#nominated some pals <3
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Top Gun: Maverick - Robert "Bob" Floyd Masterlist
1) Tense ~ Hangman unexpectedly plays matchmaker when he offers the group a way to deal with the after-effects of their training, which causes Bob to meet the one for him.
2) Tomorrow's Tomorrow ~ Before and after a mission, sober or drunken, Bob wants to spend his time with just one gal. Their friends are also rather amused by his obvious crush on her and like to document their interactions.
3) The Female Species ~ Turns out the Dagger Squad don't really know much about Bob. They certainly didn't know he had a wife, yet she provides them with some more information about the reclusive Robert Floyd. She hadn't seen him in three months and was more than prepared to spill all of his well hidden secrets to his friends.
Yet, he still managed to leave the celebration early and, instead of being alone like usual, he has his wife on his arm.
4) So Very Polite ~ Of all the traits of Bob, his girlfriend has a particular gripe with how polite he is. Usually, it's a good aspect of him. Sometimes it can be a little annoying, especially if she's lacking sleep.
But, that's okay. She has her own special way to force him to be a little more casual in her home.
5) Robert Floyd, Man of The Sky ~ When his old college pal inherits her grandmother's lake house, Bob is the first to nominate himself to help out. It gives him something to do and a chance to feel young, something that he only feels when he's in the sky.
6) There's A Storm Coming ~ After not seeing each other for years, Bob reunites with his old friend for the mission and they pick up right where they left off - desperately yearning for the other's love.
7) Mini Me ~ Of course Bob has a family. It was obvious. Phoenix knew that and did everything in her power to ensure he got back to them. So, she had to meet his wife and son. A trip to the Hard Deck gives his son a new fascination and his wife a chance to reconnect with an old college...friend? Boyfriend? Whatever, it doesn't annoy Bob at all.
8) Relaxed (sequel to Tense) ~ In the comfort of his relationship, Bob gets a bit excited when his girlfriend first admits she loves him and unknowingly convinces her to be hours late for work. After an incident that causes her bed to break, Bob is mortified but still deals with the teasing he gets from his friends when they grab drinks at the Hard Deck later that day.
9) All Over Again ~ When he used to say that he wished he could fall in love with his wife all over again, Bob may have jinxed himself. Yet, the process of knowing her once more wasn't as smooth as he'd used to think. Honestly, he doesn't know which is worse - his broken bones or the fact she can't seem to forget who he once was?
Chapter 1: All Over Again
Chapter 2: Like Beavers
Chapter 3: Think About Love
Chapter 4: Overwhelming
Chapter 5: Service With A Smile
Chapter 6: All Coming Back To Me
#bob floyd x female reader#bob floyd x reader#robert bob floyd#bob fucks#bob floyd#top gun maverick#masterlist
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20 questions for fic writers
Tagged by @gekidasa whose answers were excellent to read at 2am when I couldn't sleep <3
1. How many works do you have on AO3? 91
2. What's your total AO3 word count? 437,726
3. What fandoms do you write for? TGCF obviously is the main one, and Tolkien fic is something I regularly write because it feels like going home. I dipped my toes into Genshin fic this year and I've been known to randomly drop one-off fics for other fandoms when the brainworms hit!
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
After Hours. The magnum opus. Deserves its place at the top.
I Want to Ki** You. I never expected this fic to get so popular so it amuses me that it's still near the top.
Further Precautions. Dumb humor win!
Carved in bone, heart engraved. The trope inversion amnesia fic!
Bet On It. So near and dear to my heart that I have spent the last two years trying to scrub off the serial numbers for publication and if that ever happens, it'll be amusing to see who recognizes it.
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I used to, but then a depression era hit and now I have Inbox (666) and it fills me with dread to look at the number. I do read each and every comment and 9 times out of 10 I start tearing up even if it's something short like "loved this, thanks!"
6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I'm too sappy to do actual unhappy endings, but Still Have Time sort of implies a cycle of toxic breakups that can't be fixed.
... I also forgot that I have that one Celebrimbor/Annatar pre-torture fic, which is objectively much worse than breakups now that I think about it. Does it count when Tolkien is the one who wrote the death-by-torture ending for Tyelpë, though?
7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them!!!!! But I'll nominate Money Maker, because it's the only fic I think I have ever written, for any fandom, that involves the couple getting married at the end. I bullied them so hard in this AU that I decided they earned it.
8. Do you get hate on fics? Never in the comments themselves, but I saw people being dicks about my writing on Twitter every now and then, which is the unfortunate downside of having a well-known fic in fandom. Not everyone has to like my fics, but like... I can see what you're saying on the public forum in the community that I myself am active in, guys.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? *gestures at my AO3 profile*
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? The most I've done is throw in a cameo from other MXTX fandoms, and I guess that one self-indulgent Sk8/tgcf fic that lives in my drafts and will never see the light of day. I just don't find "they meet!" to be enough of a plot to be worth reading or writing. The thought of writing all that introducing sounds like hell, sorry.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Yup, there was that time the person almost word-for-word replicated Still Have Time. They claimed it was an accident and apologized before taking it down when I commented, but that wasn't fun. I felt like a jerk for commenting even though it was blatant theft; they even left kudos on my fic :/
12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes, I have a handful of my fics translated into Russian thanks to some Twitter pals!
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sadly no. I always thought this would be fun, though, so if anyone wants to try it sometime... just sayin'........ my inbox open....
14. What's your all-time favorite ship? 300,000+ of my AO3 wordcount is for Fengqing and they're always going to be one of the most specialest ships ever for me for many reasons, but I also feel like I have to give a shoutout to Maedhros/Fingon in Tolkien fandom for being my longest-running ship? I got into them in high school and they're the ship that I feel I can just sit down and write something for them whenever I want.
15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? There was that Fengqing police AU I started and I thought it would be good, but it ended up not really feeling like them and that was part of what pushed me to focus on original writing instead of fanfic this year. Funnily enough, I Frankensteined some of the concepts from that AU into Constellate, which is to date my only unfinished WIP on AO3. I never really had a plan for what I was doing with that fic and I thought I could just power through it, which failed miserably.
16. What are your writing strengths? Humor, probably! It's hard to be funny in writing, but I do try.
17. What are your writing weaknesses? I have about a year's worth of fic that needs to be line edited and reposted because I was cueing--sentences like "He felt that he was afraid" rather than "His heart pounded in his chest" etc. A writing teacher pointed it out to me this summer and I've been consciously trying to fix it, but I know a lot of my fics are worse because of this.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I never see this done well in fic. Personally, if I'm writing Chinese characters in China in an English language fic, it's implied that they're speaking Chinese, so there's no need to stick "Hao jiu bu jian" in quotation marks, yknow? It only makes sense to change languages if it's implied that this section of language is different from the rest of the narrative, and even then it can be distracting in a bad way to have it written out rather than saying "'Hello,' he greeted in French."
19. First fandom you wrote for? Lord of the Rings probably. I'm not going to look at my FFN profile to check.
20. Favorite fic you've written? I have lots of favorites for lots of reasons, but I'll give a shoutout to No smoke without fire this time because it's my only OC-centric fic and I'm happy that people like it anyway even though OCs aren't really a thing in danmei fandom.
Tagging: I will take the lazy route and say steal it and tag me. I like reading answers to these
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So You Need a Blurb…
If you publish a book, the time will come in the process when your publisher will ask if you have anyone in mind to blurb/endorse your book. And then you will feel foolish telling your publisher that you don’t know anyone or maybe have no idea what a blurb is so you surreptitiously turn to the internet for help. Then you find this post. I gotchu, fam.
What Is a Blurb?
In publishing, “blurb” can mean a lot of things, from the jacket copy to your elevator pitch. But most often, if you’re asked to get a blurb from someone, that means an endorsement from another author or reviewer.
It’s the text on the back or the book or the first few pages where it says, “Fantastic! Five stars!”- some person
What is the Point?
If you ask around, basically nobody cares that a book has a blurb in it. It’s not the thing that will make or break your book sale. But they are a sign of legitimacy, that you are Someone, and that you are part of the community rather than a nobody from nowhere. They’re more important (and common) for lesser known writers breaking out. And they look nice on marketing materials.
How Do You Get Them?
You ask. Sometimes your publisher asks for you. But mostly you will be emailing authors and asking if they can blurb your book.
That Sounds Terrifying
It’s not so bad. For the most part, authors are flattered that you thought of them, especially if they’re midlisters that aren’t huge names. A blurb can give you both a little boost. And sometimes these conversations can stir up further relationships in the community. Writers buy books from each other. They generate buzz. If someone asks me to blurb their book, I’ll feel more invested in its success and might talk it up to others. And getting friendly with other writers is a good way to get invited to conventions, contribute to anthologies, etc. Sometimes authors recommend their pals to their agents. Sometimes they remember you when it comes time for award nominations and votes. So it’s worth it to swallow your fear and reach out.
OK But Like. How?
Step one: pick an author. Actually, pick several, because you’ll want multiple blurbs and not everyone will say yes. Pick people you think would like your book. This means knowing what they write. Aim for someone a few rungs up the ladder from you in experience. Yeah, you can ask Stephen King too, but the big guys are less likely to respond.
Step two: contact them. Track down an email address if you can. If they’re agented, you might need to go through their agent. Do not go into their DMs or tweet them publicly. Write a simple, professional email:
“Hi (author); my name is (name) and I really love (book they wrote that you liked). I have a new book coming out (date) and want to ask whether you might be able to provide a blurb? The book is about (one sentence hook). I would need any blurb back by (deadline you cleared with your publisher). I totally understand if you’re too busy, but if you’d like to take a look I can have my publisher provide an ARC in (format). Thank you for your time!”
An ARC is an advanced reading copy. It’s a not-finalized version of your story that can be sent to readers to start building buzz. Small publishers will usually only have digital arcs in pdf, mobi, and epub. Bigger publishers will have print arcs.
Fire the email off and wait. One of three things will happen:
1 - they say they’re too busy, sorry
2 - they say that sounds great
3 - they never reply
If you never hear a reply, it’s okay to send one follow-up after a couple weeks, then let it go.
After you’ve supplied the ARC, let them sit on it and then email to check in a week or two before it’s due. If they send it in late, it’s fine. It can’t go on the book cover but it can go on the Amazon page and marketing materials. Late is better than nothing.
What Will I Get?
Usually they’ll email you back a nice sentence or two that’s very sound-biteable. These are fun to write and authors can get clever with them. Usually you’ll get a larger one and can cut it down if necessary but it’s obviously bad form to take stuff out of context.
Sometimes they’ll shout you out on their socials. Sometimes you have to make the neat graphics yourself for your socials. You can ask them to share a cute graphic you made but don’t be pushy about it. They did their part.
Did They Actually Read My Book?
Yes. Probably. Mostly. Maybe they skimmed it. Authors are busy. Usually they want to say something nice even if you’re not their favorite style of writing. No matter what, thank them for their time (again!) and just don’t use blurbs that you don’t like.
Tips for Success
- be nice and polite, always. You don’t have to be mega formal. But you should hew on the side of politeness.
- maintain some kind of presence online so people can scope you out and see if you’re a nazi, obnoxious, a serial killer etc. Usually this means Twitter. But something is better than nothing.
- pick writers you like. If you like their writing, they’ll probably like yours. Also check them out online to be sure they’re not a nazi or sex pest or have any scandals that look bad on you. Due diligence!
- it helps if you’re friendly with them or have casually interacted in the past. Remind them about it if you have. “We met at this convention” or “we had x good talk on Twitter” but you don’t have to know them.
Hopefully this helps. Good luck in your quest!
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I guess since I don't get as invested as you do in books, but I really don't think Rihda dying had anything to do with her sexuality??? Why would it, when you write characters as the author you know if a character is going to die. Rhida dying wasn't "Queer character dying to forward a narrative", it was "character death to forward narrative" her sexuality had nothing to do with it? And I say this a lesbian, I didn't even think that until I saw discussion about it.
As you said Rhida wasn't a big part of the story, but she was the daughter to the monarch who didn't care if the realm fell, with her death she now has more reason to join the effort, now we have the women who indirected caused this in the war. Because her daughter was murdered.
I do agree that too many authors just throw queerness at characters so readers don't bother them about representation. But VA has always been more plot focused the character or romance. I'd, that's my take at least
listen pal, I made a whole ass disclaimer on my rant that those were my feelings regarding Ridha's storyline. You don't have to come here to try to change my mind bc I'm not arguing about whether her death as a political piece will serve the overarching narrative when we already know it does. I'm not that stupid. I'm not banging on VA's doors demanding apologies for being problematic or making tiktoks canceling her.
I never said Ridha died because of her sexuality ???
In case it wasn't clear, what I said is that when you have 6 freaking POVs, 3 straight romance storylines, and you choose to tease with a wlw romance for the POV you have already decided beforehand is the one going to die, it fucking hurts for all the wrong reasons. See? I am allowed to feel massively let down because I've been through this exact same situation several times with other media. It's not original. I'm not hurt because her death scene was magnificently crafted. Ridha was introduced, she hangs out for a while doing nothing chopping ice, some gayness was sprinkled in, she disappears for the entire book and comes back with allies that don't really amount to much, to die almost off the page (Sure Taristan delivers the killing blow but she's already one foot in the grave by then). If she was going to die so unceremoniously that most readers don't give a damn about her, then I would have preferred she had no trace of gayness so I wouldn't mind either 🤷♀️. Everyone else is just relieved it wasn't their fave. It's not taking risks or leaving the protagonist (Corayne) "at her lowest" when she didn't even know Ridha lmao.
A poorly written character meant to die means nothing to me coming from a random author. But coming from the same woman capable of writing Sorasa's reluctant hero arc, or Corayne's coming-of-age journey, or the absolutely brilliant chapter 22 from Erida's storyline (which is frankly on another level)... then yes I'll feel fucking betrayed. Because I see my orientation reflected in a character and a kinship sparkles to life! it's a great thing! until that character is meant to be cannon fodder a plot device. VA put such lovely effort into the others and then for Ridha it was like "cheap angst coming right up". It wasn't even like the ~boldest~ narrative move, babes.
Basically, I'm not saying queer characters can't die. You can clearly see I am a Maven fan, who also you know... is queer and dies. So sorry for holding VA's writing up to uhm 🤔🤔 VA's books standards. How silly of me.
#Blade Breaker#BB spoilers#I wasn't even tagging this stuff but if y'all want to dance...#let's do it#YA books#fantasy books#booklbr#bury your gays
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The Week Ahead 3/12-3/18
There’s A LOT happening this week. From St. Patrick’s Day and never-ending bloody marys this Saturday, to some fabulous sample sales & pop-ups, your calendar is ready to be filled with some spectacular soirées that will make your March even more marvelous than you could have imagined...
$39: Drink Endless Bloody Marys At The Bloody Mary Festival
Bottoms up, New York City! Heading to Brooklyn on its statewide tour, The Bloody Mary Festival is here to hit the spot with a free-flowing showcase of spectacular sips! You'll enjoy Unlimited Tastings of the Best Bloody Marys in the five boroughs & beyond, all made and served by beloved local bars & restaurants. You'll wet your whistle in epic fashion by way of 12+ Bloody Mary creators, namely Lobster Joint, Dos Caminos, The Wilson, Margie's at Rockaway Hotel, Crave Fishbar, Sunday's Best and so much more! In addition to your swigs, savor a selection of cocktails, coffee, & light food tastings from local companies (think Knot Of This World's pretzels, Rancho La Gloria Tequila, Bespoke Bacon, Jerky Rob, Twin Stills Moonshine, & more), fun temporary tattoos, photo ops, tacos for purchase, and the chance to vote for The Best Bloody Mary in NYC!
Kipling Sample Sale
The durable, classic, and chic handbag brand, Kipling, is hosting a major sample sale at Clothingline you won't want to miss. Expect backpacks, handbags, totes, luggage, messenger bags, accessories and more all at prices way below retail!
$29 Ticket To A 2 Hour Open Bar St. Paddy's Day Party
Featured in The New York Times and helmed by John Juliano, a nightlife legend, Copacabana offers up an innovative and unique experience that revives the disco era and makes anyone want to get movin' and groovin'. Dress in your finest shamrock green and feel the luck of the Irish as you toss back a complimentary Green Tea Welcome Shot and prepare to show off your best moves. This festive soiree is packed with potent swigs and stellar vibes, perfect for you and your crew. Think Lucky Charms Martinis, The Shamrock Sour, and Emerald Sunrise speciality cocktails, all apart of your open bar ticket! The shenanigans will not be hard to come by as you fuel up for a night of fun on limitless lush libations while surrounded by new and old pals. As resident disco DJ Sergio Afonso brings the beats, let the night go and feel the rhythm of the music. Follow the rainbow to St. Paddy's Day shenanigans at Copacabana...
A Night With Melanie Lynskey
Following the story of a group of young soccer players who survive a plane crash deep in the Canadian wilderness — and the mysterious events surrounding it that follow them into adulthood — the first season of Yellowjackets was nominated for seven Emmys and won widespread critical acclaim. Hear Lynskey discuss the making of the second season and the creation of her character, her brilliant chemistry with co-stars Christina Ricci and Juliette Lewis, stories from behind the scenes, and more.
$59 Ticket To A Pizza & Limoncello Making Class, NoMad
Italy is far away, but the flavors are right here in NYC! Experience it all at Spritz New York, whose beloved, colorful hotspot will play host to a boozy Pizza & Limoncello Making Class, complete with eats, sips, and vacation vibes starting at 9:00pm on select Fridays. Amidst shades of turquoise, sage, coral, and yellow, picture yourself by the seaside as you enter this dazzling NoMad gem, where you'll be presented with a selection of wood-fired pizzas to eat, as well as various styles of limoncello to wet your whistle. Once you've had your fill, you'll be guided through the pizza & limoncello process, learning about the history & using the freshest ingredients. Once you've assembled your edible & drinkable delights, you can take home your delicious, drool-worthy pie and a bottle of your limoncello. This divine, delectable adventure will give you major wanderlust, so what are you waiting for?
Kiehl's x Candlescape & Co. Event
Kiehl's is dedicated to collaborating with small business owners as a way of giving back to their communities and staying connected and supportive. Candlescape & Co. candles are "luxury, non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free, and hand poured with love in NYC." The first 15 customers will receive a custom-made goody bag with any Kiehl's and/or Candlescape purchase, and complimentary Pure dried Red Rose Petals on a candle of your choice! Plus, Kiehl's will be offering complimentary consultations and more.
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I posted 1,331 times in 2022
That's 1,040 more posts than 2021!
182 posts created (14%)
1,149 posts reblogged (86%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@urutaguja
@nirogryphon
@furby-yeehaw
@moefongo
I tagged 417 of my posts in 2022
#maxem says this - 148 posts
#maxem's hall of approvals - 125 posts
#maxem draws - 114 posts
#maxem stop the memes - 99 posts
#maxem says - 84 posts
#zant - 39 posts
#loz twilight princess - 36 posts
#legend of zelda - 34 posts
#usurper king zant - 33 posts
#the legend of zelda - 30 posts
Longest Tag: 139 characters
#like legit forgot he existed on one episode and another was a minor appearance for nominating which female ghost would get the mission done
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Doodle shite w/ Inscryption pals
I love Grimora, she is now grandma for me. She's so polite, may I have her as a funny grandma with the best puzzles?
Also I love Lonely Wizard, I shall protect the boi (I hc them as a nonbinary masculine, they/he)
If I could legally smoke weed, I would totally smoke Magnificus. He's a weed mountain now/j, affectionate
Leshy in a corner cuz it's on sight plus not enough space and didn't remember how to draw his face mostly...
Also stoat punishment by toebeans cuz I wanted to for his punishment (don't at me, I don't like feet that way what is wrong with y'all????
Also have my fursona cuz yes
18 notes - Posted January 17, 2022
#4
Help I keep making new emojis to put for my solo server and
I HAD TO DRAW CLAUS FOR THIS AKSNSKS
Also, it is the week that soon you'll need to stay tuned for major updates!
20 notes - Posted June 1, 2022
#3
I also posted on Twitter but I really want opinions from here too...
So y'know how Peter is pretty much all charming and talks like... suave and all that jazz yet he is like the weirdo???
I wanna know how he would react if someone did the same back... I wanna see him blush, I wanna see him flustered, I wanna SEE HIM STUTTER, DAMMIT!!!
LET ME FLIRT WITH THAT FUCKING SCARECROW PUMPKIN DAMMIT!!!
LET. ME. SEE. PETER. BLUSH!!!!
JAHSHSBWAAAAAAAAAA
22 notes - Posted June 3, 2022
#2
GUYS
I AM CRAVING WILL YOU SNAIL FIC CONTENT!!!
C'MON! LETS MAKE SOME PLS I HAVE BEEN LOOKING IN AO3 DAILY AND NOTHING APPEARS PLS
SOMEONE WITH WRITING SKILLS!!!
PLS!
LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN!
PLS
I AM REALLY GOING LOW FOR THIS DAMN AI HELP
22 notes - Posted June 24, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
Do y'all think Ganondorf accidentally said anything sweetnamed to his two loyal servants, Zant and Ghirahim?
I like to think that because he was raised with many female Gerudo, he catched the female traits without a care in the world but hides it to continue an example of a fearsome demon king.
Ga: "Very well, seems like you both need some strict punishment upon your failures, darlings."
Za: "*blushing like tomatoes*"
Ghi: "I b-beg your pardon, master???"
Ga, realizing what he said: "No punishment for you if you keep your mouths shut about this little slip of the tounge-"
Ghi & Zant: "DEAL"
27 notes - Posted November 27, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
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Let the voting begin!!! ❤️ We have been nominated for BEST CHILDREN’S AUTHOR on Long Island! 🗳 Voting starts today, OCTOBER 1st and runs through DECEMBER 15th. During this time EACH PERSON can cast ONE VOTE per category PER DAY at BESTOFLONGISLAND.com. HOW TO VOTE: 1: Select “ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT” 2: Scroll down to “Best CHILDREN’S AUTHOR on Long Island.” (Please make sure that you are voting in this category - not the ‘Author on Long Island’ category). 3: Vote for MARIA DICOSTANZO & KIM MESSINA (That’s us! 🥰) ✨ We thought we’d have some GIVEAWAY fun! Each time you vote, drop a comment here and you will be entered to win a FREE BOOK, PLUSHIE PAL stuffed animal, and NECKLACE! Whoever enters the most votes wins. Thank you all for your love and support. 😊 Let’s do this! 🙌 #bestoflongisland #bestoflongisland2023 #bethpagebestofli #bethpagebeatoflongisland #massapequa #massapequapark #massapequamoms #longislandmoms #stonybrook @cottontailsstonybrook #eastendlongisland #happylovesprinkles #bestauthor #hhhcsd #dixhills #melville #rockypoint #babylon @roomorsgifts #smithtown @smithtownchamberogcommerce #longisland #sayville @the_catbird_seat #childrenbookauthor #suffolkcountymoms #localauthors #seafordmoms @longisland.mamas (at Long Island, NY) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjLEXUGg8rb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#bestoflongisland#bestoflongisland2023#bethpagebestofli#bethpagebeatoflongisland#massapequa#massapequapark#massapequamoms#longislandmoms#stonybrook#eastendlongisland#happylovesprinkles#bestauthor#hhhcsd#dixhills#melville#rockypoint#babylon#smithtown#longisland#sayville#childrenbookauthor#suffolkcountymoms#localauthors#seafordmoms
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The good news is #standupcomedy is still a big part of my career! As I audition for #acting work for bigger and better roles I'm grateful to be able to express my creativity with some #comedy!
8/20 ZOOM HEADLINER CHARITY for my pal Melissa 8pm PST
For you all who live outta CALIFORNIA!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/headliner-charity-show-for-comedian-melissa-greenberg-tickets-391293267697?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
8/25 STAND UP COMEDY CLUB in Bellflower, Ca
https://www.thestandupclub.com/shows/180382
8/28 WORLD WIDE COMEDY AWARDS - N. Hollywood, Ca
I'm Nominated! - Best LGBTQ Comedian - Watch me win or lose!
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/worldwide-comedy-contest-32900950715
9/3 TASTY WORDS in Santa Monica, Ca
My first reading of my solo show based on my autobiography
"Shut Up, I'm Talking!" available on Amazon
https://tastywords.com
9/9 COMEDY ON THE BEACH
https://www.sealegsatthebeach.com
10/7 HOTEL ZOSO - Palm Springs, Ca
https://www.palmspringscomedyclub.com
10/9 IMPROV COMEDY CLUB - West Hollywood, Ca
https://improv.com/hollywood
AND watch my Indie Series Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy SMOTHERED on #Amazon, Revry, Apple TV and more! co-starring & co-created with the brilliant Mitch Hara http://www.SmotheredTV.com
#lol #comedians #standupcomedy #comedy #makelaughsnotwar #tour #comedytour #supportukraine #laugh #comedyshows #newyorkcomedy #phillycomedy @punchlinephilly @cobbscomedyclub @westsidecomedyclub @broadway_comedy_club @nycomedyclub @govscomedy @punchlinesac #comic #fyp #humansofcomedy
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<h1>John Wayne Within The Military</h1>
The army left a robust impression on Selleck, who recalls his service with pride, “I am a veteran, I’m proud of it,” he stated. Clint never tried his hand at boxing, however he was and is a fight fan. No stranger to the gym, Eastwood lifted weights, did his roadwork, and he became quite proficient on the pace bag and the heavy bag. … “Million Dollar Baby” is such a nice movie; it makes us surprise why Clint by no means made some other boxing films. James Caan Occupation Actor Years active 1961–current Is James Caan nonetheless working?
The first movie during which he called someone "Pilgrim", Ford's The Searchers , is usually thought of to comprise Wayne's best and most advanced performance. Director Robert Rossen supplied the starring function in All the King's Men to Wayne, but he refused, believing the script to be un-American in many ways. Broderick Crawford, who was ultimately forged within the role, received the 1949 Oscar for best male actor, ironically beating out Wayne, who had been nominated for Sands of Iwo Jima . Wayne's first shade movie was Shepherd of the Hills , in which he co-starred with his longtime pal Harry Carey. To reap the benefits of the breathtaking scenery, it was filmed in two variations, a normal 35 mm model and another within the new 70 mm Grandeur film course of, utilizing an innovative camera and lenses. Many within the viewers who noticed it in Grandeur stood and cheered, however solely a handful of theaters have been geared up to indicate the movie in its widescreen process, and the trouble was largely wasted at the time.
The movie was thought-about a huge field-workplace flop at the time, but came to be highly regarded by fashionable critics. As a favor to coach Jones, who had given silent Western movie star Tom Mix tickets to USC games, director John Ford and Mix hired Wayne as a prop boy and extra. Wayne later credited his walk, speak, and persona to his acquaintance with Wyatt Earp, who was good associates with Tom Mix. Wayne soon moved to bit parts, establishing a longtime friendship with the director who provided most of these roles, John Ford.
The group was created in 1944 and aimed to protect the film industry in opposition to communist claims. Towards the top of the struggle, he visited multiple US bases, in addition to hospitals in Australia and the South Pacific with the United Services Organization .
Jimmy Stewart was initially ineligible for the draft, given his low weight, but like some superb version of Captain America, he drank beer till he qualified. He was an Academy Award-winning actor who was among the top field workplace attracts for three many years. Some of his finest identified works include "The Big Trail", "Stagecoach", "The Quiet Man", "The Searchers", "All the King's Men", and "True Grit". Before his movie profession Eastwood was an aspiring musician, preferring it to performing. In 1959, he produced the album "Cowboy Favorites," which embody some classics such as Bob Wills' "San Antonio Rose" and Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In." Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George and Sondra Locke in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1976, selling their movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales."
Many of Hollywood’s big names, similar to Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart, and Clark Gable, did simply that. (Fonda, Wills points out, was 37 at the time and had a wife and three kids.) But these have been established stars.
Subscribe to the Military.com newsletter to have army information, updates and sources delivered straight to your inbox. Marlene Dietrich also dated Jimmy Stewart and Ernest Hemingway however they didn't keep away from the war, either. Wayne by no means enlisted and even filed for a 3-A draft deferment, which meant that if the sole provider for a family of four have been drafted, it might cause his family undue hardship. The closest he would ever come to World War II service can be portraying the actions of others on the silver display screen. Being drafted or enlisting was going to have a serious impact on his rising star. Depending on how lengthy the war lasted, Wayne reportedly worried he may be too old to be a leading man when he came house.
She believed that Wayne and co-star Gail Russell had been having an affair, a claim that both Wayne and Russell denied. The night time the movie Angel and the Badman wrapped, the standard get together was held for cast and crew, and Wayne came residence very late.
That movie also started a career of collaboration with John Ford, the enduring director who had his eye on Wayne since his days as a soccer participant at USC and the quite a few stand-in and stuntman roles he performed in previous westerns.
However, one movie he wished to make that featured the Korean War didn’t make the reduce.
Nearly 40% of those in uniform were rear-echelon varieties working in clerical, provide, medical, and different administrative duties.
John Ford, who solid him in some small film roles starting in 1928.
six different famous actors from the era who actually put their careers on hold to join the greatest technology and serve in WWII.
In distinction, Wayne did not receive special therapy on his personal, but solely by the intervention of his employer who needed to retain him for the war effort. Jimmy Stuart was drafted in March of 1941 earlier than the warfare had damaged out. It is alleged he then drank lots of beer for the carbs to get his weight up. The Army accepted him and Stuart got himself into the Air Corps and was taking correspondence programs to turn into an officer. Stuart was also a private pilot with four hundred flight hours as a civilian. When the warfare did break out, he was already within the navy and seemingly bent on a second profession as a bomber pilot. Jimmy Stuart went on to fly combat missions in bombers over Europe, resumed his appearing carreer, and retired from the Air Force a Brigadier General within the reserves.
Back at house, the troops would have to spend an excellent sum of money to see these stars live. These reveals brought together well-known and rising stars and had them carry out for the troops.
He traveled as part of an entertainment tour, donning his personal USO military package. Renowned film director, John Ford, who gave Wayne his breakout function in Stagecoach supposedly received letters from Wayne describing his want to enlist. As Ray Davies of the Kinks penned in the track “Celluloid Heroes,” “I wish my life was a nonstop Hollywood film present.” We clearly see denial undoubtedly beats the true thing. He learned as a lot on USO tours in Australia and throughout the Pacific the place he was greeted by boos from war hardened vets. On the other hand, if the dialogue is raised on social media, you will positively discover those that take consolation within the image the Duke represented as they viewed from the sidelines as youngsters. A less sympathetic depiction of that time interval was presented in final yr’s Trumbo the place Wayne is portrayed as a mindless software for rightwing columnist Hedda Hopper. In accordance, he starred in Blood Alley and Big Jim McLain , the latter of which was primarily based on the precise case of the “Hawaii 7” .
By some unknown means, Gable managed to enlist, get a billet to officer candidate faculty and be trained in aerial gunnery and images. He was then assigned to the First Motion Picture Unit located at what was referred to as “Fort Roach” – the Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California. The FMPU was commanded by producer Jack Warner, as in Warner Brothers Studio. Jack Warner was probably the string-puller that received Clark Gable into the Army Air Corps at age 40 to enter his unit. Clark Gable never went to school and had dropped out of high school, and he still ended up with a commission as a Captain.
Because of this particular deferment, Wayne was capable of keep away from going to warfare completely. check now argued that they wanted Wayne away from the war to keep the troops motivated and the audiences at residence entertained. The morale of the men, which was extremely essential to the warfare effort, would dwindle and probably even break. Had the standing remained unchanged, Wayne likely would have entered the warfare. With the removal of that individual, it meant that the family would probably starve.
But he never went again to Burma and China not solely as a result of he didn’t have time however due to the much less-than-warm welcome. The only thing she had in common with Dietrich was ‘their high-octane sexuality and the fact that each of them had worked at one time or another, as professional escorts’. Along for the enjoyment experience were actors Ward Bond, Fred MacMurray, and Ray Milland. She tried to maintain him out of the movie, The Spoilers, the scheduled film reunion of the pair.
He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s diploma in historical past and now reads anything he can get his hands on.
As a teen, he labored in an ice-cream shop for a person who shod horses for Hollywood studios. He played soccer for the 1924 league champion Glendale High School team. Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907, at 224 South Second Street in Winterset, Iowa. The local paper, Winterset Madisonian, reported on page 4 of the edition of May 30, 1907, that Wayne weighed thirteen lb at start. Wayne claimed his middle name was soon changed from Robert to Michael when his parents decided to name their next son Robert, however in depth analysis has discovered no such legal change.
After five days of savage preventing to recapture the outposts, 1,015 American and South Korean Marines died, and Reno remained in Chinese arms. The U.N. High Command decided to offer away the world altogether in May, therefore the film’s title. In return for his or her help, the division required filmmakers to participate in a narrative and script evaluate course of managed by Donald Baruch, a public affairs official at the Pentagon. Wayne and Eastwood never labored together, nevertheless, they remain the 2 actors most associated with the Western style. six different well-known actors from the period who actually put their careers on hold to hitch the greatest technology and serve in WWII. by no means served in the army and worked hard to keep away from the draft that sent more than 16 million Americans into World War II.
Best recognized for his westerns, Wayne also starred in a number of navy films. Despite being a lifelong and overtly vocal Republican, Wayne was in a position to convincePresident Lyndon B. Johnsonand the United States Department of Defense to provide material help. Which brings me to the subsequent level of criticism about Wanye not serving, that he caught with the movies so he might money in as a multi-millionaire whereas Americans had been dying on the Sands of Iwo Jima. I was able to have a look at what John Wayne was really getting per film and it was on no account a bathe of riches. Wayne had been on a 12 months-to-12 months contract with Republic from 1938 to 1943. He made eight films in a serial format called “The Three Mesquiteers.” His lavish wage amounted to simply $3,000 a film.
He had been suffering from stomach cancer, finally succumbing to the illness after having enrolled in a vaccine study in protection of the illness. Decades following the warfare, Wayne strongly expressed his patriotism, turning into a distinguished member of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals.
It was Ford who first gave John Wayne, then still Marion Morrison, stroll-ons in his films. Ford would go on to be commissioned as a commander in the United States Nay Reserve and consistently degraded John Wayne for not enlisting, telling him to “get into it” and that he was growing rich whereas others were dying. | entry hollywood / YouTubeIn June 1934-yr-old old John Wayne registered with Selective Service and was categorized as 3-A. This mean that because he had four kids and a spouse to provide for, he was exempt from serving. With loads of younger, single men to serve when the U.S. first entered the warfare, this was pretty normal. Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, considering of becoming a member of the navy or maintaining with navy life and benefits, Military.com has you coated.
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Summary: When his old college pal inherits her grandmother's lake house, Bob is the first to nominate himself to help out. It gives him something to do and a chance to feel young, something that he only feels when he's in the sky.
Tags: Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Smut, Domestic Fluff, House Cleaning, Astronomy, Face-Sitting, Light Dom/sub, Slow Build, Caretaking, Idiots in Love
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So many people had told Bob since he was a kid that he had an 'old soul', whatever the fuck that meant. Was it because he was on the quieter side? Or was it because he was thoughtful and kept things to himself, which was a vast difference from those he surrounded himself with? Honestly, Bob had no idea.
Even when he was younger he never felt young. Sure, he played with toys and had an imaginary friend when he was five, but by the time he was ten, he was sitting at the adult table at dinner parties. He never got in trouble for sneaking out after curfew or getting drunk with his friends before he was of age.
His father once told him, "Bobby, you and me, I feel like we're the same age." Bob was eighteen at the time and just about to move away for college. It didn't make sense to him - he was a young, strapping lad, why didn't a sense of youth enter his life?
That may be why he chose such a dangerous career. Youth goes hand in hand with adrenaline, and what's more adrenaline inducing than firing an arsenal of weapons from the backseat of a jet? So, yeah, that's as close as he got.
Throughout the years, he'd come to some conclusions:
1) Hangman has definitely been lying about the majority of his sexual encounters. Rooster, on the other hand, was not.
2) Most people have that sense of teenage giddiness when they're first in love. Bob did once have a girlfriend in the tail end of high school and he did like her. But, looking back, he didn't love her. He just didn't want to be seventeen and without a girlfriend.
And 3) He was lonely. And ever since his mama died, he didn't really have anyone to talk to about it anymore. None of his coworkers or friends would want to know, and Bob knew for a fact that he didn't want to tell them.
So when his very good friend Y/N inherited her estranged grandmother's lake house, Bob volunteered to help her redecorate. It would give him something to do during his time off and would force him to interact with another person. There was no way he'd spend all his day drinking beer and reading Steven King in his underwear if Y/N needed help.
"Ah, home sweet home." Y/N unlocked the front door and swung it open, gesturing for Bob to go in before her with a playful bow. "After you, my good fellow."
"Why thank you, fairest maiden."
They entered, both surveying the house room by room to come up with a plan of what to do. Y/N had already begun making a mental list of all the things that needed to be replaced, and how much it was going to cost. Bob, however, was more focused on how picturesque the view of the lake was from her living room.
"Woah."
By the look of it Y/N was too preoccupied to notice so Bob stretched out and grasped onto her biceps, dragging her in front of where he was stood and tilting her chin in an effort to force her to take some time to bask in the sight of the water crashing over the rocks outside her window. She was so stunned that she could only stare silently at the slow current of the lake and didn't notice how Bob was gently rubbing his hands up and down her arms. It was an unconscious action, his focus entirely still on the beauty outside the window and not on the beauty in his arms.
"Now that would be a great painting," he finally said softly, breaking the silence of their quiet moment.
"I can't even think of art with all this house shit I've got to do."
"We've. We've got to do," he corrected gently. He released her arm and took a step back, giving himself space to continue taking stock of all the heavy and seriously outdated furniture they'd have to carry out of there. There was no doubting that the puke yellow coloured couch would be one of the first things to go.
Room by room, the pair checked out the house. Structurally, it looked sound to the untrained eye. Aesthetically, not so good. It was clear that the style hadn't been updated since the sixties. And, it seemed that Y/N's grandmother had been a fan of awfully gauche animal prints. "That was certainly a choice." She reached out to pick at part of the faded tiger print wallpaper in the master bedroom. "If there's a mirror on the ceiling, I'm going to freak. Bo, tell me there's not a mirror."
He glanced upwards.
"Nope. But, there is a huge spider."
Even the bathroom was less than fashionable and came with one of those awful furry toilet seat covers. Y/N almost gagged just looking at it. There was no chance that was staying. Not that he needed to say it out loud, but Bob declared, "This is going to be a lot of work," just to make it official. Y/N couldn't disagree if she wanted to, not only because it was Bob and it was hard to argue with that cute face, but because he was completely and utterly correct.
Day one was spent binning anything simple and useless - including the aforementioned toilet seat cover and the mass amount of letters that had accumulated by the front door - and brainstorming about what the hell the house should look like. As it turned out, it wasn't as easy as they'd originally thought.
A lot of their time involved scrolling through Pinterest. The moment one of them saw something that could work, they showed the other what they thought were acceptable colours or styles. Once they both agreed, it was saved.
"What time is it?"
Despite having their phone screens right in front of their faces, Bob glanced down at his watch. "Nine twenty-four."
And then he was unable to stop his stomach from rumbling. Shit. They'd skipped right past dinner and, as per usual, Bob whined for Chinese food. Y/N, as always, gave in. The main reason why was because there was no food in the house. It also possibly could be the fact that Bob would always order something different every time and forget that he's a complete baby when it comes to anything spicy. When he said the words 'szechuan chicken', she made sure to add a meal he'd like better and a bunch of drinks to a new order.
Yet, she didn't tell him. Where's the fun in that?
"Food arriving at twenty-two hundred hours, lieutenant. Permission to see if that old ass TV is still operational?" Y/N joked, referring to the chunky old school hunk of a thing on the coffee table.
"Permission granted."
He grinned, watching as she crouched behind the TV to get a better look, giving him the perfect opportunity to totally not check out her ass. Okay, maybe he did check it out once. Or twice. Or three times. Whatever, maybe it was more than three.
After pushing the plug in the socket once she'd finally found out where the hell it was, Y/N pressed the on button. Nope. She grabbed the remote and gave it a few pokes. Nothing either. It was a bust. "We've got a dud on our hands."
"I've got a couple of episodes of The Great British Bake Off download on my phone. We could always watch that?"
"That is the most on brand thing you've ever said."
Propping up his phone with as many cooking books he could find and one copy of 27 Dresses on the coffee table, Bob huddled closer to Y/N so they'd both be able to see the screen. Although he had a big and fancy phone (that had the text size absolutely huge so he'd be able to see whatever popped up on the screen without even needing his glasses on), the screen was not ideal. They had to sit quite closely together to make it work. Neither of them complained about that.
"Look, the height of luxury!"
"Shut it, Floyd."
On the dot, the food arrived and they were quick to dig in. And the drink order came minutes later. The second Bob brought his meal to his tongue, the heat had already begun to fill his mouth. This shit was spicy! "Holy Fu-ck. Ah! Ah! Hot. Very, very... ahhhj," he cried, his face already flushing.
He stuck his tongue out in a way that was very obviously trying to cool himself down and had Y/N giggling at him. That was when he put the chopsticks down and waved in an effort to force cold air to his mouth. It didn't help. Not one bit. Then came the tears streaming down his face. "It gets worse when I breathe! Should I stop breathing altogether?" Bob hiccuped, and she knew this was the time to offer him relief. Any more suffering would be cruel on her part.
"Milk?" she asked as she reached into the drinks bag and retrieved a bottle of milk. She handed it to Bob, who immediately opened it and downed half in one gulp, leaving the bottle resting against his lips while his head rested against the back of the sofa. He let out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like one of relief.
"Oh my God." His eyes were wide, almost comically so. "I think my tongue passed out for a minute."
Y/N laughed and her hand shot to grab him a napkin. With a gentle smile, she dabbed away at the remaining moisture around his face. He continued to look at her, his face not changing as he kept staring at the soft way she handled him. The little smile never left her lips and he could swear that he swore that it grew bigger the longer he watched her, which caused his own smile to grow wider until they matched.
"You knew it was that spicy and let me eat it anyway?"
"Maybe..." He nudged her in the arm with his elbow. "Maybe I knew that Kenny is coming tomorrow to check out the electrics and he's a fan of spicy stuff."
With that, she brought out the chow mein she'd bought for this exact moment and placed it on his lap, smiling smugly as he ate it without batting an eye. And, most importantly, without acting like a little bitch about it. The pair continued the meal, occasionally talking about anything they could think of. Their banter flowed easily between them as it had since they met in college.
"All I'm saying is that I'd be great on this show."
"You? The same Robert Floyd that once put ramen in the microwave a) still in the plastic and b) for half an hour?"
"I was a boy back then, now I'm a man," he declared, pointing his chopsticks at her accusingly.
She poked him in the chest. "Just because you've got bigger muscles, doesn't make you a man," she teased, poking him again just because she could. One because it was annoying, and two because she could feel how firm his chest was under her finger.
Bob caught her hand before it jabbed him again. "Stop that," he ordered playfully, though there was no bite to his voice as the corners of his mouth quirked upwards in amusement. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but his grip tightened around her wrist. "Say I'm a man and I'll let go."
"Never."
Casually, he swapped which hand was holding hers so he could continue eating whilst restraining her. He wasn't rough or nor was it particularly gentle either; he just wanted to keep that sweet little pout on her face as she had to use her non-dominant hand to use her chopsticks, which seemed to be an arduous task. He didn't seem to mind watching her struggle though. If anything, he was enjoying it. It was payback for not telling him that his food was going to be spicy. It's not as if it was affecting his chopstick movement at all and that's why he finished his food long before her.
"You could just give in, you know?" he mused out loud. "Tell me that I'm a man and I'll let you have your hand back. Easy peasy lemon squeezy."
"Are you suggesting I surrender?" She raised her eyebrows. "Do you want me to surrender, lieutenant?"
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes that he couldn't ignore and suddenly he wondered if that's why he liked this girl so much. Maybe it was because of that playfulness she always displayed that always made him feel slightly like a dope. In fact, he really was beginning to wonder just how he felt about her.
And yet, there he was, sitting there with a silly grin on his face and feeling like an idiot as he watched Y/N's expression turn from playful to serious in a matter of seconds, the playfulness retreating and in its place being replaced by something more akin to determination as she tried to shove a bunch of noodles in her mouth.
"Here, let me." Before she could complain, Bob snatched the chopsticks from her hand and picked up her food for her, holding it in front of her lips until she opened her mouth to let him feed her. "You could just say those magic words?"
"Maybe I like being fed like I'm some lazy sultan and you're my obedient bitch boy."
He shook his head in amusement, accepting that statement as truth since she seemed to willingly allow him to continue without argument. He fed her another piece of food, and another, and another. They went back and forth like this until she was stuffed. "Thanks Bobby. I guess you, as a twenty-nine year old human male, could be classified as a man," Y/N finally admitted as she pulled the empty bowl away from him and set it aside on the coffee table, leaving his lap free for her head to rest against his thighs.
Bob looked down to the hair tickling his skin just under where his shorts ended and sighed happily at the feeling. At first, he rested his hand on her shoulder and gave a light squeeze, then slowly his thumb started tracing small circles on her skin, causing her to close her eyes, sigh contently, and snuggle closer to him. What was that feeling? Was it the giddiness he yearned for? Or was it just the excitement of hanging out with a friend? Whatever it was, it seemed almost too good to be true. As if he were dreaming. As if he should wake up and realise that this was all just some bizarre domestic fantasy that he had to wake up from and find himself alone in his bunk. Or maybe he was dying and this was his brain's final attempt at bringing him some happiness.
To test out if this was real or not, Bob gently took a strand or two of her hair and held it closer to examine the detail of his supposed dream. That was far too intricate for his imagination to come up with. He chuckled, a sound full of warmth that made Y/N open her eyes and look up at him, confused. "Are you checking me for split ends?" she asked, trying to read his features carefully.
"Something like that."
This wasn't a dream, he knew that now. Yet, it felt almost too good when he let his hand rake through her hair. It was silky smooth. Soft, warm. Y/N closed her eyes once again, enjoying the attention to which she had been subjected to. Her face heated up at his touch, but it wasn't an uncomfortable heat, quite the opposite. Rather, she found herself relaxing against him. His fingers continued their quest, gently brushing over every inch of her hair while he spoke to her, telling her about everything and nothing just like usual, but something changed within her and a smile graced her lips as she drifted off to sleep.
That day would become a cherished memory within his life. For it would forever change their friendship in a positive manner, before either of them knew it. And as they lay tangled, both sleeping soundly as if none of it mattered, Bob felt like a lovesick teenage boy for the first time in his life.
Day two of renovations was spent stuffing all the moving boxes in the spare room so there would be space to plan out the layouts of the more important sections of the house. The walls and gross faded cabinets would need to be painted, some furniture and curtains needed to be ordered, and, as their buddy Kenny said, "This will be a bitch to rewire, but I'll do it." Then he was handed Bob's szechuan chicken and exited the house happier than he arrived.
It seemed that redecorating a house was a lot of waiting patiently as Y/N's father had insisted that she get actual professionals to check out the structure before they wasted money on the wiring, which was a good idea considering the state of the place already. Once the roof and attic and foundations had been checked, it was more than a month in.
"Bobby, you don't have to wait around with me. Don't you want to sleep in the comfort of your own bed? You'll be bored out of your mind here."
Well, the truth of the matter was that Bob liked falling asleep on the couch with her every night. They often talked in hushed tones in the early hours of morning, talking at a normal volume was far too loud for their tired ears, and he would be a fool to give that up. "What am I going to do back in my apartment? That's right, mope about until my new mission, so I might as well just hang around here to annoy you."
Something in him forced his hands out to squish her against his chest and he wrapped one arm around her waist so he could pull her closer to him as she tried to wriggle out of his hold. "You're not going to get away from me that easily," he teased, pinching her side lightly to make her giggle. Obviously, there was no escaping. Not that she wanted to escape, anyways. Giving in quicker than she'd have liked to, Y/N relaxed into his embrace and leaned her head against his shoulder, taking in his scent, his warmth, and his company.
"All done, Miss L/N," the surveyor said, walking in on their moment. After giving him a friendly pat on the peck, Y/N stepped back from Bob to deal with whatever payment or paperwork she needed to do.
Once all the checking had finally been completed, they could get to the fun stuff - the decorating and furnishing - and they were eager to get to work.
"Hand me the screwdriver, darlin'."
"Say please."
He rolled his eyes, but did as she said with a sweet "Please. Pretty please" and was rewarded with the screwdriver being held out to him. He accepted it with thanks and proceeded to pop open the paint can. "Come on, I'm not doing this all by myself. Pick up that paintbrush."
"Give me a sec," she retorted, pulling the hair band off her wrist to tie up her hair.
It shouldn't have been so fascinating to Bob, watching with fascination as she gathered up her hair in her right fist and started tying it with her left, but it was. There was something entrancing about it. Something captivating. He wanted to keep looking at her, at her hands working so deftly against her scalp, the way her tongue peeked out and her brows creased in concentration. So focused. So determined.
"Ready?" She asked, snapping him out of his daydream as she looked up at him from below her lashes and smiled.
"Me? I've been waiting for you."
So they got on with the painting, the radio playing softly in the background as the rest of the world fell away and allowed the sounds of their brushes against the paint on the canvas to fill the air. Every now and then, they glanced at each other and grinned like idiots, their smiles so wide and happy that their faces hurt.
"Love this song!" Bob exclaimed, breaking the silence as he turned the music up louder and put his whole body to it. His movements were so goofy and so uncoordinated that it didn't take long for Y/N to start laughing at his silliness.
Normally, Bob would keep himself to s rhythmic head bop or casual shoulder wiggle when he was at the Hard Deck with his buddy's. But when it came to Y/N, he became a mess of crazy, stupid dance moves that he did for her, did only to make her laugh harder. His hips swayed side to side as he made a complete mess of the wall, flicking paint onto it with dramatic flourishes and sweeping his arms across to create wild shapes that resembled ink blots.
"You're just going to watch me, missy? Or are you going to join me?" he asked, holding his hand out, palm up for her to grab on to. When she did, he took the paintbrush from her hand and placed it with his on the tray by his foot, allowing all of their hands to be free and free to move as they pleased. Y/N grabbed onto his shoulder to steady herself against his swaying body and placed her hand over the top of his, their bodies pressed together tightly as they danced like they were in a sappy high school rom com. The Frankie Valli tune accompanying them was the icing on the cliche cake.
Bob laughed and began to hum along to the song, his voice low and quiet as he sang it. Their embrace started off as silly, awkward and even clumsy. But soon it evolved into something much more intimate and slow paced. Soon they were both dancing close enough together to feel the other's heartbeats and the heat radiating between them.
"You're so warm," Y/N stated, completely relaxed as she placed her cheek against his shoulder. "And soft." The words were spoken barely above a whisper, but they lingered in his ear, stirring something within his chest and making his breathing falter. He stopped swaying suddenly and stared straight ahead at the paint on the wall, not daring to turn and look at her, yet his grip tightened on her, though, as he pulled her tighter into his chest.
They continued to hold each other long past the ending of the song, for what seemed like an eternity. Just enjoying each other's presence without saying a word and not wanting to break the serene atmosphere surrounding them.
Eventually, he blurted out, "My next mission is in two weeks. I got the call yesterday."
"How long?"
"Five and a half months."
She didn't respond immediately, but reared back slowly to study him for any reaction. She could tell instantly that he was nervous, well, because he always was. His fingers were twitching where they rested on her waist. "You better come back to me in one piece." Her tone was gentle as she reached up to cradle his face in her palms, stroking his cheeks with her thumb gently. "One big, dorky, loveable piece. You hear?"
The seriousness in her voice made him pause and swallow hard as he struggled for the words. Words that would make her understand how much that meant to him and how badly he wanted to come home to her, but only managed to say, "I will... I promise," instead.
And, as a final bit of affection, she stood on her tippy toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning back towards the paint to carry on with their task, leaving a dumbstruck Bob behind her. He took a second to compose himself before he picked up the paintbrush with a sigh, knowing for a fact he'd do everything in his power to make sure no slip ups happened during the mission.
However, some things cannot be controlled. A bird strike was never something Bob could've ever planned. Luckily, he and Phoenix survived, but neither of them got away without a litany of deep purple bruises that didn't fade before they were allowed to go back home. The second she saw Bob's car pull up on her drive in the later hours of the evening, she threw open the front door and exclaimed, "Get in here, you dork!"
He chuckled under his breath while making his way to her and wrapping her up in a tight hug which she returned instantly, almost squeezing the life out of him. His ejection bruises were still tender so he couldn't help but wince and she noticed. Of course she noticed.
"Jacket off."
When he hesitated, Y/N unzipped the front of his jacket and slid it down his arms until it hit the floor. They were over his arms and, judging how one peaked out from the neckline of his shirt, she assumed they were across his chest too. "Rest on the sofa while I run you a bath," she instructed, already pulling away from him and starting toward her bathroom. He followed after her, trying and failing to hide the pout forming on his lips.
"Y/N, I'm fine. I really am fine, okay?" Bob called to her, stopping her dead in her tracks. "It doesn't hurt anymore. You don't need to take care of me."
All she said was, "I want to take care of you," and, boy, did that make him feel like sobbing right then and there.
Giddiness. There it was. As clear as day. And if anything, it was stronger than ever. It was like someone had pumped helium into his veins and he felt lightheaded and giddy and so full and so… happy. He was grinning like an idiot and he knew it. "Yeah, uh yeah, some relaxing does sound really good right now," he replied, trying and failing to sound normal and cool.
"Bobby, sit down. Take off your shoes."
She was smiling, her dimples showing, and God, he loved those dimples so much. They always made him melt inside and think that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be all bad to spend every waking moment for the rest of his life with Y/N and have that smile directed at him.
"Yes ma'am." And with a mock salute, he kicked his shoes off and dropped onto the sofa. A new sofa that he'd never seen before. "Where's the gross couch?"
From inside the bathroom, Y/N snorted. "Sold it on Craigslist. Bought another one then found one of those stretchy cover things on Amazon because I only shop at the most indie and reputable companies on the globe," she joked as she leant down to turn the tap on.
"Ah, Bezos thanks you."
He stretched out his legs as best he could with aching muscles, a groan escaping as the tension drained from his body. He let his eyes wander around his surroundings, taking in all the furniture and paintings, the windowsills overflowing with random knick knacks Y/N had bought from thrift stores or stuff she'd hoarded over the years, and plants growing everywhere. "You've got this place looking nice. Very green and bright and all," he commented casually, looking all around. Hell, he'd lived in his apartment for years and it never looked this good. It was so different. So peaceful. So homey. He loved it.
└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘
"You really like it?" Her voice sounded a little hesitant as she leaned against the doorway of her bathroom, waiting for his reply. But Bob was too busy admiring her home to notice she was standing there, completely beaming at how he looked in the lamplight.
Often when he left, she forgot how broad he was, how tall, how muscular, how handsome he was. Something about how gentle and soft spoken made her forget everything he could possibly be capable of being a sexy, nerdy, muscly man. Because he was all of those things - and more.
"I love it," he replied, nodding. "Makes me want to force you to let me move in."
"Well, I won't say no to that."
One second he looked up and she was by the door, the next she'd slipped inside to add a bath bomb and light some candles to guarantee he was going to he as zen as possible. And then a few moments after that, she emerged and dragged him by the hand towards the bathroom. "Use anything you want. Towels are here. And what would you prefer, a reheated stuffed pepper or something more of the delivered variety?"
"You don't-"
"Robert."
"Right. You want to." She raised her eyebrow, urging him to make his mind up. "The pepper please."
"I'm glad I'm finally getting through to you," she teased lightly, before leaving him to his bath. His eyes stayed glued to the door until she disappeared from sight, the sounds of he'd humming heard through the walls. He smiled and shook his head; it hadn't escaped his attention how comfortable and domestic the whole situation was between them.
This? This he was absolutely loving. It was crazy. Crazy ridiculous. He had thought people had lied about the whole butterflies in your tummy thing, but now he understood. Now, he knew exactly what it felt like. He could feel it whenever she looked at him, when her touch sent shivers running down his spine; he was hooked. Like a drug addict hooked on the sweet feeling of happiness that came with being close to her.
Wrapped in only a towel, Bob opened the door and padded barefoot out to join her in the kitchen, sitting up on the counter as she scrolled through Instagram and metaphorically had to pick her jaw off the floor when her eyes drifted up to catch sight of him. His hair was dripping droplets of water all over her hardwood floor, his body glistening in the light coming from the kitchen.
The sight almost took her breath away but she quickly snapped herself back into reality by the time he'd given her a sheepish smile. "Do you still have the extra clothes I left here?" He asked, pointing vaguely in the direction of where he'd stashed them last time he visited.
"If I lie and say no, will you walk around like this forever?" she blurted out without thinking, earning a scoff from him in response.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you're hot, Bobby. Fuck, that -" She gestured in the general direction of his abs. "That is a romance novel worthy."
To say his cheeks were red was an understatement. He looked away from her, not wanting her to see the blush spreading all up to his ears, even though his chest told her how much that compliment had affected him. But then she laughed. It started small, like she wanted to suppress it but couldn't control herself, which only resulted in both of them letting free the giggles and laughter flowing throughout the kitchen.
At some point, he got closer and held onto the counter on either side of her, leaning down to rest his forehead against her shoulder as they tittered away together. Eventually, they pulled away from each other, breathing a bit heavy and trying to calm themselves.
"This might sound weird - and if it makes you uncomfortable, please say - can I touch your abs?" she suddenly asked, her gaze locked with his, her words almost shy and cautious. He nodded eagerly in response, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I've always wondered what abs feel like."
Without further ado, Y/N gently reached forward, her hands skimming along his stomach and languidly tracing the dips and valleys with her fingertips, eliciting a soft moan from his mouth. "Is this alright?" she whispered, looking at him, searching his expression for any kind of discomfort.
"It feels nice," he murmured with half lidded eyes and a soft smile gracing his lips. Her fingers continued their exploration, her touch gentle and unknowingly teasing as she was as delicate as possible due to his bruising. Bob closed his eyes, enjoying every single second and revelling in his current state of undress with Y/N. It wasn't often that he got to experience something as simple and innocent as her touching him in such a tender manner.
Her fingers trailed upwards towards his pecs, then over his shoulder so she could wrap her arms around them and give him a hug. As she slid off the counter, she confessed, "I missed you, Bobby," and rested her cheek against his warm skin, her nose brushing against the exposed flesh of his neck.
"We facetimed every day."
"Still missed you."
"I missed you more." He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, squeezing tightly.
A few minutes went by. Maybe longer. Or maybe shorter, depending on how you looked at it. Time meant nothing now. All that mattered was them, right here, right now. The warmth of Y/N pressed against him, the scent of her coconut shampoo in his hair, the feeling of her hand stroking up and down his back in slow, soothing motions. And he just let himself get lost in the giddiness. In that perfect moment, when all he could hear were her quiet mumblings and feel her soft skin, it felt like nothing else existed except for the two of them. Just them. Their little bubble, surrounded by the complete mess of her half renovated kitchen with its mismatched chairs and cabinets and appliances that didn't match at all.
Hugging a mostly naked Bob was not something Y/N expected to happen when she woke up that morning, but somehow here she was, holding him and resting against his bare chest whilst his hand was firmly resting on her hip. It felt natural and familiar. Not at all awkward or out of the blue like it probably should have.
"Sorry, I'll get your bag now." She reluctantly stepped away from him, her heart thudding loudly at the loss of contact. Still, she joked, "I'm surprised your towel hasn't fallen yet."
"I used one of those hair clip things to keep it in place."
"You're a genius. So smart." She winked at him while making her way towards her bedroom where his backpack sat on the corner of her room. In no time, she'd returned and held it out to him. "If you're looking for your hoodie, I may have worn it when it got particularly cold in the night and washed it. Now it smells like my detergent."
Now, Y/N did have hoodies of her own. Yet, something about men's clothing is way more comfortable. Well, that's the reason she claimed in her head. But in reality? She didn't lie when she admitted to missing Bob and his clothes smelt like he was still next to her.
"You wore my clothes?" He looked a little stunned, blinking slowly in disbelief and amusement as she nodded. He smiled to himself, shaking his head slightly before reaching out to take the bag from her grip and began searching through it.
Once he found the neatly folded hoodie in question, he held it out to her. "If you get cold tonight," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on hers. "Don't argue with me, just take it."
As soon as it was in her hands, he dipped back into the bathroom to dress. As he dressed, he found it difficult to contain his grin, especially when his thoughts kept forcing him to imagine her in his jumper, the sleeves slipping down over her fingers and the hood falling in front of her eyes because it was so big on her frame. Imagining was one thing, seeing her like that was another. When he returned to the kitchen, she had slipped it on and was in the process of reheating his food.
"Apparently Cassiopeia can be seen very clearly tonight, can we have a look?" She asked as she glanced over her shoulder at him.
Bob wanted to speak. He wanted to say, "Yeah, would love to. That sounds great, darlin'." But, he couldn't find the courage to. He was rendered speechless. Instead, he just gave her a nod as a reply, his mind buzzing with thoughts of her and the beautiful picture she presented before him. She looked absolutely stunning with his grey hoodie hanging loosely from her shoulders and her hair framing her face perfectly. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to not lean across the kitchen island and capture her lips in a kiss.
When she sat down next to him, a smile still lingering on his face, it was evident that she had caught his reaction. "Something on your mind?" She asked.
"No," he answered hastily, trying to shake off any remnants of her spell. She studied his face for a long moment, waiting until he met her stare. And when he finally did, she gave him a soft, comforting smile. "What the heck is Cassiopeia?"
"A constellation." She let out a chuckle. "I thought a man of the sky, such as yourself, would have known that."
"Robert Floyd, man of the sky. I like that," he teased with a slight chuckle, causing her to laugh again.
Then it was onto star gazing. Y/N found the Big Dipper then the North star then, bang, Cassiopeia the Queen. To aid Bob, she tilted his chin and pointed it out for him to see. "Right there. See that W shape?"
He watched intently, trying hard to focus despite his distracted mind. Then she said, "This one?" and pointed at the Big Dipper with a flourish.
"Not quite."
She gently placed her hand on his wrist to point it in the correct direction and he let her do it without complaint. His eyes remained focused on her hand on his wrist, the gentle pressure sending electricity up his arm and into his brain, making him lightheaded for a few moments. "See it now?" She was watching him carefully, her eyes sparkling with amusement as he moved his gaze back to the stars.
After he regained some of his composure, he replied softly, "Yeah." The stars were particularly clear that day. "What's the story behind it?"
"Do you want the long or short version?"
"Long version."
Chuckling, she began the tale. "Good ol' Cas was once the Queen of Ethiopia and she was a vain lady. The god Poseidon heard that she was running her mouth about her daughter, Andromeda - she's there -" She tilted his head again, just as she would after mentioning the name of each constellation that came up and traced the shape in the air to help him out. "The queen claimed that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids and Poseidon wasn't happy about that."
Nerding out was one of Bob's favourite things to do, especially when the other person was clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic they were discussing - that's how he got along so well with Mickey and his Star Trek word vomit when they had to share a bunk. Y/N's voice grew even softer as she continued the tale, her eyes glistening brightly as she spoke.
"To punish her, Poseidon sent a monster called Cetus - he's over there just under Pisces - to destroy the kingdom of her husband, King Cepheus - and he's over here." She pointed to the splattering of stars right beside Cassiopeia. "They're right beside each other for eternity, which is sweet."
A breeze blew past and Bob had to admit, he was feeling a little chilly. So, due to the age-old comfort between them, he decided that pulling her closer to him 'for warmth and only for warmth' and sticking his hands in the hoodie pocket, was reasonable. It was. It was beyond reasonable.
"Want me to give your hoodie back?"
"No. Continue with the story."
Chuckling quietly under her breath, she leaned back into him and proceeded with her story. "In order to appease Poseidon, the King and Queen had to sacrifice Andromeda. They chained her to a rock and left her out for the monster to devour her."
"And I used to get annoyed at my mama for leaving my bedroom door open," Bob joked, earning a hearty laugh from her. It was weird, Bob never spoke of his mother much nowadays.
After she died, it seemed too much like opening a wound he wasn't sure if he could ever fully close again. This was progress.
"Luckily for Andromeda, the hero Perseus -"
"Where's he?"
"To the left of Andromeda."
This time she hadn't guided his gaze, so he did an exaggerated squint to imply that he needed some help. She obliged with an almost shy smile.
"Perseus rescued her before she could be stuffed down the monster's gullet with his fancy-schmancy sword. He'd just slain Medusa, you see, and happened to be riding by on his pegasus. Just one look, that's all it took, and he was in love." She giggled, her cheeks tinged a slight pink colour. "Their wedding wasn't the most traditional one out there as one of Andromeda's old suitors - who was her uncle - arrived and tried to start a fight, but Percy used Medusa's head to turn him to stone."
Bob couldn't help but ask, "Like in that Percy Jackson movie?"
"Where'd you think Rick Riordan got his stories from?"
He rested his chin atop her shoulder and grinned to himself. "How does it end?"
"Cassiopeia was punished. Poseidon chained her to her throne and cast her into the heavens, but to be cruel he positioned her upside-down down so she'd have to run the risk of falling out of the sky for as long as there is a sky."
"And Andromeda?"
"She lived happily ever after with her husband."
It was quiet for a while after she finished speaking, both of them staring into space, lost in their own worlds. Well, Y/N was busy looking at the stars. Bob kept his eyes trained on her, unable to stop himself from smiling at the way her hair swayed slightly whenever the wind blew, and her eyes shone with wonderment whenever she gazed up at them.
"Would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm...?"
"A happily ever after," Bob clarified with a shrug, suddenly feeling rather stupid for saying it like that. In his mind, he was being so obvious. Still, he wasn't quite ready to admit how he felt yet; so, he went on, "With, uh, someone, anyone who'll have me."
Her attention immediately snapped from the sky and she turned to face him, her eyebrows rising at his choice of words. "Anyone? Bobby, a man like you should have standards. You don't just go around throwing your hat into the ring and hoping for the best, do you?" She teased.
Oh boy. That sounded like something his Mama would have said to him, though it didn't sound nearly as patronising coming from Y/N's mouth. Not to mention, that last part sounded a lot more sassy than what his Mama would have said. It was a dangerous game, but he couldn't seem to stop himself.
"Oh, I stopped throwing my hat into the ring years ago."
"Your love life that bad?"
"All I do is work and hang out with you."
Oh.
Just then, another cold gust of wind hit them and she shivered, curling into his side to try and shield him from its icy touch. "Shit! You must be freezing! Let's go back inside," Y/N announced as she interlinked her fingers into his and pulled him inside before they caught pneumonia. "Sit! Sit! I'll go and get my blanket so we can regain our body heat. Can't have you catching something!"
Yeah, he could definitely imagine having a happily ever after with her. Hell, she already made it impossible for him to forget how he felt, how warm she always felt to him. But, he shook those thoughts from his head and allowed her to pull him towards the couch before she rushed up to her room, returning less than a minute later with her arms full of the thick fleece blanket she used to wrap up in during winter.
Snuggled together as soon as she sat down, she draped the blanket over them, keeping them both cocooned in its soft embrace. Y/N rested her head against Bob's chest, listening to his heart beat, his chest moving up and down slowly and rhythmically beneath her cheek. He smelled good, she realised, like freshly washed linen, soap, sandalwood and mint.
"Bobby?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you feeling okay?"
Other than the bruises, nothing else was wrong.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"Your heart is beating really fast."
"Oh, that always happens when I'm around you."
Shit. Her eyes widened at the admission as she lifted her head slightly to look at his face. His cheeks were flushed, his lips slightly parted in embarrassment as he realised what he'd admitted, and he refused to meet her eyes. She could see the tip of his ears burning red and she chuckled, her smile growing bigger by the second as it finally dawned on her.
It was difficult to form coherent words when his brain was malfunctioning. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't find the right words, not when she looked at him like that so his hand came to cradle her cheek, tenderly brushing away some stray hairs that had fallen across her face. He brushed the strand of hair behind her ear, his thumb lingering on the skin there and he watched the way her features softened at his touch.
Slowly and so very carefully, as if scared that he might break, he leaned forward and captured her lips in his. The kiss was chaste, gentle and innocent, but it still had a certain electricity buzzing through their bodies that caused sparks to fly wherever their mouths touched. He moved his hand downwards to rest on the side of her neck, tilting her chin with his thumb to deepen the kiss.
When they separated, the kiss still lingering, they stared into each other's eyes for several moments in comfortable silence before bursting out laughing at the same time. Neither of them were exactly sure where the laughter started or ended, or even how they got there, but they couldn't care less either.
Now that it was out in the open, both of them felt relief rush through their veins. It felt like an enormous weight off their chests had been lifted. Not physically as Y/N was guided onto Bob's lap, her knees placed either side of his waist, and happily buried her face in the crook of his neck. His arms encircled her frame tightly, holding her impossibly closer to him. The butterflies in his stomach stirred once more, but this time they were different - it felt more... right somehow? As if he was meant to hold her. "We should do that more often," Bob suggested, his words a little muffled since his lips were pressed firmly against the top of her head.
Y/N gave a small hum in agreement, burying her nose further into the hollow between his collarbone and shoulder, savouring his unique scent, while running a finger along his arm absentmindedly. She could feel the tension in his muscles disappear instantly, replaced by a sort of content sigh.
"Darlin'?"
"Yes, Bobby?"
With her temple against his shoulder, she looked up at him questioningly, wondering what his next words would be about. Bob smiled down at her, gently tracing her jawline with his finger. His lips barely grazing hers as he pleaded, "One more kiss?" He paused. "Please?"
"Just one?"
"Well, I don't want to push my luck."
"You're such a dork."
She laughed quietly at his reply before closing the gap between them again, attempting to press her lips to his in a sweet quick peck. Bob had other ideas. With a firm grasp on her waist and the other tangled in the hair at the nape of her head, he dipped her down until her back hit the couch cushion. Before she knew it, he was on top of her, leaning in for a deeper kiss. They remained locked together for a few seconds until she broke apart, her lips hovering below his as she whispered softly, "I feel lightheaded."
"Good thing you're lying down," he joked, pulling her flush to him and pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. After that, he continued peppering kisses along her jaw, trailing his kisses down until he reached the soft spot at the base of her throat. When he pulled away, Y/N let out a small whine. Bob smirked against the soft skin there before asking, "That enough?"
"More," Y/N pouted. A smirk crept upon his face and without missing a beat, he leant in again for another, then another, then another. He couldn't seem to help himself, the urge to be in close proximity with her overwhelming and leaving no room for thought. Plus, she wasn't complaining.
No matter how many times he kissed her, she never seemed to tire of it. Every time he was within inches of her, she seemed to unconsciously lean towards him. Whether it was subconscious or deliberate, she couldn't say, but she didn't particularly care. At all. In fact, she loved every moment of it. And, judging from the way her hands ran lazily along his back, she was loving it too.
"I don't want to stop but I am about to knock out," he mumbled in between kisses, trying to pull away from her as subtly as possible, though of course he didn't really succeed in doing anything. "Came straight here from the airport. Didn't sleep a wink on the flight."
His attempt at escape only lasted two seconds before he kissed her again. He was powerless to do anything but succumb to the temptation of her soft lips pressed against his, and as the taste of her lingered on his tongue, he became weak. If this was heaven then, Bob wouldn't mind dying. He wasn't religious anymore, but just knowing he was with her and that everything would be alright because of his decision, it was enough to make him believe in some sort of good out there.
"Can't stop: you're too pretty. Like a goddess in disguise. I'm sure you'd beat those.... those - dang, what were they called? Nerd-oids? Nerrr... Poseidon people."
"Nereids."
"You'd beat the Nereids in a pageant any day."
A giggle bubbled up from inside her chest. "I think you just doomed me to be chained to a rock and fed to a horrifying sea monster," she muttered, trying to contain her giggles.
Bob pulled back a fraction so he could stare her straight in the eyes, the corners of his mouth curled upwards as his eyes twinkled mischievously. "I'd save you in a heartbeat." He planted a few soft pecks all over her face, ending with placing a soft, yet lingering kiss on her lips. "But," he added, kissing the tip of her nose, "I'm not sure if a plane is as cool as a flying pony and my sword skills are limited to that time I dressed up as King Arthur in my fifth grade school play."
That was unexpected information. Yet, she knew he wasn't exaggerating about how tired he was because information about his life always fell from his lips whenever he was lacking sleep. His eyelids were drooping heavily, threatening to fall shut at any given second as he let out a big yawn.
"Let's go to bed, Perseus."
"Lead the way, Andromeda."
He allowed her to guide him upstairs, her hand tucked securely in his. They climbed the stairs in relative silence, the sounds of the distant waves and wind in the trees providing a soothing backdrop to their quiet night. By the time they reached the door, he yawned again and she laughed at his adorable antics.
Life was perfect as they continued to revel in the comfort of their new relationship. Well, except there was this one thing - they hadn't been intimate yet. It was two months in and nothing of that sort had happened. It's not as if Y/N had never tried to initiate sex, but Bob always changed the subject or stopped them before they'd even started.
Still, that didn't stop them from being a happy couple.
"Baby, are you ready yet?" His voice rang clear throughout the house as he checked his watch.
Their friend Kenny was having his birthday gathering at a fancy bar and Y/N had taken it as her opportunity to dress up really nice to persuade Bob to finally do something about the sexual tension between them.
"Two minutes."
"You said two minutes five minutes ago."
Y/N rolled her eyes and finished applying her lipstick and brushed her hair with her fingers before looking in the mirror. Yep, Bob was going to be drooling over her in 3...2...1... "Holy fuck!"
Her eyes went wide as she watched Bob's jaw drop at the sight of her. He stood frozen in place, staring at her as her heels clicked against each stair she walked down. His eyes trailed from her legs up her torso to her face. He shook his head slowly, unable to speak as he brought a hand up to brush back some of his hair back from his face. She didn't know whether to laugh, coo, or cry at the adorableness radiating from his face; he was swooning. "Do I look okay?" She asked, tugging at her dress nervously.
"Y/N..." He trailed off, his hands clutching at her hips tightly, as if afraid she would disappear. "You look absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous, actually," he corrected himself quickly and let out a low whistle as he gazed upon her, his eyes roaming across every inch of her body, taking in every feature.
The dress fit her perfectly, emphasising her curves perfectly and accentuating her natural figure. It was simple yet elegant, classy in that old fashioned, off the shoulder movie star way. She had styled her hair into a low bun, with long, flowing strands framing both sides of her face like an angelic halo. Her makeup was flawless and her jewellery sparkled brightly. She felt incredibly beautiful just standing there and completely captivating him.
Then, all of a sudden, she was yanked into a hungry smooch, causing her to squeak in surprise. His hands slipped around to rest on either side of her body, keeping her firmly trapped against him as he took advantage of her gasp. She placed a hand against his chest, trying to get some space between them, but he held fast, refusing to let her go.
"Bobby, we have to go."
"Two minutes."
More than two minutes passed by as he continued kissing her. She eventually had to push him a little to get a chance to disconnect herself from him. As soon as she did, however, Bob immediately grabbed hold of her waist once more and pulled her right back onto him. It was impossible to resist, but she had to.
└─────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───────┘
"You have lipstick all over your mouth," Y/N teased as she pulled out a tissue from her bag and wiped it away while Bob gave her a devilish grin. She chuckled, shaking her head, her eyes glancing back up at his briefly returning to the job at hand. "Seriously though. We should go. You know, for Kenny's party," she reminded him.
Bob groaned loudly like a grumpy teenage boy, his expression falling slightly. It was obvious that wasn't what he wanted anymore. She knew that he would be begging to leave early.
Kenny was surprised that Robert Floyd, the man that was an hour early to the first frat party he went to and waited on the porch until other people arrived to go inside, was late. Then he saw the tiny unwiped smudge of Y/N's lipstick in the corner of his lip and knew exactly why Bob had been twenty minutes late. "So, are you guys officially together now?" Kenny asked when Bob entered the room and sat down next to him. His friend nodded, letting out a dreamy sigh.
"Yeah, we are."
"Finally!" Kenny cheered, throwing an arm around Bob's shoulders, effectively knocking him off his chair as he laughed loudly. "And you, Missy: you look gorgeous tonight! So hot, I almost can't stand it!"
The birthday boy clearly had already started the fun before he even got to the bar. Kenny was nursing some exciting looking cocktail that had a sparkler and multiple mini umbrellas in it. "You wanna know what was the first thing he said when he saw you? Rob pointed, did that thing - you know, that innocent farm loverboy look - and whispered to me, and I quote, 'that is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen'," Kenny slurred slightly, laughing loudly as he mimicked Bob's tone of voice. "I thought he was pointing to the poster of Megan Fox that was right beside your head and agreed with him."
Looking up at him (admittedly, she didn't have to crane her neck as high as usual due to her heels), Y/N found the sight of Bob's blushing cheeks an amusing sight to behold. Bob coughed, attempting to recover, but any doubt that the story was the ramblings of a drunk man was squashed by his reaction. "Why'd you never let this story slip?"
"Didn't want you to think I only became your friend because I think you're pretty," Bob shrugged sheepishly. It always astounded her how his confidence was zapped out of him whenever he was in public.
Soon, Y/N was pulled away to talk to the girls who all wanted to know where the hell that dress came from, and Y/N was willing to fill them in. From across the bar, Bob was being teased by all his friends, which was usual.
"Look at you! You're totally whipped."
"You say that as if it's a new thing. He's had a crush on Y/N for years."
"Remember that time Y/N got super drunk and Rob carried her all the way to her dorm at three am."
"That's not even the whole story. They stopped off a McDonald's on the way and he bought her the twenty nuggets, but he ended up eating them all when he slept on her floor -"
"I slept next to her," Bob interjected, a hint of smugness in his voice. "She sobered up by the time we got into her room and didn't want to sleep alone."
Memories of their college days kept being brought up as the group chatted amongst themselves, making jokes and laughing along with each other. Eventually, the two groups merged into one large group who all made sure Bob was forced out onto the dance floor.
And as always, it took no time for Y/N to coax him into her arms to move to the music, swaying her hips to the beat that was more fast paced than the songs the couple were used to dancing to. He grinned, allowing himself to be dragged across the dance floor, enjoying every second that he spent with his girlfriend in his grip.
Though, the mix of how hot she looked and the way her body was moving against his, it was hard for Bob to pay attention to anyone else. Y/N's back was flush to his chest as she danced against him, occasionally tilting her head up to smile at him. Every touch, every kiss sent waves of euphoria through his body and he couldn't keep the dopey grin off his face as he gazed down at her.
Bob had dressed up too, but, at this point, his once perfect tie had been loosened and his collar unbuttoned. His clothes consisted of a button up shirt that had once been tucked into his pants, his sleeves pushed up as far as they could go, showing off his muscled forearms and biceps. A pair of dark wash jeans hugged his thighs snugly and his sneakers, which still fit perfectly, shone under the lights as he swayed side to side to the rhythm of the song.
"Bobby, baby, you look so sexy right now," Y/N giggled as she pressed her lips against his cheek, causing him to chuckle loudly and shake his head as his eyes fluttered closed and his lips twitched into a small smile.
"Can we leave now?"
"No! Not yet."
He whined childishly, pulling her closer towards him. He rested his forehead against her shoulder, burying his nose into her neck as he breathed in deeply, enjoying how intoxicating the scent of her perfume was.
"Shots! Guys I've got everyone a shot and you have to take it because it's my birthday," Kenny exclaimed, causing Y/N and Bob to silently agree to slip away for a second to ensure they didn't have to do it. Bob had never been a huge fan of booze and Y/N wanted to make sure she was completely sober when they got home.
They snuck into a quiet corner. Bob sat on a bar stool and tugged Y/N by the waist so he was eye level to her chest. "Please can we go?" He pouted, giving her the puppy dog eyes and the most pitiful look he could possibly manage to give.
Y/N chuckled quietly, shaking her head fondly at his cute behaviour. She leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on his shoulders as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I know you're not a big fan of parties, why don't we stay for Kenny's horrible attempt at karaoke? Then, I promise, after that we can go. Sound good?"
"Sounds good."
As they presumed, Kenny's singing was horrible. But they listened to it anyway, cheering him on from the crowd, clapping their hands enthusiastically and smiling widely at his terrible performance. When he finally left the stage, the pair said their farewells and headed home.
The drive home was relatively quiet in the beginning. Bob was trying to focus on the road and not how Y/N's dress had slid up her thigh just slightly. It was too much. His hand languidly roamed up her thigh, his thumb rubbing softly against her skin. "Can I tell you something? Please promise you won't freak out?"
"I promise, Bobby."
Here goes nothing. "I'm so hard right now. Like really hard."
"Why would I freak out about my boyfriend and his erection?" Y/N asked innocently with a grin, her eyebrow raising teasingly. To go even further, she slowly slid his hand against her underwear. "Why would I mind when I'm as wet as I am? Feel it?"
His breath hitched, causing his lips to part and his hand retreat back to the steering wheel while his brain short circuited. The heat between the both of them caused Bob to become dizzier by the minute. "Uh, yeah," he managed to stutter, barely able to get the words out and trying desperately to concentrate on the road ahead of him. "I- I can feel it."
"Don't you want to do something about how wet I am, baby?" Her voice was husky and thick with need as she reached over and ran her hand slowly up his thigh again. His throat felt drier than the Sahara desert.
"I do... Trust me, I really do. I don't want to disappoint you." Bob smiled sadly down at the steering wheel. As much as he wanted to spend the night making love to his girlfriend, he couldn't risk messing up and losing her interest. "An old girlfriend told me I'm not, uh, I'm not good at... that I got too deep in my head and neither of us could enjoy it... Y/N, I want you to enjoy it but I don't know how and-"
Shit. She'd intended to turn him on, not turn him into a nervous mess. Her hand came up to soothingly caress the nape of his neck, calming his frantic rambling. "Breathe for me, sweetheart. Take a few deep breaths," she whispered calmly, gently running her nails across the skin. She continued soothing the area until he stopped mumbling and breathing heavily. "It's okay, baby. We'll wait until we get home, talk about everything and, if you want, I can take the lead until you become comfortable. Does that sound like a good plan?"
Never in a million years did he expect to get so turned on, but here he was, shifting uncomfortably in his seat with his mouth wide open in surprise. "Yes! I mean, yeah...yeah, that sounds fine. Okay, yes. Yes please," he quickly responded, unable to stop the smile from creeping onto his face.
Y/N giggled before placing a small kiss on his cheek and settling back into her seat, staring outside the window as the car began its journey back home. Bob stayed silent throughout the ride, his mind running wild as thoughts raced around inside of it. This kind of excitement and passion felt almost foreign, yet at the same time very familiar. It had been there, lurking underneath the surface for months.
Once they parked up on her drive, Bob was quick out of his door to help her out of her side like a true gentleman should, earning an amused grin from her in return. He was quick to hang his jacket up and kick off his shoes as he looked up at her with eager eyes when they got inside. Without her even asking him to, he knelt before her and gently placed her foot on his thigh so he could undo the straps of her heels before sliding off them.
"You're so good to me, baby," she cooed as his gaze flickered back up to hers, a shy smile playing on his lips. Her fingers traced his jawline as she gestured for him to stand upright, and as soon as he pulled himself up from the floor, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Thank you for understanding." His cheeks were pink as he nuzzled his face against her shoulder, his heart pounding wildly within his chest. Y/N laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck as his lips attached themselves to her skin.
After a moment, Bob pulled back slightly to press a long, lingering kiss against her soft lips, his eyes closing tightly as he relished the feeling. Once the kiss ended, he took one last lingering glance downwards before looking her straight in the eyes. "Do you..." Bob started hesitantly, biting down lightly on his lower lip. "Would you like to try tonight?"
"It has been forever since I've gotten laid so I'm going to say yes," she replied, her tone playful as she grabbed his tie and seductively pulled him up to her room, dragging him behind her excitedly.
For once, he might actually enjoy sex.
"Unzip me, baby," she ordered, her tone still somewhat soft. Bob obliged, unzipping her dress swiftly and slipping it off of her, leaving her standing only in panties, her skin glistening in the faint glow of the moonlight filtering through her blinds. "Like it? I picked this bra just for you."
A satisfied grin curled upon her lipstick lips as she watched Bob stare hungrily at her body, the lust burning in his gaze. She loved knowing that she drove him crazy, but seeing him like this made her heart flutter and her stomach tighten in anticipation. "Do you want to touch?" She inquired as she walked towards him slowly, trailing kisses along the sides of his neck and up towards his jaw. She found his hands and slid them up her sides until both were firmly groping at her breasts, kneading and massaging them as she let out moans of pleasure. "Bobby, take my bra off for me."
Instantly, he nodded, his pupils dilated and his breathing uneven as he undid the clasp of her bra, slowly letting the material slide down her body until it landed around her feet, exposing her beautiful bare breasts to him and allowing his lips to drop to one, taking a nipple between his teeth before tugging at it gently.
At first Y/N was lost in bliss, her hand on the back of his head to encourage him to continue with his ministrations. But then she became aware and tugged on his hair. His attention immediately snapped up towards her as he looked at her curiously. "Did I say you could do that?"
"Um, I didn't think-"
"You don't have to think." Her fingers deftly slipped beneath the front of his trousers and tugged at his belt, pulling it free and tossing it carelessly aside. She stared up at him with a devilish grin, her eyes twinkling as she unzipped his jeans and let them fall around his ankles. "Go sit down on the bed, sweetheart."
Bob complied without complaint, plopping down on her bed and waiting patiently for her to kneel between his legs. He watched entranced as she tenderly placed a kiss on each knee cap before leaning up to pull him down by his tie, connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. His tongue explored her mouth greedily and she allowed him access without hesitation, parting her lips ever so slightly as their tongues moved in perfect sync, creating a sensation unlike anything he had ever known before in her life.
Her hands slipped underneath his shirt, her fingers brushing the skin of his chest and abs in the way she knew he liked. Bob groaned as she trailed her fingernails down his abs, leaving hot, red marks in the process which caused his stomach to knot. "Can I touch you?" She asked hoarsely, kissing his cheek. "Would you like me to?"
"Yeah," he breathed out in response.
Y/N kissed up his neck and nibbled his earlobe affectionately as she slipped her hand into his underwear. He whimpered under his breath as she began stroking him, the warmth she left sending shivers racing down his spine and the feeling of ecstasy shooting through his entire system instantly. The sound of his moan only seemed to spur on Y/N as she began moving faster and faster, making him gasp in surprise and delight.
He felt as though he were flying and every nerve ending felt alive as all the pent up emotions of frustration and confusion and worry that had built up inside of him melted away leaving nothing more than pure euphoria. All of his nerves went lax and his brain blanked out of all thought, he didn't need to focus on anything other than getting what he wanted.
"Good boy, baby," Y/N praised him as she kept pumping him relentlessly. "Do you feel good?"
"Yes... yes... oh god yes..." He then proceeded to mutter incoherent words that were soon drowned by moans as she continued stroking him vigorously while his orgasm built up.
Y/N smirked wickedly as she continued to tease him mercilessly, bringing him to the brink then slowing down. He whined lowly, begging her to go faster, his hips bucking as his whole body shook with intense pleasure. "Please...please, please, please, please, please… I, I need it. Darlin, I - Fuck! Please, baby."
"You sound so sweet when you beg." She gave him a teasing kiss on the lips, pulling away as soon as he tried to deepen it. "Not going to let you come yet."
A giggle escaped her mouth at the face he made as edged him, watching with amusement how he shook and tried to catch his breath after the intense rush. She leaned over him and pressed a gentle kiss onto his cheek to quell any frustration he had, smiling when he returned the gesture eagerly. He needed that contact to ground him in reality; the fact that he wasn't dreaming or imagining things; this was real and happening right now.
That need is why he allowed himself to suggest, "Sit on my face?"
"Bobby, are you sure?" she murmured in response, her fingers grazing along his jaw as she spoke, her eyes never leaving his own, searching them for any signs of uncertainty.
"I'm positive, baby." His voice came out strained and breathless, his entire body aching for her touch. "Please. I need it."
The look of adoration in his eye melted her insides to mush, leaving her completely speechless. For a moment, she forgot everything as she simply sat there staring at his gorgeous blue eyes. Her thumb ran circles across his cheek, caressing him gently.
"One hundred percent sure?"
"Absolutely."
Who was she to deny him? Ensuring that she had his consent and permission, she proceeded by slowly undoing his shirt and tie. "Can't ruin your fancy clothes, can we?"
"I could always buy more."
With a chuckle at how desperate he sounded, she reached up and pushed his glasses off of his face, setting them on the nightstand next to the bed. His eyes followed her movements, drinking in her appearance appreciatively as she kissed down his chest, teasing at the muscles of his abdomen before trailing her lips up to his cheek. She paused to give him one last soft peck on his lips, telling him, "Lie with your head hanging off the side of the bed."
Quickly, he scrambled to do as such, lying flat on his back as she stood up from the bed and stepped out of her underwear. A blush spread across his face as he glanced upwards at her body. He couldn't help it as his eyes roved over her naked flesh in appreciation, marvelling at how perfect she was. She was an angel and he wished there was a way he could spend every single day of his life worshipping her body like he did now.
Before she hovered her pussy over his mouth, she reassured, "Tap my thigh if you are suffocating." He did the motion to prove that he understood. "Ready?"
"Born ready, darlin."
So, with deliberate slowness, she lowered herself onto his face, keeping her feet on the ground so she could easily remove herself if he needed to breathe. When he took hold of her thighs, however, she knew for a fact that he was thoroughly enjoying himself, a low hum emitting from his throat every few seconds as he licked at her pussy. He moved his tongue around leisurely, teasing it against the folds as he sucked hard on her clit which prompted her to whimper and grind against his face.
Pleasure overtook her senses and she didn't want them to stop. But they had to. Only for a little bit because he had been making her feel good but had yet to give himself two seconds to make sure if he was okay. "Let's, oh fuck, let's take a second to breathe, baby."
"No!" He said quickly, pushing her legs further apart with his free hand and forcing himself deeper into her pussy.
"Lieutenant Floyd, you're going to suffocate."
Hearing her say that forced him to follow orders. "Good boy. Breathe for me, my pretty boy," she cooed, her thumb brushing against his bottom lip as she gazed lovingly down at him. "Kiss?"
"Want one."
It was rather sweet when Y/N had to fully sit on his chest and lean down to give him a kiss. She giggled and rested her hands on his shoulders, keeping herself balanced on top of him as she planted tiny kisses all over his face. "Mmm..." He moaned happily as he closed his eyes, letting out a contented sigh, relishing every second of being surrounded by her warm, sensual scent.
Robert Floyd was pussy drunk. And, he wanted to get wasted.
"My break is over."
"Oh, is it?" Y/N teased with a smirk. His eyes were glazed over with lust, his chin slick with drool and her, his hair a mess as brought her knee closer to his face so he could kiss it repeatedly. He looked as if he was in heaven between her legs and she just loved to see him so happy. He pouted, grabbing a handful of her ass to tug her forward until she was flush with his face again.
Then he got back to it and began sucking hungrily on her clit, causing her to squeal in delight. She arched her back as he worked her with abandon, her nails scraping lightly against the skin of his shoulder, eliciting a loud moan from his throat.
"God, you taste so good!" It was a little muffled, but she knew what he had said. She chuckled, placing her hand into his hair to run her fingers through it as her hips thrust up against his face. He groaned once again, his hands roaming all over her body in search of new sensations to stimulate her pleasure more.
As the time went on, Bob grew bolder, licking and sucking on her clit with more force and teasing her nipples between his fingers. Y/N moaned loudly, throwing her head back as he continued working his magic on her. "Bobby," she whispered urgently when she found herself close. She needed release; she needed it badly. "You're doing so, uh, so fucking well I can't-" Her orgasm hit her suddenly, taking her completely by surprise and causing her to scream out.
He continued to eat her out greedily, his fingers digging deeply into her flesh as she threw her head back in ecstasy. After her body stopped twitching and her cries subsided, he continued to suck and lick her juices off of her thighs as he listened to her panting breaths.
"Are you okay?"
"So okay," Y/N chuckled, trying her hardest to pull herself together. She gave him a playful smile before moving to sit on the bed beside him, resting her head on his broad shoulder. "Did you enjoy yourself, baby?"
The answer was obvious by the goofy grin on his face and the glint in his eyes. "Mhm. So much." He sat up to wrap his arms securely around her waist, pressing her against him possessively as he nuzzled his face against hers and inhaled her scent. "So so so much."
Y/N laughed softly, wrapping her arms around him too as she pulled him in for a tender kiss. "Good." She smiled against his lips. "Cause we're not done yet."
His grin widened even further at her words, knowing exactly where she was heading. "Do you want me or you to take the reins for the next bit?" she inquired seductively, arching her eyebrow in challenge. His grin disappeared as quickly as it had appeared as his cock hardened rapidly beneath his boxers, a growl slipping past his lips at the thought of how good he was going to feel and the sounds she'd make doing so.
No hesitation. "You."
"Head against the pillows then. Let your eyes close."
Not needing another instruction, he complied immediately. He could barely wait for her to remove his boxer briefs, his eyes fluttering shut and his breathing increasing slightly. The warmth of her hands on his erection made his eyes snap open to find her already positioned in front of him, holding his length tightly in her hand.
As soon as he felt the tip of her hot pink tongue running down his length, his knees turned to jelly, his eyes rolling to the back of his skull and he released a deep groan of pleasure. "Oh God...you're gonna be the death of me, darlin'."
"Shh, relax. Relax and let yourself get taken care of."
"I won't last long. Just fuck me."
She couldn't help the giggle that slipped past her lips. "I will. Trust me, I'm just trying to rile you up before I ride your cock," she retorted teasingly before sinking her teeth lightly into his thigh, her lips lingering around the sensitive area to draw out a loud groan from him.
"I'm riled. I am thoroughly riled. I need you, please. Baby, please," he pleaded desperately, gripping her hair tightly as he brought their faces closer so that he could kiss her. She moaned in response as his tongue delved deep within her mouth and she felt herself being lifted into his waiting arms, his grip on her waist beginning a needy slew of grinds that were very persuasive.
Continuing her teasing would be cruel at this point, so Y/N gave in to the desire bubbling inside of her and his borderline pitiful whines. She slid the palm of her hands down his chest until they settled comfortably on his waist as she sat herself up. "Are you ready? Do you want me to make you feel good?"
She waited until he nodded to lower herself down on his cock, gasping at the stretch as she pushed down onto him slowly and watching him intently as he clenched his jaw tight. He was fighting to keep his eyes open to inspect every change on her face as she adjusted herself to the size of his dick.
"That's it! You're doing amazing," he encouraged breathlessly. Her head was tilted back, exposing her neck as she enjoyed the sensation of finally having his cock buried inside of her for the first time and it definitely was a task to take. "Just a little more. Good girl, don't stop now."
Letting out soft whimpers, Y/N finally took all of him into her body and started moving back and forth slowly, allowing his shaft to fill her up. Bob's fingers tangled themselves in the sheets as she did and he tried to fight back the urge to come already, but it was hard when he was feeling so damn good.
"I know you want to come, baby. Hold out just a little longer, " she coaxed, her tone gentle and low. As she increased the pace of her movement, she ran a finger down his abs, making him groan and buck up further into her. "Oh fuck, do that again."
So, as he did with all of her orders, he did as she said. With his grip tight enough to bruise her hips, he began fucking upwards into her pussy, driving her crazy as he'd managed to find a certain sensitive spot completely on accident. Every single thrust of his hips sent shockwaves of pleasure through her body, each one sending a jolt of pure pleasure through her.
Judging by his whines, he was very close to the edge so she began to play with her clit to help her along, causing her to tighten her muscles around him and her to gasp loudly as her whole body shook violently. "Can I? Can I come now?" Bob gasped desperately, his cock throbbing in desperation and needing relief. "Oh fuck, you feel so good coming on my cock, so good that I'm going to, I'm going..."
"Let go, Bobby. You'll hurt yourself if you hold in any more. Come for me. Come for me baby, you know you want to. Yes, right there...come for me..." Y/N begged, loving the way his voice sounded and the sight of his handsome face contorted in ecstasy, sweat dripping down his brow, a vein pulsating in his neck as his eyes rolled back in his head, unable to control himself anymore.
In no time flat he came, releasing his load deep inside her with a broken cry of "I love you." Then he limply flopped back onto the mattress, still twitching inside her as his climax gradually faded away, leaving him exhausted and sweaty and sated. She giggled happily and crawled over top of him as his heart began to beat wildly in his chest, and she placed her warm lips against his neck before whispering sweet, sweet nothing in his ear.
"You did so well, baby boy. Look at you, you're all fucked out." She stroked his damp cheek gently before pulling away. He grabbed her arm before she could move towards the bathroom. "I was going to get a towel to clean us up."
"Let me."
Without wasting a single second that she would use to convince him to stay in bed, he climbed out and rushed into the bathroom. Yes, he really did profess his love while coming in her. No, that is not how he wanted it to happen. He wanted it to be romantic. He had it all planned out.
"Y/N?"
"Yes?"
"Can you forget what I said when I came?" He returned to her, staring at her as she focused on the ceiling and took some deep breaths only for her head to whip to him, a curious yet hurt expression on her face. "Because that was not planned."
They were silent as he ran a towel around her thighs, cleaning up any remnants of him from her skin and her from his. She didn't answer his question, choosing to remain quiet, her eyes fixated on the wall in front of her until he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, gently turning her face towards him so that she could meet his gaze directly.
"Would you like to hear my plan?" He brushed a lock of sweaty hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She swallowed thickly, her eyes never wavering from his as she gave a small nod.
Well, he might as well explain. Especially when she looked all pouty at the wrong assumption she'd made that he didn't love her.
"My big romantic gesture to tell you that I am hopelessly, so pitifully, so so deeply in love with you was supposed to be on your birthday. I had it all worked out. I'd have it all set up: the blanket so we could lie back and stargaze comfortably; the snacks because, well, snacks are great; and then I'd let you unwrap the telescope I got you."
He paused to chastise himself, "Which I could've not mentioned to keep it a surprise, but I've done it now and I'm going to get you something else as well to keep the mystery going."
"You don't need to get me anything else. The telescope is perfect as it is," she said softly, leaning forward to plant a small peck on his lips, her smile spreading as his hand reached up to cup the side of her face tenderly.
"Then we'd cuddle. We'd watch the stars. It would be so comfy and sweet and you'd have a pink nose because it's cold out. And the best part? Your cheeks." His thumbs started tracing small circles into her cheeks. "These cute things. They'd become the same colour as your nose when I finally said those three words that I've been trying to say for so long."
His words seemed almost too good to be true, yet they were one hundred percent pure truth.
"Now I've fucked it by moaning it when I shot my come in you." He paused, giving her a look full of apology before continuing, "I hope that's okay, but I couldn't help myself. It was simply too good and-"
Interrupting him, she pressed her lips to his before he even finished explaining himself. His body relaxed immediately in reaction to her touch, his lips relaxing into a gentle smile when she leant back for him to loom above her, trapping her underneath him.
"I love you too, Bobby," she whispered tenderly as she stared up at him, a blush forming across her cheeks, a bright smile adorning her face. "But we can do the cheesy mushy shit later because I'm sticky and would love round two in the shower."
Bob smiled back at her softly as he pulled back slightly and planted his forehead atop hers. He couldn't help but beam, "So you're saying that you love me and that I was good enough at sex that you want to go again?"
Y/N laughed quietly under her breath. "Maybe."
Bob was living in a constant state of giddiness and he was loving every second of it.
"I think I should take that as a yes then, huh?"
"I wouldn't mind taking the lead for a while," she teased, poking his stomach with her index finger playfully. A mischievous glint appeared in his eye and she knew exactly what he was about to say next without having to utter another word, knowing that he was up for the challenge.
"Want me to carry you to the bathroom?"
The answer was obvious.
#robert bob floyd#bob floyd x female reader#bob floyd x reader#bob fucks#bob floyd#top gun maverick#Youtube
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omg well this looks kinda cute!! @abbiheartstaylor nominated me to make my own mood board... i THINK i like it!!
i nominate: @yourethewreckingball @dailytravelswtaylor @1989styleswift @samlovestay13 and @australiaswift :))
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how ab a headcanon where the avengers all take a trip either to disney world or on a disney cruise? i’m a whore for the idea of everyone, especially peter and y/n, just acting like kids again
pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader
a/n: i like this prompt so much!! i’ve never been to disneyland, but i hope this is accurate enough lol. i also turned this into a vlog bc someone had to record this mess and since it can’t be me, i’m giving filming privileges to bruce
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
the avengers in disneyland
everyone is very very excited and the days before they leave pass in a flurry of excitement, but peter has never been to disneyland, so he’s THRILLED beyond means
peter’s jumping up and down while everyone’s loading the van and he keeps asking them if they’re ready for this “life-changing field trip?????”
sam is genuinely afraid that if peter jumps any higher he will bounce off earth, so he grabs peter by the middle and carries him horizontally into the car
steve gave a whole lecture on not getting lost the day before and since tony couldn’t resist it, he is dressed head to toe in neon yellow and grinning cockily
nat steps into the van, sees him, and turns around with her hand over her eyes like she’s been blinded
bruce brings his video camera with him and records everything. first thing they do is hit up a gift shop and it is better than any oscar nominated movie
everything they pick up is subjected to a thorough label reading and some kind of commentary
“steve, show them what you’re getting!!” “slippers” “what kind of slippers” “uh...soft”
thor on the other hand takes it very serious and his commentary ends up being very ~shakespearean~
peter and y/n get matching friendship bracelets for everyone
loki: “i’m not wearing that”
y/n: “that’s alright-“
loki: “no tie it on for me”
bucky wouldn’t have come along if it weren’t for steve and sam, but now he’s taking it upon himself to make sure that everyone stays in good condition so they don’t miss out on training
the whole team gets hourly text messages from him in the group chat
bucky: “There’s a water leak in Mickey’s Toontwon. If any of you slip and hurt yourselves I will kill you.”
y/n: “love you too buck”
(they know it’s his way to express his love for them so every message almost makes them tear up)
loki really wants to go on splash mountain but since he doesn’t want to get his clothes wet, he asks the guards how ~splashy~ splash mountain gets
they don’t take him seriously and it infuriates loki because it’s a perfectly reasonable question but it quickly turns into a passionate argument that holds up the entire line
“I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW HIGH THE RISK OF GETTING WET IS, YOU INCOMPETENT FOO—”
*cue y/n and nat dragging him away while bruce runs after them to zoom in on loki’s pouty glare*
they get him a green rain poncho with black polka dots from one of the gift shops, and he’s still glowering but he puts it on without protest before each ride that involves water
normally the avengers would easily get recognised but since everyone is walking around in costumes, people approach them for several other reasons
thor is just peacefully standing in life, staring at the incredicoaster like it’s the love of his life, when a little kid tugs at his cape
“excuse me sir, why are you so tall?” “good question, why are you so short?” “hmm” “hmm”
they find a micky mouse whac-a-mole and everyone is having Fun but something possesses tony and clint and they are really going for it
tony is a 5 foot tall ball of stress and competitiveness and he is yielding that plastic hammer like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do
clint on the other hand is starting to feel the numbness in his arms
y/n, with sarcasm: “you can do it, clint!”
clint, with spite: “i cannot do it, thanks”
*y/n stares into the camera*
they also make up a rule that if you are in a 5 meters radius of one of the theme park characters, you HAVE to snap a picture with them
steve, who gets constantly shoved nudged by bucky into some character’s path, ends up taking a picture with almost every single disneyland character
at some point, he’s just downright sick of it and there’s a 7 min video of steve zooming across the lot while goofy and woody run after him with wide open arms
bucky is doubled over with laughter in the background while sam is standing beside him and wiping away his own tears
the avengers also buy all the pictures that are taken of them on the rides and even stop at some photo booths so they can send them to wanda and vision who are both vacationing on hawai’i <3
thor, peter, and y/n run themselves ragged and their legs almost give out but they will not stop until they have been on every ride that disneyland has to offer
the others think it’s obnoxious but they follow and join them without hesitation
tony is secretly trembling with fear. doing loops in the air at the speed of light is fine and so is battling aliens, but getting on a rollercoaster ride is just heart-stopping horrifying
it’s not that he doesn’t like rollercoasters, (that man has no self-preservation skills, anything that resembles plummeting to death will be gazed at with big heart eyes) but he just doesn’t trust them
if he didn’t build it or prove it, he doesn’t trust it. period. but the avengers are just so excited and happy that he can’t find it in him to sit out
that quickly results in thor and tony re-enacting very impressive Shouting Contests on each ride without fail
tony is screaming and clinging onto whoever is sitting next to him for dear life because he’s Petrified™️
and thor is screaming, because he’s having The Time Of His Life
he’s feeling the wind in his hair, his heart in his throat, and if he’s not shredding his vocal chords and flinging his limbs around, what’s the point of it all
after 20 different rides, tony is sick of pretending and just trudges through disneyland, the happiest place of earth, like it’s the sole cause of all suffering in the world
nat rejoins the group after she mysteriously disappeared for a moment and her hair is tossed, there’s ash on her face, and half of her clothes are wet
bruce, startled: “where have you been??”
nat, beaming: “there was a ride that spat fire from all sides and people jumped out of nowhere to scare you while the whole place was filled with hot water!!!”
bruce, concerned, zooms in on nat’s excited face
“nat i think you went to hell”
sam is big on merry-go-rounds so he drags everyone with him and while some one them first don’t seem to enjoy it, they change their mind once they see bucky’s little smile
(they go on at least ten more rounds until it starts to get dizzy)
a little girl trips over her princess gown and falls close to where steve is waiting in line, and steve immediately abandons his spot to rush over
bruce zooms in on them bc steve has always been kinda awkward with kids, but here he is, crouching down and comforting that little girl, and it’s so unashamedly soft and sweet
they can’t hear what steve is saying but she’s BEAMING now and even giving him a wobbly courtesy while he claps proudly
bruce turns the camera around and both he and clint are lowkey in TEARS like “why are we crying?? we didn’t even fall down” “i KNOW!!”
nat gets a hold of the camera and she’s on a mission to get the most embarrassing greatest footage possible
“bucky, go stand next to moana” “why?” “it’s moana go stand over there” “but i don’t know-“ “bucky.” *cue bucky, awkwardly standing next to moana while nat grins broadly*
when he’s back with the team, sam just stares at him blank-faced, clearly waiting for bucky to ask why he’s looking at him
eventually bucky caves in with a long sigh
“what” “i can’t believe you don’t know who moana of montunui is. she restored BALANCE to the WORLD. put some RESPECT ON HER NAME”
no one knows why but there’s footage of y/n, thor, tony, and loki strutting up and down in the middle of the lane in minnie mouse plush shoes like it’s a catwalk
sam, bucky, and nat are holding up their fingers to score them while steve is staring at them like he’s analysing their fighting stances
bruce, clint, and peter are standing on the sidelines and cheering them on as they should be
they end their day by digging into an unholy amount of fries that even steve can’t resist because they’ve been walking the whole day
a questionable amount of cotton candy also end ups in their possession and the footage of that is just mostly everyone trying out each other’s cones while the camera is passed between them
soon after, the avengers are back in their van to drive home and bruce zooms in on the row of seats where y/n has her head on peter’s shoulder while the others are also half-lounging on each other, and everyone is asleep <3
* * *
guess what i’m about to say?
stay hydrated pals
hc masterlist
#peter parker x reader#peter parker#peter parker x avenger!reader#avengers headcanon#peter parker headcanon#marvel#mcu#marvel headcanon#peter parker fic#steve rogers headcanon#tony stark headcanon#sam wilson headcanon#natasha romanoff headcanon#bruce banner#loki#thor#thor headcanon#loki headcanon#steve rogers#tony stark#sam wilson#bucky barnes#avengers#avengers x teen!reader#avengers x reader#peter parker x y/n#peter parker x you#spiderman#peter parker fandom#avengers crack
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A Track-by-Track Breakdown of Taylor Swift’s 9th Studio Album: ‘evermore’
“My collaborators and I are proud to announce that my 9th studio album and folklore’s sister record is here. It’s called evermore,” is how Taylor Swift introduces us to this album in its foreword. One might assume a “sister record” would entail b-sides, or tracks that didn’t quite make the cut for folklore, despite Taylor’s explanation that “we just couldn’t stop writing songs.” evermore’s release came at a strange time, upon the heels of the Folklore: Long Pond Studio Sessions film on Disney+, as well as 5 Grammy nominations for folklore. The world still captivated by folklore, it’s understandable why one might not consume evermore as critically. Even as a die-hard fan, I felt some whiplash by this announcement; I am still processing folklore! Hell, I’m still processing reputation!
If this was the Taylor from two years ago, this may have been a big enough fear of hers to hold off on releasing evermore. But as she explained upon folklore’s surprise release, life is too unpredictable now, and there are zero givens or guarantees. So she followed the same path this time (although making sure it fell in line with her birthday weekend). But it’s not just the strategic timing of the release that she’s thrown out the window for now, but also her mindset whilst making records. As she explains in the evermore album foreword,
“I’ve never done this before. In the past I’ve always treated albums as one-off eras and moved onto planning the next one as soon as an album was released. There was something different with folklore. In making it, I felt less like I was departing and more like I was returning. I loved the escapism I found in these imaginary/not imaginary tales. I loved the ways you welcomed the dreamscapes and tragedies and epic tales of love lost and found. So I just kept writing them.”
This is a revelation for Swift, to let the music lead her into artistic freedom, which is what makes evermore such a triumphant return. Truly folklore’s sister record, Taylor wrote evermore with the same creative team: Aaron Dessner of The National (Swift’s favorite band), long-time pal and collaborator Jack Antonoff, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and William Bowery aka Swift’s boyfriend, Joe Alwyn (as officially revealed in the Long Pond Studio Sessions). Additionally, former 1989 tour openers and close friends of Taylor, the HAIM sisters, join the crew, along with Marcus Mumford for some dreamy backup vocals.
The production is just as wistful and mesmerizing as it was on folklore, yet the storytelling on evermore is kicked up a notch, expanding on the topics and worldbuilding established in its sister record, with even sharper lyrics and an effective and elaborate use of alliteration. The best thing about Taylor is that no matter what she does, her masterful lyricism is always at the heart of her art, and somehow, she keeps getting better. Once again, I wanted to explore the rich stories she’s crafted in this woodsy universe. This is how I’ve interpreted the album, but I hope you find your own meaning in the songs as well.
1. willow
It is fitting that the opening track to folklore’s sister album, where we wade further into the forest that is Taylor Swift’s imagination and storytelling, would center on the type of tree that is a symbol of hope, belonging, safety, stability, and healing. “willow,” one of the few more obviously autobiographical tracks on the album, is a hymn of gratitude for her man (as she wants you to know, yes, thirteen times), Joe Alwyn, and how the invisible string tethering them together pulled her to him in a time when everyone else was counting her out. Though not as present on many of the other songs later to come on this record, you can feel the lightness in her heart on this song as she embraces the way in which the willow has bent, wrecking her plans, throwing her into the water and leaving her happily lost and afloat in his current. The downward key modulation throughout the last two repetitions of the chorus is beautiful and very fitting for Swift vocally, but also sounds like the feeling of finding your comfort and settling into it, basking it in while you wait for the next place the wind pulls you.
Best lyric: “Now this is an open/shut case / I guess I should’ve known from the look on your face / Every bait and switch was a work of art.”
2. champagne problems
On the second track of the album, Taylor dives back into the fictional worldbuilding she began to explore on folklore. While on folklore high school relationships and dramatics took center-stage, evermore graduates from adolescence to young adulthood, not that it is any easier emotionally on the listener’s heart. “champagne problems” chronicles a rejected marriage proposal between two college sweethearts at their old dorm building. Taylor sings as the narrator, a reflective, self-deprecating young woman who jokes about belonging in a madhouse and dismisses all her turmoil as champagne problems. The term ‘champagne problems’ itself could have various meanings here: their trivial concerns, the fact that their “sister splashed out on the bottle” of champagne that they will not be using to celebrate as they had hoped, or perhaps it could even hint that excessive drinking is a piece of all the ways the narrator is “fucked in the head,” as they said. Although the person she is singing to is the one who got hurt in the story, the hurt in the narrator’s heart is just as palpable and relatable, because you only have yourself to blame when you self-destruct.
Best lyric: “’She would’ve made such a lovely bride, / what a shame she’s fucked in the head,’ they said / but you’ll find the real thing instead / she’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred.”
3. gold rush
On her YouTube live chat prior to the album’s release, Taylor explained that this song “takes place inside a single daydream where you get lost in thought for a minute and then snap out of it.” The daydream consists of a love story so pure that the town had never seen such a thing; it could only happen in a fantasy for the narrator. How could she possibly have the gall to call them out on their contrarian shit, or end up with her Eagles t-shirt hanging from their door, when they are so coveted by all, and when she cannot withstand the thought of even competing? She sings, “My mind turns your life into folklore / I can’t dare to dream about you anymore,” a sweet little connecting piece to this album’s older sister, effectively convincing herself out of the idea of jumping into the chaos of the gold rush because even inside her own imagination it’s too dangerous.
Best lyric: “I don’t like that falling feels like flying ‘till the bone crush.”
4. ‘tis the damn season
According to Aaron Dessner, Taylor had written the lyrics for “’tis the damn season” in the middle of the night amidst their Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions recording after a long night of chatting and drinking with their co-conspirator, Jack Antonoff. The lyrics perfectly encapsulate the guttural ache the track evokes. It is a tale of two people who always find their way back to one another in their hometown, which acts as the ever-returning fork in the road. The path taken, back to L.A. in pursuit of her dreams, is the one she chose and continues to choose, but whenever she returns home, she takes a ride down the road not taken, just to get a taste of what could have been, even if just for the weekend. What starts off as an icy homecoming always transforms into the warmest intimacy. The success of this track is aligned with the success of Taylor’s entire career; even with such specific details, it feels so deeply personal to the listener. You know the street you’d drive along late at night laughing, the spot you’d park the car, the person who stars in every what-if. You will never really know if the road not taken is as good as it seems, but that might be ok; sometimes, the fantasy is better than the reality, anyway.
Best lyric: “It’s the kind of cold / fogs up windshield glass, but I felt it when I passed you / There’s an ache in you / put there by the ache in me.”
5. tolerate it
Inspired by the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, “tolerate it” is an agonizing track from the perspective of a devoted wife who polishes plates and paints portraits and waits by the door for her husband with a battle hero’s welcome, who at best tolerates all her adoration. There are few things as painful as idolization being met with indifference, when you have all this love to give to someone who just leaves it there untouched. “tolerate it” captures that desperation for the approval you know will never arrive, but you sit and watch, waiting for it just in case you’re wrong, but you know you’re not.
Best lyric: “I made you my temple, my mural, my sky / now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life / drawing hearts in the byline”
6. no body, no crime feat. HAIM
“no body, no crime,” the one evermore song solo-written by Taylor, has the clearest plot from beginning to end. In the same vein as the female powerhouse country classic “Goodbye Earl” by The Chicks, Taylor is out for blood to avenge her friend, Este (named for one of the HAIM sisters). The story goes as such: Este’s husband kills her for calling him out on his infidelity, and then Taylor kills the husband and frames his mistress. The HAIM girls, who are long-time friends of Taylor’s and former touring mates, lend their vocals to reinforce the accusation on the husband and to provide Taylor’s alibi. “no body, no crime” is so far the closest we’ve gotten to a return to “country Taylor,” proving that she is still the master of a killer country tune (yes, pun intended, it had to be done I’m sorry).
Best lyric: “Good thing Este’s sister’s gonna swear she was with me / (she was with me, dude) / Good thing his mistress took out a big life insurance policy”
7. happiness
Written a week before the album’s release, “happiness” is one of Swift’s strongest and most reflective breakup songs. Although she writes it as though it is recent, there’s a lot of power in knowing that she’s been happily in love for four years, and that she is even better now at doing the thing that has always been best at. She is finally “above the trees,” as she sings, and is able to see it all for what it is, but her character is still in the heat of it all, trying to navigate the stages of grief when a relationship ends. We see the narrator grapple with many of those stages throughout the song. Most striking is the anger displayed in the second verse when she sings: “I hope she’ll be a beautiful fool who takes my spot next to you / No, I didn’t mean that, / sorry, I can’t see facts through all of my fury.” That section is jarring and feels like one of the most honest moments in a Taylor song, the insanely difficult emotional balancing act when we are grieving a relationship. The devastation of loss can distort our perception, and a part of that is the difficulty of understanding how multiple seemingly opposing things can co-exist in our hearts, such as happiness because of someone and happiness after them. But when you leave it all behind and finally find your place above the trees, you can find happiness after someone and also look back and appreciate the happiness they once provided. Both of these things can be true.
Best lyric: “Showed you all of my hiding spots / I was dancing when the music stopped.”
8. dorothea
Taylor Swift has the uncanny ability to create such developed and well-rounded characters with such little information, which is what makes her storytelling so compelling. In “dorothea,” we learn much about the title character through the narrator’s eyes, and the relationship they once had. The lyric “skipping the prom just to piss off your mom and her pageant schemes” alone tells an entire story in itself. “dorothea” is also the companion song to “’tis the damn season,” just from the other person’s perspective, which helps shine even more light on the story. The narrator of “dorothea” reveres her but wonders if she’s still the same soul in L.A. as she was back in their never-changing town. Whatever the answer, they’re still willing to support her no matter where she is, but she’s always welcome back in Tupelo by her hometown love’s side if she ever just wants to be herself rather than someone known for who they know. Besides, they’re the only soul who can tell which smiles she’s faking. And you can always return to the road not taken.
Best lyric: “They all wanna be ya / but are you still the same soul I met under the bleachers? / Well, I guess I’ll never know / and you’ll go on with the show.”
9. coney island feat. The National
What really started the folklore / evermore journey was Taylor’s love for The National. Taylor has cited them as one of her favorite bands for many years, and as we know, this led to her beautiful new collaborative relationship with Aaron Dessner. So it would make sense for the track written with the intention of this duet to be so well executed; you can feel the love and care Taylor put into writing this song. In her press for these sister albums, she has spoken about trying to channel frontman Matt Berninger’s writing style. But what actually happened was she just produced her own signature lyricism at its sharpest. “We were like the mall before the internet, it was the one place to be / the mischief, the gift-wrapped suburban dreams / sorry for not winning you an arcade ring over and over,” is a hall of famer Swift-ian lyric. “coney island” explores the confusion, hurt, and self-reflection when a passionate affair burns out fast because you did not prioritize that person. And to top it off, Swift and Berninger’s harmonies are achingly beautiful, transporting you right there in the story, on the bench, wondering, over and over.
Best lyric: “Do you miss the rogue who coaxed you into paradise and left you there? / Will you forgive my soul when you’re too wise to trust me and too old to care?”
10. ivy
Leave it to Taylor Swift to make a song about an affair sound so romantic, and so sympathetic to the narrator, that you’re rooting for adultery. “ivy” tells the tale of a woman in a lifeless marriage, likening her home with him to the tombstone that the widow in town visits each day. I like to think this is the same wife whose husband was out there building other worlds without her in “tolerate it,” because then that means she found someone who celebrates her love, who holds her pain for her, who blooms all over her; they started it, but she’s fighting for it all the way to the end, nonetheless. “ivy” showcases Swift’s gorgeous vocals and her sharp lyrics, with a melody so infectious it is bound to permanently plant its roots in your dreamland.
Best lyric: “Oh, I can’t stop you putting roots in my dreamland / my house of stone, your ivy grows, and now I’m covered in you.”
11. cowboy like me
With the beautifully blended backing vocals of Marcus Mumford, “cowboy like me” is an entrancing love story of two con artists who lost at their own game and got conned into forever with each other. She’d gone from swindling old men for their money and fancy cars to falling victim to the danger of dancing with someone who only has eyes full of stars, and she knows she’ll pay for it. “cowboy like me” is one of the most romantic tracks on the record, proving that life never plays out quite as we plan.
Best lyric: “Now you hang from my lips like the gardens of Babylon / with your boots beneath my bed / Forever is the sweetest con.”
12. long story short
One of the more pop-sounding tracks on evermore, “long story short” is pretty much a summary of the long story behind reputation (2017). The song is filled with various metaphors for her reputation crumbling around her, and then finally putting her defenses down to be with her lover, someone as “rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky.” It is a sweet ode to her boyfriend, and a gentle comfort to her past self that it will all work out. But it is also an oddly relatable example of how we shrug off our struggles and minimize them to just a “bad time,” when the time she is singing about was obviously something that deeply affected her (as will be further explored in the title track); but sometimes it actually feels good to just shrug it off as just a blip in your life, because at the end of the day, you survived, and that’s what counts- even if you’re not keeping score anymore.
Best lyric: “Pushed from the precipice / clung to the nearest lips / long story short, it was the wrong guy. / Now I’m all about you.”
13. marjorie
Whereas track 13 on folklore was a tribute to Swift’s paternal grandfather, evermore’s track 13 is a tribute to her maternal grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer in the 50s, and passed away in 2003 when Taylor was 13 years old. “marjorie” is quite possibly the most touching track Taylor has ever written thus far in her career. Grief is one of the most difficult topics to tackle in a song; the genius of “marjorie” is that it is simple, yet not understated. Swift reflects on the profound lessons she learned from her grandmother, about the difficult balances of kindness and cleverness, and politeness and power. She curses herself for not cherishing the moments she had with her, for complaining rather than understanding in the moment how admirable her spirit was, for all the amber skies she’d love but will never see. The chorus, blunt and hard-hitting, reminds us that someone does not have to be living to be alive, to be all around, to be with us. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were singing to me now,” Taylor sings towards the end of the song, right before you hear a sample of Finlay’s opera singing in the background, a truly eye-swelling moment. It is clear that Finlay played a pivotal role in Swift’s own ambitions, as she sings, “all your closets of backlogged dreams, and how you left them all to me.” Marjorie knew she was leaving them in good hands.
If you haven’t yet, check out the moving lyric video for the song, where you can see photos and video clips of Marjorie, both throughout her career and in her time with Taylor.
Best lyric: “Never be so polite you forget your power, / never wield such power you forget to be polite.”
14. closure
On the most experimental track musically on the record, Taylor writes off her need for closure from a relationship of some sort, whether it be romantic or platonic or business, all of which can cause hurt of equal intensity. The subject of the song is trying to make nice with Taylor, and she is just not having it, as it is not coming from a genuine place, but rather to ensure that their life remains picture perfect, or to clear their guilty conscience, or to preserve their own ego. This is a deeply relatable sentiment; as valuable as forgiveness can be, sometimes the person who hurt you just doesn’t deserve it, and all you can do is forgive yourself for blocking their number or shredding their letters.
Best lyric: “I know I’m just a wrinkle in your new life / staying friends would iron it out so nice.”
15. evermore feat. Bon Iver
To close out the standard edition of the album, Taylor joins forces once again with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, with whom she collaborated on the Grammy-nominated duet, “exile” for folklore. However, Swift leads most of the track this time, lamenting the difficult time she went through in 2016. The piano and Swift’s vocals are haunting, particularly when she describes this time in her life as “catching my death,” consumed by a pain that she feels will never end. If you’ve ever been depressed, you know what that feels like, and the dark places it leads you. Although she is singing about a time four years prior, it sounds so present, and it is heartbreaking to hear her in such a state. When Bon Iver comes in, the tempo of the song picks up, the piano riff becomes more erratic, like a winter storm hitting you in the face, and he voices all the anxieties of the cost of such a downfall. But through those anxieties, Taylor finds not a cure, but an anchor in love, and then the tempo slows back down. By the end of the song, Taylor has the foresight to understand that although it may not feel like it now, the pain she is experiencing is not permanent (a sentiment my therapist has been trying to instill in me for years). In her Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Taylor explained how the lyrics parallel the times we are in currently, and so it feels really special to have the album end with someone who knows how it feels to be imprisoned by your pain gently comfort us with the wisdom that “this pain wouldn’t be for evermore.” I hope one day soon, as we leave 2020 far behind, we can all truly believe her.
Best lyric: “I was catching my breath / barefoot in the wildest winter catching my death.”
16. right where you left me (bonus track)
The first bonus track on evermore, “right where you left me,” captures a moment so earth-crushing, a piece of you is trapped in it forever. In this song specifically, the narrator finds herself stuck in the same corner of a restaurant where she was told by someone she loved that they had met someone else. “Glass shattered on the white cloth, everybody moved on,” she sings in mourning. We have all experienced those moments that we could teleport back to if we just closed our eyes; the scenery, what you wore, the smell and taste of the season, the very point in your body where it felt like your insides were collapsing. Or that one particular person, who is long-gone from your life but seeing them is like time-travelling back to that person you once were, ready to pick up where you left off. But as much as you want to stay in that moment forever, just in case it changes in your favor, the cold reality is that the world stops for no one.
Best lyric: “If our love died young, I can’t bear witness / And it’s been so long, but if you ever think you got it wrong / I’m right where you left me.”
17. it’s time to go (bonus track)
“right where you left me” was Taylor’s cry for help to get out of restaurant, and “it’s time to go” is the answer to the call, as she sings in the first line, “when the dinner gets cold, and the chatter gets old / you ask for the tab.” This song is about gathering the strength to leave situations and relationships behind that no longer serve you. She grieves the betrayal of someone she thought to be a twin from her dreams (almost definitely referring to former friend, Karlie Kloss), acknowledges that keeping a marriage together for the sake of the kids often actually has the opposite intended effect (possibly- but not certainly- something she and her brother experienced), and recounts attempting to bargain with someone consumed by greed, only able to leave with herself (absolutely referring to the end of her fifteen-year long business relationship with Scott Borchetta, her former record-label owner). But as painful as leaving all of those situations was, Taylor has gained the wisdom to understand that walking away sometimes takes as much strength as persevering. You can’t stay at the restaurant, or at the mercy of someone else forever; you have to forge your own path, even if it’s in the opposite direction of what you envisioned for so long. And even with all her past success behind her, as folklore and evermore have proved, there is so much more ahead of her.
Best lyric: “That old familiar body ache, the snaps from the same little breaks in your soul / You know when it’s time to go.”
In a time where we are all trapped in our homes and in our heads, the folklore/evermore experience has been the sweetest escape. If anything, the creation of these wonderful sister records has taught me that our most powerful tool in times of distress is our own imagination. Even just the ability to close my eyes while listening to one of these tracks and feel the character’s story is a gift. The way I’ve always been able to pick up Harry Potter and escape to Hogwarts when I’ve felt alone and friendless, I can listen to folklore and evermore when I feel scared or hopeless and escape into this enchanted forest Taylor has built, where I can climb above the trees and see it all for what it is. I feel so lucky to watch Taylor’s imaginative world unravel around me. I can’t wait to see what she creates next.
DISCLAIMER – REVIEWER’S BIAS: I would literally die for this bitch.
#evermore#folklore#review#album review#track by track breakdown#pop#folk#taylor swift#the national#aaron dessner#matt berninger#bon iver#justin vernon#haim#este haim#alana haim#danielle haim#swift#taylor#tswift#jack antonoff#marcus mumford#mumford and sons#joe alwyn#william bowery#music#music review
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Entertainment Weekly, June
Cover: The Pride Issue cover 3 of 4 -- Lena Waithe
Page 3: Contents, other covers featuring Lil Nas X, Mj Rodriguez, Bowen Yang
Page 4: Sound Bites
Page 7: The Cold Open
Page 14: The Must List -- In the Heights
Page 15: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon, Iceage -- Seek Shelter, Ziwe
Page 18: Trying Q&A with Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill
Page 20: Milestone Returns #0: Infinite Edition, In Treatment
Page 21: Brat: An '80s Story by Andrew McCarthy, The Empty Man
Page 22: My Must List Pride Edition -- Niecy Nash
Page 25: Pride 2021
Page 26: Lil Nas X -- the 22-year-old rapper is still breaking barriers one song and several clapbacks at a time
Page 29: St. Vincent -- the chameleonic singer-songwriter returns with Daddy's Home, an adventurous new album inspired by her father's prison time
Page 30: Olly Alexander -- after a lauded lead turn in It's a Sin, the artist returned with the single Starstruck, from his newly solo musical act Years & Years
* Rostam -- the new solo album from the multi-instrumentalist is rooted in society's fear of change
Page 32: Lena Waithe -- the producer and actor, and the new star of Master of None season 3, wants to create provocative art while elevating voices
Page 35: Josh Thomas -- the Australian creator-star of Everything's Gonna Be Okay is telling his story through his art
Page 36: Meet Your Maker -- Natalie Morales -- the queer star directs her first film(s), the sharp indies Plan B and Language Lessons. Here's what got her behind the camera
Page 37: Joshua Safran -- the man behind Alex Parrish's attitude and Blair Waldorf's one-liners shares how his sexuality helps him empathize with his characters
* Brandon Taylor -- coming off his explosive, best-selling debut novel Real Life, the lauded author is looking toward his second act and beyond
Page 38: Mj Rodriguez -- with the final season of the history-making FX drama Pose, it's leading lady is ready to claim what's hers
Page 41: Colman Domingo -- after decades of stellar work, the scene-stealer is front and center on Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead, and more
Page 42: Auli'i Cravalho -- the star of Disney's Moana proved how far she'll go to be her authentic self, and is now focused on joy and inclusion
Page 43: Queen Supremes -- the international RuPaul's Drag Race winning class speaks power to the franchise's worldwide domination and looks ahead to a fab future
Page 44: Bowen Yang -- the Saturday Night Live breakout is defining funny for a whole new generation and pushing boundaries in the process
Page 47: Margaret Cho -- the stand-up comedian plays the lesbian pal we all wish we had in the comedy Good on Paper
Page 48: Molly Bernard -- after playing Younger's pansexual publicist, she's ready to explore the full spectrum of queerness
* Josie Totah -- from Disney's Jessie to the Saved by the Bell revival and Amy Poehler's Moxie, the actress has made a name for herself twice and Hollywood's paying attention
Page 49: Calendar -- 10 upcoming LGBTQ projects to get excited for --from eye-opening documentaries to sweeping romances, there is plenty to add to your Pride watch queue
* Pride season's 6 essential reads
Page 51: Summer TV Preview
Page 52: Loki with Tom Hiddleston
Page 53: Panic, The Celebrity Dating Game, Gossip Girl
Page 54: September Mornings, Schmigadoon!, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Ted Lasso
Page 55: Heels, The Good Fight
Page 56: Power Book III: Raising Kanan
Page 57: Sweet Tooth, Blindspotting, Kevin Can F**k Himself, Mr. Corman
Page 58: We Are Lady Parts, Love Victor, Sex/Life, Turner & Hooch
Page 59: Physical, Hit & Run, American Rust
Page 60: Bosch, Marvel Studios' What If...?, Lisey's Story -- Q&A with Julianne Moore
Page 61: Calendar
Page 62: The Fast and the Furious oral history -- how did a little movie about underground racing speed off to become one of the most profitable franchises in history? The cast and crew reminisce about 20 years of Fast, one quarter-mile at a time
Page 68: News + Reviews -- Nominate Them, You Cowards -- on July 13, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will announce the 2021 Emmy nominees. Here are some standout shows and performances we insist not be overlooked
Page 72: Movies -- Summer Star -- taking the lead in blockbusters A Quiet Place II and Jungle Cruise, Emily Blunt is the face of Hollywood's comeback summer
Page 74: Making the Scene -- Army of the Dead -- Zack Snyder explains how he bet big on destroying Las Vegas in his bloody zombie heist movie
Page 75: Oxygen, The Woman in the Window -- the journey from smash best-seller to star-studded streaming thriller was long and fittingly bizarre
Page 76: Meet the Fab G -- director Kay Cannon on how Billy Porter found a fresh, inclusive take on the fairy godmother in the new Cinderella
Page 79: My Favorite Shot Pride Edition -- Sebastian Lelio, A Fantastic Woman -- the Chilean director revisits a gravity-defying sequence in his groundbreaking Oscar-winning drama
Page 80: TV -- The Underground Railroad
Page 81: The Upshaws
Page 82: Oral History -- in 2011, Teen Wolf premiered on MTV. Ten years later, we look back at the pilot episode that introduced us to Scott, Stiles and the werewolves of Beacon Hills -- Jeff Davis, Tyler Posey, Russell Mulgahy, Dylan O'Brien, Crystal Reed
Page 84: What to Watch
Page 86: Music -- Miranda Lambert Q&A -- for The Marfa Tapes, Lambert decamped to the quiet artsy town in West Texas and recorded songs around a campfire. She talks to EW about the album and being an introverted superstar
Page 88: Ear Kandi -- Xscape member and current Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kandi Burruss reflects on the hits she's made for Destiny's Child, *NSYNC, TLC and more
Page 89: The Black Keys
Page 90: Books -- summer books special -- a comedy of eras -- in a sharp new essay collection, The Wreckage of My Presence, actor Casey Wilson weaves big feelings into even bigger laughs
Page 92: Poetic Justice -- prolific romance writer and political powerhouse Stacey Abrams bookend an incredible year with more thrills, this time in her first novel not written under her pen name Selena Montgomery
Page 93: Author Spotlight -- Silvia Moreno-Garcia -- Velvet Was the Night
Page 94: Fatal Attraction -- inside the intoxicating depravity of Animal, Lisa Taddeo's meaty follow-up to Three Women
Page 95: Critic's Pick -- The Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee
Page 96: Critic's Pick -- In the Country of Others by Leila Slimani
Page 97: The Conversation -- Taylor Jenkins Reid and Paula Hawkins -- the names behind Daisy Jones & the Six and The Girl on the Train are coming for your beach tote
Page 98: Q&A with Zakiya Dalila Harris -- The Other Black Girl, former book editor Zakiya Dalila Harris' genre-bending evisceration of workplace privilege, is set to become the debut of the summer
Page 99: Critic's Pick -- Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
Page 101: Q&A with Billie Eilish -- in between winning Grammys and releasing her sophomore album, the pop star is publishing her first (self-titled) book, a collection of never-before-seen pics of her early life on the road
Page 103: Parental Guidance -- your crib sheet on the best entertainment for kids from toddlers to tweens
* Q&A with Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade -- the actress and her NBA legend husband, bring it on with their new children's book Shady Baby
Page 112: The Bullseye
#tabloid toc#tabloidtoc#pride#lena waithe#lil nas x#mj rodriguez#bowen yang#loki#loki the series#loki spoilers#tom hiddleston#hiddles#michael waldron#kate herron#loki variant#in the heights#trying#esther smith#rafe spall#niecy nash#st. vincent#st vincent#olly alexander#josh thomas#natalie morales#joshua safran#brandon taylor#colman domingo#auli'i cravalho#margaret cho
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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), AFI #47
The next movie on the AFI top 100 for review is the highly acclaimed film adaptation of the famous Tennessee Williams play, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). The play was on Broadway from 1947 to 1949 and had over 800 performances. The original cast of the play made up almost all of the cast in the film with the exception of Jessica Tandy (who won a Tony for her performance) being replaced by Vivian Leigh. The film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won 3 of the 4 acting categories (Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Actress). The play won the Pulitzer prize for Drama and had many revivals. Vivian Leigh actually played her film part in the London production that was directed by Laurence Olivier. This film had some of the highest quality actors of the time in parts that they were all extremely familiar with, so it is no wonder that it did so well. I want to review the plot briefly before moving on to some stories of the production, so let me get the warning out of the way...
SPOILER WARNING!!! I AM GOING TO RUIN THE PLOT ALTHOUGH THE MOVIE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY DIALOGUE SO I CAN'T REALLY REVEAL A LOT!!! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT LATER, SO HERE IS YOUR WARNING!!!
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Blanche DuBois (Vivian Leigh), a middle-aged high school English teacher, arrives in New Orleans. She takes a streetcar named "Desire" to the French Quarter, where her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter), and Stella's husband, Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando), live in a dilapidated tenement apartment. Blanche claims to be on leave from her teaching job due to her nerves and wants to stay with Stella and Stanley. Blanche's demure, refined manner is a stark contrast to Stanley's crude, brutish behavior, making them mutually wary and antagonistic. Stella welcomes having her sister as a guest, but Blanche often patronizes and criticizes her.
Blanche reveals that the family estate, Belle Reve, was lost to creditors, and Blanche is broke and had nowhere to go, since she was widowed at a young age after her husband's suicide. When Stanley suspects Blanche may be hiding an inheritance, she shows him proof of the foreclosure. Stanley, looking for further proof, knocks some of Blanche's private papers to the floor. Weeping, she gathers them, saying they are poems from her dead husband. Stanley explains he was only looking out for his family, then announces Stella is pregnant.
Blanche meets Stanley's friend, Mitch (Karl Malden), whose courteous manner is a contrast to Stanley's other pals. Mitch is attracted to Blanche's flirtatious charm, and a romance blossoms. During a poker night with his friends, Stanley explodes in a drunken rage, striking Stella and ending the game. Blanche and Stella flee upstairs to neighbor Eunice's apartment. After his anger subsides, Stanley remorsefully bellows for Stella from the courtyard below. Irresistibly drawn by her physical passion for him, she goes to Stanley, who carries her off to bed. The next morning, Blanche urges Stella to leave Stanley, calling him a sub-human animal. Stella disagrees and wants to stay.
As weeks pass into months, tension mounts between Blanche and Stanley. Blanche is hopeful about Mitch, but anxiety and alcoholism have her teetering on mental collapse while anticipating a marriage proposal. Finally, Mitch says they should be together. Meanwhile, Stanley uncovers Blanche's hidden history of mental instability, promiscuity, and being fired for sleeping with an underage student. Stanley then passes this news on to Mitch, in full knowledge this will end Blanche's marriage prospects and leave her with no future. Stella angrily blames Stanley for the catastrophic revelation, but their fight is interrupted when Stella goes into labor.
Later, Mitch arrives and confronts Blanche about Stanley's claims. She initially denies everything, then breaks down confessing. She pleads for forgiveness, but Mitch, hurt and humiliated, roughly ends the relationship. Later that night, while Stella's labor continues, Stanley returns from the hospital to get some sleep. Blanche, dressed in a tattered old gown, pretends she is departing on a trip with an old admirer. She spins tale after tale about her fictitious future plans, and he pitilessly destroys her illusions. They engage in a struggle, and Stanley rapes her. Now on perilous mental ground, Blanche tries to tell Stella what Stanley had done. Stella refuses to believe Blanche, causing her to have a mental breakdown.
Weeks later, during another poker game at the Kowalski apartment, doctors arrive to take Blanche to a mental hospital. Blanche resists at first but, believing she is going on a vacation, eventually leaves. She always depended on the kindness of strangers. Mitch, present at the poker game, is visibly upset. Stella, now realizing that Blanche had told her the truth, takes the baby upstairs to Eunice's, ignoring Stanley's calls and vowing not to return.
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The movie was altered a fair bit from the play because of the Hollywood production code at the time. The play was much more "rapey" with Stanley Kowalski and Blanche and it was merely strongly implied in the film. The studio thought the play's ending, in which Stella returns to Stanley, was not a good message (despite being much more realistic) and so had Stella leave Stanley. The play also had Mitch really tell Blanche off for her past while it was much more abridged in the film. The breakdown of Blanche in the film doesn't feel as earned and makes her appear more fragile, while the play better explains what Blanche had done from the beginning and really shows the abuse she suffers. The complete breakdown seems more apparent and justified in the play. One thing that was specifically forbade was Stella's lust for a much younger and fitter Stanley. Women were not allowed to have any sexual desire in films at the time so it feels weird why Stella is with this man in the first place.
I really like how the apartments are arranged so that the Kowalski family is downstairs while Eunice (and denial of Stanley) is upstairs. Whenever Stella takes the higher ground, she literally goes upstairs to the neighbors. When she returns to him when he calls to her in that awful scream, she goes down the stairs to him, literally lowering herself to his level. There was not a lot of sets, but the strong use of the staging and blocking is very impressive.
Marlon Brando really gets a lot of credit for this role and it is often said that he was robbed of a Best Actor win because Humphrey Bogart won the award for his unrecognized nominations for his past work. The more that I see old interviews, the more I start to suspect the Brando wasn't a very nice guy, especially as a younger man, so the role might not have been that much of a stretch. I never met the man so it is complete speculation and I would defer to anyone who actually knew him (I know he marched for African American and Indigenous American Rights and has many adoring fans). He just really become notoriously difficult to work with and purposely duped a couple of directors so that he could get a huge paycheck for very little work. That really seems like something Stanley would do.
I personally am not the biggest fan of the film but I recognize that it is just personal preference. Watching people get drunk and fight over money and lies is not something that I enjoy. I recognize the sad reference to reality and it makes me curious about what was done to Tennessee Williams to allow him to so accurately recreate these situations. He was definitely hurt in his formative years. I assume a lot. It turns out he was abused and disowned for being a gay man in a very religious environment as well as suffered from deep depression. As the cherry on top, his beloved sister was lobotomized for mental health reasons and Williams blamed himself. His tragically dramatic stories really make sense in that context.
So does this film belong on the AFI list? Absolutely. It is a well written story about American life by a very American playwright. The play and the film won multiple awards include the Pulitzer. It is a very deserving movie. Would I recommend it? Not unless you are prepared to be depressed. It is a challenging movie and it always leaves me feeling down. I prefer movies that have at least a little bit of humor and fun. However, if you are looking for a well-written, well-acted play that portrays the truth behind American life, then this is probably the film for you. Either way, it is worth the experience, just don't expect a happy ending and don't expect me to join in on the review.
#marlon brando#vivien leigh#tennessee williams#black and white#psychology#introvert#introverts#award winning#pulitzer prize
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