#was really having fun w the photo editor on this one

[ifortom]

Champagne Problems - T.H.

Synopsis: Tom and y/n, a couple that used to be inseparable, now face a deep crisis in their marriage. Their daughter, Olivie, 4, is in the middle of this emotional turmoil. With busy lives, differences of opinion and fragmented communication, the love that brought them together is slowly fading. After the aftermath they must face their own demons, rediscover empathy, and find a way to rebuild the relationship they once shared. Not just for themselves, but also for the well-being of their daughter, who longs for a united family.

A/N: Well here it is, this is a rollercoaster of emotions and I hope you enjoy it. An important note: English is not my first language so I hope you understand if there are any errors, be kind and let me know if necessary and I can fix it.

W/A: +5k

‘’Where’s my sweet baby pie?’’ You heard Nikki’s voice before she even opened the front door.

‘’Grandma!’’ Olivie screamed loudly when she saw her grandmother and ran straight into her open arms.

‘’Hi sweetie! I missed you.” She said hugging the little girl tightly. ‘’Everyone was waiting for you.’’ Olivie smiled and made her way inside the house without looking back.

Nikki turned to you, as you walked in the living room and smiled opening her arms just like she did with Ollie, welcoming you into a warm hug.

‘’What about you, darling? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.’’

‘’I know, and I’m sorry for that. Work’s been so hard lately, there’s a lot going on.’’ It wasn’t a lie, the last few weeks had been a pain in your ass with so much work since you got your promotion to chief editor at the publisher you worked.

‘’Yeah, Tom told me, that’s great news though!’’

‘’Its is, I’ve waited this for such a long time. But is complicated, Ollie is growing up and I feel like I’m missing out sometimes.’’ She smiled softly at you.

‘’I get it, just try not to stress yourself, that girl needs you... and you know, your promotion wasn’t the only thing Tom talked to me about the last time he was here... what’s going on with the both of you?’’

This was a question you really didn’t want to reply and this was a conversation you didn’t want to have, especially with your husband’s mother.

‘’I guess our relationship has seen better times but we’re trying. I’m just... I can’t have this conversation right now”

‘’I see... it’s alright sweetheart. I don’t want to intrude, just want to see you happy, the both of you. And that little girl.’’

‘’Me too.’’ You smiled at her, trying to hide the forming lump on your throat. ‘’I need to go, Tom is probably already home and we need to get ready.’’

‘’Of course. I’m going to find Ollie for you to say goodbye.’’ She walked out in the direction of the back garden.

While you waited, you took your time looking around the living room you’ve seen a thousand times already. Memories spread across the walls in the form of photos. Tom’s graduation day, Paddy’s first day of kindergarten, your wedding day, their family trip to Hawaii, Olivie as a new born. Memories you’re proud to be a part of.

The sound of small feet running to you woke you up from the small daydreaming.

‘’Mummy!’’ She hugged your legs and you bent down to her level to stare into her eyes.

‘’I’m going now, ok? Remember our deal?”

‘’Yeah, to be a good girl for grandma.’’ She said happily remembering your words from earlier.

‘’That’s right! Two nights, ok? And then we’re taking you home.’’

‘’You and daddy?’’ She asked playing with a string of your hair.

‘’Yeah, mummy and daddy.” She nodded. ‘’Alright, now give mumma a hug.’’ You tighly held her for a while, taking in her baby scent, the one you loved so much. ‘’Bye, babybug.’’ She let go of you and turned around finding her grandmother standing next to the couch. ‘’Bye Nikki, thank you for taking care of her. And please, say hi to everyone.’’

‘’Always. And please, have fun. You both need that”

...

Tonight was a special night. Tom’s company is hosting a party to celebrate a new partnership with a foreign company and, of course, as the wife of one of the partners, your presence is unquestionable. You need to be there to support your husband and keep the facade of the perfect couple with the perfect family. Because no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.

You stared at yourself in the mirror. The dark red dress you chose hugs your curves in all the right places, the small slit on the leg made it a little more daring but didn't lose the classic touch. It had been a while since you dressed up for a gala event, so you decided to take advantage of the opportunity and remember your features that have been hidden for a while.

Tom entered the room wearing his elegant suit. His hair was straightened and with every step he took he exuded class, and as you watched him in the mirror's reflection, you noticed his gaze fixed on your body.

 ''Woah, you look beautiful tonight'' Was the first thing he said. Tom hadn't had the opportunity to see the dress you had chosen before this moment, so it was definitely a surprise.

''Yeah, I wanted to try something today.'' You smiled, breaking eye contact in the mirror and going to the table next to the bed, picking up the necklace you had chosen. ''Can you put it on for me?'' You walked up to him and handed the necklace into his hands, turning your back.

Tom calmly analyzed the necklace and felt his breathing hitch. There was the necklace he had given you just before Olivie was born. Your pregnancy was not easy. There were many complications during the period and the risk of something happening to you or the baby was high. To this day, he is grateful that you two made it out of the operating room safe and sound.

The small, sparkling jewel dangled from the chain, reminding him of simpler times. He knew the moment he saw it for the first time that you would love it. It was simple, but it carried enormous emotion, love and hope.

He raised his hands towards your neck and noticed that they were sweating. And you felt his warm breath on your neck and his fingers delicately ran across it, making goosebumps run down your body. How long has it been since you felt each other's touch like this? It's impossible to believe that the two young people who couldn't live without having contact with each other for a long time became like two strangers afraid to touch.

Maybe a few years ago he would have come closer, placed his hands on your waist and left a kiss next to your ear. You would have thrown your head back leaning on his shoulder and the two of you would have stayed like that for a while.

But things changed and the two of you were no longer the same couple at the beginning of a relationship as you were before. Life happened and differences emerged, thoughts changed and opinions diverged. How could things be the same as before?

Instead, Tom put space between you and scratched his throat. His hand went to the back of his head. You looked in the mirror once again.

''I'm driving today, so if you're ready we can go''

You nodded and turned to him waiting for some reaction. Whatever it was. But what you got was him turning his back and walking towards the bedroom door. Holding back the cry that wanted to leave your throat, you lifted your head and followed him. Time to play the part.

...

The path to the venue's party room was silent. In the car, Tom let the music take over the space. As you mouthed the lyrics to a random song that was playing, Tom let furtive glances find you. But you would never know it.

When you arrived, a boy went towards the car while Tom opened his door. He quickly turned around and opened your door, extending his hand to help you out. Tom thanked the boy who entered the space he previously occupied and left with the car to park it.

You held onto Tom's arm as you walked together to the entrance of the already crowded room. Taking a deep breath, a smile appeared on your face as Harrison, Tom's best friend and one of his partners, walked towards you.

''You're finally here, what happened that took you so long?'' He said suggestively, making Tom laugh.

‘’No need to pry, mate.’’ Tom replied, now wrapping his arm around your waist. ''We arrived and we are fine, thank you for asking.''

''No defensiveness, Tom. You look great tonight, Y/N.'' Harrison said.

''Thanks, H. You don't look bad either.'' Harrison smiled and spun around as if showing off his outfit. You laughed at his mannerism.

''Well, some of the investors are already here and want to meet the person responsible for the partnership with the Japanese company.''

''Don't put all this on me, you were responsible too.''

''Wait, Tom... you didn't tell me that this came from you.'' You said resting one of your hands on his chest.

''What? Didn't he tell you? It turns out that if it weren't for this guy here, things wouldn't have happened. He was the one who stayed up working for hours and hours, making it impossible for the company to refuse the agreement.'' Harrison said.

How come Tom never mentioned this? Of course you knew something big was about to happen at the company but you didn't know that Tom was working so hard on it. So every night he took a while to get home, he was at work? Was the silence that came from him caused by this?

Tom looked uncomfortable, which was strange. Why was he acting like this?

A waiter approached the three of you and held out a tray with glasses of what looked like champagne. Harrison took one, while Tom did too and handed it to you.

''Aren't you going to drink?'' Harrison asked raising an eyebrow.

''I'm driving tonight.'' His hand returned to your waist and you felt his fingers lightly caressing over the thin material of the dress. ''Let's do this. I'll be right back, okay?'' He turned to you, who in response just nodded.

''Y/N, Sophie is near the bar. She was looking forward to your arrival.'' He pointed to where his wife was talking to two women unknown to you. ''She said that only you understand her in this place.''

''I say the same about her.'' You started walking towards your friend, who, upon seeing you, completely forgot about the two strangers she was talking to.

''I'm so grateful to see you. I was already starting to panic.'' She hugged you. ''Girl, and that dress! You look wonderful.'' She said looking you up and down.

''Did you like it? I think I made the right choice.''

''Definitely. I bet Tom went crazy when he saw you like that'' She said winking. Sophie was one of the only people who knew about how troubled your relationship was, and she certainly hoped that things between you would get better.

Just like your words to Harrison, she was the only person you could count on at the moment. Ever since their relationship began, just a few months after you and Tom became official, you two had been inseparable. The two of you worked together to help the two of them when they decided to start a company. And in this world made of appearances, you remained the same.

Obviously, Tom and Harrison have other partners who are married to snobbish and difficult to deal with women. And even though their husbands only have a small portion of the company, they act as if they are in charge of everything and everyone.

That's why you two stick together. Holding each other.

''It turns out that I was also expecting a reaction but I didn't get much.'' You say dejectedly taking a sip of the drink. Her hand affectionately roams your arm.

''I'm sorry, darling. He may not have shown it but I bet he won't resist and at the end of the night we know what will happen.'' The suggestive way in which she spoke made you laugh sincerely. ''We know what you have hidden there!'' You chuckled even though you weren't sure how this night would end and if it would go that way.

''For now I don't want to think about it, let's just enjoy it, okay?'' You tell her, holding her hand and pulling her close to the bar. ''Let's order a drink!''

And while you distracted the thoughts that disturbed you with what you were experiencing at the moment, Tom followed your every move, instead of paying attention to the compliments and questions he received.

''What you're doing for the company is great, Thomas! I'm sure it will grow more every day.'' Peter's hand, one of the investors, stopped on his shoulder, pulling him back.

''Thanks, but I wouldn't be able to do any of this alone.'' He said. ''None of this would be possible without the help of everyone who works at the company. Everyone, without exception.''

''And he's still humble. You really impress me, boy'' Peter laughs, making everyone in the circle laugh too.

''If you'll excuse us, we need to talk for a second.'' Harrison interrupts and pulls Tom aside, leaving the circle of middle-aged men. ''Mate, are you okay? You seem a little distant.''

Tom stares at the ground, trying to keep himself steady. His emotions were running high, and he didn't want to show it, at least not here and now.

''Yeah, I just need to have a glass of water.'' He replied walking towards one of the waiters who was carrying what he needed. ''This conversation has stressed me out. Harrison, I didn't do it all alone. You were part of it too.''

''Tom, I know that. Just accept the compliment, you know that's what they like to do. They're just interested in the money they're going to receive from all of this.'' Harrison says, resting his hand on his friend's shoulder. ''You do not need to worry about me. After all, I didn't lie about who actually stayed up late working on this project. The merit is yours, my friend.''

‘’Thanks, mate” Tom smiled and hugged his friend.

''Let's mingle a little bit more, okay? Then we can return to the arms of our dear wives.'' After Harrison's words, Tom's eyes went looking for you again. And they found you in the same place, laughing and enjoying the night, looking freer than before. ''Speaking of which, why didn't you tell her what was going on?''

''I think I was working too much and didn't want to worry her. She just got promoted and you know how Y/N is like. Always putting the needs of others above her own.’’

''Tom, she is your wife. Not to mention she's the mother of your daughter. She needs to know about things that happen, you can't deal with everything alone.''

''I know that.'' He took a deep breath. ''But this is not the time for that, shall we continue?''

Harrison looked a little disappointed but didn't want to step on any more toes, so he just agreed and they carried on with the night.

...

''I can't believe he did that.'' Sophie said shocked. ''What an asshole.''

''Well, you can believe it.''

''He promotes you and still has the courage to challenge you? Doubting whether you will be able to complete your tasks on time?''

Since you were promoted, your boss has been making comments about your work making you doubt whether it was a good choice or not. Which doesn't make sense because the decision to promote you was his. How can he doubt your abilities now?

''It's been exhausting but I've been trying not to pay too much attention to his sarcastic comments.''

''I bet so, but I'm sure you're doing an excellent job.'' She smiled. ‘’Seriously, you shouldn't care about this asshole’’

''Whoa, who's the asshole?'' You heard Harrison's voice, and turned around to find him and Tom approaching the two of you.

''Y/N's boss is trying to make her work life hell.'' She responded as Harrison hugged her from behind. At that moment you felt jealous of her. ''Hey, want to dance?''

''Hm, one of the bosses embarrassing himself on the dance floor with his lovely wife? Is this something everyone here would like to witness?'' He pretended to think for a while before holding her hand. ''I bet they wouldn't miss this for anything.'' He dragged her to the dance floor, leaving you and Tom standing next to each other laughing.

When the laughter stopped it was strange. They were there, husband and wife embarrassed to be so close. Tom broke the ice and got closer to her, who leaned back on a table. His hands went to her waist while hers went to his chest.

''I would ask you to dance too, but I don't know if everyone here is prepared to watch this disaster.'' The playful tone in his voice made her startle. She feigned shock.

''Are you sure about that? Am I the cause of disaster? Do I need to remind you of our first dance? How many times did you step on my foot that night?'' They laughed together and for the first time in a long time, you felt close to him. Almost complete. He was there, and he was yours. ‘’Tommy...’’

His heart missed a beat when he heard the nickname. Your hands went around his neck, your face slowly approaching his.

‘’Yeah, darling, I’m here.’’

''I really miss you.'' You say placing your head on his chest. ''I'm tired.''

''Do you want to go home?'' He asked, stroking your back.

''Are you sure? It's your party. I can go alone if you want. I'm not that drunk, I'm just really tired.'' Your voice was muffled but he could hear it.

''It doesn't matter, I won't let you go alone. I just need to say goodbye to some people, okay? And talk to Haz.'' He said, making you look at him.

''Okay, I'm going to the bathroom.'' He nodded and let you go. Watching your path before following his.

In the bathroom, you looked at yourself in the mirror and noticed how flushed you were. Not knowing if it was caused by the drinking or the closeness you were with your own husband.

You entered one of the stalls just as two women entered the bathroom.

''Did you see them today?" One of them said. ‘’They look so hot.’’

''Yeah, it's a shame they had those two clinging to their arms all night.'' The second voice said, Ava, you recognized it. She was Tom and Harrison's assistant at the company. The person everyone has to deal with directly before they can exchange a word with either of them. Normally, she is the one who decides which issue is extremely important and needs to reach them or not.

''Did you see Y/N tonight? I never imagined she could dress so well''.

''It was definitely just for the show.'' Ava replied and you held your breath in fear that they would realize that there was someone else in the same room as them. ''At least she looks pretty today.''

''And how do you feel about that?'' The girl asked cautiously.

''What do you mean by that, Izzy? Do you think I'm afraid of her?'' Ava mocked. ''You don't even know the half of it.''

''It's his wife.'' The second girl, Izzy, clarified.

''Do you want to know? Tom and I have become very close these last few weeks. Late one night, while we were at the office, he opened up to me. He was very honest saying that their marriage is not going well. Made it seem like he was tired of her or something.'' She said. ''What they did today was just to keep up appearances. I know what he really wants.''

''You mean he wants you?'' Izzy said and you felt your heart stop waiting for the answer.

''It's not that, I mean, we had a moment. This week, he was in the middle of a meeting when his daughter's daycare center called. Something about her fighting with a colleague over a pen, childish stuff, you know? I needed to act and since my name was on the list of people who could pick her up, I went.'' You felt dizzy upon hearing the information. How had Tom not told you this? ''I think he was extremely grateful, we hugged and well, we almost kissed.''

Everything was getting blurry, you couldn't believe he would do something like that.

''It didn't happen, so I don't want to say he wants me, but maybe he wants to get rid of her.'' She finished. ''Anyway, I wouldn't have a relationship with him. A daughter and an ex-wife? It is not for me. But that's it, looking doesn't take away anything.''

They left the bathroom still gossiping, but you couldn't hear anything else. How could he have done this? Not just exposing your relationship to a stranger and almost kissing her but hiding something about your own daughter? Trying to remember a moment that may have been abnormal, you remembered two weeks ago, when Tom called you informing you that he was already at home with Ollie earlier and that you didn't need to pick her up. This was unusual, and never happened unless you agreed beforehand.

Something happened at her school, little Olivie got into trouble and you didn't know about it. You couldn't discipline your own daughter because your husband decided to hide it from you.

After the shock, some things started to make sense and well, your husband almost kissed another woman. There's a lot going on and you're not in a good place to think about it. Your only goal now is to go home.

Leaving the cabin, you looked in the mirror and finally noticed the tears running down your face.

You quickly wiped your face and left the bathroom, encountering who you wanted to avoid. He was there, near the door, talking to the two women who had just exposed the biggest nonsense that Tom Holland could have done in his life. His eyes met yours and he was distracted, confused by your expression, soon the women also noticed that you left the bathroom right behind them.

And they knew what they had done. They said goodbye to Tom without looking back. He walked up to you and cupped your face with his hand.

''Y/N what happened?'' He said worriedly, you grabbed his wrists, removing his hands from your face.

''I'm going home.'' Was the only thing you said before walking past him towards the exit. Without looking at anyone, not even Sophie.

When you finally left the salon, the same boy from earlier was standing in front of the familiar car, waiting for the owner. He spotted Tom, who was behind you and handed him the keys.

He thanked the boy and stopped in front of you.

''Let's go, and we'll talk about what's going on.'' He held your hand only for you to make him let go right away.

''I'm not going with you''

''What? Y/N, get in the car.''

You shook your head and the tears came back. Soon your face was covered and you couldn't control it.

''No. How could you... how could you do this to me?" Your voice was increasing and Tom started looking around frantically.

''Y/N, baby, please. Let's go home.’’ Your hands went to your face, hiding it, embarrassed by this whole situation.

''You're hurting me so much, Tommy.'' Carefully he approached you and hugged you. And you allowed it. Because you are tired, tired of fighting, of holding this relationship alone, of holding a family alone.

Tom managed to guide you to the car and just like on the way there, the return was filled with silence. The only thing that could be heard this time was the sound of your sniffing.

When you arrived home, you were the first to get out of the car without looking back. Tom hadn't even parked properly and you were already outside. Sobriety overshadowed any drink you had this evening. With difficulty you found the keys to the front door inside your bag.

Finally inside the house, you took off your heels, leaving them at the entrance and made your way to the living room. You can hear Tom closing the door and walking right behind you.

''Can you tell me what happened to Ollie at school?'' You turned to him. ''Or are you going to keep hiding this from me?''

And so, Tom understood. He finally understood what had happened. You knew everything.

''She had a fight with a friend. Apparently, he took something from her and she tried to resolve it by pushing the child.'' Tom said as he ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. ''The child was not hurt and the parents understood that it was just a silly disagreement between the children. But the school called me to talk about her behavior.''

''They just called you, or called us both?’’

''Both of us.'' He said knowing where this was going. Your face contorted into an expression of pain.

''Do you know how that makes me feel, Tom? My daughter behaved badly and you omitted me to be responsible for it. She's not just yours, Tom. I need to know these things. What does this teach her? That it's ok if she hides certain things from me, because you did the same? And when she decides to do this with both of us? That hiding things is better?''

''I know I made a mistake, Y/N but I didn't want to burden you. I know the work has been difficult. Hell, you said that to Sophie today.'' He said trying to defend himself. ''I'm sorry for hiding it from you, but I did it thinking about saving you some worry.''

''Thomas, she's my daughter too. I need to know what happens to her. God, Tom, she's 4 years old.'' You try to reason with him, who just sits on the couch. ''I know that's not the whole reason you kept this from me.''

And when he looks up, you find him with eyes full of tears ready to collapse.

''I heard Ava's conversation in the bathroom, that's how I found out. I know she went to pick up Olivie that day. And for the record, I know she's your secretary but I want her off the list of people who can pick up Ollie.'' You say, moving away from him. ''I know what happened next. Between you two.''

Tom quickly stood up in front of you, his eyes begging you to accept whatever he was going to say.

''I don't know what she said, but you need to believe me when I tell you that nothing happened between us. I could never do that to you Y/N, you need to know that.'' And to his surprise you smiled softly. ''From the first moment you came into my life, I knew I would never need anyone again, no matter what.''

''Tom, what happened to us? When and why did we grow so far apart? Isn't this what we wanted, our family?''

''I know I've been distant but Y/N... things really aren't easy. We almost lost... we almost lost the company. Our accounts weren't good, there was a month when I thought we wouldn't be able to pay the employees. Me and Haz were desperate.'' He turned around as if he was embarrassed. ''We almost lost our investors. That's why I had to work twice as hard. So I spent a few nights away from home. In the midst of all this, all I could think about was the two of you. I needed to protect you no matter what.''

Your face softened upon hearing his outburst.

''It's been 10 years since we started this project and look at everything we've built. I had to do something. I know you work and believe me, you are the best at what you do, and your boss is just another asshole in this world who thinks he is better than others, but wouldn't be able to do half as much as you.’’

His face, like yours, was already full of tears.

''I'm sorry, I just couldn't let it all end like this. So, I did everything I could to rebuild what we have.'' He finished, approaching you once again, carefully his hands cupped your face. ''I'm sorry, my intention was never to hurt you. I would never do that.''

Without thinking twice, your lips pressed against his. You hadn’t felt them in a while. Your hands went to his hair while his went to your waist, pulling you as close as possible. As you deepened the kiss, Tom's hands ran down your back. His lips trailed down to your neck and collarbone, leaving open-mouthed kisses along the way.

Your hands found the jacket he still wore, removing it.

''Y/N, I don't want to... are you sure?'' He said with a hitched breath as you left small kisses on his lips. It had been so long since you had truly felt him.

''Yes I'm sure. I miss you so much, Tom, please.'' You said as you stared at him firmly.

He guided you to your room and as always, you let him, trusting him as you always did. And that night, Tom made you feel what you hadn't felt in a while, closeness to him. The care he always had, the affection. Skin on skin, sweat, short and mixed breaths.

...

On Sunday, two nights later, in the morning Tom told Nikki that you would be there for lunch and she could barely contain her happiness at hearing the news. Somehow she managed to notice the difference in her son's tone of voice and knew that things were working out.

Of course, you talked afterwards, for a long time, and agreed that you wouldn't hide anything from each other, especially issues related to Olivie. And you would always be there to listen to each other in any difficulty that may arise. That's what you promised when you exchanged rings and it would remain that way for a long time.

''Mumma, daddy!'' Olivie's excited voice was the first thing you heard when you arrived in the back garden of the Holland family house.

''Hi, baby!'' You said as Tom picked Ollie up. ''Did you have fun with grandma and grandpa?''

''Yeah, we made cookies.'' She said excitedly.

''I hope you left one for me.'' Tom said making the little girl laugh.

''I ate them all.'' She said jokingly. ''Sorry dad.'' Tom opened his mouth pretending to be shocked and you laughed at their mannerism.

This was what you missed, moments of joy and togetherness, happiness and love.

______________________________________________________________

Hope you liked it!

[maracujatangerine]

80. A mysterious letter

CW: none

Yến carefully picked her way through the puddles that pooled on the concrete steps. Her purple converse were already damp, but she wanted to keep them from getting soaked.

She halted for a moment to shake off the black umbrella she’d borrowed from the newsroom, before stepping through the double doors in front of her. Warm air and the characteristic scents of steel, burnt rubber, ozone and people enveloped her.

Luckily, the train was on time and since it was the middle of the day there was a place for her to sit. She used her free hand to pull her ponytail tighter, glancing at her reflection in the window against the backdrop of never-ending night.

Checking the time on her phone, she leaned back in her seat. No rush.

Absentmindedly, she looked at the tattoo curving up the inside of her left underarm; -30- in black ink, flanked by flowers.

Yến had got the tattoo just the year before, while still in college. Her parents had been… displeased, to say the least.

But it had seemed so romantic to her, even important. She had wanted to use the old sign that indicated the end of a submitted article, to inscribe it on her own body as a way of showing her commitment to the values of truth and justice that she shared with the journalists who’d gone before her in the annals of history.

Of course, that was way before she had actually got her first job. Now, after months of reporting on cat exhibitions in Queens, petty conflicts between neighbours in Staten Island, the World’s biggest barbecue in Brooklyn and other odds and ends of community reporting that her colleagues happily pushed over to the youngest and greenest in their newsroom, her commitment to truth and justice looked more than a little ridiculous, even to herself.

This assignment was no exception. Her co-workers had laughed out loud when the letter had arrived. Written by cut-out pieces of text from newspapers and magazines, the message had been carefully taped together into what looked like a ransom letter from the opening scene of a second-rate detective series.

“Important info!” The letter read. “Bryant Park, W 42nd Street. Right lamp at entrance. Brown envelope. 14:00 hrs. Today.”

“Miss Nguyễn Thị Yến,” her editor James had said, with mock formality. “I’ve got a job for you.”

”Are you really going to send her?” Barbara had interjected. “What if it is dangerous?”

“Nah!” James had shaken his head. “It is most likely a marketing trick. Or nothing at all.” To Yến he continued. “But you can make a story about the hunt for it. Take some photos on the way, and describe the scenes for the readers. It will be a light fluff piece. Okay?”

Yến had nodded, of course. But before she left, Barbara had handed her some plastic gloves and a transparent ziplock bag.

“If it looks like a bomb, don’t touch it. And use the gloves, remember the anthrax scare.”

Now, well on her way, Yến felt a sting of concern, what if Barbara was right? But all her other colleagues had thought that it was just a joke, or some business looking for attention. James wouldn’t send her out alone if he had thought it was risky. She decided that she would use the gloves, anyway.

The rhythm of the swaying train, the hissing stops and starts, her early morning start, it all made her feel a bit sleepy. She closed her eyes, just for a moment.

Fun fact

”-30- has been traditionally used by journalists in North America to indicate the end of a story or article that is submitted for editing and typesetting. It is commonly employed when writing on deadline and sending bits of the story at a time, via telegraphy, teletype, electronic transmission, or paper copy, as a necessary way to indicate the end of the article.”

So says Wikipedia, and also adds the fascinating fact that no one knows where the term came from, but that it might have its roots in the American Civil War era.

Tag List Part 1: @cupcakes-and-pain @whump-em @whumpzone @wh-wh-whu @neuro-whump @carnagecardinal @cowboy-anon @whump-me-all-night-long @redwingedwhump @myst-in-the-mirror @haro-whumps @eatyourdamnpears @bloodsweatandpotato @pinkraindropsfell @whumptywhumpdump @theydy-cringeworthy @whump-in-progress @whumpsy-daisy @nicolepascaline @whumpcreations @briars7 @shiningstarofwinter @whumppsychology @alex-ember @miss-kitty-whumptastic @whumpy-writings @in-patient-princess @youtube-fandoms-bands @goblinchildindabog @mazeish @distinctlywhumpthing @inpainandsuffering @canniboylism @icannotweave @incoherent-introspection @kim-poce @broken-typewriter @the-monarch-whumperfly @whumpers-inc @grizzlie70 @lil-whumper @writingbackwards @sunflower1000 @wingedwhump @thecitythatdoesntsleep @thingsthatgo-whump-inthenight @onlybadendings @rabass @wolfeyedwitch @melancholy-in-the-morning

[televinita]

The results of April's book sale bonanza, four library sales in two weeks! Long text post incoming...

Left stack in the first photo is from one sale, right stack is two other sales, and the final photo is from the last one alone. Somehow acquired more in April than I had Jan-March combined. I don't even want to count up how much I spent, so I'm simply going to decide it was worth it because so many pretty books, exciting finds, and fun!

I will say, the craziest thing to me is that the super-mega-huge sale, the one I made an effort to drive an hour for on Wednesday night? It was indeed huge and I spent 3 hours there & had a good time, but only found seven books, pictured in the right hand stack - from The Darcys & The Bingleys up through the 3 skinny paperbacks (plus a couple of CDs I took a chance on, didn't like). And the sale that usually doesn't have much of anything, that I barely had an hour in? The best sale of the month.

I tried to organize the cover photos mainly by age group, with YA blending into adult, so I think that's actually the order in which I'm going to go through them, not least because I missed a couple of them for the stacks.

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

1. A Dog Named Wolf - Erik Munsterhjelm (1973): I snagged it mainly because vintage dog/wildlife novel, but then I realized it's actually on my OpenLibrary TBR, so now I don't have to read it that way!

2. Mr. Cat - George Freedly (1960): not really a kids' book but small enough to put here. Apparently a bind-up w/ "More Mr. Cat" but I cannot imagine how short these were originally, as together in a mass market paperback it's still only 160 pages. I assume he was already a famous enough writer, even if only at a newspaper, to be granted the indulgence of publishing a memoir about his cat....

[edit: "theatre critic, librarian and founder of the Theatre Collection of the New York Public Library, Freedley was a regular columnist for PLAYBILL, and the drama critic, book editor, and feature writer for the Morning Telegraph (New York)"]

3. The Black Pearl - Scott O'Dell (1967, 70s edition): not unlike Call it Courage, this is another one I remember really liking in elementary school but the details have been forgotten.

4. BSC Super Special #7: Snowbound: only grabbed because it was super-cheap; it's not in great condition but super-specials are a little harder to spot in the wild so while I'm not trying to collect this massive series, I can't help having a soft-spot for a few reps. (side note: the Karen/Little Sister novelty book "School Scrapbook" was also there, which I thought might be a fun collectible, but it had already been mostly filled out by its previous owner. Still fun to read her answers, though! I would cherish having something like that from my own 3rd grade year).

5. Two-Minute Mysteries - Donald J. Sobold (1967, 90s edition): even though a teacher's name is inked on it, I couldn't resist this nostalgic read! My 4th/5th grade teacher used to read these aloud to us and challenge us to solve them, and you know what? They're STILL kind of hard to solve. You have to pay really close attention to specific wording and tiny details.

6-7. Animal Inn #3 + 6 - Virginia Vail: remember this series I love? By wild coincidence, these are the exact same ones I read from a Little Free Library in 2020, but where those copies were in horrible water-damaged shape, these are as good as can be expected from cheap-pulp kids' paperbacks of the 80s

8. The Dog In My Life - Kurt Unkelbach (1966): yay! I'm interested in all his books but have been wanting to read this ever since I solved it on a Goodreads "What's The Name of That Book?" queries (one of my first, and one I worked very hard on finding!)

9. The Black Stallion & the Girl - Walter Farley (1971): only grabbed this because it was so cheap; it's not in great shape and I probably won't keep. I always wanted to love this series more than I actually did growing up -- everyone who likes horse books always says this is their favorite, and I just never got the hype beyond the first couple! -- but there were a few I really liked. Maybe this could be one of them.

10. A Summer of Horses - Carol Fenner: I see an 80s teen horse book paperback, I buy. Unsure if I'll keep it after reading, but it's not that thick so probably.

11. Flash of Phantom Canyon -- Agnes Ranney (1960s): I see a vintage Scholastic horse book, I also buy. I ended up deciding to read this right away, mostly because it was small and light and easy to carry in a shoulder bag while walking on trails in search of a good reading bench. Honestly, it's as much historical fiction/history lesson as it is horse book and if I ever make myself weed through the Scholastic Stack this is probably a donation candidate...but not just yet.

12. The Stallion of Box Canyon (1997): part of the Treasured Horses collection I owned several of as a kid from Scholastic book orders and LOVED, but sold off when I outgrew them, and have now been grabbing back. When I learned in 2020 that there were model horses to go with them, as well as more books than I knew about, my interest increased, and this one about a Mustang was my #1 most wanted!

13. Foxy - Helen V. Griffith (1984): Dog book! I think I read this in elementary school but want to be sure. May or may not keep, depends how sad it is.

14. The Collector - K.R. Alexander (2018): the modern-day counterpart to Mary Downing Hahn, I freaking love this scary-as-hell cover. I listened to it on audio but I wanted a physical copy as well.

15. The Sun Will Come Out -- Joanne Levy (2021): it was simply too beautiful and pristine -- it looks off the shelf new -- not to buy, knowing I could flip it to Half Price. I think I probably will do that now that I've read it, but I did enjoy it.

16. The Diddakoi - Rumer Godden (1972): figures that I find it just one year after I finally caved and read it on OpenLibrary last year after 6 years on my TBR. But this is the first time I've seen a physical copy. This edition is not my favorite cover so I'm not sure if I really want to keep it, but I did enjoy the book.

17. Tucky the Hunter - James Dickey (1978): pictured in the last photo, I bought one (1) picture book because the illustrations were so beautiful, and the rhyming text written in calligraphy. Do I agree with the story theme of a child dreaming about all the animals he wants to shoot? Not really, but...

YA/TEEN

1. Seventeenth Summer - Maureen Daly (1942, 2006 edition): it's only a mass market paperback, but still thrilled to finally have this classic in my hands to read when ready!

2. City of Darkness - Ben Bova (1976): I just couldn't resist the premise of this one -- Manhattan is now under a dome and only "open" in the summer as a tourist spot, but a kid sneaks in and gets stuck there to find out that gangs secretly live there year-round, fighting for sheer survival? I intended to read & release because it's not in the best condition, so I read it right away, but now I think this is so creative I want to keep it around.

3. In the Hand of the Goddess (Alanna #2) (1984, 2011 edition) - Tamora Pierce: ex-library but I think I can peel the tape/stickers off. I've decided to collect both this version of the series and the mass-market paperbacks as I find them because I love them equally for different reasons.

4. In Front of God and Everybody: The Confessions of April Grace - K.D. McCrite (2011): technically middle grade but putting it here because it's a visual match. I saw this at the sale a few years ago but gave it a pass because it was Christian fiction. Now that bothers me less, and I'm so glad I changed my mind because I read it last week and it was HILARIOUS and I want the rest of the quartet. (also very minimally "Christian Book" -- it shows only in that the family goes to church/says a blessing before dinner and lives by the principle of "be kind to others no matter how ungracious they are")

5. Pretty Fierce - Kieran Scott (2017): a 5-star swoon-worthy YA spy thriller! So happy it's mine.

6. Top Ten - Katie Cotugno (2017): as recently mentioned in the reading triage, this is ex-library w/ a broken spine so I mainly bought it to dismantle for the snapshots on the cover and endpages, but then I realized ah heck, this sounds pretty good and I want to read it after all. I'm 70 pages in and really enjoying it, but saving it for the sunny days.

7. What Comes After - Steve Watkins (2011): one of my standout YA reads in *checks notes* actually 2011, wow! I still think about it regularly -- orphaned teen is sent to live w/ only remaining relatives, an abusive aunt & cousin; finds solace in caring for the goats

8. This Is What It Feels Like  - Annie Barrows (2018): has been on my summer TBR 2 or 3 years running, now I can stop worrying about when the library will weed the last copy.

9. In Real Life - Jessica Love (2016): an underrated read from, I think, 2018? Again with the sweet romance.

10. The Girls of No Return - Erin Saldin (2012): a much more serious book about girls in a wilderness therapy camp/school that really impressed me, thrilled to have one in pristine condition.

ADULT FICTION

Now we're gonna mix it up a little as fiction and non aren't separated in the above photos, mainly to match size & color, but I'm listing all the fiction first.

Driftwood - Elizabeth Dutton (2014): I thought it was a misplaced YA when I bought it, until I started reading and MC is twenty-eight. It promised a solo California road trip, following a route left in letters by her late father, so I decided to take a chance. It seemed so perfect for the weather I ended up starting it in a nearby park before I even went home, and finished the next day. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4, I'm glad I bought it

2. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon (2000): I bought husband a brand-new copy of the newer edition w/ four extra short-stories in the back, which he never read and now I'm kind of glad he didn't so it stays pristine in a way only I can manage, and meanwhile, I decided to get this one too because it is MUCH, MUCH floppier and more comfortable to read.

3. Maurice - E.M. Forster: I've never read this and kind of want to. I've started making it a habit to look for nice editions of classics at these sales, and while this isn't amazing, it's like new, a floppy paperback, AND it has horses on the front, so.

4. Where the Forest Meets the Stars - Glendy Vanderah (2019): I've been flirting with the idea of reading this and while my library DOES have it, I'd love a perfectly-new copy of my own for $2.

5. The Haunting of Gillespie House - Darcy Coates (2015, 2020 edition): same with this one. I still can't believe that after discovering a whole shelf of her books at the library in 2022 and being like "I'm gonna read them all!", I actually only read one. But this was definitely high on my interest list!

6. The Darcys and the Bingleys - Marsha Altman (2008): had there been more at this particular sale I wanted, I might not have bought it, but the library doesn't have it and my interest is piqued by this P&P fanfiction sequel (which...is the first of ten in a series?? good lord this one is already large enough).

7. Coffee Train - Margarethe Erdahl Shank (1953): It's in terrible shape -- awful foxing on the pages -- so I really shouldn't have, but I'm Intrigued by this vintage read; my family has no Scandinavian roots but much of Minnesota (including my husband) does so I have a soft spot for it. Even though this takes place in the state next door, I think it will be very charming.

Through the eyes of little Mugs, a Norwegian-American girl, we see life in North Dakota with Norwegian Lutherans in the days following World War I.

8. The Dogs of Christmas - Bruce Cameron (2013, 2018 edition): I absolutely loved this book and this is the "author's preferred edition" with an extra chapter at the end! I saw it at a garage sale 3 years ago and resisted like an IDIOT who was trying not to over-buy books she didn't ~need~; have regretted and been looking for this version ever since, now it's mine.

9. The Christmas Dog - Melody Carlson (2009): I couldn't resist this slender novella. This year's December reading is gonna be SO CHRISTMASY I swear it.

10. Christmas at Corgi Cove - Annie England Noblin (2023!): aaand now I am back up to owning 3 unread books by her after having only read 1 and given it 3 stars. But hope springs eternal and all that.

11. Roxane the Blue Dane - Alice Kingham-Lechevre (1988): "a series of short stories chronicling the relationship between the author and her favorite show dog, Roxane, told from the perspective of the great dane." Takes place in France, so I had a devil of a time trying to figure out why this author was famous enough to write about her pet, and finally deduced she was a decently well known English/French artist/illustrator, particularly of animals, born late 19th century. It seems quite wonderful from the chapter or two I've read.

12. The Sccrets of Pistoulet - Jana Fayen Kolpen (1996): this one I'm actually really excited about because a) it's in a slipcase, which I didn't previously know because I read a library copy, and b) I spotted it in the cookbooks section I only ever skim (for Susan Branch). I don't actually love the story, which is a murky magical-realism adult fable set in France, but I do love that it's mixed-media with transparent overlays, at least one card that opens up, and several recipe cards you can physically remove from envelopes.

NONFICTION

1. Unauthorized X-Files -- Hatfield/Bur (1996): I would have climbed over people to get my hands on this in high school. "In this ultimate game book for X-philes, the authors have put together a collection of trivia challenges: Some are based on specific episodes from the first three seasons (brief episode summaries are provided); others address behind-the-scenes and on-the-set information, site locations, dialogue between characters, more. Testing methods vary, ranging from multiple choice to fill in the blank. Also included are actor and character profiles, memorable Mulderisms, and scintillating Scullyisms!"

Even though it's limited to the years of TXF I mostly avoid rewatching, the vestigial Phile in me is still intrigued. By the same authors, I also saw Unauthorized X-Cyclopedia, which tempted me, but I figured I'm unlikely to actually use it for reference and tbh, it'll just annoy me that it doesn't cover the full series.

2. Growing With the Grass - Ted Hall (1992): a small local press-published memoir of a boyhood circa the 1920s, arranged as a collection of brief anecdotes & vignettes, snagged because Old Frontenac is a lovely day trip visit and still just as much of a village as ever. I don't know if this will fully be to my tastes or a keeper, but I couldn't resist.

3. House Lessons - Erica Bauermeister (2020): a memoir of restoring an old house on an island off the coast of Washington, crossed w/ life lessons. Would you believe I was on a Libby waitlist for the audio for three months as our library doesn't have a physical copy, finally finished it during first week of driving to book sales, and then found a physical copy at the last one! Decided I liked it enough to own, at least for a while. Plus physical copy has little sketches before each chapter!

4. The Big House A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home - George Howe Colt (2003): now for the opposite coast...I think I put this on a TBR before; our library only has one copy and I really want to read it but I'm never quite in the mood. Now it's mine forever!! (I was SO excited to find this with you lmao)

5. Cold Antler Farm - Jenna Woginrich (2014): I read her first book twice (Made From Scratch), and while unfortunately there are 2 more memoirs to go before I chronologically reach this one and the library doesn't have any, I'm really excited I have this one!

6. Connemara Mollie - Hilary Brandt (2012): I'm ALSO super excited to try this one, never heard of it but it's a memoir of a long-distance pony trek the author took around Ireland in 1984.

7. Brother Super - Bill Rice (1961): Pet memoir about another Great Dane, this time a family pet.

OTHER MEDIA (not pictured)

Audiobooks: When We Were Lost by Kevin Wignall, a cracking good YA adventure about a plane crash in the jungle, and Why Not Me?, so now I have both of Mindy Kaling's memoirs in her voice! (someday I'll listen to it...)

DVDs: Spiderman: No Way Home; Uncharted

CDs: Patty Larkin - "Watch the Sky," and Matt Wasner's eponymous album/limited advanced edition copy (I took a chance on these based on appearance, because nothing is more fun than guessing right on something random that becomes a new fave!, but unfortunately I didn't like either of them so they will be leaving)

[castielsparkle]

hi! I love your web weaving posts. how do you usually go about collecting stuff for a specific web weave? I usually just use two sources, but I want to weave together multiple sources and I don't want to just go on like. google image search. and be unable to find out who actually owns what I'm weaving. you know?

hii!!! first off THANK U SO MUCH!!! that means so much to me that people like my work ahh!! ;__; thank uu!! so! i believe ikwym!! i have been thinking very hard about how to respond to this one eheh bc tbh when i webweave i am. struck with a concept. and then i black out for three hours and suddenly i have a new post on tumblr under the webweaving + spn tags :'). (/j but tbh i rlly do not know how to explain my process coherently so hopefully this will suffice aksjnda<3)

some things that i do that might help!!:

so, first off, i follow a lot of like 'aesthetic' blogs and tags! so accs that post poetry with like, credit attributed to them, and i also follow photography accounts that post stuff w credit that i might use! this one can be kind of. particular! given what you typically want to weave webs abt eheh. i follow tags like nature for example bc a lot of people post stuff i might use in there! the best way id recommend scouting for these is like, if you were to look for perhaps dog photos, going through tags about nature, photography, dogs, canine photography, wildlife, etc. the tumblr acc antiqueanimals is one i rlly like for stuff like that! and then if you find one good blog just going through the accs they rb from, accs recommended that are like them, the tags they use, etc!

another thing! if i have a vague concept or even something i just might wanna expand on, i will write down somewhere (notes app, a private discord channel for keeping things in one place, a google doc etc whatever u wanna use!) keywords, lyrics, quotes, certain episodes of tv etc. they can be whatever really as long as they make sense to u!! i also tend to keep folders of various art (lyrics, quotes, poetry, drawings, photos) w their credit when they 'stick out' to me, and if i cant find the credit then usually saving whatever it is and then reverse image searching online can help really well too!! or searching keywords of the image that might stick out!

also for spn editors in particular!:

also this one is rather tedious however. sometimes i will go through like. the transcripts and just ctrl+f search phrases and stuff akjsnda. lots and lots of google searches w specific keywords however i feel like the link above probably eliminates that, i havent used it for a webweave yet but it looked cool! however the other method i use w the link below \/

i hope this was at least a little helpful!! :' D sorry its very scattered askjnda,, a lot of it is honestly just entering tons of keywords on like,, browser image search + tumblr tags/blogs + pinterest and hoping for the best and reverse image searching stuff to find the source lol. my process is very all over the place so hopefully this is a more understandable concise version of it!!<3 thank u again so so much for the ask have fun webweaving!!!<3

[cyarskaren52]

These shows were definitely worth the space in the dvr

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TVLINE'S YEAR IN REVIEW!

2023 in Review: The 20 Best Shows

BY TEAM TVLINE

DECEMBER 4, 2023 7:30 AM

TVLine’s annual year-end retrospective is officially here! And we could save the best for last, but really, where’s the fun in that?

Rather, our Year in Review kicks off with a ranking of 2023’s 20 best series, a list created by our editors’ spirited debates and reminiscences about the past 12 months of television.

Our ranking below covers the spectrum of broadcast, cable and streaming, from the sophomore slump-less Abbott Elementary to Fargo‘s triumphant return to a standout second season for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. We’ve got returning veterans (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession) and breakout newbies (Silo, Shrinking), plus a few hidden gems from this TV year (if you’re not watching Dave… well, why not?).

But as much as we love a good spoiler here at TVLine, we won’t ruin the entire list for you. Keep scrolling to see our picks for 2023’s best shows — including our No. 1 pick for the best show — then drop a comment with your own favorites!

Still to come in TVLine’s Year in Review: Worst Shows of 2023, Biggest Plot Twists, Sexiest Scenes, Character Deaths That Nearly Killed Us, Shocking Cast Exits and much, much more!

20

The Other Two(Max)

Photo : Courtesy of Max

Max’s showbiz satire was funnier than ever in its third (and ultimately, ugh, final) season, skewering everything from Jeff Bezos’ billionaire status to Disney’s famously tepid approach to LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Stars Heléne Yorke and Drew Tarver respectively took Brooke and Cary to new, cringe-worthy lows, as Brooke made a half-hearted attempt at do-gooding and Cary’s desire for fame became even more insatiable. But The Other Two also proved it could still surprise us, wading into occasionally dramatic waters — Brooke and Lance’s breakup fight, or the surprisingly moving series finale — that were just as effective as the show’s nonstop punchlines. — Rebecca Iannucci

19

One Piece (Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix has bonafide TV gold on its hands with this live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s long-running manga series about a ragtag group of pirates on a global quest for the ultimate treasure, the titular “One Piece.” A winning combination of breathtaking visuals, a delightful tone, incredible fight scenes and inspired casting resulted in a final product that managed to both impress critics and appease fans — an incredibly rare dual feat, especially in the inconsistent realm of live-action reimaginings. — Andy Swift

18

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video)

Photo : Courtesy of Prime Video

An occasionally uneven final season does not mask the simple truth: The Amazon comedy went out with a bang. Not only did Season 5 produce some of the finest episodes in Maisel’s entire run — we’re looking at you, Episode 6’s hilarious and heartbreaking Susie-centric “The Testi-Roastial” — but Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino delivered the period-appropriate goods when it mattered the most, i.e. via the immensely satisfying series finale. — Michael Ausiello

17

Silo (Apple TV+)

Juliette and Sheriff Holston (David Oyelowo)

Photo : Courtesy of Apple TV+

To be honest, this dystopian drama had us at “the last 10,000 people on Earth reside inside a mile-deep home.” But Silo took that provocative premise and added to it a knockout cast led by Rebecca Ferguson (and many of whom stuck around a lot shorter than you might have expected!), incredible and tactile production design, and a twist or two that even those who read the first of Hugh Howey’s Wool novels did not see coming. — Matt Webb Mitovich

16

The Fall of the House of Usher(Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy ended their time at Netflix the way they started it: by scaring us silly while making us ache (in a good way!). Usher, based on various works by Edgar Allan Poe, followed the immensely satisfying formula the executive producers put forth in The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor. First, have a terrific ensemble play out an emotionally resonant saga. Then, sprinkle in just enough jump scares to distract from the deftly woven existential dread! Even better: This time around, Flanagan added heavy hitters Bruce Greenwood and Mary McDonnell to his troupe, giving Usher a solemnity befitting the final jewel in the horror auteur’s Netflix crown. — Kimberly Roots

15

Dave (FXX)

Photo : Courtesy of FXX

With its third season this spring, Davemaintained its status as one of the best shows that not enough people are talking about. The FXX comedy took a deep dive into its protagonist’s psyche as he searched for new love and interrogated his own thirst for fame. The result — as is often the case with Dave — was a bizarre, sincere, reliably funny and surprisingly cameo-filled (Brad Pitt?!) batch of episodes, building to an unpredictable finale that was as horrifying as it was hilarious. — R.I.

14

Fargo (FX)

Photo : Courtesy of FX

FX’s pitch-black crime anthology has made a triumphant return with Season 5, easily its best and most exciting outing in years. (Yes, only three episodes have aired so far, but trust us: It keeps getting better.) Juno Temple is a real spitfire as Minnesota housewife Dot, and Jon Hamm turns that old Don Draper mystique on its head as macho sheriff Roy Tillman. Season 5 strips away the indulgences that derailed previous Fargo seasons and ups the ante with a barrage of high-octane action sequences. Are we hooked again? Oh yah, you betcha. — Dave Nemetz

13

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds(Paramount+)

Photo : Courtesy of Paramount+

The Paramount+ show’s sophomore run was a crowd-pleasing affair that gave us a little bit of everything. From Una Chin-Riley’s thought-provoking ethics trial to that charming musical episode that had us singing its praises (and proved this cast has serious vocal chops) — and let’s not forget that bonkers crossover with the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks — Season 2 took big creative swings that elevated the show to bold new heights and yet, never forgot its roots. — Keisha Hatchett

12

The Great (Hulu)

Photo : Courtesy of Hulu

The Hulu series delivered another — ahem — great season of absurdist comedy and political intrigue as Peter and Catherine finally called a truce and recommitted themselves to their marriage. The couple’s twisted romance felt especially engrossing this season, due in large part to Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult’s beautifully layered performances that were as devastating as they were funny. And the show’s needle-drop ending moment, during which Catherine danced through her grief to the tune of AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” highlighted an invigorating season of growth and loss tinged with raucous humor. — K.H.

11

Snowfall (FX)

Photo : Courtesy of FX

Set during the height of the 1980s crack epidemic, FX’s captivating drama ended its run on a series high as Franklin Saint wound up destitute and wandering the neighborhood he destroyed with drugs. Portrayer Damson Idris was brilliant in his final outing as the ruthless dealer, delivering a standout performance that deftly illustrated how greed, ego and addiction fueled the character’s gut-wrenching demise. It’s an unspeakable crime that Snowfall never received the Emmy recognition it deserved, especially after an exceptional final season that solidified its status as one of the all-time greats. — K.H.

10

A Small Light (Nat Geo)

Photo : Courtesy of National Geographic

National Geographic’s gripping retelling of Anne Frank’s tragic story didn’t get a lot of love when it was released. And that’s a shame, because the limited series — told from the perspective of Frank family friend/protector Miep Gies (excellently played by Bel Powley) — did its subjects a great service by leaning into the moments of joy that sparked even in the darkest days of the Franks’ and Gies’ lives. With a modern sensibility and an examination of hatred that sadly still reverberates throughout the world, A Small Light was a profoundly moving project anchored by the warm gravitas of Liev Schreiber as Anne’s father, Otto Frank. — K.R.

09

Abbott Elementary(ABC)

Photo : Courtesy of ABC

There was no sophomore slump for the hit ABC comedy, which continued to bring the laughs in its second season while also deepening its characters in ways that were both hilarious and illuminating. (Barbara’s school-fire meltdown is an unforgettable example.) With thoughtful but funny storylines, like the introduction of Janine and Melissa’s messy family dynamics, Abbott Elementary successfully expanded its scope beyond the school walls. Meanwhile, the delicious romantic tension between Janine and Gregory is still alive and well, even after the pair took some steps forward and backward in their “will they/won’t they” dynamic. — Vlada Gelman

08

Shrinking (Apple TV+)

Photo : Courtesy of Apple TV+

A series about grief turned out to be one of the year’s funniest and most heartwarming. Jason Segel lit up the screen as a widower struggling to parent his teenage daughter and move on from his loss. His big life change sparked an avant-garde approach to his work as a therapist, leading him to fly off the rails personally and professionally, as the impeccable supporting cast — including Harrison Ford, Christa Miller and Jessica Williams — landed well-executed quips and touching moments. Poignant and wildly entertaining, Shrinking proved that silver linings do exist, even if dark clouds may be blocking our view. — Nick Caruso

07

BEEF (Netflix)

Photo : Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix’s story of two unhappy souls whose paths collide after a vicious road rage incident spawned both humor and tragedy, and allowed stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun to showcase their deep arsenals of talent. From comedy that bordered on absurdism to the emotional meltdowns that had our jaws scraping the floor, the series took some thrilling turns before culminating with a literal bang that nearly destroyed us. By its end, BEEF‘s flame-broiled insanity left us hoping creator Lee Sung Jin has something else to throw on the grill soon. — N.C.

06

Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)

Photo : Courtesy of Amazon Freevee

Now this one was a surprise! Amazon Freevee’s wildly chaotic prank comedy flew under the radar at first, placing an unsuspecting real guy named Ronald on the jury of a completely fictional court case, but it delivered more laughs than just about anything on TV this year. The twists were almost too crazy to believe — James Marsden cracked us up playing an arrogantly entitled version of himself — but it was the underlying sweetness here, with Ronald bonding with his fellow jurors as the trial dragged on, that made all those long days in the jury box worth it. — D.N.

05

The Last of Us(HBO)

Photo : Courtesy of HBO

Executive producers Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin blended a cracking-good cast (expertly led by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey), beautifully spare scripts and loving devotion to/willingness to deviate from the source material — a post-apocalyptic zombie video game! — all to create one of the finest dramas we’ve seen in years. Let’s take a moment, as well, to acknowledge standout guest stars like Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman and Ashley Johnson, whose performances propelled the deeply moving story toward its gorgeous, albeit devastating, Season 1 conclusion. — K.R.

04

Poker Face(Peacock)

Photo : Courtesy of Peacock

Star Natasha Lyonne and director Rian Johnson teamed up to pen a love letter to classic TV detective dramas with this charming Peacock mystery. It’s a real throwback, with Lyonne’s amateur private eye Charlie Cale solving one self-contained mystery per week and meeting a roster of fun guest stars, but Lyonne’s sassy, quippy performance brings it all right up to the present day. This isn’t bulls—t: We could watch her solve crimes all day. — D.N.

03

The Bear (Hulu)

Photo : Courtesy of FX

The first season of Hulu’s culinary dramedy, it turns out, was just an appetizer. Season 2 was even more delicious, taking its sweet time to let the drama marinate as chef Carmy and his pals worked their butts off to build a fine-dining restaurant from scratch. The energy was infectious, the emotions were raw, and the performances were astoundingly good, cutting right to the bone. Throw in an all-timer of a holiday episode with a feast of big-name guest stars, and The Bear’s sophomore outing somehow left us both supremely satisfied and hungry for more. — D.N.

02

Succession (HBO)

https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/succession.jpg?w=1240

Sent from my iPhone

[journeys-debut]

100 Days with ZB1

Long time, no see.

100 Days with ZB1 and I've been radio silent--but don't get it twisted.

I've been busy.

I just bought my first ever (and 2nd ever) lightstick? I have not one but TWO photo card collections! I'm a TikTok editor now??? And...

Guys, Matthew and I have smiled at each other--like...face to face.

No, this is not a delulu Y/N Tumblr post.

This is...

Journey's Debut

You can hear all about my adventures in my new podcast. (More info coming soon.)

For now:

I want to celebrate 100 Days with ZB1.

Just briefly. No pretty pictures and fun words like usual. Like I said, I've been busy.

But I want to reflect on the fact that 100, maybe 200 days ago...I didn't even listen to K-pop. Maybe a few songs here and there...but it wasn't my fandom.

One show, a really cool voting system, and a bunch of interesting personalities later--I played the tiniest role in someone debuting in a project group.

And maybe I thought I'd wipe my hands clean from K-pop after that.

Or maybe I thought I'd follow my 1-Pick's progress and check in here and again.

Maybe I thought I'd file "Zerobaseone" under one of many hobbies--fun for a rainy day.

And now.

Well.

Now, it's been 100 days.

And now I have lightsticks, and magazines, and slogans, and photobooth pics, and way too many albums?

And now I have something that I love very much, something that makes me happy, something that may be sorted into one of my many hobbies but is certainly in the top 3.

And now I have petals everywhere: roses in my jewelry, in my hair, taking up space on my emoji keyboard--

And now...I have Zerobaseone.

So...

Happy Anniversary, Zeroes.

And Happy 100 Days w/ you, ZB1.

Love you, Always. (나와 같이 걸어줄래? Always~)

--- Personal messages (in age order):

---

Jiwoong Hyung

100 days with Oppa! 🎉 Thank you for being a reliable hyung to the members and an adorable idol to zeroses! We love you Jiwoongie~ 💗

Zhang Hao

OUR CENTER its been 100 days with you! You’re cute and funny and a 100-day idol! We love you so much our jjang Zhang Hao 💗 Love you Always~ 🎻🎻🎻 나와 같이 걸어줄래? Always~

Sung Hanbin

Thank you for leading ZB1 for 100 days and thank you for leading Zerose straight into your heart. 💗 We love you MC Hambin 🐹

Seok Matthew

1-Pick ➡️ 100 Days. So happy it was you. 💗 (Alexa, play “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri)

Kim Taerae

Happy 100 Days to Mother Taraesa~ 💗 Our main vocalist and our main slayer~

Ricky

Young and rich, tall and handsome--those things may fade with time (unlikely!) but I will love you always (+100x more!)

Kim Gyuvin

100 days with our thoughtful and sweet ~moodmaker~ Gyuvinnie! 🎉

Park Gunwook

100 days with Gunwookie! 100 days of quick wit and big smiles! Here’s to 100 more! We love you Gunwookie! 💗

Han Yujin

100 days with our maknae! Zerose love you sooo much!!! We’ll grow with you and stay by your side! 💗🌹

----🌹------------0_1---------------🌹-------------0_1--------------🌹-----

More ways to follow the Journey!

[brittanyinterviews]

Brent Duplessis, Editor at The RealReal

Brent Duplessis, Editor at The RealReal

---

This interview was conducted via email in November 2022. It was edited slightly for clarity and consistency. 

---

Brittany: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? 

Brent: I grew up in the San Fernando Valley on the north side of Los Angeles, but have called San Francisco home for the past 15 years. I moved here for school and stayed for the weather. Yes I like the perpetual cold and fog, yes I still love it here. And no, I will never move back to LA! I currently work as the Editor for The RealReal, a luxury consignment company, and spend my spare time honing my cooking skills, watering my plants, eating & drinking across SF and hunkering down with a video game.

Brittany: Taking a peek at your LinkedIn, it's clear that you've been interested in and have worked in fashion for a while. Do you remember how this interest developed? 

Brent: It definitely started much sooner than I can put a finger on, but my earliest memories were draping sheets & towels on myself and my little sister and playing around the house. Back-to-school shopping was my favorite time of the year and my mom has told me that I always had an opinion on what I wanted to wear. My interest grew by flipping through fashion magazines that belonged to my mom and sister — Vogue, Marie Claire, YM stand out — and would casually peruse catalogs for mall stores when I was bored.

I think the first time I fell in love with "capital F" Fashion was around 2000 / 2001 when I saw photos of Alexander McQueen's VOSS. It completely changed the way I thought about fashion and is still one of my all-time favorite shows. I dove into his work (thanks, Style.com!) and became obsessed with the storytelling he was able to achieve through his choices of textiles & embellishments and the strange forms he created that were at once bleak, unsettling, and undeniably beautiful. John Galliano's work at Dior also quickly became a favorite of mine for its opulence and escapism, the campy opposite of the seriousness of McQueen, but with a similar deft handling of fabric and daringness with silhouette. Also have to admit, totally lowbrow, but I was a huge fan of Heatherette, too! The pure fun and frivolity of neon debutante cupcake dresses and frothy pastel tulle spoke to my little queer heart at the time. It still does! 

From there I found myself excited again and again with everything the fashion world had to offer: designers, collections, garments, all the way down to an interesting sleeve detail (hello Nicolas Ghesquière's Balenciaga A/W 2003!). Fashion was a total escape — not from anything bad, but from the ordinariness of the everyday.

Brittany: I see you studied textiles in college. What did you learn in this program?

Brent: Ultimately I learned that I am a fussy control freak. I started to explore other majors in the second semester of sophomore year and took a flat pattern design class. In that class I realized that a lot of what I wanted to make relied on specific fabrics or fabric manipulations that I would spend ages (sloppily) developing. The teacher was just asking for a basic pair of pants, not a Comme des Garçons inspired drop-crotch short with wool-laminated wire mesh. Because of my interest in developing product from the ground up, my professor suggested I take a couple textiles classes.

Within the first few weeks of these classes, it felt like all the boxes were being checked and I could see a viable career ahead of myself. I loved the math and planning of weaving & lacemaking, the chemistry of dying & processing fabric, the art and intuition of surface design, and the futurism of novel fabric development. I learned that I really needed a full, top-to-bottom, vertically integrated, ideation-to-runway understanding of how the garments from designers I was worshiping were created. I was encouraged by my professors and mentor to integrate my POV and interests in science and technology into my work and really felt a connection to everything I was doing. Beyond the skills I learned, I honestly do think learning about textiles and production helped me understand how my silly little brain works. 

Brittany: It was also during college that you started working at Urban Outfitters in sales and merchandising. Can you tell me more about your time there? Any insights you can share as an insider?

Brent: What a time! I met some incredible people during those 5 years, many of whom are still close friends. I was a regular sales associate for a few years at the gigantic flagship, so things were hectic ALL the time. I then moved into specializing in shoes for the rest of my time with the company. I saw the launch of some cool designer collaborations, always had dibs on the good shoes, and got to work with the super talented merchandising team for a couple years. Since it was a flagship and had one of the larger set-building teams, I got to help execute the merchandising vision that would be rolled out of stores nationwide. It was neat to see how homegrown the merchandising was for such a massive company! 

Brittany: While at Stitch Fix, a subscription-based styling service, you were a liaison of sorts between stylists and clients as well as a stylist and coordinator. What did you learn pivoting from a major brick & mortar retailer to what might have been considered a startup at the time?

Brent: I think a lot of companies like to say that they are client-first or have great customer service, but Stitch Fix — and it may be liiitle bit experience bias — really took it to the next level. I went in being very fashion-fashion-fashion, but had to pull it back and remember that everyday clothes can be just as important. 

After I was a stylist, I moved into a customer-stylist liaison position where I worked closer with a mix of customers that were a higher touch: VIP clients, those who weren't having a great time with the service, and women that had very specific needs that could make or break a buying decision. Prior to that role, I never considered the difficulty in shopping when you have to accommodate a medical device, find something flattering after a major surgery, or consider how a garment gets on your body when you have mobility issues. It was quite eye-opening and helped me think more about the utility of clothing. 

My last 3 years at Stitch Fix were spent in product development for the in-house brands. It was a great opportunity to flex my knowledge of textiles and construction, and apply that to the customer framework I developed over the two years prior working directly with clients. I'll admit, the product wasn't exciting to me, but I genuinely respected that the company was filling a hole in the market and empowering women to push their style. I was also so excited by the way that technology and data science were being leveraged to design clothes that were more democratic and also less wasteful. This was the first time I had seen such a modern approach to design. 

One really cool project that stood out, and ended up being one of the last things I worked on, was a collaboration with the data science team where we developed a tool that generated clothing designs based on a model that was fed sales, client info, and customer feedback. It would spit out designs for product with proven combinations of silhouette, color, print, and design details that were vetted by my team, then sent into production. With a very high level of accuracy we were able to predict which specific clients the styles of work for, what to price them at, and how many units we should buy without losing money or sending unsold product to landfill. It was kind of surreal to see these items perform better than things designed by a human.

Brittany: At The RealReal, an online luxury consignment marketplace, you've been working as an editor. Can you tell me more about this? What does your typical day as an editor entail?

Brent: I finally reached the intersection of some of my favorite things! My role as an Editor is a little interesting as it's a mix of a copyeditor, fashion editor, and a bit of site merchandising. 

The big headline is that I help steer the language on our product pages and build the tools that enable a great shopping experience. With our Authenticators / copywriters, I ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and technical wherewithal to publish product on the website that is as descriptive as possible — from trends that are happening on the primary market to the silhouette of a dress. Because we have had millions of individual items come through our doors, a lot of this work is around creating and maintaining a catalog of discreet attributes and language that can be applied en masse without losing the fun of buying a ridiculous beaded party dress. Once we have an optimized catalog of things like neckline, jacket type, fabric, skirt shapes, and even special colors used by designers, we can start connecting dots together and improve the total shopping experience. 

Like most online stores, the goal is to get you to that dream coat in as few steps as possible using those little filters on the side bar — charcoal vs. light grey, double vs. single breasted, wide lapel vs. collarless, polyester vs. wool — then we use some BTS magic. We are looking to change this by using really good product recommendations where, in an ideal world, that coat would find you along with a dress you didn't know you wanted, a cardigan that you've been looking for, and a bag that goes with the whole outfit. Basically a mini-shop that is curated specifically for you where you don't have to wade through thousands of pieces. I also get to browse an incredible catalog and pick out my favorite items!  

Brittany: You've had so many roles in fashion. Do you have any advice for others trying to break into the industry? What are some common misconceptions about working in fashion that some may have?

Brent: You kind of just have to dive into whatever area of fashion excites you! Once you're in, talk to as many people in different roles as possible to expose you to other areas of the industry — you might find there is something else that excites you. SO much goes into getting an item on a rack, and every person that contributes to the supply chain has a unique perspective and something to say that could greatly impact your work. I once spoke to an accounts payable associate about tops and dresses we were shipping in from China and found out that although it was more efficient and cheaper to hang garments before shipment, we were losing a ton of units because of damage made by the hangers. Something so small and almost insignificant like that helped reshape our shipping practice. The industry is wasteful enough, we don't need more garments in a landfill. 🙃

Brittany: What fashion brands are you excited about right now? Any trends you'd wish would go away?

Brent: Too many, I'll keep it short-ish! Loewe & JW Anderson, Sacai, Hanifa, Y/Project, Botter, Willy Chavarria, Ottolinger, Barragán, and the return of Blumarine and Diesel. As far as majors go, Balenciaga, Valentino, Rick Owens, Jil Sander, Iris van Herpen, and Dries Van Noten are consistently good! 

I find a way to love all trends and think that all can be done well, but there are definitely some that I have reservations about. I am not usually impressed by unhinged, super maximalist trends like clowncore / kidcore — you need to have a little bit of restraint. At the other end of the spectrum, the rise of the "clean girl aesthetic" made me laugh since it's just a repackaging of late ‘90s and early 2010s minimalism with different accessories. I also winced at trend reports about ketamine chic, but am curious to see how it pans out since it reminds me of scene kids. 

In general it's not really individual trends I want to go away, it's the way people are buying into microtrends and ultra-fast fashion. I think the speed of the trend cycle has gotten unhealthy and as a result, consumer demand for cheap-and-cheerful fashion has skyrocketed. We really need to pump the brakes on buying from stores like Shein and Fashion Nova — they are creating so much waste and are known to have some of the worst working conditions. There is a reason that trendy dress is only $8. But I could go ON about about that like a little fashion curmudgeon.

Brittany: Has being a stylist influenced your own sense of personal style? What's your philosophy around your own style?

Brent: If anything, I think my style has gotten a bit more reserved over the years! Gone are the days of silver loafers, my American Apparel Tyvek jacket, "the casual cummerbund," and the jodhpurs I used to love with it. A few years ago a friend and I were talking about how we both create characters in our heads to come up with styling ideas. We came to the conclusion that I have become "supervisor of the boiler room on a spaceship" and that ended up ringing true after all these years. 

These days I tend to go for neat utilitarian pieces and let materials and silhouettes speak for themselves. I somehow got to a place where my closet is a little more Doug Funnie and not as crazy as it was 10 - 15 years ago when I would buy things with little consideration of how it would fit in my wardrobe (see items listed above). I unintentionally created a uniform where I rarely stray from variations on the configuration: a button-up, a midlayer knit or overshirt, and some sort of outerwear. I never wear t-shirts, I exclusively wear black or navy pants, and only own black shoes — mostly boots. I play with color / pattern with tops and everything in my wardrobe goes with almost everything else. 

When shopping, I look for special pieces that are great quality and seem to have longevity in both style and wear, but of course I still go for the drama from time to time! Also, it's a little neurotic, but when I really love something I tend to buy multiples of things. It's becoming a problem... I have five pairs of the same pants in different fabrics / lengths / sizes, three neoprene sweaters in two colors, and two of the same giant horse print shirts just to name a few.

Brittany: I know you can sew and are a great cook. Can you describe your creative pursuits for when you're off the clock?

Brent: Yes! This past year I have been having so much fun making costumes for a friend that is a drag performer. It has allowed me to explore more out-there looks in proportions that I have never worked with before — her hip pads are HUGE. I'm always looking for fun hobbies and have been stalking eBay for knitting machines for the past few months. I also love to cook and try to do so 5 - 6 days of the week. If I could throw a dinner or party with great food every week, I would. I'll see you this Thanksgiving! ;)

Brittany: What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

Brent: More drag costumes! I'm starting work on a shiny, fully rhinestoned, fringy little number for my girl Juannina Million's holiday performances. Maybe I'll get around to making something for myself, too!  

---

Photo provided by Brent Duplessis.

---

Special thanks to Brent for discussing his work with us. You can learn more about him by checking out his Instagram and LinkedIn.

[20cm]

♡ megbias highlight reel — heart boys, if you will . for meg @slowrabbitpd , happy birthday . ♡

[pascalpanic]

Begin Again (Marcus Pike x f!Reader)

Inspo: Begin Again by Adam Melchor

Summary: Dating apps never pair you with the right people. Until you come across the profile of a handsome, pancake loving FBI agent named Marcus.

W/C: 4.8k

Warnings: lots of talk of food, language, late night deep conversations, some sadness at the end but nothing intense? reader has a pet cat, is that worth a warning? idk

A/N: HI GUYS this is my first full length Marcus Pike fic! I really hope you like it!! thank you so much to @theteddylupinexperience and @sanchosammy for being my best editors and proofreaders and idea givers!!!

note: PLS listen to the song before/after/while reading! it’s one of my favs and it really goes along with the story

Over the course of your adult years, you’ve become convinced that dating apps are complete and utter bullshit. The algorithms never work right, never pair you or any of your friends with anyone worth seeing in person. Maybe that’s just the problem; maybe it’s not the apps but the people. Whatever the answer is, whatever reason you’ve never found success in the endless swiping, you’re through with it.

That was before last week. The rainy Tuesday night left you in your apartment, alone, to succumb to the cold spring dreariness. Over a cup of hot tea, you’d downloaded the app again. Might as well try, right? You have nothing to lose. If worst comes to worst, catfishing an annoying guy is always a blast. The good news is that this app requires you as the woman to make the first move. That’s kind of a downside- you never know how to start conversations- but at least you can’t get unsolicited dick pics right off the bats. Life is full of tradeoffs, you suppose.

You begin again. The app becomes your favorite pastime. Bored at work or home? Dating app it is. Left. Left. Left. Boring man after boring man. One labeled himself super-straight: absolutely fucking not. One holding a fish: nope. A man who describes himself as a gym rat: not your type. It’s a boring way to spend your lunch break, you’re aware, but the entertainment value is fun if nothing else. There are a lot of strange men out there.

After a few days, your luck seems to turn around as the photo of a man with brown hair and warm brown eyes pops up on your screen. He has a scruffy beard and wavy hair, and the way his smile tugs at the corner of his lips makes your heart flutter. He’s really cute, you have to admit. You read the bio next.

Marcus, 35

❗️ Washington, D.C.

Got forced into making this, but optimistic. Lover of art, dogs, and time to relax. Always down for breakfast for dinner and cuddling. Looking for someone with a sense of independence, love of travel, and a sleep schedule equally fucked up as mine. Must love pancakes.

Must love pancakes. That’s absolutely adorable. You immediately think of your cat, named Pancake, and you laugh and swipe right, hoping the man already thought the same of you. Your eyes widen with excitement and you almost laugh out loud from your giddy state when you see the little logo indicating it’s a match.

The first message you send him has to be perfect. You ponder your options for a minute, frowning and furrowing your brow as you think. You don’t want to come on too strong; you’re not trying to sound like you want a hookup. A simple one-word greeting wouldn’t be enough.

You could comment on something from his bio, you realize as you read it again and again. Maybe ask him about his dog? No, that’s too awkward. You want it to be about him, something that can draw him in. Talk about traveling? No, you don’t want to sound like you’re bragging about the places you’ve gone in your life.

Pancakes. Pancakes are good. You love pancakes. You think for a second more, debating what to say, before inspiration strikes and you send off the message before you can stop yourself.

-

Marcus Pike has essentially felt the same as you. He’s a somewhat charming man. He’s had his fair share of relationships, but they never quite work out. His ex-wife, now long gone and blocked from his phone, was an absolute failure of a relationship. He’d gotten close to what felt like true love with Teresa, another FBI agent, but she flaked at the last second.

Maybe the constant here was that he met them in person. When Marcus falls, he falls hard and fast, down an endless spiral of emotions with no escape. Maybe if he met someone online, it would be different. His best friends had all encouraged it, and on a night out not long after Teresa left him, Pike set up his own profile. He liked that the app didn’t require him to make the first move. It’s refreshing.

Marcus had seen your profile hours ago, on a mindless phone break from his work. He’d swiped right too, stunned by your smile and the lovelines you radiated even through the phone. He crossed his fingers for a good part of the day, hoping you’d swipe right on him too.

His day is busy, leaving him no time to fiddle with his phone and distract himself. He eats in the cafeteria, checking up on his phone. After lunch, he’s walking back to his office when his heart flutters as he sees the dating app indicates he’s had a match. He looks at it and swallows hard before stopping, moving to the side of the hallway to allow others to pass. He’s breathing hard, and his heart speeds up when he sees that you are the one that matched with him.

He knows how this app works. He has to wait now, to let you make the first move. He can’t even write a message until you send one. So he pockets his phone again and continues on his walk.

He’s determined on his walk, rushing back to his desk so he can sit and be thoroughly enthralled in waiting for or receiving your response. His phone buzzes several times with notifications, one of which he prays is you. When he finally sits, he opens the app ceremoniously and has to hold back a genuine laugh when he sees your first message.

Blueberry or chocolate chip?

Marcus shoots back a text nearly immediately. Sorry, what?

Your bio. “Must love pancakes”. Blueberry or chocolate chip?

Marcus is absolutely beaming as he leans back in his chair, crossing his legs. Blueberry. Always. I hope that’s the right answer :)

Unfortunately, it’s not, but you’re cute so I’ll let it slide

You called him cute. It makes Marcus’s heart flutter. Come on. There’s nothing like the warm blueberry popping in your mouth.

There is. It’s when the chocolate chips are all melty and creamy.

God, Marcus is already painfully into you. You know what… at least you love pancakes. I’ll let it slide. You got a favorite place?

Anywhere I can get ‘em. You seem like quite the connoisseur, do you have one place in mind?

Jane slams down a stack of files on Marcus’s desk. “Paperwork overflow, Pike. Can you get these done tonight?”

Marcus is the fastest in the office with paperwork, which often leads to him being the one that flies through the files in the place of the people who actually filed it. He nods. What else is there to do? “Sure.”

Jane claps him on the shoulder and wanders off. Marcus watches him in slight annoyance. The best place in D.C. is definitely Sandy’s. Hey I gotta go, text ya later?

I’d love that :)

-

It didn’t take long for your texting to move from the dating app to actual texting. It happened within the same day, in fact.

Marcus messaged you some hours after the initial conversation. Your phone buzzed while you were doing yoga in your apartment, your cat curled into a ball beneath your stomach as you held a downward dog. You nearly collapsed on top of Pancake as you fumbled to sit cross-legged on the end of your yoga mat.

The message from Marcus is bright on the top of your screen. Hi. Sorry that took so long. Work stuff.

Smiling, you take a swig from your water bottle and lean back against your couch. Not a problem. Understandable. What do you do for a living? It’s a loaded question in D.C.; they could range anywhere from politicians to their rich sons to artists and athletes.

I work for the FBI, actually.

Your eyes light up in excitement. That’s the coolest shit I’ve heard. What do you do? Are you an agent?

The man’s responses don’t take long at all. He must be waiting in the chat to respond. The idea makes your heart flutter. Yep, I’m an agent. I work in international art crimes.

You certainly didn’t expect that for an answer. Wow, okay, that’s even cooler than I thought. I was about to call you Agent Pancake but I think my girl would be disheartened...

Snapping a photo of the way Pancake is nuzzling into your side, meowing for snuggles, you have to laugh as you send the photo his way. Funny you love pancakes so much. This little muppet is named Pancake.

Marcus responds with a barrage of heart-eyes emojis, which makes you laugh aloud and scoop Pancake into your lap, stroking her strawberry-blonde fluff. She’s an absolute angel. Like her mother, I’m presuming.

Your cheeks flood with warmth and you can feel the tips of your ears turning hot too. You’ve never even met me, Agent…? You trail off the text, asking for his last name.

Pike.

Agent Marcus Pike. What a nice sounding name. It sounds official and strong and you really like it. Cute last name. Might steal it from ya someday ;)

You don’t normally flirt this shamelessly, but he’s so goddamn cute and funny. You cross your fingers behind your back that this isn’t just a facade, that this is Marcus himself texting like he would to anyone else. You got a phone number?

As you laugh, Pancake paws at your chest to grab your attention, nails nearly digging into the stretchy fabric of your yoga tank top. “Watch it,” you scold her softly and remove her paw from your chest, picking her up and giving her a kiss on the head. Sure do. You want it?

Yes please.

You send your number his way and moments later, your phone pings with a text from an unlabeled number.

Maybe: Pike: hey, it’s Pike :)

You: hey… dammit, I really want to call you Agent Pancakes, but I think my fluffy little heathen would be offended. I don’t know what to save you in my phone as...

Agent Pancakes: Save me as whatever, I suppose. Not my problem, right?

-

The texts became more frequent. Over the course of three weeks, you’d stay up late talking like teenagers, knowing you need to go to bed but unable to bring yourself to do it.

You learned that his middle name was Mauricio, that his mother wanted him to have at least something a little more Latino in his name. You told him the story of how you’d adopted Pancake as a kitten from a shelter and she woke you up one morning with her claws entwined in a snarl of your hair. He told you about his ex-wife and ex-fiancée, Teresa, and you responded that he deserved something better than that. You can already tell that he’s a good man.

At the end of three weeks, you shot Marcus a text. Things seemed to be going pretty well.

You: Hey, you want to do a video call sometime soon?

Agent Pancakes: I’d love that! I’m free tonight if you are.

You: Always free. Shouldn’t you know that?? Doesn’t the FBI spy on us through our phones and whatever?

Agent Pancakes: well, I do work in art crimes. Even if we did, it would be a totally different thing

You: Good.

An hour later, you fidget with your hands as you sit on your couch, the laptop propped up across from you and ringing for a video chat. Marcus’s profile picture bobs on the screen as you wait for him to pick up.

Marcus’s face and apartment fills your screen, and you automatically grin. “Hi,” you giggle and wave, absolutely enraptured by how cute his real smile is, not the forced one in the photos.

“Hey. Nice to kind of-finally meet you,” he tells you and waves back. The wall of his apartment is nothing exciting, but his facial expressions already have you falling. Those big brown eyes compliment natural but ridiculously pink lips, and his brown hair is neatly done. It looks like he’s wearing a tie and a dress shirt; probably his work gear, you suppose.

“You too!” You tell him, unable to stop smiling. “You shaved.”

-

Marcus’s heart jumps out of his chest when he sees you ringing him. He barely has time to flop on the couch and turn it on, propping up the camera across from him.

God, you’re so gorgeous. Your giggle is infectious, making Marcus laugh softly at god knows what. Your grin is equally as contagious, making him smile back. He rubs his jaw in response. “Yeah, yeah. I tend to keep it clean there. Stubble takes too much maintenance, and I have this little patch where it never quite grows,” he tells you as he juts his chin to the camera, touching the spot where his beard can’t grow.

“I like it either way,” you assure him, shrugging a little. “How was your day, Agent Pancakes?” Your voice is the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard, even with the granulated audio over this shitty app. Agent Pancakes makes his heart flutter. “No, not you!” You groan as Pancake climbs onto your lap. “Hi. Your twin wants to say hi.”

Marcus’s smile widens. “Oh my god, hello cutie pie,” he chuckles, launching into baby talk. “What a pretty girl. You make a good Pancake.”

You smile and rub her fur, grinning. “She’s my baby,” you chuckle and set her aside. “Yeah. I’m busy. Leave me alone.” Pancake meows in protest. “Shut up, I’m on a date,” you whine.

Marcus’s ears perk up. “This is a date?”

Your eyes widen as you turn back to him. “I… yeah?” You ask, wincing a little.

He grins back at you. “I like it. And I’m really in love with the idea of seeing your face when you talk.”

“I like your voice,” you flirt back, but you mean it. “It’s so pretty. Do you sing?” You ask mindlessly, studying the way his brow furrows and his eyes convey exactly what he’s thinking.

He chuckles softly. “I used to. I haven’t in a long long time.”

“You’ll have to sing for me sometime.”

When he shakes his head, his neatly gelled hair tries to break free. A strand does, falling in his face. “You don’t wanna hear it, I promise.” He removes his tie, and you can’t help but watch the movement. It’s incredibly sexy.

A mischievous smile makes you bite the inside of your cheek. “No, I really do, I really think I do.”

Marcus rolls his eyes. “Only if you try the pancakes at Sandy’s sometime. I promise you, they’re the best pancakes in the District. I’ve never had the chocolate chip pancakes, but if they’re anywhere near as good as the blueberry, they’re fantastic. And they’re open 24 hours. I go there a lot for late night case work.”

You smile at that, getting cozy on your couch and hugging your blanket. “That does sound nice. I love a good all day breakfast,” you say with raised eyebrows, the teasing in your voice. “Okay, human Pancakes. How was your day?” You ask him again, intent on hearing his answer. Not only is his job fascinating, but he’s adorable when he explains things.

Marcus frowns, and that makes you instinctively frown too. “Well, it’s been good. We’re tracking a huge smuggling ring right now, but since we’ve pinpointed a stock house for them, I might have to travel for a while.”

You frown. You’d been hoping you could have a real date soon, at least. “How long is a while?” You ask him curiously, sipping from your water bottle that sits next to you.

“Couple weeks. No less than a month, probably. I’d… well, I might have to go undercover, which means we couldn’t talk for a while.” His eyes are apologetic, showing that he hates this news as much as you do. “And… I’d leave maybe tomorrow or the day after.”

Your heart sinks. “So soon,” you say with a sad smile, a desperate and lonely chuckle. “Well, if you want to come home to me, I’ll be here.”

Marcus’s smile perks up just slightly. “You would be the best thing in the world to come home to. And I’ll have the scruff back by then.”

“Yes!” You exclaim and laugh, pumping a fist in the air. “I think you’re really cute anyway, but I really love the scruff,” you shrug shyly.

“Maybe I’ll grow it out just for you.”

-

The adrenaline from his first technical-date with you prevents Marcus from sleeping. The call lasted hours, the two of you covering almost everything important in your lives. You talked about your favorite television programs and politics, your parents and your favorite pizza toppings. Talking with him was like nothing you’d ever experience, a connection you’d never thought a dating app could offer.

After several hours, during a lull in the conversation, Marcus suggested the two of you log off. It was around 11 P.M. now, and, even though Marcus has a sleep schedule like a raccoon, he figured you should sleep. He blew you a kiss through the camera, which you pretended to hold to your chest and grin at him.

But now it’s an hour later, just past midnight, and Marcus is antsy. He doesn’t sleep much anyway, but your face is running through his mind like it owns the place, and at this point, maybe you do. Marcus sits up in bed and sighs. He knows the proper remedy for this: Sandy’s. Throwing on a rare pair of jeans and a leather jacket over the white v-neck he wears, he slips on his shoes and makes his way to the tiny, 24-hour diner.

-

The adrenaline is coursing through your veins too. You text any of your friends that will listen, rambling about how beautiful Marcus’s face is and how wonderful it was to finally hear his voice. You pace your apartment, petting Pancake as you pass her perch on the arm of your couch. You try to do a little yoga to calm down but you can’t stop smiling. Marcus occupies too much room in your brain to try to think about anything else.

When it’s just after midnight, hunger strikes. You realize you never ate dinner, too preoccupied with talking to the handsome man to even consider microwaving something from your fridge. Talking with Marcus has instilled you with a love for pancakes, and you think to yourself that maybe Sandy’s would be worth a shot. It’s open late.

So you toss on a jacket and pick up your purse, slinging it over your shoulder and leaving your apartment. You toss the book you’ve been reading into your bag, planning to read it while you sit and eat. Pancake gives a sleepy meow of protest but you just smile and lock the door behind you.

The diner is just as small as Marcus described it to you: just a short line of booths along the windows and a smattering of tables in the middle. There’s a colorful, warm-toned tile floor that juxtaposes the warm green of the walls and the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes wafting through the air. Quiet classic swing music filling the atmosphere. You can see why he likes it: it automatically makes you smile.

You sit in one of the booths, facing away from the door, and the kind waitress takes your order: chocolate chip pancakes and an English breakfast tea. The air conditioning is blasting, making you chilly. You tighten your jacket around yourself and sip the tea when it arrives, adding cream and sugar.

Cracking open the book, you cross your legs and lose yourself in the book. The restaurant has a calming aura, and you can feel the tea warming you from the inside. It’s fitting that Marcus loves this place, you think to yourself.

When the pancakes come not long after, you take a bite and almost groan in happiness. It’s absolutely delicious: Marcus was most definitely right. Disappointingly, you have to go to the bathroom about three bites in.

Even the bathrooms are cute, you discover. When you return, someone else sits a booth away,  another lone diner at this godforsaken hour of night, facing the door. You can see the back of what appears to be a man’s head, neatly trimmed brown hair and a brown leather jacket over their neck and shoulders. Sitting back down, your back to the other customer’s, you return to your book and continue to eat your chocolate chip pancakes.

The customer and waitress are talking, but you don’t pay much attention, too enraptured by your book. It’s quiet again after the man puts in his order, and you enjoy the soft jazz music that makes you tap your foot in time against the tile.

There’s a buzzing and the melodic sound of a phone’s ringtone; one of the defaults that a phone provides. Your heart skips a beat as you hear the man pick up. “Agent Pike.”

That can’t be your Agent Pike, can it? You turn and listen and realize it’s definitely him, from his voice and the way he holds himself and the stack of- of course, blueberry pancakes and a hot coffee set in front of him.

“Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Sounds good. Let me write that down.” Marcus types something into his phone. “See you then. At the office? Good. Alright, see you.” He hangs up.

Standing, you tuck your book back in your purse and put the bag over your shoulder. With one hand, you grab your plate of pancakes, and the other grabs your tea. You set them down across from him and slide into the booth, grinning. “Huh. Agent Pancakes, here, in the middle of the night. How unusual.”

Marcus’s tired face lights up in excitement. “What?” He laughs, his eyes scanning your face. “Why are you here?”

You shrug and take a bite of his pancakes, sighing. “Had to see if they were worth the hype. I couldn’t sleep, you got me so excited.” The blueberry pancakes are absolutely fantastic, just as good if not better than the chocolate chip ones on your plate. “Damn, you were right.”

“Hey,” he laughs and pulls his plate closer to his chest. “Don’t touch my pancakes.”

You make pleading pouty eyes, frowning a little. “Can’t we share?” You tease. It already feels like you’ve known him for years, even though this is your first time seeing him in person.

Marcus sighs. “I suppose,” he says and rolls his eyes in sarcasm, pushing his plate back out so you can access it.

-

Marcus is beyond stunned, absolutely enraptured in how beautiful you are in person. If he thought he fell on that video call earlier, he’s now reached the very bottom of that cliff, the impact of your everything stealing the air from his lungs. God, he wants nothing more than to kiss you right now, on those lips coated in blueberry juice and maple syrup.

The two of you spend quite some time so there, just talking and continuing the conversation where it left off before. The waitress refills Marcus’s coffee twice and your tea once. “So who called you when you were sitting alone?” You ask him as you bring the white porcelain mug to your lips, sipping at the creamy tea.

He sighs. “Guy I work with, his name’s Patrick. He’s a douchebag, I can’t lie,” he says with a chuckle, and his heart flutters at the way you give a soft laugh back. “Just telling me the details. I leave in about 6 hours. I’ll be in Singapore for a couple of weeks.”

“Singapore?” You exclaim, eyes wide as your fork clanks against your plate. “You better be able to contact me.”

He shakes his head. “I told you, I’m going undercover. I can’t.” He sighs, and he dares to reach out and touch you, to reassure you that he’s there and himself that you’re real, that you’re right there. “Will you wait for me?”

Your heart melts, from an already slush-covered river to a rushing rapids. “Of course, Marcus.” It makes his heart skip a beat. You’ve called him lots of nicknames, but never his real name. Something is painfully intimate about it. “I like you a lot; why wouldn’t I?” You ask, shrugging as if it’s the simplest thing. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder.”

When you finish your meals, Marcus picks up both tabs, despite your protesting. “Can I walk you to your place?” He asks as you both stand and adjust your jackets.

You nod and take his hand. The lights of the city are seemingly extra dim tonight, leaving the street lights to illuminate your beautiful face as the two of you stroll along. You have all the time in the world, don’t you? It’s 1:30 in the morning. You’re both already evading sleep desperately. A little more time together can’t hurt.

His hand never leaves yours, his fingers lacing through your knuckles. You chat quietly, as if you could wake the sleeping city from the peaceful blue drone of a weeknight morning into its daily splendor of horns and hordes of speedy pedestrians.

Marcus bumps your shoulder with his, making you stumble a little to the side and laugh as you look up at his gorgeous face. His face reflects the love you’re both feeling, almost giving the city around you a pink glaze of warmth from the rose-colored glasses you must have placed over his eyes.

The walk draws to an end, as you stand at the entrance to your apartment building. Marcus’s body looks so soft and inviting, and you dare to wrap your arms around his neck and hug him to your chest. “I don’t want you to go, Agent Pancakes,” you murmur into the soft skin of his neck, which is starting to get a shadow of stubble.

Marcus kisses the top of your head. He doesn’t move either, prolonging this time you have together before he can’t see you. “I don’t want to go. I’ve never wanted to stay here more than I do now, but I have to.” His arms wrap around your waist, strong and safe.

Lifting your head, you look up at him, your noses practically touching from the proximity you share. The world feels like a bubble around you two, like some impenetrable one-way material that makes it so if Marcus leaves now, he can never come back. “Well, it’s gonna be a long time, a month or two,” you say with a sad smile. “We’ll have to begin again.”

Marcus shakes his head, his brown eyes almost welling with tears. “There’s no one else I’d want to begin again with.” With that, he looks in your eyes, the question hanging there. Wait for me?

Always, you respond silently by pressing your lips to his, kissing him slowly in the orange glow of your apartment building’s entrance. He kisses back, his lips tasting of coffee and maple and blueberry, yours tasting like chocolate and tea.

You squeeze your arms tighter around him, getting on your tiptoes to be as physically close as you can to him. He has one hand on either side of your rib cage, holding you there as he kisses back with all of the passion and love he has.

It can’t last too long or he’ll never leave. He won’t be able to. He breaks away after a few moments, his lips close to yours. He presses your foreheads together, arms encircling you again. “I have to go. I have to be at the office in an hour.”

You lift your head and your brow furrows in confusion. “Then why did you take so long to walk and eat with me?” You laugh quietly.

Marcus shrugs. “Didn’t want to leave you yet,” he admits, his eyes trained on yours. He gives you one last painfully gentle kiss. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you more,” you say with a sad smile. “You’ve been my distraction lately. Whenever I’m bored, I text you.”

He sighs, the confession increasing his frown. “I’ll be in an entirely new place, without you.”

“But I’ll be here, in my same old life without you in it.”

The words punch a hole through Marcus’s heart. It’s true; he’ll have new distractions, new things to do. You’ll be here with a Marcus Pike-shaped hole in your heart. He kisses your forehead, the wheels turning in his head. “If you get a call in the next few weeks from an unknown number, be sure to answer it, okay?”

You nod and smile softly. “You need to go. Go.”

He nods and his hand squeezes yours. “I can’t wait to begin again with you.” With that, Marcus Pike, Agent Pancakes, whatever you want to call him, the man you’re highly suspecting might be your soulmate, walks off into the slightly chilly D.C. night.

-

taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic

[kagedaddy]

Hi! I'm not sure about your rules for asks, but I was wondering if you could do a 'prom-posal' thing for Akaashi, Noya, and Kageyama? Thank you!!

promposal - akaashi, kageyama & nishinoya

Warnings: none

akaashi keiji

kageyama tobio

nishinoya yuu [masterlist]

thank you for the request, is it prom season already? always such an exciting time and one of the best of high school. hehe

It was Prom season and everyone was busy, as seniors it was your class’s job to organise the whole event, that entailed getting the venue ready, the invitations that need to be sent a week before Prom, the stress of picking the right dress and the pressure of finding a date as a senior student you’d hope for Akaashi to be your date but every girl wants him, a girl can dream. Everyone was staying extra hours in school to complete the elements for the venue. “I’m so tired.”you friend groans beside you and you just laugh at her slumped form you had just finished the decorations for today and were heading to your lockers, “At least you know our Prom will look nice,”she nods her head feeling a little bit more motivated.

“(first name) look!”your eyes follow where your friend was pointing and to your surprise on your locker was a single (favourite flower) with a pristine white note attached to it.

You pick up the (favourite flower) and the note, a smile forms on your lips, this person knew that you liked (favourite flower) it was kinda sweet, examining the note for any signs of the sender but there was none, all that was written.

‘hey. i hope you liked the flower. if you want to find out who i am meet me at the courtyard.’

“It’s leading me to the courtyard, should I follow it?”you turn to your friend who had a wide grin on her lips eyebrows wiggling, “You know who set this up, don’t you?”she just smiles at you before bolting for the exit before yelling, “go find your mystery man, he’s been waiting for you!” You shake your head at your friend and begin your journey to the school’s courtyard and your heart was beating rather loudly in your chest, who’d be waiting at the courtyard for you?

Your eyes widen in surprise and your hands fly to your mouth as you gasp in disbelief, standing under the cherry blossoms, a bouquet of (favourite flower) in hand was Akaashi, fucking the gorgeous setter Akaashi Keiji. Oh my don’t tell me my mystery man is the all too talented setter, you walk up the path leading to him, “Akaashi?”his figure whirls to the direction of your voice, you shyly walk up to the male and such a pretty smile graces his lips. “Am I right to assume you’re my mystery man?”you raise an eyebrow, his gentle laugh makes your heart all warm and fuzzy that you have to hold in a squeal. “Surprise!”comes his sheepish grin and you’re swooning, his free hand tucks a stray strand behind your ear, “I’ve never asked anyone to Prom so please bear with me.”he clears his throat and cheeks tinted a lovely shade of pink.

“(last name) would you do me the greatest honour of being my Prom date? There are thirteen (favourite flower) to represent the thriteen months I’ve waited to ask you.”his voice was soft and gentle, you felt yourself melt and cheeks burning in embarrassment, he waited that long to ask, you had not expected this. Akaashi Keiji of all people to ask you it was unreal, “Of course I’ll go to Prom with you!”you engulf the tall setter in your arms, Akaashi is taken a back but slowly moves to wrap his arms around you, pulling both your bodies closer.

“You’re quite the romantic Akaashi.”

“Uhh (friend name), will you go to prom with me?”

“Yes Jouji!”your friend throws her arms around the male and you smile at the scene, it was another successful promposal, Jouji-kun had asked you to help him set up his promposal for your friend, he enlisted your help because you were close to (your friend) and knew what she wanted. “I’m so happy (first name), thank you for helping him.”Your friend walks over to you bouquet in hand, you knew she was super happy, she would not shut up about the dream promposal she wanted and you were happy that you were able to let it play out.

“Nee (first name)-chan, do you think Kageyama will ask you to Prom?”your friend pulls her seat to sit across you opening up her bento box, “I don’t think so, it’s Inter-high season so they’ll be busy practicing.”you shrug your shoulders before taking a bite of your lunch, “you’ve been helping plan out everyone’s promposal don’t you want one?”you thought about her words, of course you wanted to get a promposal what girl wouldn’t want? But you had accepted the fact that your boyfriend wasn’t the type to do such sweet acts and he was busy with volleyball no way this would be in his mind. “I mean I want one but I’m fine not getting one! It’s fun to help out you know!”you answer truthfully but deep down it kinda hurt, seeing everyone get asked and helping plan out but it’s okay.

The rest of your afternoon classes flew by and it was time for dismissal, as you were packing up your things your friend hands you a stack of papers and you tilt your head in confusion. “Sensei wants you to bring this to the faculty.”a way too big smile sits on your friend’s face, you eye her suspiciously before brushing it off as happy remnants from her promposal. You accept the stack of papers and slung your bag over your shoulder. Heading for the faculty room, “Ah (last name), thank you for bringing them but I remember asking (your name) to do it.”your sensei thanks you in confusion, that bitch I knew something was up, she dumped her task on me. After biding your sensei goodbye you pull out your phone writing a long message to (your friend) before shaking your head and heading for the volleyball gym.

Your push the large grey doors open, “Sorry I’m la-“you cut yourself off noticing that the volleyball court was empty except for your overly awkward boyfriend who stood in the middle of court, hands behind his back and a nervous smile on his handsome face. You quirk an eyebrow at his odd behaviour but he shakes his head, before you could get a question out he beats you to it. “Uh (first name), can you bring me that ball.”his faces begins to flush red and his voice is not his usual stoic tone, you nod your head and picking up the blue and yellow Mikasa ball. Your boyfriend seems to stiffen more and it’s then you noticed the volleyball had words written across the material.

‘I set this up, it would be a nice kill if you were my date to Prom?’

You read over the writing again double checking if you weren’t imagining things, you look to your boyfriend and he held out a beautiful bouquet of (favourite flowers), you can’t help the smile that breaks out on your face. Clutching the ball and charging towards your very flushed partner. “Tobio, yes I’ll be your date!”you excited throw your arms around him, Kageyama sighs happily and returns your embrace, all of a sudden balloons are falling from ceiling surrounding the both of you it was kinda romantic. Confused you looked up to the balcony to find the members of the volleyball club and your friends fashioning bright smiles and teasing grins. “I knew it, you didn’t set this up yourself.”you tease your awkward boyfriend whose cheeks burn a bright red and you can’t help but swoon at the male, you were thrown for surprise but your were so happy he asked. You couldn’t love him more.

“But thank you for asking me.”

Your joruney to the club room was an eventful one, left, right and centre was filled with Promposals. Prom was rounding the corner and everyone was asking each other as their dates even some of your friends had been asked. You weren’t really fussed about the idea of Prom or getting a date for that matter, you were still excited for Prom it was an excuse to doll up with your girl friends and to drool over the nicely dressed men in your class.

Especially a certain libero.

Sliding the club doors open you plop yourself on your usual table, arms sprawled out on the table, “Oi (first name)-chan anyone asked you for Prom yet?”one of the editors in the club takes the seat beside you, “no, I don’t need a date.”you mindlessly scroll on your phone, social feed filling up with promposal posts, it was gonna be that way till the end of Prom season. “Ayy everyone says that but I’m sure you want one. I can be your date,”he teases you ruffling your hair in the process and you turn to him sticking your tongue out, playfully pushing the male and him retaliating. “Alright kids cut the games, (first name) I completely forgot you need to picture the men’s volleyball club for our big article.”you raise your head to face your club president.

“Awwe does it have to be me? I went last time tor the basketball club.”you pout from your slumped form, you were feeling extra lazy and weren’t in the mood for more promposal encounters. “Yes yes, Shuna is busy with another club so that leaves only you also isn’t Noya in the club why don’t you ask him to Prom.”your president crosses her arms and tries to narrow her eyes at you but you don’t miss the mischievous glint in her eyes, what was she up to?

“Now go!”

“Fine I’m on it!”you playfully salute your president and she just rolls her eyes at you, slinging the strap of camera over your head before waving one last time before turning the corridor towards volleyball gym. Standing infront of the doors it was odd to not here their shoes squeaking on the court but you guess it was because they’ll be taking photos. Slowly lifting your hand on the metal door your rack your knuckles before pushing the door open. The boys all jump in surprise and you looked at them oddly, “Hi, I’m (last name) (first name) from the school’s newspaper. I’m here to take your photos.”you bowed your head introducing yourself, their captain, Ennoshita welcomes you.

The boys seemed unlike themselves today, they seemed more jumpy than normal but you ignored it and thought they were just excited for the photos, your eyes find Nishinoya and boy did he look tasty in his uniform. The Captain moves the boys into their position and you take some candid photos of the club, capturing them as they are. “Alright, I think we’re good.”you nod your head before adjusting them slightly and positioning yourself at the perfect photo snapping distance.

“3, 2, 1”

Just as you snapped the was to be picture perfect photo the five tallest boys all of a sudden held out individual letters, putting the letters together it all clicked in your brain it spelled out.

‘P R O M ?’

“uh, (first name) will you rolling thunder with me all the way to Prom?”a red faced Nishinoya walks up to you, a large (favourite flower) bouquet on one hand and the other rubbing the back of his head nervously, you were taken a back cheeks just ablazed as his. “Yes I would like that.”as soon as the words left your lips the gyms erupts in cheers and Nishinoya jumps in excitement handing you the flowers and trapping you in an embrace. Your ears pick up the sounds of camera shutters and you turn to find the newspaper club members with a shit eating grin snapping photos of the promposal, all the more your face flushes and it dawned on you, they had set you up! But your attention turns back to the Libero, his handsome face adorned with the most cute smile and reddened cheeks, this beats all the promposal you’ve seen. a little bias, maybe.

“I’m so glad you said yes!”

//

hi hi! i love this really like this idea, it gives me the feels haha! i was only asked to prom once it wasn’t the most extravagant but i thought it was sweet. well hope you guys enjoyed it and gave you the warm feeling haha! leave a like and comment, have a great one! jaa mata!

the late valentines special will continue tomorrow. check out the other specials here [masterlist]

happy birthday akutagawa ryuunosuke 💕

my twitch

all the love xx

[iraprince]

hello! do you have any advice for switching from traditional art to digital? (i recently ran out of supplies so im relegated to my computer lol) i hope youre having a good day!

i sure do!

first off i really recommend clip studio paint, but i also recommend u wait for it to go on sale. it goes 50% off a few times a year, so imo it’s worth waiting, but it also is usually on sale for only a few days so u have to stay on top of it. they usually announce on twitter etc. the tools don’t make the artist and obviously it doesn’t Really matter what program u end up settling on, i’ve just been really pleased with CSP and i wanted to recommend it

second: nothing that u can do with digital art programs/tools is cheating and it took me way too long to really internalize + understand that. copy-pasting stuff instead of redrawing it, using symmetry rulers, using transform/ctrl+T to stretch or squash slightly off anatomy instead of starting over -- when i was first getting into digital i A. didn’t know u could do this stuff and B. felt weirdly guilty doing it once i figured it out, as if i was a worse artist for using the tools that are literally built into the software or that it was lazy or dishonest to do so. that, it turns out, is bullshit. any drawing is just a constant series of decision-making and a lot of digital tools just help u make or retract or edit those decisions faster than traditional does. it’s not better or worse, it’s just different, and it’s worth ur time to figure out which of those differences are the most convenient and useful. this stuff exists for a reason! use it! save ur wrists and ur patience and ur time!

figure out file organization early, because it’s something u don’t have to deal with irt traditional art and so it probably won’t come naturally, but it also makes ur life harder to have a desktop swarming with wip files that are all titled “kjsrhrfgdhgj.psd” or whatever. some ppl sort into folders by date; for me it works better to sort by content (i.e. i have folders for tvrn stuff, patreon stuff, different fandoms, dnd/ttrpg stuff, “misc ocs” for characters i don’t draw much and “misc fandoms” for one-off fanart that doesn’t merit its own folder, etc etc; this is what makes it easiest for me to find stuff, but ur system might end up different.) i admittedly still name my files keysmashes if it’s personal stuff rather than work/commissions, but at least it’s all sorted into a category where i can quickly find it again anyway

also, u can hybridize traditional and digital! i frequently like my traditional pencil lines better than what i can do digitally, so i often scan them in, turn them into lineart, and color digitally (here’s a tutorial on how i prep that). but even if u don’t have a scanner, a carefully taken phone photo with high contrast can still be used the same way. i tend to lay my sketchbook flat on the floor in front of a window, squat down and hold my phone as level as i can while i’m taking the pic, and then i blast it in my phone’s built in gallery editor (highlights/shadows and contrast) before sending it to myself and doing the same thing w tone curve/levels in csp. it’s not perfect, but it’s presentable, and it can be a good way to ease urself in if ur feeling frustrated w the learning curve on digital draftsmanship.

oh, and this tip is really small but it’s ended up being rly helpful for me: resist the urge to zoom in way past 100% scale view just bc u can. if there are times where u absolutely need to, sure, whatever, but there’s no point in regularly tweaking tiny things pixel by pixel at 250% zoom bc nobody who looks at ur art is gonna see that and ur just bloating ur own time spent on things and creating unnecessary stress for urself!! if 100% zoom doesn’t give u the control u want, that may just mean u need to work larger to begin with.

set up a comfortable workspace with a Good chair. look up proper posture and try to stick to it. i know we’re all gay and it sucks to sit in a chair properly but otherwise ur gonna hurt urself. take even more frequent breaks than u do when drawing traditionally! screen bad!

also, if ur tablet has a way to calibrate pressure, try that out. a lot of them are set in a way where you have to press really hard to get full line width and over time it can really seriously strain ur wrist; u can’t manually set pressure in traditional tools (besides like. using softer lead i guess lmfao) but u can with tablet pens and u should try it, bc if u can use a lighter touch overall it really goes a long way towards preventing injury in the long term.

this is all the stuff that came to mind immediately; i’m sure there are tons of basics i haven’t covered, depending on how much of a transition this is for u, but there are a lot of tutorials out there written by ppl more patient and more educationally-oriented than myself so you’d be doing a better service to urself seeking those out than if i were to try to clumsily emulate them lol. good luck + have fun!

[kg2hub]

🍎 KG2 Fanzine Interest Check!

[UPDATE]: this post is old and applications are currently closed! [link]

   hey everyone, i plan on starting a kindergarten 2 fanzine!  :D basically it would be a fanmade book of illustrations and writing, that is centered around the content of kindergarten 2. 

   we’ve had a lot of fun, interactive stuff within our fandom, as small as it is-- like the kindergala, and dtiys challenges. i thought it would be a great time to band together to create a fanzine, and i’m thinking if we start now we could manage to get it done in time for the 2nd anniversary of kindergarten 2!  ( july 29, 2021 )   or later, but the goal is around that timeframe for now

   this would be purely for fun, and i would really appreciate it if people could spread the word about this!  this post is to see how many people would either be interested in seeing this fanzine created, or how many people want to participate in making it.  ( so, y’know, i don’t just set up everything only to have 1 person join or something. )

   with that said, please reblog to help spread the word, and say in the tags/reblogs/replies or even private message me if you want-- to let me know if you’re one of the people interested in participating, or if you really really want to see this happen!  another post will be created linking the application form, if there is enough interest for this project so please stay tuned!

   🍎 interest check will last for one week, saturday [feb 6, 2021] to [feb 13, 2021] 🍎

          ------🍎------🍎------

a few things about the plans for this zine:

it is entirely non-profit, volunteer run, and will be distributed digitally for free as a multi-page pdf. this isn’t a professional thing by any means, and there unfortunately will not be merch available  ( i would totally ship out kg-themed buttons if i could, but my school’s button club where i make the buttons is unavailable due to the pandemic, and shipping does, unfortunately, cost money that this zine will not provide)

i will need artists and writers to help create content for the zine, maybe even a few other people to help with the mod team

as of right now, the number of pages will heavily depend on how many artists/writers/creators want to participate and how much content they’re willing to make within the 5-ish month period. i know this is a pretty small fandom, so we won’t be able to make as much content as a large fandom would

the qualifications to apply are not strict at all in terms of skill. i greatly encourage anyone to participate no matter your level as an artist or writer!  this is supposed to be a fun fandom-involved project, after all :D

however, i do ask that you maintain a level of semi-professionalism with your attitude towards this project. even with a small fandom, this is still a huge project to take on and i sincerely ask that you only participate if you believe you’re capable of handling what’s expected of you

the zine will mostly be canon-based

again, depending on the amount of applications, content might just include the missions  ( around 11-ish applicants minimum ) , or the characters  ( around 27 applicants minimum )

ships, au’s, and oc’s are allowed!  i just ask that these type of things don’t outnumber the main canon content, so there might be a limited amount of slots for these

please don’t be nervous about applying if you’re interested!  this isn’t meant to be Super High Quality Professional work, and this my first time doing anything involving a fanzine too lmao, we can learn together :’D

you don’t have to draw/write a new thing for the zine;  you can submit old work by all means!  as long as it fits the planned parameters for the page sizing. drawing new work is preferred, however, because of the sizing

digital artists:  1 page size 8.5 x 11 inches 300dpi   |   half page size 8.5 x 5.5 inches 300dpi   |   2 page spread 17 x 11 inches 300 dpi -- rgb format, full colour art

traditional artists:  don’t worry too much about the size of your picture. just try to take it as clear as possible, or scan in high quality. be aware your photo may be touched up digitally by the graphics editor if needed

writers:  2500 words are the max for your fic

some of this information is subject to change once applications are open

[brian-in-finance]

Jude Hill wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello coat; Raf Simons shorts; Thom Browne shirt; Falke socks; Church’s shoes; stylist’s own stick pin.

Belfast’s Jude Hill Confronts His Newfound Fame

The 11-year-old actor plays a young version of Sir Kenneth Branagh in the director's Golden Globe-winning autobiographical film.

One might think that the significance of playing the role of the legendary director and actor Sir Kenneth Branagh as a child might be lost on an 11-year-old. But Jude Hill, who stars as Buddy in Branagh’s latest film, Belfast, gets it. Alongside Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Ciarán Hinds, and Judi Dench, Hill shines as a kid who is forced to confront the violence that shook the Northern Irish capital in the late 1960s. For W’s annual Best Performances issue, Hill chats with Editor at Large Lynn Hirschberg about the films he loves, a highlight from his first trip to Los Angeles, and why watching Belfast made him cry.

You play the young Sir Kenneth Branagh in Belfast, a semi-autobiographical film about the actor and filmmaker’s early life. Did you know anything about him?

I was a big fan! I had to pinch myself every day just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

How did they tell you that you got the part?

One morning I woke up, and it was a normal school day, and nothing really special was happening. And my mom got an email, and I read the first two words, and I ran around my house screaming, because I couldn't believe I got the part.

And you live near Belfast, right?

I live about 40 minutes from Belfast. Almost every single weekend we go down there. But we filmed in London across two different locations, and the set design was amazing: In two days they had built an entire replica of 1969 Belfast.

Jude Hill wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello coat; Raf Simons shorts; Thom Browne shirt; Falke socks; Church’s shoes; stylist’s own stick pin.

Have you always wanted to act?

I remember when I was 5 or 6, watching Marvel films, and I just had a passion for acting the entire time. I love Harry Potter as much as Marvel, and as soon as I saw Kenneth Branagh’s face, I was like, He’s in Harry Potter!

This is your first trip to Los Angeles. What’s your favorite thing that you’ve done?

The Jurassic World ride at Universal Studios! We got wet, but it was really, really fun.

Is there a movie that has made you cry?

The first time I watched Belfast, I cried. I cried for the first half hour. Even the uncut version made me start crying, because it was my first time seeing my face on the massive screen, and it was just amazing to see that.

Hair by Ali Pirzadeh for Dyson Hair at CLM; makeup by Daniel Sallstrom for Chanel at MA+ Group; manicure by Michelle Saunders for Nailtopia. Set Design by Gary Card at Streeters. Produced by Wes Olson and Hannah Murphy at Connect the Dots; production manager: Zack Higginbottom at Connect the Dots; photo assistants: Antonio Perricone, Jeff Gros, Morgan Pierre; digital technician: Michael Preman; lighting technician: Keith Coleman; key grip: Scott Froschauer; retouching: Graeme Bulcraig at Touch Digital; senior style editor: Allia Alliata di Montereale; senior fashion market editor: Jenna Wojciechowski; fashion assistants: Julia McClatchy, Antonio Soto, Nycole Sariol, Sage McKee, Josephine Chumley, Rosa Schorr; production assistants: Tchad Cousins, Juan Diego Calvo, Gina York, Brandon Fried, Nico Robledo, Kein Milledge; hair assistants: Tommy Stanton, Sol Rodriquez, Andi Ojeda; makeup assistants: Tami Elsombati, Bridgett O’Donnell; manicure assistant: Pilar Lafargue; set coordinator: Sarah Hein; set assistants: Olivia Giles, Seth Powsner, King Owusu; tailors: Suzi Bezik, Cardi Mooshool Alvaji; tailor assistant: Elma Click

Remember… as soon as I saw Kenneth Branagh’s face, I was like, He’s in Harry Potter! — Jude Hill

[neojeno]

I really wouldn't mind you aiding me with some tutorials love

giffing tutorial/resources

hi anon! sorry it took me so long to answer. i figured this might be helpful for others out there who have asked me similar questions, so i’ve compiled a pretty comprehensive list of tutorials/resources. idk about others but when i was new to giffing, it took me a lot of painful effort to go around and look for resources, so i’m putting it all here to make it a little easier!

i download videos using 4k video downloader. it will download very good quality 1080p videos in .mp4 format. if you’re downloading a 4k video, make sure to change the setting option to .mkv so that you get 4k and not 1080p—for obvious reasons since you want the highest quality.

i rely on kpopexciting to get .ts files — which are basically raw, very high quality video files for live performances. they are much less grainy than .mp4 versions of live performances—which are the ones you’ll see uploaded to youtube. i’ve found that 4k videos (in .mkv) are just as good quality as .ts, but obviously you will rarely see live performances in 4k, so get .ts when you can!! you can also try to find .ts files on twitter, but you may have to do a lot of digging. i wish i could recommend you twitter accounts, but the ones i used to go to have been very inactive/taken down all their drives :( but this website is really nice and updated frequently so i would recommend it!

vapoursynth links + download. the reason you would use vapoursynth is to resize your gif, while maintaining the optimal quality of the gif. if you gif without vapoursynth (.ie only using photoshop), it will still be fine, but the image quality may be grainier. also, you will definitely need vapoursynth to gif .ts files —more will be explained in the tutorial i’ve linked below. i would recommend that you have a high processing/lots of ram/newer desktop or laptop to use vapoursynth so that 1, your computer isn’t fried and 2, your vapoursynth process will go a lot faster. i am using a 2017 macbook pro for all my work, and it runs pretty well, but my laptop still gets pretty hot so just make sure you’re not running a million things in the background while using adobe products and vapoursynth lol. i used a pretty old and beat up 2011 model macbook air back then, and i will say that yes vapoursynth worked and ran on it, but it took much longer, and basically fried the laptop’s battery (aka i had to get the battery changed twice and the laptop would die randomly) but issok it was a school borrowed laptop so i didn’t feel too bad lol. im just saying this as a precaution, to preserve the health of your electronic devices!! but don’t be afraid to use vapoursynth! you should still try it at least once.

thank you to @realstraykids for this super detailed, really nice tutorial! it includes how and where to download videos, how to gif using vapoursynth, using photoshop, comparisons, coloring, and pretty much all you need to know. 10/10 would recommend

thank you to @dreamcolouring for this lifesaver!!! the best and easiest way to blur out unwanted captions/objects in your gifs. i recommend doing this step after converting your frames to video timeline and before you do sharpening and coloring. another tip i’ll add is to feather the selection you’ve made right before you click on “add vector mask” —this will make sense once you’ve read through the tutorial. feathering it will make the blurred spot less noticeable and more subtle.

i use this generator to create gradient colored captions! copy and paste your text, then select the colors you want. generate the code, and copy it. change the settings of the text editor on your post to HTML. paste the code, preview, and voila! add elements <blockquote>,<b>,<i>, etc as needed. see more on colored captions in this tutorial by @kylos​ --i believe op mentioned a different and better color generator but for some reason it won’t work for me :( hopefully it works for u! basically same idea as the previous generator i mentioned.

my own mini tutorial/workflow process of making gifs. this includes working with a .ts file, vapoursynth, photoshop, coloring, watermarking, etc. and a few of my own tips below:

if you are working with an .mp4, you do not have to make any changes to the preprocessor/denoise filters/sharpening in the resizing part of vapoursynth—it doesn’t make that big of a difference if you do. but if you are working with a .ts file, definitely do make those changes,, that’s the whole reason you have vapoursynth. with an .mp4, i like to use vapoursynth to just resize, but i don’t add any additional settings. i use smart sharpen in photoshop to sharpen it, which is pretty good on it’s own (at least in photoshop 2020!).

my rule of thumb is to do add .02 seconds when i am setting frame delay. so if when you first import the frames, they are at 0.04 seconds, i usually change them to 0.06. of course, this is my personal taste—you can make all your gifs faster or slower depending on how you want em to look.

if you are on a mac, you can screen record by pressing Command+Shift+5 (it’s a shortcut to quicktime screen recording). I only screen record for things like the beyond live concert or other live streamed events. the image quality of the screen recording, in my experience, is actually pretty good. when you gif the screen recording however, you may notice that it adds extra frames that you don’t need. by that i mean duplicate frames. you could keep the duplicate frames but that just means the size of your gif is going to be much bigger (keep in mind the limit is 8mb). in order to remove those duplicates, my only solution has been to remove them manually (by holding Command while selecting), or when you are importing the video to frames, select the option to “limit to every 2 frames”—but this method will be less precise and still not as good as manually removing frames. if you remove the duplicate frames, this means you will need to set the frame delay even slower, to make up for lost frames. in my experience, fps(frames per second) and frame delay work in conjunction. so for example, if i delete every other frame because they are duplicates,  but the starting frame delay is 0.02, i am now going to change it to something like 0.05 (so i added 0.03 seconds rather than my usual 0.02). if the duration length and the image dimensions of the gif are short/small, feel free to keep the duplicate frames in—i only delete duplicate frames in order to keep my gif under the 8mb limit. then, if you keep the duplicate frames in, continue with your standard frame delay preferences.  now that i’m writing this im realizing this might not make a lot of sense lol.. but don’t worry about it for now and if you run into trouble w screen recorded gifs then you can come back to this for reference. again, this is only my experience recording on a mac—it may be a lot different if you use a screen recording program or are on a pc.

i don’t really use .psd templates because i like to give every gif/gifset it’s own unique coloring—so i remake the coloring every time, but if you get into a rhythm it’s pretty easy. there are a lot of nice coloring tutorials out there, too! my personal coloring adjustments in order: levels, exposure, color balance, selective color (if needed), vibrance, photo filter (if needed), color lookup (i use 2strip most often and i put it on ‘color’ blending mode). don’t forget to adjust the opacities and fills of the ‘color lookup’ adjustment layer in case it’s too strong. go back to correct each adjustment layer as needed. then, when you’re done and satisfied, group all those layers, copy the group (you can do an easy command+c), and paste it onto the next gif you’re working on for easy workflow.

if for some reason you can’t see the frames when you import your layers/video, it’s likely because your ‘timeline’ window isn’t showing up. just go to the window menu on photoshop, go to the bottom and you’ll see ‘timeline.’ make sure it has a check next to it.

i recommend watermarking your gifs because a lot of people like to repost tings these days 😠 - so make sure u got your brand on it! i keep my watermark saved to my ‘libraries’ in photoshop so it’s ready when i need it. i use the blending mode ‘overlay’ and adjust the opacity, but if you don’t want to do that you can also add a stroke/shadow to your watermark/do all sorts.

tag #nctinc for your nct creations and #jenonet for your jeno creations!!

here’s my own mini tutorial (well not much of a tutorial ig more like a work process vid?): took about ten minutes including the time to search and download the video (but i didn’t record that part i trust yall know how to do that), vapoursynth, and exporting. i hope this helps somewhat! feel free to ask more questions whenever :)

keep in mind that giffing takes a lot of patience, energy, and experience—so don’t worry if it takes you a bit to figure things out or if your gifs don’t turn out the way you want them to the first time around. we all start at the same place and all run into problems. i know giffing can sound intimidating and seem like a lot of work, but i promise, once you get into a routine, giffing is going to happen in minutes—and you’ll get beautiful gifs. have fun! 😊

[awhiskeyriver]

PSST AMELIA (i have hit the level of comfort where i feel i can scream at you, oop) TELL ME UR BETTY THOUGHTS.... also me too, i really wanna write stories based of Taylor's songs all the time. there's a whole subset of tumblr ask game called like, taylor universes, where we personify songs and on God it's my favorite (i wish i had more swifties in my ranks or i'd host one)

LOL, you can always scream at me! Oh man, that sounds seriously so fun! I would love to personify one of her (or all of her, lol) songs and turn them into stories. She has such a vivid way of writing music it begs to be seen in story form, lol.

Okay so....you may regret asking me for my Folklore thoughts, LOL. This is long and it might make absolutely no sense to anyone other than me but I hope that’s not the case!

Obviously **I know this isn’t true and wasn’t Taylor’s point at all** I’m just a writer and things spin out of control in my head and...yeah...basically this is how I’ve managed to link (almost) all of the songs in Folklore together into one story line of James/Betty/August.

The story begins with in the song Betty, towards the end of Junior year, at the prom.

//I know where it all went wrong, your favorite song was playing from the far side of the gym. I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds, you know that. Plus, I saw you dance with him.//

I think James has anxiety of some sort [more to come on that later] and in my mind, Betty is more charismatic, maybe even casually popular not in the core group of popular girls but very well-liked and known around the school. Editor of the school paper, ran for student president, etc. Meanwhile James is more low-key, out of the limelight, and the idea of being in such a large crowd dancing gave him anxiety which is why he said no. Seeing her dancing with someone else (even innocently), made him feel worse about himself and his insecurities as well as a little mad at her for not standing with him, but choosing to go dance with friends [‘him’] instead. 

So, he left the dance early [walking home on broken cobblestones] when August sees him [when she pulled up like a figment of my worst intention. She said, James get in let’s drive. Those days turned into nights. Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.]

Personally, I think James only officially cheated on Betty once. The night of the dance with August. August is a more overtly popular; more obvious beauty that is noticed by many boys, maybe a cheerleader, etc. Many people think this popularity instantly equates with happiness, but she’s not happy, actually suffers from self esteem issues and the pressure to conform [Mirrorball: I can change everything about me to fit in]. But James doesn’t ‘oogle’ her or treat her the way typical guys she dates or fucks do, so she’s attracted to him. They kind of bring out this excitement in each other that Betty and the other guys in August’s life don’t. [Mirrorball: I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight. I’ll get you out on the floor- August can pull James out of his shell in ways that Betty can’t]. This is maybe a more “obvious” song link to make, but also how in Mirrorball it’s talked about “spinning in my highest heels love, shining just for you.” And in Cardigan, when Betty is describing August “high heels on cobblestones.” 

ANYWAYS. James feels mad guilty about what happened between August and him, swears her to secrecy, but the weight of the secret weighs on him. At the end of the year, he tells Betty he thinks they should take a break over the summer, so they do. August and James continue to talk, first through platforms like Instagram, commenting on a photo or story, then it turns into constant talking, to texting, to hanging out and inevitably having more sex. For James, it’s a vice of sorts. He feels guilty, he wants to forget that feeling meanwhile August is starting to develop Feelings™. [entire song of August, obviously, but lines like “you were never mine.// your back beneath the sun, wishing I could write my name on it. ] To her, James is also developing feelings for her and wants to be with her. [I remember thinking I had you. Wanting was enough, for me it was enough.] But as the summer starts to end, things become more squirrely between the two of them, and the feeling of being James’ side piece starts to sink in more, and the more she begins to lose him, the more desperate she is to hold onto him. [August: cancel plans just in case you call and say meet me behind the mall. Illicit Affairs: Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him so you leave no trace behind, like you don’t even exist.// A drug that only worked the first few hundred times.// what started in beautiful rooms ends in meeting in parking lots.]

It comes to a head at the end of (the month of) August, as summer is ending and the new school year is approaching when James tells August he wants to get back together with Betty and what happened between them meant nothing to him. [Betty: Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.] August is rightfully hurt, embarrassed and angry [Illicit Affairs: Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this godforsaken mess that you made me. You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else. Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this idiotic fool that you made me. You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else.// And you know damn well, for you I would ruin myself a million little times. Peace: All these people think love’s for show, but I would die for you in secret. Mirrorball: When I break it’s in a million pieces.]

So, senior year begins. Betty and James gets back together. August goes back to the way she was previous to her summer with James, but truly she is broken. Can’t even look at him. The guilt and stress of August is still eating at James, but he’s trying to forge ahead with Betty and the two of them grow stronger and closer throughout the first part of the school year. August’s friend, Inez, obviously notices her downfall, but August continues to allude to “the guy she met over the summer” without saying names. One drunken night, she slips and says James, and Inez being the gossip she is is like w h a t. [Peace: Your integrity makes me seem small.// I talk with shit with my friends, it’s like I’m wasting your honor.// And you know that I’d swing with you for the fences, sit with you in the trenches. Give you my wild, give you a child.// Give you my sunshine, give you my best. But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me.] August forgets about the conversation [she was drunk], but Inez doesn’t and can’t help herself but go to Betty and tell the rumor she heard about James fucking August. Betty, being a newspaper editor, doesn’t believe her without gathering up facts. But as she’s piecing things together, Inez’s story begins to make sense. She confronts James about it, who reluctantly admits to everything.

Betty, of course is devastated and heartbroken. The boy she trusted the most, her first love, wasn’t at all who she thought he was. [Cardigan: you drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleeding.] And the fact that he didn’t just come clean and tell her after the first time, but continued to cover it up (and keep seeing August) is unforgivable. [Cardigan: tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy--Betty is ready to grow up, think about college, think about life, meanwhile James is clinging to the excuse that he is ‘only seventeen’ [(Betty) Would you trust me if I told you it was just a summer thing?], refusing to grow up and own his mistakes. 

Betty breaks things off with James. James hates August thinking she did it on purpose. Betty hates them both. August kind of does too.

[August- Mad Woman: Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy and when you say I get angry, I get more angry.]

[Betty- Cardigan: A friend to all is a friend to none, chase two girls lose the one.//When you are young they assume you know nothing.] 

After months of being broken up, James is still not over Betty and tries one last time to win her back at her graduation party before she leaves for college. [Betty, I’m here on your doorstep and I planned it out for weeks now but it’s finally sinking in. Betty right now is the last time I can dream about what happens when I see your face again. The only thing I want to do is make it up to you. So I showed up at your party]. The end of the song, where he’s talking about kissing in her car again, etc is him building their makeup up in his mind, psyching himself up for confronting her because he thinks it will all pay off.

Betty is shocked to see him, as is everyone else at the party, they’d become something of a spectacle, she brings him outside in the garden to talk in privacy without everyone interjecting or staring. Jame’s apology comes in ‘This is me trying’ where he’s trying to explain his actions more logically than placing blame on everyone and everything else, from Betty. [I don’t quite know what to say, but I’m here in your doorway. // They told me all of my cages were mental (the fact that he has anxiety, etc) so I got wasted like all my potential//pouring my heart out to a stranger, but I didn’t pour the whiskey (his and August’s first encounter/cheating incident after Prom). But “this is him trying, at least he’s trying...it’s hard to be at a party when [he] feels like an open wound” and quite honestly, “it’s hard [for him] to be anything these days when all [he] wants is [Betty]. It’s a great apology, he wears his heart on his sleeve, but Betty doesn’t want to fix things between him, she wants to move on. It was too difficult for her to get over him once, she can’t open herself up to trusting him again. [Cardigan: I knew you’d linger like a tattooed kiss, I knew you’d haunt all of my what ifs.// I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired, and you’d be standing in my front porch light.] 

Betty leaves for college.

A few years away in college has caused some healing for Betty and some insight into life outside of her small town and high school boyfriend [The One: If you never bleed you’re never going to grow, but it’s alright now]. But when she’s talking with her mom and something comes up about James, thoughts and feeling she hasn’t felt in years come racing back. She can’t help but wonder how things might’ve turned out if things didn’t end how they did because as much as she hates to admit it, she’ll always love James in some way. [We were something, don’t you think so?// if my wishes came true, it would’ve been you.// it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one.// I persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different (if he hadn’t slept with August) would everything be different today?.// You know the greatest films of all time were never made.] [My Tears Ricochet: And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want just not home. And you can aim for my heart, go for blood, but you would still miss me in your bones.] 

***Now, things get a little more dicey here not as tight, lol but bear with me***

Betty comes home after graduation from college and runs into James. They’re cordial and nice and when James asks if they can get dinner and catch up, Betty agrees. They have a good evening, reconnect a little, but when they go riding and drive to some familiar places from their childhood, past hard conversations re-arise. It brings a lot of unwelcomed emotions back up in Betty, and she realizes it’s harder than she thought it would be to forgive James. [The One: the greatest films of all time were never made. Exile: I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.] Meanwhile, James just wants to forgive and forget the past, after all, they were kids, only seventeen. His hurt comes from the fact that after he tried to patch things up after graduation, not only did Betty dismiss him and leave, but she never reached out or spoke to him again. [Exile: It took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it. Holding all this love out here in the hall.] He came to the front porch/door to try and fix things with her, and she “left out the side door.” 

Betty [My Tears Ricochet: Even on my worst day, did I deserve babe, all the hell you gave me? Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you, til my dying day. // And I still talk to you (while I’m screaming at the sky) and when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)// Hoax: My twisted knife, my sleepless night, my winless fight this has frozen my ground.] 

Hoax is where things come to a head with Betty and James. [Stood on the cliffside screaming, “Give me a reason. Your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in. // You knew it still hurts underneath my scars, from when they pulled me apart. But what you did was just dark.]

Mad Woman continues as August finds out that Betty and James get back together, and cannot get over it. She never got over James either. Only her sadness turns to anger. [Now I breathe flames each time I talk. // They say “move on” but you know I won’t.// It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.] 

Invisible String comes when Betty and James are in a stable, happy place in their relationship again. Possibly engaged for marriage. [Time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine.// Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire. Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons. One single thread of gold tied me to you.// Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven.]

And, I like to think that August did eventually move on and found someone who appreciates her and truly loves her, isn’t just using her for revenge, or because she’s hot, or because they’re trying to forget their own problems. But someone who actually values her for herself. (Invisible String: Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart. Now I send their babies presents.)

AGAIN, this is obviously just my own theory/fun. Not meant to be taken seriously. Hope you enjoyed!

[jzixuans]

*gently tucks myself into bed because i deserve it*

good happy things:

y’all i woke up at like 8am for the first time in literal months what a wild wild feeling

went out w my friends to our local conservation park for a walk and a picnic and that was real fun

spent like half an hour with the four of us crammed into the bathroom while two of them did their makeup

lots and lots of shenanigans were had

we did that one sentence per person carry it on game where we tossed a frisbee around and built a story and highkey it was so funny

we also tried to take nice photos but 1) moths kept interrupting 2) we’re really bad at taking photos so Those were some good laughs

finally made my character for lia’s ttrpg and drew up a slappin character sheet tbh

logan can have (1) hand. as a treat.

the mcelroys did a livestream today !!!

1) their live reading was so good i missed justin’s taako voice sm

1.5) clint’s merle voice slipped into argo keene a few times and it made me so 🥺

2) carey and their editor alison went through the process of bringing the graphic novel to life which was so good

3) i just??? miss balance?? sm??

4) they played no dogs on the moon and i just. died. right there

5) i know i haven’t even read and cherished pttm yet but oh my god i am SO excited for ck y’all have no clue oh man

5.5) WE’RE GONNA GET THE COSMOSCOPE SCENE????? LIKE I KNEW THAT ALREADY BUT AH??????????

finally got the colour changing starbucks cups and mine’s sunset colours now :)

absolutely obsessed with this art of pietro animalcrossing

and this one and this one

TAZ G EP19

sunny updated break my fall and I Am Not Okay.jpg