#Assignment Writing Help Toronto

[cuteandhughesy]

Us.╰┈➤ WN88

summary: you work as one of the assistant chefs for the toronto maple leafs organization, often taking charge and helping with team buffets and meetings. your job is hectic and crazy and you wouldn’t give it up for the world. william nylander can relate, and his role on the toronto maple leafs is his top priority. when the two of you end up falling for one another - and being pushed away from each other, the job becomes more complicated.

[word count] 5.5k

warnings: SFW! pre-established relationship | angst | brief mean!william | kissing | suggestive themes | read at your own discretion

a/n: based off this request! I went a little off topic with the plot, but the general idea is very much inspired by the anon request! this fic moves between past and present timelines, so if the paragraphs are in italics, it is my way of writing in the past! I hope you all enjoy :)

🎵us. by gracie abrams (feat. taylor swift)

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when you applied to culinary school, you never thought your journey would lead you to your current position. of course when studying to be a professional cook you are aiming to work in the field, no matter the level of hierarchy you end up at - but you never thought you'd get this lucky.

at just 23 years old and 5 months fresh out of culinary school, you were hired to work as one of the assistant chefs for the toronto maple leafs culinary team. getting hired at such a prestigious job at your age was very uncommon, and when you'd gotten the classic you're hired phone call, you initially thought it was your younger brother trying to play a prank on you.

news flash it wasn't your brother and now you're 3 months past your first day on the job.

throughout the first few weeks of your job, you were understandably nervous. your head chef had 30 years of experience, you were cooking for athletes with very strict and varying diets, and you were new. thankfully that very first week, the leafs were on the road, so you had time to train and meal prep in a somewhat relaxed environment.

you spent more time with the players than you were expecting to, which although was surreal was also very nerve wracking, and you were scared one of them wouldn't like the way you scrambled eggs and throw them back in your face. when damien - your head chef - assigned you to work the buffets for team meals, that egg fear became even more intense.

but you were pleasantly suprised with how nice everyone was. you had heard rumors about professional athletes and how they were rude and ignorant, angry if they didn't get their way, but the toronto maple leafs players were just the opposite. sure, some of them were quiet and particular about food, but they are just professional athletes who want to preform their best at any means necessary - you didn’t take offence to that.

in the 3 months you had been organizing and running team meals, you've learned a lot about the players. you've noticed that jake mccabe never fails to tell you a dad joke when he sees you, and how mitch marner always complains about being full but never fails to come up for seconds. you notice how joseph woll is always the last player to serve himself, and how david kampf, no matter how he feels, always smiles and uses manners with him.

but who's habits you've really noticed over the course of your time as an assistant chef is william nylander's. in fact, it's not just his habits that you see, but it's everything else too. the way at breakfast he always struggles between choosing sausage or bacon, and how he's never shy about asking for food he doesn't see on the table - which at first had you taken back, but now it's something you look forward to.

you stand behind the buffet table with ridged shoulders. your eyes are moving over everything at a rather frantic pace. it's your first time on the buffet table and to say you were nervous was an understatement. not only was this the first time you would be seeing the mouths you were cooking for, but it was one of your first shifts out of training.

as players slowly filtered through the doors of the dining room and gathered their serving of breakfast food, you've been consistently on edge. you were constantly checking that everything look presentable and that it was all stocked.

"do I feel like sausages or bacon?"

the question has you snapping out of the frantic organizational process going on in your head. you look up to see a tall, blonde and presumably hockey player. even though you've lived in the city you whole life, you’ve never followed sports. sure you know famous athletes names from the press, but you'd never be able to put a name to one's face.

you blink, "sorry?"

finally the man in question looks away from the meat options and you're immediately taken back. he's very handsome - a mature handsome that has you feeling petite and giddy.

the corner of his lip quirks up. "I don't know if I want bacon or sausage, so I was thinking out loud."

you blush, "oh, i'm sorry. I thought you were talking to me."

"I think i'm feeling bacon." he shrugs, but he makes no move to plate the food, his eyes still on you. "unless you think I should go with sausage."

you lick your lip, moistening the rather dry skin. "well I always think if you're second guessing your first choice, maybe the second choice is the one you're truly needing."

the blond hums thoughtfully, "that's smart." with that he grabs three round breakfast sausages and loads them onto his plate. the remaining sausages slide down from the loss of the ones he took, and your itching to reach for the tongues and adjust them again.

"you must be new."

you exhale shakily, "is it that obvious?"

he shrugs again, a smile still on his round face. he moves onto the eggs, using the tongues to grab some of the over easy style and adds them to his plate. "i'm william."

"y/n." you nod professionally and politely. "i'm the new assistant chef and the new director of  the dining hall and menus."

"so, y/n, you're saying this isn't the only team ill see you?" william is now moved onto the display of fresh cut fruits, and he's taking a dent sized amount of orange slices. you'd think his question was one stemmed from disappointment if it wasn't for william's playful smile and the twinkle in his eyes.

you find yourself smiling as well. "no it's not."

"good."

since that very first meeting between you both, you and william found yourself in this dance of sorts, where the two of you would move around one another in ways to complete the other. you and william just worked.

once you were aware of william's lighthearted, carefree personality, you embraced his teasing remarks and sultry smirks. you'd look forward to taking his orders and serving his food, and he look forward to you as well.

william was instantly attracted and impressed by your work ethic and skills, especially at your age. he had seen chefs in this organization who took years before reaching your levels, and he couldn't help but grow enamoured for you.

what started as friendly banter and conversation slowly evolved into something more flirtatious- intimate.

william would make a point to wait around after meals to walk you out to your car, just so he could chat to you and watch you flush under his teasing words and gaze. he would always spend too much time chatting with you at the buffet table and then have to scarf his food down because time was limited afterwards. william would text you all day; compliments on your food and looks, funny tweets he'd think you'd enjoy, invitations for movie nights, simple small talk and questions.

it didn't take long for that to progress and 2 and a half months into your job, you and william were practically dating.

you never properly discussed labels, but neither you and william harped over it. you were both happy with the right now of it all.

you both decided to keep your relationship separate from your work life. nobody needed to know what was happening between you both, and you were very adamant about that. you didn't want anyone, player or staff member, to treat you differently because you were with william, and he wanted the same.

but it was hard to try and ignore william - it was and always has been. you'd find yourselves locked in knowing stares with one another, and you couldn’t help yourselves from standing suspiciously close while trying to keep your voices hushed and inconspicuous. the accidental not-so-accidental brushing of limbs, sneaky smiles and even occasionally sneaking off to unoccupied rooms to be alone. you and william weren't doing the best at showing restraint and being secretive.

so although neither of flat out told anybody apart of the leafs organization about your blooming relationship, it didn't take much to figure out something was happening between you.

you walk through the training hallways with a determined step. you've finally gotten the menu submission you'd been hounding william for (at work and after) and when he dropped it off to you this morning, you thought you could finally rest and get to work - but no.

he was trying to be funny. instead of properly filling out the required form for the kitchen, he'd chosen to write either ridiculous answers like he preferred ketchup flavoured fruits or overly sexual things like he preferred you for dessert.

with the original forms in hand as well as a brand new set for him to fill out (correctly this time) you continue to weave through training staff as you walk through the athletic department of the arena. you knew that william was in the gym right now, just like he told you when he sneakily kissed you goodbye after giving you his forms this morning.

you should've known something was up when last night william asked if anybody would be seeing the menu submissions besides you, and when you said that it was only for you, his smirk grew.

you enter the open doors of the physical therapy room when you caught sight of his familiar thick head of blonde hair.

you approach william with determination.

a couple of the guys around notice you and they make snickering noises like little school boys do when a classmate gets called down to the office. the sound has william looking up just as you reach him, his conversation with liligren and jarnkrok coming to a stop.

"I need you to fill out a new form." you hand him the blank papers quickly.

williams smirk grows ridiculously large. "why? what's wrong with my other one?"

you sigh, "can you just do it babe-" you cut yourself off as a horrified look takes over your face. williams eyes widen, but he looks rather enamoured with your slip up and that has you feeling even more horrified. "william. I mean william."

jarnkrok and liligren both snicker knowingly, and calle even pats william's back in a congratulatory manner as the two swedes walk away from you.

william takes the empty menu submission form from your hand. "I'll fill this out."

you exhale shakily, "much appreciated."

he eyes you, "even though I think the real reason is because you want to frame the original one in your apartment." william's iconic laugh follows suit, and you find yourself hiding your face behind the inappropriate forms.

calling william babe wasn't even the most damaging slip up that williams teammates had caught you to in, and there were many close calls of almost being caught doing undeniable acts.

"willy," you sigh heavily, basking in the feeling of his calloused, large hands running over ass. "we should stop"

he hums against your neck, not once detaching his lips from there attack on your neck. clearly william has no interest in stopping the exchange between you and to further his point he rolls his clothed crotch against yours once again.

once william found out you were still at the rink after the team finished up with practice, he had practically dragged you away from food prepping and into the first available spare room.

it ended being the staff room, which was definitely a risky spot, but that didn't stop william from sitting you on the lunch table and immediately begin kissing you with need.

after a good 3 minutes of hot and heavy making out, you managed to reluctantly detach your mouths. but that didn't stop william from moving further down your body with his lips - the sucking against your neck a reminder of just that.

"somebody could walk in." you remind him.

"I know." he pants, pulling away and finally ending the assault on your neck in favour of meeting your eyes. you're both flushed and breathless, but the knowing smirks don't disappear off either of your faces.

"I need to get back to work." you slip off the table, brushing his erection through his pants as you do so. william groans out - a combination of uncomfortable and pleasure, his dick twitching in his pants.

you giggle, adjusting your crumpled apron.

just as you do, the door swings open and a confused looking auston matthews enters. once he spots willaim his shoulders relax, "dude i've texted you three times - you're my ride today remember?"

then the scene infront of him clicks, and auston is immediately smirking. the sight of your messy hair and plump lips combined with william's red cheeks and akward hand placement, he knows everything.

"yeah, right. sorry man I was just helping y/n/n with something."

"yeah, for sure."

when auston turns away to leave the room, william following behind him slowly, you make sure to whack william on the arm as he walks by.

all he can do is laugh.

for those weeks of constantly spending time with one another and basking in the honeymoon phase you two so desperately loved, was something that you cherished.

but a week ago, something changed.

it started when one of your closests friends, jenna, had come down from out east to visit. you had obviously told her about the situation with william, and how you two were thriving together in your secret relationship.

"wait," jenna's eyebrows pull together in confusion and her hands shoots out in your direction as if to halt your story. "why are you keeping it a secret."

you shrug, "because of work. we don't want it to complicate anything."

"what would it complicate?"

you open your mouth to speak, but no noise comes out. when you try and think of a reason why your and williams situation has been hush hush, you can't find one that actually makes sense.

jenna continues, her tone gentle. "I love you and i'm so glad you're happy, but I think you should have a conversation with william. it doesn't make sense to me why you guys wouldn't tell anybody about this thing going on, as well as why you haven't put labels on it yet."

your shoulders deflate. you can't help but feel insecure and unsure now about your relationship with william. was he embarrassed of the age gap between you and didn't want his teammates to get on him about your immaturity? did william not want to sacrifice his job with the leafs by putting a label on you? was he worried he'd get in trouble or traded if he was caught with somebody so young who worked for the leaf organization? was he worried about the fans dissecting a relationship between you both and calling him out for dating you?

was your relationship doomed from the start and eventually meant to crumble.

when you started to really think about it, you get plunged into a deep, dark hole of guilt and regret and fear all sourced from your and william's relationship and the secrecy that came with it.

because what if william didn't want a girlfriend out of you because of your age and inexperience with life and he was only looking for a physical partner temporarily.

so your next day at work when william tried to flirt with you while you plated the various salads at the grab table, you didn't give him any eye contact and mumbled some excuse about being really busy.

willy was confused of course, but he brushed off your dismissal. he believed when you said you were busy, and he knows how important your job is to you and he didn't want to disturb you while you're working - but the next day it was the same thing. you were practically ignoring him and when william did come up and try and start your usual fun conversations, you were short with him.

after a few days of the same unbothered demeanour from you, william gave up on trying to crack you. he was clueless on what shifted between you, especially when you won't tell him, so he has no choice but to believe you are no longer interested in him.

and that hurt, so instead of acting like a grown adult and trying to find a solution to this mystery problem, william pretended that he was unaffected by your sudden absence.

——

morgan rielly must be able to sense your shift of energy, and instead of bringing up his favourite taylor swift song of the week (which is obviously a weekly discussion between you two), he only sends you a closed mouth smile as he plates up his meal.

it makes you frown, because you think william must've mentioned something to someone on the team, that now has the once interactive, bubbly roster acting tame and quiet around you.

you almost say something to morgan about his change and plead for him to talk about your favourite blonde musician, but you let him go.

this is what you didn't want to happen. the awkwardness and always having to step around eggshells because of your relationship with william (or currently, lack there of) was something you never wanted for you, william or anybody in the organization.

you never wanted to end up feeling so lost and out of place at work and when it came to william. you can understand your way of dealing with your insecurities wasn't ideal, but you can't help but to shut down when something doesn't feel right - you've always been that way.

but william wasn't helping in any way. not that it was his fault, you can understand that. but you can't understand why he now seems to be showing absolutely no interest in you or why he’s stopped trying.

and you know you should've had a conversation like jenna suggested and figured out the labels and deeper meanings of the relationship you and william have - or had. but you weren’t thinking of having a talk when you were spiralling.

you needed and wanted william to pull you out of that state and reassure, not act like he doesn’t know who you are anymore.

your thoughts are halted as out of the corner of your eye the movement of matthew knies catches your attention. the rookie sends you his usual smile, seemingly unaware of the thick tension weaving throughout the dining area. like usual, matthew loads his plate with mini hash browns, and the normalcy of it all has you laughing.

he looks up at you, a smile widening across his attractive face. amused and seemingly pleased, matthew moves to plate himself up some scrambled eggs, although he doesn't take much because he claims that eggs taste like shit. thankfully, you convinced him to at least take a spoonful at every breakfast.

"I didn't think I'd get to see you smile today. you've been a little off for a few days....are you okay?" matthew's eyes flicker between you and the fruit platter, eyeing your exhausted features.

you're momentarily taken back, blinking quickly to try and see if you're hallucinating what's happening right in front of you. but matthew is very much there and asking you that question. you clear your throat, "i'll be fine, thank you, matthew."

"good," matthew smiles before taking a gigantic bite of some plain toast, crumbs falling over his team branded hoodie. he doesn't seem to mind the mess and he wipes away any lingering toast from his face with the back of his free hand. his warm smile has yet to fade, and you find yourself joining him. matthew continues, "you look so pretty when you smile - I've been missing it these pass few days."

he walks away then, leaving you a flustered and shocked messed at the expense of his flirtatious compliments. you're taken back momentarily, and you're left staring at the spot matthew was just standing in, going over the mini exchange in your head.

you briefly wonder if matthew has always been flirtatious with you, but you'd been too previously distracted with william to notice.

matthew is your age and attractive and still new to the whole sports lifestyle just like you are. maybe matthew was better match for you and trying to build a strong relationship with him was more realistic than it ever was with william.

the warmth of william nose running along your cheek is comforting. the tickling, soothing movement is almost lulling you into a sleep and your eyelids feel heavy as you blink lazily.

against you, william shifts. he shuffles upwards on your mattress, and the soft rustling sound of your crisp sheets follow suit.

your head lolls towards him against your fully pillow and you're met with william's blue eyes twinkling back at you. he's leaning on his palm as his elbow supports his body weight. his hair is still tousled from your hands running through his locks during your previous activities and william also looks a little sleepy.

his flushed cheeks are surely a reflection of yours, and his chest hair is still dampened with sweat - sticking flat against his hard pecks.

"what?" you questions gently, eyeing his sleepy smirk. you turn onto your side and tuck yourself against him. the angle is a little awkward, but you still manage to connect and you wrap your arms around him, letting your chin press in between his pecks.

he looks down at you softly, that same fond expression still there. "I just really like you, y/n/n." william's words are barely audible, and if you had emptied your dehumidifier like you had planned too earlier, the noise would've drowned out his confession.

but you didn't empty it and you can hear every soft word perfectly.

you smile. "I really like you too, willy." to further your point, you press a quick kiss to the skin of his chest. that slaty sweat flavour on his skin is another reminder of what you and william had just finished doing only a few minutes, and that has you flushing all over again.

with his free hand, william gently takes ahold of your face, tilting your head back so you were once again looking at him. you can see the thoughts running through his mind, and when william gently knaws the skin of his bottom lip around his never ending smirk, you wonder if he's also thinking what you are.

suddenly william drops down, and his hands wrap around your waist so he can fully roll you onto your back once again.

you giggle, your legs falling open automatically to make room for william. he leans down and begins to attack your flushed face with quick, loud kisses.

but that's not true - you know that now. it was never hard with william. the rather insignificant age gap between you was never an obstacle and neither was your job position. the only obstacle seemed to be how you were too nervous to put a label on the relationship in fear of ruining what you had.

you think what you and william had was too special to just ignore and give up on - you don't want to give up on him.

a hand reaches for one of the silver serving tongues in front of you, and you look up to find william standing there.

he looks away from you as soon as you make eye contact, and he busies himself by serving himself some of the pork sausages.

you clear your throat nervously.  "hey."

at the sound of your voice, william looks back at you. his eyebrows are pulled together tightly and he analyzes you confusingly. his uncertain gaze has you nerves deepening, but you don't back down - determined to begin the process of moving forward with william.

"hi." finally, he responds. he shuffles further down the table, searching for the fried eggs to add to his new spread. you follow him from the other side of the long buffet table, eyeing him carefully.

"can we talk later?" you words are hushed as you try to not attract any unwanted attention to you both. you're still not sure if william told anyone and if he did, you don't know exactly what he said. so you were still feeling a bit weary of that situation, but you were ready to talk about it and clear your rollercoaster of thoughts.

william almost scoffs, the once usual happy and relaxed laughter you were so used to hearing from him has quickly turned into something more unsettling and your heart just about bursts. "now you want to talk?"

you blink. "I-"

he stops you from continuing, his plate of food long forgotten as he directs his attention to you completely. "because last week when you started acting all entitled and uninterested you didn't even have the decency to give me fucking eye contact. but now you want to talk? why, so you can come up with some excuse and tell me that you like me and want to move forward? well too bad because i'm over it."

you can feel the emotion building thickly in your throat and your eyes start to blur as you desperately try and hold in the waterfall of tears wanting to slip out. "so you don't want to at least talk about this? about us?"

he shakes his head in disbelief, that same scoffy laughter making another appearance. william meets your water filled eyes, and his face shifts. his mouth falls into a straight line and his eyes change to a more somber state. "what us?"

you look away to try and hide the way your mouth trembles with emotion - pain, hurt, sadness, embarrassment. you didn't actually think everything you'd be insecure and worried about would become the truth.

you don't give william the satisfaction of seeing you upset. you turn away and signal to another kitchen personal to take over. thankfully, they make their way over and as soon as their feet move, so do yours and you're leaving the dining area as fast as you can. 

you barley make it through the busy hallway and back through into the kitchen staff room. thankfully because of the working hour, nobody else was in the room because as soon as the door swung shut behind you, the building of emotions all come out and you could no longer stop the flurry of tears.

you cover your mouth to try and mask the sound of the sobbing sounds of heartbreak, desperate to hold on to any dignity you have left.

your embarrassment quickly turns into anger.

william saying such hurtful words to you in a room full of both your colleagues, even if they weren't listening, is just aggravating. even if william never believed that you and him had anything meaningful and he believed your relationship wasn't leading to anything serious, he should of at least had respect for you.

the door opens behind you, and you know it's william immediately. your body reacts to his presence in the way it always has. your skin prickles with pleasure as if it was anticipating his touch and your face heats up further regardless of your current pain.

"please, william if you've come to further embarrass me and make me feel like shit i'd rather you just leave."

you've never called him anything other than willy. when the two of you first staring seeing one another, you told him the name william was too formal for him and willy better displayed his fun and lighthearted personality.

and even though everyone called him by his nickname, something about it coming from your lips was much more intimate.

he shakes his head even though you can't see him. your back is still turned to him because you don't want him too see you so distraught from his words - you can't give him the satisfaction of your raw emotion.

"I didn't mean that, y/n/n." william's words are gentle and full of guilt. "I shouldn't have said that."

you turn, eyes pointed with anger. "no you shouldn't of."

williams face furthers into a regretful expression. "I'm sorry." he walks further into the room, now standing close enough to touch you. but he doesn't try and touch you, and he keeps to himself regardless of how badly he wants to hold you and touch you after days of not.

"I thought you liked me." your words a breathless whine, and you wrap your arms around yourself in search of comfort.

"yeah and I thought the same." he admits sadly. "but then something changed and I don't know what the fuck happened. I felt completely left in the dark because you just completely stopped spending time with me, and talking to me and looking at me. it felt like you didn't like me at all, y/n/n."

you use your shoulder to wipe away the drying tears left sitting on your cheek. the little blush still on your face smudges into your white chefs top, making you look even more of a mess. "I was in my own head," you admit your defeat, "all these insecurities kept getting in the way of what was right infront of me. I thought that you wanted to keep us a secret because you were embarrassed of me - my age and my inexperience were something that you wanted to keep hidden."

you continue, "I thought you didn't want to further our relationship into one that held more serious value- had a title - because you didn't want to build something with somebody so young and lacking of life knowledge and experience. so I pushed you away because I didn't want to end up hurt when you inevitably admitted you could never love me that way - that I was just a fucking booty call."

he shakes his head, lips tugging downwards into a painful frown. "I don't care that you're younger than me and your age has never been an issue when it comes to my feelings about you and our relationship. just because you're younger doesn't not mean that you're inexperienced, y/n/n. in fact you're one of the smartest and experienced people I know."

"so what was it that stopped you from bringing up what this relationship between us was? what were you working towards, willy? when it came to me?"

william almost turns into a puddle at the use of his nickname. he has missed you and your presence so much these past few days of no contact, it's been killing him.

as soon as you walked away from him and his hurtful insinuation back in the dining room, william immediately knew he messed up. not just with the burst of anger only a few minutes ago, but with how he handled the relationship between you two after you seemingly were shutting down and turning away from him.

"when I noticed that something was going on with you and in your head, I should've been more supportive and I should've reached out to try and have a conversation to help squash these fears, and insecurities you were dealing with. i'm so sorry, y/n/n." he breathes out, pausing to collect his racing mind. "I want to be your boyfriend and the entire time we've been together I was so desperately hoping that you would want the same. I don't care if anybody thinks of me differently and I don't care if people think that we aren't good - I think we're great."

"willy," you huff, arms falling back to sit against your sides. "i'm sorry that I shut down instead of just talking to you - I feel so stupid." you pause shakily, trying to blink back the new wave of tears. william reaches out to you then, rubbing his hand comfortably around your hip. it's the comfort you've been missing - craving. you continue, "I really like you, willy. I wish that this never happened between us."

he nods understandably, squeezing the dip of your hip as if to tell you that you're not stupid, it is okay, I really like you too. "where do you want to go from here?"

"I want to...." you pause. "I want to start over. I want to date you for real with the labels and the pictures and everything else in between." you bite your lip nervously, trying to gauge william's face to try and understand what he's thinking. "where do you want to go from here, honestly?"

"I want to pick up right where we left off. I don't want this miscommunication to change our relationship anymore than it already has. the only thing I want to change is that I can call you my girlfriend and refer to you as such all the time."

"I want that too."

"good," william smiles, pressing his body against yours. with the new position, you have no other choice but to bring your arms up around around his neck - not that you minded of course. “I really like us, y/n.”

“I really like us, too.” your confession is a tickling whisper against his lips as william can’t help but let his mouth brush over yours, so close to connecting them together is a much needed kiss.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The art of Daniel Danger

[Image ID: Daniel Danger's art print, 'To all who home to this happy place,' depicting a ruined Disneyland castle in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a statue of Walt and Mickey in the rubble.]

There’s this behavioral economics study that completely changed the way i thought about art, teaching, and critique: it’s a 1993 study called “Introspecting about Reasons can Reduce Post-Choice Satisfaction” by Timothy D Wilson, Douglas J Lisle, Jonathan Schooler, Sara Hodges, Kristen Klaaren and Suzanne LaFleur:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/240281868_Introspecting_about_Reasons_can_Reduce_Post-Choice_Satisfaction

The experimenters asked subjects to preference-rank some art posters; half the posters were cute cartoony posters, and the other half were fine art posters. One group of subjects assigned a simple numeric rank to the posters, and the other had to rank them and explain their ranking. Once they were done, they got to keep their posters.

There was a stark difference in the two groups’ preferences: the group that had to explain their choices picked the cartoony images, while the group that basically got to point at their favorite and say, “Ooh, I like that!” chose the fine art posters.

Then, months later, the experimenters followed up and asked the subjects what they’d done with the poster they got to take home. The ones who’d had to explain their choices and had brought home cartoony images had thrown those posters away. The ones who didn’t have to explain what they liked about their choice, who’d chosen fine art, had hung them up at home and kept them there.

The implication is that it’s hard to explain what makes art good, and the better art is, the harder it is to put your finger on what makes it so good. More: the obvious, easy-to-articulate virtues of art are the less important virtues. Art’s virtues are easy to spot and hard to explain.

The reason this stuck with me is that I learned to be a writer through writing workshops where we would go around in a circle and explain what we liked and didn’t like about someone’s story, and suggest ways to make it better. I started as a teenager in workshops organized by Judith Merril in Toronto, then through my high-school workshop (which Judy had actually founded a decade-plus earlier through a writer in the schools grant), and then at the Clarion workshop in 1992. I went on to teach many of these workshops: Clarion, Clarion West and Viable Paradise.

So I’ve spent a lot of time trying to explain what was and wasn’t good about other peoples’ art (and my own!), and how to make it better. There’s a kind of checklist to help with this: when a story is falling short in some way, writers roll out these “rules” for what makes for good and bad prose. There are a bunch of these rulesets (think of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style), including some genre-specific ones like the Turkey City Lexicon:

https://www.sfwa.org/2009/06/18/turkey-city-lexicon-a-primer-for-sf-workshops/

A few years ago, I was teaching on the Writing Excuses cruise and a student said something like, “Hey, I know all these rules for writing good stories, but I keep reading these stories I really like and they break the rules. When can I break the rules?”

There’s a stock answer a writing teacher is supposed to give here: “Well, first you have to master the rules, then you can break them. You can’t improvise a jazz solo without first learning your scales.”

But in that moment, I thought back to the study with the posters and I had a revelation. These weren’t “rules” at all — they were just things that are hard and therefore easy to screw up. No one really knows why a story isn’t working, but they absolutely know when it doesn’t, and so, like the experimental subject called upon to explain their preferences, they reach for simple answers: “there’s too much exposition,” or “you don’t foreshadow the ending enough.”

There are lots of amazing stories that are full of exposition (readers of mine will not be shocked to learn I hold this view). There are lots of twist endings that are incredible — and not despite coming out of left field, but because of it.

The thing is, if you can’t say what’s wrong, but you know something is wrong, it’s perfectly reasonable to say, “Well, why don’t you try to replace or polish the things that are hardest to do right. Whatever it is that isn’t working here, chances are it’s the thing that’s hardest to make work”:

https://locusmag.com/2020/05/cory-doctorow-rules-for-writers/

But if I could change one thing about how we talk about writing and its “rules,” it would be to draw this distinction, characterizing certain literary feats as easier to screw up than others, having the humility to admit that we just don’t know what’s wrong with a story, and then helping the writer create probabilistically ranked lists of the things they could tinker with to try and improve their execution.

Which is all a very, very long-winded way to explain why I bought a giant, gorgeous art-print at Comic-Con this weekend, even though I have nowhere to hang it and had sworn I would absolutely not buy any art at the con.

I was walking the floor, peeking into booths, when I happened on Daniel Danger’s booth (#5034, if you’re at the con today), and I was just fuckin’ poleaxed by his work.

http://www.tinymediaempire.com/

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘It stopped being about the panic,’ depicting a ruined mansion interwoven with the skeletal branches of a tree, with a weeping statue and two human figures]

Now, see above. I can’t tell you why I loved this work so much (and that’s OK!), but boy oh boy did it speak to me. I just kind of stood there with my mouth open, slowly moving from print to print, admiring works like “It stopped being about the panic.”

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/2022-sdcc-it-stopped-being-about-the-panic-v4

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘headlight in the path of,’ depicting a ruined mall with a pair of stags standing at the top of the escalator.]

On the surface, this is moody, post-apocalyptic stuff, heavily influenced by classic monster/haunter tropes, but it’s shot through with hope and renewal and the sense of something beautiful growing out of the ashes of something that has toppled. There’s real “(Nothing But) Flowers” energy in “Headlight in the path of”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc2023-headlight-in-the-path-of-v2

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘We are no longer able to protect you,’ depicting a ruined factory with a coming-apart sign reading ‘We can no longer protect you forever,’ and a statue of a sword-bearing angel.]

Danger isn’t just a

very

talented artist, he’s also an

extremely

talented craftsman. As a recovering pre-press geek, I was (nearly) as impressed by the wild use of spot color and foils as I was by the art, like in “We are no longer able to protect you”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc-2022-we-can-no-longer-protect-you-forever-v3

[Image  ID: Daniel Danger’s ‘made of smoke and chains,’ depicting a ruined landscape with a pair of derelict subway trains at the foot of a hill on whose peak is a rotting mansion. A pair of human figures, holding hands, are approaching the mansion.]

Danger himself calls this work “weird sad hyper-detailed artwork of dreamy buildings of ghosts and trees,” which is a very apt description of this work, as you can see in “Made of smoke and chains”:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/made-of-smoke-and-chains-mist-preorder

So I looked at this stuff and sternly reminded myself that there was no way I was going to buy any art at the con. Then I walked away. I got about two aisles over when I realized I had to go back and ask permission to take some pictures so I could put a little link to Danger in my blog’s linkdump, which he graciously permitted:

https://www.flickr.com/search/?sort=interestingness-desc&safe_search=1&tags=danieldanger&min_taken_date=1687478400&max_taken_date=1690156799&view_all=1

[Image ID: Daniel Danger’s art print, ‘To all who home to this happy place,’ depicting a ruined Disneyland castle in a post-apocalyptic landscape with a statue of Walt and Mickey in the rubble.]

But then I got all the way ass over to the other ass end of the convention center and I realized I had to go back and buy one of these prints. Which I did, “To all who come to this happy place,” because fuckin’ wow:

https://tinymediaempire.myshopify.com/products/sdcc2023-this-happy-place-v6-foil

This was unequivocally the best thing I saw at this year’s SDCC, but I also got some very good news while there, namely, that Emil Ferris’s long, long-awaited My Favorite Thing Is Monsters Vol 2 is finally on the schedule from Fantagraphics:

https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/emil-ferris/products/my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-book-two

It’s coming out in April, which gives you plenty of time to read volume one, which I called, “a haunting diary of a young girl as a dazzling graphic novel”:

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/06/20/my-favorite-thing-is-monsters-a-haunting-diary-of-a-young-girl-as-a-dazzling-graphic-novel/

If you are or were a monster kid or a haunter, this is your goddamned must-read of the summer. It’s a fully queered, stunning memoir for anyone whose erotic imagination intersected with Famous Monsters of Filmland.

(Also, if you’re that kind of person and you’re in the region, you should know about Midsummer Scream, a giant haunter show in Long Beach; I’ll be there on Sunday, July 30, for a panel about the Ghost Post, the legendary Haunted Mansion puzzle-boxes I helped make:

https://midsummerscream.org/

Now Favorite Thing book two was the best news, but the best experience was watching Felicia Day get her Inkpot Award and give a moving speech:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkpot_Award

And then learning that Raina Telgemeier also got an Inkpot; I love Raina’s work so much:

https://memex.craphound.com/2016/10/04/ghosts-raina-telgemeiers-upbeat-tale-of-death-assimilation-and-cystic-fibrosis/

[Image ID: A photo of me with Chuck Tingle, who wears a pink bag over his head on which he has written ‘Love is Real.’]

To cap yesterday off, I also ran into @ChuckTingle, which is as fine a capstone to a successful con as anyone could ask for:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/doctorow/53065500076/in/dateposted/

If you’d like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here’s a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/07/23/but-i-know-what-i-like/#daniel-danger

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb:

A year of heartfelt letters. A chance encounter gone awry. Five years apart for a shot at redemption.

Charlee lives her life by one single rule: don't dredge up the past. That's why she loses herself in her work as a journalist: always on the move, always heading for the next adventure. So when the Wild Planet offices in Toronto are on the brink of closure, she jumps at the chance to save the place by helping shoot a documentary in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. Until she realizes who she'll be working with.

For Oliver Reynolds, there's nothing like the peace and quiet of nature. That's why working for Wild Planet is a perfect fit. In the small touristic town of Pine Falls, he has everything he needs. Well, almost. If only he could buy back the family’s restaurant he lost five years ago. When his boss offers him a hefty raise to guide a Wild Planet crew filming a documentary in the area, Oliver doesn't think twice. At least, not until he finds out who he'll be spending those two weeks with.

A twist of fate forces these two estranged souls to collaborate on the project and put their grudges and wounds aside for the time being. Too much is riding on the documentary's success for either Charlee or Oliver to delve into the past that led them to stop writing to each other. But will they succeed in working together and pretending the past never happened? As time goes on, neither can shake their lingering bond, but Charlee still doesn't know why Oliver never showed up for the date they set five years ago. But getting her answer means ripping open old wounds. Will she be brave enough to face her demons?

Embark on Oliver and Charlee’s thrilling journey deep into the heart of the majestic Great Bear Rainforest and explore its enchanting wonders alongside them. And who knows, perhaps they'll uncover more than they bargained for.

'Unbearably Yours' is a steamy small-town romance that delves into the realms of second chances, forced proximity, the solace of a chosen family, and the unshakable bonds that can be forged in a lifetime.

Review:

Pen pals turned into something more... except when they were suppose to meet up in person things go wrong and now years later they meet each other again and are faced with old feelings as well as old wounds as they question whether or not they can fix what went wrong the first time. Charlee and Oliver were pen pals, who wrote each other throughout the years and fell in love, they shared secrets, opened up their hearts, and comforted one another. When their letters turn romantic and they agree to meet up in person, Oliver leaves Charlee waiting for him at the airport and never explains why or contacts her again. Charlee now works as a journalist, traveling from one story to the next, chasing something she just doesn't know what. When her next story has her assignment has her working on a documentary with her job on the line, the last thing she expects is to be collaborating with Oliver of all people. Oliver is determined to buy back his family's restaurant that he lost five years ago and when his bosses offer him a huge raise in order for him to help with a new documentary team coming he doesn't even think twice about saying yes. To Oliver's great surprise he comes face to face with the woman he left behind and still haunts his every thought, the one woman who he is still very much in love with and determined to win back... but that means explaining to her why he never came all those years ago. Charlee acts like she doesn't want to know and that she's just here to get the job done... but spending two weeks with the one man who broke her heart who is just as caring and sweet as she remembers has her struggling to resist falling for him. Can Oliver explain to Charlee what really happened and can she open her heart up to the man who broke it all those years ago? This was a cozy second chance romance filled with love letters, wilderness, and sweet romance. Getting to see Charlee and Oliver fall in love throughout their letters was a great way to see their relationship and to see how in love they were with one another. It's a sweet read and one I'd definitely recommend for fans of second chance romances.

Release Date: September 3,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and ARC provided by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[nightinghouls]

❝ I'VE GOT MY FEARS, I'VE GOT THEM DRESSED UP ❞

brigette lundy-paine. nonbinary. they / them. ⸻ i saw juno pasternak around colony house, you know? the twenty—eight year old that was driving from toronto, canada when they saw the tree on the road. juno has been here for six months and I think they were a bike mechanic before they got stuck in the town. with the way things are now, they are now struggling to maintain a sense of normalcy and seek a way out without losing themselves or dying. lets hope you at least survive the night.

GENERAL   information.  ⸻

full   name     juno elliott pasternak

nickname(s)    june,  junebug,  jay

age     twenty — eight

gender   identity     nonbinary

orientation    bisexual,  strong preference for women

place   of   birth     guelph,  ontario,  canada

date   of   birth     november  1  1995

former   occupation     bike mechanic

3   positive traits     creative,  altruistic,  strong—willed

3   negative traits      reclusive,  moody,  gullible

moral alignment    neutral good

faceclaim    brigette lundy—paine

TOWN   information.  ⸻

current   residency    colony house

current   occupation     bike + small electronics mechanic,  handyman

INSP   characters and media.  ⸻

frances halladay from frances ha / enid coleslaw from ghost world / james leer from wonder boys / eve from god help the girl / my solo exchange diary 1 + 2 by nagata kabi / lelaina pierce from reality bites

BIOGRAPHY   your   character's   background.  ⸻

juno’s parents separated when they were just a baby, and juno ended up with their dad. though born in guelph, fairly soon after their parents broke up them and their dad moved back to toronto, where their paternal grandparents lived. juno spent their childhood between their dad’s house and their grandparents’ house, with the occasional holiday spent at their mom’s, until eventually those dried up too.

they were a strong but frustrating student throughout public and high school, which is to say that they read a ton and could write an excellent essay, but struggled chronically with deadlines, skipped and were late to a lot of class, and nearly failed math almost every year. that juno graduated as an ‘ontario scholar’ is a testament to understanding teachers willing to take months-late work and give make up assignments.

right out of high school they entered college for illustration, sure they wanted art to be their career. college was a disaster; without the constant external prodding of well-meaning teachers, left to their own devices and living away from home, deadlines became completely overwhelming and they dropped out within their first semester. they couldn’t handle the pressure, the self-direction, and most of all, taking care of themselves. they’d always thought of themselves as self-sufficient but once they actually had to do everything for themselves as well as attend classes, they simply couldn’t keep up.

they spent two weeks in hospital after they dropped out due to mental health issues, a stay that refocused their attention: stay healthy enough to stay out of the hospital.

once they were back home and had settled back in, they got a job at the bike shop a few blocks away, starting as a junior mechanic to fill the days and get them out of the house. it was around this time that they started seriously considering and exploring their gender identity. perhaps it was that they were the only ‘female’ mechanic, and that this contrast was brought up to them in a way that it hadn’t been ever before, or maybe it was having a kind of independence without the stressors of school, but whatever the cause the result was the same; many deep, internal questions about their sense of self.

after a year and a bit of working at the bike store, juno decided they’d give university a try. maybe it was college that had been the problem. all the programs in college were so specific, university was more general, you could explore and figure yourself out. so they enrolled in an english literature program.

university went slightly better than college had, but once again as soon as the external stress of school was on them they stopped being able to take care of themself. it was just too much. and so, after six months, they dropped out again. back to the bike shop.

one year turned into two, and then three, and then they’d spent four years living in their bedroom at their dad’s house, even after their little brother had moved out, working the same job. juno liked their job, but still — there had to be more out there. so they started saving up, bought a junker car ( a 1990s volkswagen rabbit ) and decided they would road trip across the united states. they’d never been to the states before, but it seemed like a place full of wide-open possibilities. so, they set off.

they drove through new york and into pennsylvania, and then they saw the tree. the story from there is fairly well-known to everyone. the circling, the attempts to get out. at first they had just pulled over, sure they’d gotten too high before setting out for the day’s drive, resolved to sleep it off. and then there was someone banging on the window and telling them to get out before sunset, to get inside.

they were luckier than most; when they came, they came with most of their stuff. clothing, cds, books, nice but not so useful. their toolkit, now that had value here. they’d attempted to get away from their job, but it seemed that was the best thing they had to offer. bikes are more like clocks than like cars, so juno wasn’t any good at engine repair, but small electronics, the bikes that had made it into the town, and any general handyman-type jobs, those they could handle.

TRIVIA   extra   character   information. 

because their parents were teenagers when they were born, they are named after their parents' favourite music ( juno for juno, their mom's favourite band, and elliott for elliott smith, their dad's favourite artist )

juno was diagnosed with adhd in college, and was medicated for it until they entered the town.

similarly, they had been undergoing low-dose hrt, which they ran out of after a time in the town.

some of the books in juno's car at the time they entered the town are: the wind up bird chronicle, franny and zooey, tell me i'm worthless, paul takes the form of a mortal girl, high fidelity, and please don't kill the freshmen.

[hellothetutorshelp-blog]

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[carolinesiede]

Reflecting on my 2024

As someone with an obsessive personality, I’ve learned that the only way to get myself out of a rabbit hole is to just keep on digging deeper until I finally get sick of it. And for the past two years, I think my obsessive rabbit hole has been… running away from my problems. After a rocky 2021, I got my first ever truly high-paying contract gig just as The A.V. Club was imploding. So when that gig ended suddenly at the end of 2022, I was left with a full bank account, no regular freelance work, and absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.

So, naturally, I decided to make up for lost time with all the traveling I never got to do when I was living paycheck to paycheck as a freelancer for the first 8 years of my career. Across 2023 and 2024 I went to Disneyland twice, saw the Eras Tour three times, enjoyed a lovely family reunion in Palm Springs, spent a glorious week in London, visited the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, and took a spontaneous trip to Toronto. I also found the time to reorganize my apartment, reconnect with friends I’d lost touch with during the pandemic, and take on copyediting gigs outside of the world of cultural criticism. Most importantly, I found myself actually able to enjoy the things I was doing, unlike in 2023 where my mental health felt far more frantic.

Along the way a funny thing happened. I started to realize that I actually like being a film and TV critic—not just because it’s the career path I fell into out of college but because it’s something I find a lot of value and purpose and enjoyment in as a (newly) 35-year-old. It’s a realization I sort of came to last year, as I celebrated the first six months of Girl Culture’s existence. But I think I needed to really get sick of running away before I could realize just how much I enjoy the online world I’ve built for myself over the past decade.

It certainly helps that The A.V. Club is back in my life again. After Paste bought the company and rehired the wonderful Danette Chavez as editor-in-chief in July, I made the leap to return as well. That includes launching my brand-new column, Women of Action, in which I dig into the history of women-driven action movies one film at a time—a fun shift from all the rom-com writing I used to do in my old column When Romance Met Comedy.

In this second phase of my career, however, I’m trying not to tie my freelance work to just one individual site anymore. I’ve loved getting to write more for the smart, funny folks at The Daily Beast throughout 2024. I was also thrilled to start writing for The Boston Globe at the end of the year as well. I got to contribute to IndieWire’s 2024 critics poll of the best movies of the year recently. And I really can’t say enough good things about the community Myles McNutt has built at Episodic Medium, where I got to write weekly reviews of Echo, Doctor Who, Agatha All Along, and the new sitcom St. Denis Medical—assignments that are crucial to giving me a sense of structure and financial stability in the wild, weird world of freelancing.

This was also my first full year running my Substack Girl Culture and I’m really proud of the work I did there and the community I’m continuing to build with my readers. My goal was to publish at least one piece per month and I managed to write 19 reviews/features, plus a reflection on 2023 and a gymnastics schedule (remember the Olympics?!?). I wrote about big movies like Wicked, Deadpool & Wolverine, and It Ends With Us; tackled trending TV shows like Bridgertonand Emily In Paris; covered classics like It Happened One Night; weighed in on Taylor Swift’s latest album;and even got accredited to cover the Chicago International Film Festival on behalf of the site—a welcome dose of legitimacy for this burgeoning creative project. And while I kicked off 2024 not knowing exactly what I wanted Girl Culture to be, I’m heading into this year brimming with ideas for projects I want to take on. (Let’s just say some Disney princesses might be on the docket…)

I also want to take a moment to say how deeply grateful I am for all of you who support the work I do at Girl Culture. Though freelancing is my ideal way to work, it’s a hard way to make a living, even when I’m regularly getting published at various sites. I earn somewhere between $150-$300 for every full-length piece I write—including research-heavy projects that take days to work on. So even when I have a “full” workload, it’s obviously quite hard to get that to add up to a full income. Having Girl Culture as another piece of the puzzle has been a huge help this year. If you’d like to support the newsletter financially, you can become a paid subscriber here. Or you can always just share your favorite pieces with your friends! That really means a lot too and is one of the main reasons I’m committed to keeping my writing there free to all.

Of course, the woes of freelancing are nothing compared to the many horrifying problems in the world right now. I’ve spent much of this year thinking about the genocide in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, the ever-growing reality of climate change, the terrifying state of American politics, the impact of Hurricane Helene, and—as I write this—the devastating fires in LA. I also lost two beloved “grown-ups” in my life this year and navigating that grief alongside the even deeper grief of their immediate families has been a reminder of how important sensitivity, empathy, and community truly are. That’s the energy I want to bring into 2025, balanced with the righteous fury we need to make true political change.

With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a happy new year (if that’s still something we say mid-January) and a roundup of all the major writing and podcasts I did in 2024. If you’d like to support my work somewhere other than Substack, you can find me on Kofi, PayPal, or Venmo, and follow me on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Bluesky. And for a little glimpse into the diary of my life, here are similar year-end wrap-ups I did for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019,2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013!

Girl Culture

Reflecting on 2023

My 21 Favorite Rom-Coms Since 2010

Random thoughts on ‘Anyone But You’

Taylor Swift didn’t release the breakup album people expected

'The Idea of You' stays on the right side of ridiculous

On binging 'Bridgerton'

How a 90-year-old romantic comedy changed the genre forever

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader conundrum

'Deadpool & Wolverine' and the current state of the MCU

Your full Olympic Gymnastics schedule

‘It Ends With Us’ blossoms in its smallest moments

Wait, is ‘Emily In Paris’ good now?

More is less in the uneven legacy sequel ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

A guide to all the Audrey Hepburn homages in 'Emily In Paris'

'Joker: Folie à Deux' only has itself to blame

A moment with Gavin Creel

Chicago Film Fest, Dispatch #1: Nightbitch, Maria, and a Christmas short

Chicago Film Fest, Dispatch #2: Blitz, Better Man, and a moving abortion doc

Chicago Film Fest, Dispatch #3: The Brutalist, Memoir of a Snail, and a new Robert Zemeckis experiment

'Wicked' is a little bit of a miracle

The official Girl Culture Christmas movie canon

Women of Action

Sarah Connor redefined the female action hero forever

Jennifer Lopez finally had Enough in her schlocky action thriller

Wonder Woman was a beacon of hope during a dark political time

One of the best action movies of the ’90s is a Disney princess musical

The A.V. Club

The Umbrella Academy's dance sequences are its greatest legacy

Sophie Turner officially enters her grown-up era with Joan

Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth share the world’s most mellow romance in Lonely Planet

Dallas meets Downton Abbey in Hulu’s soapy British drama Rivals

Wicked’s best scene is a wordless dance number

The 25 best TV shows of 2024

The Daily Beast

Hillary Clinton Politics Get a Dose of CW Energy With ‘Girls on the Bus’

Christian Slater Is an Epic Bloodthirsty Ogre in New ‘Spiderwick Chronicles’

‘Longing’: Richard Gere’s Grief Drama Will Have You Mourning His Career

‘Land of Women’: Eva Longoria’s New Show Is ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ With Mobsters

The Wild Highs, Lows, and Absurdities of Being ‘K-Pop Idols’

Reviews see-this From Hillary Clinton to ‘Heroin Chic’: The Secrets of ’90s ‘Vogue’

‘Brilliant Minds’: Zachary Quinto Plays a TV Doctor With Face Blindness

'The Remarkable Life of Ibelin': The Netflix Movie That Is Making Everyone Cry

‘The Diplomat’ Makes a Strong Case for Being the New ‘West Wing’

The Boston Globe

'Bad Sisters' is back, but some of the magic is gone

Grab your hot cocoa: These holiday movies deliver sweet romance

The top 10 TV shows of 2024, according to Globe critics

Block Club Chicago

Paralympian Katy Sullivan Becomes A ‘Badass’ Richard III At Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Podcasts/Radio

Cinematic Universe Podcast: Tick, Tick... Boom!

CBC Radio, Day 6: The Umbrella Academy’s dance numbers

CBC Radio, Day 6: The ending of The Eras Tour(which also got turned into a TikTok)

Episodic Medium

Echo

Doctor Who

The Umbrella Academy

Agatha All Along

St. Denis Medical

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"BUCK SUGGESTS NEW PLAY NAMED 'TWO MEN WRITE'," Toronto Star. March 10, 1934. Page 1 & 2. --- Goes Back to Penitentiary in Private Coach, Closely Guarded ---- WONDERS WHO PAYS === Special to The Star Oshawa, March 10. - After a week's stay in Toronto jail, Tim Buck, convicted Communist under a five-year-sentence for sedition in Portsmouth Penitentiary, went back to the big prison to-day.

Cheerful and chatty, the sad-faced little man in his "prison blues" had been taken from the penitentiary to Toronto as a witness for the defence in the trial of Rev. A. E. Smith, secretary of the Canadian Labor Defence League, to tell his story of the alleged attempt to shoot him in his cell at the prison back in October, 1932, when the riots gripped the place. But Buck did not tell his story because Chief Justice Rose directed that his evidence would be irrelevant.

Buck travelled on the C. N. R. to Kingston to-day like a railroad magnate. He had a "private car" all to himself, with three sheriff's officers to look after him. Determined that nobody was going to talk to the prisoner, Sheriff Gorrie, of Toronto, had a special day coach attached to the rear of the Toronto-Montreal flier for Buck and his escort.

Five other prisoners sentenced to short terms were in the penitentiary party but they were put in the smoker with their guards while Mr. Timothy Buck sat down on a nice greez plush seat, and had a car all to himself. He certainly got service deluxe to-day. It is the first time in over 25 years a special car has been assigned to take prisoners to Kingston penitentiary, a railroad official told The Star.

"I wonder who is going to pay for this car?" said Buck with a smile to Deputy Sheriff Clayton and his two guards, as he put on his silver- rimmed eyeglasses to read a newspaper.

"Orders Are Orders" The Star reporter, the only newspaperman with the prison party, was ordered away from Buck when he attempted an interview. "Sorry, but Sheriff Gorrie gave explicit instructions that Buck was not to be interviewed," said an official as he held back the reporter.

Buck was moved into his special car after the train had started. At first, before the train left Toronto Union station Buck sat in the smoker and a guard blocked the door with his arms outstretched. The officer was pleasant and courteous but wouldn't budge. "That's why I am here; you cannot speak to Buck," he insisted.

When Buck was taken into the other coach he sat back and smiled. His blue eyes beamed as he surveyed "private car 2494."

Buck and the other prisoners had been brought to the Union Station in three automobiles. The prisoners were held in the baggage room downstairs till the train was made up.

"Did you see your relations?" The Star asked Buck. "Just my wife for two minutes."

"What about Rev. Mr. Smith's trial?" "Well, twelve men spoke their mind," Buck replied. The police wouldn't let the show, 'Eight Men Speak, go on, but they could put on a better play themselves."

"What kind of a play do you mean?" "Well, the title could be 'Two Men Write'."

"Rotstein was asking for you," Buck remarked to The Star reporter. who failed to recall the name at the moment. "You mean 'Slowmotion Rotstein'?" asked the reporter. "Yes, the bank robber, you know. You wrote him up when he was arrested for robbing the Bank of Commerce at Clinton and College."

Buck paid a tribute to Norman "Red" Ryan. "Yes, I sincerely believe he is a new man in body and mind," he said. "He realizes now that he wasted his life. A Toronto doctor helped him in his education, and I don't mean Withrow."

Special to The Star Belleville, March 10. - After Tim Buck had read the newspapers in his private car en route back to Kingston penitentiary, he took off his coat and sat in his black and white pin-stripe prison shirt writing. Despite the rolling of the fast train, Buck, using a sheriff's brief bag for a desk, wrote several letters. He talked very little between Toronto and Belleville. The sheriff kept the newspaperboy active in supplying him and the prisoners in another car with soft drinks, sandwiches and cigarettes.

"I read In The Star where the police commissioners thought the speech made by Smith at Hygeia Hall, was taken in shorthand, but now they know different," Buck remarked. "We will wait and see what they ask General Draper, when he comes home."

Handcuffed and Guarded At 8.20 a.m. to-day the heavy doors of the Don jail opened and Tim Buck, Communist, handcuffed to a sheriff's officer, walked out, on his way back to Kingston penitentiary to serve the remainder of his term. Five thieves handcuffed together and escorted by sheriff's officers fol- lowed Buck from the jail, and at the Union Station were placed with him in the smoking compartment of the C.N.R. train for the four-hour journey.

Dressed in his prison uniform. Buck on coming out of the jail smiled to waiting reporters. He was not allowed to carry on any conversation. Hustled into a large sedan, he was rushed to the Union Station. The officer pulled down the shades in the car on the side in which Buck was sitting when Buck waved to the reporters. The shade was quickly raised again by Buck, who still smiled, as the car pulled away. The five thieves taken to the penitentiary with Buck are: William Hill, Nick Kurly and John Martin. convicted of housebreaking and sentenced to two years each; William Goddard and John Reid, convicted of theft and sentenced to two years each.

At the station Buck was again taken to the station platform by the express office elevator to avoid crowds.

[gtahomeassignments]

9 Steps to Sell a on Assignment Sale in Toronto

Selling a home on assignment in Toronto might sound a bit tricky, but it's a process that can be straightforward with some simple steps.

1. Understand What Assignment Sale Means

First things first, know what "assignment sale" means. In simple terms, it's when you sell a property before it's completely built. You transfer the rights to the property to someone else, and they complete the purchase when it's ready.

2. Check Your Agreement

Look at your agreement with the builder. Ensure that it allows for an assignment sale Toronto

. Not all contracts have this option, so it's crucial to know what's in yours.

3. Get Permission

Once you confirm that your agreement allows it, seek permission from the builder to proceed with the assignment sale. They might have specific conditions or fees associated with it.

4. Determine the Value

Figure out the current value of your property. Consider the market conditions and get an idea of what similar properties are selling for in your area.

5. Find a Buyer

Now, it's time to find a buyer. You can do this through real estate agents, online platforms, or even by spreading the word in your network. Make sure the buyer is aware of the assignment sale process.

6. Negotiate Terms

Negotiate the terms with the buyer. Discuss the price, any additional costs, and the timeline for the sale. Ensure everything is clear and agreed upon in writing.

7. Work with a Lawyer

Once you have a buyer, involve a lawyer experienced in real estate transactions. They will help draft the assignment agreement and make sure all legal aspects are covered.

8. Builder Approval

Submit the home assignment Toronto agreement to the builder for approval. They will review the terms and conditions and, once approved, update their records with the new buyer's information.

9. Closing the Deal

As the original owner, you won't be involved in the final closing. The new buyer will complete the purchase when the property is ready, and you'll receive your agreed-upon amount.

Selling a home on assignment in Toronto involves understanding your contract, getting permission, finding a buyer, negotiating terms, and working closely with a lawyer.

 It's a step-by-step process that, when done right, can be a smooth way to transition out of your property before it's even fully built.

[dissertation-writing-servicess]

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[takingflightfromgroundzero]

Entry #10

Wrapping up an unforgettable Co-op journey at Air Transat! It's with a mix of excitement and nostalgia that I'm writing this blog post today, marking the conclusion of my incredible co-op term at Air Transat. These past few months have been nothing short of amazing, and I can't wait to share my experience with you!

From the moment I stepped into Air Transat's office at Toronto Pearson Airport, I knew I was in for an extraordinary ride. As a co-op student, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was eager to learn and contribute. Little did I know that this experience would exceed all my expectations and become a stepping stone toward my dream career.

Throughout my time at Air Transat, I had the privilege of working alongside a fantastic team of professionals who were always willing to share their knowledge and expertise. I cannot express how grateful I am for their guidance and mentorship. Every day was an opportunity to learn something new, whether it was about the airline industry, the intricacies of flight operations, or the behind-the-scenes efforts that make each journey memorable for passengers.

One of the most remarkable aspects of my co-op journey was the variety of tasks and projects I was involved in. I had the chance to work on. Each assignment broadened my horizons and helped me understand the diverse aspects of the aviation industry.

But it wasn't all work and no play! Air Transat fostered a vibrant and inclusive company culture, ensuring that every team member had the opportunity to unwind and enjoy themselves. The camaraderie among colleagues made every day enjoyable, and I truly cherish the friendships I've formed during my time here.

As my co-op term comes to an end, I can't help but reflect on the growth and personal development I've experienced. I've become more confident in my abilities, more adaptable in navigating challenging situations, and more passionate about the aviation industry than ever before. The real-world experience I gained during my time at Air Transat is invaluable, and I'm eager to bring this newfound knowledge to my future endeavors.

As I say goodbye to my co-op term at Air Transat, I carry with me a treasure trove of memories and an eagerness to embrace the next chapter in my journey. While I may not know what the future holds, I am confident that the skills and experiences I've gained here will open doors to exciting opportunities.

To everyone at Air Transat, thank you for making this experience unforgettable. I'm optimistic about the possibility of returning to work with such an exceptional team. Until then, I'll hold on to the memories and knowledge gained during this co-op adventure.

[onlinetutorhelps]

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[lcandothisallday]

Idk if you need any writing inspo but the concept of jack gushing over his high school sweetheart whatever interview he’s doing or whatever song he’s writing or wherever he goes… 😩 definitely been on my mind

THIS IS SO FREAKING CUTE😭😭 also I had to self indulge and make the reader canadian😌 yall can imagine Toronto being some other city lmfao

High School Sweethearts x Jack Harlow x f!reader

“So Jack,” the interviewer started. “It’s no secret that you and your girlfriend Y/N have been dating for a while…can you tell us how you two met?” she asked.

Hearing the question, Jack couldn’t help but grin widely as he reminisced on his highschool days. “Y/N—I swear she’s my fucking forever soulmate,” he mused. “I don’t know how I got so lucky with her—I must’ve done something fucking amazing in my past life,” he joked.

“But um…we met in sophomore year. She moved to Louisville from Toronto and all I remember thinking was that she was the cute city girl from Canada,” he chuckled. “And she was forced to sit next to me in science class and bro when I tell you she wasn��t giving me the time of fucking day. She was really shy and I think she was kinda mad that her dad’s job was relocated to Louisville.”

The interviewer chuckled. “Yeah-I think I’d be pissed too if my family moved me from a major city like Toronto to a state like Kentucky of all places,” she said, clearly teasing Jack.

“Nah nah—what we not gonna do today is bash on Kentucky,” he tsked before he let out a laugh.

Jack licked his lips before he continued. “But yeah. I remember a lot of the guys in our grade were crushing on her and when she walked into a party one night, they all started freaking out tryna get her attention and all but you could tell she was dragged there by her friend and didn’t wanna be there.”

The interviewer smiled softly as she urged Jack to continue. “Did you approach her or did she approach you? Assuming this party is what started it all,” she chuckled.

Jack smirked, “she came up to me. She was so nervous-it was fucking adorable.”

“Um…we sit next to each other in Dalton’s science class right?” you ask Jack, biting your lip as you approach him.

Jack couldn’t help but grin as he nodded, adjusting his glasses on his nose better. “Yeah-that’s me. First week here and you’re already invited to a party huh?”

You bite your lip as you let out a chuckle. “Savannah dragged me here. Said if I wanted to feel normal and like I belong then I’d have to come.”

“Do you feel normal?”

You scoff and shake your head. “Not at all. I feel like people are constantly staring or whispering stuff behind my back. Apparently there’s a rumour going around that I gave some senior guy head on my first day,” you frown. “Which is a complete lie by the way,” you quickly correct.

Jack laughed softly. “It’ll get better. People are only so fixated on you cause you’re new. Most of us have known each other since kindergarten so it’s not often we get newbies,” he shrugged. 

You nod and lean against the counter, your arms crossing in front of your chest as a slight awkward silence overtook the conversation. Jack glanced down at his feet nervously as you looked around the party, your ears picking up a group of girls talking shit about your’s and Jack’s proximity to one another. Getting overwhelmed with everything, you take in a breath and turn to Jack. “I think I’m gonna go,” you breathed out, turning to leave but Jack quickly reached for your arm, stopping you.

“Don’t. You just got here and I like talking to you,” Jack confessed. You can’t help but glance back at the group of girls which he took notice. “Don’t care about them. They’re just a bunch of bitches always talkin’ shit. Please stay?”

“Okay, Jack.”

The interviewer smiled softly at how Jack described that night. “So is that when you two started dating?”

Jack had to think back for a second before he shook his head. “Not quite. Since she sat next to me in science, we ended up being lab partners and she came over to do the assignment and that’s when we made things official.”

“Jaaaack,” you whined, groaning as you rubbed your temples as Jack continued to giggle. “I swear you’re gonna be the reason we fail this lab if you keep procrastinating,” you mumbled. 

“C’mon! One listen,” he pouted, his laptop out to show you the new song he had been working on. You bite your lip, the excited expression on his face making your heart flutter. You reluctantly agreed which made Jack’s grin widen. “Okay...it’s-it’s not finished. So like...be nice about it,” he breathed out nervously. You reassure him you will before he finally clicks play and you listen intently to his bars. A smile danced on your lips as the song progressed, Jack closely paying attention to your reaction.

After a particular line, your eyes widened and your head snapped to look at Jack. “Was that...was that line about me?” you asked him timidly. Jack’s face instantly went red as he nodded. “Um yeah but it’s still a work in progress and if it makes you uncomfortable then I could totally take it out because--” you cut off his adorable rambling by pressing your lips to his. He immediately welcomed the kiss, sloppily deepening it as his hands moved to hold your waist.

When you pulled away for a breath, your thumb stroked his cheek as you looked at him with such a heartfelt expression. “That made me feel really special...thank you, Jack.”

Jack took the opportunity to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear. “I really did mean it. You’re the most beautiful girl I know,” he smiled. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

You grinned and nodded immediately. “Yes,” you giggled, leaning in to kiss him again. Once again, the kiss got heated quickly and you found yourself gaining the courage to move your hands towards the band of his joggers. 

“You don’t have to,” Jack mumbled against your lips, his voice hoarse.

“But I want to...it’ll just be a hand job...wanna thank you and make you feel good,” you mumble back into the kiss, your hands slipping in.

“Would you say she’s the muse for your music?” the interviewer asked.

Jack nodded, “yeah for sure,” he replied, his fingers stroking his beard. “She’s a really special person in my life and her support means the world to me and I love her to death. She’s my girl.”

[heytheredeann]

So, a couple of days ago I watched The Man from Toronto, and of course, just like pretty much anything else at this point, it made me think of the potential for a napollya AU.

Picture: Napoleon is a thief, and because he can’t seem to be able to stay out of trouble he ends up in a bigger mess than he bargained for, specifically he ends up being mistaken for “the Man from Moscow”. He isn’t sure who the guy is, but considering that these people seem to expect him to torture a guy he can take an educated guess.

Fortunately for him, he is good at bluffing, he can even write off their questions about how he doesn’t really sound like he’s from Moscow (by claiming that it would be stupid to call himself that and actually be Russian, right? Must be secretive and everything), and he managed to get the guy he was supposed to torture to talk by bluffing his way through it, no torture necessary.

The problem is that these people apparently want him for something else too, so they get him on a plane for the second part of his assignment.

On the plane they are ambushed by the actual Man from Moscow, who is tall, handsome and actually very Russian (Napoleon maintains that that’s stupid), and who doesn’t seem very pleased by the fact that a random American is impersonating him. In fact, he frowns at Napoleon and goes: “This is just little cowboy. What is this”

Now, common sense would have Napoleon shut up and try to explain that this was a misunderstanding and that he’s more than happy to leave the torturing to him, thank you very much, or to try and talk his way into not being killed somehow. Instead, what gets out is: “HEY, who are you calling LITTLE, I’m six feet tall!”

So yeah, their relationship starts on a bit of rocky ground, to be precise it starts with what blows into a full fight on a plane, with everybody eventually killed except the two of them, and that’s just because Mr Moscow Man managed to keep the plane from crashing at the last minute. Napoleon is very impressed but also terrified out of his mind, which means that he gets extremely annoying and obnoxious about everything.

It still doesn’t get him shot, because Peril - the guy won’t give him his name, Napoleon refuses to call him Man from Moscow, and he needs to match the “Cowboy” nickname somehow - decides that he needs him to impersonate him a little more. The guys that first mistook him for their hired assassin, in fact, have a picture of him, so they are expecting him to show up to the next part of the assignment, and, well... Napoleon doesn’t want this to come back to bite him in the ass, so he decides to help on the condition that Peril helps him get rid of that picture.

That is how he finds himself shopping with an assassin, busy coaching him on how to dress and act like an assassin who knows what he’s doing. Napoleon is a great bluffer, if he can say so himself, so he doesn’t really think he needs all of this, but he can admit that when Illya shows him a ridiculous amount of different knives his brain bluescreens a little. So maybe he’ll let him do some coaching LOL

Napoleon keeps repeating that he’ll be fine, that he’s a great liar, just watch and learn Peril, and, to be fair, he pulls it off, he gets the information needed and there are only a couple of missteps, due to the fact there was some blood spilled, though most of it not by his hand. Afterwards, though, he’s a bundle of nerves, he’s freaking out, and not in an outlandish and dramatic way that would have Illya roll his eyes and flip him off, like after the plane incident, he actually seems pretty shaken. Which Illya takes a lot harder than he probably should, and he ends up attempting to comfort him.

More shit starts happening when another assassin comes after them. They survive and manage not to lose their intel, but afterwards, when Illya calls his handler to explain the situation, Napoleon warns him that Oleg is lying to him, because “Trust me, I’m an expert liar, I can tell”. Trouble is Illya doesn’t believe him, because he’s known Oleg for twenty years and he trusts him.

It was, in fact, Oleg that sent the other assassin after them, because he is unhappy with Illya keeping Napoleon alive (definitely not satisfied by Illya’s explanation as to why he’s useful) and this would be strike two, after another mission when he walked away without killing his target. If he’s getting all merciful and soft, he’s gotta go, hence the assassin.

Since they have some time before they are supposed to drop off the intel, Napoleon manages to convince Peril to spend the night out with him. Specifically, it’s Gaby’s birthday, and he promised her that he’d show up. Though she knows about his absolutely-legal career, and she does figure that this Peril has something to do with it because the guy is just so weird, she decides not to ask too many questions and he doesn’t volunteer that they are dining with an actual assassin (mostly because he doesn’t want her to get that Oh My God You Are So Stupid How Are You Still Alive look).

Napoleon does his best to get Peril to relax a little, even though of course the guy spends half the time keeping an eye on the exists and the cameras and he does not look like someone who is there to have fun, and him and Gaby also drag the poor man into a dance at some point. Illya actually has a lot more fun than he expected.

Eventually Illya figures out that Oleg backstabbed him and literally put a kill notice out on him, and, well---he should technically be skipping town, save his own skin first and everything. Needless to say, he barely even thinks about it before he’s on his way to Napoleon, because apparently he needs to make sure that he comes out of this in one piece too.

Meanwhile, Napoleon is busy trying (and barely managing) not to get killed when some trigger-happy guy comes looking for Peril (the revelation that, while he doesn’t know where he is, he wouldn’t say even if he did is a very unwelcome epiphany with terrible timing). Napoleon is very much not expecting Peril to come out of nowhere and tear the guy off of him, and yet. He 100% thought that he had gone off and that he would never see him again so. uh. “Fancy seeing you here, Peril!” “Shut up, run.”

Well, they manage to not get killed by the frankly appalling amount of agents that come after them (apparently the price tag on Illya’s head is pretty high. Napoleon manages to complain about it while running for his life, somehow), they get rid of the pictures implicating Napoleon and of every trace that they were ever involved in this whole thing, and by end of all this Napoleon is almost tempted to walk the straight and narrow (almost).

Illya is, obviously, supposed to leave never to be seen again, now that he has no job and pretty much no purpose in life. He is left with a substantial amount of money from all his previous assignments, so he should just leave and start anew wherever he wants, right?

Except when Napoleon casually mentions that he has a free guest room if he wants it, that seems pretty appealing, actually.

Which is how Napoleon ends up with an ex-assassin sleeping into his apartment, having to explain to Gaby why he’s all broken and bruised and who Peril actually is. She still thinks he’s a complete idiot, but but she does like the apparently-ex-assassin, so. She’ll support them, but she’ll still give Napoleon plenty of shit about it.

.

Bonus:

The first night that Illya spends at Napoleon’s apartment, he doesn’t think he’s going to be able to get any sleep. Something about how his whole life got turned upside down and how he could be going anywhere and be doing pretty much anything and yet the only thing that he wants to do is keep close to this idiot Cowboy and make sure that he doesn’t get himself killed with that big smartass mouth of his.

He does manage, at some point, to doze off a little, because the bed is really comfortable after all, only to be suddenly woken up by something crashing on his bed, giving him a heart attack. He has a gun on him before he can recognize Napoleon, way too unconcerned by the fact that he has a gun to his head and there’s a literal assassin behind the trigger.

“Peril!” he shouts, in the tone of someone that just had a revelation. “You never told me your name!”

...Illya is going to kill him in a week, tops.

[the-empress-7]

Continuing from post Re- working actress blog.

Comparing the writing style, yes it does seem like Meghan. However the biggest difference is that WA blog (as compared to Tig or get IG) seemed more self aware. The author was all to aware of her flaws, admitted mistakes, showed genuine vulnerability. As we have seen of Meghan, since Canada esp, she has been in the habit of self aggrandizement. Everything is show, over the top. But apart from that there seem to be afew details that are curious -

(I am just pointing out details pre-2013, before suits became famous)

1. Working actress claimed to live in LA. And travelled often for work. MM lived in LA but did not travel much for work. She did not have a steady work assignment and spent much of her time auditioning.

2. WA claimed that we have seen her often enough to know her by face, remember her from shows and family character she had played. We did not know MM back then, nor was she a regular on any show. (But maybe she is talking about deal or no deal?)

3. WA claimed to be single, spent her alone time in a small, not so great appartment by herself, often depressed. Mm was living with Trever, and was in a long term relationship with him since she was in her early 20s. Their flat was quite nice.

4. WA claimed to have had (2?) a boob jobs. That's apparently where the "magical boobs" phrase originated. Mms boobjob isn't documented, but looking at her it doesn't look like she had one. The tell tale signs are not there.

5. WA claimed to have supplemented her income with yatching. She really exploded the underbelly of that side hustle that most actresses resort to. It was all quite sordid. And she hated it. Was often depressed and self loathing because of what she had to resort to before landiy the lead role. For all we know, Mm has not been known to have done this, at least not on actual yatchs in Greece, S. Frace, Cannes. Infact she lived with Trever, so was comfortable in a way. And her dad also helped her with money.

6. WA often described her looks as model like, very tall etc. She used to say that her looks were what helped her in her career. Mm isn't at all supermodel like.

7. She once write a blog about yatching and mentioned that one of the girls who was on the yatch with her was a very famous actress who got into a very bad situation while on the yatch. And hinted that the public knows this actress very well, and she was also one of her costars previously. Best of my knowledge, none of MM costars ever showed up for a premier looking beatup. (Or died mysteriously).

8. Mm never did much modeling work pre-suits. Certainly not fashion shows or big brand shows. Which WA claimed to have done.

9. WA claimed to travel a lot to promote her show. Mm did not do much press till season 3/4 or suits. And suits was shot in Toronto and she stayed in To after shooting. WA claimed to return to LA.

The similarities however, are the writing style (words and phrases). And that WA became a total bitch after landing her lead role.

You have put a lot of thought into this and have certainly given me something to chew on. Regardless of whether it was her or not, the defunct blog is no longer of any remote benefit to her.