#ready the post the second it became june

[cactus-zombie]

Pride Month day one: Lesbian

[buckets-and-trees]

Red, White & True: Brooklyn - Pre-Interview [7/13]

Characters/Pairings: Steve Rogers x curvy Millennial Female!Reader Word Count: 5.8k Summary: After a week apart on the campaign trail, you're reunited with Steve to get ready for the biggest interview of your life.

Content/Warnings: marriage of political convenience, slow burn

Notes: People have been asking about the wedding since chapter one, and you won't get EVERYTHING here, but you will learn a little about how those days went. This takes place in a post-Endgame scenario where Steve stays and generally most of TFATWS happened.

Previous Chapter | Series ↠ Main Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

[OCTOBER 5 - EARLY AFTERNOON - BROOKLYN, NEW YORK]

As the car pulls up to the brownstone, your heart begins to race. The familiar facade of red brick and ornate cornices looms before you, a blend of historic charm and modern restoration. The wrought-iron fence that lines the front garden is exactly as you remember it, its intricate patterns casting delicate shadows on the sidewalk in the early afternoon sun. The trees that line the street are ablaze with color - brilliant golds, fiery oranges, and deep crimsons - a stark contrast to the evergreen palms you left behind in California just hours ago.

As you step out of the vehicle, the cool air nips at your cheeks. You gaze up at the four-story building, and the sight of it all brings a flood of memories from those two nights in June - the nervous energy of the night before your wedding, the surreal feeling of returning here as newlyweds though you were still virtually strangers. The first night Steve had been detained in New Hampshire, so you’d stayed in the house alone. The second night you had politely slept in separate bedrooms.

There had been no honeymoon. Instead the two of you had traveled to the Stark corporate retreat facilities two miles up the road from the rustic mansion Tony and Pepper had designed and built together for their family life in upstate New York, and the preparation for the presidential run had moved into the final phases of coaching, strategy, styling consultations, wardrobe outfitting, public address exercises and the like now that you had officially joined the team.

Thinking back on it now, you wonder how either of you managed to make it through the blend of politeness and awkwardness, the concerted efforts to be warm even though both of you were keeping your distance and taking turns testing the waters.

It would be laughable if it wasn’t your life.

One day you will probably laugh about it. Whether or not it will be with Steve by your side… that’s still not clear.

Though it does feel like that longterm reality becomes more of a possibility every day.

As you climb the steps to the front door, you hear a bevy of movement inside. Your pulse quickens, knowing Steve is already here. You've spoken every day this past week, but phone calls and video chats can't compare to being in the same room.

The week apart had been good for you. Instead of closeness by virtue of proximity, the two of you had had to connect purely through conversation; and without sun-up-to-sundown schedules that orbited around each other, the thirty guaranteed minutes became treasured, guarded, and looked forward to.

Sophia is rushing in ahead of you, and you pause for just a moment before stepping over the threshold, taking a deep breath to calm the skittering of your heart.

The entryway is warm and inviting, filled with the soft glow of late afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows. There’s a thriving buzz of energy and discussion going on as campaign staff fill the living room and are filtering in and out. The scent of fresh coffee wafts through the air, mingling with the faint aroma of old books and polished wood that seems to permeate the brownstone.

There are many hello’s and greetings for you and Sophia, and you ask, “Where’s Steve?

"In here!" Steve's voice calls out from the direction of the kitchen.

You make your way through the bustling living room, nodding more greetings to staff members as you pass. The kitchen doorway comes into view, and your breath catches as you see Steve for the first time in a week.

You round the corner into the spacious kitchen and there he is, leaning against the counter in conversation with Bucky and Jake, a mug of coffee in his hand. The late afternoon sun streaming through the window casts a warm glow on his profile, highlighting the strong line of his jaw and the golden hues in his hair. He looks relaxed, at ease in a way you rarely see him on the campaign trail.

His eyes light up when he sees you, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"Hey," he says softly, setting down his coffee and taking a step towards you.

"Hey yourself," you reply, your own smile matching his. The kitchen suddenly feels very crowded - most of your life with Steve was surrounded by other people.

Diplomatically, Jake and Bucky begin conversing with each other, giving you a bit of privacy, and Steve closes the distance between you in a few strides. There's a moment of hesitation, both of you unsure how to greet each other after a week apart. But before you can say anything else, he wraps you in a tight embrace. The hug is warm and comforting, Steve's strong arms wrapping around you securely. You breathe in his familiar scent, a mix of soap and something uniquely him. Briefly the bustle of the campaign fades away, and it's just the two of you. A tension you didn't even realize you were carrying in your shoulders begins to dissipate.

"Welcome home," he murmurs into your hair.

You pull back slightly, looking into his familiar face. "Home," you repeat softly, testing the word. It feels right, somehow, in a way it didn't before.

Steve's eyes search your face, as if trying to memorize every detail. "How was your flight?"

"Long," you admit with a small laugh. "But productive. Sophia and I went over the schedule for the next few days."

"I'm glad you made it back safely," Steve says, his hand warm on your lower back as he guides you further into the kitchen. "I know the West Coast tour was grueling."

You nod, feeling the exhaustion of the past week in your bones, not that either of you are strangers to exhaustion these past months. "It was intense, but I think we made some real progress out there. The response at the events with Helen Santos was incredible."

Now that you’re at the counter, Jake and Bucky tune into the conversation with you. "I saw some of the coverage,” Bucky said, his eyes lighting up with interest. “You two seemed to really connect with the crowds."

"She's amazing," you say, a note of admiration in your voice. "The way she can command a room, inspire people... I learned so much just watching her."

"I'm sure you held your own," Steve says with a soft smile. "I heard great things about your speeches."

A warmth spreads through your chest at his words.

“Of course she held her own,” Jake interjects, looking like a proud dad, and you can’t help but glow at his proclamation - he’s the political aficionado and has no reason to give false praise. “We’ve got great polling and social media engagement surges we can tie right back to your work with Zoey over the last week.

“Now, we've got a lot to cover," Jake continues, his tone businesslike but with a hint of eagerness. "The interview is in three days, and we need to make sure we're all on the same page."

You nod, grateful for the shift to campaign matters. It gives you a moment to collect yourself, to process the warmth of Steve's greeting and the conflicting emotions it stirs within you.

"Right," you say, slipping into professional mode. "What's our game plan?"

Jake launches into a detailed rundown of the schedule leading up to the interview, outlining prep sessions and strategy meetings. As he speaks, you're acutely aware of Steve's presence beside you, his hand still resting lightly on your lower back. It's a casual touch, one that would look natural to anyone observing, but it sends a small thrill through you.

"We've got a mock interview scheduled for tonight after dinner, and we’ll try to wrap up between nine and ten-”

You and Steve exchange a surprised glance, both of your eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, did you say we'd be wrapping up at nine or ten?" Steve asks, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Jake nods, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "That's right. You two marvel and joke all you want, but tomorrow isn’t just another game day, it’s the Super Bowl of interviews. You’ll need proper rest."

You can't help but chuckle, the sound bubbling up from your chest. After months of grueling 18-hour days that often stretched well past midnight, the idea of having an evening to yourselves seems almost decadent, a luxury you'd forgotten existed.

"I'm not sure I even remember what to do with free time," you joke, looking up at Steve.

“Alright, alright,” Jake says. “You get some lunch, Mrs. Rogers, and we’ll get going in about forty-five minutes.”

[OCTOBER 5 - EVENING - BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE]

The mock interview had gone well, all things considered. Lisa, always poised and professional in her role as campaign spokesperson, has taken on the role of faux-Oprah for the mock interview. She had been practicing for days, studying her posture, mannerisms, and way of speaking in order to mimic Oprah's signature warmth and openness.

Because Oprah was the one who had scooped in and taken the chance to interview Captain America and Mrs. Rogers.

Oprah.

Oprah would be in your home.

Talking to you.

Lisa had thrown many curveballs at you and Steve, probing for weak spots in your narrative and testing your ability to present a united front. For as many public addresses and press appearances as you had done, none of them had been jointly even if you and Steve had been at them together. This was the first time focusing on you and Steve as a married couple, side by side. By the end, you were mentally exhausted but reasonably confident. The real interview would be challenging, but you and Steve had a firm grasp on your rhythm and you felt prepared.

Now, as promised, you find yourself with an unexpected evening of freedom stretching out before you. The house is quiet, the campaign staff having departed for their hotels or to work on other projects. It's just you and Steve, alone in the brownstone for the first time since the awkward night after your wedding.

For a moment, neither of you moves. The quiet is almost deafening after the constant buzz of activity that's surrounded you both for so long. You can hear the tick of the antique clock in the foyer, the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the distant sound of traffic outside. It's strange, almost unsettling, to be surrounded by such stillness.

You glance at Steve, catching his eye. He looks as uncertain as you feel, standing there in the living room, hands in his pockets. The conversations over the phone while you had been apart had grown so natural, but now that you are physically together, alone as you so rarely had ever been, the question of what now? hangs in the air.

Just as you open your mouth to speak, both of your phones buzz simultaneously. You exchange a curious glance before reaching for your devices.

It's a text from Sophie.

Check the kitchen. Enjoy your evening off!

Intrigued, you and Steve make your way to the kitchen, your footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors. The warm glow of the pendant lights above the island casts a cozy ambiance as you enter the room.

On the granite countertop, you find an array of options laid out before you. There's a mixing bowl, surrounded by ingredients; a package of cookie dough; a box from a bakery; and a card propped up in front.

You reach for the card, your fingers brushing against the thick cardstock. As you open it, you can't help but smile at the message inside.

Choose Your Own Cookie Adventure!

Option 1: Mix it up! All the ingredients are here for chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Recipe card included.

Option 2: Easy Bake! Pre-made dough ready to pop in the oven.

Option 3: Instant Gratification! Gourmet cookies from Levain Bakery.

Enjoy your evening off and indulge in something sweet together.

You look up at Steve, a mix of amusement and warmth spreading through your chest. "Well," you say, gesturing to the spread before you and handing him the card, "what'll it be, Captain?"

Steve's eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles, skimming the message and taking in the options. "I'm tempted by the instant gratification," he admits with a chuckle, "but there's something to be said for the satisfaction of making something from scratch."

You nod, excited at the prospect of doing something so normal. "I agree. So option one together?"

"Sounds perfect," Steve says, already rolling up his sleeves. "I have to warn you, though, I'm not exactly known for my baking skills."

You laugh, the sound light and genuine. "Mine are rusty, so this should be interesting."

As you set to work, there's a comfortable ease between you that wasn't there before. The week apart seems to have reset something, allowing you to just be yourselves without the constant pressure of the campaign surrounding you.

Steve measures out the flour while you cream the butter and sugar together in the mixing bowl. The familiar motions of baking bring back memories of childhood, of lazy weekend afternoons spent in the kitchen with your mother.

"You know," you say, glancing over at Steve as he carefully levels off a cup of flour, "I used to bake cookies with my mom all the time when I was little. It was our Sunday afternoon ritual."

Steve looks up, a soft smile playing at his lips. "That sounds nice. What kind did you make?"

"Oh, all kinds," you reply, whisking the eggs into the butter mixture. "Chocolate chip was a staple, of course. But we baked through most of Martha Stewart’s cookie cookbook.”

“Sweets of any kind were a luxury when I was growing up,” Steve explains,

carefully adding the flour to your mixture.

As he says it, you remember that his formative years took place against the landscape of the Great Depression.

His voice takes on a wistful tone as he continues. "My mom would save up sometimes to make oatmeal cookies for special occasions. I remember the smell filling our tiny apartment."

You pause in your mixing, touched by the image of a young Steve eagerly anticipating his mother's rare treat. "That sounds lovely," you say softly. "I bet those were the best cookies in the world to you."

Steve nods, a faraway look in his eyes. "They really were. I've never tasted anything quite like them since."

There's a moment of comfortable silence as you both work, lost in your own thoughts and memories.

"You know," you say after a while, "I think there's something special about baking. It's not just about the end result, but the process itself. The measuring, the mixing, the way the kitchen fills with warmth and sweet aromas. It's methodical and therapeutic, in a way."

Steve nods thoughtfully as he folds chocolate chips into the dough. "I can see that. Following the steps, creating something with your hands."

You smile, watching him work. There's something endearing about seeing Captain America, the legendary super-soldier, carefully folding chocolate chips into cookie dough. "Exactly. It's a nice change of pace from the constant strategizing and speechwriting we've been doing."

As you work together to scoop the dough onto baking sheets, you find yourself relaxing more and more. The conversation flows easily, punctuated by laughter as you trade stories about kitchen mishaps and childhood memories.

Steve carefully slides the first tray of cookies into the oven, and your inner child buzzes with excellent knowing soon the kitchen will be filled with the warm, sweet aroma of chocolate and vanilla.

You lean against the counter, watching Steve as he sets the timer. There's a domesticity to this moment that catches you off guard, a glimpse of what a normal life with him might look like. It's both thrilling and terrifying. Nothing you’ve done together yet has been conventional in any way, but this is.

You grab a spoon and carve out a scoop of dough to enjoy while you wait. With this kitchen having multiple ovens, all your trays will be done at the same time.

"So, tell me more about your week," you say. "I know we talked every day, but it's not the same as being there."

Steve leans against the counter opposite you, his eyes warm as he considers your question while you savor the sweet, buttery flavor of the raw cookie dough.

"It was...different," he says thoughtfully. "Good in some ways, challenging in others. After everything that happened around Athens and Miami, I felt off-balance for the first couple of days. But the work helped ground me."

You nod, understanding exactly what he means. The campaign trail has a way of demanding your full attention, leaving little room for personal introspection.

"The rallies were energizing," Steve says, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. "There's something incredible about connecting with people face-to-face, hearing their stories, their hopes for the future." He pauses, his brow furrowing slightly. "But I missed having you there beside me. It felt incomplete."

Your heart flutters at his words, and you try to keep your voice steady as you respond. "I know what you mean. The events with Helen and Zoey were amazing, but I kept turning to share something with you, only to remember you weren't there.”

Steve's eyes soften as he meets your gaze. "I'm glad we're back together now," he says quietly. "It feels right, having you here."

A comfortable silence falls between you, filled with the warm scent of baking cookies. You're acutely aware of Steve's presence across from you, the way his eyes linger on your face. There's an intensity to his gaze that sends a shiver down your spine.

The timer dings, breaking the moment. Steve moves to check the cookies, and you can't help but admire the way he moves, graceful despite his size. He pulls out the trays, the smell of freshly baked cookies filling the kitchen.

"They look perfect," you say, peering over his shoulder. The cookies are golden brown, with melted chocolate chips peeking through.

Steve grins, looking pleased. "Not bad for a couple of amateurs.”

You gather a plate and some glasses from one of the cupboards. Steve fills the plate with cookies while you pour some (your preference) milk, and then the two of you gravitate to the living room and land on the couch, diving into the cookies and more conversation.

As you settle in, the warmth of the freshly baked cookies and the comfort of Steve's presence beside you create a cozy atmosphere. The living room, usually a hub of campaign activity, feels different now - intimate and personal. Like it could really be a home you and Steve could live in.

"These are actually pretty good," Steve says, taking a bite of a cookie. "Maybe we missed our calling as bakers."

You laugh, reaching for your own cookie. "I don't know about that. I think the country might have something to say if we suddenly abandoned the campaign to open a bakery."

"True," Steve chuckles, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Guess we have a back up plan.”

You laugh, and reach for another cookie.

“I have to admit, some days the idea of pulling the chute and bailing for a simpler life is too tempting."

You nod, understanding exactly what he means. "It's funny, isn't it? How something as simple as baking cookies can feel so... normal. So far removed from the craziness of our lives right now."

Steve nods, his expression thoughtful. "It's moments like these that remind me why we're doing all of this. For a future where people can just live. Bake cookies. Spend time with their families without worrying about the next crisis."

You feel a surge of warmth at his words, at the reminder of the man you married - the one who sees beyond himself, who wants to make the world better for everyone. It’s key to why you were willing to leap blindly into the partnership. "You're right," you say softly. "It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day chaos of the campaign and forget the bigger picture."

There's a comfortable silence as you both munch on cookies, lost in thought. The ticking of the clock and the distant hum of traffic outside continuing their soothing background noise.

"You know," Steve says after a while, turning to face you more fully on the couch, "If we win, if we don't, either way, things will never be quite 'normal', but..."

He trails off, and you find yourself holding your breath, waiting for him to continue. It's the first time either of you has really broached the subject of your future together beyond the campaign.

"But?" you prompt gently, your heart racing.

Steve meets your eyes, his gaze intense and sincere. "But I'd like to think we could have more moments like this. Quiet evenings, doing ordinary things together. Building a life that's ours, not just the one the public sees."

Your breath catches in your throat at his words. It's a beautiful picture he's painting, one that you've wondered over yourself.

You feel a warmth spreading through your chest at Steve's words. The idea of building a life together, of having more quiet moments like this, is both thrilling and terrifying. You've spent so much time focusing on the campaign, on presenting the perfect image to the public, that you've barely allowed yourself to imagine what comes after. You’re married, but how married are you? How married will you be?

"I'd like that too," you admit softly, your voice barely above a whisper. "It's strange, isn't it? We jumped into this marriage, into this campaign, without really knowing each other. And now..."

"And now?" Steve prompts, his eyes searching yours.

Now I can't imagine my life without you in it you think, but you don’t know if you are ready to say it.

You take a deep breath, mustering up at least some of your courage. "Now whether we're in the White House or not, I want us to keep building this."

Steve's hand finds yours, his fingers intertwining with yours. His touch is warm and comforting, grounding you in the moment.

"I want that too," he says softly, his thumb tracing small circles on the back of your hand. "When I first agreed to this arrangement, I never imagined..." He trails off, shaking his head slightly.

"What?" you ask, your voice barely above a whisper.

Steve's eyes meet yours, filled with an intensity that takes your breath away. "I never imagined I'd feel this way. That we'd fit together so well, not just as partners in the campaign, but as..." He pauses, searching for the right words. "As us."

Your heart races at his admission. It mirrors your own feelings so closely - the surprise at how naturally you've fallen into step with each other, the growing depth of your connection. You've both danced around this topic for months, especially the last weeks as neither of you can help but acknowledge the growing connection between you, but never quite putting it into words until now.

"I know what you mean," you say softly, squeezing his hand. "It's been unexpected, but in the best way possible."

Steve's eyes soften, a mix of relief and joy flickering across his face. His hand tightens around yours. "I'm glad I'm not alone in feeling that way," he says, his voice low and intimate.

The air between you feels charged, thick with unspoken emotions and possibilities. You're acutely aware of how close Steve is sitting, of the warmth of his hand in yours, of the way his eyes keep flickering to your lips.

"Steve," you whisper, your heart pounding.

He leans in slowly, giving you plenty of time to pull away if you want to. But you don't. Instead, you find yourself meeting him halfway.

The kiss is soft and tentative at first, a

gentle press of lips that sends a shiver down your spine. It's nothing like the chaste, public kisses you've shared for the cameras or at your wedding. It’s not even like the rushed spontaneous kiss when you got news of the Santos endorsement.

This is real, intimate, just for the two of you.

Steve's free hand comes up to cup your cheek, his thumb brushing softly against your skin. You lean into his touch, your own hand moving to rest on his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat beneath your palm.

The kiss deepens, slow and exploratory. There's no rush, no urgency - just the two of you, finally allowing yourselves this moment of connection. It feels both thrilling and familiar, like coming home to a place you've never been before.

When you finally pull apart, you're both slightly breathless. Steve rests his forehead against yours. His eyes are closed, a look of contentment on his face that makes your heart swell. You take a shaky breath, overwhelmed by the intensity of your feelings and the moment you just experienced.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we left Miami. Or longer.”

“Me, too,” you admit.

You and Steve shift back slightly, creating a small space between you, but your hands remain intertwined. The tension that had been building for weeks has eased, replaced by a warm, comfortable closeness. You both reach for another cookie, exchanging shy smiles.

"These really are good," you say, savoring the rich chocolate flavor. "We make a pretty good team in the kitchen."

Steve chuckles, his thumb absently stroking the back of your hand. "We make a good team everywhere, I think."

You nod, feeling a surge of affection for this man who has become such an integral part of your life. The living room, bathed in the soft glow of the lamps, feels like a cocoon of warmth and safety.

"I think we might need more milk," you say with a soft laugh, reaching for another cookie. The plate between you is already half empty, a testament to your shared sweet tooth and the quality of your baking.

Steve chuckles, the sound rumbling through his chest. "I'll get it," he says, but makes no move to get up, instead pulling you closer.

You sigh contentedly, resting your head on his shoulder.

As the night goes on, the conversation continues to become more intimate, more easy, more comfortable on the couch. Steve eats far too many cookies. You fight the exhaustion that’s been creeping up more insistently, especially as you feel more and more cozy on the couch and nestled against him. But at some point you lose the fight and drift off to sleep and your next moment of awareness is waking up the next morning in a plush king-sized bed, surrounded by luxurious sheets and pillows.

Steve must have carried you upstairs while you were sleeping, and you shift around to see if he’s there, only to find the other side of the bed empty and clearly untouched.

[OCTOBER 6 - MORNING - BROOKLYN BROWNSTONE]

You sigh, more than a little disappointed. But the sweetness of the time you did spend awake together eases the pain, and you have to admit that you would prefer to be alert and aware to appreciate going to bed with your husband for the first time.

You stretch, feeling the soft sheets against your skin. The morning light filters through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room. For a moment, you allow yourself to imagine waking up next to Steve, his strong arm draped over your waist, his breath warm on your neck.

Shaking off the reverie, you swing your legs over the side of the bed to begin your day. You quickly shower in the en suite bathroom and get ready for the day. This isn’t a familiar space yet, but it is your new home, outfitted with a mix of new and familiar things for you from hair and skincare products to clothes in the closet. As you dress, you catch the faint aroma of coffee wafting up from downstairs along with the bustling noises of other people. The campaign work is already underway for the day, and you give yourself one more quick look before heading down.

Following the scent, you make your way to the kitchen. Steve is there, his back to you as he stands at the counter, pouring coffee into a mug and talking with Jake and Elsa. They immediately clock you coming in and look your way. Steve notices the shift in their attention and looks over his shoulder.

"Good morning," he says, turning to greet you with a warm smile. He looks sharp in a crisp button-down and slacks. "I hope you slept well."

"I did, thank you," you reply, padding over to the coffee maker.

Steve reaches into the cupboard to retrieve a mug and passes it to you.

"Thanks," you say, accepting the mug from Steve with a smile. As you pour your coffee, you can't help but notice how seamlessly he anticipated your needs. It's a small gesture, but it speaks to how in tune you're becoming with each other.

"Just in time to hear the final anticipated schedule for today," Jake says, his tablet in hand.

You nod, taking a sip of your coffee. "Of course. What's first on the agenda?"

As Jake begins to outline the day's activities, you and Steve stand closer to each other, your arm pressed lightly against his - or his arm pressed against yours. Either way, it’s another subtle but normal moment of intimacy.

Oprah and her team will show up around eight for breakfast and introductions. After breakfast, you’ll speak with her people while the do some initial exploration of topics and background stories to give Oprah notes and options to work from. Elsa reiterates - as she explained during the afternoon prep the day before - that this is the approach because Oprah wants her own context but to be able to have conversation within the interview for the first time, not recreating an exchange.

Lunch will be just you and Steve, Bucky and Sam, Oprah, her partner Stedman, and Oprah’s best friend Gayle. While the breakfast is for introductions, lunch is to relax and build rapport before the cameras are set up and you go into the interview.

As Jake finishes outlining the schedule, you can't help but feel a mix of excitement and nervousness about the day ahead. Though you’ve developed relationships with Steve, Bucky, Sam, and many of the campaign staff, including Jake and Sophia, you can’t help wishing someone from your past was here today to be part of it all. The prospect of spending time with Oprah, one of the most influential figures in media, is both thrilling and daunting.

The house starts to buzz with even more activity. Stylists arrive to help you and Steve prepare for the day, and a catering team begins setting up for the breakfast.

You and Steve move to the living room, where Bucky and Sam are already seated, deep in conversation. As you approach, Sam looks up with a grin.

"Morning, lovebirds," he teases, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Ready for the big day?"

You roll your eyes good-naturedly as you settle onto the couch next to Steve. "As ready as we'll ever be, I suppose."

"You've got this," Bucky reassures you, his eyes warm and supportive.

"Remember," Sam adds, leaning forward with a grin, "if all else fails, just flash that million-dollar smile and charm Oprah like you charmed us."

You nod, grateful for his encouragement, and Steve takes your hand - which fels as much for him as for you.

Sam launches into a story about a particularly disastrous interview he once had, his animated gestures and spot-on impressions soon having all of you in stitches. Over the past few months, you've grown close to both Bucky and Sam. They've become more than just Steve's friends; they're your friends too. Bucky's quiet strength and dry humor have become a source of comfort, while Sam's infectious optimism and quick wit never fail to lift your spirits during the most stressful moments of the campaign.

There’s a stir of commotion, and you assume Oprah and her camp have arrived, but the face that comes around the corner and into the living room isn’t Oprah.

It’s Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, architect of this presidential plan, and your friend-sister-mentor, impeccably put together as always, in a crisp white blouse and tailored pants, her strawberry blonde hair falling softly over her shoulders.

Your heart leaps at the sight of her, a wave of relief and joy washing over you. Without hesitation, you jump up from the couch and rush to embrace her.

"Pepper!" you exclaim, wrapping your arms around her. "What are you doing here? I had no idea you were coming!"

"Did you really think I'd miss this? This is a huge day for both of you."

As you pull back from the hug, you can feel the sting of tears in your eyes. You had felt it, but hadn't realized how much you had craved an old familiar face, someone who knew you before all of this began.

Pepper smiles warmly, her eyes sparkling with affection. "I couldn't let you face Oprah without some moral support. Plus, I have a bit of experience with high-profile interviews myself."

You laugh, wiping away a stray tear. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."

Steve approaches, greeting Pepper with a hug as well. "It's great to have you here, Pepper. Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Pepper says, looking between the two of you with a knowing smile. "How are you both holding up?"

"Nervous," you admit. "But more secure now that you're here."

Pepper nods understandingly. "That's perfectly normal. Just remember, Oprah is incredibly skilled at making people feel comfortable. She doesn’t look to trap people or back them into a corner, she’s looking for the heart of the things that are important. Be yourselves, and you'll do great."

As if on cue, there's another commotion at the front door. This time, it's unmistakably Oprah's arrival. The energy in the house shifts instantly, a palpable excitement filling the air.

You take a deep breath, reaching for Steve's hand once more. Pepper gives you both an encouraging nod as you move towards the entryway to greet your guest.

And there she is - Oprah Winfrey, larger than life and yet somehow exactly as warm and approachable as she appears on screen. Her presence fills the room, commanding attention without even trying.

"Good morning!" Oprah greets you both with a dazzling smile, extending her hand. "It's wonderful to finally meet you in person."

Steve steps forward first, extending his hand. "Ms. Winfrey, it's an honor. Thank you for coming."

"Please, call me Oprah," she says, shaking Steve's hand warmly before turning to you. "And you must be Mrs. Rogers. I've been looking forward to getting to know you."

next part: BROOKLYN - THE INTERVIEW

I am sure we didn't find out everything you wanted to about your wedding, but... I had to leave something for Oprah! 🤭

THE UNSUNG HERO OF THIS CHAPTER IS @stargazingfangirl18!!! I was feeling very strung up with some of the ideas that I had intended for this story's plot coming up against some of the ideas that have developed as the chapters have been written, and she helped me get things sorted and to a place where I'm incredibly excited again!

↠ Main Masterlist | Aspen's Ask Box | Field Guide to the Forest

I do not do tag lists, but FOLLOW @buckets-and-stories and TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS to be updated any time I publish a new work!

[hornyjailbreaking]

ꕤ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ꕤ

Minors do not interact! This post is NSFW and dd:dne!

ꕤ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘ꕤ

This is the follow-up to this drabble that I've written on June 23rd 2024. It's around 1,2k words and is dedicated to that one pregnancy kink Kylar lover who really wanted to read more about the pregnancy itself (there's still some sex tho), and to every other Kylarfucker who's into (step)cest and breeding! I love y'all, keep being nasty <3

Written in second person POV (you/your)

WARNINGS: Fem! Reader x Kylar, stepbrother!Kylar, older brother!Kylar, stepcest/pseudoincest, fucked-up family dynamics, breeding, (slightly inaccurate) pregnancy, giving birth (mentioned in passing), nipple play, lactation, proud dad Kylar (still a pathetic pervert)

Getting knocked up by your big brother wasn't what you imagined would happen when you got adopted into a seemingly nice family. But one thing led to another, and now you're sat in Kylar's lap while he's sucking on one of your engorged tits. He's latched on so tightly that you actually wince from time to time, pulling on his hair when he bites down on your poor nipple too hard in his excitement. He seems to enjoy the hair pulling a bit too much.

You'd started lactating recently, and your big brother has been absolutely relentless about "encouraging milk production for the baby" as he put it. You're fairly certain he's bullshitting and just wants you to breastfeed him daily until your planned delivery date. He may be greedy, but he's not entirely unreasonable. He knows your child will need the milk soon enough... He just isn't ready to give it up yet. You'd heard him whining to your mother about how much he hopes that your kid will leave some milk for him, too. Your darling mother helpfully told Kylar that it's possible to induce lactation at any point if it has already happened before, so he'll be able to drink your milk even once you stop giving birth to his children. To say he was elated is an understatement.

As much as you're willing to indulge your pervert of a brother, your pregnant body isn't quite willing to cooperate. You've been, for the most part, spared the constant throwing up. That doesn't mean you don't get back pains and your feet don't swell so much you can't put on your shoes. Kylar doesn't see that last one as a bad thing since it means you are mostly confined to the house where he can watch over you and dote on his pretty little sister. But the back pains are definitely not something you can ignore. So you whine and complain until he finally pops your nipple out of his mouth with the expression of a kicked puppy and helps you lie down.

Seeing how sad he is about not being able to keep you in his lap, you decide to humor him and ask for various adjustments to make you more comfortable. You suspect he gets off on seeing you so helpless and being the one to take care of you while you're carrying his child. He'd popped more than one boner just from watching you waddle into the kitchen for a snack to satisfy your cravings. Of course, being the good sister that you are, you'd taken care of his erection every single time. Pregnant or not, he still needs your body more than he needs food and water.

Well, being pampered doesn't feel so bad. And your parents are supportive too! Your mother made sure that the nursery was absolutely perfect before you even entered your second trimester, and your father ended up building more than just the crib for it. He became genuinely interested in woodworking! Just recently, he'd built you a rocking chair that will most certainly come in handy when the baby is finally born. Your entire family honestly can't wait to actually meet your child. It was agreed that you wouldn't ask about the gender during your check-ups and consultations. There's some charm in only finding out whether it's a boy or a girl on the day you give birth, according to Kylar and your parents. The nursery is gender-neutral anyway since you most certainly will not stop at one child, and the baby name list your mother had compiled is so thorough you'd enter menopause before you actually used up every name on it.

You're blessed with a relatively short labor and easy delivery that happens right around your due date. Kylar weeps the entire time. So loud and hard, in fact, that the nurses give him some kind of tranquilizer to shut him up and let the delivery happen without his wails in the background. He still sobs when he's told he is now a father of a healthy baby girl, even with the medication still calming him. You're used to your big brother falling to his knees in front of you. He does that all the time, really. But that teary-eyed, revent expression on his face is not one you're used to. He kisses your forehead and gently takes your daughter into his arms, then immediately crumbles into another fit of crying. Frankly, he cries a lot during the first week. He's just so happy! He's a dad now! Seeing you nurse his child somehow doesn't make him jealous and greedy for your affection, it makes him want to crawl on the ground at your feet and worship you like a goddess. You'd actually brought a new life into this world, and he played a role in it! He's the proudest you've ever seen him.

And also the horniest. He starts with eating your pussy daily while you heal, but as soon as you're finished, he's fucking you raw. Your mom and dad are elated to be grandparents and happily take care of your daughter to give you two a break. Kylar uses the free time you two get to fuck his seed into you again and again. It's not uncommon for you to walk around with cum dripping down your thighs because he is absolutely relentless. Your tits hurt and leak because of how much milk you're producing which leads to him often making you nurse him while he stuffs you full of his cock. He fucks you everywhere and anywhere he can get away with, whining into your ear about how much he wants to get you pregnant again. Maybe you'll give him a son this time. Or another daughter. He'd be happy with either. Just get pregnant for him again, please. When he isn't busy pumping your womb full of his cum, he's talking to your parents about how much he loves you and your daughter, and how much wants to have a big family with you. Your parents offhandedly mention the possibility of twins or triplets one evening and it results in an absolute marathon where your big brother begs you to get pregnant while he fucks both you and himself into overstimulation.

You take a pregnancy test less than two months after you've given birth. Positive. Kylar is on his knees again, crying and hugging you while kissing your belly. Your parents are already planning a trip for more baby clothes. You distantly wonder just how many times you'll get knocked up by your big brother in the coming years. But the sheer happiness of your family makes you abandon the thought and embrace the elated glow you feel. Didn't you read somewhere that children who grow up with siblings are often more well-adjusted socially? Maybe you should give your baby girl a few, just to be sure... The more the merrier, no?

[sweetdispatch]

Long distance troubles - N. Hischier

When Two Sports Collide | previous chapter

timeline: September 2019 - December 2020

summary: Lisa thought that she and Nico became friends during pandemic, just for him to cut her off when he returned to Europe and left her confused

warning: mentions of COVID, mentions of injury, swear words

words: 1.3k

note: i finished the whole story and i'm so excited to post the rest of the chapters!

---

Lisa smiled when she saw that Nico followed her back but her confidence that she had yesterday, to know him more disappeared. She decided to ignore it and wait for a moment to write to him. As much as she wanted to talk with him, she was aware that both of them are in a relationship and it might look suspicious. Lisa flew back home and focused on the start of the season, completely forgetting this hockey guy.

Second season for Lisa started great. Her team was winning almost every single match and they ended the year 2019 in great spirits. Since it was National Team time for handball, she had free time and decided to go with Sander to England. She wanted to support him because he started playing for a new team and helped him with moving on there. After New Years Eve, the Norwegian League returned to playing but this didn’t last long for Lisa. During one of the games, she picked a serious injury.

lisa.pedersen

liked by charlotteolsen and 5093 others

lisa.pedersen Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be worse than expected. I tore the ACL in my left knee and won’t be competing this season. Good luck girls and see you next season!🤞

charlotteolsen Girl you’re gonna be back even stronger!

sanderdale10 You’ll be back in no time❤️

25 January 2020

It’s been two months since Lisa’ operation. She was slowly coming back to her strength when the pandemic hit. Everything was locked and she couldn’t even travel to be with her family back in Trondheim. She was stuck in Kristiansand by herself because Sander was in London where he was playing. She tried to occupy her mind with tv shows and movies, especially since the league was cancelled. 

When Nico found out about Lisa’s injury, he wrote her a message with best of wishes in recovery. He was keeping her company on long distance. He was stuck in New Jersey by himself because Maya was studying in Bern. She didn’t expect that but they started talking more and more. She was teaching him everything about handball while he was teaching her about hockey.

“You got a red card because you pulled another girl by her hair?” Nico said amused.

“Yeah” Lisa laughed at the memory. “It was bad but I lost it at that moment. And to be honest, she was pissing me off the whole game”

“I didn’t know you’re aggressive like that” 

“I am not! Well, maybe sometimes but enough of me. Have you ever been sent off the ice?” Lisa asked.

“No, I’m always playing fair play” Nico said proudly.

“Bullshit! I don’t believe you” 

“Why?” 

“You look like a guy who likes to fight” Nico looked shocked at her.

“And you don’t look like a girl who likes to pull others hair because she’s mad at them”

“It was one time!” Lisa growled while he was laughing. 

They bonded during these months where they were stuck by themselves but in June, Nico cut the contact with her off. He didn't send her birthday wishes and he stopped responding to her messages. Lisa didn’t know why he changed his behaviour towards her. When she saw Maya’s insta story with Lottie and Nico, she realised that he returned to Switzerland for the summer. She started wondering if she was only for his entertainment during the pandemic months but quickly stopped thinking about it. 

Lisa moved on with her life. She came back to trainings. Being fit and ready to play was everything that was important for her at that moment. Lottie and Sander were next to her all the journey and she was thankful for having them. She missed the first month of the games but in October, she finally got the green light to return.

lisa.pedersen

liked by nicohischier and 5116 others

lisa.pedersen Finally back in the game! Big win today in Champions League, thanks for the nice welcome❤️

sanderdale10 You were incredible today❤️

charlotteolsen So so proud of you!!!!!!!

7 October 2020

Lisa saw that Nico liked her post and laughed. She couldn’t believe that he wasn’t responding to her but was in her likes. This whole situation was hilarious for her. Lottie thought the same. She saw him and Maya in summer and he acted like Lisa doesn’t exist every time she mentioned her. Two friends had fun about this and the way he was acting. 

“I completely don’t get it. He forgot about my existence for four months just to like my instagram post? Ridiculous” Lisa laughed.

“I don’t know what to tell you. He’s acting like you’re his side chick that he needs to hide from Maya when you know her and she knows you” Lottie said.

“Right? And I’m in a relationship too so I seriously don’t know why he decided to stopped talking to me” 

“He’s just an idiot for that. Ignore it Lisa. You’re better than him” 

“I should but I really want to know what happened. I thought we’re friends” Lisa sighed.

“I’ll talk to Maya and maybe she’ll know something more” Lottie proposed. 

“I don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t want them to argue, who knows how she’s gonna act when she finds out that her boyfriend was talking for three months with another woman”

“You have a point… Just leave it behind and let the world decide what’s next” 

“Okay, let the world decide” Lisa giggled.

Sander didn’t find it funny when Lisa told him about this. He felt jealous that she was talking with him during lockdown. He wasn't a possessive type but now, when he heard the story, he started. Lisa never gave him a reason for that but her talking with Nico was suspicious for him. She tried to explain it to him, but he didn't want to listen. They’ve been on long distance since he moved and preferred to be careful. She decided to accept his change, knowing there’s no point to argue over something that’s not existing.

“You’re making a problem where there’s none” Lisa argued.

“I just don’t like you being all friendly with him. What’s so tough to understand?” Sander stated.

“Your behaviour is tough to understand” Lisa rolled her eyes. “We were just talking, nothing happened. He’s in America and I’m in Norway”

“Why are you acting so defensive?” Sander placed his hands on hip.

“Why are you acting like a dick?” 

“You’re emotional” Sander signed. “I just… I feel bad knowing that you’ve talked for three months with a different guy. Non stop to add”

“Baby, we’re together. I would never do anything to ruin our relationship. I love you and only you” Lisa hugged him. “Plus he’s in a relationship and I would never ruin another woman's happiness” She placed a kiss on his lips.

In November, to her surprise, Lisa was called up for the National Team. It was a dream for her to represent Norway and now she got the chance. She never thought that after her injury, she’ll be back in her form and the fact that she was in the squad just month after the recovery got her confidence back. 

Whole tournament was successful for Norway. They didn’t lose a game and celebrated a win. Lisa became champion of Europe. This was her first big win and she couldn’t believe it. At the beginning of the year, she was wondering if she’s even gonna come back to playing and now, she could celebrate being European champion. 

lisa.pedersen

liked by sanderdale10 and 5204 others

lisa.pedersen WE ARE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS BABY🥇

charlotteolsen MY BEST FRIEND IS A EUROPEAN CHAMPION!!!!!!!!

nicohischier Congratulations Lisa! Proud of you😊

21 December 2020

When Lisa saw Nico’s comment, she felt confused.

He doesn’t talk with me for half of a year to say now that he’s proud of me? Why is he fucking up with my head?

---

next chapter

[fannyrosie]

I am finally starting to post my summery outfits. I wore this on Saint-Jean-Baptiste day, on June 24th. We have had around one month of hot weather before it became cool again, so get ready for summer outfits. I am not complaining; I really couldn't stand summer in Japan. Sadly, my health is still not good, so I only have a few outfits to post. Outfit rundown Dress: second-hand Milk Cutsew: GU Hat: vintage Gloves: vintage Shoes: old Vivienne Westwood X Melissa Brooches: vintage

[mychoombatheroomba]

Jaws of Death

Disavowed (Krauser x GN! Reader/Krauser x Leon) - Chapter 5

2002

Krauser and Leon face the danger in the jungle and come to an agreement.

(Cross-posted from Ao3)

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

TW for traditionally fucked up Resident Evil animals and also gore. And vomit? Did you know snakes spit up their meals when they're stressed? I do now.

June 29th, 2002

11:21

Mixcóatl, Amazon Rainforest

The world became a blur of browns and greens with a crash like artillery overhead. 

His hand closed around fabric, just as he felt something grasp at his forearm. Krauser and Leon avoided their doom by mere moments, the two of them falling to the forest floor just as whatever had found them shattered trees with the force of its attack. 

Just as it would have shattered their bones, if they’d been a second slower. 

Krauser grunted as the two of them hit the ground, their hold on each other strong as they scrambled in the mud. Pull each other up. Get to their feet. Their guns were raised in an instant, but as they turned, Krauser wasn’t entirely sure how much it would matter. 

The viper - or, what had once been a viper - was easily the size of Leon and Krauser put together. Peeling brown scales. Fangs dripping venom. Eyes like fire, an unnatural madness glowing there. 

The Major only got to take in that much information before the beast was lunging again, its hinge-jaw swinging open. 

He and Leon dove once more, a few shots ringing off in the jungle, piercing rotting hide. As if a handgun would do much against the beast bearing down on them. As it was, those bullets might have pierced the scales, but with the size of the creature they did little more than piss this thing off.

“Move!” Krauser commanded, hauling Leon along with him, just as the viper pulverized a small tree’s trunk with another bite. 

The two men crashed through the jungle, trying to put distance between them and their attacker. Krauser could feel the force of air moving as jaws snapped at their backs, each lunge coming within just a hair’s breadth of sinking into flesh. He started pulling Leon around trees, using the bigger ones as cover from the snake’s bites, hearing the massive body spring into the forest that now shielded them. They ran and ran and ran, until at last, the Major couldn’t hear their hunter any longer. 

He pressed himself up against a larger tree, Leon falling in at his side, both trying to quiet their breathing, guns at the ready. 

The rainforest around them was quiet, the blood pounding in Krauser’s ears making it difficult to tell where their enemy was.

He didn’t need to guess for long.

Too many fangs came at them, slashing down like knives from the brush. Krauser acted with what energy was left to him, without thinking. He pushed Leon out of the way, grunting as the massive snake crashed into the tree where the younger man had just been. The tree trunk splintered, a large chunk of it torn free as the snake recoiled. Its teeth missed Krauser, but the coiling body of the serpent was harder to avoid. 

The Major tried to rise, his aching, exhausted body moving just a touch too slow.

Then, with a crushing force, he felt warm, rotting scales against his skin, and the wind was knocked out of him as his body was pressed hard against splintered wood. He was sure his bones might crack under the sheer force of the body coiling against the damaged tree, trapping him there. 

He couldn’t escape, but his arms were free. 

Enough to slip his knife free of its sheath and start carving away at the viper’s body, trying desperately to dislodge it. To wound it enough that it might recoil. 

To survive. 

But that massive head reared up, undeterred as something burned at Krauser’s hands. The snake’s eyes flashed-

Then, with several gunshots, one of those eyes exploded in gore. 

Splattering of blood and hisses of pain were the sounds scoring Krauser’s escape, all accompanied by more gunshots as Leon fired. 

The viper thrashed back and forth, its remaining eye flashing in fury as it sprayed its blood across the forest floor. 

Blood that sizzled; that burned as drops of it found its way onto Krauser’s arm, singing his skin. 

He took off into the jungle towards the poor young bastard who’d been sent to hell with him, ducking under the snake as it whipped its head from side to side. The Major felt the thing nearly crush him as it doubled over, its underbelly hitting the forest floor. Not dead. Not yet. 

Krauser could see it still very much alive as he looked back, watching as it made a sound that . . . was it gagging? 

The Major didn’t really give himself time to think about it, turning and firing alongside Leon as soon as they were a good distance away. He didn’t have as much ammo left as he would like, but he hoped he’d have enough for this. 

He aimed for the second eye, and he aimed true. 

More boiling blood sprayed, and the creature hissed. Then came another retching sound, more thrashing that shattered bark and kicked up dirt. Krauser and Leon both backed away, keeping their weapons trained on the now-blind beast. 

It let them both see something coming up the snake’s neck, its rotting flesh distending as something was moved up its gullet. Then, with a whip of the snake’s head, whatever it was, was flung onto the forest floor.

Not what, but who. 

A tangle of limbs. Sizzling skin. Dissolved flesh and fabric. Jungle boots that were the only thing still intact. What little hair there had been was melted away. The face was twisted by stomach acid enough that Krauser almost couldn’t recognize him, but for the bullet hole still remaining right where he’d left it. 

Barnes. 

He stared at the corpse as the great snake darted away into the underbrush, feeling his world fracture that little bit more. 

And from those fractured points, more and more rage seeped into him. 

This thing was going to die. These monsters, and the man who unleashed them. They were all going to die. 

“Major-”

“Quiet, rookie!” Krauser snarled, eyes full of fire as he yanked the younger man to the side. A good thing, too, because a moment later, the beast sprung out of the trees, jaws snapping at where Leon and Krauser had just been standing. It whipped around, then, striking at nothing and everything, taking another chunk out of the massive, already damaged tree, making the whole of its body lean like it might fall, only to come to a stop, still holding on. Krauser steadied his breathing as he looked down, then, away from the threat of being crushed by a falling tree and towards the more present danger.

The first instinct would have been to fire. To defend themselves. If the snake had whirled on them for another attack, they might have. Instead, the monstrous tongue flicked out, tasting the air. 

If the creature was blind, now, it would search for them in other ways. 

Sound and scent. It didn’t matter how quiet the two of them were, Krauser realized that as the massive, angular head turned towards them. 

He’d been in the jungle for days upon days. He’d done his best to disguise his scent, to blend in with his surroundings. Leon hadn’t had that opportunity yet. That became painfully clear as the snake’s mouth began to split open. 

Another strike. One Krauser ducked away just in time. 

He heard a cry of pain, and the Major’s heart stopped. Without thinking, he struck out with his blade once more, trying to slice into the snake, but too late. 

Krauser could only watch in horror as Leon scrambled to his feet. Alive. For now. That wouldn’t remain the case for long, as the younger man desperately ran, the snake trailing after him. 

Their weapons were all but useless. Their hunter, unrelenting. 

And if Krauser didn’t act now, Leon would die. Another name on his conscience. One he absolutely couldn’t afford. 

So, a plan came to him. Desperate and half-formed, but he’d found success with less. He rose, dashing towards the tree that the viper had damaged, standing in front of the shattered wood. He fired his pistol over his shoulder as he went, bullets finding the peeling scales once more. The snake hissed in pain, and Krauser snarled in return as it turned to look at him, giving Leon time to get some distance. To get away.

Damned man had better take the opportunity, because Krauser wasn’t too keen on dying for him. 

That didn’t stop him from shouting, though, hoping the snake was enraged and stupid enough to take the bait. “Come on, you bastard!” Krauser roared, gun and knife at the ready. Not that either would matter. “Come on!”

A normal viper wouldn’t have been bothered. It wouldn’t have been hunting them like this at all. But this was the way of things, now. Nature taken and turned on its head, the order of things corrupted sure as the cells of the creature they now fought. A normal viper might not have taken the bait, it might have even avoided conflict with humans altogether. This one, though, was something else. Something that was all hunger and rage. 

Major Krauser had rage to match. 

So as Krauser shot, as he shouted, the massive serpent coiled. It rushed back towards him, death coming closer and closer. Aiming to swallow him, just as it had swallowed Barnes’ body. Aiming to end him, just as everything else in this godforsaken jungle had. 

But he wasn’t done yet. He couldn’t die. Not until his knife was buried in Javier Hidalgo’s neck. 

So, as the snake lunged, so too did Krauser. He dove to the side, feeling the snake’s open maw soar through the air. Krauser rolled, his back coated with fresh mud as there was a great cracking sound, thunderous and echoing through the trees. Then, creaking. The sounds of wood bending. Breaking. The shadow of the tree that had been barely holding on grew closer.

Then something smacked into Krauser’s back, whipping hard against his harness. The snake’s tail, knocking him back down, just as he was getting to his feet. The serpent turned towards Krauser, venom stringing between too many teeth. Readying itself as the tree began to fall-

Gunshots. More sizzling blood spraying the forest floor. A voice Krauser would recognize anywhere.

“Eat this, you son of a bitch!” 

Always got some stupid shit to say, don’t you rookie?

Again, the snake took the bait, drawn by sound and pain. It lunged towards where Leon stood, down the shadow of the tree growing more defined against the ground. Krauser rolled out of the way, looking up just in time to see the huge viper spring forward, jaws wide-

Then came a rush of leaves. Branches snapping, flesh parting, bones breaking. 

There was a sharp cry. Almost a bestial scream - one that was silenced as soon as it sounded. From under the fallen tree, Krauser could see that great, rotting, scaled body lay there, pinned and twitching. Fatigue sunk its claws into him, trying to keep him tethered to the ground. Still, he shrugged it off, managing to push himself up. He used the fallen tree as a support, dragging his aching body forward, knife and gun at the ready. 

He would need neither. 

Through the mass of fallen branches, Krauser could make out the aftermath of what happened; the snake’s neck nearly flattened under the bulk of the tree trunk, blood and mangled bone spilling out from under its hide. And beyond, Krauser could see that angular head. It may have missed the majority of the weight of the trunk falling on it, but it hadn’t been fortunate enough to avoid the thicker branches, one of which had snapped during the fall, it seemed, and impaled the snake’s head from above. 

It was done. Another threat neutralized, another obstacle between Krauser and his goal was overcome. 

The sight of Leon rising from the other side of the fallen tree, battered but mostly unharmed, was a comfort. 

The corpse lying just a few feet away, partially digested and forever marred, didn’t let any of that comfort take root. 

Resigned eyes peering up at him from down the barrel of a gun. A single nod. 

Krauser had tried to give Barnes a dignified end. It wasn’t guaranteed in this new world, he knew, but he’d tried. A bullet to the head. Clean. Quick. Barnes had faced it head on. A good soldier to the end. He would never get a proper burial. His body would never have gone home to his family. His father who was so proud of him and his mother who was apparently controlling but meant well, his sister who had just graduated college . . . they would all bury an empty casket. The body would remain here, in the dirt. Krauser knew that the forest would take it back. 

But seeing it . . . seeing the face of a man who’d accepted his death with bravery turned to a mess of twisted flesh . . . seeing his body thrown to the ground from the mouth of a monster . . .

“Major . . .” Krauser hadn’t even realized Leon had made his way around to his side. Bad form. Meant he wasn’t paying attention. 

Still, the Major couldn’t look away. Couldn’t tear his eyes off the physical manifestation of what had become of this all. Proud men - good men - thrown to the jungle to be torn apart and spat back out. 

And Leon Kennedy, the golden boy, had been thrown into hell too, not told about the bones he’d be walking over. 

And Leon would be dead too if he or Krauser made a single misstep. 

Wherever you were, whatever the circumstances, Krauser wouldn’t ever want to face you and have to tell you that he’d failed to protect Leon. 

He’d never want to face himself with that knowledge, either. 

“We need to keep moving,” Krauser muttered, schooling his expression into stone once more. He had his mission, and Leon had his. “If your target is dealing with Javier, then he’ll probably be with him. You can get the man you’re after, bring him in . . .” he turned to look at Leon, feeling that anger boiling just beneath the skin, “. . . and I can kill the man responsible for all this.” 

Leon’s brow pinched together, his eyes narrowing, framed by dark circles that had only seemed to get worse over the years. Painted by sleepless nights, no doubt. 

“Javier,” he said, speaking the name of a man who was as good as dead. “You’re going after him?” There was a sense of hesitation in his tone. 

Of course there was. Leon never liked killing. Even when it was necessary. No matter what Krauser had taught him, he hadn’t been able to eliminate that weakness. It wouldn’t surprise him if, in the years since training had ended, that trait had found a way to survive. One of many failures the Major was feeling the weight of, now.

“There a problem with that?” 

Leon grimaced, his gaze falling to the forest floor. “I was under orders not to touch Hidalgo.” 

That . . . well, given the state of everything else, given the fact that Krauser’s men had been denied rescue, given that he and everyone else had been left here to rot, that made sense. Just another thread in this thoroughly fucked up tapestry. 

“Let me guess,” Krauser smiled, but there was nothing but malice in the expression, “politics got involved?” Javier Hidalgo was the head of a cartel, after all. The operation to assassinate him and dismantle his empire had been black books for a reason. Too many interested parties involved. Too much at risk. No one could know that they were there - that the US sent men behind another country’s lines. So, someone had decided the risk wasn’t worth it to go after Hidalgo. Just the Umbrella contact supplying him. 

When Leon nodded, confirming the theory, Krauser scoffed. So, that was how it was. Another cover-up. Another few souls to preserve some illusion of peace. 

Didn’t matter now. All he and Leon could do was press forward. Soldier on. 

“You have your mission,” the Major said, resigned, “I’ll help you finish it. But I have my own. You can either help me put this bastard down when the time comes or stay out of my way. Got it, rookie?” 

Leon, for his part, didn’t protest. Funny. Krauser almost thought he would. “Understood, sir.” 

Maybe he was finally learning after all. 

“There’s a village close,” Krauser said eventually, looking out into the tree line. 

Leon nodded. “I know it. It’s where I was headed.” 

“Then we’ll make our way there,” Krauser agreed, sheathing his knife but keeping his gun out, checking the chamber and his ammunition. Not much, but enough. “Hope you brought plenty of bullets,” the Major said, not allowing himself to feel the exhaustion trying to coax him down.  

He no sooner started moving than Leon spoke again. “Major-” his voice was different than it had been all those years ago. Stronger. Lower. Like maybe the golden boy had finally stooped into the mud with the rest of them. It didn’t quite match the words he spoke, still idealistic. Still clinging to some pipe dream of a better world. “We’ll make it right.”

There it was. That Boy Scout attitude. That optimism.

Krauser didn’t know how it had survived all these years. Everyone else seemed to have learned. They understood.

You understood. Better than anyone, you’d come to understand the bitter truth. Maybe that was why things had gone the way they had, though. You understood, but Leon still couldn't.

 “Thought you’d have learned by now, rookie,” the Major scoffed, his voice hollow as he looked back at the younger man. “There is no ‘right’ anymore.”

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Index

[lgihtspeed]

Prior to her appearance on IGNITE!, VIOLET debuted twice. Her first group lasted nine months. Her second group lasted three—in hindsight, that one might have been a scam. Lightspeed will last eleven. It seems to be a pattern with her. She was first interested in becoming an idol at the age of thirteen. Highly inspired by second generation girl groups like SNSD and T-ara, she began to learn how to sing and dance. At seventeen, Violet moved to South Korea to pursue her dream, against her parents’ wishes. She has not spoken to them in eight years.

IGNITE! was truly her last chance. After nearly a decade of trying and failing to be an idol, she was almost ready to call it quits. That was when Violet learned of the show from her older sister. After breezing through the audition and early stages of the show, her professionalism and obvious desperation helped her secure second place, and a spot in Lightspeed.

KNOWN FOR: Saying “I don’t know any boy groups except BTS and EXO” (as a joke?). Being the only person to give a thank you speech in Korean. Hitting an extremely high whistle note while watching a video of her first group’s debut stage.

STAGE NAME : Violet

FULL NAME : Violet Quyên Lâm

BIRTHDAY : June 30, 1997

BIRTHPLACE : Calgary, Alberta, Canada

HOMETOWN : Calgary, Alberta, Canada

ETHNICITY : Vietnamese

NATIONALITY : Canadian

FACE CLAIM : Jun Vũ

ASH was born Jang Dohyun in Seoul, South Korea, before moving to the US to live with the rest of his extended family when he was less than a year old. He picked the name Ash for himself when he started going to school and none of his teachers could pronounce his name. As a teenager, the rise of the Hallyu wave in the West led to his interest in kpop and kdramas, and became his way of reconnecting with the country he was born in. As a college student, he took this one step further with his participation in UCLA’s kpop cover dance team, where he met Tyler.

While on IGNITE!, his rank rose steadily throughout the second half of the show. Although a good enough performer, he was seen more as comic relief and a moodmaker than a serious contender for the winning group. He was also popular for his constant promotion of his family’s Koreatown bakery instead of himself. In the finale, his rank skyrocketed from seventh to second, surprising Ash most of all. He is Lightspeed’s leader in name and not much else.

KNOWN FOR: Promoting his family’s bakery more than himself. Re-editing his profile pictures and posting them to his Instagram after the show. Writing “fre sha vaca do” as his catchphrase.

STAGE NAME : Ash

FULL NAME : Dohyun Jang

BIRTHDAY : July 9, 1999

BIRTHPLACE : Seoul, South Korea

HOMETOWN : Los Angeles, California, USA

ETHNICITY : Korean

NATIONALITY : American

FACE CLAIM : Serim Park

TW: Death

TYLER was the only survivor of the major car accident that killed his parents and older brother. At the age of two, he spent a few months as a ward of the state of Illinois before being adopted by an older childless white couple. He spent most of his life on the family farm, before jumping ship to Los Angeles for college, where he met Ash on the UCLA kpop cover dance team.

In his first semester of grad school—because what else is he doing with his bachelor’s degree in psychobiology?—he auditioned for IGNITE!, seeing it as another opportunity to avoid returning to the farm. In hindsight, it was an extremely good decision, even if all of his embarrassing stan Twitter tweets were dragged into the limelight. As a competitor, Tyler was popular for his confidence and the dance skills to back up whatever grandstanding statements he decided to make.

KNOWN FOR: Freestyling his entire initial audition. Somehow continuing to tweet while filming IGNITE! Dapping up Ash every episode.

STAGE NAME : Tyler

BIRTH NAME : Tyler Ryuji Igarashi

FULL NAME : Tyler Wilfred Ryuji Lewis

BIRTHDAY : March 3, 2000

BIRTHPLACE : Chicago, Illinois, USA

HOMETOWN : Decatur, Illinois, USA

ETHNICITY : Japanese

NATIONALITY : American

FACE CLAIM : Noa Kazama

Born to second generation Korean Americans, CONSTANCE is Lightspeed’s most prominent vocalist. She was musically inclined from an early age, able to pick up and mimic melodies by ear. By the time she was fourteen, she was proficient in multiple instruments, having spent all of her afternoons at local music shops and figuring them out for herself. Her prodigal music run came to an end when she auditioned for Julliard and didn’t get in. She settled for pursuing her secondary interest of mechanical engineering instead.

Being a kpop idol was never a possibility to her. Her grandparents left Korea in the aftermath of the Korean War—why would she go back? Yet when IGNITE! announced auditions in New York City, Constance decided she could give it a try. She was indisputably one of the best singers on the show, moving the judges to tears in her final performance. She placed third at the show’s conclusion.

KNOWN FOR: Bringing an entire suitcase of snacks. Smiling like The Almighty Loaf. Pointing out the film crew’s OSHA violations.

STAGE NAME : Constance

FULL NAME : Constance Bomi Im

BIRTHDAY : January 28, 2001

BIRTHPLACE : Newark, New Jersey, USA

HOMETOWN : Newark, New Jersey, USA

ETHNICITY : Korean

NATIONALITY : American

FACE CLAIM : Winter / Minjeong Kim

MIA’S career started at the young age of six with a small background role in a children’s TV show. Pushed to perform by her mother (still reeling from her failure to be a famous actress), she took dance lessons—ballet, tap, jazz—and acting lessons and modeling lessons. As a child and a teenager, she had two big breaks: a starring role in a spinoff of a popular kids’ show, and a brief stint as a kpop trainee under JYP Entertainment. Her six months there were the greatest time of her life, so when her mother suggested she should audition for IGNITE!, she jumped at the chance.

Her previous experience was evident from the moment she stepped on stage. She never ranked below third, was center for most of her performances, and seemed to be an endless source of memorable and iconic performance clips. It came as no surprise that she placed first among the female contestants in IGNITE!’s finale.

KNOWN FOR: Carrying her team in almost every performance. Struggling to make a heart in the theme song. Reenacting an orange juice commercial she did when she was seven.

STAGE NAME : Mia

FULL NAME : Mia Odette Kim-Anderson

BIRTHDAY : June 4, 2002

BIRTHPLACE : Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

HOMETOWN : Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

ETHNICITY : Caucasian, Korean

NATIONALITY : Australian

FACE CLAIM : Lily Jin Morrow

EV, born Everett Lam Chun-sheng in Hong Kong, China, is the youngest member of Lightspeed. His parents divorced when he was six years old, leading to his subsequent move to Leeds, England with his mother and the changing and reordering of his names. His interest in music was fostered by his stepfather, a symphony musician, as a way for the two of them to connect. It worked—he took music as his fourth A-level, alongside maths, history, and English literature.

While attending university, he was met with the opportunity to participate in IGNITE! As a competitor, Ev was known mostly for his quiet disposition and peacemaking abilities. He acknowledged his lack of skill in the beginning, and improved greatly throughout the show’s run. He placed third.

KNOWN FOR: Recreating Hyungwon’s Starbucks meme with a Redbull during a practice session. Reciting Jacques’s “All the world’s a stage” monologue from As You Like It in his audition. Doing the exact same stiff ending fairy pose after every performance.

STAGE NAME : Ev

BIRTH NAME : Everett Lam Chun-sheng

FULL NAME : Everett Chun-sheng Sharpe

BIRTHDAY : January 15, 2003

BIRTHPLACE : Hong Kong, China

HOME TOWN : Leeds, England

ETHNICITY : Chinese, English

NATIONALITY : British 

FACE CLAIM : William Gao

FEATURING: @seeyal8r @snspice @venusvity @stcpidcupid @almostyours

[theflyindutchwoman]

You did good.

| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 3.06 - Revelations

Starting the scene with Tim keeping an eye on Lucy, from his lookout, is such a fitting metaphor for him… He's always been protective of her, even more so after Day of Death. There's no one else she trusts more to have her back - and, honestly, I doubt he fully entrusts anyone with her safety. That's partly why he's offended when Nolan reminds him that she can take care of herself : this isn't the issue, he is fully aware of how capable she is. He's just terrified of losing her. That's this fear that is driving him for a big part of the episode. And, unfortunately, this op - Lucy's very first undercover mission - happens at a very inopportune time.

We saw how at the beginning of the episode, he was feeling comfortable enough to talk about Isabel and undercover work. It's the first time he actually mentions her name umprompted or without shutting down right away. He was even able to remember those fond memories without them hurting. His smile reflected his healing and progress in moving on… That is, until his friend Mack showed up high, his mistress in tow, and almost died. Reopening Tim's old wounds at the same time. His whole demeanor changed after that : he became more guarded, more tense. So learning that Lucy was sent on an undercover op right after - a mission he knew nothing about - was understandably triggering. If he was already getting nervous when he realised she was interested in this line of work, it paled to how he was feeling after that. He saw firsthand with both Isabel and Mack how the department turned the other way when something went wrong, so his reservations made perfect sense. This is one more person he cares about that he's afraid of losing to the undercover world. Unfortunately, as valid as his apprehension was, lashing out when Lucy was getting ready wasn't the best move.

He's not the only one being anxious here : so is Lucy - although for a different reason. His opinion matters to her the most, so she was naturally hoping for his support. Her confidence was visibly shaken after his disapproval. But somehow, it makes her conversation in the van with Nyla and June that much more heartwarming, with the way these two are trying to boost her confidence and help her relax. To reassure her as well. Nyla's mentorship is truly special : I feel like there's a side of her we only get to see with Lucy. Her approach is so different from Tim's and yet, they perfectly complement each other, giving Lucy various perspectives and shaping her into the well-rounded officer she now is. And she excels here, showing how really smart she is, between her knowledge in chemistry and her language skills, and how good she is under pressure. The thing with her is that she's mainly unassuming, leading most people to underestimate her… Something that she gets to use to her advantage and turn against them. She manages to use her fear, like Nyla advised her, adding a dash of a 'devil may care' attitude in the mix, and it works wonder for her undercover persona. The fact that she was able to improvise this well without any proper training just proves how skilled she truly is. And I like that this also taps into her background in psychology. Her potential is undeniable.

For someone who was positioned relatively far away, Tim gets to the roof really fast for the arrest… suggesting that the second Lucy got into that car, he quickly abandoned his post so he could get closer to her, should she need help. And how telling is it that he makes sure that he's the one arresting her. His little 'You okay?' betrays how worried and antsy he is. He couldn't even wait for them to be in a more secluded place, like in the shop, before asking her… He's also so careful with her when he arrests her, one hand on her shoulder, the other holding her hands - a complete contrast to John who is practically dragging Nyla by her elbow. The way Lucy looks rather closed off when she goes to sit in the shop, not knowing what to expect after his outburst from earlier, and just lights up as he compliments her… His approval means so much to her. We saw her unwavering faith in him when she admitted previously that she knew he would find her, no matter what it took. She deserves the same so it is a really great moment to see him empower her again, putting aside his feelings on the matter. I don't know if it was Nyla's or Nolan's comments that made him think… maybe both, maybe neither. But he took the time to do a little introspection and realises that in that moment, this is about Lucy. At the end of the day, he wants her to succeed. He wants to support her, not make her doubt herself. And as someone who is aware of his complicated relationship with undercover work, she can fully appreciate his gesture. She never really had that kind of unconditional support before, so this means so much to her. Nyla piling on with her proud wink was perfect. Short and simple but just as meaningful.

[shady-lemur]

Stargirl ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

I made a poll asking if you guys wanted smut in this part and everyone who voted said yes so I hope this is good 😇

Part 1, part 2, part 3!!

Ellie x reader

You and Ellie are friends. You're hanging out with your other friends again. You've even meeting new people. Everything's working out for you finally. But you aren't fully over Ellie, and after a certain night at her apartment you don't think you ever will be.

Content warning - jealousy, sexual themes... Use of a strap-on, a little bit of mean Ellie 🤭!!

You check yourself in the mirror one last time before opening the door, nervous about your second date with Abby. She's standing there smiling, with a small bouquet in one hand and the other in her back pocket. She's wearing some jeans and a plain white tee-shirt.

"Hi" she says, handing you the bouquet, "you look amazing."

You smile and take the flowers from her, "thank you Abby. You don't look too bad yourself." You wink and open the door further, inviting her to come in while you put the flowers in water.

She follows you to the kitchen and seat on one of your barstools. "Are you excited? I heard this place has such good pasta and lobster." You nod and rearrange the flowers in the vase before looking up at her.

This was only your second date and you guys weren't dating yet. But Abby has already spoiled you so much.. with that surgeon salary 😋😋

"You ready to go? We should make it before the dinner rush." You hum and smooth out your dress before following her out to your car. Making sure to lock your door on the way out.

She opens the passenger seat door for you and helps you step into the car. She gets into the drivers seat and starts to drive to the restaurant.

"So, you like to read?" Abby asks after a few minutes of silently eating. You look up at her and nod, "yeah.. I've loved reading ever since I was little."

She smiles, "I was never much of a reader. I love to listen to audio books in the car though." You hum in understanding and take another bite of food. "This is so good. I gotta take a picture of this." Abby laughs as you pull out your phone and snap a few pictures of you expensive meal.

"Tag me in those!!" She says playfully pointing her finger at you. You smile, "yes sir."

You quickly post a picture of the food with her tagged on your instagram story before turning off your phone and getting back to your conversation.

Ellie was happily getting high and scrolling on her phone until she saw your newest instagram story. Who was this Abby girl 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐

Ellie had clicked on her username and was scrolling through her posts. She had recently graduated and became an official surgeon, she was at a pride festival in June so she's fruity, and she was super fucking buff.

Ellie scoffed. She doesn't even have the right to be jealous. You guys were friends. You made it very clear that you only wanted to be her friend. But Ellie couldn't help the way her stomach turned when she saw the fancy table with the expensive food and the buff lesbian in your picture.

She took another hit of her blunt before opening your messages.

heyyy, are you free tonight? i want to finish the ultimatum

She didn't even know why she was texting you. Was she trying to prove that you didn't need Abby? Did she actually just want to finish the season you started watching together? Or was she just needing your attention after you went out on a date? Ellie didn't fucking know, all she knew was that she wanted to see you.

After a few minutes you respond.

Hi els that sounds perfect. I can be there around 10 if that's good for u

mkay, i'll see you then.

Ellie smiled at the messages and decided to get some snacks ready.

You sigh as you close your apartment door. Your dates with Abby have been fun, but you haven't been connecting romantically. She tried to kiss you goodnight and you literally swerved so she'd kiss your cheek instead...

It just felt wrong for some reason. It was hard for you to put yourself out there ever since you and Ellie broke up and Ellie texting you in the car wasn't helping. You can't help the butterflies you get when she texts you asking if you wanna hang out 💁‍♀️

Just you and her..

You felt like how you felt when you first met Ellie. 18 years old and so in love. But you were 24 now and Ellie and you were just friends.

Buuuuut, wearing a matching set under your shorts and t-shirt never hurt anybody.. (and wearing one of the t-shirts you never returned to Ellie 🤭🤭)

You get changed and wash the makeup off your face before getting a tote bag and putting some extra clothes and a phone charger in it.

You catch yourself GIGGLING on the way over to Ellie's..

Jesus christ....... you were so beyond saving.

You make it to Ellie's after a 10 minute drive, knocking on her door softly.

When the door opens you're met with a smiling Ellie who def looked a little bit faded..

"Damn. You couldn't have waited to share?" You fake a pout and Ellie snorts, "shut up, I was bored waiting for your ass."

You laugh and come in her apartment, you take your shoes off before following her into her room and getting comfy against her pillows. She throws you the remote so you can turn on Netflix and goes to get the snack from the kitchen.

"So what were you up to today?" She asks as she walks back in with some popcorn and you favorite candy. You get under her comforter and pat the spot next to you. "I had dinner with someone."

Ellie nods and puts down the snacks to get cozy next to you, "someone I know?"

You shake you head, "I met her on a dating app. Abby, she's nice."

Ellie scowls slightly, even though she already guessed all of this. But her scowl makes your butterflies double.

"Ready to press play?"

You say yes and play episode 9 as you snuggle closer to her.

"What the fuck did I just watch?" Ellie looks over at you but you sit there with a shocked face.

It was now 12:53 and you and Ellie had finished the season. You were both flabbergasted to say the least.

"I can't believe she was even allowed to be there.. whatttt.."

Ellie shakes her head and leans on your shoulder, "I'm so glad that no matter how much shit we put each other through we never tried to get on this show."

You laugh in agreement before sighing, "do you think we could've worked?"

Ellie turns to look at you and smiles sadly, "I think we were only hurting each other by the end. We needed to seperate so we could grow without each other for a while."

You look her in the eye and nervously mess with the blanket. "Do you think we could work now? Now that we've healed?" You watch as Ellie's eyes widen and she starts to pick at her nails. You grab her hand to stop her.

"Ellie?"

She looks down at your hand on hers and takes a deep breath. "I don't think we'd know until we tried."

You get move so your sitting in front of her and get closer, "can we try?"

Ellie gulps and looks at you, her eyes trail down to your lips before she runs her hand up your arm and pulls you into herself. You squeak as her lips meet yours. One of her hands rests on your back and pushes you closer to her as the other holds your cheek. Your arms wrap around her neck so you can move to straddle her lap.

Ellie moves one of her hands down to squeeze your thigh, you moan and she uses that as her invite to explore your mouth with her tongue.

You pull away after a while and immediately feel her lips start to attack your jaw. "Ellie, please.."

She smiles and continues to press sloppy kisses against your neck, "please what?"

You whine and grind against her thigh, "I need you.. needed you for so long.." You slide your hands up to lightly pull on her hair. Ellie moves her hands down to your hips, helping you move against her. "Really baby? Has my poor girl not been getting fucked enough?"

You bite your cheek and nod, "els, you're the only one who knows what I need." Ellie kisses you again and flips you over so she's hovering over you.

She pulls at your t shirt, "can I take this off baby?" You nod eagerly and help her as she slips it off your body. She takes a second to stare at your figure before going back to kisses your neck, gently sucking in the places she knows make you whine.

You buck your hips up to meet hers as she trails her lips all the way down to your waistband. She presses one last kiss on your stomach before touching your shorts, "these too?"

"Please-"

She immediately pulls your shorts down, noticing your matching lacy underwear and bra. "You fucking whore." She laughs, "you had this all planned? Wanted me to see you in your set? Even chose my favorite color." You squeal when she pulls on your under wear band and watches it snap back against you skin.

"Please els, only for you.."

She licks her lips and looks at the needy expression on your face. "Want do you want first pretty girl?"

You look down at her and try to rub your thighs together but she keeps them open. "Your mouth, please els"

She smiles up at you and starts to pull down your underwear. "Take off your bra for me sweets." You obey her and unclasp your bra, tossing it in your pile of clothes on her floor. She bites her lip as she looks down at your figure, "fuck baby, missed you so fucking much." She brings her hands up to squeeze your tits as you whine and buck your hips up again.

"Missed you too el-" you're cut off by Ellie's hands leaving your chest and her tongue on your cunt. You moan at the feeling.

You've had hook ups since you and Ellie broke up, but no one has ever managed to get you to cum the way Ellie can.

Ellie starts to kitten lick your cunt, bringing her lips up to close around your clit. She starts to suck your clit as she teases you with her finger. You grab onto her hair with on hand, pushing her head deeper into your pussy while your other hand gropes your tits.

"Ellie.. Oh my god.." She grins into your skin and pushes her middle finger into your tight hole, she feels like it's getting pulled deeper and deeper inside of you. You bite down on your lip due to the pleasure.

Ellie continues to eat you out like she's been starving. She tongue circling your clit as she's adds another finger, pumping then in and out of you at the same pace of her tongue. You moan as you back arches off the bed, "please els! 'M gonna-"

She works her fingers faster and moans against your cunt, "do it baby, cum on my fingers." You feel her start to suck on your clit again and you reach your breaking point.

You feel the chord in your stomach snap and Ellie works you through it as you come down from your orgasm. Ellie smiles up at you and pulls her fingers out, politely cleaning up your cum with her tongue.

"Fuck Ellie" you try to catch your breath, pulling her head away by her hair. She comes up to straddle you, kissing you passionately as she runs her hands up and down your sides.

She rests her forehead against yours once you break the kiss. "Was that okay? I didn't do anything that made you uncomfortable?" She asks as she traces shapes into your skin. You shake your head, "no you were perfect. Do you want me to return the favor?"

Ellie smiles at you and perks her head up like a dog, "do you feel like you can ride?"

You playfully roll your eyes and hit her arm, "of course that's what you want."

She shrugs and pecks your lips again. You laugh and nod, "just give me a minute."

Ellie's smile gets bigger and she gets off of you, going to her night stand to get out the purple strap 😈😈👽😈😈

You watch as she strips in front of you. Showing off her toned body and cute black sports bra and boxers. You sit up and watch as she sits back down on the bed and lubes her fake dick. "Ready baby?" She smiles as you get closer, nervously hovering over her strap. "It's gonna hurt els."

She kisses your forehead, "promise I'll help you babe, we don't have to use it tonight if you don't wanna." You shake your head and wrap your arms around her neck.

"I want to."

Ellie squeezed your ass and grabs your hips to help guide them down, "that's my fucking girl." You whine as you start to feel her strap stretching you so well. You nails dig into Ellie's back as she helps you bottom out. You bite her shoulder to help you as you start to tear up. Ellie moans at the pain.

Once she's the full way in she kisses you, moving her tongue against yours so perfectly. "Did so good, pretty girl. Are you ready to move?"

You nod and start to lift your hips, Ellie helps you form a rhythm as you kiss her neck. Her strap is filling you so perfectly as you hear her praises. "So good baby, feels so good." You start to speed up, making sure to grind against her a little bit every time you bottom out so you can see her reaction every time you bump her neglected clit. "Oh my god els" you whine.

Ellie smiles at you and starts to meet your hips as she trusts up into you. One of her hands move from your hips and you bite your lip so hard it starts to bleed when you feel her fingers start to rub circles on your clit and she takes one of your nipples in her mouth.

All you can say is her name. She smiles at you and slaps your ass. "You think Abby could make you feel like this?" She brings her hand up to force you to look at her. You moan, "els!!"

She slaps your cheek. "Answer me."

You whine and shake your head rapidly, "no!! She couldn- Els!! 'M cumming!"

You slam your lips into hers as she helps you ride your second orgasm. "So good baby. You did so good. Everything okay? Did I go to rough?"

You shake your head as you come down and kiss her shoulder, your eyes starting to droop."I love you els."

She wraps her arms around your sides and gives you a kiss. "I love you too y/n. I think you need some water and some sleep. We can talk more about us tomorrow?"

You shake your head, "what about you els? I want to make you feel good too.."

She laughs and slowly lifts you up off of her and onto the bed. "Don't worry about me right now pretty girl. All I needed was to see you." You smile at her and she kisses your temple before getting off the bed and leaving the room.

You eventually get up and go to the bathroom and when you come back into Ellie's room you see her sitting in bed with a cup of water for you. She's in a new shirt and boxers and has laid out your pjs that you packed in your tote bag.

You smile at her and change before getting in bed and immediately hooking onto her side. She kisses the top of your head before turning off her lamp and laying her head down. "Good night gorgeous."

"Night els."

That was my first time ever writing smut..... Lmaooo I hope it wasn't awkward 😭😭😭

Raaaahhhhhh they kissed!!!!!!!! And fucked but that's irrelevant. Part 4 is gonna be the last part I think!!! Should I might it a time skip? Tell me if you wanna be added to the taglist for the next part my loves (^з^)-☆Chu!!

Taglist <3

@gold-dustwomxn @catostrophiclesbian @ellieswifee @unstablefemme

[authorspirit]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ♥♥♥

Hi! Thank you for the asks and grhugehgiebfe I adore you so I’m honored you thought of me. 🥹

I have another of these asks in my inbox for AGES and was waiting to find ideas on my sims. But it’s so hard cause I post everything! And when I finally had a list, your ask arrived in my inbox. So great timing 💙 and sorry ruth I swear I will answer yours someday lol

So previously I had done Aria Sapphire. Let’s do her son, Arthur Sapphire. Most facts are probably already available somewhere buuuuuut….. A little sum up of how my favorite current father was doing is always great (he’s a mess).

I’ll go from random to ✨ juicy ✨

Arthur loves playing violin even if it’s been a while since he had time to as a father. He’s been taking classes at the June School of Arts since childhood. Most of his friends come from that violin class. Ericka Martinez (then Lambert), his cousin, also was in the same violin class. (But she’s not as good lol)

He had the soulmate aspiration as a teen and then the serial romantic aspiration as a young adult. (It explains why I played him super messy in relationships hehe.

As a teen it seems he didn’t know what contraception is and his highschool sweetheart Margarita François became pregnant. No one knows, like really NO ONE. Except those two. Margarita decided to get an abortion, she really was overwhelmed and everything was done in hush hush.

Arthur was engaged three times and at the altar twice. His first and second engagements were to Margarita François. The first time was after the pregnancy hush hush thingy but Margarita ended their relationship the first time. Arthur then fooled around, then went back to Margarita but started missing flirting and was asked to put a ring on it by ✨ family pressure ✨ and also Margarita felt ready that time. So he went to the altar and… called off the wedding there. 👀 Third and last engagement (I HOPE) is to Jillian. n_n

Oh and remember when he got married to Jillian? This was super fast. Yeah. He did. Not really want to get married at first but hm…. ✨ family pressure ✨ again. 👀 But like super big pressure, Jillian was invited by his family to live with them. And apparently the dude does not how to say no. (IT ENDED OKAY, he still loves Jillian, but would have definitely preferred a long engagement but my girl wanted her big family)

Ok I hope you like those facts and it gives more insights on who Arthur is. 🙃 (This also explains why I’m always so surprised whenever he’s happy as a father and HOW MUCH he boasts about his family 😭)

[omegaremix]

Cold Cave / Black Marble / Choir Boy @ Warsaw, N.Y.C.; June 14, 2018.

Hello, Warsaw. We meet again. It’s been seven months since I first visited the Polish powerhouse on Driggs Avenue in Greenpoint, one of my all-time favorite places to visit. That was when I attended Hospital Productions 20th Anniversary showcase and it became an unforgettable experience. This time, it’s a shorter affair featuring only three acts: Choir Boy, Black Marble, and headliner Cold Cave. The ritual is the same as last time and every time. Wait on the platform, take the train, hop on the subway line, and arrive in the neighborhood none more blacker where you stand against the venue’s wall. It was all clear out. Thursday’s warm air and blue skies was not symbolic of the night’s wicked-black climax. I called my sis- to tell her how euphoric I was feeling, experiencing these days and moments I normally don’t but should more often. For every time I waited entry at Warsaw, there was always someone from Stony Brook who I would randomly spot. Last time it was WUSB’s Cornflower zipping past on his bike. Now it’s Marcel, my queer friend from The Stony Brook Press whom I took a quick two seconds to be sure it was him. I was right. We hugged each other and then my anxiety shot up because I haven’t seen him since The Press’ 35th and the venue was ready to open its’ doors. He had to leave anyway for Ru Paul’s Drag Race, the diet of queer champions, but promised him we’d resume catching up down the road.

The line now entered Warsaw. Unlike Hospital’s instant get-go, we waited almost an hour for the opening act to go. Salt Lake City’s Choir Boy was first up, self-proclaimed Mormons (kidding or not) currently signed to Dais Records. They’re a spot-on bullseye of Eighties-aesthetic synthpop, new wave, and light goth-rock that was pleasing and lush. Never abrasive but gentle, breezy, and aurally sentimental. Adam Klopp’s vocals make the outfit’s namesake (he has sung in church choirs), hitting high notes just floating above the collective’s perfect dream world. Their synths, guitars, beats, and riffs and basslines fall right into my current Eighties kick, keeping the vibe alive. And note Kyle Hooper’s dangling earring when he’s right behind synths…

Black Marble was one of two reasons why I chose to be there. WUSB’s Nightmare Aquarium is responsible for making me a fan of theirs during a summer’s transition to Lindenhurst. Their output has been nothing but good to me. To this day, their sound is one I have yet to figure out and that’s a great thing. Chris Stewart / Black Marble got a great standing ovation revisiting his Brooklyn hometown as a new Los Angeles resident. It didn’t change the total mood or quality of his music if ever the slightest. Still a two-man two-guitar outfit without Ty Kube and a drum machine, Black Marble got right to it filling the vastness with said guitars and drum machines upfront as Stewart’s vocals receded far away and above into the open space. Even if there’s a cold, distant, low-fidelity quality in Black Marble, things somehow sound upbeat for its rays of sunshine. A clean perfect set all the way through.

Cold Cave finally take the stage. It can be said (and said again many times here) that they were one of the essential summer sparks igniting my personal revitalization of sorts during the post-economic crash. From then on, their songs continuously watermarked some of the better key moments in my life without fail, so it’s why I paid a visit to see them live as a thank-you. Wes Eisold made his entrance along with wife Amy Lee (guitars, synths), Ryan McMahon (drums), and Nils Blue (guitars) to open the set with songs from You & Me & Infinity. The New Order-inspired “Glory” really got the crowd going. Soon, New York City got a special treat only for themselves: an appearance by Genesis P-Orridge to perform “Comprehension”, her 2015 collaboration with Cold Cave and Black Rain. It’s her residency, so why not have Cold Cave make the most of their visit? Then the blinding “Heaven Was Full” and later on their marquee hit “Confetti”, which to me was the entire night.

Then, flashing solid colors went wild as Cold Cave went into “Rainbow Girls” mode, the only time the show went color. What did we win? A visit by author Max G. Morton of Eisold’s Heartworm Press, who came on-stage to deliver “Heavenly Metals” before Cold Cave’s ultimate closeout. Morton was decked in all black just like their set, standing tall and no doubt couldn’t be fucked with as he spewed his brand of cold despotic mean testimony. A few more songs and the night was history. Cold Cave delivered one of the most powerful performances I ever felt. McMahon’s drums hit hard, loud and clear through Eisold, Lee, and Blue’s blasting synths and guitars. Most of their setlist and songs I hoped they’d play was more I could ever ask for. “Confetti” was the start of a new era for me when all was almost lost. “Comprehension” has become one of my all-time favorite songs of this decade, if not, ever. “Glory” followed suit to become a new memorable winter favorite of mine. The string of favorables still keeps coming from them. With a new American Nightmare record out, it’s Eisold’s winning year. No bullshit, no moshing, no shoving; save for the guy standing next to me (and it had to be him) who was furiously stomping the venue floor to the point of near-collapse, and almost tearing the venue’s front rail off. Someone was a little into himself at the show, no?

My second visit to Warsaw in as many months was just like the first. Randomly encounters with friends from Stony Brook, amazing line-ups in an amazing venue, and another day in Greenpoint where the fever pitch comes from being in a great place in a great time and having the right ties with specific people. It’s not every day I experience it, but when I do, I feel like with all the motherfuckers and fishnet-wearing witches around me in Boy Harsher, Joy Division, Cat Power, and D.S.-13 shirts, I hit the jackpot.

[windsweptinred]

hello. You are ill and I’m trapped on a four hour road trip, so fandom malarkey. Have you ready any good books lately and what set off your current corinthiel craze?

Oh @zorawitch! A FOUR HOUR road trip!! I hope it flies by for you! ❤️ I'll do what I can to help entertain you in the meantime.

I have not in fact read any good books lately... Most shamefully. Mainly because I've been inundated with other forms of amazing media these past few months. TV wise I would highly recommend The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix, Bodies on BBC IPlayer, Loki series 1 and 2 on Disney Plus and I've recently got round to watching True Detective series one. And honestly it's one of the most phenomenonal pieces of television I've ever watched! Also, if you can access it and you like a bit of eldritch comsic horror, I'd recommend the Lovecraft Investigations Podcast on BBC sounds. It's a modern take on some HP Lovecrafts tales and it's superb.

Oh no, you've asked about Corinthiel... What have you done? Run.. Run now. 😅

My Corinthiel obbsession actually isn't as sudden as it appears. It began in May with @ibrithir-was-here 's most beloved Endless Heirs/Corinthian Bros AU. In that Dream raises Daniel as his heir and the first and second Corinthian coexist.. And well, young Dani and Cori 2.0 are 'very' friendly 😏. That got the wheels turning in my mind. Later that same month I wrote and posted 'Dandelion Wishes' (Now 'Turn of the Wheel' ) here on Tumblr, which revolved around the canon relationship between Daniel and the second Corinthian. And I've been in love with the pairing ever since. I also remember planting the seeds of Corinthiel incredibly unsubtley in my dreamling fic Metamorphosis back in June 😅. It was always my plan for that to be a huge part of the sequel.

As with most rare pairs though, (and Corinthiel is one of the rarest in the Sandman fandom.) With lack of content and no one to play with, your attention drifts to other places. That was until I met @bobbole 🤍💚. My Corinthiel partner in crime, and we've been bouncing off each other creatively and feeding each other's obbsession ever since. 😅

Why Corinthiel? Articulating it with my head full of cold and cough syrup may not be the best time, so bear with me. 😅 But oh this ship is so layered and beautiful. Both the Second incarnation of the Corinthian and Daniel are 'reborn' so to speak at a similar time. In a period of immense change and turmoil, with everyone else around them mourning what has gone, they two symbolise renewal, a restart, the second chance, the next generation. They both share the journey of being both a remnant of the past, and yet their own individuals. Old and new. And it's an understanding and experience that binds them so poetically. That's a path they can walk together, rather then alone. Not to mention their shared history. The second Corinthian was created to find and protect Daniel Hall, that was his purpose. And I like to think he never stopped, even when Daniel became Dream. Plus, to the Corinthian, he was Daniel first, and there's a sense of self there, seperate from Dream and Morpheus that must be so valued. Reflected in Daniel seeing the second Corinthian as a different entity to the first... Something only they can see one each other.

I could go on, but honestly though, like any ship, it's something that just clicks. Something that calls to you that says, these two are my beloveds. 😅 But thank you for asking and giving me a chance to rant on insanely. ❤️❤️

May your journey be a fast, enjoyable one @zorawitch. And I can't wait for your next fic whatever it may be. If you're a fan of Desire, the Twins or Desunity, please go check out their work on A03. I couldn't recommend it highly enough!

[sillyromance]

Good day everyone!

As I promised, here is an uncovering of my OC's personality. Please, meet Sara Branton (pronounce: she/her)!

She is a character for my "Transformers: Prime" AU. Sara ia a middle-aged woman, a widow (her first husband died during the war they both took part in) and a retired field medic who works as a surgeon in Jasper. She is a half-German; her mother Gretchen married an American and moved to New-York many years ago, although the old lady still owns a great house in Europe. Sara has an adult daughter Alexa - they are very close, although the girl wasn't able to live with her mother during the childhood because of Sara's first job and post-war recovering period (Sara's PTSD is still too deep; often nightmares don't let her sleep). Friends and ex-comrades sometimes call the woman Bagheera (like a panther from Kipling's "Jungle book") - it was her code-name on the buttle field; she doesn't mind that. Sara is very good at medicine, chemistry and mechanics. Moreover, she is an eager learner who is always ready to study something new.

As for my AU, one night Sara was driving home after an exhausting surgery in a neighbour town when she got into a car crush - unconscious and bleeding, she was found by Bumblebee and delivered to the Autobot base where Ratchet took good care of her. Two doctors who had a lot in common got attached to each other sincerely and made strong friendship which later grew into love. Of course, Sara met other Team Prime's members as well; as soon as she recovered, the woman started helping new alien friends in their war, combining her rich experience with knowledges she could get, digging into unusual nature of strange metal creatures she was bound to co-work with. Although, she had never chosen a side; after everything Sara had seen in her life and everything she had discovered about the new battle she participated in, the woman only wanted peace and, while fighting with bots against 'cons, she did her best to fix the conflict. At last, she managed to return Starscream (he became her confidant) and Megatron on a bright side what ment the dissolution of his army - unfortunately, it led Sara to the end of her existence...

Ratchet was in pain; he didn't want to believe it was over for his human "wife". In order to that, he created a new metal body for Sara and succeeded to translate her personality in the electronic mind. The woman turned into a transformer; nevertheless she had never forgotten where she belonged and continued introducing herself as a human.

Some facts:

Favorite songs: "Black Velvet" Alannah Myles, "Ironic" Alanis Morissette

Favorite color: Brown

Languages: English, German

Hobbies: Singing, playing the guitar, cooking

Favorite clothes(when she was biologically a human): jeans + shirts/blouses/sweatshirts. (She loves earrings).

Alt-mode: Jet/Big Bot (Optimus Prime's size)/ Small Bot (human size)

Best friends: June Darby, Optimus Prime, Starscream.

Enemies: the American officer who is guilty for her first husband's death.

Quotes:

1) "It seems the old panther is in charge again!"

2) "If a life of a one human is enough to finish an entire war - I'm ready to give mine..."

3) (To Starscream) - "Thank you for teaching me to fly..."

Vore position: Always prey

P.S: On the second photo there is an Autobot symbol on Sara's shoulder; unfortunately, it was added by me long before I built the story completely, and such detail is inherently wrong. How I said, the character doesn't belong to any fraction - she is just a diplomat who tries to bring harmony to this world.

[xoxomarijo]

Where do we draw the line between imitation as a form of flattery, and imitation as a form of stealing?

Part I - Instagram

I’ve been away from Tumblr for a heck of time but only one crazy discovery got me back ranting in here. The reason? Someone stealing my content. There is no problem taking bits of inspiration from everywhere but this one’s a whole new level of pro. Let’s start from the very beginning and I’ll leave the judgement to you.

PS. I’m censoring some details out of pity for this person. 

It’s funny how Instagram would sometimes lead you to the most unexpected suggested people. I stumbled upon a suspicious suggested account (I use the word suspicious because I was instantly drawn to how familiar it looks), and behold, it’s very much patterned to my IG poetry page and I knew for sure it belongs to this person.

I’ve been writing since 2006. I usually kept a handwritten journal for everything but you really don’t get the time for it anymore as an adult. So my iPhone Notes became my go-to until all my thoughts were consuming too much of my phone memory already. I started transferring some of my writing on Tumblr during 2018, and around June 2022 I decided to put up an Instagram account for some selected content. Creating each layout for @poetrybymarii had also became a much-needed break from my day job as well.

Upon discovering this suggested account and distinguishing the theme that had been copied from me, I immediately scrolled back to its earliest post to determine how old the account was—the account was created August 2022, exactly two months after I’ve created @poetrybymarii. I messaged this person to confirm if the account belongs to her (which, even if she denied was obviously hers). In the beginning she admitted ownership, not knowing what’s next to come.

You see, I was already aware how this person was stealing bits of captions and whatnots. I was ready to let it slip away again until one of her posts truly alarmed me—it was one of the proses I wrote and posted here on my Tumblr dated September 10, 2018. It was copied and minorly tweaked! You can see how the whole context, sentence per sentence are still the same. Words were just jumbled or replaced with synonyms but the whole chronological order of it all remains.

I confronted her again and this was the start of her denying it all. Let’s debunk her alibi here:

Alibi: “It was not mine, I just saw it somewhere and copied it because I found it nice. Someone must have reposted and that’s where I found it. But I did not copied it from you.”

Point 1 — The moment she confirmed the poetry account was hers, she was clear about how it was just an outlet account for her thoughts. Meaning she claims ownership for all the content written and posted. Not one post had a proper credit in it. Also judging the awkward English composition and grammar, it was a no-brainer that the write-up there was all her work.

Point 2 — My original prose was posted on my Tumblr account with a very few following. It did not receive any notes (likes and re-shares) so the chances of it going viral being passed around to make it into her screen apart from my very page was impossible.

Point 3 — My prose needed to become viral first to close the possibility of someone firstly related to me have it find somewhere. But had it been viral, I would have still known. Social Media is part of my job. There is no tricking me in this one.

Part II – Tumblr

The entirety of my conversation with this person was pointless as she tries to divert away from the very point of her stealing my prose. Overwhelmingly, she was ready with all her alibies and screenshots, and suddenly admitted that not all the content posted on her poetry IG was hers. She tried to justify her way out from her own lies and sent me a screenshot of her Tumblr banner (one mistake she made). And this was the second part of my crazy discovery as I began to delve into her blog. Guessing her Tumblr URL and tracking it was a piece of cake even if she changed it upon my confrontation.

If there’s one thing I can proudly claim on the internet it’s that I was a part of the Tumblr O.G. back in 2007. This very account is already 8 years old (est.2015) and my third account since then. “Ask me anything” feature was only added sometime around mid-2010’s, and it took me a flooding of Anonymous asks before I came into addressing them as “Anons”. This person’s Tumblr account was created only October 2020*. She reiterated how she has no ill intention with any of her accounts which have no followers in it, to which I pointed out—if she has literally no followers, where did all the “ask me anything” came from? Were these lovely compliments and questions all fabricated by her too just to make it look like her page is gaining foot traffic in it? But then again it was all part of her gaslighting, diverting away from the main point which was her plagiarizing my prose. 

At this point all I was able to say was FOR FUCKS SAKE. I was beyond speechless to discover how even some of our photos were the same. She also had some selfies in there that were the same replica pose of my past selfies.* She denied everything once again and stated how I was not the only person who knew apps. But Pins was an unknown app. Pins is not something that would pop-out on the app store as you type in search “collage maker.” It was something I discovered hands-on as I braved and tinkered through links and links of mandarin characters I do not understand. I think I may have shared some discovered Japanese and Chinese apps in this Tumblr account as well if you scroll all the way back. Anyhow as soon as I saw her photos using the exact frame from Pins, I immediately tried to recall where I may have shared the app away. I remember sharing it through a comment on Instagram when a friend complimented my post. I have not shared it anywhere else.

Alibi: “You’re not the only one who knows apps.”

True. But adding to all the prior things I mentioned above about the app, WHY the fucking fuck does she need to use the very same two frame collages I used, out of all the hundreds of frames found in Pins?

It does not end in here. There was a heck ton of other odd similarities—from her selfies posted there that are too sensitive to share away already, to specific favorite songs posted and captioned.

Part III — Conclusion

Once a cheater, always a cheater, as cliché as it is—they would never own up their mistakes. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Luna’s viral #F👁️👁️D eyes photo it’s that you gotta screenshot everything the second you find out about someone stealing your content, and you gotta fight for proper credits and rights. How this person tried to gaslight me when she said “I didn’t knew you were this shallow, why is this a big deal?” was something only a manipulative narcissistic person would say. Artists and creatives are so prone to having their content stolen in this modern era, and people like her who think things like this are no big deal are actually the first cause of this problem.

PS. Her Instagram was taken down. Too bad I already got the SSs.

*References on file

[single-brain-celled-supervillain]

Being recommended this post in June 2024 is really weird as it turns out 2022 really wasn’t the find out year.

Warner Bros has realised the issues with the bitch and is trying to buy HP off of her so they can have their flagship series back with less complications with evidence of what the franchise without how looks like with Hogwarts Legacy as their main example and the reboot series on the horizon. (Funnily they are refusing to pay her a George Lucas Disney buyout sum of money like she wants but much less)

NFTs are dead but AI immediately became a thing so Meta has switched tack immediately and is doing quite well

Trump is now a felon but it’s still looking likely that he will become president

Alex Jones still grifting despite the prospect of his social media accounts being seized from him

The Tories survived two years before calling an election but do seemed to be screwed but the British far right party, Reform UK, is set to do very well despite a number of candidates linked to British neo nazi and fascist movements with some straight up saying hitler was right

Today Putin has signed an agreement with North Korea to create a defence pact

The GOP has somehow managed to get their shit together and is ready to implement project 2025 on day one of a new trump administration which would change America to a dictatorship

Prime video is having one of its best eras in recent memory with critical success like Fallout with the second season of Rings of Power airing soon

Fantastic Beasts is suspended indefinitely.

Musk is begging for cash because he made the stupidest purchase in internet history.

Zucky Wucky is hemorrhaging cash because the Metaverse goal of becoming the NFT successor of real estate speculation was met with the deserved mockery at how stupid it was.

Trump is finally being properly prosecuted for crimes he unquestionably and very inconspicuously committed.

Alex Jones owes a billion dollars to Sandy Hook victims.

The Tories are imploding in a schism that might actually result in the collapse of the British empire.

Putin has ran out of army and crawled pathetically to the corner a tiny insurgent army pushed him towards, decades of military propaganda burnt away in months.

Prime Minister Shinzō Abe died with no glory.

The GOP is so confused after the Trump era they don't even know how to run their grifts anymore.

Rings of Power was such a mediocre release Amazon could potentially drop Prime Video altogether.

Turns out 2022 was really the "find out" year. It took a while but I'm loving this season finale so far.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Anna Butterss Interview: Los Angeles in 2024

Photo by Samantha Lee

BY JORDAN MAINZER

For much of their career, bassist Anna Butterss has constructed bridges between musical worlds. The classically trained Australian musician moved to Los Angeles a decade ago, not too long after beloved experimental guitarist Jeff Parker relocated there. Like the versatile Parker, who has made his mark in both the jazz and post-rock worlds, Butterss quickly became an in-demand player in the jazz and indie rock spheres, both as a session and touring musician. Shortly after moving, Butterss connected with Parker, joining his now long-running quartet, alongside saxophonist Josh Johnson and drummer Jay Bellerose. (I first heard Butterss' nimble work on Makaya McCraven's landmark 2018 album Universal Beings.) At the same time, Butterss, always on the periphery of hyped indie music through their friends, found themselves alongside Aughts stalwarts Jenny Lewis and Andrew Bird and then-up-and-comers like Phoebe Bridgers. Over the past five years, Butterss has buoyed career reinventions and risen alongside their peers.

2024, then, feels like the first year where Butterss is moving to the forefront. Though they released their debut album Activities and helped Parker immortalize the Enfield Tennis Academy in 2022, this time, over the span of a mere six months, they've been a part of three major improvisational jazz records. First, Butterss is one-fifth of SML, who I profiled earlier this year after their debut record release in June. SML Songs like "Industry" showcased Butterss' ability to steadily drive a track alongside freewheeling bandmates, while "Dolphin Language" gave them a turn to have fun splintering. The quintet played two sets at the inaugural Warm Love Cool Dreams festival at the Salt Shed in September, one performing material from Small Medium Large, the other backing Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer Sister Nancy.

Butterss delves deeper into the world of grooves on the just-released new Jeff Parker ETA IVtet album The Way Out of Easy, a follow-up recording to Mondays at the Enfield Tennis Academy. Like the latter, The Way Out of Easy was recorded at the ETA and mixed live by engineer Bryce Gonzales, on a night in January 2023. The four longform tracks that make up the record are certainly opportunities for Parker and Johnson's expressions, but don't discount Butterss' understated and underrated adaptability. Throughout "Freakadelic", an extended version of a long-time Parker composition, Butterss and Bellerose provide a hip-hop groove underneath Parker's prickly and sinuous lines, only to wake up a little bit as Johnson's saxophone whirrs and hypnotizes. Butterss mirrors Johnson's rounded mournfulness on the otherwise beatific "Late Autumn", while on "Easy Way Out", they emulate Parker's slow cascades, a perfect contrast to Johnson and Bellerose's expressiveness. Of course, closer "Chrome Dome" ends up a blissed out dub song, Butterss once again a masterfully stable counterpart to Johnson's garbled notes and Bellerose's polyrhythms.

It's clear, then, that all of Butterss' experiences informed their second solo album and International Anthem debut, Mighty Vertebrate, released last month. In early 2023, Butterss found themselves wanting to create while balancing their busy schedule. In order to force themselves to write freely without succumbing to their own judgements and internal monologue, Butterss adopted constraints similar to Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies. "Pokemans", for instance, arose from the goal to use the bass in a way that belies the instrument's typical role. But Butterss was careful not to let Mighty Vertebrate be an album solely reflective of its process, and it sounds loose. They created the stems of the songs before fleshing them out with percussionist Ben Lumsdaine; at that point, the songs were ready for tracking at Chris Schlarb's BIG EGO with Johnson and another SML bandmate, Gregory Uhlmann. As a result, Mighty Vertebrate is diverse and extensive. "Ella" creates a world out of a two-note guitar line and saxophone processed through a synthesizer. "Lubbock" juxtaposes wiry guitar and swirling woodwinds atop raining percussion. "Saturno"'s warped bells give way to a percussion and saxophone groove, Butterss leading the evolution into a rich tapestry. Standout track "Dance Steve" mashes up Malian desert blues and synth punk, a collage of samples, syncopated 808s, synths, and in a full circle moment, a Jeff Parker guitar solo. Perhaps most impressive is that Mighty Vertebrate is cohesive through natural patterns that emerged throughout its creation, Butterss paring its songs down before building them back up, just like on their work with SML and Parker.

In September, a week before the album's release and just before SML's sets at Warm Love Cool Dreams, Butterss did get to try out Mighty Vertebrate songs live with their band at Marz Brewing. They then played a proper record release show in Los Angeles at 2220 Arts + Archives, the day the album came out digitally and on vinyl. A few days later, I spoke to Butterss over Zoom about the making of Mighty Vertebrate, the L.A. scene and International Anthem, post-rock, album and song title meanings, and misheard lyrics. Next week, starting on Monday, Butterss will take a victory lap to celebrate their stellar year, playing in a three-night International Anthem residency at Public Records in Brooklyn: with Jeff Parker ETA IVtet, SML, and their band. It's safe to say you'll be continuing to hear Butterss' name a lot for the next several years. Not only is SML set to return in 2025 and Butterss working on their next record, but they've been a full time member of none other than Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit for a year. Add the Americana/alt-country genre to the list of worlds among which Butterss has built connections.

Read our conversation below, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Why did you decide to make a record using Oblique Strategies-inspired tactics? Was it out of necessity, or was it something you always wanted to do?

Anna Butterss: It's the former for sure. Writing music, I enjoy doing it, but I also find it very hard, because I'm incredibly judgmental, and it's hard for me to think in the moment and follow an idea without already judging it. I'm like this with other things as well. I've always practiced the bass with these very specific restrictions in mind, very structured, so this was a way to get myself to be creative.

I started writing music that way a few years ago. It was a little challenge to myself called "one-hour beats," which is exactly what it sounds like. [laughs] How much of a beat can you make in one hour? If it's bad, if you don't like it, you've only spent an hour and have probably learned something. I started [Mighty Vertebrate] off like that. I spent a lot of time working on the music, but I'd go back and open up one of the ideas and ask, "Is this one cool?" I'd work on that one for an hour or two hours and put it away. I spent the whole year doing that.

SILY: Did you ever fully stray from your initial goal? Or were the finished songs pretty faithful to their original restrictions?

AB: I strayed away. The restrictions were a means to an end, to get something written. Once you get an idea down, it's much easier to manipulate it and try different things, but getting an idea down firstly is the hardest part. Once I felt like I had a strong or compelling idea, I'd let myself do whatever I needed to do. If I was having a good time working on something, I wouldn't put more restrictions on it.

SILY: What ties all of these songs together? Is it the process you used to make them?

AB: Hmm...that's a good question. It's a pretty eclectic record. I think the thing that ties them together for me is that they're songs I wrote during a period of my life, during 2023. A lot of them have similar sonic tendencies, a lot of guitars because it's an instrument I can kind of play, and drum machine. But the thing that ties them together is emotionally how I was experiencing that year. With the band, we all play together a particular way, and that ties them together, too. If I listen back to them, I can hear melodic tendencies I have and forms I gravitate towards, but I wasn't trying too hard to push them all into the same zone.

SILY: At what point did you bring in the band in the process of making Mighty Vertebrate?

AB: Quite late. I brought in [co-producer] Ben Lumsdaine...almost a year after we started writing it. I tried to get as much of it done by myself as I could. I had demos that were in pretty good shape. All the parts were there, but I wasn't trying too hard to get quality recordings. Some of the songs don't have a live band on them, like "Bishop" or "Dance Steve". Ben and I worked on them a lot. We tracked drums, bass, and more guitars. The other two guys in the band, I wrote charts for everything and we rehearsed one time and recorded in the studio for two days. Ben and I did some more overdubs, and that was it.

SILY: The songs on the album that do have a live band don't sound too different from the ones that don't have a live band. That is, if you were to listen to the album without paying the utmost attention, you might not necessarily realize which songs had a band and which didn't. There's an abstraction to the aesthetic. Was that something you were going for?

AB: In a way, yes. I had experimented a little bit on Activities with blending live drums, and we did synths with live bass. I had that in mind when I was making the record. Also, the fact that you have Greg playing guitar on some of the tracks, me playing on some of them, Jeff playing on some of them, Ben playing on some of them, it blurs the lines. Both Greg and Josh use effects in an organic way when they're playing, so it gets blurred a bit in a way I find pleasing. I wanted it to be its own world, not just an acoustic jazz record or an electronic record. I wanted it to live in a between space.

SILY: Do you think the individual musicians' playing styles started to blend, too? For instance, there were some guitar solos that sounded like Jeff Parker that might not have been Jeff Parker.

AB: Definitely. Jeff's been a big influence on the four of us, for sure. We've all played with him, and when I started messing around with the guitar, I thought, "Oh, this is just me sounding like a very cheap version of Jeff," because that's the guitarist I listen to the most. I think I sound a little less like him on the guitar now. Playing together for a really long time in different combinations, there's a shared language, sonic world, and tendencies. I hope other people hear this record and think, "This sounds like something that came out of Los Angeles in 2024." I like records where we can still have that sense of place, even though we're making music in such a globalized way. I feel like we have a little scene in Los Angeles that has a distinctive sound.

SILY: Certainly. The International Anthem family, while based in Chicago, has so many artists who are based in L.A. There's also the Enfield Tennis Academy and its branches. It's like one of the last remaining active scenes.

AB: [laughs] I hope not! It's definitely an International Anthem-sounding record as well. Greg's from Chicago, Josh grew up near Chicago, Jeff spent a lot of time in Chicago, and Ben, Josh, and I all went to school in Indiana, so we have a strong Midwest connection.

SILY: Where did the vocals on "Breadrich" come from?

AB: The ones that are a little sing-song are me. It's [inspired by] a character from a Mexican TV series called La Casa de las Flores, a Netflix series I've watched about three times during the pandemic. It's like a telenovela, but it's very modern and revolves around a lot of drag queens. There are trans people and bisexual main characters, but it's also a telenovela, so it's very dramatic and the plotlines are kind of ridiculous. One of the main characters, Paulina de la Mora, is kind of iconic and has an iconic way of speaking. I was also listening to a lot of Madlib and MF Doom, and MF Doom has so many cartoon and comic elements, so "Breadrich" was my hint at that, with me reimagining what it would be like if [Paulina de la Mora] had a spinoff.

I got into hip hop...in my 20's, having come from a very jazz background. It fascinates me and I love it. I'm not super directly hip hop-influenced, but it's something I think about a lot when working on things.

SILY: I was going to ask, since you collaborated on this record with John Herndon on the video for "Pokemans" and the album art, whether you were influenced by any of his A Grape Dope material.

AB: Not directly. Also, I get a ton of Tortoise comparisons, and I get why, but I really tried to steer clear of listening to that type of music when I was making this record because I didn't want it to sound too derivative. But I love John and am happy he did such great art for the record.

SILY: The Chicago post-rock connection to this current wave of jazz is palpable, because Chicago jazz preceded Chicago post-rock.

AB: Definitely. I've spent a fair amount of time in Chicago but have never lived there. I'm listening to all these records 10-20 years after they came out, so I'm getting a picture and sense of it. I also play a lot with Jeff and am close with people who have been involved in those scenes, so I'm getting a secondhand version of it. But I think it's cool that music that's been around for a while is still very relevant and current sounding.

SILY: How did you come up with the track titles on Mighty Vertebrate?

AB: "Bishop", my grandfather was a bishop. [laughs] What else do we have? "Dance Steve", I put a dance beat under a sample I thought sounded like Steve Reich. It was stuff like that. I do have a note in my phone where I collect phrases people will say, if they sound interesting, which is where "Breadrich" came from. My partner said that we were "bread-rich" after a friend gave us a bunch of bread, which I thought was funny.

SILY: It can be somewhat of a Rorschach test. Some of the titles on Small Medium Large were working titles or joke titles that ended up being perfect. It adds a levity to the project.

AB: I remember talking with Greg when trying to come up with titles and being like, "It's hard to come up with song titles that are original," and he was just like, "Oh, don't worry about that. There will always be another song [that shares a title.]" I don't think it matters that much. The record title, more so. But at the end of the day, it's instrumental music. It's already pretty abstract, and I want people to be able to have their own experience with it, instead of saying, say, "'Seeing You' is about the time I saw this person." Anyone can interpret it their own way and have their own relationship with it.

SILY: So what's the meaning of the record title to you?

AB: That came from an Andrew Bird lyric I misheard and was singing wrong when I was touring with him. [On Inside Problems' "Stop n’ Shop", it's] supposed to be "Mighty bird of prey," and I didn't realize that until he mentioned it. [laughs] I think it's evocative of a lot of different things. It can be a made-up or fantastical creature, or a way of describing humanity or the dichotomy of humans being so powerful but at the end of the day, vertebrates who will die just like everything else. There's an element of that. It doesn't mean one specific thing to me. I like that it's open-ended.

SILY: The fact that it came from something misheard, but still makes sense, is cool.

AB: [laughs] Yeah. I tried to convince Bird to change the lyric. He wasn't interested.

SILY: Do you pretty actively listen to new music?

AB: I'm trying to more these days. KCRW's morning program, Morning Becomes Eclectic, plays a lot of different genres, and I listen to that pretty religiously. It's where I find a lot of new music. That's probably where I heard Jenny Lewis. I remember driving on the freeway, hearing it and thinking, "What is that?" It turned out a bunch of my friends played in her band. These days, I'm trying to listen to records right when they come out, because otherwise it gets overwhelming.

SILY: What's your approach to playing the songs on Mighty Vertebrate live?

AB: There's more room for expansion. All of the tracks on the record are pretty short; I like to get in and get out, not have anything excessive. [Live,] there's more improvisation involved. A lot of the songs, the way they're structured, the bass line holds everything together statically, and everything is moving around it. I love that. As a bass player, that's what I want to do. I want to be the center of things and everyone else swirling around on top. I had the easiest time playing it live while demanding a lot of everyone else. [laughs]

SILY: Do you foresee these songs taking new shapes the more you play them?

AB: Definitely. That would be ideal. I don't know how many opportunities I'll get to play them. Unfortunately, it's really hard. Everyone's super busy, and I feel like it needs to be these specific people playing the music, and our schedules are all packed. After our show at Public Records, I'd like to continue to play it live and tour, but I don't know how that would work. I don't feel a need to adhere strictly to what's on the record, because if people want to hear the record, they should listen to the record. That's always been my feeling about it.

SILY: What else is next for you in the short and long term?

AB: Some SML stuff, definitely, in the new year. I'll start thinking about the next record. But right now, I'm trying to get through the rest of this year without having an emotional breakdown. [laughs]

SILY: You're very prolific.

AB: I'm a bass player. It's a blessing and a curse.

SILY: Is there anything you've been listening to, watching, or reading lately that's caught your attention or inspired you?

AB: Let me pull up my listening journal...I've been all over the place. My friends have a band called Twin Talk, [based] in Chicago. It's a great trio. They just put out a new record I've been heavily spinning. It's very beautiful. A lot of Brazilian music. We're reorganizing our record collection, so I've been going back and finding a lot of things. Honestly, it's all over the place. I like starting with my friends' records and going from there. Michael Mayo just put out a great record last week. I feel like a bunch of people put out records when I put out mine. Every Instagram post was about a new record.