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angel-of-the-moons · 4 months

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Didn't Plan On It (AKA, Your Friends Are Assholes)

Khonshu x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: NSFW, forced marriage (kinda??? You SORT OF consented to it???), hints at sexual stuff, groping, my shitty sense of humor

MINORS DNI I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTENT YOU CONSUME

A/N: Based on this post I got tagged in asdfghjkl (I loosely based Max off a friend of mine 💀)

You loved your friends, but hated them at the same time.

Loved them because they were quirky and weird and matched your energy...

...Hated them because they matched your energy.

A double edged sword, for certain. But at the same time, there's nobody you'd trust more to come to your aid if some creep got up into your personal space. You'd all grown up together, been through everything through thick and thin, even if some of you moved away at some point.

There was Mari, the oldest one in the group by two years. She was like the aunt of the friend group (you were the group mom) who you all could trust to suggest poisoning an ex who did you wrong.

Then, there was Elizabeth "Lizzy", she was the one in the group that alcohol hit the hardest, the lightweight who got cuddly when she was drunk. She did everyone's taxes for them (you know how to do them, she just does them better). Stabbed her ex boyfriend for cheating on her, didn't get any charges pressed (somehow).

There was the other Elizabeth, whom everyone just called "Eli" to avoid confusing her with Lizzy. (Sometimes you all call them #1 and #2) Eli was the most tomboy of the group, her fashion very much stuck in the "grunge" fashion from back in the 90s. 90% of her fashion choice is band merch, she is the one who drives everyone to concerts and manages check-ins at events to make sure everyone is accounted for.

After Mari, Lizzy, and Eli, there was Zoey. Her contact number in everyone's phone is almost always "Zoey 101". The highest IQ out of you all, she was the one who manages passports, IDs, and luggage checks when you take trips together. Has way too much knowledge on the supernatural and the occult.

After the four of them, was Kayla. Kayla was the one who always knew everything about whatever group projects you were all assigned to in school; ask her an obscure fact and she could spit out an atlas or encyclopedia on the subject. Dresses like she's a model on a runway almost every day. Owns 5,000 pairs of feetie pajamas.

And finally, there was Maxwell "Max". You all likened him to Max, Goofy's son, due to how lanky he was. A beautician by trade, always wore flawless makeup when he dressed in drag. Or, just gorgeous in general. Your team's "Gay Avenger" and he watches your drinks at parties like he is a lone sentry between him, a sniper and a platoon of soldiers in the night. Max was the one you knew the longest, you two were born only a few days apart; your parents being best friends even longer. You all made every single one of his drag shows to support him, screaming and cheering the loudest.

Right now, you were at Kayla's house. She was a successful real estate agent and made serious bank; so hosting the bachelorette party in her honor there just made sense. Cheaper, too.

You all had a private party, getting wasted, eating snacks, dressing each other up, holding Lizzy's hair when she puked into the toilet, watching old shitty rom-coms, and letting Max put his best drag looks on all of you. (That was his favorite part of the night, honestly.)

But somehow, inevitably, the occult was brought up. Not by Zoey, but by Mari. She suggested playing with a ouija board.

Kayla had slammed her hands on the table and said, "Hell. No! Not in my house! I'm white, but I'm not horror movie "let's open a magic door and summon a demon" white!"

"Yeah, let's be real. The demon would probably claim Max first." Lizzy grinned, jerking her thumb to the man in question.

Max dramatically clutched his invisible pearls, the gaudy fake tiara crooked in his poofy curls as he gasped incredulously, "Not on the first date, girl! He'd have to put a ring on it, first. I have standards."

"Oh, he'd probably put a ring on something--" Eli snorted into her drink, earning a loud round of chortling from the rest of you.

As the laughter died down, Zoey had said a loud thoughtfully, "Well... there is something I read in my forums recently. A ritual..."

Kayla squinted at her, pointing her manicured nail into her chubby little cheek. "What did I just say about demons?"

"It's not a demon!" Zoey giggled. "It's a god."

"Oh, so instead of a demon, we're gonna summon something possibly even more dangerous?" Mari sighed, raising an eyebrow. "I d'nno how a god would feel about puny mortals like us summoning him from a plane of existence we can't even fathom just to ask him to strip for us."

"Noooo!" Zoey frowned at her as everyone laughed. "It's kind of like a.... fertility rite? Or well, maybe more like some kinda ceremony that's supposed to gain the favor of the god or something. It was discovered by some sort of archaeologist recently in a scroll!"

"A scroll." You deadpan, setting your empty glass of wine in front of you, leaning back on the couch.

"I think I know the scroll you're talking about." Kayla had piped in. "It was found in some recovered temple out in Egypt, right? By one that one world famous professor and historian?"

"Yes! So you know which god I'm talking about, and how he's not dangerous." Zoey nodded excitedly, growing more and more energized at the possibility of playing with magic with all of you.

Kayla tapped her nails on the tabletop, twisting her mouth as she mulled over her options. Deciding that, fuck it, Zoey had a point... it couldn't hurt to end the night with a bang.

"Okay, okay.... let's do it."

"Yessss!" Zoey said, jumping up and bouncing on her feet. She stopped and awkwardly cleared her throat. "Well, er... we kind of need a subject to be the centerpiece, though... the "anchor" of the spell..."

"Wait.... You said a fertility god?" Max squinted, his eyes glimmering cheekily.

"Well, healing, protection, fertility..." Zoey listed off, her voice trailing away.

"Okay okay, but let's focus on the fertility part." He replied. "So odds are.... the anchor of the spell is going to get laid."

"Well... It's a possibility."

"So, who gets to be the lucky anchor?" You asked, tilting your head.

The silence was so loud a mouse could sneeze and you all would have heard it.

And then.... their heads all turned to you, grins spreading on their faces as they all traded conspiratorial looks with one another.

"Oh fuck you." You snap, shaking your head.

"Well, babygirl..." Max leaned in, his arm over your shoulder. "I know for a fact you haven't been laid in a good long while..."

"I have an active sex life!" You retorted, your voice becoming shrill.

"Battery-operated silicone boyfriends don't count." He deadpanned, earning laughter from everyone in the room.

You slump in your seat, pouting like an angry child. "I don't need help getting laid!"

"Well, it's also..." Lizzy said slowly. "The last guy you were with was Troy... and we all know what happened with him."

Your mood soured further at the mention of your highschool sweetheart, the man of your dreams... or so it had appeared. You'd held out on him for a while, finally giving in on prom night and getting a hotel room and having sex with him.

And one day, you decided to drop by his family's house with an early birthday present. ...Only to have caught him in bed with his best friend's mother. He'd been cheating on you with her for almost the entirety of your relationship.

It was after that break-up that you just... didn't want to date. Even if you were lonely, you wouldn't give in because your sense of trust had been betrayed by the guy you were absolutely besotted with.

Eli cleared her throat, "Oh come on. Nothing's gonna happen... it's not like we're gonna sacrifice you on an altar."

"Ugh! Fine! Leave me alone! And when nothing happens you're all paying for my drinks the next time we go bar hopping!" You shouted, throwing your hands up in the air.

Zoey rubbed her hands together, grinning. "Now, then.... let's make a run to that little shop on Malden Street! They're 24 hours and have everything we need!"

You groaned as you got tugged along, Mari the designated driver because she was the only sober one.

Yeah. You hated and loved your friends.

Zoey had begun setting up the altar around the bed in the guest room, finishing it almost too quickly for your liking. Max and Kayla had dolled you all up for your "date", ensuring you looked your best when that god (never) appeared.

Dressed in one of Kayla's black nightgowns and her silk robe, Max had your hair styled "just right" and your makeup "tastefully minimal"--whatever all that meant.

Eli and Lizzy had killed the lights, while Mari cleared the rest of the bedroom for whatever else would occur.

You laid down on the bed as everyone sat in a semicircle around the bed, Zoey standing with a wax candle in hand as she read the spell screenshotted on her phone aloud as best she could in the language it was written.

You laid against the plush pillows, staring at the ceiling in boredom, listening to Zoey drone on and your other friends giggle in anticipation at the stupid middle-school antics they were perpetrating upon you.

Eventually, the room fell silent as Zoey kneeled like the others staring at you with rapt attention, her eyes glittering in excitement.

Only... nothing happened. Not even... well, you weren't sure what magic would feel like if it was cast on you.

"Hah!" You said, lifting your head to look at Zoey, pointing. "I told you nothing would happen--"

Your six friends all fell backwards with startled shouts and shrieks when, in a blur of light... you vanished.

Right in front of them!

"Oh, oh no.... Um... whoops...?" Zoey said, her voice shell shocked and tiny as a bead of sweat dripped down her brow.

Max grabbed Zoey and shook her, "What did you do! What did you do?!"

The moment that flash of light dissipated you hit whatever soft surface you were on with a gasp, almost feeling your lungs squeezed of all air before sucking in much needed oxygen.

You blinked your eyes open, and when they focused on your surroundings... You realized you weren't at Kayla's house anymore. Your friends weren't sitting in their silly ritualistic circle... Zoey wasn't staring at you like a bug under a microscope.

You were... somewhere. The bed you were on was insanely large and round, the sheets a divinely soft texture, almost like the velvet of a moths's wing. A canopy was above you, wafting in an unknown breeze. Marble pillars with beautiful scenes painted on lined the room that was very sparse, save for a table laden with food in the corner.

You swing your legs over the bed and rub your temples.

You were drunk. You were black out drunk and this is all some kind of horrible dream that will cause you migraines with your inevitable hangover in the morning.

Right?

Yeah. Not so lucky.

When your eyes opened once more, you were still in the strange marble room.

You groaned, standing up and shivering as your feet touched the cold stone floors, polished to a fine sheen that reflected the dim torchlight lit on various oil lamps lining the room.

You looked to your side and noticed some kind of balcony, the night sky just beyond.

You frantically ran for it, hoping that maybe you might be able to call down to the street below for help, but... no luck.

Your hands wrapped around the stone banister and your jaw dropped. You weren't met with the night scenery of some kind of city or town, or even a sprawling estate.

Chalky dust, dented with craters and rocks and boulders stretched out beyond your vision's limits. And hovering in the sky where the moon should be, was...

The Earth. A shiny blue-and-green marble that lazily hung in the void of space, one side dimly lit by the sun while the other was black, lights from the cities below dotting it with a golden hue in the shadow of the--the fucking moon.

You were on the fucking moon?!

"How the hell... what..." You said, your heart thudding in your chest as you walked back into the ornate, pale room you'd exited.

Honestly, you were the darkest thing in there, dressed in all black, the silk hanging from your body and clinging to you in all the right places...

How were you breathing? What were you breathing? How were you even alive--

"Well... this is interesting." A deep voice mused from behind you.

You could feel someone looming over you. An oppressive feeling bearing down on you like whoever this was towered beyond your height.

You spun around, swallowing the lump of fear in your chest; but whoever spoke was no longer behind you.

"It's been some time since anyone has performed that ritual." The voice said again, "Though... uour friend should have worded it more carefully. Her mistranslation may cost you more than intended."

You looked towards the balcony, the thin curtains swaying in the breeze-that-should-not-be, a tall, imposing shadow barely showing through the other side.

An impossibly large man. Or... what looked like a man... if it weren't for the silhouette of the bird skull where his head should be.

Fear spread through your body at every leap of your pulse, dreading it as the figure began walking to the edge of the fine drapery. You anticipated some kind of horror show, but... well. You got the opposite.

A man with impeccably tanned skin, dressed only in a gold bejeweled collar and bracers stepped out, his white shendyt wrapped in some sort of sheer cover, his toned waist disappearing beyond, a thin trail of dark hair trailing up to his navel as his bare feet padded silently across the polished floor. On his chest was a crescent moon that looked like it was painted in some sort of gold across his skin.

His hazel eyes glimmered at you with an inhuman inner light, his mouth quirked up in a cocky smile that stretched his beard; his long, curled black hair striped with wisps of silver as it hung low against his shoulders.

One of his hands held a long staff, topped in a golden crescent moon, like the one tattooed on his chest. His eyes trailed you up and down as he slowly made his way over to you.

You were transfixed.

You were so struck by him that you didn't flinch until his fingers tipped your chin so you would look up at him, your mouth going dry. What the hell was happening?

"Well... at least you are pleasing to look at."

You felt your ego take the punch, and your awe at his beauty was shattered. Oh. So he was a dick.

"You--"

"Do you know why you're here, little dove?" He hummed, tilting his head slightly with a coy--but knowing--smile.

"I... My friend did some stupid magic circle, that's what!" You say, twisting your head free from his grasp, stepping away to wrap the silk robe around you tighter, suddenly feeling very self conscious.

"I asked not what brought you here... but if you knew what your friend's ritual has ordained for you." He chuckled lowly at your sense of modesty.

"I..." You flounder, wishing you had been listening to the details Zoey had been spitting as she set up the circle, earlier as Max and Kayla got you ready. "Something about..."

Your body shivered at the realization.

"... something about fertility?"

The man moved towards you in a blur, suddenly behind you once again; his body heat bleeding into you like the scorching sun on a summer day, his heavy hands circling your waist and toying with the knot in the robe.

"Close." He had whispered, his lips touching the shell of your ear as your body went rigid in his embrace.

"Your friend mistranslated "offering"." The ridiculously gorgeous man hummed deeply. His lips skimmed your bare neck in appreciation; "She said "wife". Imagine my surprise, while I was overseeing my Fist's duties and I heard that incantation over the divine space. I simply had to see who performed such a ritual."

"W-wait you can't be saying that..."

"I am afraid so, little dove." He breathed, his mouth leaving a hot kiss to your leaping pulse, making heat pool low in your belly. His hands slid beneath the robe, touching the soft nightgown that covered you beneath; barely touching the undersides of your breasts.

"You belong to me, now."

You stood ramrod stiff as his hands roamed you, mapping out every dip and curve your body had; every hollow and mark in your skin, driving your body mad with desire despite the shock of your current situation.

"It is human custom to consummate a marriage after a ceremony, yes?" His mouth once again found your ear, his words hot on your skin, one of his hands slipping beneath your robe and gown to brush his thumb over one of your pebbled nipples; his other sliding down to slowly hike up the skirt of your nightwear, his hand groping and squeezing the fat of your thigh.

"It has been... overlong since I have indulged in such pleasures. But I assure you, I have a--very--good memory."

All six of them had been in a constant state of panic, frantically wondering if they should call a priest or the police. The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, painting the sky in gorgeous colors as clouds lazily danced about the atmosphere.

Max had yanked at his curls, "I'm to gay and gorgeous to go to jail!"

"It was magic not murder, you drama queen!" Mari shouted, shaking Max's arm frantically.

"Who the fuck should we call?!" Lizzy shrieked, waving her arms over her head. "The fuckin' Winchester brothers?! Fucking Constantine?!"

Zoey practically sobbed, emotionally raw and scared. She hadn't expected anything to happen with this! After all, none of her other dabblings caused something like... like this! What if she mistranslated in the wrong language and accidentally sent you to Cthulhu? What if she cursed you to one of the circles of hell? Did she say something wrong?!

"I'm sorry!" She sniffled as Eli rubbed her back, trying desperately to stay calm. "I didn't know!"

"Well, we are not ever doing goddamn magic ever again!" Kayla hyperventilated, fanning herself desperately with her hand, the other holding her long hair up in a bunch to get it off of her sweaty neck. "God damn it, this shit always happens in horror movies! Me and my big mouth--"

They were all almost knocked to the ground again, when, in a bright flash of light... you were dropped onto the plush mattress once again. Only this time, your appearance was far more disheveled.

Your makeup ran down your cheeks, mascara tracking down your face from dried tears, your lipstick smeared and hair messy; your clothes haphazardly askew in several places.

You blinked, your eyes not entirely focused as you sat up and looked at your friends. You zeroed in on Zoey. You didn't seem... hurt? Mad at her?

Instead, your usual coping mechanism kicked in. Humor.

"Scully.... You're not gonna believe this..."

#moon knight #khonshu #moon knight khonshu #khonshu x reader #khonshu x you

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theroyalmisfitmess · 3 years

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wait but if max gets a new love interest that just means more clarkeman angst also please give simon a love interest who won’t drag him in a love triangle he and zoey are great as besties but he needs someone else romantically

#the love triangle reminds me of 27 dresses lmao #what if zoey said she has feelings for simon again to make max jealous #max and zoey have so much hints #the freaking friendship ring?!?!#SEVERAL years in the making big?!?!#A MOMENT LIKE THIS?!?!#i really think the writers are just dragging zomax or clarkeman or whatever we call it #simon needs someone else #i low key miss jessica though she was a great character #zoey's extraordinary playlist #zep #zoey clarke #max richman #simon haynes #clarkeman #zomax

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myheartissetinmotion · 3 years

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to quote elphaba thropp, MY HEAD IS REELING

I am. emotionally destroyed

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR MANDY MOORE

my heart is literally racing rn and the episode has been over for quite a few minutes

SO. MUCH. HAPPENED. gotta try to put Actual Thoughts here

I absolutely love the Deb development; Bernadette Peters is once again and always phenomenal

Maggie’s storyline rn is so interesting to me

I just really love the development of that relationship (oh what I’d give to go on a cruise with those two)

the little pronouns exchange was so lovely and so important

all of the acting in this was just unbelievable. so vulnerable and real and ahhhhh

okay this episode had a lot of serious themes but I just have to get this out: MACTOBIN MACTOBIN MACTOBIN MACTOBIN MACTOBIN MACTOBIN

THE MEDITATION ROOM GIVES US A FANTASTIC SCENE ONCE AGAIN. I WILL BE SCREAMING ABOUT THIS AS LONG AS I LIVE

can we talk about that letter opener line bc-oh my god it’s perfection

they’re genuinely so good together and I hope they end up okay-there are a few lines hinting at Tobin’s insecurity that it might just be an “angry hookup” or bc they kissed after he said he hated Leif that might factor into it but. hopefully they can all be good with each other, I just love them a lot

and the scene with him and Leif was just pure joy and I missed seeing them so much-they’re such good friends and they care so much about each other and ahhhhhh

THE JUMPING UP AND DOWN

also it’s fascinating to see a return to “We’re Gonna Freakin Do This, I’m Very Sure That This Office Will One Day Be Mine” Leif

was the shot with his legs on the table a callback to ipasoy or am I just overthinking this bc we’ve barely seen him for the past few episodes? who knows, anyway, he’s a fascinating character and I love him so much

okay time to Get Into The Drama

first order of business: Alex Newell and David St. Louis deserve every single award ever made

that storyline destroyed me and it’s so nuanced and real and my GOD this show

also?!?! unwell?!?! sir how do you do that

now the elephant in the room: Zoey, ma’am, I love you more than life itself but idk how you’re gonna get out of this one

my show choir did New York State Of Mind a few months before the pandemic hit and that song has meant everything to me since then; Skylar’s rendition was incredible

I am so nervous about the implications for...every single relationship

Jane Levy is the queen of acting

don’t stop me now was a BOP AND A HALF

John Clarence Stewart and Katie Findlay...ilysm

SHE IS STATIC ELECTRICITY!!!

does she still have feelings for Max? is it just the loss thing that the therapist (and most of the fandom) predicted? is Simon eventually getting sidelined (please god don’t let that happen)? what about Rose? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS

also I want to go on a cruise with Maggie and Deb

I really hope the gambling thing doesn’t become a real addiction; it’s good that it worked out (and rich girl was such a vibe, my friend and I are dying to recreate it)

Mackenzie’s outfit was once again off the charts

have I already said this a large number of times? yes. am I gonna say it again? yes here goes HEY SIRI HOW DO I BECOME MORGAN TAYLOR CAMPBELL

I feel so much for Mo; that relationship seemed so real and I can’t imagine being told that being your truest self is causing your partner pain

okay speaking of tears WE GET MITCH NEXT WEEK?!? HEALTHY, UP-AND-RUNNING, WONDERFUL AND SUPPORTIVE MITCH? I’M GONNA S O B

also WHAT THE 🎸 WAS LEIF’S HAIR EVEN DOING-I am very very intrigued

so much has to be done in just two episodes and I’m terrified but so ready to be taken on this ride

please renew this show. please let me be part of this show. everyone go vote in that poll a million times because this is life and this is what needs to be on television

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shipppphappens · 3 years

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Zoey's extraordinary Session

This episode was so amazing. Best of the season, maybe of the whole show. There were so many things I loved and so less I don't. To write this episode you need to know that show so well and they did a very good job, with just a few little false.

First of all it was such a beautiful Clarkeman centric episode und they were so cute. I love that their start wasn't friendship of first sight.

It was so nice to see Mitch real alive and interacting with all of his loved ones. He and Zoey are so cute. He and Maggie just heartwarming and when he starts singing "Dream a little dream of me" - oh my heart.

And he gave Zoey his approvel for Max, "I like him." That we get that first meeting was such a fan service. It wasn't love at first sight for Max and Zoey, but for Max and Mitch. I let out a little squee when he called Maggie "Mags". Like a forshaddowing for the love of his daughters life.

It was also nice to close the circle to the start of the season when Maggie speaks to Zoey at her first day back a SPARQ Point and now it was Mitch who speaks to Zoey.

So glad David picked Emily to be his wife and not Kersten. When Mitch died he wanted Emily to be with him and Mitch. His girlfriend shouldn't be with Maggie at the hospital. - Nice work writers, nice work.

Maybe a bit to much to put the thing with Emily also in that episode, but ok.

I little bit too much had also been the meeting between Zoey and Mo, but it brought the great "Mo's explicite Playlist" line. So I take it cause it makes me laugh. It also reminds us at Zora and Mo's Jeanscompany. And when we first met Mo in the very first episode, Zoey complains about his loud music, like she did it here.

So and now one thing who is wrong. In season 1 we learn Leif is at SPRQPoint for 7 years. Technicly he can't be at this day as a new guy. But I am happy he didn't has that hair anymore. Same with Tobin. And again Spellaversary - great.

The music hints were all so great and funny. The guy who is singing loud his feelings and Zoey's anger about it. 😂 "Keep it together!". Max's disbelieve in her lack of musicknowledge and his idea to get her a spotify account cause she needs more music in her life. But best of all her face when he started to sing and how distracted she was.

And it had been hate in first sight between Max and Leif. The battle was so funny.

And Zoeys excitement about DMD's show. Later she will be not always so happy when people do this. 🤣

DMD driving that scooter gave me so much feelings. Maybe the best easter egg that episode had.

And I know that character is kind of weird, maybe a bit annoying, but he is growing at me and he could never replace Joan, but it could be so much worse.

And hey, Max isn't a hobo. He has a home. Imagine that!

And know the Clarkeman stuff

I am so happy to see Max back at SPRQPoint.

I can't tell what I like most about the story. Maybe Max's face when Zoey realized he is his partner. Maybe their talk on the stairs. Maybe Max told Zoey to go to Maggie and still fight for the job. Maybe the fact that he went to the hospital to tell Zoey she got the job. Maybe the fact she only got the job cause Max gave his spot to her and she still didn't know that. Maybe the fact she called her Zo for the first time and she liked it. It was so great to have all that moments and the banter. They had that bond from the start and there is no doubt they are endgame cause it is their story. Like the therapist said "It's as much a lovestory as it is a losestory."

It is not because Zoey doesn't love him she is just to affraid of loosing the important people in her life. And that is the difference to Simon. It seems she isn't that affraid to loose him cause she never said something like that about him.

And then there was that scene where Zoey and Max met in front of Zoey's appartement and you could see that she loves him and that they mean a lot to each other. Max's still hat that robot in his closet, could cry. And it seems he isn't 100% sure to leave SF or Zoey for NY and Rose.

I loved, love and will always love that episode.

#zoey clarke #zoey's extraordinary playlist #jane levy #skylar astin #max richman #zoey x max #max x zoey #clarkeman #zomax #zoeys extraordinary session

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blogger360ncislarules · 3 years

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Denial is a powerful force for Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist‘s sister-in-law Emily, who is suffering from postpartum depression.

As viewers will see in this Sunday’s episode (NBC, 9/8c), “Emily is having trouble coming to terms with what she’s feeling and really acknowledging what she’s going through,” her portrayer Alice Lee tells TVLine. “She’s trying to sweep it under the rug, kind of brush it off.”

Meanwhile, her husband David is “also going through so much with his dad, [who] just passed away. So a lot of Emily’s inner thoughts are that she doesn’t want to be a burden to anyone,” Lee adds. “She wants to be able to get through everything on her own. She’s strong. She wants to believe she can, but in actuality, we can’t go through things alone ever in life. The episode is kind of her realizing that and opening up, really, and reaching out for help, which is hard for a lot of people.”

Below, Lee previews this week’s “very raw” heart song and how Emily’s struggle will strengthen her relationship with Zoey.

TVLINE | First of all, what was that experience like for you of shooting the “Rosanna”/”Anyone” musical number in the last episode, where you had to deviate from one song into another, while also playing all these emotions? I know, it was crazy! [Laughs] It was really fun. It was very challenging. When I heard that that was going to happen, I don’t think I even knew how challenging it would be. That was supposed to be Max’s heart song, like fully into Rose. So just going from like thrilled to sad as f—k was a hard transition, but it was amazing shooting it. Jane [Levy] was very gracious, just giving me the space and the room for me to tap into everything. The director was amazing. We shot it several different ways. I was very nervous and anxious, of course, because it was heavy, and I wanted to make sure I did it right and I did it justice. But it was just such a safe space, and I felt very safe to tap into these difficult emotions. But at the same time, I’m like, “I don’t even know if I’m doing it. Like, you guys, did you get it?” [Laughs]

TVLINE | Max gets your heart song, which is this really powerful moment. Were you relieved or scared to find out that you were also going to be able to sing that song? I know, right?! I guess I was like, “Oh, dang.” I mean, honestly, I knew that my version and his version would be different. I was kind of actually stoked. I was like, “Oh, cool!” I heard his version when I was in the booth before I shot the scene, and I was like, “Skylar, you sound so good.” But it wasn’t in a way where I was like, “Oh, God, I need to now deliver.” It was kind of comforting, knowing that someone else was singing it as well, to buffer any pressure that I might have felt, I guess. I loved it. He did such a good job. And I thought that the concept of the whole episode, where the songs were switching, was really cool.

TVLINE | Zoey makes it her mission to help Emily out this week. Initially, how does Emily feel about Zoey trying to reach out to her? Is she receptive? I don’t think Emily is receptive at all. Emily’s definitely just trying to brush it off every time, because Zoey really wants to talk and have a heart-to-heart, but Emily’s just on a totally different page. She just wants to rage or forget about it, really. It’s a funny dynamic, and I feel like we haven’t really seen a lot of Zoey and Emily together and their dynamic. It was really fun working with her during those scenes.

TVLINE | In Season 1, we got hints that Emily and Zoey are not super close. How does this episode change their relationship moving forward? It definitely brings them closer together, for sure, because I feel like both of them have never talked to each other like this. I don’t think that either of them have ever gotten to know each other in this way. In this next episode, they have a girls’ night, they go to the club, they’re in that bathroom, and then there’s [a] whole talk, and I think it definitely bonds them in a different way now. I hope that’s reflected in the future as well. I feel like their relationship is also more developed now, which is awesome.

TVLINE | What can you preview about how Emily’s struggle is manifesting in her song number this week? The number is pretty intense, which I loved. It’s very raw, and I feel like it’s her inner struggles trying to get out. Her whole reason [for] wanting to go out to the club is: Emily wants to, for a brief moment, forget about her responsibilities, forget about being a mom or a wife or having this depression. It’s all a lot for her, and [the club is] her escape. But no matter how much she just tries to escape, those feelings always come back, and they [come] back in that bathroom for this musical number. That number is just a representation of feeling trapped and feeling you’re not a person, you’re this machine who just keeps going. You’re the mom, and you’re just pumping and dumping. It just expresses her frustration, and no matter how much she tries to avoid it, it always comes back and in a very powerful way. It was a really cool way to show her struggle.

TVLINE | How would you say Emily’s struggle is impacting her marriage? Is that something that fans should be concerned about at all? I think it’s really sweet that the reason she hadn’t told David, it’s out of love almost. She doesn’t want to bother him. He was going through so much, and Emily’s just like, “I don’t want to burden him.” But I think what makes David and Emily such an endearing couple is that they do try and work through everything. They’re really there for each other, and I think this time will be no different. Just as Emily was there for David when he was like, “I’m gonna quit my job, and I’m gonna join a band,” and she was like, “Okayyy,” he’s just the same with her, and they’re very supportive of each other, and you’re going to definitely see more of that. That’s very beautiful.

#zoey's extraordinary playlist

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korgbelmont · 4 years

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Newsletter 22/01/21

In the midst of the difficulties and uncertainties happening around the world, we're pressing onward to produce books we hope you'll fall in love with. As we continue to support one another within our studio, we can truly say that your thoughtful feedback has encouraged us during these challenging times. While we can't predict what'll happen next, we hope our 2021 books will provide you an outlet to smile, laugh, and relax during these times...

Book Updates

Without further ado, we wanted to take the time to update you on the various books to expect in the coming year. Hopefully, these will answer your most pressing questions!

With Every Heartbeat

Aching for another heartfelt Choices story? We're releasing this VIP book to all players at the end of the month. (Eagle-eyed fans might notice we've even updated some of the main character hairstyles!) Be sure to follow our official social accounts for more previews...

So It looks like WEH MC will have some new hairstyles, I know for a fact that this book SOOOO good, can’t wait to see peoples reactions to it.

Open Heart, Book 3

This February, make the most of your third year at Edenbrook and reunite with your favorite medical crew in Open Heart, Book 3! Will the heart of Edenbrook remain the same in Leland Bloom's hands?

So it looks like they are setting up the plot to have Bloom as the villain and the gang finding a way to get rid of him whilst keeping Edenbrook open. I am still wary of this book, but will see it through as I do believe it is the final book of the series.

#ChoicesCookbook

Calling all food lovers! Our team is whipping up a new dish of choices in the kitchen. Get your pots and pans ready for this exclusive Choices VIP book! We'd love to see you all participate with recipes of your own... What delectable dish can you make with these ingredients? Let us know using #playchoices and #ChoicesCookbook.

So this is a part of their branching out into new genres, I have no clue what to expect, I will keep an eye on it. and see what it’s like

Laws of Attraction

Bring your A-game to beat out the competition in this brand new title set in one of New York’s premier law firms. With high-profile cases and a hard-driving, mysterious boss, you’ll be in for dramatic days… and steamy nights!

So it looks like we are getting another book that’s potentially gonna be on the more... mature side. I am curious to see how this will play out and what the premise is going to be.

Crimes of Passion

We’re hyped for this book, and although it won’t be out until later this year, we couldn’t resist sharing a little peek at what you can expect from this thrilling, unpredictable, and jaw dropping mystery book.

So I haven’t exactly been quiet about my excitement for this book, and this image gives off some SERIOUS culty vibes. Crimes of Passion is definitely my top book for this year to keep an eye on.

The Nanny Affair, Book 2

Book 2 of The Nanny Affair is in the works and will be releasing later this year. Can't wait to find out what's going to happen next? Here's the latest hint:

"We have a lot of exciting plans in the works for The Nanny Affair, Book 2 (and trust me, the art team is outdoing themselves). We don't want to give away too much, but let's just say, you may not be the only nanny in town this time around..." - Megan

As I said before, I enjoyed book 1 and am looking forward to book 2. I am curious as to how it will all play out, by the sounds of this, maybe Sam gets another Nanny in whilst they and MC work to sort out the fallout from the wedding??

Zombies

We know plenty of you have been dying for a zombie book. (Yes, we see those tweets and messages!) Until now, we were only able to share a zombie emoji… But we can make this official: zombies will be taking over Choices later this year, so stay tuned!

So I’ve been playing a lot of Resident Evil recently, and the creatures on the right give me serious RE vibes. I am now curious as to what the premise of this book will be and how it will all play out.

The Royal Finale

As mentioned in our last Choices Insiders email, the final book of The Royal Romance series will air later this year. Here's a quote from the Book Lead to tide you over until then:

"In The Royal Finale, you'll uncover new secrets, unravel old mysteries, and experience new heights of royalty with your family!" - Olivia

I hope the “unravel old mysteries” is in part, reference to what part Jackson played in Liam’s mother’s second child. And with the whole secret society thing, who knows what’s gonna happen.

Queen B, Book 2

You just can’t get enough of us, can you, newbie? Enjoy that high of being Queen B… Because what goes up, must always come down. - Kisses, the T.

Oooh, we're excited! Writers Chelsa and Maya have sent us this cryptic message:

🤫🙈✉️👑🐝🔥❌🎧🐍💋

What do you think it means?

Emojis and I have a terrible history so I ain’t gonna try and decrypt that (leave a reply if you do). As for the book itself, I am looking forward to it, aside from the forced Kingsley romance, I enjoyed book 1. I looking forward to the mystery element and hopefully seeing Zoey get her proper LI treatment, and hopefully see Veronica & Carter become LIs.

More New Books in the works!

We are continuing to work on more multi-gender books, including Blades of Light & Shadow 2 launching 2022.

More books. Yay (in theory (depends what they are))

News about Other Sequels

Many of you have asked when or if your favorite books would continue. We want to make sure we inform the community with confirmed and finalized details regarding sequels. To explain a little more in depth about how Choices sequels are decided, our Head of Content Max took some time to give us that insight:

After a great deal of consideration and discussion, we have decided that officially these series will not be getting additional books: Most Wanted, Hero, Nightbound, the It Lives series, The Elementalists, Distant Shores, and Ride-or-Die.I know this may be disappointing to hear, and the truth is, we’re always disappointed when we have to make this decision. I’d like to share a little bit of our process to help you understand why this happens.

Whilst it is a shame, it is nice to have clarification, especially with Most Wanted & Hero. I was surprised to see that Ride or Die won’t be getting a sequel, but sometimes these things happen. As for It Lives, Distant Shores, Elementalists, and Nightbound, I knew they wouldn’t get sequels, but it is a bit of a heart punch to see some personal faves get an official status of concluded.

About once a month, I, along with a small group of Pixelberry's senior staff, make the hard decisions about which books will be written next. Deciding whether or not we make a sequel is an evolving process that we've refined over the years. But even today, it remains ever-changing, and it's never simple.

So I don’t really know what to say here, it’s rather self explanatory. So, yeah.

Sometimes, we want to do a sequel but the Lead Writer is no longer available because they’ve moved onto another project or even left the company. We've tried changing Lead Writers in the past, only to watch sequels struggle, losing sight of what made the original great. This is what happened in the case of Ride or Die; we simply don’t have the team now with the passion and vision to give fans the sequel they crave.

I saw a post by @thefirstcourtesan that OH and ROD share a book lead and after what happened to OH2, it is understandable what happens, and sometimes these things will happen. As for ROD, it works as a standalone, and I am okay with there not being a sequel.

Sometimes a book is a critical darling, beloved by both fans and Pixelberry staff... yet the player numbers aren't there to justify doing another one. This is what happened, for example, with Nightbound, Most Wanted and Distant Shores; while these books were beloved by their players, simply not enough players were starting them to begin with. And these are the ones that hurt the most. We genuinely love these books, but if they haven’t found enough of an audience with our players, then it’s very hard to argue for making a sequel. Believe me, I can't think of a single writer on my team who isn't passionate about their book, but ultimately we are one company in an extremely competitive space, and we have to do whatever it takes to keep running well. If a Book costs significantly more to make than it brought in, it’s very difficult to justify a sequel.

Again, I don’t really know what to say here, again it’s rather self explanatory. Given how long it’s been since Most Wanted, it was safe to say BK2 weren’t happening.

Other times, everyone online seems to hate a book, but the numbers disagree. It's hard to believe, but your most loathed book -- the one that you feel no way deserved a sequel -- might actually be the one that's keeping the lights on for us. And without those books (and those players!), half a dozen other beloved titles may never have existed. We're thankful for sequels. They help us fund future books and projects to try new things. If it weren’t for the success of sequels to books like The Royal Romance and America’s Most Eligible, we would never have been able to try a risky experiment like Blades of Light and Shadow.

This comes across a tiny bit boasty, but it is kinda true, their more generally released romance books are why we get the big ones such as Blades, and I know people diamond mine the quicker released books for the big ones. So, yeah, I don’t really know how to say it, sorry.

We love our online fandom, and your passion, creativity, and art. At the same time, the most visible parts of the fandom sometimes represent a smaller percentage of our players, many of whom might have completely different taste. We have a vast varied player base, and our job is to try as hard as we can to create interesting stories for all of them.

Finally, saying no to one book almost always means saying yes to something new. And without new there is no Pixelberry. When we said no to Most Wanted, much of that team went on to write Endless Summer. When we decided to stop making sequels to Rules of Engagement, that team went on to create The Royal Romance.

With every new book we create, I hope against hope that it'll be our next hit, the start of a ten-volume series that fans will love and support! Some of them are. Some of them aren't. Either way, I hope you stick with us. Sequels are great. So are new things, and I hope most of all that your true favorite Choices book is still out there, waiting to be written.

The fandom is going to make up a small section of it and at the end of the day, they are a company, so the numbers are gonna be what counts. And in saying no to a sequel, it means they can go on to experiment with new story ideas.

Looking Forward

Internally we've been working on the representation promises that we made in June 2020. We've implemented some new Black hairstyles into With Every Heartbeat, and will continue to add more new hairstyles in our upcoming books. We plan on posting a representation blog in the coming months to share a full update of our progress.

So I am curious to see how VIP players would react to updates to With Every Heartbeat, but I am glad to see representation being shown and that they are working on it.

Last but not least... We appreciate you <3

We’ve seen a rise in constructive criticism in our social channels and want to personally thank you for all of your honest feedback. We read all of your concerns and continue to evolve our thinking and processes based on your feedback. At the same time we take our responsibility of crafting stories very seriously. Sometimes we disagree with suggestions or due to constraints can’t enable changes we agree with, but we do try to improve over time and learn from your feedback.

We also continue to ask that you communicate with each other respectfully. And keep in mind that just like with other parts of the internet, just because someone posts something doesn’t mean it’s always true. To everyone who helps keep our community a safe place to freely share your thoughts, opinions and love - thank you. Your respect and kindness goes a long way, and we are looking forward to spending more time with all of you in the coming year.

We’re looking forward to a great 2021 with you!

Finally, I’m glad that they’re reading what people are saying, it is understandable that there will be disagreements with suggestions, that’s just life, it’s human nature. I am curious to see what will be released in the coming year and how they will play out.

In summary

I had a feeling that books they said won’t get sequels weren’t, especially Hero and Most Wanted. It is sad to see that It Lives won’t be concluded, and I knew Nightbound & Distant Shores weren’t going to get sequels (unfortunately).

Glad to see them making more multi gender books, hopefully we will get more like Foreign Affairs with the different pro-noun options.

I am curious about Laws of Attraction and very much looking forward to seeing how Crimes of Passion will play out. I will post my thoughts and theories as we get new information

Stay safe everyone :)

#playchoices #thoughts and theories #very long post

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aspiestvmusings · 4 years

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ZEP: Max & Zoey - Thoughts 1

Here’s my take... on some of the storylines/scenes/lines:

Again.. super long post. SPOILERS up to 1x10, and possibly hints at what is coming. Hence...SPOILER WARNING.

Analyzing the M/Z storylines from the perspective of “things that fans don’t understand or like about Max’s character behaviour”. And possibly providing a different perspective to look at some of the things/behaviour...

Mentions of Z/S relationship/storylines.

In the Pilot Max was encouraging Zoey to go after Simon, cause he knew she’s interested in the new guy... but that changed...at about the time she/he/they found out the guy is taken/engaged. That’s the moment when his “best friend mode” kicked in & tried to not let Zoey make her past mistake again with overly complicated, exhausting for everyone & not good relationship choices...

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The one & only reason I can’t be Team Simon.

I cannot ever consider Team Simon for one simple reason - the writers had the character be in a relationship/engaged...when his emotional affair with Zoey started. IF he would have been single, I could talk about choosing sides/teams, but this single fact takes Simon out of the equation. No matter how good looking, cool, hot, or compatible he might be with Zoey. No matter if their relationship grows in the future... Their first moments were cheating (on Jessica), and no matter how “human” and “real”, that is the line for me that shan’t be crossed. And the fact that the relationship ended does not change what happened before - they kissed while he was still engaged. You can’t take that back. IF the writers would have made him single..since start...I could debate which Team I’m on, but the fact he was engaged eliminates him for me. But none of their cute moments or shared grief bond... or hot dances change the simple fact that he cheated on Jessica.

Sidenote: if we’re talking cast, then I'm both Team Skylar AND Team John C. Those two gents are both great AND they can both sing!

***********************************************

Yes, unless Max knows something we don’t know about Zoey (that she, just like her dad, actually, secretly loves big gestures and moments) his choice for how he professed his love seems to be wrong way to declare his love for this specific lady. Because according to what we know Zoey is not into music (but then again...the use of a flash mob was a plot twist device by the writers... who just decided to use that surprise for Max/Zoey, when it could’ve been any other character... but this was simply done so that the show could mess with Zoey’s powers and give her character “oh, this isn’t in my head, this is real” moment.) But... that’s just a possible bad choice by the character, not anything horrible. And that’s the way he knows how to say it, even if a small, personal, reveal seems more Zoeys style.

But... are we actually correct in assuming this? After the flashmob she never once mentioned anything about it being “too much of a public declaration for her taste”. She even called it “an amazing gesture”, which tells us that while she might be uncomfortable with “big moments” in general (public speaking...), she is comfortable with them with people she’s closed to (her dad, her best friend...) And we saw her talk about it with Max & with Mo. Her only worry was related to him telling her, in reality (not just in her mind...via heart song) that he has feelings for her. She has not shown any worry regarding it being done via “grand gesture”. So... is it possible that it actually isn’t so “not her” as we assume?

Just as perhaps Max from 1x09 is not as “passive” and “not interested in promotion” as Max from 1x01? Perhaps time & peer reviews, and everything else...has changed him? And he’s actually interested in climbing the career ladder.,.. as opposed to the Max in the Pilot, who told Zoey that he does not want any of that...

Maybe Zoey is her fathers daughter, and actually (secretly) loves big moments & grand gestures? Because her dad is all about “big moments”. And maybe it’s actually really appropriate for Max to tell Zoey about his feelings this way, in “big moments/grand gesture” style flash mob? To honor her dad...in a way. Cause Mitch loves these kind of moments & Mitch is No 1 in Zoey’s life, so... maybe we’re all wrong in assuming it was “not Zoey’s style”?

*************************************************

From Max’s POV this is what’s going on with Zoey/his relationship with Zoey:

She ends their regular movie nights...with no explanation. Something that they’ve done...forever...since they are best friends. (He probably thinks it’s because of her dad’s health and that she’s focused on..that... after her promotion he even asks if her “weidness” is because of “her dad” and/or her now being his boss)

She starts acting strangely...around him, and general...and she doesn’t talk to him anymore (it’s been implied that they’re BFF and talk about everything... but she hasn’t told him what’s up with her). He wonders if it’s because of her dad’s health and everything related to it (but he doesn’t know if its only because of that, or if there’s something more/else, too)

He has feelings for her, but he doesn’t tell her (she only finds out cause she can hear his heart songs). Finding out that her BF has deeper feelings for her freaks her out, even though he himself does not pressure her or anything like that..yet. She is the one who assumes their “discussion” at work is presumed as “lovers quarrel” & she is the one who presumes that “is it a date” means he considers a meal together as date...when all he means is “are you free to go” (to the new place which they both wanted to go to..as friends) Up until the flash mob there is zero “pushing” from him.

He only sings love songs to her when he’s single - during the time he’s dating someone else (Autumn) he stops singing to her, because he’s not a cheater. When he’s with someone, he’s with that someone, and devoted to that person..only. So he stops for a while.

He sees & hears her say that the thing she had for/with Simon is over (1x06) & that she’s not doing any of that anymore. Since she doesn’t talk about any of it with him, this is all he knows so he assumes she meant it, and she’s done chasing the engaged man. This is also probably the only inside info she has on the whole Z/S situation - what he sees/hears during the “burnt roses” moment. (So... it is not a nice surprise when he learns in 1x08 that after everything her words were not true, cause it’s not all over/done with S...)

Why he doesnt believe her right away when she tells him of her powers: As a rational person he has a hard time believing her claims about superpowers at first. Also... it seems like such a “lie” to change the subject, and simply avoid giving him an honest answer (yes OR no) But after hearing some more facts he starts believing. And by the time she “glitches” he has no doubt that she’s going through all this...

Both Zoey and Max are emotionally challenged. (tbh, just like Max I believed Autumn when she said that all is cool when they broke up during their morning jog. I’m emotionally challenged, too. I honestly did not know that what she said and what she thought/felt were different, so I get why it came as a surprise to him to learn she wasn’t cool about it) The whole Autumn/Max break-up tells us that Max doesn’t get the subtle clues, and needs to hear the words to know the truth. Hence he believes what Zoey tells him... at first.

He misreads her signals in 1x05 - 1x06 - 1x07 (”I need more Max”, reinstating their movie nights, touching his bicep, commenting she needs more Max in her life, checking him out when he’s shirtless, etc), and based on that confesses his love for her via flashmob. What surprises him is not so much that she doesn’t respond with the same, but that she doesn’t give him an answer...at all. (Mo explained it best to Zoey...later; the boy deserved an answer... even if it’s “I don’t know...yet”. Also... we’ve never heard her say that she didn’t appreciate it because it was a big gesture...so she might not be as uncomfortable with the gesture as we think) Instead she runs, and then she avoids giving him an answer, kinda changing the subject, and telling him about her powers. Instead of telling him the truth right away, cause truth might hurt, but it’s better than avoidance/ignoring.

This is shown later in the episode, when after Zoey finally gives him her...messy & selfish answer... he’s hurt, but content. She tells him that the reasons why she isn’t ready to go from friends to more is because her focus has to be on her dad for now & because she’s afraid that “they” won’t work out & she’ll lose her best ftiend...for good... and she can’t risk that... at this time. This is not the answer he hoped for, but as Mo predicted...this is the answer he accepts. That can be seen in the elevator scene with Simon. He’s OK with waiting & this not being the right time (cause she needs to focus on her dad at the moment). He also doesn’t say they’re done, he asks what she asked - pressing pause on their traditional friends activities like movie nights.

During the 1x07 end elevator convo he also learns that the totally engaged man has been “keeping tabs” on Zoey & Z/M. Which concerns him. Cause why is an engaged man looking at other women & paying attention to whom they socialize with (when his focus should only be on his fiancee)? Like Mo, he probably thinks “the guy is a player” after this convo. And again... he, as Zoey’s friend, is not in the wrong, when he thinks he should “protect” her from the morally questionable guy.

Then in the “very next day basically” he learns that she wasn’t completely honest with him. And since she promised 100% honesty to him, he’s hurt that she as his friend isn’t being honest. She sings him a love song (it is possible that she wasn’t aware of her deep feelings for him...but after this she definitely is...100%)...but then tries to take back the honesty and claim that the truth she spoke is not the truth. But what really hurts him is how her “honesty” from their last convo turns out to be a lie (and we know it is, because we’ve seen Zoey tell her mom & Mo about her real feelings, not the cleaned up version she told Max at the end of 1x07) - and he voices why he’s upset. It’s not because she doesn’t return his feelings, it’s because she wasn’t honest with her best friend. Because through her heart songs he knows for a fact that she has feelings for him - that she loves him, too. So he’s not upset that she doesn’t love him back. He even says it during their bathroom convo - the best reason to be “mad” at her is that she told him she loves him/she’s his, when she didnt mean to tell him this (the truth). Meaning: she thinks it’s “unfair” he’s upset that “she sang him a heart song, when she didn’t mean to”... or in other words: she thinks it’s fair to keep the truth a secret from him...and this rigth after she promised 100% honesty to him... and he doesn’t agree with the secret-keeping.

We saw Max’s feelings progression since Pilot: in 1x01 he THINKS he’s in love with her, in 1x02 he’s a SUCKER for her & by 1x07 he fully admits he LOVES her. With Zoey the timeline is..kinda... starting in 1x06... The “500 miles” moment is her “I think I love you” moment & her heart song to him in 1x08 is basically her “I love you” moment.

She claims she isn’t ready for a relationship because she needs to focus on her dad right now, when in reality she really is torn between two men - and she wants Max to be her emotional support and shoulder to lean on (knowing he loves her, and knowing that he knows that she knows he loves her), while she herself is pursuing another man, Simon. An engaged man she’s obsessed with cause she “finds his body hot & has a grief bond with”. (in reality: her role has mostly been being his grief therapist - and she’s not really told him about her dad that much...so it’s pretty much one-sided anyway) But just as she didn’t want to be the other woman, he doesn’t want to be the other man/third wheel... and that’s understandable.

Then when Max gets the job offer he goes to his best friend for support. And while I personally read the scene as him saying “no, that was not the right answer, but it gave me mine (I’m taking the job)” being a response to her asking “was this the right answer?” because this meant she wasn’t still being honest with him, and instead of giving her her true answer she gave him the answer she thought he wanted to hear... I am willing to accept that what the writers meant was that he wanted her to give a more personal answer and/or ask him to stay because he is a valuable member of the team.

Her reply was as his boss, and co-worker/friend. She only focused on their work relationship, not their personal friendship. She’ll miss sitting across from him... not that she’ll miss him outside work (and yes...it’s only two floors up, and working in different departments does not mean they can’t hang out oustide work...) but still her answer did not include her role as best friend/possible future romantic partner....even when he asked her to specify the “I’m Your’s Zoey’s” answer - she only focused on the work related part when replying...to that. This gave him the clarity needed - she’s not into him, so he did the right thing & put space between them. Since she didn’t include the “I’m Yours Zoey” that meant to him that she’d choosen Simon...and just as it’s very human to grieve and cheat...it's also very human to feel hurt/heartbroken. And he should not have to subject himself to seeing her with someone else (when he knows she has feelings for both) - making the same mistakes over again she’s made before with her relationships. So his choice was the right one...for both. They need time apart, time to grow as individuals, time to reflect...

Yes his speech in 1x10 was directed mostly to her, but he was adressing the whole 4th floor/Team, really. Cause no-one stood up to give him a “good luck” hug when he came to collect his things. And his best friend didn’t even have any encouraging words to him...on the day he moved to the 6th floor.... and even admitted she didn’t get to get him a “good luck gift” (which he could just assume is because she’s busy with her dad, but we know that while she had 4 days to buy that pen/mouse...and didn’t, she managed to get a plant as housewarming gift for the other man in like 4 hours. And we also know that she voiced no concerns about losing her best friend and a good team member at work...while talking to Mo... yet she had lots of things to say about “the man who just broke up, and whom I said I would not chase anymore, but now that he’s been single for 4 seconds, we can make out and it’s not cheating this time anymore”... so she’s showing no signs of caring about his best friends life changes, while caring a lot about the other mans life changes)

So of course he feels underappreciated on the 4th floor. The peer reviews, the boss, the team manager, the job offer... it all plays a part in his decision. And the D*rk Point boss knows exactly what to say...to make him feel appreciated...something he didn’t feel he got on the 6th floor... but he didn’t realize until he heard Ava point out his good work..with the maze, with the chirp pitch...and though he may not realize that Ava, too, has her own agenda, hearing that he is appreciated...as a worker & as a human...made him feel good (we saw how important positive feedback is for everyone during the peer reviews plot), and he realized he didn’t get any of that, really, on the 4th floor. And once again... while he may have secretly wanted to hear her say “stay”, what he actually really wanted/needed was for her to encourage him, and show genuine happiness for him, and for her to be completely honest with him. And he didn’t feel like that’s something she could be right now. To put it in her own terms: “everyone is so nice & polite, and no one is giving me the raw & honest feedback”...cause her reply to him when asked about the job offer was “polished” & “nice”, not “honest & raw”. (and I think we all agree that her telling him to take it & him taking it was the right move...for all... cause they both need space & to grow individually)

In the Pilot we learn that Max thinks he’s not management material & he’s not looking for career opportunity. So to Zoey's knowledge this is not in character for him? So whether or not he’s changed during the time between then & now, to Max’s knowledge she knows that he likes being just a coder. So for her to not know him...and not remember that he’s told her this, could be disappointing. So her reply: That’s a great career opportunity MIGHT tell him that she doesn’t know him and what he wants. (this is the flashmob argument: we, fans, think that a flashmob is “not Zoeys style” & we, fans, think that promotion is “not Max’s style”. We might be wrong, cause we don’t know everything about the characters + they can change...over time...)

Another thing she says to him when he asks advice regarding the job offer is “I would never stop you from going after what you want”. When they both know that what he really wants is her - he’s made it clear. And yet... here she is saying she’d not stop him, when she is “stopping him” from doing just that. And at the same time...as pointed out in the last part... is a promotion what Max really wants? Cause it is not the case for “1x01 Max”...and we & Zoey haven’t been made aware that he’s changed his mind. So... does his best friend not know him? (or does she known him better...and know he’s changed his POV on promotions)

Max & Zoey have been best friends & colleagues...for 5 years...since the first day on the job. From Max’s POV...something changed..suddenly...a few months ago. For a while he didn’t know why and what, but now he knows why. And just like it took time for Zoey to adjust to her “power”, same applies to Max (adjusting to her powers).

From Max’s POV...his best friend is dishonest with him, she avoids him, she has changed, she comes to him when she needs him... but she herself doesn’t offer anything back (yes, he is aware she’s grieving, and he understands it, but his best friend is not letting her friends help her during the time she needs to lean on family/friends). We have rarely seen her talk to him about anything else than office gossip...or her powers related stuff...recently. And it’s heavily implied they used to talk...all the time... about everything. His best friend also set him up with another woman...just to avoid him after she learned that he has feelings for her. His best friend claims her focus has to be her dad, and she can’t do more than friendship at this time, but at the same time she continues pursing another man. And this after she promised to be 100% honest with him. And she betrayes that trust the “very next day”. So he has every right to be upset, and hurt.

Zoey has every right to be upset about the fact that she thinks Max is “pushing her to have feelings for him” (when they both know... for a fact..after her heart song that she does have feelings for him), but in this case Max has every right to be upset about the fact that he thinks “she is avoiding him”. She has the right to grieve, so does he. If she has the right to be upset that Simon doesn’t return her feelings... then Max has the right to be upset that she doesn’t return his feelings. The same rules have to apply to all, not just main character. And if you look at the storylines closely, you’ll see the parallels... the things that Zoey is upset about (fans are upset about) regarding Simon’s behaviour (when pursuing him) are the same exact things that Max is upset about regarding Zoey (his pursuit of her). The same way that some fans point out Max is “obsessed with Zoey” there’s a parallel story with Zoey is “obsessed with Simon”. All Max wanted from Zoey was what Zoey wanted from Simon - clarity. For her/him to have clarity. And just as she felt the other man didn’t have it, he felt that she didn’t have it.

Because we, the audience, know that Zoey (thinks she has) has feelings for both men - her behaviour in past episodes (especially 1x06 - 1x07) and her heart song confirm that she has feelings for Max, and because he knows her secret, he knows that that’s a fact. So he has every right to be upset that she “doesn’t like him back/doesn’t want to be with him”, when he knows that she does love him back, while claiming the opposite. And she won’t talk to him about it...

From his POV it is as follows: they both have admitted they love each other. She claims she needs time to deal with her grief and can’t risk their friendship. She tells him she loves him...and the very next minute goes to another mans arms - that’s the part that upsets him. He’s not upset that she’s not returning his feelings/not wanting to date him, nope. He’s “upset” because he, as her best friend who knows her & her past relationships, knows that her thing with the engaged man will not end well for her. And yes, he is not wrong in saying that in a case when she has feelings for two men it’s a better option to choose the best friend, who has always been there for her (she’s said this herself) than the totally engaged (until just recently) & morally questionable, emotionally unavailable grieving hot guy.

While Max choices have been just “mistakes” (perhaps not the best idea to confess your feelings via flash mob to a girl who only listens to podcasts?), then Simon’s choices have been actual “bad decisions” - cheating. And though both Simons & Zoey’s bad choices have been rooted in their grief/depression, they cannot “excuse” it with being a mess due to grief. Instead of continuing the downward spiral they should own their mistakes, acknowledge them as not good choices. It’s one thing to use the wrong gesture to confess your love to somone, and completely another thing to cheat on your fiancee (and blame it on being a mess cause of grief). Those two things should not be comparable.

I can’t believe how some people see Max response to her “no one understand why you got the promotion” (translation: you didn’t deserve it) as harsh. Like her cruel words were “justified” because she’s grieving..or just because...even though she was not right to say them, but his behaviour has been “unacceptable”. Yes, his comments to Zoey are not the friendliest (when he’s telling why he chooses 6th floor over 4th... after the “The Boy is Mine” sing-off, but they are nothing compared to Zoey’s “you don’t deserve this promotion & you are selfish for not being there for me whenever I need something from you”.

We can all see & understand that each character has flaws & makes mistakes & says some things they shouldn’t. But some of these things are “worse” than the others. And his reply to her rude-fuled-by-her-anger-phase-of-grieving comment to him was tame. He was actually quite calm & cool during his response to her (you’re calling me selfish?). And he directed the coded message at Zoey on the 6th floor directly at her because he knows she’s emotionally challenged, so she needed to undrerstand that it was directed at her, too...so she’d start understanding that she hurt him with her words/behaviour too. He wanted her to get that message, cause he had seen that until now she had no idea how her actions/inactions affect him.

He may seem like being “upset” with her... but it’s also understandable, because she kinda broke his heart, and just as she’s allowed to not return his feelings, he’s allowed to feel sad that she doesn’t. To put it in “fairytale terms”. But he’s in no way pressuring her to return his feelings & start a relationship now. All he wants/needs from her is honesty & clarity.

And mostly... when will Zoey finally give Simon the advice he needs - go see a professional therapist! What the man needs is professional help not a mind-reader, who is a mess herself. And is Zoey doesn’t stop keeping it all in and won’t talk to her family/friends about her grief, then she, too, will soon need professional help... (therapist).

******************************************************

Through all of this Max’s there for her: he supports her when she’s interested in the new guy..(until he finds out the man is taken); he supports her to go after the promotion; he brings her dad... his “closest thing to a dad he’s had” soft food...that he can eat, he goes to support her when she gets a call about her dad’s health & he finds a way to get her to her dad..fast; he saves her “glitch song” and turns it into a pitch for the CEO; he goes to check on her, & gives her her mom’s message..even when he’s hurt by her (and on top of that he gives her good friend advice about her dad). And she does acknowledge this..on several occasions. So...this “social distancing” (physical distance between them during work & off work) is needed to make her/them start to see things from different perspective, and realize some truths... that only distance/change could give them.

There is a real inconsistancy between what she really feels & thinks...and what she says/acknowledges she feels & thinks.

ETA: And it all won’t start moving forward & she won’t start character development until she’ll truly embrace her powers. Cause she still seems to view them as “burden” instead of “helpful tool”. Sure... she has started to realize the good she can do with having this ability (in general Howie/Abigail situation was the first time she really used her ability to really improve the situation & first time she really emphatized), but until she fully embraces it all, she’ll remain “lost”. The turning point will be actually losing her dad...for real.

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#SPOILER #text post #analyzis #THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS....BUT THE POST IS ALREADY TOO LONG #ZEP #ZOEY'S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST #ZOEYS EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST #ZEP spoilers #ZEP SPOILER #Max Richman #Zoey Clarke #Max x Zoey #Zoey x Max #Team Max #Clarkeman #Zomax #Zax #long post #analysis

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flythesail · 4 years

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Hot take: they should have waited until the season 1 finale to reveal Max is in love with Zoey.

Reasoning:

Strengthens the friends to lovers. Although viewers knew Zoey and Max were best friends, we were only one episode in when we found out Max loved her. Because Max’s feelings were revealed so early, it’s difficult to separate their friendship from the current “feelings-drama.”

It would have been a greater twist if we had seen a whole season of them being “just” best friends. Finding out at the end of the season would make viewers want to re-examine every Max-Zoey interaction.

Eliminates the need for the show runners to advertise a love triangle. Although it would still exist under the surface, it would be more up to interpretation.

Follows the path of a more classic slow-burn. The signs Max loves her (and signs that Zoey might reciprocate his feelings) are there, yet the reveal comes much later. In other words, we get the romantic tension without the drama.

Plus, Max could still sing songs to her that hint he’s in love with her. Or, his songs could be used to further develop him as a character outside of his relationship with Zoey.

#zep #zoey's extraordinary playlist #flythepost

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hereidinathoreauwrites · 4 years

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Zoey Clarke/Joan Characters: Zoey Clarke, Joan (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Max Richman, Simon Haynes, Charlie Bennett, Maggie Clarke, Mitch Clarke, Mo (Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist) Additional Tags: Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Developing Relationship, Women Loving Women, don't read if you aren't here for this unrealistic pairing, baby bykes, Joan is a repressed bisexual, Zoey sucks at talking about her own problems, Smut, Fluff, Anxiety, Self-Loathing, Secret Relationship, even more excessive nerdings, even more excessive use of gay songs, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Not Canon Compliant, the long-awaited sequel, for that tiny niche group of fans who read the first one!, love you guys, some angst but I promise to always make it better, in which I started writing after episode 4, and then ignored most of what happened and created my own romantic pairing, thank you very much, so now I'm stuck in a pseudo-AU

Series: Part 2 of Tech Conference AU

Summary:

Ever since the end of the Conference, Zoey’s life has only gotten more complicated. Dating the pseudo-celebrity, 20ish-years her senior Joan is a lot; especially since they have to keep it secret at work and in public to protect both of their jobs and reputations. On top of that all, her dad’s still dying and her best friend is dropping more hints about his not-so-secret love for her.

And when life gets complicated, the soundtrack in Zoey’s head follows suit. And she’s not sure how much longer she can keep her powers a secret from the woman she’s rapidly falling for.

Read chapter in full on AO3!

#it's here #the sequel to tech conference #tech conference #zoey's extraordinary playlist #zoey x joan #i finally sucked it up #and started to publish!#women loving women #zoey clarke #joan bennett #idinathoreau writing update #tech conference AU #the 5th annual international women in tech conference

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ohifonlyx33 · 4 years

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One more defense of Max, because apparently I can’t help myself.

just something else to point out about Max. I’ve seen people blaming him for pushing this romance stuff on Zoey while Mitch is dying... but?? it’s not nearly as weird or inconsiderate when you consider:

1. Max had no reason to believe Zoey was averse to starting a new relationship because of the situation with her dad (see the pilot episode when he asks if she’s made contact with Simon... Zoey is open to dating at that point).

2. He didn’t know exactly how apparently deep her relationship was with Simon was other than what she told Jessica at the party which was they talked sometimes but nothing had happened between them and nothing ever would as far as Zoey was concerned.

3. When she restarted movie night and said she wanted more Max in her life, he took it as a good sign. Not to mention he was very aware of her reaction to his abs. Girl was unintentionally leading him on just a little bit... which is honestly enough when you’re looking for any hint. So Max saw his chance to confess, and was brave enough to actually take it... I can’t begrudge him that... even if I’m not sure why he picked a flashmob.

4. We can all admit that his method of confession, while sweet and well-meant, was maybe not the wisest... But he wasn’t expecting it to create this much drama because he didn’t think it would be that complicated. A yes or a no or even a “let me think about it” ....but there’s no way he was prepared for a “i have to run away and avoid talking about it now, btw i have a superpower, also i knew you loved me months ago and said nothing but tried to hook you up with our barista to get you away from me, still said nothing when that relationship didn’t work out but continued to pretend like you never sang to me, but actually i’m just scared of losing your friendship AND my dad so actually we shouldn’t date, OK now we can start to get back to normal now- OH WAIT, let me sing a love song to Max, pretend it didn’t happen, then sing to Simon (who is still engaged), then pretend like nothing ever happened” And it’s not that she doesn’t have the right to have complicated emotions, but Max couldn’t have known about just how complicated it is for her. He was aware she could say no, but he wasn’t prepared for the hurt of everything else.

5. Her dad has been this way for a while now, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he actually took her dad’s situation into consideration. So he confessed before her father took a drastic turn for the worse... Was he supposed to wait? Until when??? until her dad died? How long after??? There is no good time, but sooner probably seemed like the better choice because then he can be there with her as someone she can lean on.

6. It actually shows how much he cares for Zoey that even in his most hurt moment, he’s still able to separate himself from his feelings enough to be there for Zoey when she tells him about Mitch’s diagnosis. And he gives her advice and encouragement. And helps her face her fears, which is exactly what she needed. And then the next day he cares enough to ask even when it’s hard to talk to her otherwise.

tl;dr - Max never wanted any of this angst. He just wanted to tell Zoey he loved her.

#zep #zoey's extraordinary playlist #max richman #zoey x max #zomax

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jade4813 · 5 years

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Fallout

Fandom: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist

Title: Fallout

Rating: G

Pairing: Zoey/Max

Synopsis: After the embarrassing incident at Simon and Jessica's engagement party, Zoey knows she needs to clear the air with Simon, but she keeps getting distracted by memories of That Song.

Author’s Note: For Lizzie.

Zoey tried to keep her mind on work when she headed into the office the following Monday. She’d been too wrapped up helping take care of her dad over the weekend to spend too much time wallowing in confusion and self-pity, but now it was Monday and there was nothing to distract her from thoughts of Max. No, she corrected herself firmly. To distract her from the memory of inadvertently ruining Simon and Jessica’s engagement party. Things with Max were fine! They were always fine! Nothing to obsess over there!

But when the elevator doors slid open and she saw Simon and Max chatting together at the bread bar, it was the sight of the latter that had her ducking her head and scooting quickly towards her desk.

She could do this. It was a totally normal day. Okay, sure, at some point, she was going to have to face Simon. Maybe buy Jessica a gift basket or something. Surely that was the right thing to do when one broke up an engagement party by setting fire to the photographic focal point and accidentally letting the bride know about one’s crush on the future groom and his clandestine – if totally innocent – nocturnal visit to her apartment? Then again, all things considered, she highly doubted Jessica would welcome such a gift. Unless she could throw it at Zoey’s head, of course.

She pretended not to notice when Max walked back to his desk, throwing her a smile as he slid back into his seat. Instead, she tried to focus on her inevitable confrontation with Simon as she skimmed through the string of e-mails on her computer with sightless eyes. Sorry for what happened at your engagement party. No, that was too vague. Sorry for telling your fiancé that you came to my apartment the other night. And that I had a crush on you. And for that minor act of arson. Too blunt?

God, Max looks good today. Has he always looked this good? Wait. No. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about Max. She was supposed to be thinking about Simon. Simon and her crushing humiliation. Simon and her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad behavior at his engagement party. The party celebrating him getting married to another woman. Which she had ruined.

Which was definitely the thing she should focus on right now and not Max and how good he looked in that black button up. She glance at him out of the corner of her eye. No, it had a bit of a pattern to it. A subtle plaid pattern? Had he worn that shirt before? Maybe it was new, courtesy of Mo. Who’d had Max shirtless in his –

Wait. No. Not Max. Simon. She was thinking about Simon.

“And when I come home, yes I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who comes back home with you. But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more…”

The song carried over to her so softly, it took a moment for them to register. But when they finally did, she jerked so hard, her mouse went flying to the ground with a loud clatter.

Max looked up abruptly at the sound of her mouse breaking into pieces, a tiny line forming a crease between his brows. “Zoey? You okay?”

“Who, me? I’m fine!” she lied.

His expression of concern didn’t waver. “Is it your dad? Did something else happen…?”

For the first time in what felt like days, she felt her face melt into a genuine smile at his thoughtfulness. She might be noticing a lot of things about Max for the first time lately – a lot of things (like had his hair always looked that good, or was it a new haircut?) – but that thoughtfulness had been something she’d always loved about him.

Loved? Liked. That she liked about him. Because they were just friends, regardless of the feelings that were revealed in the songs she kept hearing him sing. And on that note…

“He’s fine. I mean, he’s still recovering, and we don’t really know if he’s in pain or not. But using the computer seemed to be a little easier for him yesterday than it was the day before, so I think he’s getting better.” Swooping down to pick up her mouse, she tried to keep her tone light as she asked, “Hey, did you hear, uh, singing a minute ago?” That was the problem with her new “superpower.” It could be almost impossible to tell if the songs she heard were real or if they were just going on in her mind.

Max chuckled, the sound carrying to her as she stretched to scoop up a battery that had skittered just out of reach. “All right, so I don’t have the best voice. But if your eardrums start to bleed, it’s your fault, you know.”

Zoey startled at his words, slamming her head against the bottom of her desk before jerking upright in her chair.

“Oh, my god, that sounded like you hit pretty hard. Do you need ice or -”

“I’m fine!” she yelped, barely feeling her aching head through the rising panic in her chest. “My fault? I-that’s-wh-what do you mean, my fault?” she demanded in a voice a full octave above her usual tone.

Max’s look of concern only grew more pronounced. “Well, you were humming it.”

“I was?” She was? “Oh.” That wasn’t good. “I didn’t realize.” She was supposed to be thinking about Simon and her abject humiliation! Not Max! Not that song!

“Zoey, are you really okay? You’re acting kind of weird.”

When he stood and started to scoot around the desk towards her, she panicked. “I have to talk to Simon!” she blurted, jumping to her feet.

Max’s look of concern morphed into a sympathetic smile. “Oh, right. Of course. I wasn’t thinking. Listen, I know what happened at his party was…well, it wasn’t great. But just remember that I’m always here for you if you need anything. Anything at all. Okay?”

“Always.” The memory of the moment they’d shared the other night was like a punch to the gut.

“Uh huh!” she replied brightly with a nod as she fled towards Simon’s office. She was going to have to talk to him about his engagement party anyway. She’d just hoped to put the conversation off for another…eight hours or so. Forever would have been good, too, but she would have been happy to settle for eight hours.

She tried not to think too hard about the fact she was apparently more comfortable with the thought of talking about her failed, party-ruining crush on Simon than confront whatever the heck was going on between her and her best friend, Max.

“And when I’m dreaming, well I know I’m gonna dream about the time when I’m with you…”

“That song again?” Max asked over her shoulder as he grabbed a bowl. “You know, I never took you for a fan of the Proclaimers.”

She threw a tight smile over her shoulder at him and forced herself to stay put. She had to get a hold of herself. Every time Max came near, she kept finding excuses to flee in the opposite direction. To Joan’s office. To the bathroom. To the bread bar. If she ate any more carbs for the day, she was either going to have to run a marathon or go into hibernation.

“Must have heard it somewhere and got it stuck in my head, I guess,” she replied lamely. Truth be told, she hadn’t realized she was singing it. Again. For easily the fifth time that day. At least.

“You know, I always thought they were singing five thousand miles instead of one thousand. Which doesn’t even make any sense because –”

“Max. We need to talk.” The words were out of her mouth before she even had time to think them through, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it really was time to clear the air between the two of them. She simply couldn’t go on like this.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, about to pull him aside so they could talk in private. But when she felt his muscles through the fabric of his shirt, she knew it was a mistake. See? She was a mess. A few weeks ago, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed the muscles in his arms! Now just touching him reminded her of the sight of him standing half-naked in Mo’s living room. With his muscles and the curve of his skin above his hipbones and his…and his nipples.

She had to stop thinking about his nipples. There was no way she was going to survive the conversation ahead if she kept thinking about his nipples.

Yanking her hand away, she jerked her head to the side, silently indicating that he should follow her. There was a faint hint of laughter in his voice as he did so, asking, “Well, this seems ominous. Are we staging a coup? Because we have been out of Cocoa Puffs for weeks now, and I’m down with overthrowing the Man if it means we get more.” Tucked as much into an alcove as they could get in an open-concept space, Zoey spun around just in time to see the corner of his mouth lift up as he shrugged and threw a conspiratorial glance over at Joan’s office. “Well…the Woman, I guess.”

“This isn’t about Cocoa Puffs,” she said firmly, as a traitorous, cowardly voice in her mind wondered why it couldn’t be. She could just pretend this entire thing was about sugar-coated breakfast foods and carry on with life as usual. With Max singing the occasional love song to her in her mind. Keeping this secret from him would be easier, but it wouldn’t be fair, so she had no idea why she continued with, “And everyone knows Frosted Flakes are better anyway.”

Pursing his lips slightly, Max cocked his head to the side and squinted down at her. “Mmmm…are they, though? Because Cocoa Puffs are -”

“Max, I have a superpower!” she blurted suddenly, cutting him off. Just speaking the words aloud to him, she felt an enormous weight lift off her shoulders.

He didn’t respond the way she expected him to. He chuckled, though the sound was a little uncertain. “Okay, well…this isn’t the way I expected the conversation to go, but I’ll roll with it. Is it, um, a cereal-related superpower? Have you trapped the Trix rabbit and are forcing him to do your bidding?”

She shook her head and scooted as far back into the alcove as she could. “It has nothing to do with cereal,” she hissed. “And I’m being serious!”

A beat of silence fell between them as she tried to read the expression on his face. It was a mixture of confusion and…concern? Pity? Uncertainty? Alarm? “Okay,” he finally offered, drawing out the word only a little longer than necessary. “So what is your superpower?”

“I hear people’s thoughts. Through song. I mean, I hear them singing even though they aren’t actually singing. But the songs are about their deepest, most private feelings. Things they would never share with anyone.”

She still couldn’t make sense of the expression on his face, but he neither ran away nor called a hospital to have her committed. So she assumed that was a good sign. Instead, he asked, “Like what?”

Zoey pressed her lips together and tried to think of how to respond. She really should have thought this conversation through. She’d spent all morning trying to figure out how to talk to Simon, and she hadn’t spent so much as thirty seconds thinking through her confession to Max before blurting it out to him in the middle of work.

“Well,” she began slowly, “I heard Joan singing Satisfaction before, uh, before everything that happened with Charlie. I heard Mo sing about something he was going through, but it’s not really my place to tell you about that. And I have a downstairs neighbor who’s agoraphobic. I kept hearing her through the door, singing about the Bermuda, so we’re working on ways to help her with her fear so she can go on her dream trip. Oh, and I once heard an entire coffee shop break into I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which was pretty weird.”

Max blew out a long breath. “Okay.”

She almost couldn’t believe it. “Okay? That’s it?”

“Well, it’s a lot to process. I need to think about this a little.” Then, attempting to lighten the mood, he joked, “I’ve never known someone with a superpower before. Does this mean you’re going to start wearing spandex and running around the city taking down criminals through song?”

Her laugh was breathless and shaky as she scrunched her nose and shook her head. “It’s not really that kind of superpower. And I understanding needing some time to process. Trust me, it took a little getting used to for me, too. Maybe we can talk about it more later. After work.” That didn’t sound like she was asking him on a date, did it? Because it totally wasn’t a date! “I mean, all of us. You. Me. Mo. Mo knows too, so…”

“Sure. Sounds good,” he agreed, moving to return to his desk.

The sigh of relief Zoey had been about to release froze in her throat when he paused after a single step and turned slowly back around to face her. “Wait. Have you – have you heard me sing anything?” His face had been inscrutable before, but now his expression was guarded, making it impossible to know what he was thinking. Not that she couldn’t guess.

“What, you? No! Of course not!” she tried to lie, but when she met his eyes, her shoulders sagged and she admitted morosely, “Yes. Once or twice. Well, three times. Okay, four. I guess.”

“What did you hear me sing?”

It was such a simple question. Too bad it wasn’t a simple answer. “Well, um, one was opera. After you had sex. With Autumn.”

The muscle in his jaw relaxed a fraction, and he almost managed to force a smile as he replied, “Okay, that is strange. I don’t even listen to opera.”

“I know, right? So, you see? No big deal! We really don’t need to talk about it any more that that, actually so -”

She wished she could scoot around him, but having backed herself into an alcove, the only way she could get around him would be to touch him and that was definitely a bad idea right now.

“But you said I sang four songs. What else did you hear?”

Of course. She should have realized he wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily. The problem was, the other songs weren’t so easily shrugged off and waved away. The other songs were about her. She wished she’d never said anything to him, because it might have been awkward to be around him with this secret in between her and her best friend, but telling him the truth could be catastrophic.

“Well,” she began, her voice desperate as she dragged out the word for several seconds. “I don’t really know the titles of the songs, actually,” she prevaricated.

The guarded look returned, causing her to tense up. She wasn’t used to seeing that look in his eyes and she hated it. Hated more that she had been the one to cause it. “Okay, but if you had to guess,” he pressed.

Zoey sighed in defeat. She could try to lie to him, but it would only make it worse somehow. Instead, she confessed in a heavy voice, “I Think I Love You, Sucker, and that 500 Miles song I’ve been singing all day.”

Max froze, going so still that a stiff breeze could have blown him over. “Oh. And do you have any thoughts on who or what those songs were about?”

No amount of lying would get her out of this one, so it was pointless to try. “I’m pretty sure…they were about me.”

He didn’t deny it, and she almost wished he would. If he did, she could try to pretend those songs had never happened. Their relationship could remain as it always was, and Max could stay her best friend, her rock, the one who made her laugh when she felt broken. The one she always knew she could depend on and she never, never wanted to hurt. Or lose, if a romance went bad between them.

Instead, he repeated simply, “Oh.”

“Is that – is that it?” Her voice was soft and tentative. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but it hadn’t been that. “You’re not going to deny it?”

Max shoved his hands in his pockets, and a flicker of pain crossed his face before he regained control and shielded his emotions from her again. “Is there any point? You’d only hear my feelings through song again.”

“I guess – I just thought -”

He took a step toward her. Small and unsure. “So I guess now that you know how I feel…what about you? How do you – I mean, what do you want to happen next?”

She cringed at the thread of panic in her voice when she blurted, “I don’t know! I don’t know what I want, Max! This all came out of left field for me! You’re my best friend, and I didn’t expect to have this confession laid out on my doorstep like this, so I -”

“That’s unfair,” he broke in, a hard edge of anger in his voice. “I didn’t lay anything at your doorstep. I was fine with my feelings being my problem. I didn’t plan to tell you about them. I didn’t want them to get in the way of our friendship. This wasn’t my doing! It was your superpower, remember? You’ve kind of thrown me through a loop, here, and I’m just trying to deal with it.”

“I know,” she admitted flatly. Then, sighing, she tried again in a softer voice. “I know. It’s just…you’re my best friend, and I don’t want to lose you. And I just don’t know how to deal with this right now. I’m sorry. I know you deserve a better answer than that, but that’s the only answer I have right now.”

He nodded and looked away from her, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stepped back. He no longer sounded angry, but she could hear his sadness, his regret, as he tried to put things back to normal between them. “Okay. Well. When you figure out what you want…let me know.”

Even as she watched him walk away, she heard the song carry back to her and knew that this time, it really was all in her head. It was sad and slow, and the very sound of Max’s longing nearly broke her heart.

“When the rain is blowing in your face, and the whole world is on your case, I would offer you a warm embrace. To make you feel my love. When the evening shadows, and the stars appear. And there is no one there to dry your tears. I would hold you for a million years. To make you feel my love.

“I know you haven’t made your mind up yet. But I would never do you wrong. I’ve known it from the moment that we met; no doubt in my mind where you belong.

I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue. I’d go crawling down the avenue. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do. To make you feel my love.”

#zoey's extraordinary playlist #zep #zoey clarke #max richman #zoey x max #max x zoey #team max #max richmond #I don't know how his last name is spelled #newest obsession #I can't with this OTP #This is Lizzie's fault #fanfiction #my fanfiction

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rachel-bloom · 4 years

Note

unpopular opinion?? but I don’t think the majority of the fandom understands simon’s character? I don’t really see it on tumblr (bc he’s hardly talked about) but I saw some fan interaction outside of this site and Yikes. - zoeyxclarke

this got really long and is anti zoey/max so don’t read if you like them i don’t wanna fight lmao

yeah.. i went into this show fully expecting to ship zoey/max (and i did for a little while there until 1x07 happened lol) because i love skylar and crazy ex girlfriend introduced me to him, but........ i don’t know. max had no depth for me until 1x06 and it wasn’t that much tbh, we literally know nothing about him, i didn’t think they had much romantic chemistry (until they were in song itily/sucker/500 miles was great, iichy? not so much except for skylar’s vocals obviously) i think most of their shippers are just basing their shipping preference on his looks like he’s a pretty guy. he doesn’t have much of a character for me (1x06 was great but) everything after was a big yikes and it honestly shocks me how people can still ship them after this, he made her feel guilty for not returning his feelings and demanded an answer right away. i honestly don’t know how he can call himself her best friend when he never once talked/hinted at his feelings organized a whole fucking flashmob knowing how socially awkward zoey can be and at what a terrible position it would place her at. like he literally didn’t think once about her feelings when organizing this, i think he expected her to fall into his arms and kiss him which is.... yikes. people love to disguise themselves saying ‘omg i love best friends to lovers trope though like!!! thats why i cant ship zimon!! bf to lovers 5eva’ when it’s like we literally have no build up like ok i get it they cant spend one season with 12 episodes on them building up to become best friends but even then it doesn’t seem like that much of a great relationship to me. like sure he did the one or other nice gesture but he had no problem dating another girl while being ‘in love with zoey’ and then the whole flashmob debacle & making her feel guilty for not dropping her panties like chill out dude

simon on the other hand........ yeah he’s engaged and that’s a big red flag and i get that. and i wouldn’t want them to hook up or even kiss while he’s engaged but people keep talking about a ‘cheating’ storyline when there’s literally none. he had the “thought” of staying at her appartment did he act on it? no. we know now that he has feelings for her but he did the responsible thing and stepped away from her, respects her boundaries and is giving her space something which max....... doesn’t do? simon definitely needs therapy and needs to stop using zoey as his therapist more or less lol, i read an article that for them it’s about figuring out if there are real feelings between them or if the dad thing is the only thing that’s connecting them and we’ll see what happens with that. honestly. but like losing your father to suicide is HUGE trauma, and it’s literally like...... fandom hates complex male characters that aren’t white lol. like max is the quirky white best friend who’s pretty and it’s easy to ship him with zoey (for the general audience) but simon has baggage and inner conflicts and people don’t like that.

i just keep thinking about something my english tutor said once like it was about if you grow up as a white person you’re obviously more inclined to identify with white characters, ship white ships (that obviously doesn’t always have to be the case) but like i think it’s a fact that a lot of people don’t like to admit and honestly i’m a part of that too but right atm i’m just going after chemistry, if i think that couple has chemistry i’ll ship it (if it’s not too gross or borderline abusive) and if not i’m usually indifferent about it (unless it’s creepy/gross).

#answered #acaptainandhisrunaway

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zoeygreensimblr · 5 years

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Wonderland (Episode 53)

"Happy birthday Princess" Angus greeted me the morning of my 19th birthday. He was in the kitchen cooking me pancakes.

"Thank you baby" I say, sliding up next to him and wrapping my arms around him. Angus had taken the day off work to spend with me but he wouldn't let me know what he had planned, "Can I get just one clue of what we are doing today?" I ask him, watching the cheeky smile spread across his face

"We are going to get very dirty" He teases, winking at me, "Eat your breakfast, we've got a big day ahead of us" He places a plate with 3 pancakes in front of me and I drizzle maple syrup all over them and take my plate to the dinning table.

"Is Tess and Brian joining us?" I question him, usually Tess would wake me up on our birthday but I hadn't heard a peep out of her this morning.

"Brian took her out for breakfast but they are meeting up with us for lunch" He explains, sitting himself down at the table with his own stack of pancakes covered in strawberry jam.

"And where exactly will lunch be?" I ask, trying my best to squeeze any information out of him.

"Your breakfast is getting cold Princess" He tells me, ignoring my question while smiling to himself, he loves surprising me. "Pack your swimsuit though" He says and that's the only clue I'm given.

The first surprise on the birthday list is Newcrest Day Spa, a place known for it's luxurious mud baths, yoga, sauna and range of massages, we are greeted by a tall, thin, blonde woman with glowing skin who offers us cucumber water on arrival.

"Good morning Mr McKenzie and Miss Green, my name is Lola, we have you booked in for stone massages at 10am and a mud bath at 11, feel free to join a yoga class or unwind in the sauna, we also offer hand and feet massages." Lola tells us, handing over plush white robes for us to change into, "Down the hall you will find change rooms with lockers, your locker is number 66, and here is your passcode to unlock it" Lola say, handing over a small piece of paper with a four digit code.

Angus and I make our way to the change room where we change out of our clothing and into our swimsuits, wrapping the robes around ourselves.

"How did you get a booking here? I've heard it's booked out months in advance" I ask, amazed.

"The owner is a client at the gym, I had her pull some strings and get us in" He tells me proudly, he knows he's done well, this is nothing like the day spa Tess and I go to for massages in Brindlton Bay.

We make our way upstairs to the massage suite, take off our robes and hand them on a rack then lay face down on the massage tables and wait. Two women enter the suite and introduce themselves as Chloe and Nicole.

"Happy birthday Zoey, ready for your stone massage?" Chloe asks me cheerfully.

"Yes please" I reply, smiling over at Angus.

My hot stone massage leaves me feeling very relaxed and refreshed.

"Please try our lemon, honey and ginger detox tea" Nicole offers us as we are putting our fluffy robes back on, "It helps elevate your body of toxins". We take a cup of tea each, it tastes sweet with a hint of citrus and ginger, drinking it on the way to the bathing room. The mud baths are already set up for us so we, once again remove our robes and climb into the baths.

"So this is what you meant when you said we'd be getting dirty?" I ask Angus, rubbing the green facial mask on my face and placing two slices of cucumber over my eyes, I relax into my bath.

"I did, I just didn't realise what I was getting myself into, I have mud going into every opening" He laughs.

"Thank you Angus, this has been a great surprise" I tell him.

"The day isn't over yet Zoey, you've still got to pick out your present" He says, dropping a clue.

"I have to pick out my own present?" I ask him, confused

"Shhh Zoey, it's relax time, all will be revealed soon" He tells me, laughing to himself.

We finish our mud baths and then take separate showers to clean ourselves off.

"Time for lunch my Birthday Princess" Angus tells me when we meet up in the change room. I'd been eating small meals lately to keep the morning sickness away but today I was craving a juicy cheeseburger.

Next door to the day spa there's a bowling alley and waiting out front is Tess and Brian.

"Happy Birthday Teresa" I exclaim, wrapping my sister in a tight hug.

"Happy Birthday Zo, have you had a good day so far?" Tess asks me and I smile brightly at her.

"Oh yeah, I had a massage and a mud bath, what about you?" I enquire.

"Brian took me out for breakfast with his parents and gave me this beautiful gold locket" Tess tells me excitedly, "What did Angus give you?" she asks me curiously.

"Zoey's gift is coming, I'm taking her to pick it out after we bowl" Angus tells Tess before I get a chance to open my mouth. Tess and I exchange looks but she doesn't say a word, I think she knows what my gift is but she's not going to spoil the surprise.

We enter the bowling alley and get assigned a lane. The lanes are all black with neon lighting up the sides that make the bowling balls glow when you bowl. Angus orders food for our group while Brian enters our names into the computer.

"Brian is a professional bowler, he's even on a team in the league" Tess boasts, she's so proud of her man.

"Meanwhile I may need to put the gutter rails up so my ball doesn't go in the gutter on each throw" I laugh, I always have fun when I bowl but I'm not the most co-ordinated bowler.

"Well since it is your birthday I think that can be arranged" Brian says as he hits the option on the computer.

Angus returns with our table number and a sparkling pink bowling ball.

"For you my Princess" He says, handing me the ball.

We played 3 games of bowling, with Brian winning 2 and Angus winning 1 and even though Tess and I didn't win we still had a blast playing. Angus had ordered cheeseburgers and fries for lunch, he knew I'd been craving it and that it would be a long time before I get to enjoy another cheeseburger again.

"Are you ready for your present now my sweet girl?" Angus asked me after lunch.

"It's been driving me crazy so yes, I'm more than ready" I laugh.

We say goodbye to Tess and Brian and head back towards Brindlton Bay.

"Are you having a good day so far Zoey?" Angus asks me, reaching over and taking my hand

"This has been the best birthday" I tell him, trying to watch where we are driving so I can understand what my present may be, Brindleton Bay isn't really a shopping district, it's just a small town by the water.

"Your parents have something planned for You and Tess later this afternoon and they want to do dinner at the restaurant tonight" He informs me, I knew we would be having a meal at the restaurant at some stage today, it's a birthday tradition.

Angus pulls the car up outside of the Brindleton Bay Animal Shelter and my eyes go wide, now I understand what he meant by me picking my present.

"I'm getting a puppy?" I ask him with absolute joy.

"A puppy or an adult dog, it's up to you, the dogs that are brought here have been mistreated and are looking for a loving home and you've got so much love to give Zoey" Angus says to me, smiling brightly.

We walk into the animal shelter and are greeted by Max, the vet who runs the animal shelter.

"You must be Zoey, happy birthday" Max says, holding out a hand for me to shake, he then leads us through a door where there's about 12 dogs, all separated into pens, some with others, some alone, most of them playing, all except one, a Maltese terrier sitting alone in her pen, she comes up to the side of the pen when she sees us approach and rolls onto her back.

"This is Lily, she was brought in about a week ago, she's very shy and quiet but she loves having her belly rubbed" Max explains, I reach my hand down and rub her tummy as she wiggles around, I notice that she's very under weight for an adult dog though.

"Was she neglected?" I ask Max and he nods his head.

"Unfortunately yes, she's started putting on a bit of weight in the week that we've had her, we've been feeding her small meals of dry and wet food, she wouldn't eat at first but now she can't get enough of it" Max tells us. I look at Angus, he's smiling back at me because he knows that Lily is the one for us.

"We will have to get some dog food and a bed for her to sleep on and a leash so I can walk her every day" I say to Angus, making a list of everything we need for Lily, he crouches down beside me and pats Lily.

"It's all been taken care of Princess, why do you think I got you out of the house so early?" He says, laughing.

We finalise the adoption of Lily and Max places her into a carry cage to take in the car.

"I'd like to make a donation to the shelter as well" Angus tells Max, pulling a cheque from his wallet and handing it over.

"Thank you very much for this, we are a non-for profit organisation and do rely on donations from the community to keep us going, I appreciate your generosity Mr McKenzie" Max says to Angus, shaking his hand.

"Zoey is going to be a vet one day herself and she loves animals so we are happy to help out" Angus says to Max.

As we are driving home from the animal shelter, I can't help but overthink what Angus said to Max about me becoming a vet.

"Do you still believe I can go to Uni this year?" I question him, I honestly thought it was off the cards for me since I found out I was expecting.

"Zoey, becoming a vet is your dream job and I'm going to help you achieve that" He tells me, smiling brightly at me.

"But how? You're going to be doing year 12 yourself this year so you can get into Uni too" I stress.

"Well I've been thinking about that too, I thought I wanted to get a degree but I'm kinda happy where I am in life, I'm training Tess up on how to do all the book work and scheduling and I love being a personal trainer." He says to me, he's willing to sacrifice his own dreams to help me achieve mine but I feel a strong pang of guilt, I don't want him to lose out.

Angus pulls into our driveway and I notice there's a shiny, red car parked out the front of our house, I don't recognise the car as belonging to anyone I know.

"Do we have visitors?" I ask Angus.

"Not that I know of" He replies with a smile spreading across his face, "Why do you ask?"

"The red car, parked out on the curb in front of our house" I tell him as if he didn't see it there too.

"Oh that car, that's yours" He informs me, fishing a key out of his pocket and handing it over to me but I can't accept it.

"No, Angus, this is too much, you can't buy me a car for my birthday" I exclaim but he just laughs, takes my hand and places the key in it.

"Zoey you needed a car and it's nothing too flashy, just a little Honda that will be easy for you to drive, plus you may have appointments for the baby when I'm not home and it will give me peace of mind to know you're safe and not on the murder train" He explains. I lean over and kiss him.

"Thank you baby, I love you so much" I say to him.

Walking into our house is like walking into a puppy wonderland, there's a new dog bed and chew toys, a giant ball, feeding bowl, leash and a dog collar. I place Lily's travel cage on the ground and she slowly steps out, wary of her new surroundings.

"Tess come meet Lily" I call out to my sister who pokes her head out from her room.

"Who is Lily?" She asks me and then she lays eyes on our new housemate and she comes running out from her room and sits on the floor where Lily is, Lily rolls onto her back and Tess knows to rub her belly.

"This is Lily, she's 2 years old, she's a bit shy but loves belly rubs" I tell Tess.

"She's adorable" Tess says as she plays with our new dog, I join them on the floor to play, grabbing the ball and rolling it to Lily who gets it and then takes it to Tess who then rolls it back to Lily who brings it to me.

"She loves to play" Angus remarks as he watches Lily run around between Tess and I. Lily is going to be very loved in our house.

While we were out my Mother had delivered dresses for Tess and I to wear that night, every year on our birthday she buys us a matching outfit but in different colours, this year our outfit was a long, sparkling dress, Tess' was blue and mine was magenta, the dresses were gorgeous but when it came time to putting them on I struggled to zip mine up.

"I've put on weight, I feel so fat" I complained to Angus, giving up and throwing myself down on the bed.

"You're not fat Zoey, you're pregnant, this is all normal" He reassures me, holding out his hands to pull me back off the bed, once on my feet he helps zip up my dress and he manages to get it zipped all the way, "You look beautiful my Princess" He tells me as he kisses my neck softly.

"People will start to notice soon" I fret, I can't keep this secret for much longer.

"Zoey, it's been a month, I think we're good for a little bit longer" He laughs as he takes my hand and spins me around and we dance together in our room.

We arrived at the restaurant just after 6, straight away I notice the 'closed' sign on the door so I knew this wasn't going to be just the usual family birthday dinner. Mum greets us at the door.

"Happy Birthday my beautiful baby girls" She cries as she hugs Tess and I, "And why didn't you tell me Zoey?" She asks me, I feel my heart jump up into my throat.

"Tell you what Mum?" I ask nervously, surely she didn't figure it out already.

"That you got into Brichester, I'm so proud of you" She exclaims excitedly, I had been so sweep up in all the baby drama that I had forgot to even check my results, Mum hands over the acceptance letter she had stashed on the hostess stand.

"I actually forgot to check online" I confess and my Mother just laughs

"Well luckily they send an actual letter of acceptance out and you were granted a full scholarship too" My Mother says, she cant wipe the smile from her face.

"Congratulations Zoey" Tess screams as she throws her arms around me.

"Did you get into Brichester too?" I ask Tess, she hadn't mentioned anything about her results or Uni

"I didn't apply, I decided that Uni wasn't for Me and that I'm going to do some art classes locally while I also run the gym this year" Tess tells me and I'm so happy for her, it took her a long time to figure out what her passion in life was but she was always so good at art and design, "And I got an offer to paint a mural on that giant blank wall in the city, the council saw what I painted at the gym and wants to see more of my art"

"I'm so proud of you too Teresa" My Mother says to my sister, wrapping her in a big hug, "My creative and artistic baby"

Inside the restaurant all our friends are waiting, there's a table at the back full of presents and the dinning area is decorated with balloons and streamers.

"Happy Birthday girls" Cassie says to Tess and I, handing us a glass of champagne each, I look at Tess, knowing I cant drink mine but not wanting to be questioned why.

"Thanks Cass, I'll take Zoey's though because she's driving tonight" Tess says, taking both glasses from Cassie.

"You're driving on your birthday, that seems unfair" Cassie pouts

"I got a new car and wanted to drive" I explain, only half lying. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up, luckily I see our food is be brought, "I'm starving, let's eat"

"Don has been preparing this for you all afternoon" Mum says as she places our food in front of us, an appetiser of savoury bacon love petals followed by our main course, sizzled brisket over sour clover salad, I knew Don had been trying out some new, experimental foods to add to his menu, just to keep things fresh and this was delicious, so full of flavour. After dinner Don came out of the kitchen with chocolate sponge cake with blue icing, topped with a "19" candle. When we were kids, Tess would blow out the candles first because she was born 20 minutes before me but as we got older we started blowing them out together, so our wishes would be sent out at the same time.

"Ready Zo?" Tess asks me after everyone has sang Happy Birthday to us

"Yep" I confirm, and together we blow out our candle as our friends and family cheer.

"Happy Birthday my baby girls, nineteen years around the sun and both so beautiful and smart" Our Mother gushes over us, wrapping her arms around both Tess and I.

"We couldn't have gotten this far without you Mum, or Don" I tell her, kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you girls, I love you both very much" Don says to Tess and I, handing us a knife so we can cut the cake and share the pieces out.

"Did you make a wish" Angus whispers to me as I hand him a piece of cake.

"I did" I tell him, placing my hand on my stomach, "And in 8 months time we will see if it comes true"

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daiskken · 3 years

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Zoey’s Extraordinary Girls Night

I watched this episode in a weird mood, and the way the episode went was another nail in the coffin. As it’s becoming the norm, let’s talk about the music and the plot individually.

On the songs side i gotta put Emily’s song on top this episode, and Deb’s as my least favorite. The Simon/Max/Mo song was a nice tune an a weird “boyband” moment in an episode that was kinda chill for the most part. Then there’s the church song that happened without powers, which is nice tho i gotta admit (maybe my mood didn’t help) i don’t know why THAT made Zoey emotional enough to end the episode saying her power is ruining her life. More on that in a bit don’t worry.

First i wanna talk about the cinematography of it all. Even tho i’ve talked about it some other time i find it super interesting that Zoey’s power works in different ways each time. Sometimes time stops, sometimes it doesn’t, and in case of today’s David song it slowed down. Should i try to read into that too?

Am i the only one who wants to disect the power like they kinda did in the first 2 episodes of season 1? Like, what triggers a song? What dictates if it’s a solo or a group song? So many questions we wont get answers too cuz that would kinda ruin the flow of the show.

So now the plot, and this is when i say I’M SORRY cuz when in the last review i said i hope Emily’s thing isn’t mom stress, i neglected DEPRESSION and that is a much serious thing that i don’t feel equipped to talk about as a young guy who will never be a dad. I gotta say in season 1 she kinda felt like an extra, but this season is proof that she’s also a great character. Going back to how scenes were shot i liked a lot the bathroom scene and how Zoey ended up mirroring her.

Maggie and Deb were a fun surprise at first, to be honest i forgot about her character. So when they go to the casino and we meet “Sabanna” i chuckled a couple times on how awkward it all was, it’s the last scene from that storyline that has me worried. Are they hinting at a gambling problem for Maggie? cuz i can’t see her falling into that so easily.

We also get the spa trio and they were mostly comic relief, i’m happy Mo/Perry is going well and Simon/Rose feels like it’s also going on autopilot, Simon worries me cuz he feels like a puppy who needs attention 24/7. Going into what may happen with Zoey i only see 2 reasons why she would say her powers are ruining her life:

Things like Simon (and others) saying one thing, and singing the opposite. I get that can be a little annoying when you find people lie to your face

Songs like Emily’s that kinda force her to see people suffer, In the bathroom scene i took the “mirroring” as a way to tell us that Zoey wanted the song to stop.

It would be sad if Zoey wanted to stop having the powers cuz at first she didn’t wanna get involved but by now she seemed to see the good it can do. On the meta level we are 2 episodes away from the end of the season (if it’s 12 like seasons 1) and the show is still in the air about a season 3 so i get we need to up the stakes.

What reasons will she give next episode? Will Simon also find out about the power? If she could get rid off it, how would that work? Guess we’ll have to wait

#zoey extraordinary playlist #review

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iamwhelmed · 7 years

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Win One, Have Two: Chapter 2

This update is a little early, but I was looking through the outline and Chapter 3 might be more of a hassle so I’ll need more time to focus on it lol

Besides, this is where the story actually gets started >:D

It’s also on AO3 and Fanfiction.net!

Summary: With Isaac gone and Ed sent away to train, the club struggles to find some sense of normalcy, but so do Suzy and Collin-- and the rest of the school; the monster attack on Mayview Middle has some interesting consequences. Isaac, meanwhile, struggles to atone for betraying his loved ones, and the mission is not without difficulty and pain, not that he was expecting any less. It's just more than he counted on.

She'd turned the radio on in the background, just to listen to it as she practiced her spec shots. The noise was nice, distracted her from the way her shots hit the mark and echoed in the training area. It wasn't supposed to be so quiet. Everything-- everything-- had been too quiet lately.

She was only hardly aware of her grandfather's shift into the room, only knew because there was no feeling more grating than his eyes scrutinizing her every move. She wanted to blame her irritation on him, blame it all on how he threw off her game, her concentration. She took another shot as the last words of a current Top 10 track faded out, stopping momentarily until the DJ realized he had dead air and fixed it.

"Oh! Aaand there we have it! Gee-Man's Miss You Girl, as requested! Now, Josie, we have any weekend updates?"

"You bet we do!" A woman's voice, though chipper and bubbly, was mature and somehow mellow, not as grating as Isabel had been anticipating. "There are reports of accidents on 45 and Mayview Way, so if you're aiming to get out of the city, South is probably going to be your best bet." Isabel huffed and raised her fingers again, aiming at a target to her right, where her grandfather wasn't standing and seething with complaints and critiques. "Dannis Gibbsy is engaged to Laurel Con-- I mean, we all saw it coming after that season finale, but still." She couldn't quite find the mark, and it seemed the more she concentrated, the less certain her shot felt. She grimaced, tightening her posture and straightening up, telling herself again and again to just take the stupid shot. "And as for missing child Isaac O'Connor, police are yet to find any trace. If you have information please call in at--" Her lip curled. "His picture is up on our website. If you think you've seen Isaac O'Connor, once again, call-"

The shot hit the target by the bullseye, and blew it all up in a pit of red aura, like flame and electricity-- like a surge of power. She might have screamed when she let the shot go, and that might have been the cause of the twitch-- very slight, gone the next moment-- in her grandfather's eye. Isabel wiped away at the sweat along her forehead, and Master Guerra took a step closer. He was laughing, that genuine belly laugh that used to make Isabel giggle because it was such a happy sound; it annoyed her, now. "Very well, Isabel! Job well done! You must be training hard!"

She glanced at him from the side with lidded eyes, not even bothering to turn her head, as her wrist wiped the sweat from the edge of her face. "Yeah," he watched her as she straightened up and turned for the stairs, grabbing the towel she'd brought down and slinging it over her shoulders. She needed a shower, some soup, and a move she could turn on while she lounged around and ate chips for the remainder of the day. "Maybe."

Isabel sighed and ran the fresh towel through her hair, humming as she padded into her room, shutting the door behind her with the heel of her foot. The hot water had been soothing against her sore muscles, and perhaps even more soothing against whatever mood had been boiling in her before. Irritation had become a friend of hers lately, one that visited unannounced and stuck around until she did something, anything, to kick it from her system until the next day; usually this meant training overtime. It was all she could do to stay sane, not blow up on Max or Dimitri or Ed or even Mister Spender. She'd been overly sensitive (for her, anyway), she knew it, she just didn't know why.

Isabel ran the towel over the roots of her hair, lips coming together to smile as she tilted her head back and enjoyed the feel of her nails massaging her scalp. She'd needed that.

Now to just figure out what she wanted to watch…

The familiar ring of her cellphone and the resulting vibration from her nightstand made her head whip around, eyebrow raising, smile forming, as she crossed her room to get to it, leaving her towel to hit the floor (she'd hang it up later). She almost hoped it was a mission, or maybe some kind of investigation job. She could use the fresh air.

Isabel grabbed the phone and snapped it open with one flick of her wrist, bringing it to her ear without looking at the number. "Hello?"

"What's up, my Iz-dog?"

She snorted. "Ed!" She raised a hand to stifle the little bit of surprised laughter, but she was sure he heard it anyway. "Hey! What's up?"

"Waiting around for training to start. Homeschool is not as fun as you'd think it would be. Not a single one of my teachers let me wear pajamas to class, and only one let me go back to bed when I was done with my work," She snorted again, but let the her laughter run free so he could hear it. He probably wanted to, was probably trying to make her laugh "and that was only because I accidentally threw a paper airplane at their eye."

"Ed."

"It wasn't my fault! Once those things are out of your hand, they are out of your hand. I had no idea a paper airplane would become an issue of class safety and not conduct."

She shook her head and plopped down on the side of her bed, leaning back to rest her hand on the other edge of her twin. "Any clue when you're coming to visit?"

"Uh," she could imagine him leaning against the wall of Master Hashimoto's training room, one hand in the pocket of his jeans, head lulling to the side the way it always did when he was tired. She was willing to bet he had less energy than before, now that he was actually putting effort into his training. She wondered if he had time to play video games anymore, now that he didn't have to go to and from Hashimoto's and Guerra's an hour both ways. He always had enough time to call her-- once a day, no less. She was thankful, though she would have preferred seeing him in person. "Not sure! But I'm aiming to visit next weekend!"

"Really?" She shot up, then immediately clamped a hand over her mouth. That was too excited, too happy, too much. Her cheeks burned, but she kept her lips shut like she'd glued them. As much as she trusted Ed, as much as she knew he was a safe place and he would never, ever make fun of her… Isabel sighed and fell back against her comforter, a smile inching across her lips. "That's great! You know, you should bring your console back for the weekend. We never did beat that boss from-"

"Yeah!" He sounded as ecstatic as she felt, and it was a giddiness and a lightness she hadn't been accustomed to in a long time, enough that it unnerved her. "So, what's been up over there?"

She snickered. "Oh, I am so glad you asked…"

Isaac's phone was probably long dead by now. Max knew this.

It didn't stop him from staring at Isaac's contact information, squinting at it, hoping not-quite-consciously that there'd be some hint to go off of, some huge clue he was missing that could lead them right to him. There wasn't. Max shut his phone and let the hand hang leisurely over the side, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for the urge to get up or go to sleep or something to hit him. All that came was unease, the sense that something was horribly, horribly wrong. It'd been that way since Isaac skipped town, but he'd managed to quash the feeling most of the day. It was just when nightfall came, and his dad was off doing whatever and Zoey was off doing something super-whatever, that he was left alone with his thoughts and that unease had a hand in all of them.

How was he eating? How was he drinking? Where did he sleep? Was he hurt?

Max groaned lifted his other forearm over his eyes, like blocking the light of his room would do anything. Those thoughts weren't daylight or nightlight manifestations and he knew it. They were always there, had been for the last month, beating on the back of his mind the way an annoying remix of a good song would stick with him.

And it all stemmed from the sinking feeling he had when he ran up the steps to that abandoned home and found only Doorman there.

I hurt Dimitri, could have hurt all of you, too.

I wanted you to hate me. I thought it was the only way to get you all to see me as something other than the club mascot…

Because I couldn't take the blame like I should have, I stepped way out of line and broke my own oath. Well, now I'm ready.

Max grinded his teeth, hand thrown across her face clenching.

I guess this is goodbye. Thanks for keeping me around while you did.

He rolled over to his side, making the decision to pass out before the unsettled hole is his stomach got any worse.

Meditating had gotten easier, way easier. He could balance without trouble nowadays, and Master Hashimoto rarely had to step in and readjust his limbs so that he was working his core more. He walked with a straight back more often than he slumped, and slept easier, too. The only issue laid with his concentration-- it ran from him and often times he felt like a hunter down on his luck. Some days were better than others, but the last week had been… particularly grueling. He tried to keep his mind on Isabel, on the lessons he'd learned since joining Hashimoto, but his mind would wander, and he'd start to feel agitated, and then--

Ed yelped as something hard and hollow knocked him upside the head, knocking him right off the plank of wood. He landed on his chin, legs up in the air, waving around as he struggled to catch up with reality. Ed winced and pressed the palms of his hands against the floor, pushing himself to sit up on his knees, then raised one hand to the sore spot at the back of his head. So much for being balanced. "Ow! Hey! What was that for?"

Master Hashimoto stood towering over him from behind, looking gruff with the scrunch of his mustache and the unamused, narrowed look of his eyes.

Ed pouted at him, crossing his legs to sit more comfortably. Hashimoto came around to stand in front of him, placing the cane before himself and setting either hand at the tip of its shiny knob.

"You would not have fallen had you not already been unbalanced." Ed exhaled and leaned back against the plank of wood, hands gripping at his calves. Hashimoto tilted his head. "I sense there is something troubling you."

"It's one of the other students." He knew better than to keep things from his master. At best it would delay the inevitable, and he didn't care to go through so many emotional hoops for the second time that year. "She said that I liked Izzy, like, like-liked her. I mean, that's ridiculous! I grew up with her! She's like a sister to me!"

Hashimoto hummed, fingers brushing against his long, flowing beard, which Ed often joked with the other students looked more like a well-groomed dog's tail- a show dog, the kind that got paraded around.

"Well, Ed, if you were confident in that, you wouldn't still be thinking about it."

No. Not him, too. Not even the freaking master!

Ed parted his lips to say something, but whatever was heating the blood under his cheeks was doing a good job of clogging his throat, too, and he dropped his pointed finger and clamped his mouth shut.

"Suzy."

"Hmm?"

"Maybe you should lay off on the tea" Collin said this as he poured her another cup.

Suzy took it in grateful hands, then tilted it up to take the smallest, innocent sip from its rim. It was black breakfast tea, her favorite, and she took it bitter more often than not, no cream or honey or even a small bag of splenda. "It's calming."

"It's caffeinated, just like coffee, and you've downed, like, ten mugs of it."

Suzy grunted and raised one hand to wave him off, which Collin granted with a roll of his eyes, retreating to the desk to set the eighth thermos down, mumbling to himself about the rush of energy he was awaiting with no great excitement. Suzy, on the other hand, was far more preoccupied with the taste, taking a moment each sip to roll the flavor on her tongue before taking another sip and repeating. She had to concentrate on that. Had to.

There was a knock at the door, and they both lifted their heads, momentarily distracted from the nothingness that was their schedule, and looked at it.

"Collin--"

"Already on it."

Suzy sighed and went back to sipping her tea. The journalism club hadn't gotten any visitors, not that she was surprised. Nobody had taken her up on her offers to publish their personal watched-my-life-flash-before-my-eyes story, and Collin had informed her multiple times on multiple occasions that they never would; though she'd been stubborn to admit it, Suzy had come around to admitting that Collin might have been right, and maybe people didn't want to relive that sort of thing for a school newspaper. She doubted it was a story at the door, and even if it was, the school didn't seem to be keeping up with club hours anymore-- not since the monster attack.

She took another sip, though she swallowed without tasting it first.

Collin opened the door and-- surprise, surprise-- Maxwell Puckett stood on the other side, one of Suzy's posters, the ones for Isaac, in hand, and held it up to his face. She blinked. "Hey, Max."

"Hi, Suzy. Quick question." He wriggled the poster around, glancing over her curled form almost sardonically with a twitch in his eye. His posture was stiff, like he was sore and he was trying not to move too much or he'd hiss, and his fingers seemed to have long-since wrinkled the top edges of the poster- a sign he was gripping it tighter than need be. "What good is this doing, exactly?"

Suzy huffed and set the mug down, setting her feet, which had been curled with her in the chair, to the floor as she stood up, patting out her shorts. "Well, it's something."

Collin sighed and let Max in, shutting the door behind him with a narrowed, almost annoyed, look on his face. "Do yourself a favor and don't get her started on that."

"I already told you guys. He's not in Mayview anymore!"

"Well, do you have any better ideas?

"No! But wasting this much paper" Max shook the poster around for emphasis "probably isn't helping anyone!"

Suzy balled her fists, rage coiling in her, heat rushing to her face and her hands and her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, back, just to defend herself and what she was doing, but Collin slipped a hand over her lips; against her better judgement, she let him silence her. He sighed, and glanced between herself and Max until he was sure he had the attention of both. "Okay, how about we all just agree that these posters aren't really helping," he looked at her, and she leveled him with a glare "but it's all we can do" He looked to Max, who scowled and glanced to the floor, lips thin.

After a moment, Max's eyes met hers, and she saw an uncertainty where before she'd seen irritation, a lack of confidence she didn't think she'd ever seen in Maxwell Puckett before. Though he hid it well, his jaw clenched, and she could feel his aura looming over them, even if she couldn't see it. It was an itch. His eyes drifted downward, to the poster in his hand, then to the floor again, and her eyes did the same. Collin lifted his hand from her mouth, and she mumbled. "How is Dimitri doing?"

Max blinked, eyes wider for a second as though surprised, but a small smile found its way to his face, even if it wasn't as genuine as he might've liked her to believe. "He's doing all right! He's fitting into the club like a glove!"

Suzy nodded and excused herself for a moment to get more hot, bitter tea.

Mayview was as sunny as she remembered it, though she'd always preferred it when the city was cold and overcast in the nigh of winter. Sometimes, when she had a moment to herself, she'd visit, like so. After all, she'd spent a great many years calling it home.

It was the place she hated most.

She brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear, breathing in the scent of fall, which still smelled as she remembered it for Mayview-- Pumpkin, a few days closer to expiration than one usually preferred, alongside the dull spices and the staleness of the cold air that'd always swept her into dreaming of snow days, though she knew they were months away. It was a feeling she'd known intimately for other reasons as of late, the anticipation of something coming, the drive that'd been motivating her so long.

Then the sight of Mayview from the tallest hill faded, and she found with no sense of distress that the world around her had become clustered with holes in the sky in shades of deep blues and purples and tears in shades of black only she knew existed.

"Catriona."

She hummed, but did not turn her head.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a toned chest where she could feel a familiar heartbeat against the hammering of her own. "Something is bothering you, my love."

"Whether they're willing or not" she frowned and nibbled at her bottom lip "I simply can't find it in myself to kill these spirits for the sake of our mission."

He hummed, sound similar to her own in its sweetness but deeper in its rumble. "It is for the greater good, you must remember that. They see the way you and I do." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, and a treacherous smile found her. "Though, I'd find it hard to believe anyone may resist you."

"Emmerich, you flatter me." She twisted in his arms, wrapping her own around his neck and leaning into him. He was tall, taller than many men, though he stood like one, with claws round but sharp on each finger. His skin, though splotched with the same shades as his universe, was soft and felt as human as her own. She ran her hands over his head, one hand using its fingers to weave through the silk that was his cyan hair, wrapped in a horse tail. He smiled at her, and her eyes glossed over his black teeth. "We've already failed our first mission, what is to stop us from failing again?"

"Experience, my love" His hands squeezed her hips, a physical affirmation "and we did not fail. It may take more than one attempt, but it will be done."

She leaned up, and he leaned down, and she pressed her lips to his. There was no caution, no exploration- he was a part of her, and they knew each other better than anyone else.

Isaac winced as he laid down across another bus stop in what should have been another neighborhood. He was moving slowly, but that wasn't a problem when he had no destination. What is a problem is this cut on my arm. That spirit really took a swing at me. He glanced down at it, wincing as he took in the cold sting of blood, dying the material of his shirt a deep red. It'd stopped running a good hour ago, but it still stung like nothing he'd had before, and he'd have a hard time sleeping with it.

What was there to do about it?" He cautiously ran a finger over the wound, and hissed when the stinging multiplied. He'd have to steal bandages from somewhere. But where? A hospital? He couldn't do that! Other people, possibly worse off than him, needed those bandages and needed that ointment, and he couldn't very well walk into the clinic. That came with a mass of questions he wouldn't be able to answer, or even begin to think about answering. Isaac sighed and leaned upwards. He'd just have to figure it out come the morning.

Cheesesteak subs were a gift from God to men, and there were few things Spender was so vehemently convinced of. Day seemed equally as enthralled with her food, and she chomped more than happily into their late lunch-- his treat. It was a shame the meeting wasn't under less dire circumstances. Though each bite of his food was delicious, there was a sour taste to the back of his throat. Of course there would be something wrong, something he'd have to fix, and it would take time to figure out just how to go about doing that-- which wouldn't have been so bad, had he ever been in Time's favor. Day looked up, and he met her with a smile, though he knew she couldn't see it.

"So, Mister Spender, have you found that missing student of yours yet?"

He paused before taking another bite, licking his lips because they suddenly felt dry, and sighed. "No, I'm afraid I haven't."

Day paused in her bite, too, a small frown forming on her face. Her brows furrowed, and she tilted her head. "Oh. I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine." It wasn't. "Have you made any progress in your research? I know you've finished interviewing the student body recently. Did you find anything worth noting?" Perhaps it was too cut and dry, too to-the-point, but he needed to-- had to-- change the subject.

She blinked, and for a moment he thought he'd been too forward. Day's head tilted, and then she chomped into her sub, chewed, and swallowed hard before fixing him with a smile. "You trust me to be truthful?"

"Well, it's my school. I'll be finding out regardless."

"Yes, I suppose that's true! Hm hm!" She giggled and set her food down, using the napkin she'd set in her lap to wipe excess grease from her hands. "Especially with the magnitude of my findings."

His heart dropped. He'd been expecting something, of course, but he hadn't anticipated… well, something of great consequence. What could she have possibly gotten from a bunch of students scared senseless? "Oh? What did you find?"

"Well, the entire school, including your peers, Mister Spender, is traumatized."

Was that all? He exhaled, expelling all of the tension that'd strung up his neck and shoulders, let himself relax. "Oh, well, while that isn't good, it is what I expected. Trauma or not, we're going to have to come up with a really good excuse to explain why those things attacked our school" he looked to his sub, fingers tapping along the bun on either side "and what they were."

Day continued to smile at him, setting the napkin onto the table and leaning forward. "I'm afraid you won't have to make excuses, Mister Spender. We're well past that, unfortunately." He looked back to her, then, eyebrows furrowed, lips parting to ask for clarification. She set her chin in her hands, still, somehow, smiling even as the importance of her words hung over him, potentially like a guillotine. "From my findings, I've concluded that 70-80% of Mayview Middle have begun exhibiting early signs of paranatural ability."

#Paranatural #Isabel Guerra #Edward Burger #Maxwell Puckett #Isaac O'Connor #Richard Spender #Agent Day #maxaac #edsabel #pnat #The Monster Trilogy #WOHT

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