#Moving Company from Boston to New York

[vanteguccir]

The right love for me | M.S.

Matt Sturniolo x fem!oc (Elena)

Summary: Where Elena and Matt grew up together, fell in love as kids but realized too late. Will there be any hope for them?

Warning: A little angst and mentions of cheating.

Word count: 4.5k

Author's note: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

Part 2

༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

Elena was born and raised in Boston, in a two-story house, next door to one of the most beautiful houses in the city, but not because of its external beauty, but because of who lived inside.

Elena grew up being the next-door neighbor of the Sturniolo triplets, she also studied at the same school as the three of them, these two factors made her and the trio become almost a fantastic quartet.

The four of them grew up together, ran down the street every day together, got dirty with dirt and mud on rainy days together, played cooking together (they were forced by her) and, best of all, they made mini "vlogs" together throughout their childhood and pre-adolescence, becoming literally inseparable.

Nick was Elena's confidant, always there to listen to her and give faithful advice to the girl, giving her a shoulder to cry on and a company to laugh when needed. Nick trusted Elena with his eyes closed and loved her with all his heart, so much so that she was the first one he came out to.

Chris was her partner in crime, the two grew up playing pranks on their parents, brothers (on his side) and neighbors. Chris saw Elena as his anchor, losing count of how many times he entered the girl's room through the window in the early hours of the morning to vent or just to be able to sleep with her company, dispelling his biggest fears.

Matt was a different case. Matt was the boy who took her as his date to every school dance and accompanied her to every friend's party. Matt was the boy who bought Elena flowers every week and took her to the city's summer amusement parks, always making sure to get her a different teddy bear. Matt was the boy who made her heart flutter, but also stay in a sacred calm; that made her body freeze, but also warm with affection. He was the one who introduced the feeling of love to her...

But who said he did anything about it? Despite acting almost like her boyfriend, Matt was afraid of rejection, after all, his heart belonged 100% to Elena and he couldn't bear having it completely stolen from him if she denied it. And that's why, out of a silly but genuine fear, he lost her.

At the age of 17, Elena moved to New York with her parents after her mother received a job offer that she couldn't refuse and that would open doors for her career. Seeing her leave was one of the hardest things Matt has been through, but the most painful was seeing her post on Instagram, 6 months after she left. Elena was dating, and it wasn't him.

Over time, things changed, the triplets moved to Los Angeles and grew dramatically on social media, becoming extremely well-known and loved on the Internet.

And Elena... well, Elena finished school and started International Relations at NYU, working at a coffee shop near her house so she could save money, since she was engaged. That's right, her boyfriend, Jeremy, of almost 2 years had asked her to marry him. It was a big shock and Elena had to think a lot before accepting, but it was her dream, to have a successful career and raise a family. Right?

Elena and Jeremy were in the middle of a month of decisions for the wedding, decoration, food, cake, clothes, etc., so Elena was feeling overwhelmed, it was a lot on her mind, and she found herself wondering if that was really what she wanted. Therefore, the girl (now woman) decided to pay a visit to her grandparents, who still lived in Boston. Cooling down in a place more than familiar to her seemed ideal now.

Elena just didn't expect that her grandmother would tell Mary Lou, and that Mary would tell Nick, who would tell his brothers, generating a secret collective trip to Boston. The triplets were dying to see Elena, after all, it had been 2 years since they had seen her best friend, or, in Matt's case, crush.

It was a Saturday morning when Elena landed in Boston, quickly grabbing her small suitcase and hailing a taxi at the airport's main pedestrian entry and exit gate, giving as her destination address her grandparents' house, which coincidentally, was on the same street where she grew up.

Elena planned to stay in Boston only until the next day, Sunday, since Monday she had classes again and she was going back to work, besides she knew that if she stayed much longer away from home, from Jeremy, he would lose his mind.

It didn't take long for Elena to arrive at her destination. The girl got out of the car after paying the taxi driver and took her suitcase from the trunk, thanking him once again before she knocked on the front door, waiting.

It was a big surprise for her when her grandfather opened the door and behind him were her best friends, Nick was holding a sign that said "WELCOME BACK, ELENA! WE MISSED YOU ♡", while Chris was holding three packets of her favorite candy in his hands and Matt held a bouquet of flowers that almost hid his red face, Elena wondered if it was from embarrassment or the heat from the summer.

The girl dropped the suitcase, bringing her right hand to her mouth, covering half of her surprised expression. She felt her eyes fill with tears, God, how she missed the three boys.

Next to her were her grandparents, with big smiles on their faces and bright eyes, watching her with a mix of affection and pride.

"Oh my God, you guys are crazy! What are you doing in Boston? I thought you were in LA!" Elena exclaimed, her voice cracking mid-sentence with high emotions.

"We were, but Grandma told our mom that you were coming here today and I couldn't handle missing my best friend anymore." Nick said as he placed the poster on the couch. He turned quickly and ran to the girl, hugging her tightly. The action seemed to wake Matt and Chris, who quickly moved and formed a mini line behind the oldest.

"Damn, you look old" Chris joked when his brother got out of the hug, laughing loudly when Elena hit his forehead. "Here, to sweeten your life." He scoffed, handing the candy packets to her.

"I have to check if these aren't sour candies, coming from you I expect everything." Elena joked, taking the candies and placing them on top of her suitcase. She opened her arms and hugged Chris momentarily.

Chris pulled away as they separated and positioned himself next to Nick, the two exchanging glances before turning their gaze to Matt.

"They're pink tulips, I hope they're still your favorites" Matt stepped forward, showing the full bouquet before handing it to her.

"Oh Matt, they're beautiful! Thank you" Elena received the bouquet, smelling them quickly and mentally punishing herself for blushing.

Matt smiled widely and watched her for a few seconds, only breaking out of his trance when he heard Elena's grandfather make a fake cough. The boy shook his head and walked away, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Elena quickly placed the bouquet on the coffee table and finally greeted her grandparents, placing kisses on their age-marked cheeks.

"Let's take these things to your room and make plans for the weekend!" Nick spoke loudly, throwing the candies to Chris and taking the small suitcase in his hands, before starting to climb the stairs without waiting for anyone.

Elena laughed loudly as she heard Chris swear at Nick as he bent down to pick up the packages that fell at his feet. Matt shook his head, smiling as he saw the girl take the bouquet with extreme delicacy.

The three following the oldest up the stairs.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

Hours later, the quartet found themselves in the triplets parents car, parked at the Mc Donald's they grew up going to, while eating their favorite burguers and catching up on conversations. They spent the afternoon driving around the places they went when young, which made Elena's heart warm, she missed that, that feeling of calm, without any burden, without obligations or responsibilities, just the interest of being happy.

During that early morning, Elena woke up to the sound of rocks hitting her window, which she quickly recognized. What surprised her was that when she got up and approached the window it wasn't Chris there, but Matt.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked in a whisper after opening her window, squinting her eyes as she tried to better see Matt's silhouette in the pitch black night.

"Let me in." Matt whispered back, ignoring her question as he looked down to check if he wasn't about to fall off the edge of the roof.

Elena sighed and walked to the side, giving Matt space to enter through the window, closing it shortly after to stop the night wind of entering the room.

"What are you doing here at this time?" Elena asked again, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching him.

"As if I didn't pay you visits in the early hours of the morning before." He responded smiling, sitting on the bed and dragging himself until his back was against the headboard and his legs were stretched out on the mattress. He slapped his hand on the space beside him, looking at Elena.

The girl sighed but smiled, following his silent request.

"I missed you" Matt commented. "It's strange to live life without you with us"

"I miss you too" Elena replied, looking at him. "It's strange to only keep in touch on the phone and find out about some things through social media" She continued, receiving a nod from the brunette.

"You still have them" Matt realized as he noticed all the teddy bears he got for Elena piled up on top of the dresser next to the closet.

"Of course I have them, why would I throw them away? They're cute and remind me that you're actually good at something" She scoffed, receiving a light push from the boy.

"As if you weren't rooting like crazy for me while I was trying to hit the game targets" He mocked back, seeing Elena roll her eyes with a big smile on her face.

"Obviously, getting teddy bears is better than buying them, have you seen the prices of these little things?" Elena gave a low laugh when she saw Matt open his mouth exaggeratedly, soon after the two burst into laughter together.

"So, are you really going to get married?" Matt asked suddenly after they calmed down, looking directly at her.

"Yeah, I will" She replied, lowering her gaze to her hands, specifically to the silver ring on her left ring finger.

"You don't look very excited" He commented, making the girl sigh.

"I just... I don't know, I'm so young, you know? I'm only 20, getting married seems a bit drastic right now, but Jeremy thinks it will be good for our future, us having the same last name will help in the office" She replied, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What does he do for a living again?" The brunette asked.

"He currently works at his father's office and studies law," Elena said, noticing the grimace he made at her response. "What?"

"He doesn't seem like your type. In fact, he seems like quite a daddy's boy." Matt commented, regretting it seconds later after seeing Elena's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"And what do you know about my type, Matthew?"

"I'm sorry, ignore what I said" Matt intervened quickly, the last thing he wanted was to fight with Elena now, knowing that after that Sunday, he didn't know when he would see her again. Maybe at her wedding, the boy felt himself shudder at the thought.

Elena sighed.

"You know that my dream has always been to be successful with my career and have my own family. Us getting married would give me both... Having his last name, I will be able to start my International Relations profession within the office that soon will be his, which will make me grow faster on the career, and I'll have my own family." Elena spoke while gesturing.

"Sounds like there's a lot of self-interest involved" Matt commented.

"Matthew!" The girl exclaimed, making him raise his arms in a sign of redemption.

"Sorry, sorry." He sighed. "I remember, you know."

"What?" Elena looked at him confused.

"How you always wanted a family, when we were kids me, Nick and Chris were always messing around and you were playing mommy with your barbies. You wouldn't let go of that damn Baby Alive even if you were paid to, always taking her everywhere." Matt let out a laugh as he remembered, making Elena laugh along as she saw her own smaller figure running after the triplets with her doll in hands.

"You can't say anything, you always took care of my Baby Alive when I asked you to" The girl replied with a wide smile, watching Matt roll his eyes exaggeratedly while she laughed as quietly as she could.

The brunette turned to her to rebut, but stopped in his action, reinforcing in his mind every detail of the face of the girl who had his heart in her hands, details that he had memorized a long time ago and still found himself remembering and tracing in his mind on sleepless nights.

The two stared deeply at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Elena looked away and fake coughed.

"Just think about your decision Elena." Matt asked softly before getting up from the queen sized bed.

"Where are you going?" Elena looked at him again, her eyes pleading, as if she was afraid he would leave her there, alone and without him.

"I'm going back home, if my mother wakes up and doesn't see me in bed in the morning, I'm sure she'll freak out, and the situation won't turn out very well for us." He spoke with a sigh, going to the window and opening it, looking back one last time, before moving outside, closing it again before disappearing from the girl's vision.

Elena stood still for a few minutes, processing the conversation and that last moment, feeling her heart sink at the thought of not seeing the boy again for a long time after Sunday. It felt like a goodbye.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

On the next day, Elena woke up significantly early as she felt the sun's rays coming through her window. As she opened her eyes, ready to complain about why it was so bright in the room, she remembered Matt leaving and how she forgot to get up and close the curtains.

The girl sighed, before getting up and getting ready for the day. She felt excited to be able to see her friends again, but her heart ached at the thought that that very night she would leave again.

After getting ready, Elena took her cell phone and saw a message left by Jeremy.

"I hope you're having a good time there. I can't wait to have you here again today, I can't stop looking at the wedding catalogues. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla cake? xx, jeremy"

Elena sighed again, it's obvious she preferred vanilla, how did he not know that? The girl shook her head, deciding to answer him another time.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"What are we doing today?" Nick asked as they found themselves in front of the triplets' door, as they had done years before.

"I thought we'd go to the amusement park, the one that only opens in the summer, you know? Like old days." Matt suggested. Elena looked at him when she heard about the park, quickly looking away when she saw him already looking back at her. She needed to stop this.

"Let's go then!" Chris spoke loudly, running over to his parents' car again, fiddling with the passenger door handle impatiently, begging Matt to unlock it.

Elena laughed at the action, running to the car too and soon getting into the back seat, sitting behind Chris's group, having a view of the driver's seat.

A few minutes later the four arrived at the amusement park and started going on the basic rides, which the four liked, bumper cars, roller coasters and carousel.

"Can we go on the ferris wheel?" Elena asked, puting her hands in a sign of prayer and looking at the three of them with a pleading look.

"I'm not going, it's too boring. I want to go to the arcade area" Chris replied, ignoring the girl who was begging.

"I want to go to the arcade too!" Nick shouted, raising his hand like a child and approaching Chris, making Elena roll her eyes and cross her arms with a huff.

"I'll go with you." Matt said looking at Elena, who smiled big, taking his hand and dragging him through the park to the ferris wheel line, ignoring the taller man's protests.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"Wow, I don't remember the last time I entered a cabin like that" Matt commented, closing the small door behind him and sitting on the single bench next to Elena, who smiled as she nodded and looked at the outside view through the cabin's glass window.

Matt found himself watching her, taking note of her profile, feeling himself falling in love with her all over again.

It didn't take long for the wheel to start moving, the cabin swayed a little making Elena let out a surprised sound, holding onto Matt's arm to steady herself.

"Sorry, I don't remember it moving that much" She commented, smiling awkwardly as she took her hand off the boy's arm, watching him wave his hand like it was nothing.

The two focused their eyes outside the cabin, taking note of the people who looked like little ants as the cabin rose higher, the blue sky with few clouds, the light breeze that blew and the birds that passed by in the distance. Elena looked at the cabin ahead and saw a couple cuddling each other, smiling big as they also watched the view, and she found herself trying to remember if she had ever been through that with Jeremy, but her mind came out was blank.

Her chest tightened as she realized that she had never even been to an amusement park with Jeremy, or a park, or a romantic walk. With Jeremy it was always all about work and having the perfect status.

Her gaze changed from the couple to Matt, noticing that he was also looking at the couple, but quickly his blue eyes focused on her as well.

"I love being able to look at you up close like this," Matt whispered, as if he was afraid of speaking too loudly and end what they were having.

Elena smiled, blushing, but forcing herself not to look away from him, she didn't want to miss that moment for anything. Her eyes took in all the little details of Matt's face, his sparkling blue eyes with dilated pupils, his nose perfectly shaped and the right size for his face, his cheekbones slightly reddened by the heat, his big, messy hair, his beard starting to appear again due to the time without shaving it... She felt like she could stay there forever.

Matt moved slightly closer, stopping with his mouth centimeters from hers, seeming to wait to see if she would pull away, which she didn't. Elena held herself in place, yearning to feel him.

Matt, realizing that there was no movement on her part, moved closer until their lips touched, and Elena felt that everything she read in romance books about the sensations of electricity through her body and the fireworks around her when kissing her right person was true.

Matt let out a sigh through his nose at the sensation, feeling instant relief and as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He never wanted to leave there again.

It was just a touch of lips, but it was enough for them at that moment. It was exactly what they needed.

Elena pulled away first, still with her eyes closed, trying to prolong the feeling and sensations in her body and mind. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Matt already looking at her, smiling broadly, and she returned the smile.

"I love you." Matt blurted out, making Elena's eyes widen. "Elena, I'm sorry for not having said or done anything before, but I've loved you for as long as I can remember, since the first flower I plucked from my mother's garden and gave to you, since the first time you gave me your Baby Alive for me to take care of as if it were the most precious thing in the world, since the first day you asked me to kiss your scraped knee to heal it. I've loved you for so long and I was an idiot for not saying it. And it's okay if you don't want me, you're engaged, you have a life in New York and... Asking you to leave all of this is impossible, but I needed to tell you."

Before Elena could process it, the bubble around the two seemed to burst as the ferris wheel stopped and their turn was over, the little cabin door opening again.

Matt cleared his throat, getting up and helping Elena out. When they both touched their feet on the floor, Elena felt her cell phone vibrate, picking it up only to see that Jeremy was sending her a new message about the wedding, and at that moment she fell to reality, she had cheated on her fiancé with her best friend. A bitter taste entered her mouth, her body froze and a horrible feeling took over her heart. God, what did she do?

Elena quickly pulled away from Matt, feeling her hands shake. She put her cell phone in her bag and turned to the taller man, seeing him looking at her with a worried look.

"Matt I cheated on him... I-I cheated on my fiancé with you." She stuttered. Matt looked at her with a weight on his eyes, feeling horrible for having contributed to that, blaming himself for kissing her, wanting to go back in time and not even agreeing to go on the ferris wheel with the girl.

He loved her, but she didn't love him back, not like he wanted her to.

"Elena look, it's going to be okay, you can talk to him, I swear I won't approach you again, I'm sorry-"

"I-I need to go."

"What?" Matt stopped walking completely.

"I need to go Matt." She looked into his eyes, feeling guilty as she saw immense pain in the blue pools. "Don't go after me, please. I'm sorry."

Elena turned and ran away, wiping the tears that fell from her eyes without stopping and feeling an emptiness and weight in her chest, as if part of her had stayed with Matt.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

The girl got out of the taxi in front of her grandparents house and walked to the door, taking the spare key that her grandfather had given her, trying to unlock the lock with her blurry vision.

"Elena?" The girl heard her grandmother call from the kitchen after closing the door behind her.

"Hi grandma." Elena responded, her voice cracking from the held back cry.

Her grandmother quickly appeared at the kitchen door after noticing the difference in her granddaughter's voice, approaching with quick steps when she saw the youngest's red eyes and wet cheeks.

"Oh Elena, what happened?" The older woman asked worriedly, taking Elena's shoulders and leading her to the sofa, sitting her on the soft surface and sitting next to her.

"Why does love hurt so much, grandma?" Elena asked, letting out a sob. Her grandmother sighed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh Elena, love doesn't hurt dear. It took me many years to learn that, if love is right for you and your heart, and it's reciprocal, it doesn't hurt, it wasn't made to hurt. It was with your grandfather that I learned that love is free, it is generous, it is safe and it empowers you in a way that makes you feel stronger and like you can conquer the world." The oldest explained with a smile. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I kissed Matt." Elena said, looking down at her hands, quickly looking away from the ring. "We went to the amusement park we went to as kids, I wanted to go on the ferris wheel and he accompanied me, we had a moment and we kissed."

"He always looked at you differently... And you at him, so much so that I swore you two would end up together. I remember all the times you came running here with a new flower in your hands and said it was from Matt, as If I didn't already know that." Elena smiled upon hearing her grandmother's words.

"But grandma, I'm engaged." She whispered regretfully.

"Do you love Jeremy?" The eldest asked, cupping her granddaughter's cheek and lifting her face so she could look her in the eyes.

"I-I... I don't know." Elena desperately tried to feel for Jeremy what she felt for Matt. "I don't feel about him what I feel when I think about Matt, or when I'm with him. Jeremy is an incredible man, with a planned and perfect life... I feel so pressured sometimes, like I have to be perfect all the time to fit in with him and his plans. It's not light, grandma."

Elena cried harder when she realized how heavy her days were with Jeremy, how she always had to have the most impeccable and perfect clothes, with the best posture, the most flawless makeup, the best-groomed hair and the best modes. How she felt about being looked at and evaluated by everyone all the time, especially at Jeremy's parenting conferences or in her father's office.

"Elena, pay close attention to me, what does your heart say if you spend more time worrying about perfection than kissing him? If you spend more time in the day thinking about a thousand things than living love lightly? Do you feel like to run away when with him? Honey, I'm sorry, but that's not love. Not the right one for you, at least."

Elena looked at her grandmother, surprised by her wisdom and how it all made sense.

Jeremy was a perfect man, but not for her. Matt was her perfect match.

God, what would she do now? She ran out of the park and left Matt all by himself after he declared his love for her. And she still had Jeremy...

"I already know what I gave to do."

༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

Part 2

#x reader #chris sturniolo #matt sturniolo #sturniolo #nick sturniolo #sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo x reader #matt sturniolo fanfic #fanfic #matt sturniolo fic #matt sturniolo fanfiction #matt fanfic #sturniolo fanfic #matt x reader #oc #fem!oc #matt sturniolo au #matt au #fic #fanfiction #matt sturniolo oneshot #matt sturniolo oneshots #matt sturniolo one shot #matt sturniolo writing #writing #matt sturniolo fiction #love #romance #matt sturniolo imagine #friends to lovers

[yelenabelovasbxtch]

Crush On An Archer PT.1

a/n: Hey! Omg long time no see! I kinda maybe lost interest in writing for a bit there but tbh I think I'm back. No promises because I don't want to promise and then break your hearts but also I realllyyyy enjoyed writing this and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Will def be making a part two in coming days so stay tuned. LMK if you want to be added to the taglist, I am going to put some tags of past taglists below just in case they are interested in reading :) ALSO! Special shout out to @scmg11 because their writing is honestly what made me wanna get back into it. So,,I hope you enjoy!

Kate X Fem!Reader

Concept: Reader has a crush on Kate (school/Uni setting) and she doesn't know how to tell her.

Warning: Cussing, mentions of smut, IM TRYING TO WRITE SLOW BURN BUT BEAR WITH ME ITS NEW!

Word Count: 2.7k

You’re a month into your summer vacation and things couldn’t be more…boring. You love and appreciate your parents dearly for putting out the money so that you could attend a prestigious school in New York with a kick ass archery team but does it ever suck to be this far from all your friends for four months. To make the situation work, your dad had to transfer jobs to another state that pulls in a little more money annually with slightly more affordable housing but that means you aren’t even near the people you grew up around. Rural Mississippi is a fairly big step from living in Boston. Boston at least had people, out here it’s like you’re lucky if you get to meet a neighbour because the land has us all so far apart. In all honesty, although it’s boring, you really have one specific reason for being so bummed out. Towards the end of your last semester, you got started getting closer with one of the girls a year younger on your team, Kate. Typically the older girls competed and practised together and the younger girls did the same. Although you two were only a year apart it’s just how things worked out, so you didn’t cross paths very often. However, one day you were walking home from class, stopped to get coffee and basically bumped into her. The meeting was really brief but it was enough to make you catch feelings almost instantly. 

Your interest in her grew as you followed her on Instagram and she followed back. Obviously you took a peak at her page and scrolled to the bottom laughing at the really cringey posts from 2015 she had still up. All you wanted to do was talk to her again but you didn’t know how, although she was a year younger than you she intimidated you so much. Her deep blue eyes were honestly enough to make you stutter whenever you had the chance to talk to her. A month had gone by already and you could not wait to get back to school so you could see her again. Luckily, coach has yearly “team-building” days before the season starts and they’re about half way through the summer so hopefully you can talk to her before then and maybe convince her to hang out when you come back to school. 

Over the next week or so you liked a few story posts that she’d upload every now and again but the day finally came where you felt like you could swipe up and respond to it…y’know…maybe spark a little conversation. 

“Damn Bishop, is this a new bow?” In response to a story post of her showing off some of her off season training. 

“Haha yeah it is, flips out and everything…it's really freakin’ cool.” She replied almost instantly and that made a giant warm smile come across your face. 

Shit– what do you say back? Your main goal was honestly to keep the convo going so you could subtly mention down the line hanging out with her. 

“Yeah that’s sick, wow I’d kill to try something like that out.”

“Well next time I see you, please by all means give it a shot” She replies back.

“Might just have to take you up on that. How’s your summer going anyways?”

“It’s alright, kind of boring though. All my friends from school move back home and I am working for my mom’s company over the summer so it all is just kind of dull. I miss going out and having fun. Wbu?”

“Yeah, I hear that. I am SO bored here. I would kill to fast forward to the fall, I miss being at school honestly. There’s only so much I can do by myself here during the summer.”

“Ugh right! I want it to be school again too but don’t get me wrong, I love the summer, the weather is great here recently and the nightlife is amazing too. I just have nobody to go with, you know.”

“Yeah I get it. Trust me, if I could be there to go out with you I would, there is definitely no nightlife here haha.”

Shit. That wasn’t too forward was it? She is taking a while to respond to you. She hasn’t even opened the message yet. 

*4 minutes later*

“Well, you’re going to be around for that team-building thing coach has us doing in a couple of weeks right?”

“Yeah, I should be.”

“Well, we can go out then if you want? Me and a few friends had plans but they’re all on the team and I’m sure they’d love to have you there too.”

“Yeah, that sounds great I’d love to!”

The conversation pretty much ended there and your contact with her was fairly limited, just a small comment here or there until you finally got to fly back to school for summer training. You settle back into the apartment you left a couple months ago, everything is still a mess where you left it but the kitchen and living room are even filthier since you are not around to clean up much after your roommates. You decided to wait until your team practice to talk to Kate about hanging out again. You didn’t want to come on too strong but also a small part of you feels like she forgot what she said months ago and you won’t end up seeing her, not outside of team stuff at least. 

You grabbed your gear and headed to the field where practice was being held. You saw some of your friends from last year and decided to catch up with them before coach pulled you all in to start practice. You were trying your best not to make it obvious but your eyes were tracking all around you looking for Kate but she was nowhere to be seen. 

*Whistle* “Okay team! Let’s bring it in. First, I just want to say thank you to everyone for making the effort to come back to campus for this, meeting I–”

“SORRY SORRY SORRY!” You hear the coach interrupted as footsteps are fast approaching the circle of archers. 

“Hi Kate.” Says coach.

“I am SO sorry. My driver was running late and then there was traffic because of a giant accident, I think there was some battle in the streets again, I don’t know, either way, my bad coach, won’t happen again…I promise.” She says with the most adorable grin that is absolutely saying she will be late again. 

“It’s alright Kate, it happens, I was just telling the team how thankful I am that everyone could make the trip back to campus for this.” Coach went on to talk about the drills you were doing for the day and man was it hard to not be in awe watching her. You tried your best not to stare all day because the last thing you wanted to do was make it obvious but fuck it felt impossible. The day came to an end and you packed up your gear, Kate was talking with the other seniors on the team as they were gathering their things and started to head out. You could feel your window closing to talk to her but interrupting her conversation with her friends and “inviting” yourself out with them just felt too weird and uncomfortable. If it wasn’t meant to be then it wasn’t meant to be but you would kill to be able to just spend an hour with her. 

You watched as she started to walk away towards the parking lot with her friends when all of a sudden she motioned for them to hold on a minute and she turned around and jogged over to you. 

“Hey y/n! Sorry we didn’t get to catch up much during practice, I saw your shooting though it’s looking good.” 

Yeah…your face is bright red. Control your shit. 

“Anyways, me and a couple friends are going out later tonight to a party that one of their friends is hosting. It’s like a Hawaiian beach summer nights themed type of party so if you have something like that to wear, that would be great.”

“Yeah, I might have something, I’ll take a look when I get home.” 

“Cool! I’ll text you the address once I get it off my friend and I’ll see you there?”

“Yeah, sounds good!” 

“Here, why don’t you put your number into my phone, I don’t like using DM’s that much.”

You take Kate’s phone out of her hand and fill out a contact for yourself, praying that she can’t hear your heart beating out of your chest. 

“Cool, thanks, I’ll send you a text in a bit.” She says with a smile and then runs off to re-join her friends. 

It seems silly sitting by your phone and literally watching the minutes tick by waiting for her to text you but that’s all  you could do. The anticipation felt like it was killing you. 

Your phone finally buzzed with a mystery number attached, “Hey y/n! It’s Kate. So…slight change of plans.”

Fuck. Is she bailing? Your eyes were glued on the three dots as she typed and you watched as they disappeared and reappeared. 

“Turns out the party is actually around the corner from my place so if you wanted to just come here first, we could pre-game and shit and then walk over together? My friends said they were going out to get their hair done so they’ll be running late.”

“Hey Kate, yeah no problem that works for me just send me your address and lmk what time you want me there.”

Kate dropped a pin of her location to you with the text attached telling you to come over at 7pm. 

7pm rolled around and you were already there outside but you kind of felt like you should wait another minute or two so you weren’t RIGHT on time. Or is it weird to be a minute late? But wouldn’t being on time be weirder? Whatever, you decided to just wait a minute and then knock on her door. 

Knocking on her door was the most nerve wracking thing you ever did, you were genuinely shitting bricks. 

“HEY! Come in come in!” Kate eagerly yells at you as she swings the door open. She’s wearing shorts with a bright purple bikini top and a button down Hawaiian shirt over top that doesn’t have a single button done up. Are you starring? Yes. Probably? Absolutely you are. 

“Make yourself at home, feel free to grab a drink from the fridge, my roommates are out of town and left all their alcohol so help yourself.” She said with a laugh. 

You heard that right? Her roommates are out of town. Just the two of you…you never know. 

You grabbed a drink from the fridge and took a seat on the couch next to her and yeah…the drink started going down faster than usual because of all the nerves in your stomach. The two of you made small talk for awhile but the conversation started flowing a little more naturally about 2 drinks in. Were you still kind of awkward as hell? Yeah…a little. But at least you warmed up to her a bit and weren’t acting so weird. About an hour later, her friends showed up and grabbed you guys to head over to the party. Honestly, things were going so well with just the two of you that you didn’t even want to go to this party but if it meant you got to spend more time with her then there you were. You got to the party and you honestly knew practically nobody. You weren’t exactly a social butterfly but Kate clearly was. She was talking to EVERYBODY. The boys at the party especially loved her. There was lots of laughing and flirting going on, you could feel the jealousy building but acting out was definitely not an option. You ended up socialising with a few of the other people at the party but for most of the night you stuck by Kate’s side, the two of you got pretty drunk together, pouring shots for one another and dancing in the pit of people to extremely loud music. There was a point where it felt like it was just you and her and nobody else was there while the music was blasting into your ears and the two of you were jumping together to the beat and singing out the lyrics to whatever song was on at the time. Kate got really close to you until some guy would come and pull her away in an attempt to make a move on her. Although, it never actually happened. Kate always ended up finding her way back to you. At one point she grabbed your hand and pulled you into the middle of the crowd as the two of you sang (screamed) the lyrics to “love story” into each other's faces. The party, as all do, started to simmer down. You guys actually ended up being some of the last people at the party, you stuck around to the point where the music was gone and most people were just sitting around chatting halfway sober. 

“Hey, I think I’m going to go home, I am super tired right now.” Kate says to you. 

“Okay, I’ll walk with you, I left my bag at your place anyways so I have to grab it.” 

“Right, sounds good.” 

Although the two of you had been singing and dancing for hours, she looked just as perfect as when you left and you were trying your hardest not to stare at her while the two of you were walking side-by-side. 

The walk back to her place was pretty quick, when the two of you got inside you went to grab your bag and get your things together. You were desperately trying to figure out what to say to her while you were organising your stuff. You didn’t want to come on too strong but you also want to make sure that she knows you had a good time…I guess just tell her exactly that?

“I had a really good time tonight, thanks again for inviting me.” You say as you’re leaning against the wall in her hallway. 

“Of course, anytime. And I did too. We should really hang out more when we come back to school.” She replies. 

Kate walks towards you and stops about a foot away leaning up against the doorframe to her bedroom. The hallway is super narrow and all you can think about is pinning her against the wall while you kiss down her neck and pull her tight by her waist. 

“Yeah I think so too. I guess I should probably head out.” You say as she looks at you with the softest eyes that you swore said “please stay”. You lingered for a second longer as the two of you were looking at each other, tired, kind of tipsy and on the verge of ripping each other's clothing off. All you wanted was for her to actually ask you to stay a little longer but before she had the chance you were already walking towards the door. 

“Have a good night y/n.” She says. “Text me when you get home safe.”

“I will. Sleep well Kate.” You reply as you turn to look at her with a smile and step out the front door. 

That goodbye felt different. It felt like there were still feelings in the air and lots that wanted to be said that wasn't. It felt like the perfect opportunity with nobody around after an amazing night together has passed but you regret none of it. Although you weren’t able to get a confirmation on whether or not Kate even likes women like you do, you knew there was definitely a type of tension between the two of you that she definitely noticed.

-- END OF PT 1 --

Taglist: @yelenaslyubov @youreatotalposer @jeyramarie @flosbelova @bridgecitybrad @justthis-stuff @chloe7076 @ailenepuff @ravenclawbitch426 @mellowladyangel @amcg0605-blog @kassies-take @yelenaswife1996 @wandanatchick @lilroachsworld @inluvwithfictionalwomen @x666hours @natashaswife4125 @onetruwhore @karmasgxrl @hopelesslyfallenninlove @setsuna1415 @swiftdazer @imobsessedwithmilfss @madamevirgo @louisprettybab @splatalia-jumpanova @jediluka @t00manyfand0ms

#kate bishop #kate bishop x reader #kate bishop fanfiction #kate bishop smut #hawkeye #hailee steinfeld fanfic #hawkeye fanfic #hawkeye series #hailee steinfeld wlw #hailee steinfeld fic #hailee steinfield x reader #hailee steinfeld smut #marvel fanfic #marvel #wlw

[billthedrake]

NO PROFILE PIC

I wasn't sure I wanted to move to Chicago, but the company that was flying me there for the interview was one of the better places to work for and even as a holder of a newly minted Harvard MBA, I knew this would be an incredible job to land. Executive leadership track, and high-paying in a medium cost of living city.

It wasn't like I was eager to leave Boston, either. I'd had a good bit of luck as a younger man into topping older, exec types. Between the middle-aged professional gay men and the straightish dudes looking to play with a guy, I had achieved a nice mix of regular fuckbuddies and new conquests over two years. Some provided oral service only, and that was great, while some let me fuck them. I didn't think of myself as a shallow asshole, but maybe with sex I was, getting off on the fact these older, successful men would drop things for me to take care of my needs.

Maybe the only drawback was that New England reserve. During my college years at Clemson, I'd gotten very used to a needy, hungry type of Southern daddy. I wouldn't say those years turned me onto older bottoms, but they cemented my love of a 40- or 50-something masculine man with a submissive side. I found my share of bottom dads in Boston, but few really wanted to embrace or indulge the kind of submissiveness that really got me going.

When I started my MBA program, I had my sights set on New York, of course. Even if less than 1% of those hot Wall Street types were bottoms, that was still a lot to have fun with. About once every couple of months, I'd take the train down and line up a couple of hot hookups that put those Boston execs to shame.

But I was starting be realistic. I sent some applications to a number of New York companies and had some initial interviews, but I wasn't going to land an opportunity like William Blair.

So I bought a new interview suit, on the conservative side of conservative business dress, and a new, equally conservative, tie, and I flew out to Chicago. They were putting me up for two nights in a hotel in the Loop, and I decided to tack on a third night to enjoy the city and do a little reconnoissance.

After a delayed flight, I thought maybe I'd just keep that first afternoon and evening low key. Walk around downtown a little, grab a bite somewhere, that kind of thing. As a Southern boy, I'll admit I wasn't keen on the idea of Chicago weather, but spring had sprung in the best way for my arrival. I checked in to my hotel and freshened up. When I stepped out again, the city's energy gave me a second wind. Best of all there were a fuck ton of hot guys walking around, some in business casual, some in suits. A lot with that cornfed Midwestern look that I decided I liked.

That's why I pulled up the apps. I knew I'd love have a hot older guy sucking me or bending over for me that evening. Perfect way to see what Chicago was about, I figured.

Of course, there's often that disconnect between the hotness you see walking around and the guys available on the apps. Don't get me wrong: some other dude would have been happy enough with what I saw. But there was a sea of regular "jocky" gay men that didn't push my buttons, and a good majority of the older guys who did listed total top or top vers. I had a profile that was specific in who I was and what I wanted: total top, very verbal, into fit/regular professional/executive men 40+, love submissive guys, but newbies/DL guys OK. In reality, if the guy was hot enough, I'd ease back on the dom talk, and in Boston that seemed to happen a lot, but that was on a case-by-case basis.

I checked out Sniffies for a few prospects. But either I didn't hear back from them or nothing clicked. I got a few hits myself. Two were not my type at all, one was more a "not now but maybe later" groundwork chat.

I grabbed some dinner in a restaurant bar. The happy crowd was still lingering and I had a good sightline to a couple of middle aged businessmen at the other end of the bar. Blond, beefy, tall... Chicago certainly gave me some welcome eye candy.

I enjoyed the surreptitious bone I was forming sitting at the bar. Maybe I had a libido that could spill over into sex addiction, but it had been a solid week since I'd had a business daddy suck me, and the number of hot business guys in the airport and walking around downtown Chicago had my imagination running wild.

I opened Grindr again. Nothing caught my eye, but as I browsed Sniffies I got a message. The profile was a shell that had no picture, showing up about 4 blocks away, but the stats listed sounded up my alley: 58, 6'2" 195# bottom, corporate/clean cut married looking for corporate/bro/jock/son. Not hosting.

His tone was perfect, too: "Hi man. Fucking hot profile. Long day in meetings and I need to let off some steam..."

I didn't have pictures of him to go by, but was willing to engage. "How would you do that?" I asked.

The response was immediate. "It's been too long since I sucked a cock."

OK, I wanted pictures. "Pics?"

He sent me a few. No face, but there was one framing a chin/mouth shot and the top of a shirt/tie combo, all drenched in dripping cum. Very nice jawline and, I dunno, he had a hot mouth. The other was a mirror selfie of his body. He might be 58 but had that fit-daddy look, like a man who lifts and runs and plays racquetball regularly. He had my attention a big way.

"Hot profile yourself," I typed back. The man was about two blocks away. "I can send you more pics if you want," I typed.

"Feel free," he wrote. "But your cock is enough man. I wanna take care of that."

OK, I was rockhard beneath the bar ledge. I'd have to think of something unsexy to be less obscene when I left. I had more than a prospect, I had a pretty sure thing.

"I don't recripocate," I clarified. As much as I put on my preferences and expectations on the profile, some dudes had reading comprehension problems, or liked to play cute by pushing their luck.

"I just like being on my knees for a guy like you." Goddam. "I just can't host."

"I'm staying at a hotel," I typed back. "When can we make this happen?"

"Give me 45 minutes? I still have some work bullshit to tend to."

"Sounds great," I typed him my hotel and room number, then flagged the bartender to pay my check.

I was getting so turned on by the time I got back to my room. Maybe I shouldn't let it go a week between blowjobs, but even with the apps and overall having the goods that attracted men, it wasn't always feasible to get the service I wanted. I'll be honest: the more luck I had, the pickier I got about the kind of older men I wanted.

I told myself not to get too excited for this hookup. Maybe the guy was a bullshitter, or maybe he wouldn't be as hot as the corporate daddy in my mind. Still, I was feeding off his submissive vibe and wanted to set the tone for the encounter. Once in my room, I stripped down naked.

I took a look in the mirror to check my appearance. I had an athletic build, from years of playing tennis, including on the Clemson men's tennis team, and in my last couple of years I'd kept up my game and a regular gym routine. Maybe it helped being into older men, but that's just how I was wired. My first time with another guy was with my high school tennis coach, and I hadn't looked back.

A knock came at the door. I went and peeked through the peephole to make sure it wasn't housekeeping or anyone else. Indeed, a suited handsome daddy stood outside. I didn't get a great view of him that way, but I opened the door, and let him in.

Up close, he was just incredible. Executive cut brown hair showing some wisps of gray at the temples, upright posture, a trim but muscular body that filled out a clearly expensive and well tailored suit.

His eyes widened and he laughed a little when he saw I was completely naked.

I took the initiative though. "You said you were here to take care of me, right?"

He nodded, looking down at my erection. "Definitely," he said. Then without fanfare the exec got onto his knees and started to kiss and nuzzle my dong, while letting out a soft, deep grunt.

I actually loved this give and take. When an older man so clearly is there to service me. But I also loved for a cocksucker to enjoy my dick in the way that turns him on. Exec Daddy liked the slow approach, working me to steel hardness with his tongue and fingers before actually taking me in between his lips.

I was curious how long it had been for the guy, he was just attacking my bone like an addict getting a needed fix. Deep descent onto my cock with each bob, and getting deeper. He gagged a little before settling into the pace. That was hot as fuck.

He took the liberty of running his hands along my hairy thighs and curling around the hamstrings for leverage and balance as he really got into it. It was starting to feel real good. This was gonna be a blowjob to make me forget my last five. There was just no comparison.

Exec Daddy spit out my dick. He swallowed the spit and cleared his throat. "I forgot to ask," he said. "You like to get off fast? Or you prefer me to take my time?"

Both sounded great. But I knew my answer. "Fuck... take your time."

He smiled and muttered, "thanks," before going down on me again. I could tell he was excited to blow me. Maybe excited to blow any guy, but I was the right dude at the right place and time. And though I didn't have his full story, I seemed to fit his type or what he was looking for. Young, bro-jock type in spades.

His sucking now was exquisite torture. Glacial-slow down my hardon, taking in my girth and running his tongue along the tube of the underside. Maybe he was showing off for me, maybe he was just enjoying the opportunity to worship a cock. He neared the base of my prick, then pulled up just as slowly. The third time down he was kissing my pubes.

From there, Exec Daddy worked me up with precision. Even if this guy's technique was lousy, he would have pushed my buttons big time. I ran my fingers through his hair as he picked up speed, keeping the deep throating with each swallow.

The man spit out my dick again, licking up the spit to make sure none got onto his tie. "God, this is a big cock,"" he muttered, not even taking his eyes off it.

"You know how to take it," I hissed. My dick twitched in front of him.

That made the executive smile as he looked up at me. "It takes a good bit to trip my gag reflex, actually."

"Yeah?" I asked, excitedly.

He nodded, reaching forth to gently stroke my hardon. "I mean, I definitely have one and this bad boy would be enough to do it.... fuck...!"

He took the initiative now in sucking me back in. All in one go. I'd never get sick of this view, his expensive suit framing that fit-dad body. I don't know Executive Daddy's story, but he was the real deal all right. And he was giving me some primo head.

I got greedy though. I head onto his skull and started thrusting. It had been too long since I'd used a mouth. I might be putting Exec Daddy's skills to waste but this is what I craved at the moment. My dick can do some damage if I'm not careful, and I heard some choked grunts, then Exec Daddy pushed against my hips to signal a break. I gave it to him.

He swallowed his spit and caught his breath. "If you're gonna do that, let's try on the bed. The angle's better that way," he hissed.

"Fuck yes," I said. I watched excitedly as the man got onto the bed crosswise and lay back with his head over the edge. I gave him a second to get settled then I stepped up. His tongue darted against my cock head, then I felt the warm wetness of his mouth enclose my dick.

I wasn't rough but my entry was direct and insistent. Pushing in to bottom out in one go. Exec Daddy moaned around my cock, but in a good way. I tapped his cheek as a signal I was about to start.

Then I did it. I looked down on this suited middle aged stud and just began fucking his throat. I had restraint in keeping from shoving in too hard but I was deep and steady in my thrusts. It had been too long since I'd found a man who'd let me do this, who was capable of letting me do this.

My height meant I wasn't at the perfect level so I leaned forward to allow me to fuck his mouth like a fleshjack. The noises were obscene, with wet slick moans and a little light gags, but mostly Exec Daddy took it. The angle meant I was penetrating his gullet more deeply, and the wet snugness was gonna milk me off, quick.

The trigger though was his reaction. He was throwing hard in his suit trousers, his spike forming a tent in the wool. Exec Daddy arched his back to accommodate my thrusting. That action made me blast. Six, maybe eight, hard spurts of cum right into his stomach. The man was only going to taste the dribbles on the withdrawal.

His face was red from the blood rushing to his head and he had some spit on his face. The man caught his breath and kissed my wet dong as I slipped out. I let him enjoy this, but it was clear he wasn't going to get off in this session, so I stepped back and gently patted his face.

"Fuck, thanks," I hissed. After a good cum, I generally become more easy going, even after more dominating sex.

He got up and washed his face at the sink. He was still hard as he stepped back, adjusting his shirt in his suit to look presentable. I was naked still, and enjoying his eyes on me. "Glad I logged in today," he said. "It's been a long time since I've played."

I still had to square the words and easygoingness about sex with his boardroom-ready looks. Maybe he was fibbing to assure me he wasn't a slut, but given the quality of the suit, I could very much picture him as the kind of man who indulged his need to suck cock only occasionally.

"Glad you did, too," I said. "You're an incredible cocksucker," I added. Friendly in tone but also asserting his submission to me. "I don't know if you ever do repeats but I'm in town for a few days...."

I could his battling thoughts. But he hadn't gotten off just now and maybe was letting his dick think for him. "I gotta be careful, man," he said. Which was basically a yes.

"Absolutely," I assured him. "I'm totally discreet. I just want your mouth on my dick again, before I head back home."

He asked if I used a certain message app, and I did. We swapped contact info. Part of me wanted to kiss him but felt it wasn't his thing. So we bumped fists at the door as I showed him out.

Fifteen minutes later I got a message. "Thank you for that," he wrote. "You pleased and all drained?"

I felt my dick chub up. "Pleased. Probably could go again to be honest."

"I wanna suck you again. Maybe first thing tomorrow?"

"I have a meeting to go to 8:30," I wrote. "But if before 8 that works.

"Yeah, I'm an early riser." Then, "want your cum to start my work day."

"Well hit me up first thing. I'll be up early to hit the gym." Chicago was only one hour behind, but that meant I'd easily be up before 6.

"I will man. You're so fucking hot."

***

I didn't fuck Exec Daddy's face the next morning. Instead, I let him show off his skills on me. I'm a morning guy when it comes to sex, so it took maybe 3 minutes from the time he came in till the time he left, my cum as his breakfast.

I felt happy and relaxed and I wondered if the experience had tipped the scales in favor of moving to Chicago. I mean, there were hot men everywhere, but Exec Daddy was my type to a frickin T. Even if he was just an occasional thing, I'd be very into establishing something regular with him.

But that was putting the cart before the horse. I hadn't been offered a job, and hell I had no idea if the middle aged corporate guy was up for anything more than a couple of times.

Still, the experience had me ready to do my best for the interview. I made sure everything was perfect for my suit and tie combo and that my black dress shoes were polished, then made my way across the river to William Blair. I met with HR then had a round of VP interviews. I think I did pretty well, but you never really know. I'd been overconfident in one job interview already. I learned and adapted.

They took me to lunch. Even if I didn't end up landing the job, it was nice to be courted.

At 1:30, they took me to meet the new director of global wealth management, who'd basically be my boss's boss and someone I'd be working with as a member of the leadership mentor program.

It was a nice office with a great view of the river and the Chicago high rises. But as the man stood up, I saw the fear and shock and embarrassment on his face. It was Exec Daddy, who'd blown me just six hours earlier. Robert Lyman was the only member of the leadership team whose photo I hadn't seen; his hire was very recent and his profile page on William Blair's website still lacked a photo.

I knew my own face betrayed a million emotions, too, but I played it cool. "Cole Edwards," I said, extending my hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lyman."

"You can call me Robert," he said, recovering without too much slipping. "Nice to meet you." He turned to the HR specialist who was my guide for the afternoon. "Give us 30 minutes, Dan?" he asked. The HR guy nodded and backed out, shutting the office door behind him.

I was wrapping my head around the fact that I'd blown my chances at the job. No way would this guy hire me now. At least I'd gotten some hot sex out of it.

"Of all the cocks in Chicago to suck," he laughed, face blushing some.

I leaned back in my seat. Even now, I was getting hard, looking at the man and remembering him going down on me. "Don't worry Robert," I said. "I meant what I said about being discreet."

I wasn't fishing for anything, but after seeming to think things over he said softly. "You texted earlier you'd be up for another blowjob at the end of the day."

I was incredulous. "You still offering?" The man must really be cock crazy. Or Robert realized he'd already cross the line, so why stop?

He grinned. "I have plans I can't get out of," he replied. "But if you want one now..."

My cock made it all the way to erect in my new suit. "God yes," I hissed. Reaching down to undo my belt.

"Let me lock the door," he said as he bounded up. I liked his suit yesterday better, but this one was equally expensive and perfectly tailored. I unzipped and hauled out my cock and watched him walk back, a naughty grin on his face.

Right there, in his own office, he got down on his knees on the carpet and scooted in between my spread legs. This was just about the best sex I'd ever had. The emotional power of having this subservient exec going down on me, the fucked up situation, and the amazing cocksucking technique. Blowjob #1 had been about me fucking his face, #2 about him doing all the work. Blowjob #3 was a mix, him bobbing and me assertively pressing his head down on each downstroke. He was probably getting some spit on my trousers, and I hoped to hell I'd be able to pat it dry before my next appointment.

"Shit!" I growled in a whisper as I fed him his second meal of cum in a day. He slurped and suckled and licked my dick as I rode the aftershocks.

He finally pulled back, a proud smile on his face. I still couldn't believe a man that powerful and handsome had made me cum three times in less than 24 hours. He got up and walked back to his desk as I did my best to tuck in.

"You need a napkin?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. Then tried blotting the spit wetness from the charcoal gray fabric.

"We have about 20 minutes," he finally said. "Let's talk about why you think you'd be leadership material at William Blair."

***

I still didn't know where I stood. Robert Lyman could kill my application with the lift of his finger, I knew. If I were him, that's what I'd do. I was an HR nightmare waiting for him to step on if I joined the firm.

So as I got to my hotel room that night, I was a little moody. But I still replayed those blowjobs in my head. Especially #3. Feeling I'd already done the best - and worse - that I could for the interview, I typed Robert a message.

"My only regret was that I couldn't fuck you." I normally felt a guy out longer or waited for him to bring it up. At least if he was a married with kids type like Robert. With gay daddies you didn't have to be so coy. I was now feeling like I had nothing more to lose.

I expected radio silence, actually, but got a reply within ten minutes. "It's been a long time since I've done that."

I was hard again. "I'd go easy on you. Scout's honor."

"LOL. I think I prefer cocksucking, but you would be the kind of man to persuade me otherwise."

"What kind of man is that?"

"Jock next door type. Hung. Horny," he wrote. Then, "Your accent drives me wild, too."

I smirked. "I look forward to the chance to let you hear it again."

He took a minute to reply. I wondered if he was with his family, maybe having a late dinner, or watching TV. "You still trying to interview for the job?"

"I'm more interested in interviewing you for a good sub dad," I answered truthfully.

He didn't reply.

***

"May I speak to Cole Edwards?" the woman said. I had gotten so used to not answering phone calls, because of the spam robocalls, but the area code was a Chicago one.

"Speaking," I said. I'd just gotten back from the courts where I'd played a game of tennis one of the finance professors. He wasn't a sub daddy, and was even on the younger side of what I normally went for at 38. But he was extremely handsome and extremely open to giving me head. He sucked me off in the seat of his SUV before dropping me off at my apartment building.

"I am calling with good news, Mr. Edwards. William Blair was very impressed with your interview and would like to offer you the position."

The rest of the conversation was short but sweet. She gave me the basics of the offer - compensation, expected hire date, and the next steps. I'd have a week to give my decision. I thanked her and hung up. I was thrilled. I'd been going over the pros and the cons of the job and of Chicago, and I'd practically talked myself into thinking I didn't even want it. But now the offer was there, I realized how amazing this opportunity would be.

I wondered if Robert had pulled some strings, or if I'd gotten the position on my own merits. I thought of texting him, but figured now that I would actually be working at the company, I'd have to play it safe.

But within an hour I got a message from him. "Did I pass the interview?" was his message.

I smirked and typed back. "It's a start." I set down my phone and stripped down to shower up.

Fuck, I was gonna love Chicago.

#drakestories

[an-otterly-adorable-being]

Hey there! This is a Rocky Rickaby x fem! Or gn! Reader hc req so i hope you don't mind the specifications for the reader i have lol. This is gonna be similar to the Rocky Rickaby hc with the socialite but its more independent.

Reader probably grew up in poverty but then like, moved to america to start and worked there. Basically a fresh start, things were rocky at first but they got the hang of it. But then somehow, for some reason, reader managed to be the most successful kitty cat in america. But despite being very rich and very successful, that doesn't mean they won't have envious people or rivalries. (Or admirers, bcus y not?).

But since this is fiction, reader is girlboss and managed themselves and is still financially stable, mentally? Probably not. But that's why reader LOVES Rocky right? Even if Rocky is this poor, stupidly deranged and insane, sad cat living in his (well, the lackadaisy funded it) own car. He still treats reader as he would to anyone. Even more so if reader is an artist like him.

I also feel like reader would secretly fund the lackadaisy and be best friends with Wick or sumn (i can hear Rocky's maniacal laughing rn). Btw, sorry if this was a lot for you to take in. When i see a fanfic writer saying they're alr with specifications yk damn well im jumpin on that req button. Hands n everythin. And since this was very long you can do this later or delete it if you wanna. Oki- BYEEE <33333

Ooooo, first request. And don't worry about the length, I've got you. Anyways I present to you...

Rocky x Fem!Successful!Reader Headcanons

For context, reader is a fashion designer. Hope this is good enough. Enjoy!

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

• You grew up as a poor girl living in the streets of a small town in Italy, and it shaped a lot of your life.

• Your mother was a low paid seamstress, your father a soldier.

• When the Great War broke out, it left your family shattered.

• No deaths, but your father was never the same, and your mother followed suit after seeing how terrible he was doing.

• Throughout your life, there had only been one constant, one tiny thing that kept you afloat in the sea of misery that was your life.

• Fashion.

• You took after your mother, however you wanted to create your own designs, your own outfits.

• And so, that's exactly what you did.

• When your parents shut down, you took a needle, some thread, and whatever fabric you could scrounge up and got to work.

• Though you didn't receive much notoriety yet, you did manage to get enough money to go somewhere else.

• America was your decision.

• You moved from place to place for a while, setting up shop in Boston, New York City, Buffalo, and even Savanah, Georgia.

• All the while you kept at it.

• Your English wasn't great at first, and neither was the money you were making, but you could see it start to snowball as America's prosperity continued to ramp up.

• You moved around more, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, all these places you called home once.

• And while you moved your designs spread. Once seen only on the back pages of a local paper, your designs were beginning to feature on the fronts of national news.

• Catalogues and catwalks galore, you built a fashion empire on your blood, sweat, and tears, and the American people loved it.

• Eventually, after a few years of back breaking work, getting citizenship, getting a company started, etc etc, you became one of, if not the most, successful cat in America.

• Sure, you didn't have as much money as the heirs of old monopolies and tycoons, but damn were you close.

• You had your admirers across the nation, as well as your enemies.

• There were more than a few men who thought they could get one over on you, and while they still despise you and your work, you got the last laugh.

• After so many years of moving from place to place, it became second nature. And that's when you made it to St. Louis, Missouri. The plan was to only stay for a year, maybe more, if it was a decent place.

• You even managed to land yourself an invitation to a local speakeasy from an admirer.

• One night, you finally made your way down to the Lackadaisy, and you got to talking with a businessman, Sedgwick Sable.

• The two of you had a pretty good conversation, becoming fast friends over a mixture of success and hating most rich guys.

• And then a cat ran through the door, panting as he tried to carry about a dozen bottles of booze.

• After getting a bit of assistance, he made his way to the bar and sat at the stool next to you.

• It looked like he had been running for most of the night, and you could swear you smelt something burnt.

• Naturally, you talked to him. If his entrance was one thing, his normal conversations were about ten times that level of chaos.

• He didn't recognize you, too, or atleast pretended not too.

• You ended up finding out his name was Rocky Rickaby, and when you told him who you were, he was rather indifferent.

• That was certainly something new, and it intrigued you further.

• You asked him why he was being so...casual.

• "Well, maybe I don't know you, and maybe I do. Either way, artists like us are still people too."

• The rhyme was an unexpected, but not unwelcome response.

• Honestly, you wish more people had his attitude.

• From then on, you became friends. But eventually things changed.

• You ended up continuing your stay in St. Louis, partly because you grew to love the place, and mostly for Rocky.

• You ended up falling for him, and you know what, you had every right to.

• When you were younger you wished for attention, especially as your family crumpled around you.

• However the love and even hate you got from your work never truly satisfied that.

• Rocky did, though. He was sweet, a little insane, sure, but overall he was amazing.

• So, you crafted the ultimate plan.

• You made sure Rocky got a good amount of sleep the night before, offering up your bed for the night.

• It was way better than the car.

• Then, you spent the day together. You got him new clothes, took him out on a joyride around the city, and ended the night on a bridge over the Mississippi River.

• There, as the moonlight shone overhead, and Rocky played the night away.

• You heard him play many times before, but you loved hearing every new improvised song he came up with.

• You told him how you felt, and he happily returned your feelings, a massive grin on his face.

• The two of you have been happy together since then, and still are now.

#rocky rickaby x reader #rocky rickaby #lackadaisy rocky #lackadaisy #lackadaisy x reader #lackadaisy headcanons #headcanon

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

Today, November 27th, we recognize the birthday of American journalist and writer James Agee (1909-1955). Agee moved to New York after college where he was promptly hired by Time Inc to write for Fortune magazine from 1932-1937. In 1939, he took a position as a book reviewer at Time, transitioned to film critic for The Nation from 1942-1948, and after quitting his job in 1948 spent his remaining years as a freelance writer.  

It was during Agee’s time at Fortune that he partnered with photographer Walker Evans (1903-1975) to document the lives of Alabamian sharecroppers during the Great Depression. Evans had already made a name for himself photographing resettlement communities for the Resettlement Administration (RA), and while this expedition with Agee followed suit in the work he was doing with the RA, it was Fortune magazine that initiated the project. Fortune ultimately found Agee's and Evans's account of the sharecropper families too radical to publish in the magazine but gave permission to Agee to publish his research as a book the following year resulting in Let us now Praise Famous Men.  

In the Summer of 1936 over the course of eight weeks, Agee and Evans collected their research while living among three families of cotton tenants. Their intent was to produce a “photographic and verbal record of the daily living and environment" of the tenantry and has been historically seen as a rejection of traditional reporting. The book contains Evans’ memorable black and white photographs of the families and their homes accompanied by Agee’s written account of their lives. Let us now Praise Famous Men only sold half its press run following its first publishing but has since become a notably studied record about the Depression era. 

Let us now Praise Famous Men was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston in 1941, Special Collections holds a first edition copy. 

– Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

#Milestone Monday #milestones #birthdays #james agee #walker evans #let us now praise famous men #milestone monday #photography #tenant farmers #houghton mifflin company

[kaunis-sielu]

A Payment

You’re clenching your teeth so hard that you’re surprised you haven’t broken a tooth, or your jaw. Fire practically races through your veins you’re so furious, how could he?

“You will do this.” Your father says coldly, “you will do this without complaint.” A single tear slips down your face but it’s not sorrow, it’s rage. You don’t say anything to your father, he doesn’t even bother looking up when you turn away from him. “You will make yourself presentable.” He instructs as your hand touches the door handle you pause for a moment, taking a deep breath so that you don’t snap, you push the door open and storm past the two men that are waiting just outside.

“Queenie?” Lance says and you don’t look at him as you continue to your rooms.

“Don’t.” You snap, Lance has been on your six for long enough to know that when you’re in a rage like this it’s best to just leave you alone.

He does follow you through your father’s house and to the rooms that you always stay in when you’re here. You hate staying here, you feel like you’re suffocated all the time, that you’re back to being that seventeen year old girl who is powerless in her father’s empire. Not that you actually have any power, which is something that your father has made perfectly clear in the last ten minutes.

Fuck Grant. He should have to pay for his own mistakes but since he’s your older half brother and a male he gets to just skate by and will get to run the empire some day.

You, you’re just a pawn.

You’re not a queen.

You shove your door open and start throwing things into your suitcase. You hadn’t bothered to bring much, you’d been hopeful that this little meeting with your father wouldn’t be long. It hadn’t, but it also hadn’t gone the way that you’d hoped. You’d hoped that since moving away from New York to Boston your father would let you have the independence that you so badly craved. You hadn’t lived under his roof since your 18th birthday specifically so that you could have that freedom. For nearly fifteen years you’d lived off on your own, away from New York, away from your father’s iron fist and the life of a mob boss’s daughter.

“Queenie? What’s going on?” Lance asks softly and you sigh heavily, he does have the right to know considering he’s been your constant companion since you were thirteen.

“I’ve been sold to Steve Rogers.” You tell him so softly that you’re not sure that he’s heard you. At least you’re not sure he’s heard you until he lets out a low growl.

“I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to run that one by me again.”

“My dear brother has run up a rather large debit with Rogers, who has agreed to let that jackass live for a share in the business. Apparently, my father thinks that I count as a share in the business. So, in less than twelve hours I’ll be off your hands for good and under his protection, or whatever he wants to do with me I guess.” You tell Lance dropping down onto the bed, a shirt in your hands. “I should’ve never come back Lance.”

“You didn’t have a choice Q.” He tells you crossing the room and dropping down onto the bed next to you. Lance has been there for all of it. Since your mom died when you were thirteen and your father had decided that you needed a bodyguard to control you under the guise of keeping you safe. You’d fought at first, especially since Lance was only a few years older than you, but once the two of you had come to an agreement, that he wouldn’t try to boss you around unless it was life or death and you’d cooperate with him, you’d become fast friends.

“I hate him. I hate him so much.” You say before the tears start to fall and Lance gently pulls you to him so that you can let yourself grieve.

“I’m sorry Queenie.” He says into your hair, “I won’t leave you though, not unless you tell me to. I’m your guy until the canary sings baby.” He says and you laugh through your tears.

“Thanks Lance but you’re part of my father’s company, if he says you stay you have to stay.”

“I can leave Queenie, the only reason that I haven’t is because of you.”

“You can pay the dues?” You ask looking up at him in surprise, “Does Bobbi know?”

“Yea, she knows the deal. I’m your shadow, on your six no matter what. Where you go we go. Even if that means paying the dues to your father and then joining Rogers Company.” You don’t know what to say, you love Lance like the big brother you wish you had, not the piece of shit that you’ve got, and to know that he cares for you as much as you do for him is heartwarming.

“Thanks Lance.” You murmur and he gives your shoulders a squeeze.

“When do you have to be ready?”

“Father said seven, apparently Rogers is coming over to pick me up and sign some paperwork or something then I’m to go with him.”

“Alright, so we have three hours. What do you want to do?”

“I have to get ready. Pack, shower, look presentable and shit.” You say with another long sigh, “This sucks.”

“Yea, but you weren’t happy here so maybe you’ll be happy with Rogers.”

“I was happy in Boston.”

“You won’t be at your father’s beck and call anymore.”

“I’ve traded one golden cage for another Lance. I know you’re trying to help but right now I just need to be sad so when it’s time I can be fury herself.” He nods his understanding and leaves the room. You get everything packed except for the black dress you’re planning on wearing. It’s got a scoop neck and long sleeves and falls to just above your knees. You’ll wear a pair of black heels and wear your hair up with some dramatic make up. You’ll look a Queen, not just little Queenie who is a pawn in the games men play, you’ll demand his respect.

At quarter to seven someone knocks on your door. When you pull the door open you’re not surprised to see Adia, your father’s everything woman. You’re fairly certain they’ve been sleeping together for a while but that’s never been confirmed.

“Your father said to sign this.”

“What is it?” You ask taking the paper that she’s passed you. She doesn’t answer and when you glance at the top you see the words ‘marriage license’ and you gape at it. “I’m not signing this.”

“Either you sign it or I do it for you. Trip will confirm that you signed it either way.”

“You’re such a bitch.” You sneer but Adia just laughs.

“What’s it going to be Queenie?”

“Go to hell.” You slam the door back in her face but she shoves it open before you can get the chance to lock it and snatches the marriage license from your hands.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” She smirks before forging your signature on the document and flouncing away with Trip on her tail. If you were going to kill someone you’d start with Adia.

The next knock on your door comes at five to seven. When you open the door this time it’s Lance.

“Your father wants you downstairs.” He says, his eyes are soft and when he sees the panic flit through yours he takes a deep breath, one that you copy. Then you straighten your spine, lift your chin and go downstairs. Steve and his men aren’t here yet, your father and Grant wait each with a drink in hand.

“You will say nothing but that you agree to this do you understand me?” You father warns.

“What if I don’t?” You sneer, he won’t kill you not now, you’re too valuable.

“We’ll send Lance home to Bobbi in pieces.” Your only weakness and he knows it.

“I hate you.”

“Watch your tongue little sister.”

“Rot in hell Grant.” Grant goes to respond when your father cuts him off with a hissed,

“Enough.” Moments later Adia walks into the room.

“They’re here.” She says, her eyes only on your father, god you hate everyone in this stupid family.

“Thank you Adia.” She gives him a sweet smile then goes back out the door to collect your new leash holder.

When the door opens again you wait with your heart in your throat until he walks in, tall and strong, light brown hair and bright blue eyes. Those eyes land on you dragging down your body and a small smirk graces his lips.

What an asshole.

Tag list:

@andahugaroundtheneck @connie326 @also-fangirlinsweden @lumar014 @loving-life-my-way @pagina16ps @emdying @dumblani @valsworldofcreativity @blackwidownat2814 @sky0401 @dontbescaredtosingalong @abschaffer2

#steve rogers x reader #Steve rogers x reader au #steve rogers au #mob boss!steve #mob boss au #mob boss steve rogers #mobster au #a payment story

[darkmagyk]

Ask game: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21

choose violence ask game (send me more pls!)

the character everyone gets wrong

Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth. In SO MANY ways. Right down to her name, where people decide randomly that Annabeth is a nickname for Anna Elizabeth.

But mostly it's the school thing. Annabeth is always going to be the smartest person in the room, but she would (literally) rather die then demean herself to prove it. She also has ADHD, Dyslexia, and missed grades 2-6. I don't know how you can read about her being unwilling to play the Sphinxes game and then think that she'd be a good sport about school? I don't necessarily think she'd do badly. She is 100% in the "smart enough to coast" category. But she's not going to study, she's not going to apply herself. And I suspect when she finds herself disagreeing, she's not going to be open to listening to most teachers. She'll talk back, she'll argue, she'll get detention. She reads books in greek, she probably doesn't have special affection for her school libraries full of books she can't read. Free yourself from the Hermione Industrial Complex and embrace smart girl characters who's only life goal isn't getting As on tests.

Other things, Annabeth did live in Virginia some as a child. But given that it was in Richmond, her father is from Boston, and they moved at least a little (in TLT her family lives in New York State), the idea that her upbringing would be particularly southern, or that she'd have a southern accent is silly.

Also, she thinks Percy is funny. She enjoys his company. They have a lot of similarities. And she knows he's not as smart at she is (no one is) but she doesn't think he's the dumbest person alive. She doesn't hate him. About 80% of all PJO Incorrect quotes can be summed up as Percy: says something dumb, Annabeth: You're an idiot, and I hate you. And that's just...not what's going on with them.

2. a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom

It's a sexual position they don't enjoy? Let us not confuse sexual positions with gender or rolls in power dynamics.

Now, if you want to discuss power dynamics, Annabeth is a sub and Percy is a dom. Because Annabeth has a long history of feeling unloved, unwanted, and abandoned and wants to feel desired. And Percy has been dismissed and untrusted and wants to feel competent and trustworthy.

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Recently saw a post that said Frederick had fucked Athena. You know, Athena, the famously virgin goddess.

(The funniest part was that it was part of a very anti-Frederick post, and yet...by saying Athena, the goddess of wisdom, broke her millennia long, life defining desire to not sleep with men, to sleep with Frederick Chase, they were saying he was a giant Chad and extra extra special. And that Athena saw so much in him, loved him so much, she developed sexual feelings for him and was willing to throw away one of her defining characteristics for him. And that...that was kind of hilarious)

5. worst discord server and why

Um, the Taylor Swift one I joined to trade tips for my show is really pretty bad. Everyone is so mean and bitchy and, I say this as someone who is weird about how much I love Taylor Swift, Swifties are the worst.

Otherwise, I can't keep up with servers, or really any chat with more then like 3 people them. So I can't really tell if they are good or bad.

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

See previous comments about Annabeth. But, also, Jesus Christ Frederick Chase. Who is super interesting, and also dealt a bad hand he then played badly. Dude is a Norse Legacy who fell in love with a Hellenic Goddess. He went out of town and his wife ran off his daughter while he was gone. He can see through the mist. He dive bombed a Titan to save said daughter. He's a Red Sox fan and has a daughter who's a Yankees fan. He managed to enchant Athena. Favorite minor character.

Also, everyone is wrong about Poseidon. He's an ass, he's a bad dad (Hades is the best big three dad. And possibly the best godly parents. And that's being graded on the scale that calculates that time he told Nico he wished he'd died and bianca hadn't. That's how bad everyone else is.) And Sally has moved on to bigger and better things.

Combining those two things: Fredthena > PoSally. Fredthena is more interesting, and during the canon of the stories, it's actually still interesting instead of Poseidon just being Sally's loser ex.

Other things: in fic, Luke is Annabeth's looser older brother, not abusive ex. Annabeth is the punk and Percy is the good boy, Jercy wants what Frankercy has.

13. worst blorboficiation

Connor Stoll. He's literally just half a character. And that's fine.

Also Octavian. Who is allowed to just be power mad.

Also...I love Nico a lot, but the way fandom acts about him is...so much.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

Nico. I love Nico, I think he's an awesome character and have written multiple fics about him. But people are so weird about him. And there is an extent to which I get it. He's one of the first incidentally queer characters in middle grade literature (as opposed to a character who is gay in a book all about being gay). He's got the emo vibes we love. And he definitely went through it.

But everyone is kind of going through it. And yet, people will unironically make posts about how Percy promised to protect Bianca and then let her die when...When Bianca set off a monster and Percy literally was like "I have a plan to get rid of it" and then Bianca said "I'll do it" and Percy was like "No, I will" and then Bianca just did it anyway. That isn't on Percy. Similarly "Percy choked Nico, its inexcusable." You know, that time that Nico helped his father trap Percy in a room in the underworld with no ways out or windows or anything. Nico didn't know, and he felt bad and tried to make it right, but it wasn't unreasonable for Percy to be pissed and attack the dude who behaved like an enemy.

#pjo meta #asks #ask meme

[emailsfromanactor]

The Hamlet cast's arrival in Boston was a nightmare, especially for Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Hume Cronyn wasn't on the plane so his account is secondhand, but here he also recounts an incident he experienced personally:

Representative Michael Feighan of Ohio had called the Burton-Taylor relationship “a public outrage” and urged the revocation of Richard’s visa on the grounds of moral turpi­tude. Now that they were Mr. and Mrs. Burton it might have been expected that all the furor would fade away. Not a bit of it. If anything, it grew worse. The Hamlet company’s move from Toronto to Boston by chartered jet ended with a nightmare reception at Logan Airport. Crowds broke through the police barriers and surrounded the aircraft. The company couldn’t disembark. The combined forces of police and airport person­nel were inadequate to control the mob—and a mob it had become. After a considerable delay, the plane was towed from the runway into an empty hangar, but even there the most persistent and manic of the fans and a good number of press managed to get inside. Two limousines were brought into the hangar. The first to leave was a decoy. The second carried Dickenliz off to the Copley Plaza Hotel. There the crowd was even bigger and more unruly. Press photographs taken in the lobby show a shoulder-to-shoulder mass of people with a grim-looking Burton (he kept saying, “I told them—I told them”) with his arm around an uncharacteristically terrified Elizabeth, attempting to make their way to the elevators. It was bedlam. Once they were safely in their suite, a doctor was summoned, and he ordered a se­dated Elizabeth to bed. Weeks later, long after the play had opened in New York, Richard asked Jess and me to join him and Elizabeth for something to eat between the matinee and evening perfor­mances. I’ve never forgotten that limousine ride. It was the only time in my life that I remember being frightened by a crowd. We walked down the theater alley out onto 45th Street to be faced by about two thousand people. Vehicular traffic was at a standstill. A great roar went up when Elizabeth and Richard appeared. Mounted police kept a passage open across the sidewalk between the alley and the open door of the limo. But it was still a gauntlet of snatching hands, cheers, jeers (“Liz is a baaad girl”) and waving autograph books. To have paused to sign one would have been fatal. Elizabeth, Jessica and Rich­ard climbed into the back of the car, I got in front with the driver. Suddenly, on the opposite side of the windshield ap­peared two grinning gargoyle faces—upside down. A couple of teenagers had managed to get onto the roof of the limou­sine and were hanging there, not three feet from me, peering inside between the windshield wipers. Doors locked and windows tightly dosed, we moved at snail’s pace out from the curb into a sardine can of humanity. Even with mounted police clearing the way, it wasn’t easy, and God forbid that anyone should get bumped, let alone run over. Jess’s memory of that ride—as vivid as my own—is of a sweet, smiling Elizabeth, waving like royalty while silently mouthing, “Fuck you—and you—and you, dear.” This was not Elizabeth’s usual style with her public. But in this instance she’d simply had it. Usually, she was charming, patient and polite to a degree I thought remarkable, but the Hamlet episodes were as bad as anything she’d endured during the making of Cleo­patra—and there, paparazzi had literally been chased out of the trees surrounding her house, from where they had a clear view of bedrooms and bathrooms upstairs.

#emails from an actor #richard burton #elizabeth taylor #hume cronyn

[fredseibertdotcom]

Next New Networks, Part 3

I’m going to try, in as few posts as possible, to create a coherent timeline of the short, eventful life of Next New Networks, an early, consequential moment in streaming video history. 

From Part 1: Emil Rensing and I, with a huge assist from future Tumblr creator David Karp, stumbled into the brave new world of online video without much of a plan. 

From Part 2: Our friend –my former partner at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, and our future Next New Networks partner– Jed Simmons introduced us to Spark Capital in Boston, who wanted to partner and fund Next New. 

Part 3: Late 2006 

What do we do now? 

Once Spark signaled their interest, we needed to get serious. I still had Frederator Studios, my successful and increasingly busy independent cartoon production company, but the excitement of this opportunity was overwhelming. Even if I was significantly older than the typical internet entrepreneur, I felt that my background in media and production could be meaningful. The first phase of the consumer internet required deep engineering skills because the infrastructure was still somewhat nascent. Web 2.0 had developed enough tools that even someone with my limited skills could participate. Besides, I had Emil on my side, someone who had a unique understanding of the state of the tech world. 

By summertime, after a variety of conversations and meetings, Emil and I settled on a co-founding team. Jed Simmons, of course. Emil had a start up friend –Tim Shey– who’d sold his DC based, interactive agency and moved to New York where he was consulting with some early stage video companies. I was stretched to thin to have an operating role in the joint, so we all agreed that my childhood friend and adult colleague Herb Scannell –former Vice Chairman of MTV Networks and CEO of Nickelodeon– would be a perfect CEO. Luckily, he agreed, and our management line up was in place. (David Karp would be our founding developer, until he launched Tumblr several months later, of course). 

We can leave the machinations of filling out the A-round of investment aside. Suffice to say, many venture capitalists were uninterested in any idea that didn’t have unique software attached –we didn’t– but we put together an investor group and board of directors that were excited with our vision. 

Next New Networks posters designed and illustrated by Frank Olinsky

Our vision? ah. yes. By the time we were on the road pitching our wares, we had taken the basics of VOD Cars and Channel Frederator and put together a plan that was based on “communities of interest,” which we felt would be the engines of viewership and growth. As Tim Shey later wrote: 

Next New Networks popularized the ideas of videoblogging and advertiser-supported online video, and pioneered the multi-channel network (MCN) business model and the concept of audience development, assembling a diverse and successful portfolio of original programming including hit channels Barely Political, VSauce, and ThreadBanger, and a network of independent creators such as The Gregory Brothers—racking up over 2 billion video views and thirteen Webby Awards, more than any online media company at the time.

Virginia Heffernan of the New York Times was probably the writer that caught onto what we had accomplished better than most.

By March 2007, we were fully funded with our first round, expanded past the Frederator/NY office into a larger space in the same building on Park Avenue South, and started to put together an amazing start up staff that could actually execute. At least, what we’d morphed our vision into.  Super distribution! 

(More to come.) 

#Next New Networks #2006 #2007 #Spark Capital #Fred Seibert #Emil Rensing #Jed Simmons #Tim Shey #Herb Scannell #David Karp

[hay1ock]

Sure just rip my heart out and stomp all over it. Only Friends Episode 10.

It only took 10 episodes but they’ve finally done it and made me feel sympathetic to Top’s situation lol. I’ve clearly gone through my character arc 😝, that or they just made me more annoyed at other characters involved in their part of the story than I am at Top. Boeing, I am looking at you. Mew, you are pushing it. But in all seriousness, I had said I was trying to look at Top more positively, as I have seen him change from Mr Smugface Top Tier to a Mew simp.

I get why Mew would be annoyed to find Boeing at Top’s place and how it maybe set things back in his mind after deciding to give Top a second chance. Boeing was happy to stir the pot and I’m not really sure what he’s hoping to achieve other than annoy me and Top, and probably Ray and Sand too based on the preview. Is it just revenge at being dumped? Does he want Top? Mew? Sand? Is he Boston 2.0 so if he can’t be happy then no one can? Him pushing up his glasses at the end of the scene in Top’s apartment gave me full on anime villain vibes lol.

And then there’s Mew. Omg accidentally liking one of Boeing’s insta posts💀Like I said I get Boeing’s appearance probably upset him all over again. But I had thought revenge era was kind of over after everything that happened with Ray. The talk at the hostel and pushing Top in the pool felt like things were settled about Mew giving him that second chance. But then suddenly inviting Boeing to the wakeboarding… Now, maybe he’s got some trick up his sleeve and is somehow playing Boeing in some way, or maybe he is testing Top, because trust is a hard thing to win back and there’s no way he would want to be taken for a fool all over again (Though from a viewer POV we have seen how Top interacts with Boeing and there’s nothing between them). I don’t know what he’s up to. Also, I feel like he let Boeing’s lips touch his for way too long lol. I just feel it ignited my sympathy for Top in wanting Mew to make a choice. Either commit to the two of them and give Top that chance properly with no games or tests, or let it go, call time on him and Top and find a (healthy) way to move on.

And so onto Boston and Nick. Boston certainly had a tough time while Nick was exploring things with Daddy Dan. I knew Atom was a little scary but to straight up lie and imply Boston took advantage of him… Ugh. I’m not Cheum’s biggest fan but I can’t blame her for believing her brother over Boston, especially considering the whole pursuing and manipulating Top thing that just happened recently. I didn’t like everything she said, and Mew seemed to enjoy the moment a bit too much with his little pat on Boston’s shoulder, but as Ray brought up, and Cheum later focussed on, regardless of anything else, Atom is her little brother. And though it really isn’t anyone’s business if they’re both consenting adults, it isn’t really the done thing to shag your bestie’s siblings. I know Boston tried to dissuade Atom a bit, but considering how strained the friendships already were, he probably should have took a hard pass on sleeping with Atom. Kicking him out the project too was a bit rough. It seemed as if Ray wasn’t quite down with everything that was happening, and I certainly felt bad for Boston. He did something shitty to Mew, but he doesn’t deserve this bullshit scenario Atom has created. But we’ll have to see where things go, if the truth comes out, or if Boston is left abandoned and without a way to graduate, and so goes with his back up plan of moving to New York.

Boston had already seemed to be having ‘feelings’ about Nick. First, looking at his picture and then last episode after seeing him with Dan. Whether it’s love or just fondness/familiarity, missing his company, after all he does say he missed him, it’ll be interesting to see where, if anywhere, he and Nick goes. I do at least feel as if he’s being genuine this time rather than dangling hope-shaped relationship carrots in front of Nick. Their scenes in the store and on the roof were really good and I did feel like I could get on board with them again. I mean, it’ll come down to if they can be honest with each other about what they really want their relationship to be as to whether anything between them is going to work. I don’t know if Boston can, wants to or even should change his sex life. Obviously, there were a couple of people he should have definitely not had sex with, but in general having multiple partners and enjoying sex isn’t anything bad or wrong. I don’t know what he can actually offer Nick in the end. I mean, their sex scene certainly showed a hell of a lot more care than anything we’d seen before. Hopefully, Boston can figure out what he wants and what degree of a relationship he is able to commit to. I would prefer him to be honest about what he can offer Nick, be it an attempt at being boyfriends or just their old agreement of friends with benefits, and then it’ll be down to Nick to make an informed decision. And whether he needs to have a little chat with Dan as to where exactly everybody stands.

And finally, Ray and Sand. Argh, it hurts. First punch to the gut - I just don’t want to sing at your funeral. Second punch - how fucking cute Ray and his donut was lol. I’m glad Ray didn’t force Sand to reveal himself to his father and gave him an out even if it was at the last moment. Who knows how the guy might have taken the news. Sand had been going to the bar on a number of occasions so deep down he probably does want to tell him, but it was right of Ray to not pressure him by making it a condition of him going to rehab in the end. Rehab/therapy, I’m glad Ray went that first time, even if he was doing it purely because Sand asked him to. I can understand his reluctance to talk at that point. He’s kept everything buried beneath alcohol for years. There’s that fear of if you start talking, be vulnerable for even a moment then everything will come tumbling out and you’ll have to face what you’ve been forcing down. The same goes for stopping drinking. Ray has numbed himself to his trauma for a long time, without alcohol there’s going to be a hell of a lot of feelings coming to the surface as well as withdrawal and shifts in mood.

I think Ray’s father having asked Sand for help in getting Ray into rehab had been the most likely end to that conversation from episode 7, and of course, Ray overheard them. I’d been so proud of him for putting the bottles of alcohol in the bin. If only he’d had a bigger bin he might not have gone downstairs maybe in search of garbage bags (also I’ll assume the maid would empty the bin and recycle those bottles lol). The scene at Sand’s place though. God damn, it was so good and hurt like a bitch. As soon as money was involved, Ray couldn’t believe Sand had ever cared for him. Threw back some of what Sand had said about ‘doing anything for money’, ‘liking jobs that pay big’. The way he broke down, feeling betrayed and used, and thinking all the times he’d been happy were nothing but lies. My heart. And of course Sand. He could have easily screamed and shouted right back and yet he did his best to treat Ray gently and calmly, despite being emotional. Ack, and the frustrated cry after he broke down once Ray left, the realisation that he was asking Ray to quit alcohol but could just as easily enable him by having alcohol in his home and him throwing that jar of plum wine. I wonder if we’ll see an on screen reconciliation or skip forward? There’s also Boeing to possibly cause more problems, though I want to say I have faith Sand wouldn’t go back there, though if it’s at a time when he and Ray aren’t back on good terms… I know Sand seems to have it out for Top, but I’d assume he wouldn’t be all that impressed with the ex that cheated either.

And then another impressive performance from Khaotung as Ray. I’m glad Ray’s father cleared things up, though the way he speaks to Ray at the start, honestly, I get why Ray wouldn’t want to listen and gets defensive. I wonder if he’s always spoken so harshly or if their communication broke down over time as Ray spiralled lower? Ray looked tired and done with everything after the situation with Sand was revealed and I’m kind of happy we see him going straight back to the therapist. If he wants a relationship with Sand, it’s in his best interests to start facing his demons. I’m sure Sand will do what he can to support him, but he needs to do it for himself not just because Sand told him to. This time he has attended rehab, yes still for Sand, but this time because he wants to, he chose to go, he chose to take the steps to stop hurting the person he loves. It’s a step on the road to recovery.

Being with me requires patience - as soon as he said that all I could think about were the comments from people who were so against Ray these last few episodes. His character indeed needs patience and understanding. Because of drink and drugs he’s not always in control of his actions, because of his past he doesn’t always behave appropriately or as you want him to. He’s emotional and he’s a mess. But he can also be adorable and kind and loving and make Sand smile. For those moments, Sand has put up with a lot. Like I said last episode, if Sand is strong enough and indeed has the patience, then I want for him to support Ray in getting better and continue to love him. Because yes, Ray deserves to be loved and happy.

Overall, this was a fantastic episode. I’m confused over Top and Mew, hopeful for Sand and Ray, and willing to support Boston and Nick in figuring out what they want to be to one another. I would like for the truth to come out about Atom, and for Boeing to get lost and just do one lol.

I’m really excited for the next episode. I can’t believe we’re so close to the end.

#only friends the series #only friends episode 10 #only friends ep10 #Every week I love Ray more #Please let him and Sand be happy #firstkhaotung #sandray #bostonnick #neomark #topmew #forcebook

[every-marveler-ever]

Dangling Our Legs

Fluffuly 2023 | 🌝 @fluffuly2023 | Day 1: Sunshine

Marvel Rare Pair Bingo Round 2 | 📪 @marvelrarepairbingo | Making Someone Smile

2023 masterlist :: (ao3 link)

RATING: Teen WARNING: Ineundo's, Harley Keener is Harley Stark, Tony Stark is Harley Keener's Dad, Hanging on the side of a roof

They are both smiling, happy to just be and sit. “You would soak up the sun like a cat, and you could watch me surf down at the beach while you try to focus on the book you’re reading,” Harley tells Peter, coming up with all the reasons Peter would love Malibu. If they weren’t sitting on the edge of a building Peter would have hit Harley for the surfing comment, but they are and so he doesn’t. | Peter Parker/Harley Keener

fluffuly 🌝 2023 | rpb 📪 round 2

“You would love Malibu,” Harley sighs into Peter’s shoulder, legs dangling off of the top of their apartment building in Boston. It is sunny out for once and despite living in the penthouse, thanks to his dad’s expense, Harley can’t help but want to always feel higher, luckily Peter shares the same sentiment. 

Peter lays back in the sun, basking in the warm glaze it gives on a Friday afternoon, the semester almost over with only two more exams to go between them. Harley’s final is in Unified Engineering: Thermodynamics and Propulsion, a bore of a class to be in when your whole life you’ve been working out the aerodynamics of a potato gun and Peter’s is in Just Code: The Ethical Lifecycle of Machine Learning, the last subject in his political science major before being able to focus solely on his chemical engineering course. 

They are both smiling, happy to just be and sit. “You would soak up the sun like a cat, and you could watch me surf down at the beach while you try to focus on the book you’re reading,” Harley tells Peter, coming up with the best and snarkiest reasons he can think of for why his boyfriend would love Malibu. 

If they weren’t sitting on the edge of a building Peter would have hit Harley for the surfing comment, but they are and so he doesn’t. He does have to admit that Harley often makes it hard for him to concentrate on things, but Harley is his boyfriend if Peter wishes to watch and preen he has all the right to. 

The will set soon and so Harkye just keeps rattling off reasons before it does, “And you would love dad’s lab, and I have my own small section but I was too young when we lived there permanently to have my own like in New York.” He smiles thinking of both homes, the move to New York, meeting Peter because of the move, and all the other great things New York has offered, “there’s the boardwalk we could go to and ride all the rides, go shopping, just enjoy each others company in a king size bed.” For that Peter does really hit Harley, once he knows it is safe, and Halrey is prepared for it. 

Moving further into the roof so they aren’t as dangerously dangling off from it Peter sighs, “Too bad we are stuck here for summer break,” he shrugs off the possibility of going to Malibu rather happy just to soak up the small amount of sun Boston will give them this summer. They should really be focusing on the upcoming exams they have but Peter just couldn’t resist the slither of sun. 

“We don’t have to,” Harley takes Peter’s hand maneuvering him to fit into his lap, leaning back onto his chest, “I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind us crashing, he, Steve and Morgan are all staying at the lakehouse permanently, nobody uses it but I know it’s clean and available.” Harley had already asked his dad about the possibility and while Tony was suspicious Steve thought it was a great idea, letting it slip that it is always prepared for visitors.  

Peter smiles at the idea, that it actually might be feasible before he comes back to the reality of Peter Parker, not Harley Stark. Frowning thinking about the bill and the cost, Peter shakes his head in Harley’s chest “There is no way I can afford the flights Harls.” He sighs not moving to face Harley, because he really feels quite bad about ruining the fun of the summer and all the imaginary plans created in their heads. 

Harley just laughs, holding on to Peter and kissing his cheek, “But I do, I mean well, Dad does and I know he would love to spend it on you, I would love to spend it on you.” They really care about each other and Harley appreciates Peter’s absence of using Stark money, but Harley doesn’t care, not when it comes to Peter. 

“It is all worth it if it makes you smile,” Harley says, turning Peter to face him once again, leaning, matching their foreheads together, “I love you,” he finishes. 

And Peter just smiles thinking of all the possibilities, the life ahead of them, the world for them to conquer as they sit up on the highest building, above everyone and everything. They love each other and the summer sun will be nice and they can watch the sunset and sunrises, bright and beautiful, sunshine. Harley makes Peter happy, and he’s in love. 

“I know.” 

Every-Marveler-Ever Navigation | Bingo Masterpost

Cards: (🌝 3/31) (📪 4/25)

#fluffuly #fluffuly2023 #marvel rare pairs #marvel rare pairs bingo #mrpbingo #marvelrarepairsbingo #day 1: sunshine #peter parker #harley keener #harley x peter #harley keener x peter parker #peter x harley #peter parker x harley keener #every-marveler-ever #every marveler ever #bingo fill #marvel

[jojo-reader-hell]

Joseph Joestar x Reader: Closer

So, baby, pull me closer

In the back seat of your Rover

That I know you can't afford

Bite that tattoo on your shoulder

Pull the sheets right off the corner

Of that mattress that you stole

From your roommate back in Boulder

We ain't ever getting older

*****

No matter if it was the desert of the American Southwest, or the deserts of Africa, the beauty of the glittering mica reflecting the soft glow of moonbeam was the same.

That was the desert charm, you told Joseph in a whisper as his grandson and friends slept soundly in the back seats of the van, squished together like enormous sardines as they snored in the crooks of each other’s necks.

The two of you decided to take the night shift. Two old biddies who had trouble sleeping because for the first time in nearly fifty years you were able to catch up on the events of your lives. The helicopter ride in was hell on your old bones, but the pleasant company of a stray Boston Terrier who had taken a liking to you made it bearable at least.

Said dog was currently sleeping on your lap, lulled by the tread of the jeep as you drove, undisturbed by the clutch or the constant shifting of gears.

You told Joseph about life after New York, how eventually you settled down in a small desert community in New Mexico to work dig sites, and the discoveries you’d made there. He told you about his adventures in real estate investments, the opportunities he had to travel the world and see new faces.

Not so subtle of an insert into the conversation was the nugget that he had used the opportunity to look for you, always keeping an eye out in every museum and library he stumbled across, wishing and hoping to catch a glimpse. He’d never thought to look in the southwest. You replied that it was a great hiding place. Many celebrities and artists sought refuge there, comingling with the everyday folks, perfect for someone like you who was a mix of scientific celebrity and ordinary person.

But he tells you you’re wrong. You are anything but ordinary. Hamon training over the years has kept you beautiful. The same sweet, youthful face, with the addition of a few frown lines here and there and the tiniest of crow’s feet from squinting at the dirt for years, some laugh lines from the joyful moments he hoped you had. And, his heart raced when he caught glimpses, the smallest strands of hair the color of starlight when the moon managed to gently caress you with it's light.

“I should have never left you behind.” He murmurs, just loud enough that your eyes widen at the implications.

“I’ve made so many mistakes in life that I have been able to move past, but I should have never left you.”

The ride on is awkward. You don’t say anything for many minutes. Not until you finally gather the strength to address the elephant in the room.

“You gave me freedom beyond my wildest imaginations when you got married to her.” You replied. “I was able to do things I could have never done if I had stayed in New York. There wasn’t much money in the museum. In New Mexico… I have opportunities.”

You prattle on in a soft whisper about the people you’ve met. The dances you’ve attended on the Pueblos. The life you’ve made for yourself by the Rio Grande. Out there you could hone your potential. You awakened your ability to see Stands in your early 20’s, and yet no spirit manifested for you. But that was alright. You were more than capable of taking care of yourself when the situation called for it. And now that this stray with a powerful fighting spirit was with you, you would never have to be afraid ever again.

Joseph is silent. You continue on.

You tell him what is most important now is that his grandson has a mother to go home to, that his wife doesn’t lose their only child, that he doesn’t have to suffer the fate of outliving his bloodline. What matters is that they all survive, and this curse is at last laid to rest. Until the moon starts to sink beneath the skyline, and the sky goes from the color of midnight to the blushing hues of purple and pink, you try to convince the both of you that this mistake of not staying together was for the better.

The resentment of him leaving you for another woman peeks through the façade of your calm every now and again, but you wait until it passes before again filling the silence with insistences that you’re fine. Everything is fine. The hands of fate have woven the webs of your destinies, as it happens to be you won’t be together as you naively thought when you were younger.

It isn’t until you pull over, preparing to exit the car to wake the next driver, when Joseph gently but firmly takes your face in his hands.

His kiss is warm, scratchy, almost like being ensconced in a wool blanket as his beard tickles you. At first you resist, but only for a moment, the old heartache resurfacing.

When you part your lips for him, suddenly you’re transported back in time. It’s the 40’s all over again. You both are clumsy young adults caught in a whirlwind of a romance that neither of you realize will end in heartbreak. The two of you are so caught up in your young lives that you can’t see the future in which you will separate tragically, unfulfilled promises steeping in regret like a tea bag left sitting in lukewarm water for so long the drink has turned bitter with age.

“I want you back.” he murmurs against your lips.

You’ve been disappointed too many times to cry at this. But what starts the tears is the frightful reality that he means what he says when he tells you that he is going to follow you to New Mexico, to the ends of the earth, he doesn’t care where. As soon as Holly is safe, he is going to leave his life behind and give what he has left of it to you, the one who is the most deserving. The one whom he so selfishly robbed of a life when you were a frightened young child clinging desperately to the one greatest love you knew.

The sweetness of his promise… The hope…

This stays with you until your dying breath. Giddy laughter at the possibility of a life with the one you love, that only serves to stoke the wrath of the blonde vampire god of the night who will later have his hand buried into the warm sunshine pulsing, permeating deep within the chamber of your heart.

But for now, there is no death. No danger. No mission of rescue. There is only the two of you. Kissing passionately under the last remaining cover of starry night, before the desert sand is illuminated in golden sunlight.

#joseph joestar x reader #Joseph Joestar #Joseph Joestar x Suzie Q #Holly Kujo #suzi quatro #JJBA #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders #jjba sdc #jjba x reader #angst #death

[ancestorsalive]

“On February 22, 1876, Thaté Iyóhiwiŋ, a Yankton Dakota woman living on the Yankton Indiana Reservation in South Dakota, and her European American mate, Felker Simmons, brought their daughter, Zitkála-Šá, into the world. Simmons would abandon mother and child, yet Zitkála-Šá describes the first 8 years of her life on the reservation as happy and safe. All that changed in 1884 when missionaries came to “save” the children.

Even though White's Indiana Manual Labor Institute was a Quaker project, it still forced the children who attended to adapt to the Quaker way of doing things, including taking new names. Zitkála-Šá was renamed Gertrude Simmons. In her biographies, Zitkála-Šá describes deep conflict between her native identity and the dominant white culture, the sorrow of being separated from her mother, and her joy in learning to read, write, and play the violin.

Zitkála-Šá returned to the reservation in 1887, but after 3 years she decided she wanted to further her education and returned to the Institute again. She taught music while attending school from 1891 to 1895, when she earned her first diploma. Her speech at graduation tackled the issue of women’s inequality and was praised in local newspapers. She had a gift of public speaking and music, and put both to good use during her life.

In 1895 Zitkála-Šá earned a scholarship to attend Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. While in college she gave public speeches and even translated Native American legends into Latin and English for children. In 1887, mere weeks from graduation, her health took a turn for the worse; her scholarship did not cover all expenses, so she had to drop out.

After college Zitkála-Šá used her musical talents to make a living. From 1897-1899, she played violin with the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She then took a job teaching music at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, where she also hosted debates on the issue of Native American treatment. The school used her to recruit students and impress the world, but her speaking out against their rigid indoctrination of native children into white culture resulted in her dismissal in 1901.

Concerned about her mother’s health, Zitkála-Šá returned to the reservation. While there she began to collect the stories of her people and translate them into English. She found a publisher in Ginn and Company, and they put out her collection of these stories as Old Indian Legends in 1901. Like most authors, she took another job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs as her principal support. It was at this job in 1902 that she met and married Captain Raymond Bonnin, a mixed-race Nakota man.

The couple moved to work on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in Utah for the next 14 years. They had one son, named Ohiya. Zitkála-Šá met and began to collaborate with William F. Hanson, a composer at Brigham Young University. Together they created The Sun Dance, the first opera co-written by a Native American. The opera used the backdrop of the Ute Sun Dance to explore Ute and Yankton Dakota cultures. It premiered in 1913 and was originally performed by Ute actors and singers. Choosing such a topic for the opera would have been a way to strike back at forced enculturation, because the ritual itself had been outlawed by the Federal Government in 1883 and remained so until 1933. Much later, in 1938, The Sun Dance came to The Broadway Theatre in New York City.

From 1902-1916, Zitkála-Šá published several articles about her life and native legends for English readers. Her works appeared in Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s Monthly, magazines with primarily a white readership. Her essays also appeared in American Indian Magazine. While these pieces were often autobiographical, they were still political and social commentary that showed her increased frustration with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which fired the couple in 1916.

In 1916, the couple moved to Washington D.C., where Zitkála-Šá served as the secretary of the Society of the American Indian. In 1926, she founded the National Council of American Indians, an organization that worked to improve the treatment and lives of Native Americans. By 1928, she was an advisor to the Meriam Commission, which would lead to several improvements in how the Federal Government treated native peoples.

Zitkála-Šá continued writing, and her books and essays became more political in such works as American Indian Stories (1921) and “Oklahoma’s Poor Rich Indians,” published in 1923 by the Indian Rights Association. She spoke out for Indian’s rights and women’s rights up until her death in 1938 at the age of 61"

📷: Gertrude Kasebier's photos of Zitkala-Ša, AKA Red Bird, from BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST WARRIORS. You can read about her in the book INDIGENOUS INTELLECTUALS by Kiara M. Vigil.

[fizzycherrycola]

Any headcanons about how many homes America and Canada have?

Yes! They have many homes.

⭐ America ⭐

In New York City, America spent decades jumping from place to place. As the city grew, he moved from a house in Manhattan, to a Brooklyn apartment, to a flat in Queens, etc. Now, despite his best efforts, his current apartment is just a box with an AC unit sticking out the window. He wishes he could have a nicer place in NYC, but the market is too hot even for him.

In Los Angeles, he managed to snag a gorgeous Santa Monica house in the early Hollywood days before prices exploded into the stratosphere. Just a short walk to the Pacific ocean, he never sold it and it’s worth its weight in gold by now.

His spot in Washington D.C. is the one he most uses; a stately, historical home that would probably be turned into a small museum if he ever decides to sell it (but he never will). Sometimes, the place can get a bit messy, with papers, file folders, and take-out containers scattered about, but he’ll tidy up when company is coming.

A farm in Ohio that has seen better days. In the early 20th century, he used the barn as a workshop to tinker with automobiles and flying machines. As a result, the barn is quite damaged, but America won’t repair it. He thinks the oil stains “add character”.

A lively hotel in Louisiana with a restaurant on the first floor. Yes, he owns the whole thing. It’s been managed by humans for generations within the same family. They cook massive Creole feasts whenever America drops by.

America doesn’t seek solitude often, but when he does, he goes to his mountain home in Colorado.

He stubbornly hangs onto his Texas ranch even though he doesn't raise cattle anymore.

Once he owned a beachfront property in Florida, but sold it after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, his childhood home in Boston caught fire after the Revolution and burnt down. The land it was on is now a popular public park with swing sets, monkey bars, and a huge curly slide. Many local children say it’s their favourite park in the city.

There are many more, of course, but those are some of his standout homes.

🍁 Canada 🍁

Of all his homes, Canada stays at his Ottawa house most often. The backyard is filled with a rainbow of tulips and it’s within cycling distance to Parliament Hill. He keeps several pairs of ice skates for himself and whoever visits during the winter, so they can go skating over the frozen Rideau Canal.

Canada’s Toronto flat is the most modern-looking of his dwellings, but that isn’t saying much. It’s an industrial loft with mismatched furniture still stuck in the 1980s. It really isn’t his favourite place, but he likes the view of the skyline at sunset.

One of his childhood homes is still standing; a humble, stonework Montreal house. It’s been restored by historical societies; fresh paint on the door, a tidy lawn, and black soot swept away. He made an arrangement to lease it as a museum, but has the opportunity to return and stay there whenever he chooses.

There’s a ramshackle log cabin he built himself in Algonquin park, many years before it was designated as parkland. To quote my NedCan fic: “... a stone base decorated in moss. Turn-of-the-century windows and an amber-stained porch pleasantly frame the main door, while the modernized roof and chimney stack create a mishmash of different eras... like a favourite worn blanket; too beloved to be discarded, and so instead is repeatedly patched.”

On the east coast, he has a home in Halifax proper. Sadly, his original was destroyed in the Halifax Explosion and was rebuilt to the standards of the 1920s. He misses his older house, because it was where Scotland would visit during his childhood.

In St. John’s, he has a very colourful building, painted bright red with white window frames and small gardens in both the front and back.

A simple, suburban bungalow in Red Deer, Alberta. Perfect for business and relaxation, because it’s halfway between both Edmonton and Calgary and keeps the Rocky Mountains within reach. Piles of hiking gear are stored in the attic, basement, and the garage. When he can spare the time, he’ll drive out to the Rockies for weeks of camping, climbing, hiking, or skiing.

His British Columbia home is surrounded by old-growth trees.

Overall, Canada tries to have at least one home in each of his provinces and territories. If, at the time of travel, he doesn’t, he'll try to lodge in a wildlife research centre. The scientists, who usually work for the government, don’t mind his presence at all.

Thank you for the ask!! 💜

#aph america #aph canada #hws america #hws canada #hetalia headcanons #alfred f jones #matthew williams #my writing #my headcanons

[accuratepicuresofanthropologists]

William Willis

William Willis was born in 1921 in Waco, Texas. His parents were affluent, college-educated African Americans. His father served first as an educator and then started a construction company. The family moved to Dallas when Willis was two "partly in response to an ultimatum from the Waco Klu Klux Klan" (Zumwalt 1). His father died a few years later and he was raised by his mother. Although he attended segregated schools, his family also traveled widely -- a habit he would keep up throughout his life.

William Willis from his Howard yearbook, via AmPhilSoc (as are all other images in this page)

Willis was a quiet, bookish child and went on to Howard University, where he graduate cum laude in 1942. It was there that he developed an interest in the sociology and history of the Black experience int he United States. Once out of school, he volunteered to join the Coast Guard and spent the war stationed in Boston. Afterwards, he decided to attend graduate school in anthropology at Columbia because he "assumed that this discipline was the vanguard in the attack against racist thought" (Zumwalt 2). He was thus in the same class of students as Eric Wolf, Marvin Harris, Morton Fried, Sydney Mintz, and Robert Murphy. He became interested in the history of Black and Indian relations, as wrote a dissertation based on library research on "colonial conflict and the Cherokee Indians, 1710-1760" and recieved his Ph.D. in 1955.

During his time at Columbia he married his life partner Georgine "Gene" Upshur, who came from a prominent African American family in Philadelphia. Her father was a Republican congressman in Pennsylvania's lower house and also, as it happened, the mortician who buried Bessie Smith, the great blues singer. She earned a BA in sociology and wanted to go on to study social work, but he father agreed to support her studies only if she also went to mortician school so that she would have a steady source of financial support. "People will always need an undertaker" he told her (Zumwalt 5). She was doing her masters in social work when she met Willis.

From 1955 to 1964 Willis tried unsuccessfully to pursue a career in anthropology. He applied to the Ford Foundation for a research grant and was turned down. He applied for teaching positions but was told by Duncan Strong (the department chair at Columbia) that no one would hire a black person. He and his wife lived in New York for nearly a decade and Willis published work while teaching part-time as a lecturer at Columbia and City College. In 1963 Willis's mother died of a heart attack and Willis and Gene decided to move back to Dallas to live in the family home.

Willis's luck turned on his return to Dallas. It was 1964, the high-water mark of the civil rights movement, and Southern Methodist University was looking to integrate its faculty. In 1965 he was hired to a position in anthropology. He was a tremendous success at the new institution, drawing large classes of students and helping to establish an MA and Ph.D. program in the department. He earned tenure and became a full professor. His wife became active in several local organizations -- at last, the Willis's were flourishing.

In the late 1960s, life again became difficult for Willis. His department chair, a racist, began harassing him -- this included actions like changing the locks on the office to his door and not giving him the key. Administrators above him supported his chair's behavior. Radical black politics came to campus, and militant student activists began making increasingly large demands on the administration. Willis -- a quite, reserved man who alway wore a bowtie in public -- found himself deeply sympathetic to the activists and became radicalized himself. As the only black professor on campus, he became a key player negotiating their relationship to the administration. It was in this context that he wrote his piece "Skeletons in the Anthropological Closet". He considered alternate titles for the essay, including "anthropologist as vulture" and "anthropologist as exploiter".

Willis at SMU, via APS

The Willises found it difficult to bear the brunt of the constant harassment they faced at SMU. Their health began to break down. Willis experienced constant pain in his abdomen and was afraid it was cancer -- in fact, it was stress. Gene began fainting in public. Willis decided to take a leave of absence in 1971 to recover. The administration then altered his request to make it a 'terminal leave of absence', making it sound as if he had resigned his position! Willis fought back against this attempt to remove him, but soon realized that if he stayed at SMU he would spend his entire life fighting the administration for his rights. When his leave of absence was over, he resigned from SMU. He had been there less than a decade.

Willis and Gene moved to Philadelphia, Gene's home town. They moved in with her mother and Gene's mortician experience ended up proving valuable, and the family business helped support both her and Willis. One of the upsides of the move was that the American Philosophical Society was based in Philly. Willis began his next and (as it turns out) final project there, combing through the massive archive of the Franz Boas paper. He became a fixture in the reading rooms of the society, well-known to the librarians and archivists who worked there. His initial plan was to write about the sort shrift Boas and his colleagues gave to Black Americans, but the more time he spent reading Boas, the more ambivalent he became. He came to see Boas as both an anti-racist activist and someone who at times seemed to harbor racist views of Black people.

Willis in the PBS Special "Shackles of Tradition" about Franz Boas. The entire documentary is on YouTube

Wilis began writing a book on the history of American anthropology's study of African Americans. Alas, this study was never to be finished. On 8 August 1983 Willis left the reading room, went home, and died of a massive heart attack. He was 62 years old. His papers are now in the APS library and his wife Gene has established a fund to support the study of race (APS Willis feature).

Via APS

Willis had little lasting influence on the discipline of anthropology. Although his "Skeletons" essay is now more widely taught, he did not train graduate students who could keep his memory alive. The first chapter of his book on Boas was published posthumously, but the rest of the work was already created. Today, Willis is remembered as a pioneer of African American anthropology but, to be honest, his biography shows us both the story of a model scholar and the tragedy of race in America.

Willis's final volume is available on JSTOR.

#William Willis #Black History #anthropology #American Philosophical Society

[blue-ravens]

David Ogden Stiers, Major Winchester on ‘M*A*S*H,’ Dies at 75

David Ogden Stiers, left, with Harry Morgan and William Christopher in a scene from “M*A*S*H.

By Anita Gates (04 March 2018)

David Ogden Stiers, the tall, balding, baritone-voiced actor who brought articulate, somewhat snobbish comic dignity to six seasons of the acclaimed television series “M*A*S*H,” died on Saturday at his home in Newport, Ore., a small coastal city southwest of Salem. He was 75.

His death was announced on Twitter by his agent, Mitchell K. Stubbs, who said the cause was bladder cancer.

Mr. Stiers joined the cast of “M*A*S*H” in 1977, when Larry Linville, who had played the pompous and inept Maj. Frank Burns, left the show. The series, a comedy-drama set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital during the Korean War, required a foil for its raucous, irreverent, martini-guzzling leads, Hawkeye Pierce (Alan Alda) and B.J. Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), and Mr. Stiers’s imperious Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester III seemed to fit the bill.

Winchester’s upper-class Boston priggishness, however, turned out to be balanced by impressive medical skills, a heartfelt appreciation of the arts, real wit and a surprising level of compassionate humanity. Winchester was, unlike Frank Burns, a worthy adversary.

From the beginning, Mr. Stiers said, he felt confident about playing Winchester. “It’s just a matter of isolating the traits” from others in his own personality, he told The Salt Lake Tribune in 1977. But he confessed to one definite difference between himself and his aristocratic character. “Where he wears a smoking jacket to bed,” he suggested, “I often wear nothing but socks.”

The role earned Mr. Stiers two Emmy nominations (in 1981 and 1982). He was nominated a third time, in 1984, for his lead role in “The First Olympics: Athens in 1896,” a dramatic mini-series.

In a statement after his death, Loretta Swit, who played Maj. Margaret (Hot Lips) Houlihan on “M*A*S*H,” called Mr. Stiers “my sweet, dear shy friend,” adding, “Working with him was an adventure.”

Mr. Stiers, right, with Mike Farrell and Alan Alda on the set of “M*A*S*H” in 1980.

David Allen Ogden Stiers was born on Oct. 31, 1942, in Peoria, Ill., the son of Kenneth Stiers and the former Margaret Elizabeth Ogden. The family later moved to Eugene, Ore., where David graduated from high school.

After briefly attending the University of Oregon, he headed to California to pursue an acting career and worked with the Santa Clara Shakespeare Festival in California for seven years. In the late 1960s, he moved to New York to study drama at Juilliard.

There he became a member of John Houseman’s City Center Acting Company, making his Broadway debut with the company in 1973. He appeared in “The Three Sisters,” “The Beggar’s Opera” and three other plays, which ran in repertory.

He continued to appear on the New York stage in the 1970s and returned to Broadway later in his career, playing a beloved wartime general in the 2009-10 holiday run of “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.”

Mr. Stiers as Reverend Brock in the musical “Tenderloin” at City Center in 2000.

Mr. Stiers had made his film debut with a small role in Jack Nicholson’s counterculture classic “Drive, He Said” (1971). That year, his voice was heard as the announcer in George Lucas’s debut feature film, the dystopian sci-fi drama “THX 1138.”

Voice roles went on to become an important part of Mr. Stiers’s career. He was in the cast of about two dozen Disney animated films, including “Lilo & Stitch” (2002), as the villain Jumba Jookiba, and “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), in which he was the voice of Cogsworth, a strong-willed pendulum clock. That character, often described as “tightly wound” and “ticked off,” suggests to the Beast at one point that he woo his love with “flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep.”

Other movie work included roles in “Oh, God!” (1977), “The Man With One Red Shoe” (1985), “The Accidental Tourist” (1988) and four Woody Allen films. (He was a peculiar hypnotist in Mr. Allen’s “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion.”) His last screen appearance was in “The Joneses Unplugged,” a 2017 television movie about technology overload.

Like his “M*A*S*H” character, Mr. Stiers was a devoted fan of classical music. He conducted frequently and was the resident conductor of the Newport Symphony Orchestra (formerly the Yaquina Chamber Orchestra) in Oregon.

He never married. Some reports have suggested that he is survived by a son from an early relationship.

In early 2009, at 66, Mr. Stiers announced that he was gay and “very proud to be so” in a blog interview that was reported by ABC News. His secrecy, he said, had been strictly about the fear that openness about his sexuality might affect his livelihood. Now he regretted that.

“I wish to spend my life’s twilight being just who I am,” he said.

#i've not been able to read it since 2018 and i kinda needed to cry over it again #and sorry to kick off october on a sad note but i wanted this preserved somewhere that wasn't behind a fucking nyt paywall #shoutout to 15ft who always has my back <3 #also thanks to finding this again i found a copy of 'tenderloin' cast recording on ebay so maybe i'll upload that later #i mean i'd like to unpack literally everything in this but tbh i just want to present this without comment and just let it be #david ogden stiers #mash #blue's post