#but I think Paul officially takes the spot

[tenitchyfingers]

There’s something so beautiful and special and melancholic about Beautiful Night too. Like… Linda being in it just shortly before she passed 💔 but also Ringo being in it, the melody and the switch from one section to the other, Paul’s voice… I can’t. What a song. What an album.

[chukys-mouthguard]

A Shot at Love: Welcome to the Mansion

5.65 words

meet the 12 eligible bachelors

It’s time, for the premier of ‘A Shot at Love: An NHL Dating Show AU’ ! The 12 lucky bachelors arrive at the mansion to meet our lovely bachelorette Y/N!

Who will impress? Who will receive the coveted first rose? It’s all up to the viewers in this one of a kind interactive au series!

Voting is only open for 24 hours, so be sure to cast your vote for who should get the first rose!

note: if you want to be added to the tag list for this series, please comment or send me an ask! :)

A deep sigh left your lips as you looked yourself over once more in the mirror, palms smoothing over your dress before nervously messing with your hair.

In just a few minutes you’d be introduced to twelve NHL players that were going to be competing for a chance at forever with you. The idea was one you sure would never come to fruition when first pitched to you, and when you found out the players of the league would be voting for the twelve eligible bachelors, you were surely convinced the concept would die.

But as the twelve players were determined and had all accepted their spots on the show, you were realizing this funny concept had turned into your reality.

“Y/n, are you ready to get this show started?”

The voice of Paul Bissonnette interrupting your thoughts as you turned to find him and Ryan Whitney, the hosts of the show, both waiting patiently for you before heading out to the front of the mansion to welcome the mystery men.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

A soft chuckle left your lips as you could feel your palms growing sweatier as you headed for the door. The limo transporting the men now visible in the distance as it drove down the long winding driveway.

“Pink Whitney to calm your nerves?”

Ryan pulled 3 mini bottles of the pink lemonade flavored vodka from his suit pocket, Biz quickly taking one and cracking it open.

“Are you guys gonna constantly plug your vodka during this show?”

“You bet your ass we are!”

Biz and Whit tapped their bottles together before throwing them back, you rolling your eyes before joining them in taking the shot.

“Alright, we are gonna go give the boys a warm welcome, then it’ll be show time!”

Nodding your head you watched as the two hosts headed down to meet the limousine, each of them climbing inside to welcome the mystery men. Your nerves at a high as you tried to imagine who would’ve actually accepted a spot on this show, quickly running through every team in the league trying to picture who would come out of the limo. Surely no stars were putting themselves on a dating show, your expectations assuming them to be lesser known guys who maybe didn’t have some superstar image to uphold.

“Holy shit Whit, look at these fucking beauties we got in here!”

Whit quickly smacked his co-host as the group seated around the limo laughed. “Biz watch the mouth! This is national television, you’re gonna get us fired before we even make it to the rose ceremony.”

Biz covered his mouth in embarrassment before mouthing an I’m sorry to the camera.

“Alright boys, so you’re all here because the players voted you all as the worst in the league when it comes to dating and the ladies. So congratulations!”

The limo erupted in laugher and some half hearted cheers. “Y/n’s waiting for you all. She’s a little nervous, but excited. And she’s a drop dead smoke show, so it’s you all who should be nervous!”

Biz went to climb from the limo, time for the grand reveal, but Whit stopped him. “Biz, I think they all could use a little liquid courage don’t you think?”

Whit pulled a bag full of Pink Whitney bottles seemingly from out of nowhere, tossing one to each of the men. “This portion of the show is sponsored by Pink Whitney, the official drink of ‘A Shot at Love.’ Cheers boys!”

As you headed to the bottom of the staircase out front of the mansion, hearing the boys all saying cheers with their shots in the limo, you rolled your eyes.

“Those two are seriously gonna plug that drink every chance they get.”

Biz and Whit reappeared and headed your way, signaling that it was finally time to meet the men that would be competing for a shot at love with you. Your mind racing as you wondered what their opinions of you would be. Would they like you? Would they think you were attractive? Certainly being professional athletes they’ve had plenty of women throwing themselves at them.

“Y/n, it’s time. Should we bring out the first gentleman?”

A simple nod was all you could muster as you patiently waited for the door of the limo to open and Biz or Whit to call their name, wondering who you might see emerging from behind it.

“From the New Jersey Devils…Nico Hischier.”

Nico stepped out of the limo, his smile immediately settling your nerves. A hand running through his hair to ensure it sat perfectly as he buttoned his suit jacket before he walked towards you.

If this was how the night would start, you couldn’t imagine who else was hiding in the limo.

Your heart racing as Nico now stood in front of you, politely taking your hand and kissing it. A true gentleman.

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Hi Nico, likewise, even though I had no clue you would be here.”

The blush on your cheeks had to be visible at this point as you couldn’t stop smiling. His accent sounded like music to your ears as he spoke.

“Though I have no clue what to expect out of this experience, I’m excited to get to know you,and for you to get to know me. At the end of this hopefully we are jetting off to Switzerland together.”

“I mean that would definitely be a pretty great ending in my eyes!”

“Well we could leave now? Screw this show?”

Nico playfully pulled your hand to run, but stopped as he laughed, making you melt right there.

“I don’t wanna take up more of your time, I’ll let you meet the rest of the guys. But I promise they won’t be as great as me.”

Nico shot you a wink before heading up the stairs and into the mansion, your smile now permanently on your face.

“So? What did you think of that fine piece of Swiss chocolate?”

A cackle left your mouth at Biz’s drunken commentary, shaking your head as Whit moved to knock on the door of limo to signal the next man to reveal himself.

“You guys are drunk and we’ve only met one guy, oh my lord.”

You were surely in for a wild night, and this was only the beginning.

“From the Philadelphia Flyers, Jamie Drysdale.”

“Hi y/n, it’s nice to meet you. You, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you Jamie, it’s lovely to meet you. How’s your shoulder doing?”

Jamie was shocked at your question, surely he didn’t expect you to be familiar enough with him to know he’d injured the same shoulder two seasons in a row. Laughing a bit as he playfully rubbed it.

“It’s good, better than ever. I’ll never turn down a good shoulder rub though.”

“Maybe if you’re lucky we can do that later for your one on one time?”

“Sounds like a plan to me, I’ll head inside and find a good spot for a massage.”

Jamie flashed a smile before heading inside, Biz looking towards the car to see who was next. A soft chuckle leaving his lips as he gave you a thumbs up, as if to say it’s a good one.

“From the New York Rangers, Matt Rempe.”

Your eyes went wide as the Rangers rookie emerged from the limo. You’d seen him on tv and knew he was tall, but seeing him in person made that crystal clear.

“Hi.”

A soft chuckle leaving your lips as you could sense his nerves and the awkwardness emanating from him.

“Hi, um, I’m sure you get this all the time but, you’re even taller in person.”

“Yeah, I hear that sometimes. Does that mean you’ve watched me on tv?”

“I might have a few times, but don’t think that’s gonna give you any type of advantage here!”

He smiled wide as he ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just happy to be a part of this with a pretty girl like you, I’m not expecting any special treatment.”

“As long as you don’t start any fights here okay?”

He shot you a devilish grin as he headed up the stairs.

“No promises.”

“Hey, how many shots have you boys had over there?”

You shouted across the drive, noticing the two men getting the giggles. Most likely laughing at something stupid, telling you they were well on their way to being drunk.

“We might as well have just brought a whole bottle out here. These mini bottles aren’t cutting it.”

Shaking your head you smoothed your hands over the front of your dress, readying yourself for the next mystery man to emerge.

“You guys aren’t gonna make it to reveal number six at this rate.”

“From the Seattle Kraken, Vince Dunn.”

The moment Vince stepped out of the limo he’d immediately caught your eye, noticing his style differing from the first few guys. No suit for Vince as he wore a short sleeve shirt that was tastefully showing off the outline of his chest and arm muscles thanks to it being a little on the tighter side. Pairing that with some solid colored chino pants, and some slip on vans.

“Am I a little underdressed or something?”

He playfully joked as he walked up to you, giving you a hug before taking the time to look you up and down. A smile on his face as he held your hand.

“If this is your style, then never worry about being underdressed. I think you look great!”

“Suits are great and all, but my mind is always focused on when I can just throw on my sweats and be comfy.”

“Trust me I’ve been thinking about that the entire time I’ve been standing here, I especially can’t wait for the moment I can take my bra off.”

You and Vince laughed as he made his way towards the staircase to head inside and join the growing group.

“Oh me too, taking my bra off is the best part of my day for sure!”

“From the Vegas Golden Knights, I fucking love this kid-“

“Biz watch the goddamn mouth!”

“Oh fu-I mean, fudge. Jacky Eichs!”

Jack emerged from the limo laughing at the two drunk hosts, both of them giving him a little cheer as he made his way to you, giving you a hug before he introduced himself.

“Hi y/n, I’m Jack. And if we are gonna be together at the end of this, I think it’s important I be honest with you right from the start.”

“Okay, I love honesty.”

He sighed, as if to suggest it was something tough for him to say, making you nervous as this was only night one and you weren’t expecting any drama this soon.

“My, my real name isn’t Jack, it’s John. Woo, that feels good to get off my chest!”

Rolling your eyes you let out a sigh of relief, playfully smacking him on the chest as he laughed. “I thought you were gonna say something off the wall crazy Jack, I mean, John?”

“You can call me Jack, I just didn’t want any secrets on day one, big or small you know?”

He headed up the stairs as Biz and Whit are still shocked they never knew his real name was John, chirping him until he’d finally shut the door to the house behind him.

“Fuc-fudge me Biz what are we on six now? I mean I can’t even see who is coming out of the limos anymore.”

“God forbid you say the wrong name Whit, better put on the glasses for the next one.”

“From the New York Islanders, Mat Barzal.”

If your heart could stop beating, but somehow you’d still be standing and breathing, it had just happened. The minute he’d stepped from the limo you were confused as to how he’d ended up here. Mat was one of the hottest guys in the league, but he did have a bit of a reputation. So how they got him to agree to something as crazy as this, you’d never know.

“Y/n, nice to meet you, I’m Mat.”

“I know, I’ve seen you on tv once or twice, so I know a thing or two.”

“Uh oh, good things or bad things?”

His smirk shot you right through the heart and you could barely focus on speaking. Aspiring how good he looked in his dress pants as loose fitting button up, following Vince in the more casual style of dress.

“I guess you’ll have to wait and find out?”

He shot you a wink before heading inside, your heart rate not slowing down as you urged Biz to hurry up with the next man.

“From the Anaheim Ducks, Gouda!”

“Huh?”

You looked at the two hosts confused as Whit shook his head at Biz, taking the Pink Whitney bottle from his hands as he quickly corrected his partner.

“Jesus Christ, please ignore his drunk ass for the rest of the night, it’s Trevor Zegras.”

The smiley boy emerged from the limo, running a hand through his hair as he approached you. Wrapping you in a tight hug as he seemed to exude confidence.

“Hi y/n, so nice to meet you.”

“You as well, is it Trevor or Gouda?”

He threw his head back laughing as he shrugged. “Whatever you wanna call me, I’m here for it. Trevor, Gouda, maybe your boyfriend by the time things are done here. I’m fine with any of those options!”

“Confident, okay, I like it . Well, I’ll stick with Trevor for right now, don’t wanna get ahead of ourselves.”

Shooting him a wink you bid him farewell as the next man was already emerging from the limo.

“From the Vancouver Canucks, Quinn Hughes.”

To say you were shocked was an understatement. Quinn was known to you as a bit more reserved, often quiet. And quite frankly, he was the last person you expected to be on a dating show.

“You seem a bit surprised, were you expecting Jack to come out of that limo?”

He shyly laughed as he gave you a hug. Quickly shaking your head you tried to erase any thoughts from his mind that you weren’t thrilled to see him.

“No no! Not at all, you just don’t strike me as the dating show type.”

“Well I guess there’s a lot you need to learn about me. For one, reality dating shows are actually a guilty pleasure of mine. And two, maybe I’m not afraid to admit that t I might need some help in the dating department. So here I am.”

“I guess you could say I need some help too and that’s why I’m standing here. But I’m very happy that you’re here too Quinn!”

“How many more guys are there holy shi-shoot?”

Biz headed to the limo, peeking his head inside to count the remaining guys.

“Can we speed run these last guys? Like oh my gosh.”

“Imagine standing on cobblestone in heels this whole time Biz!”

“Exactly! Speed round, hello?? Whit, help me out here!” Whit shook his head as he continued with the script, not wanting to add to the list of reasons he and Biz would be on the chopping block after this episode airs. Most of those reasons being the accidental f bombs and high alcohol content.

“From the Toronto Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews.”

If you had to rank the players you were most familiar with, Auston would have been towards the top of the list. Though you knew of him for the fact that Toronto wasn’t known for doing too hot in the playoffs the last few years, though you’d never say that to him.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

He wrapped you in a hug with a smile plastered in his face, unsure if it was him or the Pink Whitney shots that had you blushing.

“Hi Auston, nice to meet you. Loving the outfit, different from the other guys. Which is good, helps you stand out for sure.”

He playfully showed off his outfit, which was more street style than formal attire. But it was true to Auston, which you appreciated him taking the chance to just be himself and show that.

“Figured it was best to show up true to me. Glad you like it. I’m hoping that here I can bring home the win, unlike my track record on the ice.”

“Viewers, he said it, not me!”

You pointed to the camera, staring it down playfully as you laughed, Auston backing you up that it was his words and not yours.

“God bless, final 3 boys, then we’re done.”

“Biz they still have the opportunity for some one on one time, we aren’t done after this.”

“Jesus….pass me another shot.”

“From the Montreal Canadiens, Cole Caufield.”

The smile on Cole’s face never left from the time he exited the limo to when he hugged you. Kindly greeting you as he introduced himself.

“Y/n, ask him what his nickname is.”

Cole immediately shook his head at Biz butting into the meeting, “we really don’t need to do that. Maybe we can reveal that if I make it past tonight.”

Despite Cole’s pleading to ignore Biz, you couldn’t help but be intrigued. “Is it really that bad?”

Cole sighed as he rubbed his neck, debating on whether or not he wanted to tell you. “I’d rather leave you guessing for now, it’s not bad, just, not television appropriate let’s say.”

Your eyes went wide as your mind raced as to what the nickname could be, but letting it slide as you could sense Cole’s nervousness.

“Maybe later you can tell me without these two hanging around.”

Cole smiled as he headed inside, hearing him mumble “fuck I need a shot after that” on his way up the stairs, making you chuckle to yourself.

“I don’t know who let this kid in because he’s not even old enough to drink Pink Whitney, the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’. But he’s here so I guess we just have to deal with it. Get this boy an apple juice, from the New Jersey Devils, Luke Hughes.”

The idea of 2 Hughes brothers’ being included in this show was not one that crossed your mind, but if it had, Luke would definitely have not been the other brother you expected to see step out of that limo.

He shyly made his way over, a soft smile on his face as he hugged you. You couldn’t help but smile, trying your best to make him feel less nervous or anxious.

“Hi Luke, very nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I’m sure you weren’t expecting this to become Hughes’ bowl, minus Jack of course. But he’s not that great anyways, so you’re not missing much.”

The two of you laughed at his brotherly jabs, appreciating how he’d seemed to relax a bit once he made you laugh.

“Well things definitely just got interesting with 2 Hughes’ brothers in the house, I’d say cheers to the idea of you both making it to the end, but the boys said you’re not 21.”

Like shrugged off the comment, not paying much attention to that fact. “Trust me, it’ll come in handy for me when all these other guys are hungover trying to compete in some sort of physical challenge!”

You were thankful that you’d reached the last guy to appear from the limo, desperately needing to not be standing on cobblestone in your heels.

“And finally, thank the lord, from the Utah Hockey Club. That’s so fucking weird to say oh my god, John Marino.”

John appeared from the limo, laughing at Whit’s comments on his new team, and if you were honest you’d not paid much attention to him prior to him being traded. But as he walked over to you, with a smile on his face as he ran a hand through his loose curls, you were mad for not paying attention sooner.

“Hey y/n, how are you?”

“I’m good, feet hurt a little from standing for so long, but I’m surviving. What about you? Last guy having to sit in that limo all night.”

John shrugged it off, “it was worth my butt falling asleep 4 times if it meant I got to walk out here and see you.”

Playfully holding a hand to your forehead as you pretended to become faint, John laughed.

“Well it’s true! You look beautiful, and I’d wait in the car for another 4 hours if I had to. But, I’ll wrap this up so we can get inside and you can get your feet off this cobblestone. Lovely to meet you, and I’ll see you in there.”

John pulled you in for a hug before heading up the stairs, Biz and Whit joining you as the three of you followed suit. Ready to welcome all of the guys as a group.

As you headed inside, the competition was now seeming like it was going to be more difficult than you’d imagined. Thinking of all of the guys that were inside waiting. All of the handsome, funny, talented athletes, full of personality. How the hell were you going to eliminate any of them tonight?

Entering the room the men had all been waiting in, you took a deep breath. Facing them all together made you nervous as they surely had been sizing each other up from the moment they’d all settled in. All of them smiling once they saw you walk in, a few whistles and cheers coming from the group while you found your place in front of them.

“Okay, well, we’ve made it this far! I can’t speak for Biz and Whit because I think they are one shot away from passing out on us. But, I just wanted to thank you all for being a part of this crazy journey. I find it hard to believe that the twelve of you would voluntarily put yourself through something like this, for me. And for a shot at love. I’m so excited to learn about each of you for who you are off the ice, because that comes first to me. I’m not paying attention to who in this group scores the most goals, who plays on the best team. I’m here looking to find my person, and I’m excited to know that one of you will be that guy.”

The guys cheered as your lovely hosts were passing around more Pink Whitney shots, as if they’d hadn’t had enough tonight already.

“Can you two even handle another shot?”

“Are you kidding? Pink Whitney is the official sponsor of ‘A Shot at Love’, and the best pink lemonade flavored vodka on the market. Of course we can handle another shot! Plus, we made the damn thing!”

Rolling your eyes you accepted the shot from Biz, the group holding their shots up as you proposed a toast.

“Well, I can guarantee with hosts like these there will never be a dull moment around here. Cheers to ’A Shot at Love’! Sorry Luke…promise we will get you something non-alcoholic for next week so you can still feel included.”

Everyone tossed back their shots, then placed the empty bottles on the table. Immediately the competition had begun as it was a race to who was going to ask you for some time alone first.

Jack Eichel appeared at your side, taking your hand as he asked if the two of you could talk, the other guys immediately groaning at his eagerness to steal you away.

The two of you found a spot in one of the side rooms, taking a seat on the sofa with a sigh as Jack laughed.

“Tough night so far?”

Shaking your head, you smiled as you weren’t trying to come across tired or anything with the night so far. “No no, just, nice to sit down! Heels on cobblestone do not mix.”

“Well if beauty is pain, you must be in agony because you look gorgeous tonight.”

Blushing at his words you couldn’t help but smile, softly biting at your lip the way the compliment just effortlessly rolled off his tongue.

“You’re a pretty smooth talker Mr. Eichel. How’s the night been for you? Probably weird seeing all these guys under one rough and you’re all competing in a different way than usual.”

He nodded his head as he chuckled, “you could definitely say that. It’s weird seeing some of the guys, only because they seem a bit out of place in my opinion. Like I know we were voted here by guys in the league, but some of these guys, I mean Luke Hughes? He’s 20, how much dating experience does that kid have? I just think it’s a little unfair to him that he found himself thrown into this you know?”

Nodding your head you were unsure what Jack’s intentions were with this conversation. It seems odd that he’d take his first opportunity to chat with you to talk about who he believes should and shouldn’t be in the house.

“Well, hey, he’s here right? So, either he will make the best of it and find love for himself. Or he won’t. But, I think that’s for him to worry about Jack, not you, you know?”

The conversation with Jack continued on, thankfully moving away from the focus on what guys were voted in the house, but soon enough you’d be interrupted by another man trying to steal your attention.

“Knock knock, times up Eichs.”

Jack looked over his shoulder to see Auston and he reluctantly got up, playfully whining that time went by too quick. Bidding you goodbye as he exited and allowed Auston to take a seat next to you.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

You could feel your smile had doubled in size from the moment Auston walked in. Something about him just gave you butterflies, and you almost felt embarrassed for how excited you were to see him.

“How are you?”

He took your hand in his as he watched you attentively, waiting for your response as you laughed. “I mean, it probably sounds wrong to say, but I’ve got 12 pretty amazing guys all in one house because they want to date me. That’s a pretty nice feeling I’d say?”

Auston laughed with you as he sipped his drink, nodding in agreement.

“I mean, I think we’d all be crazy not to be here, and any one of us would be lucky to walk away with you after this.”

Though all the guys had made a point to say that, you could hear the sincerity in Austin’s voice, he meant it.

“I guess I just wonder how some of you ended up here, or why. I feel like you all should be in relationships and unavailable, how do some of the league's best stars get voted here by their peers?”

He shrugged as he sighed, “because that’s just it, we’re stars, so we should have a girl on our arm. And there’s countless girls we could have on our arms. But, they aren’t there for the right reasons, because of who we are. I can’t speak for any of those guys, so I’m simply speaking for myself. I’m not here for a check, some screen time to promote myself, I’m here because I genuinely think you could be the girl I’ve been missing.”

You felt your heart practically melt at his words, something you’d only ever dreamed of hearing someone say to you.

“I can’t tell you how amazing that makes me feel, hearing you say that. Truly.”

He held your hand tighter as he could see you trying not to get emotional.

“I’ve been through my fair share of rough relationships, being used or played by guys. And, it’s not fun. Thinking you’ve found someone that loves you for you, and it turns out to just be a game to them. But I can hear in your voice how sincere you are, and you mean what you say. And that really just warms my heart. So thank you.”

“Well I’m happy to be the one to say those words to you. And I hope you really do trust me when I say, you’re going to find someone here. Whether it’s me, which I hope it is, or another one of these guys, you’ll find your person. I promise you that.”

Conversations continued throughout the night, some more awkward than others. Particularly with the younger guys like Matt Rempe and Luke Hughes. Both of them taking awhile to open up, but as soon as they did another guy was coming to take their place.

Jamie made a point to ask if you were serious about his shoulder massage, to which you told him if he won the date with you next week you’d promise to give him one.

Trevor and Cole were probably the most talkative out of any of the guys, both full of energy and constantly cracking jokes. Which you appreciated since you knew you needed to find a guy that could make you laugh, that was non-negotiable.

You were sure that Nico was thankful when Quinn came to interrupt the two of you. You’d been talking Nico’s ear off asking him about Switzerland, his taste in music, anything you could think of to get to know him better in the short amount of time. But little did you know he found it adorable, loving how sincerely interested you were in learning about where he’s from, and his interests. He wished he didn’t have to let anyone else have their time with you because he could’ve talked for hours.

Quinn noticed you were a bit talked out when he walked in, but he didn’t mind. Taking the league in telling you about himself, making a point to talk about his love for his family and how important they were to him. He expressed that his past relationship struggles weren’t exactly his fault, as he wanted to be sure the girl he chose to be with would love his family and vice versa. He was a picky sort of guy, but he wasn’t the type to waste anyone’s time when he knew what he wanted, and you appreciated that. Hearing him talk about his family and the love he had for them, it warmed your heart because you could only hope that you’d be the girl Quinn chose to meet his family one day.

As the night was winding down, with only a few guys left to talk to, you found yourself realizing that also meant an elimination was just around the corner.

“How the hell am I gonna do this?”

Questioning yourself as you paced the floor, your thoughts the only noise in the room, you tried to imagine who you would eliminate. But it seemed almost impossible to choose, they were all so amazing. Sure some conversations weren’t the best, but no one had given you a reason to say goodbye to them so soon. Not to mention you still needed to decide who would get the first rose of the night.

“Ugh!”

Letting out a groan you plopped back onto the couch in a huff, resting your head in your hands. The pressure of things weighing heavily on you as you tried to calm your nerves.

“Is now a bad time?”

Looking up you saw John poking his head in the room, a playful smile on his face as he waited for your invitation to join you.

“Now is actually a great time, please.”

A slight laugh came from you as John found a place on the couch, studying your expression and sensing how stressed you were. Before you could say anything more he pulled you into his chest, one hand rubbing your back while the other rested in your hair. You felt yourself melt in his embrace, that hug not what you’d expected, but everything you needed. John could feel you relax the moment his arms wrapped around you, a smile on his lips knowing such a small action could bring you so much comfort.

“Thank you, I, I really needed that.”

A soft blush on your cheeks as you pulled away, tucking some hair behind your ear as he smiled down at you.

“It’s okay to be stressed. This is a crazy experience, probably more for you than the rest of us. But, a crazy experience nonetheless.”

John’s hand rested on your thigh as his thumb traced circles over the fabric of your dress, simply enjoying being there with you in that moment and not needing to have conversation or ask you tons of questions that could add to your stress.

“Y/n, we’ve got 5 minutes before first rose.”

Biz popped his head in to give you the warning, a soft smile on your lips as you thanked him. Looking at John with a sigh, you apologized.

“I’m sorry we didn’t get time to really talk, I was busy being stressed.”

He wrapped you in a hug once more before heading off to rejoin the group. “Don’t apologize, I think we spent our time exactly how you needed it. And I’m happy to have helped in any way that I could’ve.”

Entering the room to see all of the guys once again, you could feel your heart beating out of your chest. Their eyes on you as you stood before them holding the first rose of the night. All of them were hopeful that their name would be called, knowing it would be a boost in confidence for them heading into next week.

As you scanned the room, you took a deep breath, a smile on your face as his name sat on your tongue, eager to shout it out and see his reaction. But you kept your composure, as you finally called his name.

[gucciwins]

one last message 

word count: 2.2k

a/n: love on tour has come to an end 😭 it seemed only fitting to say goodbye to it with a small blurb from the love on tour series , the story of harry styles and y/n belmonte. thank you for all the love you always give me and i hope this blurb is enough to put a smile on your face. i love you, friends 💜

+

You adjusted the camera as you had it leaning against the bathroom mirror. You had finished your skincare and knew tomorrow was a big night for Harry and the entire Love on tour crew. There was a lot up in the air for your career and what was next, but in the next twelve hours, all you could think about was your boyfriend. He would be saying goodbye to a tour he poured his heart into, but most importantly, he was stepping away from what he loved to take a well deserved break. Harry couldn’t stay away long; he’d be back. They all knew it was only a matter of when.

Harry was in bed; he had fallen asleep as you played with his hair and told him about your day. The pasta you made from scratch at the cooking lesson you found in a small neighborhood. It wasn’t advertised, but the chef took a liking to you when you asked him more about his favorite dishes. It seemed that was enough to grant you a special spot in Mr. Caruso’s kitchen. He tried to play off his nerves, but you knew him well enough that this final show would be one he wanted to remember forever.

Once you knew your phone wouldn’t fall, you pulled up Instagram and started a live. It’s been a while since you did one. Usually, you do an origami piece with your fans to catch up with them. Tonight would be a little different. You hadn’t been on for a minute, and the number was increasing by the second.

Twenty.

Five hundred.

Three thousand in under two minutes.

“Hi, everyone,” you greeted cheerfully. “Sorry, I haven’t done one of these in a while. Life has been busy.”

The comments began to flood with “hellos” and “I love you,” but also a lot of mentions of Barbie, the film you finished promoting and starred in. You moved past those comments and instead focused on one asking where you were.

“I’m in my bathroom. I finished my skincare for the night and thought we could chat briefly.” You giggled as you saw Lloyd joining in. The number was past 35k, and although you thought it was ridiculous at this hour in Italy, the rest of the world was running at different times. “Lloyd!!! Buddy!!! Go to sleep!” You tease.

You first.

Shaking your head, you try to see if he comments again, but the comments are coming in at lightning speed.

Cariñoooooooo

“Sarai, cómo va tu día?” How is your day? You ask your best friend.

Boring. Send me a flight to Italy.

You frown at the screen. “Be quiet. I asked if you wanted to come. You said you were busy.”

A cousin’s wedding. Remember.

“Right. You’re officiating for them. I’ll see you in a few weeks,” you assure them knowing Naomi and Sarai will be staying with you for a week–two if you manage to convince them.

Where’s Harry?

Are you in Italy?

One last show!!!!

I loveeeee you!!!!!!

Final outfit reveal

Show harry

I love the new movie

A simple night. Though lots of questions if you would be in Italy for the final show as no one has seen you for a few weeks and where Harry was. You decided to do the live to connect with the fans, but you also wanted to go to bed and join Harry because even a room away, you missed him. You wanted to talk with the fans to share you feel the same sadness that tour is ending because Love on Tour gave you Harry, and that’s something you’d never forget. The same feeling they all feel staring at Harry while being in the crowd is one that you feel too. You can’t describe it, but you all know it well.

You think back to that night in St. Paul when you locked eyes with Harry and knew life would never be the same again. You can honestly say you didn’t expect to fall in love with him and go on this crazy journey two years later, but there is nothing you’d change in your life because it led you straight to him.

“It might seem odd, I’m here talking with you late into the night.” You laugh at people calling out your time zone. “Well, it’s late for me. Maybe even weirder to do it without my overalls and stack of origami paper,” you take a deep breath before continuing. “I know a lot of you know about my relationship. How private we keep it because not everything is meant to be shared online. I like things to be mine, but Harry has never been mine alone. A piece of his heart belongs to each of you, and it’s not something I will ever forget. I am fortunate to love him and be loved by him. I don’t ever take it for granted.” You sniffle and turn away from the camera to compose yourself, but you know it won’t work. When you look back, the comments are filled with love, and it keeps you going. “Love on tour allowed Harry and I to reconnect and truthfully fall in love. I won’t say more because it’s something special to us, but Love on Tour ending is bittersweet. It’s a tour full of love where many of you met friends, best friends, and lovers. You know what it means to love someone because of an event and because of the distance. The love will only grow stronger, and that I can promise.”

You grin at Pauli’s comment saying how much they love you. You found the love of your life, but you also met new friends and built a bigger family.

“Whether you’re a fan of mine or only following me to get an update on Harry, I want to thank you for your kindness, not to me but towards him. If there is anyone who deserves all the love in the world, it is him. Most of you wonder why I’m saying this here and not to Harry, but he knows. I can promise you he does. Think he might be fed up with all the love and support I shower him with, but I’m doing it because I want to look back at this, who knows, maybe five, ten, twenty years from now, and be glad I shared this with you all. If anything, it’s something Harry can look back at when we have to be apart for longer than a day. Harry, sé que no estás viendo esto, pero eres el amor de mi vida. Un último baile mañana y estaremos de camino a casa. Que sigas cumpliendo todos tus sueños, mi estrella.”

You thank everyone for watching and signing off, turning off your phone, knowing the buzzing will start immediately. You know it will be shared all over the internet, and articles will be written by the time you wake up in a few hours. Usually, it’s something you’re careful about, but tonight you don’t mind. You’re proud of Harry, and you’re allowed to show it whenever you wish. You turn your phone off, knowing Harry loves his morning ringtone better than yours.

Turning the lights off, you know as soon as you’re wrapped in Harry’s arms, you're headed straight to dreamland. Crawling into bed is easy; moving the covers away from Harry proves to be a struggle every night. You shush him quietly to not wake him, and it seems to work until he shuffles over and drags you to lay flat on your back while he gets comfortable on your chest. He would forever be your little spoon.

“I love you, baby,” he mutters into the quiet of the night.

It makes your heart race even after two years together. You kiss the top of his head and repeat your favorite three words to him.

+

The final show has been nothing short of magical. Harry would spend the entire night on stage if he could, but you all know the show is close to ending. Harry, from the morning, had been cheerful from waking you up with a morning orgasm that led to making love, and once he let you get clothes on a walk along the water. You know he had seen your little speech but made no move to bring it up. It wasn’t necessary because you constantly told him how proud you were, and it was evident in how you proudly showed Harry off all day to a crew that already knew and loved him. You don’t know if someone texted it to him or if he happened to see it on Instagram, but he walked all day with an extra pep in his step. It could have also been the sex. Not a hint of sadness could be detected, and it eased your worries because it meant he was ready for a well deserved break.

You spent the show with Anne and Gemma, dancing your heart out. You knew Glenne and Jeff would pull you in for a final mosh pit as Harry danced his heart out to “Kiwi.” Harry had thanked the fans endlessly throughout the entire night. His speeches always bring tears to your eyes. He thanked the band and the crew. He thanked his family for the support they offered the past thirteen years. You didn’t expect a speech dedicated to you, so it caught you off guard when he mentioned you. All your shared family and friends cheered so loud, making it easy for Harry to spot you and even easier for the camera’s to find you and show you on the screens.

“I don’t know if some of you saw, but my girlfriend gave a lovely speech last night on a live,” Harry smiles as the crowd cheers for you. “She poured her heart out to you while I was sleeping.” He wags his finger playfully. “Like she doesn’t know I love my ego to be fed. Her love is something I feel even when she’s not around, but I am thankful she’s here tonight. She’s here, and she’s been dancing and singing all night. It's my favorite thing in the world seeing her happy.” Harry can see Glenne nudging her playfully, but your eyes never leave his. “I love being on stage and performing for you all. It’s everything I dreamed of, and I can’t wait to return soon to do it again.” Harry gives you a dimpled smile, and you know the look in his eye; even from a distance, you know he wishes he could kiss you. “No one tells you how much you miss out on. Family celebrations, nieces' first steps, and even graduations. The biggest to the littlest things matter. Bel has reminded me that even when I’m not there, I can send a reminder that I’m thinking of my family and friends. That everyone understands I’m doing what I love. I love being here with you all, but I also love being home.” Harry places a hand over his heart. “Bel has made me a better son, friend, and partner. Now I know this is sappy, and maybe you’re over this, and she’s going to tell me after this wasn’t necessary, but I do want it to be known that I’m happy. I have never been happier. And while I will be going away for some time, I want you to know I’m in good hands until I return and am yours again.”

The cheers are a mix of sobs and relief, knowing he will be back even with no set date. You can’t seem to stop crying. All the comforting Anne is doing is working, but it’s as if Harry broke you open by pouring his heart out for you on stage.

“He’s a bit of a romantic, my little one,” Anne teases as she squeezes you tighter.

“You’re telling me. I’m no match.”

Anne laughs, “you flew out the entire family and act like that’s not the greatest gesture.”

It’s true. You planned with Anne to make sure everyone could make it out by planning accommodations and rides for the final show to go smoothly for them. Harry deserved a large celebration, and it was important to have his family here. Naomi wanted to be here because if it weren’t for your best friend, you wouldn’t have found Harry in 2021 though Harry liked to think your paths would cross either way. Naomi’s parents, Ruby and Phil, made the journey for Harry. They happily welcomed him into the family. Viola flew in for the celebration as had Violet, your goddaughter with her father Alex.. Your family had become his, and they were here to celebrate two incredible years of a tour filled with love and joy. He deserved to have his family here after missing them so much. There was a wonderful celebration to come after the show ended.

“Guess we compliment each other well like that,” you told Anne. Small moments that reminded you how much a perfect fit you are for each other.

Harry clears his throat, “now, I’m sure Bel is flustered and wants me to stop, so I will. Thank you for being here. Thank you for changing my life. I love you.” He points at you, and you blow him a kiss he pretends to catch and puts it over his heart for safekeeping.  “I love you, and I’ll miss you.”

You don’t know what the future holds for your relationship. All you know is that your love will guide you through it all. Whether you get married, have kids, or simply exist to love each other, everything will work out the way it needs to because your love was written in the stars.

+

thank you for reading! love on tour has been so magical and special for us all. i love you all and hope you go back and read this series if you’re ever missing love on tour. te quiero mucho 🤍

[starlightsreigns]

kiss it better | r. reigns

pairing: roman reigns x oc (asia)

warnings: none!

word count: 1568

summary: pride, arguments, and refusing to listen to each other ruined asia and roman. now, they have the chance to reconnect, but that's only if they can finally open up.

"been waitin’ on that sunshine, boy, i think i need that back…"

  asia’s legs bounces in anxiety as she sits backstage, up on one of the equipment crates that she knew she’d be yelled at about soon enough. she crosses her legs to lessen the awkward bouncing, but her mind is far away. to help with the stress, she’s playing music in her airpods, hoping to settle. first night back on the road from injury is scarier than most people would think, she’s anticipated her return for months, and now that it was here… what now? 

rihanna’s voice fills her ear as kiss it better plays, almost as soon as roman walks past those curtains. she feels like she can shrink into herself. yet, she’s a bad bitch, unafraid of getting in someone’s face and getting what she wants, but that was different with him. he knew her weakness, and how to dismantle every fucking wall she builds up with one swing. he’s rude as shit like that. 

roman was the one who suggested the break. he and asia were arguing too much before her injury, they were in each others faces too much, he doesn’t yell often, but with her, he couldn’t get a word in when she started. it wasn’t her fault. asia was passionate, a lover girl, and sometimes he didn’t understand her. she didn’t think he fought enough for her and he thought she was asking for too much. she wanted to be his person, but that nigga was hard headed, he wants to deal with everything on his own. 

so, the night before she was injured, he called it a pause. asia took it, not willing to fight for something he obviously didn’t want to fight for. yet, she cried herself to sleep that night in her hotel room. asia couldn’t bring herself to answering his calls or texts at the hospital, or the months following. that was a breakup. it made it all too official. 

yet, now when she looks up, his eyes are on her. asia can feel herself crumbling under his gaze. it hurts inside, just as rihanna is singing the song that so perfectly describes this moment. roman is prideful, she knew he wouldn’t come up to her. asia is even more prideful, so she looks away, staring at the bare wall. 

the night was long, unbearingly long. the conversations didn’t help either. asia’s heels became bothersome, making her shift from

leg to leg as she stood near catering, in the middle of a conversation that bayley and bianca were having. she found herself quiet, tired, and wanting to disappear for a moment. 

“you’re different,” bianca pokes when bayley leaves them. “what’s going on with you, girl?”

asia shakes her head, “why do i feel like this is my first time on smackdown? i feel lost.” 

bianca sighs, “is it because you’re missing roman?” 

asia smiles sadly. she waves off the question, running her fingers through her her as she scans the area around them. at the end of the hallway, roman’s in the middle of a conversation. as if he knew she was looking, their eyes meet. in his typical, aloof nature, he doesn’t react and continues on. 

“i’m gonna go change, B, can we talk more tomorrow night?” 

it was late when asia finally started to exit the stadium. she had to meet with paul, so most of the superstars were gone. so, now, as she carts her suitcase to her rental, her music is blasting through her headphones. 

outside, she spots roman, as if he was waiting for her by his car. he’s paying attention to something on his phone. asia takes a deep breath, popping the trunk and throwing the suitcases in. she glances back to see him looking at her. both adults, acting as school grade kids, just staring at each other as if they weren’t in love. this felt like they have never dated, like they didn’t know each other. asia felt sick to her stomach at the fact that they haven’t said a word to each other, he hasn’t hugged her, kissed her, or sent her a smile. not that she was better because she’s avoided him all night. 

he waited for her. roman waited to make sure she was okay, so that had to mean something. asia breaks the eye contact first, getting into the car. she watches him in the rear view mirror, getting into his car immediately, leaving first. asia leans into the headrest with a sigh. 

why couldn’t they make it work? 

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

seven months ago… 

“hurtin’ vibe, man, it hurts inside”

asia stands in front of roman on the couch, staring down at him in a mix of confusion and anger at his nonchalant demeanor. he looks up at her as if her argument wasn’t valid, as if she was picking it out of thin air. 

“roman, i’m asking you for a simple fucking thing, bro, why the fuck can’t you understand that.” 

roman stands, “asia, damn!” he yells. 

they fall silent. asia steps back before a dry laugh falls from her lips. she paces back and forth in front of him, trying to calm herself down, knowing that she can get very emotional at any given moment. roman rubs his hand over his beard. 

asia grunts, “you claim to love me, but i just need reassurance from you and you’re making me beg for that from you like a bitch. why do i have to get on my knees and ask my boyfriend to act like he fucking loves me and he can’t do that.” 

“i don’t act like i love you, asia, really?” roman moves to stand in front of her. “i show you that everyday in my own way, why can’t you see that?” 

“you don’t trust me with anything, roman, i ask you to open up to me and be deeper. you don’t want to let me in and i can’t understand. do you not trust me or do you not see a future for us, cause if that’s the cause, nigga cut me loose.” asia screams, unable to contain herself. 

“asia.” roman warns as he raises his voice. “stop.” 

asia plops down on the couch, “make your fuckin’ mind up.” 

roman clenches his jaw, “we need to take a break, asia.” 

she didn’t know what to say. asia looks up at him, her eyes water as she waits for him to say anything else. something better than what he just said, but it never comes. so, asia stands, slamming the door of their bedroom door shut, feeling the rattle as she marches into the bathroom. asia turns the shower on, letting the water run as she cries. 

and she cried for god knows how long. 

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

“man fuck your pride, just take it on back, babe”

the rain poured heavily. asia wasn’t this person and she wasn’t one to cry and be, so why was she standing outside, in the pouring rain, standing a few feet away from his front door. he wasn’t home, she figured that out five minutes ago after knocking. was this her sign, to let it go? to move on and find something new? 

as she went to leave, headlights pulled into the driveway. asia felt her stomach drop into her stomach when he opened the car door, stepping into the rain. roman quickly made his way to her, worry filling his eyes. the first emotion she’s gotten out of him in months. looking into his eyes made her tears immediately fall from her eyes that mixes with the rain. 

“asia,” roman searches her eyes. “i saw you on the camera and came. are you okay?” 

“im sorry, roman, i never should’ve said those horrible things to you and pushed you into something that you weren’t ready for and i should’ve been the adult and walked away before it exploded in that fucked up way it did.” 

roman shakes his head, “that ain’t you, baby, i fucked up by not listening to you and talking to you. i was scared of shit i had no business of being scared of.” he steps closer. “with you gone, i realized how ain’t shit going good for me.” 

the rain got heavier, but neither one of them made a move for shelter. 

“you’re everything i’ve ever needed, asia, you the one i want.” roman moves the wet hair from her face. “my pride fucked up everything between us.” 

asia smiles softly, “what are you willing to do, roman?” 

“any and everything for you, forever.” roman returns the smile. “i take everything back. i don’t want a break between us, ever.” 

like two, love sick fools, they’re find themselves smiling at each other. asia reaches out for him, but roman pulls her into the hug that she so desperately has needed for months. the start of repairing something that’s so important to them. 

“can i kiss the love of my life?” roman whispers. 

after a quick nod, roman crashes his lips onto hers. if there wasn’t thunder in the sky before, they caused it to erupt in the sky. asia wraps her arms around his neck as he lifts her, deepening the kiss. 

“i don’t want us to ever do that again.” her murmurs against her lip. 

asia couldn’t help the laugh that came out of her as roman squeezed her tightly, smushing their wet clothes together, too excited to be reunited again. 

thank you for reading my first post, kinda nervy but I love write so here we are lmao. <3 also gif credit above.

[earthearthearththearth]

Third date head canons! Like when you know it’s ‘for sure’

When The Mercs Know It's For Sure(TF2)

Includes: The Mercs, Miss Pauling notes:Yes, squeet is a kurtis conner reference

🛠Engineer- Bringing out all those nicknames. Darling, sweetheart, love, honey. Yeah. He likes to be sure of his feelings before getting with someone and honey, he is SURE. I think that for a third date, like most of them it would be very casual. Sometimes he likes to sing some songs for the mercs, mostly just pyro, heavy, and demo because the rest ‘got better things to do’. He specifically tells you about it this time. Usually if you show up it’s because you over hear. He’d sing a few ditties, but since is he corny-comes from being a country guy, zing, he sings a song you can’t quite ping as a love song. If you do manage to pick up on that, who knows if it’s to you. But you know for sure when he ends up asking you to be official a little while later when it’s just you two

🔥Pyro-I don’t imagine Pyro to take you out on “real” dates. He asks you to come along with him on missions and just anything he decides to do. Or he asks(or doesn’t) to follow you around. So the ‘third date’ is just normal to you. He looks at you a lot. Just sits and stares. At first it scares you a little. Just big..black..voids..staring…into..your…soul. You ask him what the deal is sometimes and he just laughs or shakes his head like you wouldn’t get it. You like Pyro, but these signs you’re getting could literally mean anything. So you ask the one person who can understand him, Engie, who says Pyro’s just head over heels for you. You ask Pyro if this is true, who is a bit flustered that you told someone about it, even if Engie already knew. I think Pyro signs sometimes, so you two have a little conversationa and whabam. Yall get together

⚾Scout-So he’s like…quieter and somehow more talkative? A lot of “Uh Yeah, that’s stupid”s. You tell him you’re listening, but it’s a lost cause. When he’s not packing his little knapsack and walking away sadly, he calls you “toots”. Lots of that. Still lots of flexing both his skills at picking things up or his little noodly arms. The date isn’t a prom this time, but very reminiscent of Spy’s teachings since there aren’t any giant bread monsters to save you from. Unless…no. Too risky. The date is literally just a set up to ask you out. 

“Sure are a lot of stars out tonight.”

“Kinda cloudy..”

“Nah, look, there’s one!”

“Scout, that’s a plane.”

“Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky-”

Turns out the plane is an enemy plane about to bomb the base. You both die immediantly.

Kidding, he just is kinda like “So…I’m kinda into you?” So of course you tell him you know, and end up asking him out instead. 

🦅Soldier- A date for him is breaking the necks of anyone who dare disrespect america. Kilometer? He only knows squeet. But if you don’t feel like breaking the neck of your local Australian, then there’s other fun activities to do. Like fighting bears or getting naked and covering yourself with honey. Or perhaps you want to go break open a beehive to get said honey. No? Jesus, lot of fun you are. The date is just a plan then. Get out the blueprint, plan for the next mission, which will probably be one of the previously mentioned activities. Since you’re helping the planning stage, it’ll probably be easier to convince him to let you stay out of all that. I don’t know how he’d ask you out. He’d probably just announce that he has an s/o now and you’re like “this is news”. But since you’re here, you’re probably cool with it.

🗡Spy-Yes his dates are elaborate and fun and fancy, however him asking you to be official is not as much. When he realizes he knows that you and him are For Sure, he is flustered by you. Spy may be suave and French, but he is very easily flustered if you can outdo him with words, and do not let him forget it. Not that you could. The third date is set up by him. He makes a little spot in his smoking room for you two and cooks up something you probably can’t pronounce. You find the intimacy a little strange, and before now you couldn’t tell if he actually liked you or was just playing around. But now, with this whole set-up made by him, you knew. He gives you a little necklace, something simple but clearly expensive. With that, he finally pops the not-marriage question, but gosh does it feel like it.

💉Medic-So he gives you the Blu medic’s heart. It’s in a nice little box, and the next time you visit his office he hands it to you. This is because it’s the closest he can get to his own heart. He tried. Unfortunately during this he almost died, so the Blu heart is the closest you get. His plan was to have you guys dig it out together, but he is very particular. He can’t have his love get in the way of science. Hopefully you appreciate it because you are very special to him! Maybe he’ll let you dissect it for fun and definitely because he doesn’t have some strange feelings about seeing you covered in blood commiting atrocious acts.

💣Demoman-So the first few dates were not getting shitfaced, but now that it’s the third, he’s gonna take you to where he spends a fair majority of his time. Having a teleporter makes traveling real easy, but he figures it’s a bit more romantic to drive. So he takes you with him to drive to a little hole-in-the-wall bar, the only one around. It starts out rather calm, but eventually he gets shitfaced and real clingy. You drink some, but yall need a designated driver that can at least see straight. You guys probably fall asleep in the car in the parking lot, but you know. Sometimes it’s like that. When you guys finally wake up and discuss what you can remember, he says he loves you. Aw.

🦘Sniper-Everyone on this list is a little weirdo and he is no exception. The date isn’t a date. He’s not a date guy. Maybe he picks you up a flower or rock he sees poking out of the desert, but that’s it. It’s the thought that counts. So the ‘third date’ is probably really early in the morning when you two cross paths. He says something like, “I was thinking you and I could get together for a while.” And you ask how long a while is, which results in “I dunno, I just like you”. Sweet. Yeah he’s uh. Not the most romantic guy around, but he tries.

🐻Heavy-A bit more romantic. The third date is just the two of you. He asks if you’d like to cook together which you accept, knowing he won’t blow the kitchen up. It’s calm and quiet. Until Pyro decides he wants to use the oven and yall gotta practically shoo him out with a broom. What’s cookin is good lookin’. It is looking good. You guys win! I think you’d end up asking Heavy out because he is very patient and doesn’t want to put pressure on you since it is a war that you two are in still. 

👓Miss Pauling-The same as the first. If she’s going out with you on one date, then she’s probably into you a lot. One day off a year, you know? So you two would just hang out. She’d be like really nervous for some reason-you had noticed it before but she seems kind of stand-offish. You ask her what’s up, prompting her to tell you a jumble of sort-of words that you finally make out to be a confession. 

[coochiequeens]

“Why should our girls be made to feel scared and have to move to other parts of the bus on their daily journey to and from school. The police say no crime is committed which is true technically – but by saying no risk – this tells people that police think its okay to alarm and distress young girls in this manner.” Female socialization

A man in Essex county, England is causing concern amongst locals, especially parents, after being spotted loitering near children’s schools while wearing a schoolgirl uniform. In response to complaints, Essex Police is insisting the man “does not pose a risk,” and has warned the public against sharing photos of him on social media. 

Throughout the week, the unnamed man has been wearing the uniform of a young schoolgirl while wandering in proximity of two schools, one primary and one secondary. In the United Kingdom, primary school ages range from 5 to 11, while secondary school aged youth can be as young as 11. 

It has been noted that the uniforms of the man reflect that of Belfairs Academy, which is in the vicinity of the Highlands Boulevard School and Milton Hall Primary School in Southend-on-Sea. He has been seen near both of the schools this past week, as well as on the public bus when children would be taking it home after classes.

On January 19, official school uniform supplier Paul’s School and Workwear addressed the fiasco in a Facebook post, revealing that the man had been purchasing some uniform items from their shop.

The post explained to the public that “the full Belfairs uniform did not come from us,” but went on to confirm that the man had been in the store this week purchasing “a Grey box pleat skirt that he said was for his granddaughter.” The supplier announced they had banned the man from their store, and encouraged members of the public to call police if they see him. 

“This is to be taken seriously as he needs help and no-one would know his mind set. Reports say he dresses in Belfairs & Milton Hall uniform. If you see him – STAY AWAY and call 101 to report where he is.” 

Some in the community were appreciative of the uniform supplier’s firm stance on the matter, while others insisted that the man is free to dress as he pleases. One woman responded to the supplier’s post on Facebook, thanking the store for warning members of the public.

“Thank you Paul’s School and Work Wear for taking this seriously. A grown man hanging around multiple schools and staring at young women and girls on a bus used by school children is premeditated for sexual gratification – no matter what the mental health diagnosis is. I agree this man needs help…”

The commenter continued by invoking the memory of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old woman who was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by a serving London Metropolitan police officer who used his status to handcuff and kidnap her. 

“Why should our girls be made to feel scared and have to move to other parts of the bus on their daily journey to and from school. The police say no crime is committed which is true technically – but by saying no risk – this tells people that police think its okay to alarm and distress young girls in this manner. This is not okay I do NOT want my children exposed to this.”

Another comment under the post from Paul’s reads: “We keep pushing the boundaries of acceptability. Grown men in children’s clothes hanging around schools is not acceptable and yet again police do nothing.”

Paul’s School and Workwear even addressed those who were defending the man’s behavior and added a comment to their own post.

As reported by Echo, the Essex police have identified “the person dressed in an inappropriate outfit in the vicinity of a school in Leigh,” and “have discussed the incident with the person,” saying they understand the community’s concerns but reiterating “this individual does not pose a risk.”

This was paired with Essex police’s urgent request to stop sharing photos of the man on social media citing that they “could have a detrimental personal impact on those concerned.” 

Essex Police did not refer to the man with any gendered language like “man” or “he,” but worded their statement in carefully-chosen neutral terms. 

As photos of the individual began to circulate on social media, many began to express disappointment with Essex Police’s seemingly relaxed attitude on the matter, with many taking it as a failure to protect young children and, in particular, young girls. 

One mother posting under an alias on motherhood forum Mumsnet said, “He’s been seen around schools – both primary and secondary – dressed as a schoolgirl (in their uniform). I am fucking outraged that the police don’t seem to think that’s an issue. God forbid we offend men or shame their fetishes.” 

Popular UK-based Twitter account @ripx4nutmeg has also called attention to the fact that Essex Police are trained by Stonewall, an LGBTQ activist organization which heavily focuses on trans rights. 

On their official website, the force states “Essex Police believes in dignity for all and are on a journey of incremental improvements, including how we can better include and enable the aspirations of people who are LGBTQ.” 

As noted by some women keeping an eye on the situation, the lack of apparent concern for safeguarding women and girls seems to be a pervasive problem amongst UK police.

As of 2021, there were hundreds of allegations of sex-based violence perpetrated by police officers in the country being recorded every year. Following the Sarah Everard tragedy, the Femicide Census revealed that they did not feel tackling such violence was a “police priority.” Since 2013, there have been at least 16 women in the United Kingdom killed by a serving or retired police officer.

In the past year, there have been multiple cases of police officers in the Metropolitan force serving the Greater London area were convicted of rape.

In the past week alone, a long-serving Met police officer has made international headlines for a campaign of rape he committed against vulnerable women.

David Carrick, who worked with the Metropolitan Police for almost two decades, carried out “a relentless campaign” of violence over 17 years against 12 women. On January 16, Carrick admitted to 49 counts of rape and other sexual offenses. Just weeks prior, Met constable Rupert Edwards was charged with raping two women in two different communities.

By Yuliah Alma Yuliah is a junior researcher and journalist at Reduxx. She is a passionate advocate for women's rights and child safeguarding. Yuliah lives on the American east coast, and is an avid reader and book collector.

[graceandfamily]

Edward Quinn meets Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco

I was lucky to have been there when they first met.

During the Cannes Film Festival in 1955, an editorial director of Paris Match, Gaston Bonheur, suggested that a meeting between the Hollywood star Grace Kelly and the bachelor Prince Rainier of Monaco could make a nice story.

When he was asked, Prince Rainier agreed and an appointment was arranged. As I already knew and had photographed Prince Rainier and also Grace Kelly, I was asked by Match to go with their team. There was Pierre Galante, then married to actress Olivia de Havilland, Jean-Paul Olivier and Michel Simon. Grace kept us late, so the American car that was to bring her had to speed off. Just as we got to the main road, the driver, Monsieur Lapinière, a Metro Goldwyn representative, suddenly braked. As I was driving very close, so as not to be left behind, I could not stop and crashed into the back of Grace’s car. Fortunately, there was no great damage and we were able to go on.

As there had been no time for lunch, Grace said she wouldn’t mind having a sandwich, so we went to the bar of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo.

Grace Kelly at the bar of Hotel de Paris.

We got to the palace just after three o’clock, the time set for the rendezvous with the prince. Colonel Severac, the commander of the Palace, came to greet us and explained that Prince Rainier was delayed, but he had telephoned to say that Miss Kelly’s visit to the palace could begin without him. One of Prince Rainier’s personal servants, Michel Demorizi, guided us around some of the great number of rooms in the palace.

In the “Salle du Throne”, Monsieur Demorizi explained that all the reigning princes of the Grimaldi family had been enthroned in this room. We moved through the York Chambers, the “Salle des Glaces” and into the Napoleonic museum, where Grace was obviously impressed when she was shown a lock of Napoleon’s hair. The only one amongst us who did not seem to enjoy the visit was Monsieur Lapinière. It was now nearly four o’clock, and he said that Grace had to leave at once if she was to be ready in time for the official American reception for the festival.

After a while, we all got worried and began to think that Prince Rainier might not come. By now even Grace showed some signs of nervousness, but perhaps not for the same reason. She looked around for a mirror to make sure her makeup was alright. While we all waited, Grace questioned us: How does one address a prince? Could Prince Rainier speak English? How old is he?

Finally, the prince arrived and Grace Kelly, who had rehearsed her royal curtsy several times, hardly bent her knee when she was face to face with Prince Rainier. With a reassuring smile and a simple “Hello, pleased to meet you”, the prince seemed to put Grace at ease.

Grace Kelly meets Prince Rainier. The moment of the first formal handshake.

It was amazing, however, that these two famous persons seemed shy and intimidated. Grace looked at Rainier and seemed at loss for words.

Sensing this tension, I thought it might be an appropriate moment to suggest that I would like to take some photos in the palace gardens. This broke the ice. Prince Rainier was relieved and agreed at once. Naturally my main reason for asking them to go outside was just a photographer’s reaction. The light was better outside and of course the garden would make a better setting. Prince Rainier took Grace over to a spot where he could show her the view over his principality. They were both relaxed now. Their conversation became easier and they seemed to be getting on well.

Prince Rainier took Grace down to his exotic gardens and then to his lions’ cage. Grace seemed astonished and quite frightened when Rainier put his arm into the cage and stroked one of the lions. We were all quite happy to prolong this enjoyable visit, but the merciless Monsieur Lapinière seemed on the verge of a nervous fit and kept pointing to his watch. Grace had to take the hint and explained to Prince Rainier that she must go back to Cannes as soon as possible.

Probably not even Prince Rainier realized, while he was doing the honour of showing his palace to Grace Kelly, that she was to be the future sovereign. Grace was quite silent as she was driven back to Cannes. Her only remark was: “He is charming, charming.”

The pictures of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier appeared in Paris Match, but the story was quickly forgotten by most people, except by Prince Rainier and perhaps by Grace Kelly. Prince Rainier arranged for showings of all of Grace Kelly’s films in his private screening room at the palace. According to his friends, the prince was intrigued and fascinated by the cool enigmatic star from Hollywood.

When Prince Rainier visited the U.S. a few months later, there were a few discreet meetings with Grace Kelly, thanks to the kindly American priest who was Prince Rainier’s palace chaplain, Father Tucker.

Prince Rainier asked Grace Kelly to marry him during a private party in New York. The unofficial news of their engagement travelled very fast and on January 4th, 1956, I was awakened in the middle of the night by a telephone call from New York. At that time long distance calls were still an event. It was Charles Eisnitz of the famous Globe Photo Agency, who called to inform me about Prince Rainier’s engagement and asked me to send all the photos I had of the couple.

The end of the story is well known. After the marriage of Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly, it became more and more difficult to get exclusive pictures. I decided to concentrate my work on the artists, and especially on Pablo Picasso.

Edward Quinn

[vivi-in-the-sky-with-diamonds]

just some random paul fluff..? just get creative with it- what ever comes to mind..! please and thank you in advance ⭐️

Hello! I will admit, I've never been told to get creative before so I stewed on this one for a while. But, after thinking, I realized there are two things I think of when I think of fluff: pregnancy fics and love confessions. I know some people are a bit dodgy about pregnancy or it can be triggering, so I decided to write a love confession. Hope this is okay! Proofed in UK English (idk why I always mention that, I always proof in UK English lol). Enjoy!

P.S. I Love You

(Source)

You and Paul had been pining over each other for God knows how long at this point. You knew you liked him. He knew he liked you. But you were both oblivious to the others feelings.

Every time he looked at you, you felt your stomach do flips, but in your mind, he only thought of you as a friend.

Gazing into your eyes, Paul couldn’t help but notice how his heart always made an attempt to escape his chest. The Beatles are supposed to be officially unattached. You stop that, he always told himself.

Everyone around you was impatiently waiting for one of you to finally confess. John was about to take it upon himself when he noticed Paul writing a letter one day.

At seeing the words, “Dear Y/N”, John grinned before swiftly walking away.

Paul penned about twenty-seven letters to you, each one failing to meet his approval before he crumpled it and threw it in the bin.

You’re sitting on your sofa one Sunday when a letter comes through the letter box. At the sight, you quirk an eyebrow.

“The post doesn’t come on Sunday,” you mumble to yourself before retrieving the letter. It only has your name and address, with no return address or any indication of who sent it.

“Dear Y/N,” it reads, “As I write this letter, the sun is shining through my window, bathing my room in golden sunlight. I know you find that kind of stuff poetic, so I wanted to tell you. I was thinking of you and immediately wanted to share a secret with you. I’m in love with you! Please meet me at St. John’s Gardens straightaway, so I may finally tell you in person. Love, your secret admirer. P.S. I love you.”

You read the letter three times, looking for anything to identify the mysterious author, before grabbing your coat and heading out.

The Gardens are quiet; most people are spending their Sunday either in church or with their families.

As you look around, you see him from the corner of your eye: Paul, sitting on a bench, looking as if he might pass out from fright at any moment.

It’s just coincidence, you tell yourself before Paul spots you.

“Y/N!” he shouts before running up to you.

“Paul!” you greet. “Are you meeting someone here too?”

He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “You could say that. I left a love letter for a bird earlier and I’m waitin’ for her here.”

“That’s funny. I received a letter earlier from a secret admirer telling me to meet them here.”

Paul watches with a cheeky grin as you realize what had happened.

“You?”

Paul nods. “I thought I’d never be able to tell ye, but I couldn't hold it in any longer. I love you, Y/N. You have no idea what you do to me just by bein’ you.” He takes your hand and rests it on his chest; you can feel how nervous he must be in the way his heart races against your palm.

You blush with a smile before looking down, unable to speak.

“Y/N, please say something,” Paul worries after a moment.

You kiss him gently. “I love you too, Paul.”

[arlana-likes-to-write]

Lightning Bug - Chapter 8

Masterlist

Warning: R remembers past trauma with HYDRA 

Word Count: 3.1K

Someone was watching you. You knew that the streets of New York were busy so the odds of someone looking at you busy so the odds of someone were high but you felt the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. You looked across the street and saw them. It was a group of kids from the ice cream shop. You knew them from a community center you used to visit. Michael was the leader of the group. Jack was his second in command and Lindsay and Ray just did what they were told. They made your life a living hell. You looked away from them and walked into Annie’s cafe. “Well, isn’t this a surprise?” She said. There were a few customers but there wasn’t a line at the counter. You walked up to her. “Do I need to fight those superheroes? I’ll do it for you.” You smiled. You knew she would. 

“Everything is fine,” you told her. “I just thought I’d come to say hi since I barely spoke to you.” You sighed. “So can I help with anything?” She smiled. 

“I’m not gonna say no to help. Get back here.” You nodded, walking behind the counter. You said hello to Paul and put on the apron to help with the dishes. When Annie wasn’t dealing with customers, she asked you about living with the Avengers. You told her everything from everyone you met, the things you’ve done, and how you’ve decorated your room. “It seems like you are enjoying it there.” 

“I do,” you confessed. “They are nice and care about me for some reason.” You didn’t understand it. They barely knew you but they accepted you into their family. 

“Maybe because they care about you.” Or maybe it was a pity. No. You had to stop thinking like that. The phone rang and Annie went to answer it. You focused on your task at hand instead of your spiraling mind. “It looks like you have perfect timing,” Annie said, coming back to you. You dried your gloves and took off your apron. “Tony just called in an order and I told him you’ll bring it.” You rolled your eyes. 

“I have to carry all that food back to the tower.” She huffed and put her hands on her hips. 

“No,” she said. “He said he’ll bring you a car.” Fancy. You nodded, putting the dishes away you just cleaned. 

“How long till the food is ready?” You asked. 

“45 minutes.” You heard Paull call out. 

“Can I go visit Lucia and I’ll be back before the food is ready?” 

“Of course, sugar. Go have fun with your books.” You nodded. 

“See you soon then.” You said, taking off toward Lucia’s bookstore. 

*

You loved the smell of Voltea la Pagina. It smelt like home to you, with safety, and peace. The chime of the bell announced your presence. “Mija!” Lucia said, coming out from a shelf. You smiled. “How are you?”

“I’m good, how are you?” Lucia went to sit behind her desk. She looked around to see if anyone was near then she looked back at you. 

“How is living with the Avengers?” You looked at her shocked. Officially, you knew Annie was the only one that knew you were living with the heroes. But with the incident at the bodega and the fact Michael’s crew had seen you with Natasha, rumors were probably flying. “People talk and I listen.”

“What are they saying?” You asked. 

“That you’ve been spotted with the Black Widow. I made an educated guess because you said someone offered you a place to live.” You weren’t sure if you were relieved that only Lucia figured out you were living there or worried that you were becoming the talk of the town. “Tell me all about it. Have you met the Falcon? Is he as dreamy as he looks on the news?” She asked. You laughed at her questions. You answered them but felt a nagging feeling in the back of your head. Something didn’t feel right. 

*

40 minutes later you reentered the Java House. It was busier than the last time you were here. So you sat down at an empty table and waited for Annie to have a free moment. When you became homeless, your life didn’t change. You were still the social outcast, the freak kid no one wanted to play with, and an easy target for bullies; kids, and adults. Michael’s crew found you as easy prey. They stole food you found, went through your backpack, and pushed you around because they knew you wouldn’t fight back. You kept your head down and endured it afraid to fight back. 

The brown bags that were set on the table startled you out of your thoughts. “It looks like your ride is here,” Annie said, whipping the sweat off of her forehead. You looked at the door and saw a middle-aged man standing there. He was wearing a suit and tie. He looked at you and walked over. 

“You must be Y/n,” the man said. “My name is Happy, head of security of STARK Industries.” Your eyebrows pinched together in confusion. Because this man did not look like a security guard. He looked like a giant teddy bear. But his name was Happy?

“Your name is Happy?” You questioned. The man sighed. 

“It’s a nickname. My name is Harold.” 

“Do you like being called Happy?” He shrugged with a frown. 

“I’ve been called worse,” Fair. It wasn’t the worst nickname you’ve heard. “Let’s head back to the tower.” You said your goodbyes to Annie and promised to visit more often. Happy helped you get the bags in the car. “You can sit in the front or back, whatever makes you comfortable.” You nodded. You wanted to sit in the back but you didn’t want to appear as rude so you sat in the passenger seat. You closed the door as Happy got it. As the car turned on, the radio began to play music. “You can change the channel if you want.” 

“I don’t mind,” you said. “I don’t know much about music.” The only music that was allowed at home was gospel music and you didn’t enjoy it. Music was played around you but you didn’t know what was considered good or bad music. Happy nodded. 

“This is Hotel California by the Eagles.” He turned up the song. He let the music fill the silence. You liked the song; it was much better than the music your parents listened to. “You are probably the less annoying passenger Tony has asked me to drive.” You laughed at his blunt comment. You covered your mouth because of your outburst. 

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.” You admitted. A small smile tugged at Happy’s lips. 

“A compliment.” 

*

You declined Happy’s help to carry the bags upstairs. The first stop was Tony’s lap. You entered the lap and ducked as a piece of metal impaled the wall behind you. “Oh shit. Sorry kid.” Tony said. You looked away from the metal and back at the billionaire. He was standing over his workbench with a man you hadn’t met but read about. Dr. Bruce Banner. The doctor had 7 PhDs. 

“I brought you your order from Annie’s,” you walked over to them. “Unless you want to take my head off again.” You placed the paper bag on the table. Tony laughed. 

“Thanks, kid.” He opened the bag and pulled out two food containers. “Bruce met Y/n, Y/n met Bruce.” The doctor gave you a shy wave. 

“Hi,” you whispered. “I’m gonna go deliver the rest of the food. Don’t kill anyone.” The next stop was Pepper. She was in her office on the phone so you set her food on her desk and waved goodbye. Sam and Rhodey were in a meeting room and thanked you with a smile. You noticed Annie put some extra food and you put the extras in the fridge on your floor. While eating a blueberry muffin, you walked to the library. To your surprise, Vision was sitting next to the window playing chess. 

“Hi,” you said, making your presence known. He looked up from his game. “Can I join you?”

“Of course,” he pointed to the empty seat on the other side of the table. “Or I can take my game somewhere else.” You shook your head, sitting down in front of him. 

“Don’t you need two people to play chess,” you questioned, looking down at the board. He had it set up as if he was playing against someone else. 

“Not necessary,” he started. “Playing chess solo is a great way to improve cognitive skills while increasing creative availability.” You moved your finger against the smallest piece. 

“Can you teach me how to play?” You asked him. He seemed surprised. 

“If you’d like to learn, I'd be more than happy to teach you.” Vision reset the board and began to explain each piece. Each player had 8 pawns, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, one queen, and one king. The goal of the game was to defend the king and take his opponents. The pawns could move forward once, except for their first move where they could move forward two squares. The knights could move in the shape of an ‘L’ and the bishops could move as far as they wanted but only diagonally. Like the bishops, the rooks could move as fast as they wanted but only forward, backward, and to the sides. Even though the king was the most important piece, it was the weakest. The king could only move one square in any direction. Finally, the queen was the most powerful piece. She could move in any direction as far as possible as long as she did not move through any of her pieces. 

Vision took it slow and he was patient as you asked questions when you didn’t understand a move he made. It was a hard game to understand but it was a challenge you enjoyed. You liked hanging out with Vision, it surprised you how easy it was to be around him. There was an unspoken understanding between you and him, you were both trying to figure out your place in the world.  

“Knock, knock,” you looked at the door to see Wanda leaning against the doorway with a smile. 

“Checkmate,” Vision said. You glared at him. 

“That doesn’t count,” you said. “Wanda distracted me.” The witch laughed and walked over to you. 

“I’ve come to steal Vision for a training session. Is that okay?” You nodded. 

“Yeah, I need a break. My head hurts,” you rubbed your forehead. “We should do this again.” Vision smiled.  

“I would like that very much.”

*

Wanda walked silently next to the android as they headed to the training room. She had the unique ability to always know when he was deep in thought. They believed it had to come from the infinity stone that gave her her powers and brought him to life. Today was no different. “Are you okay, Vis?” She asked. The android didn’t answer as he was lost in his thoughts. 

“Is it safe for me to spend time with her alone?” He asked. Wanda stopped him with a gentle touch of her hand. 

“What are you talking about?” She questioned. “You and I both know you wouldn’t hurt anyone.” But the android didn’t seem convinced. There was an incident in training involving him and Rhodey. Everyone forgave him but Vision was having a hard time forgiving himself. 

“She’s special,” Vision finally said. “The stone is curious about her,” he motioned to his forward. “Which makes me curious as well.” He sighed. “It’s confusing and I can’t make heads or tails of it. But I know she’s been hurt and I don’t want to cause her more pain.” Wanda smiled at him. It was incredible to watch him learn more about human emotions. 

“You won’t hurt her, Vis,” she said. “She needs friends to help her.” Vision frowned. 

“Am I her friend?” He asked. 

“Yeah, you are. Don’t overthink it, okay? Not everything is like a game of chess.” 

*  

You kept the game out and stood up to grab a new book to read. “FRIDAY, where are Kate and Yelena?” You asked the AI. 

“Miss. Bishop and Miss. Belova is on the common floor,” you thanked the AI and headed to the lounge area. They were sitting on the couch, facing each other with a deck of cards. 

“Hey bud,” Kate said, looking up from the cards in her hands. “Do you want to play the next round? Yelena is making me play,” The Russian huffed, drawing a card from the pile. 

“Kate Bishop, stop being so dramatic,” you smiled as you sat down. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to play a physical game instead of staring at your IPad.” Kate rolled her eyes. 

“I’m okay. I’ll watch you play while I read,” you told them while you opened your book. As you read, your attention was pulled to the couple next to you. Sometimes it would be Kate’s laugh or Yelena telling Kate that she suspected the archer was cheating. You didn’t mind though. You liked to compare their relationship to Natasha and Wanda’s. Kate and Yelena were more hesitant and reserved to showcase their affection. But they had a more innocent love. With Natasha and Wanda, you knew the couple had been together longer and it showed. They were more confident with physical affection. You enjoyed watching both. But a part of you wondered if you could find something like that. Would someone be able to love all of your scars and your nightmares? You weren’t sure because you barely loved yourself. 

Soon you heard the elevator door open and laughter followed by footsteps. Immediately, you recognized Sam’s voice. You looked over the top of your book. Your blood went cold as you stared at the blue-eyed man with brown hair. The Winter Soldier. What was he doing with the Avengers? You didn’t see anything about him living here. Your time with the man with the metal arm was brief but impactful. He looked different. His arm was missing the red star and it was darker with gold markings. His hair was cut short and his eyes had more light to them. He almost didn’t look like the man you were forced to reset. Your palms tingled as the grip on your book tightened. Anxiety welcomed its place within your bones and bile moved up your throat. The blueberry muffin you ate was turning in your stomach. 

“Hey, Y/n,” the sound of your name forced you away from the man. It was Yelena. You focused on her. You didn’t realize it when you sat down and her hair was braided. Her green eyes were filled with concern. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” You said. 

“Are you sure?” Kate asked. You looked at the brunette. She had a small scar near her hairline. You wondered where she got it. Did she wonder about yours? “We’ve been talking to you for about 5 minutes.” Oh. Awkward. Your face burned with embarrassment. 

“Sorry,” you mumbled, closing the book. “What were you saying?” Sam laughed. You liked the sound of it. 

“I was introducing you to these two handsome devils.” The blond, who you knew as Captain America, blushed and the Winter Soldier rolled his eyes. “Met Steve and James but we call him Bucky.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Steve said. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” 

“Likewise,” you managed to say. The Winter no Bucky raised his hand. You couldn’t help your body’s natural reaction to flinch. He must have seen it because he dropped his hand. “It was very nice to meet you,” you said, standing up. “I’ll see you around.” You walked to the stairs, ignoring the eyes that followed you. You went into your room and closed the door behind you. You leaned against the door and released the energy. You felt the pain as you bit down on your tongue. The muscles in your arms tensed up. Soon the feeling went away and your head began to pound. 

“Miss. Y/n, you seem to be in a state of distress. Should I notify the medical team?” You could taste the metallicity of your blood. 

“No need FRIDAY,” you whispered. Your head was pounding. It wasn’t good that this was happening so frequently. You’d need to start meditating again. 

“I am going to alert Miss. Romanoff and Miss. Maximoff that you require assistance,” The AI said. You groaned, burying your face into the pillow. 

“I’m fine,” you mumbled. “I just had a panic attack.” You told FRIDAY as darkness took over your vision. 

*

“Was it something I said?” Bucky asked. Yelena sighed. When she looked into her blue eyes, the Black Widow saw fear. There was so much fear in her eyes when she looked at Bucky. Sam put his hand on Bucky’s shoulder. 

“It’s not you, man,” he said. “She’s just..” He trailed off, not able to find a word to best describe the young girl. 

“She’s healing,” Kate filled in the blank. Steve sat down on the couch, putting one leg over the other. 

“We believe her parents died in a house fire and her brother moved to California,” Yelena told them. “She won’t talk about what happened to her.” Yelena knew she had opened up to her sister and Wanda but they didn’t share what she said out of respect. Yelena looked at Bucky. Alone with fear she also saw recognition. Y/n knew Bucky or the man Bucky was. “Do you know her?” She asked. The super soldier looked confused as he sat down next to his boyfriend. It was a heavy question as Bucky was still healing from the effects of HYDRA and that came with remembering everything he did as the Winter Soldier. 

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think so. Was she with HYDRA?” 

“Wanda thinks she was. She can’t access her mind like ours,” Kate said. “There is a block similar to yours.” Bucky looked down at his metal hand, squeezing his hand into a fist. 

“If I met I don’t remember her.” He whispered. 

“Shit,” Sam said, crossing his arms against his chest. “This tower seems to attract HYDRA’s puppets.” Bucky picked up a throw pillow and threw it at him. Yelena smiled at the interaction but she was worried. The young girl knew Bucky and Yelena could only imagine what the pair went through.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Even if Harry and Meghan divorce they will still never hear the end of her she will continue to use the titles. Also i would not put it past Harry for him to take her back after he is back living on royal grounds and getting a large pay check from his father Andrew took Sarah back.  Meghan will demand a home in London and security for her children she will never let those children go.

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

Absolutely. As much as Meghan wants to be Diana, she’s actually Sarah.

I’m fuzzy on the exact details of the York divorce, but I’m pretty sure Sarah only received a tiny amount of cash herself. Most of the divorce settlement was locked into a trust for Beatrice and Eugenie with Andrew pretty much subsidizing Sarah’s lifestyle out of his own pocket. Which is 100% Meghan’s plan. She will guilt Harry into subsidizing her lifestyle again (she already did it in 2016 with the Toronto break-in lie, which led to the KP proclamation of love) and we already know she isn’t above using the children as pawns to do so (since she and Harry are using the children as pawns to guilt Charles into action). After all, she didn’t trauma-bond herself to a dimwit for nothing.

But I don’t think she will demand a home in London. It will be L.A. She really hates the UK. The Brits, the BRF, and the media didn’t give her anything: she isn’t more beloved than Catherine, she didn’t succeed Her Late Majesty, she wasn’t named Queen of the Commonwealth, she didn’t get a castle or a palace apartment, everyone called her out on her lies, and no one cared about her children. And consider the public humiliation she suffered June 2022 - May 2023* that made it clear to the public the BRF PNG’d her. I think it was Edward who said “you don’t really know when you’re in, but when you’re out, you definitely know it” and Meghan has her knickers in a twist trying to convince us that she wasn’t kicked out, she left. Sure, Jan.

*Platinum Jubilee: Boos, second row/other side seating, and walk of shame at the St. Paul’s service, no balcony appearance, no photographs of the children with The Queen, and no royals attended Lili’s birthday party. Queen’s Death and Royal Mourning: Prohibited from traveling to Scotland with Harry, forced into the Windsor walkabout with the new Prince and Princess of Wales, Catherine’s “try me” glare, getting “othered” by Charles during his first speech as the new monarch, blocked by a candle in the telecast, and ignored during larger gatherings. Charles’s Coronation: Not invited, Frogmore eviction, no royal christening for Lili, and they were finally publicly assigned “minor royal” status by Harry’s inclusion with his cousins instead of being given a spot in official processions.

[coffee-writesthings]

Fuck it, engiespy but it's the Cinderella plotline with my own twist on it.

Spy in place of Cinderella (I'm gonna give him the name of Jean Laurent, and Engineer in place of Prince charming (so he's Prince Conagher/Dell Conagher cus that's his canon name that we know of)

The wicked stepsisters and the wicked mother are Miss Pauling, Maggie (Saxton Hale's ex-wife in the comics) and the Administrator. I hope I characterized them in a way that is nice to read :)

Also this is gonna have more than one part. I think like 7? They'll all be reblogged from this one though so less of an issue on my end

Jean didn't truly know what he was doing when he had heard of the ball being thrown by the Conagher Family. He must've been outside when it happened, if the commotion meant anything to him. All he wanted to do was get the shopping done for his bosses.

A few words could be picked out from the cacophony of voices, "The Conaghers are throwing a ball". It was repeated so many times. Along with "What am I going to wear?"

He just groaned, instead opting to sneak his way back home with what he had. If nothing else, everyone would be happy to hear about an opportunity to throw themselves at the most influential people in the land.

The Conaghers are known, far and wide, for their incredible abilities with machinery. They'd mostly focused on defensive turrets, and many sorts of dispensers for anything from fresh water and some food to magical healing substances. And don't get anyone started on the teleporters. At all the hot spots of every town there are three high-level teleporters at least. Someone could get from town square to the castle and back multiple times before any official guards would be able to get there.

It was a problem which necessitated itself, in Jean's opinion. So when he saw one of these teleporters, he didn't mind a bit of sabotage. With a trusty wrench he got to work, under the shadows cast by mid-morning, the sentries wouldn't work nearly as well. He wouldn't die for his crimes here.

All it took was loosening a few bolts here, taking out a screw or two there... et voila! One teleporter that wouldn't work for several hours.

A smug grin crossed his face as he put the tool back into his pocket and took the food bags from off the ground.

"Well howdy there," came a southern drawl which nearly scared him out of his skin, "what's your business with these here teleporters?"

Quick, find a convincing lie for this guard. "Oh, don't you know? I'm new to the engineering field. I wanted to see how all the experienced people do it."

He gave a tilt of his head and lifted one eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Alrighty. Tell me about this thing as if I'm... oh, five years old."

"I'm sorry?"

"I can repeat myself, if you want."

"No, I heard you. It's just... isn't this the sort of thing a teacher tells me first?"

"Nah, I don't believe in that crap. Tell me how you think it works, I'm curious." He leaned against a wall, and gestured towards him.

"Well..." he wracked his brain for the English words to describe teleporters, "it takes people from one place to another, much faster than anything else. You would only have to stand on an entrance for a moment to travel to its exit."

He nodded, a small smirk on his otherwise-neutral face.

"And I've seen upgrades take place on exits that will have the same effect on an entrance. I don't know how that happens though, and I don't think you do either."

"Yeah, that's accurate. Those blueprints I dug through never did explain that either."

"Blueprints?" Then the realization dawned on him. This wasn't just some guard patrolling for miscreants and the like, this was Dell Conagher. He was the man who took his grandfather's nonsense ramblings and built things from them. The man could definitely be allowed to do harm without consequences, being first in line for the crown. His eyes widened, just a little.

"Yeah, my granddad passed 'em down to me, one way or another." His expression darkened momentarily, "But that's all history anyway! What's your name?"

"I'm... I don't have a name." That was a stupid, stupid lie. If he so desired, the man in front of him could use one of those teleporters right now, and start listing names of his relatives from a registry.

"Alright, I won't push. Now, do you wanna know my least favorite feature on these things?"

What in the-? What is he doing?? It wouldn't be a bad idea to listen, but why would he even tell him in the first place? He figured it would be best to humor him, lest he decide cruelty is his nature for the day. "What is it?"

"They're all the same damn color. I can never tell which one is which, and I don't know how to make them differentiated. Sure, signs could help but there's not much that'll do if somebody can't read or if it's dark out. And nobody's listened to me or suggested anything that we could do, it's frustratin' as all hell."

He cocked his head to the side, "I never thought about that. I've only been annoyed by how many there are. It's ridiculous."

"Right? I've been meaning to figure out how to make them bigger or something but nothing's worked. It's technically better this way for other reasons, but god it's gotta be annoying to use every day."

He hummed in agreement. The crowding was the main reason he never used them in the first place, after all.

"And I mean that's probably part of why this ball is being thrown for me. Lord knows I'm not planning on getting married to some lady any time soon, long as I have more work to do. It's what I tell them at least."

He squinted, just a little bit. Was he saying what he thought he was saying?

"Ah, sorry, I'm rambling. You don't need to know about any of that." he rubbed the back of his neck, while asking nonchalantly, "Will I see you there? I bet if you had something nice to wear you could have your pick of the crowd, easy."

"Are you encouraging competition at your own ball?"

"That's part of the fun, isn't it?"

"For the record, you won't be seeing me there. As much as it would be nice, I have a laundry list of work to do today."

"That's a shame. Have a nice day now, sir."

He'd called him 'sir'. Why?? If anything, he should be the one referring to the other with respectful words. Once the man was out of his sight, Jean scurried back home on foot, with the bags in hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at home, the complaints began immediately.

"Jean," Pauling asked, "we need warm water for our baths!"

"Jean, I need you to mend my dress and shine my shoes for tonight!" Cried Maggie.

"Jean, I don't want you getting any ideas of possibly having tonight off, just because we are off at the Conagher ball. You're going to clean the whole manor tonight," Helen's voice dripped with venom, "s'il te plaît."

He hadn't even had a chance to set down any of the food he bought. Taking a breath, he noted the requests that he could take care of immediately. When the bags were on the counters, and then sorted into the fridge, cabinets, and bread box, he could then move onto something else.

"Miss Pauling, I am taking care of your water right now. Do you want bath salts, or florals?"

"Florals, please."

"Pauling, you don't need to give any respect to him. 'Pleases' are for people who don't make a living washing our floors."

"I- florals."

"And?" Helen pressed.

She didn't look into his eyes when she said, just loud enough to be heard, "I want florals, you good-for-nothing servant."

"Right away." He clenched his jaw a little. "And, Madame Maggie, I will start on your dress and shoes as soon as I am able."

She huffed in response, "Administrator, why do we only have one servant? Two or three would be much better."

"I've told you why many times, there are rules. For a family of three, there can only be one servant."

"I should be so lucky to get married into a large family like the Conaghers."

"Lucky indeed."

Spy took care of the bath fairly quickly, though still needing to boil some water for it, which Miss Pauling tried to help with. He barred her from it with a stern look.

He closed the bathroom's door quietly, leaving her to her bath. What next? Ah, yes, shining shoes for one of the least pleasant women he knew, then mending the holes she always managed to get into her dresses. He groaned, but moved onto the next task. If there was any hope of a night's rest, he'd have to get through all of it quickly, so he wouldn't scrub the floors until dawn.

"Madame Maggie," he knocked on the door to her chambers, "I need the shoes you want shined, please."

"Such manners!" She exclaimed as she opened the door with momentary glee. Even seeing his face displeased her. That was fine, the feeling was mutual.

He waited with two hands held out, waiting for some ridiculous contraption to be placed in them. For a ball being thrown by the Conagher family, it was hard to expect anything less than seduction by all means necessary and extremely painful.

The shoes plopped into his hands with an eye roll were actually fairly simplistic. Tall, chunky black shoes, made soft by many wears. He gave them a tentative bend in the middle, and found that they were sturdy as rocks where the majority of her foot would be. These were great shoes for her purposes, which seemed to be to dance forever-- maybe to impress the prince, maybe to attract any mate.

"Thank you." He grimaced. "They'll work."

[kriwix]

My fan transcript of the latest episode TribeTwelve and messages from Twitter.

[All this is written by me and is subjective, based on my personal opinion. If you see factual errors, please let me know.]

[I also use a translator, so I apologize for any mistakes.]

1 message from Twitter and approximate English translation:

"Our ability to perceive entities is directly dependent on our innate perception of those for whom we were created. Unless you are trained to spot camouflage, it is invisible. The suit decides you're blind" - remember it

In the last episode "Facade", in the last seconds, the inscription appears:

At the end of the last series there are the words "The eyes see only what the mind is ready to comprehend" - this is the phrase of Henri Bergson, but if you rely on the Bible, then this is the message to the Romans of the Apostle Paul 1:20:

"...For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,.." In itself, the greatness of God cannot be seen through the eyes of creation, only known through the world order. The Bible plays a role in deciphering the latest episodes and messages from the official Twitter.

2 message:

This is the most interesting part.

"10 damn years. I used to think posting this video ruined my life. Now I know better I've always been damned, born in hell. I lived by the book of Job, I fell from heaven, and one day I will become Satan."

The book of Job - Job is a pious and immaculate person, but later the devil slanders Job, considering him mercenary and hypocritical, which can be revealed (according to the devil) if wealth is taken away from him. Job is subjected to terrible calamities, but patiently endures them.

Perhaps "...fell from heaven" in the message is also a reference to Job, who lost everything due to slander; the interpretation revolves around "does misfortune always come from divine punishment?"; the book also explains that grief is not necessarily caused by a sin committed, it can be an experience, a lesson, a discipline, or a real punishment. Does this mean that "I lived according to the book of Job" = the unpunished and righteous received calamities? But is he so unpunished?

What role does Satan play in the book of Job? Satan takes everything from Job with God's permission to test, hoping that Job will curse God. "Become Satan" - to become the one who takes away from Job and tests him. Noah lived according to the Book of Job, righteously and trying to fight Satan, but later "falls from heaven" and "becomes Satan" that is, joins the side of the Collective? I think so, because the last words we hear from Milo are "you should read me". And I think this means that in the end Noah joins the Collective, and "becomes Satan", that is, the one who takes away, as it was once taken from him. Noah writes that he will become Satan, because he himself will take from the unpunished. That is, he will enter the Collective and will punish those who did not sin, as he did at the beginning: he suffered losses and suffering, like Job, for verification, and not for punishment.

But what then did Noah experience? There are two options:

1. Noah did not see the real greatness of God, and everything that was in the labyrinth was only a part, or only the beginning

2. Noah saw the greatness of God, which means that he is not the Creation of God, since he could know and see.

But only you can decide that.

You. The one who reads this. On the other side of the screen. Comeclosertous. WENEEDYOU

[adarkrainbow]

Lost media quest: H&G Epic Tales (part 2)

In this second post (first one is here) I will collect and compile all the information I could find from the official outlets about "Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales".

First, the last "official" post of the Twitter account, in 2013, long before it got overtaken by some little girl, shared a link to an article on the Erasmus Rotterdam University website. The article is now gone, but it seems it was linked to the app being used in some sort of cultural program, because here was the title of the article, as described by the URL: www.eur.nl/ ese/ english/ information_for/ students/ bachelor_students/ bhc/ cultural_programme/ jagten_by_thomas_vinterberg/

There was also a certain big deal made on the official accounts about the price of the game being lowered "by popular demand" at 3.99 euros, 4.99 dollars.

The Twitter account shared a video of the Dutch news during which their application appeared as part of an example of (what seems to be the digital market boom within Dutch startups?). The video is still available here but we don't see too much of the application, just the initial "tableau", the first chapter, during which Hansel and Gretel sit by the stream in front of thir house. What we do see is that during the entire scene their father is chopping wood in the background, and we can spot two interactions possible in the tableau: touching a bird will make it fly in circle while chirping, touching the stream will make a fish (a trout I think?) jump out.

The exact date of the application's release was the 20th of April, 2012.

The Twitter account also shared an official "Release announcement" article that was posted on PrWeb. The article is down since, but it is available through the Wayback Machine. Here is what it said:

From pesky gnomes to cunning witches; from witty and wacky humour to eloquent storytelling Award winning animation studio announces EPIC TALES™, a new interactive storybook developer that goes beyond the classic fairytales.

Award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle Interactive proudly announce: EPIC TALES™, the interactive storyteller.

EPIC TALES is a new developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform (IPad, IPhone) and delivers a unique interactive adaptation of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES allows you to not only enjoy enchanting tales, but to experience their magical worlds more closely than ever before.

“Fairytales just never seem to lose their magic, but having said that, what we envisioned for EPIC TALES was not to merely reproduce them; we wanted to go beyond that,” says Paul Hanraets, founder of EPIC TALES. “To conjure up new worlds and the peculiar creatures that inhabit them: with characters ranging from pesky gnomes to witty dwarfs; from a brave woodsman to a cunning witch. And as much fun as it is to revamp the classics, we also want to find those unsung folktales that have not yet been exhausted, to reveal their magic, and breathe life into the world around them.”

Each of EPIC TALES storybooks are digitally hand-drawn and offer stunning 2d animations, professional voice actors, original music scores, and spellbinding interactive environments that are sure to draw readers deep into the story. The alternating witty and wacky humour, the high production value, and the high degree of interaction are amongst some of the things separates EPIC TALES from other storybooks; however, what ultimately distinguishes EPIC TALES is the implementation of a central storyteller.

“The tales are narrated by Silvertongue, a most likeable dwarf,” Says Albert ’t Hooft, co- founder and producer of EPIC TALES. “Silvertongue, who once travelled the world in search of the most intriguing tales and stories, now resides in his humble bookstore where he personally sees to your storybook collection. Silvertongue is a gifted storyteller who can take an audience from a gasp of fright to a roar of laughter in just the twist of a phrase".

For their first storybook release EPIC TALES has chosen to bring off their version of one of the Brothers Grimm’s most celebrated fairy tales. EPIC TALES; the tale of Hansel and Gretel is expected to hit the Appstore January 2012 and will be available for IPad and IPhone.

About EPIC TALES™

EPIC TALES™ is a The Hague (Netherlands) based developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform, and delivers a unique interactive adaptation of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES™ is a joint venture between award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle interactive.

If you want to check yourself here is the url:https://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8981778.htm. The website on the Wayback Machine notably contains an in-article save of the EpicTales.com website... A website I will be looking at in a minute.

Here are two more articles that covered the app. Unfortunately they are only available on the Wayback Machine now. (I will put a "d" in front of the URLs so that Tumblr doesn't turn them into active links): dhttp://iheartthisapp.com/hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook-classic-childrens-story/ ; and dhttp://www.theipadfan.com/review/review-hansel-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook

The official trailer for the animated storybook contains this exact description of the interactive projective:

From pesky gnomes to cunning witches; from witty and wacky humour to eloquent storytelling, EPIC TALES™ is a new interactive storybook developer that goes beyond the classic fairytales…

EPIC TALES™ brings off an original and humorous version of the Brothers Grimm's most celebrated fairy tale. The tale of Hansel and Gretel is an interactive storybook that offers a combination of prime storytelling, brilliantly animated scenes, and dynamic interactions!

The Tale of Hansel & Gretel Feature Set:

Classical tale, original adaption

2D animations and cut scenes from Award winning animators

Beautiful hand drawn environments

Dynamic interactive surprises on every page

Professional storytelling and voice acting

Original music score and sound effects

Intuitive navigation

The tale of Hansel & Gretel tells of a young boy and his soft spoken sister who have been abandoned in a gloomy and remote forest. After being lost for days the children are lured into a house constructed of delicious candy and sweets. Foolhardily, the children fall into a trap set up by an old and cunning witch.

The Facebook account doesn't offer any much new info, as it pretty much doubles the Twitter account... Though they did posts screenshots of the positive reviews of the app which propelled it to the #1 rank of the Dutch Appstore at one point:

Plus a list of positive reviews from the United-States (honestly with how many reviews and notes this got, which means tons of downloads, how come nobody seems to have preserved the app today? That's crazy, somebody MUST have it stored in their iPad or iPhone somewhere!)

The Facebook account also shared links to many dead articles and missing reviews - that however can be found back on the Wayback Machine (praise our lord the Internet Archive for saving us of the digital oblivion)! Mind you these reviews don't bring much but they're still evidence. One is here: dhttp://thesmartphoneappreview.com/ipad/ipad-mini-review-hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales/. Another is here, a list of Dutch releases: dhttps://www.metronieuws.nl/entertainment/zonder-deze-spullen-kun-je-niet-op-zomervakantie/SrZlgD!2tXHqyT0qzBsg/. Finally, the Daily App Show had a page for this app - which contained a video-review of the storybook. The article doesn't exist anymore, though it is on the Wayback Machine. As for the video, the Wayback Machine seems to not have preserved it? That or my computer can't download it... I'll try to fetch this one another day: dhttp://dailyappshow.com/hansel-and-gretel-epic-tales-animated-storybook.

Finally, let's conclude this post by looking at the defunct Epic Tales website thanks to the Wayback Machine.

Here is what we could read on the Home Page:

Available on the App Store for IPad and IPhone. Our first release; Hansel and Gretel - animated storybook brings off an original version of the Brothers Grimm’s most celebrated fairy tale. The tale of Hansel and Gretel tells of a young boy and his soft spoken sister who have been abandoned in a gloomy and remote forest. After being lost for days the children are lured into a house constructed of delicious candy and sweets. Foolhardily, the children fall into a trap set up by an old and cunning witch.

Hansel and Gretel - animated storybook offers a combination of prime storytelling, brilliantly animated scenes, and surprising interactions!

Hansel and Gretel Feature Set: Classical tale, original adaption Produced and animated by award winning animation studio Professional storytelling and voice acting 23 chapters filled with beautiful hand drawn environments Over a 100 interactive and dynamic surprises Cinematic cut scenes Original music score and sound effects Intuitive navigation Options : Read to me, Read by myself or Play around

There was a "Titles" page (the use of plural indicates the then hope of creating a full line of animated storybooks).

It repeats the text copy-pasted above, while adding this:

Silvertongue, the dwarf Storyteller, will welcome you into his magical bookstore hidden deep within the swampland forest. Once inside the bookstore, Silvertongue will gladly display you his collection of tales that are available for purchase or free demonstration. Once you’ve selected and purchased your book, it will be added to your private bookshelf where Silvertongue will keep them safe for future reading. Besides exploring the store, Silvertongue offers you the chance to engage in some challenging mini-games that can be unlocked as a reward for helping him catch the pesky gnomes that dwell throughout his magical storybooks.

EPIC TALES™ Storyteller App is our free App for the iPad and iPhone. Within the App you have direct access to the bookstore, your own bookshelf, and various mini games.

EPIC TALES - Storyteller Feature Set: EPIC TALES Bookstore, titles for purchase or demonstration Private bookshelf Gnome Mini games 2D animations from award winning animators Professional storytelling and voice acting Original music score and sound effects Intuitive navigation

There was also a "News" page which contained a very interesting article pointing out that the release of "Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales" was notably made to match the 200th birthday of the brothers Grimm fairytales!

Let me copy-paste this article, called "Epic Tales celebrates 200th Anniversary of Grimm's fairy tales with Hansel and Gretel animated storybook"

Collaboration Between Award-Winning Animation Studio and Game Design Veterans Brings Classic Tale to Life On iPad and iPhone

“This version of Hansel and Gretel is a fully immersive, wonderfully engaging romp of a tale, complete with just the right amount of multimedia, professionalism and upstanding quality." – Luke Patrick, TheiPhoneAppReview.com

March 18, 2013 – Two hundred years after first being published, the magical and undeniable Brothers Grimm fairy tales continue to enchant and entertain children worldwide. Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales animated storybook celebrates this bicenntenial with the first in a series of classic, interactive tales from award-winning animation studio, Anikey, and the game veterans at Cloud Castle Interactive. For the month of April, the app will be available on the Appstore for iPad and iPhone for a special 200th anniversary price of $1.99, and thereafter will be priced at $3.99.

This EPIC Tales adaption stays true to the original Grimm Brothers' "Household Tales” – folklore laced with trepidation, morality, great joy and fun – but propels it into the 21st century. The storybook is digitally hand-drawn by award winning animators, and offers 20 chapters filled with over 100 dynamic and interactive surprises, professional voice acting, original music scores and ambient sounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKvoy7QU_vc

Offering spellbinding interactive environments that will draw readers even deeper into the story, Epic Tales’ Hansel and Gretel’s world is filled with whimsical characters ranging from pesky gnomes to witty dwarfs; from brave children to wicked stepmothers and cunning witches. At its center is the narrator, Silvertongue, a truly gifted storyteller who can take an audience from a gasp of fright to a roar of laughter in just the twist of a phrase.

According to The iPhone App Review’s Luke Patrick, “This eBook is a monument to what can be accomplished within the realm of iPad design. Hansel and Gretel doesn’t just offer pages of content, but rather a fully engaging experience. There’s incredibly good voice acting for each and every chapter, as well as Disney quality animations. You’ll also get fully animated trailer sequences for key plot points, in addition to interactive elements hidden within the pages. This version of Hansel and Gretel is a fully immersive, wonderfully engaging romp of a tale, complete with just the right amount of multimedia, professionalism and upstanding quality." http://www.theiphoneappreview.com/2012/08/hansel-and-gretel-ipad-app-review/

EPIC Tales’ Hansel and Gretel features include:

Classical tale, original adaption

Produced and animated by award winning animation studio

Professional storytelling and voice acting

23 chapters filled with beautiful hand drawn environments

Over a 100 interactive and dynamic surprises

Cinematic cut scenes

Original music score and sound effects

Intuitive navigation

Three Options : Read to me, Read by myself or Play around

“It is wonderful that The Brothers Grimm anthology, a collection of 86 folktales, is still read and beloved by children today, 200 years after its first publication,” said Paul Hanraets, EPIC Tales founder and producer. “We are honored to celebrate the bicentennial of these enduring and highly entertaining fairy tales with the re-release of our animated version of one of its most popular stories, Hansel and Gretel.”

"We didn’t cut any corners with Hansel and Gretel, and it has paid off. We are pleased that initial reviews have highlighted its production value, the high quality of our animations and our alternating witty and wacky humor,” said creative director Albert ‘t Hooft. “And, the layout of the pages is clean and intuitive with hidden interactive elements offering lots of surprises.”

EPIC TALES™ is a series of high-quality, interactive fairytales that allows you to not only enjoy enchanting tales, but to experience their magical worlds more closely than ever before. Children will love the sense of wonder and discovery, while adults will certainly appreciate the clever and wacky humor.

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY Hansel and Gretel - Epic Tales animated storybook will be available on the Appstore for iPad and iPhone for a special promotional price of $1.99 in April, and thereafter will be priced at $3.99.Review copies upon request.

ABOUT EPIC TALES™ EPIC TALES™ is a The Hague (Netherlands) based developer and publisher of interactive storybooks for the iOS platform, and delivers unique, interactive adaptations of the imaginative and magical stories found in fairytales, folklore and world mythology. EPIC TALES™ is a joint venture between award winning animation studio Anikey and Cloud Castle Interactive.

There was also a "Contact" page, and an "About" page - however I will keep the "About" segment for a third post, because this one is getting slightly too big for now.

[thislovintime]

At Monterey Pop Festival, June 1967; photos © Reelin’ In The Years Photo Archive, GAB Archives/Redferns/Musicpictures.com, and Bob White Photography.

“I think Peter’s the most underestimated Monkee and probably the most talented.” - Jonathan King, NME, May 6, 1967

“Yes, we were invited to [Monterey Pop] but couldn’t work out an appearance. Peter and I were there, running around. It was a gas.” - Micky Dolenz, Song Hits, November 1967

“On a couple of occasions when he was challenged by officials going into the auditorium he never resorted to ‘I’m Peter Tork of the Monkees,’ but patiently dug out his official pass card. […] Tork is essentially a folk-orientated artist. ‘When the guitar fingers start itching, I go and play down at clubs like a troubadour.’ [...] [T]here was one occasion when he sat around playing Paul Simon’s guitar to ‘Take A Giant Step’ and appeared to be planning an impromptu spot on the show. It never materialized; a pity for [Keith Altham] [has] a feeling that Peter Tork folk-singer would have been a revelation.” - NME, July 1, 1967 (x)

[harrisongslimited]

George Chapter of the Day March 13, 2024

I Saw Her Standing There

Please read Chapter 1 for trigger warnings and other notices about this story.

‐‐--‐----‐-‐-------------------‐---

Chapter 2

At 14, Jordan Armagh was too young to take part in the audition. But her only sister Joie, at 20, was just the right age. Jordan's room was filled with pictures of the Beatles and their music played constantly. She proudly displayed her official fan club card signed by their personal secretary, Freda Kelly, on her bedroom mirror.

She was waiting for Joie anxiously when she finally arrived home.

"Well?......" she piped up as soon as Joie walked in the door.

"Nightmare," was all she answered as she threw her purse on the chair by the door. "Although one of dad's partners, Mr. Watson, was there."

"Did you see them? Did you actually see them up close? Did you see talk to them? What happened....???"

Joie plopped down on the sofa, enjoying the air conditioned air.

"I'm afraid I didn't see much."

Jordan sat across from her. "Well, what DID you see?"

"I......got a little mad.....and Mr. Watson came....."

"Mad?" Jordan questioned incredulously. "MAD? Are you insane? It was the Beatles for god's sake... What could you possibly get mad about? Did you see Paul? Is he gorgeous or what?"

"I don't know. He said something. John said something. I don't know. It was hot...I lost my temper. Their manager..."

"Brian..."

"Yeah...I think that was his name...he finally got the line moving so the girls could see them and then someone was going to pick the girls for the movie."

"You didn't get picked?"

Joie looked at her younger sister. "No. Not quite. Mr. Watson had to walk me out."

Jordan jumped up. "I can't believe it. My own sister. A HUGE chance like this and your mouth has to..."

"Hey," Joie stood up. "Watch it pipsqueak. If I hadn't gotten those girls out of the heat, they would have had a run on heatstroke at Cedars. And that wouldn't have been good publicity at all."

"Well, it wasn't the Beatles' faults...."

Joie wrinkled her nose. "How long have you lived here? When celebrity can be blamed, they will."

Joie walked into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

Jordan threw up her hands. "How can you eat at a time like this? You were inches from John, Paul, George and Ringo. And you haven't told me a thing..."

"That's because nothing happened," she answered, pulling pans out of the cabinet. "Did Dad call?"

"No....and tell me what they looked like, what they said, what they did."

Jordan stared at Joie from behind the kitchen table.

Joie suddenly smiled, looking at the hunger for information written all over her sister's face and softened.

"OK. Set the table and I'll tell you all about how I made an ass of myself."

Their lives consisted of car rides, hotel rooms and screaming girls. But this is what they thought they wanted when they met as young boys in Liverpool. But Beatlemania had become nothing but isolation and loneliness.

John contemplated this as he was escorted around a room, meeting reporters, more Hollywood big shots who meant nothing to him and their offspring who meant less.

He thought about how they all met, how this came to be and he still didn't believe it. Searching around the hotel reception room, he spotted Brian pumping hands and smiling his proper British smile. John eyed Paul, George and Ringo immediately and nodded toward the exit. They raised their eyes in agreement. Slowly they exited as the reporters gorged themselves on food and drink...none of which made it to the growling stomachs of the 4 boys from Liverpool.

"Hello?" Joie answered the phone as she cleaned up the dishes from the dinner she and Jordan shared. She made a plate of spaghetti for her dad and placed it in the refrigerator.

"Miss Armagh?" Came a low but light voice.

"Yes?"

"My name is Mal. I work for the Beatles. They asked me to call and apologize for all the problems today at the audition."

"Yes?" Joie was skeptical.

"Mr. Epstein, the Beatles manager, would like to let you know that you have been chosen to appear in the movie."

Joie thought it was a joke. A good joke....but a joke nonetheless. Whomever was jerking her around had pulled off a rather decent English accent.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Joie answered flatly and hung up the phone.

One minute later the phone rang again.

"Miss Armagh? It's Mal again. I think something happened to the phone line."

"Nothing happened to the phone line. I said 'no thanks' and hung up. I don't appreciate the joke."

Mal laughed slightly. "Yea, I guess I'd think it was a joke too. But I'm for real. I was at the audition. You left with the police officer after causing a rowdy about the girls in the heat."

Joie remained silent. Maybe this wasn't a joke. But she was so over it already. She rubbed her forehead and just a pinch of interest clustered in her heart. Then she shook her head and wished she never would have gone in the first place. "Look, thanks for the offer, but I think there are other girls who want this more than I do. I'm too busy anyway. But thanks...and good luck..."

She hung up again before he could speak.

Jordan heard the conversation and came out of her room. "Are you out of your mind? You could have worked with the Beatles! Do you know what I would do to be in your shoes? God, Joie...."

Joie was tired...she closed her eyes and sighed. Joie hadn't even started her physics homework. "Look, Jordan, it was probably a joke anyway. I'd have to take off from school....and besides, there are other girls who would want this more than me. Let them have it. I've got you and Dad to take care of and that's more important than anything to me."

"I'm gonna be 15 years old. Dad is a cop. Nothing is going to happen to me if you spend 4 weeks in England," she answered.

Joie smiled. "Well, it's water under the bridge now. So go get your homework done and get to bed. School tomorrow for both of us."

"No?" John Lennon asked Mal.

"She said 'no thanks'. That other girls would want it more than she does."

"She said no?" John asked again.

Mal nodded and waited.

George looked up from his guitar. "Well, that's that." Internally, he thought, "Atta girl." A funny murmur seemed to come up from his spine and land right in his heart. "Fuck that," he said to himself.

"What's the big deal?" Paul chimed in as he sat at the piano placed in their hotel suite.

"You know what the big deal is...." Ringo looked up from his magazine and ran a hand through his hair.

"You fancy her?" Paul questioned.

"She said 'no,'" John repeated, then gave a short laugh and looked at Paul. "Haven't heard that word in awhile...considering."

Paul laughed and dismissed him. She was just a girl after all. They could have their pick of anyone they wanted. Joie seemed bright and smart...and part of Paul was glad the little bird said no. He looked around the suite and wished they were able to get out and see the city. He knew it was futile and watched as George went back to picking at his guitar. Ringo returned to his magazine and he went to the phone to call for more scotch and coke from room service.

Suddenly from the back of the room, Mal stepped forward. "I've got an idea...." he offered. "I mean if it's all the same to you, Johnny."

[dancingsalome]

The Historian, Chapter 4

In Istanbul there is a little-known repository of materials, founded by Sultan Mehmed II, who took the city from the Byzantines in 1453. This archive is mostly odds and ends collected later by the Turks as they were gradually beaten back from the edges of their empire. But it also contains documents from the late fifteenth century, and among them I found some maps that purported to give directions to the Unholy Tomb of a Turk-slayer, who I thought might be Vlad Dracula. There were three maps, actually, graduated in scale to show the same region in greater and greater detail.

Summary: Paul continues to narrate Rossi’s story, and that Rossi found out in Istanbul that Dracula is still alive. While doing summer research in Crete, Rossi makes a detour to Istanbul, and finds three maps. They don’t resemble Lake Snagov, where Dracula is officially entombed, and at the place the tomb is located, a small dragon is depicted, and underneath the legend 'In this spot, he is housed in evil. Reader, unbury him with a word.

Rossi reads them out aloud, and in the same instant a door slams, footsteps are heard, and a man, who is not one of the librarians, approaches Rossi. The man tells Rossi he has no right to look at the maps, even threatens him, and takes the map with him when he leaves. But not before Rossi has noticed that the man has two half-healed puncture marks on his throat.

When Rossi returns to his hotel he finds that all his notes about the maps have been stolen, and he returns to Crete. He tells Paul that he then gave up his research about Dracula, and that he and Paul will never discuss this matter again. He gives Paul a sealed package of notes before he leaves.

Here Paul stops talking, and N realizes he is in tears. When she looks around she notices a tall man in a dark suit walking away from them, and she finds she can’t stop looking after him.

My thoughts: After Rossi’s declaration that he thinks Dracula is still alive, it seems a bit strange that he can be so certain, considering that the only thing he found was a map of his tomb, albeit in the wrong place. It seems that there is more to this story than either Rossi, or perhaps Paul, is prepared to tell.

This chapter amps up the uncanny. Rossi reading the words aloud seems to set things in motion. However, it can hardly be that Dracula is awoken by them, as the man who takes the map has already been bitten. I think that reading the legend aloud rather focuses Dracula’s attention on Rossi, making him direct one of his minions to him. And who is the man N sees? Dracula, or perhaps his minion from the library?