#Red Cherry Entertainment celebrating

[pinksturniolo]

Switch - Chris and Matt Sturniolo (Part One)

Chris x Matt and Fem Reader

Summary: Cherry Bomb - The largest underground BDSM club in Los Angeles, California. Its member list is extremely exclusive, only granting access to celebrities, influencers and the filthy rich. No one really cares who you are or what you do, they come for one thing and one thing only. Whatever happens at the Cherry stays at the Cherry….

Content warnings: smut, oral, fingering, protected sex, bondage, spanking, teasing, threesome

this story has heavy themes and descriptions of bdsm, so if you’re not comfortable with that pls don’t read <3

word count: 3,879

Neon lights bounce off the shiny black walls, loud music playing but not too loud that you can’t hear what the blonde guy next to you is saying. He’s been talking your ear off for the last 20 minutes, while you zone out, sipping on your lemon club soda. This was the only time you wished they served alcohol here so you could at least be tipsy enough to endure the men that have been approaching you tonight.

Your usual partner hasn’t shown up yet and you have already been here for almost an hour. You try to ignore the slight ache in your chest though, focusing your attention back to the man next to you.

“So, how long you been coming here?” He asks.

“About 6 months now.” You reply.

“Damn, I feel like an amateur." He laughs, “This is only my second time.”

Obviously.

You hated to think so rudely but every person you’ve talked to tonight just wasn’t the one you preferred. You were starting to get extremely impatient, wondering where he was. He was never late.

As if your internal monologue has been heard by a higher power, you feel a hand on the back of your neck and turn in your seat to see the same man you were just thinking of. He has a dark look on his face as he eyes the person next to you.

“I don’t think she’s very interested buddy, why don’t you go bother some other poor girl.” He says to him, his hand now curling around your shoulder possessively.

The blonde guy’s face reddens with embarrassment as he quickly scrambles up from his chair. “Sorry man, I didn’t know she was yours.” he says and quickly walks off.

You scoff as your partner sits next to you, ordering a water from the waitress.

“That was unnecessary.” You say, his face still annoyed as he relaxes into the chair, his arm still slung around the back of you. He takes a long sip of his water, avoiding looking at you. You see his jaw clench and he runs a hand through his hair before speaking.

“What were you doing talking to that loser anyways?” He finally asks, making eye contact with you and he looks pissed.

“Oh my god, are you jealous Matt? Maybe you should’ve been here on time before other guys had the chance to talk to me.” you reply, a teasing smile appearing on your face.

He then grabs the side of your chair, pulling it forcefully towards him, causing you to gasp out. Your thighs are touching, and his hand moves from the back of your chair to the nape of your neck, sliding up to knot his fingers in your hair and pull slightly.

“Maybe you shouldn’t entertain other men when I’m not around and wait patiently for me like a good girl. Or do you need me to remind you who you belong to? Hm?” He whispers in your ear threateningly. Your core pulses with arousal at his words, his warm breath on your neck causing tingles to shoot down your spine.

So of course, this leads to you replying with a smart remark, which makes him take you to the candy room and punish you until you beg for forgiveness.

There were numerous rooms in the club that members could use, their time limit being an hour. But the main rooms that were larger and you could reserve for however long you wanted (at a high price) were only four. The star room, the red room, the flower room and the candy room.

The candy room is where you and Matt spend most of your encounters together at the Cherry Bomb. However, there’s nothing sweet about it besides the name. Its walls are painted red, a black bed with silk sheets in the middle and glossy black floors. There’s a cabinet of floggers, ropes, leather and fuzzy cuffs, vibrators and anything else you can imagine.

There’s no particular reason why it’s your favorite but Matt has been reserving it for you since you met him here and it’s become a routine on a Saturday night, twice a month.

Cherry Bomb has been around since the late 80s and has done a particularly good job at keeping its participants a secret, mainly due to the NDA you have to sign upon your first entry, along with a recent STD panel and heavy entrance fee. They also prohibited alcohol and drug use.

You were referred by one of your friends, which made it easier for you to get in. The money was no issue for you, but the wait list was long and having a friend on the inside had its benefits.

You instantly loved it from the first time you came. The atmosphere wasn’t grungy or too dark like you would expect a typical sex club to be. No one seemed to care who you were here, there was no judgement, and it was a safe place to act out your wildest fantasies, with whoever you choose.

You had had experiences with a couple different men and women, all which were satisfying for the most part. Most people had a habit of choosing a particular partner and being loyal to them, while others constantly swapped, not staying with one person too long.

When you met Matt, you instantly clicked, and found something in him that you hadn’t felt with any other member. He approached you one night, his demeanor confident but also calm. The energy flowed between you two, and once he got you to the room alone, it was fireworks. He was very clear on consent being an important aspect and boundaries were established before anything else.

Matt was a switch, like you. While most of the time he preferred to be dominate, he could also be submissive which was heaven to you. You loved it when he took control, using your body however he pleased, and he knew the best way to handle your brattiness. Because as much as it felt good to submit to him, you also had a fiery attitude which only made the pleasure of his punishment better.

He made you beg till you cried, spanked you so hard you had marks for weeks, and would tie you to the bed and fuck you until your brain was fuzzy, and your throat was raw from screaming his name. Making you cum over and over again until you were numb.

But when he was the submissive for the night… it was a whole different experience. There was nothing better than the feeling of him begging you to please him, demanding him to do whatever you wanted. Edging him until he was whimpering for you, teasing him and seeing how much he enjoyed it. Nothing compared.

And the best part about Matt that you liked, was that he always took the time to make sure you had the proper after care after each session. Cleaning you up, getting you water if you needed it, and even massaging your body if he went particularly hard on you that night.

He was currently holding you after tonight's session was done, rubbing small soothing circles on your back, your head cradled against his chest. You can hear his heart beating at a relaxed pace, calming you as your own heart slows down to match his tempo.

He breaks the sweet silence, his velvety voice pulling you out of your trance. “Y/N… I have a question for you.”

“Mhm?” You mumble, your fatigue settling in.

“How do you feel about a threesome?” He says, his hand stroking over the top of your head.

You’re alert now, lifting your head to turn and look at him. His eyes are half closed, a lazy smile on his face as he waits for your answer.

“I think it’s pretty hot. Is that something you want to do?” You reply.

“Are you comfortable with that?” He asks.

“I’ve experienced them before, yes. Depends… who would it be with?”

His bottom lip is pulled in between his teeth, a contemplative look on his face.

“I know someone that’s interested. In you. He’s always wanted to come to Cherry but he’s hesitant.” Matt says and your heart rate picks up a little at his words.

“He’s interested in me?” You ask, surprised at the fact that Matt talks about you outside of the club. That would be breaking the NDA.

He strokes his hand over the side of your face, caressing your jaw with his fingers. His eyes are soft, like they always are at the end of the night, adoring you with affection.

“Sorry, princess. I know I’m technically not supposed to talk to anyone about this. But I trust him… and I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you would be upset.” He says.

You sit up now, fully facing him, and place your arms on either side of him, one hand resting on his chest and the other on his bicep.

“I know, I’m not upset. I’m flattered actually.” You say, smirking, the idea of what he’s proposing piquing your curiosity.

“Mm. Don’t get too cocky. But if you would like to try it out, I’ll tell him to come with me next time.” He tells you.

Your mind races at the thought of a threesome with him and another man, wondering how exactly that would change the dynamic between you two. Matt could be a little possessive and you were more than satisfied with just him as your partner but it made you think of how he would be able to share you. It excites you. He must trust this other person a lot.

“Who is it?” You ask him and he clicks his tongue, shaking his head at you with an amused look.

“It’s a surprise.”

✰✿

You return to Cherry Bomb two weeks later, more nervous than you had been any other time you’ve come. But your anticipation outweighs your nerves as you sit at the bar, patiently waiting for Matt. You’re wearing a skin tight black lace dress that’s basically see through, showing your matching black lingerie set underneath. Sleek red heels are on your feet, your hair falling in soft loose waves that frame your face and a light coat of mascara through your eyelashes.

You took the time to put extra effort into your appearance tonight, and practically everyone in the club notices, staring at you as they wander around. But you pay no mind, your focus on the soda in front of you. Matt would be fuming with rage if he knew you were entertaining anyone else tonight and usually you would play with fire but given the special circumstances, you decided not to mess with him tonight.

The waitress hands you a note, pulling you out of your thoughts. She smiles at you politely before walking off, attending to another customer.

Meet me in the red room.

It’s Matt’s handwriting. He’s never done this before, always meeting you at the bar and then escorting you to your usual room. Your palms sweat as you stand from your chair and make your way to the large room at the end of the hall with the red door.

The red room. It was the largest room in the club, and the only one you hadn’t been in before. You’ve heard rumors of how luxurious it was which is why it was so hard to book. How Matt was able to get it tonight, you’re not sure.

You take a deep breath and adjust your dress, pushing the door open. The cool air of the room hits you, tiny goosebumps erupting on your skin. Your heart picks up speed at the sight of Matt centered directly at the center edge of the bed. He’s also dressed in all black, his eyes roaming up and down your body in hunger as you saunter over to him.

Wait. Is that Matt? You pause in front of him, a few feet away. His hair is longer, and his face is extremely similar but with a slight difference. And his aura is arrogant. But when you make eye contact with him, you feel butterflies gather in your stomach, his blue eyes making you drown with attraction. It’s the same feeling Matt gives you but there’s something different about him.

You now realize it’s not Matt at all.

The smug smile on his lips that’s been growing since he noticed the confusion on your face only widens, his hands gripping the sides of the bed, making the muscles in his arm flex. He looks incredibly strong.

“Looking for someone?” He asks teasingly and you can already feel the pool of wetness growing by the second in your underwear.

“Where’s Matt?” You ask sweetly, tilting your head. Your arms are crossed and your eyes narrow, fighting the smile that threatens to break through.

Let the games begin.

The stranger in front of you chuckles, leaning back on his arms now, his legs spreading slightly in jeans. He licks his lips, looking you up and down again. You can’t help but do the same.

“What’s wrong sweetheart? Don’t like what you see?” He says, his bottom lip stuck out in a fake pout.

You smile at him, mocking the tone in his voice. “I prefer princess.”

He laughs lowly, biting his lip and looks behind you. “You weren’t lying when you said she was a brat.” He says and you whip your head around, shocked to see Matt sitting in the love seat at the corner of the room.

You hadn’t noticed him at all when you walked in, given the darkness of the room and the fact he was so quiet during your exchange.

Matt has a blank expression, not looking at you. “Call her whatever you want, Chris.”

You can see that he’s dressed in a plain white shirt and black jeans. It’s simple, like the clothes he usually wears but he still looks incredible.

You’re still turned towards him, giving Chris a full view of your ass now, which you’re sure he’s appreciating.

“I didn’t know you had a twin.” You tell him, your eyebrows raised in amusement.

The corners of his lips twitch as he fights a smile, exchanging a look with Chris that you can’t decipher. “There’s a lot of things about me you don’t know.”

He gets up from his seat now and crosses the room to where you are. You’re about to respond with a witty remark but he’s suddenly gripping your arms, turning you around forcefully to face Chris again.

Your ass is pressed into his crotch, and you feel him harden against you. You gasp lightly as he places his mouth next to your ear, whispering lowly.

“That’s enough from you, Princess. I suggest you keep your mouth shut unless it’s a yes or no. Understand?”

You nod slowly, and Chris watches with fascination at the way Matt handles you. You can see how visibly turned on he is, his boner straining through his jeans.

You’re more aroused than you’ve ever been, the feeling of Matt’s strong grip on your arms, as he places soft wet kisses on the curve of your neck and the look in Chris’ eyes as they burn into yours, his pupils blown out.

“Are you comfortable? You know your safe word, right?” He asks you, his tone a little lighter. He wraps one hand around your throat, the other on your left hip and squeezes.

“Yes.” You breathe. “Good.” He replies, releasing you completely and you feel him back up from behind you. “Now get on your knees.”

Your heart races as you sink down, Chris’ eyes following your every moment. He hasn’t taken them off you since you entered the room and something in his eyes made you very nervous but incredibly excited at the same time.

Matt is now seated on the opposite side of the room, in a large leather chair. He’s directly in front of you now, to the side of Chris. You sit obediently on your knees, your eyes still focused on him as he speaks his next set of instructions.

“Why don’t you show Chris how you put that mouth to good use.” he says, nodding his head for you to continue.

You swallow and look away from Matt now, to see an enticing smirk on his brother’s face. He spreads his legs farther open as he adjusts himself on the bed, unbuckling his belt from his jeans. He places it on the mattress next to him and pulls his jeans down and off his legs.

You scoot closer to him, positioning yourself between his legs, your hands resting on top of his thighs. The look in your eyes is enough to get his heart racing like yours, and he curls a finger under your chin, tugging your face closer to him as he leans down.

“Let me taste your lips, sweetheart.” He says softly and connects his mouth to yours.

Now you can tell the real difference between them. Matt is harsh, yet caring. His energy penetrates you with a feeling of deep connection, a tie that binds you to him in one more ways then one. The trust you two have built over the past few months comes through when your bodies mesh with one another. He knows just what to say to please you and you in return, love to obey his every wish and command.

But Chris… he kisses you like he’s starving. He’s sweet, yet strong. It’s all new territory to explore, and you can almost taste the desperation on his tongue. His hands are soft against your face, warmth flooding your body at the feeling of his touch. You wonder just how much Matt has expressed to him, what secrets he’s revealed about all the sinful, delicious acts you’ve conceived with him in the candy room.

Chris is magnetic, his wet, hot kisses making you ache in your core. He finally pulls away from you, his jaw clenched, his eyebrows furrowed in a dark look. “Take your dress off.” He speaks.

You pull it off with no hesitation, up and over your head, now in your lingerie beneath him.

He drinks in the sight of your half naked body, your tits pushing against your bra, the hem of your black thong high on your hips and you slip your heels off.

He pulls his dick out, red tip leaking with precum already. He’s practically the same length as Matt, with a little more girth. It’s a little intimidating but your needs overpower, your mouth watering as you look at him.

You open your mouth, puckering your lips to let a pool of saliva drip down onto his length and you make eye contact with Matt, the look he gives you making a spark run through you.

Chris groans as you look back at him, spreading your spit down him with your hand before you wrap your lips around his tip, swirling your tongue. “Shit… feels so fucking good.” He rasps.

His chest is moving up and down as he breathes deeply, exhaling from his nose as he grits his teeth, and you take him further into your mouth. It’s a little hard to adjust to his size but you do, bobbing your head as he brushes the back of your throat, making you gag slightly.

He moans loudly, bucking his hips up slightly. He pulls your hair back from your face, holding it into a ponytail, tightly, pulling at your hair a little. This makes you moan in return around him, his eyes rolling into the back of his head at the pleasure. The air in the room is thick now, the sounds of Chris fucking your mouth and his groaning filling the space. You can feel Matt’s stare on you, and your knees dig into the softness of the shaggy black carpet, your grip on Chris’s thighs tightening.

“Fuck.” He pants, and moves his hands down your back, your body bending slightly so your ass poked out, allowing him access to feel you up. He caresses the flesh of your cheeks, massaging them before he brings one hand down to smack you.

You jolt slightly, not expecting him to do that, and hum around him, your thighs clenching.

“Yeah? You like that?” he says, smacking you once more, making it sting a little. You make another noise of approval, his cock still stuffed down your throat but then pull out, with a response you’re later bound to regret. “Not hard enough.”

You look up through your lashes at him and your heart races from how mad he looks. When Matt gets that mad, his eyes glaze over, and his face is cold. But Chris smiles. Even though his eyes are hard, there’s a grin on his face that says, ‘You have no idea what you just started.’  It’s insanely attractive.

He then reaches next to him, the metal of his belt clanking. He folds it, and you see the genuine leather thick in his hand.

He grabs the back of your head, knotting his fingers in your hair. “Did I tell you to stop?”

You glance at Matt and his hand palms over the hardness in his jeans, his other hand gripping on the arm of the chair.

Fuck.

You take Chris into your mouth again, your ass in the air for him. He sighs as he slips back down your throat, dragging the belt across you. He does this agonizingly slow, your head working on him. Finally, he slaps your it on your ass, hard. You moan loudly, your nails digging into his thighs. “How’s that, princess?”

You breathe out hard from your nose, the harsh sting of the belt lingering. Chris rubs his hand over your cheek, soothing the skin there, allowing you a few seconds of relief before he brings it down against you again, a loud smack ringing in the air.

You cry out, tears forming in your eyes and bring your head up slightly, gasping for air.

See, the pain… the pain sucked. You saw red each time you were punished like this but after the few seconds of hurt passes, you feel a rush of euphoria, and tingles of pleasure you just can’t get enough of.

“Hm? Don’t got anything to say now? Is this what you wanted?” Chris says, his large hands squeezing and rubbing you, before bringing his belt down once more against you. All you can do now is whimper, your actions on Chris at a complete stop, while you grip his thighs, tears now streaming down your face, mascara running.

You look up at him through your pitiful tears, his teeth sunken into his bottom lip so hard it almost draws blood. Your face is flushed, lips red and swollen. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.” He whispers and your heart flutters at his compliment.

You wonder if Matt heard and flick your gaze to him again. His jeans are unbuttoned now, his black boxers showing, his hand still on himself but not moving. He smirks, enjoying the fucked out look on your face.

Chris then grips your jaw in his hand, forcing you to look back at him.

“What do you think Matt? Think she deserves to cum?”

“Give her what she wants.” He replies.

a/n: soooo this one was supposed to be a full one shot but i had to split it into two parts or else it was gonna be too long lol i had this idea in my head i just had to write it out, so i promise i'll work on the final part of my matt series soon!!

taglist <3 :

@christhopersturniolo @sturniolopepsi @tillies33ssss @whicked-hazlatwhore @riasturns @junnniiieee07 @junovrsmp4 @sturnsjtop @seahorsie11 @inveigledvex @honestlyjb @mattslolita @stingerayyy2 @glassesmattsbae @eryismum @sturncakez @sturnioloco @wh0resstuff @muwapsturniolo

#matthew sturniolo fanfic #sturniolo triplets #chris sturniolo #christopher sturniolo #sturniolo fanfic #matt sturniolo #sturniolo smut #sturniolo x reader #chris sturniolo fanfic

[writer-in-theory]

berry sweet on your lips

TW: Period-typical homophobia, Some Internalized homophobia, Implied abuse (Steve's dad is a pos)

When Steve was seven, his Mama caught him in her makeup.

He was sitting up on the bathroom counter, sloppily drawn eyeliner over his eyelids and trying to apply bright cherry red lipstick to his lips without smearing. The application process required so much focus he hadn't realized when the front door opened downstairs, or when his mom called repeatedly for him to come down to dinner. He did hear the surprised little yelp from her though, and the sigh once she realized which eyeliner he'd accidentally broken.

"Honey, those aren't toys to play with." His Mama's voice was tight like she was barely containing her frustration at the lost products. Dad always made her upset, and Steve didn't want to add to it. So it didn't seem like a good time to correct her, that no, he wasn't trying to play. He'd seen how pretty makeup could make people, and he wanted it. He wanted to be pretty.

Instead, he sighed and nodded, hopping down from the counter. "Sorry, Mama."

"It's okay, baby, that stuff just isn't for kids to play with. C'mon, let's get you washed up and we can get some dinner."

It wasn't the last time he'd thought about makeup, though it took years until Steve found the courage to try again.

--

It happened when he was fourteen in Carol Perkins's basement. He, Tommy, and Carol spent most nights together anymore. The Perkins' always volunteered to babysit Steve when he was younger and his Mama started going on business trips with his dad, and they always let Tommy come over so he wouldn't be left out. That basement with its bright tie-dyed blankets scattered around and posters of every attractive celebrity you could imagine felt more like home than his own house.

Maybe that was why he felt so comfortable suggesting it in the first place.

"Ugh, I need more girl friends, honestly," Carol groaned, flopping back onto the pile of pillows and blankets she'd acquired.

"What now? We're not entertaining enough?" Tommy teased from where he and Steve were playing air hockey. Steve's knuckles were sure to bruise tomorrow from the speed with which they were knocking the puck at each other but they hadn't stopped laughing yet. "Need to go braid Tina's hair and talk about boys?"

"You're not boring," Carol clarified, "but it'd be nice to do someone's makeup and talk about boys every once in awhile. A girl needs some gossip."

Tommy laughed, so Steve laughed too because it seemed the right thing to do. But really...it didn't sound so bad, did it? So when the laughter died down, he spoke up. "You could put makeup on me, I don't care," Steve shrugged.

He did. He did care so much. Even the thought of it made his heart flutter, threatening to fly away at any second.

"Really?" Carol raise one eyebrow, sitting all the way up and twisting around to face him. "You'd let me put makeup on you? The whole thing, I don't do boring makeup."

"C'mon, man, don't let her do that to you," Tommy groaned, but Steve just shrugged again and abandoned the air hockey table, coming over to sit down on the floor with Carol.

"It washes off, right?" As if he hadn't known how easy it was to swipe off red lipstick, though it would always leave a deep tint to his lips like he'd been eating berries. "It can't hurt."

It at least made Carol happy, and seeing her smile as she rushed off to retrieve her makeup bag made Tommy's grumbles about ditching the game worth it.

And you know, it was fun. Carol was actually gentle, and seemed to know what she was doing. Steve had his eyes closed most of the time while she brushed powder and liner on them, as she swiped mascara on and tried to perfect whatever glamorous look she'd seen in her latest magazine. She did talk about boys too, all about which girl had crushes on each boy that they knew, and why Eric Thompson was the most crushed on boy in Hawkins Middle.

"Eric Thompson? Get a grip, Perkins, you can do so much better than him," Steve told her, laughing at her indignant shout.

"Seriously. The guy's a total meathead," Tommy called from where he was sprawled out across one of the couches, idly watching whatever movie the Perkins' decided to rent for the night.

"You're a total meathead," Carol shot back in return. "Not Stevie here, though. No, I think after I tell all the girls about what a good guy you are, you'll be the new king of Hawkins Middle."

"Screw Hawkins Middle, I better be king of Hawkins High for this," Steve laughed, only because he had no idea how to thank her for it. By the time he'd left the Perkins' house the next morning, the bright eyeshadow and tacky lip gloss had been washed away but the feeling of pure peace it had brought him persisted.

--

Steve hadn't dared try again, not until he was sixteen and saw a guy wearing nail polish. It was one of the Seniors, the one who wore all black and who the whole basketball team called The Freak. And maybe he was a freak, Steve didn't really ever have a reason to talk to him and find out, but the sight of the swath of black over his nails left Steve breathless.

"You taking photography this semester, Harrington?" The guy—something Munson, Steve thinks—asked when Steve hadn't stopped staring in the hallway.

"Huh?" Steve startled, looking down both sides of the hallway as if to check if any of his friends were seeing who he was talking to. "No?"

"Shame," Munson let out a little 'tsk' noise, the way Steve's dad always did when he was disappointed. "You could've taken a picture and made it last longer."

Oh, oh. Steve's face flushed red, and the second he saw a flash of another green and orange letterman he panicked. They would know, oh God they'd see him with The Freak and it would all be over, they would figure out that he wanted to paint his nails too and—

Steve wasn't proud of the words spoken after that. They lingered far after he'd said them, swirling in his head until it sounded a little more like his dad was repeating them over and over again, reminding Steve of just what kind of person he was to stay clear away from.

It was that guilt that finally convinced him to go to Melvald's, where the kind woman at the counter didn't question why he was buying the cheapest makeup products he could find. He didn't even know if any of it would look good together, he just knew he needed it. He needed a way to see himself like this before he messed up again where someone could see, where someone could figure him out.

And so began the careful ritual. Every night he'd rush home from practice, lock his bedroom door even though he knew his parents were away on another trip, and swipe the makeup over his eyes, cheeks, lips. He got better at it with every attempt, until the liner wasn't shaky and his lipstick didn't look like it had already been kissed off (and now, wasn't that a thought).

--

Except that was the trouble with secrets, wasn't it? They couldn't stay buried for long, not when Hawkins was so small and this felt so much larger than the town, than the state, than anything Steve had ever been apart of.

It was only a matter of time until his dad found out.

That night he'd been sloppy, unprepared for his parents to come home early. The light in the upstairs bathroom had gone out and instead of changing it he'd moved downstairs, where the lights had already been switched out to a cooler white that made it easier to see what colors he was painting his skin with.

Steve Harrington was pretty sure he would die that night, all over deep red lipstick and perfectly-drawn eyeliner.

He didn't know where he was running to, all he knew was that he couldn't stay in Loch Nora. He ran until he was near the edge of town, nothing but trees and the one road leading out surrounded him. Steve hadn't had his car keys on him, and there was no way he could go back for them without facing his dad's righteous anger. Steve let out a painful cry, finding nothing left to do but lay down on the pavement and stare at the stars. He was barely eighteen, no car, no money except whatever bills were stuffed in his pocket, no plan. Just himself and that damned red lipstick still lingering like berry-stained evidence on his lips.

He didn't move for anything. Not when the night grew chilly enough to freeze his joints and prick up goosebumps on his arms. Not when the rumble of an old car engine came roaring in the distance, or for the subsequent squeal of brakes and a loud horn.

"Shit, Harrington, I know you have air for a brain but what the fuck are you do—" The person cut themselves off, like from seeing the state of him. They'd probably hit him too, kick at him while he was down because why the fuck did he think he could get away with this shit in the middle of nowhere Indiana?

"Shit, Harrington," the voice hissed again, sounding as pained as Steve thought he should feel.

"Get on with it," Steve voiced, voice rough with tears and the violent yells his dad had hit out of him.

"Get on with what?"

Steve rolled his eyes, turning his head to meet Eddie Munson's gaze. He wondered if he still painted his nails. He wondered if it even mattered, because even Eddie Munson didn't do what Steve did. "I'm tired, man. If you're gonna get your revenge on me make it quick."

That startled Eddie, reminding Steve of just how expressive the guy was. It was almost humorous, the way his head reeled back and his eyes widened impossibly far.

"Get in the van, Harrington."

Right, if Eddie was gonna murder him he couldn't do it out in the open, not where anyone could be driving by.

So Steve picked himself up from the ground, not bothering to brush off his jeans before sliding into the passenger seat. They didn't talk the whole drive. No music played. They just sat in complete and total silence, punctuated only by the nervous taps of Eddie's hand on the steering wheel.

Eddie Munson must be stupider than he was. Most murderers wouldn't drive their victim to their own trailer before finishing the job. Though, Steve supposed all Eddie had to say was that he saw Steve Harrington wearing lipstick and it'd all be waved away. Upstanding citizen, that Eddie Munson was.

"Shower's back there, there's a first aid kit on the shelf," Eddie spoke, unable to stand still once they got inside the trailer.

And that, well that was just downright weird. Steve tilted his head to the side, eyeing the little hallway Eddie waved his hand at like it might jump at him. "What's happening?"

"What do you mean?" Eddie sounded tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks. Steve felt like he'd never slept at all, like he might never again.

"You...aren't you gonna...?"

"I mean, I could if you think you're gonna fall," Eddie said nervously, eyes also watching the hallway. "Just tryin' to protect your modesty, man."

"What?" Nothing was making sense, and Steve was beginning to wonder if maybe his head had hit the tile floor one too many times because this was supposed to be simple, cut and dry.

"Can you just go clean up, Harrington?"

"Why?"

"Because I hate seeing all that damn blood on you, okay?" Eddie snapped out, voice raising in pitch the more worked up he got. "I don't know what the hell happened, but I hate it."

Oh.

"You're not...you're not gonna...?" Steve repeated, including a lackluster air punch.

That seemed to make everything click in place for Eddie. He sucked in a breath and both hands flew to the top of his head, scraping through his unruly curls. "Shit, you think? Nah, man, I'm not a piece of shit like whoever did that to you. C'mon."

Eddie started walking down the hallway, and honestly this all felt so vaguely dreamlike Steve couldn't do anything but follow, wordlessly sitting on the toilet lid where Eddie waved for him to be. The other man was knelt between his legs, wiping off his face with a wet washcloth. His touch was gentle, experienced as he wiped away the blood and set to work rubbing antibiotic onto each open cut.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Steve whispered out, eyes focused on the barest hint of eyeliner on Eddie's eyes. The other man clearly wasn't wearing it to be pretty though. No, this was drawn on with intentional haste, and made Eddie look so fucking badass that Steve didn't know what to do about it. "I sucked in school. I was awful to you."

Eddie's hands didn't stop, brown eyes focused on Steve's lips as he wiped at the split in the lower one. He could see the breath hitch in the other man's chest though, a quick collapse of Eddie's chest before his breath restarted at a normal rhythm. "You did suck, but that doesn't mean you deserve this."

Steve didn't say anything else, couldn't really. Not when the lump in his throat grew until he was sure he would never be able to breathe again, and the tears began to spill without inhibition. And Eddie, well Eddie let him. He just kept patching him up, never saying anything, never berating him or looking disgusted by the tears. He just sat with Steve while he let it out, eyes looking to Steve's every so often as if to check he was okay.

"I think something's wrong with me." The whisper sounded so loud in the tiny bathroom, echoing around and around and smacking into Steve's chest repeatedly.

"No." It was the first time Eddie seemed bothered by anything Steve said all night, fingers gripping tightly around the corner of the counter he was holding to keep himself steady. "There's nothing wrong with you."

Steve opened his mouth to say something, but Eddie cut him off. He looked Steve right in the eyes, a kind of fire lighting up in those dark brown eyes of his. "Steve Harrington, there is nothing wrong or broken or shameful about you. So you like to wear makeup, lots of guys do."

"I've never met anyone who does."

"Because you're in Bumfuck, Indiana," Eddie continued on, never sounding more passionate than he did now. It was intense, sure, but Steve had longed for someone, anyone, to say what Eddie was now. And of course it was the guy with the painted nails he'd been enraptured by years before. "Just you wait, pretty boy, there's a whole world out there with people like us."

Like us. Like us.

"C'mon, you need some sleep. We can figure out the details in the morning."

"Wait...what?"

Eddie laughed a little, shattering the heavy moment with a burst of pure warmth. He stood up and offered a ringed hand out to help Steve up despite him not needing it. Eddie's hand was cold in his own, but it felt right there.

"Try to keep up, Harrington," he teased. "If you don't mind sharing a bed, you can stay here. Us freaks have to stick together, right?"

"I mean...your uncle won't...?"

"Nah, Wayne'll love pissin' Robert Harrington off," Eddie answered coolly, "And he's cool with...everything."

And despite Steve's skepticism, he was. Wayne Munson was pretty much the greatest support anyone could ever have. His face had flashed dangerously when Steve admitted what happened, saying the world had no place for men who hit their boys (Steve wondered only briefly why the topic seemed to pain Wayne so much). And living with Eddie Munson, well, it was great. The trailer was small and Eddie kicked in his sleep, but Eddie also smiled from the second he was awake and the no place had ever quite felt like home in the way the Munson trailer did.

And the next time Steve found the courage to sit and do his makeup, it came with bright smiles instead of that old, lingering fear.

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #kinda #they'll get there #stranger things #steve x eddie #canon divergence #au no upside down #tw homophobia #tw implied abuse #jay writes in theory #this is totally unedited sorry you get it as is #steddie headcanon #steddie ficlet

[thetistaboveall]

Lawrence’s Fantasy Hotel

Famous actors Benjamin Affleck, Ian Bohen and Jamie Lomas are honor guests at the opening of my brand now one of kind hotel experience to bring your deepest fantasies to life. They are paying me to entertain as they stay at my Fantasy resort with their choice of celebrity slave pets.

Benjamin Affleck is the first time honored guest to arrive as the limo is pulling up to the curb the door pop open and he steps on to the red carpet and even though he hates the celebrity.He can’t stand these events yet the camera set up is flashing so brightly, clicking so very loud at the sound of it all and the sexy smile of his crept on to his face spreading wildly in everyone’s face.His mind goes completely blank propelling his feet to move forward on to the cherry red carpet and a male escort guides him to the swinging double doors as they enter in to the room.

“Mr Affleck! Welcome to the event! Please do follow me.”

“I can’t help but do that”

“Our owner is awaiting us”

“I feel so weird”

“You feel perfectly fine “

“Yeah! I feel fantastic “

“Obviously! Thank you “

“Go inside the room”

“Yes! Thank you “

“What is this place?”

“Hello? Oh! He left “

“Anybody here?”

“Actually! I am the only one here”

“You are in another space and time”

“I’m sorry! Excuse me! Who are you?”

“Mwahahahahaha! Follow the path with your eyes.”

“That’s it! You see the red dot “

“YES! My eyes are fixated on it”

“Precisely! You are my project “

“I choose you to be the main guest tonight “

“I don’t understand “

“Stop trying to be some hero”

“You are not Batman”

“You are a burly chump “

“Ouch!l

“Did I hurt your feelings?”

“Maybe! It was kind of a turn off”

Something is off in the air as the dot grows it explodes covering the entirety of the wall shooting to cover over the other three walls and soon ceiling and the floor all of the color flows off.Forming a ball in the air the ball penetrates every sense in existence leaving him to his core shaking and eventually in a massive shambles. Ben is falling forward on to ten ground.The room begins to spin swooshing around and around till he faints everything goes in to spiral like situation and when he woke up he is now standing in the middle of my hotel room with a sexy smile and breaks out in a dance.

“Hello Sirs! Happy Birthday Jack. Let’s dance baby. I am about to strip!”

Ian Bohen does not know why or how he is now ending up next to Ben Affleck on stage hosting and presenting for a birthday party but yes he felt at home like he never wanted to be excited.The door soon lock surrounding us as the cool air from the vent sharply swooping all over the room hits Ian head on sending him flying on to the floor and his clothes strip open.He rises up unable to comprehend what is going on but Ben helps him up ripping off his clothes and Ian cannot do anything to stop it or help himself up as he wraps his arms over him.

“Ssshh….Command Prompt”

“Command please “

“It’s time”

“Everyone strip show”

“Pump the music”

“Dance off”

“Fuck yeah”

“Watch my ass “

“You see how it jingles “

“I feel enthralled “

“I am HOT”

“Mind if I join you babe?”

Ian can’t help himself bouncing on to the wall of the room doing a sexual sliding down the aisle moaning in pleasure in between my man Ben doing a back flip as the crowd Is roaring in excitement.Ian jumps up in to the backward forming a cannon ball landing before belting a note into the air and spinning in to the birthday boi Jack himself and sits on his lap with a wink.He does an unbelievable display of flirtatious then sits forward, placing his hand wrapping on is neck and doing a sexual lunges forces his cock to strengthen and grow forward a it presses on his pants.

“Hey babe!”

“Happy Birthday “

“Lay back”

“God! You are full and thick”

“How do you like my ass?”

“Kiss me”

“Lick my face “

“Mmmmm”

“Call me a good boi”

“Mmmmm”

“You say it so well”

“Fills my slave heart “

“FUCK!”

“YES”

“Fuck me!”

“So excited to be here bros”

“I’ve waited for my chance “

“Here we go”

“Stop flashing that in my eyes mate”

“Mate! I said “

“Mate!”

“Will you join me Jamie ?”

“Okay! Why not?”

“Great! Sleep”

“Command me”

“Showcase”

“Dance off”

“Party man”

“Yo bros!

“Want to see these pecs”

“My body is a toy”

“You mate come and feel them”

“I knew you love these guns”

“These are my guns “

“Kiss them”

“Ooohhh! Lick them “

“Take a deep breath”

“Inhale me”

“My every scent “

“My swerve”

“I smell good”

“Manly and musky “

“I bet you want “

“Bounce with Me”

“On my lips “

The end

#Hollywood Hotel Chain #ben affleck #ian bohen #Jaime Lomas #hotel fantasy #on stage #dance #party #mind corruption #mind conditioning #mind control

[tpotr]

Can you make a short fanfic we’re aerea is jealous because rhaegal dances with some lady and she tells rhaegal that

Now, anon, I have no idea how you found this blog before I made it public, but well — I guess we're opening this blog with this! Thank you for this opportunity. So yes, I can and I did. If I had to place this little oneshot on the timeline, it would take place at 126AC (two years forward from where we are as of chapter 19). Genderbent!Helaegon | Humor/Fluff | A part of a series | wc: 761

Aerea’s nameday has been quite the success.

It has been planned down to the very finest of details. Gold thread tablecloths graced the tables, as well as the roasted chickens cooked gold themselves — his wife’s favourite to wash down with Highgarden’s sweetwine. Rhaegal has even convinced Mother to employ some street performers from down the city as the main entertainment; on the off-chance he and Aerea leave the keep, their routines made her laugh loudest.

Countless lords and ladies came to celebrate his wife’s twentieth anniversary on this earth, dancing and singing and gifting all there is to gift. New jewels and dresses and books and whatnot were given, and his wife smiled gladly for them; she was bright most evening, chatting with all the ladies by her side, and yet…

Now that they’re in their room once more, a sour pout comes about.

He finds it endearing, for the most part. She is mildly tipsy, he can tell; her cheeks are rouged a natural pink and her sullen stare is not nearly as intentful. His mind wanders. I can make her lips cherry to match. She flushes so prettily everywhere… his train of thought strays to bring about a warmth at his loins. His own thoughts setting loose on him, he supposes she’s not the only one who feels the sweetwine’s effects… although he admittedly drank much less.

Rhaegal notes her glance at him, pout turning more pronounced. Like a child waiting for attention. She’s better about speaking of what bothers her these days, but sometimes she wants to be noticed first. That’s alright; he’d coddle her if she’d like. He likes how her ears turn red when he does.

“Is something wrong?” he reaches over to her, placing one hand on her waist. The other goes to play with a strand of her loose hair. “I thought you enjoyed the celebrations?”

Aerea hums at the touch, but is quick to force a huff to maintain herself. “That girl,” she says with an upturned nose. “That girl was.. Uh– is, all sorts of wrong!” she slurs, squeezing on his arm.

“Which girl?” he asks. There were plenty of ladies in attendance.

“That Lannister girl, with the mane for her hair,” she says irritably and goes on to spill all her grievances. “You are not allowed to dance widh’ her anymore,” she proclaims. “Or her sisters. Or her cousins! They see golden decor and they think they all shat it themselves.”

Oh. She must be talking about Lord Jason’s daughter. He has too many daughters to keep count, but Rhaegal did end up dancing with his eldest Cerelle for one of the songs that were played. She did have a mop of golden hair, and her mother’s brown eyes. A pretty girl, undoubtedly, and rather talkative as well. He was pleased at that, for that made it so he didn’t have to do much more than nod for the entirety of their conversation.

“Don’t think of her, eith’er!” Aerea slaps his arm. Rhaegal holds himself from smiling; it’s barely a pat, and her exaltation is all too sweet, big eyes demanding his attention back. His arms come around her and his hands meet just below the small of her back. If he teases her, she just might ask him for more. 

“I’m trying to recall,” he says innocently. “What was her name…? Cer…” he trails off, letting her frown at him. “Cersei, was it?” he asks with a head tilt. Her expression shifts back to her full pout. Playing dumb can be fun, but kissing her stupid would be…

“Forget her,” she says, bringing her chest against his in an embrace. “T’was my nameday. You’re mine,” she declares and he feels warmth pool down his belly. Every time she says as much butterflies flutter. And you’re mine. He held much of that yearning within for so long, he can’t help his joy. “I should’ve ripped out that gold hair of her when she touched yo—”

Rhaegal brings an arm under her bottom and lifts her up. She squeaks in surprise. “I like your silver,” he says, and his eyes fall to her lips. “And your reds.”

He closes the gap between them, and kisses her all the way to their bed. Laying her down on it, he sees cherry coloured lips in an overjoyed, content grin. Her hand comes to his jaw, and drags his face back down. “I like you,” she says, and takes over lips that will forever be hers.

Yes, Aerea’s twentieth nameday was quite the success.

#helaegon #helaena x aegon ii #helaena targaryen #aegon ii targaryen #hotd #*aerea #*rhaegal #*aereagal #house of the dragon #hotd fanfic #*reqs #*fanfics #*answered

[accio-victuuri]

MY SEPTEMBER READS. 💓

It’s been a productive month of reading for me, limited to manhua/manhwas. most of these are still ongoing so that may stop you from wanting to pick it up.

previous reads & recs : ( there are ofc novels, manhua/manhwas i have read that are not included here but enjoyed, for example — tgcf. )

Q&A Rec answered July 2021 //Recent Reads Series: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // November 2022 // January - March 2023 // April - August 2023

Solo novel recs: Cherry Blossoms Upon a Wintry Sword // The Moon is Coming to Me

Traces of the Sun ( 2 seasons completed, Ongoing )

One of my favorites and the photo I used for this entire post. The best thing here is that the MC is a necromancer in a sense, cause his power is restoration. The primary use if of course to restore and fix his environment like building etc but he somehow did the “forbidden” application of it which is to restore dead humans. This is set in the future and has that scifi kind of feel cause humans have “powers” and there are doorways that open — which teams have to complete to “win”. If you like that kind of premise then you will enjoy this. It reminded me of The Earth is Online so I had no problem getting into the plot, but if it’s your first time — it might be confusing.

The ML ( Hyeon ) is a red flag kind of guy and makes a deal with the MC ( Yiseon ) at the start of the story. It can be pretty dark & gloomy at times but hang in there. The quests are really exciting and the team dynamic is good <3 Their romance is kinda slow burn and i live for how Hyeon “changes” because of Yiseon. I’m really hoping for a happy ending!

The Promise ( 41 chapters completed )

I WANT MORE. I NEED. I understand some projects are only allowed upto a certain number of chapters but this was too good and could use more chapters or even side stories. I need to see An Nuo happy and enjoying the real world! 😭😭😭😭

Anyway, I picked this up cause I wanted another scifi/dystopian type of story after reading TOTS. This has that same trope. People with powers, and this time MC is someone who has a low level to no power, spending his time at an underground laboratory that treats humans as lab rats. Then comes the ML, someone from the “outside world” who needs to awaken his other power so he decides to go to the lab. They meet and well, that’s where the story starts.

If you can’t tell, I enjoyed this story so much!!!! The MC is the best. An Nuo <3 he’s so smart and I feel for him cause he was born in the lab, so he’s never seen the real world. He doesn’t know what a blue sky even looks like. As a reader, I was so invested for him to succeed and gain his freedom after 18 years of being a prisoner. Then you have ML, AHHHHHH!!!! He starts off as an asshole but then becomes so devoted so he’s forgiven. 😂😂😂😂

I’m looking for stories that are similar to this, so if you know one, let me know. ^^

Again ( 60 chapters completed ; ongoing side stories )

Regression. Entertainment Industry Setting. My weakness, so there’s no way i wouldn’t like it. But even tho it’s a trope I like, it’s still exceptional! Even if you don’t like this trope, it’s a solid story.

So you have the MC Han Nokyoung, who is an A list celebrity with a foul attitude. A scandal happens and he dies — then wakes up years before the incident so he decides to change things to have a better ending. He becomes entangled with Kang Junil in his “new” life — the same person who caused his scandal/downfall.

I like how the story flowed, and how the MC was portrayed as the scumbag he was in the past. There was no excuses, he was foul and did things that harmed people. So he has to atone. He has to change things if he wants to have a better future. There were also parts that I was scared that things will not change even if he chooses a different direction. The MC & ML romance too! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I love them! They are destined to be together. <3 KANG JUNIL BEING POSSESSIVE IS MY FAVE!

SKETCH ( Ongoing, Season 1 completed )

thank you for @ourbeloved1011 for recommending this!

They are precious! The art is beautiful! 💟

Modern story with two people trying to find their way into a relationship. The MC (Yikyung) is a smol bean that we must protecc! He loves too much and is the kind of person the ML (Joobin) just needs. I have to say it’s one of my comfort stories. It’s sweet. Funny and the smut is very hot without being vulgar. I swear, you can have 3 chapters of smut and it’s glorious!!!!

The age gap is also delicious. Even if it’s ongoing, I encourage you to read it. 🤍

HEARTHROB/ High Pulse ( Ongoing 24 chapters )

I usually don’t pick up stuff that’s just 20+++ chapters cause I think it’s too early to get a hang of the story or i would want more and have nothing. However I was intrigued, since it’s High School setting and Omegaverse.

Shut up. They are so cute! There is something about first loves & young love that gets me! It’s not all fluff and cute — i just wanna wrap them in a warm blanket and let them be happy. Anyway, in this setting, the MC/ML are turning 18 and that’s the time that they will be differentiated into Alpha/Omega or not. ML is expected to be an Alpha, and MC into an Omega. The MC has a heart condition, hence the title.

It’s just sweet. Sometimes i need a story that will make me squee!

LOOK AT THEM <3

( one of my favorite parts of the story 🤣🤣🤣 )

Love Meter 100 % ( 7 chapters completed )

A short and hilarious read!!!! MC is addicted to playing a RPG that is BL themed. He has a favorite character that he likes and one day, meets someone who looks exactly like that.

Don’t expect a ground breaking story. The plot twist is very nice tho.

Reunion ( Season 1 Completed ; Ongoing )

This story should be adapted into an Anime or a TV series cause it’s that good. The story telling is A +. If you love a non linear narrative and unreliable narrator then this is for you. My god. The mystery. The heart ache. The yearning. I’m freakin clenching my fists while reading it cause i can feel everything. Even how the panels are drawn adds to the story. Definitely up there as one of my top reads of the year.

the art style is gorgeous. the conflict is — AAAAHHHH!!! I can’t say too much to not spoil anyone reading this but if you read the summary, you’ll get an idea of what’s going on. MC pretended to be someone and had a relationship with the ML. Things happen, ML comes back and they meet each other but he (ML) forgot what happened (or did he????) and well… we try to uncover what really took place that summer and how they can have their happy ending this time.

This is a treat to experience. As a reader, you have to try and piece things together. You also can’t trust their recollections of what happened yet.

If there is 1 story you have to read in this post, let it be this one. It needs more audience!

Blood and Love ( Ongoing ; Chapter 20 )

The combination of someone who is fascinated with vampires + is a sunshine boy meets an actual vampire premise. Add that with uncensored smut. I really enjoyed it for what it is and i got so much secondhand embarrassment from the MC being such a simp 😂😂😂

No Moral ( Season 1 completed ; Ongoing )

I chose this because it’s set in a law firm — ML being a partner & big shot and MC a new junior associate. I did enjoy reading First Class Lawyer before so i thought to give it a chance, I made the right decision. 💕

It’s plot heavy and there are technical words but it didn’t turn me off. The cases are also interesting and this honestly makes me want to pick up the novel cause i wanna know what happens next. The hints of potential romance between them is 💓 and I hope that they get to a good place together.

I really like the character of the ML. Seheon Kang. He’s such a bitch. He reminds me of “Harvey” from the tv series Suits, all the attitude but none of the vices & women. He has family issues and will do everything to win. He may come off as stone-cold but he actually cares in his own way. Most of the comments I read about him, especially early on in the chapters is that he’s an asshole and they hate him. But it’s him. That’s how he is. I guess most people are going into this thinking it’s a “romance” and the ML should be this gentle dude. Well, “No Moral” is so much more than a romance. Even if this wasn’t a “BL” i would still read it for what it is. I love seeing him slowly lose his walls because of the MC tho. All I want for him is to have his freedom and get the taste of “someone” being on his side and will never leave him.

As for the MC, Yunshin, he’s definitely and Idealist. This is why he often gets into conflict with the ML. He’s young and usually does pro-bono cases ; He believes that the law always sides with the “innocent”. Tho he may come off as naive sometimes, I still that fight in him, especially when he does his best to pass Seheon’s tests!

I am excited for where this story will go ♥️

Everyday I want to be Number 1 ( till Chapter 23, Ongoing )

The trope of MC being the second place all the time and he wants to beat the ML who is always first place in academics and everything else. Then they get close and sparks fly ✨ I have read novels and other Manhuas like this but this one still got me.

A feel good read. Not sure if i’m gonna continue but I liked what i read so far.

Someone like you ( Season 1 completed ; Ongoing )

It’s sad and depressing. LOL. Idk why I picked it up but so far, I can’t help but feel frustrated with what’s happening. Some people who read this compared it to “Reunion” because they had a shared past and got separated. Also the gaps in ML’s memory regarding the MC. Also the MC thinking that their relationship is doomed. However, I think what’s lacking here is there is no “hope”, even if they communicate well, i feel like they keep going back to step 1. I understand why but it’s not making me want to continue on to the next seasons.

The art is very pretty tho ^^

Merry Marbling ( Chapter 33 ; ongoing )

First of all, everything is so pretty ✨ How can I resist? All panels are a treat!!!!

I was here mainly for the art, but I didn’t expect to get invested in the story that much. It may look like a superficial high school / slice of life kind of story but it’s so much more than that. Ian ( black hair ) is Mister Perfect. He is known as the “Angel” of their area and he literally can’t do no wrong — everyone likes him. Enter the new student Yugun, my dear sickly-angry-kitten son 😂😂😂 He doesn’t know Ian’s “history” & doesn’t get the hype about him. The story flows on their journey of being strangers to enemies to friends to lovers. 💕

I’m loving their character growth. Ian who does his best to please his mom and be the “perfect son” to being able to express himself and not think too much about what people will say. I really feel sorry for him, cause he’s a kid — he is allowed to make mistakes. The instances where he cries and almost has breakdowns when he does something wrong is not right. And it’s Yugun who calls him out on it, also encourages him to let loose sometimes. Yugun— who is closed off starts believing that he can have people to depend on, especially Ian. I really love Yugun 😂 He is chaotic. Don’t let the cute face fool you. He is a savage.

It’s also a really funny read. ^^ + the side characters are the type who add to the story, especially Mi Rye!

Follow your Heart ( completed )

Hello! Look at how beautiful they are! I am weak. Very weak. An upright taoist cultivator who lives high up in the mountains and a demonic cultivator that owns the Ghost Valley. My favorite trope! 😍😍😍 Also Mister Demonic Cultivator waited for his love to come back after 100 years. I mean…. This Manhua is a combination of all my favorite things!

The pairing reminds me so much of Hua Cheng x Xie Lian 😭😭😭😭 I wish there were more chapters, cause it’s only 53 but part of me thinks they already told the story they have to and there is no use in prolonging it.

Anyway, the story is not that deep, compared to other plots in the same genre. You only have to know a few people and their goal is clear. If you’ve read or even watched stories with Cultivation World as the backdrop, it’s easy to get confused and there are a couple of subplots, you won’t have that problem with FYH. Ye Zigue needs to find his body and transfer his soul core in order to live again, also find out the truth about what happened years ago. The best part for me tho is the ML. Jiang Shu. 💕 He has that whole Hua Cheng thing going on for him. AHHHHHHH!!!!! He is perfect. Exactly the type of ML I prefer reading about. I usually prefer modern manhua/manhwa setting but decided to give this a go cause it’s already completed, so happy that I made that decision <3

Civilian A ( Chapter 24 ; Ongoing )

I should stop picking up stories that are only 24+ chapters but I can’t help myself. Esper/Guide trope which I haven’t really been reading that much of. I think it’s the same as Sentinel/Guide. && the art is beautiful so….

The pairing is Gold! Especially the ML, Yool, who is a scary S+ Esper who everyone avoids but for some reason is a puppy to our MC. There is obviously some backstory here, early on in the chapters, we are given the impression that they knew each other when they were young. ML did something along the way to keep MC safe and forget him. I recommend that people wait this out, the recent chapters are just getting exciting. Tho romance is a big part of the story, there is also a backdrop of politics and some commentary on the society. Definitely one that I will be waiting on every week to update. 💜

==============

BONUS: Other books ( physical ) I have finished this Month. <3

I’ve been wanting to try “before the coffee gets cold” trilogy and decided why the hell not. It’s definitely my kind of read. It’s not a very long book and you have 4 “short stories” in each but they are connected at some point. The concept of time travel here is unique ( you can only go to the past or future but you have to be seated in a particular chair. you can’t get up from your spot. nothing will change in the past or future no matter what you do or say. you can only see people who have been in the cafe too. your time is up when the coffee gets cold. ) and the stories will affect you. Reading this makes me want to visit this cafe lol to experience it. ☕️ only finished book 1 & 2, i’m saving the 3rd for October.

Jujutsu Kaisen 0. I rewatched the movie for the nth time so I picked up the manga too. I’ve also been collecting the official volumes and will get to that next. ^^ and I’m a Yuuta Simp so… 🤷🏻‍♀️

Kimetsu no Yaiba Volume 1-5. Same with JJK, i’m getting the volumes so reading em too. A perfect read to de stress after work.

Dune - I’ve always wanted to read this book cause as a sci fi fan, everyone said this is one of the best, but that made me so intimidated by it that i didn’t pick it up for years. and the fact that the copies i see are the really small and thick ones. But I watched the film last year and really enjoyed it, even re watching it so that’s when I knew i could “handle” it. I enjoyed every bit of it and I can’t wait to see the scenes come to life in the film this November ^^ I’m not planning on continuing on with the other books tho, I’m fine with just this one.

I have to say it’s been a really good reading month for me and I hope to maintain my momentum in the next couple of months. Not putting too much pressure on myself tho, but I hope I get to discover more enjoyable reads. ^^

#personal #chinese novel recs #bl recs #danmei recs #recent reads #manhua recs #manhwa recs #traces of the sun #the promise #again #sketch #hearthrob #reunion #blood and love #no moral #everyday i want to be number 1 #merry marbling #someone like you #follow your heart #civilian A

[aidansloth]

{Pinky Promise - Gareth Emerson X GN!Reader}

Warnings: a drunk guy trying to make a move on you but getting too handsy (nothing too triggering), alcohol, apart from this just fluff! Please tell me if I missed something. Pronouns used: they/them, you/you.

Summary: After graduation the whole school got invited to Chrissy's house to celebrate, that including Eddie and his friends. Gareth has been staring at his crush from the other part of the party and finally musters up the courage to talk to them. (By 'after graduation' I mean Eddie's, so Gareth will still be going to Hawkins High School next year).

Words: 1.3k

I wrote this as GN!Reader, but I had a AFAB Reader in mind, so there'll be some undertones I guess(?) If you've got any constructive criticism don't be afraid to tell me since this is the first fanfiction I've written in a long time, especially because English is not my first language. Either way, please enjoy!

★★★

A scent of booze filled the rooms, loud music playing in the background and still Gareth could not take his eyes off of you. He stood across the room from you with a half-empty red cup in his hand; he felt like a bit of a creep but he swore he was trying to muster up the courage to talk to you.

His highschool crush, the kind of crush that doesn't go away easily. He'd been stuck like this since sophomore year, since the day you sat next to him in History class when the rest of the students avoided him like the plague. You helped him during class, let him borrow your stuff and that one time when he forgot lunch, you gave him your KitKat. The guys at the Hellfire table teased him to hell and back for it (pun intended).

"Still staring, Gare-bear?" Eddie's arm attached itself with Gareth's shoulders, he had a shit-eating grin on his face. The drummer huffed and clicked his tongue; he damned the day Eddie heard his mom call him that.

"I told you not to call me that. And I'm not staring."

"Sure you're not." Jeff came up behind Eddie, a drink in hand too. They'd all been invited to the party by Chrissy, since this was in fact her house; she left Jason long ago, and for once, nobody was bothering them.

Jeff analysed the situation in front of him and sighed.

"This is basically your last chance man, they're there by themselves, come on. Even Grant found the courage to talk to Selina, they're literally talking right now, being all lovey-dovey and shit!" he encouraged Gareth moving his free hand.

"How would I know they want to talk to me? Maybe they just want to be left alone- look, they're talking to some guy now." Gareth nodded his head towards you.

"Yeah, not to break it to you buddy but they don't seem to be having that much fun over there." Eddie pointed out, stealing a sip of Jeff's beer, who nodded. Gareth's head sprang to you and he noticed said guy moving a bit too close to you while you were backing away.

"I'm sure they can handle it-" as soon as he saw you flinching at the man's hand on your hip he lost it, "-oh, the hell he isn't. Eddie, hold my beer."

"Good luck man, call us if you need help!" his friends shouted over the blaring music playing. He made his way across the room, avoiding the sweaty dancing bodies.

"Dude, you're coming on a little too strong, don't you think?" the guy turned around stumbling and looked at him up and down. Gareth felt a little intimidated by the guy's size but he stood his ground. The drunk man raised his finger but before he could say anything he threw up on the floor, missing Gareth's feet by millimetres. The drummer and you turned to each other shocked (and a little entertained), silently agreeing to get out of there.

A faint light from the lamps shined on their heads once they stepped out into the garden. It was filled with rose bushes and tiny pathways covered in rocks, a few wooden benches and a couple of cherry trees. Chrissy's parents never really cared about expenses.

"Sorry if I crossed a line by stepping in by the way." Gareth suddenly felt self aware of the situation he was in.

"What? Oh, no, thank you. I mean, he was drunk enough to fall over with as little as a push but still, thanks." You couldn't stop rambling and suddenly felt embarrassed. Gareth chucked and you swore it was the best sound you ever heard. You both sat down on one of the benches that was surrounded by flowerbeds; the setting felt a little too romantic for what Gareth was used to, but he liked it if it was with you. You awkwardly glanced at each other for what felt like ages, until he broke the silence.

"So... next year's senior year, huh?" Gareth wanted to punch himself. Really, that's the only thing you could think of saying?

"Yep..." you mentally cursed yourself for lack of a better answer. An awkward silence filled the air, while both of you looked the other way embarrassed. When your gazes met a giggle escaped both of you, which left a shy smile on your face.

Gareth was having an internal battle of what to say next, come on pull yourself together, what happened to Gareth the Great? Ok, maybe he did loose a couple of battles and die once or twice-

"You look very pretty tonight." He could feel his face heat up as he spoke those words. Your eyes widened and your mouth hanged slightly opened, not expecting that from him.

"I- I mean, thank you. You look pretty too." Now Gareth could die happily. His crush just called him pretty, they thought he was pretty, of all things. Not freak, not weird, not intimidating. Pretty.

"You think I'm pretty?" he blurted it out without thinking, now wishing he hadn't: he didn't want you to know he was insecure. You let out a giggle before scratching the back of your neck and nodding.

"Very pretty. In fact, I think you're the prettiest boy I've ever seen." Maybe you were laying it on thick, but it was working since Gareth's brain short-circuited. This is when you decided to scoot closer to him, which was Gareth's last push he needed to get his words out.

"Tell me if this is weird or I'm- I'm like, ehm- making you uncomfortable in any way or if I'm crossing a line but-" he took a deep breath in, pinching his thigh from the stress, "would you like to got out with me, sometime?"

He felt like was floating, a weight being left off his shoulders as the words were leaving him. Sure, he was stressing out like hell for your answer but he asked, and that's what mattered, because he tried (or at least that's what his mom always says). He got so caught up in his mind he didn't even hear you respond.

"Wha- what, sorry? I didn't hear." He turned to you alarmed, he couldn't remember a time where he'd been this stressed, not even for important Corroded Coffin gigs. Another chuckle left your lips.

"I said yes, pretty boy." At your words Gareth's lips lifted on one side before becoming a full on smile, a very pretty one at that; he was even biting his bottom lip and lowering his head to try and hide it. He came back to himself in a couple of seconds with a tiny cough. He felt like his chest was going to explode from all the emotions he was feeling in that moment.

"Ehm, yeah, cool! Can I have your number, so we can like, plan a date... or something?" He really hoped you didn't randomly decided he wasn't worth your time anymore. You nodded as you got a pen out of your bag, noticing you didn't have paper on you. A quick glance at the drummer and an idea popped up. Pointing at his arm you asked if you could grab it for a second, he agreed but didn't expect you to grab it so gently and fuck their skin is so soft. You wrote down your number while his eyes had a meaningless fight trying not to stare at your lips.

"Done!" you put your pen back after clapping your hands together proudly.

"I'll call you as soon as I get home." He honestly felt the sudden urge to sprint home right that moment.

"Promise?" You lifted you pinky at him, who stared at you puzzled.

"You gotta pinky promise." You explained as if it was obvious, a smile still glued on your face. It warmed him up, made him feel safe and secure, like you weren't going anywhere and you weren't going to judge him. He lifted his pinky and linked it with yours, all sweet smiles and loving giggles.

He did in fact, keep his promise.

★★★

Tell me if you want the actual date fic, I also want to do like a blurb or tiny tiny fic of the KitKat scene I mentioned.

(again, thank you @justraby for all of the support in writing this<333)

tag list:

@nana90azevedo

#gareth emerson #gareth the great #gareth emerson x reader #hellfire club #x reader #your honor i love him #gareth emerson headcanons #stranger things hellfire club

[my-shields-are-down]

Octopus 🐙

REMEMBER: ONE WORD PROMPT = CHENFORD ONE SHOT

========== Tim was driving his girls to school and work one morning.

Normally they’d hop on Franklin and zip across town missing the most of traffic, but with the first Republican Presidential candidate debates happening tonight downtown, half the main thoroughfares were blocked forcing all the locals onto the same cross town streets: Beverly, Melrose, Wilshire and Olympic. Somehow they had ended up on Melrose inching along through the design district, miscellaneous fashion houses and restaurants peppered between tourist traps and hookah lounges.

Diana, who at age 11 -soon to be 12 - was poised to rule the world, notices the sign first.

What once had been a flagship Vans store, was now transformed into a two story sushi restaurant. The second floor had been converted into an outdoor garden deck with a massive steel pergola and covered in every color cherry blossom; guests could sit in booths or at the main sashimi counter plucking raw delicacies from the ever moving track around the bar. The street facing, first floor wall once covered by floor-to-ceiling windows, now looms over pedestrians strolling by - a solid black wall of dark mahogany, broken only by a 7’ x 7’ red door and a massive digital video screen.

“Mom!” Diana gasped. “They turned on the sign - LOOK AT THAT!!”

Lucy, who has been reading boring but important work emails, turned to glance past Tim and saw a giant red octopus on the screen (see image above), it’s tentacles appearing to press up against the screen and freeze - while a black message appeared, overlaying the giant mythical beast:

寿司 ー 刺し身 ー Tako

“Yep - Tako is the name of the restaurant and Japanese for Octopus! Mom - we HAVE to go there! We never do anything cool, and going there? Sitting up on the roof, with celebrities and influencers? Oh man, that’d be so cool!” I bet Uncle Aaron could get us a reservation there.”

Lucy and Tim share a quick smile and rolling of the eyes at their daughter who was barreling along into her teenage years desperate to be “cool” especially since her parents, apparently, had been officially deemed “not cool.”

“Di - do you even like sushi? Your nose gets all scrunched up any time your mom offers you any of her take-out?” Tim asks his daughter, internally chuckling at the image in his mind.

Whereas their eldest son had Lucy’s coloring and his height and eyes, their daughter had his mom’s gorgeous dark blond hair with copper highlights, Lucy’s eyes, smile and curves and some of Tim’s height. Their youngest, TJ, was a mix of Lucy’s Black Irish Bio-dad and Tim’s blond-Ken-doll dad. TJ’s eye shape was the only physical resemblance to Lucy. Deep, crystal clear, mossy green eyes and thick black wavy hair. Both Kai and TJ loved anything from the sea. Diana, like her Dad, was more likely to sneer out of the corners of their eyes at the sushi.

“Who says I’m going to eat anything raw? Bleah. No, I’ll eat edamame and tempura shrimp and seaweed salad and go to be near all that fame and fortune. That’s the goal - to hob and knob with people.”

Lucy turns to Tim and suppresses a giggle - “Hob. And knob” she mouths to Tim. Their girl was gearing up to give them a wild ride through their teenage years. Diana films the octopus gliding across the big screen for herself and sends a copy to her little brother because he’d love it.

=====

When Lucy got home that night after a relatively uneventful shift, she found the main interior lights dimmed. Her “mom hearing” lets her know her kids are all home, safe and sound. But her husband is not where she expects to find him - in the kitchen, reading the paper, with entertainment news playing quietly in the background.

She puts the take out bags on the counter, along with her purse and keys. She then moves to the secret safe in the pantry and locks her badge and gun behind the peanut butter cups. She knows Tim is home, because she parked behind his truck on the driveway, but he hasn’t yet greeted her with a hug and kiss. Weird.

The dogs, however, sensing a new person who might give them treats came rushing at her from the far corners of the house where her kids were doing whatever after dinner, they all promptly sat down when Lucy told them to, and each received a cow’s ear to chew on, heading back out to hang with their person for the rest of the night.

Each Bradford (including Tim & Lucy) adopted a pup from the pound in memory of Kojo - king of canines. A picture of Lucy, Tim and Kojo sits prominently on the fireplace mantel with the rest of the family photos.

Lucy and Tim’s dogs were a hilarious brother and sister duo - Alaskan Klee Kais who had ridiculous personalities. Think mini huskies, Tim’s dog - Vivian- and Lucy’s dog - Elvis - were polar opposites. Vivian would usually be found on the back of the sofa in the game room with the boys, front legs crossed and thrilled to be part of the action. where Elvis followed Tim around all day long whining, moaning and complaining that he was being treated unfairly. Although lately, he’d discovered a certain part of the upstairs hallway with phenomenal acoustics and like his husky cousins, would yell and howl, sounding like a siren. Now that the kids were older, Tim spent most of his days arguing with Elvis. The kids had all opted for lab mixes of various sizes, colors and hair types.

But neither Elvis nor Tim came as treats were handed out. Huh. Lucy grabbed two treats for Elvis, obviously, and started her tour of the house ending up in their TV room - originally an artists studio off of the master bedroom, which Lucy and Tim converted into their own private space away from slobbering dogs and kids to watch movies not made by Disney and make out on the super comfy sofa. Lucy found both of them sprawled out on the floor - Elvis had his head on Tim’s thigh and barely lifted his head in greeting Lucy. She noticed Tim had their infrared blanket underneath his torso and he was conked out and snoring, dead asleep at 7pm.

“God, he is so handsome.” Lucy thought to herself. Even after 15 years of marriage, three kids, 5 dogs, two chinchillas, and a tarantula, Tim was in phenomenal shape, and Lucy thought he got more handsome as he aged. At 57, he continued to look relaxed, tan and extremely happy. He smiled all the time and loved being a stay-at home dad. He now sported a dark beard with gray edges, wire rimmed glasses for reading, which Lucy found insanely sexy, and deep laugh lines around his devastating smile.

She quickly ducked into their bedroom and changed into one of his LAPD shirts and Indian sari pj bottoms before she crept into the other room and snuggled up next to her husband and spread a blanket over them and the dog.

Tim woke up 30 minutes later to the smell of jasmine (Lucy!) and mad dog chomping in his ear (Elvis….). First thing he did was reach down and reset the infrared blanket for another 60 minutes and upped the temp to 110. His back was sore from the extra effort of the day. He then next turned to Elvis, grabbed the dog’s cow ear and threw it into the hallway knowing the dog would soon follow.

Finally he turned to his bride and pulled her into his side. “Hi” he murmured. 18 years after that first roll call when they first met, he still could not believe how beautiful she was. That this gorgeous and smart and thoughtful woman gave him three astounding kids, their own menagerie of creatures great and small, and that she chose him to love and adore. He thanked his lucky stars every chance he could because this life with Lucy was so much more amazing than anything he ever dreamed possible.

“Hi”, Lucy murmurs back leaning in for her welcome home kiss. She smiles at him and he smiles at her, and she asks him - “Why are you here on the floor? Rough day?”

Tim laughs out loud, and says, “The next time TJ needs a chaperone for a field trip with 20 of his fellow first graders, please do not let me be one of the volunteers. While there were moments of hilarity - like when TJ went off on Ms. Dodson for standing too close to me. I’ll let him tell you how he defended your honor.

Today was exhausting.

Each chaperone was responsible for four first graders - four 6 year-olds. At the aquarium in Long Beach.

There was a Shark exhibit which was cool, but the focus and the reason we were there was for the octopus exhibit. There are some freaky octopi out in the ocean. (Tim shudders), if I never have to hear a random factoid about them or see one ever again, it’ll be too soon.

At one point, TJ got scared and came and sat on my foot like he does sometimes, and then without warning, I suddenly was covered in 6 year-olds. I was able to stand up and do my “hulk thing” I do with the nephews, but I couldn’t go very far, they kept falling off and I pulled something in my back and that was within the first 30 minutes . We were there for three hours. Uncle! No more kids, no more octopuses, just no more. I wanna lie here with my sweetie and her weirdly quiet dog and forget the 8-legged-aliens.”

Lucy could not stop laughing at the image in her head of Tim covered with their littlest and his classmates. She is sure Tim loved every second of it - even Ms. Dodson making him blush. Tim still got flustered when other women flirted with him.

She snuggled closer to him and said, “Oof. Then I suppose you don’t want to come downstairs and share my grilled octopus tacos from the “cool” sushi restaurant we drove past this morning? No Tako tacos for you, huh? What about two fully loaded animal-style cheeseburgers with fries from In ‘N Out with a Neapolitan shake? Would that entice you to come have dinner with me downstairs?”

Tim leans in and kisses her and says, “You asking is enough to entice me. But yeah, the burgers sound awesome. You can give Diana the Tako take out bag and maybe up our “cool” quotient. We are gonna need all the help we can get.”

#chenford #future fan fiction #tim bradford #lucy chen #tim x lucy #one word prompts #octopus #ask andrea #the rookie #i love them #things that are awesome #all fluff all day long #i'm in chenford withdrawal #is the hiatus over yet

[gacmediadaily]

We’ve got an early Christmas present for Candace Cameron Bure fans.

TVLine can exclusively reveal the title, premise and first photo from Bure’s annual Great American Family Christmas movie. Premiering in November as part of the network’s “Great American Christmas” slate, A Christmas Less Traveled stars Bure and Eric Johnson (Rookie Blue, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin) and centers on a down-on-her-luck proprietor who embarks on a life-changing road trip. The official logline reads as follows:

The Dine and Dash Diner has a stack of mounting unpaid bills, forcing its owner, Desi (Bure), to sell her beloved, mint condition, cherry red 1964 Ford F-100, a gift from her deceased father. As Desi visits the vintage truck one last time, she discovers a recorded message from her dad on an old audio cassette. Desi’s dad’s voice sends her and ‘Old Red’ out to retrace her family’s most memorable moments one last time. Just as the journey begins, Desi meets Greyson (Johnson) who offers her a generous payment in exchange for a ride to ‘close the most important deal’ of his life. Little do Desi and Greyson realize the less traveled road will reveal more about each of them than they could have ever known.

Bure serves as an executive producer on A Christmas Less Traveled — a Syrup Studios production in association with Bure’s CandyRock Entertainment.

“A Christmas Less Traveled gently challenges us to truly embrace every moment we share with our families, friends and loved ones,” Bure says in an exclusive statement to TVLine. “It reminds us that forgiving ourselves and others is the pathway to set ourselves free.”

Adds Great American Media president/CEO Bill Abbott: “Filmmakers have been inspired by road trips for as long as movies have been made. In A Christmas Less Traveled, viewers will go on a scenic journey with our characters to celebrate Christmas in communities and with acquaintances, treasuring every heartfelt moment of discovery or remembrance in a vintage vehicle that seems to magically know all the right places to stop.”

Bure previously executive-produced and starred in a pair of Great American Family Christmas movies: 2022’s A Christmas… Present and 2023’s My Christmas Hero. She also served as an EP on 2022’s Christmas on Candy Cane Lane (starring Full House’s Andrea Barber) and 2023’s A Christmas for the Ages (starring Natasha Bure).

Before A Christmas Less Traveled debuts in November, Bure will return to the network to headline another movie: The Ainsley McGregor Mysteries: A Case for the Winemaker, which is slated to premiere in September.

#candace cameron bure #great american family #great american christmas #christmas less traveled #eric johnson

[violettduchess]

Clavis with hyacinth? 👀

A/N: This is the FINAL fic in my 500 Follower Celebration.

To both anons: I hope you don't mind I combined/tweaked these two requests because they fit together so nicely.

Hollywood AU, Clavis and f!reader

fluff, angst, kisses

Word Count: 4518

Your arms ache as you wipe down the splotchy navy blue counter for the umpteenth time that day. Even though the sun is trailing its last few rays across a pastel sky, a glance at the clock reminds you that you still have 20 minutes to go before your shift is done and you can close. You narrow your eyes in a fierce glare but the clock keeps right on ignoring you, a cold, cruel taskmaster.

“‘Scuse me, lady, could you turn it up?” The customer sitting at the far end of the counter in front of the mounted TV gestures with his fork, bits of cherry pie still clinging to the prongs.

You paste on your most accommodating smile. “Of course, sir.” Your sore feet carry you to the other end of the counter where you kick the small step-stool into a better position before standing and manually raising the volume. The remote had decided it would escape its life of servitude in the tiny diner and had disappeared weeks ago. Your boss was too stingy to buy another so that left you as the living, breathing channel changer and volume controller. 

Taking a minute, you lean back against the counter to see what the customer wants to watch. 

“Entertainment Today with a rare interview with elusive Oscar-nominated actor Chevalier Michel. We talk about his newest movie, “The Fall of the Brutal Beast”, which is already generating Oscar buzz, and get exclusive details about his upcoming wedding to supermodel Belle! Stay tuned!”

You roll your eyes subtly as you turn away from the screen, walking to check on the coffee machine. Any story claiming to have an exclusive with the notoriously press-wary Chevalier is probably bogus. “An interview” is likely a couple of sentences that the actor would repeat almost verbatim to every reporter on the press junket, if he did any promotion at all. It is this very exclusivity that heightens his mystique, that makes fans rabid for any crumb of information about the method actor. God, when the news broke that he was actually engaged to the bright and bubbly Belle, it was as if someone had dropped a boatload of chum into shark-infested waters. An absolute media frenzy.

Your watch makes a beeping sound, making a grab for your attention. Nearly 8 pm. That curves your lips into a genuine smile as you begin the process of making a large Cafe Mocha, iced, with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon. You’ve just finished tapping the final bit of cinnamon on top when the front door opens, bringing with it a tall man in jeans, a lilac and gold button down shirt, black Ray Bans, and a white baseball cap with the red rose of the Rhodolite Wellness Center on it. He slides into his usual spot at the very end of the counter, away from the TV, and you head over, sliding his regular order in front of him. He flashes you a grateful smile which grows even larger when you dip into the glass cookie jar and fish out one of today’s freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies.

He glances around the nearly empty diner and then removes his sunglasses, tucking them into the V of his shirt. His brandy-colored eyes meet yours and your heart takes a tumble inside your chest. 

“And? Did you watch it?” He bites into his cookie, managing to grin even as he chews.

Your smile tells him all he needs to know but you answer anyway. “I sure did. It was hilarious. The bit about your experiment gone wrong in 10th grade chemistry had me rolling."

There it is, that thousand watt smile you have come to love so much. You and about a million other fans. He takes a sip of his coffee, watching as you go about your business of tidying up, getting ready to close the diner. Cherry Pie leaves a ten on the counter and heads for the exit when he stops, doing a double take.

"Hey wait a minute! I know you. You're Clavis Lelouch!"

Clavis makes eye contact with you first and you give a small shrug. He comes in right before closing so that he doesn't draw attention but sometimes it's unavoidable.

"Guilty," he says with a short laugh.

Cherry Pie wipes his hands on his dirty jeans before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone.

"Could I get a selfie?"

You watch out of the corner of your eye as Clavis graciously nods, getting up to go stand with the man. He gives his signature crooked smile and Cherry Pie grins from ear to ear as he takes the picture.

"Thanks man," he says as he looks at the picture proudly. "My buddies aren't going to believe I met Chevalier Michel's brother!" 

Inwardly you wince, but Clavis's smile remains, unmoving as a mountain in a storm. This is not the first time he has been lashed with the name “Chevalier” and it certainly won’t be the last.

"Have a great night," he manages but Cherry Pie is already out the door, posting the picture to all of his social media accounts. 

At that moment the chef pops his head around the corner.

"I'm heading out. You'll lock up? Oh hey Clavis."

Clavis slides back onto his stool and gives the chef a two-fingered salute.

"Hi Yves."

"Yeah, I'll lock up. See you Evie."

You hear the familiar sound of the diner's back door closing before you sigh, walking to turn the Open sign around to Closed before heading back over to your favorite customer.

"You better get going. If Pie Crust posts where he was when he took that selfie you're bound to get hounded by fans."

Clavis's gaze is focused on his drink. "Or paparazzi wanting to know about the damn wedding." He says it quietly but you feel the swell of his words, raw and tender and bruised. Pushing aside the straw, he lifts the glass to his lips and finishes the sweet coffee in several gulps. You've asked him in the past why he drinks coffee so late. He claims he doesn't sleep much anyway. Somehow that also strikes you as sad.

“Hey,” he says, his voice suddenly lighter, brighter, like a spotlight switched on to drown out the darkness. “I wanted to talk to you about something. Can I walk you home? You’ve mentioned you don’t live far from here.”

Surprise trips your heart yet again and you blink, momentarily wondering if you misheard. “But….what about your car?”

“I had my driver drop me off.” He slides a $50 on the counter and you know by now that he will refuse to take any change. The ridiculous amount of money left over is always tip for you. 

“Alright, let me just finish closing. We can go out the back.”

He slides his Ray-Bans over his golden eyes, a cloud blocking the sun, and smiles.

*

The walk back to your apartment complex is exceedingly awkward. This is the first time you have ever been with him outside the diner and it feels like without a counter between you, you aren't sure what to do with yourself. Your limbs feel loose and uncontrolled like a puppet whose puppeteer has gone too lax with the strings. 

Clavis is no help. He keeps his head down, probably out of force of habit, and follows your lead, for once quiet when you wish he wouldn’t be. You feel a slight twinge of embarrassment when you open the rusted gate of your apartment complex. There is a tiny courtyard with a few scraggly palm trees and a meager water fountain that looks like the Trevi….if someone had removed the tridents and horses and beaten up Oceanus.

Cheap blue and gold spotlights, badly hidden in the bushes, shine on the fountain and the chipped cement bench in front of it. You sit down pointedly on the bench, not about to actually ask a world-famous comedian inside your cluttered apartment, no matter how well you two get along. He follows your lead and settles down beside you.

"It's almost dark, you know." You nod toward his sunglasses and he reaches up, removing them with one hand. Why that movement makes your heart skip a beat is beyond you. Silently you tell it to pull itself together, focus on pumping blood and not falling over because Clavis removed his sunglasses in a movement as smooth as glass.

"This city is never dark," he mutters as he looks up at the sky which is slowly growing dim, but never quite enough that you can see the stars well. 

You study his profile, the sharp line of his cheekbones, the point of his chin, those impossibly long lashes framing eyes the color of liquid gold. His brother may get all the attention but anyone who doesn't see the beauty in the man seated next to you is blind. 

He finally tears his gaze away from the sky, and drops it to his hands which are fiddling with his sunglasses.

"So you know that Chev's premiere is in a week."

"Everyone knows that." Critics were practically salivating at the chance of seeing the great Chevalier Michel on screen again after the huge success of his last film, a modern interpretation of Richard III which earned Chevalier rave reviews and several high-profile awards.

Clavis opens and closes his sunglasses, his fingers moving with an almost elegant finesse, a stark contradiction to the comedian whose comedy relies heavily on silly pranks and self-deprecating anecdotes.

"I have to go. It's good publicity for the special and Sariel, being the good manager he is, suggested rather strongly that I don't show up to this alone, seeing as how it's also they’re first official outing since…." He stops for a second, as if he can't quite form the word without it getting caught in his throat. He tries again. "Since the engagement to Belle." 

Hearing the supermodel's name brings a rush of images to mind, glossy photos of her and Clavis, the model and the funnyman. They were photographed everywhere, at all times, but no matter what they were doing, no matter how candid the shots, he was always smiling. Because he loved her. It was as clear as Maldivian waters how much he did. Whenever he had given an interview and had been asked about her, there was a luminous shine in his eyes. The pride he felt when she was on his arm at a premiere was written in the lines of his body, the curve of his arm around her. They were envied and idolized and everyone wanted to know more about the "Clavelle" love story.

Until, like so many fantasies, it fell apart, an explosion of glitter that turned to ashes at his feet when Belle met Chevalier. 

They became the number one news item for months, the media painting Clavis as the broken-hearted clown who was forced to make way for the love story of the century. The world's most eligible bachelor, a man who had never shown any interest in anything other than his craft, falls for the beautiful, brown-eyed girl-next-door with her gentle laugh and million dollar smile. Never once was Chevalier painted as a villain for stealing his brother’s girlfriend. He was a star of the highest caliber, shining his light down from a distance none could touch. 

Now, months later, the premiere would mark the first time all of them were in the same place at the same time. 

Clavis removes his baseball cap, running a hand through his twilight hair. You fight the tingle in your fingers that wants to smooth it down again. 

"Anyway Sariel thinks if I show up with a date it'll keep the media from continuing with the "sad brother" angle." He finally stops messing with his glasses and fixes his gaze on you. "I think he's right and I want you to be my date."

Your brain is filled with the sound of screeching tires as your heart yanks hard on the hand brake.

"Huh?" is your eloquent reply.

He laughs, but you see the way he is playing with the brim of his cap, fingers restless as dragonflies darting about a pond. He is as nervous asking you as you are shocked to hear it.

“I…..I like you. You listen and you’re really nice and you make a killer coffee. And while some attention is great, they won't push too hard about our story. The press isn’t as interested if I bring someone who isn’t famous. No offense.”

“None taken,” you say automatically, staring at him. The silence stretches out, like taffy. Thinner and thinner, longer and longer. Finally you break it.

“What if….do they ask questions? About how we met?”

He shakes his head, his eyes bright and eager when he realizes you are considering it.

“We’ll walk the red carpet, no questions or interviews. Just pose for some pictures and then hurry inside. Watch the stupid movie and then poof, we’re out of there. I’ll be going on tour soon anyway. No other public appearances like this lined up so it’s a one-time deal.” He looks so earnest, leaning toward you, his gaze wandering your face, searching for that one word he is hoping so hard you will utter.

How can you say anything but….

“Ok. Yes. I’ll do it.”

*

Why oh why did you agree to this?!

The wall of flashing lights. The photographers screaming like birds of prey, their voices thunderous and insistent, a drumming that never stops. A dress that costs more than your annual rent poured over your body. Shoes designed to look good first and ask questions about comfort later. Your hair smells like product, your skin feels like rubber under all the makeup. You feel unreal, like a doll someone props on a shelf, still in its box. A beautiful display. 

Panic rears its ugly head, jaws unhinged, ready to swallow you whole.

And then you feel his arm wrap around your waist. A hand press reassuringly into your side against the sequins of your dress. A touch that is solid. Real. 

He leans down, his mouth right next to your ear, the anchor in a sea of turbulent waters.

“Look at me, Bright Eyes. Just look at me.”

You turn your head, your gaze locking with his and ah, there he is, the same man who drinks his overly-sweet coffee while regaling you with side-splitting stories about his first gigs in seedy bars and smoky rooms. The man who once listened as you complained about your feet hurting and showed up the next day with a pair of cushy sneakers he swore he just happened to find in some leftover swag bag in his closet. The man who notices every other customer in the diner and makes up outrageous origin stories about them under his breath just to get you to laugh. Who truly wants to know everything about your sleazy cousin back home, your neighbor’s foul-mouthed parrot, and why it’s a crime to put ketchup on scrambled eggs.

He smiles and the bright lights melt into the background. The voices blend together becoming a subtle roar. He fills your vision and in this alien world, he steadies you and guides you, expertly, to safety.

You lean into him as you step inside the dark doorway to the theater where the movie will be screened and he keeps you pressed close to his side. Only when you are led to your seats does he remove his arm. You feel the loss of his touch so keenly, so suddenly it nearly takes your breath away….and makes the moment when he reaches for your hand, threading his fingers between yours on the armrest between your seats that much easier to accept. 

It's for show, you tell yourself. Nothing else. Performance, like everything in this town. 

And yet, the feel of his hand in yours warms your heart like the glowing embers of an autumn fire. 

The lights go down, blanketing the audience in darkness. No one can see your joined hands now.

And yet, throughout the entire two hour saga, neither of you makes the first move to unlock your fingers and separate.

*

Behind the plastic, oversized, obnoxiously green potted plant is the perfect place to hide. Your mascara runs down your cheeks in black rivulets.  You feel like there's a stone pressing down on your chest, your lungs barely able to expand and contract.

You know it was wrong to have left Clavis there, but when faced with humiliation, the ur-alt part of your brain said to run. And run you did.

It had gone swimmingly. The movie was brilliant. Begrudgingly you had to acknowledge that Chevalier was incredible. And Clavis had kept your hand in his the whole time. Your first premiere was a dream.

Until it began the slow descent into grotesque nightmare.

All it had taken was one producer who recognized you. A man, with whom your interaction was limited to a daily cappuccino, lowered the Gucci sunglasses he had been wearing indoors and yelled, "Yo! Waitress? Diner on Lakewood? That you?"

That had turned the heads of not only several glittering dresses and overpriced suits, but one head of white blond hair and an Arctic gaze. 

It swung over to where you were standing, your hand on Clavis's arm, and you found yourself flattened under the heavy hammer of judgment in those cold blue eyes. Chevalier arched one beautiful brow and said before a room of admirers, his cool voice projecting across the crowd:

"Really, Clavis? A waitress?" 

His tone was hard with icy disapproval and something edging close to contempt. 

Around you others began to buzz, flies circling something offensive, something rotten. Their expressions burned into your mind, some disgusted, some partially curious. You could have handled them all if not for the flash of embarrassment that you caught on Clavis's face, lightning illuminating the sky of his features just a second before he slid his plastic smile in place and words of droll apathy rolled from his tongue.

But you had seen it, that look. He was embarrassed by you and it hurt, stung like salt in the open wound that lightning had burned across your heart. And so you had turned on your fancy heel and you had run.

And now you're hiding behind a fake plant, trying to stop the pain of hot humiliation running through your veins.

You don’t know how long you have been hiding there, trying to gather the courage to just walk away, when one of the large, plastic leaves is pulled back, leaving a tiny cloud of dust motes in its wake.

“Hi.”

You look away, unable to meet his gaze. 

“Bright Eyes,” he says as he reaches out, tentatively taking your hand in his. This time there aren’t butterflies in your stomach, but the warning, angry hum of a swarm filling your mind. 

He feels the change in you and drops your hand. Again silence as the man who talks for a living searches for the right words. 

“I’d like to show you something,” he finally says, his voice gentler than you have ever heard it. “Please?” He holds his hand out one more time. You should reject him. You should walk out of there with your borrowed dress and cheap earrings and pretend you had never agreed to this charade.

But his eyes…..warm pools of melted gold, rich with hope that you will trust him one more time, draw you in, a moth to a golden flame. You wonder if Helios himself had gifted Clavis with those eyes, those twin flames that seem to burn you right to your core.

For the second time that night, you slid your hand into his and let him guide you.

*

He leads you away from the crowd, from the pack of glamorous wolves, through a maintenance door, to a stairwell of cement and iron, a utilitarian thing that leads you up and up and up…..until finally another set of doors, which he bursts through, you just a step behind him.

Your heels step onto gravel, your eyes are filled with an endless sky, muted by the glow of city lights. He turns, illuminated, and smiles.

“Better, right?”

He leads you to the roof’s ledge and drops your hand.

“Clavis, be careful!” He has perched himself onto the wide, cement border, and the sight of him with nothing behind him, just bright lights and cityscape, has you moving forward, hands held out in a gesture of instinctual protection. As you come close, he reaches for you, taking your hands in his and with a smile brighter than the famous Hollywood sign, he pulls you close. 

You stare at one another, the sounds of the city floating up around you, the night sky wide and welcoming. Holding his hands feels good, like a key turning and unlocking a door with a satisfying click. You wonder if tonight something has unlocked between the two of you.

His thumbs move slowly over the tops of your hands.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs. “I’ve told you before he’s a real asshole.”

A sad, wobbly laugh leaves you on an exhale. “Lucky me got to see it firsthand.” You raise your gaze to his now and are surprised at the concern in his expression, the way his head is tilted, empathetic. 

“I’m sorry I embarrassed you.” The words are quiet and you feel the shame bubble up again, hot and undeniable. “I should have just told you no.”

His thumbs stop moving over your skin. He squeezes your hands for a moment as the warm wind stirs his dusky hair.

“You did not embarrass me, Bright Eyes. He did. He’s my brother and he has the nerve to–” Clavis stops speaking, letting the angry, bitter thing that had flared up fade away instead of elaborating and adding fuel to a fire that never quite burns out. He sighs and you feel the urge to touch his face, to soothe the lines of exhaustion you see there. “You,” he continues, “could never embarrass me.”

And then his hands pull gently, urging you to step closer. He’s tall enough that sitting, even with you in heels, you’re face to face. He releases one hand, reaching up to brush back your hair, wild strands that escaped your careful French twist. His eyes rival the neon glow of the city as they travel your face, his expression soft in a way you’ve never seen before. 

He leans towards you.

“Are you sure?” Your words stop his movement, just inches away from you, quiet but solid as a wall. “He’s right. I’m just some waitress in a crappy diner on the edge of town who makes good coffee.”

A slight smirk, the one you have seen in many of his routines and publicity shots because it is so alluring, so captivating.

“Someone who can actually make good coffee is so hard to find,” he quips softly and you laugh, a breathless sound of nervousness and wonder. His grin widens at the sound. “There you are.” He nudges your nose with his. “Now, can we get on with the business of me kissing you?”

“If we have to,” you murmur and you feel the way his hand squeezes yours, the startled, delighted laugh that escapes him. 

“You’re lucky you’re so lovely….” he sighs, his voice low and warm and just for your ears. He trails off and then without warning closes the distance between you and kisses you.

Your diner sells every type of pie imaginable. So many varieties of cookies, muffins, doughnuts and pastries. You’ve tasted them all. And not one of them comes close to the sweetness of kissing Clavis Lelouch. Despite his initiating things, his kiss feels almost shy.  HIs lips are pressed against yours, cloying and warm, yet chaste. His arms wrap around your waist and pull you even closer. You slide your hands over his shoulders and then drape them around his neck. 

The gentle kiss breaks like stardust and you sigh happily, your whole body thrumming with something exciting and sweet, like possibility has injected itself into your soul and lifted you up out of a mundane existence and given you wings. When you open your eyes, you find him watching you, his breathing quick as he shakes his head ever so slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Worry prunes your feathers, anxiety stands ready to clip your newfound wings before you even take flight.

"I just-" He stops, his gaze moving over the planes of your face like he can't take you in fast enough, like a thirsty man gulping water, afraid it will be taken from his grasp at any moment. "I'm kind of a mess, Bright Eyes. The things I joke about, the family drama and how I feel about him and always trying to live up to what people expect…" The words tumble out, too fast and all at once, a pitcher spilling all of its content as it falls to the ground, about to break.

You tighten your arms around him, stop him from crashing.

"Hey…." You lean forward, touching his forehead with your own. "Everyone is messy."

His golden-hour eyes close. "There's a lot of baggage that comes with dating me. I don't know why you'd want to." His voice is barely a whisper, almost lost in the muted sound of traffic far below.

You nudge his nose with yours, getting him to open his eyes. What he sees is your smile, the one that brought him back to the diner again and again and again.

"Because you're the best tipper I've ever had," you answer wryly.

Again he laughs, pulled from the shadows of his own mind by your humor, your light. He slides off the ledge, keeping you within the circle of his arms.

"It's not going to be easy," he murmurs as he leans down, his lips brushing yours in the lightest of kisses.

"So what," you whisper back, head tipped back, eyes already closed. Again his lips touch yours, light and sweet and quick.

"You're not worried," he says against your lips, the words warm and soft.

"Not in the slightest," you manage before you rise up onto your toes and press your lips firmly to his, forcing him to accept the fact that all the monsters he thinks he is sheltering don't scare you in the least. You grasp the back of his neck with one hand and part your lips in invitation. Let me in. Let me love you.

He accepts and on his lips you taste the sweet thrill of a new beginner, his tongue and yours writing the first words of a new chapter for you both. 

As you hold each other under the glow of bright lights and dim stars, you find your heart lifting with joy.

Maybe in Hollywood, some dreams really do come true.

🎥

Tagging: @aquagirl1978 @atelieredux @alixennial @alexxavicry @queengiuliettafirstlady @rhodolitesroseforclavis @somekidnamedkai @ikemen-prince-writers-posts @bellerose-arcana @thewitchofbooks @ikehoe @redheadkittys @themysticalbeing @dear-mrs-otome @firestar-otomeobsessed @curious-skybunny @queen-dahlia @moonstruck-writing @scorchieart

#ikemen series #ikemen prince #ikepri #ikemen clavis #ikepri clavis #clavis lelouch #clavis x reader #hollywood au #fluff #angst #first kiss #500 follower celebration #violettwrites

[sxugaryx]

Happy Birthday (Fanfic)

A new chapter of my Lies of p Fanfic series (´ ω `♡)

It already had been a year, although it felt much longer. It was the first of September when the frenzy started, Pinocchio had awoken weeks later on the 19th, officially, it was decided that was going to be his birthday.

When Geppetto first told the idea to the others, Venigni insisted on having an extravagant celebration, but it wasn’t a good idea, at first, because there was no need to, Pinocchio only had a handful of friends, there was no need for something luxurious, and second, it was just too much to ask even if he did want to, he didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness, even if Venigni had more than enough money that what he knew what to use it for. Many women and men usually came to Venigni's side, clearly wanting a romantic relationship so they could have his riches, but Venigni always saw through it, and he knew the true love would come eventually, to love him for who he was.

Antonia suggested using one of the rooms of the hotel, Krat Hotel had 3 main rooms used for entertainment, so grabbing one for the party would be no problem.

As for the guests, Eugéne was certainly invited, and she insisted on helping with the decorations, she was very excited to hold this party for Pinocchio.

Polendina and Pulcinella were invited as well, both helping with the organization of the place.

Pinocchio invited Sophia, he learned to communicate with Sophia with the power they shared, although he was sure she wouldn’t come, Pinocchio didn’t mind, she was always by his side anyways.

Gemini and Geppetto are obviously going to be there.

It crossed Pinocchio’s mind to invite the Black Cat and the Red Fox but he had no idea how to even invite them, he had no idea where they were. Gemini and Geppetto silently celebrated that those two wouldn’t attend.

Pinocchio had met others in his quest but they wouldn’t be able to come.

The broken puppet had perished shortly after Krat went back to safety. The test subject was probably out there, hiding but enjoying life.

Everyone else that had come across on his quest and didn’t hear from again, Pinocchio hoped they were safe and sound. He wonders what happened with Giangio, he left suddenly with no warning, and there was something always a bit odd about him.

Then there was Alidoro or rather the fake Alidoro; unfortunately for him, his secret was found out, there were rumors that he was killed when confronted, although nothing could ever be proven and he might not have been the real Alidoro but he was sly, definitely could handle himself with words or in a fight.

Geppetto took Pinocchio to buy him a birthday cake, which he can actually eat now, perhaps Pinocchio’s heart couldn’t decide between being human or a puppet, but others were starting to think that subconsciously, he was starting to lead more into his human side. Pinocchio disagreed, it might not look like it, but he had a balance with both. There were so many flavors, he couldn’t simply decide, it took him an hour to finally choose one.

An hour of “What flavor is this?” “What about that one?” , “Or that one?”, “Can it be half and half?”,” Can a cake have more than two flavors?”, “I want that one!” , “No wait that one!”.

Eventually, Pinocchio chose a chocolate cake, with cherries, with white vanilla frosting letters saying “Happy Birthday” on top. You can never fail with something simple like that.

At noon the party was almost ready to start, Lady Antonia and Polendina were setting up the table, Eugéne decorated the walls with streamers and balloons, and the typical “Happy Birthday” sign, Eugéne had beautiful handwriting and she painted the letters herself.

Geppetto was sitting down, he was tired, his age was starting to get to him, even if he still didn’t want to admit it.

Venigni and Pulcinella were setting up the lights, apparently, Venigni had invented these things he called “Led lights” When connected, the small lights would shine in a variety of colors; yet for some reason, the lights couldn’t seem to be working. Pinocchio got closer to see if he could help.

“What’s wrong?” He asked curiously.

“Well, you see my friend, there must be something wrong with this generator I brought because I keep connecting it but it doesn’t seem to work, I already checked inside of it, yet everything seemed in order” Venigni sighed, “I don’t understand what’s wrong”

“Oh, I know how to help!” Pinocchio had seen people do this dozens of times, when machines weren’t working, you just had to give them a little kick, and suddenly went back to normal. So he did, but maybe he kicked it a bit too hard because he suddenly felt sharp jolts of electricity flowing in his body, shocking him and falling to the ground, however, it worked and the lights were now back to normal.

“Pinocchio what were you thinking?!” Geppetto had now stood up and began to scold him, it had been a while since he scolded him like that, it was just like last year when during the frenzy, he charged toward enemies without question, he took it as if it was nothing but he had to tell Pinocchio that his body can only handle so much.

“Well I’m fine, and it worked anyway!” He said the same thing, just like before.

Time has gone by, but some things don’t change. Pinocchio is a good boy, but sometimes he can be a brat when he thinks he has something completely figured out, sometimes he gets too overconfident.

——

More than a party, it was more of a hangout, they mostly talked about different things, catching up with each other, it had been a while since all of them were in the same room together, and even Spring the cat was there to join them. Next, was the cake cutting, there was enough for everyone, Pinocchio had to be stopped from giving a slice of cake to Spring, and had to be explained why cats (and animals in general) can’t eat chocolate. Then the gift opening came, everyone had gotten him something, the first gift was Spring letting him belly rub it, their friendship had come a long way from the cat that would hiss as him as soon as Pinocchio got close to him.

Venigni and Pulcinella gifted him beautiful clothes, the outfit consisted of a white buttoned shirt, black pants, a red trench coat with yellow spiral markings, black boots, and white gloves. It was a great outfit, Pinocchio wanted to try it immediately, so he left the room for a few minutes and came back wearing them, they looked great on him, his white hair even fitting with the outfit.

Eugéne gifted him a very small hidden dagger, it looked like a pen that you could hide in the front pocket of a shirt; it had extreme detail in the leather handle, a shining sun with its rays extending in the horizon, the dagger was sharp, even for its small size. “You never know when you might need one, not just for defending yourself you know? It might come in handy in other situations” Eugéne was proud of her work, nothing less for her dear friend Pinocchio.

Polendina’s gift was very touching, he gifted Pinocchio a photo album, pictures with Pinocchio, all of his friends, and his father, it had even more space, so he could add more special moments to it. Pictures aren’t a common thing to take, but Antonia has easy access to it, she is the one who helped facilitate the taking of said pictures.

Lady Antonia gifted him a violin, intending to give him lessons, he already had musical talent with the piano and learning had come naturally to him, Pinocchio was very musically inclined, and he looked forward to the lessons she would give him. Pinocchio grabbed the violin and decided to fiddle a bit with it, he had seen others play the violin before carefully studying the movement, Antonia expected his first try to sound like the screech of a dying animal but surprisingly, Pinocchio actually did know how to correctly play the notes, mind you, he didn’t play them in tune but he understood how to actually hold the violin and the hand movement.

Gemini, well he couldn’t actually give him a gift, “isn’t my friendship enough of a gift?” Pinocchio grabbed his cage and shook him, “No, now give me something” Pinocchio teased him.

“Why do you always bully me like this?” Gemini said, they both laughed, they were both truly best friends, his friendship was really enough for him.

Now it was Geppetto’s turn to give him a gift, at first Geppetto couldn’t decide what to give his son, there were so many things he could give him, Pinocchio liked so many things, it was hard to find something he didn’t like actually, something he could use on his daily life would be ideal, he decided that he wanted to make him something special, something hand made, he gave his son the box, wrapped in green paper with a yellow bow on top. Pinocchio grabbed it and carefully untapped it, he opened the box, inside, was a pocket watch. Geppetto had brought all of the materials and assembled it, the watch was made of gold. The clock inside was unique, behind the clock handles were tiny angel wings, that would slightly move from time to time, simulating the movement of wings flapping. On the other side, there was an engraving.

“For my beloved son Pinocchio”

Pinocchio looked up to look at his father, Geppetto gave him a smile. “So, what do you think? Do you like your gift?”

Pinocchio quickly jumped to give a hug to his father, “Thank you, father”. He hugged his father more tightly.

Many thoughts came to Pinocchio’s mind, it’s been a whole year already, first things seemed to pass so slowly, then everything came and went so quickly. He remembered everything he had gone through, and although some things still weighed on his mind, he was happy, truly happy about his life, about everything that had happened, after everything, he now had a true family of his own, not just his father, but the others as well, they were all his family, and he would treasure them like he treasured this moment.

“Aah… son, you are using a bit too much force”

“Huh?” Pinocchio let go of his father, he still forgets about his abnormal strength sometimes. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!” He was now anxious that he had hurt his father.

“It’s okay, I’m just getting old don’t worry” Geppetto tried to reassure him, no need to make Pinocchio feel bad, this was his birthday and nothing should ruin this moment.

There was a knock at the door of the room, everyone turned around to see who could it be. A hotel staff member opened the door, one of the butler’s at the hotel.

“Lady Antonia, this was left at the desk reception” The man held a small wrapped box in his hand, in another hand, a letter. “No one saw who left it, I thought it must be something important related to this event”

“Why yes, please leave it to us here”

The man left the items with them and left the room as quickly as he had entered.

A small white box, the letter had a res stamp. “From Sophia to Pinocchio”

“Sophia sure knows how to make an entrance without being seen,” Eugéne said, she was quite fond of Sophia, for the short time she met her, the two of them might not have talked too much, but when they did, it was pleasant, for a few minutes forgetting that the world had collapsed around them, even if they didn’t have much in common, talking to any topic with Sophia would lighten up both of their moods.

Inside the tiny box was a butterfly necklace, the wings were transparent when moved, the light would reflect different colors. “For my dear Pinocchio, take care clever one” a small heart was at the end of the sentence.

Pinocchio wasted no time on putting the necklaces on. The light reflected now the color red, matching it with his new outfit.

“What a beautiful gift,” Venigni said, “Sophia sure is a great girl-friend” Venigni was now trying to tease Pinocchio.

“Yeah, she is a great friend!”

…

Collectively, everyone in the room had the same thought.

“Wow, Pinocchio really is that clueless?”

—-

The rest of the day was spent in good spirits, when it was time to go, Pinocchio didn’t want to leave, he had to be convinced to go back home, with lots of promises that they would all get together back soon. Pinocchio was too excited, he had been full of energy all day long.

Now back home, Pinocchio felt himself get tired, he lay on the couch for a moment, Pinocchio closed his eyes, and a few seconds later, he completely fell asleep. Geppetto couldn’t carry him back to his room, so he grabbed a blanket and covered his son with it, he grabbed Gemini’s cage and put him on the desk next to him, so they could both rest together.

It had been a long day, and Geppetto was happy to see his son happy.

Now in his room, Geppetto was holding the frame next to his bed, he looked at his wife, “What would she think now?” he liked to imagine she would fully embrace Pinocchio as her son, not that Pinocchio didn’t have a mother figure, Antonia fit the role perfectly well, he could tell that Pinocchio saw her as his mother and that Antonia saw him as a son. He now looked at Carlo, “would the two of them be friends?” He would like to think so, they are different, yet so similar, not just in appearance.

Geppetto had bowed not to make the same mistakes he made in the past, he put the frame back down.

“Am I a better father now?” Only time could tell, Geppetto finished getting ready for bed, before going to sleep, he went back to the living room, Pinocchio was still in deep sleep, he kneeled down to give him a kiss on the forehead.

As he prepared to go back, he saw from in the window, in the sky, a shooting star was seen on the night.

Geppetto made a wish for his son’s sake.

#lies of p #lop #liesofp #lies of p game #lies of p pinocchio #lies of p geppetto #lies of p fanfic #ao3 link #this is in ao3 too #lies of p venigni #lies of p sophia #lies of p gemini #lies of p antonia

[starlightoaks]

CELEBRATE THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON AT THE LUNAR LANES STREET PARTY!

Kick off your lunar new year celebrations at Starlight Oaks' annual Lunar Lanes Street Party! Each year the Lunar New Year celebrations in Starlight Oaks only get bigger! The Lunar Lanes is a return favorite, and from 4pm to midnight, this weekend (10th February & 11th February), the bustling laneways outside Chin Chin and Seoul Kitchen will buzz with live entertainment, roving performers, food trucks, market stalls, DJs playing the latest in C-Pop, J-Pop and K-Pop, and plenty of Insta-worthy moments from art and light activations to dazzle the crowds during this two-night event. The best part? The Lunar Lanes organizers have also teamed up with your favorite Asian restaurants to bring you cuisine from China, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysian and Japan! The owners of Chin Chin, Gravi-Tea and Seoul Kitchen, as well as members of your local Asian community are excited to share their culture with the people of Starlight Oaks! Be sure to visit the Chinese Garden of Friendship that has been set-up at the very end of the street, for tea ceremonies and fortune readings, and look out for the seventy-foot long traditional Chinese Dragon weaving its way through the streets, to thunderous drumming! Or, go in search of the 100 Good Wishes Quilt displays that'll be located in six locations throughout the downtown area. These beautiful quilts have been based off drawings from children living in Starlight Oaks that symbolize good luck, honor and success for the new year. Or, if lanterns are more your thing, head to the activation outside Gravi-Tea to see stunning lanterns light up the night. End your Lunar New Year celebrations with a brilliant firework display on Sunday night at 9pm, lighting up the sky with brilliant steaks of red and gold; you may even spot a dragon amongst the stars! Come and celebrate the Year of the Dragon in Starlight Oaks!

ACTIVITY IDEAS

lunar new year crafts (Chinese dragon craft, sock puppet, Chinese coin bracelet), dumpling making class, learn how to play mahjong, lunar new year bingo, paper lantern making, Chinese calligraphy, cherry blossom painting, traditional Asian cooking demonstrations, DIY bubble tea station @ Gravi-Tea + many more!

EVENT DETAILS

This event will begin on Saturday, February 10th (from midnight PST) and end on Tuesday, February 13th (until 11.59pm PST).

All threads pertaining to the Lunar Lanes Street Party must begin during this period. No new starters should be posted after this time, however you may continue in the days following to wrap up these threads.

This event is entirely optional! Previous threads may continue as normal. However, we would love to see you get involved!

Please tag all event related posts with #starlight.event, and make sure you're following @starteroaks as we will be reblogging any open event starters over there.

#starlight.event

[shoheiakagi]

I would like to see the band girls aesthetic plus more detail on Chitose and Mikototsu relationship(I'm a shameless fangirl here I can't help it) ❤ with love, redlovesashes

@redloveashes So I’m currently on my phone and away from my laptop, so I’ll like give brief overviews on the aesthetics of the girls. Once i get near my laptop, i’ll create some edits!

ABC boys as rockstars

Miyako: long and straight black hair, red lips, pale skin, long skirts and blouses, expensive jewelry, warm hugs, deep voice, kimonos, neutral colors, eyes crinkling while laughing, hands on hips and steady eye contact

Izumi: blond hair, black leather jackets, chunky combat boots, cigarettes, dark eye makeup with heavy eyeliner, long black nails, raised eyebrows, monotone voice, empty bottles of liquor, dark lipstick

Kaoru: short black hair, streetwear, abs, lips pulled up in a cocky smirk, cropped tops and baggy pants, cartilage piercing, junk food, carefree and blunt, toned legs, loud snorts of laughter

Sakuno: long and wavy brown hair, mini skirts and dresses, cherry blossoms, hair clips, giggling behind the hand, puppy dog eyes, blushing cheeks, heart shaped sunglasses, lots of pink with shades of red

Chitose/Izumi:

Izumi learns about Chitose through her friend, Maria. After Chitose casually breaks up with Maria, the darker haired girl goes in a spiral, which unfortunately the media has a blast with. Izumi personally witnessed Maria’s breakdown, seeing her get constantly plastered in dingy bars and get into fights. So it’s safe to say that Chitose is her least favorite member of a group she already dislikes

Chitose being Chitose, doesn’t take her too seriously at first. She’s a hot girl, who’s in a group with other hot girls, so he’s having a tough time to pick his favorite right away (if he had it his way, he’d definitely have a fivesome with the entire group lmao)

even when he notices her cold attitude towards him, he still doesn’t take her that seriously. Ignoring her insults, he would have a lazy smirk on his face while cornering her against the wall

Chitose is honestly impressed when he learns about Izumi’s body count, trying to coax her into a competition on who gets laid the most

Izumi scoffs at first but slowly starts to warm up to him, finding him fun to be around. They soon start to party together, where they definitely hooked up once, twice, or maybe even more

Chitose would entertain other girls, which would bother Izumi just a little bit, before she brushes off her feelings and hooks up with other guys, which chitose definitely notices

Mikoto/Totsuka

To be honest, they will be more of a minor/supporting pair since this au focuses more on the abc boys

But I like the idea of the nation’s sweetheart secretly fucking his hot ceo lmaooo

Like just imaging all these interviews and tabloids trying to see if Totsuka is dating any other idol, and how he apparently seems to hover near this female idol a lot at award shows, only for him to be sucking on Mikoto’s dick while kneeling under his desk

but sex aside, while both are good friends with kusanagi, there was always a more intimate connection between mikoto and totsuka

secretly, mikoto would overspend the company’s budget by trying to get the best stylists and staff for totsuka, wanting him to succeed and reach his goal

but as totsuka gets even more famous, and gets even more praise, mikoto can’t help but feel that he’s getting farther away from his grasp. theyre barely able to get a glimpse of each other in the company building, let alone meet each other in his apartment, because of totsuka’s packed schedule

and it doesn’t help that the less he saw totsuka, the more totsuka is seen publicly interacting with other celebrities who are enamored with him

#tyyy for the ask!!! #redloveashes

[kazoosandfannypacks]

CS Christmas ask, as threatened. ;) 3, 5, 18, 27

threatening me with a good time, I see. :D very well, I accept 😅

3. Favorite Captain Swan scene? I'm gonna go with the one in Regina's vault in season 6, when Emma is stressed about saving her parents and being the savior and facing the evil queen and all these visions she's having- and Killian just takes her hand and says "shhh, love, it's storytime." and he sits her down and retells her the story of how her parents met, and fell in love, and how "true love can break any curse- and so can you, because that's what you're made of." It's such a pure, gentle moment they share, and I cannot get enough of it. It also has the exact same vibes of the song "So Will I" by Ben Platt, which is my comfort song and I associated it with them long before that episode as well

5. What are you most looking forward to this Christmas? Christmas is on a Sunday this year, and I bought a lovely new cherry red dress to wear to church, so I'm fairly excited about that. I'm also excited to give Christmas presents to my family and to see my relatives (we have family in Alaska who will be down to visit around Christmas!)

18. Do you have any Captain Swan Christmas headcanons? First off, I'm a firm believer that Emma is a Halloween person and Killian is a Christmas person- not that there has to be a dichotomy between them like that, but that's absolutely the case. I also headcanon that their first Christmas together was when they were in Camelot (this one's not as much a headcanon as like. Like I've mapped out the timeline on this. I have notes. Emma became a Dark One on approximately December 22, give or take a week's variance on either side. My headcanon is that they actually celebrated Christmas in some way while they were there- we definitely don't see every day of the six weeks they were there) This is less of a captainswan one and more just Killian, but I also have this headcanon as of recent that Hook and Rumple's animosity post-season 6 trickles into some kind of like, rival suburban dads thing and I'm picturing Gold and Killian competing to have the most decorated house for Christmas- which is especially entertaining because Killian knows nothing about electricity but is still determined to best the crocodile in this (he definitely enlists Henry and David's help.) I also like to think that Emma isn't really the best cook, but she tries to do something special for breakfasts on Christmas- probably, like, making pancakes (yes, actually making pancakes, but I know where every CaptainSwan fan's mind went when I said that) and it's just her usual boxed pancakes, but she pours the batter into cookie cutters on the pan so they're Christmas shaped. This kind of becomes tradition, and she even starts changing it up by adding stuff like m&m's to the Christmas tree shaped ones to look like ornaments and sometime cinnamon and cocoa powder in the gingerbread shaped ones to give them a darker color. Also sorry for making this one so long, but I also feel like Henry starts Christmas morning at Regina's. Assuming Christmas existed in Storybrooke, they probably had a lot of years of traditions to continue, and while Emma and Killian love being with their son, they do recognize that they have each other, and all that Regina has is Henry (and Emma knows how much it stinks to be alone on the holidays!) Besides, Killian and Emma certainly don't mind spending a quiet evening together on Christmas eve, with eggnog and mistletoe, probably falling asleep on the couch together in the glow of the Christmas Tree. One last CaptainSwan Christmas headcanon for now- somehow Killian and Henry find out that Emma absolutely loves Christmas trees, despite her initial adamant insistence that she's indifferent towards Christmas. So, one day when Henry's off from school, Killian takes a day off from work to "take Henry sailing-" but instead they go pick out the perfect tree and decorate it to surprise Emma when she gets back- needless to say, she absolutely loves their perfect little Christmas tree, and starts to get a little Christmas spirit herself.

27. What's your biggest Christmas wish this year? I don't have a whole ton of Christmas wishes- I know I can't get the big item I wanted right now, but I'm good without it, and well. I've got a job, I don't have to worry about rent or food because I still live at home, I get to see my family every day and my friends often and I have a lovely group of online friends I can talk with every day. I have free time to express my creative talents and I get to see almost all of my extended family this year! I'd say if I did have a Christmas wish, it would be to see my best friend sometime while she's on Christmas break. We worked at camp together for a while, and became friends after a year or two of not speaking to each other very much [we became friends again specifically because I needed someone to talk about ouat with and she had seen the first couple of seasons- and now she's on season 6 in our watchthrough together that picked up where she left off,] and now she's my closest friend, despite the fact that I've only seen her twice since we started talking to each other again. It's not super important to see her in person, because I'm used to her being more like an internet friend, but it would be so cool to see her in person again for a little bit! We haven't made any plans though, and she lives a couple hours away- and neither of us drive- so it probably won't happen, but that's alright too!

sorry this is such a long response 😅 I did not expect to ramble so much

Captain Swan Christmas Ask Game!

#kazzy answers asks #once upon a time #once upon a time season 6 #ouat #captain swan #christmas #killian jones #emma swan #henry mills #regina mills #david nolan #kazzy rambles

[nightravenuniversity]

GAME #1: LET’S GET HOOTIN’! 

For a school-sponsored party that most of the student body wanted no part of and absolutely zero warning, Night Raven University’s so-called 1st Annual Hootenanny is actually better put together than anyone could’ve thought. Balloons and streamers decorate nearly every orifice on campus, though there’s equally any number of posters marketing the celebration that have been defaced with crude sayings and even cruder illustrations letting Headmaster Crowley know just exactly what they thought of his ill-received warning.

While there’s just a small portion of what appears to be catered food (the rest having been carted off by the faculty), each house has managed to assemble something for the event whether it’s in ways of contributing to the potluck or by way of entertainment:

SEND MY MUSE SOMETHING TO EAT / DRINK:

[Pudding] Strawberry milk pudding molded into a cute white bunny; snapping a picture of this will definitely get you trending on Magicam! The bunnies are drizzled lightly in strawberry compote and topped with applemint leaves. Chocolate garnish decorated as a pocket watch finishes the aesthetic, this treat is enhanced by magic to stay chilled throughout the party; courtesy of Heartslabyul. 

[Meat] It’s just a slab of meat of unknown origin. Uncooked, but oddly warm.

[Biltong] An assortment of wild game meat that’s been dried, cured, and then sliced to savory perfection. Each bite is a flavorful experience of spice; a must-have dish for every meat lover on campus! The variety of meat showcases Sunset Savanna’s plentiful bounty; courtesy of Savanaclaw.

[Ocean Cider] A refreshing, crisp lemonade cider. Its vibrant, aquamarine hue softly gradients into a pale lavender from bottom to top, making its appearance reminiscent of the deep sea. Mango, starfish-shaped jelly rests at the bottom of the glass, which is garnished with a slice of lemon and one cherry. Students immediately recognize this as one of Mostro Lounge’s best-selling drinks; courtesy of Octavinelle.

[Basbousa] A sweet almond and coconut semolina cake cut into diamond shapes. Each slice is smothered in sweet sauce and dusted with toasted coconut shavings. A favored treat back in the Scalding Sands; courtesy of Scarabia.

[Mysterious Risotto] An oddly purple-colored risotto decorated with an array of mushrooms. If asked about the dish, none of the ghosts in the kitchen seem to know where it came from; only that it is there. While it seems mostly untouched and cold, it appears the students that dared to give it a try have come away with odd visions.

[Waffles with Apple Salad] A pair of heart-shaped savory waffles flavored, vegan and somehow inexplicably free-range. Accompanying that is an organic apple salad composed of red onion, celery, parsley, and honeycrisp apples; courtesy of Pomefiore.

[Saganaki] A dish of cheese … that is apparently on fire. Composed of a variety of Greek cheeses and a little bit of brandy, the fire appears to change its color as it burns the whole night through. It pairs well with a lightly toasted baguette, a twist of lemon and a little bit of parsley. It’s tradition to break a dish every time the flame abruptly burns brighter, though no one quite understands the tradition; courtesy of Ignihyde. 

[Spiked Punch] Sitting in a black cauldron is an entirely upturned bottle of artificial green apple syrup, apparently emptied into what appears to be a viscous green liquid that smells distinctly of sugar and … is that just an entire bundle of kale and pea sprouts floating in there? Mixed in are a handful of melting, but skull-shaped marshmallows. It appears this is an offering from Diasomnia. Students brave enough to give it a try report that the drink bites back.

INTERACT WITH MY MUSE: 

Send 🥧 to start a food fight with my muse.

Send 💀 to be caught by my muse sabotaging your house’s dish.

Send 📍 to play pin the tail on the Savanaclaws.

Send 🎤 to drag my muse into a karaoke duet.

Send 💃 to dance with my muse.

Send 🏓 to play a game of Root Beer Pong.

Send 👻 to play a game of Root Beer Pong to the death (with the Spiked Punch).

Send 🤜 to fight my muse.

Send ⛲ to play Seven Minutes in Hell (light waterboarding).

Send 🔨 to break into another dorm.

#nru_backthatbashup

[mjohnso]

Deep Dive: K-Box Color Albums

K-pop’s success in Japan was not overnight. Instead, as I had begun teasing out in my post “Building the K-Pop Brand In Japan,” it resulted from a years-long project and the combined efforts of multiple parties, including agencies, idols, and Korean government agencies, whose efforts have been mainly forgotten. Indeed, even well-intentioned admonishments to pay homage or thank those that have made k-pop’s current place in the Japanese market possible only focus on post-2009.

This post is not arguing for greater recognition of the aforementioned groups or their efforts. Instead, this is about narrowing the lens to look at a particular relic from k-pop’s brand-building years in Japan, which I have only briefly touched on: the compilation albums, K-BOX ~Korea Music Collection~ Red and K-BOX ~Korea Music Collection~ Blue.

Released simultaneously by Victor Entertainment in March 2003, the K-BOX albums featured a combined 24 different songs from 24 artists, divided according to the genre, each represented by a color. Red, named for a color associated with energy and passion, represented dance-pop and featured idol groups and rock bands. Meanwhile, Blue, a color meaning peace and calm, featured ballad and R&B songs, mainly from soloists. This color theme would be used as a design motif for the albums' design as well, with the cover art aping the Pantone swatch format down to the use of Helvetica bold. The back of the albums also featured oversized letter ‘R’ and ‘B’ against red and blue backgrounds, respectively.

Although some artists included on the compilations had or were promoting in Japan in 2003, their Japanese releases are not what made it on these albums. In keeping with the ‘Korean Music’ of their title, all songs were in their original Korean, with Japanese translations (and blurbs about each artist) included in the liner notes.

That also was the point of these albums, as well. They were intended to introduce a slice of Korean music to a new audience. Hence the use of the compilation album. As k-pop groups today who release compilation albums before or immediately following their debut in Japan have figured out, the format is ideal for introductions to new audiences. They can offer a best-of, or as Victor Entertainment did, a sampler of the current moment in k-pop, showing that it was not limited to a specific sound or group, but the opposite. It was dynamic, with a much greater range.

On that note, and as well as in celebration of the K-Box albums’ 20th anniversary, I created YouTube playlists re-creating the original tracklist for both albums here: “K-BOX ~ Korea Music Collection: Red~ Playlist” and “K-BOX ~ Korea Music Collection: Blue~ Playlist”.

Below, you can also find the complete track lists for both albums:

K-BOX ~Korea Music Collection~ Red

S.E.S - “Just a Feeling”

Shinhwa - “Perfect Man”

Jewelry - “Again”

BoA - “NO. 1”

Rollercoaster - “Last Scene”

S#arp - “그랬죠”

Baby V.O.X - “Coincidence”

Rain - “Instead of Goodbye”

Click-B - “Undefeatable”

Koyote - “Sad Dream”

Cherry Filter - “Romantic Cat”

Fin.K.L - “Eternity”

K-BOX ~Korea Music Collection~ Blue

Tasha - “Day After Day”

Lena Park - “In Dreams”

Sung Si Kyung - “You Made Me Impressed”

Lee Soo Young - “La La La”

Fly to the Sky - “Sea of Love”

UN - “Gift”

POSITION - “Last Promise”

J-WALK - “Suddenly”

YURISANGJA - “Can I Love You”

Kim Gunmo - “I’m Sorry”

Shin Seung-hun -  “If we can part even though we love”

Jo Sung Mo - “Goodbye...My Love”

#kpop #kpop-in-japan

[finishinglinepress]

NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: The Lord Balfour Hotel by Suzanne Jones Weisberg

On SALE now: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-lord-balfour-hotel-by-suzanne-jones-weisberg/

Suzanne Jones Weisberg grew up on the southern tip of #Miami Beach, #Florida in the 1940’s and 50’s. Her family had business interests in the #Caribbean and as a child she spent time in Nassau, Jamaica, Haiti , Mexico, Panama, and Cuba. She has been variously, an attorney, a painter, and a poet. The Lord Balfour Hotel is her first collection of #poems. #chapbook

PRAISE FOR The Lord Balfour Hotel by NEW FROM FINISHING LINE PRESS: The Lord Balfour Hotel by Suzanne Jones Weisberg

Suzanne Jones Weisberg takes us on a grand journey of lost innocence and reclaimed glamour with The Lord Balfour Hotel. Cuban beauties, bullfighters, gamblers and gangsters, Latin music and sugar cane slices all dazzle in the balmy shtetl that was the Miami Beach of an earlier era. Along the way we learn how handsome men are like cakes and the shape of her chocolate truffle dreams. While bringing vivid life to every line, Weisberg captures the longing and wonder of her well-spent youth, with poems to be both celebrated and savored.

–Nancy Spiller, author of the novel Entertaining Disasters and memoir Compromise Cake: Lessons Learned from My Mother’s Recipe Box.

There’s more, much more, than mahjong tables and stuffed marlins and zoot suits in this nostalgic collection. Crime bosses and bullfighters and philosophers and neurotic relatives parade through these pages, and we end up on the shores of the Pacific enjoying the pleasures of ice cream and a modicum of contentment, but always hearing the powerful echoes of jazz and flamenco and artists’ young chatter in rooms that burned down long ago.

–Alex M. Frankel, author of So Many Mouths at the End of All Beauty.

There is something elegant and wise about a premier collection of poems composed late in life. In language well-seasoned, a reader finds a peppering of weariness, a salting of irony, some nuttiness and bitter humor, all ingredients in aging’s recipe. The narrator in Suzanne Jones Weisberg‘s debut chapbook, “The Lord Balfour Hotel,” is a kind of “wise guy” little girl who, like Eloise in The Plaza, grows up living in a hotel. Not just any hotel, but a “good fella” world in Miami Beach, where mobsters and Cuban dictators and their sultry mistresses check in and out. In Jones Weisberg’s capable hands, her poems soar in mystery, sorrow and loss that accompany long memory. The strange atonal cry of a pelican haunts her, leaving a sound in her mind like “a clanging of the suitcase room, where vipers go to expire.” Jones Weisberg’s language surprises. Her images are original and playful: “Cherries on top red as a diaper rash” … “the stuffed marlin pinned above the front desk smiles at me, as always.” Her writing is confident and taut. Her subjects range wide from the dark, possibly fatal allure of chocolate, to a dragon mother to lost love, bizarre hotel guests and the terror of a hurricane. In one poem she evokes Havana in the early 1950s — a lone cornet in the night, sugary humidity, other little girls peeking out of “sordid … curtains.” A love lyric resonates with the fact of death. “All we love means nothing without you laughing at the moon beside me,” she writes. She is so good at titles that the table of contents reads like a poem. The Lord Balfour Hotel is a wonderful debut, a truffle both sweet and dark, a bright moon over Miami.

–Georgia Jones-Davis, author of Blue Poodle and Night School.

Please share/repost #flpauthor #preorder #AwesomeCoverArt #read #poems #literature #poetry

#poetry #flp authors #preorder #flp #poets on tumblr #american poets #chapbook #chapbooks #finishing line press #small press