 18: Trying Q&A with Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill

Page 20: Milestone Returns #0: Infinite Edition, In Treatment

Page 21: Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy, The Empty Man

Page 22: My Must List Pride Edition -- Niecy Nash

Page 25: Pride 2021

Page 26: Lil Nas X -- the 22-year-old rapper is still breaking barriers one song and several clapbacks at a time

Page 29: St. Vincent -- the chameleonic singer-songwriter returns with Daddy's Home, an adventurous new album inspired by her father's prison time

Page 30: Olly Alexander -- after a lauded lead turn in It's a Sin, the artist returned with the single Starstruck, from his newly solo musical act Years & Years

* Rostam -- the new solo album from the multi-instrumentalist is rooted in society's fear of change

Page 32: Lena Waithe -- the producer and actor, and the new star of Master of None season 3, wants to create provocative art while elevating voices

Page 35: Josh Thomas -- the Australian creator-star of Everything's Gonna Be Okay is telling his story through his art

Page 36: Meet Your Maker -- Natalie Morales -- the queer star directs her first film(s), the sharp indies Plan B and Language Lessons. Here's what got her behind the camera

Page 37: Joshua Safran -- the man behind Alex Parrish's attitude and Blair Waldorf's one-liners shares how his sexuality helps him empathize with his characters

* Brandon Taylor -- coming off his explosive, best-selling debut novel Real Life, the lauded author is looking toward his second act and beyond

Page 38: Mj Rodriguez -- with the final season of the history-making FX drama Pose, it's leading lady is ready to claim what's hers

Page 41: Colman Domingo -- after decades of stellar work, the scene-stealer is front and center on Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead, and more

Page 42: Auli'i Cravalho -- the star of Disney's Moana proved how far she'll go to be her authentic self, and is now focused on joy and inclusion

Page 43: Queen Supremes -- the international RuPaul's Drag Race winning class speaks power to the franchise's worldwide domination and looks ahead to a fab future

Page 44: Bowen Yang -- the Saturday Night Live breakout is defining funny for a whole new generation and pushing boundaries in the process

Page 47: Margaret Cho -- the stand-up comedian plays the lesbian pal we all wish we had in the comedy Good on Paper

Page 48: Molly Bernard -- after playing Younger's pansexual publicist, she's ready to explore the full spectrum of queerness

* Josie Totah -- from Disney's Jessie to the Saved by the Bell revival and Amy Poehler's Moxie, the actress has made a name for herself twice and Hollywood's paying attention

Page 49: Calendar -- 10 upcoming LGBTQ projects to get excited for --from eye-opening documentaries to sweeping romances, there is plenty to add to your Pride watch queue

* Pride season's 6 essential reads

Page 51: Summer TV Preview

Page 52: Loki with Tom Hiddleston

Page 53: Panic, The Celebrity Dating Game, Gossip Girl

Page 54: September Mornings, Schmigadoon!, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Ted Lasso

Page 55: Heels, The Good Fight

Page 56: Power Book III: Raising Kanan

Page 57: Sweet Tooth, Blindspotting, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Mr. Corman

Page 58: We Are Lady Parts, Love Victor, Sex/Life, Turner & Hooch

Page 59: Physical, Hit & Run, American Rust

Page 60: Bosch, Marvel Studios' What If...?, Lisey's Story -- Q&A with Julianne Moore

Page 61: Calendar

Page 62: The Fast and the Furious oral history -- how did a little movie about underground racing speed off to become one of the most profitable franchises in history? The cast and crew reminisce about 20 years of Fast, one quarter-mile at a time

Page 68: News + Reviews -- Nominate Them, You Cowards -- on July 13, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will announce the 2021 Emmy nominees. Here are some standout shows and performances we insist not be overlooked

Page 72: Movies -- Summer Star -- taking the lead in blockbusters A Quiet Place II and Jungle Cruise, Emily Blunt is the face of Hollywood's comeback summer

Page 74: Making the Scene -- Army of the Dead -- Zack Snyder explains how he bet big on destroying Las Vegas in his bloody zombie heist movie

Page 75: Oxygen, The Woman in the Window -- the journey from smash best-seller to star-studded streaming thriller was long and fittingly bizarre

Page 76: Meet the Fab G -- director Kay Cannon on how Billy Porter found a fresh, inclusive take on the fairy godmother in the new Cinderella

Page 79: My Favorite Shot Pride Edition -- Sebastian Lelio, A Fantastic Woman -- the Chilean director revisits a gravity-defying sequence in his groundbreaking Oscar-winning drama

Page 80: TV -- The Underground Railroad

Page 81: The Upshaws

Page 82: Oral History -- in 2011, Teen Wolf premiered on MTV. Ten years later, we look back at the pilot episode that introduced us to Scott, Stiles and the werewolves of Beacon Hills -- Jeff Davis, Tyler Posey, Russell Mulgahy, Dylan O'Brien, Crystal Reed

Page 84: What to Watch

Page 86: Music -- Miranda Lambert Q&A -- for The Marfa Tapes, Lambert decamped to the quiet artsy town in West Texas and recorded songs around a campfire. She talks to EW about the album and being an introverted superstar

Page 88: Ear Kandi -- Xscape member and current Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss reflects on the hits she's made for Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, TLC and more

Page 89: The Black Keys

Page 90: Books -- summer books special -- a comedy of eras -- in a sharp new essay collection, The Wreckage of My Presence, actor Casey Wilson weaves big feelings into even bigger laughs

Page 92: Poetic Justice -- prolific romance writer and political powerhouse Stacey Abrams bookend an incredible year with more thrills, this time in her first novel not written under her pen name Selena Montgomery

Page 93: Author Spotlight -- Silvia Moreno-Garcia -- Velvet Was the Night

Page 94: Fatal Attraction -- inside the intoxicating depravity of Animal, Lisa Taddeo's meaty follow-up to Three Women

Page 95: Critic's Pick -- The Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee

Page 96: Critic's Pick -- In the Country of Others by Leila Slimani

Page 97: The Conversation -- Taylor Jenkins Reid and Paula Hawkins -- the names behind Daisy Jones & the Six and The Girl on the Train are coming for your beach tote

Page 98: Q&A with Zakiya Dalila Harris -- The Other Black Girl, former book editor Zakiya Dalila Harris' genre-bending evisceration of workplace privilege, is set to become the debut of the summer

Page 99: Critic's Pick -- Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So

Page 101: Q&A with Billie Eilish -- in between winning Grammys and releasing her sophomore album, the pop star is publishing her first (self-titled) book, a collection of never-before-seen pics of her early life on the road

Page 103: Parental Guidance -- your crib sheet on the best entertainment for kids from toddlers to tweens

* Q&A with Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade -- the actress and her NBA legend husband, bring it on with their new children's book Shady Baby

Page 112: The Bullseye

[thee-morrigan]

champagne problems

Since Leila’s birthday happened this week (August 18), I gave her a little light angst with her not-girlfriend as a treat.

@wayhavensummer, week 3: ✨celebration✨

pairing: morgan x leila ghazdari

wc: ~1.4k

rating: T

content warnings: alcohol, language

[also on ao3]

Long after the sun had gone down, the last of its opal streaks faded from the horizon in the wake of star and moonlight, Leila still felt its warmth clinging to her body like a second skin. Even up on the warehouse roof, surrounded by dark sky and the looming shadows of the old-growth forest that formed a kind of enclave around Wayhaven. The roof was the only place she could be reasonably hopeful for the odd breeze to break the fug of late summer humidity, which managed to linger long after dusk and left her feeling like she might be encased in a literal cloud, all thick with oversaturated warmth and moisture, her body heavy and a little flushed with the weight of summer air.

Or perhaps that was just the wine.

She glanced down at the sweating bottle on the concrete beside where she sat. Somehow, a good half of it appeared to have gone missing. Must have gone missing — she hadn’t been up here long enough to drink half a bottle of wine. That was...

She paused mid-thought, linking her fingers behind her head and lying back against the cool concrete, the scratch of its porous surface digging into her knuckles in a way that was, strangely, almost pleasant. Wine bottles held, what, 750 milliliters? So half of that was -- 375 milliliters, then? That seemed like so many. Too many for her to have drunk in...however long she’d been up here.

Which had been how long, exactly? She wasn’t sure. She thought the sun, or traces of it, might have still been visible when she sneaked up here, half-pleased to find herself alone and half-disappointed. Of course, in summer, the reflection of sunlight off the clouds long after what should have been, by all rights, solidly within night’s domain.

She was just summoning the energy to sit back up and check her watch when she heard the soft scraping catch of the door to the roof opening behind her. She did sit up then, turning just as a low, lilting voice called, “Hello, sweetheart.”

Morgan. Not that it would have been anyone else. As far as Leila knew, Morgan was the only one who routinely sought refuge on the warehouse roof.

Not that Morgan was who she’d been looking for when she came up here in the first place. Not that she’d been looking for anyone. She didn’t want company; she wanted a respite from the relentless press of August heat.

She’d been pleased to find it deserted.

(Mostly.)

“Hi,” she said back, curving her legs to the side as she twisted to face Morgan. She considered standing, but thought better of it. The ground was wonderfully solid and almost cool against her bare calves, beneath the thin fabric of her dress. Plus, she’d apparently consumed three hundred odd milliliters of wine in an undetermined amount of time. So staying on the ground seemed wise.

Morgan didn’t stay standing long, anyway, crossing from the door to where Leila sat looking up at her, arching one dark brow at the half-empty bottle as she dropped to a seat beside her, forearms draped across her bent knees.

“Should I ask?”

“Isn’t asking if you should ask the same thing as just...asking?” Leila retorted, although the effect of a quick rejoinder was somewhat muddled by the syntax meant to deliver it.

She lifted one shoulder indolently, dark eyes still on Morgan but looking somewhere else entirely. “I’m celebrating.”

A rueful little spasm of a smile, flicker of a raised brow as her gaze refocused on Morgan’s face.

Morgan huffed a laugh. Whatever explanation she’d been expecting (if she’d been expecting one at all), it had not been that one.

“Celebrating,” she repeated, casting a dubious glance at Leila. Barefoot and slightly disheveled, nothing about the figure seated on the roof beside her seemed particularly celebratory. Tired, maybe. A little drunk? Definitely.

“Celebrating,” Leila echoed. She tilted her head to one side, sending a sheet of dark hair falling behind her neck, her smile widening if not warming. She looked back at Morgan for a beat, then stretched one hand out to wrap her fingers around the neck of the wine bottle and bring it to her lips.

“It’s my birthday.” She took a pull straight from the bottle, then continued. “So, I’m celebrating.”

She immediately regretted saying anything. She’d meant it to come out casually, and perhaps even a touch sardonic, but in a cool, slightly jaded way. She shrugged again, hoping the lazy shift of one shoulder would properly convey the volume of fucks she absolutely did not give.

It’s just a day like any other, said her shoulders. Just another year. Just the start of another decade. Who even keeps track of these things, anyway?

Not her mother, apparently, who’d only managed to send her a short text message a little over an hour ago, even though they saw each other more frequently now than they probably ever did when Leila was a child. Even though Leila had literally been at a meeting with her mother two days ago.

But, she supposed, people who spent their careers working with practically immortal beings wouldn’t think a measly thirty years of staying alive was particularly noteworthy.

And, when it came down to it, was it really that significant? Until recently, staying alive day after day hadn’t exactly been touch and go.

Why make it a whole big thing? her shoulder said. Keep it casual.

Like cynicism was an accessory she could wear, another chain looped round her throat like a necklace.

Cool and disaffected, that’s what she was. That’s how she had wanted to sound, when she told Morgan it was her birthday. Casual. Like the text from her mo— from Rebecca. Like her not-relationship with her not-girlfriend.

Instead, she was pretty sure it had come out sad and more than a touch embittered.

Because of course it had.

And now all she’d accomplished was sounding like she felt sorry for herself, which she wasn’t, and was fishing for Morgan’s sympathy or worse, her pity, which she absolutely wasn’t.

Morgan, for her part, only raised an eyebrow, settling into an easy perch beside her on the cement, outstretched hand pulling the wine bottle from Leila’s grasp.

“Cheers, sweetheart,” she said, sketching a salute with the bottle, a facsimile of a toast, before raising it to her mouth and taking a swig.

A moment passed and Morgan pulled a face like she’d been suckerpunched.

“Christ, that’s sweet,” she hissed, mouth stretched in a grimace.

Leila laughed, hand to her mouth like the noise had surprised her. “It’s kind of terrible, right? It’s like, a fiver at that shop on the corner. I felt like I had to sneak it in, like just having it in the warehouse might be an outrageous betrayal of Adam’s whole existence.”

Morgan snorted, passing the bottle back to Leila. “They overcharged you if you paid them for that.”

Another hiccup of a giggle from Leila as she accepted the maligned moscato, took another deep swallow, almost choking on it as she laughed again at Morgan’s disapproving scowl. “I kind of love it, though? It’s so sweet, I don’t know why, but it’s just…”

She trailed off, another, smaller sip. Set the bottle aside and leaned back on her hands, tipping her face up to the night sky. “I think I probably only like it because it was the most potable alcohol we could get our hands on in high school,” she finally said with a laugh that was more exhale than anything. “I think we thought alcopop was like, beneath us and too immature or something.”

She rolled her head to the side, looking at Morgan again, who was watching her with an inscrutable expression. “I like to think I have better taste now, but…it always feels weirdly appropriate for my birthday?”

She wrinkled her nose, tipped her head back up with another chortle of a breath. “That’s so weird, sorry.” Deeper inhale. “Anyway. Want me to leave you alone? I’m guessing you didn’t come up here at this hour to listen to a drunk girl babble about getting older.”

Self-effacing smile, aimed at Morgan. Morgan returned it automatically, a little sharper at the edges, a little thinner than Leila’s, but. A real smile.

“No,” Morgan said, her tone the exact shade of casual Leila had wanted to affect in her own words. Shifted, a hairsbreadth closer, one knee flopping softly against Leila’s. “Looks like I’m up here celebrating your birthday.”

[whatwouldvalerydo]

Leila Hellebore - Year five

Changed up the format a bit, mentioning everything in order of events,instead of doing everything per character this time around.

Marigold and Reuben belong to @that-scouse-wizard, Danny to @catohphm, Siobhan to @kc-needs-coffee and Aloysius to @cursebreakerfarrier

Year five – 15 years

-          Leila spent the summer doing the exact opposite of what she was used to. She travelled with her family to various locations, taking different classes in order for her to learn how to cook, sew, clean, dance, be a lady, but above all, how to be a wife

-          Her mother wished to send her off to marry a demon once she turned 16, however it was her father that actually convinced her that might actually impact her school performance, especially if she were to have a child, meaning Leila might also never become a hit witch as they have trained her to be. Though reluctant, her mother sees the benefit of her education and agrees to keep looking for a suitor and marry her off once Leila turns 18

-          She has the entire summer to have her head filled with what she considers nonsense, and the more she hears, the more dread fills her

-          On the other hand, she takes this time to truly think about what she wants to do, thoughts leading her to Reuben on more occasions, in the end Leila realizing she actually has a thing for him as well

-          Leila starts year five with two things in mind, rebellion and Reuben, focusing mainly on the latter

-          She invites him to a picnic by the lake, which he finds odd. While they did end year four on certain good terms, there was still a strain on their relationship as Reuben basically forced himself to forget her for the sake of their friendship

-          Leila ends up tackling him to the ground since he is being stubborn about even sitting down without her offering an explanation, her kissing him

-          She then proceeds to tell him about what her mother plans, confessing that she also has feelings for him but a life with her would be hard due to her family. The encounter ends with her telling him to take some time to seriously think about it and then provide her an answer

-          She keeps a distance as to not influence his decision, however after around two weeks, after Reuben is elected captain for the Ravenclaw team, he comes around, finding her in the courtyard, pulling her in a tight hug

-          Year five is filled to the brim due to OWLS exams, Quidditch matches and a very sassy Leila

-          She stops hiding her face entirely, actually keeping the rumors about her alive, much to the amusement of those who know, as long as it’s harmless. When people ask her about her fangs or the scars on her face she has multiple answers, depending on how she is approached

-          The only one who learns the truth would be Danny, as Leila ends up trusting him and his intentions by the time year five rolls around

-          The first Quidditch match is Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff, followed by Slytherin versus Gryffindor leaving the final in a face off between Ravenclaw and Slytherin

-          Time is very limited for Reuben and Leila, however they try to find some to spend together between training and studying

-          This is the year Reuben actually learns that Leila has never celebrated her birthday and promises to have something ready for her the following year

-          She helps him with DADA since he is struggling with the subject, them actually taking time to talk in detail about what they want to be, Reuben telling him he actually wants to be a Dragonoligist, but his parents want him to become an Auror. She tells him she is training to be a hit witch and has been all her life and she is going through with it as she feels she’s not good for any other jobs

-          She supports his decision since she knows he has a knack for it and also loves hearing him talk about his passion, however she does voice her concerns about the dangers behind it. He is also supportive about her becoming a hit witch as it is a prestigious job, despite her having to work for the Ministry. However he is also concerned about her safety

-          For the OWLS Reuben helps Leila with COMC as she is a disaster when it comes to animals, learning that they don’t actually hate her, but are either confused or scared of her since her energy is different than that of a human, especially since she approaches them while being scared of them herself

-          This is the first year Leila refuses to return home for the winter holidays, mentioning that she needs to focus on her studies for the OWLS exams, which does not sit well with her mother at all

-          Aloysius keeps training with Leila and he actually enjoys the rumors circling about her, especially since he knows what she truly is and likes seeing this new side of her which is more confident

-          During the Quidditch final, Marigold comes to tell Reuben and Leila that their parents are in the stands, which throws both of them off, him since he has the added pressure of being captain and her due to the fact that she isn’t hiding

-          Before both teams entered the pitch, she pulled him by the shirt in front of everyone, kissing Reuben and telling him “You got this captain” which isn’t viewed well by her team, especially her captain who tells her to stop fraternizing with the enemy, Leila telling him to bite her.

-          Reuben responds back “Don’t hold back on me Lei, good luck.” Causing Danny to smirk at them, several members of the team shaking their heads as if saying “seriously captain?”

-          Slytherin lose the cup that year

-          While her team is crushed by the defeat, Leila doesn’t have time to lament about it too long, especially when her parents enter her tent, that being the first time anyone sees her father making an appearance

-          Her mother pulls her in a corner, lifting her chin, but Leila refuses to look at her or anyone in the room, in fear of her locking eyes with Reuben and giving herself away while at the same time expecting someone to just drop the bomb as their relationship is not a secret on the school grounds

-          Lilith leans in closer to Leila gripping her face “I taught you to be vicious, why do you play if you intend to lose?” she snarls as she sniffs the air around her “You smell like these humans, what are you hiding Leila, hmmm?” Eric grabs his wife’s hand telling her to take it outside since she was attracting stares. Grabbing Leila by the hand she practically dragged her

-          It’s her Quidditch captain who steps in front of Lilith, telling her to unhand his beater, pulling Leila behind him, while the Slytherin house head explains that this is at the end of the day a friendly match and Leila should never be punished for something that is not her fault since the sport is a team effort, Lilith finding herself having to step back with a fake smile

-          However the situation attracted enough eyes and raised eyebrows

-          Her mother leaves Leila with the promise that the upcoming summer she would be training her once more, focusing on her darkness and powers as apparently being around humans has made her weak. Her father also tells her that she’d better prepare herself mentally for what’s to come

-          The morning after the Quidditch final, she is no where to be seen at breakfast and neither of her friends have seen her

-          Reuben finds Leila on the training grounds, blasting bludgers at training dummies and from the looks of it she has been doing so for a few hours, skin glistening with sweat in the morning sun, bum messy on top of her head, Leila in a tank top, however what makes him stop in his tracks, before he dashes to her and takes the bat out of her hands, are the tattoos and scars that appear too fresh, too recent

-          This is the first time Reuben actually sees any of the damage inflicted on her and while Leila did touch on the subject of blood magic she had never told him what using her demons power does to her

-          She assures him nothing is recent, that her parents didn’t have time to do anything to her, Reuben telling her she needs to get away from her family, however since she doesn’t have anything to her name or any other relatives she knows about, there is no other option but to go back

-          Furthermore she explains that if she does run away and they find her, there would be no going back for her and she would never be allowed to return to school which would mean never being able to see him or her friends ever again

-          While she does speak to the girls, Siobhan and Marigold, about what she thinks will await her back home, Siobhan even offering to speak with her father and have Leila stay at the manor, she refuses to implicate anyone more than she already had

-          She does well on the OWLS apart from a few subjects such as COMC and History of Magic where she does pass, however with lower grades

-          Last few days she spends together with her friends and Reuben before departing for the summer holidays

-          On the ride back, Reuben doesn’t let go of her until they almost reach the station, a feeling of dread filling them for the two months to come

[nathanmillers]

i was tagged by @skainatblida !! thank you so much for thinking of me!

1. Why did you choose your url?

i loved my old one (supernovablake) but i wanted to appreciate miller more because he’s one of my favorite characters on the 100. i was so excited when i saw that this was available and now i don’t think i’ll ever change it because i’m so proud.

2. Any side blogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them

i have one actual side blog and then a whole separate blog as well. the sideblog is @petersthwip and it’s for marvel because i didn’t want to ambush this blog with all of the marvel content anymore. there was so much that i wanted to create a sideblog specifically for it! my separate blog is a studyblr for motivation purposes and it’s @kristynstudies :)

3. How long have you been on Tumblr?

i think i made my first blog in 2012 or 2013, so 8 or 9 years ago!

4. Do you have a queue tag?

yes, “queue spelled die wrong”

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

i made this blog on christmas of 2014 because i got my own laptop and could therefore spend more time on the site. it started off as a multifandom blog (with a url about it being multifandom) so i just wanted to appreciate my favorite things 

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

the wonderful @pietro-maximoff made my icon for their 1k follower celebration!! 

7. Why did you choose your header?

it was made by @robertpattisons and i chose it because i think it’s beautiful

8. What post of yours has the most notes?

by far it was a post i made when bob and eliza got married. i didn’t expect it to get so many, but here we are. this is the post

9. How many mutuals do you have?

89 if i counted correctly <3333 love y’all

10. How many followers do you have?

838 and i love every single one of you!!

11. How many people do you follow?

307

12. Have you ever made a shitpost?

that’s literally all i post alaskflskdal

13. How often do you use Tumblr?

pretty much every day though i do take breaks when i’m busy

14. Did you have a fight/argument with another blog? Who won?

i’ve never fought on here because nobody really knows who i am bc i don’t create much and i’m just there

15. How do you feel about ‘you need to compare this’ posts?

i think they’re fun!!

16. Do you like tag games?

YES YES YES PLEASE TAG ME IN ALLLLL THE GAMES

17. Do you like ask games?

yes but i don’t reblog them a lot because nobody really participates

18. Which one of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

@montygreen leila i still can’t believe you follow me even though it’s been years 

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

not really, i don’t get internet crushes often

20. tags (if you guys want to)

@igotbellarkeforthat @she-who-the-river-could-not-hold @bellameblake @montygreen @immortalpramheda @klarkegriffin @vividparacosm @hostagetakerandhistraitor @kombellarke and anyone else who may want to do this!!

[leechobsessed]

Ella nsfw headcanons

happy tuesday (and happy half birthday to Ella)! we’re celebrating today with some spicy content so... enjoy (especially @leila-of-ravens)

NSFW under the cut: 18+ only, minors do not interact

general information 

Ella is a hopeless romantic. she wants to love someone, she wants to be loved, and to her, there’s a difference between “making love” and “fucking”

she’s cool with either though

too bad my girl can’t flirt for shit. but she’ll try, and its cute, so just go with it 

won’t directly tell you she wants to take you to bed, but if she does, expect a lot of lip biting, blushing, touching, some suggestive comments

once she’s got you in the bedroom though? she will tell you exactly what she wants

she’s a switch leaning top, and prefers to be with a confident, vocal partner who will let her take care of them

she prefers to have some kind of established relationship with someone before they become physically intimate, so she isn’t really a fan of one night stands. but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do

there isn’t much she’ll say no to, as long as everything was discussed beforehand and no one will get hurt or arrested

semi/public sex isn’t something she’s ever tried but she’s adventurous and would jump at the opportunity

her love language is physical touch so intimacy and sex are important to her in a relationship

foreplay

she loves kissing. the more passionate, the better, the more turned on she’ll get, the dirtier she’ll want to be

kiss her while you’ve got her pinned against a wall or the bed and she’ll melt

she’s usually a very patient person, but once she wants things to go further, she will start taking your clothes off

she’ll forget about taking hers off so you’ll have to help her with that

she will grind against you, touch you anywhere she can, pull your hair to expose your neck and collarbones for her to kiss

please touch her. anywhere, everywhere. the more your body is in contact with hers, the better

biting and sucking on her breasts and nipples is encouraged

giving

Ella prefers to top because she’s used to putting others before herself; she enjoys taking care of people

so her partners pleasure is her number one priority

doesn’t mean she’ll be gentle or quick about it though

she is very communicative, and expects you to be too

something doesn’t feel great? let’s change that. something does feel great? let's make sure it stays that way

she’s more than willing to give compliments and praise

begging and moaning are a huge turn on, and because of that, she tends to be a bit of a tease

is very into giving oral. she tends to get very caught up in it, so if that’s not how you want to cum you have to tell her or she’ll be down there until you do

and she’s is more than okay if you make a mess in the process

it’s encouraged, actually

is also a big fan of leaving hickeys...you know, something to remember her by

aftercare is important. massages, cuddles, a bath, anything you need, you’ll get. she’s a world-class back scratcher, if you’re into that

she will kiss every inch of your skin and tell you how beautiful you are

receiving 

she’s not entirely comfortable bottoming, so she would need to really trust you to put herself in that position on a regular basis

please don’t ask her to be quiet, she is physically incapable 

not even a little embarrassed by this fact either 

expect a lot of moaning, cursing, praising, begging

if she ever needs to be quiet, you may have to clamp a hand over her mouth

she’s okay with being eaten out, but she’ll keep asking if you’re sure you want to continue, since she’s more concerned with your pleasure. use some fingers along with your mouth to get her to shut up

making her taste herself on you is a huge turn on, so you know, please do that

restraints are cool, but she’d prefer you pin her down with your hands or body

consensual spanking, hair pulling, biting, and rough sex is more than okay

gagging, though, is not cool. she likes a vocal partner, and she’s extremely vocal herself, and does not want to be gagged under any circumstance 

likes to see her partner, so isn’t a fan of being blindfolded or having sex in the dark

although she’s doling out compliments left and right, she’s not super comfortable receiving them

other

her favorite position depends on the mood and her partner. she prefers to face her partner, or at least have lots of skin to skin contact

loves to be physically on top of her partner

just please do not be a quiet partner

toys are fun! sex should be fun! if you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong

on that note, if something funny or awkward happens, she’ll laugh it off. not much will ruin the mood

what will ruin the mood? mommy/daddy kinks, humiliation/degradation, doing something that wasn’t agreed upon, or doing anything that could cause serious bodily harm

oh so will leaving immediately after

a little bit selfish with her partners, and is not willing to share or bring another person into the relationship

she’s a fan of calling her parter by their first name during sex, but will use pet names if they prefer

she’d love her partner to spend the night after everything is said and done 

loves pillow talk

also... really flexible

[kayliemusing]

42: top 3s

1: Top 3 ice cream flavors - classic vanilla, birthday cake/birthday batter, bubblegum

2: Top 3 Disney Movies - Mulan, Onward, Soul (but this changes frequently lol)

3: Top 3 vacation destinations - I've never been outside of my home country so I'll say my top 3 DREAM destinations: NYC, Hawaii, a random countryside in either France or the UK

4: Top 3 places to shop - Dynamite, Sephora, Winners/Homesense

5: Top 3 subjects of study/classes to take - English/anything creative writing related, Interior Decorating/Design, Communications?

6: Top 3 make up products - YSL Touche Eclat Foundation, literally any Mac Lipstick but it has to be matte, & Fenty Beauty contour stick

7: Top 3 music artists - Taylor Swift - Of Monsters and Men - The Lumineers

8: Top 3 spices/herbs - Cinnamon - Nutmeg (literally tastes like autumn) - Paprika

9: Top 3 drinks - Diet Coke - Hot Chocolate - Vanilla Bean Frappe

10: Top 3 apps to use - Instagram - Pinterest -iBooks

11: Top 3 months of the year - May, October, December

12: Top 3 clothing items - My black/white turtle neck, high waisted jeans, plaid blazer

13: Top 3 binge perfect tv shows - Bones, Supernatural, Brooklyn Nine Nine

14: Top 3 romantic dates - (I've never been on a date but if I had, it would be this) Evening walk, late night drive, late night coffee date (tbh anything at night feels romantic)

15: Top 3 kinds of flower - Water lilies, cherry blossoms, roses

16: Top 3 christmas movies - A Christmas Carol (2009), Home Alone, The Polar Express

17: Top 3 OTPs - Nesta and Cassian from ACOTAR series by SJM, Manon and Dorian from Throne of Glass series by SJM, Casteel and Poppy from From Blood and Ash series by JLM.

18: Top 3 quotes to describe your life - "I write not to find, but to leave" by Scherezade Siobhan - "I want to be myself again. I want to be six. I want to stop knowing everything I know" by Catherynne M. Valente - "The truth is, I pretend to be a cynic, but I am really a dreamer who is terrified of wanting something she may never get" by Joanna Hoffman.

19: Top 3 characteristics you love about yourself - my kindness bc it's not surface level kindness, but actually something deeply rooted within me - my resilience even tho sometimes it doesn't feel like resilience - my loyalty bc it is a hard as steel kind of loyalty

20: Top 3 kinds of candy - Maltesers, Kit kats, smarties

21: Top 3 ways to exercise/ be active - Walking, dancing, mowing the lawn/shoveling the sidewalk

22: Top 3 spirit animals - wolf, hummingbird, tiger (i googled it bc i didn't know and i was scared it was a joke but)

23: Top 3 petnames - I like 'lovebug', 'love', 'sweetheart'

24: Top 3 books read outside of school - The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas but viewers discretion is advised, Crush by Richard Siken

25: Top 3 most used websites - Youtube, Tumblr, Pinterest

26: Top 3 people you last texted - my mom, my bestie megan, and my sister bc they're the only people i text...

27: Top 3 hashtags you use - the only time i use hashtags is if i'm trying to promote some of my writing so I'll usually use writingcommunity, writersonig, poetryonig lol

28: Top 3 instagram accounts you follow - Trista Mateer, Griefmother, obviously taylor swift

29: Top 3 guilty pleasures - buzzfeed quizzes, early 2000s music, romance novels

30: Top 3 summer activities - Going to the zoo, long evening walks, campfires and s'mores

31: Top 3 things to draw/doodle - hearts, flowers, random swirls bc it's the only thing i can doodle...

32: Top 3 aesthetics - cityscape aesthetic, autumn aesthetic, rustic aesthetic

33: Top 3 things you'd buy if you gained three million dollars - a new car, a condo, another cat

34: Top 3 ways to treat yourself - facial, a large bag of maltesers, buying the makeup i really want but have been putting off

35: Top 3 celebrity crushes - Evan Peters, Matthew Daddario, henry cavill

36: Top 3 books from your childhood - Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, The Big Friendly Giant by Roald Dahl, and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmens

37: Top 3 accents to hear - Australian, super poshy british accent, new zealand accent

38: Top 3 scents - Fresh rain, vanilla, sweet cinnamon pumpkin from bath and body works

39: Top 3 "Friends" quotes - "WE WERE ON A BREAK" -Ross, "Guess things were just going too well for me" -also ross, and "it's so exhausting waiting for death" - phoebe

40: Top 3 cupcake flavors - tbh I haven't tried that many cupcakes so your typical vanilla, chocolate, and Pink Lady Cupcake from Babycakes Cupcakery

41: Top 3 fruits - Pomegranates, Strawberries, Raspberries

42: Top 3 places you've had amazing pizza from - Pizzahut, Dominos, Pizza73

43: Top 3 sports teams to watch - i don't

44: Top 3 crayola colors - uh, i guess red, purple, and pink??

45: Top 3 things you hope to accomplish in college - Certificates/Degrees in Copyediting and Creative Writing, and I think simply just deeper critical thinking skills when it comes to writing and books

46: Top 3 fanfictions you've read - I read more books than fanfics, I've read a couple on tumblr but don't remember the names sorry :/

47: Top 3 people you miss right now - my dad, my best friend bc she's in vancouver, taylor swift bc she's not on tumblr anymore rip

48: Top 3 fears - Failure, Loss, not achieving anything in life/not reaching my full potential

49: Top 3 favorite literary devices - Foreshadowing is always god tier, cliffhangers although evil i love those too, symbolism

50: Top 3 pet peeves - People dragging their shoes on the floor when they walk, when you tell someone your fav hobby/music artist/interest and they immediately go 'oh I hate X!', and people who go 'you're so quiet!!!' but in a way that draws in more attention and/or makes me feel more uncomfortable like i would literally rather die

51: Top 3 physical things you find attractive - Hands, nice hair, defined jawlines

52: Top 3 bad habits - Nailbiting, picking at my blemishes oops, lip biting

53: Top 3 pets you've had/wish to have - Cats bc they complete me, I've always wanted a Samoyed, and I've always wanted a turtle

54: Top 3 types of foreign food - Chicken Chow Mein, deep fried shrimp, japanese chicken wings

55: Top 3 things you want to say to someone in your lifetime - 'I quit', 'I love you', 'you changed my life'

56: Top 3 dog breeds - Samoyed, german shepherds, collies

57: Top 3 cheesy romance movies - You've Got Mail, How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days, 10 Things I Hate About You

58: Top 3 languages you speak/wish to speak - French, Sign, and maybe Japanese?

59: Top 3 series (book, movie, television) - The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (but literally only for Cassian and Nesta), From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

60: Top 3 pizza toppings - Mushrooms, alfredo sauce, pineapple

61: Top 3 youtubers you're subscribed to - Game Grumps, Charlotte Dobre, Megan Batoon

62: Top 3 tattoo / piercing ideas - I want to get a tattoo on my wrist of the last thing my dad ever wrote me, a hummingbird tattoo right next to it, and then a cross on my index finger

63: Top 3 awards you want to win - National Book Awards, Nobel Prize, and maybe even Goodreads Choice Awards lol

64: Top 3 emojis - Laugh/Crying emoji, the please sir emoji that kinda gives off those puss n boots eyes, and the stars emoji

65: Top 3 cars you dream of owning - 1970s Chev Impala, tbh a cute little Hyundai Venue, and maaaaybe the 1964 ferarri 250 gt luso (idk if that name was totally right but i had to do tons of googling to find it. i don't know a lot about cars and i don't really have a top 3 lol)

66: Top 3 authors - Right now I'm really into Sarah J Maas, Sally Thorne, and Holly Black maybe?

67: Top 3 historical figures - Jesus, Anne Frank, Vincent Van Gogh

68: Top 3 baby names - Ryder, Leila, Gracie

69: Top 3 DIYs - Candles, refurnishing old furniture (i.e. my mom and i painted our wooden garbage can), and really just any type of autumn diy

70: Top 3 smoothie combos/flavors - Strawberry/Banana, Mango, Strawberry-Mango

71: Top 3 songs of this month - Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, Biblical by Calum Scott, and Visiting Hours by Ed Sheeran

72: Top 3 questions of this post you want to be asked - I did them all bc I made it a survey instead of an ask meme ;)

73: Top 3 villains - Regina/The Evil Queen from Once Upon a Time, Cruella De Vil, and Moriarty from Sherlock

74: Top 3 Cities you want to see - Montreal, NYC, Vancouver (honorable mention: LA)

75: Top 3 recipes you want to try - different kind of salad and/or burger bowls, Stuffed bell peppers, and homemade lemon loaf

76: Top 3 dream jobs - Bestselling author, the person who runs a companies social media accounts, youtuber/blogger

77: Top 3 lucky items - tbh don't have one

78: Top 3 traditions you have - Christmas Eve Service and if I don't go to that at least incorporating reading the christmas story on christmas day or eve, idk if this counts as tradition but going to the corn maze every fall, and whenever it's easter/christmas/thanksgiving we always have a big meal w/ family

79: Top 3 things you miss about being a kid - reckless abandon, dreaming about growing up with hopefulness and no dashed hopes, experiencing holidays like halloween and christmas as a kid

80: Top 3 harry potter characters - I've never read or watched Harry Potter rip (ok well i saw the first and second (and maybe third?) movie in the sixth grade I think) but I think I really liked Hermoine, Harry obviously and Dobby

81: Top 3 lies you were told - i don't have 3, but this one has a story but basically when my sister and i were in elementary school my sister got hit by a car and so the insurance thing was that she would recieve 10k when she was 18 and as a child i thought that was unfair so my dad told me that my sister had to split it with me when we were 18 lmao obviously that didn't happen (i think i realized that wasn't true in middle school)

82: Top 3 pictures in your camera roll right now - Pictures of my cat, one of my sister in a hilarious filter, and a picture of my rocking my TS merch

83: Top 3 turn ons - Kindness, defined jawline, easy going

84: Top 3 turn offs - arrogance, unkempt, super loud and obnoxious

85: Top 3 magazines/news papers/ journals to read - I don't read much of those so I'll tell you some sites I love for writing purpose's: there's Wellstoried, justwriterlythings, springhole.net (which is filled with generators if you're stuck and also tons of infomation and advice)

86: Top 3 things you wish you had known earlier - that toad in Mario Party was wearing a mushroom hat and that it is actually not his head, that immaculate means 'clean' before i misused that word like several times over the years, and that the one turn i always take on my way to work where i thought everyone didn't know how to drive was actually bc i didn't have the right of way rip me

87: Top 3 spongebob episodes - the one episode where spongebob and patrick find a ghost ship, that one episode where they form a bikini bottom band and perform it at a football game in a little fish tank, and the one episode where squidward has his first snowball fight

88: Top 3 places to be in the world - I'd love to be in NYC, Montreal, or Hawaii

89: Top 3 things you'd do differently - I would not have applied for RDC, similarly I should have just paid the 500 dollars to the one certificate program I wanted to do instead of overthinking it, and I wish I wouldn't have ended a friendship the way I did

90: Top 3 TV shows from your childhood - Spongebob Squarepants, That's So Raven, and Hannah Montana

91: Top 3 meals you love - Turkey Burgers, Chilli, and Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

92: Top 3 kinds of tea - i don't drink tea

93: Top 3 embarrassing moments - one time in sixth grade I tripped and fell right on my face in front of my crush, this other time like a couple years ago i opened the door to my car and only realized much too late while i was staring at this random family that it was not my car, and when i went to the gas station to get gas and couldn't get my gas lid on my car opened and this guy had to help me which was already embarrassing enough but then the gas pump wouldn't work so i had to go inside to pay just to realize i forgot my wallet and had to shamefully walk back to my car and then run back inside the convenience store and then pay and then walk back to my car and finally fill my tank.

94: Top 3 holidays to celebrate - Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving

95: Top 3 things to do in the rain - have an existential crisis, pretend you're in a music video, walk through puddles like you're six again

96: Top 3 things to do in the snow - Sledding, Build a snowman, shovel it even tho you don't want to

97: Top 3 items you can't leave the house w/o - phone, keys, wallet

98: Top 3 movies you'd like to see - Jurassic World 3, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania bc i'm a child, and the animation of the addams family

99: Top 3 art mediums - Writing fiction/poetry, painting, music

100: Top 3 museums you've been to - Royal Tyrell Museum, Canadian History one in edmonton lol, and heritage park in calgary

101: Top 3 school memories - Middle school dances when the popular kids would grind to the song "Low" which was always an interesting experience, in the twelfth grade at winter formal when we all shouted "SHUT UP AND DANCE!" at the same time when they played Shut Up and Dance, and the day i left

102: Top 3 things you don't/Won't miss - School, my sisters ex, 2016 bc she was a rough year yikes

103: Top 3 pick up lines - "My name is Will. God's Will.", "I'd like to take you to the movies but they don't like you bring your own snacks", "are you from tennessee bc you're the only 10 i see"

104: Top 3 sports to watch - none of them

105: Top 3 taylor swift songs - all too well - exile - coney island

[classic-laugjhing-hollywood]

Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931.

Leaving home at the age of 14, Dressler built a career on stage in traveling theatre troupes, where she learned to appreciate her talent in making people laugh. In 1892, she started a career on Broadway that lasted into the 1920s, performing comedic roles that allowed her to improvise to get laughs. From one of her successful Broadway roles, she played the titular role in the first full-length screen comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), opposite Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand. She made several shorts, but mostly worked in New York City on stage. During World War I, along with other celebrities, she helped sell Liberty bonds. In 1919, she helped organize the first union for stage chorus players.

Her career declined in the 1920s, and Dressler was reduced to living on her savings while sharing an apartment with a friend. In 1927, she returned to films at the age of 59 and experienced a remarkable string of successes. For her performance in the comedy film Min and Bill (1930), Dressler won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She died of cancer in 1934.

Marie Dressler's original name was Leila Marie Koerber. She was born on November 9, 1868, Cobourg, Ontario. She was one of the two daughters of Anna (née Henderson), a musician, and Alexander Rudolph Koerber (b. April 13, 1826, Lindow, Neu-Ruppin, Germany – d. November 1914, Wimbledon, Surrey, England), a German-born former officer in the Crimean War. Leila's elder sister, Bonita Louise Koerber (b. January 1864, Ontario, Canada – d. September 18, 1939, Richmond, Surrey, England), later married playwright Richard Ganthony.

Her father was a music teacher in Cobourg and the organist at St. Peter's Anglican Church, where as a child Marie would sing and assist in operating the organ. According to Dressler, the family regularly moved from community to community during her childhood. It has been suggested by Cobourg historian Andrew Hewson that Dressler attended a private school, but this is doubtful if Dressler's recollections of the family's genteel poverty are accurate.

The Koerber family eventually moved to the United States, where Alexander Koerber is known to have worked as a piano teacher in the late 1870s and early 1880s in Bay City and Saginaw (both in Michigan) as well as Findlay, Ohio. Her first known acting appearance, when she was five, was as Cupid in a church theatrical performance in Lindsay, Ontario. Residents of the towns where the Koerbers lived recalled Dressler acting in many amateur productions, and Leila often irritated her parents with those performances.

Dressler left home at the age of 14 to begin her acting career with the Nevada Stock Company, telling the company she was actually 18. The pay was either $6 or $8 per week, and Dressler sent half to her mother. At this time, Dressler adopted the name of an aunt as her stage name. According to Dressler, her father objected to her using the name of Koerber. The identity of the aunt was never confirmed, although Dressler denied that she adopted the name from a store awning. Dressler's sister Bonita, five years older, left home at about the same time. Bonita also worked in the opera company. The Nevada Stock Company was a travelling company that played mostly in the American Midwest. Dressler described the troupe as a "wonderful school in many ways. Often a bill was changed on an hour's notice or less. Every member of the cast had to be a quick study". Dressler made her professional debut as a chorus girl named Cigarette in the play Under Two Flags, a dramatization of life in the Foreign Legion.

She remained with the troupe for three years, while her sister left to marry playwright Richard Ganthony. The company eventually ended up in a small Michigan town without money or a booking. Dressler joined the Robert Grau Opera Company, which toured the Midwest, and she received an improvement in pay to $8 per week, although she claimed she never received any wages.

Dressler ended up in Philadelphia, where she joined the Starr Opera Company as a member of the chorus. A highlight with the Starr company was portraying Katisha in The Mikado when the regular actress was unable to go on, due to a sprained ankle, according to Dressler. She was also known to have played the role of Princess Flametta in an 1887 production in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She left the Starr company to return home to her parents in Saginaw. According to her, when the Bennett and Moulton Opera Company came to town, she was chosen from the church choir by the company's manager and asked to join the company. Dressler remained with the company for three years, again on the road, playing roles of light opera.

She later particularly recalled specially the role of Barbara in The Black Hussars, which she especially liked, in which she would hit a baseball into the stands. Dressler remained with the company until 1891, gradually increasing in popularity. She moved to Chicago and was cast in productions of Little Robinson Crusoe and The Tar and the Tartar. After the touring production of The Tar and the Tartar came to a close, she moved to New York City.

In 1892, Dressler made her debut on Broadway at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in Waldemar, the Robber of the Rhine, which only lasted five weeks. She had hoped to become an operatic diva or tragedienne, but the writer of Waldemar, Maurice Barrymore, convinced her to accept that her best success was in comedy roles. Years later, she appeared in motion pictures with his sons, Lionel and John, and became good friends with his daughter, actress Ethel Barrymore. In 1893, she was cast as the Duchess in Princess Nicotine, where she met and befriended Lillian Russell.

Dressler now made $50 per week, with which she supported her parents. She moved on into roles in 1492 Up To Date, Girofle-Girofla, and A Stag Party, or A Hero in Spite of Himself After A Stag Party flopped, she joined the touring Camille D'Arville Company on a tour of the Midwest in Madeleine, or The Magic Kiss, as Mary Doodle, a role giving her a chance to clown.

In 1896, Dressler landed her first starring role as Flo in George Lederer's production of The Lady Slavey at the Casino Theatre on Broadway, co-starring British dancer Dan Daly. It was a great success, playing for two years at the Casino. Dressler became known for her hilarious facial expressions, seriocomic reactions, and double takes. With her large, strong body, she could improvise routines in which she would carry Daly, to the delight of the audience.

Dressler's success enabled her to purchase a home for her parents on Long Island. The Lady Slavey success turned sour when she quit the production while it toured in Colorado. The Erlanger syndicate blocked her from appearing on Broadway, and she chose to work with the Rich and Harris touring company. Dressler returned to Broadway in Hotel Topsy Turvy and The Man in the Moon.

She formed her own theatre troupe in 1900, which performed George V. Hobart's Miss Prinnt in cities of the northeastern U.S. The production was a failure, and Dressler was forced to declare bankruptcy.

In 1904, she signed a three-year, $50,000 contract with the Weber and Fields Music Hall management, performing lead roles in Higgeldy Piggeldy and Twiddle Twaddle. After her contract expired she performed vaudeville in New York, Boston, and other cities. Dressler was known for her full-figured body, and buxom contemporaries included her friends Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, May Irwin and Trixie Friganza. Dressler herself was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).

In 1907, she met James Henry "Jim" Dalton. The two moved to London, where Dressler performed at the Palace Theatre of Varieties for $1500 per week. After that, she planned to mount a show herself in the West End. In 1909, with members of the Weber organization, she staged a modified production of Higgeldy Piggeldy at the Aldwych Theatre, renaming the production Philopoena after her own role. It was a failure, closing after one week. She lost $40,000 on the production, a debt she eventually repaid in 1930. She and Dalton returned to New York. Dressler declared bankruptcy for a second time.

She returned to the Broadway stage in a show called The Boy and the Girl, but it lasted only a few weeks. She moved on to perform vaudeville at Young's Pier in Atlantic City for the summer. In addition to her stage work, Dressler recorded for Edison Records in 1909 and 1910. In the fall of 1909, she entered rehearsals for a new play, Tillie's Nightmare. The play toured in Albany, Chicago, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, and was a flop. Dressler helped to revise the show, without the authors' permission, and in order to keep the changes she had to threaten to quit before the play opened on Broadway. Her revisions helped make it a big success there. Biographer Betty Lee considers the play the high point of her stage career.

Dressler continued to work in the theater during the 1910s, and toured the United States during World War I, selling Liberty bonds and entertaining the American Expeditionary Forces. American infantrymen in France named both a street and a cow after Dressler. The cow was killed, leading to "Marie Dressler: Killed in Line of Duty" headlines, about which Dressler (paraphrasing Mark Twain) quipped, "I had a hard time convincing people that the report of my death had been greatly exaggerated."

After the war, Dressler returned to vaudeville in New York, and toured in Cleveland and Buffalo. She owned the rights to the play Tillie's Nightmare, the play upon which her 1914 movie Tillie's Punctured Romance was based. Her husband Jim Dalton and she made plans to self-finance a revival of the play. The play fizzled in the summer of 1920, and the production was disbanded. In 1919, during the Actors' Equity strike in New York City, the Chorus Equity Association was formed and voted Dressler its first president.

Dressler accepted a role in Cinderella on Broadway in October 1920, but the play failed after only a few weeks. She signed on for a role in The Passing Show of 1921, but left the cast after only a few weeks. She returned to the vaudeville stage with the Schubert Organization, traveling through the Midwest. Dalton traveled with her, although he was very ill from kidney failure. He stayed in Chicago while she traveled on to St. Louis and Milwaukee. He died while Marie was in St. Louis, and Marie then left the tour. His body was claimed by his ex-wife, and he was buried in the Dalton plot.

After failing to sell a film script, Dressler took an extended trip to Europe in the fall of 1922. On her return she found it difficult to find work, considering America to be "youth-mad" and "flapper-crazy". She busied herself with visits to veteran hospitals. To save money she moved into the Ritz Hotel, arranging for a small room at a discount. In 1923, Dressler received a small part in a revue at the Winter Garden Theatre, titled The Dancing Girl, but was not offered any work after the show closed. In 1925, she was able to perform as part of the cast of a vaudeville show which went on a five-week tour, but still could not find any work back in New York City. The following year, she made a final appearance on Broadway as part of an Old Timers' bill at the Palace Theatre.

Early in 1930, Dressler joined Edward Everett Horton's theater troupe in Los Angeles to play a princess in Ferenc Molnár's The Swan, but after one week, she quit the troupe. Later that year she played the princess-mother of Lillian Gish's character in the 1930 film adaptation of Molnar's play, titled One Romantic Night.

Dressler had appeared in two shorts as herself, but her first role in a feature film came in 1914 at the age of 44. In 1902, she had met fellow Canadian Mack Sennett and helped him get a job in the theater. After Sennett became the owner of his namesake motion picture studio, he convinced Dressler to star in his 1914 silent film Tillie's Punctured Romance. The film was to be the first full-length, six-reel motion picture comedy. According to Sennett, a prospective budget of $200,000 meant that he needed "a star whose name and face meant something to every possible theatre-goer in the United States and the British Empire."

The movie was based on Dressler's hit Tillie's Nightmare. She claimed to have cast Charlie Chaplin in the movie as her leading man, and was "proud to have had a part in giving him his first big chance." Instead of his recently invented Tramp character, Chaplin played a villainous rogue. Silent film comedian Mabel Normand also starred in the movie. Tillie's Punctured Romance was a hit with audiences, and Dressler appeared in two Tillie sequels and other comedies until 1918, when she returned to vaudeville.

In 1922, after her husband's death, Dressler and writers Helena Dayton and Louise Barrett tried to sell a script to the Hollywood studios, but were turned down. The one studio to hold a meeting with the group rejected the script, saying all the audiences wanted is "young love." The proposed co-star of Lionel Barrymore or George Arliss were rejected as "old fossils". In 1925, Dressler filmed a pair of two-reel short movies in Europe for producer Harry Reichenbach. The movies, titled the Travelaffs, were not released and were considered a failure by both Dressler and Reichenbach. Dressler announced her retirement from show business.

In early 1927, Dressler received a lifeline from director Allan Dwan. Although versions differ as to how Dressler and Dwan met, including that Dressler was contemplating suicide, Dwan offered her a part in a film he was planning to make in Florida. The film, The Joy Girl, an early color production, only provided a small part as her scenes were finished in two days, but Dressler returned to New York upbeat after her experience with the production.

Later that year, Frances Marion, a screenwriter for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, came to Dressler's rescue. Marion had seen Dressler in the 1925 vaudeville tour and witnessed Dressler at her professional low-point. Dressler had shown great kindness to Marion during the filming of Tillie Wakes Up in 1917, and in return, Marion used her influence with MGM's production chief Irving Thalberg to return Dressler to the screen. Her first MGM feature was The Callahans and the Murphys (1927), a rowdy silent comedy co-starring Dressler (as Ma Callahan) with another former Mack Sennett comedian, Polly Moran, written by Marion.

The film was initially a success, but the portrayal of Irish characters caused a protest in the Irish World newspaper, protests by the American Irish Vigilance Committee, and pickets outside the film's New York theatre. The film was first cut by MGM in an attempt to appease the Irish community, then eventually pulled from release after Cardinal Dougherty of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia called MGM president Nicholas Schenck. It was not shown again, and the negative and prints may have been destroyed. While the film brought Dressler to Hollywood, it did not re-establish her career. Her next appearance was a minor part in the First National film Breakfast at Sunrise. She appeared again with Moran in Bringing Up Father, another film written by Marion. Dressler returned to MGM in 1928's The Patsy as the mother of the characters played by stars Marion Davies and Jane Winton.

Hollywood was converting from silent films, but "talkies" presented no problems for Dressler, whose rumbling voice could handle both sympathetic scenes and snappy comebacks (the wisecracking stage actress in Chasing Rainbows and the dubious matron in Rudy Vallée's Vagabond Lover). Frances Marion persuaded Thalberg to give Dressler the role of Marthy in the 1930 film Anna Christie. Garbo and the critics were impressed by Dressler's acting ability, and so was MGM, which quickly signed her to a $500-per-week contract. Dressler went on to act in comedic films which were popular with movie-goers and a lucrative investment for MGM. She became Hollywood's number-one box-office attraction, and stayed on top until her death in 1934.

She also took on serious roles. For Min and Bill, with Wallace Beery, she won the 1930–31 Academy Award for Best Actress (the eligibility years were staggered at that time). She was nominated again for Best Actress for her 1932 starring role in Emma, but lost to Helen Hayes. Dressler followed these successes with more hits in 1933, including the comedy Dinner at Eight, in which she played an aging but vivacious former stage actress. Dressler had a memorable bit with Jean Harlow in the film:

Harlow: I was reading a book the other day.

Dressler: Reading a book?

Harlow: Yes, it's all about civilization or something. A nutty kind of a book. Do you know that the guy said that machinery is going to take the place of every profession?

Dressler: Oh my dear, that's something you need never worry about.

Following the release of Tugboat Annie (1933), Dressler appeared on the cover of Time, in its issue dated August 7, 1933. MGM held a huge birthday party for Dressler in 1933, broadcast live via radio. Her newly regenerated career came to an abrupt end when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1934. MGM head Louis B. Mayer learned of Dressler's illness from her doctor and reportedly asked that she not be told. To keep her home, he ordered her not to travel on her vacation because he wanted to put her in a new film. Dressler was furious but complied. She appeared in more than 40 films, and achieved her greatest successes in talking pictures made during the last years of her life. The first of her two autobiographies, The Life Story of an Ugly Duckling, was published in 1924; a second book, My Own Story, "as told to Mildred Harrington," appeared a few months after her death.

Dressler's first marriage was to an American, George Francis Hoeppert (1862 – September 7, 1929), a theatrical manager. His surname is sometimes given as Hopper. The couple married on May 6, 1894, in Grace Church Rectory, Greenville, New Jersey, as biographer Matthew Kennedy wrote, under her birth name, Leila Marie Koeber,. Some sources indicate Dressler had a daughter who died as a small child, but this has not been confirmed.

Her marriage to Hoeppert gave Dressler U.S. citizenship, which was useful later in life, when immigration rules meant permits were needed to work in the United States, and Dressler had to appear before an immigration hearing. Ever since her start in the theatre, Dressler had sent a portion of her salary to her parents. Her success on Broadway meant she could afford to buy a home and later a farm on Long Island, which she shared with her parents. Dressler made several attempts to set up theatre companies or theatre productions of her own using her Broadway proceeds, but these failed and she had to declare bankruptcy several times.

In 1907, Dressler met a Maine businessman, James Henry "Jim" Dalton, who became her companion until his death [Death Record 3104-27934] on November 29, 1921, at the Congress Hotel in Chicago from diabetes. According to Dalton, the two were married in Europe in 1908. However, according to Dressler's U.S. passport application, the couple married in May 1904 in Italy.

Dressler reportedly later learned that the "minister" who had married them in Monte Carlo was actually a local man paid by Dalton to stage a fake wedding. Dalton's first wife, Lizzie Augusta Britt Dalton, claimed he had not consented to a divorce or been served divorce papers, although Dalton claimed to have divorced her in 1905. By 1921, Dalton had become an invalid due to diabetes mellitus, and watched her from the wings in his wheelchair. After his death that year, Dressler was planning for Dalton to be buried as her husband, but Lizzie Dalton had Dalton's body returned to be buried in the Dalton family plot.

After Dalton's death, which coincided with a decline in her stage career, Dressler moved into a servant's room in the Ritz Hotel to save money. Eventually, she moved in with friend Nella Webb to save on expenses. After finding work in film again in 1927, she rented a home in Hollywood on Hillside Avenue. Although Dressler was working from 1927 on, she was still reportedly living hand to mouth. In November 1928, wealthy friends Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Neurmberg gave her $10,000, explaining they planned to give her a legacy someday, but they thought she needed the money immediately. In 1929, she moved to Los Angeles to 6718 Milner Road in Whitley Heights, then to 623 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, both rentals. She moved to her final home at 801 North Alpine in Beverly Hills in 1932, a home which she bought from the estate of King C. Gillette. During her seven years in Hollywood, Dressler lived with her maid Mamie Cox and later Mamie's husband Jerry.

Although atypical in size for a Hollywood star, Dressler was reported in 1931 to use the services of a "body sculptor to the stars", Sylvia of Hollywood, to keep herself at a steady weight.

Biographers Betty Lee and Matthew Kennedy document Dressler's long-standing friendship with actress Claire Du Brey, whom she met in 1928. Dressler and Du Brey's falling out in 1931 was followed by a later lawsuit by Du Brey, who had been trained as a nurse, claiming back wages as the elder woman's nurse.

On Saturday, July 28, 1934, Dressler died of cancer, aged 65, in Santa Barbara, California. After a private funeral held at The Wee Kirk o' the Heather chapel, she was interred in a crypt in the Great Mausoleum in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.

She left an estate worth $310,000, the bulk left to her sister Bonita.

Dressler bestowed her 1933 Duesenberg Model J automobile and $35,000 to her maid of 20 years, Mamie Steele Cox, and $15,000 to Cox's husband, Jerry R. Cox, who had served as Dressler's butler for four years. Dressler intended that the funds should be used to provide a place of comfort for black travelers, and the Coxes used the funds to open the Coconut Grove night club and adjacent tourist cabins in Savannah, Georgia, in 1936, named after the night club in Los Angeles.

Dressler's birth home in Cobourg, Ontario, is known as Marie Dressler House and is open to the public. The home was converted to a restaurant in 1937 and operated as a restaurant until 1989, when it was damaged by fire. It was restored, but did not open again as a restaurant. It was the office of the Cobourg Chamber of Commerce until its conversion to its current use as a museum about Dressler and as a visitor information office for Cobourg.[66] Each year, the Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival is held, with screenings in Cobourg and in Port Hope, Ontario. A play about the life of Marie Dressler called "Queen Marie" was written by Shirley Barrie and produced at 4th Line Theatre in 2012 and Alumnae Theatre in 2018.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dressler has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street, added in 1960. After Min and Bill, Dressler and Beery added their footprints to the cement forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, with the inscription "America's New Sweethearts, Min and Bill."

Canada Post, as part of its "Canada in Hollywood" series, issued a postage stamp on June 30, 2008, to honour Marie Dressler.

Dressler is beloved in Seattle. She played in two films based on historical Seattle characters. Tugboat Annie (1933) was loosely based on Thea Foss, of Seattle. Likewise Hattie Burns, in Politics (1931), was based on Bertha Knight Landes, the first woman to become mayor of Seattle.

Dressler's 152nd birthday was commemorated in a Google Doodle on November 9, 2020.

[montygreen]

Happy bday Leila!!! You deserve all the love and joy ❤❤❤

Thank you so much, Amanda