#the affair 402

[babysukiii]

the rooms are all on fire (every time that you walk in)

// melissa has a thing for her new neighbor, but she refuses to let it go too far because of the age difference. though, the redhead might realize how deep her feelings go once it’s too late. //

warnings: insecure!melissa, reader is so painfully in love with melissa it’s hilarious, melissa is an idiot who can’t handle emotions, pining, mutual pining, jealous!reader, jealous!melissa, brief gary x melissa (they go on one date), reader is in her twenties.

melissa knows right away that she doesn’t like you. you’re too young, too loud, too perky, too nice. you had moved in across the hall from her a couple months ago, and had knocked on her door the same day you moved in. you had this big smile on your face, along with this large tupperware of brownies. though, in your defense it had not been a good day for melissa. her ex husband had just revealed he had an affair while they were still married, and even though she no longer loved joe, it still hurt.

“who the hell are you?” she asks, as soon as she swings the door open. your smile doesn’t even falter, and it’s the most annoying thing melissa has ever seen. “i’m y/n! i just moved into the apartment across the hall. i just wanted to introduce myself and give you these.” your western accent indicated you were far from home, and the positive energy radiating off of you only seemed to put melissa in a worse mood than she already was. you hand her the tupperware of brownies, and she scowls.

“we don’t really introduce ourselves to neighbors ‘round here. your lucky you didn’t knock on 402’s door. he’s a creep.” she mutters as she takes the tub of sweets. “oh. thanks for the warning.” you joke, and you tilt your head to side, “i never got your name.” you add and she snorts. “cause i never gave it, kid.” she responds curtly before shutting the door right in your face.

that was your first impression of melissa. it was enough to make any sane person steer clear of her… but you weren’t necessarily a sane woman. you were usually up before eleven every morning to go on a run or do a small workout. one morning you wake up extra early, and catch the redhead in the elevator. you don’t appear to notice the way her eyes roam up your tight leggings, and small zipped up sweater that clung to your body. “good morning, neighbor.” you greet her, and she keeps this stone cold expression etched onto her features.

“morning.” she flatly responds, clearly uninterested. “did you like the brownies?” you inquire curiously, as the elevator door closes behind you. “i’m not a fan of chocolate. i prefer pumpkin or apple.” she bluntly replies, and you don’t let her attitude discourage you. in fact, you visibly pep up at the newly found information. “i love pumpkin cinnamon rolls. next time i make some, i’ll bring some over for you.” you say, as the elevator door opens. “i’ll see ya around, neighbor! have a good day.” you call out as you rush towards the exit of the building. melissa rolls her eyes as the elevator doors close, and she continues her way to the parking garage.

your perkiness in the mornings was something melissa couldn’t adjust to. she didn’t want to. as soon as you realized the redhead was in the elevator every morning at 7:20, you were there as well. it was borderline obsessive in the redheads opinion, and she couldn’t stand that dopey grin on your face whenever you’d see her. it was like clockwork. she’d get in the elevator, click on the floor for the parking garage, and you’d squeeze in before the doors closed. she was beginning to consider taking the stairs.

she wasn’t sure how you knew when she was home, but on friday evening, she was in the middle of making dinner when a knock on the door caused her to knock over an open bottle of water. “shit! fuck— i’m comin’!” she yells out frustratedly as she makes her way to the front door. when she opens it, there you are with that stupid smile on your face. this time you’re holding a plate with a large slice of sweet bread on it, with icing slathered on top. it was saran wrapped cutely on the white plate.

“pumpkin cinnamon bread, with cream cheese icing.” your voice is light, and you’re gazing up at her with these big innocent eyes; just begging for her approval. there’s hopefulness laced into your orbs, and not even melissa has the heart to turn this away. “pumpkin in april… thanks kid.” she mutters, and if she thought your smile was big before… it seems to illuminate with her backhanded compliment. maybe it was the fact that one of her favorite students made her a painting in art class, and she was feeling particularly mushy today.

“you like pasta?” she asks you blandly, still sounding indifferent about your sudden intrusion on her dinner making. you nod eagerly, “yup! i haven’t had it in ages though… i don’t know any good italian spots around here, and i can’t cook to save my life.” you confess sheepishly, and she nods as she turns around and disappears into the apartment. she leaves her door wide open, and you stand there, clearly confused. “well, what ‘re you waiting for? come in, dinners almost ready.” she commands, causing your eyes to widen in shock.

“unless you got somewhere else to be tonight?” she asks, looking over her shoulder to see how shocked you look. you shake your head quickly, “nope! it was just gonna be me and the takeout guy tonight.” you half joke, as you walk in, shutting the door behind you. you go quiet as you stand behind the counter, and melissa wipes up the water she had spilled earlier. she turns her head to see you glancing around the room, clearly nervous. it’s the quietest she’s ever heard you. “what? place not what you expected?” she asks, and your eyes lock with hers.

“i just… i didn’t think i’d get to see the inside of your place before i got to know your name.” you admit, and melissa can feel an uncontrollable smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “my names melissa.” she confesses, and your eyes go all soft at the revelation. “melissa… huh. that’s a pretty name. it suits you.” you blurt aloud, and she turns away to check on the pasta, hiding the blush that coats her cheeks.

melissa learns quite a bit about you after that. you’re twenty-four, you had lived in the west coast all your life, and you spent your teenage years stuck taking care of your grandma and siblings. the more melissa discovers about you, the harder it is for her to hate you. your kindness isn’t fake or falsified like most of the people around here; you speak every word with genuineness and sincerity. a routine seems to progress between the two of you; every friday evening you knock on her door with some new platter of sweets, and melissa proceeds to invite you in for dinner.

every friday turns into every other day, and before she knows it, you two are having dinner together every night. the redhead went from hating you, to enjoying your presence more than anyone else’s. at first, melissa assumed she simply enjoyed your company because she was lonely. but after a few months of you, she quickly realized what the little flutter in her belly meant whenever she’d see you. melissa’s head would grow fuzzy whenever you complimented her, and she turned into a blushing mess. not to mention how she couldn’t necessarily hide how happy she was to see you now.

she’d pick out a bottle of wine, and makes different recipes she thinks you’d like. she finds herself humming along to old italian songs as she cooks, waiting for the gentle knocks on her door.

tonight you brought her new york cheesecake with raspberry filling on top. you greet her as you push past her, placing the cake onto her counter. “i know, cheesecake is so bad for our health, but i had a terrible day.” you tell her, and you begin to ramble about how awful your boss is. though, all melissa can do is take in how absolutely beautiful you are. the way your hair falls, and moves as you talk with the emotions you wear on your face. when you don’t get a response from melissa for awhile, you look over and see her leaning against the door, staring at you with a peculiar expression.

“what? what’s wrong?” you question, she offers you a gentle shake of her head. “you’re really beautiful, you know that?” she blurts out, her entire demeanor changing as soon as she realizes what she just said. her eyes go wide as she stands up straight, instead of looking appalled or surprised, the blood rises to your face. a shy grin plasters itself onto your face, as you push your hair behind your ears before gazing at her like some shy schoolgirl. “you’re calling me beautiful? have you seen yourself?” you ask her, and that’s the moment that seems to solidify it for melissa.

the way her heartbeat picks up as the words leave your lips, and something in the pit of her stomach bursts, as if a million cocoons hatched into butterflies inside of her. she began to feel something she hasn’t felt since before she married joe. she couldn’t believe some western twenty something year old kid was making her feel this way.

you appear to be able to read melissa like an open book. she doesn’t have to tell you how she’s feeling for you to know. you’re the only person who’s ever been able to figure her out, and it’s scary. melissa also wasn’t an idiot. she could tell judging by the gleam of adoration in your eyes, you were growing quite the crush on her. sometimes she wonders why. you’re in your twenties, you’re hot, and you know how to bake a mean banana cream pie… melissa also sees how the doorman and a variety of other men ogle you in the mornings. you could have anyone you want, yet you spend your evenings eating melissa’s various italian recipes.

however, the redhead is very closed off. especially romantically. after joe, she’s dated around but nobody’s ever gotten a second date. she hasn’t been so intimate with someone in so long, even before her divorce, the marriage was falling apart. dinner every night was not an option for her and joe; he always came home late, and by the time he arrived his plate of leftovers were in the microwave. even when he’d be home while she was cooking, he’d eat in the living room in front of the tv. you were so enthralled by melissa, sometimes you could hardly focus on the food with how much attention you paid her.

she tries to hide the way she revels in your attention, and how the glimmer in your eyes directed towards her causes those stupid butterflies inside of her to repopulate. “you do not actually have random baseball bats around your apartment…” you trail off one evening, as you’re both sitting on melissa’s comfortable couch. there’s a glass of wine in each of your hands; you’re both on your second glass, and you’re sure it’s the expensive wine melissa keeps locked away. it makes you feel special when she puts so much thought into the dinners you two share. they mean something to you, and you’re positive they mean something to her as well.

“i do. they’re hidden around.” she explains, taking a sip of her wine. you let out a genuine giggle; your wide eyed gaze is pouring right into her, nobody’s ever looked at her with such reverence. something then flickers in her eyes as she remembers something; “speaking of… i’ve been meaning to give you one. ya look like you can’t swing for shit, but it’s better than ya having nothing to defend yourself with.” melissa rambles as she stands up, disappearing into her bedroom. your brows knit together in slight confusion as you wait for her to return.

when she does, she has a medium sized wooden bat. it was dark wood and looked brand new. “wait, you were serious?” you ask, letting out a breathless little chuckle. “you live on a questionable part of town, by yourself, y/n. you barely even forget to lock your door when you come over.” she scolds, sounding undoubtedly upset by the fact. your baffled features quickly morph into a soft expression, “you worried about me, lissa?” you tauntingly ask, and she lets out this vexed huff, waving the wooden bat closer to you.

“just take the damn thing and keep it by your bed.” she commands, while you gladly accept the strange but thoughtful gift. “it’ll make you feel safer.” she adds, her neck burning as you stare at her with a vulnerable look on your face. “okay. but i’ll have you know i’ve never felt safer than knowing my tough, kick ass neighbor is right across the hall.” you assure her, and something inside of melissa is slipping; whether it’s her resolve or the walls she so desperately tries to keep up. “thanks for worrying about me though. i worry about you too.” you clarify, and melissa would normally scoff at a comment like that.

she’d shake her head and demand for you to know she can take care of herself… but she can’t. as you stare into her eyes with the sole intent of wanting her to understand how much she means to you, melissa finds herself taking a seat beside you again, deciding to let the comment slide. maybe she enjoyed knowing someone as sweet as you cared about her. it’s been so long since anyone’s cared for her in this way; it was sort of foreign to her by now. yet it was also comforting.

though melissa often found herself thinking about what things would be like when you finally met somebody. if you’d opt to spending your evenings with your new girlfriend or boyfriend… if you’d look at them with the same gaze you’d look at her with. some evenings she’d catch herself staring at you, and she’d think of being in the shoes of some younger woman… someone who can give you the start at life that you need. you’re in your early twenties, and there’s no way you’d ever want someone old and used up like melissa.

so naturally, the night you invite melissa to your place for dinner instead of just heading to hers… she feels an odd bundle of nerves knotting up in her stomach. she changes after work; which is something she never does. she puts on that sundress she likes to wear when she’s feeling good about herself. as soon as you open the door, your eyes nearly bug out of your head. you have a grease stain on your cheek, she assumes it’s some kind of cooking oil. the apron you’re wearing is hiding the tight top and jeans you’re wearing underneath, but melissa thinks you’ve never looked more cute.

“you’re early! i— i’m still making dinner, please sit down.” you urge her, and melissa offers you that soft smile that seems to only be reserved for you these days. she looks around your place; taking in the pictures on the walls, and the flatscreen that’s too big in melissa’s opinion. she barely watches tv, and when she does it’s in bed on her phone. “yeah, i left a little early because ava hired some of the teachers some new assistants.” she tells you, and you cock a brow, flashing her an amused grin. “an assistant? how do you like that?” you question curiously, knowing how difficult it was for the redhead to warm up to new people.

she snorts, “the kids fine. she’s a little younger than you. can’t understand a word she says but the kids like her.” she murmurs, shrugging, before she looks over at you. you’re stirring whatever’s in the pot, and she quirks a brow. “you actually might like her.” melissa’s comment rolls off your back easily, you don’t seem to notice the difference in her tone. you laugh lightly, “i doubt that. i’ve never gotten along with girls that well. guys either.” you confess, and melissa snorts. “oh yeah, sure, the girl who makes conversation with the mailman doesn’t have any friends. who do you think you’re lying to here, kid?” she questions, and you frown, rolling your eyes. “i’m not a kid. and just because i know how to make conversation with people, doesn’t mean i have a lot of friends.” your voice is light, and lacks any sort of defense or malice.

melissa sort of envies how easy it is for you to talk about things. “i mean, even in high school i had like three friends. they all still live back home, and we talk from time to time but it’s not like we can just hang out every weekend, you know?” you begin to ramble as you stir the searing food in the pan. “you’re the only person who i hang out with, and i’m lucky you even wanna hang out with me.” you add half jokingly, and you turn to see an inscrutable expression etched onto the older woman’s face.

“anyone would wanna hang out with you… i mean one day you’re gonna find someone who can’t stay away from you.” melissa says in an abnormally gentle way, there’s a hint of sadness in her voice and you cock a brow at the redhead. “does it count if i’ve already found someone i can’t stay away from? i’m literally making beef stroganoff for her, and i almost burned down the kitchen twice just to impress her.” you admit, and on cue whatever is in the pan begins smoking.

melissa’s eyes widen as a blush coats her beautiful face. she rushes over to your side, “jesus, y/n! why didn’t you tell me you wanted beef stroganoff? i could make this in my sleep!” she begins to shoo you away, and you frown, shaking your head stubbornly. “because you always make dinner; i wanted to cook for you.” your fervent voice causes melissa’s heart to lurch in her chest. “i don’t just cook for just anybody, yanno’? i cook for you because i like ya, and don’t know how else to show it. i’m not all sweet like you.” she clarifies, and your heartbeat quickens as her words sink in.

she’s trying her hardest to avoid your eyes, and you can’t help the uncontrollable blush on your cheeks. “you like me?” you ask her, and she rolls her eyes. “like it wasn’t obvious when i cooked mac n cheese as a main dish. seriously, kid, your taste buds are strange.” she mutters, and you bite your lip, trying to contain the grin on your face. “yeah, well, as strange as my palette is, you like me.” you taunt her, and notice the way her focused stirring falters ever so slightly. she scoffs, forcing an exasperated expression on her face.

“don’t make me take it back.” she murmurs, and you can’t seem to stop grinning at her like an idiot.

the seasons change and so do things between you and melissa. it isn’t a significant enough change for you to mention it, but it is enough for you to feel the difference. melissa is so soft, and carefree around you now. before she was so tough and prickly; she’s still a bit prickly but you don’t mind getting poked in order to see her true self every now and then. you two appear to be doing this slow dance around the obvious feelings you have for one another.

melissa is way more reluctant than you are. she hates the way her mind works, but it’s not like she can control it. usually how cute and thoughtful you are washes away any doubts she has about herself, except for one day she runs out parsley, and has to run to the store. of course you offer to come along with her, pulling at the sleeves of your sweater and excitedly trotting by her side.

“you sure you don’t need anything else from here? you’re running out of juice.” you remind her and she mentally scolds herself. “you’re right! thanks hun.” she sweetly thanks you, making your face hot as she reaches for the orange juice. you both make your way to the checkout line, and you aimlessly look around at the chocolates. “y/n! hey!” a familiar voice causes you and melissa to turn around. you eyebrows rises slightly as you run into a woman who you went on a few dates with when you first moved here.

“tracy! hey!” you greet her, and she hugs you before you can even think. melissa is watching the interaction like a hawk, and as soon as the raven haired girl hugs you, there’s a burning sensation of pure rage deep rooted in her belly. her eyes narrow as “tracy” pulls away from you, and looks at you as if she wants to ravish you in the supermarket. “you never called me again! i had a lot of fun mini-golfing with you.” she says, and you sheepishly rub the back of your neck, clearly racking your brain for a flimsy excuse.

that’s when realization hits melissa; you dated this woman! the thought alone nearly makes her scoff. this was your type? mid-twenties, soft skin, hippie wannabe? “i just got really busy adjusting to living here and all that… but how are you?” you try to steer the subject away from the awkward final date you hated. it wasn’t fun for you; you had to force yourself to be some cool girl you clearly weren’t. “i’m good! how are you? what are you up to tonight?” she asks hopefully, and you smile.

“i’m good as well. this is melissa, we’re here picking up some parsley for dinner tonight.” you introduce the redhead, and tracy’s demeanor immediately shifts as she assumes the older woman is your girlfriend. “oh. hi, i’m tracy.” she introduces herself to the grade school teacher, holding out her hand for the second grade teacher to shake. melissa only nods curtly in in tracy’s direction, “hey.” she flatly responds. and you notice the tension in the air right away. “well, it was nice seeing you again, tracy.” you say suggestively, and tracy nods.

“yeah, you too. you should call me sometime.” she squeezes your arm before she leaves, and melissa looks as though she wants to murder you with her eyes. “next.” the checkout clerk calls out, snapping the redhead out of her thoughts. she places the orange juice and parsley down much harder than she intended; it even causes the middle-aged man to jump slightly. “rough day?” he questions with a goofy grin, trying to lighten the mood. melissa shoots daggers at him with her eyes, causing his smile to fall as he clears his throat.

he scans the items quickly, “that’ll be $8.97.” he states; not a single slick remark left in him. melissa inserts her card, finishing the transaction without another word. she storms out of the supermarket with you in tow, trying to catch up to her as you follow her to her car. when you’re both strapped in, the car starts and the ride is quiet for the first minute and a half. you hate awkward silences, especially with her. “i honestly forgot i even tried dating when i first moved here.” you pipe up.

“well maybe now you can give her a call, since you’re no longer busy and adjusting.” she mocks your lame excuse from a few minutes ago, and you frown. “i didn’t— the reason i didn’t call her back wasn’t because i was adjusting—“ you try to explain yourself, but melissa cuts you off. “you don’t have to explain yourself to me. we’re friends, i don’t care who you go on lousy dates with.” her voice is harsh, and it’s a tone you recognize all too well. it’s the same one she uses when she used to have her walls up high, refusing to let you get even a glimpse into her mind.

she doesn’t allow you to tell her it was solely because you didn’t want to call tracy again. the dates were terrible; the entire time you were just pretending to be someone you’re not. you only forced yourself to go because you had been living here for a month, and hadn’t made a single friend. melissa stubbornly cooks dinner, and the conversation through the night is short. you aren’t used to it, and it hurts. but you convince yourself tomorrow she’ll be ready to talk about it.

but the next morning, melissa must’ve left for work earlier than usual because you don’t see her in the elevator. you text her to have a good day, but never get a response. throughout the day you can’t help but think about her, and you wonder why she became so closed off after finding out about your meaningless dates with tracy. you understood she might’ve been a little jealous; sometimes you got jealous whenever she spoke about joe. but she seemed so genuinely upset, all you wanted to do was figure out what was going through her head.

you decide to make her some pumpkin carrot cake before heading to her apartment for dinner. it’s nearly six when you’re finished, and you place it in a tupperware nicely for her. you’re practicing in your head what you want to say to her tonight, and how you should assess the situation. by the time you knock on her door you have a simple smile on your face, and the door swings open, the sight nearly causing your eyes to bug out of their sockets.

melissa was wearing a tight black dress that hugged her body perfectly, and enhanced every single curve. the exposed cleavage caused you to force your eyes on hers in order not to sneak a longer peak. your hopeful smile falls a bit when you notice the hard expression on her face. before she can even ask you anything, you begin blabbering like you usually do. “look, i know you said we’re just friends, but there’s more to us than just that… we both know it. we may not have ever talked about it or what it means, but i haven’t dated anyone since this started…” you ramble, and melissa’s eyes soften for a split second, her hard facade slipping as a wave of panic washes over her.

“y/n—“ she tries, but the voice behind her is interrupting, causing your heart to fall right into your stomach. “everything okay, red?” a deep, unfamiliar voice asks, causing you to freeze. melissa suddenly has this unrecognizable expression of regret on her face. “y-yeah everything’s fine, gar.” she says back, “gary? as in the vending machine guy who’s been flirting with you all year, gary?” you ask in disbelief, and a slight bit of anger is mixed into your voice. she had been so upset about you going on a few dates with tracy before you two were even friends, and now she was here having a romantic dinner with gary. you could even smell the type of food she made him.

“he’s been asking me all year, and i decided since it’s been awhile since i’ve been on a date, i should get back out there.” melissa says the words she’s practiced saying to you in her head. she knew you’d come over today, you always do. she knew you’d see her with gary, and maybe she wanted that. she wanted you to feel how she felt when she saw you and tracy. though as you stare up at her with this kicked puppy-dog expression, she knows you aren’t feeling what she was feeling yesterday. you’re just straight up hurt and it’s written all over your face.

you glance down at the stupid dessert you spent all afternoon perfecting. “well, this is for you, because i wanted to apologize for upsetting you. i can see now you weren’t upset at all.” you have to force yourself to speak, and you surprisingly hold it together as you shove the tupperware in melissa’s hands. you turn to walk back into your apartment, and a wave of regret flashes over the redhead. melissa reaches out for you, “y/n, wait—“ a firm but soft hand wraps around your wrist, but you pull it away from her as you spin around and flash her a dejected look. the sight breaks her heart in two.

“it’s fine. you were right; we’re friends. you don’t have to explain yourself to me. i don’t care who you go on dates with.” you throw the words back in her face, and there’s a flicker of emotions on her face but you turn away and disappear into your apartment. melissa stands there staring at your door; she looks down at the cake in her hands and she hates how tight her chest gets. it’s like her heart might pop in her chest. she doesn’t feel the way she thought she would, and suddenly she mentally curses herself for thinking it’d feel good to hurt you.

melissa is off her game at work the next day. she texts you, and for the first time since you two became friends, you’re the one who doesn’t reply. the redhead realizes she made a mistake. instead of talking about her insecurities or how hurt she was when she saw you and tracy, she ended up jumping the gun and going out with the safest option. gary.

in truth she did like gary; maybe not enough to want to date him, but she found him moderately attractive. she also thought he was pretty funny, and he appears to like her a lot. though none of that was anything compared to what she felt for you. melissa could not stop thinking about you and that hurt face of yours all day. she even decides to cook your favorite food for dinner.

but when six-thirty rolls around, and you still haven’t knocked on her door, there’s a sinking sensation in her stomach. melissa huffs as she looks at the dinner she prepared, and thought of it going to waste angered her. or maybe it was the thought of you just standing her up, even though it’s not like she personally invited you tonight. maybe you think she’s with gary again.

usually melissa is very stubborn, and she would never consider going across the hall and begging you… but she can’t get you out of her damn head. so she takes her ass straight to your door, not even bothering to close hers. she knocks on your door vigorously, not stopping once until the door swings open to reveal you. your hair is damp, and you’re in an old oversized tee shirt; the printing was faded but the hem reached just below your thighs. melissa had to refrain herself from gazing down at your smooth legs.

“i cooked dinner and you’re ready for bed, what gives?” she questions, hating how she sounds like a petulant child. you look a bit surprised to see her, “don’t you have a date with gary and his mustache?” you ask a bit bitterly, and melissa scowls. “it was just dinner, y/n.” the redhead says, and you gaze up into her eyes. “dinner like we have?” you ask, and she huffs in response. “that’s different and you know it! you said it yourself yesterday, there’s more to us than just that.” she reminds you.

“i was clearly wrong.” you sound abnormally stubborn, and melissa sighs in frustration. “i’m not going to see gary again, kid. so just come on over and sit down for dinner.” she commands, and you shake your head defiantly.

“no.” you retort, and she raises a brow, obviously shocked by the disobedience. “no?” she asks you in the warning tone she uses whenever one of her students is testing her. “that’s right, i’m saying no. ever since this started, i’ve always done what you say. i go at your pace, i wake up earlier just to see you, i don’t bake anything with chocolate because you hate chocolate. did you know it’s my favorite? i do whatever you ask to satisfy you. i put my feelings to the side, just to make sure yours are valid. all for my efforts to be outweighed by a guy who restocks the gushers in the vending machine.” you stress, sounding reasonably upset.

“why did you even get so upset about tracy the other day if you were planning on going out with gary? i don’t understand you.” you add, and the dam melissa built to keep her emotions in abruptly bursts. “exactly! you don’t understand me! you’re this young kid who has her whole life to look forward to. this is just a passing moment in your life; this apartment, this city, our dinners, me.” her voice lowers, “you got your whole life ahead of ya, you shouldn’t waste it tryin’ ta’ understand me. you should be dating girls like tracy who are equipped with all sorts of emotions, and able to give you what you need.” she adds, and you frown as she pours her heart out to you. she appears to be full of regret, and vulnerability.

“and what exactly do i need, lissa?” you can’t help but ask, and she runs her fingers through her soft red locks. “you need someone who’ll take care of ya, and show ya how much they care about you. you need someone who isn’t old and afraid of what everyone else thinks. maybe someone who wouldn’t completely embarrass the shit out of ya whenever you decide to take them back to your hometown…” she trails off, now she’s avoiding your eyes and the abnormal, unconfident demeanor causes you to frown. you practically worship the ground melissa walks on; even if she didn’t know it, you were completely enamored by her. it frustrates you to know she doesn’t put herself on a similar pedestal.

“you are the most beautiful woman i’ve ever laid eyes on. when i met you, i felt this instant pull that i had never felt before. god, i don’t think i’ve ever seen anyone as pretty as you, and it makes me so mad that you don’t think of yourself that way. i love you, you know? everything about you; the crinkles by your eyes whenever you smile, the way you curse when you’re angry, your southern philly accent… that irritated frown on your face whenever you’re upset.” you begin to get lost in your words, the space between you both getting smaller and unnoticed. her heart palpitates as you rave on and on about her with this genuine expression of stringent affection.

“you have all these amazing qualities, and you sell yourself short. you’re the best freakin’ cook in the world; the best and sexiest teacher in the world; you’re tough as nails; you have this energy that follows you, it’s fierce and warm. just like you. and as for your age, it’s hard for me too…” the last comment makes her eyes harden, and you’re quick to add, “… but it’s not because i think you’re old, mel. it’s because sometimes i feel like you don’t think of me as your equal. you just think of me as this young kid who’s a burden. but i know who i am, and what i want. i keep a memory of everything you do in the back of my head, and the space in my mind you take up is only getting bigger and bigger. you’re it for me, i’m positive, because how can i see anyone else when you’re engraved in my mind and heart?” you ask her, pouring your whole heart out to her.

your eyes widen when you see the tears threatening to fall from her delicate green eyes. “that’s— that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me… you— that was more romantic than the vows at my wedding…” melissa’s voice cracks and she tries to put on that stony facade, but it doesn’t work. your words seemed to have broken one of the steel walls she puts up; it’s crumbled into millions of pieces and left her exposed in front of you. her eyes are unguarded and her expression is fragile. she feels so small.

“you can’t just say things like that!” she snaps, her voice higher than usual. you shake your head, “why not? you deserve to hear more good things about yourself, and i can go on all night.” you sheepishly admit, and melissa’s eyes soften when they meet yours. “you really feel that way about me? even though i’m probably older than your mom?” she half jokes, but the self-doubt is leaking through her tone. “you are definitely way hotter than my mother.” you mutter, and melissa gasps but can’t manage to fight to the grin that’s tugging at her lips.

“gee kid, you feel all of that for me and have never even tried ta’ kiss me? what gives?” you can hear the genuine curiosity behind the playful question, and your cheeks turn an embarrassing shade of pink. “i didn’t… i didn’t think you wanted me. i mean, yesterday when i saw you with hulk hogan—“ she cuts in, “gary.” she corrects and you scowl cutely, “whatever. when i saw you with him it kind of reminded me you’re a woman who needs someone to take care of you and i… i’m just a kid.” you look down at your sock covered feet, and before you can even think about anything else, melissa is cupping your face and making you face her.

her lips are on yours in an instant, and the butterflies in your belly begin to repopulate one by one. she pulls away before you can think twice, “you’re not just a kid to me. you’re a good person, y/n. i’m sorry i was so immature about everything.” she sounds ashamed, but the sincerity in her voice makes your heart speed up. your cheeks burn and maybe the kiss sweetened you up a bit. “it’s okay, lissa. i understand… next time just talk to me.” you assure her and she smirks. “or i can just kiss ya again and see where that gets me.” she half jokes, making you grin.

“or that too.”

[dynjay]

Yo what the fuck

The Florida Senate passed a bill that would ban Chinese immigrants from purchasing any property in the state. It was passed to the State Affairs Committee last week (4/12/2033) and I cannot find it on the headlines in any major news source anywhere:

https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1355/?Tab=BillHistory

This is really bad.

If this passes and gets turned to law, it will become effective July 1st this year. If this passes, it's not just going to be the Chinese who'll get hurt; everyone in the asian community is going to suffer from way harsher racism.

Information about what you can do to help can be found here, but I'll copy-paste a small blurb of it here:

https://www.ocpa-usa.org/urgentaction

How can you help?

Make a call to the State Affairs Committee with phone number list below. (*List with a phone call script on what you can say will be in the link to aid you!)

Sign the petition to STOP Senate Bill 264 & House Bill 1355! Say no to discrimination! Sign the petition -https://chng.it/WcTZBqQvZd (The petition probably won't sway these people, but it's something)

Attend State Affairs Committee hearing and have your voice heard!

Date/Time: Wed April 19, 7:30 am

Address: 513 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300

Contact: Susan (susanchintek@gmail.com)

[pluckysidekick]

It’s Wednesday, my fellow Drewds! Going into the holidays I can’t help thinking about how our favorite Crew are celebrating the holidays. Can’t wait for all of the @secretsleuthexchange fics, gifsets, and fanvids we’re going to get!

In the meantime, I was inspired by a poll from @burningblake about which classic “standard” song best represents Nace (all excellent choices). I wound up making a Season 4 playlist of standards from the Great American Songbook, and a few other classic tracks, that represent their Season 4 journey for me. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, here we go!

I’ll be linking the Spotify tracks, but you should be able to find them all on Apple Music or YouTube. If you want a link to the full playlist, just hit me up here or on Discord.

1. The Nearness of You - This Hoagy Carmichael classic brings to mind Nancy and Ace’s inability to stay apart every time they’re near each other in Episode 401 🥺. I love the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong duet, but I picked Norah Jones’ version from her 2002 debut album because it’s just so perfectly wistful.

2. Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby - this so so cool track was written by Louis Jordan, but I first heard it on Tom and Jerry (that’s the fighting cat and mouse cartoon in case you’re too young to remember them). I immediately envision the back and forth argument Nancy and Ace have throughout Episode 402 in the lyrics of this song. Ace just wants to know! I adore Joe Jackson’s version, but I went with Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones from 1956 because it is absolutely perfect.

3. Night and Day - I like to imagine that Nancy and Ace stayed up all night talking at the end of 402. This song perfectly embodies their relationship at this stage 🥹. It was written by Cole Porter for Fred Astaire to sing in the original ‘The Gay Divorce’ Broadway musical (catch the film, a classic Fred and Ginger madcap musical romcom with such amazing dancing🕺🏼). But I had to go with Frank Sinatra from 1957’s ‘A Swingin Affair’ because it’s such a classic swing tune.

4. April in Paris - I’m not crying, you’re crying. Warning, there’s going to be a lot of crying in this playlist. Nancy telling Ace the story of her parents’ honeymoon in Paris in Episode 403, that shy smile when she tells him she always wanted to recreate it with someone, GAH. I had to pick the wonderful Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown on trumpet, simply exquisite. I’m going to have to take a break to sob quietly in the corner. “What have you done to my heart” indeed.

5. Fever - There was only one song, and only one version of this song, that matches the heat Nancy and Ace generated in the infamous Sigil scene. Peggy Lee burned the house down in 1958 with this track. “What a lovely way to burn” - Nancy can relate.

6. So in Love - Another genius Cole Porter song, written originally for Kiss Me Kate, but sung here by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald (my personal hero). I had to pick it for THE KISS. They are just so in love 😭. A beautiful song and a beautiful rendition worthy of Nancy and Ace’s love. The fact that Kiss Me Kate is a musical about bickering exes who eventually find love again makes it even more perfect.

7. Crying - Roy Orbison, 1962. Need I say more? I may never recover from the final scene of 403. This song at least helps a little with the pain by naming it. Roy hits some insane notes in this song—the intensity matches both Nancy and Ace’s misery in that moment.

8. Good Morning, Heartache - More like Good Morning, Sorbet. In Episode 404, Nancy drowns her sorrows in her favorite frozen dessert to deal with the heartache of gaining and losing Ace. And no one does heartache like Billie Holiday, who recorded this song in 1946. Heartache haunts Nancy all throughout S4, and this track represents it perfectly.

9. I had two contenders for the Nace scenes in Episode 405, both from the early 60’s. I Fall to Pieces, released by Patsy Cline and The Jordanaires in 1961, was a country crossover and Patsy’s number one hit—an incredible track that embodies Nancy’s emotions on seeing Ace again. She can’t even look him the eye at the beginning of the episode. Which brings me to my other choice, Walk on By, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, and famously sung by Dionne Warwick in 1964. Nancy puts up a brave front for most of this episode, but inside she wants to break down and cry.

10. Episode 405’s speed dating montage is one of my favorite scenes of Season 4. Again I have two contenders—why should I have to choose? Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s One For My Baby (and One More for the Road), as sung by Ella Fitzgerald (again ‘cause she’s the best), is an ideal soundtrack for Nancy’s increasingly desperate descent as she spends every would-be speed date talking about Ace and THAT KISS. Equally appropriate is Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life—velvet-voiced Johnny Hartman and saxophonist John Coltrane’s 1963 track positively drips with ennui, elegantly over cocktails, of course. If you’ve never heard this one, please give it a listen. There’s even a mention of a week in Paris 🥺.

11. Episode 406, with the infamous Spider Prom, is Ace’s episode IMO—we finally get to see how he’s dealing with the loss of the love of his life and his best friend. He so desperately wants to somehow get back to being friends with Nancy, he resorts to spending countless hours with the help of S4 MVP Nick trying to catch Chunky Velez for her. Can’t We Be Friends? is the perfect song for him in this episode, gorgeously sung by Ella and Louis. That is, until he spies Nancy and Tristan dancing, and realizes what he can never have. Etta James’ blistering track I’d Rather Go Blind captures Ace’s feelings in that moment. He may have been the one to halt their attempts to brake the curse, but he’s hurting just as much as Nancy is.

12. I’ve got two seminal songs to represent Episode 407. When Nancy realizes that Ace let Chunky go, and hears his admission that seeing her with Tristan hurt, it positively screams Cry Me a River. No, not the Justin Timberlake song 😅. This epic torch song was famously sung by Julie London in 1955, and expresses beautifully Nancy’s scorn at Ace’s hypocrisy even as she admits that he broke her heart.

Their fight, and Nancy’s subsequent dashed hopes that Ace would call her bluff and come back, makes me think of Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye. Another Cole Porter masterpiece sung by Ella. What can I say? You can’t top perfection:

Every time we say goodbye, I die a little Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little Why the gods above me, who must be in the know Think so little of me, they allow you to go

I dare you to listen to this track without weeping over the Nace of it all. Enjoy!

Well, Drewds, we’re just past the halfway mark of Season 4 and this post is already a novel, so I’m going to stop here for now. What did you think of my picks? Any you think I missed?

I’ll do a Part 2 as long as I get a few notes on this one 😂 . It will feature more classic songs that represent Nancy and Ace as they head into the back half of the season. I know it’s going to get rough ahead, but I promise the music will be sweet.

Update: Part 2 is here!

[starry-mist]

S6e16 thoughts:

We made it. 7 months later and we made it.

So yeah there are two Major Crimes detectives now, did anyone else notice that there are two Major Crimes detectives now? Because I feel like this episode was really subtle about the fact that there are two Major Crimes detectives now…(please read with the appropriate level of sarcasm.)

Sarah and Joe…were definitely also present at times…

Serious missed opportunity for Charah baby and proposal conversations (that will live in my drafts for now.)

I called the killer and the affair pretty quickly.

Cool sociopath character. She could come back for revenge, I’d allow it.

CityTV made absolutely zero acknowledgment that this was the 100th episode because god forbid they celebrate this milestone that is incredible for any show but in particular for a Canadian show about a dog.

Loved Jesse singing. I actually felt a bit of a parallel with 402 but Charlie and Sarah were standing too far apart. Add that to my drafts. Maybe with a little dance.

Anyway, this would-have-been-penultimate episode was as expected. Last week’s season finale sure was exciting though! 🤣

[llovelyclouds]

notes on gideon (the first)

here's all the relevant info on gideon the first i took note of during my tlt reread, in one place!

(you can find the rest of the posts related to this project here!)

GIDEON THE FIRST

titles:

Third saint to ascend, first gen, founded the second, the saint of duty

notes from gideon the ninth:

G1deon & Pyrrha's room in Canaan house includes a drawing of a chimaera that Gideon describes as "familiar" (the imaging & response construct) and a picture on the wall of John and his pals (presumably) with everyone's faces scribbled out with a thick black marker. Also guns (gtn. pg. 205)

notes from harrow the ninth:

the saint of duty (htn. pg. 177)

most likely really freaked out the first time he saw an RB (htn. pg. 173)

Doesn't respond to pain? (htn. pg. 188)

Made a pact with an authority John has no control over (Alecto???? Pyrrha???) that he would protect John from all dangers (htn. pg. 194)

“The Saint of Duty was a thanergy void. The Saint of Duty was the ultimate nemesis of a bone adept.” (htn. pg. 225)

“The closest thing to interest [Gideon] ever showed in anybody was in Pyrrha, and in the criminals he hunted. [...] When he kicked that Edenite commander out an airlock, it was like seeing a man on his wedding day. Not exactly romance though… Harrow, over ten thousand years I’ve known that man, and he is legendarily unamourous. I have watched six other Lyctors carry out a myriad’s worth of inadvisable love affairs with one another, because it is a very long time to be alone, but never him. He was unassailable.” -John (htn. Pg. 228). 

Is described by Augustine as getting really specific obsessions, has stopped listening to anyone, and has caused Augustine a lot of trouble in the last 40 years (htn. pg. 268)\

Pyrrha was ten years older than Augustine, so pre-resurrection G1deon was besties with a cop probably at least 20 years older than him ?? (htn. pg. 278)

John says that G1deon doesn’t talk about her (alecto), but Augustine and Mercy still feel guilty about what happened (htn. pg. 345)

"Don't know why Gideon was always so obsessed with [Wake]... he never cared about beauty, and she was repellent to talk to." - Mercymorn (htn. pg. 409)

Mattaius Nonius fought G1deon, and seems to owe Pyrrha a debt (htn. pg. 455)

I think John at least had some idea about G1deons memory loss/what was up with his and Pyrrha's lyctorhood based on how Pyrrha (pretending to be G1deon) says she didn't know anything about the affair with Wake (htn. pg. 473)

notes from nona the ninth:

"'I'd need my necromancer to teach Camilla.' 'Why?' 'Because you need teaching to be an asset, and Cam wants teaching to be a killer.'"- Pyrrha and Palamades (ntn. pg. 28)

Knew John since they were kids (ntn. pg. 74)

"No, I don't blame you man… He was always looking for things to throw himself on." -Pyrrha, talking about G1deon to Varun (??) (ntn. pg. 116) 

The parallel to Gideon's death… i'm sooo normal. 

Was an engineer pre-resurrection (ntn. pg. 129)

“P- volunteered to go with him, but G- said he wouldn’t arm it if P- was in range. P- went off at him, but it was one of those times where he held his ground against her. I remember. She called him a stupid kid. [...] I took G- downstairs and I got him to face the wall, and I took his arm off. [...] He didn’t feel any pain, and I grew him a new one then and there. Bit of a gamble, but I was sure I could do that by then. I wanted his arm… his material. He didn’t even ask me to explain. That was the kind of guy he was. He and I had grown up on the same street. I’d spotted him for mince pies all the time as kids, so stands to reason he let me cut off his arm and carried a nuke for me. [...] Should still be around here. The arm, I mean. I stuffed it in the morgue so nobody would find it. I've got plans for that arm.” (ntn. pg. 399)

“He was immovable. That was why I wanted him in: G- only listened to two people in his fucking life.” (ntn. Pg. 402)

Died from John reaching out to stop his heart (ntn. Pg. 407)

“I liked you. He liked you-  Gideon liked you. my necromancer and I always liked you… and hey, what's like except a love that hasn't been invited indoors?” - Pyrrha, to Nona (ntn. pg. 461)

[veilmetricked]

jake gyllenhaal, pansexual, cis male + he/him → isn’t that joachim goldmann? i’ve seen them hanging out with the fairies. i hear they’re 402, but they’ve only been in alexandria for 1 month ago. they seem to be philosophical & efficient, but also selfish & defensive. it’s cool that they’re capable of rock / crystal magic with life-force manipulation!

joachim goldmann was the first born to ahava & etan and known to be a part of the royal court in their region 

while they weren’t the royal family, his mother was cousins to the king & queen and that was close enough for them 

his father ran the military faction and was known to drill that persistence, determination, and need to protect those around them into joachim 

while his younger brother, micah, was able to follow the beat of his own drum 

still, he lived a good life and never had to ask for anything, so he was happy

when he came of age he started to rise up the ranks in their group’s army and then took over for his father 

then he started to travel, taking nearby countries by surprise or making peace treaties so that they could all live in harmony 

during his travels he came close with other fairies and even dragons, spending time with both kinds 

namely, he had an affair with greyson around 200 years ago and then fell for another fairy by the name of florian 

ironically both were softer than him who was always considered to be strict or rough around the edges to those that he didn’t know 

his romances even led to a child, paxton, who he came to love and adore

again, he couldn’t show others how much he actually cared for someone because that not only would show weakness, but provide a target if one of his enemies wanted to attack him 

recently, he decided to come to alexandria when he heard that it was a safe haven for supernaturals (not at all believing it) 

that’s when he came face to face with multiple exes and his son 

he’s decided to work as a miner, getting some of the precious crystals out of the caves, but he also wants to see if he could make a group of warriors out of the town and make sure that they don’t get too weak

[auntie-histamine]

I posted 3,248 times in 2022

That's 407 more posts than 2021!

32 posts created (1%)

3,216 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@rikki-tiki-tavi

@autumnus-prime

@anemptyaquarium

@maximum-ride

I tagged 2,131 of my posts in 2022

Only 34% of my posts had no tags

#boy tag - 238 posts

#boy tagged - 173 posts

#cats - 162 posts

#tiktoks that i like - 147 posts

#reminder - 117 posts

#art - 113 posts

#pokemon - 106 posts

#birds - 100 posts

#me - 97 posts

#dogs - 71 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#one of the first questions my boyfriend asked me when we were in the very early stages of our relationship (not even officially dating yet)

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

this post brought to you by yet another video game I cannot play and a let's play video I cannot watch

6 notes - Posted October 25, 2022

#4

I call this “running away like a chickenshit”

6 notes - Posted June 7, 2022

#3

sighs dreamily

moon knight

14 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

#2

UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund

This is the link to the UN Ukraine Humanitarian Fund through UN Crisis Relief, which is run by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA). Donations go to OCHA-managed global and crisis-specific pooled funds.

There is a ton of misinformation and suspect links going around right now. The UN (United Nations) is held to the highest standard of accountability. Currently this is the only organization I personally feel safe donating to.

You can read more about OCHA’s work here. Here is the link to the UN Crisis Relief main page.

I want to help stop the spread of misinformation. Please let me know if anything I have written in this post is incorrect and I will do my best to fact-check it.

15 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

402 notes - Posted October 18, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[greaterbayarea]

Residents from Hong Kong and Macau will enjoy greater convenience in Zhaoqing! The new policy is set to be implemented soon

On April 29th, the Zhaoqing Municipal Government held a press conference to announce the “Zhaoqing’s Measures for Facilitating the Lives of Hong Kong and Macau Residents.” The conference was attended by Zhu Jingliang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zhaoqing Municipal Government, Zhang Xiao, member of the Development and Reform Bureau and Deputy Director of the Greater Bay Area Office, Li Manjun, Deputy Secretary and Deputy Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Huang Cailing, Deputy Director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Li Jiaqiong, member and Deputy Director of the Medical Insurance Bureau. Chen Hanzhu, Deputy Director of the Zhaoqing Municipal Propaganda Department, hosted the conference.

In recent years, Zhaoqing has closely followed the new strategic positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, actively participating in the construction of the area. The city has greatly expanded both online and offline government service channels, achieving cross-border handling of employment, entrepreneurship, and elderly care services. Currently, 818 services can be managed cross-provincially within the Pearl River Delta, and 1650 services can be managed across cities within the province.

Zhaoqing has also deeply expanded its economic and trade cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau. By 2023, the number of investment companies from Hong Kong reached 85, with a total of 4979 Hong Kong-funded companies, attracting an investment of 1.29 billion yuan from Hong Kong, accounting for over 80% of the city’s foreign capital attraction. Additionally, Zhaoqing has established and operated 9 Hong Kong and Macau youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases, with a total of 402 enterprises and projects, including 102 from Hong Kong and Macau.

To accelerate the implementation of the “Bay Area Tong” project and promote regulatory alignment with Hong Kong and Macau, Zhaoqing has grounded these efforts in local realities, implementing key tasks such as facilitating the movement of people and goods as outlined in the “Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” along with national and provincial policies. Zhaoqing has summarized national, provincial, and municipal policies to formulate these measures, which were officially issued on March 18th this year.

The measures mainly cover the following five aspects: Facilitating living in Zhaoqing: The measures focus on applying for residence permits, purchasing homes, leisure and retirement, and transportation. Zhaoqing will provide a more convenient living environment and services for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Supporting employment and entrepreneurship in Zhaoqing: The city will actively support Hong Kong and Macau compatriots in finding employment and starting businesses in Zhaoqing, providing them with more opportunities and conveniences. This includes support in areas such as professional and technical qualification exams and professional title evaluations for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Supporting investment and business establishment in Zhaoqing: Zhaoqing encourages Hong Kong and Macau residents to invest and start businesses, providing a better development environment. This involves personal income tax financial subsidies and incentives, as well as facilitating Hong Kong and Macau residents in starting businesses in Zhaoqing.

Promoting medical facilitation in Zhaoqing: The city will further promote the medical services facilitation for Hong Kong and Macau residents, making it easier for them to access medical resources.

Promoting social and livelihood exchanges in Zhaoqing: Zhaoqing will actively facilitate exchanges between Hong Kong and Macau residents and local residents, including easing the clearance of import and export goods.

These measures consist of 19 facilitative policies and will officially take effect on May 1st, with a validity period of two years. This initiative aims to further strengthen the exchanges and interactions among residents of Zhaoqing, Hong Kong, and Macau, making life and development more convenient for Hong Kong and Macau compatriots in Zhaoqing.

[wiwsport]

Fonds COVID : Lat Diop (Ministre des Sports) : « Il n y a aucune personne de mon ministère accusée, poursuivie ou condamnée pour des faits de détournements de deniers publics » Avec le vote ce lundi du budget du m...

[sexcromancy]

thinking about in 402 how brunette eurus with the flower in her hair flirted with john on the bus and then we were led to believe that there was some sort of emotional texting affair. first of all in text so fucking silly and crazy of eurus and I'm obsessed with her. second of all Sherlock mirror we been knew. third of all cheating on Mary BEFORE she died very funny. no conclusion here just an insane choice. me when I'm oscillating on the fucking pavement

[vancouverislandtotoronto2023]

Day 23, Sunday, June 18: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Fast Ferry Dock) to Muskegon (Fast Ferry Dock) and Grand Rapids, Lansing, Flint, and Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia and Grand Bend, Ontario. 466 km + 145 km by ferry.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin (pop 569,330) is located on Lake Michigan's western shore. It's known for its breweries and the Harley Davidson Headquarters, and of course the Brewers and the Bucks.

Today, I will be crossing the Canadian border. Originally, I was going to catch the noon ferry and arrive in Muskegon two and a half hours later. But because we cross into the EDT zone halfway across Lake Michigan, I actually won't arrive until 3:30.

That seems like an inefficient use of a day, so I decide to try and wake up at 4:00 AM and catch the 6:00 AM ferry. That way, I can visit friends in both Grand Bend and St Marys and still have two decent days of riding.

No wakeup calls at Motel 6, so I set my phone for 4:00 AM and hope to hear it. As it turns out, I wake myself up at 3:45 AM. That settles it, I'm going for the 6:00 AM ferry and will cross the border later that afternoon and head for Grand Bend.

The trip across Michigan is fairly uneventful as I am uncharacteristically on the interstate, trying to eat up time and mileage. I fly past familiar names such as Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Flint. I stop in Lansing for a rest break and find out that actually Lansing, and not Detroit, is the capital of Michigan. Who knew?

I press on and reach Port Huron mid afternoon. The next stop is the border, the Blue Water Bridge, and Sarnia. I pull into line, and the wait starts. I never enjoy this because my motorcycle is primarily air-cooled, so I sit in line watching it heat up and hoping it doesn't overheat.

US customs is primarily a non affair other than paying to cross the Blue Water bridge. Canadian customs is much more interested in me, but luckily, I have a Nexus card, so I get to jump the line and pretty much breeze through.

Hello Canada, hello, Ontario. For some reason, it physically feels good to be back on Canadian soil.

I take the 402 to 7 and then 21 up the east side of Lake Huron. It's a pretty ride and I arrive in Grand Bend around 4:30. My days ride is done, now its time to drink and socialize with my friends and neighbours from Toronto at their cottage in Grand Bend and sleep in other than a Motel 6.

[productsreviewings]

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Solace's arrival on Disney Plus is a query we predict lots of people will likely be curious to know. Nicely, individuals all the time need to know when the newest Marvel film is coming to Mouse's streaming service, however this time — very like Ant-Man — is just a little totally different.Important response up to now, even our personal Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania overview, has been much less constructive than common. Proper now, Ant-Man 3's Rotten Tomatoes rating is a lowly 53%. (opens in new tab) — which fakes that ugly inexperienced splatter graphic.After all, the Marvel motion pictures will be critic-proof, as those that observe the collection will certainly need to see Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) battle Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), particularly because the villain can have an enormous position within the upcoming Marvel motion pictures. There may be actually an Avengers film referred to as The Kang Dynasty.In truth, Kang hype continued to develop because the summer time of 2021, when the Kang variant He Who Stays (additionally Majors) Loki appeared within the finals. All of those lackluster evaluations and hype, nevertheless, imply that some individuals will in all probability run into the film second-guessing. Others, although, will in all probability need to rewatch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania on Disney Plus, so they do not should spend the total ticket worth to see it once more. For these people, we will break down all the small print on when to anticipate to see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania on Disney Plus — utilizing the previous as a information.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania has a month-long Disney Plus launch windowUsually, many motion pictures take about 45 days to go from theaters to streaming providers. That is evolving, although. Whereas The Batman on HBO Max had such a good window, High Gun: Maverick had a theatrical date 209 days after its Paramount Plus launch. That movie, although, is extra of an outlier than something. So for now, let's deal with the Disney (and never Sony + Disney, so Spider-Man: No Means Residence) Marvel motion pictures that hit theaters earlier than streaming.The story famously started when Disney CEO Bob Chapek mentioned Shang-Chi would have a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window as "an fascinating experiment". Star Simu Liu gave just a little shake to excite the gang, to tweet (opens in new tab) "We aren't an experiment. We're the underdog; the underrated. We're the ceiling-breakers. We're the celebration of tradition and pleasure that can endure after a conflicted yr. We're the surprise. *To make historical past..."After which, as you may see on this chart, Shang-Chi took 70 days to achieve Disney Plus:Swipe to scroll horizontallyEarlier Marvel Film Disney Plus Launch DatesTitle, (Theatrical Date)Disney Plus DatesDays earlier than Disney PlusWorld Field WorkplaceShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3, 2021)Friday, November 12, 202170$432 million USDEverlasting (November 5, 2021)Wednesday, January 12, 202368$402 million USDPhysician Unusual within the Multiverse of Insanity (Might 6, 2023)Wednesday, June 22, 202347$952 million USDThor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2023)Thursday, September 8, 202360$760 million USDBlack Panther: Wakanda Endlessly (November 11, 2023)Wednesday, February 1, 202382$855 million USDGreatest case state of affairs for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Solace Disney Plus launch dateWanting by means of the information above, you may see two tendencies: Disney appears to favor Wednesdays, and it usually drops Marvel motion pictures on Disney Plus inside 60 to 70 days of launch. Curiously, there isn't a longer a wait for large field workplace numbers (which one would anticipate).However this historical past of Disney Plus launch dates, it appears Wednesday, April 5, 2023, is the very best Disney Plus launch date for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Mania. Why? It is the primary Wednesday,

about 45 or so (technically 47) days after Quantummania's February 17, 2023 theater date. That mentioned, Disney cannot bear in mind Disney Plus demand With Quantummania in April, The Mandalorian Season 3 will nonetheless air that month. Though it's unknown when the season will finish.Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania on Disney Plus - Worst case state of affairsAfter all, Wakanda Endlessly proved that Disney was keen to attend. On this occasion, although, it may very well be attributed to the corporate desirous to launch the film on-line in February as Black Historical past Month.If, for some purpose, Disney decides to take the lengthy route, we may very well be ready 82 days for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania on Disney Plus, with a worst-case state of affairs of Wednesday, Might 10, 2023.Early home field workplace estimates (opens in new tab) As for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania under the aforementioned Black Panther, Physician Unusual, and Thor sequels, we're not feeling obsessed with choosing up the lengthy finish of the Disney Plus date.Outlook: When We Suppose Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantummania Hits Disney PlusIf I needed to choose a date I really feel assured based mostly on all the above, I would say I would anticipate Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Disney Plus from April 28, 2023. This will likely be just a little after The Mandalorian Season 3 ends, and it is 70 days after the film's launch, which is true within the candy spot the place Disney Plus normally places Marvel motion pictures.Immediately's Greatest Disney Plus Offers (opens in new tab) (opens in new tab)

[juristique]

Modèle de lettre d’indemnisation si votre avion est en retard

New Post has been published on https://www.juristique.org/courriers/modele-lettre-indemnisation-avion-retard

Modèle de lettre d’indemnisation si votre avion est en retard

Si votre avion est parti en retard, la compagnie aérienne est responsable de ce retard. Mais, vous ne pourrez prétendre à être indemnisé que sous certaines conditions. Si celles-ci sont réunies, vous devez alors adresser une lettre de demande d’indemnisation à la compagnie aérienne selon le modèle proposé ci-dessous.

Les règles d’indemnisation qui s’appliquent pour un avion en retard

En principe, une compagnie aérienne est responsable du dommage résultant d’un retard. Elle ne peut y échapper que si elle prouve qu’elle a pris toutes les mesures nécessaires pour l’éviter ou qu’il lui était impossible de les prendre.

Cela dit, elle n’est tenue de vous indemniser que des conséquences dommageables que ce retard a pu avoir pour vous et non du retard lui-même, ce dont vous devez apporter la preuve.

Seul un retard anormal et important est de nature à justifier une indemnité. Ce critère s’apprécie par rapport à la durée et à la nature du vol. Les juges considèrent que la sécurité prime sur la ponctualité et exonèrent le transporteur lorsque le retard résulte d’un événement indépendant de sa volonté, tel un incident technique ou de mauvaises conditions météorologiques.

Par ailleurs, la réglementation européenne prévoit, pour tous les vols à partir d’un pays européen et ceux à destination d’un tel pays quand la compagnie est communautaire, que vous bénéficiez d’un service d’assistance au sol de type :

Communications téléphoniques (ou par fax, télex ou mail),

Services de restauration,

Hôtellerie,

Et, le cas échéant, de frais de taxi.

Télécharger un modèle de lettre de demande d’indemnisation si votre avion est en retard

Pour cela, il faut que le retard soit d’au moins :

2 heures pour un vol de moins de 1 500 km,

3 heures, de 1 500 à 3 500 km (y compris les vols intracommunautaires de plus 1 500 km vers les DOM),

4 heures pour les autres longs courriers.

Si le retard dépasse 5 heures, quel que soit le vol, vous avez droit au remboursement de votre billet ou au réacheminement vers votre point de départ si vous êtes en transit. Aucune indemnité financière automatique n’est prévue dans ce cas.

Vous pouvez aussi vous prévaloir de l’arrêt du 19 novembre 2009 (affaires C-402-07 et C-432-07) de la Cour de justice des communautés européennes (CJCE) qui a estimé que les passagers de vols subissant plus de 3 heures de retard doivent bénéficier des mêmes indemnités forfaitaires que celles prévues en cas d’annulation du vol.

Pour les vols non européens, vous pouvez prétendre à une indemnisation qui dépend de l’ampleur du préjudice. À ce titre, la convention de Montréal ne prévoit aucune indemnisation minimale forfaitaire et limite même la responsabilité du transporteur à environ 4 500 euros par passager.

Quelles sont les démarches à accomplir en cas de retard de votre avion ?

Si vous avez subi un préjudice résultant d’un retard important que vous pouvez justifier, vous devez adresser une demande d’indemnisation à la compagnie ou à l’agence de voyages qui vous a vendu le billet.

Exemple de lettre de demande d’indemnisation en cas de retard de votre avion à la compagnie aérienne

<Prénom et nom> <Vos coordonnées> <Téléphone fixe / mobile / courriel>

<Nom de la compagnie aérienne>

<Coordonnées de la compagnie aérienne>

À l’attention du service clients

<Ville>, le <Date du jour>

Par lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception, N° de l’AR : <A reporter>

Objet : lettre de demande d’indemnisation pour un retard d’un vol aérien

Madame, Monsieur,

Le <Date>, le vol <Numéro> Paris/Athènes est parti avec 4 heures de retard, sans aucune explication de votre part.

Par ce délai supplémentaire, je n’ai pas pu prendre mon avion en correspondance pour Santorin. J’ai finalement dû rattraper, 2 jours plus tard, à Naxos, la croisière à laquelle je devais participer.

En application de l’arrêt de la Cour de justice des communautés européennes (CJCE) du 19 novembre 2009 (n° C 402/07 et C 432/07), compte tenu de mon retard, je vous rappelle que je peux prétendre à l’indemnisation de <Montant> euros prévus par le règlement européen n° 261/2004 en cas d’annulation de vol.

En conséquence, je vous saurai gré de bien vouloir m’indemniser le plus rapidement possible.

Par ailleurs, je vous serais obligé(e) d’accuser réception de la présente lettre.

Dans l’attente d’un prompt règlement de ce litige, je vous prie de croire, Madame, Monsieur, à l’expression de mes sentiments respectueux.

<Prénom et nom> <Signature>

Foire aux questions (FAQ) en cas de retard de votre avion

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Comment envoyer une lettre de demande d’indemnisation en cas de retard de votre avion à la compagnie aérienne ?

Pour envoyer une lettre de demande d’indemnisation en cas de retard de votre avion à la compagnie aérienne ou l’agence de voyages, il vous suffit de faire un « Copier-coller » et de personnaliser le texte de la lettre proposée de l’article dans votre traitement de texte (Microsoft Word ou Writer d’Open Office).

Que faire si la compagnie aérienne tarde à vous répondre ou refuse de vous indemniser ?

À défaut de solution amiable, y compris après avoir contacté la Fédération nationale des associations d’usagers des transports ou la direction générale de l’aviation civile, vous pouvez saisir le médiateur tourisme voyage. Si ces démarches n’aboutissent pas, vous devrez engager une action judiciaire (éventuellement par une action de groupe)

Faut-il envoyer la lettre de demande d’indemnisation par lettre recommandée ?

Oui, il est fortement conseillé d’adresser sa demande d’indemnisation par lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception compte tenu des montants et du risque élevé de contestation dans ce type de dossier. Pour rappel, la lettre recommandée vous permet d’avoir une date certaine de votre envoi.

Quel est le règlement applicable aux compagnies aériennes en matière d’indemnisation ?

Il s’agit du règlement européen (CE) n° 261/2004 du 11 février 2004. Suivre le lien pour le consulter.

Autres publications sur les litiges, règles d’indemnisation du transport aérien et modèles de lettres

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Modèle de lettre d’indemnisation si votre avion est en retard

Modèle de lettre d’indemnisation en cas d’annulation de votre vol

Modèle de lettre d’indemnisation en cas de surréservation de votre vol

Règlement (CE) n° 261/2004 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 11 février 2004

Modèle de lettre de mise en demeure du voyagiste OPODO

Actions collectives pour les billets d’avion annulés en raison du covid-19

Modèle de courrier en cas de perte ou de vol de valise à l’aéroport à télécharger

Nouvelles règles sur les droits des passagers aériens au Canada

[news24fr]

Cela fait près de 11 mois que la Russie a lancé son opération militaire contre l'Ukraine. Il y a eu des pertes de vie inimaginables, des personnes ont fui leurs maisons, des animaux de compagnie ont été tués et des infrastructures ont été détruites. Maintenant, l'Ukraine a affirmé que la Russie avait perdu près de 1 17 000 soldats depuis le début de l'invasion à grande échelle en février 2022. Si cela s'avère vrai, cela signifiera que la Russie a perdu plus de troupes que les États-Unis dans le première guerre mondiale, rapporte Newsweek. Selon les chiffres les plus récents publiés par les forces armées ukrainiennes mardi, 1 16 950 soldats ennemis ont été « éliminés » depuis le 24 février. Cependant, NDTV n'est pas en mesure de vérifier de manière indépendante cette affirmation. Le ministère ukrainien des Affaires étrangères s'est rendu sur Twitter pour partager ces statistiques. Ils ont écrit : "328 jours de guerre à grande échelle de la Russie contre l'#Ukraine. Informations sur l'invasion de la #Russie. Pertes des forces armées de la #Russie en Ukraine, le 17 janvier." 3️⃣2️⃣8️⃣ jours de guerre à grande échelle de la Russie #Ukraine. Des informations sur #Russe invasion. Pertes de #Russiedes forces armées en Ukraine, le 17 janvier pic.twitter.com/j5IfLxLW8r — MFA d'Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) 17 janvier 2023 Le ministère ajoute également que 3 121 chars et 4 877 véhicules et réservoirs de carburant, 2 104 systèmes d'artillerie appartenant à la Russie ont également été détruits lors de l'attaque à grande échelle. Au total, 1 16 516 Américains ont perdu la vie pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, dont 53 402 sont morts au combat et les 63 114 restants ont succombé à des causes non liées au combat, principalement la grippe, alors qu'ils servaient en Europe, selon Newsweek. Les pertes russes avaient maintenant dépassé le nombre d'Américains tués pendant la guerre de Corée (1950-19953) qui s'élevait à 36 516. Il est à noter que 58 220 Américains ont été tués dans la guerre du Vietnam qui a eu lieu de 1955 à 1975. Selon les rapports ukrainiens, les pertes russes sont largement supérieures à celles de l'invasion et de l'occupation de l'Afghanistan par l'Union soviétique en 1979, des deux guerres tchétchènes des années 1990 et 2000, de la guerre russo-géorgienne de 2008 et de la participation de Moscou à la guerre civile syrienne. c'est noté. Moins de 6 000 morts parmi les soldats ont été officiellement signalés par la Russie pendant la guerre, qui approche actuellement d'un an, a ajouté Newsweek.

[specsnsarcasm]

The Affair - “402″

Watching "The Affair":

Cole

Oooooh! Tension! Something must have just gone down btw Noah and Cole. Tbc...

Can I just say how extremely happy it makes me that the kid from Noah's story (Anton) is on their “guy's trip” to find Alison? I'm way happier than I should be! Lol. I guess it's because it kind of means he's not being used as a prop in just one story, but is one of the gang?

It's a "Cole" episode! (Yay!)

Grandpa? Who tf is he calling "grandpa"? This dude looks like a straight-up villain from an 80's movie, and about 40 himself. Ppl in glass houses...

Omg, the scene with the police officer was so tense! I hate that some people get to use their privilege to get out of these types of situations. Cuz it sure as hell doesn’t work for everyone. 👀👀👀

Aw, Catalina is so cute and bashful when speaking Mandarin!

JJ is left handed (twinsies!)

So here's my problem with last season: EVERYTHING ended up in sex. PTSD/Depression? Sex. Drug addiction? Sex. A damn cold? Sure! Sex it on up! It led characters to end up in bed together again, which felt inauthentic and rather insulting. Look — I get that people have sex. (Couldn't be me, but I hear tell...lol). I get that it can be comforting. But not every scenario calls for it. Especially not the urgent 'I need you now', banging on the kitchen counter kind. Sometimes when people are feeling vulnerable or want to be close, non-sexual forms of intimacy are enough!

Oh, no. Cole, baby, don't do it! Don't get drunk and belligerent and make a scene.

*Phew* crisis averted.

You hate wearing a suit and tie? Awww, poor baby. (Grow the f^ck up!)

Oh, NO! He did NOT just say that to his wife. Boi! if you don't-

Luiza’s speech about the fear and helplessness of being undocumented is absolutely heartbreaking! And this is happening to so many people in the U.S. right now! Sadly, with the current... political climate (*SIGH*) it's only going to get worse. Immigration reform now.

Girl, I said the same thing about him whining about the tie. Tell him!

Holy sh*t! Is that guy on the beach just casually smoking crack? Cuz...

Aw, poor baby. You wanna be 20 and a free spirit, and smoke weed and drink beer on the beach, and f^ck that cute blonde chick and have no responsibilities? Too. fucking. bad. You have a wife. A kid. And a business. You are 40!!! I reiterate: GROW. THE FUCK. UP. (So help me, Pacey Cole! Do NOT make me dislike you!)

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA they drew on his face! They robbed him too? Man, those guys are dicks! The way they were talking, they’ll probably jack his rare surfbordt too! 

(Rubbing alcohol to remove permanent marker, dude! Not soap and water!)

I’m glad they’re laughing about gun violence. HA. HA. HA. Wouldn’t it be wild if she accidentally shot him rn? Cuz lulz, amIright? (What was he really going to do tho, I ask you!?)

It irritates me that both Noah AND Cole's version of Alison is a flighty, spacey, hippy chick, decorating the scene (like a manic pixie dream girl). She carries profound sadness, depth and has her own life. This illustrates how men often don't see women as complex, independently-motivated beings.

Alison

Oooooh! He touched her shoulder! (*tee hee*)

Yo! Dude got his head smashed tf in! Wasn’t that a little excessive? I mean- sure, he's a creep, but the guy lost his kid and is suffering from PTSD.

Great. Is Alison going to fall in love with her "saviour" now?

Wait- how did the guy get in, anyway? I thought the husband locked the door?

What did Alison’s patient hope to achieve by telling her husband what Alison said, if she had no intention of leaving him? And then she has the nerve to look all wounded at Alison as though she’s betrayed her trust!??!? Girlfriend just got choked tf out! Your husband is going through some things but at some point, you have to be real!  

Ben seems pretty healthy, mature and stable. Or at least trying (pretty cute too).

Cole, Noah, and this new guy? Alison? lol. Okay. 👀👀. Meanwhile, me: over here, single AF!

The way Jodie said “yes” to leaving the car light on reminds me of that fire-starting girl.

Dang, Ben Cruz! The way he asked her out was really smooth! Points! (Although, Skype? Really?)

Thoughts:

It’s interesting that in Cole’s version of events, the “kids” from the beach made him look like an old man when they drew on his face, whereas in Alison’s version, it was dicks and glasses and whiskers or whatever. It emphasizes that the “grandpa” comment and Cole's fears about getting older, and not wanting to become part of the establishment, are what resonated most with him. Also, it’s *really* cool that they took the time to make two different versions of the face marker. The show does this quite a bit. Attention to detail is what makes it so good!

Next week preview: Oh no! Dr. Vik seems really sick! Like... the kind of sick you don’t get better from. HO-BOY!