#with nate danish.

[laureljacobs]

"Ah, of course. Silly me," Laurel chuckled, shaking her head. People who grew up with money fascinated her. She'd spent a very long time resenting them — maybe that never totally went away, if she was being honest — and then she'd gotten older, found success in her own career, and finally had a little money for herself. She was still different from them, as far as she was concerned, but the active dislike had started to feel a little hypocritical after a while.

She shrugged, folding her arms over her chest. "You're a character, is all." She considered it for a second before sticking out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Laurel," she said. "I'll take another guess about you... you're from... New York? Manhattan? Family's got a nice townhouse on the Upper West Side?" That was a good chunk of her social circle when she was there, so she liked to think she knew the type.

@natexdanish

"My mother would overjoyed that her coaxing in my youth paid off." Amelia had made sure that her baby boy was brimming with confidence in himself and his ability. Nate new he was far more equipped to handle the realities of life than most of his peers he grew up alongside in his youth. It was par the persona he crafted for himself and so he could only let her chuckle deflect off of him as very little got under his skin.

"There's a beautiful thing called first class flights and private planes when warranted." Nate hadn't landed the gig in Maine for shits and giggles. He was incredibly good at his job and his delivery of projects and products were consistently above reproach. "Let's call it a good 65/35." His father wanted him working a consistent job and had wanted to wean Nate off the funds to emergency uses only. It was Amelia who kept it going to remain in her son's good graces considering her lies that caught up to her decades later. "What's it to you anyways?"

[totallynotagentphilcoulson]

So uh, helps if I actually post stuff doesn’t it?

Here’s my D&D PC, I joined an ongoing session run by a coworker of mine and @moveslikebucky’s, it’s been ongoing for about a quarter of a year and they joined a couple sessions before I got over getting in my own head. Saffi’s a Fighter/Ranger, pretty blatantly inspired by pulpy adventure archaeologists/treasure hunters. And yes I used one of HF’s weird scifi guns to stand in for a hand crossbow cuz I wanted something a bit more like the OSS’s Little John crossbow than the actual hand crossbows, it makes sense in the context of the setting given that it’s, like, a homebrew dieselpunkish take on Forgotten Realms instead of Forgotten Realms proper.

I have some more dicking around on HF designs to post, about half of which are actually a year and a half old but never got added to my long reblog chain so I’m slapping those on a separate post.

[providing-leverage]

hey you! did you see this headline?

I did, and I wasn't happy about it. Luckily I also did some further research. This article was posted today on goal.com and contains basically zero actual information, just a lot of empty words and more photos than necessary.

They credit the quote to 'a showbiz insider' on Twitter named MyTimeToShineHello. Last week, the Direct also ran a 'story' with this quote, though they're more skeptical about the source that, as far as I can tell, has no affiliation with Apple of JSudakis.

So we can all calm down. We don't know anything new about s4 and likely won't for a while, until they start filming and the involved parties are given permission to.

That said, here's what I want to see from s4 of Ted Lasso/the new show centered around the women's team

For it to not be called Ted Lasso. He made his choice to go back home, as controversial as it may be in certain corners of the fandom. Let him stay there. Leave him out of this, or maybe flash between crazy football stuff and Ted at the zoo or something.

Definitely do not let him coach a women's team. I don't think he's got any experience with female athletes and would be so underqualified. This time Rebecca is not trying to sink the club.

Speaking of Rebecca: give her screentime. Give her complex plots that don't hinge on her asshole ex-husband or have her dating one of her much younger employees. Flesh out Danish boat guy, that's fine, or skillfully write him out.

Keeley! I don't care what she's doing, as long as she has so much screen time! (I'm not a roykeeleyjamie shipper at all but I recognize that I'm in the minority here so I'm not going to talk ships right now, partially because I haven't made up my mind)

New characters on the women's team. And at least three of them have to be gay. There are several out female footballers, so I see no reason why we can't have So Much lesbian drama happening: exs playing together for the first time in years, new romances, hidden relationships, fake dating, whatever. Maybe get Colin and Trent in there for community friendships

Speaking of Colin, I want cameos from the entire AFC Richmond men's team. Maybe one of Dani's girlfriends is also a football player (it would fit him well, since football is his life) or maybe they share training facilities? They should for sure do some press events together.

I want to see the pub lads not liking the idea of a women's team but then Mae plays nothing but women's matches for a week straight and they come around to it, eventually becoming the team's biggest supporters.

Oh I also want Isaac to be friends with (maybe fall in love with?) the captain of the women's team, who should for sure be bisexual.

As for who should coach since Ted is not on the table: for sure get a woman in there. I like Beard and Roy and Nate together at AFC Men's but of them, I can only see Nate transferring to work on the women's team

Roy is head coach, after all, and Beard is always part of a set. Nate had his issues with respect and boundaries but he's learned his lesson and we already know from his success at Westham that he's capable of being in that leadership role. But this time he'll have a real support system and not Rupert manipulating him.

Back to Trent: PR and journalism are really closely linked so if my department head can go from a career in sports journalism to a PR professional, then I see no reason why he can't do the same. Maybe as a member of KJPR, which is an agency employed by AFC Richmond, or as an internal PR specialist.

Okay that's all I can think of right now bye

[aurorabayaesthetic]

The results are in!

Thank you guys for sending us your votes for the Halloween Costume Contest! Here are the prizes and winners for each category!

WINNERS:

best costume:

1st - Mack Montgomery as Slenderman (@mackmontgomery)

2nd - Sebi Torres as Frank N' Furter (@sebitorres)

3rd - Amira Devi as Princess Aurora (@sweetascandyamira)

best couple:

1st - Darcy Anthony as Pitbull and Jameson Cassidy as Pitbull's Security (@darcyxanthonyx & @jamesonxcassidy)

2nd - Rina Cicero as Shego and Phoebe Keller as Kim Possible (@phoebekeller & @rinaxcicero)

3rd - Caroline Jayme as Cinderella and Denver Scott as Prince Charming (@carriejayme & @denverxscott)

most creative:

1st - Edie Tello as Billy the Puppet (@edietello)

2nd - Cricket Campbell as Mia Thermopolis (@cricketcampbell)

3rd - Sully Shaw as Loch Ness Monster (@sullivanxshaw)

sexiest costume:

1st - Bradley Banner as Poison Ivy (@bradley-banner)

2nd - Imani Linh as Kida (@xoimani)

3rd - Priya Desai as a Vampire (@priyaxdesai)

funniest costume:

1st - Noah Atwood as Cocaine Bear (@noah-atwood)

2nd - Lorelai Lewis as Lucky Lewis (@lorelailewis)

3rd - Nate Danish as The Rock (@natexdanish)

PRIZES:

1st place - $250 each! along with that, each winner will get a free weekend stay at the penthouse suite in the Seascape Hotel! Room service of course included.

2nd place- $150 each and a free three-course meal for two at Neptune

3rd place- $100 each and a free spa day at Seasalt Spa

All winners will also get a voucher for a free night of drinks at Sharky's

[spaciousreasoning]

Getting Our Steps In

Today is International Sushi Day, National Fishing Day, Clean Your Aquarium Day, International Picnic Day, Lock Check Day, National Cherry Tart Day, Sustainable Gastronomy Day, and National Splurge Day.

On this day in 1873, Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 presidential election. Although she refused to pay the fine, authorities declined to take further action. In 1878, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton arranged for Congress to be presented with an amendment giving women the right to vote. It later became known colloquially as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment. It was eventually ratified as the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.

June 18 is the birthday of actor E.G. Marshall (1914), actor Richard Boone (1917), movie critic Roger Ebert (1942), musician Paul McCartney (1942), actors Carol Kane and Isabella Rossellini (1952), and singer Ray LaMontagne (1973).

The day started out cloudy, but the sun finally burst through after noon. The morning low was 51 degrees, and the high reached 74.

My blood sugar dropped back into a more acceptable range, to 162. Keeping up with meds and watching what I’m eating certainly helps.

After we had our coffee and played the online brain games—though we did run into some rough spots with a couple of them—Nancy started her yoga session. Then we had a quick cinnamon toast so she could call Peggy, her spiritual advisor.

Once she was done talking to Peggy, we fixed a nice breakfast, which included an omelet with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes, plus a couple more pieces of toast with marionberry jam.

Then we got ready to head out for some adventures. We stopped at the grocery store to check our lottery tickets, but we had not won the big pot. Fortunately, nobody else did this week, so we’ll spend another couple of bucks and keep our fingers crossed.

We went to the Jasper Trailhead of the Mill Race Path and walked down to the Middle Fork Path and went to the Willamette River’s edge to enjoy the sound of running water. I had the new camera along and took more pictures for later posting.

Following our walk, we drove over to the Market of Choice on Coburg Road and shopped for dinner ingredients. When we got home, we napped.

My Flickr account got 2,756 views by turnover at 5 p.m. The daisy photo on the Explore page reached 4,067 views so far, plus 139 faves.

For dinner, Nancy put on a pot of pinto beans, loaded with garlic. We served them with lots of cheese and a few spoonfuls of salsa to spice them up. We used the leftover marinaded chicken, chopped it up and cooked it in enchilada sauce. Then we put the chicken in some corn tortillas and made tacos using lettuce, tomato and cheese.

After cleaning up, we got into our streaming programs for the evening. As usual we started with Colbert, watching the Tuesday program, which featured guest Nate Bargatze, the comedian, who has recently published a book, Big Dumb Eyes.

We followed that with the penultimate episode in the first series of “The Paradise.” There are still parts that neither of us remember from the first time we watched it a number of years ago. Part of that, we think, might be that it was edited into a shorter series before. Perhaps six episodes, instead of the eight in this appearance. But there is a second and third series in existence, and the second one is already available for streaming.

Finally, we finished “Dept. Q,” making our way through an episode 70 minutes in length. The kidnapping victim was set free and the bad guys got what they deserved. There are currently ten novels in the Dept. Q series, written by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, so there may very well be more adaptations to stream in our future.

It looks like Thursday may be cloudy all day long. It will start with a low of 46 degrees and may not reach the 70s. The only thing we have planned for tomorrow at the moment is putting out the bins for trash and recycling. Everything else will be on the spur of the moment.

[thecelestexzhao]

HC Moment for Celeste & Nate: Since Celeste is not inclined to celebrate her birthday, Nate has decided to show up to her apartment to not celebrate her birthday. Along with a medium sized gift bag and a bottle of sparkling bubbles, he’s brought her favorite pizza from town and a homemade cake. No one goes uncelebrated in the Danish’s life, including her. 

[macktism]

this is super interesting lol and i already have some of this on my blog but it would be cool to compile. this took a couple hours. also you updated this list so some of my corrections might already have been changed. i just went through every roster on nhl.com in alphabetical team order.

italics are for rarely/unused terms

here's all the german names that are just a word:

Peyton Krebs (crab (and also cancer)), Isak Rosen¹ (roses), Alex Tuch² (cloth), Jason Zucker (sugar), Colton Dach (roof), Wyatt Kaiser² (german-speaking emperor), Tyler Motte (moth), Nico Sturm* (storm), Kirby Dach (roof), Hudson Fasching¹⁴ (carnival), Tim Stützle*¹⁶ (little (diminutive) stubby object), Jordan Eberle (little (diminutive) male pig), Jaden Schwartz (black), Matthew Kessel (large pot), Brandon Hagel (hail), David Kampf (fight), Matthew Knies (disagreement or fight), Clayton Keller (basement), Nick Schmaltz (lard), Jack Eichel (oak),

german names that are professions/titles and thus words (with varying usage):

Christian Fischer (fisherman), Troy Stecher (engraver), Nate Schmidt (smith), James Reimer³, Moritz Seider*⁵, Darcy Kuemper¹⁰, Timo Meier*¹², Christ Kreider (someone who works with chalk), Braden Schneider (tailor), Tyson Foerster² (forester), Collin Graf (count), Philipp Grubauer* (pit digger), Joel Hofer (debatably farmer), Jaxson Stauber (duster),

german names that are compound words:

Casey Mittelstadt (middle + city), Ryan Hartman¹¹ (hard + man), Jonas Siegenthaler*¹³ (winning + area + person), Michael Kesselring (pot + ring), Nino Niederreiter*¹⁷ (lower + rider),

debatable for various reasons:**

Marco Kasper*⁴, Leon Draisaitl*⁶, Sam Reinhart⁷, Warren Foegele⁸, Adrian Kempe⁹, Nick Seeler¹⁵

english stuff you missed/i'd like to recategorize:

Scott Morrow (tomorrow), Jalen Chatfield (chat + field), Kyle Burroughs (boroughs or burrows), Paul Cotter (it's a pin or wedge), Nolan Foote (foot), Scott Mayfield (mayfield works as one word), Shane Wright, Zach Whitecloud

bonus: Daniel Sprong (sprung in dutch), Will Borgen (danish/norwegian fortified stronghold), Calvin de Haan (rooster in dutch), Tyler Kleven (to stick in dutch),

¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹⁰

* these players are from german-speaking countries

** note that a lot of german names will have spellings that are not correct standardized high german because of time passing or regional differences. to me this does not lower their credibility as words.

footnotes under cut! (be careful. theres a lot.)

¹ he's swedish but both words mean about the same thing (its plural in german) as far as i can tell

² you already have him in your list but i just want a complete list for mine

³ the origin of "Reimer" as a surname and "Reimer" the word actually have different etymologies, but "Reimer" the word means someone who rhymes, aka a poet. but no one really uses that.

⁴ a "Kasper" is a specific clown-like puppet, but it's derived from the name, not the other way around where the name should be derived from the word.

⁵ this means someone who silks, aka someone who works with silk as a profession.

⁶ firstly, in modern german these "ai"s should be "ei"s, and secondly, this means three-sided, similar to dreieck (triangle) which means three-cornered. dreiseitel is absolutely not a thing though, even though it has a meaning.

⁷ in dutch this surname means pure-hearted (pure + heart) but in german "hart" doesn't mean heart, it means hard, so technically Reinhart does have a german meaning (absolutely hard), just an incorrect one. It's definitely a word, but not really a german one.

⁸in modern german this should be written with a V instead of an F, probably means little (diminutive) bird, but vögeln the verb actually means to have sex (to act like birds do i guess?). for vögele, technically you could use it as a command! (i.e "have sex!")

⁹ not really german, but derived from proto germanic wherein each central european language has its own version of it. in swedish and in german you'd see it as "Kämpe", not "Kempe". it means soldier or fighter.

¹⁰ could be derived from Kümpeln, which is a metalworking technique. "Kümper" that that case would then be someone whose profession is to kümpel. this is speculation though and i'm highly unsure.

¹¹ honestly there's 0 way of telling what "hart" this is supposed to be referring to, they both overlap so much and spelling obviously isn't standardized. the options are hard + man, heart + man, or stag + man. if we ignore this though and just think about modern german, then this is hard + man (though "man" is now standardized to be spelled as "mann")

¹² rarely used as a word anymore and is a very common surname. as wiktionary puts it: the administrator or leaseholder of a manor

¹³ i also explained the njd's german names here

¹⁴ Fasching is a very specific carnival celebration in southern germany. no clue why someone would be named after it?

¹⁵ "Seele" means soul in german, so a "Seeler" would be someone who works with souls, but i have no idea what that would be so i hesitate to think this is right.

¹⁶ could possibly either be diminutive stutz (stub) or diminutive stütz (support, as in a beam)

¹⁷ also covered him here

Making a (semi incomplete) list of NHLers whose names are just words. Why? Because I’m very bored and I find this funny. Do with this information what you will.

(Non English words count but also I only speak English and high school level Italian which I took almost 20 years ago, so let me know who I missed)

Does not include AHL or other non-nhl-roster players.

Gold Star Words: Cody Glass, Brett Pesce (Italian for fish), Andrew Mangiapane (Italian for eat bread), Ethen Frank, Troy Terry, Patrick Brown, Owen Power, Jordan Greenway, Morgan Frost, Dryden Hunt, Jake Bean, Dustin Wolf, William Carrier, Taylor Hall, Brent Burns, Pat Maroon, Ethan Del Mastro (Italian for of the master), Wyatt Kaiser, Spencer Knight, Miles Wood, Oskar Bäck, Sam Steel, Brendan Smith, Dominik Shine, Craig Smith, Connor Brown, Jeff Skinner, Darnell Nurse, Stuart Skinner, Devin Shore, Alexandre Carrier, Kieffer Bellows, Michael Bunting, Luke Evangelista (Italian for…evangelist), Zachary L’Heureux (French for “the happy one”), Cole Smith, JT Miller, Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller, Jonathan Quick, Nick Cousins, Shane Pinto, Bobby Brink, Sean Couturier**, Tyson Foerster (German for…forester), Bryan Rust, Ryan Graves, Logan Couture, Will Smith Hockey (both Smith and Hockey are words), Jake Neighbours, Nathan Walker, Cam Fowler, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Point, Conor Garland, Reilly Smith, Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo (Italian for stone angel), Zach Whitecloud, Adin Hill, Cole Perfetti (Italian for perfect), Colin Miller.

Total: 63

** google will tell me that it is a word but not exactly what it means. Something with women’s clothing.

Honorable mentions (would be a word with different spelling): Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Taylor Raddysh, Morgan Geekie, Joseph Woll, Andrew Peeke, Alex Tuch, Kyle Burroughs, Kevin Bahl, Charlie Coyle, Christian Fischer, Roope Hintz, Patrick Kane, Andrew Copp, Justin Holl, Jeff Petry, Moritz Seider, Alex Lyon, Zach Hyman, Trevor Moore, Justin Barron, Owen Tippett, Nick Seeler, Connor Dewar, Shane Wright, Vince Dunn, Yanni Gourde, Darren Raddysh, Morgan Barron.

Total: 29

Honorable mentions (it’s two complete words but not a usable compound word): Jeremy Swayman, Logan Stankoven, Riley Stillman, Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgwood, Colin Blackwell, Quinton Byfield, Alex Newhook, Scott Mayfield, Matthew Highmore, Barclay Goodrow, Nils Hoglander, Tanner Pearson, Mason Appleton.

Total: 15

UPDATES!

Suggestions from people who speak more languages than me

Gold Star Words: John Marino (Spanish for marine), Scott Morrow, Jordan Staal (Dutch for Steel), Sebastian Aho (Finnish for clearing, Japanese for idiot, and several other definitions in several other languages), Jesper Fast, Adam Fantilli (Italian for infant), Dante Fabbro (Italian for smith), Noc Dowd (Noah says it’s an out of fashion English word), Juuse Saros*, Patrik Laine (Finnish for wave), Mikko Rantanen (Finnish for small beach), Joel Kiviranta (Finnish for stony beach), Rasmus Kupari (Finnish for copper), Kris Letang (French for the pond)

Promoted from Honorable Mention to Gold Star: Christian Fischer (German for Fisher), Alex Tuch (German for cloth)

Honorable Mention (homophones): Ian Cole, Jesper Bratt

Honorable Mention (non-valid compound words): Jalen Chatfield, Filip Forsberg (waterfall and hill in what I will assume is Finnish), Mikhail Granlund (Spruce Grove in Norwegian).

*some sort of astrological situation. Check the comments for an explanation from @fresh-penguin

[daliaibrchim]

closed starter for @blackwoodjr​ location: sugar & crumbs

What a day it had been, between Dalia working on her thesis and also meeting with her supervisor, who thankfully was stationed at Kingston Memorial and gave her an excuse to stay in town as opposed to commuting to Providence. And that meant more time to explore the downtown area and indulge in a pastry. It seemed as though she didn’t do much outside of studying and working, which was somewhat tragic. Imagine a cheese danish being the highlight of your week. 

Instead of dwelling on how pathetic it sounded, Dalia tried to focus on the positives: she was halfway through with a competitive doctoral program, had managed to live on her stipend and savings frugally, and was set to have the title of “Doctor” by the time she turned thirty. As she stepped out of the store and took a bite of her pastry, Dalia almost ran into someone. “I’m sorry, I was focusing on something else,” the woman began apologizing, looking up at the stranger and realizing he wasn’t a stranger after all. It was a small town in a small state, she really had been naive to think that she could get through the following two years without running into her former boyfriend. “Well then, I guess today really isn’t my day, huh?” the woman lamented, a wry chuckle escaping her lips as she glared at Nate.

[vanderwoodlings]

I really am fucking obsessed with 2.07 tho. Like

S: When it's just the three of us, it's fine, but anytime she gets a new guy, she stepfords out and lets him make all the decisions.

E: I don't think that's what's happening.

S: Remember when we had to move to Chamonix because German Klaus wanted to ski all year round?

E: That wasn't so bad.

S: But what about Paolo—the raw food diet? Family colonics? Or Sameer? I know I enjoyed our—

E: I see what you mean.

See that. That would’ve been enough—Serena didn’t spend her entire childhood in the Upper East Side. That tiny fragment alone is fascinating! But the overall point that Lily repeatedly changes herself for men and that affects her parenting style, meaning that Serena and Eric’s home life was even more unstable than previously thought? That’s something to chew on. But wait—there’s more:

B: Oh, your mother. Remember how she always used to just jet off to Mustique or Ibiza without warning while you and Eric were still in school?

S: Eleanor always knew when we showed up with our overnight bags. Lily had a new boyfriend. We tried alternating between you and the archibalds so you guys never knew how bad it really was.

B: We knew.

Like, this is in-text neglect. This is “Lily was in no way ready or able to be a parent” level stuff. (And then you think about the Scott of it all and you have to wonder if Serena was in any way planned or if Lily just couldn’t do that again. You have to wonder.)

And there’s the idea of Blair and Nate and the first time that they ever really added how much time Eric and Serena had been spending at their houses, and the idea of these tiny kids doing their best to make it okay as much as possible, and Serena is trying really hard to parent Eric and make it seem as okay as possible, but Eric is entirely aware even if he can’t say anything because that would make Serena’s life hard, and so everyone’s lying to everyone else and they’re all trying very hard not to talk about how not okay it is.

Someone write the fic.

Still, we continue:

S: I remember this one time, um, when I was eleven. Eric and I wanted a white christmas. Luckily, mom's husband was a raging cokehead, so he left blow everywhere.

L: Oh my god.

E: It wasn't everywhere—just on the smooth, shiny surfaces.

S: Was that, um, German Klaus with a "k," or was it Danish Claus with a "c"? I can't ever remember which ones she actually married or which she just decided were more important than her children.

Like, wow. And you wonder why your kids have issues.

(And I focus a lot on how Lily is bringing unsafe people into her kids’ lives, but she’s also bringing them into her life. Just makes me wanna grab the gossip girl writers by the lapels and shake them until all the explorations of trauma fall out.)

L: Eric, my darling, you are always honest with me. It isn't true, is it?

E: I know Serena’s timing sucked, but she did pretty much raise me all those years. You just weren't here, you know?

L: I wasn't that bad.

E: Our ringtone for you was "Since U Been Gone.” Vanya the doorman used to sign our permission slips from school.

When I put that last bit into i won’t cross these streets, I got several comments re: ow. Because it is, in fact, painful.

But it’s also canon, and it’s one of the multitude of anecdotes that Eric and Serena give us about the pre-series era in this episode—like, the “Since U Been Gone” thing? That’s a whole dark joke coping mechanism shared between them, which means that Eric and Serena chose it together. Maybe it was as simple as Eric getting his first phone and being excited to give reverting custom ringtones, or maybe one of them straight up had a breakdown and the joke was part of a way to calm down. It’s not just saying Lily wasn’t there, it’s giving us all the little parts of what that meant—in anecdotes, in Serena’s stress response focusing so much on Protect Eric, in Eric talking Serena down at the start of the episode and coolly backing her up when she finally loses it

It’s a fucking gift that just keeps giving

[namelyeuphoric]

Nate! I'm nonbinary though, please try not to leap to masculine associations.

nighttime, the gemstone lapis lazuli, deep blue and gold, moonlight reflected on a still lake, egyptian cotton, peace of mind

[hollyparkcr]

Holly's hand froze mid-motion, his words hanging in the air like a weight she couldn't quite carry. The coffee shop suddenly felt too small, too quiet, as the woman tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. She’d gone over these moments in her head a hundred times—imagining what it might feel like, what he might say if they ever crossed paths again—but hearing Nate speak now, it was different. Finally looking up at him, her eyes traced the familiar lines of his face, his expression one that once could have melted her resolve.

"You're a..." Holly's voice was quiet, though there was a sharp edge to it. She wasn’t sure how much of this she could take without breaking, and she had no intention of giving him that satisfaction. "You're a father?" The more the information sunk in, the more that Holly truly felt as though she was going to be sick. Not only did it break her heart to hear that he had been off playing house with some other girl, but clearly he didn't think she was mature enough to handle the responsibility of becoming a step parent either.

Holly's chest tightened as she zipped up her bag, dodging Nate's gaze in hopes that he wouldn't be able to see past the fury in her eyes. "I truly understand wanting to be with your mom and I hope she's doing okay, but if you loved me more than you've ever loved anyone, we wouldn't be standing here, would we? I've heard enough. Don't follow me." Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Holly grabbed her tea in one hand and his danish in another, pushing past Nate before he had the chance to see her shed a single tear.

"It always was your favourite." He'd lost count of how many cups of it he'd bought her, how many cups he'd steal a sip from. His excuse was always that he loved the flavour, he just would never drink a whole one when it was so milky, just a tiny breather from his favourite black coffee.

He hadn't expected her to give him the time of day but as he watched her start packing her things, Nate began to panic. He'd expected nothing, but now that he had such a time limit, he couldn't get the words from his brain and out of his mouth in the order, or at all. He'd expected anger when he was saw her again but the pain in her voice, the way she cut herself off from comparing what he had done to her dad, cut him to the core. "I didn't want to end things with you.." His voice was quiet but strong. He knew it wasn't enough to say that and that his actions said the opposite, but the idea that being apart from her in anyway was what he wanted, was the complete opposite of the truth. "None of this had anything to do with a desire to be away from you, in fact, it was the opposite."

It had been to easy to convince himself that Holly wouldn't have wanted the life he thought he was going into when he went home. For someone who had never even told her family they were together, he couldn't imagine her then becoming a willing and happy stepmother to the child he had thought was his. It should've been her choice, but in his fragile state, he hadn't given her the option. "I loved you more than I've ever loved anyone." Feeling the thickness in his throat, Nate quickly coughed to clear it. "I never wanted this, I only ever wanted you, but I get home and my mom is sick, I'm being told by my ex that her child was mine and I lost my head." Running a hand over his face, he took a deep breath, trying to slow his words down. "I didn't know what to do and by the time I could think straight, I had convinced myself it was too late, so I didn't call. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

[lykegenia]

Like Glitter And Gold Ch.13

COMPLETE Fandom: The Wayhaven Chronicles Characters/pairings: Nate Sewell x f!Detective Rating: T Warnings: None Summary: Wayhaven has had its ups and downs in the past few  months, and  for Detective Leah Kingston, dealing with vampire serial  killers and mysterious plagues has become something of a routine. Good  thing, too.  The body of a murdered supernatural has just been discovered  in the   alley behind a local bar - and everything, really, just gets  weirder   from there.Between the search for the dead man's killer,  keeping the   Agency at bay, and trying to navigate the new, uncertain  waters of a   relationship with a very suave vampire boyfriend, Leah has  her work cut  out solving the mystery, especially when it beomes clear  she's hunting  more than just a murderer. Additional tags: murder mystery, fluff, angst

Read on AO3

--

If there’s one thing that can improve a shitty day, it’s a cup of fancy tea and a cinnamon swirl from Haley’s, which is why Leah suspects Tina was so desperate to get her out of the station. Instead of taking their usual corner, they’re eating in the car for better privacy, brushing flakes of pastry into the footwell and aimlessly people-watching as the sun sets behind the buildings of the square. It definitely beats staring at a computer screen – or hiding behind it, as Tina insists she’s been doing.

It’s been three days since official news of the arrest went public, long enough for Bobby to pen a grudging article about the case being solved. Thankfully he’s kept the salacious details to a bare minimum, a run-of-the-mill crime of passion next to the sensational reveal of the Pegasus’ lost treasure, which for him has the added bonus of inspiring reams of editorials and interviews with the bigwigs of the town.

He's welcome to the attention. There’s a lot missing from the bare-bones report she had to write for station records, everything from a fudged motive to the significance of the murder weapon, and Bobby’s flaunting creates an easy smokescreen to excuse the lack of detail. The Captain’s only thoughts when she emailed him the final forms were grief for the whisky, salvaged from the lakebed only to be squirreled away into the mayor’s private collection.

The separate report for the Agency has taken longer as it contains not only the full details of the case but also the measures taken to keep said details contained, with the assurance that none of the town’s residents are any the wiser about the existence of the supernatural. If she’s been more meticulous than strictly necessary, well, it just means she wants to do a thorough job – and it has nothing to do with wanting to avoid Unit Bravo and anywhere she might happen to run into them.

Tina, of course, knows her too well, and traces the line of her thoughts as if they were sketched out in front of her.

“So… what’s Nate’s opinion on all this craziness?”

Leah tears a shard of pastry from her danish. “He’s three hundred years old, he’s probably seen it all before.”

“Not what I meant,” Tina retorts. “And three hundred? Seriously?” She blows a stunned breath through her cheeks. “I meant about Samantha Harrs being the killer.”

“I don’t know…” She’s been trying not to think about it. “He wasn’t happy. But I’m not happy either – the Agency just sweeps everything under the rug like it doesn’t matter.”

“That’s probably not why he’s upset.”

“What do you mean?”

“Look,” Tina huffs, with an exaggerated roll of her eyes, “the murderer you just unmasked killed her partner because she found out he wasn’t human and it sent her postal, and you and Nate are in the middle of some weird disagreement. I don’t know how common it is for humans and supernaturals to be in relationships with each other where the human knows, but it can’t be a great reminder of how everything can go horribly wrong for him.”

Leah can only stare. Could that really be the source of Nate’s strange defensiveness the last time they talked? She’s been so busy trying to sort out her own feelings, the possibility never occurred to her.

“And they made you the detective,” Tina remarks, when the thought finally settles.

“You didn’t want the paperwork.”

“You should talk to him,” she says. “And not just because you’d be stupid to let someone who looks like that and who’s so clearly into you just walk away.”

It’s easier said than done.

“Sometimes I wonder what he wants.”

“Maybe ask him?”

“And what if I don’t like the answer?” Leah asks. What if it’s the answer she’s afraid of most?

Tina shrugs. “I guess you’ll be moping forever, then.”

Without the energy for a proper reply, Leah turns her attention to the passersby on the street. As much as she wants to protest that the situation is complicated, that she never expected her life to turn in this direction, or even that dealing with a relationship is by far the most stressful thing she’s ever done, the simple heart of the matter is that the path she’s walking is one she can’t see, and it’s terrifying. A conversation is inevitable – not least because she’s scheduled for a debrief at the warehouse in a few hours – but she has no idea what to say. How to explain herself.

--

“Is there anything else you want to add?” Rebecca asks, a few hours later. She’s sitting at the kitchen table in a charcoal grey business suit, prim as ever as she scans the contents of the manilla folder in front of her, like a teacher marking homework for an underperforming student. Adam hasn’t deigned to sit, and instead looms over her right shoulder, arms folded but otherwise at ease.

Leah shakes her head. At some point she’ll have to talk to Verda about the medical report, and hopefully persuade him to keep his silence once the case goes to trial. It won’t be a pleasant conversation, but that’s between them. The Agency has nothing to do with it.

Adam raises an eyebrow at her technically-not-a-lie, but says nothing.

“If that’s all, then it’s getting late.”

As she stands, Rebecca looks up from the file as if surprised her daughter doesn’t want to hang around for a cuppa and a nice chat. “Of course, I’ll need to file your report in any case.” She chews her lip for a second. “Leah? You did good work on this.”

“I did my job,” she replies. “I don’t need praise.”

The discomfort is better in the corridor without Rebecca’s scrutiny on the back of her skull, but now the final barrier has fallen away, the last excuse keeping her from Nate. He must know she’s in the building, but he’s nowhere in sight. It’s telling. Guilt twists deeper in her gut.

As she winds through the warehouse the feeling hardens into worry at what he’ll say when she finally finds him – if he lets her find him at all. A part of her wants him to be on patrol in a deliberately far corner of Wayhaven, avoiding her, because that would be easier; it would feel deserved, and then she could curl herself up and hide away somewhere in the hope that the problem would go away.

But how to make him understand the alarms that wake in her head every time he puts himself forward? It’s mean and it’s ridiculous, but his earnestness chips away at the protective wall she’s built around old scars. Still deep in thought, she nearly collides with Felix in the corridor, his arms full of cat food, and gets a worried, sympathetic look for her trouble.

“Nate’s in the library – he’s, uh, not busy or anything. Just so you know.”

“Thanks, I was looking for him.”

Sure enough, faint scales of classical music echo down the hallway as she approaches the library. The plush carpet has muffled her footsteps, but as she pauses outside the door to steady herself, there’s little chance he hasn’t heard her. And yet, she can detect no audible movement from inside. What if he’s hoping she’ll walk away? Perhaps… Yes. If he doesn’t want to talk, she can pretend she only wandered in to look for a misplaced hoodie, or a notebook, and bid him an impartial good evening – and then hopefully make it to her room before the tightness in her chest can overwhelm her entirely.

The doorknob under her palm is cool brass, its raised decoration pressing smooth bumps into the skin of her palm as she turns it and pushes into the room. Nate is over at the far end with a pile of books balanced on one hand, frowning down at a piece of card in the other as if it’s in a language e doesn’t understand. When she crosses the threshold, he glances up, his surprise feigned but his smile genuine enough, even if there’s more wariness than warmth hidden in its corners.

She doesn’t go closer, greets him instead with a self-conscious little wave. “Hey.”

“Hi… Have you seen Adam and Rebecca?”

“Yeah, I just submitted my report.”

“Good.” He nods, brittle. “It’s good that everything’s wrapped up.”

“For now.”

A shrug, and another silence falls between them, sharp enough that she fights the urge to tug her sleeves down over her hands, to shrink away from the inevitable blow.

“Look,” she starts, and rolls her lips together. “I just wanted to say, it was awful, what Samantha did. I – Tina said –” no, Tina’s not supposed to know “– it’s occurred to me that this case might have seemed a little… close to home, because Russell was a supernatural, and stuff. But doing what she did, I – the way she reacted wasn’t right.”

He sets the books on the shelf when her voice falters, turning towards her like a compass, but her courage falters and her gaze stays riveted on the pattern of flamingos on his socks.

“And… in case it was a concern, I just needed you to know I would never – I mean I couldn’t –” She shakes her head, waves off the unfinished sentence. “It doesn’t matter. Ignore me. I’ll get out of your way.”

She’s barely reached for the door when a hand catches her arm, light as a cobweb.

“Leah…” Nate breathes. “Stop. Did you really think I feared you capable of murder?”

She shrugs, doesn’t dare look at his face. “I don’t know? You were upset, I don’t know what to think, and in case you’ve missed the newsflash, I’m really bad at this.”

“At what?”

“This,” she replies, gesturing between them. “Being a normal person. Not fucking things up. Relationships are something other people get to have – I’m just the one who clears up the mess when they go wrong.”

A gentle finger curls under her chin and tips her head upwards, but she still refuses to meet his eyes. That way lies the ruin of the last fine thread of her control.

“You haven’t fucked things up,” he tells her gently, brushing the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip.

The gesture is what finally lifts her gaze to his face, every muscle tensed against her body’s urge to tremble. He looks pained.

“Whatever I have said to make you think so,” he says, “I wish you’d tell me.”

“You don’t get it.” She jerks her head away from his touch. “I don’t get to have things like you. You’re so… so nice. So interested in me. The way you look at me sometimes, it feels like I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop – wondering what you really want from me. It’s stupid but I can’t help it and it’s exhausting. I thought I could handle it and that I’d get over myself so you wouldn’t have to deal with it, but then Samantha turned out to be the murderer, and there was the picture in the paper, and then –”

The rest of the words are swallowed by the cashmere softness of his jumper as he wraps her in a hug. Stunned, it’s all she can do to breathe in his scent, to register the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear or the thread of fingers into her hair.

“Forgive me,” he murmurs after a long moment of silence.

“What?” She tries to push away. “No. I’m apologising. I’m the one who –”

“I thought I was being obvious,” he interrupts, though he loosens his hold. “It didn’t occur to me that my actions might be read as insincere.”

“Probably because a normal person can fucking read.”

Nate sighs. “It seems unfair to argue for normalcy in someone as extraordinary as you.”

She should have known he wouldn’t take her seriously. Annoyance hisses between her teeth as she tries to disentangle herself again, but he only lets her get to arms’ length before he catches her once more.

“Leah, stop. You’re right.” He turns a palm upwards against her cheek. “I’ve been so consumed by my own feelings that I didn’t take the time to make sure of yours. I wish you’d asked,” he adds, but quiet enough for it to not feel like an accusation.

“Nobody likes someone who’s clingy,” she snaps, her gaze once again drifting to the sofa, the rows of books that line the walls, anywhere but him.

“That’s not what I think of you,” he says, as if he can see right through to the wellspring of bitterness she’s buried deep. “You are brave, and driven, and one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. I hope you believe me.”

And just like that, he’s disarmed her.

“Well when you come right out and say it…” she grumbles, with another inelegant shrug.

“I think I’ll keep saying it,” he replies, with a crinkle of amusement in his smile. “Until you stop doubting it.”

She snorts. “Not sure it works like that. Ugh, I’m sorry. I want to be better, I just…”

With a hum, he draws her back into an embrace, tension easing out of him when this time she returns the gesture. “It’s alright… And I’m truly sorry, too, for failing to see how much you were struggling with this. We’ll work it out.”

“Is there a seminar I can attend?”

A deep chuckle rumbles against her cheek, chased by the brief press of a kiss to the top of her head. Leah, unable to remember ever receiving such a fond gesture, burrows deeper into his chest and tries to steady her breathing, to push away the conviction that he deserves better.

“I have something for you,” he says after a while.

Muffled against the soft scratch of what is probably actually cashmere, she grins. “That sounds like a Mason line.”

“I should hope I have a little more subtlety,” he teases. “And it’s two things, really. They’re in the kitchen.”

Despite not wanting to move, she lets him take her hand to lead the way. The corridors are empty, perhaps because the other vampires have picked up on the uneasy mood and decided not to get caught in any crossfire, but it’s nice to have the quiet, and Nate’s warm hand secure in hers even after she spilled all her fears to him. Every so often as they walk he glances to her, swinging their hands like they ought to be skipping through a field of wildflowers.

When they get to the kitchen, he leaves her at the island and crosses to one of the upper cupboards. A cacophony of sweet and savoury odours pours out from the rows of small, uniform jars that fill the shelves.

“Nice hiding place,” she comments.

He grins. “I like to think so.”

He takes down a small, oblong package and hands it to her. The plain brown paper comes away easily to reveal a simple A5 picture frame, already mounted with a photo.

She bites her lip. “This is the picture Bobby took.”

Even a second time, the vulnerability on display constricts unpleasantly in her chest, a curl of shame for how easily she got caught. And yet, something about this particular version of the image is off – its edges are crisper than they should be, with a gloss from high-quality photo stock.

“You didn’t cut this out of the paper.”

“No…” Nate has the grace to look abashed. “I went to see Bobby and asked him for the master copy, as well as any others he’d made.”

“And he just gave them to you?”

He ducks his shoulders in a brief shrug. “He might have needed a little persuasion. I also might have suggested that it would be better for his health if he refrained from running any more such speculative articles in the future.”

“You threatened him?” she checks. Leaving aside the fact that she’s pretty sure using pheromones on civilians is against some sort of Agency code, revealing anything supernatural to Bobby in particular feels like poking a leopard with a short stick. “Does Adam know?”

“No, Adam doesn’t know.” Another shrug. “I meant what I said the other day – he shouldn’t have done what he did.”

Underneath his concern, the ever-present gentleness he tries so hard to project, his voice is betrayed by a note of anger that rings like cold steel, the predator he could become if he ever let himself loose. Leah has to look away, unused to the idea of such an effort on her behalf.

“Why give it to me?” she asks.

Nate has stepped closer, one reverent hand playing with the stray wisps of hair around her face. “Because Bobby Marks’ photography skills far exceed his manners,” he says, “and it reminds me of a beautiful day spent in your company. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the best way to avoid being hurt is to take an enemy’s weapons from them and turn them to a different purpose.”

With a heavy sigh, Leah considers the photo again. “Pretty and wise. How do you cope?”

He chuckles. Soft fingers trace the line of her jaw as he leans in, and with a nervous swallow her gaze drops to his mouth. Even after only three days – hardly an eternity – getting to kiss him again is like the prospect of rain in a desert, her heart a seed bursting into flower at the merest drop of water as she presses close and wraps her arms around his neck.

“I almost forgot the other thing,” he murmurs against her lips.

“Do we really need it?”

“I want to share it with you.”

This time, he reaches into one of the bottom cupboards to pull out a pair of cut-crystal tumblers, and then into another for a dark, scuffed bottle, which he presents to her with all the pomp of a waiter in a fancy restaurant delivering the wine list. The label is faded, crinkled into the rough texture paper gets when it’s been soaked and then left to dry, and instead of a modern plastic film around the neck, the stopper is held in place with a thick daub of bluish wax.

“Don’t tell me that’s from the Pegasus?” Her hand stretches out of its own accord, riveted by this small, insanely valuable piece of Wayhaven’s history.

“One of the salvage team owed me a favour,” he explains, and sets the bottle on the counter. “The mayor has agreed that a portion of the proceeds will go to Stanley Harris to make up for his great-grandfather’s treatment after the wreck, and the rest is going to fund various social projects around town.”

“No doubt with a healthy commission left aside for himself – Walter Greene must be thrilled.” She probably shouldn’t relish as much as she does the fact that, after fronting so much money for Russell’s diving equipment, the local crime boss won’t be seeing a penny from the proceeds. Even this single bottle is more than he’ll ever get to tuck away into his private stores.

And Nate is actually going to open it.

“You know,” she ventures, “that’ll probably be wasted on me. I’m not exactly a connoisseur.”

He offers her a smile. “The important part is not the whisky, it’s being able to share it with such excellent company.”

He even sweeps her hand up to kiss her knuckles. With lines like that, and those rich, doe-brown eyes drinking her in like she’s starlight, it’s hard not to sympathise with all those heroines of Victorian literature who had to keep piles of cushions within fainting distance. Strangely, it doesn’t bother her as much as it might have done a week ago. The talk they shared in the library has cleared the air enough to allow her the moment free of suspicion, easy and relaxed as he breaks the wax seal and pulls the cork with a faint pop. A rich, peaty aroma rises up from the dram of amber liquid he pours for each of them. She doesn’t say it, but philistine that she is, it hardly seems worth a hundred years of fuss.

“To successfully solving your case,” he says, raising his glass.

“To… clearing the air.”

The glasses clink with a pure, brilliant note. To her uneducated human nose, the smell of the whisky doesn’t impart any great epiphany on closer inspection, and if her face flushes with warmth it likely has more to do with Nate’s amusement at her caution than any particular effect of the alcohol. She takes a sip. At first, the taste is almost pleasant, mellow and smoky. And then the burning starts. She coughs, forcing it down, while Nate’s bites his lips together to keep from laughing at her grimace.

“Yeah, no,” she gasps. “I am not a fan of that.”

Rubbing a soothing line between her shoulder blades, he murmurs something she doesn’t catch and feathers a kiss against her hair.

“Are you alright?”

“I just choked on my whole salary.” Another cough. “I told you it would be wasted on me.”

“I wouldn’t call that performance a waste,” he teases.

“Ha ha. Aren’t you going to try it?”

One elegant eyebrow lifts, his gaze fixed on her as he sniffs, sips, savours the feel of it on his tongue. There’s rapture in his expression, a groan that falls from his lips in the brief instant his eyes slip closed. Her mouth goes dry.

“So, uh, is it good?” she asks, trying to ignore the flush of heat to her face.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, the bastard. His eyes open lazily, his smile lengthened into an easy smirk just shy of breaking into a full grin.

“It has some pleasant notes.”

Her weight shifts; her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ in there.”

A hum. He takes her hand again and turns so that she’s between him and the counter – not trapped, but pinned all the same as he searches her face.

“I merely had a thought about what would make it sweeter.”

“Oh?” He’s close enough now that she can taste it on his breath.

“Mhmm. May I show you?”

[fallencrowns]

@storiesung​  |  plotted starter

All it took was a little rumour to plant the idea in his head. The Imperial Faberge eggs, a lost treasure all on their own but hardly the big SCORE that he was after. Maybe he could sell those off as well but it was a far cry from what he was really after: The Oponskoye Kingdom. Supposedly. Allegedly. Honestly, Nate heard about it in some big pompous den Sully had invited him to so there was really no telling just how legit those claims were. For all he knew, it was just a bunch of rich guys talking out of their asses to try and IMPRESS one another. And people like that said that people like him were the DISHONEST ones. If Nate had learned anything, it was to never trust a guy with a wad of cash that could buy as many goons as he needed.

❝  Private collection, Schmivate schmollection,  ❞  he muttered to himself, slipping into the basement of one of those same guys with way too much money on his hands and gaudy art along the walls. If this was his BIG SCORE, he’d at least have some taste about his decorations. But tracking down one of the ‘lost’ eggs had taken some time along with gathering a couple of the others whose locations actually were known and one other lost one he’d managed to find in a garage sale. Cliché, much? This time, it turned out it was just in the hands of some COLLECTOR that wasn’t keen on letting the world know that it had been found and letting them continue to believe it was lost.

Probably because of guys like him, here to take it.

The basement was absolutely littered with treasures. Maybe if Nate were a COMMON THIEF, this could be his jackpot. But passing up on the jewels hidden behind cases or the safes probably holding their own hoards of treasure, Nate’s eyes were only on the center piece of it all: the Faberge egg. The Royal Danish egg. Light blue with gems glinting off its surface from the overhead lights. Nate let out a small whistle and the pure sight; the photo really didn’t do it JUSTICE. 

The alarm had already been disabled, the first thing he had taken care of when breaking into the manor. Hopefully they wouldn’t notice for a while longer and give him time to make his great escape. Soundproof walls of the basement and security was probably already on the other side of the manor based on how he had tracked them, it gave Nate the perfect chance. Gun in hand, the man brought the butt of the weapon down, SMASHING the glass encasing it. The one moment passed, then another, and no sounds of footsteps or of an alarm blaring in the background.  ❝  Nate, one. Rich guy, zero.  ❞  A small chuckle as a grin started to wash over his features at the sight of the egg without the glass coming between him and it.

Never mind the fact that he hadn’t been able to get the other eggs to drop their supposed ‘clues’ to some lost paradise, he could just focus on GATHERING them first. The second step of actually locating the place could come later.

❝  I’m pretty sure this is probably the fanciest easter egg hunt in history. Now, come to papa.  ❞  Tucking the gun back in his holster, Nate carefully reached in with both hands, avoiding the shards of glass left, to grasp hold of the Faberge egg and pull it free from it’s casing. It wasn’t exactly his STYLE to keep around once this was all over. Maybe the world would just appreciate the fact that it had been found at last. Once he sold it ANONYMOUSLY, of course. Didn’t need to link himself to a break-in. 

[gossipgirls]

MAYBE THINGS WOULD BE DIFFERENT NOW; a playlist for serena & nate in seasons 4-6+

01. holy ground by taylor swift - “i guess we fell apart in the usual way and the story’s got dust on every page, but sometimes i wonder how you think about it now.” // 02. born to beg by the national - “if your heart was in it, i’d stay a minute.” // 03. light years by the national - “i was always ten feet behind you from the start.” // 04. back to december by taylor swift - “it turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you.” // 05. summer years by death cab for cutie - “you’re standing still in my mind, fading out, waving goodbye.” // 06. the night we met by lord huron - “i had all and then most of you, some and now none of you.” // 07. lovers in the parking lot by solange - “maybe you loved me, but i just up and wanted to run.” // 08. the valley by betty who - “i’ll never say i’m sorry, but oh god, i am, i’m sorry.” // 09. does it ever cross your mind by the paper kites - “driving through this town, i remember how it feels; but do i ever cross your mind? sometimes?” // 10. quiet light by the national - “between you and me, i thought it would all last a little while longer.” // 11. ‘tis the damn season by taylor swift - “the road not taken looks real good now and it always leads to you and my hometown.” // 12. pink rabbits by the national - “i was solid gold, i was in the fight, i was coming back from what seemed like a ruin; i couldn’t see you coming so far; i just turn around and there you are.” // 13. exile by taylor swift - “it took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it, holding all this love out here in the hall.” // 14. old friend by mitski - “i’ll take anything you want to give me, baby.” // 15. last kiss by taylor swift - “you told me you loved me, so why did you go away?” // 16. lifetime by ben&ben - “tangled with another’s eyes, nevermind, you were never mine; glimpse of me and you, oh, you were a good dream.” // 17. the 1 by taylor swift - “i guess you never know, never know, and if you wanted me you really should’ve showed.” // 18. right where you left me by taylor swift - “if our love died young, i can’t bear witness and it’s been so long, but if you ever think you got it wrong, i’m right where you left me.” // 19. dorothea by taylor swift - “this place is the same as it ever was, but you don’t like it that way.” // 20. goodbye, my danish sweetheart by mitski - “there is nobody better than you; it took me a while til i knew, but you knew from the start it was us, didn’t you?” // 21. don’t you by taylor swift - “sometimes i really wish that i could hate you; i’ve tried but that’s just something i can’t do; my heart knows what the truth is.” // 22. all i want by kodaline - “you brought out the best of me, a part of me i’d never seen.” // 23. to be so lonely by harry styles - “i know that you’re trying to be friends, i know you mean it; don’t call me baby again; it’s hard for me to go home, be so lonely.” // 24. august by flipturn - “i’ve loved you from the start; we don’t talk about it, we don’t have the time; we thought love was something we weren’t meant to find; but now you’re a stranger and i’m still july, but don’t you remember august, honey, you were mine.”

LISTEN: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2NJj9vtomK6Fcd1ssdnnE8?si=1bb1bc201df045da

[lucydriscoll]

"no problem!" the blonde chirps, honestly pleased that nate enjoyed the gift. it honestly seemed fitting for their friendship. "i thrive in winter time, living my best sweater and hot chocolate life right now." the blonde grins, knowing that if she wasn't dressed up for the masquerade she'd be in her well-loved cable knit reading the night away. "spent a lot of time with my family, which was nice. i don't get to see them as often as i want to." a soft smile grows, glancing down at the dress tighter than anything she'd ever worn in her life. "that's good, because i feel like a complete fish out of water." "don't get me wrong, it's fun to dress up pretty and all, but i can't wait to get back into my comfy clothes as soon as i get home." they mightn't have known each other for that long, but she assumed that nate wouldn't be all that surprised, "you look dapper yourself!" lucy could only imagine a man like nathaniel danish had a grand selection of suits for a night like this. "i had two glasses of champaign and my cheeks went red as a beetroot. so we're taking a break for a little bit on the alcohol front."

@natexdanish

"Truth be told that was probably one of my favorite gifts Lucy, thank you," he chuckled. "Did you have a nice holiday?" He'd arrived to find the package waiting for him at the front step of his rental after flying back in from spending Christmas in New York. It was rather unexpected and it made him feel a twinge of good inside for knowing his welcoming nature had resonated with Lucy. "That's all good. You look awesome tonight. Any takes on the liquor option tonight?" he joked.

[formula1-geek]

MAGNUSSEN IS BACK IN FORMULA 1

Magnussen posing for Haas. Photo by Haas Team F1

The Danish driver is making his comeback in Formula 1, after retiring in 2020. Magnussen will come in to replace Nikita Mazepin, who was let go by Haas F1 Team due to his connections to the Russian government and the lack of performance during last season in 2021.

"The signing, which is a multiyear deal, was confirmed on the eve of the second preseason test ahead of the new F1 season." wrote Nate Saunders, a ESPN writer.

Kevin Magnussen will join Mick Schumacher, becoming the only duo whose fathers were also Formula 1 drivers. Magnussen's "re-debut" will take place on the first race in the calendar, March 20, in Bahrain.