#Business Plan Writers Miami

[wannab-urs]

Title: Something Sweet

Pairing: Javier Peña x f!reader

Summary: You’re new to the team in Colombia and all alone on your birthday. Your partner, Javier Peña, decides to do something sweet for you. 

Tags: Set vaguely during season 1 before Javi gets extra angsty, canon compliant-ish, reader feeling lonely, sassy!reader, flirty!javi, alcohol (wine), brief mention of a gun bc I feel like a DEA agent wouldn’t just answer the door all willy nilly, kissing, javi asking for consent, but y’all did share a bottle of wine, kissing, fingering f receiving, marking, unprotected PinV, cuddling. I always write angsty Javi, but this is FLUFF, so sorry if it’s OOC, I’m slightly out of my element here. 

WC: 2107

A/N: This fic is a birthday gift for @psychedelic-ink. Sil, you’re a wonderful friend and you do so much for the Pedro Pascal Fandom community on top of being an incredible writer. So, with some help from @pedrorascal with the beautiful gifs, I schemed up a little fic for you. I hope you love it! Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays AHHHH. 

Moving to a new country two weeks before your birthday, which also happens to be Christmas Eve, is not ideal. You moved to Colombia from Miami after a promotion, earning a spot on the elite team working to catch Pablo Escobar. 

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind, trying to catch up on all the facts of the case. You have to learn every sicario by sight and all of their names, aliases, and frequent hang outs. You have to learn about everything Escobar has done in Colombia, all the cartels and how they connect, it’s all extremely exhausting and time consuming. 

Which is why you have no friends yet, unless you count your new partners Javier Peña and Steve Murphy. Which you don’t. You barely know them, and from what you’ve seen so far, Peña is an asshole. Steve might be okay, but you just haven’t had time to get to know him yet. 

You take off your windbreaker and hang it on the back of your chair. It’s kind of ridiculous that you have to work on Christmas Eve, but there’s no rest for the wicked and therefore no rest for you either. You sit down and open the first file on your desk, immediately getting down to business without so much as a greeting for your partners. 

A couple hours into the work day, a shadow darkens your desk. “What do you want, Peña?” 

“God damn, hermosa. Touchy today? I brought you a coffee.” Peña sets the cup of lukewarm black slop on your desk and leans further into your space, peeking at the files you’re reading. 

“Yes, actually. Did you need something or did you just come over here to bother me?” 

“I just came over here to compliment your nails, actually,” he takes your hand in his, inspecting your nails, and then looks into your eyes. “I like the color. Suits you.” 

You feel heat rise to your cheeks. Peña is cute. Gorgeous, really, but you don’t make a habit of flirting with your coworkers. “Thanks… They were my birthday gift to myself.” You tug your hand away from him and place it in your lap. 

“It’s your birthday?” He asks, still leaning much too far into your personal space. You nod and look back down at the file. 

“I have to get back to work now,” you almost whisper to him, all your bitter snark from earlier replaced by a sense of melancholy. There’s not a soul in this entire country who knows it’s your birthday today. Aside from Javier, now, you guess. Javier lingers for another moment before pushing off your desk and leaving you to your work. 

You’re starting to pack up for the day when Peña comes up to your desk again, sitting on the corner. 

 “So what are your plans tonight?” he asks. 

“Huh?” You don’t have any plans. A phone call from your friend in Miami and a bottle of Chilean wine maybe. 

“Your plans? For your birthday?” 

“Oh. I don’t have any. Don’t really know anyone yet so…” you trail off. You feel kind of pathetic, even though you know it’s completely reasonable to not have a group of friends yet. 

“Me and Murphy could take you out?” 

“Oh um–”

“Actually, Jav,”  Steve calls out from his desk. “Me and Connie have plans tonight. Christmas Eve and all,” he gives you an apologetic look. 

“It’s fine really. I’m gonna have a nice relaxing night in. Thanks though.” You put on the best smile you can and head for the door. 

You hang up the phone after your short call with your friend. It’s expensive to call long distance, but she stayed on with you as long as she could. She told you all about her new boyfriend and that everyone had wished you a Happy Birthday and Happy Holidays. You’re grateful she didn’t ask about your job or your love life. 

As you pop the cork on a bottle of wine, there’s a knock on your door. You stare at the door questioningly, as if it will tell you who’s there. Who on earth could be knocking at your door at 8pm on Christmas Eve? 

You grab your gun and sneak over to the door, peeking through the peephole. Broad shoulders and a dark head of hair are all you can make out through the tiny lens. Javier? You set your gun on the side table and pull open the door. 

“Peña? What are you doing here?” 

He turns around and holds his hands out to you. “Brought you something.” He’s holding a birthday cake, clearly store bought, decorated with a generic “Feliz cumpleaños” scrawled on top. A bright smile lights up your face. 

“Oh Javi, you didn’t have to!” 

“I wanted to. You gonna invite me in for some cake?” He raises his eyebrows at you. 

“Oh! Yeah sure. Come in!” You step to the side to let him through and close and lock the door behind him. “Sorry about the mess. I’m not fully unpacked yet.” 

“I’ve been here for 7 years and I’m not fully unpacked. It’s fine.” Javi reassures you. He sets the cake down on your kitchen counter and starts rifling around for plates and silverware. 

“I can do that,” you try to move him out of the way, but he’s having none of it. 

“No, it’s your birthday. Let me. You pour yourself a glass of wine and go sit on the couch.” 

“Fine… thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

You grab a couple glasses and the bottle of wine and carry it to the living room with you. You’re kind of shocked he’s here. He’s always flirty in the office, but he’s like that with everyone. He’s not what you’d call friendly otherwise. Maybe he just feels bad for you. 

Javier drops down onto the couch beside you holding two plates with hefty slices of chocolate cake. He hands you one of the plates and a fork. “Happy birthday. I’m not going to make you do the whole candle thing.”

“Thank you, Javier. This is really, really nice.” You feel like you might cry. It’s just cake, but you felt so alone, and it’s like he really saw you. He saw through whatever exterior shell you were wearing and decided to try to make your day better. 

“Just Javi is fine. And it’s not a big deal, really. You deserve something sweet on your birthday,” he says looking down at the cake in his hands.

“It is to me. A big deal, I mean,” you say softly before taking a bite of the cake. It’s nothing special, just a plain chocolate cake, but it means so much to you. 

You and Javier, Javi, chat about where you’re from and how you came to work for the DEA. You tell him about living in Miami, about the promotion that brought you here. You finish the bottle of wine and a couple more pieces of cake and the conversation doesn’t stop for a long time.

Late in the evening, you finish a story about your 6th birthday, one your aunt always told to the whole family every single year at your birthday dinner. He’s sitting close to you, his thigh pressed against yours despite there being plenty of room on the couch to sit without touching. It makes your heart flutter a little. 

You don’t know if it’s the wine or what, but the little crush you have on him is getting pretty hard to ignore. Javi smirks at you, reaches up, and brushes his thumb over the corner of your lip. 

“Got a little icing there, cariño,” he says, his voice lower and huskier than it has been all night. He brings the icing smeared thumb to his mouth and sucks it between his lips. Your eyes track the movement, pupils blowing wide. He really is pretty. 

You feel yourself lean in toward him, almost unconsciously chasing that thumb to his mouth. He brings his hand up to your cheek and searches your eyes for a moment. He must see what he was looking for because he pulls you closer and presses his lips to yours. 

His lips are soft, warm, gentle on yours. You grab his face in your hands, not wanting him to pull away yet. He slips his tongue along the seam of your lips and you part them, letting him in. You’re not sure who makes the move, but slowly, your back is lowered to the couch, Javi a comfortable weight on top of you. Your hands explore his broad shoulders, the muscles of his back, his trim waist, as he plunders your mouth with his tongue. 

“Can I touch you?” He rasps against your lips. 

“You already are,” you giggle. “Sorry. Yes, Javi.” 

He huffs a laugh into your mouth and slips a hand into your lounge pants, fingers finding your dripping seam. “Wet for me already, hermosa?” 

Your cheeks heat up in slight embarrassment, but you nod. You’re soaked just from kissing him. By the feel of him against your thigh, he’s not better off. He pushes two fingers inside you and presses his lips back to yours. You gasp into his mouth, hands fisting in the back of his shirt. 

His fingers immediately find the spongy spot deep in your core. He curls them, dragging the pads of his fingers along your g-spot with every pump of them inside you. You cling tightly to him, burying your face in his shoulder. 

“Come for me, baby.” 

Your body responds to his command instantly, the tension in your belly releasing into waves of pleasure. Your cunt flutters around his fingers and you whine into his neck as he works you through it. You collapse back onto the couch, and he wastes no time dragging your pants off you. 

You hear the clink of his belt opening, the sound of it hitting the floor. You sit up on your elbows to watch him as he strips off the rest of his clothes. You bite your lip, drinking in the sight of the gorgeous man before you. 

He takes your hands in his and pulls you to your feet before pulling your tank top off you. “Shit, hermosa,” he whispers almost reverently as he takes one of your tits in his large hand, rolling the nipple between two fingers. “Gorgeous.” 

 He kisses you again, wrapping his strong arms around your body and pushing his chest flush with yours. “Bedroom, cariño?” 

You walk him back to your room, barely separating your lips from his for the entire journey. You fall back on your bed and he follows, settling between your legs. His lips drag down your jaw line to your neck as he lines himself up with your entrance. Javi sucks a mark just below your collarbone as he slowly thrusts inside you. 

You wrap your legs around his hips and pull him deeper into you, whining at the stretch. “Fuck, Javi.” 

“Working on it, cariño,” he teases as he bottoms out inside you. He pushes himself up on his elbows and stares into your eyes as he pulls out and thrusts back in smoothly. Your mouth falls open, a little huff spilling out as he bottoms out again. He feels so fucking good inside you. 

Javi sets a steady pace, thrusting into you hard and slow, eyes never leaving yours. When your eyes flutter shut and your back starts to arch in pleasure, he slips his arm under your back, pulling your hips higher on his thighs. The new angle is everything. You gasp out a moan every time his cock punches deep inside you.

Javi is everything in this moment. Your world narrowed to the feeling of his cock pounding into you at that same maddeningly slow, hard rhythm. You feel yourself tightening around him, feel a coil winding in your belly tighter and tighter. 

Javi’s lips find yours again with a kiss that’s more a clash of teeth and tongues than anything as you come hard on his cock. Javi lets out a low groan into your mouth at the way you squeeze him. He thrusts into you a few more times, fucking you through your high, before he quickly pulls out and spills all over your belly. 

He rests his forehead on yours for a moment, catching his breath. He kisses you deeply one more time before falling to the bed beside you. Javi pulls you into his arms, not paying any mind to the mess he made on your stomach. He holds you close, kissing the top of your head. 

“Happy Birthday, cariño.”

[nothingunrealistic]

Who’d have thunk? Billions, Showtime’s smart and cynical hit show about the intersecting worlds of NYC’s financial and law enforcement goes out with a happy ending. TV Insider talked to Neil Burger, a producer and director who helmed, among many other episodes, the inaugural episode and the series finale. (He also has a feature film The Marsh King’s Daughter debuting on November 3.)

Before we get deeper into the show, there was an Easter egg towards the end when Wags (David Costabile), loyal lieutenant to hedge fund billionaire Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis), says he’s angling to head to Miami where all the action is now and Axe says they should go together. So will Miami be the first of the proposed upcoming Billions spinoffs? Neil Burger: That one seems to the furthest along, and I think Wags may be going there. But time will tell.

In a show full of schemes and moral relativity, the series ended with the mother-of-all schemes with Axe and his major foe on the show, U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), joining forces to take down Mike Prince (Corey Stoll) and keep him from becoming the POTUS. Even if the cause was just, the incredibly complex plot to destroy his empire seemed shady at best and at worst, not entirely legal. They always push it right to the edge of legality and maybe it bleeds over a bit to the other side. They’re schemers, super clever, and sometimes it’s a bit legally dubious, but they seem to get the job done.

With the exception of Mike Prince, who in Season 5 bought Axe’s business on the cheap as Axe fled on Europe to escape Chuck’s justice, most of the show’s characters got what they wanted or at least got rich at the end. Was that always planned? This is an ending for real Billions fans and those are the people that [executive producers Brian Koppelman and David Levien] are writing for, that avid fan base. You can hear it in the language of the characters and the [pop culture] references and the density of the dialogue. I think that the end will really appeal to that constituency.

How much did Damian leaving the show in Season 5 — though we later learned he would come back for several episodes in the final season — change the storyline? There was COVID and Damian lost his wife, which was a huge tragedy, and [that] definitely changed the way the story was going to be built, but Brian and David are such adept writers that they took those blows and pivoted and adjusted. This last season might be the best season of all. How did his leaving affect how the Mike Prince character would develop? Mike Prince was already woven into the story before Damian left because a show seven seasons long needed to have another layer and another strong person added. By the way, Corey was an incredible addition and kind of unsung. He’s tremendous. Prince may have been the villain of sorts, but in his last scenes, especially with his lieutenant and old friend Scooter (Daniel Breaker), I actually felt some sympathy when he said to Scooter how they really wanted to do good when they began. It’s hard not to like Corey, which is great for a villain.

Speaking of villains, the show was set up so that Chuck and his team were not always the white hats and Axe and his were not always the black hats. Yes. What did that say about the two parallel and intersecting actions each took in their war against each other and sometime truces? From the outset, Chuck Rhoades was always a complicated guy who needed to prove himself. His wife Wendy Rhoades [Maggie Siff] was working for the enemy, and he didn’t always behave well because of it, to say the least. And Axe? Look, the show is about power and what we have to do to have that power; what’s the line that you will or won’t cross. And for Axe, Chuck is this guy that’s actually trying to ruin your life and take down your power. They were like two animals circling each other and looking to tear into and undercut each other. It was personal, and the ethical lines got very blurry. They both had demons driving them. Definitely. Chuck’s father, for one, led him to an addiction to masochism. He needed to feel pain, and that came from his relationship with his father. Axe had this hunger to prove himself because in his youth, he was ignored and humiliated and not takes taken seriously by people who considered themselves better than him.

The moral in the Prince story seems to be if you’re power hungry, don’t hide behind a front of goodness, but be upfront about who you are and what you want. Do you agree? Well, he’s this incredibly smart guy who knew the pitfalls of the way Axe and other billionaires behave. He has a soul, and he’s going to try to use his billions for good. But underneath that is, again, a real appetite for money and power, and he became delusional. I think the real moral is just to be human with whatever amount of money you have. How important was it to get Chuck and Axe to work together in the end to bring down a common enemy, even it’s obviously, as Chuck tells Axe, a temporary thing? I think the most important thing was to get Chuck and Axe fighting against each other in the show, and then the interesting move was when they would team up together when being allied was in their best interest. They’re never going to be on the same team for very long. In the bigger game, they’ll always be going head-to-head on opposite sides of the fence.

Well, Wendy won’t be caught in the middle anymore between her ex-husband and her employer. She’ll be CEO of a tele-mental health company. She is last seen having dinner with Chuck and their kids. What does that indicate? They find some kind of detente, where they can coexist. Co-parent? Will they be lovers again? I don’t know. They find some kind of peace — but all of them in the show find some kind of peace. Wendy was the fulcrum for so many stories and characters, no? In some ways, she’s the most interesting character. Those guys are ferociously going head-to- head, and she’s between them mediating and moderating. These guys are driven by their appetites, and though they’re complicated characters, she’s quadruply complicated with the pressure within as she tries to motivate both of them and work on their psyches.

So, in the end, Axe’s most loyal employees leave, not just Wendy and probably Wags, but young Rian (Eva Victor) who goes off backpacking around the world, and importantly the extraordinary Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon), who starts their own Taylor Mason foundation to do good, a goal they always had — once they made a billion dollars, of course. Taylor did have noble goals; they’re kind of a person on the spectrum who lacked a kind of emotional response and cut some corners but had an ethical line that was more rigorous than the one Axe had.

I never saw a show that had so many pop culture references: movies, music, sports etc. Some well-known, others more obscure. Why so many in the brilliantly dense dialogue? That’s Brian and David. They’re so erudite and love those Easter eggs, and this whole show has all these different ideas firing off like fireworks all the time. Maybe you get it, and maybe you don’t. If you do, great, and if you don’t, you’re like, these characters are crazy smart. It was an incredible show and a real honor and pleasure to be there at the beginning and help cast it and then direct the finale seven seasons later.

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Jan 7 - 13, 2023  

🎭 Angst  |  🦚 Angsty Fluff  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

BRYCE X F!MC / F!OC

Build-a-Bear: After Dark - @storyofmychoices 📱Ⓜ

Olivia finds an unexpected advertisement on Instagram.

Chasing The Sundown - @chocopeppermintcake ☁

Bryce and Casey spend some time together before their shifts.  

ETHAN X F!MC

A Day in the Life - @potionsprefect 📷

Ethan and Victoria have an early shift at the hospital, and become plant parents.

A Little Delay - @jerzwriter ☁

It's a lazy Saturday afternoon, and Ethan is marveling at how much his life has changed... and how much he wants to do with Celia... but then, things take a not-so-sweet turn.

Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing - @jerzwriter 📱Ⓜ

Kaycee teases Ethan while he's out shopping, saving the best surprise for the end.

Amazing - @utterlyinevitable ☁

Ethan doesn’t understand new workplace technologies. He does understand how to woo his unofficial girlfriend. [Date; Secret Relationship]

Part 1

Breathe Through - @genevievemd 🦚

When her anxiety rears it’s head in the middle of the night, Genevieve realizes she finally has someone to lean on. [Hurt/Comfort; Illness/Injury]

Business in Miami - @potionsprefect 📷

Victoria and Ethan head to Miami for a business trip. [Miami]

Complete - @coffeeheartaddict2 ☁

The arrival of Alexis Christine Ramsey. TW: Brief mention of past traumatic birth [Pregnancy]

Double The Fun - @liaromancewriter 📷

These apples fell right under the tree. [Domestic; Family]

I do - @ethanramseytwilight ☁

They get married. Told from both lovebirds' perspectives. [Wedding]

I wish.... (Part 2) - @ethanramseytwilight 🦚

Aftermath of their break up. Feat. OH Gang

Memories.... - @ethanramseytwilight ☁

Ethan gets to see Catherine's photo album.

Stating the Obvious - @liaromancewriter ☁

Cassie struggles with the twins, and Ethan shows off his skills. [Domestic; Family]

The Elf Affair - @liaromancewriter ☁🎄

When it comes to Christmas, there’s one tradition that Cassie Valentine would be happy to forget.

‘Tis the Damn Season - @genevievemd 📚📷 [extended: wip] A look into the final eight months of Ethan and Gen’s first year of marriage.

February 1a | 1b

What Happened in Vegas - @jerzwriter 📚🛸

[mini: wip] Casey & her roommates are heading to Vegas, intent on taking down Declan Nash and Panacea; but this time, Dr. Ethan Ramsey is in tow.

An Interlude

MULTIPLE PAIRINGS/CHARACTERS

(Further) Trials & Tribulations - @utterlyinevitable 📚Ⓜ

[extended: complete] Drabbles of what happened immediately following Trials & Tribulations. TW: Depression, toxic relationship Feat. Bryce Lahela, Ethan Ramsey x F!MC, Sienna Trinh, Naveen Banerji

Part 9: Avoidance makes the heart grow stronger [Bryce - Hurt/Comfort, Friends with Benefits; Ethan - Broke Up, Issues]

Parking Lot Problems - @inlocusmads ☁

It is Jane's first day at work. Meanwhile Ethan struggles to find a parking spot. Feat. Ethan Ramsey, F!MC, Sienna Trinh

SIENNA X M!OC

Heartbreakers - @liaromancewriter 📱

Sienna and Max tease each other with old photographs.

TOBIAS X F!MC

A Perfect Date - @jerzwriter ☁

Tobias plans a big night out on the town for them to celebrate. Not everything goes as planned, but it ends perfectly. [Date]

By Chance... - @jerzwriter 🛸☁

Sometimes, when plans go wrong, they're actually falling into place. During a night out while attending Hopkins, Tobias meets a fascinating woman.

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[calliopecalling]

QOTS Rewatch - Season 5 Retrospective

Man, I've been dragging my feet on working on this. I've spent almost a full year on this rewatch (it really took on a life of its own; I didn't go into it planning to write involved metas or reblog a week's worth of gifsets for every episode but I am just THAT over the top) and I don't even know what I'm going to do with myself now that it's over. Watch something else?!?!?! Like what!?!?!?! Seriously though.

Anyway, where were we? Season 5. It's an interesting season to reflect back on. Sometimes it feels like my second-favorite season after season 2, and other times it feels like my second-least-favorite season after season 4. It ends up being really difficult to place. Its primary problem really in my opinion is that it's rushed, and there's so much plot to get through that the writers and editors had to leave us with sometimes frustratingly short character-driven scenes and force us to fill in the gap. But it does feel more Teresa-driven than season 1 does and, Kote notwithstanding, the non-Teresa-centered scenes still somehow feel a little more relevant or engaging than some of the Vargas stuff in seasons 1 and 3 both. (Epifanio and Batman's story took up a superfluous amount of screen time in season 1, I realized on rewatch, and season 3 has soooo much Cortez and Isabela and Loya and stuff that is way more painful to watch than Kelly Anne getting an ultrasound, even if Pote's sexist quips do make me roll my eyes.) So I don't know. I guess you'll have to give me a few more weeks to think about it. But season 5 as a whole entity in my opinion stands up pretty well on rewatch. It's the Jeresa content in season 5 that doesn't hold up as well as season 2 or 3's Jeresa. (Again, largely because of how rushed it is.)

But as always, I'll do my ranking and things:

My Top 3 Episodes

My Top 5 Scenes

Season 5 Episodes Ranked

Teresa’s Journey

Jeresa, DUH

Top 3 Season 5 Episodes

3: 5x05, Mas Dinero Mas Problemas

It actually was hard to choose the third place episode. There are several other contenders for this spot. But this episode as a whole is really fun to me. It's Teresa-centric. It features Oksana (yay female characters). It's set in Berlin. It features awesome Jeresa teamwork. It throws back to earlier show canon (Rocco de la Pena! Oleg!) and Teresa even gets to break an asshole's nose. James's all-black suit is to die for, as is Teresa's high pony, and best of all? The non-Teresa-focused material is focused on George and Boaz in Miami which, while definitely feeling sinister, gives both of them great material to work with. George buying Teresa that boat? Lol. This is an episode that I gladly watch in full without wanting to fast-forward through anything (a rarity for me among episodes after season 2) and it's a queenpin-esque version of Teresa that isn't as painful as the previous two episodes. All great stuff.

2: 5x09, A Prueba de Balas

Listen, I am not going to pretend that this is here for any other reason than the love confessions and long-awaited Jeresa hook-up, though I love every single Jeresa moment in the episode, I love that it's down to the two of them against the world (just like it was in the beginning before Teresa even knew that it was the two of them against the world), and I love that she takes out Kostya like the badass she is. We won't talk about the raccoons and peewee soccer.

1: 5x02, Me Llevo Manhattan

OBVIOUSLY. I mean: this episode might be my favorite episode of the entire series. It's perfect, classic, angsty, electric Jeresa; they actually talk to each other about stuff other than business (several times); they call back in their dialogue to earlier seasons. They KISS and it's magnetic. They dance around whatever the fuck it is that's happening between them. And they both just stumble around incoherently attracted to each other but refusing to talk about it because they are imbeciles. On top of all that, there's James back to his going-all-out-to-protect-Teresa habits and Teresa back to her taking-crazy-risks-but-earning-mad-respect bs. Teresa's whole "you work for me now; when I call, you answer on the second ring" speech to Lafayette is literal fire and even the non-Jeresa scenes in this episode are good: Kelly Anne with Judge Lafayette's business partner; Boaz with the Judge; the pregnancy reveal. My favorite scene of the episode, though, the one that makes me levitate, is the balcony scene between James and Teresa in Manhattan. Wtffffff that scene was like, designed to personally destroy me. But more about that later.

Top 5 Season 5 Scenes

This was so hard for me. The truth is that there are two types of scenes, Jeresa scenes and non-Jeresa scenes, and they belong on parallel ladders to me. The Teresa who shows up with James and the Teresa who shows up otherwise is so different (I mean: compare literally any of the 5x02 Jeresa scenes to, say, how Teresa interacts with Oksana and Oscar and the Judge in that same episode). And I love both kinds of scenes for her. The way she almost coyly greets those real estate developers in 5x06, knowing full well she's going to slaughter them? *shivers* sooooo good. But when push comes to shove, it's the Jeresa scenes that all slide to the top, because it's the version of herself she gives him that is the one we're ultimately rooting for. So without further ado:

#5:

The scene: Episode 5x02, bedroom conversation

What I love about it: Soooo muuuuuch subtext here. After Teresa in the previous episode gave James literally nothing to work with, now that she's wrapped her mind around him being back she is completely unable to keep up the act. Watching both of them dancing around what they're actually trying to talk about is so delightful, and the icing on the cake is Chicho walking in right in the middle of a particularly intimate gesture.

#4:

The scene: Episode 5x09, the balcony kiss

What I love about it: Do I really need to explain myself? I love this kiss so much because it's written all over Teresa's face what combination of fear, desire, and love is driving her. It's no longer impulsive as it was in 5x02 or tenuous as it was in 3x09 or generous as it was in 3x05, it's for her, it's because she wants him and she's terrified of dying without him knowing it. And then he returns it so wholly and confidently and damn. To me it's the moment they catch up to each other and finally land on the same page. The I love yous that follow were made possible by this kiss.

#3:

The scene: Episode 5x07, the waterfront launch party heart-eyes

What I love about it: Again, so much subtext here. The intense intimacy of a moment in which relatively little gets said (and all of it completely innocuous). The verbal callback to the season 3 finale made the fandom's collective hearts jump to our throats as we wondered, with Teresa, if he was about to say he was leaving. Teresa's clear display of vulnerability in this single 90 second scene made up for the four previous episodes of distance between them. But really.... it's all in the subtext here.

#2:

The scene: Episode 5x10, the final Queenpin scene

What I love about it: It's the perfect Queenpin send-off. It's perfectly appropriate that she shows up one last time and the way it's done here is so beautiful. She looks so serene and her nod of approval closes the circle with episodes 2x06 and 3x10 where Queenpin seemed to be nudging Teresa towards James. And THEN, as Queenpin departs, James steps in. 'You ok?' Could it be any clearer? She doesn't need Queenpin to be her guardian angel anymore. She has James. God, I must be in a mood today because I'm literally choking up as I write this 😭 Excuse me while I go rewatch this scene 28 more times.

#1:

The scene: Episode 5x02, the balcony scene

What I love about it: Was there ever any doubt this was going to be my number one scene of this season? No, there was not. It is the perfect combination of classic Jeresa--James pining, Teresa being cool and unruffled, an almost visible electric current of tension between them, and oh my god the subtexttttttt. Yes, I'm predictable. I don't even think I have enough words to convey exactly how much this scene breaks me apart and I definitely don't have the words to confess how often I rewatch it. Literally I AM JAMES when she says "you and me can't happen" and I feel my entire body turn to jelly, and then when she says "maybe in some other life" I'm like EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE GO GET IT JAMES. This scene to me is their crowning achievement as actors playing this couple of idiots. That chemistry is crazy.

Season 5 Episodes Ranked

5x02

5x09

5x05

5x06

5x08

5x07

5x01

5x03

5x04

5x10

Yes, the finale is my least-favorite episode of the season. There's just nowhere near enough Teresa, or James. Waaaaay too much Pote, and Pote is just not an interesting character. Plus it's so dominated by men. I just could not care about the fight between him and Boaz. It all felt like male viewership fan service. Ew. So, looking at episodes in their entirety, it falls at the bottom. Really though I think this speaks to honestly how strong the season is overall, when it comes down to it. I loved it on rewatch and looking back at this list I even feel sad about having 5x03 and 5x04 so low! I've grown to like even those, despite how painful some of the scenes are.

Teresa's Journey

So, this is the season that obviously brings her as close to Queenpin as she'll ever come, the season in which she faces the ultimate choice: fully abandon herself in a quest to become untouchable in her power, or fully abandon that quest in order to save her soul. Both of these are different sides of the "survival" coin. And both involve incredible risk. Having taken out Kostya, she came as close as really was possible to that untouchable power that the Queenpin visions throughout the series evoked. She would have been protected by the American CIA and would have run the largest and most powerful drug empire in the world. Of course when you're at the top, someone is always ready to take you out, so the risk of staying--despite the promise of safety and protection--was huge.

On the other hand, disappearing. So much risk there, too. So simple in concept: shed your identity, go somewhere remote, and start over from scratch. But when you're in the cartel world that deep, obviously it's not just possible to get out. Your continued existence is too threatening to everyone who stays in; you know way too much. And SO much could go wrong in the process of trying to escape.

So both of these choices offered the promise of safety and both came with a heaping side of risk. But the Teresa we were introduced to in season 1 would've had absolutely no difficulty picking between them, right? So in retrospect, her full character journey was to slowly and gradually become someone who would believably struggle with that choice, someone we would believably worry might make the "wrong" choice.

And I think they really did pull that off. Already by season 2, it's less clear that she would choose to disappear rather than become all-powerful. She'd already lost everyone she'd loved by then and felt herself to be alone, and I think loneliness was one of the biggest drivers for her in seeking power over feeding her soul. It was always loss and trauma that pushed her further into the business and, even though season 5 didn't super explicitly link her rapid power grabs to Tony's death the previous season, it was clearly the darkness of that loss (maybe combined with the unsettling reappearance of James) that pushed her over the edge.

So was it believable that, in the end, she chose her soul? Yeah. They made us worry about her for the first half of season 5, pushing away everyone she cared about and seeming like a hollow shell of herself. But by episode 5x08 her vulnerability is palpable again. Like George's loss, combined with pregnant Kelly Anne's kidnapping, and faced with the possibility of dying herself, and losing James in the process, that she gets her wakeup call. So to me, her final decision feels very earned. I just wish they hadn't wasted a full episode trying to convince us she wasn't going to make it 😂

Jeresa

And all inextricably tied up with Teresa's character turnaround in season 5 is her relationship with James. This is another thing the season didn't make super explicit, at least in the written dialogue, but on rewatch it feels exceptionally clear that his presence allowed her to make what no doubt seemed like an impossible decision to turn the train around that was fast hurtling towards a cliff. He:

showed up mortally wounded trying to save her life

stuck by her side even when she made a disappointing decision that showed how much she'd changed

tolerated her snapping at him and pushing him away because he wasn't going to just give up on her after the huge way she'd busted into HIS life and changed HIM from the inside out

gently challenged her, wherever possible, despite having had it made clear to him that doing that was risky

backed her up 100% and went the extra mile to show his loyalty (beating up Navarro's connect), care (delivering an entire army of ex-Mossad for her security), and competence (stealing the painting)

And then, when she'd sent Pote and Kelly Anne packing and it was just the two of them again (the symmetry to the beginning of the series is so lovely there), his steadiness in the face of her emotional undoing is such a visible factor of her turning everything around. Yes, she's scared for Kelly Anne and her baby. Yes, she's upset about George. But in 5x09 after she's sent Kote away and it's too late to save George, those aren't her motivators anymore. James is. You can see it in her eyes on the balcony that it's not her own death that she fears but the possibility of dying without having loved.

Teresa is a lover. We knew that from the very beginning. She essentially told us that in her own voice over in the pilot. Her drug of choice was Guero. Comparing Guero to a drug is so apt (and foreshadows all the events of the first three seasons and how Guero's actions underlie so much of what she had to go through) so that her fear of love also becomes understandable. She was so slow to fully trust James because of the betrayal she'd experienced before; she was slow to open herself up to him as a lover because the risk of that vulnerability was too devastating. But when she stares down death and realizes she's held real love at arm's-length, its pull and its promise is way too great to turn away from.

I think the writers and show runners of this season struggled with this because the love story they'd created was so powerful and yet they knew (and I agree) that this show wasn't intended to be a love story. The book that it's based on is not a love story. It's the story of a woman and her incredible journey from life on the streets of Culiacán to becoming a powerful druglord and then her final escape from that life. But Jeresa is so powerful that even without explicit efforts on the part of the writers this season it's clear that it's a story in which love wins. She gets out, because of love. She makes the choice to disappear, because of love. Yes, platonic and familial love play into it, too; and stacking up the losses of those she's loved over the years and the risks to those who remain are explicitly part of the story. But by 5x09 the only ones who remain are her and James. She's lost or sent away everyone else.

I guess I forgive the writers for leaving much of their relationship this season to the imagination. I would've loved more conversations between the two of them that were 5x02 or 3x08 caliber, but I think the writers were trying to strike a balance between the people who clearly watched the show for Jeresa and the people who clearly cared less. Do I think they should've just written the show the seasons 2-3 writers set up? Yes. Do I blame them for trying to please a broader base? No. I don't, because I think it's ultimately so obvious anyway that James helped Teresa out of the cave in the same way she did originally that it still ties together beautifully in the end.

So. Now what?

As I said yesterday, I have saved many hundreds of gifsets in my queue still to reblog that I didn't reblog as part of the "official" rewatch. And I'm sure I'll continue to find more, and will reblog any others that get created. I'm also a huuuuuge Alice fan (in case that's not abundantly obvious by now) and will stick around to reblog whatever Alice content I consumer and maybe even Peter content from time to time. I'll post a full series retrospective eventually, but I doubt it will be quite as comprehensive as these season metas because I think I've kind of covered a lot of the analytical ground by now!! But I still want to do my rankings and all that. All that to say: I'll be around. And I hope to continue to see some of you around too 🥰 Thanks for sticking with me.

[dertaglichedan]

Judge Arthur Engoron Fines Trump $354M, Bars Him from Running Businesses in NY for 3 Years

Judge Arthur Engoron fined former Donald Trump and the Trump Organization on Friday in civil a fraud case for more than $350 million and barred him from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years.

New York Attorney General Letitia James sought to essentially bankrupt Trump by calling for a $370 million fine and a lifetime of from the real estate industry in New York State. James claimed Trump committed financial fraud.

Trump plans to appeal the ruling. “This is a case that should have never been brought, and I think we should be entitled to damages,” Trump said during closing arguments.

Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley called the ruling “confiscatory, extreme, and abusive.”

The judgment is the second this year in which Trump was found guilty and required to millions. In writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him, the judge orderedTrump to pay $83.3 million.

NBC News reported specifics of the case:

James contended the defendants used the inflated financial statements to obtain bank loans and insurance policies at rates he otherwise wouldn’t have been entitled to and “reaped hundreds of millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains.”

James’ case against Trump is just one of many legal challenges the former president faces. Local and federal prosecutors filed four indictments against the president.

The indictments account for 91 counts: 34 counts in New York, with a maximum penalty of 136 years; 40 counts in Miami, with up to 450 years; four counts in Washington, DC, with up to 55 years; and 13 counts in Georiga, with up to 76.5 years.

[suzannetownsend]

Art Basel Miami Beach celebrates 20 years

This year Art Basel Miami Beach will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the sunshine state. The event is held annually in the beginning of December, drawing art enthusiasts and professionals to Miami for a warm winter getaway. The event is held in the Miami Beach Convention Center where every square foot is occupied by art, gallerists and guests. This year 283 galleries will be represented from all over the world. In the past the art fair has had over 70,000 attendees, and this year expects even more.

The event has also grown into part of a bigger attraction known as Art Week Miami, which includes other programming by collectors and cultural institutions as well as parties and other events. Satellite fairs are set up under pavilions on South Beach as well as close by to the convention center, exhibiting more contemporary art and 20th and 21st century furniture, lighting and other designs. Some programs host panel discussions and lectures, as tour guide and art historian Nicole Zambrano explains. “You can see the latest work that a lot of famous artists are working on and they also have panel discussions which are usually really interesting. I like that especially in Miami it's inspired other smaller art fairs to emerge so all over the city it becomes Art Week so you have from the ‘finest’ of art to street art. It makes it a great time for people to be exposed to art and all kinds of art at every level.”

Art Basel originally began in Basel, Switzerland in the 1970s by gallery owners hoping to broaden the scope of their business selling Modern and contemporary art. The endeavor was a huge success which grew every following year, and by the year 2000 organizers announced their plans to expand to Miami Beach. Here in Florida contemporary art from Latin and American cultures could shine vibrantly alongside other internationally established galleries on a world stage. The first show in 2002 garnered 30,000 visitors and only grew from there. 

Miami is the perfect place to bring art and business together, with its glamorous tropicality beckoning wealthy buyers from all over. Celebrities and enthusiasts gather to celebrate art and culture, which are increasingly valuable social currencies. Widewalls writer Elena Martinique calls it “an orgy of luxurious capitalist excess.” This is an idea that Zambrano also comments on: “One of the positives is that it allows people to gain access to art all over the world…one of the negatives is that it lacks that full accessibility because ticket prices are so high. It's definitely marketed towards wealthy people.”

Despite its shortcomings Art Basel supports the city’s economy, bringing an estimated $500 million to the area and in turn supporting galleries, museums and cultural centers that operate in the city year round. 

Art Basel Miami Beach will be open to the public on December 1-3, 2022 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Guided tours are offered in partnership with ArtNexus and self-guided tours are available as well. 

[byenycfm]

Hawthorn Penrose|| 50 || #P2B || Jude Law || Deceased

Personality:

How does one articulate perfection into silly words? Silly words we fling about each and every day, turning them into the mundane where once they were born with impact? Charmingly poetic. Poetically handsome. Handsomely full of it. Hawthorn is a pathological liar with grand ideas and an even grander imagination. He’s verbose to the point of nonsense, finding his own words poignant when the majority won’t have a clue to what he means. He’s grown attached to his fame, loving the limelight and the admiration that came with it, never quite coming to terms that his brand name waned years ago. 

Biography:

There are two sides to Hawthorn Penrose. There’s the truth, and then there’s the retelling of history penned by yours truly. Because truth cracks the lens the writer sees through, Hawthorn has removed that risk altogether and spun an ordinary tale into something that awes party guests, makes audiences applaud him, causes fans to swoon over every word. For the record, these facts are his secrets to keep; they were never meant for the public to ogle nor will they ever become, but for the sake of historical completion, they are the following:

Hawthorn was born as Jack Rush, and just as the name would entail, he suffered in the most mundane ways. His childhood was rich with mid-western charm, flat land for miles and miles, nondescript Ohio surrounding him for scenery. The Rush family was well-off, in spite of the locale, a magnate in the steel industry, but Jack’s interest was never captured by it. As soon as he could, he fled to New York to start writing full-time. It was only when he discovered the invention of embellishment did his success grow. 

Now, the tale that’s been told a thousand times before through paper and voice is disarmingly different. Hawthorn Penrose has been inflicted with pain since before he was born! Rife with poverty and a broken home, a father who died from disease when he was just a boy and a mother who worked three jobs to support herself and her only child. They were robbed, almost died, his mother fell in love with the wrong man to start a new life, only for it to fall apart all over again, and so on and so on. You’ll have to read The Battered Hart for all the remaining details, but the short-end of it is that Mr. Penrose’s life has been an inspiring tale of redemption given his good fortune. Nothing will get in the way of that, not even those pesky facts!

In another volume of his literary genius, bound as a collection of connecting poems, Hawthorn drew again from sorrow, this time from his own romantic saga, ending in the tragedy he banked on.

He had planned to be wed, but a week before the wedding, his fiancee was lying nearly lifeless on her bed. Every day became one more closer to crossing over into that great unknown, the light transcending from within her body to a beacon of immortality among a different plane. He watched with a mixture of grief and longing on each of those torturous days, recounting their fond moments to win her spirit back. On her final day, where he knew time was setting like a rose wilting before your eyes, he married her in a ceremony only witnessed by wife and husband. Her final words were "I do," the last parting gift she could have given to him. Not once are their names spoken so the reader may fully insert themselves for a more cathartic experience, but that irritable truth is that there’s no name given because the lover who inspired the work once threatened to expose him if she wasn’t paid her dues. Last he heard, she was living comfortably somewhere in Miami. How heartbreaking indeed!

With profound success, the scales are always meant to tip slowly in the other direction. Hawthorn's last hit was in 2015. He still writes (writes every day!) but the public hasn't shown their appreciation like they have in the past. Before the outbreak, he was just about to publish his masterpiece. Once all this business is over, he'll be back on the best seller's list and perhaps even treat himself to another Pulitzer! 

Pre Outbreak Occupation:  New York Times Best Selling Author and Pulitzer Prize Winning Author

Previous Zombie Experience: Zombies? Him? Well, now that you mention it, he did have a rather close encounter! He’s fortunate to still be with us! Trust him.  Martial Status:  Single Children:  N/A Residence:  Penthouse 2B Years residing at The Wexley: 20 Years Connections: 

The Wexley's - Friends/Neighbors

Sada Vang - Toxic lover

Ember Wexley - Apocalypse fling

[jlexborsns015]

Brand design and public relations agency building and partnering

AZABU MIAMI

Transporting a uniquely Japanese hospitality experience to a new country is easy – well, no: it’s incredibly hard and nuanced. But it can be done through the right partnership. Plan Do See – creator of Azabu – is voted a top-ten hospitality group in Japan with a portfolio of 5-star hotels and Michelin awarded restaurants.

They were interested in entering the ever-changing culinary scene in Miami, so we flew to Japan to better understand the experience they offer guests. We quickly realized that our collaboration would be less about the sushi (although divine), and more about a deep-rooted culture of artistry, passion and service – the spirit of omotenashi. DeepSleep Studio a Creative Agency Miami, FL. Services offered creative, branding, production, film, editing, social media mangement & PR

Remarkably detailed and delicately crafted for each order, Azabu’s cuisine served as our well of inspiration for developing our touchpoints and Graphic Design Miami creating a digital identity that matches the heart and honesty embedded into every dish.

Our photography and video content aimed to capture each element involved in the creation of the Azabu experience – from the artistry in preparation and presentation, to the masterful service.

Champions, Rebels & Visionaries Welcome

DeepSleep is a Miami-based brand design and public relations agency building and partnering with a wide array of revered brands. We’re also known for our expertise in launching new businesses andBranding Agency Miami – many of our clients are early-stage companies with inspiring visions to fundamentally change the lives of their consumers.

As our Creative Director, you will be leading a diverse, creative collective made up of artists, designers, developers, writers, publicists, social media experts, and more. We each have our own set of skills that complement each other and are united by our passion for design and creative ideas.

You will set the creative strategy, direction, voice, and personality for all creative marketing. You will direct creative work across DeepSleep’s client ecosystem. You will directly manage an experienced creative team that will include art direction, interactive and visual design, copy, and program management. You will work regularly with partners in video, photography, production, set design, and operations. Importantly, you will continue to build upon a culture that motivates this team to achieve creative excellence across a variety of mediums including web, email, film, video, digital, print, direct mail, retail, and events. 

You will enhance the creative work to meet the ambition of a clients brand while delivering outstanding results. You will work with our marketing partners (product marketing, insights, brand, and channel marketing leads) to develop creative work to support their go-to-market plans. Finally, you will be a member of the leadership team, and help set the tone for the creative culture at Deepsleep Studio.

[thebiggestlies]

💭

Plot ideas.

As I have been known to mention once or twice, RP plots between antagonists are absolute catnip to me. They’re rare around here, true, and require trust between the muns. Also, me, as a writer, keeps trying to write proper mustache twirling villains, only to end up having them turned more human and complex by my partners (Turtle and Crow, I’m looking at you).

With all that said and done, I’d still put one of my more morally dark gray characters up against Raylan. The plot bunnies have shaken their magic 8-ball and announced Mary in not one, but two, plots idea. Now one is heavily stolen adapted from Justified Season 2, but I never claimed to be anything other than derivative.

After returning to Miami, the file for a fugitive lands on Raylan’s desk. Joe Angor, wanted for the murder of three Lynch Inc employees while they strolled through the lobby of the head office in New York. He had almost made it onto a boat bound for Nassau, only escaping immigration officers by mere seconds and a lot of luck. While following up on leads, Raylan’s path crosses with Mary’s. Professional to the core, she expresses merely an interest in ensuring the man who committed a slaughter at her company is brought to justice. Except her intent is revealed to Raylan to be much more in the realm of ending Angor’s life long before he stands trial, and for all Mary pretends to play nice with the US Marshal Service, she’s less willing to let them, or Raylan stand between her and her goal.

Bonus note: Tabby, if asked, is not overly flattering about the couple of Lynch Inc employees she met while trawling the business district bars for free drinks in her youth. They weren’t rude or inappropriate. They were just… and she had to scrunch up her nose while seeking the right word… ruthless. Wall Street investment bankers seemed like fluffy puppies in comparison.

Lynch Inc came to Tatooine with a simple proposal. They believed a deep vein of silicax oxalate ran beneath the dunes not too far north of Freetown. It would require a large amount of investment to tap into. A lot of equipment brought onto the planet, although the corporation would of course provide all the initial outlay, along with extensive upgrade to the infrastructure. Freetown would even have a nearby space port in operation, once everything with the mine was up and running.

The plans were delivered straight to Cobb Vanth by Mary, second in charge of Lynch Inc. She came bearing a generous advance, along with contracts for any in Freetown who wished to seek employment in the mines. They would be well recompensed and offered the safest of environments to work in.

Cobb said no. There wasn’t a single corporation who thrived in the Empire’s rule that didn’t have their proverbial hands dirty in some form or another. Pretty women coming with pretty offers was a trap he wasn’t foolish enough to step into.

Neither Lynch Inc, nor Mary, were inclined to take no as an answer. 

[emikonii090909]

MLBPA's Tony Clark concerned MLB is entering 'perilous universe' of sports betting organizations

MLBPA's Tony Clark concerned MLB is entering 'perilous universe' of sports betting organizations

LOS ANGELES - - The top of the baseball players' affiliation is stressed over the game's expanded business manages sports betting organizations.A BetMGM Retail Sportsbook opened for this present year at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and DraftKings is building a games book planned to open one year from now at the southeast corner of Wrigley Field. 해외배팅사이트 가입 

Association chief Tony Clark was asked before Tuesday's All-Star Game whether he was getting worried about the betting connections, which have expanded since the U.S. High Court managed in 2018 to upset the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act,.머니라인247 안전도메인

"Getting? No. Is? Definitely. Has been? Sure," Clark told the Baseball Writers' Association of America. "We're entering an exceptionally sensitive and, might I venture to say, hazardous world here. We trust that it is genuinely gainful for our game pushing ahead and that each and every individual who is involved advantages from it in some design. However, when you have players propose that no sooner was PASPA revoked, that they began to have book houses following them via online entertainment, that gets you a little skittish pretty speedy.한국어지원 해외배팅사이트

"Thus we'll keep on looking for some kind of employment in every one of the state governing bodies that are proceeding to push, that have language set up and those that don't yet that are possibly coming on the web, to guarantee that as much as anything, our players are safeguarded, and their families likewise, are safeguarded because of the language that is on the books regardless of the way that this train has left the station."

Giancarlo Stanton wins MVP, powers American League to ninth consecutive All-Star Game dominate LOS ANGELES - - The main All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in 42 years highlighted Clayton Kershaw beginning before the home fans and appearances from Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, yet the last score looked intimately acquainted: The American League won 3-2 for its 10th consecutive All-Star triumph and 21st in the beyond 25 Midsummer Classics.

The game turned in the fourth inning when Giancarlo Stanton and Byron Buxton conveyed consecutive grand slams off the Los Angeles Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin. Nor was cheated with his swing. Stanton's down tying two-run shot was a 457-foot impact to left-focus - - longer than any grand slam hit at Dodger Stadium in the main portion of the time. Buxton followed with a 425-foot destroyed the left-field line, the seventh time in All-Star history with consecutive homers.

Promotion

Stanton, making his most memorable All-Star appearance for the New York Yankees since they gained him from the Miami Marlins before the 2018 season, won MVP praises with his most memorable All-Star hit; he had gone 0-for-6 in his past games.

Stanton is presently one of five players to win an association MVP Award, a Home Run Derby and an All-Star Game MVP, joining Ken Griffey Jr., Miguel Tejada, Cal Ripken Jr. also, Dave Parker. Stanton additionally is the third Yankees player to win All-Star MVP; Derek Jeter (2000) and Mariano Rivera (2013) are the others.

EDITOR'S PICKS

2022 MLB All-Star Game: Kershaw's inspiring second, Stanton wins MVP, Manoah mic'd up and important points from L.A. 4hESPN

2022 MLB All-Star Game: Best looks from Los Angeles 10h

Small time players earn enough to pay the bills,' 'Manfred says 10hJeff Passan Stanton's Yankees profession has been out of control, including missing a large portion of the 2019 and 2020 seasons with wounds, however he has 24 grand slams at the break, a vital piece of a profound Yankees group that gets an opportunity to beat the establishment record of 114 successes set in 1998.

It was a paramount homecoming for Stanton, who grew up going to Dodgers games and went to Notre Dame High School in neighboring Sherman Oaks.

"I would sit in passed on field and attempt to scalp tickets, anything that we might bear," he said. "To hit one out there is astounding."

Among the 50 tickets he gave out to loved ones, one was for his father.

"My pops took me to my most memorable Dodgers game and told me the best way to cherish this game," Stanton said.

Buxton respected Stanton's grand slam from the on-deck circle.

"That is most likely perhaps of the hardest ball I've seen hit from the on-deck circle," he said. "I couldn't actually say whether you can place it in words how hard he hit the baseball. So that me might see him face to face, be in the same boat, at last be very close, it was like, 'Goodness.' You know, similar to, I in a real sense plunked down. ... That's what he squashed."

As Buxton ventured to the plate, he said he thought: "I ain't matching that."

He came close.

Stanton's Yankees colleague Nestor Cortes, who pitched a scoreless 6th inning, said he'll now and then remain at shortstop during batting practice.

"He hits balls to me, it's so difficult to respond," Cortes said. "At the point when Stanton and [Aaron] Judge interface, it's amazing how hard, how noisy, how far the ball goes."

AL pitchers held National League players hitless from the second through the seventh innings, simply the fourth time in All-Star history a group went something like 20 at-bats without a hit.

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase made his All-Star debut and polished it off, striking out Garrett Cooper on three pitches, fanning Kyle Schwarber on three tosses and afterward blowing a 1-2 99 mph shaper past Jake Cronenworth, simply missing an impeccable inning.

For Dodgers fans in participation, nonetheless, it was generally about the opportunity to see the nine-time All-Star Kershaw start an All-Star Game without precedent for his celebrated vocation. He permitted a leadoff single to Shohei Ohtani, prior to taking him out at a respectable starting point to a thunder from the group en route to a scoreless inning.

"I attempted to require a moment toward the starting to take everything in and glance around, which I as a rule never do," Kershaw said. "What's more, I think the actual second, being here at Dodger Stadium, where I've been currently for a very long time, to get to follow through with something like this with the best on the planet, is truly fun. Furthermore, it was additionally truly private for myself as well as my family, everyone. I'm invigorated it's finished. I did OK. I left without any runs."

Ohtani told TV watchers as he moved forward to bat that he would swing at the primary pitch - - and he did, covering a fastball for a solitary to focus field, in spite of the fact that Kershaw said he broke Ohtani's bat.

"You can't toss the main pitch of an All-Star Game as a breaking ball," Kershaw said. "He didn't hit it over the wall, so it was a success, and we can continue on. Be that as it may, no doubt, you sort of needed to give him a radiator there, I think only for everything. Needed to make it happen."

While confronting Aaron Judge, Kershaw then, at that point, took out Ohtani.

"I only sort of hurled it around there," Kershaw said. "I didn't have the foggiest idea what try out to toss yet, so only sort of allowing myself a second and I got him."

MLB added two heritage All-Stars this year in Pujols and Cabrera.

Pujols, champ of three MVP grants, is fifth on the unequaled grand slam rundown and third in RBIs, and he is playing his last season, getting back to the St. Louis Cardinals after 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and the Dodgers. He squeeze hit in the fourth inning and evoked a transitory cheer from the group with a transcending fly ball to left field, however it was gotten simply before the advance notice track.

With his 3,000th profession hit in April, the double cross MVP Cabrera turned out to be only the seventh player with both 3,000 hits and 500 grand slams - - and one of only two of the seven with a .300 vocation normal. He entered the game in the fifth inning and grounded out to shortstop.

The NL made the most of Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan for two runs and four hits in the lower part of the main inning, with Mookie Betts singling in Ronald Acuna Jr., who begun with a twofold, and Paul Goldschmidt crushing a 417-foot grand slam to left-focus.

[lockettheory13]

James Whitfield Thomson

A U.S. Navy veteran and former sales executive, James Whitfield Thomson has been a member of Andre Dubus's writers' workshop since its beginnings in 1994. He currently resides in Natick, Massachusetts. His first novel, The Ledge, won the Massachusetts Book Award in 2003, and he is currently working on a screenplay adaptation of his novel. For his next novel, Thomson plans to take on the sex business, and he has an eye for the future. Born in Pittsburgh, Jim Thomson attended Harvard after scoring enough touchdowns in high school. He spent two tours in Vietnam and went on to earn a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his studies, he taught at the University of Miami and worked for a start-up company in Atlanta. Today, he lives in a Victorian farmhouse west of Boston, where he has written six books. A recent series of articles in the Boston Globe revealed a man who abducted his daughters and kept them from their mother for 18 years. The men were described as both charlatans and excellent fathers. However, James Whitfieldthomson refused to talk to him and even one daughter said that if it wasn't for his help, she would be dead. The mother, meanwhile, was portrayed as a sympathetic person who went on to become a medical researcher at a major university. The Boston Globe recently published an exposé of a man who kidnapped his daughters and kept them in captivity for 18 years. The story showed that the father was a cruel charlatan, yet the girls refused to meet their father. Their father also claimed that without his help, the daughters would be dead. He also wrote that his daughter would have been murdered without his help. The mother, however, was sympathetic and eventually became a medical researcher at a major university. The Boston Globe recently ran an article about a man who kidnapped his daughters for 18 years. While the man was considered to be a charlatan, he was still portrayed as a fantastic father. His daughters refused to see their mother, and one daughter later said that she would have ended up dead without her dad's help. The woman, however, was a sympathetic person, and became a medical researcher. The Boston Globe published a series of articles about a man who kidnapped his daughters for 18 years. The stories showed that the man was not a charlatan, but a great father. His daughters refused to meet their mother, saying they would have died without his help. The mother, however, was a sympathetic figure. She eventually became a medical researcher at a major university. A few months ago, the Boston Globe published an article about a man who had kidnapped his daughters for 18 years. While some people found the stories to be disturbing, they did not portray the man as a charlatan. The story also included a woman who was not only a great father, but also a great human being. In the article, the two women met in a restaurant that had been open for years, and they became friends. During his first book, "The Lost City of James Whitfield-Thomson," a collection of short stories, was published by the Boston Globe in 2012. The stories were a mixture of love stories, a twisted romantic story, and a love triangle involving self-love. The stories were compelling, and the reader was hooked. A love triangle was a compelling tale for a man who was both a charlatan and a wonderful father. An American citizen, Jim Thomson is a graduate of Harvard University. He was born in Pittsburgh and attended high school in Atlanta, where he played football. After college, he served in the military twice. After earning his Ph.D., he taught at the University of Miami and worked for a start-up in Atlanta. He now lives in a Victorian farmhouse west of Boston, where he is writing his first novel.

[openheartfanfics]

Ethan Ramsey x F!MC Smut & NSFW

One Shots M-O

Makai - @writer-ish  A follow-up fic to this text exchange. Ethan and Brooke meet for a little pre-planned Hawaiian rendezvous.

Making you... mine - @aarisa-frost 

Masquerade - @liaromancewriter 👻 When Cassie and Ethan dress up as superheroes for an Edenbrook Halloween, things start to heat up as the masks come off.

Master and Servant - @poudredevie  Kinktober: Dominance/Submission

Medicine - @kat-tia801  Kinktober: Fingering. Set in 2.14-15

Miami Nights - @heauxplesslydevoted While in Miami to celebrate their upcoming wedding, Ethan and Naomi sneak away from the festivities to have their own celebration.

Midnight Delight - @takemyopenheart Ethan and Luz enjoy a little midnight cyber fun.

Mile High Club - @perriewinklenerdie  Claire and Ethan continue after being interrupted by a flight attendant.

Missing You - @xxrainbow-princessxx  Kinktober: office sex

Mine - @cariantha  Ethan and Sawyer enjoy a romantic date at home.

Mine - @openheartthot Ethan gets jealous and decides he wants Camille all to himself.

Moonlight - @jamespotterthefirst  After an argument, they finally let their desire win. Part 3 of Flowers and Because.

Moonlight - @liaromancewriter  Ethan and Cassie spend a weekend at Naveen’s lake house before starting their new jobs.

Morning Haze - @jamespotterthefirst   She convinces him to forget about his morning jog and stay in bed.

Mutual Pinings - @openheartthot Ethan follows Camille into the locker room after their workout and witnesses more than he bargained for. Set during 2.2.

New Beginnings - @coffeeheartaddict  Casey turns up at Ethan’s door. Sometime during 2.20.

Never Let Go - @liaromancewriter  After spending one last night together, Cassie and Ethan know that their relationship must revert to that of intern and attending. But they don’t know how to let go.

Nightcap - @rookie-ramsey  Ethan accepts MC’s invitation to come inside for a nightcap.

Night At The Museum - @coffeeheartaddict2   Ethan and Casey attend an opening evening for an Egyptian Exhibit.

No Barriers - @liaromancewriter  It’s finally time to expand their family, but will nerves take over?

No more teasing - @perriewinklenerdie Claire and Ethan at a Halloween party

No running from me - @perriewinklenerdie Jealous Ethan

No Stopping Now - @walkerismychoice

Noise of The Void - @the-pale-goddess 🛸 Drunk and desperate, Ethan calls for his old flame, hoping to discipline his disobedient mind. Feat. Ethan x Harper

Nothing holding us back - @perriewinklenerdie Set in 1.12. 

Observing Procedures by @lahelable Bryce x MC with Ethan watching

On-Call Room - @cxld-play 

One-Shot Prompt - @usuallyamazinglyaverage  Had to make sure none of their colleagues noticed. 

Our Faith Caught Up in Flames - @txemrn   After a brief disagreement at work, Ethan insists that date night continues; but Tatum has a secret she's not ready to divulge if things turn hot and heavy.

Our Last Chance - @jerzwriter  With only two months of her residency remaining, once again they find themselves on a business trip in a lush, tropical setting. Will history repeat?

Out of Jealousy- @bi-cookie basically jealous Ethan comes out to play.