#VERY exciting christmas now that everybody knows they’re my special interest

[jellyfiishbones]

guys i think people might know i like cats

[emmyhem]

right where you left me (l.r.h)

a/n: hi everybody! so this is a bit of a longer one that is inspired by the song “right where you left me” by taylor swift on evermore. it’s one of my favorites by her because i love the writing and the concept. whether you’re a taylor fan or not i suggest reading and then listening to the song with the fic in mind, it makes the song hit extremely hard. also expect more taylor inspired stuff in the future because she’s one of my all time favorite artists. this one is sad but i live for the angst so what’re you gonna do? my calum piece, “everything you’re missing” should be up by the end of the week and i’m working hard on my very first michael and ashton pieces as well, which is really exciting. anyway i hope you all enjoy and are being safe (get vaccinated if you can!) once again my messages are always open and feedback/criticism is always appreciated. hugs and kisses to all, thanks - emmy <33

pairing: luke hemmings x fem!reader 

summary: you met 20 year old luke hemmings in a coffee shop eight years ago and were sure your life had been decided. you once told him you’d wait for him until you were sure he was happier without you. you never thought that day would actually come.

warning(s): angst, cursing, alludes to possible infidelity, it’s a sad one so buckle in. 

word count: 6.2k

Current time - December 14th 

The familiar ring of the entrance bell pulled your attention from the worn book beneath your fingers to take a routine glance at the patrons rushing in from the early December chill. Mitten covered hands, and icy cold flushed cheeks entered one after the other. Your typical seat in the corner of the small cafe was shielded from the penetrating winds that accompanied each person in their entrance but you still shivered in sympathy at each new arrival. 

Your steaming earl grey had faded into a tepid puddle at the bottom of your mug as the hours passed on the analog clock that adorned the brick wall in the front. Olive, a barista you had become friendly with over the years approached your table with the cafe’s winter speciality, an orange cranberry muffin in hand. 

“Last one.” she said, sitting it on a pine green napkin in front of you. 

You reached into your purse for a few spare bills to cover the cost when she stopped you by placing a hand on your forearm. 

“On the house for our favorite customer.” her eyes were filled with pity as she nodded down to you, and you were too tired to feel embarrassed. 

“Thanks, Liv.” you sighed. 

“It’s my pleasure, besides I always feel like we’re robbing you when you pay full price, you only ever eat half anyway.” she added as she walked away. 

You picked at the baked good, memories flooding your brain with each bite. 

Eight years ago - December 14th 

As you clutched your books with a death grip you cursed yourself for forgetting your gloves in your dorm. The wind was picking up and it wouldn’t be long until they were numb completely, and your sweater paws were less than effective in warming your frozen fingers. 

A flickering red light glowed just a bit down the street and a sugary citrus aroma was pulling your stiff limbs towards it against the wind. The closer you got the more mouthwatering the smell became and soon enough you had reached the door, bracing yourself for the chill of the copper handle as you pulled it open. 

Sweet, warm air enveloped you as you stepped inside. The red brick walls were chipped in more than a few places, red and green christmas lights twinkle from a tree in the corner, and the crackling of the fireplace was like music to your ears. You wondered how you had never noticed the quaint cafe before as you took your place in line behind a tall man wearing only a thin black hoodie and beanie for protection from the cold weather. As you got closer to him a piney scent cut through the sweet smell of pastries and you caught yourself leaning in to get a better whiff of its freshness. 

Your eyes scanned over the menu that hung behind the cash register while he ordered and did your best to ignore the chill that ran up your spine when his soft aussie accent invaded your ears. 

Once he finished and stepped off to the side to wait for his order you moved forward and placed your books on the counter. 

“Hi, how can I help you today?” a young ginger barista with an abundance of freckles said. 

“Hi,” you paused and located her name tag. “Olive, I’ve never been here before but there's this smell that-” 

“Our orange cranberry muffins.” she interrupted pointing to a chalkboard in front of her that read, “Warm up with a wintery treat, try our famous orange cranberry muffin today!” 

Your stomach growled quietly at the thought as you nodded. 

“I would love one of those and...a medium early grey, please.” you replied, pulling a 10 dollar bill from your pocket. 

“Sadly, we have just sold our last one to the customer in front of you.” she nodded to the enticing blonde man that had caught your attention earlier, who was now staring down at his black vans as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. 

You narrowed your eyes at the muffin thief when he glanced up at you innocently while accepting his coffee from another worker. 

“We do still have our gingerbread and pumpkin muffins if you’d be interested in one of those instead.” Olive continued motioning a hand to the glass display of tasty treats to your right. 

You let out a disappointed huff, “That’s okay, just the tea please.” 

You paid for your order making sure to leave a few extra dollars in the tip jar before taking a seat on a worn burgundy couch near the fire to wait for your drink. 

Leaning your head against your hand for support you allowed your eyes to drift closed and listen to the pops and crackles of the fire meshing with the soft holiday music echoing through the place. You only opened your eyes back up at the feeling of the couch dipping beside you. 

Sitting too close to not acknowledge, was the boy from earlier who was now alternating sips of what smelled like a strong latte with bites of the muffin that could’ve been yours. 

“Are you doing this on purpose?” 

His head snapped in your direction at the sound of your voice, and he finished chewing before responding.

“Doing what?” 

“Taunting me with your stupid muffin.” you were aware of how childish you sounded but hunger had always brought out the irrational side of you. 

“It’s actually quite delicious.” he smirked, ignoring your frustration. 

You groaned in jealousy, “Don’t rub it in.” 

Realization sparked in his eyes. 

“Got the last one didn’t I?” 

You nodded. 

“M’happy to share.” he grinned, breaking off half and holding it out to you. 

“No, really it’s fine. I’m just being annoying.” you waved him off. 

“I’m not annoyed. Really, take it. I’d have to throw it away otherwise.”

Your eyebrows raised at his comment. 

“I’m stuffed.” he explained, patting his stomach twice. 

“I don’t believe you, but I’m starving and this smells incredible.” you responded, accepting the baked good. 

You closed your eyes and let out a satisfied hum after biting into it. 

“Holy shit, this is like the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” 

The boy watched you and laughed at every pleased noise that you released. 

Once you had finished your half you turned back to see him still watching you, he had scooted even closer to you and your knees knocked together at your movement. 

“Thank you, that was amazing. Although it was pretty rich I don’t think I could eat a whole one either.” 

“Your welcome,” when he paused you realized you hadn’t even introduced yourself but still stole half of this guy’s muffin. 

“I’m y/n.” you filled in. 

“Luke.” he returned. 

You nodded and repeated it, testing how it felt on your tongue. 

“Thank you again, Luke.” 

The two of you began talking about, school, work, music, your favorite movies, astrology, anything really. By the time you glanced up from the conversation the cafe was nearly empty and the fire in front of you had burnt out leaving a smoky debris hanging in the air. 

“I think they’re closing.” you said while checking the time on your phone. 

“Fuck, I’ve got a paper due tomorrow.” 

“Sorry, I kept you back.” you apologized, both of you gathering your things as you talked. 

“No, s’not your fault.” he dismissed as you both began to walk to the door.

Standing a few feet away from the exit you could already feel the nip that was permeating through the glass, it sent a chill through your spine making you wiggle your shoulders. As you stared at the floor over the books in your arms, trying to decide what the best way to ensure you would see Luke again was, you heard the buzz of a zipper. You lifted your head to see your new acquaintance removing his arms from the sleeves of his black hoodie. 

“Are you crazy? It’s freezing out there.” 

“I know, you’re shivering.” he answered, swinging the fabric behind your back until it dropped and wrapped around your shoulders. He pulled on the sleeves till they were hanging in place and you watched through your lashes, completely in awe of his concentrated expression. 

“Luke, I can’t wear this you’ll freeze and I can’t just take your clothes.” 

“C’mon of course y’can. I’m warm blooded. I'll be fine and you aren’t taking it. I’m gonna want to come in for one of those muffins tomorrow and you know I can’t eat the whole thing, so you’ll just have to be here to share with me. We meet, we eat, I retrieve my jacket, all is right in the world.” He smiled through his words, attempting to warm you up by rubbing his hands up and down your shoulders quickly. “Think you can do that?” 

“I’m sure.” 

“Excellent. Meet me here at 9:00 tomorrow.” 

You nodded as he pushed the door open and despite him trying to act unaffected you could tell from his rigid stance he was freezing. 

“I’m counting on you alright? Stay warm, y/n.” he reiterated through chattering teeth before exiting the shop. 

Current Time - December 14th 

When they talk about one moment defining your life it seems silly, and unrealistic. One day of your life is hardly even a blip so one minute defining everything seems completely ludacris. You would have never bought into it eight years ago, right up until Luke muttered those three words to you before braving the cold. 

“Stay warm, y/n.”

He said it and you had one of those moments. One of those, “and then everything changed.” moments. 

You had always been sure that your purpose would come to you later in life, maybe you’d have a spiritual awakening while in some foreign country. Maybe you’d read a book that would change your view on everything, or god forbid you’d have a close encounter with death and the epiphany would come then. You would’ve never guessed that a nearly missed encounter with the world’s best muffin and a lanky Australian guy would do it. 

But here you were eight years after the encounter, your hair was longer, the crinkles that appear by your eyes when you smile now linger, and Luke was nowhere to be seen, but some things haven’t changed at all. A half eaten muffin, the comforting cafe, and your unwavering certainty that your life’s purpose was to love and to be loved by Luke Hemmings all remained. 

Seven years ago - March 27th 

The door swung open to a positively beaming Luke, he leaned in to press a swift kiss on your cheek before hurriedly pulling you inside. 

“I have a surprise for you.” 

“You do?” you questioned, taking notice of the subtle burnt smell in the air and the smoky atmosphere of his apartment. 

He nodded excitedly pulling you by the hand into the kitchen where you were met with messy countertops packed full of lumpy and slightly charred muffins. Your mouth fell open and you turned to face your boyfriend who was smiling timidly at you, eyes scanning over your face. 

“I made you our muffins.” he smiled, proudly looking at his work. 

“Wha- how? How did you even get the recipe?” 

“Olive helped me out.” He responded, taking a seat on one of the bar stools by the island. 

“Lu, this is incredible. Thank you.” you praised, moving to stand between his legs. 

“I hope they turned out good. Y’know baking is a lot harder than it looks.” he tutted while unwrapping one for you. “Open up.” he instructed, tapping your chin. 

Your teeth struggled to bite through the dense baked good, and while your taste buds fought with the bitter crumbly substance you questioned whether Luke had actually followed any recipe at all because what you were eating tasted nothing like the warm, gooey, and tart treat that the two of you had come to love. 

You chewed slowly to avoid swallowing and kept your face as neutral as possible. 

“How is it? Good?” he spoke nervously and the little glint of hope in his eyes forced you to swallow it down and paint on a pleased smile. 

“Mmm” you moaned “It's delicious, Luke.” 

“Yeah?” he beamed. 

“Really good.” you nodded, your eyes drifting longingly to the sink. In that moment you would’ve killed for a glass of water. 

“Wow, I mean I thought they’d be alright but this is great. Lemme try.” he brought your muffin up to his mouth and in a panic you snatched it from his hands, squeaking out a small “No!” before shoving the rest of it in your mouth. 

“Babe, there’s plenty, no need to be greedy.” he laughed while unwrapping another. And you really should’ve thought this through because with puffed out cheeks full of possibly the worst muffin in history you took a step back and watched him bite into one. His face twisted in disgust and he quickly spit what he had taken back into the wrapper. 

When he looked back up to you, you were standing there with a full mouth and wide eyes. He cocked his head to the side in confusion, “You enjoyed that?” 

The second you shrugged your shoulders, feigning innocence Luke burst into a sharp cackle, his legs kicking up into the air from the force of his laughter. You took that as an opportunity to run to the trash and rid yourself of the awful taste in your mouth. 

Luke was still struggling to catch his breath while you finished pouring yourself a glass of water. 

“It’s not funny, Lu.” you argued between sips.

“Why didn’t you just spit it out?” he chortled, beckoning you closer with grabby hands. 

“Because, it was so sweet.” you reasoned. 

“Really? I would argue it was more rancid than sweet.” 

“Not the muffin you goon, the gesture.” you elaborated, smacking his shoulder. 

“I can’t believe you ate the whole thing.” 

“Shut up. I was trying to be nice.” you pouted. 

“Hey,” he said, standing and opening his arms. “M’sorry I know.” 

You waddled into his embrace, wrapping your arms around his back. 

“I love you for that.” he sighed, before kissing the top of your head. 

You froze in his hold, those three unexpected words echoing through your head. 

“You what?” 

His chest shook lightly as a laugh fell from his mouth. 

“I love you.” he repeated. It was so nonchalant, as if he’d said it to you a hundred times before. “You alright with that?” 

You nodded before pulling back just enough that you could see his face. 

“I love you.” you returned. 

Luke’s hands cupped your cheeks, a groan passing his lips before he pressed a soft kiss to your now pouty mouth.

“Say it again.” he pleaded into your mouth. 

“I love you.” you sighed, chasing his lips with your own. 

“And again, and again, and again…” he continued, rewarding you with one lingering peck for each declaration. 

“Mmm” he hummed in content when he decided he was satisfied. “Never stop saying it.” 

Current Time - December 14th 

A whirlwind romance like the one that the two of you had shared was never meant to be sad. It was the kind of love that constantly feels like a cheesy montage full of sweet moments that happens at the end of a rom-com. Unsuccessful baking attempts, cozy study dates, spontaneous weekend trips, hundreds of shared muffins, piggy back rides home from the bar, that’s what made you Luke and y/n. 

The two of you didn’t do well with the hard stuff and it worked because there just wasn’t any. Everything was easy and it felt good. It felt right. 

It had never even occurred to you that the hard stuff was part of any great love, that inevitably one day things would get hard. It really hadn’t occurred to you that pushing through the hard stuff was something that Luke may not be up for. Because you were and you always had been, all in. 

Six years ago - February 17th 

You had gotten home late after a long shift at the library you worked at part time . Luke was sitting on the couch scribbling something in a notebook and taking tiny sips of his steaming cup of tea, too impatient to wait for it to cool properly. 

You’d been listening to an audiobook while organizing the shelves that day and the somber tone of it had seriously dampened your mood. It also made you extremely grateful that you had Luke to cuddle away all your sorrows. 

He had noticed your sad expression the second he saw you and was quick to pull you into his arms and press you for information. 

“What happened baby?” he cooed as you nestled as close into him as physically possible. 

“Sad book.” you mumbled into his chest. 

“Aw, love you shouldn’t let that stuff get to you. S’not real, there’s no need to get upset.” This was something you had heard plenty of times before, seeing as you were an extremely emotional person and felt things strongly. 

“It was so sad though, bubs.” You reasoned that talking through it with someone else might dull the ache that it had left on your taut heartstrings. You explained the whole plot, how the couple had met on a plane and spent their two separate vacations together and along the way fallen in love. Luke would hum or nod every so often indicating he was listening but you knew most of his focus was on the fact that you were tearing up through your explanation. He let his lips rest along your hairline as you got to the climax of the story, speaking through cracks in your voice to tell him that they had lost each other’s numbers on their way back and while the woman was able to move on and find love later in life, the man waited at the airport for years hoping that one day he would see her again. 

Luke’s hand ran through your hair while your head rested on his chest. 

“I don’t think there’s anything romantic about it. It’s just sad.” he concluded. 

“I disagree.” 

“Really?” 

“I’d wait for you.” you confirmed, running your fingers over the fabric of his shirt. 

“Not forever though,” he added. 

“I’d wait until I knew you were happier without me.” 

“Yea, me too.” he agreed. 

“I’d never be happier without you.” 

Current Time - December 14th 

One thing that you never doubted in your relationship was whether or not Luke loved you. You knew he did. It was something that had always been casual between the two of you, it was as much a greeting as it was anything else. 

As the sun rose and broke through your curtains the words to break the silence that lingered from the night before wasn’t “Good morning” it was “I love you.” Before leaving for work instead of an impersonal “Bye!” you shouted “Love you!” through the closing door of your apartment. It was a phrase that had been repeated millions of times, and despite the casualness of it all, it never lost its meaning. 

Even now, five years since you’d last seen him you knew with every bone in your body that no matter where he was right now, half the world away or two blocks downtown, he still loved you. 

Luke always kept his promises, a million times he had promised that he would always love you. And a million times you had promised it right back. 

A hundred years apart wouldn’t change that, let alone five. 

Five years ago - December 13th 

You watched the snow fall from the living room window, what you would normally find peaceful was making you go insane. It had been perpetually silent around your apartment for the past couple of weeks. Luke was hardly ever home, when asked he would tell you that he had a big project at work and needed to teach the new intern how things were done in the office. You hadn’t thought much of it, there were times when you were busy and had to put things with him on the back burner to focus on the uncertainty of work. It had never been an issue because as far as you were concerned things were set between you and Luke. There was the unspoken promise of forever. 

Of course, that didn’t stop you from missing him tons. On this specific occasion the cold weather had left you with clogged sinuses and a bad headache, one that you would typically soothe with a cup of  earl grey from the cafe and an abundance of snuggling. Since Luke wasn’t around to fulfill your touch deprivation you decided that wearing one of his favorite sweatshirts would have to do for now. 

You blindly reached into his drawer to search for it but stopped when your hand caught on a folded piece of paper. You pulled it out and walked to the bed, flicking on the lamp as you sat. Once the light turned on you were able to see it clear as day, two airline tickets to Sydney departing on the 20th and returning  on January 3rd. The two of you had briefly discussed travelling to Australia at some point so you could finally meet his family but nothing had ever been confirmed. 

The naivety that had always been a part of who you were began to connect non-existent dots with hopeful lines. Luke was planning on surprising you with Christmas in Australia with his family. It explained why he was never home, it also explained the secretive phone calls you had started picking up on after he scurried out of bed in the middle of the night a while ago to speak to someone in hushed tones just outside the bedroom door.

That night when he finally got home at nearly eleven you had made sure to leave half a muffin with a note that read, “Miss you, stud muffin. You work too hard. Love you -y/n” on the kitchen counter. From where you laid in bed, you could hear him laugh as he read it aloud. You quickly sat up in bed when the laughs you were reveling in started to sound like sobs. 

The dim lighting in the kitchen didn’t stop you from seeing the tears on Luke’s face as he looked up to where you stood, stunned in the hallway. 

“What’s wrong?” you hurried to him. 

He made a sniffing sound before gathering you in his arms. He held you so tight that if it wasn’t so sincere it might’ve hurt. 

“Lu, what’s going on.” you squeaked out. 

He tightened his arms around you and nuzzled his face into your hair, emitting soft cries every so often. 

“I love you, y/n.” 

“I know. I love you too.” 

“I swear I’ll always love you. I swear.” 

“I know. Hey, Lu I know.” you soothed as his breaths became more labored. 

At some point you had managed to calm him down and coax him into bed, you reasoned that he was just so tired that his feelings got the best of him, something that had happened to you many times before. And honestly you were just happy to be back in his arms once again, so when he was wrapped around you in bed, his hands playing with your hair like they always did when he got anxious, you didn’t think twice about it when he said,

“We need to talk tomorrow, over breakfast. We can go to the café if you want?” 

You nodded against his chest as sleep overtook you, the last thing you heard being “I promise I’ll always love you.”  

Current Time - December 14th 

Your reminiscing was interrupted by a high pitched screech from the front of the cafe. When you followed the sound your eyes landed upon a distressed toddler, about three years old if you to guess, who was pouting up at a tall, gorgeous woman that was apologizing profusely to Olive for her son’s outbreak. You wouldn’t have looked twice at the scene if  it wasn’t for the way Olive’s troubled expression and wide eyes were directed precisely on you. 

The child was screaming through his cries “I want daddy’s muffin!” His face was red and blotchy from tears and the cold weather but didn’t completely overtake his creamy skin tone that complimented his familiar blue eyes. He was an adorable kid, a full head of blonde ringlets and chubby cheeks that you were sure turned a light pink when he smiled. 

He kind of reminded you of Luke. When the thought entered your head you were quick to dismiss it though, because if you were being honest most things reminded you of Luke. 

“I’m so sorry about this. He isn’t normally so loud, it’s just that my husband loves these muffins and he promised Sammy one.” you heard the gorgeous woman say. 

“It’s fine, the cranberry orange muffin is a big hit around here. They sell out almost everyday.” Olive responded, her eyes unbreaking from yours. 

“Yea that’s what Luke always tells me.” 

Five years ago - December 14th 

The walk to the café felt longer than it typically did and you had no idea why, for some reason you didn’t notice that Luke was dragging his feet. Maybe it was because you were sure that this impromptu breakfast date was to tell you of the surprise Christmas trip to Australia. Maybe it was because any amount of extra time you got to spend holding Luke’s hand in your own you considered a gift. 

When you finally arrived you were quick to usher him to your favorite table, one that was secluded in the corner, enough to have a bit of privacy but also allowed you to people watch on slow days and have telepathic conversations with Olive from across the room. 

You noticed that Luke wasn’t eating after a few minutes, his muffin half sat untouched in front of him and his nervous demeanor was driving you crazy. 

“I have to admit something.” you finally said, tired of the silence. 

Luke nodded for you to continue but refused to meet your eyes as you spoke. 

“I know about Australia, I found the tickets in your drawer so if that’s what you're so nervous about, there’s no need. Of course I’ll go with you, you have no idea how excited I am to meet your mom, she can finally show me all those baby pictures that she’s always telling me about.” you were so busy picturing your potential trip to Luke’s hometown that you didn’t notice Luke’s teared up eyes and anxious tapping. 

“Y/n, the tickets aren’t for-” he cut himself off before the approaching crack in his voice could prevail. “I met someone.” 

“Okay?” 

You didn’t even know what that meant, he met someone? You met people all the time, what does that have to do with the trip?  You lifted your mug to take a sip while you waited for him to continue.

“I mean I-I have feelings for someone, uh someone else.” 

You didn’t even feel your grip release, you didn’t hear the shattering noise, you didn’t feel the scorching liquid seep through your top onto your skin. 

Luke was leaving you. He fell in love with someone else. It was serious enough that he was bringing her home. Luke was leaving you. Luke was leaving you. Luke was leaving you.

“I don’t understand.” The crying had already begun, and although it didn’t surprise Luke he couldn’t bear to watch it. He stared at the spilled tea and shards of glass. The entire cafe’s eyes were on you and you didn’t even notice all you could see was that Luke’s weren’t. 

“Look at me.” you pleaded. There was a time when he would’ve seen your face, seen how distressed you were and gone back on everything solely because it hurt him too much to see you hurt. 

When did that stop? Why hadn’t you noticed? 

“I love you y/n, really I do. But I love her too.” 

“You love her more.” you didn’t even try to phrase it as a question, there was no point, you already knew the answer. He must’ve loved her more because he was leaving you for her. Luke was leaving you. 

Your acknowledgement of his feelings didn’t make it hurt any less when he didn’t deny it. Luke was leaving you. 

You sat in silence for at least five minutes, it felt like years. Luke watched you cry, fighting the urge to wrap you in his arms, and sway you back and forth until you stopped. He wouldn’t do that because it was selfish, it would ease his troubles more than yours, he deserved to see how his hurtful actions affected the one he swore to shield from any and all pain. 

“I’ll have everything out of the apartment by the end of the week.” 

The end of the week? You had planned on spending the rest of your life with him and he was telling you that he would essentially be out of your life by the end of the week. Luke was leaving you. None of it felt real. 

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I love you.” 

Watching him leave felt surreal, you couldn’t hear anything but your blood pumping, you hardly took any notice when Olive rushed to your table and pulled you into her embrace. 

Luke left you. 

Current time - December 14th 

You could feel his presence as soon as he stumbled out of the bathroom.

How could you have missed him coming in?

You dragged your eyes up his body from his feet, and when they fell upon his face it was like someone had pressed play after fast forwarding through the years that had been taken from you. You weren’t 23 anymore, and Luke certainly wasn’t either. He’d always had a strong build, but he held himself differently now. He was confident and collected, very sure of himself. He had a bit of scruff lining his jaw but you could tell it was well kept and intentional and a pair of black rimmed glasses sat on the bridge of his nose. You reacquainted yourself with his appearance from your spot in the corner. 

With each subtle change you catalogued in your brain, vivid images danced through your head, like a kaleidoscope of what could’ve been. You saw lazy Sunday mornings on the couch leisurely sipping coffee, the open windows next to you bringing in a sweet breeze making the house smell like fresh grass after it rains. You saw yourself pushing a stroller through a park, Luke chasing behind one of your little ones just a few feet ahead. You saw roadtrips, vacations, theme parks, crowded family dinners, trick or treating, white gowns, and wedding cakes. You saw binkies, and bottles, tangled sheets, ruffled hair, pecks on the forehead, lunch boxes, and I love you notes. 

The last scene you saw, one that felt so real you could’ve sworn you were really there, started with Luke sitting on the floor surrounded in wrapping paper a toddler curled up in his lap. He wore flannel pajama pants and a ratty shirt he had purchased at the concert you went to for your third date. He took sips from his mug of lukewarm coffee every so often, and you were sure if you got close enough you’d be able to smell it on his breath, not that you would mind. His curls were grown out more than he typically liked them, they were messy from sleep and obstructing his vision slightly. Just as you reached out to brush them from his forehead, it was like you had been thrown backwards by a force strong enough to make your stomach drop. 

Reality. 

You could still see Luke from where you stood but he was so far away now. You reached your hand out again, gasping in shock when it hit a sheet of glass, you knocked against it firmly but nothing happened. It was like a window where you watched the scene unfold. A woman you had been in the same position as not seconds ago stood up and revealed her face. It was his wife, she handed Luke a small gift bag and waited patiently as he opened it. He acknowledged the gift, a framed photo of the two of them and leaned forward to press a thank you kiss to her lips. 

“Stop!” you called.

No one can hear you. 

“Luke, I’m right here.” you yelled, slamming an open hand to the glass. 

Hot tears fell from your cheeks as you continued to knock and shout. 

“Lu, please.”

As he pulled away from the kiss a grin plastered his face. And it hit you, he was happy. He really was happy. 

Realization of the thing you dreaded the most in the world happened quickly, but not painlessly. Luke’s eyes flicked to your own, he saw you through the window. He saw you calling for him, crying for him, begging for him. He saw you and then he looked away. 

And reality snapped you back yet again, right into the present moment. You were in your café, staring at your empty mug, your face felt hot and wet. When had you started to cry? You reached a shaky hand out for a napkin to wipe your tears, but ended up knocking the mini poinsettia pot in front of you over instead. A crash echoed through the café and everyone turned their attention to you and your frantic demeanor. Everyone, even Luke. 

You forced your eyes up from the glass that sat shattered on the white tablecloth with slow movements and shallow breaths until they finally found the culprit, the reason for your pain. You could see right through the light blue of his eyes, shock and bittersweet nostalgia pooled in the cerulean waves. 

Just like you were suddenly 29 and hurt when you saw Luke. He was suddenly 20 and enamored when he saw you. 

He physically winced while taking notice of the black streaks that cascaded down your cheeks. It reminded him of leaving you. It was all his fault. 

He met your gaze with a desperate one of his own, silently praying that you could still read him well enough to understand. 

His eyes released unspoken declarations with every slow blink. 

I can’t believe I’m seeing you. I miss you. I still love you. I’ll always love you. 

You can’t be here right now. I’m with my family. I’m happy now. I’m happy without you. 

Every silent, stabbing confession all summed up into one that you had been afraid of for the entire eight years that Luke Hemmings had stolen from you. 

I love you, but somehow that stopped being enough.

The place was silent. All eyes on you. 

“I’m so sorry.” 

You weren’t quite sure who you were apologizing to or what for,  it could’ve been to Olive for making yet another mess that she would end up cleaning. It could’ve been to all the customers you disrupted when you broke the flower pot. Or Luke’s son who you had stolen a muffin from. Or maybe his wife, that you had been demonizing in your head for years, seeing her only as the woman who stole the love of your life. It could’ve been to Luke, you were sorry you hadn’t taken him seriously, he was in love and he had a family and you were still waiting around for the day he decided to come back for you. The day that would never come. 

Deep down though, you knew you were saying it to yourself. Eight years is a long time, you had stopped living for yourself a long time ago. You did miss Luke, of course you did but maybe part of the hole in your chest that you had been so desperately trying to fill, was yourself. You really missed you. You without Luke. How could you have forgotten about her? 

“I have to go.” this time you knew exactly who you were talking to and as your feet carried you to the door you didn’t even contemplate turning around when Luke’s voice broke through the silence of the café to say,         

 “Y/n, wait!” 

You kept walking, past the stunned patrons, past Olive, past Luke. You kept walking until you were sure that no one would catch up. You just kept walking because after all this time you were so done waiting.

[cynicalrainbows]

The Next Best Thing Chapter 9

Anne tells her the big news over lunch. 

Cathy is eating lukewarm school pasta; Anne has a Mary lunch.

(Anne is the only person Cathy knows who has three sorts of school lunches- what they call Jane lunch, Mary lunch and Fancy lunch. 

Usually- when things are normal-ish, when she’s just at home like normal and it’s Mary’s job to take her to school, she gets a Mary lunch, which means whatever sandwich Mary has made in a rush, in between feeding Baby Catherine and getting herself ready and checking Anne is wearing school uniform and not her Ninja turtles tshirt (although sometimes Mary forgets to check the last one). 

Mary lunches are mostly ok, except that they’re usually a bit squashed....although once Mary was SO tired from being up with Baby Catherine she forgot to put in a filling and Anne had to pretend to the other children on the lunch table that she’d just asked for bread and butter that day.

(They didn’t look like they believed her.)

The other end of the scale is a Fancy lunch, and there’s only two times Anne gets one of those: either after the Mary lunch has been especially bad (or when she gets secret lunch option number four- which is actually no lunch at all because Mary forgot to pick up bread, or picked up the bread but forgot the making-the-sandwich part or remembered the bread and the sandwich making part but forgot to put it in Anne’s bag) and their teacher has called Anne over to ask, in hushed tones, Is Everything Alright At Home?

The other time is after something else has slipped a bit (once when Mary was sick, Anne didn’t come to school for two days) and the ‘chat’ has turned into a phone call. 

And that’s when Anne gets a Fancy lunch.

Fancy lunches are never the same but always ten times nicer than whatever anyone else has for lunch that day, because no one actually makes them, Anne’s mum orders them from a special company who spend all their time just making fancy lunches that can fit into a lunchbox- tiny wraps with fancy fillings skewered on cocktail sticks and rolls of rice and seaweed in pretty patterns and little individual quiches. 

The only bad thing about them is that they never last for more than a few days and then lunch making becomes Mary’s job again and it can be a bit disappointing to suddenly get a squashed marmite sandwich instead of the fancy lunch-in-a-box you were expecting.

Jane lunches are sort of in the middle of the two, Cathy supposes. 

They’re never as fancy as the Fancy lunches (Jane doesn’t seem to shop at the places that sell quinoa and lemongrass) and they’re not exciting really, just sandwiches and fruit.

 Then again, they always always have things that Anne definitely likes in them, whereas there’s nearly always a bit of the Fancy lunch that she has to pick off and set aside because she doesn’t like it, like the truffles that didn’t look or taste at all like chocolate.

They’re never as pretty as the Fancy lunches either but Jane does things like cutting off the crusts and peeling the apple and cutting it into slices that Anne’s mum never seems to want to do when it’s her actually fixing the food.

(It makes the food taste nice.)

The best thing about Jane’s lunches is that she never gets cross if a bit of it doesn’t get eaten, apart from to ask if Anne wants something else next time. She never gets ‘I don’t know why I even bother paying for nice things for you’ angry like Anne’s dad did when he found out about the uneaten truffles-that-were-really-mushrooms.

And if she’s done any baking- and Jane bakes a LOT- there’s always a biscuit or a little piece of cake or a pastry twist wrapped up carefully in greaseproof paper, ready for Anne to split in half and share with Cathy in return for all the times that Cathy shared her own food on no-lunch days.

Cathy doesn’t have packed lunches now that she’s with Catalina but she has sometimes wondered what they’d be like and she figures they’d probably be closer to the Jane lunches than the Fancy lunches. 

Oddly enough, the thought does not make her feel all that disappointed.

Anne tells her the Big News right away, because she can’t keep secrets, and the big news is that Anne’s getting to have a sleepover for her birthday. 

Cathy asks when and Anne says that it’ll be on the Saturday coming because that’s when her birthday is going to be.

Cathy knows when Anne’s birthday is- she has it written down in the furry purple My Secret Diary that she got for Christmas, because there’s a section to write down things about your friends, and she has Anne written down first because she’s her best friend- and she feels a bit guilty, like maybe she should have remembered.

 Anne doesn’t seem to mind though.

 Anne says that when she asked her mum the night before what she was doing for her birthday this year, and could they go to Splash Zone again like last year, her mum had nodded and said YesMaybeAskDaddy (which is how she answers lots of things).....and then she’d sat up, and she’d put down her glossy magazine and checked something on her phone and her eyes had gone very wide.

So instead of SplashZone- because now there isn’t time to book it before the weekend, Anne’s getting a sleepover party. 

Part of the treat is the sleepover, according to Anne, and part of the treat is meant to be that she doesn’t have to share the sleepover with Kitty, even though Kitty lives at Anne’s house most of the time.

Anne says she doesn’t mind sharing her bedroom but she IS glad Kitty isn’t going to be at the sleepover. 

According to Anne, Kitty hasn’t been much fun at all since Uncle Edmund dropped her off and she won’t play anything that Anne wants to play anymore, even when Anne offers her usual chocolate button bribe, and it turns out it’s VERY hard to play even easy games like chase when it’s only you.

Actually, Anne isn’t sure if she should be cross about this or not because it’s not just that Kitty won’t play Anne’s games, she doesn’t seem to want to play anything at all: she just clings to Jane’s skirt, waiting for her to finish whatever she’s doing and sit down so that she can she can fold herself up small in Jane’s lap. 

She clings to a handful of Jane’s shirt with one hand and only raggedly old Pink Kitty with the other, like she’s afraid someone is going to take one or both of them away if she lets go, sucking her thumb and not saying a word.

And when she isn’t silent- which is honestly most of the time, according to Anne- she’s having huge screaming tantrums over stupid things like cleaning her teeth or putting on her pajamas. Cathy finds it hard to imagine Kitty- who was quiet as a mouse nearly all the time, even before Edmund- even raising her voice once let alone screaming but Anne assures her that it’s true. 

She says that it’s giving her a headache. 

Her mum and dad and Mary are officially Losing Patience, which is why Kitty is going to be with Jane for a bit.

Officially, it’s as part of Anne’s birthday treat, but Anne thinks they were planning it anyway because she heard Mary complaining to her mum, and then she heard her Mum talking on the phone to someone about being At The End of Her Tether, and she kept shaking her head and looking over at where Kitty was curled up in a little ball on the edge of the sofa, not even watching the tv (although Anne had specially foregone Rugrats for the boring baby program about the baggy pink cat because Kitty liked it). 

Or, Kitty used to like it. 

Now she doesn’t seem to like very much at all anymore.

Mary and Anne’s Mum and Dad don’t seem to mind Kitty being extra quiet but they do mind the tantrums- and the way Kitty has started waking up in the night crying and disturbing everybody when Some People Have To Work In The Morning Fergodsake, and the way the Reception teacher has started to call home because she’s ‘concerned’.

Jane calls round too when she hears that Anne’s dad has taken away the Barbie Kitty got for promising not to suck her thumb anymore, and says they all need to make allowances right now, whatever that means. 

She and Anne’s mum drink cappuccinos- because Anne’s mum has a special expensive new machine that makes them- and Jane talks about reassurance and sense of security and unconditional love, while Anne’s mum talks about discipline and consequences and legal custody.

 Eventually Anne’s mum tells Jane that she’s not a social worker anymore so she needs to stop acting like one, and that Kitty isn’t a baby any more and they need to stop coddling her, that maybe Edmund was right about some things.

And then Jane goes home.

So Kitty won’t be at the sleepover, Anne says. It’ll be just her and Cathy- and Anna. 

Cathy tries to smile and look pleased that Anna’s invited too- it’s not that she doesn’t like her, exactly, it’s just that for Anne’s first sleepover, she’d rather it was just them.

It’s a bit easier to be properly happy when Anne tells Anna because Anna looks excited but also a bit surprised too- as if she’s not expecting to be asked. That makes Cathy feel better. It reminds her that Anna really isn’t out to steal her best friend, which is something Catalina reminds her of whenever she seems to need it.

‘Really?’

‘Yeah, my mum said I could have two friends.’ Anne nibbles the crust of her sandwich (peanut butter) delicately, trying to make the edges of the bread straight.

‘I’ll ask Mutti when I get home- she’ll say yes, she’ll be happy I’m making friends-’ Anna beams. ‘I used to have sleepovers back home- back in Germany. With my old friends.’

‘Cool!’

Cathy takes another bite of soggy school lasagne and wonders why Anna always has to bring her old home into everything.

 It’s sort of interesting to hear but it also makes her wonder if there’s anything that Anna hasn’t done or seen before everyone else. 

She wants to ask what German sleepovers are like but then she doesn’t.

(Whatever they’re like, they’re probably a hundred times cooler than whatever English sleepovers.)

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1985

Under the cut.

Foreigner -- "I Want To Know What Love Is" -- February 2, 1985

One of the quintessential 80s power ballads. It's actually kind of interesting if you think about it enough. He's not in love yet, but he's gotten sick of not being in love, so he's asking someone he's in the pre-love stage with to show him. Though he's had "heartache and pain" before, and doesn't know if he can face it again. It's not consistent. I feel like it's a missed opportunity, but oh well. It's good enough for what it is.

Wham! -- "Careless Whisper" -- February 16, 1985

Oh my god I love the saxophone in this. The music throughout the song is so incredibly sexy. And this is the kind of song George Michael's voice was made for. He's totally capable of sounding both hot and in agony at the same time. I actually adore a whole lot of cheating songs -- mostly, though not exclusively, the tormented kind. Drama! Love! Sex! Angst! Gorgeous.

REO Speedwagon -- "Can't Fight This Feeling" -- March 9, 1985

<3. He keeps singing "r"s like a pirate, but he doesn't go as hard on the other consonants, so I'm good with it. Lyrically, this song sounds like it might be two songs mashed together. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger" or "my life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you." Well which is it? Except I've had that happen. I love this song.

Phil Collins -- "One More Night" -- March 30, 1985

This is a depressing heartbreak song without the saving grace of any of Phil Collins' neat drum stuff. Blah.

We Are the World -- April 13, 1985

Whoo boy. I was 8 when this came out. Obviously I loved it. All the kids loved it. Now, though... I'm sorry, but it's bad. Really bad. Many others have gone deeply into why it's bad. I feel acutely embarrassed listening to it, so I'm just running away from it as fast as possible. (Remember all those celebrities singing "Imagine" in their mansions in 2020? I blame this song for that.)

Madonna -- "Crazy For You" -- May 11, 1985

This is one of Madonna's most straightforward love songs. Maybe the most, period. This or "Cherish," and this is a better song. It's lovely. Like Olivia Newton-John, Madonna can act a song. (Unlike in most movies she's been in.) But what I'm thinking about now is learning in this article that her label wouldn't let Madonna release "Into the Groove" as a single. That song was huge. It was played on the radio all the time. If it had been released as a single, or maybe if Billboard had tracked songs then like it does today, it would have been a massive smash, definitely #1. "Into the Groove" is also the best song of her very early career. "Crazy for You" is good, but not nearly as special.

Simple Minds -- "Don't You Forget About Me" -- May 18, 1985

As I am "Gen X", I am supposed to deeply connect with The Breakfast Club. I was 8 years old when it came out. My life as a teenager was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, like that movie. I didn't recognize any of the "types." I liked the movie when I saw it in college, mostly, but the whole sexual harassment turns into a relationship deal was not seen as cool any longer. The "jocks vs. nerds" thing also felt very dated. The school in the movie was bigger and richer than mine, but it's a fantasy.

Anyway, though I don't feel much about the movie, its breakout song was really good. It does speak to a real fear both in graduating high school and during young adult relationships. I haven't forgotten the people I knew in high school, as far as I know, but obviously they don't have the same importance to me any longer. I'm Facebook friends with a lot of them. And very much not with a couple who were the most important then, because we grew apart -- or blasted apart. One of the nicest girls I knew in high school thinks there's a war on Christmas. Another keeps trying to get me to join her MLM. One of my best friends became my first boyfriend, and I don't regret that, but it was also a semi-disaster. And others... we just have nothing to say to each other any longer.

So, Breakfast Club: I don't connect with at all. "Don't You Forget About Me": Speaks to something very real and timeless.

Wham! -- "Everything She Wants" -- May 25, 1985

What a dick. Songs in which the narrator is a colossal jerk are perfectly fine, of course, but this one gets under my skin. He's whining about his wife getting pregnant when she's dissatisfied with their life and that they're broke. As if it's something she chose to do to him. She's stuck creating a whole other person with her blood and flesh, and he thinks it's all and entirely about him. I really hate it.

Tears for Fears -- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- June 8, 1985

I can't hear this song without thinking of this Baldur's Gate fan trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdd06d2nids. Speaking of which, I am incredibly excited for Baldur's Gate 3. I've been reading the early access reviews on Steam, and anything anyone is saying that's negative is stuff I don't gaf about (except bugs), whereas the positive stuff, I care about deeply. I hope it's got some of the feeling of that trailer. Um, right, Tears for Fears.

Honestly, though, it works best as a Baldur's Gate theme song. I don't think everybody actually wants to rule the world. It sounds good though. And pretty different from other stuff around it. But I like Lorde's cover better, and not just because it fits so wonderfully with all sorts of fantasy stories.

I usually play a paladin or paladin-type the first time in fantasy RPGs, but I'm thinking bard this time.

Bryan Adams -- "Heaven" -- June 22, 1985

He's been with this woman since they were young, and while they've broken up and gone through rough patches, now they're together forever and they're "in heaven." Bryan Adams knew exactly how to write a song that would become a hit. I used to not mind it at all, but it also means nothing to me. The chorus is catchy as hell though. So catchy that I ended up waking up with it in my head and it would not leave for hours and hours, so now I resent this song.

Phil Collins -- "Sussudio" -- July 6, 1985

I refuse to believe anyone ever told Phil Collins he was too young. He was born middle-aged. Anyway, the narrator isn't supposed to be him, so it's fine, but it's still kinda funny. He's got a crush on someone who doesn't even know his name, but "she's all I need all of my life." Um. The music is repetitive, the drums aren't as interesting as Phil Collins at his best, and I don't like the lyrics. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either.

Duran Duran -- "View to a Kill" -- July 13, 1985

I'm not sure I've ever heard this song before. It's about as good a song as the Bond movie they wrote it for was as a movie. In other words, it's bad. I'm not even sure there's a melody. Just a mess. "Ordinary World" would have made a far better Bond theme, but of course that was the 90s, when Duran Duran decided to try to make sense both lyrically and musically.

Paul Young -- "Every Time You Go Away" -- July 27, 1985

I like the high keyboard notes in this. They're sort of haunting. The rest of the song is musically pretty good, too. Lyrically though, it's only passable. This woman keeps leaving him every time "the leading man" shows up, so I guess he's the backup. Why does he keep waiting for her anyway? There's no hint in the song. I'm kind of embarrassed for him.

Tears for Fears -- "Shout" -- August 3, 1985

I think "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a better song than this one when done by Lorde. But I think "Shout" is a better song than Tears for Fears' original iteration of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The chorus seems clear enough. But the verses are not. "They gave you life/ And in return you gave them hell" makes sense in isolation, but then there's a bunch of stuff that doesn't go with it. Like "I'd really love to break your heart" -- wtf? But the music is really good. 

Huey Lewis and the News -- "The Power of Love" -- August 24, 1985

This was the big song for Back to the Future, and it meshed beautifully with the movie, but it doesn't need that association to be a great song. "Don't need money, don't take fame/ Don't need no credit card to ride this train/ It's strong and it's sudden, it can be cruel sometimes/ But it might just save your life." Yep. It's sort of Motown, sort of rock, and I love it. (Also: "Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream." Heh.)

John Parr -- "St. Elmo's Fire" -- August 24, 1985

Of all the John Hughes movies I have not seen and do not plan to see, St. Elmo's Fire sure is one of them. The song is about a disabled man who inspired people by rolling himself cross-country in his wheelchair for charity, which has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I'm disabled, and I just... okay look, what he did was admirable. But we shouldn't have to be inspirations to be counted as worthwhile, and I've been told I should die because I can't produce for capitalism, so you know. I've got some personal issues with this and I'm gonna move along.

Dire Straits -- "Money for Nothing" -- September 21, 1985

This is not Dire Straits' best song, but it's an awfully fun one. I watched the video tons when I was a kid. (That sound is Tipper Gore falling to the floor in a dead faint.) The music is great rock. And the lyrics are very true-to-life. You can either sanitize people or present them as they are honestly, and I know which I prefer.

Ready for the World -- "Oh Sheila" -- October 12, 1985

The band's from Michigan. The English accent at the beginning of the song is fake. That's a good preview for the song, which sounds like a 3rd-rate Prince knockoff at best. Blech.

a-ha -- "Take On Me" -- October 19, 1985

The video totally ripped off one of my aunts. Somehow or other, they saw into the little comic she drew for me about someone going into a land of drawings to rescue someone else in a romantic adventure, years before 1985. Anyway, this song is great musically, massively synthesizer heavy without sounding artificial. Though I can only understand maybe a third of the lyrics as he sings them. I've always understood "It's no better to be safe than sorry" though. Yep, at least when it comes to romance, which is what they're singing about here.

Whitney Houston -- "Saving All My Love for You" -- October 26, 1985

It's not better to be safe than sorry, but that doesn't mean it's good to be an absolute idiot in matters of romance either. Nor is it good to be a colossal jerk. That's what the narrator is here -- the "you" she's singing to is married. And he won't leave his wife and children, though he used to say he would. The lyrics seem to say that's she's accepted the situation, but the way Houston sings it, I think the narrator's trying to get him to leave his wife -- and children -- for her still. This makes sense, as it puts some kind of passion and sense of story into the song, which without Houston's singing would not be there. The narrator certainly never acknowledges that what she's doing is wrong in the slightest iota. This song could be done in a way that works. But it's a completely sincere ballad. So, no. I despise the narrator, I despise the man she's singing to more, and the whole thing leaves me feeling gross.

Stevie Wonder -- "Part Time Lover" -- November 2, 1985

No one's thinking anyone's gonna leave anyone in this one. It's about cheating, and the thrill of it, but then at the end, he's found out his wife's cheating on him too. "I guess that two can play the game/ Of part-time lovers." This kind of funk groove is one way you make a song like this. It makes the whole thing sexy and fun, and the lyrics also work even beyond that ending, because they acknowledge it's wrong.

Jon Hammer -- "Miami Vice Theme" -- November 9, 1985

My parents didn't watch Miami Vice. And then I never felt like watching it in re-runs when I got older. I don't recognize this song. It's an energetic instrumental, but there's so much going on, I keep trying to figure out if there's a main musical idea anywhere. Nope. Just lots and lots of synth. Headache-inducing.

Starship -- "We Built This City" -- November 16, 1985

Blech. This song sounds both unfinished and overproduced somehow. The chorus seems designed to be catchy with absolute ruthlessness by people who didn't really care, and no one involved even seems to want to bother to fake it.

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin -- "Separate Lives" -- November 30, 1985

This is supposed to be heart-wrenchingly sad. Well, it does tank my dopamine, but that's not what a good sad song does. A good sad song makes you feel better. This one makes me need to turn on something high-energy after about 30 seconds, before I sink into bleakness. It's aggressively boring.

Mr. Mister -- "Broken Wings" -- December 7, 1985

This was one of the first songs I recorded from the radio. On my pink tape deck/radio that was a sort of a mini boom box. I've always had my own tape player since I can remember, but that was a definite upgrade from the Sesame Street one. I was 9 then, so getting more seriously into music and developing my own taste intentionally, rather than simply absorbing what was happening around me.

Anyway, the song. It's about a relationship in trouble, and he wants to stay with her. To me it sounds like she has been so seriously hurt (and not by him), that she can't trust anyone, and he's laying himself on the line for her. That has spoken to me deeply ever since I first heard the song as a child. Moving on to the music: While the lyrics are repetitive, the music is not, which is what makes the song so good. It's a beautiful song.

Lionel Richie -- "Say You, Say Me" -- December 21, 1985

I look forward to Lionel Richie no longer being on the charts. This song was on the soundtrack of some movie I've never heard of. I wish I'd never heard of the song. Totally artificial glop.

BEST OF 1985: "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds  WORST OF 1985: "We Built This City" by Starship

[ishyam001]

Stranger Things season 1 Reviews

 I'll never consider the number 11 an equivalent ever again. Hi everyone, let's talkabout Stranger Things. If You Want to Stranger Things season 1 Download Now, just in case you do not know, Stranger Things is anew series on Netflix. It takes place inHawkins, Indiana in 1983. It tells a story of a boy who goes missing and therefore the search, led byhis mom, the captain and his friends so as to seek out him and within the process encounteringcreepy supernatural forces. But mostly what you would like toknow about this show is that it's freaking fantastic. Like literally, it's in my topfive of this year needless to say . That's how good it's . one among the simplest shows of this year. Just watch it. the texture of it, ifyou're a lover of the '80s when it involves shows or movies, this you're gonna love. It's just quite an homageor a billet doux to the '80s. and therefore the performances are amazing. Just watch it. If you haven't yet, watch it. Now, here is your spoiler warning. If you haven't seen this show and you do not wanna know whathappens, stop watching now because i will be able to be delvinginto details of the story so stop now then come backonce you've watched the show. Go watch it now 'cause it's amazing. So Stranger Things, can wetake a second to freak out about how amazing this is? i do know everybody's been talking about it. Once you watch it, you'll understand whypeople like it such a lot . you are like , "Yup, yup." they are not exaggerating. This show is freaking amazing. i feel on behalf of me right from the opening you get that sense of "ooh" with the opening titles, the music, it just puts you right intothose '80s-type movies. For me, the movie it remindedme of the foremost is E.T. and E.T. is one among my favorite movies ever then it had been such a lot fun to ascertain them pay homage to the film. for instance , Eleven watching the TV when Mike and everybody is out of the house and discovering what is going on on then in fact the bikes,the riding of the bikes, the ending of E.T. I just,I'll admit, I just shred whenever I see it. It just gets me whenever so just seeing them, the friendson their bikes with Eleven, i assume she's not within the front 'cause she's bigger thanE.T. was within the movie, but she's sitting within the back. It's quite like, ugh, I justwanna hug Stranger Things. If I could, i might hug it. But fundamentally, thereason why we actually like it is 'cause they actuallycrafted an honest story. Every single episode on behalf of me was amazing from starting to end. I never thought, "Oh, thisepisode wasn't that great." No, it just all fits rather well together. Also to me the very fact thatit was only eight episodes really helped them focusand deliver the simplest episode that they might every singletime which i feel is great. and that i wanna share someof my favorite moments. the primary one i assume isnot technically a flash , it's just the very fact that Willhas some specialized friends. Can we just acknowledge that that his friends are bad ass? Everyone should have friendslike this that just will attempt to find you regardless of what and that they battle a demon really or some supernatural creature. They're like, "Screw it, he's our friend. "We're gonna do whatever it takes." I'm like, "I love you guys." Can we all have friends like this? It's amazing. Of course, Eleven isjust adorable and amazing and that i particularly lovethe way they introduced her within the diner. The Christmas lights, so brilliant. i feel it also gave the showsomething visually interesting to seem at for us 'cause youalso get to style this house with of these Christmas lights, but us because the audience we were like, "Oh no, it totally is sensible "because he can communicate that way," but also makes it look really pretty 'cause you've got all thesedifferent colors within the house. i feel if you add another layer thereto , for characters who haveany interaction with Joyce, it makes her look just crazy enough. we all know she's not crazy, but she seems just irrational enough that it's like, "She's probably crazy." then you see thelights and you are like , "Yeah, she's definitely crazy." But we're like, "No." I wanna have Christmaslights around my house now just just in case . Steve who began such a douche on the other hand became one among the simplest characters when he goes to Jonathan's house to apologize or to form up for what he did then he finds Nancy and Jonathan within the middle of whatlooks like some crazy stuff like what's going on? What are you guys doing? But I just love that whenhe sees a Demogorgon, initially he runs away butthen he just takes a flash he's like, "All right, all right. "There's a crazy demon-looking thing, "that's cool, that's cool. "I'm gonna return and assist you guys." And you've got to respect him for this and that i think that is the point where you begin liking him a touch more. You already started liking him when he stood up to his friends, but this seals the deal where you are like , "All right, all right, you're cool." then in fact we get Eleven actually killing theDemogorgon and that i kept thinking, "Don't you are doing this to me Stranger Things. "Don't you kill her. "Don't you kill, damn it." Although technicallywe didn't see her body, she just disappeared so Idon't think she's really dead and that i definitely think she'scoming back for season two. Come on, she's the simplest character. they can not kill her offso yeah, she's somewhere and perhaps season two will beall about trying to seek out her and obtain her back. Finally, I also reallyloved the way they engaged most of the story lines butleft the door a touch bit open when they're like, "Hey,Will's back or is he?" Threw up a slug. You thought he was out. Will is back, but you do not really knowwhat's happening with him which I'm like, "Hmm, well played StrangerThings, well played." So those were my favorite moments. I wanna also talk aboutperformances because they were all pretty fantastic. I particularly love the very fact that just about all of the cast apart from Winona Ryder and DavidHarbour are newcomers or a minimum of I didn't know any of them which i feel is brilliant. i really like it when it's afresh cast, fresh faces. it isn't like, "Oh look,Ben Affleck in another movie "trying to seek out his son." I actually love Ben Affleck. i do not know why I said Ben Affleck, but once you know an actor and when you've seenthem during a lot of things, i feel sometimes it feels different than watching actors thatyou've never seen before because I feel a neighborhood of you continue to thinks, "Oh, it's this actor playing this part." Whereas if you do not know them then it's easier to reallybe immersed within the show. Of course, I lovewatching shows and films where i do know a number of the actors, but I also enjoy sometimeswatching shows and films where i do not know anyoneand i feel during this case, it worked perfectly. Overall, i feel I've saidamazing 1,000,000 times during this review but yeah, a tremendous show. I love it. It jogged my memory of why i really like TV such a lot and i am so excited to ascertain season two. Those were my thoughts, but in fact i might loveto hear your thoughts. Did you're keen on StrangerThings the maximum amount as I did? What were a number of your favorite moments? Let me know within the comments. do not forget to subscribe because we'll have more TV reviews. many thanks guys such a lot forwatching and I'll see you soon. Download Now Stranger Things season 1 Download in 480p Bye. am i able to also provides a shout bent them playing Dungeons and Dragons? Because I started playingabout three years ago and that i like it such a lot . i used to be watching and i am like, "I totally understandwhat's happening here," and that i love that they'replaying Dungeons and Dragons because it's such a tremendous game and it's with great care much fun. and that i love that Dungeons andDragons is that the reason why they found out what wasgoing on within the first place. I desire we should always all beplaying Dungeons and Dragons, just saying.

[ericsonclan]

The Gift of Giving

Summary: Everyone gathers at Ericson's Diner to celebrate with a Christas party and Secret Santa.

Word Count: 3190

Read on AO3:

“Shit,” Violet muttered, trying her best to reach the top of the Christmas tree and place the star. Why did Louis have to buy such a huge tree for the diner? Even standing on one of the restaurant’s chairs wasn’t enough to get her to the top of the tree. “Stupid kids running around when they should be eating and shit,” Violet grumbled. It had been hard enough getting this star up the first time. Doing it again because of rowdy customers pissed her off.

Suddenly she felt her legs rise off the chair. Violet let out a little squeak of surprise before looking down and seeing her girlfriend smiling below her. Prisha chuckled. “Sorry for the scare. I figured you could use a hand,”

“Thanks,” Violet murmured, feeling rather flustered at the feeling of Prisha’s hands on her waist. She hadn’t known she was this strong. The extra few inches gave her enough height to safely put the star back in place. Prisha promptly lowered her to the ground, her hands hovering on Violet’s waist for a second longer.

“Hey, you two!” Louis exclaimed, striding into the room in a Santa costume, a bounce in his step. “Oh, Vi, you got the star back up! That’s great! Thought I’d have to ask Mitch or Marlon to do it before the party started,” Louis’ arms were full of all sorts of presents which he deposited on one of the booth tables. “Care to help me stack all the center tables to the sides? The others should be coming any minute now!”

“Where are Brody and Clem?” Violet asked, looking round the room as she picked up a chair to start stacking. “They just finished their shift too so they said they’d be sticking around,”

“They’re helping Ruby and Omar finish the final details on the party snacks. They’re gonna be delish!” Louis licked his lips excitedly. He toted a table by himself across the room before returning for another. “I’m so glad the snow slowed down outside! I was starting to get worried that half of the staff would miss out on their final Secret Santa gifts if they couldn’t make the drive in,”

“If that had been the case, we simply could have left the presents in their cubbies in the break room,” Prisha stated.

“Noooo,” Louis pouted. “It’s not the same if you don’t get to see the reactions!”

Violet cast a knowing smile her best friend’s way. Louis never changed. He always loved gift-giving most of all out of any part of Christmas. Letting out a small grunt, she lifted a set of stacked chairs and walked quickly toward the far wall. Louis had said he wanted to make a big circle with all the staff for the gift exchange so they’d need all the floor space they could get.

“Awesome!” Louis looked at their work proudly, his hands on his hips. “Now onto the music. Prisha, can you help me connect my iPod to the diner speakers? I put a special playlist together for tonight,”

“Of course,” Prisha headed with Louis over to the bar where the speaker system was, leaving Violet on her own. It was only a few seconds though before Brody and Clementine strode out carrying trays of Christmas cookies and hot cocoa. They still had the antlers on from their shift today. Violet felt lucky she’d been able to wriggle her way out of the seasonal uniform changes Louis had instituted. These two didn’t seem to mind though.

“Hey, Vi,” Brody said cheerily, setting the hot cocoa down on the next booth over from the presents. “You’re not dressing up for the party?”

Violet shrugged, tapping her Christmas nametag that was emblazoned with holly. “Got my Christmas decoration right here,”

Clementine placed the cookies down as well and joined them. “What are we talking about? Secret Santa gifts? I got my person something I’m hoping will blow their socks off!”

Brody smiled shyly. “I don’t want to brag, but I think I did pretty great too. How about you, Vi?”

Before Violet could answer, Louis came running over, wildly waving his hands. “No telling who you got for Secret Santa! It’s supposed to be a surprise till the last second!”

“Chill, Lou,” Clementine chuckled, slipping her hand into his. “Everything’s still hush hush. You make a very cute Santa, by the way,”

That got Louis distracted. His face heated up and he looked flustered, murmuring something about how Clem looked even cuter before tugging on one of his dreads.

Violet smirked. She’d tease him if she didn’t know it’d be thrown back into her face tenfold. Maybe sometime when Prisha wasn’t around to be used against her she’d bring this moment up.

Suddenly the front doors burst open and a flurry of wind and snow whoosed into the restaurant. Mitch strode in, bundled from head to toe, Marlon following close behind him. “We made it!” Mitch announced, stomping the snow from his boots before heading into the main part of the diner. “It snowed a shit ton today, but the roads are still clear enough to make it through. Are we late?”

“Nah, we’re still waiting on the twins, Renata and Aasim,” Louis walked forward to greet his friends only for his eyes to widen in excitement as he noticed Rosie beside Marlon. “No way! You brought Rosie?”

“Yep! I hope that’s OK. I made sure she went to the bathroom before we left so she should be good for the whole party,” Marlon chuckled as Louis was already on his knees before Rosie, laughing as she licked his face.

“This is gonna be our best party yet!”

“Now that we’re here it will!” Renata’s voice was heard from the service hall before the double doors burst open and she strode through with a proud smile, Sophie and Minnie walking side by side behind her. “Let the fun begin!”

“Awesome! So we’re only missing Aasim then. Hope he won’t be long,” Louis took out his phone to check for messages,

“Oh, you don’t have to check, Sug,” Ruby said, coming out from the double doors with Omar by her side. “He gave me a call about a half hour ago, said he’d be a bit late. But he’ll be here in time for presents.”

“Well, ok then. With everyone else present, let the festivities begin!” Louis did a dramatic twirl before tossing his Santa hat high in the air. “First game of the night: the limbo!”

There were plenty of games to be played at the Ericson’s Diner Christmas party. Those who wanted to like Louis and Renata participated in all of them while some of the quieter staff members stood off to the sides and enjoyed the music, conversation and snacks. Sophie found herself constantly torn between games and snacks and could be seen running back and forth, her mouth full of treats before she joined in on bowling for snowmen or blindman’s bluff.

Eventually once everyone was full of cookies and cocoa and the Christmas games had reached a lull it was time for Secret Santa. Aasim had snuck in at some point during the festivities, giving Ruby a quick kiss before settling into a booth with Omar to chat. Louis called everyone to sit in a circle and place their gifts in the center. He then stood by the pile of presents, making sure everyone was seated before clearing his throat. “Now that everyone is present, we can enjoy all the presents! Now, let me just reach into my handy dandy Santa cap which I’ve filled with everyone’s names, and the first one to go is… Clementine!” Louis held up the name proudly, displaying it to everyone before flashing a grin his girlfriend’s way. “And whose secret Santa were you, my sweet?”

“I was Aasim’s secret Santa,” Clementine gave a nod to her friend, sharing a smile before she stood to grab his gift. “I hope this isn’t something you already have and I just didn’t know. I thought it was pretty cool,”

Aasim took the present and unwrapped it, his eyes widening with interest as the gift was revealed. “An electronic notebook!” He squinted as he read the text on the back of the box. “Save digital versions of your planner pages to popular cloud services like Google drive, Dropbox, Evernote, box, OneNote, Slack, iCloud, email and more,”

“I figured this way you won’t have a ton of notebooks to look through if you want to reference something. You can just have all your information in one place,”

“Thank you, Clem. What a thoughtful gift,” Aasim looked down at his new notebook happily, clearly intrigued by it.

           Louis reached into his Santa hat, giving it a dramatic twirl. “Next up is… Sophie!”

           “Oooh, that’s me!” Sophie exclaimed, jumping up from her spot and scurrying over to her gift. I was Ruby’s secret Santa!” she dropped the gift into her friend’s lap with a bright smile.

Ruby let out a little grunt as the package plonked down on her legs. “Oof, heavier than expected,” She unwrapped her gift and revealed an unusually shaped baking tin. “Now what do we have here?”

“It’s cookie shot glasses!” Sophie exclaimed, bouncing on her feet excitedly. “So you bake the cookies in the shape of teeny shot glasses then instead of alcohol you do shots of milk!”

“Why, that’s quite the unique gift!” Ruby chuckled, setting the tin beside her. “I’ll be sure to put it to good use this Christmas,”

“Yeee, you like it!” Sophie did a happy little twirl before sitting back down.

“Two secret Santas, two awesome gifts! Let’s keep up the trend!” Louis declared. Shuffling around the cards in his hat, he drew the next name. “Oh, Minnie! Right after your twin!”

“And my twin’s the recipient of my gift,” Minnie replied, calmly rising to grab her gift.

“I knew it was you!” Sophie exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “I just knew it!”

“Bet you don’t know what I got you though,” Minnie quipped, handing over the gift.

It was an album of photoshopped pictures of the twins and their family and friends. The once normal photos were now crazy pictures of them on the moon or as cats or with everybody at Ericson’s Diner but the twins were huge and held the rest of the staff in their hands. Sophie gasped and giggled at each and every picture as she flipped through the book. She cradled the album in her arms, her smile vibrant. “I love it! You’re the best, as always!”

Minnie shrugged, a small smile on her lips. “Knew I had to nail it considering I should know you better than anyone else,”

“Ahh, sisterly love. Is there anything better in the world?” Louis wiped a mock tear of his own from his eye before continuing. “Next is... Clem! Oh wait, that can’t be right. One sec…” Rummaging through the hat, Louis tossed out the names he had already drawn. “Ok, we’re all in the clear. And next is… Mitch!”

“I got Renata,” Mitch stood up and snatched his gift, tossing it over to the brunette. “Don’t know what sorta shit you’re into but I thought you’d like this,”

Renata tore into her present excitedly, tossing the wrapping paper dramatically to the side. She let out a loud gasp. “It’s henna!” She held up the henna kit for everyone to see. “This is awesome! I’m gonna put tattoos all over my face!”

“Hell yeah,” Mitch nodded in approval.

“Please don’t,” Ruby said, looking concerned.

Before Renata could come up with a retort, Louis had moved on to the next secret Santa. “Violet! It’s your turn to shine!”

Violet silently shuffled to her feet, silently grabbing her gift from the pile and handing it to Omar. “Here. I hope you like it,”

Omar carefully undid the wrapping paper. His eyes lit with interest as he unveiled his gift. “Texan Cooking: 101 Recipes. Thank you, Vi. I don’t have anything like this in my collection yet,”

A small smile alighted on Violet’s lips. “I’m glad,” Without another word she returned to her seat next to Prisha but a second later Prisha’s name had been called.

Prisha rose and took her present from the dwindling pile. “I was Louis’ secret Santa. I tried to pick something I think you’d quite enjoy,” Prisha carefully handed over a small square present.

Louis opened it with care, finding a cardboard box inside which he also opened with caution before his eyes lit up in wonder. In his hand he held a tiny silver piano. Intricate silver details decorated its entirety. Turning it over, Louis rotated a small lever. “La Vie En Rose” began to play softly. Louis’ eyes welled up with unshed tears. “It’s beautiful, Prish,” He stared at the gift for several seconds, long enough to make it clear he was utterly distracted.

Clearing her throat, Clementine gently took the hat from her boyfriend’s hands. “How ‘bout I take a turn, babe?” Louis nodded silently and took a seat in the circle, still lost in admiring his gift. Prisha was practically beaming with pride at the success of her gift.

“Alright, guys,” Clementine went digging in the hat and pulled out a new name. “It’s Brody’s turn!”

Brody bounced up from the floor, looking excited and nervous as she picked up a rather large present. “I was Mitch’s secret Santa,”

“No way,” Mitch exclaimed, his eyes large. “Then that time you were asking for gift ideas…?”

“I was shopping for you,” Brody nodded, smiling proudly. “Here ya go!”

Mitch ripped off the wrapping paper and let out an impressed whistle. “Dr. Gross’ Candy Lab Madness. No way! You get to make your own candy?”

“Yep! I figured you and Willy would have fun working on it together,”

“This is the shit! You’re totally coming over to make this with us too!”

“I can’t wait!” Brody leaned over to plant a kiss on her boyfriend’s forehead then took her seat beside him once more, blushing as Mitch softly wrapped an arm round her waist.

Clementine smiled over at her friends having their moment before continuing. “Next is Ruby!”

“I had Prisha,” Ruby declared, rolling onto her feet and picking up her gift before walking over and gently placing it in Prisha’s hands. “I hope I got the right size,”

Prisha looked intrigued by the statement. She opened the present to find a pair of crimson faux leather gloves inside. “Why, Ruby, these are extraordinary!” She pulled one on, admiring the craftsmanship. “And they fit perfectly! Thank you!”

“I’m glad. They look lovely on you,” Ruby smiled warmly before returning to her spot.

“Alrighty, next up is Renata,”

“I got Marlon!” Renata shouted. Crawling forward, she grabbed her gift and chucked it at the blond’s head.

Marlon caught the package with ease, opening it quickly. His face lit up with excitement. “Matching sweaters for me and Rosie!” He immediately got to work helping Rosie who was laying between him and Sophie get hers on. “Thanks, Renata! These are the best!”

“Worth every penny,” Renata grinned proudly.

Clementine grinned as they all admired Rosie in her new Christmas sweater. “Cute. Alright, Aasim is up next,”

Aasim grabbed a slender rectangular present from the pile before clearing his throat. “Minnie, I was your secret Santa. I hope you enjoy what I selected,”

Minnie took the gift that was handed her and calmly unwrapped it. A smile came to her lips as she held up the gift inside. “It’s a collection of Disney songs arranged for the guitar. Thanks, Aasim. These’ll be fun to try out,”

Aasim nodded in approval, clearly satisfied that he’d chosen well as they watched Minnie flip through the different songs with interest.

“Next is Omar,” Clementine declared, dropping the slip of paper to the ground. “We’re down to the last few,”

“I was Brody’s secret Santa,” Omar rose to his feet and carried a small present bag over to his friend. Brody reached inside and pulled out a CD. “Oooh, you got music for me to listen to on my drives?”

“Not quite. It’s actually music to sleep too. I remember you mentioned sometimes you have a hard time getting to sleep so I figured a collection of nature sounds would be nice,”

“That’s so sweet, Omar! Thank you, that’s really thoughtful,” Brody’s smile was warm as she got up quickly to hug her friend. Omar returned the hug warmly before walking back over to his seat on the floor.

“OK, last one, guys,” Clementine said, looking at the small present wrapped in dark blue, star-filled wrapping paper. “I bet we all know who that goes to. Louis, take it away,”

“My secret Santa giftee was Violet!” Louis chirped. Leaning forward, he got a hold of his gift and slid it across the circle to his best friend. “Go ahead, Vi. Open it!”

Violet opened the gift with caution, not wanting to mar the wrapping paper but feeling self-conscious of all the eyes on her. Inside was a jewelry case. She opened it to find a delicate charm bracelet with two charms upon it: a golden sun and a silver moon.

“I know you don’t like dealing with jewelry, but for this I figured you’d make an exception,” Louis explained with a grin.

A small smile was on Violet’s face as Prisha helped her put the charm bracelet on. “It’s really cool, Lou. You’re right. I will wear this,”

“Yipee!” Louis threw his arms up in the air in celebration. “And with that everyone- wait a minute,” He paused, counting out the presents on his fingers before looking toward his other best friend. “Marlon, we missed you! And the one person who hasn't gotten a gift is..." Louis' eyes widened in horror. "Clem! Oh shit, did we forget Clem? Was she here when the names were drawn? There's no presents left! What are we gonna-"

"Lou, chill!" Marlon said, jumping up to his feet and walking toward the bar. "I didn't add the present to the pile since I didn't want it to get damaged. It's right over here," He emerged from the bar holding something in one hand behind his back. Walking over to Clementine, Marlon raised a finger. "Close your eyes and carefully hold out your hands,"

Clementine did as instructed, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in excitement.

Marlon placed the present into her hands then quietly returned to his spot. "OK, now open them,"

Clementine opened her eyes and looked down and her hands, oohing in excitement when she saw what was there. "Is this a venus fly trap? I've never seen one in real life!"

"Yep!" Marlon grinned proudly. "I heard you and Violet talking about how badass they were in the break room a few weeks ago and I knew it'd make the perfect gift! Had to be careful with it though - it needs to keep warm and have lots of humidity if possible so I didn't want to wrap it and have it wilt. I hope it's not too hard to take care of,"

"I'll take the best care of it ever!" Clementine declared, her eyes shining with determination. "Thanks, Marlon!"

Louis' smile was soft as he watched his girlfriend tenderly trace her fingers along the leaves of her new plant. “Alright, and with that the secret Santa gift exchange is over. But the fun continues!” He jumped to his feet, grabbing his Santa hat from Clementine and putting it back on his head. “Who’s ready to party?”

“Wooo!” Renata cheered, joined quickly by Sophie.

The party picked up again quickly, everyone resuming their previous roles of joining in games or participating in snack-filled conversations. The party would continue for as long as they all wished. They enjoyed each other’s company, so knowing the staff it would probably go on for quite some time yet. That was fine though. They were all energized by the presents and fun, each of them feeling their own excitement as Christmas grew ever nearer. It was another successful Ericson’s Diner Christmas party to close out a great year.

[venus-says]

Star Twinkle Precure Episode 45

The brilliance of a lonely star.

Happy new year, everybody! How y'all have been? Personally, I've been doing fine but the world is on a very scary right now so I decided to bring this post now instead of merging two posts together tomorrow in hope that this will bring a little bit of joy to distract from all of that at least for a few minutes. But anyway, let's get to the episode.

So, when this episode aired I already had in mind that the subs wouldn't come out until the year had turned and I tried to watch it both with no subs and with the French subs, but I wasn't really feeling it so I decided to wait and I'm very glad I did because having the full understanding of what was going on was really necessary for this episode and it made things even more meaningful and beautiful.

The thing that made the subs necessary for this episode was Hikaru's scene with Ryou. Comprehending the analogy of Hikaru and her family with the Summer Triangle is crucial for her character and the whole deal with Deneb being a summer star that can be seen even in the winter sky is again a very interesting correlation to make with Hikaru herself. That moment at the planetarium also hits very close to home when they start talking about comparing yourself to others and feeling like you've been left behind and the anxiety that this brings, and I like that they treated this in a very beautiful way by telling that this happens naturally, time passes and people change that's just a natural part of life and you shouldn't feel bad about it because even if your surroundings change you can still shine on your own and that's such an important message... I wish I had someone to say those words to me 10 years ago.

I love when they make analogies like that using the constellations and they always bring a good message attached to it and I wish we had seen more of that in the season, you know? Especially when they have Ryou that has such a presence and works so well as a mentoring figure, it saddens me a little that we didn't see this concept being used to its best throughout the whole season.

The other high point of the episode is the fight against Kappard, it was very strong both as an action scene and an emotional scene.

But I have a few problems with it, the first one being Kappard's backstory. I thought that for such a climactic moment they would bring new details and that we would dive a little more on his psyche and get a better understanding of him and, you know, see him pouring his heart out and seeing his discourse changing at least for once, but that's not what we got. His backstory is just the same few flashing scenes we've already seen, and as cool as the fight was it didn't really feel like he was ready for his moment of redemption. Putting in short, we didn't get anything new from him so it didn't feel like a satisfying closing point for him like it was for Eyewon and Tenjou on their respective break-out points.

My other problem is with the Team Support. I understand that they had to be there, after all, Twinkle Imagination doesn't grant any other special power so Star couldn't finish Kappard by herself and showcase her that her Imagination has awakened, but I can't deny that it weakened the moment for Hikaru. I wouldn't call this a problem on itself, because it was a very strong moment regardless, this is more like frustration because this could've been even more strong and thematically rounded.

Maybe this frustration is just a thing of my head because after the Christmas episode I set on my mind that the story will end with Hikaru "alone" and the final message of the show will be that she now understands that even separated from her friends she's not alone anymore because she still has them even though they're not together all the time, and this episode kinda corroborated with this little theory of mine when they said that Deneb still shines even though the other stars of the Cygnus constellation can't be seen. But when it came to the fight Hikaru didn't reach her climax by herself, it was all thanks to another "that's not true" moment, and you know, if we didn't have so many of these moments in this season, especially in this final arc, I think I could give it a pass,  but we had them so many times already and it's just frustrating. It's kinda like in Futari wa when they always go "I'll never forgive you" and it's used so many times that you roll your eyes after the fifth time in a row where this is used.

And what frustrates me the most is that Hikaru's speech that triggers her Twinkle Imagination is just so strong, it's such a good climax for her character, coming forward and reiterating that she doesn't know space, she doesn't know how everyone else thinks and that she's so excited all the time because she wants to learn, she wants to understand, she wants to connect, and this is what this moment should've been about. It should've been Hikaru and Kappard clashing as they open up to each other and they both grow as characters as Hikaru gets her TI and Kappard is "purified" and accepts Hikaru to his heart, not Hikaru being frustrated for not having the special power everyone has and Milky stealing her spotlight to once again say "that's not true-lun". I swear I'm not a Lala hater, I just wish this moment had been for Hikaru alone because she needs more development, the last time she got the spotlight on her was like 10 episodes ago and even there her moment was being shared with Madoka and Himenojo's storyline, she's the goddamn protagonist, she's the one who holds this team together, we need more moments of her.

I know I sound annoyed and that I disliked the episode but I promise you that's not true, even with its problems this was an amazing episode and I'm excited to see how the finale will go. Let me know your thoughts on this episode in the comments, I'll see you later. o/

[fysebastianstan]

"At some point, I've got to ask you about some of your guilty pleasures out there," Sebastian Stan says off-hand to his Destroyer director, Karyn Kusama. "Because in my head, I feel like you're watching, like, super f--king amazing horror projects..." Though Kusama may be best known for her own horror films, including the "really disturbing in a great way" (as Stan put it) The Invitation and the campy Megan Fox cult classic Jennifer's Body, her tastes are hardly confined to the genre; one of her early films was the Charlize Theron sci-fi spy action flick Æon Flux. "I don't have guilty pleasures," she shrugs. "I think Point Breakis a masterpiece. I legitimately think it's a masterpiece." In fact, her latest film is most like the latter, a pulpy detective drama about LAPD officer Erin Bell (a bewigged Nicole Kidman), who goes undercover to investigate a gang of bank robbers with her partner, Chris (Stan).

(For his part, on the topic of guilty pleasures, Stan shared, "I was working out today and because of this thing with a Boston accent that I've been looking up, I ended up watching the Housewives of Boston and I was like, Oh, my God, this is so insane!") (I pointed out there is no Real Housewives of Boston.)

With Destroyer opening in select theaters on Christmas Day, Kusama and Stan sat down with ET to discuss leaving their comfort zones, what it took to make Kidman look like a meth addict and how hot Stan looks covered in tattoos.

What put this guy [Stan] on your radar?

Sebastian Stan: Our agents.

KK: Our agents, but also, you have a lot of nice friends.

SS: Oh, good!

KK: No, but you do. You have a lot of nice friends that I think are nice people and good actors, so when your name came up, I'd be like, "Oh, that's cool." And then I watched I, Tonya, and I felt like, that's so interesting to see a guy who in real life, frankly, has a leading man vibe and leading man looks -- in a great way, not holding it against you. You're a very handsome dude -- but to see you play a character who was capable of so much smallness and shame and ugliness, I just thought, "My God, that takes bravery." After our first Skype session, I was like, let's just figure out how we're going to work together.

Had you read the script by then?

SS: I had read the script and then we had a Skype session about it. I just love that it felt like you were never really figuring out entirely what was happening or who these people were. It didn't explain anything, it just kind of--

KK: Put you in their lives.

SS: Yeah, and you're there as a witness and it's as if you're walking by and you're turning and you're seeing that scene happen. That felt very real to me. I always feel like, as an actor, you're always looking in the writing for rhythms, and those scenes were written a certain way. It's a very direct, frank nature that they have with each other, at least in the scenes that I was involved with Nicole. And I was like, here's an opportunity to play a completely different character by not doing anything. By almost just letting--

KK: By not indicating anything about the character. By just being, they told so much story.

SS: Exactly. And I just knew it was going to be a very special movie. The idea of protagonist and antagonist was always flipped around here, and I think that in life, good people do bad things and bad people sometimes end up doing a good thing for that moment, or whatever. This movie was so straightforward about that. And to have a female character that had no excuse for anything in a way that didn't apologize but also, you understood where she was coming from, because all the flaws were so... Nobody shied away from any of that. And then you get Nicole to do it and then you're like, "All right, well, now it's going to be a whole other thing!" [Laughs.]

I do love that you took the guy you said has such a leading man look and shaved off half of his hair and threw him in a denim vest.

SS: But that was a blessing! It was a blessing!

KK: You looked so hot. I truly mean it. But literally, my whole editing crew would just be like, "Oh, my God, this scene again? Bring it on!"

SS: I continued to shave my head for a good six months after that. But it was one of those things where it takes you out of your comfort zone, from what you're used to seeing yourself do. I don't know how it is with directing, but with actors, I honestly feel like you have, like, a program that's always trying to go back the way that it's always been and you're always having to turn a sharp left and keep making those lefts away from the road that you're always going down.

KK: I think [that's true] for directors too, though. I personally like the idea of doing things or going into territory that's a little bit frightening or unfamiliar. It's exciting.

There are those memes that say, "You have the same amount of hours in the day as Beyoncé," but I think it needs to be switched to Nicole Kidman, because the number of projects she fronts is incredible. What were those early conversations you had with her about this?

KK: It was May of last year, because it was Memorial Day weekend, that I had heard that she wanted to talk to me about it. She was in Cannes and had four things in Cannes and still managed to have time to read this script and get in touch with me and say, "Can we talk about this?" Because, to be honest, her name had not come up yet. So, we talked on the phone the first time and one of the first things she had talked about as a driving force for the character in her mind was shame and what does shame do to your mind and body and how does that affect your entire countenance?

I appreciated that so much, because to me, shame is not a judgmental quality. She wasn't talking about being an antiheroine or being a character that is typically male. She wasn't really applying any of those assumptions to the role, she was just seeing this person as a person and she said, you know, "When you live your life in shame the way Erin Bell has, it starts to destroy you." And I just thought, God, that's so interesting. You're looking at it with this total compassion. I know that's how actors -- the great ones -- always look at their characters, but there was just no hint of judgment.

SS: Because shame is different from guilt, right? Because guilt is "I've done something wrong." Shame is "I am wrong." Like, "Something is really bad with me."

KK: Exactly! So, even the past [Erin] couldn't control made her feel she was wrong, and then the past she could control, she was like, "I am wrong." You're so right.

Did it all come together fairly quickly? Or did you go through different options before you decided this is Erin Bell?

KK: One of the things both Bill and I had talked about -- and I actually had this same process on Jennifer's Body, funnily enough -- where there was just a database of what happens with particularly meth addiction and how quickly the physical deterioration shows up. In some cases, it can be, like, six months and you see a person going from looking pretty together to looking like a ghost. So, we thought, let's scale that back and think about what time and the sun and alcoholism and stress and lack of sleep and not eating well, what does that do over almost 20 years? And it's not pretty.

SS: My God...

KK: It's really not pretty, if you think about it. Because we were using as our baseline: Here is what meth addiction can do to you in a year. What does 17 or 18 years look like of more benign but long-term habits that can wreck you?

Karyn, was there a moment from filming with Nicole, or Nicole and Sebastian, that really surprised you? And Sebastian, was there a moment filming with Nicole when she surprised you?

KK: Something happened between the two of you in a scene that is the emotional crux of the movie, where we see the genesis of her explanation for this plan. We get some emotional access into why she needs to convince Chris to go through with it with her. There is a moment that I always just understood to be true, but what Sebastian did, he said, "Do you love me?" And you realize he doesn't know the answer. Like, I just assumed, Oh, they're crazy in love and everybody knows it, including each other in the scene.

But then I saw, this was the first time you asked it and needed to hear the truth of it. Even in screening it, friends and family screenings and the moments where we shared it with a wider audience, that moment is the moment where they're just like, "Oh, my God, she does love him! Why are they doing this?" And it's precisely because they're in this crazy, crazy love affair. That was really interesting to me while we were shooting to realize, Oh, I don't know the answer.

SS: It makes it all the more confusing and crazy, because then it's like we're [undercover] and you're going, like, "Are you asking me? Or are we pretending?" Because you just get glimpses of it here and there, in a way it made every one of those scenes all the more intense to experience.

KK: More potent.

SS: But the surprising thing was probably day one, for me, when we shot this first scene [where] we meet and sort of suss each other out. My first day was that, and it was the first time I'd ever met Nicole. You just never know what to expect, especially when it's somebody of that caliber. You have no idea whether you should back away, engage, what's the deal. And she was so generous [in] whatever was happening in the scene and also, like, in life, in the sense of us getting to know each other. That's when I was like, "Wow. This is going to be very easy for me." [Laughs.]

KK: Because also she had to kiss you in that scene! And you were just like, "Hello. Nice to meet you. Let's kiss!" But that was what the scene was, too, so it kind of created this frisson of, like, what's going to happen?

SS: You wait to get to set and you're like, "Well, I know that they have to have this thing and how are we going to find it?" And when it happened, I was like, "Oh, OK. It's going be very easy."

One of my favorite things about the film is that Nicole's final line of the movie is telling you that you have a nice butt.

SS: Oh, yeah! But that was a great thing, also. We had a little improv here and there, but that was in the script. All these little moments were always there on paper.

KK: Yeah, even meant to be thrown away, pretty much every single one of them are on the page.

SS: And they all made it, so it's great. You don't always get that.

KK: No, I know. Some of the other characters in the movie don't always get [that]. We were like, "How are we gonna get more Chris?"

Sebastian, we talked about how much Nicole does, but especially considering how many Marvel movies you've been in the past few years, you've done your fair share of other projects, too.

SS: I've been trying! I've been very lucky the last couple years, especially. Like, before 2015, I'm hesitant to look back at what was happening. [Laughs.] But I was very lucky. In the last couple years, I feel like I've really gotten much more clear about what makes me operate at my best, and then it's just about really great directors and being opposite other people that are going to force you into showing up. Because it's so easy to fall into that line of comfort and go back to it, and the business is almost structured that way. You do one thing well, you can continue to keep doing that thing. Why break the habit, you know? But I feel more specific now, with wanting to be part of interesting experiences that I'm learning from rather than... Sure, it would be great to be a lead. But you get so much more out of the whole experience, if it works. It has to be a team thing.

There are reports that you could get one of those leading roles in a Bucky and Falcon series. Are you worried Chris [Evans] will feel left out?

SS: I don't know if he will. As far as I know, the only conversation I've had with Anthony Mackie has been about Miami Vice and how we should redo that. [Laughs.]

[mas-ai]

UTAPRI DISNEYLAND HEADCANONS!

Pardon me while I indulge myself, unload my mind and project.

Warnings ahead: Extremely long post, OOC, self-indulgence, shipping mentions, rare pairs (all characters aged up but nothing nsfw is here), Disneyland ‘spoilers’ , mentions of mental illness/causes of mention illness (Reiji, Ichinose, Aine, etc), not a dark post though, fluff, 

Ai:

 Mom mode activated

 Everyone has specific, custom glowsticks so you can find everyone at night no problem

 Also everyone has to wear GPS bracelets that allow Ai to track them in case anyone gets lost

 He downloaded a mental map of the parks 

 Literally never lost, knows where everything is and the fastest way to get there

 Faster than the Disneyland app by 73.2% (ok for real though I had almost no issues with it when i was there??)

 He knows all of the secrets

 All of them

 Blurts out a bunch of random trivia and info he found while researching (which makes him fun to be with!!)

 Then asks why it's important and has to have it explained to him

 Snacks and water every 2 hours

Natsuki:

 The actual child

 Ai insisted on tethering him to a harness+leash after the aquarium fiasco

 Also must have someone keeping an eye on him at all times

 Outprincesses the Princesses

 where's tinkerbell

 more of a fairy than tinkerbell

 goes to bibbidi bobbidi boutique and gets pixie dust (glitter) sprinkled in his hair)

 the BEST character interactions

 insists on eating all the food so he can remake everything when he gets back

 somehow finds his way into the kitchens and poor syo is a victim

 Poses everyone before all the photos

 Must go on the fastest/scariest rides 6 times in a row

 Always has hands up and is laughing in every ride photo

The cutest, most magical expressions in all their pictures

Masato:

 Brought the snacks and water

 Helps Ai give them out on schedule

 Also has bandaids, bug spray, sunscreen, hats, sweaters, spare shoe inserts, spare clothes

 Has 2 bags in bag check and carries around an oversized backpack all day

 LOTS OF BUG SPRAY

 "masato there's not really a lot of bugs here"

 Insists everyone calls the minute that they're done rides if they separate

 Also insists on breaks midday

 Ai agrees

 Really interested in seeing all the shows, parades, etc and making this a learning experience

 Also wants to go on as many tours as possible

 Buys everything for Mai!!!

Video calls with Mai so she can see!!

 Holds Ai's hand during fireworks

Syo:

 we'RE noT taKinG breAkS

 he has this D O W N

 he trained for this

 he made everyone else train for this

 This boy is getting everything done.  Everything.

 Fainted when he realized how much there was to do

 Probably asked for Ai's help to make a schedule so they could get everything done

 Is the first to deviate from the schedule the minute they're through the gates

 Designated FastPass runner

 Coordinated everybody else's outfits

 "do you think we can get on a parade float"

 Boardwalk games!! He wins everything!!

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool squad

Otoya:

 Absolutely the most excited for the trip until they got there

 Is now overwhelmed

 Really interested in the music

 Seriously he pays attention to everything in the background and hums it the entire time

 He's so inspired for new songs now

 Designated photographer

 All his photos are blurry

CARS LAND!!!!!

 Winds up just running for FastPasses with Syo instead

 (i got kinda shippy with syo/otoya on ideas but ill resist)

Ichinose:

 Pulled more allnighters than necessary (sometimes with Ren) to plan and book everything but nobody knows how much they put into it

 Original daily routines, flights, reservations, packing lists, everything was started by him and Ren (until Ren started to favor sleep after two weeks)

 At first it’s all super simple but then he starts overcomplicating it and when he's in the thick of it he can't stop and has to solve every potential problem

 (no problems wind up happening)

 Reiji discovers him one night and shuts it down (and then took over/shifted some stuff to Ai who would be better suited)

 He and Masato were then in charge of buying items for the trip but Masato started overplanning/over worrying so he took over

 Park bags? Got them. Ponchos? Thank him. Waterproof phone protectors? You got it. Chargers? Lots! Trading pins? Preordered online

 Also really thinks hard about everybody's individual needs and concerns and is worried about everyone not having the best time ever

 This boy is S O  F T 

 He was also in charge of meal plans (until they got to the park and Ranmaru started hearing about all the food and took over)

 This boy has not slept since they first decided they were going and hasn't done a single thing he wanted to do the entire time they're there

 So crowds are a thing and he's now crashing

 Reiji pulls him aside and they wander off to get some drinks and probably to Tom Sawyer's Island (very quiet! beautiful nature views!) and just... be in Disneyland

 Really deep conversations while looking into New Orleans!

They ride the Mark Twain together and drive the boat too!!

 Reiji takes him through all the shops on Main Street and they spend hours in the art gallery

 Also they sit on the disneyland railroad and just go around the park 400 times? (he likes the parts in Splash Mountain, also the show scenes)

 He and Reiji get caught in one of the 'bandit' shows where their train is 'robbed'. He's annoyed at first but has fun.

 Is now just the designated ticket/pass/autograph book holder. Probably safely storing everyone's passports in his luggage too.

Camus:

 Does not appear interested in this adventure. At all.

 Until one night he orders Cecil awake at 3AM to do a bunch of research for him and does not say why

 Nobody finds out until the day of, but he's upgraded EVERYTHING. First class jet, upgraded rooms, premium viewing for shows, etc

 Probably managed to book an entire section of the park (or even an entire park) for the group

 Also he just wanted information on every treat in the area

 He wants to try EVERYTHING

 He knows where all the best sweets are (don’t be fooled a lot of the food/treats are d i s g u s t i n g) and all the specials for the season

 Contacted ahead of time to have special treats made for each of them that represent them and are then delivered during their dinner as a surprise

 Do it right or not at all

 Don't half-ass things

 This means nothing. I care about none of you

 "peasants"

 he's smiling

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool

Cecil:

 "whats that"

 O H

 NOW HE'S VERY EXCITED

 Marathoned every movie  EVERY movie for months with everyone

 TAKE THIS BOY TO THE PARADES

 ALSO ON THE TEACUPS

 ALSO MUSICAL CHAIRS WITH ALICE AND HATTER

 thinks the princesses are actually princesses

 charms them all

 Was not amused at waking up so early and obeying Camus but learned a lot and is surprisingly well-versed in the park

 Knows where everything is and what everyone is doing at every point in time

 "has anyone seen x it's been 4 hours" yes he knows where they are

 Also Ai would wake up halfway through his planning sessions and stumble across Cecil and they'd wind up planning together

Really cute early morning planning sessions before work

Cecil falls asleep on Ai’s shoulder

 This is when he finds out about Ai

 He changes into full-on rainsuit for water rides 'for ai's sake' and makes ai do it too (ai is confused)

 He and Ai huddle together under an extremely oversized raincoat (or refuse to get on water rides altogether)

 But if they're getting splashed he dramatically sacrifices himself for Ai

reluctant to leave at mid-day squad

later really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool nap squad

So inspired by all the lights and costumes

STARISH is now getting led costumes

Also quick-change costumes (tear-away to reveal a second outfit!)

Skipping/running EVERYWHERE

singing the entire time

Ren:

 This boy takes forever to get ready in the morning

But he’s one of the first awake and helps Ai & Masato to parent everyone out of bed

There’s an ongoing joke that the three of them are married

Maybe they are

Did so much more for this trip than anyone realizes

Suggests they split off several times during the day so everybody can enjoy what they want to

Probably winds up taking over photos after seeing Otoya's

 They're much better

 Insists on hiring professional photographer though

 Don't tell anybody but he pulled all-nighters to get things planned out with Ichinose

 Coralls everybody in for the afternoon breaks

 “Time to relax in the pool” initiation squad

“yes you have to shower before we go back”

really glad they left mid-day and is happy to sit by the pool squad

Reiji:

 "we're riding indiana jones ten times in a row kids" take me with you

 haw yee

 This boy has the most flamboyant hats and you can spot him from a mile away

the worst for being tacky

But also at the same time really charming and cute somehow?? 

But don’t tell him!

 Doesn't voice anything he wants to do, wants everyone else to have the best time.

 Insists on surprise kiss pictures with everyone

 Scrapbooks everything at the end of the trip because it was some of the best memories he had with everyone

he probably cries over the pictures because they mean a lot to him

 Ai finds out about the scrapbook and helps out

Is surprised for the following Christmas when everyone pulled together to make matching sweaters & ornaments for the whole group for a group picture for Reiji’s sake

It’s now a tradition

It’s his favourite tradition

Ranmaru:

 Here for the food

 Or so he thinks

 Winds up liking the rides a lot though

 Probably the one everyone hangs onto when they're scared

 super protective of ai on rides

 throws himself over ai on several occasions to prevent him from getting wet

 this is a good boy. ty for protecting the precious robot

 Last to wake up and first to head home but b o y does he have the most fun

 hell to pay the one day masato forgot to pack a banana

masato still feels bad

 (reiji to the rescue to prevent meltdown though)

unintentional cat naps with cecil during the mid-day breaks

either they’re cuddling

or cecil wanted to watch a movie and they wound up falling asleep while ranmaru was playing with cecil’s hair

he didn’t realize he swears

he just missed relaxing with a cat

cecil says nothing

Bonus!

Aine:

 at the bottom of the finding nemo ride

 bye

[2pcontinued]

“What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

2p England/Oliver Kirkland: “The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen? Hmm, that’s tough, considering that I’ve lived long enough to see many things that I deem beautiful and rating them is rather difficult. I suppose, it would be watching Allen graduate high school. In all honesty, nearly everybody that knew him believed that he would never actually stay in high school, but I never doubted him. He’s intelligent, and although he’s a little rowdy, he’s a hard worker and works and fights for what he believes in. When I saw him in his cap and gown, receiving his diploma and grinning like a mad man, I couldn’t help but feel proud. It truly brought tears to my eyes, how fast I realize time passes by. My goodness, I even find myself crying a little bit now, please excuse my dramatic state. Now, would you like scone? Everyone whose tried one has said that they’re absolutely scrumptious! I swear on my great grandfather’s grave, love!”

2p Russia/Viktor Braginski: “Is this an interview? How odd that you ask me a personal question. Nonetheless, you will receive an answer. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen was probably more of a feeling than a sight. It was Christmas Day, and I was very young at the time, a child. My elder sister, Khrystyna, had woken me up with joy in her eyes. She had told me that she had found enough money for us to have a small treat for the holiday. We later went and woke up Tanya, my younger sister, and Khrystyna dragged us to the nearest bakery. Mind you, we were incredibly poor at the time, we could barely afford to buy bread, but Khrystyna worked hard enough to get us a treat, and the thought itself was amazing, since we hadn’t indulged ourselves in nearly two years. When we got there, the sweet smell of fresh-baked pastries filled my lungs, and my siblings and I were utterly entranced in the warmth of the shop. Khrystyna had bought each of us Pirozhki with our desired fillings on the inside; Mine had cottage cheese, Khrystyna’s had apricot, and Tanya’s had cabbage. When we were eating them, we had exchanged jokes and such and made each other laugh so hard that we almost spit out the food. A warm feeling filled up my chest, and I realized that that emotion had been appreciation. I used to never thank my sisters for staying and caring for me, but now I think about it everyday. All because of a little Christmas treat. It’s quite silly, really, but it means a lot to me.”

2p Germany/Lutz Beilschmidt: “Ah, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, huh? well right now, your cute face is topping the list! I’m just kidding, although you are very attractive, I’ll have to fess up on what I think the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen was. It was probably back in my hometown in Germany. I had gotten lost there again, even though I should know the town that I spent the first fifteen years of my life in like the back of my hand. But, I guess a little mystery is good for such a small town so it can be more exciting for people like me. Now then, I had gotten lost in the nearby forest at the base of a mountain, and I was absolutely terrified. Imagine a little chubby fifteen-year-old me, only 5’3, with no sunscreen on my pasty skin and a bunch of wildlife noises around me. However, while I was there, I saw the most stunning stag. It was standing proudly, against the greenery, it’s antlers large and protruding, while I was watching. A nearby stream was there too, so it stopped to get a sip, and looked back up at me. Actually, we both made eye-contact and practically had a staring contest right then and there. Usually when it comes to animals, when you make eye-contact with them, they take it as a challenge and try to attack you, but he didn’t. I was insanely scared, but it just stared at me with it’s big brown eyes. After a few seconds, it looked to its left, and ran off in the same direction. Only until I found my way out of the forest later and was at home, did I realize how amazing that encounter was. It was like it was out of a movie. That gorgeous stag had me entranced by it’s grace and steadiness. I guess that’s why I like stags so much now, haha. Anyway, shall we drink to my experience? I certainly think that it won’t be a waste of beer, my friend.”

2p Prussia/Gilen Beilschmidt: “I’m quite flattered that you’re interested in what I have to say. You deserve an honest answer, and I’m going to give one to you. I guess my most beautiful memory would have to be recent. I went to this really nice vintage ice cream parlor that I heard was really good through some gaming friends of mine, and I figured that I could go and check it out for myself. Haha, thinking back on it now it was probably pretty immature of me to visit a place intended for children, but I definitely don’t regret it, especially considering the experience I got out of acting out on my childish urges. I ordered my favorite ice cream flavors, Oreo, Rocky Road, and Brownie, in a sundae with hot fudge and and whipped cream and extra peanuts. Suddenly, a little boy with lovely dark skin and curly black hair walked up to where I was sitting outside of the parlor, on the porch at a white table. He couldn’t be any older than six years old, and he looked at me with wonder. When I was going to ask him if he needed help or was lost, he said ‘Hey! Why do you have white hair and red eyes?’. I was embarrassed at first, but I answered anyway. I told him that it was because I had a certain medical condition, called Albinism. He smiled widely, and giggled in response. I could feel my face turning red, but he spoke again. ‘That’s so cool! I think it makes you look like a superhero! Do you have any special powers?’ I wanted to be funny, so I gave a small smile and told him that I’m also from another planet, one where everybody has the ability to make things disappear, and in response, he told me he didn’t believe me. When he said that, I ate the sundae in front of me as quickly as possible, then I told him that I was telling the truth, and that my empty bowl was proof. He laughed at my actions. That laugh was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The way a child’s face lights up when they feel happy, is a sight that I can never get tired of. His parents came by and excused his behavior, and I told them that it was no problem. He left soon after, and I just sat there thinking that making people happy is what really makes this world such a wonderful place to live in. Oh, I’m sorry to waste so much of your time! You can leave if you’d like to now, but I just want to thank you for asking me a personal question. I’m surprised that you’re still here, anyway.”

(This is for @sleepyhungrycat! Thank you for requesting this, this was so much fun to write! Thank you for allowing me to fulfill your request, and have a lovely day! ❤️)

[justlookingvm]

Transcript of Inside Sports with Reid Wilkins, special guest Kaetlyn Osmond Dec 19 Podcast with Scott Moir

RW: but we have a very special guest, checking in, he is the Moir part of Virtue & Moir, 5 time Olympic medalist, Scott Moir. Scott you’re on with Reid and Kaetlyn, how are you doing sir?

SM: I’m doing great, what an honour to be on here, way to go K.O.

KO: Thanks Scott, it’s good to talk to you

SM: ha ha ha, it’s great to be on, those Lightning has a good hockey team, I’m down in Tampa right now, so I’ve watched those guys a couple of nights, so no joke, good luck

KO: haha, that was actually going to be one of my questions, what hockey team are you cheering for?

SM: it’s tough to figure that out but, uh yeah I’m a huge Leafs fan, I think a lot of people know that but, I’m just waiting for Connor McDavid and company to get things going out there

KO: I was going to say better cheer for some Oilers

SM: hahaha

RW: Scott you’ve had the honour to travel and compete across Canada for for most of your adult life, so I’m sure you know we in Edmonton how much listeners love hearing about the Toronto Maple Leafs and how good they’re doing

[everyone laughs]

SM: that’s OK, it’s a long way from the season being over

KO: haha, speaking of seasons being over, what are you up to now?

SM: that’s a good question, my season is over I’m kinda kicking it into holiday gear now which is pretty exciting to be honest it was a, Tessa and I had a really great 2018 and just finished that tour with you Kaetlyn, the Thank You Canada Tour which we had a lot of fun on and now it’ll be time to actually go home and enjoy Christmas with my family, try and become a contributing member of my family again

KO: Christmas without Nationals a week later

SM: yeah exactly, gonna be it’s gonna be a little bit different but uh

KO: more relaxing?

SM: ya but part of me still, it will be but it’s weird, I get part of me will wish that I was still competing, but uh you can’t do it forever you know

KO: [giggle] speaking of not doing things forever, our team, it’s a good team that we have, um, what do you think is the secret is to the success that we actually had and what’s like being on a team with me?

RW: laughs

SM: oh, well I can tell you I saw seen you grow up there Kaetlyn, from your first uh National Championship and it’s always been an honour, we always knew for you um that possibilities were endless, and honestly it felt like, I imagine what it felt like to be on the dream team ah for basketball, like you just can’t believe you’re going to line up beside people like yourself and Patrick Chan, uh you know it’s not that bad of a position to be in, and to be honest when we were in Pyeongchang I think we our team just had a special energy and [unintelligible] it sounds cliché but we had each other’s backs and that really took us a long way and really made us unbeatable to the Russians, which is such a sweet thing to say

KO: [laughs]

RW: that is a sweet thing to say, you know Scott I wanna ask you about the team figure skating competition because it’s relatively new, and you know what it’s like in this country, we talk a lot of hockey, talk a lot of football with baseball and basketball thrown in and people see figure skating as more of an individual or obviously a sport with two people like you and Tessa

SM: right

RW: but for the team competition you know I know a lot of listeners and fans said to me well how do you have a team competition in figure skating ‘cause they’re all sort of doing their own thing. Now everybody was happy Canada got medals, don’t get me wrong, but um

SM: right

RW: when it was introduced how did you see it and how does the team environment work for figure skating where you’re doing a lot of things separately

SM: well it is an interesting concept and we grew up in that same world as many Canadians see skating as an individual sport, it took us at least one cycle to get used to it um and we felt like we kind of bobbled our approach ah in Sochi with the team event, uh you know it’s a great for us as a country, I think Canada has such a rich skating history and it’s a great way for us as a country to kind of measure up against the other countries. Who is the best skating nation, so um you know they’ve created this event and kinda hats off to the ISU ‘cause skating was one of those events where you only had one shot at a medal and we welcomed the chance at another shot ah to compete in the team, um for countries like Canada [unintelligible] to be proud and patriotic, like the curlers, like the hockey players, um this is a medal that I think Canadians aren’t happy unless we bring home the gold, and that was kind of our mindset going in this year, we tried to use that a bit more as motivation instead of pressure, um but it was something that we didn’t take lightly, and I think as a group um it wasn’t a warm up at all, we all wanted this medal just as much as we wanted our individual medals, and uh you know it’s such a different feeling to compete as a team, now, it’s an interesting concept ‘cause we’re never on the ice together, so we do compete as a team and you know how you do directly affects the medal that your teammate’s going to get so, that’s unusual for us, and luckily as Canadians and like I talked to [unitelligable] I saw Kaetlyn grow up right in front of our my eyes and Tessa’s eyes and we competed with Patrick um since we were 12 years old and Meagan Duhamel, Eric Radford even younger than that and, we had a special bond. And I think that was that was our advantage truly and we had that support and instead of it being the pressure of making sure that you hold up your end of the bargain for the team it kinda motivated us forward and we knew that we just had to go out there and give it all we had and then we’d come home with the gold

RW: that’s a great explanation, Scott Moir joining us on Inside Sports, Kaetlyn Osmond is in studio here 630 CHED here in Edmonton. Scott, you mentioned the age that some of you started competing, uh Kaetlyn referenced the Olympic Champion 15, in women’s we had a caller calling in and asking about that and and uh you know these young women in figure skating they sometimes the careers don’t go past 24 25, I think you’re 31 now but you can almost see what happens with your future, it’s an interesting sport and it’s, I don’t know if now, do you look at the generation younger generation and say like oh my god like how did I do that, why are we putting the pressure on these kids, how do you looks at that now as a more veteran skater

SM: that, I mean I’m happy you set that up for me because it’s different, I mean when I look at some young talented skaters um in my event, the ice dance event there’s a French dance team um they’re quite spectacular, they actually train in Montreal, um and they’re like 21 22 uh well they were at the last games anyways and they’re a special talent, I mean it’s similar to what you see when the first time Connor McDavid was in the NHL you can just tell that, this talent comes around once in a hundred years, and I’m excited to see what they can do. On the flip side of things actually I think in when we look at the ladies, and in Kaetlyn’s circumstance, I think especially the way we need to look out with the sport with the 15 year old with the 17 year olds that are jumping but uh not doing much else. And I think you really need to be there live to see Kaetlyn Osmond and how she skates, that’s what we love about Kaetlyn. She goes out there, she skates as fast as the men do, she attacks as the men do, she attacks every step, uh she jumps high and she goes for it. I mean and that’s sport what a great role model for women and girls across the country to look up to in Kaetlyn, that’s why we’re so so proud of her. Um Patrick Chan we kind of felt the same way and that’s our sport, it’s a complete package and we want to find a way that we’re rewarding the jumps but you’re also you know um rewarding that full skating package and as Canadians we do that very well, and our role models like Kaetlyn and Patrick, you have to be there live to see it. When your hair blows past up over your uh head because Kaetlyn just skated by you, you feel a difference in that and the 15 year old present Olympic Champion but that that’s figure skating and that’s opinion and there’s always going to be opinion in a judged sport but that’s kind of my answer to that I guess

KO: that’s amazing and thank-you so much for all that and

S&KO: [laughing]

SM: you’ve heard me say that before you’ve had to listen to me going on and on about that for years

KO: it’s a great confidence boost for me [laughs] but we’re talking about all and speaking about seeing skating live, we just finished that Thank You Canada Tour that you guys started, um thank-you so much for that, that was something really special to be a part of

SM: thank-you for coming [chuckling from both S & K] it would be nothing without you girl

KO: and that was actually one of the top comments that we heard numerous times from fans was that watching the tour live was something completely different than watching us over the TV, um the power, the speed, not many people can see that over the TV and something that I noticed in hockey too. You see the speed a lot more

SM: yes

KO: in person but it what was your most memorable city on the Thank You Canada Tour

RW: ooh good one

SM: most memorable skate?

KO: city

SM: oh city, oh boy that’s hard, I mean ‘cause I’m on the radio in Edmonton right now should I say it?

KO: we weren’t in Edmonton

SM: yeah but

KO: so therefore

SM: yeah but we did stop so you saved me there thank-you um actually that’s a good question, I think, well there was two moments that were pretty cool, Tessa and I were, and Patrick as well actually were able to produce this tour and have a hand in kind of the route and all these different places we want to be in some that never had skating before, the Grande Prairies, the Red Deers, I mean obviously they’ve had skating shows before but they don’t get it as often as they should though. My two favourite memories are very clear. One was in Sudbury which was Meagan Duhamel’s hometown uh because that city just came alive for her um and it was such a special homecoming energy and then equally to that, that one was bit unexpected I guess but when we went to Newfoundland with you K.O. it was pretty unbelievable to see how much that province loves you, um and how much they love skating. It was pretty cool to see two standing ovations in 1 night just for coming out and singing Oh Canada. Those are memories that we’ll never forget and we’re very lucky to be Canadians and have the support of the Canadian public and it kind of happened, there’s a special connection with Canadian Olympics, uh with Olympics and Canadian people and we felt very fortunate to always have that support our whole career and that’s really why we wanted to do this tour.

RW: Scott Moir from Virtue & Moir joining us Inside Sports tonight. Scott a couple more for ya, thanks for being so generous with your time, this was a blast to have you on the show.

SM: my pleasure

RW: I throw this one out there um, usually to figure skaters and curlers. I think you’ll understand why when I ask the question. What’s the one thing that people say about figure skating that you’re just sick of people saying about figure skating

SM: [chuckling] uh well I can be honest and tell you that I’m sick of people asking if Tessa and I are dating

KO: [ah ha ha ha]

SM: and that’s more particular to just me but um yeah I think the biggest thing is the costumes and we’re an artistic sport, I’ve actually grown to love that, but when I was younger I used to hate that. All my buddies when I played hockey would go would joke that I forgot my sequins and that I had the wrong pair of skates on and um see that’s what I always got sick of hearing but I kinda grew out of that and you know what I don’t want to tell too many people this but uh now I kinda like wearing the tight pants every once and a while

RW: [laughter]

KO: they’re great, they look good

SM: [laughing]

RW: well you’ve got the physique for it, most of us don’t so all the hours in the gym and training for sure, speaking of which

SM: well it’s crazy how quick that physique can go in 8 months, it’s been a long time since I was on the TV in Pyeonchang, after this Christmas season I’ll have to get back into that gym

RW: well OK so I gotta ask you about that, you gained even more fame and attention for your willingness to let loose at a women’s hockey game, did you enjoy that part of it, that people saw that you’re, and I think that people got a sense of your personality just through your skating and your interviews, but you know the ref heckling and the beer drinking, you’re like I don’t care I was out there doing it, or were you kinda like maybe get the camera off me at that point. How did you feel about all that?

SM: a bit of both. This was a very special Olympics for Tessa and I because we felt like we were more ourselves than we’ve ever been. I think we’re a little bit older now, um we, in our earlier Olympics it’s not that we had a façade or anything but we just felt like we had to try our best not to let Canada down, and we were nervous to do anything, and now we’re a little bit older, and I felt like I was able to be more myself and, you know me at the hockey game having a beer, I don’t look great in a toque, oh I guess I always look a little bit drunker than I actually am in a toque, that was only my second beer believe it or not but, I ah I do heckle the refs a lot and it’s because I love those girls on that team and they [sigh] they really are the cornerstone of our Olympic team. The Olympic hockey for [unintelligible] for women’s hockey is so important and that rivalry so heated um and I just love to support them and I know how much it means to them. So yeah, I was a little into the game, we kinda circled that on the calendar for a long long time, and the only thing about that is that’s their Olympic moment and I’m happy to share and be there and support them but I don’t want to be on TV. That became a bit too much for me. They were showing me after every play, show me in the men’s game, and showing me on curling and um I kinda became a bit of a mascot but haven’t had to buy too many beers since I got home, which has been nice so I have to, I got a lot of IOUs out there now.

RW: well that’s a great advantage. Scott, thank-you so much for doing this and thanks to Kaetlyn for booking a guest of this magnitude for Inside Sports ‘cause I don’t know if I would have wrangled you otherwise but I do hope we can do this uh again and tell more stories. Canada’s so proud of you, we got a lot of people on the text line saying hi to you Scott. Somebody asked if you could play defense for the Oilers so maybe that’s in your future. But I really appreciate you coming on the show.

SM: I got stone hands so I don’t think you want me, I think the talent you have there you’ll be OK, but I appreciate you having me and can’t wait to be in Edmonton again. Hope everyone has a happy holidays.

KO: Merry Christmas Scott

SM: same to you Kaetlyn, talk to you soon

RW: Scott Moir checking in tonight on Inside Sports. Kaetlyn thank-you.

KO: ya that was great, ya

RW: that was incredible. Ah 2010 and 2018 Olympic Gold in ice dance. 2014 Olympic Silver in ice dance and then they got the team silver in 14, team gold in 18 and they’re 3 time world champions. Is that sound right?

KO: sounds right to me

RW: most decorated. Are they the most decorated Canadian figure skaters ever?

KO: in Olympic history

RW: in Olympic history

KO: um hum

RW: pretty good

KO: I heard it every night on the tour [giggles]

RW: Scott was writing the script for that I assume, make sure this is the intro

KO: it was amazing to hear every night, and it got such an amazing applause from the entire Canadian world, so it was incredible

RW: I think the 1 thing that I appreciated about is Scott was, and I think regardless of the sport, and you’ve been through and we were talking before you came on air that you gotta be, were told to be careful what you say and stuff, I know you’re loosened up tonight ‘cause we’re having a good time, but you know he never got that sense with Scott. But you got the sense when he was being interviewed or you saw him in reacting in the kiss and cry as they call it after the skate, it was never a mask with him. I always got the sense watching like this is this guy. I would love to meet this guy. I would love to talk to this guy.

KO: he’s an amazing person for sure, um I’ve been talking to him for at least the last 4 years, being on the Canadian team with him and he is just absolutely incredible, always so well spoken, and just such an amazing fun guy to be around

x

[acsversace-news]

It’s one of those events that happened if you’re old enough to know where you were when Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of his South Beach villa in Miami. Ryan Murphy takes us back to 1990’s Miami and explores what drove Andrew Cunanan to murder one of fashion’s most iconic designers in his latest series, American Crime Story: Versace. We explored his childhood, but the road that led to the murder. Along the way, we meet David Madison, a young architect, his whole life ahead of him, but then fate leads him to Cunanan who eventually murders the young man.

Actor Cody Fern talks about getting the phone call for the role, how Madison was perceived at the time and working on a Ryan Murphy production in a role that’s shining a much-warranted spotlight on the Australian actor. If you haven’t seen the series, the show aired on FX and can be streamed for all to see. Fern shines brightly in the series, pay attention because you might not know the name now, but you will very soon.

What was it like walking on to the Versace set for the first time?

It’s a little bit mindblowing, even still. I idolized Ryan and his work for such a long time, especially how he conducts himself as a human being and giving back to community stories that need to be told.

I got the phone call that I was going to be on the show and started screaming because it’s beyond your wildest comprehension. It’s this dream you hope of as an actor, but to get the phone call and to hear you’re going to work with Ryan is overwhelming. Arriving on set, the entire production was so precise and was so well researched by Maureen and then Tom and the team around it. Ryan picks the very best people to work with and they’re so meticulous and so knowledgeable.

I got to play David, he’s such an interesting human being, not just because of his tragic death, but the life he had been living before. I think that’s what the series deals with. He’s a very successful architect and this intelligent guy who is so compassionate. The police actually found presents in his house that were for Christmas. He had bought these gifts months in advance for his nephews, that’s the kind of guy he was. So, I felt a real sense of responsibility to that. I think with this series in particular because it threw people for a six because it’s not just about the Versace family, but the real purpose was to jump into this world that we didn’t know about these four men who were not as famous as Gianni Versace but were equally as important, who had value and their lives were cut short by this man, Andrew Cunanan.

It started with excitement and then it moved into the heavyweight. Arriving on set and knowing that everyone was at the top of their game and knowing that everyone was going to trust me to do what I was going to be doing which was so dark and so complex and complicated. It was a real work out as an actor. To also have Darren Criss who is so dynamic and such a surprising actor. I’d seen him in Glee but what he did in Versace was so layered and complex.

Your character was an interesting character, but also complex. How do you craft David when there’s not so much on him?

The first thing that is important to know, Tom Rob Smith is such a phenomenal writer. If I ever felt lost, I’d go back into the script and you don’t have far to fall if you’re being propped up by Tom. Obviously, there’s Maureen’s book, but really the jumping off point for David was, “Why didn’t he run? Why didn’t he stop the murder of Jeff?”  It was really more about the former and that’s where I started to construct everything from.

At the time and with the homophobia of the time and how the police were investigating it, they saw David as a perpetrator. It’s very interesting about what happens when your best friend is murdered right in front of you and stabbed 27 times with a hammer in your apartment by your ex-lover and someone who has been a friend for many years. At this point in time, their friendship had been worn down. Friends and family say he was very compassionate and had a religious background, so these things began to fill in for me as a character who comes from compassion first and foremost. What we were exploring in the series is the shame that gay men carry around and how that shame manifests itself, particularly in this period fo time. That’s a dangerous cocktail because what I learned in playing David was that his compassion knew no bound and he really believed that Andrew was redeemable, even after that horrific act. He believed if they got to the authorities then everything would be alright. Of course, your personality goes out the window when something like that happens. The horror of the media was that they were painting him as someone who was involved in the crime and when you see something like that, your body shuts down. There’s this gay shame he’s carrying around and he doesn’t fit into society and society views him very differently. He must somehow be involved and there’s something sick about him.

One of the police officers in the media stated it was far more likely and it makes far more sense that Andrew and David conspired to commit the crime because gay men have had to hide in the closet for so long. They’re all inclined to dark and psychopathic actions and how that must have affected him growing up.

He was a fascinating character to watch and his arc. Was he fascinating to explore?

Endlessly fascinating. It’s hard to say I had a great time playing him because what happened was so dark. It was a very difficult time but it was very rich. We knew that this show was going to skew towards the victims and that was really important to see and that we were going to see their lives and who they were. To see how Andrew and David fell in love, to see how he had hopes and dreams. In episode four, the death for David, what was most interesting in playing that was how you build a character as an actor and what happens when everything changes in one moment. Jeff is murdered and everything that David has ever known is different. Whoever he thinks he is goes out the window and it becomes about survival. He’s been dogged by gay shame and he’s been hiding his whole life. He has one act and one final act of courage, he grabs the steering wheel and he’s going to stand up. There’s only one way that can go. What it must have been like to mediate Andrew at every step of the way and to know that at any moment he could be killed or anyone else could be killed. To be in public and you’re hiding. In the diner, they’re in there’s this fear. What’s interesting is that it’s not far off from what he would have been feeling as a gay man in that period of time.

I want to see you back on another Ryan show.

So would I

What did you learn from being on a Ryan Murphy set?

First and foremost, so much is said about Ryan as a genius and the word genius is really thrown around these days for anyone who has a hit of any kind. It should be reserved for Ryan. It incorporates something other than stereotypical interpretations. Not enough is said about how kind, how generous and how loyal he is. What I learned the most was not about acting, but it’s about family. The people he has picked and the relationships that he has cultivated. It inspires everybody to dig deeper and to push harder and to be better. There’s this real sense of trust from hair and makeup to the gaffers. Everyone is really together and you’re all ware you’ve been chosen by Ryan to be a part of his family. That means you all band together and you give everything and every moment your all. I think that show.

It’s the director, the crew and everyone is there to do the very best they can for this story. That was really inspiring to come away from. Ryan oversees it all and that’s really touching.

As a viewer, it was dark and sticks with you. Was it easy to shed David?

This was not easy to shed, there was a lot of residue. It depends on how you work as an actor. I try to make a clear distinction as to what my work and my home are. For me, my work is my life. IT’s where I’m most engaged in. With David, the mind knows one thing. The mind knows I’m playing this, this is what’s happening. The body doesn’t., there was a lot of fear, guilt, shame and anxiety. For the most part, there were terrible feelings and it took me a good couple of months to shed that. Also leaving that family behind. I just caught up with everyone at the Pose premiere in New York, to see everyone and to see us all band together was such a special feeling. I will say it shouldn’t be easy to shed the residue of what I went through. Getting`to know David was one of the greatest gifts of my life. To bring him back to life and to say he was here and had value and he mattered, that felt great.

Next we’ll see you in House of Cards. Going from Ryan Murphy into Claire Underwood’s dark world. How is that experience?

It’s been playing longer than I’ve been an actor. I started watching it and knew I had to be on that show. That and Ryan Murphy. I feel like I’m in a weird science fiction world, but again, it was incredibly different. The pace and rhythm have been different. The energy was always uplifting. Everyone is so excited to get behind Robin. It was great. The writers on that show are some of the best on TV. Stepping into the world of Claire Underwood was a real treat.

[abdicatedarchive]

give and take || cody x alexandra

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: throwback //  2017.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: cody x alexandra.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: rudeness.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: a look into cody and alexandra’s relationship

After spending the whole day with a group of her friends, it was finally time for Alexandra and Cody to leave. She promised him that she was meeting up with them just to pick up her cardigan, but then they checked out the nearest boutique and suddenly it turned into hours of shopping. It's not like he could complain, his last football practice went over 26 minutes than planned. Now they were even in her eyes and she loved balance in her life. She gave a little bit, and it was only natural for her to receive something afterwards. Balance was essential for a healthy life. "Thank you so much for taking us here, babe. You're the sweetest." she looked up at Cody with a sweet smile. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life." Alexandra always loved to play up how happy she was in her relationship when she was around her friends. She wanted them to think she had to best guy in town. "But we gotta go, Cody said he had a surprise for me. I'll text you girlies later, bye!" she linked her arm around her boyfriend's as she waved her friends goodbye. There was no surprise he had, she was just putting on her little act for the other girls. Once they turned away and got into her car, she slammed her door shut and immediately went on her phone. "How absolutely draining, how could they all be so ridiculously stupid? They talk about the same shit all the time." Alexandra usually made it a habit to not curse around her friends, she was lady, but she was so fed up. "Can't they ever talk about something real? Something meaningful? Wendy looked so trashy too. Disgusting." Alexandra looked over at Cody with a straight face, "Get me something to eat? My headache is really getting to me and you know I can't think straight when I have a headache."

To say Cody was absolutely whipped in his relationship was an understatement. He hadn't spent quality time with his friends in about a year, his relationship had been all consuming. They were coming up on a year now and he needed to think of something that was both instagram worthy for her, but also made her feel special. Having someone two years older dating him was somewhat intimidating, but nothing was more intimidating than the age old tales of Charlie permeating through the halls. Of course, fucking Charlie had to go above and beyond for his girlfriend in high school and then go off to college with her and have one of those legendary high school relationships that last a lifetime. Charlie was only a freshman in college right now ... but they had already made it past thanksgiving break, Christmas break, and spring break ups. The two were locked and loaded for the long hall, which put the pressure on. AP was graduating in the spring. Cody needed to make sure that he was worthy of her. Cody started up the car, he had just gotten his license and never let her drive anymore, it made him feel more grown up. "Your friends could listen better, you're so much more interesting than them" Cody agreed. He didn't really have too much of a problem with her friends, they were your basic Hastings girls. But Alex viewed them as accessories, so Cody did too. He thought that Wendy looked nice but knew better than to say anything. "I already mobile ordered your favorite, I'll run in and pick it up" said the boy as he drove across the town square and parked, running in to pick up their food and heading back to the car "for you." Cody was getting good at predicting her needs, even down to the fact that she wanted a healthy lunch but would want his fries so he got extra. He also pretended to want a cookie, and he knew she would eat it and pretend to be cute about it.

If there was one thing Cody could do, it was say the right thing, at least most of the time. Alexandra wouldn't be wasting her time with someone if she didn't think he could provide something for her. He was already two years younger, but he was a Summers, that was automatic brownie points in this town. "I just care about what really matters. People need to tap into their spirituality a little more. It literally transforms your life. I'm thriving in all areas." She couldn't go ten minutes without talking about herself, it was a nasty habit. But a habit she wasn't going to break anytime soon. It's not like people were calling her out for it, they wouldn't want to cross her like that. She huffed and puffed like a brat throughout the whole drive to get her food, but once she got it, her eyes lit up. That was the thing with Alex, she'd do a complete 180 when she got what she wanted. She knew how to play up the whole grateful girlfriend act. "You're the best baby, you know that?" she leaned over to Cody and gave him a quick kiss before taking her food and checking to see what he got her. They've been together for almost a year, he should know what she would want. "My favorite. This is why we work so well." Alexandra eyes went straight to the cookie and without asking, she took it and bit into it. "I can have a piece, right?" she asked after the fact, putting on a sweet innocent face. How could he say no this face? "I'm so excited for our anniversary. I have something so nice planned out for you, but we both know you're the better gift giver." She had absolutely no plans yet, it was just her way to make sure Cody was going above and beyond for her. "I bet you've had everything ready for weeks now. It's just such an important milestone in our relationship, the most important. I wouldn't be surprised if you did something before the day and on it. A nice two part gift. You're just so giving like that."

Cody forgot how huffy and annoyed she had been the second he brought her her food, seeing her eyes light up was more than enough for him. Before he could even say yes, she had already taken a bite, "only because you are so beautiful" he said with a smile as he mixed up his salad. The pressure was definitely on, and what he had planned did not seem big enough. Fuck, he was going to have to talk to Charlie about this. How embarrassing. Maybe he should just ask his mom, or maybe his dad. Or maybe both. Maybe he should ask everybody. This needed to be perfect and huge if she was going to stay with him next year. He had planted the seeds to encourage her to go to Brindleton or Prence, keep her near by. He couldn't imagine being far from her. He looked old enough to get into college parties as a freshman, he could be with her every step of the way. Then she added the two day thing, "You're reading my mind" he said as he made a mental note that he most definitely needed to bring out the big guns and ask for help. Cody absolutely hated asking for help, he liked everything to be fair and even. If he got anything from someone, he had to give back. The only person that was mildly an exception was Alex, and when she looked at him it was more than enough to make him do anything. She'd taken his virginity and his heart, and he was never going to let her go. "I have a family dinner with the Langstons tonight, Nathaniel got hired through a college connection from Dad so we're celebrating. But I was thinking maybe we could hang out now and then hangout later? I was thinking you might want to help me get these clothes off?" he suggested as he put his lunch in the back seat and started to drive.

Alexandra gave Cody a pleased smile, whether he had something already planned or not, she knew she'd be getting something really good now. Sometimes you just had to take matters into your own hands to get what you want, and she didn't mind putting in that kind of work. It was to benefit herself and her life, and the most important person in someone's life should always be themselves. She continued to eat the cookie until there was enough for one bite left, and decided to leave that for Cody. Just another selfless act. The mention of a family dinner with the Langston's made Alex furrow her brows in confusion. Hang out and now and ... after? Didn't he want her there for the dinner? Why wouldn't he want her to go with him? "Are their daughters going? Or the cousins? That's a lot of pretty girls, and who know's how sneaky they are. I don't want them trying anything with you. Why do you even need to go? You can just stay with me at my house, and we could do whatever you want." she smirked. That was a bold face lie, but she'll say anything to get her way. When it came to sex, it was about her needs most of the time. "Or I could tag along, you know how much I love seeing your parents." she put on her signature smile, hoping Cody wouldn't disappoint her. She even gave him options, she was being more than reasonable here.

Cody took the last bite of the cookie, happy that he got any. "It's just Nathaniel's family. I think it's kind of a thank you to Dad. It's: me, Charlie, Channing, Courtney, and Claire plus Nathaniel, Veronica, Fiona, and Bella. Then my parents, their parents, and the Windsors. Very full table, so they said no girlfriends or boyfriends. Cordelia isn't even invited and they're basically engaged, same with Alice" Cody explained. If he had been able to have her there, he would have. Especially if Bella was bringing the little man. He didn't understand why Landon disliked him so much, they were in the same grade after all. When Alexandra said they could do whatever he liked, Cody immediately hatched a plan. "I'll take care of it" he said as he pulled into her driveway and called his mom, "Hey Mom, some guys on the football team copied my homework answers and got us all in trouble for plagarizing. I didn't do anything wrong, it was my work" he said, pausing for his mother to give him a little grief, "I know I told her that. It's not my fault they didn't do their work. It was peer pressure" he said, coaxing her a little. "But I argued my way into doing some extra credit, and it's way harder than the original assignment. I don't think I can make it to the Langston dinner" he said as he moved his hand to Alex's knee, moving it up her thigh a little. "I will be at home, and yes I will feed Archer. So sorry I'm going to miss it. Gives a little extra room for everybody at the kids table" he said with a laugh. His mother would enjoy the joke, "Bye, Love you" Cody said as he hung up the phone. "I am all yours" said Cody with a smile to his girlfriend. He was pretty excited that she wanted to do whatever he wanted for a change, that never happened. Not that he wasn't very invested in what they did do.

If there was no girlfriend and boyfriend rule for this dinner, than Cody wasn't going. It seemed simple enough to Alexandra. But she did make a mental note to ask Landon if he went to this dinner or not. Cody never gave her a reason not to trust him, he did everything she wanted, he always did what he was supposed to do, but everyone needed to be tested every now and then. If Cody was telling the truth, then Landon would tell her that he wasn't going to this dinner, and for her boyfriend's sake, that better be the case. She could definitely see Landon somehow squeezing his way into that dinner, but Alexandra would see it more as Cody lying to her and not wanting her there. She would just be so devastated and he'd have to do quite a bit to get her trust back. But out of the kindness of her heart, she was willing to see Cody put in that kind of effort. She wanted to see just how much he loved her. She waited for her boyfriend to finish up her call, placing her hand on top of his as he talked to his mother. "You're all mine, just the way I like it." she said with a big smile, tapping his nose lightly with her finger. "But are you sure you want to miss this dinner? I don't want to make anything difficult for you and your family. I just love spending time with you, I can't get enough of you." Alexandra was already making sure this decision of his didn't fall on her. Sure she kind of backed him into a corner, but she didn't want the dirt on her hands.

"Anything for you" he reassured her. It felt so good that she was so into him, Cody felt really confident in this relationship. He didn't always feel that way, but she was with him for a reason. "It's not going to be a problem, they wouldn't notice even if I was there. The nights about Nathaniel, and I'm sure Claire will make it about her" said the boy, "I didn't want to go anyways." Which wasn't particularly a lie. He liked being with the Langstons it was just a lot with everyone together all at once. It was the closest thing they had to family time though: when they went presenting around to other families. It wasn't like they were eating family dinners at home, everyone just ate in their rooms. Each individual relationship was okay, but it was when they were a group that things were tough. That's why it was best to add other people into that. "I am so lucky to have you" said Cody giving her a quick kiss before turning off the car and getting out.

"Perfect." Alexandra dropped the little considerate act she was pulling and smiled big at her boyfriend, "I can make up for that and give you all my attention." It was a nasty way of thinking, but in her head, if Cody's family gave him less attention, he would always be searching for it through her. That would mean he'd want to keep her attention by doing and giving her everything she wants, and that was perfect for Alex. "Aw you're so sweet." she answered back. Alex didn't think she was necessarily lucky to have Cody in her life. She could easily find someone to fill his role, but she was happy about snatching up someone from the Summers family. It's not like she would try and date Channing, she did have standards. "I wanna eat my food first though. I don't want all your money to go to waste." This was a plan she'd pull out every once in a while. Make him wait long enough before the sex to then act like she's oh so tired so she could ask if he could just put in all the work this time. She had no problem sleeping with Cody, but if there was a way for her to get the same end result without her having to do all that extra work just to please him, she would do it. Being with her should be enough pleasure for him anyways.

Cody definitely get that much attention at home. Everything was always about the girls, and Charlie shirked any and all attention he got. Sometimes Charlie got "man talks" with Dad, which made Cody a little jealous. Charlie was also the favorite, but then the girls got extra attention so they wouldn't feel left out. Not that anyone noticed Cody was still out there. "Yeah of course babe" said Cody with a smile, he didn't know what was less desirable ... her being hangry or the way she always got too tired after she ate. It was a routine at this point, not that he minded. Some of his friends weren't even having sex yet, so it was exciting that he got to do that. Especially with someone as pretty and smart and caring as her. She was just so worldly and interesting, and Cody had passed up on going abroad for a semester like Charlie did. He saw how much it weighed on his parents for Charlie to leave, and for Courtney to leave. When they came back it was harder to be at school too, which he didn't really want. He also didn't want to leave Alex, so he decided not to go.

Alexandra was already walking over to the dining room when he was speaking, it didn't matter whether he wanted to eat now or later, they were going to eat now. She sat down at the table and took out her food, "You're not doing anything next Friday, right?" Alex didn't really take Cody's plans into consideration. He could hang out with his friends whenever he wanted, as long as it didn't interfere with the plans she'd make for the two of them. "You have to come to our family dinner. Landon's brining his weird girlfriend and I don't want to be alone with the two. I get massive headaches when she starts yapping." she rolled her eyes. It seemed pretty rude that she basically prevented him from going to a dinner with his family, but was making him go to a family dinner for her. Alexandra wasn't thinking about that though, it was all about herself. "Fries, please." she basically demanded as she looked over at his food.

"I mean sure" said Cody, "I'd love to." He really meant it, he would do anything for her. "Not that I really want to be eating with BJ either" Cody added. Bella was maybe the weirdest person he had ever met, not that he noticed her that much until Alex started complaining about her. To be honest, he hadn't really had a problem with her until she entered Alex's life by dating her brother. Cody unpacked his food and put the fries out, moving them over to Alexandra's side of the table, knowing perfectly well that he wasn't going to get any fries. He was well trained at this point to put her needs above his, because that's what love is. "Only because I love you" said Cody with a smirk as he opened up his salad.

"Just ignore her, that's what I try to do. I'm sure she's used to that anyways." Alexandra shrugged her shoulders carelessly. All she really cared about was seeming like she had the better relationship in the family. She wanted everyone in town to look at her and think she was the best. Alexandra smiled back at Cody once he said he loved her and began to eat his fries, not realizing along the way that she had pretty much eaten all of them. Once they were done with all their food, she asked Cody to clean everything up before walking over to him and tugging on his arm. "We still have some time before everyone else gets home, and I just want you so bad right now." she smirked up at her boyfriend.

Cody suddenly felt almost bad for her, being ignored. Being ignored really hit home sometimes. He shrugged it off best as he could as he was cleaning up the dishes and throwing everything away. As he was standing in the kitchen alone, he realized how lonely he still was. Alex was the only thing that felt like home. She appeared and tugged on his arm, and he smiled and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Yeah baby? Let's make the most of the time we have" said the boy as he led her upstairs. It felt so good to be loved, to be seen, to be heard. She understood him, and she loved him. It was good, they were good.

As they reached her bedroom, Alexandra got on her toes as she placed her hands on Cody's shoulders, pushing down on them a bit so she could kiss him deeply. Her hands travelled down to his chest to grab onto his shirt and pull him closer as she moved back onto her bed. "You're so amazing, I don't know what I'd do without you." she spoke sweetly. Alex usually only talked like this to him when she was around other people or when she wanted something from him. She had to make him good for a minute to make sure she got her way with her boyfriend.

Cody was pretty used to be crouched for Alex. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I'm all yours. I love you so much" said Cody between kissing down her neck. He was obsessed with her, she was the most amazing person he had ever met. He was never going to feel this strongly about anyone ever again. This is what everyone was talking about, this feeling right here. "We're going to be in college together before you know it" he said with a big smile. He was so excited to spend time with her for the rest of their lives, Charlie had found it. Why couldn't he? Lightning can strike twice in the same place.

Alexandra knew she had Cody right where she wanted him, she could tell in the way he spoke to her. He'd practically do anything for her, and that's mainly why she stuck around for this long, but she knew it wouldn't last. This relationship was temporary for her, so when he started talking about college and how they'd be together by then, she almost rolled her eyes. He was talking too much at this point, and she wanted him to shut up. "Baby, I'm just like so tired and my headache's coming back and I don't want waste this beautiful moment we're having." she started to whine. "You think you could just go down on me this time, and I promise next time it'll be all about you." she lied, yet again. She only cared about her needs and wants, never his.

He knew it was too good to be true when she said that it would be all about him today, or even that they were going to have actual sex. But he loved her, and he wanted her to feel better. "Of course, anything for you" said Cody in a soft voice as he pushed some of her hair back before kissing her again. -Fade to black, he really put that effort in because he's a summers man- Cody laid down on the bed, catching his breath a little. "So, do you want to hang out for the rest of the night? Maybe I can sleep over? My parents aren't going to be back until late and they're not going to check my room." He wanted to stay, the nights she let him sleep over were always the best. Cody loved just being next to her, it felt more comfortable than his house.

Alexandra, yet again, got what she wanted, so there wasn't much need for him to be here anymore. She put on a sad smile as she turned over to kiss him quickly, "I don't want to get you in trouble with your parents, you already missed out on that dinner." she tried to sound as sincere as possible, as if she really cared. "Maybe you still have time to go to that, or maybe you should already just be at the house before they get there. Act like you're doing that extra credit you lied about. I wouldn't want you to get caught for lying."

"Yeah, you're right" said Cody, it was redundant to say because she was always right. "You are so smart, I love you and I will see you soon" said the boy giving her a kiss on the forehead, "don't miss me too much." He was going to miss her a bunch, "I'll text you when I'm home safe" the boy added before he headed out, "love you." //END

[audliminal]

It Starts With a Train Ride (SSHAU Part 1)

So yesterday was my last day of finals for the semester and what else am I gonna do with all this free time but write fanfic? Thus I present: A Sanders Sides Hogwarts AU

Pairing: LAMP Platonic (eventually)

“Oh, I simply cannot wait to get there!”  Roman enthuses, staring ahead at the gorgeous black and red train like it’s his ticket to fame. Of course, knowing Roman, that’s probably exactly what he was thinking, so Virgil rolls his eyes but says nothing. Instead, he focuses his gaze on the train as well, shocked at the sheer number of people running this way and that on the platform. Virgil had been determined to get here with plenty of time to spare, and for once Roman hadn’t argued, so they still had about twenty minutes before the train was set to leave for Hogwarts, but already there were loads of people bustling around, and Virgil was starting to get antsy again. He glances up at his mom, who’s very obviously holding back tears of pride already, and Virgil eyes her warily. He hates when she starts crying.

“I’m gonna go find a compartment before they’re all taken,” Virgil mutters, making his escape before the waterworks can set in. Goodbyes are -difficult- anyway, so he’s eager to avoid it. After all, it’s not that big of a deal, they’ve known this was coming for so long, and it’s only going to be a few months before Christmas vacation.

It takes quite some effort weaving through the crowds of people, all clearly excited to meet their friends and say goodbye to families, and Virgil spots more than a few people crying. He carefully avoids those groups, and finds his way onto the train, and into an empty -and soothingly quiet- compartment. He immediately collapses into one of the seats with a sigh.

“Well, I suppose this will do,” a very familiar voice drifts from the door, and Virgil bolts up again, to level a glower at Roman, who is currently occupying the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” Virgil demands, even as Roman begins lifting his trunk up onto the shelf. “Were you following me?”

“Oh, come off it, Eclogues. Our parents made me promise to stick with you until we got sorted. They’re worried about us, and unlike you, I actually care about my parents’ feelings, so here I am.” Roman pointedly raises an eyebrow.

“Shut up.” It’s a habit of Roman’s, to insinuate that Virgil doesn’t care about his mom- so really it shouldn’t be all that surprising to Virgil, but the comment still smarts and Virgil is only halfway to formulating a response when Roman slips back out the door with a flourish.

“So much for sticking with me,” Virgil mutters with a snort, deflating, and glancing down at his trunk. He takes a moment to move it up and out of the way, before curling back into his seat, and glancing out the window. After a minute or so, he spots Roman emerging from the train and making his way back over to where their parents are standing. Virgil can see his mother shifting from foot to foot, and a pang of guilt hits him. He probably should have said one last goodbye for her sake, but he’s always made a habit of avoiding the emotional stuff, and this one was even worse. His mother had always cried so easily and it always made him feel terrible, like something in the world had broken.

Roman was quite the opposite person- he thrived off of emotions and attention, no matter what kind, and it had caused quite the number of conflicts. In the last year, things had only gotten worse, too. Roman had been unshakably enthusiastic about Hogwarts, ever since his letter came, and had not taken too kindly to Virgil’s constant concerns about the matter.

As Virgil watches, Roman embraces both of his fathers in turn before turning to give a hug to Virgil’s own mother.A pang of fear hits him, and Virgil frantically jams his hand into his pocket, to feel for his wand. After a long moment, his hand closed on wood, and his nerves settled, but he pulled the stick out, to examine it once more.

He had been convinced that no wand was going to choose him when he entered the shop, but to his utter relief, the second wand placed in his hand had immediately cast a soft glow over the room. ‘Willow wood and dragon heartstring,’ the oddball shop owner had said, and his mother had paid the seven galleons with a proud smile on her face, and then Roman had stepped up to the counter and informed everyone that he was ready for his wand.

Roman’s wand had taken much longer to find, in classic Roman style, but Roman had responded as though it was proof of how amazing and special he was.

“Ahem.” Virgil glances up, to see a boy with glasses standing at the door. He’s wearing a tailored suit, and Virgil frowns, briefly wondering how long he’s been there. “Hello there. Might I join you, or is this space in here already reserved?”

“Oh, uh- I guess?” The last thing Virgil wants is to be rude to the guy, as strangely as he might be dressed. He hardly needs to be making enemies already, and he doesn’t think Roman would mind.

The boy nods and awkwardly pulls his absurdly large trunk through the door, then lifts it into the overhead compartment after a minor struggle. He nods again at Virgil, and then his eyes shift to the wand in his hand.

“The wands were unexpected.” The boy says, tilting his head.

“What?”

“Well, wands certainly feature in plenty of fantasy novels, but plenty of them don’t use wands. It certainly helps to explain why I was having so much trouble focusing my powers on my own.” The boy smiles calmly, seemingly oblivious to Virgil’s growing confusion.

“I’m sorry, but- um, fantasy novels? Focusing your powers? I- everybody uses wands.” Virgil’s staring, and a small part of him informs him that he is currently being rude, but he’s beginning to doubt the sanity of the boy sitting across from him.

“Oh, you must be magical-born. I’m mundane-born, the letter was rather a surprise, but of course, I’d noticed something strange was occurring, so I suppose it was a relief as well.”

“Mundane-born? Oh, you mean muggle-born. Well. That explains some- things.” Virgil calms a bit at the revelation.

“Yes, I do believe that is the term I hear most commonly, but mundane-born just sounds so much more fitting. I don’t mean to be rude, but muggle-born sounds rather- made up, to me? It feels a bit odd to say.” The boy has just finished speaking when Roman bursts through the door again.

“Wow, Eclogues, I leave you alone for a few minutes, and you’ve made a friend, I’m shocked. Astounded. Perplexed!” Roman exclaims, offering one of his most charming smiles to the stranger. “My name is Roman, gentlefriend. Future Gryffindor, at your service. And you are?”

“Logan,” the boy responds. “I’m mundane-born, I presume you’re of magical parents too, since you seem to already be friends with- ah, I don’t believe I got your name?”

“Virgil. And we’re not friends.” Roman’s charming pose falls away at that, as Logan frowns in confusion.

“Eclogues over there doesn’t do friends.” Roman sends a pointed glare at Virgil, before seating himself next to Logan. “But our parents have known each other for a very long time, so we are rather-familiar with each other.” The train decides to start moving that instant, and Virgil startles, but he’s not about to let Roman just get away with that.

“As if you do. Friendship is supposed to be two-sided, not just one person just demanding everyone’s attention.” Logan glances concernedly between the two boys.

“Right...” Logan mutters, pulling a book out of his bag, and beginning to read. Every few moments, he glances up at the others, wondering if he ought to go look for a prefect, but they eventually relax again, and both silently retrieve books from their trunks. The rest of the train ride occurs in total silence.

If Virgil thought the weeks leading up to Hogwarts were bad, well, actually being there was on a whole new level. He’s currently standing in front of the whole school, along with the rest of the first years, waiting to be sorted. Individually. In front of the entire school, including the staff. And the stern looking woman calling them up (to be sorted by a talking hat?) didn’t look to be particularly patient or understanding. The anticipation is slowly killing him, and while Virgil’s trying his hardest to avoid accidentally making eye contact with anyone, Roman is, once again, vibrating with excitement.

“Fascinating,” Logan mutters, causing Virgil to glance sideways at him. It was his first reaction of any kind since they entered the Great Hall. “It’s obviously enchanted, but how exactly? And what keeps it working after so long? The school is over a thousand years old. But maybe the hat hasn’t always been used? Though what they might have used before it, I couldn’t possibly gu-”

“Virgil Maro.” The stern looking lady calls.

“Oh, that’s you, no?” Logan tilts his head towards Virgil. “Good luck.”

With heavy limbs, Virgil turns and starts making his way towards his doom. The closer he gets, the more he feels like something is going to go wrong, like the hat is going to say he’s not got any magic and shouldn’t be here at all, or none of the houses are going to take him, or he’s just going to trip and fall on his face before he even reaches the stool, and none it will even matter because he’ll have turned himself into a laughing stock- and then he reaches the stool, and sits down, and the brim of the hat falls down over his eyes, shutting out the outside world.

“Oh, what an interesting one, aren’t you? Your friend utterly convinced you to belong in Slytherin, and you, so certain you don’t belong anywhere. But where should I put you now?”

“I don’t care, just put me somewhere. I’ll take anything, just don’t send me home.” Virgil tries his hardest to think in response.

“Anything, hmm? Well, certainly not in Gryffindor. You have some courage, but you would much rather be cautious. Perhaps you would fit well in Slytherin... But, no. That isn’t quite it, is it? You have a thirst for companionship, though you might try to hide it, and you are loyal, fiercely loyal, to those you care for. And of course, you did say anything, didn’t you? Yes, you shall be in- HUFFLEPUFF!” The last part is shouted, and then the hat’s being lifted off his head, and the world comes flooding back in, all bright lights and loud cheering, and at least it placed him somewhere, so Virgil stumbles his way towards the table covered in yellow, the loudest table- they’d been cheering for everyone so far, and the welcomes when he sits down are loud, almost too loud. Virgil hunches down in his seat, uncomfortable and exhausted and overwhelmed, and breathes a sigh of relief as the stern lady calls out the next name.

Virgil doesn’t look up again until he hears Roman’s name being called. Roman strides forward with purpose confidence, and of course Virgil knows exactly what’s coming, but he feels strangely obligated to watch. The hat is placed on Roman’s head, and Virgil waits, but the expected shout of Gryffindor does not come- and with every passing moment Roman looks more and more affronted.

And there we have it. This was already getting really long, so I cut it there, and we’ll kick back up with Roman’s sorting in the next part. Who knows what could be causing the holdup...

[scientifically-strange]

Prompt idea villain teleports the avengers team into the ghost zone and they wander before danny finds and saves them

When Clint opened his eyes, his first thought was something on the lines of, damn it, another concussion?

He later learned that no, it was not, but he wish it had been because then maybe the green skies and purple ground would have made more sense. He blinked, his vision bleary for a moment before finally clearing along with his mind. He slowly became aware of a prodding at his side, and he looked over to see Natasha pushing him with her toes, giving him that look that she always does. The one that was saved just for Clint.

"Where are we?" He asked her. She held out her hand and he took the offer, gliding gracefully to his feet. He swayed slightly, and he had a feeling the sky was having a negative effect on his depth perception.

"We don't know. Stark's suit isn't able to make contact to our world, and unless we see that vampire guy again, there's no getting back."

"So, in simple terms, we're screwed?"

"Pretty much," she said, giving him a small smile. They were in the crapper, but at least they were there together, like a team should be.

"Do we have any sort of plan?" Clint asked nobody in particular. Steve was looking around, eyes wide under the mask as he looked this way and that, and Hulk was kind of just chilling off to the side. Stark was messing with his armor with his face plate up, unable to get a read on anything due to the strange electromagnetic atmosphere, and Thor was looking like he was constipated. However Clint knew that face. He was worried. Like he had seen here before...

Oh.

"Thor, do you know anything?" He asked the mythological warrior.

"Aye," he said, his eyes almost hyperfocused. "I have ventured here before many centuries ago..." he trailed off. In that moment, they all saw what an old soul Thor was. It was easy to forget that he used to be an actual myth and has been around for hundreds of years. "Loki and I were playing in the forest when something opened up and we were transported here," he explained. "My father was the one to come and relieve us from this terrifying world."

His tone didn't bode well for the team. If this place scared even Thor then they were screwed.

"Well, maybe it's not as bad as you thought it was," Clint suggested. "I mean, you were just kids after all. Things are always scarier when you're younger."

"Then why is my chest feel tight with fear?" Thor asked his friend. His blue eyes showed fear and worry for both him and his team, and unless you had known him for a very long time, you wouldn't have been able to see it. But Clint noticed things like that. It was a part of his job description.

"Well, what do you remember?" Steve asked, trying to get them back on track. Any information from Thor could possibly help them escape this alternate universe (?) and get home, where that vampire guy was still hanging around.

"I remember a man with blue skin and a scar over his eye. he didn't say anything, just floated by. It felt as if he was staring straight into our souls. Loki had nightmares for weeks after that, thinking that the drauger was at the foot of his bed."

"Wait, what's a drauger?" Natasha asked.

"I believe you mortals call them spirits or ghosts. They're those, however draugers are much more powerful and much more destructive. They've slain thousands of Asgardians. Only magic can repel them."

"Does your hammer count as magic?" Tony asked.

"Yes, but that power comes from Odin. We need banishing spells and incantations. Loki would be the one to call for these types of situations, I'm afraid."

"Yeah, that's a no," Tony grimaced. Even the thought of teaming up with Loki made his stomach turn, and one glance to Clint told him he felt the same way.

"Then what are we going to do?" Steve asked. He dug into his thoughts for a plan but not one came up. They didn't have the right stuff for this job.

"Well, I might know a guy."

They all whirled around, only to see a scrawny, white haired teenager floating cross legged in front of them. He looked at them with wide eyes, astonished to see them. None of them knew whether it was because they were famous or because they were human.

"Do not listen to him," Thor snarled, stepping forward so he was in between the Avengers and the monster. His hammer was held so tight his knuckles were white, and he looked down right murderous.

"Who is this kid?" Tony asked, flipping his mask back down.

"A drauger," Thor hissed. The spirit was holding its hands up in defense as it eyed Thor and his hammer warily.

"Hey, woah man I'm just trying to help. You guys are the Avengers or something like that, right?" The teen asked, stretching out a gloved hand in a friendly gesture. His toxic green eyes seemed earnest and held back excitement at meeting actual heroes. At their wary nods, he continued. "That's really cool what you did in New York. Anyway, name's Danny Phantom. My friend can help you guys get back to the human world."

"First," Natasha said, glaring daggers at him. He seemed pretty unfazed by it though, which was impressive in and of itself. "Where are we?"

"Oh, that's easy. You guys are in the Ghost Zone. Yeah, some people, when they die, end up here. Like, maybe they had an obsession strong enough to pass through the veil or something. Or maybe you're just a buildup of ectoplasm that formed a conscious."

"So not everybody who dies comes here?" Steve asked, stepping forward. Danny nodded.

"Yeah, exactly. But not all ghosts were human, either. Some ghosts can even be born. Like, my friend Princess Dora is pregnant with twins right now. It's pretty cool, I guess."

"Mind games," Thor snapped. Danny flinched from the sudden outburst, dropping his legs and letting them turn into a wispy, translucent tail. He was ready to bolt if things went south, and if he did that there would be no way of getting out of here.

"Wait!" Steve said, pushing himself in front of Thor, holding him back with one hand as he reached out for the young ghost with the other. "We're stuck here and really need to get back. Do you know a guy with blue skin and a scar over his eye?"

Steve had no idea if that guy was good or bad, but it was a risk worth taking if it meant they had a chance at getting home.

"Does he have a giant grandfather clock torso thing? Can switch to an old man and a baby?" Danny asked, an eyebrow raised as he turned back to them. Steve looked back at Thor, whose eyes were narrowed at Danny as he nodded, his jaw clenched.

"Aye, drauger."

"What the hell is that?" He asked, looking confused.

"So you know him?" Tony asked, coming forward to stand with the other two.

"Well, yeah, that’s Clockwork. He's the master of time and all that. He can help you guys get back to the human world by opening a portal with his staff or whatever."

His legs returned and he stepped on the ground. Steve almost jumped back when ice shot out from his feet, but the kid didn't seem to notice as he turned around and started walking, an ice bridge being made with every step he took. He turned back around, frowning when he realized nobody was following him.

"Are you coming or not?"

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

It was strange, walking over an ice bridge but still having complete traction. And then there was Hulk, who somehow wasn't breaking it with his weight. Or all of their combined weights. It was interesting to see ice glitter in a new way since he had been thawed out.

Steve was walking alongside Danny, who refused to meet him in the eyes, but Steve could see him trying to sneak looks form the corner of his eyes. He smiled to himself as he looked down at Danny, taking his shield off of his arms.

"You can hold it if you want," he said, trying to start a friendly conversation. Danny's eyes were like Christmas, sparkling and lighting up with a unique joy that Steve had never seen before. He often got that same look when kids realized who he was, not with dead teenagers.

Dead teenagers.

Danny was a dead teenager.

Steve mulled this over as Danny looked over the shield that was now strapped to his small arm, running his fingers lightly over the edge.

"How did you die?" Steve asked, his voice quiet. Danny's head shot up, the excitement gone as he dropped his arms and looks away. Steve sighed. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about it I won't make you. But you're so...Young. You deserve better."

Danny was silent for a little while as they walked, and Steve could swear that it got colder the more Danny thought it over, trying to decide whether or not he should tell a complete stranger. But something inside of him told Danny he could trust this guy. After all, he was Captain America.

"I was in a lab accident," he said after a while. He seemed to struggle finding the right words to describe everything. But when he did he never met Steve's eyes. Just kept his eyes on the ground or ahead of him. "See, my parents are scientists. They actually specialize in ghosts. They built a portal to this place, but it didn't work. My friends convinced me to go in, and I tripped. The on button was on the inside of the portal, apparently, and I accidentally hit it."

"What happened after that?"

"I was electrocuted with 100% ectoplasm. It's...Weird, though. I mean, I'm dead but also not? The ghosts here call me a halfa-half human, half ghost. Said I;'the savior or something. But they try to kill me, and my parents try to kill me, and-honestly, it's just a mess. That's why I usually hang out with Clockwork or Frostbit when I come here."

"And Frostbite is...?"

"The King of the Far Frozen. He and his people are yetis that specialize in ice cores. He helps me perfect mine, and helps me discover new things I can do. Like ice coming from my feet," he gestured in front of him.

"What do you do when you're in the human world?" Steve asked. He felt bad for the kid, what with both of his kinds wanted to kill him. Especially for something he had no control over in the first place.

"School, mostly, and I hang out with my friends. They help me hunt ghosts and send them back here."

"Jesus, that sound like a lot of work for a kid."

"Hey, I'm fifteen! That's not a kid," Danny hilariously tried to defend himself, and behind him he heard Clint laughing.

"Oh my god, you're a baby!" He laughed. "Am I right?" He asked Hulk, who was smirking at the ghost child while Hawkeye elbowed him in the ribs.

"From the looks of it he's more of an adult than you are, Mr. I-eat-frozen-pizza-for-breakfast," Stark defended, giving Clint a raised eyebrow from under the mask. Clint stopped laughing, which made Hulk practically bust a gut as he slapped Hawkeye on the back, sending him forward on the ice bridge.

"Hulk likes ghost kid," Hulk said proudly as he crossed his arms over his chest with a smile. Danny grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

"Ah, hello, Daniel," someone said. Danny turned back around to see Clockwork, his cloak billowing in the nonexistent wind and a kind look on his face. "Avengers," he nodded to them. Steve stuck out his hand, but Clockwork just twisted his staff a couple of times before slamming it down on the ice, opening up a unique portal.

"Go with them, Danny," he said.

"Why?" Danny asked, going up to Clockwork.

"Time will tell. Time always tells. Now go. Hurry up and save your town."

One by one the Avengers went through, and Danny turned to Clockwork.

"Dude, what is this about?" He asked.

"Just go. Help them. They're going to need it."

"Fine. But you so owe me some of those biscuit things you made that one time."

"It's a deal, child. Good luck."

Danny flew through the other side of the portal and was greeted with a catastrophic scene of some New York street. The Avengers were fighting someone they couldn't even touch. Danny sighed and flew up, giving his old nemesis a painfully powerful uppercut.

"Seriously, Vlad? New York? You couldn't be original for once?" Danny yelled at him. Vlad growled as he powered up his hands, glaring at Danny and the Avengers that now surrounded him. Danny put a fist into his palm and popped his neck by turning it to the side.

"Let me show you guys how it's done in the Ghost Zone."

Danny charged, feeling like he was finally a part of something right. The feeling in his chest said this was what the universe wanted with every punch he gave until Vlad finally retreated back to the Zone. Danny was barely even winded.

The Avengers stared at him with expressions of awe, and Tony marched up to him, his mask flipping up as he did so.

"Do you wanna come get shwarma with us?"

[paharvey99]

No Waitrose October - Days 21-23

Day 21

“Daddy, do the ROAD INSTRUCTIONS.”

The four year-old I live with is in the back of the car, demanding something. This happens quite a lot. For about 18 months from the age of two, the thing she was demanding was the song Let It Go from the film Frozen, which sent us a bit mad, but I quite enjoyed actually. Over the summer the thing she was demanding was the song Staging The Plaguing of the Raised Platform by the band Cornershop, which was unexpected and good. Today the thing she is demanding is that I give a running commentary on all the driving decisions I am making on the way to nursery, which is unexpected and odd.

I’m not sure how it started, but it’s been going on for a few weeks now. She shouts for the road instructions and I have to start going “Now we’re at the traffic lights, they’re on red, waiting for them to turn first to amber, then to green and now we’re going into first gear, up to second, third and up the hill, watching out for the car coming out of the driveway there, bit of a busy morning, give the cyclist a wide berth and now over the brow of the hill and into fourth…”, that kind of thing. All the way to nursery.

It sounds like a bit of a pain, but I quite enjoy it. For a start, I’m a brilliant driver, but given that no one else I live with can drive, I often feel like my talents are going unappreciated. So it’s nice to be able to pass on a bit of my expertise. Also, it turns out she is actually picking things up; I was joining the A27 the other morning and described it a bit differently to usual and an angry “NO DADDY, it’s the SLIP ROAD” emanated from the back of the car.

It’s strange that she’s interested in driving, I never was. Although I’m a brilliant driver, I have no interest in it beyond getting from A to B. I’ve done driving experiences in fancy cars as part of my job and it’s embarrassing, as the people doing it assume a level of interest in cars that I simply cannot feign. The worst one was in Las Vegas a few years ago, when I had to drive a Porsche around a track and an old man called Chuck showed me how to do it and when I’d done it he asked me if I’d like a USB stick containing a video of my driving experience. Instead of going “Oh yes that’d be great” my brain went “Why the heck would I want that?” and I think I actually laughed in poor Chuck’s face. I turned down the USB stick thing, but then it turned out that the USB stick thing was a brand new feature everyone was very excited about and Chuck was actually angry with me. But really, why would I want a record of myself driving? A record of not going to a high-end supermarket – yes. A record of driving a high-end car – no. Them’s the rules, I can’t do anything about them.

Speaking of supermarkets, we were driving to the supermarket, as it was Wednesday and you all know this means BIG SHOP DAY. As I mentioned last week, I was hoping to persuade the four year-old I live with that she didn’t want to go to Worthing Morrisons for a third week running. This proved remarkably easy, I simply told her if we went to West Hove Sainsburys we could buy a swimming costume. She has been making noises about wanting a new swimming costume for about a week now. She has been told about the current germs situation making it impossible to visit a swimming pool, but that hasn’t dampened her desire for a swimming costume. I think she just wants to run about the house in it, which is fair enough really.

Luckily, when we got to Sainsburys, the Tu range didn’t have any swimming costumes available. I imagine this is due to lack of demand, due to swimming pools not being open and it being autumn. I also suspect they are yet to identify the “Four year-olds who want to run about the house in swimming costumes” market, more fool them.

Excitingly, the big shop came to exactly £88.88, which meant that we were eligible for nine packets of free Lego cards. We already have about 17 packets of unopened Lego cards in the back of the car, as they’re really not very exciting, but I feigned excitement and accepted the cards gratefully from the woman at the till. Then the man behind us in the queue piped up that he was doing a big shop and if we wanted to wait until he’d paid, we could have his sure-to-be extensive quota of Lego cards as well. I said thank you, but we had to get on home, which was true, and he looked put out that we’d turned down his kind offer.

I realise now that this is vaguely similar to the situation with Chuck in Las Vegas that I related earlier; this wasn’t intentional, it just came out that way, honest.

Being Wednesday, we went home, unpacked the shopping, had lunch and then I took the four year-old I live with into nursery for the afternoon, while I did some work.

Once everyone was back at home and the four year-old was washed and in bed, the person I live with and I had roast chicken, potatoes and veg for tea. I’d put two courgettes in with the potatoes, carrots and chicken; the courgettes made the whole thing very wet, as courgettes are basically just water. So, no crispy roast potatoes, more of a soggy roast, which sounds bad but wasn’t. All roasts are good roasts in my book.

After tea we started watching another film, we’ve really got into films recently. We found the Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman 1992 vehicle Far and Away on Netflix, it’s a completely watchable mess of a film, highly recommended.

Didn’t go to Waitrose.

Day 22

Thursday is the day of the week when I like to get as much work as possible done, so that’s what I did. The day goes by in a bit of a whirl with not much to report usually, and it was the case today I’m afraid. Breakfast, nursery run, work work work, last night’s tea reheated for lunch, work work work, nursery run, evening.

Oh, here’s the exciting thing that happened – at around lunchtime my computer decided it needed to do a big restart and updates thing, you know, the way they do. It had been nagging me about for some time, and then at 11.30am it just announced that it was going to do its update right now and it didn’t care what I thought, so that was that. I took the opportunity to make tea for later, which turned out to be a curry, a basic tomato masala with some mushrooms and the rest of last night’s chicken chucked in.

It puttered away all afternoon and then in the evening, just as we were about to eat, I realised that there wasn’t enough chicken left over from last night for the amount of curry that I had made. The sauce looked a bit sparse; I needed something to bulk it out, really. In the freezer I had some paneer, so I decided to chuck it in. I sawed the frozen block of cheese into bits with a breadknife, not a recommended procedure, and then chucked it in the curry. It turned out that paneer doesn’t take kindly to being treated in this fashion and the texture had gone completely weird. Not inedible, but not massively nice. Just about got away with it though.

I’ve just realised that I advertised that story about weirdly-textured cheese as an “exciting thing that happened”. Sorry about that.

After tea we watched the rest of Far and Away, very much the film equivalent of an odd-tasting cheese and chicken curry.

Didn’t go to Waitrose.

Day 23

Fridays are very similar to Thursdays at the moment, with the main difference being the proximity to the weekend. As such, it was another breakfast, nursery run, work work work, last night’s tea reheated for lunch, work work work, kind of a day.

Being Friday though, I did the evening nursery run slightly earlier than usual and took the four year-old I live with to M&S Food at Hollingbury as a special treat on the way home. She’s never been before, I thought she might enjoy it – and my hunch was correct. As we pulled up, she looked out of the window and exclaimed, “I love it Daddy, the colours are beautiful!” and once we were inside she looked around in wonder and said “This is the greatest shop ever!”. She said the same in Worthing Morrisons though, she’s quite fickle with her affections.

We only really needed milk, but I picked up a few other bits as well, including a pumpkin for carving and some Christmas stuff. Seeing as we’re almost certainly having Christmas at home this year, I’ve been making an effort to buy stuff that you want to have around at Christmas that other people (ie my mum) usually provide. Last week I bought a big tub of Celebrations, and in M&S I got a big biscuit assortment and some chocolate coins. I’ve also bought Nigella’s Christmas book off Ebay to get some further inspiration.

On the way home the four year-old I live with ate chocolate coins as a Friday treat and we listened to some jazz in the rain. My dad bought me an album called Everybody Digs Bill Evans for my birthday and I’ve finally got round to listening to it. I have no idea who Bill Evans is, or was, other than that he makes jazz that fits nicely with driving around Brighton on a wet Friday evening. I’ll let my dad know.

Later I made spicy pork balls with aubergine and peas for tea, but I got carried away with the chilli on the aubergine so I served it without the aubergine. It was ok, I’m going to have to find some way of using the spicy aubergine tomorrow though.

Didn’t go to Waitrose.