#like one is above the audition process and the other knows that people won’t really let him audition because that’s supposed to be

[marisatomay]

i was listening to a podcast about the 2002 movie “catch me if you can” (great movie. highly recommend it.) and on the podcast they talked about leo dicaprio and his career and his stardom and i was hit with a critique of leo that the hosts seemed intent on overlooking: when was the last time leonardo dicaprio, one of the few people in hollywood who can greenlight anything by attaching his face to it, lent his star power to a film director who was not already Quite Established?

it turns out that the last time he worked with someone who did not already have an oscar/nomination was r.d. robb’s “don’s plum” which came out in *2001* but was filmed before titanic even, leo and tobey maguire apparently fought against the film’s release, and it made zero money.

but, while talking about leo’s career on the podcast they also talk about other movie stars (toms hanks and cruise specifically) and what they’ve done with the past 20 years versus dicaprio and, yes, leo has consistently worked with seemingly The Best and, for the most part, only makes critical hits but, when you sit down and compare the filmographies of the three, To Me it’s far more interesting that the toms have been able to maintain their star power over the last two decades while still taking risks with their directors — giving new talent, talent in another field like tv or animation, or talent that has been stuck in movie jail — a shot at the big leagues (and people can quibble all they want but, between you and me, live action theatrical films are still the undisputed Big Leagues of hollywood). and, beyond just the films that get made, there are even more stories of the toms using their influence to help first-time directors find a distributor, or fight off over-reaching studio execs, or just being unofficial and uncredited script doctors and producing consultants, for pretty much anyone who asks. those stories just don’t exist with leo. with him there are actually more stories, straight from the mouths of writer/directors, about how leo will be interested in their script but flat out refuses to work with any director who isn’t a big brand name themselves. easier to have a somewhat perfect career when you refuse to take risks.

i’m not actually trying to pit the toms (or any other star — i just talked about the toms in this post because the podcast in question used them as comps) against leo — in the IP era, it’s good that there are still people who can get non comic book movies made. but, it felt disingenuous listening to a conversation about how great a star leo is that refused to confront how safe his career has been. because, if we really get down to it, he never really does what a movie star should. he never lends his face on a poster, his name above a title, to a movie that would not have been made otherwise, to someone who isn’t already in the club. he never does a movie for scale, with the potential for box office points if it does well financially, just so something can get made. maybe leo will change his tune as he ages. i hope so. but, he’s already 48 and by his age hanks and cruise were very much into their current eras of regularly working with new talent and imparting what they learned from the greats to a new generation. there are so few people with his power, his clout, his knowledge that we need people like him to pass it on. i hope he starts passing it on.

[melonminnie]

( I AM ? ) Episode.one

-Isis x Fem! Reader

Warning!: stalking behavior, somehow follows the movie! ‘20th century girl’

-this does have one of my oc’s in it cause I idk who to add as the bsf sorry!

“Oh, name your never understand how I felt that day he helped me” the girl had sighed dramatically, on hand over her head as she squealed with excitement.

“I read his name tag!” She smiled, sitting up straight and starring directly, at her best friend of a lifetime, Name.

“What did it sa-” Mabel didn’t give anyone a Chance to speak, as she continued to flaunt over the mysterious man that had helped her out when she fell helping her mother at the bakery.

Although Mabel came from a noble family, they were mostly known for their bakery that’s prices match both nobles and commoners, at the time it was early in the morning and it was practically empty.

Mabel had seen the man, and was head over heels for him by first sight.

The girl had explained all of this to her best friend, Name, who came from a noble family too, her father who ran away as a teenager met her mother and inherited the title of the marquis.

Mabel continued her rant about the boy, describing his features and everything she could remember.

“we’ll do you know his hair color?” Name asked a handful of clothes in her hands as she added them into the millions of bags across the floor.

“No!..But I remember it was really really shiny” the girl grinned. Her friend starring at her.

‘Shiny..?’

“But anyway that isn’t the point Name!!” Mabel got up from her bed running towards the girl once again, “hey don’t ru-”

Mabels hands stretched out hugging Name, both falling to the floor in the process.

“You’ll do this for me won’t you Name please pretty pleased with a cherry on top” The red heads short hair fell onto names face.

“Fine..”

Taken by suprise Mabel got up from their position, her smile was beyond happy at this point.

Mabel’s plan was definitely going to work!!.

And just like that the two girls had departed, While they were both quite sad, the both had promised to send letters to each other every week or so.

And with a sad smile and a wave, They wouldn’t be seeing each other for a very long time.

‘Alright I think I can do this’ the girl thought starring at her lunch, it had been one week sense Mabel left to get treated.

With a confident smile she started looking around, the academy name went to separated boys and girls to two different areas the only time they were able to see each other was during lunch.

Quickly the girl had spotted a name take exactly like Mable had mentioned.

‘Isis de elmir’

Was what was written on his name tag.

‘I’ve finally found you!’

Isis was quite different than anime had expected, as he had red hair with blue eyes.

‘He looks different than I imagined him to look like’

Now to the second problem was, how to talk to him without coming up as interested in him. Her eyes everted to a different boy, the boy next to Isis, unlike Isis he had shiny blonde hair that was eye catching if you noticed it, with bright green eyes.

Suddenly a light bulb came to the girls head, how about getting the most information she could get.

Unfortunately Name was too caught up in a pleasing her sick friend to notice that what she was considered was considered stalking behavior she’d follow the two everywhere around school.

It got to a point where she even entered an audition because Isis had entered it, it was to enter a club. It was a journaling club.

Almost like the news paper where they’d write about almost any topic that doesn’t go above school rules.

To audition to said club you had to do speak or write something that would make people feel intrigued. Isis auditioned and got in his friend did the same and also got in.

The girl smiled starring into the overfilled audience hall, slightly terrified she began her act, grabbing a sword from the floor the girl began her act. Some where taken by surprise while others amused.

When name was a child, her father made her learn self defense in case she ever got into any trouble, she’d learn day and night on how to hold the sword right.

So that was the most she can do as she didn’t think any of her other qualities were amusing this was the better out of all of them.

Once the act was finished she kneeled down, the audience clapping from joy.

Isis stepped out and raised his voice,

“I would like to withdraw from this club” he said with a smile, “there are more talented people that can join this club that would be more fittin” the red head declared.

Tag list!: @yevenly

[litheammunition]

I’m still seeing people saying “Idris Elba would be perfect for the role of James Bond” but I am yet to see anyone describe why, other than that he’s British (and all British people are the same) and cool/attractive.

What makes a perfect James Bond? 

In terms of the character, he’s British, he’s a man, he’s white, he’s attracted to women, he comes from money and has that upper class arrogance only privilege can buy. I’m not against changing one of those demographic attributes if we want a new twist, but I’m not sure that means someone is ‘perfect for the role’, more that we are willing to change the role to suit them.

I think the other parts are more crucial to the characterisation. Bond is defined by his privileged upbringing, by the contradiction of being an orphan who didn’t really fit in, needing that luxury but also wanting to rebel, the rule-breaker who wears the easy smug charm of a man who knows he won’t face the consequences. 

You can’t just make him a working class Londoner, any more than you can make him a sheep farmer from the Yorkshire Dales. People in other countries, especially those where class is less pronounced, see ‘British’ as a homogeneous category, but there really is something to Roger Moore’s questioning that Elba may not fit the role that goes beyond race. 

I’ve loved his portrayals of many characters, and I’d love to see him in the Bond films, but I don’t see how he is perfect for Bond based on any of dozen and a half things I’ve seen him in so far. Another double-O agent from a working class London background who clashes with Bond? He’d play such a compelling character. A villain or anti-hero, á la Hobbes & Shaw or Suicide Squad? Nobody does it better. But I just can’t see any reason why he would make a perfect Bond.

Then there’s the practical side. Daniel Craig has just retired from the role aged 53. Roger Moore regretted playing Bond into his 50s. Connery was 52 at the time of his reprise, also playing an ageing Bond coming out of retirement, and said that Bond should really be played by somebody in their mid-thirties. Elba is 49 now. If he was cast, at the current rate he would be due to retire by the time his first film came out.

Henry Cavill is a decade younger and has been more Bond in the adverts he did for Dunhill (e.g.) than anything I’ve seen Elba in. Tom Hiddlestone is also younger, and his roles in The Night Manager and Kong: Skull Island seemed like the perfect audition. If you want to racebend, names like Rege-Jean Page and Henry Golding would seem to fit better. Someone like Richard Madden could also bring a different take if you lean into the Scottish side of Bond’s characterisation, and The Bodyguard proved he can play a similar role. Or perhaps, as the producers have often preferred, it will be somebody less well-known who can grow into the character.

When Americans say that Elba is perfect for the role and that race shouldn’t matter as the best actor should be cast, I suspect that their thought process is actually a) let’s shake things up and make Bond black for the sake of doing so, b) who is the only black British actor we can name. I'm happy to disregard race, but I’m pretty sure that they’re looking at race first and ‘the best actor for the role’ second, limited by their own knowledge of actors of that race. Otherwise I can’t see what leads them so unanimously to this same specific conclusion, given the many other more obvious options available, including but not limited to those above.

Am I missing something here?

[nvvermore]

Impossible

Ophélie is convinced to give her dream one more chance

words: 900ish

cw: none

accompaniment

—

It was supposed to be her night off, but things never really work out that way, do they?

As soon as Ophélie stepped into the Raven to find the tavern particularly rowdy and particularly understaffed, she of course ducked under the bar and tied her outer skirt up and out of the way.

“Barth!” She slips by the bartender, appearing on his other side and gesturing to a tray of drinks.”Where are these going?”

“What are you-“ he shakes his head, “nevermind, I’ll deal with you later. Elina’s table.”

“On it!” Ophélie grabs the tray and heads to where it needs to go. Despite the crowd and her small stature, she has no problems making her way through it. People listen when they hear her loud voice telling them to move out of the way, either kindly or not so much, whatever it takes to be seen.

On her way back with the empty try, Ophélie runs into the friends she was supposed to meet tonight.

“Sorry guys, they’re a little short staffed-“

“You don’t even work here.”

“Not technically, no.”

“You’re going to work yourself to death if you keep this up,” one says as she turns back towards the bar.

She winks over her shoulder. “That’s the plan!”

A couple of hours later when things have calmed down, Ophélie leans back against the bar to breathe. She’s quite tired now, but she didn’t really do all that much. In her opinion anyways.

“You’re gonna have to let me start paying you if you keep this up, ‘Lie.”

“You do pay me!” she corrects, and in turn pulls several bills out from her décolletage. “I steal all your tips.” Barth scoffs and rolls his eyes, but it’s just to tease.

“I was going to say that what you earn in tips still isn’t the wage I’d pay, but I stand corrected.”

“I have my ways. Two of them, to be exact.” Ophélie laughs as Barth turns away shaking his head. She continues to count her earnings, lingering for a few more minutes. Her group of friends left a while back, and she’s sure they aren’t likely to invite her out again anytime soon. Which is fine, it’s not like she has a lot of time for friends anyways.

“Excuse me,” a smooth voice breaks Ophélie’s concentration. She folds the money up and slips it back into her bodice.

“How can I help you?” She puts on a smile, and when she looks up at the customer she’s a little surprised to see Amaryllis at the bar. They’re a regular fixture here, sure, but their glamour is out of place and always trips Ophélie up. “Amaryllis, hi!”

“I’m actually here to talk to you.”

“To me?” She looks around, as if there’s someone else Amaryllis might be referring to.

“Yes, I have an opportunity that I think you’ll be interested in.”

Ophélie nods, propping her elbows up on the bar. “What is it?”

“A week from now, there will be auditions for-“

“Nope!” She pushes off of the bar and turns away from the songstress.

“Ophélie.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t keep wasting my time on auditions that never go anywhere.”

“Getting cast is a process that involves a lot of hard work-“

Ophélie whips back around. “And what would you know about that!” Amaryllis looks surprised at her outburst, and really she is too, but there’s no sense in acting like she's wrong. “I do a lot of hard work. These auditions take a lot of time for something that isn’t a guarantee. I have to take time to practice and time to wait all day for my turn. I lose out on a lot when I’m off chasing this pipe dream.”

Amaryllis is quiet for a moment, just watching her. They aren’t doing anything and their expression says nothing, but Ophélie feels as though she could crack under the pressure of their stare.

“You’re right. I don’t know a lot about disappointment when it comes to my career as a performer. Frankly, a lot of opportunities simply fell into my lap after I put myself around the right people,” they explain. “And I never meant to imply you don’t do your share of hard work, and I apologize.”

“Amaryllis that’s not-“

“Ah,” they cut her off, “but it is. I can see how what I said was offensive. A better way to put it, is that getting cast takes a lot of perseverance, an amount that I know you have, because you are a hard worker and you have thick skin.”

“It takes talent too, and I’m lacking in that. Every person who walks into those auditions is a triple threat. Except me. I’ve embarrassed myself during the dance portion so many times now.”

“Who says you have to be a triple threat?”

Ophélie looks at them, dumbfounded. “Well, the industry?”

“You see, someone trying to do all three is often only going to be good at them. It’s too much for most people, they’re stretching themselves far too thin. But someone who focuses on one has all the opportunity to be exceptional at it. And that puts you above the rest.”

“Then why am I having such a hard time?”

“Just the wrong show, wrong director. It happens.” Amaryllis slides a slip of paper across the bar. “That’s why I have this.”

Ophélie waves her hand dismissively. “Listen, I appreciate it but I won’t stand getting cast because of nepotism.”

Amaryllis laughs. “You think I don’t know that? There’s none involved, I promise.” Ophélie picks up the paper, eyes scanning over Amaryllis’s neat cursive.

Sunday. 8 a.m. D’or Opéra House.

“What makes this one any different?”

“You don’t need to worry about dancing, for starters. And the director is looking for fresh faces. Just practice the repertoire you already have, and you’ll do fine.”

“Amaryllis, I- thank you.”

They shake their head. “There’s no need to thank me, I haven’t done anything.”

“That’s not true. You’ve done more than you could know.”

“Well then,” they slide off of the barstool, “you’ll just have to repay me by landing this role.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“You always do.”

[ceoofuwu]

𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑 ;; 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘪𝘬𝘪 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪 𝘹 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒: 𝟏.𝟐𝐤

𝐀/𝐍: It was high time my shitty brain produced some Tamaki material. I mean, this baby cinammon roll is so UwU I CAN’T HELP IT I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AJWBJHSJDKJFKLS *faints*

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: Nightmares can be a pain in the neck... everyone knows that... but when you end up waking up every night in cold sweat, you must certainly take action...

𝐓.𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: mentions of blood

Blood.

Bloodshed.

Bloodshot eyes.

Walls covered in blood.

Trembling, quick breaths.

Desperate steps, rummaging hands.

Vision, audition, touch on red alert.

Where are my friends?

Screaming echoing through the empty building.

A heart on the ready to explode, as your footsteps became faster and faster and your eyes met with the butchered corps of...

"TAMAKI!" you screamed on the top of your lungs as you rose from a terrible, bloody nightmare all covered with sweat.

Your body shook with fear, still unable to handle this unhealthy dose of scare deriving from that dream. With your breathing remaining stubbornly irregular, you took a quick look at your surroundings, realising that you were in your bedroom, safe and with no sign of blood around.

It was just a dream... Just a dream...

But why did it feel so real?

You couldn't help it; the worrying. Amajiki Tamaki was no ordinary person, and especially in terms of power. People like him were easily made targets and of course you had every right to worry, not only as a friend but also as a girlfriend.

The second part actually turned out way beyond your expectations and it was really enjoyable, excluding the fact that you felt uneasy about his safety 90% of the time.

As of the latest days, those absurd nightmares were haunting you relentlessly. Every night it was the same pattern: you woke up, disheveled and messed up as you could get, tried to calm down and finally went out of your bedroom to check if everyone else is okay. Sleeping for the rest of the night was questionable.

However, tonight, you felt the desperate need to cry. You weren't sure why. Maybe you had to let that tension out somehow. Then again, what with your mind playing such nasty games you felt like you hated yourself. Therefore, it didn't really matter what was the reason of your crying, it was merely a need.

Getting up from your bed, you fixed your hair a little, and begun to walk outside, in the empty corridors of the U.A. dorms. You tried to empty your mind and let loose as you wandered around, to the point you didn't even realise when tears started their steady descent, soaking your beautiful face in the process.

A dream's a dream... everyone is alive and well... alive and well... Tamaki is safe just as much as I am... safe...

The tears had blurred your vision when you absent-mindedly found yourself in front of the door of a dorm, whose name you hadn't noticed.

AMAJIKI TAMAKI

You were subconsciously led there. You didn't think, decide, or plan. It looked as if some kind of puppeteer manipulated you from above. Not that you didn't need to pay a visit of that kind.

You were afraid, and aching with the thought of what you saw in your dream coming true, although that was highly unlikely. Tamaki would be the only sunshine in your moody days, the only ray of hope when you felt lost. Even though he sort of had a hard time with his anxiety.

With the tears lining your face and your body dealing with the not welcomed aftereffects of the nightmare, you gently knocked on the door before getting in and closing it behind you as carefully as you opened it.

You were aware that Suneater would be asleep, just like everyone else in 3AM, so you had no intention of disturbing his sleep in an impolite way.

Little by little, as you struggled to diminish your silent sobs, you made your way to his bed, and kneeled beside it.

He looked so beatific in his sleep. As if somehow he had solved all his problems and realised all his wild dreams. Happy and peaceful. Cute, also, what with his messy bangs falling over his face or simply being messed up.

You outstretched your hand timidly and placed it gently on the soft skin of his cheek. He smiled satisfied at the contact, which made you feel proud and encouraged but also quite envious of the fact that he enjoyed a peaceful sleep.

"T-Tamaki-san..."

Wake up, I need you, Suneater.

Lips stretching even more, eyes lazily rising and the skin under your palm hearing up as Tamaki's dazed face met yours.

"Y-Y/n-san...!" he exclaimed and immediately got up, rushing to hide his embarrassed face in his palms.

"It's o-okay..., Tam-maki-san..." You voiced, your head lowering in your miserable attempt to hide your pathetic state.

But, Tamaki wasn't an idiot. He wasn't carefree, either. Actually, he cared more than he normally should. When he heard your voice cracking, his hands slid off his face on their own volition to allow to his eyes to see the heart-breaking sight before him.

"Are you... are you crying?! Did I... did I d-do something wrong?" he asked frantically, his heart racing inside his chest even at the mere thought that he could have done something to hurt you.

"I..." You wiped some of your tears, "I had... a nightmare..." You admitted, suddenly feeling as if a weight had been lifted off your shoulders, "...and, it was a-about you, Tamaki-san..."

"Are you alright, now?"

You lowered your gaze in inhibition as you fought to restrain other tears from falling down your face.

"It's been t-torturing me for a few days now... I'm almost sleep d-deprived and..." You took a deep breath, "I think I came here because... I want to... s-sleep with you, Tamaki-san..." You confessed, as your face reddened probably like the common traffic light that forces the vehicles to stop.

Obviously, you weren't the only one to feel uncomfortable.

"Sle...sleep... w-w-with... me?!" he managed, barely pronouncing the last word.

"Not that way!!" you almost yelled, shaking your hands in denial as if you were performing some sort of awkward choreography. "I mean...just... sleep... you know... cuddle..."

"Cuddle?"

You nodded and stood up.

"W-won't we n-need... A second... pillow...?"

You giggled at his adorable innocence, almost forgetting the psychological thriller you'd been through, as you carefully sat beside Tamaki on the mattress.

"Lie down, Tamaki-san... we're just sleeping..." You instructed with another cute giggle.

Tamaki did as he was told and you lay on his chest, listening to his incredibly fast heart rate.

"What are we--"

Your legs moved with extreme care and got tangled with his feeling the pleasant that was radiated from him even more.

"You're warm, Tamaki-san."

A strong arm folded around your waist and brought you closer to your boyfriend's built body as the other found your hand and got it's fingers intertwined with yours.

"Is this... c-cuddling?"

"Mhm..."

"We should d-do it... m-more... often..."

Yes, we should, was the phrase that didn't make it out of your lips, as your eyelids suddenly felt too heavy and all your senses were somehow shut down by the wonderful presence beside you.

We're safe.

Sweet slumber took you away after a long time and no other nightmares appeared as the dreamcatcher was driving them far away...

Hope you enjoyed! Leave a heart, comment, reblog! 💕

[shypotato-translations]

QTVW Chapter 17

Showbiz* Sexy Queen (IV)

----

“……”

Even though Mei Mu Lan's heart was in a state of shock, her face was still slightly stiff as she said,

“Haha, I'm just kidding, I'm actually a big fan of yours and I love your movies, so can you sign my autograph?”

As she said this, she took the script from the hands of the petrified director and kneaded it in her hands, smoothing out the curled paper before handing it over with a slightly shy expression,

“Then, just sign here.”

Ling Yi Yao looked at her with slightly narrowed eyes, and there were unreadable emotions in them.

She took the script, signed her name on that, handed it back, and said,

“Thank you for your support, Miss Mei.”

Mei Mu Lan took the script and stared at the three big words on the page with glowing eyes, her face was uncontrollably excited, and she performed the image of a fan getting an autograph from her idol with perfection.

She blinked her charming eyes and looked at Ling Yi Yao with an affectionate expression, saying,

“I'll always be there for you, you're the best in my heart! Keep up the good work!”

The director, who had been ignored as a set-piece for a long time, suddenly made his presence known, smiling broadly and saying,

“I didn't know you were so fond of her, but since Ling Yi Yao is your idol, she'll be your mentor for the rest of your life.”

Mei Mu Lan was immediately surprised and said,

“Is it really possible? But……”

With a look of embarrassment on her face, she said,

“This will not affect and delay the work of Queen Ling, right?”

With a gentle smile on her face, Ling Yi Yao said,

“No, I have long admired Miss Mei's reputation, I won't find it troublesome. Moreover, Miss Mei's previous performance platforms are all top international art theatres, your performance experience is very rich, I believe you are a good student who can easily start.”

With a big smile on her face, Mei Mu Lan said,

“In that case, I'll be counting on you after that, Teacher Ling.”

“You're welcome, just call me Ling Yi Yao.”

Ling Yi Yao replied with a light smile.

At this time, an abrupt phone rang, and Mei Mu Lan looked in the direction of the voice, and saw the director answering the phone in a frenzied manner, saying,

“It's me…… I've already got the part of the second female character…… You have to be interviewed by the producer to do this? Who said that? Big Boss…… All right then, I'll send her over now.”

The director hung up the phone with an embarrassed look on his face as he scratched his head awkwardly and said,

“So, the producer just called and asked you to audition again, because the producer seems to be holding an audition for the supporting female character. Sorry, go for another interview, go through the motions, you'll be selected anyway with your strengths.”

Mei Mu Lan froze for a moment and said after coming back to her senses,

“That's fine, it's the process, I can't make any special distinctions, I'm on my way, director, where's the interview?”

The director smiled toothily, reached out and pointed in one direction, and said,

“I'll take you there. I guess the staff will give you a script and let you do an impromptu performance based on the script, and those who perform well will be selected as real supporting female actresses.”

“I see, then you can take me there first,”

With that, she looked at Ling Yi Yao again and said,

“See you later, Ling Yi Yao.”

Ling Yi Yao also stood up, smoothed out her ancient dress and said,

“I'm one of the interviewers, I'll come with you.”

The three of them walked together to an ancient style tavern, Mei Mu Lan said goodbye to the director and Ling Yi Yao, then went to the waiting room for the female supporting roles.

As soon as she entered, she saw a dozen young and gorgeous women, who were now studying the script carefully in their hands. When they saw Mei Mu Lan walk in, they raised their heads and stared over, and only when Mei Mu Lan found a place to sit in the corner did they avert their eyes.

Mei Mu Lan sat alone on a sofa, her head hanging slightly, her long hair hiding the expression on her face.

In her mind, she recalled what had happened earlier, when her emotions were out of control and she had done some of the original owner's daily actions. Even though the original owner's soul is completely dissipated, the body still gives some instinctive reactions to reality.

She didn't know why this was happening, and she didn't know if anything like this had happened in previous missions. But this sudden event today has clearly given her a direction for her strategy.

The villainous BOSS mentioned in the plot is an apparently gentle and generous film queen, but in reality, she is a woman who has blood on her hands, was secretly raised in the underworld and has been a mentor to killers in the underworld for her entire adult life.

She's a hothead, a frightening figure in the dark world, and even her uncle, who raised her from a young age, chose to kill her when their interests diverged.

At the same time she also sent people to murder the female lead several times, the novel explains that it was because if she could not be loved then it was better to destroy, not to say whether this is true or not, but the description of her ruthlessness is definitely the real deal.

And this time, such a woman became the object of her raid.

Ling Yi Yao is dark and ruthless, confronting her enemies and eliminating their roots. If she wants to take her on, the first thing she needs to do is to reduce her threat level, so that Ling Yi Yao feels that she is harmless and can be approached in depth, so that she can drop her guard.

And in order to achieve this, she must show herself to be harmless.

At the same time, she must show her affection for her in order to stop the "I only think of you as a friend" type of outcome from happening.

During her growing up years, many people must have wooed her, but they chickened out when they learned of her indifference, while this time, she chose to do the opposite and insisted on persistently adoring her to impress her.

When Mei Mu Lan thought of this, she suddenly recalled today's oops incident, and she made this decision because of today's incident.

Anyway, her image has already been ruined in public, so why not 'break the pot' and 'not do anything' and choose the active pursuit mode, expressing her sincerity in all sorts of ways to brush up Ling Yi Yao's goodwill?

Plus, the original owner's situation would make this method work very well.

For example, the original owner's background is so clean that even if the villains wanted to investigate her, they wouldn't find out much dark information;

The people around the original owner knew about Mei Mu Lan's affection for Ling Yi Yao, as well as the original owner's posting and microblogging accounts, all of which could show that the infatuation for Ling Yi Yao herself came to light;

She was unable to control her feelings for Ling Yi Yao many times and basically got emotional and her eyes lit up when she saw her……

So, after combining all the above, Mei Mu Lan embarked on the path of a "martyr who is afraid of stalking girls".

Mei Mu Lan figured this out and breathed a huge sigh of relief in her heart, no matter what, she already had a direction for her strategy, after that she just had to work hard in that direction.

With a goal to strive for, she was in a much better mood. She lifted her head and tilted the long curly hair on her forehead to the side, and then a woman dressed in a Republican student girl's dress, innocent-looking and lotus-like, came into her eyes.

The woman had her hands folded in front of her at the moment, holding a folder, her smooth flat fringes hanging down in front of her forehead, and one foot on tiptoe. The whole person carried a strong school freshness style, two very different types from Mei Mu Lan herself. One is as light as a chrysanthemum, the other as enchanting as fire.

Mei Mu Lan noticed her at first because of her charming aura, but when she saw what she looked like, a deep thought flashed in her eyes.

This woman, she looked familiar, she had seen it in the original owner's memory, and she had seen it many times.

Because this woman, the daughter of her father's newly married stepmother, her stepsister, is also the female lead of this showbiz revenge reversal novel, Bai Jieying.

After recognizing her, Mei Mu Lan did not go over to talk to her, because their relationship was already full of conflicts, and now this white lotus-like harmless woman was already a blackened and mutated version, in the novel, she went from gentle and lovely mode to cold and ruthless mode in just one day.

Mei Mu Lan has always stayed away from these types of women, except for missions of course.

She leaned her back on the sofa, her whole body taking on a lazy pose, and Bai Jieying across the room must have recognised her too, but it was clear that she had no intention of recognising her on the spot either.

Mei Mu Lan suddenly thinks of the original owner's death by poison. According to the original owner's memory, the most likely people to poison the original owner are the stepmother and the female lead.

It seems that she still needs to get in touch with them, and perhaps in a few days she should also go back to the Mei family to investigate in person.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the director's assistant came in with a stack of envelopes, which he placed on the table, and then said loudly,

“Here are the excerpts of the plays you will be performing, now come one by one and collect an envelope. After half an hour, those whose names are read out will be interviewed in the interview room next door. Okay, now who's first?”

After his words landed, the women in the room, all of them, stepped forward slowly and unhurriedly, picked up an envelope from the table, then stepped aside to open it and look at it.

Mei Mu Lan waited until the end before she slowly got up to get her envelope, she brushed past Bai Jieying who also stayed at the end, ignoring each other like fellow passers-by.

Mei Mu Lan took the envelope and returned to the sofa to sit down. She tore open the envelope, picked up the white letterhead on a black background inside and read it line by line.

Half an hour later, the first person was called out for an interview, and the atmosphere in the room was noticeably more depressing.

Mei Mu Lan closed her eyes to herself and waited until her name was read before she slowly and enchantingly picked up the envelope with her fingertips and slowly walked out.

Entering the interview room, she was greeted by a completely empty place and handed the letterhead to a staff member who in turn handed it to the interviewer.

She stepped into the room without a glance, then turned to face the dozen people sitting across from her.

The director, sitting at the very centre, casually scanned the letterhead, then waved at Mei Mu Lan and shouted,

“Action!”

Mei Mu Lan then moves into the role of the female supporting role.

【Inside the dark and empty tomb room, two urgent footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

Through the faint light of the candle, one can see a wonderful trajectory formation in the middle of the room. A woman in a purple body-hugging cheongsam, now looking at the formation with a wolfish look, said to the man beside her,

“Blood leads to the formation, the next hurdle requires blood to open the formation before the door to the tomb will open.”

The stocky uniformed man at her side, propping himself up on one leg, raised a rigid eyebrow at the words and said,

“Let's wait for the next person to come and then turn it on. Let's take a break, you come and hold me.”

The cheongsam-clad woman walked slowly over to him and the two leaned in intimately.

The uniformed man said with deep emotion,

“When you get that elixir of immortality, you can surely preserve your youthful beauty.”

The cheongsam-clad woman shook her head and inclined her head to look at the uniformed man, her beautiful, demon-like face could be seen in the dull candlelight, she was now licking her red lips gently, her eyes looking at the uniformed man with fascination, and then said with a soft smile,

“Say……”

She whispered;

“You love me……”

She murmured.

The uniformed man smiled at that and he said in a low voice,

“Mmm, love you.”

The cheongsam-clad woman laughed delicately, a vivid and seductive expression on her face, but as she laughed, tears streamed down her face, crossing her cheeks and falling into the man's chest.

The woman in the cheongsam laughed and cried at the same time, she frowned slightly and said,

“You're very kind. You've always been very kind to me,”

She lifted her hand and caressed the man's neck and cheek.

Then, like a snake-like white arm, it fell behind the man's ear, a silver needle appearing abruptly, revealing its unsettling colour in the dark, obscure light.

The cheongsam-clad woman stabbed the silver needle deep into the back of the man's head, and the long, thin silver needle actually pierced through the man's brain and penetrated the whole thing.

The man stared with blood-red eyes, the expression on his face was one of distortion and disbelief as he died.

The cheongsam-clad woman 'giggled' softly, singing a love song from Shanghai at night on her lips, and pushed the man to the ground, blood crumbling out of the corpse as the blood-initiated formation was broken and a blackened tomb passage was opened.

The woman in the cheongsam stroked her long, dishevelled hair and walked enchantingly into the tomb passage, the grey walls falling abruptly as she passed.

The scene is dark and the only thing in the air is a love song that is softly sung.】

[your-1up-girl]

The Flower and The Fighter: Their Resolution

My next piece for @aerith-week I am actually very happy with how this turned out and I hope you all enjoy it as well. Day 7: Cherish the Memories

Word Count: 2127

Pairing: Aerith Gainsborough/Tifa Lockhart

Read on Ao3

Tifa didn’t understand why she was suddenly awoken during the middle of the night. Nor did she understand why Marlene wasn’t in the bed next to her or why Barret and Cloud were no longer against the wall of the room they all shared. Tifa looked around. This must have been Aerith’s room, she thought. Small potted plants were along the windowsill. Flowered vines swayed from the warm breeze as they draped out the window. Photos of Aerith with different people from the sector were on the floating shelves in her room. Tifa got out of bed to examine one. Aerith was with the children of the orphanage. Behind the group, was a mural of flowers in the shape of a Chocobo. All of the pictures seemed to be of Aerith helping someone; even the ones that captured her as a little girl showed her assisting Elmyra in the kitchen or the garden

A smile came across the fighter’s features. It seems as though this kindness was not a new found thing. This made Tifa feel even more guilty. Had they taken advantage of that kindness? Aerith gave herself up for Marlene. This whole rescue mission is all her fault. If she hadn’t gone to see Corneo, had she just stayed and done her best to get people to safety when they could have. Jessie and Biggs; could she have saved them? Tifa put the picture down and leaned against the wall. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Processing guilt, grief, and loss, that was something she always found herself troubled with; after everything that she had been through you would think it would all just become second nature. But this was different. It was never to this degree.

Aerith.

Aerith changed everything. The young flower peddler had, in a short period of time, found a way into Tifa’s heart and she wasn’t leaving that spot for a while, if ever. Cloud was kind, a friend from childhood whom she loved yes, but her feelings for him never went past platonic. When it came to Aerith however, she could envision a future. A future of them together, a place where Aerith could plant and sell all the flowers she desired. It would put her current house to shame. Tifa would want to help her start a small flower shoppe if that’s what she wanted. They would work together, take walks to and from work or just wherever their hearts desired. They would talk about everything and nothing all at once. And at night they would hold each other, finding the purest form of comfort in each other’s warmth.

Even if it was just a moment, Tifa could remember how soft Aerith’s hands were. She loved those hands. Delicate, yet strong. When they held each other at the train graveyard, Tifa remembered that Aerith was scared and that frightened the fighter more than any ghost could. Tifa didn’t want Aerith to have that fear in her ever again. She hugged herself as her back slid down against the wall until she was able to hug her knees to her chest.

Aerith–

She wished she could always comfort Aerith. To hold and embrace Aerith. To love Aerith. Tifa snapped herself out of this stupor when a tear landed on her forearm.

“Crying won’t solve anything.” She spoke in a whispered exhale and took a sharp breath in to prevent anymore tears. “But damn does it feel good right now.” With one more deep breath and Tifa stood up to get some water down stairs, she assumed Elmyra wouldn’t mind.

Once in the kitchen, Tifa grabbed a cup and was about to fill it when she saw a distinct silhouette out the window. Her hair and dress blew in the light breeze and the light from the plate above gave this figure a soft glow. Tifa nearly dropped the glass in the sink. This had to be a dream, the rational part of her brain told her this was just a dream. And yet, as Tifa stepped outside, there was that small part of her that wanted it to be real. Begged it to be real. What threw her off was the sky. It was alive with streaks of blues, white, purples, and greens. And stars adorn the deep blue above. “So this is a dream then.”

All the while Aerith patiently waited for Tifa to arrive. She too was admiring the sky and the colors that graced them this night. But Aerith couldn’t focus, because she once again found herself at a loss for words. Talking to Barret was like talking to a father figure to her, and Cloud was similar to catching up with an old friend. However Tifa was something completely different. There was so much she wanted to say but could not even fathom on where to begin.

Tifa...Tifa was different. Aerith knew in her teenage years that she liked girls and boys and kept an open mind for both. She never felt nervous around anyone. She considered it her own personal challenge to getting to know anyone and everyone. If anything, she caused other people to get tongue tied. Everything just came so natural with Tifa. It never felt like flirting with Tifa because Aerith felt like she knew her all their lives. Here comes that dread again. Why was it that every time the idea of being with Tifa came to mind, her heart sank a bit? “Would it really be that bad,” she murmured?

That foreboding feeling wasn't something she felt this whole time but only recently. It was those floating, faceless husks. Whenever they came by it felt as if a part of her went missing. Even if that part came back, for that moment, something was gone. But rarely, they would bring her a part that she didn’t know she needed. And it would always feel the same way she felt when around Tifa. Safe, home, like being welcomed by a lost lover. Recently however, emotions that were once welcomed turned to heartache when the husks came along. The sudden shift in sentiment frightened Aerith. It’s like the husks were trying to warn her. Warn her to not imagine this life she dreamed of. That’s why she had to meet Tifa.

“Aerith?” She turned and Tifa stood about two feet away. Her heart sank again. the look in her eyes, the strain in her voice the brunette knew too well because she felt the exact same way. But, Aerith did her best to smile and to maybe lift the mood. Mess with Tifa for a second. Get her flustered.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Aerith never broke eye contact. The smile turned more genuine when she saw that Tifa had a blush to her cheeks and stammered a bit.

“Ye-what?”

“The sky, silly. It was like this when I went to see Cloud.”

“You saw Cloud too? So this is a dream?” Tifa approached her, still weary that if she moved too fast, the scene would collapse.

“Hmm...Maybe.”

“Aerith? Are you okay, everyone is worried about you. Did they hurt you?” No more smiles, nothing seemed to lighten the mood.

“Are you worried about me too, Tifa?” The flirtatious tone was gone, replaced by something serious, somber. She wanted an honest answer. It was a side Tifa wasn’t used to coming from the flower girl.

“I was worried the moment you left to save Marlene.” She walked closer, “I was worried about you when I saw you got an audition with Corneo. I was worried when we fell into the sewers. And I was scared half to death when I thought I lost you to the ghosts at the station graveyard.” There's those tears again, but she couldn’t help it. “I was afraid of losing you then, I don’t want to lose you now.” This time Aerith closed the distance between them.

“That’s...that’s an awful lot of emotion for a friend.” Her eyes were downcast as she spoke “You’re more than that to me.”

Aerith’s eyes shot up; wide-eyed and glassy, “Tifa-”

“I can’t bear the thought of losing you. I met you and I felt this intense, indescribable feeling. It wasn’t like anything I felt with anyone else. Not Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Barret...not Cloud,” her green eyes widened at the final name., “I look at you Aerith and I feel secure. When I’m with you, I’m at home.” When Aerith smiled Tifa thought that it was for happiness, but when a small sob broke and she moved back, Tifa paled.

“I wish you didn’t say that.”

“Why? Aerith what-”

“I love you Tifa, more than I thought I could ever love another person. But we can’t..I can’t..” With a deep breath she said, “You can’t be in love with me.” Tifa shook her head. The broken look was too much so she turned away and continued. “I should have said something before it got too far. I’m so sorry, but this feeling that you have is not real.”

“How can you-”

“It will pass. This is just a fleeting-”

“A flower shop!”

Aerith looked back, “What?”

“Seventh Heaven, we could turn it into a flower shop if they ever fix the plate. Or we could open one above the plate or past the wall! I know how much you love flowers and each one has a different meaning right? You could tell the whole world about them. Cloud could make deliveries for us if the customer lives far. And we could get a house with enough land for you to grow as many flowers as you like. We would run the shop together and live our lives together.”

“I see. So, you’ve given this some thought then?”

“I’ve never really thought about a future. I was always just telling myself to just get through the day, week, whatever. But when I met you, I wanted to think about the years ahead of me, not just the hours, but the lifetime I could spend with you.”

Aerith was crying now but doing her best to say composed, “You-you’re making this a lot harder than it needs to be you know.”

“You're afraid of the unknown. I can see it in your eyes. You don’t have to be Aerith, I’m here with you.”

“You're right. I am afraid.” Her green eyes met Tifa’s ruby ones in this moment of unscripted honesty. “I’m afraid of the sky, the world outside of the wall. I’m afraid of-of this future you want for us.” She came closer, “I didn’t consider the future either. You’re right. The unknown, it terrifies me. But with you-” Aerith held Tifa’s cheek, her ring finger wiping a tear, “You make me feel like I can conquer anything it throws at me.” Carefully, Aerith wrapped her arms up and across Tifa’s back, her head finding sanctuary in the crook of her neck. “And that too terrifies me.” Tifa followed suit but hugged around her waist, her head leaning close to Aerith’s.

“Please, don’t be afraid when I’m here.”

Aerith wished she could stay like this forever, but knew this couldn’t last--at least for right now. They separated just enough for their foreheads to lean against one another. Eyes closed and cheeks stained from their previous moment of lament. Aerith then whispered, “It’s time to go.” She could feel Tifa’s head shake; she held her tighter.

“I’m coming to get you, I promise.”

“I know. Thank you.” It was as soft as this fleeting moment. Tifa then felt nothing against her and saw Aerith walking away from where they had previously embraced. Aerith appeared to be made of whips of green that reformed to her body as she walked away. “Sorry, it’s the only way I could get you to leave. Or else I’m sure you would stay here forever, right?” She winked at Tifa. There was the flirtatious nature everyone knew.

It made Tifa smile; she rubbed one eye and replied, “You know I wouldn’t want it any other way.” With that she woke up. Lying in the bed, she could make out small fits of laughter probably from Marlene helping Elmyra. Cloud and Barret approached when they saw her sit up.

“You alright Tifa? Cloud said that you were crying but we couldn’t wake you up.” Barret kneeled next to the bed Cloud following suit.

“Did she see you too?” Cloud asked.

“Huh? Oh you mean Aerith? Yeah…I saw her. We-we talked.”

“And?”

With newfound determination, stemming from anger, loss, and love, Tifa threw the sheets off of her, put her boots back on and pushed past Barret and Cloud. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to let them hurt Aerith.”

[98prilla]

Abductions, Past and Present

Next

Previous 

AO3

...

Remus’s breath catches and he’s backing up, backed into a wall, backed into a corner. He can feel his breath getting caught in his throat, his heart hammering against his ribs, and it’s dark, too dark, and suddenly he’s back, back in the cell, back in the black, except it’s smaller, it’s so much smaller, iron bands wrapped around his arms and legs, climbing up him until he can’t even wiggle his fingers, until they cover his mouth, then his nose, and he can’t breathe, he’s suffocating, they’re suffocating him, and he wants to scream, but he can’t, he can’t, and he can hear Him, whispering, taunting, just like he always does, it echoes in his ears along with his silent scream until they’re ringing and there’s still no air-

 Contact. He flinches, lets out a garbled shout that comes out as more of a strained whimper. The touch quickly moves to withdraw, but instinctively his hand shoots out, latching onto the contact like it’s the only thing left in reality, and he’s drowning, drowning in his own mind, his own thoughts, his own memories

 “remus.” His name finally makes it through the ringing in his ears and his head shoots up, wild eyes locking onto whoever’s face, Logan’s face, and he squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, because it’s not Him, it’s not Him, it’s not Him! “can you nod, if you can hear me?” Logan’s voice is soft, softer than he’s heard it before, and there’s emotion in it too, instead of the clinical cold tone that sets his teeth grating. Slowly, with effort, he manages a nod. “that’s good. You need to breathe, ok? Can you breathe in, 1,2,3,4” Logan counts, and he screws up on that, the very first part, and his heart rate rockets up a notch, because now comes the punishment, now comes the pain, now comes the hurt, as a result of his failure, of his stupidity, he can’t do this, he can’t do anything-

 “it’s ok, Remus. It is perfectly fine. Let’s try again, ok? Just do whatever you can. No one is going to hurt you. You’re doing fine.” Logan, again, soft and… and worried? He doesn’t know, but he doesn’t sound angry, as he starts counting again, and Remus tries, in fits and starts and gasps, he tries, until finally, he can breathe again, and he collapses into a ball on the floor, gasping sobs flooding out of him in bitter waves as his head clears from the thoughts, from the memories, from the fears, from the pure intensity of his emotion, one that doesn’t even have a name, just a mix of sorrow and loss and fear and deep, keening pain.

 He realizes Logan is still there, has dropped to the floor with him, and he feels guilty at pulling him down too, realizing he’s still gripping his arm, probably hard enough it hurts, and between breaths he gasps out an apology.

 “It’s perfectly fine, Remus. You can hold on as long and as tight as you need. Do you want me to get someone else? I… know you are not fond of me.” He shakes his head, because he can’t, he can’t be left alone like this, he can’t force himself to let go, or he’ll drown again, and he’s afraid if he plummets again he will hit the ground and smash into a million pieces.

 “okay. Did you have a nightmare?” Logan asks softly, and he laughs, because the last decade has been a waking nightmare, half of Roman’s entire life has been a waking nightmare, and he apparently cannot function unless he’s being tortured, because he’s fallen apart more since he’s been rescued than the entire time he was held captive!

 “that’s only natural, Remus. While under such extreme duress you didn’t have time to question or think, every moment was spent on survival. Your mind is trying to process ten years of trauma all at once. It’s not easy, it’s not something your brain is made to do, it shouldn’t be something you have to experience in the first place. It is only natural that now that your body has realized it doesn’t need to expend all it’s energy on fighting, that it’s trying to understand and comprehend everything you’ve been through.” He uncurls slightly, looking up at Logan, face so different from the impassive mask he is used to, softened around the eyes and mouth, a slight frown on his lips, sympathy and worry and pain in his clouded silver eyes.

 “it just got so loud. I’ve… I’ve always been shit, at dealing with it, I always get nightmares, I always… I hate sleeping, I can’t…” He’s on the edge of losing it again, and he forces himself to breathe, forces himself to take deep breaths, but he’s lost what he’s saying. He feels Logan gently squeeze his arm back, and knows he understands what he’s trying to say, at least.

 “it’s ok to be angry. It’s okay to be furious. It’s ok to want to hurt the people who did this to you, it’s ok to want to destroy them, it’s ok to want your life back, it’s ok to scream and shout and punch things because it isn’t fair. Because it isn’t. It’s ok to grieve, Remus. However that looks for you, it’s ok.” Logan near whispers, and he’s silenced for a moment at the ferocity in his voice, at the venom when he spoke of the captors, and then he breaks again, surprising Logan as he falls against him, his tears reduced to sniffles now.

 “I want them back. I want my parents back, I want them to know we’re safe, I want them to know what happened, I want them to have closure, they probably think we got dragged off by cougar or something, they probably think we’re dead. I want Roman to have gone to middle school, to have gotten to high school, to have tried out for every school play, because he’s such a fucking good singer and actor, I want to have helped him run lines and gone to every performance and I would have beat up anyone who made fun of him for being into theater. I want him to have gone to college or gotten an audition and ended up on broadway, and I would have been in the front row screaming, cheering him on, and so would our parents. I want to have gone to high school, have gone to college, have become an artist, an animator, done something with my life other than be a fucking lab rat, and I know it’s not fair, and I know I can’t have any of that, but I’m so damn angry because the two of us can’t stop blaming ourselves for shit that they did to us!” He yells, shaking with exhaustion, spent and empty yet again, angry tears dripping down his face. “and I hate them. Because I want to hurt them, I want to tear them apart, I want to watch them scream and writhe and beg for mercy before I kill them with my bare hands. I’m just… I’m just like them. They made me their monster and I hate myself for it.”

 “No. You’re not a monster for wanting that, Remus. You aren't Them, for wanting that. You have a reason to hurt them, a damn good one, too. It’s not wrong to want revenge, though taken too far it can be damaging. They are the monsters. They had no reason to hurt you, yet they did, for their own selfish gain. That’s what makes them monsters.” Logan answers, voice shaking, but surprisingly fierce, and Remus feels him hugging him, firm and protective. “it took me a long time to learn, I still am learning, that it is ok to feel negative emotions, necessary, or you will never be able to let go of it all and move forwards. It hurts and it’s terrifying, but it gets better.”

 “does it?” he asks softly, he’s so tired and broken and so far beyond caring.

 “Yes. There's not a single one of us on this ship that hasn’t gone through some kind of trauma, and I swear it gets better. Not fast. Not easily. But it does.”

 “What? You… but you’re so…” Remus gestured to all of Logan as he pulls back, eyes wide, and Logan lets out a humorless laugh.

 “Yes, well, appearances aren’t always what they seem, are they? We each have a reason we got into the rescue and rehabilitation business. We've all lost something to the trade.” He sits silent for a moment, considering Logan, head tilted as he tries to make sense of him.

 “while… while we are speaking, I would like your input on something.” Logan pauses, and Remus nods for him to continue, a bit wary. “I know you dislike me, for obvious reasons, but I do not wish you to be afraid of me. I… is there anything I can do differently, anything I can do to make you more comfortable in my presence, I… anything you need, just ask it.”

 “oh.” He hadn’t been expecting that. He doesn’t know how to answer. He feels more at ease with Logan now, after he had talked him down from his panic, had helped so much, but he’s afraid that in the light of day, he won’t be able to help himself, help the fear, help the instinctual panic at the way he speaks, moves, acts. “it’s… it’s not you. You’re… fine.” He mumbles, fiddling with his sleeve. “you… I mean, I get it. You were protecting him, and I get that. I… wasn’t at my most lucid. I don’t mean what I said, anymore. I know you weren’t… weren’t trying to hurt me. Even if I can’t quite forgive you for it yet, I’m not… mad… about it anymore.”

 “then what is it, Remus? You don’t have to tell me, you don’t need to, I just… I want to be able to help.” Logan asks, reaching out, and he doesn’t pull away, as Logan slowly rests a hand atop his.

 “it’s not even to do with you, really. It’s… Him. The Scientist.” He says, nearly whispers, irrationally afraid that saying the name will summon him. “he… he moved, like you do. Had the same, I don’t know, the same sound to him that you usually do. But you don’t sound like that now. You don’t… you don’t make me think of Him now.” He replies, staring at the ground, aware of Logan’s gentle exhale, close to a sigh.

 “He was probably the same race as me. Straevion. We are… curious, intellectual. We learn things very fast and very thoroughly. Most of us become scientists or engineers or mathematicians. We love exploring, discovering, studying. And many of us are ethical, interacting and learning from different species we encounter, respecting and studying the cultures, the language, the worlds. We thrive on learning, really. But there are many who see themselves as above, as better than, because we are more technologically advanced than many worlds, therefore those worlds are lesser, those peoples lesser. They see other races as not really other peoples at all, just animals. It’s wrong, and horrendous, and despicable, and I hate that the Council that rules our world does nothing to stop it. That’s why I do this, Remus. Because somebody has to stop it. I know that it’s a reflex. That it is ingrained that my general appearance equals pain, but I will never knowingly hurt you. And if I accidentally hurt you, tell me immediately so I can rectify the situation and avoid causing harm in the future. I swear it.” Logan’s voice is serious and heated, and passionate, and a smile pulls at the corners of Remus’s lips, because Logan is so much different than Him. He just has to try and remember that, try and push past his first instinct to run.

 “ok.” He whispers, meeting Logan’s eyes for a moment, before looking away, though it was long enough to see the slight smile on his own face, enough to see Logan once again understood without him having to say all the words what he meant. “I, um. I came out here for some water, before I, y’know, broke down. I’m… sorry. For unloading all that. On you.” He mumbles, face going a bit red.

 “Oh, of course. You’re perfectly fine, Remus, I am happy to listen and help talk you through your thoughts, if that is something that helps.” Logan replies, getting to his feet, reaching out a hand to help him up. Remus hesitates for a moment before taking it, a bit wobbly on his feet, as he settles on one of the stools at the kitchen island, realizing the light has gotten brighter. It must be early morning. No wonder he was so tired, he hadn’t slept at all, and he’d had an emotional breakdown. He runs a hand through his already ruffled hair, letting out a soft groan.

 Logan sets a glass of water on the counter before him, and he slowly sips at it, despite his desire to chug it. Still, he empties it quickly, and Logan quietly refills it for him. He rests his head on his arms atop the counter, letting out another long sigh, tiredness filling every inch of his bones, but his mind is still whirring a thousand miles a minute, the reason he couldn’t sleep in the first place, he was never able to silence his mind.

 “You have insomnia.” Logan says, though it has the hint of a question. He nods, enjoying the feel of the cool counter against his forehead. The luxury of having space is incredible.

 “where are we going?” he asks, suddenly, curious, his mind wandering and trying to focus on anything other than the thoughts in the dark spaces.

 “Pardon?”

 “I mean, we’re on a spaceship, yeah? You can’t just be drifting pointlessly.” He gasps, shooting upwards. “Is there a window? Like, can you see out, into the stars and stuff? Galaxies and planets and stars, oh my!” he giggles slightly to himself, realizing he’s losing it a little, loopyness setting in a bit. Logan just chuckles, raising an eyebrow.

 “There is. We have a star map, where we chart our courses. The room also doubles somewhat as an observatory, with rounded, slightly tinted windows, so the light of passing suns and stars don’t damage anyone’s eyes. Virgil still can’t tolerate the brightness, his kind is especially sensitive to light. As for a course, we are currently heading towards a small, mostly plains biome planet known as Drakkia. We intend to stock up on supplies, as well as gather resources and information. Also some new clothes for the two of you, as well as things to decorate your rooms, if you like. If… you intend on staying, anyways.” His eyes are wide as he stares through Logan, imagination running wild, because the thought of stepping off a ship, feeling actual, solid land beneath his feet, feeling a sun on his skin, even though it’s not his sun, still… still.

 “Remus?” He realizes he’s crying again, and he shakes his head, snapping back to reality, smile bittersweet.

 “it’s been ten years since I stepped foot on a planet. Our whole world was the cell, the lab, and the testing rooms.” He says softly, just barely catching the stricken look on Logan’s face, the flash of anger that vanishes quickly as he takes a deep breath.

 “well. You are no longer confined anymore. We will arrive in approximately two days. That being said, I can show you the observatory later. I am the chief navigator, if you are interested in how the ship itself flies and works.” He perks up again at that, excited.

 “I loved building things. I even made a few robots, before. Always got in trouble for taking things apart to figure out how they worked. Wouldn’t’ve been a problem, cept I could never put it back together right. Started a loooot of fires.” Logan chuckles again, shaking his head.

 “Do your best not to light anything on fire while onboard, please.” Remus snorts, head thumping back down against the counter, giving a thumbs up.

 “Lo, did you start the coffee already? Oh. Hi.” Virgil, sounding a bit tired himself, and he gave a small wave without removing his head from the counter.

 “I did not.” Wait.

 “Coffee?! You have coffee!? I was gonna fall asleep on the stool, and there’s caffeine here!?” He shrieks, glancing between the two slightly taken aback aliens with wide, excited eyes.

 “Um. Yup. No one else aboard can really handle it, it’s a little like poison to them, but I’m less physical, of a being so it doesn’t do much. I take it you want some?” Virgil asks, clearly holding back a snicker.

 “I was hoping you would get some actual sleep instead of choosing to stay awake via drugs that would literally make my heart explode.” Logan replies, looking sternly at them both. Earlier, that look would have set his heart racing, his pulse panicking, but now, that fear is easy to push through with a scoff.

 “What kind of a heathen are you? Coffee is the drink of the gods. It’s barely a drug, have you ever had Meth? Now that is a drug that will get you buzzed. Heroin isn’t so bad, though, it mostly just makes you feel good and sleepy. Must be why they didn’t use it as often. Acid though,” he shivers at the thought, “that just is wild. I always had a bad time with that one.” He looks up, and realizes Logan’s face has darkened again, and Virgil is looking at him with mild concern and something soft, before he turns away, and pulls out the cups without commenting.

 “Remus… “ Logan starts, but sighs, trailing off and shaking his head. He’s about to say something else, when he hears a scream from down the hall and his head whips around.

[anotherescsite]

Let the crazy times begin. There is so much going down between now and the Head of Delegation meeting in March and I’m going to try and bring it all together in one article.

ROTTERDAM! 

WHEN: 

WHERE:

The Venue: Rotterdam Ahoy Arena

WHO:

The Hosts:  Edsilia Rombley,  Chantal Janzen, and Jan Smit

Note: Jan 28th is the date of the semi final draw.

RSVP’D NO!

Montenegro and Hungary have chosen to sit year out. Hungary is still having their A Dal song contest, but they won’t be sending that person to the Netherlands. 

Turkey, Andorra,  Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, and Slovakia have been absent for a long while and have decided not to return this year. Turkey are in dispute with the EBU over the rules about the Big 5, the others have not really made noises or movements towards involvement.

Bosnia-Herzegovina are out due to financial issues again, while three countries that are mentioned each year (Kosovo, Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein) are still not members of the EBU and would need to be invited to the song contest. EBU hasn’t done that this year.

WHO IS IN:

At this time, these are the first faces of Eurovision 2020; they are (left the top left) 

FRANCE - Tom Leeb ALBANIA - Arilena  Ara SPAIN - Blas Cantó AUSTRIA - Vincent Bueno THE NETHERLANDS - Jeangu Macrooy BELGIUM - Hooverphonic NORTH MACEDONIA - Vasil Garvanliev CYPRUS - Sandro Nicholas BULGARIA - Victoria. GEORGIA - Tornike Kipiani

Of these; Austria has a title for the song to be sung “Alive”, while the national final of Albania has concluded and the song Shaj won. It is expected to be reworked into English. Georgian entrant won their local Idol contest to compete this year. All the rest will be all internal selected songs.

NATIONAL FINALS

I like the national final countries because they are organised and they don’t leave you guessing with random announcements and other paraphernalia. You can pencil them into your diary/ stick them in your iPhone and your life/evenings/weekends are somewhat over

SERBIA: FEB

Serbia are one of the exceptions to the organised thing mentioned above. They have two semi final and a final all happening in February. Dates are unknown

CZECH REPUBLIC: FEB 3

The Czech Republic has announced the people taking part in their selection. The songs are due out shortly and the online vote completes by February 3 when the announcement of a winner is made.

AUSTRALIA: FEB 8

The Australian final is again out of the Gold Coast and again has 10 entrants. But one of the hosts, Myf, is currently in the South African jungle taking part in the I’m a celebrity get me out of here show. 

ITALY: FEB 8

February 8th is going to be a busy day. The San Remo Festival of Italian Music concluded on this day after semi final shows from the 4th - 7th. 

LATVIA: FEB 8

Latvia has dispensed with semi finals and is having a one show final to be held February 8. The final has 9 competitors (there is no Marcus Riva) which were announced earlier this week.

MALTA: FEB 8

The person who is representing Malta will be the winner of their local X Factor show. The song will come later on.

LITHUANIA: FEB 15

Lithuania continues it’s longer six show format which concluded on the 15th February. The first two semi finals are done and there are other shows on January 25th, February 1st, and 8th.

NORWAY: FEB 15:

Norway has followed with Lithuania’s example and gone with a six show format also. There are five semi finals (January 11th, 18th, 25th, February 1st, and 8th) with the winner of the evening going to the final. There are 5 entrants that are  pre-qualified and they are being sung at each of the five semi finals.

SLOVENIA: FEB 22

Slovenia have scheduled their final for February 22 with 12 participants; ten were named earlier while the final two were selected from a newbie round called EMA FRES.

UKRAINE: FEB 22

The Ukraine have kept their Vidbir format that has been so successful. This year each entrant has been pre-asked by Jamala if Crimea is Ukraine to avoid any embarrassing issues. The format at performers were meant to be announced by now.

POLAND: FEB 23

Poland are choosing their performer via a talent show Szansa na sukces! This is the show which has used successfully to choose the entrants for Junior ESC, and they won the contest.

CROATIA: FEB 29

Croatia is having their traditional national final Dora. Sixteen entrants have been announced and three spares in case of issues. The songs will complete in a one show final.

ESTONIA: FEB 29

Eesti Laul 2020 has two semi finals on the 13th and 15 February before their final on Feb 29. The songs and participants are know.

ICELAND: FEB 29

The song contest in Iceland has stayed the same with their two semis on February 8th and 15th with the top two going to the Feb 29 final.

BELARUS: MAR 6

All that is known is the final date; song submissions have still be open.

FINLAND: MAR 7

Finland has abandoned the internal artist - national final format for their old format of UMK national final. It is a one show format again.

DENMARK: MAR 7

Dansk MGP is again a one show final set. Artist are unknown.

PORTUGAL: MAR 7

The Portuguese Festival Da Cancao is again a two semi final plus final selection. The artists songs and composers have been presented. 

SWEDEN: MAR 7

Melodifestivalen - the King Daddy of all national finals is the last of the finals as always. Their four semi finals run from Feb 1st to 22nd, the Andra Chasen is on Feb 29th and the usual Stockholm final is Mar 7.

THE REST?

Israel is currently in the midst of the Next Star contest and the winner will be known shortly. The song will come through just beforethe deadline. 

Switzerland has advised their entrant will be announced in March. The who and the what is unknown. 

Moldova have a jury selecting songs, but there may or may not be a national final. 

Romania will be having a national final, but it has not been announced as yet. 

Germany is to announce their plans in late January.

Armenia are currently in an audition process for an upcoming national final (thanks @fujiwarap​). Dates are unknown.

Greece, San Marino and Russia are expected to go internal but it’s anyone’s guess.

This leaves us with Azerbaijan, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. From these, I’ve heard nothing. 

[lizacstuff]

Bunch of anons about Carina and Roswell NM drama

Under the cut because it’s long and gossipy...

Anonymous said: Whatever nonsense Carina may have been up to with Jeanine and Nathan, both the leads have seemed to keep their private issues to themselves by not telling other cast or friends. That's why it angers me that the person who leaked the information disregarded Jeanine as a person and victim.

I’m of two minds on this.  On one hand I totally agree and I hate that Jeanine’s name was drug into this and her involvement was shared by the multiple inside sources, but on the other hand I do not like Carina, I think she was awful to work for, and I think it’s a good thing if it’s know in the industry that she created friction on set and was investigated by HR.  

She was so unprofessional, just from what we could see as fans, that she should NOT be put in charge of another show any time soon. So I think for the sake of people she will work with in the future, it’s a good thing it’s out there.  She has a whole lot of growing to do before she should ever work in television again. 

You make a good point about Jeanine and Nathan keeping their business to themselves.  Carina is out there over-sharing constantly, putting every neurosis on full display, and forcing half the cast to be out drinking and entertaining her on a regular basis. While those two, kept quiet and out of the spotlight. In interviews/panels they’ve both been completely professional, doing their jobs while also being charming, funny and eloquent.  

It was obvious to those of us watching closely that all was not well between J/N and Carina when the season started shooting. Carina was bitchier when she talked about them and those characters than she had been before, and J/N were nowhere to be seen in her braggy out-partyin’-with-my-cast IG stories and posts.  

As you say, it doesn’t look like J/N tried to drag any other cast or crew into whatever the issue was. I’m not sure the same can be said for Carina, that speaks volumes about the character of all involved. 

Anonymous said: I saw that abnormallyadam is doing a live social media thing with Jeanine and Vlamis soon. I guess we might get more information then and if Jeanine decides to say anything.

How hilarious would it be if Adam gets the scoop of a lifetime!?

I’m guessing this chat or whatever it is was set up before Jeanine and Vlamis knew the studio was going to swoop in and make their lives a whole lot better by firing Carina. So it will be interesting to see if it still happens on schedule or if it’s postponed for awhile.  

If it does go on, I think they will probably cover it really quickly and superficially like Vlamis did when he was schilling his merch the other night and then move on.  They won’t deep dive into it, that’s for sure. 

Anonymous said: Carina has been tweeting incessantly today! Like tweeting about other meaningless things won't make people forget lol. Also about that anon message you received about unfollowing nathan - wowwww she used to be up his butt.

Yes, remember the days when Carina used him as her social media crutch (every post she makes like that with a hot actor or country singer is basically her rampant insecurities saying: “hey look at the hot guy(s) who hang out with me and take pictures with me, it means I have value ya’ll!”) before she moved onto Trevino and then Vlamis.  So sad.   

They were clearly friends after The Originals and she invited him to audition.  I’m glad she did, he’s great in the role. Although it sounds like he was lucky that the President of the CW saw him and told her he was a leading man, since she didn’t see him as a lead. Sometime a friend’s preconceived notions might actually hold a person back... 

Who knows what happened, but just knowing human nature and Carina’s energy, I’ve always wondered if she thought she was going to have her friend on set and he was gonna be her social crutch, her go-to to entertain her and party with her, but right off the bat he and Jeanine got together so during the first season filming he wasn’t so much interested in the single, going-out partying lifestyle that she’s clearly addicted to and that rankled her a bit. Perhaps she lost her party buddy to her leading lady, and the loss of that attention “displeased” her. (to quote Kamran who said Carina told the writers to punish actors who displeased her by reducing their screen time. Interesting thought, no?)

Anonymous said: Well the interesting thing is some of the other people she follows don't post much either and she continues to follow them. Interesting interesting.

I know. She didn’t unfollow him because of that. That was definitely a show of cutting ties with him. It was probably in a fit of rage because she can’t unfollow Jeanine (because that would look terrible).  Also she has been so humiliated between being unceremoniously fired and losing her development deal with WB, the Hollywood Reporter article making her look terrible, and that writer spilling tea, that my guess is she’s hoping to shift focus to someone else and she knows unfollowing him will make us all wonder why. 

Anonymous said: Well shoot, maybe it was Nathan and not Jeanine who went to hr? And Carina found out? Or Nathan took the fall? Sorry I'm just going down a rabbit hole of conspiracy.

In my opinion there’s no reason to think those sources got it wrong. I would guess that Jeanine was involved, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t also involve Nathan.  Those two are a self-professed team, so no reason to think they wouldn't be in this instance as well. 

Anonymous said: Does this mean she'll unfollow Jeanine too??

I’m sure she wants to, but she can’t unless she wants to confirm that, yes, there was friction on the set and, yes, there was a specific problem with her leading lady.

Carina went out of her way to try and combat the “rumors” about her and Jeanine not getting along, addressing the situation in her goodbye post-- drawing more attention to it in the process-- so unfollowing her now would just make her look foolish and like everything she said was a lie and everything from the inside sources is true.  

Anonymous said: Carina will definitely do something stupid. She can't help herself. But even though there's no reason to follow Nathan, he's been inactive on Twitter for over a year and for her to unfriend now during this drama and mess...how is that a coincidence?

As I said above, I know it’s not a coincidence.  She’s dumb because by doing that she pretty much confirmed that there was friction on the set.  If there wasn’t, she wouldn’t be unfollowing the person in the main cast who she was closest too prior to the show. 

Part of me wonders if, as an old friend, she asked him for something (to defend her or a show of support) and he wouldn't do it.  Perhaps she’s most hurt by him not supporting her since they were friends before and she did give him a lead role on a network show (and also accidentally introduced him to his girlfriend.)  Maybe she thought he owed her and he didn't step up to defend her or even just give a tacit show of support by responding to her social media posts on leaving??

I’m guessing if he had come out of social media hibernation to give her one of those paltry “Thanks for everything” responses to her IG post like the other actors she wouldn't have unfollowed him. 

Anonymous said: Someone said the writer deleted all his tweets about Carina.

Not surprising, it was a crazy spree he was on, who wants to bet that he got contacted by a lawyer late Friday night?

I’m sure Carina was doing everything in her power to threatened him and to get him to stop. 

Anonymous said: I remember the writer also referring to Nathan as Carina's "friend." Is it in quotations because they are not actually friends? Frenemy? Carina was recently saying nice things about Nathan so based on her perspective, she thinks they were still on good terms?

Well they were apparently friends before he was cast, what happened after that is hard to say. They seemed fine during the promotion of season 1, but as soon as season 2 started filming, Carina’s tone when talking about him and Max got ugly and Nathan and Jeanine were staying far away from her socially. I mean Jeanine hosted a ladies Friendsgiving at their house, where 40 women from the cast and crew came over for a Thanksgiving feast, but the female showrunner wasn’t there. Hmmmm...

However, this spring things seemed to have thawed a bit.  Jeanine and Carina would occasionally like each other’s IG post (someone pointed out to me that had stopped during summer of 2019 and they didn’t engage with each other’s posts much if at all during S2 filming) Jeanine and Carina did that IG live and Carina was talking positively about Nathan and Max and seemed to be setting him up for a big season 3 with the dual roles and talking excitedly about that, so honestly, to me, it seemed like they had made their peace.  Perhaps Carina getting fired (and the straw that broke the camel’s back on that was clearly her idiotic tirade against the UK distributor) brought back up all the issues??? Or maybe Carina blamed them because of the prior issues? Or maybe they didn’t support her with the studio when she was trying to salvage her job? All I know is that Carina’s public behavior on social media is enough grounds to fire her, so she has no business blaming anyone but herself. 

Anonymous said: Someone said to the writer that jeanine, amber and nathan are staying silent on the matter and kamran replied that "Silence speaks louder than words." just above that they also were wondering who Carina harassed and bullied into silence? was it nathan?

Who knows... ask the writer. 

Anonymous said: Carina going from Zapit straight to writing for TVD is peak white privilege. After that THR article you could tell she believed a little too much how far that privilege would get her. Good riddance. Good luck getting another job for being such a big liability. I don't see any corporation hiring her again.

I think the only way she’s getting another job in TV anytime soon is if Julie gives it to her. She’s talented, once she grows up maybe she’ll be capable of running a show, but it was clear from the peanut gallery she should never have been given that amount of responsibility that she had on RNM. 

[reinlili]

august challenge task #3 – questionnaire 

the basics

What is your celebrity’s full name?  Lili Pauline Reinhart

Do they have any nicknames? Go by any other names?  Lils

What is their birthday? September 13, 1996

Where were they born? Cleveland, Cuyahoga County,Ohio, USA

Where were they raised? Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA and later North Carolina.

Where in Bayview do they live?  She has a home in the Bayside Retreats.

How long have they lived in town?  She arrived to Bayview  on May 2, 2017.

physical appearance

What is your celebrity’s general build?  Lili is straight, angular and thin.  She does have some curves but she isn’t by any stretch of the imagination overweight. She is 5’6”.

What is their natural hair color? She is naturally a dark blonde.

If their hair color has changed, what is it now?  She has had to lighten her hair for roles, especially Riverdale and so she’s kept it a lighter blonde. When she isn’t filming, she lets it get closer to her natural, darker shade of blonde though.

What is your celebrity’s eye color? She has bluish-green eyes.

Do they wear glasses or contacts? Neither.

What is your celebrity’s best asset?  She has nice, expressive eyes.

What is something they’re insecure about?  This could be a novel but she has cystic acne that when she gets stressed becomes horrible and she hates for people to see it.  She also is insecure when she is out in public and people see her natural curves because any fluctuation in weight always sparks pregnancy rumors when it was just a large taco meal.

Do they have any piercings? Ears.

How about tattoos? She has upwards of five tattoos.

Any prominent scars with good stories behind them?  Not really.

Does your celebrity regularly wear make-up?  Lili has to be careful about the makeup she wears because of her skin. She is very fortunate to have good skin when she isn’t dealing with a flare up.  She does tend to always have on some form of foundation and eye makeup when she’s out and about but sometimes she doesn’t really put on much.

What’s their skincare routine like?  She washes her face every morning and every night. She uses a lot of products meant to help keep her cystic acne in check. She also enjoys a good facial every now and then.

How does your celebrity dress on the average, every day?  Lili enjoys short shorts and a tank but she will also occasionally throw on a sun dress.

What about for more dress-up, formal days?  When it’s time to dress up for something major, she will go all in. She wants to wear things that are fashion forward but also classic and beautiful.

 the early years

What was your celebrity like as a child?  Lili was the middle child but she did manage to get her parents interest. She was always doing dance classes and school theatre productions. By the age of ten, she was absolutely obsessed with entertaining people.  She had a relentless passion for the arts.

How about the teen years?  Lili’s passion for entertaining grew and she convinced her parents to help her pursue her passions.  While a lot of her friends stuck to school, she spent a lot of time traveling into New York for auditions.  She avoided a lot of the normal teenage drama by being so focused on her interest in acting.

What kind of life did your celebrity have growing up? Lili’s parents have always been supportive of anything that she (or her sisters) aspired to do. She saw their work ethic and how they were willing to take second and third jobs to help make ends meet if it meant that their kids could do something they wanted to do. She definitely realizes the sacrifices they made for her and she wants to pay that forward to them. She also hopes that when she becomes a parent one day, she can be half of how great they were. She has also learned that it is far more important to care for others than herself.

What were your celebrity’s goals as a younger person?   She wanted to be on Broadway.

Is there a smell that reminds them of childhood?  Her dad’s cooking. Anytime she is home and she smells her dad’s home cooking it takes her back.

How about a favorite movie, TV show or toy?  She really loved Lizzie McGuire back in the day.  She has a special place in her heart for Centerstage as well.

What advice would your celebrity give to their younger self?  Follow your heart, it won’t lead you astray.

Did your celebrity play any sports growing up?   She played basketball and soccer when she was younger.

 the family tree

Who is in their immediate family? Lili has two parents and two sisters.  She has a daughter Dylan with Bill Skarsgard.

What’s their extended family like? She has lots of Aunts and Uncles. She is especially close with her Aunt and her children. Most notably she is the God Mother to her cousin Adeline. She also considers Bill’s family, her family by proxy of Dylan.

What does family mean to your celebrity? Her parents taught her the meaning of real life and it is the thing she aspires to have. She would love nothing more than to have a successful marriage like them. Her parents would move Heaven and Earth for their children to succeed in life. They were always there for her and as an adult she always wants to be there for them. There is deep love in her family. It is also not always about blood connections.  She considers Bill part of her family and always will.  Some bonds can never be broken.

Are they close to their family in general?  She literally talks to her parents every day.  Her mother is one of her best friends and she goes to her for advice on so many things.

Who in their family are they closest to? She is probably closest to her mom. No one ranks above her daughter though.

Does your celebrity have any children?  Yes, one daughter.  Dylan was born in October 2019 and sheis the best thing to ever happen to her.

If they do not have children, do they want any someday?   N/A

If they do have children, do they want more children?  Lili would love to have more children.  Dylan is the best thing that she ever did. She knows that she has more room in her heart for other children.  It’s not something she is trying to rush into though.  She isn’t having anymore children until she is in the security of a marriage.

  love and friendships

Is your celebrity currently in a relationship? Yes. She has been dating Joe Keery for a number of months now and things are going pretty good.

What is the longest relationship your celebrity has ever been in?   She didn’t really have a lot of relationships before coming to Bayview.  She was with her first relationship in town for about a year. When it ended, she bonded with Bill and they were together for about a year and a half.  

If it’s not their current relationship, why did it end?   It’s still something that Lili is working on processing though she’ll never have a good answer for why.  She is always going to have so much love for Bill.  The transition from being two people who were wildly in love to two people balancing a life with a child was a lot.  There was a lot of talk about the future and what that meant for them.  If he had asked her to marry him, she probably would have said yes.  She didn’t do good at verbalizing her fears and it felt more like a break than a break up to figure stuff out but without him there, she picked herself up and moved on.

What’s the shortest relationship your celebrity has ever been in?  She dated a guy in high school for like six months.

If it’s not their current relationship, why did it end?   It was just a high school relationship and it wasn’t going anywhere.

Is your celebrity into PDA, or more private?   She definitely doesn’t have any issue with PDA.  She isn’t the sort of person to do that in completely inappropriate situations though.

How do they display affection to others?   She firmly believes that actions are a good way to affirm affection. She is a very physical sort of person so she does show it that way but sometimes she does little small things for them without them asking just to show that she cares. She also believes in little surprises when it’s appropriate without going too over the top.

What is your celebrity’s current sex life like?   She’s in a relationship and they are sexually active. She’s always been really into sex so pretty much if she’s in the mood, she goes for it.

What sort of relationship does your celebrity look for?   She has always been the sort of person who believes in deep connections. She likes to be intellectually stimulated.  There also has to be a certain amount of physical chemistry too.  She wants people that she can trust, who respect her life and the things in it. She could never be with someone who can’t embrace the fact she’s a mother and all the entails.

Do they feel happiest when they’re in a relationship, or single?   Lili is a relationship sort of person. She thrives off connections more so than titles.  As long as she isn’t lonely, she’s doing okay.

Does your celebrity have a best friend?  She does! She has several best friends.

What does your celebrity look for in their friendships?  She looks for people who make her smile, that share a lot of her common interests, that know how to enjoy life and that she can depend on to be a good crying shoulder when times get rough.

Are they the type of person to have a small group of friends, or large?  She tends to have large groups of friends.

In friendships, is your celebrity more of the giver or taker?  There is room for both. It depends on what is going on but she likes to give as much as she takes.

Has your celebrity ever had to end a friendship with someone?  She’s never outright had a conversation with someone about a friendship ending but there have been situations where the dynamics have changed.

 the things that they do

What does your celebrity do for a living? She is an actress, producer, writer and occasional singer.

If they could choose any other career, what would it be?  She can’t imagine any other career but maybe she’d go full-blown singer.

When growing up, what did they want to do? She wanted to be a Broadway Star.

Do they enjoy their current job? She loves acting and cannot wait to have the space to continue to grow in her craft.

What about hobbies, what do they like to do?  Lili enjoys crafting, cooking, spending time with her daughter, going on bike rides, picking wildflowers, hiking, camping and living life to its fullest!

As far as school goes, how far did they take their education? Lili completed high school.

If they had to go (back) to school, what would it be for?  She’d probably do writing classes. One of her exes had a mom who taught poetry and she’d honestly have loved to have taken a bunch poetry and creative writing classes.

 the fun stuff

Are there phrases or words your celebrity uses a lot?  “Don’t do that” mostly in connection with Milo, Murphy or even her little crawler Dylan getting into something they shouldn’t.

Would you say they’re optimistic or pessimistic? Outwardly, she’d prefer to be an optimist but she’s definitely programmed to be more of a pessimist on the inside.

How about introverted or extroverted? She is extroverted.

Do they have any really bad habits? She will put empty food boxes back in the pantry and then get mad when she goes to get something and realizes that it is out and she didn’t notice it when she went to grocery shop.

What is something that always makes them laugh? Literally all her friends.

And something that always makes them cry?  Late night doubts about whether she is doing anything right in her life.

How would your celebrity like to be seen by others? Lili would like to be seen as a talented performer, a fantastic mom and a good person.

And how do they feel others actually see them?  Lili thinks most people just see her as the Riverdale girl.

What are some of their strongest (positive) traits?  She is creative, empathetic and genuine.

What are some of their weakest (negative) traits?  She is anxious, impatient and occasionally moody.

How do they react when someone pays them a compliment?  She would thank them but deep down question if they really meant it.

But how do they react to criticism? It depends on what was said. If it was something she felt like she needed to stand up against, she would. More than not she’d take it with a grain of salt and try and improve upon herself if she could.

What is your celebrity’s biggest fear? She’s afraid of spiders.  She also fears abandonment.

Are they more of an indoors or outdoors person? She loves the outdoors.  She’s pretty content being one with nature.

What are some of their pet peeves?   She doesn’t like when something is obvious and someone has to go and ask questions about it.  

Are they the type of person to fight with violence or words?  She is a word fighter though if you mess with her kid, she and Bill are going to bury you in Sweden.

What is your celebrity’s favorite day of the week?   It used to be Sundays.  Friday or Saturday work now.  Pretty much any day where she isn’t stuck home alone.

Are they more of a book or movie type of person? She loves a good movie. Though she also likes poetry books.

Is your celebrity more of a hoarder or a minimalist? She’s watched enough hoarding shows to be terrified to never be that person but she definitely has her stuff.

How is your celebrity with technology?  She is up to date on everything. She does plenty of instagram lives though it took her a minute to really work it out.  She can manage her social  media just fine.

[thedbgroup1]

3 Agile Process Hacks for Finance Teams in Banking & Financial Services

Finance teams in banking and financial services face a number of unique challenges. You need to stay ahead of quickly changing market conditions, mitigate risks and help your organization deliver return on investment for your customers, all while navigating an ever-changing list of regulatory compliance requirements. With all that on your plate, finding ways to be more agile so you can be a better partner to the business is critical, but no small task.

As you consider how your team can streamline processes to be more flexible and adaptable, questions top of mind might include: How can we adequately prepare for events such as interest rate shocks and market downturns? How can we measure key business metrics—assets under management (AUM) and return on assets ratio (ROA), for example—in real time? What’s the best way to disclose financial and compliance information and build trust with our management, investors, regulators and the public?

While there’s no simple answer to any of these questions, one thing is certain: Being more agile requires a seamless connection between people, processes and technology, especially in the face of ever-present change. In this blog post, we’ll discuss three simple steps your finance team can take to streamline key finance-led processes to be faster and more efficient:

1. Integrate your templates for net interest margin planning

2. Build repeatable workflows to streamline SEC reporting

3. Empower your leaders to tell a story with your data

We’ll also look at the best practices institutions like yours are using to do all of the above and more.

1. Use Integrated Templates For Net Interest Margin Planning

Monitoring interest income is a critical part of the strategic planning process. As the primary source of revenue for retail banks and credit unions, you need to keep a close eye on your interest margins, right down to the individual product level to ensure your business plans are as well informed as possible.

However, if product-level data is siloed in your enterprise resource planning (ERP), asset liability management (ALM) or other source systems, you won’t have an easy way to identify your most profitable financial products. Instead, you’ll have to dig through a bunch of spreadsheets to find the data you’re looking for, and that’s why having one source of truth is so important for net interest margin planning.

By connecting your source systems, automating data inputs and using purpose-built templates for your actuals, forecasts and scenario analysis, you’ll achieve a holistic view of interest income within one secure platform. You’ll also be able to back up your business plans with per-product revenue estimates relative to prime lending rates and yield curves—setting up stakeholders to easily make timely, data-driven business decisions without all the manual effort.

The finance team at ATB Financial, the largest bank headquartered in the Canadian province of Alberta, is a great example of how agile interest margin planning can be put into action. Working with Vena, ATB’s team tracks consolidated revenue figures for more than 100 unique banking products. With all that data at the team’s fingertips, it’s easier for them to quickly determine whether actual versus budget differences are due to margins or price/volume variances. It’s allowed the team and its business partners to plan with a level of granular detail they’d never experienced before.

Learn how ATB Financial transformed budgeting and forecasting in just three months with Vena.

2. Streamline Sec Reporting With Repeatable Workflows

There are few industries in the world subject to greater scrutiny than banking and financial services. Financial institutions are subject to increasingly stringent regulatory reporting requirements. But if you simplify the reporting cycle with automated consolidations and data entries, SEC filings will feel like a breeze instead of a burden. The same logic applies to larger institutions for CCAR reporting and DFAST submissions. You need to design efficient processes that are easy to understand and execute.

But efficiency is often the biggest challenge with financial regulatory reporting, given how collaborative the process really is. If budget owners, managers and executive leadership all need to sign off on one report before it's filed, you might have multiple versions of the same template floating around. You need to align every stakeholder with specific roles in the reporting process and that’s where custom workflows come in handy. They allow you to assign tasks based on individual roles and security permissions, while also ensuring your reports are done quickly, error free and with a full audit trail for tracking. As your team repeats the process for each subsequent reporting cycle, speed and data accuracy will only get better.

Terry Hardy, former Manager of SEC Reporting at Wells Fargo, has first-hand experience seeing how large financial institutions have been able to experience the benefits of repeatable workflows. He helped implement Vena at the banking giant in 2012, overseeing all aspects of regulatory reporting until his retirement in 2019. Working with Vena, Terry was able to:

Automatically detect variances between reporting periods

Track changes to SEC filings and reporting templates with detailed audit trails

Develop an SEC regulatory reporting framework built on teamwork and cross-functional collaboration

To learn more regulatory best practices from Terry, check out his free, CPE-accredited talk, “Transforming Regulatory Reporting Through Teamwork” on plantogrow.com.

3. Tell A Powerful Story With Your Data

Have you ever prepared for a meeting with your board or asset-liability committee, but didn’t quite know how to effectively tell the story behind your numbers? You’re probably not alone, because with so many external reporting requirements in the banking and financial services industry, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which KPIs to focus on internally and how to communicate impact to the right stakeholders in the right way.

But regardless of what metrics you use to define success—whether it’s AUM over benchmark, ROA (Return on Assets), ROE (Return on Equity), sales per branch or others—how you deliver that data is what’s important when it comes to driving performance and efficiencies. Effective, data-driven storytelling with easy-to-understand dashboards that share actionable insights is the key to engaging stakeholders and influencing more informed decision making throughout every stage of your planning cycle.

When built well, dashboards allow you to identify relationships between key metrics, provide a visual representation of important trends and maintain complete transparency across the entire organization. And as you and your business partners execute your plans, dashboards serve as a real-time indicator of emerging trends and performance, making it a lot easier for you to pivot and adjust course if necessary.

Enova International—an online financial services firm with more than 1300 employees around the world—does a great job turning numbers into insightful narratives. The finance team maintains agility by working with Vena to release on-demand “flash reports” at the beginning and end of close periods, which give managers a live look at interest margins and cost of revenue. Vena’s real-time dashboards provide context and helpful reference points, making it easy to track the evolution of those metrics as the business grows.

Check out this webinar to learn more about how Vena helped Enova’s finance team ramp up its strategic analysis to drive business growth.

Finance teams in the banking and financial services industry deal with a lot of complexity and plenty of moving parts. But by taking the steps above to integrate key templates, streamline financial regulatory reporting workflows and build real-time dashboards for effective, data-driven storytelling, it won’t be long before you find the flexibility and adaptability you need to drive improved performance and efficiencies with greater agility.

Request a demo today and discover how Vena can help your finance team improve performance.

Read more here about business analytics.

[zodiacal-dust-and-curls]

Gŵr Tŷ

A/N: Y'all voted for it and here it is!!! Next is Roger. I hope you like it. It's based on one of the funniest sentences Duolingo has used to help me learn Welsh. I cackled for so long. I love this language so freaking much. This os a completely blank slate reader ( except I gave them my career. Sorry)! Proofread by the every lovely @rogers-wristbands and @mollymarymarie 🖤🖤🖤 idk what I'd do without the two of you. Probably torture some other poor souls with my nonsense. Bless you.

Warnings: adoptions, children, parenthood, feelings of inadequacy, kissing

Word count: precisely 1k

Today was one of those days that promised to be good. You could feel it in your bones as you woke up next to the love of your life.

You had cuddled up to him in your sleep as you often did in the cold of winter. Having a space heater for a husband definitely paid off.

With your nose pressed to his shoulder, you were ready to enjoy a few moments of peace before the day really started. What you weren't ready for was the words that left his lips.

"Gŵr tŷ dw i."

It was so quiet you almost missed it. You knew he had been feeling down lately. After your leave from work had ended, Gwilym had stayed at home with your child.

You felt awful about it. It was never intended to be this way, not for so long.

"Nonsense." You mumbled it to him through his skin. He would always be so much more than a simple house-husband.

"Good morning, cariad." Gwilym's mood did not seem to improve with your disagreement. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"I know." You let out a breath as he turned around to face you. These quiet moments were few and far between with little Morgan still being so new. The both of you were hesitant to speak above a whisper.

"You know that it's not true, right?" You just looked at him. Hoping that he would believe the same thing you did with all your heart.

Gwilym had an amazing career. He'd been Brian May on the big screen and befriended him in real life. He'd been in numerous dramas and had a role on Midsomer. Things were a little slow at the moment, but they would pick back up. You couldn't explain how you knew, but you did.

"Even if it isn't true, that's how I feel." He'd scooted down to press your foreheads together. "I've done no new projects for months. Basically, since we started the formal process for Morgan." He let out a sigh. "I just feel a little useless being at home all day while you're out saving lives."

"My love, what I do is far from saving lives." This was true. You worked as a pharmacist and the closest you'd gotten to saving a life was giving an EpiPen.

"It's still important." Was he starting to pout? "More important than what I do."

"Right now, what you do is more important to me than anything I've done in my life." You pulled his chin so that he met your eyes. Your legs had found their way together, effectively holding the both of you in place.

"You stay home all day with our child. The child we fought for, for months." You could see he was starting to believe you. "My two favorite people, my two great loves, are together at home, my favorite place in the world. I won't get to have that thought for long. Soon you'll be back to voice acting or auditions and some stranger will have Morgan. What will I do then?"

"You know my parents will take Morgan." He rolled his eyes a bit.

"I know. But no one will be here making memories or having fun to tell me about when I get home." You didn't know exactly how to impress upon him how important this was to you. Your child and the love of your life, bonding together.

"I took every bit of leave I could to spend time with the two of you." You'd pressed your noses together keeping your lips inches apart. "If I didn't go back, I'd lose my career. It's the first thing I ever fought for and I can't let it go." A tear had managed to work it's way down your cheek. When had you started crying?

Gwilym knew that you'd had to fight for everything. You fought for your education, your job, him, and now your family.

"I know." He pressed your lips together. The kiss was sweet and full of emotion. You couldn't find words to express how much you loved coming home to him and Morgan. Leaving them was the hardest thing you did every day.

The kiss was cut short by the loud cry of the 6 month old in question. You quickly got out of bed, eager to see your child.

"Good morning to you too, my little love." You scooped the wailing infant out of their crib. "Let's get you changed and fed, yeah? I'm sure your daddy would love to see a happy baby this morning."

Putting a microwave and mini fridge in the nursery was the best idea you'd ever had. You could change and feed Morgan without stumbling through the dark house.

After a fresh diaper, onesie, and the beginning of a bottle, you and Morgan padded back down the hall to your room.

"Look who's awake!" You weren't sure if you were talking to Gwilym or Morgan, but the news was well received by both of them.

Gwilym smiled up from his phone at the two of you. "My, my. What a happy baby."

"Yes, yes." You were refocused on Morgan, making sure that there was no spit up or spills. "Such a happy baby." You couldn't stop yourself from making faces and cooing at them.

"Give me my child." Gwil started to get out of bed, finally.

"No. I don't think I will." You started to move back towards the door. "In fact, I think we're going to run away together."

Gwilym pressed a kiss to your forehead and dropped to press one to Morgan's as well. "Why don't we all run away together?" He wrapped his arms around the pair of you, peering over your shoulder to watch Morgan finish breakfast.

"I think that's an excellent idea, gŵr tŷ." You pressed a kiss to his scruffy cheek.

Today was going to be good. There were too many possibilities for the three of you for it to be bad.

Taglist: @rogers-wristbands @80s-rockers @brianandthemays

Taglist is open!

Feedback in the form of comments/asks/reblogs is appreciated!!!

Gŵr tŷ dw i. = I'm a house-husband.

[ruchardmorrison-blog]

GenbrainReviews Before Buying Must Read First

Consider all the things you do to improve your wellbeing. You exercise to improve your physical wellbeing. A great many people utilize a type of healthy skin item to improve their skin's wellbeing. Is there any valid reason why you wouldn't bolster your mind's wellbeing somehow or another? That is the reason we need to enlighten you regarding GenBrain propelled mind recipe. It's another enhancement that has everything your cerebrum should be as solid, dynamic, and precise as could be expected under the circumstances! All things considered, your mind is essentially what your identity is. It contains your character, recollections, and perspective. It would be absolute flighty for you to never really support of its wellbeing, isn't that so? You can think quicker, review more, and be more imaginative than you used to be! All you need is this item. We'll reveal to all of you about it in our GenBrain audit! You simply need to continue perusing what we must state!To purchase GenBrain pills at the present time, click any of the connections on this page!

With regards to your cerebrum's wellbeing, there are a great deal of items out there that make a ton of cases. That is the reason we accomplish crafted by investigating items like GenBrain supplement. Your brain merits the best, and we need to ensure that you know which item is the best. We discover all the information we can and accumulate it into one simple to understand article! In our GenBrain audit, we'll mention to you what this enhancement can accomplish for your psyche and what the recipe may contain. We'll likewise ensure that you gain proficiency with all the item subtleties so you can settle on an educated choice about adding it to your life! In case you're prepared to give your cerebrum the instruments it needs to succeed, how about we begin!

GenBrain Side Effects

This enhancement completes two things, and one prompts the other. The main thing it does is bolster your cerebrum's physical wellbeing. That prompts psychological advantages. Individuals care about the physical wellbeing stuff, however more people are worried about what sort of mental advantages they'll see when they start taking this equation.

Here are on the whole the psychological advantages that accompany taking GenBrain nootropic:

Think Faster

Better Long-Term Memory

Upgraded Short-Term Memory

More Focus

Improved Energy

Diminished Brain Fog

Better Information Processing

Quicker Recall

Longer Attention Span

Those are the things that individuals need long haul out of this item, yet it achieves those by improving a great deal about your mind's physical wellbeing. From assurance to upgrade, this enhancement does everything. Here are on the whole the physical advantages:

Advanced Nerve Growth

More Blood Flow

Improved Oxygen Delivery

Cell Wall Support

Supplements, Vitamins, and Amino Acids

Security From Neurotoxins

Pliancy Promotion

GenBrain Ingredients

The producers don't give a rundown of the equation's substance. That is on the grounds that they're shrewd. On the off chance that they put the recipe on the web, anybody could drop by and scam it to make their own knock-off item.

They are extremely clear around a certain something. The GenBrain cerebrum supporter contains just characteristic fixings. A ton of engineered synthetic compounds can harm the human brain. At the point when things are regular, they will in general be protected. We could make a few theories about what the recipe contains, yet rather, we'll simply believe that this organization comprehends what they're doing.

Step by step instructions to Use Gen Brain Pills

Perhaps this enhancement sounds muddled or confounding. Above all else, when you start taking it, nothing will sound convoluted or confounding. Second, it's entirely simple. We need you to be protected and sure when you request, so we're glad to clarify how everything functions.

Everything you do is take one GenBrain case a day. At the point when you take it is altogether up to you. In any case, a great many people decide to take it toward the beginning of the day in light of the jolt of energy it conveys. To pick up the full advantages, take the item for in any event thirty days. The enhancement develops in your framework. That is it. It's that simple!

GenBrain Side Effects

Since this recipe is made of every single normal fixing, you won't experience any of the symptoms that can accompany engineered synthetic substances. In any case, there is a slim chance of symptoms happening for select people. This is what you have to think about them.

Utilize the item just as coordinated. Try not to surpass the suggested measurement level. On the off chance that you experience any medical issues when taking GenBrain equation, quit taking it and talk with a specialist immediately. In the event that you need to be best educated about how this enhancement will influence your individual wellbeing, talk with a specialist before you start taking it.

GenBrain Price

The official site expresses that the enhancement is in amazingly popularity. That makes it a sellout chance. In the event that it does sellout, the producer can change the cost while they restock.

That is the reason we won't list a GenBrain cost here. We don't need it to be outdated. Rather, we'll exhort that you head to the official site. There, you'll see the most current accessibility and valuing data.

Gen Brain Review

It would be senseless for you not to help your psyche's wellbeing. Truly, is there any valid reason why you wouldn't? This enhancement offers everything that you need from your psyche, in addition to some physical advantages that we're speculating you didn't consider! To get your container, go to the authority GenBrain site. That is the most immediate put in to request from! Head over yonder at this point!

To purchase your container of GenBrain pills, click the connections on this page!

In the event that you know somebody that may be keen on boosting their psychological force, ensure they think about this item as well! Utilize the social catches at the head of the page to send them this GenBrain survey immediately!

https://productscop.com/genbrain/

[andrestacks-blog]

Reliant Keto

Reliant Keto Reviews Updated Is It Scam Nutrition Or Reliant Keto Review

 Reliant Keto Safe Product For Instant Weight Loss! Consume Gathered Fats From The Whole Body!! Moment activity on weight reduction is an interest of each person. In any case, because of different interior issues, weight reduction become a troublesome assignment for the country" As per the examination, each family remembers a corpulent individual for the entire world. Indeed, generally individuals attempt to embrace excruciating technique like as medical procedure and other clinical treatment. Be that as it may, these techniques are totally destructive for our wellbeing. That is the reason, we figure Reliant Keto weight reduction pills which effectively decrease weight. It is a characteristic recipe that prompts "Wonderful Weight Loss Outcomes"! Essentially, Reliant Keto is a herb recipe that hold your body under the condition of ketosis process. In this procedure, one can without much of a stretch consume fat for heaps of vitality. Since, carbs become the auxiliary wellspring of vitality. Does it feel like you've had a go at everything now, with unquestionably no accomplishment? Likewise, okay say you are burnt out on losing a little weight, just to returned to some degree more on? Taking everything into account, by then conceivably it's a perfect chance to endeavor keto! People the world over can't stop talking about the keto diet. In addition, taking everything into account, when done adequately, you can trigger ketosis. That is the spot your body devours its own fat stores for essentialness! With everything taken into account, okay say you are set up to get your keto on? Snap any image to get the most discounted Price of the year! You can experience years getting fit as a fiddle the standard way, or you can go keto. Keto wellbeing nourishment nuts love that diet since it causes them expend with seething warmth fat stores AND it gives them wild proportions of imperativeness. By and large, extraordinary weight control plans can leave you feeling languid and moderate. Regardless, keto can give you so much essentialness it truly empowers you focus! Moreover, Weight Loss is here to help. This formula purports to help you with getting into the fat devouring zone of ketosis snappier and stay there longer! Since, the more you stay in ketosis, the more fat you may have the choice to devour. Also, all that extra imperativeness will make you feel exceptional! All the concentrates are made out from home grown plants and it is liberated from hurts. Be that as it may, it is tried by confirmed labs and affirmed by FDA. Get your thin body and acquire energizing offers now!! It is extremely basic and simple to utilize Reliant Keto pills. Right off the bat, it arrives in a jug having 60 pills. You simply need to take one pill in morning and one pill in night. It is exhortation to take heaps of water while utilizing this item. Indeed, you may likewise peruse directions before utilizing this item.

 Does Reliant Keto Weight loss supplements Really Works?

 Reliant Keto put together item truly works with respect to body. Since, keto is a pattern in the entire market by which you can decrease bunches of pounds. Purpose for embracing keto is that it legitimately assault on your abundance fat. When your body went into ketosis, at that point you can beat heftiness in only one month. Dependent Keto us is a development recipe for weight reduction which have ability to transform cumbersome body into thin one. Incomparable Keto is a solid state for the creation condition for weight decrease. With this upgrade, you can shed pounds quickly in several days. These are just two or three things that have been planned to help the ketogenic diet. The additional substance can change the creation time for starch/sugar, with the objective that fat stays lower in the human life frameworks. This gives you inside and out weight decrease results. The standard and customary mentality of people doesn't let them believe in substitute manner supplements with no issue. They are continually hesitant to change to an improvement that will help them with getting fit as a fiddle. Various things inconvenience them; they are continually worried over the way that envision a situation wherein it turns out ruinous for their body. A Phenomenal weight decrease supplement that relies upon ketosis has entered the It not simply keeps a be careful with your weight and empowers you shred it quickly in a short period of time. However likewise it stops all of your interests. You will turn out to be progressively familiar with how we are sure to such a degree, that this thing is incredibly secured, pocket-pleasing, and doesn't hamper the body system by scrutinizing the going with zones, especially about focal points. What are people saying about this condition? Taking everything into account, the reviews are gushing in, and people are loving this formula up to this point! If you have to scrutinize some veritable customer reviews, click the image above. There, you can see the Official Pills Website. Also, you can examine what certifiable customers are expressing about this thing. You can in like manner learn in the association's own words what this thing should help you with. The thing is, reviews can lamentably do a constrained measure of a ton. Unavoidably, you're going to need to endeavor the thing for yourself. Furthermore, you should, too. Since, likewise similarly as with anything, results may vary. Besides, you won't know whether Pills will change your eating routine everyday practice or not until you endeavor them. The keto diet design is hugely standard for a clarification, just like these pills. All things considered, for your weight decrease, why not look at it? Snap any image to mastermind yours now! Everything comes down to ketones. With diminished carbs affirmation you get no mental dimness as serotonin level gets improved and controls pressure or mental scene concerns. Ketogenic eats less are inconceivable for getting alive and well and chopping down danger factors for unequivocal distresses. While low-fat eating regimens are normally prescribed for those intending to shed pounds, examine shows that keto is, in all honesty, a predominant technique than weight decline. As opposed to different weight control plans, keto won't leave you feeling hungry in the wake of eating a pre-set number of calories for the afternoon. Keto is a brilliant and filling framework for abandoning over the top sustenance utilization. Believe it or not, you can shed pounds without following calories—something that obstructs different individuals from clinging to different weight control plans. There are two or three reasons why keto is more helpful than a low-fat eating plan, including broadened protein usage. Higher protein affirmation is invaluable for weight decay and metabolic thriving.

 How We Can Buy Reliant Keto Diets Pills?

 Reliant Keto You can purchase Reliant Keto on authentic site of Manufacturer. By giving a few subtleties and by making installment on the web, you cam effectively get it at your home! Get it at free expense of delivery!! It is a characteristic item that can't be utilized by pregnant and lactating women Try not to utilize some other drugs while you are with Reliant Keto Carefully precluded for the utilization of liquor and medications Try not to utilize additional measurements of the item In the event that you are beneath 28 years, at that point you can't utilize itCustomer audits are sure and astonishing. Indeed, we likewise get stunned after observe astounding surveys on our site. A few people get successful results on gut fat while some get a hazard free outcomes. You may likewise visit Official site for checking more surveys of the item. It is a decent inquiry! Maker behind Reliant Keto give a "15 days discount strategy". In this arrangement, you can restore the bundle on the off chance that you are not getting results inside 15 days. In any case, it won't occur! Since, we have trust over our item and we realize that it will works inside the body. Actually, inside only multi week, you will get wonderful results! It is basic and simple to utilize Reliant Keto pills. Right off the bat, it arrives in a container having 60 pills. You simply need to take one pill in morning and one pill in night. It is guidance to take bunches of water while utilizing this item. Indeed, you may likewise peruse directions before utilizing this item. Dependent Keto is a symptoms free item since it doesn't contain any hurtful fixings. Indeed, it hold you under a fit and thin character. All the concentrates are made out from home grown plants and it is liberated from hurts. Nonetheless, it is tried by ensured labs and endorsed by FDA. Get your thin body and get energizing offers now!! Drink a huge amount of water to keep the body hydrated and favor taking whole common sustenances that are freed from extra sugars. In any case, you are not allowed to cross the suggested parcel sum since it may cause some irritating. In case any dreadful effects show up stop the use and guidance a specialist.

https://supplementslove.com/reliant-keto/

https://www.completefoods.co/diy/recipes/reliant-keto-make-your-body-slim-and-fits

https://sites.google.com/site/supplementsloves/reliant-keto

http://andrestacks.over-blog.com/2020/04/reliant-keto-make-your-body-slim-and-fits.html

https://ultrafxprime.wordpress.com/2020/04/27/reliant-keto-make-your-body-slim-and-fits/

https://supplementsloves.blogspot.com/2020/04/reliant-keto-is-one-of-most-effective.html

https://supplementsloves.hatenablog.com/entry/2020/04/27/135227

http://reliant-keto1.simplesite.com/

https://murl.com/qxJYp

[rulesofthebeneath]

how bout a dance: part 1

<AN> Ok... so this is the Bullshit. It’s a bit of a departure from what I normally write, but I had this idea and it kinda got stuck in my head, and with the help of @euphonyinestetica and @ajaysbhandari it kinda came to life. It’s basically a post-college ajay x mc au, where basically they broke up when he went to college and now, well... you’ll have to read to find out. I’m really excited to share this all with you guys. Projecting a total of 13 parts, major OC usage. Please please let me know what you think, Feedback is Life. Crediting: @euphonyinestetica as cowriter and fierce editor. Tagging: @pixelburied, @witchiegirl, @lilmissperfectlyimperfect, @anlashokk, @itsbrindleybinch. I hope y’all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! </AN>

The cold March wind blew Grace’s hair across her face, temporarily blinding her. She sighed with thinly veiled exasperation and reached up to fumble it into a messy ponytail with numb fingers. She hitched her scarf up to cover her exposed neck and buried her nose into it, trying to shield herself from the cold. Continuing along 43rd Street, her chapped hands made their way back into her coat pockets. She cursed her Brooklyn apartment for being so far away, she cursed the six hours she’d already spent on her feet waitressing that day, and she cursed the entire state of New York for being so damn cold.

She finally reached the theatre, a tiny thing nestled between shops and restaurants on the upper west side, and silently slipped inside the stage door. It was still thirty minutes before rehearsal was supposed to start, but Grace took the saying “early is on time, on time is late, late is fired” to heart and didn’t want to leave anything to chance. She reached the stage and set her things down in a chair. Then, she went off in search of a bathroom so she could change into her dance clothes.

A few minutes later, she was back onstage and a few of the other actors were there, along with the director, Charlie. Charlie was a man nearing his sixties with an impressive head of hair that he insisted was real. From the two rehearsals they’d had so far—the table read and the first sing-through—Grace gathered that he was the gentle kind of man, a rare find in New York City. He tended towards the eccentric in his creative decisions, but Grace had had worse directors. She was interested to see how he would direct this musical. She shot him a smile in greeting—he was in the middle of a conversation with their producer—and then sat down near a group of the other actors to start stretching.

The musical she’d been cast in was Bonnie & Clyde, and Grace had never been more excited to be in a show. Well, maybe she had been more excited for her first show ever back in high school, but this was the first time she was the lead in a paying production. It didn’t pay much, granted, but that was what her day job (and Actor’s Equity) was for. She was in theatre for the passion, the heart, the excitement, and she was very eager to see what doors this would open for her. Grace had heard of people getting discovered in even less prestigious theatres.

A guy not much older than her, Kevin, played Clyde. He plopped himself down beside Grace and offered her a fist bump.

“Your hair looks messed up,” he said by way of a greeting. “It’s hella windy out there.”

Grace rolled her eyes but paused her stretching to attempt to pull her hair into a reasonable braid.

“Better?”

“Much,” he grinned at her. “How was the pub?”

“Same as always. Full of rude people. How was the drugstore?”

“About the same.” He sighed. “I can’t wait until tech week… Like yeah, all the ten of twelves will be hell but it’s a more pleasant hell than eight hours at the cash register.”

“Retweet,” Grace said absently. Her eyes followed the director as he climbed up on stage, having just ended his conversation. He was flanked by the stage manager and the producer, a middle-aged lady that Grace hadn’t met before but had seen watching the first read-through. She didn’t think it was normal for the producer to come to so many rehearsals, but she knew she was hardly an expert. Charlie clapped his hands once to draw the attention of all the actors and everyone’s attention turned to him.

“Actors,” he said in his booming voice. “I have an announcement. Last night, I was offered a job directing an off-Broadway production. I have loved the work that we’ve done in our short time here, but I have to do what’s best for my career. So I’m sorry to say that I will be leaving you, effective immediately.”

In the pause where he took a breath, Kevin muttered a shell-shocked “what the fuck” from beside her. Grace didn’t really know what to think. Her mind had gone blank, save for one phrase that she couldn’t stop repeating: failure. The first production that she was a lead in was now officially a failure. She shook her head as she realized that she was going to have to start the nerve-wracking audition process all over again, the processes that gave her twenty rejections before one measly job. The best job opportunity of her life so far: a failure.

The other actors had broken out into mutters too, all of them looking as shocked as Grace felt. A voice from the back spoke up above the noise and all eyes fell on her, a woman that Grace vaguely recalled as playing Blanche, as she stood up.

“So the show’s just done then?” she asked, her voice trembling but still somehow managing an accusatory tone. “After everything we’ve done?”

The director’s eyes widened. “No, no, of course not!” he stuttered, his hands flying up in front of his chest, taking a few steps back. “I’ve arranged for Annette Keiser,” he indicated the stressed producer, “to conduct interviews for a new director as quickly as possible. In fact, I believe her first appointment is in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, yes. We’ll have a new director by Monday, I promise you that you won’t be out of work. I know of a few promising young directors that are interested in the show that I’ve contacted since last night. I’ll make sure that we only get the best.” Annette announced in a strained voice, giving away how stressed the normally bubbly woman was. “Now, I have to go prepare for my first appointment. Everyone is dismissed until Monday.” With that, she and Charlie walked off the stage in opposite directions. The stage manager nodded at the group of actors for whom the shock still hadn’t worn off, then scurried off stage to inform the techs of the new development. The actress that played Blanche walked over to Grace and Kevin, both of whom were still sitting on the floor mid-stretch.

“Well, that was a surprise twist,” she said in a soft, lilting southern accent.

“No shit, Rosa,” Kevin chuckled, causing Grace to smile. He got up and started brushing off his pants. “Hopefully I’ll see you on Monday, Grace. You too, Rosa,” he said, then sauntered off the stage.

Rosa rolled her eyes in his direction, also biting back a laugh. She stuck out a hand to help Grace up. After a beat Grace took it, smiling.

“So I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink,” Rosa said. Her words broke a little of the worry in Grace’s heart, and she started to giggle.

“Where do you live? There’s a good pub in Brooklyn, does a nice fish and chips and an even better whiskey.”

“Ooh, fish and chips does seem like it would hit the spot. Whiskey too. I live in Brooklyn, so it sounds alright to me.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Neither stopped to change out of their dance clothes, but just bundled back up and threw their bags over their shoulders, and both recoiled as soon as the cold wind hit their faces.

“Ugh. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this,” Rosa complained. “The place I’m from, it never snows. The summer heat’s brutal, though.”

“Oh, where are you from?”

“Texas,” she answered in an exaggerated accent. “Real southern belle right here.”

“Damn,” Grace replied. “You’ll have to help me perfect my accent. This whole musical takes place there.”

“If there is a musical anymore,” Rosa rolled her eyes. “But anyways, enough about that. Where are you from?”

“Oregon,” Grace sighed. “But I went to southern California for college, so I’m not quite used to this cold either.”

“Oregon, huh? Farm girl?”

“Small town girl.” She hummed a couple bars of “Don’t Stop Believin’”, making Rosa laugh. “My parents own a diner. I think everyone was surprised when both me and my twin brother ditched Oregon for LA. We both went to USC, and he plays for the Chargers now. I guess in comparison I’m the underachiever,” she joked, trying to laugh off the accidental reveal of too much information. Rosa, bless her, smoothly ignored it and changed the subject.

“So your family’s all over the place, huh? Everyone I know is still in San Antonio. We’re all either there or Mexico, but I haven’t seen my Mexican family in a long time.”

Grace hummed in sympathy. “My twin and I were adopted. It was a closed adoption, so I still have no idea who my birth parents are, other than that they were Thai. My adoptive parents—my real parents—don’t have good relationships with their parents so I don’t have much extended family. Our family was basically the whole town.”

After a few steps in silence, Rosa spoke up again. “Well, I bet that soon enough both you and your brother will be big stars.”

“Aw, Rosa.”

“No, seriously though. You’re an amazing singer, I heard you during the first sing-through. I thought, damn, how does such a big voice come from such a little person?”

“I’m not that small!” Grace protested. Rosa just laughed from a height six inches taller than Grace. Grace adjusted her bag on her shoulder, accidentally hitting a passerby in the shoulder.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She whipped her head around to apologize to him, tucking her bag closer to her. She'd only lived in New York City for a few months, and hadn't yet succumbed to the rudeness the people of the city were so known for.

“That’s okay!” he shouted over his shoulder, not even looking back. He must have been in a hurry. But when he turned his head, Grace thought the recognized him. The black mop of hair, the tortoiseshell glasses, the crooked grin that she’d barely caught before he turned away. She stopped in her tracks, dodging pedestrians to try and get a better look at the retreating man.

Rosa noticed Grace had stopped and walked back over.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I just-” Grace started breathlessly. “I just... thought I saw someone I knew.”

Rosa raised an eyebrow.

“It probably wasn’t him. I haven’t seen him in, God, seven years? Yeah, no way that was him.”

“Is there a story there?” Rosa asked.

Grace’s face flushed a bit. “There is, but… you’ll have to buy me a few drinks first.”

“Hell, I’m not made of money,” Rosa laughed. “I live in a shoebox for 1300 a month, if I could buy you more than one drink I would.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll tell you later, it’s not anything too interesting.”

“Whatever you say.”

The two finally reached the Brooklyn pub after a long subway ride that was a welcome reprieve from the cold. The inside of the pub was warm with soft yellow lighting. It was clear that it was more of a hole-in-the-wall than anything classy, but they both were more comfortable with the casual setting. They both sat at the bar and the bartender made a beeline over.

“Hey, Grace! Back so soon?” he teased. Grace rolled her eyes.

“Just looking for some food and some drinks for my friend and me. Our director left the production, so we might be out of a job soon.”

Rosa swatted her. “Don’t say that! It’s bad luck.”

Grace turned to her in surprise. “You were saying the same thing not even an hour ago!”

“I’m trying to be optimistic!” Rosa retorted, making them both laugh. Grace turned back to the bartender.

“Aaron, do you know if anyone has a shift this weekend that needs to be picked up? I didn’t get scheduled at all.”

“We’re closing for a renovation this weekend, remember? Getting new wallpaper.”

Grace wrinkled her nose as she looked around at the peeling wallpaper, completely torn off in some places and horribly stained in others. “Good, we need it. But that just means I’ll starve this weekend.”

“Better eat hearty tonight, then. Employee discount, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Grace brightened up. “Two Old Fashioneds, then, and two plates of fish and chips.”

“Comin’ right up,” Aaron said as he turned to grab bottles off the shelves. Rosa turned to Grace.

“So, spill. Who was that guy on the street?”

“It probably wasn’t even him,” Grace deflected.

“Well, who did you think he was?”

Grace let out a long sigh. “That guy just… looked a lot like my high school ex. That’s all.”

“Oh, so what’s the story there? Messy breakup? Lots of drama?” Rosa rested her chin on her hands, eager for the story.

“Ugh, no, not at all. He was two years older than me, so we broke up when he went to college. He went to NYU, so we decided long-distance wasn’t really an option. It sucked a lot because we were together for almost a year and a half, but there’s no bad blood between us or anything. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, so I was just surprised. But that probably wasn’t even him. A lot of guys these days like the glasses and blazers-with-jeans look.”

“Hmm,” Rosa hummed, a little disappointed. “Wouldn’t that be weird if it was him, though?”

“Yeah, really though,” Grace laughed. “Honestly, I’m not really sure what he’s up to nowadays. We don’t really talk, and he’s not too active on social media. Whoever that man was, he just gave me a serious blast from the past.”

Aaron set their drinks down, and they both smiled gratefully before picking up their glasses and clinking them together.

“To the new director,” Rosa suggested.

“To the new director!” Grace responded. “Whoever they are, they’ll have a hell of a job.”