#trophy store near me

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[fanfictionismyaddiction]

Celebrating Wins

Word count: 942

Pairing: Lando norris x girlfriend!reader

Summary: As a new couple landos girlfrined celebrates his polepostion with with a playful, intimate evening, marking the start of their relationship

Request are open

______________________________________________________________

The excitement from the day still lingered as we made our way back to the hotel. The buzz of the crowd, the thrill of Lando securing pole position in Q3—it was all still fresh in our minds. But now, it was just us, away from the cameras and the noise, and I had something fun and a bit silly planned for our own private celebration. I couldn’t help but feel a mix of excitement and nerves. We had only just gotten together, and this was my first chance to really show him how proud I was of him. I wanted to make the night special, something he’d remember—not just as a celebration of his pole position, but as a moment that marked the beginning of us.

As we stepped into our room, Lando immediately burst into laughter. I had covered the bed with orange and blue confetti—McLaren’s colors, of course. There were small, goofy trophies on the nightstand, the kind you’d find at a dollar store, with labels like “World’s Best Driver” and “Pole Position King” hastily scribbled on them in my handwriting. I’d even put out a cheesy plastic crown that said “Speed King” in glittery letters.

“Are you serious?” Lando asked, grinning from ear to ear as he picked up one of the trophies. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”

“Well, someone’s got to remind you how awesome you are,” I teased, reaching up to place the crown on his head. It was a bit too small, but he wore it proudly, striking a ridiculous pose.

“I feel like royalty,” he declared, holding out his hand for me to kiss, as if he were some kind of racing monarch.

Laughing, I took his hand and gave it an exaggerated, over-the-top kiss. “Your Majesty, the Speed King, shall we dine?”

He snorted, his eyes shining with amusement. “Lead the way, my loyal subject.”

We moved to the small table I’d set up near the window, where a simple dinner was waiting for us—nothing too heavy, just some of Lando’s favorite Italian dishes, including a massive bowl of pasta. I’d even ordered pizza, because who can resist pizza in Italy? And there, chilling in the ice bucket, was a bottle of his favorite champagne.

As we sat down, I grabbed a napkin and tucked it into his shirt collar like a bib. “Can’t have you getting pasta sauce on your royal robes,” I said, doing my best to keep a straight face.

Lando burst out laughing again. “You’re ridiculous! But I love it.”

We dug into the food, the atmosphere light and playful. Lando twirled his pasta dramatically, pretending to be a food critic as he took a bite. “Ah, yes, the perfect carbo-loading meal for a champion,” he said in a mock-serious tone.

“Only the best for you, your highness,” I replied, mimicking his tone.

As we finished eating, I brought out a small cake I’d hidden earlier. It was nothing fancy, just a simple cake with “Pole Position!” written in blue and orange icing, with a little toy car on top for good measure. I stuck a single sparkler in the middle and lit it, the tiny fireworks crackling and popping.

Lando’s face lit up with childlike glee as he watched the sparkler. “This is amazing. I didn’t think I could be this excited about cake.”

“Well, it’s not just any cake,” I said, grinning. “It’s the first of many celebrations this weekend, I hope.”

“Does this mean if I win tomorrow, I get another cake?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, you bet,” I replied, slicing into the cake and handing him a piece. “And maybe I’ll even throw in a victory dance.”

He nearly choked on his cake from laughing so hard. “Please tell me you’re not serious about the dance.”

“I’m dead serious,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. “It’ll be legendary. You’ll win the race and I’ll be the talk of the paddock for my sweet moves.”

He shook his head, still laughing. “Now I’m even more motivated to win, just to see this ‘legendary’ dance.”

After we finished the cake, we collapsed onto the bed, both of us a little too full and a lot too happy. Lando was still wearing the plastic crown, and I couldn’t help but giggle every time I looked at him.

“You know,” he said, turning to me with a grin, “this has been the best celebration ever. No fancy dinners, no big parties—just us, being goofy.”

I leaned in, resting my head on his shoulder. “That’s because it’s real. And you deserve to enjoy every second of it, without any pressure.”

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. “Thanks. I needed this. It’s easy to get caught up in everything, but tonight, I feel like I can just be me. With you.”

I reached up and took the crown off his head, placing it on mine. “Well, tomorrow, the Speed King is going to show everyone what he’s made of. And McLaren is going to be that much closer to winning it all.”

Lando grinned and leaned in to kiss me, his lips warm and soft against mine. “I couldn’t do it without you, you know. You make this all so much better.”

As the night wore on and we finally started to drift off to sleep, Lando whispered, “No matter what happens tomorrow, this is my favorite victory.”

I smiled, cuddling closer to him. “Mine too. But just so you know, I’m ready for another cake tomorrow.”

He chuckled softly. “You better start practicing that victory dance then.”

[felassan]

Thoughts on the new images of the Lighthouse Part 2. DA:TV spoilers under cut.

[Link to Part 1]

I ran out of image allowance on the first post so I'm putting the rest here in this post.

I think maybe this is Davrin's room. on the righthand side, there are floor-to-ceiling windows (one part of them even has curtains) or even the whole wall cut away - this would be perfect for allowing Assan to fly out and fly in as he came and went. ^^ Corinne Busche said this about Davrin's room:

"When you see Davrin’s room, you’d certainly assume he’d be up watching the sunrise with that view. If only it weren’t in the fade"

with windows so big or a wall cutaway, you can see why Davrin's room is said to have an amazing view like this. :D

On the right hand side of the room is lots of things you'd need if you were into wood-carving/whittling, which is implied for Davrin by what he's doing in the Lighthouse group shot: stool, workbench/table with shelf space beneath, tools, a log of wood on the bench, what looks like a saw, piles of more logs, an axe to chop them with, a stump to split them on. on the workbench are some of his finished projects: a carved nug, a carved dragon, and there are other wooden carvings he's made elsewhere in the room. on the floor nearby it's scattered with I guess wood shavings/bits of broken wood from chopping wood.

Some more carvings Davrin has made - he makes so many :) here we have nugs and an adorable bear design. sidequest to help Davrin open an Etsy store.

Another standout thing about Davrin's room is all the monster stuff. of course, he's a monster hunter. Over the fireplace is the skull of a large creature. fixed to or hung from the ceiling are the bones that make up a large creature's spine (they remind me of dinosaur bones in museums). left of his armchair near a curtain is another big skull on the wall. there's a collection of horns hung from the ceiling and more smaller skulls on the wall behind that. other items along the monster-hunter theme are bits of bone(?) or horn(?) or something on his desk, annotated anatomical illustrations of different types of creatures (which ties into how he sees it as a specific skillset to hone, how he learns monsters' weaknesses to be able to exploit them etc), and the various glass containers - some of these look to contain monster parts (specimens or trophies?). Witcher vibes!

Nug diagram and a horn-like or tentacle-y specimen in the green jar.

Assan has been scratching the back of Davrin's chair like a cat hhh. can we gift them a griffon-sized scratching post pls? and next to Davrin's comfy chair by the fire is a rug or sheepskin kinda thing of some sort on the ground - for Assan to lie on when Davrin sits in the chair? ^^ how lovely. it looks like there's also a stick, bone or chew for him on the ground near that. maybe that's Davrin's outside coat draped over the top of the chair. and btew is the nug to the right of the fireplace a carved wood nug statue or a stuffed dead nug hh?

Halla statue? ^^

Right: Another halla statue? Center: Another? Left: Animal diagram with drawings of could be a halla (top) and a set of halla horns (the biggest horns in the center).

There's a halla statue in Bellara's room and one in Taash's room too, but if these things in Davrin's are all hallas, that's a lot of halla things in one. Coincidence, monster-hunting related (as they're animals), Dalish-related, or Ghil-related? it's been wondered if Davrin's vallaslin correspond to Ghilan'nain (which would add a layer to the story of 1. an elf encounters not just one of their gods but the one whose vallaslin theirs corresponds to, 2. a monster-hunter, as she's mother of monsters, and 3. a Grey Warden monster-hunter who just may have been killing the mutated darkspawn and mutated monsters emerging from Ghil's monster-pools lately).

I wonder if the silver chalices around the room are meant to evoke the Joining cup?

What are these green things at the window?

Davrin's room has some empty shelves. I noticed some empty shelves in Emmrich's room too. I'm assuming this is where companions will display the personalized gifts we can get to give them, like was mentioned in the second dev Q&A:

Corinne Busche: "Out in the world, and there in various locations, so you kinda stumble upon them, you can buy a gift that is very personal to any one of the companions, and then you go, you turn that into them, you give it to them, they have a nice acknowledgement. And then, the thing that’s just like so sweet about it, we’ve talked about how the companion rooms evolve over time, but if you go and get them one of these, like, very personalized gifts, they’ll display it in their room. Like it doesn’t go into some stats void. It’s actually on display."

(if so, I'm assuming there's such a place in each room not just their two ones; just, those places may be out of frame due to angle in the other images).

Outside of the room you can see more ruined ancient elven Fadey architecture.

Process of elimination leaves this as Lucanis' room. Lucanis?? 😭😭 in what looks like the kitchen storage room?? if you need a snack in the middle of the night do you either wake Lucanis up when you sneak in (he'd hear you with his senses) or encounter him still up because he can't sleep well that night in the corner with his demonic aura?

it's dark - check, dude who "hides in the dark". he doesn't appear to have many belongings or personal effects - check, dude who is practical and pragmatic. he's a lot less ostentatious than Illario.

there's food everywhere, including fresh produce and a returning Dragon Age classic, giant cheese wheels. :') likely there is more food in the sacks, baskets, crates/boxes and pots. sleeping here reminds me of what was said about Lucanis being one of the team cooks in the second dev Q&A:

John Epler: "Bellara and Lucanis actually end up being, essentially, the team cooks. Bellara, you know, spending a lot of time out in nature, learning a lot about, you know, different types of cooking, is really big on experimentation, she likes to, you know, try different things. Lucanis comes from the Crows, Lucanis is very big on the finer things, so between the two of them, there’s a point in the story where they basically decide, if we don’t do this, the entire team is going to starve, so let’s just call ourselves the cook, cooks, and make sure that nobody dies of food poisoning, so."

I wonder if the chests contain food, other supplies or Lucanis' belongings.

Another one of these things. There's one in Neve's room and Bellara's too. maybe there's one in each companion room and the other screenshots were just taken from an angle where they can't be seen? again I'm so curious what these are for (or maybe they're just decor).

[Link to Part 1]

[jackhues]

3 + 1 - sidney crosby

notes: i hope you guys like this, first fic for 'it's the most wonderful time of the year', had lots of fun making this!!

likes are good, reblogs are better <3

part of naqia's end of the year celly!

gif not mine

i. (1994)

you'd known sidney your entire life. one of the first memories you had with him was fighting him for the last hockey stick in the store.

well, it wasn't the last hockey stick. but it was the last one of all the types you used to play. it just so happened to be the only one sidney used.

after a game of rock, paper, scissors (you won), sidney got mad and demanded a best of three. maybe it was the defiant look in his eyes at only seven years old, but you decided he could have the stick.

"are you sure?" he asked, now looking hesitant about taking the stick.

you nodded, "i'm sure. they'll get one of the sticks i use in a few days. you can have this one. i'll just steal my brother's stick until then."

sidney grinned, "thanks, y/n."

you smiled back at him, feeling the start of a friendship. you'd lived near him your entire life, but you'd only begun talking to him because of hockey.

"just don't forget to send me a card when you go to one of your tourneys," you told him.

you and sidney laughed over that, before heading back home with your parents. it was after this day that you began to say hi to each other in the halls of school, that you decided to pair up for projects, that you became friends.

over the two months it took until christmas morning, you forgot about what you'd told him. but sidney didn't forget his promise.

and it was on december twenty fifth, that you received a post card in the mail from some place in quebec. a seven year old sidney had tried his best to make the letters look pretty, writing on the side, 'merry christmas, and thanks for the hockey stick, y/n. it helped me win!'

you peered in the envelope, finding a picture of sidney hoisting his giant hockey trophy. you smiled at that.

even though he was so far away, it felt like you were celebrating christmas together.

--

ii. (2004)

'sidney patrick crosby, you have got to be kidding me! you have a huge hotel, you're in finland, and you've got some of the best people with you. and yet, you're saying you wished you were here playing pond with the rest of us? you're crazy. anyways, make sure you score a goal or something, and have lots of fun! honestly, not scoring is fine if you have fun. good luck at the world juniors! i'll be cheering you on from back home :))'

you signed off the letter, sealing it and placing it to the side to deliver later.

at seventeen years old, sidney had become the only under-18 player at this year's world junior tournament for team canada. it was a thing to celebrate, but sidney was upset he would be missing the town's annual christmas pond hockey game.

you and him had played together on the same team for the last nine years, winning every time. this was the first time he wouldn't be here to help your team defend the title.

but that was okay, you thought as you packed up your christmas gear and made your way to the pond.

because sidney was going to play on your t.v. tomorrow, at the national level. it was his first time playing for canada, and you knew he was excited for that.

he just wasn't a fan of missing the small things.

it was why he'd began sending you letters and post cards as he moved around for tournaments and hockey games. they were cute souvenirs, and you didn't mind sending him a letter back.

you just wished he could've been here to celebrate christmas with the rest of you.

--

iii. (2009 - pretend ft was invented a year earlier)

"merry christmas, love."

you smiled, "merry christmas sid."

sidney adjusted his phone, fixing the facetime so you could see him better. you laughed as he struggled for a minute, finally getting a proper angle.

"don't move!" you said. "there, perfect. now your entire face is on my screen."

he laughed as he shook his head to himself.

the two of you had been friends for thirteen years before he worked up the courage to ask you out. and for the last two years of your relationship had been amazing. there were ups, like seeing him win the stanley cup, and there were downs, like seeing him take some uncalled for hits.

but you were happy. and so was sid.

the two of you had planned to celebrate christmas together in pittsburgh, until a family emergency had you coming back to nova scotia last minute.

everything turned out fine, but it was just too late to get a ticket back to pittsburgh.

even so, you and sid had found a way to work around that.

the two of you spent most of the day on the phone with each other, talking and laughing together. it wasn't what either of you had planned, but you made it enjoyable.

it was a great christmas.

--

iv. (2012)

"sidney, will you get down here already?"

"i'm coming, i'm coming," he called from upstairs.

you sighed, waiting for your husband to get up and get downstairs. christmas morning was the one morning you were happy to get out of bed, but it was also the one morning sid wanted to sleep in.

sam, sidney's dog, came down the stairs, curling around by the christmas tree as he waited for sid with you.

a few minutes passed before sidney made his way downstairs, eyes half closed but a sleepy smile plastered on his face to greet you.

"good morning, love," he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "merry christmas."

"merry christmas," you smiled, pressed a kiss to his jaw. "we eating breakfast first or presents first?"

"mmm, breakfast," sid decided.

"i knew you were going to say that," you laughed, pulling him along to the kitchen.

you'd already prepared breakfast before he came down. some eggs, sausage and bread. it was a good way to pass the time as you waited for sid to get downstairs.

the two of you took your seats, laughing as you ate breakfast and discussed how far you'd gone in life together.

"you almost tripped on the ice," he reminded you.

"no one told me i had to go out on the ice after you guys won," you argued. "i was so excited over you guys winning the stanley cup, i didn't even notice i was being ushered to the ice until i took my first step."

sid laughed as the two of you slowly made your way to the living room.

"here, open my present first," he said, rummaging under the tree to pull out a long, rectangular box.

the two of you had started the tradition of opening all of your sentimental gifts before the other cute ones. and even though you wanted to go first this year, you supposed it was alright if sid got this one.

you unwrapped the box, pulling out a familiar hockey stick. one that you'd given sidney eighteen years ago.

"oh my god," you muttered, tears building up in your eyes.

"i found it in my parent's garage last summer," he shrugged a little. "i remembered how badly you wanted it. and even though it's too small now, i thought you'd like the memory."

"i love it," you grinned, wiping the corners of your eyes. "it's absolutely perfect. i'm putting this up next to that picture of you holding up the trophy."

sid laughed at your response, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"you can do whatever you like with it."

you put the stick to the side, your hands slightly shaky as you grabbed another, much smaller, box. "here. now open my present."

sid took the box from your hands, unwrapping it and opening it. he stared at the contents of the box, unable to form a sentence as he looked between the box and you.

"you -- this -- seriously?" his eyes shined as he stared at you.

you nodded, feeling the tears build up yourself. "we're having a baby."

sid laughed, pulling you in for a hug. "oh my god, this is amazing. a baby, you and me."

the two of you held each other that day, celebrating christmas together.

[mochiroreo]

Oh goodie! Prologue [breaking in]

Summary: being a latchkey child, you are used to being alone. So when your parents announced that your whole family is moving to Hawkins, you paid them no mind and just packed up your bags. What you are not expecting was that the house that your family just bought comes with two neighbours that are in dire need to have you in any way.

Trigger Warnings: she/her pronouns. [mentions of god in this chapter] DUBCON. NONCON. 100% FILTH. Smut. Unprotected P in V (wrap it before you tap it). Hidden relationships. Age gap. Cream pie. Size kink. Degradation. Corruption. Choking/slapping (in a pleasurable way). Pet names (no use of y/n). Fingering. Squirting. Overstimulation. Public sex. Recording. Dark!Steve Harrington & Dark!Eddie Munson

Author’s note: thank you for your support on the teaser! I did not expect that

૮ ◞ ⸝⸝ ◟ ྀིა this is my first time writing and posting my fics publicly so I hope you like them! This part does not contain much but I will still post it for the sake of world building for this fic 💞

P.s. not beta’d. So.. there might be grammar mistakes..

Thank you to @kayaedits and @kitsunecafe for the dividers!

“It wouldn’t be that bad,sweetheart. I swear. Me and your dad promises that the house is really pretty! Plus,you get the spacious room that you have always dreamed off!”

Your mom tried to pacify you,telling you all the things you will like about the new house that they bought at Hawkins, Indiana. A place you did not know even exists when they mentioned that they were planning to sell the house where you currently live and move to the said place. Eyes a bit puffy and red while your lips tremble and jutted out in a pout. Hugging your soft stuffed teddy bear,you were feeling overwhelmed. With their decision already made, you cannot help but look around your room.

The soft pinks and pastel blues are adorning every corner, the trinkets that you collected along the way throughout high school were neatly piled and arranged. The medals, awards, trophies, and books that are lined up on the shelves that pretty sure had indents on them for how long the pile has been there. She looks at you with pity,before sighing and pulling you in a hug. They know that you’re not crying because of how you’ll miss you best friend. Or how you’ll miss the town. No, they know you don’t really care much about those.

You hate big changes. Knowing how shy and timid you are, you always prefer staying home or discovering new spots where you can just relax and let your mind drift away while reading a book or jotting down notes on things you find interesting. And your parents know that. Being painfully aware of the times their jobs affected your upbringing,they try to make it up to you every single time. With you being on their minds when they bought the house,they chose the biggest that they can find which is full of greenery in a quiet neighbourhood.

“But.. its—“ you tried to reason out your frustration,tears slowly filling up your eyes again. “I know honey,I know. I’m so sorry. Me and your father just wants what’s best for you,you do know that.. right? Its not just for work but we can just see that house as our permanent house. No more moving after this.” Your mum apologised in a gentle manner, still patient while hugging you and rubbing your back. You just groaned under her hug,sniffling as you continue to bury yourself on your mom’s arms. “Besides, there are public and private colleges around. You can also get a summer job there too while you are still deciding on what to study. I’ve heard that there’s a book shop and a record store near our house,too. Maybe they’re hiring? Oh,we even have lovely neighbours! Too nice,actually! Me and your dad happened to meet them while we were inspecting the house..” you listened to your mum telling you all about the new place, fiddling with your fingers while it slowly sinks on you that you really don’t have any choice. “Its a really beautiful place,honey. I promise. We promise.” Your mum ended softly, giving you a forehead kiss.

“And—“ your dad’s voice popped the bubble you and your mum had,slightly jumping at his voice. “Maybe you can find a decent boyfriend out there. You know, better than— what was his name again? Frank?” He asked,his nose scrunched in disgust. You laughed at how he tried to remember you ex’s name. Giving your mum a tight hug before standing up to give the same to your dad as well,you answered him while copying his expression. “Yes,dad. Frank. What an ugly name,huh?” Your whole family giggled,slandering your ex while talking about what you and your mum should cook for dinner, the anxiety slowly easing in the background.

“Hey mom, where do you want these?!” You shouted after your mother who is already carrying a box of kitchen utensils with a laugh out of excitement.

After a grueling 6 hour car ride, the first thing you did was immediately jump out of your family car and stretch your limbs. The air was sticky and humid,feeling the spring season already ending. You definitely did not expect the temperature on the way here despite it still being early morning. With the heat making your shirt stick to your skin,you slumped your shoulders,already tired at the thought of moving. Putting your sunglasses up your head, you made your way to the car’s boot, quickly grabbing some of your boxes that you won’t clumsily drop.

Hawkins is definitely an eye catcher. Sure, a small town. But there is something mysterious about it that you cannot help but be curious about the said town. You like how snug and tight the community is. People smiling at your parents here and there, striking up a conversation with them too. It eases your nerves that it looks like your parents chose the right place to settle after all. It looks like you will be spending the upcoming summer exploring the never-ending variety of stores your whole family drove by.

The day ended when the last piece of furniture is inside and assembled. “I’m dead..” you muttered under your breath when you plopped face-down on your bed. The house is beautiful— Pretty is not even enough to describe it. The outside definitely shows the history and age of the place. Vintage,painted with neutral colors, while hints of greens,moss, and crawling plants adorn the vast spaces near the windows. It is definitely different from the two houses on both sides of your house. Your mind is already racing on how you are going to decorate your bedroom, already allocating the empty corner for some massive book shelves and a shrine of trinkets and random journals that you collect for fun. You just finished taking a much needed bath,giggling to the comforters when you became too excited on buying new stuff for your bedroom, not noticing your mom’s footsteps as she make her way upstairs.

Your mom stood in front of you,a big smile on her face. Your giggling stopped when you noticed her presence— and how she is holding two pies that are meticulously packed with a bow on top of each boxes. God knows when she had the chance to bake a pie amidst the chaos of never-ending boxes and assembling furnitures together. You went quiet,noticing how your energy is not matching hers as you press your lips in a line while hoping whatever she plans on asking you for is not the one that you are currently thinking. “Sweetheart can you give—“ she started sickeningly sweet before you immediately answered “no. Nope. No,no,no. Goodnight!” You tried to evade her favor, quickly hiding under you fluffy blanket and closing your eyes. Your mom,expecting the behaviour, had quickly put down the pies on top of your study desk and snatched the blanket from your body. “You will!” She exclaimed before laughing loudly as you fight her back for your blanket. “No! Why am I always the one handing it to the neighbours?! I’m always the sone doing it!” You whined,already losing from your so called “battle” against your mother. “Because! Me and your dad are still busy!” She tried to reason out when you know she’s just planning to make you go out and hopefully make new friends or just meet new people. Your mom tugged a bit too hard that made you sit down. You continued whining and whinging,knowing that you already lost and you have no other choice.

You changed from your tank top and sleeping shorts to a cropped cream sweater and a plain pink skirt before brushing your hair and swiping some cherry lip gloss on your lips to at least make yourself looks presentable. With a last look to the mirror,you have put on your glasses and sneakers,before turning around to your mom. You find your mom holding the boxes once again with a cheshire-like grin before handing it to you. “Yeah,you trickster” you mumbled and your mom knows that you are only joking as her loud laughter and giggles together with yours echoed throughout the house.

The air cooled down quite a bit when you stepped out of your house,the gate creaking as you try to push it close using your foot. Trying to ease your nerves, you looked around and drank in your surroundings. How the cul-de-sac is surrounded by trees that makes the place a bit eerie but also dreamy when the sun had set today. How the clouds are soft and plush,orange and yellows slowly disappearing while the moon and the stars slowly peek out. Slowing your steps as much as you can, you focused on the feeling of the gravel underneath your feet and just avoiding the dread of meeting new people. On your way,were slowly starting to hate the whole thing and how you wish the houses are far more apart.

Finally,you made it towards your neighbours gate,seeing that its slightly ajar which made you hesitate before deciding that you just want it to be over with and stepped inside. “Screw it” you say to yourself while walking towards a black stained oak door. Trying to balance the other pie on top of another to fix your glasses from being crooked and your hair from being destroyed slightly because of the wind, you lifted one of your fist and is already thinking of how to escape the social interaction if they end up being too talkative.

“Well fuck that.” You heard a deep,husky voice as he talk to someone that you cannot hear clearly. You dropped your fist beside you,anxiety slowly creeping in while your mind runs hundred miles per minute if you should just come back later than to interrupt their conversation. “They keep on trying to sell their god to me for how many fucking years already!” The man clearly exclaimed before another man let out a roaring laugh. “If god is fucking real he will present me or you with someone that can fucking blow my balls off and suck my dick so deep that I will be convulsing at the end of the night and he— whoever the fuck he is— will tell me how its his gift for me,like— someone fucking made for me and you—“

It was the last thing you heard before the huge wooden door opened,the man’s rambling abruptly stopped and two of the most breathtaking men entered your view. One with long,curly hair that looks like it’ll be soft under your fingertips. While the other one has thick,luscious hair that is not as long as the other but is styled to perfection.

“Hi..?” with your face red as a beet,that was the only word you can whisper.

[rafesgoldrings]

heyyy omg can you make something with sub!rafe pls pls i wanna see him begg

So this could easily apply in the trophy wife universe but it’s not explicitly stated!

He’d finally agreed to let you take control one night, was he entirely sober? No, but a deal is a deal as he’d always say, so here he was. Hands tied to your bed posts and stripped down naked, you standing at the foot of the bed completely naked and giving him a little show. Fingers pinching at your nipples, turning around and bending over to spread your pussy lips apart so he could see how wet you were. You’d crawl onto the bed, sitting right in front of him and spreading your legs before reaching over to your bedside drawer and grabbing your favorite vibrator. You’d turn it to a medium speed, placing it right against your clit and throwing your head back with an exaggerated pornographic moan and smirking when you heard Rafe let out a groan. “Thought I told you to be quiet baby, just can’t listen to what you’re told huh?” you taunted, turning off your vibrator and reaching for the bag you’d kept stored under your bed for a few days, pulling out the new toy you bought. His eyes widened when he saw what you were holding, a vibrating cock ring, and began tugging against the restraints. Your legs moved to straddle his thighs as you placed the ring around the base of his cock and turned it on, grinning in satisfaction at the whimper he let out before reaching for your own toy and turning it back on. Once again, you placed it against your clit, your arousal leaking out of your tight hole. Rafe’s eyes fluttered closed, the light slap of your hand on his cheek causing him to open them again “keep your eyes on me baby boy, watch me”. He loved when you got dominant with him, it wasn’t very often but fuck it was hot. You moved so you were only sitting on one thigh, lightly grinding against it and coating it in your wetness. The feeling of his muscular thigh pressing into you and the vibrator buzzing on your clit sending your head into the clouds. Rafe’s cock twitched on its own, both from the fucking porno playing out in front of him and the vibrations on his cock, desperate to cum or be touched. You knew that too, which is why you blindly reached down and turned it off before taking it and discarding it somewhere in the floor, smirking at the whine he let out. You’d look at him with a faux frown, laughing at the fucked out expression and pout he had. His eyebrows scrunched together in frustration, jaw clenched and breathing heavy. You were testing his patience and knew it, but when he looked so pretty all tied up and defenseless? You just couldn’t help it. “You’re going to watch me, beg me, to come all over your thigh and then you will beg me to touch you. Understand?” he nodded, a pathetic attempt of not having to speak in confirmation. He wasn’t, however, expecting you to slap him and then grab his throat like he’d down to you so many times in the past “Use your fucking words” his eyes widened in shock as he muttered a small ‘yes’. You’d tell him he was so good before resuming and grinding against him, even faster and more desperate as you neared your orgasm. He watched your face twist up in pleasure, tits bouncing with each movement you made, and listened to the pretty noises you always made right before you came. “Please baby, please come all over my thigh. Want you to make a mess on it so badly, I just want you to use me for your pleasure. Fucking need it” his words sending you over the edge as you squirted all over him and turned off your toy, the sheets and Rafe’s thigh soaked with your release. His cock was painfully hard now, you came down from your own orgasm before giving him a knowing look. He had to beg for this if he wanted it. “Please touch me. I’ll do anything, i’ll be so good. I just need you to touch me, need make me feel good. Im so desperate for it baby” there it was, the pretty begging you only got to hear so often. “Good boy” you mumbled, crawling off of him to get in between his legs. You took his cock into your hand, looking him directly in his eyes.

“Now you’re going to come until I say stop”

[memyselfandmya]

JWCT PROMPT COUNTDOWN

Jwct countdown May 10-11 -- Favorite character:

An (unedited) excerpt of the fanfic I'm writing that'll include pre/post-Nublar.

“I still don’t understand why I have to go to this stupid camp,” Yasmina grumbled as she and her mom walked down the aisles of the supermarket, on the hunt for any last minute items she may need before embarking on her two week “vacation” to Camp Cretaceous. The fluorescent lights and incessant pop music playing throughout the store made her bones itch.   

“It’s part of the sponsorship, Mina,” her mom said. “If Jurassic World is going to be your sponsor you have to participate in the camp’s trial run.”

Yasmina scoffed. “Oh great, so I’m a guinea pig. If they’re my sponsors shouldn’t they want me to practice? The Junior Olympics are next year, I should be training.”  

“I think it’s a great opportunity. You’ve been training so hard, Yasmina, and you should take a break, make some new friends. My parents never let me go to summer camp and-”

“Can I get some new headphones?” she asked, putting an abrupt stop to her mom’s long tangent about how her mom never let her do anything. Besides, Yaz didn’t need friends anyway, they only served a distraction. 

“What happened to the pair you had?” 

���Lailah stole them,” she huffed. “Please, Ma, can I get some?”

“Fine, you won’t be able to use them much anyways, though. It’s a phone free camp. Where is your sister anyways?”

Yasmina shrugged and tossed the headphones in the cart. She could already tell this camp would be a living hell. 

 ...

“Lailah, there you are,” her mom said once they finally found her sister flipping through books in the graphic novel aisle. “Why didn’t you stay with me and your sister?”

Lailah didn’t even bother looking up from the book as she shrugged, the sleeves of her sweater sliding down her shoulder. “I don’t know, I just assumed it was a you and Yasmina thing.”

Her mom sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “No, of course not, baby. Next time please stay with us so we don’t have to scour the whole store looking for you.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

… 

Later that night, after a dinner of her mom’s amazing food, Yasmina lay in her bed scrolling through her instagram page. Her actual account was barren but so many of the people at her school had been posting left and right about all the fun they were having during break. There was one particular post she scrolled past of a girl on her track team with her friends at some party. She had a big grin on her face with her arms wrapped around two other girls. For someone who didn’t train nearly as much as Yasmina (which was a near impossible feat), she had a strong record. 

Yasmina sighed, clicked off her phone, and stared at her wall. Trophies and medals adorned every inch of it. Her mom had insisted she put them on display as a way to look back on all of her accomplishments. For Yasmina, they served as a push to maintain her good work. 

 She had a reputation to uphold. She was supposed to be strong, for her coach, her team, and her mom. That’s what she was, always was, her mom’s “strong girl.”

...

From the moment I began watching this show, I knew Yaz was going to be my favorite. I always have a preference for the shy/standoff-ish characters (who are also gay) because I see myself in them, and also just seeing more of her personality like her determination and desire to make her proud (totally relatable) just does something to me. Especially Art of Chill or Welcome to Jurassic World, I saw the way she acted with Sammy's betrayal and was like, "who hurt you?" so I'm glad I finally get to explore her character and orchestrate her background. And seeing her now, in Chaos Theory is just so amazing to me because I was so worried I wouldn't see her again and that S5 would be the last of her character.

[xpertawards]

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[creaman]

Idk if I'm allowed to encourage this but everything you said about Kung fu Panda 4 is correct, it not only killed my grandma but massacred my bloodline. The only saving grace of that movie was the cute Dad stuff, and that the theater I watched it in had comfy reclining sofa chairs as seats.

Although you can make the point that Li and Ping 'distract from the film', being the B plot, they are genuinely the only good part of the movie. Again, you could argue that their absense would mean more time to develop the A plot, but their precense is the only funny and charming part of the film and the A plot had plenty of time.

The movie has the same runtime as its predecessors, but chose to spend near all of its time padding out the A plot with spoken exposition and filler chase sequences when it could have been fleshing out The Chameleon as a villain and developing Zhen and Po's dynamic.

Now taking this opportunity to talk about some of the secondary points I didn't get to cover in the primary post (hating is my passion)

Original Post

KFP4 spoilers again

Juniper City Sequence

A lot of the comedy is generic subversion — A statement followed by a verbal or visual contradiction which is standard, worn out and the laziest most predictable form of comedy.

There was also a scene that actually made me pause the movie and cackle; not from the humour, but from the sheer absurdity; — in which Po refers to himself as “—The Kung Fu Panda!”

Has never previously referred to himself as this

Has never been referred to as that by others

This is a genius scene which takes inspiration from the most memorable sequence in Kung Fu Panda 2, in which Lord Shen utters the chilling line, "You see, I need my Kung Fu Panda Too." (So powerful. Brought tears to my eyes.)

Smarmy. Arrogant. Unearned. Even if this was the Kung Fu Panda I knew and loved, what a pompous way to put it.

The Staff of Wisdom

It's pretty great. I tuned out all the lore, mostly because the first scene with this object is Po exclaiming "The staff of wisdom!" followed by nothing but exposition.

It's the implication that he's nothing without it, and that it embodies the Dragon Warrior. He's reduced to a staff which essentially has no function until the end. It sticks out in every scene because this meathead carries it everywhere, like its his house keys.

This one is a nitpick, but I think it looks stupid. It was fine in the third film because it functions as a little trophy for him, having defeated General Kai and finding peace with his identity — but it's too small for him, reads like a fucking lollipop and he looks ridiculous holding it because he doesn't use it in most of his scenes so it's just dead weight for the entire runtime.

The Final Act

This part is a little less structured — I had stopped taking proper notes and started typing 'WHY??' and 'FUCK YOU'.

The Kung Fu Masters. My favourite part of the film, as a Lord Shen enthusiast, was when they brought him in for two seconds and then had him sit in a cage with no spoken dialogue for the remainder of the sequence. Why are they here? Why is kung fu stored in the spirit? (pee is stored in the balls?)

Just tried to talk about the bowing scene again but I just know I'm going to give myself an aneurysm. Postponed.

The defeat of The Chameleon. Among the most memorable villain defeats, we bring you: head trauma.

The Amalgamation. Oh man. Sorcery was already a stretch in the worldbuilding of Kung Fu Panda. Now you're telling me The Chameleon can shift into a huge amalgamation of all the kung fu masters? This has nothing to do with kung fu anymore — artificially inflated as a threat by being... bigger.

Spoilers, She doesn't even do anything with this. Kind of just runs around snapping at their heels.

The Chameleon really doesn't utilise her abilities at all. She turns into Lord Shen to... to kick Po. Not to manipulate him psychologically or anything, but to... kick him. Alright.

They opted to make the fight sequence cool (by having the Chameleon shift between forms for no real purpose) but the fight scene is a nothing burger, in which no real damage is done to either party until Po busts out the pwn stick.

Closing Statements

I don't hate Kung Fu Panda 4 (blatant lie). I wanted the film to succeed, genuinely. But the state of it now...

Mess. Bury it.

[moiravim]

Rainy Nights

Fem (gender fluid) Loki x GN Reader

Fluff

You worked in a small library in New York. Most of the books were used, but costed one to two dollars, so sales were great. Expecially during summer when everyone had time off to read.

You sit near the cash register, typing on your computer. You were currently writing a short story. Not that anyone would read it, but you had your dreams just like everyone else.

A familiar face walks up and you realize Loki is buying another book. She comes almost every day and you wonder if she actually reads all the books she buys.

"Hey, yn. It's nice seeing you again" she says as she smiles and hands you the book she's buying. "Hey Loki, it's nice to see you too. You know, with how fast you read these books it would be much cheaper to use a library..." You respond to her.

She just smiles at you. "I'd rather just keep the books.. it's nice having them, it's almost like a trophy" you smile and nod understandingly.

Loki is beautiful. You can't deny it. The only problem was that you were too shy to ask for her number or ask her on a date.

She starts to walk out when you stop her by stuttering out; "hey, Loki- um.. I was wondering if you'd want to maybe go on a- go to dinner with me."

She smiles as she turns around and responds "I'd love to. I've been waiting for you to ask me out". She giggles as you stare in shock.

At least it was nice knowing she felt the same as you did. She waves as she turns around and shouts "I'll meet you back here at 7!"

You stare as she walks out the door. You look at the time to see it's 5:30. You plan to close the store at 6 and get ready for the date.

As you get ready you think of where to take her. You probably should've planned this much earlier...

You remember a nice pasta place nearby which recently opened. It was in your price zone and had good reviews.

When she gets there you see her in a stunning black dress and look back down at your cheap (suit/dress).

She smiles at you and says; "I got you something". She hands you a green beaded bracelet and lifts wrist to show how she has a matching one.

You smile back as you put it on and thank her. You hook your arms as you guide her to the restaurant you picked out.

You get a table and sit in the booth across from her. "So... What do you do in your free time?" Loki asks you. "I write. I also enjoy reading... Obviously." You respond akwardly as she chuckles. You smile.

The waiter comes over and you both order. "What about you, what do you like to do? ...Other than reading." You ask her. "I like to paint." She states happily.

The room grows quiet when your food comes and you both start eating. You focus on the music in hopes to avoid the awkwardness. She seems so much more calm.

You wonder if she can tell your anxious. Your question is answered when she puts her hand on yours and asks you; "are you feeling okay?...you seem very nervous."

You nod. "Yes, I'm okay. I just get anxious... I'm sorry." She looks at you sadly. "don't apologize. That's not something you need to apologize for."

You both finish your food and pay. As you open the door you realize it's pouring rain. "Oh no... I'm so sorry-" she cuts you off by giggling and pulling you into the rain.

You take your jacket off and put it over the two of you as you run through the rain. Eventually the jacket was soaking wet and was no longer protecting you from the rain so you took it off, tying it around your waist.

You two stopped at a park, still soaking wet and ran through the beautiful nature trails. You stopped near a fountain and sit on the bench in front of it.

Even though your hair was a mess and her makeup was running down her face, this moment was still perfect. She leaned in and kissed you as you kissed back.

You got back up and the two of you playfully ran around the park before stopping at a small booth in the park.

You went up to the sad, wet man selling ice cream and bought two with a smile on your face. His face lit up as he handed you two ice creams.

The two of you started walking out of the park while eating your now wet and melting ice cream.

Nothing could change this happy moment. By the time you both finished your ice creams you just got back to the bookshop and went next door to your small apartment.

You gave her a towel and a change of dry clothes as you got dressed yourself. You made a bag of popcorn and put blankets on the couch, making it as cozy as possible.

When she got back you let her pick a movie as the two of you cuddled on the couch. "Let's do this again soon.." you say with a grin on your face. "How about Friday? I'll plan it this time." She responds playfully.

[karanseraph]

I just needed a throw-away line

But I guess I gotta world-build Polyhex now, even though no one goes there for chapters. I need the unnamed stronghold to be named and to know what the closest place to recreate after installing hardware there would be.

Some of this will be headcanon for me to use in a fic, but it's mostly based on various canon (thanks @tfwiki ) which I blend and simmer into continuity soup.

Polyhex is a Province. It has a Governor. It also has a number of Barons. They aren't really land-owners, but more like captains of industry, who coincidentally lord over certain cities within Polyhex Province according to where their industry is based. The Province, along with Tagan Heights to its west, forms the northeastern quadrant of Cybertron, and it is north of the Sea of Rust.

(It does not, in this soup continuity, include Darkmount, which is its own separate and quaint, touristy The Village at Darkmount now, south of the Sea of Rust)

Some of the cities associated with Polyhex are:

Kaon - Doing its own autonomous enclave thing at the southwest edge of the Province. The Governor does not approve.

New Polyhex City

Polyhex Minor

Dodecahex

Upper Petrohex

Lower Petrohex

The Dead End (in the north, near neighboring Rodion)

Geological features may include:

a canyon

a cliff (some Baron probably has a house on it)

pits

energon crystal fields (farmed)

Sea of Rust coastal sulfur bogs (probably threatened by industry)

Automica sparkfield

The Province, apparently, enjoys sports and/or someone wants to distract the populace:

cube

mecha-soccer

wrestling

gladiatorial combat (of various levels of repute)

Other features and structures:

transport complex Ohm (rail, in this case)

Dodecahex Arena (for all the sports, or future State Games)

a stronghold (above, purple) possibly "The Polydrome"?

fancy offices (above, white) possibly "Whitemount"? At various points in history this has been a temple and/or occult event space and/or nightclub.

fuel/energon refineries

fuel/energon stores

a toll plaza on the Titanium Turnpike

(at some point) time travel?

At least one oil house with a "hex" wordplay name (The Hex & Decimal, The Hex Nut, The Hoary Hexflake?)

(Polyhex does not have a space bridge in this continuity, because we already established it is in neighboring Hydrax to the southeast. And "we don't talk about Spanner".)

Some types of residents:

a Governor

Barons

turbofoxes (more prevalent since mechanimal-rights bots stopped practice of hunting for trophies)

Maximals who just happen to have tall, pointy audio receptors and are tired of getting shot at

"mudflaps" who shoot at anything vaguely turbofox-shaped near their energon farm

big-city bots who call farmers "mudflaps"

in the north, cryo-condors

in the south, rust-foxes/ferrics

in the cities and coast area, retrorats

in country homes, glitch-mice

somewhere, cog-crickets

bats, probably

There's also about 18-ish named characters who may be associated with Polyhex if not definitely from there. I'm wondering how many "Disappeared" names can work as Baron names or if I will need to search for other fancy, named characters to play the roles of Barons. (Not to be confused with any named Senators, who are making a mess of things over in rival region Iacon.)

[naturespelled]

AS IF YOU WERE A MYTHICAL THING, LIKE YOU WERE A TROPHY OR A CHAMPION RING. AND THERE WAS ONE PRIZE I'D CHEAT TO WIN.

Is that RICHARD MADDEN? No, that’s EOCHAIDH MAC DHURCÁIN. The 38 year old NATURE/COMMON WITCH ALPHA CIS MALE (HE/HIM) is an OCCULT STORE OWNER. If you ask their friends, they’re known to be AMBITIOUS & CHARMING, but beware, they’re also known to be DISMISSIVE & IMPULSIVE. Can you believe they’re from THE PRESENT? Me either.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: [ EOCHAIDH MAC DHURCÁIN ] NICKNAME: [ EOCH ] AGE: [ 38 ] GENDER: [ MALE ] SECONDARY GENDER: [ ALPHA ] PRONOUNS: [ HE/HIM ] SPECIES: [ NATURE/COMMON WITCH ] FAMILIAR: [ WHITE STAG ] ETHNICITY: [ WHITE, IRISH ] OCCUPATION: [ OCCULT STORE (CROW EYES) OWNER. ] RELIGION: [ PAGANISM. DRUIDRY. ] LANGUAGE, IN ORDER OF PROFICIENCY: [ IRISH, ENGLISH, SCOTTISH GAELIC ] ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: [ HOMOROMANTIC ] SEXUAL ORIENTATION: [ HOMOSEXUAL ] SEXUAL TEMPERAMENT: [ DOM ] SEXUAL POSITION: [ TOP ]

RELATIONSHIPS

SIGNIFICANT OTHER: [ TBD. ] PARENTS: [ TBA. ] SIBLINGS: [ redacted. ] FRIENDS: [ TBA. ]

PHYSICAL TRAITS

FACE CLAIM: [ RICHARD MADDEN ] EYE COLOUR: [ BLUE ] HAIR COLOUR: [ DARK GINGER, AUBURN TO BROWN, A GREY STREAK ] HEIGHT: [ 1.86 METRES ] BODY BUILD: [ ATHLETIC, LEAN BUFF ] FACIAL HAIR: [ LIGHT SCRUFFY BEARD CENTRED AROUND THE MOUTH, EXTENDING TO THE SIDE OF HIS FACE. ] TATTOOS + PIERCINGS: [ MAGICAL TATTOOS ON HIS ARM AND SIDE OF HIS BODY EXTENDING DOWN TO HIS FEET REPRESENTING HIS CONNECTION TO NATURE. ] NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: [ CHARMS AS A BRACELET AND A NECKLACE. ]

PHOBIAS AND DISORDERS

PHOBIAS/FEARS: [ tba. ] MENTAL DISORDERS: [ tba. ]

PERSONALITY

INTELLIGENCE: [ TBA. ] LIKES: [ OCCULT ITEMS. TEA. ] DISLIKES: [ TBA. ] POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES: [ AMBITIOUS, CHARMING ] NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES: [ DISMISSIVE, IMPULSIVE, PUSHY ]

AESTHETICS

AESTHETICS: [ HERBAL TEA. LEAVES CRUNCHING UNDER BOOT. NATURE. PETRICHOR. TREES. BARE FOOT IN SOIL. WHISPERS AROUND LEAVES. SMELL OF OLD BOOKS AND ANTIQUES. YELLOWED PAGES. FADED INK. TORN PARCHMENT. HORNED CROWN. MOSS. RUNIC STONES. FORCEFUL HAND. ROOTS SPROUTING UP FROM GRASS. ENTANGLED VINES. COMPLEX MAGICAL FINGERINGS. BREWING CAULDRON. THORNS OVERSHADOWING FLOWERS. CALLOUSED FINGERS. MIDNIGHT WALKS UNDER BLINKING STREETLIGHTS. ] INSPO: [ WILLOW MUSIC VIDEO BY TAYLOR SWIFT. IRON DRUID CHRONICLES. MOANA. ]

KINKS

KINKS: [ BREEDING (DUH). COLLARS. LEASHES. VERBAL FEMINISATION. BOOT KISSING/LICKING. RESTRAINS/BONDAGE (VINES). THONGS. CHOKING. PUBLIC. HUMILIATION. DEGRADATION. SOMNOPHILIA. WATERSPORTS. FACE FUCKING. STOMACH BULGING. GAPING. CONTROL. OBJECTIFICATION. TBA. ] ANTI-KINKS: [ VORE. SCAT. INFANTILISM. ]

BIOGRAPHY

raised by a single parent. always in tune with nature. enjoyed the outdoors and trees from a young age. almost drowned in a frozen pond when he was six. felt the call of nature. powers manifested then and he unconsciously saved himself. tension between his parent and him because of how much he started to emulate the other absent parent. now in new haven. owns and runs an occult store near the edge of the woods.

tba.

[victorluvsalice]

Kitchen/Dining Room – Because, as stated previously, the kitchen is now bigger! One of the big things I wanted to do in here was to add in the new appliances from Home Chef Hustle – the stand mixer, the waffle maker, and the pizza oven – and that required me to put in more counter space to make sure Alice still had a free counter to cook on. Which I did by making a line of island counters at the edge of where the “kitchen” floor meets the “dining room” floor. However, doing that meant that I couldn’t fit their original dining table in there anymore, and my searches for a smaller one didn’t really yield anything I liked. So I made the room slightly bigger (shrinking the mudroom and the hallway slightly) to accommodate the table. Worth it, though – I really like the new island counters with their appliances, and since they’re island counters, I was able to put some decorations around said appliances, like a kitchen scale (though not the HCH one, one of my CC ones from "Cottage Garden Stuff" by @plumbobteasociety), a cookbook on a stand, and Gino the MySim trophy (as he’s holding a pizza, I figured he should be near the pizza oven). I also upgraded the kitchen sink, added some hanging pots and pans from the ceiling, and replaced the coffee machine (which was worth $0 for some reason, but hell, I’m upgrading to more expensive stuff for everybody for a REASON, the gang is NOT hurting for money) with a tea maker, since that seemed more appropriate for the trio. (Or, at least, for Victor and Alice – Smiler is probably more of a coffee person, but as this version is a vampire and can’t drink any of it, moot point in this save!)

Back Patio – Simple change here – upgraded the chairs around the back table to slightly nicer, more comfortable ones. Which fortunately came in the same fun patterns as the previous set. :D Had to make sure they matched the umbrella!

Victor and Alice’s Bedroom – Going back upstairs, I replaced their old computer with the second Immersive Bend computer Smiler won at GeekCon and recolored it slightly, then got them a nicer officer chair to go with it. I originally also put one of the posters Victor found on a recent trip to San MyShuno up on the wall beside the desk...but then, while deciding if I really wanted to delete one of the medium-sized pictures of the gang posing in their swimwear on their trio honeymoon or not, I realized that “hey, I don’t have any pictures of that honeymoon in their room! Smiler has one – they should too!” So I stuck said picture up on the wall by their desk, moving the poster that had been there into Smiler’s room. :D So that worked out for everybody!

Both Upstairs Bathrooms – I upgraded the toilets to the really nice slate ones from Seasons in appropriate color patterns, then upgraded the sinks to better versions, changed out Victor and Alice’s shower for the nicest one, changed out Smiler’s bathtub for the nicest one, and upgraded the towel racks to the nicest ones. Basically, almost everything in both bathrooms is a lot nicer than it was. XD

Second Floor Hallway – The changes here were mostly about rearranging the collections on the walls – specifically, I put all the littler metals/minerals and the trio of elements Alice had collected on the hanging shelf that previously held the egg collection and put that by the door, then put all the bigger metal samples next to it on their shelf (recoloring both shelves to look similar and show off the samples to best effect). The other shelf that was previously holding the little metals/minerals went into the household inventory in case I need it later. I also put the other medium-sized picture of the trio on their honeymoon, along with one other picture of them posing outside their store, on the little notch outside Smiler’s room, as I thought they looked nice there over the pet bed. :)

Séance Room – I moved the knitting basket (and decorative yarn ball Kelly knocked out of it) and the big-ass rabbit plush they got in the mail (which I recolored to be fun polka dots) into the attic rec room, and ditched the rocking chair in the corner altogether, as the gang didn't really need it and I had no other place for it. I then moved one of the "Arcade Room Stuff" shelves (by Cepzid) containing Alice’s crystals out to fit in the display for all the various werewolf tablets and stuff (and put the one Victor fished up in its appropriate spot), then rearranged the crystals so they’d all fit into the remaining two shelves and I could delete the spare. And I finished by moving Alice’s meditation stool over to the opposite corner where the rocking chair was, as it looked like she was gonna bonk her head on the werewolf tablet shelves if she started levitating in her usual spot! XD Don't want that.

Rec Room – And finally, up in the attic, I put that one picture Victor did of Alice scratching herself on their honeymoon up by the microphone (again, couldn't bring myself to delete it); changed out the couch to another super-expensive, super-comfy one (this time blue with a gold frame to go with the rug); hung one of Alice’s spare paintings on the wall by the bubble blower (so there’s now three colorful paintings over there); and moved the recolored giant rabbit and the knitting basket over into the corner by Smiler’s frog collection. *nods* Good spot for everything that doesn't fit anywhere else!

And there you have it! Not a particularly HUGE remodel, except for maybe the kitchen, but the house is now a nicer place to live, and the decorations on the walls are perhaps a little more sensible. :p Next time, we see if the newly upgraded house helps everyone achieve their New Year's Resolutions!

[stvknt2]

     Gracie watched the bushes and trees pass by as Erick drove down the road. She wishes she could figure out where they’re at. Mostly because she just wants to know how far away from home they are. They’re on their way to a clothing store so Gracie could find a dress. Erick has a work event and he’s bringing her along.

     “You don’t have to worry about the price, Grace. Just get whatever you want to get. I want you to be comfortable.” He smiled softly at her and reached over and set his hand on her knee. She’s gotten used to him doing this so she doesn’t flinch anymore.

     “Okay, I’m a little nervous though,’ she set her hand on top of his so he can’t put it anywhere else, ‘I haven’t talked to another person in awhile. What if I forgot how to.” Gracie laughed nervously, playing with his fingers.

     “Oh, Gracie, you’ll do fine. I don’t think there’s a person out there that wouldn’t like you. It’ll come naturally to you as soon as you're back around others.” Erick shot her a big smile. She nodded her head, not sure what else she wanted to say.

     “Plus, you’re magnetic. They’ll love you, just the way I do.” He squeezed her knee trying to reassure her a bit.

     They drove in silence for the rest of the ride. Erick’s hand felt like it weighed a hundred pounds on her knee, every little squeeze and stroke felt like electricity flowing through her in the worst way imaginable. She didn’t want to be anywhere near him right now.

     The clothing store looks nice, not the kind of place Gracie would normally look for clothes, but it would do. They had some gorgeous dresses for her to wear. She’s sure that Erick will be happy with whatever she picks, it looks like these dresses show enough skin to make him drool, but not too much so she’s just serving herself up on a platter to him. The dresses Erick holds up for her to wear make her want to gag. He wants her to be like she was before he kidnapped her, but she will never give him that.

     She had a couple dresses she likes and she reluctantly took a couple Erick had wanted her to try on, and she went into the dressing room. She hasn’t got to look at herself in a while. She hardly recognized herself. She hasn’t looked in a mirror in God knows how long. She’s clearly gained some weight, but that doesn’t bother her too much. What bothers her is the lack of life to her skin. Her hair. She looks duller. She didn’t even want to try on any dresses, not looking like this. She’s not sure any would look good on her. How can Erick stand to look at her like this? He fell in love with her looking bright and full of life, now, she’s dwindled down to nothing. How can he still be interested in her like this? Is it because he’s the one doing this to her?

     She tried on the ones he wanted her to wear first, they disgusted her. He wants to show her off like a prized show horse. She’s not his trophy to ogle at and show off to others. He has complained to her about the way she dressed before he took her, saying that she looked like a whore. He seems to like it when he gets to have a confidence boost from it. Almost like he’s saying, ‘Look at the hot babe I was able to score! A boring old guy like me!’ They don’t know though, that she is being held here against her will.

     “How’s it going in there, Gracie? You like any of them? I think you’d look real pretty in the purple one.” Erick boomed from the other side of the door, making Gracie jump. She wasn’t expecting him to be right there. Waiting for her.

     She opened the door a crack so she could look at him. Her stomach flipped at the sight. She hates him, she does. Why doesn’t she just run? It’s not like he could catch her. What’s the point of putting up with his rules? Her heart started to pound in her chest.

     “I hate the ones you picked out. You have no sense of fashion. You don’t get my body type at all. I’ll look like a cheap whore if I go in any of those. Put them back.” Gracie spat, grabbing the dresses in her hands and shoving them in his direction.

     “C’mon Graciela, don’t be like that.” Erick whimpered, he looked like a dog that had just been kicked by his owner. For some reason, Gracie felt like kicking him again.

     “What? Were you hoping you could show me off to your coworkers? I’m not a fucking object, Erick. Fuck you. Plus, they’re not going to believe a girl like me is actually dating a man like you. You’re old. You’re ugly. You’re lucky you’ve been saving up your entire life, at least that’s a plus. Everyone at the dinner is going to look at you like the pathetic fool you are. They’re going to whisper about how I’m using you and how oblivious you are to it.” Gracie doesn’t know where this poison is coming from, but she doesn’t mind it. It felt good to be mean to him.

     Erick looked at her, stunned by her cruelty. Gracie has lashed out and said harsh things to him before, but this was too much. He genuinely felt his heart stinging and if he didn’t have better self control, he may even have tears in his eyes. This isn’t the Gracie he fell in love with, this is a stranger to him.

     “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Gracie, but you don’t talk to me like that. You need to watch yourself.” He pointed at her as he talked, voice low enough that only she could hear, like a parent scolding their child.

     “Fuck you.” She hissed back.

     “You know what, fuck it. You want to act like this, you're going to wear what I pick out. I was trying to be nice. You did this to yourself Graciela. Wait here while I pick out a dress for you.” Erick turned and walked away.

     Gracie closed the door, heart pounding in her chest. She hasn’t ever acted out like this before. She loves it. She feels alive. She realized he’s gone. He’s gone! She tore the dress off of herself as quickly as she could and tugged her clothes on, not caring if she looked a mess. This is her moment. She made sure Erick was occupied and she bolted for the door. She didn’t know where she wanted to go, she didn't know where she was. She just needs to find a phone. She’s almost positive she could muster up a phone number. She opened the door to the store and cringed at the bell that rang, but she’s sure Erick wouldn’t think twice about it. His little Gracie is obedient. She listens to him with her head bowed like any good pet would.

     The fresh air felt so nice, there was a chill breeze that just filled Gracie with more electricity. She’s going to finally break free from him! She will! She entered the nearest store, it looked like a little mom and pop shop. The lady behind the counter was older, she looked alarmed to see Gracie, does something seem off about her?

     “Excuse me? Can I please use your phone?” Gracie asked, panting, too excited to breathe properly.

     The lady stared at her for a couple seconds.

     “I don’t let customers use the phone.”

     “I get that! I do! But this is different. Can I please use the phone?”

     “Oh this is different huh? How so?” The old woman looked amused with herself. Gracie started to feel like panicking. She needs to make this call.

     “Please. I need to call my mom. I’ll pay you! Just please.” Gracie’s voice broke, and she suddenly felt the world begin to close around her again.

     “I don’t know. I think you need to leave. You’re acting strange.”

     Tears began spilling down Gracie’s cheeks, she felt her knees begin to shake. This can’t be happening. She’s so close, yet she also felt so far away. How is that possible? Why is this woman being like this? Doesn’t she have any empathy? A young girl like Gracie comes running into her shop, looking like this? And she just tells her to leave?

     “Please. I’m begging you! I was kidnapped. I’m being held against my will by this man. I need to call my mom. Or the police! Can you please call the police?” Gracie begged, leaning on her counter, head in her hands, sobbing now.

     “You need to leave. I can’t have this. I don’t want any trouble. You need help.”

     “Yes! I do! Please, call the police! I’ll wait outside! Please!” Gracie has never cried this hard in her life. How can the woman not see that she’s being serious? Sure, kidnapping may not be the most common thing in the world, but why isn’t she trying to be helpful?

     “He’s gonna find me. He’ll see that I left. Oh my God! If he finds me he’s going to kill me! Please, please!”

     “I’ll call the police. Just, wait in the b-”

     “Graciela!”

     Gracie’s heart sank. Hearing his voice was enough to immediately stun her into quiet. She looked up at the woman who looked back at her, she looked scared. Why didn’t she help her sooner?

     “I’m sorry ma’am. This is my wife, Graciela. She snuck away from me. C’mon Gracie, let's get you home.” Erick cooed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She flinched at his touch.

     “I can’t let you take her. She says you kidnapped her.” The woman inched towards the phone, hand grabbing the receiver.

     Erick let out a cruel laugh, rolling his eyes.

     “Are you serious? I thought you quit doing that Gracie. I know you aren’t happy with me now, but God, kidnapped you?” Erick squeezed her tightly as he talked.

     “She’s not well, mentally. She has these delusions. Her medication isn’t working, clearly. I’m sorry she bothered you.”

     “I don’t know sir. She looked really scared. Can I call the police, just so they can talk to you guys? They’ll figure this out. She looks too young to be your wife.” She stammered as she talked.

     “I’m not the first man to marry a girl half his age. Do you threaten to call the police on any other couples like that?”

     “Well, usually those wives aren’t claiming that their husbands kidnapped them, so no. But I don’t feel comfortable letting her go with you.”

     Gracie wished she could tug out of Erick’s grasp so she could go hug the woman. She’s glad that she found her spine. Better late than never.

     “Are you kidding? I told you, she’s delusional. She needs to get home where I can give her her medication. You’re not helping her by keeping her away from her meds.” Erick was so calm as he talked, it made a chill run down her spine. He can be so terrifying sometimes.

     “Miss, are you mentally ill? Do you take meds? Is he just saying this so I’ll let you go home with him?” She sounded so pained as she talked.

     “He’s lying. I’m not mentally ill. I don’t take ‘meds’. Please call the police.” Gracie begged, wincing as Erick squeezed her tighter.

     “Of course she’s going to say that! Look, I know you’re trying to do what you think is right, I respect that. It’s admirable. But this isn’t one of those situations. I’m going to take my wife, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” Erick said calmly, gripping onto Gracie tightly and tugging her to follow him. She tried her best not to follow but he’s stronger than her, she was able to break away from him for a second, but he gripped her by the wrist and tugged on her, feeling a sharp stinging feeling go shooting down her arm.

     “Help! Please help!” Gracie yelped, Erick whipped around and grabbed Gracie’s face in his hands.

     “Fucking stop it, Graciela. You’re already in enough trouble. If I were you, I’d be on my best behavior.” Erick spat, squeezing her cheeks hard. Tears poured down her face.

     “Why won’t you just let me go?” Gracie sobbed. She felt helpless. Her attempt at escape was useless. She’s never getting away from him unless he lets her go.

     “Why would I? You’re mine Gracie, when will you understand that?” He sounded sickly gentle, like he explained this to her a billion times. Maybe he has.

     He tugged her towards his car and opened the door, nudging her to get in. She was still crying, loud and uncontrolled. She was making quite the scene and that was making Erick nervous. This is exactly what he didn’t want to happen. This is why he didn’t want to take her out. He should have known that one of these days she was going to act out. It was only a matter of time. He closed the door to the passenger side and walked around the front and got in on his side. She was still crying, he hated hearing it. It made his stomach twist. Guilt.

     They drove back home mostly quiet. At some point Gracie stopped crying outright, and just whimpered. It was pitiful. Erick cycled through several emotions. Guilt. Anger. Sadness. Rage. He tried to think of what a punishment would be. There isn’t much he can do, she already has nothing. It’s not like she actually wanted to attend the dinner in the first place. He felt stuck. He doesn’t get why Gracie has to be like this. She’s so hot and cold. She’ll go days if not weeks seeming to be used to this arrangement. She laughs and talks to him, she follows him around the house like a lost dog. But that can all change in a moment's notice. She goes from the loving Gracie he knows, to a cruel mean woman. Sometimes, when she gets like this, he wonders if he made the right decision., bringing her home. But when she’s doing good, he’s reminded of everything he loves about her. 

     Sometimes he wonders if this is just the typical life of a man married to a woman with bipolar disorder. Maybe she isn't acting out like this because she hates him, maybe she’s having a manic episode. He’s gotten used to her ‘hypomanic’ episodes, maybe he doesn’t recognize full blown mania. Instantly he felt bad for her. He can’t punish her for actions she doesn’t mean to commit. His Gracie would never do what she did today. She’s a good girl. Obedient. She does as told. Manic Gracie is different, obviously. He sighed and reached over, setting his hand on her knee. She looked up at him, seeming confused.

     “I know you didn’t mean it, Graciela. I can’t be mad at you. You can’t control how you feel sometimes. I think we should look into maybe getting you stronger medication. You must feel miserable.” Erick looked over at her, offering her a kind, understanding smile. She looked at him, mouth agape. She felt utterly dumbstruck. Is he an idiot?

     “I’m not manic. I take my fucking medication the way I’m supposed to. What the fuck is your problem Erick? Are you delusional enough to believe that I can’t be fucking upset you kidnapped me? I don’t want to be here with you. I want to go home.” Gracie spat, hands shaking and she pushed his hand off of her knee. She could hardly see straight; she was so angry.

     “We are heading home. I don’t think you realize how bad you’ve been lately. I will admit, I’m not very familiar with bipolar disorder, but you say you have the one that’s not as bad right? Hm. I’m not sure about that.” Erick nodded his head slowly as he talked, pushing his glasses up his nose. He didn’t look at her.

     “Fuck you? Don’t tell me what I have! I know what the fuck I have, Erick. At least I have a fucking excuse, what’s yours huh? You’re a monster! Who kidnaps someone and keeps them locked up in their house? You want me to love you right?”

     He nodded his head slowly.

     “Let. Me. Go. Maybe you and I can talk. We can get coffee. Meet the old fashioned way. See if we’re actually compatible.”

      “You expect me to believe that you’d do that? You’re going to run to the police the first chance you have. I’m not letting you go. You’re going to realize you love me and that’s that. I love you so much Gracie. One day you’ll see that. You have to.” Erick didn’t look at her as he spoke, it’s like he knew that he couldn’t.

     Gracie can’t help but wonder if Erick actually believes any of this. Or is he just repeating this over and over again until both of them are forced to believe it? Gracie will never love Erick, and she knows that nothing she does will ever be enough to get him to understand that. Gracie hates knowing that she’s stuck with a man that will never listen to reason. She will always be his trophy and nothing else. She may as well just get used to being here.

     “Can I still go to the dinner with you?” Gracie asked, voice low enough that Erick could barely hear her.

     He looked at her for a few moments and shook his head no.

     “I don’t think so. Not this time, Graciela. I can’t trust you.” He said, reaching over and turning the radio up. Conversation over. Gracie sighed and rested her head against the seat.

     She didn’t think about the fact that this will be one of the only events where she can talk to other people. She lost the opportunity to talk to someone other than Erick. Maybe she is a fool. She needs to quit being irrational and thinking about these things. This isn’t a normal life. She has to think of the outcomes and what could happen to her. She can’t seem to understand that for some reason.

[xpertawards]

https://xpertawards.com/2024/02/21/metal-trophies-awards-in-delhi-near-me/