#loren is going so hard with the writing

[tomselleck-ian]

guys that ep floored me. on par with the amazing rudy emotion-wise. and the comedic timing was peak!!

[cipheramnesia]

Part 4: A Midnight Summer Dream

a story by @rox-and-prose and @cipheramnesia

Luna was a pale sliver of paint in the stars, a slip of the brush in the forever of the sky.

"That's it," Michele Loren said. "This is where we head our separate ways for the moment."

Laika took her hand of the control vines for Genghis Khan as she stared wordlessly. The earth civ moon, original version, a system unto itself. She had devoured all she could find about Luna, the multifacet god, in hopes to understand the call she felt in the days after leaving home. She'd put the hope of seeing Luna with her own eyes at the bottom of a box and buried the idea. Her muzzle hung slightly agape as she searched for something momentous to say, to share with GK how much it meant to be in the here and now.

She noticed Sy was watching her, and the dryad smiled and glanced away when he saw her seeing him. She blushed and her face felt hot, and she forgot her train of thought.

"I never imagined I'd rob the moon," she said.

"You're only robbing a very, very small part of it," Cat Nguyen corrected.

The crew of the Paperclip were sharing the bridge of Genghis Kahn, with varying expressions of perplexity on their faces watching the werewolf executing the peculiar movements and footwork involved in manipulating the various switches and nerves and pedals essential to a Pilot. Even Doc seemed entranced, silent through all the system jumps, or structure solutions, or whatever GK liked to call them. All except Dandridge who returned to the Paperclip immediately in a sullen huff, vowing never to set foot on GK ever again. Laika was going to need to find out what exactly GK had done to piss him off so bad.

Now they were gathering up helmets and and gloves for their envirosuits, looking around for just the right way to excuse themselves from the room which Laika had seen enough of before she was eight to recognize. "Okay," Loren said. "Well, you know. This should go fine, just stick with the plan, keep it simple, you know."

"I can do better than that," Doc (Laika still hadn't figured out if the woman was Blake Sloane, or Sloane Blake, or something else), pushing her bracelets along with the sleeve of her purple, double breasted, knitted suit jacket. "I can stick the plan to me." There was a mess of writing which Laika deeply hoped was meant to look smeared and half erased on Doc's forearm.

"That's, that's a great- Good job Sloane."

"Doctor Blake, why can't you ever get my name right?!"

"I'm sorry. Doctor Blake. Fantastic work as always." Loren turned to Laika. "Look, I don't know how to uh. You know how much work this has been for me. Well, just be careful. Make sure next time I see you, you have the godseye or Doc, or both. Or don't let me see you again?"

"Is that a threat," Sy asked.

"Think of it as friendly advice," Loren said.

"And also as a threat," Nguyen added, despite Loren's sharp look. "What?" she shot back at his frown.

"Do I have do go with these guys?" Sy looked at Laika who said "no" at the same time as Loren and Nguyen said "yes."

"We'll keep our end," Nguyen said, "along with your friend. You keep yourself along with Doc."

"Who you wouldn't be sorry to see killed, I gather."

"We'd prefer she come out of this mostly intact," Loren sounded almost apologetic.

"Okay, okay, fine. Let's not draw this out, I get it."

Loren breathed a small sigh of relief and Nguyen just smiled. "We'll get going then," he said.

"Take care of yourself," Laika gave Sy a shoulder pat as he walked by, then impulsively pulled him into a hug.

"I'll be good," he said into fur. "You have the hard job."

"Pulling off the heist?"

"Being alone with, uh, the Doc."

Loren and Nguyen waited at the entryway to the bridge. Laika set down Sy from the hug and stood her full height. "Oh," she said. "Before you go? GK, please threaten them."

Its voice coming from nowhere as usual, GK said, "Thank you Laika, for this commendable request. Captain Michele Loren of the Paperclip, please prepare for receiving a threatening missive."

"What?"

"Captain Michele Loren, Pilot Cat Nguyen, and the remaining crew of the ship Paperclip not present aboard myself, I am placing you under the advisement that should even the smallest fraction of an injury occur to Pilot Laika Blackwood, or Sy Drangea, electrical engineer, I will track you to the end of earth civilization space, and to parts unknown. You will never know safety or peace for as long as you remain alive. I will find your dreams, and take them from you. There will be no power up to and including the total heat death of this universe which will stop me from extracting your lives in payment. If you die, I will find yours souls. I will tear apart the essence of your beings. I will disperse the electrons of your bodies into every star of this universe. I will burn your souls to ash. Nothing will remain. Please ensure Sy returns safely to me upon our next meeting."

Loren stared, open mouthed.

"Uh," said Nguyen, "You're... really good at that."

"Thank you," said GK. "Your praise is insignificant to me. Please have a safe trip."

[couldawouldashoulda50]

From Completely Different Worlds - William Nylander

The Sweden Chapter - Part Two Link to Part One is here

A/N - So, I know I've mentioned a baker's dozen times that my tendency is to write longer fics, even than what I initially intend to. So I'm introducing Part Two now...with the understanding that a third part is required to hopefully tie up all the loose ends between William and Loren. Nevertheless, @misshoneyimhome, we're getting there! Again, thank you for always being so open AND encouraging to talk it out whenever a Loren/Willy thought comes up that I need to work through. Notes and Warnings - goes without saying - profanity, smut (basic p in v, oral - m receiving). Any references to past "goings on" between players and an ex, or current girlfriends, friends etc. in this piece is strictly fiction.

Word count - 5.9k 18+ only please.

Recap - Round One for the Leafs seemed to be plagued with a string of unfortunate events right from the very beginning. After the “Where’s Willy” fiasco began to dissipate, more unusual circumstances took hold which further casted a shadow over the Maple Leafs. As the games in the round progressed, the Leafs lost their grip in Games 3 and 4, finding themselves in a precarious position by Game 5. To add to matters, star player Auston Matthews fell ill, and even more speculation swirled about the almost 70 goal scorer’s dedication to winning. The situation reached a boiling point when cameras caught the 3 star forwards arguing on the bench which quickly went viral. As some headlines alluded to, it really seemed like the team was a total dumpster fire. The team had reached new heights of pressure and scrutiny within Leafs Land.

However, just when all seemed lost, the Leafs mounted a remarkable comeback. After Game 5, William, with an extraordinary performance, single-handedly scored all goals in both Games 6 and 7. Given the tight defense known in playoff hockey, scoring those goals, 3 in total, was an impressive feat. As if the Leafs got a shock from a defibrillator, the team and the city suddenly had renewed hope in mounting a surge to take Game 7.

Joe Woll stood tall, delivering an almost flawless performance in Game 6. He came excruciatingly close to securing a shutout, showcasing his outstanding ability under pressure.

Unfortunately, Woll's sustained an injury late in Game 6, leaving the team without their hot starter for the crucial Game 7.

With Woll sidelined, the responsibility fell to Ilya Samsonov, affectionately known as "Sammy" by his teammates and fans. Samsonov fought hard in the crease in Game 7, making several crucial saves to keep the Leafs' hopes alive. Despite his best efforts and the team's perseverance, fate had other plans. In a heartbreaking turn of events, the Bruins managed to clinch the series victory in overtime, sending the Leafs to yet another first-round exit. The tortured fans, players, and franchise were once again dejected—while others were spurned and filled with outrage.

In the aftermath of the disappointing playoff run, Loren and William maintained sporadic communication. Their interactions were affectionate but brief. Loren was back working several overnight shifts at the group home while scheduling and making lesson plans for her French students. She also wanted to give William the time and space that she felt he needed in the days after Game 7.

William had taken the loss hard, and as much as he wanted to feel Loren's presence, he also wanted to steer clear of feeling the void once she left him again. Instead, he navigated through exit meetings, locker clean-out day, and catching up with friends. He began to feel a sense of excitement as offseason travel plans were confirmed, as well as family get-togethers at their lake house in Sweden.

The day William was scheduled to leave for Stockholm hit Loren harder than she anticipated. She wasn't sure of the time of his flight, but it didn't matter anyway. She already had a pit in her stomach just with the knowledge. She told herself that perhaps by the time William returned for the 2024 season, something between them would be solidified, whether it would break her heart or not. A lot could change for both of them in the coming months.

Outside his building, William loaded his SUV with some additional hockey gear when a message from Loren appeared on his cell. It was a heartfelt note—humorous, nostalgic, and positive. He'd planned to make last-minute stops for Toronto souvenirs for the younger kids in his family, but suddenly, seeing Loren seemed far more important.

Truth be told, he was only planning on video-calling her once he was at the airport. He had a lot of emotions swirling around, especially for Loren. He didn’t want do that Hollywood scene of him driving away, leaving the woman he cared for behind.

However thoughts lingered in his head that it was a shitty thing to do given all the support she gave him, and well - just her being her.

William, who rarely made impulsive decisions, changed his mind. He decided to surprise her and to say goodbye in person before his departure.

The 40-minute drive north felt oddly therapeutic, trading the shadows of the city's high-rises with the shade of mature trees. William thought to himself how much he enjoyed escaping to Loren's here and there after they met. Pablo and Banksy had a yard to run around in, while William and Loren snuggled in a lounge chair on the deck, mouths red from making out.

William had checked that Loren was home before he departed, thanks to her location settings still enabled on her phone. It was weeks ago that William asked her to turn the share location settings on, just to see who would arrive at his condo first - him from the airport and her from the suburbs. He won the race - but she got the reward of him, impatiently waiting and hungry for her to get there.

He pulled along the curb to her house, finding her outside, engrossed in yard work with her earbuds in. She had her long mane pulled through the back of a baseball cap, and the rest of her exposed skin was streaked with dirt and covered in sweat.

William couldn't help but be impressed by the sight of Loren working in her yard. Not to mention that he found her absolutely stunning this way. He surveyed her house, she had accomplished a lot since he was there last. Her porch was adorned with flower containers that had started to blossom with vibrant colors, and had large hanging ferns which added an almost tropical flair. This house represented more than just a roof over Loren's head, and the way she cared for it spoke volumes about how much she effort she put in her surroundings. For a moment, William found himself imagining what it would be like to come home to her, knowing how calm and peaceful she made his space feel too.

Loren turned and spotted William walking up the path. Her eyes lit up and she flashed him a bright smile as as he approached her.

He started to pull her in for a hug her when she stopped him, shaking her head. “I’m filthy, sweaty and probably smell like…hmm….well, never mind - just not good…” she laughed.

William brought her into him and hugged her tightly anyway.

He told her she looked like she could use a break and commented that her yard looked phenomenal. The two walked into the house together, making the typical small talk - Loren asking questions, William answering and then a little bit of teasing each other.

Loren offered William a drink, which he accepted. They sat under the pergola of the back deck, which also boasted lush green plants that provided additional privacy.

Although the conversation remained easy, there was a weight to the overall mood and tone. Loren mentioned how strange it was not to see the dogs trotting through the house after him. Once she said it, her throat tightened with emotions that she had been fighting to subdue. Knowing Pablo and Banksy were already in Stockholm underscored the finality of William's departure.

William could see Loren's efforts to remain composed and positive, knowing that there was a cyclone of feelings that churned inside each of them. She continued to show interest in how the first weeks back in Stockholm would look for him. He wanted to ask her more, but she'd always turn the subject back onto him, almost as though she assumed her plans wouldn't interest him.

It's not how he felt. Not by a mile, but he had a flight to catch, so his questions were left unanswered.

Loren glanced at her watch and knew that William needed to leave. She reached for his empty glass as he stood, following her back into the house.

She set the glasses down on the counter and they began to walk to the front door. Loren was beginning to say her goodbyes, her voice not yet breaking but on its way.

He took a chance and pulled her tightly against him, telling her how deeply he appreciated everything she did for him. He had thought of a million ways to thank her but, knowing how stubborn she'd be in accepting any gratitude, he set his thoughts aside. Yet, he wanted to make sure she heard him now.

Loren's throat tightened as she fought to maintain composure. She endured the firm embrace, yearning for it to never end. William’s kiss followed, a moment so intense it seemed to lift her off her feet. And once again, he was gone.

As William drove away, he grappled with conflicting emotions. He felt he shouldn't be leaving her—she should be coming with him. He understood Loren's past necessity to "live to work," but he admired her tireless efforts to shift towards "working to live."

All the same, it frustrated him that she'd probably never accept anything from him costlier than a meal in an expensive restaurant. Even if he offered to take her on a trip, she'd likely decline, unable to afford "her half” of the cost. Shaking his head at the thought of her stubbornness, he continued his drive back to the city.

Meanwhile, Loren began to undress and have a long, hot shower. The tears that had welled up in her eyes after William had left had fallen, been swiped away, and now had vanished. As she stood in the steady stream of warm water, she contemplated that she had the same thought as the last time he left. She would miss him. She felt he was inherently good and kind, and would always cherish her moments with him.

At the same time, Loren knew the months ahead for each of them would be totally different.

William's days would be filled with seeing friends and family, attending get-togethers, celebrations, and just catching up with loved ones.

He would travel, eat, and drink, while meeting the most beautiful women, whom one, or even a few, might be blessed by his touch throughout the night.

Loren's imminent future, albeit not nearly as glamorous as William's, still excited her. From her staunchly frugal ways in the past, she had learned to save money, which she squirreled away for something unusual—special. She was considering a much-needed break. Two weeks in the Caribbean sounded heavenly, and she almost had the funds to make the trip happen, plus cover whatever time away from work that her vacation pay wouldn't cover.

The additional funds she had begun to make with her tutoring were making other dreams she had more of a reality as well. Loren felt like she was getting control of her life, and it felt good.

—

The remainder of May, and throughout June was spent in William’s traditional manner, a much-deserved period of decompression after a rollercoaster of a season. The 2023/2024 season was one to remember for William. He began the season breaking personal and franchise records, dominated the headlines on and off the ice at the Global Series in Stockholm, and was a fan-voted addition to the All-Stars. He broke his season point total, and scored 40 goals for the second season in a row.

He earned every bit of rest, relaxation and time spent doing whatever he wanted.

William's calendar quickly filled up with an array of engagements. His phone buzzed constantly with invitations from friends eager to catch up. There were tennis matches to watch, exotic vacations to take, golf games to win, and family to visit. With a constant jammed-packed itinerary, moments when he was alone were rare. Nevertheless, William happily immersed himself in the vibrant social life that accompanied his stardom.

However, in those moments he found himself alone, he would occasionally scroll through pictures during his times with Loren. Some were posed shots but some were candid moments. Either way, her beauty and her sweetness was captured in each one. He thought about messaging her, but with hundreds of message notifications every time he accessed his phone, he continually put it off. He considered for a brief moment to call, but he was stuck in a suspended state in his mind - wanting to talk to her but inevitably talking himself out of it.

In late June, William was out to dinner with friends before he departed for the annual Nylander family vacation. It was a fun and casual dinner with one of his closest friends and former teammate, Rasmus Sandin (aka Sandy), as well as few hockey players from Modo, his former hockey club in Sweden.

William’s phone buzzed as it did continuously throughout the day, but this time, the sender caught his attention. It was Max Domi, William’s teammate. Max and William were friends, but at that moment, William found it odd that Max would message him outside of their customary group chat.

Sandy saw the perplexed look on William’s face and leaned in to glance at his phone. The two shared no secrets so William angled his phone for Sandy to see.

Max’s note to go with the accompanying picture was fairly simple.

M - Look who came to visit Estelle today…

A picture of Loren appeared. Estelle, Max’s girlfriend who is a professional make-up artist, took a candid shot of her new model, as Loren touched up her lipstick.

Loren’s image jolted William. He felt an ache deep within him as he absorbed every detail of the photo. Her hair was loosely pinned on either side, her long, sandy blonde curls fell across her back. The little simple satin little black dress that adorned her curves perfectly.

Sandy’s brows lifted on his face as he turned to his long-time buddy. “Who’s that? Wait…that’s - is that Loren?”

“Yeah, that’s her. Fucking Max, man - I don’t know what the fuck is going on.”

“What- so he sent you the picture? What is she doing with him?” Sandy shook his head. “Does he know you two were sort of dating or whatever it was?” Sandy’s expression was a mix of confusion and wariness on William’s behalf.

William exited the picture and re-read Max’s tex. “Hold on - he said she was visiting Max’s girlfriend. Ok, yeah….they’ve met, I knew they had been talking here and there, but I don’t get why she’s all dressed up, like hair and make-up sort of thing.”

Sandy rolled his eyes a little, feeling the answer was pretty obvious. “Probably club-hopping…”

It was William’s turn to roll his eyes. “At 2 in the afternoon? C’mon man.” William chuckled.

Sandy shrugged his shoulders. “Couldn’t been taken at a different time….fuck’d if I know….just guessing.”

William’s stomach was turning, which turned him off the rest of his burger. He texted Max back, and the two quickly caught up with their whereabouts and other goings on.

He was glad the boys just wanted to head home after dinner - William was in no mood for going out to a bar. All he could think about is going home and calling Loren. And that’s exactly what he did.

William messaged Loren first to find out if she was busy. It didn’t take her long to respond, first with a buoyant greeting, followed by she’s at work but she can talk for awhile.

Loren was outside at the group home taking a break on the patio when William video called her. She still had whatever make-up hadn’t evaporated or rubbed off from her visit with Estelle. William was completely mesmerized for a moment when he saw her on the screen.

The pair chatted enthusiastically as Loren asked a million questions, while William willingly answered them all.

In reality though, he was the one with the burning questions and he patiently waited for the right moment.

It came when Loren apologized for bombarding him, and asked if everything was ok.

“Oh, yeah - everything’s good….I just - Max sent me a pic of you today and —”

Loren interrupted with an apologetic groan. “Fuck, I’m so sorry - I told him not to bug you with that.” Loren continued with a slight laugh. “I don’t know if you have to use reverse psychology to get Max to listen - I just didn’t want him to bother you on vacation.”

“Loren - it’s no bother - it’s a beautiful picture…I’m glad he sent it but I didn’t really understand…I mean, are you and his girlfriend hanging out or….like three of you or….?” William’s voice trailed off.

“No, I - not really. Estelle and I sort of kept in touch after we met that first time you brought me out at that lounge. I needed some advice from her and I reached out. Ended up taking some pictures at her little studio.”

William's nerves began to settle. He realized that he had a certain possessiveness towards Loren, especially a) when he was thousands of kilometers away from where she was and b) she was in close proximity to Max, his current teammate. Max had a "shared" experience with a girl that later dated William, which added to his overall unease.

Loren explained that an unsolicited and unexpected opportunity arose which just happened to be right up her alley. The catch, however, was that it involved Loren teaching French dialogue to mature students, which would be recorded and posted across a number of social media platforms. Loren was never one to post much online, and William saw the humor in Loren landing a job that would shove her completely out of her comfort zone.

Loren heard William laughing as she rhymed off every self-deprecating thought she had about being in front of a camera. She jokingly scoffed at William not to make fun of her as she laughed along with him.

Despite her own misgivings, the company that hired her was thrilled with what they saw, but they wanted Loren a little more "glammed up," so she reached out to Estelle to help balance her makeup with the ring lights used for recording content.

William asked how the company discovered her in the first place.

Loren sighed. "Oh god—it was Chelsea, my friend's daughter, who roped me into doing this thing for her new position at her work. She's the one who lent me all of those clothes—you know, that red dress and—"

William fucking loved that dress on her. "I remember it well—you surprised me in it one night… that was a fucking good night…"

"Mmmm… it was," Loren said affectionately. She remembered it well. too. William had invited her to stay after returning from a road trip to Buffalo back in late March. The minute William walked in and saw her in that dress, he bent her over the arm of his couch. It was the first time he had been more dominant with her, and she couldn't get enough of him that night.

Loren had to veer off the memory lane of past sex-capades with William and get back on the subject.

"I just—I have never really gotten into the whole influencer, content creation stuff… I didn't really realize how it all worked. I've known Chelsea for a long time—she's always asking to style me. When I agreed, she kind of interviewed me about the tutoring thing after I was all dolled up. She presented it to her company, they loved it and she got the green light to post it. One thing led to another and all of a sudden, I get hired doing this. It's unreal how quickly it's all happened."

William had a sinking feeling. Loren truly was a rare diamond, and he knew how lucky he was to know her. But with her beauty, both inside and out, she was going to garner a lot of attention online. William knew how unfair it was to feel this way, but he didn't want others to know how amazing and special she is—like she was this exquisite secret that only he knew about.

"So would I be considered a mature student? Could you give me a French lesson for free? Heading to Saint-Tropez in a few days so I could use some help," William smiled as he spoke.

"Mature might be a stretch—," Loren laughed.

"Hey now—be nice…," William teasingly warned.

"Hmmmm….knowing the things you’ll get up to, one phrase should suffice. I’m surprised it's not in your normal Saint Tropez repertoire. Ready? Okay - here it is. 'Voulez-vous… coucher…"

"Oh my fucking —come on…," William laughed.

Loren drew out every single syllable. "Avec moi… ce soir."

William could feel the heat rising in his face. She assumed he would be on some sort of fuck fest while on vacation. Maybe that was accurate once upon a time but not as much nowadays, and certainly not while he was with family.

"That hurts that you think that… I'm not with a different girl every day…," William played it off as a joke but it did hurt his feelings a little.

Loren thought about uttering one more jab, but he did sound a little miffed. "Sorry, just jealous I suppose… I admit it." William could hear her smiling as she conceded.

After ending the call with Loren, William felt the same unsettling sensation growing in his core. once again. He threw a few more items in his suitcase, closed it up and wheeled it aside while he tried to calm how aggravated he felt.

He sent a text to female friend from his Stockholm roster. A beneficial friend that he felt might help take the edge off.

He received a quick response. She’d be over in an hour.

—

The pairing between the Nylanders and Saint-Tropez is like discovering the perfect wine to pair with a gorgeous meal. Life is so good when they're together.

This year's trip to the south of France expanded beyond the immediate family and significant others. William and Alex invited friends to join them at various points during their stay at the villa. Alex had rekindled his relationship with his former flame, Isla, whose closest friends also arrived as part of the group.

Their place of sunny refuge was usually buzzing with people, either staying back to enjoy some peace by the pool or venturing into town for some shopping.

When "the boys" were there, they worked out together on the pool deck, every muscle group being worked—their darkening skin glistened with sweat in the sun.

When "the girls" were there, they lay in the sun by the pool, their perfectly formed ass cheeks tanned golden brown.

William generally kept his distance while harmlessly admiring Isla's friends from afar. Margot, one of Isla's closest friends, admired William too, but she made her intentions far more obvious than he did on a few occasions.

Isla was thrilled with the thought of Margot getting with William. One of her best friends with Alex's brother who was also his closest friend—it would be a dream. As they got older, they'd get married, children may come, their summers spent together.

Isla could picture it all.

Alex, on the other hand, tried to temper Isla's expectations. He was aware that William, who remained stoically single, might not have any long-term interests in Margot. After hearing how Loren stayed with William during his episodes, and noticing the way William looked when he talked about her, it was clear to Alex that his brother's interests remained tied to Loren.

Meanwhile, William was thoroughly enjoying his time with family and friends, but the inkling he had back in Stockholm—a feeling he couldn't pinpoint or define—would materialize every now and again.

When it was there, it nagged him… like the feeling of walking into a room and forgetting why he was there. There was no pattern or explanation that William could think of for why he sometimes felt a yearning for something that seemed to elude him.

Other times, he knew he was envious while watching Alex and Isla kiss and hold hands as they walked in town.

These unresolved feelings were what motivated him to put his guard down with Margot, allowing her to make a move late one evening in the pool.

Her advances were initially playful as she toyed with him under the water's surface. Soon, her hands moved more explicitly over William's swim shorts, charming his cock with the palm of her hand.

Mouths were soon attached to skin, breasts were exposed, and one need pressed firmly against another.

William followed Margot as they quietly made their way to William's bedroom. She had a towel wrapped around her lean, naked body while William had her string bikini wadded up in his hand.

Margot was young, pretty and slender—a description which seemed totally interchangeable with the females in Isla's friend group.

William lay on his back, naked—his erection levitated his cock slightly. Margot slid her body between his legs as she ran her fingers up his chest.

"I saw the pictures from your first vacation," Margot purred. "Loved your bare chest."

Given that William's chest hair was starting to grow back, he was confused if she was complimenting him or not.

Margot soon had William's cock in her mouth. She felt good, but the sound of her slurping seemed to increase and echoed throughout the room. William really didn't want anyone to overhear, so he gently asked Margot if she could go more slowly, to which she obliged.

William tried all of his usual moves to get the mood going within him. He smoothed back her hair as her eyes fixed on his while she sucked his cock. As he watched her, suddenly a flash of Loren's face exploded in his mind. William laid back, remembering how Loren's gaze was so hypnotic, it always rendered William defenseless as she took her time feasting on him.

William's mind snapped back to Margot as she rapidly stroked his shaft. He thought he heard her call him "Daddy," but he wasn't sure. He had nothing against being called that as a rule, but he was not in the mood for it right then.

Enthusiastically, she climbed on top of him, lowered herself down onto his cock in a slow squat using his outstretched arms for leverage. William's body bounced against the mattress as Margot whimpered, gliding up and down his cock. William cupped under her ass cheeks to help alleviate the muscle strain in her legs of each squat as her pussy slid up and down his shaft. Margot's long blonde hair looked like hand-spun gold silk as she threw her head back and continued to bounce on top of him.

Much like the slurping, the sound of skin slapping against skin seemed to reverberate rather loudly.

William propped himself up, allowing Margot to hold onto his shoulders and slide down his shaft while he began driving himself upward. The sex was quieter until Margot began to slap her own ass and moan.

William politely told her they had to be a little quieter. His parents and sisters were just down the hall.

Margot nodded as she switched from squatting to straddling his cock.

As she laid him back, another image of Loren appeared in William's mind. The memory of their last time together where Loren took complete care of him in every way. How she took her time, wanting him to feel the very heights of pleasure. And he did, with the two orgasms she skillfully coaxed out of him.

William's fingers tweaked Margot's nipples as she rode him rhythmically.

Margot began grinding furiously on his cock. She gripped William's wrist with one hand while stroking her clit with the other. She tried to stifle her cries as she clenched and quivered with the intensity of her release.

There was nothing William could do about the loud creaks from the bed or the panting from Margot after she climaxed.

If anyone does hear, maybe they'll assume it was Alex and Isla, William hoped.

After Margot's orgasm, she focused on William. She sucked, licked, and stroked his cock but frustratingly, his orgasm was just out of reach.

Taking a breather, she lay on her back stroking herself as William took the reins and began lightly and rapidly stroking near his tip. As he kneeled beside her, Margot smiled up at William, biting her lip as she played with her pussy.

The room was quiet, minus the sound of wetness from between Margot's legs and the distinct jerking motion of William's hand. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth as the pressure of arousal began to build.

He heard Loren's soft voice playing inside of his head. He would hear her say that she wanted so badly to taste him. She would moan his name, telling him how incredible he felt. She would breathlessly say how amazing he was to her.

He felt his orgasm taking hold. "Can you touch my balls—just touch them gently," William quietly instructed Margot.

That's what Loren would do. She had a natural sense of what would provide William the most intense pleasure, despite her limited sexual experience.

Margot began to fondle his balls and lick the tip of his cock as he continued to pump himself faster.

William's muscles around his torso began to clench as his orgasm hit and spurts of cum landed on Margot's cheek and lips.

She promptly wiped herself off with the bunched-up sheets that felt moist to the touch from their bodies' bliss. She stood up on the mattress, kissed William, and sauntered into the washroom to freshen up.

William sat at the edge of the bed, his cock softening as he focused on the light from the washroom.

This was the second time he had trouble finishing. He had faced the same frustration with the tryst he had in Stockholm before he left for Saint-Tropez.

He felt a deep-seated frustration now. This was not a Margot issue or his friend-with-benefits issue.

This was a William issue.

He pulled on his shorts and waited for Margot to exit the bathroom. He wasn't keen on having her sleep there—it would be awkward enough if they had been heard through the thick walls of their villa. Seeing them exit his bedroom together would add to the quiet and questioning looks he might receive from his parents.

Margot meandered back towards the bed with a fresh towel wrapped around her. "I probably should go back to my room. I don't know what everyone will think if they find me in bed with you tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah?" William made it sound like the same thought hadn't occurred to him. "Maybe, yeah… don't need to take the risk right now. Good idea." He smiled as she approached him, giving him a light kiss on the mouth.

"Thanks, Willy—that was fun… maybe we can figure out another time when no one's around before I leave?" Margot was hopeful she'd have another chance with him, but she wasn't going to hold her breath.

William nodded. "For sure we can." It was somewhere between a fib and the truth.

After Margot closed the door, William grabbed his phone.

Loren was all he had on his mind now.

He opened up YouTube and searched "Chelsea" plus "Loren Girard". He immediately got a hit.

William's eyes were glued to the screen watching as Chelsea, whose personality was as spicy as her wardrobe choices, interviewed Loren while her hair and makeup were done, adding an intimate behind-the-scenes feel to the segment. Loren was simply charming with her humble yet vibrant disposition, while articulating genuine and thoughtful responses.

William had expected to see Loren nervous about being in front of a camera, based on her own admissions. If she was nervous, it never showed—only her grace and poise were apparent.

At the end of the interview, they showed Loren in five outfit ensembles, all from budget-friendly sources. Loren made her little plug, encouraging everyone to keep the art of verbal communication alive in any language, and mentioned her tutoring venture as her last point.

The segment was exactly as it should be: informative, entertaining, and uplifting.

William rested against the headboard of his bed and looked back down at his phone.

It dawned on him what the feeling was that had been plaguing his mind—his insides.

He had to try and fix it and do something about it.

He swiped open his message app, found Loren's name and their last text exchange.

William typed in a simple statement.

W - I miss you so much.

—

Loren sat at her new-to-her desk that she had salvaged, repaired, and repainted with relative ease. Part of her new third job, which took up a minimal number of hours per week, was learning to edit the videos that she records.

While she replayed, layered, and snipped each recording, she snacked on her dinner, which was a small meal of avocado toast. It was far too hot to cook.

Her phone chimed right at the point where she was about to add animations to the reel. Whoever texted her would have to wait.

Loren sighed deeply as she turned her focus back to the screen. Replaying her segment, she tested some filters and made other enhancements until she was satisfied with the end result.

Once she clicked save on the final edit, she rubbed her eyes under the reading glasses she finally accepted that she needed. She stretched while padding to the kitchen and grabbed herself a vodka cooler from the fridge. She headed outside with her phone to enjoy the waning hours of the day with a cold drink.

She sat on the front step of her porch in the balmy evening air and took a long swig from the can. The carbonation made her hiccup loudly — she hoped her neighbors weren't outside to hear it.

Loren tapped the screen, and upon seeing William's name, her pulse jumped and her face flushed.

"I miss you so much." Such a simple statement, but the weight it carried was enormous. The words felt laden with sadness and regret. Words that Loren never anticipated William would ever feel for her, much less say.

Loren missed him too, but she had kept this knowledge as a safely guarded secret.

Letting him in on that secret made her vulnerable to more heartache in the future — she was almost certain of it.

Opposing thoughts clashed in Loren's mind, and she could not decipher if her worries were fear-based or just simple logic.

But this is William. William, who gave her a spark. Made her laugh until her sides hurt. Made her want to remain forever in his kiss.

Loren exhaled deeply and decided that when in doubt, stick with the facts.

Apprehensively, she responded.

L - I miss you too, William.

[copperbadge]

Hey Sam. Considering some recent posts I thought you might be interested in this article.

A deaf and blind mind: What it's like to have no visual imagination and no inner voice?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-01/aphantasia-no-visual-imagination-inner-voice/103649486

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend! Cheers, Kate.

Oh, thanks for this! And apologies my response is like a MONTH LATE :D

It's an interesting article because it's more about the study than the topic directly -- which is not a bad thing, it's cool to see people working in that space getting profiled and hopefully getting attention/funding on account of it.

Especially interesting was the discussion of ways of "having" thoughts and the fact that Derek doesn't pre-hear his speech. I do actually often rehearse what I'm going to say but primarily, I think more like Loren, when I'm writing -- I may, for example, get a question on Tumblr and go about my chores for the next half hour kind of mentally laying out how I'll respond, but it's not like I hear my own voice, I'm just structuring the response. And I don't usually pre-hear spoken thoughts -- I don't pre-hear them at all, but if I'm going to give a presentation or have a difficult conversation I will often work out some modes of speech/response ahead of time.

I'm of two opinions about the reference to the mind being "deaf and blind" -- my knee-jerk reaction is that it's an actively bad way to describe aphantasia, because it implies that there's an impairment to cognition itself, which I don't think is the case. On the other hand, we don't think of hearing or visually impaired people as lacking senses, just as having a different experience of them, which does line up with how aphantic cognition happens, at least I think. It's true that unless I'm actively working at it, I don't see or hear anything in my mind, and even when I'm working at it I generally can't "hear" -- I can recite song lyrics mentally and they will be in the rhythm of the song, but I don't hear the music or the singer.

There's a highly stupid "test" that's gone around that's meant to indicate if you're transgender, which asks you to imagine a stick with a red end and a blue end, floating vertically in front of you, with the red end on the bottom and the blue end on the top. You're meant to imagine it rotating three times end over end, and then say what position the colored ends are in (which is on bottom, which is on top) after the rotation. Apparently depending on whether you have a "male" or "female" mind, you'll read "rotate three times" differently and a different color will be on top. This is self-evidently dumb but also when I encountered it I had to keep re-reading it because I couldn't picture something so abstract, let alone picture it moving, and I kept forgetting what was supposed to be where. Gender essentialism: defeated by neurodiversity!

In any case, I don't have the deep, profound grief that some people who were diagnosed with cognitive disability post-adolescence have, I think in part because my ADHD is mild and I did okay -- not great, but sufficient -- without treatment. But I do think that if I had been diagnosed with ADHD or known about aphantasia when I was a kid (not that it was conceptually present in the field when I was a kid) I would have probably gone into neuroscience or some related profession, or I would have stuck with my psych degree in undergrad. The longer I do this reading the more I wish I was working in that space. I don't think I have it in me to go back to school for a hard science, especially not if I continue working, but in a different world, I would have liked to have been a contributor to this kind of work.

[copiousloverofcopia]

Hey there Ghesties!

I don't feel much like celebrating Independence Day, but I always feel like celebrating Secondo so...

Thanks to my love ghestie @alaskarostova here is some Secondo x Loren continuation story (from my Papas In Love story, Let There Be Night) as the ghouls finally meet the twins!

I hope you all enjoy and thank you for staying with me.

Honestly, I have been struggling to find the desire and motivation...not to mention time to write as of late.

There is a lot going on in this Prime Mover's world, so it's been hard to write.

I appreciate you all so much!

*Art by my talented ghestie @sirlsplayland

The Sound of Purrs

Secondo and his Prime Mover, Loren, are exhausted in the morning hours following the birth of their twins Marianna and Christian. While the two of them revel in the bliss of their new family, a knock on the infirmary door will change Secondo's definition of "family" forever.

Also available HERE on AO3! Want to read the original story this is based on, go HERE!

Read below the cut!

It had been a whirlwind of a night. The sun, having just settled into its position in the sky. The morning light, shining through the windows in the infirmary. Settling warmly across the room, now still and serenely quiet.

Loren smiled softly, humming to herself as she awoke from a much-needed rest. The contented Prime Mover, holding her newborn twins closely in her arms. Her eyes falling over to her loving Papa, sitting on the edge of the bed—ever present at her side. Both of them, taking in the moment. Soaking up the warmth from the rising sound and feeling a sense of relief beyond measure.

This was a moment they both had waited for. One that they had never imagined in the beginning would ever come to them. They had gone through so much together in such a short time. Only a little of a year had passed since Secondo had called the timid Sister into his office. Offering her a change to have the child she always dreamed of. A business proposition that had manifested into more than they dare hope. 

Their tumultuous, but deeply felt, romance had led to a further complicated pregnancy. All of which had culminated in a precipitous birth. Triggered by an attack that Secondo blamed himself for allowing to happen. Thankfully now it was all over. 

Loren’s ex would be punished, lucky to still have his life, kept far away from the family they had created. Loren and Secondo, now finally able to relax. Both of them, smiling as they watched their little ones sleeping away in their mother’s arms. Small chests rising and falling as they filled with each breath—healthy and happy. 

The Papa and his Prime Mover were already completely enamored by them. Their pale skin, like porcelain—so delicate and unflawed. Each of them bearing their father’s right eye and a hint of their mother’s grace. It was only hours after their arrival and already they had become their mother and father’s reason for being. 

The couple’s starry-eyed wonderment came to a brief halt when a knock rang out from behind the infirmary room door. Secondo smiled over at Loren as he rose up from his spot on the bed. The indentation of his body, slowly disappearing as he stretched himself out. Still stiff and sore from having slept beside Loren on the less than desirable sofa.

“I’ll see who it is. You rest there momma.” he smiled, bringing himself down to kiss her. His lips placed gently atop the crown of her head. Taking in the sweet scent of her hair—a small memento to carry with him as he made his way to the door. 

“Ok.” she smiled back, letting out a gentle sigh as he pulled away. Walking slowly towards the door, carefully turning the handle before he attempted to open it. All the while doing his best to regulate the creaking. Hoping that he might keep the little ones in their slumber for just a bit longer. 

As the door came ajar, he could see a familiar face staring back at him. It was Earth, one of his most trusted ghouls, waiting for him in the hall. The ghoul’s ghastly eyes, glowing white with fear as he swallowed back. Gathering the nerve to speak with his Papa. After all, as with any other Papa, it was well known that his ghouls had a resounding respect for him. With Secondo however, it was also one that was laden with a healthy amount of fear and caution.

“Papa.” The ghoul spoke softly. The ghoul’s eyes, coming up to nervously meeting with his Papa’s. Earth could feel the intensity of his heart. Beating faster in his chest than ever before as he wished he hadn’t let the other’s talk him into being the one to address him. 

“What is it ghoul?” Secondo asked him, his voice filled with a familiar annoyance as he brought his hand up to rub at his tired eyes. The exhaustion of all that had occurred, finally having taken its toll. 

“It’s um…um…well the guys and I…” he began. Secondo was amused at Earth’s disheveled response. Noticing, the more his vision regained focus, that there was a cluster of ghouls—his ghouls standing there in the hall. Each of them; Air, Fire, Aether, and Water—all patiently waiting as he and Earth spoke. 

They all stood in a respectful silence. An expectation, and the decorum, they had all been well accustomed to since their summoning. Secondo noticed that there was something different about them today as he looked at them. Though it took a few moments, while Earth was still gathering his words, Secondo realized that all of the ghouls’ tails were slowly swaying. 

The side to side motion was a sure sign that they were happy—even more so that they were feeling excited. It was even more apparently with Aether, whose tail was practically wagging. The poor ghoul, too excited to fully contain himself. Secondo smiled, bringing up his hand to hold out before Earth. Stopping the ghouls stammering in its tracks as they all stood waiting for what their Papa might say.

“Hmm… Let me guess. You want to see them?” Secondo hummed, realizing what they had come for. It had been so obvious that the ghouls wanted to see the babies. Children they would help to protect and serve above even their own Papa. The future rulers and heads of the Ministry. 

“Yes… please Papa. We promise we will be so so careful.” Water assured him. Pushing past Earth to plead his case. The rest of the ghouls, coming to lean in. Waiting with bated breath to hear what he might say in response. Secondo surprised them with the raising of his brow and the pressing of his lips into a thin smile. His visage, both intimidating and worrying as he readied to answer them. 

Just before he did, however, he shocked them. Closing the door in Earth’s face. The horde of ghouls standing in shock out in the hall. Staring into the grain of the door as if it had mesmerized them—still realizing what had just happened. 

On the other side of the door, Secondo turned around to face Loren. His Prime Mover staring back at him in confusion. Chewing her bottom lips as her nerves mounted. “Sec…” she began before Secondo shrugged, giving her back a smirk. Hinting to her that he was only toying with them. 

“What do you say amata? Shall we let them see our prince and princess?” he asked her. Loren’s eyes lighting up.

“Absolutely. Let them in already.” she said, excited and smiling back at him. Trying her best to sit up in bed. Secondo opened the door again to find his ghouls hunched over and beginning to walk down the hall. Backs to the door as they prepared a return to the front of the infirmary. Guarding the newborns and their parents with a sense of devotion and loyalty.

“Cosa state facendo tutti? Entrate qui subito.” Secondo snapped, all the ghouls quickly turning back around to face him. Their fangs bared, but only in their grinning. Gleefully bounding past him into the room—all eyes fixed on Loren and the small bundles she held in each of her arms. 

“Buongiorno amici.” Loren said softly. Her face, glowing—beautiful and happy. All of the ghouls were amazed at how she could look so good after having gone through so much only hours before.

“Buongiorno signora, possiamo possiamo vederli?” Water asked, slowly approaching Loren’s left side. The four others standing close by Papa. Waiting for their turn to visit the babies.  

“Of course you can.” Loren responded, ready to hand little Christian over to him. The ghoul, carefully taking the sleeping infant from his mother. His nerves, firing as he caught sight of Secondo glaring at him. Cautiously standing by, his own nerves held on edge. 

Secondo, already struggling with having anyone other than himself and Loren hold them. Holding back on his protests and concerns. All the while, trusting his Prime Mover’s judgment that all would be fine in the end. Knowing that at this point in their lives, she knew the ghouls even better than him. 

It was in the first half of her pregnancy, when Loren had grown quite close with them. A hard time for everyone involved. The two of them at odds with one another. Something they both would rather forget. 

She was left feeling betrayed, alone, and struggling with the pain of what she thought she might never have. It was then the ghouls were there. Giving her the strength to continue on as a haven for comfort and support in her time of need. Shoulders to cry on and arms to be held in while she waited for Secondo to come to his senses. 

A struggle that thankfully soon came to an end. Managing to bring them all so close together that it was rumored the ghouls were now more loyal to her than even Papa. And while that might have been assumed as a serious transgression towards their beloved Papa, it was a fact that Secondo himself actively supported. After all Loren and their then unborn children meant more to him than his own life. He would have willed it so had it not happened organically. Loren and the babies' well being held above all else. 

“Go on you fools before I change my mind.” Secondo groaned as the others skittishly approached. Aether, finally stepping over alongside Loren and Marianna.

“Can I?” Aether asked, Loren nodding her head before placing her daughter in Aether’s arms. The ghoul cradled Marianna close to his chest. Feeling tears welling up in his eyes, and so worried that he might break such a fragile perfect thing. “She’s beautiful Loren.” he began watching as Secondo sent him a look. Hearing the ghoul speaking so informally to his Prime Mover. “Ah...I mean Prime Mover, of course.” he laughed nervously.

Quickly the rest of the ghoul came a bit closer. Air and Earth by Aether and Fire by Water. All of them, staring down at the small babies with such love in their eyes. It was only when Marianna began wiggling around in Aether’s arms that he freaked out. Jolting up a bit, and worried that he might have done something wrong. Wincing when he saw Secondo’s eyes growing wide.

“You drop her, I skin you alive ghoul.” Papa warned. Aether, instantly panicking as he quickly handed the infant to her father. Secondo let out a resounding chuckle, waking both the infants with his resonance.

“Now you’ve done it.” Loren laughed, watching as Christian awoke. Looking up unexpectedly into Water’s eyes. Readying the telltale scrunching of his nose and eyes pressing shut before letting out a tiny but powerful cry. 

“I think…I think I broke it.” Water said. His voice filled with some concern, but more so a playful sarcasm. Then, as if on instinct, he began swaying the baby back and forth. Gently moving until the baby had begun to settle once more. His little mismatched gaze fixed back on Water. 

Suddenly Secondo felt remorseful for having not considered introducing the ghouls before. Even more so for having been so harsh with Aether, not that he’d admit it to anyone but Loren. Keeping his thoughts to himself as his actions proved the Papa’s true feelings. Tapping the ghoul on the shoulder and motioning towards him with the baby. Aether was dumbfounded, looking into his Papa’s eyes for reassurance. Secondo nodded, handing him back his, now awake, newborn daughter. 

The ghoul was thrilled to have the baby back in his arms. Taking a page from Water’s book and swaying the baby gently as he walked. His tail, now fully wagging with excitement as he held her. Fire, Air, and Earth deciding to huddle close around Aether and Water as they held the babies. 

Secondo took his place back next to Loren. Allowing himself to rest beside her and trusting that she knew better than he about the ghouls' capabilities and tenderness. Loren was elated with the turn of events. Taking her husband’s hand in hers before pulling him down to kiss her. Aether and Water, carefully going to sit on the sofa across from them. 

At some point it became too much for them. All of the ghouls, unable to control their smiles—hoping that their fanged grins wouldn’t scare baby Marianna and Christian. To their delight the infants were completely unphased by their hellish appearance. Instead, they were engrossed with them. It was as if they had somehow could feel the ghouls' intentions. Their will and need to protect them from any harm that might come.

As the hell born creatures grew more comfortable with them, the nervous energy in the room began to dissipate. Carefully, and one at a time, the ghouls began taking turns to study them. Gliding their fingers across the babies’ chubby cheeks while marveling in their adorable features. Gently holding their heads, so tiny and sparsely covered in hair—being extra careful with their claws as the little ones wiggled in their arms. The ghouls, positively in love with each and every one of their little coos. 

These little beings stealing their hearts thought they had only known them mere minutes. The sound of their contentment, echoing loudly in the room. A smile spread wide across Loren’s face as the sound of purrs filled her ears. Secondo’s face however, filled with confusion. 

“What is that?” he asked, Loren looking up at him. Baffled that he did not know the sound of his own ghouls purring. She pulled his face to have him look at her. 

“Are you serious?” Loren asked, Secondo even more confused now than before.

“Of course I am…I would not have asked if I wasn’t.” he explained, unamused that there was yet something else everyone but him seemed to know. 

“That’s the ghouls Sec. They are purring.” Loren smiled, her eyes filling with tears. Gently rolling over her cheeks as he hugged him. “They’re happy.” 

“I…” Secondo began as he held on to Loren. The harsh realization, overtaking him, “I have never heard them do that before.” 

“Oh, my love. I have a feeling you will be hearing it a lot more from now on. Or at least I hope.” Loren remarked. Secondo kissed her deeply. Pulling away only to smile, foreheads pressed against one another. His Prime Mover then pulled even closer in his arms; Secondo looked over to his beautiful babies. Happy and safe in the arms of his ghouls—his beloved ghouls. His friends—his family.

“I hope so amore, I hope so too.” 

Notes:

Amata-beloved

Cosa state facendo tutti? Entrate qui subito- What are you all doing? Get in here at once.

Buongiorno amici- Good morning friends. 

[lorensonebraincell]

loren, my beloved.

do you know any atz!blogs that mainly write filth? i have hard thoughts like everyday (as well as being hrny 24/7 🥴) but your blog(s) are filled with ACTUAL writing (like scenarios and poetic writing, which I love by the way 😌) and i don't wanna disrupt that vibe (??) i'm SO SORRY for bugging you about something as stupid as this but please, i'm desperate (and horny 🙃)

-👾 anon (i couldn't help it, you already know who i am 😏)

can i just salute you and your bravery for ousting yourself like this (even though it was purely unintentional) 🫡

okay okay okay lemme plug ☝️👉 my mootie nat 👉 @nateezfics 👈👆👇 who is down BAD for captain (but honestly who isn't 🫦) her smut and hard thoughts good lord my brain go brrr

also, i haven't personally interacted with their works but from what i've seen from fic recs and reblogs, these writers seem to be really popular and excellent at writing smut sooo 🥵 @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @bro-atz @k-hotchoisan @beenbaanbuun @ja3hwa @kitten4sannie @byuntrash101 (if any of you tagged want to be taken off just lmk 🫶)

maybe if anyone else also has recommendations/self-promo they can comment below to help

[anxresi]

…Isn’t it a bit late for April Fools Day?! 🤡🤣

I was going to just write a few snarky remarks in the tags, but fuck it… I have a bit of time on my hands right now, so let’s tackle these somewhat disingenuous statements one at a time shall we? Starting from the one in the top left hand corner, and working our way anti-clockwise around… *Cracks knuckles*

1. Yep. SO nice in fact, she doesn’t have any other noticeable character trait. ‘Niceness’ by itself doesn’t make you an interesting, intriguing or compelling character… it just makes you boring. In fact, I’m gonna have to work pretty damn hard to finish this off before I nod off just thinking about her… 🥱

2. …And this is a GOOD thing? It just proves how much the writers were DESPERATE to make her Chloe’s replacement they rushed virtually everything to do with her, including her rapid induction to ‘Hero’. Most of the other Miraculous users had to wait AGES to get their chance, and Lil Miss Perfect just turns up in Paris and gets her chance virtually the first day. It wasn’t earned, it wasn’t believable… it was just handed to her on a silver platter because… reasons. 😩

3. So what? This is just yet more evidence that this girl, a TOTAL STRANGER up to S4 is all of a sudden being treated like the queen of all Mary Sues. Just listen to all the endless shilling about her from the rest of the cast (especially Marinette and, more depressingly Plagg) Now imagine them said in Thomas Astruc’s voice as he lays his case against Chloe… and everything should become clear.

4. This means virtually nothing. Everyone gets their Miraculous permanently at the end of S5, so the fact she gets her’s 5th is just down to a quirk in sequence. If anything, I’m surprised she didn’t get it sooner… in another gratuitous ‘Take That’ to diehard Chloe fans… 😬

5. I don’t even have anything to say about this.. it calculates the precise sum of 0.00% in terms of her worth of a character. You got anything better?

6. Oh, you mean the same acting ‘skills’ that she used to manipulate her sister into pretending she ‘loved’ her and to carry that useless charm about?The thing is, everyone might’ve SAID her talent was great in that AWFUL Queen Banana episode… but it actually wasn’t. Just because the other characters say she’s the next Sophia Loren, doesn’t mean the viewers don’t have eyes and ears. But I guess if they’re stupid enough to fall for Lila’s incredibly obvious lies when the plot demands it, anything’s possible…

7. What, you like her colorful shoes? This is possible the only one I’ll grant you (they ARE pretty snazzy) but at the end of the day, they’re just pointless aesthetics. Anyone else could be wearing them, and the garish colors can’t blind us to her all-conquering mediocrity. Moving on…

8. Here’s a hint: NEVER use the word ‘objectively’ when the opposite is clearly true. She’s not just ‘sweet’, spending time with her is akin to being pinned down in Wonka’s chocolate factory being force-fed candy by all the Oompa-Lumpas until you literally explode. Not a pleasant experience in other words, thanks to the writers laying this sole facet on with a literal trowel and shovel.

As for the ‘sass’ part… nope, not seeing it. Unless you mean the occasional scene when she ‘deals’ with her sister… these parts were obviously only put in to throw red meat for the Chloe-hating sheep out there could hoot and holler at the screen (probably waking their parents up in the process) whilst screaming “SEE? THAT’S WHAT YOU GET!!” Well, I hope you’re happy now. You hapless lame-o’s.

9. Mary Sues don’t get ‘character assassinated’. They get bigged-up, cheered, given every resource in the show to be Da Best… but NEVER wrecked in that manner. Her sister, on the other hand… 😢

I would argue though, that what she is, is WORSE than character assassination… she’s an individual that never should’ve existed in the first place. In fact, I’d barely even describe her as a character. A plot device, a waste of space, a product of Thomas Astruc’s inexplicable raging hatred against Chloe maybe, but not a serious character. As the popular meme goes, Change My Mind (you won’t).

10. …You’re REALLY scraping the bottom of the barrel now, aren’t you?

Besides, this hasn't even been confirmed yet. We don't even know anything about the elusive Mr Lee, or even what he might think about his daughter being forcibly adopted by the Mayor. Something which I'm sure a show of such grandiosity and ambition will go into at great length.. Nah, just kidding!

Next, you’ll be telling me that somehow her sexuality is another reason to think she’s the best thing since sliced bread…

11. And there we have it (sigh). How terribly predictable. 🙄

I’ve already done a whole post thingie about how her being a lesbian and having a short-lived crush on Marinette was just imposed to get unearned brownie points from underrepresented communities when they won’t actually do anything with said revelation, so I’ll keep this short. Sufficed to say though, I feel like starting a hashtag�� #TheGaysDeserveBetterThanZoe. Get it trending, peeps! 😎

12. Whatever you’re smoking, can I have some of it? This is crossing the line from ‘delusional’ to ‘crazy’ now. She’s remained as static as a statue since her opening episode, has NO room for change and growth due to the fact she was only brought in to replace Chloe and in that uncomfortably dull niche she’ll stay. Sorry, but just because you wish that she’d had any kind of interesting development doesn’t mean she has. Facts have a funny habit of getting in the way of the truth.

13. In turns of ticking boxes for diversity, French-Americans aren’t exactly a high priority IMHO. But sure if you think that makes her the bees knees (pun intended), you go ahead and celebrate it. 👍

14. So in conclusion, I do agree that Zoe Lee is indeed ‘Best’ character… (hears sharp intake of breathes all round) oops, I’m sorry. What I meant was ‘Pest’ character… in that just having her buzzing about in all her flawless Mary-Sue glory makes you just wanna reach for the bug spray.

You know, like you would for a pesky wasp during a delicious picnic. Because she’s Vesperia, get it? 🤪

The only upside to this sad situation is, from what I can tell (being strictly a non-watcher these days, you figure out why) the writers half-agree with me.

After all for such an 'amazing' character who's apparently achieved so much in her short time in the show... why is she barely featured? They must know, somewhere down deep in their artistic brains, she's a narrative dead zone.

A collection of tiresome off-the-shelf quirks, traits and spare parts (someone here said she was like a bad fanfiction self-insert... ABSOLUTELY RIGHT), loosely held together with visible stitching and hastily assembled together like Frankenstein's Monster for the most cynical of reasons.

She has no arguable reason to be in the show, apart from being a far inferior replacement to the potential mine of character development that someone like Chloe could've represented.

I guess Thomas really does hate complex characters who may overshadow his precious Marinette... or school bullies who traumatized him so much as a lil kid he specifically wrote someone into his show he could subsequently and systematically destroy (as the rumors go... but it wouldn't surprise me with THAT guy).

Now I’m off to bed, but let me end on at least ONE positive note for this much-maligned individual: She’s EXACTLY the kind of character a show like Miraculous Ladybug deserves… and if you like her, you deserve her too.

Now, good night. 🌝 🛌

[thedroneranger]

The Drone Ranger's Be Kind Rewind ⏪ gretagerwigsmuse Edition!

A rec reblog series dedicated to the fics that we love so much, we've re-read them!

Our next Rewind is: @gretagerwigsmuse! Jordan, I'm so thrilled you wanted to participate in this series—thank you 🖤 I am also excited because there are quite a few creators that haven't been mentioned yet! We're spreading the love!

While we continue to churn out amazing new content, let's be kind and rewind to look at some of the OG content we love! And don't forget to reblog when you re-read! Continue to show your comfort fics and favorite creators some love. It helps keep the fresh content coming :)

Let's keep this going throughout the summer. If you're interested in participating in the Be Kind Rewind, message me. The more, the merrier!

If you want to know when a new Rewind drops, join the tag list, and check out previous Rewinds!

Also, Jordan is a true Bradshaw Baddie™, so this is a Bradshaw-only Rewind!

fics below the cut (listed in alphabetical order by title)

‘cause no one breaks a heart like you, @heartsofminds i genuinely think loren ruined my life with this fic. like no exaggeration i SOBBED reading it the first time and it leaves an ache in my heart just thinking about it again! the reader here is so real to me, like i see myself in so much of her and her mannerisms and character traits and just want to love her and tell her it’s going to be okay. and then bradley??? god i can’t hate him. i really can’t hate him because he IS good and kind he’s just - he’s my this is me trying boy and i can’t wait to see what loren does with him next 

days like this, @sometimesanalice oh my god this fic really hits the spot for me. alexa you already know how much i love this fic. it’s sweet and smutty and soft and sad and beautiful and just is everything i’d ever want in a relationship. alexa’s readers, sweet girl in particular, are so real and have so much depth that they come right off the page and into my heart. through alexa’s writing, the reader’s struggles, despite not being something i’ve ever personally dealt with, were so easy for me to resonate with? and i just wish that whenever i had a shitty day i had a bradley as sweet and kind and supportive as hers to help me feel like i’m living in a van morrison song 

halo effect, @bradshawsbitch oh damn. this is a smutty smutterson kind of fic! BUT alex treats their relationship with so much respect and care. i’m naturally kind of wary of power imbalance relationships in fics, but alex made this feel real and plausible and that it was built on trust and respect. the repeated mentions of the conversations the two have re their relationship really made this fic for me and i think about it….often haha

in another life, @jupitercomet similar to loren’s fic, this fic (and series) hits so so close to home for me. i love how bugs tackles mental health in this one and honey’s very real reason for not thinking she should have kids. the relationship between bradley and honey - though not without its faults - is based on so much love and respect. the two of them imagining another life where they have kids and have this completely different future together is so bittersweet and soft 

inconceivable, @roleycoleyreccenter i feel like i cry reading half the fics on this list, but this is another one of those ‘i was crying so hard i had to get up in the middle of reading this to get a tissue and blow my nose’ fics. i love how much love they have for one another, but how stubborn the reader is (it’s not her fault tho!) and that bradley is so patient and kind and listens to her and knows her and her body and little idiosyncrasies (and the flight paths be draws on her back and singing love of my life and the fucking BINDERS and his READING GLASSES). i read this one a lot when i need a good cry but also a happy ending

miss you most…at christmas time, @notroosterbradshaw so obviously i love bradley and love from the boyfriend experience series, but this is absolutely my favorite entry from that series and i go back to it when i get too sad reading slow dancing in a burning room. this is one of those fics that feels so human and raw to me because it must be so hard to not have your husband around during the holidays, but tack on being a very very new mom? and your husband hasn’t even met your child yet?? god queue the waterworks! they’re so in love with each other and so irked by that damn navy and just want to be their own little family for the holidays!

new rules, @sushiwriterhere i love this trope so much and it’s done so well in this fic! bradley and the reader are ‘friends with benefits’ or so the reader thinks and wait actually do we go on friend dates or do we just spend all this time together because we’re in love?? i want soft tipsy warm bradley around me all the time 

the one where they go camping, @ofstoriesandstardust this is my favorite one of kylie’s fics off my favorite series of hers, flight risk. it’s so fun seeing sunshine and bradley pining after each other even in college and the whole uva crew is so awesome. like there is BED SHARING in this! i repeat BED SHARING! and longing glances and impromptu cooking lessons and lusty (respectful) stares in bathing suits and tears and misunderstandings. it’s just so cute i love it

you left your name on my lips, @blurredcolour honestly, this fic GUTTED me the first time i read it. i genuinely had to stop in the middle of reading it to text alexa to read it too. i just loved how realistic everything was like the level of detail that went into it was unreal! i went to college in dc and absolutely felt like i was back there during certain parts. and the letters?? oh my god the letters!!! bradley bradshaw you are a dreamboat in this fic 

wish you were here (part 1, part 2), @pisupsala i know a lot of people have recommended ‘one for the history books’ (would like to shout out that i was an og reader on that one tyvm!), but this two parter of bradley and darcy is my absolute favorite. i just am continuously in awe of their relationship and how real it feels to me? i love that not everything is perfect and happy go lucky all the time just because they’re together now? like darcy is allowed to be mad bradley isn’t around a lot to help her settle into their new house, they’re both allowed to be fallible and to me that’s what makes this the perfect series and fic? they’re real and honest and they love each other so fucking much and hang shelves together in the living room and fly halfway across the country to be there for their wife. they’re one of my fave oc/reader couples

Creator’s Own 

i have a huge soft spot for my fic (christmas) baby please come home. in addition to being an amazing darlene love song, i really liked exploring a different side of bradley and smart aleck’s relationship in this fic and felt like this was one of the first times i’ve really gotten into her head. plus, i love a good party and this one was so fun to map out ☺️ it’s also the start of a new era for bradley and smart aleck and one i’m continuing with my next fic rocketman! 

Tag list and friends: @petcr3 @desert-fern @Sagittarius-Lovewitch @mygyn @sweetwhispersofchaos @horseshoegirl @the-annoying-fan @dingochef @moon42flight @thecitysgraveyard @ereardon @roosterforme @cherrycola27@galaxy-of-stories@taytaylala12 @malindacath @violyn20 @awildewit @potato-girl99981 @shanimallina87 @blue-aconite @djs8891 @linkpk88 @furiousladyking @daggerspare-standingby @princess76179 @jstarr86 @hecate-steps-on-me @darkheartcherry @soulmates8 @roosters-girl @dempy @roosterisdaddy36 @hangmanscoming @s-u-t @mavrellover91 @chicomonks @averyhotchner 

A kind reminder, this is a 18+ blog. While not all stories in the recommendation list are 18+, please respect boundaries and do not interact unless you are 18 years of age or older.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

who knows, maybe i'm a glutton for lengthy written pieces of fiction but i can't imagine anything better than reading a thought-out, detailed and intriguing story.

20k-30k wc usually takes me around 2 hours to read (when i am not annotating on the side or running laps in my room to calm down from a scene) and even though i do love me some drabbles, imagines or scenarios - sometimes they're so great but oh so short that i end up feeling hungry for more lol.

idk. maybe there is some over-consumption or fast-media issue that's infiltrated even the fanfic community and readers feel less overwhelmed reading fics under 10k? apprehension giving bad/wrong feedback? author burn-out? somebody go ahead and open the field for research already.

there is an overwhelming amount of short fics daily on my dash and not so often bigger oneshots or even series but i've always assumed it's because they take so much more time and effort into creating - which then motivates me more to leave nice feedback when you authors work so hard on them :) vice versa it's a nice feeling when authors take time to acknowledge feedback

like you saying you look forward to my reblogs and i'm over here like.. i have been noticed 👁️👄👁️ and i am being relied on to lose my own mind over your amazing mind. i can't disappoint this co-dependant author-reader-ship 💪 /j

also, miss "yumi in her break era" only five days ago, once again offering to write a fic to my tastes?! you will be the death of me. hand in marriage right now 🤝 /j but also, new series.. ? ✍️👀

○ chron 🃏

lucky for you, i'm physically incapable of writing short fics and loren is an actual witness. whenever i start a fic and go 'yo this actually be short like under 20k) it usually ends up being 26k+ 🤡 and tbh for me personally nothing can top a well-planned detailed fic no matter the length of it!

you're right! there's only so much you can do in a short scenario/imagine/drabble they're like fun little treats, kind of like appetisers/snacks as opposed to lengthy oneshots which i feel like are a full multiple-course meal (and then we have series which are like a whole buffet banquet feast you name it)

yeah there are a lot of factors. even as a writer i know that i prefer reading sth short when i don't have much time to spare but want a little break. reading lengthier works require a lot of time (like you said, about 2 hrs) and you gotta be in the mood all cosy and relaxed to fully enjoy them!

there's def so many shorter works being produced in huge quantities and consumed very rapidly too. writing them takes less time, you don't gotta work out so many details and lose your mind in the process (from my experience writing the few hcs and drabbles i have) and it's... fun? gets a greater audience, more notes? definitely. there are literally so many factors as to why people prefer writing/reading scenarios/drabbles over the lengthier works and i could honestly list them all but i feel like not everyone wants to hear that 💀

personally, i've been pretty consistent with writing the lengthier works, inspired by ppl here who've written so much such excellent monster works AHAHA and since the lengthier fics culture is pretty much dying (let's face it on tumblr it is dying slowly but steadily) i'm devoted to continue contributing to that specific part of the atinyfic community. i could always cook up some short scenarios (i plan to when it's time to retire but i still have ideas that i wanted to write) but for now, we write and write. we write endlessly without a care for the word count :')

there's honestly nothing wrong with wanting to read or write shorter works. i just wish the people who work so hard to create such beautiful and lengthy masterpieces got the attention they deserve. and i wish they do not compare their works to drabbles/scenarios (which you might have observed get a lot of notes in a very short amount of time) and continue writing for themselves and for the readers who appreciate them :')) we're always so incredibly grateful for the feedback we get bc we get some great quality feedback which is our pride :D

you have been very much noticed! me and loren were actually talking not too long ago about how you are one of the few ppl whose reblog we anticipate eagerly ahaha you've spoilt us honestly :') and when i saw your reblog last night (i was feeling incredibly low) i just smiled with tears in my eyes LOL ngl (co-dependency atp fr fr)

miss yumi has always been a clown who goes back on her words esp when it's about taking a break (i actually will be taking a two week break soon like actual break bc i'll be travelling so i'll be back mid aug) but miss yumi also loves writing bc it's the only interesting thing going on in her life and she would love to write for you too (proposal accepted let's pick dresses now :D)

as for the new series... 👀 the current word count is about 70k and i'm not even halfway- this might be the most intricate worldbuilding i've ever done like with the characters and how they're connected to each other (on par with take me home series, might even surpass) and it's... mafia! but the different kind, uniquely yumi LOL and the pairing hmm will remain a secret (take your guess come on)

i look forward to posting it so much it's become my comfort fic. i'll try to start posting it before 2024 but no promises yet bc i wanna finish writing it (or at least nearly finish) before i post the masterlist or teasers.

[warningsine]

Wake me up when the awards season ends, but also here are my faves:

Outstanding Drama Series: Succession will win and rightfully so, but Better Call Saul went so hard as well.

Outstanding Comedy Series: The Bear.

Best limited/anthology series: Beef.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Either one of the Succession guys (preferably Kieran Culkin this year) or Bob Odenkirk.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Sarah Snook. Not even going to debate this one. Season 4 was hers.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Allen White.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Natasha Lyonne.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Matthew Macfadyen.

Why was Nicholas Braun even nominated this year?

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: No offense to J. Smith-Cameron and the White Lotus ladies (Jennifer Coolidge, the icon that you are), because they were all lovely, but Rhea Seehorn deserves it this year.

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Ayo Edebiri

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Steven Yeun

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Ali Wong

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series: A toss among Mark Mylod, Andrij Parekh and Lorene Scafaria.

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Lee Sung Jin. But Jake Schreier will do too.

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Wow, an embarrassment of riches. Jesse Armstrong for "Connor's Wedding" of course, but Gordon Smith (for "Point and Shoot") and Peter Gould (for "Saul Gone") come so close.

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series: Nicholas Britell.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Toss between Hiam Abbass and Harriet Walter. Probably the former this year.

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Judith Light.

However, give Cherry Jones all the awards for her own appearance on Poker Face. Amazed she was nominated for Succession, but not Poker Face. She ate.

Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Jody Lee Lipes

[storiesbyjes2g]

Time has come! Use the OC list you made earlier and answer the following:

1 and 3 are in charge of arranging a general house party. How does it go? 2 appears in the news broadcast. What has happened? 4 and 5 need to buy a birthday gift for 6. What do they get? 3 asks 6 to teach her/him/them something. What is it and how does it go? 1 finds a seemingly lost cat. What does she/he/they do? 5 has to buy a quick snack for her-/him-/themself, what is it? 6 uses a search engine (Google or similar) and searches their own name. What are the top results? 4 has to take one of the other numbers to a date. Who's the lucky(?) guy/gal/other? 2 invites all the other numbers to a party - except one. Who's left out? 3 learns a dirty secret about 5. What is it and does she/he/they keep it? 4 has lost a bet and must get a tattoo. What will she/he/they get? 1 and 3 are stuck in an elevator. What happens?

You can answer with simple text, or take a picture or write a short story if you feel more inspired.

I swear you ask the best questions! I was excited even before I read the scenarios LOL. Okay let's go!!

Luca & Sophia's House Party

First of all, Luca would be stoked to plan a party period because he's neither hosted nor been to a house party, but to throw one with Sophia? Ohhhhh BOY! Secondly, he'd also be terrified on top of being excited because most of his friends are ladies he's attracted to and/or have gone on dates with. The party would be at Luca and Ali's house because Sophia's house is tiny. They would do all the party planning in person because they're both really into each other and don't see each other enough. I'm pretty sure by the end of the party they'd be a couple lol. Whenever they are together, she is constantly cracking jokes and making Luca laugh, so I'm not sure how much would actually get done. The party will probably turn out to be just okay because of their distractions but also neither of them are big party people. But whether or not the party is lame, those two will surely have a good time.

Emmy on the News

Emmy would be on a segment of the news highlighting small businesses. Or, maybe she got some women in business award and they aired her acceptance speech on TV.

Nadia & Anissa's Birthday Gift for Rodney

Ooooh this one is hard! Okay, so Kameron is the one who started this. He's an investor in Rodney's restaurants, and they have a casual relationship. He mentioned in passing Rodney's birthday was coming up but never followed up. Nadia of course is the administrator of the home, and when she found out Kameron still hadn't sent him a gift, she took on the project lol. Instead of doing something generic, she called Anissa because she knew she was acquainted with Rodney through Loren who is married to Rodney's best friend. They met at her wedding. But Anissa doesn't know Rodney like that so she texts Loren for an idea. They all settle on sending him a very expensive bottle of whisky. And because Nadia was feeling particularly salty and petty that day, the card was signed "From The Piersons and Friends." LOL see what I did there? 🤣

(this got long so the rest under the cut)

Sophia's Cooking Lesson

Sophia is not a good cook. Her kitchen looks exactly like it did when she first moved in. She likes Luca a lot and wants to do something nice for him, especially since he's always so caring and taking care of everyone else. And she always heard the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so she decided to learn to cook something well. But she could only get so far from SimTube tutorials. They either went too fast or spoke like she was supposed to know what they were talking about. No, she needed someone to show her live. One of her favorite restaurants is Taqueria Alchone, and the owner--Rodney Eason--was always so nice and personable with his customers. Surely he would help her. So she went there one day after work. She worked 7-3, so it was pretty dead when she arrived. She ordered and waited for Rodney to come around and greet her.

"Okay, so, this is gonna be a really weird question, but I'm gonna go for it," she said.

He flashed his signature smile. "Go for it! That's what I always do."

"So like...I have this friend... I wanna do something nice for him but-"

Rodney gasped. "You tryna snag your man? I'm in! What I gotta do? You want me to call him? Gimme his number!"

Little did she know Rodney was a romantic...and a very gregarious goofball.

"I want to make him dinner, but I'm terrible at it. Can you show me how to make something simple?"

A huge grin came across his face. "You came to the right place. I'll show you a lil sum sum. BUT...you'll also need a recipe for breakfast." He winked at her. "You know what I'm saying? Come on in the kitchen. I'll get you right! You'll have that dude screaming your name in no time!"

Oh, Rodney LOL.

Luca Finds a Lost Cat

Given his experience watching his mother take in stray pets, he'd probably try to feed it, putting a bowl of food near them. Cats aren't like dogs and are way less trusting, so he probably won't be able to befriend it, not that he'd want to; he's not much of a cat guy. Since Tofu just died, he'd probably call Emmy and see if she's interested in taking care of it.

Anissa's Quick Snack

When Anissa has back-to-back surgeries and zero time for lunch, her go to snack in the vending machine is a Payday candy bar. It's sweet, it's salty, and she gets a nice amount of protein to keep her going. It's an older brand, and not very popular, but her Pop Pop used to love them and that's how she got introduced to it.

Rodney's Smoogle Search

As a restaurateur, Rodney is very much concerned about what people say and think about his restaurants. So when he searches for his own name, more than likely the top results will be Yelp Reviews and food critic blogs. I also wouldn't be surprised if a gossip blog was there too lol. He's a good boy now, but he was a bit reckless in the beginning.

Nadia's Date

Nadia had one engagement left to attend from her tenure in the mayor's office before she was completely rid of them, but Kameron had agreed to take Noemi to come aspiring lawyers camp thingy, so she had to find someone else to accompany her. Her first thought was to call Bryce, but things are weird between him and Kameron. Nick is all the way on the other side of the country now, but even if he weren't that would be weird too. She thought very hard and methodically about it and decided to call Rodney. She had recently sent him a birthday gift, and they were mildly acquainted. Plus it would be a good networking event for him, so she called him, and he accepted.

Emmy's Party

Emmy invites everyone to the party except Luca because it's a surprise party for him lol. (cop out? maybe! lol)

Sophia Learns a Dirty Secret About Anissa

And this is the part where I realized I should have picked names all from the same story LOL. Let's say it's Nadia and Anissa. Nadia is nosy, so she'd definitely try to find out more lol. Depending on what it is, she might ask Melany about it. If it's really dirty she might even ask Anissa herself.

Nadia Loses a Bet

The consequence of losing this bet is she has to get a tattoo. She would get some word or phrase about love written in Mt. Komorebian since that is where she and Kameron reaffirmed their love for each other in a very impromptu and non-traditional vow renewal. It would be located somewhere only Kameron can see when she's naked.

Luca and Sophia Stuck in an Elevator

What happens? What doesn't happen! 🤣 This is exactly what Luca needs lol. They're gonna talk first. But then Sophia will ask a very poignant question about his feelings toward her. He'll try to skirt around it, but she does not have time for him to continue being scared and draws it out of him. They kiss! And if the elevator isn't fixed yet, they might start something they can't finish lol.

[curiousdamage]

What inspired you to write for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman? Can you tell me more about your OC? I'm planning to start reading your story soon.

I used to watch the show with my parents. It was our thing. Then I found it again on FreeVee, and was watching it when I was reminded of a plot bunny I had before I even knew fan fiction was a thing, lol.

In the episode 'Happy Birthday' one of the main town characters, Jake, gets alcohol poisoning and in the midst of having hallucinations from withdrawal, confesses his love to Dr. Mike.

She looks concerned that he said that, but Loren and Sully who are there as well, shared an almost guilty look, like they knew something she didn't. So the plot bunny 'They know who he was really talking to' was hatched.

Annabelle Bray Slicker:

Annie is Loren and Maude's younger daughter, Abigail's younger sister, making her Sully's sister-in-law as well. Annie grew up in Texas where Loren ran his parent's store.

When she was 14 and Abigail was 15, their family moved with Loren's sister, Olive and her husband, to Colorado. She worked in their store there, as well as help Olive and Henry out at their ranch.

She has/had a contentious relationship with Maude who didn't always treat her so kindly due to the fact that Annie bears a strong resemblance to Maude's sister Dorothy who courted Loren until she ran off with another man. Maude would make disparaging comments about her looks often, or that Annie would be an 'old maid', but then was unhappy when she met Jake as well.

She met Jake when she was 16 and he'd first come to town. They courted off and on for a few years, his drinking was hard to deal with, before eventually eloping when she was 19 and he was 22.

She and Abigail were very close and Abigail's death devastated her. She struggled with grief, trying to help her parents, and Jake started drinking again.

After a fight with him, she tells him that if he doesn't stop, she's leaving. Then she has a nasty encounter with Maude and leaves, going to stay at one of Olive's ranches in another state.

She's still there when the story starts and Sully demands that Hank go and get her in case the worst happens.

Sorry for the novel! I hope you enjoy it, but no pressure!

[couldawouldashoulda50]

I know you said you don’t want to spook William too much but I’m going to be the little devil on your shoulder and say “Do it” spook that little blonde hoe to his core lol he’s always on the fence nah it doesn’t work that way. I would to see Loren more assertive about what she wants and eventually at a certain point she’s going to get tired of the whole casual thing with William. It would be interesting to get his mom’s point of view when he’s struggling with Loren. I hope I don’t come off as rude.

Nonnie - so sorry for the delay...thank you so much, and no, I honestly love yours and the other bits of input I have been getting about Loren. Absolutely all of it are such valid points, and it's great to be able to discuss them all. Anyway - this is all just for what it's worth. I LOVE the dialogue - please don't take this like I'm trying to change your mind at all. I'm am really sorry though for the long response below... 😬

I've questioned the "what the hell are they" myself a number of times as I have written this - but ended up going with how I visualized it "naturally" in my mind (for lack of a better way to say it).

The thing with Loren is that at the time she met William, she was happy with her quiet life. She had a firm grasp on everything she worked for since her ex left her in such a financial mess. She had no intention of dating anyone after going through hell. It took a massive toll on her mentally too but she clawed her way through it. She's tried to approach the time with William with a certain level of detachment because (and again, this is just my perception/assumptions) - it would be really hard to date/be in a relationship with William as a superstar. There's just so much that circles around him and she's pretty leery of all of it. But she ends up getting to know more of the real him and here we are - it's a bit of a tight rope walk.

I feel I have done a little bit of disservice to William as well. I can understand as the reader there's been total WTF moments (maybe some are asshole moves of his) - I can't say honestly if those have been by design or if it's just me and (dare I say) my inexperience in writing? 😕 Or maybe it's a combination of the two. But there's not been a ton of time that these two have spent together... a bit of time before the playoffs, a bit of time during the playoffs and then whatever means of staying in touch in certain moments in between. I admit - maybe it wasn't the best approach in hind sight (?) but it's just how it played out in my head.

I perceive William at this stage to be extremely guarded about getting serious with anyone. He's massively wealthy already and we all know about his contract. Plus (and this is me being indulgent just because hey, I'll never know or run in his social circles) - I've often thought that he has been in this game a loooooong time. I can't even imagine the number of girls/women that he interacts with. Not saying they're not quality women, but I really wanted Loren to throw him for a complete loop, and I feel she has done so.... she's completely different from the women he's typically surrounded by. So he's cautious but fuck, he's just moony over her too lol.

About the spooking part ( your response made me laugh😁) - this again is just my perception/assumption about William (and I'm not saying this is right or wrong - I blame googling dating a Taurus male should know a little since I was in a relationship with one years ago) but he doesn't respond well to moving faster than what he's comfortable with. But once he gets there, he's there for life - it will be worth the wait type thing.

As far as Camilla - oh boy - I don't want to give too much away but the way I picture it is his mom wouldn't necessarily say anything unless he asks her. But I feel if he did, she might just pose the question back to him of what the hell he expected Loren to do if she walks away from him.

There is still more to come so we'll have to see ❤️

A million thanks though for reading and reaching out - as ever, it means so much to me!

[tmwwriting]

Title: Make a heaven of hell Rating: Explicit (18+, MDNI) Chapter: 1/3 Word Count: 8.8K Tags/Warnings: Lucas Grey x female reader. No use of Y/N. Smut. Porn with plot (lots of plot). Bleak. Angst. Hurt No Comfort. Grimdark. Seedy strip club. Vixen Club from Hitman: Absolution x1000. General gross vibes. Hostile work environment. Illegal activities. Set during Lucas's mercenary years. Reader is a dancer. Both damaged and unhinged in their own ways (how can this go wrong?) Unhealthy relationships. Friends with benefits. Threats of violence. Threats of gender-based violence. Background/implied/referenced violence. Implied/Referenced Prostitution. Minor Original Character(s). Death of Minor Original Character(s). Undernegotiated Everything. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. Dry humping. Fingering. Oral sex. PIV sex. CNC. Stranger sex. Unprotected sex. Semi-public sex. Rough sex. Hard kinks. Consensual but NOT safe or sane. Dark fic. Ambiguous/Open Ending. Dead dove: do not eat. A/N: Gonna have to keep writing fics set in Grey's merc years just so I can keep making hostile work environment jokes. And shout out to John Milton's 400 year old poem for the fic & chapter titles.

AO3: (X)

It's a familiar rhythm. Terms. Conditions. No hard feelings.

(Pretty songbirds belong in pretty cages, and running out the clock only works if you're the winning side.)

chapter i. in the lowest deep a lower deep

The other girls notice him first. There's a possessive tenor to their stories, the way the words curl in their mouths in a haughty bestowing, interrupted only as they part for you; you rush to the counter, wincing and clutching your bag, slotting between them and a chorus of "welcome back" before they continue, the giggling and chattering so fever-pitched you fear for the structural integrity of their vocal cords.

On a normal night you'd drop everything to get in on the gossip, kick up your feet and settle in, warm yourself by the campfire of other peoples' trivialities. But there's no time, the last bits of sand trickling down the top of the hourglass, the grit of it sinking between your teeth, even though you've broken every traffic law in the book in your efforts to get here faster. (And no doubt irreparably ruining your relationship with the scrap heap you call a car.) You've both made it though, so all's well that ends well, no matter how much the engine wails at you in protest. Stupid thing.

"And the one always in the corner, don't forget him!"

"The blonde?"

"No, no, the dark one across from him, the good-looking one. I think he—"

You'd sigh—the impatient exhale of coming in mid-story—if it wouldn't fuck up your painstaking, halting attempts at a cat eye. No matter how you angle yourself or your hand (sharp inhales when you lift your arm and move something painful behind your ribs), every flick of the gel pen leaves you more and more uneven in an odd seesaw of black ink. Cocking your head in the mirror and staring in stunned disbelief only brings the mess into further focus: definitely more Marcel Marceau than Sophia Loren, and it only gets worse. This liner clearly hates you and wants you dead—perhaps from all the times you've dropped it on grimy bathroom floors—and it's five seconds away from being javelined across the room before Maria finally takes pity on your increasingly frustrated strokes. She deftly slips the offending pen from your hand as she sits you down and goes to work fixing your face.

"Have you seen him yet?" She asks you, practically humming, so close the brightness of her aches to look at. "He's usually with a few others, at least these past couple of nights. They all look military to me, but Susy says no, too wild."

"That, and they sound British," Susy says, shrugging her shoulders and swinging her manicured feet from her perch on the countertop. Cigarette ashes gather below. You can see the No Smoking sign in the reflection of a mirror—an old joke and sour, pungent punch line. "D'you think we're being invaded by the British Army?"

This causes a cascade from the others:

"You've clearly never worked a club near a barracks—"

"Practically French, the way you'd surrender—"

"Horizontal collaboration, was it?"

"Taking your Chanel obsession a little far—"

The argument escalates without any input from you, with much maligning of various nationalities, Maria insisting that some of the men are actually American, and Susy rebutting that her handsome one, at least, is British.

"If they tip well, I don't care if they're the FBI or MI5," is all the answer you give when they turn to you as the tie breaker, kicking off another round of giggling about how good the men would look in suits, and whether they'd keep their weapons on them during sex. You do sigh, then, but not all the chirping that follows is useless, and you tuck away the tidbits of information that filter through: who stacks dances, who asks for extras, who tips well or not at all, and then more speculation about the glowering dreamboat who spoke only just enough for the girls to ascertain his accent. There's a pang of conscience from somewhere deep inside, stashed out of sight in the dark recesses of some boarded-up ruin—hunting your friends' regulars is a little low, but. . . Maybe these new guys do have money, and maybe one of them will be careless enough that you'll be able to buy yourself something nice this weekend.

It depends on the group, whether this becomes a windfall for the club or a complete shit show. Complete shit show is the safer bet—odds so short no bookie would take you up on it. These guys don't sound military, but you need to see for yourself. Experience is the best teacher: you get all kinds here, the allure of such a lively, colorful watering hole bringing everyone in from their arid planes of existence, and by now you have a pretty solid idea of what to expect from a guy just by the look of him.

Most are boring. Faceless. Excruciatingly normal. Just looking for an escape from the suburban nightmare of their daily lives, bitching and moaning as though someone's holding a gun to their head, making them work that shitty job or cave to a girlfriend's demands for marriage and babies and a white picket fence. They treat dancers like therapists, even in the champagne rooms (a real therapist would be a lot cheaper—they wouldn't have to tip those). If the guys are regulars, you know their kids' birthdays and the drama with their coworkers. Good, boring, decent take home. Things get spicier when the Delgados and Morenos start arguing over turf, as though there's not multiple routes to traffic narcotics from one side of the globe to the other; oh no, they need this little corner of the world, the bastards. Every decrepit, pot-holed street in the city will overflow with their violence, always catching more than one dancer in the floodwaters that spill over into the club. Doesn't help that management will dam the doors open for them. You try and stay far away if any happen to saunter in—bad news all around. 

Mercenaries, though. . . hit or miss. Some will tip well for a dance or two, and some are like the men from the cartels. They'll take what they want, and your menace of a boss won't care as long as they empty their wallets in the process. You try not to think of the girls who have gone missing over the years. 

There's a reason this place doesn't offer health insurance.

Continue reading on AO3.

[cicaklah]

🌈is there a fic that you worked really fucking hard on that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

worked really fucking hard on: everyone probably knows now that I struggled with consent to be wrecked and go let the stars watch let them stare, but honestly the most stress I had recently was on don't stop me now. I was DETERMINED to write the extra songs, but I am not a song writer, I am not good at rhyming, it felt like pulling teeth. I did not do as good a job as I liked, but ultimately thankfully I did complete it, and everything is learning.

Share a WIP update: Gladly!! From One Man 7:

“Get a room, you two,” Loren jokes, stacking his plates up. “We’ve got three hours to prepare. I don’t care what you do, just get it done, get it digested, and come back fresh. See you in conference room A at 0400.” Una makes her excuses, heading off in the direction of the rec deck.  Jim looks over at Spock, who looks impassive. “I’m sorry.” Spock tents his fingers under his chin. “We could,” he says. “Could what?” Jim asks, polishing the last of his potato and spinach into a neat mouthful. “Get a room. We have eaten, as Pike recommended. I do not require sleep, and I seem to remember that you found it easier to do so after…afterward.” Jim chokes. “Mister Spock, are you saying we should get laid for the good of the mission?”

and then they do and its one of the best sex scenes I've written (but I say that about all of them)

[thatblondeperson]

15 Questions 15 Mutuals

Thank you to @incoherentbabblings for tagging me!!!!

Are you named after anyone?

Too many people. My first name is half name dictionary, half Sophia Loren. Middle name was my nurse's name when I was born. Other middle name is my birthmother's mother's name I think? No clue why. And then I have my mother's maiden name and my dad's last name. I have a long name.

When was the last time you cried?

Monday, a lot. I'm very stressed and exhausted and I got nudged just enough to burst.

Do you have kids?

Nope, and don't plan to.

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Constantly. I can be very irritating in that sense.

What sports do you play/have played?

I don't play sports really, but I was briefly on my school's golf team, and my dad and I used to go out to the driving range for fun sometimes.

What's the first thing you notice about someone?

Honestly idk, their hair maybe? Or outfit? I like eclectic people.

What's your eye color?

Blue; no pigment, no protection. I am blind AF during the day.

Scary movies or happy endings?

No preference, but it is hard to find movies that actually scare me. So long as the story is well done, I do not care how the movie ends.

Any special talents?

I can recite the alphabet backwards? Idk. I think I can sing fairly well. I consider myself delightfully average at most things in life.

Where were you born?

An extremely Catholic hospital in my hometown. Not kidding, you walk in and there is a MASSIVE shrine to someone, idk who. probably Mary?

What are your hobbies?

Writing, drawing, gaming, painting, thrifting, antiquing, mixed media art, singing, collecting comics, action figures, and Monster High dolls, cosplay, and hopefully again soon - YouTube and streaming.

Do you have pets?

I have an 18lb doggo that is an absolute goober named Elton. He is my special little monster.

How tall are you?

5'5". Delightfully average.

Favorite subject in school?

Always art.

Dream job?

Don't know if I have one. TBH, not to sound like a Gen Z'er when I'm a Millennial, but if I could be a content creator for a living, that would be the dream. Maybe I can still make that happen, idk. I've always loved interior design but that market isn't easy to get into, and I just don't think that I'd have fun competing, in a sense. Being judged. It's just fun for me and I love it, but I couldn't do it as a job. I like Art History, something in that or art restoration would be very very fun for me.

Tagging: @rae0fsunsh1ne @peacheclair @mon-petit-chat-triste @powerofthequestion @loveforluna @starboy8 @mousethe @theexiledleader @burntwaffle12 @bengaltiger25 @aspiffysquirrel @pandiibutt @redlittlebird uhhhh. Brain fried, If I missed you, fill yourself in here.