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eddies-perm · 2 years

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𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐧' 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤

𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘳!𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

to celebrate (but mostly mourn) the end of my summer vacation, I figured I’d do a little something with camp counselor!steve.

warnings. smut!!, outdoor sex, hunter/prey vibes (there’s a little chase scene), hide n’ seek turned dirty, vaginal fingering, use of a gag (a bandana), P in V, unprotected sex, no use of y/n.

word count: ~2k

** it’s the annual camp-wide hide n’ seek tournament. you’re the leader the blue team, steve’s the leader of the red team. and it’s his job to find you. **

The sun at Camp Crescent Lake is slowly sinking behind the rolling hills, and that means it’s almost time for the camp-wide hide and seek tournament.

Your team, the blue team, is all geared up and ready to go in their blue camp t-shirts. Steve Harrington’s red team is also ready to go in their red camp t-shirts. The rules are read out and everyone gets assigned their partners for the night.

Steve walks over to you with a small smirk, tying the red bandana to one of the loop on his jeans.

“Looks like we’re partners this year, Bambi,” he says, handing you your blue bandana. “You can hide first.”

You roll your eyes, taking the piece of fabric from him and tucking it in your back pocket. “Whatever, Casanova. Get ready to lose, because I’m one of the camp’s best hider. I haven’t been found three years in a row.”

He lets out a soft but deep laugh, looking down at you with a certain glimmer in his eyes. He takes a step forward, never peeling his gaze from yours.

“Then you've clearly never had me as a partner before. I’ll hunt you down, Bambi, and when I find you...you’ll be sorry.”

“Right,” you say, trying not to get (too) hot over his threats. “Good luck with that.”

“I won’t need it.”

The airhorn blows and the countdown begins. You rush to your section’s designated hiding area: the arts and crafts pavilion. It’s up a small hill and in the middle of the woods, so there are plenty of places to hide.

Most people go for the woods, but you and a few others head straight for the pavilion. You situate yourself behind some storage containers, laying on your side with your back against the wall.

A single blow of the horn indicates that the 50 second count is up and you quiet your breathing, auditory senses heightening as you wait for seekers to begin approaching the pavilion.

Several sets of footsteps surround you, around the pavilion and inside it. You watch and listen as several of the kids and counselors are found, watching the various pairs of dirtied and worn shoes pass by.

Not a single one of them is Harrington’s. You don’t see his signature beat up Nike Cortez’s with the red check mark pass by. That bastard isn’t even looking for you. Either that, or he’s just looking in the wrong spot, which would be hilarious.

The halfway point comes faster than you anticipated and by now, all the people in the pavilion have been caught. You peek up over the boxes, whispering to whoever may be left just to make sure, and no one responds. You’re totally alone in here.

You sit up and relocate to a different part of the room. Still, no Harrington. Great, he’s probably off fucking one of the other counselors. If that’s true, there’s no way he’s coming after you.

The 20-minute airhorn sounds and still, no sign of Steve. You huff, pretty much giving up on the idea that he’s ever gonna find you, or even look for you. You get up and dust yourself off before heading towards the door.

Suddenly, it swings opens and you stagger backwards, startled at the sudden movement. The door slams up against the craft shelves next to it and in walks Steve Harrington, looking surprisingly put-together. Either he’s gotten better at cleaning up after his little rendezvous’ or he really didn’t fuck anyone. The latter is highly unlikely, in your mind.

“And here I was thinking it’d be an actual challenge to find you,” he chuckles, holding his hand out. “Your bandana, miss.”

You huff, crossing your arms. “You’re a real dick, you know that? You really waited all this time to come looking for me?”

“How do you know that that’s what I did?”

“I saw all the pairs of shoes that walked in and out of this place, and your stupid Nike’s didn’t make an appearance once,” you gesture to his shoes. “I know damn well you didn’t come up here.”

He shrugs. “Well, I wanted to wait until all the others were out of here.”

“You--” You pause, eyebrows furrowed. “Why the hell would you want to wait until I was the only one up here? What’s the point of that?”

Steve hums, taking a couple slow steps forward, backing you up against one of the craft tables. He shrugs his backpack off and tosses it aside, then looks back down at you.

“You don’t think I notice the way you look at me, Bambi? Your little lingering glances whenever you think I’m not looking?”

“I don’t...I don’t do that.”

A lie, you totally do that. But you’re not about to admit it to him.

“Haven’t you noticed that I don’t like you very much, Harrington?”

He smirks. “It’s just an act. Like the kid on the playground who’s extra mean to the boy she likes. C’mon, you know it’s true, give me some credit here. I know you’ve wondered if what those girls say about me is true.”

“With how much they all blab about it, especially Tammy, I think almost every counselor is at least a little bit curious.”

“Maybe. But I don’t see their lingering eyes on me.”

Your lungs suddenly feel tight and your breaths get shorter as he takes another step closer. You realize, then, that you’ve got no more room to step back. You’re already pinned up against the craft table. “What do you care? You’ve got a lengthy list of girls at this camp who’ve already been bedded by you, I’m sure they’d all love more of your attention, Casanova.”

“Yeah, probably. But I want the one girl who doesn’t throw herself at me. I want a challenge.”

“Well, you’ve got one,” you say, slipping away just as he leans in. You stand by the door, quickly tucking the bandana into the front of your shorts. “You want the bandana? Come and get it.”

Steve grins as you suddenly rush out of the pavilion and into the nearby woods. He jogs after you, keeping tabs on you but not quite making his move. He wants to draw this out a little bit.

You rush through the trees and jump over raised limbs, looking back every once and a while. When you don’t see him anymore, you hide behind a particularly large tree trunk.

You’re so focused on looking out from behind the tree that you don’t even realize him coming up behind you. He suddenly grabs your hips and you yelp, trying to yank yourself free from his grip.

“Harrington...goddamnit!”

He’s holding you firmly against him, reaching around to grab the bandana from where it’s tucked into the front of your shorts. Except instead of pulling the fabric out, he leaves it and his hand slips down between your legs, fingers teasing the warm, damp fabric of your panties.

You gasp softly, all movements suddenly coming to a screeching halt as he begins to tease your clothed clit with the pads of his fingers. He smirks softly, chin resting on your shoulder as he does so.

“There we go,” he hums. “If I’d known this is all it takes to get you quiet, I would’ve done this weeks ago.”

“Shut up.” You huff, chewing your lip.

“You’re cute.” His fingers dip down under your panties and run along your bare folds, collecting the wetness that’s formed there. “And you’re wet. You’re really worked up, hm?”

Your hips move instinctively against him, grinding down on his fingers as he touches you. More than a few times, his fingertips catch on your entrance and he quickly begins teasing the soaked hole.

“Do you want me to put them in? Do you want my fingers, Bambi?”

You nod wordlessly, cheeks burning.

He chuckles. “Use your words. Yes or no?”

“Yes, yes, jeez. Pushy much?”

“I just like torturing you.” Two of his fingers push up and penetrate your waiting hole, pulling a moan from your lips. “Mmm, good girl.”

Your eyes flutter shut as his digits begin fucking you. They feel so good inside you, it’s been so long since you’ve had any fingers other than your own...

“Shit, Harrington...”

“Does it feel good, sweetheart?” he whispers, nibbling at your earlobe. “Do you like my fingers?”

“Uh huh.” you breathe.

His pace quickens gradually until he’s fucking you forcefully, squelching sound filling the space around you. You have to lean forward and put one of your hands on the tree in front of you to keep steady.

You’re close within minutes, so drunk off the motions of his fingers.

“Fuck, I’m gonna--”

Steve pulls away just as you’re about to cum. You let out a pathetic whimper at the loss, whipping your head around to glare at him.

“What w-was that for?”

He grins, grabbing the bandana as he pulls his hand away and begins to undo his jeans. “I want to feel you cum on my cock.”

You shudder, goosebumps rising on your skin. Once he’s fished himself from his pants, Steve turns you around and presses you up against the tree trunk. He lifts one of your legs up over his shoulder, then pushes your shorts off to the side before lining up with your entrance.

“Are you ready?”

As soon as you nod, he pushes in and both of you let out similar moans as he fills you. One hand grips your hip while the other props against the trunk. His hips accelerate almost immediately and he starts pounding into you.

You can’t help the noises, the gasps and whimpers, that escape you. He feels so good and god, it’s been a while since anyone’s been inside you. It’s official: everything you’ve heard about Steve Harrington in bed is 100% correct.

“Fuuck, you’re tight,” he groans, gripping your thigh and pushing it back towards your shoulder, allowing him to reach deeper inside you. “Knew you’d be a tight one...”

You moan in response, unable to form proper words. He smirks at this fact.

When you let out a louder moan, one of Steve’s hands comes to cover your mouth, chuckling breathily. “Jesus, Bambi, you gotta be somewhat quiet.”

“W-Whatever,” you huff, biting down hard on your lip to keep quiet. It doesn’t work, really, for only moments later, you’re letting out another moan.

Steve looks down at the blue bandana still in his hand and suddenly, a lightbulb goes off and his hips stop.

“What are you--”

He quickly balls up and shoves the bandana into your mouth, muffling your noises. Your eyes widen and you gasp around the fabric, so turned on by this new development.

“There we go. Now you’ve got something to keep that pretty mouth occupied.”

You’re close, oh so close, still incredibly worked up from his thorough fingering earlier. Your walls spasm and clench around him the closer you get to your release and he seems to feel this, pressing you further into the tree so that his hand can creep back between your legs.

It takes only a few swipes over your engorged clit to push you over that edge and you cry out around the bandana, falling apart around his cock. You drench his shaft in your slick and he lets out a soft moan, fucking you through it, staving off his own orgasm for the longest he can.

Only moments later, Steve’s pulling out and furiously jerking off until his spend shoots out all over your freshly-fucked folds. Your legs shake as he holds you up for another moment or two before letting you step back down onto the ground.

He leans in and presses his lips to yours, giving you a soft kiss. He smiles when he pulls away, looking into your eyes as he tucks himself away.

“You were amazing,” he whispers against your lips. “So, so good.”

You smile softly, cheeks heating up again. He helps you pull your shorts back on properly as he continues to kiss you. “I had a good time too, Harrington.”

Steve keeps a hand on your hip as he looks down at you and hums. “So...about all the things the girls said...do I live up to my reputation?”

“Oh my god.” you laugh, shaking your head. “...Yeah, you do live up to it.”

He grins, flashing you a playful wink.

“Good to know.”

~ masterlist ~

#eddies-perm #steve harrington #steve stranger things #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington smut #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington x reader smut

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sounwise · 2 years

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For me personally [the “All You Need Is Love”] broadcast came at the end of a crazy and terrible seven days. Judy and I had moved that week, from the tiny little flat we had, a space we knew would be entirely unsuitable for the child that was about to appear. I’d saved up all the money I’d been paid for the music to the film A Hard Day’s Night and put it as down-payment on a house just off Hyde Park Square. We moved in on the Saturday, 24 June. My father, a marvellous old man of eighty-four, who had been fit all his life, had been taking into hospital on the previous weekend with a chest complaint. I had been going in to see him every day, and he seemed to be getting along fine. He was weak, but in good spirits. On the morning of 20 June I turned up to visit him in the hospital as usual. As I went into the ward, the sister called me aside. ‘I’m afraid your father died early this morning,’ she said. And that was it. A whole part of my life gone, in a sentence. I could not believe it. I stumbled out, blinded by tears. All you need is love.

[—from With a Little Help from My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper, George Martin]

With the makings of a backing track in hand, George and the bandmates planned to continue refining “All You Need Is Love” on the evenings of June 20 and 21 in Studio 2. But those sessions would be abruptly canceled when the specter of real life interrupted George’s breakneck effort to bring the Beatles to the finish line for the Our World telecast. […] Reflecting on that period, George later wrote that “most of us look back on 1967 as a great vintage year, the year of Sgt. Pepper. It was more than that for me, as it had great highs, it is true, but also it had a dark side. For George, that dark side first revealed itself, only faintly at first, on Friday, June 16, when his father Harry took ill and was hospitalized in Wimbledon with chest pains. Visiting his father that weekend, George recalled that “he certainly looked strong to me. We chatted, and he joked about getting better.” With reassurances from the duty nurse that his father would shortly recover, George went so far as to reassure his sister Irene, who was on vacation, that she needn’t rush back to London on their father’s account; he was going to be just fine. Before heading off to Abbey Road to resume work on “All You Need Is Love” on Monday, June 20, George recalled telling his father, “‘I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’ But when I arrived on the Tuesday morning, the nurse stopped me. ‘Your father died in the middle of the night,’ she said.” Felled by a myocardial infarction, Harry had died in his sleep on the eve of what would have been his eighty-third birthday. For George, “it was a desperate shock. He had seemed so well.” But even still, George soon realized that “he did manage to have the last laugh on me.” When George returned to Wimbledon to retrieve his father’s effects, “the nurse handed me his watch and some personal belongings, including his Post Office savings book.” And that’s when he took a closer look at his father’s savings account: “Looking through it, I noticed there was an entry every week for all the money that I’d given him as an allowance, and it was all still there, untouched. I was so overcome I just burst into tears. I thought, ‘You old devil!’”

[—from Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin, Kenneth Womack]

#i wonder if he told the bugs :(((#and then immediately after this his kid was born prematurely and then brian died!!!#with a little help from my friends: the making of sgt. pepper #george martin #sound pictures: the life of beatles producer george martin #kenneth womack #1967 #sgt. pepper sessions #the beatles

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hope-and-sleep · 3 years

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2021年08月09日 (禮拜一)

I have absolutely got to stop uploading in giant 20 day chunks like this.

☀️ Days 21-40 of the 2021 Summer Studying Challenge! ☀️

21st July - What is an unpopular opinion that you have about summer?

I don’t know? I have no idea what counts as an ‘unpopular’ opinion. Mmmm, I guess summer’s the perfect time to wake up at absurdly early hours in the morning?

22nd July - What does summer feel like where you live?

Hot and dry, usually, though you do get the occasional drizzle.

23rd July - Would you prefer summer to be hotter or colder than it usually is for you?

Colder!

24th July - Would you prefer your summer to be shorter or longer?

Honestly, I’m no longer a student, and thus no longer have vacation that depends on the seasons, so… it doesn’t really matter to me.

25th July - Daytime or nighttime – what’s your favourite time during summer?

Hmm hmm hmm hmm. I think, personally, I like early morning. 6am to 10 am. Too early to get too hot, and the heat from the previous day’s already dispersed so it’s nice and cool.

26th July - Do your sleeping habits change during summer?

Nope. I think they used to, because summer generally meant I was on break so there was a lot of “not getting up until the afternoon”, but now I behave pretty identically from

27th July - Do your eating habits change during summer?

Nope. Again, they used to, because I would be going from university food/ what I cooked in an apartment to homecooking, but nowww it’s homecooking all the time, so.

28th July - When you hear the word ‘summer’, what is the first thing that you think of?

A calendar for the month of June, the kind that you’d expect a kindergarten teacher to have for their students. It’s got a sun with a smiley face in the corner and children playing around the month label.

29th July - What colour do you associate with summer?

Yellow.

30th July - What would be your perfect summer day?

Hmmmm, hard to say. I guess I’d like to spend the day with my friends, with either a lot of stuff planned or just a lot to do. Not too hot, not too cold.

31st July - Would you rather spend the day at the beach or at the swimming pool?

This wouldn’t be true all the time, but I’d edge towards beach. Lots more to do at a beach than a swimming pool .

1st August - What do you do when you go to the beach?

Dig a hole. That is generally one of the first things that happen, it used to be part of ‘build a sand castle with a moat’ but now it’s more like “dig a hole with really high walls”. Other than that, I like going into the ocean and trying to ‘withstand’ the waves and/or bodyboarding.

2nd August - What do you like most about the beach?

Ah, this is a hard one. Let’s just name one thing. I like seeing marine life! This tends to end up being these tiny little clams that I run across when digging a hole, and they’re so small and colorful and so very clearly alive. I think that’s amazing.

3rd August - What is your least favourite thing about the beach?

I hate how sand gets everywhere. It’ll get in places that you forgot sand could get into, it’s terrible.

4th August - What is your song of the summer this year?

I’ve gotten Hated by Life Itself, which is a cover by Oktavia, stuck in my head. Now, it’s not really a summer song, nor really that uplifting a song, but I really like the pace of it and how well thought out the lyrics are. It’s a challenge to sing, it is fast, but it’s pretty fun.

5th August - What is your ultimate summertime song?

I… hmm. I don’t think I have one.

6th August - What is your favourite summertime movie?

Same as up there, I don’t think I actually have one. But I like Into the Spider-Verse a lot, so let’s just say that.

7th August - Do you read a lot in the summer?

Yeah, but it tends to be fanfiction rather than actual books.

8th August - What book are you currently reading?

Hmm. Welllll, I guess the only book I have that is still technically ‘in progress’ is Agatha Heterodyne and the Airship City, but… it’s been a while since I’ve actually picked it up. I should probably finish reading it, one of these days. Ah, I guess I also have Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint in progress, but I’ve already finished it — it’s a matter of rereading, you see?

9th August - What is your favourite summer ‘beach read’ book?

Let’s just say Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint! (Omniscient Reader is the official English translation.) Never have I ever been this entranced by a story, so you know, why not?

#2021 summer studying challenge #chinese #langblr #cantonese #studyblr #my life #everything

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havin-a-wee · 3 years

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Stars Align

pairing: harry styles x y/n

warnings: fluff, ig you could consider it angst but its really just mysterious

word count: 2k

hello! i apologize for kind of disappearing, my fic rec account has kind of blown up and ive been super busy with that.

this is my entry for @sweetlygolden 's Harry On Holiday Challenge! i chose strangers in the same city, and the line prompt “That is the worst sunburn I’ve ever seen.” i honestly already have a part 2 planned out but we'll see how it goes!

“How much longer are you going to stare at that pretending like it’s interesting.”

Her soft voice surprised him, and he whipped his head around to see who had been speaking to him.

For the first time in a while, Harry was able to get away for a little. Of course, he travels a lot for work, but this was the first vacation since he can remember where he was alone, doing whatever he pleases. He chose Italy for this special occasion, because it’s always been one of his favorite places, and he missed the freedom of wandering around the boot shaped country without a care in the world.

The day's adventures had brought him to La Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, which is a museum that he's been wanting to see for quite some time. He started the day off by getting a cappuccino and a crespelle from a wonderful little cafe down the street from his hotel.

Right afterwards he walked to the museum, taking in the sights around him on the 20 minute trek to his destination. Before the woman behind him snatched his attention, he was staring at a painting of an abstract house. The house was only painted in blue, and the artist had used the different shades and tones of the color to create the details in the painting.

He had been staring at it for a good amount of time, which he assumed is what prompted the stranger to talk to him.

It’s his 3rd day on the trip, leaving him 4 more until he has to be back in L.A. for work. He has no plans, no schedules, no job to do. It’s just him and the world. At least, that’s what he assumed it would be. The vacation is supposed to be a solo one, however, he’s currently staring at a stranger that decided to speak to him. And for some reason, he is drawn to her. Compelled to spend time with her after just a simple sentence was spoken between the two of them.

When he fully turns around she jumped, a bit startled by his bright red complexion. “That is the worst sunburn I have ever seen!”

It was true, Harry had managed to get himself a nasty burn on the first day in Italy. He usually tans instead of getting a sunburn, but when you’re used to the dreary weather of the UK, it can be hard to forget how strong the sun is in other places.

So he had laid out on the beach and fell asleep, waking up a few hours later with tomato red skin and a burning sensation covering the exposed skin.

“That’s what happens when y’fall asleep on a beach in Rome,” he chuckled, smiling awkwardly at the woman before him.

She’s beautiful, there is absolutely no denying that. She was wearing a simple spaghetti-strap black dress that cut off right at the knee. There were no designs, no embellishments, just a black dress that hugged her figure perfectly. Her lips have a deep red lipstick smeared across them, and he couldn’t help but notice how the color complimented her skin tone. Her simple black pumps completed the outfit, and her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, with a few of the front strands falling out of the hair tie and framing her face.

“I’d assume so.” Her demeanor is serious, even though there's a smile on her face. She’s…..intimidating?

Harry hasn’t been intimidated by anything since he was a teenager. Once you perform in front of thousands of screaming people, who also happen to idolize you, things don’t tend to phase a person anymore.

But for some reason, her presence caused butterflies to fly around in his stomach, a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. He actually enjoyed the feeling, it reminded him of when everything was normal.

What also reminded him of normality was the fact that she seems to not have the slightest clue of who he is. If she does, she’s sure as hell good at hiding it.

“You’ve been looking at the same painting for 10 minutes, just wanted to make sure you hadn’t fallen asleep.” A small laugh escaped her lips, and the noise agitated the fluttering butterflies residing in his tummy. Her voice is mesmerizing, and she sounds like what Harry imagines an angel to sound like. She has an American accent, and it eased his nerves slightly that she was also a tourist.

He turned back to the painting to look at it, but it was also convenient in that she wouldn’t be able to see his undoubtedly flushed cheeks.

“Yeah m’not sure what it is ‘bout it but there’s somethin’ special with this one.”

“That’s Prismi lunari by Fortunato Depero, he was very talented.” Harry spun around once again to face her, shocked at her knowledge of the random artwork.

“You know that off of the top of your head?” He tilts his head and looks at her, furrowing his brows in confusion. He’s pretty sure there was no label for the painting, and if there was it was way too small for her to see from where she’s standing.

“I know a lot of things.”

The statement was simple, but Harry wondered if her words paired with the smirk on her face are code for something else. “How long have you been here?” Her question snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked up at her and smiled. He flicks his wrist and directs his attention to it, reading the Gucci watch adorning his wrist.

“Well I got here at 11, so about 5 hours.” It honestly surprised him when he realized it was 4 o’clock, but he knows how wrapped up he gets in artwork so he must have lost track of time.

“Jesus christ! I can barely stand to walk around a museum for an hour!” She blows out a puff of air, mocking being out of breath. They both laugh at her comment, Harry laughing a bit harder than her. “What’s your name?”

“Oh! M’Harry, s’nice to meet you.” He stuck out his ring-clad hand, and her delicate fingers wrapped around his as she shook it.

“Well Harry, wanna get out of here and walk around with someone who knows the city?” She points at herself, and the small smile she gave him earlier transformed into a silly grin.

“Well m’not sure how well an American can know the city, but I’ll bite.” Usually he would never do this. Going off with strangers is never a good idea, especially because of his status. But there’s something about the girl that makes Harry feel safe. They had just met yet he feels like he could trust her with things he hasn’t even told his best friends.

“An American who’s been living here for a year, that is.” His eyebrows raise slightly, intrigued by her new admission. But before he can even open his mouth to speak, she grabs his wrist with her daintily manicured hand and whisks him out of the quiet museum.

The air was humid, quickly drawing beads of sweat from his forehead. He’s also quite baffled at how she was completely unphased. Not a single drop of sweat was dripping on her body, her soft skin untouched like an old porcelain doll, preserved for years in perfect condition.

“I’ll show you around a little, we can go to this wonderful little vintage store I know.” She had turned to face him, her hand moving from his wrist to cup his one hand in both of hers. “Um- at least, if you want to.” For the first time, she was nervous. Although she will never admit it, Harry makes her extremely nervous. Extremely.

When he turned around when they first met, her jump of surprise wasn’t just because of his bright sunburn. In fact, it wasn’t about that at all. It was about how fucking attractive he is. He really looks like one of the statues that was put up in the museum. His sparkling green eyes send a shiver down her spine, and the tattoos peaking through his thin white t-shirt cause a fire to build in her stomach.

Having someone to talk too while he traversed the streets of Rome is a lot more enjoyable than Harry had anticipated. He purposefully told all of his friends that he was going to be MIA while on this trip. But the fact that she is a stranger changes it in some way, in a good way.

The cobblestone streets are surprisingly smooth, and they walk next to each other in a comfortable silence for a long amount of time. The silence would only break when she would point out something in their field of vision. At one point, Harry pauses, standing still in the middle of the street with a thinking look on his face. He realizes that he doesn’t know her name, which seems ridiculous to him because they were walking around a foreign country like the best of friends. She turns to him, matching his confused look when they lock eyes. “I just realized I don’t know y’name.”

Instead of reacting like he would expect one to react when asked that question, her pupils dilated and for some reason she appears to be scared. Why would someone be scared when you ask for their name?

‘Maybe she thinks her name is embarrassing’ Harry thought, still looking at her with a confused look, but now it was laced with a bit of suspicion.

He watches her sigh, and her hand went up to her ponytail and pulled the black elastic out, her soft hair cascading down her shoulders. With another sigh she said, “Y/N. My names Y/N.”

“That’s a really beautiful name.”

“Oh! There’s the store!”

He found it odd that she was so eager to switch the subject, but goes along with it nonetheless.

The vintage store is lovely, and Harry was able to find a beautiful ring and necklace set, matching gold roses on both of them. They looked around the shop for about 15 minutes, Harry being the only one to make a purchase.

The sun had set by the time they went outside, which isn’t surprising considering that it was almost dark when they walked into the little shop. They stood, facing each other outside of this small little shop in Rome. Two strangers, who just happened to cross each other's path. Harry knows this won’t last forever, and he also knows that he wants to see her again. In a leap of faith, he pulls the gold necklace out of the small brown bag and looks up at her.

“Here, I got them so we could match.” It was bold, but Harry feels connected to this girl, and he doesn’t know it, but she feels the exact same. The smile she gave him when he handed her the necklace was bright and genuine, the creases next to her eyes proving its authenticity. He motioned for her to turn around, wrapping the necklace around her neck and clasping it while she held up her hair.

“Thank you Harry. This is the best day I’ve had in a while.”

“Likewise.”

“I hate to do this, but I have to go. Have a wonderful rest of your trip Harry.”

It was then that she placed a small, tender peck on his lips, barely lingering for a second before pulling away.

“Wait! Can I get y’number?” Her smile slanted into a smirk, and she pulled a small card and a pen out of her small black clutch. She placed the card up against the brick wall, leaning it against it and scribbling something down on the paper. When she finished writing, she pressed her lips against the card, handing it to Harry.

He looked down at it, expecting to see a series of numbers, but he was met with a simple note, scribbled on the piece of cardstock next to the red lip print she had left.

May the stars align in our favor once again. - Y/N

He looked up frantically, planning to ask her to write her number down as well, but he was met with nothing.

She had disappeared into the night, leaving as quickly as she appeared earlier that day.

#HarryOnHoliday #harry styles #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic rec #harry styles fic #harry styles writing #harry styles one shot

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lilypixels · 3 years

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Izzy’s Dag-Dag The Artist… Tag

By @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy

~ Rules ~

Show us a rendition of yourself in your own art! Can be anything! Sims render? Random stick figure? Picrew? Go nuts! (Just be sure to tag the artist if you use someone else’s picrew!!!!) Tag the blogs you want to know, and don’t be a dick that’s it! Also, feel free to answer as vague or in-depth as you want. And if you don’t want to answer a question for any reason just don’t vibe with it! Skip it if you wanna! Also make sure you tag me and use #dagdagtheartisttag so I can see it!!!!!!!!

This is a bit long so i’m just gonna...

~Questions~

1.) Do you prefer to be referred to by your name or blog name? Both are fine! I don’t care much about what people refer to me as in general and have had someone on here call me lily once

2.) Where are you from? I won’t say exact, but I live in the middle of USA (I can’t wait to move-)

3.) Do you have pets? 👀 Yes! 3 dogs and 2 cats, tho only one cat is truly “mine”

4.) Tell us about your “dream”. uhh like where I want to be in life? what I want to do? um I’m still working on the exact job title, but I wish to do research at a natural history/science museum (sorta like archives or collections manager, but neither of those are quite right i think). Otherwise, I just hope to adopt and even foster kids cause my life would not be complete without little ones :3 (spouse/partner optional lol)

5.) Aside from art, what are your hobbies? Randomly researching things that grasp my attention, games...lots of games, reading, watching tv, coloring (wait does that count as art-), uhhh spacing out

6. )Does anyone irl know about your blog? yeah, but mostly just know about, not like see my posts i guess

7.)Do you know anyone from your blog irl? not outside of just chatting on discord

8.) What are some fun facts about you? I’ve had some poems published before (it was with entering a poetry contest), I have surprisingly good balance, my brain is not properly awake/functioning until 10am which has led to me almost using soap as toothpaste a few times too many, I have a birthmark on my finger (bonus: it sorta changes color/how noticeable it is depending on how hot or cold I am lol, i call it a mini thermometer cause of this), apparently Lion King was my Disney movie obsession as a kid...oh and I have a certificate in cryptozoology lolz

9.) What’s your day job? i work as a private nanny/glorified babysitter (i don’t live with them or drive but work regular hours through week and as needed; even join the occasional vacation with them)

10.) Do you have a celebrity look alike? i don’t think so; a girl in high school once said I look like Cameron Diaz tho-

11.) What’s your aesthetic? for my blog I think it’s becoming like dark academia meets cottage core?? idk for myself...who knows

12.) What kind of artist are you? the tired kind lol

13.) How did you get into your form of art? if we’re looking at sims, uhhh well I just happened to learn about cc one day, then happened upon simblr, saw edits, and thought I’d give a try cause I can’t draw but I need a creative outlet so this worked for me

14.) What do you watch/listen/read/anything else while you create? if I do anything, its listen to music; music is generally random based on what I feel like but more recently its been 2d anime groups (idolish7, hypnosis mic, etc)

15.) What is your favorite of your own creations so far? lets see...this, this, and this edit wise I think

16.) How would you describe your art style? idk chaos

17.) What is more satisfying to you coloring or outlining? coloring, I like coloring

18.) What meme would you use to describe yourself?

19.) What character from any media form do you most identify with? oh gosh uhhhh there’s a few but I’ll say Iori and Sogo from Idolish7 since they come to mind first lol. Iori is a fellow aquarius who hides his interests and agonizes over past slipups even a year later, others have legit moved on but he’s still stuck on it (that was true moment I was like “omg you are aquarius” lol cause yeah meee). Sogo i heavily relate to as well cause he’s,,,very nice and hides his own feelings, putting others before himself (but when right buttons get pushed, he can be scary lol) so yeah, those two

20.) If you were on the run, what would you change your name to? I’ve never thought of this...no clue

21.) Have you ever or do you want to change blog names? I have changed names, yes; I used to be silverine-sims but after a time i didn’t ~vibe~ with it

22.) God forbid Tumblr decides to pull a MySpace and lets us have page songs, what song would you choose? page songs like adding playlist to blog? i mean its possible already with bit of coding and I used to have one set up but uh one song huh? gosh um I guess Twisted Hearts by tasuku hatanaka; it was op for Moriarty the Patriot s2 and I’m pretty obsessed with it rn

23.) Oh yeah, I’m still on the MySpace train and I’m starting discourse! Who’s your top 8? my brain refuses to think and rank; i have trouble with choices and that extends to favorites,,

24.) Did you understand those references or did you have to look them up? (I’m fully aware I’m ancient, but are you?) i know of myspace but otherwise i have no clue what all it entailed

25.) One last question; why are you like that? I grew up watching Secret Saturdays, He-Man, Teen Titans, Danny Phantom, and Spongebob idk what to tell ya ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Dag dag?

Now tag tag!!!

I know not all of you will do this or was tagged by izzy already but I’m tagging everyone I can think of anyway-

@cyansimblr @neriney @lunchsims @waysims @klayde @sinfulwunders @void-imp @ladykendalsims @lazysunjade @almost-spring @smolteabirb @lunaziie @clumsyghostie and uh uh anyone else cause its too early and my brain just quit

#for the card thing #i was gonna do playlist but then id have to think more and choose a few songs from many #for characters itaru from a3 was another one #but two i picked maybe work more #also what does dag dag mean??#or is it a play on tag to rhyme??#tagged #tag thing #was gonna use simself for this #buttt i deleted after that one dream self tag #and photo from it wasnt cutting it #so used this picrew one #from another tag lol #dagdagtheartisttag

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keeptheotherone · 3 years

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Mecation: Day 1

Thursday

I once read social media described as an indulgence of the fantasy that others are interested in the details of our lives. I’m indulging in that fantasy this week by blogging about my Mecation under the guise of travel blogging ;)

If you follow me in even the most casual way, you know I’m a nurse. While I’ve enjoyed the vast majority of my 23 years as such, I don’t recommend it during a pandemic. The last 18 months have been the second-worst mental health period of my life, demoted to that position not because of the mildness of my symptoms but simply because at 15 I didn’t have the experience or perspective to realize my life was not, in fact, ruined forever.

COVID increased my personal vulnerability as a high-risk patient and made my job immensely more difficult in countless ways both small and large, but the worst part of the pandemic for me (so far) is it took away all my coping mechanisms precisely when I needed them most. Massage, pedicures, dinner out with friends, travel ... all gone practically overnight. Pre-COVID I travelled all the time--home to my parents’, long weekends by myself (Mecation!), annual visits to BFFs, conferences, tourism, the beach, my birthday, writing trips, international trips ... I always had at least one trip in the works, usually one booked and one (or more!) in the planning stages.

When COVID started, all my close friends and family except for two lived out of state. One of those two was out of town but close enough to get together, but the other was a few hours’ drive away. I’m single and live alone; it was the most isolated I’ve ever been in my whole life.

With my bestest friends over 500 miles away, I still feel that way sometimes. I haven’t seen them in a year. If it weren’t for COVID, it would only be 7 or 8 months (I’ve gone every January or February since ... forever). Then again, if it weren’t for COVID, I wouldn’t have been there last September; one had been hospitalized and I needed to see she was all right with my own two eyeballs. I expect it will be at least another 7 or 8 months before we get together again, bringing the total to about 20 months. One year we saw each other 5 times in 9 months, our personal best since college.

I was alone on Christmas. Oh, I’ve spent December 25th on my own before; I’m a nurse. I’ve worked the night of the 24th or the 25th (or both), or whatever combination that didn’t leave enough time off to drive home. But I’ve never spent the Christmas season without my parents. Sometimes the week before, sometimes the week after, sometimes at my place instead of home, but always together. But last Christmas COVID was raging, the vaccines had just come out but were only available to first responders (I got mine on the 23rd), and my elderly parents didn’t feel safe to travel. So I spent Christmas without family.

Travel was not just a break from my daily routine and the stress of nursing; in many ways, the biggest benefit travel made to my mental and emotional health was giving me something to look forward to. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” and ohhh, I was so heartsick last year! Not being able to travel meant I couldn’t visit my best friends of almost 25 years (more than half my life!). Not being able to travel meant I couldn’t lean on my dad or be hugged by my mom. Not being able to travel--and not knowing when I could travel--left this gaping hole in my future, and I had nothing to fill it with.

I tell you this not to throw a pity party but to explain the significance of the trip I’m on right now. It is only my third this year: my dad and I spent a week in the mountains in February (my depression and anxiety was so bad then that was treatment, not vacation), I took a friend to the beach over my birthday, and now I’m a couple hours from home at a nice spa hotel. (I’m not counting my nephew’s graduation, which was emotionally challenging for multiple reasons, or helping a friend move from Florida. Moving is never fun.)

I started planning this trip in the spring ... May, maybe? You know, after the vaccine rolled out to everyone and case counts were dropping and it looked like we were gonna lick this thing and have a quasi-normal summer by the Fourth of July (yes, I’m American. That date is a proper noun here.). I had switched jobs in November (don’t ask) and gone on mental health leave December 29th, so I felt I owed it to my unit to put in about six months of work before taking any significant time off, especially since I came back at 24 hours instead of 36. That meant September.

I knew what I wanted to do: 4 or 5 days at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. I’d been before and loved the freedom of not worrying about every little expenditure (what can I say, I’m cheap), and a few days of Vitamin Sea sounded perfect.

Then came Delta.

All right, maybe going out of the country isn’t the best idea, I thought. Don’t want to end up with expensive reservations and then your destination closes to Americans, or you make it to your chosen island but can’t get back home. But I didn’t want to fly (ugh, airports!), I didn’t want to drive (rest stops and restaurants and gas stations), and while I thought about taking the train, it didn’t seem much of an improvement (and maybe a downgrade) on flying.

Then a friend mentioned a sleeper car, and I thought yes! That could work! I’ve never been to New England, I want to go to Boston, that area of the country has low case rates and the highest vaccination rates, this has potential!

Then I looked at the CDC map. There were only four states that didn’t have high transmission at that time (early August, I think; I’d had to wait for confirmation that my time off had been approved): Michigan, Rhode Island, Maine, and New Hampshire. All four had substantial rates of transmission. Hardly ideal, but one thing I’ve learned this year is sometimes you have to make compromises to protect your mental health. It is true it doesn’t matter if you’re happy if you’re dead; it is also true it doesn’t matter if you’re safe if you want to kill yourself. (I’m not suicidal, I am receiving treatment, don’t anybody panic.)

So, now I’ve settled on Maine or New Hampshire by train via sleeper car (Michigan is too far for a 4-5 day trip and RI--meh). Well, as I got deeper into planning, turned out Maine or NH were awfully far too. Far enough I would have to overnight in a major city, which pretty much defeated the purpose of isolating in a sleeper car. Then I found out there were no sleeper cars on either train route.

So, now vacation is 5 weeks away and I’m back at square one. The Deep South, Texas, and Florida are imploding. Pediatric cases are rising--kids are sicker and make up a higher percentage of cases than they did last year. Scuttlebutt from my ICU colleagues is it’s bad--17/30 MICU beds are COVID and they’re all vented. SICU is being nicknamed “the ECMO unit.” The hospital has 18(!) ECMO machines and 12 are in use; the float nurse who tells us that didn’t even know we had 12 because she’s never seen that many in use at one time. Hospital-wide our numbers are equivalent to early February (we peaked in January). There were six--SIX--pediatric rapid responses in one day.

And I’m going to travel.

It’s a big deal ... a big accomplishment, really, because of what it says about how I’m successfully managing my anxiety. April 1 was the first time I’d been inside a grocery store in more than a year ... and that wasn’t my idea. It was late April or May before I was comfortable eating in restaurants, even with the falling case count at the time. I’m still not sure if I’m managing my anxiety or reacting to the pressure by going to the opposite extreme (I have a history of that), but I know I’m less stressed, less anxious, have fewer obsessive thoughts, fewer physical symptoms, and am learning to live with this disease.

So, here I sit at a marble-topped 5-foot-wide desk in my queen/queen hotel room at the end of a productive and enjoyable day. I slept in, completed the big goal of this weekend’s to-do list that I honestly thought would take several days, unpacked and organized my room (I arrived yesterday evening), reorganized my Favorites Bar and Bookmarks on my Mac, had an 80-minute aromatherapy massage, enjoyed a shower in the spa afterwards and even blow-dried my hair(!) before wandering around for a while to get the lay of the land and get some steps in (this place is huge!). Then I changed clothes and took myself out to dinner for my favorite food, Italian.

That’s me in the picture up top, all dressed up :) Actually, I probably look pretty normal to y’all; like most people with depression, my personal hygiene sunk to new lows in the last year and a half, and as a low-maintenance person to begin with, that’s saying a lot. I bought that necklace as a bridesmaid and am not sure I’ve worn it since; this spring was her 10th anniversary. Yesterday I took out the cat-shaped earrings Dad gave me for Christmas. (Yes, they were gross. Yes, I cleaned them. Yes, I’m wearing them again now.) Just wearing a nice top, fixing my hair (no ponytail or claw-clip bun, my staples), and adding jewelry was a big deal ... especially since “no one” was going to see me. I did it just for me, to make myself feel good. And I did. (That’s another small pleasure COVID took away from me--lip gloss. If I wore any makeup at all, it was lipstick or gloss. Utterly pointless when you’re masked whenever you’re in public.)

I took my laptop to dinner and edited a couple chapters of my new Charlie/Amy fic (previewed during #ktoo turns 10), ran a couple errands, and headed back to the hotel since I don’t like to be out late by myself in an unfamiliar city. Forgot I put my receipt envelope in the backseat pocket and reorganized the glove compartment looking for it, then gathered a bunch of returns into a bag in the trunk. Hung out writing in the lobby until my Mac threatened to die, came upstairs and tidied up, put on my jammies, and talked to you guys :)

#ktoo travels #covid coping #mental health #about ktoo #ktoo nurses #herself

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sparkledfirecracker · 3 years

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Hiii my love! So I'm like super nosy and curious how you came to be interested/learned so many languages? I have 3 1/2 under my belt but like one and a half of the 3 I'm iffy on. Hahaha hope you don't mind my question🙈

Hello lovely!!! I love this question, so I don’t mind at all.

Just a little side note, before I give you a FULL breakdown. I’m fine talking about anything you can find on my blog, even the lesser fun stuff. I’d rather be honest than lie and if I wasn’t comfortable with answering these types of questions I wouldn’t have put the information out there on display 😘.

This might be a long one, so I’ll put it under a cut.

If we put neuroscience towards that question: I absolutely hate math, despise it and I have dyscalculia < explains a lot why I hate math. Languages come easier than numbers do. And they say if you’re good with languages you suck at numbers, well in my case absolutely true.

You must have seen the post with all the languages named, so I’ll break them down and even put them in order of learning them, haha. It also comes with trying to explain the Dutch educational system, which can be hella confusing, so apologies in advance.

Language one: my native tongue is Dutch. Born and raised here and mums a native Dutchie.

Language two: my dad is Polish, I rarely speak/read the language though, I’m just not comfortable with it, plus the grammar is an absolute nightmare. But dump me for a week with my dads family, I’m forced to speak it (none of them speak English) and the understanding and talking comes back with some ease.

Language three: I had an obsession with the English language at the age of 8 and taught myself most of it, by watching weekend morning shows on the BBC. Also when I got older 11/12 I started reading fan fiction and absolutely DESTROYED the English dictionary in our house, like pages coming out and literally falling apart (it’s still at my parents house somewhere for entertainment purposes). Plus we get started with English basics when we’re about 9/10 years old and continue this into our education at least until we finish high school.

Language four: German is one language they add when you start high school, I was 11 going on 12. I say high school, but our educational system is not really comparable to the American or British system, because we have different levels of education within high school, same counts for college. It depends on what learning level you are and how many languages are added.

Language five: I started college at 15 going on 16, because of the lower educational entry I had. French was added here. I did my first 7 month internship in France when i was 17 and my second 7 month internship when I was 19. For both I worked with many French and English people. Which boosted the speaking abilities even more. Some French are stubborn and even refuse to speak English if you don’t even try.

Language six: went to university at 20 going on 21, Spanish was added into the mix. I could choose between French and Spanish, since I already knew how to speak and write in French, I went with Spanish. Both languages are also very similar to one another, yet I find French easier. Spanish is the other language I don’t often use, but dump me in a small village in Spain and I’ll be able to manage myself there.

Language seven: I’m midst learning Norwegian, because my sister moved there 3/4 years ago for a job. When I’m there I go exploring a lot. Norwegians are just like the fucking Dutch. They see you struggle in their language and they switch to English, which is tragic for learning purposes, but also a relieve at the same time.

Language eight: as said I’m considering to pick up Italian, I went there for my holidays (vacation, depending on where you are) and I just fell in love with the pure passion the language is spoken with. Plus I was joking around with words for certain animals and objects and I turned out to be right. But I must say there’s a lot of similarities with French and Spanish, so that’s probably why it came so easy.

Playing with languages, especially unknown languages, is something I tend to do naturally. I make a game out of it. I’m just on the go and guessing words for things and looking them up if I’m right. I find that if you find the fun in learning that the language will stick with you.

You have to maintain the languages in order to keep speaking or writing them. I don’t really do that with Spanish and Polish, I still understand it, but a mild panic attack rises when I have to speak it. But once I’m in either country and comfortable again it becomes easier.

So now I’m turning this one on you, love, because I’m intrigued. 3,5? Is it that you understand 4? And speak only 3? Or are you midst learning? Also what languages? TELL ME ALLLLLLLL

#lilo gives answers #language talk #asks are always welcome #drop by if you feel like chatting #dreamlessinparis #lilo rambles #I should still be sleeping

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thoughts-on-bangtan · 4 years

Note

This isn’t really an ask but I wanted to share something I was thinking about with you guys who show your sincere love/admiration for BTS in all you post —

Watching the past BTS Run episodes and the behind videos makes me feel a certain way not only because we get to see the boys relax and have fun (even if they get frustrated a bit haha *looking at HS and JM*), but also because I wonder how often they got to play around and do these kinds of things during the age most people do? I’d say teens and early-20s is the age when we do silly things like play mini games with friends, go to amusement parks for the first time, take a stab at cooking — and yet they were working their hardest and truly shedding blood, sweat, and tears during that time (thinking about JK makes me incredibly soft because he really started young). This show really just allows them to have fun. And it’s frustrating to see that others called the show terrible and said it was something the boys were forced to do and didn’t truly enjoy (the article saying otherwise was a blessing).

Watching “special guests” also be on the show I think highlights this feeling (of them enjoying doing these kinds of things) even more! You can see the excited ness and almost shy manners when they have others on (the voice acting, T1, and recent cooking ep come to mind). I’m looking forward to future episodes! Are there any things/games/themes you’d like to see the boys do on a BTS Run episode?

(Ah, sorry, I guess there is an ask — only if you two wish to answer it!)(Catch me listening to Young Forever now in my feels 😭)

I’ve been sitting on this ask forever and I’m really sorry for that! Especially since it’s such a good one, so thank you so much for sending it in. Maybe that’s why it took me so long, since I kind of wanted to think about it a little and offer something (hopefully) good as response.

RUN certainly offers them a bit of time in their schedules to just be silly together, play mini games and other things they normally wouldn’t really be able to do in their own time, like the zombie game episode or try a flower class. In one of the episodes of Break the Silence Yoongi spoke about how things that are mundane for us are special to them since they don’t get to do them without putting thought into how to pull it off; Seokjin spoke about how while his friends said that he’ll never have to worry about rent, he argued that while that may be true, they will never have to worry about something as trivial as walking down the street, or in one of the Bring the Soul (if I remember currently) episodes where Seokjin was apologetic about wanting to visit the zoo in Berlin since it meant that he had to take so many people with him since they were abroad, though it’s less of an issue while they’re in Korea it seems.

It’s curious how different that experience is for the members though, I mean, just look at their vacation in 2019 and how different it went for Namjoon and Jimin. While Jimin was quickly discovered and followed in Paris and Russia, Namjoon toured through Europe in a way that while ARMY from the respective countries knew about it, they kept it so low key everyone else had no idea until Namjoon posted about it himself. On the other hand, except for their finishing trip, we have no idea what Yoongi did during their vacation, or Hobi besides his CNS collab.

But, generally, it’s rather clear that none of the members would be able to just show up at Everland (an amusement park in Korea, the place where they filmed the America’s Got Talent performance of Dynamite) and have a good time without immediately being spotted, or having to heavily rely on disguises (and likely still worry about it not being enough and what would happen if they were discovered, therefore defeating the entire point of going to a place like that in the first place).

There are two sides to every medal. While yes they had and continue to have to give up on certain things, experiences and freedoms that seem so normal to the average person, something we don’t even have to think about much or can just do whenever we want (like going to the cinema at peak hours or go to McDonald’s (even one of the TXT members couldn’t do that without pictures being secretly taken of him and posted on sns and TXT isn’t nearly as famous as BTS)), they also gain a lot in terms of money but also experiences no one but them will have in such a way. They get to live their dream of being artists, of giving giant concerts all across the globe, of sharing their music with millions of people and bringing us happiness and comfort when we need it most.

More below the cut:

In one of the episodes of Bring the Soul Tae spoke about how they had the opportunities to go higher quicker, but they refused, wanted to do things their own way in their own time. It isn’t like they’ve lost control of their lives, like they wouldn’t be able to do things if they truly wanted—after all in the Bring the Soul episode where Seokjin went to the Zoo, Hobi could also walk around in the area close to the arena where they performed largely without being bothered (which might be due to his heavy disguise and security, but you get the point)—but there are limitations, and in a way, it really is a shame, but at the end of the day, many of these things are ones they’ll still be able to do whenever their fame will calm down, or fade away one day in the future. Cinemas and flower classes and amusement parks won’t just disappear, and they are certainly things you can still do once you’re thirty or forty years old, or even older than that.

But, going back to RUN, the show certainly offers them the opportunity to not have to wait until their fame passes, gives them a chance to experience and try things while also sharing that with us, work and pleasure at once. Though it’s clear that perhaps filming episodes isn’t always at the top of their priorities and I can imagine there are things they’d sometimes rather do—I mean episodes that we’ve seen being filmed in hotel rooms between concerts where I’m sure they’d rather spend the day relaxing, though they likely still prefer filming RUN over giving yet another boring and mindless interview in English, since let’s be honest, those aren’t…great, usually.

When it comes to guests on RUN, be it in form of people like the T1 members or instructors like the tennis players or the auntie teaching them how to make kimchi, it’s always so funny to me to see how humble they are about their own fame, how they get all shy as though they are meeting someone exceedingly famous instead of them being the most famous people in any room they enter. Looking at how they speak of their goals and achievements, it’s easy to see though that they’ve carefully worked on not allowing their fame to get to their heads, to remain grounded and as connected to reality as possible despite being them and how different their lives are from those of normal people. I mean, how many of us can say they were mobbed while trying to buy an iPad?

It's also so beautiful and remarkable to me how people who have met them spoke about them, like Isaac the florist who spoke about how interested they all were in the flowers and truly participated and listened, that they were extremely friendly, kind and polite, and if that doesn’t sound like Bangtan, I don’t know what does. I think this is also one of the reasons why they managed to get to where they are now, why they are so strong as a group, why they still enjoy spending time together, still manage to get even closer and deepen their friendships even after a decade has passed—they’ve remained human despite everything they’ve gone through, despite the heights they keep on reaching, despite all the awards and achievements, the number ones and sold out tours.

Tae said the following about V and his relation to Kim Taehyung in Break the Silence: Persona (the movie):

I think V can show parts of Kim Taehyung and parts of V, but Kim Taehyung can’t show V. Kim Taehyung is Kim Taehyung. Kim Taehyung is someone who’s still filled with a lot of curiosity and he’s inquisitive about a lot of things. There are so many things he wants to do. Also I think there’s so many things he is curious about.

This is the important stuff, and while I don’t have such quotes for the other members, I’m sure it’s true for them as well. Even after all this time Tae is still curious about the world, still has things he’d like to do, he’s still himself even while he stands on stage as V, hasn’t lost himself to the stage persona and the fame. We know Namjoon had a whole crisis about where RM ends and Kim Namjoon begins, and if they really are two separate things, if Namjoon even still exists or if RM has taken over his personality. I’m sure all of them had their respective moment of trying to determine who they are as people, who they are as artists, and who they want to be when they look in the mirror, how to not lose the person below the persona. We’ve also had Jungkook question his worth outside of being a BTS member, something I’m sure all of them also experienced in one way or another since it seems like such an inevitable question to ask yourself after you’ve been part of a group for so long, and yet despite it all, they all still want to stay together as BTS for as long as they can, despite mixtapes and thoughts of wanting to at least be able/confident enough to lead a concert on their own (Jungkook BE Weverse interview).

RUN gives them a chance to be them, to have fun, to be silly, to not have to constantly be on guard, to have fun in an environment where they can feel safe and are surrounded by people who have been with them for a long time and have their best interest in mind as well. There was a whole Weverse Magazine article about it, which I also wrote a post about. And yet there are people who want to take this away from them because they don’t like it while disregarding what BTS themselves want. I won’t call them ARMY since most of them are solos/akgae/mantis, and those are anything but ARMY, they’re not even fans of the one member they claim to stan, are merely caricatures of “fans” who want to “save” them, or rather take control of their lives so BTS would act exactly how they want them to. It’s obsessive and wrong, and it crosses every line and boundary of what it means to be anyone’s fan. As fans it isn’t our job to decide what is and isn’t good for their careers. We don’t know anything about the industry, while they’ve been in it since 2010, and we know nothing about their contracts or what happens behind the scenes.

As long as they are happy and have fun, who are we to question it? I don’t know about you but Bangtan have looked nothing but happy and like they were having a good time in the last couple of episodes, even when they were frustrated because they couldn’t pass a game. After all learning tennis properly and over a longer period of time was their own idea, not anyone else’s, but that’s something those people don’t want to hear anything about or will just twist somehow to fit their narrative. It truly is a shame, but also, it’s their loss if they’d rather make themselves miserable than spend forty minutes laughing along with Bangtan as they’re trying to play the harmonica or trying to cook something with less than stellar cooking skills.

As for something I’d want to see them do on RUN, that’s tricky since there’s so much they’ve already done, but something that comes to mind would be even something as silly as sitting them down and having them try to recreate all the members, or one they chose at random, in The Sims 4. It could be hilarious, and we could see how differently they’d tackle something like it. Or have them decorate a house in Sims, which would be especially interesting with our resident lighting fixtures enthusiast Yoongi. Or maybe something to do with painting, like them attending a class or just attempting to draw the same object or person. (A2: maybe given them a wall and spray cans and have them do graffiti or a mural, or have them do each other’s hair and makeup (taking it serious, of course) for a photoshoot or something like that) Or maybe a Bangtan book club where they’d discuss the same book since it would be so interesting to see what different things each of the members would find in a book and their opinions etc.

The possibilities are endless and just like you I can’t wait to see what the future episodes of RUN will have, and especially the tennis match we’ll see in next week’s episode.

#answered ask #answered ask by admin 1 #BTS #RUN BTS #bangtan sonyeondan #discussion #Namjoon #Seokjin #Yoongi #Hoseok #Taehyung

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eddie-redmayne-italian-blog · 4 years

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Eddie's interview from Style Magazine

By Valentina Ravizza

Photo: Boo George

Styling by Fabio Immediato.

Translate by me from Italian to English

HE WOULD HAVE had to spend the holiday in Italy,” I have a real obsession for your country “,Eddie Redmayne responds from a gray London,” more suited to my pale complexion”, and tells for the first time (and I try to collect my own thoughts) of his next character, the American activist Tom Hayden, protagonist of the protests against the Vietnam war in 1968 and 77e trial of the Chicago 7, the new film by Aaron Sorkin, arriving on Netflix from October 16. "Democracy is something extraordinarily beautiful and complex, nothing comes easily, we must defend our freedoms if we don't want them to be taken away from us."

It can be risky for an actor to take a public position, Aren't you afraid to undermine your popularity?

“The truth is, I'm not afraid to take sides, we all should. I feel a social responsibility as a human being: today more than ever we should ask politicians certain questions. I'm not one who particularly likes to take risks unless it's for something I deeply believe in.”

For exemple?

To play Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything I met several people affected by ALS and doctors who helped me to learn more about the disease, and now I am among the supporters of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. During the lockdown in Britain was made a list of vulnerable people and I found it shocking that patients with motor neuron disease were not part of it, so I spoke to several politicians and went to help them. As an actor my voice has more chances to be heard and I can bring more light on this topics, I have to do it.

Also politicians as in the case of The Trial of Chicago 7?

This film tells how we got rights by changing wrong laws and remember that progress could have gone in one direction rather than another.

Is there any similarity between the protests of the 1960s and those of movements such as Black Lives Matter ?

There are moments in history when people ask for society to really represent them and that's exactly what happened then and what many people are doing in these months. The demonstrations mentioned in the movie were against the Vietnam war, but also supported the claims of the civil rights and feminist movements, the one against which they are protesting today has it’s roots in systemic racism, so the similarities are many.And there are also several other parallels between the two political situations: at the 1968 Democratic convention there was a former vice president, Hubert H. Humphrey, right-hand man of Lyndon Johnson, who ran for the White House, as today former Vice President Joe Biden is in running, and there was a Republican candidate for president who was betting for “law and order” , then it was Richard Nixon, now the same campaign is being carried out by Donald Trump.

Today there is social media, what would have happened if Tom Hayden and the others from Chicago had it?

Hard to say, myself I don't use them . While they represent a great tool of democracy that gives everyone a voice from the shore to power, they also contribute to exacerbate and amplify the falsehoods and prejudices of those who listen only to what they want to hear, in a sort of echo chamber, and they can be used to manipulate things in a very pervasive way.

Is it more difficult to play a figure you esteem like Hayden or one you despise?

I try not to judge, to dissociate my sense of reality to recreate hers. I do as much research as possible, accumulating a lot of information and then throwing everything away and play only what's in the script, hoping that all the prep work has been absorbed somehow into my body, And knowing that that movie will never be. a documentary: I am creating a painting, not a photograph. For this I must accept that I will never be able to be exactly that person, that in something I will necessarily fail.

And when the character is a pure author’s Fantasy product?

It’s like when you were told at school to make a free written essay: I hated it, I said “please, give me a lead!”, In these cases I try first of all to understand what the boundaries are, to find some elements of truth: for example, in the saga of the Fantastic Beasts to become the "Magizoologist" Newt Scamander I started by observing the work of zoologists.

How is it divided between entertainment and committed movies?

In my choices I have always let myself be guided by instinct: I read a script that my body reacts, I get excited, I laugh, I am touched to the point of seeing myself in the role of that and than understand that I really have to do it.

Did the same happen with Tom Hayden?

They first told me about it three years ago while I was on vacation in Morocco, when told me it was Sorkin who wanted me it was like a dream come true. I read the script and it not only ran , but it had a kind of syncopated rhythm I immediately loved it. Then when I got better informed about the project, I found out that it had been written years ago and I couldn't believe he hadn't seen the light yet.

In fact, the first draft is from 2007.

We wondered if this movie had an audience, if it was current enough.Instead with what’s going it has become more and more pressing

So much so that in order to release it this year, given the health emergency Paramount Pictures has decided to sell the film to Netflix (56 millions of dollars) to be distributed directly via streaming.

There could be no better way than Netflix to reach as many people as possible. And I say this as a passionate cinemas’ lover . Unfortunately in the last 20 years I have witnessed a general loss of attention span: there is always a new story to know, we are constantly being pulled in different directions, and instead find ourselves in a cinema hall being forced to sit there for two hours and half even when our attention tries to escape, it’s a kind of pleasant claustrophobia.

And theater, is it still part of your life?

I know that more years go by without me returning to the stage more what I’ll say l’ll sound insincere, but yes, my career started from there, I spent 5 o 6 years working in London theaters. I knew almost nothing about cinema until that world began to open its doors to me, I had to learn a lot on the set. I’ve been looking for a theatrical project, but so far what has been proposed to me are works by the greatest authors, and instead I’d like do something new, fresh. Maybe I found it, but I still can't say anything.

Have you ever thought of letting yourself be taken one day by another passion besides acting?

My other great love is art, but if I ever have to work on it, I imagine myself more as a curator than as a co-worker. But I honestly think that being an actor is extraordinary: whatever part you encounter on your path continues to grow:although sure it’s a wild life and it's a drug.

Are you a workaholic?

In the beginning I was because I had no alternative: I was constantly auditioning and once I got a part immediately got to work, Until in this unfair world of acting there came a moment when I was suddenly successful and overnight I finally had the opportunity to choose. Many people are looking forward to retirement, I hope I’m offered roles even when I’m 80 years old.

At that age maybe you will also be behind the camera?

I'm a bit of a control freak,so yes, I could potentially one day go directing, even just out of curiosity But only if I had to find the right project, something in which I feel safe,

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papermoonloveslucy · 3 years

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NEW LIFE IN LUCY

July 20, 1952

By WILL JONES, Minneapolis Tribune Staff Writer

WITH HER SECOND BABY on the way and her second career in its peak, Lucille Ball is busy trying to make the facts of real life jibe with the facts of TV life.

The complications are going to affect all fans of the nation's No. 1 TV star - particularly those in Minneapolis.

Her pregnancy may delay the return of her TV program, "I Love Lucy," to the air this fall, for one thing.

And it has already meant, for sure, that she won't be in Minneapolis for the Aquatennial. (1)

"I Love Lucy," now off the air for the summer, is supposed to resume Sept. 8. Miss Ball and her husband and co-star, Desi Arnaz, are trying to stall the starting date until sometime in October. (2)

Exactly what good that will do when her baby isn't due until January is one of those facts of TV life that will take some explaining. Miss Ball explained a few things to me in Hollywood last week, and I'll try to pass them long.

Movie studios have been known to speed up shooting schedules of single pictures to accommodate motherhood. But Miss Ball can't shoot 39 films (3) in a hurry, before her condition begins to show. It already shows.

BY THE TIME I had my talk with Miss Ball, the full Impact of the news had already hit her and her organization; They already had decided - with kibitzing from the Columbia Broadcasting System, the sponsor, and other interested parties - one big point:

Miss Ball's unborn child, come winter, is going to have to be part of the act.

They were in the midst of working out some of the details. Scripts for all of next season's "I Love Lucy" programs already had been outlined when Miss Ball discovered her condition. The outlines have been set aside, and the writers have been told to think up some funny new slapstick routines for an enceinte heroine.

Fortunately, "I Love Lucy" is a Mr.-and-Mrs. program. Its family comedy, while often outlandish, has been accepted by its fans as still being pretty true-to-life.

There should be enough funny situations involving expectant couples to keep the subject from getting tiresome.

IMPENDING PARENTHOOD isn't a new subject for comedy, but there has been little of it on TV, there hasn't been much on radio and it's been rare in the movies.

And there's never been an expectant mother quite like Miss Ball.

Even if it were possible to hide her condition - other actresses have accomplished it with the aid of special costuming, trick lighting and such devices as keeping partially hidden behind furniture and bushes - Miss Ball would be against it.

"If I turned up one week suddenly standing still behind some camouflage, it wouldn't be me," she said. "It'd be a fraud. I've got to move around."

Miss Ball had just come from a visit to her doctor when I saw her at her orange ranch in the San Fernando valley, about an hour's drive from Hollywood. (4) She had been discussing her condition with CBS executives, as well as with her doctor, on the same visit to town.

"The doctor told me the baby's going to come a little earlier than we expected," she said. "He says about Jan. 15. (5) He also told me I could work as long as I feel all right.

"At first we thought I might have to quit work in October. Now I don't know."

WORKING BEFORE the cameras while with child isn't entirely a new experience for Miss Ball. She was pregnant when she made the "I Love Lucy" audition film that won her and Arnaz their present contract with the network and sponsor.

But her year-old daughter, Lucie Desiree, was born before she had to go on the air with the new series.

Five of this fall's programs are already filmed. ("I Love Lucy" normally is shot five weeks before it goes on the air, so Miss Ball and Arnaz were five programs ahead before they started their summer vacation.) (6) They plan to resume shooting in a week or so. That will put them 10 programs ahead by Sept. 8, the date they're scheduled to return.

If they get to postpone the program a month they'll have a 14-week backlog of films by the time it starts. Some of the best of last year's programs will be rerun during the weeks Miss Ball won't be able to work. (7) Just how much of a part the baby will play in "I Love Lucy" after it arrives is matter that hasn't been decided.

"I ASKED THAT QUESTION down at CBS this afternoon, and all I got was blank stares," said Miss Ball.

"I'm sure we won't have a situation involving the baby every week, though."

"You could have a funny baby sitter for a character," put in a her publicity man, Ken Morgan who also is her brother-in-law. "You could build a very funny program around a funny baby sitter."

"I'm sure we could," said Miss Ball. She glared at him with mock ferocity: "And what do I do while the baby sitter is being funny?"

Arnaz, a real-life rumba bandleader, plays a rumba bandleader named Ricky Ricardo on "I Love Lucy." The plots usually Involve the wacky things that happen when his wife, Lucy, tries too hard to help him get ahead.

Although the names have been changed, and the Amazes' private life isn't anything like the Ricardos'. TV life, followers still associate the performers closely with the roles.

As long as they're forced to bring one child Into their TV world, I wondered If they might not try to get their TV life in line with their private life.

"That's another question I asked at CBS this afternoon," said Miss Ball. "They didn't have an answer for that, either, "Everybody's been on vacation. We haven't even had a chance to sit down and talk these things over yet."

THEY'VE TALKED over a few things, of course. Miss Ball showed me an "I Love Lucy" baby - a doll set with clothes, feeding equipment, soap, gadgets, etc. - that has been put together by a toy manufacturer in anticipation of the event. The set includes a letter about the baby from Lucy and Ricky. (8)

"It blows bubbles, wets its pants, everything," said Miss Ball proudly. She also played a record, "There's a Brand New Baby at Our House." ("...she's changed our happy house to a home..."), sung by Desi. He wrote the music when Lucie was born. A friend, Eddie Maxwell, wrote the words. (9)

Desi hasn't made any records for a long time, so nothing much happened with the tune. The recording companies are after him again since the success of "I Love Lucy," however, and "Brand New Baby" may be his first new record. (10)

The sudden success of "I Love Lucy" - in one season, it topped Arthur Godfrey, Milton Berle and Red Skelton (11) in all popularity ratings - has left the Amazes amazed.

I was sitting in Morgan's office when he got the news that "Lucy" had hit a rating of 70 - an unheard-of-high figure in one of the TV popularity-rating surveys.

Arnaz came into the office at that moment Morgan told him the news.

ARNAZ LOOKED WORRIED. "You're kidding," he said.

"That crazy Cuban is scared," confided Morgan after Arnaz had left the office. "He doesn't know what to make of all this. He thinks of all those people tuning in, and he worries."

In 20 years as a movie star, Miss Ball never had the acclaim she's had in one year on television.

"People stop me on the street and talk to me now," she said. "That never happened when I was in movies. I was in Ohrbach's this afternoon, and I had to ride up and down four times In the elevator just listening to people tell me about the show.

"The only time people In the street bothered to talk to me before was when I made ‘The Big Street.' (12) But It was nothing like what's happened In the past year. And Desi and I are the two most grateful people in the world.

"You have no Idea what It's meant to us. We're real hams, you know."

BESIDES GLORY, "I Love Lucy" also has meant shorter hours and a happy home life for Mr. and Mrs. Arnaz. Before TV, Lucille had to get up at 5:30 or 6 every morning to go to the studio. She didn't get home until 7 or 7:30 p.m. and she was exhausted. If Desi wasn't on the road with his band, she had to go to a nightclub to be with him In the evening.

Their marriage almost broke up because of the schedule. Lucille once filed for divorce, but never followed through. (13) In the movies, Miss Ball had to work five or six long days a week. Now she puts in four eight-hour days.

Arnaz, who Is president of their company, Desilu Productions, has to attend to production and business matters in addition to his acting. That usually means a 10- or 12-hour day for him. But he, too, insists on a three-day week-end.

"We don't think about the show we don't even mention it from Friday night to Tuesday morning," said Miss Ball. "They wanted me to look at the scripts a week ahead, so they'd have more time to work on the clothes. I design all my own. But I wouldn't even do that, for fear I'd start worrying about next week's show over the week-end."

AS VICE PRESIDENT of Desilu productions, Miss Ball gets a chair on the set with "Veep" printed on back. Occasionally she signs some papers. "But may I say that I don't know what I'm looking at?" she said.

Desilu now is producing the TV version of "Our Miss Brooks," starring Eve Arden, which will go on the air this fall. (14) As executive producer, Arnaz has had to be on hand during much of the "Miss Brooks" filming this summer.

"But all I hafta do," said Miss Ball, "is go over and pat Brooksie on the shoulder now and then and ask her where she got those clothes. She comes in with some wonderful things."

"Our Miss Brooks" is being filmed exactly the same way as "I Love Lucy." It's a combination of movies, TV and summer stock, a system worked out by Desilu.

The Amazes are especially proud of it because, before they started, everybody told them it wouldn't work. Nobody figured a couple of actors could run a complex producing organization.

They film their shows in an independent movie studio that was all but abandoned before they moved in. (15) Now the place is bustling with other TV people, including Burns and Allen, who are copying the Desilu system.

BLEACHER SEATS for 300 people were built into one side of the sound stage. Part of one wall was cut out to make a street entrance for the audience. A small sign, “Desilu Playhouse," hung on a wrought-iron support outside, adds to the summer-stock atmosphere.

The schedule goes roughly like this: Tuesday is devoted to learning the script, which al ways runs more than 40 pages. Miss. Ball sketches her clothes and gives the designs to the dressmaker.

There are rehearsals Wednesday. The program is rehearsed straight through, like a play. Thursday there's a full dress rehearsal, with cameras and lights. There's a bull session afterwards, with the writers present, to weed out the weak spots.

When the program started audiences were invited to the dress rehearsals, but Lucille and Desi found they got all worked up and gave better performances Thursday night than they did on Friday, when the program is actually filmed.

NOW THEY RELY on the laughs of the crew on Thursday nights to tell them what to keep in and what to change.

Three movie cameras, moving in and out among the actors like TV cameras, record the Friday night performance. The program is played straight through, the only stops being for costume changes. The audience is allowed to whoop it up as much as it wants. Audience laughter is recorded and used in the final soundtrack.

The photographer, Karl Freund, a roly-poly man with a thick German accent, was all but retired when Miss Ball asked trim to film their show. She liked the way he had photographed her at MGM. ("We fought like cats and dogs, but when it came off on the screen, I never looked lovelier.")

He spent a week in New York studying TV methods, decided everybody there was all wet, and dreamed up his own system. (Freund was the first Hollywood cameraman ever to move a camera during a scene, mounting it on a rubber-tired arrangement known as a dolly. Without his invention "I Love Lucy" now would take two or three times as long to shoot. Many inventions now incorporated in Hollywood studio cameras are his, too.)

ARNAZ' STUDIO CHAIR has "Prez" painted on back. (When Freund wants him, however, he Just yells for "Young man with old face!" Arnaz' black hair is shot with gray that doesn't show on TV.)

William Frawley and Vivian Vance, the character actors who play the couple next door, have special chairs, too. Frawley's is labeled "William Frawley, Boy Actor." Miss Vance's label is "Vivian Vance, Girl Actress." Their work is admired so much around Desilu that they got a raise before they ever asked for it.

"I don't know how long they're signed up for," said Miss Ball, "but by God if it isn't for a long time, I'll have to speak to Desi." There's a sign in the Desilu rehearsal hall: "anyone that enjoys work can have a hell of a good time in this institution." Everybody, apparently, does.

There's a board with names of the cast members painted on it. There are gold stars stuck behind the names. Anybody who gets off a good crack, goofs, or otherwise relieves the tension that, comes with the hard work gets a gold star.

ON SHOW NIGHTS, Arnaz, cook and gourmet, serves everybody in the crew a big dinner in the rehearsal hall. The Amazes have a bungalow on the lot in which they live during the day. The living room is decorated with water colors of and oil paintings by Miss Ball, who goes in for landscapes when she paints. (16)

There's also a large dressing room and a bright yellow kitchen. They stayed there over night during Los Angeles' floods a few months ago, (17) but otherwise they go home to the ranch every night.

"I hate to get up in the morning in the same place I'm going to work all day," said Miss Ball.

An extra project is under way at the Desilu studios this summer. The TV show has caused so much talk that people in non-TV areas have demanded to see what all the conversation is about.

Three of the best "Lucy" programs from last season have been selected for showing in theaters in areas not yet reached by TV. They're being tied together with a story about a couple who have trouble getting tickets to the program. (18) (That's a real problem. Handling tickets got to be such a headache that Desilu turned over ticket distribution to CBS. Now the people at Desilu often can't get their friends in.)

The "I Love Lucy" feature movie is being put together by Ed Sedgwick, a director who used to make some of Miss Ball's movie comedies. I've never considered Lucille a comedienne." Sedgwick told me. "She's a comic. There's a difference."

SUCCESS OF "I Love Lucy" has opened the way for all kinds of other sidelines. Desi wears smoking jacket. Tailors want him to spearhead a campaign to revive the smoking jacket. Other clothing men spotted the narrow lapels on all his suits, and want him to endorse Desi Arnaz narrow lapels. (19)

Manufacturers want Miss Ball's clothing designs. There's a line of Lucille Ball blouses being readied. Now, of course they're talking maternity dresses, too. (20)

Another outfit is ready to put out Desi Arnaz bongo drums. (21) "Ethel" (Vivian Vance) wore an old-fashioned kitchen garment known as a swirl on one program. Now there's, a merchandising tie-up for "I Love Lucy" swirls. (22)

Even before word got around about Miss Ball's upcoming maternity, doll manufacturers were proposing deals. So there's going to be a red-headed Lucille Ball doll. (23)

Since one-third of the pro grams fans are figured to be small fry, the doll is expected to be a popular item. Morgan, a native of Devil’s Lake, N.D. looks after most of such details. And then there's talk of an "I Love Lucy" radio program. Miss Ball was on the air with "My Favorite Husband" a few seasons ago, but radio acting is a new experience for Desi.

THERE'S A POSSIBILITY the sound tracks of old TV programs may be used for a new radio program, with some narration to fill in what the audience can't see. (24)

So, with all the success, has come more and more yearning to get away from on week-ends.

The Amazes figure they see enough of each other during the week. So, although they're homebodies, they do quite a bit of getting away from each other on week-ends.

Miss Ball usually sticks to the ranch, a quiet, five-acre place lush with vegetation. The orange groves are there because they look nice. "You know, I've never eaten one of our oranges," said Miss Ball. "I tasted one once, and it was so sour I couldn't finish it. We get our oranges at the market."

They have a deal with the Sunkist people, who tend the crop, harvest it and keep the place in shape in exchange for the oranges.

Arnaz, who has a mania for fishing, spends all or part of every week-end on his 35-foot fishing boat. He doesn't shave when he's fishing. He was away on the boat when I visited the ranch.

MISS BALL was out back, in a cluttered yard she calls "the farmer's market," sitting in a wooden lawn chair. She looked tired. Her face, in the evening light and against her shocking-pink hair, looked paler than it probably was. Her mother, Mrs. Desiree Ball, was looking after Lucie, who was toddling around the edge of the swimming pool. Three frisky spaniels bounded up to meet me.

Miss Ball called them away sharply. "They stink," she said. While we talked, she watched nervously to see that they didn't knock the baby into the pool.

Presently Mrs. Ball said good-by, and headed for the house with Lucie. "Tell Ethel I want a demitasse!" Miss Ball called after her. "And tell her I want it to get rid of the garlic she put in the meat!" (25)

After she settled down with the coffee, she said: "There's one thing I really like about television. I don't have to worry about glamor any more. Well, my hair is still combed. But I don't have to worry if it isn't."

From her chair, she started conducting a visual tour of the place, pointing out behind her an overgrown shelter with lawn furniture Inside. ("It's some kind of a Cuban hut that Desi built. I think they call it a bohio.") She pointed, too, to a huge outdoor fireplace. ("Desi built that, too. But we found out it's too far from the house. We don't use It any more.")

Across the swimming pool she pointed out a strange lath structure, also built by Desi. "We never found out what he had in mind," she said. "We've never used it for anything."

We walked across the lawn to inspect one of Arnaz' more practical bits of carpentry: a place they call a bathhouse, which is really a huge cottage used for parties. It has a long rumpus room, finished in dark pine, with a film projection room at one end, and a behind-the-bar kitchen that's exclusively Desi's. It's fitted with a large, black, old-fashioned gas oven, another barbecue and outsize copper utensils.

Miss Ball peered suspiciously into a huge copper kettle on the stove. "Desi uses this for soup, she said. "He spent three years getting the recipe from Antoine's." (26)

When Arnaz cooks, he always makes a large mess. He never cleans it up.

"I enjoy spoiling my husband," said Miss Ball, "and he enjoys spoiling me. I don't expect him to clean up." She thought a moment. "I don't know what he doesn't expect of me."

She pointed out a mounted marlin of which he's proud, some built-in seats he designed and constructed, and then led the way to the house. It was dark outside now.

"Be careful," she said. “There are wires on these trees, and people are always falling down."

INSIDE THE HOUSE, in a long tile-floored room facing the yard, we came across a third barbecue.

“Desi isn't happy unless he has a barbecue at his fingertips," she said. Another thing the Amazes are well supplied with is TV sets. They have four, including the one in the bathhouse.

"We always watch our show," she said, "usually with friends. Monday is our canasta night. Sometime we're over at the Charlie Ruggleses, sometimes at the Dean Martins. (27) Wherever we are, we stop for a half hour to watch."

We took a fast walk through the house. "It won't take you long to see this place," said Miss Ball, leading the way through the long early-American living room, the bedroom, Desi's study, Desi's dressing room, and then down a long corridor, past an enclosed patio, to the nursery wing.

"Desi built this, too," she said. "We keep a carpenter here full time to help him. Since we started the show, Desi hasn't had any time for building, but we still keep the carpenter busy."

THE NURSERY - a three-room affair designed to accommodate two children - cost more than the house itself. The center room Is a gleaming-white, clinical-looking place Miss Ball calls "the laboratory."

It's loaded with sterilizing equipment, kitchen equipment and laundry equipment. The Amazes keep a nurse, as well as a maid-cook and the carpenter. Desi's mother and Mrs. Ball both live nearby, and look in frequently, so Lucie gets plenty of attention when her parents are at the studio.

Miss Ball has taken her to the studio for visits, but never takes her in for a day when she's working. Arnaz's band appears on one out of about every four "Lucy" programs. It's pretty much the same one he started with in Florida. He formed it after he broke away from Xavier Cugat in the '30s.

The band doesn't travel or make public appearances any more, but the musicians are as glad that Arnaz has settled down as he is. They have a family life now, too.

They work around Hollywood, playing at the movie and recording studios and at various clubs. And they're always on call when they're needed for "Lucy."

Miss Ball and Arnaz planned to come to the Aquatennlal on the way to New York for a series of magazine interviews. One of the things that had convinced them was a two-page wire from Arthur Godfrey singing the praises of Minnesota and of Cedric Adams, who would have been their host.

WHEN THEY found out about the baby, they still planned to come. Then Miss Ball's doctor ordered her not to. He ruled out the New York interviews, too. They went to Sun Valley instead, for a rest, but cut their visit short when they found themselves the center of attention from other guests. (28)

The act they planned to do here was one they had to dream up in order to prove to CBS that they could do "I Love Lucy." Before the program started, one of the big objections they got went like this: "Nobody will believe that Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are husband and wife."

Arnaz had a simple answer: "We are." But nobody paid much attention to him.

The two made a theater tour with a Mr.-and-Mrs. routine, just to see if audiences would accept them that way. It clicked. That's what made CBS decide to go along with their first notions about TV.

# # #

FOOTNOTES FROM THE FUTURE

(1) The Minneapolis Aquatennial is an annual outdoor event held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during the third full week of July. Originating in 1940, the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebrates the city's famous lakes, rivers, and streams.

(2) Instead of September 8th, the second season of “I Love Lucy” began on September 15, 1952, not in October as was first considered. It kicked off with the now iconic “Job Switching” (aka Candy Factory episode), which had been filmed in late May 1952, before this article was published.

(3) Although season one of “I Love Lucy” had produced 35 episodes (the most of any “Lucy” sitcom), season two only clocked in with 31 new episodes. If their original goal was 39, they were 8 short.

(4) Before her Beverly Hills mansion, Lucy’s dream house was in the San Fernando Valley. Desilu Ranch, as it was called, was a ranch-style home on five acres at the intersection of Devonshire Street and Corbin Avenue in Chatsworth. The home was demolished in the mid-1970s to make way for subdivision development.

(5) Lucille Ball gave birth on January 19, 1953. Because it was a Caesarean birth, Ball had some leeway with the date. Naturally, she opted for a Monday so that her real son and her TV son could be born on the same day, making television history in the process.

(6) The five shows that were already ‘in the can’ for Fall 1952 were: "The Anniversary Present" (filmed May 9, 1952), “The Handcuffs” (filmed May 16, 1952), “The Operetta” (filmed May 23, 1952), “Job Switching” (filmed May 30, 1952), and “The Saxophone” (filmed June 6, 1952). Although “Job Switching” was filmed fourth of these five, everyone knew it was a knock-out hit, and it was aired as the season 2 premiere. This explains why the photos that accompany this article are glimpses from two as-of-then unaired episodes: “The Anniversary Present” and “The Operetta.”

(7) Desilu also came up with Flashback Intros (filmed without Lucille Ball) to introduce repeated episodes. Fred, Ethel, and Ricky would open the show with a “remember the time...” premise and then a repeat episode would be aired. These were not included in the syndication prints, but some have turned up as DVD extras.

(8) The ‘I Love Lucy’ baby doll was a big seller for Christmas 1952. The doll’s gender was deliberately kept vague until after the birth of Little Ricky in January 1953, after which a new infant doll branded “Little Ricky” was released. There was also a Little Ricky puppet baby doll.

(9) “There's A Brand New Baby (at Our House)” was first sung on “I Love Lucy” in “Sales Resistance” (ILL S2;E17), the first flashback episode after Lucy went into the hospital to have the baby. The lyricist Eddie Maxwell was the real-life husband of Eve Whitney from “The Charm School” (ILL S3;E15).

(10) After the above episode aired on July 26, 1953, announcer Johnny Jacobs promoted that the song (he calls “The Baby Song”) was available on Columbia Records (a division of CBS, naturally) with the “I Love Lucy” theme song on the flip side.

(11) Arthur Godfrey’s show “Talent Scouts” was “Lucy’s” lead-in on Monday nights. Godfrey himself promoted the show, asking viewers to ‘stay tuned.’ Red Skelton had a variety show on CBS, competing with NBC’s “Ed Sullivan” on Sunday nights. Milton Berle hosted “Texaco Star Theatre” on NBC, another variety program. If Monday nights belonged to Lucy, Tuesday nights were owned by Uncle Miltie. All three performers guest-starred on “Lucy” sitcoms. The above 1953 TV Guide cover makes it clear who is top of the TV totem pole. Red Skelton is not depicted.

(12) The Big Street was released in August 1942. If people were stopping Lucy on the street, it may have been to compliment her performance in what was her favorite film. They may have also been curious about performing in a wheelchair.

(13) Lucille filed for divorce from Desi twice. The first time was in September 1944, citing infidelity and incompatibility. Ball returned to him before the interlocutory decree became final, nullifying the divorce. The second divorce, in April 1960, stuck.

(14) “Our Miss Brooks” had been a big hit on radio starring Eve Arden and Gale Gordon, who would repeat their roles on television. Although not formally produced by Desilu, it was produced at the same studio and used many of the same actors (Gordon, Richard Crenna, Mary Jane Croft, Frank Nelson) that would appear on “I Love Lucy,” including, in one episode, Desi Arnaz. The show started one year after “Lucy” and ran one year shorter.

(15) General Service Studios was located at 1040 North Los Palmas Avenue, in Hollywood. It started life as a movie studio in 1919, and was variously known as American Zoetrope, Hollywood Center Studios, and now, Sunset Las Palmas Studios. Desilu outgrew the location in 1953, and moved to larger digs known then as Ren-Mar, now Red Studios.

(16) Not much is known about Lucille Ball’s painting pastime. We know that she signed her paintings ‘Balzac’.

(17) From January 13 to 18, 1952 heavy rains hit the Southern California area. On January 18 alone, 3.17” of rain fell in Los Angeles in a 24-hour period. The storm was responsible for eight deaths due to flooding in Los Angeles.

(18) The “I Love Lucy” Movie consisted of three episodes edited together: “The Benefit” (ILL S1;E13), “Breaking the Lease” (ILL S1;E18) and “The Ballet” (ILL S1;E19). New scenes were filmed to help connect the three episodes into one cohesive whole. Also, new wraparound segments were filmed. The opening segment shows the studio audience filing in for the filming. Desi Arnaz welcomes the audience and introduces the cast as he typically did before every filming. In the closing segment, Arnaz thanks the audience and Lucille Ball and the cast take their final bows. The film was given one preview before it was shelved. It may have been pressure from MGM, who had their own “Lucy” movie in the works, The Long, Long Trailer, or it may have been felt that the film diluted the television programs value. Either way, it was Lucy and Desi’s final call to shelve the project. It has since been released on DVD.

(19 & 20) Merchandising was a big part of selling “I Love Lucy” to the public. When actual items were not mass marketed, patterns for the items were available. Advance had the license for “I Love Lucy” patterns.

(21) The Desi Arnaz Conga Drum (not Bongo drum) was made in 1952 by A & A American Metal Toy Company of Brooklyn, New York. It was nineteen inches high. It is one of the rarest of the original “I Love Lucy” collectibles valued at $2,000 to $5,000!

(22) Swirl was a brand of house dress that often buttoned up the back, had pockets, and a tie belt. Vivian Vance wore several designs by Swirl on the show, including one of her famous arrow Swirls advertised in magazines and newspapers.

(23) Long before Mattel made their Lucy Barbie, there was a Lucy Ricardo rag doll. The doll had orange hair, blue eyes, bow lips, and an apron with heart-shaped pockets, just like Lucy. It was given away by their sponsor Philip Morris in 1953.

(24) On February 27, 1952, a sample the “I Love Lucy” radio show was produced, but it never aired. This was created by editing the soundtrack of the television episode “Breaking the Lease”, with added Arnaz narration (in character as Ricky Ricardo).

(25) It sounds as though, quite coincidentally, Lucille Ball’s Chatsworth cook / maid was named Ethel! Either that, or Ball is joking.

(26) Antoine’s Restaurant was also mentioned in Eleanor Harris’s 1954 book The Real Story of Lucille Ball.

(27) Charles Ruggles (1886-1970) was a character actor who appeared in over a hundred films. Like Lucille Ball, he made the transition to television with a series called “The Ruggles” (1949-52). He was married to Marion LaBarba. Dean Martin (1916-95) was a singer and comic actor. He appeared as himself on “The Lucy Show,” in one of Ball’s favorite episodes. From 1949 to 1973 he was married to Jeanne Biegger, who appeared as herself on the “I Love Lucy” episode “The Fashion Show.”

(28) Sun Valley, Idaho, was a favorite getaway location of the Arnaz family. It is a is a resort city where tourists enjoy ice skating, golfing, hiking, trail riding, cycling, tennis and (of course) skiing. The world’s first chair lift was erected in Sun Valley in 1936. Lucy and Desi set a 1958 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in Sun Valley, and even went on location to film.

#Lucille Ball #Desi Arnaz #Chatsworth #I Love Lucy #1952

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btsslowburnfic · 4 years

Text

Sonata Third Movement

The dear @omgalyssag17 asked: hi i saw you have your requests open and was wondering if you’d be interested in writing a story where Yoongi moves into a haunted apartment/house (human!yoongi x ghost!reader pairing). i like giving authors lots of room for creativity so let your imagination flow.

Summary: Yoongi is vacationing at a haunted lake house. [Y/N] has been masquerading as her “sister.” Our [Y/N] will be discovered to be a ghost. 7k words. Fluffy and Angst.

AN: Thanks for everyone’s patience with this piece. I really like the way it turned out <3

First Movement

Second Movement

------------------- ”Please Yoongi the dock,” You said, feeling like parts of you were slowly being taken off. It was like you were a fish having their scales removed.

Yoongi barely had words for what he was seeing. Where Elise had been sitting, it looked as though someone had taken a transparency and placed it in the middle of the boat. Where her face had been, it looked like a painting that someone had walked up and smeared. What the hell was going on? He could hear a voice coming from the other side of the boat, and it sounded like Elise’s but covered in static. He shook his head, as though this was a dream or a vision he could simply end. “Please, dock, Yoongi.” he could make out. Ok. Stay calm, he thought. He was in the lake. He needed to get to the dock. Maybe he was having a stroke or something. Stay calm.

He took his shaky hands and grabbed the oars, slowly rowing the boat back to the dock. He steadied his breathing and looked away from the unsettling sight across from him. As he got closer, he could hear you again more clearly.

“That hurts so bad, please Yoongi.”

His heart clenched at the amount of pain it sounded like you were in. “We’re almost back to the dock,” He forced himself to say calmly.

He looked back over. You looked normal once again. He slowly reached down for his phone which was still in picture taking mode. He held it up and looked at you through the screen. Nothing was there. He moved his phone aside and saw you. He repeated this a few times, his eyes growing wider each time.

You were starting to feel better physically. You looked over at Yoongi and saw what he was doing. Shit. Shit. He looked terrified. You felt your eyes start to tear up once again.

“What’s going on?” He asked, mostly to himself. He shook his head and pushed more buttons on his phone.

“It’s not your phone, Yoongi. It’s me.” You cried.

Yoongi sat there with his mouth open, staring. He felt bad that you were crying but he was also very confused.

“I’m a ghost. I’m [Y/N].” You sobbed.

The boat arrived at the dock. You quickly got out of the boat, not caring about how, and you flung off your life jacket, running toward the house.

Yoongi sat there for a long time, processing what had just happened. A ghost?

You ran into the house crying and went into the guest bedroom. Stupid stupid ghost. Stupid cancer. This wasn’t fair. You were so angry and upset. All you wanted to do was spend one nice day with the first person who had been nice to you in a decade. You had been a good person, what had you done to deserve this?

Yoongi slowly tied up the boat and placed the lifejackets back where they belonged. He walked up and sat on the back deck, thinking about what to do next. He puffed out his cheeks. Were you actually a ghost? Was he having a medical emergency? He felt fine, other than the fact that he had seen some weird shit a few minutes ago. He looked back through the pictures on his phone. There were pictures of the lake, dock, and house that he had taken for Jin. And then there was the photo of the empty rowboat. But you were real to him. You had played the piano. Worn a lifejacket. Talked to him. Shared food with him. You had even put a blanket on him when he was sleeping. There was no one else out here that could have done that.

He shook his hair out of his face and opened the sliding glass door. “[Y/N]?” he called out tentatively into the house. He moved closer to the guest bedroom and heard you softly crying. He knocked on the door. “[Y/N]?”

You froze, was Yoongi actually talking to you? You got up and walked over to the door. You opened it up ever so slightly.

“How can you be a ghost when I can see you?” He asked. Like this was normal.

You laughed, a sad snotty sound. “I don’t know. I don’t know how ghost rules work. You couldn’t see me the first day.”

Yoongi thought back. “You moved my bag outside.”

“Sorry.” You looked down at your feet.

“But you also made me coffee?” He raised his eyebrows.

“Being a ghost is confusing. I thought you would be another rude person, but you turned out to be nice.” You replied.

Yoongi laughed, slightly incredulously. “So I couldn’t see you at first. But now I can. Can most people see you?”

He was interested and not scared? This was strange, you thought. “No. You’re the first person in ten years who I’ve been able to talk to or see.”

“And you can’t leave here?” He rubbed his chin with his hand.

“No. If I could I would. I don’t know where I’d go. I guess I’d travel as a ghost, or go to heaven or hell or whatever is supposed to be next. I’ve wondered a few times if this is hell. But it doesn’t feel bad enough to be hell. Maybe it’s just heck. I’m stuck in heck for some reason.”

“You seem like a very sweet person. I doubt you’d go to hell or even heck if those places exist.” Yoongi leaned against the doorway. You couldn’t believe you two were having this conversation.

“Well, I’m stuck here and have been for ten years. Watching my dog die, my parents sob uncontrollably, and people come and desecrate my beautiful home and piano, so this isn’t exactly what I would consider a nice existence.”

Yoongi moved his lips to the side, pursed in thought. “Yeah. That does sound pretty awful. Maybe you have unfinished business? You know in ghost movies there’s always something like that.”

“I never really watched ghost movies,” you responded.

“Me neither, too scary. But I’ve read a few webtoons. Let’s see. You weren’t murdered. Do you have a crazy ex-boyfriend? Unrequited love?”

“No. No. None of those things. Is that really a thing?”

“I don’t know, up until about 20 minutes ago I didn’t think ghosts were real, so what do I know? I’m just trying to come up with ideas.” He said, fluffing his black hair.

At the same time the two of you reached the same conclusion. “The music.”

“Alright. So we can finish the composition and then maybe you can get out of Lakehouse heck.” Yoongi theorized. “And if you can’t, I’m buying the Lakehouse anyway so at least maybe it would be light heck.”

You started to smile. “Really?”

“Yep. It’s the perfect place for a getaway. Jin and I can come fishing. My friend Namjoon could go hiking. It’s great.”

“That’s so amazing. I don’t even know what to say. To know that people’s kids won’t be putting their nasty sticky hands all over my things….Thank you so much Yoongi, I really appreciate it.” You gave him a shy smile. You couldn’t believe he was still talking to you even though he knew you were a ghost.

“You’re welcome. Now let’s go work on that music.” He turned back down the hallway and into the living room humming to himself.

The rest of the afternoon wore on easily, with you each trying different chords and progressions to see what would fit. Unfortunately it still didn’t sound right, but you did enjoy spending time with Yoongi especially now that you didn’t feel like a liar.

It was starting to get dark out. Yoongi stood up and stretched his arms overhead.

“Don’t you need to eat, alive person?” You asked, turning around on the bench to face him.

“I guess I should. Wait a minute. You’ve been eating and stuff as well. How does that work? Do you normally eat?” He got a very confused look on his face (y’all know the one I’m talking about).

You shrugged your shoulders, “I don’t understand ghost science. I haven’t been eating or drinking the last 10 years. You have magic ghost powers or something. I still don’t feel hungry or thirsty...or need to use the bathroom. But I can interact with food.”

“Huh. Weird. Alright Ghosty, just in case these are your last few days eating food before you pass on from Lake House heck, what do you want to eat?”

You laughed, he had given you a nickname, so cute. STOP IT, you admonished yourself. “Hmm...Kimchi fried rice?” You asked.

“You got it,” He walked over to the kitchen and started taking groceries out. You turned back to the piano and looked back over the music once again. The piece was very sad and slow tempoed. It sounded great, but then at what would be the halfway point it got lost. You played the last few bars again and again.

“Walk away for a while,” You heard Yoongi yell from the kitchen.

“It’s so frustrating.” You replied as you followed his advice and got up, joining him at the kitchen island. You took some scissors and began cutting the kimchi.

“I know. I hate it when I get stuck on something. I have music living on my computer for years. Sometimes we end up using it. It didn’t sound right at the time, but after a while it does.” He said as he put rice into the pan.

“Well it’s been ten years and It’s still just sitting there,” you pouted.

“Yeah but if you’re not having new experiences it’s also hard to write. Being in here and doing the same thing can’t be good for our creative process.”

“That’s true. Well. Thank goodness these few days have been different, maybe they’ll jumpstart my creativity.” You smiled while moving the cutting board next to the pan for him.

“So, I know you are not your own sister. Was everything else true?” He asked, tentatively. He didn’t want to upset you but he was curious.

“Yep. Piano composer. Cancer. Dead dog. Sad parents. Ghost. That’s me.” You sighed and got some plates out.

“I’m sure there’s more to you than that. What did you do when you were alive and felt well?” He asked.

You thought about it for a minute. You could hardly remember. You hadn’t thought about that part of being alive in a long time.

“Are you ok? If it’s a problem don’t worry about answering.” Yoongi said as he stirred the food.

“No, sorry. I just. I haven’t thought about it in so long I’m having trouble remembering. I think I liked reading. I still do actually. But I’ve read every book in here 50 times and people rarely ever forget their books.”

“We need to get you an e-reader.”

“What’s that?” You wrinkled your forehead.

“Do you know what tablets are?”

“Like big phones?”

“Yes. So you can get books on your tablet and then you can just swap them out or whatever.”

“With what, my ghost money?” You teased. You knew he was trying to be nice.

“Well the next time I come back up here I can bring you some books, Ghosty. No worries.”

Your tiny ghost heart was pounding inside your chest. Maybe being stuck here wasn’t so bad.

Yoongi finished cooking and the two of you ate in relative silence as you enjoyed the food. You noticed him yawning several times throughout the meal.

“Go sleep, I’ll clean up.” You encouraged as he got up to wash his plate.

“You don’t need to do that.”

“You made a ghost dinner. The least I can do is clean the dishes.” You joined him by the sink.

He involuntarily yawned again. “Yeah, ok. I should probably sleep before I get awake again. Thanks.”

You finished up the dishes and looked over at the keyboard. Nah. It wasn’t going to happen tonight.

Day 5

You woke up to the smell of coffee and walked out into the main area. Yoongi was sitting at his computer with headphones on so you headed over to pour yourself some coffee.

You let the hot liquid fill your body, enjoying the way it tasted. The first cup always hit the best.

Yoongi was in the zone so you quietly let yourself out onto the back porch. Another foggy day. Oh well. You knew better than to try going out to the lake again, you shuddered, remembering the sensation of slowly having your body peeled apart. You tried to once again remember what you enjoyed doing when you were alive. You remembered books, coffee, and your dog. And the piano. Were there other things and you forgot them? Did you have friends? You probably did, right? Thinking about it hurt your head.

You heard the door open. “Hey, I didn’t hear you get up.” Yoongi said, plopping down on the bench across from you.

“You were in the zone so I just snuck out. Thanks for the coffee.” You took a sip from the mug.

“No problem,” he swiped his tongue across his lips. “So you’re still a ghost right? That wasn’t some weird fever dream from yesterday. Right?

You laughed. “Still a ghost.”

“What do you want to do today?” He asked.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you here to work?”

“I did some work, but now I want to help you get out of heck. You need to do some stuff other than re-read the same books.”

“Like what? I can’t leave here. And the reception sucks so there’s not even anything on tv.” You shrugged.

“Come on, I downloaded some shows onto my laptop. We can watch something.”

“Ok.” You said surprised, you hadn’t planned on really spending the day with Yoongi. You followed him into the house and watched him grab his laptop and sit it on the coffee table. He walked over and took your mug, taking it into the kitchen for a refill.

He returned to the couch, sitting your coffee on a coaster next to the laptop. “You coming Ghosty?”

“Yeah, sorry.” You snapped back into it. You had been so taken back by him being so nice to you.

The two of you settled in watching some show about basketball. It wasn’t the most interesting thing to you but it was a nice change of pace and it was a good opportunity for you to get some creepy stares int.

“I used to play basketball,” Yoongi said suddenly, breaking the silence.

“Oh? Cool. I don’t think I played any sports. Piano recitals and rehearsal were all I had time for.” You responded while still watching the movie.

Yoongi was half watching the movie. He had seen it so many times before, he didn’t really need to pay attention. He had spent a lot of time last night thinking about how weird this whole thing was but he had decided to just go with it. Maybe he was going crazy. Maybe you were a ghost. Either way, he was going to stay the rest of the week here and try to make them the best days you had had for a while. He didn’t know why it was so important to him. He could have packed up and left yesterday after the boat incident, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. He wanted to fix the music. He wanted to fix you if he could.

He looked over at you. What had happened wasn’t fair. He found himself getting irritated at the unfairness of life again. You seemed so nice so why had this happened to you? He looked back at the screen. And why was he relating so much to a ghost? He had asked himself all of these questions last night and still hadn’t settled on an answer. The show ended. Yoongi leaned forward and closed the laptop.

“Hey. Could you play some of your other music for me?” He asked, turning to face you.

You were surprised. It had been a while, but surely you could remember some of it. You stood up, stretching after you had been sitting for so long.

“Sure. Happy or sad?” You asked, sitting down at the piano.

“Sad first, then happy.” Yoongi replied from the couch.

“Ok.” You stretched your fingers along the keyboard, warming them up a bit at first. You played one of your early compositions. It was low and slow and sad. A feeling of emptiness and cold was captured in the movements.

“That was really good.” Yoongi said, standing up and moving over to the computer chair next to the bench. “Now, something happy.”

You moved your hands much quicker this time, playing a lively number inspired by Carnivale. If this song was a color it would be pink, yellow, red, and orange. You finished to Yoongi’s polite applause. “Thank you, thank you,” you smiled and gave a fake bow. “Alright. Your turn.”

“Me?” He gestured to himself.

“Yep. You said you play as well. I’ve heard you play my piece, now play one of yours.”

“Alright,” he got up and sat down next to you before you had a chance to get up. You tried to not focus on how your thighs were pressed together or how he leaned across your body when he played the lower notes. It's a good thing you didn’t need to breathe to stay alive because you wouldn’t have been able to. He was very good and played his work with so much passion.

He played the final chord and looked over to see you staring at him in awe. “Sorry, you’re just really good.”

He looked away, touching his ear and becoming shy. “Thanks. You should try to play it.”

“I haven’t played new music in forever. And that is sooo not my style.” You laughed.

“It’s good to try different styles of music. Come on, I’ll teach you.” He picked up your hand and placed it on the keyboard. Well, you couldn’t say ‘no’ to that.

The two of you slowly worked through the song. Yoongi thought it was cute to watch you try to learn. You stuck out your tongue slightly when you were concentrating. “Ughh I keep messing this part up.” You took your hands off the keys and shook them out.

His deep voice reverberated in a laugh next to you. “You’re doing great. Start this part over.” He played it once more.

You sighed, annoyed with yourself. “I haven’t learned new music in ten years, I forgot how hard it was.” You start to copy his finger movements, this time getting it right.

“There you go. Now you’ll have a new song for your performance repertoire.” Yoongi smiled, looking over at you.

You turned and looked at him as well. “Yeah I guess. I do like the song but I’d rather listen to you play it.” The sky had grown darker throughout the day. You looked away from Yoongi and out the back windows. “I wonder if it will storm again today.”

“Why? Are you going to lock me out in the rain again?” he teased. You spun back around.

“That was an accident.”

He laughed, “No, I think it was a plan to get me to enter a wet t-shirt contest.”

You would have blushed if you could. “Hey, don’t flatter yourself mister. You shouldn’t mess with a thirsty ghost.”

He chuckled, “Please the first thing you said to me was that I looked good soaking wet.”

“Stooooopppp you weren’t supposed to be able to see me!” You pouted. “I was a good ghost. I didn’t stare at you sleeping or watch you in the shower or anything creepy like that.”

Yoongi thought this was hilarious. “You thought about it though, right?”

“Ahhh I need to go.” You started to scoot over. You were shocked when he grabbed your hand gently.

“I’m just teasing you. If it’s actually making you uncomfortable I’ll stop.”

“You’re making me feel like a pervert. And I am trying really hard not to be because you are very very hot.” You let it fall out of your mouth.

“Oh?” Yoongi asked, half-feigning surprise. He knew you thought he looked good, he was just trying to get a rise out of you.

You scowled. “You know that. Don’t even.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He said, batting his eyelashes.

“You’re flirting with me!” You scoffed. “Flirting with a ghost.”

It was Yoongi’s turn to act bothered. “What? No. I am joking around with my incorporeal friend.”

You raised your eyebrows. “Huh.”

He shook his hair out of his face. “I’m going to go make food.”

“He can dish it out, but he can’t take it.” You teased as he got up and headed to the kitchen. You had noticed his blushing.

“Quiet ghost woman. I’m off to the kitchen. It’s ramyeon tonight.”

You laughed and turned back around to the piano, playing a few notes. That sounded pretty good, you thought. You added them on to the composition and they blended so well.

“Hey, that sounded great,” Yoongi encouraged from the kitchen. You smiled having finally made some real progress.

“Thanks!” You played it through again. It blended together really well. Satisfied you walked away and joined Yoongi in the kitchen. “That smells so good.”

“Thanks.” He stirred the noodles in more thoroughly. “It’s almost ready.”

You took down some bowls and laid out the utensils. Yoongi served the food. The kitchen was quiet save for the sounds of slurping for several minutes,

“This is so good. Thank you for making it.” You said as you were finishing up.

“No problem. I’m glad you like it.” Yoongi smiled his adorable gummy smile at you, causing your ghost heart to skip a beat.

You got up and gathered the dishes. When you were finished, you saw Yoongi standing in the middle of the living room messing with the tv.

He looked up at you, “Alright. You mentioned Karaoke the other day. Let’s do it.” Yoongi smiled.

You were intrigued but confused. “How? We don’t have any equipment.”

“I have an app downloaded on my phone. My friends love to sing and they make us do karaoke for work sometimes so I have a ton of songs downloaded. Here….” He got his phone out. “The lyrics should show up on the screen, you sing into the speaker and then it will score you. But...I am not a good singer so don’t expect anything.”

You laughed, “Oh wow. I can’t remember the last time I went out for karaoke. Ok. I am also not a good singer. But let’s try it. Wait. I won’t know any songs though!” You whined. You were excited though.

“I have a ton of classics downloaded, I’m sure you will know some of these songs.” Yoongi handed you his phone. “Here, find something. I’ll be right back.”

You scrolled through his phone and he was right, he did have a lot of songs that you did know. You picked one and it started to play. “I’m only doing this because I can’t die of embarrassment, given the situation,” You joked.

He returned with two glasses of red wine. He handed you a glass as the music started. “Thanks. Cheers. I dedicate this song to………..” you paused for effect,” Yoongi! Please don’t let the score reflect my levels of gratitude.” You joked. You took a gulp of wine. Oops. And started to sing. It wasn’t good, but you had fun. Yoongi drank wine and opened some of the back windows, allowing the air from the lake to blow in through the living room.

You finished. “Your score is….68 points.” The computer voice read off.

You cackled. “I told you! Ok. Please. Please. Do better than that.” You handed Yoongi the phone and went to sit on the couch. You sipped the wine.

“No promises.” He said as he scrolled through some songs. Deciding on his song, he began to sing. It started out really good, but soon the notes became too high and it turned into shrieking. You covered your ears jokingly. He finished the song.

“Your score is...58 points.” The system stated.

“See? I told you,” He was laughing, his gummy smile gleaming in the dimly lit living room.

“Wow. So we are both terrible? Great. Ok.Let’s really make it mad. Pick a duet.” You suggested, standing up to join him in the middle of the room.

“Ok, so our score should be around 61.” He laughed.

“Averaging out how terrible we are?” You asked as he scrolled through his phone.

“Absolutely. Ok, do you know this one?” He asked, showing you the song title.

“Of course I do.” You took another sip of the wine and sat it down on the coffee table.

The music started with the female part first, you sang near the phone that was in Yoongi’s hand. It was so not good and he was trying not to laugh at you. His part came up and it was also a train wreck. He blushed at how terrible he sounded and then grabbed your hand, sitting the phone down on the coffee table. You looked confused.

“We’re going to score like 30.” He put his hand on your waist and started swaying to the beat starting to dance. It was a medium tempo song that the two of you rocked and forth to.

“You’re right. This is a much better use of the song.” You laughed as he spun you around ever so slightly. You couldn’t remember the last time you had this much fun.

The song ended much too quickly. Yoongi tried to make sure it wasn’t awkward by asking if you wanted to sing some more or dance.

“I’m terrible at both, but I’d rather dance.” You said, blushing slightly.

“Alright then.” Yoongi queued up a playlist and sat his phone down.

He offered you his hand once more and the two of you gently swayed to the song. “You do have a lot of older music.”

“Yeah. I like to sample all sorts of genres and decades for when I create music. I feel like it helps my work have a more organic feel to it.”

“That makes sense.” The two of you danced for a few more songs, gently swaying in the dimly lit living room. The lake breeze blowing through your hair added an extra element to the scene of the two of you dancing. It felt like you were at a prom or wedding, but it was actually somewhere you wanted to be. You gently sighed into Yoongi’s shoulder.

“You ok?” He asked.

“Just happy.” You responded without a lot of thought.

“Good.”

The playlist ended. You pulled away smiling. “Thanks. That was fun.”

“My pleasure. I’ve never danced with a ghost before.” Yoongi smiled at you shyly.

“That you know of.” You teased.

“Oh. A good point.” He laughed as he sat back down on the couch, drinking some more of the wine. “Come here.”

You walked over and sat next to him. He picked up his phone. “Will you take a picture with me?”

You smirked. “Are you drunk? Remember? I don’t show up in pictures.”

He looked at you suddenly very seriously and said softly, “No. But I’ll know you were there.”

You felt your face warm up and you scooted over as he held up the phone and took a selfie. Just as predicted, it looked like Yoongi was sitting with a person-sized space next to him. “Perfect. You look great.”

You laugh. “Thanks. Thanks for today.” You folded your legs underneath you.

Yoongi sat the phone down on the table and then leaned back on the couch. He stretched his arms up overhead and then gently placed one around your shoulders. He tentatively asked, “Is this ok?”

You were in complete shock so it took you a minute to gather the words. “...yes. Yes.” You leaned into it.

Yoongi gently ran his fingers through your hair. You sat there in utter disbelief that any of this was happening. You were a combination of elated but sad. You were so happy it was happening, but so sad you couldn’t have met him when you were alive.

“Yoongi.” You turned to look at him. “This is probably a bad idea.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Oh. Sorry. Do you want me to stop?” He asked, lifting his hand away from you.

“No. I don’t. I’m really happy. I just. I’m a ghost. This whole whatever….won’t end well.”

Yoongi looked down at first and then at you. “I thought about this last night. If you’re trying to protect my feelings, don’t worry about it. I like you. I get that you’re a ghost. I get that a relationship isn’t feasible. But I also like you and I would like for you to be happy.”

“Oh. Ok.” You turned back and looked into the middle of the room, Yoongi resumed running his fingers through your hair. Before long, you felt his hands slow down and tiny snores coming out of his lips. You smiled and gently pulled away. You grabbed a blanket and covered him before you returned to your room for the evening. You felt the happiest you had ever felt in your whole life.

Day 6

You woke up to a gentle knocking on your door. Seeing as you didn’t actually need sleep, it was easy enough for you to wake up and reply, “Yes?”

“Can I come in?” You heard Yoongi ask.

“Of course.” You sat up all the way.

Yoongi opened the door, holding a cup of coffee in his hands. “Good morning. “

“Hey,” you smiled. He walked over and handed you the cup. “For me?”

Yoongi nodded and sat on the side of the bed. “Alright. So. If you could redo your last day. Knowing it was your last. What would you do?”

“Oh wow. Well...I haven’t thought about it before. But this,” you gestured to the coffee in your hands, “is a great start.”

“Well, that’s what I want to do today. Whatever you want.”

You take a minute to process this. You had never asked yourself this question before.

“Ok. I want to go out on the Lake, but not too far. I want to drink lots of coffee. I want to read part of a new book. I want to play a board game. And I want to finish the song.” You said, satisfied with your list.

“Alright. Well, that sounds like a full day, so get up.” Yoongi hit the bed with his hand. “I’ll get the boat ready.”

You drank the rest of the coffee and looked out the windows. You saw Yoongi down at the dock getting the life jackets out. He was really such a great guy. You felt your heart simultaneously flutter and ache. You walked over to the piano and started to play. It sounded good. Happy and sad. You added it to the score. You chugged one more cup of coffee, grateful for your ghost bladder and headed out to join Yoongi.

Yoongi left the boat gently tethered to the dock this time, allowing you to enjoy the views without fear of drifting off. He shared some really funny stories about his 6 friends. You probably could have stayed out there all day listening to him, if not for his growling stomach.

“I guess that’s our cue.” You said. You looked over and saw that Yoongi had taken a picture of you. “More pretend photos?” You teased.

“Nope. Pictures of you.” He said, putting his phone back in his pocket and pulling the boat back to the dock.

When you got back up Yoongi handed you his phone. “Here, this is the kindle app. You can get samples of different books. Pick one.” He headed into the kitchen to cook. You scanned a few titles and downloaded one of them.

You started reading, opting to skip food so you could continue through the chapters. When Yoongi was done, he joined you on the couch. “Find a good one?”

“Yep. It’s a mystery.” You handed him his phone back. “Thanks. You’ll have to let me know how it ends.” You smiled and stretched, walking over to the piano. “I added some more ot it. Would you like to hear?”

“Of course.” He replied.

You sat down and played the entire piece. “Doesn’t that sound good?” You asked him, proud of the progress you had made.

“It really does.” He smiled and got up, taking a seat next to you. “How about this for the next chord transition?” He played and it worked beautifully.

“Ahhh that sounds so good,” You picked up the pen and added it to the arrangement. “Perfect.”

“Where are the board games?” He asked, standing up.

“Hall closet. I won’t play risk or monopoly, but any of the others are fine.”

“I have PTSD from Uno so that one is also out.” He yelled from the hallway. “Life seems too ironic.”

You laughed. You looked over at the desk and grabbed a blank sheet of paper. “Just pick whatever, I don’t care.”

He came back with a few options. You ended up playing aggravation. Which lived up to its name. You had expected him to go easy on a poor dead girl, but he kept sending your ass back home at every chance he could. “You’re competitive!” You whined, trying desperately to roll a 1 or a 6.

“I have one real brother and 6 almost brothers, what do you expect?” He laughed. No surprise, Yoongi won.

You rolled your eyes. “Booo!!!”

“We can play again or play something else if you want?” He asked, putting the pieces away.

“No, that’s ok. I need to do something and then we can just watch a show or something.”

“Ok,” Yoongi stretched. “I’ll grab a shower. I smell like sunshine”

“What does that even mean?” You laughed.

“You know, when your skin starts to tan it gets that weird smell like it’s burning but not?”

“No. I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You responded, getting up off the floor and walking over to the desk. “But whatever. You know I won’t complain about you walking around here wet.”

You heard him laughing down the hallway and you smiled. You took out a pen and started to write. You looked over your letter; a sad smile occupying your face. You gently tucked it in with the music and you sat down to play what you knew would be the final bars of the music. Satisfied,you added the notes to the composition. “There. It’s done.” You didn’t dare to play it all the way through though. You got up and stood over by the window. The sun was setting.

Yoongi came out a few minutes later, his hair still wet. “That sounded good.” He must have heard some of the music in the shower.

“Thanks,” you turned around. “Pick a show.”

“You don’t care?” He asked, walking over to the couch.

“Nope. I haven’t seen nearly as much stuff as you I'm sure.”

“Ok.” He scrolled through some titles as you went over and joined him. The two of you resumed your position from the previous night. You happily tucked into Yoongi’s side with his arm around your shoulder. He picked a long-ass Avengers movie and you had to try really hard to keep track of the characters.

“Sorry. I guess if you haven’t seen any of them, it would be hard to keep track.”

“No, it’s fine. I liked it.” You said. It had been confusing, but overall it was a good movie. You got up and stretched, with Yoongi following suit.

“The day’s almost over.” You commented sadly as you looked out at the moon hanging over the lake.

“It is.” Yoongi walked up behind you and rested his chin on your shoulder. “What else is on the list?”

You looked down, embarrassed. “I don’t know. It’s dumb.”

“Hey,” he turned you around so the two of you were facing each other. “It’s not dumb. What is it?”

“Could we...sleep together? Not in like a sex way. Just like. Together. Next to each other in bed.” You looked everywhere except for Yoongi’s face, embarrassed by your request.

Yoongi wrapped his arms around you for a hug. “Yes. We can do that.”

You smiled and took a deep breath of his scent, trying to hold on to the memory.

He pulled back, “Alright, let’s go.”

You followed him down the hallway to the master bedroom. You both had only worn pajamas all day anyway so you didn’t need to change or anything.

The two of you laid down in bed. You felt Yoongi reach for your hand and you scooted closer. He rolled over so the two of you were facing each other. The moonlight provided enough light for you to be able to see the tiny freckles on his face, and the sadness hidden in his eyes.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” You asked, gently moving your hand to cup his face.

“Nothing.” He replied, leaning into your touch. “Other than the fact that you know...ghost.”

You laughed. “Yeah. It’s weird.”

A small smile played across his lips. “I like weird.” He looked at you for several seconds, studying your face. “Can I kiss you?”

It took everything for you to not sound overly-excited. You tried to play it cool, “Yes.” You moved your face closer to his and he ever-so-gently placed a kiss upon your lips. If you could die again, you would have. The first kiss was short, the second kiss was firmer and much more needy, and the rest of them were delightfully passionate. The two of you continued to make out for several minutes before pulling away.

“Wow.” You said.

“Good wow? I’m guessing.” Yoongi said, smiling at you.

You laughed, “Yeah. You know how to make a girl feel alive.” It was meant to be a joke, but it left you feeling sad. Yoongi must have noticed because he pulled you closer, up against his chest.

“I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“I know. Thank you.” You murmured into his chest. You felt him kiss the top of your head. Neither of you dared to move it seemed. Before you knew it, your eyes were getting heavy. You were so happy. When you woke up, it was bright and warm.

Yoongi woke up, stretching his whole body. The sky was grey and he heard rain beating against the windows. His hands reached over to the other side of the bed, but there was nothing there. “[Y/N?]” He asked quietly? Getting no response, he slowly got up and wandered out to the living room. “[Y/N]?” He asked again. He continued this around the house for several minutes becoming louder and more frantic.

Frustrated, he sat down at the piano and noticed the score sitting out. It was complete. Yoongi felt his throat burning slightly and held back his tears as he put his hands on the keys. He played the song. It was beautiful. The melody told a story of sadness, tentative hope, and finally, happiness. When he finished playing, he was crying. He gently moved the sheet music over to the desk and noticed another piece of paper was stuck to the back of the sheet music.

Yoongi,

I think your plan might work. And in case it does, I want you to know that this week was the best week of my life. You are so kind and thoughtful. Thank you for helping me. Helping me finish the song and have fun. Do what you want with this song. It’s yours; I couldn’t have written it without you. If I do end up out of heck, I hope I end up going somewhere where I will see you again someday. Keep living a wonderful life for me, ok?

Love always,

[Y/N]

And that broke him. Yoongi sobbed into his hands and walked back into the bedroom. He curled up, hugging the pillow. Your warmth was long gone from the bed, but he just wanted to stay there the rest of the day. As his crying slowly subsided, he reminded himself that he knew this could happen. When he laid in bed the first night he discovered you were a ghost, he knew this might happen. And he still let himself fall. He knew he should be happy for you. And eventually, he would be.

Epilogue

Yoongi double checked the address once more. It would be super awkward if he walked up to the wrong house. He had closed on the Lakehouse the week before and had put together a small box of items that he thought your parents might want to have. He walked up the path, stopping at a small stone memorial: “Our beloved [Y/N], gone but not forgotten.” Next to it was a cement stone with paw prints in it and the name “Barley.” Yep. This was definitely the right place. Yoongi almost started to cry right there but he knew he had to keep it together for your parents. He knocked on the door.

An older woman answered, clearly your mom judging by the same eyes and face shape. “Yes, can I help you young man?” She eyed the box suspiciously. “There's no solicitation allowed in this neighborhood.”

Yoongi smiled, “Of course not ma’am. I’m Min Yoongi. I bought your daughter’s Lakehouse and I have some of her stuff. I thought it was only right to return them to you.”

Your mom’s hand flew up to her mouth. “Oh of course. Of course. Please come in.” She led the way to the living room and yelled for her husband to join them. “This is the man who bought the house. He brought us some of [Y/N]s things.” She explained as your dad walked into the living room.

“Thank you. It was too painful for us to go back.” Your mom said quietly.

Yoongi nodded, slowly starting to look around the house. It was covered in pictures of you at various ages and piano competition ribbons and trophies.

Yoongi touched the back of his neck lightly and cleared his throat. "I'm also a composer and music producer. I found some music [Y/N] was working on shortly before she passed. I went ahead and completed it and recorded it. Would you like to listen?”

Your parents sat there for a moment taking it all in. They exchanged a look with one another as though having a silent conversation with each other.

“I understand if you don’t want a stranger intruding on this. Here is the flashdrive with the song on it.” He took it out of his pocket and sat it down on the coffee table. Yoongi suddenly felt as though he was violating a very intimate moment and turned to leave.

“Could you play it for us?” Your mom asked.

Yoongi’s breath felt trapped in his throat. Could he play through it without being a crying wreck? He didn’t know. He cried while recording it. And listening to it. But it didn’t seem right to cry in front of your parents, they had lost their daughter. He had only known you for a few days. And yet, how could he refuse them? He turned back around. “Of course.”

Your mom squeezed your dad’s hand tightly. “This way,” she led Yoongi through a set of double doors and into a room with a baby grand piano sitting in the middle. “We still have it tuned. I don’t know why. Neither of us play.” She said, pushing her glasses back up.

“It’s like we think she’ll show back up one day and we want to be ready for her.” Your dad added, putting his arm around his wife and squeezing.

Yoongi walked over to the piano bench and sat down. He could do this. He pressed his hands to the keys and began to play. Slowly at first, through the morose beginning of the song. As he entered the middle it gradually became warmer and moderately paced, and finally by the end it was an eerie blend of the two. Bittersweet and full of hope and regret at the same time. By the time Yoongi played the last note he could feel the tears streaming down his face. He didn’t want to turn and look to face your parents, he didn’t feel like he could take it. He heard soft claps behind him and turned. Your parents were both applauding while crying.

“Thank you. Thank you.” Your mom said, taking a tissue from a box on the table, then offering one to Yoongi. He gently dabbed at his face.

He stayed for a while longer, allowing them to talk a bit more about your life and show him pictures and talk about your many achievements.

“Thank you so much for stopping by. You are a lovely young man. I only wish [Y/N] could have known you when she was alive.” Your mom said as they escorted him to the front door.

Yoongi smiled wistfully, “I feel like I did get to know her through her music. Thank you. She was very talented. Do you mind if I add this song to my next mixtape? You don’t have to answer now, and she will be credited on the song. Just let me know.” He handed them his business card before leaving to head back to Seoul. He felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

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

Your parents had given their blessing to having your song included on the next album. This mixtape in general had a softer feel to it than his previous albums, but people gushed the most about the softness and vulnerability of the last track: a piano composition he had dedicated to [Y/N]. “May you live on forever through your music. I'll see you again someday.”

Yoongi was both happy and sad that he never saw you in the lake house again; hoping that wherever you were now, it was peaceful. Over the years Yoongi and the other members created many memories at the Lakehouse, fishing and playing games. Some of them eventually even brought their families along. They were all welcome as long as they followed Uncle Yoongi’s rules: no messing around with the piano.

#yoongi x reader #bts yoongi x reader #suga x you #bts fanfic #bts fanfction #bts fic #bts writing #bts scenarios #bts fluff #suga fluff #suga x reader #suga fanfic #yoongi fluff #yoongi scenarios #yoongi fanfic

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kchuarts · 4 years

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Flowers in Blood

A/N: A new fanfic that I couldn't wait to jump on!! This one is very much different from the ones I normally write. I am also introducing a new OC. This takes place in 2018 going into 2019

Summary: Angela Burr takes on a case that had been cold since the 70's as there is a sudden spark in activity relevant to the case. She calls a friend from across the pond and gets a hold of Katie O'Connor, a 24 soon to be 25 year old American woman for the job. The case is assigned to Katie and Jonathan for them to solve and bring down the leader of an unnamed group that was involved in the crimes back then. Unfortunately for Jonathan, Katie is connected to a friend of his time while in Iraq that did not end well.

Warnings: Cursing and mentions of assault

Taglist: @lucywrites02 *(Let me know if you’d like to be on the tag list!!)*

Chapter 1: Poppy

A loud rapping at the door of Angela Burr’s special agency causes the Director to jump from her seat. “For fuck sake, can’t a mum have one minute of peace to ‘erself?” Angela huffed, getting up quickly and noticing Rob wasn’t at all around which irked the tired woman further. “Better have a good excuse for why he isn’t here.” She muttered under her breath before opening the door being met with a shorter, pale skinned woman. Angela’s brows knit together in confusion as she studied the young woman, “Green eyes, short brown hair, looks 157 centimeters in height-” She stopped as she noticed the woman give her an odd look. “What? I’m just trying to get a better look at ya. I dunno if you are who we sent for, you’re so short! Wait, wait. I got it, you’re American is that it? Your unit of measurements are-” She sighed and smacked her own forehead as her thoughts finally caught up to her. “Right! Dear, I am so terribly sorry. Come in, come in. You are exactly who we called for over from across the pond. I swear I must still have a pregnancy brain even after three bloody years. Katelyn O’Connor is it?” She waved her hand over to a seat. The American brunette woman grimaced at her full name and nodded, “I uh, sorry, I prefer Katie.” She cleared her throat and held her hand out, shaking Angela’s hand. “No, no! That was my mistake, dear. Oh for fuck sake Rob! It’s about damn time you got in here!! What’s your excuse for your lack of being here?” Her large brown eyes watched as her assistant, Rob Singhal walked in. The Indian man froze and looked from Angela to Katie in confusion then down at the tray of coffees he held. “Shite! Ang, you coulda said we were gonna have company!! Apologies, miss. Next time I’ll get you tea or coffee.” He practically slammed the hot beverage in front of Angela and sighed with great irritation. Katie waved her hand as a gesture of thanks and then looked down into her lap as she fiddled with her fingers.

Angela looked up at Rob, raising her brows at his attitude. “There’s extra cream in it?”

The assistant’s hands dropped to his sides and he let out a groan, “Not even a thank you or are you ok?! I stood in line for twenty god damn minutes for your bitter rubbish and some prick hit my new chaps with his fucking bicycle!” He pointed to his pants aggressively, a large stain apparent on the light khakis. Angela rolled her eyes, taking a test sip and nodding “Alright good, there’s cream. Last time the bastards didn’t. Sorry about your pants, sweetheart but you wasted twenty minutes of preparation for our new agent!” She turned to the younger woman seated in front of her. Katie looked up and gave a warm smile, smoothing her pencil skirt out. “It’s alright Mrs. Burr-”,

“Angela, please. I had my first and last kid three years ago, I already feel old as is when I get the “Mrs.” added. Now, back to business.” Angela shuffled through documents and licked her finger to sift through properly. This was Katie’s first time out of America and she would definitely be lying if she said she hadn’t gotten a major culture shock. London was somewhat similar to New York in a manner of ways; for one thing, the people were always very loud and blunt. While London did feel more tame, it still had that familiar city smell and livelihood to it. This was certainly a new experience for a girl from a small village in Michigan, USA. “Sorry ‘bout that, Miss O’Connor. By the way, you got any relatives over in Ireland? Your last name is extremely Irish- Oh there I go again, getting off track. Sorry it’s nearly getting time for me to be checking in on the babysitter to see how my little one is doing.” Angela cleared her throat and handed Katie the files on a peculiar case that had gone cold. Katie frowned as she skimmed over the pages and gathered information on ten very high scale murders of wealthy families. Each page had a familiar theme of illegal trade, fraud, weapons, drugs, and prostitution. She noticed that there was a mysterious yet oddly recognizable symbol carved into the skin of the inner forearm of the husbands. Katie placed the photo evidence down and tapped on the sigils, “I’ve seen this before in my lessons. Mrs- Angela, why are you showing me such an old case? No one has been able to figure anything out about these crimes since the Seventies…” She leaned back and raised a brow. The older woman nodded and grabbed a stack of papers, plopping them in front of the young American. “Not until now.”

As Katie skimmed over the pages, she noticed that the activity of this particular group had risen up again and even had a public support group. The sigil was much more clear now and shaped into something more recent. It was of a Poppy flower and now that Katie thought about it, she remembered that a single poppy flower was always left behind at the crime scene. A chill ran down her spine as awful memories of her ex boyfriend Travis resurfaced. She knew there was no correlation between the two, but Travis always seemed to love giving her that type of flower and he even had a tattoo on his neck of one. To make matters worse, during her older brother Cameron’s funeral, there were poppies in some of the bouquets before he was laid to rest. It was a closed casket ceremony as he had died courageously while serving.

-flash-

“TRAVIS STOP!! GET AWAY FROM ME!” Katie screamed, kicking her legs as hard as she could to get the man off of her. Exhaustion was coming over the 20 year old girl as she had been struggling for an hour to get away from her abuser.

-flash-

A gag was shoved into Katie’s mouth with her hands and legs bound. The sounds of a blade ripping her clothes off filled the room along with the sound of her whimpers. “No one is ever gonna want you, baby girl. Not after I’m done with you. There’s no one for you to turn to, not even your dead big brother.”

“Katie?”

The green eyed woman gasped, coming out of her trance and quickly wiping a stray tear away from her cheek. “I-I’m ok, Angela. I just… I really hate poppies.” She smiled sadly, handing the paper back to her boss and taking a deep breath. “I can tell… I know we’ve just met, but if you need to talk about it you can. I see that you’ve some past trouble of sorts, I do apologize for requiring your services specifically, but I don’t think anyone else here can speak Japanese, Korean or” Angela looked down at her papers and scratched her head “Russian. Dear god and you’re only twenty four.” She whistled and nodded at the woman, impressed by her choice of studying harder languages. Thankful that the woman chose to not press further into her trauma, Katie sniffled and smiled at Angela. “I’m still learning Russian, but I think I can manage making my way through.” She nodded and sighed, that memory now seared into her brain after she had tried to bury it for good 5 years ago. “Well good because you’re going to be taking a little trip to Russia and eventually, Japan.” Angela noticed the sudden excitement in the young woman’s eyes and chuckled a little “Don’t get too excited, this is not any vacation. I understand that you are a rookie and this being your first true traveling experience, but don’t get cocky.” The chair she sat in scraped across the floor and she hoisted her purse onto her shoulder. “We will be discussing travel arrangements and the like tomorrow, but I’d like you to meet your partner today first. You two will be spending quite a bit of time together so it’s better to get used to each other now. Come along.” Angela hustled over to the door, checking her watch and noticing the time. She looked back up and eyed Rob, “Thank you for the coffee and sorry about your trousers. Have a nice night, sweetheart.” She waved with Katie following shortly behind, also waving goodbye to the assistant.

“Oh for the love of-” Angela huffed, scrambling to get her umbrella out of her purse and cursing under her breath as rain poured down on the two. “No one ever likes the rain here, it’s bloody awful.” She offered Katie to get under it. The green eyed woman obliged and rubbed her arms, the air hitting her with a bite. “I think I am used to it at least to some degree considering I grew up in Michigan. The weather there never knows what it wants to be!” Katie grimaced, continuing to rub her arms. Clearly, she had underestimated her choice in attire and was now suffering from it. She heard Angela give a little chortle and shake her head as they continued their journey to an apartment complex. The two women idly chatted on their walk to this strange building about Katie’s life as Angela wanted to get to know her better and genuinely seemed interested in her well being. “I cannot stand the thought of living in a country with a deranged clown for a leader. I mean, the mission at hand is not a pleasant one but at least you’re not having to deal with his bullshit. I reckon he’s more dangerous than this group we’re about to send you and Mr. Pine into.” The Director noticed her agent flinch and stumble for a moment. She placed a tender hand on her arm and stopped their walk, “Is something the matter dear?” Her voice softened. Katie nodded and sighed through her nose, “I wasn’t expecting to work with someone else let alone a man. I have issues with men, personal reasons I’d rather not get into.” She smiled wryly and felt the urge to cry build in her throat. “Oh. I’m sorry. Well, remember what I told you earlier, if you need to talk about it I will be more than happy to listen. Men are garbage.” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood and wrapping a comforting arm around the young woman’s shoulders. “However, Mr. Pine is not a part of the garbage I am referring to. I am hopeful that you will be comfortable around him. He is my pride and joy… And my kid too. Honestly, they’re both my kids even if one of them is 38 years old.”

Katie hoped that Angela was right and wanted to trust the woman. Those two years she had spent with Travis practically ruined her and how she viewed men. Hopefully, this Mr. Pine would help her heal and reshape her opinion.

Both women sighed as glorious heat hit their numb faces upon entering the building. “Your flat is going to be on the floor below Mr. Pine.” Angela looked at her watch and smiled with some hope, “I would perhaps suggest maybe grabbing a pint together seeing as it’s supper time. If you’re comfortable enough.” She added quickly, grabbing Katie’s arm as she noticed the slight shift of her body. Katie nodded and smiled back, shuddering the last remnants of the cold from outside. “I’m not a big drinker, but that does sound nice. I’d like to see a few of the older pubs before we go. I’ve always wanted to see the Tower of London and “haunted” locations.” She smiled more and chuckled at Angela’s unimpressed face. “Really? Oh you’re one of those spooky chasers or whatever they’re called. Well, I can assure you that London has plenty of that but for now we need to focus on the task at hand.” Angela pressed a button up to the 14th floor and walked in, holding the elevator door for Katie. The ride up had the American woman’s stomach in knots as each floor made a ding noise each time they advanced a level. “Uh, you said that Mr. Pine is 38 years old? H-How long has he been working for you?” Katie swallowed, trying to calm her nerves. “You know who Roper is? Richard Roper?” She raised her eyebrows at the girl. “I’ve heard about him and of his dealings, but other than that not much else.” Katie replied, shrugging. "Well Pine is the one who took him down. That case gave me the nerves it did. I'm just glad Pine got out and decided to stay with us instead of going back to being a night manager at hotels. Charming and handsome fellow he is. He even managed to snag Roper's girl for a while but it didn't last too long. Enough about him now, you're about to find out more on him soon." The elevator made the noise signaling they had reached their destination. Katie once again had to calm herself and shake any nerves off. She had to tell herself that things were going to be ok and that she had to act professional.

The sound of their footsteps padding along the wooden floor mingled in with the raindrops hitting the window at the end of the hall. “Here we are-” Angela said under her breath and knocked on the door, “Oi! Pine, you in there?” She waited for a moment before knocking on the door again before finally hearing footsteps. Several latches were undone before the man known as “Pine” finally opened the door. Katie’s heart stopped for a moment as this man was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Her green eyes were wide as she took his appearance in from his lithe form, piercing blue eyes, dark blonde hair, chiseled jawline, and prominent forehead. Angela was right when she said he was handsome, but handsome was not a strong enough word for him. “Angela? Is there something wrong?” His deep voice caused chills to run through Katie’s body. Dear lord, not only was he stunning but his voice was enough to make a woman’s panties vanish. “No, no. Not at all. I’ve just come to introduce you to your partner for the mission ahead.” Angela stepped back, holding her arm out and slightly nudging Katie forward. Jonathan’s attention turned to the shorter woman in front of him and his expression softened a little. Shyly, Katie extended her hand out and gave a small smile “I’m Katie O’Connor uh, I have an extremely Irish name. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Pine.” She blushed and chuckled nervously at her dumb joke. Katie felt like she was in high school all over again with how awkward she felt. The American woman flinched a little as Jonathan took her hand to shake it, her eyes quickly darting away before looking back at him. This man’s hand was incredibly warm and oddly comforting, which made Katie feel a little bad that she flinched. Pine noticed her flinch, but decided against questioning her on it as it was probably just a nervous tick. He flashed a smile and returned the chuckle at her dumb joke. “The pleasure is mine and yes it is extremely Irish.” He released her hand before turning to Angela, waiting for anything else for her to tell them so he could get back to packing.

“Now that we are all settled with introductions, I will be taking Katie to show her to the flat and then making my way to pick up my little one. I expect the both of you to be at my office at 6 AM sharp with your belongings packed and ready to go. I’m just praying for the love of anything living that the train to Moscow isn’t stalled. I’ll see you tomorrow, Pine. Come on then love! Let’s get you tucked in.” Angela turned, waving to Katie. The short brunette gave a smile to Jonathan and waved shyly before hastily heading back to Angela. The man watched as the two women walked down to the elevator and was puzzled by his boss’s choice in a partner. It wasn’t that he had anything against her pick, he was more than happy to have an attractive young lady on his team. He had to wonder why Katelyn O’Connor of all people though. Pine was very much aware of who this girl was and he slid back inside of his flat, closing the door and covering his face. Flashbacks of his time serving in Iraq surge forth and the screams of his squad echoed in his brain. Tears stung his eyes as guilt crawled up into his throat from the memory of leaving Katie’s older brother behind, as he begged for help while a bomb strapped to his chest ticked away. Pine would forever blame himself for his friend’s death and wished that he had been the one to die instead of Cameron.

Once Angela had bid her farewells after showing Katie to her new home, the young woman began to set up. She had not the faintest idea that she would be sharing a flat building with her partner let alone have it be someone intimidatingly handsome. Yet, there was something odd about Jonathan Pine that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “Hey Cam.” She sighed, pulling a picture of her late brother out, placing it at her bedside. “I’m here in London, can you believe it? I’m out of that house and traveling the world!” She sat on her bed and smiled to the frame. “I know you wouldn’t be too happy with me sort of following you in your footsteps, but I wanted to be just like you. Mom and Dad were really hesitant at first at letting me go but I convinced them this is a chance for me to explore the world.” She picked the picture up and licked her finger, smudging some dirt from the glass off. Katie smiled sadly as she set the picture down and felt her chest and throat warm up from the oncoming tears. “I wish you were still here to see how far I’ve come. Shit, I-I even managed to escape Travis, even if you were long gone before him. I know you still watch over me and I know you would have probably been locked up if you got a hold of him.” She chuckled through the beginning of a sob before sniffling and wiping her eyes. “I gotta get going now. I’m going to Moscow tomorrow for the beginning of my mission. I’m pretty much all set but, my boss Angela told me I should probably try to get to know my partner… H-He seems nice.” Her hands clenched together as fear now made its course through her small frame. “I don’t think h-he’ll hurt me. He’s not Travis or those nasty old men from my retail days. No he’s not.” Katie gasped suddenly, noticing that her anxiety was getting the better of her and causing her to hold her breath. She shook her head and let out a quiet sob, sitting on the bed completely before pulling her knees in on herself. Who was she kidding? She was absolutely terrified to be alone with a man taller and stronger than her. Ever since she had left her abuser, not once did Katie even consider to look for another chance at romance. This only made her fear of men worse and she even lost a few friends because of how terrified she was to go out. It was only a year ago in 2018 that she finally decided to grow a backbone and shake off whatever fear she had. She would not let the past repeat itself and uncurled herself, smacking her face with her hands and taking a deep breath in. “You’re gonna be fine little fox.” She muttered to herself, using the endearing term her brother used to call her. Katie hopped off the bed and took one last look at herself in the mirror, grimacing at her puffy eyes. She would wait before going up to ask Pine if he wanted to grab something to eat.

After about 15 minutes later, Katie calmed down and fished her worry stone from her suitcase. Naturally, it was a Petoskey stone from a camping trip back home. She shoved it into her pocket before grabbing her jacket as she had underestimated London’s weather earlier. “Keys, phone, wallet, knife, spray, money, lock pick, ok I think I’m good.” She huffed, looking down at her attire she changed into as the skirt from earlier had proven to be a poor choice. Instead, she opted for a large hoodie, skinny jeans, sneakers, socks, jacket, and a tee shirt under her hoodie. She was cozy and felt that this was appropriate for the weather. Locking her door, she headed to the elevator and reached Pine’s floor. She felt less anxious than the first time she had walked down with Angela. Nervously, she raised her hand as she arrived at Pine’s flat and knocked on the wood door. “Uh, Pine?” her voice cracked and she shoved her hands into her pockets. Once again, several locks were unlatched before the door opened with Jonathan looking surprised to see her. “Oh, hey! Er, Katie yeah?” He gave a fake smile, trying to not think about her brother and his guilt over his death. “Y-Yeah! Uh you don’t have to but uh, Angela suggested that maybe uh… We go grab a pint? Maybe get to know each other a little before we buckle down? I-If not that’s totally cool, I get it.” The brunette held her hands up and gave an awkward grin. She low key hoped he would say no and save her the trouble of being a nervous wreck.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea actually.” He replied.

“What? Wait, you will? Great! Great… Do you need a sec?” She leaned back and forth on her heels, her stomach growling and also in knots from his answer.

Jonathan shook his head and opened his door, offering her to come in. It would sincerely be rude and weird of her to decline his offer so she obliged. When she brushed past him, Katie almost froze as he smelled faintly of cigarettes and a delicious cologne. The scent made her cheeks turn a bright pink and her head spin slightly. “So what state are you from?” He already knew the answer, he just had to play it low as he searched for his keys. “Michigan. I’m from Metamora which issss… Here.” She held her right hand up and pointed to the spot. Sometimes Katie was rather lucky she lived in the mitten shaped state as it was easy to point out where she lived. Pine gave a smile and chuckled a little at her literal handy map, “You can also use your left hand for the Upper Peninsula, yeah?” He raised his brows at her and chuckled again as she immediately held her left hand over her right. A smile cracked across her face at his amusement. “It’s really pretty in the fall where I’m from. My folks actually own a place up in Tawas which is here,” She pointed it out “And my grandparents own a place in Caseville here.” She moved her finger down. Finally, Pine found his keys and looked at Katie, nodding his head to the door. "So I assume you spent summers on the lake then? Which one is that, lake huron?" It was hard for Pine not to just tell her he already knew everything about where she grew up. Cameron always talked about Katie during their down time and how he loved his little sister. In fact, she was the reason he joined the army in the first place so he could protect her. Jonathan had seen many pictures of Katie as a child and seeing her now was almost surreal as she looked nothing like the pictures anymore; aside from the brown hair and large green eyes. She had grown up beautifully and Jonathan couldn't deny that she was quite a catch. He shook his head thinking if Cameron were still here he would kick his ass for even thinking about Katie like that.

"Yeah all the time. I was practically a fish and would come out a lobster from how burned I was." She laughed at a pleasant memory. "Anyways, I'll let you pick where to go since this is my first time outside of America." The shared feeling of discomfort eased out with the change of subject. After a few more minutes of walking, the pair finally made a decision and headed inside a cozy pub.

The ambience of an English pub was unlike anything that an American pub ever hoped to compare to. Katie looked around in awe as they were given a table to sit at. "You were certainly right about it being your first time out of the country. You look like a Deer in headlights." Pine snorted, nodding at the younger woman. The brunette shook her head and blushed a little at her companion's jeer. "Don't be making fun of me the minute we just met!" She smiled at Jonathan and laughed a little, feeling at ease with the weirdly relaxing atmosphere. "Sorry, my mistake. I should have said you look like a tiny deer in headlights." Pine grinned and flipped the menu open, amused at the pout he was given as a reaction. "Oh now you're going after my height? I totally didn't ask to get the shit end of the stick when it came to how tall I would be." Katie rolled her eyes and snorted. The two thanked their waiter as waters were brought over and placed their orders. Jonathan leaned forward a little, smirking "You could have asked whoever was giving you the "shit end of the stick" to perhaps lower it a bit-" he gave a chuckle as Katie scoffed and playfully hit his shoulder. He didn't feel bad about his jokes at all as he had her giggling and amused. Much like Cameron, she fired back with insults of her own and seemed to even pick up on a bit of English humor despite never having been here. She must have been exposed to it when Cameron came home from duty. Pine took a swig of his beer and licked his lips, truly examining his soon to be partner. While she was short in height, she had a nice hour glass shaped body with curves to compliment her in the right areas. Naturally, his eyes lingered upon the ample bust of her chest causing a slight arousal to stir within him. Katie took a bite of her food before washing it down with her water. She decided against drinking that night as her excuse was "Moscow better serve if we get the chance to dip into the motherlands true Vodka" and she said it with a perfect accent. "So what did you do before all of this?" She bit into a pub fry and raised her brows, finding herself at ease with him. This was the first time in a long time she had felt truly comfortable with a man and she had to give herself an inward cheer for it. "I am going to assume that Angela told you I managed hotels?" He mimicked her expression and leaned back, taking another swig of his beer. Katie nodded and took another fry into her mouth, waiting for him to continue. Pine was a bit hesitant to tell her that he served as they were having a great night and started an understanding of each other. He certainly didn't want to ruin the evening with his own guilt and trying to come up with the excuse of not being able to help her brother and that it was his fault he died. "I… I served. Two tours in Iraq." He tested the waters and immediately should have known not to say anything as he noticed Katie's expression change.

"Oh. Uh, I-I had a brother who served too. His name was Cameron." Her green eyes darted away and fingers tapped on the glass of her water. The brunette's heart sank as pieces began to fall together. She had seen Jonathan Pine before in pictures that her brother sent home. Albeit, he was younger and still very much handsome. Any chemistry that had built between the two was now gone and panic struck Jonathan. "Kate, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before." He noticed her shift uncomfortably and start to pack her belongings. She froze at the name he called her as only Cameron referred to her by that. "Do NOT call me Kate." Tears welled up in her eyes and she stood abruptly, pulling her money out and nervously shuffling over to where she had to pay. This was the friend who told her brother all of the jokes that he gave unto her. This was one of Cameron's best friends… And the very person who watched him die. She felt around her pockets and noticed her phone was gone. Quickly she head back over and gave Pine one last look, "See you tomorrow." She muttered before rushing out as fast as she could. The pub was relatively close to their flat so she didn't need any sort of guidance. Jonathan grit his teeth together and ran a hand through his short curly locks. Brilliant. Some spy he was. How in the world was he supposed to work with the little sister of the friend he killed while on duty? Only time would tell and Pine certainly hoped like hell that it would heal the wound too.

#the night manager #flowers in blood #the night manager canon divergence #fanfic #jonathan pine x ofc #my writing #writing #angela burr #jonathan pine #rob singhal #ofc #spies in love

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paradigmsofbrittaperry · 4 years

Audio

okay so literally no one asked for this. but here’s my personal folklore/evermore playlist arranged both thematically and in a way that makes it a semi-linear storyline because I quite literally had nothing better to do. long winded explanations/my train-of-thought convoluted storyline under the read more!!

1. the 1

you can’t not start with the 1. it always has to be the first song. I don’t make the rules.

2. champagne problems

this song works like a compliment to the 1, like the other person’s perspective on their failed relationship. placing it after the 1 makes the songs a dialogue and I really like that.

3. the last great american dynasty

this seems random at first, but I promise, there was intent. I liked the idea of “I had a marvelous time ruining everything” applying to the failed relationship of the previous two songs. additionally, the concept of moving on to have the crazy life that you’ve always dreamed of after the relationship ended seemed fitting.

4. seven

exploring the woods around their house causes the narrator to reflect on their childhood.

5. dorothea

I like imagining that Dorothea is the childhood friend referred to in seven. even if you don’t like that idea, the songs are still thematically similar and have the narrator reflecting on their childhood/teen years.

6. willow

this is a transition song of sorts. it somewhat fits into the thread of the first five songs, but - and hear me out - imagine this song as being from Betty’s perspective. this is her journey of falling in love with James, being infatuated with him from the first time they meet and being unapologetic about it.

7. gold rush

James’ perspective of falling for Betty. he doesn’t think that he has a chance with her and resigns himself to only daydreaming about her, but eventually realizes that Betty feels the same way about him.

8. invisible string

whoo they’re together! they’re in love! this is high school, so they’re already hearing wedding bells.

9. cowboy like me

more of the same. but specifically, I see this song as a goodbye before the summer. I imagine that James’ family goes on vacation to the beach, and that’s where he meets…

10. august

and they have their summer fling. August (I prefer that name for her instead of Augusta or Augustine) is in love with James, and I imagine that he didn’t tell her about Betty. I also am operating on the assumption that they coincidentally live in the same town, but don’t go to the same school.

11. ivy

James’ perspective on his affair with August. he thinks that he may be truly falling for her, but knows that he is still promised to Betty. just imagine all the “he’s” as “she’s”. actually, this gives me an idea. they’re all lesbians now. I make the rules. James will henceforth be referred to as she/her.

12. illicit affairs

James tells August about Betty, but continues to see her for the rest of summer. hence, it’s an illicit affair now.

13. ‘tis the damn season

essentially functions as a plea from August to James to stay with her. however, she realizes that James would never choose her over Betty and leaves of her own volition.

14. epiphany

(this one is actually courtesy of my friend b/c I didn’t know where to put epiphany so!!) James and August are coming down from the euphoria of their summer relationship and realizing they have to go back to reality. James knows this won’t stay a secret from Betty, his secrets will be “bleeding out”. August has accepted the whole james not choosing her thing, but it still hurts, hence her “crashing now”.

15. hoax

August reflecting on her relationship with James. she misses her, and doesn’t know if she’ll ever find someone she feels the same way about, but knows that it wasn’t a healthy relationship and that James didn’t treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

16. mirrorball

this fits both August and Betty’s perspective. they both put their all into entertaining James, and both are wondering what it was all for.

17. tolerate it

we’re back to Betty. she hears of James and August’s affair from Inez and is devastated. she goes to confront her about it and lays everything out on the table, detailing everything that she’d done for him and asks how she could have done this to her after all of that.

18. mad woman

Betty knows that she’s expected to get over it and not be mad at James. but she’s pissed. James cheated on the wrong girl. also, she wants August to be as mad as she is, since neither of them deserved what James did to them.

19. no body, no crime

Betty’s violent revenge fantasy. that’s all. I didn’t know where else to put this song and this spot seemed most fitting.

20. exile

Betty and James reflecting on their breakup. maybe she has another boyfriend?? maybe this is “plus I saw you dance with him”?? I don’t know, I’ve put too much thought into this at this point and feel like I’m losing it.

21. happiness

Betty, James, and August all reflecting on their respective relationships.

22. my tears ricochet

Betty’s still thinking about James.

23. this is me trying

everyone is still recovering from the events of the summer and doing their best to move on.

24. closure

Betty receives a letter from James. she doesn’t want his empty apologies or his closure.

25. majorie

another song that I wasn’t sure where to place, but the “what died didn’t stay dead” and “if I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re still around” fits the idea Betty and James missing one another well enough.

26. coney island

they’re still missing each other. James hears about Betty’s party and makes the decision to go see her and tell her that she’s still in love with her.

27. betty

self-explanatory.

28. peace

their conversation in the garden.

29. cardigan

Betty reflects on everything that they’ve been through when she first sees James standing in her front porch light and decides to let him back in.

30. the lakes

Betty and James make plans to elope! they’ve graduated college and they’re leaving everything from their past behind them to be with each other.

31. long story short

tl;dr of this whole gosh darn thing: they had a bad time. they survived.

32. evermore

similar to the 1, there just can’t be any other closing track. however, the theme of finding hope after a long depressive period of time still works with the narrative. Betty and James are together and starting a new life. August has moved on, maybe found someone else, has a successful career, and has hope for the first time in a while. screw it, the first five songs were actually from older August and Dorothea’s perspective and were them reflecting on their shared past. Dorothea was August’s first true love after James, and had also left, but comes back to her in the end. all of our main characters have been through a lot, but here they are. their pain won’t be for evermore. they survived, and better times are here.

#i cannot stress enough how no one asked for this #but here it is #bri speaks #taylor swift #also i just like the long pond version of exile more idk

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elvisausten · 3 years

Text

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birdlord · 4 years

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Everything I Watched in 2020

We’ll start with movies. The number in parentheses is the year of release, asterisks denote a re-watch, and titles in bold are my favourite watches of the year. Here’s 2019’s list.

01 Little Women (19)

02 The Post (17)

03 Molly’s Game (17)

04 * Doctor No (62)

05 Groundhog Day (93)

06 *Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home (86)

07 Knives Out (19) My last theatre experience (sob)

08 Professor Marston and his Wonder Women (17)

09 Les Miserables (98)

10 Midsommar (19) I’m not sure how *good* it is, but it does stick in the ol’ brain

11 *Manhattan Murder Mystery (93)

12 Marriage Story (19)

13 Kramer vs Kramer (79)

14 Jojo Rabbit (19)

15 J’ai perdu mon corps (19) a cute animated film about a hand detached from its body!

16 1917 (19)

17 Married to the Mob (88)

18 Klaus (19)

19 Portrait of a Lady on Fire (19) If Little Women made me want to wear a scarf criss-crossed around my torso, this one made me want to wear a cloak

20 The Last Black Man in San Francisco (19)

21 *Lawrence of Arabia (62)

22 Gone With the Wind (39)

23 Kiss Me Deadly (55)

24 Dredd (12)

25 Heartburn (86) heard a bunch about this one in the Blank Check series on Nora Ephron, sadly after I’d watched it

26 The Long Shot (19)

27 Out of Africa (85)

28 King Kong (46)

29 *Johnny Mnemonic (95)

30 Knocked Up (07)

31 Collateral (04)

32 Bird on a Wire (90)

33 The Black Dahlia (05)

34 Long Time Running (17)

35 *Magic Mike (12)

36 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (07)

37 Cold War (18)

38 *Kramer Vs Kramer (79) yes I watched this a few months before! This was a pandemic friend group co-watch.

39 *Burn After Reading (08)

40 Last Holiday (50)

41 Fly Away Home (96)

42 *Moneyball (11) I’m sure I watch this every two years, at most??

43 Last Holiday (06) the Queen Latifah version of the 1950 movie above, lacking, of course, the brutal “poor people don’t deserve anything good” ending

44 *Safe (95)

45 Gimme Shelter (70)

46 The Daytrippers (96)

47 Experiment in Terror (62)

48 Tucker: The Man and His Dream (88)

49 My Brilliant Career (79) one of the salvations of 2020 was watching movies “with” friends. Our usual method was to video chat before the movie, sync our streaming services, and text-chat while the movie was on.

50 Divorce Italian Style (61)

51 *Gosford Park (01) another classic comfort watch, fuck I love a G. Park

52 Hopscotch (80)

53 Brief Encounter (45)

54 Hud (63)

55 Ocean’s 8 (18)

56 *Beverly Hills Cop (84)

57 Blow the Man Down (19)

58 Constantine (05)

59 The Report (19) maddening!! How are people so consistently terrible to one another!

60 Everyday People (04)

61 Anatomy of a Murder (58)

62 Spiderman: Homecoming (17)

63 *To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (95) Of the 90s drag road movies, Priscilla is more visually striking, but this has its moments.

64 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (92)

65 *The Truman Show (98)

66 Mona Lisa (86)

67 The Blob (58)

68 The Guard (11)

69 *Waiting for Guffman (96) RIP Fred Willard

70 Rocketman (19)

71 Outside In (18)

72 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (08) how strange to see a movie that you have known the premise for, but no details of, for over a decade

73 *Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (91)

74 The Reader (08)

75 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (19) This was fine until it VERY MUCH WAS NOT FINE

76 The End of the Affair (99) you try to watch a fun little romp about infidelity during the Blitz, and Graham Greene can’t help but shoehorn in a friggin crisis of religious faith

77 Must Love Dogs (05) barely any dog content, where are the dogs at

78 The Rainmaker (97)

79 *Batman & Robin (97)

80 National Lampoon’s Vacation (83) Never seen any of the non-xmas Vacations, didn’t realize the children are totally different, not just actors but ages! Also, this one is blatantly racist!

81 *Mystic Pizza (88)

82 Funny Girl (68)

83 The Sons of Katie Elder (65)

84 *Knives Out (19) another re-watch within the same year!! How does this keep happening??

85 *Scott Pilgrim Vs The World (10) a real I-just-moved-away-from-Toronto nostalgia watch

86 Canadian Bacon (92) vividly recall this VHS at the video store, but I never saw it til 2020

87 *Blood Simple (85)

88 Brittany Runs a Marathon (19)

89 The Accidental Tourist (88)

90 August Osage County (13) MELO-DRAMA!!

91 Appaloosa (08)

92 The Firm (93) Feeling good about how many iconic 80s/90s video store stalwarts I watched in 2020

93 *Almost Famous (00)

94 Whisper of the Heart (95)

95 Da 5 Bloods (20)

96 Rain Man (88)

97 True Stories (86)

98 *Risky Business (83) It’s not about what you think it’s about! It never was!

99 *The Big Chill (83)

100 The Way We Were (73)

101 Safety Last (23) It’s getting so that I might have to add the first two digits to my dates...not that I watch THAT many movies from the 1920s...

102 Phantasm (79)

103 The Burrowers (08)

104 New Jack City (91)

105 The Vanishing (88)

106 Sisters (72)

107 Puberty Blues (81) Little Aussie cinema theme, here

108 Elevator to the Gallows (58)

109 Les Diaboliques (55)

110 House (77) haha WHAT no really W H A T

111 Death Line (72)

112 Cranes are Flying (57)

113 Holes (03)

114 *Lady Vengeance (05)

115 Long Weekend (78)

116 Body Double (84)

117 The Crazies (73) I love that Romero shows the utter confusion that would no doubt reign in the case of any kind of disaster. Things fall apart.

118 Waterlilies (07)

119 *You’re Next (11)

120 Event Horizon (97)

121 Venom (18) I liked it, guys, way more than most superhero fare. Has a real sense of place and the place ISN’T New York!

122 Under the Silver Lake (18) RIP Night Call

123 *Blade Runner (82)

124 *The Birds (62) interesting to see now that I’ve read the story it came from

125 *28 Days Later (02) hits REAL FUCKIN’ DIFFERENT in a pandemic

126 Life is Sweet (90)

127 *So I Married an Axe Murderer (93) find me a more 90s movie, I dare you (it’s not possible)

128 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (67)

129 The Pelican Brief (93) 90s thrillers continue!

130 Dick Johnston is Dead (20)

131 The Bridges of Madison County (95)

132 Earth Girls are Easy (88) Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum are so hot in this movie, no wonder they got married

133 Better Watch Out (16)

134 Drowning Mona (00) trying for something like the Coen bros and not getting there

135 Au Revoir Les Enfants (87)

136 *Chasing Amy (97) Affleck is the least alluring movie lead...ever? I also think I gave Joey Lauren Adams’ character short shrift in my memory of the movie. It’s not good, but she’s more complicated than I recalled.

137 Blackkklansman (18)

138 Being Frank (19)

139 Kiki’s Delivery Service (89)

140 Uncle Frank (20) why so many FRANKS

141 *National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (89) watching with pals (virtually) made it so much more fun than the usual yearly watch!

142 Half Baked (98) another, more secret Toronto nostalgia pic - RC Harris water filtration plant as a prison!

143 We’re the Millers (13)

144 All is Bright (13)

145 Defending Your Life (91)

146 Christmas Chronicles (18) I maintain that most new xmas movies are terrible, particularly now that Netflix churns them out like eggnog every year.

147 Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse (18)

148 Reindeer Games (00) what did I say about Affleck??!? WHAT DID I SAY

149 Palm Springs (20)

150 Happiest Season (20)

151 *Metropolitan (90) it’s definitely a Christmas movie

152 Black Christmas (74)

THEATRE:HOME - 2:150 (thanks pandemic)

I usually separate out docs and fiction, but I watched almost no documentaries this year (with the exception of Dick Johnston). Reality is real enough.

TV Series

01 - BoJack Horseman (final season) - Pretty damned poignant finish to the show, replete with actual consequences for our reformed bad boy protagonist (which is more than you can say for most antiheroes of Peak TV).

02 - *Hello Ladies - I enjoy the pure awkwardness of seeing Stephen Merchant try to perform being a Regular Person, but ultimately this show tips him too far towards a nasty, Ricky Gervais-lite sort of persona. Perhaps he was always best as a cameo appearance, or lip synching with wild eyes while Chrissy Teigen giggles?

03 - Olive Kittredge - a rough watch by times. I read the book as well, later in the year. Frances Mcdormand was the best, possibly the only, casting option for the flinty lead. One episode tips into thriller territory, which is a shock.

04 - *The Wire S3, S4, S5 - lockdown culture! It was interesting to rewatch this, then a few months later go through an enormous, culture-level reappraisal of cop-centred narratives.

05 - Forever - a Maya Rudolph/Fred Armisen joint that coasts on the charm of its leads. The premise is OK, but I wasn’t left wanting any more at the end.

06 - *Catastrophe - a rewatch when my partner decided he wanted to see it, too!

07 - Red Oak - resolutely “OK” steaming dramedy, relied heavily on some pretty obvious cues to get across its 1980s setting.

08 - Little Fires Everywhere - gulped this one down while in 14-day isolation, delicious! Every 90s suburban mom had that SUV, but not all of them had the requisite **secrets**

09 - The Great - fun historical comedy/drama! Costumes: lush. Actors: amusing. Race-blind casting: refreshing!

10 - The Crown S4 - this is the season everyone lost their everloving shit for, since it’s finally recent enough history that a fair chunk of the viewing audience is liable to recall it happening.

11 - Ted Lasso - we resisted this one for a while (thought I did enjoy the ad campaign for NBC sports (!!) that it was based on). My view is that its best point was the comfort that the men on the show have (or develop, throughout the season) with the acknowledgement and sharing of their own feelings. Masculinity redux.

12 - Moonbase 8 - Goodnatured in a way that makes you certain they will be crushed.

13 - The Good Lord Bird - Ethan Hawke is really aging into the character actor we always hoped he would be!

14 - Hollywood - frothy wish-fulfillment alternate history. I think the show would have been improved immeasurably by skipping the final episode.

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