#spending 4/20 in Amsterdam

[crisp-tiger-riot]

Happy (belated) Birthday to our favourite blasty boy

[teeswrites]

LN- All roads lead to you

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Masterlist

-----------------------------------------------------------Last chapter! I made a little text in the end, please read it. Also, I found a song I used to listen to when I was younger and it fits perfectly to the story. I will link it at the end (so there're no spoilers) if you like to listen to it.

Without further ado, enjoy :)

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

Chapter 8 (final): Austin... again (feat. Mexico City)

October, 10th, 2022

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou, China:

10:38 PM

Since Suzuka, she hasn't heard about Lando. He said he would text her but he didn't. At first, she didn't even notice cause she woke up late and almost lost the start of the race. After that, she went out with Pierre and Yuki, some Yuki friends, and Daniel for a round (or many rounds) of sake. As a result, she ended up with a bad hangover and an early flight to Amsterdam with a stopover in China. And of course with an Australian lad on her hair.

She was sitting next to Daniel with a chai latte in her hands. She had her hoodie on and sunglasses for the hangover "I should have never drank that amount of sake" "Me neither, Dan. Me neither" in that moment, in that cold airport in China with a Starbucks cup burning her fingertips, she remembered she had a phone. She opened Whatsapp and looked into her messages, she scrolled down the screen and stopped at Lando's contact. The last message from him was October, 8th at 6:18 PM: 'I'm already here :)'. Which took her to the question mark expression on her face. 1 day, 17 hours, and 20 minutes and Lando didn't say a word to her. He said he would text on the race day. "Son of a bitch" "Hey, Dan" he hummed "Do you know about Lando?" "What do you mean?" "Don't hear about him since classification day" "Do you talk frequently?" "No, but... What do you know about him?" "Well, the last time I saw him was at Suzuka on race day. He was a little off, you know?" "Off?" "Yes, like his head was in another place". She turned white like a ghost. Just as he was when left the hotel room. Fuck.  "Oh! Do you think he is okay?" "I've no idea. Why?" "He told me he was going to text me, but he didn't" "Did you fall on his web?" "I... No! He was supposed to text me about a resort in Mexico. I told him the other day I will spend a week in Cancun and two in Punta Cana, he already has been there so he told me he was texting me some tips". Daniel looked at her and nodded his head "Did you sleep with Lando, didn't you?" She took off her sunglasses and looked into the Aussie man's eyes "Yes, twice" "Nooo, darling! You weren't supposed to sleep with Lando! He's in his fuckboy era" "Exactly why I slept with him" she wore the sunglasses again "You are not expecting him to be romantic are you?" She kept silent "What have he told you?" "It's not what he said, it's what he did" "What?" "He took me to a winter Sakura festival in Tokyo" "But it's not winter" "exactly, he paid for it" he widened his eyes "You were naive. People like Lando right now would do anything to have sex with their current target" she thought about Abu Dhabi but Daniel didn't have to know about it "Especially him that have a lot of money to spend and a lot of targets to hit" she was about to retort but Daniel probably was right "Should I text him?" "You can do it but then you will be just one more girl who doesn't know how to have a casual relationship based on sex for him". she looked at his contact "Probably yes" and blocked her phone again. She sipped on her chai and laid her head on Daniels's shoulder "I just want to go to drain all the sake from my bloodstream" He chuckled "did you imagine Yuki drank like that?" "Not in a thousand lives" "We should have taken him to Amsterdam with us" Daniel huffed "The kid would go crazy".

//

A week later

October, 23th, 2022

Circuit of The Americas, Austin, Texas.

She watched from distance Lando giggling with a group of giggly girls. "Does he think I am cool?" She asked herself "Because it's been 14 dias since we texted the last time. And he doesn't seem to care". In her opinion, they were just both too proud for it. But apparently, he still had the same habits. When the girls dispersed, she approached the McLaren's driver and touched his right shoulder without saying a word. He turned and a silly smile on his face seemed to fade away. He took a moment to fake another smile "Oh, hi!" "Hi, Lando" "How are you? I... I am sorry for not texting you. I was going to but..." He hoped she would complete his phrase so he wouldn't need to invent an excuse himself but he got nothing but silence "I was busy, you know?" "Really?" she said with an incredulous tone "You were busy? For 2 weeks? So busy you couldn't even send me a voice message?" "Well... Yes!" "Like right now?" "Hum?" "The girls" "what about them?" "You have been busy like you were with them?" He didn't have to say anything, he couldn't hide the truth. At least not from her. "If you wanted to talk to me, why didn't you just text?" "I had the feeling I wouldn't get anything but an empty answer after 5 days of an agonizing wait" "I don't know why are you acting like that. If you came here to be rude with me you should have stayed home" wow. How rude could Lando be when he was defensive? She decided to act like an adult because one of them needed and clearly Lando was not going to be the one "I just wanted to talk, didn't mean to be rude" she said in the most neutral voice tone she could find. He took a few seconds to listen to the words he had said to her and took a deep breath to calm himself. "What do you want to talk about?" "What happened? I mean, you felt distant when you came back to the store in Tokyo. I thought it was just an initial shock and you were tired but you just missed. You always do that when we finally get along. Why?" She knew he was afraid of commitment but she wanted to hear his perspective "I was going to text you in Suzuka but I was not good and I knew I would make you feel upset too, so I just took some time to myself to think" "In which conclusion did you get?" "None really" "none?" "I mean, I know I want you. I just still struggle to make it only the two of us. Then you come and get jealous because I was with some girls and it becomes even more difficult" he was pissed "I just don't like when you flirt with other girls in front of me. It makes me feel insecure" "No worries, next time I'll flirt with them out of your sigh" She took a deep breath, she was opening herself to him, talking about her feelings, and being vulnerable and he was making jokes about it"I was just flirting, what's the matter?" "What's the matter?" she chuckled, almost without patience already "yeah, I was not touching anyone or doing anything but flirt. What's so bad about it? Also, if you feel insecure, that's your problem, not mine" "What do you think a relationship is about?"

"You're aware we are not a couple, right?". She had enough. She asked Lando to talk not to fight but he was crossing all the fine lines that existed between them already "Yeah. I was good with living with that but when you came to my house and said you wanted to be in my life again, or when you asked me to a 'second first date' as you denominated it, and paid for having a damn festival only because I wanted to see the fucking sakura, when we were so intimate..." her voice failed fue the tears she was holding back "I thought you at least wanted to be one" "You know what?" Lando licked his lips and started "you used to make things lighter but now every time we are together it's the same shit about other girls and relationships, and it turns out you just make everything even heavier now!" When he finished the last word, all he could see were wavy eyes and hurt feelings. She turned bet back to him and started to distance herself from him. Both physically and emotionally. Then she stopped to say one more thing to the British man "You are being an asshole. If you want me to walk away, you should say it. It would make things way easier" She said seriously and rawly, and continued to walk. Lando crossed too many lines with her already. He threw his head back and sighed, frustrated "Fuck".

...

Later that day:

"Can you, please, eat something?" "You know I don't like eating before racing," he said, nihilistically "Lando" he had an arm stretched on the table with his head laying on it. Without giving himself the effort to move an inch, he grumbled something that should sound like a "Hum?" "Are you alright, love?" Charlotte asked, sincerely concerned with the younger one "I am just not in the mood for eating" he had been like that since the fight. It didn't make him any better person. To get even worse he couldn't take her out of his mind. "Are you sure?" "Yeah. I'm fine" "I understand you don't want to eat, but you must do it" The blonde lady did not get any answer "If you don't, you can faint in the car and cause a big crash". Not a single word left the Britishman's lips. "I ain't going to let that happen" he sighed, knowing Charlotte was not only right, but wasn't going to let that go till he ate something.

He lifted his head and stretched his arm and spine "You're right! I'll eat, ok?" "Can I trust you?" "Can you start to really trust me? Cause I know you don't really mean when you say you do" "It would be easier if you acted as someone I can really trust" "It would be easier if you really trusted me!" Why none women trust him? "Lando!" "I'll eat" "Good! Thanks". Charlotte was going to enter another topic when his peripheric vision caught her frame. Should he invite her for lunch? Yeah! That's the best way to make amends: eating in a nice restaurant with good company. He stood up in a sudden move "Okay, okay. See you later, Charlie" "I didn't finish talking!" but he wasn't listening anymore.

He walked toward her and touched her right shoulder, lightly. Just like she did with him before. She turned to him, and her smile faded away. Just like he did with her before. He hadn't noticed before, but she was dressed as a cowgirl. Like those girls who go to rodeos. She had a pink glittery tank top, denim shorts, in a pocket the words cowboy pillow laid with humor on her left glute, long black cowboy boots, and a black hat with some pink details on the sides. She looked amazing and he could handle not having her again. "Hey... You look beautiful. I mean you always are but this outfit makes you look..." She cut him "What do you want?" "What are you doing here?" "Going to watch the race. Last year I missed it cause someone made me very upset. But this year I won't let anyone get in my way" he knew what she was talking about "I know that. But... right now. Did you have lunch already?" "Yes, with Dan" "Oh! What about dinner can I take you out to dinner?" "No" "Why not" "I don't want to. And I am going to have dinner with someone already" "You what?!" "What's wrong?" "With who?" "A guy I know" "Is it because of what I told you?" "Why else would it be about?" "You're acting childly" she leaned forward and said close to his face "You know we are not a couple, right?" "Sorry for that" "No, you're right. We are not a couple. So you can flirt with your girls and I can have dinner with this guy". For the first time, he understood how she felt during all the period they'd been together "But..." her phone started to ring: 'Giaro 💛💛'.

"The hot Italian model?!" he thought "And he has two hearts?!" "I should pick this up before I make you feel even heavier. Excuse me". Was he her date? She must be kidding him. He could feel the vendetta running in her veins, this could be the only reason she would do something cheeky as it. "You're not going to win this one," he said to himself while staring at her laughing at the phone call.

"Have you eaten already?" Charlotte asked him out of the blue "Fuck! Don't show up like that!" he placed a hand on his chest "Not yet. I'm going now" "I'll join you just for assurance" "See? You don't trust me!".

...

At night:

He was going crazy alone in that hotel room. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, all dressed up to go out, in his hand was his phone. He waited desperately for a call or text from her. "She's crazy" he mumbled to himself "I am the one looking like crazy" he stopped to shake his leg "Fuck it!" he stood up, grabbed his wallet, and hotel key, and walked out the door. Now he had a free pass from her to flirt with other girls "Why am I still here?" he mumbled to himself inside the elevator. Hoping he would forget all of this when he first stepped into the club.

But nothing really changed. Even with all the alcohol in his bloodstream. He was trying to think about the models around him but his mind went back to her. When a blonde lady "accidentally" touched her fingertips on the back of his hand, he couldn't stop thinking about her hand touching another guy's hand over the table. When a brunette touched his knee softly, all he could think was about her knee touching another man's knee under the table. The worst one was when a freckled redhead brushed her ass on his pelvis and he only imagined the Italian's bodies colliding together in bed. Damn. How could he party with those thoughts in his mind? So he decided to call it a night and went back to the hotel. He lost the count of how many times he thought about calling her. Or send that voice message she wanted him to send so much. Or how many drinks he pushed down his throat thinking about her. He even thought he was hallucinating when he passed by a restaurant near the hotel and saw her. It was her and a very handsome guy.

They were all giggly to each other and without his control, a jealous, furious, and drunk version of himself walked toward the table, grabbed her wrist, pulled her against his chest, ignored all her protests, jumped in the pool, and then kissed her. Kissed her fully, desperately, possesively. His tongue danced on her mouth, and his grip on her waist felt so perfect, that he was shivering. Maybe because of the cold water but mainly because of her body. They had no air anymore but his numb neurons didn't care. She felt another hand pulling her from against Lando and bringing her to the surface. Then the same hand pulled Lando to the surface and punched him in the nose. She took the biggest breath of the whole weekend and separated Giaro from Lando before the British man could punch him back "Stop!". She realized how that scene was looking: two grown-up men punching each other like two high school boys, one of them bleeding in the pool of a fancy and expensive grilling restaurant, and a girl who was almost crying in between them. She looked around: everyone looked catatonic.

"Why did I do this, stupid?" he asked himself, now he's going to kill me "Lando! What the fuck?" He tried to touch her wrist but she splashed some water on him and went out of that pool "Ti chiamo dopo, Giaro" "Vuoi un aiuto, bella?" "No, lasciami stare. Si? E anche lui, per favore" "Okay" the Italian man nodded, without agreeing but he would respect her decision. Lando also got off the pool to chase her. "E io mi occupo di tutto questo disordine. Solo" Giaro complained to himself.

...

"Hey!" Lando shouted "Please, wait!" She stopped, impatient "So. Explain yourself, idiot! What the fuck do you have on your mind?" "Did you see what your guy did to me?" she couldn't believe he was victimizing himself. She looked into his eyes "You deserved! You deserved even more! What's wrong with you?! What was your plan? Throw me in a pool and then kill both of us asphyxiated? So we would die together and kiss for eternity" "I don't know why I've done this, sorry!" "I'm tired of it! You keep on this 'want me, don't want me' game. 'Want to be with me and 7 more girls at a time, want to be with me only'. You tell me we are not a couple, I go out with a friend I've known since I was 7, you freak out and now your nose is bleeding, Giaro's fist is hurt and my dress is wet!" "I already apologized!" "You are such a confusing person that you are turning me into a confusing person as well! Do you know that?" A friend. They are friends. "I just don't want you to be with other guys" he said, ashamed of himself the same way she did before when they first fought "But you can be with everyone you want to?" "Yes. I know that's fucked up but... it's how I truly feel" "Fuck it! I don't want to be next to you right now. Or ever again" She turned her back to leave, but he held her arm " Wait!" "No!" she retreated with her arm "I'd enough of you already. Please, don't look out for me anymore", then she walked away from him.

Lando ended the night drunk, alone, with blood on his new white shirt and with water on his trainers. The opposite of what he thought it would be. He stared at his phone, her name with a pink heart in front of it. He never had the opportunity to show her. Or to confirm if she liked pink. He scrolled to his contacts and called Max Fewtrell "I think I fucked up everything this time".

//

October, 31st, 2022

Mexico City, Mexico

Lando thought she was going to be in the race but he was mistaken, cause when Sunday came and she did not appear there. She posted a picture from the airplane and wrote right above Mexico City. It turns out she was there for other business.

The day before race, Lando was following Daniel around the hotel "Daniel, you must tell me" "Bro, I don't know what you are talking about" "You do know. I know she's in Mexico, she posted on her social media" "Why don't you simply ask her?" "She wouldn't pick up the phone, or text back. And even if she does, she wouldn't tell me where she is" "So I shouldn't tell you" "Daniel" he stopped in front of the Aussie man, forcing him to stop walking, and held his shoulders "I am trying to fix the shit I've done. Can you, please, help me?" "You should have texted her when you told you would" "I know that but I decided to change, to fix everything. But I need you to tell me where she is" Daniel could see the despair in Lando's eyes. He could see he was up to do anything to find her, with or without Daniel's help. He huffed "She's at Costa Esmeralda" "Where?!" "Is in Veracruz" Lando grabbed his phone and started to search "La Guadalupe beach, you'll find her there" "4 hours?! Shit. Thanks, Dan" Daniel held his wrist "Don't do more damage than you already have done" "It's what I intend to"

...

October , 31st, 2022

Playa La Guadalupe, Costa Esmeralda, Veracruz, Mexico

She was standing looking at the ocean, she knew he was coming, Daniel warned her. And when the time came, when a hand found its way to her left shoulder, she knew it was him. She turned around and protected her eyes from the Sun with her forearm"You really can't do what people tell you to, can you?". He remembered the phone call with Max in Austin:

' "Max?" "It's pretty early here in the UK just for you to know and maybe consider calling another time. Just maybe" "I think I really fucked up everything this time" Max could feel the sadness in his voice "Have you been crying?" "Yes" his voice failed "Yes, I did" "What happened?" "I told her I would text but I didn't, today we met in Austin, and she came to talk to me, I said very rude things, such as "You make my life even heavier than already is" and she went out with a guy to make me jealous but they were just friends, I went out, got drunk, jumped in a restaurant pool with her, almost killed her drowned, her friend punched my nose and she said she never wants to see me again" Max definitely needed more information about the chaotic 24 hours Lando had in Austin but he didn't need to hear anything more not even a syllable for getting into the conclusion he already has gotten back in last year's Austin: they were no good to each other "Lando..." he took a deep breath " What do you want me to say?" "What do I do now?" "You leave her alone" "What?!" "You stop calling, texting, chasing her. You stop appearing in her house and you stop following and stalking her on social media. That's what you do now" "Why should I do that if I love her?" it was the first time he admitted that out loud "You do even if you love her, you guys can only hurt each other. You know that, I know that, and she knows that too". How could Max tell him something like that? He got angry with his roommate "You are a very shit adviser. Good night, Max" and hung up on the British lad's face. Max already expected that behavior from Lando. He also knew he would realize it was the right thing to do, sooner or later.'

Lando's head went back to the present "No, I can't" "What now, Lando? What rude things will you tell me now?" "You were right. I've been acting confusingly. I'm sorry, I'll do better from now. I'll be better for you" "No, you won't. We both know you won't" his eyes started to get wavy "Don't do this" She placed her hand on his face "We both will go crazy like that" he placed his hand over hers "It must have another way. I'll..." he tried to think but his mind was in shortcircuit "...stop going out, I won't..." Everything was a blank space in the moment he realized the reality "...even look to other girls, I'll do everything you tell me to do, be only yours..." "Will you change yourself entirely just to fit in my standards?" then he heard himself, she was right. She shouldn't diminish her standards for him, she didn't deserve any less than what she demanded from him since they first met. And he shouldn't change himself to be with her. They were simply incompatible "Please..." he whispered "We need to" she smiled with her lips "But don't worry. If we're meant to be, all roads will lead me to you" he smiled, a tear rolling down his face "By now we must follow different paths, yes?" He dried the tears that rolled down and swallowed the rest of them "I believe it's the best" she smiled "Come here" She opened her arms for a hug and he pulled her against his bare chest. He held her tightly, he breathed all of her in. Intoxicating himself for the last time. When he let her go, she held his hand "Good luck in Brazil" and started to walk away. He held her hand till the last finger slipped away "Thanks" "Bye, Lando" she waved "Bye bye" he waved back and watched her fade away to the shore.

He took a deep breath and switched his gaze to the ocean, he saw the waves come and go but never die. Maybe they were waves and maybe now that he let her go he could be a better person, a better version of himself, and so does she. Till fate join them together again, if it was meant to be.

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

Taglist:

@cmleitora

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

First of all, the song I mentioned ;)

In second place, I want to show you guys who Giaro is. I know him from Martin Garrix's music video lions in the wild but I don't know if Lando and him actually know each other in real life. I just think he is handsome enough to cause jealousy and he's Italian, so it fitted perfectly.

So, I know most of you expected a happy ending for them. I confess it was the plan when I first started to write this story but it happens that during the process I fell in love with someone with whom I had a complicated relationship, quite very similar to the relationship I wrote for them. Very ironic, no? I will never write about a toxic relationship again lol But the thing here is: I suffered so much till the moment it was decided to call it an end and when I started to work again on ARLTY I couldn't simply put a happy ending to it cause I couldn't let other people read it and maybe have the empty hope that everything was going to be alright at the end (like I did for so long). If you are in a situation like that or know someone who is in a situation like that DO NOT postpone something that is too broken and bruised already. You can't be happy if you have to change yourself or your standards completely to be with someone. So if you all take a time to reflect you'll see that the end was happy. For both, they were free to pursue relationships that would make them truly happy and meet their needs.

It was so good for me to write this one. It's so personal to me (and also has some parts in which I literally narrated my life) that it healed me and it freed me during the process. I can only thank everyone for the support and, of course, please don't send me death threats because of the end lmao

Also, I want to reinforce that I really like Lando, I'm a big fan of him, and this is only fiction and I really hope he's not like this in real life haha

I look forward to writing more fics, maybe about Charles now 🤭 what do you think?

Anyway, thanks for your company till the end and I really hope you liked the story and learned something with it. Lemme know!

A warm hug,

Tees 💜

[danielemarigold]

DAY 18

30 facts

1. I joined tumblr in 2010 because of a beatles fanfic 2. I wanted to be 2 things when I was a kid: a paleonthologist and a journalist. I ended up studying Journalism. 3. I have a notebook where I write every night what happened during the day. And I always write 1 good thing that happened that day to remind me life is good after all. 4. I’ll be seeing the Arctic Monkeys live in exactly 2 weeks 5. I’m back on twitter after almost 10 years. It was very toxic place and I used to get very anxious spending time there. So far so good. 6. I get anxious when I think of dating someone or even going on a date. 7. I like to write poems but i rarely show them to people. 8. I love all dogs and i want to protect them all. They’re too precious for this world and deserve to be happy. 9. Last movie I saw was Interestellar 10. Last record I listened to was Tranquility Base Hotel and Cassino 11. Last tv show I finished was El Tiempo Que Te Doy 12. I believe New Zealand is the most beautiful place in the world. And Amsterdam is the city I mostly want to visit. 13. Lula 13 14. Californication was the first record i ever bought and still is my favorite 15. Back to the Future is my all time favorite movie 16. I learned English listening to music and talking to people on internet 17. I have never been in a serious relationship 18. Scotland is my favorite country 19. I enjoy watching sports on tv but I hate exercising 20. Same thing about food. I enjoy watching people cooking on tv but I hate cooking myself. 21. I read only 2 books this year and I feel ashamed. 22. Bobby's world was my favorite cartoon as a kid 23. I want to move abroad in the next few years 24. I love docs/movies about true crimes 25. I'm an apatheist 26. I'm pro choice 27. I have a drive's license but I can't drive 28. I hate talking on the phone since I can remember (it makes me anxious) 29. I loved the spice girls as a kid and I still listen to them occasionaly 30. Nirvana changed my life and I don't know what I'd be listening to today if it wasn't for them

[theghostpinesmusic]

I've already written about a few "Thatch"s in my time as a guy who randomly writes blog posts on the internet about Goose jams that almost nobody reads (thanks if you do!), so I'm not going to do an introductory bit this time around. I'm also not going to link to every single one of those previous "Thatch" posts, but if you're interested in any of my previous Goose posts in general, this is probably the easiest way to wade through them.

If you're feeling unprepared for reading about the 6/5/24 "Thatch," here are the main things you need to know at the onset:

Goose is a band that makes good music, sometimes for upwards of twenty or thirty minutes at a time without stopping.

Usually only one or two of the geese play guitar at one time, though at least three of them can play guitar, theoretically speaking.

Most of the time, two of the geese play drums.

The collective noun for a group of geese is a "gaggle." If they are in flight, they are known as a "skein."

"Thatch" is a certified banger about Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire.

This version of "Thatch" is approximately the 4,000th version I've listened to, but it's only the second version the band has played live with their new drummer, Cotter Ellis.

Can you tell I've been writing assignment sheets for my classes all afternoon?

Anyway, last time I brought you all the good news about the 6/4 tour opener and, in particular, the massive version of "Borne" contained within. Well, it turns out that the band continued on to play a second show on 6/5 at the same venue! Go figure!

I'm honestly not sure why anyone would spend a second night in St. Louis after spending a first night there, but in this case I'm glad Goose did because 6/5 is a great show.

If you're only here for the big jams, this show does take a little while to get going (compared to, say, the 6/4 show with its monster opening "All I Need"); however, for my money the meat of the first set is well-sequenced and well-played despite the lack of deep improv. Any show that opens with "Atlas Dogs" > "Turbulence & The Night Rays," "Earthling or Alien?," and then a rare full-band "It Burns Within" is okay in my book.

"Tumble" was a bit stagnant for most of '23 to my ears, but has become an absolute monster jam vehicle since Cotter joined the band: the 6/5 version is a great example of that, and it's followed by a "Rockdale" that paints just far enough outside the lines to wrap up the first set in grand fashion. But I'm not writing about that!

Instead, I'm going to be covering most of the second set in my next two posts ("Thatch" in this one and "Red Bird -> Tomorrow Never Knows" in the next one) so...there's also a pretty cool "Creatures" in-between, too, I guess?

Suffice to say it's a badass enough second set that I'm spending my afternoon work break writing about parts of it two days in a row.

Let us begin with this here "Thatch"!

We get some brief set-opening space noises at the onset here, but the song proper starts at 0:35, and the drop into The Funk Kingdom hits at 1:20. This version seems to be played at a particularly slow tempo, which is a little odd to me considering lots of songs that felt slower-than-before in '22 and/or '23 have been getting played faster in '24. It doesn't super matter, I suppose: if playing "Thatch" slower makes it more interesting to the band, more power to them. I'm just used to them ripping through this tune and this version feels a bit more like wading through molasses.

Sexy, funky molasses...

Nerd fact: Peter's wearing the same Marvin The Martian shirt he was wearing for last year's Amsterdam "Thatch," one of my favorite bits of the Euro tour. I mean, I don't know if it's literally the same shirt, but I assume it is.

Anyway, after a tidy and efficient FONK workout, the band drops into Improv Mode at 6:28.

One thing I've noticed at this point, having watched a fair amount of '24 Goose shows, is how much more often and obviously Trevor leads the direction of the band's jamming. This is one of those points. Sure, everyone's adding touches right away (and Pete should know that I'm a sucker for that siren effect) but Trevor has the wheel and the rest of us are just along for the ride.

Around 7:20, Peter switches over to his xylophone patch, and things take a turn toward what we would have called "Plinko" in 2010. I dig this sound a lot: nobody is particularly soloing over everyone else, but everyone is locked in and playing together, ideas getting tossed out and responded to and sent back faster than I'm willing to bother pausing repeatedly to accurately break down and describe.

Around the 9:00 mark, Peter locks on to an evil, syncopated figure on the keys, and the rest of the band rolls with it (around it?). Rick's playing here is sinister and great, but hell, everyone's still piling onto the Group Improv train.

A really tension-y section kicks up around 9:50, and the band stays in it much longer than usual. The lights here are great, reflecting the frenetic sound of the jam.

As the tension section continues, Cotter's playing really starts to stand out to me. He has a flow to the way that he plays the drums that really complements thorny pieces of improv like this one.

Okay, so the band hangs out in this abstract space for way longer than usual, and around 12:00 or so, Peter starts using his synth (?) to make Weird Ghost Noises (?), which is a new thing to me.

Then the sirens come back, which is excellent!

Finally, at 13:33, Rick leads a neat transition back into the key of "Thatch" (whatever it is), and we get a little bit of more-typical Goose/Rick shredding leading up to the conclusion of the song at 14:46.

By Big-Time "Thatch" standards, this one is actually a bit on the short side, and now that I've revisited it, it is actually kind of one-dimensional. But that's okay because the one dimension is THE HELL DIMENSION

Seriously, it's no 2/23/24 "Chalkdust Torture," but that kind of sustained, abstract tension jamming is something I'm always happy to hear Goose explore for more than thirty seconds at a time. It makes this version of "Thatch" unique and worth revisiting even if it's no multi-headed hydra monster jam.

Although, speaking of multi-headed hydra monster jams, the "Red Bird" -> "Tomorrow Never Knows" from later on in this very set is coming up next time...

[goblogger]

Top 8 Museums to See in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, and its museums offer a glimpse into its fascinating history, art, and science. From world-class art galleries to intriguing historical and science museums, there's something for everyone. Here's a guide to the top eight museums to visit in the Netherlands, including information on Amsterdam Attraction Tickets and tips for each attraction.

1. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

The Rijksmuseum is the most famous museum in the Netherlands and one of the greatest art museums in the world. It houses an extensive collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings, including masterpieces by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €20 for adults, free for children under 18.

Purchase: Tickets can be purchased online on the Rijksmuseum website.

Tips: Buy tickets in advance to skip the long lines. Consider visiting early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid crowds.

2. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Dedicated to the life and works of Vincent van Gogh, this museum offers the largest collection of Van Gogh's paintings and drawings in the world. It provides a detailed look at his development as an artist and his personal struggles.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €19 for adults, free for children under 18.

Purchase: Tickets can be booked online through the Van Gogh Museum website.

Tips: Book your tickets in advance, as the museum often sells out. Use the multimedia guide for a richer experience.

3. Anne Frank House, Amsterdam

The Anne Frank House is a poignant museum dedicated to the Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank. Visitors can explore the secret annex where Anne and her family hid during World War II.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €14 for adults, €7 for children aged 10-17, free for children under 10.

Purchase: Tickets are only available online through the Anne Frank House website.

Tips: Tickets often sell out quickly, so book well in advance. Visits are scheduled in time slots, so plan accordingly.

4. Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam

The Tropenmuseum is an anthropological museum that explores cultures from around the world. Its diverse exhibits include artifacts, photographs, and multimedia displays that tell the stories of various cultures.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €16 for adults, €8 for children aged 4-18, free for children under 4.

Purchase: Tickets tropenmuseum can be bought online via the website.

Tips: Check the museum's schedule for temporary exhibitions and special events. The museum is family-friendly and offers various activities for children.

5. Mauritshuis, The Hague

The Mauritshuis is home to a world-class collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings, including works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Rubens. The most famous painting in its collection is Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €17.50 for adults, free for children under 18.

Purchase: Tickets are available online through the Mauritshuis website.

Tips: Book your tickets online to avoid the queue. The museum is relatively small, so take your time to appreciate each masterpiece.

6. NEMO Science Museum, Amsterdam

NEMO is the largest science museum in the Netherlands and is perfect for families and science enthusiasts. It offers hands-on exhibits and interactive displays that make science and technology fun and accessible.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €17.50 for adults and children aged 4 and above, free for children under 4.

Purchase: Tickets can be purchased online at the NEMO Science Museum website.

Tips: Plan to spend at least half a day exploring the museum. There’s a rooftop terrace with great views of Amsterdam.

7. Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo

Located in the Hoge Veluwe National Park, the Kröller-Müller Museum boasts the second-largest collection of Van Gogh's works. It also features an impressive collection of modern art and a large sculpture garden.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: €12 for adults, €6 for children aged 6-12, free for children under 6. Note that an additional fee is required to enter the national park.

Purchase: Tickets can be bought online through the Kröller-Müller Museum website.

Tips: Combine your museum visit with a day in the national park. Bicycles are available for rent to explore the park.

8. Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam

This museum has an extensive collection of fine arts, ranging from medieval to contemporary works. Its collection includes paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts, with notable works by Bosch, Rembrandt, and Magritte.

Tickets and Tips

Ticket Price: Prices vary as the museum is currently undergoing renovation. Check the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum website for up-to-date ticket information.

Purchase: Tickets can be bought online through the museum’s website.

Tips: The museum is temporarily closed for renovation, but parts of the collection are displayed in various locations in Rotterdam. Check the website for current exhibitions.

Conclusion

The Netherlands offers a treasure trove of museums that cater to diverse interests, from art and history to science and culture. When planning your visit, it's a good idea to purchase tickets in advance and check for any special exhibitions or events. Many of these museums offer discounted or free admission for children, making them great options for family outings. Enjoy exploring the rich cultural landscape of the Netherlands!

[mariacallous]

Foreign Policy Morning Brief: Britain’s economic agony

By Christina Lu

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at Britain’s new economic roadmap, Myanmar’s release of political prisoners, and Russia and Ukraine’s extended grain deal.  

Britain Unveils New Economic Roadmap

As a cloud of economic gloom descends over Britain, the British government announced a £55 billion ($65 billion) plan of tax increases and spending cuts on Thursday in a bid to stabilize the budget and calm uneasy markets. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s five-year-plan will likely intensify economic pressures on a public already struggling to cope with a painful cost-of-living crisis. Inflation soared to a 41-year high of 11.1 percent last month, and the country will soon face its largest-ever decline in living standards, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, meaning Britons will see their real disposable incomes decline by over 4 percent.  

Britain has already slid into a recession, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday. In his address, he acknowledged that the government was making “difficult decisions,” although he stressed that the moves were necessary. 

“There is a global energy crisis, a global inflation crisis and a global economic crisis,” he said.  “But the British people are tough, inventive and resourceful. We have risen to bigger challenges before.” 

“We aren’t immune to these headwinds but with this plan for stability, growth and public services, we will face into the storm,” he added. 

Sunak’s economic agenda marks a sharp reversal from that of his embattled predecessor, Liz Truss, who resigned in October after facing sharp political blowback over pushing for unfunded tax cuts for wealthy Britons. 

Soon after Truss’s plan was announced, the value of the pound plummeted to a record low against the dollar and the Bank of England declared an emergency intervention into markets. As political pressure against her economic agenda intensified, Truss dismissed Kwasi Kwarteng, then the chancellor, and walked back parts of her controversial policies before eventually resigning herself. 

Sunak has now been in office for nearly a month, having just attended the latest U.N. climate talks, COP27, as well as the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. As the Financial Times‘ Martin Wolf argues, “The most important achievement of Hunt and Rishi Sunak is to reintroduce a degree of coherence and predictability into policymaking.”

What We’re Following Today

Myanmar frees political prisoners. Myanmar’s military junta freed 5,774 prisoners on Thursday, four of whom were foreign citizens: Sean Turnell, an Australian economic aide to Aung San Suu Kyi; Vicky Bowman, the former U.K. ambassador to Myanmar; Toru Kubota, a Japanese documentary filmmaker, and Kyaw Htay Oo, a U.S. citizen. 

Of the freed prisoners, dozens were likely political prisoners. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the junta has detained more than 16,000 people since launching a coup in 2021. 

Extended grain deal. Russia and Ukraine have extended the U.N. and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative by 120 days, after it was originally set to end on Nov. 19. The deal, which was designed to help ease the global food crisis, has been marked by uncertainty ever since it was enacted in July. 

“I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea grain initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine,” said U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. 

MH17 verdict. A Dutch court sentenced three men (in absentia) to life imprisonment for murder in connection with their role in bringing down a Malaysian Airlines jet flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over Ukrainian territory in 2014. The attack on flight MH17, by separatists linked to Russia, killed 298 people—many of them Dutch citizens.

Keep an Eye On 

Egypt’s detained dissident. The family of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the detained British-Egyptian activist, has warned that his health has “deteriorated severely” after seeing him for a scheduled monthly family visit on Thursday. 

Abd el-Fattah, who had been on a hunger strike for months, also began refusing water to coincide with the start of COP27, the latest U.N. climate summit. He began drinking water and eating again this week after a “near-death experience,” his family said, but is intent on resuming his hunger strike.

Italy’s migrant-smuggling rings. Following a more than three-year-long investigation, Italian authorities have apprehended 12 people for smuggling migrants. Officials said the suspects would make anywhere between 30,000 and 70,000 euros per smuggling operation by requiring each migrant to hand over 3,000 to 5,000 euros.

Thursday’s Most Read

A Theme Park Crisis Is Wrecking South Korea’s Bond Market by S. Nathan Park

Ukraine’s Appetite for Weapons Is Straining Western Stockpiles by Jack Detsch and Amy Mackinnon

Sweden’s Espionage Scandal Raises Hard Questions on Spy Recruitment by Elisabeth Braw 

Odds and Ends 

Researchers believe octopuses may use their many arms to whip objects at their peers, perhaps in an attempt to create some personal space, the Washington Post reported. In an effort to understand the phenomenon, researchers from the University of Sydney studied over 20 hours of videos; one showed a female octopus flinging 17 different objects in just an hour. 

“We can’t be sure, but we think some hits are probably intentional,” Peter Godfrey-Smith, an Australian researcher, told the Post. 

That’s it for today.

For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters.

[astranva]

Falling Duet

Word Count: 2.4k

Category: Fluff but it’s so 🥺

Warning: Nothing

Request: harry dating singer!reader: he has to perform at some awards and he invites her to sing with him but no one else knows? love your writing🤧❤

Summary: You and Harry sing an unreleased version of Falling at an award show.

The lyrics used are of “Falling (other POV)” by THE cutie, Ally Naso 🤍

// masterlist //

**reposted bc tumblr is messing up the tags & nobody can view it. sigh.

..

It all started when a friend of yours had recorded you singing in your school’s bathroom during senior year.

7 years ago, you wouldn’t have believed it if somebody told you that you would be a 13-time Grammy nominated artist, as well as having 6 of that very award sitting on your shelf at your childhood home – one for Best Artist, and one for Album of the year.

You would have laughed even.

But it wasn’t a joke nor was it a dream you wished to never wake up from; it was as real as life could be.

You were successful in the industry and if any of your fans were asked, they would say that it was because of your immense talent and unproblematic, empathetic, kind character.

It was one of the many reasons why so many people on the internet had shipped you with a certain English man, him having been only 20 when you went viral and got signed.

A year into the industry, it was one day when you remember your Twitter notifications going crazy;

“HARRY STYLES JUST SAID HE LOVES YOUR MUSIC AND THINKS YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL”

“omg pls tell us you watched 1d’s interview with jimmy kimmel”

“IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING! CAN YOU PLEASE BE TOGETHER ALREADY???”

Looking back at that memory, you remember how you were a shaking and overwhelmed mess as you had clicked on the link everybody was sending you.

The video had begun with the audience cheering as the camera was on Jimmy and the 5 men near him.

And there he sat; in a black suit with a white shirt underneath, medium-length hair looking like he had run his fingers through many times, his hands clasped as he looked at Jimmy.

“Who’s most likely to let a woman split the band?” Jimmy had asked.

They had looked at each other, not answering for a moment before Niall chimed in with a laugh as he pointed at Harry, “Harry would let his celebrity crush do that.”

Harry rolled his eyes jokingly as his bandmates agreed and laughed, slapping his hands against his thighs in feigned annoyance.

“Who is that? Who’s your celebrity crush?”

“Just this talented person.” He had tried to smile his way through the question, but no one was having it.

“You know Y/N Y/L/N? She’s an amazing singer,” Louis told Jimmy.

“Y/N!” Jimmy beamed, “We had her on the show two weeks ago.”

“Yeah, he watched that.” Liam had gestured towards Harry.

Hiding his face in his hands for a moment, the audience cheered as his friends continued to laugh.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” Jimmy asked Harry in a teasing manner.

Having had decided to get it over with, Harry nodded as he clasped his hands together again, “She’s very talented and beautiful.”

“Lovie, can you help me with the necklace? My nails are still drying.”

You looked up from your place on the couch, sitting in your long dress looking so beautiful that Harry had lost track of time of getting into his own suit because he was too busy giving you a photoshoot on his phone.

Standing up, you reached and clasped his necklace for him, dusting his shoulders to signal that you were done.

Turning, you were met with your boyfriend of 4 years beaming at you before he leaned to press his lips against yours.

“You look so good.” You smiled up at him, “So beautiful.”

“Have to try to catch up with how you look tonight,” he replied with a wide smile, “Nervous?”

“Not really.” You admitted.

Amusingly and completely and utterly in love, Harry tilted his head slightly, “Any reason why you’re not? You usually hate those.”

It was true. You didn’t really like award shows because of how tiresome all the process was; hair, makeup, dressing up, walking only to pause every second, the repeated questions you have been answering for years, how more judgmental the world was on nights like these.

But it was always when Harry was able to be by your side that you liked the night, and the tall man knew it, but he had always loved hearing you say it.

To feed his ego, you wrapped your arms around his neck, “Because you’ll be there.”

“Music to my ears.” He joked, shaking his head slightly.

“Just feeding that already overfed ego of yours, baby.”

“Excuse you.” He pecked your lips, “Let me add food for Evie then we can leave.”

“I’ll do it, don’t mess up your nails.” You patted his chest before moving away to attend to your cat.

The fans and reporters all had anticipated the moment of yours and boyfriend’s arrival, and the both of you knew it.

You were fairly private with your relationship. While everyone knew you were together, the both of you didn’t always post about one another but when you did, it went viral – something you and Harry, shamelessly, enjoyed.

It was why during moments like this, everyone was eager. Reporters were hungry for content, all having different intentions, but you spend enough time in the industry and you sort of begin knowing what to say and how to say it.

Harry was scheduled to perform, something everyone knew of, but it was the fact that you were joining him not on the red carpet, but on stage that they didn’t.

Getting out of the car together, the screams and flashing lights were then doubled.

Harry closed the door behind you with a polite smile to the security standing. Bending a little, he adjusted your dress’s short train for you as you looked back at it before you looked up at him.

As if they weren’t snapping pictures like crazy yet, you reached and fixed Harry’s hair at the front, his eyes looking up with a smile as you did so.

“Thanks, love.”

With that, Harry placed his arm around your waist as you walked to the first spot on the red carpet.

“When was the last time we appeared together? They’re going mad.” You whispered, looking at Harry as he smiled to the cameras.

He chuckled, looking at you, “I think we deprive them too much.”

“Let’s give them enough content to last a year.”

Nobody but the both of you knew what you meant, and it was why the flashing lights and camera shutter sounds were then tripled the moment Harry’s lips were on yours in a soft kiss.

“Can we sign stuff?” You asked a woman standing on the sides, “Can we see the fans?”

When she nodded at you, you and Harry ignored posing for a few minutes to converse and meet fans.

“I love you and Harry so much!” One fan said shakily as you signed a paper for him.

“Thank yo- Hey! I saw you in Amsterdam last year, right?” You grinned.

And that was another thing not only your fans loved about you, but Harry, too.

You were no stranger to connections. You were no stranger to making people feel seen and treating them in a way that no fan expected to be treated – a friend, and you remember friends.

“Harry, do you think Y/N will win Songwriter of the Year?” A fan asked.

Harry shrugged with a smile, “I hope so but we all know she is anyway.” He waved his hand with a joking manner, making the closest fans laugh.

“What about you? Do you think you’ll win Artist of the Year?”

“I don’t know,” he smiled, “There are so many amazing artists. I wish them all the best.”

“He’s a humble man,” you teased, patting his shoulder, “We all know he is anyway.”

You were confused as they, Harry included, laughed in shock. “What?”

“He literally has just said the same thing about you.”

You laughed, looking at Harry, “Shut up, no way!”

“The both of you have been doing that for years.” One fan commented with a grin, “It’s adorable. It’s like telepathy or something.”

“Oh yeah, we are telepathic,” Harry nodded, “It gets a little scary sometimes.”

“Heeey!” You laughed, “It’s actually helpful. One of us would be just walking at home and we’d look at each other and know that the other just means something like “feed Evie” or “take out the trash””

“This is so cute!”

“Harry, what are you performing tonight?”

“You’ll find out in a bit.” He pointed.

Shortly, you and Harry had to take more pictures and do interviews before you were escorted inside.

It was the little moments that fans also lived for; how Harry held your hand as you sat so discreetly, how the both of you chatted and giggled among one another and those around you, how Harry fist-bumped the air the moment your name was called to receive your award of Songwriter of the Year before kissing you. It was how they knew this was real – how love wasn’t something you only listen people sing about or write novels for.

It was in how Harry’s eyes didn’t move from you as you gave your speech, a wide smile on his face and eyes resembling twinkling stars for crying out loud.

It was in how you ended your speech with: “This is to the man who has inspired and pushed me forward to write every single day. I love you.”

It was in how you looked more nervous than Harry himself when his category was called before you were the first to get out of your seat with a happy “yes!” once they announced that he won.

It was in how Harry cupped your face that moment to kiss you before walking to receive his award.

It was in how you remained standing, those behind you only smiling instead of being annoyed, with your hands clutched together against your heart, tearful eyes, and the brightest smile in the room.

“You’re going to tell me this is cheesy,” Harry chuckled slightly, giving a shrug as he looked at you, “But I wouldn’t be standing here, holding this, if it weren’t for you. I love you, too.”

But then Harry was about to perform and you weren’t in your seat.

The award show had decided to make a skit of it, the host being Miley had held her microphone as she stood in the empty isle beside yours and Harry’s empty seats.

“We know Harry Styles is performing in minutes,” she said, looking at the camera with a playful smile, “But where is Y/N Y/L/N? We know, we know,” she nodded, “Probably backstage for some extra good luck but-” people laughed, causing Miley to pause and chuckle, “But seriously, guys. There’s a show and it must go on.”

“It’s going on.” Harry said from backstage into his mic before the stage went dark.

It wasn’t until piano tunes sounded that the arena grew dim, a spotlight on the piano at the center of the stage where you sat, your fingers gentle against the keys as you played the beginning notes of Falling.

“I'm in my bed,

And you're not here

And there's no one to blame

But the drink in my wandering hands.” Harry sang as he came on stage, holding the mic in his hand before taking a seat beside you.

Everyone had expected him to sing the next verse, but it wasn’t his voice that they then heard.

“I'm in my bed

Instead of yours

Cried to sleep turned off all of lights and locked all of the doors.” You sang, eyes on the piano keys.

“Forget what I said

It's not what I meant

And I can't take it back

I can't unpack the baggage you left.” His eyes were on you, body turned slightly towards you as he felt like the both of you were in your living room in front of your white piano.

“I replay what you said

Don’t know if it’s true

Left with two broken hearts and there’s nothing that we could undo.” You sang, closing your eyes as you got ready for the chorus.

“What am I now? What am I now?

What if I'm someone I don't want around?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

“What am I now? What am I now?

Don’t want to cry ‘cause I can’t stand the sound

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

The both of you sang together, your voice being softer and quieter than Harry’s.

“What if I'm down?

What if I'm out?

What if I'm someone you won't talk about?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

“What if I'm down? What if I'm out?

What if you’re someone I can’t live without?

I'm falling again, I'm falling again, I'm falling.”

It was a version nobody had heard before, and it was why everyone was quiet, the only sound coming from you, Harry, and your lone instrument.

It was something you had written together following a rough patch of your relationship, and everyone knew that it was more personal with the way the both of you sang.

When his eyes weren’t closed, Harry sang as he looked at you, and he knew that performing this song meant more to the both of you than anyone could imagine. One look at your face and Harry knew you were reliving the night of when the both of you had written this; eyes a little red from crying, bodies hot, Harry wearing a hoodie of yours while you sat in your underwear with his purple fluffy robe on.

“Can I do this alone without ever needing you again?”

“And I get the feeling that you'll never need me again.”

You both sang the bridge together, yours being shorter than Harry’s note as you carried a softer tone, closing your eyes as you played the piano, feeling your throat close up before gulping.

He knew.

It was why the final chorus was sung softer and quieter, Harry’s forehead resting against your temple for a moment as the both of you sang.

“I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling.” Harry finished, putting his mic down as he stared at you with a small smile, watching you in your element as you played.

Managing to look at him as you played single soft notes, you sang, “I’m falling again, I’m falling again, I’m falling.”

You played the end single notes, looking at Harry with tearful eyes and a bashful smile.

It was like you were unaware to the erupted cheer and round of applause, you threw your arms around Harry, feeling his arms wrap around you instantly.

Crying from the overwhelming emotions, you were thankful your mascara was waterproof. You called it.

“I love you,” Harry whispered in your ear, “I love you so much.”

[liaromancewriter]

OC/MC ask game: 5, 12 and 20 for the 4 of them please !

Thanks for the ask! From this list.

5. Favorite season and why?

Cassie: Fall because it’s sweater and boots weather, and she looks fabulous in both. Plus, she loves the sound of crunching fallen leaves on her way home.

Max: Winter. He loves snow, making snow people and getting into snowball fights, and is almost childish in his regard for it. Plus, cold weather is always a good excuse to cuddle up.

Sienna: She loved winter when she was growing up in New Orleans as it meant cooler weather. But after moving to the east coast for college/med school/residency, she fell in love with Spring and that feeling of renewal that comes with it.

Ethan: Dr. Grumpy will say he doesn’t have a particular preference for any season. But Cassie knows that he secretly loves summer because he likes spending his free time outdoors.

12. What kind of music do they listen to?

Cassie: She has very eclectic tastes, everything from pop, Top 40 to rock and alternative. It’s all about the mood and vibe she’s going for. She’s okay with Blues but can’t stand jazz, much to her twin’s chagrin.

Max: Blues and jazz are top of his list, but he also listens to rock and alternative on occasion. He loves making fun of Cassie and Sienna’s love of bubblegum pop. They ignore him every time.

Sienna: She shares Max’s love for blues and jazz; they often spend an evening at the blues club in their neighborhood. Other than that, she enjoys cheery pop tunes – something to dance to.

Ethan: Opera and classical symphonies for sure. But Cassie knows his secret. He was into post-grunge and classic rock in his teens and all through college and med school. The man has a Greenday concert tee shirt!

20. Stupidest thing they’ve done while drunk?

Cassie: Have you met Drunk Cassie? She’s extremely flirty when she goes past her limit. But the stupidest incident to date is when she punched someone in a bar in Amsterdam and got kicked out along with Max. She was grateful the whole thing went unnoticed in the press, but her hand hurt for days.

Sienna: She doesn’t get drunk often and here’s why. When she was in college (before Wayne) she was out on the town with her friends, bar crawling. She was so out of it that she started walking sideways while bent over and has no idea how she got home. After that, she kept her alcohol intake to a minimum and has only gone past it when she’s with Max.

Max: This twin doesn’t get drunk enough to do anything stupid. He has a strict two-drink limit policy and can hold his liquor well. So, no stories to tell.

Ethan: When he and Tobias were in med school, they made a bet and he lost. Ethan was so drunk that he agreed to get a tattoo of a stethoscope. Thankfully, Tobias was sober enough, just, to have the tattoo artist use temporary ink.

Character Asks: @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter @rookiemartin @coffeeheartaddict2 @quixoticdreamer16 @dorisz @lucy-268 @a-crepusculo @queencarb @crazy-loca-blog @ofmischiefandmedicine 

[circumstellars]

[ My original gifset post is getting very long, and to make room for future gifsets, I’m splitting them up into gifsets - tua and gifsets - cast+ (The Umbrella Academy related cast, their other projects and miscellaneous). Got so much more to make, can’t wait to fill this list up even more soon! The old gifset post will be retired c: ]

***Please do not repost my gifs without credit! I spend an incredible about of time on them, and perfecting my craft. Gifs are an art form too!

[*] indicates a specialty set, or gifs that otherwise have been uniquely animated, texturised and/or transformed beyond traditional cut and colouring.

[ welcome to stellar☆’s cast+ gifset masterpost! ]

Instagram video (Deleted) (20??)

Jane the Virgin (2014) 

David Castañeda for Roofers Promo (??) (2015)

MasterClass with Robricio (2016)

David Castañeda on guitar (via Instagram) (2019)

Kids. Love. Beer (via Instagram) (2019)

The Book of Interview (2020)

DA MAN Photoshoot (Colour) (2020) DA MAN Photoshoot (B&W) (2020) (2)

‘Viendo la película el otro día... ’ (via Twitter) (2020)

David on IG doing this (via Instragram) (2021)

Nicky Ricky Dicky & Dawn [S1][EP1] (2014) "Do what comes naturally” in Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2014) Whatever this is Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2014)

For #Actnow (2019) For #Actnow (alternate set) (2019) (2)

Cooking with Aidan Gallagher (2020)

Aidan in Behind the Scenes, Video #9 (2020)

Unboxing TUA goodies from Dark Horse (2021)

Buzzfeed x Earth Locker: 24 Hours 0 Waste Challenge (2020) Buzzfeed x Earth Locker: 24 Hours 0 Waste Challenge (2020) (2) Buzzfeed x Earth Locker: 24 Hours 0 Waste Challenge (2020) (3) Buzzfeed x Earth Locker: 24 Hours 0 Waste Challenge (2020) (4)

Earth Locker segment; ‘It’s orgasmic, in the ears.’ (2020)

New Amsterdam [S1][EP17] (2018)

The Girl at the Store (Ad? Short) (2019)

Justin Min interviewed for GQ (2020)

UNICEF Birthday Fundraiser (2021)

The Sparrow Academy S3 Teaser (2021)

Hard Candy (2005)

Tales of the City (2019)

On Conversations with Oprah (2021)

TUA interview for Tribute (2019)

Performing Freedom from GUN & POWDER (2020)

Milestones for Black Women in Film & Television (2021)

Cherrybomb (2009) Cherrybomb + Luke + his stash (2009)

Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009) Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009) (2)

Misfits + It’s just a completely normal day [S1][EP1] (2009)

Misfits S01 interview for Digital Spy (2010)

Love/Hate (2010)

Killing Bono (2011) Killing Bono + First Band Practice (2011)

The Borrowers (2011)

Killing Bono BTS (LQ) (2011)

BBC Me and Mrs Jones (2012) Me and Mrs Jones  Hugs + vomit [S1][EP1] (2012) (1) Me and Mrs Jones  Hugs + vomit [S1][EP1] (2012) (2)

The Mortal Instruments (2013)

SUMS photoshoot (2013)

The Road Within (2014) The Road Within (2014) (2)

Hunger TV (with Paloma Faith) (2014)

The 100 face journey For RTÉ (2015)

Moonwalkers (2015)

Moonwalkers BTS Interview (2015)

Robert Sheehan talks with Spacehop (2016) Robert Sheehan for Spacehop (again) (2016)

Jet Trash (2016)

Geostorm (2017)

Three Summers (2017) Three Summers + Roland and his theremin (2017)  Three Summers + Roland and his theremin (2017) (2)

Three Summers Promotional Interview (2017)

Fortitude [S2][EP5] (2017)

Mute (2018)

The Song of Sway Lake (2018)

Mortal Engines (2018)

Mortal Engines interview on Lorraine (w/ Hugo Weaving) (2018)

Mortal Engines GigaTV Mag Interview (2018) Mortal Engines GigaTV Mag Interview (2018) (2)

Genius: Picasso [EP01] (2018) Genius: Picasso [EP01] (2018) (2) Genius: Picasso [EP01] (2018) (3)

Netflix: The Great Irish Debate interview (2019) Netflix: The Great Irish Debate interview (2019) (2)

The Toilers - Banshee Betty (music video) (2019) The Toilers - Banshee Betty (music video) (2019) (2)

Noisy little buggers (2020) Congratulating participants for the GSFA (2020) (2)

Instagram Live (w/ Ari Gold) 02.04 (2021) Instagram Live (w/ Ari Gold) 02.04 (2021) (2)

For his new book Disappearing Act (via IG) (2021) Reading from Disappearing Act (via IG) (2021) Reading from Disappearing Act (via IG, again) (2021)

RTE The Late Late Show Interview (2021)

Endgame (Play) (2022)

The Last Bus [S1][EP01] (2022)

Rock Rivals [EP4] (2008) Rock Rivals [EP4] (2) Rock Rivals [EP6] Rock Rivals [EP6] (2) Rock Rivals [EP6] (3) Rock Rivals [EP6] (4) Rock Rivals [EP6] (5) Rock Rivals [EP6] (6) Rock Rivals [EP6] (7) Rock Rivals [EP6] (8)

TUA promo for Netflix Latinoamérica (2018) [*]

TUA Cast in Behind the Scenes, Video #8 (2020) TUA Cast in Behind the Scenes, Video #8 (2020) (2) TUA Cast in Behind the Scenes, Video #8 (2020) (3) TUA Cast in Behind the Scenes, Video #8 (2020) (4) TUA Cast in Behind the Scenes, Video #8 (2020) (5)

Emmy, Justin and Aidan read The Umbrella Academy (2020)

David and Aidan in S2 BTS Blooper Reel (2020)

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Netflix virtual panel (2021) Virtual panel: Aidan on Five’s growth and humanity (2021) (2) Virtual panel: David on Diego's softer side (2021) (3) Virtual panel: Robert on Klaus' transformation (2021) (4)

David, Justin, Génesis + Oranges, judgement (2021)

Season 3: That’s a wrap! (2021)

Netflix Tudum: The Umbrella Academy S3 (2021) Netflix Tudum: Elliot + Shooting S2 Finale (2021) Netflix Tudum: Emmy + Shooting S2 Finale (2021) Netflix Tudum: David & Rob shenanigans (2021) Netflix Tudum: Rob + His signature dance move (2021) Netflix Tudum: Five’s ‘blinking’ impressions (2021)

Netflix The Umbrella Academy S3 x Bosslogic (2021)

S3 Netflix Geeked Panel: David and Justin (2022) S3 Netflix Geeked Panel: David and Justin (2022) (2)

TUA S3 Press: Emmy, Justin, David and Tom for Buzzfeed (2022)

How Gifs are Made (For people who don’t make gifs)

HD Giffing vs. EZGif test

____________________________

-> { gifset masterpost: The Umbrella Academy here }

Last updated: 29.o6.2o22

[brn1029]

Time for today’s Rock Report, brought to you by Meriwether’s bistro! swing by for, breakfast, brunch lunch or dinner at Meriwether’s Bistro inside Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston. You’ll find bottomless soup and bread for only 8 bucks from 11am till closing! And Join Meriwethers Bistro's loyalty program and get a complimentary dessert or appetizer. Every dollar you spend equals one point and get DOUBLE points during happy hour and Sunday brunch.

Are you newly engaged? Give Sarah a call at Hells Canyon Grand Hotel! Sarah and her team can take the stress out of wedding planning. Call 2 0 8 7 4 8 1 0 5 7 to set up a meeting

The original artwork of the KISS logo, hand drawn and designed by Ace Frehley in 1973, is up for auction.

Frehley unveiled the original logo artwork for the first time in 2011 and discussed its creation in his book, "No Regrets Book." Originally designed by Frehley, the logo was later refined by Paul Stanley. One the most historically significant KISS items ever offered for sale, the original logo artwork has been put up for auction at a starting price of $50,000.

The Rolling Stones have announced that they plan to release a new live collection, Licked Live in NYC on June 10.Tihe collection features the band's complete performance at New York's Madison Square Garden in January 2003. It will also contain four previously unavailable tracks plus three more from an Amsterdam show, as well as a rehearsal footage.

Ringo Starr has announced the second leg of his 2022 Tour with his All Starr Band, consisting of Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Gregg Bissonette, Hamish Stuart and Edgar Winter. This is the second leg of tour dates initially planned for 2020. As previously announced, Ringo will commence the first leg of shows this Spring on May 27 at Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada , and it will conclude on June 26 in Clearwater Florida.

The tour will resume in the Fall on September 23 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and end on October 20 in Mexico City.

[ladyxskywalker]

Tumblr Writer Q&A

tagged by the amazing @a-reader-and-a-writer 💖

open tag for any writer who sees this, feel free to tag yourself ! make a new post ! ☕

1) How many complete fics/one shots do you have(that you have not published (Yet)?

boba fett, cobb vanth, & will miller fics ! one shots that are almost finished, just not sure what to do with them 📖

2) How many WIPS do you have right now?

too many & 1 collab in progress 🌸

3) Do you take writing requests or write original ideas, or both?

both ! when I have free time I will sometimes take prompt or photo requests based on a theme

4) If you do take requests, how many do you currently have?

no requests right now ! but I will be happy to take a few once I *finally* finish this series

5) How many fandoms do you write for?

too many ! star wars, triple frontier, rogue one, multi fandom, etc.

6) Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you no longer write for?

probably 'new amsterdam', I wrote a fic for lauren x leyla during pride month ! & I always wanted to write more for them, so the possibility is not completely off the table !

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts or other?

I write reader inserts, & original poetry. thinking of updating some series to original characters / stories

8) Niche fandoms/characters you write for?

dorian gray (ben barnes), king arthur (charlie hunnam) klaus mikaelson (the originals) duncan vizla, michael kohlhaas, dr. johann, galen erso (mads mikkelsen), new amsterdam, etc.

9) Do you read fics as well as write them?

yes ! as much as I am able to !

10) What is your favorite genre to write for?

romantic fluff, emotional hurt/comfort

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?

I love to read soulmate au fics

12) What do you do to get motivated to write?

listen to a lot of music, get comfortable under a cozy blanket

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write?

I like to read soft smut written by other people, but it's the hardest genre for me to write

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested?

Ezra (prospect, pedro pascal) I always want to write for him, (so badly!) but too afraid now because a lot of people already have that going on

15) How long have you been writing fan fiction?

Summer 2020, I never thought this would be something I would try !

16) Did you read fan fiction before you started writing?

Yes, I used to only read these 3 series that were my favorites. I used to look forward to them every week. I never interacted because I didn't have my blog yet ! Only my main page. I had no idea what to do.

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites as well?

I post on tumblr & ao3 !

18) What do you personally consider the work counts of "Drabble", "One shots" and "fics"?

I guess a drabble to me is anything under 1k, one shot 1k - 4k, fics to me is everything, one shot, a series, long or short

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued? If so, why?

yes 😔 I stopped writing this anakin skywalker series called 'In Another Life' it was a cyberpunk / lost memories au. It was all supposed to be nightlife centric, with body mods, futuristic cool cars, & motorcycles. like most things, there wasn't a lot of interest & I kind of wrote myself into a major plot hole ! If I ever bring it back it will probably be a one shot where the story wraps up.

other ones that kind of fell off for the same reasons were 'Winter in My Heart' with viking!obi wan, a really soft soulmate au, & 'Endlessly' nyc!2008 ben kenobi

21) What is one of your main "pet-peeves" as a writer on Tumblr?

people in the writing community who do not support others

22) Do you write a particular time of day?

mostly late nights, that's usually the only quiet free time that I have, & sometimes I have to stretch my time so thin to either finish something, or spend time catching up on reading

23) Do you listen to music, ambiance/noise, etc to write or do you need silence?

sometimes I listen to instrumental things low in the background, calm acoustic & coffee beats playlists on spotify, or asot radio or tritonal radio

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing?

sometimes I outline dialogue or ideas either before writing, or during

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?

I usually post on Weds, & Sundays, or whenever I finish writing something. If it's very late at night, or if I don't have time to post, I will most likely wait until the next day when I have time !

[winterballads]

I was tagged by @pridesobright @spellboundzouis @going-there-and-back-again @kashyyyyk @queenmevesknickers @wuxien @rnbziamau @lohrendrell in a few ask games, thanks so much darlings! 🦋💖

—four catch-up questions

Last song: Taming a Stray for the hundredth time since I’m currently buried in Gascon Feels™ right up to my ears fsdfsds

Last movie: it’s been too long for me to remember rip, think I haven’t watched a single movie since last Halloween? 😳 

Currently watching: tons of videos about TW3 since apparently spending 400+ hours in this game wasn’t enough lmao

Currently reading: about to start Blood of Elves 💕

—writing snippet

Here I decided to combine the “snippet of something I’m working on” and “last 7 sentences I wrote” ask games 🥰✨ It’s going to be fewer than 7 sentences though, bc I don’t want to reveal too much of my story and it’s very short anyway 👀

A dark shape obscured the silver glow of the moon shining through the window’s faded, distorted glass mosaic. It moved closer… closer… until the window croaked on its rusty hinges, giving a strangled squeak as though in warning.   

Gascon was ready.

His hazel eyes gleamed eerily in the darkness as he leapt towards the opening with silent, graceful steps.

—this or that

sage green or baby blue || moon or stars || paperback or hardback || piercings or tattoos || drawing or writing || saturn or jupiter || line without a hook or mr. loverman (don’t know neither) || ancient greece or ancient egypt || prague or amsterdam || dark academia or light academia || indie aesthetic or cottagecore || stargazing or late night drives || strawberries or watermelons || rings or necklaces || extrovert or introvert || dragons or griffins || ocean or mountain || silver or gold || dawn or dusk || creative or free spirit || early bird or night owl || cook or bake || dagger or sword

—twenty questions

1. Name: Marianne

2. Nickname: Mari or Marie

3. Zodiac sign: cancer through and through haha ♋️

4. Height: about 164 cm

5. Languages: French, English, German, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish 💗

6. Nationality: Canadian 🇨🇦- more specifically Québecer

7. Favourite season: spring

8. Favourite flower: don’t really have one in particular, but some examples include lily of the valley, gardenia and bluebell 💐

9. Favourite scent: my cat’s fur 🥺

10. Favourite colour: mint/sage/emerald green, pink, purple, fuchsia and soft and pastel tones in general 

11. Favourite animal: cats and bats, plus wolves probably? ✨

12. Favourite fictional character(s): no idea how to narrow down my huuuge list to only a few haha, but since I’m mostly into the Witcher fandom atm - Emiel Regis, Geralt of Rivia, Renfri of Creyden, Cerys an Craite, Essi Daven, Gascon Brossard and Queen Meve 🌸💜 

13. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate: tea and hot chocolate 😍

14. Average hours of sleep: around 6-7

15. Dog or cat person: cat 🤧

16. Number of blankets you sleep with: one big fluffy blanket

17. Dream trip: visiting more of Norway (Lofoten, Ålesund, Stavanger, Svalbard, etc.) + going back to Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Finland + travelling to Iceland 😭

18. Blog established: October 2011 dsfsdds

19. Number of followers: 1,900 lovely people 🥰💛

20. Random fact: I hate sea food with a passion lmao

Tagging everyone who tagged me to do any of this + @amantisegreti @technicallysideacc @sunflowrhaz @southfarthing @humble--bard @liamisthesun @mugglemirror 💕

[alonely-dreamer]

Dangerous Creatures | Chapter 36: Dangerous Friends

Summary: Mackenzie and Elijah go to Marcel’s party

Pairing: Elijah x OC

Words: 3314

A/N: Please, note that I am French so there might be some mistakes here and there. I’d like to thank @eywizard for beta reading this chapter for me!

Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23: Part 1 | Chapter 23: Part 2 | Chapter 23: Part 3 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 (Part 1) | Chapter 25 (Part 2) | Chapter 25 (Part 3) | Chapter 26 (Part 1) | Chapter 26 (Part 2 & 3) | Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31 | Chapter 32  | Chapter 33 | Chapter 34 | Chapter 35

On her knees, the seamstress focused on the needle, touching up the pants of her client’s suit as he admired himself in the mirror on his right.

“Damn, I do look good in a suit,” he said, making his friend in the cap laugh.

It wasn’t unusual for the seamstress to answer house calls, no, the only thing unusual about this client was the odd things he said. She felt weird as she focused on her work. She could hear the two men, but not quite comprehend what they were saying to each other, as if the words wouldn’t stick to her brain, turning into an alphabet soup she couldn’t read.

She thought she had heard names, Tina McGreevy and Joshua Rosza. What was the TV saying about them? Perhaps they were missing. No, it wasn’t that. Wait… who were they talking about again? Her mind was foggy and the more she tried to focus, the foggier it got.

“My guy at the docks is gonna come forward as an eyewitness, say he saw those two drunkenly fall into the Mississippi. They’ll be dredging for weeks, no one will come looking around here,” said the man in the cap, whose name she thought started with a ‘T’… Theo? Thibault? No… It was that.

“That’s good, considering one’s dead in a dumpster behind the county morgue and the other one’s a vampire now,” her client said with a chuckle. “Anything else?”

The words danced in her brain, refusing to form a correct sentence, refusing to make sense. As she tried to think back to what had just been said, she inadvertently pricked herself with her needle.

“Ow!”

She sat back on her knees and looked at her bloody finger. The man, whose name she thought might be Mark, crouched before her with a smile.

“Allow me, darling,” he said as he took her hand and brought the injured finger to his mouth.

She let him do it, even though her entire body was screaming at her to get up and go. Her mind was loud with alarms, screaming at her that it wasn’t safe, but she couldn’t say anything, couldn’t do anything but smile. His friend spoke up again.

“I sent four nightwalkers to look into a werewolf sighting in the Quarter. I haven’t heard from them since.”

Mark, or whatever his name was, lost his smile as he let go of her hand and sighed.

“That makes ten dead nightwalkers in the last week. You think the werewolves are back in town trying to start some trouble?”

“Look. I know you and Klaus are friends, but the fact is, since the Originals showed up…”

“Oh, come now, Thierry, you’re not still upset about that little toxic werewolf bite I gave you, are you?”

The seamstress barely registered the stranger who had just come into the fitting room. She felt like she was supposed to ignore him, to ignore them, to silence them out, and so she did.

“I see you’ve given him free rein of your compound now, too,” Thierry said with disappointment and disapproval.

“Yes. Well, seeing as my family and I lived here, built the place, in fact…”

“All right, come on,” Mark, or perhaps his name was Maxwell, interrupted their argument calmly, “you know the drill. Thierry is my guy, inner circle. Klaus is my old-time friend and sire. He’s also a guest here,” he reminded his friend. “Peace, all right?” he asked Thierry who nodded with a grimace. “All right,” he nodded as well. “What do you need, my brother?”

“I don’t need anything, just wanted to let you know Elijah accepted your invitation.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he smiled. “I hope you told him the rules.”

Klaus laughed. “He knows the rules, though I can’t promise he’ll follow them.”

“What about the witch?”

“Mackenzie? She used to love rules, would rather die than break them, actually. Now… not so much. But, no worries,” he added quickly to reassure his friend, “tonight is a party, no one expects a fight.”

“Right,” Marcel smiled unconvinced. “Let’s just have fun, eh?”

 ***

 “So, how’s Matt?” Mackenzie asked, picking up a strawberry from the bowl on the kitchen counter right in front of her.

The cooks were busy cooking food no one asked, or wanted, compelled by Klaus to act like they were serving kings and queens. The kitchen was filled with desserts that Hayley was convinced would make her fatter than her pregnancy.

“Sleeping,” Rebekah’s voice came through the speaker.

“Where are you again?”

“We reached Amsterdam a couple of days ago.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It is actually.”

“So, I guess you’re not gonna be there for my birthday, then…”

“My gift is already in the mail, it should be there in time.”

“I was hoping to see you.”

“Aw, do you miss me?” the Original vampire mocked over the phone.

“Don’t you miss me?”

“Of course, I miss you, but let me tell you, the phone system is definitely one of the best creations in the past century.”

“Yeah, well I was actually hoping to spend my birthday with my friends, you know, but Katherine said she had no intentions of coming anywhere near Klaus ever again, so…”

“So what? I’m your backup friend?”

“I’d have loved to have you both here but since you guys all hate each other, I think it would have just ruined the day.”

“You’re probably right. Just spend the day with Elijah, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to do anything you want. Birthday or not…”

“Fine, don’t come, it’s not like we can actually have a party anyway, in our secret hiding place away from Marcel…”

“Why don’t you just come join me in Europe? Leave Nik alone, he doesn’t deserve your help…”

“Well, that’s true, but I can’t just leave Hayley here alone with him…”

“You’re right, that sounds like a particularly cruel thing to do.”

“Anyway, have fun in Amsterdam then.”

“And you have fun at that party of yours, show Marcel what you’re capable of.”

“And how do you suggest she does that, Rebekah?” Elijah asked as he entered the kitchen.

Mackenzie smiled as she saw him, and leaned into him as he went to place a kiss in her hair.

“Brother, finally, you deign to talk to your poor sister…”

The Original rolled his eyes. “You’re always so dramatic, sister.”

“That bastard little thief stole our city and declared himself King, maybe you should show him he’s nothing but an ingrate little…”

“Alright, alright,” Mackenzie cut her off with a chuckle. “It’s a charity dinner, ‘bekah. We’re expecting champagne, good food, and dancing, nothing more.”

“You’re so boring. No wonder Kol hasn’t come around to visit you.”

“Ouch,” Mackenzie frowned. “Now you’re just being mean.”

“Heard from him recently?”

“He’s somewhere in Brazil, I believe,” Elijah answered.

“What the bloody hell is he doing there?”

“Who knows what our brother’s got in his head.”

“You got that right… Well, Matt is waking up, I have to go.”

They said their goodbyes before hanging up, Mackenzie still eating from the bowl of strawberries that was almost empty now.

“Do you even want to go to this thing?” she asked.

“No. But Marcel must have something in mind, and I’d hate to go against his plans.”

She smirked. “That’s so nice of you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I am very nice,” he whispered before placing a kiss on her lips. “In fact, I have many nice things I want to do to you right now.”

“Ew, please, stop.”

The couple turned towards the kitchen doorstep to find Hayley standing there with a look of disgust on her face. Mackenzie rolled her eyes playfully as she took a step back from the vampire.

“What can we do for you, Hayley?” Elijah asked the newest member of the Mikaelson family.

“Nothing, I just came to stuff my face with the biggest cake I could find…”

“We’ll leave you to it then,” he nodded before he gently took Mackenzie’s hand and led her out of the room under Hayley’s uncomfortable gaze.

 ***

 So far, everything was going well. Elijah and his witch were behaving remarkably, the Original had already signed a check, and had been dancing with his companion ever since. Klaus was right. They looked unbearably in love. The silver satin dress she was wearing was remarkable as well, no doubt a gift from Elijah, and it complemented her set of diamond jewelry best. A swiss blue topaz gemstone rested above her cleavage, the necklace looked ancient, royal, almost, as if it had belonged to a generation of royalty and had somehow found its way to her. He figured many “lost” jewels had found their way in the Mikaelson collection over the years. He watched them carefully, tried to eavesdrop on them too, but they were smarter than to believe they’d get any privacy in a room full of vampires, and kept their conversation as polite and as normal as possible, as if they knew they had an audience. Eventually, Marcel had better things to do than to spy on the two lovers, and even managed to completely forget about them as Cami had finally joined the party.

“They spend their nights and days with Klaus - you’d think they’d be used to the presence of an Original by now,” Mackenzie complained about the pairs of eyes that hadn’t left them ever since they had entered the compound.

Marcel had gone above and beyond for this party. Dancers, acrobats, the finest chefs and the finest champagne… All the guests were having a great time and were happy to open their wallets to the charity of the night.

“I don’t think they’ll ever get used to us,” Elijah replied. “After all the stories they’ve heard about us, we were a myth to them until we arrived here.”

Mackenzie scoffed, wondering how long it would take for her irritation to turn into something more dangerous.

“If only they knew…” Elijah started.

“If only they knew what?”

“If only they knew they were worrying about the wrong person,” he grinned with pride.

She smirked back and nodded as she looked around at Marcel’s nightwalkers. “Indeed.”

That’s when she saw it, or rather him, a vampire she had come to learn was named Diego, entering the party wearing a shirt and jeans and an unhappy look on his face.

“Looks like something’s wrong,” she said as she watched him approach Marcel, obviously nervous about interrupting his time with Cami.

Diego whispered something into Marcel’s ear, and they could see on his face something was wrong indeed. Marcel started looking around and stopped as he found Elijah and Mackenzie surrounded by dancing couples. He frowned before he made their way to them.

“Something wrong, Marcellus?”

“Yes, actually, Elijah, something is wrong. Where’s Klaus?”

“I’m right here,” the hybrid said as he appeared behind him.

“Good, come with me.”

The three Mikaelsons looked at each other with an amused curiosity. Whatever was wrong, it wasn’t their problem, and if it bothered Marcel that much, it meant it was probably a good thing for them.

They followed him out of the compound, heard him order Diego to find as many nightwalkers as he could and join them at a place he called the Traps, which is where he was taking them.

“For a week now, my guys have been dying,” Marcel started his explanation. “There’s a werewolf in town who’s been killing my nightwalkers, and a witch or two have been helping it, using magic, undetected,” he informed them, barely concealing his anger.

“How is that our problem?” Elijah asked, not bothering to hide his lack of curiosity.

“Rumors are you’re at fault.”

“If we were killing your people we wouldn’t make a secret of it,” Mackenzie said in all honesty.

Marcel stopped in his tracks and turned towards her. Unbothered by his anger, almost bored, and definitely annoyed, she raised an eyebrow at him, defying him to attempt anything.

“Is that so?”

“That is so,” she confirmed, her eyes falling on Thierry standing behind him. “Want me to prove it?”

Marcel stared at her, put all of his anger in his eyes, tried to see something as she stared back, anything on her face, even just a little bit of fear, but he saw nothing. What the hell could she have gone through that had made her so tough? Or maybe it was arrogance? No, it wasn’t just that. She had something, she was someone, someone powerful, who wasn’t afraid of him, because he was no threat to her. Not only did she have Elijah’s protection, but she also didn’t need it, and that was scarier than Klaus himself, and as he finally found fear, it was unfortunately not hers, but his own.

“You were taking us somewhere?” Elijah eventually said after a minute of silence.

Marcel was trying to calm himself down, trying not to let the smirk that had appeared on the girl’s face get to him. He regained his composure, and his usual bright smile came and replaced the angry look on his face.

“But, as you are here, now I know you had nothing to do with the attacks on my men, and I thought we could go and see for ourselves who’s been causing so much trouble in my town,” he said as if he were offering them something.

“Sounds like a party,” Klaus smiled maliciously, encouraging Elijah and Mackenzie to relax.

Diego and a dozen nightwalkers had found them before they had even reached the Traps, and signs of a fight could be heard from down the street. Mackenzie could sense a werewolf and at least two witches inside, and vampires, dying one after the other.

Marcel gave Diego the order to attack, to kill whoever it was that was killing his own men in his own town. Among the screams of rage and fear were laughs - laughs Elijah and Mackenzie thought they recognized. She looked up at him and the look on his face confirmed her doubts. He heard it too, but she also felt it. A smile creeped onto her face.

“Call back your men before they all get killed,” she said, and he heard the amusement in her tone.

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s only advice.”

“Advice you should seriously consider,” Elijah added.

But Marcel shook his head no and ordered more of his men to go in with him. They couldn’t even see what was happening inside. The bar had no window, only a door that was now broken. But they could hear everything that was happening and that was enough to give them an idea of the scene. Mackenzie chuckled, seriously debating whether or not to intervene.

“Perhaps we should do something,” Elijah suggested.

“What is going on?” Klaus asked, obviously irritated he was left in the dark.

Mackenzie smiled as she moved to go inside. She snapped the necks of every vampire there with a wave of a hand, and they all fell to the ground. All but Marcel. The bar was completely destroyed. Only a couple of chairs and tables were still standing, but most of them had been used as a stake and were now resting in the hearts of a dozen vampires. She walked past a temporarily dead Diego and took in the scene.

A man, the werewolf, was standing at the end of the room, with blood dripping from his mouth, holding a stake in his right hand, the broken chair he had ripped it off of in his other. He smiled at her as he saw her, the blood on his face made him look funny and she held back a laugh. A blonde witch was near him, waving at her, her free hand magically pinning a vampire to the ceiling. The last witch sat on the bar, her hair, her face, her outfit spotless, as if she hadn’t been part of the fight at all, but Mackenzie knew she had the highest body count.

“Mackenzie!” they all greeted in unison.

Her smile grew bigger and a laugh escaped her. “What are you guys doing here?”

“We came for your birthday, of course,” Olivia said as she jumped off the bar.

God, Mackenzie thought. She looked so much like Margo.

“Mom says hello.”

“Does her Majesty know you’re here?” Elijah asked as he stepped inside the bar with his brother.

“Of course,” Felicity answered as she let go of the vampire she was holding against the ceiling. He fell with a cry, and her boyfriend seized the opportunity to stake him.

Marcel would have stopped him and killed them all, or died trying, if Mackenzie didn’t have him pinned to the wall.

“Lying to Margo is a very bad idea,” Oliver said.

Olivia gave Mackenzie a hug and whispered in her ear: “Heidi says hi.”

Mackenzie’s heart skipped a bit and as she backed away to look at the Princess, the witch winked. Elijah frowned.

“We have so many gifts,” Felicity said as she hugged the elemental.

“You don’t turn twenty-years-old every day,” Oliver continued as he approached them.

“Who are you?” Klaus asked dryly, tired of being left out.

“Klaus, these are my friends from Germany,” she introduced them, “guys, this is Klaus.”

“Well, you definitely picked the more handsome brother,” Oliver winked at her and was rewarded by his girlfriend’s elbow in his ribs.

Elijah chuckled. “You’ve been here for a week?”

“Yeah, we got here early, we wanted to meet the um…” Oliver stopped himself. “You know…”

“How do you know about it?” Mackenzie questioned.

“The oracles told mom. I mean, it’s not something you see every day.”

Of course the oracles would know about Hayley and the baby. It made them wonder who else knew, and if they needed to be more cautious.

“It’s just werewolf curiosity,” Oliver shrugged.

“Are Heidi and Alexander going to be joining us?” Elijah asked.

“And are they going to kill more of my guys?” Marcel worried.

“Not their type,” Mackenzie informed him.

“To be fair we wouldn’t have killed anyone if they had left us alone,” Felicity said.

“But they went on about how werewolves are forbidden in the Quarter, and that really pisses a werewolf off, if you know what I mean,” Oliver growled.

“Werewolves are forbidden in the Quarter,” Marcel snarled.

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“And you are?”

“I suggest you stick to giving your own men orders,” Olivia said with royal authority, “you are no match for us, as you can see.”

“We don’t take orders from vampires,” Oliver added salt to injury.

“I heard witches weren’t allowed to do magic in their own town,” Felicity continued, “another one of your rules, I suppose?”

“Shall we kill him?” Olivia wondered.

Klaus laughed. “Please, my friend here has been ruling over the Quarter for decades now, he’s just doing his job.”

“If his job consists of stopping witches from practicing their craft and hunting werewolves, then he is an unfit ruler and a change of leadership is needed,” Olivia said. “A good ruler promotes peace among all, and if you’re unable or too weak to achieve that, then you must be replaced.”

“I think there’s been enough killing for one night,” Elijah tried to defuse the situation. “Why don’t we take you to our place, so you can rest?”

“As you wish,” Olivia nodded. “We could use a home for the remainder of our stay.”

“I’ll let my brother show you to our place,” Klaus showed them out of the bar. “I will stay and help my friend clean up this place.” He gave them an obvious fake smile that neither of the three companions paid any mind to.

Mackenzie and Elijah looked at each other knowingly. Here went Klaus’ good mood.

**********

[lovelettersforthevoid]

All questions with an even number

2. Album of the year? Leprous - Aphelion. Used to listen to Leprous a lot a few years ago, then they made some albums I really didn't enjoy, and now they came back in all their glory with Aphelion. Mhhh superb 👌

4. Movie of the year? Dune, since it's the only movie I've seen in theater this year. Absolutely loved the visuals and the sound design and it actually gave me an idea of the overwhelming power and mightiness of space and the universe. Something Star Wars and Star Trek never had accomplished for me.

6. Episode of tv or webisode that defined the year for you? TV shows haven't shaped me as much as some YouTube videos have, and since this is the platform where I spend most of my time online I'm gonna focus on videos/channels that were important to me this year:

'Ask a Mortician - Let's Visit the Human Composting Facility' this has honestly been life changing for me. The idea of being burned or buried in a coffin never sat right with me. I always wanted to become a tree or something. Continuing as a part of nature. And this procedure makes that possible in the most natural and spiritual way. Given back to the earth that nurished you and gave you a home seems like the most fulfilling thing one can do after they have died.

Mr. Beast's Squid Game Video and the behind the scenes to that. This is just something that's way mind-blowing to me on a technical level and production standpoint. The fact that YouTube productions are at a point where they have hundreds of people behind the scenes and especially a whole VFX team just makes me speechless. And I find it even more impressive that they used Unreal for all of it. Unreal Engine is literally changing so much in the industry right now.

'Not Just Bikes' Definitely my favorite channel of the year. I never thought that urban planning and design could be so interesting. Especially when you look at the US and see how faulty it is and how it affects so many parts of life and the system itself. I've been planning to move to the Netherlands for a long time now, and this whole channel just strengthens that idea

8. Game of the year? Definitely 'Half-Life: Alyx'. Just standing in a basic room within the game and looking around makes me speechless. And the interactions are the stuff of dreams.

12. Talk about a new friend you made this year. A girl at Uni. And it's just a stupid situation because she is just as interested in nerdy stuff like me but she just started her studies and I'm going to write my master's thesis next semester. It's a shame that we won't have the opportunity to work on something together.

10. Something that made you cry this year? My grandpa's passing. It was the first time for me that someone within my close family has died. Really made me think a lot about death, aging and time passing.

14. Favorite book you read this year? Eeeeerrrrmm, about that...

16. Post a picture from the beginning of the year

18. A memorable meal this year? Seven course dinner at a michelin cook's restaurant for my boyfriend's birthday. Simply unbelievable. Things I've never tasted before. A truly memorable experience. 10/10 recommend

20. What’s something you learned this year? I learned a lot this year. About myself and the world. But with the crisis we are currently in I learned that people are fucking stupid. They scream freedom and you wave it in front of them and they wouldn't be able to see it. Fuck all of you virus deniers and morons against vaccines. May you choke on your fucking ego.

22. Favorite place you visited this year? Visited Amsterdam twice this year and I will visit it again for New Year's. I'm just in love with this city. Every time I go there I already feel like I'm home.

24. Did you keep any New Year’s Resolutions? I didn't even make any. I never do tbh. I just try to do my best in general.

That was a lot, thanks for the questions ✌️

[lovesaadiqa]

BBL Costs, Prep + Recovery

Im booked!!  I talked to a few friends who I know either got this surgery or is getting this done.  I wanted one since forever but I wanted my teeth done first.  The deciding factor came down to my birthday plans.  

Originally I was going to do a birthday tour.  First weekend of October in Miami for carnival, 2nd weekend in Atl for Freak Nik, 3rd weekend in Bahamas and finally Nola for the finale.  Well Nola was just hit with a storm so yeah that’s out. Once I totaled up the flights, hotels, food and spending money.. I was like hmm, I can get a fat ass and started this process.  Immediately looked into surgeon and Dr. Pena was my favorite, his bodies come out so mf snatched, he’s located in Columbia.  Columbian surgeons can take out way more fat than American doctors however, the fatality rate is stupid and ultimately the factor that made me choose an American doctor.  

The next step was choosing the surgeon for the body I have and the one I want.  I weigh 151 and im 5′6″ I’m considered a “skinny bbl”.  I started researching doctors in Atlanta (so I could recover at home) and Miami (like duh).  I chose to go with Dr. Desouza in Miami with CG Cosmetics for a few reasons.  First, I love the look of his skinny bbl’s on other women with the same body type, weight and height as me.  Secondly, he was having a special for the end of the year (lipo 360, bbl, jplasma for $6500 for the surgeon I wanted) this almost sold me but it was the surgery date!!  Jplasma is skin tightening procedure to help with loose skin, you can only get this with lipo.  When they perform lipo they created canals under your skin to remove the fat.. well those same canals are essential when getting Jplasma.

Ok so I decided on the surgeon, contacted the cosmetic group and had a consultation which is pretty much just front, side and back view pictures.. I think they use this to make sure you don’t need a tummy tuck prior to surgery.  They also asked me questions about previous surgeries and if i’ve ever had anesthesia.  The next step went pretty quickly, we talked about what would be lipo’d (abs, waist, back.. I wanted inner thighs, an additional 2k, but was advised to wait on my pre-op to decide), when I wanted to book and how I'd pay.  My consult was on August 30th.. I bitched up when she attempted to take my payment.  I am a money hoarder and spending that much money made me feel like I was being financially irresponsible.  I called one of my Aunt’s who I felt wouldn’t judge me and also give me sound advise.  We talked about my fears, why I was getting the procedure and of course money.  My Aunt gave me excellent advice, reassured me and is a professional CNA who offered to accompany me so yeah I dare not turn that down, lol.  August 31, 2021, I called my coordinator (the contact between me and my surgeon) and told her I wanted to book, she asked me when I’d be ready and I requested first available which was 9/20/21!! Excited is an understatement.. I'd be 24 days post op on my birthday.  After I calmed down I paid in full for multiple reasons:  had to in order to secure the date, all surgeries book in this year had to be paid in full, it was the only way to get the discount.. My coordinator gave me so much information I couldn’t see straight (I was also high as shit off life thinking about a fat ass and me in the same sentence).. she emailed + texted everything, congratulated me and we hung up.

I get the emails:  “raise you hemoglobin with these vitamins” I purchased vitamin C $2, folic acid $2, iron $3 and floradix $35 - amazon, I take them as directed on the bottle and start eating my ass off (just to give my surgeon more to work with, lol).  Talking to one of my gf’s I realize I have to be cleared for surgery?!?!  What?  I open my email and sure enough I have to have blood work done 15-20 prior to surgery, it was 9/3 and a Friday.. SHIT!! I fly over to an Piedmont Wellstreet urgent care facility as recommended by my friend (she started this process as well so I was crazy grateful for her experience and that she shared it with me).  Urgent care was full but opened the next day, my ass was in that line at 7:32 am, I was the 13th person in line and they opened at 8.  I get to the desk and my appointment is at 10:30 and I'd have to pay the office visit fee to be seen, it was $155.  I came back at my allotted time and was told how much all of my labs would be.. $302.  My labs were to be processed and faxed to my surgeon by 9/9 because Labor Day weekend so.. yeah.  

I discuss accommodations with my Aunt and realize it’s cheaper, safer and more beneficial for me to go to a recovery house.  I search high and low baby and most of them were booked.. found one regardless with lymphatic massages included called Flawless Recovery House.  This wasn’t my 1st-6th option but the one with availability on my surgery date so I paid a deposit to hold onto my spot.  Total was $1312 for 5 days with 5 massages, I paid a $200 deposit.  Next, I booked my flight, round trip $116 with Delta.  My surgery date is on a Monday, I have to have my pre-op done on the Saturday prior so I booked a hostel from the 18th-20th on booking.com for $66.  I know I could have gotten an airbnb or hotel room but I wanted this experience.  I want to go to Amsterdam and stay in a hostel so I need to know what to expect.  Also I cannot party, smoke, drink or eat before surgery so fuck it.. a hostel will do, lol. 

I smoke big fucking weed and watched someone else’s bbl journey today and realize if I fail the drug test, my surgery will be cancelled and it’ll cost me $1500 to reschedule.  Boy the shit sent me into panic mode like I've never experienced before, only to find out the weed isn’t the issue nicotine is, it slows down your heart rate.  I can smoke weed just not out of a wood or a rillo and nicotine takes 3-4 days to get out of your system so a bitch barely made it.  I just won't be smoking until I get back home lol.  Just to be super informative no alcohol, diabetic meds, cocaine, pcp or anything that will fool with your heart or makes your bleed.  Today is 9/11 and im one week out from my pre-op... my body is a joke cause I haven’t gained a single pound and normally it’s nothing for me to put on weight.  I took my acrylics off, when you’re put to sleep they monitor your oxygen levels with those clamps they put on your fingers and they aren't the most accurate when you have on dark polish or acrylics.  I also cannot wear lashes cause when they go to fill this ass in I'll be laying flat on my face.  I mean my hair didn’t have requirements but I figure since im naked I might as well be bald.. y'all should see me rn, I look very much like a young man but im hype.  I’ll be back later to tell y'all what I pack and purchase prior to my flight.  Imma put the dates at the end of each update.. today is 9/11/21

My surgery group send me list of supplies  that I would need and the cost came to roughly $1100.  Naive me was definitely going to purchase everything on the list from them until I saw Leslie’s (@prettyhaute - on ig) bbl vlog.  I went on amazon and got away with murder.  Below I’ll list what I purchased and the price I paid versus what the surgery center was quoting me.

Faja - I paid $74.69 - Quoted $160.50 || BBL Pillow - $26.99 - Qouted $42.80 || Arnica pills - $8.95 - Quoted $37.45 || Compression socks - $13.99 for 3 - Quoted $10.70 for 1 || Foams - $17.99 for 3 - Quoted $64.20 for 3 || Scar Cream  $$29.82 - Quoted $80.25 || Arnica Gel - $7.92 - Quoted $21.40 || 

There a shit ton of items on the suggested list that I didn't purchase but way more items that wasn’t on the list I still need for instance:

Crocs, benadryll, robe, adult diapers, straws, earplugs, liquid iv, stool softener, antiseptic body wash, avocado float, back board, urinal, pineapple juice, throat calm, 3 moo-moo’s and a massage roller (the crocs are the only thing on this list that cost more than $20).  My flight is at 7:15a tomorrow and im so damn nervous but excited.  I will spend Saturday and Sunday gallivanting around Miami and then body , ody, ody, ody, ody, ody.  I still have to send my entire itinerary to my aunt but I think im all set.  9/17/21

Pre-op was packed but I went on Saturday and was in and out in an hour.  I was charged for a covid $80, 3 post-op massages $150 and a drug test $20.  I went over my clearance paper work with a medical assistant who also took 9 before pics of me.  Keep in mind, your surgery can be cancelled or reschedule if all of you labs aren’t at the surgery center on pre-op day.  I cannot stress how important it is to take your labs with you!!!  Mine were faxed over from urgent care but I was also provided copies which I took with me.  The photos were sent directly to my surgeon to analyze before surgery.  From my knowledge, I was also to be fitted for my faja but that never happened, do NOT leave pre-op without a faja!!! I paid for 3 massages from CG totaling $150 which I regret badly.  I do NOT recommend getting massages from the surgery center.  There are 4-5 different surgeons performing surgeries on any given day and they do at minimum 4 surgeries per day, that’s at least 15-20 different girls with the same surgery and post-op date.  CG had 2 massage therapists to drain 15-20 girls.  I was drained for 9 mins, your drain massages should last at least 45 mins for maximum drainage.  I only used 1 of the 3 massages I paid for and was denied a refund.  That is a huge downside to CG once they have your money good fucking luck getting it back! Ps. Ellie was a royal fucking cunt!!!!!  She told my medical assistant that I didn’t need a faja so I was never fitted for one and woke up out of surgery with a binder on versus a faja like I should have.  I wanted to slap the shit out of her and took the charge on the chin but I wanted my surgery so I refrained.. I was put on a 12 hour fast and contacted an hour after pre-op with my surgery address and time.  My fast started at 7pm the day before surgery and my surgery time wa at 6:30a, there was a $300 for showing up to surgery late.  All I could bring to surgery was compression socks and a faja (that I didn’t have), I was instructed to bathe with dial (the orange one) before surgery to make sure my incisions weren’t infected, no lotion, perfume, deodorant, makeup, nails, lashes, no jewelry/piercing or hair products and no personals ie, purse money, wallet also you will need a companion or surgery will be cancelled.  I’ll upload all my paperwork at the end.   Surgery day arrive at the surgery center at 6:15 am how about the entire fucking staff was late!  Bitch I was outside in Miami alone with compression socks on and a moo moo, LIVID.  No one arrived until 7:10 am, baby I wanted to kill everyone but fuck it, it was go time.  I’m escorted to a room, changed into a paper gown, piss tested, my labs were reviewed again and finally my surgeon comes in!  We were in the exam room alone which was weird cause I was asshole naked but he kept it 1000% professional, he asked me what I wanted and I say “the fattest ass” he looked me dead in my eyes without a single hesitation and said “it’ll heal like a diaper”  LMAO.  I showed him areas that I wanted lipo’d to death and he marked me up, I didn’t aka e picture of my mark ups but shit was rolling by then, he walked out I put my paper gown back on and the anesthesiologist walked in.  I expressed my biggest concerns to him, I didn’t want to die and I didn’t want to wake up during surgery.  He explain why the drug test was so important because certain street drugs will have adverse effect with the anesthesia.  My anesthesiologist walked me up to the surgery room and I hopped on the table, they put massage boots on both of my feet and inserted an iv, the mask was put on my face and my heart rate went to heaven, I wanted to shit myself bro.  The anesthesiologist told me to make a tight fist, I asked what time it was, 8:08am.. I woke up to a nurse helping me into a wheelchair with a binder around my waist and I was scream crying because my entire body ached, I didn't know where I was and the anesthesia is no hoe.  I was escorted to my recovery house’s transportation van and taken to my damn bed.  

I chose Flawlesss Recovery House with Ms. Opal.  I paid a $200 deposit before 2 weeks before surgery and the balance the day I left.  I opted for a 5 day stay.  I loved it there bro and couldn’t imagine trying to recover at a hotel or air bnb!  There were nurses there 24-7, I was roomed with one other girl but the house had a total of 4 bedrooms, one of which no one occupied and the door was always shut but my room was the only room with 2 beds, the others had 3 beds.  I had a call button, it was love, the nurses came expeditiously when I rang it.  They made 3 home cooked meals per day and I don’t eat meat, they accommodated me with no hesitation.  I loved it man.  So couple hours after surgery I attempted to use the bathroom on my own and blacked out, the anesthesia is really fucking strong and took an entire day to wear off (for me), the nurses helped me pee in a cup until then.  Post op day 9/21/21, I went in to make sure I looked good, got a faja finally and received that lousy as drain.  Back to the recovery house I was able to walk finally w/o passing out and in went my foams, I also could pee by myself with the use of a urinal.  I was constipated for 2 days, first bowel movement was on post op day 2. I paid for an independent massage therapist named Tatiana, she used a ultrasound machine to massage me so I cancelled her.  When I took my faja off for my massage it was washed and dried by the time I was done, I took a shower and put my faja on with my foams.  I cancelled Tatiana because don’t let nobody use no machine on you until you are at least 2 weeks post op, hand massages only.  All the girls were getting massaged by the literal best massage therapist (in my opinion) her name is Brittany, I could cry she was EVERYTHING, I was tender but she put the painful massage theory to bed!  She taught me how to drain myself and how to open my incisions without the q-tip looking thing.  In 45 mins she drained 5 of those doggy pad things worth of fluid off of me.  I received 4 massages in 5 days.  I left on Saturday 9/25/2021 on Sunday, back in Atlanta, I received my 5th massage and that when I was told I have not one but 2 seromas.  I swear on everything I love it was because everyone wakes up from surgery with a faja on but not me (Fuck you Ellie, lil bitch) I had on a binder (its what they use for tummy tucks).  The lady who did my 1st massage in Atlanta was Bri, not gone post her ig cause she did a damn good massage but when I asked her to syringe drain me the good sis stuck this long ass needle in my seroma but could get the fluid out, cancelled her too (the massage was good asf tho but nah).  Tired and tried I bit the bullet and booked a packed with Dream Body ($455 for 5 massage, I think, don’t quote me look it up on there site and follow them on ig)  because they are the biggest name in Atlanta, Jayda Wayda goes to them.  The  most painful massage yet, yes Michelle lil ass is so strong but she will get the fluid up off you.  She made me tear up bad and no matter how much I screamed or even tried to push her off of me she understood the assignment, Michelle helped me get back into my faja after my massage and told me my faja was too big and to have it altered.  She recommended a lady on ig @siri2sir but to know me is to know I altered my shit myself.  Allow me to tell y'all, I look good asf!!!!!!! 10/4/2021 

[silvermist-11]

Favorite scenes from my top ships - Part I

1. Jane and Michael

Show: Jane the Virgin

Season: 2

Episode: 17

Jane: I love you so much.

Narrator: So, I guess we're back to gushing levels.

Jane: And I'm not just gushing because I'm drunk, I'm gushing because... I've been having trouble with my vows. Distilling what to say and... Tonight I realized it's simple. With you. You make me feel safe. In the BEST WAY. And my mom kept telling me to lose control, but I couldn't until you got here. Because I know you're watching over me, instead of me always having to watch over everyone else. So tonight is not my last night of freedom, it's my FIRST night of freedom. And that's what I'm going to put in my vows. [...]

Michael: Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I've been feeling a little stuck, and I figured out why during my massage... I realized that some things are only meant for certain people to hear. [...] And when it comes to my feelings for you, you're the only person that I want to share those with. So I was wondering if... Maybe we didn't put the vows in the program but instead I told you them right now.

Jane: Yes. Yes, please.

Michael: Jane,

Jane: Yeah?

Narrator: Sorry, but remember, he wants these to be private. You'll just have to take my word for it: They. Were. PERFECT.

2. Chloe and Clark

Show: Smallville

Season: 8

Episode: 20

Clark: Who is this?

Chloe: Clark, it's Chloe. I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay.

Clark: Chloe? Where are you?!

Chloe: Davis and I are gone, but please don't try and find us. Okay? We're fine.

Clark: You think that you're safe, Chloe, but you aren't. You are not safe with him!

Chloe: I'm sure everyone's fitting me for a straight-jacket right now, but, Clark, I do know what I'm doing. And I knew that if I told you any sooner that you would’ve found a way to stop me, so... But, everything I've ever done, right or wrong, I did for YOU.

Clark: By running away? Admit it, Chloe. You have feelings for Davis, that's why you're protecting him.

Chloe: Clark, I'm protecting YOU! I meant what I said. Condemning Davis to a life as that monster is worse than killing him.

Clark: But what about you, Chloe? Chloe, I'm gonna spend every second looking for you. I will find a way to save you!

Chloe: Clark, you're not here to save one person, you're here to save all of us.

Clark: And you think sacrificing yourself will help me do that? Chloe, you're wrong! You're wrong, Chloe!

Chloe: I must have thrown a million green rocks away, and I have never really saved you. NOW I CAN.

Clark: Chloe, listen to me. This is your life that we're talking about. Don't do this!

Chloe: Clark, if there's one lesson I've learned from you, it's that choosing the greater good is NEVER A SACRIFICE.

3. Max and Helen

Show: New Amsterdam

Season: 2

Episode: 13

Helen: Hell of a day.

Max: Yeah.

Helen: Burden me.

Max: I don't know what Georgia would've wanted. We were so busy trying to save our marriage and deal with my cancer I didn't even ask her... The flowers... I just feel like I got the flowers wrong.

Helen: They were beautiful.

Max: The funeral home, they... They send options, and, you know, I... I just let them choose them. What if...

Helen: Max, you've got to forgive yourself.

Max: Maybe I thought if I can prepare everyone else, then I could.

Helen: And?

[Max doesn’t answer]

Helen: What do you want? When the time comes?

Max: You don't have to.

Helen: Well, someone should know [smiles softly].

Max: Luna. By my side, singing to me. Even if I can't hear it. I just wanna feel that she's there.

Helen: I'll tell her.

Max: What... What about you?

Helen: How about we just throw a big party and call it a day?

Max: What kind of party are we talking? Uh... Piñatas or clowns?

Helen: [Laughs] I was thinking more dancing.

Max: Dancing? Okay. So, like tango or merengue? See, you gotta be specific so I get it right.

Helen: Oh, so you're in charge?

Max: Someone should be.

4. Madison and Kevin

Show: This Is Us

Season: 5

Episode: 1

Kevin: Madison, do you trust me? Despite all my broken parts, you... ...You believe in me?

Madison: I DO.

Kevin: [Gets up and holds her hand] Our babies are gonna be fine. They're gonna be fine. And I know that sounds crazy, but I can see it. We're gonna have two beautiful, healthy babies, and they're gonna be amazing. And we're gonna be amazing parents. TOGETHER. The hell with it, I say we just get married. Let's shock the world and get married. We'll live happily ever after, all that, just... [Whispers] I can't tell what you're thinking.

5. Claire and Shaun

Show: The Good Doctor

Season: 4

Episode: 20

Claire: I’m never quite sure what you’re thinking.

Shaun: Many things... That I’m sad. That this airport is the only one I’ve been to without a Cinnabon.

Claire: [Laughs]

Shaun: That people need to move forward. That… I hope you’re moving forward.

Claire: [Crying] I think I am, Shaun.

Shaun: What do we do now?

Claire: I don’t know [frustratedly chuckles].

Shaun: I’ve never hugged you, Claire.

Claire: [Smiles]

[Shaun gives Claire an emotional hug. When they off the hug, Claire sniffs heavily and takes a deep breath before walking away]