#tbh my faves are ever shifting

[coldshrugs]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤�� (hi azia love u)

hi ells!!! love you!!!! sorry this took so long, i was rolling things around and trying to get to a place where i liked my writing again. but i think i'm here now!

these are in no particular order btw. just some recent faves :>

♥ triple play | io/estinien (modern au)

Haurchefant met Io at a Spring Break party in freshman year, where he spent far too much of the night watching her quietly hold up the corners of some upperclassman’s rented condo. He felt like he knew everything there was to know about her right away, a symptom of that bright melancholy distinctly found in art school girls, like she was only waiting on fate to catch up to her. Maybe the reality of her was less interesting than his half-baked conclusion, but god, her smile. He was so nervous to talk to her.

♥ pang | io/estinien canon (pre-relationship)

His stomach tosses, and he admits something to himself for the first time: he wants to kiss her. Something he hasn’t done often, rare even in his most eager of dalliances. She was looking at him in the way she often does, like he could tell her anything and she would not flinch, and maybe that’s the problem. He can think about more than a kiss without losing his head. It is the straightforwardness of the intimacy he desires that sends him reeling, and already she affords him something close. So he ran. The urge has been growing for some time. They catch their breath after a battle, and she’s bruised and radiant, and he shoves it down. They carry out some mundane task and Io pulls her hair back from her face, and Estinien endures a calamity. How often has he busied his hands to keep them from the simple act of tugging her to him and embarrassing himself?

♥ mustering | io/estinien canon (pre-relationship)

Io smiles patiently. “Your brother?” His eyes fall to the leaf-covered ground and he nods. “He would walk our sheep into the fold from pasture. He named them all. Even if they already had one, he’d change them to something he liked better–insufferable, really. Anyway… when one went missing, he’d beg me to join him in the search, make me scour the fields and nearby forest with him until we found whichever young, or old, or lame sheep had wandered off alone, staring up at us with that look of relief. And I was a bit bigger than him, so I would carry it home while he doted on Flopsy, or Custard, or whatever the fuck he’d named them–” he feels his smile spreading as he shakes his head, and the vacuum in his heart surrounding Hamignant shrinks, just a little. “I suppose what I mean is, he still holds me accountable.”

♥ tiebreaker | io/estinien (modern au)

The city doesn’t slow around them. Flashes of sound and color leak into the dim room, painting the wall in shifting light that disappears between drowsy blinks. Io wonders how all those passersby in taxis and on the street can go on like before, unaware a faultline has moved under their feet. Don’t they know? Didn’t they feel it? The quiet breaks abruptly. “Io, I’m not,"—his rough voice wavers. He pauses. She can almost see him turning over the words in his mind—"very romantic, if I’m honest, but I could be good to you.” His head on her chest is the only thing keeping her in orbit. “You’ve always been good to me. If you’re asking me for something…” “I’m asking.”

♥ flood | io/estinien canon (mature) ↓

His lips return to her neck, and one hand travels the length of her back to twist the strap of the bra. “Tell me, where did you get this?” Io gulps, eyes falling closed at his touch through the sheer fabric. The pale lavender lace barely covers her chest and leaves her nipples artfully exposed. It is the last remaining piece from the matching set; the bottoms and garter belt have long been removed in a racy attempt to undress. Now he fucks her without obstruction, not that they would stop him in the first place. “Shtola sent it. A gift to celebrate my finally sleeping with someone after such a long–” Estinien thrusts, hard, chuckling at the timing– “long time. Though it appears to be for you more than me.” “Then I shall have to thank her when we next meet.” The next moan comes unbidden as the hand on her back wraps into her hair, tied into a messy tail, and pulls. A short, quick jerk, and she can see half his face now, flushed red and smirking. Once more, he tests her, waiting for her reaction. Io smiles at him. “More.”

[hua-fei-hua]

hey! i stumbled across you on ao3 through genshin (i think? that was in september i have no idea at this point), went to check out your profile and saw my hero academia works there. i am currently very much into it, so i was like let's gooo sooo I found B♭ and that has been a wild journey.

firstly, i don't have any experience with american school system, so a lot of worldbuilding was new for me. moreover, marching band is something from another universe(aka music lover but never got educated on the matter), so fic constantly challenged me with new details-concepts-vocabulary. stepping outside of your comfort zone while reading? great idea! i think i never learned so much from a fic while enjoying it so much ^^

secondly, i am simply amazed by sheer amount of effort you put into it. i decided to read in publishing order, so non-chronological really impressed me. you're honestly a mastermind being able to pull that off. also, having a song for every chapter with specifically picked out lyrics relevant to the content is so, so cool! the diversity of your playlists should be astonishing, i'm jealous :)

thirdly, the characters are just so real. i love all the canon references, i love the reactions that don't feel exagerrated or too mild. they are acting...exactly as i would expect them to in that circumstances and setting. i just accepted leads' ways of thinking and reflecting so naturally

i also read the extra notes when they were available and just...how much thought is put in is mezmerising. for some reason i never thought pulling directly from your life experiences when writing? but it actually makes a lot of sense and it brought me some ideas to try out so hehe ;)

as i am very smart and hadn't scrolled down on the order post, i didn't see until quite late in the reading that the end of perfect harmony is published as notes, so that was a surprise. i understand your reasons and the fact that you're not even in the fandom anymore, but you mentioned in some extra notes that it's ok to ask for them even if years passed so...here i am three years after, complimenting B♭ :D

anyway, i finished it a couple of days ago, and even the notes are quite detailed. images of described shenanigans popped into my head just like that, and i really appreciate that you published them and i got to know what happened next!!

i actually wondered why were the comments disabled since i really wanted to comment on a few chapters bc your work deserves it so much...but yeah, that's what led me here so i guess congrats, you get my thoughts all nicely packed in one place ^_^

there's probably a lot of specific pieces, details, ideas i liked about B♭, so that is merely a summary of exciting things i remember!

i'll say goodbye using my favourite oneshot title:

thank you for the music ✩°｡⋆⸜(ू｡•ω•｡)

not gonna lie i'm kind of obsessed w/the way you just glossed over the fact that you (probably) found me through my (anonymous) genshin fics, which means you jumped through the (minimum three) hoops required to get here, my (named) fandom blog, and then proceed to gush abt a bnha series i did. like i would assume that if someone put in the effort to find my other fandom fics from my genshin stuff, then there must've been smth really worth looking into w/the genshin stuff lmao

for the sake of my mutuals' dashboards, since this ask is so long i'm just gonna chuck the whole (long) answer under a cut lol

anyway yes Bb!! the amt of effort n planning i put into that series was legitimately insane. i made school schedules for EVERY SINGLE BNHA CHARACTER and PUT IT ON A SPREADSHEET so that i could PLAN WHO COULD WALK WITH WHOM TO THEIR NEXT CLASSES n have PLOT-RELEVANT CONVERSATIONS LIKE THAT. i made little profiles for each of the characters, where i chose their favorite musical key (and why), how many years/instruments they play, and gave them each a funny little quote/catchphrase!!!

what possessed me to do this for ~20 different characters i honestly could not tell you

i definitely loved working on Bb a lot. i remember sitting down three years ago, practically to the day by this point, n hashing out the events of every single chapter to the epilogue, then reorganizing them into a proper timeline (i also kept a calendar in my notes with the chapters in order), all while occasionally looking out my bedroom window n thinking how wonderfully bright n warm n sunny the world was becoming again. bc really, 2019 was a very struggle year for me, n i didn't take the time to appreciate the sunlight then the way i have every year since. from there, i worked off that very strict outline, and most of the note-chapters that were eventually put up are primarily just copy-pasted straight from there.

i remember being on youtube a lot for music recs when working on perfect harmony too!! a bunch of them changed in the years btwn walking away from the series n actually publishing the notes (which were actually published mid-december last year, then backdated to 2020 a few days later ahaha), with a number of the tour arc alternate chapter title songs coming from songs that didn't even exist at the time of the fic's original planning. my mp3 collection grew a lot during the planning phases of Bb lmao.

i'm glad the characters felt so real!!! while no one character was based entirely off one single person i knew irl, one could say that writing Bb was a bit of a love letter to my time in high school band in some places, both the events i partook in n the people i knew there. it was a very "write what you know" type of fic.

anyway haha yeah the end of my bnha days were not fun, but i still loved Bb enough to hold onto the idea of returning to it Soon(tm) that i put off publishing the chapter notes for almost two years. even then, that was a difficult decision for me to make bc a part of me wasn't ready to close that chapter of my life. i think ultimately it was the best decision to make though, since the fics are p heavily tied up in a much sadder part of my life that i'd just rather not return to.

the main reason comments were turned off of Bb (and indeed, the majority of my bnha fics) is most simply described as "resentment". it's different from how i feel abt my old snk fics (where i turned comments off of them so that i could pretend no one's really reading them anymore), which is more impersonal "oh my god i was so young back then and i give fewer than negative shits abt any mistakes i might've made on them or what anyone thinks of them" bc in bnha it's kind of hard to avoid the fact that i had a Name in the circles i typically traversed for a while. it wasn't that big of a name, but it's certainly more than nothing.

it's not really a feeling i like to dwell on, so i just archive-locked the responsible works n turned off comments for the most heinous culprits (mostly sparklers, but even tho i love Bb as a story, i do not love Bb as a publishing experience, if that makes sense), and for the most part, that keeps the resentment contained.

still, i'm genuinely happy that you enjoyed the au so much!!! i honestly love love love how goddamn SPECIFIC the premises are for this fic. the world was truly built with love, and the music puns for every title were always such a joy to come up with c':

thank you for the ask!!!! :D

[achilleslyre]

fave thing about having ocs is that i can give as many of them crooked teeth as i want

[naomiarai]

hi mimi im not sure if u rmbr but im the anon who talked abt working at a clothing store, i was also the one who asked if my fulltime soobin messge was sent in, but it’s ok i’ll send it again!

tbh interning at my store is driving me insane i hate it lol, so my coping mechanism has been imagining soobin being a fulltimer here so it’s more bearable :p and i absolutely despise closing shifts LOL but to make up for it id imagine him bending me over the counter (it’s a desk where customers return clothes they dont plan to buy) after closing up the store and using me as he pleases 😔 and i really like ur headcanons so i was hoping if u could make it more detailed for me hehe im fine with most kinks but degrading, slapping, choking, pernames and marking are my faves rn

sorry it’s so long 😭

yes, thank you for sending it!! :D

i LOVE this idea!! your imagination is so relatable TT

just imagine having bin as fulltimer at your store, just waiting to close up the shop. why you ask? because you were being a big fucking tease; the unnecessarily short skirt your were wearing, the way your pretty tits were spilling out of your top. and he can’t forget all the subtle touches whenever you’d pass by him, or the way you’d accidentally press up your ass against his hard on whenever he was behind you.

so as soon he he closed up the store, you’re quite literally dragged and bent over the familiar counter, skirt hiked up revealing your soaked panties. “stupid slut, thought you could get away with all that did you?” he says, voice dripping with venom as he pulls his zipper down, huge cock sprung out. you instantly moan when he rubs his cock against your wet cloth covered folds, slipping it to the side to slip inside ur slick cunt. “ah–! s-so big!” you groan shamelessly, hips circling. soobin’s hand comes down to slap your ass red at that, earning a wince from you. he starts moving his hips against the flesh of your ass, cunt repeatedly taking him hole, fast and rough. “just like that, f..fuck take it! take it! fucking bitch” he rasps, bending down to kiss and nip at your neck, leaving marks.

his words have your legs shaking, wetness dripping down as his tip batters at your cervix again and again. “fuck yeah! right there! o-oh..gonna cum!” you cry out, mouth open and drooling over the counter. soobin pulls your hips closer, cock so deep inside you think you might faint. “that’s right, fucking cum and make a mess, you’re just a stupid fucking whore, all you ever know is dick” he says before you coat his dick in white and he fills u up <33

[norman-fucking-reedus]

Hey 👋🏽!!,

I just want to stop by and say I absolutely love your fics, you capture Daryl so well😍. I was wondering if you could write something where Norman stops by his restaurant in Senoia for a quick meeting and sees the hot new waitress working there and it's lust at first sight🥵😈 .. He has to have her.. They meet up after her shift takes her back to his home and c o m p l e t e l y ruins her 🥴🫠: Blowjob & swallow, NORMAN WHIMPERING 😩🤌🏽 as reader sucks him off, deep fingering, face sitting & squirt, eating out tongue fuck!ng, ROUGH doggie style with a sloppy creampie breeding kink ending 😮‍💨 WHEW LAWD😶‍🌫️🫣, I hope this isn't too off the rails for you 🙃 Below is an aesthetic of what I want female reader and Norman to look like

"The New Girl"

Please and thank you 🙏🏾 🤭

GIRL. OMFG. THE WAY YOU DID NOT HOLD BACK AT ALL?? LITERALLY CURLING MY TOES PULLING MY HAIR KNAWING AT THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE

I’m actually really scared because this is gonna be my first time ever writing for Norman, or an actor in general, and I’m just nervous for this to come out like super corny or I write him super out of character and it’s like your average fangirl fanfic but tbh we’re just gonna close our eyes, spin around in circles and god willing nothing bad happens

The reader is black, obvs, but it’s written in a way where everyone can still enjoy and squeeze their thighs together, you’ll just be one of us in this story 🎀

Also how did I not know Norman had a restaurant… three actually…

This definitely has a word count of atleast 4k my phone actually started to slow down everytime I opened this

@blackvelveteen1339 I hope I did you justice cause holy fucking hell this was the hottest request EVER ❤️❤️

THE NEW GIRL

“Are ya' impressed yet?”

Everyone knows that moving to another place will always be the hardest feature in life, let alone moving to a whole new city in a whole different state.

Senoia was absolutely stunning, with breathtaking views and beach perfect weather. It was totally everything that you had hoped it would be, and so was your little studio apartment, which wasn’t bad at all considering the cozy size, not to mention there were quite a few stores around, also well as the infamous main street.

You sighed, a twinge of sadness. At almost twenty-seven, this would be your first time ever living alone, having lived with your parents for a huge chunk of your life. You were still young and wanted to go out into the big world on your own, and for the longest Georgia had been calling out your name.

Some of your friends and family had discouraged you from going, claiming that it was ridiculous to move so far away from home so carelessly. For a minute, you had even thought so yourself, repeating it over and over again in your head that it wasn’t worth it, or that it was just a dumb dream, and you didn’t even have a path in mind. It was a reckless thing to do, to go into a whole new state with no clue on what you wanted to do with yourself, let alone who you wanted to be.

Yet, here you sat in your new apartment, with nothing but a suitcase, duffel bag and mattress to your name, yes, happier than you’ve ever been but lonely as well. You check your phone, swiping through your notifications before unlocking it, and opening your Instagram.

You had always been a quiet and reserved person with a bit of a wild side, which you kept hidden very well under wraps. Your feed consisted of hair tips, food, traveling, and a little heat. You followed a couple of influencers, mostly your favorite music artists, and actors. There were lots of concerts happening in Atlanta, which you found wasn't far away from Senoia at all. You'd always wanted to see some of your faves in person, but none of them had ever come out to where you used to live. Not to mention, it was expensive. Speaking of expensive, you realized that you would need to start looking for a job sooner or later if you wanted to keep your studio.

Luckily you had enough to pay rent for at least the next few months, however, groceries were quite pricey these days. You huffed and glanced over to your suitcase to where it remained unpacked in the corner, clothes spilling out of it from where you had been carelessly digging through it. You had only been in Georgia for a few weeks, and hadn't really left to go anywhere. By the looks from what you could see out the window, it was an undeniably nice day, and job opportunities were always fluttering around. You decided that it was finally time to get your shit together and show Senoia what kind of girl you really were.

Swinging off your makeshift bed, you rose to your feet, grimacing slightly and groaning softly as you stretched and walked over towards the bathroom, frowning at the tangled mess that was your hair once you stood in front of the mirror. There were also a few stains on your shirt. Yeah, a shower was definitely needed. You twisted the handle to the middle and allowed the water to heat up, padding over to your messy suitcase.

There were a couple of hangers in the closet but that was about it. Luckily there were also shelves built in which would have to do for now. You were probably going to need a small list of things, hangers being priority number one.

Going through the suitcase, you had your everyday clothes, some old work clothes, and few clubbing clothes. Your duffel bag contained your personable items, as well as a couple of important documents and paperwork for the apartment. You had already moved all your hygienic stuff into the bathroom, and decided to stress about putting away your clothes later, focusing on what you would actually wear out.

You wanted it to be a mix between comfortable yet classy, classy yet also sexy. A simple and lowcut long-sleeve matched with a pair of bootcut jeans that you could easily jazz up with some jewelry and a cute hairstyle. Draping the outfit over your bed, you began to rid yourself of your clothes, fishing a towel as well as a bra and pair of panties out of your duffel bag, and stacking them together on the bathroom counter. You played music off your phone out loud and made a mental note to also buy a speaker, letting out a satisfied groan as you stepped under the hot spray from the shower head.

The water ran down the length of your body from where it soaked in your curly hair, eyes fluttering shut as droplets began rolling down your face. It felt incredible to have days worth of bedrotting be finally washed down the drain. You wiped the water out your eyes and wringed it out your hair, reaching for the shampoo bottle and twisting the cap off, dumping a handful of the liquid into your palm. You smeared it from the top of your head, carrying it down to your ends, beginning to thoroughly scrub your way back up to your scalp, where you worked the soap into the strands.

Once your hair was completely coated and covered in suds, you rinsed the excess from your hands and grabbed your body wash to start cleaning yourself up as you let the shampoo soak into your hair. You drizzled a generous amount onto the sponge amd ran it under the hot water, rubbing it together in your hands to create the foamy bubbles. You began to work your way up one arm, scrubbing the skin as you went over your shoulder and underneath your arm, moving over across your collarbone to the other arm, eventually working down the length of your chest, as well as legs.

You squeezed the remaining soap out from the sponge, hanging it back in its spot as you started to rinse off your body, leaned your head back and wringing the sudsy water out your hair, hands working to wash all the shampoo out the coily strands. Not that you were in a rush, but it did take a little time, an ache beginning to form in your arms by the time you were done. Pumping a generous amount of conditioner into your hand, you worked it into your scalp with the tips of your fingers and rubbed it into the rest of the strands, clipping it back once there was no more left in your hands.

This time you shaved your legs, cause lord knows it’s been a minute since you’ve done that. In the process of shaving them, you noticed that your bikini area could also use some razor work.

It had been a little while since you had needed any reason to shave down there, but now that you were in a new environment with new faces, you never knew what you might stumble across. The men back in your hometown were okay, but you held your hopes up high that Senoia would toss something totally unexpected your way.

Once you were bare and smooth, you washed away the hair caught in your razor and unclipped your curly hair, rinsing off the clip before your hair, humming at how soft the strands felt under the stream of water. You squeezed and wrung out the conditioner, hearing the days of neglect run down the drain. When it was all out, you gave your body one last thorough scrub, properly washing off your skin from head to toe before shutting off the water and grabbing your towel.

You sighed as you patted your face dry, moving down your neck and chest. As you dried your hair, you stood in front of the mirror, lazily singing along to the current song playing and striking a few poses in your nude form. Although you did have a few insecurities, ones that sprouted from your late teen years and hadn't really left in your adult years, you preferred to just focus on the parts of yourself that you really liked.

It was still fairly early as you rechecked your phone, dropping the towel down on the ground and slipping on your panties, clasping your bra on shortly after. You grabbed your toothbrush and squeezed almost a little too much paste onto the bristles, giving it some water before scrubbing your teeth, mindlessly walking around your apartment as you did. The main street below your window was still bustling with cars and filled with people spilling out of shops, and music thumping from the lively restaurants. There was a nearby park that was full of squealing children, as well as other people from the community and neighboring apartment complexes. All of it was much different than what you had grown accustomed to back home, but it was such a nice change of scenery all at the same time, and you couldn't wait to throw yourself out onto Senoia's street.

Back in your little bathroom, you flicked the sink faucet on and spit the gathered foam out, filling your mouth with water and swishing it around for a little, spitting it out as well. You also brushed your tongue before taking in another mouthful of water, washing out the remaining toothpaste from your brush before dropping it back in its cup, shutting the sink off, and wiping your mouth dry. Taking a deep, but quick grounding breath, you moved to put your clothes on, hiking your fairly tight jeans up before slipping on your top. Even though it was plain black, it had a cute set of flared sleeves.

You dug through your bag for your box of jewelry as well as your makeup, setting both down heavily on the counter as you stared at your hair in the mirror, huffing in annoyance as you started to wonder if you needed to style it. Maybe a half-up half-down look? No, a full ponytail would be better. But a high bun would also be cute... or maybe a half-bun. Maybe bald. Bald would be best.

You mentally kick yourself as you flip the lid to your makeup box open to distract yourself from your hairstyle dilemma. You reassured yourself that you'd figure out something by the time you were fully ready, sighing as you prepped your face. The only times you ever really used makeup was when you were going out with intent, and wanted to make sure that your face stood out to any potential victims. It didn't take long to do as you pointedly and skillfully brushed sharp and soft lines over your honey skin, keeping your hand as steady as your body would allow you.

A few swipes of liner and mascara later, glossy lips, and the front of your hair parted to the side, you were clipping on a silver necklace paired with a bracelet, and a dangly pair of earrings. It was a bit simple, so you decided to layer another necklace on top of the other, smiling at yourself in the mirror before flipping the lights off, padding out into the bedroom, and fishing around for your purse, placing it on the bed next to you as you slid on a pair of wedged sandals. Hopefully, the foot pain later would be worth it.

You slipped your phone into your back pocket, and threw your purse onto your shoulder, tossing in a small bottle of perfume just in case. You shut the doors inside and flicked off the main room light, creaking your front door open and securely shutting it behind you, locking it with your keys before tossing them into your purse, striding down the hallway of your complex with intention hot in your steps.

When you pushed the door of your building open, the warm and inviting air of Senoia almost immediately filling your lungs, you felt a strong sense of anticipation surge through you as you walked out onto the sidewalk, the sounds of conversations now real and more animated than ever, the thumping of music now bumped through your feet and right in your chest.

As you casually strolled down the sidewalk, taking in all the different buildings and things to do, a furniture store caught your eye. While you didn't have any money, it never hurt to look around, and maybe get some information from some of the locals.

The furniture store was filled with pieces on the much older side and vintage lamps that only old ladies would be interested in, but you continued to walk around anyway. As you were browsing a wall of intricate paintings and sculptures, a kind-looking woman approached you.

"Welcome to Hollberg's! Our newer, more modern stuff is upstairs if that's more your style" She smiled, and you gave a polite one in return. "I'm just browsing for now. Just moved here about a week ago and I don't have a job yet" You lightly laughed.

The woman gave you an excited expression, clasping her hands together. "How nice! Where are you from originally?"

"Louisiana, Chalmette. I lived there for most of my life so I just needed a fresh start somewhere totally new." You sigh, still kindly smiling at her.

"I get that, and Senoia is perfect for that, Georgia overall. Atlanta is also quite close, and there's lots of job opportunities out there."

You frown, "Unfortunately I don't have a car, and you can't Uber without money" Shaking your head at your obviously very sticky situation.

The woman seemed to think for a moment, walking quickly away to fetch something from behind a desk and coming back over, holding out a few pieces of paper. "We aren't hiring now, but here are some flyers for restaurants in this strip. Not sure how lucky you'll get, but I do wish you luck. There's a cafe right across the way" You took the flyers from her, smiling at her one last. "Thanks girl. Hopefully, next time we talk it's about furniture" She let out a small laugh, watching as you spun on your heels and walked out of the store.

On your way out, you almost immediately spotted the cafe and wasted no time walking over to it, quickly crossing the street while throwing a few quick glances to the left and right as you did. Before you entered, you slipped the restaurant flyers into your purse and swung the door open, the smell of coffee strong and a bit overwhelming. The cafe was quite large inside, and there was a small line at the registers at near front, nothing you weren't willing to stand in.

Once you reached the front, you were greeted by a young woman, smiling brightly at you. "Hi! Welcome to Senoia's Coffee and Cafe, what can I get started for you?"

"Sorry, I'm not looking to buy anything, I'm actually looking for work. I just moved here about a week ago" She made a small look of surprise, furrowing her brows as she mouthed 'one moment' and disappeared behind a wall, returning mere seconds later with a sheepish look replacing her previous one. "We, unfortunately, aren't hiring right now. I think my boss is in a bad mood, but I heard the restaurant down the street is hiring! Uh, just can't think of the name"

You fish out the flyers, "Any of these?" Holding them out to her. She tilts her head, humming quietly before tapping her finger against one. "This place! They need waitresses, especially around this time. You'd be a great fit there too" She smiled, and you smiled back, giving her a "Thanks" before walking back out of the shop, and down the sidewalk, eyeing a few of the other buildings before stopping in front of dark gray one, reading the sign before pulling the door open.

The inside of the restaurant was absolutely stunning, with clean floors, and light walls mixed with brick that complemented the expensive chandlers hanging from the ceiling, highlighted against the polished wooden furniture. There was casual jazz playing in back, loud enough to hear but loud enough to still be able to talk normally.

The restaurant was fairly small, a highly stocked bar on one side and the dining room on the other, bathrooms at the back. You weren't quite sure where to stand, awkwardly off to the side as you scanned the room for someone, feeling relieved when a woman spotted you and called that she would be right there. You watched as she cleaned a finished table, quickly walking the dirty dishes into the kitchen before coming back out, huffing when she reappeared.

"It's a lot of work, huh?" You asked kindly, and she sighed.

"Hell yes. I jus' wish I had one more set of hands" She laughed airily, tapping at something on her register. "Table fer one?"

You shook your head, "No, I'm actually here to work. Just moved here a week ago" Smiling softly at her.

She gave you a look of surprise, "Really? Where ya comin' from?"

"Chalmette in Louisiana. I just needed a different change of scenery, somewhere new where I can figure my shit out" She nodded her head at your words. "I hear that. Good fer ya' girl! Like I said, I need one more set of hands. Got any experience?"

"I worked in a sports bar for a good while back home, there wasn't really much to work with" You sighed. "I've never served tables but I was a host for a little bit"

She seemed pretty satisfied, nodding as you spoke with a smile tugging her lips. "Well, I'd say yer gonna make a pretty good damn waitress. How soon can ya' start?"

"I'd start today if you let me" You laugh lightly, and she makes a face. "I mean if you can bring me the papers I need within the hour I can get you a shift tonight"

You blinked at her, raising a brow. "Seriously?"

"I'll give ya' the uniform straight after, m'serious" She smiled, holding out her hand.

You took hers in yours with little hesitation, shaking it firmly. “I’ll be right back” Was all you said before walking out the restaurant, quickly and eagerly striding back over to your apartment building. It was maybe a five minute walk, which was not bad at all. As you entered, walking through the lobby and up the stairs, you dug in your purse for the keys to your studio, swinging them around your finger as you walked down the hallway on your floor.

Unlocking the door, you stepped inside and shut it, placing your purse on the counter and taking out the flyers, rushing over to your suit case and flipping it open, rummaging through. You grumbled as you began pulling stuff out, zipping open pockets and shaking the bag, about to freak out when the blue folder fell out. “Aha!”

You cracked it open, smiling when you confirmed the important papers such as your W2 as well as birth certificate. You rose to your feet and it in your purse, finish out your wallet to make sure you had your I.D as well as social security, tossing it back into the bag and sliding it back over your shoulder, setting out your house once again to go get your new job.

You felt a small amount of anxiety boiling in your stomach as the sun started to set, the main street of Senoia, only get louder and louder, even through your shut window. Your eyes flickered down to your pressed uniform, sharply exhaling as you checked the time on your phone and unlocked it, rereading the schedule over and over again. It was about five-thirty, and you needed to be there at six.

Hooking your phone up to get some more charge as you stripped out your regular clothed and into your work ones, humming pleasantly as you looked the mirror. The shirt was tight but loose fit, and the pants covered your ankles. It was an all black uniform, ‘Nic & Norman’s’ in the left corner embroidered in white.

To keep your hair out the way, but still stylish, you tied it back into two high and curly space buns. You decided to go for a simple cat eye liner look, sticking on a pair of lashes instead of mascara this time. A few quick swipes of a rose pink gloss, and a couple spritz’s of your most expensive perfume, you were done and ready to go.

As you slipped a pair of black tennis shoes on, you still had a lingering feeling of nerves in your tummy. This wasn’t your first job obviously, but this was you first waitress job. The woman you had spoken too, who’s name you learned was Tyler, reassured you that you were a perfect fit.

Standing in the mirror one last time, you gave yourself a good look over to make sure you looked professional and presentable, hopefully also tippable.

You tossed your purse over your shoulder, and draped a sweater over yourself, flipping off all the lights and shutting the front door behind you, locking it and stuffing your keys inside.

Just as you expected, the air was brisk and much cooler than it had been when the sun was still high in the sky, night falling over the streets and Senoia’s street lighting itself up, restaurants now more alive than ever. As you walked with a small crowd, you observed how almost everyone was now dressed in more proper attire, nicely ironed suits paired to modestly short dresses.

The outside seating of Nic & Norman’s was already packed full when you arrived, swinging the door open to find the inside seats equally as stuffed. You felt your nerves soaring this time, and tried not to awkwardly duck your head down as you walked into the kitchen, feeling like a foreigner.

“Y/n! Thank fuck!” Tyler gasped from behind you, making you jump slightly. “I’ve got salads and burgers wedged so far up m’fuckin’ ass” She grumbled, grabbing you by thw wrist and pulling you quickly through the clamoring kitchen into a back office.

She dropped down onto a seat, sighing heavily. “Is it like this every night?” You asked, a little more scared then you should be.

“Sometimes. If m’not mistaken, one of the owners should be coming tomorrow. Boy do I sure hope it’s Norman” Tyler sighed, dreamily at the end. She stared off into space with a small smile, and you looked around the room, looking at the overflowing cubbies. “Shit sucks. Ya’ can stick yer stuff with mine” She spoke, snapped out her trance and pointing at a pile a good distance away from the rest. “It’s okay. People know not ta’ fuck with m’shit” Tyler added when she saw the wary look on your face.

“So, who exactly is ‘Nic and Norman’?” You question, and Tyler’s mouth drops.

“You don’t know who Greg Nicotero and Norman Reedus are?” You shook your head, brows furrowed in pure confusion. Maybe you did know them, you just never were very big on putting faces to names.

Tyler whipped out her phone, but frowned. “Shit girl, forgot we had a job ta’ be doin’. Don’ even stress. Ya’ look real good. Shirt fits ya’ good too. Yer gon be loaded up with tips, ‘nd m’sure ya’ can handle tha’ creeps” She rose to her feet, checking her own makeup in the camera lense of her phone before pocketing it. “And don’ try ta’ be fuckin’ superman and carry thirty plates at a time. Pro-tip, learn some Tetris” Tyler swiped a new layer of gloss on her lips, and tossed it into her pocket, pulling you back through the busy kitchen.

“Luckily they print tha’ table number tha’ food is fer on tha’ ticket, so tha’ chef’s started ta’ put tickets with plates, so when ya come here, just find yer table” She explained quickly yet simply, each word she spoke going in one ear and echoing in the other, turning themselves on loop.

Tyler poked her head out the kitchen, looking around before she beckoned someone over. A young man came jogging over, and she pulled him inside by his shirt. Damn if she didn’t play around.

“This is Javi, one of our hosts tonigh’.” Tyler gestured to his with her hands, and he waved politely. “Javi is gon’ show ya’ yer table section. From this point on, m’gon be nothin’ but a blur ta’ ya” She placed a hand on your shoulder, smiling at you before turning and picking up the plates from earlier, easily balancing them on her arms and kicking open the kitchen door, out onto the floor.

A awkward moment of silence passed between you and the young man, not really quiet, but there were no words spoken as he swiped through something on an iPad, brows slightly furrowed. “You’re um, you’re y/n right?” He mumbled, and you nodded.

Javi motioned for you to follow him with his head, and he led you out into the loud dining area, bringing you over towards the bar. “See those four tables there?” He pointed, and you had to follow his finger, nodding when you spotted the four booths he was pointing to. “All yours. They can hold up to like ten people, so good luck.” You grimaced at that, feeling your stomach do flips.

“Here. Can’t be a waitress without your notepad. Or a pen” Javi joked, and you smiled kindly at him, thanking him. As you did, a new wave of people entered, prompting Javi to go over and get them situated. You watched as he seated the new guests, and pulled a group waiting from the lobby, grabbing their menus and leading them over to your section.

He came back over, mouthing ‘all yours’ before disappearing into the kitchen.

You took a few, shaky and deep breaths, before putting on your friendliest face and approaching the table.

Luckily, it was just a simple family, mom and dad with their two kids who seemed to be well over the age of ten. You greeted them with a kind smile, “Welcome to Nic & Norman’s, my name is Y/n and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get you started on any drinks?” You clicked your pen, pressing it into the pad of paper.

The mother smiled back at you, “You guys sure are busy! I bet it’s always exciting when they come to town, huh?” She glanced back at her menu, acting as if she hadn’t left you totally clueless.

“Yeah. It’s only my first day here so I’m a little nervous” You confess, brushing off her earlier statement. “Gosh! Well, guess we’re testing you now!” She laughed, and you laughed as well, only a tad unnerved. “I think I’ll just do a simple cocktail” You nodded, writing down at the top of the pad. Her son ordered a strawberry lemonade, her daughter a soda, and her dad a beer.

“I’ll have those right out for you guys” You clicked your pen once again, and quickly walked away, retreating back into the kitchen.

You pushed the doors open, but frowned at the loud clamoring and multiple orders being shuffled out. No way in hell would your drinks be done in a reasonable time. You exited out the kitchen, glancing around when you had a lightbulb moment.

“Psst, hey muscle man” You called to the bartender, leaning against the counter. “Think you could make these real fast?” You held out the drink ticket, wiggling it as you flirtatiously smiled and batted your lashes.

He stammered for a second, “muscle man?” glancing down at himself and feeling a heat rise to his cheeks. What could you say? You knew a strong man when you saw one.

You kept your hand outstretched, motioning for him to take it.

“Do I even know you?” He raised a brow, and you shook your head. “Nope. But you should do it anyways” You smile, and he frowns, taking the paper from your hand. You spot Javi leaving your section, throwing you a glance and a thumbs up, and you tap the bartop. “I’m counting on you, Hercules”

You approach your second table, and feel a hint of annoyance surge through you as you discover it’s a group of men. Very loud ones at that. You put on your best fakest smile, clicking your pen against your leg as you spoke. “Welcome to Nic & Norman’s, my name is Y/n and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I get a round of drinks going for you gentlemen?”

One of the men whistled, “Well ain’t you just somethin’ pretty to look at” letting out a very country laugh.

A few of the other men let out laughs, and you simply smiled, more of ‘I wish I was off the clock so I could rock you’ smile, but still a smile. “Yeah. I’m also here to get you guys something to drink” You joked, knowing men tipped more when you gave into their antics.

"Let the woman do her job, Bill" Another man said to him, nudging him with his arm and he swatted them away. You tapped your pen against the paper, trying not to hurt one of them. Thankfully they made things easy and agreed to order a round of beer. You murmured that you'd be back, quickly walking out of the section to the bar.

When you walked over, you could see the family's drinks sitting on top of the counter and swapped out the drink tickets when you stopped before them. It was a little awkward trying to carry four drinks at once, struggling as you kept picking up and putting the cups downs.

“See? Wha' did I say?” Tyler spoke as she suddenly appeared next to you, placing a hand on her hip. “Tryin’ be some kind of fuckin’ avenger when yer jus’ makin’ yerself look goofy” She scoffed and held out her dish tray, watching as you placed the drinks down on it.

You took it from her with a sheepish look. "Thanks, Just a bit on edge" You told her, and she placed both her hands on your shoulders, smiling softly at you. "Don' be. Yer a natural. Jus' keep doin' wha' yer doin'" She gave you a salute and was gone as quickly as she had come.

Sighing sharply, you walk the tray of drinks over to the family with a smile and hand them, listening to the mother awe over the colors of her cocktail. "How pretty! I think we're all ready to order, right?" She glanced at her family for their confirmation, and you pulled your notepad out, tucking your tray under your arm. The mother ordered a margarita flatbread, her husband ordering a whiskey salmon, and her kids both ordering a classic hamburger. "I'll have those out for you guys shortly" You smiled once you had their order scribbled down, collecting their menus and leaving them be.

You walked past the men's table, briefly letting them know you were coming back with their beers, and dropped the menus off to the front where Javi was standing, getting the next group of people seated. "Y/n, I'm gonna stick these folks in your section. Hand me those" He said as he turned to you, taking the menus from your hand and leading them to your third table. You weren't doing too bad if you did say so yourself.

Thanks to the help of the tray, loading up the round of beers for the men wasn't much of a hassle at all. When they saw you approaching with the mugs filled to the bim, they whooped and hollered, prompting you to shush them as they began to collect eyes nearby. Instead of handing out the drinks like you did with the last table, you simply let them take their respective mug off the tray, knocking their glasses together. "I'm guessing you fellas are ready to order huh?" You give them your best show, even jutting your hip out a little. Don't get mad at a girl for using her resources.

"You bet'cha sweet ass we are, and this big boy wants a steak" The one they call Bill piped up once again, drumming on his belly as he spoke. A few laughs erupted from the table, and you felt your eye twitching. "How would you like that cooked?" You mumbled, smile just barely clinging to your face. "Medium-rare. I like mines to be pink on the inside" He laughed gravelly, and you tried to act like he wasn't comparing a steak to someone's vagina.

The same man nudged Bill, this time a little harder and more serious than last time. "Sorry 'bout him. I'll do the medallions" You nodded at him as you wrote down his order, murmuring how it was alright. The other men just started to throw their orders out there, placing their menus down in the middle once you had their request scribbled down. You gathered all the menus and dropped them off to the front, exhaling as you made your way to the kitchen in order to get your tables food started.

As you pushed the door open, you groaned when you saw how chaotically busy it was getting, loud chattering and banging filling the space. Orders were lined up and quickly being pushed out, some of the other waiters brushing past with their own trays of food in hand. Glancing around for someone, you awkwardly handed off the papers to the nearest chef. Getting ready to exit out the kitchen, feeling as though you were in the way the sound of applause rang out from the front, and all movement around seem to freeze for split second. You all looked around at each other, mirroring faces of confusion before Tyler came barreling through the doors.

"Norman fucking Reedus just fucking walked in and I swear on everythin' I love I'm gon’ go absloutely mad" She rambled, bouncing with energy.

“I thought he wasn’t supposed to come til tomorrow?” The head chef spoke, rising a brow from where he was manning a large grill.

Tyler rolled her eyes, charging towards rhe back office. “Who cares? He’s here now ‘nd I need ta’ make sure I look good!” She got about halfway, before turning back around grabbing you by the wrist, resuming her mission to the office.

Inside, she shuffled over to hee stuff, digging through a backpack and pulling out a makeup bag, plopping down in a seat and pulling up the lens of her phone. “So what’s the big deal?”

“Wha’s tha’ big deal?” Her eyes almost bulged out of her head, staring at you in shock and a bit of horror. “Oh, nothin’, jus’ tha’ he’s tha’ sexiest guy in Hollywood”

You scoffed at her, “Sexy ain’t nothing if he’s shit in the sheets” shaking your head.

Tyler groaned, curling her lashes carefully. “Ya’ don’ even know wha’ yer talkin’ ‘bout. He’s a munch, certifiable”

“Psh. I’ll believe that when I see it.” You say, turning to walk out the office and get a look at this guy for yourself.

“Wait!” Tyler held out her hand, rising to her feet. “Yer not leavin’ without a little touchup. One of us is gettin’ lucky tonight and it’s gon’ be me. If ya’ fuck him, I want all them details” She spoke as she maneuvered you to sit in the chair, tilting your your head up and insecpting your face.

“If I do fuck him it’ll just be so I can get ahold of his wallet” You murmur, closing your eyes as she dusted the lids of them with glitter, brushing some down the bridge of your nose. “Well ya’ better share some with me” She pinched your nose, and you swatted playfully at her, smirking. “I’ll think about it”

She swipes a glossy layer of gloss over your lips, before her own, tossing the contents of her makeup back into the bag and the bag back into her backpack. The kitchen has returned to loud clamoring and pots and pans being banged together, servers dashing in and out with their orders.

Nearby by, the food for your first table was waiting patiently for you, and you gasped softly. “Oh wow this stuff actually looks really good!”

Tyler held out the dish tray for you, again, holding it with both hands and verbally helping you to cram all four dishes on there, the flatbread being a long and awkward dish. “The salmon is super good. I probably done’ forced the kitchen ta’ make it fer m’bout a hundred times now” She laughed as she spoke, gingerly handing off the the tray to you. “Don’ drop nothin’”

“Now why would you even say that?” You roll your eyes at her, and lightly kick her shin, turning on your heel quickly to walk out the kitchen when she frowned your actions.

You pushed the door open with your hip and walked back out into the busy dining area, a smile on your face as you approached the family with their food, placing the tray down on the table so you could hand out their plates easily. The mother helped by taking her flatbread off, humming as she made sure it was exactly what she had wanted. “Could I get anything else for you folks tonight?” You politely asked, sliding the tray off the table and back under your arm. “Nope! Thank you, you’ve been so kind and helpful” The woman smiled back at you, and you slightly bowed your head before leaving them to their meal.

“I should be back with you guys food as well. Another round while we wait?” You stopped by the mens table, observing their almost empty mugs and giving a thumbs up at their rowdy agreement. “And my apologies for the wait. At least you had plenty of menu looking time right?” You joked lightly as you finally approached your third table for the night, a small group of friends who seemed like easy people to deal with.

“Ahaha, not much. We were pretty hung up on drinks. I think we’re all gonna try the Bloody Nicotero” One of the women spoke, glancing around the table for her friends confirmations. They all nodded in agreement, and another girl requested for a cup of water. “Would you like table water? For all of you!” They nodded, and you scribbled down the few drinks. “I’ll be right back with those” You smile at them, and as soon as you walk out the section it totally drops.

“Hey, muscle man!” You called out to him, leaning over the bartop. He eyed you from the side, finishing the drink he was currently pouring before moving over to you, a brow raised. “I have a name y’know” He pointed to the tag, but you ignored him, raising your own finger and pointing to the group’s order. “What the hell is a bloody Nekot… Nickote- Tar?-“

“Nicotero. And it really packs a punch” A man spoke suddenly from behind you, making you instinctively jump with your hands raised. “My God! Didn’t your momma teach you not to walk up behind people?” You huffed and put a hand over your thumping heart, turning back to the bartender to promptly ignore the asshole behind you.

“So like I was saying- What? Why’re you looking like that?” You glance at his stun face, and turn back to the man behind you, a curious smile tugging his lips. “Are you Nicotero?” You quirk a brow, and the bartender sputters.

The man lets out a light chuckle, shaking his head which made his wavy curls bounce. His hair was fair dark and stopped at his shoulders, his bangs attractively pushed back by a pair of sunglasses. He was pretty tall, and very well built, eyes lingering on his musclar arms longer than they should’ve. Your eyes flickered down to the skull inked on his hand, and then back up to his face.

“Nope. Nicotero is the other guy. I’m just Norman” His voice was smooth and rich, but not quite deep. It had a light and airy feel to it, very gentle on the ears.

Norman. Norman… “Reedus?” He nodded. Oh, well, shit. “Don’ know if you were aware of this pretty girl but I own this place” He spoke casually and easily.

“I wasn’t actually. I’ve only lived here for a week” You told him, watching as the bartender busied himself with your group’s drinks, as well as the men’s beers. “And this is my first day working here, and right now you, Norman, are being a distraction”

He raised a bow, smile only growing across his lips as he spoke. “That’s just what I do best darling”

You placed the tray down on the bartop and assist the man in fitting both the bloodies and waters onto the platter, slowly and very carefully picking it up.

Norman stepped out your way, and as you shuffled past him you stopped to whisper in his ear. “I feel like there’s a lot else you do best” You murmured, flirtatiously winking and walking into your section, greeting the friend group with a smile.

“Got your drinks here folks, heard these things knock your socks off so good luck” You joke as you hand out straws, clicking your pen and flipping through your notepad. “Is everyone ready to order?” You press the tip of the pen into the paper, writing down the first order shouted out and going down the line. There was a simple mix of burgers and salads, a few people had special requests on how they wanted their food to be which you wrote underneath, small but big at the same time.

You collected their menus, letting them know you'd have their food out shortly and whisking away, dropping the menus off at the front and walking quickly to the kitchen, glancing at Javi who seemed to be conversing with Norman. You pushed the door open and huffed a sigh of relief when the men's food was sitting there waiting. Placing the tray down, you loaded the plates on the best you could, having to carry two of them out with your other hand, balancing one on your forearm.

Another waitress saw you as she entered the kitchen, and she politely held the door open for you, nodding as you thanked her on your way out.

"Not gonna drop that are you?" Javi questioned when you walked back past, causing Norman to turn and glance at you.

You continue walking away, a smirk pulling your lips. "Not if you stop talking" The feeling of eyes lingering on your back makes a chill run up your spine, and part of you swears that you can feel butterflies in your stomach.

The men see you approaching their table, and at first, they start cheering but quiet down when they realize you were balancing heavy plates, resuming their celebration once the food is safely placed on the table. You call out the names of dishes to find their rightful owner, watching the men grab their plates and eagerly start eating, satisfied groans sounding from the table. With that, you left them to eat and returned back to the family, who was chatting amongst themselves and seemed finished with their food, most of it half eaten.

"Would you guys like some to-go boxes?" You smile, and the mother nods, "Yes please, and you can bring the tab as well," mirroring the kind smile you gave her.

You informed her you'd be right back with that, quickly walking out of the section and to the kitchen, glancing around. "Where's Tyler?" You asked a nearby chef, and he furrowed his brows, tilting his head in confusion. You repeated your question, a little louder this time, and he made an 'O' face, pointing to the office. You thanked him, and made your way back there, knocking before creaking the door open.

"What are you doing?" You stare at her, sitting in the chair with a tall cup and her phone in her hand. "Wha'? I needed my coffee" She shrugged, a smile playing on her lips. "Talk to my beloved husband yet?" You rolled your eyes at that, stepping inside the office, but catching yourself. "Wait! Uh, my first table is ready to pay"

"Oh!" Tyler kicked herself off the chair, stretching and taking another sip of her caffeine. "C'mere, lemme show ya'" She said as she ushered you out. She led you through the kitchen, bringing you to a section behind the door you hadn't even noticed was there.

There was a computer with a list of waiters and waitresses on them, table numbers as well as totals on it. You spotted your name, and read the first tables total, which actually wasn't a bad price at all. "Jus' click tha', and then the huge print button" Tyler pointed, tapping the screen as she explained. The machine behind the computer whizzed to life, printing out a receipt. "They want boxes?" She questioned and you nodded, watching as she reached her hand down and pulled four to-go boxes out. You took them from her silently, blinking as if she had just performed a magic trick.

Tyler tore the receipt out of the machine, clicking her pen and scribbling something down. As she did, the machine began to print once again, and Tyler pulled out a slim booklet from underneath. "It prints twice 'cause tha' second receipt is tha' one tha' customer signs" She said as she took the paper out the machine, sticking it into the booklet, and handing it to you.

You took it from her with a smile. "Thanks. I did talk to Norman, and he's alright. Nothing too special" She gawked at your words, and started to playfully smack you with her hands. "Ugh! Ya' don' know wha' yer yappin' 'bout! Tha' man will change yer life" She harped, voice fading as you walked out the kitchen, lips stuck in a smile as you brought over your first tab of the night.

The rest of your shift went by with a breeze, the number of people coming in was now lessening and coming in pairs of two and four. It wasn't as busy anymore, and the air around seemed to be less tense.

You only had about one more hour left before you were done, and had about two tables still waiting for their food. You were ecstatic that your first night had gone by without any mishaps or complaints, having received generous tips from all your tables throughout.

On your way back to the kitchen to check on your last few orders, you spotted Norman sitting alone at the bar with a small drink in hand as he seemed to do something on his phone. You aren't sure what came over you, but you found yourself quietly approaching from behind.

"Shouldn't you be riding away in a limo back to your mansion?" He jumped slightly at the sudden sound of your voice, turning towards you with a small smile. "Maybe, but I didn't wanna leave without getting to know you better" You raised a brow at that. "Seriously? I'm just a waitress. Shouldn't you be like screwing around with models?"

Norman laughed at that, shaking his head a little. "Who's to say you aren't a model?"

"Well, aren't you just a real charmer" You giggled, feeling a heat rising to your cheeks. "What? You wanna take me home or something?" You said jokingly, standing more off to his side now.

You observed the look on his face, soft, interested, yet so dark. His piercing blue eyes shamelessly raked over your figure, tongue darting out over his lips. "Yeah. I really do" He whispered, eyes landing on yours. "Can I?"

"Not very celeb-like taking home staff don't you think?" You hummed, taking his drink and downing the rest, a mix between whiskey and coke. "It would be quite unprofessional for you to take me to your house when I get off in thirty minutes, very unprofessional indeed" You sensually mumbled, tossing him a final cheeky glance before disappearing into the kitchen, almost sprinting to the back office to go find Tyler, giddy smile tugging your lips.

Staring at his now empty glass, head resting in his hand, Norman couldn't help the way his stomach flipped, excitement and anticipation building up as your words rang out in his head.

Thirty minutes had felt like a whole other hour, and you heaved a sigh of relief when you finally clocked out, purse slung over your shoulder and your sweater draped over yourself in a puny attempt to shield yourself from the cold.

Tyler had almost flipped the table over when you told her, jumping off the walls and excitedly shaking you, squealing as she rambled about all the things she thought were gonna happen, yelling that you needed to tell her every detail afterward. She even downright begged for you to get some pictures.

She had already left in her car to go home, slamming the digits of her number into your phone and pulling you into a tight hug, telling you to be safe and text her as soon as you got to your next destination, threatening to send out a search squad.

You stood outside, mindlessly rolling a rock under your foot and swiping through Insta, starting to wonder if a literal A-list celeb had just totally played in your face. Minutes went by and you started to feel a little offended, rightfully so, deciding to start making your way back home instead of waiting around like an idiot. As you were walking, you texted Tyler that you were leaving, that he had just left instead. Cars passed by and obviously none seemed to belong to someone who would own a restaurant. You scoffed, annoyed but not surprised.

As you rounded the corner to the street of your apartment building, you just so happened to crash into somebody smoking a cigarette, of coursing falling onto your ass like a dumbfuck.

"Damn, tryna run away from me gorgeous?" Norman's light voice sounded, and you blinked your eyes into focus. "Been looking for you" You grumbled as he easily lifted you off the ground, taking a drag from the cigarette. "Sorry. I get bored sitting still for too long" He shrugged, smiling cheekily at you. "Ready to go?"

"Go where? My house is right there" You shook your head, gesturing towards the building.

Norman waved his hand, dismissing you. "Nah. Gonna take you for a little ride. C'mon," He took a final pull, stubbing his cig out on the wall and motioning for you to follow him.

He led you back down the sidewalk and a little distance from the restaurant, making easy and light conversation. It felt like you had known him forever with the way he casually joked around with you, your heart fluttering a little each time he laughed.

He walked you over to a sleek and shiny motorcycle, standing on the other side of it with his hand held out, offering you some help with climbing onto the back of his bike. "A romantic bike ride? And here I thought you had ghosted me" You laughed when he himself straddled the bike, the engine roaring to life.

"Ghosted? Someone like you? Never doll" Norman chuckled over the rumble of his bike, kicking the stand out and rolling out the parking lot, glancing both ways for any passing cars.

You wrapped your arms around his middle when he started to pick up speed, turning off Senoia's main road and revving the engine, motorcycle quickly shooting forward. "Not so fast!" You gasp, tightening your hold. He laughed, patting one of your hands with his. You put your head on his shoulder to get a better view of the road, catching a strong whiff of his very expensive-smelling cologne, an exotic herbal smell that attracted you to him more, a heat shooting down to your core.

Norman caught a glimpse of your lust-filling eyes in his side mirror, bottom lip caught between his teeth as he knew he was in for a treat tonight, almost instinctively revving his engine again to speed up, but obeyed your request to not go too fast. He drove with the flow of traffic, listening to you awe over the lights and buildings. "Ever been to Atlanta?"

"Atlanta? Wh-why are we going there?" You stammered, taken aback since well, that was bit of a distance.

"Oh no doll, we aren't going. Yer just back there 'oh'ing and 'awe'ing I figured not" Norman chuckled, laughing when you smacked his shoulder. "Hold on, we're almost there" This time he revved his engine again, weaving between cars.

It made you feel like a teenager again, getting whisked away at night to some random guys house for an hour or two of fun, just to be dropped off somewhere unknown but close to home. It brought you back to your early twenties also, the years having been filled with nothing but hungover days and drunken nights, latching onto some poor guy who was willing to buy you every shot you down, likely in hopes of getting laid.

Sitting on the back of Norman’s bike however, something your gut told you this would be a little more than just a plain hook-up. Tyler’s words rang out in your head, and you couldn’t help but start to wonder if this really would change your life.

The traffic on the road dispersed as he drove further out, eventually turning down a quiet and dirt road.

“Whoa, I ain’t about to get murdered am I?” You joked, but you were really asking.

Norman chuckled, squeezing your hand and even looping his fingers through. “Nah. I’d take you out somewhere pretty”

“You wanna take me out or take me to bed?” You wiggled your fingers in his hold as a mock wiggle of the brows.

“Maybe I wanna do both”

Jesus, this man was something else.

The dirt road continued out for a couple of miles out, gravel and rocks crunching under the spinning tires of his bike. The road seemed to be hidden by a tall grassy field and towering trees, the only sound interrupting the peace being the rumble of Norman’s engine.

He made another turn, the tall field of grass seeming endlessly as he drove until you could barely make out what looked like houses at the top of a field. Shit, maybe he really was gonna murder you?

Norman revved the engine and the motorcycle picked up speeds, whipping the cool country air into your face and probably messing up your tied hair. The large houses came closer into view, huge properties with cars in driveways and lights on. The houses were scattered, your next-door neighbor being about five normal houses away.

Norman rolled down the street at a slower speed as to not disturb his neighbors, approaching a dark and gated house. The gates opened after the man pressed a few buttons on his phone, the outside lights of the home fading on and making it look more welcoming.

The gates closed behind the two of you when he rumbled onto the large driveway, lazily parking his bike right where he was.

This time you didn’t need any help, swinging yourself off the motorcycle and immediately tossing your arms up to stretch as you stared at the literal mansion you were about to walk into.

“C’mon. Did you get a chance to eat?” Norman placed a hand on your hip and led you to the front door, some fancy thumbprint technology letting him in.

“Not yet,” You smile softly as you enter the home, standing in the boxed-off foyer. “I got whisked away before I could escape back home”

“Well, I surely didn’t bring you here to starve you. Take your shoes off, I’ll mix something up” Norman said as he took his own shoes off, socked feet quiet against his wooden floors.

You toed off your own shoes next to his and followed, staring in awe at the midsized entrance. Two staircases descended on either side, leading to an equally large-looking upstairs with a small balcony.

Straight ahead, there was an opening that led out to the spacious main area, tall industrial windows covered the walls in the living room, paired with ceiling-to-floor navy blue curtains tied back so as to probably let in the earlier sunlight. The kitchen was big as well, with dark and wooden cabinets matched to grey ash-colored granite counters with specs of black obsidian throughout.

You had never seen such a gorgeous home, marveling at how clean it was. It had a luxurious feel while still being homely at the same time, a few paintings and sculptures hung up on the walls, sitting on table tops.

“This place is beautiful,” You said after taking a minute to fully appreciate the decor, resting your hip against the counter. “Do you live here?” You placed your purse down.

Norman laughed from somewhere, rounding a corner with an expensive-looking bottle of whiskey. “For the moment. I’m usually out in New York, but I have to be here for some work” You watched as he poured two glasses, handing you one a small smile.

You clinked the glasses together and both threw them back, the liquid burning your throat as well as your chest. “What do you do for work?” You said as you cleared your throat.

“Well right now we’re shooting,” Norman said casually, turning and opening the large fridge.

“A movie?” You question, pulling at the collar of your shirt.

The man chuckled slightly, “Do you have any ideaa who I am?” turning to you with a playful smile tugging his lips.

You scoffed, cheeks heating up a little bit because, well, “No, not really. My co-worker seemed to be a fan though”

“Oh really now? What’d she tell you?” Norman quipped, chopping and tossing the ingredients for what you could see was a really stuffed chicken salad.

“That you were the sexiest guy in Hollywood” He laughed at that, and you couldn’t help but stare at his broad shoulders from behind, watching his back muscles as he fixed the food.

“Well?” He said after a minute, and you realized you had zoned out. “What?”

Norman glanced at you, a dark look in his blue eyes. “Do you agree with her?”

You stared at him for a moment, before slowly approaching, stopping only a few centimeters short from him.

“Make me agree with her” You whispered, batting your lashes as you ran your finger up his arm.

Norman halted his movements, staring at you before his eyes flickered down to your lips, not hesitating to lean down and kiss them.

“Ya’ ain’t got no clue what you’re askin’ for, doll” He rasped, disregarding the half-made salad as he gripped your waist, lifting you off your feet and onto the island top, slotting himself between your legs as he moved to capture your lips in another kiss, this one way more eager and heated.

You moaned softly into his mouth as his hands caressed and fondled your waist, sliding down to your hips and pulling you closer against him, pressed his bulge into your clothed cunt.

He kissed you calculated yet sloppily, tongue swirling around in your mouth as his fingers slipped under your uniform. You hooked an arm around the back of his neck and bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to where he groaned painfully. “Come on, impress me already”

“Whadd’ya want from me?” Norman started to kiss and lick your neck, but you yanked his head back by his hair, for starters yanking the pokey sunglasses off. “I wanna see what you’ve got, maybe like,” You trailed a hand down his chest, pushing him hard so he stumbled into the counter behind him. “What you’ve got in your pants?”

You kicked yourself off the island, pulling the hair ties out your hair and fluffing it out, dropping down to crawl over to Norman, evil smile taking over your lips as you scratched your nails down his denim jeans, mouthing and placing open mouth kisses over his straining cock.

Norman groaned above you, “Think ya can handle it?” a hand coming down and tangling into your hair.

“Can you handle it?” You retort, taking the zipper of his jeans between your teeth and unzipping them, popping the button open.

You tugged his boxers down, very unexpectedly getting smacked in the face by his cock, a good thick eight inches. His tip was red and leaky, the veins running along his shaft pulsating. You had been with your fair share of big guys, but Norman was quite impressive, your fingers stretching when you wrapped them around him.

You gave him a few experimental strokes, playfully looking up at him through your lashes as you run your tongue from his balls, all the way up to the head of his cock, swirling your tongue around it and taking it into your mouth, sucking the salty pre-cum off.

Norman’s hips jerked slightly, a mumble of curses falling from his lips as he tightened his grip on your hair. “M’not gonna be very nice to ya’ if you keep it up” He grunted, his face a little flushed.

“Didn’t want you to be nice in the place” You mused as you licked down the sides of his throbbing dick, smearing spit from your tongue as you went along. “Such a big cock but do you even know how to use it?”

Norman scoffed slightly, “Ya’ really don’t know who I am” rolling his hips when you took only his tip past your lips.

“Gonna show me?” You wiggled your butt a little, a surge of excitement coursing through you when rough hands gathered all your hair in one. “Yup, gon’ make you remember it too. Open that little bratty ass mouth wide” He tugged your head back, and you moaned, stretching open your lips as well curling your tongue inside your mouth.

Norman slowly slid himself inside, grunting at the warm wetness engulfing him as he leisurely rocked his hips, thrusting half his cock past your lips. There was an uncomfortable stretch the more he pushed in, a slight burning sensation as he worked himself in.

“I know this pretty throat can take a lot more, c’mon girl” Norman rasped, tilting your head further back and holding himself at his base, pushing in until his tip hit the back of your throat.

You relaxed your gag muscles, staring up at him innocently as you started to slide the head of his cock down, Norman letting out a thick hum as his grip in your hair tightened and his eyes fluttered, his hips jerking forward. He snapped the rest of his length suddenly down into your throat, a harsh grunt coming from him when your moan vibrated through him.

He pulled his hips back and sent them forward again, going smoothly back down in one thrust, repeating this action a few times. Norman watched how all his cock disappeared past your plush lips, nose nuzzled in his well-trimmed pubes before he pulls his hips back, leaving only the tip in before fully sliding right back down.

You squeezed your thighs together each time he plunged his cock into your mouth, eyes rolling shut as he started to increase his pace, only pulling himself out halfway now.

“Takin’ me so well gorgeous,” Norman said in a low, husky drawl. “S’like ya’ were made for this”

He was practically humping your face at this point, his own a bright shade of red as pants, and small gasps came from him, flat-out fucking your mouth. Each little noise that came from him made your cunt throb.

Speaking of throbbing, you could feel the way Norman’s cock was pulsating in your throat, deep and shaky grunts starting to come from him. His hips sped up, the sound of his balls slapping against your chin slightly echoing in the spaciousness, the soft gagging of his cock abusing your throat only heard between the two of you, followed soon by Norman’s heavy whimpers, grip on your hair impossibly tight.

His hips stuttered, cock twitching and spasming as he spilled deep inside your throat, trying your best to swallow but you sputtered around him, cum dribbling from the sides of your mouth.

Norman pulled himself out from your mouth, groaning softly at the cool air hitting his sloppy dick as it rested still painfully hard against your equally messy lips, gasping as you stared up at him.

“Impressed yet?” He raised a brow, out of breath himself.

You ran your tongue over your top lip, tasting his bitter release with a smile. “I thought you weren’t gonna be nice? I think you’re being quite boring if you ask me” You teasingly spoke.

Norman smirked, “Who said I was done? By the time m’done with ya’, your body will remember the shape of my cock” He said, snapping himself all the way back down into your throat, not wasting any time before he was fucking into it. He was still a little sensitive from his first orgasm, each bump of his tip pulling a husky whine from him.

It didn’t take long at all before he was already starting to get weak in the knees, each thrust feeling better than the last. He increased his pace, breathing picking up as small whimpers and gasps fell from his lips, a few final strokes before he was cumming down your throat, holding you flush against his navel as you swallowed the best you could.

He pulled out, leaving only the head of his cock on your tongue as he rutted against it, drawing out his orgasm until he was spent, cock softening when he pulled completely out.

You swallowed his load while staring right into his eyes, fluttering your lashes with your bottom lip caught between your teeth.

“Salad can wait. I wanna see wha’s hidin’ under this uniform” Norman said as he suddenly leaned down, scooping you up and tossing you over a sturdy shoulder, strong arm keeping you secure by your middle.

You let out a high yelp at the change in position, bouncing slightly as he trudged out of the kitchen, tugging at your pants as he climbed the stairs. He tossed them somewhere for you to hunt down in the morning, letting out a satisfied chuckle at your round backside, smacking a bubbly cheek. You giggled around a moan, especially when he firmly squeezed that cheek and spread it, helping himself to the view of your soaked panties, a dark red with black lace.

He pushed open a door to a huge and luxurious bedroom, the bed he dropped you on feeling like a cloud pulled straight out of the sky. Norman tore his shirt off, you doing the same as he dipped down, dragging his lips and teeth across your dark skin, sucking and biting as he explored your exposed collarbone.

You groaned and shamelessly wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him down to feel his already-hardening cock against your wet heat. Norman seemed to have something different in mind.

“Wanna sit on my face, sweet girl?” He murmured into your ear, brushing curly hair out your face. “Did so well fer me, gotta return the favor”

“You don’t gotta ask me twice,” You said in a honeyed voice, using your legs to flip your positions.

Norman landed with a small sound, looking up at you as you rolled your hips down on where you had his cock trapped between your two bodies. His hands traveled up to your waist, caressing and fondling the deep skin.

You looked like a goddess straddling him, curly hair flowing everywhere and framing your upper half, Norman’s eyes flickering down to your black bra where your tits were practically spilling out. You crawled towards his face, dragging your core heat up his abs and pressing it on his chest, towering angelically above him.

“I hope you don’t disappoint me” You tease, lifting yourself up onto your knees as you stuff your panties to the side, heart racing a little.

Norman licked his lips, hands squeezing your hips as he watched you toy with your clit. “Wouldn’t be able to forgive myself” He whispered, tugging you towards him.

You lowered yourself down, Norman more so pulling you down onto his waiting tongue, licking a warm stripe up your aching cunt, a pleased moan coming from you as you gripped the headboard, rolling your hips.

He started at your clit, flattening his tongue and giving the puffy bundle of nerves multiple hard licks, waves of electricity shooting through all your limbs, down to your tightly curled toes. He took the small bud into his mouth, sucking hard and rubbing the tip of his tongue against the raw nerves, making you gasp and rut down onto him.

Norman seemed to be enjoying himself, soft groans of his own coming from him as he started to slide his tongue between your folds, teasing your entrance before swirling around your clit, repeating the action a few more times. He used his grip on your hips to steadily rock you back and forth in time with his deep licks.

Eventually, he slid his tongue all the way inside your hole, curling it as well as thrusting it in and out. “Mmm, fuck yes, keep using that fucking tongue in me” You were almost bouncing on his face at this point, passionately moaning as he curled the wet muscle into you, harshly licking as his nose bumped against your clitoris.

His hands encouraged your movements, fingers digging into the soft flesh of your ass as he plunged his tongue as deep into you as he could. His cock twitched and needily ached, hips slightly jerking upward into the air. You ground your clit down on the tip of his nose, body rolling as he worked you closer and closer to the edge.

Norman could feel you clenching around his tongue, deciding to speed up your nearing orgasm by suddenly slipping out you, replacing his nose on your clit for his tongue, and filling your back up with two thick fingers, blissfully curling right into your sweet spot. You moaned loudly as one of your hands tangled in his hair, gripping roughly. Your body trembled as he fingered you in time with his tongue, bone-crushing weight washing over you as your hole spasmed around his wiggling digits, grinding down on his tongue until you just couldn’t take it anymore, groaning as you could feel your used cunt leaking juices all over his hand and face.

You were both gasping for air when you lifted yourself onto wobbly knees, Norman’s fingers slipping out as you kept yourself steady by gripping the headboard with both hands.

“Are ya’ impressed now?” He asked, audibly out of breath as he licked your slick from his glistening lips.

You scoff, smiling down at him. “A little, but I’d like to get to the main course now,” You said, swinging a leg and crawling off from above him. “No more side dishes”

Norman watched as you discarded the drenched pair of panties somewhere in the room, landing on the wooden floor with a small slap. You yanked your socks up, taking a needed second to ball them together before tossing them as well, starting to grab at Norman’s unbuttoned pants.

He helped kick them off, murmuring to you as he tugged his own socks off. “Forgot ta’ take yer bra doll”

“That’s your job, mister famous” You chuckle as he comes up behind you, hands exploring your bare melanin skin as they run up your sides, climbing and cupping your breast, circling to your back to unclasp the bra hooks. He threw the final piece of garment onto the floor, pulling you flush against his front.

He started sucking on your neck, one of his hands fondling your tit while the other snaked down to toy with your puffy clit. He rubbed his cock between your cheek, biting and licking his way to your shoulder. He pinched and rolled your nipple with his fingers, trailing his lips up the side of your neck and nibbling on your pulse.

You moaned softly when his hand dropped your tit, coming up to brush your hair out the way, gathering it in a tight but gentle grip as he tugged your head back onto his shoulder, dragging his tongue across your newly exposed throat, up the underside of your jaw till he reached your lips, capturing them in his.

Norman’s cock twitched against you when your hand joined the one still fingering your clit, scratching his skin with your nails gingerly as he slowly kissed you, deep and lustful. You blindly reached your hand behind yourself and felt around for his dick, a small grunt coming from him when your fingers grazed his tip. “Ya’ ready fer me?” He murmured against your lips.

“Been ready since I got here” You sass, dropping down onto your elbows with round hips in the air. “You better fuck me like you mean it”

A hand landed on your ass, Norman’s other still holding up your hair, grip a little tighter now as he burned the image of your arch into his head, the hand he spanked you with spreading your cheek, thumbing your pussy as he pressed his tip to your entrance, greedily sucking him in.

He was big, but you were so wet and dripping to the point he just completely slid in, unrestrained groan coming out his chest as his entire cock was swallowed up and wrapped in your squishy walls, almost immediately starting to find a rhythm with his hips.

Norman’s fingers curled into the fat flesh of your ass, “Takin’ all of m’so goddamn well baby girl, could fuck this pussy for fuckin’ days” spreading you apart so he could watch the way his cock was sliding into you and blissfully stretching you open.

“Pound me already, I thought you were gonna be a meanie tonight” You drawl as you roll your head from side to side, pushing back needily against him.

He gripped your hair at the roots suddenly, yanking it roughly to pull you up onto your arms, almost pulling himself all the way out before slamming right into a sensitive bundle of nerves, mewl of pleasure racking your body as he started to relentlessly and mercilessly thrust into your body, so deep that you thought he was actually in your stomach for a moment.

You gasped and sputtered as he pulled you back by your hair in time with his harsh hips, huffing as he started to fuck you with all his strength. Each slam of his hips sent his cock flying into your cervix, each one leaving you more breathless than the last. “Got real quiet all of a sudden girl. This wha’ ya’ want?”

Norman’s fingers were fisted in your hair, the sound of skin slapping against skin reverberated in the large room, bed quietly squeaking as he railed you, watching how each forward thrust of his hips made your ass bounce, a wet sound coming from where his balls slapped against your clit.

“Yes, Oh fuck yes,” You mewl, eyes rolling back as your toes curled. “Harder, I know you can fuck me so much harder” Norman groans at your words, yanking you back onto your knees flush against his front and wrapping a hand around your throat, dropping his grip in curly hair to tightly grip your hip, jamming the entirety of his cock into your body, poking spots you didn’t even know were there.

He quickly resumed his unforgiving pace, pounding into you so deep and so rough, you choked out small sobs with each hit of his tip, gasping as you started to lose air. It was everything Tyler told you it would be and more, dots starting to cloud your vision and prickle under your skin, clenching as you could feel each thrust send you further and further to the edge.

You can tell Norman can feel it too, resting his sweaty forehead against your shoulder as he starts to lose rhythm slightly, pace not faltering as his cock twitches inside you, so tight and hot, your cunt squeezing his full dick like never before. It made Norman’s head fuzzy and a little dizzy, fueling the buzz he had from the earlier alcohol, though he only had about maybe three drinks total tonight. He was purely drunk off your body, letting out a soft whimper as he throbbed, on the verge of his orgasm.

“Feels so good, don’ wanna pull out of ya’…” Norman mumbled as he rocked himself into you, grunting when his tip nudged against your cervix. “Might just hafta’ stuff ya’ beautiful”

You rolled your head back onto his shoulder, his grip around your throat loosening as you cheekily smiled. “Yes please, let’s make a mess” Norman mirrored your expression before reaching down and capturing your lips in a deep kiss, swirling his tongue around yours.

He pulled his hips back, leaving only the tip in before sliding all the way back inside, hungrily groaning into your mouth as he repeated the action, downright stroking his cock using your cunt. "Jus' gonna let me to fill this pretty pussy? Pump you full of all my cum?" Norman groaned, increasing his pace as his hot mouth landed on your neck, his teeth and beard scraping the skin as he continued his deep strokes, still pounding blissfully into you.

"God yes, give it all to me" You moan, rough fingers coming back up to your hair. Norman forcefully pinned your upper half down into the fluffy sheets, his other hand firmly gripping your ass as he fucked into you like an animal, shoving his whole dick into your cunt from tip to base. You let out a high keen with every unforgiving thrust, each one sending you a little closer to the edge.

Norman huskily panted, whimpering a little as he sped up, this time pulling you back onto his cock to meet his hips as he started to really fuck you, now railing into you with all his strength. Uncontrolled whines came from you, eyes rolling as his hand tightly gripped your scalp, each loud slap of his pelvis against your backside sent you lurching forward, only to be yanked back by the fistful of curly hair.

Your walls were practically milking his cock, so warm and wet around him, greedily sucking him in with every thrust, squeezing the entirety of his length as he increased his pace even more, letting out unrestrained gasps and grunts as his hips begin to stutter in their rhythm. “Fuck m’gonna fuckin’ cum” Norman chokes out, bottom lip caught between his teeth as he groaned with each hot drag of your cunt, cock twitching and throbbing inside you as he fucked himself closer and closer over the edge. “Jus’ keep fuckin’ takin’ me doll, takin’ me so damn well”

His words made you tighten up around him, and it was all he need to fly off the handle, tossing his head back as his hips sputtered, cock slipping out of your stretched hole with an audible pop, Norman softly groaning as he came all over your twitching pussy, suddenly pushing himself inside and letting out a loud, shaky whimper, fingers curling in your hair as he started to fuck into you again, followed by the filthy squleching of Norman’s cock sliding into your ruined cunt, his cum becoming a creamy mess were it was being pushed in and out, dribbling down your folds to your clit where his balls slapped lewdly against.

“So fucking good for me, ya’ve got such a perfect pussy ‘could fuck you all day” Norman purred, dipping his head down to latch onto the skin of your already marked shoulder, sinking his teeth into the flesh and shuddering when he seemed to slip impossibly deeper into you. His hand fell from your hair, both palms falling firmly on either side of your head. "Feels like a goddamn dream" He snapped forward, breathing hot in your ear and gently nibbling on it. One of your hands wrapped around his wrist, helpless gasps falling from you with each drag of his cock, feeling the throbbing veins which each thrust.

Your nails curled into his skin, eyes fluttering shut as your second orgasm built rapidly in your gut, whines of pleasure spilling past your lips. You couldn't even speak, each hard snap of his hips knocking the words straight out your chest. Norman roughly groaned in your ear, hotly kissing and licking at your bare shoulder. You were both so close, it only fueled his animalistic pace as he sped up.

Norman fisted the comforter in his hands, the skin tingling and raw from where you dug into it, little half-crescents decorating the back of his hand, and puffy lines sprouting blood on his arm, sweet sobs coming from you with every jab of his cock. Norman buried his sweaty face into the crook of your neck, sucking and biting the skin, his beard scratchy as he trailed his lips up to your pounding pulse. A breathy, shaky whimper came from him as he stuttered in his movements, pressing himself deep as he spilled into you for the second time, capturing your kiss in a greedy and heated kiss, moaning into each other's mouth as he drew out your shared orgasm.

When he pulled out with a slick pop, softly humming as the cold air hit his cock, you were both thoroughly fucked and completely worn out, panting heavily with Norman still halfway on top of you.

“Are ya' impressed yet?” He huffed out, a smirk forming on his face as he tugged your head back.

With a deep exhale and a small smile playing on your lips, you looked over at him with heavy, satisfied eyes. "I guess I am"

｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

Okay, I absolutely LOVED writing this request. It practically consumed my life lol. I would definitely be open to more reqs like this where there’s a little bit of a plot, even though I already have so many that are unanswered 🥲🥲🥲

I was really nervous about posting this because I’m just not a fan of the ending but at this point all I can do is hope for the best

THAT BEING SAID If people are also interested in sending in more Norman requests… 🥶🧏🏾‍♀️ y’know where to hmu babe

ALSO SHOUTOUT TO MY FAV POOKIE TYLER WHO DIDNT EVEN KNOW I WAS USING HER AS A WAITRESS I LOOVE YOOU BABYGIRL MY OLDER SISSY FR 😝

｡･:*:･ﾟ★｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★

[evildeadism]

deadite 101

ash williams x f!reader

word count: 4.4k plot: reader is home alone whilst ash is at work, the night takes a turn when she is attacked by a deadite. ash comes home and fears the worst. (intended to be post aod ash but can be imagined as any era tbh!) warnings: canon typical violence and gore, descriptions of injury, hurt/comfort, angst, mentions of nsfw and nsfw jokes, fluff, soft! ash, mentions of getting high, use of petnames (its ash, what do you expect)

a/n: ash williams is my fave fictional character ever yall, like the love i have for that man is insane...anyways! hope the like 10 evil dead enjoyers on this app like this!!!

You had said goodbye to Ash in the late hours of the afternoon just before he had left for his evening shift at S-Mart. It was just like every other day, the two of you had fallen into a comfortable routine after moving in together.

Ash would work shifts at S-Mart, you would also work and the moments spent together were nothing short of bliss. Getting high at night together whilst spinning a record and the weekend lay-ins after spending the morning fucking each other was also rather heavenly. Date nights were a movie, or maybe a trip to the bar and it would normally end up with the two of you hot and heavy in the back of the delta, which would often continue in your shared bedroom at the apartment.

It may not have been a lot for some people, but for you and Ash? It was perfect. You were happy, he was happy. It was heavenly. Except, of course, for that night.

The apartment building was illuminated by dim lights as you read quietly, the wind howling outside, a few raindrops hitting the window every now and then. Quickly you threw a glance at the clock on the wall. It was 10pm, Ash would be back at any moment.

Settling your eyes back to the book, you nestled into the warm blanket that had bundled you up on the sofa, a small sigh of content slipped past your lips as you slowly sipped on the wine you had in your hand. It was the kind of cozy October nights you’d see in the movies and you couldn’t wait for Ash to get home to share the tranquil scene with him.

The sound of the door opening echoed through the apartment.

“Ash, I’m in here!” You called out without looking up, turning the page of your book.

Silence. 

That was strange. He can usually never shut up when he first comes home from work, or ever for that matter.

“Ash?” You called out again.

Still no answer. 

You were quiet for a moment, listening for any sign of Ash or any kind of movement. But there was nothing, the apartment was still. Eerily still.

Your eyebrows furrowed, slowly placing the book down on the coffee table beside you. An unsettling feeling pooled into your stomach. Pulling off the blanket covers, wine glass still in hand, you peered down the hallway directly at the front door. It was wide open. The light in the hallway outside of your apartment flickered erratically, but there was no one in the doorway.

Your mouth dried as you licked your lips. “Ash, I swear to god if this is some kind of joke, I will kill you” You called out again. 

Silence.

Growing tired of this ridiculousness you marched to the door and slammed it shut. There was still no Ash to be seen anywhere. 

“Fuck” You whispered, facing the door. The gravity of the situation hitting you all at once. Ash always begged you, practically drilled it into you to keep the door and windows locked at all times after what had happened to him at the cabin. And so you did, but you weren’t quite as careful as he was.

You hadn’t experienced what he had, didn’t have the upper hand of witnessing just how fucked up the dead could be. And of course you believed what he said had happened to him was the actual truth, his recurring nightmares, lack of a right hand and the look in his eyes as he very rarely recalled it was anything but fake.

But that was his experience not yours. 

You reassured him time and time again that you were safe and always locked the doors but as time went on you had gotten sloppier, doubting the danger your boyfriend warned you of. Like tonight.

You had forgotten to lock the door after he left. And now there was someone in your house. You doubted that the villains Ash faced in that cabin those years ago were in your home but regardless, someone or something was.

The floorboards behind you squeaked ever so slightly, pulling you back to the present. At the sound your tear pricked eyes widened in horror as your breath became heavier and heavier by the second. Despite your brain screaming at you not to, slowly, oh so slowly you turned around.

A million things rushed through your mind, a murderer, thief and somewhere desperately in your mind you had hoped this was Ash pulling a stupid prank on you. But what you came face to face with was more horrifying than anything even the twisted of minds could’ve comprehended.

The person. No. Creature, in front of you looked like nothing short of a nightmare. Clothes ripped up and covered in dirt and blood, skin a pale and sickly gray peeling off and decaying in spots of blood and body matter, and the eyes? Oh the eyes, a terrifying striking white that pierced straight into you, through you. The wine glass you were holding fell through your now clammy and shaky hands, shattering into tiny pieces on the floor with a loud smash.

The, what once was a man, grinned slowly, baring its rotten and blood stained teeth. You tried to step back but your back met the door with a dull thud. A slight whimper escaped as you realized there was no clear way of escaping, not without a fight. 

“No, Ashy slashy here to protect you” It spoke in a horrifyingly deep and monstrous tone, tilting its head at you, that terrifying grin still sporting its face. 

Upon his words, your instincts finally kicked in, coming out of the paralysis that had held you still for so long and you instantly bolted to the left and into the kitchen, eyes immediately settling on the knife holder.

Always find a weapon first Ash had said to you once before, while giving you a cautionary 101 on killing a deadite This thing is not human, it is hardly gonna go down with just a kick in the nuts. You stretched your arm out leaping for the biggest butcher knife, fingers merely brushing the handle but the deadite was fast, too fast. A hand snaked around your calf and yanked you down with strength, your body slamming into the floor bringing the knives down with you, a large clatter to the floor. Without looking back you tried to reach for the knife closest to you on the ground but your leg was yanked harder, pulling you away from your only source of a weapon “No!” You cried out in fear. 

Another hand sneaked around your other calf and the thing started to pull harder, pulling your body towards him. You screamed in terror. Panic swarming your brain, vision going foggy.

Was this it? You thought to yourself. A death so quick and so painful. Leaving your corpse here for Ash to find, another loss left for him to mourn as if his sister, ex-girlfriend and friends weren’t enough. Now at some point, you’re probably gonna go into panic mode, you won’t be able to see, hear or even think about anything except for the inevitable gruesome death that awaits you. Well, good news! Death is only inevitable if you let it be inevitable. Are you gonna go out without a fight? No! Well, maybe if you’re a pussy but if you’re anything like me, you’ll clear your head and there’ll only be one thing on your mind. Survival. 

With a grunt and new found resolve you started to squirm out of its grasp fighting against its hold on you, arms reaching for the butcher knife. The deadite struggled against you as you heaved and writhed, slowly and slowly inching closer to your prize. Suddenly the deadite let go of your legs, without looking back or checking to see what it was doing you surged toward the knife until you felt something heavy on your back. With horror you realized, the deadite was crawling on top of you. 

Paralyzed by fear, you stopped struggling and involuntarily started to hold your breath. Everything was a painful quiet except for the deadites' ragged breathing coming closer and closer. Does it even breathe? You thought to yourself but the thought quickly died as you felt its torso press into your back, its face slowly entering your peripheral vision, mere inches away from your face, so much so you could smell the dank repugnant smell of death and rotting rolling off of the corpse. 

Slowly, as if not to disturb the deadite, you wiggled your fingers in search of the knife. Finally you brushed the handle and let out a breath of relief and victory but just as your hand gripped it, a much larger hand came down on your wrist and snapped it in the opposite direction. An ear piercing scream tore through you as waves of shock ebbed through your wrist, the deadites firm grasp still on your now limp hand as it laughed wickedly in your ear.

You shut your eyes in fear and whimpered quietly, tears rolling down your face. The deadite will corner you into a difficult position, but you can use this to your advantage, there is always a way out and if the deadite thinks it has you, its guard will be low. Now is the time to lay a blow to the sucker.

“Don’t cry, we’re just getting started'' It growled in your ear in that gravelly monstrous voice, followed by a low chuckle that sounded like the hordes of hell opening up. Gritting your teeth you prepared yourself for your attack, a guttural roar escaping you as you quickly lifted yourself up, using your working wrist and the limited body strength you had left and smacked your head into its chin. 

It let go of its grasp on you and instantly your working hand grabbed the knife, you leapt to your feet, turning around to face the deadite that was staring you down, teeth bared angrily. It was pissed. But so were you.

There's only so much cat and mouse you can take before the anger starts, and that is when you know you have a fighting chance. “Let’s go, fucker” You spat at it, the monster grinned, evidently entertained by your new found courage. With an angry scream you charged at the deadite with the knife in hand. Instantly it caught you by the throat and started to squeeze, your eyes bulged out of your head in shock, desperate for breath and head turning lighter and lighter by the second.

Your vision was starting to dip and your body started to feel like it was melting away before in the corner of your eye you saw the glimmer of the knife. You looked back at the deadite with wild eyes and rammed the knife through the wrist that was held up to your throat. It screeched in response and finally dropped your neck, stumbling back. 

Taking deep panicky gulps of breath, grateful to drink in the air you looked up cautiously at the deadite. Your hand ghosted over the throbbing on your neck, it was bound to be bruised soon. The deadite still had the knife embedded in its arm as it peered at you and a chill ran down your spine. In doubt, run.

You broke out into a sprint, eyes locking on the door but the deadite caught up, grabbing you forcefully by the hair and pulling you back, making you shriek in agony. It grabbed your waist and with a mighty strength, threw you down onto the shards of the broken wine glass scattered by the door. Glass shards pierced into your hands and arms catching your already injured wrist, scratching your cheek leaving a trail of crimson blood dripping down your face. 

Groaning in pain you slowly shifted your body to turn around, the deadite loomed above you pulling the knife out of its arm with a sickly squelch and throwing it to the side with a heavy clang. Hand feeling around the sharp glass, body tired and in an excruciating pain you looked up with weary eyes. The deadite lunged forward.

Remember, ANYTHING can be a weapon. In one swift movement you grabbed a large shard of glass and rammed it into its neck. You grabbed another shard of glass and plunged it into its right eye. With a high pitched scream it backed away slowly, howling in pain.

Weakly, you stood up with a wince. Stumbling towards the countertop you grabbed a heavy wooden chopping board and stalked towards the deadite and with a battle cry, in one fellow swoop, knocked its head so hard, you were almost positive its head would roll off. The crack of its neck reverberated in the apartment and with a thud, its body fell to the floor motionless.

You stared down at the seemingly dead corpse, panting heavily. This one is important, trust me, the dead can play dead pretty well. You have to completely destroy the corpse, to pieces. You smashed the cutting board into the deadite again, and again, until if it wasn't for the slight remnant of a face, it didn’t even look like a body anymore. 

Finally happy with your work you dropped the board onto the floor with a thick bang. You walked backwards and cradled your aching wrist, weary wide eyes never leaving the monster in front of you. And that, baby, is how you kill a deadite. 

                   __________________________________________

Even before Ash had entered the apartment he knew something was up, he always knew when it came to the deadites, of course that didn’t mean he had quite expected the scene that layed in front of him.

His eyes widened in horror as he saw the deadite corpse lying in the hallway. He instantly rushed in, but the sound of something crunching under his shoes drew him to a halt. Confused, he looked down to find shards of glass covered in blood. Dropping his stuff right there and then he looked around the apartment frantically calling out your name. Stepping carefully around the deadite and inspecting the mush that was once a body, “Definitely dead” Ash murmured, his eyes fell on the discarded knife just a few feet away from the corpse, he swiftly picked it up, just in case. Ash called out your name again.

“Ash?” A voice quietly responded.

Ash whipped around, to find you huddled in the corner. Resisting the urge to rush over to you immediately, Ash slowly crept towards the corner you had hidden yourself in, he knew all too well that if that deadite was truly dead then there was a chance the kandarian demon had now possessed you. Despite his mind screaming to make sure you were okay, first, he had to make sure you were really, well, you.

He couldn’t quite see your face due to the dim lighting of the apartment, and the corner you had crept into was particularly dark. He very quietly said your name, slowly advancing. Finally you looked up. Your face, though streaked with blood and tears, was yours. Ash let out a breath of relief, quickly dropping the knife and instantly running to your side. Slowly he sank to your height

You looked up at him with wide eyes, full of relief. “Ash, thank god” You breathed. His eyes frantically scanned you looking for any injuries, they widened when finding your bent wrist, carefully he took hold of it and moved it towards him. You whimpered in pain. “Shh, shh, it’s okay” He said. “You’re safe”

Continuing his scan he found numerous cuts along your arms, some even with shards of glass nestled deeply into the wound. “You need to go to the hospital, baby”

“Ash,” You hoarsely whispered.

“Can you get up?” 

“Ash-”

“These could get infected, we should go now”

“Ash!” You sharply called, finally gaining his attention. Ash looked up at you, eyes falling on your face, his gaze softened. 

“Fuck,” He sighed, eyes tracing the cut on your face, his non-metal hand softly came up to your cheek, you nestled into his hand beyond relieved to feel his touch, to finally feel safe.

You swallowed dryly, casting your gaze behind your lover, and onto the dishevelled corpse “Is it…gone?” 

Ash gently pulled your cheek back to face him, looking away from the deadite. “Yeah, It’s gone” 

He sighed heavily, casting another glance behind him at the corpse. “How did it get in here?” He frantically asked. "I mean the door is always locked” Ash shook his head in confusion, turning back to you.

You looked down guiltily and gulped slowly. Fuck your throat still hurt from the deathgrip the deadite had on your neck. 

Ash’s eyes narrowed at you. “The door was locked, right?” 

You remained quiet, still refusing to meet his eyes. He said your name slowly, “Tell me you locked the door."

You bit your lip. “Ash, liste-”

He scoffed in disbelief, cutting you off, hand pulling away from your cheek. “You’ve gotta be shitting me”

“I’m sorry,” you muttered, still refusing to meet his eyes, instantly missing his touch on your skin.

“Why do you think I always say that crap? For fun?” He angrily asked, hand rubbing his eyes in frustration. “I say it so shit like this doesn’t happen!” 

His voice grew louder and you flinched instinctively. Ash bit his tongue and shook his head regretfully. Both his hands took yours, carefully and gently held your broken wrist. “I’m sorry, I just-”

“I know, it's okay, I’m just jumpy” You said, cutting him off. “Every time I close my eyes or hear a slight noise I just think that thing is gonna come back and finish the job” 

“It’s not gonna come back” He reassured you confidently.

You gave him a faint and tired smile while nodding. “You’re right anyways, I should’ve locked the door I just never y’know expected...” Your sentence died on your tongue you couldn’t even will the words out. 

“I know” He responded, giving you that knowing look because of course he knew what it felt like. You looked into those brown doe eyes you had grown to love and find comfort in and felt your lip wobble ever so slightly, tears pricking at your eyes, you cast your gaze back down, not wanting to break and burst into tears.

But the tears were strong and a quiet sob escaped you.

“Hey, come on look at me” Ash said head bobbing to try and catch your eyes. You timidly looked up, and Ash swiped a tear away with his thumb. “Are you okay?”

You lifted an eyebrow at his words. “Yeah” He chuckled. “It’s a stupid question, I know” He threw his gaze behind him to the still deadite. 

A faint smile played on his lip as he looked back at you. “You beat the crap out of it though” 

You smiled back, sniffing ever so slightly. “Had a good teacher, I remembered all those tips” 

“Damn right you did, What did you beat it with anyways?”

“A chopping board” You responded

He let out another amused chuckle. “That ought to do it”

“Well, I seem to remember someone telling me anything is a weapon”

Ash nodded proudly, “Atta girl”

You blushed softly at the endearment. Ash gave you a knowing smile, thumb slowly drawing circles on your skin. “It did, however, beat the crap out of you and there's no shame in that, I mean hey, I lost my hand to those bastards. But we need to go to the hospital”

You nodded. “I know can we, please, just sit a little, I just need a second”

He nodded timidly as the two of you sat, hands intertwined. “Hey, on the bright side I don’t seem so batshit crazy now do I?” Ash shrugged in a joking tone.

You let out a small laugh. “Ash, I’ll always think your crazy”

Ash smiled in response and the apartment fell silent again, another chill drawing down your spine. The stillness of the apartment was unsettling after the attack and you felt your heartbeat start to speed up, you needed to distract yourself before you had a full blown panic attack. You cleared your throat ever so slightly, “So, those things, that’s what you fought off back in the cabin?” 

“Yeah,” Ash’s smile faltered ever so slightly.

You considered him for a moment and shook your head. “Just one of those fuckers nearly finished me off and yet you fought god knows how many and survived” 

“Well, I don’t mean to brag but I am the king, sugar” Ash responded, a smug smirk appearing on his face.

You rolled your eyes playfully at him. You always knew Ash was strong, I mean physically of course he was built particularly well and from what he had told you he was a fucking god when it came to combat. But this put it in proportion, to have survived that many of those things takes something truly incredible in a person. 

People would probably describe Ash as lucky for what he survived and he would most likely grunt in response and say some crap like, “Lucky? That’s one way of putting it”. Because it wasn’t luck to have lost his sister, his girlfriend and his friends all in one night. To have to live with the memory of their gruesome deaths, no, there was nothing lucky about that. Ash would never admit it because it made him feel weak but at the end of the day he was a victim and a survivor, and if survivors guilt was personified it would be personified in Ashley fucking Williams. 

You peered at him slowly. “Ash?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, I mean, I know I’ve said it before but now that I..” Your sentence trailed off your mind still unable to process what had just happened. “You have no idea how glad and lucky I am to have met you, let alone be with you” You spoke quietly. “How glad I am that you lived, and that you’re here, with me”

Ash was never very good at being in touch with his emotions and you knew that but that didn’t mean he was immune to them, and you hadn’t noticed the slight shimmer in his eyes and the gulp of breath he took in. He blinked slowly for a while, and for one of the first times in his life he was speechless, you had hit something buried in the deep crevices of his mind and my god, did it feel strangely good. Quickly trying to recover himself he plastered on that obnoxious smirk that didn’t quite erase the gentle look in his eyes. “Hey, me too babe” 

Awkwardly coughing, Ash’s eyes flickered down to your neck and his smirk dropped, jaw flexing and eyes widening again “Hey, what the fuck happened to your neck?”

Your hand flew out of his and instinctively brushed the stinging skin, you winced in pain.

“No, no” Ash pulled your hand away from your neck, taking soft grasp of it again, his eyes still focused on the blue-purple bruise forming across your neck. “Don’t touch it”

“Is it bad?” You asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern, panic rising.

Ash scoffed. “Uh, Yeah it’s bad, babe”. Noticing your worried face, he cleared his throat. “Nothing that won’t heal though, Uh don’t worry, just you know I wouldn’t recommend doing anything too strenuous with your throat”

You chuckled quietly. “Sorry, Ash, no blowjobs for a while”

Ash smiled at you but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. You cocked your head ever so slightly at him, a dirty joke that he didn't laugh at? Something was definitely up with him.

You watched him, the way his gaze lingered on your throat and wrist, the look in his eyes, it was the same look he had whenever he spoke about the cabin or his friends, his sister. You cleared your throat but the sensation made your already sore neck sting a little. “Ash, you know I’m gonna be okay, right?”

Ash lowered his head ever so slightly, ducking so he couldn’t meet your eyes. “I should have been here”

“Hey, come on that’s not fair to yourself”

He shook his head quietly.

“I mean I was the one who forgot to lock the door, you know, you were at work, as you should have been” You explained softly, his head remained hung.

“Ash, look at me” He reluctantly looked up, a tired look in his eyes. You tugged on his hand ever so slightly. “This is not the cabin, this is not your fault” 

He blinked quickly, that strange sensation from earlier coming back. Ash’s thumb swept over your hand again as the two of you peered at each other. You both sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Ash finally stood up, offering you a hand. “Right, come on my little deadite slayer, you gotta go to the hospital”

You wanted to protest, not wanting to move at all but you knew he was right. Putting your non-injured hand in his he pulled you up, all the pain rushed through your body and you let out a cry. “Woah, come on, sugar, I got you” Ash reassured, an arm hooking around your waist so you could lean in to him as the two of you started to stumble to the door. 

Ash came to a halt just as the two of you reached the deadite corpse. You looked up at him quizzically and he looked back at you softly as he nervously licked his lips. “You know that I-” He cleared his throat. “That I, well-”

Ash always struggled to say I love you, but you knew.

“Yeah, I know” A big smile erupted on your face. “Me too”

Ash nervously let out a huff of air before planting a kiss on the top of your head, you smiled to yourself before the two of you continued towards the door, carefully stepping over the deadite mess.

“Y’know for future reference, the shotguns in the closet” He said.

“And you couldn't have told me that while you were giving me one of your ‘deadite 101’ lectures?”

“Now that would’ve made it to too easy for you”

You rolled your eyes playfully, as he opened the door and gently guided you through. The door shut, leaving the horror of the night behind. Ash pulled you back into him, leaning against his chest, the two of you stumbling down the hall.

“So,” You cleared your throat, “When do I get to use the chainsaw?”

“Oh you’re not ready for that yet, kid”

[morningstar-chronicles]

RAHHHH YOU HAVE A FNAF DR!!! TELL ME MORE TELL ME MORE!

are you shifting to a specific game, and are the animatronics safe and friendly or are you thrill seeking and shifting to where you are a security guard?? who's your fave animatronic??

i have a couple fnaf DRs! fnaf 4 minigame-era where i'm charlie and sammy's older sister and i'm dating michael afton (my pookie bear 🥹) which kind of has the plot of all those time travel michael afton fix-it fics on ao3 except i'm the one fixing everything lol. the animatronics aren't super central to this one tbh but they also aren't haunted

i also have a fnaf security breach kid DR where i just chill at the pizzaplex with a bunch of my friends and do kid stuff (play at the arcade, eat junk food, play in the daycare, stuff like that). animatronics also aren't super central here and i only ever really interact with staff bots

finally i have a fnaf security breach technician DR based off of a tiktok comic i saw forever ago. i'll do some sifting and link the creator here when i find it but in this one the animatronics are actively my friends

my fav animatronic has gotta be either glamrock freddy or monty gator tbh but from the original four foxy or chica was always my fav. foxy because he was legit the coolest and chica because she was the only one who was canonically a girl back then lmao 😭

edit: it's called the fix-it au by @/daenadraws on tiktok!

[buzzingfairy]

Who are your fave bvb players, and why?

Ever since I started following bvb it was Marco and Mats. Both of them are not only exceptional players, probably two of the best this team has ever seen, but you could also tell a shift in the other players when they stepped on the pitch. It felt like everyone trusted them to know what to do and who was I not to trust them too?

Obviously, after being a fan for longer I became personally attached to our geriatric players and am still reeling from their loss.

Current players I have to say it’s a three way tie between Kobel, I would trust him with my life; Schlotti, his improvements and his passion speak for themselves; and Jule, he has really grown as a player and a leader and is just a person I really relate to and vibe with tbh.

I also want to do a special shoutout to Jadon and Ian because I adopted them as my babies and am very sad to see that neither could stay with us. They could’ve created something truly beautiful at the club and it’s a shame we will never know for sure.

[insanitynikoru]

just love the ppnkgxppg art sm !! ! <33 if by chance can you explain your dynamic between them?

yhh >:) tbh my dynamics can shift depending on the context (for ex if i'm entertaining aus or scenarios). +it's kinda hard to explain their dynamic w/o also talking abt my hcs for each character bUT ANYWAy dsjgk

bratubbles: starting w this one cus they're kinda the more « normal » pair (aka i don't ever think abt them so i don't have much to say, rip). they are,,, black cat/white bunny (barfs); brat being kitty, bubbles being bunny. not exactly "opposites attract" but also not entirely compatible. brat values her independence and borders avoidant tendencies (but also not really?) making her more passive in the relationship. kinda has a habit of making bubbles cry. bubbles is like her little pet. she loves her, but also has to resist the intrusive urge to grab her by the ears and swing her around. and bubbles is just,,, "i can fix her :pleading:" kind of gross bs

i don't have much on this one sorry chat 💀 i'd have to rly sit down and think about them at some point

brutercup: my hcs for brutercup closely align with my friends @/saschy123 and @/gkt-tummyaches !! if u ever see their hcs, just know that i nod in agreement. brute is the epitome of toxic/abusive, dominating and anti-social, and bc eats it up cus she's a little guy and loves brute sm. sadist x masochist vibes both in kink and in general that's pretty much it asjkf

soft/bottom brute does not exist in brutercup pls- brute is just not a good person. 'soft' tendencies exhibited by brute are more for her own personal gain or power trip rather than for the sake of the relationship. bc is 100% aware of it but simply doesn't give a fuck because she knows what she signed up for.

blosserk: this one [grins evilly] my fave <3 (if that wasn't obvious jksdg) i like making this one suffer !!! esp berserk !! doomed yuri, complicated, yummy. they are terribleee at communication. berserk sucks at trying to convey what she feels correctly and blossom takes it as criticism, and will resort to stonewalling techniques in the right circumstances. both of them expect a lot of change from one another but both of them are too stubborn to put in the effort to change themselves, making them constantly in and out of the arguing phase. they always have problems !! on a more wholesome note, they have cute dates; picnics and shit *rolls eyes*

a different dynamic i have with blosserk is more unrequited. berserk crushes on blossom but the latter doesn't feel the same. i have/had a whole au surrounding this as a kid that's just a whole failed enemies-to-lovers arc where berserk tries to reconnect with blossom on more neutral terms but blossom is too arrogant and cannot look past her former reputation of being a villain. role-reversal; ends up being the one that gives berserk a hard time than the other way around. ex-lovers kind of feel. berserk is very self-destructive when i think abt this dynamic. i like this one better cus i play with it more + there's more angst potential 🥰

[chvoswxtch]

No clue if you're still taking requests for your 2k celebration but I was wondering if I could get a Margarita (maybe on the rocks if you'd like) for Matt Murdock with the lyric "at dinner parties I'll call you out on your contrarian shit" and or "what must it be like to grow up that beautiful?". Tbh, Gold Rush is so Matthew Murdock coded that I could pick any lyrics from the song and apply them to him

hi nonnie!

you're so right. it is matty coded. I went with the first lyric bc it's one of my person faves.

enjoy, my darling! 🥂

blurb below the cut

gold rush

at dinner parties, I call you out on your contrarian shit

“Respectfully, I disagree. I think the cops and politicians lining their pockets instead of fulfilling their sworn duty to the city is a bigger problem than vigilantes, but to each their own.”

There was a bite to Matt’s voice that voice that made it apparent his words that made it apparent he wasn’t being respectful at all, and the charming, tight lipped smile on his full lips almost resembled more of a grimace. You gently nudged his knee under the table to get him to back off, quickly changing the subject. 

“This wine is delicious! Where did you find it?” 

After dinner when everyone was gathered in the living room, you pulled him aside into the kitchen and gave him a pointed look with your hands on your hips. His brows lifted several inches above his crimson lenses, his face morphed into incredulous innocence as he scrunched his shoulders up in exasperation with his palms facing upwards.

“What?”

“This is a dinner party, Matthew. Not a debate.”

“You heard what he said-“

“Who cares what he said? He’s an asshole.”

Matt let out a deep sigh, angling his head downwards as he shifted on his feet, settling his hands on his waist in a stance of disappointment. A muscle feathered beneath his jaw when he clenched it, and you wanted to laugh at how adorable he looked; like a child that had just been told they had to share their favorite toy.

“Matty.”

You took a step forward, gently cupping his jaw in your hands as you shook your head slowly, unable to hide your grin as you stared up at your beloved stubborn man.

“You are making a big difference in the city. I know that. You know that. And everyone that Daredevil has ever saved knows that. Who cares what this trust fund dipshit says? He probably paid for his degree, unlike you.” 

Matt grumbled quietly under his breath, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the look on his face.

“Why did we even have to come tonight?”

“Free dinner and booze.”

Matt made a hum of acknowledgement in the back of his throat, letting out another deep exhale through his nose.

“Now, if you’re done pouting, can you please focus your attention on where it belongs? You’re really killing my confidence here. I got all dolled up, wore this pretty dress, just for you to give all your attention to someone else.” 

Letting out a quiet sigh of defeat, Matt nodded as his hands sought out their home on your waist, pulling you in close against his chest. 

“I know. I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s just-“

“You care. You care a lot, and you’re always worried you’re not doing enough, even though you do more than enough. That’s what I love about you. You’ve got the biggest heart out of anyone I’ve ever met.” 

Matt’s lips pulled gently into a warm smile, leaning in to press his forehead against yours as he wrapped his arms tightly around your waist.

“How’d I get so lucky, huh?”

“You don’t start showering me with all your attention, you’re not getting lucky at all, Murdock.”

[innitmarvellous]

I finally finished Inside No. 9 after not watching an episode for ages. I had stopped in the middle of S7... Anyway, I took some notes about the episodes which are possibly interesting for a rewatch. They're pretty vague, but I'll hide them under the read more link just in case. ^^

Kid/Nap: Not my fave episode, but the double twist was kind of intriguing. Although I guess it would've been possible to expect it.

Wise Owl: Wow, I didn't expect this to get so dark towards the end. I mean, it wasn't a happy episode to begin with, but that 'come upstairs with me' bit... But I liked that he freed himself from the influence of 'Wise Owl' at the end.

Bones of St Nicholas: Didn't like this one too much tbh. It was a nice spooky story I guess, but not really what I'd expect from IN9 idk

Mother's Ruin: I'm glad I didn't watch this while I was eating something, lol. Idk, but I did quite like it. Lots of surprises (although I knew that it wasn't their mothers ghost talking lol)

Friday 13 (no, I can't remember that title and I'm not sorry xD): The first part was pretty funny, although really anxiety-inducing. That stuff about various annoying things happening when you just quickly need to do something happens in my dreams all the time and I hate it, lol. Well, the reveal of what it really was about was alright too. But I KNEW that something would happen in the end after all. I knew it.

Love is a Stranger: looking back it was so obvious what was going on, but it was a great misdirection, so I was nevertheless shocked when I realises the truth. Probably tells a story about prejudice and how it makes you perceive things and people

3 by 3: idk why, but this one made me really uncomfortable, even though I knew it was an ep of IN9 and not a quizshow. But I thought the twist was a bit too late, too small and if you knew what it was it was easy to pick up on the hints beforehand. I assume the effect would've been greater if watching it blind, but then I would've turned off long before the end of the episode because that was one lame quizshow :D

Last Weekend: HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT ENDING, I think this is the first episode I definitely won't ever rewatch, lol.

Boo to a goose: this one made a big impression on me when I watched it and the social criticism is really important, but I think it loses a bit of its effect the more I think about it. It really is an interesting watch though and I kind of want to rewatch it to pick up on more hints like the ads on the windows etc.

Trolley Problem: I didn't expect the story to take this turn and I found it thrilling to watch (the mind game episodes are always the best ones tbh), but I can't really say much about it. Of course there's the moral thing that 'just doing nothing' doesn't mean you're free of any guilt.

Mulberry Close: I found this one oddly funny? The twist wasn't even that big, but the ending was just great black humour, I'd say.

CTRL ALT ESC: I actually really liked the metaphor, even though I didn't understand it at first. And I didn't expect that he'd actually made his 'escape', so the last minutes were pretty tense. Oh, and the title…I initially confused it with the command used to open the task manager, but that's Ctrl+Shift+Esc. The combination in the title is used to force a switch between the active and a background programmes (iirc), so in a sense…someone needed to use that key combination on him to get his programme aka consciousness to the surface again. Kinda clever, and yet you don't realise it immediately :O

Curse of the Ninth: Oh, I loved the classical music theme! The ending with that use of music (and the way he tricked her lol)! And Reece's character constantly getting Devonshire's name wrong was kinda hilarious to me…maybe because it didn't seem to fit the tone of the episode at all, haha.

Plodding On: They might as well have called this episode 'Steve and Reece say: RPF is fine' lol. It was an unusual episode, but idk, I kinda liked it. That fucking 'Time to say goodbye' clip collage tho…that song always almost makes me cry for some reason, haha.

[aromanticannibal]

Ok, Feldup recs post!

Mostly my opinion (which is wildly positive) on his most recent album, Stared at from a Distance.

Warnings, this entire album talks about Feldup's SA from a woman twice his age. It's hard to listen to, it was hard to listen to for me, who suffered through no such experiences and isn't triggered, squicked or made uncomfortable by many things.

First, I'd advise that you listen to the entire album all at once (which breaks throughout if needed), in order and with lyrics (there are subtitles in the linked video). I promise it's worth it. Now for my favorite songs :

Stared at from a Distance (2nd track, 12:06), is obviously incredible and one of my faves. It's pretty long and is way more explicit on what it's talking about than Waters (4:55), the first track (which I really liked too, the music video for it is excellently made as well). I really love the way the instrumental and beat switches throughout to accompany the story, and the end of the song made me think I was going to cry (I just needed to sneeze but tbh it's still crying material). Really good, if you listen to only one song in the album I think it should be this one. (Side note, I'm also wondering if I didn't hear part of that song when I was at Feldup's concert - it was before the album was out, but you know. I don't think I heard all of it, but maybe I just forgot).

Naked and Afraid (3rd track, 3:11) is very good and picks up very well after the second track. It makes you understand that this album really is a story you're following, and you're going to get every detail of it. The following track, Dizzy (4:11) is transitioned to so well I thought it was the same song (it's also excellent), and Fear of Abandonment (4:07) right after is like. Painful. /pos

Shove it (6th track, 03:39) is honestly terrifying to listen to, and it works very well for its subject. I don't even have much to talk about for this one, it's just really good. The 7th track, Moment of Sobriety (5:30) managed to be even scarier, because of how real it gets then (if that makes sense. The whole album is painfully real, and it reminds you of this regularly).

Crying as a Weapon (8th track, 5:20) is where I had to take a break. I think it might be one of the most relatable songs for many people who were abused, not just sexually.

Death of an Illusion (9th track, 10:23) is the other very long track of this album and it is, unsurprisingly, incredible, and one of my absolute favorites. It's also one I could relate to a lot, and its progression is very satisfying. It Never Leaves (9:09) is similar to Death of an Illusion, its continuity, and its ending made me incredibly happy.

The last one, To Love Again (4:49), is the song I enjoyed the less, musically speaking, but one of my favorites nevertheless, and a perfect ending for the album in my opinion. It also has a shift in the... well, not the narration, but I guess the message, somewhat (trying not to spoil because it's so incredible to realize to me), which entirely convinced me this is actually my favorite album of all time construction-wise.

In conclusion, Oh My Fucking God this is so incredible.

Feldup is a great person who writes incredible texts and makes excellent music. The constructions of his songs and the way his story is told throughout eleven tracks is beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, and it genuinely is currently changing my brain chemistry /hj. It is so good. It's on Spotify and Bandcamp for sure, and I think it's on most other streaming services, and you still have the Youtube video I linked at the top. Please give it a try.

I'll quickly give my favorite songs from his other album, A Thousand Doors, Just One Key, but they're all really good too : Falling Apart (2nd track, 4:08) which is his most known song as far as I'm aware and is a fucking banger from the first notes, Mental Health (6th, 4:25), Attention (3rd, 3:54), and Stockholm (10th, 11:21), which holds one of my favorite lyrics ever (There is no cure/I am the disease).

Anyways, have a good day or night, stream Feldup's music.

[simplylove101]

2024 Horror Watch Challenge Faves, Honorable Mentions, Non-Faves & Everything In-Between

Well, as per tradition since at least my third time doing a challenge (the year 2019 to be exact) I started doing a little wrap-up ranking post once it's all done just to look back on the movies I watched and which ones really stuck with me (good or bad) Normally I just group them in no specific order because it's hard for me and also, it saves time tbh but I really wanted to try and challenge myself this year so I'm going to attempt some ordering of preference beyond it being a fave or not (also, so every movie I watched gets mentioned for once). Wish me luck. lmao Also, decided to change the format just slightly because I think I watched more movies from the current year vs. older ones than ever before so it only made sense to me to separate those rankings from each other. It's already hard enough to rank them as it is so this is neater for me. lol

2024 RELEASES

FAVES:

The Substance

Last Night with the Devil

Oddity

Lisa Frankenstein

Longlegs

It's What's Inside

Abigail

Milk & Serial

Strange Darling

Exhuma

The First Omen

MadS

Still split on certain placings because this is the one that's really hard since I enjoyed every one of the movies in this section, which made it so I couldn't even settle on a Top 10 so it became a Top 12 List instead. lmao But yeah, I had to keep The Substance as my top spot just because like I already said, it was truly unforgettable to me and it feels like I gotta give credit where it's due. A campy body horror masterpiece. The rest of the top 5 spots felt like they had to belong there (Oddity was originally 2 but then I just really loved Late Night with the Devil overall even more while Oddity is more because it scared the shit out of me in a way I didn't expect lol) It's What's Inside almost took Longlegs' spot but then I was too split about that. The rest I feel pretty good about. MadS is the biggest surprise on the list probably but it just really stuck with me Idk.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Immaculate

Blink Twice

Infested

Stopmotion

Maxxxine

Speak No Evil

I Saw the TV Glow

Lowlifes

Terrifier 3

A Quiet Place: Day One

Some of these could have been a contender for a Faves spot in a different year probably, just short being there. Some of these were fighting for a spot in the next category as well since I decided to add more to highlight other watches I normally wouldn't have categorized. The top 3 were the ones fighting for a Faves spot ofc, everything else feels right. I debated where to put Maxxxine but had to do it. And honestly no one is more surprised than me to see a Terrifier movie in the Honorable Mentions section, especially before a A Quiet Place movie but well, I can't say I wanted to like it more than I did cuz it me gave what I expected and it certainly wasn't mid but it couldn't be on the faves either so. lol

Wanted to Like It More:

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Alien: Romulus

Cuckoo

Night Shift

Trap

Double Blind

Decided to make this a category because honestly, there's some movies where I wanna put them in the Honorable Mentions section but then had decided there was a better movie to take what would be in its spot instead and some of these just really needed something else to beat the other ones I put there. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice isn't really that bad but it just felt so long at times I couldn't put it any higher in my rankings. Night Shift is actually pretty mid material in retrospect but I'm biased for Phoebe, same for Josh with Trap. If I didn't have this section, they'd definitely be in the next category instead. Double Blind makes the cut cuz I personally liked the actual concept and some of it was cool.

Mids:

+ (almost forgot to count this one too since I decided after watching it that this isn't a horror to me at all personally)

Lovely, Dark & Deep

Tarot

In a Violent Nature

Apartment 7A

The Watchers

Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire

Never Let Go

Humane

Hold Your Breath

Arcadian

Don't Move

Frogman

Another new category this year and that's because some of these are technically ones that could be in the worst of the bunch but there were too many duds this year already. lol Lovely, Dark & Deep could have been put up on a higher tier if certain plot points were believable but welp. Also, this is me once again saying I don't think Tarot is as bad as IMDB will have you believe it is (is it great? No. But it's watchable imo) The rest aren't necessarily set in stone with their placements but both Don't Move & Frogman are on this list because they're just shy of being Nopes for me.

NOPES:

Night Swim

Imaginary

Afraid

The Front Room

Founder's Day

The Blue Rose

Sting

The Strangers: Chapter One

Little Bites

House of Spoils

The Exorcism

The Crow

Subservience

Under Paris

Azrael

Now, tbh, there's not necessarily a proper ranking I could do for all these movies because frankly, if they made it on this section, there's really no redeeming them for me tbh. It means I genuinely didn't care for it. But I attempted an order of how much I truly hated them. Night Swim, Imaginary & Afraid are all together because all three were horrible and I need Blumhouse to stop making movies like these immediately. lol The only one originally on the Mids list was Azrael because of my Samara Weaving bias and it showed some promise but I just didn't really enjoy it so couldn't lie.

COULDN'T FINISH:

Frankie Freako: I get this was meant to be a horror comedy and a love letter to 80's horror I'm sure but I just couldn't even get into this. It felt like it was trying way too hard to be cheesy for the sake of being cheesy and I just checked out as soon as I got that feeling

Mind Body Spirit: Interesting concept and I was willing to give it a chance since the lead seemed like she was really game in her role and the premise was a little different. What threw me it wasn't a true found footage movie. It changed the tone at weird times and I wasn't really here for that so I turned it off.

The Platform 2: Made me so annoyed because I actually remember really liking the original movie and this one was just a lot. Also, I was really confused. lol

Time Cut: My original horror comedy Halloween watch. It doesn't help I kept hearing bad things about it all day before I was gonna watch and then when I finally turned it on, I knew almost immediately it was not gonna be good. Why we are already doing time travel movies to the 00's and we can't even be accurate?? Also, the acting was giving awful. :/

STILL TO WATCH:

Heretic

Your Monster

Nosteratu

Smile 2

Y2K

A Different Man

The Devil's Bath

V/H/S Beyond

Pretty much in the order of my excitement to watch them I think. Heretic looks like it's gonna be cool. My work friends are very hyped for it. lol I haven't seen enough to really get what Your Monster is gonna be like but it just sounds like it's gonna be my vibe hopefully. I desperately need Nosferatu to be good. lol Smile 2 apparently is superior to the original for some people so that makes me curious. Y2K being a horror comedy already means I'm definitely in. lol A Different Man = body horror? Could be interesting. And I actually meant to watch The Devil's Bath cuz Spookyastronauts raved about it but I just never did. Oops. XD

OLDER MOVIE RELEASES (2023 OR BEFORE)

FAVES:

The Sixth Sense

The Host

Godzilla Minus One

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The Skin I Live In

Dream Scenario

Influencer

Compliance

To be honest, I'm not surprised The Sixth Sense turned out to be my fave of the semi-older movies I watched this year. Kinda crazy it took me all these years to finally watch it but hey, better late than never. And it lived up to the hype! As did The Host. The pleasant surprise was giving The Killing of a Sacred Deer a second chance and actually liking it once I got over how odd it was gonna be. lol Influencer is a bit of a Shudder original gem as far as I'm concerned because what a great performance by its villain. And it feels weird putting Compliance on a Faves list a bit just cuz it's so heavy and uncomfortable but it feels like it deserves the spot for me.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Stranger

Speak No Evil (2022)

Planet Terror

The Strangers: Prey At Night

Suitable Flesh

Blood Tea & Red String

How to Be Alone

Even tho, The Stranger was released as a movie in 2024, I decided to count it on here since when it was released as a miniseries, that was 2020. Either way it earned it's spot on here cuz of my Maika bias and it was a rollercoaster. The original Speak No Evil was solid like the remake but no enough to be a Fave. The Strangers: Prey At Night is my fave Strangers movie just because it's campy slasher fun imo. idk lol I've decided Suitable Flesh was pretty fun after all. And yeah, I added another Maika thing with How to Be Alone just because XD

MIDS:

As Above So Below

Sister Death

No Exit

Studio 666

Th13rteen Ghosts

The Lords of Salem

Willy's Wonderland

House on Haunted Hill

Gotta say, even though I listed all of these movies as mid, a good amount of them are still better than the Mids of 2024 imo. Or at least entertaining, despite (or even because of) its cheesiness. In particular that means As Above So Below & Th13rteen Ghosts I think.

NOPES:

The Remaining

Sleepwalkers

Dead Silence

Cat Person

We're All Going to the World's Fair

God Is a Bullet

So, in the case of these Nopes, The Remaining is for sure the worst movie on it. It was nice seeing Italia Ricci & Alexa Vega both in a movie together but it was not worth it tbh. lol Sleepwalkers is 90's bad, which means yes it's definitely bad but at least it was amusing?? Same for Dead Silence, it was 00's bad, which means it's laughable but I liked that in a weird way. Now Cat Person... That movie just made me uncomfortable and annoyed. lol We're All Going to the World's Fair... I genuinely wanted to like that movie more. I continue to think that style just isn't for me but then I did enjoy the director's other movie so who knows. And well, God Is A Bullet was just a weird movie. But I love Maika so it could have almost made the Mids list instead in a different year.

And the one COULDN'T FINISH that was older that I could remember trying to give a chance only because its poster grabbed my eye on Tubi before I quickly realized that this was gonna probably suck LOL:

Well, that concludes the rankings for my 2024 Horror Challenge. Kinda crazy I watched 88 movies this year. What the hell. And most of them were from this year or last year. lol Anyway, hopefully I'll try watching more older stuff again for next year's challenge but it was still fun regardless. Another successful year I guess! heh

[altruistic-meme]

Abram i was curious and i don’t think i’ve asked you this before, what are some of your favorite aftg fics? you know one of mine will always be yours (wit)jitp but… what are your faves???

-miels 💜✨

hiii miels my beloved <3<3 i am always down to share some favorite fics >:D

(side note: for a lot of these, i actually am not fully caught up with them due to my shifting hyperfocus meaning i wasn't reading them when they updated, so it generally goes without saying that i am planning on rereading and catching up on these all!)

Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die) by Major_816 this is my #1 favorite fic and i will scream it's praises until the day i die. it's so so good. i am wayyyy overdue for a reread, especially since it's got a sequel that i haven't started yet, but alas that will have to wait until next month. i will say though that it is DEFINITELY not for the light of heart. it is very trigger heavy and dark, and it still holds place as the only fic i've ever read that i have had to set it down and step away from it because of one scene. the tags on the fic itself don't say much about this, but i can always go into further detail if you want :) (as much as i can remember, anyway ;; or once i actually do my reread)

Flavors of Fall by NikNak22 i know i've mentioned Flavors of Fall in the past because i will always credit it for inspiring me to experiment with the way i write!! especially when it comes to (wit)jitp!! the limited pov in (wit)jitp is a direct result of this fic!! but the fic itself is SO WELL WRITTEN it makes me lose my mind. it's my perfect type of cozy tbh. i remember following along with the updates to the point where even my MOM knew what day it updated on bc i wouldn't shut up about it skdhvskhd

Promise of an Unbroken Boy by elesary this fic hhhhhhhhh this is probably my MOST reread fic bc every time it updates i reread it!! mostly as a reminder of where it left off but also it's just so enjoyable every single time around that rereading it is a joy every single time (i am also currently rereading it!!) this fic actually also has a scene that i usually skip over bc of graphic details, not half as bad as the scene in Scared to Live, i just have already read it and can skip it since i know what happens now this is also one of the fics that i know has influenced my writing! it was a while ago now, but i remember rereading this before and going "hey this wording is familiar" only to discover i had mirrored this story in my own stories!

the upper hand by plantelty i don't remember a lot of the plot of this one (alas it's been quite a while ;;) but i remember it having these very calm sort of dark vibes? not dark like Dark but it just felt like the type of story that takes place in the twilight hours. idk. it makes me smile. not quite as chaotic as some other fics (i will cry when we finally get the final chapter)

The Butcher's House by Fire_Bear ghost neil ghost neil ghost neil i love love love the mystery and story-telling in this one. it has set such a high precedent for ghost aus for me.

i think i will leave it here ;;; like i said, i am in the process of going through and rereading most (if not all) of these fics right now bc i've missed updates so i am SO down to talk about them

[skepticbeliever-bookclub]

Hello shippers and & readers!

After a little bit of a post-long read break, our cycle had come to an end and because of that, we declared a Raffle Winner. One of the three-placement prizes is to select our theme an the winner chose "Fics that take place outdoors!" With a lovely and meaty list of some of our faves, we chose one that really takes the relationship our favourite pair has with the outdoors and the charming insular world they tend to share together. That was stay with me, go places by beethechange.

The book club agreed that, as one of those fics inspired by a few conversations in our own chat, this fic signified a very fond moment in our history as a shyan server. Moreso that it treats us to drinking games, a little shared smoke and speculating on a future they could share under the trees and stars

Rating: E

Summary:

“Never have I ever,” Shane says, feeling his way delicately around the syllables, making nice with all the consonants and vowels, “hooked up with a friend at a wedding.”

Neither of them drinks. Neither of them breathes, either.

Ryan wants to curl in on himself, to kick his feet and pound on the wood of the pier. He wants to throw his head back and yell up to the sky. The shock, the pure adrenaline of the sudden turn this night has taken, has punched right through the chill of his high.

Instead he presses his fingernails into the palms of his hands, giddy and terrified, and asks, “Why, do you want to?”

Book Club Thoughts

when i was thinking outdoor fics, this was one of the first that came to mind tbh!! i love the idea of the national parks being like shane's church and finally a place to get An Authentic Emotion from him [the author's] fics have a way of dragging all your thoughts and fears to the surface with them, and then making something revelatory, and this one is a prime example of that. they're both so like that. shane says marriage is a scam because he thinks he can't marry ryan. ryan thinks it won't be worth it to date men because he thinks he can't date shane. but both of them are feeling more than they know what to do with. i think one of my favourite things about this fic, actually, is the way [the author] plays with these flaws they both have - ryan's anxiety about not meeting societal expectations which leads him to have a bit of a selfish spiral about himself, and shane's repression and fear of reaching out for the thing he wants because it might burn him in the process shane preferring to "joke" about marrying ryan instead of just admitting his feelings because he's so afraid of what he thinks is the inevitable fall out it seems like he'd rather start the vulnerability after they're literally legally bound every single thing about the dock scene makes me feel insane. it’s the way that shane knows when ryan needs to get out of there for a bit and is ready to let ryan talk about it if he wants to and then when he doesn’t he’s ready to distract him. and the way that the game of never have i ever slowly starts to shift until ryan’s basically asking to be kissed and the shotgunning WOOF.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

[sassybluee]

Dramas in 2023 roundup!

It's midway thru January, but it's never too late to reflect on the year before. I think I watched the most dramas I've ever had this past year, so I wanted to write a little roundup with my thoughts.

Here's an overview of the ones I completed!

Unchained Love (2022) ⭐️ 7.5

I've Fallen for You (2020) ⭐️ 8

Miss the Dragon (2021) ⭐️ 7

The Rational Life (2021) ⭐️ 9

Till the End of the Moon (2023) ⭐️8.5

A Romance of the Little Forest (2022) ⭐️ 7

Back from the Brink (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

The Starry Love (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

The Wolf (2020) ⭐️ 8.5

My Journey to You (2023) ⭐️ 8

Never Give Up (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

Ancient Love Poetry (2021) ⭐️ 9

Destined With You (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

Here are the ones I placed on hold/dropped

Legend of Anle

Love You Seven Times

Love in Flames of War

Only for Love (dropped)

The Snow Moon (dropped)

More detailed thoughts below the cut!

Unchained Love (2022) ⭐️ 7.5

Part palace drama, part comedy, this was a fun ride. I really liked watching the relationship between Bu Yinlou and Xiao Duo develop from friendship into romance. The comedy moments were really well done, and had me actually laughing out loud. The fight sequences were also really well done, and I liked the costumes. However, the last five or so episodes had such an abrupt tonal shift, and there were some questionable decisions made by otherwise smart characters, so it kind of fell flat at the end. BUT I would still watch it again, just maybe just skip the last eps.

I've Fallen for You (2020) ⭐️ 8

I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. The basic concept is: childhood sweethearts try to find their way back to each other, end up married after a strange series of events, but they aren't sure their spouse is the childhood sweetheart they're looking for. It's silly, cute, and very good fun. I really liked the secondary couple as well. The ending managed to make me very emotional, which surprised me. And I enjoyed that the heroine was a fan of doing autopsies (something that does occasionally become plot-relevant).

Miss the Dragon (2021) ⭐️ 7

Okay, first off, I know this one has a reputation of being a bad drama. And tbh, I agree! Objectively, it's not very good. HOWEVER! The viewing experience? Was so fun. The characters? Very entertaining. The frenemy dynamic between the ML and 2ndML? Hilarious and also a bit gay. The FL is a bit flat, but she does develop more personality through her various reincarnations. My fave life of hers was the 3rd, I believe (the lady general arc). Wang Hedi's acting is not the best but I still think he's very cute lol and he's watchable! It's just maybe not what you'd expect from him if you saw CLJ or The Rational Life first.

The Rational Life (2021) ⭐️ 9

Yes, this was for a bit of a palate cleanser after the overall ride that was Miss the Dragon. I wasn't sure if I'd be into the modern cdrama genre cuz fantasy/historical is more my preferred vibe of media, HOWEVER, I wanted to give it a shot because I'd seen some cute gifs. I really loved it, far more than I expected to. Every character was really well done, and I really liked how the story was centred on women's experiences in various workplaces/times in their life. It also gave me age gap brainrot, I won't lie. I loved the gradual build from coworkers to friendship to romance with Qi Xiao and Shen Ruoxin. I will say tho... I would like to know what whoever dressed Wang Hedi in this show was thinking. Some of those outfits were... a choice lol.

Till the End of the Moon (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

Everyone has seen or at least heard about it at this point. Dare I say it's iconic? I won't lie, my rating upon finishing it was lower. I had issues with the pacing in parts and I found the last episodes difficult to get thru because they just didn't capture my attention the way the beginning of the drama did. However, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. Plus, the performances by Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu are amazing. And I really feel they embody the "enemies to lovers" trope better than anyone!

A Romance of the Little Forest (2022) ⭐️ 7

Tbh... this show deserves less than a 7, but I rated it as such because I love my queen Xinxin, and her chemistry with Zhang Binbin was good. I think this would've worked better as a 24-episode drama, as the last couple plot arcs felt kind of tacked on. It's great if you want to see Yu Shuxin in various adorable outfits and a fun fake dating plot, but maybe stopping midway is good enough. Fair warning, the second couple's storyline was awful on several levels. Essentially, the man lies about being in a wheelchair to garner sympathy with his crush, who herself is partially Deaf. Yeah, it's BAD. Just skip all their scenes.

Back from the Brink (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

I really enjoyed this, especially how silly it could be. They really amped up the humour, and to me that worked well. At the same time, there were also some very heartfelt moments that made me tear up. I really liked the side couples as well, they were all quite likeable. It was just a really fun show from beginning to end.

The Starry Love (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

I really enjoyed this, up until the last arc. I found after that, it dragged a bit. To be honest, it dragged a bit in earlier parts too. What saved it for me was the humour, the relationship between the two sisters, the Void Realm subplots, and the adorable Di Lanjue. Unfortunately, Yetan/Youqin didn't really do much for me, but I still found them enjoyable at times.

The Wolf (2020) ⭐️ 8.5

This was a surprise for me. I didn't expect I'd like it much going in, but I still wanted to give it a try for my guy Xiao Zhan. I'd tried watching it before when it first aired, but I found the first couple episodes too cheesy. I still found them incredibly cheesy this time, but after about midway through episode 3 when the main plot kicked off, I found myself really invested. Fair warning, Xiao Zhan only shows up in episode 11, so if you're watching it just for him, you may be disappointed. Fortunately, I found myself invested in all the characters quite a bit. If you like messy toxic bitches, this is the drama for you. Warning: there was an attempted rape scene I found quite uncomfortable (though it's not played as being romantic, thankfully). There are a couple other dubcon incidents I wasn't a huge fan of, and one character has a miscarriage. Just things to keep in mind before viewing.

My Journey to You ⭐️ 8

Where do I even start here? Once again, I probably should rate it lower, because the story itself is a mess. HOWEVER, the characters, aesthetics, and cinematography are all excellent. The characters are really what stayed with me the most, and the episode focusing on Yun Que was devastating in all the best ways. The beginning episodes were also fantastic, the way the story unfurled. It just became clear in the latter half of the series that the writer had written himself into a corner and didn't know how to get out. Frustrating, but I don't regret my journey with this show (heh, get it). It's for that reason I'm not sure I can ever rec it to anyone, but I'll gladly talk about it to anyone who will listen.

Never Give Up (2023) ⭐️ 8.5

This was a fun office sitcom-style drama that I really breezed through after the horror show that was MJTY. Lighthearted with short episodes, it was very enjoyable. If you've ever worked in an office, you can probably relate. Once again, I'd like to speak with whoever dressed Wang Hedi cuz they made some interesting choices lol.

Ancient Love Poetry (2021) ⭐️ 9

Another surprise for me. I had tried the first episodes a while back and found it a bit dense, but restarting it this year I found it a lot more interesting. Maybe having more xianxia general knowledge helped me out. It was a really beautifully done drama. The CGI and sets were all superb. There was a whole host of characters to get invested in as well. It was a truly epic story from start to finish.

Destined With You (2023) ⭐️ 7.5

The one Kdrama on this list! I really loved the two actors, their chemistry, and the plot in general, but the pacing in the middle took me out a bit. I would still recommend watching it, as there was lots to enjoy. The modern with magic elements were really intriguing, as was the concept of past lives. I also like that the ML and 2ndML work together instead of constantly butting heads once it becomes clear who the FL will pick. The flashbacks to the past life were also really interesting--I wish we'd had more of that tbh! I'll definitely be looking out for both actors in other dramas!

As for the shows I placed on hold, I will likely stop lying to myself and drop them. But I might give them another shot before doing so. I'm still really disappointed by Only for Love, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it. Not even the power of Didi and Bai Lu could make me do it. It just got too frustrating.

Now, I'm currently watching Story of Kunning Palace, Royal Rumours, and The Last Immortal. I'm not super sold on the last 2, but SOKP has really grabbed me by the throat (just like Xie Wei to Jiang Xuening) so I'm glad to be starting the year off strong!