#spencer may be silly but he is the best brother

[bisexualmultifandommess]

I love that Spencer said he was going to be a grandfather when he thought Carly was pregnant 😭😭 that man raised his sister while their parents were away and can you imagine him getting Carly and Freddie’s kid to call him uncle grandad because he’d definitely have a fun nickname or something

[ddejavvu]

okie but imagine :3 spencer reid being your older brother’s best friend and there’s a bit of an age gap between you two???? but you’ve always??? liked him but you were sure it was unrequited (jokes on you, he’s lovesick for you 😭)

come celebrate 4k with me! - i know he was in college at like age twelve but for this to work i needed him to progress through school at a normal pace </3

--

Falling for a boy five years older than you was not your proudest moment. It may have been your stupidest, but definitely not your proudest. You'd always followed Spencer Reid around like a puppy when you were younger. He was your brother's friend, and his constant awkward manner, especially around anyone who wasn't your brother, was more of a drive than it was a deterrent.

It hadn't taken you long to get over your puppy love when Spencer had moved away, though. You knew he needed to get ahead of his studies, that college was the best place for him, and you were only a little reluctant to say goodbye. You'd rid your head of your silly little crush, though the congratulations letter that you got from him after your graduation didn't help, and started college for yourself, working out of your bedroom in your family home. Only a year after he was gone, you barely thought about him anymore.

Until he showed up at your front door. You'd answered the door lazily, without bothering to check who it was, but you'd recognize the skinny, soft nose and the nervous biting of the man's lips anywhere. He'd aged, and his hair was hanging loosely around his head, brushing against his shoulders, and subsequently, the satchel that he had slung over his shoulder.

His face, set in an neutrally optimistic expression, shifted immediately, his eyes widening and his lips parting softly at the sight of you.

"Y/N?" He finally managed to speak, his voice sending butterflies swarming through your stomach, "Y/N, oh my god!"

"Spencer," You hoped that the smile that crossed your lips wasn't too dreamy, "What are you doing here?"

"I was on a business trip, and I ended up here. I figured I'd come say hi, see how your brother was doing."

"Oh, how did the business trip go?" You'd only heard talk of his FBI escapades, and you were curious if he'd actually tell you anything. You stepped aside to let him in, realizing too late that you were wearing a ratty old t-shirt and pajama shorts, a stark contrast to his knit sweater vest and slacks.

"It was okay," He glanced around the house, smiling softly at the baby pictures that were still on the walls ten years later, "We caught the guy."

You hummed, hovering awkwardly by the doorway as he shifted nervously on his feet.

"This was when you were what, five?" Spencer pointed vaguely at a picture of you in a tutu, a ballerina for halloween. You nodded, your eyes glued to cowboy-Spencer beside you in the photo, "Somewhere around there."

"We were so little," He mused, eyes flickering back to your frame, much taller than ballerina-you in the photo, "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," You smiled, "I didn't think I ever would."

"Me neither," He admitted, "I figured you'd be living in a little apartment somewhere, or something."

"I don't wanna pay rent," You joked, heart fluttering at the soft laugh you got from him, "I'm just doing online courses for college, so I didn't see the use of leaving."

"Smart girl," He hummed, hopefully missing the way you stiffened at the words, "What are you studying?"

"Literature." You weren't going to admit it, but your passion for the written word had definitely started because of Spencer. You watched his eyes light up at the word, and he smiled fondly at you, "What style?"

"Right now we're covering romantic literature," Even though you meant the style and not the plot, your throat felt tight at discussing romance with your former childhood crush. He hummed in acknowledgement, "Romance was always my favorite."

Now, that did something to you. The butterflies in your stomach multiplied, fluttering rapidly against your tummy as the weight of his seemingly-innocent words sunk it.

You let out a barely audible, "Me too."

He caught your eye, something shining in his own as he bit back a smile. Before you could add anything, or even step forwards, you heart feet thudding behind you on the stairs. You both tore your gazes away from one another to see your brother jogging down the stairs, a wide grin on his face as he tackled Spencer in a hug.

"Dude, you're here!" He pulled away to laugh incredulously at Spencer, missing the way the man had tensed at the sudden gesture, awkwardly readjusting his bag as he threw you a glance over your brother's shoulder. You smiled gently at him, and Spencer returned the gesture.

"I am," Spencer started, "Y/N was just telling me about-"

"I know this great place we could go for lunch," Your brother cut Spencer off, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the front door, "Come on, we can catch up!"

With that the two were gone, and you weren't even able to offer a haphazard 'goodbye' before the door swung shut and slammed against the frame. Your shoulders deflated, and you lazily checked your phone when you felt it buzz in your pocket, disappointment clear in your expression.

It all seemed to disappear when you read the name on the phone, surprised you still had Spencer's contact: Sorry I got abducted :-( I'd love to hear more about how you're doing, though? Maybe we could talk about our favorite romantic pieces sometime :-)

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

hello! goodmorning/afternoon!

may i request something with spencer finding out his has half-sister during episode memoriam, and him, rossi, and derek go to her house. she doesn’t really care or like spencer due to the much her father bragged about him. she’s an medical doctor? sister!reader, she/her

Of course! And sorry this has taken me yonks to get to but I hope you like it!

Growing up, all you heard was 'Spencer this' and 'Spencer that' so much so that you had grown up despising him. It wasn't your dad's fault... Actually, no it kind of was. You had been born a boy, so growing up your dad would always comment 'you look so much like Spencer. I'm sure you're going to be just like Spencer' but when you got your report card or went to parent teacher conferences and they said you were very bright for your age, nearly top of the class, your heart had broke. Nearly the top of the class. Nearly as good as Spencer. Nearly enough to make your father proud. Nearly enough. But not quite. Nearly.

You kept your feelings to yourself, finding it easier to bottle them up then let yourself get involved in confrontation. And you started to realise you were okay with not being Spencer. You were okay with being second best. Because you were you. You were thirteen when you realised you were a girl. You had tried telling your parents but they shrugged it off and told you to stop watching 'girly TV', you huffed and rolled your eyes. They forgot about it eventually, and you didn't bring it up again.

Eventually you were off to college and then med school. Not like your father cared, Spencer had gotten three PhDs by your age and a job in the FBI. Oh well. You left at eighteen and never turned back, you changed your name, grew out your hair, wore the clothes you wanted to wear. And so, your parents stopped telling you when family gatherings were happening, stopped giving you cards and gifts during birthdays and holidays. Soon enough, your family consisted of just you.  

It was an average Friday, you were on your way back to your apartment after a 24 hour shift in the Emergency Room. You were exhausted, one only give so many stitches, take so many scans, and drink so much coffee before they debate quitting their dream. But nevertheless, despite the blood, gore, yelling patients, shitty wage, and vomit, you loved your job. You were feeling a little short tempered this particular day, so you couldn't help but feel a little bit of dread as you pulled into your parking spot - you didn't want to end up arguing with your boyfriend, Nathan, over something silly.

You took the elevator, which had been fixed earlier that week. You unlocked the door, taking your shoes off and slinging your bag to the ground. You shut the door before putting the keys on the small stand by the door. "Babe?" You called out, "I'm home,"

"Er, honey, we have guests," You furrowed your eyebrows, following Nathan into the living room, where three men sat. "They're FBI,"

"Who's dead?" You saw Nathan roll his eyes beside you. "Don't give me that, FBI are involved in deaths, aren't they?"

"No one's dead..." You saw the older agent struggle how to address you.

“We’re here to talk about your father,” Another spoke up, “I’m Derek, this is Rossi and Spencer,”

“Is he dead?”

“No,”

“Did he kill someone?”

Nathan gave a big sigh, “(Y/N)...” 

“He’s a suspect,” The other agent said, “We believe he might be involved in a cold case,"

"How cold is the case?" You asked, "Like what year?"

"1984,"

"You'd be better off speaking to my half brother, Spencer. He's in the FBI, I don't know much about him but I'm sure it's on record-"

"I can't remember anything, which is one of the reasons why we're here," You turn to the agent that spoke. He's tall, taller than Nathan, and thin, his hair is long.

"You've changed from photos," You said.

"Dad said that I had a b-" Spencer paused, realising that your boyfriend might not know.

"Brother?" When Spencer nodded, you continued, "That would be because he's a dick. And I guess you did, for a little while.”

“What are your pronouns?” Spencer didn’t hesitate to ask, you beamed at him.

“She, her,” You answered.

Spencer nodded, “Cool, I always wanted a sister,” 

You grinned, not knowing what else to say, you changed the topic. However, it was obvious to the three profilers that you were over the moon with his answer.

“So you think he killed someone then?"

"Maybe," Spencer said.

You huffed a laugh, "Makes sense," You joked. You sat down, Nathan following your actions, gently taking your hand in his. "I don't know much about him. Just his address, but I'm assuming you already knew that. The only thing he would talk about is you, he’s really proud of you,”

“When was the last time you saw him?” 

You turned to Nathan, thinking for a moment, “It must have been that time you met him back in college,” You said before turning back to the agents, “It was around Christmas, I came out to them then,”

“How did that go?” Spencer asked cautiously.

“Like I said, our dad’s a dick,” You shrugged, Spencer nodded. “I think Nathan nearly punched him though,”

“Babe,” Nathan whispered, “You can’t tell the FBI that,”

“It’s fine, my brother works for the FBI, he’ll bail you out,”

“I can’t actually do that-”

[just-another-miserable-prick]

Aight, we're doing this. It's headcanon time.

This is engines 1-6. This is all Sodor High School AU canon btw.

Thomas Gail:

Freshman. Tiny gremlin child. Full of energy and straight up refuses to shut the fuck up. No, he physically can't shut the fuck up. Prankster #1. Much like James, he's very over the top, but instead of his looks, I mean his pranks. Like, this little bitch wrote a whOLE ASS FUCKING MUSICAL for an APRIL FOOL'S PRANK. FOR REAL. (I'll make a post about that whole mess, it's the best fucking thing) Protects Percy with his l i f e.

Edward Belwett:

Senior. Braincell #1 of 2 of the entire Steam Team. Extremely farsighted but simply does not realise that it's a problem. Poor guy just thinks everyone sees the world like he does. (I dare you to try and change my fucking mind, also @zellezel, I'm stealing this, thank you very much) The caring dad friend and the team's designated therapist. Guy's got Rapunzel hair (as in floor length) and only James is allowed to touch it. Why? Let's just say the story involves fire. If you manage to piss him off, good fucking luck. Trans king.

Henry Holt:

Junior. Braincell #2 of 2 of the Steam Team. Very kind, gentle and anxious introvert. Absolutely fucked mentally AND physically (thank his mother- or rather birthgiver for that one) While he is a pacifist, he's known for having lost his cool a grand total of 2 times. (One of these involved Edward) Legend has it he threw a chair once. No one knows the truth though, except for the witnesses. I'd advise everyone to just stay on his good side for their own sake.

Gordon Rask:

Junior. HOO BOI, man be f u c k e d beyond belief. 6th of 8 siblings, parents are divorced, dad's an alcoholic, lord knows where mom went ("no hard feelings tho, good for her" says our local mess of a highschool junior), most of his siblings already booked it, life really went: "Welp- What could go wrong? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯" *dumps entire content of the Trauma Truck™ on this one guy*. So damn jealous of Scott and thinks or rather hopes that people don't notice. They notice, don't worry. ("I do the exact same thing he does and he gets all the recognition?! What about me?? What am I doing wrong?!") No wonder he's got such a bad temper.

James Bragg:

(This may or may not be me projecting my own issues onto this bitch) Sophomore. Almost homeless, as in his house, or rather what's left of it, could collapse literally any minute- (which it does at one point-) he tries to cover up his misery in public by acting like he's a vain, self-absorbed little sassy twink, and it seems to do the job. For now at least. When he's in private or alone with someone (aHeM, Gordon-) he's a m e s s in pretty much any way you can think of.

Percy Klein:

Freshman. Thomas' adopted brother and tries to be a voice of reason when Thomas is about to do something stupid (or illegal cuz Thomas w o u l d). Normally fails to stop his brother from committing his silly acts of mischief but hey, at least he's trying. Precious baby. If you somehow manage to anger him, he'll cuss you out in fluent German. Then it's over for you. He might as well be summoning a demon for all I know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (<- this coming from someone who studies german. I hate that fucking nightmare of a language.)

Ships? OH HELL YEAH!

To preface, these are just my preferences. If you ship something else, go ahead. As long as it's not like- Inc*st, p*dop*ilia, you know- disgusting shit. Or anything that involves Spencer. This is a Spencer hate blog. ANYWAY

Henry X Edward:

yes yeS YES Y E S- Yea this is my OTP, I fucking love these two, they are my life force and I want them to be my dads- in my mind it's the "slightly more social introvert X anxious mess of an introvert" dynamic and it's the cutest fucking thing. Edward confessed first, on Valentine's day! :D

Gordon X James:

Two fucked up guys looked at one another one day and thought "I could… try to fix him?". That's literally it and I love them. Like they're both absolutely fucked up to no end so they're really the only ones who understand the other's struggles and could help without making shit even worse. Love that they both have someone there for them :D.

Thomas and Percy are brothers in this AU ^^ I know I said it before but I'll say it again.

Thanks to @zellezel for inspiring me to finally write this thing :)

[theblackbirdsgemimagines]

Ramble away, cause I feel the twisted head rot, I kinda wanna see what you think about our bois. ~ a pocket sized dragon hops in excitement.

A POCKET SIZED DWAGOOOOOONNNN 😭💞💞💞 That’s so BLESSED, and tysm omg, I’m very glad to just spill out my barking on every boy, bc yEAH THE BRAIN ROT SKDHAKDB

THE BRAIN ROT IS SO REAL LOL

Everything I breathe ends up relating to TWST in some way, like at this point just let me take my friends, cousins, and pets, and of course Lulu and Seb, and I will have 1. A Gottdamned Harem, 2. So Many Children, and 3. NEVER WANT TO LEAVE. Kwfhskdhjwek

Ok this is gonna be long bc I gotta cover all my boys, so rip lol.

Dorm Leads:

Riddle

GOD, my Fucking Baby, my CHILD, my SWEET BABY BOY, I’M 👁💧👄💧👁

I would die for him, beetch, he is PRECIOUS ♥️

He reminds me of how I feel Ciel would behave if S/O took the place as Sebastian’s contracee, too, so like 🥺 Lots of feels 😭

Is Son, I have adopted him now. If you mistreat him, don’t ever speak to me or my son ever again. I’ll FIGHT his MOM, don’t TEST me. I’m his new mom now. His BIRD mom. So proud of him, he’s like...one of the few that’s actually shown growth in canon after his overblot kshdkadjs

Leona

👁💧👄💧👁

.....I am a Mere Simp....

Ya’ll.... I swearh to ghOD I simped hard for Scar back when I was a wee thing, I did NOT expect to simp for him AGAIN LATER IN LIFE, what the FUCK aidhskdhskdj

Like shit bitch, damn, you may not be king of Afterglow honey, but you can be king of my heart if you wAnt to bb....

Leona: *smiles once, even if it’s smugly*

Me: *WEEPING* Look at hiiiiiiim!! My sunshine booooooy! 😭

Does this make me a furry

Probably

I am too Simp to Care Anymore

I HESITATED TO GET ATTACHED BC THIS BOY LOOKS LIKE A FUCKIN WOMANIZER IF I EVER SAW ONE, BUT HE DRINKS HIS RESPECT WOMEN JUICE EVERY SINGLE MORNING AND I WAS A GONNER SNDJAJDHSJ

FUCK

Call me a Herbivore again, bully me //SLAPPED

Azul

He secretly a lil shit sometimes, but tha’s ok, it’s mostly in a silly way, especially post overblot~ UvU

The sweetest bby everytime I read fanposts on him, like god, ah 💜💜💜 WHOMST COULD BULLY SUCH A CUTE CHUBBY OCTOBABY I’LL FIGHT ALL OF EM!! A sweetheart 10/10 would be his friend 💗 Not making contracts with him tho, lol

...ok maybe SOME after his overblot, but they’re able to be easily reversed now, so it’s way more chill andhsjdj

Kalim

FUCK!!!! F U C K!!!! BABYYYYYYY!!!! BABY!!!! I HAVE ADOPTED HIM IF YOU TOUCH HIM YOU D I E

He is literally so sweet, anytime anyone was like “you’re so nice it’s annoying” I WAS READY TO COME FLYING IN TO BITCH SLAP THEM LIKE AJDHSKDHSJ (even if I also loved them lol)

Like NO you are WRONG whfksjd

He has also grown so much, and I am proud ♥️🧡

Vil

Jesus Christ, canon Vil is Hurting Meeeeee ajdhskdhsj

My fave fanon Vil is the one that recognizes all different types of beauty, though~ uvu and is v encouraging to anyone that may be struggling with self hatred 💜

Canon: Vil is pretty~.

Me: Wow, wtf???? He IS so pretty... How rude I didn’t think you were serious! Wow him??? Pretty??? Wow??? Wow...

Idia

I’m not sure yet, as I haven’t seen him very often, but of the few times that I have: BIG same, huge mood, and Me FUCKING Too, goddamn akdhakdj

Idia is my Anxiety and Anime Nerd personified tbh lol

What Ortho is to him are what all my comfort characters are to me, honestly.

Like what would you like bby, you want that singing voice?? Ok here comes a synthesizer just special for you~. Ily, mwah~ u3u 💕

Malleus

HEAVY BREATHING

Ok maybe it’s just the lack of story/info out on him yet, but I don’t currently simp as hard for him compared to Leona, I’ll admit jajdkajd

BUT BOY HOWDEY DO I EVER STILL S I M P...

He Is Baby... And I Lob Him....

I am going to smooch those horns and forehead crown of beautiful scales 🖤🖤🖤 I am going to do it!!!! Here I go!!!

HE CAN HAVE ALL THE ICE CREAM AND TAMAGATCHI DATES HE WANTS I’M- 😭

This man is too precious for words, and I have so much childhood nostelgia to ‘enchanted’ woods, and being in the mountains, so he has Old Fae Friend vibes to me~🖤

DRAGON FORM DRAGON FORM DRAGON FORM DRAGON FORM DRAGON F-

Ngl I ship him and Leona a lil bit lol

No, not just bc that makes a poly with my two faves easier, but that is a bonus factor jadhajdj

Vice Dorm Heads:

Trey

Oh my god, the Daddy to my Mommy with all these newly adopted lil kids of ours, ya know??? What a wholesome sweetie and funny lil shit jahdksdh~

I love him, I would gladly make tarts with, AND for him 💚💚💚

The kind of boi who I’d ship HARD with anyone he started dating bc My God it would warm my heart So Much 💞💞

Ruggie (unofficial but may as well be at this point lol)

He took a while to grow on me kadhskdhsj

But I think he’d be a sweet, if a trouble-maker of a friend to have~.

Dank you for taking care of my sweet lion bby, honey, I’m sure Farrena is a sweetheart, but boi I hope he gets his shit together to fix up where Ruggie lives 😭

I think if I met his granny, I’d CRY jadhajsh 💗💗

Leech Twins (?)

Idk if they’re vice leaders, but who cares lol

THESE are the older Big Brothers in every sense of the word. (My canon ages most everyone up just a bit, save for Riddle, Ace, Deuce, Kalim, Jamil, Cheka, and anyone already 20+)

The ANNOYING older big brothers, lol.

The ones that hug you to death (Floyd), or use you for an arm rest (Jade), and specifically Do the thing you asked/told them NOT to Do.

This is fine with me tho, I’m an only child, please give me the experience of annoying older brothers lol 💙💚

Jamil

I used to hate you bby, I’m so sorry akdhskdhs

I’ve adopted him now, and I’m v proud he’s trying, but making clear what his boundaries are, and trying to come out of a shell he was made to be in for so long 😭

AND HIS DANCING IS SICK LIKE HONESTLY I’M SUCH A PROUD MOM 💗💗💗

Rook

God. FUCKING Rook, lol.

IDK IF I SHOULD TRUST YOU, but I also kinda wanna be your friend akdhakdjs

HE CONCERNS ME but he also seems nice and v sweet sometimes, lmao

Blz don’t stalk me tho 😬

STOP SHOOTING YOUR ARROWS AROUND SCHOOL YOU BLOODY HEATHEN FRENCH PRISS, YOU ARE GOING TO KILL SOMEONE

Also, if he DARES hunt cute animals around me, especially BIRDS, I am going to GRIP him jahdkahdsk

He’s like if Lord Druitt was a Little More Nice and a Little Bit Less Creepy ajdhak

Lilia:

GOD.

I LOVE THIS FUCKING GRANDPA.

I. FUCKING. LOVE. THIS FUCKING. GRANDPA.

I absolutely hc him as nonbinary w/masc pronouns, I absoLUTELY do.

I adore him, I love him, I haven’t gotten a squish (hardcore desire to be someone’s friend, lol) this hard for a character since AngelDust, I-

Pwease be nonbinary friends with me, Lilia 🥺

THE ONLY PERSON HERE SHORTER THAN ME, BUT I’LL TAKE IT AJDHAKDHJS

Anyone know Corpse and how he plays Among Us? That’s how I see Lilia playing his video games with friends and I JUST I JUST I J U S T

The Spencer to your Carly.

He and Crowley are free to compete as Dad with me too like honestly kshdkadjjs

He’ll always be granpa tho uvu 💚💖🖤

Extras:

Ace

God, the Fucking Annoying Middle Brother that pranks you ALL THE DAMN TIME, but I love him andhakdhsk

Deuce

THE BROTHER THAT WILL BEAT UP YOUR BULLIES 💙💙💙 SWEET BABY BOY

The Josh to Ace’s Drake. The Cody to Ace’s Zack. The Freddie to your Carly and Ace’s Sam.

If he and Ace started dating, tho, I would CRY.

But regardless who they end up dating, it’ll be slow burn friends to lovers, and literally the most adorable shit to watch EVER 💞💞💞😭

Cater

Seems Like A Womanizer But Actually Drinks His Reapect Women Juice And We Stan That 🧡

Can always count on him to help tou get the best Magicram shots, bless you Cater 🧡🧡

Also rly wanna be his friend, ngl 😭 Even IF he pranks me a lot kadhakdhsj

Jack:

H E AV Y BR EA T H IN G

Ngl my feelings for him are in the air IDK IF I WANNA SMOOCH OR NOT YET I JUST KNOW I LOB HIM HE GOODEST BESTEST BOY 💛💛💛😭

If all three Savannaclaw bois got in a cuddle pile with me, I would Not Be Mad

How can I give this boy love, tell me and I will Do It

Gift him all the cacti’s he WANTS💛

God he drinks that respecc women juice bright and early on his run every morning, you KNOW he does 💛💛💛

I wawnt to pet his ears an tail an fwuffy wolf form 😭

I WAWNT TO SEE THE BOY SMILE AND BE HAPPY 💞💞💞

Sebek

CHILL CHILL CHILL CHILL CH-

He is a v devoted guard tho, we love to see it UvU

I don’t have more info on him hekdhskdj but his fanmade content seems v v sweet~ 💚

Silver

HE ATTRACTS BIRDS AND I CRY ABOUT IT PLEASE BE MY FRIEND AND TEACH ME HOW 🥺🥺🥺

Him being raised by Lilia and Malleus literally gives me so much Fucking Seratonin....... God 💞💕💗💗💞💞💗💗💕💞

Ortho

IS BABY????? IS BABY!!!!!! I’M LOVE HIM I’M ADOPTING HIM IS BABYYYYYYY 💙💙💙💙💙

Cheka:

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

He is so FUCKING CUTE what the FUCK!

Leonaaaaaaa... 🥺 Your NEPHEWWWWW 😭

I might steal him from Farrena tbh, lIKE MY CHILD NOW~ 🧡🧡

I just sob and hug him every time I see him honestly 😭

Teachers:

Dire Crowley

Ohhhhhh god oh god oh god

Be my dad. Please. Be my dad. PLEASE be my dad. Ya’ll think I’m joking, I’m not. Please adopt me. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

This man as a father gives me so much dopamine and oxytocin and seratonin??? I have been weeping for WEEKS, please adopt me, Sir

Fathers with zero braincells being wrapped around a daughter’s little finger makes me so weak, and I am just here with Daddy Issues like ajdhakdhsj BLEASE ADOPT ME MISTER BIRD MAN

Crewel

Ew.

Forgive me, I haven’t seen much content with him in it/that could be considered wholesome, bUT JADHWKDJSJ

UncoMFORTABLE

Please keep the kink talk out of the classroom, S I R

Call me puppy one more time, see what happens, I’m not scared to fight a teacher akdhakdhsj

Trein

The Dad Figure that tries to be the stern part to Crowley’s blumbering kahdkqrhsjdj

Don’t feel as much attachment to him emotionally, but I like him~

Just let me pet your cat sometimes and give you holiday presents, and we’re cool~ ♥️

Vargas

Found the womanizer //SMACKED

And of course, I can’t forget Grim~!

He’s grown on me, and if anything happens to him I will kill everyone in the room, and then myself 😭

I will pet and snuggle and hold him all he wants and feed him all the tuna his heart desires uvu 💙

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MARCH + APRIL 21

March and April were a whirlwind of vaccines and awards shows! A full year after we starting staying at home, the end of this weird chapter in recent history seems like it might finally be coming to a close, and this pop culture awards season—typically a time full of fun and glamour—captured our moment weirdly well. (Emphasis on the weird.) This month’s recommendations is filled with more Critic Picks than usual, so without further delay, let’s dive right in...

March + April Crowd-Pleasers

Double Feature — 2018 Action Thrillers: Bad Times at the El Royale + Den of Thieves

In Bad Times at the El Royale (Crowd: 9/10, // Critic: 8/10), Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, and Dakota Johnson are staying at a motel on the California-Nevada state line full of money, murder, and mystery. In Den of Thieves (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Gerard Butler takes on some of the best bank robbers in the world. Whether you like your action with a dose of mystery or the thrills of plot twists, these will fit the bill.

Double Feature — ‘80s Comedies: Caddyshack (1980) + Splash (1984)

In the mood for pure silliness? Take your pick between a mermaid and a gopher! Five years before The Little Mermaid, Tom Hanks fell for Daryl Hannah’s blonde hair and scaly tail, and John Candy was his goofy brother in Splash (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10). And four years before Ghostbusters, Bill Murray was the goof on a golf course full of funny people like Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Ted Knight in Caddyshack (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10).

Double Feature — 1980s Coming-of-Age Films Starring Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, and Challenging Brother Relationships That Influenced Stranger Things: Stand by Me (1986) + The Lost Boys (1987)

Believe it or not, I had no idea these two ‘80s classics had so much in common when I chose to watch them back-to-back. In Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Stand by Me (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), four kids (Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix, and Wil Wheaton) are following train tracks to find a missing body. In The Lost Boys (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10), Corey Haim and Jason Patric move to a small California town and discover it’s full of ‘80s movie star cameos and…vampires? One is a thoughtful coming-of-age story and one is just bonkers, but both are a great time.

Spaceman by Nick Jonas (2021)

My love for the Jonas Brothers is well-documented, so instead of going down the rabbit hole I started digging at 15, I’ll talk about how Nick Jonas’s latest solo album will likely appeal to a wider audience than just the fans of the brothers’ bombastic pop records. It’s full of catchy tunes you’ll play on repeat and an R&B-influenced album experience about the loneliness we’ve experienced in the last year and how we try to make long-term relationships work.

Ted Lasso (2020- )

I love stories about nice people crushing cruelty and cynicism with relentless kindness, and Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is the warmest, most dedicated leader this side of Leslie Knope. Be sure to catch up on these witty and sweet 10 episodes before season 2 drops later this summer.

Double Feature — Tony Scott Action Flicks: Enemy of the State (1998) + The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

Tony Scott’s movies have got explosions and excitement in spades. I love a good man-on-the-run movie, and in Enemy of the State (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Will Smith is running through the streets of D.C. after getting evidence of a politician’s (Jon Voight) part in a murder. I also love a tense story set in a confined space, which is what Denzel Washington is dealing with in The Taking of Pelham 123 (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) after a hammy John Travolta takes a New York subway train hostage.

Double Feature — Baseball Movies: The Natural (1984) + Trouble With the Curve (2012)

Sue me—I love baseball movies. Robert Redford plays a fictional all-time great in the early days of the MLB in The Natural (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10), and Clint Eastwood plays a fictional all-time great scout in his late career in Trouble With the Curve (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10). If you love baseball or actors like Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, and Justin Timberlake, these movies are just right here waiting for you.

Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (2021)

Sue me—I enjoy Netflix standup comedy specials that are safe enough to watch with your whole family. That’s exactly the crowd I laughed with over Easter weekend, and while the trailer captures Bargatze’s relaxed vibe, it doesn’t capture how funny he really is.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

I thought somewhere in my childhood I’d seen at least one of The Mighty Ducks movies, but after watching all three, I think my memories must’ve come from previews on the VHS tapes for other Disney movies I watched over and over again. The original still holds up as an grown-ups, which is why even my parents got sucked in to this family movie while just passing through the living room. Bonus for ‘80s movies lovers: Emilio Estevez is basically continuing Andrew Clark’s story from The Breakfast Club as an adult. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

Double Feature — New, Dumb Action on Streaming: Godzilla vs. Kong + Thunder Force (2021)

If you want something intelligent, go ahead and skip to the next recommendation, but if you’re looking for something stupid fun, these are ready for you on HBO Max and Netflix. Thunder Force (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10) follows Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as they train to become superheroes who take on superhuman sociopaths wreaking havoc on Chicago, and alongside Jason Bateman, they do it with a lot of laughs. Godzilla vs. Kong (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 5/10) is, um, exactly what it sounds like, so I’ll skip a plot summary and just say it’s exactly what you want from this kind of movie. #TeamKong

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

All you need to know is Russell Crowe is an outlaw, and Christian Bale is the guy who’s got to get him on the train to prison. I also watched the 1957 version, which is also a solid watch if you love classic Westerns. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Marvel’s newest series isn’t nearly as inventive as WandaVision, and it may not land every beat, but it’s worth a watch for the fun new gadgets, Sebastian Stan’s dry joke delivery, and its exploration into themes of what makes a hero and what governments owe their citizens. It’s a pretty satisfying entry in the MCU canon, but I’d also recommend re-watching Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War—the canon is getting expansive, and it’s getting trickier every year to keep up with all the backstory.

March + April Critic Picks

Best of 2020 Picks

As per usual, the months leading up to the Oscars becomes a binge period for potential Oscar nominees. In March and April, I watched many of the films that made my Top 20 of 2020, including Boys State, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Let Them All Talk, Minari, Nomadland, On the Rocks, One Night in Miami…, Promising Young Woman, Soul, and Sound of Metal. You can read how I ranked them on my list for ZekeFilm, plus reviews of The Father, Minari, Promising Young Woman, and Soul.

Bonus: If you loved On the Rocks, don’t miss this feature and beautiful photography starring Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Rashida Jones for W Magazine. 

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

What would you do if you started hearing a voice who narrated your every thought and move? If you’re Will Ferrell, you’ll seek out a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman), fall in love (with Maggie Gyllenhaal), and track down the voice (Emma Thompson) who’s making ominous predictions about your future. Stranger Than Fiction is funny thought-provoking, and an unusual but welcome role for Ferrell. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

All the Royal Family News

Speaking of stranger than fiction, it’s been a busy few months for the Royal Family. We’ve celebrated 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the 3rd birthday of Prince Louis, and the 10th anniversary of Will and Kate’s marriage. We also lost Prince Philip, and we watched the drama of Harry and Meaghan’s interview with Oprah. No matter what happens to their Crown, I don’t think we’ll ever get over our fascination with the Windsor family. A few pieces worth reading from the last few months:

“In Meghan and Harry’s Interview, Two TV Worlds Collided,” Vulture.com

“The Queen’s Man: Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Dies,” TIME.com

“Obituary: HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” BBC.com

Goodfellas (1990)

One of my film opinions that makes me feel like a phony is that Martin Scorsese just isn’t my cup of tea. He’s brilliant, but his films tend to be long and dark, two qualities that are never my first choice…and somehow Goodfellas still worked for me? Maybe it was the TV edit graciously toning down the violence or maybe it was that Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci were firing on all cylinders, but for some reason this ‘90s classic didn’t suck the joy out of my evening like Scorsese often does. (Bonus: For a Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro I don’t really recommend, head to the last section of this Round Up.)

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

Her voice has only matured, so Taylor Swift revisiting her old albums is like upgrading a blast to the past. Plus, the six new tracks make me feel like 15 crushing on that boy in Spanish class again, and her Grammys performance (just before her third Album of the Year win) was magical and folklore-tastic.

Double Feature — ‘60s Action Classics: The Guns of Navarone (1961) + Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Guns of Navarone (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Gregory Peck and David Niven as they destroy Nazi weapons in the Mediterranean. Planet of the Apes (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Charlton Heston as he attempts to escape from, well, a planet full of apes. The pacing of ‘60s films doesn’t always hold up, but that’s not the case with this pair. Both are still full of suspense, and you can’t go wrong hanging with casts like these.

Let Him Go (2020)

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play a farming couple who unexpectedly help raise a boy who lost his biological father—sound familiar? But instead of a superhero origin story, they’re part of a thrilling Western with performances nuanced (Costner and Lane) and showy (Lesley Manville). If I’d watched this before completing my Best of 2020 piece, it likely would’ve been on my list. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Oscars

I’m a ride-or-die fan of the Academy Awards, but I’ll admit even I found this year’s ceremony odd. Instead of focusing on what wasn’t so hot, I’ll recommend a few moments you don’t want to miss:

Emerald Fennell giving a shout-out to Saved by the Bell

Daniel Kaluuya acknowledging his parents’ sex life during his acceptance speech (??)

Yuh-Jung Yoon flirting with Brad Pitt and acknowledging she’s just “luckier” than her fellow nominees

Glenn Close dancing to…”Da Butt”?

You can also read about the historic wins and nominations from this year’s Oscar class and why the Golden Globes were an even stranger production weeks earlier.

Trailer-palooza!

Movies are on their way back, y’all! I’m counting down the days until I can get back to a theatre, and even if some of these movies are duds, I’m planning to see all of them on a big screen if possible:

Those Who Wish Me Dead (May 14)

Cruella (May 28)

In the Heights (June 11)

Space Jam 2 (July 16)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3)

West Side Story (December 10)

Also in March + April…

To add to the Oscars love, you can listen to a conversation about what we learn about family, community, and society in some of the year’s biggest nominees on the Uncommon Voices podcast. I join regular hosts Michael and Kenneth in this episode, and I recommend all of their thoughtful discussions on their “What’s Streaming” episodes.

I’ve previously recommended the Do You Like Apples weekly newsletter, so I’m proud to share I contributed twice in March! I wrote about Love and Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and one of my all-time favorite Julia Roberts rom-coms, Notting Hill. (I also tied to win their Oscars pool, but I suppose that’s less exciting for you than me.)

It was a busy couple of months on SO IT’S A SHOW! New logo, new email list, new Instagram, and a host of new episodes about a flop of a Madonna flick, a Swedish children’s TV show, an urban legend turned into a horror movie, one of the best films about journalism ever, and a Martin Scorsese movie about a real boxer.

Most of what I wrote for ZekeFilm in March and April was mentioned in Best of 2020 recommendations…except for The Nest, a film that couldn’t figure out what genre it wanted to be.

Photo credits: Nick Jonas, Royal Family. All others IMDb.com.

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25 Best Sports TV Shows

https://www.denofgeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/TV-High-School-Travel-Guides.png?resize=400%2C400

Sports stories have traditionally belonged to the movies. Something about the rhythms of competition, in which an athlete or team trains, plays, and then either wins or loses, is a natural fit for the film world’s three act structure.

Television, with its multiple episodes and seasons, is often more discursive and therefore less viable for truly great sports stories. Thankfully, that all seems poised to change. While some sports TV shows have found success in the past, now the medium has really kicked things up a notch. Sports stories like Brockmire, Ted Lasso, Cobra Kai, and more are not only welcome on television, but an essential part of the cable and streaming landscape. 

Read more

TV

The United States of TV High Schools

By Alec Bojalad

Movies

The Best Sports Documentaries To Stream

By Scott Fontana and 2 others

With that in mind, it’s high time we pay homage to TV’s great sports programs. What follows is a list of 25 of the best sports TV shows of all time, hand selected by Den of Geek (i.e. me: the arms-crossed weirdo in the picture at the bottom of this article). 

It’s important to keep in mind that these are the best scripted sports TV shows. Television is, of course, no stranger to live sports and the various programs that surround them. Consider these unscripted American sports shows as honorable mentions: Hard Knocks, Last Chance U, Ken Burns’ Baseball, The Last Dance (and most other 30-for-30s), Cheer, Inside the NBA.

Enough of the undercard, now onto the main event. 

25. Red Oaks

Amazon Prime’s Red Oaks examines the bougie tennis lifestyle of the 1980s. It all comes through the lens of David Myers (Craig Roberts), a college student looking to pick up some cash by taking a summer job at an upscale Jewish country club in New Jersey. Sports stories and coming-of-age stories fit particularly well because the end goal of each one is usually growth. It’s hard to say whether David grows during his time at Red Oaks, but he certainly changes over the series’ three seasons. 

24. The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

A TV show based on Disney sports movie behemoth franchise The Mighty Ducks was all but an inevitability, particularly when the major conglomerate secured its own streamer in Disney+. We’re all lucky then that The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers turned out to be quite good rather than completely perfunctory. The show is bold enough to recast its Ducks’ franchise as the villains and to rally around the radical idea that youth sports should be fun. 

23. One Tree Hill

At first glance, One Tree Hill doesn’t seem too different from the other teen shows of its era on The CW (though The CW was still “The WB” for One Tree Hill’s first two seasons). It’s about high schoolers in a small town, doing high school things. Where One Tree Hill excels (at least in its early, still high school seasons) is the introduction of basketball as a storytelling crutch. Half brothers Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty) have a turbulent enough relationship to begin with. What better way to contextualize that relationship than through the high stakes lens of high school basketball?

22. Lights Out

Not to be confused with the 2016 horror film of the same name, Lights Out is a boxing series from FX that ran for one excellent season in 2011. Holt McCallany (best known now as Agent Bill Tench on Mindhunter) stars as retired heavyweight champion Patrick “Lights” Leary. Despite displaying signs of neurological trauma from his career, Lights can’t help but want to return to the ring for one more shot of glory (and to pay off his family’s many debts). Lights Out is a sad, elegiac little story about how one man who sees a sport that broke his brain as the only realistic option for success. 

21. Big Shot

Big Shot premiered shortly after its bigger-named Disney+ cousin The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. And while Game Changers made a slightly bigger splash, Big Shot might be the better sports show. The story follows Marvyn Korn (John Stamos), a tempermental basketball coach who ends up at an elite all-girls prep school to shepherd its basketball program. Big Shot runs through all the tried and true tropes and beats of sports stories and does so with aplomb. Consider it Hardball meets Hoosiers with plenty of Stamos charm. 

20. Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper

Sports are somewhat incidental to Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper’s mission. Sure, lead character Mr. Cooper (Mark Curry) is a former Golden State Warriors basketball player turned PE teacher. But like its TGIF programming block peers, this show is a charming hangout comedy with few lasting conflicts to speak of. Still, you don’t spend that much time in a gym without some three-pointers and lay-ups. 

19. Coach

Before Craig T. Nelson was Mr. Incredible (or made this truly amazing televised statement), he was best known for portraying the title role in ‘90s ABC sitcom Coach. In fact, many of our archetypical perceptions of what makes a football coach likely come from Nelson’s portrayal of Coach Hayden Fox (who first coached for a fictional NCAA football team and later an NFL one). This is a man whose skill at molding young athletes belies his lack of skill at…well, everything else. Ultimately, Coach is a worthwhile multiseason experience in which a grown man grows up.

18. Kingdom

Kingdom is probably the best sports TV show that you’ve never heard of. Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. That’s just the kind of thing that happens when a show is damned to languish on AT&T’s ludicrous “Audience Network”. Kingdom is set in an MMA gym and captures all the drama provided in the heightened world of mixed martial arts combat. The show is blessed with some great characters and an even better cast. Frank Grillo (Captain America’s most annoying foe, Brock Rumlow), Kiele Sanchez (Lost), Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights), Jonathan Tucker, (Justified)  and Nick Jonas (yes, that Nick Jonas) all make their mark on the series.

17. The White Shadow

Premiering in 1978, CBS’s The White Shadow was uncommonly progressive for its time. The series follows Ken Reeves (Ken Howard), a white NBA player who retires after a knee injury and elects to take up coaching at Carver High School in South Central Los Angeles. Coach Reeves’s team is made up primarily of Black and Hispanic players and the show deals with the social ills of life in the inner city. It’s also quite funny and charming and features a commitment to realistic basketball scenes.

16. The League

FX comedy The League works as a sports show (and as a TV show in general) because it has a deep understanding of sports from a fan’s perspective. Sure, fans watch collegiate and professional sports to marvel at the athleticism, training, and skill on display. But more importantly, they watch sports to have something to talk about with their friends. Though the participants in the titular fantasy football league at the center of The League grew up as friends, who’s to say they would have stayed friends so long without this league keeping them together? Ruxin (Nick Kroll) is an asshole. Andre (Paul Scheer) is annoying. And Taco (Jon Lajoie) is, well…Taco.

15. Rocket Power

If the ‘90s taught us anything it’s that extreme sports are sports too, man! Rocket Power is a lovely little slice of life Nick Toon that follows four kids in a fictional California surfing community. Otto Rocket, Reggie Rocket, Maurice “Twister” Rodriguez, and Sam “Squid” Dullard spend their days skateboarding, surfing, playing street hockey, and occasionally snowboarding. It’s a wonderful ode to childhood and all the athletic activities that make the day (and years) go by far too quickly. 

14. Luck

If things shook out differently, perhaps Luck could have been considered one of the five or so best sports shows of all time. All of the pieces were in place. This 2012 HBO series had the right creative team (created and run by Deadwood’s David Milch and starring Dustin Hoffman with a pilot directed by Michael Mann) to go along with an intriguing premise (complicated characters’ lives intersecting at a horse track). But alas…the dead horses. Oh so many dead horses. Despite stringent safety measures put in place, Luck lost three hoof bois during filming of its first season and was canceled shortly thereafter. May they all rest in peace.

13. All American

High school is a turbulent time in all our lives. And when the high stakes world of competitive football is added in, things can only get more intense. The CW’s All American opts to take the world of high school football and opts to add in a welcome dose of sociopolitical commentary. This series is loosely based on the life of former New York Giants linebacker Spencer Paysinger and follows his character “Spencer James” as he is recruited from South L.A. to play for the affluent Beverly Hills High. The show wisely understands that sports (particularly when they involve Black teenagers) are a marvelous portal to explore American society. 

12. Pitch

Cruelly cut short after just one season of 10 episodes, Pitch is the kind of sports show that will inspire sports stories for years to come. This baseball series for Fox comes from Dan Fogelman (This Is Us) and Rick Singer. It follows the saga of Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury), who becomes the first woman to play in Major League Baseball when she’s called up to pitch by the San Diego Padres. Pitch was blessed with an excellent cast including Bunbury and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a veteran catcher nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career. More interestingly, it was blessed with an actual MLB licensing deal. There are no silly fictional teams in this show like the Tuscaloosa Barn-Burners or the Helena Hellcats. It’s all real MLB team names and logos, adding to the realism of a cool premise.

11. Ballers

Of course, Elizabeth Warren’s favorite show has to be on this list. Ballers has a bit of an unearned reputation for being cringe thanks to its ridiculous name and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s delightful cornball energy. In reality, this is an exceedingly watchable TV show and one that examines the corporate side of professional sports quite well. It’s also noticeable for being most viewers’ introduction to eventual Tenet star John David Washington. 

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10. GLOW

Is professional wrestling a sport? Vince McMahon would argue that it’s “sports entertainment.” I would argue that that’s more than good enough to get the excellent GLOW on this list. GLOW tragically fell victim to Netflix’s whimsical cancellation procedures. Why the almighty algorithm decided a show needed to be canceled after it was already renewed is beyond me. But don’t let that sour three seasons of superb sportsy storytelling. GLOW follows the fictionalized rise of the very real “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” and it centers it on the conflict between two former best friends, Ruther Wilder (Alison Brie) and Debbie Eagen (Betty Gilpin). GLOW differs a bit from the usual sports fare in that the “sport” at its center wasn’t necessarily plan A for the athletes. But the experience of watching the ladies train, grow, and succeed is pure and sublime sports story stuff.

9. Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai absolutely could have been phoned in. The streaming world runs on nostalgia and there’s nothing more sweetly nostalgic than The Karate Kid franchise. Instead, this Netflix series changes the original franchise’s perspective by focusing on the “villainous” Cobra Kai dojo and re-examines things from Johnny’s point of view. Ralph Macchio and William Zabka deserve credit for embodying realistically adult, yet flawed versions of their original characters. Equally deserving of credit though is a whole host of young actors bringing the martial arts to a whole new generation. 

8. Blue Mountain State

A lot of the shows on this list are, let’s say, reverential to the sports, teams, and athletes they cover. Spike comedy Blue Mountain State is decidedly…not. This series, following the Mountain Goats football team for the fictional college Blue Mountain State, understands that not all depictions of athletes have to be saints. Sometimes college football player can just be the big dumb animals you want them to be. Through three seasons, this show developed a cult following that would follow it over for a lifetime of reruns on Netflix. Blue Mountain State is crass, dangerous, and entertaining, not entirely unlike football.

7. Sports Night

Speaking of being reverential to sports…like all Aaron Sorkin-created TV series, Sports Night can be a bit full of itself sometimes. That only works when the topic at hand, like the federal branch of the U.S. government, is consequential. Thankfully, sports can be pretty important sometimes too! This late ‘90s show follows the goings-on at a Sportscenter-esque news program hosted by Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) and Casey McCall (Peter Krause). It has all the witty dialogue you’d come to expect from a Sorkin venture. And if you can make your way through the inexplicable laugh track of the early episodes, you will find a mature, entertaining show that properly understands and contextualizes professional sports’ role in American society. 

6. Survivor’s Remorse

Survivor’s Remorse came into the world with two strikes against it. One is a bizarrely overwrought name, and the other is that its home network, Starz, isn’t a given on many cable packages. Still, this LeBron James-produced comedy is shockingly one of the best sports TV shows ever (and perhaps still the best creative venture James has been involved in yet). This story follows NBA athlete Cam Calloway (Jessie T. Usher) as he tries to balance the business and basketball aspects of his life. At first the show focuses on Cam’s guilt for having got out of his impoverished neighborhood when so many couldn’t (hence, the show’s title), but ultimately it evolves into a family comedy drama featuring some truly remarkable characters and performances like Cam’s cousin and manager Reggie Vaughn (RonReaco Lee) and his baller half-sister “M-Chuck” (Erica Ash). Even Monica Rambeau herself, Teyonah Parris, is a part of the proceedings. 

5. Playmakers

Sometimes I can’t even believe that Playmakers is real. Surely, this ESPN series about a fictional football team in a fictional league that is clearly the NFL was just a post-9/11 fever dream we all endured together. Alas, Playmakers was real and it was awesome. This series follows the players on the Cougars as they navigate a football landscape filled with ripped-from-the-headlines strife including Performance enhancing drugs, good old-fashioned drugs, domestic abuse, concussions, and more. The series even introduces the outing of a gay player more than a decade before Michael Sam and Carl Nassib revealed their sexual orientations. Naturally, Playmakers was canceled when the NFL intimated to its broadcast partner ESPN that it wasn’t too pleased with the content of its show. And enraging the National Football League alone is enough to make this an all-time classic.

4. Eastbound & Down

Eastbound & Down creator and star Danny McBride isn’t necessarily a huge fan of baseball. But he is, thankfully, a huge fan of weirdos and creeps. When McBride discovered just how bizarre and poorly behaved certain flamethrowing relief pitchers could be, Kenny Powers and the show around him was born. The baseball “action” in Eastbound isn’t much to write home about. The show isn’t too concerned with the results of any given baseball game and McBride always looks like he’s throwing a javelin and not a baseball. It’s still a phenomenal saga about athletes that dives into Paul Bunyan-esque tales of legendary misbehavior that fame encourages. It’s no coincidence that in the follow ups to Kenny Powers, McBride has delved into megalomaniacal vice principals and bejeweled, sweaty televangelists – all different aspects of the white American male id.

3. Ted Lasso

Of all the sports shows in the TV canon, none feels more like a traditional sports movie than Ted Lasso. This Apple TV+ series plucks an American football coach-fish and gently places him out of water in the English Premier League. The affable Lasso (Sudeikis) is charged with reversing the fortunes of EPL side AFC Richmond. Little does he know, however, that spiteful owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddington) is counting on him to fail, Major League style. Ted Lasso isn’t interested in reinventing the wheel. Instead it perfects it. This is a tale of relentless optimism and unconditional positive regard. Ted breaks the mold for what we expect from coaches, which is probably why so many actual coaches are fond of the show. Simply put: sports stories can’t be done much better than this one. 

2. Brockmire

Sometimes commentators like to bemoan the modern state of baseball. What was once American’s pastime has now supposedly fallen behind things like football and videogames in the pop cultural pecking order. Then along comes something like Brockmire to teach us that baseball as a continuous, seemingly eternal American presence is just as vital as ever. In a career-defining role, Hank Azaria plays disgraced baseball broadcaster Jim Brockmire. Once at the top of his game, an on-air drunken meltdown loses him his job and his sanity. In season 1 of this superb IFC show, Brockmire returns to the booth, this time for an independent league team in Morristown, Pennsylvania. The four seasons that follow are one big love letter to not only baseball, but the messy human experience itself. It’s rare that you get something this funny and this affecting. The fact that it’s wrapped in a stylish diamond-shaped bow is just icing on the cake. 

1. Friday Night Lights

Not only is Friday Night Lights the best sports TV show of all time, it’s hard to imagine it ever being supplanted from its throne. Simply put, Friday Night Lights is a sports television masterpiece. Each of Friday Night Lights’ five seasons (save for the writer’s strike-shortened second) fully capture the ecstasy and agony of high school football in a small Texas town where high school football is the only thing that matters. Friday Night Lights doesn’t shy away from the unsavory institution that is big time high school athletics.

The series opens with a life-changing injury before following it up with tales of corrupt boosters and garden variety West Texas racism. And yet, the show never looks down on its characters. If winning state is important to Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler), Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch), Smash Williams (Gaius Charles), and Vince Howard (Michael B. Jordan), then it’s important to us too. In fact, when Friday Night Lights is really rolling and the W.G. Snuffy Walden’s Explosions in the Sky-style soundtrack is swirling, you might not recall anything ever mattering to you as much as the Dillon Panthers or the East Dillon Lions winning a football game. Clear eyes, full hearts, absolutely cannot lose.

The post 25 Best Sports TV Shows appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[skyeofloxlay]

Personality / Brief history / important things about MC / Reader for my fanfics or when I make requests.

Okay, I decided to do this more for myself when I make a request to someone, but this is also useful to let you know a little more about the MC / "reader" of my fanfics.

The MC is a cis-woman of almost 1.60cm in height, (age may vary) but generally the age will be between 20 and 23. She is heterosexual/straight (I don't know if there is a difference between the two things, but I don't understand why I would have two words for the same thing) and usually in fanfics she has never had a boyfriend before the character she will be together with (be it Jake (Duskwood), Jason (Todd), Spencer (Reid) or any other character). 

She was born in Brazil and lived a large part of her life there, and depending on what story she is in, she makes an interchange trip abroad because of college, and because of that she lives far from her family and lives alone, but she has her faithful companion, a male Schnauzer dog (his name in fanfics is undetermined.)

MC has always been a lonely person, because after several events in the past she does not trust people easily, and the only people she does trust are her family, but she still has trouble talking about her problems to them.

Furthermore, MC is a very shy, introverted, anti-social person and suffers from social phobia, which of course, is a perfect combo to be an alien in society and not be able to make friends, even if she wants to.

MC also doesn't know where it all started from, but she does know that she has probably suffered from anxiety for many, many years, even though she only discovered it a short time ago, and went to get help even less time ago.

Because of anxiety, she ends up being stuck in her own world, or I should call it, hell itself. Her mind is a mess, bad, unreal and meaningless thoughts invade her mind all the time, and because she has been this way for so long without help and not knowing what to do, her situation has worsened to the point where her anxiety starts to change into a depressive anxiety.

However, as much as she has been suffering with her own mind for years, she can always count on her family whenever she needs them, even if they are distant from each other, they are inseparable. 

Her father, as much as he doesn't understand most of the things she goes through, supports her and wants the best for MC, and so he does what he can to help MC pay for psychological treatment, and even though he doesn't understand, he always makes her smile and laugh, even when the situations are bad, even though he was always busy because of work, he always did what he could to be together, even in the simplest things, like family lunch, playing video games, watching movies, shopping together.

Her mother, on the other hand, has been through similar things like MC, and always try to help her the way she can, always speaking encouraging words, helping MC to do her things when she couldn't, sleeping next to the MC when she couldn't sleep because of anxiety, always being by her side, always supporting any decision, no matter the situation, MC's mom will always be there to hear her, either to hear about something that MC wants to do a lot or when she has some fear. 

And there is also her younger brother (3 years younger), as much as they ended up arguing for silly things, he is her best friend, maybe her only true friend, always having fun together doing what they like, protecting each other, always being one for another, even when it was not known which words were right to say.

MC is blessed to have such an amazing family, and as much as she couldn't say "I love you, you are everything to me" to them, she loved them with all her heart and soul, and she couldn't say what would happen to her if she lost them, but probably something really bad would happen.

As much as it seemed that MC doesn't care about other people, maybe looking selfish and boring to others, she cares a lot about others, but she knows that this is also one of the big reasons why she suffers from anxiety, caring for others more than for herself, and for her own mental health, she had to try not to think so much about the problems of the world that she cannot solve. 

Some people may think that she was wrong in doing this, but she wanted to have some sanity, even if little and trying to recover, than to go crazy with things that are impossible to fix, at least impossible for her to fix.

(Some other things about MC, but now simpler, because I'm out of time and too lazy, help me)

- Very distracted

- Very clumsy

- Nerd

- Dreamer / lost in her own world

- Impulsive

- Impatient

- Think too much about everything

- Studious

- Lonely

- Forgotten

- Problems with deadlines, do everything at the last minute.

- Avoid fights / arguments with people she doesn't know, but if it's someone close and it's a silly fight, she'll defend that she's right until the end, if she's wrong in the fight, she'll just be quiet for a while. If it is a serious fight, she will argue for some time until the tears stop her from continuing, and then she will be silent for a long time.

- Too stubborn

- Sarcastic with the closest people

- Always try to look for the good in people, but it is impossible for her to achieve kindness in certain people.

- Pessimistic

- Very sensitive / hurts / cries easily

- Perfectionist

- Very insecure

- She cannot express in words what she feels for other people

Likes:

Chocolate

Coffee

Rainy days

Winter

Music (Mainly, pop and  rock)

To drive

Flowers

Taking pictures (mainly of landscapes)

Animals

Old things, like things related to the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, or things from centuries ago

History

Books

Learn things

Horror stuff (games, books, movies)

Mystery

Horseback riding

Nature

Farms

See the city lights at night

Night

Games (both video games and board / cards)

Comics, Movies, Series etc about Superheroes

Mexican food

Travel

Psychology / Understanding the human mind

Buy drawing materials and books (even though she will never use / read them)

Big clothes

Wind

Ride a bike

Explore Abandoned Places

Dislikes:

Summer

Hot days

Insects

Spiders

Her mind

Who annoy her

People fighting

See things or people comment on things related to death or illness

Having to be patient

Who speak ill of her family

Working in a group

That people belittle her feelings

Parties

People

Delays

Alcoholic beverages

Buy clothes

Make up

High heels

Short dresses

Physics

Fears / Phobias / Things that bother her:

Spiders

Falling / High height

To drown

Die

Getting seriously ill

Dark / Night

To sleep

People

Speak in public

Losing her family

Stay alone

Crowds

Closed places

Tight clothes (Because she feels they are suffocating her)

Arrive late

Forget things

Having a car accident

Never be loved / Stop being loved

Future

May her fears come true

Skills:

- To draw

- Write

- Cook

- Game programming 

- Sing

- Play keyboard and guitar

- To compose

- To dance

Hobbies:

Basically, it's her skills + reading + playing video games + taking pictures of the landscape.

Job:

Usually she either works as a waitress in a coffee shop or works in a supermarket (working at the checkout or replacing products on shelves)

As much as many find it strange, MC is very happy in her work, and does not mind working in "simple" jobs (basically jobs that earn little), and as much as she doesn't have much money, just enough to live reasonably well, she is happy with what she has and doesn't care about the money.

College: 

She studies digital game design

I think that's it, there are some other things that I only do when I'm writing specific situations, for example, MC's opinions on certain subjects, and honestly I don't have time at the moment to make the MC's different opinions, and just say that she tries to be as neutral as she can, because she knows that extremes are never good, and that when asked which side she is in a situation (depending on what it is, but usually she says), she says doesn't have a side because it doesn’t identify herself by either side, because both are extreme, and this usually leads people to think that it’s on the fence, but it’s not like that, it’s more or less. "You were teleported to a place, there are two paths, one on the right and the other on the left, at the beginning of each of these paths there is a person, each talking about their paths and talking about why their path is the best of than the other and why you should follow their path. And then you must make a choice of which path to follow " But MC does not agree with either side, and will not wait there to see which side gives her the best benefit as many would do, she goes there and moves on, where there is no path, where there is no one, because she doesn't want to be on anyone's side, she wants to make her own opinions, and not follow what a group is saying. 

Oh, and one of the philosophies she follows is of yin and yang, which says something like "There is good and there is evil, both need each other to exist, there is no good without evil, and no there is evil without good, and that nothing can be completely good or evil, since, however small, there is evil in good, and there is good in evil. "

Some phrases she would say:

"You can say anything about me, but don't come and talk about my family"

"I can't always do it, but I always try to be balanced, because I know that nothing comes out of extremism, no matter which side."

"I'm a Christian, I may not have proofs but I believe in God, but I don't believe everything in the Bible because it was made by humans, and I know that many of them used and still use people's faith to do very bad things . "

"Sorry, but I suck at remembering names, in fact, I suck at remembering."

"Shit, I knew I was forgetting something."

"I hate logic, most of these things don't make any sense!"

"At least I have you with me here DN" (DN = dog name)

"There is nothing that is not so bad that it cannot get worse"

"I think I celebrated too soon"

"I sleep! But no matter what I do, I will be forever sleepy!"

"No matter what I do, my thoughts disturb me from the moment I wake up until bedtime, and even while I'm asleep. And it happens every day."

"Sometimes ... I think ... people would be better off if I didn't exist. I just hinder and hurt people." 

"I don't know when or how it started, I just know that I have been scared forever"

"I don't do it because I want to! It's not my fault if I'm easily distracted"

"I think writing is the only way to say what I feel"

"Yes, I know, I'm crazy, you don't have to tell me that"

"I'm not a normal person. Maybe I'm not even a human? What if I'm an alien and I don't know? A synthetic human? A robot with high artificial intelligence that is identical to that of humans?"

"I don't like to be afraid, but I love to see and read horror stuff."

"I love old things, they are so fascinating"

"What day is it today?"

"I just wanted to have a little courage that other people have"

"I have no hope of anything, as always, every time I had hope, very bad things happened, close people and pets died when I had hope that they would survive. For me, hope has long since died."

"I think, in a way, I am a miracle, just like my brother. I mean, it was almost impossible for my mom to have a baby, and look, here I am."

"I'm not cute!"

"I'm not short, I'm average height, it's the rest of the people who are very tall"

(Maybe I wrote a lot? Did I overdo it?)

Sorry if there is something confusing or errors in English 

[someonefantastic]

Do These Tacos Taste Funny to You?

I had so much fun with the details at the beginning of this and I just love the idea of the four of them hanging out. If you want some ambiance while you listen to this, check out the video "You're in the bathroom at a club in 2007" on YouTube. I wrote the whole thing while listening to that on repeat lol. Summary: Juliet, Shawn, Gus, and Lassie are hanging out at a nightclub after a very long week. But sometimes unwinding can go a little too far. Warnings: alcohol, non consensual drug use, some suggestive content also on ao3 ___ The beat thumped low in her chest, music pulsating in her ears. Her and Shawn’s bodies swayed together, enjoying the intimacy that their closeness provided. She secretly suspected that was the whole reason why he had wanted her to come- not that she was complaining.

Usually, she wasn’t a fan of clubs, opting to instead spend her evenings off at a place like Tom Blair’s or at home. But Shawn and Gus had been raving about a new nightclub for weeks now, claiming that it would be the event of the century. Naturally, their persistence (and Shawn’s boyish charm) wore her down. Never wanting to leave her partner out- and knowing he had nothing else going on- she had in turn dragged Carlton along. She knew, deep down, he appreciated being included.

To be honest, she was having a really great time. It had been a long time since she went to a club for reasons other than being undercover or investigating a case and being able to just relax and enjoy herself was amazing.

Shawn’s hands rested low on her hips, chest pressed against her back and her hands were in his hair. It was clear that she was in charge, hips moving to the beat as she led their bodies in precise rhythm. Occasionally he would dip his head, using their position to whisper sweet nothings in her ear or press a kiss to her cheek.

She was loving it. It had been an extremely stressful week and, on top of her increased caseload, she had to deal with way too many disgruntled family members. Most notably was a man who was pissed they had arrested his brother for grand larceny. He had screamed and shouted threats for hours, preventing her from being able to get any actual work done. Way too many nights had been spent pouring over cases or lying awake thinking about all the things she had to do. She and Shawn had barely spent any time together lately so being able to unwind and dance with him was blissful.

She smiled as one hand swooped up her side, fingertips just barely touching the exposed skin below her halter top before gliding up over her arm to grab her hand. Once their fingers were joined, he spun her in one swift motion, bringing them chest to chest. Hooking her arms behind his head, she grinned, continuing to sway to the beat. He returned the look, fingers finding her hips again. Their cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily, whether, from the dancing or their close proximity, she wasn’t sure.

Taking advantage of their new position, she let her hands run down to his shoulders. Toying with the shirt collar, she admired his exposed chest, happy he had undone a few more buttons than usual. He squeezed her sides, causing her to jump and she laughed, catching his knowing look.

Leaning forward, she shivered as his breath ghosted over her ear, “If you keep staring at me like that we may have to find someplace to make out.”

She hummed, hand coming up to cup his cheek, “I wouldn’t mind that.”

“As tempting as that sounds- and believe me Jules it’s very tempting-” His voice had dropped low, and she briefly considered just dragging him out of there. “I think Lassie wouldn’t take well to being abandoned.” He nodded behind her and she turned to look, trying to stifle a laugh when she saw Carlton attempting to dance in his own lanky way.

She turned back and he shrugged, “Plus I think Gus has struck out with pretty much every girl here.”

Tilting her head, she pursed her lips, a small smile pulling at them. “So drink break?”

“Yeah,” He sighed, “But I promise I’ll get you back here before the night is over.” With a wink, he pulled away, making sure to grab her hand before walking off the dance floor.

After some maneuvering, the four of them gathered around a tall table near the bar. Gus and Shawn dubbed themselves “the official drink orderers” much to her amusement and Lassiter’s annoyance. Once they disappeared towards the bar, she adjusted her miniskirt taking a seat across from her partner. Lassiter fidgeted with the cufflinks of his shirt, looking very uncomfortable.

She leaned forward, sending him a soft smile. “Thank you for coming Carlton, I know this isn’t your scene.”

He shrugged, “I don’t mind. This has actually been kind of… enjoyable.”

Her smile burst into a grin as she sat back, absolutely thrilled by his admission. He rolled his eyes, “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

She laughed as Shawn and Gus approached, the former attempting to hold four drinks without spilling them and the latter carrying plates stacked precariously with food. “I thought you guys were just getting a snack?”

Gus raised an eyebrow, placing the food on the table before taking a seat. “We did.”

Lassiter rolled his eyes, snatching his Scotch from Shawn’s hands. He just smirked before placing a glass before her, “A wine and whisky cocktail for my lady.”

“Thanks, Shawn.”

“Do these tacos taste funny to you?” Gus spoke up with a frown, having barely taken a seat before digging into his food.

Shawn grabbed one off his plate and took a bite, eyes squinting as he chewed, “A little. That’s what you get for ordering tacos at a nightclub buddy.”

Gus glared, grabbing the half-eaten taco out of his hands while Shawn immediately started protesting Shaking her head, Juliet took a sip of her drink, watching as the two bickered. What a way to spend a night off.

She wouldn’t have it any other way. ___ Four plates of food and two drinks later, Shawn took a much-needed bathroom break. Exiting, he looked around in search of his best friend, ready to tell him about how cool the restrooms were when he caught sight of his beautiful girlfriend instead.

“Hey, babe!” Juliet greeted, sliding up next to him. She had a full drink in her hand- her third if he was counting- and he guessed she had just gone to the bar.

He grinned, “Hey yourself.”

“Wanna dance?”

“I’d love to but your hands seem full.”

She frowned, staring at her drink before throwing it back in a few quick gulps. He raised an eyebrow, “Wow.”

Grabbing his hand, she led them both out to the dance floor, talking the whole time. “I asked Lassiter to dance but he’s still grumpy because he had to miss seeing Marlowe due to working all day. If you ask me, he just needs to get some.”

Shawn nearly tripped over his own feet, “What!?”

She paused, turning towards him and beginning to dance. “Shawn please, don’t act like you don’t know what ‘get some’ means,” Her lips curved into a smirk, “Especially since you get some quite often.”

Shawn bopped his head, a flirty reply on his tongue but it died as he noticed her pupils were dilated. She had continued to talk, her voice was loud and fast and he found that he was having a hard time following her.

Eyebrows creasing, he grabbed her hand, and she trailed off, “Jules, are you feeling okay?”

She gave him a puzzled look, “Of course silly, never better. I feel like I could dance all night.” As if to emphasize her point, she pulled on his hand, bringing them closer together. This time as they danced, her movements were quick and jerky, practically bouncing up and down.

She talked the entire song, conversation drifting from the lyrics to their friends to her grocery list and then to his looks. Normally he wouldn’t mind the endless stream of compliments but his worry had grown past the point of being able to enjoy anything. She was acting so different, he knew alcohol caused her to let loose a little and become a bit more flirty but this wasn’t like that at all.

Just then a slower song started playing and she frowned, grabbing his hand to pull him off the dancefloor. “Let’s go see what Lassie and Gus are doing.”

Okay, something is definitely wrong. She rarely calls Lassie ‘Lassie,’ He thought as they approached their table where the two men were immersed in conversation.

“Hey, guys! I’m bored, anyone want to go for a run or hit the town or something?” Juliet bounced on her toes as she spoke, curled hair swishing around her shoulders.

Lassiter’s eyes darted from her to Shawn. Clearly, he picked up on the strange behavior too. “Spencer… what did you do?”

He put his hands up, “I swear I did nothing, I don’t know what happened.”

“Guys nothing is wrong,” She rolled her eyes, “I feel great! Actually, I’m going to get another drink.”

“Jules, I don’t know if that’s the best idea-” He tried calling but she had already disappeared into the crowd around the bar.

Lassiter sighed, standing up, “I’ll go get her. You” He shot a pointed look at Shawn, clearly not believing his innocence, “stay here. We should probably leave soon if she’s this drunk.”

“I swear it’s not my fault dude,” Shawn said once Lassiter had gone after her. He flopped into a chair beside Gus, frowning, his eyebrows knitted together.

“I believe you. Maybe she’s just drunk.” Gus shrugged, taking a sip from his own glass.

He shook his head, “No, I thought so too but she acts way different when she’s drunk.”

“She could just be enjoying herself.” His best friend tried again, attempting to ease his worry.

“Maybe...” He was unconvinced though, his friend’s words doing little to ease the growing pit in his stomach. Something was wrong. He didn’t know what though and that made him feel even worse.

He didn’t know what to do without the facts, his abilities were so dependent on figuring out the truth and rolling with it. When he didn’t have that, he was lost. It was even worse when it came to people he cared about, if he couldn’t help them then what was even the point of having his skill set?

Juliet bounded up, snapping him out of his thoughts. A wide grin had taken over her face, another glass in her hand. Behind her Lassiter slowed down, breathing heavily, “She has... so much energy.”

“Oh, crap.”

Shawn’s head whipped towards Gus whose eyes had gone wide. “What?”

“Remember when we solved that case for Mel Hornsby? The baseball one?” Shawn nodded. “And remember when you accidentally drank the dead coach's water?”

“Guster out with it!” Lassiter was tapping his foot, clearly having grown impatient

“Well,” His eyes darted to all three of them, “I think Juliet accidentally ingested speed.”

It was now Shawn’s turn for his eyes to go wide. He looked over at his girlfriend who was back to dancing, her drink sloshing out of her cup. “Oh, crap.”

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, April 19

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Tony Bennett's brave last days

Page 2: Stars with Mad Skills -- they became fast experts for plum roles -- Daniel Day-Lewis, Timothee Chalamet, Natalie Portman, Ryan Gosling, Jamie Foxx

Page 3: Adrien Brody, Margot Robbie, Bryan Cranston, Shia LaBeouf, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise

Page 4: Susan Sarandon's roles and costumes

Page 7: Be Prepared for the Worst -- know these lifesaving tips before a crisis happens

Page 8: Lonely Stefanie Powers never wants to date because she still has gotten over lover William Holden's sudden death, even though it'll be 40 years ago this November -- the former star of '80s TV classic Hart to Hart, who's now 78, considers Holden the one true love of her life, even though she's been married twice to others and had a long-term relationship after the Hollywood legend's tragic death and she can't imagine being with anyone else at this stage in her life when Bill's memory is so sacred in her mind and his death still haunts her to this day, and it will only get worse as the anniversary approaches -- Holden, then 63, died at home in Santa Monica on November 12, 1981, of massive bleeding after falling and striking his head on a piece of furniture while heavily intoxicated -- it rips her apart to this day thinking how he must have suffered all alone in his apartment, bleeding to death -- the pair had a decade-long, passionate affair that lasted until his demise, which led her to carry on their mutual passion for wildlife conservation and Stefanie founded the William Holden Wildlife Foundation and is still the director -- she's tried being in other relationships, but it's been more about companionship than anything else and she doesn't have the motivation to date when the best man has already come and gone

Page 9: Vax Hacks -- avoid scammers who prey on fears of COVID-19

Page 10: His first day on the job as an honorary cop, Jeremiah met the other guys in blue and was the proud guest of honor at a special swearing-in ceremony just for him, and he's only five years old

Page 11: Important minerals for your body -- why you need zinc and potassium and how to get them

Page 12: Rude Awakening -- stars who don't mind their manners -- Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Christian Bale, Rachael Ray

Page 13: Sean Penn, Ashton Kutcher, Robert Pattinson, Russell Crowe, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis

Page 14: Dear Tony -- America's Top Psychic Healer Tony Leggett -- useful lessons learned from the pandemic

Page 15: Get well soon wishes go out to Chevy Chase, who just came out of the hospital after a five-week stay for heart issues -- in 2018, the star was diagnosed with alcohol cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle caused by excessive drinking; he had dealt with his drinking back in 2016, when he entered the Hazelden Clinic to receive treatment for alcoholism

Page 16: Even though the century mark looms just around the corner, Betty White still radiates joy -- calling herself the luckiest broad on two feet, the 99-year-old Hollywood legend shares her advice for living a long and peaceful life -- she says her life is divided absolutely in half: half animals and half show business and you can't ask for better than two things you love the most

Page 18: When a California man won $145,000 on Wheel of Fortune, it turned out to be good fortune for a lot of people as he donated his entire winnings to the charity Uplift Family Services and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, whose services support thousands of families

Page 19: These seniors are literally beating the coronavirus -- with 99 percent of them vaccinated, the 700 elderly residents of the Westminster-Canterbury on the Chesapeake Bay senior living community in Virginia Beach held a party and they had a lot to celebrate

Page 20: Cover Story -- Tony Bennett is facing his brave last days as he battles Alzheimer's disease at the age of 94 -- the singer was diagnosed in 2016, but kept the terrible illness secret until recently and has not yet experienced common Alzheimer's symptoms like episodes of terror, rage or depression but the disease has progressed -- for now, wife Susan Crow and the oldest of Tony's four kids, 67-year-old Danny from his first marriage, are caring for him while he lives in the couple's New York City apartment

Page 22: Recycle your baubles, bangles and beads -- bored with your beaded necklaces? Blase abut those old bangles? If your costume jewelry collection no longer inspires, there are many brilliant ways to give it new life or earn you some cash

Page 24: The internet's newest fitness star is 102-year-old Julia Fulkerson, who had a ball participating in her great-grandson Brody's virtual gym class

Page 25: Young Darius Brown has a mission in life: to make shelter dogs look as spiffy as he can so they'll get adopted and to do that, he provides the canines with slews of adorable bowties that he sews himself -- five years ago, when Darius was eight, his sister Dazhai taught him to sew and the passion was good for him because he'd been diagnosed with speech and fine-motor skills that the craft improved over time -- he says he saw how happy the people at the shelter were to get the bowties and how much the dogs liked them, and he decided to make more and he came up with a goal to give bowties to an animal shelter in every state -- so far, he's sewn a whopping 600 of the canine accessories himself, and helped dozens of pooches find forever homes and he especially likes to focus his attention on older animals and pets with disabilities, since they're the toughest to find homes for and the shelter directors say Darius' efforts have made a huge difference in the life of hundreds of pups

Page 26: Summer Horoscope 2021

Page 28: It's not just for the birds -- tips for watching our fine feathered friends

Page 32: Reverse Gear -- walking backward is good for you -- here's something new to try the next time you go out for a walk: do it backward -- it may sound silly, but health experts say there are mental and physical benefits to the practice, but go slowly at first to avoid injuries

* If you're always putting the needs of others before your own, you could be at risk for compassion fatigue, a condition that can physically and mentally drain you of time and energy -- compassion fatigue is a state of emotional overwhelm that is constant and persistent, once in this state of emotional exhaustion, it becomes difficult to empathize with those they help and essentially, it's empathy burnout

Page 34: Grandads Before 50! No rocking chairs for these grandpas -- take a look at these celebs who had their grandchildren before their first gray hair -- Jim Carrey, James Brolin, Donny Osmond, Mick Jagger, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen

Page 40: The Element of Earth -- earth is the second of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water

Page 42: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Drew Barrymore

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Dakota Johnson and her parents Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson (picture), Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in the film Spencer (picture), Tina Turner admits she instantly fell for husband Erwin Bach in 1986 when they first met at an airport in Germany, Bindi Irwin gave birth to daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, Michael Douglas is still going strong after 5 decades as an actor and loves what he does for a living, George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery, Jessica Walter died in her sleep

Page 45: Eddie Murphy is inducted into NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame (picture), Diana Ross performs at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in California (picture), Mario Lopez helps christen the tables at Mohegan Sun Casino in Las Vegas (picture), Ann-Margret and Julianne Hough attend the Family Film Awards where the redhead received a lifetime achievement award (picture), James Middleton who is the brother of Duchess Kate says he and fiancee Alizee Thevenet are done with city living, Justin Bieber's mom didn't like his newest tattoo saying Don't you have enough yet?, Zac Efron was spotted flying to Sydney with Aussie girlfriend Vanessa Valladares, Taraji P. Henson asked fans for prayers for her pet pooch that was suffering from post-surgery complications but he unfortunately died

Page 46: A lottery winner in Tennessee was feeling like a million bucks, until he realized he'd lost his precious ticket but he didn't give up: he retraced his steps until he found the ticket again

[captcas]

Worth Fighting For

WORTH FIGHTING FOR by capthamm

Killian “Hook” Jones is a dominate up and comer in the UFC while Emma “The Savior” Swan’s career was cut short. When Hook’s manager moves up and the office brings in UFC’s youngest legend to keep him in check, will either of them be able to handle it?

read on ao3 // tumblr: ch 1/ ch 2

[CHAPTER 3/?]

Saturday night brings their monthly movie/game night and Emma has never been more grateful for a distraction. Ruby and the Nolans will come over around 6 o’clock and Henry is practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Tonight’s theme is Star Wars and this will be Henry’s official introduction to the series; at David’s insistence they’re starting with A New Hope and going release order from there. They’re also going to play Star Wars trivia which Henry will undoubtedly suck at.

Should be a fun night all around.

And it was, until Henry went to bed and the “adults” got to talking.

Ruby cracks another beer and turns to Emma, “So, Emma, you’ve got probably the coolest new job in the world and you haven’t said jack shit.”

She shoots Ruby an icy glare as David and MM stop bickering over whether or not Kylo Ren deserved a redemption arc to hear what Emma has to say.

Emma sighs, “It’s going alright. All the onboarding is underway and between the perks, benefits, and pay, Henry should be set for life.” She’s been fortunate to live off her winnings for the past nine years, being mindful of money and not giving into the lifestyle of frivolous spending many fighters take on, but -even her friends know- she doesn’t have a money tree.

The looks on their faces when she mentions Henry being set for life could melt 1000 Olafs. When she arrived at Ruth Nolan’s home at the age of 16, she never expected to find a family. Hardened by a life too lived for anyone her age, Emma assumed they’d be like every other foster home and use her for the money. To this day, she’s never been so happy to be wrong.

Emma’s not sure what twist of fate landed an orphan with such a great support system, but she’ll be forever grateful. David took to the “protective brother” role immediately. Soon after Emma moved in, he met Mary Margaret (fireworks and butterflies and all that mumbo jumbo) who introduced them to Ruby. They’re small, and maybe a bit scrappy, but they’re family.

She breaks out of her thoughts and returns to the present, “I will need some babysitting though; I’m required to attend each of my client’s Fight Nights. But overall it’s great, really!”

She hopes she squeaked away without having to mention Jones at all but the glint in Ruby’s eye tells her otherwise. “Ok that’s all fine and dandy,” Mary Margaret shoots Ruby an incredulous look, warning her to tread carefully, but Ruby ignores her and continues, “but who’s the client?”

David is giving her a protective father vibe, Ms is practically vibrating, and she's pretty sure Ruby is salivating. Emma sighs realizing she shouldn’t postpone the inevitable, “Killian Jones.”

Ruby practically drops her drink and Mary Margaret squeals, David rolls his eyes and turns back to the TV where SportsCenter has been playing in the background. Mary Margaret beats Ruby to the punch, “THE Killian Jones?! As in Killian “Hook” Jones?!”

Emma nods, standing up to refill the only slightly empty chip bowl in front of her. She knew this was going to happen and she wasn’t exactly looking forward to her friends thirsting over her client– client… right.

Ruby speaks next, “Well that is probably the best case scenario. Do you think he can get us tickets? Have you met him? Is he as gorgeous in person as he is on TV? Can we meet him?”

Emma, now glad she’s in the kitchen with space to breathe, is starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. She knows Ms can sense it and is unsurprised when she speaks next,“For Christ’s sake Ruby let her breathe. She’s probably only had her initial meeting with him.”

Ruby seems to get the hint and it doesn’t take long before Ms is in the kitchen helping Emma pick up the leftover pizza, “We’re happy for you, Emma. He’s a huge client for them, they obviously trust you to do a good job.” Emma nods in thanks and they both head back into the living room. Her sister-in-law’s warmth always calms her (and Ruby) down which allows David to jump in and change the subject to the coverage of some football player’s arrest on SportsCenter. Emma finally catches a breath and realizes just how lucky she is for the friend dynamic they have before settling in to debate if this James Spencer kid should still be eligible for the draft.

As she lays in bed that night, Ms’ words ring through her head. Despite the rollercoaster of emotions she’s been feeling, Killian is a huge client, one that was formerly represented by a namesake for the company. This re energizes her a bit and helps her fall asleep, actually excited for what's to come.

She wakes up Sunday morning and makes Henry some pancakes and declares it a lazy Sunday. Henry happily obliged, cuddling up on the couch with The Deathly Hallows while Emma threw on some shitty reality TV.

. . .

When her alarm rings Monday morning, Emma pulls her pillow over her head like some teenager from one of those Disney Channel movies.

It takes her a second to remember what day it is and why she’s up at this godforsaken hour.

Killian Jones. Right.

She audibly groans before rolling out of bed and getting ready for the day. Between her shower and breakfast she gets Henry up. School starts at 8 so he’s technically running a bit behind but he’ll make it on the bus in time… hopefully.

She’s pouring him a bowl of cereal when he comes out of his room zipping up his sweater and rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, kid. Coco Puffs or Fruit Loops?” He mumbles some semblance of what she thinks is Fruit Loops so she pours the bowl and slides it across the kitchen island. He smiles in thanks as she pours her own bowl and sits beside him.

“So today’s the big day?”

She didn’t tell Henry about her new client and when she spoke to the Nolan’s and Ruby, he was definitely supposed to be sleeping. “How could you possibly know that?”

“You’re not as quiet as you think you are and I’m not as tired as you think I am.” He yawns as if to punctuate his point.

“Uh huh, sure, kid.” He gives her a knowing glance and she realizes she’s not getting out of this. She runs her hands over her face and sighs, “Yes, today is the first meeting and I’m only slightly nervous to fu— screw this whole thing up.”

Henry chuckles at her attempted censorship (she never said she was a perfect parent), “You’ll be great, Mom, and Hook seems like a decent enough guy. I’m sure he won’t give you too much trouble.”

She stares at Henry a bit dumbfounded. It shocks her everyday how old he’s getting– nine going on nineteen for sure.  “Are you hiding some Weasley’s Extendable Ears in your room or something? Are you a wizard? Should you be at Hogwarts?” Emma is very obviously trying to derail this conversation but it works, setting Henry off about how he’s finally on the sixth book and explaining the concept of a horcrux.

Oh, her sweet summer child.

God, maybe he is old enough for UFC.

When did that happen?

She ushers Henry to the bus, promising him they’ll watch the sixth movie tonight if he finishes the book today and is to school on time. It’s only September and he can’t be late three times in the first month of school. She kisses his forehead and he wishes her good luck.

Sometimes she wonders how such a screw up ended up with the perfect kid.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Emma finishes getting ready. She jumps on the subway and finds herself at the office with a half hour to spare. She’s never early so she chalks it up to nerves and uses the time to prep for this meeting.

Over the weekend she received multiple emails from Gold’s team surrounding a possible spot for Killian on the card for the pay-per-view Fight Night in November.

A pay-per-view card. She did enough research about Killian this weekend to know that would be his first.

Emma feels like she’s been thrown into the deep end before being taught how to swim.

Go big or go home.

She did a lot of research about Killian and learned practically nothing. She knows he came here from London almost ten years ago and that his team includes his head trainer Robin (husband of now former manager Regina Mills), and three other men named Will Scarlett, August Booth, and William Smee (he’s really selling it with that whole Hook theme). Other than that all she found was his record and highlights. He’s 6-0 which is insane for only being in the circuit for a year and a half– fighters are usually limited to three, maybe four fights a year.

4 of his 6 are knockouts.

He’s good… really good.

Her thoughts are interrupted by a light tapping on the edge of her cubicle. She glances up to find none other than the man himself. She can’t help but double take.

Real professional, Emma.

She's only ever seen him in the ring, at the gym, or dressed up for a business meeting. She’s not sure what she expected, but a leather jacket and pants that fit him like his own skin definitely weren’t it.

He looks good… really good.

Emma snaps herself out of it, “Hi, Mr. Jones, just give me a moment and we can head to the conference room.”

“It’s Killian, love, please.” She notices he winces at the seemingly habitual pet name. Emma ignores the ring of disappointment that runs through her gut at the realization that it may not be reserved for her. “A conference room’s a bit formal, don’t you think? Let’s get out of here, Swan.”

He grabs her hand before she can answer. “Mr.— Killian. Is this allowed?”

He chuckles. “We can plan the meetings at our leisure,” he says the last bit in an almost scary imitation of Regina, “but even still, Regina and I never met in office. A bit silly for two people to take up an entire conference room, yeah? Come on, lass, try something new. It’s called trust.”

Emma rolls her eyes but follows along anyway. The elevator ride should’ve been awkward but Killian kept the conversation flowing by asking her preferred drink. “Coffee, tea, or smoothies?”

Despite the risk of sounding like a child, Emma finds herself being honest with him, “Uhh, I actually prefer hot chocolate… with cinnamon.”

He smiles brightly at her, as though her drink order was the most brilliant discovery this century, “Perfect, Swan. I know just the place.”

She was so swept up in his ambush, she doesn’t realize that this isn’t the cocky, asshat Killian Jones she sees on tv or at the gym until he’s practically dragging her across the street to a small cafe. This Killian seems genuine and carries this almost childlike excitement.

Emma tells herself she has no interest in learning more about this Killian.

(Emma doesn’t have to tell herself that that is complete bullshit.)

. . .

He can’t stop himself from beaming when she offers up her drink order without hesitation. Killian feels like a bloody teenager around her. He promised himself he wouldn’t feel this way again, but something about Emma Swan has completely entranced him.

He finds himself fascinated with every part of her, including the small things, like the fact she takes cinnamon on her hot chocolate.

Once they get to the cafe across the street, Killian forces himself to dial it back. He can tell she’s guarded and as much as he’d like to be friends (more than friends) with the lass, he knows business has to come first.

It wouldn’t exactly be a good look for him if he ran “The Savior” out of the office on her second day.

Somehow he thinks he doesn’t have that power.

He’d like to. (Obviously not to run her out of the office, but he’d like his existence to mean that much to her.)

Bloody hell, he's being ridiculous.

They sit down across from each other at a small table by the window. He expects to start the conversation but before he can form a coherent thought she’s speaking.

“So, Killian. I’ve already received some correspondence from Gold’s team. I’m not sure how much time you usually take between fights and I know it’s already the end of September but…”

She’s rambling and he doesn’t think he’s ever seen anybody so adorable when they’re nervous.

Adorable is not a professional descriptor.

Killian Jones doesn’t want “professional” with Emma Swan.

Fuck.

“...Gold is hoping to get you on the main card for November 14th.”

Did she just say main card?

He chokes on his coffee.

“Main card, Swan? I’ve never been on the main card. Strictly early prelims…”

She eyes him suspiciously, “Usually that’s a good thing. Upward momentum and all that. His team is clearly impressed by your dominant record.”

“Is his team the only one impressed?” The flirt escapes him before he can stop it.  

Bloody idiot.

She doesn’t even bat an eye, “The entire league seems to be impressed, Jones.” Her tone tells him she knows what just happened but she shut it down immediately.

He likes a challenge.

Emma Swan may be his favorite challenge yet.

Emma Swan is off limits, but Killian will be damned if he cares.

. . .

Emma is surprised when Killian pays for their drinks despite her insistence that she can charge it to Mills Management. She’s also surprised by how nice he is.

She keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.

She’s still waiting.

He’s definitely flirtatious, every other sentence being easily twisted into some sort of innuendo, but she can tell it’s a front. The little things he does like tipping the barista an extra fifty cents or holding the door for her, let on to the man behind the persona.

Well, and the fact he practically chokes when she tells him they want him for the main card.

He seems genuinely shocked that anyone would be impressed by him. His mask comes out almost immediately, another innuendo laced into his question. She doesn’t let him go there, shutting it down as quickly as it started. For this to work, she needs him the real him. Not the cocky MMA fighter who he used to catch the eye of UFC execs. She compliments him, and it’s beyond genuine. That seems to calm his nerves a bit as they move into social media management and he shifts into a professionalism she’s not entirely prepared for.

She’s not sure she wants professional Killian Jones.

Whoa, Emma, pump the breaks.

She shakes it off as she watches him take notes on what she’s saying about the importance of a lead up on Twitter and how it can set the tone for the entire fight. His tongue runs along the inside of his lower lip as he concentrates and she can’t help the overwhelming wave of attraction that hits her.

Like lightning.

It’s not just the tongue, (but that’s not helping) it’s his dedication to this sport and how he actually gives a fuck about what she’s saying. Killian never displayed even a hint of the deeply rooted misogyny that runs rampant throughout the industry. He actually seems almost humbled by her presence. The words escape her mouth before she can’t stop them, “Why are you actually taking anything I say seriously?”

Very professional, Emma. Way to instill confidence in your client. Smooth.

His head snaps up at her abrupt question and he looks confused. “I know you don’t like being called a legend, Swan, but you were a damn good fighter. If I walk out of this partnership with half the following and success you had, I’d call that a win.”

She’s stunned by his sincerity.

Brick. Wall. (She thinks she hears Pink Floyd somewhere in the distance.)

“And I suppose you think you know all about me from our, what, three conversations now?” She knows it’s snippy, that’s the point.

He stops typing and puts his phone down. “Pardon me, love, but you’re a bit of an open book.”

Emma scoffs, “Anyone with the internet knows I prefer people don’t call me a legend.”

“Aye, but do they know it’s because you feel too young with a career too short to have made an impact? That you feel choosing yourself, a life, over MMA removes all glory from your name?”

Emma is entirely shaken by his apparent ability to read her like a fucking picture book. (Does that even make sense? Do you read picture books?) Emma never had a formal retirement ceremony; gloves in the middle of the ring and all that. She had asked Gold to be taken off the roster and for a quiet exit and that’s what he’d given her. The public doesn’t know the real reason she left MMA, her attempt at keeping Henry’s life as normal as possible, but somehow Killian–

Brick. Brick. Brick.

“Let’s talk about Instagram.” She sees the disappointment sweep across his face, realizing she can read him pretty well too. That’s terrifying.

Way more terrifying than social media plans.

They keep it strictly business for the rest of the meeting. She’s startled when her stomach rumbles and she checks the time.

12:00. They’ve been strategizing for three hours.

She’s not sure where the time went, and when Killian asks her if she wants to grab a bite to eat together, she’s startled again by her initial gut reaction to say yes.

Obviously, she says no and makes up some lie about needing to get back to the office. He knows it’s a lie, she can see it all over his face. He doesn’t push her though, and she’s grateful. They set their next meeting and Emma’s heart speeds up, seemingly unaware that this is a business meeting and not a date. She shakes his hand and promises to have a full plan ready for Thursday before practically sprinting out of the cafe.

In three conversations Killian Jones has gone from asshat to… who knows. One thing Emma does know is that Killian Jones is off limits to the highest of ethical degrees. But what scares her most, is that she’s not entirely sure she cares.

. . .

As soon as he asks her to lunch he knows he’s pushed too far.

Actually, he perhaps pushed too far by letting on just how easy it was for him to read her, but lunch, well that was just asking for a brick wall. He runs his hands across his face, completely taken with someone he has no right to. She’s witty, smart, and could probably kick his ass— scratch that, could definitely kick his ass— but she also has demons, he can see them swimming behind her eyes. Demons that seem scarily similar to his, maybe not on the surface but definitely in their damage. Emma is raw and unapologetic; a real human being who is, for all intents and purposes, unimpressed by the suave persona of Killian “Hook” Jones.

She’s bloody perfect.

He’s fucking fucked.

Eloquent.

Killian decides to grab a quick lunch from the cafe and head to the gym. He has a lot of pent up frustration and really feels the need to punch something. Thank god that’s his job. He scarfs down his sandwich, not realizing how hungry he was and jumps on the subway to the training center. He miraculously finds a seat and is able to scroll through his phone a bit. As he pokes around Twitter he finds an article announcing Emma “The Savior” Swan’s comeback to the UFC. He clicks on it, curiosity getting the better of him despite probably knowing the gist of the article.

He didn’t expect a timeline of her very impressive career:

2008: Swan joins the UFC with her Boston gym. Her debut match against Aurora Rose ended in a TKO. She’s back in action six months later fighting Ella Tremaine. She wins again, this time after three rounds by split decision.

2009: A dominant start to the year for The Savior with a first round submission against Tiana Dampier in January. She rounded out her year with another first round submission against El Oldenburg in May, and a third round knockout against Esmerelda Gringoire in October.

2010: Swan goes three rounds with Merida Baer and wins by unanimous decision. Swan wins again after three rounds by split decision against Megara Alcmene. The Savior’s final match is a KO against Mulan Fa rounding out her record to 8-0. Her next match, meant to be for the women’s title, was declined with no comment from The Savior.

2020: Swan joins Mills Management as a talent manager assigned to Killian “Hook” Jones.

Killian knew Swan was good, an early legend in her own right, but he had no idea she was this dominant. He also had no idea she left without so much as a wave goodbye. He figured he’d just missed the announcement seeing as it came well before his introduction into the sport. Against his typical moral code, he tries to google why she left but finds nothing. She knocks out Mulan Fa and then just stops being added to cards and fades away as new fighters take her place.

He knows there’s a reason for her secrecy and he’d be lying if he said curiosity was the only driving force behind his attempt to learn more. He finds himself wanting to know everything there is to know about Emma Swan; a deeper part of him aches for her to be the one who tells him.

He’s positive he can only dream of gaining that level of trust from her, but he has to try. Liam's words ring heavy in his ears, "A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets."

He gets off at the stop closest to the training center and walks through the front doors, waving to Belle at the front desk before heading into the locker room. He’s fortunate to be on the UFC roster, allowing him to keep his training gear at the center and not have to worry about lugging it around with him. It also gives him the freedom to come here whenever he needs to let off some steam. He changes quickly and finds a treadmill to warm up. He jogs a mile and a half before picking up the pace. Killian’s in the midst of his runner’s high when someone steps into the machine next to him. He turns his head to offer them a small smile in hello, it’s not that big of a gym, exclusive to the UFC industry and a few friends of friends, so chances are he knows the person at least in passing.

Oh, Killian knows them alright, and he practically falls off the treadmill when he sees her green eyes blown wide.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Anywhere You Go

Characters: A. J. Cook x Reader (platonic)

Word Count: 1,486

Warnings: fluff

Summary: A.J. offers you a proposition that you can’t refuse.

Author’s Note: If you have any requests, please send them in! this is unbeta’d and every mistake is all on me.

This is the December 5th fic for my 25 days of RPF Christmas with the prompt: “I don’t want to just see you once a year”

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

“Two hot chocolates for Y/N,” the barista announces. You get up from your seat and walk over to her to accept the drinks. After giving her a smile, you walk back over to your table and take a seat. Any minute now, your best friend A.J. Cook is going to walk through the double glass doors. It’s been about a year since you last saw her, and you’re so excited to see her now.

Every year, she makes it her priority to visit her family for the holidays. Christmas is the only holiday she won’t miss with them because it’s too big of a holiday to miss. Luckily for you, your family is such great friends with hers, which means you can also see her and spend time with her. When she’s not with family, she’s all around the world filming for either Criminal Minds, a new unnamed film she’s starring in, and doing interviews for those things.

You couldn’t be more proud of her, but you really miss her. Sure, you two talk on the phone at least six times a week, and you Facetime, but it’s not the same as actually being there. You two grew up side by side your entire life, so when her career started to kick off, everything changed. You’re not susceptible to change since it scares the shit out of you, and her moving away almost took the life out of you. You two did everything together and going from that to now, it’s been really hard for you. Of course, you never told her any of this because you didn’t want her to feel guilty for living her life and doing what she loves.

You always knew she would make it in show business because she couldn’t stop performing growing up. When you turned ten, she was the entertainment that provided a one-woman show she created on her own. Everyone absolutely loved her, and even though it took the attention off of you, you were so happy for her.

When you two were sophomores in high school, you came down with the nasty flu that stayed with you for weeks. A.J. didn’t like going to school without you, so she faked an illness just to stay home with you. You thought it was never going to work, but she convinced her parents with her phenomenal acting skills that she was truly sick. It was when your parents caught her bringing food up to you that they called her parents and told them what was going on.

In senior year, she landed the lead in the school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. She stole the show with her big smile, bright blue eyes, and innocent front that she showcased. Everyone loved her, and it was the production that set her career off. An agent was in the audience and watched her perform, giving her his card. The first semester of college without her was hard since she was busy doing auditions and filming commercials to add stuff to her resume.

Every time a new movie or show of hers came out, she’d invite you to the premiere, but she would be so busy with interviewers and her costars, that you kind of hung in the back. You’re so proud of her, but you wish she would take a step back and realize how much this is affecting you. Maybe you can convince her to take some time off if you tell her all the things she’s missed since you last saw her.

The door to the cafe rings and your best friend walks in. She looks around for you, and as soon as you two make eye contact, you’re both squealing and hugging each other tightly.

“I missed you so much!” she grins.

“I miss you more,” you chuckle and offer her the seat across from you. “I got you a hot chocolate.”

“With a dash of mint in there?”

“Do I ever forget?” you smile.

“How have you been? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other,” she says and takes a sip of her drink.

“Too long, actually. Well, Garrett broke his arm and will be in a cast for the next few months.”

“What did your brother do this time,” she rolls her eyes playfully.

“He jumped off the roof and did a backflip into the pool. He didn't hurt his head or anything like that, just broke his arm. I swear, that boy gets dumber with age,” you laugh.

“At my work’s Halloween party, someone almost caught the snack table on fire. I keep telling them that having the pumpkins with candles inside next to the table is a bad idea, and now hopefully they’ll listen. Everyone started freaking out, and we had two guys dressed up as Spongebob and Patrick running around and freaking everybody out. I swear I don’t think I laughed as much as I did then.

“Oh, and your sister was just about to give birth in the backseat of your mom’s car on the way to the hospital.”

“What? No one told me that,” she says in disappointment.

“Yeah, your nephew wanted to come out right there and then, and we had to try and help her hold him in long enough. He basically popped out with the first push. It was gross, but he’s so cute,” you coo.

“I missed a lot of stuff,” she sighs.

“More things happened, but those are the main ones. What about you? What have you been doing this past year?” you ask. By the look on her face, you can tell she misses home. You can see the jealousy in her eyes that you got to experience all of this while she was away. However, she tries to push that down to tell her stories.

“First, I’m kind of sad that Criminal Minds is ending. I don’t think I’ll find a better cast then them. The last season comes out in January, and I know everyone is going to really like it.”

“Are we finally going to get answers on the relationship between Spencer and JJ? That confession was a big one.”

“It will be answered, yes. But I’m not saying anything else.”

“Fine, what else happened?” you ask, taking a huge sip of your drink.

“The movie I’m in now is just amazing, and the cast and I have this ongoing bet to see how and when our director will break the news to one of the editors. She’s pregnant, and she’s married to the editor guy. Me and a few of the guys think she’s going to wait until he figures it out for himself, but then a few other people think--”

“I don’t want to just see you once a year,” you blurt, effectively cutting her off.

“What?” she asks, her voice soft.

“I’m sorry. I miss you too damn much, Andrea. You only come down for Christmas, but then you leave like we’re nothing to you. I really wanted you there at my work’s Halloween party. I may work from home, but we all like to gather for the important holidays to get together and go over what we’ve been working on. That party was not fun without you. You’re my best friend, and I want to see you more often. Take a break, please, and come home.”

“Y/N, I miss you too. More than you think. You don’t think I want to come home and be with family? I want to so much, but I’m working on a film, and then there are interviews, and I have another project when this movie ends. I really wish I could stay,” she sighs.

“And I wish I could go with you. I don’t like being away from you all year. I want more than a few weeks with you.”

“Then come with me.”

“What?”

“You work from home, so I don’t see why you can’t work from my set. Come with me when Christmas is over. We don’t have to be apart any longer. It can be a whole new chapter for us. You can meet the cast, and I’ll introduce you to Matthew,” she sings at the end. Damn my silly crush on the elusive Dr. Reid.

“Well, if it’s for Matthew, then sure,” you joke, and she gives you a playful glare. “Do you really think this can work?”

“Yeah, when I’m filming, you can do your work, and then afterward, we can hang like we used to. I miss us.”

“I miss us too,” you smile.

“So, what do you say?”

“I’ll go with you,” you grin.

“Yay! I’m so glad! Oh, this is going to be so much fun! You’re going to love New York.”

“We’re going to New York?”

“And many more places. We’re going to have so much fun.”

“Yeah, we will. It’s us against the world.”

“Forever and Always,” she finishes.

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[mimicofmodes]

Sanditon, episode 4 part i

I was thinking a bit earlier this morning about Sanditon continuations ... the only other one I’ve consumed is the 1975 one by “another lady”, and while I don’t remember many details, it struck me as very much in the Georgette Heyer vein. At the time, Heyer’s characterization/plot tendencies were the predominant way of interpreting the Regency, so it was normal to have, for instance, the climax of the story be an attempted, kind of silly abduction of the heroine which she foils through being sensible and the abductor coincidentally taking her by her home. Now the predominant way of interpreting the early nineteenth century stress depictions of “realistic” dirt, the rules of society being highly flexible, and (admirably) recognizing that the world didn’t consist solely of white upper-middle-class English people - so a mainstream continuation of our time looks very different from both how Austen would have written the story and how an author of the 1970s would do it.

Also, I may have been comparing some of the earlier parts of the show with the 1975 continuation? D: I thought the original fragment ended a few chapters later than it actually does. Very bad me. I will have to go back and edit out some of the mean things I said about changes that were actually just original work. (Original work that didn’t convince me! But not weird changes. Actually, it appears that the scene where Sidney tells Charlotte off for criticizing his family is more likely a deliberate response to the continuation, quite interesting.) Sorry about that.

Anyway, on with the plot.

Arthur and Diana are headed off to Dr. Fuchs for their daily (!) appointment, looking very Regency. Charlotte, on the other hand, is wearing a more 1820s pelisse - the full sleeves, the broad collar, the lowered waistline - in a very Georgiana-ish bright pink. She picks up her post, just ahead of Georgiana’s maid in line. Georgiana has received a response from her secret lover! 

The letter Charlotte received from home looks like it’s written with the paper having been filled up, turned 90 degrees, and written on some more - an actual period practice, if you were wondering.

Ah, the jumper dress style. It goes through periods of popularity in Regency films and costuming. This is, IMO, an example that does it right - the habit shirt underneath doesn’t look like a modern top, and the gown itself just looks right. Mr. and Mrs. Parker rib her a bit about only just coming to like Sidney, and when Tom says that he’s “altogether habit-forming” on greater acquaintance, Charlotte has a consternated look on her face that spells foreshadowing.

Clara’s pelisse-ish dress looks a bit 1820s to me, but Lady Denham’s gown is sheer 1750s-1760s, with the robings and bows down the front, taking the “older lady wears older styles” meme way too far. Lady Denham is working at her job of trying to marry off the Denhams well, which bothers Clara. Lady Denham then goes on to say that Clara’s prospects are pretty bad, which is true, but ... you have it entirely in your power to do something about that? So they’re not “beyond repair”. She also has no more sympathy left for Clara’s horrible burn. :(

Clara visits the Stringer home, which she says reminds her of her own, reminding me of the ambiguity/confusion in the beginning of the series - is this politeness or really a signal that she’s not really part of the gentry? Her blue spencer is lovely, but the gown underneath has an extremely full skirt - more like something from the 1790s, at least 20 years out of date.

While much of the dwelling seems accurate to me, this huge leather armchair is very much a modernism. Upholstered armchairs, and upholstery in general, were signs of wealth. It looks like a worn-out Laz-E Boy recliner, especially with the china mug resting on the arm.

He’s so sweet! Look at his face! Charlotte takes a look at his architectural plans, which his father disapproves of since he’s just a working-class foreman. She likes them and supports his desire to improve his situation. It’s awkward, though, and she leaves. Beautiful Stringer looks longingly after her from the door.

Charlotte is taken to Georgiana, also in a lovely jumper-style dress (technically, this may have been called a “Russian gown”, but I think we don’t have enough evidence about that) in a very G bright sky blue, who has a plan for them to hang out together - a picnic! Mrs. Griffiths doesn’t approve because for some reason she considers them declassé (they weren’t), but Georgiana pretends that the Parkers will be there as well, which soothes her and worries Charlotte.

A very excellent, if dowdy, gown on Mrs. Griffiths. I feel like I’ve seen it in another production, but not sure which. Any thoughts?

Over at Denham House, Esther is also in a jumper dress! Hers is also in a signature color, dark red/purple, and it’s worn only over her corset (which honestly looks chilly).

Sir Edward’s deshabille takes the form of a silk banyan/dressing gown in a similar shade. He’s settling in to read Babington’s letter to Esther, so it makes sense to visually link them. She distracts him by asking him to lace her corset tighter, and he kisses her neck after doing so, which Clara sees when she comes by with a letter from Lady Denham. Esther realizes that Clara was there, while Sir Edward dismisses the noise as one of their own servants. (So their servants are aware of their incestry? And they haven’t spread it all over town? Okay.)

Please note the accurate spiral lacing for the corset! Esther also interests me further by seeming to have partly turned the conversation from Babington and her face away from her brother because she’s not completely, entirely, 100% certain that she’s so uninterested in the former.

Georgiana takes Charlotte to a little architectural folly deep in the woods, where she runs into the arms of a handsome man. Charlotte gets this really disgusted/upset look on her face that Charlotte you look like a racist stop stop is way out of proportion to what’s happening, given the overall tone of this show toward proper early-19th-century behavior. Even after Georgiana introduces Mr. Otis Molyneux, Charlotte is extremely concerned about him in such a way that it definitely seems like she finds black men especially threatening, even when you take into account Sidney’s asking her to watch over his ward.

They’re so cute!

Georgiana explains that Sidney is keeping them apart, which makes Charlotte pensive. Otis suggests she leave the two of them but Charlotte refuses to let them be unchaperoned, and G is pissed when she finds out that she’s been set to spy on her.

Dr. Fuchs finally gives the Parkers the bad news that they aren’t sick, telling Diana that she has hysteria and Arthur that he needs to lose some weight. Um, writers? You know that “hysteria” as a proposed condition was a meaningless and often dismissive label for various physical and mental symptoms? It’s the kind of thing one can take in a production where characters are actually of-their-time, but when you show an individual as previously being modern-minded it’s a deeply strange inclusion (as with Charlotte above). Fuchs also suggests that they ride on the beach to help, which seems like would have very little effect on Arthur’s not-actually-corpulent physique or Diana’s “hysteria”.

Charlotte gooseberries it up in a field of bluebells. She’s trying to be a hard-nosed chaperone, but it’s clear that the two love each other, and when they tell the story of how they met - Otis mistook Georgiana for a servant at a ball, which doesn’t make a lot of sense given the difference between ball dress and a maid’s outfit, but whatever - they’re so sweet that she visibly thaws. Their story is also an obvious parallel for Charlotte and Sidney: “I found him to be rude and sanctimonious.” “I found her to be spoilt and petulant”. I know C/S is going to be endgame but I don’t have to like it. Charlotte tries to defend Sidney, but they say that he doesn’t have her best interests at heart. She’s not sure who to believe.

Stringer goes to show Tom the plans he stayed up late to draw, only to be told that they won’t be needed after all. He’s devastated - proving his ability to be an architect was going to be the means of making his career. And Tom doesn’t even appear to understand that he might have put Stringer to a lot of trouble even apart from his ambitions. He also fails to follow through on the promised additional workers needed to keep the pace he demands. Tom!!

The Denhams turn up, each making a strong contrast with the Parker they’re next to in terms of color. When you think about it, these are the only two pairs of siblings on the show that are always shown as pairs. Esther’s spencer is a bit 1820s, but her hat is ... 1940s? Sir Edward is confident that Clara will be sent off very soon to leave them as their aunt’s sole heirs.

Just after we see Tom Parker going into a shop to buy an expensive necklace for his wife, Stringer goes home and burns his architectural plans. :( 

Charlotte is still trying to be an annoying chaperone, but she’s on much friendlier terms. As Otis suggests they borrow a boat and go for a little sail, he and Georgiana’s relative undress compared to Charlotte (Georgiana taking her spencer off outside isn’t too big of a deal, but Otis losing his coat and waistcoat and opening up his shirt is ... a lot of stripping for the 1810s) parallels their willingness to shed the rules. It’s not like Sidney’s going to find them as he’s in London, Georgiana points out ... but then we cut to Sidney riding into Sanditon, and talking to Mrs. Parker about how he’s going to go visit Georgiana. So it’s clear what’s going to happen.

Otis sings a lovely rendition of “The Water is Wide” and then proposes to Georgiana. Wait, what?! They’re not already engaged? Dear writers’ room, have you ever read or at least watched Sense and Sensibility? And when she refuses him, it’s because she can’t get married yet without her guardian’s consent, but she could surely accept him and just wait on getting married ... ? Anyway, he throws himself into the water as he said he would and they all laugh again.

[theycallmebeccawrites]

Chris & Ellie Series: Episode 13

With Tumblr holding my original writing blog @beccaheartschrisevans captive (aka flagged as explicit), I have made a secondary writing blog and may end up closing the other all together. In the meantime, I am reposting all of my stories on my new blog.

Pairing: Chris Evans x Ellie Spencer (OFC)

Rating: PG

Warnings: n/a

Episode Summary: Thanksgiving 2013, Ellie makes an important decision

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

This episode can also be read on AO3.

The Chris and Ellie series is primarily chronological.  It begins with a flash forward to 2016 and has a few other scenes in the future.  However, the majority of their story is told in chronological order starting in 2013 and going through 2017. Each episode starts with a date to help you place it within the story.

The Chris & Ellie Series Masterlist | Chris & Ellie Masterlist

Episode 12

Episode 13: Texts & Confessions

November 28, 2013 - Thanksgiving

In a quiet corner of her aunt's house, Ellie sat staring down at her phone, reading the latest text message from Chris. It had been just about a month since she'd left him and Scott in Boston and returned to LA and she and the brothers had texted nearly every day, Scott more so than Chris, but he always reached out at least once a day to ask how she was. Today, however, he had been texting her nearly non-stop and giving her the play-by-play of Thanksgiving with his family.

So far, his nephews had been caught trying to sneak pie and he'd had to change shirts twice thanks to his niece's keen ability to either spit up on him and/or have a diaper explosion when he was holding her. He had had to change his shirt a third time, he'd admitted, after getting in a wrestling match with some of his cousins during flag football.

Chris's texts had started about eight am and Ellie had responded to each one with a tidbit of her own or an appropriate response to whatever he'd shared with her. A part of her wished she was back east with him and his family, especially since she suspected that his phone call last week, in which he'd casually asked what she doing for the holiday, had been partially to find out if she might be willing to come out to Boston. If it hadn't been for her revealing that she was scheduled to work both Friday and Saturday, she was certain he would have invited her, but she had and he hadn't.

"There you are."

Looking up, Ellie smiled when she saw her cousin Phoenix walking towards her. "Here I am," she said with a shrug.

"Texting Chris again?" her cousin asked, nudging Ellie over so she could sit down on the bench with her.

"How'd you know I was texting Chris?" Ellie asked. She hadn't told her cousin that and she hadn't let her cousin, or anyone else for that matter, look at her phone.

"I can always tell when you've been texting Chris," Phoenix replied, rolling her eyes. "Ever since you got back from Boston, you get this silly little grin on your face when you are reading texts from him."

"How do you know they're texts from Chris?" Ellie prompted. "They could be from some other guy."

"Yeah, but they're not," Phoenix stated. She opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped when Ellie's phone dinged. She watched as her cousin brought the phone up and then saw the telltale grin spread across Ellie's face as she read the message.

Absorbed in Chris's newest text, which included a detailed description of the pie he'd just eaten and how he was trying to convince himself not to have another slice of pie so he wouldn't have to work out for the rest of the weekend, Ellie forgot all about Phoenix's presence until she was blinded by a sudden flash.

"What the!?" she exclaimed, blinking furiously as she tried to recover. Glancing at her cousin, she glared and said, "What was that for?!"

"Photographic evidence," Phoenix replied and turned her own phone around, showing Ellie the photo of herself smiling at her cell phone.

"Oh," Ellie said softly as she stared at the photo. Her cousin was right, she had been grinning as she'd read Chris's message. Her phone went off again and she looked down to see Scott's name. She read his message, but even she knew she wasn't smiling the way she'd smiled at Chris's message.

"So, tell me, favorite cousin of mine, what happened in Boston?" Phoenix asked and then narrowed her eyes. "And don't even try to get out of this conversation again. There is no one and nothing that needs either of our attention for at least the next thirty minutes."

Ellie sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. Phoenix was right, she had been avoiding having this conversation with her cousin, her sisters, everyone really. It wasn't that she was ashamed of what had happened between her and Chris, it was just that she and Chris had left things so open ended. They were taking things slow, which was the wise thing to do since she was in LA and he was back east for the holiday and getting ready to direct his first film.

"Ellie, talk," Phoenix encouraged, placing her hand on Ellie's arm to force her from her thoughts.

So, Ellie did. She told her cousin about her and Chris's first kiss and how it had happened at Fenway Park right after the Red Sox had won the World Series. Then she'd confessed to the fact that she had avoided Chris most of the next day, but how they had cleared the air that evening at a Halloween party and how they'd made out a bit more that night, too.

Much like the confessional she'd had with Chris's sister on Halloween, once Ellie had started talking, she couldn't stop. This time, however, she didn't hold back like she had with Shanna, knowing her friend was Chris's sister and therefore bias. Phoenix, though... Phoenix was her cousin and Ellie trusted her opinion. She expressed her concern over the fact that Chris was her employer, one of her best friends, the guy she liked and the fear that arose in her because of all of those varying relationships she had with him. Not to mention her own friendship and trust-based relationship with his mom; she didn't know how Lisa would feel about her dating Chris.

"Do you like really like Chris?" Phoenix asked, once Ellie finished talking. "I mean elementary school 'like like' like him." They both laughed at her phrasing. "I guess, what I'm asking is do you see yourself having a future with Chris? More kissing? Dating? Sex? Marriage? Babies?"

Ellie gulped at the onslaught of questions. She wasn't sure just how far she saw herself and Chris going; she certainly wasn't ready for marriage and babies, yet. But she had enjoyed kissing him, a lot. And she always had fun when they were together, with or without anyone else. She felt her face redden a bit at the memory of their first meeting and her first, and only, look at his dick. She knew personally that he was a great kisser and she couldn't imagine him being disappointing in bed.

She relayed these thoughts to her cousin, carefully not mentioning the fact that she had already seen Chris naked. As she spoke, she felt some of the fear leave her as she realized that she wanted to take that leap with Chris into the unknown. There was a chance that it would go sideways, but there was also a chance that she had met the man she was supposed to share her life with.

Before she had a chance to relay those thoughts to her cousin, however, they were called to dinner. She followed Phoenix into the dining room and found herself seated between Phoenix and a friend of her aunt's. It was during the usual “get to know you” conversation between herself and the woman, and interruptions from her aunt, that Ellie learned that the woman worked for a small publishing company. It was her aunt who had told her friend that Ellie had studied editing in college and had asked if they were hiring. They weren't, the woman had told them, but she had told them they often contracted work with independent editors.

That evening, when Ellie left her aunt and uncle's house, she had the woman's business card in her hand and a tentative job interview with the publishing company. She also had a more positive outlook on the future for herself and Chris. Over text, she was very open about telling Chris about the possible job and her aunt's busybody methods that had landed her the interview. However, she couldn't bring herself to tell him what she had decided regarding taking a chance with him. It just didn't seem like the kind of conversation to have over the phone when they were going to be thousands of miles apart for at least the next month, if not longer.

Episode 14

Want to find me off tumblr? I’m @beccatheycallme on twitter. I also post my stories on AO3.

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[roogerriffic]

Love to Hate - Chapter 15

***Seth’s POV*** It’s now almost 5:30pm Saturday, my family will be here soon. Ash won’t be here until about 6:30. I am a bit nervous about telling them. That’s pretty fucked up what I am going to tell them, but for Ash’s sake, I kind of have to. If I don’t tell them, an innocent question about her family could take a turn for the worst. I hear a knock on the door, my family is here. I answer the door. Rachael, Spencer and their girls as well as Dad and Xiao.

I say “Come in”

We make ourselves comfortable in the living room and start to make small talk. My nieces are all over me. I play with them for a few minutes.

Dad asks “Son, what did you need to tell us?”

I tell Rachael “I don’t think the girls should hear this, we should go into the dining room and the girls can play here”

Everyone’s faces show concern when I say that. We all go to the dining room.

I start talking “I will tell you first why I need to tell you. Family is a very sensitive for Ash, an innocent question might not seem such a big deal to you or I but to her, it’s a huge deal”

Rachael asks “Why is it a huge deal? Is that an over exaggeration?”

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy telling them, but it’s harder than what I thought it would be.

I tell them “Ash doesn’t have any family around. When she was 18 her parents were murdered”

Dad says shocked “Jesus Christ! How?”

I say “Her brother was high on ice, he was the one who murdered her parents before killing himself. She witnessed it all. She also told me she has an identical twin sister who wants nothing to do with her because she was there and didn’t stop it happening”

They all looked shocked. They don’t say anything.

I tell them “Don’t ask her about her family, she’s fine with mentioning my family. I have asked her if she would have Christmas with us this year, she was very hesitant at first because it’s a very hard time of year for her, but she eventually come around. Don’t show her any pity, as much as you feel for her, it only makes it harder for her”

They are all still in shock, they just nod their heads. I just wait for one of them to say something.

Xiao finally speaks “I don’t know what to say. Of course we won’t say anything”

I say “Thankyou, now that I have told you, let’s change the topic to something a bit lighter”

Xiao smiles “I will go and cook dinner, I know your plans would have been to get take out”

I can’t help but smile because that was my plan, I tell her “No, you are a guest”

She replies “Don’t be silly, I’m making something for dinner”

I sigh “Fine, would you at least like help”

She says “No thankyou, I’m fine”

Half an hour later Ash arrives. She has just come straight from work so she is still in her work clothes. I take her into the living room where everyone is. I introduce all of them. They talk for a while and get to know each other, Ash seems to be enjoying herself so far.

Ash says to them “I don’t mean to be rude, but I really need a shower”

Rachael says “You aren’t being rude at all, we will still be here”

I follow Ash to my room.

I ask her “Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

She says “I am, they are easy to get along with” her face loses expression, then she asks “You haven’t told them yet, have you?”

I ask “What makes you say that?”

She says “I haven’t told many people, but after I told them, it was like they weren’t comfortable around me, almost awkward. Laura was even like that, I had to tell her to snap out of it”

I smile “Babe, guess what?”

She asks “What?”

I tell her “I have told them”

She snaps “You better not be lying to me”

I smile “I am not lying, why would I lie?”

She settles down “I am just not used to it”

I bring her in for a hug, I kiss her then tell her “Go and have your shower, come back and relax with a drink”

She smirks “Would you like to have a shower with me?”

I laugh “You know I do, but not now!” Ash starts taking her clothes off in front of me. I know exactly what she is doing, and its working, I’m starting to get turned on. As much as I want to, I don’t give in.

I smile “We can’t, it will be obvious”

She says “I can see you want to”

I laugh “Of course I want to, but I know that they will catch on and we won’t hear the end of it”

Ash says “Wherever there’s a will, there’s a way”

I tell her “Not this time, just go and have your shower”

She sighs “Fine” then she walks into the bathroom.

I wait in my room for a few minutes to settle myself before going back to the living room. As soon as I get to the living room, I sit down on the couch.

I ask everyone “So what are your first impressions?”

Rachael says “I really like her, she’s easy to get along with, I know I met her before, she seemed nice then, but she was working so she kind of had to be.”

Dad says “Son, I think you may have picked well this time, she’s down to Earth, she has had to work hard for what she’s got, I know she doesn’t take anything for granted”

I smile “Thanks Dad, it means a lot. She’s definitely different for the better than my exes”

Ash comes into the living room about 15 minutes later. Dinner is ready now, we all sit down at the table and start to eat.

Spencer asks Ash and I “So how did you two meet?”

Ash says “My best friend and her boyfriend”

I add “Justin is the boyfriend” they all know Justin, that’s why I added that.

Ash says “I don’t like him, to put it nicely, he’s a tool”

Everyone laughs at that. They all look at me for a reaction. Then Rachael brings up the note that Ash left with my cake. I never told her the reason why Ash left that note.

Rachael asks me “So Seth, you never told me why Ash would have left that note for you on your birthday”

I smile at the memory. It’s funny now, but at the time, it did annoy me.

I tell her “Well, the note said it all didn’t it?”

She replies “But why did she think of you to begin with?”

Ash looks on with amusement waiting for my answer “We hated each other with a passion when we first met, it stayed that way for a while”

Xiao asks “What changed your opinion of each other?”

Ash and I look at each other, we both start laughing because of what actually happened that changed our opinion. I am trying to find the words to avoid the question without giving it away. I am not going to tell them that Ash and I fucked out of pure anger then we didn’t hate each other anymore. I decide to just change the topic.

I say to Xiao “Thankyou for cooking dinner tonight. It’s delicious”

Everyone laughs, they know I am avoiding the question. Which of course leads to more questions.

Rachael asks “Why are you avoiding the question?”

I tell her “Maybe I might tell you another time, but not tonight”

Dad asks Ash “Do you care to fill us in?”

Ash says “I’m with Seth on this one, I’m not saying a word”

Spencer says “Well since you both won’t tell, it’s definitely a story that has us all intrigued now”

I say “As I said, maybe another time. Not tonight”

As the night went on, everyone is having a good time. Especially Ash. It’s nice to see her so happy. I see her happy with her friends, but this is a different happy, like she was actually starting to make a bond with my family.

Next Chapter   Masterlist   Previous Chapter

[briannaslist]

Driving Miss Crazy

A Pretty Little Liars Recap (7x17)

Ezra and Aria take salsa lessons, so we’re subjected to them awkwardly dancing. When the class is over, Aria sees that she’s missed three blocked calls. Is AD not a stalker who knows everywhere they go? Call at a better time. Ezra is thinking she’s acting weird because of his brother being demanding about the wedding and tries to reassure her that it’ll be okay. Ezra leaves and Aria calls AD back. AD finally reveals what’s in the file: it’s a police report Aria filled out (but obviously never submitted) about the relationship she had with Ezra years ago, when he was her teacher.

Furey pays a visit to Hanna, probably hoping she’d be less annoying to talk to than Spencer. He was wrong. Caleb is there too. Furey says a witness saw them both at The Radley the same night that the basement flooded. Caleb’s like, “Of course they saw us, I live there.” Furey notices that Caleb is drying his hair, having just come out of the shower, and asks why he showers there. What a silly question to ask when he’s obviously dating Hanna. He asks Caleb why he lives at the hotel and Caleb says that Ashley offered him a room there in exchange for setting up the security system. Furey thinks that’s interesting since the system failed and asks Caleb who else has access to the system. Caleb tells him he’d have to ask Ashley Marin. But Ashley and Furey have already talked.

Emily is helping Spencer pack up her house. Alison isn’t in this episode because she went to visit Jason. How come she’s the only one that gets to leave town? Hanna texts Emily saying they need to play the game again. The girls get together to tell Hanna to calm down. Hanna asks why Aria still hasn’t had a turn. It’s not fair if they don’t all get tortured; what is fair is that Hanna wants her best friend to also endure some torture. It’s what friends do.

Mona comes in and Hanna tells them that Mona knows about the game. Spencer for what whatever reason decides to be bitchy about that. Mona says she’s staying involved since she’s the one who replaced the windshield, making her an accomplice to a crime that never needed to be committed because it was an accident but okay. She says she’s not leaving her fate to them (because they’re all really stupid and a surefire way to go to prison).

Since Caleb was reminded that he lives at The Radley, he decides to go back there, where he runs into Ashley. She tells him all about the detective and the questioning and asks him if Hanna’s in any trouble. She’s been investigated by the police multiple times…what do we think Ashley?

Aria goes to the Hasting’s house with food for them. Veronica thanks her and asks her if she can stay, but Aria says she can’t. When Veronica leaves the room, Spencer asks Aria how she feels about the Mona thing; Spencer clearly doesn’t like it. While Spencer’s back is turned, Aria connects a phone to their speakers via Bluetooth and hides the phone in a box. After she leaves, a recording is played over the speakers of Peter talking to Mary about Jessica’s murder. Peter comes down frantically trying to figure out where it’s coming from and unplugs the speakers.

Emily is on the phone with Ali, while Mona gets settle in the kitchen. Before Emily hangs up she says a quiet “You too.” Mona says, “You can tell Ali you love her in front of me. I’ve known since Brownies.” Mona has a gift for them; she found the fertility doctor who performed Ali’s procedure and made an appointment to see him. They’ll pose as a couple. Now do one better, Mona, and expose that guy so he loses his medical license because he shouldn’t be a doctor.

Caleb and Hanna are at The Brew, openly discussing their plight. Ezra comes over with coffee for them and asks what they’re stressed about. They don’t answer and Ezra says he’s feeling stressed too with all this wedding stuff. He just wanted something simple and now everyone is making the thing all about themselves. Just then, Aria walks by. Ezra asks if she can join them and she says she’s tired

Mona and Emily go to the doctor. Mona says Alison referred them. He’s startled by the name. Mona asks for more information, but he says to find another doctor. They leave and Mona shows Emily a magazine that she stole from the office that has his home address listed. For whatever reason Emily is scandalized that Mona took the magazine. The girl who helped bury a body, shocked by the theft of a magazine.

Hanna goes to the shed where they found shovels to bury the body. A security guard finds her there and she says her car is stuck, so she was looking for shovels. He says that they were confiscated because they may have been used in a crime.

Spencer finds the phone in a box tells Aria about it. Spencer’s parents think Mary did it. She wants to tell her mom about the game and Aria tells her to hold off and wait for Mona to make some headway. Ezra comes in and Aria hurries off the phone. Ezra wants to brighten Aria’s spirits and tells her he found a song that he thinks will work for their first dance. He plays it, but Aria is unresponsive. He thinks her behavior is because she has reservations about marrying him because of his actions in the past. However, he thinks they’re stronger for having weathered the storm. I’m not even gonna touch that one.

Spencer goes to her car, only to see Marco there waiting for her. He tells her that he didn’t know about her dating Caleb and thinks maybe she was embarrassed to share that; he implies that’s why she pursued him and that she was trying to get a cop in her corner. She tells him he’s confusing personal with professional and says any further conversations can be in his office. He drives away and she gets surprised by Mary being in her car.

Mary has her drive to the Lost Wood Resort and tells Spencer they can talk inside. But Spencer is a little scared, since Mary greeted her by putting a hand over her mouth and telling her to drive. Not a good approach. They talk in the car.

Flashback: Mary went to the Hastings’ house hoping to see Spencer. Peter tells her that she’ll never see Spencer. Then Jessica comes in and says she thought they were taking care of Mary. Present day: Yes, they were conspiring to kill Mary. Peter wrote the prescription and Mary found out and switched it with Jessica’s medication. She asks Spencer if she would consider staying with her; great segue after admitting to murder without any prompting.

Hanna gets home and loudly talks to Caleb about the police having the shovels and spending the last four hours having Lucas’s car detailed, all while Caleb is trying to get her to stop talking. Ashley comes into the kitchen having heard the last part and asks why Hanna was having Lucas’s car detailed. Hanna lies and says she’s been using the car as an office and has dirtied it. Caleb starts getting some wine for them because everyone on this show drinks constantly to remind us they’re “adults”. Ashley asks if Emily moved out. Hanna tells her that Emily went to live with Ali and Ashley asks if that’s so Hanna and Caleb could be together. Nah, Ashley, that one was all for Emily’s benefit. Why all the forced questions?

Caleb says he’s there when he’s not at the hotel, but it isn’t permanent. Ashley asks him what is permanent. It’s all very weird. Caleb launches into this sappy thing all about how much he loves Hanna and wants to marry her. Ashley says they have something to toast. But they also could have just toasted in acknowledgement that Ashley still exists. And a better question would have been trying to figure out why Ashley and Caleb always look like they’re super into each other whenever they see each other.

But nothing is as strange as Aria’s dream sequence musical number with her getting married in toilet paper wedding garb in a prison to Ezra, who is in prison attire and is getting beat up, while Mona, dressed as a cop, sings Jailhouse Rock. Why is this happening and why is it so long? Then they walk up to the “alter” to see that Veronica Hastings is going to perform the ceremony. Aria starts apologizing to her and asking for forgiveness and Veronica calls her a selfish bitch and says she wouldn’t piss on her if she was on fire. That’s enough to wake Aria up. Both she and Ezra fell asleep on the couch while watching a movie. She sees that AD texted her, telling her that the reward is downstairs. Aria goes downstairs to The Brew and tries to look for the “reward” discretely. She’s not doing a great job though.

Mona and Emily go back to the doctor. They found the cash he was going to get for doing the procedure on Ali. They’ll return it in exchange for names. He says he doesn’t have names, but he does have the donor’s ID number.

Mona manages to do all that, go to The Brew, get a cup of coffee, and see Aria finally find her envelope. Aria took that long. She and Aria make eye contact and Mona gives her a little wave. Aria waves back and hurries off.

Spencer comes home to see that her parents found the letter Mary wrote for her when she was a baby. Peter says it’s all a manipulative ploy. Peter isn’t apologetic about what he tried to do to Mary; he says he was trying to protect his family from a deranged psychopath. Seems a bit excessive Peter. He walks out and Veronica gives Spencer the letter back. She says they can start unpacking; they’re not going to Harrisburg and she’s giving up her senate seat. Spencer tells her that Mary wasn’t out to hurt them. I don’t care anything about the Hastings household.

Caleb and Hanna go to a tent in the woods and she asks him if he meant what he said earlier. He tells her he’d marrying right that second. Hanna takes the paper rings off some cigars. She puts one on Caleb’s finger and he does the same to her. Then they have sex in the tent because that’s their thing.

Spencer goes to see Mary and tells her that she can’t leave her friends or her mom. She catches herself on calling Veronica her mom and starts to apologize, but Mary cuts her off and says that Veronica is Spencer’s mother and that Spencer is lucky to have her. Everyone but the main characters are so rational. Let’s watch a show about them instead. Mary tells Spencer that she hopes that she can forgive her someday. But Spencer has already forgiven her; she says that Mary now needs to forgive herself.

Aria wears the black hoodie and connects the puzzle piece AD left her. It’s a good thing no one walked in at that exact moment. It’s like she wants to get caught. After she connects it, the game says the grand prize is behind her. Aria finds the police report.

Emily goes to see Mona to give her the phone that Spencer found in the box. She has some ideas and cautions Mona to take care. Mona says they can talk more in the morning and goes inside her apartment. After locking a million locks and watching Emily walk away, Mona sits at her computer and we see that she has all these pictures of the game board on her wall and the missing shovels in the corner of her apartment.