#spanish style roof top

[saigonmarket]

Mediterranean Exterior - Exterior Large mediterranean two-story stucco exterior home idea

[baronessvonglitter]

Guessing Game

stepdad!Javier Pena x fem!Reader

Word count: 2.8K

Summary: Your stepfather is a DEA agent. When he finds drugs in your room you have to find a way to keep yourself out of trouble.

WARNINGS: 18+ Only! Explicit. Step-cest (if that's an ick for you please do not read - you are responsible for the content you consume 🖤). Age gap (reader is early twenties, Javi is mid-to-late forties). Reader wears makeup and a dress and has hair long enough to get in her face. Cocaine use. Sexual proposition/exploitation. Dub con. (Reader is high during the act.) Oral (m receiving). Drug use during oral. Come swallowing. Fingering. *Spanish terms at the bottom. If I've missed anything please lmk!

Author's note: Big thanks to those of you who asked about this when it was just a baby wip -- now it's fully grown and I so appreciate the support! 💜

JAVIER PENA MASTERLIST | FULL MASTERLIST

"Please tell me you're coming out tonight."

You pause a moment before answering your friend Gabi, switching your phone to your other ear as you check your reflection in the mirror. You apply dark burgundy lipstick to your bottom lip: Guessing Game by MAC, and top it with a swipe of clear gloss.

"I'll be there. You can bet your tits on that," you tell her with a smirk before you end the call.

Sure, you're technically still in trouble for staying out all night the past weekend. That's the thing that sucks about  commuting to college instead of moving out-- having to stay under your mom's roof and adhere to her rules.

Not just her rules, oh no. Your new stepfather is a hard-ass too, and a DEA agent on top of that. Javier Peña's over half your age and a stickler for rules. He's down your throat any chance he gets when you talk back to your mom or do anything that he finds disrespectful. 

It's stressful having to walk such a thin line. You deserve to go out tonight and show off the slinky, short black dress you're secretly borrowing from your mom's closet. It's not like she wears stuff like this anymore. She won't miss it for one night.

Almost ready to go, you do a last minute checklist. The only thing missing from your purse is your baggie. 

Shit! Where is it? You check your usual hiding place but find nothing. Your stomach swirls with unease.

"Looking for this?"

You turn to the sound of the deep voice coming from your doorway. There stands Javier, big bad DEA stepdad, holding your baggie of coke between thumb and forefinger.

"That's not mine," you automatically deny. 

"Bullshit," he mutters, stepping into the room. "I found it in here earlier. You want to tell me what you're doing with cocaine, chiquita?"

"Like I said, it's not mine," you insist. Deny, deny, deny. 

"How stupid do you think I am, huh? Just be damn glad I found it and not your mother. She'd kick your ass out on the streets for having this." The offending white powder in its baggie looks tiny in his large hand.

"Did I interrupt your big plans tonight?" he asks smoothly, shutting your bedroom door behind him. "Were you gonna go out and party, do a few lines, let some pendejo fuck you up the ass?"

"Javi!" You instinctively cover yourself as his eyes linger over your figure in that short, tight dress.

He comes around the bed, towering over you as you sit on the edge. Still in his suit and tie and his hair still in its neat, swept-to-the-side style, you imagine he must have just gotten off work. His dark eyes challenge you to do one more thing to piss him off. Despite the severe disdain you hold for one another, in the back of your mind you've always wanted to fuck him. Him being alone with you in your room, that dangerous, pissed-off look in his eyes only serves to make you wet. 

"You should know better," he says. "I can't have a fucking druggie for a stepdaughter."

"I'm sorry," you mumble. "But you shouldn't be going through my shit anyway."

"That's not a fucking apology, cariño," he gripes. "When you say 'sorry, but' that means you're not truly fucking sorry."

"You're giving me a fucking semantics lesson now?"

"Don't fucking talk back to me," he growls. "I'm not your mom, I'll beat your ass."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Keep it down, she's asleep in the next room."

It's late and by now your mom's taken her sleeping pill. You'd counted on her staying practically unconscious as you snuck out. Until Javi came along. You don't know what his plot is but the fact that he's here in your room with the door closed and it's half past midnight gives you a feeling that he wants something he shouldn't be asking for.

"Just.. give it back to me. I'll flush it, I promise."

A dark chuckle leaves his throat and sends a chill up your spine. He holds the baggie out and flicks it with his finger. "Who's your plug, baby? Give me that much. Possession with intent to distribute is a worse crime than just possession. You could get off with just a slap on the wrist if you just give me a name."

"I'm not telling you shit.."

"That stubborn, eh, princesita?" He smirks at even you have to admit he's a little handsome when he looks at you like that. But you still fucking hate him. You make a low sound in your throat, akin to a growl.

“You got something in your throat, chica?”

“No.. but I’d like to..”

His gaze darkens as he looks down at you, that barely-there dress leaving so little to the imagination. He recognizes it from his wife's closet, the very same dress she wore when they went on their first date. And now it fits you like a second skin. "Careful, chica. You might be an adult under the law, but you have no idea what the real fucking world is like."

"What are you gonna do, turn me in?" you challenge him.

"Maybe we can come to a compromise," he says, his gaze on your wet, glossy, darkened lips. "I'll keep quiet about the drugs if you do something for me."

"Like what?" You lean back on the bed, acting bored with the conversation though you're secretly glad he's about to let you off the hook.

"You're a smart girl. Use your imagination."

You separate your gaze from his, traveling down to the prominent bulge in his trousers.

"You're disgusting, you know that? Exploiting your own stepdaughter like that.."

He shrugs. "I have no problem bringing you in for this. It's a shame, though. You're a bright kid, you have your whole future ahead of you. You gonna let a little cocaina put an end to all that?"

"Fuck you," you mutter, sitting up. What does it matter anyway? It's just a dick. Not like you haven't sucked a few in your time. "Fine. I fucking blow you and you don't tell anyone about the coke, okay?"

A little smile curls his lips upward. "Deal, princesita."

He puts the baggie on the nightstand where you can't reach it and turns to you, hands on his hips. You realize he's waiting for you to start. 

Smart guy, having you make the first move so it's not on him later. "Nobody knows about this, either," you demand, your fingers hovering just over his belt buckle.

His breath hitches before answering, excitement hidden in his voice. "Just between us."

You feel your heartbeat in your throat as you undo his belt and pants, letting them fall to the floor. He's wearing white briefs, though you know him to typically go commando when he's not working.

"That's it, bebita linda," he coos as you free him from his underwear. His thick erection curves upward, slapping his belly as it swells and rises. Your mouth waters just feasting your eyes upon it.

"Ain't got all night," he grumbles.

"So fucking impatient," you grumble back, wrapping your hand around his hefty cock. It's bigger than any you've ever had, already weeping from the tip. Without hesitation you lick up the salty precum, delighting in the way his breath catches in his throat.

"It's not gonna suck itself," he grunts, putting his hand on the back of your head and pushing you towards him. "C'mon, baby, wanna see that pretty lipstick ruined and slopped all over my cock. The deal doesn't count if you're just gonna give it kitten licks."

Grabbing the base in one hand you slide the tip between your lips. Already it feels like too much, but you're not going to let him think he's got the best of you. 

"Open wide, baby, I know you can suck a cock better than that."

Forcing back an exasperated sigh you practically unhinge your jaw to get your whole mouth around him, his fat cockhead hitting the back of your throat, making you gag. Javi laughs as you pull away.

"You a fucking amateur, mia linda?" he chuckles. "Or am I just too big for that bratty mouth?"

"Fuck you."

He grabs you by the chin and forces you to look up at him. Your eyes are big, wide, a hint of fear there mixed with desire. "Be good for me. Or do you need something more to keep you sweet?"

He reaches for the baggie and scoops out a small amount, making a nice line on the top of his cock. 

"C'mon, do a line for me, sugar." He brings your head down and immediately you snort the white powder off his dick.

"There you go.. putting those vices to good use for once. Now maybe you'll suck my cock like the proper little slut you are."

You're still sniffling up the remnants of the coke when he shoves himself inside your mouth again, the bitter taste of the drug mixing with the salty taste of his flesh. 

"Relax your throat," he commands. "I can't believe I have to tell you how to suck a cock," he tsk-tsks.

Your eyes are brimming over with tears as you take him deep inside your throat. He stays there, guiding your movements with his hands on the back of your head. You start to breathe through your nose as your airway gets stuffed full of Javi's throbbing dick.

"Just look at that pretty mouth, pretty purple lips spread open wide around my cock," he whispers. "That's right, baby, get my cock all messy with your lipstick."

He lets you pull away from him to catch your breath before pushing back in, thrusting into your mouth. Whether you like it or not, saliva fills your mouth, making the slide in easier. If he knew your pussy was getting just as wet right now he'd take full advantage.

By now the coke is taking effect, making your heart flutter, and your pleasure receptors are buzzing off the charts. If you were only a reluctant participant before, you're voracious now. You put all your effort into blowing Javier, eager for his moans and sharp curses, even when he pulls out and taps your cheek with his dick you can't help but giggle, seeking him out with your tongue so you can drag it along his length.

Soon you're getting into a rhythm, following his lead as he thrusts into your mouth, pulling you away, only to push in again, stuffing you full and deep as he grabs your hair. Your mascara runs down your face, black streaks down your cheeks, lipstick smeared, Javi's dick now a strange purple.

He likes watching his whole member disappearing inside you, excited by the way you're learning to take him. He stops playing nice and stuffs himself down your throat, shoving himself deep and thrusting shallowly while your arms flail in a vain attempt to push away from him.

"Nuh-uh.. we agreed. I can just take you in right now, all wrecked and ruined. I can already see the mugshot. Bet your mama would be so proud," he says sarcastically.

"Fuck you," you manage to say, lips swollen, saliva running down your chin and neck.

"Hey, that's not very ladylike. Then again, you're not much of a lady, are you? Now suck."

He thrusts inside you again, even though you gag on him, tasting the bitterness of your own bile creeping up your gullet.

"If you puke on me I'll just keep going. You think I'm worried about a little vomit?"

You force down the remnants of your dinner from earlier, simultaneously bringing him deeper into your mouth.

"Lift up that dress for me, want you to play with your pussy while you're sucking me off," he says, stuffing your mouth full with more of him.

You do as he says, picking up the hem of the dress over your hips and sticking your hand under your black lace thong. You're drenched and Javier can see it, smell your arousal as it fragrances the air between you. He's never smelled a sweeter pussy. 

"That's right, circle that pretty little clit for me, mamacita," he grunts, exiting your mouth to pull back and watch you for a little, a long thick string of saliva connecting between your lips and his dick. You look totally wrecked and he's not even done yet.

You work on yourself, pressing your clit, your little gasps fueling Javier's need. "There you go, drive yourself crazy for me," he says.

You dip your fingers inside your warm cunt, closing your eyes as you seek out the relief from the heat building between your thighs. "Nu-uh, baby, eyes on me," he purrs slipping back in, thrusting deep and slow, watching you, feeling how good it is when you moan around his dick.

"Perfect, fucking perfect," he moans when you deep throat him again, your tongue peeking out to lick his balls. "Fuck," he says, tightening the grip he has on your hair. "Freaky mamacita, aren't you? Done this before, haven't you? To a lot of guys, I bet."

You whimper around his dick, pulling away to get some air. You finger yourself into a frenzy and start to come. "Not yet," Javier growls, pulling you back onto his slobber-coated cock. "You gotta earn it if you wanna come," he tells you.

You whine about it but the energetic buzz the coke has given you is still at work, putting extra effort into sucking off your stepdad, a renewed energy and vigor to your mouth sucking his cock. 

"Damn, cariño.. you really want your bad little habit kept secret, huh?" Javier pants, head thrown back as you sloppily suck him off. "Fuck, fuck, I'm gonna come.. gonna spray that sarcastic little bitchy mouth with my cum.. you ready?"

He doesn't wait for an answer, slamming into your mouth with urgency, not a care for your comfort until he bursts in your mouth and you have no choice but to taste the hot saltiness of his release.

He pulls out slowly, and when you try to spit out his release he shoves it back in with his fingers, effectively gagging you in the process. "Swallow," he commands, and you do so obediently just as his other hand finds its way to your core. 

He curls his fingers into the waistband, pulling the thong up, rubbing the material against your wanting and willing core, rubbing hard against your clit. It's pleasure bordering on pain.

"Fucking hell, look how soaked you are," he coos. He watches the way your stringy slick clings to the lace of your thong. "You got all wet sucking me off, didn't you? Dirty girl. Muy sucia." He rubs the pad of his thumb over your exposed clit and smirks when you start panting like a dog in heat, thighs open to him, head thrown back, your hair sticking to the mess of saliva and lip gloss on your mouth and chin.

"There it is.. just what you wanted, huh? What you think about every time you look at me. You dream about my cock in your mouth and my fingers in your cunt, just like this.." He delves two thick digits into your wetness while stroking your clit and it's embarrassing how quickly you come on his fingers, your core quivering around him, expelling more fluid, coating his hand.

"That's it," he says gently, staying inside you until the little aftershocks are complete and your body is utterly spent. Your mouth tastes like his cum and the lingering bitterness of the cocaine is at the back of your throat. Despite your orgasm being over your heart is still jackhammering away. The high of both the drug and the orgasm combine to leave you teetering on the edge of sanity.

"Drugged out and fucked out," Javier mutters, watching you as he removes his fingers. He lets out a small noise of approval, his thumb gently tracing along your lip and the edge of your tongue for a moment before slowly sliding it inside your mouth. “Taste yourself, princesa.”

You make a little sound of pleasure, swirling your tongue along his thumb, your gaze on him.

His free hand moves to tangle in your hair to keep your head still as he slowly pulls his thumb out of your mouth, a thin string of saliva connecting his finger to your tongue as he looks down at you with half lidded eyes. "God, you look so good down there, cariño." 

Then he pushes you back on the bed. "Such a fucking mess," he mutters, tucking his cock back in his briefs and doing up his pants again. "Go clean yourself up. And no more fucking coke, got it?" he growls as he leaves, taking the baggie with him.

"We're square now, bebita," he says, giving one last look to your prone form, your skin flushed and sweaty, legs splayed out like a true coke whore. "But if I ever catch you doing something like this again, I'll do more than fuck that sweet little mouth of yours."

*chiquita ~ little girl | pendejo ~ idiot | carino ~ dear | princesita ~ little princess | chica ~ girl | cocaina ~ cocaine | bebita linda ~ pretty baby | mamacita ~ gorgeous/hottie | muy sucia ~ very dirty

dividers by @sweetmelodygraphics 👑

taglist: @myownwholewildworld @milla-frenchy @604to647

@vichons @itwasntimethatdidit40 @probablyreadinsmut

@drewharrisonwriter @joelmillerisapunk @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

@everybodylovedcontractors @almostfoxglove @cxrsed-angel

@ohlookitspaperpixel @victorian-cherub @sawymredfox

@friendly-neighborhood-boricua @notgoingtomalta @darling-stevie

@letsgobarbs @devineconjuring

[kirlicues]

Spanish-Style Mansion | Sims 2 Lot Download

This stunning Spanish-style mansion is the perfect multi-generational home for your sims that crave that sea-side lifestyle.

Take in the sunshine from the balcony, or pool, and enjoy curling up with a good book in any of the luxurious living-spaces.

It features 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, but the upstairs library could easily be combined with the sitting room downstairs and be turned into a 4th bedroom.

Isn’t this secluded balcony so pretty? It’s perfect for taking in seaside views, or relaxing after a busy day of work.

Here’s a view of the back of the home, surrounded by a privacy fence. You can also see hints of the flower gardens here. 

To the side of the house is a pool and outdoor dining area.

This home was built with the goal of enjoying the fresh air and beauty of nature as much as possible!

Here’s a close-up of the dining area. I can just imagine peaceful dinners out here at sunset. Sky-boxes and skylines really add to the ambience of the game. I use skies from iCad, and skylines from GreatCheeseCakePersona.

Are you ready to go inside? I’ve done some light decorating throughout, but kept it somewhat generic to allow you to customize it to your sim families tastes.

Here’s a top-down look at the floor-plan for the first and second floors. The arched “bell-tower” is directly above the Master Bathroom. It is not accessible, unless you want to do some remodeling.

The first floor (clockwise from left): Family room, Sitting room, Music room, Formal Dining Room, Kitchen, Laundry Room, Bathroom, and Garage.

The second floor (clockwise from left): Master Bedroom (option 2), Library/Study, Master Bathroom, Master Bedroom (option 1), Main Bathroom, Kid’s Bathroom, Kid’s Bedroom, and the Balcony patio.

I’ve put the download link at the bottom of this post, so if you don’t care to take a tour of the inside, please scroll to the bottom of this post. 😅

Main entryway:

Dining room:

Kitchen:

Living room:

Downstairs sitting room:

Music room:

Heading upstairs,

This home can easily work for a multi-generational family. 

Here’s Master bedroom (option 1):

And at the other end of the house:

Master bedroom (option 2):

It opens out onto the balcony: You��ll have to pardon the lighting a bit here. I love my lighting mod, but there are a few lines near the roof... And then there’s the issue with one of the flower pots (but the wall-placement lighting is 100% EA’s problem).

Kids bedroom:

Library/Study:

My favorite part of this home is the warm lighting that makes everything glow and feel homey. ❤ I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Spanish-Style Mansion MF | SFS

All EPs and SPs are required.

I’ve run this home through the Lot Compressor and the Lot Cleaner so any random references to sims that aren’t there should be removed. I also added a shiny custom thumbnail so it has even more curb appeal in your Lots and Houses bin! 🌟

*I highly recommend that you have the PerfectPlants mod from TwoJeffs*This home has only 3 pieces of CC, which you may already have in your game. These can easily be replaced or omitted if you don’t want them though.

CC List (Included): -Maxis Match Wall Cabinets by CTNutmegger at ModtheSims -Decorative Egg Topiary from the original Sims 2 Site -Functional Washer and Dryer by mustluvcats at ModtheSims

CC recommendations (not included): If you want to have your chimneys match the exterior walls like I show in these pictures, I also recommend you download the Maxis Match Southwestern Style Stucco Chimney recolors by Kimsie at ModtheSims

I ALWAYS recommend using the Sims 2 Clean Pack installer to install lot files.

[sophaeros]

arctic monkeys for q magazine, june 2011 (x) (x)

ARCTIC MONKEYS: Inside Alex Turner's Head

Words Sylvia Patterson Portrait John Wright

The day Arctic Monkeys moved into their six bedroom, Spanish-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, where the first-floor balcony looked over the patio swimming pool, they knew exactly what to do.

"From the balcony, you could get on t'roof and jump in't pool," chirps the Monkeys' most gregarious member, drummer Matt Helders, in his homely Yorkshire way. "We looked at it and said, That's definitely gonna happen. So by the end, we did a couple of 'em. Somersaults in t'pool, from the roof. At night time."

In January 2011, as Sheffield and the rest of Britain endured its bitterest winter in a century, Arctic Monkeys capered among the palm trees, eschewing hotels for a millionaire's Hollywood homestead as they recorded and mixed their fourth studio album, Suck It and See.

The four Monkeys, alongside producer James Ford and engineer James Brown, lived what they called the "American man thing": watched Super Bowl on giant TVs, played ping-pong, hired two Mustangs, cooked cartoon Tom And Jerry-sized steaks on barbecues on Sundays, had girlfriends over to visit, all cooking and drinking around the colossal outdoor kitchen area featuring a fridge and two dishwashers. Living atop the Hills, they could see the Pacific Ocean beyond by day, the infinite glittering lights of downtown LA by night.

Every day, en route to Sound City Studios, they'd travel in a seven-seater four-by-four through the mountains, via bohemian 60s enclave Laurel Canyon, blaring out the tunes: The Stones Roses, The Cramps, the Misfits' Hollywood Babylon. For the sometime teenage art-punk renegades whose guitarist, Jamie Cook, was once ejected from London's Met Bar for refusing to pay €22 for two beers, the comedy rock'n'roll life still feels, however, absolutely nothing like reality.

NICK O'MALLEY: "It were really as if we were on holiday. When we came back it's the most post-holiday blues I've ever had!"

JAMIE COOK: "It's hard to comment on that. It were just really good fun."

MATT HELDERS: "We always said, As soon as things like that feel normal, we're in trouble. But it's just funny. You might think it would get more and more serious as you get older but it's getting funnier. We've done four albums now and I'm still only 24, I'm still immature to an extent. So who cares?"

Alex? Al? Are you there?

ALEX TURNER: "Yeah, it were good times. But we were in the studio most of the time. So there's no real wild Hollywood stories. Hmn. Yeah."

Wednesday, 16 March 2011, Strongroom Bar, Shoreditch, East London, 11am. Alex Turner, 25, slips entirely alone into an empty art-crowd brasserie looking like an indie girl's indie dream boy: mop-top bouffant hair which coils, in curlicues, directly into his cheekbones, army-green waist-length jacket, baggy-arsed skinny jeans, black cord zip-up cardigan, simple gold chain, supermoon sized chocolate-brown eyes.

Almost six years after I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor became the indie-punk anthem of a generation (from the first of Arctic Monkeys' three Number 1 albums), and nothing prepares you for the curious phenomenon of Alex Turner "in conversation". Unlike so many of the Monkeys frenetic early songs, he operates in slow motion, seemingly underwater, carrying a protective shell on his back, perhaps indie rock's very own diamond-backed terrapin. The most celebrated young wordsmith in rock'n roll today talks fulsomely, in fact, only in shapeless, curling sentences punctuated with "maybe... hmn.. yeah", an anecdotal wilderness sketching pictures as vague as a cloud. He is, though, simultaneously adorable: amenable, gentle, graceful, and as Northern as a 70s grandpa who literally greets you with "ey oop?".

"People think I'm a miserable bastard," he notes, cheerfully, "but it's just the way me face falls." Still profoundly private, if not as hermetically sealed as a vacuum-packed length of Frankfurter, his fante-shy reticence extends not only to his personal life (his four-year relationship with It-girl/TV presenter Alexa Chung, whom he never mentions) but to insider details generally. Take the Monkeys’ Hollywood high jinks documented above: not one word of it was described by Turner. Before Q was informed by his other Monkey bandmates, Turner’s anecdotal aversion unfolded like this:

Describe the lovely villa you were in. AT: "Well... we certainly had a... good view."

Of what? AT: "Well, we were up quite high."

The downtown LA lights going on forever? AT: "I dunno. It was definitely that thing of getting a bit of sort of sunshine. Is it vitamin D? If you can get vitamin D on your record, you've got a bit of a head start. So we'd get up and drive to the studio."

What were you driving? AT: "Nothing... spectacular. But yeah, we'd drive up the studio, spend all day there and sort of, y know, get back. To be honest... we had limited time. So we spent as much time as possible kind of getting into it, like, in the studio.

So your favourite adventures were what? AT: "Well, they were really… minimal. We were working out there!"

Any nightclubs or anything, perhaps? AT: "You really want the goss 'ere, don't you?"

Yes, please. AT: "I could make some up. Nah!"

And this was on the second time of asking. It's perhaps obvious: Alex Turner, one of the most prolific songwriters of his generation (four Monkeys albums and two EPs in five years, The Last Shadow Puppets side-project, a bewitching acoustic soundtrack for his actor/video director friend Richard Ayoade's feature-length debut Submarine), is dedicated only to the cause – of being the best he can possibly be. He simply remembers the songs much more than the somersaults.

Throughout 2009, Arctic Monkeys toured third album Humbug – the record mostly made in the Californian desert with Queens Of The Stone Age man-monolith Josh Homme – across the planet. While hardly some cranium-blistering opus, its heavier sonic meanderings considerably slowed the Arctic Monkeys' live sets and on 23 August 2009, Q watched them headline the Lowlands Festival, Holland and witnessed a hitherto unthinkable sight – swathes of perplexed Monkeys fans trudging away from the stage. With the sludge rock mood matching their cascading dude-rock hair it seemed obvious: they'd smoked way too much outrageously strong weed in the desert.

"Heheheh, yeah," responds Turner, unperturbed. "That's your theory. You probably weren't alone."

Back in the Strongroom Bar, Turner's arm is now nonchalantly draped along the back of a beaten-up brown leather sofa. He ponders his band's somewhat contrary reputation…

"I think starting the headline set at Reading with a cover of a Nick Cave tune perhaps was a bit contrary. D'youknowhat Imean?! But to be honest, that summer, at those festivals, we had a great time. And I know some fans enjoyed those sets 10 times more. And you can't just do, y’know, another Mardy Bum or whatever. Because how could you, really?"

With Humbug, notes Turner, "I went into corners I hadn't before, because I needed to see what were there," but by spring 2010 he wanted their fourth album to be "more song-based" and less lyrically "removed". He was "organised this time", studied "the good songwriters" (from Nick Cave, The Byrds and Leonard Cohen to country colossi Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline), discovered "the other three strings" on his guitar, and wrote 12 songs through the spring and summer of 2010, mostly in the fourth-floor New York flat he shared with Chung before the couple moved back to London late last summer (the New York MTV show It's On With Alexa Chung was cancelled after two seasons). The result: major-key melodies, harmonised singing and classic song structures.

At the same time he revisited the opposite extreme: bands such as Black Sabbath and The Stooges ("we wanted a few wig-outs as well"); he was also still heavily influenced by the oil-thick grinder rock of Josh Homme, who is clearly now a permanent Monkeys hero. After four months' rehearsals in London, on 8 January the Monkeys relocated to LA for five swift weeks of production and Homme came to visit, singing backing vocals on All My Own Stunts. Tequila was involved.

"Tequila is probably me favourite," manages Turner, by way of an anecdote. "But it takes a certain climate... It's not the same... in the rain. Yeah. [Looks to be contemplating a lyric] Tequila in the rain."

Vocally, he developed the caramel richness first unveiled on The Last Shadow Puppets' Scott Walker-esque The Age Of The Understatement, finding a crooner's vibrato. "Everything before was so tight,” he notes, clutching his neck. "Probably just through nerves. That's just not there any more." Suck It and See contains at least four of the most glittering, sing-along, world-class pop songs (and obvious singles) of Arctic Monkeys' career: the towering, clanging She's Thunderstorms, the summertime stunner The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala, the heavenly harmonised title track and the Echo & The Bunnymen-esque jangly pop of closer That's Where You're Wrong.

Elsewhere, in typically contrary "fashion", there's preposterous head-banger bedlam (Brick By Brick, the rollicking faux-heavy rock download they released in March "just for fun", featuring vocals by Helders; Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair, and Library Pictures). News arrives that the first single proper will be Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair. Q is perplexed. Brilliantly titled, certainly, but arriving after Brick By Brick, the new album will appear to the planet as some comedy pastiche metal album for 12-year-old boys.

You've got all these colossal, summery, indie-pop classics and you've gone for... The Chair? AT: [Laughing uproariously] "The Chair! I'm now calling it The Chair, that's cool. Well for once it weren't even our suggestion. It was Laurence's (Bell, Domino label boss). And I were, Fucking too right! He's awesome. It'd be good to get a bit of fucking rock'n'roll out there, won't it? It's riffs. It's loud. It's funny."

If you don't release The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala as a single I'm going round Domino to kick Laurence's "awesome" butt. AT: "I think it'll be the next one!"

The record's title, meanwhile, could've been more enigmatically original than the un-loved phrase Suck It and See. The band, struggling with ideas due to the opposing sonic moods, invented an inspiration-conjuring ruse: to think of new names for effects pedals in the style of Tom Wolfe, Turner being long enamoured with the American author's legendarily psychedelic books The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby, "cos that just sounds awesome".

"There's the Big Muff pedal," he elaborates, "That’s the classic. I've got the Valve Slapper. And there's the Tube Screamer. So we came up with the Thunder Suckle Fuzz Canyon. And… wait till I assemble it in me mind… em… it'll come to me… The Blonde-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap. So we were going for summat like that."

A wasted opportunity?

"Nah. Because some of those things ended up in the lyrics anyway. Suck It and See was just easier."

Alex Turner, rock'n'roll's premier descriptive art-poet, still writes his lyrics long-hand in spiral-bound notebooks. "Writing lyrics is a craft that I've practised a bit now," he avers. "In me notebook it looks like sums. Theories. There's words and arrows going everywhere. There's always a few possibilities and I write the word 'OR' in a square."

For our most celebrated colloquial sketch-writer of the everyday observation (all betting pencils, boy slags and ice-cream van aggravations) the more successful he becomes, the less he orbits the ordinary. "I'm not struggling with that, to be honest," he decides. "In fact I'm enjoying writing lyrics much more than I did. Stories. Describing a picture. Um. There's quite a bit of weather and time in this one. Which is probably not reassuring. 'Oh God, he's writing about the weather.' Maybe leave that out!"

There are also some direct, funny, romantic observations: "That's not a skirt, girl, that's a sawn-off shotgun/And I only hope you've got it aimed at me..." (from the title track).

Some of your romantic quips, now, must be about Alexa. AT: "Right. Yeah. Definitely. Well... there's always been that side to our songs, when we weren't writing about... the fucking taxi rank. It's kind of inevitably... people you're with." [At the mention of Chung's name, Turner is visibly aggrieved, head sliding into his neck, terrapin-esque indeed.]

It must have been very grounding being in a proper relationship through all this madness. Because if you weren't, girls would be jumping all over your head. AT: "Em. Hmn. Well, of course that helps you to... I don't really know.. what the other way would be."

Does Alexa wonder if the lyrics are about her? AT: "Oh there's none of that. Yeah, no, there's no looking over the shoulder."

She must be curious, at least. "Maybe."

Did you ever watch Popworld? AT: [Nervous laughter] "Em! Now and again."

Did you ever see the episode where she helps Paul McCartney write a song about shoes? AT: "Ah, yeah I think so, maybe I did see that."

Well, if I was you, I'd have been thinking, "She's the one for me." AT: "Well. Yeah... maybe that would've... sealed the deal! Hmn. But maybe that wasn't when i got the ray of light. When was? Nah [buries head in hands]. I might have to go for a cigarette..."

Q can't torture him any more and joins him for a snout. Turner smokes Camels from a crumpled, sad, soft-pack and resembles a teenager again. As early song You Probably Couldn't See For The Lights But You Were Staring Straight At Me says, "Never tenser/Could all go a bit Frank Spencer…”

In January 2006, when Arctic Monkeys' Number 1 album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not became the fastest-selling debut in UK history, inadvertently redefining the concept of autonomy and further imploding the decimated music industry (& wasn't their idea to be "the MySpace band", it was their fans': the Monkeys merely kick-started viral marketing by giving away demos at gigs), the 19- and 20-year-old Monkeys were terrible at fame. They weren't so much insurrectionary teenage upstarts as teenage innocents culturally traumatised by the peak-era fame democracy.

To their generation (born in the mid-'80s) fame was now synonymous with some-twat-off-the-telly a world of foaming tabloid hysteria where renown and celebrity meant, in fact, you were talentless. Hence their interview diffidence and receiving awards via videos dressed up as the Wizard OfOz and the Village People. Which only, ironically, made them even more celebrated and famous. (“That were a product of us just trying to hold onto the reins," thinks Turner today. "Being uncooperative.")

Q meets The Other Three one morning at 11am, in the well-appointed, empty bar of the Bethnal Green, Bast London hotel they're staying in (all three live in Sheffield, with their girlfriends, in their own homes). First to arrive is the industrious, sensible and cheerful Helders, crunching into a hangover-curing green apple. He has recovered from last year's boxing accident at the gym, which left his broken arm requiring a fitted plate. Now impressively purple-scarred, the break felt "interesting" and the doctor couldn't resist the one-armed drummer jest: "D'you like Def Leppard?"

Currently enjoying an enduring bromance with Diddy, he still doesn't feel famous, "it just doesn't feel that real, there's no paparazzi waiting for me to trip up." He and Turner, during the four-month rehearsals last year, became an accomplished roast dinner cooking duo for the band. "I reckon we could have us our own cookbook," he beams. "Pictures of us stirring, with a whisk."

O'Malley, an agreeable, twinkly-eyed 25-year-old with a strikingly deep voice and a winningly huge smile, is still coyly embarrassed by the interview process. A replacement for the departed original bass player Andy Nicholson in May 2006, he went from Asda shelf-filler to Glastonbury headliner in 13 months and still finds the Monkeys "a massive adventure". His life in Sheffield is profoundly normal – he's delighted that his new home since last October has an open-hearth fireplace: "Me parents had electric bars." He has also discovered cooking. “I’m just a pretty shit-hot housewife, most of the time," he smiles. "I cook stews, fish combinations, curries, chillies. I made a beef pho noodle soup the other day, Vietnamese, I surprised meself, had some mates round for that."

Recently, at his dad's 50th birthday bash, the party band, made up of family and friends, insisted he join them onstage "for ...The Dancefloor. So I were up there [mimes playing bass, all sheepish] and it were the wrong pitch, they didn't know the words or 'owt, going, Makin eyes... er..." He has no extra-curricular musical ambitions. "I'm happy just playing bass," he smiles. "I've never had the skill of doing songs meself. It'd be shit!"

Cook, 25, is still spectacularly embarrassed by the interview process. He perches upright, with a fixed nervous smile, newly shorn of the beard and ponytail he sported in LA: "Rockin' a pone, yeah, because I could get away with it." With his classic preppy haircut and dapper green military coat (from London's swish department store, Liberty), he looks like a handsome '40s film star. (Turner deems Cook "the band heartbreaker" and had a word with him post-LA: "I said to him, Come on, mate, you've got to get that beard shaved off. Get the girls back into us. Shift some posters.")

His life in Sheffield is also profoundly normal. He still plays Sunday League football with his local pub team, The Pack Horse FC (position, left back), remains in his long-term relationship with page-three-model-turned-make-up-artist Katie Downes and "potters about" at home, refusing to describe said home, "cos I'll get burgled".

A tiler by trade, he always vowed, should the Monkeys sign a deal, that he'd throw his trowel in a Sheffield river on his last day of work. "I never did fling me trowel," he confirms. "Probably still in me shed." He's never considered what his band represents to his generation. "I'd go insane thinking about it, I'm pretty good at not thinking about it… Oh God. I'm terrible at this!"

Back in the Strongroom Bar, Alex Turner is cloudily describing his everyday life. "I just keep meself to meself," he confounds. He mostly stays indoors and his perfect night in with Alexa is "watching loads of Sopranos. And doing roast dinners".

No longer spindle-limbed, he attends a gym and has handsomely well-defined arms – "You have to look after yourself."

Suddenly, Crying Lightning from Humbug rumbles over the bar stereo. "Wow. How about that? I was quite happy the other morning cos Brick By Brick were on the round-up goals on Soccer AM. It's still exciting when that happens. It was like Brick By Brick is real."

He spends his days writing music, "listening to records", and recommends Blues Run The Game by doomed '60s minstrel Jackson C Frank ("who's that lass?... Laura Marling, she did a cover recently), a simple, acoustic, deep and regretful stunner about missing someone on the road.

Lyrically, he cites as an example of greatness the Nick Cave B-side Little Empty Boat [from ‘97 single Into My Arms ], a comically sinister paean to a sexual power struggle: "Your knowledge is impressive and your argument is good/But I am the resurrection babe and you're standing on my foot."

"I need a hobby," he suddenly decides. "I'd like to learn another language." Since his mum is a German teacher (his dad teaches music), surely he can speak some German? "I know how to ask somebody if they've had fun at Christmas." Go on, then. "Nah!"

Where Turner's creative gifts stem from remains a contemporary rock'n'roll mystery; he became a fledgling songwriter at 16, after the gift of a guitar at Christmas from his parents. An only child, did his folks, perhaps, foresee artistic greatness? "I doubt it!" he balks. "Cos I didn't. I wasn't... a show kid." Like the others, he doesn't analyse the past, or the future.

"You can't constantly be thinking about what's happened," he reasons, "it's just about getting on with it." The elaborate pinky ring he now constantly wears, however, a silver, gold and ruby metal-goth corker featuring the words DEATH RAMPS is a permanent reminder of he and his best friends’ past. The Death Ramps is not only a Monkeys pseudonym and B-side to Teddy Picker, but a place they used to ride their bikes in Sheffield as kids.

"Up in the woods near where we lived," he nods. "Just little hills. But when you're eight years old they're death ramps." The ring was custom made by a friend of his, who runs top-end rock'n'roll jewellery emporium The Great Frog near London's Carnaby Street. Ask Turner why he thinks the chase between his writing and speaking eloquence is quite so mesmerisingly vast and he attempts a theory.

"Well, writing isn't the same as speaking," he muses. "Not for me. I seem to struggle more and more with... conversation. Talking onstage... I can't do it any more. Hmn. I'll have to work on that."

The ever-helpful Helders has a better theory.

"Since he's been writing songs," he ponders, “It seems like he’s always thinking about that. So even when he’s talking to you now, he’s thinking about the next thing that rhymes with a word. Even when he’s driving. We joke he’s a bad driver, his focus is never 100 per cent on what he’s doing. Which is good for us cos it means he’s got another 12 songs up his sleeve. I think music must be the easiest way for him to be concise and get everything out. Otherwise his head would explode.”

The Shoreditch.com photo studios, 18 March. Alex Turner, today, is more ethereally distracted than ever, transfixed by the studio iPod, playing Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, a version of I’d Rather Go Blind. Occasionally, he’ll completely lose his conversational thread, “Um. I’ve dropped a stitch.”

The first to arrive for Q’s photoshoot, he greets his incoming bandmates with enormous hugs (and also hugs them goodbye). Today, Q feels it’s pointless poking its pickaxe of serious enquiry further into Turner’s vacuum-packed soul and wonders if he’ll play, instead, a daft game. It’s called Popworld Questions, as first posed by someone he knows rather well.

“Oh, OK. Let’s do it,” he blinks, now perched in an empty dressing room. He then vigorously shakes his head, “Um…I’ve gotta snap back into it.”

Here, then, are some genuine “Alexa Chung on Popworld” questions (2006-2007), as originally posed to Matt Willis, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams, Pussycat Dolls, Kaiser Chiefs and Diddy.

Why do indie bands wear such tight jeans? AT: “Um. I supposed they do. They haven’t always. When we first were playing I was definitely in flares. You need to be quite tall to get the full effect, though. So, that's why this indie band wears such tight jeans, cos we've not got the legs for flares."

What makes you tick in the sexy department? AT: "Wow. Pass. What do I find most attractive in a woman? Something in the head? That's definitely a requirement. Well... Hmn. I'm struggling."

Tell us about all the lovely groupies. AT: "No!"

If dogs had human hands instead of paws, would you consider trying to teach them to play the piano? AT: "Absolutely. I'd teach Hey Jude."

How many plums d'you think you can comfortably fit in one hand? AT: "They're not very big. [Holds small, pale, girly hand up for inspection] It's a shame. Probably three. Diddy only managed two? Maybe not then. I can carry a lot of glasses at once, though. If they're small ones I can do four."

Are you cool? AT: "Not as much as I'd like to be. There's this clip where Clint Eastwood is on a talkshow and he gets asked, Everybody thinks of you as defining cool, what d'you think about that? And he gets his cigs out, takes one out, flicks it into his mouth, lights it and says, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Here, Turner locates his Camels soft-pack and attempts to do a Clint Eastwood. He flicks one upwards towards his mouth. And misses. Flicks another. And misses. "Third time lucky?" He misses. "I'll get it the next time." And succeeds. "Hey. Fourth time. Don't put that in! So there you go. I'm four steps away from where I wanna be."

Thank you very much for joining me here on Popworld, here's my clammy hand again. There it is, let it slip, hmmn. You can let go now. AT: "OK! Were you a Popworld fan, then? It was funny. Cool. What were we talking about, before?"

Blimey, Alex. What must you be like when you're completely stoned out of your head? AT: "Stoned? What d'you mean, cos I seem like that anyway? Yeah. A lot of people... tell me I'm a bit... dreamy. But I like the idea of that. Of being somewhere else."

Two days earlier, Turner had contemplated what he wanted from all this, in the end. Many seconds later he gave his deceptively ambitious answer.

"I just wanna write better songs," he decided. "And better lyrics. I just definitely wanna be good at it. Hmn. Yeah.”

—

RUFUS BLACK: AKA Matt Helders, on his ongoing bromance with Diddy

Matt Helders has known preposterous rap titan Diddy since they met in Miami in 2008. “He goes, Arctic Monkeys! Then he said summat about a B-side and I was like, He's not lying! I just thought, This is funny, I'm gonna go with this for a while." Last October Diddy texted Helders, suggesting he play drums with his Diddy Dirty Money band on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, to give his own drummer a day off. “I were bowling with me girifriend at the time. In Sheffield, on a Sunday." On the day of recording, says Helder, "We had a musical director. That were one of the maddest times of my life. Next day Diddy said, Why don't you just stay? Come along with me. So I went everywhere with him." Diddy had "a convoy of cars" and made sure Helders was always in his. "He'd stop his car and go, Where's Matt? You're coming with me! So I'd get in his car. Just me, him, his security, driver." Diddy, by now, had given him a pseudonym - Rufus Black. "He kept saying, I don't wanna fuck up your image. And I'm, I don't think it's gonna do me any harm!" He stayed in Diddy's spectacularly expensive hotel. Some weeks later, Helders almost returned to the Dirty Money drumstool for a gig in Glasgow. "But we were rehearsing in London. I were like, I might come, how are you getting there? And he were like, Jet. Jump on t’jet with me. But I had to stay in Bethnal Green instead.”

Love’s young dream: Diddy (left) with Helders

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Rare stone historic home is a bargain. The 1929 Spanish style home in Blackwell, Oklahoma has an exterior covered in cobblestone that is rumored to be only found in two places in the world and the flat stone is said to have come from the flint hills of eastern Oklahoma. 3bds, 2ba, $262K.

Closeups of the flat stones and cobblestones.

Huge stone porch out front.

Enter the living room.

This is nice. A big living room with a fireplace and look at the fancy molding on the arch.

Thru the arch is a nice big dining room.

Oh, wow, there's a built-in hutch in the dining room and look at the vintage kitchen.

This home was built in the 20s, so the rounded cabinetry is actually art deco. Very cool. This place has a lot of potential.

Bath #1 has nice tile and a great vintage sink & tub.

This could be the primary bedroom b/c it's very large.

Bedroom #2 is large too. This home can be decorated like a showplace.

Bath #2 is original vintage.

Down to the basement.

Great storage or it could be a workroom.

Big rec room on the ground level is a newer addition to the home and has a large wall of windows, a fireplace, and a service counter window. This could be beautiful.

This home has so many possibilities for the price.

Right now the counter is open to a laundry room, but that counter would make a great bar.

There's also a very nice bedroom down here.

2 car garage has potential for a rental apt. over it.

There's a lot of land- .92 acre, so it's almost a full acre.

House also has a roof top deck.

And, look at the entrance. It's like a mini estate.

Aerial view of the property.

[medali-meltdown]

🌻Brassius headcanons🌻 (companion post to this one, now with added imagery (a single screenshot but so worth it))

-In his mid-40s but refuses to accept it, which manifests in ways such as: pulling all-nighters like a young student, skipping/forgetting meals, continuing to make an impression on gym challengers by leaping from the tops of windmills, roofs, whatever's convenient. Any of these habits could break his fragile body. Speaking of which...

-He started doing the wild leaps in school as a cool stunt and way to show off and be memorable, but he has a private reason also — it's his way of defying death and mocking his illness. By gods he's going to live and not only that, he's going to do it in the most avant-garde way.

-tbh I haven't pinpointed exactly what is his chronic illness. Asthma? Hey wouldn't it be ironic if he has a severe pollen allergy while loving and being surrounded by plant pokemon? (just like me fr) Also I'm still on the idea a friend told me of him describing his symptoms as thorny vines in his lungs (which could be his creative way of describing a common asthma attack, and of course he styles his hair in the same manner because he's just Like That).

-Nature and the turns of seasons are his religion. He dabbled in paganism in his younger days. Found the modern practices too commercialized, but keeps it in his heart, in private.†

-Super pretty when he was younger. Wore his hair long, and with it being so thick and wavy, it cascaded about his (fuller, more lively) face and slender neck, even when he had it pulled into a ponytail. Stormy grey eyes always in deep contemplation of Art. Elegant ways of moving and speaking, radiating beauty with every step and word... honey what happened.

-(Nothing, it's all still there if you know what to look for and Hassel sure does, he is an expert on beauty, after all!)

-Hassel 💗💗 What a long, complex history he has with Hassel. They were good friends as students long ago, both being in arts & music classes. Brassius looked up to the multi-talented Hass from day one, always inspired by him and his bravery. Of course he fell in love with his muse, but for one reason or another, they never could quite be together, at least for very long. It might take Hassel until the present to reconcile his feelings, but will it be too late? (please I have a whole fic I want to write about this, of course I love them being Extremely Married but consider this: 20 years' worth of Mutual Gay Pining and the angst what follows)

-Just like born musician Hassel has some art in him, natural artist Brassius has some form of musical talent. After all, he's the Verdant Virtuoso — a term that skews toward musicians. I like to think he's got a good singing voice.* Belts out tunes while he's in the Art Zone. In perfect Spanish Paldean because he's bilingual.

-Whenever the mood strikes him (rarely, anymore), this guy can get a little kinky. He may carry a rope to help him climb high for tall sculptures (I guess???), but it also comes in handy for tying up unruly dragons~

-He's had many more partners in the past than Hassel has, and therefore a lot of practice. Not so much these days, however. His art, gym, and health come first.

-The Surrendering Sunflora Story: it's easy to tell that Brassius, at the beginning of his art career, let his personal vision suffer because he was focused on being more of a content creator, gaming that algorithm in endless pursuit of fame, fans, and money. The stress got to him, making his illness flare up to near-fatal levels. Was there anything else stressing him out at the time? Was he battling debilitating depression as well? Because he was prepared to die from it all — whether or not his debut work succeeded. And then Hassel appeared. "It was then I met Hass." So they must have become friends a little later in their student lives? Out of nowhere comes Hassel to remind Brassius of the meaning of Art, and that saves his life. Where's that meme picture of the creature holding onto a wall and going i think i need a moment wait

-It's p much universally accepted that Brassius gave Hassel the Applin that would evolve into the latter's Flapple. I think Brassie did so after the Surrendering Sunflora exhibition was complete to express his feelings. Unfortunately, Hassel, not being from this part of the world and unfamiliar with nearby Galar's customs, thinks it's simply a friendly gesture of appreciation. Hang in there, Brassie ❤️‍🩹

-Maybe once Hass figures it out he'll give Brassius a Dipplin in return. "There are two bodies sharing one sweet home! It's more symbolic than the Applin, right? Surely they know this in Galar...?" "No, Hass, Dipplin's apple is only found in a region that's very far away, so it doesn't have that kind of meaning..." "🥺🥺😭 B-BUT IT'S USSSS"

†Meta: isn't the Pokemon world inherently pagan? I know we like to throw around the name of Arceus and/or Mew as though they are God, but... they're not really? Do not let me get theological on this post about my grass blorbo hfhfhsh

*Look, his deep, deep Japanese voice did things to me, and learning that seiyuu Nakai Kazuya voiced Mugen of all people (and some other guys I guess, Zoro if you go there) amuses me to no end hhhn

[ofstoriesandstardust]

chapter 8 - renegade (b.r.b.)

a/n: chapter 7 flopped so here’s to hoping chapter 8 doesn’t as we near the end of this story

summary: Bradley is confronted with the aftermath of his decision and Sunshine gets unexpected advice from an even more unexpected father figure. 

main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist | flight risk masterlist | ch. 7 - discussions, decisions, and divorces (oh my!) | ch. 9 - i know it won’t work

folks who wanted to be tagged: @justanothermagicalsara​ @fangirl-316​ @herladyshipxx​ @parker-natasha​ @myhomeworksnotdone​ @pulisvertz​ @lass-that-is-gone​ @frenchtoastix​ @coco-loco-nut​ @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy​ @torresbarnes​ @supernaturaldawning​ @you-had-me-at-dead-welsh-kings​ @katiemcrae​ @gretagerwigsmuse​ @the-winter-marvel33​ @some-lovely-day​ @unordinare​ @hotch-meeeeeuppppp​ @annedub​ @hope-love-equality2​ @coyotesamachado​ @hopefulinlove​ @mak-32 @daisyhollyxox​ @loveforaugust​ @earth-to-lottie​ @sometimesanalice​ @cheezit-bradshawseresin​ @none-of-your-bullshit​ @jstarr86​ @caatheeriinee07​ @galacticstxrdust​ @anony1080 @sarcasm-n-insomnia @sammyrenae68​ @redbarn1995​

warnings: alcohol mentions, swearing, insecurities, semi-cliffhanger, it’s angsty, Sunshine needed her own heart to heart

word count: 1.9k

“are you really gonna talk about timing in times like these?/and let all your damage damage me?/and carry your baggage up my street?/and make me your future history?”

You groan, pressing the heels of your palms into your eyes as you lean over on the metal bench. 

You must look ridiculous, you think to yourself.

Tucked away in a corner of San Diego State University’s massive campus, you felt like a fish out of water. 

You’d always wanted to come see the campus, especially with Bradley living in the immediate neighborhood, but had never been able to come up with a decent enough reason to actually visit. 

It was a pretty campus, old Spanish style buildings with the special tile roofs that always adorned the building style, flower bushes and trees shading the sunny campus. It reminded you a lot of the trip you and Bradley had taken to Balboa Park once for food trucks early on in your visit here and you could see why so many students flocked to this campus. 

Turns out, the campus was also good for giving you a place to cry in peace after fleeing from your fake-husband after he contested the divorce for your fake-marriage.  

You pull your hands away from your eyes, glancing at the time on your phone. You take a shaky breath, realizing that you can’t sit here and feel sorry for yourself for much longer, not if you want to make your flight and get the hell out of San Diego. 

Your head throbs from the morning spent crying as you stand up from the bench, navigating back the way you came as you walk in the direction of Bradley’s house. 

Your mind still feels fuzzy as you turn the corner on to Bradley’s street, no clear indication of what you should do. 

You’d never fought with Bradley, never once in the decade you’d known him. You didn’t know how to be angry with him, much less at odds with him. 

Because underneath it all, you were angry at yourself. Angry for getting attached, for failing in love with someone you knew you couldn’t have. 

Except- you could have him. He had tried-

No.

You stamp out the spark of hope alighting in you. 

Bradley Bradshaw had had more than a whole decade to confess how he felt about you and if it took a near-death experience for him to-

You pause, doing a double-take at the car in the driveway. You glance to the front door, teeth coming to worry at your bottom lip. 

With a sinking stomach, you tread the last few feet up to the front door, pushing it open slowly. 

It’s unlocked, you note, as you step through the entrance, walking the few feet into the living room. 

And there he stands, looking at the photo of Bradley at his graduation from UVA. 

The one you had taken all those years ago, when life didn’t seem so complicated, when you forced yourself to be content with friendship with Bradley because you were sure it was all that would ever be offered to you. 

He glances over at the sound of the front door closing as you stand there nervously, hands coming to clasp together in front of you. He offers you a warm smile, taking a step back back from the picture. 

“Admiral Kazansky, I uh- what are you doing here?” 

-

His locker slams shut in front of him, only pulling his fingers back with just enough time before they got crushed by the metal. He glances over at the brunette standing next to him, looking by all accounts, thoroughly pissed. 

“What the fuck Bradshaw?” She hisses. He glances up at his squadron, bewildered as they all look on with varying mixes of confusion. 

“What’d I do?” 

“What’d I do? He asks!” She throws her hands up in the air. “You know what you did Bradshaw!” 

He blinks, staring at her. “Nat, I’m lost.” 

She huffs. “You’re a moron.” 

He blinks again. “Can I be clued into why you’re insulting me or are you just going to keep yelling at me? I’ve kind of already had a shit morning Nat, so I’m not really in the mood for this. 

She narrows her eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard.” 

“Lieutenant Trace, this isn’t your locker room.” They both turn, seeing Maverick’s figure. He jerks his head to the doors, to which she sighs. 

“This isn’t over yet Bradshaw, mark my words.” She whispers, before turning on her heel and heading for the doors. 

“Uh, Lieutenant Bradshaw-” Maverick pauses as he tugs the black shirt over his head. “Why are you here?” 

“Because this is my job?” 

Maverick sighs. “My office, please Lieutenant.” 

He huffs, stepping over the bench. The short walk to Maverick’s office is quiet and Maverick shuts the door behind him with a sigh. 

“Bradley, if- if you want to take some time for yourself, Cyclone and I- we would understand.” 

“I’m fine sir.” 

Maverick fixes him with a pointed look. “Cut the crap, Bradley. You signed divorce papers this morning. You’re allowed to not be okay right now.” 

He shrugs, eyes drifting up to one of the plaques on the wall. 

The plaque from the mission. 

“Bradley.” 

“I don’t know that I am, sir. Allowed to not be okay.” 

Maverick sighs, moving from where he’s standing behind his desk to in front of it, stepping right into his point of view. 

“Go home, kid. Take some time for yourself.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think Sunshine wants to see me right now. I’d probably be chased out of my own home.” 

A confused look crosses over Maverick’s face. “Why?” He shakes his head, pointing to the extra chairs in the office. “Here kid, sit down. Talk to me. What happened?” 

He sighs as he sits, leaning over to rest his forearms on his knees. “I did something so stupid, Mav. It cost me her.” 

“Kid, what did you do? Tell me what happened?” 

He sighs, reaching up to rub a hand over his face. “Last night, I tried- I tried to tell her that I loved her. She wouldn’t hear it, completely shut me down. Told me I was projecting my unresolved trauma and mid-life crisis on to her. And I just- I panicked. I just wanted to keep her.” 

Maverick reaches a hand out to rub his shoulder sympathetically. “So this morning?” 

He takes a shaky breath, lifting his head to face his godfather. “So this morning, I- I was gonna do it I swear.” His voice cracks on the last word, making him blow out a breath in a pitiful attempt to calm down. “But I- I just looked at her and realized I couldn't lose her.” He pauses, hot tears stinging at his eyes. 

“Mav, I contested the divorce.” 

-

“Maverick texted me. Told me what Bradley did.”

You sigh, crossing your arms. “Okay, so I’m still not following why you’re here. Sir.” 

Tom waves a hand, letting out a laugh. “Please, you aren’t a pilot. We aren’t on a Naval base. Brad married you, please don’t call me sir.” 

You nod, nerves still thrumming through you. “Okay.” You bite back the sir that’s threatened to follow just barely, earning an eyebrow raise from Tom. 

“I wanted to see how you were doing.” 

You shrug. “I’ve been better.” 

“Do you mind me asking what happened?” 

“Bradley’s a idiot. No offense.”

Tom lets out another little laugh. “He isn’t the brightest sometimes, yeah.” 

“He just- he doesn’t fucking listen.”

Tom hums. “He never really has been the best listener.” 

It’s silent for a moment as Tom takes a few steps closer to you and then he sighs. 

“You’re better than what Brad deserves, that’s for sure.” 

You cautiously raise your head from the hole it’s burning into the floor, frown forming on your face. “I don’t-”

He shakes his head, cutting you off. “You are. Not very many people would do what you’ve done for him.” 

You give a half-shrug, feeling your throat close up. “He was my friend.” 

“Was or is?” 

“I- I don’t know anymore.”  

Tom lets out a breath through his teeth. “Look kid, none of us will really blame you if you run as far away from him as possible. Lord knows he deserves it. But he’ll never find someone like you. You’re it for him. He just- he loves you so much. I’ve known it since the day I met you.” 

You swallow. “Thought you didn’t like me very much. Kind of failed at the whole first impression thing.” 

“His love for you is the only thing that ever made me take pause and wonder if I was wrong. You’re a great girl, but I mean it when I say that you’re better than what Brad deserves. I had my doubts, but never about you.” He sighs, resting one of his hands on your shoulder. “I saw how Brad iced out Maverick for a decade. I saw what he was like when he was volatile and vulnerable. I had my doubts that he would let someone like you see those sides of him and stick around. But I’ve also seen Brad at his most loving and he does love you, he really does. He just wants you to let him love you.” 

You give another half-shrug, eyes flickering away from the old man’s face. “I’m not good at this, you know? My parents hated each other. Hated me. I’ve only ever managed to date men who use me and treat me like the dirt beneath their feet and I just- I don’t know how to do all of this.” 

You take a step back from him as you shake your head, a tear slipping down your face. “You say that I’m better than what Bradley deserves but the truth is, he’s better than what I deserve. He’s so kind and funny and he’d do anything for his friends that I just-” 

You break down into tears once more.

“I’m not angry at him. I’m angry at myself for falling for him. I’m angry that allowed myself to put myself in this position when I knew it ended with me getting hurt.” 

“But it doesn’t have to end that way, with you getting hurt.” 

“How could it not?” 

-

“Bradshaw, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home, trying to fix things with your wife?”

He sighs, taking a long draw from his beer before swinging his head to greet his best friend. “Good to see you too Phoenix.” 

She sighs, shaking her head. “You’ve fucked up.” 

He fiddles with a peanut, attempting to break the shell open. It’s a difficult process, the shell unwilling to budge and finally he sighs, setting it down on the bartop. “Phoenix, what do you want me to say? I know I’ve fucked up. I’ve maybe lost her forever, but- I had to try.” 

She looks at him for a minute before sighing, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. “Go home Rooster.” 

He shakes his head, eyes downcast on the wooden bartop. “She’s gone. Her flight left this afternoon. and I can’t- I can’t go back to that house, knowing it’s empty. I had her and I lost her.” 

-

The car idles in the driveway. 

He’s not sure what time it is, having lost track between when he left the Hard Deck and drove around aimlessly, avoiding going back to a home full of ghosts. 

But now, he’s even more anxious as his fingertips tap against the steering wheel. 

The porch light is on. 

The porch light shouldn’t be on, not if you left this afternoon like you were supposed. 

Why is the porch light on?

He’d almost be afraid to find out if it wasn’t for the hope suddenly coursing through him. 

Did- did you stay?

[pudding-parade]

Via Discovolo by MomSonSimFun

Do you like Monte Vista but maybe not the size or pre-population of Monte Vista? Then this world might be for you. It's a smaller island (1024x1024), with many of the buildings in Mediterranean style. It gives me a bit of Isle of Capri vibes, with its multi-level terrain sculpting, and with many of the lots built cliffside.

It's an old word, uploaded in August of 2010, when the only EPs that existed were World Adventures and Ambitions, and this world uses items from both. It uses a few decorative things from the Store, but there's no CC. All of the lots that are built are fully furnished/decorated, with about 15 empty lots, most of them also cliffside. So if you fancy that kind of building, this would be a good world to mess around in. It would also be a good world to "dress up" with Mediterranean-ish items from the Store/Monte Vista and/or later EPs, not to mention CC. But, if you're not into building/decorating and just want a world to plop some Sims into and play, this world is ready to go as-is, as well, though of course it lacks community lot types from later EPs. It does, however, have all basegame rabbitholes as well as all of the "standard" basegame and Ambitions community lots, plus a few extras, like a church that can serve for weddings and a drive-in cinema. (Which doesn't have an actual, functional movie screen, but you could maybe add the one from the Store movie theater, if you have that). It doesn't have a standard "big park," but it does have many smaller ones. There's also a big-ass waterfall on the "back" of the island with a fishing spot at the top of it.

According to its Exchange page, the world has 37 community lots and 65 residential lots. So, there are a lot of lots packed into this little island. Many of them are small, especially in the "downtown" area, where there are many densely-packed smaller lots, mostly 12x15, with either rabbitholes or 3-story townhouses on them. But, the other residential lots range from a studio-style military bunker(!), to a residential lighthouse, to "standard" starters, to larger family homes, to a couple of small farms with pre-planted harvestables, and then up to sprawling Spanish-style seaside villas and one castle-type place on its own private terrace. Most of the bigger/non-starter homes outside of "downtown" come with cars or motorcycles, even. The "downtown" area is more old-looking, while some of the outside-of-downtown lots are quite modern in style. So, there's something for everyone. And, for the collecting-minded, there are all the spawners that existed at the time the world was made except for the WA China and Egypt fish spawners. You can catch frogs and snails, though, if your Sims are hankering for some frogs' legs or escargot. (I've always wondered why there isn't an escargot recipe, since you can catch snails...)

Overall, it's a cute little world made by, if the username is any indication, a mother-and-son team, which I think is cute. I'm pretty sure they made all the lots (except the firehouse, which is EA) as well as the world. And if you like this one, they uploaded two other (even smaller and older) worlds, too, which you can find on the Creator tab of this world's Exchange page. I have one of them, Bougainvillea Bay, in my "active" in-game-available worlds. It's also quite nice if you want a small, ready-to-go tropical island.

Anyway, as usual, the title of this post is a link to the world's Exchange page or, if you don't want to deal with the Exchange or with the Launcher/sims3packs, I have uploaded a .world file here as well. If you download that, it goes in your install files under GameData - Shared - NonPackaged- Worlds.

Now, let's move on to more pics and stuff, behind the cut.

Here are map view and Edit Town view of pretty much the entire world:

Next, some of the community lots.

An interesting thing that the creator did is to build overlapping walls around and roofs over the rabbithole buildings, to sort of disguise them and make them blend in better with the surrounding buildings. This is an interesting compromise between rabbithole buildings that just don't fit into a town's theme and the practice of hiding rabbithole buildings in basements. It's a neat idea, I think, and one that that I haven't seen done very often. All of the rabbithole buildings except for the bistro in this world are "disguised" this way.

The cliffside building on the right of this pic is the library. The entire back of the building is two stories of glass, so your sims will have quite the view while they're reading or studying.

This is the drive-in cinema. Apart from parking spaces for cars, grills, and the little decorative ticket booth that you can see, there are two buildings with restrooms and another with a fridge, counters, a coffee machine, and seating. (I'd put a food register in there instead.) There's also a small playground and a dumpster, which I think might be the only one in town. LOL Like I said, the screen isn't an actual screen, but you could maybe rig up something with the big movie screen Store item, if you have it.

This is part of one of the three cliffside parks on the highest terrace in the world, just down the street from the city hall. They're hard to take pics of because they're narrow and have a lot of trees. This one has this bit that juts out over the cliff, though. It has a telescope and a nice view of the town below and the ocean beyond.

This is the cemetery, which makes use of the henge rock formation and is overlooked by two big cliffside homes.

This is one of the small parks in the world. It has a playground, a picnic area with grills, the little fishing pond, and the area to the right surrounded by white picket fence has harvestables in it.

From left to right in this pic, we have the disguised day spa rabbithole and then two of the three-story townhouses typical of the "downtown" area of the world.

The teeny-tiny junkyard is squished between the laundromat on the left (which has three entire empty floors that you could finish with stuff if you wanted to) and a townhouse on the right. Behind is the disguised theater rabbithole.

And there are of course more community lots, but that's enough pics of them. Let's move on to residential lots.

This is the "castle" lot, with a nice porte-cochère. It sits on its own private terrace overlooking the town below.

And here are a bunch of others, from the hilarious little bunker to the grandest of the villas.

And, here's probably my favorite of the residential lots in the town:

I, as a claustrophobe, can definitely appreciate a three-story-tall tower of windows. LOL

And that's about all I have to say. Nice little town. Small in size but packed with lots that can be dressed up with a little remodeling/updating or left and enjoyed just as-is. I love the terrain sculpting with the multiple terraced levels and the use of rocks, and I appreciate what was done with what, at the time, was limited resources in terms of existing EP/Store content.

I'll leave you with a couple extra scenery pics because it wouldn't be a post from me without a pic of a big-ass moon. :D

[doueverwonder]

Marcella Alverez, personification of the state of Florida! Sometimes goes by Marcy, but ONLY when she's in the mood. Sometimes you call her that and get nothing but the worst glare in response.

Top 3 insane states.

is actually older than Alfred, and at very most considers him an annoying brother >:|

She was trusted with all the souths braincells and lost them and now the whole region is screwed

stage 4 terminal case of the Mondays, it's too late for her.

regularly gets put in charge of corralling the Southwest bc she not afraid to threaten Tex and Cali with violence

Also tho the entire Southwest calls her Tía Marcella, but ONLY when they want something. The rest of the states would never dare call her that.

She's a mom actually, her kids are Felix (Conch Republic) and Oliver (British West Florida); she rlly is a pretty good mom but is convinced she's not.

Is closer to Marcos (Puerto Rico) than any of the states.

Out of the states tho her and Louisiana got a fun relationship going; someone give them a buddy cop movie

If u piss Marcy off and PR shows up he's there for your protection, if you piss her off and Lou shows up fuckin' RUN

Doesn't actually drink that much, ppl think she does but it's all virgin stuff.

Prefers to speak Spanish over English, like legit gets sad if she goes too long without speaking Spanish. Once forgot a word in Spanish but could remember it in English and lost her whole sense of identity in .2 seconds.

Cries over Disney movies

just sobbing in the theater "we used to be best buddies,,, and now we're not,,,,"

lives in one of those Spanish style houses y'know that's stucco with the red tile roof.

Calls Jimmy Buffet her "guilty pleasure"

if u see a Florida woman headline it's her

that's all

[br4inr0tx]

やあ!元気ですか? I hope your well! not sure if you remember me but Im Sure did a matchup for you on this blog? @toyafreethoughts but anyways I wanted to send in a request if that's cool with ya, and I would like a romantic matchup for hazbin hotel please! anywho~ let me introduce myself!

my name is joey, I use he/him pronouns, I'm transgender aromatic bisexual and unlabeled, I have adhdism and BPD and I'm a very cool person😎/hj

personality: im a ENTP and I'm very extroverted but at first when I meet someone I may come off/be awkward with them but it'll wear off eventually if we stick together right away, but I love, and I mean I LOVE to ramble about my interests, gossip, etc, I have positive and negative traits ofc but lets start with the positive ones hmm? So I'm highly attuned to the smallest details, and I'm often the first to notice patterns in a system or a group of people. I tend to enjoy strategizing, problem-solving, and brainstorming new ways to complete everyday tasks. Now for the negative ones now When I'm bored or feeling trapped, I become anxious, scattered, and impatient. I may make impulsive decisions or take needless unnecessary risks, I also cry when I feel alone or completely overwhelmed and one more thing that I'm not proud of at all is that I vape a lot when my anxiety goes through the roof. Now anyways with that, I have a huge passion for dancing, like I love it, I enjoy doing parapara dancing is a traditional thing where I dance to tech/euro music, but I also do regular dancing I love vocaloid a lot and I learnt how to dance to + boy recently and its pretty easy for me lol but I would love to dance with my partner and it can be slow dancing, etc idc anything PLEASE!!! also I enjoy flirting with my partner in different languages like Japanese and Spanish the nicknames I love to use would be ハニー (hanii), 恋人 / こいびと (Koibito), Mi amor and Mi alma, I have all the love languages I'm serious lmaoo, for dates it would be like going to a movie theater and then afterwards we can go get dinner, or personal for me I would like to go to an arcade and the shop for a little and whatever my partner wants really lolz xP

appearance: I'm 5'6, i have a rectangular body, I have dyed black boy hair with bangs, inhale brown/hazel eyes, I wear glasses, I also have piercings on my nose, lips, ears, eyebrow, etc 😭, I also wear a shit load of styles like goth (trad goth, romantic goth, cyber goth, mall goth, and nu goth), gyaru (himekaji, hime gal, rokku, manba, banba, agejo, kogal, tsuyome and kigurumin) scenemo/emo, and vkei ouji and lolita, I usually wear those for fun, when I'm going out somewhere, social media, etc but when I'm at home/school/work I wear street clothing type of stuff like a sweatshirt and baggy pants hehehe, also if I were a demon in hazbin hotel id be looking like one of these mfs

hobbies/interests: anime/manga, gaming, cosplaying, fashion, art (painting, drawing, pottery, digital art, etc) learning new languages (Japanese and Spanish), cooking, volleyball, dancing, singing, listening to music/making music, playing piano/electric guitar , writing, collecting stuff(clothes, seashells, etc), shopping and more on

likes: vocaloid/utau, hajime hinata (danganronpa), a silent voice, albedo (genshin impact), lemon demon, felix kranken (twf), bread, sharks, christmas music/christmas in general, scp 3008 (roblox game), get a snack at 4am (roblox game), musicals, hotels, my friend, enstars (switchP + more), rhythm games, doukyuusei, mystic messenger, twf, genshin, a silent voice, lemon demon/neil cicierega in general, breaking bad eddsworld, homestuck, horimiya, hxh, the great gatsby, saiki k, hamilton (sadly, im sorry.)

dislikes: negitive mentions of my voice, comparing me to people/saying stuff like "you remind me of ____", and spiders.

also these are some of my top kins!!:  hiyori tomoe (enstars), yoosung kim (mystic messenger), jumin han (mystic messenger), hanako (tbhk), felix kranken (twf), albedo (genshin impact), shoya ishida (a silent voice), tom (eddsworld), eridan (homestuck), karkat (homestuck), miyamura izumi (horimiya), natsume sakasaki (enstars), sora harukawa (enstars), V (mystic messenger), hagumi kitazawa (bandori), matsubara kanon (bandori), shinji ikari (neon genesis evangelion), lain iwakura (serial experiments lain), hajime hinata (danganronpa) and more....!

どうもありがとう ！¡Que tengas un gran resto de tu día o noche!

こんにちは! 私は元気です. you are so freaking cool. plus, we’re both dancers?? so cool! sorry for getting to you a little later then usual, my dance recital is this weekend, so it’s been very hectic. though a don’t remember sending you a matchup? that is, unless you haven’t gotten to mine yet, which is completely fine; please take your time. nevertheless, to your matchup!

warnings: Unhealthy coping mechanisms (Vaping), Discussion of mental disorders (ADHD, Autism, BPD.), Arachnophobia

your Hazbin Hotel matchup is.. Charlie Morningstar !!

• I think you would get along best with Charlie!

• While I do headcanon her with ADHD, She’s very patient in her own sort of way. She’ll find ways to distract herself or find things to do in order to wait for things to happen; mainly with squishies I imagine. She understands where you’re coming from when you can’t stay focused because of your disorders, but is willing to show you some techniques she’s picked up to help her!

• She’s very quick to rush to your side and help you whenever you need it.

• Charlie doesn’t see anyone as awkward, so even if you feel that way just know she doesn’t see it like that.

• She loves to ramble! You can ramble together!

• She appreciates how observant and attentive you are, as it makes it easier to help patients/guests at the hotel (that is if you wish to help or work there. If anything, I think you’d be great advice!)

• You’d be a big help to her with any issues that plague her. She has so much on her mind; with you making simple solutions means a lot.

• When you have times where you’re scattered, she’s quick to jump to you and calm you down. Be it a nice hug or verbal reassurance.

• She does live in hell of course. I’d imagine vaping is a normal occurrence. On another note, she’s the owner of the Happy Hotel! She’d absolutely help you seek other coping mechanisms if you wish.

• We obviously see how much of a singer and dancer Charlie is, and as I said before I headcanon her as a theater kid!

• That being said she’d love to dance with you. Since she’s a princess she must know how to slow dance as well!

• The first time you used a nickname for her she stared blankly at you. Her heart was melted, even if she didn’t know what it meant. She’d soon learn what your nicknames mean eventually.

• When the hotel is in the hands of other managers, she’d have days to just focus on you. Date days! She’d love to have a day just focused on the two of you hanging out and doing whatever you wish specifically.

• She wears some sort of business goth (I think?), but I think feminine mall goth suits her well (Think like the band Kittie). She’s more on the cutesy and comfortable side of mall goth, but only dresses like this outside to hotel, mainly on date days.

• She indulges in lots of your hobbies by buying gifts that correlate with them! Since she is busy with the hotel and can’t do everything unfortunately.

• Silly headcanon, but she’d literally kicks Angel out for as long as you’re in the room knowing you don’t like spiders, but she’ll fail to acknowledge he barely looks like one aside from his long legs and multitude of arms. Maybe you appreciate it, maybe you don’t. I’ll leave it to you.

• You mean so much to Charlie, and she hopes it’s the same!

[lastimeexteriors-omaha]

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[independenceroofandsolar]

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2. Roof Replacement 🔄

If your roof has reached the end of its lifespan, it’s time for a replacement. We’ll guide you through every step of the process, from selecting materials to the final installation. Our roof replacement services include:

Asphalt Shingles: Affordable, durable, and available in various styles and colors.

Metal Roofing: Long-lasting, energy-efficient, and capable of handling extreme weather.

Tile Roofing: Known for its longevity and classic appeal, perfect for homes with a Mediterranean or Spanish style.

Slate Roofing: High-end and incredibly durable, offering unmatched beauty and strength.

3. Roof Inspections and Maintenance 🔍

Regular roof inspections can help identify potential issues before they become costly problems. Our comprehensive maintenance services include:

Checking for loose or damaged shingles

Cleaning gutters and downspouts

Inspecting flashing and seals

Assessing the overall condition of your roof

Routine maintenance not only extends the life of your roof but also improves energy efficiency and protects your home’s value.

🛡️ Benefits of Residential Roofing Services

1. Enhanced Curb Appeal 🌟

A well-maintained roof significantly improves your home’s appearance. With a wide range of materials and styles to choose from, you can boost your home’s curb appeal while ensuring protection.

2. Increased Home Value 📈

A sturdy, attractive roof is a valuable asset. Quality roofing can increase your home’s resale value, making it a smart investment.

3. Energy Efficiency ⚡

Modern roofing materials offer better insulation and reflect sunlight, helping to regulate indoor temperatures and reduce energy costs.

4. Peace of Mind 🧘

Knowing your home is protected against leaks, weather damage, and other roofing problems allows you to rest easy.

🌞 Protect Your Home with Reliable Roofing Services in Fort Worth, TX

Whether you need a minor repair or a full roof replacement, Independence Roofing and Solar America- fort worth roofing company is here to help. With a focus on quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction, we’ll make sure your roof is ready to protect your home for years to come.

[a-disaster-piece]

S. Carey // “Rose Petals,” from Hundred Acres, & the Netflix original series Flaked

This song. The series. Yep.

It brings back such fond memories of coastal Los Angeles, particularly one amazing, spontaneous, late summer day in 2009, between Santa Monica & Venice, helping Danny move into his new place right on the water in Marina Del Rey. There was walking on the promenade, going to the pier, shitty Mexican food & beer late in the evening…singing, dancing, & making hilarious, random discoveries among unpacking. One of these treasures was a screen-printed canvas patch of Pancho Villa (complete with grammatically incorrect Spanish) that Danny made during what seems like his past lifetime in art school, which to this day is still sewn into the inside of my motorcycle jacket-style wool coat. Topped off by a roof-down ride in Danny’s Audi TT convertible to the Metro the next day. It was a good day, and came at the perfect time, right when I really needed it. 

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The Benefits of Clay Tile Roofing for Houston Homeowners

When it comes to choosing the best roofing material for your Houston home, clay tile roofing is an option that stands out for its durability, aesthetic appeal, and long-term benefits. As one of the most trusted roofing materials, clay tiles have been a popular choice for homeowners in Houston due to their resilience against the region’s extreme weather conditions, from scorching summer heat to heavy rain and the occasional tropical storm.

At Integris Roofing, we specialize in providing high-quality roofing solutions tailored to the needs of Houston homeowners. In this article, we’ll explore the numerous benefits of clay tile roofing and why it’s an investment that can significantly improve the protection, value, and beauty of your home.

1. Exceptional Durability for Houston’s Harsh Weather

Houston’s weather can be unpredictable, with hot summers, heavy rainfall, and the occasional hurricane. Clay tile roofing excels in these conditions, offering unmatched durability that other materials can’t match. Unlike asphalt shingles that may wear out or degrade after just a few years, clay tiles are known to last for decades often 50 years or more making them an ideal choice for long-term protection.

Clay tiles are resistant to rot, mildew, and insects, ensuring that your roof remains in top condition year after year. During hurricane season, when Houston faces strong winds and flying debris, clay tile roofing can withstand wind speeds up to 125 mph, offering superior protection against storm damage.

Why it Matters: Investing in clay tile roofing ensures your home is protected from Houston’s extreme weather while providing peace of mind for years to come.

2. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings

With Houston’s blistering summer temperatures, homeowners are always looking for ways to reduce energy costs. Clay tile roofing offers excellent natural insulation, keeping your home cooler by reflecting a significant portion of the sun’s heat. This reduces the amount of heat transferred into your home, helping to lower your cooling costs and maintain a more comfortable indoor environment.

The natural insulating properties of clay tiles can help you save on your monthly energy bills by reducing the need for air conditioning, which is particularly valuable during Houston’s long, hot summers.

Why it Matters: Clay tile roofing helps reduce energy consumption, saving you money on cooling costs and making your home more energy-efficient.

3. Aesthetic Appeal and Curb Appeal

Houston is known for its diverse architectural styles, from traditional to contemporary. Whether you live in a Mediterranean-style home, a Spanish-inspired villa, or a modern urban residence, clay tile roofing adds timeless beauty and elegance. Available in a variety of colors, shapes, and finishes, clay tiles can be customized to complement your home’s exterior.

The rich, earthy tones of clay tiles enhance the curb appeal of any home, making it stand out in the neighborhood. Additionally, the unique texture and design of clay tiles can boost your home’s resale value by adding an upscale and sophisticated look.

Why it Matters: A clay tile roof not only protects your home but also enhances its aesthetic appeal, increasing its value and making it more attractive to potential buyers.

4. Low Maintenance Requirements

Clay tile roofing is virtually maintenance-free. Once installed, it requires little attention beyond occasional cleaning or inspection, which makes it a great choice for homeowners who want a hassle-free roofing solution. Unlike other materials, clay tiles do not require frequent repairs or replacements, saving you both time and money over the years.

In addition, clay tiles are resistant to fading, meaning their color and appearance will remain vibrant and intact for many years, even under the harsh sun of Houston’s climate.

Why it Matters: Clay tile roofing offers a long-lasting, low-maintenance solution that requires minimal upkeep, saving you time and money on repairs.

5. Environmentally Friendly

In today’s environmentally conscious world, more and more homeowners are choosing sustainable roofing options. Clay tile roofing is an eco-friendly choice, as it is made from natural materials such as clay, which is abundant and renewable. Additionally, many clay tiles are recyclable, contributing to a lower environmental impact when the roof reaches the end of its life cycle.

Because clay tiles are highly durable and have a long lifespan, fewer materials need to be disposed of, reducing the overall waste associated with roofing. Moreover, the energy-efficient properties of clay tile roofs help reduce your home’s carbon footprint by minimizing the need for excessive air conditioning.

Why it Matters: Clay tile roofing is a sustainable, eco-friendly option that helps reduce waste and energy consumption, benefiting both the environment and your home.

6. Fire Resistance for Added Safety

Clay tiles are non-combustible and naturally resistant to fire. This is an important feature for homeowners in Houston, especially during the dry months or in areas susceptible to wildfires. By installing clay tile roofing, you’re adding an extra layer of protection to your home in the event of a fire, whether it’s caused by natural forces or an external threat.

Why it Matters: Clay tile roofing offers superior fire resistance, providing added safety and peace of mind for you and your family.

Choose Integris Roofing for Your Clay Tile Roof Installation

At Integris Roofing, we are committed to delivering exceptional roofing solutions that meet the unique needs of Houston homeowners. If you’re looking for a durable, energy-efficient, and visually appealing roofing option, clay tile roofing is the perfect choice. Our experienced team is here to guide you through the selection and installation process, ensuring that your roof provides lasting protection and enhances the beauty of your home.

Integris Roofing

1217 W Loop N Fwy #120, Houston, TX 77055, United States

(832) 762-4231

https://integrisroofing.com/

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Why Residential Roofing in Arizona Needs Special Attention

Arizona’s weather can be tough on homes, especially when it comes to your roof. The combination of intense sun, high temperatures, dust storms, and seasonal monsoons means that residential roofing in Arizona needs to be durable and designed to withstand extreme conditions. Whether you’re building a new home or looking to repair or replace your roof, understanding the unique requirements of Arizona roofs can help you make the best decision for your home.

In this article, we’ll dive into why residential roofing in Arizona demands special attention, the best materials for the job, and how to ensure your roof stays in top condition throughout the year.

Why Arizona’s Climate Impacts Residential Roofing

Arizona's climate is characterized by extreme heat in the summer, cold nights, and heavy rain during monsoon season. These conditions can cause significant wear on roofing materials. Here are some factors that affect residential roofing in Arizona:

High Temperatures: Arizona’s scorching summers subject roofs to prolonged UV exposure, which can cause roofing materials to deteriorate faster.

Monsoon Rains: Intense storms and heavy rain can cause water damage, especially to roofs that aren't properly sealed or maintained.

Wind and Dust Storms: The state frequently experiences strong winds that can lift shingles or other roofing materials, while dust storms can create a gritty buildup that clogs roof systems and causes wear.

Because of these unique challenges, choosing the right roofing materials and ensuring proper installation are essential for residential roofing in Arizona.

Best Roofing Materials for Arizona Homes

When selecting materials for residential roofing in Arizona, it’s important to choose options that can handle the local climate. Here are some of the most popular and effective materials for Arizona homes:

1. Tile Roofing

Tile roofs are one of the most common roofing materials in Arizona, especially for homes in Spanish and Mediterranean styles. Clay or concrete tiles are highly durable, resistant to heat, and can last for decades. The natural reflective properties of tile also help keep your home cooler by deflecting heat.

2. Metal Roofing

Another excellent option for residential roofing in Arizona is metal roofing. Metal roofs are durable, heat-reflective, and can withstand extreme weather conditions, including monsoon winds and dust storms. Additionally, they are energy-efficient and help reduce cooling costs by reflecting solar heat.

3. Shingle Roofing

Asphalt shingles are a more affordable option for residential roofing. While they may not be as long-lasting as tile or metal, shingles still provide reliable protection. In Arizona, it’s important to select high-quality, heat-resistant shingles to combat the high temperatures.

4. Flat Roofing

Flat roofs are common for commercial properties, but they are also used for residential homes in Arizona, particularly in modern and contemporary designs. Flat roofing materials, such as TPO (Thermoplastic Olefin) and EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer), are energy-efficient and resistant to UV damage. However, proper drainage is critical to prevent water pooling during monsoon season.

5. Synthetic Roofing

For a combination of durability and eco-friendliness, synthetic roofing materials are gaining popularity in Arizona. These materials mimic the look of tile or slate but are more lightweight and cost-effective. They’re also highly resistant to the sun’s UV rays and heat, making them a great choice for residential roofing in Arizona.

The Importance of Regular Roof Maintenance

To extend the lifespan of your residential roofing in Arizona, regular maintenance is key. Arizona’s extreme weather can accelerate wear and tear, so it’s essential to stay on top of roof inspections and maintenance tasks. Here are some tips to ensure your roof stays in great shape:

Clean gutters and downspouts regularly: Remove debris to ensure proper water drainage, especially during monsoon season.

Inspect for cracks and damage: Check your roof for cracked tiles, damaged shingles, or loose flashing that may cause leaks.

Check for signs of leaks: Look for water stains on ceilings or walls, which could indicate a roof leak.

Seal any gaps: Ensure that seals around vents, chimneys, and skylights are intact to prevent water from entering.

By staying proactive with roof maintenance, you can avoid major repairs and ensure your roof performs well year after year.

Why Choose Professional Residential Roofing Services in Arizona?

While DIY roofing may seem appealing to some homeowners, residential roofing in Arizona is best left to professionals. Arizona’s unique climate conditions require specialized knowledge and expertise. Here’s why hiring a roofing contractor is essential:

Expert Installation: Professional roofing contractors ensure your roof is installed correctly to handle Arizona’s weather. Whether it’s proper ventilation or the right materials, experts can provide long-lasting results.

Safety: Roofing is a dangerous job, especially in extreme temperatures or on steep roofs. Professionals have the training and safety equipment to do the job safely.

Insurance and Warranties: A licensed contractor provides warranties for both materials and labor, offering peace of mind that your roof is covered.

Energy Efficiency: Experienced contractors can suggest the best materials and techniques to help reduce your cooling costs and improve energy efficiency.

If you’re considering residential roofing in Arizona, don’t leave the job to chance. Trust the experts at Roofing Service Arizona for high-quality roof installation, repair, and maintenance. Whether you need a new roof or are looking for expert repairs, our team is here to help you protect your home with the best roofing solutions available.

Contact us today for a free consultation and ensure your home is ready for Arizona’s tough climate.

Conclusion

Choosing the right roofing materials and ensuring proper maintenance is essential for residential roofing in Arizona. From tile and metal to synthetic options, Arizona homeowners have plenty of choices to create a roof that stands up to the intense sun, wind, and rain. By working with a professional roofing contractor, you can make sure your roof lasts for years, offering protection, energy efficiency, and peace of mind.

[honestaberoofingorlando]

Transform your home with the elegance, durability, and sustainability of a Brava Tile Roof, professionally installed by Honest Abe Roofing Orlando. Brava Synthetic Tiles are a revolutionary roofing solution that combines the timeless beauty of natural materials like clay, slate, and cedar with modern engineering to ensure unmatched durability and energy efficiency.

Designed to withstand Florida’s challenging climate, Brava tiles are resistant to high winds, heavy rain, and UV exposure. They are lightweight, eco-friendly, and require minimal maintenance, making them an excellent choice for Orlando homeowners. Whether you prefer the classic appeal of Spanish barrel tiles, the rustic charm of cedar shake, or the sophisticated look of slate, Brava tiles come in a variety of styles and colors to suit your home’s architecture.

Honest Abe Roofing Orlando ensures a flawless installation process, combining top-notch craftsmanship with premium materials to provide a roof that not only protects but also enhances your home’s curb appeal. Backed by lifetime guarantees and flexible financing options, you can feel confident that your investment is built to last.

📞 Visit our website 📅 Schedule your consultation 📍 Find us on Google

Upgrade your roof with Honest Abe Roofing Orlando today!