#which is also very Nick Miller

[theapangea]

One Night Stand

Pairing/Characters: Nick Miller x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

Summary: A very fun one night stand with Nick Miller.

Warning: 18+ Minors DNI!!! unprotected p in v, bj, fingering, eating out v, Nick kind of a dom ;)

A/N: My first official Nick Miller post yay! Let me know what you think! thank u for supporting my work! If you see any mistakes...no you didn't!

*Also posted on AO3: theapangea*

Masterlist <3

Kissing Nick Miller is a little sloppy to say the least.

The wet kisses mixed with the buzz of the lasting alcohol that still coats each of your tongues as you stumble your way to his place, excited for the night ahead. His lips barely leave yours as he reaches into his pocket for the keys. His other hand pulling you closer by the small of your back, needing you close enough to feel your heartbeat. And at this moment, it was beating rapidly against his chest.

The door opens to the dimly lit loft, the presence of people long forgotten, as the two of you stumble in. The playful laughs dance around the room, swirling around the both of you. More giggles escape your lips as Nick tries to shush you, prompting you to shush him in return. And the more you each try to keep the other quiet, the more laughs fill the quiet room. It was a lose-lose situation during this late hour.

His fingers intertwine with yours, leading you towards his room near the front of the loft. A smile residing on your face, the giggles still on the tip of your tongue as you watch his silhouette in the moonlight. He is a little rough around the edges but that’s what you like. 

Letting you into the room first, the door shutting quickly after that. And then his body is suddenly so close. Moving the hair away from your neck, his lips kiss the soft skin so delicately. His hands rub along your shoulders down your arms, a trail of goosebumps follows shortly after as you begin to melt under his touch.

His rough hands now run gently across your soft skin, the complete opposite from the moments the two of you shared a few moments earlier. Leaning your back against his chest as his hands wrap underneath your arms, his fingers making quick work of your button up shirt. Tearing the garment off of your shoulder, dropping it to the floor. The cool air mixes with the heat of your radiating skin.

Nick kisses a trail along the back of your neck as he fumbles to get your bra off. The multiple profanities coming from his mouth as he struggles makes you giggle. Finally unhooking the latch before his hands come around your chest, cupping both breasts as you arch back into his embrace. Nick delicately plays with your nipples between his fingers, squeezing, tugging, twisting. All of which cause sweet whines to escape your perfect lips.

Snaking his right hands around your throat, squeezing both sides with his thick fingers around. Pressing his fingertips harder into your skin as his left hand is still tugging at your sensitive nipple. His tongue dragging up your neck, his hot breath in your ear, “Be a good girl and get on your knees for me.”

And the dam near collapsed at his raspy words filling your empty head. A heavy breath releasing from your body as his hands let you go. Suddenly so cold and fragile without his body close to you. 

You do as you are told, turning around to face him. Nick’s eyes bouncing from your gaze to each perky breast in front of him. Licking his lips as you lower yourself on to the floor. Big doe, innocent eyes ready to be defiled starring back up to him and his large stature.

Nick slowly starts to unbuckle his belt, making the movements more emphasized as he practically sees you salivating for his cock. You are driving him crazy. Nick drops his jeans and boxers to the floor, the fabrics pooling around his ankles as he begins to stroke his throbbing member. He reaches out a hand, wrapping his fingers in your hair as he pulls you closer. 

Now only inches away from his leaking tip, “Stick your tongue out for me baby,” and like a good little girl your tongue extends from your mouth directly underneath his cock but not touching it. Nick shakes his head in disbelief, “God, you are so pretty.” His hand release the bunch of hair as it moves around your face, his thumb rubbing against your bottom lip. 

Squeezing your thighs together from his sweet words. Your body is vibrating as you physically cannot wait any longer until you are able to taste the delicious liquid that leaks from his tip. Finally closing the small gap between your lips and his hard cock, tongue reaching out, swirling around the head as an intense inhale from Nick jolts through the room. 

The fierce sensation running through Nick’s body as he lets out a deep groan, his hand on his shaft moving back and forth as you continue to lick the oozing juices. You don’t dare to break eye contact with him, the hint of a smile running across your face, pleased with being able to make him feel so good.

Your hands graze up his bare thighs, fingers digging deeply into his skin as you begin to take his length into your open hole. Tongue swirling the sensitive bottom before flattening your tongue to accommodate his size as you inch further and further down his shaft. Nick’s hand nestles in the back of your head, wrapping his fingers tightly around your locks as he guides you down. 

Saliva leaking from your mouth, tears accumulating in your eyes as the girth opens you wide. Only stopping when you can’t go down anymore, the tip pressing firmly in your throat. Whining as you try to push his cock deeper and deeper. 

“Stay still for me,” Nick whispers, his breath catching in his throat as both of his large hands hold your face still as he begins to buckle his hips into your mouth. The pace was slow at first, taking his time to explore your mouth with his aching cock. Until he finds his sweet spot, that’s when his pumping increases and pools of water form in your eyes, sending tears down your cheeks. The sound of choking fills the room, fills his ears, instinctively making him pump faster.

Pushing deeper and deeper into your mouth. “Eyes on me baby,” his voice is shaking as you lock eyes with him, his member pushing deeper down your throat. “You can do it baby.” 

His words make you squeeze your thighs together, the wetness starting to leak. The pure act of being face fucked by Nick sending you to the moon. 

Nick thrusts hard one last time but quickly pulls himself out of your mouth. Suddenly feeling so empty without him invading you. Finally filling your lungs again with fresh air as your chest heaves up and down. Nick bends down, kissing you on the forehead as both hands latch underneath your armpits and he’s pulling you up onto both feet.

But what he doesn’t know is that you may not be able to stand. 

Nick’s eyes are soft as he scans your delicate features, pausing for a beat to look at your weakened state. Your hands firmly hang onto his biceps, squeezing as you feel his muscles move underneath his cotton shirt. 

His hand only comes up as his thumb traces your bottom lip, pulling in for a kissing. He is intense. The confidence that radiates off of him, the way he talked, the way he moved, makes your body weak. The overwhelming passion pulsing around the room, wanting to show you that he wants you, that he needs you.

Your lips attempts to match his rhythm but are still feeling loss after what just happened. His tongue pressing against your bottom lip, asking for entry. Letting him in for the first time, his tongue searches for yours, swirling around inside of your mouth as he starts to move you backwards.

Your arms snaking around his neck as to steady yourself, letting him guide you. Your fingers glide upwards, fingers grasping his short brown hair, pulling the strand of hair ever so slightly. You can feel his smile through the kiss. 

The back of your knees hit the bed in no time as Nick gently lowers you into the soft mattress. Breaking your kiss to place light pecks down your jaw, throat, collarbone, breast, nipple, stomach, until he gets to the top of your jeans. 

His fingers make quick work to unbuckle your pants and slide them down your legs. Leaving you in your lace panties with a little bow on the front. His lips pull into a smile when he catches the bow, fingers grazing along the fabric before both hands glide down your thighs. Pushing apart your legs once his hands get to your knees. 

Your core is so sore already, leaking through your undies this entire time. Body shaking as his fingers stroke back up your thighs, tracing small circles on your inner thighs. 

“Nick,” His name sounds so sweet coming from your mouth, pleading as the breath falls,  “please.” 

Exactly what he was waiting for, you begging for his touch. His fingers to fuck you, his tongue to suck over your swollen clit. Just like you, he can’t wait to taste the sweet elixir that leaks from your body. 

His pointer finger reaches to graze over the fabric, the light sensation sending your hips jolting to the roof. The waves of euphoria are already circling through your body and he has barely touched you.

Hooking his finger underneath the material as he moves it to the side, exposing your pretty little core to the angel sitting between your legs. His thumb instantly stoking your inflamed nub, applying light pressure to the sensitive area. Your whines muffle through the room as your fingers soak into the rough fabric of the blanket. His name falling delicately from your lips between moans. 

Spreading your split apart with his middle and index fingers, prompting sliding them inside as you. The long digit curling perfectly inside your core. Pumping in rhythm to his circling thumb. 

Digging his thick finger further inside of you, dipping his head as he replaces his thumb with his warm tongue. The soft tissue swirling around your tender clit. Licking and sucking as he fingers continue to pump faster, finally finding a good pace as his mouth puts in the work. 

The repetitive movement sending you over the edge as you moan wildly. Hands tousled in his locks as you buckle underneath his mouth. Grinding rapidly against his tongue as intense sensation pushes you into euphoria. 

Your chest falls up and down as you are spread across the bed, vision still blurry from the amazing overdrive of intensity that just radiated through your body. Lifting your head to meet the cocky smile that is plastered on Nick’s face. The smile of a man who knows you have never felt this way with anyone else. You can’t help but smile back as you let your head fall back into the bed.

You feel the mattress shift underneath you as a hot body begins to hover over your fragile frame. His present totally engulfs yours, absolutely ready to be fucked by this attractive man. 

Your legs spread apart as he positions himself between them. Hand on his leaking cock, pumping several times to lube up his length. Pressing the shaft down as the tip runs against your nub, moving down to your wet entrance. 

A shared moan fills the room as he begins to push into your sweet pussy. Back arching as his size stretches your walls. 

“Fuck…”

“You can take it darling.” He encourages you as he continues to push into your sweet folds.

Your face contorting into pleasure as his entire length is now finally inside of you. Nick lowers himself down, catching one nipple in his mouth. The tiny whimper escapes your lips as Nick starts to pull his hips back, guiding his shaft in and out of your delicious pussy.

His head settles into the crook of your neck as he finds his speed. Arms wrapping underneath you as he thrust deeper and deeper into your folds. Rolling your hips against him, your clit rubbing against his skin sending waves up your body.

Moving in perfect unison with each other as the sweet release is near for the both of you. Nick’s thrust starts to become messier, each hard pound inside of you hitting the right spot. Toes curling as you muffle your screams in his neck.  

Fucking you faster and faster, your whining mixing deliciously with his groans. Shaking breathes all mix together with his lips crashing into yours. 

His pumps becoming sloppy and uneven, “I'm gonna cum,” you hum into his mouth. Making him pump faster than ever before to send you spirling over the edge, a out of body experience as he fucks you into oblivion. 

Nick’s thrust slows as his hot liquid fills inside of you. Kissing the softness of your cheek before peeling away from you. 

Nick collapses onto the bed, a lazy smile firmly plastered on his face. Arms reaching over to wrap around your lifeless frame. Wet kisses lingering down your neck before nuzzling into the soft skin. 

“Maybe we can make this more than just a one time thing?” Nick’s sleepy voice vibrates against you.

“Definitely.”

~~~

So??? What did you think?? Definitely let me know!!

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

saw speak no evil last night, which i really enjoyed! it proved to be my very favorite kind of stressful movie, i.e. a slowburn thriller where people go to a beautiful and remote location and then Things Go So Wrong! it reminded me a lot of other faves ex machina, men, 10 cloverfield lane, the menu, ready or not, the recent blink twice, etc.

just some thoughts about this movie (spoilers!)--

+ i really enjoyed all the gender role stuff going on in this one a whole bunch. this is, of course, a classic gothic romp in my eyes. therefore, watching the dad -- down on his luck, feeling emasculated by his female family and by life not favoring him as much as it was supposed to! -- get seduced by the alpha male andrew tate-y bs embodied by james mcavoy's character, like the dad was but a shrinking naive gothic heroine missing or even lusting after all the red flags, was SUCH a fun subversion to me. yes! yes!!!

+ every time that mackenzie davis's character tried to establish boundaries and they got run over and then she let it slide to be palatable, i viscerally FELT THAT. there was, of course, a big element of 'privileged people wanting to appear woke so they keep being boundlessly pityingly nice to the poor people', but even deeper than that, i think this was a great portrayal of how women in particular are expected to constantly accommodate and ignore their intuition. the bit with making her eat the goose. D: and it got worse!

+ i also really liked how in the big showdown, the mom and the kids were the ones who actually took out the enemies, and the dad was the only one without a 'kill' to his name. (though he did sacrifice himself by jumping off the roof, mirroring Accomplice Wife's self-sacrificial death!)

+ gosh, the dark implications re: Accomplice Wife's character were so harrowing - the victim becoming the abuser - and the fact that the little girl was being primed to follow in her footsteps ..... D:

+ i enjoyed that the kids were the ones who had the sort of Big Finding Bluebeard's Closet Of Dead Wives Reveal. (my bf pointed out that this is a bluebeard story, and it so is! my favorite!) that sort of ASOUE-y feeling of kids having to make it on their own because adults aren't a guaranteed source of safety. MAN, poor ant. :'( that kid had a HORRIBLE time. i really admire his persistence in keeping on fighting and trying to communicate.

+ i saw someone in the reddit discussion thread say that couple vs. couple is an underrated trope, and i agree! would love to see more of that in cinema.

+ love how the title operates both on the level of "this kid can speak no evil about what we do because we cut his tongue out" AND "don't ever say anything mean to people or you might hurt their feelings and what could possibly be worse than that (oh, this, i guess) 😬"

+ can't believe they did nick miller's favorite song cotton eyed joe so dirty like that. :( that scene honestly brought tears to my eyes from pure misery. the fact that some parents really do treat their kids like that ...................... (even if that wound up not being totally the situation in this particular movie). disgusting and heartbreaking.

+ the most a+ "eternal flame" use since gilmore girls.

+ after i watched the movie i read up on what the original film was like, and may i just say: that would have broken me psychologically in the movie theatre. thank god i didn't have to see that. THANK GOD! sometimes american optimism really works for me, honestly. if it's a gothic, then in the gothic, they've always got to make it out at the end!!! bruised and bloodied and haunted but still standing! so i'm really glad they did!

+ it honestly never occurred to me that people would thirst over james mcavoy in this movie, because he's so gross and horrible, but it takes all sorts to make a world, it turns out. the internet teaches me that every day!

+ anyway, i had a great time watching this! would definitely watch again! but gosh, was it a special kind of fun and stressful to watch it unfold the first time.

[uselesssomebody]

𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕦𝕝𝕪 (𝕝) - neighbor!joel miller x reader (pre!outbreak)

complete masterlist | joel miller masterlist

"𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕖 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕥𝕙 𝕠𝕗 𝕛𝕦𝕝𝕪 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕥 𝕝𝕚𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕣 𝕠𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙, 𝕞𝕪, 𝕞𝕪" - you can be the boss | lana del rey

words || 𝟠.𝟛𝕜

summary || in which the reader gets real friendly with one of her neighbors

next part || fourth of july (II)

a/n || in honor of that one deleted dvcree edit. may it rest in peace ➵ i became ghastly ill when i tried to write so apologies that it took a while. ➵ this is set before the events of the show, back when joel and sarah were still both alive and in austin, texas. i've never been so i dunno how accurate my descriptions are, or my accents, either. don't hate them please ➵ there is an age gap in this story !! if that makes you uncomfortable, i have many other non-age-gap fics you can browse on my page. reader is like 27 and joel is like 36. he's not old, though he is mentioned as such because he's old compared to her. also canonical dilf ➵ thinking of putting out a sister blog but with darker fics? what're we thinking, guys? ➵ send me requests if you have ‘em. enjoy!

warnings || fluff/smut ➵ unprotected sex ➵ piv sex ➵ oral (m receiving) ➵ fingering ➵ overstimulation ➵ facial & cum ig (tell me if i miss anything)

austin was hot.

she was sure that was one of her first thoughts as she’d stepped off the plane, quick to push her suddenly-heavy locks out of her face. lugging luggage and a young teen with her certainly didn’t make it better, but the light gust of fresh air when she stepped out of the airport left her sighing deeply in relief.

flagging down a taxi was simple enough, but getting her sister to help place their suitcases in the trunk was not.

“nicole - please get off your ass and help me!” she said it in such a sweet voice, that her harsh choice of words seemed to both mildly bewilder and amuse the driver.

no one called nicole ‘nicole’, except, of course, her big sister - and even then, only to frighten her. to everyone else she was just nicky and, if they were real close, nick.

swallowing sharply at the implied warning - the use of her full name - she did, indeed, get off her ass and help push the last suitcase into the trunk.

they piled into the backseat, the cool of the a.c. soothing the light flush on the sisters’ skin. she’s quick to give the driver the address, and he nods, setting off.

neither of them had imagined ever moving back to austin, but here they were.

it’d been about 13 years, as far as she remembers, and the scenery had changed significantly. more people bustled around the streets than there had been before, more businesses had seemingly popped up, and everything seemed fancier.

nicky wouldn’t have noticed the change, having moved alongside her family at the ripe age of a year old, but her significantly older sister could.

she still remembers how her parents had sat her down - on a pretty summer evening before her freshman year. they’d mentioned many things - how the family was due for a new start, how austin wasn’t so feasible for them anymore, and so on. the only thing she’d heard was change and loss.

and that's what it was for her. her whole life turned upside on its head, as the family of 4 made the move across the country to the cold state of michigan. and that’s where they’d stayed - for the rest of her childhood, and then her adulthood, too.

her parents had been young when they’d had her. very young, and she sometimes sensed the sadness that she caused them because of it. they never tried to be outward about it, and her life had been as happy as she could have realistically wanted it.

and, though she loved her young sister, she knew that she became less important in the eyes of her parents after nicky’s birth, taking the back-burner to make space for the family’s golden child, conceived with careful planning and meticulous care - as opposed to the case that she’d been.

now, though, being much older, she didn’t let that bother her, though she never felt particularly at home in michigan. in fact, the last place she’d felt at ease had been austin, and when her father had stated that he couldn’t continue to find renters for their old property there, and was thinking of selling it, she was quick to discourage him, swaying him by stating she’d be more than happy to stay there, renting under her parents. they’d been excited at the notion of being able to keep the house, she was happy to get out of there, and nicky was… well, she was, frankly, devastated at the thought of her big sister being several states away.

regardless of the tense family dynamic, the both of them had remained steadfastly bonded, with her providing the role of a caretaker as much as she was a sister to nicky when her parents found themselves unable to relate to or understand their young daughter. nicky’d begged for weeks to travel with her sister, and her parents had been - to put it lightly - hesitant, worried that the big change would affect their daughter’s development.

nicky was outgoing, for sure, and she had her friends and her school - but she knew all those came and went. the only rock she’d truly had in her life was her sister, and the notion of losing her had been too much to bear.

she’d gotten ill after that first week it was announced - it was as much a physical sickness as it was a psychological one - and the wallowing she had done at the advent of the news had only spurred the sickness to be harsher.

her parents had had to reprioritize after that, finally grasping the profound effect the separation might have on the two.

and that’s what led them here - just a few blocks away from her childhood home.

nicky wasn’t sure how exactly she felt about the suburban environment after their last few years in an apartment at the heart of the city, but when she looked over, she could see her sister’s happy - nay, giddy - face. that was definitely a big plus.

she had practically fallen out of the car in her excitement, and she spent just a minute marvelling at the fact that building hasn't changed a bit from when she last saw it.

it had transported her back to her teenage self, and, lost in the moment, the taxi driver wondered if he should remind her of her bags and his fare. nicky, who had been less of a help on the ride here, started unloading them herself, and it took until the second suitcase for him to help her.

“just give her a minute,” she mumbles, making him laugh lightly. hearing the conversation, she snaps her head back, realizing that most of the bags were already on the pavement.

“oh! sorry,” she fished into her wallet, producing his fare, which he accepted with a nod and salute. she smiled, the two sisters thanking him and waving him off, before turning back to their place, “excited?” she mumbles it to nicky.

“incredibly,” she said it with a faux-bored expression, but even she could appreciate the extra space this house would provide them.

she walks up the patio steps, slotting the key she’d so delicately carried the entire journey here into the lock, and hearing the distinct click it made when it opened.

the sound of a new beginning.

it'd been a few weeks, and everything was shockingly alright. the house felt more like home to her than anywhere she'd ever been, and though nicky was still adjusting, she felt infinitely better in a somewhat unfamiliar environment with her sister, as opposed to a familiar one without her. the house had three bedrooms, and nicky’d happened to pick her childhood bedroom out of the two offered to her, and, though nicky hadn't realized yet, she could see the love she’d put into the bedroom when she was younger: chipped wallpaper where she’d put her posters, a faint ring of liquid on the windowsill from where she'd kept her potted plant, the creak of the bed whenever someone would sit on it.

hey, she never said it was perfect, and they'd been quick to make their way to the furniture store closer to the city to find some new things for the place. all she was glad about was that there was no need for renovations in the old house.

they'd found a lot of time to spend together; having moved early into the summer, they'd hoped nicky would get acquainted with the change before going to school. that’d also left her to be a somewhat bored teen, so she did what she, as a younger sibling, did best: annoy her sister.

of course, she didn't mind, simply happy they had a chance to hang out, something that had been harder to do for her between work back in michigan, and her school. currently, she was also taking a break, having left her job, and having a new one lined up in another month.

that left ample time for them to catch up on all the movies and t.v. they'd had to watch, and for the older sister to teach nicky a thing or two about good music. she couldn't have her sister entering high school with a bad taste of music - it'd be blasphemous. she'd been brushing up on her housekeeping abilities as well, so the time also consisted of teaching nicky of how to cook, and keep everything in the house in order to minimize the risk of damage.

that time had begun to dwindle as of recent, with nicky being out of the house more often. she'd come into her sister's room sporadically, in order to ask her permission to meet with a friend. she'd tend to say yes, considering her sister was old enough to handle herself, though she was always a little shocked at the speed at which nicky made friends.

on one fine morning, she finally sat her down.

“so, who's this friend you've been spending all your time with?” it'd been in the middle of breakfast, and nicky'd become frozen, spoonful of cereal sticking out of her mouth. she’s quick to realize the awkward position, pulling the spoon out of her mouth, and hastening her chewing in order to answer the question more quickly.

“you haven't met her? oh my god, you absolutely have to. she's been showing me around the place - apparently she knows all the coolest spots, cause her and her dad - they've been living here for, like, forever, and-” the sudden onslaught of information made the older sister practically recoil, before it was replaced by an amused chuckle.

“well, mom and dad were worried about how well you'd adjust, but it seems like you're doing just fine.” nicky smiled too, though it was a little sheepish, “so, where did you say she stayed?” she was still slightly confused as to how nicky had met her, as she'd never exactly strayed very far from the house.

“oh, she lives next-door. didn't I mention?” the information was jarring for a moment, as it seemed a massive oversight on her part to not even notice her adjacent neighbors, but she suddenly found herself remembering something. there had been a young girl coming out of the house next door with a bag slung over her shoulder, and her hair pulled back and under a visor to protect her from the blinding texan sun. she’d been out to attend to some of the plants she had bought for the porch, and she had looked up when she’d heard the girl’s crunching steps on the somewhat gravelly pavement.

she’d smiled and waved at her, and she’d nodded back, just slightly confused by the encounter. of course, due to the nature of it, she’d promptly forgotten about it by evening, but she was quickly coming to realize that this must be the girl that nicky was talking about.

“wait - she’s the one with the big hair, wears band shirts?” nicky nods enthusiastically, and she smiles approvingly. the young girl seemed sweet enough, and she was more than happy that nicky had already found a friend.

the next week, nicky had been begging that they invite sarah over for dinner. it’d been a chill weekend anyways, so she was definitely not opposed to the idea, but she was quick to extend the invitation.

“okay, okay - invite her over on sunday. tell her to invite her parents too; it’d be nice to meet the neighbors.” nicky was quick to shake her head.

“parent, it’s just her and her dad.” she corrected herself quickly.

“right, ‘f course. invite him over too, then.” nicky nodded excitedly, rushing over to her room to get on the phone with sarah along the street.

that sunday, she did join the sister’s for dinner, but, as she’d been ushered into the house by two friendly smiles, she seemed to putting off a phrase at the tip of her tongue.

“s’everything ‘lright, hun?” she was quick to notice her guest’s guarded appearance, as she’d sat on the couch with nicky.

“hmm? oh, yeah, yeah. it’s just - my dad’s working tonight, so he couldn’t make it.” she waved her off.

“oh, don’t worry about that, we’re just happy you’re here!”

nicky echoed the sentiment, and the two young girls spent their time talking and laughing, a couple miscellaneous snack bowls spread over the coffee table as sarah became more comfortable. they’d migrated to the dining table when they’d been served dinner. she didn’t tend to cook for guests, so she attempted to pull out all her makeshift stops and, considering the end product, she was quite satisfied with the result.

no one was more excited than nicky and sarah, though - the both of them practically scarfing down the delicious meal. the conversation had turned to include all three of them, and sarah was beginning to reacquaint the both of them to austin, while they entertained her with stories of their time in michigan.

though they’d tried their very best, neither girl came all that close to finishing all the food she’d set out, so she was quick to package it up, sending sarah on her way with the food as a nod to her father’s missed opportunity.

“are you sure? i mean, i don’t know if i can take this-”

“yes, you can. unless you don’t think he’ll like it-”

“no! absolutely not, he’ll love it, it’s just-”

“sarah.” the faux-strict tone made sarah’s face crack into a smile, before she nodded, tucking the packet under her arm as she turned to say her goodbyes to nicky.

once she’d left, she pounced on her older sister.

“isn’t she great?” startled, she laughed, before nodding.

“definitely.”

june passed quickly, and, by july, she’d finished the paperwork for the house, for her job, and for nicky’s school. she was glad to know that it was the same one that sarah went to, and, with the added comfort of her sister spending increasing amounts of time exploring austin, she’d sat her cramped joints down in front of the t.v., vying at the chance to enjoy some trashy reality or game show.

though the sun still provided sweltering heat, when she left the kitchen and living room windows slightly ajar, she could feel the hint of a breeze work in place of their energy-consuming a.c. - which she’d turned off for that exact reason.

she turned her head from the t.v., the contestants on the screen continuing to speak with the host, and she let her eyes drift over the sliver of scenery that she could see through the half-obstructed kitchen windows. some of her neighbors had put up american flags. some were old, new, tattered, printed, there was even one that seemed to be homemade. of course, she knew this behavior was really only reserved in this neighborhood during this time of year, as the texans prepared to celebrate the 4th of july.

reminiscing of her own experiences with the holiday: going swimming with friends, eating good meals, and the occasional barbecue at a friend’s place - she was caught off guard when she heard the doorbell ring. it made her jump, but she quickly composed herself, standing up and brushing off her clothes.

she ran her fingers through her hair and, hoping she looked presentable, she opened the door.

it was her neighbor on her other side, a woman by the name of martha. she was a little older - her and her husband - and they were absolute sweethearts. in fact, they were the first to greet the new neighbors, back on their second day here. she was looking up at her with an excited smile.

“martha, hi! what can i do for you!”

“well - i was just wondering if you’d join us: we’re having a little barbecue tomorrow for the 4th, and i’ve invited a few of the neighbors. we’d really love to have you and nicky.”

she was just a bit taken aback by the invitation, but she didn’t hesitate in her response.

“of course, we’d be happy to be there! shall i bring anything?”

“no, of course not, dear. we’re hosting, just bring your little one.” she let out a light laugh, agreeing. martha bid her a quick goodbye, and headed in the next house’s direction - the millers.

perfect, she thought, nicky’ll have some fun too, then.

july the 4th, and a neighborhood barbecue. it’s a nation-wide phenomenon, then.

nicky’d been significantly more excited than her, once again, proving herself to be the more social one. nevertheless, as the younger girl got ready the next morning, her older sister spent her time finishing a tin of muffins. martha’d assured her she didn’t have to bring anything, but it almost hurt her soul to show up empty-handed. if she’d calculated correctly - and she’d hoped she’d done - she’d made just about enough for the whole group.

by 11:30, they were both ready, and she’d placed two boxes of them in nicky’s hand, while she carried the other two. the both of them made their way over, and she noticed the large group mingling in their yard and backyard. she could see martha’s husband, john, commandeering their large grill, a corona in his hand. she looked around for martha, and caught the eye of the woman as she turned away from greeting another guest.

“oh, you two ‘re here, perfect.”

“hey, martha. look, i know what you said, but-” martha gasped in delight at the boxes as she neared and noticed them, lightly taking them off of her.

“they look great; you haven’t stressed making them, have ya?”

“no - no, it’s my pleasure, really.” martha smiled at her, a mix of graciousness and happiness, before turning her attention to nicky.

“hey, nicky. how’re ya holding up?” nicky nodded.

“good, pretty good. thanks for having us.” she waved her hand at the notion, ushering the both of them inside.

for the first hour, she got acquainted with martha’s husband, the smiths from across from them, and marriots from down the road. they were all very curious about michigan and she, in turn, curious about how much exactly austin had changed since she’d last been here. at the same time, nicky was talking to a pair of twins a year younger than her who lived about two houses down. they were pretty cool, and were going to the same school as her, so they were filling her in on some of the school-wide drama: stuff sarah never cared so much about.

speaking of which, by about 12:30, she hears sarah’s voice greeting someone, and she turns her head, waving at her. behind her is her father, two packs of cold ones in his hands, that he sets down as he greets the hosts. sarah’s quick to detach from him, saluting him goodbye, as she instead makes her way over to nicky and the two other girls.

nicky's older sister had been enraptured in a conversation about the new dog the marriots were getting next week, when she felt someone come up to her.

john had brought joel over to the group, and he integrated without interrupting the story, letting mr. marriot express his excitement for the miniature pinscher they were getting. once he was done, he notices the newest member of his audience.

“hey! joel, how’re ya doin’?” his words turned the attention of everyone in the group, and she realized that this was the coveted joel miller: the man she missed for that one dinner. she turned her head to look at him, flashing him a friendly smile, but it almost froze on her face as she drank in his appearance.

good god, was he fine. messy hair that he’d pushed back, a full beard and an intense gaze. jesus, he was piercing straight through her, his eyes boring into hers while his mouth reflected a polite smile. she averted her gaze for a moment, before john is quick to introduce them.

“and this is joel; him and his daughter live right next door to you guys.” she nods, reaching over to shake his outstretched hand.

“nice to meet you; you’re sarah’s dad?” he nods, smiling at the mention of his daughter. she made the mistake of looking up to catch his gaze, and she felt her breath hitch. the moment passed as she released his hand, but, when she looked back up at his face for a half-second, as ms. smith began talking about her daughter, she swore she saw a smirk in the corner of his mouth.

the lunch had been lovely, and the company had been better. she’d heard stories of four neighbor’s dogs, and seven neighbor’s kids, and then stories of john and martha’s holiday the previous winter, and she felt much closer to the entire neighborhood. nicky had been bustling between her and her friends the entire time, as had sarah, but with her father.

speaking of whom - joel was interesting. he seemed just a bit tired, and maybe bit quiet compared to the others, but he had managed to find a keen amusement in making her squirm. and how could she not? this attractive, sweet, hot, funny, hot, gentlemanly, hot single dad was meeting her eyes every few moments with a gaze that made it look like he wanted to make her forget her name.

did she mention he was hot?

as was she, after a few hours of this strange back and forth, where the both of them seemed to be enraptured in the conversations they were in, but couldn’t seem to take their attention off each other.

jesus christ - he’s your neighbor. and he’s 10 years older than you. and he’s got a daughter who is best friends with your sister!

she jumped when nicky had come up to her, shocked by the feeling of practically materializing her sister.

“hey, i was wondering if i could go over to sarah’s place? i’ll be home in the evening.” nicky seemed a little tired of the party, obviously not the absolute best scene for a teenager like her.

“huh? oh, um - is she and her dad okay with that?”

“i’m alright with it,” a deep voice came from behind her, and she whipped her head around. joel had a kind smile on his face, and he was looking over at nicky, nodding.

“oh, thank you mr. miller! i appreciate it.” nicky smiled back up at him, before looking at her sister with practically puppy eyes.

“alright, nicky. be home by 5.”

“by 6, see you!” nicky rushed off before she had a chance to argue, and she opened her mouth, stuck between bemusement and amusement at her gall. joel laughed behind her, a deep, quiet noise. she didn’t realize how close he was to her, feeling the vibrations of his body in her own. she turned to properly face him, taking a half-step back to allow herself a more comfortable angle to look at him.

“nicky’s always so excited to hang out with sarah, and i can see why: she’s really sweet.” he smiled at the compliment for his daughter, his eyes holding a far-away quality that indicated his reminiscing of her.

“yeah - yeah, nicky too. sarah’s always harpin’ me to be able to go out with her.” he took a breath as he snapped back to look at her, “you’re new to the neighborhood then.” she smiled.

“yeah, we just moved in last month.” he nodded, gesturing around.

“it’s not a bad place, when you’re used to it.” there’s a joking twang in his tone.

“it’s not a bad place, even when you aren’t.” a light chuckle fell from him, as he took another swig of his beer. she could feel the proximity heating her up, so she brushed some hair out of her face, “i think i’ll step out for a moment. d’ya wanna join me?” she gestured to the door, and he shrugged.

“why not.”

the yard was more empty now, as people had begun leaving the gathering, or entering the house as the food had dwindled. though, still placed on the table, were a few of the many muffins she had made. she walked over, him in invisible tow, and she took one, handing it over to him.

“do me a favor, tell me what you think.” he seemed a bit confused, but obliged her, eating the muffin with great care. maybe exaggerated, but the expression on his face made her laugh, so she didn’t mind.

“this is great! martha went all out for these.” she nodded at the praise, him oblivious that it should have been directed towards her.

“martha definitely did. those were mine, though.” he looked back at her, in a mixture of impress and awe.

“well - you’re as good a baker as you are a cook, then.” she laughed at the reference to their lost dinner.

“oh, you did get it from sarah. perfect, what’d you think?”

“i thought that i regretted missing the chance to meet you then.”

suddenly, she felt the conversation had veered away from her ability to make food, and more towards - well, her. she went to retort, but heard her phone’s tone go. she snapped her head to her pocket, mumbling an apology as she did so.

it wasn’t anything important, thankfully, but it did give her an opportunity to check the time and, true to belief, it seemed that, very soon, she’d have overstayed her welcome.

“shit, it’s later than i thought.” she looked up at him, almost apologetically.

“you’re heading home?” though she wasn’t a master at reading faces, she could almost swear there was a hint of disappointment on his.

“well, joel, you’re a hard man to get a hold of. so, mind helping me bring these boxes back?” she gestured to the four boxes, and, in her own roundabout manner, made the bold move of inviting him over.

was it even bold? he lived a few meters from the place anyway. he smiled though, and, in his own gentlemanly manner, agreed immediately. he grabbed three of the boxes before she could stop him, and she almost sheepishly took the last box back up the street with him, pausing for only a moment to unlock the door to hers, before ushering him into the place.

he seemed almost hesitant to step too far in, but she waved it off, telling him to make himself comfortable as he set the boxes down.

“want anything? water, beer? something to eat?” he held his hand up, shaking his head, but did indulge in sitting at her dinner table. she ignored his gesture, taking out two cans for the both of them, before sitting in the seat beside him. he didn’t seem to mind, though, taking the cold beverage gratefully. it made her smile: at least the heat was affecting the both of them.

she took a long, almost wincing sip of hers, having almost forgotten how strong the liquid tasted in her mouth.

“sarah mentioned you’re a contractor?” it was a feeble attempt at reigniting their conversation; truly, she just didn’t want him to leave yet. he seemed to notice that notion, as he took a moment to answer, looking up at her between sips.

“yeah, yeah. me and my brother.” it was new info, and she nodded, rubbing at her nose lightly as she concentrated on the tab of the can, “so, how’d you find the place - the people?”

“they’re - uh, they’re really nice, i guess. everyone seems really friendly.” he nods.

“sure, sure. i’m sure it’s a little annoying though - everyone’s a bit older, right?” she looked up at him, and he had an unreadable expression on his face.

“well, i don’t mind older.” she maintained eye contact as she saw his smile twist, lip curling into a smirk, one he tried to hide behind his drink, “in fact, i think it’s better. older guys tend to be more mature - put together, you know?”

“guys?” his face betrayed his shock at her directness, and she suppressed a laugh.

“well, that is what you’re asking, aren’t you?” he held a hand up in surrender.

“and if i was?” she stuck her tongue into the side of her cheek, surveying the space between them.

“well, mr. miller. i’d tell you to stop beating around the bush and just take what you want.” he set his drink down with a light thud, something more desperate swirling in his eyes.

“and what would that be?” he wanted her to iterate exactly what she thought would happen.

“you tell me.” she didn’t give in, hoping the older man would break before she would.

he didn’t need much convincing, though, placing a firm grip on her arm, and pulling her closer to him, leaning forward and taking her cheek in his much larger hand.

“you’re asking too much of me, sweetheart. what’d the neighbors think?” his breath fanned over her face, and the tone of his voice indicated his teasing nature.

“what?” he laughed against her, shaking her body, before he gestured to the window just adjacent to him.

“only been here a few weeks, and already seducing one of your neighbors? it’s bold - i’ll tell you that much.” his cologne - a soft, but distracting smell - was overpowering her, and she couldn’t exactly think clearly as he sat so close to her.

“joel.” it came out as more of a plea than she had maybe wished, and he smiled, his eyes flicking across her face, “should we go upstairs?” she detached from his eyes for just the slightest moment, to look up at the staircase leading to her room.

“if you want to, sweetheart.”

fuck. being called sweetheart? by him? she was done for.

she led him up the stairs, her steps just slightly shaky as she walked up.

what was she doing? him, she supposed.

her bedroom was messier than she’d hoped as they walked in, but she didn’t have time to dwell on that as he pulled her towards him while she shut the door behind her, pressing his lips to her ear as her back hits his thick chest.

“you sure you want to do this?” his voice is huskier than it had been before, and it made her let out a shaky breath.

“please.” he smiles against her soft skin, turning her to face him. she doesn’t waste a moment, leaning closer to his face as he pulled hers closer to him, capturing her lips in his own.

his beard tickled her chin, his breath warm on her face as she closed her eyes against him. he tasted like an interesting mix between the barbecue, her muffins, and the beer he’d been drinking, creating a festive, american aftertaste in her mouth.

the kiss made her moan against him, as her hands finally began exploring the man in front of her. his shirt was flimsy against his torso, and that made her almost more inclined to pull it off of him, as she placed her hands under the thin fabric. he broke the kiss with an amused exhale, pulling her hands out from under it with a smile playing on his lips.

“think you owe me something, first, sweetheart.” she looked back up at him in confusion, but, noticing the fingers at the ends of her own top, she as quick to pull it off of herself. even he seemed a little shocked by her eagerness, but that didn’t stop him, pulling her into him with such force that the both of them fell onto her bed.

he sat back up in a heartbeat, redirecting her thighs so that they straddled his own, pulling her towards him. the angle left her neck at eye level with him, and his nose traced the skin of her collarbone, the ghost of kisses leaving a trail up her neck as she wrapped her fingers in his scruffy hair. she let herself get lost in his touch, the softness of his lips on her chest, the sharp sting of his teeth occasionally grazing her skin, the harshness of his fingers against the skin of her thighs.

before she - or he, for that matter - could get too carried away, she pushed away from him lightly, reaching back down to tug at his shirt.

“you got what you wanted, now come on-” he laughed as he pulled the offending cloth off of him, and she sighed happily at the sight.

god, he was hot. she pushed him further back until he was laying down, and attached herself to his jaw, placing chaste kisses in a similar manner he’d done, tracing the edges on his beard with her lips. he kept his hands firmly on her sides, squeezing gently as she made her way down his body, over his chest, where the hair tickled her nose, making her smile. then, over his stomach, until she’d gotten dangerously close to his rapidly hardening cock.

he gripped her tightly, making her squeak in shock which, surprisingly, did nothing to quell his arousal.

“you’re-”

“let me, c’mon.” she said it as though there was a measure needed to persuade him. that definitely wasn’t the issue; rather he was worried he’d finish far too quickly for the mature older man he’d portrayed himself to be.

but how could he not - this fucking gorgeous woman with her head between his legs looking up at him with those eyes. fuck, those eyes.

“please, joel?” he’d grunted in that moment, releasing his grip, and she had a smug smile on her face as she unbuttoned his jeans. he couldn’t see it though, his head thrown back as he tried to even his breaths.

she wasted not a moment to tease him, tracing the outline of him lightly through the thin fabric of his boxers. he’d groaned her name - almost in warning, and she smiled as she relented, pulling him out from the confines of the cloth.

she hadn’t exactly been proud of her expression in that moment - akin to an actress on a certain screen, if you caught her drift - except hers wasn’t a fake one. older men had always been a hit or miss for her in terms of dick size, but this one seemed to be the fucking hit.

he’d recovered in time to catch that look, leaning on his forearm to be able to reach his hand over and push her hair out of your face.

“shocked, sweetheart?” she didn’t take her eyes off him.

“excited, more like.” she pulled her hand lightly up and down his cock, spitting in her hand before continuing. the added lubrication made him moan through his teeth, and she didn’t give him a moment of reprieve, readjusting so she was at the perfect angle to lightly lick his tip.

he practically shuddered at the contact of the wet muscle on him, a hand going to weave the hair falling over her face away, and gripping her head maybe tightly than he intended to, as she placed feather-light, open-mouthed kisses from the top to the bottom of his cock. he didn’t say anything, his appreciation for the act moreso communicated through the squeezing and releasing of her hair, and his shuddered breaths and quiet, almost broken moans.

deciding she didn’t want to wait any longer, she wrapped her lips completely around him, taking him deeper and practically feeling him twitch as she sunk lower on him. he guided her movements slightly with his grip on her, pushing her down as he let loose to the feeling, and pulling her up lightly as she came too close to unraveling him.

breathing in deeply through her nose, she pushed down further on him, swallowing to suppress her gag as she felt her nose being tickled by the hair at his base.

“fuck, sweetheart.” the curse left his mouth almost aggressively, as he twitched behind her lips. her throat constricted around him, and she resurfaced, breathing heavily to make up for the lost air. he looks down at her, taking in her cock-drunk appearance as she sighed between his thighs. she lazily pulled her hand up and down his cock, as she caught her breath, “come up here, baby.” through both of their pants, she made out his request, getting up so that she was sitting on her knees, as he also rose to rest better against the headboard. he gestured her to some closer, and she placed a knee of either side of him, practically crawling up his legs.

the shorts she was wearing were his biggest obstacle at the moment, and he was quick to pull her up by the front of them, unbuttoning them in the process. a squeak emitted from her, shocked by the manhandling, and he was quick to pull them down her legs. her hands cover his, the both of them almost desperately taking them off and, once he’d finally done so, he focused his eyes to hers, his fingers sliding up her thigh and to her cunt. he traced her lower lips lightly, and she could feel her thighs tense, her breathing hitching.

noticing her reaction, he smiles, pulling her lips to his, and kissing her as he traced up and down her slit, placing the ghost of pressure on her clit. she almost jumps at the sensation, but the firm grip his other hand keeps on her hip stops her.

“don’t run away now, sweetheart.” it’s a whisper into the space between them, and she wordlessly nods, her hand going to his biceps and gripping as he applied more pressure, “tell me what you want.” she looked up at him, a mix of disappointment and frustration at the request.

“i…”

“you?” she cleared her throat, averting her gaze, and he used his free hand to direct her chin to look at him, “what d’you want?”

“i want you to fuck me.” she felt almost ashamed saying it, but he smiled in pride - a smug smile.

“we’ll have to get you ready, first; don’t ya think?” he dips the tip of his finger into her and she shudders again, her hips jumping lightly, causing him to squeeze her. she nods, humming, too focused on the movements of him fingers to properly answer. taking pity on her, he obliges, pushing a finger into her, and curling it up.

“oh, god.” the sensation makes every muscle in her tense, the sexual frustration piquing at the feeling, and simultaneous lack thereof. her head falls into the space between them, and he places an almost comforting kiss to the top of her head, before beginning to move his finger.

initially, he moved it in and out of her almost exploratively, as if he was trying to determine what exactly made her tick. it resulted in soft moans and cut-off breaths, before he heard something akin to a whimper when he’d found a particular spot inside her.

he pushed another finger in, making her noises only grow, gripping him tighter. he started moving in and out of her at a more rapid rate, his fingers curling, to the point where she was moaning so loudly that he was worried the neighbors would hear regardless of their relocation.

he took his lips to hers again, hoping to muffle her noises, and it worked, her mouth focused on feverishly returning his passion that she managed to swallow the majority of her moans. though, it didn’t help when she felt the knot inside her begin to tighten, her hips grinding against his fingers.

“y’gonna cum, sweetheart?” she couldn’t speak, worried she’d be too loud if she opened her mouth, so she nodded frantically, pushing more quickly against him as she chased her high, “that’s it, baby, cum for me, cum for me-” his encouragement almost made it easier, and she did cum, in something akin to a burst: her body fully stilled, as did his movements, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the hint of a squeal leaving her parched mouth. her voice sounded almost broken because of the intensity of it, and she practically leaped off of his fingers, unable to take the overstimulation as he had begun to move again.

“sorry - fuck, it’s too much, sorry-” he shook his head, assuring her immediately.

“it’s fine, sweetheart, you’re fine. ‘re ya ‘kay?” his accent came out more aggressively as he checked on her. she’d placed her hands over her face in an attempt to cool its warm flush, trying to catch her breath, as she nodded shakily.

“i’m - i’m, fuck, yeah, i’m fine.” she practically stuttered through her gasps, and he found it endearing, giving her a moment to compose herself. he adjusted the way she sat on him for her to be more comfortable, him fingers kneading the flesh of her thigh gently, hoping the contact would ground her.

it worked, with her taking her hands off her face after a few moments. her eyes had a far-away look to them, but she had a sheepish smile on her face.

“that was - uh, it was really good.” he smiled at her reaction, but it dropped after a moment.

“we can - we can stop, if ya want, sweetheart. if it’s too much-”

“no!” her response was so aggressive that it made him look at her in light amusement, “i mean, no. i don’t want to stop.” he surveyed her with an analytical eye.

“are ya sure?”

“joel, please?” she’d moved closer so her cunt sat inches from his cock, her warmth radiating onto him.

“i-” he went to say something, but seeing her flushed skin, her lust-blown eyes and the plea to fuck him, he seceded.

he pulled her up by her thighs, so she hovered over his cock. she used her hand to hold it steady, before he helped her lower onto him. it took a try or two, with his cock bumping against her clit and making her jolt. his tip caught her entrance in just another moment, though, and she took in a deep breath as she sunk onto him.

“fuck-” his response made up for her wordless one, her face contorting in pleasure as she tried to handle the size of him in her.

“joel-” she needed a moment to adjust, and it seemed as though he’d realized even before her.

“take your time, sweetheart.” she took a deep breath, sinking into joel’s arms further as she felt his thumb over her clit, trying to make the process easier for her.

finally, she mustered the strength to grip onto his shoulders, his hand finding a firm place on her waist, as she strained the muscles in her thighs to lift herself up. she felt a moment of aching emptiness, before she sunk back down on him, his cock catching practically every sensitive spot inside of her, making her moan.

it was a bit laborious, but along with his own effort, they came to a working rhythm seamlessly, and her moans began to be matched by his grunts at the feeling of her warm cunt, enveloping and twitching around him. she felt fucking amazing, and the warm breath of her gasps spurred him to push against her with just that bit more force. her eyes widened, her moans breaking as her breath caught in her throat. she felt her muscles turn to jelly with each thrust, practically being held up just by his hands. her head falls against his shoulder, her breath stuttering. his pace didn’t relent, though, with him readjusting just slightly to do the brunt of the work, fucking up into her as she tried not to let the pleasure consume her.

“joel - joel, you’re, oh, fuck-” she became a mess of mumbles as she attempted to just take it, but she felt her second orgasm oncoming, and way too quickly.

“c’mon, c’mon-” even joel wasn’t really registering what he was saying, focusing on feeling her cunt pulse again, like it had around his fingers. she didn’t make him wait too long, as her mouth fell open and her body tensed, clamming up as her orgasm crashed over her. his name came out in a squeak, and he resisted the urge to moan too loudly by attaching his lips to her neck, taking in the feeling of her pulsating cunt.

she slumped against him, desperately trying to catch her breath, before she was reminded her was still inside her. he helped her off of him and, before he could do anything else, she kneeled back in front of him, positioning her face right in front of his cock and stroking him to completion, his warm cum falling over her face in ropes.

“jesus christ, sweetheart.” he had to physically turn away from her, worried he’d get hard again at the sight, and she let out a tired laugh at his reaction. she rose from the bed after a moment of catching her breath, turning into her bathroom in order to clean herself up. it only took a minute or two, and by the time she’d walked back, joel had managed to pull his jeans back over him, and was desperately searching for his shirt. it was just by her feet, and she could give it to him.

but did she want to?

both of their heads snapped up when they heard the sound of the front door opening.

nicky - she’d come back at her sister’s previously preferred time, 5, and that had become increasingly problematic.

“shit-” she threw his shirt at him, and he caught it with one hand, trying to adjust the button of his pants with the other, “what do we-?” she questioned, as she pulled her shorts over her legs and shirt over her own head.

“just say ya were showing me around?” he suggested, and, through a shaky breath, she nodded.

“smart - smart, uh, do we-?” she gestured to herself, hoping she looked presentable, and the both of them gave each other a once over in approval that neither looked too disheveled, before they opened the door.

of course, those post-orgasm should never be told to rationally judge anything, as nicky and sarah could tell something was off from practically the moment their family members stepped out of the room.

“nicky? you didn’t have to be back so early, you know.” she said it quickly, without thinking, and, upon seeing joel’s what the fuck? expression, she realized how bad it sounded. nicky had, too, her brows furrowing as she turned to sarah, who simply shrugged in similar confusion.

“i’m sorry?” she watched as her sister - and then, to her surprise, mr. miller - came down the stairs.

“that’s not what i meant.” her sister mumbled, a sheepish smile on her face.

“dad, what’re you doing here?” sarah looks at her father quizzically, and he opens his mouth to speak, as she does at the same time.

“just - showing me around-”

“i’m giving him a tour!” they spoke over each other, and she glanced to look at him in slight embarrassment. he was trying his absolute hardest to keep from chuckling.

“anyways, sarah, we should get going. you two have fun?” sarah still looked between the both of them inquisitively, as nicky bore a glare at her sister, as if asking a question telepathically.

“lots of fun, dad.” it’s got an awkward delivery, so he coughs in an attempt to dissuade the tension, turning to her once more.

“it was nice meeting you, then - the both of you.” he smiled at nicky as well, before reuniting with his daughter.

“of course! it was great to see you again, too, sarah.” she mentioned, as she opened the front door for the both of them.

“see you around, sarah. good evening, mr. miller.” nicky spoke from behind her, and the millers nodded in goodbye. the front door shut with a click behind them.

there was a moment of silence between her and nicky, as she leaned against the door, before nicky broke into a big smile.

“i can’t believe you did that.” panic flashed over her face, and she whipped her head to face nicky.

“huh?”

“he’s so much older than you. and my friend’s dad, c’mon!” she sounded annoyed, but the exaggerated nature indicated that it was fake. she immediately tried to deny her sister’s completely true assertion, but the younger girl practically laughed in her face. she rolled her eyes at the reaction, brushing her off.

“shut up, nicky. he’s not even that much older than me.”

only a few meters away, sarah was trying very hard to suppress her own laugh.

“she’s really nice, right, dad?” joel, who had a faraway look in his eyes, hummed in response, prompting her to continue, “nicky’s sister. she’s really nice.”

“yeah - yeah, she is.” joel shrugged, unsure of how exactly to respond to his daughter. he looked down at her, and she had this glint of mischievousness in her eyes.

it worried him.

as he ushered her in when he’d unlocked the door, she’d made a beeline for her room. though, before she made her way up the stairs, she turned back for a moment, looking at him.

“and dad? you’re shirt’s on backwards.” she doesn’t wait for his response, walking up the stairs. shocked, joel looks down at his shirt, where the tag was practically looking him in the face. he sighed, closing the door behind him.

“shit.”

[astramachina]

Do you like spooky stuff? Do you like cringefail MCs who are both pathetic little men and the worst people imaginable? Do you like anti-colonialist narratives and gothics featuring POC characters desperate to break out of generational cycles of abuse? Then let me tell you about my novel.

The Unbinding of Wicked Things

Mile High Paranormal struck it big as one of YouTube's premier ghost hunting shows of 2021, but following the tragic death of one of its beloved hosts, sibling producers Nick and Kim decide to pull the plug on their beloved post-college project. Determined to go out in a blaze of glory and amidst the throes of internet notoriety, Nick devises the perfect plan for the perfect series finale: an investigation at a location so remote and obscure not even locals dare speak of its existence. Beyond the idyllic hills of Moorwich, England stands Blackthorn Manor, an ancient manor house whose shuttered doors keep the still-festering secrets of the Middleton family locked inside. Rumors of missing children, witchcraft, and illicit familial affairs plague the manor grounds and the neighboring village, dooming any family who dares take up residence on the land where blackthorn bushes grow. Fortunately, the MHP Team does not believe in the paranormal. Unfortunately, vivid nightmares of burning alive and episodes of misplaced time begin to affect Nick during their stay. Phantoms now stand outside the inn's windows, and bipedal hounds chase him towards a monster that screams its lament in the dead of night. The thing about Nick Miller, however, is that he would do anything for the content.

COMING SOON.

I hope you also like unreliable narrators, gay shit, trans shit, and general ghost hunting infodumps. More info under the cut.

The Unbinding is an Adult genre fusion of gothic horror, dark romance, and "epistolary prose". It is also a fake memoir. Kind of like a burrito wrapped inside of another burrito.

Some influences behind the story include Crimson Peak, House of Leaves, Demon Theory, and I hesitate to list Episode Thirteen because that book actually came out after I wrote this, but it has a very similar style (which is in part why I ended up shelving this project for so long). Some less serious influences are Ghost Adventures, Grave Encounters, and a bunch of other ghost hunting related media. I'm just a huge sucker for that kind of thing, okay? I also love fucked up family dynamics, hence why gothics are just so *chef's kiss*.

The cast is mostly QPOC which means the story includes instances of homophobia, transphobia, racism, and general bigotry. Other trigger warnings include themes revolving around suicide, dysphoria, and plenty of death. But this is an Adult Horror, so like, bad things should be expected. Bad tings can and do happen. Explicitly.

Lastly, the tag for this project is "wip: the unbinding". Mostly for my sake.

[crosbyism]

now I must know who you consider outrageously hot. sid? nate? other non-hockey fellows?

lmao ok anon ur on. to be frank while sid and nate both scratch very specific itches in my aesthetic brain and i go heart eyes AWOOGA every time nate wears what i call his “assassin outfit” (the travel day one where he’s wearing a turtleneck), that is like. my favourite food. y’know? like i recognise that those men are very hot to ME, specifically, and not necessarily objectively so hot you can’t look at them directly. my fave restaurant, which is not listed in the guide michelin or the san pellegrino top 100. you know what i mean.

there are VERY few men in the nhl i would even consider for the “can’t look at him directly” drop dead gorgeous intimidatingly hot category. i’m talkin’ palm sweat, can’t look them directly in the eyes when you shake their hand kinda hot. the type of hot that makes you self-conscious about even looking at them, where you have to remind yourself not to stare. where you get physically flustered by their looks. Anna Kasterova kinda hot.

but you know what: i’ll pick out a couple guys for ya, anon. disclaimer: gabe landeskog and kris letang are incapable of making this list because as a pens n avs fan i’ve had exposure therapy to them. In no particular order:

Alex Wennberg

if i had to shake alex wennberg’s hand, i’d have to look at his left earlobe to do it. i’d be the guy getting jittery just ‘cause of his eyes. that’s not a natural shade of blue. because i’m a parody of myself, i also have no doubt i’d see his earlobe and go oh no, even that’s handsome somehow. you know how erik johnson once said he was the poor man’s gabe landeskog? well, if we’re talkin’ in those terms, gabe landeskog is the poor man’s alex wennberg. if i sat at a dinner table with this man, i’d strategise to sit next to him so i wouldn’t have to deal with seeing his face all night and giving myself a conversational handicap by drifting off in the middle of a sentence just because i got so mesmerised by his face. intimidatingly handsome.

K’Andre Miller

k’andre miller is easily the most gorgeous guy in the nhl. i’m not sure i could be in the same room as him. that picture of him with his girlfriend? it took me ten minutes to realise that there was a woman in the picture because i was too busy staring at him. and his girlfriend is beautiful!! but not as beautiful as him; alas, it would be a miraculous feat if she were. if attaining perpetual beauty is a sisyphean task, K’Andre Miller is simultaneously the rock the rest of humanity is pushing up that mountain and the benevolent victor at the mountaintop, looking down at us all with kind, pitying eyes. again, simply being in the same room as this man would instantly obliterate me into dust.

Nick Schmaltz

i will admit that i could be in the same room as nick schmaltz and even look him in the face, albeit not for long. but the instant there’s a friendly touch on my shoulder or back, it’s fucking over. nick schmaltz is the kind of beautiful that would induce full-body shivers if he got too close. i’d have a physical reaction from the proximity. he’d think i’d have allergies and i’d have to excuse myself to the bathroom and afterwards maintain 6 feet of distance for the rest of the night, which would no doubt leave him with the impression that i either hated him or was a freaky rude germaphobe.

Honourable Mentions:

Roman Josi

i’ve seen roman josi irl and he really is that handsome in real life. extremely attractive. intimidatingly hot for sure. however, i feel like i could hang out with him in a smaller group for an evening without embarrassing myself, so he doesn’t make the top 3.

Tom Wilson

tom wilson is very hot, but his actual beefcake stature would be the biggest reason to feel intimidated, also i’ve read various brobeans fic too often to not feel somewhat comfortable with the idea of chilling out with tom wilson for sure.

Carey Price

honourable mention bc he doesn’t play anymore. extremely beautiful man. couldn’t be in the same room as him for sure. my god what a beautiful man.

[soft-persephone]

Helpful not so Helpful Guide to Jake Johnson

A master post with links to some movies and information or where to access some of them +more

Disclaimer: if any of these movies are bad or you hate them, that’s on you and not me. I am heavily biased. You have been warned.

SELF RELIANCE

let’s start with the obvious. It’s out now on Hulu! Has been since February maybe idk. I’m unhealthily obsessed and bad with dates.

It’s his directorial debut, but if you didn’t know. Jake started out as a writer before improv and acting. He’s the writer, director, and star of this one. It’s very special and his baby!

It’s a wild roller coaster ride of emotions and genre. If you smoke, smoke, if you drink, drink, if you are sober, it’s still a roller coaster ride. Don’t worry, there is a lot there for you too!

But if you like enhancements, I hear it’s extra fun.

I liked it a lot, it’s whacky, creepy at times, but undeniably fun. And that’s all I will say.

Warning! Don’t watch press or any interviews for the movie until after you’ve seen the movie.

Ride the Eagle

is also on Hulu

It’s a movie he wrote during the pandemic and directed with Trent O’Donnell who directed many episodes of new girl.

It’s very heartfelt and about Grief.

Jake Johnson’s dog also makes guest appearance with their acting debut and they are the sweetest and most bestest acting dog ever.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

his podcast!

It’s very fun and with one of his buddies Gareth Reynolds.

People call in and they give them advice that is as funny and crazy as the callers.

Something’s Burning

Here’s a link to a interview on the premise of the show, but also they talk to this guy. idk. He may be a bit much, but he makes Jake laugh and I love listening to him laugh, so it’s fun for that reason too.

Or you are a Burt fan.

🏴‍☠️Pirate ship access only 🏴‍☠️

Link to the ship

The Pretty One -

one of my favorites. It’s an oddball indie about twins where one dies and the one alive assumes the identity of the one who died where she stumbles upon her sister neighbor played by Jake Johnson. He’s dressed like a sexy Mr. Rogers if you ask me, and he is delightfully sardonic and childish. However, he dresses better than Nick Miller ever could

Win it All

It used to be on Netflix, but it’s been taken down recently. That’s my bad because I could have made this sooner, but I just haven’t for no reason.

Jake plays a character with a gambling addiction and an anxiety inducing as the first part may be, it’s not that bad. When I first saw it I had to turn it off because I just got too anxious over what might happen next, but you might not have a weak stomach like me, so you might be fine.

On the second time around, I made it to the part where he meets this girl and everything quickly became heartwarming and endearing and it makes you just root for the main character.

A love letter for those in our lives who may not be fortunate to put themselves together as well as we might.

TAG

It’s also available the link above, but it could be streaming for free somewhere. Idk.

this movie is very self-explanatory by the name. It’s very fun, Jeremy Reiner is in it, so that’s either good news or bad news for you. But it’s still fun.

Jake looks very good in this one. He still has his Tom cruise work out body.

I am very embarrassed to say I can tell what year every movie has come out based on his body shape which is lovely at every size, but the accuracy is quite scary. Which is information I didn’t need to share at all

Stumptown

I used to keep that thang on me.

And by thang on me, I mean a pirate ship link to see this show. But they are for some reason gone. I’ve searched high and low for ones to access on maybe a phone? But unless you have a fire stick that has some certain pirate ship accessories on there, I don’t know where you can watch it.

But it’s such an amazing serialized show about this woman who comes back home from Iraq with ptsd, the love of her life died over there and his family blames her for it and she also blames herself for it.

She becomes a private investigator and her best friend is Gray McConnell played by Jake Johnson who, surprise suprise, owns a bar.

Imagine a cooler, sexier, smarter, and more put together Nick Miller. He is just as funny and sarcastic, but not a manchild.

But the show has amazing bisexual representation, mental health representation of ptsd, complex female characters, and it’s so well paced and written and every way.

If you love cop shows like criminal minds or fbi or any of those, imagine something like that but about a private investigator, and more emphasis on the plot and characters and their relationships. The “cop” part is just more fun on this show than others, but I am biased because I hate cop shows.

I wish I had a link to give y’all for it because it’s so easily to obsess over.

However, it’s also been canceled because of “COVID��� but if you look into it. That’s a bullshit reason, and it’s been canceled for no reason, but at that point Jake Johnson was doing spiderverse and Colbie Smolders was doing other stuff. (She plays the main female character)

MINX

Show set in the 70s about a woman starting the first male nude magazine to persue her dream of making a feminist one.

It’s smart, the writing is amazing, and I can not recommend it enough. There’s a lot of nudity, but it’s not what you think at all.

You truly have to watch it for yourself to understand what the show is trying to do, and it’s amazing.

I’ve never seen anything like it and it’s such a breath of fresh air in a time of remakes and endless sequels.

It used to be on HBO but now it’s on Starz!

Here’s a link to see it. Shhhh. Don’t tell anyone

But for some reason it only has season two which sucks so hard and I am so sorry I couldn’t provide more.

Drinking Buddies

- it used to be available on YouTube but now it’s not free anymore or the person who posted has since deleted it been removed. But the pirate ship one will have it for sure.

Have you ever met someone and you never dated them, never had a something more conversation but the chemistry is there.

You were super close to them, but no one has ever questioned it or said anything about it, but when you are with them you know it’s there? But that’s all it ever has been and will be, and maybe you aren’t even in each others lives anymore but you still think of them from time to time because they were a major part of you being who you are?

Yes? Well boy do I have a movie for you!

No? Well that’s what this movie is, but it adds more because it’s a movie and it needed to be at least an hour and a half.

But now that you know what it’s about, be warned that it’s slower in pace. It’s an indie movie.

I will have more to say about that later.

But overall it’s a good movie with a good feeling.

If you’ve ever had a will they won’t they in a real life way and not the Hollywood way, this movie might trigger those feelings.

Digging for Fire

- it used to be available on YouTube but now it’s not free anymore or the person who posted has since deleted it been removed. But the pirate ship one will have it for sure.

A cute heartwarming thriller.

Those genres don’t seem like they could all blend together, but that’s what this movie does.

A family rents out a house in LA and the husband, played by Mr Jake Johnson, finds a gun and a bone, and they call the police and they say we’re not responsible for random trash. Call us if you find a body.

This is a real story that happened to Jake Johnson and his family.

He called up his friend Joe Swamburg who is a director, and they make this movie together.

He’s also the director of drinking buddies and Win it All.

It’s not only about that, again, because it needs to be over an hour. So it’s also about marriage. Not say anything else because you need something to keep you wanting to see this one, but I will say, it’s not a pretentious or dark or super try hard movie about marriage that will depress you.

It’s open and honest and ultimately sweet.

Imagine if scenes from a marriage wasn’t a drag or if a marriage story was positive instead of weird.

Idk I never actually watched a marriage story. It might not even be called that at all and you may be confused so… moving on.

No Activity

A show he was in for three episodes but it has a hilarious premise and if you are a fan of comedy, you might enjoy it having Will Farrell, Jason Mantzoukas and so much more.

Here a clip

Apparently there a ten photo limit.. so no picture

I use to have a link to it, but it’s also been erased from everywhere, unless you have access to other pirate ships.

:(

Interviews

Link

Here is a playlist of amazing interviews that give you a head start on getting to know him. They aren’t in any important order, and they also have a few about each movie and show he’s in as well.

Also if you need accessing a vpn please reach out. I know a good free vpn app for iOS.

PART TWO!!!!

[moonieandi]

I NEED YOUR HELP- lol- sorry that’s such an interesting way to start an ask ‘I NeEd YoUR HelP?!?’ Haha- anyway- I’m thinking about writing a Stanley x reader! Kinda like what you’re doing but different- now I would totally give you more info on that except like- then it would give it away lol. All I really need help with is A.) how do you write Stanley as well as you do?! And B.) how do you normally start a story- I’ve been having a hard time with intros lately.

Also! you don’t have to help me out! Don’t feel pressured! I’m just asking bc I love your snapshots I think they are literally the bestest!! And I wanna be able to help readers feel that way when I write too!! I hope you are still taking care of yourself! Drink lots of water! Eat lots of snap peas! (They are the BEST-) and most importantly sleep well! I know you’re busy so make sure you take time for you! Have a safe and successful move too!

HI! HELLO! I'm so sorry I couldn't answer you right away, one bc I was so busy up until LEGIT JUST THIS VERY MOMENT, and two because I want to help anyway I can, and want my answer to actually be fleshed out!

Firstly, omg so sweet of you that you want my help <3 I'm so happy you reached out and SUPER excited to give you some insight! I encourage anyone who wants to write TO write, it's a great creative outlet (and also I love any and all Stan content hehe)- so:

A.) i. Stanley is based in my head off of my own fantastical characterization of him (which I'll get to in a moment), and also the character we know from the actual show OBVIOUSLY. I started by, of course, rewatching the show. Because I wanted to, and to also take note of his character in each episode. This consisted of getting some basic information about him from anything from his fear of heights to his terrible (great) sense of humor. The clear drive from Stanley is his deep love of family, and general familial bonds (Soos and Wendy). He takes "odd ones out" under his wing on the regular, because HE is an odd one out. People who don't ordinarily fit in are his bread and butter (and also his general sales pitch). He appreciates the oddities in people, in contrast to his brothers interest in ACTUAL oddities. He goes out of his way to keep these bonds, especially with these kids he's not-so-randomly taken under his wing (that he more than likely took in for the summer, trying to reconnect with family and therefore Ford in anyway he could). This tells me he's also a caring man, a weirdly desperate man, and more considerate than people on a surface level may give him credit for. Now this characterization maayyyy be a stretch but that's where the fun comes in!! YOU get to interpret these little things in any way you like, maybe he has a weird relationship with tangerines, maybe he can't keep eye contact on a date for a particular reason- and those situations can just flesh him out more!

ii. NOW the ""romantic"" side of things are of course skimmed from the romance I know from other media (and of course my own lovelife). I take this characterization of him, and find another characters I know and love to MAKE writing him in these situations easier- seeing as we do never see him IN these actual romantic stations (outside of the dating sim and that one failed date- WHICH can also play a role in how you write him romantically!) Stan reminds me of the suaveness and shyness of men in 90's romcoms: surprisingly well-meaning but stupidly flustered. I'd say Brenden Fraiser in his early romcom's come across like this or even Bill Pullman in While You Were Sleeping. It encompasses some of what I believe Stan to be in general: weirdly shy, unable to come out with it, flippantly sweet, sarcastic, and stupidly endearing. I also get general influence from more recent reference(s), the main one being Nick Miller from New Girl. I don't think I need to explain myself with that one. ALSO if you don't understand any of these references I apologize- but I very much encourage you to find your own references in ANY form of media! I even find myself inspired by art at times!

B.) Intro's are hard!! It feels like the hardest part at times. You need to hook the reader, engage them quickly, and have them come back curious!! I will reassure you with one thing: intro's do NOT have to be long! I'd encourage you to keep the intro sweet and simple with not tooooooo many details! don't over-explain to the reader, it may discourage them from continuing (in my opinion!). I take the "shoot first and ask questions later" approach. Throw the reader into a scene giving context clues to where in the story's timeline we are being thrown into. Flash forward and then back into the future! Start on an action scene- hell have the opening scene being two significant characters meeting! it's completely up to you, but I am reassuring you it doesn't have to be long, and DON'T make it too complicated! Complicate things later, grab the reader in the first chapter, and then explain some things later on! Let me also assure you: you do NOT have to write your story backwards, and you don't have to have a finite and "final" story ready to go. Have point A be the beginning and point B be the end and YOU make the trail from A to B!

And above all HAVE FUN!

[sesamestreep]

Nick/Jess, 15!

15. i’ll save you a seat (from this prompt list)

IT’S MILLER’S TIME

The bestselling author of the hit YA series ‘The Pepperwood Chronicles’ opens up about seeing his work adapted for television, his new novel, and becoming a father.

LOS ANGELES - The lunchtime crowd at Gogo’s Tacos in Silver Lake is more plentiful and aggressive than the colleague who recommended the spot for my interview with Nick Miller led me to believe it would be on a weekday, which means I spend the twenty minutes between when I show up (ten minutes early) and when he arrives (ten minutes late and convincingly apologetic about it) fighting off other patrons who are convinced I’m lying about expecting someone and want to steal his seat. His appearance in the busy restaurant is welcome for more reasons than one.

We’re here to discuss the new Netflix adaptation of his bestselling book series, The Pepperwood Chronicles, into a television series. The first season, which drops this Friday on the streaming platform, takes on the Herculean task of adapting the first book in the series (clocking in at 628 pages) into just eight episodes of television. It’s a highly anticipated project for the army of Pepperheads out there, who want to see if Sebastian Stan truly has what it takes to embody the titular grizzled New Orleans detective from Miller’s beloved novels, but it’s not the only project that’s been occupying Miller’s time lately. He’s also got his debut novel for the adult market, the stylishly-titled HoBo, which draws heavily on his childhood in Chicago, coming out in November. But the project he’s most anxious to brag about is one he had—by his own admission—very little to do with, aside from the original idea. The lion’s share of the credit belongs to his wife.

“This is Reggie,” he says, stretching his phone across the table proudly, swiping through dozens of photos of a pleasantly chunky infant in a Chicago Bears onesie. “Oh, and that’s Mario,” he says, when we get to a photo of a dog sniffing the same baby, asleep in a car seat and wearing a hooded jacket with bear ears.

“I know he looks like a funky little alien right now, but my wife says that most babies get really cute around the six month mark,” Miller says, after suddenly remembering that he has tacos he could be eating. He takes an enormous bite of one before making a face. “God, don’t print that. My son is already adorable. I love him.”

We debate whether or not I can actually print that comment (guess who won) for a few minutes before Miller finally allows us to move on. I ask, given his penchant for drawing details from his own life to use in his novels, if this recent development for him means we can expect the next Pepperwood installment to find Julius Pepperwood and his leading lady, Jessica Knight, contemplating parenthood. 

“I don’t know about that,” Miller says, with his mouth full. “It’s not that one-to-one for me. Yes, Pepperwood is based on me in some ways, but in many other ways he isn’t, you know? Same goes for Jessica Knight. She’s based on my wife, definitely, but I’ve never felt constricted by that. I’ve always felt like the characters follow their own path, though they take inspiration from my real life.”

In this answer, Miller has given me both an articulate response and neatly sidestepped giving any confirmation of further Pepperwood installments, which forces me to ask the question directly. His face goes blank for a moment afterwards, and he spends a while chewing before he attempts to answer.

“I’m not saying no,” he finally replies, wiping his hands on a napkin, while looking thoughtfully into the distance. “But I’m also not saying yes. There have been people—and my wife tells me not to read the reviews or the comments, but sometimes, you know, shit happens and you see some stuff—there’s people who think Pepperwood is too happy now. They liked him when he was tortured. Now, he’s got the love of his life by his side, he solved his brother’s murder, he made peace with his father. It’s like, where’s the tension anymore? But at the same time, I don’t want to make him miserable again just to sell more books.”

Miller talks about Pepperwood (and Knight and all of his characters) like they’re real people, a fact he shrugs off when I point it out.

“Of course,” he says. “Of course they’re real to me. It’s important to remember that they’ve been with the readers for six books now, but they’ve been with me for longer than that. And they don’t leave me alone when the book is done, either, like they do for my readers.”

They don’t seem to leave his readers alone after the last page, actually, if the healthy fandom producing fanart and fanfiction online are any indication. Miller, of course, has thoughts.

“I’m pleased about it,” he says, with his usual Chicago-born nonchalance. “It’s always made me happy that my work resonates with people, especially young people. I didn’t see that coming, in the beginning. It wasn’t supposed to be a YA series.”

The origins of The Pepperwood Chronicles are the publishing world’s version of a Cinderella story. Miller initially published the first book in the series himself at the encouragement of his friends, hawking the hand bound (!) copies at local bookstores with the encouragement of his then-girlfriend, as well as his future wife (“Two different women,” he clarifies. “It’s a long story.”) The hefty novel all about the seedy underbelly of New Orleans very quickly found a devoted fan base amongst a surprising audience: teenage girls. Where other authors might have bristled, Miller instead took his unexpected champions in stride.

“Like, there was definitely some initial shock to get over,” he explains. “If I’d known I was writing to teenagers specifically, I would have cut, well, a few things from that manuscript.” He’s referring delicately to some pretty explicit sex scenes and graphic violence, which definitely get toned down in later installments of the series. Confronted with this, Miller shrugs and says only, “That’s show biz!”

Speaking of show biz, how does he feel about the Netflix adaptation of his work?

“It was really interesting,” he offers, thoughtfully. “I’m grateful they didn’t ask me to write it, because it turns out I’m a terrible screenwriter.” Before I can ask him to elaborate on that, he continues, “But the team really did check in with me a lot and they made sure the tone felt right, and the changes they had to make worked with my understanding of the world and the characters. I felt like they really respected Pepperwood, which obviously means a lot to me.”

Miller is being generous, of course, considering he and his wife are both executive producers on the series. When I mention this, however, he waves it off. “They still could have told me to fuck off with my opinions,” he says.

As for working with his wife in that capacity, he’s more than happy to sing her praises. “She’s great. Aside from myself, she’s the person I trust most to get Pepperwood, you know? Like my editors and my agent and everybody, they’re amazing, but if I’m really stuck, Jess is the one I can turn to and be like ‘does this work? Or does it suck?’ And she’ll tell me. She’s always been that person for me. She’s the first person I shared the first draft of the first book with, so her input is invaluable. Or is it valuable?”

“They mean the same thing,” I tell him.

“That’s stupid,” he replies. “I mean, I’m not calling you stupid. The English language is stupid sometimes. My wife’s input is very important to me, is what I’m saying. Her instincts are spot on.”

And they should be, after all. When she’s not producing the Pepperwood TV series with her husband, Jessica Day (yes, you’re reading that right. Miller’s wife and the inspiration for his character Jessica Knight is named Jessica Day. Check the dedication on the first Pepperwood novel if you don’t believe me) works for Scholastic, as a part of their team that handles community outreach to K-12 schools across the country. (Miller’s publishing deal is with an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in case anyone is worried about favoritism.) Before that, she worked briefly in the nonprofit industry and as a middle school teacher and later vice principal. 

“She understands the demographic perfectly,” Miller summarizes, fifteen minutes into an endearing monologue about how great his wife is. “I think the writers for the TV show liked having her around even more than having me. She really knows her stuff.”

When I follow up a few days later with Ms. Day for comment, her husband’s remarks amuse but don’t surprise her. “He’s always giving me too much credit,” she says, humbly.

Does it weird her out at all, to have so many people so intensely invested in the fictionalized version of her love life?

“It’s funny. I know the names are really similar and obviously Nick borrows things here and there from our real life,” she says, “but I really don’t feel like Jessica Knight is me. So I don’t take it personally at all.”

This isn’t the first time this attitude has come up in interviews. Last year, when casting was announced for the Netflix series, Day made headlines for defending the production’s decision to cast British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Jessica Knight after many fans claimed she didn’t match Knight’s description in the books.

“Gugu’s a very talented actress. I’ve seen her screen tests and she will blow you away when you see the show, I promise!” Day took to Twitter to say at the time.

“She capture [sic] JK’s energy perfectly,” she added in a further tweet. “Please welcome her to the Pepperwood family as we have!”

Now, Day is less diplomatic in her response. “It was a small portion of fans who were upset,” she says, “but they were the loudest contingency. It was very upsetting, and honestly tacky. So what if she doesn’t look like me? The character isn’t me, first of all. And the books are set in New Orleans, for God’s sake! It would be stupid if the entire main cast was white people.”

When I accuse her of saying the quiet part loud, as the kids say, Day seems nonplussed. “It’s those new mom hormones, I guess,” she replies, as a baby cries in the background of the phone call as if on cue. “I just don’t give a fu…dge.”

Miller, during our interview, feels similarly. “The team went with the best people for the parts, and we made it clear, my wife and I, that they absolutely weren’t trying to cast our doppelgängers. That wasn’t the point. Honestly, it would have freaked me out if they had.”

So he doesn’t think he and Stan look alike? 

“No, not at all,” he says, automatically. “Do you?”

“He kind of seems like a more Hollywood version of you, yeah.”

Miller takes a long time thinking this over. “That’s…huh…”

In order to distract him from the existential spiral I’ve inadvertently led him down, I switch us over to the topic of his new book, HoBo. It’s made several lists of most anticipated books for this fall (including this publication’s) but there was a while there where Miller feared the manuscript would never see the light of day. 

“The publisher thought it was too dark for the teen market,” he says, without any of the smarmy pride one would expect from the average male author accused of being ‘too dark’ by The Man. “I had no idea! I thought Pepperwood was too dark for teens and they loved it! So, there was a bit there when I was like, ‘okay, so this is the end, I guess.’”

Miller isn’t being melodramatic either. There was a moment, according to him and confirmed by his editor, Merle Streep, where they considered parting ways. Luckily, they came to an understanding once the dust settled and Miller pitched the novel, then titled “Chicago Hobo”, for the adult market. The source of this brilliant solution? You guessed it: Jessica Day.

“My wife’s a genius,” Miller states. “It was so simple and yet none of us could see it. Of course they should market the book to adults, if they thought it was too gritty for teens. Obviously.”

Day, however, downplays her contribution. “The issue with the manuscript came to a head on our wedding day, if you can believe it. On our honeymoon, it was all Nick could talk about. He was worried he’d never publish another book again. I suggested he send the manuscript around to other publishers to see if there was interest, but pitch it as, you know, a book for grownups. I thought it would make him feel better. I had no idea that the minute he did that, his original publisher would come back to him with a deal.”

But that’s exactly what they did. He’s also on the hook for three more books after that, though he’s cagey with details about if those will be HoBo sequels, further Pepperwood adventures, or something else entirely.

“We’re in a really pivotal moment,” Miller says, looking a little bit sweaty as he admits it. “We’ll see how Pepperwood does as a TV show, we’ll see how people feel about HoBo when it comes out.” He pauses to laugh. “We’ll see if being a father completely fries my brain and I never write another coherent sentence ever again.”

Early reviews and chatter are saying that the new novel is every bit as cinematic as The Pepperwood Chronicles, which suggests a screen adaptation is more a matter of “when” than “if.” It is, by Miller’s own admission, even more autobiographical than Pepperwood (the preteen narrator is Travis Tiller, called “Trick” by his friends, so do with that what you will). It’s based, in many ways, on his childhood in Chicago, but it’s also equal parts dystopian speculative fiction and superhero origin story, with a heavy pour of magical realism to wash it down. The cinematic universe practically writes itself.

“We just don’t know,” Miller replies vaguely. No matter what I do, I can’t get him to speculate on bringing this book to the small or big screen. “I don’t want to jinx anything,” he adds, frantically, after many such questions.

Fine. But, as pure speculation, what actor does he think, potentially, has what it takes to bring the eponymous hobo to life on screen?

“Rock Hudson,” he says, after much bullying.

When I inform him that Rock Hudson is dead and has been for more than 30 years, Miller looks crestfallen. What about preteen Trick Tiller, then? Is there anyone Miller would entrust to play his younger self?

“Cate Blanchett,” he replies.

When I point out that she’s both older than him and a different gender, he frowns. “She played Bob Dylan, though,” he counters, confused. I concede that he’s got me there.

We return to the much safer topic of conversation that is the current adaptation of one of his novels. What’s he most looking forward to now that the show is finally premiering?

“Getting to go on a date with my wife,” he says, sincerely, with the dead-eyed stare of a sleep-deprived new parent. “Seriously. We’re getting a sitter to watch the baby, we’re bringing a few of our close friends, who are all getting sitters for their babies. It’s going to be really fun. It’s going to be a classic mess around.”

A what?

“Don’t worry about it,” Miller says.

Is there anyone whose opinion he’s particularly anxious about, when it comes to the TV show? Or even his new novel?

“I’m always worried about what the fans think. I want the Pepperwood fans to like the show. I want them to like the new book, even though it’s not about Pepperwood, you know?”

Does he think there will be crossover?

“Absolutely I do, yes,” he says, emphatically. “The kids who read Pepperwood when it first came out—this is terrifying to say, but—they’re grown up now. They’re in college or they’re young professionals. HoBo is written for their age group now. It will be marketed to them.”

It’s kind of like they’ve grown up with him.

“Don’t say that,” Miller replies, putting his head in his hands dramatically. “I’m gonna have a panic attack. Having an actual biological child is scary enough.”

Speaking of scary, to distract him from another existential crisis, I ask if he’s been starstruck at any part of the process of turning his beloved novels into a TV show, and his answer is surprising to say the least.

“I mean, I was a little bit starstruck meeting Alfred Molina the first time. He was already in costume as Schmith, too, which was an extra level of weird,” he says, referring to the iconic love-to-hate-him villain of the first Pepperwood book and a supporting player in many of the series’s other installments. Still, Miller eventually got used to the idea of Doc Ock himself being in the show. 

“Oh, I know my big starstruck moment,” he adds. “When Taylor Swift tweeted about the trailer. That was like…Woah! Is this really happening?”

That’s right. When the show’s first trailer debuted in March, the Grammy-winning singer took to Twitter to express her excitement.

“I can’t believe how good this looks,” she tweeted with the emoji of the cat making the Home Alone face. “Is it September yet?!?”

Can we take his excitement over this interaction the confirmation we’ve all been waiting for that Nick Miller is a Swiftie? 

“I don’t know what that is, but I like her. She’s really talented. When my wife’s upset, she likes to listen to Taylor Swift and cry while she drinks pink wine,” he says, before taking a troubled pause. “Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that.”

Day laughs when I tell her this anecdote during our phone call and gives me the go-ahead to print it. “It’s true,” she says. “Who cares?”

So, if they had to pick a Swift song to represent Julius Pepperwood and Jessica Knight’s relationship, what would it be?

Miller’s answer is simple: “You should ask my wife.”

Day’s response, on the other hand, is more complex. “I think it evolves over time, you know, from book to book. Probably in the early books, before they get together for real, it’s ‘Out of the Woods’ or ‘Wildest Dreams.’ Maybe even ‘White Horse,’ if you want to go back into her catalog.”

What about for her and Miller?

“That’s easy,” Day says, and the smile is obvious in her voice. “I’ve always thought of ‘Mine’ as our song of hers.”

This conversation mostly just confirms Miller’s assertion that his wife knows his characters just as well as he does. It also begs the important question of whether he’ll use this big moment in his career as leverage to arrange a meeting between Swift and his wife.

“I don’t know,” he says, honestly. “Maybe? I should ask Jess. She might kill me if I pulled that on her with no warning.”

As our meal and interview come to an end, I can’t help asking Miller a question that has been on my mind the whole time: with all this talk of how great and inspiring his wife is, and how integral to his creative process she’s become, does he happen to identify as a Wife Guy?

“I don’t know what that is either. You keep saying these things—I’ve never heard of them before,” he admits. “But I like the sound of it. So, yeah. I guess so. Unless it’s a bad thing. In which case, no. Was that—did I answer your question?”

In this case, just like so many of Nick Miller’s characters before us, we might have to make peace with an ambiguous ending.

•

The Pepperwood Chronicles premieres exclusively on Netflix this Friday.

[goddesspharo]

emoji fic asks: 🥺🌞✅

(let it be known that i resisted a very strong urge to send you the WIP emojis)

[fic emoji ask game!]

If you had asked me about the WIPs, it would basically just be wildly out of context make outs!

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

I don't know that I feel strongly enough about my own writing to be "in the feels" about it as I'm writing, but I do have a soft spot for when the more emotionally closed off character lets their guard down a bit. The first use of a pet name is always a good one (when that first "baby" hits, just know that I'm patting myself on the back for throwing it in there), something I was NEVER one for until they had Selina Kyle use it so deftly in The Batman. (It's all about how COOL the person saying it is and how much of a dweeb the person they're saying it to is. Matt Reeves was a real one for translating that specific bit of their dynamic from the comics so well.)

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

I almost always do the bulk of my writing at night. Alas, what I prefer (reasonably early at night, maybe when I don't have to be up early the next day) and what actually happens (always starts around 11pm the night before I have to be up at 6am the next morning to go to work and be on call) are not the same. Basically, nearly every fic that I have written in the past year has resulted in me being sleep deprived the next day.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Every once in a while, I see that tumblr post that is some variation of "look at me writing the same story again" (or conversely, Nick Miller's "there are only seven types of stories") and I feel like that's BASICALLY me these days? Am I just writing the longest "idiots fall in love" anthology? Sometimes the idiots are different and there are extenuating circumstances, sometimes they fall into hate first, sometimes they're not even gonna call it love, but that's essentially what I'm doing. One day, someone's gonna be like GIRL, FIND ANOTHER ANGLE and then maybe I'll tackle dog vs zombie.

Speaking of Nick Miller, I do feel like Jake Johnson was right on the money when he recently said, "Whenever I'm writing something, if there's not a love story, I don't know what it is." (Hilariously, he said that while promoting his movie Self-Reliance which only really works in the twenty minutes he lets it get rom-com lite with Anna Kendrick so he should've stuck with that instinct MORE.) I don't need or want all stories to be love stories, but I find that it grounds them a bit to have some sort of emotional connection involved. But recent fics aside, I'm also less of a plot-driven fic writer so of course I'm saying that. That said, I tend to usually have one person be wiser to the relationship dynamics than the other person. They're almost never on the same page until they are because I don't know how to sustain even my own interest if everyone is transparent about their feelings from the very beginning. Someone ALWAYS falls first and my favorite thing in the universe is to sprinkle just enough in it throughout so that when it finally clicks for the other person, it's not a shock that the robot has fallen in love. On a more superficial note, you're always gonna get some pop culture references in anything that I write.

[viennawaits4youx]

Book recommendations for finding yourself

Hi, so, you feel like you might be queer but you don't know how to feel about it or want to get used to the thought by reading some nice books? Then here's the list for you! Most of these are YA books to give you an easy and gentle start to your queer reading journey.

"Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman

"Heartstopper" is a webcomic originally published for free (it can still be read on Webtoon for example) by Alice Oseman which has been adapted into several books and a TV show. The main character, Charlie, is a British teenager who deals with bullying at his school because of his sexuality and develops a crush on the popular Rugby player Nick. It is for the main part a very easy-going and cute story that a lot of teenagers should be able to relate to. It is also really refreshing to read a story that does not revolve around the main character coming out and that doesn't have to try too hard to have a very diverse cast of characters. Alice Oseman's other books can also be recommended but Heartstopper is definitely a good place to start.

"Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

A coming-of-age story about two Mexican-American boys in Texas in the 80s who discover themselves in their growing friendship and affection towards each other. While I did not enjoy the novel personally I do think it is a nice story that paints a good picture of what a growing relationship between two teenagers can be like.

"Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo

This novel, set in San Fransisco in the 50s, deals with the complicated life of Lily Hu who tries to explore her queer identity with her classmate Kathleen Miller at the lesbian club Telegraph Club in Chinatown while also trying to protect her Chinese family from social damnation. The content of this novel can at times be nerve-wrecking and almost scary but it is still very sweet and gives an understanding of what the lives of past queer generations were like. While it is definitely not as easy-going as Heartstopper, the characters are still relatable and offer insight into the mind of a growing queer woman. I myself rated the book 5 stars and want to reread it as soon as possible.

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a classic English class book and many people have probably already watched the movie but the book is still worth looking into as it goes a bit more in depth on a few topics. The main character of this novel, Charlie, is starting high school in the early 90s after a tough last year in middle school and finds new friends in Sam and Patrick, he writes all of this in letters to a "Dear Friend." While Charlie himself is not queer, Patrick is and his character can show readers the consequences of not being allowed to live your identity out loud. There are a few CWs for this book so be aware: drug abuse, suicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, pedophilia, incest.

[bloodiedrogue]

10 CHARACTERS!

rules: pick 10 characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 people!

thanks @imgoingtofreakoutnow for the tag!

1. cybersix/adrian seidleman — aka my first impression of gender fluidity. this show came out when i was 4 and to this day i still mourn that it wasn’t longer. it was so insanely influential for its time in terms of gender rep (the main character’s disguise was a male school teacher who pretty much everyone had a crush on) and i remember genuinely crying to my mom when this show stopped airing at its regular time slot.

2. eris — at the ripe age of 8 this woman was my bisexual awakening. and honestly, more than likely the introduction to my obsession with villains. to this day i would literally let this woman do whatever she wanted to me.

3. loki laufeyson — the man, the myth, the legend. truly the one that started it all. the og summer blorbo. i’ve literally been obsessed with this man since i was a kid reading my uncle’s comic book collection past bedtime. so many iterations have come and gone (some better than others) but regardless this mother fucker has rotted my brain.

4. dr. spencer reid — probably the most influential character in regards to my writing. he was the first character that i wrote an entire fic about (along with an even longer sequel) which really helped me develop as a writer. also, now that i’m older i realize his neurodivergent rep was very affirming to witness!

5. fleabag — god, i could go on and on about how this character and phoebe’s writing makes me feel for a century so i’ll just say no other character has made me feel the way this one does.

6. silco — he’s everything i love in a character. from his overall design to his motivations and traits, silco is perfect and i thank arcane every day for creating him.

7. nick miller — watching this character is like looking in a mirror and i hate it. everything he does or says is so ridiculously specific to my psyche that i sometimes have to cover my face out of sheer secondhand embarrassment. i love him dearly.

8. ash — this is baby. my darling. my sweet cheese. despite her kit in game being very mid i will never main another character simply because she is the moment! her backstory is compelling. her and horizon’s relationship prior to the games is so interesting that i think about writing a 33737 page fic of it every day. i just love her and her broken little simulacrum brain.

9. mizu — she is everything i want in strong, female character. blood thirsty motivations that lead to unwavering goals, complicated relationships, the external hotness of a thousand suns. mizu is incredible and i am so happy that blue eye samurai got picked up for season two!!

10. astarion — wow, what a surprise! the vampire is here! who would’ve guessed? seriously though, i know i post about him pretty much every day and make jokes about how hot he is and blah, blah, blah but he truly means so much to me. all of the writers involved in creating him (and neil obvs) did such an incredible and sincere job. you can tell they put so much care into crafting his (and so many other characters’) story and i’ll forever be thankful.

tagging: @infinitystoner @use-your-telescope @the-lake-is-calling @the-lady-amphitrite @novarunestone @sunserenade @justporo @leighsartworks216 @aphrogeneias @lipstickghoulie (and whoever else wants to participate!)

[rjmenez]

*     ◟    :    〔   taylor zakhar perez  ,      cis man    +   he/him    〕     RICARDO JIMENEZ ,      some say you’re a    THIRTY-THREE YEAR OLD  lost soul among the neon lights.      known for being both  KINDHEARTED  and  RESERVED,  one can’t help but think of  WHATS UP DANGER? by   BLACKWAY FT: BLACK CAVIAR  when you walk by.    are you still a    DRUG DEALER   /     SOLIDER at    THE OLD MAFIA HOUSE,     even with your reputation as the  THE DREAMER?     i think we’ll be seeing more of you and    sunshine mixed with a little hurricane, jean jackets with band patches on it, and freshly brewed coffee scents mixed with cologne although we can’t help but think of MILES MORALES (SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE), NICK MILLER (NEW GIRL),   FRY (FUTURAMA) whenever we see you down these rainy streets.

BACKSTORY & PERSONALITY:

death tw, drugs mention tw

— the  jimenez family has a long history of gang association that began long before ricardo was born; his own parents both born into the gang lifestyle, met, and formed their family around it. he had a younger sister who was taken from him at a young age, murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. her death left behind a broken soul within him that only hardened as he grew older, he was thirteen when he lost her and fourteen when ricardo started following in the footsteps of his parents. his parents were not good people, they took advantage of ricardo's rage, the desire for revenge from losing his baby sister, and they morphed it into something they could use to benefit their lifestyle. and they were lucky that their eldest child had the smarts, wits, charm, and drive to push whatever needed pushing. 

　 — he was barely an adult, eighteen, when the opportunity presented itself to offer the old mafia house his services, and he did. he worked hard to prove his worth to his newfound family, a family he considered more blood than his actual blood. joining the ranks of a solider within the gang was one of the proudest days of his life, and he works hard to push any drug he's entrusted with to sell. his loyalty lives and dies with the old mafia house, but he's also not entirely heartless. ricardo has a problem with not being able to sell to a person if he feels they are starting to depend too heavily on the stuff, which, he knows he shouldn't do.

　 — he is an adventurous soul who dreams of a life outside of the world he's known his entire life. he's very in touch with the people he comes across, the community he lives within, because he's interested in the story every person's life weaves. he can be a bit reckless, as he's always living life to the fullest in every moment. he's got a good heart, good soul, even if he may not see that way. unless he's being addressed for some serious business, or speaking with his higher ups, ricardo is more than likely being a jokester. live, laugh, love. 　

WANTED CONNECTIONS & PLOTS:

TBD

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb: A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry. Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.   Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.    Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads —Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them?   But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex…right?

Review:

Whats a girl to do when her fiancee cheats on her with his childhood best friend then to fake date said childhood best friend's now ex boyfriend. Daphne was engaged to Peter, their romance was a cute story... up until the moment he tells her he cheated on her with his childhood best friend, Petra, during his bachelor party and now is in love with her and wants to end the engagement. Not to mention the fact that Petra was also in a relationship with her boyfriend Miles and cheated on him to run off with Peter. Daphne is in a predicament, Peter essentially owns their living space and is giving her until the weekend to move out and that's when Miles, Petra's ex, offers Daphne Petra's old room and to be her new roommate. Daphne can't say no as Miles is the only person who really knows what she's going through, and what was only suppose to be quick roommates turns into something more as they begin to become friends,,, and funny story, when Peter calls Daphne she just lies and says she's dating Miles, who is all too happy to play along. Yet what started off as fake is becoming very real as Daphne and Miles begin to form a strong friendship that is becoming something more as they spend the summer adventuring together.... but they both have their own difficulties and family issues... and if they want this to be real they'll have to face their differences and see if they really can make this funny story work. This was a super cute rom com and it's my first Emily Henry book! Miles was very Nick Miller (from New Girl) coded and I adored him and Daphne together. Daphne is a librarian and Miles works at a winery, Daphne is used to having people disappoint her and Miles is use to running away from his problems... both of them have so much heart but are going through so much. I loved the fun friendship growing between them and how they really felt like a good couple. They had good banter and chemistry and I was so happy to read this book. This is definitely a fun read and I definitely see it being a good one to recommend anyone who wants a nice romcom with a bit of heart.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[soft-persephone]

Not a Accident

Nick Miller x Black!Female!Reader

WC: 2.2k // Mature: MDNI // Warning: Smut, Light cockwarming, // Slight angst, sad relationship talks // a lil cringy dialog (but we move!) // masterlist

I wrote this with black women in mind, but everyone is welcome to read it!!!

AN: And remember what Amine’ said IN CAROLINE for his tiny desk concert! Look it up if you don’t know what I’m talking about! You’ll love it! ☺️

And no, I didn’t focus on my new girl fic because Doug Renetti broke my heart in Minx….

Nick walked in the door and sighed

He was beyond tired.

He worked three back to back shifts and all he wanted to do was get back to you before—

“In what world do you get a girl like that?”

“I’m not doing this today, Schmidt.” Nick wants to scream. He wants to yell, or at least do something loudly in some frustrated manner. . But he was too tired.

So he’ll have to settle on just showing his displeasure with his face.

“I worked too hard for too long. I just want to have one simple moment with my girlfriend before she has to leave for the day with her friends.”

“That!” Schmidt dramatically pointed, “is precisely the problem Nick. You just go around working and doing whatever else, when you should be with her.

Schmidt’s voice shifted and his eyes got watery in a way Nick did not feel comfortable with.

“I’m just so proud of you man. You’ve been taking moderately good care of yourself and putting your best foot forward and somehow she’s still here . . . But also, YOU DONT DESERVE HER!”

Nick frowned and pushed past Schmidt to get to his room.

“Have a nice day at work.” He grumbled.

Asshole.

Opening the door of his room, he smiled.

Every ounce of frustration and anger he had rumbling around in him no longer mattered.

You were face down in his bed, sheets crumpled in various directions, half covering your body. You had one hand dangling over the edge while one was tucked underneath the pillow you had your face buried in. A cute purple bonnet covered your hair while you only wore one of his shirts.

He grabbed a few things and cleaned him self up before climbing in alongside you.

He gently grabbed you by the hips and pulled you into his chest so you could both lay side by side. You sleeply cried out but adjusted into the position easily, letting him move you every which way until you were both comfortable against each other.

God, did he really love you.

He inwardly sighed in relief when you didn’t wake up.

He wanted, no he needed, this moment with you.

All he thought about was you being here when he got back from work. How he wanted to hold you tight and bask in your presence, your touch, and your smell, just before you were ripped apart again, and he’d have to wait hours upon hours again before you could both spend some quality time together.

He was being a little dramatic, and he kind of hated it. . . . But maybe he has a right to be. You live on the other side of the country! He has to wait for you to come to LA before you can both act like the distance doesn’t bother either of you!

Truth be told it was killing him.

But you don’t talk about it. He doesn’t talk about it. It was an unspoken rule he was sure you both appreciated.

However, whenever you were together, he forgets about all the problems between you two, and he thinks for you it’s quite the same. Being together was just so, easy.

He moved his face to settle on to yours so you were both cheek to cheek. Your perfume radiated off of you in waves. You always smelled of something sweet.

It was sweet but complex and sophisticated and amazing and beautiful. It smelled like you.

You were always so pretty, but when you were sleeping it was something special.

He didn’t have to worry about what other people might think in moments like these or how he looked so stupid or how stupid his thoughts were.

It was only you and him, and that was all that mattered.

But he was also a man.

A very simple one at that.

And he had a very long and tired shift at work. He had done his job with you on his mind during every hour that crawled by, and now you were in front of him.

Every dip and curve of your body was pressed against him, he could run his hand along your soft skin, caress the very warm brown thighs that held the power of his image destruction.

He couldn’t help the furling desire that grew inside of him. The thought of you leaving at some point made him even more desperate.

He looked at the clock and watched as 7:00am crawled closer and closer.

He needed to do something now before you were gone.

You asked him to wake you up at that time, so you’d be able to get ready for an early brunch with your friends. You all flew in together and split a hotel room, but here you were now, in his bed.

There was something about the way you looked in your sleep.

Cuddled on your side, covers pulled up over your nose and the pillows fanned around your face, protecting you against everything in the day had in store for you. Your eyelashes soft and feathery didn’t move an inch as you slept. The sun was starting to cast a warm new throughout the room, dawning you in a dazzling glow.

Nick’s chest swelled with emotion.

Fuck!

He wanted to be close to you. He wanted to spend the rest of the day with you. It’s not like you were here everyday. You fly halfway across the country when you can just to be here, and he can’t help but to accept whatever time you spare to be with him. Hell if this trip wasn’t so sudden he might have taken off work just to be with you.

You just smelled so good.

No matter what type of scent you wore, it was always a sweet one. But your favorite, which was also becoming his favorite, was vanilla. It somehow wedged its way into everything you wore. If was flowery or sexy or spicy or whatever the fuck it was, vanilla was always there.

“Mmh.” Nicks face was pressed against yours. His body was now covering yours too. His knees folded under yours, legs interlocking together, his arms holding you as if you were an oversized teddy bear.

“You smell good.”

“You too.” You hummed back. “…..hate it.”

Nick’s chuckle vibrated in his chest, tickling at your back. “Why? If anything I thought you’d appreciate me taking a shower before I get into bed.”

“Like it better when you smell like cheep beer and whiskey.”

Nick laughed again, his breath tickled your ear.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

He moved your leg over his, not even saying anything slick or suggestive or smooth. Just a sudden movement, no start of sweet nothings or jokes or conversation of any kind.

He grinded his hips against yours in a slow stroke.

Your mouth opened in a silent moan. You were still a bit sleepy, but that didn’t stop the throb between your legs.

“Later.” You softly moaned into the pillow. “I gotta get ready.”

“No,” he moved your sleep shorts to the side and sucked at your throat in the way you liked, “now.” He gruffly pouted.

He pulled his sweatpants down and groaned as his cock bobbed out of his sweats. The head already leaking.

Fuck. You brought your hand to your mouth and bit your finger hard.

Nick was always thick, but fuck was he stretching you out. Barely past his head was inside of you but it was already too much.

“No one in New York been fuckin’ you.”

“Mhmm.” You slurred. “Just you…only here.”

“That’s a long time with no dick.”

“S’allright before ah metyou , i'll b’ sallright after.” You horsesed softly. Your voice was still raspy with sleep, but breathy from the way he was slowly stretching you out. Inch by excruciatingly pleasant inch

When Nick was all the way inside of you he craned his neck past your face to give you a kiss. It was firm, but littered with a sleepy edge. As all consuming and desperate as one could manage in such a state. He eventually brought his hand up your chest. Dragging his knuckles from under your shirt to your neck, grabbing firm but softly at your neck to keep you in place.

Your chest burned.

You grew equally desperate for a breath of air as you were for his mouth to stay on yours. From the way he was taking your breath away, to the way he felt so full inside of you, it was too much.

You moaned in his mouth.

Nick wanted to tease you, but fuck… he could only take so much. The feeling of you moaning in his mouth made him twitch inside of you, and you responded with a gush.

You were so warm and wet, and he felt so comfortable.

He didn’t want to move.

“Nick I need to go.” You whined after he finally broke the kiss.

He ignored you, mouthing at your neck, biting down as hard as he could on your collar before nipping at your jaw.

“No.” He mumbled into your skin.

“Niiiick.”

-

“You fucked him.”

“Leave me alone.” You deadpanned.

“Your really did fuck him,” Natalie squealed!”

“Yayyy! You fucked him!” Reesha clapped and giggled.

“You two play, too fucking much.” You muttered. But you still held a smile on your face.

“So what’s the plan on this whole, long distance thing?”

“How come your always flying to him and he never flys to see you?”

“Is he really that broke?”

“Oh my god girl! You ain’t tell me you were fucking a broke nigga!”

“Will you two quit it out already!” You rolled your eyes. Besides, you added with a pout, “I thought we were doing a fun brunch thing!”

“Your fun brunch privileges get revoked when you have them in the same city as the guy you're willing to fly out to for sex.” Natalie gave you a pointed look.

Natalie was your Best friend throughout undergrad, and Reesha was a friend through her husband which you worked with at a Law Firm.

“Well, better him than my husband. You two were getting a little too chummy.”

“Reesha, you know good and well nobody wants your man! They’ve been friends since law school! That’s old news!”

“By the way, Xavier misses you.” Caresia raised an eyebrow at you before taking a sip of her mimosa.

“We’ve all been missing you.” Natalie added.

“I know I know.”

We’re you really spending that much time in LA?

“I want to say I’ve been trying to make it work?”

Your friends sighed over exaggeratedly.

“Girl, you mean you’ve been hopping on all these flights without thinking about it?”

“Oh you must love this guy for real for real…”

“I don’t really like the way you said that, Reesha.” You scoffed half jokingly.

“You shouldnt! We came here not only to have a good time, but to have a real talk with you.”

“Does this guy have a real job?” If you two are serious enough to be long-distance this long, it’s time you start thinking about the facts.”

“He’s a bartender.” You crossed your arms and bit the inside of your cheek to keep a neutral expression.

“Like a regular one or one that’s actually making some money.”

“She ain’t tell you?” Reesha scoffed before chuckling and sipping her mimosa.

“Tell me what?” Natalie turned to look at you.

You didn’t respond, opting to look into your glass and take a long sip through the little straw.

Nick’s made you a better one. And annoyingly won’t tell you how he made it, so you'll suffer through mediocre mimosa’s for the rest of your life if he’s not there.

“Don’t you make that face. What were you supposed to tell me.”

“He has three roommates.”

“Three?!?”

“Told you!”

“Is the dick really that good?” Natalie shook her head and sighed.

“Look, I’m a big girl and I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t want another guy like Derik.”

“But Derik might have been an asshole, but at least he was on your level? If you kept setting him straight and puting him in his place each time he stepped out of line, you could have trained yourself up the perfect man! He can actually provide you the life you want. You two could have built a future together!” Reesha pleaded.

“Derik is a grown ass man!” You huffed, “I’m not tryna be a second mother to some nigga! I want to be happy, and Nick makes me happy!” You sighed, but gave them a real look, doing your best to make sure your friends could at least see how you felt if your words weren’t enough.

“I don’t know how or if this is going to end, but I know that right now this is what I want. This is it for me.”

“If you say so,” Natalie relented.

“We just want you to know we’re here for you no matter how this turns out.” Reesha added.

“I know,” you sighed, “I know.”

[cryptidkeepp]

(maxence danet fauvel) [THE LOST SOUL]. Please welcome [REMINGTON ‘REMI’ DUMAS (HE/THEY)] to Huntsville, WV. They are an [27]-year-old [VISITOR] who lives in [THE COMMUNE]. You may see them around working as a [STOCK WORKER AT 7-ELEVEN]. Poor unfortunate soul. We’ll see if they survive.

GENERAL.

full name: remington alexandre jean dumas

nicknames: remi, rem, du hast

title: the lost soul

hunter / gatherer: neither

birthplace: lyon, france

gender / pronouns: demiboy, he/they

age / birthday: 27, july 7th

orientations: pansexual, panromantic

occupation: former musician, stock worker at 7-eleven

location: commune, visitor

status: chem testing

family: margot dumas ( mother, unknown ), jules dumas ( father, unknown ), guy dumas ( uncle ), james anderson ( uncle )

strengths: creative, independent, adaptable, charismatic, driven

weaknesses: moody, pessimistic, gullible, rebellious, impulsive

character inspo: jane margolis (breaking bad), rue bennett (euphoria), nick miller (new girl), jason mendoza (the good place), natalie (yellowjackets), darlene (mr. robot), philip j. fry (futurama), satine (moulin rouge!), greg hirsch (succession)

BIOGRAPHY.

tw: abandonment, mental illness

born in france to parents who were never meant to be parents. they were involved in shady things, theft for certain but besides that remington never got a real answer about it. what he did know is that at the age of six they dropped him off with his father's brother and his partner in los angeles.

despite remi being thrust into their lives without warning, their uncles never cast them out but they weren't always the most attentive guardians but they did the best they could. they also encouraged remington to explore the arts and chase their dreams, which is what turned them toward music and enhanced their passion for it. from the age of nine they spent everyday practicing guitar, sometimes for hours at a time.

music was their lifeblood. which in school they often felt like a loner and an outcast, they didn’t keep friends for long or make friends at all in some cases which further contributed to their abandonment and trust issues. they would go through long bouts of depression, getting highs and lows at random. it made it hard to build any sort of confidence. he tried to tell himself it didn't matter. and eventually it didn't, eventually he joined a band and actually managed to make it through high school.

being in los angeles allowed him a lot more opportunities than he would have had in the rest of the world. he joined the punk rock band thrift store lingerie not long before he graduated and they rose to mediocre fame within a few years. enough to score a recording contract and get set up with a smaller label.

they began touring the country, made a few videos and albums. they were no sex pistols, but they did alright and remi was having the time of their life traveling, playing shows, partying, and meeting fans. it was like a dream come true and the band was like family to him. but as their track record went with family, the band split after their final tour date in new york city in the fall of 2023.

that shifted everything for remi and he became lost, floating down the east coast spending his money instead of going back home to figure out what to do next. he was on the way to florida for some big new years bash with a group of people he met in vermont and somehow they ended up in west virginia. one wrong turn and they were in huntsville. within the first week the group they came with was gone, rebellious thinking the warnings were lies.

remi settled at the commune but he still is having a hard time adjusting to this new life. he just feels lost and scared and doesn't know how to handle everything. hopefully he can find a way to adapt or they don't know how they're going to survive.

QUICK CONNECTIONS.

friends

someone to help them adapt

bands they toured with

fans

other musicians

a therapist type

partner in crime

HEADCANONS.

very likely has bipolar disorder, but doesn't know that

still has a couple guitars with them, also knows how to play the piano and violin.

can speak french, spanish, italian, and english.

more to come!

[lefresne]

maybe a strange question, but it's inspired by that modern lens of analysis post you reblogged: do you have any favorite academic articles about arthurian lit? my interest in it is extremely new and i'm not even remotely a medievalist so i'd like to read some articles that might lessen the modern lens i know i view arthuriana through

Ok WOW hi, hello and thank you for your question!! Everyone is always welcome to my little corner of the internet, whatever their level of knowledge of Arthuriana! 

So this is obviously an incredibly broad ask, and it would kind of depend on your personal interests as well as where you fall on the spectrum of ‘the original historical context of a narrative can only take you so far when it comes to ascertaining the meaning of a literary text’ (in other words: is ‘meaning’ inherent to the text or is it constructed through reception, and to what extent is this reception historically specific? Will you read a medieval text as a medieval person would? Is it useful to aspire to? People way more intelligent than me have debated about these things at length) As with most things, it’s probably a bit of everything.  Context is always going to be important, but it is my opinion that so is acknowledging your own historical ‘vantage point’ from which you are viewing and interpreting these texts. I personally use a lot of postmodern theory as a lens through which to examine medieval literature because it is what I enjoy, personally, and because there are far more resonances between them than you might think. A really good piece of academia will place theory and medieval literature in such a relationship that they illuminate each other. SO this is just a verryyy long-winded way of saying that I personally don’t see any issues in applying a ‘modern lens’ to Arthuriana if it is done in a thoughtful, intelligent way and I like to think a lot of my recommendations reflect my interest in that! (I was trained in a very theory-heavy institution so this perhaps also colours my approach!)

(long post so I have a few recs under the cut!)

Some books I find very thought-provoking that examine the interactions between modern theory and medieval lit (amongst other things) :

Fragments and assemblages: forming compilations of medieval London by Arthur Bahr

Imaginary Worlds in Medieval Books: exploring the manuscript matrix by Martha Rust

The Medieval Poetics of the Reliquary by Seeta Chaganti

The Medieval Literary: beyond form edited by Robert John Meyer-Lee and Catherine Sanok

Bloodless Genealogies by Zrinka Stahuljak

Thinking Through Chrétien de Troyes by Zrinka Stahuljak, Virginie Greene, Sarah Kay, Sharon Kinoshita and Peggy McCracken

Some articles I really like (which doesn’t mean I always agree with them wholeheartedly, usually just that I think they are Neat for various reasons)!:

Gawain and the Nick of Time: Fame, History, and the Untimely in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Richard Godden, Arthuriana (2016) 

The Ends of Excitement in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Teleology, Ethics, and the Death Drive by Mark Miller, The New Chaucer Society (2010)

Arthurian Time and Space: Chrétien de Troyes’s Conte del Graal and Wace’s Brut by Rupert Pickens, Medium Aevum (2006)

Writing History, Writing trauma: the rape of Ygerna the Medieval Brut Narratives by Gillian Adler, Medieval Feminist Forum (2021)