#Insider has a couple more stories about practical models from the films but that's a story for another time

[kiiyunz]

a look into kihyun’s phone ☆

much like with his bags, kihyun has gone through a few phones in his lifetime. for most of the occasions he’s upgraded (or downgraded, in one instance, where he went from an iphone 8 back down to a 6 because he said he found it in an old drawer of his and wanted to experience using it again for a while) it’s just been because he’s felt like it, or wanted a change-up, but a few times it’s been because of his own clumsiness—there’s been a couple incidents of smashed-up screens; mostly due to his tendency to toss his phone up and down or idly pass it between his hands when he’s bored, and also his joint tendency to not always catch it. but no matter the model, again like most of his bags, the one thing that’s guaranteed is that he’ll be decorating it. chains, stickers, photocards, sharpied scribbles on a few occasions (although that was partly him and partly chenle, who had been all too eager to attack it with the vibrant pinks and reds and greens of permanent marker and write words kihyun didn’t know the meaning of, paired with odd little doodles he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of), it’s one of his favourite things to do whenever he gets a new phone or case. the same thing goes for whatever pair of headphones he has at that moment in time—or rather, the multiple pairs he likes to switch between whenever he feels like it.

as for the inside, things like his lock & home screen practically change with his mood, going from one picture to the next in the span of a day. he’ll make it a picture of the sky he took one night coming home from practice before he goes to bed, and then wake up the very next morning and switch it to a picture he took of jeno while the older boy was unaware. he’s never been the most organised, either, and so when asked one time on a fancall if he had a pleasant, easy-on-the-eyes interior of his phone, he only held it up to the camera to show the poor fan a horribly mismatched assortment of apps, confessing afterwards that he wanted to try out the clean-and-perfect-looking, aesthetic layouts—widgets and all—but he thought that if he tried to watch any sort of tutorial he’d either burst into tears or fall asleep at his chair. games-wise, he doesn’t have many he’s stuck with (because while he’s downloaded a lot over the years, the ratio of ones he’s purchased to the ones he’s kept has a stark difference in number) but there are a select few he enjoys a lot—those mainly being cooking mama, dadish 3D, dumb ways to die (he’s just a boy), and, as of recently, nct zone. he semi-regularly updates his subscribers on bubble as to who’s world he’s reached, idle commentary on the dialogue, or what cards he’s pulled—and the sheer joy he felt when he pulled a super super rare hendery card in-game was enough for him to go on a ten-or-so-long message rant about it.

in terms of social media, while he has all the basics, instagram is by far the one he’s most active on—on both his public and his private account. it’s definitely not every day, but he doesn’t usually go more than a few weeks without giving some update or another; whether that be a simple post on his story, or even as little as his appearance in the background of another member’s story or post. on platforms like twitter or tiktok he usually just sticks to lurking, liking the things he likes peacefully from his private accounts without posting that much officially (but he’ll always be up for filming a dumb little dance challenge with one of his friends, should they ask). his instagram feed is mainly his members and friends outside of DREAM, really more of them than him—or instead, more of them and him—rather than just him on his own. it’s rare that you’ll see a kihyun instagram post without one of the members somewhere, even if it’s as little as their silhouette in the background or the back of their head. he uses his account as more of an archive for him and his closest friends than anything, rather than showcasing himself.

recent stories ★

his camera roll is another thing that’s more of a collection of photos of all the people he loves, as well as pictures to save his days out & nights in, and not to mention his little trips here and there too. there’s once again little space for himself in his photo albums when they’re crammed with everything else you could think of, but kihyun doesn’t mind—he would rather it be like that anyway. while he’s definitely not as into it (or as good at it) as people like jaemin, photography is something he has a growing interest in. he likes how simple it can be, how all it takes is one simple click of camera—whether that be his phone’s, the digital one he’s begun to use more often, or the rare occasion he borrows one of jaemin’s for a while—for a memory, a moment in time, to be captured forever. he’d document every living moment if he could, but then he’d need far more memory than any phone or camera of his had, so he just sticks to keeping his favourites, instead (and even then, there’s far too many favourites for him to count on his two hands). he also prides himself in being able to take the best ‘boyfriend material’ photos of his members, as he’s said so himself, and is usually the first to volunteer to be resident photographer if him and any of his fellow members are out and about and the other says he’s thinking about taking a few pictures for his feed. to put it plainly, his camera roll is probably what kihyun considers the most important thing on his phone (besides his games).

photo album › recents ★

all in all, kihyun’s phone is home to many things—stickers, whichever photocard he’s chosen as the one lucky enough to be carried around in the back of his phone case for the foreseeable future, the number of messy group chats he’s involved in, the countless notifications he gets from his friends at all hours of the day, his favourite pass-the-time games, and of course, his photos. so, in a nutshell, it’s (whichever model he’s on at that minute) no doubt one of the items he holds to the highest importance. a little home for all the things he loves.

[clonewarsarchives]

Have you found any pictures/videos of them making the models for the show?

I assume you have read Darren Marshall's interview? His website also has a vast gallery of maquettes in different angles. There are two paragraphs in the Clone Wars art book about rigging and modelling respectively, but if you’re looking for visual references in particular... I’d recommend

1. Animating Darth Maul

Joel Aron goes through how to translate Ray Park from live-action and what technique they use to make him a distinctive villain.

2. A Tour Behind Star Wars The Clone Wars (for 4.11-4.13 slaves arc)

A general rundown of the entire production process. About two minutes in, Keith Kellog, Animation Supervisor, and Kilian Plunkett, Lead Designer, explain their jobs along footage of rigging an Ahsoka model and some Zygerrian maquettes.

In terms of vehicle models or large-scale set pieces, there are even less footage of them making it. Season 1 featurettes are the most technically-oriented of all seasons and have some more insights about the design influences for spaceships and planets, unless you have a particular subject in mind.

[angryschnauzer]

Waited So Long

Summary: As an actress in her mid 20′s you had been lucky enough to get the roles you pushed yourself for, but one role in particular needs a scene you have no experience with; a sex scene, and you co-star is surprised to discover you are still a virgin even though you are in your mid 20′s. But he’s willing to help with whatever you need.

Trope: Friends to Lovers, Co-stars to Lovers Pairing: Henry Cavill x Female Reader

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, loss of virginity, oral sex, fingering, vaginal sex, protection/condoms. 

I no longer operate a tag list, but instead pop over and follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications. You’ll then get an alert each time i post a new story.

Masterlist got so long all the links broke, so you can now find all my previous stories on my AO3 LINK HERE

Waited So Long 

Henry sat at the large table, grinning and laughing as the rest of the cast had finished reading through the latest episode’s script. Everyone was in a good mood and that was down to the fact that tomorrow’s shooting schedule required just you and Henry, meaning that everyone else got a three day weekend. But… but you were just staring at the script. You knew it had been coming, but to see the words in front of you, the stage descriptions, it was overwhelming. 

 The Netflix special was ten episodes of a sci-fi series, and you played an alien warrior. Henry was the plucky human astronaut  that had been aboard the International Space Station when it had been sucked into a black hole and had ended up on the far side of the universe. Eight episodes into the filming schedule and the pivotal sex scene was about to be included, and that’s what was clouding every thought in your mind. 

 You were far from naive, you had no issue with your costume or even the nudity - you were after all painted purple with patches of ‘scales’ in strategic parts - but it was the fact you had a small secret that was making you so nervous; you hadn’t ever actually had sex. 

 You were already mid 20’s, you’d been through university and stage school, worked on broadway and the London west end, you’d modelled for artists and had always put your career first. Relationships had just fizzled away after the first couple of dates because of your acting schedule… and that is how you found yourself not only a virgin in her mid 20’s, but one that had never even laid in bed with a partner, been close, felt the weight of a lover on top of them… anything at all.

 The producers called it a wrap for the read through, and the sounds of chairs scraping on the floor filled the room. As people shot their empty plastic bottles into the trash you felt your stomach lurch, quickly leaving the room, finding the disabled bathroom and running to the toilet, the contents of your stomach very quickly coming back up. 

 Finally empty, you sat on the floor and rested your head against the wall, your mind spinning. A quiet knock at the door made you open one eye, watching as the unlocked door swung open and a familiar face peered round;

 “Are you ok?” Henry asked, his bulk almost filling the entire doorway; “You’re not coming down with something?”

 You shook your head;

 “No, just umm… nerves… haha…” you laughed rather awkwardly.

 Stepping into the room, he sat against the opposite wall, leaning forwards to hand you his half finished bottle of water;

 “... about tomorrow?”

 Taking a sip of water you nodded;

 “Bit pathetic really, isn’t it?”

 “Not at all. Is this your first onscreen love scene?”

 “Yeah”

 He sat forwards, resting his hands on his knees as he thought pensively for a moment;

 “Are you going out with the crew tonight?”

 “No. Can’t really face it”

 “How about I drive us back to the house and order some chinese and talk things through? This isn’t my first love scene but I remember the nerves. We’ll get everything out in the open so the air is clear ready for tomorrow, yeah?”

 Nodding, you watched as he stood, holding out his hand for you and helping you to your feet.

 -

 The drive back to the shared house that most of the main cast members were staying at was fun, Henry having linked his Spotify to the stereo, firing up a playlist of old school pop with an eclectic mix of metal. By the time he rolled into the large driveway that the rental house had, you were both yelling out the words, laughing and grinning. 

 Once inside you excused yourselves to go shower, twenty minutes later finding Henry in the kitchen. His hair was wet and he wore a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants as he looked over the chinese menu;

 “What do you fancy?” he asked and you tried not to blurt out what you were thinking, because even though you may be a virgin, your thoughts were far from pure. 

 Looking over the list he had already scribbled down, you pointed to a couple of dishes, watching as he added them to the list before dialling for delivery. 

 -

 Pushing your plate away you stretched out and groaned. Still shovelling egg fried rice into his mouth, Henry pointed his fork at your plate;

 “Roo dun?” he asked, his cheeks full like a hamster.

 “Help yourself!”

 He eagerly dumped the rest of your lemon chicken on top of his rice, jabbing at the pieces;

 “Hey, about tomorrow… you really don’t need to worry. It’s just going to be you and me, and three other people”

 Taking a sip of your beer you quietly snorted;

 “That’s still three more people that would ‘usually’ be there… and four more than i’ve ever experienced”

 He paused, setting his fork down and you could see his mind working through what you said;

 “So uhh, it's been a while…?”

 “To be honest, it's been never”

 It was like something short circuited in his brain;

 “Never never? Like, never?”

 Putting your beer down, you fiddled with the label;

 “I’m a virgin. I’ve never had sex. I’ve never even slept with anyone”

 There was an awkward silence, the air tense before Henry finally spoke;

 “Is it a religious thing?”

 You shook your head;

 “No. I just have been so wrapped up in studying or working or being on stage… I would get two dates into a relationship and some big opportunity would come up. I would get blinkered and end up ghosting guys without even realising. Ambition got in the way of a love life…”

 Henry took a deep breath;

 “Ok. So you know i’ll be covered up… down there i mean… and so will you… so there won’t be any slips or anything. I won’t be inside you or anything…”

 Cocking an eyebrow you scoffed;

 “Henry… I know you won’t be inside me. We studied sex scenes at stage school. They gave us the practical run down of what happens. It's lots of rubbing and grunting. I just need to go watch some porn again to figure out what to grunt…” you took a sip of your beer; “... and you probably wouldn’t fit inside me anyway… it’s not like anything has ever breached that hole”

 Henry sat with a wide eyed look on his face, his jaw hanging slack;

 “So you… you’ve never even pleasured yourself?”

 “Of course i have!” you threw a prawn cracker at him; “I’ve just never…. You know… had internal stimulation…”

 “Wow” he muttered quietly, shifting in his seat; “So…” he started again but then stopped, his brain seemingly unable to string a coherent sentence together. 

 Finally he cleared his throat;

 “So there’s never been any on set stuff?”

 “Nope. Usually I run through my lines for the next day, check the schedule, the set and makeup call times. I guess the one bonus about all of this is that there aren’t any lines for tomorrow”

 You both knew that the scene had been set up without dialogue, mostly from Netflix’s instruction because any erotic scenes can cause havoc with sensors in some countries when it comes to subtitles. 

 “What did you want to do now? Do you want an early night? Watch a movie? Talk? You want me to lay on top of you?” he asked, picking his now cold plate of food up and dumping the leftovers in the waste disposal.

 “Yes” you replied far too quickly.

 “Which part?”

 “All of it”

 -

 With the TV in the main living area out of action thanks to a rather rambunctious game of ping pong a few weeks ago, the pair of you had moved to Henry’s room. An hour into the movie and it was far from your thoughts, instead you were in the bizarre situation where Henry was literally laying on top of you as you had a conversation. The feeling of his weight pressing against you was at first a surprise, he was thick with muscles for the role, and with probably 200lbs of human pressing you against the mattress you had found you would have to shift now and again. Finally you found a position that was comfortable, and as you chatted about life you found your legs had naturally parted to allow him to lay between them, his stomach pressing to yours, his face inches from your own;

 “This is literally how we’ll be spending our day tomorrow you realise” he quietly pointed out

 “But there will be grunting too… plus some thrusting… it’ll probably get your ass in the gossip magazines as best ass in hollywood again” you teased him, knowing that the nudity he’d done in previous shows and movies had earned him a lot of attention thanks to his rather peachy behind.

 Henry pushed up a little, poking a finger to your breasts;

 “Oh yeah? Well these will earn you a whole legion of fans, you have an awesome pair of tits”

 “Pfft, they’re just average”

 “They’re good enough to give me a semi” he countered with a crooked grin on his face, using his finger to just tug at your neckline, exposing a tiny bit more skin.

 You shifted beneath him without even realising you were doing so and that’s when you felt it, a growing hardness pressing against your abdomen. Your eyes went wide as you stared up at him, the mix of emotions showing on his face;

 “I’ll get off…”

“No!” you instinctively wrapped your legs around his, leaning your head up and pressed a kiss to his lips. He let out a grunt of surprise and you felt him tense, before he softened, his lips following yours as you pulled rested your head back on the duvet beneath you.

 His lips were soft and plump, and as he rocked his hips against you again this time you felt he was getting harder. Instinctively you gasped, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. You may not have had sex before but you had kissed, and your tongue danced with his as hands started to explore each others bodies, fingers seeking out skin as t-shirts were tugged up to expose heated skin. 

 Pulling your shirt over your head he admired your naked chest, the pattern on your top having hidden the fact you were without a bra;

 “Oh yeah, even purple these’ll be popular”

 With a smirk on his lips and a wicked grin on his face he lowered his mouth to your naked torso, taking one peaked nipple between his lips to suck on it, his hand cupping your other breast. As he worked his magic your body responded, the wetness between your thighs soaking through your clothing, the subtle movements of your bodies rubbing together making your arousal almost uncontrollable. Winding your hands into his dark locks, the soft hair curled around your fingers as he looked at you, pressing a trail of kisses down your sternum until he reached your leggings;

 “Can i continue?” he asked quietly, watching as you nodded your head;

 “Yes… please…”

 As he pulled your leggings off he pressed kisses to the heated skin that he revealed, never breaking eye contact;

 “So here’s what i’m going to do… first i’m going to get you to cum with my tongue, i’ll slip it just a little inside you so you can get used to the feeling, then i’ll gently tease you with my fingers; find that g-spot of yours as i’ve been assured a g-spot orgasm is completely different from a clitoral orgasm…

 “Fuck…”

 “Yes, that’s the third thing…” he grinned at you; “Once you’re nice and ready, and really really wet i’m going to make love to you… so you can practice your moans for tomorrow…”

 He shed you of the rest of your clothing before softly grasping your legs and pulling them apart, revealing your virgin core. Tender fingers parted your petals before his tongue swiped a wide stripe through them, and the sound that emerged from your throat startled even you.

 “You like that?”

 “Yes… oh my god, please do that again!”

 “With pleasure!”

 “The pleasure is all mine…”

 “Henry?”

 “Yes?”

 “Please shut up and get on with it” you grinned at him, before he dipped his face back between your legs and went to town. His tongue was seemingly everywhere, grunts and moans as he worked you open, and when he slipped his tongue into the ring of muscle at your entrance your eyes shot open and you giggle-moaned at the unfamiliar but not unpleasant experience. When a finger found your clit you relaxed again, laying back and enjoying the pleasure he was selflessly giving you. 

 Gripping at the bedcovers you found your hips started to move on their own, only for Henry to press a strong arm across your stomach to hold you in place, pushing you closer and closer to your orgasm. When it finally did hit your body reacted instinctively; your legs wrapping themselves around his head, your back arching and your fingers almost tearing through the fabric of the sheets, before you finally went limp. As your mind was nothing but stars a muffled voice came through the haze of your post orgasmic bliss;

 “If i could get some oxygen…”

 Not realising your legs were still firmly wrapped around Henry’s head, you quickly released him, his head popping up from beneath your thighs. His cheeks were flushed red and his chin was wet, and it took you a moment to realise you were the cause for the wetness. He wiped his chin with the back of his hand before standing and grabbing a bottle of water to pass to you;

 “You’re gonna need to rehydrate after that…”

 You went to take the bottle from him but the bulging tent in his sweatpants distracted you, your hand pausing mid air before Henry laughed;

 “Drink first, then you can play with it”

 “Oh… I… “

 “Drink”

 Taking the bottle you sipped at the tepid liquid as he lay on the bed beside you. When you’d finished he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to his firm chest before kissing you softly;

 “Are you ready for round two?”

 “Can i touch you too?”

 A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth before he nodded, watching as you eased the elastic of his sweats down and his heavy cock sprang free. Your jaw fell as you took in his size, but before you could overthink it he pressed a kiss to your lips as his hands wandered between your thighs. 

 Reaching out you wrapped your fingers around him as his own slid between your folds, dancing over your clit before he pressed a single digit inside you, your eyes going wide and your hand squeezing him involuntarily. 

 “Does that feel good?”

 You nodded;

 “Yes, a little strange that i’m not in control, but i think that’s what makes it even more exciting”

 “That’s good… now, how about another finger?”

 Nodding again you bit your lip as he slid a second finger in alongside the first, your eager hole stretching around his digits. Instinctively you had started to move your hand up and down his shaft, doing little more than gentle movements, but soon the pair of you got into a rhythm, working together to leave your breaths in time with the others.

 “Doing so well for me… so wet. Shall we try a third?”

 Nodding you let out a quiet ‘uh-huh’ as he repositioned his hand, carefully sliding three fingers into your soaked velvet channel, and the noise that came from your throat was base and full of sin. When his thumb started to rub against your clit while he continued to work three fingers inside you the spring in your belly snapped and you were coming hard, shaking around his hand.

 As you came down from your high Henry carefully withdrew his fingers, salaciously licking them clean before he got off the bed and went to the drawer in the little cabinet, pulling out a condom.

 “Oh… i’m on the pill…” you blurted out; “You don’t have to… In fact i’d really like to feel you, you know… bare…”

 Tearing the packet open he grinned at you;

 “I get that… but you’re gonna be in makeup in less than 12 hours” he knelt on the bed as he started to roll the latex down his angry dick.

 “Umm yeah?”

 “Well its something you’d only know from experience, but it can take up to 24 hours for a guys cum to fully leak out of you”

 “Oh…”

 “And your costume and makeup gets pretty intimate, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah…”

 “So you want Iris in makeup to be able to smell my cum dripping out of you when she’s painting your snatch purple tomorrow?” he said with a grin on his face, rolling the condom down fully before positioning himself between your legs

 “I gotta be honest, the idea that someone realises i’ve had sex is kinda kinky” you craned your neck up to kiss him as you felt his dick notch at the entrance to your cunt; “But you’re the expert here”

 “That i am… Let me show you just how much of an expert…”

 With a smooth roll of his hips he pushed into you and the feeling was indescribable, in fact it was so overwhelming you screwed your eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall, but Henry simply held still, kissing each one of your tears as they fell down your cheeks until you were ready.

 “Breathe babe… just breathe… it’s overwhelming i know… i understand…”

 Opening your eyes you gazed up at him, smiling as he leaned down and kissed you softly.

 “Are you ok?”

 “Y-yeah…”

 “You want me to keep going?”

 “Please… oh god please”

 “Gonna make you feel so good”

 He carefully pulled his hips back before pushing into you again, seemingly getting deeper before pulling out again. Soon you were lost in the moment, feelings both physical and emotionally almost overwhelming you again as your body was taken to new heights of pleasure, Henry seemingly knowing exactly how to make the moment special for you.

 Your body reacted in the best way, the tight spring inside you curling ever tighter, until with just the right roll of his hips he tipped you over the edge and you were coming hard, your body squeezing him so tight he knew he’d found heaven whilst you saw stars. 

 Whilst you were in the haze of your orgasm you heard the most beautiful moans, and felt as Henry came deep within you. As soon as he stopped shaking he wrapped his arms around you tightly, pressing his face to your neck as he cradled the back of your head with his massive hand, pressing soft kisses to your heated skin as you both basked in the aftershocks of your intense orgasms.

 Finally Henry pushed himself up to bear his weight on one arm, sliding his other hand between your bodies to hold the condom in place as he carefully pulled out of you;

 “I’m just gonna get rid of this… stay here”

 You watched his peachy ass as he quickly mad his way to the bathroom, hearing water running before he reappeared moments later with a damp washcloth. Sitting delicately beside you he carefully cleaned you up, and when he was finished he pulled the duvet over your naked body as he quickly got rid of the cloth and joined you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and pulling you to his chest;

 “Are you ok?”

 “I think so… Did i make a mess of your bed?”

 “No. No blood”

 “Really? I thought…”

 “If you’re relaxed enough you may not bleed… or you may have simply ruptured your hymen just through every day life. A fall, tampons, strenuous exercise… didn’t you do a horseriding movie a couple of years back?”

 “Y-yeah…” you cast your mind back; “Now you mention it, there was one really long day when i’d spent all day shooting a galloping scene with jumps… i just thought my period was coming early, and i had this really dull ache in my lower back… i guess that makes sense now…”

 “So… you’re good? Feel ok about filming tomorrow?”

 You nodded;

 “Yeah, i’m good. Thank you” You looked up at him and saw he was chewing his lip nervously; “What?”

 “I was wondering… you know… after we’ve finished filming tomorrow… did you want to go to dinner with me?”

 “Like a date?”

 “Yeah… hey i understand if you say no… that you want to concentrate on your role and acting…”

 “No! I mean yes!” you took a deep breath; “I’d love to go to dinner with you”

 He pressed a kiss to your cheek before you settled on his chest, his strong heartbeat beating beneath your ear as you let your eyelids drop and you fell asleep in his arms.

 -

 Iris tutted as you fidgeted;

 “Will you stand still? I need to get these scales on!”

 “Sorry Iris… just a little sore…”

 The older woman looked up at you as she held the patch of purple scales prosthetic and grinned;

 “Well its about time” she nodded to the various bottles and jars that were on the counter; “Make sure you take the coconut oil when you leave tonight, it’ll help get the adhesive off without pulling on any bruises”

 You looked down at Iris and smiled;

 “Thanks Iris”

 “Was it worth it?”

 “So worth it”

[4stars-uswnt]

Surprise Animal Trivia [USWNT x Reader]

requested by anon: I don't know if requests are still open but if they are can you do one where the reader just doesn't really talk a lot but they find out one way to have a conversation is to talk about animals since she loves them. Sorry if it doesn't make sense

A/N: this was super fun to write, and i actually learned some things about dolphins and discovered what an okapi is, so thanks for this request!

“Hey, kiddo! It’s good to see you again.” Kelley smirks, as she wraps her arm around your shoulder, ruffling your hair.

“You saw me two days ago.” You deadpan, rolling your eyes at your club teammate. At only 18 years old, you had been on the national team for the past two years. You were a naturally quiet, timid person, but you became even more shy when at camps, not only because you were surrounded by many of your role models but also because you were scared to mess up as the youngest on the team.

“You ready for camp?” She asks, as the two of you make your way to the team meeting.

You only nod in response. Kelley chuckles, opening the door for you.

Upon entering, you receive many cheers and greetings.

“It’s my favorite youngster!” Ashlyn calls out.

“(Y/N), come sit by me.” Pinoe waves you over.

“(Y/N/N)!” Sonny shouts.

You sheepishly duck your head and make your way to the front of the room. Although you were one of the best midfielders in the country, you always took team meetings and film sessions very seriously because you wanted to prove to the coaches that you deserved to be here.

As the meeting starts, you listen intently and keep to yourself, whereas a couple of your teammates were whispering and cracking a couple of jokes.

“Alright, well I’m excited to get started.” Vlatko claps his hands together. “I’ll see you all out on the pitch.”

—————

On the field, you were a completely different animal. Although you weren’t the most vocal or the most celebratory, you tore up the field, scoring goals and making your own teammates look like fools.

“Damn, kid. You did not come to play.” Kelley huffs, after you beat her and slot the ball in the lower corner past Ashlyn.

You look down, a small smirk on your face, as Vlatko blows the whistle, ending training for the day.

“Thank goodness you were on my team today.” Alex smiles.

“Jeez, (Y/N), you couldn’t take it a little easier on me.” Ash teases, pulling her gloves off.

“Uh, thanks guys.” You mumble, rubbing the back of your neck.

“(Y/N/N)! You were incredible! You’re definitely gonna play this weekend.” Mal jumps on your back, kissing your cheek.

“Thanks, Mal.” You blush.

“Alright you two, let’s get going.” Christen laughs, moving you along towards the bus.

You slide into your window seat, Kelley following right after you. As your scrolling through your phone, you can feel the defender staring at you with a large grin across her face.

“What?” You turn to look at the other woman.

“What’s going on with you and Mal?” Kelley smirks.

“Nothing!” You exclaim.

“You sure? Not even a little crush.”

“I’m sure.” You insist, your cheeks flushing.

“Mkay.” The freckled woman hums and turns across the aisle to talk to Alex and Allie.

You put your headphones on, contently listening to music for the rest of the bus ride.

—————

The team had decided to go out to dinner in downtown LA that evening, Christen and Alex knowing the best restaurants in the city. On the way there, you stuck with the youngsters not really saying much. Noticing your quietness, Mal drifts over to you.

“Hey.” She wraps her arm around your waist. “How are you doing?”

“Good.” You lean your head on her shoulder.

Mal furrows her eyebrows at your short response. “Are you nervous?” She asks, genuinely curious.

“Mhm. I’m just a little shy.”

Mal softens at your confession. “You’re cute.” She cheekily grins.

You blush, giving her a small smile. “Thanks.”

Mal nods, beaming, before she returns to the crazy story Emily was telling.

—————

As the team waits for their food, the table is filled with boisterous and energetic conversation.

“(Y/N)!” Ashlyn call from across the table. “Did Kelley really beat both Becky and Chris in Monopoly?”

“Huh?” You tilt your head, confused by the randomness of the question.

“We’re trying to settle a debate here. So did she?” Megan explains.

“No.” You bluntly confirm, resulting in a burst of laughters and howls from the veteran side of the table.

“So, (Y/N), how are you settling in with the Royals?” Tobin asks.

“I like Utah.” You nod.

The older forward chuckles. “You still a little shy?”

You bashfully shake your head.

“Tobes, you know (Y/N). She’s our shy little baby.” Kelley coos, pinching your cheek.

“Stop, Kel.” You mumble, swatting her hand away.

Once the food arrives, you immediately dig in. The team continues exchanging stories and cracking jokes, all while shoving food into their mouths. After the meal, as you’re all waiting for the check, Kelley pulls out her phone.

“Janice, did you see this post?” She shows the forward a photo of a dolphin with their nose against a pregnant woman’s stomach.

“Ha! Al, you should’ve done that.” Allie snorts.

“What is that even for?” Alex rolls her eyes at her best friends.

“The dolphin can detect the baby inside her stomach because of their echolocation. It basically acts like an ultrasound.” You explain, overhearing their conversation.

Everyone stops and turns to stare at you, surprised that you’d spoken more than a couple of words.

“How do you know that?” Megan asks.

“Uhh.” You shrink under the gaze of your teammates. “I just know a lot animals. Like did you know that dolphins don’t even chew their food? Or that they have two stomachs? Or that they only sleep with half of their brain?” You vibrate with excited energy.

The rest of the women smile at you, amused by your mini rant.

“I didn’t know you liked animals so much.” Mal pipes from next to you.

“Yeah. I mean, obviously, there are so many different kinds of animals, so there’s just so much to learn.”

“So what’s your favorite animal?” Christen asks.

“Hmm.” You purse your lips, considering your options. “Probably the Okapi.”

“What the hell is an Okapi?” Emily calls out.

“It’s the only living relative to the giraffe, but it looks like a cross between a deer and a zebra.” You elaborate, as you search up a picture to show the table.

“Aw, it’s kinda cute.” Rose coos.

You nod in agreement. “What’s really cool is that they have scene glands on the bottom of their hooves to mark its territory!” You wave your hands enthusiastically.

“Ha, I guess we should just bring up animals if we wanna hear you talk.” Kelley teases.

“Uh, I guess. I mean I could go on about animals.” You scratch the back of your neck and chuckle nervously. “And I’m sorry I don’t really talk a lot. I’m just really shy and wanna impress you guys.” You mumble out a confession, looking down at your fidgeting hands.

“Kid, you impress us all the time.” Tobin assures.

“Seriously, (Y/N). You’re one of the best midfielders in the world right now, AND you’re not even twenty years old yet!” Alex exclaims.

The rest of the woman add their own comments, boosting your confidence

Mal smiles softly and takes your hand into hers, giving you a comforting squeeze. “You are an amazing person and player, (Y/N), and we love you just the way you are, so if you don’t like talking a lot, we’ll still love you.”

You feel your cheeks redden and your heart burst. “Thanks you guys. I really do see you guys as a second family, having practically grown up with all of you.”

“AWWWWW! We see you as family too!” Kelley cries, placing a wet kiss onto your cheek.

“OK, that’s enough, Kel.” You scrunch your nose, playfully wiping your cheek.

“But you’re my little kiddo, and I’m your team mom.” The defender pouts.

“Hey! I thought I was her team mom.” Christen interjects.

“Both of you are my team moms.” You roll your eyes at the two women. “And Becky.” You look at the blonde woman, acknowledging her with a small smile. Beck nods, a silent thank you.

“(Y/N/N), you ever been to the LA Zoo?” Alex asks.

You shake your head. “I’ve actually never been to a zoo before.”

Many of the women’s jaws drop, especially since you’d just revealed your immense love for animals.

“You’ve never been to a zoo?” Ali blurts.

“No.” You murmur. “My parents were always working when I was growing up, so we never really did any of that kind of stuff.”

“Well, we have the day off tomorrow.” Alex sings. “Wanna go?”

“Yes!” An earsplitting grin breaks out across your face, as you nod eagerly. “Can the whole team come?” You sheepishly request.

“Duh!” Kelley responds, causing you to smile and the rest of the table to cheer.

You can’t help but shake with excitement, bouncing in your seat. You were looking forward to the trip to the zoo tomorrow and couldn’t wait not only to learn about the animals you were so passionate about but also spend time with the women you loved so much.

[thexfridax]

Translated interview

Adèle Haenel: 'Sex in cinema is usually quite pathetic’

Wenke Husmann, in: Die Zeit, 31st of October 2019

Additions or clarifications for translating purposes are denoted as [T: …]

Our understanding of art? Patriarchal! Eroticism in cinema? Stunted! The actress Adèle Haenel about her new film ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’.

In the film ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’, the young aristocrat Héloïse literally catches fire. Around 1770 she falls in love with a young painter, who is supposed to portray her. The role of the shy former convent student seems unusual for Haenel at first glance, who otherwise plays very assertive female characters: an AIDS activist in ‘120 BPM’, a martial artist in ‘Love at First Fight’, a doctor who solves a murder in ‘The Unknown Girl’. But Haenel also interprets the role of the muse as a very active one. The actress had her breakthrough in 2007 at the age of 18 with ‘Water Lilies’, the debut film by film-maker Céline Sciamma. The two were a couple for years. ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ is their second collaboration, which was awarded the Best Screenplay (for Sciamma) at the Cannes Film Festival.

Haenel speaks German very well. She learned the language almost perfectly for Chris Kraus' feature film ‘The Bloom of Yesterday’. However, whenever she speaks German, she will always be so categorical, Haenel warns, and after a very German expletive slips into the conversation, she switches to French.

ZEIT ONLINE: In ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ you play a restrained woman at first. Your Héloïse is supposed to be portrayed by a painter. She is the more experienced, a self-assured artist you fall in love with. But then you reinterpret the role of the muse.

[T: Short bio of Adèle and description of the film is inserted here, but I didn’t translate these, as y’all know everything already 😏]

Adèle Haenel: It's about equality. I believe that the role of the muse is in fact active - and as important as the official role of the artist.

ZE: What is the active part or equality in the relationship between you being the portrayed and the painter? And what's new about it?

AH: I think in art history, being a muse was the role that women were allowed to play. That's why men said, ‘Oh, it's a passive role, the muses are just in the room, and we're dreaming and fabricating great ideas in our heads.’ It was their way of saying that as men, they are the only ones who create art. That's Scheiße [T: 💩 💩 💩] in my opinion. I’m sorry. Whenever I speak German, I am always a bit more categorical. But that’s the way it is.

(Continues the conversation in French)

I believe, however, that muses have always been active. They were just not presented like that. This also has a lot to do with a certain notion of art. Art is not just an ideal sphere that comes down to earth through an artist who is both absolute and ingenious. Art is created by questioning your own choices over and over again, as well as the reasons that led to them. Thus, there is something sacred and something entirely unholy in art. Questioning postulates, constantly questioning your own work, makes art powerful. And that is much more the result of collaboration than of anything else.

ZE: In this case, collaboration is based on love. Muse and artist are on equal terms. Your connection acts like an engine and unleashes the creativity of the artist. Is that the reason why the first portrait that the painter Marianne made of you as Héloïse is technically good but rather conventional? [T: the interviewer uses ‘not befitting’ here]

AH: It's not even about the progression, where only love makes art better, but it’s actually about the process. That's why you constantly ask yourself questions. Of course, at some point a portrait will come out, but in the film it’s not about whether that’s a good thing or not in the end. The problem of the first ‘failed’ portrait is that it avoids any questions. It does not ask exactly: Who is this person? What attitude did the painter take towards her? Does the model have an essence that we try to capture and bring to the canvas? Or is it just about capturing a specific moment? At this point, the collaboration begins. My character Héloïse begins to question Marianne, the artist, ‘What's that supposed to be?’ And when Marianne answers, ‘That's the way to do it,’ Héloïse retorts, ‘What do you mean, that's the way it is done, how do you find yourself in it, what's your attitude towards it?’ And you cannot just take that stance, you have to feel it.

ZE: Is this relationship comparable to what you have as an actress with the director Céline Sciamma?

[T: The above was taken from a translation on the Teller Report website and revised where necessary, my own translation continues below.]

AH: Yes, absolutely. Our collaboration is based on that idea. There are also parallels in terms of content, because painting in this film also has a lot to do with cinema. As it’s also about sequence, scene and so on. The screenplay was very detailed. Improvisation as a method wasn’t intended. But I had a certain amount of freedom to shape my character. The point wasn’t to do this behind closed doors, but the idea was developed in exchange to centre my character around the gaze and into three phases: At the beginning of my journey, I saw myself more as an object, then there was the phase of questioning, and at the end I’m more of a subject. This means that I used my face like a mask at the beginning of the film, very solemn, almost sacral, with little emotion, reserved. The warmer Marianne’s gaze becomes at Héloïse, the more I change the way I’m acting. I become more active and animated. I gave myself a very clear structure. Céline went with this kind of idea. And then we start to discuss about specific and precise things.

ZE: That seems quite practical and unpretentious.

AH: Oh, I’m a very impatient person and get annoyed very quickly. That’s why I can’t stand some of the questions that I get (mimics a stupid tone): ‘How do you endure just being looked at the whole time?’ I do retort then: ‘Have you even seen the film? It’s about the exchange of gazes!’

ZE: There is a narrative framework in the film, where Marianne remembers this love several years later. It’s about the impact of that encounter. How important is such an echo for the arts?

AH: You could say that every human being contains something like an eternal truth inside of them, but that this cannot manifest in a person in its pure form. The potential is there. So, you can develop, change, grow. It’s almost our responsibility to become a better [T: bigger is stated here] person, who exhausts all possibilities to become what makes us human. A romantic relationship [T: love affair…] also makes us feel the possibility to become someone else, more than what we were before. I’m thinking in particular of Spinoza in this context.

ZE: In short, he talks about the necessity of individuals to evolve so that they become more perfect. [T: ‘Vollkommenheit’ is difficult to translate, but I understand that Spinoza meant that this is the ideal state of being, see: The Ethics, Part 4. Of Human Bondage, Or The Strength Of The Emotions, Preface]. Looking at your career, it seems that you and film-maker Céline Sciamma, who was your partner for a long time, also helped each other very much in that sense to evolve.

AH: Céline and I have an extremely close connection and always had an intense intellectual exchange with each other. And an intense emotional exchange, but of course that changes over time. When it comes to what I said before about the search for and questioning of what’s underneath, and how we make choices in terms of our work, then Céline and I understand each other well. We agree about the questions and how we can communicate about them.

ZE: The film takes place around 1770. Back then, the first female artists’ associations were found such as the school of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard. Marianne also worked in such an art school. It was only a few years that women could work as painters. Before and after, female artists could only do that in a limited capacity. Why was that?

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Autoportrait avec deux élèves (1785) © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

AH: You get the impression that the female gaze is somehow threatening for male colleagues, that’s why they always tried to ban it. And besides, that is still the case.

ZE: How?

AH: Because some kind of natural order is being postulated. We have very much internalised this patriarchal order, in our intimacy, our desires, in everything. Indeed, challenging this perceived natural order is dangerous, because the entire patriarchy virtually depends on this everywhere. The trick to avoid answering questions that women are asking is in pretending that women really don’t have any reason to ask these kind of questions: They are doing well after all. If it wasn’t that pathetic, it would be really funny.

[T: Two of the below bits were extracted (for ease of reading) from @hedawolf​​‘s fantastic gifset on Adèle smashing the patriarchy, please head over and show some love.]

ZE: It seems that many big film festivals are now more open to show films that are about interesting and diverse female characters. Aren’t there more of these stories these days?

AH: Indeed, the problem has now come to the surface of society – two years after the Weinstein affair and #MeToo. You can see the facts. These are hilariously pathetic: 100 per cent of women, who use public transport in Paris, have experienced violence or abuse. 100 per cent! You always hear: ‘No, not all men are like that.’ Yes, of course. But all women have experienced this. And men also feel it. They’ve started to question the structures, in which this was possible, and in which they also lived for a long time. They also question their own behaviour. It’s not about locking up all men in a cage, but that we all evolve. It will make us all freer. But you have to let go of your little privilege of always being in charge. I understand that this is tough. [T: 😏]

ZE: You’ve really shown us one of the most wonderful scenes on this topic in your film, without men.

AH: This scene is sexy, inventive, created in collaboration – we were also quite satisfied with it. That’s why I was so happy at the premiere in Cannes: There are 2,000 people in the audience, who will see something completely different.

[jackambrosemodeling]

Boy Talk || Jack & Brandon

When: May 2, 2021

Where: Jack’s apartment, Santa Monica, California

Featuring: Brandon Kelly (dialogue provided by Katie @itsbrandonkelly)

Triggers: Allusion to alcoholism

After firing off a You’d better be home. text to Jack, he realised that he really should have checked first to save him from waiting outside their apartment but that’s why there were so many saying about hindsight. Still, he knocked to let his presence be known instead of texting again, hoping he’d timed his visit well.

Jack was coincidentally home when they received Brandon's text. They got out of the shower when they saw the message. After texting him back with a 'bitch I might be', Jack unlocked their door as well as the entrance door to the apartment building. They followed up with a 'door's open' text and went to go find clothes to put on before Brandon came inside.

He huffed out in amusement at the first response he got and then knocked again at the second before letting himself in. “Who leaves their door open? This is the start to every horror film ever, then again just letting yourself into someone’s home is also how they start.” He called out, heading to the kitchen instead of looking for Jack. He figured they would have answered the door if they weren’t occupied with something else and so they’d join him when they were done. When he found glasses, he settled himself on the couch and shrugged off his jacket.

"I do when I know someone's coming over!" they yelled from behind their closed bedroom door. If someone had actually broken into their apartment for nefarious purposes, Jack was more than prepared to deal with the situation. Once they were presentable, they looked around until they found Brandon in the living room. "Comfy there?" they teased. "You know I love seeing you, but a little more of a heads up would've been nice. I could've still been in the shower. I could've been actively having sex!"

“Who’s supposed to be coming over? I can’t believe you were inviting people to chill and I wasn’t one of them?” Brandon had taken out his phone to sit on the couch with him and had even gotten as far as pouring them both a drink before Jack had come to meet him. “Yep. I made myself at home.” He gave Jack his best smile, even fluttering his eyelashes for good measure. “If you loved seeing me that much you would invite me over to do those things with you. Besides, it’s not much of a surprise visit if I tell you about it, is it?”

“You! I opened the door for you, silly!” Jack looked at the two glasses, then back to Brandon. “Oh shit, the wine that Nyle sent as a moving present! I forgot I had that.” They didn’t want to be rude and throw it out, and figured it would be good to have in case of guests, so they hid it. The fact that they managed to not drink any of it themself was a miracle. “Yeah, I’m not sure how Viv would feel about that... speaking of which. Fun update in my life. I’m kind of seeing someone? Still figuring out labels and whatnot.” Though there were rumors floating around the gossip sphere, Brandon was the first person they confirmed the rumor to.

“Then the door wouldn’t be open so it wouldn’t matter if you were showering or fucking, would it?” Jack’s comment had Brandon looking at the bottle again and picking up the glass closest to it. “Mine is alcoholic. I brought you some appley juice recommended by the best palate I know.” He patted the space beside him before his eyebrows raised in surprise. “You settled before you boned me? Disgusting. Unacceptable.” Despite his words, he started grinning. “I’m so happy for you, babe. That’s cute.”

“Brandon, stop making good points,” they huffed, sitting down on the couch next to Brandon. “Oh, thanks.” While Jack had never explicitly told Brandon why they quit drinking, it appeared that he had gotten the hint. “I’m sorry. It turns out I have a SIMP gene that was activated by me moving to Santa Monica. Who would’ve thunk it?” they joked, knowing damn well that they’ve simped over every person they’ve ever dated.

“I can’t help that I’m brilliant. Sorry buddy; you just gotta live with that I’m afraid.” He hummed quietly in amusement. Brandon simply offered them a smile at their thanks. They never joined in whenever B was drinking and he was nothing if not attentive. Sometimes, at least. “Literally no one because the simp gene has always been in you and always been active but I’ll keep that to myself if it really makes you feel better.”

"All my friends are hot and smart, but I'm just hot. Story of my life." Jack sighed, taking a sip of the juice that was so graciously provided to them. "Excuse me?!" Jack exclaimed overdramatically. "Are you calling me a simp? In the comfort of my own apartment?! I don't know what I did to deserve this treatment. I don't know how I'll go on!" They busted into  laughter, unable to keep the act up.

“You’re hot and smart. What the fuck are you talking about? Be nice to my friend or I’ll kick your ass.” He reached his foot out to nudge Jack with, an amused smile on his face. “Plus, you’re also super hot, own it. And yes. I’m calling you a simp. You’re the themperor of simpington. Population... Uh, I don’t know how many people are in Santa Monica but that’s the population.”

“Brandon, I was a straight-C student in high school and have the common sense of a bag of potato chips. I know my strengths and weaknesses.” Jack knew they weren’t book smart and it didn’t bother them. “Excuse me, I am not Themperor Simpington. That title belongs to Sunwoo Seong. Have you met them? But they did skip town a while back... shit. I didn’t ask for this title. I need to find a new non-binary friend to bestow this title on. I just need more enby friends in general.”

“You don’t have the common sense of a bag of potato chips, Jesus Christ Jack.” Brandon laughed as he slapped Jack’s arm. “You’ve survived this long in this industry, babe. That’s not down to potato chip brain, even I nearly crashed out a couple of years in.” He raised an eyebrow, head tilted as he fixed them a look of disapproval. “You are Themperor Simpington. The queen has spoken. I met Sunwoo once and obviously offered to climb that tree but they left and Joonie was sad so I’m no longer a fan of tall, hot and dimpled. If it makes you feel any better, I’m a huge simp for my sweet boy.”

“Hey, I’m funny. Fuck you,” they retorted, chuckling. “I’ve been told that I’m charismatic, and that’s helped me out in the industry. I’m still not that famous though.” While Jack was relatively well-known in queer circles, heterosexual circles were a whole other ballpark. Being friends with Brandon and recently befriending Vanessa did help their social standing though. “Themperor Simpington my butt,” they grumbled. “Wait, when you say ‘my sweet boy,’ do you mean Minjoon or do you have another boo I should know about?”

“Bitch, I been trying to get you to for so long now. I was starting to think you needed glasses.” Bee broke into a laugh before he even finished his sentence, nudging Jack’s arm in his giggling. “Yeah, you have to have a look and you have to be charming to start work in this industry but to survive in it? You have to be smart. About that though, I know I keep promising you a space on my next project and it’s had a few.. speed bumps I guess? Not really speed bumps but personal delays? Either way, I know enough now to be able to tell you that Queen B’s.. that I’m releasing a trial perfume.. fragrance line. Five scents to start, each will have its own colour have theme shots with, each will have its own model to associate with and I want you, if you’re interested?” Their mumbling made Brandon grin, coughing as a terrible fake attempt at covering up the ‘Simp.’ he titled them with again. “Minjoon is my sweet boy. I don’t have another boo, not even a little bit but if you hear simp alarms going off whenever I like the instas of a very beautiful friend of mine then mind ya business.”

"Oh my god. Brandooooon!" Though Jack had quite a few friends with benefits in their days, whenever the thought of doing anything with Brandon crossed their mind, they thought about the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed seventeen-year-old they met all those years ago. Jack's eyes lit up when he started talking about his fragrance line project. "Oh hell yeah I'm interested. Just remember, my favorite colors are purple and pink." They winked at Brandon. Aside from one photoshoot in L.A. that they did after fashion weeks, their work schedule was dryer than a desert. Of course they wouldn't tell him that though. They didn't want to sound desperate. Jack would've taken this job even if they weren't in need of work. "B, you're gonna have to be a little more specific than that. I know you. You don't befriend ugly people."

The laugh that left him this time was more of a giggle and he scrunched his nose up, shaking his head. “I tease but honestly, you’re practically family. Did you know that my parents ask after you? They know as much about you as I do but.. Well, they’re embarrassing. Eh, mom’s okay. Dad’s embarrassing so you’ll probably never meet them but yeah.. They get told about the important people in my life and you’ve been in it longer than Joonie.” Brandon groaned, setting his glass down. “Can’t believe I’m being gross and emotional already. Moving on..” He said, a little louder. “Purple would be fantastic for you. It’s a very royal colour and I’m going to do the obvious and lean into that a little but silk, not velvet. Pink was going to have a sweet-candy-lace vibe to it but if you want pink I can give you pink.” Brandon rolled his eyes, despite the heat he could feel spreading up his neck. “I have a... friend called Kian and he’s... There hasn’t been a word invented yet for how beautiful he is and it’s ridiculous and gross because I don’t lose my mind over pretty boys but he’s.. He makes me blush, Jack. I don’t blush.”

"Brandooooooooon! Stop, you're gonna make me blush. I'd love to meet your parents. Parents love me. Well, actually, I just love milfs and dilfs," Jack cackled at their own dumb joke. "But in all seriousness, let me know when they come to town!" As much as they wanted to meet Mr. and Mrs. Kelly, they didn't want to go to the Kelly home to do so. Jack knew that they shared a home state with Brandon, and didn't want to reenter North Carolina at the risk of running into their family. "Ooh, purple and silk? Now you're speaking my language!" Jack wiggled their eyebrows when Brandon mentioned Kian by name. "A yes, the cute delivery boy. You've mentioned him before. We're Instagram mutuals!"

“Do it! Blush, you coward!” Brandon laughed, leaning against Jack’s arm to nudge them. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I have to say this but if you’re gonna fuck my parents, please don’t date them and wait until I’m out of the room if you’re going to flirt, I don’t need to see that. They really would love to meet you though, they’ve been waiting for permission to come to town.” Brandon grinned at Jack at their approval, giving a small nod. “I’ll get some things drawn up for you. I do have a few already as rough drafts but now I know you’re taking it, I can design something a little more tailored to you.” The warmth spreading across his cheeks and colouring his face a darker shade of pink only grew worse as Jack wiggled their brows at him. “Yeah.. Well.. He’s almost perfect. The only thing I’d change about him is his last name.” His reaction to himself was instant, throwing himself against the cushions to yell out a laugh. “And I keep saying dumb cheesy shit like that! I’m a bumbling mess around him. Like.. Like I start off all smooth and collected and then he smiles and I’m just.. fucking applying to be hired by hallmark. It’s.. It’s so cringe and gross and... I’m happy.”

"Brandon, I'll become your new step-parent and ground you, don't tempt me," Jack joked, cackling. "Well give it to them! Don't deprive me of your loving parents!" Jack didn't have loving parents of their own, so if Brandon's parents were anything like Brandon, Jack was going to latch to them like nobody's business. "Oh my goooooooooooood, that was so coooooorrrrnnnnnyyyyy! Damn, and you call me a simp! I'm not out here reciting poetry on main about my crush. And if you bring up the fact that we have keys to each others' apartments, mind your business." Jack knew they were simping hard over Vivian, but now it was Brandon's turn to be in the hot seat. "So have you considered, you know, talking to him?"

“Their ex girlfriend actually tried that once. Oh my god, it was kind of funny though. You’ll have to treat me better when our guests arrive and do as you’re told or I’ll have you cut off until you learn some damn respect.” He mimicked in a too high voice, rolling his eyes afterwards. “Like.. Honey, I’ve only just noticed you’re not the last guy they were dating and that’s only because you started pterodactyl screeching.” Despite his playful tone, Brandon could feel warmth spreading across his face. “Yeah, okay. I’ll.. I’ll invite them up to meet you.” Having made peace with the fact that he‘d made himself into a product, his parents were off limits when it came to the people in his life, knowing how fickle and superficial a lot of his relationships with people were. It was different with Jack though, Jack really was his friend. “Honestly, I’ve been an absolute mess. I pulled the whole ‘My friends call me B, you can call me any time.’ Thing on him when we met and now I just blush all the time and feel nauseous over butterflies.” He waved his hand quickly at Jack’s news, shaking his head. “NUH uh.. We are not going to just gloss over that? Oh my god? Keys? You’re entering domesticity. Like.. Me and Joonie levels of domesticity and my parents are the founders of the BranJoon wedding fan club. Like.. You’re getting into that territory..” There was a small pause before a smile spread across his face. “I’m happy for you, babe. Honestly. You deserve this.” He couldn’t help but sigh at the question, sinking into his seat a little with a pout on his features and a small shrug. “I’ve been so obvious about it. Short of getting a neon sign to carry around, I don’t know how much more obvious I could be and sometimes it feels like he’s being obvious back? Like.. It feels like it’s not just one sided? And then I start having a gay panic and do something dumb because he’s way out of my league which is a new thing for me. I do want to though. Should I?”

"Hold up, hold up. I said that as a joke. You're telling me that your parents are actually non-monogamous?! And you didn't tell me until now?! I came out as polyam like, 2-3 years ago! And now I'm in a monogamous set-up again. I missed my shot. I'm hurt." Jack put their hands over their chest and sniffled, but almost immediately returned to their usual cheerful demeanor. "I'm kidding, I'm not gonna become your step-daddy, or... I don't know what a gender-neutral equivalent would be besides 'parent,' and that doesn't roll of the tongue as well." This wasn't something they had to think about right away. It wasn't like they were going to wake up tomorrow with a child. "Ah yes, your infamous pick-up line." Jack's face turned pink when Brandon acknowledged the keys. "Okay, I actually do have an explanation! I initially gave her my spare key because I asked her to water my plants when I was away for Fashion Week. Granted, she didn't do a good job and managed to kill both plants, but that's an aside. But yeah, I just never asked for the spare key back." Jack gave Brandon a shoulder pat. They really didn't know Kian, so couldn't tell what the full situation was. "What I've learned from my many years of dating men is that men are dumb and sometimes you literally need to spell things out for them."

“As momma dearest says, monogamy is for the weak. Anyway, they were already in a relationship when you came out. Also? I don’t want to be hooking my parents up with my hotties?” Brandon pulled a face at Jack, nose scrunched up in disapproval. “To be fair though, you and Viv wouldn’t even be the first couple they’ve dated. You’d be the first I’d... somewhat approve of but..” He shrugged before laughing. “Oh my god. There are a couple.. Zaza or zeze instead of dada and mama but given the chance I’d mash up dad and mom and just refer to you as my dom to make everyone in the room uncomfortable.” He shook his head, laughing quietly. “I hate this so much, Jack please.” “I think it’s funny, definitely in my top 3 introductions.” He found himself sitting up straighter when he noticed the blush on Jack’s cheeks, a grin forming on his own features. “Oh my god. She killed your plants and you let her keep your key? Say it with me, babe. Simp. You’re cute though. I’m totally 100% on board with the two of you. She was one of my heroes.” When the conversation turned back to him, Brandon tilted his head as he weighed his options. “Not Kiki but... You’re right, I guess. He’s probably so used to everyone being in love with him that my flirting is just baseline niceties. Okay, yeah. I’ll.. I’ll tell him that I’m crazy about him. Or I’ll just text him that aggressive meme about wanting to hold hands.”

"Aaaaah, your parents are so cool! I wish my parents were cool like that. Mine are just homophobic." There was a lot more to Sofia and Tony Corleone than just that, but very few people knew about them. This was very much intentional. They made a face at 'zaza' and 'zeze.' "Yeah, not really digging those ones... Wait. Dom?!" Jack paused to laugh. "Fucking hell. Yes. That's definitely what my future kids are gonna call me." Jack never brought up the topic of kids to Vivian. They were still very early in their relationship and Jack was afraid they were too old to be a parent. It was still a nice thought though. "Yeah. I got back from Paris and she was having a bad day, so I ordered a pizza and we just... talked. Had a real heart-to-heart. I ended up staying the night, and we've basically had an open-door policy with each other ever since. And then the next day I went back into my apartment and found out about the plants."  Jack grabbed a pillow from the couch and lightly smacked Brandon's arm with it. "I know, I know! I'm a big sappy simpy mush. I'm a Cancer, I don't know what you expect from me." It took Jack a long time to accept their emotional side, but now they openly embraced it. "Or he might not know how to recognize flirting. I've met many people like that. Like the cute DJ at that bar where Minjoon used to work. Or Minjoon himself!”

“My parents have a big bank balance and even bigger hearts. That’s why I don’t approve of a lot of their partners but yeah.. As much as I give them shit for being lame, they’re the coolest. I mean, they’re the only reason I’m even.. y’know... Around.” Brandon let out an unattractive snort and sat forward to retrieve his glass, pouting when he realised it was empty but simply sat back instead of refilling it. “Please, I am begging you, think carefully as to why I’d find calling you my dom funny before you commit to that decision.” He pressed his lips together to fight his laugh before he let out a soft hum. “Do you think that’s where you’re headed with her? Is she someone you can see yourself having kids with?” He asked softly, his whole demeanour changing from playful now that they had ventured into serious topics. “You don’t have to say yes and you don’t have to have an answer right now. Things are still new with you both and y’know... Take it from the adopted, some people don’t want kids and some do.” He shrugged a little.

“Ew. You talked to each other over pizza because one of you had a bad day? That’s disgusting.” When hit with the pillow, Brandon grabbed it to tug it away from Jack so they couldn’t attack him again and he hugged it to his chest, propping his chin on it. “I live for that kind of domesticity.” He sighed wistfully. “You are a big simpy mush and I love that about you. It’s gross and honest and just very sweet. I’m really glad you have someone who makes you feel that way, babe.” Brandon  rolled his eyes and gave the pillow a small squeeze. “Vito really doesn’t recognise flirting? The dude wants to be an actor! With a face like that a lot of his roles are probably going to have it. I wanted to ask if he wanted any help getting into it because he was good to Joonie when they worked together and I always appreciate people taking care of the babie but I also feel like I don’t know him well enough to just give him a shout about a job. Eh. Maybe I’ll get Joonie to text him about this perfume thing and actually see what skills he has. Joonbug doesn’t count for the whole flirting thing though, attraction isn’t really his thing.”

"I gotcha," Jack stated, nodding. They had a similar problem when they first started modeling. They loved to spoil their loved ones-- and still do-- and people often took advantage of their generosity. As Jack grew older, they learned how to weed out the moochers. Of course Brandon was never a moocher; he wasn't the type to take without giving, plus he had plenty of his own money. Jack watched for Brandon's reaction, then chuckled in response to his face. "Babe, I know. I was joking. Could you imagine?!" They shrugged at Brandon's question. "Honestly, I have no idea. I think it's too soon to talk about that kinda stuff. I thought I was never gonna become a parent because Sage didn't want kids, but, you know, they're not my fiancé anymore." Sage not wanting kids wasn't the main reason the engagement was broken off, but it was a bone of contention in the relationship.

"Oh hush. One day you'll have a heart-to-heart over pizza too. Well, maybe not because of the whole gluten thing, but some food that you enjoy." They stuck their tongue out at Brandon. "Ohh, that's his name! At least he didn't recognize me flirting with him. Could just be that he wasn't into me because he's straight, but I'm hot so that's dumb." Jack didn't want to have sex with straight dudes anyways, so they didn't consider it a major loss. "Attraction isn't his thing? Is he asexual or something?" they asked curiously. "Wait a minute, you're deflecting!"

[prettyyoungandbored]

After Party [’Always There’ sequel]

Pairing: Nikki Sixx x Reader

Request: Can you do a sequel to Always There? Reader married Nikki in 1989. They have one child, a daughter born in 1992. Reader’s involved in making the Dirt book and film. Daughter is a fashion model and visits the set one day with her professional hockey player husband and their 1 year old son. Reader’s actress is British and has been dating Douglas Booth since they met on the set of the 2016 movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Reader’s actress played Jane Bennett in it

I like the name Hayden Delilah Sixx for the reader and Nikki’s daughter in the sequel to Always There.

In the sequel to Always There, can you have the cast, the band, Hayden and her husband and son, Mick’s wife Seraina Schönenberger, and Vince’s wife Rain Andreani attend the premiere? Tommy’s wife Brittany Furlan is part of the cast. She’s the one who crawls up to Iwan and asks “hey, are you in the band” in the opening scene. Hayden was born a Sixx and changed her last name when she got married. Her son was born in 2018, the year the cast filmed the movie.

Read Always There

A/N: This was a tough one, but I really, really tried. 

Cameras were flashing at the premiere of “The Dirt”. Y/N and Nikki held hands, smiling for the cameras.

They had taken a few group photos with Vince, Tommy and Mick before Nikki and Y/N took theirs together.

It took them years to help write the book, months of pre-production, months of filming, and god knows how long for editing, but here it was. The project was a labor of love and something the couple were happy to do together.

Like everything in their life - music, rehab, family - Y/N and Nikki were in together, side-by-side.

“Y/N!”

Y/N turned to see Violetta Donaghue, the actress who played her in the movie. Violetta waved at her from across the carpet.

Y/N, who served as a co-producer on the movie, was adamant about finding the right actress to portray her. She was just as adamant about making sure the actress and actor playing her and Nikki weren’t milking their relationship on screen. It had to look real and honest.

It was by coincidence that Y/N found Violetta. Y/N was looking at videos of Douglas Booth (after seeing his audition for Nikki on tape) on YouTube when she discovered a video of Douglas and Violetta entitled “Douglas Booth and Violetta Donaghue’s Cutest Moments.”

The two had starred in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, playing husband and wife. Their chemistry was undeniable, both on and and off screen. It reminded Y/N of her and Nikki back in the day and was hell bent on having the two of them to portray her and Nikki on screen. 

Surprisingly enough, convincing the couple to do it together was fairly easy. Both Violetta and Douglas were excited to work together.

Y/N excused herself from Nikki, leaving him to take pictures with Douglas and the rest of the boys. She made her way to Violetta, wrapping her arms around her.

“Y/N Sixx, congrats on the movie!” the reporter said. “Tell me, how much guidance did you give Violetta in terms of portraying you.”

“Well, we both spent so much time together during the pre-production, like almost every single day, you know, practicing and going over scenes and where my thought process was at that time,” Y/N explained. “Violetta was always asking questions, making sure I felt I was represented properly, which for me was so comforting. I’m extremely grateful to have had her play me. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.”

Violetta gave Y/N a hug. “I’m gonna fucking cry,” she chuckled.

Y/N threw her head back laughing.

“It’s been such an honor to play a badass, just, fucking incredible woman who rose above everything and made herself the legend she is,” Violetta said. “There are things about her that have inspired me personally and I’m overall extremely lucky to have gotten to play her.”

“Shit now I’m gonna cry,” Y/N laughed.

The two women laughed and Y/N said, “C’mon, let’s get our picture so we can go party.”

She took Violetta’s hand as the two women posed together for the camera before Douglas and Nikki swooped in.

“They want a group photo of us with the actors,” Nikki said

Y/N nodded as she and Violetta joined Nikki, Douglas, Iwan, Mick, Colson, Tommy, and Vince. Daniel, the actor who played Vince, was unable to attend but sent his best.

After a few photos, Nikki leaned in and whispered, “Let’s head inside.”

She nodded when it hit her. “Where’s Hayden and Ashton?”

“She texted me that they’re inside. They didn’t want to do pictures.”

Y/N nodded understandingly as Nikki took her hand and they made their way off the carpet.

Inside the afterparty, Y/N scanned the room for her daughter and son-in-law, finding them off to the side with Brittany Furlan, Tommy’s wife.

Y/N ran over to her daughter, her daughter’s eyes lighting up at the sight of her mom. 

Hayden was Nikki and Y/N’s only child. Nikki and Y/N married in 1989, and waited a few years to have a child. In 1992, Hayden Delilah was born. She had Nikki’s jet black hair and Y/N’s sparkling eyes and smile. She had the wild child look guys dug and girls wanted to be like. It was that same look that made her a successful fashion model, having been the face for Dior, Gucci, and was for a brief time, a Victoria Secret angel.  

 The mother and daughter embraced in a tight hug. 

“I’m so happy you guys came!” Y/N said. 

“Yeah, we’re excited to be here!” Hayden said.  Ashton, Hayden’s husband, came over and gave him mother-in-law a hug. He was a professional hockey player with tousled, dark brown hair,  thick eyebrows and a jawline that could cut someone. He smiled at his mother-in-law, going in for a hug. 

“I was half-expecting you to have a black eye after the last game,” Y/N remarked. 

He laughed. “I was lucky. The other guy, not so much.” 

“So where’s my grandbaby? Where’s Nick?” Y/N inquired. 

“She was showing me pictures and I swear to God, I’m gonna steal that baby,” Brittany interjected. “He has the most beautiful eyes.”

“I know!” Y/N said, putting her hand on Brittany’s shoulder. “Like every time that baby looks at me I just wanna cry. I don’t care how biased I am, he is the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.” 

“Are you guys going to have more?” Brittany asked Hayden and Ashton. 

The couple shrugged. “We’re just enjoying time with him,” Hayden answered. 

“Holy shit!” Colson said as he, Violetta, and Douglas joined them. “Last time I saw you, you were fucking huge.” 

Hayden cackled as she threw her arms around the rapper. Hayden visited set a lot last year while she was pregnant with Nick. She had taken a year off from modeling to enjoy pregnant life and spent time hanging out with her parents on set of “The Dirt”. 

“Can you believe he’s going to be one soon?” Hayden said. 

“He’s gonna be one?!” Violetta exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?! Where has the time gone?” 

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Brittany agreed. 

Y/N let them finish their conversation as she went off to Nikki, who was deep in conversation with Mick and his wife, Seraina.

==========================================

Hours later, Nikki and Y/N watched as Colson and Hayden performed karaoke together. Y/N had her head nestled on Nikki’s shoulder. 

“Douglas said he’s gonna propose to Violetta,” Nikki told her. 

Y/N lifted her head up. “Are you serious? When?” 

He shrugged. “He didn’t say. Just that he was looking at rings. He already got her dad’s permission.” Nikki chuckled and motioned to Ashton, who Tommy currently had in a headlock as Brittany took a photo of them. “Remember when Ashton asked us?” 

She chuckled, the memory playing over in her head. Ashton had managed to get both Y/N and Nikki alone. His nerves were nowhere to be seen, but he was honest and vulnerable about his feelings towards their daughter. It reminded Y/N of how Nikki proposed to her. No drama or over-the-top props - just him laying out his feelings about why he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

She turned to face Nikki. “You know how I knew it was real between Douglas and Violetta?” 

“How?” 

“When they were doing the scene of us after we found each other after...you know...” She shook her head. “ I remember after the cameras rolled and Violetta couldn’t stop crying and neither could Douglas...how they clung onto each other. I felt like I was watching us.” 

Nikki smiled, taking her hand in his. “I felt that way throughout filming.” 

Their eyes turned to Douglas and Violetta, who were conversing with Mick, Seraina, Vince, and Vince’s wife Rain Andreani. Douglas’ hand soothingly rubbed up and down Violetta’s back, much like how Nikki had done and still did with Y/N. 

While they were happy to see their love story inspired another couple to live happily ever after together, it was nothing compared to the real thing.

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You for a Second? CH16

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

Read on AO3

Start from the beginning Chp 1 on AO3

Chapter 16

(Please enjoy this EXTRA LONG chapter because I can and I hope you're ready for what this chapter entails, cause it's a fun one.)

Marinette woke up excited. She was going to get to see Adrien today! It felt as though the whole house was buzzing. Alice came back from her one-on-one with a rose and Juliette was calmly helping Hanna get ready. Everyone else was in a frenzy. They knew that with so many girls on one date, they would have to fight for time. Marinette was just hoping that some girls (cough cough Lila) didn’t take that literally.

When it was time to leave, Marinette and Hanna gave Juliette a hug. “Have fun! Kick some ass!” Juliette called as they ran for the van, which made both Hanna and Marinette burst into giggles the minute the set foot on the van. The ride didn’t feel very long with all of the girls chatting with each other and in no time, they were pulling to a stop.

They were greeted by a producer who led them inside a warehouse with a smile. As they followed, they were greeted with what was obviously a film set of some sort. It looked a lot like what the mansion looked like on Cocktail Party nights with cameras and lights and microphones everywhere. They walked further into the space and was greeted both by Adrien, who looked handsome as always, and another man who looked to be in his late 20s.

“Hello ladies, and thank you for joining me today,” Adrien began, smiling at all of them in turn. “I have something super exciting planned for you. Most of you may not know this, but my mother was an actress before she disappeared. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to star in a movie and today we will be doing just that. I have here with me a popular film director, Jean Vigo, who is going to be directing our film today.”

The other man stepped forward and addressed the girls, “Yes, hello to you all. Today we are going to be filming a short movie, which will be a mystery. Someone has stolen Adrien’s heart and he will have to search through the list of suspects to see who has it. All of you have assigned parts and will be fitted for costumes. First, let’s pass out scripts and I need you to begin memorizing lines.”

Marinette waited as a crew member stepped forward and began calling out the girls’ names. They each had a script, which was about 13 pages long, with their names on it and their highlighted lines marked. Marinette would be playing the role of the undercover detective, who was sent to aid Adrien in his investigation without him knowing.

Marinette was actually really excited about this. Although she had been separated from Hanna, who was playing the role of a lawyer, Marinette, out of all the girls, would get to spend the most time with Adrien while practicing and shooting.

She was in the first group to be fitted for costumes, which meant she’d be memorizing her lines while waiting on everyone else to be fitted. She was wearing this sexy red dress that had a low neckline and the sleeves were off-the-shoulder while going into a full long sleeve. It had a sparkle to it, and clung to Marinette in just the right places.  It also had a fake holster on her thigh, which made Marinette feel both sexy and uncomfortable. Inside the holster was a fake gun, a fake knife, and her badge. Right at the end of the movie, after Marinette revealed that she was the undercover cop, she would seductively pull out her badge and gun. The costume department did a wonderful job dressing her and she was waiting for the rest of the group to be done. She was spending some time memorizing her lines when she heard a shrill scream from nearby.

“OH MY GOSH! I can’t believe that I DON’T get to kiss Adrien in the movie! Who in the WORLD wrote this script? And you’re making me wear THIS? Is this EVEN a Gabriel original, because I’m a model and know good style. This is NOT good style! This is TRASH and I REFUSE to be a part of this!”

Marinette had to stifle an eye-roll. Lila was already causing a scene and they had only just arrived at the date. Marinette was silently hoping that Adrien would hear about this outburst and have a good reason to kick her out, but she tried not to get her hopes up.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Rossi. But, that’s your assigned costume and not every girl can have a kiss scene with Adrien. Miss Dupain-Cheng doesn’t have a kiss scene and she’s not complaining.” Why did I have to get dragged into this? Marinette wondered as she slowly turned towards the crew member talking with Lila. Lila chose that moment to shoot Marinette a glare, which Marinette returned with a smile.

“Well if Miss Marinette Dupain-Cheng can get over it, then I guess I can too. She is the favorite after all. I want to be just like her.” Lila’s voice was as sweet as a macaroon and stung like poison. Lila slowly approached Marinette and she took that time to size her up. Lila was currently barefoot, and Marinette discovered that she wasn’t as tall as she made herself seem, only a couple of inches taller than Marinette. She was also dressed in a typical maid outfit, black and white dress, modest skirt length, odd looking headband. She was very angry, though, and Marinette knew something was about to go down and was preparing herself for a fight. But, when Lila put her hand gently on Marinette’s shoulder and leaned forward towards Marinette’s ear, she was so in shock she didn’t do anything.

“Come with me,” Lila whispered in a deadly way.

 Marinette did as she was told, half curious and half trying not to make more of a scene. The two girls ended up in a bathroom together, since the cameras can’t follow anyone into a bathroom.

Lila roughly pushed Marinette inside and after Marinette had righted herself with a frown, she crossed her arms and stared Lila down. Lila copied her stance and crept closer to Marinette.

“I knew you would be the problem child on the first night.” Marinette rolled her eyes but Lila ignored it. “You have done nothing but ruin all of my well thought out plans. I am meant to marry Adrien Agreste. You have no hope of winning his affections and honestly, you’re so pathetic I’m having trouble seeing you as actual competition. You need to sit down and leave me and my future husband alone, do you hear me? If you keep up this ‘I’m the perfect child’ act, I’ll have no choice but to turn all of your friends against you and force the public to see me as the good guy.”

Marinette had to admit that the speech was slightly terrifying. Thankfully, being Ladybug for so long, had rubbed off some of that courage and strength into her normal, everyday life. Plus no one talks about her Kitty that way. “Leave me alone. You have no ‘right’ over Adrien and you don’t own him. He is here to make his own decisions and you have to play by the rules just like everyone else.”

Lila paused, but only for a minute, before stepping even closer to Marinette. They were merely inches away when she dropped her voice and whispered with a straight tone, “Give me your dress.”

“Excuse me?” Marinette asked incredulously, while taking a step back to better look at Lila.

“I said, give me your dress. I’m going to play the sexy detective and you are going to play the pathetic maid and just spend the entire movie dusting and being annoying.”

“No.” Marinette muttered that word with all of the contempt and confidence she could muster.

Lila looked as though she had been slapped and reached out and pulled on a sleeve of Marinette’s dress. “Fine, then I’ll take care of it myself.” She gripped Marinette’s arm with a vice like grip and yanked down. Marinette heard the fabric ripping and watched as her sleeve fluttered to the floor. Marinette bent to pick it up, anger rising, and when she looked back, Lila had turned and was looking at herself in the mirror. She had her hand raised and was looking as if she was going to high-five herself or something odd when a huge CRACK was heard.

Marinette couldn’t believe her eyes. Lila had slapped herself. She had tears running down her face and a red hand print was beginning to appear. She gave Marinette a devious smile before reaching for the doorknob of the bathroom door.

“I can’t believe it, Marinette!” Lila yelled as she opened the door to the camera crew waiting outside. Her tears were flowing down her cheeks and someone was rushing up to Lila immediately to help her. “I thought you were my friend! Just leave me alone!” Lila cried as she was ushered away by a producer. Marinette could only stare after her in shock as a producer rushed up to her and said, “Well, looks like we need an interview.”

                       ----------------------------------------------------

Adrien had just finished putting on his costume and was working on his lines when the producer who had originally told Adrien about Gabriel’s plans for the show, Mark, rushed up to him in a hurry. He’d never seen a producer rush before and was curious as to what the occasion would be.

“So sorry to bother you Adrien, but something’s happened you need to know about.”

Mark’s tone of voice put Adrien on edge. He stood up quickly, forgetting his script and followed him to a room off to the side, near where the girls were getting ready. Inside was Lila and she looked a mess. She was dressed in an adorable maid outfit that actually made Lila seem older and more mature. Adrien’s attention, however, was quickly drawn to the red handprint shaped mark on her cheek and the tears running down her face.

“Oh my gosh, Lila what happened?”

At that, she broke down into sobs, and between the sobs Adrien was able to piece together the story. She was in the bathroom fixing her make-up, when Marinette came storming and claiming that Lila was ruining all of her plans and that she was meant to be with Adrien. Lila tried to tell her that she meant no harm when she freaked out and told Lila that she would turn all of her friends against her and that she would look like the good guy. Lila tried to calm Marinette and accidentally ripped her dress. Marinette freaked out and slapped Lila.

Adrien was having a hard time processing this. It didn’t make sense. Marinette didn’t seem like the kind of girl to go off and become violent with anyone. He thought back to the Marinette that said all of those wonderful things about him multiple times Saturday night. This didn’t sit right and he needed to get to the bottom of it. Adrien remembered what Plagg had told him, about dealing with the drama. “Lila, I’m so sorry this happened to you. Let’s get you fixed up and ready to go for the movie and I’ll see you in a bit okay?” He turned on his heel and walked right out the room, itching to find Marinette and see what her take on this was.

As Adrien searched through the warehouse where they were filming, he knew he should be memorizing his lines but was much more concerned about this. He had to do what Plagg suggested and solve this before it got too big to handle. Finally, he found Marinette, leaving another small room with a camera crew and looking harassed.

“Marinette! I’m glad I found you. We need to talk.” Marinette looked almost upset at those words but solemnly nodded and gestured for him to lead the way. He led her to the boys bathroom, knowing full well that no one else would need it and that way they could talk without the cameras following them. Maybe he could get the full truth from her with more privacy.

“So,” Adrien began watching Marinette and her reactions closely. “I was just talking with Lila.” At that, Marinette’s eyes flared. Adrien took a step back away from Marinette, but continued anyway. “She said—”

“I don’t care what she said, it's totally false. I did not touch her, I did not say anything to her except defend you when she claimed that she owned you. She is the one who ripped my dress after asking me to switch roles with her. She also slapped herself right after she threatened me and I was too stunned to say anything. Plus, who would believe me? Who in their right mind would slap themselves? Adrien,” She grabbed his arm and forced him to meet her eyes, “I promise that I have nothing to do with this.” Marinette was breathing heavily and had tears streaming down her face. Adrien noticed that she was gorgeous while determined and crying, and his heart twinged a little. He shook his head to clear it, he couldn’t be thinking of how pretty she was when he was supposed to be clearing the air.

She looked up at him with a fierce determination and he could tell that she was telling the truth. He had gotten to know her well enough to know for sure. Plus, she once told him that she always keeps her promises, and she has given him no reason to doubt her. Lila on the other hand messed with Marinette at the last rose ceremony and seems to thrive off of drama. That gave him reason to doubt her.

“You have to believe me, Adrien. I would never lie to you.”

He immediately thought of Ladybug. She had that same look in her eyes when fighting an akuma, or telling Chat that she knew where the akuma was located. He trusted her blindly and it always worked out for him. Now, he owed Marinette that same trust.

“I believe you, but the other girls won’t. Lila seems really upset,” at that Marinette rolled her eyes, “and I can’t allow this drama to be present or made to seem okay.” He paused for a minute, thinking up a plan. “Okay, I have an idea.”

                        ----------------------------------------------------

Adrien walked Marinette to the main room where they could clearly be seen by the cameras. He made sure there was some sort of distance between them and he led her straight to the room where he had left Lila, who was graciously still there.

“Marinette, Lila, I know something happened earlier today that needs to be discussed. I’ve heard each of your takes on the story and I have decided what’s the best thing to do with both of you. Lila, I want you to be cleaned up and ready to play the maid in the movie.” Lila’s face flashed a look of anger before going back to a calm demeanor.

“Whatever you want, Adrien. But, what will happen to Marinette?” Lila asked with a sniffle, getting up calmly from her chair. Adrien was hoping that she would think he sided with her, as the rest of the girls and crew would side as well. Adrien was just hoping that he could catch the camera crew that followed the girls to the bathroom before Lila did.

“As for Marinette,” Adrien made a show of turning towards her. She did a wonderful job of looking very upset and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Adrien took a deep breath and tried to sound as much like his Father as he could. “She is going to be excused from the day-portion of the date. She and I will have a talk tonight at the evening portion and her fate will be decided then.”

Lila seemed satisfied with that answer and sauntered out of the room, making sure the give Adrien a peck on the cheek as she left. Adrien, now slightly blushing watched as the rest of the crew followed after her. He turned towards Marinette again and asked, “Can I walk you out?” She nodded and he led her towards the exit of the warehouse, making sure no one was following them.

He grabbed her hand before she got in the van. “This isn’t goodbye. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Marinette nodded and, without warning, pulled Adrien into a hug. His arms automatically wrapped around her and he couldn’t help but take in her smell and the feel of her in his arms. It was something he could get used to.

“I trust you,” Marinette whispered into his chest, where her head rested. He couldn’t help but smile at that as he let her go and opened the van door for her.

“Tonight.” He reminded her, not wanting to let go of her hand.

“Tonight.” She gave his hand a squeeze and then let go and shut the door.

                    ----------------------------------------------------

Adrien felt a tug on his heart as he watched the car leave the lot. As soon as it had turned the corner, he rushed back inside and beelined for the main producers.

“I need footage of the fight that happened between Marinette and Lila.” He always forgot how much like his Father he could sound like until moments like these. He was directed towards the crew that followed them and was allowed to watch the tape.

All that could be seen was the bathroom door, but everything was clearly heard. The hardest part was that since there is no way to know who was saying what, exactly, both Marinette and Lila’s story could be true. He pulled aside one of the producers and asked if some sort of voice recognition could be done on the video so he could know exactly who said what. He was told that it was possible, it would just take a couple of days, maybe even a week to complete.

Adrien nodded and returned to the fake movie set, where his script and un-memorized lines were waiting.

A couple hours later, Adrien was dressed in a decent suit and casually making a movie with 11 beautiful girls. They had cut out Marinette’s character completely, and he ended up having a kiss scene with every girl willing, including Lila. Each one put their full effort into the date, even if some of them were not very good actresses. Overall, Adrien decided the date would have been more fun if Marinette had been there to enjoy it with him.

Word got around quickly (thanks to Lila, no doubt) that Marinette had been asked to leave the day portion of the date. He had to reassure a hyperventilating Hanna that Marinette would be at the night portion of the date and that he had not kicked her out of the house. He was approached by others, both worried about Marinette’s safety and claiming her innocence.

“Adrien,” the cool, crisp voice of Kagami cut through his thoughts as he watched the girls pack up to leave for the night portion. “Can we talk?” Adrien smiled at her and gestured to a more secluded corner where no cameras were sure to find them.

“What’s up?”

“It’s about Marinette. I need to tell you that she did not harm Lila.”

Adrien was a little taken aback by her statement. Kagami didn’t ever seem to interact with the other girls and only talked with Adrien privately. He had never even seen Kagami interact with Marinette, especially be friends with her enough for her to come to Marinette’s defense.

“I didn’t realize you and Marinette are close.”

“We aren’t. I just know that she is innocent. I am very perceptive of these things and I can usually read the motives or the thoughts of a person before most. When I saw Lila after the incident, her motives were clear.”

Adrien waited for Kagami to elaborate, but she didn’t. He sighed and bit back a small smile. Kagami was interesting, and someone that Adrien could definitely see himself falling for. But, there was a side of her that didn’t seem to understand a lot of social situations, much like himself. He really grew to care for her during their fencing date. He felt as though that was the first time she opened up and connected with Adrien, without even saying a word.

He knew that pushing Kagami to clarify would only lead him to be more confused, so he instead rested a hand on her shoulder. “Thank you for telling me, Kagami. I appreciate you bringing more clarity to the situation.” She gave him a slight bow, like they would at the beginning of a fencing match, before walking away.

All the signs pointed to Marinette being in the right, but without a confirmed voice recognition test tonight, he was going to have to treat Marinette like the bad guy.

                       ----------------------------------------------------          

Marinette had never been more nervous for the second half of a date. Last week she was addressed by Gabriel Agreste himself, and this week she would have to be on the receiving end of Adrien’s anger, even if it wasn’t true. He had told her his plan with the voice recognition software, but if there was one thing that Alya taught her, it was that things like that take time, which means that she wouldn’t be liked by many tonight.

She had the whole afternoon to change and prepare for the evening portion of their date and was itching to see other people again. She met up with the group right outside of the hotel that was hosting them tonight, and was ushered to the back of the group as they were filmed entering.

She could feel both the cameras and Hanna watching her more than normal and she sighed as the realization that it was going to be like that the whole date hit her. She sat at the edge of the couch, right in Lila’s eye sight, and waited for Adrien to come and make his toast.

Before too long, Adrien entered, smiling and looking handsome, as usual. Just the sight of him in a suit got her heart racing and made her palms sweaty. “Long time no see, ladies.” Adrien smirked, causing all of the girls to laugh. Marinette gave a weak chuckle. “It’s so wonderful to see you all in your normal clothes, and may I say you all look stunning tonight.” Adrien’s eyes swept the group and landed on Marinette. She felt a slight blush hit her cheeks and she quickly looked down at her lap, hoping no one caught the slight edge of her smile.

“I am so excited to talk with each of you tonight and I want you all to know that I value your feelings and opinions very much.” On that ominous note, Adrien turned towards Marie with a smile and a, “Can I steal you for a second?” to which he received a nod.

Once Adrien was out of earshot, the girls began chatting and Hanna grabbed Marinette’s wrist. “Let’s go to the bathroom.”

Marinette gave her a weak smile and followed her to the closest bathroom, locking the door behind her. She then turned on both of the sinks. “What are you doing?”

“Making background noise so no one can hear what’s being said outside.” Hanna said with the most serious face Marinette had ever seen her wear.

Marinette smiled, “That’s brilliant!”

The girls retreated as far from the door as they could and Marinette explained her side of the story to Hanna. When she had finished, Hanna was shaking with anger.

“That girl! Ugh! What does she have against you to continuously target you?”

“I don’t know, but Hanna we have to let it go. I promise that I have a plan and Adrien believes me, he believes that I’m innocent.” Marinette gently placed her hands on Hanna’s shoulders, the physical touch calming her slightly.

“I just don’t want to see anything happen to you, Marinette. You’re one of my best friends, tied with Juliette of course.”

“And I don’t want anything to happen to you, which is why you need to stay out of it. I’m used to fighting people like Lila and I can’t let you get twisted in this battle she’s created.” Marinette pulled Hanna in for a hug and they just held each other for a minute. “Just think of Lila like one of the akumas I’ve had to deal with. My best friend back home told me that, ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing.’ Lila is the evil here, and I’m the good people. Just like in my stories. Good always wins.”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir always save the day.” Hanna said, pulling away from Marinette and giving her hands a squeeze.

Hanna had no idea how true that statement actually was.

                     ----------------------------------------------------

Adrien was having flashbacks to his first night ever being the Bachelor: so many girls and very short conversations. At least this time he knew all of their names.

He had purposefully saved Lila and Marinette for last, hoping to spend more time with each of the girls smoothing out the fight from earlier. The last thing he needed was another akumatization of one of the girls. Lila was first, and he didn’t have a clue what he was going to say. Without his proof, he couldn’t confront her, so his main goal of the talk was to just keep her calm and content until he could confront her with the truth when he had it.

When Lila was instructed to interrupt his conversation with Camille, Adrien plastered on a fake smile and reminded himself that it would all be over soon.

“Hey gorgeous,” she teased as she gave Adrien a hug and a kiss. He made sure it was a short one and had her sit down with him to talk.

“How are you doing after everything today?” He asked, trying hard not to let the anger color his voice.

She had the audacity to give him a sad smile and a sniffle before replying, “I’m doing much better. Thank you so much for dealing with Marinette. She’s been so mean to me since the first night in the mansion and I just didn’t know how to tell you.” She sounded like a small child talking about their lost puppy, and Adrien worked to keep the grimace off of his face.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure that, especially here on the show. All I want is for all of you to be happy and comfortable while I work out how I feel about everyone.”

Lila gave a giggle that was probably supposed to be cute, but Adrien wasn’t about it. “You are the sweetest thing.” She had begun to play with his tie, which if he remembered correctly from various movies he had watched meant that she was probably flirting with him. Adrien took that as a good sign that she couldn’t see how upset he was with her.

She gave him a look that could only be described as sultry and leaned in close enough for their breaths to mix. “What is your heart saying about me?” He stuttered slightly, not prepared for their proximity for each other and knowing that the truthful answer wouldn’t please her. She took his silence as something other than the uneasiness that it was and moved even closer to him, to where she was sitting on his lap. “Or are you paying attention to what the other parts of you are saying?” Adrien gulped and her hand started to slip from his tie towards the bottom of his shirt. He quickly intercepted it and twined his fingers through hers to prevent her from trying to do whatever she was planning on doing again.

Adrien swallowed and gave a weak smile, “My heart is telling me that there is more to you than meets the eye, and that I want to get to know you even more as our time together continues.” Technically that wasn’t a lie.

“Does that mean you want me to stick around?” Lila asked playfully. He had forgotten that she had two hands, so when the other one began petting his hair, he almost jumped. But he quickly smiled to cover his skittish movements when an idea popped into his head.

“Actually, I do.” The smile on her face almost made him gag. “I was going to wait to ask you next week, but I was hoping you’d do me the honor of having a one-on-one date with me.”

Lila’s smile got bigger and she leaned in for a kiss. This one lasted longer and Adrien had a harder time pushing her off of him. “Oh, Adrien I would love to have some more alone time with you,” she gushed.

“We’re still going to have to go through the formalities with the date card and whatnot. Plus, you can’t tell a soul, it’s just between me and you for now.” She nodded and leaned in for another kiss. He was so over this kissing.

Adrien’s saving grace came in the form of heels clicking from afar, which made Lila pull back. She gracefully slid off of Adrien’s lap and gently grabbed his hand, making it look like nothing had transpired between them right as Marinette rounded the corner. Marinette smiled nervously and Adrien stood up, taking Lila with him. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to have a serious conversation with Marinette now.”

Lila nodded solemnly and pulled him in for one last hug. He counted to five before pushing her away and letting go of her hand. His gaze immediately went to Marinette and his whole body seemed to relax. He made sure to make his smile look grim as he caught her hand and led her to the chaise.

“So, how was the rest of the date?”

“What are your thoughts on today?”

Both Marinette and Adrien started at the same time, causing them both to laugh. Adrien couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on his face. “You first.”

Marinette hadn’t let go of Adrien’s hand and was playing with his fingers, like Ladybug did sometimes when he was upset. She also wouldn’t look at him. “I think you should go first.”

Adrien paused slightly, suddenly very aware of the cameras watching, before diving right in, “I know you told me your side of the story about what happened with Lila today, but I need you to know that Lila’s version is the complete opposite of yours. And that means one of you is lying to me, and that bothers me a great deal.” Adrien held up his hand as Marinette went to open her mouth to speak, and she quickly shut it, looking dejected. “Now before you say anything, I need you to know that I am analyzing the footage that was taken from outside of the bathroom and trying to piece together for myself what happened in there.”

Marinette glanced up at him slightly and spoke just loudly enough for the cameras to catch it, “What does that mean for you and me?”

Adrien bit his cheek to keep from grinning. Should fashion not work out for her, she has a serious career potential in movies. She is a wonderful actress. She is selling this so well.

“I’m going to keep you around,” Adrien said with a soft smile, reaching out to lift her chin up. Her blue eyes locked into his and he could see real hurt there. He froze, suddenly worried that Marinette may actually think that he is mad at her. He wanted to ask her right then, but since he couldn’t be sure she would answer him not in character, he moved on with the conversation as planned.

“Marinette, I really care for you. I have a serious crush and I am very interested in seeing where this relationship can go. But I need you to know, I will not date a liar. If you are the one not telling the truth, please come clean with me now, and it’ll make it easier on both of us later.”

She was still looking him in the eye and they had subconsciously moved closer together though Adrien knew he wouldn’t be kissing her tonight. “I promise you, Adrien. I’m not the one lying to you. I care about you too much to do something like that.”

Adrien smiled fully now and stood up, once again, taking the girl attached to his hand with him. Although he didn’t mind this attachment as much as the last. “Thank you for your honesty, Marinette.” He pulled her in for a hug, and with his mouth covered by her hair, whispered, “Please, please stay so we can chat.”

She pulled away and gave him a smile, which he chose to interpret as a yes. He watched her walk away and was struck with how much harder it was to see her go than any of the other girls.

Once she was out of sight, he was whisked away to choose who received the group date rose. He honestly chose a random name that wasn’t Lila or Marinette and went ahead to present it.

“Hello again, everyone. I had such a wonderful time talking with all of you and I am so grateful that I was actually able to spend time with all of you tonight. There are so many of you, it felt like my first day at the mansion all over again, but it was better because our conversations were deeper and real.” Some of the girls awed at that, and he made a mental note to thank the producer who wrote most of his speeches. He reached out and grabbed the rose sitting on the table. “One of you really opened up to me tonight and I wanted to show how thankful I am for that.” He searched the group, noticing both Lila’s awaiting eyes, and Marinette’s patient ones as his gaze landed on who he had chosen. “Zoe, will you accept this rose?”

Zoe beamed and blushed a bright red. She stood up clumsily and almost tripped, but was caught by both Adrien and Lucie grabbing her arms. “Oh goodness! Thanks,” Zoe was even more red than before as she took the rose from Adrien and quickly sat back down.

A producer stepped up and began assigning girls to rooms for interviews and Adrien watched Marinette slip away towards the bathrooms. He quickly followed.

As he got closer to her, his heartbeat quickened and his hands started to get clammy. He didn’t know why he was reacting to her like this, but he had this crazy urge to kiss her. He settled this time for a hug.

“You did a wonderful job on that speech! You made it so easy to not be super happy to be with you.” Marinette said, craning her neck to look up at him. He loved how small she was and how easily she fit into him. Her hugs reminded him of the comfort and safeness he felt when hugging Ladybug.

“You did such a great job. I was terrified you were actually upset with me,” Adrien gushed, letting a little of his worry into his voice.

“How could I be mad at a plan that you created? Lila seemed pretty happy when I saw her after you two talked. So that’s a really good sign.”

Adrien shivered a little, remembering what his talk with Lila had really been like. He looked back down at Marinette, and the urge to kiss her overcame him again. He channeled some of his inner Chat Noir and dove right in. She was clearly startled at first, and he almost pulled away. But then, he felt her lips soften against his. She began kissing him back and he realized how intoxicating kissing her was. He was on cloud-nine and he never wanted to come down. When they did break apart, Adrien was slightly out of breath, and he was pleased to see that Marinette was as well. They both stood there in the moment, just smiling at each other and forgetting that an entire other world existed around them.

“What was that for?” Marinette asked, her breathy tone doing dangerous things to his body.

“I wanted to kiss you so bad earlier, but couldn’t because I was pretending to be upset with you. I was going to go crazy if I didn’t get that kiss tonight.” Adrien realized he was sharing a lot to one of the 14 girls he was currently dating, but he didn’t feel embarrassed.

Marinette flushed a darker shade of red and just smiled at him. They both jumped when a crew member dropped something nearby, reminding them both that they were actually not alone, nor supposed to be together.

Marinette was the first to react. “Oh no, I have to go! They are going to be looking for me to interview soon!” Adrien didn’t want her to walk away, and held her hand a little longer. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you again Saturday at the cocktail party.” He nodded and watched her walk away once again.

Kissing Marinette was wonderful, and thrilling, and familiar. Her lips were soft, sweet, and tasted oddly like strawberry lip gloss. Something about it struck a chord with Adrien, but he pushed it away, and began searching for Mini-Natalie so he could go back to the hotel room and sleep.

~

~

~

Jean Vigo is a movie director in France, but he is not in his late 20s as he actually passed away in 1934, but his picture on Google looked the coolest so that’s why he got chosen to be the director.

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[krisroley]

February 9th, 2021

One Small Moment

Today I want to talk to some specific friends who I won't name, but I'm fairly sure that this will apply to way more of just them.

First things first, I'm not going to insult your intelligence by giving you a bunch of platitudes. In my experience, they're nothing but empty calories. Filler and no substance, they're designed to make the person giving them feel better, not the person who needs help. In some cases, people who need help end up feeling worse. I'm one of those people, so I absolutely understand the feeling. So, no bullshit from me. Cool? Moving on.

Let me describe my lack of bona fides right upfront. I'm a guy with a high school education and one year of college because I let my dick do the thinking up to the point that I ended up homeless and friendless. I tried to follow in my Dad's footsteps and join the military and washed right out after six months because I have a mouth bigger than my brain. I come from a family that describing as dysfunctional is exceedingly generous. My dad had anger issues, my mother was a narcissist manipulator, as is my brother. He's got a criminal record and is probably on his way back to prison for at least 12 years as I write this. I'm the voice of reason in my family, and as I have said repeatedly, this should scare the fuck out of you. I got married at 24, and I had three kids by the age of 30. I've been dirt poor most of that time. At this stage of my life, I believe that I am an undiagnosed case of autism from the 1970s because my kids--all of them--are on the spectrum. I didn't have a bad childhood if you looked at it from one angle, but I had a horrible one if you looked at it from the inside out. I inherited my Dad's anger issues and my mother's narcissism. I was a horrible husband for years until my wife walked out on me in 2005. It made me face myself in a way I had not seen before, and I couldn't take it. I had a nervous breakdown. My wife thought I was worth saving, and I am forever grateful for it. I promised I would work on my issues, and I have. Three times in my life, I thought I was at the end of my rope. Not from a thought of suicide ideation, just that there was nowhere else to turn. No one else to ask for help. No one else I could lean on. Just Roley.

That moment right there is the point. The entire lesson. One small moment when your brain says, "Well, you're really fucked now, aren't you?" There is only one answer to that question, and that answer is yes because if you answer no, you ain't there yet. Trust me on this. You have to answer yes. This is the moment where you're accountable to no one but you, and you cannot lie to yourself. You can TRY. It ain't gonna work. Not for long.

Let's not bullshit ourselves. There is a lot of work in repairing a life that you fucked up on your own. You climb up out of a hole for years before you ever see daylight. I was a shut-in for two years because I thought it better that the world forgets about me. I tried to make a living from home in 2006-2007, but this world we live in hadn't come to pass yet, and I was living a fantasy. It made me feel worse that I couldn't provide for my family, but I could barely function as a human at that point. So I decided to do the only work I was capable of: Working on myself. I read every self-help book and mental health book I could lay my hands on. I dug deep into myself to try to figure out why I was the person I was, how I became that way, and the answer was straightforward. First, I thought I was absolutely normal. My behavior, though abhorrent, was how I was raised. My parents treated each other and us kids horribly, but it wasn't physically abusive save for a couple of times I'll keep to myself. I grew up in the same environment I perpetuated. I was continuing a cycle. Secondly, to accept that fact and to change meant work I wasn't ready to take on. But human psychology is a lot like a car in that regard; you can do the work now, or you can do it later, but it's going to cost you a lot more. In my case, it almost cost me everything. It was the third of those three times that I faced myself in the mirror and heard that voice, and this was the time I said yes.

For two-thirds of my life, my story is a story of failure, of self-hatred, of being a bad example. But from the age of 35 to 50, it's a story of repair and redemption. I'll put my humble path to today up against anyone's and dare them to do the work I've done to heal myself and come out who I am today. I'm still married to the same woman for over 25 years now. I've got three amazing kids who I adore. Up until May of this year, I had what I consider to be a dream job until COVID ate it, but I'm still with the same company, and I'm going to bust whatever amount of ass it takes to get my job back or demonstrate the skills I learned there to someone else who's willing to take me. I have a sense of self-worth and purpose that I've never had before, and I'm not taking being a call center tech support agent for the rest of my life. It is a means to an end, and it is not my life's work. I know what that is. It's helping you in the best way I know how: By being not the example of how to fix it, but from showing you by my example, it CAN BE FIXED that you can go from being a person full of anger and self-loathing and cruel behavior to being a person of kindness and compassion and love for people. That you can go from being a person who has no prospects to a person who can go to a job every day that fulfills them personally and professionally. That you can go from being a person who hasn't got their shit together at all to a person that can get morning to night without falling apart at the seams. This is my road, and my lane, but it's big enough for you, and I want you on this road with me. Some of you are gifted and talented beyond description, but the world doesn't know it yet because you have these problems. I know. I get it. I also see who you are, and the world deserves to see you as well. I had no one else to turn to at that last moment, so I did what I had to do. Myself. I'm asking you to take a walk with me because I don't want you to have to do it on your own. I may not know your way home, but I can get you as far as Anchorhead. You can get transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you're going.

I had to get one joke in there somehow.

Did Joe Know About This?

On the heels of the news of Joe Budden maybe-kinda-sorta-moving his show to Patreon (which is weird since it looks like it’s being hosted on Libsyn now), Spotify has announced plans for multiple business models for podcasts, possibly to include ad-supported subscriptions and a la carte options. These may be discussed at a live stream event later in February.

Asked if Spotify thought customers would be willing to pay for podcasts, Ek on the earnings call responded that he believed there were several new models that could be explored.

“I think we’re in the early days of seeing the long-term evolvement of how we can monetize audio on the internet. I’ve said this before, but I don’t believe that it’s a one-size-fits-all,” he said. “I believe, in fact, that we will have all business models, and that’s the future for all media companies — that you will have ad-supported subscriptions and à la carte sort of in the same space, of all media companies in the future.”

“And you should definitely expect Spotify to follow that strategy and that pattern,” Ek added, more definitively.

The answer seemed to indicate that Spotify is considering some of the ideas in that recent survey — of getting consumers to pay for some podcasts, instead of accessing them all for free or having them bundled into their music subscription.

I wonder if Budden was aware of this and balked. Would there be a revenue split between Spotify and the creators, and what’s the ratio? Now that I think of it, isn’t that what they’ve been crying about re: Apple?

For more than a year, Spotify has been making noise about Apple’s unchecked power over the App Store, and in March 2019, it filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission. Spotify claims Apple’s practice of taking 30 percent of an app’s revenue is unjustified, and says the company operates as a monopoly on iOS.

Suddenly, I find this Budden/Spotify deal more intriguing.

Wait, You Can Make Money Doing That?

Julie Miller from Vanity Fair writes about Hollywood coming over to the Pod Side for ‘fun and profit’:

…entertainment types began orbiting the audio space about two years ago in earnest, as the number of Americans listening to podcasts every month headed toward the 100 million it is today. It was also around 2018 that agencies like CAA began incorporating audio deals into their development packages. One insider estimates that many celebrities could get a six-figure guarantee per year, with the biggest actors receiving between $1 million and $3 million to launch an unscripted podcast. Scripted projects offer less up-front money but can be adapted into TV shows, films, books, and so on.

For the record, I am Steve Jobs, “Podcasts are Amateur Hour" Years Old. For years, podcasting was seen as less-than, so when I see stories like this, the little imp of the perverse in the back of my head tosses a bone at every true media elitist who, strangely, has a podcast now..

How About Not Doing That?

Chris Curran over at PES has a question about your thin mouth:

When I’m doing my fine-tuned editing on a podcast episode I use TwistedWave or Sound Forge because they allow me to VERY QUICKLY zoom in, highlight very small things like single mouthclicks, and delete them. 

When I try to make the same kind of edit in a DAW (Reaper and others) it takes forever. 

What say you?

For the most part, my workflow tends to remove mouth clicks, or at the very least minimize them. If they still show up through my noise gate, I highlight and remove them. I can’t say this happens often because I like to make sure I keep some water near me while I’m recording. The single biggest thing you can do to prevent mouth clicks is to keep hydrated. Remember, you can’t fix it in Post if it never happens in the first place.

Shot Of The Day

[fotostory6t]

20 rzeczy, które powinieneś wiedzieć o fotograf warszawa

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An amazing Audience

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A picture suggests a thousand text. It really is a traditional wisdom that each of us has listened to at least as soon as in the lifetime. There exists a specific fact below but let me choose the freedom to switch it a little to make sure that it stays suitable in the present context. A effectively-taken and crystal clear image suggests a million words and phrases. Will it seem exaggerating? I absolutely Do not Imagine so. Using the escalating affect of social websites for instance Fb, Twitter and Instagram, a picture uploaded to those social media marketing sphere can go viral and staying talked about by millions of folks and well, in all probability over 1,000,000 times.

If you are a pictures enthusiast and you have a electronic digital camera, then life won't be full without having a excellent Image printer. However, as electronic photography is speedily shifting in the direction of cellular units like smartphones and tablets, finding the ideal Image printer is now not a trivial endeavor. That is definitely why dealing with superior Image printer assessments is crucial If you'd like to make sure that the printer that you buy is appropriate Along with the system where by your pictures are taken and saved. The issue you have to question depends upon what unit that you are acquiring. When you have an apple iphone, iPod or iPad, the dilemma might be if the printer supports Apple's AirPrint. Should you have an Android telephone or pill, the issue might be whether or not the printer supports Google's Cloud Print. But this issue is relevant only if you want to print your pictures straight from your cellular units.

As with all new know-how, reception to digital photography was not all lukewarm during its early a long time of introduction. It's a Considerably distinctive picture now as the number of buyers choosing analog digicam is shrinking to near extinction. Based on the current state-of-the-art, it is argueable that analog digital camera however retains couple edges but They're rapidly diminishing. The most significant edge that electronic camera has around its analog counterpart is the more Price tag economical plus much more hassle-free storage. Instead of capturing photos on film that should be formulated thereafter, photos captured employing a digital digital camera usually are stored in SD or Flash memory cards which minimizes the price of Each individual graphic capture to zero. When the most storage ability is attained, the pictures is usually transferred out in to the Computer system and also the storage space is often resetted to its unique ability. Impression preview characteristic is another advantage that is often touted away from electronic cameras. Immediately soon after Each and every impression capture, a single has the capacity to perform a quality Look at about the picture that has just been taken and if preferred, the graphic can just be deleted and retaken.

In choosing for the best Photograph printer, There's 1 fundamental point that is frequently neglected by most customers. The very first thing that almost all potential buyers will likely be weighing is actually the cost tag which is hooked up on the printer. On nearer glance, this upfront Price is not really the greatest component that could draw dollars from shoppers' pocket. It's a typical understanding that major makers which include Canon, will not make the bulk of their take advantage of advertising the printer itself, but within the ink rather. It truly is amusing to know that In spite of these understanding getting obtainable in the general public area, it's one particular element that is certainly most commonly ignored by most people. So, one need to look at the expense of the ink the printer is using and the amount of output which might be churned out of every cartridge in lieu of merely investigating the purchase cost. Ultimately, the greater measurement metric to decide which Picture printer is the greatest might be the cost per printout.

You most likely have switched to digital camera by now. With revenue of smartphones at last surpassing that of 'dumbphones', I wager you might be Keeping on to one presently. With all the technological know-how even now evolving continually, usually do not suppose leading models to become the chief. Even if you find yourself purchasing a Canon printers, be sure you go through Canon photo printer critiques and open up oneself to the entire world of options. There are actually new designs introduced Every so often. And on this planet of technology, disruptive innovation generally originates from challenger and never the incumbent. Will not the listing of most effective Image printers for 2013 will certainly be various from that of past 12 months.

[beardycarrot]

Alright! Now that I’ve finished Aliens Ate My Homework (kids’ books really are just a couple hour read for an adult, huh?), I have in mind some things that I think are important for the movie adaptation to stick to.

The look of the characters should be the easiest thing to nail... their outfits probably won’t match what’s described in the book (movies always feel the need to change that in some capacity), but I don’t really care about that. What I’m more interested in is how they portray the less humanoid characters. Pong, Grakker, and Snout can all be played by actors in costumes, but Tar Gibbons is described as having a lemon-shaped body with four legs, a long neck, and a turtle-like head with bulging bug eyes; that’s gonna be a fully CG character.

The other is Phil, a potted plant. Basically a big stalk covered in leaves and vines, with a flower where a head would be, who moves around with thrusters on his pot. He has a symbiotic relationship with creature called Plink, described as kind of a blue cat-monkey. I really like how this illustration portrays it; even if it looks more like some kind of cartoonie bug, I would be perfectly happy if this is the design the movie goes for. These two are also going to be fully CG, so unless they base it entirely on the description provided for Plink, base its design on an illustration from another artist, or just do their own thing with it, I can’t imagine them finding a way to mess these designs up... but who knows.

BKR, the evil alien, should be interesting. He’s described as having blue skin, pale orange spikes covering his head (I was picturing maybe a dozen four-inch-long spikes, but the spike density could also be interpreted as covering his head like hair), and... otherwise, looking like Shirley Temple? That’s gonna be interesting, but this is also the character I expect them to take the most liberties with. I can’t say why... maybe just from experience with this kind of adaptation.

There are a few major plot points that I think they have to adhere to. First, that the good aliens’ ship is malfunctioning (the illustrations portray the ship as a traditional flying saucer, but I don’t think the design matters much) and they’re stuck shrunken to two inches tall until the end. That’s... basically the only reason for Rod, the protagonist, to be involved. The aliens need to repair their ship, so Rod has to carry them around to investigate BKR.

Secondly, they need to eat his homework. It doesn’t have to be the papier mache volcano and math assignment portrayed in the book, but, I mean, it IS the title of the movie.

Grakker and Snout have an unspecified relationship... Snout is very, VERY clearly based on Spock from Star Trek (in fact, I think the third book in this series is called The Search for Snout, a play on the third Star Trek movie, The Search for Spock), so it might just be a close friendship, but they share a room on the ship while everyone else has their own, so who knows. At one point it’s mentioned that they’re “bonded”. Potentially Gayliens. I don’t remember what their relationship is like in later books.

Next, Rod is incapable of lying. There definitely won’t be a flashback to the traumatizing-to-a-toddler reason for it, but that’s Rod’s defining characteristic: he doesn’t, and can’t, tell lies. Who knows whether that will be included.

Finally, Rod’s dad having been missing for quite a while isn’t a huge part of the story, but it does play an important role. Him lying to Rod’s mom strengthened Rod’s inability to lie (you’re not told what the lie was, but it’s implied that this was the night he left), and towards the end of the story BKR claims to know where he went, and implies that he’s no longer on Earth. I don’t remember if this is a plot point in future books, but Bruce Coville did something pretty similar in My Teacher Flunked The Planet, so it could be. This is the kind of thing that adaptations will just arbitrarily change, though, so who knows.

So! With all that out of the way, it’s time to watch the movie!

...Okay, first thing’s first, the opening credits of the movie are set to shots of a model solar system, so I’m assuming that’s the replacement for the volcano. I’ll allow it. Also, William Shatner is in this movie? What? As who?? The only adult male character in the story is an android of a man in his thirties, and he’s only there for what would amount to two minutes of screen time at the end. Rod’s grandfather is mentioned, but only once, in the context of “this is my grandfather’s farmland”.

Alright, definitely a modern setting. I guess the model isn’t for a science fair, instead being something Rod’s filming on his smartphone with his mom, twin siblings, and... his dad. Now, this looked like is was going to be an adaptation fail, but it turns out this was a flashback to the night he went missing. Clever!

Less clever is this abysmal color grading meant to represent a dark and stormy night, and the fact that they live in a cul-de-sac instead of being out in the middle of some farmland... but that’s not that significant of a change.

For some reason the story now takes place in the winter instead of mid-May, making me wonder where BKR (in the guise of Billy Becker) is getting the bugs to smash against Rod’s head. More importantly, as revealed at the end of the book, most intelligent life in the universe is about three feet tall, which is why BKR is pretending to be a kid while hiding on Earth. Instead of being a foot shorter than Rod, however, he’s now taller. Weird. Rod also now has his cousin Elspeth staying with his family for winter break, for... literally no reason that I can think of. Elspeth is a character from the second book in the series, but she wasn’t even mentioned in the first.

Grakker isn’t quite book-accurate, but not entirely inaccurate either... except for the color of his skin. He’s supposed to be green. What the hell. They whitewashed an alien. On the upside, the dialog in this scene is all pretty book-accurate. Unfortunately, they lose a lot of points with Madame Pong, who is supposed to be a very calm, understanding, zen character... but comes across as a little condescending. Also, this:

What? What?? Why did they keep this book dialog, when the house is VERY CLEARLY part of some kind of housing development area? I legitimately have no idea what they were thinking.

I also have no idea what’s going on here. Elspeth is... I guess looking through family photos on a computer? Ignore the subtitles, that’s from a weather report on tv. What I’m curious about is what exactly is going on in the photo. That’s clearly Rod’s dad, from three years ago... but recent pictures of the twins? Did Rod’s mom, who apparently runs a pet photography business, Photoshop a family ski trip that never happened? Is that what’s being implied here??

We’re then introduced to the rest of the aliens, and... wow, I can’t describe my disappointment. Remember how I said Tar Gibbons and Phil would be fully CG characters? Yeah, that, uhh... that didn’t happen. I was hoping they would do as much of this movie with practical effects as possible, but I meant that in the “get good SFX people” way, not the “do everything as cheaply as possible” way. They’re literally both just guys in suits.

Yeah sure eye stalks and a thick neck are absolutely the same thing as bulging eyes and a long neck. More importantly, look at that clearly human body with extra legs just kinda hanging off the hips. Phil is just as bad. You can’t really tell from still frames, but yeah, he has two vines with leaves coming off of his human-body-proportioned stalk at shoulder level and moves like a guy in a suit... and for some reason, his flower is split into halves so that it can be puppeteered to move like a mouth. Despite the fact that in the book his flower doesn’t even play a part in communication. They could’ve easily just installed a light inside the flower and explained that he communicates through pod burps, and would’ve been perfectly book-accurate. Why make this specific change. Also, if you’ve read this far, you’re probably wondering where Snout is. Yeah, uh. Me too.

Anyway, they appear to have combined the characters of BKR and Arnie into one person to simplify things (but then why introduce Elspeth??), and for no readily apparent reason, changed BKR, which is pronounced how you would expect, into B’KR, pronounced... b’car. For no reason.

Good GOD is this movie cheap. I appreciate the set they created for the top of Rod’s desk, with the giant pencil and such, and obviously they’re going to use a green screen for scenes like this... but it looks SO bad in motion. Like, see how the shot ends at his knees? That’s because he’s very obviously running in place, in front of a green screen. Also, why are sixth graders learning about the Drake Equation, which concerns the statistics relevant to intelligent alien life in the universe, in math class? I guess it’s technically a math topic, but not the kind of thing you’d learn in pre-algebra...and for comparison, Rod’s math homework consisted of single-digit multiplication tables, the kind of thing you do in like, second grade.

I’m also not fond of the degree to which Grakker is a comic relief character. Like... throughout the book, he’s completely strict and serious, and most of the comedy comes from Phil, Gibbons, and Rod. The first time you see genuine emotion from him is when Rod accidentally injures Snout, causing Grakker to hold him tenderly and shed a tear (again, potential Gayliens).

This is supposed to be the inside of a thick black canvas backpack. Am I crazy? Did I not see the Universal Studios logo at the start of this movie? Why does it look like the cheapest of cheap made-for-tv movies? Anyway. They appear to have given Snout’s ability to slow time to Madame Pong, which is worrying. Did they just... remove Snout, one of most important characters in the entire book series? To what end? To fit in all the stupid pointless Elspeth stuff? If they were hoping to make sequels to this movie, well... bad news, because again, the third book in the series is called The Search for Snout. Okay, I gotta know, is he actually cut from the movie or just a surprise reveal for later?

Alright, I am now officially dragging this movie. Also, I guess we now know where William Shatner fits in... I hadn’t even noticed it was him. Also Also, is that furry pink lump with one eye supposed to be Plink? Why all the arbitrary changes? Did they just decide that since they couldn’t fit a person inside of it, they would give it no limbs at all? Why is it pink??

Eyyy. Roll credits! Yeah, I wish... I’m only halfway through this thing.

They made Rod’s best friend Mickey Asian, which is fine, he’s a very minor character and never really described in the book... but unfortunately, they also decided to make him Data from The Goonies. He’s an inventor. Because he’s Asian. Coooool character, movie. So far it’s lead to an unfunny Coke and Mentos gag and an unfunny Pop Rocks and soda gag (which resulted in projectile vomiting). They cut Snout out of the movie to make room for this stuff, mind you. I’m sure this is building up to some kind of payoff, but I’m pretty sure I’m not going to enjoy it.

Speaking of payoffs, there seems to be an implication that there’s some kind of paranormal activity at Seldom Seen, the hidden field on Rod’s grandfather’s property, and at Rod’s school. I can understand the field, in this version Rod’s dad definitely seems to be involved with aliens in some capacity, and that’s probably where he was keeping a ship or something... but the school is kinda inexplicable. Like, it’s covered in snow... and it’s the only place in town that’s seeing snow. I can only assume it’s BKR’s... sorry, B’KR’s doing, but I’m not sure why. Did they decide that being blue means he’s from a cold planet, and requires it to be cold wherever he is?

No idea what’s up with some of these changes. Instead of BKR’s house being like an unlived-in model home, it’s... a complete sty. The exact opposite of the book. Why. Also, that coffee table is completely covered in video game consoles... GameCube, Dreamcast, PS2, N64... but Rod says he’s got “all the latest video games”. Does he? Does he really? Was that line in the script, so the crew just bought whatever they could find? As for BKR himself...

I mean, I don’t see Shirley Temple, but it’s not bad! Rod wasn’t trapped inside a pocket dimension inside a CRT tv when he took his mask off, but they wouldn’t have been able to manage that scene with this budget anyway. So far, this is the only alien design I fully endorse. There WAS a point to him having a cherubic face in the book, but it’s never addressed, only implied, and I get why they would make him look more menacing.

In the book, BKR didn’t really have any goals. He just enjoyed being cruel for the sake of being cruel, and was hiding out on Earth because it was unlikely they’d find him there. In the movie, B’KR intends to destroy Earth by opening a wormhole (which is what’s causing the snow), and the good guys have about an hour to save the planet.

They kept another of Snout’s abilities, the Vulcan Mind Mel-- er, knowledge transferal, but gave it to Tar Gibbons. This is literally the only thing he’s done in the entire movie. For the record, this was originally the scene where Snout connects their minds, but Rod is startled by it and pulls back, causing Snout severe psychic harm and prompting the aforementioned emotional response from Grakker.

...They just had to get William Shatner to say Klingon, didn’t they. The climax of the movie is all him flying around spouting (sprouting?) plant puns, then Rod throws a banana cream pie (which was, apparently, part of someone’s science project) at BKR’s face... and finishes him off with foam shot from his papier mache volcano. I guess the shrunken spaceship expanding inside of a house, causing the roof to collapse and knock BKR unconscious, was too expensive violent for the movie... but why is getting him messy a solution to anything? Ah well.

Bruce Coville himself has a cameo as the judge for the science fair, which is nice. I think he might be the principal of the school... I didn’t really notice in the scene featuring the principal earlier, since that happened to be the projectile vomiting scene. I can only imagine he was honored to have his work recognized in this capacity... he’s a good dude, I’m sure he wouldn’t be as horrified as I am with the writing and quality of it.

Also the movie ends with the reveal of the actual size of the aliens... which is, uhh. About the size of adult humans. Hrm. Guess they just straight up decided not to get anything right, huh? Oh, and they reveal that Rod’s father actually is a member of the Galactic Patrol. So, that’s a thing.

Please don’t say that. God, was this movie bad. I would understand if they were passionate about bringing the story to more people and just didn’t have much of a budget, or if they made changes to better suit a visual medium, but that... is not what they did. I’m not the kind of person that demands an adaptation remains 100% faithful; if you want the experience of the book, you can just read the book. This, however, changes so many things. Like, in the book, BKR’s crime is cruelty. That’s the message of the book... that in truly civilized societies, kindness is the norm, and needless cruelty is a criminal act.

The characters in the book all either have depth to them or are interesting as sci-fi concepts, but the movie... Gakker is Mr. Slapstick, Madame Pong is Cool Collected Female, Tar Gibbons is... I dunno, wisdom obscured by things that just don’t translate into English and saying Warrior Science a lot (honestly the closest to his book counterpart, though HE was more interesting and actually did stuff), and Phil... yeah, just William Shatner saying plant puns. Bleagh.

Well, despite that end screen, it’s good to know that we won’t be getting any sequels. I mean, like I’ve already mentioned, Snout going missing is a major plot point in the second book, and the third is literally called The Search For Snout. What are they going to do, just skip to the fourth book?

...Oh hey, George Takei.

[techlearnings]

The Best Home Theater Systems of 2020

1. The Smartest Home Theater System: Sonos 5.1 Beam Surround Set with Voice Assistant

Sonos Beam 5.1 System

Why it won

It would appear Sonos is resolved to clearing the field. At first thought about the upstart among industry monsters, Sonos is currently accomplishing for home theater what they accomplished for multi-room music – and the outcomes are great. read more

The Sonos Beam 5.1 Surround Set is all that you'd anticipate from the world's #1 remote sound organization as per CEPro magazine. Highs are completely clear, lows through the Sonos subwoofer punch with power, and exchange through the framework's highlight, the Beam Sound Bar, is both famously reasonable and reliably up front.

Furthermore, the framework is whip shrewd and accompanies a great list of capabilities. It's absolutely remote put something aside for the force line and HDMI yield. (Bye tangled jumble.) The Sonos application remains the best/most astute application in the business. Apple Airplay 2 comes included. It streams pretty much everything by means of the in excess of 50 music administrations upheld by Sonos. Include Amazon Alexa as well as Google Assistant voice control, in addition to a look that is inconspicuous, jazzy, and made to mix in – and you have a great decision. For genuinely vivid 5.1 encompass sound, however for incredible sounding music, as well. Indeed, it's somewhat expensive, however worth each penny as we would see it. Likewise note: Sonos resembles LEGOs (which we expounded all on in our Sonos Buying Guide here).

This Package Includes: Beam Compact Smart Sound Bar With Voice Control | SUB Wireless Subwoofer | 2 OneSL Speakers for Stereo Pairing and Home Theater Surrounds | Power Cords | HDMI Cable | Available in Black or White

Reg. Cost: $1,456.00

Coming Soon - Call to Order: 1.866.961.7781

#2. The Best Wireless Home Theater System: Bose Soundbar 700 with Bass Module 700 and Surround Wireless Speakers

Bose Sound Bar 700 5.1 System

Why it won

In our "Best Sound Bars of 2020" article, the Bose Soundbar 700 won best-of-show for encompass sound. Presently here as the center segment in the Bose Smart Wireless 5.1 home theater framework, Bose does it once more. The Bose SB700 won since we turned it on and were immediately overwhelmed by a sound field that An) appeared to be a lot more extensive than some other 5.1 pre-bundled framework we tried, B) made discourse – even delicate or murmured exchange – completely clear, and C) was similarly compelling regardless of where we sat.

Each segment in this framework is important for Bose's new group of shrewd remote speakers. Start with this 5.1-channel framework, and spot a Bose Home Speaker 500 in the kitchen and the littler Soundbar 500 in your room for a multi-room sound understanding all through the house. What's more, with Amazon Alexa worked in, you can control everything with straightforward voice orders.

Features

Turn it up, and Bose's Bass Module 700 subwoofer will throw a pleasant left hook without contorting.

Given the Bose Lifestyle 650 won most attractive, we're giving "second place" to this framework. The excellent glass top and punctured fold over metal grille on the Soundbar 700 is a pleasant touch.

To mix in with any home's style, Bose offers this framework in white, as well.

This Package Includes: Bose Soundbar 700 | Bose Bass Module 700 | Bose Surround Wireless Speakers | Power lines | Optical link | HDMI Cable

Reg. Cost: $1,797.00

SHOP NOW

#3. The Best Surround Sound System for Small Rooms: SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Package

SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Package

Why it won

Throughout the most recent twenty years, SVS has developed into one of the most regarded brands in the business. At first known for their sternum-vibrating/room-shaking/grant winning subwoofers, the present new SVS frameworks can rival anybody – and the SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 home venue bundle is an incredible model. Its conservative and simpler to fit in a littler room however turn it up and blast: your little room turns into the Hollywood Bowl.

Each SVS Prime Satellite speaker is about the size of a portion of bread and contains a 4.5-inch midrange driver and a one-inch tweeter. Little, truly, yet they punch like Roberto Duran. The 12-inch driver in the effectively amazing, 300-watt fueled SVS-1000 subwoofer will, then again, make them clutch your seat. It's little, as well, and perfectly tucks into any corner. The framework is wired instead of remote, however at the cost, the SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Package may simply be the greatest "little" 5.1 framework available. (Need something somewhat greater? Look at SVS's "Ultra" arrangement line of speakers. We convey those, as well.)

Another enormous SVS advantage: gaming. A ton of our clients keep their gaming frameworks in little lairs and extra rooms. Also, on the off chance that you truly need to place yourself in a Gears of War or Call of Duty fight, sans earphones – and you would prefer not to spend a fortune to do it – the SVS Prime Satellite 5.1 Package is for you. SVS rocks.

This Package Includes: 5 Prime Satellite Speakers | SB-1000 Subwoofer

Reg. Cost: $999.99

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Alright individuals – folding tables up and fix those safety belts. We're pulling out all the stops.

Presently we progress from the littler, simple to-set-up home theater frameworks to the greater, take your breath away arrangements. The accompanying frameworks were hand-picked by our specialists, frequently blended and coordinated from various sound brands. Taking all things together, it resembles going from engine bikes to bikes: both are fun, both take care of business, yet the last is more about consummately repeating enormous, genuine, true to life sound at home. Further, these greater home theater frameworks are more adaptable concerning sound and structure feel.

#4. The Best Budget Home Theater Speaker System: KLH Kendall 5.1 Speaker System

KLH Kendall 5.1 System

Why it won

KLH's strategic been and consistently will be: audiophile-commendable speakers at moderate costs. What's more, KLH's most current line-up epitomizes that strategic to say the least. The two Kendall 3-way floorstanding speakers included speak to the organization's new lead models. Flawlessly completed in dark oak and American pecan facade, each contains custom drivers made of Kevlar, anodized aluminum and curiously large magnets. They're huge, they're delightful, and they sound incredible. The KLH Story Center Channel Speaker puts the most significant activity (and on-screen exchange) up front with hybrid hardware produced using top notch parts. The two Beacon encompass speakers are superior to most and work superbly with the framework's left and right back channels.

Balancing everything, KLH's 12-inch, front-terminating subwoofer = the John Bonham of the gathering. The high journey woven Kevlar driver inside, fueled by a 350 watt amp, is all that could possibly be needed to toss you back in your seat.

KLH's 5.1 home theater gathering is a great decision for large, artistic sound. Huge (or rambunctious) parties when added to your music framework. Valid, it's not remote, however it's difficult to beat this sort of sheer influence for the cash.

This Package Includes: 2 KLH Kendall Floorstanding Speakers | KLH Story Center Channel Speaker | KLH Beacon Surround Speaker Pair | Windsor 12 Subwoofer | Available in Black or Walnut

Reg. Cost: $2,796.95

Coming Soon - Call to Order: 1.866.961.7781

#5. The Best Dolby Atmos Home Theater System: Klipsch 7.2.2 Reference Premiere Home Theater System with Marantz SR7013 9.2-Channel AV Receiver

Klipsch 7.2 System

Why it won

Two notable, top notch, sound pioneers: One known for dynamite, pull out all the stops or-return home sound and excellent cabinetry, the other for top tier enhancement and driving edge innovation. Between them, two legends – Saul Marantz and Paul Klipsch, more than 100 years experience, and each grant in the book. Welcome to the best encompass sound all things considered.

A couple of years back, the sound masters at Dolby made sense of an approach to settle on what some decision "3D encompass sound" by means of another innovation called Dolby Atmos. (Atmos, as in environment.) What Dolby Atmos truly does is make a layer of sound that not just floats over the crowd, it drifts in various territories over the crowd. Also, it does it so well, you can really pinpoint explicit sounds in explicit spots – noticeable all around. The net impact: Thrilling, invigorating, stunning – in any event, stunning now and again. ("Try not to stress kids, those monsters aren't genuine, it's only a film.")

In spite of the fact that most AV recipients today come Dolby Atmos-empowered, numerous shoppers never include Dolby Atmos speakers. (Abnormal. Similar to living on a boat and never purchasing sails.) So we intentionally concocted a marvelous, yet generally reasonable home venue that really conveys on all fronts: left, right, focus, sides, back, beneath (by method of the subwoofer) and now, with Dolby Atmos, noticeable all around above, as well.

One more thing: If you pick this home theater framework with the parts we prescribe – and you're going to turn it on just because – start with a greater than-life, blockbuster film. The new Jurassic Park, Incredibles 2, whatever. Blockbusters are designed by sound specialists to exploit stature channels, so you're ensured to get the all out impact: pterosaurs and ancient bugs flying around your parlor, jump bombarding the couch, and so forth. You'll know why this specific framework so effectively wins our "Best Dolby Atmos" class.

Features

Mood killer the TV, and this Klipsch/Marantz home theater arrangement conveys an intense, audiophile-commendable, music framework – one that asks for a quality turntable. Despite the fact that with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Airplay worked in, in addition to HEOS remote multi-room music streaming, you can play practically anything from anyplace by means of any brilliant gadget.

The two Klipsch RP-8060 floorstanding speakers are not just fresh out of the box new, they're higher on the pecking list than Klipsch's for quite some time proclaimed Reference II arrangement. Likewise valid for the RP-504C Center Channel Speaker, which at right around 3-feet wide and 34 pounds is the Serena Williams of focus speakers. read more

[womenofcolor15]

CALLED IT! Jodie Turner-Smith & Joshua Jackson Are Reportedly Married And Expecting Their First Child

We called it! Those rings they've been rocking and that look of a baby bump apparently are exactly what we first reported, if you believe the new reports. Queen & Slim star Jodie Turner-Smith, 33, and 41-year-old "When They See Us" star Joshua Jackson are reportedly married, and also expecting their first child together!

  Deets inside.

  Well, congrats are in order!  2019 will most def go down as the most epic year so far for our fave Queen, Jodie Turner-Smith!  She copped a ring, and reportedly a baby, to top off her huge year in Hollywood.

People magazine says a source close to the couple confirmed to them the marriage news.  A rep for "Dawson’s Creek" and "The Affair" alum Joshua Jackson, however, could not be reached for comment. A rep for Jodie did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Last month, when the hot couple made their red carpet debut at the Queen & Slim premiere, we said it right here on TheYBF.com that Jodie was officially on Preggers Watch, and the rings the twosome have been rocking screamed wedding rings.  We suspected then that the twosome got married on the low.

The Daily Mail also posted pics of the the super cheery couple a few months ago out in Beverly Hills carrying an envelope after seemingly picking up a marriage certificate.  Joshua's mom, Fiona Jackson, was also with them that day, as well as at other times (pictured below in August).

Today, Us Weekly also reports they have confirmed via a source that Jodie is indeed pregnant with their first child together.

"Baby on board! Jodie Turner-Smith is pregnant and expecting her first child with her husband, Joshua Jackson, Us Weekly exclusively confirms.

Jackson is “so supportive of Jodie and loves to cheer her on,” a source told Us at the time.

  The British bombshell posted up a cute boo'd up pic with her new alleged hubby on Instagram:

    A few months ago, she went IG official with Joshua with this cutesy post:

        View this post on Instagram

                  two people who only fancy each other a little bit

A post shared by Jodie Turner-Smith (@jodiesmith) on Aug 12, 2019 at 12:52pm PDT

    They were spotted all over Beverly Hills together holding hands, hitting up Usher's 40th birthday party together and on each other's IG stories with other cutesy posts.  Us Weekly reports:

  The pair also professed their “love” for each other in September. “Babe,” the Neon Demon star said in an Instagram Story video, and he replied, “Yes, love?” When his girlfriend told him, “You look amazing, despite having had a fever of 101.8, just last night,” Jackson said, “That is how you can tell you’re in love.”"

Dating rumors between the two began in November 2018 when the couple were spotted holding hands in Los Angeles. A source told Us that they attended Usher’s 40th birthday party together the previous month and “were all over each other” and “gazing into each other’s eyes as they danced together the whole night.”

  The "Affair" star previously dated Diane Kruger from 2006 to 2016, and vowed to remain friends afterwards.

Jodie is beautiful AF.  But she hasn't always felt that way.  Because, colorism.  Despite being born in England to Jamaican parents, Jodie was raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland.  She reflected on her high school years in a recent throwback post where she explains just how real her glow up has been (even though she's always been gorge to us):

          View this post on Instagram

                  Proof That The Glow Up Has Been Really Real it’s been soooo long since i’ve seen these pictures, but because the internet is undefeated, i found them! a blast from the past! i’m humbled when i look at this girl. 17 year old me. not just because of how i look on the outside, but because i remember how i felt on the inside. i remember how badly i hated myself and hated the dark skin that made people call me ugly. how i turned my helplessness at being unable to change my outward appearance inward, by constantly cleaving away any and all parts of myself that i was told made me unacceptable to others. how i changed my voice, changed my hair, became captain of this and president of that, used my intelligence to build a wall around me, spent years in the practice of bending and shaping myself into the most acceptable form of Jodie for the people around me until there was nothing of me left but hate for a person i didn’t recognise and fear that i had become someone it was impossible to come back from... AND, MY GOD, IT WAS EXHAUSTING! but i say all that to say this— i am grateful for the girl in these photos and for every part of this journey. because i couldn’t be me, now, if i wasn’t first her, then. when you know what it feels like to hate yourself, finally loving yourself is a freedom that cannot be matched by anyone else’s approval also worth noting— i was voted Most Likely To Succeed! but we all thought it would be in somebody’s office

A post shared by Jodie Turner-Smith (@jodiesmith) on Dec 17, 2019 at 12:33pm PST

    As for how she landed in Hollywood: She worked at a bank in Philly after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. A friend introduced her to Pharrell at a N.E.R.D. concert that year, and he convinced her to move to L.A. to model. She made the cross country trek the next year, and the rest is history.  Fun fact: She was the lead model in Future's "Feds Watching" video.

  Be sure to check out our breakdown of breakdowns about the most talked about film of the year - Queen & Slim.  We definitely get into every fire look Jodie slayed - from the braids to the short coif to that bomb skin. Check it:

  Photos: Pacific Coast News/MEGA/Instagram

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2019/12/20/jodie-turner-smith-joshua-jackson-are-reportedly-married-and-expecting-their-first-child

[a7xlizardqueen]

Title: Your Knight in a Sweater Vest

Overall Rating: NC-17

Overall Warnings: Parental bullying, mentions of bulimia, nudity(?), drinking, partying, cursing, very slight mention of war and trauma, smut, poor self-esteem

Pairing: Reader x Steve Rogers

Summary: When you need help dealing with your rude and overbearing family, your best friend Steve Rogers comes to the rescue. Modern!AU - For @barnesrogersvstheworld  Writing Challenge Shot Through the Heart #shotthroughtheheart3k

Chapter: 8/10

Word Count: 2,092 words

Chapter Warnings: Poor self-esteem

-X-X-X-

The moment between you and Steve had passed and you followed Peter and Ned inside and up to your floor. When you get into your apartment you change into sweats and a big sweater, only now realizing that your favourite comfy sweater happens to be one you stole from Steve in college. You can't get him out of your head. You grab a beer from the fridge, make a bowl of buttery popcorn and curl up on the couch underneath a blanket. From your hard drive you select your go-to film for when you’re feeling down, Only Lovers Left Alive.

Steve always made fun of you for it. He didn't particularly like the film, thought it was boring and that it didn't really have a story. Actually, Steve says the only reason you watch it is for Tom Hiddleston, which isn't completely false. However it's for all those reason that this movie manages to calm you down; the deep rolling soundtrack, the slowness of it all, Adam's sadness against Eve's joy and hope at the smallest things forces your heart beat to steady and brings a warm fuzziness to your brain.

Steve would never understand, he doesn't ever doubt himself, doesn't get panicked over anything. And why would he, he's a down right perfect specimen. There's not a damn thing wrong with him from the inside out. He's got the body of a God, the face of a model and the heart of an angel. Even when he's reminded of Bucky's time as a POW, a time you remember well, he stays calm, takes a deep breath, and moves on.

You remember when Steve had found out Bucky was captured. You hadn't known each other for long yet. You expected him to cry, rage, become irate, anything that a normal college boy would do, party excessively, something. Instead he'd become hard, spending all of his time studying or in the gym, killing punching bag after punching bag.

Your beer is empty and you realize you haven't been paying attention to the movie at all. You've just been sitting here thinking about Steve. Fucking Steve. He's all you can think about anymore. Why did he have to go and pretend to be your fucking boyfriend? Now all you want is for the fantasy to be real, and it never will be. How could someone like Steve possibly think you’re good enough for him?

You’re not smart like him, you’re not an unfailingly good person, and you’re nowhere near as beautiful as he is; not to mention your fucked up family. You've never been good at being a woman, your skin isn't silky smooth, your hands are calloused and you often have saw dust in your hair. You rarely wear makeup and never wear dresses. You don't flirt and smile and bat your eyes. There's a reason why your best friends are guys.

Steve and you are never gonna happen. You shouldn't even be entertaining the thought.

-X-X-X-

No matter how hard you tried you couldn't get him out of your head. Even though your lives had mostly gone back to normal, not having any family functions to attend, your brain wouldn't revert back to normal. Whenever you hung out you were always acutely aware of Steve's presence and you began to notice him even more, which you would have thought was impossible.

When he spoke it felt like his voice was caressing your skin, or like you were savoring a piece of decadent dark chocolate. You'd find yourself getting lost listening to the inflections and rising and falling of the tone of his voice, and Steve would have to repeat himself. You noticed how his hair glistened in the sun, all the different shades of blond becoming more distinct. You noticed the flexing of his muscles when he moved, especially whenever you were at the gym together. And his smell, my God he smelled amazing. You didn't care what he smelled like when you would hang out at the bar and he'd be wearing cologne, no. Your favourite scent was purely Steve. After you'd work out really hard and he was dripping sweat and he smelled so primal, so dirty, and so male. Whenever he smelled like that it would make your nipples hard and your pussy ache. You'd never wanted anyone so much in your life.

You began to dream about Steve all the time, too. Sometimes it would just be him smiling at you, maybe sharing a kiss or two. Most of the time you would wake up drenched in sweat, panting, and wanting him. You relieved yourself many times while remembering the filthy dreams your depraved mind conjured while you slept.

-X-X-X-

To your surprise Ines invited Sam to the wedding and so he and Steve took over your room to get ready while you and Ines used her room. Your skin was practically crawling you were so nervous. All because after the wedding you'd have to share a bed with Steve.

"Honey, why don't you just tell him how you feel? He probably likes you too," Ines suggests while curling your hair.

You scoff, "Yeah right. There's no way Steve thinks of me like that."

"I think you're completely oblivious. That man only has eyes for you. Why don't you think he'll like you?"

You shake your head, "You never met his ex, Peggy. She was gorgeous. She was the smartest, funniest, strongest woman I ever knew. Steve was head over heels in love, although they never really dated long. When Buck went missing, I guess Steve kind of shut her out. She moved back to England soon after that. Last I heard she got married and had a kid."

"Y/N, that was a long time ago. Things have changed."

"Easy for you to say. Look at you!"

Ines shakes her head in disbelief, "Oh my God, your mother really fucked you up."

-X-X-X-

Steve texts you that they're already downstairs waiting for you so you and Ines head straight down on the elevator. You fidget with the skirt of the simple black fit and flare, anxious to see what Steve's reaction will be. You’re not sure he's ever seen you in a dress.

"You're overthinking it, Y/N. Calm down."

You sigh and leave the dress alone, "I know. I'm nervous."

The elevator slows to a stop, your heart jolting at the same time. The doors open, Sam and Steve are waiting on the other side of the doors in sleek black tuxedos. You gape and stumble out of the elevator. Steve holds his arm out for you and you steady yourself. His eyes slowly peruse up and down your body and your chest grows warm.

“Wow, Steve,” you smile, “You look great.”

Steve smiles down at you, eyes shining, and says something that makes your heart skip a beat, “You look beautiful, Y/N.”

-X-X-X-

Steve takes the four of you to the church in his SUV. Due to Jae's religious catholic family, that meant a church wedding, a long church wedding. There was a lot of standing and kneeling and praying until finally Justin and Jae were deemed husband and wife. You did tear up for a while, but the wedding was so long that they dried up pretty quickly. You and Steve sat one pew behind your mother who thankfully ignored you the entire time.

Back at the hotel in the banquet hall you found out just how amazing Jae really was. As immediate family, you and Steve should have been sitting with your mother and sister, however she sat you at a "black sheep" table with your father and Trish, Ines’ parents, and Ines and Sam. Your table quickly contrasted severely with the other family table. You were already laughing before the bride and groom came in.

The bride and groom were announced to raucous cheers. Food and wine was served. Steve’s attention was solely on you the entire time, even when he was having a conversation with someone else, his hand was on the back of your chair, or playing with the ends of your hair, or laying on the exposed skin of your back, thumb lightly caressing your skin. And slowly you became less and less nervous around him, and actually began to entertain the idea that maybe Steve Rogers likes you a little bit

The speeches are hilarious, performed by Justin and Jae’s best friends who are a couple. There are little Polaroid cameras all over the tables for people to take pictures of each other with. Sam has a lot of fun with that, vowing to get a picture of you and Steve kissing, something you tell him is not going to happen.

When the food is done and most of the plates cleared the fun really starts. The music is turned up and changes to more upbeat songs, urging the guests to dance. Ines’ parents are up immediately. You’re pretty sure they’re the most amazing couple you’ve ever met, you’ll never tell Clintasha though.

There are a few different games around the room too and you and Steve play a few with Sam and Ines. The best one is the giant Jenga game. You all need a moment to catch your breath and sit back at the table. You head over to the bar for drinks. Of course the night couldn’t go perfectly, not in your world. Percy sidles up to you with a smirk.

“You look good, Y/N.”

“Save it, Percy. I don’t care what you think.”

“That’s a new revelation. You used to bend over backwards to make me happy.”

“And you took it for granted and put me in the hospital. Hmm, I wonder why I don’t care about you anymore. Such a mystery.”

“What if I told you I changed?” his expression becomes serious and you pause, looking at him.

“Excuse me?”

“What if I said I wanted to try again?”

An incredulous laugh bursts from your mouth, shocking even yourself.

“You are delusional if you think I’d leave Steve for you.”

Percy smirks, “Yeah, but we both know that’s not real, right? Come on, I remember you and Steve in college. You’re not a real thing. Look, there he is now, cozying up with your sister.”

You follow the tilt of his head and peek over Percy’s shoulder, spying your sister chatting with Steve. She’s giving him her best smile, flinging her hair, and laying a hand on his arm. Steve’s back is turned to you, though. When you look back at Percy he’s wearing a triumphant smile, and he places his hand intimately on your waist. With a sudden burst of rage you throw his hand off.

“Don’t ever touch me again.”

“Come on, babe. Don’t be mad at me just ‘cause Steve’s no better than the rest of them.”

You gasp and realize just how thick Percy is. You grab a champagne flute from the bar and chug it back, then you laugh.

“You’ve gotta be really stupid if you think you can ruin my night with your flimsy accusations. Maybe Steve and I aren’t actually in a relationship. I’m definitely not going to tell you if that were true. Either way, we’re still best friends. Do you honestly think that I don’t know my own best friend well enough to know that he would never be interested in someone like my sister?”

“Hey, babe, there a problem here?” Steve interrupts at just the right moment.

You smile fondly and accept his offered hand.

“There’s absolutely no problem. Thank you for proving my point.”

Without a backward glance at Percy you allow Steve to pull you away. You’re surprised when he keeps walking past the table and instead takes you to the dance floor where many of the couples are enjoying a slow dance. Steve pulls you in tight, one arm on the small of your back.

“What are we doing here?” You ask.

Steve smirks, “I wanted to dance with my girl.”

“But I’m not your girl,” you reply with a smirk.

“Yes, Y/N, you are. I love you.”

Your skin tingles with his revelation, “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

Excitement bubbles up from your stomach and you throw your arms around Steve’s neck, attaching your lips to his in a hurried and fervent kiss. He squeezes you against him and kisses you back until you’re breathless and are forced to part.

“Got it!” Sam laughs, waving a Polaroid in your face before skipping away.

[firstfootingscotland]

Bogha-frois Conversations: Malin Lewis

During Glasgow’s Celtic Connections Festival I had the pleasure of joining a host of incredible LGBT+ artists for a performance and a panel around the theme of Bogha-frois: LGBT+ Voices in Folk. A brainchild of Pedro Cameron (Man of the Minch), Bogha-frois began as a workshop at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and takes its name from the Gaelic word for “rainbow.” The energy around Bogha-frois has enacted a metamorphosis - far beyond a workshop, panel, or gig, Bogha-frois is a movement celebrating gender and sexual diversity within traditional and folk music, song, and dance in Scotland. Following the events in February, I wanted to continue these conversations and immediately proposed a monthly blog post featuring dialogue around the intersections of traditional arts, identity, and each artists’ path as a LGBT+ person. In honour of international Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, I wanted to begin these conversations with piper, fiddler, and pipe-maker Malin Lewis! 

Tell me a story... what was a moment when you felt both your identity as a traditional musician and your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person were in focus? (1)

For me this first happened during my last concert at Plockton Music School. I had come out to a couple of people throughout my time there but during the last few days on the “summer tour” I told everyone in the music school including Dougie and Rhona (head of the music school). Everyone was entirely supportive and were happy for me, in many ways I was sad not to have spoken about it sooner but I had known all along this would be the case. When I performed I dressed androgynously, wore my hair up and put on some makeup. The performance went so well and everyone was on a total high. It felt very liberating to do this in front of a crowd I had played for many times and in a place I think of as home with the support of family and friends.

How do you identify? What are the pronouns, descriptors or other words you like to use, if any, to describe yourself in regard to your LGBTQIA+ status. 

I would describe myself as Trans, androgynous, gender non-binary and use they/them pronouns.

Talk about your perceptions of LGBTQIA+ identity (both yours and others) within your experience playing traditional music in Scotland. In what ways do you feel your identity as a LGBTQIA+ person and a traditional musician intersect, overlap, engage? 

For me, my gender and traditional music are both equally fundamental to who I am. Music is my means of expressing myself and how I feel. Like music, being transgender is something I simultaneously understand completely and not at all. It is something deep within me but like the most moving music, I cannot always express or describe it in words. I wish I could understand it completely, but in both cases there is something greater going on than a certain chord sequence or the body you were born in. There is something happening elsewhere on some inexplicable level that can only ever be felt inside. To me the best things about music are the bits you don’t understand, perhaps that’s just me projecting how I feel about myself.

(Malin Lewis, still from Lost Clock Productions’ beautiful film about Bogha-frois)

Talk about your experience connecting with other LGBTQIA+ people both inside and outside the traditional arts. 

I was lucky enough to be a part of Bogha-frois through which I met some incredible and inspiring people. We all felt the same way about our identity and its link to our music. Outside I have found it more difficult to connect with LGBTQIA+ people. I think I just haven’t spent a lot of time in these circles and communities as I could. I tend not to venture outside of the music communities. This is why Bogha-frois was so amazing as I got to be a part of both at the same time which was so uplifting and nice to enjoy being with other LGBTQIA+ people and have more in common than just sexuality and gender.

If you’re comfortable sharing, talk about any incidents of homophobia or transphobia that you’ve witnessed both inside and outside the traditional arts. 

I have not experienced much transphobia in the trad world beyond some bad jokes and some gossiping. Overall it is very supportive and welcoming and it’s amazing talking to people about it often people who you do not suspect.

How do you see the traditional arts changing in regard to LGBTQIA+ people? What are the further changes you would like to see? 

I would like to see queer identities celebrated a bit more. There are more than enough members who are at the very top of the traditional music world but very rarely do any of them talk that openly about it. I think talking about it freely and being proud of it is the best way to change things and to change the climate around it for the better and for the next generation. Giving young people, from all backgrounds, genders, sexualities or races role models they can identify with is one of the best ways to make the trad world more inclusive. I think in many ways the LGBTQIA+ issues are tied to the “woman in trad” issues and I believe it is on the way to being improved but that it still has further to go. As there are naturally fewer members of the LGBTQIA+ community in trad than women in trad there are fewer of us to speak out about it. I believe it would be incredibly beneficial for both parties to work more closely to call for further equality across the board in traditional music.

To learn more about Malin and their music, visit Malin Makes Music on Facebook.

First Footing is a collaboration between dancer and dance researcher Nic Gareiss, the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland, University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education, and the School of Scottish Studies with support from Creative Scotland. For engagement opportunities check out the First Footing website.

(1) Following methodology developed by Fiona Buckland in her book Impossible Dance: Club Culture and Queer World-making, I began each conversation asking artists to tell me a story. This, Buckland reminds us, redistributes significance to the voice of the artist, rather than the anthropologist/researcher/interviewer. In Buckland’s words, “the meanings they made from the practices are more crucial than whatever meaning I impose with the theoretical tools in my standard issue doctoral utility belt.” (Buckland 2002, p. 11)) This feels incredibly important when collaborating with folks whose voices have so often been underheard or marginalized. 

[archer60elmore-blog]

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