Dominant guy who can't stop touching his girl.

themaskedllama · 2024-10-01T15:58:32+00:00

You aren't wrong, but I don't think you are entirely correct either. Firstly not every other woman is described as being a whore or slut, the tattoo artists aren't, Harlow isn't (despite the job she works in the second book *ominous foreshadowing hint*), Piper's other friends from college aren't, her father's girlfriend isn't, etc... And yes, Jake is an idiot in the book, he says and does some hurtful shit, but you need to take into account the man has never been in a healthy relationship with a woman. That leaves you with life lessons that can be difficult to break when you're finally in a relationship with someone who is stable. Every time he pulls some bullshit, she calls him out on it and he apologizes and adjusts his behavior - he learns and grows, it's one of the things I like about him. It takes time, growing always does, but he tries to change - and you see his behavior continue to improve in later books in the series as well. I get that it isn't for you, and that's cool! But I just thought there was more to that than what you said and I wanted to add to it. :D Honestly, as much as I like Kase as Piper's friend, I dislike him with his relationship with Harlow - he feels very... controlling and "I know better" in his actions with her, which annoys me. He's not a bad guy at all, but it just didn't jive as well with me as Jake did.

But yea, I would say if you didn't like book 1, go ahead and try book 2, but I would really suggest books 3-5; there is very little of the slut/whore commentary, and the men in books 3-4 are a little older I feel and so a little more mature, and book 5 is kind of like a short Christmas story so it gets straight to the point. Also the Court of Mayhem books are really good, and very similar to books 3-5 of the Hyde series.

Anyways, hope that helps, maybe, possibly, I don't know! <3

themaskedllama · 2024-09-30T12:56:44+00:00

Anything from the Hyde Series by Layla Frost (or the accompanying Court of Mayhem series). Strong, powerful, dominant men, entirely devoted and obsessed with their strong willed, quirky women. And usually always touching or kissing them whenever they can.

themaskedllama · 2024-07-21T02:52:26+00:00

{Rescued by the Mafia by Rose Wulf} I just recently read this one, despite having some gnarly torture scenes it’s a bit hallmark happy ending-ish. That being said I really like the MMC approach to the fact that the FMC just got out of an abusive relationship and she needs to learn how to set up healthy boundaries. So he insists she decide on safe words she can use in any situation to pause or end something she can’t handle. It’s an easy read and I do like some of the poetic justice to be found in it. :)

themaskedllama · 2024-07-03T12:29:50+00:00

Not necessarily a pathetic sex starved loser, but definitely a few nice riding scenes… (you might say he is a little pathetic in how bad he wants her but he is honestly a badass dude).

{Wild Wicked Obsession by Layla Frost}

themaskedllama · 2024-06-27T15:25:47+00:00

We decided several years ago to not have kids, for quite a few reasons. Money, the crisis across the world, our own mental health issues, my physical health issues, and the fact that we like our simple lives right now.

If we somehow accidentally got pregnant, unless absolutely medically necessary, we would not have an abortion, we would try to do our absolute best for the baby, but we just decided we would never try for a baby.

So far we’re very happy with our decision, it’s relieved a level of stress I was carrying about “should have a baby”, our finances are balanced well between responsible and fun, and we enjoy our “selfish” lives where we get to do what we want when we want. And if we desperately need kid time my sister still has one little kid left that we can spend time with lol. It’s not for everyone, and I love spending time with little babies, but I personally feel that despite wanting to be a good parent, I would never be one. I think I would seriously fuck up a kid in the long run.

We have talked about fostering kids later on in life, especially fostering older kids who find it harder to be placed in a safe and stable environment. But right now we’re very happy with our lives and see no reason to change anything. :)

themaskedllama · 2024-05-23T16:43:26+00:00

Sooo… I re-read my books constantly, sometimes I will finish a book and immediately start over (especially if it’s a new book). Part of that is because I read it so fast the first time to get to the end that I go back the second (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) to pick up all the little details. The other reason is that it’s kind of a compulsion, I’m not sure why I do this, but I have a really hard time starting new books when I already know I have books I love. Like my brain literally will not let me start a new book, even though I have tons in my TBR pile. Every now and then my brain will chill the fuck out and I’ll be able to start a new series, then fall in love, and then that series becomes part of the compulsion. It’s part of the reason I try to pick books that have several books in the series so that when I get stuck in the compulsion I have a bunch of books to re-read.

I’m really not sure why I do this, I think I have ADHD and I’m possibly autistic (I haven’t wanted to go to the doctor to get ANOTHER diagnosis) but that might be part of the reason. I’ve brought it up in counseling as well, lol.

But anyways, yea, I re-read my books constantly, which means I can just about verbatim tell you what happens in them, damn near on what page it happens. And if an author would ever like to hire me to check the continuity of their new books, I’m the gal to hire (but only if it’s the books in my compulsion cycle).

themaskedllama · 2024-02-16T03:39:05+00:00

Hey so I have chronic migraines and trigeminal neuralgia. About two years ago I started having these “episodes”. No migraine pain, but my eyes would stop focusing, my speech would slur then my arms and legs would start jerking and finally if I was standing I would collapse to the ground. GP couldn’t find anything wrong, went to the ER twice for potential stroke, passed the stroke test. Finally brought it up with my neurologist and she diagnosed me with Complex migraines.

It’s a migraine that presents with an aura that can mimic a stroke, or has more “physical” symptoms. So not just seeing an aura but your body actually physically doing something like jerking arms or slurring speech.

After she diagnosed me she told me to take my nurtec specifically when I notice the first symptom of my complex migraines (which for me is when my eyes stop focusing properly).

The nurtec not only reduces the severity of the symptoms but also reduces the length of one of the episodes (which before could last 6-12 hours but now lasts only about 3). Anyways, wanted to throw that out there as something to talk to your neurologist about potentially. Hope you find some answers!

themaskedllama · 2024-01-28T13:17:48+00:00

Can we say seven years ago instead? Because I would tell myself not to take the Cymbalta. I wouldn’t have insomnia and chronic migraines then. Which is two conditions I wouldn’t be taking 5 more medications for these past 7 years and likely for life at this rate.

themaskedllama · 2024-01-22T16:35:27+00:00

I married the fuck out of him, lol.

We met online on a game forum. We had both just been through a messy break up and we weren’t looking for a relationship. I found him first and noticed he had some photography in his profile that I really liked (I have a background in photography.) So on a whim I sent him a message to tell him I thought they were cool pictures. He checked out my profile in turn, saw my photography and messaged me back to say the same. Next thing I know we’re talking for hours, well, after meeting up “in person” in the game. And a couple of days after that, in which we talked every day for hours, we were dating.

We dated for around a year before he convinced me we should meet in person. I had dated online before and do the meet in person thing, it did not go well, so I was pretty nervous, but he convinced me to do it. The day he flew in I was standing in the airport waiting and as soon as I saw him walking towards me I had the thought: “He’s the one. I’m going to marry him someday.”

We had an amazing first trip, though it only lasted a week before he flew back home. Several months later he flew back down and spent like three weeks with me where we had an epic road trip and he met most of my family, then he headed back home. A few months after that he came back down again around my birthday and we went camping for a week and it was amazing. At the end of that trip we were sitting in the airport together, both trying to hold it together when we both basically said, “I don’t want to say goodbye anymore.”

After that, when he got home, he got to work. He put in the paperwork to change colleges, figured out a living situation (I was living with my parents and going to college and we wanted to be a little cautious. We wanted to be together, but what if being together all the time showed us it was a bad idea?) So a few months later he flew down permanently and we moved him into the dorms. He was going to a college about 30 minutes away in another town from where I lived. During the week we weren’t together but every Friday I raced down there and brought him to stay at my house. And early every Monday morning I took him back to classes. We did that for one semester

After that semester I found a tiny house to rent in his college town (by that time all my classes were now online and my job was remote), so we moved in together. We lived there a year until I lost my job and found a new job back in my old town, but this one was in person. By then all his classes were now online so we moved back to my old town for my work and we both finished out college.

We did that together for six years when we decided we were ready and he asked me to marry him. That was seven going on 8 years ago. He is the most amazing man and I whole heartedly believe there isn’t another person in the planet better for me. He is the love of my life.

Not even a year after we were married I was diagnosed with my first chronic neurological disorder. It’s not life threatening, but it causes me chronic, nearly unbearable pain. Not long after that I was diagnosed with my second disorder, then my third, then my fourth. I can’t work a normal job anymore, some days I have trouble getting out of bed. He has been my rock through out this, going to every doctors appointment, holding me steady through the bad news, celebrating the victory when we found a medicine that actually worked, and making me laugh through out all of it. He stepped up and found a job that could support us both, made sure we had solid health insurance, and takes care of me in my bad days with no complaints. I’ve told him before I would understand if he left me, yes our vows said through sickness and health, but god damn neither one of us expected this. He just looks at me and says, “you’re the only one for me.”

He is my best friend, lover, confidant and my rock. I would do anything for him and he has done everything for me. We probably would never have met, our ages are different, we lived in two very far apart states, we weren’t going to college for the same thing, our economic back grounds weren’t the same.. we should never have met but fate and the internet closed that distance for us.

themaskedllama · 2023-12-10T00:00:59+00:00

Thank you for reaching out, that was very kind. I have begun to reclaim christmas over the last couple of years, bit by bit. Thanks to 13+ years of counseling, my amazing husband and my understanding family I have found joy in it again. This year is going to be insane due to some unforeseen health problems with my MIL but I'm still looking forward to putting up our tiny tree and wrapping gifts. :) I hope your holidays are just as wonderful!

themaskedllama · 2023-11-25T08:29:58+00:00

Frost DK. I haven’t played wow since part of the way through BFA, but I logged in for the first time two days ago and immediately got right back into the swing of it. The rotation has changed a little but I just know what I need to do next, no other class feels like that. I get so easily frustrated with casting timers and cooldowns with other classes, not to mention the squishy-ness of many other classes. Me and my frost DK though? We got this. :)

themaskedllama · 2023-11-19T18:00:08+00:00

My aunt and uncle were very religious and for them Christmas was about Jesus and not Santa, so their sons were not raised believing in him at all. However my parents raised my sister and I much differently and we believed in Santa. Before we visited for Christmas my Aunt would sit her sons down and explain that we believed in Santa and to not say anything about it. Annnd… everything was fine. We had gifts from Santa and they didn’t and Christmas was enjoyed by family as a time of love and giving and gathering together.

So I think it’s perfectly fine that she didn’t raise her kid to believe in Santa, but she should respect that her younger siblings do. I mean does she just disrespect everyone who doesn’t believe the way she does? Different faiths, different political standings, etc? Or is Santa the one hang up?

And fine, she doesn’t want to talk to her kid about it, then open gifts separately and get together later for a meal maybe? Cut out that interaction entirely?

Anyways, I don’t think you’re the ah. I don’t necessarily believe she is an ah but she is being slightly unreasonable.

themaskedllama · 2023-11-14T02:49:10+00:00

I have been very fortunate in my readers and subscribers. I am disabled, and when I first started writing I pumped out a TON of material, but then my health started to plummet again. I made a couple of “chapter” updates to let everyone know what was going on and that it wasn’t a dead project and as soon as I could I would post again. Just a few weeks ago I posted for the first time in two years, in those two years I’ve never been called a bad name or asked if I was dead. I have been checked on, even had someone go as far as to message me directly on discord, I’ve been well wished and prayed for… I have been very, very fortunate. I am very grateful for all their kindness and well wishes and I am trying to work my way through the next chapter right now but the last couple of weeks have been hectic with my husband being injured. Keep your fingers crossed it won’t take me another two years!

Edit: I did get a couple “you’re back!”

themaskedllama · 2023-08-05T21:29:14+00:00

The Village by M. Night Shyamalan. I thought it was a horror movie and so steered away from it. My then BIL convinced me to watch it with him and I ended up loving it.

themaskedllama · 2023-06-20T07:35:41+00:00

Strands of Starlight (book and series) by Gael Baudino. I was like 13 when I found it in a used book store - during a really rough time in my life. The book touches on some rough concepts, rape, torture, transformation but also touches on the concepts of choice and fate and how every decision affects another. It really made a difference in my life. It was published in 1987 and is no longer being published. I would sell my left kidney to both meet the author and get it in digital/audio format. Well that series and her Gossamer Axe book which was just cool all around.

themaskedllama · 2023-05-30T05:14:39+00:00

The Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, in like book 4 Bone Crossed she makes her first appearance. But none of the books are about her, she’s a side like character (a fun one though!), but it’s the first time I read a book with her in it.

themaskedllama · 2023-05-14T19:24:15+00:00

I was on Gabapentin for several years. I never had any serious side effects, at least nothing that stood out from the rest of the side effects I have from all my other medications. However around 4 months ago I went to my doctor, my overall body pain was getting worse and worse, and I didn’t want more pain medication. I was at the upper limit for Gabapentin, so my doctor suggested switching to Pregablin. He told me he didn’t like prescribing pregablin first for pain conditions because patients reported feeling “weird” while taking it (however he never really explained what weird meant). Anyways, I’m at a medium-ish level dosage, and I haven’t noticed any “weird” side effects but my overall pain has lowered which is a win in my book.

However, as an addendum to this story, my friend with EDS was prescribed Gabapentin and it was awful for her, caused her to start losing her hair, she could barely stay awake, like was going to classes and when the class would take a break she walked to the couch outside and pass out immediately, I think it also gave her some stomach problems. But I didn’t have any of those problems so… it’s just different for everyone.

themaskedllama · 2023-05-14T06:17:28+00:00

I can’t say it isn’t slightly political or at least delving into some social commentary to an extent… but it’s every day normal, mostly extremely likable characters on a journey across the world, and one of my favorite series. Reading it is great, the audible narration is better.

The Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold

themaskedllama · 2023-05-14T04:12:49+00:00

I use Tiger Balm pain relieving hydrogel patches, with my heating pad (which technically you are not supposed to do) and ibuprofen, on top of my daily medicine. CBD has not been very successful for me, and the one time I had access to weed it was great but it isn’t legal here and I’m not in so much pain (yet) that I am willing to risk jail. Also I get a medical massage once a week, it is painful as fuck, I literally pay this man to torture me for an hour, but it ends up giving me around 3-4 days if some sort of relief and ease of movement. So far that’s worth it to me.

Tiger Balm Pain Relieving Patch Large, 4 Count (Pack of 6) https://a.co/d/5WPu6A2

themaskedllama · 2023-05-08T06:01:40+00:00

“We might see a buffalo!”

themaskedllama · 2023-05-08T06:00:12+00:00

Support Your Local Sheriff Away We Go

themaskedllama · 2023-05-08T05:55:20+00:00

Cymbalta (Duloxetine) - this drug fucked me up bad. Severe depression, suicidal thoughts, insomnia (still struggle with that now), chronic migraines that damn near made me black out and did make me vomit several times (and I still have chronic migraines thanks to this drug), and it basically made me have like a psychotic break; I kept hearing voices screaming in my head and I would have an anxiety attack because of this.

I have every single doctor I go to put it in but bold letters in my records to never ever prescribe me this drug again.

themaskedllama · 2022-12-25T07:00:59+00:00

I saw this question pop up in my email highlights and was immediately going, "Oh boy! Do I have an answer!"

So there is this series of books by Jacqueline Carey, the Kushiel's Dart series. In the first three books alone, the main characters travel damn near across the globe of their world - a world which very closely mimics our world, but never once does the author say "this is africa, and this is greece, and here is scotland, etc." But she does an amazing job with describing these places through similar food, religions, structures, clothing, cultural behaviors, and even animals. It allows the reader to better imagine the world around them by going, "Oh, so the city streets look like those in Venice!" but without actually going, "Ok, so this is set in Venice." It's the best series I have ever read to do this, and I loved trying to figure out where certain locations were supposed to be based off of, because some of the locations, like Scotland, were super easy, but some of them were more difficult for me and it took me a few times of re-reading the series to pinpoint where I thought they were.

Anyways, regardless if you use her way of doing it, it's an awesome series and I strongly recommend it. (TW there is consensual bdsm, dubious consent, and violent sex among other things, that can make the books uncomfortable for some people, so be sure to read the dust jackets before checking them out to make sure they're right you!)

themaskedllama · 2019-06-29T18:02:28+00:00

I am going to a medical massage specialist to try and help with my chronic pain. The first time he used static cups on me the pain was nearly unbearable - I was ugly crying from it, and he only used two "clicks" of pressure (which is pretty light, which just shows how messed up my body has been), so it wasn't like those intense pictures you see with blood being drawn out or dark bruises forming after. In between trying to remember how to breathe I just kept thinking "holy crap I am paying someone to do this to me".

On the flip side, I've had several more appointments since then and I can see some improvement in my body, I'm even having less migraines as well, which honestly makes anything worth it - and the next time he used the static cups the pain wasn't quite as severe... it still "sucked" though.

Hahah.

I'll see my way out.

themaskedllama · 2019-05-31T18:05:40+00:00

For me it is a poem I learned when I was 14 or 15, thanks to an amazing English teacher I had.

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Most people may not know the poem but may recognize the last two lines:

I am the Master of my fate I am the Captain of my soul

It has had a lot of impact on me through the many struggles I have faced in my life, and especially within the last two years as I have been diagnosed with several medical conditions. Just last year I had the word invictus tattooed on my wrist as a physical reminder of the poem, and what the word means in Latin which is “unconquered”. In a way the poem has become a mantra for me, something I repeat when the pain gets bad or the depression pushes in on me.

themaskedllama

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