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soracities · 1 year

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what are your suggestions for starter poetry for people who dont have strong reading/analysis backgrounds

I've answered this a few times so I'm going to compile and expand them all into one post here.

I think if you haven't read much poetry before or aren't sure of your own tastes yet, then poetry anthologies are a great place to start: many of them will have a unifying theme so you can hone in based on a subject that interests you, or pick your way through something more general. I haven't read all of the ones below, but I have read most of them; the rest I came across in my own readings and added to my list either because I like the concept or am familiar with the editor(s) / their work:

Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times (ed. Nick Astley) & Being Alive: The Sequel to Staying Alive (there's two more books in this series, but I'm recommending these two just because it's where I started)

The Rattlebag (ed. Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes)

The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (ed. Ilya Kaminsky & Susan Harris)

The Essential Haiku, Versions of Basho, Buson and Issa (ed. Robert Hass)

A Book of Luminous Things (ed. Czesław Miłosz )

Now and Then: The Poet's Choice Columns by Robert Hass (this may be a good place to start if you're also looking for commentary on the poems themselves)

Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World(ed. Pádraig Ó'Tuama)

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (ed. Kevin Young)

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing (ed. Kevin Young)

Lifelines: Letters from Famous People about their Favourite Poems

The following lists are authors I love in one regard or another and is a small mix of different styles / time periods which I think are still fairly accessible regardless of what your reading background is! It's be no means exhaustice but hopefully it gives you even just a small glimpse of the range that's available so you can branch off and explore for yourself if any particular work speaks to you.

But in any case, for individual collections, I would try:

anything by Sara Teasdale

Devotions / Wild Geese / Felicity by Mary Oliver

Selected Poems and Prose by Christina Rossetti

Collected Poems by Langston Hughes

Where the Sidewalk Endsby Shel Silverstein

Morning Haiku by Sonia Sanchez

Revolutionary Letters, Diane di Prima

Concerning the Book That Is the Body of the Beloved by Gregory Orr

Rose: Poems by Li-Young Lee

A Red Cherry on a White-Tiled Floor / Barefoot Souls by Maram al-Masri

Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky

Tell Me: Poems / What is This Thing Called Love? by Kim Addonizio

The Trouble with Poetry by Billy Collins (Billy Collins is THE go-to for accessible / beginner poetry in my view so I think any of his collections would probably do)

Crush by Richard Siken

Rapture / The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy

The War Works Hard by Dunya Mikhail

Selected Poems by Walt Whitman

View with a Grain of Sand by Wislawa Szymborska

Collected Poems by Vasko Popa

Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas (this is a play, but Thomas is a poet and the language & structure is definitely poetic to me)

Bright Dead Things: Poems by Ada Limón

Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth by Warsan Shire,

Nostalgia, My Enemy: Selected Poems by Saadi Youssef

As for individual poems:

“Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

[Dear The Vatican] erasure poem by Pádraig Ó'Tuama // "The Pedagogy of Conflict"

"Good Bones" by Maggie Smith

"The Author Writes the First Draft of His Weddings Vows (An erasure of Virginia Woolf's suicide letter to her husband, Leonard)" by Hanif Abdurraqib

"I Can Tell You a Story" by Chuck Carlise

"The Sciences Sing a Lullabye" by Albert Goldbarth

"One Last Poem for Richard" by Sandra Cisneros

"We Lived Happily During the War" by Ilya Kaminsky

“I’m Explaining a Few Things”by Pablo Neruda

"Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" //"Nothing Gold Can Stay"//"Out, Out--" by Robert Frost

"Tablets: I // II // III"by Dunya Mikhail

"What Were They Like?" by Denise Levertov

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden,

"The Patience of Ordinary Things" by Pat Schneider

“I, too” // "The Negro Speaks of Rivers” // "Harlem” // “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes

“The Mower” // "The Trees" // "High Windows" by Philip Larkin

“The Leash” // “Love Poem with Apologies for My Appearance” // "Downhearted" by Ada Limón

“The Flea” by John Donne

"The Last Rose of Summer" by Thomas Moore

"Beauty" // "Please don't" // "How it Adds Up" by Tony Hoagland

“My Friend Yeshi” by Alice Walker

"De Humanis Corporis Fabrica"byJohn Burnside

“What Do Women Want?” // “For Desire” // "Stolen Moments" // "The Numbers" by Kim Addonizio

“Hummingbird” // "For Tess" by Raymond Carver

"The Two-Headed Calf" by Laura Gilpin

“Bleecker Street, Summer” by Derek Walcott

“Dirge Without Music” // "What Lips My Lips Have Kissed" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

“Digging” // “Mid-Term Break” // “The Rain Stick” // "Blackberry Picking" // "Twice Shy" by Seamus Heaney

“Dulce Et Decorum Est”by Wilfred Owen

“Notes from a Nonexistent Himalayan Expedition”by Wislawa Szymborska

"Hour" //"Medusa" byCarol Ann Duffy

“The More Loving One” // “Musée des Beaux Arts” by W.H. Auden

“Small Kindnesses” // "Feeding the Worms" by Danusha Laméris

"Down by the Salley Gardens” // “The Stolen Child” by W.B. Yeats

"The Thing Is" by Ellen Bass

"The Last Love Letter from an Entymologist" by Jared Singer

"[i like my body when it is with your]" by e.e. cummings

"Try to Praise the Mutilated World" by Adam Zagajewski

"The Cinnamon Peeler" by Michael Ondaatje

"Last Night I Dreamed I Made Myself" by Paige Lewis

"A Dream Within a Dream" // "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe (highly recommend reading the last one out loud or listening to it recited)

"Ars Poetica?" // "Encounter" // "A Song on the End of the World"by Czeslaw Milosz

"Wandering Around an Albequerque Airport Terminal” // "Two Countries” // "Kindness” by Naoimi Shihab Nye

"Slow Dance” by Matthew Dickman

"The Archipelago of Kisses" // "The Quiet World" by Jeffrey McDaniel

"Mimesis" by Fady Joudah

"The Great Fires" // "The Forgotten Dialect of the Heart" // "Failing and Flying" by Jack Gilbert

"The Mermaid" // "Virtuosi" by Lisel Mueller

"Macrophobia (Fear of Waiting)" by Jamaal May

"Someday I'll Love Ocean Vuong" by Ocean Vuong

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

I would also recommend spending some times with essays, interviews, or other non-fiction, creative or otherwise (especially by other poets) if you want to broaden and improve how you read poetry; they can help give you a wider idea of the landscape behind and beyond the actual poems themselves, or even just let you acquaint yourself with how particular writers see and describe things in the world around them. The following are some of my favourites:

Upstream: Essays by Mary Oliver

"Theory and Play of the Duende" by Federico García Lorca

"The White Bird" and "Some Notes on Song" by John Berger

In That Great River: A Notebook by Anna Kamienska

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay

"Of Strangeness That Wakes Us" and "Still Dancing: An Interview with Ilya Kaminsky" by Ilya Kaminsky

"The Sentence is a Lonely Place" by Garielle Lutz

Still Life with Oysters and Lemon by Mark Doty

Paris, When It's Naked by Etel Adnan

#ask #anonymous #beginner guides

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hd-junglebook · 26 days

Text

"Hey Sugar"

-said with rizz

Luke Hughes x F!Reader, Trevor Zegras x Reader (platonic)

Masterlist Link

a:n I had so much fun writing this, I'm literally already starting part 2 because I can't wait to get Lukes's story started. Young dad over here. This part is just a bunch of flirting, can you blame y/n?

Warnings: throuple jumpscare, angry ex girlfriends, flirting, alcohol, maybe cursing, suggestive flirting

Summary: The story begins with you at a party with your close group of friends. Simmering sexual tension crackles between you and Luke, building through flirtatious banter and charged dancing.

Word Count - 5450

Part 1

It was one of those classic house parties - the kind where the music thumped through the walls and the smell of stale beer and desperation hung thick in the air. You sidled through the crowd, dodging wandering hands and spilled drinks, scanning the familiar faces for your crew.

Finally, you spotted them crammed onto a sagging couch in the living room, laughing raucously at something one of them had said. Making your way over, you plonked down next to your best friend Jessica.

"Hey! You made it!" she shouted over the music, throwing an arm around your shoulders. "Y/N, this is Luke. Luke, y/n."

You turned to find the source of the deep, gravelly chuckle beside you. Your breath caught in your throat as your eyes met Luke's - a pair of piercing brown pools that seemed to stare straight through you. A lopsided grin played at his full lips as he extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said smoothly.

The party raged on around you - bodies gyrated to the rhythmic bass line, red plastic cups sloshed with cheap booze, and a thick hermetic heat radiated from the mass of people. But in that moment, the chaos seemed to fade away as you studied Luke's face, feeling your cheeks flush under his intense yet playful gaze.

You swallowed hard, Lady Gaga singing about love over the speakers suddenly feeling all too appropriate. "Likewise," you managed with a nervous laugh, taking his hand.

An electric jolt shot through you at the contact, his calloused palm rough against your skin. You quickly pulled away, hoping the dim lights concealed your reddening face.

And just like that, the spark was lit. As the night wore on, you and Luke traded increasingly outrageous jokes and stories, your friends looking on with delight at the undeniable chemistry.

The party blurred into a dizzying kaleidoscope - the acrid smoke burning your nostrils, the relentless thrum of music in your bones, and the warm press of bodies all around. Yet through it all, you remained hyper-aware of Luke's proximity, his rich laugh and musky scent enveloping you like a cozy blanket.

Every accidental touch, be it a graze of the arms or bump of the knees, set your skin tingling with electricity. The few times your hands brushed, it felt like an exposed live wire.

You could have sworn you saw his gaze linger a little too long whenever you tossed your head back in laughter, swiping away a rogue strand of sweat-damp hair from your flushed face.

"Oh my god, y/n, we need to grab you a drink - stat!" Your friend Maggy grabbed your arm, pulling you away from the couch area with a conspiratorial look. Jessica trailed behind, her perfectly arched brows raised knowingly.

You let them drag you into the chaos of the kitchen, dodging half-naked bodies and heaps of abandoned solo cups. Maggy was a force of nature - her wild crimson curls bouncing as she maneuvered the crowd with ease.

"Okay, spill!" she demanded once you reached the relative safety of the counter. Jessica busied herself fixing you a vodka cran, her slim fingers deftly working the sticky bottles.

Maggy smoothed her short ruffled dress over her curvy hips. "Don't tell me you've fallen for Hughes' charms already?"

You rolled your eyes, knowing exactly where this was headed. "It was just some harmless flirting, Mags. I can handle myself."

"That's what they all say..." she warned with a shake of her head, making her diamond studs dance. "I've heard the stories, y/n. That man is a bonafide panty-dropper."

Scoffing, you swiped the proffered drink from Jessica and took a defiant sip. "Well then it's a good thing I'm not wearing any panties tonight."

The three of you dissolved into raucous laughter, drawing annoyed looks from the nearby beer pong champions. Once you recovered, you fixed Maggy with a reassuring smile.

"Look, you know the last thing I need right now is another relationship. Nick and I just ended things. I'm simply enjoying the flirtatious banter, that's all."

Maggy held up her hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just looking out for you, babe. We all know how charming Luke can be."

"Don't worry," Jessica chimed in with a wink. "Our girl can handle herself."

With that, you allowed them to whisk you back towards the living room, drink in hand. But you pulled up short at the sight of Luke engaged in a heated exchange with a beautiful, irate-looking woman.

"You've got to be kidding me, Luke!" the woman hissed, her face contorted in anger. "First you go radio silent for weeks, and now I find you here making moves on fresh meat?"

Luke? You shot a panicked look at your friends who seemed just as confused. Luke, however, appeared unfazed by the confrontation. A slight smirk played at the corner of his lips as he slowly looked the woman up and down.

"Relax, Amanda. You know how this works between us. We were over a long time ago," he stated coolly, taking a swig from a bottle of beer.

Amanda opened her mouth to retort, but seemed to notice your presence for the first time. Her icy glare landed on you as she sized you up with disdain.

You watched with a mixture of confusion and fascination as the gorgeous but venomous Amanda stormed away from Luke. Before you could even process what was happening, she was suddenly in your face, eyes blazing with contempt.

"Listen here, you little homewrecker," Amanda spat, jabbing a precisely manicured nail into your shoulder. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay far away from my man."

Your friends tensed beside you, but before they could intervene, Luke was there - placing himself squarely between you and the irate woman. Up close, you could see the taut muscles in his back and shoulders straining against the thin fabric of his t-shirt.

"That's enough, Amanda," he said firmly, fixing her with a stern look. "We're not together anymore, in case you missed the memo. Multiple times."

"Oh, I got the memo loud and clear!" she retorted, throwing her hands up dramatically. "Doesn't mean I'm just going to stand by while you sow your oats all over town!"

Luke rolled his eyes so hard, you thought they might stick that way. He opened his mouth to respond, but seemed to think better of continuing this ridiculous showdown in front of an audience.

"You know what?" you interjected, hands up in surrender. "I'm just gonna remove myself from this situation."

Luke's brow furrowed in protest, but Amanda cut him off with a derisive laugh. "Yeah, that would probably be best, sweetie."

With that parting shot, you spun on your heel and made a beeline for the kitchen, needing to put some distance between yourself and the unstable ex-couple.

Your head was still spinning from the strange confrontation as you grabbed a fresh drink and settled into a miraculously empty couch in the corner.

"Wild night, huh?"

You startled at the unexpected voice beside you. A gangly, bespectacled guy around your age offered an awkward grin, clearly having witnessed the whole Amanda meltdown.

"You could say that," you replied with a rueful chuckle, scooting over to make room for him. "I'm Y/N."

"Trevor," he said, sticking out a clammy hand to shake. "Didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just got the best dinner and a show."

You couldn't help but laugh at his self-deprecating humor, feeling yourself instantly relax in his affable presence. Trevor had a dopey, teddy bear quality about him that put you at ease.

"So is that your girlfriend then? The one trying to claw your eyes out?" he asked with an amused snicker.

"God no!" you replied quickly, perhaps a little too emphatically. "I seriously just met that guy tonight. The crazy ex is all his."

Trevor's eyes widened comically behind his thick frames. "No shit? Well damn, Y/N, you really don't waste any time stirring up drama."

"Hey, I'm an innocent bystander here!" you protested with a laugh, giving his arm a playful shove.

He held up his hands in mock surrender, clearly emboldened by your easygoing banter. The two of you slipped into a conversational groove, chatting and laughing like old friends as the party raged on around you. You found yourself regaling Trevor with tales of your romantic exploits, your tongue rapidly loosening thanks to the alcohol.

"So to sum it up," you said, words starting to slur ever so slightly, "I did not come here looking for any more drama or dick after that whole Nick debacle."

Trevor very nearly did a spit-take with his beer at your crude candor. "Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, sweetie, but it sounds like both drama and dick found you tonight!"

You threw your head back with a raucous cackle at that. Leave it to Trevor to cut right through the tension with well-timed crass humor. You were really starting to like this guy.

"You know what?" you said, looping your arm chummily through his. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship, Trev."

…

"Y/N! Get your cute butt over here!" Maggy's voice sliced through the din as she waved you over to the makeshift dance floor.

You shot Trevor an apologetic shrug before letting your friend drag you into the sweaty mass of bodies. Jessica was there too, her eyes shamelessly roving over Trevor's lanky frame as he trailed behind.

"We've been watching you two lovebirds canoodling in the corner all night," Maggy shouted over the thumping bassline, giving your shoulder a playful nudge.

"Somebody's jealous they're not the center of attention for once," you teased back with an impish grin.

Maggy's cherry-painted lips curved into a Cheshire smile. "Please, I'm an eternal attention hog. And FYI, your dorky friend is kinda doing it for me."

You followed her gaze to where Trevor was awkwardly bobbing his head to the beat, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He offered a small, lopsided smile when he caught you looking.

"Well what are you two harpies waiting for?" you challenged with a salacious wink. "Go get your man!"

With a raucous whoop, Maggy seized Jessica's hand and the two descended on the unsuspecting Trevor - a flurry of hair tosses, wiggling hips, and bright laughter. You watched the spectacle with unbridled amusement, letting the bass pump through your veins as you swayed your hips.

This was exactly what you needed - to let go and get gloriously lost in the music, surrounded by the frankly ridiculous antics of your nearest and dearest. You threw your head back, shutting out everything but the driving rhythm.

That's when you felt it - a solid chest pressing against your back, large hands skimming over your hips to settle at your waistline. You turned with a start to find Luke's heavily lidded eyes staring down at you, a rakish grin playing at his lips.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he murmured, words barely audible over the pounding speakers.

You opened your mouth to respond, but he simply shook his head and leaned in closer, his mouth a whisper from your ear.

"I didn't mean for Amanda to make such a scene back there," Luke said, his breath hot against your neck. "I didn't even invite her here, but...she always finds a way. It's..."

You turned slightly so your lips were nearly brushing his chiseled jaw as you finished the thought: "Complicated?"

A low chuckle rumbled from deep within his chest as Luke nodded almost imperceptibly. "Exactly. Complicated."

One of his hands trailed up the curve of your waist, leaving a searing trail in its wake until it came to rest at the nape of your neck. You shivered at the contact, equal parts electrified and apprehensive.

"What do you say we get out of here?" he purred, dipping his head so your noses were virtually touching.

You wanted so badly to give in - to lose yourself in those smoldering brown depths and see where this tempestuous night took you. But the memory of Amanda's feral snarl flashed behind your eyes, quickly snapping you back to reality.

"I...I can't," you managed to rasp, hating the way your voice trembled with longing. "I can’t leave my friends. They might rip Trevor to shreds if they’re not supervised."

Luke's eyes searched yours for a beat, likely trying to gauge your sincerity. You could practically see the thoughts churning behind those blazing irises as he processed your hesitation. After a weighted pause, his expression softened into something like resigned understanding.

"You're worried about leaving those knuckleheads unsupervised, huh?" he murmured, one side of those obscene lips quirking faintly.

Though Luke aimed for a teasing lilt, you caught the undercurrent of knowing behind his words. He understood, perhaps better than anyone, the tangled responsibility you felt towards maintaining harmony within your dysfunctional found family.

Swallowing hard, you gave a tight nod - hating how your throat still felt obstructed by the press of yearning. "Something like that, yeah.”

Rather than argue or attempt to sway you, Luke simply held your gaze for another few suspended heartbeats. You waited with bated breath, half-expecting him to withdraw his heated proposition completely in favor of rejoining the main fray.

To your surprise, however, the pad of his thumb began tracing idle circles against the jut of your hipbone - calloused whorls raising delicious frissons across your sensitized skin.

…

The thunderous bass line reverberated through your bones as you swayed absently, still dazed from Luke's heated proposition. You were so lost in the lingering tingle of his phantom touch that you didn't notice your friends closing in until they were right on top of you.

"Earth to Y/N!" Maggy's raucous laughter pierced your stupor as she looped an arm around your shoulders. "Where'd you just go, girl? We've been watching you make heart eyes at McDreamy over there."

You blinked rapidly, struggling to refocus on Maggy's mischievous grin with Trevor and Jessica flanking her. The three of them looked like the cat that ate the canary as they not-so-subtly craned their necks toward Luke.

"I wasn't...we weren't..." you fumbled lamely, feeling heat bloom across your cheeks.

"Oh save it, we all saw that heavy flirtation!" Jessica crowed with a wiggle of her sculpted brows.

Trevor chuckled good-naturedly, giving your arm a consoling pat. "Hey, no judgment here, Y/N. I'd be a stuttering mess too if I had a stud like that whispering sweet nothings in my ear."

You rolled your eyes at his teasing, but couldn't quite suppress the giddy smile tugging at your lips. Leave it to your cadre of derelict besties to drag you out of an emotional spiral.

With a groan of mock exasperation, you shoved at Trevor's shoulder. "You're all ridiculous, you know that?"

"And you loooove us for it!" Maggy sang out as the first few lines of "Sandstorm" began thumping from the speakers.

She immediately launched into an embarrassingly enthusiastic dance routine, throwing shapes with reckless abandon. Trevor and Jessica were quick to join the absurdity, shouting the iconic intro at the top of their lungs while thrashing about uncoordinatedly.

"Oh my god, you idiots..." you huffed through a peal of laughter, shaking your head at their antics.

It was then that you noticed Luke watching the scene with undisguised amusement - a lopsided smirk playing at his lips as he clutched a beer loosely in one hand. His gaze met yours over the bouncing heads, eyes twinkling with mirth.

Suddenly, Maggy seized your wrists and yanked you into the fray with surprising strength. You stumbled clumsily into the center of their ridiculous mosh pit, nearly toppling Jessica in the process.

"Y/N! Get in here and get LOW!" Maggy hollered over the thunderous refrain, demonstrating a particularly lascivious body roll.

You couldn't help but cackle at the sheer silliness of it all - these beautiful disasters grinding outrageously as the bass threatened to shake the walls down around you. Even Luke was chuckling now, biting his full lower lip in an utterly delectable way.

"Like this?" you shouted back with a wink, dropping into as crude a dance as you could muster.

That sent your friends into a fresh gale of howls and wolf whistles, cheering you on like it was a damn Olympic sport. Out of the corner of your eye, you caught Luke's intense stare tracking every roll and pop of your hips. The heated look in his eyes sent a delicious curl of desire unfurling low in your belly.

Before you could dwell too much on the implications, Jessica grabbed your arm and spun you around - purposefully flinging you in Luke's direction. You landed square against his solid chest with a tiny "oomph!", totally disoriented from the dizzying maneuver.

Large hands immediately bracketed your waist, steadying you as Luke threw his head back with a rich peal of laughter. You could feel the rumbling vibrato against your back as he tugged you more solidly against him.

"Careful there, sugar," Luke's gravelly timbre purred in your ear, his lips brushing the sensitive shell. "As much as I'm enjoying this dance routine, I'd hate for you to injure yourself on my watch."

You bit back a soft whimper at the feeling of his firm torso pressed against you, the scent of his sandalwood cologne utterly intoxicating. With your drunken bravado bolstered by your friends' raucous cheering, you leaned further back into his embrace.

"I don't know, big guy," you countered with a saucy grin over your shoulder. "I think you could handle me just fine."

Luke's eyes blazed at the obvious flirtation, his arms tightening fractionally around your middle. You could have sworn you felt his hips cant subtly against yours in time with the grinding bassline.

This charged dance continued for what felt like an eternity - your friends whooping and hollering in delight as you and Luke traded searing looks and teasing quips.

At one point, his hands drifted tantalizingly low on your hips, fingers splaying possessively. You retaliated by arching your back in a slow, filthy body roll that had his eyes darkening with naked want.

Just when you thought the tension might combust into something more, the song mercifully ended - leaving you both panting heavily with lingering desire. Trevor was the first to recover, clapping Luke heartily on the shoulder.

"Damn son, get a room why don't you?" he joked with a lopsided grin.

Luke merely chuckled darkly, finally releasing you from his iron grip so you could put some much-needed space between your overheated bodies. "Maybe next time, Trev," he shot back with a wink.

You busied yourself straightening your disheveled clothes, decidedly avoiding his molten gaze. But you couldn't deny the delicious new tension sparking between you.

"Hey, uh, not that this hasn't been a total blast and all..." Trevor piped up once you'd fully disengaged. "But I don't know about you hedonists, but I'm starving. Who wants to grab some late-night munchies?"

A raucous cheer went up from your breathless crew, with Maggy and Jessica readily agreeing. You opened your mouth to voice your assent when Luke cocked an inquisitive brow in your direction.

"You in, sugar?" His voice was midnight sin - rough and dripping with unspoken promises.

Something low in your abdomen clenched at the pet name, now inextricably linked to his heated stare and probing touch. Maybe it was the alcohol buzz, or residual adrenaline from your shameless grinding, but you found yourself nodding almost shyly.

Luke's answering grin was pure, predatory satisfaction. "Perfect. I know just the place."

…

The five of you made your way toward the exit with a chorus of giddy laughter, still riding the high of your dance-fueled flirtation. As you stepped out into the cool spring air, Luke fell into step beside you - though he kept a carefully measured distance between your bodies.

"I'm parked just up here," he said by way of explanation, gesturing vaguely down the darkened residential street. "That is, if you kids don't mind piling into my douchemobile?"

The teasing lilt in his tone made you huff out a laugh, still giddy with lingering adrenaline. "Only if you stop calling it that immediately and forever."

Luke threw you a rakish wink over the sloping muscles of his shoulder. "Whatever you want, love."

Trevor, Jess and Maggy trailed a few paces behind, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. You caught Maggy's pointed look in your direction and offered her a warning glare - though you were sure your flushed cheeks gave you away.

Sure enough, Luke's rumbling chuckle confirmed he'd borne witness to the silent exchange. The streetlamps cast his chiseled features in a warm amber glow as he slanted you an amused look. "I have a feeling I'm about to be interrogated by your overprotective friends, huh?"

You nibbled your lower lip self-consciously, considering your response. There was an undeniable spark between you - one that had been stoked higher with every heated look and lingering caress. The real question was whether you were brave enough to fan those flames further or risk getting burned.

Steeling yourself, you lifted your chin to meet his piercing brown stare head on. "Maybe. But I kind of like to make people sweat a little."

The remark clearly took Luke by surprise if his arched brow was any indication. But it was fleeting - that roguish half-grin quickly stretching across his kiss-stung lips.

"Is that so?" he rumbled in a tone that could only be described as molten sin. "Game on then, gorgeous."

You held his fiery gaze for a beat, letting the exhilarating tension build between you like a livewire. Only when the rest of the crew caught up did you finally tear your eyes away, turning to lead the group toward Luke's parked car.

The quiet streets seemed to amplify every sound - the crunch of loose gravel underfoot, the peal of distant laughter, your thundering pulse in your ears. You drew a steadying breath into your aching lungs, trying to center yourself amidst the storm of giddy adrenaline.

When you finally reached Luke's sleek black Mustang, he turned to the group with an almost apologetic quirk of his brow.

"She's not the roomiest ride, but we can make it work," he said, clicking the keyless remote to unlock the doors.

Jessica immediately scrambled into the front passenger seat with Maggy and Trevor piling into the backseat, leaving you and Luke to bring up the rear. He held the driver's door open in an exaggerated show of chivalry, one side of that delicious smirk quirking higher.

"After you, gorgeous."

You rolled your eyes at the pageantry, but couldn't resist shooting him a playful grin as you slid into the buttery leather interior. Luke followed close behind, the hot brand of his body heat prickling at your hyper-aware senses.

Once he'd maneuvered his large frame behind the wheel, he flashed you a Look from beneath those obscenely thick lashes. "You good?"

The simple question seemed layered with unspoken subtext, like he was silently gauging if you were ready to continue down this path of escalating tension and blatant flirtation. Were you?

You could have backed down, downshifted the energy into something more innocent and casual. But the memory of his firm hands on your hips, the hot scorch of his stare...your mind was made up.

"I'm good," you murmured back, holding his gaze unblinkingly as his eyes ignited with fresh interest. "Just tell me where to put my hands."

A muscle ticked in Luke's tensed jaw at the brazen double entendre, his nostrils flaring almost imperceptibly. You could practically see the war raging behind his blazing eyes - restraint battling with base desire.

Finally, he seemed to reign himself in with a huff of startled laughter, raking a broad hand through his tumbled curls. "Jesus, Y/N...I'm gonna have my work cut out for me with you."

The delicious promise in his gravelly timbre had your pulse kicking up another few notches. You wet your lips unconsciously, unable to tear your eyes from the searing heat of his stare.

"I'd apologize," you said, aiming for nonchalance but landing somewhere around breathless, "but I don't think either of us would mean it."

Perhaps it was the alcohol in your system, or the lingering high of the party thrumming through your veins. Whatever the reason, you were powerless to halt the breakneck freight train of flirtation between you two. And judging by Luke's molten countenance, the feeling was entirely mutual.

"Don't you worry, gorgeous," he rumbled, one side of those obscene lips quirking dangerously. "This is going to be fun."

With that tantalizing promise lingering like a heady cloud around you both, Luke finally started the ignition. The rumbling growl of the Mustang's engine was like a physical force pulsing through the car as you tore off into the night - laughing and shouting along with your friends.

The revelry continued as you wound through the darkened streets - one outrageous story segueing into another, punctuated only by riotous bouts of laughter. Maggy, as ever, was in rare form - dramatically reenacting an ill-advised tale involving a Thanksgiving turkey and far too much tequila.

Even Luke was in stitches by the end, so enraptured by the ridiculous saga that he swerved slightly on a tight curve. You cried out in surprise, bracing yourself instinctively against the solidness of his bicep. At your squawk, his gaze swung toward you - heavy-lidded and sparking with remnants of mirth.

"You alright, gorgeous?" he rumbled, that infuriatingly charming lopsided smirk back in place.

You aimed a petulant glare his way, but couldn't quite bite back an answering grin of your own. "Eyes on the road, hotshot. I'd like to make it to this mystery food destination in one piece."

Luke threw you a lazy wink, as if reading the lack of any genuine heat behind your words. "Don't worry, I've got great hands."

Your breath caught at the pointed innuendo as Jessica let out a scandalized gasp from the front seat - apparently eavesdropping on your hushed flirtation.

"Oh my GOD!" she crowed with delight, whipping around to face you with shining eyes. "You two are too much! When's the wedding?"

"I'm asking for a plus one," Maggy piped up from behind you with an audible smirk.

Leveling the both of them with a long-suffering look, you simply shook your head and settled deeper into the plush leather interior. Out of your peripheral vision, you caught Luke's answering eye roll - one corner of that lascivious mouth tugging higher.

...

For a while after, the inside of the growling Mustang lapsed into a companionable quiet. Your heart still hammered a staccato rhythm against your ribs, fueled by the lingering adrenaline and the heated promise in Luke's flinty stare.

Now that you were alone with him - temporarily freed from the raucous peanut gallery - the tension hummed between you like a livewire.

You felt him shift almost imperceptibly closer to you, the delicious warmth of his solid body ghosting along your side as he navigated the winding back roads.

He held the wheel in one large hand, his other arm draped casually along the center console - close enough for you to count the fine golden hairs dusting those corded forearms.

It would have been so easy then - to traverse that scant distance separating your bodies and slide your palm over his, to lace your fingers through his and seal this casual flirtation into something more. But you refrained, cognizant of your friends' continued presence just a breath away.

Still, you couldn't deny the delicious tension sparking between you and Luke. Nor could you ignore the way your body hummed in attuned response to his proximity, every molecule attuned to drinking him in.

A heavy silence had fallen over the car's occupants - the only sound the occasional burst of laughter from those in the backseat, quickly smothered under mutual hushing. Luke appeared singularly focused on the dark ribbon of road whipping by, his chiseled jaw tight and flickering in the intermittent glow of passing streetlamps.

Just when you thought the hot tension might calcify into something unbearable, he cleared his throat subtly. You startled at the quiet rasp, inclining your head slightly in acknowledgment as he slanted you a weighted look.

"So...Maggy seems delightful," Luke murmured dryly after a beat, their low timber thrumming through you. "Among other things."

You couldn't quite stifle the snort of laughter that bubbled up at his tactful observation. "That's one way to put it. Though I'd add 'loyal to a fault' in there too."

"Ah, so the protective smokescreen is merely for my benefit then?" he surmised with a sidelong glance, the barest quirk playing at those obscene lips. "Should I be insulted?"

Huffing out a rueful laugh, you shifted minutely closer to him - near enough to catch the cedar and smoke notes wafting from the open vee of his shirt.

"Definitely not," you assured him in a lowered tone, keeping your words confined to the intimate pocket between you. "If anything, you should feel fortunate. They don't extend that...dedicated brand of harassment to just anyone."

Luke seemed to digest this as he guided the Mustang around another tight bend, his jaw tensing almost imperceptibly before easing into an indulgent grin.

"Lucky me then," he rumbled after a beat, shooting you a Look from beneath those ridiculous lashes. "Should I be bracing myself for an interrogation?"

The sultry backnote in Luke's words hung heavy between you as the Mustang's growl filled the weighted silence. You were hyper-aware of each whisper of movement from him - every subtle flex of those chiseled forearms as he gripped the wheel, the shifting of corded muscle in his thighs as he worked the pedals.

It was enough to make your mouth go dry with longing.

You worried your lower lip, struggling to keep your thundering pulse in check as you murmured your response. "Well, if their interrogation tactics are anything like their dance moves, you'd better buckle up, Hughes."

The rich ramble of Luke's laughter seemed to reverberate through your very bones at the rejoinder. You stole a glance at the hard line of his smiling profile, bathed in the warm amber glow of the passing streetlamps.

"Is that a promise, gorgeous?" he countered without missing a beat, slanting you a Look from beneath those ridiculous lashes.

You held his molten stare for a heated heartbeat, caught like a moth in that blazing glare. Did he have any idea what he did to you with that stupid pet name and the sinful rasp of his voice? Probably, if the blatant flirtiness was any indication.

Before you could formulate a suitable retort, the sudden assault of bright neon lights up ahead shattered the electric tension. You blinked rapidly, struggling to read the flickering signs as Luke slowed the Mustang.

"This is the place," he explained as he smoothly guided the car into the near-empty parking lot. "Open 24 hours and right on the beach."

As he killed the engine, the overhead dome light bathed the car's interior in a warm halo of illumination. From this angle, you could make out the sharp planes of Luke's striking profile - that aristocratic nose, the razor cut of his stubbled jaw, and the artful sprawl of those ridiculous curls.

Good lord, the man was distractingly beautiful.

Any further appreciation was curtailed as the trio banged against the seat in a noisy clatter. You and Luke relented, pulling up the seats to free them. Maggy and Trevor came tumbling out in a gangly, graceless heap - seemingly having partaken in too much backseat horseplay if their breathless giggling was any indication.

"About time!" Maggy crowed dramatically once she'd righted herself. "I thought we'd be cruising the streets all night before Sir Lancelot here found a suitable dining establishment."

One dark brow arched elegantly over Luke's hooded eyes as he slanted her an imperious look. "I beg your pardon? This place is a fucking culinary treasure."

Jessica snickered indelicately, clearly gearing up to instigate whatever fresh hell was brewing. However, you opted to defuse the situation before it could fully detonate.

"Shall we, troops? I don't know about you animals, but I'm starving after all that..."dancing.""

The loaded pause and meaningful look you threw Luke didn't go unnoticed if his answering smirk was any indication. Egalitarian as ever, he merely chuckled and nodded towards the brightly-lit takeout counter in the distance.

"Lead the way, gorgeous."

…

Tag List <3

empty lol

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chthonic-cassandra · 5 months

Text

Top Reading Experiences, 2023

In a few categories, because lists are satisfying.

Series - Anne Rice, The Vampire Chronicles - I reread almost the entirety of the series (I skipped Memnoch), and read the weird ones that I had skipped the first time. Fascinating, wild reading experience to do it all together. Chronicled here, though it subsequently turned into my general VC tag. - C. J. Cherryh, Alliance-Union series - I reread Cyteen and then read Regenesis and 40,000 in Gehenna for the first time. While Cyteen is unmatched, I loved reading the others as well, and am looking forward to reading the rest of them slowly, gradually, and lovingly. Immensely satisfying experience of science fiction. - Tanith Lee, Tales from the Flat Earth - reread the first three, read Night's Daughter and Night's Sorceries for the first time. More to come on these. I haven't yet gotten a hold of the remaining few stories in the series, which were recently published for the first time. - Tanith Lee, Unicorn series - I started 2023 with these. Just a delight. - Pat Barker, Regeneration - reread for the first time in many years. Still so good, though the first is notably the tightest. Its reflection on moral injury felt very grounding right now.

Other notable rereads - Henry James, The Golden Bowl - Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre - Annie G. Rogers, The Unsayable - Caitlin Sweet, The Pattern Scars - Susanna Clarke, Piranesi - Elizabeth E. Wein, The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom - Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children

Fiction, read for the first time - Wole Soyinka, Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth - A. S. Byatt, Medusa's Ankles: Selected Stories - Dion Fortune, The Demon Lover - Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, Of One Blood - Maureen McHugh, China Mountain Zhang - Werner Herzog, The Twilight World - Vanessa Hua, Forbidden City - Marina Dyachenko, Assassin of Reality - Magda Szabo, The Fawn - Shehan Karunatilaka, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida - Selby Wynn Schwartz, After Sappho - Maggie O'Farrell, The Marriage Portrait - Vajra Chandrasekera, The Saint of Bright Doors

Non-fiction, read for the first time - Artemis Leontis, Eva Sikelianos Palmer: A Life in Ruins - Shane McRae, Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping - Claire Mac Cumhaill & Rachel Weisman, Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life - Simon Palfrey & Tiffany Stern, Shakespeare in Parts - Nayan Shah, Refusal to Eat: A Century of Prison Hunger Strikes - Hugh Ryan, The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison - Ron E. Hassner, Anatomy of Torture - Judith Herman, Truth and Repair - Julie Phillips, The Baby on the Fire Escape: Creativity, Motherhood, and the Mind-Baby Problem - Nanno Marinatos, Minoan Religion

#books

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blogger360ncislarules · 3 months

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Downton Abbey‘s final act appears to be nigh. A third and final film in Julian Fellowes’ storied historical franchise is in the pipeline, co-star Imelda Staunton revealed to BBC Radio’s Zoe Ball.

“There will be [a] final final,” the actress behind Lady Maud Bagshaw confirmed on Wednesday.

The news comes roughly two years after the release of Downton Abbey: A New Era, which followed the Crawleys and their staff as they welcomed a movie crew to Downton for the filming of a new silent film, while other members of the family embarked on a grand adventure to a villa in the south of France to uncover a mystery about the Dowager Countess.

The second pic starred Downton mainstays Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nichol, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton and the aforementioned Staunton.

Shortly after A New Era‘s release, Bonneville suggested that franchise fatigue was setting in.

“I suspect, on a practical level, it’s run its course now,” the actor told The Hollywood Reporter at the time. “I think [A New Era] was a good time to quit.”

Bonneville went on to call A New Era a “joyous” potential conclusion, “and such a good note on which to end the story,” before adding, “There’s still open doors in it, but I think it might be the right time to stop.”

#downton abbey

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laiwalane · 3 months

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Fandoms / characters I'll write for

TV SHOWS:

American horror story

any ships (includes reader or ships between two characters)

characters (my favs):

- Maddison Montgomery

- Tate Langdon (any Evan Peters char.)

- Michael Langdon/Xavier Plimpton

- Cordelia Fox (Any Sarah Paulson char.)

- Misty Day

- Mallory

- Countess Elizabeth ofc

The walking dead

Characters

- Rick Grimes

- Carl Grimes

- Carol 💥

- Maggie

- Glenn

- Owen (he's hot lmao)

- Negan

-Beth

- Michonne

- Daryl

-Philip Blake (the governor)

The boys

characters

-homelander

-soldier boy

- hugh

-ANY FEMALE CHARACTER

Breaking bad

characters

-Jesse pinkman

- Andrea

- Jane Margolis

MR ROBOT

characters

- Elliot Alderson

- Tyrell 💥

- Johanna

- Darlene

- Dominique

Hannibal

-any characters/pairings

(I know it will be impossible to write smth without gay ships so...I will do it :))

FILMS:

-American psycho

-The hunger games

characters:

- Katniss Everdeen

- Peeta

- Finnick Odair

-Coryo Snow (young ofc)

-Finch (that cute ginger girl from part 1)💥

-Tigriss

- Inglourious Basters

characters

-Hans Landa💥

-Dieter Hellstrom💥

-Bridget

- Shoshanna

-Aldo Raine

-Batman Begins/any other parts

characters:

-Bruse Wayne

-Jonathan Crane 💥

- Miranda Tate

-John Wick

(almost any characters)

Anime

-Jujutsu kaisen

characters:

- Maki Zenin💥

- Mai Zenin

-Nobara Kugisaki

-Gojo

- Nanami Kento

- Riko Amanai💥

- MeiMei

-Tsukumo Yuki💥

-Chosou

-Shingeki no kyojin

characters

- Eren Jaeger

-Floch Forster

- Armin Arlert

- Mikasa Ackerman

- Petra Ral💥

- Hange Zoe💥

- Zeke Yeager

-Pieck Finger

-Anie Leonhart

- Sasha Blouse

-Kumetsu no yaiba

only female characters

AHHH THAT'S A LOOOOT BUT IT'S NOT EVERYTHING

well I would like to add that if you fan of these aktors/aktresses, I'll be writing fanfiction with any of their characters

- Angelina Jolie

- Christian Bale

- Jennifer Lawrence

-Aaron Taylor-Johnson

-Cillian Murphy

- Bill Skarsgard

- Elizabeth Olsen

- August Diehl

- Benedict Samuel

💥- means I find this character hot lmao

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msmargaretmurry · 11 months

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jsyk, you are not the only audience for eldest daughter quinn hughes!!! i feel a deep connection with her!!

aww yes i know i have you and jess and maggie at least 😂 small target audience tho. and that's fine! imo it's important to keep myself into writing for healthy reasons by occasionally throwing myself into projects where i really love the story but i know it ain't gonna do numbers 💖

#ask #eldest daughter quinn hughes #hockey for ts

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teach463146 · 1 year

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Downton Abbey

Universal Pictures

When it comes to period soap operas, none can touch the captivating drama of "Downton Abbey," the British series that began in 2010. Set in the 1910s and '20s, the series enthralled viewers with the story of the powerful and aristocratic Crawley family and the ups and downs of both their well-to-do kin and their well-mannered servants at the abbey in which they resided. Fans across the world marveled at the heart-rending tales of fathers, sons, mothers, and daughters — their hopes, dreams, loves, and passions, not to mention bitter rivalries and vicious feuds.

With a sprawling ensemble cast that included Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Hugh Bonneville, Ed Speleers, Matthew Goode, and Siobhan Finneran among so many others, the series earned 15 Emmy Awards in its six years on the air. But the small screen couldn't contain the Abbey's splendor, and in 2019 a movie follow-up waltzed its way into theaters.

The film saw members of England's royal family arrive at Downton Abbey, and while the family's servants spar with the visiting royal staff over arrangements, a villain emerges in a plot to kill the King. A huge hit at the box office, "Downtown Abbey" was a worthy follow-up to the series, and it received a sequel in 2022. "Downton Abbey: A New Era" didn't rake in quite as much cash, but was well-loved by critics and audiences alike.

#matthew goode #michelle dochery #downton abbey movie

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thewritingofspencerrose · 5 months

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M.Hughes Masterlist

How Many Hockey Players Does It Take To Unscrew a Lightbulb

liked by _quinnhughes, _alexturcotte, and 732 others

"You all really didn't have to come help me pack," Is all I can think to say once I get past the shock of opening my front door to players from the Devils, Ducks, and Canucks. "I- How did you all even know? Let alone get tickets so quick?"

"We're professional hockey players Kid, we have the money for last minute tickets AND the muscles for carrying heavy things into your Uhaul," Is Elias Pettersson's response.

"We're basically the dream team of moving," Is Cole's addition, popping out from behind Nico to give me a hug. Make that four NHL teams represented.

"But you didn't have to all come? I don't have that much stuff and I already had Trev and my brothers."

"Just say you're happy to see us and move over so we can get in," Is Brady's jab, pulling me into a hug before pushing me back into my nearly empty apartment, each boy giving me a hug as they go until the only ones left to enter are my brothers and boyfriend.

"Hey there Kiddo," Quinn greets, pulling me into his side and kissing the top of my head. "You didn't really think we wouldn't call in the army to make this easiest for you."

"Or that we wouldn't be coming with you to Cali to unpack," Jack chimes, holding up three tickets while still in the entry.

"Just the three of us, the other boys are all heading home tomorrow," Lu is the one to comfort, seeing the anxiety in my body rise and making it fall. "It looks like you pretty much have everything packed."

"I do," I agree, looking over the room of boxes, only a few items here and there as the men glance around, most having never seen my apartment before.

"What's left of this place is cute?" Dawson offers, trying his best to compliment what was left. "I'm sure it was even cuter before."

"Thank you Daws, that's a lot nicer than what Jamie was saying the other day," I chirp, the comment directed at said Ducks player who nearly drops the box that he had acquired.

"I didn't mean it like that! All I said was that this place wasn't cute enough for you!" He attempts to defend, looking to Trev for assistance.

"Not to defend his honor or anything, but he did follow it with 'your stuff will look so much cuter in our apartment'," Trev offers, and I can't help but jokingly roll my eyes.

"And this is why he's your one true love," I grumble, the Petey, Q, Jimmy and Mason walking out with boxes in hand, having just taken any old boxes and gotten moving.

"Hey now, you know you're my one true love, baby," Trev assures, moseying up in front of me and pulling me in by my hips, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a peck.

You can hear the groans of the room before you can actually determine who's groan is who's. All I do know is that Jack was definitely the one to say "ew" and Cole absolutely said "oh my poor eyes!"

Drama queens.

"Okay, that's enough of that," Luke is the one to pull me away from Trev, pulling on my hand like he did as a kid.

God when did we all grow up.

Cole, Trevor, my brothers and I. All that we're missing is Alex.

And all my boys made it into the NHL.

And I'm a nurse.

"Hey, don't fall too far in there," Quinn's words pull me out, him and the others having gotten back in the time that I was in my head, Luke having just gently been rubbing my shoulder in the mean time. "Where'd you just disappear to?"

"Just thinking about how much we've all changed since Jack and the boys were in dev camp."

It's a simple answer, but its enough that Q pulls me around the corner into the hallways, leaving Luke behind to lead the continued emptying of where I've lived for two years.

As soon as we're around he's looking in my eyes before pulling me into a hug, tucking me under his chin like he's always done and holding me tight.

"I know change, especially big changes, make your anxiety spike," well he caught me there, "but this is something you've been looking forward to since you were toddling around putting bandaids on us after peewee practice. As much as I hate to say it, you are the most prepared out of any of us to go out into the world."

"Q-" I cut myself off, knowing if I continue I may just cry. "Thank you."

"Hey Mags-a-million, where- oh," Cole pauses, a blush coming to his cheeks at interrupting Quinn's and my sibling bonding moment.

"Uh, yeah, what were you going to ask Coley?" I ask, wiping the few tears that did gather from my waterline.

"I just wanted your permission to move the box that says undergarments. I felt kind of weird doing it without asking and didn't want Trev to kick my ass," He explains, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Cole, it's not like you're digging through my panty drawer," I can't help but laugh, his entire face burning bright red.

Quinn just shakes his head, running his hand through his hair. "I'm pretty sure you made it weirder by asking."

"Why did Mason just tell me that Cole was asking about your under stuff?" Trevor's voice interrupts us once more, taking me from my brothers side and pulling me into his arms, glaring with very little ammunition at Cole. "Back off my woman Caufield."

"See! This is why I asked!" Cole yells, officially having enough of the teasing before glaring at Trev. "You," He emphasizes with a point, "can carry it, jackass," Throwing his hands up to his usual level of dramatics before wandering away.

Trev pecks my forehead, the brightest smile on his face as he leads us after our favorite dramatic.

"I think this is really going well."

#original character #the writing of spencer rose #nhl fanfiction #best friends to lovers trope #hughes sister #trevor zegras x hughes sister #maggie hughes story #trevor zegras x oc

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audikatia · 5 months

Text

I'll be honest, it was a lot of rereads this year because 1) I love rereading favs and 2) so many of the new books I read this year were just eh.

Total list with ratings below:

Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage by Nathalia Holt ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Maid by Nita Prose ⭐️⭐️

Book Lovers by Emily Henry ⭐️⭐️

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Beauty, British Spy by Damien Lewis ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Pallbearer’s Club by Paul Tremblay ⭐️⭐️

Harry Potter and the Art of Spying by Lynn M. Boughey ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Golden Boys by Phil Stamper ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass ⭐️

Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Teen Titans: Robin by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bad Gays: a Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han ⭐️⭐️

It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han ⭐️⭐️

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han ⭐️⭐️

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seige and Storm by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rise and Ruin by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels, and Crooks by Patrick Raddon Keefe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dead End Girls by Wendy Heard ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Afterglow by Phil Stamper ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Monster’s Bones: The Discovery of T. Rex and How It Shook Our World by David K. Randall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Five Survive by Holly Jackson ⭐️⭐️

Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Any Way the Wind Blows by Rainbow Rowell ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Brooklyn was Queer by Hugh Ryan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Something Wild and Wonderful by Anita Kelly ⭐️⭐️

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States by Samantha Allen ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Only One Left by Riley Sager ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Opal by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Liar City by Allie Therin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Deeper Waters by F.T. Lukens ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seriously, Murder? by Monica Hoopes ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Awakening by Kate Chopin ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Drift by C. J. Tudor ⭐️⭐️

Scones and Scofflaws by Jane Gorman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune ⭐️⭐️

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ten Things That Never Happened by Alexis Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wolfsong by TJ Klune ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman ⭐️⭐️

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix ⭐️⭐️

Small Favors by Erin A. Craig ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Raven King by Nora Sakavic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the King’s Men by Nora Sakavic ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Christine by Stephen King ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Male Gazed by Manuel Betancourt ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro ⭐️⭐️

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Nine by Maureen Johnson ⭐️⭐️

The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon ⭐️⭐️

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gwen and Art are Not in Love by Lex Croucher ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Crack was King by Donovan X. Ramsey ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slippery Creatures by K. J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Sugared Game by K. J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Subtle Blood by K. J. Charles ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Monsters by Claire Dederer ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Allergic by Theresa McPhail ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#personal

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t3acupz · 6 months

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I’m working my way through Hugh Dancy’s filmography and watched Downton Abbey: A New Era last night. I was putting it off a bit because I loved Downton Abbey (unexpectedly tbh) and I was anxious it might be a mediocre sequel.

spoilers if you haven’t seen it—

I was never a fan of Mary’s second husband, Henry, because they didn’t have that magnetic chemistry that she had with Matthew. So I was pleasantly surprised he wasn’t in this movie which is where Hugh’s character, Jack Barber, comes in. I was just hoping that something would happen, some sparks would fly between Jack and Mary but no, they really had no chemistry either. I get that her story is there to parallel the Dowager Countess. Mary, like her grandmother, refuses an affair that is presented to her on a silver platter because of honor and whatnot and that would’ve been fine if at the end of the movie she was reunited with Henry and they’re shown to be in love but that didn’t happen.

I absolutely adore Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley. Her charisma and sass carried the show at times. I think her end was very fitting and respectful.

The only thing that I felt this sequel addressed in the best way was giving Barrow a good ending. If there was ever a character that deserved to finally be happy it was him.

Finally, to Hugh’s part. It was cool to see Hugh Dancy and Hugh Bonneville together again after Daniel Deronda (2002). Robert’s storyline of questioning is parentage seemed like a callback to Hugh’s part in Daniel Deronda and I wonder if that’s why he was hired to play Jack Barber.

The filming at Downton Abbey to make the silent movie was a bit too fourth wall breaking. Downton Abbey is one of the few shows I really don’t want winking at the audience but at least the minor characters got to have that awesome dinner scene towards the end.

Ok so here’s the controversial statement, I don’t think Hugh did a good job acting in this particular role. He’s so good in Hannibal because he plays a twitchy, anxious and conflicted man. But when he added those elements to Jack Barber it felt off. It also made it harder to believe Mary would feel anything for a guy who’s that neurotic.

The funny thing is he also didn’t seem British enough. It’s like all those years of living in New York made him lose that quintessentially British vibe that worked well for him in those early period dramas.

His acting works better in roles like Will Graham and Cal Roberts. He has an explosive energy that he has to contain in Downton Abbey and so his performance fell flat.

Still adore him and I probably wouldn’t have watched A New Era if he wasn’t in it so I’m glad I did.

#hugh dancy #i love him #uwu #also couldn’t they give him a better hairstyle #downton abbey

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mtvunplugged1996 · 10 months

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icr if someone's asked u this before but if u were to choose a cast for ur story from current actors... who would u cast?

Oh this is everything!! No one's asked me this before, and I don't have every character figured out, but I definitely know who I would cast for some of them.

Golitsyn would obviously be played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (who do you think I am). Alyosha would have to be Timothée Chalamet (sorry). I think the young Danish actor Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen would be good for Peter. Katya would be Elle Fanning. Her lover would be Eleanor Tomlinson. Her husband would be Nicholas Hoult (if this were the 90s, he would be Daniel Day-Lewis, but oh well, can't win em all...). Alyosha's mother would be Michelle Dockery, his father would be Hugh Grant, and his grandmother would obviously be Maggie Smith. I would cast Jude Law and Natalie Portman as the Tsar and Tsarina, and Olivia Williams as the Dowager Empress. Alyosha's wife would be Saoirse Ronan (again, if this were the 90s, she would be Winona Ryder). At school, the Major-General would be John Moulder-Brown, and the Colonel would be Ralph Fiennes.

This is getting to be rather long, so I think I'll stop there! There are a lot of 80s/90s actors that I wish I could've cast (besides the ones I've mentioned, Sophie Marceau comes to mind), but I feel like this is a decent list? Anyway, thank you for asking <3

#asks #lizzie #this is EVERYTHING i just woke up and youve made my morning <3

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olehistorian · 2 years

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Downton Abbey' star Phyllis Logan sees 'great love' in Elsie-Carson romance

By Karen Butler

JULY 5, 2022 / 3:00 AM

1/5'Downton Abbey' star Phyllis Logan sees 'great love' in Elsie-Carson romance.

NEW YORK, July 5 (UPI) -- Phyllis Logan says her housekeeper character Elsie's new marriage to Mr. Carson is going well in Downton Abbey: A New Era, even though the snooty former butler is in the South of France with their employer for most of the movie.

"They get on each other's nerves like all married couples from time to time, but there is a great love there. She knows what a curmudgeon he can be, but, even withstanding that, she loves him," Logan told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.

"They are just settling in," she added. "It's like they've been married for years. It's all comparatively recent, their wedding, but they've known each other so well being butler and housekeeper ... and always had time for each other -- having a wee sherry and discussing the day's business, which was lovely.

"I love those scenes because it meant they could slightly take off their housekeeper and butler hats and show themselves as human beings."

Set for DVD release Tuesday, the movie is set in 1928 and finds Lord Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), steward of the cash-strapped titular British estate, making the difficult decision to accept a lucrative financial offer to allow a Hollywood film production to shoot at Downton. This is much to the chagrin of most of his family, but excites the household staff.

At the same time, Robert's ailing mother, Lady Violet (Maggie Smith), inherits a villa in the South of France from a mysterious man, prompting Robert, his wife Countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), who has secrets of her own, their daughter, Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and their son-in-law, Branson (Allen Leech), to head out on holiday to inspect the new property.

That leaves Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Elsie (Phyllis Logan) at Downton's helm.

To get the fussy Carson out of the way so the filmmakers may get on with their work, the women concoct a ruse and convince him that Robert desperately needs him on this trip.

Logan categorized the plot as a "bit of subterfuge."

"Lady Mary suggests it because I say Mr. Carson is going to make trouble. He's not going to countenance a film crew -- a bunch of vagabond actors who are stealing the silverware," she laughed.

"She thinks Lady Mary is going to have to get rid of him, not through homicide, of course. So, she says, 'Well, he's going to have to go to France.' That will get him out of the way," Logan added.

"Robert needs a stalwart to help go through the trauma of a holiday abroad. Carson buys that, and off he goes, leaving us to have fun with the movie stars."

Protective of the estate but not quite as steadfast as Carson is, Elsie found the film company, including fictional screen icons Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and Myran Dalgleish (Laura Haddock), to be a major disruption to the household.

But Elsie, as always, was able to rise to the occasion, stepping "into the breach to save the day" when needed, Logan said.

"In the beginning, she might seem slightly fazed by all these theatrical types just wandering about the place," she admitted.

"She was a bit overwhelmed to start with, but she quickly caught on to how to deal with these people and got quite actually interested in the making of [the film] and got quite excited along with the younger members of the staff like Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Daisy (Sophie McShera), who were thrilled to see their idols from the magazines and movies.

"She wasn't impressed to begin with, but I think Dominic West won her over."

Logan doesn't know if there will be another Downton story to tell, but she is all in if there is one, just as long as it doesn't jump too far into the future.

"I love doing it. I love all the people. I love the character that I play. It's just one of life's great gifts that we've been given," she said.

"Some of us who are senior members of the cast, we'd probably be long dead if we leap forward too far. We could keep it to a year or a couple of years."

The actress said she is grateful to the viewers who made the franchise a global success.

"They are the most loyal bunch of fans you could ever wish for," Logan said.

"Ultimately, it's they who enabled a second film to be made because enough of them went to see [ the first] and loved it enough. The studio felt, 'Well, it's popular still, there's an appetite still, why don't we do another?'"

Logan said she is is pleased to put A New Era out in the world at a time when so many people are trying to resume some normalcy after the coronavirus pandemic.

"It is just a real joy with a touch of sadness, of course, but that's what life's about, isn't it? It is a real, feel-good, walk-out-of-the-thing-with-a-big-smile-on-your-face [movie]," she said.

Bookending A New Era are heartwarming group scenes with the whole cast turning out for one beloved character's joyous wedding and another's tearjerker of a funeral.

"It was just wonderful to kick the whole event off with that wedding when we were all there at the same time, which doesn't happen a lot within the filming," Logan said.

About that mournful sendoff at the end, she added, "You need to have a heart of stone not to be affected by that."

Logan and some of her castmates were crestfallen to read the script and see they would be staying at Downton while others headed off to France.

"We were all a bit [disappointed,] to tell the truth, but then we were having so much fun doing the stuff we were doing. Having seen it on film, it looks stunning and they all came back [from France] with raging tans," she recalled.

Not that the British cohort didn't enjoy themselves in between filming scenes. Because the movie was made during the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the cast members found themselves blissfully isolated together in posher quarters than they are used to.

"We stayed in this gorgeous hotel near the castle. Normally, it's just Maggie Smith who gets to stay in the place," Logan dished. "We were given a wing of the thing to be kept separate from the other residents or visitors. We had our own garden and dining areas. It was like going on holiday with your pals."

#downton abbey #phyllis logan #elsie hughes #interview #Downton abbey a new era

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moregraceful · 1 year

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mysterious shadowbanned @hopetorun dm'd me and asked for director's commentary on the jack/cole scene in fragments for the ask meme i reblogged and promptly forgot about!! actually maggie asked for either pov switch for jhughes or bts and i thought about writing a lil pov switch but sadly jack hughes has absolutely zero self-awareness in that scene. fucking nothing going on in his head except love for his boy. net zero pov switch we learn nothing.

long and heavily nsfw scene under the cut, heavy talk abt dubcon situations (winner's room), some self-injury. do not come for me, any discourse in my inbox will be deleted on sight.

In November, the Devils kicked the shit out of the Habs at home. It’s an embarrassing loss and Nick badly wants to make Joel and Brendan deal with the press while the Devils decide who gets the room, but he sucks it up. If he didn’t want to deal with the press crawling up his ass, he shouldn’t have accepted captaincy.

one thing i very much enjoyed in my research (backreading the entire habs channel to june in ash's discord server) is how often nick is just. sucking it up. suffering graciously. dealing with the most wack ass sports media in the entire sport in a language he doesn't speak. never biting back, or at least never biting back too hard. and it always seemed like he just took it as part of his job. also first year as captain do you rly want to get off on the wrong foot with fucking montreal media?

Jack Hughes chooses Cole. This does not surprise Nick. They’re buddies and Nick figures he should be grateful it was Cole, even if he does find Hughes kind of annoying. Hughes won’t be weird and rough but he does have a big personality. Nick’s heard from Cole how Hughes gets when he’s around his boys in the off season and he figures it’ll be loud and messy.

Cole beams when he’s told that Jack chose him. A bunch of guys laugh at him but Nick quirks a smile. At least Cole’s going to be happy. Cole could use that. He’s had some bad rooms lately.

cole's life fucken SUCKS for the first several months of the season. like i talk abt the physical toll it takes on him, but it very much takes a mental toll on him too. it's cole so he's very grin and bear it, but his life sucks ass for several months. he's struggling! he's not going to say it but he's really strugglign! the winner's room is part of the job, yes - but sex loses it's thrill when all you're doing is being claimed yk. so for cole to get chosen by jack and knowing he gets a reprieve, he gets to be with someone who cares about him - it's a breath of fresh air. while nick's having an existential crisis, cole is just like thank god, someone who loves and cares about me :)

for obvious reasons i never considered in my life i would write winner's room but holiday exchanges make fools of us all ig.

Nick walks to the room with Cole. It’s down in the basement of Bell Centre, through a long winding hallway that’s locked from one end, far away from where fans and press and nonessential arena staff would stumble on it. It goes unacknowledged by everyone except coaches, players, the arena manager, and a special custodial crew, hired for their discretion. There are three keys to the room, two for the home and away teams and one for the arena manager. It’s seen decades of use. Habs fans place so much weight on history and tradition and Nick wonders what they’d think about the room if they knew. He’s heard stories about the room at the Forum. Apparently it wasn’t as sterile as the one at Bell Centre.

my original fic i was gonna write for maddy was a ghost story that played with the good luck ghosts of the old forum and how montreal fans don't think they came to the bell centre and what if nick was psychologically tortured by a bad ghost. love to [clenches fist] put a man in a situation. but it fell apart and i was running out of time, so i abandoned it. but then i had this like 15 page google doc of research on the history of the bell centre and the forum and all the superstitions habs fan carry and i was like Well Now What. so i just put it in where i could. it's a pretty glorious google doc tbh. a lot of link to weird habs sites. i really want to write the story someday bc i do think it has a lot of potential, my plot just wasn't fully formed enough for me to really make it through in a month. :(

Cole walks very quickly and Nick has to work to keep up with him. It’s sweet how excited Cole is. His smile is big and it makes Nick smile too because Cole is never excited about the room. He doesn’t get depressed or bitter about being chosen so often, but he never looks forward to it.

"he doesn't get depressed or bitter" cole's hiding a lot of shit from nick (and the rest of the team) bc it's hockey and it's life and it's cole but as i said before, it is starting to weigh on him and he is feeling some emotional wear and tear, even this early in the season. it gets worse later obvi and he's less able to hide how worn out he is, but he's not as okay with everything as nick thinks he is.

......but also like it's jack. it's his boy! he loves his boy! that's his best friend! he loves having sex with his best friend! michigan lake sex house forever!

“I was kinda hoping,” Cole says as Nick unlocks the first door and they head down the hall, “but man, I wasn’t sure. Him and Kirby, you know. Jack’s always looking for an excuse with that guy. Like, he’s got me any time. Kirby and him are a whole thing.”

Nick does not know what Cole is talking about and he doesn’t care to follow up that much either. That draft class is beyond him and he doesn’t worry too much about their strange interpersonal dynamics. His team is his team. As long as Hughes doesn’t rough up any of his guys, he doesn’t care what they do in the off season together. They could get married in Michigan and he wouldn’t give a shit.

"kirby and him are a whole thing" u see, when the first draft class you ever both getting invested in has jack hughes going first of all and the entire class ends up having having a shit ass three year rookie covid season, you start to feel activated by the strangest things. like i do still have a kaapo/jack agenda, i do. but i ALSO have a kirby/jack agenda and it's important and it's real.

anyway nick really doesn't give a fuck. he really doesn't! not in this moment! he is not thinking very much of anything besides wanting to make sure hughes follows the rules. prior to this moment, his feelings are so buried that cole and jack really could get married in the off season and it just would not register to him as something that is his business. he cares very deeply abt cole and wants to protect him and keep him safe but in that moment, he really does not give a fuck. how can you care if you don't know what you're missing?

Hughes does not rough up Cole.

Hughes is tender.

Nick doesn’t know what to do about that.

boy you got a big storm comin

Hughes strips Cole down, which isn’t against the rules, but is very weird until Nick sees where this is going. His fingers are gentle pressing against Cole. Hughes knows exactly how to make it good for Cole, that much is obvious to Nick. They’ve done this before, more than once. The two of them don’t kiss, but there’s an intensity, a deep fondness written over everything he does to Cole. Working his fingers in, rubbing the inside of Cole’s thigh when Cole keens, it’s all familiar. When he presses into Cole, they both smile. Hughes is not loud like Nick thought he would be. He’s quiet and all his attention is on Cole.

my main thing about this scene is people write jack hughes very annoyingly like 500% of the time and i didn't want to contribute to that. like yeah maybe he has loud sex sometimes, maybe he has a big mouth and no braincells, but this is not offseason lake sexhouse fucking. but this is mid-season winner's room sex with his best buddy that he doesn't see too often during the season, and yeah yeah he's jack hughes and he's stupid as shit, but he can read his boy too. he can tell cole needs someone to be gentle and attentive to him. like!!! i keep saying this but they are FRIENDS. THEY ARE BEST FRIENDS. he can read cole in ways nick can't and he knows cole's strugglin. he can give something to cole that would never occur to nick to give. bc that's his boy!

Nick feels something hot curling in his blood as Hughes bottoms out in Cole. His skin feels too tight and his head hurts. When Cole laughs as Hughes picks up a steady rhythm, the both of them grinning at each other, Nick has to catch himself from stopping everything. He’s being ridiculous. There’s nothing to stop. Cole’s having a great time, judging on how big his smile is, how he keeps laughing breathlessly when Hughes’s hips hit his ass.

cole's having a great time. nick's having a bad time. jack is like i love my friend :) he's cute when he smiles :) i want to kiss him but it's not allowed so i'll just keep making him smile

Hughes is fucking him hard and deep

let jack hughes top

but it’s not anything that’s going to leave a mark. Cole’s going to have a sore ass but nothing that will prevent him from playing. Nick can’t stop them for that. That’s par for the course. All of this is within the rules, but Nick feels hot and wordlessly furious for reasons he doesn’t know.

BOY YOU GOT A BIG STORM COMIN

Cole looks like he’d take whatever ache comes with this. He’s having a great time. His eyes are bright and he can’t stop smiling at Hughes.

He laughs too, little laughs that sound nothing like him giggling when he’s fucking with Brendan or making fun of Nick. Nick feels possessive over this new-to-him sound, this soft laughter that speaks to how happy Cole is, how much he’s enjoying this. It makes Nick sick to his stomach that he never knew that Cole could sound so damn happy during a duty fuck. It never occurred to him to think about Cole having a genuinely good time while having sex, because he’d never witnessed it. Nick never knew Cole could be this happy. He’d never seen it. Nick doesn’t know why he’d care enough to think it through, but it makes him viscerally nauseous now. He feels ill knowing that there’s even more joy in Cole than he ever thought there was.

I LOVE THIS WHOLE PARAGRAPH BC IT'S LIKE. it really kicks off the entire thing. nick though he knew everything that was necessary to know about cole but he doesn't know SHIT and now he has to live with something so precious it causes a season-long mental breakdown. nick is beating himself up and spirals bc he's in love with cole sure but there's also very much an element of like. he thought he knew everything he needed to know about cole but there's shit he didn't even CONSIDER. there's shit about cole that he never thought about!! he feels very thoughtful and he feels very crazy. he has to live happy cole sex noises now and he IS going to deal badly.

And now he has to live with Cole’s laughter, that breathy laughter, that turns into tender groans when Hughes presumably hits his prostate. Nick usually stands by the wall and out of the way in the room, and he pushes his head against the wall, pressing his skull against the faux wood paneling to make himself feel enough pain to stay quiet.

local man engaging in a little self harm ground techniques. i haven't read this since i posted it bc i have been suffering the horrors, but i don't think i ever wrote nick as passively suicidal in it? he's just kind of self-destructive. but he does you know have to ground himself through a little bit of pain in some of these rooms.

Hughes comes with a grunt and then a laugh. He reaches down to jerk Cole off without even pulling out. It doesn’t take Cole long to come, spurting onto his stomach.

jack hughes laughing when he comes :) yeah :)

also you know the intimacy of coming and not pulling out and just immediately making sure cole gets to come too. he's attentive to his boy!!!

Nick opens his mouth to kick Hughes out of the room for reasons he wouldn’t be able to explain even if Hughes fought him on it – it’s rare to have a guy actually care that much about Nick’s guys getting off, but it’s not against the rules to make them come – but the look on Cole’s face as he spills over Jack’s hand stops Nick before he starts. It’s a mix of delighted and fond, a lot of love and so much affection.

nick probably would have said something and burned his entire reputation to the league to the ground and nico hischier WOULD have had to fly in and fuck it out of nick, but cole being so in love with jack also grounds nick in the present. it's not a what if situation, it's not a hypothetical, it's not an idle thought: cole loves jack and he loves him so much. nick can't argue that. nick can't read that any other way.

Nick doesn’t think they’re dating. He thinks Cole would tell him that. The two of them talk all the time and it’s never come up. Cole doesn’t keep things that make him happy to himself, especially not from Nick.

Then again, Nick didn’t know Cole could be this happy having sex. He knows less than he thought about Cole.

oh nick, my love. you are so screwed

Hughes pulls out and before Nick can even move a muscle to kick him out, he takes a box of tissues on the table by the bed and dabs at the mess on Cole’s stomach. “Damn, Cole, sorry,” he says. “You’re gonna have to shower again. Fuck, when was the last time you came? There’s so much of it.”

“Shut up, you know I don’t do anything during the season.” Cole stretches his arms about his head. Nick can’t stop looking at his flushed chest, his sated smile. “It builds up. I was going to have to shower again anyway since you had your dick up my ass, right?” He yawns, stretching again. “Get out of here, guy. You got a flight. I’ll see you later.”

absolutely wrecked my google search history trying to figure out if scientifically cis guys really rack up jizz if they don't come for a long time or if that's just shit college guys told me for purposes of a pity fuck. anyway reddit was inconclusive but maddy said she likes gross sex and i thought what's grosser than a shit ton of come (see also: the nick/cole sex scene. DISGUSTING.)

cole is so happy in this scene, it's very sweet from his perspective. a pov switch from HIS pov would be just him being able to take a breath for the first time in a couple months in the room. no anxiety, no exhaustion he's getting fucked by his best friend AND his captain that he loves so much is there to make sure he is safe. he's having a great night.

Hughes gets off of bed and pulls his gym shorts back on. Nick feels hateful that Hughes didn’t take off his shirt and then wonders why that’s bothering him. No one ever strips all the way down. He should be more mad that Hughes laid Cole out naked when he didn’t have to.

Hughes hesitates by the bed and then leans down and kisses Cole on the forehead. Cole grins.

in the room, it's an unspoken rule that you don't kiss, which is a) why nick briefly goes ??? when nico kisses him and also why i loved writing lil nico hischier breaking the rules, b) very meaningful in THIS scene, bc it's a lovely little tender action that steps outside of the room. no they can't kiss, yes jack hughes is pushing the boundaries, but at the end of the day, this is not really the room, is it? this is friendship. and cole feels that. a little forehead kiss to remind the homies you love and cherish them.

Nick coughs. He’s at his limit. Hughes needs to leave.

Hughes stands up. “See you, Cole,” he says. He winks at Nick as he passes. He’s out the door quickly, which is good, because Nick wants to deck him.

i was trying to write jack with a softer touch than i usually see him written bc frankly, i'm bored of slutty bro jack hughes. get more interesting material. however! jack hughes is also a hockey bro. he just had great sex. he's feeling himself. he's having a great day. thanks for staying out of it nick, ok see you byeeeeee

Cole leans up on his elbows to look at Nick. “Forgot you were there,” he says. He looks embarrassed. Nick wishes he didn’t know that Cole’s chest flushes red when he comes or that his cheeks turn pink and stay that way for several minutes after.

“Sorry,” says Cole.

FORGOT YOU WERE THERE!! like i said i haven't read this fic since i posted it due to mortifying ordeal of there is so much smut and i get embarrassed for reasons i'm not getting into rn but! if i didn't put it in the fic, "forgot you were there" causes untold psychological damage to poor nick. cole forgot. HE FORGOT. HE FORGOT NICK WAS IN THE ROOM.

but cole forgot bc he felt safe!! he didn't have to worry!! if it was gally or eddy in the room with him, he would have been sooo conscious of them being there and he would not have been able to lose himself in the moment with jack. he would have been protected but he wouldn't have felt *safe*. nick was there to keep him safe so he was able to just enjoy it with jack.

“Just, uh,” says Nick. He doesn’t know where to start. He’s off-kilter in the worst way and having trouble stringing a coherent thought together. Cole watches him, confused. Nick clears his throat. “Let’s get you to the shower. We have a flight tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah,” says Cole. He sits up gingerly. “Ow, fuck. Columbus, right?”

“Yeah,” says Nick. He’s hit with the urge to tell Cole to lie down again. He wants to press a finger against his hole, touch the semen dripping out of it. He wants to know what it feels like.

this is the literally the filthiest thing i have ever written and i am beset and haunted with visions of nick fingerfucking jack hughes' come in cole. like....holy fuck dude lmao.

it was also the one single thing in the fic i felt confident maddy would respond positively too and! i was right.

with every exchange there is a great deal of anxiety and this one particularly bc i didn't have time to get it beta'd and it was so far out of my usual wheelhouse. like who am i to write 20k of winner's room!! maddy was going to hate it and i was going to ruin the entire year for her on january 1st!! but i knew she would at least like that image lol. it's a good image.

The thought makes him balk. It’s a rule to use a condom, but Nick had been too distracted to step in and clearly him and Cole have fucked raw before. Their familiarity with each other doesn’t mean Nick should be finger-fucking Jack Hughes’ come into Cole’s ass. He’s not going to invite himself into intimacy he wasn’t part of. Cole forgot he was in the room.

nick got so riled up by jack hughes that he didn't really keep cole safe! he didn't make jack uses a condom! and while the subtext is that jack and cole are bearbacking on the reg and this is normal bro behavior for them, nick very much did fail safe sex 101.

Nick swallows bile and watches as Cole gets out of bed and pulls on his gym shorts. “Shitty loss, but I’ll take it,” says Cole. He doesn’t sound like he had a life-changing experience. He sounds normal.

if nick is about to have a complete mental breakdown, and cole just got fucked by jack hughes, WHO IS DRIVING THE BUS

“I’ll meet you in the locker room,” says Nick. He gets off the wall and his shoulders ache from holding himself so tense. Cole watches him, brow furrowed. Nick rolls his shoulders and then leans down and grabs a water bottle of the minifridge. He hands it to Cole. “Drink this in the shower.”

nick is just standing against the wall like a lamp whose shoulders are so tense that he IS going to wake up tomorrow with a stiff back and have to spend time with an athletic trainer getting his muscles rolled out

also the waterbottle thing.... i wanted a tangible item of care to return to throughout the fic. there's no real meaning behind it being water instead of idk gatorade or whatever, but i did want something that nick would give to his boys every time. like, the captain is providing aftercare in a room that rarely sees tenderness or kindness. the rules of the room are few and they allow for a lot of meanness. nick can care for his guys by giving them some water.

Cole takes it. They stare at each other and then Cole smiles. “Hope none of the guys are there,” he says contemplatively. “Oh well. If Kirby wants to start shit, he can call Jack himself.”

Ask Me About My Kirby/Jack Agenda

also it's been almost an entire season and i wrote a whole ass fic, but it only just fully sank into me rn that kirby dach is a hab. kirby dach. IS A HAB.

honestly i find the future of the habs very interesting. i wish for them to have zero playoff success but a lot of tender moments that make them realize, it's not about winning, it's about the friends you make along the way.

Nick cannot think about team politics at the moment. He can’t think about Kirby or Jack Hughes. He maybe even can’t think about Cole, which would be a first since he’s met him. “I’m serious about the water,” he says helplessly.

"a first since he met him" imho i did a terrible job of establishing that him and cole really genuinely are friends and have been good friends and have been good friends for a while. bc like. they have! they are really good friends and have been since cole came to the team! irl and in the fic! and nick kind of acknowledges without acknowledging that he's really liked this guy for a while and thinks abt him often! i just did an insanely bad job of like. establishing a base for them beyond mentions of their friendship. idk. if i'd had more than a month and gotten it beta'd, that's probably something my betas would have pulled out as something ot work on

ofc if i had more than a month, i probably wouldn't have written this. so. we do what we can

Cole reaches up and taps the water bottle against Nick's forehead with another smile. He leaves without saying anything.

cole's like boy my friend and captain is behaving weird! oh well. time to go piss off kirby by lording over it him that i have jack hughes come in my ass and he doesn't :) cole is not overthinking anything in this moment. he's feeling too good

Nick strips the bed, even though they’ve got custodial staff for that. He’s never felt great about leaving messy bed sheets, on the rare occasions a guy wants more than a blowjob and has the time to make it happen. He tries to make it easier on the custodial staff when he can. And it helps, now, to have something to do with his hands, to go through the motions of being helpful.

captain nick is a good boy! captain nick wants to be helpful! captain nick wants to make things easier on support staff! captain nick is also having a hell of a time and needs something to do with his hands even if it is something gross

He balls up the pillowcase and sheet and places it at the end of the bed. He throws away tissues in the small trash can under the table that holds condoms and lube. The room smells like sex, which, okay, there’s two decades of men fucking in this room, but it particularly smells like Cole and Jack having sex. Nick is sick with the knowledge that now he knows what Cole’s sweat smells like when it’s pooling against someone else. He touches the balled up sheets, a damp spot on the white cotton. He swallows.

BOYS R GROSS. extremely hot imho to touch someone else's sex sweat, sorry to be a guy on main. also like nick how did you think this is going to make you feel?

He takes the long way back to the locker room, circling around the other end of the arena to put space between him and the room and then him and Cole. Maybe by the time he gets back, everyone will be gone.

No such luck. Cole is out of the shower and he’s arguing with Kirby and Sean about—god, Nick doesn’t even want to know. Cole salutes him with the water bottle Nick gave him. It’s two-thirds empty.

every mention of sean monahan is for sean monahan nation, which is maddy, but also bc there is a tyler toffoli shaped hole in the habs and while sean seems a little more Tired than toff, he does fill a similar role of older brother who WILL moderate a stupid argument by escalating it (they are arguing about come.)

Nick strips and goes to shower alone without saying anything to them. Sean gives him a weird look but Nick lets it slip off him. He stands in the shower under cold water until he can’t think about anything except how cold he is, and then turns on the heat to scrub off the game and the discomfort of the room.

sean is also one of the few canny older guys in this fic. like the bulk of the "older adult who gives nick a team touchstone" is joel edmundson but monny is not clueless. he's been in the league a while, he is best friends with johnny hockey, he gets it. he doesn't do anything about it! bc nick is not in a position where he will take direction or kindness from anyone, especially not a guy who just got traded to the team. but sean gets it. of everyone in the locker room, sean probably gets it more than anyone.

When he comes out of the shower, Kirby and Sean are gone but Cole is sitting by his stall, fiddling with his phone.

“You want to get dinner?” he asks Nick.

“I’m kinda tired,” Nick says. He feels numb. “That game was brutal.”

“Shit, it really was.” Cole watches him dress and Nick doesn’t know how to feel about it. He’s not self-conscious, but not particularly happy either. Nothing he can do though; Cole watches him dress all the time. It’s nothing out of the ordinary even though Nick feels like something has changed inside him. Cole continues. “We gotta get a read on the Devs.”

“Yeah,” says Nick. He puts on his shoes and doesn’t bother to tie the laces. “Come on, Cole.”

cole HAS caught on that nick is going thru something, but bc his experience of the room was so nice tonight, he doesn't even consider that that is what is bothering nick. he figures it's just the mortifying ordeal of losing to the devs. he's looking at nick and going aw my captain is sad about the devs :( we gotta get a read on em suzy :(

nick, meanwhile, is so busy trying not to feel any emotions that he might actively explode

They leave the building together, Cole filling the silence with talk about the Devils. He seems to take it at face value that Nick is tired, but keeps glancing at Nick like he wants to pry. Nick doesn’t say anything. What is there to say? I’m sorry I never realized you could enjoy sex? I’m sorry there is a part of you I didn’t know? I wish I knew how much happier you could be?

I WISH I KNEW HOW MUCH HAPPIER YOU COULD BE. imagine nick in this moment man. his best friend on the team has a whole part of him that nick never knew about, that nick never even thought to consider the existence of. nick just saw a new side of cole and he is SHATTERED.

Nick wants to throw up. Cole muses over Nico Hischier, talking mostly to himself.

Outside, Cole peels off to his car with a yawn and a wave. Nick goes to his own. He sits in silence in his parked car for a long time, willing the memory of Cole’s flushed chest and pink cheeks to leave him.

It’s November, and it's getting colder. He keeps his window rolled down as he drives back to his apartment until his face hurts and he isn’t thinking of anything at all.

i think i initially had nick screaming in his car and then i thought about it for five seconds and i was like, yonsei and gosei men do not scream. we bury our emotions and force ourselves to feel physically uncomfortable to avoid any thought or feeling. we are just diaspora enough to have complicated emotions and no idea how to deal with them. (also one thing i've been weirdly conscious of in my fic since starting testosterone - how testosterone really does flatten your emotions quite a bit. people emote with fewer dramatics in my fic these days.) but nick suzuki in particular is not a car screamer.

ANYWAY i am getting pretty tired so i'm not rereading this and will be posting and going to bed, but maggie i hope you enjoyed this rumination on one of the filithiest scenes in the entire fic. this fic was agonizing to write but i am very proud of it and i did put a lot of work into it and hopefully someday i can read it without feeling the horrors!

#unfortunate birdcage fanfictions #fresno oilers.txt

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