#hgtv au

[windypuddle]

out of context discord ( @quiddlegoose )

#the context is. uh. enstars hgtv au. #my friend asked who would be the property brothers #puddle talks #enstars #ensemble stars #2wink #hinata aoi #yuta aoi

[sesamestreep]

Sam/Bucky for 28, "feeling for each other in the dark"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ZAINAB!! here’s another small entry in that TFATWS/HGTV AU🏡 🛠❤️ (wow that’s a lot of acronyms!) that I keep promising to write for you and never do! i hope you like it and I hope you’ve had a wonderful day with absolutely no electrical issues whatsoever 🍰💖

Bucky finds this whole social media thing baffling, if he’s being honest. Sam would laugh—has laughed, when he’s said it before—and call him an old man, which is fine. Maybe even fair. He’s certainly not young anymore, and if this is the way of the future, he may have to make peace with becoming a relic. But for now, he’s trying.

He’s pretty good at being in front of a camera, though that’s less about well-honed skill and more about pure instinct at this point. When they were growing up, Steve’s mom used to call him a “charming varmint,” with the way he’d chase after girls he liked and sweet talk his way out of trouble with shopkeepers and teachers. Being on camera, he figures, is more or less the same thing, trying to charm people enough that they keep paying attention.

No, the thing that’s truly baffling about social media is the way you’ve got to film everything, and you’ve got to be on all the time, and you’ve got to slow down and explain everything you’re doing so that people can replicate it, because that’s apparently why they’re watching. (Except when it’s for something called ASMR, which Sarah attempted to explain to him once and he only felt more confused afterwards somehow.) Bucky’s good at what he does, but he’s not convinced anyone should be basing their life choices off of him, even just the ones related to contracting and home improvement, fields where he is ostensibly an expert.

Sam says this is all par for the course, that it’s normal to feel weird about all the attention, because it is objectively pretty fucking weird. Millions of people follow them now. There’s simply no other way to describe it other than bizarre.

Thankfully, today’s assignment is fairly light on the social media fuckery that Bucky doesn’t understand. All Sam has asked him to do is set up his phone to record himself pressure washing and sanding the back deck of the house. Despite his objections that it will be boring for people to watch, Sam insists that, once they speed up the footage, people will find the repetition soothing, and the transformation at the end will be impressive. All of that allegedly will turn into likes and shares and a bunch of other metrics Bucky can’t think about too hard without giving himself a stress headache. According to Sarah, who’d been sitting at the kitchen table with them and nodding along the whole time as Sam explained this, the video Sam is describing will “do numbers,” which is a haunting phrase and most of Bucky’s acquiescence was to avoid having it explained to him any further.

“We’ll put that Harry Styles song you pretend not to like over the footage,” Sam had said, with a wide grin. “People will love it.”

“If you say so,” Bucky grumbled, secretly grateful they’d returned to a metric he could actually understand. Liking or disliking something; that makes sense to him.

That had been a few hours and a trip to the hardware store ago, and he was finally getting around to setting up his phone to record. After double-checking the angles, and ensuring he had enough battery left to capture the whole process, he went to plug in the pressure washer so he could get started. When he pressed the power button on the machine, though, nothing happened. He tried unplugging it and plugging it back in with the same exact result. He cursed under his breath, worried that this brand new piece of equipment might be broken and he’d have to hound someone at the store about it, which would ultimately just set them back a full day on this project. Before he does that, though, he decides to plug in the sander, just to be sure it’s the washer and not to outlet. To his surprise, the sander won’t turn on either.

He doesn’t remember Sam or Sarah mentioning this outlet as one that doesn’t work, and once he thinks about it, he remembers using it for the leaf blower last weekend. He stands, wiping his palms on his jeans, and squints into the house to see if he can spot Sam. He can’t, but he does notice the overhead light above the stove isn’t on, which is odd. Sam is always complaining that Sarah and the boys leave that on all the time, even when they’re not home, which wears out the bulb. So far, his complaints about it have mostly resulted in his sister and nephews roasting him for being uptight, and the light will stay on all day unless Sam himself sees it and goes through the trouble of clicking it off (which he almost always forgets to do, which only compounds the roasting he receives from his family).

Now that he’s looking, Bucky can see that the clock on the stove—normally an alarmingly bright red LED display that Sarah hates but not enough to replace the stove, despite it being older than both of her children and always cooking chicken unevenly—is out, too. He goes to stop the recording on his phone, and can’t connect to the wi-fi, which confirms his suspicion that the power is out for the whole house. He knows Sam was supposed to be re-organizing some stuff in the basement, so he decides to go check on him before he tries to find out if it’s just them or if the neighborhood lost power.

Using the flashlight on his phone, he descends the basement stairs carefully. “Sam?” he calls out, into the darkness.

“Buck?” Sam calls from the other end of the room. He holds his own phone, also set to flashlight mode, aloft and waves it, to get Bucky’s attention.

“You alright?” Bucky asks, and he hadn’t really, truly been worried—Sam can take care of himself just fine—but he feels himself finally relax seeing him in one piece.

“Yeah…” Sam replies, but there’s something hesitant about it.

“Oh, god, you’re not hurt, are you?” Bucky asks, nearly tripping over himself to cross the room and get closer to Sam. In his haste, he drops his phone, which makes everything harder to see and he ends up colliding with a stack of boxes that he’s fairly sure contain Cass and AJ’s baby clothes. As he stumbles to avoid crushing the boxes, he reaches out a hand to steady himself and finds Sam already waiting, arm outstretched, to catch him. He clamors to grab his hand in the dim light.

“I’m fine,” Sam says, his voice gentle now that he’s up close. “You good?”

“Yeah, all good,” he replies, trying very hard to act like a guy who didn’t just absolutely embarrass himself in front of his boyfriend. He clears his throat, awkwardly. “Did the power go out while you were down here?”

“Yeah, while I was down here…”

“Do you think we should call some of the neighbors? You know, make sure they still have power, see if they need anything?”

Sam rubs his neck, looking nervously at the floor. “That won’t be necessary, actually,” he says. “I’m pretty sure it’s just us that lost power.”

“How do y—?” Bucky starts to ask, before realization dawns. He narrows his eyes. “Samuel, you didn’t!”

“I was just trying to—!”

“I know what you were trying to do, but what you actually did was fuck with the breakers! Sarah’s gonna kill you!”

“Woah, first of all, nobody has to tell Sarah anything!” Sam says, desperately. “And secondly, I know what I’m doing here, okay? Something just went wrong!”

“What, Sam?” Bucky asks, crossing his arms over his chest. “What went wrong?”

“I… well…I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“Uh-huh. So much for knowing what you’re doing.”

Sam pouts at him, which is, unfortunately, kind of cute. “Hey!”

“Sam, sweetheart, you are excellent at almost everything you do. It is, honestly, upsetting how talented you are,” Bucky says, with as much patience as he can muster. “That talent does not extend to electrical work. It is the one thing on earth you’re not good at. It’s your Achilles heel. Just accept that and stop messing with the wiring in your sister’s house!”

“I prefer to think of electrical work more as my white whale,” Sam says, clearly trying to be charming. “Like, I just need to keep at it and eventually it will all work out.”

“Spoken like someone who has absolutely never read ‘Moby Dick,’” Bucky replies.

“Whatever,” he says, with a shrug. “Are you going to help me with these breakers or not?”

“I will take a look at them on one condition.”

“Okay, name it.”

“I need to hear four little words from you, in exchange for my help.”

Sam looks back and forth between the fuse box and Bucky in confusion for a moment. “I love you…” he says, sounding unsure. Then, he takes a second to count it out on his hands. “…Bucky.”

Bucky rolls his eyes, trying to avoid the smile threatening to burst forth at any moment. “I love you too, but that actually wasn’t what I was looking for.”

Sam looks even more confused at that and appears to think even harder about the answer. Bucky raises an eyebrow at him, waiting. Eventually, Sam sighs, deeply.

“I’ll hire an electrician,” he promises, petulantly.

“That’s my guy,” Bucky says, planting a kiss on his forehead on his way over to the fuse box.

#hbd zainab I love you and I like you #I’m very sleepy and I wrote all of this today so forgive any spelling errors!! #touch prompts #firstelevens #sambucky #fic #tfatws #mcu #sam wilson #bucky barnes #this old hgtv au #this prompt is from SEVEN MONTHS AGO #betyouthoughtyoudseenthelastofme.gif #I’m so sorry it took so long but also happy birthday 🥳 #and now my inbox is clear of prompts!! I did it!! #so really this is a gift to me hooray

[thehornysideofgeology]

Phil Coulson and Maria Hill, Multiverse of Madness (2022).

#love it or list it #hgtv #marvel #the avengers #phil coulson #maria hill #nick fury #agent coulson #real estate agent #clark gregg #cobie smulders #ao3 #multiverse au #multiverse of madness

[theshotsheardacrossworlds]

Day 10: Channel

Modern AU. Estinien is begging his wife to change the channel. Kinda NSFW.

“Agi for fuck’s sake, change the channel.” Estinien groaned as he sat next to his wife on the couch.

“What? Why?” Agnes asked, sipping her tea. One of Estinien’s long muscular arms wrapped around her broad shoulders. “There’s new episodes of Hunting for Houses and Reno or Sell-O!”

Put a bullet in my head. Please. Just...please. I love my wife. I love her more than anything on this star. I want to have a ton of babies with her. She’s the sweetest, kindest, sexiest woman in the history of mankind. BUT HER TASTE IN TELLY IS SO SHIT! “Sweetheart, those shows rot your brain I’m sure of it. Not that I’m saying your brain is being rotted right now!” He added quickly upon seeing her “I’m getting annoyed with you” face. “I just don’t understand why you like this stuff.”

Agnes shrugged and put her mug down on the coffee table. “I don’t know. I just do. I like judging the houses and…the people. It’s just funny to me.” She patted his thigh and then reached for the remote. “But we can put on something else, love.”

Fuck, now she sounds sad. She deals with high-energy children all day and simply wants to shut her brain off in the evenings. Plus…you cannot deny…that you…fuck, love to be a gossipy twat about these shows too. Fuck. “No, no. If it makes you happy, then so am I. Besides,” he pressed a kiss to her head. “this’ll give us good practice for when we go house hunting.”

The squeal of delight his wife let out was both ear-splitting and heartwarming. To see her happy is the greatest thing in the world…next to sex with her. That cannot be topped. Except me! She can top me any time she likes! “Oh good! A new episode is starting right now!”

Oh goody.

“I’m Adela.” A blond Midlander on the screen said. “And this is my fiancée Bataar. We met at university when I participated in a cultural exchange with Steppe University.”

Agnes snorted. “Big guy. Tiny girl. Seen it a million times.”

“I mean, I’m a big guy, and you’re shorter than me.” Am I not getting something?

“Oh love,” she patted his thigh again. Oh gods, she needs to stop doing that. I’m getting way too turned on. “She’s little and cute. Thin and pretty. And he’s HUGE. He’s got to be near seven fulms tall, no? She seems barely five fulms. There’s a big difference.”

I still don’t get it but okay.

“What I love most about Adela? She’s got a kind heart like the Dusk Mother.”

“I don’t go comparing my lovely wife to Halone, mate, but you do you.” Estinien muttered.

Agnes giggled, grabbing her mug. “No, you say I’m Menphina come to life. Especially when we’re fucking, love.”

That’s because it’s true!

“I’m from Gridania—”

“Of course you are.” Agnes snorted. “I swear people from Gridania are so fucking weird. Weird about the woods. Weird about outsiders. Just…weird.”

“And we want to stay in Gridania near my family and job.”

Seems reasonable enough…

“I’m a jewelry shop assistant, and Bataar is a carpenter. Our budget is four hundred thousand gil for an at least four-bedroom single family home with at least two full bathrooms.”

“WHAT?!” Agnes and Estinien shrieked at the same time.

“There’s no fucking way they can afford and get all that in Gridania.” Agnes stared at the television. “Not with those jobs! Unless their families are helping?”

“Have to be…otherwise, they’re in for a rude awakening.” Estinien squeezed her shoulder. “That’s completely unrealistic.”

“Our realtor is Adela’s aunt Bertha—”

Estinien grunted and pointed his beer at the screen. “There ya go. That’s it. Family realtor.”

“I may have to give Adela and Bataar, specifically Adela, some hits with the reality stick. I don’t think she understands how the market in Gridania works.”

Agnes laughed so hard tea almost came out of her nose.

“This cannot be the house? It can’t be, right? Bataar?” Adela yelled as they approached a dilapidated cottage in Old Gridania. Bataar tried unsuccessfully to calm her as her aunt opened the door.

“Now, it needs some love—”

“We are not getting a fixer.” Estinien said, eyes narrowing. “I want everything ready to go.”

“Oh love, but those are cheaper, AND we can make it our own!” Oh shit, she’s got a dreamy look in her eyes. Oh shit. Oh fuck. “Just imagine the possibilities!” The only possibilities I’m imagining are you and I in our tastefully decorated home and fucking in every room. NOT A BLOODY RENO!

“Sweetest,” Bataar pleaded with Adela. “I can do some very fine work here…”

“AUNTIE, WHY DID YOU SHOW US THIS?!?!”

“Because your budget is shit, sweetie.” Agnes snarked, taking a brownie. “It’s especially shit in Gridania itself. Try the South Shroud with the swamps, and maybe you’ll get your money’s worth there.” My wife is so sexy when she’s being sassy. I fucking love it.

As the episode continued, Adela threw tantrums at the other properties (a small cottage that’s move-in ready and another fixer in the North Shroud). Estinien guessed correctly that they would choose the small cottage.

“Wow love, how did you guess?”

Estinien shrugged. “No fuss with that cottage. So what it’s not as large as she wants…at least it’s all ready.”

Agnes kissed his cheek and reached for the remote, changing the channel to All About Food. “You’ve suffered enough, my grumpy man. I think your favorite is going to be on…the one about chefs being forced to cook through challenges?”

I love my wife.

Even though she watches garbage.

#agnes currai #modern au #agnes varlineau #estinien wyrmblood #estinien varlineau #wolstinien #estinien x wol #ffxiv write #ffxiv write 2022 #agi watches HGTV nonstop #estinien's more a food network dude

[m00nlight-ramblings]

BG3 Companion Modern AU Headcanons

These random thoughts popped into my mind and I had to write them down. I love these little weirdos, and some of them probably don't make sense but OH WELL.

Should I do a Part 2 with more companions?? Let me know - my inbox and requests are open!

------

Astarion

This dude's got iPad kid energy - he loves to scroll Tiktok for hours.

He gets bi-weekly pedicures. And not the basic kind - the full on 1.5 hour long with the massage and the mask and the exfoliation.

His favorite holiday is Halloween. He plans his costume starting in August.

He'd be the type of person to be walking through a mall, see a Claire's, and spontaneously decide to get his ears pierced idk.

Is really into metal. Like, you'll come home and Metallica will be blasting and you walk into the bedroom and he's folding laundry and just like, "Oh, HELLO, Darling!" but will have to scream it over the volume in which he's listening to music

Will truly take an hour picking out the perfect wine to pair with your dinner...he's definitely a wine snob.

The cheapest article of clothing Astarion owns is from Banana Republic and it's an undershirt...everything else is ~*very fancy*~

Loves watching all types of vampire movies/TV shows. He can often be heard saying, "Oh no, they got that all wrong" under his breath.

He definitely reads like 1-2 books a week. He's recently really gotten in spicy smut books (he definitely got recommendations from BookTok).

For sure falls asleep to ASMR videos.

Gale

This man loves HGTV *queue Home Depot commercial music*

Has the most absolutely beautiful, clean home you've ever seen with about 30 bookcases CRAMMED with books. The books are the only disorganized thing in his home because he constantly is reading them, so alphabetizing them is useless.

Pinterest is his most used phone app. His boards are carefully curated. That man has a recipe/inspiration pic/quote for EVERYTHING.

Definitely volunteers at the animal shelter once a month. Often times has to talk himself out of bringing a cat home.

LUSH is his favorite store at the mall. He loves them bath bombs.

He THROWS DOWN at holiday parties...Christmas? Thanksgiving? The table is SET. The decorations are UP. He's wearing an APRON because he's been cooking ALL day. The playlist is PERFECT.

Speaking of holidays, he has matching pajama sets for everyone in the household. For every. Holiday.

Fall is absolutely his favorite season. "Sweetheart...have you ever watched 'When Harry Met Sally'? Perfect autumn movie...also I bought a new scarf today to go with my new peacoat. And mittens. And a new hat...it's getting cold outside."

He definitely has a Live. Laugh. Love. adjacent sign somewhere in his home

He definitely needs glasses to read. And he for sure has those librarian chains so that he can just take them off and they hang, instead of losing them.

Karlach

Absolutely loves to eat meals watching Youtube videos.

Imagine her in Times Square? She tears the M&M's store UP.

Is obsessed with documentaries. She often says things like "I can't believe there's so much stuff to LEARN out there!"

Definitely has a Squishmallow collection. And she rotates which one she sleeps with every night so they all get a chance.

Is absolutely the worst cook of all time but tries really really hard...however, she can make a mean boxed mac n' cheese.

Has an obsession with sugary cereal. There's always Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Fruity Pebbles in her cabinets.

Certified Switie for SURE.

Is really into astrology. Definitely has said, "Oh, you're just saying that because you're a SCORPIO" or the like many, many times.

Absolute Starbucks addiction (venti iced caramel macchiato, extra caramel).

Has monthly "girl's nights" (but everyone is invited) at her place. The rules are: pajamas only, junk food, romcoms, and a playlist of the best pop songs in the past 20 years.

------

How'd y'all like it...should I make a part two with other companions?! Remember my inbox is open and I'm accepting requests!! I'd love to write some stuff so send it in!

#balders gate 3 #bg3 gale #gale fanfic #gale headcanons #gale of waterdeep #astarion #astarion bg3 #astarion fanfic #astarion headcanon #bg3 #karlach #karlach headcanon #karlach fanfic #karlach fan fiction #karlach bg3 #bg3 karlach #bg3 astarion

[jedusaur]

Recs: the best Clint/Bucky fics with under 200 kudos

I just finished combing through the entire Clint Barton/Bucky Barnes tag on AO3 sorted by kudos, which got to be a bit of a slog toward the end, but there were some delightful underappreciated gems buried in the mud. so I decided to share some favorites!

D.I.Y. (Demons In You), by @redteamshark (38k) Clint and Bucky are renovating their new house, Clint is a YouTuber posting progress videos about the renovations, turns out the house is haunted. this one was the inspiration for this list, because based on the quality, length, and posting timeframe, I would expect this to have about 700-1000 kudos, and it has FIFTY-SIX. WHY. it's an engaging AU concept, the plot and relationship arcs are well-executed, it has fewer copyedit-level issues than some of the hugely popular fics, it hits good emotional beats, it's got fun minor character cameos, the HGTV-style home reno details are great. that kudos total is a cosmic error that requires rectification, pls assist

don't care what you did (as long as you love me), by veryrach/@mightymightygnomepriest (21k) a job goes wrong and Clint needs money fast, so he gets a job as "the blond one" for all the boybands in a '90s tribute act, supervised by a mysterious hot bodyguard. super fun but not actually crack-level ridiculous, it mostly plays the premise pretty straight, and at the end it does something interesting with the framing device that my will-they-or-won't-they dopamine response liked very much :D

A Muscle The Size Of Your Fist, by @there-must-be-a-lock (99k) in which Clint and Natasha are trailer park neighbors in 2008, Nat invites him to see her band play, and he meets Bucky in the pit by elbowing him in the face. lots of bandom nostalgia and ~emo kid~ feels in this one

Aw, Blood, No, by @reremouse (19k) Clint gets turned into a vampire and Bucky drags him out on a cross-country road trip to avoid the SHIELD agents trying to imprison him. featuring "blood-lover's pizza" and Tony's Malibu mansion with a private cove full of cars piled up underwater for the Aesthetics

Team Spirit, by @noxnthea (17k) rival ghost hunters, with peak The Sunshine One/The Grumpy One vibes. silly tropey fun :)

Safely Home, by @bluflamingo (5k) soft sweet post-CW fic about Bucky deciding to move in with Clint on his farm instead of going back to New York, over Steve's objections. especially loved this line about Bucky and Steve's dynamic: Bucky, if he was honest, thought their friendship could maybe stand to carry a little less of the weight of history.

love was just a glance away, by drunkonyou (30k) '70s Jersey Shore AU, in which Clint and Bucky meet when they're both contestants on The Dating Game and then spend the weekend on the shore together (warning for homophobic violence near the end)

been lonely too long, by veryrach/@mightymightygnomepriest (10k) a beautiful story about tattoos and pain kink and people being imperfect and messy and doing their best

#recs #fic #marvel #winterhawk #clint barton #bucky barnes #fandom

[katareyoudrilling]

Construction Corner (AU Joel Miller x Female Reader)

Episode 1: The Gutierrez Family

Fandom: The Last of Us/Pedro Pascal

Pairing: TV Host Joel Miller x divorced Female Reader

Summary: AU where nothing bad happened in 2003. It is now 2007 and Joel is now the host of a popular home renovation show.

Word count: ~1.8k

Rating: Teen, but series will be Explicit (18+ only. NO MINORS)

Content Warnings: Alternate Universe, inaccuracies about tv show production, filming, and construction

A/N: I had a lot of fun with this!  If I’m going to do an AU, I’m going to go all the way.  I hope you enjoy it!  Reader is divorced and in her late 30s, but is otherwise a blank slate.  Big thank you to @wheresarizona for her help with this idea and for beta reading!

Comments and reblogs very much appreciated!

Previous | Next

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Taglist – link in my bio and on my Masterlist

The first day of shooting always feels a bit like the first day of school – all nervous energy and possibilities.  You loved school.  You also really love your job as the producer of “Construction Corner with Joel Miller.”

The show started out on the local Austin, TX PBS channel, KLRU, a few years ago, but quickly got picked up by HGTV, which meant bigger projects and more episodes.  Also, more work for you, but that was just fine.

There’s a bounce in your step and a latte in your hand as you walk onto the homeowners’ property for the first episode.  Production always breaks over the hottest summer months, but now it’s October, and while the air is still warm, at least it’s not stifling.

You’ve spent the last few months interviewing potential homeowners, coordinating materials for their projects, and setting the filming schedule.  The prep is finished.  Now it’s time to put it all together.

This week’s episode is shooting in San Antonio.  You opted to commute since the drive isn’t too far from your home in Austin, but it did mean an early morning, thus the latte.

You make your way over to the homeowners who have just finished in the hair and make-up trailer.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gutierrez!  How nice to see you again!” you greet them with a warm smile and a handshake.

“Please, call us Javi and Gabriela,” Mr. Gutierrez, Javi rather, corrects you in his melodic accent, placing his arm around his very pregnant wife.

“Of course, Javi.  Are you ready for today?”  The homeowners are often nervous at the thought of revealing their DIY disasters to stern-faced Joel, so you like to check in.

“We are so excited!” Javi bounces on the balls of his feet, brown eyes sparkling.

“We definitely are,” Gabriela continues, looking fondly at her excitable husband.  “This is happening just in time.�� Our baby girl is due next month.”

“How wonderful!  I’m so glad we can help you before the baby arrives.”  You walk with them back towards their house.  “I just wanted to remind you of a few things before filming starts today.  You will be meeting Joel in a few minutes, but will have to pretend you are meeting him for the first time at your front door for the cameras.  You’ll take him inside and show him the project.  I’ll be honest with you… he is going to sigh a lot.  Don’t take it personally.  It may feel like he’s disappointed in you, but he’s not.  He wants to help.”

Javi and Gabriella nod seriously as they take in the information.  It’s a vulnerable thing showing an expert like Joel the mess you’ve made of your house.  But anyone who had watched the show knew that Joel was actually a big softy and was genuinely happy to teach homeowners the right way to do things, and proud of them when they learned.

As if on cue, Joel emerges from his trailer.  He is wearing a dark green t-shirt that pulls tight across his broad chest and shoulders, the sleeves hugging his muscular arms.  His worn leather toolbelt is slung low across his hips over dark-wash jeans.  Sturdy leather boots complete the look.

With each passing year, his wavy hair features more gray at the temples and in his scruffy beard.  He was concerned about the grays when they started coming in and even considered dying his hair, but you and the show’s director had convinced him that they only added to his gruff charm.  Salt and pepper suits him perfectly.

He makes his way over to you and the Gutierrezes in long, sure strides.

“Good morning, Joel.  I’d like you to meet Javi and Gabriela.”  You introduce the couple.

“Good mornin’,” Joel greets them with a kind smile, “I’m lookin’ forward to workin’ with you the next few days.”  He shakes their hands firmly and you watch as they beam at him.  It’s clear that Javi in particular is already under his spell.

“I’ll leave you to get acquainted.”  You back away from the group and make your way to the construction crew to confirm that they have all the supplies they need.

Filming begins shortly with Javi and Gabriela meeting Joel at the front door just as you had explained to them.  You watch on a monitor as they show Joel their DIY disaster.  He drags his hand down his face and sighs as he takes in the sight in front of him.

Javi had attempted to resurface his fireplace and build shelves on either side.  The faux stone he tried to affix to the fireplace was now falling off in places, leaving behind splodges of adhesive.  The shelves on either side of the fireplace droop and sag and behind them, wires stick through ragged holes in the wall.

Poor Javi grimaces as Joel takes it all in.

“We have our work cut out for us, but we’re gonna get it done.” Joel pronounces as he places a firm hand on Javi’s shoulder.  Javi positively swoons.

For the next few hours, the crew, Joel, and Javi, demo the area.  The camera operators are sure to get close up shots of Joel’s arms as he pulls down the sagging shelves and his backside as he bends down to pull off the faux stone.  It’s not their first rodeo.  Joel shakes his head good-naturedly when they ask him to bend down once more to get the perfect shot.  If it gets people interested in learning proper building techniques, then he is willing to provide a little eye-candy even if he doesn’t really believe he’s that exciting to look at.

By late afternoon, the room is clear and Joel sits down with Javi and Gabriela to show them his design plan.

“What we’re gonna do is build a new fireplace surround to go over y’all’s existin’ one.  We’ll tile the hearth and around the fireplace openin’ with these tiles here.” He shows them the samples.  “On either side, we’ll build shelves.  We’re gonna put cabinet doors on the bottom where we’ll put your electronics.  What you won’t see are the hidden channels for all your cables to run from your TV over the fireplace down into the cabinet, where we will have it wired for power and cable.  The doors will keep all your electronics out of sight and safe from your little one.”

Javi and Gabriela nod enthusiastically and smile.  Gabriela pats her round belly fondly.

Once the crew is satisfied that they got all their shots, production breaks for the day.  You do a final round of check-ins with all the departments and head to your car as the sun begins to set.  You buckle your seatbelt with a contented sigh and make your way home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The midday sun beats down on you as you look around for a spot of shade to eat your lunch.  It’s the fourth day of filming and after lunch will be the finished project reveal.

Everything has gone smoothly and you’re sure it’s going to make a great episode.  Every time Joel pats Javi on the shoulder and tells him that he did a good job, Javi beams at him with glistening eyes.

You see Joel sitting under a tree, squinting at his phone, and make your way over to him.  “Can I join you?”

“Sure,” he answers, still looking at his phone.

“Everything ok?”

He sighs.  “Sarah texted me.  She says it’s faster.  It’s not.”

You chuckle as he slowly presses the numbers on his keypad.

“How is she liking college?”

Joel finishes sending his message and sets his phone down on the grass beside him.  “She loves it.  I just don’t know why I let her go so far away.”

“Because you’re a good dad.  You’re encouraging her to follow her dreams.”

“Why’d they have to be in Virginia, though?”

You chuckle and pat him on his jean-clad knee.  “I’m sure she misses you too.  Does she call you?”

“Yeah, we talk every couple days, and then the damned texting in between,” he finishes with a grumble.

“You’ll get faster at it.  You could get one of those new iPhones everyone is talking about.”

Joel gives you a withering look and you laugh.

“She’s happy, though? Making new friends?” you ask, hopefully.

“It’s all she talks about.  Her friends, her roommate, her classes.  Can’t keep it all straight.”

“That’s great.  How are you doing?”

Joel takes a bite of his sandwich and tips his head from side to side as he considers.  “I’m ok.  The house sure feels empty, though.”

“I know what you mean.”

He looks at you questioningly.

“Oh, didn’t you hear?  I got divorced.”  You wiggle your bare left-hand fingers at him.  He stares at you for a long moment, then finally blinks and clears his throat.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t know.  You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m great, actually.  It was a long time coming.”  You take a bite of your lunch before continuing.  Joel doesn’t rush you.  “We were so young when we got together, and we grew apart.  It happens.  It’s nobody’s fault.”  You shrug and look over at Joel.  He nods and holds your gaze for a long moment before returning to his lunch.

You eat in companionable silence until the director calls you all back to set.  Joel gets to his feet and offers you a hand up.  His warm, dry palm engulfs yours as he pulls you up.

“Thanks, and thanks for lunch.  It was good catching up.” You smile at him.

“Yeah,” he pulls at the back of his neck and looks away, then back at you.

“Well, I’ll see you around.”  You squeeze his shoulder and walk away.  When you reach the production trailer, you turn back and find him still standing by the tree looking at you.  You smile and wave and he jolts, then turns and walks quickly away.  Strange.

You get yourself set up with a headset and monitor as the film crew takes their places inside with Joel, Javi, and Gabriela.

Watching the reveal is your favorite part.  The homeowners have been kept away while the final touches were completed.  The joy on their faces at seeing their new space warms your heart, but the best part is the pride in their eyes at having helped Joel accomplish it.

Next week will be new homeowners and a new project, but that same sense of pride and accomplishment.  Yeah, you love your job.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

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A/N: for anyone not familiar, this episode’s cameo was from The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

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#construction corner #joel miller #joel miller x reader #pedro pascal characters

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have." Location: hotel room

Part 2 of my HGTV AU

You can find part 1 here.

***

Their season premiere is set for next Monday and they've had this round of daytime talk show interviews scheduled for months. Matt knew he'd be sharing a hotel room with Sylvie and had plenty of time to prepare. It would go the way it always did. He would insist she take the bed, despite all of her determination not to, and then find himself somewhere else to sleep.

Luckily, this time they were in New York for a full week and the network had sprung for a suite with a pull out couch. In the early days of their show, he'd had to pile up extra pillows in a bathtub more than a few times. A pull out couch wasn't great but it was better than a porcelain tub.

He had emotionally prepped himself for being allowed to be physically close to her during the day while being apart from her at night. In the interest of maintaining his standing as a courteous and considerate person, that distance was important. Sylvie's comfort always came first.

But what he hadn't prepared himself for was watching the cohost of 'Great Morning USA' blatantly flirt with Sylvie during the commercial breaks of the live broadcast. The man, Greg Grainger, flirted like he knew the truth of their relationship -- like it was obvious she and Matt weren't really a couple. He knows that can't be. The network would've been on their asses if that were so. No, it must be that Greg is a moron and an asshole.

Matt hates him before the first interview question is even asked. On camera, he manages to be perfectly pleasant, but once the cameras are off all of his carefully crafted filters fail him. It's true. Matt can't have Sylvie, but as long as they're pretending to be engaged Grainger can't either. Not only that, but he's not really with Sylvie. He has no reason to be jealous. And yet...

He's snappish and curt and generally hostile toward the Greg Grainger all morning. To his shame, Sylvie witnesses all of it while pointing more than a few scolding glares his way. It doesn't stop him from treating Grainger like the gum he stepped on the sidewalk outside the airport yesterday. It should. What Sylvie thinks of Matt means everything to him -- has from almost the moment they met -- but today he has no energy to adjust his behavior. It is what it is.

She huffs from her side of the hotel elevator. There's a gulf of space between them since she's pushed herself into the furthest corner, arms folded over her chest with a cross look on her face. The silence that's grown between them is oppressive. He doesn't know what to say to explain himself and even if he did...it doesn't seem like Sylvie wants to hear it.

When the doors open she stomps ahead of him, busying herself with pulling their hotel room keycard out of her purse. He should say something. At least try to apologize. Even though he's not entirely positive he's sorry. For all Grainger knew, he was flirted with an unavailable woman.

But that's beside the point at the moment.

"Sylvie, I--"

"Nope, save it for inside. We do not need anyone else overhearing the fight that's about to happen."

Fight? Ah, shit. He's really stepped in it this time. He presses his lips together and nods, head bobbing as the door finally opens. She holds the door open and motions him ahead of her. Once they're both inside she closes the door and turns the lock. He gulps anxiously.

Looks like they're in for a cage match.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"What the hell was that?" She asks, throwing her purse down on the couch. "You were antagonistic with Greg the entire morning."

"Oh, it's Greg, is it? You guys are best buddies now?" He regrets the words the second they leave his lips. Why can't he keep his mouth shut today?

"I see. This is about him flirting with me?"

Matt glances away from her, shamefully staring at his shoes.

"Did you notice how I didn't flirt back?"

Yes, he did. He wondered about that. She could have -- off camera anyway. "Didn't stop him from trying."

She rolls her eyes at him and heaves a weary breath. "You know, lots of women flirt with you every damn day and I never act like this. I don't turn childish and petty. Ever."

Yeah, well, the difference between them as far as that goes should be obvious. He's in love with her. She isn't in love with him. All because her ex-fiance is a cheating asshole who let her former best friend steal all of Sylvie's clients. These days, she's too spooked to mix business and pleasure. At first, he agreed with her. Gabby left him with a mess to clean up and if Sylvie hadn't come along he's not sure he would've made it through. But over the years, he began to wish he never agreed with her on the "Business vs. Pleasure" pact. It completely backfired. He's head over heels in love with a woman and he can't do a damn thing about it.

"I don't think we can compare the two," he mutters, grabbing a beer out of the minibar. If they're gonna have one of their once a year fights then he's gonna need a drink.

"Oh no? And why's that?" she asks, taking the unopened beer bottle out of his hands. Finding the bottle opener, she pops the top and then takes a big swig before handing it back to him. "Because 'boys will be boys'? Because men have made dick-measuring contests socially acceptable displays of aggression?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt asks, face pinching in disgust and confusion. "When have I ever used the justification of 'boys will be boys'? You know that's not me."

"That seemed to be you today."

"No, it wasn't."

"Then what was it? Because it sure seemed like you were pissed off at the appearance of him trying to take something that everyone thinks is yours. Your manly pride couldn't take the blow. Nevermind that our romantic relationship has always been for show."

"Oh for fucks sake," Matt exclaims with a bitter chuckle. "My attitude toward Greg had nothing to do with my manly pride and everything to do with you."

"Me?" She asks, brow furrowing and voice raising in outrage. "What did I do?"

"Nothing! You did nothing except sit there and be the gorgeous, charming and effortlessly generous woman I've been in love with for over two damn years! It was all me, okay? All me and my stupid insecurities because I know you don't love me and you would probably be happier if we'd never decided to play along with this stupid fake engagement. But we did and now I'm sitting next to you ruining everything for you and I've put off trying to fix it because I'm a selfish asshole who didn't want you to leave."

He's panting by the time his outburst is over. There wasn't a whole lot of breathing happening during his rant and he's feeling it now. Also...what the ever loving fuck did he just do? It almost feels like he lost consciousness while he was yelling. He remembers it but none of it is clear. There's a panicked haze covering his awareness.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit. Shit!

Did he just blow up his entire lift before taking even one sip of his beer? Yep, seems likely.

"You...you love me?" Sylvie asks, eyes wider than he's ever seen them.

He could take it back. It wouldn't look great, but he could do it. There's a moment where he debates whether or not he should, but while it might save him a small amount of face it would be a lie. He's never lied to Sylvie and he doesn't want to start now. "I realize my timing is screwed up and you'd rather not mix our personal and professional lives. I'm not expecting you to--"

She cuts off his attempt at letting her off the hook. "Matt, stop. Just answer me."

He swallows thickly and nods, meeting her big curious eyes. "Yeah--yes. I do. I love you. I have for a long time."

Sylvie's eyes water and her hands cover her mouth. Just when he thinks he's destroyed everything they've built over the last three years, she laughs. No, not laughs -- giggles. It's a wild, disbelieving, high pitched giggle. The last time he heard it, she was drunk off her ass. She's a lightweight sure, but one sip of beer isn't going to get her drunk. That can't be what caused it this time.

When her hands fall from her face, she's beaming at him so hard and wide that her eyes look like little half moons. It's honestly fitting considering she's glowing as if she's the only star in the middle of a long and dark night. Jesus, he loves her so much she makes his chest ache for no real reason at all.

"I love you too."

He goes still, unable to process the words that left her lips. "What?"

"I love you too," she repeats, taking the beer bottle out of his hand a second time. This time setting it down on a coaster. "I have for a long time."

It's the mimicking of his own words that finally does it. Everything clicks into place. He breeches the small space between them and yanks her forward by the pockets on her well pressed black blazer. She laughs and lets herself fall into him, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck. "You love me," he states, needing her to confirm it one last time.

She nods. "And you love me."

"I do. I truly do."

"Good," she states, releasing a slow, relieved breath. "You should probably kiss me now."

"Oh, so the cage match is over?" He asks, teasingly.

She grins wickedly, leaning forward until her nose bumps against his. "Yep, and I won."

"I'd argue the point," he begins. "But I'd really like to stay out of the doghouse."

"Matt, shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am. Copy that."

When his lips find hers, every muscle in his body relaxes. The holes in his heart, leftover from years of neglect, fill in and start to heal as her lips part for him. This kiss is better than any he's had before. Sylvie's giving it everything she's got, grasping the hair on the nape of his neck and pushing herself flush against him. Tongues tangle and taste, hands wander, blazers and jackets are dropped to the floor. He guides her down to the couch, pressing her back into the cushions while he stretches over her.

They still have a lot to figure out -- like how are they going to proceed with the network, what do their feelings mean for their professional relationship, and does he still have to sleep on the pull out?

But all of that can wait for a while. Right now, he wants to enjoy this moment with her and revel in the possibilities. They love each other, and that's all that matters. They'll figure out the rest later -- the way they always have.

Together.

#brettsey #matt casey #sylvie brett #matt casey x sylvie brett #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[rotisseries]

we need some byler reality tv/game show aus. fake dating to pose as a new couple looking to buy a home so they can get on an hgtv show or something. cooking show contestants with a perceived rivalry, idk. put those boys in Situations

#idk if anyone has noticed but occasionally when I'm bored and want attention I'll just make a tumblr post that says #“byler au where (premise/trope I saw in a fic in another fandom that I loved) when?” and then I hit post and I don't think about it further #anyway I just really like reality tv aus #also celebrity aus I LOVEEE celebrity aus we could use some more celebrity aus #stranger things #byler

[metfell]

ranboo hgtv au. He goes on trips to super expensive houses and then sleeps there for a week and makes some jokes and is paid 1 billion dollars

see this works because this is some shit ranboolive would do

#ask #anonymous

[eldritch-thrumming]

watching the “go flip yourself” episode of wwdits and like.

imagine robin just gets extremely into hgtv over the pandemic and she’s over the freakin moon when the daltry brothers finally respond to her fan letters and agree to fix up the mansion and nancy just keeps sighing and rolling her eyes—she’s already accidentally killed one of the brothers when they snuck up behind her to surprise them all as she was polishing her antique guns—but of course she lets robin do whatever she wants. and when the crew tells her she’ll be getting her own weapons room, well. okay, she might be on board now.

but eddie fuckin hates this whole thing because he likes the house the way it is. he likes the crumbling walls and the mismatched sconces and the flickering hall lights and the half-flooded basement. he doesn’t want it to change. so steve’s tasked with keeping an eye on eddie and trying to keep him from sabotaging the construction crew at every turn.

robin is wearing flannel after flannel, constantly looking over the crews shoulders, trying to pry their tools from their hands so she can have a turn. eddie almost loses his shit when the crew surprises steve with a new room, much more comfortable and spacious than the walk-in closet off of eddie’s bedroom that he sleeps in now. it’s on the other side of the house. by the end of filming, a concrete pour has mysteriously found its way through the window of the new room, completely destroying all the progress made. steve’s stuck back in the closet off of eddie’s room again. the camera lingers on the way eddie grins to himself but when he catches sight of lucas and dustin filming him, he flashes his fangs and tells them to keep their mouths shut or else (they’ve been here long enough to know eddie never follows through with his threats).

after the week is over, the remaining daltry brother reveals himself to be murray bauman, robin’s (and by extension eddie’s) arch nemesis—no one can remember what, exactly, they’ve been fighting about for the last 57 years.

the only person happy by the end of it all is nancy, who locks herself away in the actual weapons room they’ve built her in the attic.

jonathan and argyle return from a week long camping trip to find jonathan’s room in the basement completely caved in.

more wwdits steddie au here

#steddie #steddie fic #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie fanfic #steddie fanfiction #steddie ficlet #wwdits steddie au

[coffee-at-annies]

For the fic mashup, 94 and 41.

Love your stuff, Annie!!

94. Hair Brushing/Braiding + 41. First Kiss

You didn’t specify a pairing so please have some very quick aus based on what’s been knocking around my head lately.

First up, @prettyhockey and I have been talking about girl!SidGeno. Idk I’ve been in the mood for ladies and I don’t quite know any of the woho players or teams well enough to write about them.

The setup for this one is Gena promising to do Sid’s hair for idk pregame or whatever. She swears that she’s done it before, Gonch’s kids let her do it all the time. So she’s doing Sid’s hair. Sid spends the whole time chirping her about her skills and Gena chirps back about Sid fidgeting and messing up her work. Gena does know how to braid but it’s definitely wonky and not the easy basic braid Sid’s been putting her hair in since she was in mites. At the end of it Sid looks in the mirror, sees her objectively kinda terrible braid and the smug/fond look on Gena’s face and needs to kiss that look off her. Needless to say Gena ruins her hard work when Sid kisses her a second third fourth and fifth time and Gena runs her fingers through Sid’s hair in response.

Next up is SidFlowerVero cause I’m always thinking about both Sid and Flower and Flower hit a milestone tonight.

The setup for this one is Uncle Sid braiding Estelle’s hair ahead of her first big hockey game. He learned how to do it for Taylor when she was younger and used to do it for the Lemieux kids. She asked for an extra special braid from her favorite uncle and both Sid and Flower are weak to her puppy dog eyes. So here Sid is, on a rare afternoon off, helping Flower and his daughter get ready for hockey. I think the conversation to go from Flower+Vero to Flower+Vero+Sid is like a couple days old and they’re still getting a feel for what the new dynamic might mean. Idk if they’ve told the kids yet or if Sid is here in favored uncle status rather than potential new dad status.

Either way Flower comes across Sid very earnestly braiding her hair and telling her how amazing she’s going to be and after he finishes and she runs off to show her mom, Flower has to swoop in and kiss Sid. Just cause. Cause he loves him. Cause he’s so great with his kids. Cause he can now. He gets to have this. They had the adult feelings conversation and all three of them said yes. There’s something about kissing Sid for the first time that has him giddy and it’s not just the memories he’s about to make with his daughter- their daughter. It’s about the way Sid’s eyes scrunch up and how he wants to keep him forever.

Finally @podcasts-8-my-heart challenged me to do EK/Tanger and I’ve been talking about it with @carpehistoryandthepens so have some soft 6558.

The setup for this fic is both of them hanging out after a road game and drinks with the team in EK’s hotel room. They started out talking and watching tv and have migrated to sharing the same bed because it’s nice and both of them are hockey players and thus are conditioned to seek out touch. Tanger sprawls out on the bed and somehow his head ends up laying on EK’s thigh. Erik started out playing with Kris’s hair, twirling it between his fingers and lightly scratching his scalp. As the random hgtv show (because what else is on in hotel room tvs) they were half watching gets to the mid point of the episode, EK moves on from twirling it and started braiding Tanger’s hair. Little short braids the kind kids do at slumber parties or when they’re learning and messing around with their own hair. Nothing big, nothing fancy, nothing permanent, though Erik still has a stash of hair ties in his suitcase from when his hair was long that he could break out if he needed it. Kris’s hair isn’t quite long enough to warrant that and also he wouldn’t get them cause that would mean disturbing Kris. Kris of course is very content and is trying not to fall asleep on top of Erik but he skated 25 minutes tonight and while his conditioning is good, he’s adjusting to a time zone difference on top of everything else. He didn’t want to say goodnight earlier when they first went to Erik’s room but he also doesn’t want to fall asleep there.

This goes on for another twenty minutes probably. They’re not really talking or watching the tv but it’s providing just enough for plausible deniability and to keep them from falling asleep completely. After about twenty minutes one of their phones goes off or there’s noises from the hallway of other players returning that prompts them to groan and break apart. As much as neither of them want the night to end, Kris really doesn’t want to sleep in Erik’s room. He needs to do his nightly routine, change out of his jeans, and really he just needs to go. Erik walks Kris to the door of the hotel room, Kris swaying a little cause he’s tired prompting a balance/skating joke and one about old man legs. At the door Kris turns around to say goodbye, silly little braids still in his hair and Erik can’t help but smile fondly at him. Kris smiles back a little helplessly. He sways forward into Erik’s space where he’s leaning against the door and presses a gentle kiss to somewhere in the face/mouth vicinity before turning around and heading for his hotel room down the hall. It takes a moment for the kiss to register with Erik and all he does is watch Kris walk away towards his hotel room. When Kris is out of sight, he peels himself off the doorframe and goes to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.

#asks answered #butterflyintochains #rpf mention #sidgeno #tanger/karlsson #sid/flower #my writing

[wandering-night19]

Both @jesuisici33 and @heartstringsduet tagged me in wip wednesday. I missed out on everything this week because of work. Tuesday night was especially hellish. So have some fluff from the hospital AU of Carlos and TK’s first date! It’s long, but I couldn’t find a good cut off point.

TK has technically only worked for five hours today, but he’s drained. Sometimes case days are worse than a full shift. All he wants is to go home, shower, and snuggle under his blanket with HGTV playing in the background. 

“TK!” He hears someone shout when he’s halfway to the employee parking lot. Turning, he’s surprised to see Carlos catching up to him. 

“Dr. Reyes,” he says, not able to keep the shock of seeing him from his voice. 

“I thought that was you. I didn’t know you worked here too.”

TK shrugs. “Just SANE cases. I just finished a follow up.”

“Oh,” Carlos says. They stand there awkwardly for a few minutes. TK plays with the zipper on his jacket while rocking back and forth on his heels. “Want to grab a coffee?” Carlos blurts out. 

TK stops moving completely. He stares into Carlos’s wide brown eyes and feels himself drowning. 

“Yeah, okay.”

Carlos starts breathing again, smiling brightly at him. 

“Okay, good.” They continue to stand and stare for a moment. “I can drive,” he offers. “Or you can follow.”

“I wouldn’t mind another ride in the Camaro.”

They end up at Stars Cafe, a 24hr diner a few minutes from the hospital that’s frequented by all the staff. TK remembers mornings spent here after long shifts with the rest of the nurses and techs in the ER. Mornings spent crammed into the green vinyl booths, loudly reliving the craziest moments of the night complete with direct quotes from patients or family members. Large stacks of pancakes and overflowing pitchers of mimosas. TK was always given his own pitcher of straight orange juice with a straw. They’d leave bleary eyed and limp, but without the weight of whatever horrors they’d had to face. 

He didn’t realize how much he’d missed the green vinyl until he was sliding into a booth across from Carlos. TK feels like it should be awkward, but for some reason it isn’t. They order coffee and TK watches as Carlos adds just one creamer while he adds four sugars and four creamers to his own. 

Evening creeps into night as the sun disappears behind the city skyline casting the smaller buildings into shadow. The hum and dim of other diners ebbs and flows around them. TK switches to water when the waitress comes by to refill his cup for a fourth time. They order pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon and toast slathered with butter. 

Not once does TK call him Dr. Reyes. 

When the night reaches its natural conclusion Carlos drives him back to where his car is parked. 

“If you want,” Carlos starts before he can open the car door. “You could come back to my place.”

TK lets the offer hang in the air. 

He could say yes. After the day he’s had letting off a little steam and forgetting about everything for awhile sounds damn near perfect. But after, he’d pick his clothes up off the floor and ignore any offers to stay the night in favor of going home to his own bed sitting cold and empty in his apartment. That story has played out a hundred times. 

He doesn’t want that story with Carlos. 

Instead TK says no and watches Carlos’s shuttered expression, watches him close down right before his eyes. 

“I really needed this,” TK tells him. “Thanks for asking me out.” Then he leans over the console, stopping just long enough for Carlos to pull away, before kissing him. 

It’s soft and warm and everything TK imagined it would be. It takes every ounce of control he has not to climb over into his lap as Carlos’s hand comes up to grip the back of his neck. 

He pulls back before the kiss can get away from them. Biting his lip to stop from letting a stupidly big smile form he gets out of the car. 

“Text me,” he hears Carlos say just before he shuts the door. With a little wave, TK climbs into his own car giggling to himself as he runs his tongue over his bottom lip. He swears he can still taste Carlos.

It’s long past Wednesday so I’ll just tag some people I think will enjoy this. @whenshereads @ramblingdisaster73 @thebumblecee @lightningboltreader

#wip wednesday #late to the part like always #tarlos #tarlos fic #tarlos wip #dr carlos #nurse tk

[freneticfloetry]

weekend wip game

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

Thanks to @welcometololaland for kicking this off, plus @liminalmemories21, @rmd-writes, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @orchidscript, @alrightbuckaroo, and @heartstringsduet for the tags!

1. WIP List: had we but world enough (and time) (the TiMER fic) a strong enough foundation (followup to tbah in the Roots Before Branches series, aka “five times Morgan was just like her daddy, and one time she was all her papá”) for better, for worse (bachelor party shenanigans) we were emergencies (the It’s a Wonderful Life/Sliding Doors-esque TK AU) the same in every language (five times Carlos says something in Spanish during sex and one time TK understands) show me the steps so i can go through the motions (4x18 Carlos & Gabriel tag) our hearts are haunted by the ghosts that i made (the no coma AU that angst built) Still Sadly Untitled Phone Fic (five times Tarlos had to replace a phone) Untitled HGTV AU Untitled [Film] Fusion Untitled Breakup Era Hookup (accidental club run-in where Jealous TK Makes Choices) Untitled [Redacted] AU (collab with @ambiguouspenny) The One Where Carlos Gets Shot …do you know how happy I am that to build a home is not on this list?

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest? The TiMER fic! It wasn’t even supposed to be second in line, it just bullied its way to the top of the list.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest? Oof. If I didn’t know myself so well, I’d say we were emergencies, but since I do, it’ll probably be the HGTV fic.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why? The TiMER fic has been a lot of fun to write, despite it being hurtier than I intended, but I think that’s just down to being in TK’s head for the first time. But every single snippet of for better, for worse makes me grin like a loon without fail, so it’s that one, hands down.

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why? Hat trick for the TiMER AU. I think I was so excited about the premise and the possibilities of it all — I’ve wanted to write a TiMER fic since I first saw the movie, and a Soulmates fic for even longer — I didn’t really stop to consider that, after ~64k of building on and in-between canon, I was going to have to… build on and in-between canon. There’s a substantial element of re-imagining for this one, just because of the nature of the TiMER as a literal plot device, but there are times I’m still like fuuuuuck, I have to do this thing completely differently now.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why? the same in every language. It’s not a plot-what-plot, it’s literally sex as plot, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about making it work.

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why? Both for better, for worse and we were emergencies will need outside attention to make sure they’re working as planned, and I’ll definitely be enlisting @hoko-onchi-writes’ Smutmancer services to make sure the same in every language is worth anything at all.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block? I’m just laughing right now. That’s my answer.

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them? Definitely we were emergencies. His name is Simon, he’s a vet (as in healer of animals, not former military man, but he has Seen Some Things in his particular line of work so the latter isn’t far off), and he has a history with Carlos that he’d very much like to be a future with Carlos. He’s also totally scruff-and-curls era Zane Phillips in my head, and both @ambiguouspenny and I are sort of shamelessly infatuated with him. To quote Tay, after being virtually introduced to Dr. Simon: “do you even like TK?”

10. Which WIP is the sexiest? One would think it’s the aforementioned fic where sex is the plot, but the TiMER fic has some moments, y’all.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest? I mean, pick your poison. As I said, the TiMER fic is angstier than intended. The Breakup Era Hookup will be hot angst, but angst nonetheless. There’s one where Carlos gets shot. And I know it sounds like show me the steps so i can go through the motions might be an obvious answer, considering The Gabriel Factor, but the real winner is probably our hearts are haunted by the ghosts that i made. I told Tay the actual premise and they threw me in angst jail.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)? a strong enough foundation is a real contender here, because it’s the Carlos I already know and love, but I think it might actually be for better, for worse, simply because it’s all of Team Tarloft, and I have something of a knack for ensemble fics, if I do say so myself.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)? Either the HGTV fic or the Untitled Film Fusion. Probably the former, because pretty pretty interiors are like porn for me.

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on? Surprising no one, the TiMER fic. Snippets aside, I’m a “one WIP at a time” kind of girl.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why? In a weird way, I think this is usually the fic I’m currently working on. Some Yuletide fic aside (mostly pinch hits and quick treats), I always want to feel like whatever I’m writing is the best thing I’ve done — that way I get the sense that I’m growing. That said, though I’ve written a kid in fic (Teddy from The Magicians), I have never written kidfic, and the plan I have for a strong enough foundation makes me really excited.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs? Not the actual fics, no, but I do dream about characters.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't? our hearts are haunted by the ghosts that i made has to tread some very thin ice, due to its premise, and I’m hoping I can find the right balance with it. And that it doesn’t make people hate me.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour? for better, for worse. And it’s not even close.

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process? The Untitled Phone Fic has an outsider POV! An OC outsider, even. She’s an overworked, underpaid girl named Kelsey, and she’s sort of precious. This one’s still in early stages, just an outline and a handful of snippets, but Kelsey is very clear in my head.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs. One involves an unreliable narrator, one involves an inanimate object as a running theme, and one involves revenge.

I am so very late to this, so consider it an open tag for anyone who’d still like to talk WIPs!

#fic meme #wip game #writing #the proverbial plate

[masterqwertster]

Vlogging/Youtube AU for Bells Hells?

Prompt

Okay. I'm not big on this sort of thing. But, I've got a few thoughts.

🎥 Bells Hells Channel AU

Background

By necessity of concept, this is a Modern AU. My preference is modern with Exandrian races, so everyone gets their physical quirks

The members of Bells Hells all live together in a big house (probably banked by Fearne's rich Nana. It's easier to get rich when you live a long, long time)

Not really sure on how they all met yet, but they are friends

Channels

Laudna has a handicrafts, home décor, and refurbishment channel. She's basically HGTV on a small scale with a decidedly macabre slant. Still popular for her upbeat personality and clear instructions

Fearne has a fashion and make-up channel. It's all about feeling sexy in your own skin, and definitely amped by the fact that Fearne seems to be attracted to pretty much anyone

Chetney's is (obviously) a woodworking channel. Mostly time lapses on really impressive projects, with some pro/master level tips and tricks, and a handful of For Beginners videos

FCG has a baking channel. It's popular due to the novelty of baking by someone who can't taste (and the stomach oven)

Orym has a fitness channel. He likes to invite the others to join for diversity in performance of activities since Bells Hells has a great diversity of body types

Dorian has a music channel. Some how to play, some how to compose, and some of his original songs

Ashton and Imogen don't have their own channels, but they make guest appearances on all of the others' channels all the time. Imogen mostly shows as a bit of a model on Laudna's and Fearne's channels. Ashton generally goes on Orym's and FCG's channels as an assistant of sorts

Content/Shenanigans

Speaking of guest appearances, Chetney takes the least guests (in general) on his channel

Dorian's most common guest from inside the house is Fearne

Orym often gets Dorian or Ashton or Chetney to be guests. And if he gets more than one of them at once, they'll do things like this

Laudna wasn't originally big on Deanna, who has a much warmer handicrafts channel. But once they met, they really got along and started doing some crossover stuff

Fearne adores getting Deni$e and Opal to guest on her channel. Deanna too

There's also "cameo" appearances where other members of the house will walk through the background. ...And on occasions pull shit in the background for a laugh

It's not uncommon for someone to walk through the kitchen while FCG's going and swipe an ingredient or a taste

Or to hear a bit of a sing-along happen when Dorian's recording

The worst example of "For the Shits and Giggles" was when Orym was doing an example of barbell curls, and then Ashton and Laudna showed up in the background with Ashton substituting Laudna for the bar. Orym had to do a follow-up video on why people shouldn't use their friends as weights for multiple reasons. Including things like: The "human" barbell is going to be awkwardly balanced. The risk of hurting both parties if dropped or tipped over. The fact that the "human" barbell will be hurt if dropped. As well as the issue that most of the time that's going to be lifting and curling essentially your own weight. Ashton made it look easy because the comparative weight difference between Ashton and Laudna is same as the average 150lb person lifting a 30lb weight. It's the sort of weight that is very doable if you've got some practice under your belt and still fairly possible even if you don't.

#MQ&A #MQ AU machine #bells hells channel au

[katareyoudrilling]

Construction Corner (AU Joel Miller x Female Reader) Episode 3: The Moreno Family

Fandom: The Last of Us/Pedro Pascal

Pairing: TV Host Joel Miller x divorced Female Reader

Summary: Joel and Reader go on a date!

Word count: 2.2k

Rating: Explicit (18+ only. NO MINORS)

Content Warnings: Alternate Universe, cameos galore, inaccuracies about tv show production, filming, and construction, f masturbation, heavy petting (I guess?)

A/N: Extreme weather and a resulting internet outage kept me from posting this earlier today, but it gave me time to make sure that it’s just how I want.  I hope you enjoy!  Reader is divorced and in her late 30s but is otherwise a blank slate.  Big thank you to @wheresarizona​ and @just-here-for-the-moment​ for the help!

Comments and reblogs very much appreciated!

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Just a little more…

You like that?

So good for me…

Let me hear you…

You wake up with a gasp, sweaty and tangled in your sheets, the heel of your right hand pressed against your center.  You are on the verge of coming from the hottest, filthiest sex dream you’ve ever had… starring one Joel Miller.  You debate what to do about the throbbing between your legs.  Take care of it or hope it goes away?  Your hips grind against your hand of their own accord, your body apparently deciding for you.

Relaxing your legs, you begin circling your clit.  It doesn’t take long until you’re throwing your head back as your pussy pulses around nothing.

“What the fuck?” you pant, lying limp on the bed after.  Joel’s confession seems to have flipped a switch inside you.  It has been an interesting couple of days, to say the least.  A part of you that has lain dormant for a long time has suddenly come back to life.

If your body lights up at just the memory of him kissing your hand, what will it do when he kisses your mouth? Or lower?  You whimper into your pillow as heat pools in your belly once again.

He asked you to take your time to make sure you were ready and you’ve been thinking of little else since that conversation.  On paper, it feels fast.  Your divorce is only a few months old.  But, in reality, your marriage was over long before.

You have lived enough life to know you can trust your gut.  You appreciate that he gave you time, but you know what you want.

You glance at your alarm clock.  You’re due on set in an hour, just enough time for a much needed cold shower before you head out.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You can hear the voiceover in your head as you watch the B-roll the crew shot last week…

When single dad, Marcus, and his daughter, Missy, aren’t busy with work and school, they love watching movies and cooking dinner together.  Marcus seemingly does it all… but he could use some help on his DIY project.

On the screen, Marcus and Missy throw a frisbee and set the table.  Marcus looks over Missy’s shoulder while she does homework, and she snuggles next to him on the couch.

These two are perfect for Construction Corner.

Their project isn’t a big one – a pretty standard bathroom remodel gone awry – which means the shooting schedule is packed into just two days, with another Austin shoot scheduled for the rest of the week.

Hopefully Marcus is ready for the fan mail that’s about to come his way… there is going to be A LOT of it.  An attractive single dad is HGTV catnip.  God knows Joel gets an astronomical amount.  At first, the network sent it to him, but he quickly asked that they stop.  He just couldn’t handle that much attention.

You wonder what he would think of what you did this morning… waking up to thoughts of him and getting yourself off.  Embarrassment heats your skin, and you fan yourself with your notebook to cool down.  Then another thought occurs to you… what if he liked the idea?  That has you fanning yourself even more.

“Hey, lady!” Your dirty thoughts are interrupted by a friendly voice nearby.

“Marlene! Hi! I didn’t know you were visiting today.”  You wrap your friend up in a big hug.  One of the best parts about shoot days in Austin were that friends often came to set to visit.  Marlene works for the local PBS station that first aired Construction Corner.  Since the show moved to HGTV, you haven’t seen nearly as much of her.

“I thought we would stop by to say hello.” Just then, Marlene’s adopted daughter, Ellie, a precocious 8-year-old, spies Joel near the craft services table.

“Jooooooeeeellll!” She squeals as she runs over to him and leaps into his arms.

“Hello, darlin’,” he laughs as he gives her a hug. “You got a joke for me?”

“Why did the monkey fall out of the tree?” she asks seriously.

“I dunno, why did the monkey fall out of the tree?” he replies, just as seriously.

“Cuz it was dead,” Ellie replies dryly.

“Ellie!” Joel barks out a surprised laugh.  “What’s your mama lettin’ you watch?”  He looks over to Marlene, who smiles and shrugs.  “Want to go look at the tools?”  Ellie nods enthusiastically, and the two of them set off together, but not before Joel looks back at you and winks.

“What was that?” Marlene turns to you in confusion.

“Oh… well…”

“Spill.”

“It’s just that… we might… start seeing each other,” you mumble.

“Lady! That’s great!” She pulls you into another hug.

“You think so?  It’s all very new.”

“Of course, I think so! You deserve the very best, and Joel is one of the best men I know.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.  It’s a little weird, with work and all… but I really want to,” you admit with a whine.

“It’s not like either of you actually works for the other.  Go for it!”

“I think I will,” you smile to yourself.  Joel and Ellie are making their way back to you.  Ellie is chattering excitedly about something while Joel nods along.

“Well, we’d better take off,” Marlene takes Ellie’s hand.  “It was great to see you both!”

After another round of hugs and whispered promises to tell her everything, Marlene and Ellie make their way back to their car, leaving you and Joel standing together for the first time since your hotel room last week.

“Hi,” he ventures, tentatively.

“Hi,” you reply, biting your lip. “I’ve been thinking about what you said last week.”

“Is that right?” the low rasp of his voice sends a swoop of pleasure to your belly.

“I think I’d like to go on that date you offered.”

Joel’s eyes crinkle as he breaks into a slow grin.  “How about tomorrow?  I’ll pick you up at 7.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“What we’re gonna do next is caulk around the new countertop,” Joel explains to Marcus and Missy as you listen over the monitor.  “I’m gonna show you a trick to make sure it’s nice and neat, not like what was in here before.”  Marcus looks sheepish.  “It’s ok, it’s trickier than it looks.  The pros do this all day and make it look easy.  But we’re gonna use tape.”  Joel holds up a roll of blue painter's tape and then starts lining it up carefully on either side of where the caulk line will be.

He hands two rolls of tape to Marcus and Missy and lets them do the rest.  Once they’ve finished, he continues, “You’ll lay your line of caulk, smooth it with your finger, then remove the tape and have a straight and even line. Ready?” Joel hands the caulk gun to Marcus.

Marcus takes it from him solemnly and does as Joel explained.  Joel nods his approval as Marcus pulls off the tape, leaving a perfectly caulked vanity.

“See how nice that looks?  Don’t be a hero.  Use the tape,” Joel says, patting Marcus on the back.

“Hear that, Dad?” Missy interjects.

“I heard him,” Marcus laughs and hip-checks his daughter.  Joel smiles at them proudly, another job complete.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You open your door to a very handsome man.

Joel has cleaned up since the shoot this afternoon.  He replaced his worn work jeans with dark, crisp ones that hug his hips.  Instead of a t-shirt, he wears a button-down with the collar open and the sleeves rolled up.  His hair is stylishly mussed.  Knowing him, it probably just does that on its own.

His warm brown eyes skate up your body, “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” you reply, shy under his gaze.  You opted for a sundress since the fall evening was still rather warm, the fabric brushing softly over your skin.

Joel reaches for your hand and leads you to his truck, opening the door for you to climb in.  He circles the front and gets in his door as you settle yourself in the seat.

“I made us a reservation at Fonda San Miguel, if that’s alright?”

“Joel, that’s my favorite restaurant!  It sounds wonderful.” You reach over and squeeze his arm.  He smiles happily as he puts the truck into gear.

“Thought I remembered somethin’ like that,” he says casually as he turns out of your parking lot, and your heart squeezes.

Dinner passes in a blur of delicious food and lively conversation.  Fonda San Miguel’s eclectic backdrop is perfect for a relaxed yet special first date.

You and Joel know each other well, so there isn’t the awkwardness of most first dates, but there’s still a lot you don’t know about each other’s histories.

Over bacon wrapped shrimp with jalapeño and cheese, you fill him in on your marriage and divorce, how you’ve realized that you’ve been lonely for a long time.

While digging into Cochinita Pibil, he tells you how he had never dreamed that he would be able to provide a college education for Sarah, how his dreams are so much bigger now, how he wants to do good in the world.

Between bites of a shared Tres Leches Cake, you agree that this feels right and exciting.  Your eyes lock over the table.

On the drive back to your apartment, words begin to fail as anticipation builds between you.

Joel gets out of the truck first and opens your door.  He holds your hand as you lower yourself out of the cab.

You’ve barely touched tonight – only chaste hands over the table – but now your body is just inches away from his, and you sway towards him.  He moves his hand to your waist.

“Can I kiss you?” he rasps with an edge of desperation.

You nod eagerly, and he closes the short distance between you.  His plush lips brush gently against yours – exploring, tasting.  He cradles your jaw in his strong hands as he delves into your mouth, urging you to open for him.  You grasp his hips to hold yourself steady.

The heat of his body warms you through your thin sundress and you can’t get enough.  Your hands roam over his muscled back and down his firm biceps.  His mouth on yours is warm… soft… insistent.  After an eternity, and far too soon, he breaks the kiss.

“Would you like to come inside for a drink?” you blurt out and he nods at you with heavy-lidded eyes.

You lead him into your apartment and into the tiny kitchen.  The door has barely closed behind him when he spins you up against the counter and dives back into your mouth.  His hands roam more freely this time, digging into your hip bones and sliding up your ribs, nudging at the swell of your breasts.

You press into his front and are rewarded with the hard line of his erection against your stomach.  You moan and grind into him even more.

“You’re gonna kill me with the sounds you make, sweetheart,” Joel growls, nipping at your neck, hands moving lower over your ass.  With a hand under each thigh, he hoists you up onto the counter.  Your knees frame his slim hips.  You pull him towards you with your heels, craving friction against your center.

His hands dip under the hem of your skirt.  They skate up your bare thighs until his thumbs brush the edge of your underwear – calloused fingertips on silky skin.

“Please, Joel,” you beg between wet, desperate kisses.  He complies and slips his thumb under, cursing raggedly when he finds your slippery folds.

You rock your hips into his hand as he kisses down your neck and across your collarbone all the while circling your clit.  You come undone with a gasp of his name and slump against his chest.

Joel holds you firmly against him as he drags his mouth across your temple, your forehead, and finally back to your lips for slow, languid kisses as your breathing evens out.

“I should go,” he rumbles against your mouth.

“But… no... what about you?” you look up at him in hazy confusion.

“I’ll be ok,” he assures you before dragging his thumb down your cheek and pulling at your lower lip.  “It’s getting late… and I want to take my time with you.”  A shiver runs up your spine at the promise in his words.

“Don’t go, please,” you whisper, looking up at him.

“Sweetheart, I know, I’m sorry,” he pulls you into his chest, wrapping his strong arms around you, “but we have to be on set so early tomorrow.  We don’t have time tonight for what I have planned for you.”  He pulls back and lifts your chin to look you in the eye.  “I promise, I’ll make it worth the wait.”

You whimper and his eyes flash with want.  But he’s a patient man – a man who does things the right way – so, he helps you down from the counter and kisses you deeply at the door one last time before heading out into the night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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A/N: for anyone not familiar, this episode’s cameo is from the movie “We Can Be Heroes”

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#construction corner #joel miller #joel miller x reader #tlou fanfiction #pedro pascal characters