#Mike and Vanessa worried they won’t get along

[chloesimaginationthings]

What FNAF crimes are Abby and Gregory scheming,,

[tabloidtoc]

OK, December 21

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Queen Elizabeth cancels Christmas

Page 1: Big Pic -- David Beckham in an ad for Haig Club 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 4: Bella and Olivia Jade Giannulli -- life on their own -- find out what Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s daughters have been up to while their famous parents sweat it out in prison -- Bella has been so stressed out and felt she deserved a trip with her buds so she went to a luxury resort in Santa Barbara over Thanksgiving weekend 

Page 6: It’s been a little over a year since Felicity Huffman was released from prison after serving her time for role in the college admissions scandal but she is finally starting to get her life and career back on track -- initially she was nervous about working again given the controversy and everything that went down and she seriously wondered if there would be anything out there for her material-wise but she shouldn’t have worried as she landed a part in an upcoming pilot in which she’ll play a recently widowed owner of a Triple-A baseball team and she’s really excited about the show 

Page 7: Kristin Cavallari is fed up with Carrie Underwood’s meddling in her divorce from Jay Cutler -- after Kristin called time on her seven-year marriage Carrie and her husband Mike Fisher who used to be Nashville couple-friends to both Kristin and Jay have taken Jay’s side and since then there’s been some snide stuff said that’s made it clear how Carrie really fills about Kristin -- while Jay spent Thanksgiving with Carrie and Mike, Kristin filmed a wine-fueled Instagram Live and Carrie finds this type of thirsty behavior on social media incredibly lame and she’s saying it’s obvious Kristin cares more about upping her profile than making any type of family peace 

* After nearly 60 years in showbiz Cher has a different aspirations -- since traveling to Pakistan to help a mistreated elephant from a local zoo be relocated to an animal sanctuary she’s saying this is her new mission to help endangered species in third world countries and campaign for other good eco causes -- Cher spends much of her time cooped up and bored in her Malibu mansion and her trip made her realize there’s a world out there that needs her help 

* Mark Harmon of NCIS is all work and no play these days and nearly two decades in the same TV gig as Leroy Gibbs has only made things worse as the responsibilities of the show seem to wear heavier on Mark by the year and even on a break you can’t get him to crack a smile or tell a joke; he’d rather go lie down in his trailer -- off set Mark and his wife of 33 years Pam Dawber get along because they’re such homebodies and Mark can usually be found working on his cars in the garage or relaxing in the yard and he cherishes his quiet time but people have stopped inviting him out because he’s known as Mr. Boring 

Page 8: Dolly Parton is spreading Christmas cheer far and wide with a new TV special and album and Netflix movie but at her home in Tennessee the holiday spirit is decidedly lacking because Dolly is forgoing her favorite 40-year-running traditions which are filling her house with trees and driving her nieces and nephews and their kids around her farm in golf carts dressed as Santa and handing out presents because of her concern for her husband Carl Dean who has Alzheimer’s disease and he’s in a high-risk group for coronavirus so she’s restricted the property to just them and two staff members -- it breaks Dolly’s heart to have to cancel her big annual celebration and she’s still decorated her home to the nines but it’s a lonely feeling knowing the family won’t be there to see it 

* Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton are proving themselves to be perfectly postmodern parents by raising their kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis with firm rules for TV and electronic use -- Kate who recently revealed she’s fielded her share of temper tantrums actively attempts to stave off meltdowns with a strict rewards chart and the kids have to earn screen time -- Kate prefers to keep them busy with activities like board games and hikes and baking which the children enjoy anyway

* After spending the last several years living a relatively low-key life in his native England Russell Brand is desperate to have a bigger presence in Hollywood but his wife Laura insists he stay put -- Russell’s craving SoCal living and the copious acting jobs and event invites that came with it but Laura prefers their British life outside the spotlight with their young daughters -- while some work has come to him in England like the upcoming Death on the Nile if he had his way he’d make a more aggressive career push in L.A. 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars stand out in festive green dresses -- Carly Pearce, Angela Bassett, Zendaya 

Page 11: Jodie Comer, Adriana Lima 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Melissa Gorga vs. Jennifer Lahmers, Abigail Spencer vs. Hailey Bieber in Max Mara, Olivia Culpo vs. Aurora Culpo 

Page 14: News in Photos -- Brooke Burke with Christmas ornaments that will be auctioned by non-profit Operation Smile 

Page 16: Audrina Patridge brought along her daughter Kirra’s favorite toys for a picnic in Beverly Hills, Padma Lakshmi visits The Vitamin Shoppe in NYC, Brandy at the BET Soul Train Awards 

Page 17: Kelly Rutherford felt the love from her dogs in L.A., Shawn Mendes out for a walk in Miami 

Page 21: Robin Wright and husband Clement Giraudet held hands while riding their bikes in L.A., long-time friends Gabrielle Union and Snoop Dogg unpacked ingredients delivered by Shipt 

Page 22: Josh Duhamel on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Karlie Kloss on her new Adidas collection 

Page 24: Vanessa Hudgens snuggled up to her beloved pup Darla while at the park in L.A., Jay-Z taking a walk around the island in Hawaii 

Page 25: Kimora Lee Simmons and her children handed out food to residents of a housing complex, Prince Jackson safely helped a community church distribute food to those in need 

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Ariel Winter’s stylish setup 

Page 28: Like most Garth Brooks and wife Trisha Yearwood have had a challenging 2020 but their 15-year marriage was put to the test this past summer when the country superstars’ daughter Allie tested positive for Covid-19 -- they were worried sick and had to go into quarantine themselves and not being able to hold Allie’s hand was terrible for both of them but fortunately Allie’s case was mild and Garth and Trisha’s tests came back negative 

Page 30: Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott who have amicably coparented their daughter Stormi since their split last year and recently spent Thanksgiving together as a family are drawing up plans to have another baby together in 2021 because both of them want to give Stormi a sibling ASAP and neither can imagine going through this process with anyone else -- the exes are figuring out a contract to specify their family plans that will protect Kylie’s money and outline coparenting terms more formally and give them each an agreeable share of custody if things don’t stay as rosy down the line

* They’ve costarred in five films and have proclaimed they’re each other’s work wives and are finally single at the same time so pals of Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis are urging the longtime friends to give it a go romantically especially now that Jason has split from Olivia Wilde -- Jennifer always says Jason makes her laugh the way no one else can -- while Jason’s primarily focusing on coparenting his kids he’s long harbored warm and fuzzy feelings toward Jen and he would love to ask her out but the only thing holding him back is the potential to ruin their solid friendship

* Love Bites -- Johnny Galecki and Alaina Meyer split, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky dating, Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan engaged 

Page 31: Matthew Perry’s loved ones are worried the Friends star has made a rash call by suddenly getting engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz -- the on-off two-year romance between Matthew and Molly has been dysfunctional from the get-go and Matthew’s way more into this than Molly who seems to love him more like a brother

* A rough year for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle including inter-family strife and a move across the pond and a devastating miscarriage has only strengthened their bond -- after Meghan revealed she and Harry had miscarried in July the two were quite overwhelmed by the outpouring of compassion and the response not only validated their decision to go public a thousand times over but it also helped them grow even closer -- they’re determined to put this behind them and try for another baby at the earliest opportunity but more than anything else it’s really underlined how they belong together as soulmates 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Queen Elizabeth’s holiday shake-up -- inside the monarch’s heartbreaking decision to call off the family’s annual Christmas celebration -- the queen will celebrate the holidays at Windsor Castle in Berkshire for the first time in more than three decades -- while the queen is upset not to have the company of the younger royals this year she has to think about her and Prince Philip’s health 

Page 36: Katie Holmes’ season of joy -- how Katie is spending the holidays with her new love Emilio Vitolo Jr. 

Page 38: Mistaken Identity -- with these celeb look-alikes it’s deja vu all over again -- Carrie Underwood and Reese Witherspoon, Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood 

Page 39: Mark Wahlberg and Matt Damon, Amy Adams and Isla Fisher, Lucy Hale and Selena Gomez 

Page 40: Interview -- Tommy Lee’s new beat -- the veteran rock star opens up about his latest solo album and his new fan base 

Page 42: Gal Power -- how Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot gets into superhero shape 

Page 43: Fight Club -- these buttkicking superheroines pushed themselves to new limits -- Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Danai Gurira 

Page 46: Style -- Zendaya for Lancome’s new mascara 

Page 48: Sleek activewear from celeb-loved label Gigi C Bikinis makes it easy to look like a star when you work out 

Page 49: 5 minutes with Adrienne Bailon 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Buzz -- Disney Holiday Singalong featuring Ryan Seacrest, Katy Perry, Pink and daughter Willow, Ciara and her kids Future and Sienna 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Nelly on feeling disappointed with placing third on Dancing With the Stars, Kaley Cuoco on husband Karl Cook’s social media presence, Megan Fox on first meeting boyfriend Machine Gun Kelly 

Page 61: Paul McCartney on why he doesn’t like taking pictures with fans, Cardi B joking about how her 2-year-old crashed her selfie video 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Sagittarius Vanessa Hudgens turned 32 on December 14 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Dan Levy 

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Jenny’s Belated Live Blogging - 28th March 2019

- The robron/vanity stuff was so much fun. I want more of that please. I always love a story where Aaron just gets to laugh at people for failing at being a criminal. It’s my favorite thing. I loved it with Matty too during the Vic/Adam thing. 

- Since I’m not obsessing quite so much about Vanessa’s screen time, I kind of enjoyed her trying to play criminal and Charity, Robert and Aaron just being like ‘what?? you drove it off into a field? You didn’t wipe your prints off?? You left the keys??’ Great stuff. Plus, I loved Robert having to play along with Vanessa when she started going on about the car being her dad’s and Aaron coming in with the crowbar thing to get the glove compartment open. I was just so happy Aaron was finally properly involved. He finally had a purpose in this plot and I loved it. That’s what I was hoping for in the break between episodes so I’m glad we got it. And the end was amusing. A little worried what Mike might have in store for them and the state of Robert’s business but at least it might give them more to do. 

- I also enjoyed their little bits at the awards ceremony with Jimmy and Jai. And I loved Robert and Charity’s double ‘shush’ at Vanessa when she tried to tell them what was going on. 

- I also enjoyed Chas’s random involvement in the plot, especially the part where she was like ‘hey don’t get arrested, that won’t help you get a kid’. I’m glad she’s reminding us that that is still a goal. 

- It was just a lot of fun and that’s what I’m here for in between potential angst. Good stuff. 

- I also just enjoyed the awards ceremony in general. Priya and Nicola trying to one up each other, Jai not paying attention and being surprised he was winning an award, Jimmy being maudlin about his failing business as he eats the free food. It was a nice little bit of fun. 

- I also once again really enjoyed all of the stories crossing over in the pub. Amy and Tracy and Billy and Ellis and Matty and Pete and Eric and Kerry and Dan with Jai showing off his award and mocking Kerry. And Bernice and Liam just continuing to be that gross and in love couple making everyone roll their eyes. I loved Kerry trying to set Amy up with pediatricians she’s never met. Just good fun. 

- I’m glad Amy has her freedom back, not that that was some big shock. Who knows if she’ll actually get to tell Kyle with Cain finding out that Joe is alive now. But at least that’s out of the way and she can properly settle into the village now. 

- I’ve been a bit unfair toward Billy and this whole story because I’m still annoyed that they dropped the Aaron stuff, but I do genuinely like him right now and I was sad that Tracy wouldn’t forgive him yet. I still think it’s weird that Ellis is so cool with him after wanting to expose him but I do enjoy them being brothers who have each other’s back too. We’ll see how it goes. 

- The pirate ship stuff was also fun. I love Eric freaking out about that couple having sex in the shower (good thing he wasn’t the one that walked in on robert and aaron that time. haha) and Bernice and Liam being like ‘shower sex is great. it’s what showers are for’ and Gabby looking like she wants to die. 

- Poor Arthur having to give up his pirate ship to snobby strangers. 

- I thoroughly enjoy Gabby snarking about how she wants to hire an assassin for Leanna. 

- The only things I didn’t enjoy about these episodes were any mention of Daz. Like, God, just let Dan and Amelia leave and go live with him and free Kerry. It’s all so weird that he’s still being mentioned this much. I assume it’s just to eventually break Dan and Kerry up but still...I never want to hear his name again. 

- Kim just makes no sense to me yet. Her whole weird ‘I want to sleep with Cain’ thing is just so bizarre. And it’s played too directly. It’d be one thing if she seemed more like she was actually into him rather than negotiating it like it’s a business deal. Campy Home Farm is one thing but this is just strange and I’m not really a fan. 

- However, thank the fucking lord that Cain now knows that Joe isn’t dead. Let’s just wrap up all of this nonsense as soon as possible and move the hell on!

[alternativewinxcontinuity]

Winx Alt Con Season 02 Recap:

Previously: season 01, Weeks 9.2, 10/11, 12, 13, 14

Week 15: Episodes 212, 213, (partial) 214, 215

With two out of four magical macguffins missing, The Winx convince a few of the older students to help them train after classes. One of the students wants them to focus on thinking outside the square, using what they know from a sideways perspective.

She takes them down to the Magical Reality Chamber and sends them in, telling them to trying finding new ways to combine their powers, every trick they have in their arsenal, is one step further away from defeat.

Plus it's a great way to learn things you didn't know about your abilities.

With the pixies watching from the control room, the older student boots up the MRC.

The Winx are faced with an unusual, and somewhat hostile world, their enemy though, is a single large beast. The girls begin by flinging magic at it, but the monster only grows in size.

They dodge its attacks while they strategize, coming up with an idea that might work. Remembering what they'd been told about magical and physical immunities rarely overlapping, the girls swap in and out, distracting the monster while the build a titan of their own to beat the monster in combat.

Aisha crafts the body's base out of morphix, Flora gives it a skeletal system of wood and vines, adding in some hair just because it happened that way. Stella gives it eyes to see, Tecna and Bloom give it a brain and free will/intuition, and then Musa steps in.

The fairy of music gives the titan the ability to hear and speak, but Musa can also hear discord in their titan's being. She steps up and finds a way to harmonize the various magics, so the titan doesn't fall apart.

Once complete, the titan goes on the offensive and beats the monster soundly, ending the simulation.

The older student runs the simulation applauds them, then asks what they plan to do with their new friend, since the titan hasn't dissolved. Uncertain, the group calls down Faragonda, who takes several moments to be flabbergasted by what the girls have done, creating an artificial, magical life form. (not unheard of, but not typically first year magic, even by accident.)

The titan, being both sentient and sapient, is alive, and none of the fairies want to kill it/her, so Faragonda offers to let the titan stick around and figure out what she wants to do.

(The titan later takes up the name Titania, and can often be seen playing with Kiko and the pixies, or helping Knut maintain the grounds around Alfea.)

 Later in the week, Bloom finds Faragonda and talks to her about the break in at her mother's flower shop several weeks prior. Vanessa has gotten in contact with Bloom because a court date is coming up. Bloom is hoping to get the day off to be with her mother for it. Faragonda allows it, as long as Bloom doesn't go alone.

(Bloom mentions Earth's/California's truancy laws, and Faragonda writes up several 'day passes' for Bloom and the Winx.)

Musa and Tecna decline going, mentioning they've been talking with some people from Magix and the other schools, and have decided to help out with the concert the Magix council wants to host, to celebrate the last of the repairs in the city. (things go a lot faster with magical assistance.)

Aisha volunteers her assistance with the concert, and Bloom wishes them luck. Stella says she would help, but she wants to support Bloom, the girls agree Stella can step in later, and that supporting their friend is important too. Flora chooses to go with Bloom and Stella to Earth. The pixies all choose to stick with their respective fairies.

 On Earth, the trio of fairies spend the day with Vanessa, who is thrilled to meet Flora, a fellow plant lover. The girls are confused to realise Vanessa and Mike (who is also there to support his wife during the trial) can't see the pixies, until Stella gives them 'clarity of vision', an ability she learnt from her mother, who comes from a line of seers.

Random children they pass though, seem to have no trouble seeing the pixies, and the girls file that away to think about later.

 In Magix, the group of students and council members for Magix meet to discuss the concert. During the repairs, the governing body of Magix took the opportunity to upgrade some infrastructure, including an outdoor theatre, and they'd like to open it with a concert to commemorate the lost, and celebrate moving forward.

The group discus some things they'd like to do for the concert, and move their meeting to the new amphitheatre, to get a feel for the space.

Unbeknownst to the group, Stormy has grown bored waiting around for Darkar and Icy to come up with a new plan for finding the pixie village, (since he, apparently, has a plan already in play for Alfea) and has gone out by herself to wreak some havoc.

She stumble across the concert group in Magix, and decides to rain on their parade by summoning up a destructive storm.

At first, the group don't pay much attention to the sudden rain, beyond noting the oddly sudden change in the weather. It's not until it gets intense enough to start pulling signs from their foundations that someone realises the storm is very localised.

By this time, the wind is too much for any of them to fly through, and they can't find the source of the storm, so Musa suggests weather magic, reminding the other fairies of their first lecture with Avalon.

Musa summons a small hand drum, sets a beat and starts dancing, Aisha and Tecna falling into step, with the other Alfea students present joining in soon after. As the weather starts to lose intensity, the witches, heroes and even the council members begin to copy the fairies movements. Soon the storm begins to die down, then fall apart.

With the storm dissipated, Stormy appears before them, and in a fit of rage, hurls a bolt of lighting at the group, but Musa bring her drum up and strikes it, letting loose an unbelievable crash like thunder, causing the lightning to explode on itself midstrike, flinging the Trix back through the sky.

With a snarl she disappears, and everyone turns to Musa, who seems shocked at what she's just done. When asked how she did that, Musa can only shake her head and admit that she doesn't know, that she just felt 'very powerful in that moment.'

Riven, who was there to pilot the Red Fountain students, and had been the first of the heroes to join in, posits that as the fairy of music, maybe she'd been empowered by the 'anti-rain dance' and its accompanying song, since they'd all been acting in concert to the music Musa had provided on the drum. The group agree that's about as likely as any other explanation, and the very grateful council members get the group back on track for the concert, as soon as they put out an alert for Stormy with the local law enforcement.

 On Earth, after the trial wraps up, Mike and Vanessa take the trio of fairies and their pixies out for pizza, and ask the girls how school has been going. They are aware of the siege and Darkar, thanks to phone calls with Bloom, but hearing it in person makes it more real.

Bloom also, hesitantly and for the first time, tells her parents about Daphne and their shared parentage. She begins rambling as she tries to explain, and she just keeps talking trying to get it all out, and then a secret slips out amidst the verbal vomit.

Bloom is scared and confused and worried and lost. Her sense of identity has taken a hit, and between Bloom Peters, Earth girl, and Pyra, lost princess of Domino, she isn't sure who she is any more. Part of her wants to embrace her lost heritage, but part of her is afraid embracing it will mean loosing her Earth identity, her Earth family.

Her parents comfort her immediately, letting her know that no matter what, she will always be part of their family, and that Daphne, ghostly or otherwise, is welcome as well, they won't make her choose.

Flora tells Bloom, that she has a few truths about her: Bloom is a kind person, a great leader, and an artistic soul, but before anything else, she is their friend, she just needs to find something about herself that doesn't change, and start from there, no matter how long it takes, they'll be there while she figures herself out.

Stella agrees completely, pressing herself bodily and magically against Bloom in a hug that lets the fire fairy feel the love and support Stella had for her.

Surrounded by their love, Bloom finds peace within herself, a certainty of self she'd lost somewhere along the way.

Her magic surges and blossoms, and her Charmix materialises.

Which leads to a whole new round of celebration. (after a lengthy explanation of fairy levels and transformations and such, and why this was such a big deal.)

 That night, back at Alfea, the group catches up, and Bloom decides she'll begin writing and drawing a 'memoir' of sorts for her parents, so they can share in the adventures she's had.

In the meantime, the girls talk about the concert for Magix.

Given the reason for the concert, the heads of the schools allow the students to have half days in order to be ready for the weekend, since the Magix council want the concert to take place as soon as possible, to show the Magical Dimension they're back on their feet.

Riven makes an effort to help behind the scenes, as part of his 'I need to unlearn how to be an arsehole' self improvement project. He and Musa discover they get along pretty well, having quite a few things in common, like the fact they both have scholarships to their respective schools.

Musa, having heard the whole story of 'why Riven is the way he is', has helped come up with a few tricks (mostly specific hand signs) so that the group (the Winx and Specialists) can tell Riven he's being an arsehole, without actually being confrontational.

(The most used hand sign is 'run that by me again,' which is for moments when Riven says something super offensive or just outright annoying, and the group want to be sure he knows what he said wrong, and that he meant it. Most of the time it turns out he's just worded something badly and it's come out ruder than he intended. It goes a long way to helping group unity, and they find themselves using the signs for other team members, not just Riven.)

For the closing act, Musa and a few other students, and volunteers from Magix, write a song about the unity between the very different groups.

Stella helps organise the wardrobes, Tecna runs a team in charge of the electronics, and Aisha gets right into helping the dancers, one of whom is Mirta. (Musa has been unanimously voted In Charge of the project as their resident Fairy of Music, but also as the only person who has any experience in setting up a concert from scratch.) Bloom and Flora find places and people to help out amidst the preparations.

 The evening of the concert arrives, all the performers are nervous, they've done the best they could in the time they had, and they all plan to give it their all.

Musa has an additional reason to be nervous however, she's invited her father to come watch the performance. Musa is trying to show her father how much music means to her, not just because of her mother, but because music is who she is.

When the concert starts though, Musa and the other performers set their worries aside so they can give their best possible performances.

The show gets off to a great starts, all the acts go flawlessly, but as the evening progresses, dark clouds begin to gather over head, and thunder rumbles across the sky. When Musa steps on stage during the later half of the concert, a bolt of lightning strikes the stage, causing several of the lights and speakers to explode. Musa is flung across the stage, and in the crowd, her friends are scared, but the fairy of music gets back up quickly.

From the darkness overhead, Stormy descends, her Gloomix glowing an unusually bright, and menacing red.

Stormy calls Musa out for what happened a few days prior, saying that how ever Musa managed to fight her off, it won't happen again. Amongst the crowd, in strategic locations for just this scenario, fairies, witches and wizards bring up shields to protect the crowd. With the number of civilians in the area, there aren't a lot of people free to combat Stormy. Musa loudly declares that she beat Stormy before, and she can do it again.

Stormy proceeds to trounce her for several minutes before Riven manages to get close enough to Mirta to call out a plan to her. Mirta smirks and casts illusions all throughout the crowd, lyrics and the music for their concert's final song.

The Winx, and the members of the concert who were there for the last confrontation, realise what Riven is planning, and start singing, making music with hands and feet and instruments, and focusing on Musa. As the rest of the crowd looks at the music makers and the lyrics in confusion, Riven sprints through the masses, calling out for people to sing, that Musa if the Fairy of Music.

An older man vaults onto the stage and settles himself down in front of the piano, joining the song. At the back of the crown, a young woman with a long, pale blonde ponytail summons a small orchestra of instruments and helps out as well. (spoiler alert, it's Galatea.)

Musa feels the power swelling up inside her, and quickly turns the tide of battle.

Stormy is enraged as she is beaten back again, by the fairy, and attempts to summon a powerful lightning elemental.

On stage the man at the piano calls out in fear for Musa, who turns to him and asks for him to trust her, because this is who she is.

They share a moment as he agrees, and Musa feels like she's pushed through an obstacle she didn't even realise she was trying to overcome. A bright light flares on her chest and around her waist as her Charmix finally manifests, multiplying her powers even further.

She wraps Stormy in a bubble of percussive force, the elemental she was attempting to call falls to pieces, and the witch's ears start to bleed, her screams swallowed up by Musa's unrelenting display of power.

With no other recourse, Stormy teleports out.

The crowd cheers, and despite the near disaster, the show goes on, with even more energy than before.

(At Alfea, the students who stayed at the school and watched the concert on tv all break out into cheers as well. In the Headmistress's office, Faragonda and Griselda share a look and break out their celebratory alcohol for a single victory shot each... before writing up a pardon for Musa for classes since the girl will be recovering from her power boost for a few days. (The more a fairy boosts her powers above her normal level, the longer she has to sleep it off.))

Musa rides the high until the last song, which everyone sings along to now that they know the words. Musa has just enough time after the final curtain call to talk to her dad (the man at the piano) before she passes out.

Musa's dad sees his daughter and her friends back to Alfea, before he returns home to Melody.

[regardstosoulandromance]

chapter eight:  i want to hold you when i’m not supposed to // in which vanessa goes on a three person date, rachel and jay have a chat, and quinn makes a mess of her office

read here on ao3 or below

“And action!” Quinn’s voice, raised and easily mistaken for yelling if you didn’t know that it was just how she was, echoed through set, through ear pieces and speakers. Rachel tapped the plastic ear piece, making sure it was in place. Even in the high energy, high intensity of shooting, Quinn’s voice in her ear was a comfort. It focused her, kept all the other rattling thoughts in her head at bay.

Vanessa was walking across the lawn with Catherine, Ben, and, surprisingly, Leo.

“Uhg this is the opposite of a pantie-dropping date,” Quinn had groaned when Vanessa had made her selection, “At least Ben will be there to make it hot.”

“May-December romances are in right now,” Rachel had tried to argue, “look at David Foster and Katherine McPhee, or Sarah Paulson and Taylor Holland. Who cares about dating your age?”

“Yeah, because that’s exactly what our viewers want to see,” Quinn said sarcastically, but there hadn’t been any bite to it, only a lingering gaze.

Now Rachel was standing in the muddy field behind the mansion, her sneakers getting soggier and soggier as she watched four horses be lead up to Vanessa and her dates. With Adam they’d borrowed a fake horse, filming him from the knees up as he pretended to ride. But for Vanessa they’d gotten real horses.

Rachel watched from the monitors as Vanessa easily flirted with Catherine, who was talking about horseback riding through the Italian countryside.

“But,” Catherine added with a seductive smile, “I’d love someone to share it with.”

Vanessa held her gaze for a long moment before reaching up to pretend fix Catherine’s completely straight collar, “That sounds enchanting.”

“Ooohh, this is good Goldie,” Quinn said through the earpiece.

“What about you? What do you like to do for fun?” Asked Catherine.

“Well, Mike was teaching me how to golf,” Vanessa said, “He’s actually a phenomenal golfer, if he didn’t skate I’d say he should go into golfing professionally.”

“Why is she talking about Mike?” Quinn demanded in Rachel’s ear, “It’s a total boner killer. A lady boner killer too, by the looks of Cindy Crawford.”

The rest of the day wasn’t much better. Vanessa would just begin to flirt with one of the contestants, then start talking about Mike again.

“Rachel! Get her on task! I want wet panties not… whatever this is.”

Rachel pulled out her earpiece as she pulled Vanessa aside. She’d just finished talking to Ben and was about to take a stroll with Leo along a very fake, very short fence that some poor PA had put up twenty minutes ago.

“Hey Vanessa, can I talk to you for a sec?” Rachel said, leading her away, “Listen, I know you and Mike have all this history but you need to stop bringing him up with your dates.”

A crease formed between Vanessa’s eyebrows, “I wasn’t- oh my gosh,” she pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Yeah, you have,” said Rachel.

“Oh shit, I didn’t even realize I was doing that!” Vanessa said, “We’ve just been together for so long, everything is… him.”

“Vanessa,” Rachel pulled her ever farther away from the crew, “Were you and Mike ever, you know, more than just skating partners? You can tell me.”

“No! No, of course not! Mike and I are just, uh, business partners.”

“Business partners?” Rachel asked, not believing her for a moment. Vanessa was flushed, but only slightly. Her voice was drifting from a conversational tone to one that Rachel mentally referred to as Vanessa’s interview voice.

She’d watched a handful of interviews, most of them leading up to the Olympics. Both Vanessa and Mike were cheerful and chatty, playing off each other easily, finishing each other’s sentences, and charming everyone they talked to. They were America’s Sweetheart Skaters.

Rachel’s even watched some of their skating videos as well. She’d gotten hooked, late one night, watching video after video of skating programs. And watching, she understood why their fans were convinced that they were sleeping together. When they skated, Vanessa and Mike were like two halves of the same soul. The were sensual, skating in a way that made Rachel feel like she was watching something forbidden.

“Uh yeah, Mike said it on accident once and it kinda stuck,” Vanessa gave an awkward laugh, Sorry I’m doing it again. But we’re strictly professional, like you and Quinn.”

Rachel snorted, “Yeah, just like Quinn and me,” she said as the image of Quinn moaning beneath her filled her mind. She pushed it away, burying it deep down where it wouldn’t distract her.

“Listen, Vanessa, when you’re on these dates, whoever you’re with is your boyfriend or girlfriend, okay?” Rachel said.

Vaness nodded, “Yeah, I get it. I’ll stop talking about Mike.”

“Excellent.”

…

“Well it’s good to see you and Quinn aren’t at each other's throats anymore,” Jay’s comment was casual enough, well meaning even, but as soon as he said it Rachel felt herself go cold.

“Oh my god,” Jay said as he turned to glance at Rachel. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into a quiet alcove.

“Oh my god it was you,” he said, “You gave Quinn the hickey that Chet’s been bitching about all day.”

Too late, Rachel recovered, “That’s ridiculous, Jay. I mean, Quinn and me?”

“Oh don’t try to lie, you looked pale as an untanned wifey when I mentioned you two being at each other’s throats and all I meant was you weren’t fighting anymore,” Jay said, crossing his arms, “So spill.”

“C’mon Jay, Quinn and I aren’t a thing,” Said Rachel, which wasn’t exactly a lie, it wasn’t as if they were dating.

Rachel tried not to think about what dating Quinn would even mean- waking up to her smile, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist at parties, getting to kiss her without worrying…

“So you’re telling me that Quinn’s vendetta against Kara isn’t because you kissed her? And Quinn just bails your ass out of everything because you’re a good producer? Or we could talk about how Quinn hates it when anyone gets too close to her but she’ll put her hands all over you without a second thought.”

Rachel didn’t reply. Jay was right, over the years Quinn grew to prioritize Rachel over more and more. She thought back to all the times Quinn had stood up for her or protected her, even the little things like telling people to stop gawking when Jeremy publicly dumped her, or letting her sleep in her bed afterwards.

She made a face, did Quinn love her? Twice she’d said it, once as a confused reply to Rachel and once in the control room, blood and passion dripping to the floor, but she never knew what that really meant. Did Quinn love her like as a friend? Or as something more?

“You don’t understand,” is what she settled on, pushing away the silly, mushy feeling she got in her chest when she thought about that possibility, “Quinn doesn’t- it’s not like that.”

“Yeah and keeping a clothes hanger in the closet doesn't make it straight,” Jay said rolling his eyes.

He turned to leave but Rachel grabbed his arm, “Jay, you won’t-“

“Tell anyone?” He sighed, “Of course not Rachel. That’s a decision for you and Quinn to make in your own time.”

…

She’d been staring at for the past several minutes, the envelope that way laying on her desk, taunting her. She already knew what was inside, but she was putting off looking as long as she could.

Early that morning, Quinn had installed a new wireless camera in her office, one above the door, looking out across the whole room. The feed ran to her computer, recording every movement for her to check later, in hopes of catching her letter writer.

But when she’d walked into her office that afternoon, the camera lay smashed on the floor. At first glance it looked as if it had fallen, but Quinn had stolen a power drill from the crew. Someone had broken it on purpose. Whoever was delivering her the letters, she surmised.

Quinn sighed. Picking up the offending envolve, she slid her knife-like letter opener along the edge, hooking it under the top flap, then dumped the contents onto her desk.

Another photo, and a note.

I don’t like being watched, the note said, hand written in a slanted scrawl that was nearly illegible, Now she’ll pay for your transgression.

Quinn’s hands shook as she turned over the photo. It was from their first day back on set, but from inside the office, at the moment when Rachel had surprised Quinn with a kiss. The black and white print was fisheyed, but would have been almost erotic if it wasn’t for the means it was obtained.

With a frustrated cry she shoved everything but her computer off her desk. Her hands curled around the stacks of files and spreadsheets sending them flying. Papers fluttered to the floor as framed photos fell with a clatter. The thrumming adrenaline of fear and anger filled her body, pumping through her veins.

Falling back into her chair, Quinn’s breathing came in ragged bursts that faded to a steady yet heavy rise and fall of her chest. There was a camera in the room. There was one recording her every movement at that moment.

Picking up the offending photo from the floor, Quinn held it up, walking around the office until she found the right angle. The camera had to be on her coffee table. She checked the coasters, then the flowers, before her eyes lit on a glass babble she didn’t remember purchasing.

Then, with all the pent up fury and frustration, she threw it to the ground, watching as it shattered with a satisfying crash. From the shards of glass Quinn picked up a tiny black object, the camera.

…

Vanessa leaned into Leo’s arms looped through hers as they walked by the pool. The sun had already set and everyone was inside, busying themselves by getting ready for the elimination ceremony.

“I’m so glad to have caught you off camera,” Leo said, patting Vanessa’s hand, “The constant surveillance would be unbearable if it wasn’t for you.”

Vanessa laughed, a lovely sound that echoed across the pool before she clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle it, “I’m sorry, that’s so kind of you, but that sounded like something the producers would feed you.”

Leo smiled, “I suppose it does. I am sincere though.”

Vanessa kissed his cheek.

“I believe you,” she said, “I suppose the cameras don’t feel any different to me than when I was training and competing. But you work in the financial industry right? I’m sure the surveillance is more subtle.”

“You’re right,” Leo said, “We’re always being watched, but here it’s just so much more in your face.”

“Every moment is a performance,” Vanessa said, “Whether we know it or not.”

“All the world’s a stage,” he agreed, “And al the men and women have an agenda.”

Vanessa stopped to look at him, “And what’s yours?”

“To woo a lovely young woman,” Leo replied, “And yours?”

Vanessa smiled, looking past him into the bushes where the cameraman was hiding, “To find love, of course.”

And then she kissed him.

…

Leaning back in her chair, Quinn rubbed her temples. Her office was still a mess, but the elimination ceremony was over, five idiots had gone home, and she decided she could deal with it in the morning.

Throwing back the end of her whiskey, Quinn shut her eyes, wishing to go back to the moment when she’d fallen asleep in Rachel’s bed. She wanted to reach across the pillow-length space and cup Rachel’s face in her hands, she wanted to breath in her warmth and watch her eyelids flutter shut. She wanted to know that they were safe, that she could always keep Rachel safe from the cruel world they’d help design.

Then, just as if the universe had read her thoughts, the door knob quietly turned and as the door opened so did Quinn’s eyes.

Rachel shut the door behind her, but stayed still in the shadow of the door. But even from the distance, Quinn could see the tear tracks on her face and her wild, fearful eyes. Quinn was out of her chair and across the room in a heartbeat, hesitating as soon as she reached Rachel, afraid to touch her and scare her off. Every horrible thought filled Quinn’s mind. Something had happened- someone had done something.

“What’s wrong?” Quinn said, she lifted a hand to slowly settle on Rachel’s arm

“I’m sorry,” Rachel breathed, not looking Quinn in the eyes.

“Rachel, you’re scaring me. What happened?” Quinn reached up with her other hand, cupping Rachel’s face. Rachel leaned into the touch, and finally looked up at her.

Rachel held her gaze for a moment before jerking forward to wrap her arms around Quinn, hiding her face in the crook of Quinn’s neck, and began to cry.

[allstarmiked-blog]

Conversations

Dallas and Vanessa finally talk

@vznessa

Dallas headed to his locker and tossed his books in before grabbing his Ice Hounds jacket and walking to the commons. The roster for the OHL superseries had just been released and he had spent his lunch hour talking to reporters. Yes, he was happy that he made it. Yes, he was proud to be invited to the Team Canada camp. Yet, he found it hard to smile. His legs burned and ached from the hours of weights he put in yesterday, pushing himself to the very edge of abilities.

Vanessa didn't know what to expect when Dallas had messaged her. Their conversation didn't come to any resolve yesterday and she figured it had to be about that, but in any way, it wasn't something she thought she was ready for. Vanessa took her time leaving Geometry, dragging her feet to put all her belongings in her locker then calling her sitter to keep Rocky longer than usual. Vanessa sat outside the commons area, scrolling through her phone as she waited for Dallas to join her.

Dallas spotted Vanessa and came up behind her, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "Hey." He said softly, walking around her. "We can make it quick and I can drop you off to pick up Rocky." He said with a shrug. "I can give you the carseat from my car." Waiting for her, he nodded slightly towards the exit. "Do you want to talk in private?"

Vanessa "Hey," Vanessa spoke softly. She stood up, gathering her things on her shoulder. "No that's fine. I've got the metro card today," she answered. Without another word, Vanessa walked towards the exit wanting to get away from the crowd of people that were exiting the school along with them. Vanessa settled in one of the benches in the courtyard, not really looking in Dallas' or any direction, just the space between them. "How was practice this morning?" she asked to fill the silence.

Dallas nodded and followed Vanessa out towards the courtyard. Sitting on the bench, Dallas stared at his hands until Vanessa spoke. "It was good. I'm supposed to take it easy." He shrugged and gave her a shy smile. "But sometimes it's easier said than done." Sighing, he ran his hands over his hair. "I'm glad you're done better." He said honestly. "I really am." Falling into silence he looked over at Vanessa. "Where are we?" He asked softly.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow," What do you mean to take it easy?" She tried matching his smile, but it felt a little weird to be sitting across from him since their last conversation. What was she supposed to say? "Uh, yeah me too. It's been a tough couple of weeks," Vanessa answered. She immediately looked up to him at his next question. The silence only seemed to grow between them as she thought over her answer. "From what you said yesterday it seems like nothing..."

Dallas "Not get injured before the All-Star game...or the Team Canada tryouts. Coach said that I could take a few days off if I wanted...but I don't wanna let the guys down." Dallas said with a shrug. "It has been a rough couple of weeks." He agreed softly. Meeting her gaze, he put his thumbnail into his mouth, a terrible habit he thought he broke years ago. "It's pretty hard to make a clean break after what we had...or I thought we had." He mumbled softly.

Vanessa nodded understandingly, "Maybe try not going so hard in the gym? This might be your only shot at showing them what you can do." Her head bowed a bit, her mind drifting to her mother, but her quickly shaking her head trying not to think about it too much. "I don't know what I'm supposed to say," Vanessa began. "Do you wanna have a... break?"

Dallas shrugged. "Again, easier said than done. Working out is my stress relief." He said quietly. Raking his fingers through his hair, he glanced over at Vanessa. "We aren't dating, so it's pretty hard to take a break." Dallas said softly. "And no, I don't want to take a break from Rock. Parents don't get breaks." He sighed heavily. "I just wish that things could go back to the way they were before. When we were both happy."

Vanessa against her better judgment she asked," What's got you so stressed?" She fidgeted with her hands in her lap waiting for the worst to drop. It felt like all the same emotions when Dallas has left her the first time. They weren't even together, why was she so worried? "And I don't want Rocky growing up thinking his family is broken," she added. Vanessa's eyes gazed down for a brief moment, before looking back at Dallas. "Honestly, I haven't been happy in such a long time outside of Rocky. I don't even remember how we used to be,"

Dallas looked up at Vanessa and arched his eyebrows. "Knowing that the mother of my child doesn't trust me with him and decides to break in and steal him from under my nose." He said stiffly. "I just should turn down the Team Canada Camp. The tournament is over the Christmas break, I'd be better off...not going." He wanted to say 'with you guys' but he bit his lip. "We are broken." He said simply. "And I tried my God damn hardest to put us back together Vanessa, but it was just a game to you." He said quietly. "I want Rocky to have a family."

Vanessa "I never said I don't trust you with him! You wouldn't let me see him without you being there or without some other supervisor like I didn't raise him his entire life. If I didn't trust you, Rocky would have been with me at the safehouse, but no. I put him with you because I had things I needed to deal with and I knew he'd be safe with his father. You weren't returning any of my calls after the custody talk so I took matters into my own hands," Vanessa explained. Before she could say anything else, all she could do was shake her head at Dallas. "You're not turning it down," she spoke bluntly. "I'm not letting give up your dream because things are tough right now." She wanted to try and console him, but his words were only hitting her deeper and deeper the more he spoke. "A game? You've got to be kidding me. I wanted to try with us, Mike, but when I was at my lowest you let me leave. You took my son from me and made it all my fault that that happened. If you want Rocky to have a family, you've got to start acting like you want me to be a part of it."

Dallas turned to her, his fingers biting into his jeans. "He was safe with me...and when you first came to me...he wasn't safe with you." Rolling his eyes, he shook his head slightly. "You don't really have a say in if I go or not, Vanessa. And there's still the camp and I probably won't make it anyway." He chewed on the inside of his cheek and he frowned. "Because you wouldn't listen to me. I gave you space. And before that? I did everything in my power to show you how much I cared for you and Rocky...and that still wasn't good enough." He brought his hands to his head and rubbed his scalp roughly. "Of course I want Rocky to have a family. I'm not sure how much more I can do to show you that."

Vanessa "My son is always safe with me," Vanessa countered. She wasn't going to let Dallas talk down to her or make her feel like a bad parent. She did everything in her power to make sure Rocky had a good life, and she was going to continue to do that. "You're right I don't, but you've been working towards this your whole life and you're just gonna throw it away? You missed the first two years of your son's life in order to be something for him and you're just gonna quit? Fine, do what you want Mike, but the man I fell in love with... the man who fathered my child wouldn't want his son to think of him as a quitter." Vanessa stood up after her sentiment, raking her hands roughly through her hair. "I've known for a long time that I'm never going to be able to have a white picketed fence family for Rocky, I've come to terms with that, maybe it's time you did too. I want to try and make things work but every time I do something it's wrong so why try anymore?"

Dallas exhaled softly. "You won't hate me if I have to leave again? When I have to leave? I mean, I will have to leave, the camp is in Calgary and the tournament this year is in Quebec..." He sighed. "We can give Rocky a white picket fence. Hell, if I make something of myself you and Rocky will have whatever you want." He looked at Vanessa and turned his body so she was facing him. "Do you still love me?"

Vanessa "I will hate you if you don't try," Vanessa finally settled. She knew better than to tell Dallas to stay for the family to even attempt to rationalize what he was saying. She had to keep his dream alive even if she was the only one who believed in him. A small smile crossed her face listening to Dallas speak, but she knew that happiness would be short-lived. "I will always love you," Vanessa spoke slowly. Her mind flickered back to their conversation about Vanessa choosing him or her family, and her answer remained the same. "But I can't be who you want me to be. I'm not that girl anymore."

Dallas nodded. "Alright." He said quietly. Sighing, he looked at her and gently reached for her hand. "So you can never love me?" He asked softly. "I'm not sure what else I can do to prove that I still love you and I'm still IN love with you. I want to provide for you and Rocky and you know that I can and I will."

Vanessa 's head dropped hearing his response, "I didn't say that." Her eyes stayed gazing at their hands together, she couldn't dare look him in the eyes. "I know you are... And I know you care and are going to provide for Rocky. You're going to be a great father for him once you get drafted." She paused, trying to find a way to gather her words. "I won't chose you over my family, Dallas," she ended.

Dallas bit down on his lip so hard he tasted blood. "The gang." He said finally. Shaking his had, he rubbed his eyes. "Okay." He said stiffly, pulling his hand away. "Answer understood."

Vanessa could feel his hand being snatched away by her answer. It was only a matter of time before he drew away from her again. "Would you rather I lie to you and say I'm out?" She grabbed back onto his hand, trying to get him to focus back on her. "When I say family, I do mean my family; the gang unfortunately just means they're included in that too. I've already seen too much, know too much... If I try to get out like you did, there's a target on not only my back but Rocky's too. My dad's connections are what keep our son safe."

Dallas felt his pulse start to race and he put his hands back on his knees. "You can get out." He said simply. "When I get drafted, we can leave Toronto and you'd be safe." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and noticed blood. "But if that's what you want, then okay. I won't force you. You know I'd never do that." He sighed and pulled his body away looking away. "But I can't live my life hoping that one day you'll turn around and love me again."

Vanessa "I do love you, you idiot! That's why I can't let you quit hockey or give up your dreams for the Pros. If I didn't care about you, I'd drag you back to our block, have you quit, and get some boring 9-5 job to provide for our family, but I'm /not/ doing that. I love you enough to know that I can't be with you because I might ruin what you have going for you," Vanessa explained. She moved closer, noticing the blood on his hand. "Mike..." her voice trailed. "I need you to understand that I'm doing what I need to so you can live your dream. It's what I've been doing. If I have to scrub the Hollingsworth's floors and run initiation for the rest of my life, I will do that if that can ensure you and Rocky a good future."

Dallas slid away and shook his head. "It's not your job Vanessa. You did your job for two years when I was in Guelph. Now it's my job." He said seriously. Tears welling up in his eyes, he bit down again blood gathering in his mouth. "You won't be scrubbing anyone's floors. Just say the word and when I get drafted, we're gone. But I need to know that it's what you want...that you want to be with me." He was shaking as he dabbed at the blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Vanessa "It's been my job since I met you and it'll be my job as long as Rocky and I are both breathing," Vanessa retorted. Even though he was moving away from her, Vaness kept near him, gently wiping the lone tear that was beginning to form in his eyes. "Please don't cry... Mike, I don't mind having to do that. If it means you get to live your dream, then that's fine by me. I want what's best for you and staying back here for me and Rock aren't what's best." Her eyes were stuck on the blood-forming around his mouth. "Like I said, I'm not that girl you want anymore."

Dallas: "But you shouldn't have to. I don't care if you don't mind." He quickly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You'll always be the girl that I want." He muttered softly. Dallas blinked a few times and exhaled softly. "It's not your job." He said seriously. "It's mine now. I don't care if you don't want me, I don't care if we'll never be together, but I still love you and I love our son."

Dallas "But you shouldn't have to. I don't care if you don't mind." He quickly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You'll always be the girl that I want." He muttered softly. Dallas blinked a few times and exhaled softly. "It's not your job." He said seriously. "It's mine now. I don't care if you don't want me, I don't care if we'll never be together, but I still love you and I love our son."

Vanessa "Your job is to take care of business. Focus on hockey; that's it," Vanessa countered. She wasn't going to argue with Dallas about it anymore. She wasn't going to let him take on more pressure than he already had to deal with. "Trust me, I'm not," she said lowly. "I would love nothing more than to be with you and have a perfect family, but I can't... not now. When you're drafted and we have the means to move away from this place and never look back," she paused, grabbing back onto his hand. "When you're drafted, Rocky, you, and I are going to go so far away from here we won't have to worry about anyone or anything else here."

Dallas cocked his head to the side and pursed his lips. He reached out for her and cupped her cheek softly, pulled her in for a soft kiss. "You are." He replied. "And we can, if we try." He dropped his hand and ran his hand over his face. "You better not make promises you can't keep." He said softly. "Because we will leave and never look back."

Vanessa felt a sense of softness washing over her as Dallas brought her in," You deserve better than me." She returned the kiss, letting it linger for a moment before fully pulling away. "I promise you, Mike, one day you'll be able to give me and my son the world and all I'll truly want is your last name."

Dallas laughed softly. "No. You deserve better than me." He softly brushed his lips over hers. "Right now it might not be the world, but let me try, okay?" He asked softly. He feared that she would find someone else, or, so would he.

[starryburglar-archive]

Bloom Info

Full name: Bloom Peters || Princess Bloom of Domino

Species: Human

Age: 18

Sexuality: Bisexual

FC(s): Katherine McNamara || Sophie Lillis

Bio: Adopted daughter of Mike and Vanessa, a loving couple from planet Earth, but is actually the youngest daughter of Marion and Oritel, the king and queen of Domino---the dragon flame gives her life and is the source of her powers. Bloom was saved by her older sister Daphne from the wrath of the three ancestral witches who brought terror and ruin to Domino, making it an isolated planet for almost two decades. Bloom grew up unaware of her heritage as a princess or to her powers for 16 years, until one day she had a faithful encounter with a fairy called Stella.

After some explanations and realising she might be a fairy too, Bloom went with Stella to Alfea, a fairy school located in Magix where she would spend the next three years channelling her magic and learning how to use it effectively. Along the way she grew closer to a group of fairies, also on their first year as students, and became very good close friends: Flora, Musa, Tecna, Stella, and Aisha.

Many trials and tribulations occurred since then; from learning that she’s actually adopted and not from Earth to getting her dragon flame stolen from within her (but not really), to go against different levels of bad guys over the years, slowly learning more and more about Domino and her birth parents. But just like her peers, Bloom grew up and became a powerful fairy, eventually earning her true fairy form with the Enchantrix transformation; she even got to save her home planet and bring it back to life!

Note: Follows canon up to season 4 and the first movie. Anything regarding the other seasons or movies won’t be canon to me. Plus, I wanna take a few liberties regarding certain things in the first 4 seasons as well, including the exclusion of Believix as a transformation in my canon -- the Winx girls operate in the events of season 4 using Enchantrix.

[ MAIN || INBOX || HEADCANONS || VISAGE || MUSINGS ]

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

V001: Guardian Fairy of Domino

Default main verse. Takes place after the events of season 4 and the first movie, in which Bloom has finally found and saved her biological parents as well as her birth planet, Domino. Currently, after magic returned to Earth, she’s still living with her friends in Gardenia while acting as guardian fairy of her home planet and protecting Earth from anyone or anything with her friends.

V002: Whims of Fate

Persona 5 verse. to be written in detail later but here are some details about it:

her persona is mulan

she’s a transfer student from america who got the opportunity to study at kosei high during her second year ( she’s staying at a friend of her mom, an old college friend )

she was at best acquaintances with yusuke kitagawa before a certain incident.

that incident was accidentally getting involved with the mafia, all unintentionally of course, at the same time as makoto niijima was trying to be useful to the phantom thieves by reaching kaneshiro

her awakening took place in kaneshiro’s palace, where all of her frustrations and worries imploded and revealed how she really felt since she arrived at japan: alone, useless, and not thinking she’s that talented of an artist despite being given the opportunity to study for a year at kosei

her elemental power is fire ( ofc ) and her persona specializes in magic and physical attacks.

ARCANA: LOVERS || OUTFIT || MASK

V003: tba MCU

tba MCU verse to be written later

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

CONNECTIONS

--

[loisinherlane]

Title: Domino (Revised Chapter 1v1 (aka Season 1 Episode 1)

Summary: The war ended. The witches were vanquished. Domino had fallen. Though only sixteen years had passed, the Magical Dimension had done its best to forget its failures and move forward. But just as the dust seemed to settle, a new trio of witches seeks the same power their elders were denied. Without the royal family of Domino, no one knows where the Dragon Flame they use came from--but the strange girl from Earth may have answers.

Notes: Am I entirely finished with this chapter? No. Am I going to post any other chapters soon? No. But I wanted to get this out there. This is a revision of a fic near and dear to my heart. Unfortunately for readers on its original site of posting, I will not be continuing there. This first version of chapter 1 is a tumblr-exclusive, and once I finished editing, I’ll also post this on AO3. But for now, let me explain a little more.

Some of you around my age may remember a show called Wi .nx Club (censored to prevent tagging). This was my favorite show for a long time. However, as I’ve grown older, I’ve noticed more and more problems with the show, and as much as I loved my fic idea (based off of my dad’s complaint about Bloom’s abandoning her parents in the first episode), I had too many other ideas to contain. So, here this is: a large rewrite that completely overhauls the first season, changes a few characters significantly (basically this is less girl hate and more LGBT friendliness along with a few more adult themes ((but not too many because I’m too ace for that)) ), and is basically a big venture on my part. If you could, please, please talk to me about this. This story means so much to me. But I won’t make this note longer than necessary. Here we go.

-

Though all contact with Earth had abruptly ended after the disappearance of the Earthen fairies--a disappearance sadly preceded by their retreat into a small, glamoured area where they erased all evidence of their existence from the world and the memories of Earth’s other inhabitants--Earth was still regarded as a somewhat forbidden tourist attraction. With rich foliage to rival Lynphea, a strange sea life only comparable to Andros, and a resiliently adaptive variety of cultures, the World Without Magic was a fascinating getaway for many, so long as they could afford the hefty fine if caught or evade capture. Visiting Earth was a chance best taken when the opportunity presented itself.

For this reason, Crown Princess Stella de Soleil-Lune of Solaria saw absolutely no problem in stopping mid-transport to Alfea (for her second first year) on Earth. She didn’t have to be there for a few hours, and so long as she didn’t arrive more than half an hour late, it wouldn’t really matter. Her parents hadn’t bothered to wish her off this year, so no one knew exactly when she left, and it wasn’t out of the line for her to run late. It was the perfect plan.

Landing in the middle of a town called Gardenia, Stella intended to spend her detour examining how Earth’s shopping fared. Of course, landing in a forest-y clearing only to be greeted by an ogre derailed those plans.

-

Episode 1

The Earthen Fairy

-

There was no one but Bloom home in the Peters household during the summer. California summers brought on all sorts of fires, and Mike was always busy with the fire department, aiding anyone who needed help. Summer was also the time the flower shop flourished, so Vanessa rarely had time off. Occasionally, Bloom stepped in to help, but mostly she spent her time at home or out with Selina and Andy. Each morning, Bloom would rise at 8:30, just in time to tell her parents goodbye before they left work, and then she would find something to do, or fall back asleep.

“There's our little blossom. Always a late bloomer,” Mike teased as he finished up the last drops of his coffee. Bloom half-heartedly glared at her father before taking her seat at the kitchen table and stretching out, setting her feet on her father’s lap.

Vanessa was scanning her phone to check on flower orders, and she sighed loudly. “Look at this. This man wants to send flowers to his boyfriend, but his boyfriend is allergic to certain flowers. And all he says is, ‘Don't use the flowers he's allergic to.’” She sighed and set the phone down on the kitchen table, her nails lightly clicking against the screen as she closed out her calendar.

Bloom smiled sympathetically and patted her mom’s arm. Vanessa returned the look as she squeezed Bloom’s hand. Mike, refusing to be left out, joined in, his paler hand stark against their tanned skin.

“So you're both getting off at five today?” Bloom asked her parents, finally waking up enough to grab a piece of toast. She took a knife setting on one of the empty plates and carefully spread butter across the surface, smoothing it evenly.

Mike nodded, stretching his arms over his head and grunting with the effort, though it seemed to be more a huff at the day itself. He stood up slowly and began to gather his things for work, which wasn't much, as he tended to keep everything at the fire station. Vanessa hesitated.

“I think I may have quite a few orders today,” she sighed. “I'm not sure.”

Bloom perked up a little at the idea that she might have something to do. “Do you need help?” she asked eagerly.

Vanessa tried not to hide her worried look as she pushed her dark hair behind her ear. “No. No, don't worry about it, dear. We’ll handle it.”

“Oh, Mom, come on. I only broke one vase!” Bloom whined.

“One four hundred dollar vase,” Vanessa countered, straightening her overalls and checking her reflection in the window once more. Bloom flushed a little red, though the effect wasn't much with the fieriness of her hair. She rolled her dark blue eyes and crossed her arms.

Mike straightened up from where he’d been adjusting his boots. He smiled at the two ladies as he grabbed his keys. “Alright, ladies. I'll see you tonight. Good luck at the shop, Vanessa,” he said softly, leaning in for a kiss. Bloom averted her eyes and made a face. Mike laughed as he pecked his daughter’s forehead. “Are you going out with Andy and Selina today?”

Bloom frowned at the mention of her friends and shook her head, slumping back into the wooden chair. “No. Andy has his family reunion, and Selina’s at this… fantasy convention thing.”

“Ah. Well, don't sleep all day then,” he teased, finally moving towards the door. Vanessa kissed her daughter goodbye as well, and then Bloom was left alone.

On a day like that, there wasn't much for Bloom to do. Unwilling to do nothing and being entirely awake, she grabbed a baseball tee and a pair of jeans, getting dressed and ready to go. Bloom’s brand new(-ish) bike was dug out from the back of the garage, where she shakily mounted it and rode off to the park. She never went any further than that, as she didn’t trust her bike-riding skills to take her any farther. Both Andy and Selina were busy, so she was alone with Kiko, dropping her bike against a tree as she bought an ice cream. The park was fairly bare, for a summer day, but it was hot. Most people were probably reveling in their air conditioning.

“What a boring day, Kiko,” Bloom lamented, setting the bunny in her lap. He was kind of an odd rabbit, fur a little bluish in tint, and he never ran off, no matter where Bloom took him. She’d found him one day in the backyard. When she opened the door to go inside, he’d dashed in front of her. Her parents had been a little hesitant with Kiko at first, never wanting him outside of his cage, but it soon became apparent that as long as he had his litter box, there would be no messes. The Peters decided not to question their luck, and Bloom kept her strange little friend. “I just wish something interesting would happen for once.”

Kiko just gave her a funny look. After a moment, his ears perked up, and he darted off into the woodsy section of the park. Bloom shot up, alarmed.

“Kiko!” she yelled, abandoning her bike and running after him.

Following the pitter-patter of little bunny feet was difficult. Luckily, Kiko seemed intent that Bloom follow him. Pausing every once in awhile so she could catch up, Kiko led her to another clearing, too deep in the trees to be visible from civilized areas.

“Kiko, what are you--” Bloom froze. They hadn’t quite exited the shaded shelter of the trees, but the clearing was brightly lit by the sun, and the two figures before her were, well--

“What the hell do you want?”

The girl looked like something out of an RPG, glittering orange shorts and top that almost looked like lingerie, the translucent skirt of her--was it a dress?--almost like sunshine, like the rays visible in the air on a sunny day. Three small wings protruded from her back, and Bloom vacantly wondered if her was pulled into pigtails to keep them from tangling. She swung what looked like a scepter haphazardly.

The . . . thing she was fighting was hardly fazed by her efforts. A smile spread across his muddy yellow face.

“What a weak fairy. You don’t even use your powers,” he said slowly. Bloom couldn’t decide if it was an unfamiliarity with the language or an affectation, but it certainly fit the role he was playing. He did seem to have an odd accent. She couldn’t quite place it.

Bloom looked down to Kiko. “Fairy? They must be roleplaying or something,” she shrugged, prepared to return home. Kiko darted around her feet, preventing her from moving. “Kiko!”

The girl in the clearing was knocked back, but instead of landing, her wings fluttered. She hovered a few feet above the monster and stuck out her tongue. “You can’t get me from up here!”

His lips curled, and small red . . . gremlins darted out, jumping towards her. The girl screeched.

“I am Stella de Soleil-Lune, crown princess of the reunited Solaria! If you harm me, my parents will show no mercy!”

Bloom hesitated, looking at Kiko. He stared at her expectantly. She looked back at the girl and her terrified face.

“But what do I do?” she murmured. After another moment’s trepidation, she grabbed a stick, ran forward, and smacked the monster from behind. “Leave her alone!”

The monster spun around a little, more out of surprise than pain. Both he and the girl stared, and for a second, Bloom’s heart stopped. Oh, no. Had she interrupted some sort of game after all?

Then the girl took the moment to act, the gremlins having stopped without any orders. A bright light shot from her fingers and destroyed the gremlins.

The monster growled menacingly at Bloom. “You little--” He tried to grab her wrist, but the moment he touched her skin, Bloom cowered, and a warm pulse rushed through her. The monster was knocked away.

The girl’s brows shot up. “Hey, you’re a--”

The monster huffed and turned away, grumbling, “I don’t have time to deal with you. She’s the one I want.”

“But you can’t have me!” The girl raised her scepter high, closing her eyes. “As crown princess of Solaria, fairy of the sun, moon, and stars, I call on the power of the heavens to banish the one who threatens me!”

Bright light flooded the area, and yet it didn’t seem to blind Bloom. When the light died down, only the girl--Stella, she remembered--and Bloom remained.

Stella smiled brightly in a sort of way that made even Bloom a little flustered. “I’m so glad you’re here! I thought--” Suddenly, she wavered, her expression faltering into something weak. She blinked a couple times, then collapsed, her attire disappearing in a shimmer of sunlight, leaving the girl in odd, yet regal, attire. Exchanging a quick look with Kiko, Bloom knelt down beside her, hesitantly placing a hand on the girl’s clammy forehead.

“Shit.”

-

What was she to do with an unconscious girl in the middle of the park? Bloom was only a few inches over five feet, and Stella seemed to be fairly tall. No matter how skinny she was, Bloom was sure she couldn’t carry the girl home, or even out of the forest to the rest of the park. Aside from that dilemma, she wasn’t sure she wanted anyone to see Stella. Whatever had just occurred wasn’t normal, and there were only four people on Earth she would trust with that. Her parents being at work, she elected to beg Andy to duck out of his family reunion. He, at least, could carry Stella. Not that he was particularly pleased with the situation, but he’d never been able to say no to Bloom.

(“Why didn’t you call your dad? Or an ambulance?” he asked with a sort of fond exasperation as he set Stella on the couch in Bloom’s living room. She pulled the soft blanket from the basket and carefully draped it over the stranger.

“Dad’s at work, and an ambulance--”

“Yeah. Alright,” he said, brushing it aside as he left. Suddenly, Bloom no longer felt like telling him about her adventure.)

When her parents returned, there wasn’t much she could do to explain the sight of an unconscious, unfamiliar girl.

“We need to take her to the hospital,” Mike insisted.

“Dad, we don’t even know who she is. What if they do something to her?” Bloom fretted.

Vanessa knelt down by Stella, looking her over briefly. “Honey, we don’t even have first aid training. What are we supposed to do? She’s clearly… ill,” she said, stroking Stella’s hair lightly. Stella stirred, eyes flickering open. The Peters stared intently, ready to see what she said as she awoke.

“If the sun’s not out, it’s not time to get up.”

Mike made sort of a frustrated look, and Vanessa sighed.

“Young lady, you’ve slept past sunset. I think it’s time to get up,” she prodded.

Very slowly, as if in protest, Stella opened her eyes and sat up. Abruptly, she slammed her hands on the cushion of the couch and scanned the room until she caught sight of Bloom. “You! Thank the moon and stars, someone I can trust. I need to borrow your phone.”

Bloom hesitantly glanced to her parents, who didn’t know what to tell her. Fingers trembling, she pulled her sky blue phone out of her pocket and handed it to Stella. The girl frowned in confusion. “Oh, did I forget to unlock it?” Bloom asked, reaching to take the phone back.

Stella didn’t seem to hear her. “What planet are you from?” she asked slowly.

Bloom raised a brow. “Earth?”

Stella stared at Bloom suspiciously before she understood that Bloom was being completely honest. A look of wonder spread across her face, and she bounced eagerly.

“I found a real life Earth fairy? That’s-- That’s crazy! We thought you were dead! Have you been in hiding all this time?”

A fairy. Stella had said that before, but… Surely Bloom wasn't really a fairy. That was crazy. Magic wasn't real. And yet she had no explanation for what was going on.

Question after question came flying, but they only served to heighten the confusion of her hosts. Mike and Vanessa turned to look at their daughter again.

“I have no idea what she’s talking about,” Bloom insisted. “I told you. I was in the park when I saw her fighting this . . . thing.”

“An ogre,” Stella interjected. “He’s been attacking a lot of princesses lately. My parents didn’t want me to travel alone to school, but . . .” She hesitated, like she didn’t want to get into that.

Mike sighed, running a hand through his graying blond hair. “About half of that made sense. Look, why don’t you call your parents, and we’ll see if we can figure this out.”

Stella crossed her arms over chest. “Well, I would if your phone had intergalactic coverage. Earth is so woefully behind. Oh, but I’m sure with an Earth fairy being properly trained at Alfea, everything will be better.”

“What’s Alfea?” Vanessa asked.

Stella stared blankly. “You . . . don’t know what Alfea is?” When she realized the name had no recognition in any of the three, she sighed. “Alfea College for Young Fairies. It’s a training school. And the best one in the Magical Dimension. Magix City is home to all three of the best schools. Alfea, for fairies,” she reminded, “Red Fountain, for Specialists, and Cloud Tower, for witches.” Her lips snarled at that last bit.

Mike shook his head and looked at Bloom. “This girl must be suffering from heatstroke. I’m going to call a doctor.”

Stella pouted, her wide brown eyes flashing indignantly. As soon as Mike grabbed his phone, it flashed into a carrot. He froze as the carrot slipped from his fingers, and Kiko hopped over to investigate, mouth open and teeth bared to take a nibble. Stella smiled sheepishly and pointed her finger to lift the carrot into the air.

“Sorry. I’m not really good at controlling that yet,” she explained.

Bloom stare in awe. Half-convinced that the scene at the park had been some crazy hallucination, she wasn’t sure what to make of this. “You-- You’re really a--”

Mike and Vanessa exchanged a solemn look while Stella brightened.

“Stella de Soleil-Lune, fairy of the sun, moon, and stars, crown princess of the reunited Solaria,” she said delicately.

Bloom smiled shyly. “Um. Bloom Peters.”

“Fairy of . . . something!” Stella supplied. “I don’t know what you did, but that ogre couldn’t touch you. It was amazing. And you weren’t even in fairy form! I had to rely on this.” She paused sadly, a little disappointed in her abilities, spinning her ring around her finger.

Bloom hesitated. “You did finish him off.”

“I sent him about ten kilometers away. But thanks,” she replied.

The room fell silent, and Bloom looked back at her parents. They only stared at her, then looked to Stella.

“What’s fairy form?” Bloom asked after a moment.

Stella furrowed her brow. “You haven’t transformed yet? Most fairies can by thirteen. I was an early bloomer. I did it by twelve,” she said proudly.

Bloom shook her head. Stella sighed and tossed the blanket off her legs, riding to her feet. She held two fingers up on each hand and crossed her arms over her chest. In a flash of light, the form Bloom had seen earlier, pigtails and all, reappeared. Mike and Vanessa gaped.

“So,” Stella said, “let’s see you try.”

Bloom didn’t know where to begin.

Stella was clearly unaware of how to teach someone something that was so integral to her.

“Okay. Well. Um. Hold up your fingers like this,” she instructed, showing Bloom how her index and middle fingers were together while the others were folded on both hands. Bloom copied the position. “Okay. Then, to, um-- Well, this creates sort of a . . . channel of magical power. You want to make a burst of energy that will allow you to transform. By crossing your hands over each other, the energy from both sides meets, and--”

Bloom nodded and did as she remembered Stella doing. Nothing happened.

“No! Okay, yes, I mean. That’s what I do. But you have to find your own technique,” she explained. “A lot of fairy families have techniques specific to them, but I mean, even then, you really just have to find what works for you. And sometimes it depends on powers. Certain focuses need to be charged in different ways. I don’t really need any of that, but I just think it’s easier to have the energy close during transformation--”

Vanessa interrupted. “Is this something you should be doing inside the house?”

Stella started, as if she’d forgotten they were there. “It’s harmless. Really. And Bloom needs to know how to transform if she’s going to go to Alfea with me.”

“Alfea,” Bloom repeated, intrigued by the idea. Mike shook his head.

“My daughter is not going anywhere, especially not some school we’ve never even heard of.”

With a dainty huff, Stella lifted her shoulders. “I just told you! It’s the best place Bloom can go to train herself. She’s a fairy! She needs it.”

Bloom slowly lowered her arms. Looking back at her parents, she hesitated. “Um. When does school start? Maybe I can consider it,” she tried to mediate.

“Um, problem,” Stella pointed out gently. “I’m on my way to school. And I’m really kind of late. My parents are going to kill me. School starts in like three days. I’m supposed to be moving in now. But I’m sure Ms. Faragonda will turn a blind eye if I bring you!”

Bloom looked back at her parents. Vanessa smiled as she placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe next year, honey. I don’t think--”

Stella sighed. The ring around her finger began to glow, and the color drained from her face. “Oh! I’m so sorry to dash off like this, really, but if you’re not coming, I have to go. My parents are trying to track me, and if they find out I’m on Earth--” Her face lit up. “Aha! I can say the ogre attacked me. That will work. Yeah, I was transporting, and I fell on Earth because he attacked. But I still ought to go. Thank you so much. May the moon and stars bless you.” She pulled the ring from her finger and tossed it up until it turned back into the scepter Bloom had seen her carry. In another flash of light, she disappeared.

Eventually, the Peters decided that the best thing to do was forget about the encounter. Bloom was still unsure of the existence of magic, and her parents were unsure of what to do with the knowledge. Summer passed; school resumed, and Bloom spent her time with Selina and Andy delving into fantasy novels and homework.

As for the crown princess of Solaria, she elected to remove their part in the story when she arrived at Alfea. After all, why would anyone believe there was a fairy on Earth? She’d already been nearly expelled. It was better to stay on the straight and narrow this year. Her suitemates never had a clue that Stella was involved in any incidents other than the decimation of the potions lab.

[thatz-not-okay]

I work on a boat. Our newest crew member whistles incessantly. We also live on the boat, so I can't really escape it when I go home, which is down below in the cabin adjacent to his.

When there's music playing—which is all the time—his whistling becomes almost frenzied. It's kind of atonal and arrhythmic with regards to the songs he's supposedly whistling along to, which makes it especially annoying—although I think even if he were a gifted whistler I'd still be going up the wall. I find myself turning off music because I can't take it anymore. Although I've never said anything, he mentioned previous captains and crew gave him a hard time for it, and I can see why. It never stops.

Now, I like the guy. He's very nice and a great worker. But I actually think the whistling might prevent him from being hired after his trial period, a long three months from now. We are five people sharing very close quarters, so a compulsive behavior can really drive everyone nuts, especially me because I usually work with him all day. We haven't had to be on anchor with him yet—but that gets really claustrophobic really fast and I'm worried I'll lose it and go off on him.

I don't want to make a delicate working/living situation awkward—which is so easy to do and so hard to undo on a boat—but I'm at my wit's end. I'd like to ask him to be more aware of how often and how loudly he whistles. Is that okay?

Thatz okay.

First of all, this "atonal," "arrhythmic," "almost frenzied" whistling sounds nightmarish—I'm picturing something like the first few seconds of this 1992 commercial starring Vanessa Paradis as a human bird that wants to sell you Chanel.

Unwanted noise when you're trying to work is the worst.

When I work from the Gawker offices, which are loud because the machine that purposely inserts the typos into the blog posts makes a lot of racket, I do so while wearing earplugs and noise canceling headphones and listening to white noise (brown noise) and it's STILL TOO MUCH NOISE.

But at the end of the day, I get to leave. You are trapped with a person who is simultaneously the world's most annoying coworker and roommate.

Now, as the fearsome Pirates Who Don't Do Anything taught us, a little sing-along every once in a while can be a great way to raise crew spirits and break up the tedium of days at sea. But whistling, like the stream of questions that flows from a child relentlessly interrogating her father about basic atmospheric science, is one of those sounds that is only entertaining when you catch a snippet of it in passing. A guy walking by your window whistling a tune is a charming chap on his way to meet his best gal. A guy standing underneath your window whistling a tune is a menace.

I'm touched that you're concerned your coworker's whistling might prevent him from eventually being hired longterm; if I were in your situation, I would spend every day wishing he would just get fired already.

Normally for something like this, I would recommend broaching the subject in a jokey way.

"Are you Flo Rida? Because you been singin' that Whistle song since you got here!"

"Do I look like Anna McNeill Whistler, sitting for a portrait in your London studio? Because you got me feeling like Whistler's Mother!"

"WOW, YOU REALLY WHISTLE ALL THE GODDAMN TIME AND IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY AND I WANT TO STRANGLE YOU haha!"

But you say he's already mentioned that past Snow Whites have given him grief for whistling while he works.

A good lifehack is that if everyone at your old job and the job you had before that and the job you had before that confronted you with the same complaint about your annoying habit, you should do your best to eliminate that habit from your repertoire of tricks. Your coworker has, for whatever reason, chosen not to abide by this tip. Maybe he can't, because it's a nervous tic. Maybe he won't because he's a water demon, who whistles while aboard ships even though a common sailor superstition holds that whistling on a ship is bad luck.

Doesn't it seem odd that this charismatic stranger—with eyes the gray-green of the ocean during a storm, who always smells slightly of sulfur—strode into your lives at the exact moment you were looking to hire someone? Isn't it strange that this seasoned old salt would have no work references? No past? No clothes except the ones he was wearing the day you met him? No plans for the future because "I always seem to land on my feet..."

Perhaps he travels from port to port, joining up with new ships and setting sail, only days later to whistle up hellish tempest that casts his wretched crew into the sea, their souls a mere drop in the bucket of his yearly quota.

Either way, since gentle joshing has historically shown no effect, I would go to the skipper on the issue of the whistling. He's the one with the authority to do something drastic if he thinks it's appropriate, including banishing this sea demon to the churning tide whence he came. Otherwise, you're just one more jerk with no sway telling this guy to "stop being so annoying."

If the captain declines to intervene, try keeping the whistler's mouth occupied with an endless supply of chewing gum.

I am the kind of person who hates useless junk. I detest Snuggies/fancy soap dispensers / Batman snow-globes or anything of the ilk that some people buy when they have no proper meaningful (birthday) gift. Since I hate crap like that so much I prefer to give away experiences as gifts. I plan on giving my friend Mike theater-tickets for his upcoming birthday. We both like theater and we rarely see each other, so I thought it would be nice if just the two of us went and saw a play with me footing the bill. Right? A mutual friend says: Wrong! Her reasoning is that if I want to give him theater tickets I should just give him two tickets and let him decide whom to bring. (At this point let me state that I have absolutely no romantic interest in Mike!) Maybe he will want to go with me, maybe he will want to go with a date, his tickets, his business. I disagree. Me going to the theater with Mike, is part of the gift, isn't it? Is that okay?

Thatz not okay.

No, you cannot give your friend "theater tickets" for his birthday, and then, as he's accepting them, jerk one away and say "Actually, it's ‘theater ticket' because I'm coming too."

You also cannot treat him (and you!) to a couple's massage. You cannot book him a night in a fancy honeymoon suite "and I'll come too because we never get a chance to gab!" You cannot buy him a wedding dress so that, if he ever doesfind a woman to marry (he won't find her at the theater—you'll be his date to that), she won't have to spend money on a gown. (Just pick out one that looks great on you—he'll probably marry somebody your size, right? Maybe he'll even marry you, haha, just joking...just...joking...)

And, though it is great, you must resist the temptation to buy him the most thoughtful gift of all: a present for you, so that when your next birthday rolls around, he won't have to shell out for one. So much hassle saved! No need to send flowers, Mike; a thank-you card will suffice.

A presence is not a present, especially if it's imposed. The polite thing to do in this situation is to give your friend both tickets and let him bring whomever he chooses.

If you present him with two tickets, there's a chance he'll feel obligated (or maybe even want! You guys have great chemistry.) to invite you as his theater date anyway. But let him decide that if for no other reason than he can feel generous for using his birthday present on you.