#and actually it started with becca always asking to bob and then they started using with each other

[crazycatladysims]

beginning // previous // next

[[ transcript & bonus ✨ below ]]

eliza: Bob, you won't beli ...

bob: not now, Eliza

eliza: but it's im ... not now!

iggy: going to check him ... you know how send the coupon, right? by email?

[ eliza nods ]

eliza: he could have at least changed his clothes *sigh *

becca: this damn bizarre place ... oh, hey Bob!

bob: Becca.

[ Becca observes ]

becca: soooo how is the sky today:

bob: full of Alders.

iggy: is today the day you're going to tell me about this bird code of yours?

becca: don't think so kid, but can give you a ride to school before heading to Winderburg PD. what do you say?

iggy: OMG please! one less day using the bus ...

just need to grab my backpack. and say goodbye to aiko.

could we give Jacob a ride too?

---------

BONUS

aubrey 🥺🥺🥺

maybe a treat more for me than for you guys because it's me that's dying of cutness

[fen-ha-fuck-you]

In your opinion what would be the best possible ending for the 100? Do you want it to 'rewind' to before ALIE destroyed the world the 1st time like some people are speculating? Do you want a brief breakdown of everyone's lives after the thing with the Anomaly happens, Octavia is back etc where we see Bellarke being the ultimate couple both leading together, being married and raising Madi and her siblings ala original Charmed? Or do you think 'someone' will f*ck with us and make it open ended?

You can’t ask me what I think the best ending would be and then ask me to make a prediction about what’s actually going to happen in the same breath. That’s not how this works. And it almost always leads to someone screaming at me in my inbox when what I describe what I would do if I was in charge of the show isn’t what happens. 

As far as my understanding and interpretation of the narrative goes, the best ending would be Bellamy, Clarke, and Madi living peacefully in their own time in the new society they lead the charge on building together. Where the things they’ve done and sacrificed matter.

This is a show that has always been about survival, yes, but in the background it’s been about yearning for something better. The general message this show is sending isn’t this grimdark, everyone-dies dystopia. If we were watching this series of events happen from Becca’s point of view back before Apocalypse One, you might be able to make that argument, but that’s not what’s happening. This show is being told, first and foremost, from Clarke’s point of view. And if we think of the show as an essay, her thesis is, “That’s the dream; this is reality.” 

Clarke does what she has to do to keep the people she cares about alive because she believes that, one day, they’ll be able to find peace. And, ultimately, the one person who consistently, explicitly, agrees with her is Bellamy. A main theme of their relationship and their dynamic is hope. Having them achieve that ultimate goal would be narratively and characterizationally satisfying, as well as send a positive message in an increasingly negative social and political climate.

That’s what I think should happen. I don’t know what will happen.

The biggest obstacle for me making any predictions here is this: there’s a distinct disconnect between the story the writers are seemingly trying to tell, and the story everyone else involved in production is trying to tell. This is the very reason I started those absurdly long gif series’, and the Misinterpretation Debacle just made that more clear for me. Allow me to elaborate.

Bellamy saves Clarke from Josephine. At the bare minimum, this was the story being told. 

According to Jason, that arc was written: Bellamy saves Clarke from Josephine with the intent of playing the long game to ultimately save all of their people. Okay. We haven’t been given any scripts to confirm this interpretation with, but let’s call that the writers’ public stance. 

What the audience actually sees from Josephine’s dialogue and Bob’s performance is: Bellamy is desperate to save Clarke from Josephine and is willing to do so even if that means the death of everyone else. Okay. Nothing in the way the scene where Bellamy saves Clarke is presented to the audience tells us anything different. Everything about that scene is narratively consistent with the story we’d been told up until that point. 

What the audience sees from 6x11, both visually and narratively is: Bellamy has saved Clarke and wants nothing less than to send her back into danger, even if doing so would save their people and/or achieve their goal of “doing better.” There’s an added layer to this one, though, because the director of this episode is the actor who plays Bellamy. Bob’s interpretation of this arc is in line with the audience’s, and his direction is what clues us in on this. Again, nothing is actually in conflict.

Then, Jason says publicly that the audience’s interpretation is wrong. This is confusing on multiple levels, the first of which being that one of the basics of film theory is that as soon as a work is released to the public, the creator’s interpretation no longer matters. The second of which being that nothing within the show itself actually supports this. But, nevertheless, that’s the stance. 

Then, Bob, who directed an episode which Jason claims the audience misinterpreted, seemingly responds to this statement with: If the audience misinterpreted this, I did, too. This is important. This carries the implication that everyone involved with creating the scenes the audience stemmed their interpretation from was of the same belief as the audience. 

So somewhere along the line here, we can infer that there’s a disconnect with the story the writers are trying to tell, and the story that’s actually being told.

Here’s the thing, though. 

Jason is often on set during the filming of key scenes and episodes. We know this because he lets us know this. We know, specifically, that Jason was on set during the filming of at least one of the scenes from the episode Bob directed. Another thing to keep in mind is that Jason is the creator and show-runner, which means that ultimately, he’s the one that gets the final sign-off on episodes and the season as a whole.

So. My point. One of two things are happening here, neither of which make sense to me, both of which prevent me from speculating beyond what I think should happen.

There is a fundamental miscommunication between pre-production and production/post-production about what the story is that’s being told, and it’s a miscommunication that Jason is okay with until he’s not and wants to throw someone under the bus at the expense of his own creation.

Jason is lying to the audience about how they should be interpreting his work for reasons inexplicable, and is throwing someone under the bus at the expense of his own creation.

So, essentially, I have no idea how it’s going to end (even though, by the rules of storytelling and with my training in film study, how I think it should end should be relatively similar), and I’d greatly appreciate it if @the100writers could lend some insight as to why any of this is happening in the first place.

[beckzorz]

Hi Becca!! I don’t know how many ideas you may have for Dressed To Kill but I’ve had an idea in my head lately about Bucky and reader meeting in a club or something while they’re both off duty? Like she’s still super dressed up and whatnot but there’s no pressure of either of them having a job. I love this series and there’s no one that could write that scenario better than you! - lets-get-bucky ❤️

thanks for the request sweetheart! enjoy xoxo @lets-get-bucky

———

Bucky: done with work

Bucky: when do you finish

You: zzzzz

You: like I haven’t been done for an hour already

You: come buy me a drink, handsome

—

Bucky grins. Sam quirks a brow as he tugs his jacket’s zipper up.

“Your girl in town?” Sam asks drily.

“No,” Bucky says. He sticks his phone in his back pocket. Jeans aren’t ideal, but at least this pair has a quote-unquote good fit. Your words, not his, but that’s good enough for him. “See ya.”

“You’re not a very good liar,” Sam calls after him.

Bucky revs his bike. “Whatever, Wilson.”

—

Everyone has their own post-job routine.

Kasie likes to get a massage. She’s got the best masseuse in every major city on speed dial. You’ve joined her a few times, on those occasions where you actually are in the same place when a job’s complete. Happens less and less, lately, but there’s something wonderfully relaxing about those warm towels, firm hands, every kink in your muscles being turned to jelly.

Luka prefers adrenaline. He’s a brilliant fighter, but more often than not, his role is so under the radar that he barely gets to use any weapons at all. So after a job is done, off he goes to the woods, or a shooting range, or laser tag.

Of those three, you like laser tag best. Fancy dress, ridiculous flashing vest, teenagers screaming at your raw fury as you charge through the maze…

It’s fun.

But not your favorite.

Your favorite post-job haunts are cocktail bars, at least when a tropical island isn’t the cards. And right now, you’ve got no island plans. Only two days before your next gig, and in the meantime...

A smile curves your lips at the ping from your phone. Bucky’s on his way. Seven minutes out, plenty of time to check that everything’s where it ought to be.

Mascara, lipstick, bloodstain on your shoulderblade cleverly hidden under your silk scarf...

Well, ideally there’d be no bloodstains, but sometimes you just have to make do. Besides, your dress is dark. In the dim lighting of an upscale cocktail bar, there’s no spotting it.

A finger taps on your back. You start, champagne sloshing over your manicured fingers.

“What happened?”

You can’t help smiling as you suck the bubbles from your fingers. Normal eyes wouldn’t be able to see a bloodstain on a dark dress under a silk scarf.

Bucky Barnes is anything but normal.

“I happened,” you tell him.

Bucky snorts. He slides onto the bar stool beside you, and you blink.

“Jeans? Really, Bucky?”

“What, like I was gonna go change before meeting ya?” He squeezes your thigh, your dress pulling up over your knees as his hand sneaks higher. His eyes sparkle as he tilts his chin. “That woulda been a waste of time.” He flags down the bartender with his left hand, orders a beer.

You prop your chin on your hand and watch him flick his metal thumb impatiently as the bartender pops the cap. A little smile plays on your lips as he takes a hearty gulp, as his Adam’s apple bobs on his pale throat. Your eyes trace the lines of his neck, his shoulders, down, down…

Changing would have been a waste of time. They’re jeans, just jeans, but even as out of place as they are in this upscale bar, you can’t help but shift in your seat at how they strain against his thighs, his hips.

Bucky’s right hand is still on your leg, his fingers gently massaging your thigh. You weren’t planning on a massage tonight, not without Kasie and her best-in-the-city speed dial, but—this will do.

You finish your champagne a little too fast, and Bucky laughs at your hiccoughs as he steadies you from the door to his bike, settling you in behind him and winding your arms around him. You squeeze his chest, humming happily as you bop your helmeted face against his shoulderblade. The wind catches at your scarf, tickles your skin. Your dress is thin, thin enough so you can press closer against his back, feel his chuckle as he draws one of your roaming hands up to his mouth to drop a kiss on your knuckles.

“Hold on tight, angel,” he murmurs.

You squeeze his waist as you grip your wrists.

“You won’t escape me that easy,” you say, and Bucky just laughs.

—

Later, after a massage that has a positively heavenly ending, you card your fingers through Bucky’s hair. He nuzzles his nose against the crook of your neck, his bare leg splayed over yours.

“You know,” you muse, “I don’t think you’ve ever even seen me in jeans.”

Bucky snorts. “Don’t think so.”

“Could always try on yours,” you say.

Bucky tightens his arms around you. “No,” he mumbles. He kisses the mark blooming on your collarbone. “Stay with me.”

You hook your foot in the sheets tangled at the end of the bed and pull it up over your tangled legs.

“It’d take a miracle to keep me away.”

“Good.”

Bucky reaches out blindly past you and clicks off the light. He props himself up just enough to cradle your face in his hand. His eyes are all soft, all sweet, all yours.

“Sweet dreams, angel.”

“I’m planning on dreaming of you.” You bump your nose against his, smile sleepily. Bucky settles back in your arms, his ear just over your heart and his other hand against the curve of your belly. “So they will be.”

[shieldsfilemistress]

There’s a phone call she’s been avoiding for a while now. The excuses have changed over the years. She didn’t need it. She was better off. He didn’t need to deal with her mess. It’s been too long. As the years went by, Rebecca had convinced herself that she didn’t need to make the call, and even if she did, there was no guarantee the offer still stood. She could handle this all on her own.

But lately, she was realizing how wrong she was.

It took her a few days to build up the courage. Even then, she didn’t actually call the number; she asked one of the volunteers to call, giving some excuse about how they were looking to recruit extra help. She honestly just wanted to know the number still worked. After receiving confirmation that it did, she then flip flopped for a week on if she should go through with it. She intentionally waited until the middle of the night to send out a text.

[text] It’s Becca.

[text] I’m cashing in on that offer.

She didn’t sleep well that night, tossing and turning so much she actually gave up and went to the living room to finish some work. It was around 4 AM when she heard her phone ding.

[text] Give me your e-mail address. I’ll send you a link.

She could feel the knot in her stomach tighten. There was no going back after that. This wasn’t something she could pretend to be okay at. He knew exactly what she knew. He knew the blood on her hands. There was no second guessing once they started.

Being home for this wasn’t an option. She stuffed her laptop into her bag, scribbled down a note that she had to go out to deal with something, signed it with a heart, and headed out to work. The entire drive was spent trying to talk herself into doing this. Think about what you want. The future you want to have. You push away every other professional that tries to help you. This is your only chance at getting to live that life you need.

She paced around her office for another hour before sending the message. It took less than ten minutes for the e-mail to come through. Taking a deep breath, she clicked on the video link.

The face she saw was strange. Like seeing an old friend you couldn’t remember very well. His eyes still had that happy glow she always appreciated, but the rest of his face...well, the emotional toll had worked its magic on him. She couldn’t help but wonder if he thought the same about her.

“Hey, Becca.” He said, breaking the awkward silence between them. A tense smile formed on his face. “How you been?”

“Oh, you know. Taking it one step at a time.” She forced out a chuckled before the silence took over again. “Uh...how are you?”

“I’m doing good. Working over at the DC branch now, so I’m a little closer to home. I, um,” He tapped the base of his neck. “Couldn’t help but notice you’re not wearing it anymore.”

It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. Henry’s locket. “Oh. Yeah. I actually stopped wearing it a while ago. I...” She held up her left hand. “Traded it for something better.”

A genuine smile passed her friend’s face. He looked so much like the guy she knew before everything happened. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

“So...did you...?”

“Alright!” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I married a SHIELD guy!”

“Ha!” He laughed again. “We all told you that you would. You should have listened to us.”

“Well, congratulations, you were right for the first time ever in your life.” They both laughed, the familiar sound easing all the tension out of the room. She took a few more minutes to catch up before turning the subject to why she was calling.

“Bob. You’re still licensed, right?”

“That I am.” His face grew slightly more serious. “Why don’t you ask me what you really want to ask?”

She was silent for a long time. “I...I’m not doing okay.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I keep saying I am, but I’m not. I know I am one bad moment away from completely losing it. People keep asking if I’m willing to do therapy again, but...I can’t talk to a normal therapist about this stuff. They don’t get it.”

She looked at the screen. “But you get it. I looked up the rules. It’s not considered classified information if you’re talking to a member of the team involved in the mission. So I don’t have to lie. I can...I can talk about all of it.”

“Rebecca.” Bob didn’t move at all the entire time she spoke. “Ask me what you really want to ask.”

“...Will you help me?”

“Yes. But you need to understand something. This isn’t going to be two friends talking over coffee. I’ll be your therapist. That means we’re gonna have to get into some shit and you need to promise me you’re not going to give up as soon as it gets hard.”

There was no hesitation in her answer. “I promise.”

“Alright.” He clapped his hands together, startling her. “Sorry. I’ll send you over some paperwork later today. It’ll have your schedule, some medical information you’ll need to provide, and some minor activities I want you to start. This is going to be a long process and as someone who had to do it a long time ago, I’m telling you now, it sucks ass. I do want to ask one last thing though. Why do you want to do this now?”

Rebecca opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t say anything. Sure, she could have done this at any time. So why was she wanting to do this now? It took her a moment to find the words.

“Because I want to get better.”

[svubloods]

Imagine finding out you’re pregnant with Peter’s baby

Imagine finding out you’re pregnant with Peter’s baby

Dr Becca Langley watched curiously as her next client walked into the room after her assistant called for him. He greeted her with a quick nod before taking a seat heavily across from her. Almost immediately sinking into back into his seat, as if he wanted it to swallow him whole, which only made her perk up and lean forward, as she continued to observe him.

She flipped to a fresh page in her notebook before smiling at him.

“Good Morning Peter,” She said greeting the somewhat distracted ADA.

“Dr Langley,” He nodded, still insistent on referring to her as that despite knowing her for over a year now.

“You know it’s Becca,” She brushed off as he remembered to switch off his phone.

“So Peter, what’s been happening since the last time I saw you?”

From there they continued to engage in conversation as per usual. Like every other week, it started with them discussing his work week. A fact that had originally annoyed Peter as he thought it useless at the start especially as he couldn't give her details, which she knew quite well, as he wasn't seeing a psychiatrist to talk about work, let alone paying her to do so. But as time progressed he appreciated the build-up talking about work provided as it made transitioning the conversation into the topics that weren't easy to discuss easier. Another thing that made it easy was the fact that much to his surprise Doctor Langley often contributed to the conversation with her own experiences and antidotes about her husband and young daughter. Which made it much more comfortable for Peter as he felt like it was a conversation instead of just him speaking.

The whole idea of seeing a psychiatrist after everything that had happened wasn't his. It was yours before you were dating you suggested that he talk to someone about everything that had happened. He knew things weren’t right after Pam died and you telling him that he was self-destructing was the push he needed to get the help he needed. And it had been helping, he was apprehensive at first as he had never been so open with his feelings but as time went on it became easier for him especially within the safe confines of Dr Langley’s office. In fact, it the Doctor that encouraged Peter to be upfront about his feeling for you as apparently it was obvious that ‘he cared very deeply for Y/N’ which was true but he disputed that it was easy to tell that he did.

Now that you were together and one of the most important parts of his life, you naturally came up in conversation a lot. And Peter did discuss your relationship in sessions from time to time. It was new territory, the whole relationship thing, for the both of you so he did appreciate the guidance. In spite of that though and all the positive progress that he made with his inner demons and emotional intelligence, he was still set in ways. And when things were bothering him and even if he did want to discuss them, he would never bring them up himself. He always waited for her to ask or for the perfect segway to appear. So Dr Langley had become an expert at knowing when Peter wanted to talk about something but needed her to ask him about it.

“Peter is something bothering you?” Dr Langley inquired, putting down her pen and looking directly at him.

“No…why do you asked,” He brushed off, a little too quickly.

“You seem a little off,” She phrased carefully, as Peter tapped his foot impatiently and ran a hand through his hair.

He sighed, “Well…”

“Well?” She encouraged.

“I was going to skip out on our session today,” He admitted.

“Oh, and why’s that?” She asked.

“I wasn't in the mood for talking about my feelings after the past few days I had and especially this morning,” He offered, “But I thought it would be rude to cancel so late so here I am,”

“What happened this morning?”

Peter averted his gaze and played with his hands. It was always hard for him to talk about you and your relationship. He had even asked you if he could discuss your relationship in these sessions, which you, of course, agreed too, you just wanted him to have support after everything and you knew you couldn't do that all that yourself. But he still found it difficult to share the most important part of his life, perhaps because he knew exactly what it was like to use it, but he would never risk losing you.

You and Peter were just a couple weeks shy of your first anniversary though you had known each other for over two years at this point, but there is a difference between being in an actual relationship and being colleges, friends and even something more. You’d moved into his apartment around two months ago and things had been going really well.

For Peter your relationship was difficult to describe, it was intense and very serious, in the way that you had both been through a lot and you both weren't used to serious commitment but you were doing it for each other because your feelings for each other were that serious. But in another way, it was very silly and fun because you both had such serious jobs that in order to survive you needed something light to balance it all out and keep you from going insane. And that was your relationship, not everything was always so serious in spite of the intensity of your connection. And this isn't even mentioning the fact that neither of you could keep their hands off the other. Peter couldn't explain it but when you both were together he feels like his true self and everything else feels right. And the past eleven months hadn't been easy, you had so much thrown at you but you made it through and that was all that mattered. You were still committed to each other and committed to being with each other and being in love because fundamentally you both worked so well. But that didn't mean it was always easy being with each other.

“Y/N and I got into a fight,” He confessed, “Well actually we continued a fight from the night before,”

“All couples fight Peter,” She began.

“I know but it wasn't a normal couple fight…like it wasn't the sort of fight we usually have…it was different,” He fumbled, uncharacteristically unable to look her in the eye.

“What are you saying?” She questioned seeking clarification from him.

“I messed up… really badly,”

“Y/N! Y/N!” Sonny shouted loudly into the thrashing dark blue water while simultaneously watching over the two young children you had already pulled from the water.

You had dived back under for the second time for the oldest of three children and you had been under for too long. You weren't even supposed to be down there but it was an emergency and as soon as you saw the car go into the river, you raced out your car and dived in without a second thought. You quickly caught up with the sinking car and recovering the two girls trapped in the backseat of the sinking car. Bringing up to the surface as quickly as your body allowed and practically throwing them at Sonny before diving back down in an attempt to save the struggling twelve-year-old, the oldest of three children, almost killed by their unstable mother. She was also in the car but you were too focused on getting her children to safety to even pay her a second thought.

Your lungs burned and your limbs throbbed as you pulled the now unconscious twelve-year-old boy the waist, holding your breath as you raced up to the surface. It was you against time and you needed to beat it as he started to slip away in his arms. You muster up all your strength to pull him ahead of you so that he broke the surface before you did. As soon as his head bobbed above water he was pulled out of your arms and to safety. You allowed yourself one breath and in those few seconds, you saw Sonny and a few uniforms take care of the children and heard the sounds of more backup and ambulances approaching. Help was coming but it wouldn't be here quick enough. And despite your feelings for a murder who had almost killed her children, you went back under, ignoring the warnings of those at the shore.

The water was dark as you dove to catch up with the sinking vehicle for the third time, plunging deeper and deeper, to the point everything was blurry and your whole body was screaming at you. You couldn't even think to evaluate what you were doing. Regardless of who she was and what she had just done, driving her and her children into the Hudson River, you weren't ready to let her sink, to get away with it without even trying to save her.

By the time you reached her, she was unconscious and dangerously still but that didn't stop you from grabbing hold of her body after untangling her and taking her back to the surface. And despite being in the vast body of water that made up the Hudson River. You felt enclosed and the pressure around your body intensified to the point that ever kicks your worn out legs out made was a fight for survival. Your now beginning to fail due to the prolonged lack of oxygen.

But you made it.

Once again the limp body was pulled away from you but now she was attended to by the paramedics. As you were pulled from the river yourself you saw ambulances with the three children start speeding to the hospital. You saw CPR start to begin on their attempted murderer. Back on solid ground, you stood up shakily and evaluated the scene.

“You idiot,” Sonny exclaimed before grabbing hold of his partner and hugging you tightly, ignoring that you were completely soaked, “What the hell were you thinking?”

“Just me doing my job,” You joked, coughing on the water that still occupied your lungs.

“We need to get you to the hospital,” He insisted, pulling you towards an ambulance while simultaneously keeping you steady.

“I’m fine,” You stated adamantly, shaking him and some excess water off.

“Y/N…” He began but he didn't get to finish.

Because as soon as you straightened up, your body betrayed you. You had to spin around fast to avoid violently throwing up anywhere in anybody's actual direction. You hunched over the edge of the water and spewed. You don’t remember how long it all was but you felt light-headed already but it was much worse when you turned back around to face a horrified Sonny and paramedics gearing up whisk you away. Your words of protest barely made it out of your mouth as everything seemed to blur, suddenly knocked off balance. The intense pain had gone as you settled into unconsciousness, replaced with the feeling of cold stone pressed against your cheek.  

“What do you mean by that?” Doctor Langley inquired, her curiosity peaked

“I mean what I said…I messed up,” Peter responded, glancing away.

“Peter,” She scolded.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before looking in her direction, though purposely not at her.

“You know how I mentioned that sometimes I don't feel like I’m not good enough for Y/N?” He countered, his words reluctant but said all the same.

She nodded, ��And we talked about it and I believe we reached an agreement on how these feelings don’t reflect the actual reality of the situation,”

“Yes,” He agreed, Peter was a master of words and yet when it came to matters of this nature words seemed to fail him, “But I can’t shake it you know? I know that you’re right. I know she loves me, she says it every day even when I forget. She loves me as I am right now and not who I might be or even who everyone thinks I am. And I still convinced myself that she deserves better as if I’m the judge of that. I convinced myself that even though I’m happy, so so happy with my life right now that she deserved better and I needed to give her that. But all I did was mess up one of the only good things in my life. My whole life actually because she is my world and I screwed it up. We both know that I’m the emotional one in this relationship, strangely enough, but yesterday it was like she snapped. I pushed her too far and I think I might have lost her,”

“Peter, do you think this might have to do with the anniversary of Pam’s death a few weeks ago?” She suggested after a brief silence.

“Why would you say that?” He demanded, shaking his head, “That has nothing to do with it,” 
 “Doesn’t it?” She asked, her tone careful but direct, “After she died you struggled with feelings of not being good enough and consequently punished yourself because you convinced yourself that you weren't good enough to save her. What happened to her is what brought you and Y/N closer because she could relate to what you were going through. She helped you get better. And I don’t think you got better because you wanted to be better for her, you got better for yourself because she made you want to be better.  I think that you projected those feelings that resurfaced on the anniversary of your relationship as a way to deal with those feelings. Does that sound about right?” 

“I…” He struggled.

“How about we talk through what happened?”

“Well, it started a couple weeks ago when…the anniversary came around,” He admitted, his words hesitant as he realised that she was right at the moment.

She nodded, encouraging him to go on.

“We’d just moved in together a month ago and everything was going great…fantastic even. We were happy and everything was going so well. And then I ran into into some old friends and it sounds so stupid now that I’m saying it. But they told me that I looked happy and that scared me,” He continued, bowing his head.

“Why did that scare you?”

“Because it’s the truth, I am happy,” He persisted, “But I used to convince myself that maybe I’m happy but what if she isn’t. What if she isn't as happy as I am? I love her so much and I used that and the fact that my last trial was a high stake two-week ordeal to distance myself from her. Because I let myself think that it was a good idea. In case I wasn't making her happy she could have that space to figure it out. So I spent all day at work, left before she did, came home after she went to sleep. Was working on weekends because I told myself I had to be sure. But now I know I did it because I was scared about how i felt and I know that I’m the only person to blame for how I feel right now,”

“And how’s that?”

“Devasted,”

“Why?”

“Because I made her unhappy too,”

“I was happy…and I thought…you were too…” You replied, looking at him from across the room, keeping a distance between the two of you.

It was late, he’d come back late. You thought since the trial had finally wrapped up and he’d won, he’d come back home to see you, especially after what felt like weeks of properly seeing each other. You waited up but he had gone out with colleagues instead of coming home to you. And it broke you, like you had been holding it together and you finally snapped. You were exhausted and sick and now you were heartbroken. It felt like those creeping thoughts you had over the past few weeks were coming true.

“I am happy,” He insisted, taking a step towards you.

“Then why are you doing everything you can not to see me?” You demanded, taking a step back in response and putting up your hand to stop him get any closer. “That isn't true…” He began.

“Don’t try and pull that with me,” You interrupted fiercely, your hand clenching into a fist but tears were streaming down your face.

“Y/N…” He whispered, his voice tender, familiar, concerned, seeing you cry, out of the two of you Peter uncharacteristically was the more emotional one when it came to things like this so seeing you cry was enough for him to stop trying.

“What?” You shouted, frustrated.

“I’m sorry,”

“Now, you’re sorry?” You laughed, tragically, turning away so to wipe your tears.

“I was terrified, okay?” He gave in.

“About what?”

“Us,”

“What about us?”

“I love you so much, Y/N,” Peter breathed, close to you know, as you had allowed him to approach, he was an arm's length away, “I’ve never felt like this about anyone and I don’t think I ever will. And it’s terrifying because I know I can’t live without out you. I know that now. You are the only thing that matters and I was scared that even though you make me happy that I might not make you feel the same. Because I can’t do any better than you but you could way better than me. And I would be willing to give you up if it meant you were happy. I would let myself lose the only person I had left it made you happy.”

“No,” You stated, fiercely.

“What…?” He stuttered.

“You don’t get to decide what makes me happy. I do,” You argued, “I wake up every day and unapologetically choose you, not because I have to and not for you either. But for me, because you make me happy. And you would know that if you had just talked to me. Instead of making me feel like this to make yourself feel better.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” He insisted.

“Then why didn't you?” You interrogated, “Do you know how it feels to have the person you love the most suddenly act like they don't care about you for no reason at all? I’ve been asking myself what I did wrong, absolutely sick with worry that I feel nauseous, it was exhausting.”

“I’m sorry,”

“I just missed you so much,” You cried, letting it all out.

“I’m…”

“I don’t know if I can do this,”

“What?” He stammered.

“I don’t think I can be someone who can’t talk to me about when they feel insecure about our relationship,” You said steadily, though you were shaking and had backed yourself up against the wall, “ Someone who can’t communicate with me and instead plays games with me. Makes me feel like this. Because I know if you had just talked to me. I would have told you that for me, I know there is no one else that I want to be with because I love you so much. But I can’t go through this again.”

“Y/N,” He called after you after you slipped down the corridor toward the guest room.

“I need to be alone,” You responded before slamming the door in his face and breaking down against it as soon as you did.

“Detective Reagan?” The nurse, Clarke, asked, the sound of her concerned voice bringing you back to reality and with it the nosiness of the hustle and bustle of the hospital ward all of which you had drowned out when you were plunged into your own thoughts, her eyes were soft and sympathetic as she watched you lie their, stunned, “Y/N!”

You felt her hand pulling yours over the metal railing, you had been gripping it tightly and your hand had gone bright red in response, well at least it wasn't blue anymore. As soon as you noticed you let her pull you away and flexed it carefully.

“Is there anyone I can call to be with you?” She inquired, her voice soothing.

Words seemed to escape you and all that came out of your mouth was a cross between a croak and gulp, so you just shook your head.

“Are you sure? Your father is listed as your emergency contact. Maybe if we call…” She began to suggest.

“No,” You interrupted abruptly, before softening your voice, “No, I’ll…I will be fine…Right?”

“I know this is a lot to take in, especially right now in your condition…” She offered, comfortingly.

“I can’t be…” You sputtered, “I don’t know how…”

“Right now, I’m going to need you to relax,” She insisted, seeing you starting to work yourself up into a frenzy.

You nodded again and settled back in the bed, utterly consumed in your mind and your whirlwind of thoughts but your eyes were staring blankly ahead. The world around you seemingly going on without you while you seemed to be time locked, stuck in the moment, this life-changing moment. Perhaps the hectic environment of the hospital was exemplifying your feelings but you were overwhelmed with the feeling of unreadiness. You didn't feel ready at all. You didn't feel sure. Everything that had once felt so certain in your life, stable, seemed to be teetering on the edge all of a sudden. Nothing was certain, not your job, not your family and friends, not your relationship and not your life. No, in a second everything had changed.

And you couldn't tell if it was for the best or not.

In the moment? Panic was rising in your chest and your mind was spinning. It certainly didn't feel like it was for the best.

“For what it’s worth, and it may not be much since we just met,” The nurse began, taking a seat beside you and clasping your hand as the heart monitor beeped steadily beside the two of you, “I think you’re going to be great at it,”

“Why’s that?” You asked, playing along, giving her a small smile as she squeezed your hand, comfortingly.

“Well, you’re here because you just dived into Hudson River to save a bunch of kidnapped children after they were driven into it by their own mother,” She reiterated, “that seems very brave and selfless to me. And you’ll need a lot of that, that’s what being a mom is all about.”

“I was just doing my job,” You countered, reluctant to agree, “Serve and protect, remember?”

“But it’s the degree in which you decide to do it, is whats admirable,” She insisted, “ It’s above and beyond anything I’ve ever seen and I’ve seen a lot. It’s definitely more than any organisation can officially ask of you. So yes, I think you’re going to be great. Fantastic even,”

“You don’t know me,” You commented, letting out a sad laugh, “If you did you would know that I’m too much of screw to be someone’s parent. I don’t know if I can live with screwing up someone else’s life,”

“Oh sweetie,” She sighed, before leaning over and hugging you tightly while rubbing your back.

You were surprised at first but you soon let it happen, clutching the stranger tightly and beginning to cry into her shoulder. You don’t know how long you stayed like that but she made no attempt to let go, holding you as long as you needed. Eventually, though you let her go still sniffling but wiping away the last of your tears.

“Sorry,” You whispered, noticing the patch you had left on her shoulder.

“Oh, don’t you worry about it,” She brushed off, “I’ve had much worse on me,”

“I bet,” You giggled.

“Ah well look at that smile,” She pointed out, “Let’s hope your little one has it,”

You clenched your jaw at the mention. You couldn't let yourself forget what she started this conversation with. You hadn’t expected it at all, you’d had an insane few days and an even crazier morning, in more ways than one. You had expected her to tell you that you were being discharged, you were only here as a precaution anyway, not that you were actually four weeks pregnant and that was the reason you were feeling this way and why you were so ill.

“How are you feeling now, Y/N?” She inquired, after going over your charts.

“Better,” You admitted, “Physically at least,”

“Well that’s good but the doctor did say she wants to keep you on fluids for a bit and see how it goes. Extra precautions given the circumstances, you understand.” She explained clearly.

“Yeah,”

“And emotionally how are you feeling?” She probed.

“I’m absolutely petrified,”

Had you ruined everything already, without even trying, without even knowing? If you had known you would have done everything differently this morning and last night. Now that you knew it alms explained what happened but how could you let yourself do that. Well, you didn't know. You had absolutely no idea, you had felt the same besides the extreme fatigue and being way more emotional than normal. Perhaps you should have noticed but it wasn't even something that you even considered. It just never occurred to you.

And you were pretty sure that you hadn't ever discussed children. Neither of you weren’t the type of people who sat down and discussed the future and what you wanted. You were enjoying being with each other now and even though you wanted a future with him, you hadn't thought about what that would entail.

Though recently that had been far from your mind and when you did think about the future. You were questioning it. After what happened last night, your relationship was on the edge and now you were a month pregnant.

You had been so distracted that you had brushed off all the signs. Exhaustion, that was normal even if it was a little worse. Headaches and nausea everything that was going on with Peter. The cramps? All the snacks that Sonny had been feeding you. It was easy to explain away and you knew that with everything was going on you probably wouldn't have realised if you hadn't been sent to the hospital after collapsing. You could have also done without the hypothermia. Clare, the Nurse, comforted you once again before promising to come back and check on you.

You didn’t know when you were going home as they had made it clear that they wanted to be careful.

You were buried under blankets and hooked up to IV in hoping to get warmed up. You squeezed your eyes shut in hopes of sleeping but your mind was racing. The reality was hitting you and you weren’t prepared. You were alone. Peter could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket for the umpteenth time when he finally walked out of Dr Langley’s office. He had felt it throughout it session but obviously ignored it because he was supposed to turn it off but he could never bring himself too just in case there was an emergency. It was buzzing continuously so he stopped in the middle of the waiting room. There were calls from various different people. He opted for Sonny as he had called the most. Putting the phone to his ear he glanced around the room as it rang. His eyes falling to the TV playing in the corner. And what it was playing made him lower the phone paralysed.

“It is believed that the mother drove the car into the water early this morning after a court declared her unfit and gave full custody of her three children to their Father,” The screen blared, “…she was declared dead at the scene while her three children were saved by two NYPD detectives and are believed to be  in stable condition at Mercy General. One of the Detectives, Detective Y/N Reagan of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit was also hospitalised after saving the children from the water, her condition is currently unknown…”

“You look awful,” Danny commented, peering down at you, after suddenly appearing by your side.

“Danny?” You asked weakly, opening your eyes and seeing him there, “What are you doing here?”

“Your partner and I have an agreement. He calls me when you do something stupid, like deciding not to call anyone when you get hurt…plus you’re all over the news so I’ll give it ten more minutes until everyone we’re related to descends,”

You let out a heavy breath as you straightened up.

“You okay kid?” He asked, serious this time, taking your hand as you closed your eyes again.

“No,” You joked, “Apparently it’s not a good idea to take a swim in the Hudson River…in February,”

“I could have told you that,” He commented.

“Where would I be without you and your wisdom?” You continued.

“Dead,” He stated with a smirk before you sat in silence for a while.

“You don’t look okay,” He finally mentioned, unable to be subtle.

“You’ve already said that,” You played along.

“You sure you okay?”

You shook your head.

“I’ve really fucked up,” You whispered.

“I could have told you that,” He teased.

“I’m being serious,” You chuckled.

“So am I,” He winked, “But whatever is I’ll be here for you,”

“I know,”

“How bad can it be?” He offered.

“Daniel,” You warned.

“I didn’t ask what it was!” He defended, “Chill…wait actually don’t. We need you to warm up,”

You rolled your eyes as he seemingly started getting settled in the seat beside you.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s either I stay with you until you get discharged or everyone comes and waits with you,” He explained, grabbing a random magazine from the sideboard and flipping through it.

“Thank you,” You whispered.

“Whatever,” He dismissed, but he was still holding your hand.

A couple of hours later, Danny was helping you get released and the back home. You were feeling much better well better than before at least. But you knew you could recover at home at this point. Almost glad that you were going to get a couple of days off so you could think everything through, now that you were in the clear baby wise, in hopefully a better state of mind. You also had to figure things out with Peter and tell him that you were pregnant.

“So where’s that boyfriend of yours?” Danny asked, after stepping into the elevator to leave.

“He’s been in court all day he probably hasn't got the message,” You offered, though you were unsure.

“He could have called,” He suggested.

“My phone is in the Hudson River,” You reminded.

“Someone must have told him,” Danny insisted.

“I don’t know,” You stated a bit too harshly which shut him up.

Danny drove you home and you waved him off when he insisted to walk you back up. So you made your way up to your apartment alone, still in pain and just wanting to sleep, you had almost hoped that you would be greeted with an empty apartment like you had done so many nights these past few weeks. But no such luck.

You were greeted immediately by an obviously worried Peter, who had been pacing the living room, waiting for you.

“Y/N,” He breathed when you stepped towards him.

You opened your mouth to speak but you were speechless. You wanted to mad, angry, upset but also happy and you strangely felt relieved seeing him. You wanted a definitive emotion to feel and definitive idea of what to do. Your heart, your mind was at war in that second, screaming at you. And you gave in, just to what you wanted.

You raised your arms, indicating to him what you wanted. He rushed he wrap his arms around you as you buried yourself into his embrace, a slight sway as you held each other. Once again overwhelmed, so tears were spilling and you could feel his too when he pressed his face to yours when he leaned down.

“Where were you?” You asked.

“I didn’t know if you wanted me there,” He confessed, “But Danny texted me everything. I knew he would be with you so I asked him.”

“I needed you,” You whimpered.

“I know,” He sighed, “I just keep screwing all this up and getting things wrong,”

You breathed in.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“No broken bones or anything but I need a few days because hypothermia is awful when you’re…” You started before stopping. “What?”

“We need to talk,” You announced, stepping back and looking at him directly.

“We don’t have to do this now,” He reassured.

“We need to, now more than ever,” You brushed off, determined.

“Are you sure?”

“What you did was fucked up,” You confronted, “You made me feel so alone and I need someone who can never even imagine doing that to me,”

“There is no excuse for what I did,” Peter agreed.

“I know it wasn't because of me but you projected it onto me and that can’t happen,” You continued.

“I know,” He nodded, “It won’t ever happen again,”

“I hope it doesn’t because I do love you but I can’t know if I can do this,”

“What?”

“Us?”

“Are you?”

“No,” You reassured, “We need to work on things but I’m willing to if you are,”

“I am,”

“Good,” You sighed in relief, “Because there is something else,”

“What?”

“I’m four weeks pregnant,”

You watched as Peter registered the shock of your words. He looked taken aback which you expected but you didn't expect what came next. You expected an expression of worry, fear but all you got was one of love.

A smile.

“Seriously?” He questioned, holding you once again, searching your eyes with his.

“Yeah,” You whispered.

He pulled you into him again, the buzz of excitement almost vibrating off him, everything transpiring beforehand escaping from his mind as he was filled with unbridled joy.

“That is the greatest news I have ever heard,”

“It is?” You asked, pulling back in his arms to look at him again.

“Of course,” He breathed, leaning his forehead against yours, “There is no one else I’ve ever wanted to do this with besides you. I knew from the day we met that I wanted everything I told myself I didn't when I met you,” 
 “You want kids?” You questioned.

“Yes,” He grinned but it flattered as it looked at your expression, “Don’t you?”

“I…I don’t know…” You admitted, almost shamefully.

“We’ll figure this out,” He promised, grasping your hand and kissing it.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

“You won’t leave me alone?” You asked, shakily.

“Never again will I ever be stupid,”

“I don’t want we’re going to do,” 

“We’ll figure it out,”

“I love you,” You muttered into his ear.

“Thank god,” He breathed, “Because I love you too. I always will,”

[punkscowardschampions]

Jimmy & Janis

Jimmy: can we talk? Janis: [leaving this on read for time] Janis: what Jimmy: do you wanna meet me somewhere or Jimmy: just like this? Janis: I'm not about Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: [massive pauses and the 🗨 with the dots cos he's deleting and doesn't know what to say and everything like] Janis: Just say it Jimmy: I dunno how to Jimmy: for a start, you were right but I ain't here to chuck you a 🏆 Janis: what about Jimmy: Becca Janis: yeah well Janis: I knew that Jimmy: well I'm sorry I didn't Janis: whatever Janis: it's your life Jimmy: yeah but Jimmy: I want you about in it Janis: I can't Janis: and I'm not gonna say congratulations Jimmy: weren't gonna have a party myself Janis: sure she won't be offended Jimmy: I don't care how she feels Janis: bit rude Jimmy: her throwing herself at me were that Janis: so you turned her down then Jimmy: I near fell out the fucking car and broke another rib trying to get away Janis: what was you in her car for Jimmy: what do you think? Jimmy: nah don't answer that actually, I know what you reckon Janis: how would I know Janis: and I don't think you can claim to know fuck all after this really Jimmy: I knew I didn't wanna go off home with just Gracie going on at me, how's that? Janis: what do you want Janis: an apology Jimmy: I want you, you dickhead Janis: you've said a lot of shit since then Jimmy: I've never said I don't though Janis: not in exact words but you don't really need to when you call me mental and say you don't need any of this Jimmy: might be that headcases are my type Janis: you aren't funny Jimmy: you are Jimmy: it's on the list of what makes you 🥇 Janis: as far as attempts at flattery funny > headcase Janis: you can have that for free Jimmy: Tah Jimmy: bit skint after chucking petrol money at the lass who tried to jump me Janis: stop Jimmy: that were what I said Janis: I mean it Janis: I told you Janis: it was so fucking obvious why couldn't you just listen Jimmy: I thought you were just Janis: yeah, jealous and mental Jimmy: like I am about him, yeah Janis: it's just Janis: at least I know he wants to fuck me Janis: I'm not pretending Jimmy: neither were I Jimmy: why would I have a clue what she wants? Jimmy: I don't know her, I don't want to Janis: she were hardly shy Janis: but alright, whatever Jimmy: lasses aren't Jimmy: she never said owt, did owt until Janis: 'cos people always say what they mean and want Jimmy: I'm just saying if I reckoned she were like that I'd have left it Jimmy: I weren't doing nowt to get at you or Janis: okay Jimmy: I get that I fucked this but it weren't 'cause I proper fit in with them Jimmy: or I don't like you enough Janis: does it matter why Janis: if its fucked its fucked Janis: don't need to dole out blame Jimmy: I read it all back and you said I say and do shit to go back on it when I have Jimmy: and when I am that dickhead it's 'cause I really fucking like you Jimmy: that matters if it's nowt that you want Jimmy: we said we were just gonna be mates, fuck Jimmy: I shouldn't have signed up for something that were never gonna work Jimmy: so 'course you need to know it weren't your fault Janis: Neither should I Janis: and I knew it wouldn't work before then Janis: for loads more reasons that have nothing to do with you Janis: aren't your fault, like Janis: but I just did it anyway because Janis: I wanted to Jimmy: me an' all Jimmy: I still want to but Janis: How Janis: why Jimmy: Janis Jimmy: What kind of questions are them? Janis: I don't know why you like me Jimmy: seriously Janis: we argue all the time Jimmy: 'cause I've only got the one good ear for listening Janis: Jimmy Jimmy: Alright, you listen Jimmy: we argue all the time 'cause you make me feel things Jimmy: care about things Jimmy: I'm a 👻 it weren't part of the plan Janis: Me too Janis: on both Jimmy: I never argued enough with my ex, it ain't better Janis: it's like Janis: I want you too but I don't know how to be hurt anymore Janis: and I don't know how to not hurt you either Jimmy: if one us has to get hurt, I'm alright with it being me Jimmy: however you do it Janis: I ain't Jimmy: it won't be any worse than what's already happened before I got here Jimmy: it can't Jimmy: you don't have to be 🙀 alright? Janis: I'm not scared Janis: not of that Janis: I don't want to Janis: I won't Jimmy: not gonna make you, girl Jimmy: ain't a kink I've got Janis: I told you, I can't be nice Jimmy: it don't matter what you say Jimmy: I've felt it Jimmy: literally in my rib, not just a metaphorical way Jimmy: which rhymes now so tah for that 🙄 Janis: just can't help being artistic Jimmy: weren't trying to write you a poem Jimmy: but I wouldn't only start breathing around you if I couldn't Jimmy: if it weren't safe to Janis: are you sure Janis: because you're just Jimmy: I told you, northern, not that thick Janis: I don't think you're thick Jimmy: I am but that's not a reason for you to do one Jimmy: only works for the lads Asia is with Janis: don't get above yourself Janis: this weren't all about you Jimmy: just a 🤏 Janis: [sends picture like 😒] Jimmy: [sends one back like 😍] Janis: you make everything so bloody difficult, you know Jimmy: Yeah Jimmy: I know Janis: What are we gonna do Jimmy: What do you wanna do? Janis: I don't know Janis: tell me Jimmy: what you should do? Janis: yeah Jimmy: come back Janis: yeah Janis: I thought you might say that Jimmy: to me though Jimmy: not just to this shithole Janis: okay Jimmy: okay Janis: I'm sorry Jimmy: I'm sorry too Janis: I didn't mean to make you Janis: whatever you were Janis: are Jimmy: it's alright Janis: well Janis: I missed you Jimmy: I miss you Jimmy: haven't stopped Janis: I'll come back Janis: I'm trying Jimmy: Where are you? Jimmy: I'll drive there Janis: I'm ages from where the festival was Janis: never mind there Jimmy: I don't care Janis: I know but I do Janis: I can get back Jimmy: I can get there Jimmy: won't get lost, promise Janis: your dad will 100% notice Jimmy: his girlfriend's here, he can't kick off enough to stop me Janis: damn, break my heart why don't you Jimmy: shut up Jimmy: if I leave you to it he'll be single again before you're back Jimmy: mums never last Janis: we'll ignore that you reckon I can't get back alone Jimmy: I never said you can't Jimmy: I said it'll take ages Janis: oh, so you're gonna speed as well as steal and drive without a license are you Jimmy: yeah Jimmy: and what? Janis: stop trying to seduce me Jimmy: I can't help being #goals, babe Jimmy: 😎🚬 Janis: 😏 you're a dickhead Jimmy: yeah but I wanna be yours Janis: say that again Jimmy: I wanna be your dickhead Jimmy: the only one you want Janis: you are Janis: you seriously are Jimmy: you're Janis: okay, you can come Janis: [location] Jimmy: you sure? Jimmy: I'll meet you halfway if you need to show me how 💪🏆 you are Janis: if you want to Janis: just don't get caught Jimmy: nah, tell me what you want Janis: I want to see you Jimmy: okay Janis: but Jimmy: ? Janis: Your sister messaged me Janis: I don't wanna get you in proper trouble Jimmy: she what? Janis: [screenshot] Janis: so we can say its for her benefit if you like Jimmy: hang on Jimmy: [ages while he's talking to Cass] Janis: are you okay Janis: not tryna start drama Jimmy: she's coming an' all, don't worry she's never been caught for nowt Janis: alright Janis: family reunion Jimmy: but you should know Jimmy: snap Janis: snap, what? Janis: you've got my sister in the car too Jimmy: I've had her in my inbox Janis: you are joking Jimmy: piss off, I'm funnier than that Janis: debatable but Janis: eurgh Jimmy: [screenshots of his faves insults because Grace going off thinking he's a cheating scumbag] Jimmy: she's got her own jokes Janis: great Janis: that's great Janis: not mortifying on so many levels Jimmy: I weren't gonna say owt but Jimmy: you might wanna 🗨 Janis: I might wanna kill her Janis: we'll see Jimmy: wait and we'll get 'em all in a go 🎯 Jimmy: stand by my pisshead comparison to her and my 🐕 Janis: barks worse than her bite? Jimmy: were gonna say sheds loads and she reckons you're 🥇 near as much as I do Jimmy: but that'll work an' all Janis: 😏 piss off Jimmy: [screenshots of all these real af Janis compliments in the vein of how dare you etc we know the vibe] Jimmy: didn't write of word of it myself Janis: stop it Janis: already in hiding here Jimmy: poor baby Jimmy: well hard to be adored, isn't it? Janis: you should know Jimmy: 🤤 ain't 💕 Janis: it ain't that simple either, like Jimmy: Ian wouldn't piss on me if I were on fire, Cass might spit and Bobs would put it out by 😭 Jimmy: that's simple enough Janis: she likes you more than that Janis: I can tell Janis: but don't do anything, you're so uncool and you'll just blow it Jimmy: she don't like me at all, she's my sister Jimmy: don't have to Janis: exactly, someone'll just be getting at her too Janis: for losing me, or some other bollocks Jimmy: probably Janis: no 💕 Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: if that's how you want it, baby Janis: being just friends didn't work Jimmy: it didn't Janis: so Jimmy: Do you wanna stop fucking me then? Janis: Obviously not Jimmy: Alright, do you wanna be my girlfriend instead? Janis: do you mean it Jimmy: Why else would I say it? Janis: I just have to ask Jimmy: you heard me before, I really like you Janis: I did Janis: I could be your girlfriend Jimmy: so go on Janis: alright Janis: let's do that instead Jimmy: sorted Janis: so you can use 💕 Janis: sometimes Janis: if you like Jimmy: 💕 Janis: yeah, just like that Jimmy: you don't have to be so hot about it Janis: 😂 soz Janis: kids onboard, I remember Jimmy: kid Jimmy: weren't letting Bob come, we'd never make it for stopping every 15 minutes Janis: Got younger brothers, don't need to tell me about the aim they ain't got for the bottle trick Jimmy: would love him to piss all over Ian's car if we didn't have to be sat about in it for ages after Janis: not very romantic Jimmy: as roadtrips go Janis: didn't fuck off for the drama or the 💕 reconciliation Janis: soz to report Jimmy: we can keep that between us, Jules Janis: don't tell Grace, obviously 💔🙄 Jimmy: doubt she'll speak to me again Janis: sound more thrilled Jimmy: best day of my life Jimmy: hands down Janis: now you're being too much Jimmy: 💕 Janis: better be @ me not her, dickhead Jimmy: it's yours, dickhead Jimmy: same as me Janis: you really can't be saying things like that and not be here for me to Jimmy: it ain't my fault you're always in the middle of nowt Jimmy: have a word with yourself Janis: just a 🤏 Janis: we agreed, like Jimmy: alright, shut up Janis: make me Jimmy: [most 🔥 sext ever] Janis: fuck Janis: know I literally asked for it but Janis: you really always go above and beyond, yeah Jimmy: you're that inspiring Jimmy: and I can't stop thinking about you Janis: I think about you more than anything else Janis: I can't stop Jimmy: we can stop for a bit though, can't we? be alone in a proper bed, no crying or crap music playing Janis: that sounds like a plan to me Jimmy: then it is Jimmy: a real plan Janis: I promise Janis: no faking, no one else Jimmy: it really is so different with you Jimmy: I still can't fully get my head round it Janis: No one else has ever Janis: fill in the blank, like, probably true Jimmy: I get that Jimmy: unless we're filling them in like 💔🎻😭 Jimmy: my ex holds all them cards Janis: I'm not gonna fight her for them Janis: but I can smack that other bitch for you Jimmy: no need, all her mates saw me fall onto the gravel instead of into her arms so Jimmy: and I were pretty loud about telling her to fuck off Janis: are you alright Jimmy: I'm not dying for anyone but you Janis: too right Jimmy: I should've listened to you Janis: don't matter now Janis: never have to see her again Janis: lucky for her Jimmy: alright, you're well fit, you can stop now Janis: but I'm well serious too Jimmy: don't I'll 💀💀💀 Jimmy: no one else has ever fought for me before Janis: well, you're coming to rescue me now so the score'll be even there 🤴⚔ Jimmy: nah, you didn't need me to Jimmy: you could get back Janis: I want you to Janis: and I'm only coming back for you Jimmy: I'm only staying here for you, might make us even enough Janis: if you're okay with it, I am Jimmy: til we can go together, I'll have to be Janis: yeah Janis: where are we gonna go? Jimmy: somewhere it never stops 🌧 Jimmy: where's that? Janis: Guinea, apparently Jimmy: 🤓🌍 Janis: thanks, google Janis: though I'm suspect, the top three are all in Africa Janis: thought they were starving 'cos no rain Janis: can't believe bob geldolf lied to us Jimmy: @ his 👻 Janis: and that bono bastard too Janis: he might still be alive, less sure Jimmy: there can be only one 😎👻 so he better be Janis: 😂 Janis: you know those are medical, what's your excuse? Jimmy: #same Janis: you can see just fine, it's your 👂s, remember Jimmy: Oi, have you know I'm allergic to bollocks and slags Janis: sounds serious Jimmy: would be deadly but I'm well hard 🏆💪 Janis: I'm so glad, baby Jimmy: 💕 Janis: 😏 cute Jimmy: you Janis: you more Jimmy: there's nowt more than you Janis: I'm gonna have to get used to how nice you're gonna be to me, aren't I Jimmy: I can be a twat to you all you like Jimmy: had loads of practice Janis: you've got range, I got it Janis: no need to show-off Jimmy: 👻🎭🖋💕 Jimmy: let's go to verona Janis: alright Jimmy: if it don't 🌧 enough I'll spit off our balcony, know how you feel about piss Janis: 💕 Janis: so respectful Jimmy: such a romantic, me Jimmy: you might be athlete but I'll jump through them hoops easy Janis: I'll train you Janis: All the 🥇👑🏆 for you, boy Jimmy: I'd settle for a kiss right now Janis: when you get here Janis: soz to your sister in advance Jimmy: she'll live Jimmy: like I said, Ian had his missus round Janis: well I am NOT alright with 🥈 Janis: get your cringe on Jimmy: that's why you're 🥇 Judith Janis: you know it Janis: pulling out of the race to be your new step mum has nothing to do with not being able to win, tah Jimmy: now I feel car sick, weird that Janis: Baby Janis: 🥺 Jimmy: please call me that again, I reckon it'll help Janis: if you say please again, I reckon I can Jimmy: please Janis: shit Janis: okay, you're my baby Jimmy: shit is right, I'm well 😳 but I just shivered, dunno what we're gonna do now Jimmy: might 💀💀💀 Janis: not without me Jimmy: do you wanna go first or at the same time? Janis: such a gentleman Janis: 😏 Jimmy: don't sound like me that Jimmy: literally got the wrong accent Janis: I'll work on my impression Janis: but you don't need to ask Jimmy: what do I need to do then? Janis: focus, so you don't crash Janis: then get us home so we can be alone and I can 💀💀💀 you properly Jimmy: alright Janis: good boy Jimmy: you're just Janis: I just Janis: miss you Jimmy: I just want you Jimmy: so much Janis: I can stay 'til your da's girlfriend leaves at least, can't I Jimmy: you can stay as long as you want to Janis: never can Janis: that's why I have to 🏃 too Jimmy: I'm not chucking you out and he can't Janis: alright Janis: just squat in your gaff then Jimmy: I mean it, if he ever does or says owt to you I'll 💀💀💀 him Janis: I'm not 🙀 Jimmy: there's no need to be Janis: I know, I believe you Jimmy: goes for owt else an' all 🚫🙀 Janis: contrary to what you 📢 Janis: not scared of much of anything, tah Jimmy: Thelma and Louise-ing it then, yeah? Janis: what was my fellas job again Jimmy: sells carpets Janis: oh yeah Janis: deffo kms asap then Jimmy: 😂 Janis: so Janis: are they gay or what Jimmy: they have at go at it at the end 😘 Janis: cute Janis: may as well reignite those rumours before my death Jimmy: you get stuck into loads of lads though Jimmy: when you've left Mr Carpet Janis: Oh good Janis: Mia can have 'em all on speed dial Jimmy: she would Jimmy: well her type Janis: she wants to thelma all over me Jimmy: she'll have to want Jimmy: not sharing with her Janis: fair Janis: not breaking the no other people thing for a 💀 Jimmy: too right, if we're getting anyone else involved they'll be fitter than that Jimmy: 👴💕 Janis: oh god Jimmy: deliberately left out the 👵 'cause I know you ain't #teamdoris Janis: cheers Janis: everyone knows it ain't gay if you do it for a lad though Jimmy: that 💌 ain't made it up north Jimmy: nowt isn't gay there Janis: bummer, no threesome then Janis: really are deprived Jimmy: 🎻🎻 Jimmy: Ian reckons our Cass is gay 'cause she don't wear dresses and Bob is 'cause he would if you let him Jimmy: I reckon they're 12 and 6 Janis: 🙄 Janis: wait 'til he hears about femmes and masc4masc, gonna blow his tiny mind Janis: I'll bring it up over dinner or something Jimmy: #sozbabeyourfaveisproblematic 💔 Janis: way to shit on your own nature-nurture too, Ian Janis: 2/3 of your kids are gay?! 🤔 sounds like you fucked up somewhere Jimmy: he loves to shit on my nurture, that'll be it Janis: least he did you alright genetically Janis: 🤤 Jimmy: yeah tah Jimmy: and my mum actually did something 👏 Janis: 🥇🥇🥇 that woman Jimmy: if Ian's about she can have all the 👏🏆🥇 Jimmy: loves talking about her, like Mia does carbs Janis: gotcha Janis: only to impress your date with how totally amazing you're doing without, yeah Jimmy: if it gets Sandra going that's her business Janis: 🤢 Janis: and my name is bad but christ Janis: Sandra is awful and would sound even worse in your accent, I can hear it and 😬 Jimmy: 1. Juliet is a beautiful name 2. that might not be hers 3. I call 'em all mum any road so they piss off down a far off one quicker Janis: 🔥💡 babe Jimmy: does the job I need it to do Jimmy: and it's a label that's going spare round ours Janis: if the apron fits, ladies Jimmy: Ian's gotta tie you to the sink with something, like Jimmy: can't have you going out and about earning your own 💰 and forming your own 💡🗬 Janis: gonna need his kinks to stay 🔒 and in the bedroom only thanks Jimmy: #relatable Janis: I mean I know you'll be a while yet ut you had to turn me off that hard? Jimmy: if you want me to turn you back on, that's easy Janis: 🤖💕 Jimmy: [🔥 sext numero 2] Janis: oh Janis: was gonna contest easy but Jimmy: I love a good lass protesting too much Jimmy: crack on Janis: good 'cos that didn't make me make any unholy noise at all Janis: and I know exactly what to do with myself right now Jimmy: did it not? 🤞 this one might do a more 🥇 job Jimmy: [🔥 sext 3] Janis: Jimmy, I do not like you at all Janis: not a little or a whole load Jimmy: I'll have to change your mind somehow Jimmy: 🤔🤔 Janis: I really can't take much more though Jimmy: where are you? Janis: some cafe Jimmy: 😱😱😱 Jimmy: gutted for the CG Janis: it's more greasy spoon, can't even compete, I swear Jimmy: my dear, what kind of SLAG Janis: come on, don't tell Jimmy: you know you can't make me 🤐 only 📢 Janis: your sounds are Janis: I wanna hear them on repeat Jimmy: I'll make you a playlist Janis: please Jimmy: we can do track 1 in a bit Janis: be here be here be here Janis: it's gonna be fucking torture being in that car and not being on you too Jimmy: every roadtrip needs stops Janis: I need you Jimmy: I've got a plan not to do any for ages, then Cass'll be well keen to get out when we finally get there Jimmy: she'll piss off and it'll be me and you for a bit Janis: I can work with a bit Janis: I'll take it Janis: it feels like ages since I've seen you, proper ages Jimmy: I know it does Jimmy: haven't taken a breath since I saw you last so Janis: Baby Janis: I hurt too Janis: I'll make you feel better and you'll make me feel Janis: everything Jimmy: I promise Jimmy: it'll be better than I 🖋 it Janis: always is Janis: and you're really fucking good at writing it so Jimmy: you're really fucking good at everything Janis: I do my best Jimmy: it's the best Jimmy: not that I'm a massive slag obvs Janis: I promise I won't get jealous if you were Janis: much Jimmy: just throwing a few lasses under the bus Janis: I don't need to try no one else to know Janis: how you are and how you do it is exactly how I want it Jimmy: you're not allowed to say you're shit at words any more Janis: okay 🤐 on that Janis: as long as I can use my words to tell you how good you are Jimmy: if you can get 'em out Janis: Fuck Janis: I was planning on 'til I could show you but you are making that harder and harder Jimmy: how am I so sorry but also not sorry Janis: I'll still be this wet for you when you get here, if not more Janis: you don't need to be sorry Jimmy: I'll be sorry that if I drive any faster I'll get arrested then Janis: Slow Janis: be good Janis: I'm waiting, I'll be waiting, so patiently Jimmy: fuck Janis: I really missed you Jimmy: I can't be this far away from you Janis: I'll stay Jimmy: you have to Janis: keep giving me a reason to stay Jimmy: I'll give you whatever you want Janis: you Jimmy: as much as you want then Janis: all of you Janis: all the time Jimmy: take it Janis: tell me again Jimmy: you heard me Jimmy: just take it Janis: Jimmy Jimmy: it's alright Jimmy: it's what I want too Janis: you want me to have you Janis: you wanna be mine Jimmy: you know I do Janis: you won't regret it Jimmy: I know I won't Janis: I'll look after you how you deserve Janis: make you feel as good as you are Jimmy: it's already been more Janis: I've only just started Jimmy: track 1, yeah Janis: track 1 Jimmy: this is really happening, isn't it? Janis: either that or I've died Janis: but I'm never getting rewarded like this so yeah Jimmy: you've not yet, baby Jimmy: but if I'm having a dream I will be fuming Janis: do you dream about me Jimmy: Yeah Janis: I dream about you too Jimmy: I have done since I first talked to you Jimmy: not this, that'd be weird Janis: Weird is fine Janis: you can't help what you dream Janis: or what it does to you Jimmy: you've been in my head for ages Jimmy: from when I got here Janis: I can't say I'm sorry Janis: you mean the school trip? Jimmy: I mean what I said Janis: You noticed me Jimmy: There were a before and you were fit and mysterious in it Janis: well Janis: that was clearly mutual but I don't win any prizes as you were the new boy too Jimmy: Lasses just don't look like you Jimmy: as beautiful as you are Jimmy: that being on the telly rumour should've been about you Janis: maybe you can make me speechless from there Jimmy: then we did that bollocks project and you were so Janis: it was Janis: you were an arsehole but in a way I've never known a boy to be, not standard, boring Janis: its like, everyone else could be following a fucking script, all the same scenes with all the same characters Janis: but I couldn't predict you, you changed shit Jimmy: Yeah Jimmy: nobody'd spoken to me like that Jimmy: I thought it was like being back up north but it wasn't Janis: I wanted to keep talking to you Jimmy: I forgot where I were for a bit Jimmy: those two Jimmy: all of it Janis: Yeah Janis: forgot who I was Janis: my role, anyway Jimmy: the one they put me in an' all Janis: maybe we're not that now Janis: don't have to be Jimmy: I don't want it, I'm not new for them, I'm new for you 'cause you did something Janis: Fuck them Janis: fuck all of 'em but us Jimmy: there's nobody but you Janis: I don't know how that's true but I know I believe you Jimmy: 👻 they can't see me and I only see you Janis: we can keep it that way Jimmy: it is, I didn't see what Becca were like 'cause she's barely there Janis: you're too good for everyone, I think Jimmy: did you ever see that kid's show where the kid had a watch or some bollocks and he stopped time from going? Janis: yeah, know the one you mean Jimmy: it's like everyone's stopped and you're the only one that's moving Jimmy: and I can move with you, but when you're not about, I'm stopped an' all Janis: stay with me Janis: I like it when it's just you and me Janis: other people can stay stopped forever for all I care Jimmy: and we'll piss about moving 'em into weird positions if we want but most of the time we'll just leave 'em to it Janis: yeah, obviously it's our fun first but it's for their own good too Janis: they'll just be making a mess of their lives otherwise and we haven't got time to care or worry Jimmy: too right Janis: at least we could fuck on Mia's bed again that way Jimmy: she's our BFF now we could drop in there in a bit Janis: only if we're pretending we've been on a romantic getaway post-festival Jimmy: easily done Janis: we can tell her all about it in detail Jimmy: she can act it out method with her dad when we've gone Janis: 😂 oh no Janis: if I never have to see her again, it'll be too soon Janis: her da, as well, soz creep Jimmy: and his girlfriends profiles Jimmy: burned into my 👀 Janis: they were fine ambitious young ladies keen to get ahead Jimmy: told you the 😎 were medical, that's all I'm saying Janis: omg babe you're so smart Janis: blackmail AND a lawsuit Jimmy: BABY Jimmy: where have you been all my life? Janis: pissing about with time travel waiting for someone to play with Janis: obvs Jimmy: well chuffed to meet you after my death Janis: your ghost sex skills are next level so not even mad Jimmy: don't have to touch you, but I properly wish I could Janis: you friggin' better Jimmy: stop pissing about and freeze these other cars, would you? Janis: clearly a range limit on this bullshit magic watch Jimmy: meant to get what you pay for, rich girl Jimmy: did you nick it or what? You can tell me Janis: from that nerdy kid Janis: what was he using it for anyway? Janis: bullshit is what Jimmy: 😂 Janis: your laugh Janis: 10/10 Jimmy: [sends her a voice memo of him loling cos I like to imagine he told Cass to shout slags out the car window or something and she really loudly did] Janis: 😍 Janis: can be secret bonus track Jimmy: alright Jimmy: what's the album art? Janis: 🤔 Janis: how are you in front of the 📸 Jimmy: I dunno Jimmy: we'll have to work that out Janis: you'll have to teach me to be behind it too Jimmy: you gonna listen to me? Janis: tempted Jimmy: I won't be fuming if it turns out you've got a bit of an artistic temperament Janis: I know what you like Janis: so I know how to get you in the position I really want Jimmy: there's not loads I can teach you by the sounds of it Janis: you have Janis: you just didn't know you were at the time Jimmy: do you mean that? Janis: yeah Jimmy: but Janis: ? Jimmy: how have I? Jimmy: you know everything Janis: I never Janis: well, I'd actually never had sex with anyone before Jimmy: hang on Jimmy: that dickhead from the party Janis: I didn't sleep with him Janis: never have Jimmy: you said Jimmy: didn't you say that you were? Janis: It's embarrassing but, fuck it Janis: we'd make out whenever we met up, and I'd get him off and he'd feel me up but that was as far as it went Janis: that night, at that party Janis: I tried to feel something, if I did, then I would've fucked him Janis: but I didn't so Jimmy: so you're just Jimmy: that 🥇 Jimmy: alright then Janis: you make me feel things Janis: you can just through kissing Janis: hell, just through a look Janis: he couldn't, no one I ever kissed did Jimmy: yeah I remember when it were only that Jimmy: no lass is that good at faking Janis: shut up, nothing fake about your reaction either Jimmy: never said it were Janis: be nice then Janis: I'm 💀💀💀 Jimmy: don't 💀💀💀 Janis: it's rude how good you are Janis: how was I meant to not feel anything Jimmy: I'm not sorry Janis: me either now Jimmy: all them sounds you like, I weren't making them before Jimmy: not how I do now Janis: they can be just for me Jimmy: they are Jimmy: I used to be 🔉 Janis: if I was nice, I'd say I was sorry for your exes for missing out Janis: but I'm really not Jimmy: she'd say I was crap and she's well rid probably Jimmy: there's reasons she fucked half the north and some of 'em are to do with me Janis: then she's more mad than me Jimmy: when I said headcases might be my type, weren't lying Janis: try not to be offended, like Jimmy: just don't 💀💀💀 yet, alright? Janis: not gonna top myself Janis: the madness ain't that real Jimmy: Shakespeare not Austen, I get it Janis: shh Jimmy: and no dickhead's at the Bronte level Jimmy: fucking hell Janis: Maybe I was lying about my type Jimmy: nah Jimmy: your type is me Jimmy: you just admitted it Janis: not regretting that at all Jimmy: are you? Janis: no, idiot Jimmy: telling me, I mean Jimmy: 'cause I get why you didn't before Janis: I mean, obviously there was loads of shit I couldn't tell you before Janis: because we weren't saying anything Janis: but that was because I didn't want it to be different, 'cos you were freaked out Janis: I don't care if you know now, I wanted you to Jimmy: I weren't gonna throw 🌹 petals at you, girl Jimmy: it were good, I know it was Janis: you might not have done it though, thinking I wanted that Jimmy: not that thick, it was well obvious what you wanted Janis: great Janis: 😏 Jimmy: you know what I mean Janis: 'course Jimmy: nowt else matters, we both wanted to Janis: and it was good Jimmy: so I don't care Jimmy: why would I? Jimmy: except being chuffed that you didn't fuck that twat 'cause that's what he is Janis: hadn't escaped my notice Jimmy: got my own party twats up my sleeve, can't really say owt Janis: you can say what you like Janis: not buzzing about it myself but was what it was Jimmy: I'll hit him harder next time if you like Jimmy: make him feel something Janis: You can't hit everyone who doesn't turn me on Janis: as we've covered, it's just you Janis: you've got enough to be getting on with Jimmy: get your magic watch out and we've got loads of time Janis: still rather you put your hands to better use Janis: my magic, my rules Jimmy: UGH fine 🙄😏 Janis: I know Janis: another job Jimmy: might feel 🎻🎻 for him anyway Jimmy: he don't turn Mia on either Jimmy: that's her daddy Janis: he won't mind standing in Janis: must be his kink Jimmy: keep his 🔒 tah very much Janis: 🤐 Janis: 🤞 Mia doesn't make him do a boyfriend Q&A any time soon Jimmy: she'd have to do him a script first Jimmy: oh and he'd actually have to be her boyfriend Janis: no dating 'til daddy says so, probs Janis: don't give her 👻🖋 deets Jimmy: when we go over hers we should nick her phone Jimmy: the 🗨 must be Janis: actually dread to think Janis: starts off as a joke, fully ends up being forwarded to the police Jimmy: I am the 👮🚔 mate Janis: right Janis: but bit pot kettle ain't it Jimmy: ain't my fault you Lolita-ed me Janis: well I've seen that one Janis: both versions Janis: and you were never my stepdad, tah Jimmy: 'course you have Janis: rude Janis: my sister was obssessed with it, not me Jimmy: Grace? Janis: ew, not that one Janis: if it's not got a 2 star or lower rating, she ain't watching Jimmy: I were gonna say Janis: bet she has the sunglasses though Jimmy: who don't? Jimmy: 💕 mine Janis: 😂 Janis: 🖤 though, right Jimmy: duh Jimmy: my lungs an' all Janis: got to match your accessories to your disease Jimmy: ✔ Janis: we done here then? Jimmy: what? Janis: you need to work on your 👋s Janis: so blunt Jimmy: Why are you trying to stop my 🖤? Jimmy: bit rude Janis: awh, baby Jimmy: not an answer Janis: I didn't mean to Janis: swear on your 👂s Jimmy: what's left of 'em Janis: so dramatic Jimmy: I can't say owt I'm all in black Jimmy: if I were a lass my eyeliner'd be so thick Janis: rookie error Janis: if you want sympathy you gotta wear 'none' so you look like 💀 and they know how serious the situation is Jimmy: trying to get you to come back not leg it further away Jimmy: there's been enough of 💀 lasses to last ages Janis: well you can count it as a win, like Jimmy: 🏆 Janis: how far are you now Jimmy: [a location] Janis: Hmpf Janis: I'm gonna walk a bit then, see how far I can get Jimmy: another downside to the black I'm covered in 🐕 hair Jimmy: just reminded us Janis: hot Janis: you tryna put me off again? Jimmy: you don't miss her then? 🐕💔 gutted Janis: shh Janis: don't tell her Jimmy: if I don't, what are you gonna do for me? Janis: I can tell you how you're the only person or creature I've missed? Jimmy: go on Janis: I've only thought about you since I've been gone Janis: where you were, what you were doing, if you were thinking about me at all Jimmy: I've been doing nowt but thinking about you Janis: I'm sorry Janis: but also not not glad, you know Jimmy: it's alright, you're all I wanna think about Janis: but I know it weren't good things Jimmy: it were though Jimmy: I told you, I do my own head in, it ain't you Jimmy: and I know I fucked up Janis: I didn't have to be so Janis: well, I did Janis: I wanted to be worse but Jimmy: I've been a massive dickhead an' all Jimmy: I get it Janis: I just wish I'd smacked her instead of all this Jimmy: I thought your sister were gonna when she 👀 us Janis: still might Janis: get one of the others to serve her for a while I reckon Jimmy: could win her over with my latte 🎨? Janis: what are you gonna do Janis: 'soz 💗' Jimmy: take a chapter out of our kid's book Janis: 😏 Jimmy: don't listen to a word of it Jimmy: got loads of lasses in my phone, me Janis: 👌 Jimmy: Oi Janis: what? Jimmy: you know what Jimmy: taking the piss Janis: I ain't Janis: how thrilled you want me to be that you're such a lad, not your dad Jimmy: it's your type, Jasmine Janis: oh yeah Janis: so you've told me Jimmy: there's that enthusiasm Janis: you want fake 😍 I can do it all day Jimmy: not @ me, you can't, first off Jimmy: second, you know what I want Janis: Yeah Janis: but I can't lie Janis: if I had a type, it weren't you Janis: you're beyond that bullshit Janis: league of your own, like, it's ridiculous Jimmy: I said it first, no lasses I've ever seen are as beautiful as you Jimmy: on screen or off Jimmy: dunno how my 📷 didn't break Janis: you're so Jimmy: it's not just that though Jimmy: we've always had a right laugh even doing that bollocks project Jimmy: and on that school trip where I didn't wanna fucking be Janis: no one treats me like that Janis: like a person Jimmy: if they can't handle it, that's their 💔😭🎻 Jimmy: 'cause you're a top person Janis: yeah, you're pretty sound too Jimmy: @cassthelass Jimmy: not what she's saying Janis: have to win her back 'round Janis: take full babysitting responsibilities and let her fuck off for a while Jimmy: she wants me to smack this teacher for her when we go back Jimmy: might do, he sounds like a right bellend Janis: could assume as much from being a teacher Janis: what'd he do though Jimmy: they had this homework and she didn't know they'd have to read it out when she wrote it so when he tried to make her she kicked off Jimmy: he reckoned the right thing to do would be to take her book off her and read it out to everyone anyway Jimmy: they all took the piss, obvs Jimmy: including him, she says Janis: definitely a smackable offense then Janis: fuck that Jimmy: you'll alibi me, yeah? Janis: duh Janis: what are girlfriends for but lying and making excuses for you Jimmy: lying and making excuses to you? but that might just be my ex Janis: can if you like Janis: reckon anyone but you will believe I've just popped to the shop? Jimmy: Depends who you mean Jimmy: we can make the #fans believe owt Janis: get on it then Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: [on the socials like there's nothing to see here peeps just flirting like old times] Janis: they'll never know Jimmy: 🥇 me Jimmy: lying, excuses, owt you want Janis: I know Janis: not gonna go out with someone 🥉 Jimmy: you wouldn't have left with him if he had come to the festival Janis: is that a question or Jimmy: does it need a ? Janis: nah Jimmy: Nah you wouldn't or nah you don't want it to be a question? Janis: nah it don't need to be a question Janis: 'cos you're not him, you're you Jimmy: yeah but you were fuming at me Jimmy: and you reckoned me and Becca were Janis: that's not the story we're telling though Janis: obviously Jimmy: Alright Janis: even if you and her were Janis: not like I was allowed to be angry a you anyway Jimmy: didn't stop me when I thought you and him were Janis: didn't stop me either Janis: but if you wanted to, couldn't stop you or say shit Janis: we were just mates so Jimmy: yeah but I'd do owt for you Janis: That wouldn't have been a dead giveaway Janis: oh yeah, can you just not fuck her, or her, or her Janis: anyway, I thought you might like her Jimmy: you just didn't wanna say it first Jimmy: bit rude, girl Janis: 1. not true, boy 2. what was my 'strop' that you were really receptive to if not saying it, dickhead Jimmy: Alright, calm down Jimmy: I'll give you a 🏆💕 Janis: I don't want it Janis: I'm trying to explain Jimmy: You will want it, baby Jimmy: but go on Janis: You're so rude Jimmy: I'm listening well intently Jimmy: talk to me Janis: Well now I'm distracted by all the things I could be saying now I have your attention Jimmy: well now I wanna hear 'em all Janis: we can just forget about all that mess and everyone else, can't we Jimmy: nowt I want more Jimmy: except you Janis: Good Janis: we're on the same 📖 now Jimmy: we have been for ages we just never said Janis: yeah Janis: s'weird Janis: but good weird Jimmy: as first boyfriend's go Jimmy: I'll make sure it goes alright Janis: 😏 Janis: no pressure or anything Jimmy: 🏆🥇💪 Janis: you can be shit Janis: aside from being my type Janis: makes for a better storytime, yeah Jimmy: I don't wanna though Jimmy: I'm shit at the rest of what I've got going on Janis: shut up Janis: you ARE barista boy Jimmy: nowt challenging about that Jimmy: and nowt really to do with me Jimmy: I could muck up every single order and still get tips Jimmy: that fit and mysterious, like Janis: well, I like the smoothies Jimmy: they're not on the menu, just make 'em for you Janis: that's 💕 Jimmy: the ones that are have loads of bollocks you wouldn't like in Jimmy: not gonna do that to you, my dear Janis: stop being so cute Jimmy: lasses first Janis: well serious Janis: if I'm gonna keep living my life you'll have to tone it down or I'm getting fuck all done Jimmy: oi, what else have you got on other than being my muse? Janis: 😱😱😱 Jimmy: you can do that lounging about, don't have to get dressed or nowt Jimmy: be like that other famous Leo film Janis: either way, I'm 💀 you when I'm over it Jimmy: we wouldn't both be fitting on that door Jimmy: too tall, you Janis: yeah but you're tiny Jimmy: 😱😱😱 Jimmy: don't be spreading that about Janis: 🤐🤐 Janis: buy my silence Jimmy: with what? Janis: get rid of my horrible rich fiance for me Jimmy: easy Janis: and my cunty ma Jimmy: even easier Jimmy: like I said, mums never stay about when I am Janis: blessing in this case Jimmy: and all cases up til now Janis: 👍 Janis: k, you can fuck me in the fancy car then, Leo Jimmy: hang on, I'll just trade in this shitty volvo Janis: ⏲ Jimmy: How far have you walked then? Janis: [new location] Jimmy: Piss off Jimmy: you haven't Janis: did a bit of running too Jimmy: What the fuck do you get up to when I ain't distracting you? Jimmy: that's Janis: eh, lot of thinking about you, like I said Janis: and I told you I wanted to see you now Jimmy: you're so Janis: desperate? Janis: give you that one Jimmy: impressive Janis: (                  .                                              _                                              .                                            ) Janis: my head Jimmy: should've gone with inspiring Jimmy: for the 🎨 Janis: hidden talents, I know Janis: ( . u . ) Janis: more accurate Jimmy: Gonna get Cass to tattoo that on me, hang on Jimmy: bound to be a needle in this car somewhere Janis: can't wait 'til that gets all infected Janis: look so 😎🚬 babe Jimmy: you just wanna nurse me again Janis: maybe Jimmy: maybe it's your turn to be nursed though Janis: just don't drop me Jimmy: I won't Janis: okay Janis: let's look after each other Jimmy: okay Janis: if you get ay shit tattoos though Janis: you will have to cover then before you see me Jimmy: I'll leave the marks to you Janis: you might regret promising that Jimmy: doubt it Janis: there's not enough space to show you how much I need you Jimmy: you'll work something out Janis: what if I don't? Janis: I really need you to know, like Jimmy: if you can't show me any more, you'll just have to tell me Janis: I'll try Jimmy: you don't have to Jimmy: not shit with words, remember Janis: until I see you then I just Jimmy: it's alright Jimmy: whatever you wanna do is Janis: I wanna just Janis: be, you know Janis: for long as we can Jimmy: we don't have to go straight back, you know Janis: what do you mean Jimmy: if you don't wanna Jimmy: Ian'll have his hands full with the kid Jimmy: can't shop me if he can't get any time to himself for it Janis: what about your sister and shit Janis: I ain't been staying in no hotel, like Jimmy: she won't mind us taking the long way round Jimmy: getting lost for a bit is what I do Janis: alright Janis: if you're sure Janis: fuck all I'm going back to Jimmy: there we go then Jimmy: don't worry about Cass, that's my job Janis: 👍 Jimmy: she said you're alright, for a lass Jimmy: I reckon that means you can close both eyes Janis: 🙏 Janis: first time in a while, cheers Jimmy: you are alright though? Janis: 'course I am Janis: and you are Jimmy: you know what kind of question it were Jimmy: and why I'm asking it Janis: I've done this before Janis: know what I'm doing Jimmy: I've stolen this car before, don't mean it's nowt Janis: Honest Jimmy: promise then Janis: I promise Janis: being away ain't what fucks you, it's the whys, and that's sorted now Jimmy: I just Jimmy: there'd be no point to nowt if you weren't here Janis: I am Janis: I will be Jimmy: and if owt happened to you 'cause of me Jimmy: with that being how we left it Janis: nothing did, it's okay Janis: and we ain't leaving it there, fuck that Jimmy: I'm so sorry Janis: Shh, you don't need to apologize now, it's all sorted Janis: we're good Jimmy: right Jimmy: I'm just being Janis: you don't need to explain Janis: it's a lot Janis: from nothing to this Jimmy: Hang on Jimmy: [the longest pause while he gets his shit together] Janis: no rush Janis: not pissing it down today 💔 Jimmy: Alright fine, I'll spit at you when I see you Jimmy: stop begging Janis: 🤤 Janis: you Janis: 😥 me Jimmy: Baby Janis: not a 😍 face with water on soz Janis: well into it, obvs Jimmy: Duh, who wouldn't be? Janis: idk, virgins probs 🙄 Jimmy: 😏 Janis: Dans gonna be gutted Jimmy: when he broke up with that girl, we all were Janis: I meant 'cos bucktooth practically promised him the job of deflowering me but way to rock my world there Janis: dropping like flies Jimmy: What was her name? Cheryl? 💔 about that an' all tbh Jimmy: nowt's in a name but Janis: her ma had taste Janis: runs in the family Jimmy: steady on Jimmy: I can't fight him Janis: 'cos he's well 💪? Jimmy: obvs the sexual tension would well get in the way Janis: fine, I'll punch the puppy in the face Janis: good 👮 bad 👮 Jimmy: you're decent to have about, give you that Janis: high praise indeed Jimmy: I'm not far now Jimmy: you'll 👂🎶 soon Janis: wait 'til Cass has gone though Janis: I'm alright for a girl and you ain't bringing me down Jimmy: she's got a point Jimmy: as lasses go, you're not bad Janis: 🥇 or nothing Jimmy: you'll do til I get 👴💕 Janis: Appreciate it 😏 Jimmy: you will if you don't already Janis: trust me, I plan to do a lot of appreciating Janis: not just missed your charming personality, like Jimmy: I heard some dickhead can make you feel things with a look, gonna give that a go once I ain't having to watch for 🚔 Janis: are your eyes like his Jimmy: Dunno, what are his like? Janis: fuck Janis: you've got to see them some time Janis: really dark but really warm Janis: like you'll never know what he's thinking but you also know exactly what he's thinking Janis: like that Jimmy: they sound alright but I don't reckon it'll be worth breaking eye contact with you to have a look Jimmy: and there's loads of you left to look at after that if I did so Janis: It's alright, I don't wanna share him really Jimmy: I'm not bothered, he don't sound like enough of a lad for me Janis: well you'll be even more disappointed if you reckon I am Jimmy: just saying, sounds like he'd write poetry or some bollocks and always be kissing and touching you all the time Jimmy: really slowly Jimmy: like he drives Janis: don't you wanna kiss and touch me all over Janis: or just look? Jimmy: Depends what it feels like when I look Janis: he's a lot to beat Janis: you'll know when you do though Jimmy: Challenge accepted Janis: I hope you do Janis: I need to be touched Jimmy: [🔥 sext 4? I think lol about all the touching he's gonna do] Janis: Jesus Janis: I love how you do everything so slowly but you are killing me Janis: you know that Jimmy: I feel like I could 💀💀💀 right now Jimmy: just thinking about you Janis: just imagine how good feeling me is gonna be Jimmy: fuck Janis: my favourite place is in your lap Jimmy: if you were here now you'd really like it Janis: exactly Janis: when I can feel how hard you are Jimmy: if it's not now I don't wanna say it Janis: knowing that it's all for me Jimmy: I want you to know everything Jimmy: feel everything Janis: I want to feel you Jimmy: I need to feel you too Janis: I told you, I'm just getting more and more ready for you here Janis: there's no hiding it Jimmy: have a word with that god mate of yours Jimmy: I can't be this close and not be this close to the street you're on Janis: It's so unfair Janis: but we've got time now, yeah, so if we cum on sight, I'm not mad Jimmy: I'll be a bit Janis: well, you know Janis: try to wait 'til we're alone and you're inside me at least Jimmy: it is something a first boyfriend would do, if I can't Janis: it's been too long Jimmy: ages Janis: not allowed to leave it this long again alright Jimmy: suits me Janis: promise Jimmy: I do Janis: you're gonna fuck me, every day? Jimmy: at least Janis: Good Janis: you know what I want Jimmy: might as well do all night an' all, never get any sleep any road, do we? Janis: yeah Janis: but maybe we can wear each other out Jimmy: you up for that challenge? Janis: yes Jimmy: famed for my stamina, me Jimmy: 😎🚬 Janis: I know Janis: but don't I always look after you? Jimmy: Yeah Janis: then that's what I'll do, I'll fuck you so long and so good you'll have to have the best night's sleep, ever Jimmy: that's actually proper romantic Janis: 😏 Janis: I mean it though Jimmy: I know Janis: remember how sleepy you were Janis: after the ice bath Jimmy: it were like being a kid Janis: in what way Jimmy: you know when you wanna stay up but you just can't Janis: yeah Janis: you have to fight to keep your eyes open but you feel all fuzzy anyway, like you're half in sleep Jimmy: right Janis: I get it Jimmy: Did I say tah for that? Janis: I'm sure you did Janis: not doing it or bringing it back up for that though, don't worry, like Jimmy: I still can't believe you did that for me Jimmy: any of it Janis: why wouldn't I Jimmy: people don't Jimmy: when it's your own fault Janis: that doesn't matter to me Janis: you're not that much of a dickhead Janis: you don't need to be hurting like that Jimmy: I am though, and you can't go about being a massive dickhead and expect nowt to come back Janis: nah, no one is that bad Jimmy: 🤞 next time I won't be so pissed Jimmy: can look after myself better Janis: what's the story then Janis: who'd you piss off Jimmy: surrounded by knobheads, not news, is it? Janis: nah, guess not Jimmy: nowt to worry about once I stop sleeping in fields Janis: not up for the next one then? Janis: gutted Jimmy: Depends Janis: on? Jimmy: 1. how much of a lad Asia's bringing 2.🌧 3. if I get to have a makeover this time Janis: 😏 Janis: you can get tarted up with the best waterproof makeup money can buy to steal Asia's man Janis: before he runs, anyway Janis: how's that? Jimmy: 🥇💡 Janis: Wonder about you, boy, really do Jimmy: I heard how often you think about me, yeah Janis: piss off 😂 Jimmy: hang on, I'll just turn this car around Jimmy: see you Jimmy: been good but goodbye Janis: don't Janis: just be nice Jimmy: I can't even fake that I'm about to Janis: no faking either Jimmy: few more streets then it'll get well real Janis: 🙏🙏🙏 Jimmy: Oi Janis: ? Jimmy: I didn't get lost Jimmy: say something Janis: OMG Janis: babe Janis: actually though Janis: 👏👏👏 Jimmy: would @iantaylor8 to finally be proud of me an' all but don't want him knowing where I am Jimmy: the speech is all on you, Jules Jimmy: hope you iced a cake Janis: no pressure Janis: maybe circle those last few streets a couple of times, yeah Jimmy: I've had Cass' heartfelt 🙄 Jimmy: it's loads to try and top Janis: damn Janis: I'll have to think of something really 💕 Jimmy: soz babe Janis: if you're happy I'm happy, babe Janis: and not scared of a challenge ever Jimmy: don't sound like me, that Jimmy: does sound like you though Janis: if you're 😒 I'm 😒 Janis: better? Jimmy: 👍 Jimmy: but it makes me wanna kiss you Janis: that's not a bad thing Jimmy: you've kissed loads of lads before haven't you? Janis: not really Jimmy: fuck's sake Jimmy: so that's something else you're just well good at then Janis: I don't know Janis: I only like it when it's you so maybe you're just that good Jimmy: it weren't a question, dickhead Jimmy: I know the answer Jimmy: you're 🥇 Jimmy: It ain't me 'cause it would've been that good with everyone else Janis: not for me Janis: it weren't like bad Janis: just like, actual faking Jimmy: that I've kissed, I mean 'cause it weren't this good for me with them either Janis: oh Janis: I think you're good, even if I don't have as many to compare you to Jimmy: not that I have loads Janis: how long were you with your girlfriend Jimmy: ages Janis: makes sense then Jimmy: what does? Janis: why your body count ain't higher Jimmy: I'm not actually 45 Jimmy: or a SLAG Jimmy: that's also why Janis: well yeah Janis: but you're also fit Jimmy: what my DMs tell me day in and out Janis: Baby Janis: can always go psycho on 'em for you Jimmy: it's just bollocks Janis: you are though Janis: but I know what you mean Jimmy: it's why I picked you Jimmy: 'cause you do know what I mean Janis: and 'cos I'm well fit Jimmy: obviously Janis: I'm glad you did Jimmy: me an' all Jimmy: not that I reckoned you'd go for it Janis: you must've thought I was mental Jimmy: like I'd have a leg to stand on with that Jimmy: it were my idea Janis: true Jimmy: and we've covered that mental's my type so I would've been too 😍😍 to think of nowt Janis: Charming as ever, dickhead Janis: what did you think, actually Jimmy: How far back? Janis: Well, now I wanna know first impressions too Janis: but when I agreed to the plan Jimmy: when we get home I'll show you my first impression, if you want Janis: intriguing Jimmy: when you agreed to the plan I was chuffed there were a plan and that it were you Jimmy: 'cause we'd done the project, like I said, and it didn't make me wanna top myself Jimmy: I reckoned it'd probably go alright, for a bit Janis: it kinda worked Janis: as much as it ever were Jimmy: yeah but I didn't expect you to be so Jimmy: for us together to be like Janis: can't say I predicted that either Janis: very inconvenient, actually Jimmy: I had a crack at it, I reckoned I'd thought about every way that kissing you that first time could possibly go but then Janis: I thought I didn't even need to Janis: be the same as every other kiss, non-event Janis: but nope Jimmy: I was such a dick to you about it Jimmy: you were meant to tell me it weren't worth the hassle and you couldn't even fake it Jimmy: bit rude of you not to Janis: I couldn't then Janis: not that I can now Janis: I mean, the plan was, to get what I needed from the plan, then do one, regardless if you got what you needed Janis: but you fucked that all up so yeah, very rude Jimmy: I were geared up for it to either be crap or just alright, even for you to freeze up on me, not for it to feel like Jimmy: that were my plan out the bloody window and then you didn't even have the decency to let me out of it Jimmy: very rude is right Janis: I didn't like you that much from one kiss, soz Janis: I wanted to do a lot more of it, but not 'cos you were so lovely Jimmy: as I said, we've been on the same page for ages Janis: in that fucking bunkbed Janis: Jesus, I wanted you bad Jimmy: if they hadn't been there Jimmy: I would've just Janis: you can show me that too, yeah Jimmy: I had no idea it were possible to want someone that bad Janis: guess usually you don't have to stop at what we had to Janis: whilst pretending you're doing what you wanna Jimmy: I dunno, I've had to stop before Jimmy: it weren't the same Janis: okay Janis: I can believe it Janis: felt like I was dying Janis: in a really good way Jimmy: I can believe that Jimmy: it's how I feel now in this fucking car Janis: I'll be in there too soon Jimmy: there were so many bits of it where I near said or did Jimmy: something Janis: Me too Janis: thought when we finally admitted we wanted to fuck, that would fix everything Jimmy: I had my 🤞 an' all Jimmy: we might be great romantics, girl, but I don't reckon we can call ourselves geniuses Janis: 💔 that Jimmy: them bad ideas were still some of my best ones Jimmy: 💔 we can't tell anyone about this Jimmy: it'd be a 🥇💰💰💰 film Janis: probably say it's too far-fetched Janis: outdid ourselves again 💪 Jimmy: it'd have to be american, they always take things too far Jimmy: and fuck that Jimmy: what kind of accent Janis: you'd be on the football team instead of me Janis: such bullshit Jimmy: I wanna wave the pom poms Jimmy: so rude Janis: I'll get you the costume, baby Jimmy: I'll never take it off Jimmy: not just 'cause I'm a dutiful missus but we can fake it's only that and not for Ian's heart attack, piece of piss, like Janis: get that story straight for the inquest Jimmy: but don't delete your socials yet, can only handle so many 💔 at a time Janis: Duh, what's the point in murder if you can't post not so cryptic statuses about it Jimmy: 👍 Janis: you better 🤣 that shit Jimmy: play track 1 Jimmy: hang on, nah that was the hidden bonus track, weren't it? Janis: mhmm Janis: fake fan Janis: 🥇 president of the fanclub, me Jimmy: real fan who can't think proper Janis: I'll let you off Janis: as you're letting me sit in on the live recording of #1 Jimmy: and every track after Janis: 😍 Janis: promise Jimmy: get ready to recreate them 😍 IRL Jimmy: I reckon we're here Janis: [just 👀 into cars like hello? 'til she spots them] Jimmy: [making Cass get out cos he can't even cos just dying like 😍😍] Janis: [seriously, this gon' be SO tense but luckily in a 😍 way not a way like before, poor Cass though lmao] Jimmy: [go stretch your legs and get some car snacks gal you don't need to see any of this] Janis: [like we're not exchanging pleasantries here there's no time] Jimmy: [not soz because I can only imagine how long this convo would've been going if it was real time like she was FAR] Janis: [exactly, and we are highkey and in love so] Jimmy: [literally that] Janis: [like hope this street isn't full of people lol] Jimmy: [yeah I hope you at least parked it somewhere with as much privacy as possible because we're not stopping] Jimmy: [I just imagine a lil Irish village and like some Miss Marple type bitches just living their lives and I'm cackling tbh] Janis: [they will be thriving enjoy the show] Jimmy: [god bless] Janis: [we're probably gonna need to skip aren't we] Jimmy: [mhmm we know the only thing that's happening rn] Janis: [as much as we love it] Jimmy: [have some coupley af time in this tiny village full of 👵 before you gotta drive again] Janis: [get an ice cream, v famous five] Jimmy: [ginger beer] Janis: [lmao, fat mood] Jimmy: [get some tea too you love it] Janis: [must be done, lowkey have you eaten much this past however long, get on it] Jimmy: [we know you haven't, we know what you're like] Janis: [the #dramatics are so real] Jimmy: [they are which is why he would've brought her clothes cos all she had was from the festival like are they wet or muddy we don't know, probably] Janis: [and just slightly inappropriate to be walking around in lol] Jimmy: [he's got your back babe] Janis: [as if you weren't already so overwhelmed we gotta hold back the emotions here] Jimmy: [#mood] Janis: [like you've been this extra and you're still holding back things I can't never change] Jimmy: [can't blame y'all 🔓 the backstories is an event and it's why you're like this] Janis: [we've only just begun to live] Jimmy: [I love it] Jimmy: [they need some kind of memento from this roadtrip even if they steal it but idk what it should be] Janis: [hmm I'm pondering] Jimmy: [me too] Janis: [maybe something music-related? steal a record or two] Jimmy: [that's a good idea boo] Janis: [for that ref but also shoving a record up your top would be blatant and they'd probably get chased so that too would be a moment they'd love lol] Jimmy: [I love that and how coupley of you to start a record collection together honestly] Janis: [ugh, nerds, be more #couplegoals] Jimmy: [seriously fuck you cs gal we know it's your dream but you're not having it you hipster hoe] Janis: [not with this boy sweaty] Jimmy: [not with any boy if that's how you conduct yourself] Janis: [sort yourself out my love, we aren't letting you near Pete] Jimmy: [you ain't gonna be the one he marries and has those kids with thank you] Janis: [can you imagine, like Pete no, we're never seeing you again missy] Jimmy: [I bloody love Pete] Janis: [don't we all but not really yet] Jimmy: [soon you will have mates and life will be everything, hang in there kids] Janis: [emosh for you both honestly] Jimmy: [hard same] Jimmy: [let's also take a moment for Cass living her best life just because she's not babysitting/around Ian's bs the bar is so low and you'll be living your best life with your lil bf soon too babe] Janis: [literally, we just want not shit all the time tah] Jimmy: [I was thinking that her and Janis should have a #bonding moment because something happens that she needs a girl for like she gets her period being the obvious cliche but whatever and it's like help] Janis: [a mood though, deffo] Janis: [and she is chill in a #crisis so you won't wanna die babe] Jimmy: [she's not Grace thank god] Janis: [imagine, Cass would murder you forrealz] Jimmy: [hence she's gonna be more team Janis after because the text was her being team Jimmy and wanting her to come back round for his sake like no offense she didn't give a fuck who you were but then it's like oh she's alright as a person not just his gf] Janis: [we building these relationships] Jimmy: [we sneaky like that] Janis: [we moving in lowkey already] Jimmy: [it's my fave thing because he's never like MOVE IN it happens so organically okay bye] Janis: [they just those bitches, so in love so easy] Jimmy: [literally like they're not gonna be like let's get married and have babies it'll just happen] Janis: [ugh bye, is there anything else we wanna specify before they go home] Jimmy: [we know the vibe, they in a happy bubble everything is bliss even boring af villages lol] Janis: [I'm good with that, potentially can leave this here then] Jimmy: [unless we wanna do any chatting on the way back yeah] Janis: [maybe just to be cute with it 'cos can't be saying loads of shit out loud making Cass 🤢] Jimmy: [can always type if you wanna be extra] Janis: [just grooving to tunes outwardly though, having some kind of fast-food car dinner] Jimmy: [living your best lives] Janis: hey Jimmy: afternoon Janis: alright? Jimmy: are you? Janis: 😊 Jimmy: that is a decent representation of how you look, yeah Jimmy: [looks over at her to make the point like oh hey] Janis: [pulls ugly face that never is] Jimmy: [lols which we know is adorable] Janis: 😳 Janis: uncalled for Jimmy: it were you that did it Janis: yeah but Janis: now I miss you Jimmy: [gonna assume that she's in the front with him so gonna say that he reaches over and writes I miss you too on her but eyes on the road ty] Janis: [kisses where he wrote it] Janis: real shame your sister can't have a go driving, like Jimmy: she can when it's a bit quieter Jimmy: I had a go when I were her age Janis: umm Jimmy: what? Janis: you made promises for when we get back, so not tryna die out here Janis: not that you aren't a great teacher, obvs Jimmy: you said you weren't 🙀 of owt Janis: 😏 call it skeptical, but fine Janis: you wanna be all hot and capable Jimmy: I don't wanna be whatever the opposite is, tah Jimmy: sounds like Mr Lucas Jimmy: or my dad Janis: bit rude to put the loml in the same category as Ian Jimmy: is it? Janis: yes Janis: let me live a lie in peace Jimmy: [does IRL sarky 👌] Janis: #hater 🙄 Jimmy: Oi, I'm a lover if I'm owt Jimmy: clue's in the name, Jules Janis: I know Janis: 💘 Jimmy: 🌹 Janis: soz, ditched the flower crown on the way outta the ⛺ Jimmy: 💔😭 Janis: @godzilla Janis: think it was hers Jimmy: [pretends he's going to] Janis: we don't have to talk to them anymore, remember Jimmy: [exaggerated phew sigh and wipe of his forehead like a nerd as he pretends to delete everything he's pretending he wrote] Janis: [just shaking her head but in a loving way] Jimmy: [cue Cass shaking her head at both of y'all from the back] Janis: whoops Jimmy: [throws some kind of snacks at Cass like shut up] Janis: [when you and your siblings haven't had a relationship for years haha it's fine] Jimmy: [the cali fam breaks my heart bye] Janis: [texting someone rn, that is Grace, to say she's coming back, 'cos yep, feelings whomst] Jimmy: [we can do it if you want/ a convo between them] Janis: [my thoughts exactly] Jimmy: [just 😍 while she's on her phone and can't see] Janis: [looking up like sorted] Jimmy: [holding her hand cos you just wanna] Janis: [squeezing it] Jimmy: [the most genuine smile ever] Janis: [right backatcha, boy] Janis: you're beautiful Jimmy: you Janis: just believe me Jimmy: I can't Janis: try to, yeah Janis: really really hard Jimmy: [squeezing her hand like okay] Janis: [bringing their hands up to her mouth so she can kiss his like okay, before turning to get snacks to chuck in his mouth] Jimmy: you're a really good girlfriend Janis: I didn't think I'd like it Janis: being called that Janis: but it's stupid how it makes me feel when you say it Jimmy: 💕 right? Janis: yeah Janis: something like that Jimmy: I get it Janis: you better Jimmy: I mean, I had it in my head that I weren't gonna do owt like this again Janis: well, I ain't gonna fuck you over Janis: know you can't promise shit like that, or people say you can't, but I am 'cos I won't, whatever happens Jimmy: Alright Jimmy: the bar's pretty low, just don't bother to fuck half of the town Janis: why would I Janis: when I've got you Jimmy: I dunno, do I? Jimmy: why do people do owt? Jimmy: loads of reasons Janis: yeah but I only wanna fuck you so Janis: not an issue Jimmy: Good Jimmy: can leave it out of the comic I'm gonna draw Janis: what comic? Jimmy: What kind of question's that? Jimmy: ain't drawn it yet Janis: it's a surprise Janis: alright Jimmy: 👍 Janis: how x-rated were you planning on going though, just wondering Jimmy: [winks at her but then lols] Janis: [also loling, 'scuse them private jokes] Jimmy: [bit rude but we're not soz] Janis: [sure she's texting her mates and does not want to be involved in your shenanigans really] Jimmy: [we should let her have a go at driving though like if they're in the middle of nowhere once again] Janis: [yes, deffo] Jimmy: [though she smol as I discovered when I googled her height, not much taller than me] Janis: [I swear she doesn't look that smol] Jimmy: [we'll never know] Janis: [live ya dreams] Jimmy: [she should be a really bad driver though and they're like damn don't actually kill us] Janis: [#triggert] Jimmy: [we're not letting that happen lads don't worry] Janis: [that would be evil] Jimmy: [like do we wanna have them sleep in the car and go back tomorrow though like how far do you think this trip is?] Janis: [they could probably get home, even if it's late, I don't think anyone would've travelled more than a couple of hours or so for that festival so] Jimmy: [yeah we can say Cass falls asleep lying in the back like my little baby boo] Janis: [n'awh'ing at that but quietly 'cos want some alone time tbh] Jimmy: [nobody in that whole fam ever be sleeping well but Ian, you've done us a favour this once sir] Janis: [enjoy it gal] Jimmy: [shamelessly stopping somewhere so you can makeout we all know it] Janis: [deffo, better sit on the car instead of in it 'cos the levels of being bad at being quiet are through the roof rn] Jimmy: [we see through your flimsy excuses of needing a piss or petrol or whatever you're saying you're stopping for, we know it's been ages and you're extra] Janis: [#tea] Jimmy: [I can't even blame you what an emotional af day] Janis: [the relief, the intensity of all the emotions, gah] Jimmy: [add to that they're literally 15] Janis: [god bless and goodbye]

[littleredroseonthevalley]

An Opera on Separation - Chapter 14

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | CH. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 |

Summary: The police follows on Claire’s rape and Emily is called in for questioning. Is Nathan a suspect?

Rating: M -  Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Mention of rape. Reader discretion is highly advised.

Words: 1473

Notes: Remember when I said Beau was one sick little shit? Well, I made him sicker.

Enjoy.

Boring

Zack was still trying to calm Becca down with a cup of cold water when the telephone rung.

Emily and Zack changed a look, debating silently who’s going to answer it, and it ended up to be decided that she’d do it. “Hello?” She picked up the call.

“Good morning, miss. This is from Hartfeld Police Department.” The man’s voice says from over the phone. “Do I speak with Emily Harper?”

“Yes.” She said, wavering and wary. “How may I help you?”

“Miss, your presence has been required at the police station. It is about Miss Pierce’s rape.” He responds, using a grave voice.

Claire? She did not know anything about the girl. In fact, that news report this morning has been the first time she has heard the name in months.

“What about it?” The redhead asks, legitimately confused.

“The deputy has requested your testimony.” He responded, simple.

That was enlightening.

She breathed out, trying to keep her cool. “I’m not sure on what I can contribute, but of course. Is there an appointment that I am supposed to attend?”

“At your earliest convenience.” He said, and then added: “Preferably this morning.”

“Of course, I’m free. I’ll be there in an hour.” She nods.

“Thank you, Miss Harper. We’ll be expecting you; goodbye.” He said and finished the call.

Emily, then, placed the phone back on the hook and walked over back to the living room, where Becca was still altered and Zack seemed to be running haggard trying to control the impulsive blonde.

The ruckus died down as the two of them looked into the pale and struck face of Emily.

“Who was it?” Zack asks, concerned.

“It was the police.” She answered. “They want me to testify on Claire’s case.”

“What?!” The two other roommates shout in unison.

“What can you possibly know about Claire?” Zack says, in his usual over-the-top fashion. “If anyone here should be called into questioning, it would be Becca. They’re friends, after all.”

“Unless,” The blonde says, creepily calm. “Unless it isn’t about who knows the victim, rather than who knows the rapist.”

“You’re not saying…” He turned to her and stopped himself from saying what he meant.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” She jumped to her feet. “It happened at Alpha Theta Mu, haven’t it?”

The young man tutted. “Nevertheless, there’s at least fifteen people living there, and none of them are… you know.”

“But Emily’s not close to either of them. Let’s face it, Nathan raped Claire.” The blonde picked up the redhead’s arm. “Come on, Emily! I’m going to the station with you!”

“Good morning, Miss Emily.” An investigator enters the dark and cold room she was sitting on. “I am Deputy McKenzie, head of police here in Hartfeld. Thank you for coming so promptly.”

“Of course, Mr. McKenzie, anything I can do to help.” She nods.

“Allow me to begin by saying that you’re not being accused of anything.” He says, with a soft smile. “I only have a few, commonplace questions. I would’ve gone to your house, but as this is a high-coverage case, I can’t leave the station without the Hartfeld Herald printing it on the front page.

“Speaking of which, I must ask that you refrain from giving declarations to the press. It could hinder my investigation.”

She returned the kindness of his smile and responded: “I won’t be talking to anyone about it.”

“Good.” He took out a recorder and pressed play. “Now, remember you’re giving your official statement. Try to give the most accurate descriptions of events you possibly can. No need to be nervous, but no detail is small enough.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Now, first things first, what is your full name, birth town and age?”

“I am Emily Louise Harper. I am twenty years old and I’m from Boston, Massachusetts.”

“Okay.” He writes down her name on a form. “First question, what’s your relation with Nathan Sterling, III, Beau Han and Kassidy Marquez?”

Her nerves hitched at the mention of the names. It seemed like Becca might be right about Nathan, after all. “Nathan’s my boyfriend. The other two are his friends.”

“Are you close to either of them?” He probes further.

“Not particularly.” She bobbed her head. “I mean, we’ve gone out as a group on occasion, but I never really talked at lenght to them one-on-one.”

“Very well.” He says and scribbles something. “Where were you on the night of Friday, September 16th last year?”

“September 16th?” The young woman repeats and thinks about it for a moment. “Oh, right! It was the last time I saw Claire. It was on that bar downtown, Belle Époque.”

He hummed. “Who were you with?”

Her eyes widened when she realized where he was going with it. “I was with Nathan, Beau and Kassidy.”

“I understand something happened that night, didn’t it?” He nudged her to talk.

“Yes, it did.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I was with Beau, picking up some drinks and bringing them back to the table. I was distracted. I bumped into Claire and spilled my drink on her.

“She got really mad about it and started calling me an Alpha Theta Mu’s charity case. Beau tried to defend me, but then she turned on him and said that he wasn’t much better, being a nouveau riche or something.

“He turned red in fury; it was really scary to see such a big man so angry. He raised his hand; it looked like he was ready to strike her on the face. But then, Nathan controlled him and we left the club in a hurry and I went home.”

He slipped a handkerchief over the table for her to dry her tears. “Thank you, Miss Harper, that would be all.”

When Emily was as put-together as she would be given the circumstances, she left the interrogation room to face her friends who were waiting outside.

What she hadn’t expected was a small commotion, centred around Becca, who was barely contained by a police officer. The redhead ran to the main atrium of the station, and she realized the person she was being contained from was Nathan himself.

The blond man sported a few scratches and torn clothes, probably from the girl’s attacks from before the police could intervene.

“You filthy rapist!” Becca shouted. “I’ll sever off your eye with the heel of my Louboutin, and so help me God!”

“Becca!” Emily runs over to her. “Becca! Nathan didn’t do it! He’s not a suspect!”

“Don’t defend him, Emily! He’s the scum!” She barks.

“Becca, listen to me!” She placed both hands on the face of the other woman and forced her to look deep into her eyes. “Nathan didn’t do it. Beau did. He raped Claire because she said he was not old money.”

Her struggle faded, and she whispers: “What?”

“It’s true.” Emily uses the same grief-stricken tone.

“That’s… that’s…” Tears brim the young blonde woman’s eyes. “Barbaric.”

“I know.” The redhead hugged her friend and tried to soothe her.

“Emily?” Nathan neared the pair, touching his girlfriend’s shoulder.

Becca glared at the young man. “What do you want?”

Emily tapped the girl’s shoulder, trying to contain her anger. She locked her eyes on him, dull as they are due to the circumstances. “Yes?”

“I need to talk to you.” He said, pleading silently. “About what’s happening.”

She looked over at Becca and considered the proposition. Finally, she nodded and followed the man to the water fountain, where they could talk.

“What has the police told you about Beau?” He asks.

She shook her head. “They told me nothing. They just asked me about that time we’ve been to Belle Époque and I pieced the rest together.”

The blond man sighs. “There’s more to it. You see, Emily, I wasn’t always Beau’s vice-president. I actually was the runner-up for ATM presidency.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan, but what that’s got to do with anything?” The girl interrupts, rather impatient.

“I’ll get there.” He responds. “I always thought it to be strange I lost, I was always more popular than Beau, I was very confident I would win. So, when he asked me to be his VP, I set myself to investigate why.

“The Alpha Theta Mu you know, that I knew, isn’t the real Alpha Theta Mu.” He swallowed the bile on his throat. “The most illustrious members of the fratority kept an underground club of thrill-seekers. Up until last year, they used to play pranks. Pranks that ranged from the stupid to the dangerous.

“But Beau had gotten bored with it. He enlisted the help of Kassidy and they started a… group. I don’t know what I can call that.”

“What they did?” Emily asks, shakily.

“They had a website…” He coughed. “They posted videos. Of the guys at that… circle… well, violating girls. I gathered enough material to imputate them as quickly as I could, but...” He took a calming breath. “It wasn’t fast enough for Claire.”

A silence befell them. Neither spoke, as them both measured the other’s reactions.

Finally, Nathan breaks it into saying: “I’m sorry. I’m just gonna... leave.”

She stops him with a touch to his arm. When he looks back into her eyes, they were shining with unshed tears.

Emily pulls him into a hug.

The world was far from being alright, but Emily thought she could count on Nathan to make it better.

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An Opera on Separation - Masterlist

[thebachelordiaries]

Jocks And Finance Bros: Bachelorette First Impressions

Becca, I hope you like jocks and finance bros. 

If not, you’re shit out of luck.

Becca dates one athlete and they beat that one dating preference of her’s to death by casting 18 or so former athletes. Kind of like how they beat “Let’s Do The Damn Thing” tagline to death.

I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am.

A letter to the men on this season of The Bachelorette:

Do you think you deserve this goddess of a woman, Becca Kufrin? You probably don’t. You probably think too highly of yourself to know this.

Maybe two of you will be good enough for her. Five of you may turn out to be decent people, but that’s me being generous. If it’s anything like JoJo’s season, we will have just one or two decent men. ABC producers, please don’t let me down. Oh wait, you already did with the super-short bios. 

This season we have 25 28 men vying for Becca’s heart, or at least a blue checkmark on their Instagram page. At least one of you will get fake engaged on Paradise and six of you will move from middle-of-nowhere USA to Los Angeles and move back home within a year. I’m not sure which guys will do that yet, but it’s always fun to guess!

Anyway, good luck with your 15 minutes of fame!

Signed,

The Bachelor Diaries.

WTF: No Q&A?

ABC did not include the usual Q&A in this year’s cast bios. I’m so offended. How will I truly understand these men if I don’t know what kind of fruit they’d be or what kind of superpower they’d want?

I would boycott this season because of this, but I have literally nothing better to do on Monday nights, or any night for that matter. I’m still going to try my best to roast these men, of course. It shouldn’t be that hard.

Despite no Q&A’s, I will still form my own opinions on these guys. I, like Kanye West, am a free thinker. Go poopidy-scoop yourself, ABC.

Ok, now let’s get to know these men:

Alex, 31, Construction Manager

Alex is the male equivalent of the basic white girl. He likes country music, his dog, the beach and skiing. He probably has “Let’s go on a hike together!” on his Bumble profile and regularly wears a Patagonia dad hat.

Blake, 28, Sales Rep

We already met horse boy Blake on After The Final Rose. He either played baseball or football in college. Thanks for being so concise, ABC. However, he looks like a baseball player to me. While originally from a small town in Colorado, he definitley lives in LA now. He also believes “two people need to be independent in order to truly love each other” so I think that means he’s into open relationships and or will cheat on you.

Chase, 27, Advertising VP

Chase, unlike Blake, was definitley a college baseball player who was apparently good enough to be in the College Wold Series but evidently not good enough to go pro— at least longterm. We also met Chase on ATFR and I don’t remember much about him. He likes “adventure” and the “outdoors” so he’s quite the special snowflake.

Chris, 30, Sales Trainer

What even is a sales trainer? Chris hopes to retire by 40. In this economy? Good luck with that. He is passionate about “fitness” and “health” which is so unique and different. I feel like I really got to know him through that piece of information.

Christian, 28, Banker

Christian is a former semi-pro soccer player who moved to the US from Mexico when he was three. I feel like his picture makes him look like he has a little head, but other than that he seems alright.

Christon, 31, Former Harlem Globetrotter/ Professional Dunker

I spent a good 30 seconds wondering why two guys with the same name didn’t have their last name initials included in their bios. It took another 30 seconds to notice that Christon was spelled differently than Christian. So this dude is a professional dunker in LA. My first thought is that he’d have a pretty good intro video package for The Bachelorette. Anyone want to put money down that he gets one?

Clay, 30, Pro Football Player

Clay was on his way to the poetry slam but somehow got lost and ended up on the Bachelorette. He allegedly doesn’t curse but is a fan of hip-hop music. I think he is the “famous” football player who was in talks to be on this season. Apparently I should care. Never heard of him. 

Colton, 26, Former Pro Football Player

“Hi, my name is Colt and welcome to my Youtube Channel!” That’s the vibe I’m getting from this picture. I’m also getting Blake Griffin vibes. He just looks strangely tan here. Colton may have a job at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I’m curious to know if he has a story as to WHY he is involved with CF. He also lives in Denver and has a dog named Sniper, which is awkward because the neighboring city of Boulder just banned assault weapons.

EDIT: He was the guy who asked out Aly Raisman via public video and they briefly dated. I shipped them so hard. I AM SHOOKETH.

Connor, 25, Fitness Coach

I feel like I’m going to be sick if I hear one more guy talk about how they were “almost” a professional athlete and how much they lo0o0o0ove working out. I’m sadly only at the beginning of this cast list. Someone pray for me. And someone pray that Connor’s eyebrows grow back after that terrible wax job.

Darius, 26, Pharmaceutical Sales Rep

Darius works for big pharma yet claims to be dedicating his life to helping others. Err, okay. He likes to dance and travels a lot so my guess is he’s probably not ready to settle down at age 26 despite his 36-year-old hairline.

David, 25, Venture Capitalist

David looks like every finance bro who lives in West Village and only dates 22-year-old Instagram models. The only difference is that he lives in Denver instead of Manhattan, which by society’s standards makes him more wholesome. He also loves guacamole, but dislikes avocado, which roughly translates to: I don’t cook and eat Chipotle for dinner every night.

Grant, 27, Electrician

The only way Grant is making it past night one is if he shows up fully dressed as a member of the Village People or as Bob The Builder. If not, he has no chance.

Garrett, 29, Medical Sales Rep

Pro tip to ABC: The letter A comes before the letter R in the alphabet. These names are out of order. 

Anyway, Garret reminds me of Ben Afleck in that his face just makes me want to punch him..in the face. Besides the fact that he also works for big pharma, he actually has outdoor hobbies besides “I enjoy fresh air and walking in the woods” like fly fishing and showshoeing. I’m hoping he isn’t a giant jerk because I kind of like him.

Jake, 29, Marketing Consultant

I thought his name was “Joke” at first because I am a terrible person. I think Joke...I mean Jake...is from the same city as Becca. (I’m assuming Minnesota only has one city) I feel like all hot people in cities have this inner-circle where they know of each other, so maybe they’ve crossed paths before.

Jason, 29, Sr. Corporate Banker

Andrew Keegan? I love your work. “Jason” likes sports and singing along to Disney movies. He contains multitudes. 

Jean Blanc, 31, Colognoisseur

I love that ABC took a smart, educated, immigrant with a successful job and gave him a fake occupation on television. Jean Blanc is a cologne connoisseur. I feel like he would smell good. 10/10 would smell him.

Joe, 31, Grocery Store Owner

I feel like a lot of these bios are the equivalent to what it’s like to drive in an Uber. The driver is always explaining to you how successful they are and where they traveled as a way to prove they aren’t some loser driving you around. Joe’s bio screams “Yeah I own a grocery store but also worked in finance before I burnt myself out, so don’t judge me.” Nobody was judging you, but now I am.

John, 28, Software Engineer

John hopes to be the first Asian male to make it out of night one on The Bachelorette. I can already tell he’s better than most of these guys: he works at a start-up in Silicon Valley, likes wine, plays guitar and bakes banana bread. He deserves a rose, dammit!

Jordan, 26, Male Model

Robert Mills, who is like an important ABC guy or something, called Jordan the “greatest Bachelorette contestant of all time.” Clearly he’s trying to make us forget about Chad. Good luck with that, Robert. Definitley not happening.

So Jordan is probably this season’s villain. Whatever, I don’t care. I DO care, however, that his bio is bragging about a mediocre 4:24 mile time and “sprinting to the finish line.” The time was written as “4.24″ by ABC and a comma is also missing from that sentence. ABC, let me know if you want to hire me as an editor. Back to the mile comment: A mile is an endurance mid-distance race. Nobody is technically sprinting in it, unless it’s a tactical race. Puns don’t work if they’re factually incorrect. 

Kamil, 30, Social Media Participant

Kamil works in real estate and is a part-time model, but ABC decided to call him a “social media participant.” He’s originally from Poland but lives in Upstate New York, which is evident based on the fact he’s wearing a denim button-up shirt.

Leo, 31, Stuntman

It’s crazy how fast Alex Bordy grew his hair in a year. “Not Alex Bordy” is a stuntman in LA, which I heard is a pretty sick job. I am personally a fan of his hair. He knows how to tame those curls and probably rocks a great man bun. I would love to know what products he uses.

Lincoln, 26, Account Executive

Lincoln has a lot of things going on in his bio. He moved to Boston from Nigeria as a teenager, went to college in Kentucky and moved to Santa Monica for work. We met him on ATFR and he was super nervous, cute and had an accent to make most girls swoon. I’d say make him The Bachelor but 26 is too young in my opinion.

Mike, 27, Sports Analyst

How come every Ohio sports fan names their dog Riggins? Based on his hair, I’m assuming Mike is a radio sports analyst. That hair on television? No thank you. Hopefully Leo can give him some tips to make his hair look decent. Did you know: Becca’s psycho ex Ross used to have long hair? It was not cute. But I don’t think Becca is going to send the long-haired guys home immediately a la the notoriously shallow Andi Dorfman.

Nick, 27, Attorney

I’m excited for Nick to be on the show because I know him by association. Let me explain: A friend of mine went to school with one of his friends and periodically stalks her social media. The friend is a girl, so I think he’s friends with mostly girls, which may explain why he loves to “brunch.” He looks terrible in this photo. Nick gives me polished, sexually ambiguous vibes based on how he appears on Insta. I also knew he was going to be on the show before R*ality St*ve, which made me feel powerful. It was a rush.

Rickey, 27, IT Consultant

I know of Rickey too. He was a Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel Search finalist in 2017. Hashtag #rightreasons. I’m not sure how “online personal trainer” translates to IT consultant, but ok. Side note: I don’t think bodybuilders look good in suits so he might go home night one. 

Ryan, 26, Banjoist

Before the “Yanny or Laurel” debate there was the “Ryan or Brian” debate on After The Final Rose. Evidently the answer is Ryan. He’s the new Wells and I could not be more excited to watch this babe on my television screen. He plays at least four instruments and loves to sail. He also screams “family money” but it’s ok, we can mooch off his parents together.

Trent, 28, Realtor

Can you imagine having a child and naming it Trent? This guy never had a chance. He is a realtor and a part-time model (I swear I wrote the same thing a few contestants up) and has appeared on covers of romance novels, but I certainly wouldn’t call him the next Fabio.

Wills, 29, Graphic Designer

Wills is a graphic designer who loves Harry Potter. I see no problem here. Except for maybe his porno-stache.

Prediction corner: 

Welcome to the prediction corner where I never get anything right. Oh, you know what happens because you read spoilers? Please keep that information to yourself. I like to find out what happens on my own.

Without further ado, here are my baseless predictions:

First Impression Rose: The guys who got the First Impression Rose on the last three seasons became engaged to The Bachelorette. If that happens this year I demand a scientific case study to explain the power of first impressions on women. Anyway, I think Ryan gets it.

Season Villain: Jordan (that was easy)

Next Bachelor: Blake (don’t ask me why)

Winner: Garrett (I like him)

Comment below to let me know your early favorites!

[aion-rsa]

Nobody is an Action Movie That Questions ‘Toxic Masculinity’

https://ift.tt/39f1Es8

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is (as his film title suggests) a Nobody. He’s a schlub who gets up for the same soul-deadening routine each day: he drinking his coffee, forgets to take the garbage out, and sits at his boring desk job. He then comes home to kids who barely tolerate him and a wife who literally makes a barrier of pillows between them in their bed. When he fails to protect their house against a home invasion–even though he clearly could have–the sense of disappointment from his family is palpable.

But the incident awakens something long dormant in Hutch: a set of skills and a primal anger that served him well in a former life and career defined by violence. Hutch has to give that repressed rage an outlet, which unfortunately brings him into the sights of a deadly Russian crime boss, even as it reawakens his soul and reconnects him with his wife and family.

Directed by Ilya Naishuller (who helmed the equally explosive Hardcore Henry in 2015), Nobody also stars Christopher Lloyd, RZA, and Connie Nielsen as Hutch’s wife Becca, a successful career woman on her own terms, and who probably no longer needs her seemingly insubstantial husband all that much. Yet what Becca does or doesn’t know about Hutch’s past is one of the more intriguing questions that this action-packed film raises.

The Danish-born Nielsen’s first major English-language role was in 1997’s The Devil’s Advocate, and since then she’s appeared in films like Rushmore, Gladiator, One Hour Photo, The Ice Harvest and many more. A new audience embraced her more recently thanks to the role of Queen Hippolyta, the mother of Diana of Themyscira in Wonder Woman, Justice League, Wonder Woman 1984, and the just-released Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which sees her role beefed up considerably from the 2017 theatrical version.

Meanwhile, she and the great Odenkirk play off each other exceedingly well in Nobody, a fact that came up during our Zoom chat with the actress.

Den of Geek: Right at the beginning of this film, there’s a home invasion and Bob’s character, Hutch, doesn’t do anything to protect his family. Did that feel very relatable, this idea that your spouse may not have your back in a situation like that?

Connie Nielsen: I loved that scene. I loved how in the aftermath of that scene you had the neighbor literally representing toxic masculinity: “Oh if it was me, I would have taken him out.” And then you have the kid, our child, our teenage boy, so impressionable, and totally buying into this idea of masculinity: “Yeah. We could have taken him, Dad. We could have taken him.” And it’s just like that’s exactly what we’re trying to say to everybody. Stop putting that stuff on men to be that guy, stop saying that a guy has to be all of these different things because it’s not healthy.

What you then have is basically–you start a film about action movies and about action, and about those tropes within an action movie, but then it actually starts questioning what the idea of masculinity behind all of that is. I just loved the irony of that and that importance of that too, because it does make it so relatable.

How does the relationship between Hutch and Becca play into that?

One of the things I said from the beginning was, “Let’s not make Hutch feel intimidated by his wife. Let’s instead underline the fact that he’s the one who’s depressed. He is not threatened by her success. It’s that he feels like he is nobody. He feels that he has no importance. Everybody’s going to be fine if he just freaking wasn’t there, she would be able to continue taking care of the kids and the money and everything else.” It’s this feeling that he has, that he doesn’t matter, and that he’s not important.

And that is such a brilliant way of framing the midlife crisis of this guy, and also the crisis of the relationship where the power balance is out of whack and they can’t reach each other, they can’t figure out how to be a team until they’re forced to become a team.

It’s also rare in the action genre that the relationship is also age appropriate. There’s not this 25-year gap between the husband and wife.

That has always been a pet peeve of mine, even when I was a kid in this business. When I’m watching a movie and I’m seeing a girl who’s 24 playing the mother of four kids. I’m like, “What?” It’s just so dumb. There are so many women out there who get really offended as they watch these kinds of movies. So it’s just also dumb of producers and directors to cast without being age appropriate, because women get mad, they get irritated.

What other little details do you think you contributed or discussed with the director in terms of just making these characters more vivid on the set?

First of all, one of the things that was most important was when we were talking about my character’s success, that it was believable within the context, and that we didn’t make it a takedown of successful women–if it was problematic, it was not her problem, but his problem. I think that also we really talked about making her behavior understandable. There’s a second home invasion where it becomes pretty hard for her to not pose questions, so how do we play that? For me, the most important thing was to come up with a balanced behavior that also posed questions in hindsight as to, well, who is she really, what’s her background story, how is she dealing with all this, and is there something else there?

It’s a little ambiguous how much she knows about Hutch’s past. She’s never overly shocked by anything that Hutch does when the full scope of his character comes out. And that goes back to the idea that you sometimes really don’t know the person you’re married to.

That also goes for the moviegoers, they may not really know who the character of Becca is either. That’s part of what we also had a lot of fun talking about on set–what are the things that you don’t know about her?

What kind of set did Ilya run? Was there an openness for ideas and improvisational type of things?

I think so. I think especially when we were doing scenes that were about the emotional relationship, it was just really about making it come alive and truthful, that it was profound and that was meaningful emotionally, that we didn’t make it a small moment, but a big moment.

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This is the first time you ever worked with Bob.

Yeah. It is, and we never met before.

What is that like when you have to meet and immediately create a relationship between these two characters?

It’s odd, it’s so bizarre and strange. The first day on set when we were doing hair and makeup tests and so on, I was taken to this hangar and there’s box of sand on the floor with a green backdrop and a photographer in front of it. And it’s, “Oh, we’re about to do your family pictures,” and then, “Oh, and this is Bob.” Then you basically sit down and you just immediately move into pictures of our honeymoon and all of these different vacations that we’ve had back in the days when we were happy. I basically just met this man. It’s awkward, but that’s also acting, right? You’re just bringing your own experience and leaning into it as if you know this person.

Did you see the director’s previous film, Hardcore Henry?

I did not see Hardcore Henry, but it was very clear from the beginning that Ilya has this particularly cool way of marrying both music and action and image. So I just felt very comfortable that our producers believed that he was going to bring that same thing to Nobody.

When you look at the way action is done in movies today, on one hand you have the stylized stuff that we see in this movie, and then there’s the way Patty Jenkins shoots the Wonder Woman films, which has this majestic painterly quality. Does this seem like an interesting time for the genre?

I think so. I think that it has just changed so vastly from back in the day with films like Rambo. I think that a lot of these movies used to have a very jingoistic quality to them, and that instead, action has mutated. I think maybe that Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and China brought progress to the genre and really updated it and brought in fantasy elements that were really exciting. Superhero movies have definitely updated those concepts as well. So I do think that action movies continue to evolve. The John Wick trilogy is just such a great example of something that just evolved into this whole world, this John Wick world, which was so cool.

What are your thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Justice League arriving? Did you do any additional shooting for it?

I did my work with Zack on set. I did not have to go back for any reshoots. When Zack was going to start the project back up, he had the courtesy and the kindness to call everybody and ask if we were willing to support him in this. I think every single person immediately just said, “Of course.” I know that we’re all super excited that he’s bringing this vision forward to everybody. And I know that he does not consider this as another Justice League, he considers this a standalone movie in its own right.

Are you signed for Wonder Woman 3?

I know that there’s a storyline that involves the Amazons, that’s really all I can say.

Nobody arrives in theaters on Friday, March 26.

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The post Nobody is an Action Movie That Questions ‘Toxic Masculinity’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3spdCGW

[dylanowhy]

If You’re Going Through Hell - Stiles Stilinski Imagine

Author: dylanowhy

Summary: You wake up in a train station not knowing exactly how you got there. Everyone seems to be acting like zombies, all but one boy. Someone who seems to keep smiling through it all.

Pairings: Stiles Stilinski x Reader

Warnings: Language. Kissing.

Word Count: 4,750

Damp. It was such an uncomfortable word for you, but even a more uncomfortable feeling. Soon you realized it was your own sweat, and you wondered how much of a restless night you had actually had. You blinked your eyes open, but what you saw before you was not the cool toned bedroom you were so use to. You saw rust and ugly greens, dark places mixed with blinking lights, but there was no one. Not a single person in sight. You shot up from the bench that you were starting to feel the pain from sleeping on. Eyes frantic but head not moving, there was a pang in your neck and as much as you wanted to speak or call out, you couldn’t find your voice. Like it had been taken from you. Licking your dry lips, you picked up on a faint noise behind you, it was soft breathing, but for some reason you found it quite calming. Turning slowly you took notice of a brown headed boy who had his back to you, it sounded like he was sleeping, making part of you not wanting to wake him up. “Excuse me.” You whispered, realizing how weak your voice was. You were starting to wonder how long you had been down here, to wonder if anyone had been looking for you. “Excuse me.” Your voice was louder, causing a halt in the soft breathing, head lifting to turn and look at you. You shouldn’t have been so awestruck by the way his soft eyes connected with yours, or how the corner of his lips twitched up in a slight smile, but you found yourself melting in your seat, cursing that there was no mirror around you.

“You’re new.” His voice was not what you expected. It was soft and yet there was a rasp behind it, it kept you clinging to him every word. “New?” You asked, eyebrows knitted together in confusion. At the beginning you were wondering how long you had been here, but now, you were curious about how long he had been there, curious as to how many more people had been in here and more importantly what had happened to them. He hummed, nodding in silence as he re-positioned his body, his left leg on the bench so he could face you a little better. “Every week or so, there is a new person. They come in sane, talkative and sometimes even fun. Last week, Becca came in. She was a riot for a while, probably the longest there has been, five days maybe? But sooner or later, everyone falls into routine.” There was this hint of sadness in his voice that you just couldn’t shake. There were so many pieces to this puzzle and yet you couldn’t put them all together. “What routine?” You questioned, his eyes raising as if you should know the answer already. “You’ll see, come over here.” He sat back upright, patting the empty spot next to him. You were quick with your movements, eager to be next to him. What happened next was probably one of the scariest things you have ever witness before in your life, so much so that you couldn’t stop your hand from reaching and taking the strangers, holding it tightly as you watched them pile in.

A perfect line of people of all ages walked their way into the room. Everyone was staring straight forward, no one was talking, no one held expressions. You didn’t know what to think, you didn’t know what to feel. “What is happening?” You whispered, but apparently, it was loud enough for the boy next to you to hear. “Not sure yet, I am trying to figure it out, trying to understand how they get to this point.” You looked at him and compared the differences between how lively he looked next to them. You were startled by someone sitting beside you, hands on their knees as the stared forward. “Don’t worry. They don’t speak, they won’t touch you or hurt you. They just sit there, maybe for around twenty minutes and then they leave. Happens almost every two hours. You get used to it, you learn to sleep around it.” It should have rattled you how calmly he spoke about things, but it soothed you, made you feel like even in the situation given, everything was going to be okay. “Do we have to just sit here?” You asked, moving closer to the boy, as if that was even possible. “No, we don’t have to. Just, not much to do.” There was that small smile again, one that gave you hope. “I don’t know your name.” You breathed out, as he blinked. “I don’t usually give it out, it’s usually forgotten.” And that part rang sad, taking your bottom lip in between your teeth you sank into the seat a little bit. “I’m (Y/N).” You whispered. “I can always call you Bob.” You looked up at him in just enough time to see the way he looks when he laughs. “Do I look like a Bob? Because I’m honestly honored.” He placed his other hand over his chest, which was just another reminder that he was still holding yours. “Hmm, maybe a Carl.”

It went on like that for maybe five minutes, you would make up some random name to call the boy, and he would laugh, coming back with something a little bit more than ridiculous. You two had decided on Alfonzo, mainly because when you suggested his eyes lit up at the idea of it. Probably a light that hadn’t been there in a while. Which brought you to ask the question, “How long have you been here?” Those words caused the laughter to dry up, quicker than you had hoped, his feature becoming a little more serious as he nodded, as if he was coming back to reality.  “Not sure.” He leaned back a little, “I ask everyone who comes in here what day it is. Some remember, some don’t. Last I heard it was March, but that was a few people ago. Thing is, I don’t recall when I got here. It could be months but time in here is not like the real world its jumbled. It doesn’t make sense. There are no days, no windows to show you what the outside looks like, so sound proof you can’t even tell if it’s raining.” At this point, you are not holding his hand anymore, no, now you found yourself wrapped around his arm, almost cuddling him. “And there is no way? No way out?” You asked a question, and this time you actually knew the answer to it. “No.”

If felt like hours but only ten minutes of silence passed by as you two sat there. It wasn’t nerve wrecking or piercing but nice and subtle. “Five more minutes.” He whispered, you had ended up with your head on his shoulder, his own head lying atop of yours in a way that was almost too caring. “I’ll get up and show you around if you want.” You knew there wasn’t much to see, there were so many exits in the room you were currently in but something told you there was nothing on the other side. “I would love a grand tour.” You decided to keep things light between you two, but it was mostly for yourself. You couldn’t seem to shake the never-ending thoughts in your mind. This boy, Alfonzo as he goes by, had been going on and on about how the people start to change, it made you do a little bit more than wonder, what if the same thing started to happen to you. What if one day it was him again, by himself, all alone. You looked around the room, trying to figure out who Becca was, the last girl he talked to. You wondered what it would be like to see one of these people go from lively to dull, what it would be like from them to stop talking to you and act like you weren’t even there. It was then you realized just how much this boy had been through, you could feel a slight piece of your heart break.

Like clockwork, the people around you stood up, all filing a line and walking off into the abyss. For a brief moment, you wondered where they went, did they go into another room, or maybe a hallway of some sort. You didn’t have time to elaborate on it though, the boy next to you lifted you off the bench causing you to trip, it felt like you hadn’t used your feet in years. “Sorry, I forget about that.” He smiled, dragging you along with him to the doors. “As you can see, only a few of these open. They just lead to other rooms, which is where the people go off too, they are all pretty much the same though. Same dull paint, same routine.” Well, that answered your question about where they went. “Now, I stay in this room because it’s the most interesting, because we have the tracks.” He leads you to the other end of the room where a tunnel was, it was funny because you never realized it before. “This is how they come back, fairly simple, it’s like a magic wall or something. Don’t try to go through it though, someone once did – Didn’t end too well.” He looked down at those words, remembering someone who you figure was important to him in some way. “We also have the call box, with all the pretty lights and radios inside. Most useless, I tried to fiddle with it. I got someone once but it wasn’t as successful as I hoped. When the Riders come back, you’ll see what I mean.” Your eyebrows raised, you were now standing in a small room as he described and all this information was swarming in your head. “Riders?” You asked, that word standing out to you like a sore thumb.

“The people who took you.” He said as a matter of fact, and for the first time he was distant, walking over to sit without you, leaving you instantly feeling cold and lost. You made your way over, standing in front of him waiting for him to explain. “They are called Ghost Riders. Their job is to take people, when you see one, that’s basically all she wrote. They come after you until they take you, that’s when the forgetting starts.” Your eyes spoke for you as he continues, “Once you’re here, once you’re taken – The whole world doesn’t stop, no one looks because everyone forgets. Like you never existed. Not a trace. We’re talking no pictures, no memories, nothing. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I want to be like the robot zombies or not, at least then I wouldn’t have to worry about all of the people that won’t remember me.” He has had a lot of time to think about everything he was saying, and you could tell that. You kneeled, taking his hands in yours, smiling at the way your eyes connected. “I don’t know what is going on, but I know I am here and I will not be turning into the Thriller music video anytime soon. We are going to make it out of here, Alfonzo. You and me. Me and you.” He looked at you with soft eyes, but something told you he had heard these words before.

“You’re different.” His voice was as soft as his eyes, and you wondered exactly what he meant by that. There was obviously something between the lines, but you weren’t sure if it would be smart of you to point it out. Your face showed emotion though, going from confusion to sweet. “I bet you say that to all the girls.” You joked, feeling like it was the right thing to do, that maybe it would put some light back into the conversation. It made him smile, and that was all that mattered in the moment. “Most of them don’t have that fire in their eyes like you do though, like you really think we have a chance to get out of here.” You could tell he once had faith too, and that maybe deep down he still did but he had been constantly let down that it had fizzled into almost nothing. “It’s because we do, and you know it.” You said as a matter of fact, you actually believed that there was a way out of here and you figured with this boy along your side that you could do it. “I feel like you’re going to be a pain in my ass.” There was a slight play of a smirk resting on his lips and you found yourself giggling. “I’m okay with that though.” And there it was, the loneliness ringing in his voice, he didn’t even know you and yet he was scared of you leaving. Part of you wanted to reach up, crash your lips into his without warning but the sane part of you knew this was not the time or place, even if you knew it was what you both needed.

“I feel like a little more in depth searching is in need.” You stood, tugging him up along with you. You did your best to keep a smile on your face, leading him to a door that lead to another one of the dreaded waiting rooms. “This was the second one you showed me, right? With like the least people?” You asked, a nod coming from the boy, smile pressed but present. You opened the door, no one turned to look at you and somehow you would feel less awkward if they did. “What’s different about this room?” You were asking a lot of questions, but really what was there to do in this certain situation. “No call box, no tracks, the walls are chipped a lot more which is more concerning then anything. Less people is obviously a huge deal here, they look the palest. Maybe they are the ones who have been in here the longest?” His observations were true, his attention to detail was impressive. “But do you ever see them in your rounds? Like each twenty minute, do you see any familiar faces in here?” You watched as he looked around, eyebrows drawn together as a look on confusion appeared, it was normally your look but it suits him very well. You made a note on how his nose scrunched slightly. “No. Actually, no.” It was like he realized part of the puzzle. “That’s a clue, I don’t know how it fits in, but it’s something.” You turned to him, the way that he looked at you with pure admiration, like you were the Shaggy to his Scooby, it caused a heat to rise to your cheeks.

“Okay.” He snapped out of it. “So, we have established that these are people who don’t move, right? That maybe they are the people who have been here the longest due to the – umm.” He walked over to one of the little old ladies, brushing dust off the shoulder pad of her coat. “Condition they are in, but why are they stuck? Is there a logical reason? Nothing is logical anymore.” His mind was moving a mile a minute, something about it made you smile as you tried your best to keep up with everything he was saying. “Maybe their train doesn’t run anymore.” You spoke up, and he looked at you like you were gold. “I could kiss you.” He said but didn’t act, although you wouldn’t have minded at all, you even tried to hide the blush that was starting to become common. He took your hand, leading you to the small board that had the names of towns in bold white, small number beside half of them. “The numbers represent the number of people from each town. As you can see Beacon Hills has the highest number, nearly every zombie is someone I know or have at least seen.” He turned to looked at the people behind you two, counting off heads as he did. “Nine, there are nine of them. Canaan. That’s the only place that has that number. And look, it says delayed. So, their train has been delayed, and I’m guessing by the clothing, it’s been like that for quite some time, but what makes them so special?”

“What if they are the first? The first to ever been taken, the first town the Ghost Riders have ever been too.” You suggested, trying to put it all together in your head just as much as he was. You could actually see him smile out of the corner of your eye, and before you could make a comment on it, you found yourself in his arms. He was hugging you, slightly tight and you were fine with that. The way his arms flexed around you, you would not have pictured him to be this strong. However, you hugged back, smiling into his shoulder as you did. Although the hug lasted for a while, when it was over he pulled back quick, scratching the back of his head. His face became splotchy with red as you realized he was blushing. “Sorry.” He mumbled, voice low as he tried his hardest to look everywhere but at you. “No, it’s okay. Trust me.” You put extra reassurance in there, trying to play it off as if it was for him but honestly, you were leaving hint for your own sake. You watched as his posture changed after that, his body becoming slack as he relaxed around you. “Stiles.” His voice was slightly confident, but you were confused as to what he was saying, so much so you were sure it showed on your face. “What?” Somehow you asking that made him laugh, which only caused one of your eyebrows to raise. “My name. It’s Stiles.”

There was some level of trust that came along with those words, you wanted to comment and say something but the sound of thunder and lightning caused you to jump, moving closing to Stiles as you looked around. It was so loud it sounded like it was inside, but how was that even possible? There was a look of worry on Stiles’ face, his hand quick to grab onto yours. “Come.” He ran off, pulling you behind as you made your way back to the room where this all started. you found yourself sitting next to him in the bench, his eyes fixated on the tunnel that lead to nowhere. “Watch.” He whispered. out of nowhere, you started to hear the sound of hoofs hitting metal. “Horses?” You questioned, but he just held a finger to his lips. With a loud neigh, they appeared. They only way you could describe them is scarecrow like. They wore torn clothing and weird hats, all dark and murky looking, like their faces, which were black with empty sockets as eyes. You could feel your breath hitch as you squeezed Stiles hand a little tighter. “You see them, right?” He asked faintly, the only response from you being a nod, but he seemed to be relieved by that. It was then when you heard the sound of faint screaming, your eyes widening as you saw them pulling someone in, a thin rope of a whip wrapped around their leg as the Ghost Riders slung what turned out to be a boy into the room. It was like a horror movie was playing out right in front of you and you weren’t sure what to do about it.

“Where am I? What happened?” The guy began to automatically panic, and you started to wonder if you were the same way when they brought you here. Did you freak out like he did? Why couldn’t you remember anything from when you first arrived here? All of this caused more questions to brew in your mind as Stiles stood up, letting you go and focusing on the boy in front of him. “Calm down, you’re fine.” Stiles tried to reason, while also trying to keep caution to the Ghost Riders that still roamed the room. “What the hell is this place?” The guy asked angrily, “Hey! You! Where the hell am I?” The guy approached one of the Ghost Riders and it was like you were frozen, sitting still not knowing what to do or how to even start. “I wouldn’t do that. They are no the reasonable types.” Stiles sounded like he knew from experience and you wondered what all he had actually been through while in here. Thankfully for the guy who didn’t seem to want to listen, the Ghost Riders ignored him, turning to leave, that however didn’t stop the out bursts. “Where do you think, you’re going? You can’t just leave!” The guy began to run after the horses and immediate panic set into Stiles eyes. “No don’t. You can’t leave it doesn’t work like that.” He said, running after the guy who had already made it to the tracks, running quickly and not listening. This made you stand, your feet moving on their own as the found their way to Stiles, partly fearing he was going to go after him. “Aren’t you listening?! There is no way out, you won’t survive!” Not heading the warning, the guy kept going and what you saw next would probably keep you up at night.

There was a wall, not seen by the human eye but definitely there. The Ghost Riders went through it with ease, disappearing to somewhere unknown, somewhere you expected to be the real world. The guy however, who went full speed ahead didn’t have the same outcome. With one touch, he started to crumble into blue ash, his body not being able to handle the force of whatever power the wall held. You looked at Stiles, his eyes dull as tears gather at the corners. He had seen this before, you could read it on his face and you tried to figure out how many times he had tried to stop this. “Stiles.” You whispered, snapping him out of the trance, “The fourth, he is the fourth.” He sighed, “We have to do something.” His voice was slightly weak and it made your heart hurt. “We will.” You stepped closer to him. He looked down at you, eyes trailing to places you imagined him kissing. He licked his lips, but he didn’t make a move, just coughed, acting like it never happened. You understood why he didn’t want to get so close to you, it made sense but if this was it, if you two were going to really be stuck here forever, why not take a chance, see exactly where this would go.

“The call box is the closest that you’ve gotten, right? That is only place you’ve managed to get contact with anyone?” You asked, changing the subject was something you were becoming accustom to within the last few hours. Stiles was a lot more fragile than he lead himself on to be, and you were starting to realize that, starting to realize how to handle the situations that were being thrown at you. “Yes, but whenever I fiddled with it all, there were sparks and I don’t think there is anyway it will work again.” He almost sounded defeated and you shook your head, denying what he was saying. “Oh no, we have no room for that. I happen to be very good with my hands, bet I can have it fixed up in no time.” You said with excitement, smile broad on your face. “Care to test that theory?” At first his eyebrows are hitched, suggesting someone a bit more than he planned, trying to take it all back you watched as he scrambled with his words. “I mean, in the call box. Test the theory in the call box is what I meant. Like not in that way, I am going to shut up right now.” He looked terrified for himself as he walked off towards the small room, it only made you smile wider if possible. You followed behind, entering the small room just filled you with a feeling that was so uncomfortable. It was like a territory that was not supposed to be entered.

“Here is the main system I am guessing, it’s what sent off fireworks the last time I tired anything.” You looked around at all of the small flickering lights. There was a small desk with a few walkies sitting around it. You ran your hand over the desk, looking closely at what you were dealing with. You pressed a button, watching as a spark flew from the other side causing a weird fizzling noise to fill the room. “Okay, you’ve brutally murdered it, but made I can cross a few wires and hope? No harm in trying, right?” You gave a small smile as you found yourself on the floor, looking under the desk to find the source of what was going on. “Oh! There is a wire that looks pretty singed down here, I might could do a little illegal wiring, get this thing handled.” You gave him a look of approval as your smile stayed on your face, “I got lucky when I got you.” His words were soft, his eyes hazy as he looked at you. “I mean with the thing, like –“ You shushed him, placing a finger against his lips, confusion filled his eyes as you touched him. “I know what you mean.” You said as you stood. “Got anything sort of sharp so I can get the annoying rubber from around one of the wires?” You acted like nothing happened and could tell he was appreciated of it.

“Pocket knife.” Stiles held up the tiniest of pocket knives you think you had ever seen, you tried your hardest to hold back a laugh. “Sorry.” You mumbled but Stiles laughed for you. “No, it’s okay, my dad gave it to me when I was around eight. Boy scouts, I didn’t do too well. I think that’s why he gave it to me so that I would feel better about myself.” The look in his eye showed some pain and you tried your best to change the subject. “Well, it’s perfect. Now, get your cute little self down here and help me.” You found yourself getting back on the floor, a smiling Stiles following as you took the little pocket knife from him. You used it to start cutting the rubber around the blue wire, the one to the yellow one already burned and ready to go, it didn’t take you long to cut the in half. “Okay, here goes nothing.” You took the end of the blue wire, connecting it to the yellow and within a few seconds you could hear the room come to life. There was a voice, calling out, saying Stiles name trying to reach him and the joy in both and your eyes was indescribable. “You did it!” He exclaimed excitedly, before he could stop himself he lurched forward, cupping your check lightly in his hand as he pressed his lips to yours. It was amazing, how it made you feel. As cliché as it was to say, you felt like this was meant to be. Like you two belonged together, and they way that he looked at you when he pulled away, you knew he was thinking the same thing.

He opened his mouth to say something but before any words could come out, the door swung open, the sounds of horses ringing clear. You looked up, and there up close was one of the Riders, empty sockets seemed to be glaring at you, as if they knew who was behind it all. You were staring at the barrel of a gun, breathing heavy as you were unsure on what was going to happen next. You heard rustling, the sounds of fighting as Stiles was being pulled off the ground and into the others of another Rider. It was like you were frozen, set in stone, you couldn’t move. “Not her.” You heard faintly, the plea in Stiles voice causing your heart to break. “Wait.” Was the last thing you said, the sound of a gunshot filling the room as everything around you went black.

[firelord-jerkbender]

Reunion

Post 4x07 speculation fic featuring the bed of sex. "Her heart beats thunderously beneath her chest, and she begins to trace the length of his hair, his nose, the curvature of his lips, and the hollow spot on his chin with her curious eyes. His Adam’s apple bobs and Clarke wonders if he’s feeling this too, this strange, exhilarating sensation she’s feeling now. A mix of excitement, nervousness, and familiarity coils at the pit of her stomach, winding and unwinding with each breath she takes."

Bellarke's first kiss and first time together. Sometimes it really is about coming home.

Read on Ao3 or below

Her hands move in practiced motions, her right reaching over to grab the tape while the other holds the gauze in place. She zeroes in on the wound, quieting the part of her that won’t stop worrying over him. He needs to be more careful.

After putting tape on the edges, Clarke inspects her handiwork to make sure it’ll heal properly. She’s still worried but mainly annoyed – he genuinely can’t go a single day without hurting himself.

“It’s just a scratch.”

She knows he’s grinning lopsidedly without her even looking, and sure enough, the corner of his mouth is lifted in what can be seen as Bellamy’s first smile in weeks. It baffles her how he can take getting hurt so lightly, but there’s a part of Clarke that knows he’s just as exhausted and angry as she is. It hurts, having to carry the weight of the world. It will never get easier, but Clarke takes comfort in knowing Bellamy will be there, just as he always has.

“Yeah, well, it’s a scratch you could’ve avoided.”

He huffs under his breath but makes no move to leave. He sticks out like a sore thumb in this bedroom. Both of them do – all grimy, angry, and touched by evil. It’s too pristine for them. Even back on the Ark, she slept on a cot with basic bedding. This bed – the entire house, in fact – is too luxurious.

There’s a part of her that feels she doesn’t deserve to stay here, even if it’s to simply sleep. She’s already experienced a lifetime of luxury. She grew on the right side of the Ark, didn’t have to worry about food, or working when she was fourteen just to provide for her family. She doesn’t need it, not anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Clarke steps away from Bellamy and points to the bathroom. “You can shower in there. Murphy probably left food in the fridge, so I’ll warm it up for us.”

He nods solemnly. “Thanks.” Bellamy scans the entire room with a slight scowl on his lips. “I’m scared I’ll make this place dirty.”

Laughing, Clarke shakes her head before crossing her arms. “Feels weird, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

An odd look crosses over Bellamy’s face, and his eyes flicker up to hers, searching for something. Her stomach flips and flops for a moment, and she doesn’t know what to make of the new sensation. She’s not terribly close to him, but she can spot the freckles on his face, sprinkled out in imperfect harmony. And if Clarke leaned in a little further, she could see the tiny mole on his left collarbone, peeking through his war torn shirt.

She’s spent a lot of time studying Bellamy – back at the dropship, she would study whether his facial expressions revealed his ulterior motives. Then after, she would look to see if his eyes flickered anywhere that might pose danger and follow his line of sight, trusting his instincts. And now, Clarke checks to see if he’s forgiven himself, if he no longer views himself as a monster.

Clarke hasn’t been able to determine if he has.

But she’s a grown woman, and she can admit he will always be her favorite subject. She is able to study herself through him. If Bellamy is worried, then so should she. And if he is happy, she realizes she should be as well, because life is too fickle to never smile for days on end.

Clarke sees herself in him, and it scares her how much wants him to know that.

“I would really hate to be inside your head right now.”

She thinks about replying with a sarcastic Pretty sure you couldn’t handle it on a good day but instead she says, “No, I don’t think you would.”

~/~

The cold marble floors soothe her aching feet, and as she pads towards the room Clarke berates herself for leaving her gun in there. She shouldn’t get too comfortable here because danger is ever present. The last time she was here a Grounder broke in and now he’s become a lab rat. Needless to say, there’s always a reason to keep her gun handy.

She barges into the room, forgetting to knock and realizing Bellamy was in the process of taking a shower. He’s out of it now, but he’s standing in the middle of the room completely shirtless, staring at his worn out shirt with disdain.

“Oh shi – sorry, I didn’t –”

Her cheeks redden and the color deepens when she realizes she’s actually blushing. She caught him in a private moment and she came in like this was a normal thing to do. It’s one thing to see him half naked when he’s working, another when he’s tucked away in the privacy of a bedroom.

Averting her gaze, Clarke starts to turn away before Bellamy gently says, “It’s okay.”

“No, I’ll –”

“It’s fine. I was just wondering if I wanted to put this shirt back on since it’s completely wrecked and filthy.”

Relaxing marginally, Clarke smiles softly and points to the shirt. “Do you want to keep it?”

Bellamy lifts the shirt. “This?” He inspects it for a second then scowls. “It smells like a dead animal and looks like one, too.”

Smiling once more, Clarke heads over to the wall with mirrors and pushes against it. The wall pushes forward and Clarke slides the closet door, revealing brand new clothes for men and women. Clarke’s already taken a few pieces for her, Raven and her mother, but the clothes are a little too tight due to her large chest. Still, it’s better than nothing and she suspects the men’s shirts and pants will fit Bellamy.

“Becca must’ve thought she was going to have some company.”

Bellamy snorts and she finds herself chuckling alongside him, though she knows her comment wasn’t as funny as they’re making it out to be.

“You’ve been hiding this for how long?”

She frowns and feels the need to defend herself. “I haven’t been hiding it . . .”

“I didn’t – It was a joke, Clarke.”

“Oh.”

She feels stupid for not realizing it and glances towards the floor, biting her lip as she does so. He must sense her awkwardness because he quietly asks, “Hey, why don’t you pick something out for me?”

Grateful for the distraction, Clarke immediately picks out the shirt nearest to her and takes it out of the closet. Removing the hanger, Clarke puts it back in the closet and hands him the shirt. It’s soft, gray, and smells like nothing, but she has no doubt in a day’s time it’ll smell like water, grass, and motor oil.

“Just the way you like it.”

Bellamy stares at it then grins, and her heart skips a beat. “I guess it’s better than the regular black I always wear.”

“I don’t mind the black,” she confesses, and is startled by how easily it came out.

They’ve gotten closer now, unaware of how they gravitated towards each other. They do it often – leaning into each other without realizing it, though Clarke suspects on a subconscious level they know they need this closeness. She doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It’s feels, strangely, normal – they’ve gone through so much together, seen each other at their worst and best, that this proximity doesn’t scare her. Clarke forgets how easy it is to feel at home with Bellamy, because no matter what happens he welcomes her like she never left.

Her heart beats thunderously beneath her chest, and she begins to trace the length of his hair, his nose, the curvature of his lips, and the hollow spot on his chin with her curious eyes. His Adam’s apple bobs and Clarke wonders if he’s feeling this too, this strange, exhilarating sensation she’s feeling now. A mix of excitement, nervousness, and familiarity coils at the pit of her stomach, winding and unwinding with each breath she takes.

She doesn’t want this moment to end because it feels too serious, too important. But she doesn’t know how to act because she’s unsure of what she wants. It’s too overwhelming to pick her feelings apart – her rational mind like to talks her out of things, and the emotional part of her still wants to be sad about Lexa. But she can’t. She won’t.

The ache Clarke would feel whenever she thought about Lexa would physically hurt her – her chest would tighten, her throat would close up, and she would have to breathe in and out for several seconds before she could see in front of her again. But now, the ache is replaced by bittersweet nostalgia, of what could’ve been. Clarke looks back on what they had – it was tumultuous and there was no right time for them – and she doesn’t regret it.

But things have to change and Clarke wants to move on. It’s tiring to think about the past so often, and all she wants is a partner she can trust. Someone who understands her more than she understands herself. Someone who is so selfless that they’ll do whatever it takes to swallow her pain, just so she doesn’t have to live another day with such sadness.

And, she thinks, perhaps Bellamy wants to move on, too.

The shirt drops to the floor and lands softly on the plush carpet. The silence is thick and palpable, and she finally gathers the courage to look at Bellamy. His eyes have widened but they’re softer now, watching her carefully. She can smell him – the real Bellamy – mixed in with a hint of fresh soap. From this distance she can spot every freckle, every pore, and a hint of a beard forming on his jawline.

This isn’t the first time Clarke’s viewed him this way, but she never allowed herself to get carried away due to fear of losing him, and assuming it wasn’t in her place to do so. But seeing that Bellamy hasn’t run away yet let’s her know she’s not the only one who’s thought of the other this way before.

She doesn’t know who moves first, but just as she reaches for his hand, Bellamy’s left hand gently grabs a hold of her arm, his calloused fingers creating goose bumps on her skin. Her breath catches in her throat and she nearly jumps at the sensation. They’ve touched plenty of times – from touches of safety, concern and to goodbye kisses. But this . . . this is different.

They move in sync like they always do, and their fingertips skim over each other’s skin with a slowness that can only be described as exploratory. It feels like she’s been doing this for a long time, and the excitement is still there several years later. Her hands continue to mark a path up his arms, then to his collarbone, neck, and settling on the sides of his face. Bellamy’s hands are hot and rough, almost claiming in the way they move around her waist and lower back.

He’s much taller than she is but she likes it. She likes being surrounded by Bellamy, covered in his shadow. For a moment Clarke doesn’t have to pretend to be Wanheda or anyone else – just Clarke. Just a woman wanting to kiss a man.

She can feel the heat emanating off of him, and she has an overwhelming desire to run her hand possessively down his chest, to feel the hard muscle she’s admired for a long time. In this moment, Clarke has Bellamy all to herself and she feels privileged to be here with him in this way. They’re so alike in many ways – always searching for redemption, scared to open up, haunted by their past and future. To see Bellamy so vulnerable lets her know he trusts her more than anyone else, and she promises to cherish that forever.

Finally looking up at him, Clarke takes the initiative and leans forward, her eyes closing and pressing her lips against his. She is nervous and there’s an influx of adrenaline coursing through her veins; she doesn’t doubt Bellamy can hear her heart pounding in her chest.

His lips are slightly chapped and he’s completely motionless for a solid three seconds, and Clarke’s skin begins to burn in rejection. She’s already plotting how to leave this situation are graceful as she can when Bellamy surges forward, kissing her with such ferocity she wonders if he’s thought about this, too. Kissing her.

She’s pressed up all against him, her soft curves molding into the hard lines of his body. The kisses are chaste but there’s a heat underneath it all that’s begging to be let out. Bellamy’s tongue flicks out, an invitation, and her mouth immediately opens up at the request. She makes a small noise when his tongue curls around hers, and has a ridiculous notion to cry out from all the emotions she’s feeling.

One minute they’re being respectful of one another, the next they become possessed and let themselves go. Clarke’s wrapped one hand on the nape of his neck while the other goes down to his chest, and Bellamy holds her tight, his own hands moving disjointedly all over her body. He stays away from touching her breasts and she doesn’t move further than his sternum, but God she wants to.

The kiss turns passionate and is slightly sloppy, as if they know there’s only so much time before reality sinks in. The air is filled with breathy little noises, a slight moan here and there, and a quick hum of approval from Bellamy. Clarke can barely breathe but in this moment she could care less. She is dizzy and all over him, and it’s the best she’s felt in ages.

There’s a moment where they realize this could quickly spiral out of control, and Clarke is thankful for Bellamy for not pushing it further. It doesn’t feel right as of now. Maybe one day. Instead, she wants to curl up on the bed with him, and touch him softly so she can memorize what he really looks like.

Bellamy slowly pulls back, first leaving her lips, letting go his hand that’s wrapped around the nape of her neck and jaw, before dragging his hands down her waist and stepping back. He’s breathing harshly and his lips are swollen. His eyes are pitch black and she swears she can see a hint of a flush creeping up on his chest. Clarke’s stomach clenches in desire and she’s scared of how a kiss can make her feel this way.

But this wasn’t any other kiss – it was something much more.

It feels a little awkward now, with both of the breathing loudly and standing there without having a clue what to do next. Clarke wonders if she should say something but it gets stuck in her throat, for once in her life speechless.

“I have to go back.”

His voice is husky and still laced with desire, and God, Clarke wants to kiss him all over again.

“Okay,” she croaks.

Bellamy bends to retrieve his shirt and quickly puts it on; Clarke is disappointed he has to wear a shirt now. A hint of panic hits Clarke, and she worries this may be the last time she’ll see him. She almost makes a move to grab his arm and lock him up in the bedroom, when Bellamy steps back and looks at her like it’s back to business as usual.

“You should come with me.”

“I can’t – my mom needs help in the lab.” Which is partly true. But mainly, Clarke doesn’t want to go back there knowing everyone hates her and think she’s always trying to play God. At least in the lab, Clarke isn’t entirely shamed for making tough decisions, because they need to find a cure and God abandoned them a long time ago.

It’s possible Bellamy can see through her lie, but if he does he doesn’t show it. Instead he nods solemnly, and gathers his gun belt left on the bed. There’s no sound except for the jingle of Bellamy’s belt, and when it clicks into place Clarke snaps out of her daze.

She doesn’t want him to leave. Sometimes she hates how reality tears apart all the good things in their life, but he is here, alive, and for that she is forever grateful.

“I – Will you come back?”

Her voice breaks and she hates how weak she sounds. But . . . Clarke needs Bellamy more than ever. He’s the only one who can fill up the hole of emptiness in her soul, and Clarke’s so sure of the fact that it throws her off.

Time stops – Bellamy eyes her carefully and something flickers in his eyes. It looks a bit like hesitation, but the look is easily wiped away when he slowly steps towards Clarke. His jaw clenches in concentration, and his hand slowly rises up to her cheek, his thumb softly touching her in a move so affectionate she can’t think.

“Yeah, I will.”

~/~

It’s been a couple of days since Clarke’s seen Bellamy, but she’s been unnaturally busy at the lab, though that hasn’t stopped her from thinking of the kiss. She hasn’t been able to talk to him, of course, but she keeps replaying the kiss on repeat whenever she has the chance. Her mother has caught her spacing out in more than one occasion, her inquisitive stare making Clarke blush.

Clarke has been kissed before, but this . . . She strangely feels at home with Bellamy. She doesn’t feel guilty like she does with Niylah, lustful with Finn, or cautious with Lexa. She feels excited, nervous, and hopeful. All words Clarke didn’t ever think she would use in her life anytime soon.

She’s back in the white house again, although Murphy and Emori are here too, doing God knows what. As of late Clarke’s been feeling more tired than normal, and she hates how often she retires to bed. Her mother and Raven have been working nonstop on finding a way to survive – they need more rest than she does.

Regardless, it’s nice to sleep in a comfy bed with feathered pillows, not hear constant drilling, and not wonder if the strange ticking sound is in her head or a countdown clock for a bomb left in her room. Clarke begins to doze off in the comfort of the room, but she’s not prepared to hear slow and heavy footsteps echo in the hallway.

Fear courses through her veins – she didn’t hear anyone come in, and as far as she knows Murphy isn’t in the kitchen to watch who comes and goes.

Jumping out of the bed, Clarke grabs her gun off the nightstand and holds it steady, waiting for the intruder to step in. She curses to herself, because of course another intruder would come in while she’s about to fall asleep. Clarke’s annoyed and royally pissed off – whoever decides to come through that door won’t know what hit them.

As the shadow looms closer Clarke can make out a faint outline of a messy head of hair, and she immediately knows it’s Bellamy. But past experience has taught her to be cautious, so she continues to hold the gun up until the person comes in view. Thankfully it is him.

“Jesus Christ, Bellamy.”

Relieved, Clarke puts the gun away and is prepared to chastise him for creeping up on her like that, but she can tell something is off. He’s grimy, sweaty and clearly exhausted. Half of his body is covered in darkness, but Clarke can see from a mile away his body is thrumming with energy. Yet, Bellamy is leaning against the doorframe as if he’s having a casual conversation with her, and the juxtaposition of his stance worries her.

“Is something wrong?”

It comes out in a whisper – Clarke doesn’t know why. Maybe it has to do with how Bellamy’s acting, because she knows one wrong word and he’ll shut down. Or maybe it’s because she can see he’s hurting, and she wants him to know she’s there for him.

He doesn’t say a word. Instead, Bellamy keeps a trained eye on Clarke as he takes off his boots and socks, shoving them away and slowly stepping into the bedroom. There’s almost a predatory quality to the way Bellamy’s staring at her, and she would be lying if she said it didn’t excite her. But Clarke is also worried because something is clearly bothering him and he won’t say why.

Bellamy’s steps are heavy and his shoulders are sagging from the weight of the world, but his face tells another story – lips are pursed in a thin line, eyes have hardened, and as usual his jaw clenches and unclenches with each step he takes. Clarke quickly surveys Bellamy and sees no blood on him, but she spots a large bruise forming on his left bicep. Something happened – perhaps with the Grounders or with one of their own, but whatever it is, it has affected Bellamy in more ways than one.

He continues to stare at her as he drops his jacket somewhere on the carpet and unbuckles his gun belt. It lands with a thud on the floor, and Clarke’s heart beats wildly as Bellamy steps closer to her. She doesn’t know what to make of this Bellamy, but she is certainly curious about the new development.

Her breath catches in her throat when he’s finally right in front of her, his head bent in concentration as his fingertips graze the hem of her shirt. He is hot and smells of sweat with a hint of metal, but his touch is as shy as a bird’s feather. Goosebumps erupt all over her skin and she shivers, though Bellamy doesn’t seem to notice. He continues to toy with her shirt before slowly bringing up his gaze to her.

Whatever was bothering Bellamy seems to have buried itself deep within him, because now he’s looking at her with pure longing. A shot of desire hits her – her stomach clenches in anticipation and nervousness, and she can feel herself wanting to let go, just this once.

“I need you.”

I need you.

From the way Bellamy struggled to say the words Clarke can tell this is . . . different. Bellamy doesn’t need her to cover for him, or stay by his side while they’re trying to save the world. He doesn’t need her to carry something, or to go on a supply run.

He needs her.

He needs her in the most carnal, intimate way, and she’s struck by the sincerity of his confession. Maybe Bellamy needs her to forget about what happened. Or maybe, to finally stop bullshitting and admit what this is between them.

And perhaps Clarke needs Bellamy in the same way, too.

“I’m right here.”

They gaze into one another, not at all shy about the sudden shift in their partnership. There’s no need for a basket of bread or declarations – they are uniquely them and nothing else can hold a candle to it.

Bellamy’s hands twist the fabric of Clarke’s shirt, yanking her towards him just as his lips crash into hers. Clarke lets out a gasp, unaware of how much energy and tension there is between them. There’s a hunger behind his kisses and Clarke does her best to soothe it. Bellamy’s hands leave her shirt and move underneath it, his hot palms tightly holding onto her hips like she’s the only thing left standing in the world.

Clarke wraps her arms around Bellamy’s shoulders, pressing her body against his and wanting to feel every inch of him. She’s already hot and adrenaline courses through her veins, and the anticipation of what’s going to happen next spurs her on.

Flicking out her tongue, she runs it over his lower lip and Bellamy immediately acquiesces, his tongue thrusting in and out of her, as if he’s mimicking what he intends to do with her. She moans and she pushes herself into him, feeling a hardness that hadn’t been there before. It makes her feel strangely powerful – Clarke did this to him.

Bellamy’s hands are under her shirt and he takes a step forward, no doubt leading her to the bed. Pulling away from her, he takes her shirt and lifts it up, and Clarke does her part by removing the fabric herself. She’s breathing harshly and despite her half-naked state, she can’t stop herself from unabashedly staring at Bellamy.

His eyes are dark, cheeks flushed, and lips swollen by their enthusiastic kissing. Clarke can’t recall anyone else looking at her the way he is right now; she wonders how she’s gone this long without being with Bellamy in this way.

Okay, she thinks. Okay.

Still keeping a trained eye on him, Clarke grabs fistfuls of his shirt – the same shirt she gave him a couple of days ago – and lifts it up, watching Bellamy’s muscles move as he removes the rest of it. Just as the shirt clears his body, Clarke runs her hands over his chest, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he takes each breath. The bruise she spotted before is larger than she anticipated, and she wants nothing more than to make it better. Without warning, Clarke presses a gentle kiss there, unsure of where she got the courage to do that.

It seems Bellamy can’t handle the intimacy of it because he grabs her face and kisses her deeply. He gives a low moan, the sound vibrating against her and Clarke can’t prevent herself from humming in approval. Her hands mark a path on his body, from his neck to his chest, and her fingers softly graze his nipples. Bellamy immediately moans and his hips snap forward, grinding into her stomach.

“God,” Clarke breathes out. Bellamy doesn’t say a word and instead moves straight to her neck, kissing any part of skin he can find. She gulps in large amounts of air and it embarrasses her how loud she is. But Bellamy doesn’t seem to mind, and he does a good job of making her forget basic things like breathing.

Her hands travel down to his belt as he takes another step forward, undoing it without any finesse whatsoever. He is the second man she’s been with – Clarke doesn’t have much practice and she hopes it doesn’t make things awkward. Bellamy lets her take her time as his hands grab onto her hair, slowly and gently massaging her scalp until they land on her neck. Once she unbuckles it and unzips his pants, Bellamy’s fingers deftly unhook her bra, but he doesn’t remove it.

There’s a pregnant pause and Clarke watches Bellamy with rapt attention. His eyes are glued to hers, hesitant, and she understands now that he wants her permission. Clarke wonders why Bellamy is hesitating when she’s spent this whole time opening up to him in a way she hasn’t done before, but she can see why he’s acting this way. They have a habit of getting so close before something – or someone – tears them apart. More often than not it’s Clarke herself, and she wants to make up for all the times she’s hurt him.

Still staring at him, Clarke slowly pulls the straps down, and she doesn’t fail to notice Bellamy looking right at her breasts like a man starved. Swallowing thickly, she takes off her bra and drops it to the side even though she wants to cover herself up. But the whole point of this is to show Bellamy she wants him, and she’s not going to back down now.

His eyes snap up to hers and they’re not longer haunted, but rather, soft and yearning. Clarke is starting to feel a little embarrassed but Bellamy bends and gently kisses her one, two times. She’s starting to relax when Bellamy quickly pulls back and his hands begin to knead her breasts. Clarke glances up to the ceiling as she attempts to breathe normally, but she’s not prepared to feel Bellamy’s mouth clamp over her nipple.

He’s not the first person to do so, but the ferocity of how he does it is certainly new to her. His tongue moves in angry swirls, sucking and licking the skin there, and Clarke can’t restrain a wanton moan escaping her lips. In response, Bellamy lightly nips her and she gasps at the sensation. He quickly moves onto the other breast while his left hand tweaks and rubs her nipple that was just ravaged by his mouth. The other hand moves down to her backside, kneading it the same way his hand is, and his mouth continues to attack her nipple with no hesitation.

She wants to tell him to stop the foreplay because it’s too much for her. She’s dizzy and doesn’t know what to do with herself, but God, this feels too good to stop.

Grabbing a fistful of his hair, Clarke tugs his head up and kisses him hotly, her tongue swirling around his without restraint. Bellamy hums and begins to walk forward once more, Clarke following his lead. She feels the bed hit the back of her knees and she pulls back, bending to undo her pants. Bellamy does the same and once they finish, Clarke gazes into him, trying to communicate how much this moment means to her. That she’s not here to hurt him, she’s here because she wants to make him feel better – both of them.

Sitting on the bed, Clarke leans back just as Bellamy leans forward to kiss her, both of them slowly collapsing on the plush bed. Their legs dangle off the bed, so Clarke pulls away and begins to straighten herself, lying down softly on the pillows. Bellamy follows suit and immediately covers her with his body, and wraps himself around her so tight she can’t breathe.

They continue kissing before Bellamy pulls away and peppers kisses on her neck, sternum, stomach – she squirms, unaware of how ticklish she is, and Bellamy gives her a wolfish grin – before hooking his fingers around her underwear and slowly pulling them down. Clarke swallows, unsure if Bellamy is doing this because he thinks she wants it or because he wants to do this for her. She isn’t going to complain, though, but she’s nervous all over again. Her naked self is so very close to his that it sends her to a tailspin. They’re really doing this.

He has the gall to stare at her once her underwear clears her body, and Clarke resists the urge to primly shut her legs. She’s embarrassingly wet but she can tell it’s going to be different with Bellamy. When Lexa did this with her, it was slightly rushed and there wasn’t much time for exploring. With Nilyah, it’s usually a game of who can break first, but with Bellamy it’s like he’s worshipping her. Like he wants to conquer every inch of her body no matter how long it takes.

Taking one last look at Clarke – eyes pitch black, mouth hanging open in preparation of what’s to come next – Bellamy dips his head and runs his tongue along her slit.

“So fucking hot,” he rasps, and Clarke can’t stop herself from hissing. His voice sounds like pure sex and Clarke wants to hear it over and over again.

Bellamy gathers her legs before placing them over his broad shoulders. One hand is firmly placed on her thigh while the other teases her folds, and Clarke takes this time to fully relax and let Bellamy worship her the way he wants to.

His rough and calloused fingers create new sensations, and it is one of the loveliest feelings she can recall. Bellamy sucks and laves as he completely immerses himself with her. Sucking gently on her clit, Clarke can’t stop herself from bucking and moaning, her head twisting to the side at the onslaught of pleasure.

“Fuck,” she whispers, because he’s made her into a blubbering mess and it’s all she can say at the moment.

He does it once more before sliding one finger into her, and her breath catches in her throat. It feels different but in a good way – his finger is naturally longer than what she’s been exposed to, and it feels heavenly. Sensing her enjoyment, Bellamy immediately pumps another finger in her, curving his fingers to hit her in the right spot.

Clarke tugs on his hair in hopes of getting a chance to kiss him, but he won’t budge. Instead, she rubs and pinches her nipples and focuses on Bellamy doing absolutely sinful things to her. She’s practically fucking his hands now and doesn’t care about being loud or moaning wantonly. It feels to good for words, too good for anything.

She’s dangerously close when Bellamy pulls back and slows down, stilling for several seconds. Lifting her head, she sees him staring at her with a half-hooded gaze, his mouth shining and she gets wetter just by looking at him. Groaning lowly, Clarke lies back on the pillow when Bellamy starts the slow torture once more, though Clarke is at a point where she just wants him now.

A sheen of sweat is beginning to form on her chest, and she can feel a new layer on her forehead. Clamping her legs around Bellamy, Clarke senses an impending orgasm and she can tell it’ll be a powerful one – her womb begins to tighten, her legs tense up, and she can’t stop herself from bucking, especially when Bellamy sucks on her clit. But once again, he slows down to a maddening pace before removing his mouth and fingers from her altogether. She’s briefly annoyed he didn’t let her come, but she would rather break apart with him inside her – it seems he has the same idea, too.

Stepping back, Bellamy stands up remove his boxers and Clarke’s eyes immediately land on his cock. It looks positively painful right now – he’s so hard she wonders why he decided to wait so long. He’s a decent size and a shot of desire hits her once she realizes this is it.

She flushes once Bellamy catches staring at her, a tiny smirk forming on his lips. She flushes more when Bellamy wipes his mouth with his hand and puts his fingers in his mouth, his cheeks hollowing as he sucks every last drop of her. Clarke groans – this shouldn’t turn her on as much as it is, but it does, and she can add this to the list of things she enjoys watching Bellamy do.

He releases his fingers with a pop, then pumps himself a couple of times while Clarke watches with rapt attention. Bellamy’s mouth hangs open as he breathes harshly, intently looking at her without any reservation. Her heart does a strange pitter-patter and she unconsciously licks her lips before quickly running her fingers down her sex, unaware of how it would affect him – he groans lowly before leaning forward and climbing on top of her.

Excitement and nervousness begins to take a hold of her, but her heart feels heavy, too. This isn’t a quick hookup for her and she hopes it isn’t for Bellamy either. It means so much more to her – she wants a future with him. She wants to be by his side and him by hers. Clarke can’t imagine the end of the world without him and he needs to know that.

She wants to say something, but as Bellamy’s face comes into view all words are lost and she can only stare at him, hoping to convey how much he means to her. Bellamy’s skin is flushed and some pieces of his hair is stuck on his face, and the way he’s looking at her is the complete opposite of how he was acting when he first entered the bedroom.

Good, Clarke thinks, because I want you and tonight we’ll ease our pain away.

They kiss sweetly when Bellamy breaks it off, his eyes searching and carefully watching her. He’s giving her another moment to back out but there’s no way in hell she will. She wants him and he has to know that.

Giving him a quick nod, Bellamy positions himself as Clarke wraps her arms around him. He is slow to enter, letting her adjust to him, and she wonders if he was always this attentive to her or if it’s only this moment – in her heart Clarke knows it’s the former, and it’s another reason why she can’t live without Bellamy by her side.

They both moan once Bellamy is buried deep within her, and he fills her up in all the ways she never thought possible. He’s propped himself on his forearms but Clarke doesn’t like the distance – she slowly wraps her legs around his waist, wanting to feel every inch of him, and tugs his hair to kiss him again. Bellamy obliges, kissing her deeply before almost pulling out entirely, then slowly thrusting into her again.

He sets a leisurely pace, pressing up against her and touching her any way he can, kissing her neck and trying to memorize the spots that make her moan in pleasure. Clarke's already a bundle of energy after being so close twice now, but she wants to savor each minute with him. There’s always a possibility of them never seeing each other again, and she doesn’t want to regret any moment she’s spent with him.

She watches, fascinated, at how his muscles contract, the way his back moves, and the deep look of concentration on his face. Clarke enjoys this, being under Bellamy’s protection but in a different sort of way. Her hands move disjointedly around his body, from his hair to his neck, around his back and down to his arms. He increases his speed and they find a rhythm they both like, moaning in unison. When Bellamy brings his fingers down to her clit, Clarke isn’t prepared for the wave of pleasure that hits her.

Kissing the spot where his neck meets his shoulder, Clarke can only lean her head back on the pillows once Bellamy continues to rub her clit, building a low fire within her. She moans loudly as she’s completely overtaken by the stimulation – it’s too much for her to handle. She’s so close and she suspects Bellamy is too, considering how he increases his speed once more.

The room is filled with a symphony of moans, skin slapping against each other, and the bed squeaking under their weight. She’s only aware of Bellamy and how amazing she feels – there’s nothing in this world that could make her stop in this moment. The heat increases with each thrust and Clarke’s unable think coherently; all she wants is to let go with Bellamy.

“I wanna feel you come around me, Clarke,” Bellamy rasps. She manages to open her eyes and she’s not prepared for how he looks – hair all mussed up, his lips swollen, face flushed and sweaty. He is so beautiful.

“I . . . I just –”

God, she’s literally right there, and Bellamy seems to have read her mind because sets a fervent pace while continuing to tease her clit, doing all he can to give her the best orgasm she’s had. She feels it coming – her legs tense up once more, holding Bellamy so tight that he can’t move, and her breath catches in her throat while her womb clenches so hard Clarke’s afraid she won’t be able to walk after. Then she is gone, unaware of anything but the continuous waves of pleasure overtaking her.

Black and white dots dance around her vision and she’s briefly aware of Bellamy coming too, a loud groan emanating from his lips as his hips still, then shaking in the aftermath. He’s a dead weight against her, collapsing on top of her as they struggle to control their breathing.

They stay that way for a solid minute, wrapped up in each other as if there’s no one else in the world but them. And in this moment, there isn’t a single soul in the whole universe that can hurt them.

~/~

Clarke’s lying on her back while Bellamy’s propped on his side, gently touching her with the pads of his fingers. They haven’t talked much and instead study one another, trying to memorize each other and burning them to memory before the radiation does it for them.

She hasn’t felt this content in a long time, but there’s a sense of dread, too. Who knows if they’ll have a chance to do this again? Her heart begins to beat nervously and a dangerous thought comes to her mind, one she hasn’t dared to say out loud ever since she first landed on earth. But it feels like the right thing to say in this moment, and gathering whatever courage she has, Clarke keeps a steady gaze on Bellamy.

“Let’s stay here. Forever. You, me, and no one else.��

A beat, then “It’s not who we are.”

Clarke sighs because he’s right. “I know.”

She’s feeling disappointed even though she knew they wouldn’t – couldn’t – leave everyone like that. They care too much and sometimes they are their own worst enemy.

But she can imagine this – a simple future with Bellamy, quietly tucked away in the privacy of their bedroom. She wants it so bad her chest aches, but it hurts more knowing that will never be their fate. They’re destined to toil away in hopes of saving the universe, and perhaps saving themselves in the process.

Bellamy suddenly shift and lies on his side, staring at Clarke with intense concentration.

“Remember when we went to the depot together? And . . .” His breath catches in his throat while Clarke looks away – it was a difficult day for both of them.

When she glances back at Bellamy, his eyes are shining though he seems determined. “And in the end, you said you needed me.”

She remembers it like it was yesterday, and instead of Clarke begging to leave the world behind, it was Bellamy asking her. She promised him she would stay by his side, and although they have broken it in more ways than one, she vows to never do it again. Without Bellamy she can’t function, she can’t lead. She needs him.

“I need you. We can do this, Clarke. And if it doesn’t work, at least . . . at least we’ll know we did it together.”

Together. The word never used to bring her comfort – it annoyed her to share her thoughts, workload, or anything with anyone else. Together meant complications. Together meant things not happening the way she wanted them to, and folding under pressure every single time. Together meant shouldering everyone’s burden by herself, because it’s what she does best.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Together, she and Bellamy can save the human race. Together, they can make up for the countess deaths on their hands. Together, they can soak in what it truly means to be in love. Together, they can shelter everyone and themselves from the upcoming storm. Together, they can rebuild.

Taking one long look at Bellamy, she reaches forward to grab his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. She squeezes and he does it in return, reassuring her everything will be all right.

And together they will rise.

Hey everyone! This is my first Bellarke fic so be kind. :) Title comes from The xx's "Reunion." I would highly suggest listening to that, "Sunset" and "Lips." 

This is unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are naturally by me. Anyway hope you enjoyed it!

[herecomesthesonshine-blog]

Week One: Remember That One Time Our Tire Passed Us On The Road?

Week one is DONE! (dat rhyme tho)

One thing before I get started: I literally just sat down to write this based on some notes and stuff I took on a word document over the week. None of it is edited so there’s probably huge grammar and spelling errors and trust me, I wish I had the time to go over this and edit it and make it better. I will probably look at this tomorrow and cringe.

TL;DR Training is awesome I feel like I was busier as a theatre major My shoulders hurt Our tire flew off our van and down the road So many new friends I got to pet a dog Jesus Jesus Jesus

:)

First off, this week has been invigorating and, in such a good way, exhausting. I’ve met so many people whose names I have surprisingly remembered and Jesus is so evident. He is SO everywhere.

Speaking of the man upstairs, I tried to start my week with some church but ended up listening to a sermon online and man, that sermon totally encompassed what this whole week was going to look like.

Scott Rogers, AKA one of my favorite speakers from Cornerstone, spoke on Palm Sunday awhile ago about being relational at church. I wasn’t in big service that day so I decided to go back and watch it. Basically it was about how the reason we love our home church is because of the people there. The worship could be decent, the pastors could have really good sermons, and your children’s ministry could be a big party, but all churches have places where they come up a little short for people. What makes people love church is the people who love them while they’re there. They ask them about their lives, remember the details, and will ask about them later on. They’ll offer to sit with them and invite them to a Sunday BBQ right after and let their kids play together. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE.

So lo and behold, this week was about the people. I met so many of them and they’re all wonderful. I made the decision Sunday night to be intentional, to get out of my shell that I crawl into because I hate hate haaaaate big groups of people (small groups up to 6 are cool), and to just try to live a life of LOVE. One of my favorite books of all time is Love Does by Bob Goff and I wish I had brought it with me. I really wish I had. I need some of the inspiration that man gives.

So anyway, training is great. There’s the usual things like how do you discipline a kid, how do you report suspected child abuse, and oh by the way never be alone with a camper where others can’t see you or hear you. Normal, working with kids stuff. Then there’s the fun aspect of learning chants and cheers and dances and opening your mind enough to rip up your cool card. Kids love it when you’re not trying to be cool. And I love that Sonshine pushes for that because CAMP is for the CAMPER. Ugh. Amazing.

Quick side note: Everything is humid and I’m dying. My body is just a bubble of sweat that I reside in. I have no skin, it’s all sweat. Everything is sweat. WHY did I have to come from a dry desert?

Quick side note #2: Living with 12 - 14 girls is difficult because you have to get used to the rhythm of calling shower times and figuring out which sink you’re going to brush your teeth at when there’s only 3 between the bathroom, kitchen, and upstairs powder room.

So training day two! This day was interesting. On the way to camp, while in this shady looking van, it starts to feel a little funny as we’re going down the road and then everything shakes as the rear left tire makes a noise that we assume is just a blown out tire. CUE TAHJ who yells “Oh my god! LOOK at our TIRE!!!” Prompting all of us to look out to the right to see our tire passing us up on the road as we slow down. Reaction: Shouting and panic laughter and Shaylee saying, “TAYLOR, TAYLOR! WE HAVE TO GET THE TIRE BEFORE IT HITS SOMETHING!” Taylor, by the way, ran down the street to get that tire out of a bush/tree/I-didn’t-actually-look-at-the-plant. 

We may have missed out on coffee that morning, but I got to meet and pet a dog so it was worth it. 

We did camp stuff all day in groups with a Head Counselor that basically is supposed to introduce camp to us. Luckily enough my group was almost all returners so I had a lot of people introducing me to camp. Ya girl got a little sunburnt, but it already tanned over. I got to talk about theater during lunch and found out my new friend Connor works in technical positions at a college theater nearby! Cool dude. This was also the day where we talked about reporting a suspicion of child abuse which I honestly cried a little about because it breaks my heart. I can’t even imagine. Y’know?

I also got to teach a game to the group of people I was with that day which I ended up getting a DLP for (describe, label, praise) and that was pretty sweet. I always knew I would fit in with a camp vibe but being affirmed is nice too!

It’s interesting to hear how tired people all. Being ridiculously busy this last year of school from 5 in the morning until midnight most nights was a lot worse than the schedule they have us on here. Granted, a lot of this is more physically demanding, but I don’t feel stressed yet. YET. I said yet.

On day three I got to find out where I’m placed (besides my art specialty camp) and I am in Explorers otherwise known as X-Life otherwise known as 1st and 2nd grade. I am not a group counselor and am instead “admin” while I’m not at specialty camps. I’m a extra body for the HCs to use as needed and wherever needed. To be honest, this job totally works out with who I am a person for all of you who know that Acts of Service is a love language that I am great at dishing out (yes, I’m tootin’ my own horn [beep beep]).

Throughout the rest of the week I also auditioned for skit team (and made it - holla!) and got to do some training for my specialty camp!

So the company that Sonshine is partnered with for arts related things is called Mainstages. They’re based out of New York City and the guy helping us out is named Ryan. He’s awesome. He gave me a binder full of fun games and a lot of ideas and a BAG full of FUN. Like I literally have an elephant puppet under my bed right now. And a rubber chicken. And a bunch of other fun stuff. I’m stoked. And nervous. it’s fine, I’m fine, it’ll be fine. Jesus is the one who put me here and I know he’s preparing me for it!

I get a big room at the specialty camps location, Bethel. It has a couple TVs and a small stage and a curtain and SO much SPACE. I have so many ideas. I got to meet all the wonderful people from this Bethel Church and they gave everyone part of specialty (Bethelty) camps a gift of just little snacks to get us through camp and they’re so, so nice. In fact, pretty much everyone in Maryland is nice. Where am I?

I also got to go do pool training with the people for our specialty camp and made some friends in those people as well. I get lots of questions about what I’m going to do in life since I’m graduated and about my tattoo. I ask a lot of questions @ internationals because I suddenly feel uncultured when they’re around. Whoops. Sorry, America.

I have gotten to do a lot of camp activities and make some really good friends in my explorer group! I think they’re all going to be good, good friends of mine.

Training week ended with a small “service” at Bethel. It was very worship based and I honestly had so many emotions and maybe almost cried at the end because the guitarist started playing the instrumental for How He Loves as the service ended and all my feelings from back when Ashley died came flooding back. I really wish I brought her memorial bracelet with me, but I know it would have ended up being ruined at some point while I’m here.

But anyway. Today, Saturday, was family camp day where we got to meet some campers and their families who wanted to come tour the camp and do activities and meet the staff. It was fun! I love this age group so far! I then got to drive the not-so-sketchy van as we (me and the Rutherford girls) got to go to Walmart and Giant and McDonalds for a Saturday night of shopping. I spent too much money. It’s fine (you keep telling yourself that, Becca).

I just want to end this a small appreciation bit. I am... so incredibly blessed. The way God has used me and the way he continues to use me is something incredible to me. The other night me and a handful of the girls stayed up until midnight talking about controversial subjects and how some Christians treat people and how people should be treated and where we stand on some things and it was so cleansing for my heart. I love hearing people’s thoughts and their feelings and their lives. The opportunities I’m being given at camp in just being able to serve and being able to share my passions about art with kids along with my passions about JESUS at the SAME TIME is so wonderful. I am in awe at how this all is working out. 

Praise the Lord, guys. Praise the Lord.

[tenpercentsugar]

1-101 my bitch

1. If you could be any mythical creature, what would you choose?a SIREN bro i dont know how many times i gotta fuckin say that i wish i had a scaly ass tail and a thirst for the blood of a sailor
2. It’s summer time and you’re thirsty, sweet tea or lemonade?lemonade no matter the season
3. Who is your #1 all time crush?damn near zayn malik
4. What book would you like to see made into a movie?bruh i dont even know at this point i havent read a book in so long
5. Create a new ice cream flavoror what? ;-)
6. Top five favorite songs at the moment?n64 x denzel curry, everybody wants to rule the world x tears for fears, ultimate $uicide x $uicideboy$ and denzel curry, exodus x $uicideboy$, nature feels x frank ocean
7. You get to choose a superpower but it can’t be the ability to fly, what do you go with?ability to read minds so i can reallllly know how ppl are reacting to me
8. Who’s your favorite Muppet?taylor dugan
9. You get to have a lifetime supply of one kind of food, what is it? probably chicken bro theres so many things you can do w chicken
10. What type of lunch meat do you typically choose when making a sandwich or sub?turkey and bacon but not turkey bacon
11. Water slides or roller coasters?this is so hard wtf?? uh rn it’s be water slides but i also fuck heavy w rollercoasters bro
12. What two musicians/bands would you like to see collaborate?the weeknd and frank ocean
13. Favorite Disney princess?damn near mulan that bitch is ballin
14. Is there anyone on tumblr you wish you could meet in person?stephanie, also thedeathmerchant
15. You can only watch one tv show for the rest of your life, what one do you pick?bob’s burgers
16. Top five celebrity crushes?zayn malik, frank ocean, asap rocky, vince staples, michael b. jordan 
17. Any rules you try to live by?be respectful, see things from all points of view, use turn signals, smoke w friends even if they can’t match, never let anybody feel alone
18. Have you had an serious medical injuries? i stabbed myself once but thats abt it
19. Fruity pebbles or cocoa pebbles?fuck pebbles they get soggy so quick aka Not Ideal
20. Do you have any new years resolutions?mine was to quit smoking but i literally j put out a cig so idk how thata gonna go
21. What’s your birthstone and would you change it if you could?i think it’s sapphire? and no cuz that is beautiful
22. What’s your element of choice? (earth, light, water, fire, etc.)light!!!!!! i’m obsessed w light and being a light
23. Have you ever had to have stitches? If yes, what for?no just staples for the stab wound as previously aforementioned
24. What is a fictional creature you hope actually exists?nessie
25. Do you have a favorite Crime series?law and order: svu for sure 
26. If you could go see a Broadway play/musical right now, which would you pick? damn near mamma mia hahaha i fuckin love that movie
27. What’s at the top of your holiday wish list this year?money, weed, a fuckin clean teen shirt
28. What are some things you would do if you were invisible?eavesdrop. what else do you need to be invisible for
29. Describe your very first kiss.thank you but no thank you!
30. Do you have any guilty pleasures?i don’t feel guilty abt liking any of the shit i like but i mean i wouldnt play hollywood undead in my car for just anybody
31. Have you ever performed on a stage?yeah a handful of times
32. If you could meet any one of the Muppets which would it be?taylor dugan probably
33. Do you have a favorite mixed drink?kahlua and milk lmao
34. Anything you miss about being a child?uh everything? my brain is both 40 years old and 6 years old
35. Who is the hottest person that you know of on tumblr?@teenybug
36. Any good book recommendations?if you wanna laugh, helter skelter x vincent bugliosi is a good start
37. What’s your favorite pokemon type?i think u have the wrong number?
38. What’s the most hurtful thing anyone’s ever said to you?as if i have the time to remember all the hurtful things ppl have said to me when im already super busy remembering all the mean shit i’ve done
39. Is there a song that always makes you want to dance when you hear it?plenty bro i can’t even help it
40. What’s the best selfie you’ve ever taken and can we see it?go thru http://deathchamp.tumblr.com/tagged/me and you tell me
41. If you could pick just one extinct animal to bring back to life what would it be?i would need to consult an entire list and then i’ll let you know
42. What’s your least favorite name(s)?keith, roger, becca
43. If you could change your name to anything, what would you pick?probably just the color light blue. like my name would j be a color. no letters
44. What are three things on your holiday wish list this year?pussy money weed haha classic
45. If you could get away with any crime what would it be?running stop signs/red lights
46. How do you usually break the ice with strangers?i don’t even know i prolly j make jokes
47. Are you crushing on anyone at the moment? What are they like?no that’s not the wave i’m on at all
48. Anyone you’re dying to see in concert?tame impala, the weeknd, frank ocean, bryson tiller, zayn, denzel curry, vince staples
49. Are there any bands/musicians you really dislike?meghan trainor, carly rae jepsen, taylor swift
50. What are you made up of?ashes, summer sunsets, perth x bon iver
51. Biggest fictional crush? nathan scott from one tree hill boiiii
52. Do you have a favorite bird?damn near the bald eagle hahahah that dude is crazy
53. If you could completely erase one person or memory from your mind would you do it?hahahaha yeah i’ve been doing that
54. What are some thing’s you are always happy to receive as gifts?anything cuz if u thinkin of me enough to get me a gift (or make me one or steal me one or whatever), then i’m stoked abt it
55. What do you like to do on rainy days?get high, drive, watch netflix w dani 
56. Chinese take out or pizza?za
57. What do you usually wear to bed?t-shirt n shorts or sweats depending on the season
58. As a child, what are some of the things you wanted to grow up to be? stay at home mom, a teacher, a psychologist
59. How many pillows do you prefer to sleep with?two
60. What’s your favorite type of weather?sunny and 70 right now but i also get hella good vibes from cloudy and low 60s/high 50s when it’s fall time
61. What’s your Hogwart’s house? (even if you’re not a Harry Potter fan, you’ve still thought about which house you’d been in, don’t lie.) 🙄
62. Favorite month of the year and why?september cuz thas my birth month and its also like the perfect time of year. not too hot not too cold
63. What is your board game of choice?i love playing life!!! i wish more people played that w me
64. Are there any commonly held beliefs that you don’t buy into?i’m sure but i try not to think abt things i passionately disagree w cuz i’m still working on dealing w anger appropriately
65. Describe the best kiss of your life thus far.haven’t had the best kiss of my life thus far
66. What is something you wish didn’t exist?benzos
67. What’s the most painful thing you’ve endured?the tattoo on my god damn foot dude
68. Do you collect anything?just bitches tahaaa 
69. Is there anything in particular that you’re looking forward to this summer?warped tour idiot duh
70. If you had a pair of wings, what would they look like?white and lined w gold
71. Dinner and a movie is so old, what are some other things you’d enjoy doing on a date?gettin cross faded and sittin outside, lookin at the trees
72. What’s your favorite breed of dog?rottweiler
73. How do you like your chicken wings? If you don’t like chicken wings, then wtf is wrong with you?i’ll eat em bone in or boneless but honey bbq is really the only sauce i want them tossed in
74. Anyone been on your mind lately?dylan, ashley, michaela (even tho we aint even cool like that), ash
75. Are there any things about yourself that you dislike that others seem to love?my laugh? i’ve been getting compliments on it since middle school but it is one of the ugliest parts of me
76. What’s your favorite part of the playground?the swings!
77. Do you like to write?
i love to! but i never do it

78. What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received?klonopin hahahaha
79. What is something you never leave home without?my sunglasses cuz i got sensitive ass eyes
80. If you drink, what kind of drunk person are you?in my feels hard as fuck, sayin dumb shit i think is funny
81. Do you listen to music while you shower?not anymore but i used to 
82. Are there any classics films you wish would be remade?no keep em as they are
83. What’s your go to party song?shots x lmfao cuz who doesnt fuck w that song
84. Have you got a favorite outfit? Can we see it?not really but yeah come thru
85. What’s the longest you’ve ever talked on the phone for?me and taylor used to talk on the phone for hourrrrssss bro like forever long calls
86. What’s your favorite emoji? 😟🤙🙄
87. Have you ever had raw fish?not that i’m aware of….
88. What accent do you find most attractive?mexican accents bro ughhhh fuck me up
89. What’s one bad thing an ex might have to say about you?who
90. Would you choose to be immortal if you could?nope im like terrified of death but i know it would suck to keep living when all the people i love are dead
91. What’s the most expensive thing you ever bought?my car and it wasnt even that expensive
92. Have you ever had a black eye?yeah actually in first grade
93. What are some questions you’d ask on a first date?what’s your favorite song rn and do you like going for drives
94. What do you think happens when we die?nothing that i wanna talk abt i’ll throw up
95. Any pets you’d enjoy having?i want a bunny!!! i know i’m not responsible enough for one but fuck!!
96. What are some reasons you might end a relationship?if there’s no trust then i’m outtie
97. Is there anything in your room you wouldn’t want your parents stumbling upon?no actually they know abt all the stupid shit i do i’m not worried abt it
98. Are you still friends with anyone from grade school?like elementary school?! not really at all dude
99. What is one song you will never, ever get sick of?perth x bon iver, minnesota, wi x bon iver, nature feels x frank ocean, the moment x tame impala, as you are x the weeknd
100. Waffles or pancake? And what do you put on top of them?waffles w syrup n butter bro it dont get much better than that
101. One word you’d use to describe yourself?tweak

thank u emo stranger

[anthonykrierion]

Creative Inspiration: Content We Enjoyed this Winter

Long format we love you!

In the age of everyone having a blog, highly stylised long format can be what it takes to make your written content stand out. At Distilled we often ask ourselves does something being a blog post make it immediately feel less valuable than say, a white paper or a comprehensive guide? Is turning something into a simple blog post selling yourself short, is that format right for your content? With written content coming in so many forms from microblogging in tweets, to company e-newsletters, it’s important to find the right format for what you want to say, of course, sometimes that is with a simple blog post.

Each quarter at Distilled we look back over the content that has made us tick. Content that made us laugh, start heated debates, WOW at how pretty it is, or feel flabbergasted by the conclusions. Building on the 2017 summer and autumn roundup we launched last year, here’s what we loved (or loathed) with equal passion this winter. Starting with some beautiful long format journalism.

Poor Millennials - Highline Huffington Post

With so much content being churned out these days, one might argue that journalistic standards are slipping. Perhaps to fly the flag of quality, well-researched journalism once more, a select team at The Huffington Post has created a new arm called ‘Highline’. Each article features captivating movement as you scroll. Poor Millennials, which was 8 months in the making, discusses ‘Why millennials are facing the scariest financial future of any generation since the Great Depression’. I found it relatable, even though I’m at the older end of the millennial spectrum.

The frank writing style and 8-bit illustrations pull you in. Pull quotes, stats and bold use of typography make this monster of a post easily digestible at a surface level if you don’t have half a half day to read the whole thing. The tone of voice is brash and allows you to feel justified in your bitterness towards the economy. The animations aptly depict millennials emotions in a very literal way, e.g. falling through space with no one to cushion your fall. There are graphs - in psychedelic pinks, and what feels like levels and character controllability, all harping back to the 90’s rave culture and gaming that millennials hold so dear.

Ungifted - Do The Green Thing

On the lead up to Christmas, we often run about like headless chickens buying up unnecessary bits and bobs for our loved ones, just because we need to get them something. ‘Do The Green Thing’ is a public service that uses creativity to tackle climate change. Needless to say, they would like to minimise the plastic tat lying in our landfills after the festive period. How? By inspiring us to give time not objects. And so ‘Do The Green Thing’ created ‘Ungifted’. It’s essentially a list of ways you can spend time with your friends/family, whether it be a winter bike ride, a night on the tiles, or a home-cooked meal. The long format page has little gifs depicting characters joyously appreciating these activities, and a long list of numerous ideas to incentivise our consumer society to change their habits. ‘Do The Green Thing’ could have easily added in stats about unwanted material gifts, or rubbish accumulated over Christmas to further bolster the message. The page presentation is fun, lighthearted, non-preachy, and not too content heavy. This makes content consumption, and subsequent change, more likely.

Find Your Happy Place - Budget Direct

Budget Direct - a car/travel/house insurance company - has collated data on the factors that affect living standards. The tool enables you to drag and drop a modular ordered list to define your own hierarchy for these standards. Is it house affordability or pollution which are most important to you? Once ordered the tool suggests in which city you might find your happy place. A more simplistic version of OECD’s Better Life Index. Suggesting a life in a far-off city, tells us something about ourselves and allows us to daydream about where we might be most happy. Perhaps we will even use Budget Direct to book our travel insurance when we visit there!

The Gourmand’s 10th issue - The Gourmand - Matthieu Lavanchy

The food and culture journal made waves with its 10th front cover. Working with photographer Matthieu Lavanchy they took food that had already been turned into an emoji, and turned it back into food… meta. The accuracy of the photography vs the emojis is uncanny. Taking icons we see regularly, and reimagining them makes you want to compare the photos to the icons on your phone, it gets you involved.

Thank you, Lamont - Lyft

Lyft is like Uber, a cab app. Lyft has created a series of videos where the premise is giving back to their drivers. They share individual, inspirational and memorable driver stories. With big faceless organisations, and especially those in low paid service industries, stories that show a human element - and even what a positive change working for this company has had on someone's life - stick in your mind. Lamont, the driver featured here, talks about the world being his home as opposed to favouring one place (a great all-inclusive brand message). Lyft surprise him by encouraging his exploration of the world with an all-inclusive around the world trip.

Bullying Jr - Burger King in association with No Bully

Partnering with a charity can really help a brand if there’s synergy with their core messages. It shows the brand cares and is willing to use their clout to speak out to help raise awareness (or money) for those less fortunate. Burger King ‘bullied’ one of their own burgers, to help raise awareness of the impact of bullying. The narrative starts with a fact; ‘30% of students are bullied’. It then shows a bunch of school kids bullying another child. Customers in the Burger King restaurant look on, clearly moved by the scene that is unfolding before them. Yet the majority of spectators do nothing.

Then it’s the burger’s turn. Before it is wrapped up it receives a few sharp punches, flattening and breaking apart the bun whilst the filling spills out. 95% of customers complained about their burger having been bullied, yet only 12% stood up for the bullied child. This campaign isn’t aimed at the bullies themselves. Rather it exposes the impact of the uninvolved bystander, the witness. It asks them to stand up. To say something. This works for a fast food restaurant whose customers are a real mix of ages, including kids getting a quick bite to eat after school. It is the sort of place in towns where children congregate, everyone needs to eat and everyone has the potential to be bullied/see bullying. An eating place should be safe space, where communities can come together to rest and recoup.

Taste Face - Marmite

Marmite has released a face recognition tool and a gene test where the brand states that it knows if you are a lover or hater of Marmite. Marmite has always been brasher than any other brand in actively saying that its customers HATE its product, but now it reveals that science can work out your taste preferences. I actually quite like Marmite but I tried to trick the face recognition tool into believing I am a hater, by pulling my most disgusted face… and it worked, branding me ‘73% a born hater’. For me, the fascination here is more how the face recognition tool works out how much you love or hate something as opposed to it being an accurate test. Is it shareable? Yes! It’s a smart way of having a bit of fun and, of course, people like to share pictures of their own face!

X-Rated Elf - Poundland

Every now and again a brand does something controversial that gets everyone talking. Remember the recent outcry when Dove showed a black person turning into a white person? Personally, I don’t think this marketing effort aimed to be controversial, but conversation was drummed up nonetheless.

Well, some brands create controversy purposefully, shamelessly. How? By talking about teabagging… Ummmm. Yup, that's right. That’s what Poundland made a figurine elf do for it’s Christmas campaign, which was released through a series of images on social. Other scenes showed a naked poker match (Joker Joker, I really want to poke her) and a penis shaped cactus drawn on an etch a sketch (That's one prickly Christmas tree).

While some people found this hilarious, it had many others up in arms, calling it rude, offensive and misogynistic.  Poundland showed no remorse and was quoted saying ‘We're proud of a campaign that's only cost £25.53 and is being touted as the winning marketing campaign this Christmas!’ Poundland also threw caution to the wind by creating some unofficial brand partnerships with Barbie and Ken, and Twinings (who I believe asked them to remove their packaging from one of the scenes).

Holiday Video E-Card -  R&O Construction - Becca Clason

Sometimes a client’s service or product can seem so boring it’s hard to imagine how you can let your creativity run wild. Introducing Construction company R&O and its holiday E-Card by typographic genius Becca Clason. Complete with construction sound effects and Christmas music - the asphalt, sawdust and cement greeting card video really gives you that Christmassy feeling while keeping R&O and the creativity they are showing in mind. The sawdust makes up the words ‘Wishing You’ while the word ‘JOY’ is lowered into place with what seems like a crane. Christmas is a great time and excuse to send out little reminders of your company.

Memory Powered Tree - Marie Curie

This Christmas, Marie Curie created a memory-powered Christmas tree next to the London Eye in Waterloo. Each time a memory was shared on social using the hashtag #LightUpChristmas, lights on the tree would shine a little brighter. This gave people a place to congregate to share memories of lost loved ones, and to celebrate the memories of those still with us too. Having a stunt in such a public space with a high footfall makes it a real talking point, and the activity makes you feel you’re part of a community - coming together to make a little magic happen.

Memories or money - lastminute.com

It’s important to drill down to the specifics of what you are selling with your product or service. Are you selling insurance, or peace of mind? Are you selling games or laughter? What lastminute.com sells is not holidays, it’s memories. It’s the romantic time you had in Venice, or how you were flabbergasted by the scenery in Alberta. It’s that wonderful memory that you will always have with you that matters. That is what you’re spending your money on.

In the video, a handful of people discuss their most poignant or exciting memories. A woman in a lab coat then asks if it’s ok to delete those memories for a fee. The participants (quite rightly) are horrified by the notion and say ‘no’, showing that the memories made are priceless. The video acts as an incentive to book a holiday and make more of those priceless memories.

What content have you enjoyed lately? Let us know in the comments.

Creative Inspiration: Content We Enjoyed this Winter was originally posted by Video And Blog Marketing

[davidrsmithlove]

Creative Inspiration: Content We Enjoyed this Winter

Long format we love you!

In the age of everyone having a blog, highly stylised long format can be what it takes to make your written content stand out. At Distilled we often ask ourselves does something being a blog post make it immediately feel less valuable than say, a white paper or a comprehensive guide? Is turning something into a simple blog post selling yourself short, is that format right for your content? With written content coming in so many forms from microblogging in tweets, to company e-newsletters, it’s important to find the right format for what you want to say, of course, sometimes that is with a simple blog post.

Each quarter at Distilled we look back over the content that has made us tick. Content that made us laugh, start heated debates, WOW at how pretty it is, or feel flabbergasted by the conclusions. Building on the 2017 summer and autumn roundup we launched last year, here’s what we loved (or loathed) with equal passion this winter. Starting with some beautiful long format journalism.

Poor Millennials - Highline Huffington Post

With so much content being churned out these days, one might argue that journalistic standards are slipping. Perhaps to fly the flag of quality, well-researched journalism once more, a select team at The Huffington Post has created a new arm called ‘Highline’. Each article features captivating movement as you scroll. Poor Millennials, which was 8 months in the making, discusses ‘Why millennials are facing the scariest financial future of any generation since the Great Depression’. I found it relatable, even though I’m at the older end of the millennial spectrum.

The frank writing style and 8-bit illustrations pull you in. Pull quotes, stats and bold use of typography make this monster of a post easily digestible at a surface level if you don’t have half a half day to read the whole thing. The tone of voice is brash and allows you to feel justified in your bitterness towards the economy. The animations aptly depict millennials emotions in a very literal way, e.g. falling through space with no one to cushion your fall. There are graphs - in psychedelic pinks, and what feels like levels and character controllability, all harping back to the 90’s rave culture and gaming that millennials hold so dear.

Ungifted - Do The Green Thing

On the lead up to Christmas, we often run about like headless chickens buying up unnecessary bits and bobs for our loved ones, just because we need to get them something. ‘Do The Green Thing’ is a public service that uses creativity to tackle climate change. Needless to say, they would like to minimise the plastic tat lying in our landfills after the festive period. How? By inspiring us to give time not objects. And so ‘Do The Green Thing’ created ‘Ungifted’. It’s essentially a list of ways you can spend time with your friends/family, whether it be a winter bike ride, a night on the tiles, or a home-cooked meal. The long format page has little gifs depicting characters joyously appreciating these activities, and a long list of numerous ideas to incentivise our consumer society to change their habits. ‘Do The Green Thing’ could have easily added in stats about unwanted material gifts, or rubbish accumulated over Christmas to further bolster the message. The page presentation is fun, lighthearted, non-preachy, and not too content heavy. This makes content consumption, and subsequent change, more likely.

Find Your Happy Place - Budget Direct

Budget Direct - a car/travel/house insurance company - has collated data on the factors that affect living standards. The tool enables you to drag and drop a modular ordered list to define your own hierarchy for these standards. Is it house affordability or pollution which are most important to you? Once ordered the tool suggests in which city you might find your happy place. A more simplistic version of OECD’s Better Life Index. Suggesting a life in a far-off city, tells us something about ourselves and allows us to daydream about where we might be most happy. Perhaps we will even use Budget Direct to book our travel insurance when we visit there!

The Gourmand’s 10th issue - The Gourmand - Matthieu Lavanchy

The food and culture journal made waves with its 10th front cover. Working with photographer Matthieu Lavanchy they took food that had already been turned into an emoji, and turned it back into food… meta. The accuracy of the photography vs the emojis is uncanny. Taking icons we see regularly, and reimagining them makes you want to compare the photos to the icons on your phone, it gets you involved.

Thank you, Lamont - Lyft

Lyft is like Uber, a cab app. Lyft has created a series of videos where the premise is giving back to their drivers. They share individual, inspirational and memorable driver stories. With big faceless organisations, and especially those in low paid service industries, stories that show a human element - and even what a positive change working for this company has had on someone's life - stick in your mind. Lamont, the driver featured here, talks about the world being his home as opposed to favouring one place (a great all-inclusive brand message). Lyft surprise him by encouraging his exploration of the world with an all-inclusive around the world trip.

Bullying Jr - Burger King in association with No Bully

Partnering with a charity can really help a brand if there’s synergy with their core messages. It shows the brand cares and is willing to use their clout to speak out to help raise awareness (or money) for those less fortunate. Burger King ‘bullied’ one of their own burgers, to help raise awareness of the impact of bullying. The narrative starts with a fact; ‘30% of students are bullied’. It then shows a bunch of school kids bullying another child. Customers in the Burger King restaurant look on, clearly moved by the scene that is unfolding before them. Yet the majority of spectators do nothing.

Then it’s the burger’s turn. Before it is wrapped up it receives a few sharp punches, flattening and breaking apart the bun whilst the filling spills out. 95% of customers complained about their burger having been bullied, yet only 12% stood up for the bullied child. This campaign isn’t aimed at the bullies themselves. Rather it exposes the impact of the uninvolved bystander, the witness. It asks them to stand up. To say something. This works for a fast food restaurant whose customers are a real mix of ages, including kids getting a quick bite to eat after school. It is the sort of place in towns where children congregate, everyone needs to eat and everyone has the potential to be bullied/see bullying. An eating place should be safe space, where communities can come together to rest and recoup.

Taste Face - Marmite

Marmite has released a face recognition tool and a gene test where the brand states that it knows if you are a lover or hater of Marmite. Marmite has always been brasher than any other brand in actively saying that its customers HATE its product, but now it reveals that science can work out your taste preferences. I actually quite like Marmite but I tried to trick the face recognition tool into believing I am a hater, by pulling my most disgusted face… and it worked, branding me ‘73% a born hater’. For me, the fascination here is more how the face recognition tool works out how much you love or hate something as opposed to it being an accurate test. Is it shareable? Yes! It’s a smart way of having a bit of fun and, of course, people like to share pictures of their own face!

X-Rated Elf - Poundland

Every now and again a brand does something controversial that gets everyone talking. Remember the recent outcry when Dove showed a black person turning into a white person? Personally, I don’t think this marketing effort aimed to be controversial, but conversation was drummed up nonetheless.

Well, some brands create controversy purposefully, shamelessly. How? By talking about teabagging… Ummmm. Yup, that's right. That’s what Poundland made a figurine elf do for it’s Christmas campaign, which was released through a series of images on social. Other scenes showed a naked poker match (Joker Joker, I really want to poke her) and a penis shaped cactus drawn on an etch a sketch (That's one prickly Christmas tree).

While some people found this hilarious, it had many others up in arms, calling it rude, offensive and misogynistic.  Poundland showed no remorse and was quoted saying ‘We're proud of a campaign that's only cost £25.53 and is being touted as the winning marketing campaign this Christmas!’ Poundland also threw caution to the wind by creating some unofficial brand partnerships with Barbie and Ken, and Twinings (who I believe asked them to remove their packaging from one of the scenes).

Holiday Video E-Card -  R&O Construction - Becca Clason

Sometimes a client’s service or product can seem so boring it’s hard to imagine how you can let your creativity run wild. Introducing Construction company R&O and its holiday E-Card by typographic genius Becca Clason. Complete with construction sound effects and Christmas music - the asphalt, sawdust and cement greeting card video really gives you that Christmassy feeling while keeping R&O and the creativity they are showing in mind. The sawdust makes up the words ‘Wishing You’ while the word ‘JOY’ is lowered into place with what seems like a crane. Christmas is a great time and excuse to send out little reminders of your company.

Memory Powered Tree - Marie Curie

This Christmas, Marie Curie created a memory-powered Christmas tree next to the London Eye in Waterloo. Each time a memory was shared on social using the hashtag #LightUpChristmas, lights on the tree would shine a little brighter. This gave people a place to congregate to share memories of lost loved ones, and to celebrate the memories of those still with us too. Having a stunt in such a public space with a high footfall makes it a real talking point, and the activity makes you feel you’re part of a community - coming together to make a little magic happen.

Memories or money - lastminute.com

It’s important to drill down to the specifics of what you are selling with your product or service. Are you selling insurance, or peace of mind? Are you selling games or laughter? What lastminute.com sells is not holidays, it’s memories. It’s the romantic time you had in Venice, or how you were flabbergasted by the scenery in Alberta. It’s that wonderful memory that you will always have with you that matters. That is what you’re spending your money on.

In the video, a handful of people discuss their most poignant or exciting memories. A woman in a lab coat then asks if it’s ok to delete those memories for a fee. The participants (quite rightly) are horrified by the notion and say ‘no’, showing that the memories made are priceless. The video acts as an incentive to book a holiday and make more of those priceless memories.

What content have you enjoyed lately? Let us know in the comments.

[ronijashworth]

Creative Inspiration: Content We Enjoyed this Winter

Long format we love you!

In the age of everyone having a blog, highly stylised long format can be what it takes to make your written content stand out. At Distilled we often ask ourselves does something being a blog post make it immediately feel less valuable than say, a white paper or a comprehensive guide? Is turning something into a simple blog post selling yourself short, is that format right for your content? With written content coming in so many forms from microblogging in tweets, to company e-newsletters, it’s important to find the right format for what you want to say, of course, sometimes that is with a simple blog post.

Each quarter at Distilled we look back over the content that has made us tick. Content that made us laugh, start heated debates, WOW at how pretty it is, or feel flabbergasted by the conclusions. Building on the 2017 summer and autumn roundup we launched last year, here’s what we loved (or loathed) with equal passion this winter. Starting with some beautiful long format journalism.

Poor Millennials - Highline Huffington Post

With so much content being churned out these days, one might argue that journalistic standards are slipping. Perhaps to fly the flag of quality, well-researched journalism once more, a select team at The Huffington Post has created a new arm called ‘Highline’. Each article features captivating movement as you scroll. Poor Millennials, which was 8 months in the making, discusses ‘Why millennials are facing the scariest financial future of any generation since the Great Depression’. I found it relatable, even though I’m at the older end of the millennial spectrum.

The frank writing style and 8-bit illustrations pull you in. Pull quotes, stats and bold use of typography make this monster of a post easily digestible at a surface level if you don’t have half a half day to read the whole thing. The tone of voice is brash and allows you to feel justified in your bitterness towards the economy. The animations aptly depict millennials emotions in a very literal way, e.g. falling through space with no one to cushion your fall. There are graphs - in psychedelic pinks, and what feels like levels and character controllability, all harping back to the 90’s rave culture and gaming that millennials hold so dear.

Ungifted - Do The Green Thing

On the lead up to Christmas, we often run about like headless chickens buying up unnecessary bits and bobs for our loved ones, just because we need to get them something. ‘Do The Green Thing’ is a public service that uses creativity to tackle climate change. Needless to say, they would like to minimise the plastic tat lying in our landfills after the festive period. How? By inspiring us to give time not objects. And so ‘Do The Green Thing’ created ‘Ungifted’. It’s essentially a list of ways you can spend time with your friends/family, whether it be a winter bike ride, a night on the tiles, or a home-cooked meal. The long format page has little gifs depicting characters joyously appreciating these activities, and a long list of numerous ideas to incentivise our consumer society to change their habits. ‘Do The Green Thing’ could have easily added in stats about unwanted material gifts, or rubbish accumulated over Christmas to further bolster the message. The page presentation is fun, lighthearted, non-preachy, and not too content heavy. This makes content consumption, and subsequent change, more likely.

Find Your Happy Place - Budget Direct

Budget Direct - a car/travel/house insurance company - has collated data on the factors that affect living standards. The tool enables you to drag and drop a modular ordered list to define your own hierarchy for these standards. Is it house affordability or pollution which are most important to you? Once ordered the tool suggests in which city you might find your happy place. A more simplistic version of OECD’s Better Life Index. Suggesting a life in a far-off city, tells us something about ourselves and allows us to daydream about where we might be most happy. Perhaps we will even use Budget Direct to book our travel insurance when we visit there!

The Gourmand’s 10th issue - The Gourmand - Matthieu Lavanchy

The food and culture journal made waves with its 10th front cover. Working with photographer Matthieu Lavanchy they took food that had already been turned into an emoji, and turned it back into food… meta. The accuracy of the photography vs the emojis is uncanny. Taking icons we see regularly, and reimagining them makes you want to compare the photos to the icons on your phone, it gets you involved.

Thank you, Lamont - Lyft

Lyft is like Uber, a cab app. Lyft has created a series of videos where the premise is giving back to their drivers. They share individual, inspirational and memorable driver stories. With big faceless organisations, and especially those in low paid service industries, stories that show a human element - and even what a positive change working for this company has had on someone's life - stick in your mind. Lamont, the driver featured here, talks about the world being his home as opposed to favouring one place (a great all-inclusive brand message). Lyft surprise him by encouraging his exploration of the world with an all-inclusive around the world trip.

Bullying Jr - Burger King in association with No Bully

Partnering with a charity can really help a brand if there’s synergy with their core messages. It shows the brand cares and is willing to use their clout to speak out to help raise awareness (or money) for those less fortunate. Burger King ‘bullied’ one of their own burgers, to help raise awareness of the impact of bullying. The narrative starts with a fact; ‘30% of students are bullied’. It then shows a bunch of school kids bullying another child. Customers in the Burger King restaurant look on, clearly moved by the scene that is unfolding before them. Yet the majority of spectators do nothing.

Then it’s the burger’s turn. Before it is wrapped up it receives a few sharp punches, flattening and breaking apart the bun whilst the filling spills out. 95% of customers complained about their burger having been bullied, yet only 12% stood up for the bullied child. This campaign isn’t aimed at the bullies themselves. Rather it exposes the impact of the uninvolved bystander, the witness. It asks them to stand up. To say something. This works for a fast food restaurant whose customers are a real mix of ages, including kids getting a quick bite to eat after school. It is the sort of place in towns where children congregate, everyone needs to eat and everyone has the potential to be bullied/see bullying. An eating place should be safe space, where communities can come together to rest and recoup.

Taste Face - Marmite

Marmite has released a face recognition tool and a gene test where the brand states that it knows if you are a lover or hater of Marmite. Marmite has always been brasher than any other brand in actively saying that its customers HATE its product, but now it reveals that science can work out your taste preferences. I actually quite like Marmite but I tried to trick the face recognition tool into believing I am a hater, by pulling my most disgusted face… and it worked, branding me ‘73% a born hater’. For me, the fascination here is more how the face recognition tool works out how much you love or hate something as opposed to it being an accurate test. Is it shareable? Yes! It’s a smart way of having a bit of fun and, of course, people like to share pictures of their own face!

X-Rated Elf - Poundland

Every now and again a brand does something controversial that gets everyone talking. Remember the recent outcry when Dove showed a black person turning into a white person? Personally, I don’t think this marketing effort aimed to be controversial, but conversation was drummed up nonetheless.

Well, some brands create controversy purposefully, shamelessly. How? By talking about teabagging… Ummmm. Yup, that's right. That’s what Poundland made a figurine elf do for it’s Christmas campaign, which was released through a series of images on social. Other scenes showed a naked poker match (Joker Joker, I really want to poke her) and a penis shaped cactus drawn on an etch a sketch (That's one prickly Christmas tree).

While some people found this hilarious, it had many others up in arms, calling it rude, offensive and misogynistic.  Poundland showed no remorse and was quoted saying ‘We're proud of a campaign that's only cost £25.53 and is being touted as the winning marketing campaign this Christmas!’ Poundland also threw caution to the wind by creating some unofficial brand partnerships with Barbie and Ken, and Twinings (who I believe asked them to remove their packaging from one of the scenes).

Holiday Video E-Card -  R&O Construction - Becca Clason

Sometimes a client’s service or product can seem so boring it’s hard to imagine how you can let your creativity run wild. Introducing Construction company R&O and its holiday E-Card by typographic genius Becca Clason. Complete with construction sound effects and Christmas music - the asphalt, sawdust and cement greeting card video really gives you that Christmassy feeling while keeping R&O and the creativity they are showing in mind. The sawdust makes up the words ‘Wishing You’ while the word ‘JOY’ is lowered into place with what seems like a crane. Christmas is a great time and excuse to send out little reminders of your company.

Memory Powered Tree - Marie Curie

This Christmas, Marie Curie created a memory-powered Christmas tree next to the London Eye in Waterloo. Each time a memory was shared on social using the hashtag #LightUpChristmas, lights on the tree would shine a little brighter. This gave people a place to congregate to share memories of lost loved ones, and to celebrate the memories of those still with us too. Having a stunt in such a public space with a high footfall makes it a real talking point, and the activity makes you feel you’re part of a community - coming together to make a little magic happen.

Memories or money - lastminute.com

It’s important to drill down to the specifics of what you are selling with your product or service. Are you selling insurance, or peace of mind? Are you selling games or laughter? What lastminute.com sells is not holidays, it’s memories. It’s the romantic time you had in Venice, or how you were flabbergasted by the scenery in Alberta. It’s that wonderful memory that you will always have with you that matters. That is what you’re spending your money on.

In the video, a handful of people discuss their most poignant or exciting memories. A woman in a lab coat then asks if it’s ok to delete those memories for a fee. The participants (quite rightly) are horrified by the notion and say ‘no’, showing that the memories made are priceless. The video acts as an incentive to book a holiday and make more of those priceless memories.

What content have you enjoyed lately? Let us know in the comments.

from Digital Marketing https://www.distilled.net/resources/creative-inspiration-content-we-enjoyed-this-winter/ via http://www.rssmix.com/