#theme: baltimore

[aftgficrec]

Hi! Do y'all have any recs for surprise sibling fics?

There are many fics with Neil especially having a sibling (check out our tag  au: siblings).  Many of them are fics where the siblings are on the run together, or have grown up together.  As per your request, we’re concentrating here on fics where the appearance of the sibling comes as a surprise, either because their existence was unknown, or because they were presumed dead.  - S

Also see…

Foxes taking in a younger sibling here

Neil with a sister here

Neil with a half-sister here; particularly ‘In Her Shoes’ and ‘Mack the Knife’ (updated) 

‘The F Word’ here

‘The Water’s Sweet’ (updated) here

‘Razor sharp smile and icy blue eyes’ here

‘blood on their teeth’, ‘What if Neil had a younger sister?’ and ‘Wesninski Brothers Au’ here

‘It is Easier to Run if the World Thinks You Stayed Behind’ here

‘Aidan Minyard’, ‘Another Minyard’, ‘Three Minyards’ series and ‘counting sheep’ here

The Love We Lost (then found) by high_queen_emory42 [Rated T, 2612 words, incomplete, last updated May 2022]

What if Neil had a long-lost twin that appeared out of nowhere one day after practice?

Cue mass confusion.

(Inspired by @thesoupinursocks on Tumblr)

Familiar (Unfamiliar) by alisonlynn [Rated T, 3120 words, complete, 2022]

Nathaniel knew that he had a step-mother and a half brother. He knew this because Lola had taunted him with it while she was burning his face off. It didn’t matter what happened to him anymore, his father had something better to give the Moriyamas.

tw: violence, tw: injuries

An endless road to rediscover by Arirmis [Rated M, 28019 words, complete, 2022]

Kevin is shaking hard enough for his left hand to ache as he mindlessly tries to reattach the strings on Neil’s racquet. He knows it’s futile – that it is broken, and that Neil will never pick it up again.

Or: A VERY twisted version of Baltimore

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon

Big Brother, I'm Just Like You by hoziertozier  [Rated T, 16312 words, incomplete, last updated March 2022]

What if Neil got a call weeks, months after Baltimore, that he had a little sister? Well, this series of vignettes shows how he and the other Foxes would adjust to having a kid around, and also gives a new point of view on Neil, Andrew, and the Foxes.

Everyone, meet Charlotte Josten.

(this originally started as posts on my tumblr, and i'm still gonna make those but i'm moving it onto here as well for ease of navigation. very self-indulgent, i'm very passionate about these characters healing slowly goddamnit!)

tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: nightmares, tw: panic attacks

the way that we were (as if by chance) by maybeoneday_wellbefree [Rated G, 9252 words, incomplete, last updated Jan 2022]

Neil hasn't seen his sister in 10 years, since he went on the run with his mom. He hasn't thought about her for most of that time (not actively, anyway).

So when the FBI and Stuart show up telling him that a) his sister is alive, b) she has things to lose now and, c) shes taken over for their father as the Butcher, Neil needs... he needs a minute.

The siblings need to reunite again, to bring down the rest of an empire from the inside out. All while navigating their pasts, their world as they know it now, and how those are going to intersect with each other.

Neil's not sure if he's ready for it, and honestly, Valen isn't either.

tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced torture

I Think Mom Was Hiding Something… by clumsylittlewriter [Rated T, 2223 words, complete, 2022]

"Aaron’s jaw dropped at the same time he heard Katelyn gasp. He was sure he was hallucinating. Or maybe he was back on drugs. Because the man who stepped up to their table looked absolutely identical to Aaron.

He had the same straight, blond hair. He had the same hazel eyes with gold flecks, though his looked completely apathetic. He had an eyebrow slit and black gouges in his ears. He appeared to have the same abundance of tattoos Neil did, some lining his biceps, while others crawled up his neck.

He was also absolutely ripped, with bulging biceps and broader shoulders than Aaron’s could ever be. He had a tight, black, short-sleeved turtleneck on, along with a pair of light wash, ripped jeans. He was wearing black armbands that covered pretty much his entire forearms too, which were embroidered with colorful flowers and bumble bees.

Okay, so maybe not exactly the same. But he was similar enough to obviously be Aaron’s twin."

(Aaron meets Andrew a little later in life)

missing pieces by DesertLily [Rated T, 1026 words, complete, Aftg Winter Exchange 2021]

There are some things Neil Josten hasn’t told anyone but, as always, Andrew and Kevin find themselves as the exception.

In Our Family Portrait by bazerella [Rated G, 2707 words, complete, 2021]

Like most things wrong in Andrew and Aaron’s life, Tilda Minyard was to blame.

Andrew and Aaron discover Tilda had given up another child two years after they were born. When they get a call about their alleged sister being in a coma they reflect on what it means to be family and how far they've come as brothers.

Oh Brother by ExyEimi (Siyah_Kedi) [Rated G, 693 words, complete, 2018]

Nathan kept secrets from Mary, and the result shows up in Wymack's office claiming to be Neil's sister.

tw: violence

Neil-and-Katelyn-are-siblings AU by poly_pr1nce [Rated T, 1215 words, complete, 2018, locked]

Neil discovers he knew Katelyn a decade ago, except his name was Nathanial and her name was Natalie, and they were the children of Nathan Wesninski.

blood isn’t love by nebulousviolet [Rated T, 1213 words, complete, 2017]

“Your sister is annoying,” Andrew says.

“She’s not my sister,” Neil replies, and he isn’t lying.

Neil has a half-brother by @palmettofoxden [tumblr, 2017]

Who wants to hear about my latest idea that is at least at the moment at the top of my list of fics I want to write?

#fic #Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard #Neil Josten & OC #Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard #universe: canon divergent #universe: post canon #au: siblings #au: different first meeting #theme: angst with a happy ending #theme: fluff & angst #theme: fluff & humour #theme: reunions #theme: baltimore #theme: protectiveness #theme: hurt/comfort #theme: ptsd #theme: recovery #theme: injuries #theme: hospitals #theme: grief/mourning #theme: twinyards bonding #theme: foxes react #aftg exchange #tw: violence #tw: implied/referenced torture #tw: implied/referenced child abuse #tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon #tw: implied/referenced self harm #tw: panic attacks #tw: nightmares

[wonderlesch]

Best Maryland Themed Cocktails

New Blog Post Alert - Best Maryland Themed Cocktails shares some of Maryland's tastiest cocktail recipes for you to discover, create and enjoy. Read on & explore the Yummy Maryland cocktail, the Baltimore Zoo cocktail & more! Cheers to Maryland cocktails

Hello and Welcome to my latest Blog Post sharing Best Maryland Themed Cocktails.Here I will share cocktail recipes for my top four Maryland Themed Cocktails. Read on to discover the recipes for the Yummy Maryland Cocktail, the Baltimore Zoo Cocktail, the Maryland Mule and the Maryland Maple Cocktail. Looking to add Maryland Themed Cocktails to raise the tastiness level of your weekend plans? I…

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#A Few of my Favorite Things #Baltimore Zoo Cocktail #Best Drinks #Best Maryland Themed Cocktails #Cocktail lover #Cocktail recipes #Maryland Maple Cocktail #Maryland Mule Cocktail #New Blog Post #Themed Cocktails #Yummy Maryland Cocktail

[amnglobal]

[FYI📍🌏] City of Baltimore (AMNG) New newsletter deadline is Sunday, September 18th. Look forward to seeing all the great original submissions! 

See guidelines| https://t.co/liPGi1K6Oc  OUR MISSION MONUMENTAL MONDAYS

#baltimore #themes #topstories #speakers #foundersfocus #fyp #diy #pov #viewers #visualarts #businessowners

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

Writing Advice #?: Don’t write out accents.

The Surface-Level Problem: It’s distracting at best, illegible at worst. 

The following passage from Sons and Lovers has never made a whit of sense to me:

“I ham, Walter, my lad,’ ’e says; ‘ta’e which on ’em ter’s a mind.’ An’ so I took one, an’ thanked ’im. I didn’t like ter shake it afore ’is eyes, but ’e says, ‘Tha’d better ma’e sure it’s a good un. An’ so, yer see, I knowed it was.’”

There’s almost certainly a point to that dialogue — plot, character, theme — but I could not figure out what the words were meant to be, and gave up on the book.  At a lesser extreme, most of Quincey’s lines from Dracula (“I know I ain’t good enough to regulate the fixin’s of your little shoes”) cause American readers to sputter into laughter, which isn’t ideal for a character who is supposed to be sweet and tragic.  Accents-written-out draw attention to mechanical qualities of the text.

Solution #1: Use indicators outside of the quote marks to describe how a character talks.  An Atlanta accent can be “drawling” and a London one “clipped”; a Princeton one can sound “stiff” and a Newark one “relaxed.”  Do they exaggerate their vowels more (North America) or their consonants more (U.K., north Africa)?  Do they sound happy, melodious, frustrated?

The Deeper Problem: It’s ignorant at best, and classist/racist/xenophobic at worst.

You pretty much never see authors writing out their own accents — to the person who has the accent, the words just sound like words.  It’s only when the accent is somehow “other” to the author that it gets written out.

And the accents that we consider “other” and “wrong” (even if no one ever uses those words, the decision to deliberately misspell words still conveys it) are pretty much never the ones from wealthy and educated parts of the country.  Instead, the accents with misspelled words and awkward inflection are those from other countries, from other social classes, from other ethnicities.  If your Maine characters speak normally and your Florida characters have grammatical errors, then you have conveyed what you consider to be correct and normal speech.  We know what J.K. Rowling thinks of French-accented English, because it’s dripping off of Fleur Delacour’s every line.

At the bizarre extreme, we see inappropriate application of North U.K. and South U.S.-isms to every uneducated and/or poor character ever to appear in fan fic.  When wanting to get across that Steve Rogers is a simple Brooklyn boy, MCU fans have him slip into “mustn’t” and “we is.”  When conveying that Robin 2.0 is raised poor in Newark, he uses “ain’t” and “y’all” and “din.”  Never mind that Iron Man is from Manhattan, or that Robin 3.0 is raised wealthy in Newark; neither of them ever gets a written-out accent.

Solution #2: A little word choice can go a long way, and a little research can go even further.  Listen carefully to the way people talk — on the bus, in a café, on unscripted YouTube — and write down their exact word choice.  “We good” literally means the same thing as “no thank you,” but one’s a lot more formal than the other.  “Ain’t” is a perfectly good synonym for “am not,” but not everyone will use it.

The Obscure Problem: It’s not even how people talk.

Look at how auto-transcription software messes up speaking styles, and it’s obvious that no one pronounces every spoken sound in every word that comes out of their mouth.  Consider how Americans say “you all right?”; 99% of us actually say something like “yait?”, using tone and head tilt to convey meaning.  Politicians speak very formally; friends at bars speak very informally.

An example: I’m from Baltimore, Maryland.  Unless I’m speaking to an American from Texas, in which case I’m from “Baltmore, Marlind.”  Unless I’m speaking to an American from Pennsylvania, in which case I’m from “Balmore, Marlin.”  If I’m speaking to a fellow Marylander, I’m of course from “Bamor.”  (If I’m speaking to a non-American, I’m of course from “Washington D.C.”)  Trying to capture every phoneme of change from moment to moment and setting to setting would be ridiculous; better just to say I inflect more when talking to people from outside my region.

When you write out an accent, you insert yourself, the writer, as an implied listener.  You inflict your value judgments and your linguistic ear on the reader, and you take away from the story.

Solution #3: When in doubt, just write the dialogue how you would talk.

#writing #writing advice #accents #fan fiction #classism #language #u.s.-centric af because I've only lived so many places

[faggotmox]

something wonderfully important has happened! my "wrestling dad" josh shepard got his book of wrestling erasure poems published & it is up for sale (either 10$ or "name a fair price"). this is incredibly important to me as im one of the first people to have gotten the privilege to read these poems as josh wrote them. josh is incredibly important to me as a friend, he is the guy who introduced me to wrestling & gave me a deep, unrestricted passion for it.

josh is so fucking talented, & creative. he is also my favorite poet, not just bc he's my friend. the book's flow is dedicated to the flow of a wrestling match, following all the hallmarks (the lock up, big heat, the comeback, ect) with the themes of his poems to create a match like narrative for the book.

there are like three specific poems in the batch that i want tattooed on me, a stone cold one, a mick foley one, & a briscoe brother's piece. the aj lee pipebomb poem moved me to actual tears, even when i read it now. the macho man poem abt being bipolar struck me so hard i rethought my own feeling on my mental health. josh pushes impressive themes of capitalism, mental health, poverty, & family theoughout many of his poems. i know ive got a few wrestling fans here, & if you're also into poetry please considered josh's work. or just if you want to support a friend of mine.

a cool way to support josh's work is by requesting it at your local library! even suggesting to bookstores that have poetry sections or interacting with the work thats already published. following/reposting josh's work for exposure also is great.

bruiser zine said this:

The second volume in the BRUISER Zines series, Cutting Promos is a collection of pro wrestling erasure poems by the Oklahoma City poet Josh Shepard. Printed and assembled in Baltimore, this limited edition zine collects 26 poems previously published in BRUISER, HAD, The Daily Drunk and many other fine publications.

After being laid off at the onset of the pandemic, Shepard found comfort and inspiration in the glow of professional wrestling and its performers—their violent struggles, fighting spirit, and electric language—and from their speeches and promos that have inspired wrestling fans across the globe he delivers Cutting Promos, a collection of erasures that echoes the personalities, pursuits and perseverance of pro wrestling’s greatest, standing as a testament to life lived during Hard Times and deliverance through them.

[ IN CASE YOU MISSED THE LINK ABOVE TO BUY JOSH'S BOOK ] [ JOSH'S TWITTER | INSTA | LINKTR.EE* ] *a lot of the links don't work bc the publications went under :( but there's still quiet a few up for free here

support my kayfabe father!!! i watched him turn his hard times into beautiful pieces. even in the beginning when he only had 3 or 4, before he even thought he could make the book i saw his passion for these pieces. i was there for every heart wrenching rejection letter & every hard earned spot. every time he was working late at the library sending me new ideas bc he couldn't watch dynamite. every single wrestling poem josh has written has now been published & that is a huge success. he puts in the work like a wrestler puts in the work in the ring. hard hitting, gritty, & beautiful.

#hope i got all the info and claims right in here lmao #ny memory aint so good #and hes been working on thus for FOUR YEARS #god im so proud of him #please please please reblog this #poetry #poems #poet #wrestling #pro wrestling #aew #wwe #poetry book #book #abt ranger #im also rb the fuxk out this #twice a day

[fma03anniversary]

Happy 20th anniversary FMA. Let's put some forgotten feathers back in your cap.

Melissa was the #1 anime theme song to wrap 2003, and peaked at #2 on the Oricon Singles Chart - Japan's music industry standard for charting CD singles. Melissa became the #34th top selling single for 2003 and was only on sale for two months of the year (Melissa went on sale Sept 26th and Oricon is tracked Dec 1 - Nov 30). Melissa ranked #66 in top Japanese singles for 2004 too. The song would be on the Oricon charts for 38 weeks! Melissa won Animage Magazine's 2004 Anime Grand Prix for Best Anime Song.

Ready Steady Go! was the 18th best selling single of 2004 and peaked at #1 on the Oricon Singles Chart, and would do so charting less than half the time of Melissa, 16 weeks.

FMA sweeps Animage Magazine's 26th Annual Anime Grand Prix held in June 2004 - winning best series, best male character (Ed), best female character (Riza), best voice performance (Romi Park), best song (Melissa @ #1, Kesenai Tsumi @ #2), and best episode (7).

FMA is on the cover of all 3 major Japanese animation magazines for July 2004 - Newtype, Animage, and Animedia.

July 31, 2004 L'arc~en~Ciel make their North American debut at Otakon. Prior to their concert held at the 1st Mariner Place (now CFG Bank Arena) in Baltimore, to a crowd of 12,000 the first episode of the upcoming FMA English dub is premiered.

Rewrite peaks at #4 on the Oricon charts and becomes the 63rd best selling single of 2004. Rewrite won Best Anime Theme Song at the American Anime Awards at New York City Comicon in 2007.

FMA gets the rare honour of going to reruns in Japan.

FMA debuts on Adult Swim and is on the cover of all 3 major North American anime magazines for November 2004 - Newtype USA, Anime Insider, and Animerica.

FMA pulls in a ton of new viewers to Adult Swim for December 2004.

TV Asahi ranks FMA the most popular animated TV series in Japan in fall 2005, a year after it finished airing.

FMA is the best selling anime series on DVD for 2005 in North America. Individual DVD volume sales are so strong they rank alongside anime movies.

Anime News Network crowns FMA the best series of 2005.

Link is the #4 anime song for 2005 and peaks at #2 on the Oricon chart.

Conqueror of Shamballa is the #7 anime movie and #47 movie overall in Japan for 2005.

Anime Expo 2006 celebrates FMA. AX teams up with FUNimation to premiere Conqueror of Shamballa at the convention, hosted by guests of honour: Seiji Mizushima (Series Director), Mike McFarland (EN Director), Masahiko Minami (President of Studio Bones), Romi Park (who unfortunately had to cancel last minute), and Vic Mignogna.

Conqueror of Shamballa set to screen in 40 North American theatres. In !!2006!!

In the first ever event to honour voice acting, direction, production, etc of English anime in North America, the American Anime Awards were held at New York City Comic Con in 2007, handing out awards for the Best Of 2006. Online fan voting selected the finalists and FMA led the nominations with 5. The series would lose Best Feature (CoS) to FFVII Advent Children, but win Best Long Series, Best DVD Packaging, Best Cast, and Best Theme Song (Rewrite). Source (1), (2), (3)

Over five years after its Japanese debut and four years after it's North American start, as Brotherhood begins airing in Japan FMA still ranks #7 for best selling anime series on DVD in North America for spring 2009!

#Fullmetal Alchemist #FMA #FMA03 #fma 2003 #conqueror of shamballa #Info Post

[weirdbrothers]

Stranger Things Fic Rec

Let me get one thing out of the way: absolutely nobody asked for this. But I love these pairings and stories so much I had to share it with you all. This is heavy on Steve/Billy with some Steve/Eddie sprinkled in.

If you've never read Stranger Things fic, or when you saw this post thought "oh yeah, that 80s kid monster show" I encourage you to give these a try! You don't have to know much about the show besides the bare bones of the plot. (And my ask box is always open for Qs!) If you like angsty teenage boys who are in denial about their feelings and hate their hometown, read on.

Now, on to the porn and depravity!

if i stare too long by @brawlite & @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger | Steve/Eddie/Billy

After the end of the world, Billy Hargrove is a mess. But at least he has company.

Notes: Literally one of my favorite fics of all time, I will never shut up about it. Gay threesomes. Angst. A sweltering midwestern summer. Homoerotic undertones that builds to filthy gay porn. The vibes are all there.

Pressure by Yellow_Blue_Books | Steve/Eddie

"You never did tell me your name," he called at Munson's back. The older man was already in the trees when he turned back around and stated his name, eyes bright and grin wide. Steve never heard it; he couldn't read his lips from so far a distance between them. So instead, he watched Munson walk away; the teen, now wide awake, went to sit on the hood of his car to wait for Hopper to show. On that crisp, cold January night in 1985 - Steve Harrington heard the sound of Eddie Munson's voice for the first and last time. He never even knew his name.

Notes: The only WIP on this rec list, and totally worth the wait. Great characterization. So many little tidbits of information that have me squealing with joy. But also dark and grounded in reality.

chokechain by @brawlite | Steve/Billy (and Tommy is there)

Tommy H. invites Billy to a party at Steve's house. Billy expected hot chicks and booze, but when he shows up, there's only the latter. Steve and Tommy teach Billy that in Hawkins, sometimes you just gotta make do.

Notes: When I think of this fic I literally start sweating its so sexy. The fic that got me hooked on Steve/Billy and gay Steve in general. Its so subtle and gritty and grimy and hot. And Tommy is egging everyone on, yet oblivious, just how I like him.

so good at being in trouble, so bad at being in love by @the-copperkid Steve/Billy

Steve's sophomore year, Billy showed up.

Notes: A fandom classic. The perfect example of Steve/Billy getting together in world, and dealing with their feelings (+ porn, because I'm me and I need porn in all my fic).

We'll Go Down in History by @eternalgoldfish | Billy/Steve

Hawkins High takes a field trip to Baltimore to see historical sites and Steve would rather jump out his hotel window.

Notes: So much teenage angst and tomfoolery in this one! A little more lighthearted than others on the list. Gets to that theme in ST that I love: the idle hands of teenage boys are the devil's playthings.

Dom 4 Hire by @lazybakerart

Steve is naked, on his hands and knees, in the apartment he shares with his high school sweetheart for a man he only just met in person five minutes ago.

Notes: From the second I saw Steve Harrington on screen I knew that boy was a sub dying for someone to call him a good boy. And Billy is just the dom for the job. My only complaint is that I wish this was longer!

Maybe we're something uncool by desert_dino | Steve/Billy

It’s only noon; Billy knows neither of them have work that evening, and their shitty gen-ed biology lab was cancelled. They’ve only been hanging out for an hour, and maybe Billy isn’t quite done fucking around with Harrington yet. Maybe he’ll indulge him.

Notes: Cocky Billy is what the world needs! Great banter and dialogue. Just a snapshot of what I imagine their afternoons would look like, and the teens of Hawkins would be like "why the fuck are they always hanging out?" totally oblivious.

slipping through by sightetsound | Steve/Billy

It was the weed, and the pilfered whiskey from Steve’s daddy dearest they passed back and forth. It was actually how Steve’s eyes caught the moonlight. How his mouth moved when he spoke, and how it curved on a grin Billy would call relaxed when they were alone. Admitting as much felt too much like giving ground, and so it was the weed and whiskey.

Notes: Really bittersweet, heartfelt, and sincere. A different kind of pace for this pairing.

You Get Too Close by @trashcangimmick | Steve/Billy

Steve sits at the back of the bus on the way to a basketball match in Gary. Billy Hargrove sits right across from him.

Notes: Be for real- when we saw that basketball and shower scene we were all hoping it would go in the direction of this fic. Gives me the vibe of an 80s porno in the best way.

Reflecting on the Longest Wavelength by @trashcangimmick | Billy/Hopper

Billy’s heat hits early. Jim Hopper happens to find him before anyone else does. 

Notes: This pairing is a little rouge, I don't see it often and its hard to pin down for me past all the basic tropes. I really like the A/B/O world-building here and find myself returning to it.

#stranger things #stranger things fic rec #harringrove #steddie #fic rec

[satansapostle6]

The Man Who Sold The World | Luke Castellan

Spotify Playlist Link

Katherine. She was the one who started it all for Luke Castellan, the reason he did what he did.

Warnings: Mature themes/language. Violence. Sexual content.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten: My Destruction

Luke discovered that fucking for seven hours straight does indeed take a lot out of you. Although he and Katherine only got about four or so hours of sleep, they were both still depleted.

“Let’s find someplace to eat. I think we need a huge breakfast after last night,” Katherine suggested.

“I second that,” Luke sighed as he climbed out of the shower, towel around his waist.

“Hurry up before we get started on round two,” she reminded him, pulling up her jeans. “Did you have to bite me?” she questioned, pulling her shirt over the mark.

“Yes,” he assured her before combing through his hair.

“Yeah, that was a trick question.”

Luke threw on the first set of clean clothes he could find, ready to leave.

“We should get moving. We’ve been in one place too long. I got a message about some Chimera thing going on in Baltimore.”

“Alright. We can get breakfast, and be there by tonight,” he thought. “I’ll drive.”

“Fine,” Katherine agreed, “But don’t think this means you get to drive my car all the time.”

Luke grinned as they packed up their things and left.

“I’m getting kinda tired of New York,” Katherine admitted as Luke drove.

“Really?” he questioned.

“Yeah… There’s just so much traffic. You hardly get to do anything.”

“I don’t get to see a whole lot of it,” Luke admitted. “There’s always a quest, or something.”

“You should just leave the camp,” she scoffed. “Live on your own.”

“No, I can’t. Besides. I think we need access to other demigods,” he pointed out.

“Yeah. He wants us to recruit,” Katherine agreed, “Which should be easy. I don’t think there’s anyone the gods haven’t fucked over.”

“Being born to one of them… It’s not the gift you would think it is,” he said, swallowing the pain he carried around with him. “The minute you have a god for a parent, you lose a parent. All of us are ignored our whole lives, until we’re punished when we fail, and just given a pat on the back when we do well.

“And everyone thinks this is just okay, because they’re gods. No one ever stops and says, none of this is okay. Everyone’s a hero, but no one wants to fight the bad guys. Because, like it or not, the bad guys are the ones who leave their kids to the wolves, and use people for entertainment,” he scowled.

“My mother says nothing is fair. That there’s always another shoe,” Katherine chuckled coldly. “But she’s the one who decides what’s fair,” she said softly.

“I remember when I first got to camp,” Luke thought. “I was fourteen. A friend almost died. We prayed and begged to our parents for help. All of us. Our friend, Thalia… she almost died. So Zeus turned her into a tree. Some fucking help. That day, I decided I’d never have to ask them for help again. I never wanted to have to ask anyone for help again.”

“You live on your own long enough, eventually that’s all you can do,” Katherine shrugged.

Breakfast, or lunch, given the time, was eaten very hastily as Katherine and Luke stopped at a restaurant on the way out of the state of New York.

“Hey. I have an idea I wanna run by you,” Luke said out of the blue.

“Hit me,” Katherine said as she ate.

Luke had something of a big question to ask, and despite having gone up against monsters and men with guns, he was still nervous.

“I was thinking, to make things easier for us, maybe you’d wanna… Live at the camp with me?” he invited her. “Full time?”

Immediately, he was already skeptical about her answer. He didn’t take it as a good thing when she initially met the question with silence, just thinking as she chewed.

“Why would I do that?” she asked.

The only response that came to mind for Luke was ‘uh oh’.

“Because… I want you to come with me,” he sighed, hoping this wouldn’t backfire.

“Why?”

He didn’t think this was going well so far.

“Because… I care about you?” he stated at her. “And I think it’d be cool if we could be together more often?” he offered expectantly.

Katherine Montalvo frowned for a moment, trying to come up with a suitable response.

“Luke,” she said, caught off guard.

“Katherine…”

“Let’s talk about this later,” she suggested.

“Why?” he looked at her inquisitively.

“Let’s just… Talk about it later,” she tried again.

“What?” he questioned worriedly, her avoidance putting him on edge. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Really? Cuz it kinda seems like it,” Luke stated. “Do you… not wanna come with me?”

“Come on. You seriously think we’re gonna be ‘girlfriend-boyfriend’?” she asked, laughing nervously as she tried to level.

“I mean… that’s the general idea, yes,” Luke said patiently. “That’s the impression I got.”

He had no idea what the problem was.

“Luke. Come on. This is you and me we’re talking about,” she stated flatly.

“Again. I know,” he stared, blue eyes widened.

“Luke, I like you, very much, but you have to realize there’s no way we can do that. There just isn’t,” Katherine rationalized.

“Why not?” he questioned.

“Because, look at our lifestyle!” she pointed out. “We hunt monsters! You’re gone half the time, I practically drive a new stolen car every month, and we could both be dead next week for all we know!”

“I’m not seeing a problem.”

“We both know our main goal is Kronos. We can’t let things get even more complicated than they already are.”

“How are they complicated?” Luke asked frustratedly.

“Because we both have a lot of shit to do if we’re gonna bring Kronos back, and take over the fucking world!” she exclaimed, not seeing how her point wasn’t coming across. “We can’t afford any distractions.”

“A distraction,” Luke stated, blankly staring at her in disbelief. “That’s what I am to you.”

Katherine looked at him across the table for a moment. Everything began to come together for her as she started to laugh for a second before stopping herself.

“Wow. Sorry. Uh, I didn’t think you were the type to get attached,” she admitted, trying to process.

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘attached’?” he murmured, eyes wide with bewilderment.

“Dude. We fucked. Let’s not get carried away,” she laughed nervously.

Unfortunately, he misconstrued her awkwardness.

“Why are you talking like that all of a sudden?” he asked her, completely flabbergasted.

“Like what? I’m just trying to process what the fuck you just said to me.”

“Why are you being such an asshole?” Luke genuinely asked her.

Katherine gasped, laughing as she tried to contain her progressively escalating reactions. “Why are you being so confrontational?”

“Because you basically tell me you love me, and then we sleep together, and now you’re acting like we’re strangers,” he restated.

“I’m not acting like we’re strangers, you just think that us caring about each other and us sleeping together are relevant to one another, when really, they’re two separate things.”

Luke blinked at her profusely, trying to figure out how to proceed.

“You…” he stopped himself, beginning to feel warmer and warmer in the room. “You’re telling me that your feelings for me are completely platonic?”

Katherine frowned, a begrudging look on her face as she tried to explain. “No, I’m not saying that, I’m just saying, we don’t need to distract ourselves with that stuff.”

“What exactly did you think our relationship would be like?” he asked her angrily.

“Luke, I care about you. A lot. I do. And… I’m not gonna lie, you know what you’re doing when you lift your shirt up to wipe your hand off. But, those two things can’t mix. They just can’t… Things‘ll get messy, and someone will get hurt, physically.

“Love makes people stupid. It makes everyone stupid, no matter how smart they think they are. So I’m just trying to do both of us a favor, by keeping us in check so we both get what we want. It’s not personal. I trust you, with my life, and I have fun with you… You’re like my left hand. But that’s it. That’s all it can be.”

Luke was completely silent, fighting back tears and screams simultaneously.

“Fuck you,” he barely choked out, his eyes darkening as he sat forward, “Fuck you!”

Many heads turned in the restaurant, mostly older couples appalled by the exchange.

“What the fuck did I do?!” Katherine demanded, throwing her hands up.

“You’re such a fucking asshole for pretending like I’m just being stupid!” he thundered. “You’re a completely different person right now, and I hate it! You don’t even sound the same. You sound like a fucking male douchebag.”

“I’m not treating you like you’re stupid, I’m just trying to explain to you how this is better for us.”

“It’s better for us if you treat me like your left hand? Just use me when you get bored in bed, and then that’s it?” Luke scoffed.

Just about everyone was looking now.

“Quit making a scene,” she muttered under her breath.

Luke frowned, a completely deadpan expression on his face as he picked up the butter knife on the table, lightly tossing it at Katherine. She turned her head to avoid it, as it loudly clattered beside her on the ground. Her mouth dropped in disbelief as everyone around them began to stare in concern.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she said through her teeth.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asked provocatively.

“You’re acting like a fucking child,” Katherine frowned, “Seriously.”

“I am a child,” he shrugged, fully aware of his own stubbornness.

“You’re eighteen years old.”

“I’m a boy! We don’t mature as fast!”

Katherine frowned as she picked up her own knife, throwing it back at him. He scowled back at her, seeming to accept the challenge. This time, a waitress quietly approached their table, leaning down to avoid making an even bigger scene.

“Guys, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” the girl murmured, afraid of their reaction.

“I’m sorry. We’ll leave. Here,” Katherine quickly reached for her wallet, quickly pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and handing it to her. “Keep it.”

“Thank you,” the waitress whispered.

But before she could leave, Luke turned to her, looking irritated.

“Sorry, but we’re not leaving yet.”

Katherine stared daggers at him, fed up with his antics.

“Will you get a fucking grip?”

“Will you act like a person for two fucking seconds?” he said confrontationally.

“Guys,” the twenty-something year old waitress said awkwardly, “Please don’t make me get a manager…”

“I’ll handle it, babe,” Katherine assured her, embarrassed.

“I hate you,” Luke Castellan snarled.

“You think I like you right now?” she snapped back.

Both of their attention was diverted to an older woman, who must’ve been the manager.

“Excuse me, but you’ve been asked twice now to leave. If you both don’t leave the restaurant right now, we’re going to have to call the police,” she informed them, matter-of-fact.

“Oh. You want me to give you a reason to call them?” Luke asked, standing up as he drew his sword.

Katherine’s eyes widened with rage as he unsheathed his double-edged sword he’d named Backbiter, made of both Celestial bronze and steel. At the very least, Katherine remembered the mortals around them would be protected from the sight of the demigod weapon by the Mist.

“Kelsey, call 911,” the manager breathed, as everyone in the room slowly began to panic more and more.

“Luke! Don’t be a show-off!” Katherine barked.

“You don’t tell me what to do, Katherine,” he argued obstinately.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! This is what we’re doing now?”

They both completely ignored everything happening around them, as many restaurant patrons had already begun to pay their checks and leave before things got any worse. The entire restaurant staff was now focused on evacuating the restaurant, no longer concerned with speaking to Luke and Katherine at all.

“Well, you don’t wanna talk about us, so I guess there’s nothing left to talk about!” Luke smiled coldly, punching out an older guy who tried to take him out.

He hardly had to take his eyes off of her to do so. There was running and screaming all around them now; it was absolute chaos. Katherine knew that the police were already on their way, if not approaching, and she needed to get Luke to disappear with her as soon as possible.

“You’re being insane! This is not how we’re dealing with this. Get in the car, before you get us arrested.”

“‘Us’? There’s an ‘us’ now?” he crossed his arms.

“You know, I really dodged a fucking bullet,” Katherine Montalvo muttered, drawing her sword as she looked around carefully.

“Bullshit. You care about me,” he insisted, his eyes burning with anger as he looked at her.

Only once had she ever seen Luke that angry. The only time he’d ever come close to looking at her that way was when they fought about the deal she’d made with Ares, but even then, he’d had sympathy in his eyes. But this time, there was nothing but rage. Katherine knew she may as well have been Hermes.

“You care about me! You love me! You just don’t want to admit it. Because you think if you admit, I’ll stop doing what you say!” he yelled at her.

Instinctively, Katherine knew the right thing to do in that situation was to tell him that wasn’t true in order to plead with him to come with her, but in these moment, she couldn’t exactly comfort him.

“You think that if you lose the ‘I love you’ card, you won’t have any leverage over me!” Luke roared, tears falling from his eyes as he yelled at her. “But that’s not true!” he growled, his eyes reddening as veins seemed to be popping out of his head.

Katherine looked at him with cold, dead eyes as she tried to find something good in her, anything good.

“I will never be on anyone’s side but yours!” he screamed at her with resentment. “I don’t care about anyone else anymore. Not my mom, not the camp, not Kronos! It’s all about you! I’d kill for you, die for you, it doesn’t matter! As long as I’m by your side, I don’t care,” he sobbed.

Katherine bit her lip, looking down at the ground as the sirens outside grew louder and louder.

“You took everything from me! You took who I am, you took what I care about…! I don’t care about anyone who isn’t you. I’m in love with you, Katherine,” he breathed, his blue eyes wide with hurt. “I don’t know why, but I love you. And it consumes me, it’s made me into someone I don’t recognize! I’m a monster, because loving you has made me into a monster!” Luke roared, as the doors burst open.

At least six police officers burst into the room, yelling loudly as Luke tried to yell louder.

“Both of you! Put your hands above your head!”

Katherine’s head whipped around as she looked back at Luke, who still held Backbiter in his hand.

“I thought I’d end up dying for Kronos, but that’s not— That’s not true anymore. I don’t care about anything else anymore. Not the way I care about you. I’m gonna die for you,” Luke thundered. “I don’t care if it’s ten years from now, or today, but I wanna die for you!”

“Luke, no!” Katherine gasped, desperately flicking the cap off her lipstick tube to reveal her own spear.

“Drop your weapons, or we’ll shoot!”

Luke silently looked between the surrounding police officers and Katherine, already sure of what he wanted to do. Katherine looked into his eyes, expecting her expression to be full of anger and spite. But instead, she just pleaded silently, her dark eyes wide as she faced the danger like a deer in headlights.

The daughter of Nemesis and the son of Hermes stood tall as the police officers aimed guns at them, spraying them with a hail of bullets as they desperately slashed at them, fighting for their lives.

-

Chapter Eleven

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan imagine #percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo #pjo hoo toa #pjo fandom #pjo series #jake abel #pjo luke #rick riordan #riordanverse #riordan universe #adam milligan

[hometoursandotherstuff]

1901 colonial revival in Baltimore, Maryland has been updated and it's so colorful and bright, it looks beautiful. 5bds, 4ba, $1.1M.

The wood has been painted white, but that bright blue is just so striking.

The living room fireplace got a new surround and I'm not sure if they put the molding on the walls, or if it was already there.

Bright red dining room has a matching fireplace and it looks like the wall has been opened, exposing brick that has been whitewashed.

Off the dining room is a large sunroom with beautiful windows, built-in shelving and a fireplace.

I wonder if they outlined the cabinets or if they came that way.

The bright blue continues up the picturesque stairs.

The primary bedroom is a nice size and features a fireplace.

The bathroom is very large and modern. That's quite a big shower.

Smaller bedroom is a child's room.

Bright nautical themed bath.

The children's bedrooms are pretty big.

The finished attic has a spacious bedroom.

And, a nice en-suite bath.

Plus there's a 2nd bedroom up here under the eaves.

The basement is set up as a playroom and exercise space.

Sink and bathroom down here, too.

Nice porches up and down, plus a nice yard with a patio. The lot is .33 acre.

#colonial revival house #old house dreams #houses #house tours #home tour

[detectivebambam]

Andrew and Spring

listen to me okay

Spring is for new beginnings, right? one of the main themes of Andrew's character specifically, not only representing his relationships with other people like Kevin and Renee, but his relationship with himself, is starting over. trying again. think about it okay

foster care: being cast aside as nothing, as worthless. Andrew deciding that no, fuck that, I'm going to be something. he may not say it, or even outwardly show it, but if you look, you can see it

accepting his sexuality despite his trauma

his relationship with Neil specifically after Baltimore

going to therapy every week, even when it's no longer mandated

his deal with Kevin; Kevin promising to give Andrew something to build his life around, and Andrew accepting it

sunrise, abram, death. sunrise, but even death is a new beginning. Abram is a new beginning

his character is a new beginning for Neil. that is who he is to the main character of these books. and Andrew is constantly fighting to get better, and heal, and he knows he can't start over, and he, and nobody, can make everything okay. but he pushes forward anyway. how winter pushes forward into spring. through the cold, through the darkness, into the sun.

#bam bam is analyzing andrew minyard again #shocking #aftg #all for the game #andrew minyard #im emo about him #he tries so hard #i want big andrew to be able to tell little andrew that it was all worth it #nora sakavic #the foxhole court #neil josten #andreil #kevin day #renee walker #lit analysis and motifs #with bam bam

[aftgficrec]

Staff Recs - Why Don’t You Just Stab Me in the Heart? Angst

We’ve read some fantastic angst lately so decided to feature it in staff recs. Not all of these end unhappily, but some do. We classify these as medium to heavy angst. Please heed the trigger warnings! - AFTG Fic Rec Fam

Scribbles and Sticky Notes by Fortheloveofexy [Rated T, 11750 Words, Complete, 2022]

It started soon after Andrew’s official retirement from Exy.

tw: major character death, tw: major character injury, tw: car accident

Nor are we forgiven by AyeAyeAye [Rated M, 16866 Words, Complete, 2022]

“Dissociative amnesia,” Andrew said, and Aaron tried his best to listen.

“She’s really dead,” he said.

“Yes.”

“You killed her.”

Andrew said nothing, just twirled his knife between his fingers and stared Aaron down.

***

Aaron is the host of a DID system. Andrew is one of his alters.

Pre-canon and works through canon also.

tw: child abuse, tw: drug use, tw: did, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: violence, tw: vomit, tw: withdrawal 

Can Nobody Hear Me (I cannot breathe) by temporaryeverything [Rated M, 23803 Words, Incomplete, Updated Aug 2022]

Andrew looks at himself in the mirror. He has electric clippers in one hand and his phone in the other, and debates which one he should turn to first. He flicks his thumb over the button of the clippers and it starts vibrating viciously in his hand. Another flick and it turns off just as quickly.

He unlocks his phone without looking and presses speed dial. He puts it on speaker and while it rings he flicks the button; on, off, on, off. On.

He starts at the front and just as the first strands of thick blond hair fall to the sink the dial tone stops and labored breathing can be heard in its place.

“Andrew?”

-

Where Andrew goes to see a doctor and doesn't tell anyone about it

tw: major character illness, tw: panic attacks, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: explicit sexual content

Inked Petals by jaydreamz [Rated M, 11265 Words, Incomplete, Updated Aug 2022]

Andrew spent 3 years in a shithole small town in Florida trying to get through the loss of the only person who made him feel something.

Then Aaron convinces him to move to New York to start living his life again.

It all goes well until Andrew makes a tinder account and matches with his dead boyfriend.

tw: assumed major character death, tw: alcohol abuse, tw: implied/referenced drug use, tw: car accident, tw: panic attacks

Train Wreck by jaydreamz [Rated M, 8837 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

Neil never made it out of Baltimore.

Six years later, Andrew has his life together, more or less, but he's far from okay. When Bee convinces him to change the scenery and go on a trip around Europe, he knows this isn't going to fix anything.

Except, he's sitting on a train in Switzerland across a ghost who's staring at him with a familiar crystal blue gaze and no spark of recognition in his eyes.

tw: assumed major character death, tw: violence, tw: explicit sexual content, tw: implied/referenced self harm

lamb to the slaughter by skullcaid [Rated M, 405804 Words, Incomplete, Updated Aug 2022]

After being saved from a vicious and merciless kidnapper that had him for eight long traumatising weeks, Asher Foster is trying his best at normalcy; which means he continues to work at a local convenience store and continues to do his schoolwork.

However, his attempt at prevalence is postponed when he learns he has not one, but two older twin brothers, and now Asher's not only dealing with the aftereffects and the outcome of his own grisly dark past, but also with the task of meeting and understanding Andrew and Aaron Minyard and their own family, the Palmetto State Foxes.

But Asher's life is far from a fairy tale, and not all demons are content with staying buried.

or, there's another secret Minyard brother.

tw: kidnapping, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: panic attacks, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: murder, tw: violence,  tw: vomit, tw: referenced forced feeding, tw: eating disorders, tw: paranoia

NB: extras from fic author @skullcaidd: ‘lamb to the slaughter’ book cover mockup (tw: blood, tw: injured animal) here, playlist here, and fandom fun post here. Fanart by @artattacker here and here, by @bevmvrsh here, and by @asher_katsumi on twitter here

just one thing series by Lyndis [Rated M/T, Collection, Updated July 2022]

Part 1: Just one thing [M, 3021 Words, Complete]

Neil is married off to Andrew Minyard. He tries to be a good husband. When he searches something in their shared bedroom he finds something unexpected, something very much not good.

Andrew likes Neil but he also knows his father and he knows what that man is capable of. He doesn't think for one minute that Neil is unharmed, even though his experience is strikingly beautiful. But while he is fully prepared to take care of his new husband, he had no clue what he was signing up for.

--

“These are for self-defense.”

“Of course they are.” Neil was quick to respond, looking up for the first time and giving his husband an empty, lifeless smile. He couldn’t do better at the moment.

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: negative body image,  tw: panic attacks

Part 2: The Butcher's Son [T, 3670 Words, Incomplete, Updated July 2022]

Neil kills their Chef. Andrew tries to find out what happened.

tw: blood/gore, tw: murder, tw: minor character death, tw: disordered eating, tw: implied/referenced forced starvation, tw: panic attacks

it would have been you by theresnothis [Rated T, 2142 Words, Complete, 2022]

Jeremy should have known. He should have fucking known. All the signs were there. How could he have been so blind?

tw: major character death, tw: suicide, tw: implied/referenced rape

What died didn't stay dead. by freshtaylorswiftduck [Rated T, 11065 Words, Complete, 2022]

Neil Josten is dead. Neil Josten was never even a real person.

Thank you. You were amazing.

And now Andrew Minyard was left with a pair of keys and nothing else.

tw: assumed major character death, tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: panic attacks, tw: depression 

The Songs Around Us by doodlingstuff [Rated M, 80076 Words, Complete, 2022]

The mission was simple: Nathaniel would join Astral Foxes as Neil Josten and make them part of Moriyama Music.

In reality, Neil became real, found a home, and fell in love despite his lies.

When the Moriyamas send the Butcher to remind Neil of his mission and Andrew's life ends on the line, Neil will have to decide how to escape his fate and bring Andrew back.

Sometimes, music is the only answer, and others, as Neil will realize, truth is the only weapon you have to save the ones you love the most.

tw: car accident, tw: major character injury, tw: torture, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: panic attacks

Skin Comes Apart (Angel in Lothian) by JuiceGremlin [Rated E, 60088 Words, Incomplete, Updated June 2022]

Andrew has signed with a team halfway across the country. Neil is determined to make it work, to break the distance down into something manageable.

They are going to survive this.

That is, if Ichirou doesn't have other plans.

 tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: blood/gore, tw: murder, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: panic attacks, tw: explicit sexual content, tw: implied/referenced nonconsensual drug use 

Either Love is a Shrine or Else a Scar by Texfoxyard (twda1003) [Rated E, 2762 Words, Complete, 2022]

14 years.

He is 14 years old.

168 months. 5110 days. 122640 hours. 7358400 minutes.

That is how long he has been alive. Though alive would imply he has a spirit, a vigor for living, not his 14 years of barely surviving on scraps of food, scraps of affection, and scraps of love.

By all accounts, alive does not mean laying in a pool of his blood hours before he legally becomes a part of a family, finally belonging.

or, the one where pig Higgins doesn't come across Aaron, which means Andrew stays with the Spears'.

tw: major character death, tw: suicide, tw: rape, tw: csa, tw: self harm, tw: blood, tw: graphic depictions of violence

Run to You by Major_816 [Not Rated, 38078 Words, Complete, 2022]

Part 2 of The Books of Baltimore series, part 1 (also angsty) recced here

When Nathaniel wakes up after Baltimore he bides his time, and as soon as he’s left alone in his hospital room he does what he does best.

~

He wanted to stay this time. He’d even been dumb enough to think there was a minor chance he could pull it off. He knows better now, back in the seat of a hotwired car and heading North on instincts learned under the threat of death. Nathaniel fights until he runs, and he runs every fucking time.

Sometimes, Nathaniel wonders if that’s all he’ll ever be good at.

 ~

AKA - the one where Neil runs.

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: violence, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: suicidal thoughts, tw: major character injury, tw: blood, tw: drugs

#staff rec #neil josten/andrew minyard #aaron minyard & andrew minyard #andrew minyard & renee walker #jeremy knox/jean moreau #universe: post canon #universe: pre canon #universe: canon divergent #au: social media #theme: angst #theme: heavy angst #theme: angst with a happy ending #theme: fluff & angst #theme: major character death #theme: grief/mourning #theme: sickfic #theme: arranged marriages #theme: baltimore #theme: dissociation #theme: trauma #tw: major character death #tw: suicide #tw: rape #tw: csa #tw: self harm #tw: graphic depictions of violence #tw: child abuse #tw: forced feeding #tw: eating disorders #tw: major character illness

[uwmspeccoll]

Milestone Monday

On this day, September 25, we celebrate the birthday of acclaimed American author William Faulkner (1897-1962). Faulkner was born and spent most of his life in Mississippi. Influenced by his family history and the region of the American South where he resided, Faulkner began writing at a young age and published his first novel, Soldiers’ Pay, by his 29th birthday. Faulkner went on to become a prolific and well-received writer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1954 and 1962, and has been called “the greatest artist the South has produced.”

Among our many Faulkner materials, we are excited to share this facsimile of Faulkner’s unpublished one-act play The Marionettes. The play has been described as a symbolist drama that poetically explores themes of desire, sexuality, growing old, life, and love. Faulkner wrote The Marionettes in 1920 during his association with the drama group at the University of Mississippi. The play was handwritten, illustrated, and bound by Faulkner and is considered a showy display of a young man early in his career.  

Our facsimile of the original manuscript was published by the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia in 1975 and printed in a limited edition of 126 copies at the Garamond Press in Baltimore, Maryland. It was created in memory of Linton R. Massey who was a figurehead of the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia and assembled and donated much of the University of Virginia’s Faulkner Collection through his personal friendship with William Faulkner.

-Jenna, Special Collections Graduate Intern 

#milestone monday #milestones #william faulkner #the marionettes #birthdays #bibliographical society of university of virgina #linton r. massey #manuscripts #Garamond Press #facsimiles

[alittlebitofwonk]

Headcanons for Grian’s Wings through Hermitcraft and the Life Series (as if this hasn’t been done a hundred times):

Season 6: Silkie (Chicken with pretty, FLUFFY white feathers)

Season 7: Violet Saberwing (Jungle, purple like mycelium)

Season 8: Blue Winged Kookaburra (Ties to Pearl (native to Australia), blue spots on wings reminiscent of moonlight, also loud and trouble making)

Season 9: Hoatzin (ancient bird with heritage that dates back to dinos in reference to his mega base theme)

Season 10: Puffin (Lives in cliffs by the ocean, fishes for its food. Also cute and mischievous.)

Evo: No wings (gains wings when he becomes a Watcher)

3rd Life: Red-Tailed Hawk (Desert, Predator)

Last Life: Wood Thrush (Forest bird for the Southlanders, feathers match his hair)

Double life: Bugun liocichla (Endangered, lives in bamboo forests, tying him to Scar)

Limited life: Baltimore Oriole (Lives in the Great Plains (bread bridge) with colors that are both dark and vibrant (bad boys))

Secret Life: Rusty Blackbird (dark, pretty wings, reminiscent of the wither and the warden, also a flock bird in reference to the roomies)

#grian #hermitcraft #life series #mcyt #birds #Grian Headcanons

[lynnedrum]

NORMAL 4 GIRLS 4EVER - LYNNEDRUM'S "SOUND OF THE BEAST" MIX

A tribute to Baltimore and Jersey Club, classic trax deranged and rearranged. Performed LIVE for NORMAL 4 GIRLS 4EVER, Saturday, August 12th, 2023. ~ SETLIST BELOW ~

1.) Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman (Sartana & Finesse Jersey Remix)

2.) MikeQ & DJ Sliink - The Bitch (feat. Miss Jay)

3.) KRS-One - Sound of da Police (Baltimore Club) (*)

4.) Keiska - Lil Frkk

5.) Three6Mafia - Lil Freak (K-Deucez Rmx)

6.) Mariah Lynn - Once Upon A Time (I Was A Hoe) (DJ Taj feat. Panic Remix)

7.) UNIIQU3 - LSD

8.) Jen Lasher - I Felt

9.) REPRIISE - TEMPLE [Intense Trip]

10.) C.Z. - STUCK

11.) XTV$ x Narvi - Crazy Frog

12.) JAVASCRIPT - Pinky Ring

13.) Drippy Dolphin - ♡-I Need To Drip-♡ (A Trippy Turtle Remix)

14.) Snap - The Power (Kodat Remix)

15.) Jenn Morel - Ponteme (LUNY "Latin Club" Remix)

16.) Constantine - Pena Aberta

17.) PrepTheProducer - Naughty Girl (Jersey Club Remix)

18.) DJ K. Millz & Tokyo - Earthquake

19.) DJ Smallz 732 & Big Shaq - Mans Not Hot ( Jersey Club )

20.) KANDY - afreakin (Eight40Eight Bootleg)

21.) DJ K. Millz - Get Busy [Sean Paul 2k10 Theme]

22.) @hikeii - BBY (@HIKEII FLIP)

23.) Daft Punk - One More Time (Kodat Remix)

24.) FISHER - Losing It (KAYVIAN Club Remix)

25.) Soulja Boy - Birdwalk (Zora Jones & Sinjin Hawke Bootleg)

26.) Jam City - The Courts

27.) TLC - No Scrubs (BBM REMIX)

28.) Kyle Edwards & DJ Bake - My Back (Jersey Club)

29.) SOPHIE - Immaterial (Gangsigns Bootleg)

30.) UNIIQU3 & Dos Flakos - Shake the Room

31.) Outkast - B.O.B. (Cool Hand Lex, Lemi Vice & Action Jackson Remix)

32.) DJ DEVILLE - Kulikitaka Pica (Deville Latin Jersey Club Fusion Edit)

33.) Linkin Park - Crawling (DJ Hood Remix)

34.) Tre Oh Fie - Pop 2 Da Bass

35.) @hikeii - Panic! At The Disco: I Write Sins Not Tragedies (Hikeii Remix)

36.) Utada Hikaru - Simple And Clean (Jersey Club "Ray of Hope" Remix By KNMN)

(*) denotes a track that entered my life fully untagged and unsourced. if you know the artist of this remix, please let me know immediately!

Assets by MinaSheep

NORMAL 4 GIRLS 4EVER (08-12-2023) - OTHER SETS

JulianaNRG: https://youtu.be/l5y442f-uq8

MinaSheep: https://youtu.be/H-JKRNqxQA8

SWIMMY: https://youtu.be/AZkC4W-PP6s

#lynnedrum #normal for girls #dj party #dj set #live music #dance music #jersey club #baltimore club #ass shaker chunes #Youtube #music

[dcbbw]

The Odd Couples

Hi, tumblrs! I’m back with yet another AU of one of my favorite AUs: it’s the DC gang, paired differently.  

(I know I haven’t written anything DC AU-related in a long ass five minutes, and I swear Chapter 6 of the original series is practically ready to post, just needs a deep-dive edit)  

So, this story is the product of two separate ideas: First, what if I hadn’t followed canon/fanon/personal head canons when pairing the couples up/off?  And the second idea comes from the What If episode of Friends where that gang ends up with someone different (Phoebe x Ross, Monica x Joey, Rachel x Chandler).  

Side note: Using throwback DC crew (Liam, Riley, Max, Leo, Liv, Drake, Madeleine, and Penelope). Also, check out the link to Leo’s shirt (if you make it that far). It’s the Leo-est shirt ever IMHO) 

Side Note 2: Mixing the pairings up means I have/will be writing pairings that others write/have written and are generally associated with said writer(s). While I am fully aware that no one owns ships, I realize this is a fandom and strive to be mindful of those who write rareships and respect their pairings.  

This is simply my take on my version of these characters when coupled differently in my world. 

To those who read over this story in parcels, pieces, and in whole ...THANK YOU!  

For those who do read this fic, THANK YOU! Your likes, comments, and/or reblogs are appreciated more than you realize. 

 Please excuse any and all typos, missing/extraneous words, and/or grammatical errors. Microsoft Editor rates this piece as 99% error free.  

I’ll be back sooner rather than later with a submission for Hana Lee Appreciation Week, an angsty Driam/Riley love triangle, and some Stormholt.  

Song Inspo: Moments We Live For (Acoustic Version), In Paradise 

Word Count:  4,099

Pairings: SGL x Olivia; Drake x Madeleine; Leo x Riley B; Max x Penelope 

Rating: M for Mature themes 

SGL x Liv 

Liam Rys tipsily followed Olivia Nervakis into the hotel room, hip-checking the door to shut it while Olivia occasionally paused her steps to turn on table lamps. Her black stiletto heels made no noise against the carpet; however, the swish of her highly starched black and white polka-dotted dress sounded scratchy in the silent room.  

“Do you have to turn on every light?” Liam complained as he fastened the deadbolt. 

“It’s not every light, and not our electric bill,” his girlfriend responded tartly as she flipped yet another switch.  

The couple was in Baltimore for the weekend, attending a costume party thrown by Liv’s employer. There had been a buffet; an open bar; and a prize for the best costume, which Liam and Olivia did not win. Carlos Santiago, a member of the Environmental Services team, and his wife and three children came costumed as The Birds and The Bees and won the prize.  

Liam and Liv were The Ricardos: Olivia’s red hair was done up in Lucy’s signature poodle hairstyle, and her dress was a dead ringer for the world’s most famous housewife’s iconic frock. He had wanted to wear a tuxedo and carry a conga drum but settled for Ricky’s purple, polka dot silk smoking jacket with shawl collar, black pants, and black velvet slippers.  

“I can’t believe we didn’t win!” Liam muttered beneath his breath as he came behind Olivia, arms encircling her waist; his palms splayed against her flat, toned stomach. She responded by leaning against him, her back pressed against his chest.  

“Don’t hate!” she admonished. “With those Korean features and Boston accent, no way were you a convincing Cuban band leader. Besides, you have to admit Carlos had a pretty creative idea.” 

“Not more creative than my SOCK GAME! I mean, Liv … you gotta admit, it’s damn good tonight!” 

He was wearing black, knee-length socks with red hearts inscribed with “I Love Lucy” scattered all over. Olivia rolled her eyes in exasperation at the mention of his sock game. 

This man and his socks! Liam thought his sock game could cure cancer and bring about world peace. 

 “You’re sock game is great as it always is, darling. But it was a costume contest,” Olivia placated in a soothing tone as his fingers began removing bobby pins from her hair.  

She spun around, facing her boyfriend as her hair fell in soft curls that framed her face. Her green eyes twinkled as she pressed a quick kiss against his lips.  

“You big, spoiled baby,” she teased. “Wanna smoke, take the edge off? I brought a couple of blunts along.” 

He quickly shook his head. “No way am I going to be in BALTIMORE off some loud.” 

Olivia grabbed the lapels of Liam’s smoking jacket, pulling him closer to her. The tip of her tongue swiped his lower lip. “Makes sense,” she agreed. 

Liam pressed his palms against her ass cheeks; he sang softly in her ear as he swayed his hips against hers.  

And life is heaven, you see  'Cause I love Lucy, yes  I love Lucy  And Lucy  Loves me! 

“My name’s Liv”, Olivia corrected with a giggle as she gently wriggled out of Liam’s embrace. “C’mon, let’s get ready for bed,” she urged as she headed for the bathroom.  

Liam stuck out his tongue at her retreating back before glancing around the room. It was a typical hotel room, nothing really standing out or making it different from any other room. 

The door that led to the balcony was all glass with a brass doorknob; the hotel promised a 360◦ view of the city’s famed Harbor from the patio. The couple planned to have breakfast there in the morning. 

There was a workstation; a large, wall-mounted television; coffee maker and microwave; and the bed: queen-sized, four-poster, and centered against the back wall.  

His eyes widened when he saw the wall to the side of the bed. It was covered floor to ceiling, and side to side with a … mirror.  

Well, that was different.  

Liam approached the bed, kicking off his slippers as he went; he stared curiously at his reflection before climbing atop the bed and resting on his haunches. He then lay on his back, turning his head to continue staring at his reflection.  

He impatiently pushed his hair off his forehead before rolling over onto his stomach; pressing his palms against the bedcovers, Liam pushed himself up with his arms, still watching himself. He imagined Liv beneath him, her pale legs scissored across his back as they watched themselves. 

This could be fun.  

“LIVVY!” he yelled excitedly over the sound of water running in the sink. “There’s a MIRROR! On the WALL! By the BED!” 

The water turned off; Olivia sauntered into the room; her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, damp ends of her hair curling, and wearing a red lace bra with matching panties. A sultry smirk curved her lips.  

 Liam caught sight of her in the mirror’s reflection, and visibly gulped. Liv only wore matching underwear when they were going to have sex.  

“Ai yi yi yi”, he muttered as he bounded off the bed and hastily divested himself of the smoking jacket.  

Olivia was now standing directly in front of Liam; after guiding him to the other side of the bed, directly against the wall so he could see them both in the mirror, her red-tipped fingernails trailed a path from his throat to his belt buckle before unfastening the belt. She slid to her knees, pulling the pants zipper down with her teeth. Her eyes looked up at Liam.  

“Care to hear me do some ‘splaining?” she purred as her hand reached inside the opening and pulled his cock out.  

Liam never answered; he was too busy staring at Liv’s reflection as her mouth swallowed his manhood. 

Drake x Madeleine 

“Open your mouth, and stick out your tongue,” Madeleine demanded.  

Drake’s chocolate brown eyes stared up at her before raking over her body, his gaze settling on her chest. “Take off your shirt,” he countered.  

Madeleine exhaled a frustrated sigh that fluttered her bangs as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Damnit, Drake! You’re sick, and I need to take your temperature to make sure the meds are working.” 

Quickly covering his mouth, Drake Walker let out a series of deep, wet coughs that rattled the congestion in his chest.  

“They aren't”, he rasped as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Tits would help. For sure.” 

With a horrified look, Madeleine hastily grabbed and thrusted a bottle of hand sanitizer in his face. “WIPE!” 

Rolling his eyes, Drake took the bottle; he then complied with his girlfriend’s first request. He slathered the disinfectant over his hands while Madeleine inserted a thermometer under his tongue.  

His temperature was 102◦; two degrees lower than it had been three hours ago. Uneasy relief washed over Madeleine’s features.  

“You should take the meds on a full stomach. You hungry?” 

Drake turned onto his side, adjusting the pillows beneath his head as he did so. “Not really, but we both know you’re gonna harp on it until I give in. I think I have some canned soup in one of the kitchen cabinets.” 

Madeleine nodded absently as she stepped into the bathroom to run the instrument under hot water in an attempt to kill the cooties her boyfriend more than likely transferred onto it. She heard Drake’s question when she turned the water off. 

“When are you giving up that broom closet you’re living in to move in with me?” 

“Don’t start,” Madeleine warned with a shake of her head as she re-entered the bedroom.  

“Start what? You’re paying $1300 a month to RENT A ROOM! You could move in here with me and pay HALF that and it would be a whole ass apartment! You could start saving, pay down that credit card debt of yours …” 

“I prefer to have my own, Drake!” 

Madeleine’s boyfriend rolled his eyes. “You HAVE your own RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!  Clothes! Shoes! Makeup! Oat milk! And if we’re talking preferences, I prefer to wake up with you in my bed every morning. I prefer to glare and glower at you from across the room when we argue instead of sitting on the phone in awkward silence. I prefer to not have to wait for make-up sex!” 

Madeleine shifted uncomfortably, scuffing the toe of her sneaker against the carpet. Her green eyes peeked up to sneak a glance at Drake, whose bleary eyes stared at her with a mixture of frustration and hopefulness. His fingers idly played in his chest hair. 

“Why won’t you just accept this greatness?” he huffed accusingly.  

Madeleine rolled her eyes in a here we go again way. 

She and Drake were in love with each other. They were the odd couple of the group: The WASP and the Blue-Collar Worker, but they fit each other like a glove. Most of the time.  

Cohabitation should have been the next logical step in their relationship. 

Madeleine found it nice to come to his U Street apartment after work and find him cooking them dinner while she mixed killer cocktails to help them unwind from their day.  

Or for her to be the first one awake and cook them breakfast, making sure to prepare the thick-cut bacon he liked, and brew the dark-roast coffee that was his favorite before sharing morning-breath kisses. 

Drake making sure Madeleine had the apricot and cream body wash that cost a small fortune, and high thread count Egyptian cotton towels she insisted upon for her showers. 

While their relationship was highly sexual, it was not sexually based. There were debates and discussions covering a gambit from international events and politics to cooking meats with mustard. The only thing they could never agree on was music: Madeleine was a Swiftie, and Drake was 70s rock and country. They shared a love of exercise and the outdoors; weekends usually found them taking day trips to Shenandoah to hike the trails, snacking on the beef jerky Drake loved and Madeleine tolerated. 

But people broke up all the time … over the most minute and ridiculous things. And Madeleine knew she could be an anal-retentive pill most of the time. She wasn’t going to be heartbroken and house hunting if things went south with Drake.  

Madeleine had been instilled from an early age that God blessed the child that had their own. 

“I’m not going to be that chick if we don’t work out," she stated in a small but firm voice as she sat at the foot of the bed; close enough to show support and comfort, far enough away to maybe being in a germ-free zone.  

“You’re saying that after I just asked you to move in with me for the 100th time?” Drake huffed before another coughing fit overtook him.  

While Drake hacked up a lung, Madeleine looked around the bedroom, wondering if he had any masks around. The couple locked eyes briefly, chocolate fastened on emerald. 

 “You could dump me at Target or something!” she countered as she alternated between awkwardly patting his back and scooting further away from him. 

When the coughing subsided, Drake pointed to the nightstand on Madeleine’s side of the bed.  

“Masks. Bottom drawer.” 

Drake knew her. 

“As for dumping you, you don’t shop at Target; it’d have to be Macy’s.” 

So well.  

Leo x Riley B. 

Leo Rys hefted an oversized, too-full sriracha red snapper taco in both hands before greedily biting into it. He let out a low grunt of satisfaction as flavors and spices exploded over his tongue and crumbles of taco shell fell onto his plate.  

Saturday afternoons couldn’t get much better than this: wearing his most comfortable shirt; hanging with his girlfriend Riley Brooks, who was his favorite person in the world; and lunch at his new favorite eatery, Tia Maria Tacos. Bonus: they had scored an upstairs window booth that overlooked the Potomac River. 

Normally for the pair, Saturdays were for sleeping in and being lazy; 24 hours of partial nudity and horizontal positions suited them just fine after clocking out of work on a Friday afternoon. Especially if they had worked a full week.  

But Riley had been in a funk lately; she had been to five job interviews over the past month; good interviews, where she had been a top-two contender. However, that hadn’t been good enough. Riley had been passed over every time, for each job.  

Requests for feedback had not been helpful; hiring managers told her they couldn’t go wrong regardless of who they chose for the position. Riley’s ego was bruised, her esteem low. Despite her having a job that she had worked for the past 10 years ... a job she did damn well ... she was now comparing herself to Penelope, for Chrissakes.  

Leo knew he had to do something, so he planned Date Day.  

They began at Lincoln’s Waffle House for breakfast followed by a couples’ massage in Cleveland Park. Riley wanted to visit a tarot shop; Leo was agreeable. They both got readings, and she purchased a deck of tarot cards along with a strand of chakra beads.  

From there they went to Georgetown, navigating the crowds and perusing shops. A French bakery was offering a European tea meal; Riley looked at Leo with hopeful eyes that quickly filled with dismay at his emphatic refusal. An hour later, laden with bags from a vintage clothing shop, a sex store, and a spice-filled storefront, they decided they were hungry; Leo suggested tacos.  

He took a long swallow from his bottle of beer, his gaze fixed on Riley who had a plate filled key lime shrimp, Korean BBQ, and spicy chicken tacos, along with a serving of nacho fries. She felt his gaze and looked up to smile at him before taking a healthy bite of the shrimp taco. 

Her eyes widened with surprise before closing in bliss. 

“Hmmmmmm, this is soooooo good, Leo! I mean, it ain’t Chinese food but still like, hella good! Thank you for suggesting this place!” she said around a mouthful of food.  

“Anytime, boo,” he replied with a wink as he reached into her plate for fries covered in nacho cheese and seasoned ground beef.  

“And thank you for cheering me up today. It’s the reminder I needed that the Universe is just doing what it does, and all those hiring managers are just bitches and heifers.” 

Leo dragged his fork through seasoned beans and rice. “They weren’t the jobs for you,” he assured her.  “YOU are smart, funny, kind, and the greatest asset any person or job can have, and the right organization will recognize that. Not to mention you’re fucking gorgeous, and do you have any idea how hot you are?” 

Riley bit into the spicy chicken taco, and quickly took a sip of her Sierra Mist with lemon. She nodded at Leo. “How hot I am? Yeah, I know ...  and the answer is not very.” 

Leo chuckled as he shook his head. This woman.  

He and Riley were the couple that were never supposed to be. Both had had extremely bad luck with love, resulting in deeply rooted trust issues; the issues were more prevalent on Riley’s end than Leo’s.  

They were both ambiverts, which loosely translated meant that there was no guarantee that plans made at 10am would still be in effect at 5pm. And you couldn’t be angry about it. 

Physically, neither was the other’s type. Leo was a touch too lanky and fit for the buxom Riley; for Leo, Riley had a few too many inches in height, and was a tad curvier than he was used to. They met via Tinder, and it was supposed to be a one-night stand. 

But their chemistry was off the charts.  

But the sex was too good.  

But their pillow talk left them curious to know more about each other while fully clothed.  

Long story short … she kept him wild, and he kept her safe.  

Before Leo could reassure his girlfriend that she was indeed VERY hot, her eyes trained on someone at a table near the back wall; they narrowed in anger as she tossed her food onto her plate while muttering, “What the actual FUCK?” 

Leo looked around puzzled, wondering WHO happened. Because with Riley, it was never a what.  If he could change two things about his woman, it would be her incredible grudge-holding talents and her penchant for public confrontation.  

Only one table in the far corner was occupied.  A Latina, facing them, was excitedly showing off one of her purchases to her male companion; Leo squinted, determining that the girl was proudly displaying a pair of earrings.  

He swung back around, a look of confusion on his face. “Who are we hating on here?” 

Riley dramatically pointed her index finger at the Latina. “HER! She told me I was a SHOO-IN for that freaking job!! AND THEN WENT WITH SOMEONE ELSE!” 

Leo looked even more confused. “Which job? There were five of them!” 

Riley didn’t answer. She was too busy scowling at the woman across the room while alternating between shaking her fist and making symbols with her fingers.  

“Babe, what are you doing?”  

“Throwing gang signs!” 

“DC DOESN’T HAVE GANGS!” Leo argued. 

“IT DOES NOW!!” 

So much for a peaceful outing and letting the Universe do its thing. 

Maxwell x Penelope 

 “I cannot believe you right now, Pen!” Maxwell Beaumont seethed as he rubbed the heels of his hands against his closed eyes.  

The Communications and Marketing Director inhaled and exhaled deeply, slowly. It was rare that anyone or anything upset Maxwell, much less angered him; but if anyone could knock him off his equilibrium, for certain it was his girlfriend, Penelope.  

His girlfriend stared at him with her wide, pansy-blue eyes before quickly licking her pink-glossed lips. She ran slender, pale fingers through her black hair, then tightened the belt of her pink silk robe. Penelope outstretched her arm, her fingertips grazing the fabric of her boyfriend’s shirt; at his look of frustrated rage, she quickly pulled her hand back.   

“Max,” she began in her breathy voice, “I know you’re upset with me, but I HAD to leave that godawful job! The commute sucked and who knew data entry was so … exacting? It’s a miracle I lasted as long as I did!” 

By the time she finished her explanation, her hands were gesticulating wildly about, and her tone of voice had become a shriek.  

Maxwell turned his back on Penelope to go into their kitchen; still hot Italian food sat on the stove, wrapped in plastic bags. He hollered at her while he began unpacking what was supposed to be a celebratory dinner for Penelope’s new job.  

“IT WAS A TELEWORK POSITION! That you were LATE for BOTH DAYS you worked! And it was MAIL MERGE, NOT DATA ENTRY!” He turned to glare daggers at her. “I don’t know what’s worse, the fact you put forth entirely ZERO effort into at least TRYING to become a member of the working class, or that you lied to me the entire week about still having the damn job!” 

An angry retort sprang to her lips; Penelope debated continuing the argument but thought better of it.  She had known the lie would catch up with her, but she had been hoping it would have been after the dinner. Carmine’s had the most amazing food, and Penelope was in love with their broiled Lobster Oreganata, Porterhouse Pizzaiola, and pasta with meatballs and sausage.  

With Maxwell’s back facing her, Penelope quietly tiptoed into the kitchen, trying to neither be seen nor heard. She peered over her potentially ex-boyfriend's shoulder, salivating at the sight and smells of containers filled with pastas, meats, and sauces.  

Maxwell felt his girlfriend’s eyes on him and exhaled a silent breath. He should have known from their first meeting that Penelope was not relationship material.  

They met at 9:30am on the elevator at the office building Max worked in; it was Penelope’s first day at a company occupying the entire third floor. At 11am, Max was back on the elevator hellbent on a Starbucks run; the elevator stopped at the third floor and Penelope entered, her blue eyes filled with tears.  

She had been let go from her new job in less than 90 minutes. 

Max was a sucker for a damsel in distress. He dried Penelope’s tears, treated her to a coffee, and offered to take her out on a date. That had been over two years ago, and if the woman had worked a cumulative 40-hour work week since, he knew nothing about it.  

He had asked the gang if their companies were hiring; Liam laughed so hard, his drink came out of his nose. Riley, who worked with Max, rolled her eyes as she muttered, “You already know.” Everyone else shook their heads vigorously. 

For a brief period, he had even let her be a stay-at-home girlfriend, but that definitely didn’t work out; Penelope couldn’t cook and had no concept of housekeeping. He had to pull from his savings to replace his wardrobe when she tossed his lights, darks and half a bottle of bleach into the washing machine. She was asleep when he left for work, and asleep when he returned home.  

Irresponsible was too inadequate of a word to describe his girlfriend. She was a money pit in addition to being careless, thoughtless, and an emotional vampire. 

But Maxwell Beaumont loved Penelope Ebrim. She could be sweet, buying him small gifts that brought a smile to his face. She mixed mean cocktails, had a killer sense of humor, and was a terrific dancer. She just needed to find her way.  

Apparently, God had chosen Max to help her do so.  

“Pen, you have GOT to find and keep a job!” Max stated in a firm tone that brooked no argument as he prepared her a plate of lobster, pasta with garlic and oil, and shrimp parmigiana.  

When Penelope saw Maxwell piling a plate with Italian yumminess, she had moved to the cabinets to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses. She was setting them on the dinette table as she debated coming clean in her reply. 

“I may have found something; I’m supposed to have an interview Monday.” 

Max set the serving spoon down as be swung his head to look at his girlfriend in surprise. “Why didn’t you tell me this?” 

“I was waiting until afterwards so I could surprise you!” Penelope crowed happily.  

“Well, where? With who?” Max’s smile covered his entire face as he resumed plating food. 

Maybe things were looking up.  

Penelope expertly removed the wine bottle’s cork and began pouring sparkling merlot into the glasses.  

“The interview is at The Greene Turtle, and it’s with a temp agency called Daddy’s Little Girl. Basically, I would be having lunches and meetings at hotels with older men for an hourly rate.” 

Maxwell had plates in both hands, which he slowly lowered onto the kitchen counter; his every movement displayed his disbelief. There was no way his girlfriend had applied for a job as an escort.  

No.Way.  

“You’re going to be a prostitute?” he choked out.  

Penelope had just taken her seat. She looked up at Maxwell in horror at his words.  

“NO!! Why would you say THAT?  How could you even THINK THAT of me??’ It’s like lunch meetings or something!” 

“NAKED LUNCH! Pen, NO ONE is paying a woman … a PRETTY WOMAN … to just “have lunch”!! And meetings in HOTEL ROOMS? What the ACTUAL fuck?” 

“It’s working lunches, sometimes dinners, with out-of-town business entrepreneurs who need someone to take dictation!” 

Max’s face dropped into his open palm.  

“The going rate is $150 an hour! I was told with my looks and appearance, I could be in huge demand,” Penelope argued.  

“WHEN DID THEY SEE YOU?” Max yelled as he threateningly shook a plastic spatula in Penelope’s direction. 

“I saw the ad on Craigslist and called the number in the listing, then did a Zoom with the manager.” 

Maxwell Beaumont stared at his girlfriend for a long, silent moment before exiting the kitchen and heading for their bedroom.  

“MAX! Where are you going??” 

“To have a talk with God.” 

Penelope stared at his retreating back with a furrowed brow before shrugging and rising to fetch her dinner.  

“Tell Him I said heyyyy.” 

Max’s response was to slam the bedroom door. 

Tagging: @ao719 @jared2612 @marietrinmimi @indiacater @kingliam2019 @bebepac @mom2000aggie @liamxs-world @liamrhysstalker2020 @twinkleallnight @umccall71 @superharriet @busywoman @beezm @gabesmommie1130 @tessa-liam @gardeningourmet @mainstreetreader @angelasscribbles @emkay512 @princessleac1 @charlotteg234 @alj4890 @lovingchoices14 @lady-calypso @walkerdrakewalker @queenjilian @kristinamae093 @choicesficwriterscreations

#dcbbw writes #trr dc au fanfiction #sock game liam #hint of lemon #writer on tumblr

[gaysails]

The Wire is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by American author and former police reporter David Simon . . . Set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland, The Wire introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order; the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. . .

Simon has said that despite its framing as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed."[5]

The Wire is lauded for its literary themes, its uncommonly accurate exploration of society and politics, and its realistic portrayal of urban life. During its original run, the series received only average ratings and never won any major television awards, but it is now often cited as one of the greatest shows in the history of television.[6]

. . .

Salon has described the show as novelistic in structure, with a greater depth of writing and plotting than other crime shows.[27]

Each season of The Wire consists of 10 to 13 episodes that form several multi-layered narratives. Simon chose this structure with an eye towards long story arcs that draw in viewers, resulting in a more satisfying payoff. He uses the metaphor of a visual novel in several interviews,[7][48] describing each episode as a chapter, and has also commented that this allows a fuller exploration of the show's themes in time not spent on plot development.[5]

. . .

"We are not selling hope, or audience gratification, or cheap victories with this show. The Wire is making an argument about what institutions—bureaucracies, criminal enterprises, the cultures of addiction, raw capitalism even—do to individuals. It is not designed purely as an entertainment. It is, I'm afraid, a somewhat angry show.[52]"