#(the boogie street is stunning)

[vorakh]

personally a fan of vintage revachol postcards

in order from left to right: martinase ('98); le jardin ('21); coal city ('08); grand couron ('37) and couron ('33); boogie street ('46)

+ la delta ('51)

#i really like these files i have been thinking about making a post about it but lost myself in words #so it will be pictures only #looking at martinaise in her golden days before the turn of century and exploding #(the boogie street is stunning) #disco elysium

[arcplaysgames]

As everyone settles in, the discussion turns sad because it turns out, uh, besides Yusuke (hilariously) everyone is leaving?

Reverie is going home in a month as his probation is over. Morgana decides he's going with him, because they are soulmates. Ryuji is changing schools to one closer to a rehab center in hopes of working on his knee. Ann is going to study abroad. Makoto and Haru were looking at apartments for college. Sumire will be out training and touring. And Futaba got into high school.

So everyone is abandoning Yusuke which I think means he's going to starve to death or walk directly into the lake because he saw a beautiful bird. Farewell, my beloved Yusuke.

Considering this game has some kind of direct sequel, I wonder if all this "going our separate ways" shit will stick lmao.

Obligatory Valentines Day. The dateless wonders hang out at Leblanc.

Understatement of the year, Ryuji, do you SEE that double breasted coat? He's gorgeous.

MORGANA YOU TOOK THE WORDS OUT OF MY FUCKING MOUTH

my god at least Ryuji is considering the possibility of maybe growing as a person just a bit. Only took up a hundred and nineteen fucking hours.

GIRI-CHOCO YO!!!! Reverie gets chocolates from Ryuji, Sae, Ann, Tae, Haru, Kawakami, Hifumi, and Futaba. Amusingly, Ryuji's restores 10SP. Everyone else's restore 100SP. Which just feels right.

Why did Yusuke not give me chocolate. 8C Sad.

Valentine's Day is whatever, but I love White Day.

So Reverie and Morgana decide to get Sojiro fucking flowers.

Sojiro is lowkey but clearly touched by the gesture, and I PROMISE YOU that I don't even need to see all the other White Day options in the game, I know this one is the one I like best. He took Reverie in, protected him, fed him and taught him to cook, and took him in explicitly as family.

Sojiro deserves this. I love you Sojiro. Sorry for making fun of you like 300 posts ago.

THAT SAID Sojiro is like "NEXT YEAR though you need to have someone else to give them to."

Well, Sojiro, unfortunately Reverie's boyfriend died twice, so it'll probably take him a while to get over that. What's he supposed to do, just hook up with any mean boy he meets on the street? They don't make 'em like Goro fucking Akechi.

Then time jumps to the day before Reverie leaves and of course the game lets you go say goodbye to everyone.

Only a few really stick out to me. Sojiro's is one. Reverie gives him the probation diary that has serves as the save/load log for the entire game. There is this quiet moment as Sojiro looks at it and promises to keep it safe. All of Reverie's secrets in the hands of his dad (boogie woogie woogie).

Lavenza gives Reverie the key to his cell, noting that due to all the Horsefuckery that was going on with Yarblegarble that he was the first visitor to the Velvet Room who was not given his key. He was not treated as a guest like he should have been. But he freed himself, and the key is his talisman, proof he can escape any bondage.

I love Lavenza. Not at much as Margaret but probably more than Liz. Maybe because Lavenza didn't routinely let people into Mementos to wander around until they die. Goddammit Liz.

I went. I hoped. But of course not.

But I did manage to talk to the Jazz Club owner, who remembered Reverie and Akechi going to the club. Which leads Reverie to remember something himself.

My fight with him isn't over yet.

what the fuck does that mean. Reverie is going to kick down the door to hell going "WHERE IS AKECHI? WHERE IS HE?"

I love you, you're great, be safe. /hugs tora tightly

YUSUKE FUCKING GIVES REVERIE HIS PRIZE-WINNING PAINTING, "DREAMS AND HOPE"

yusuke, god. in another life. in another life that wasn't developed by fucking Atlus and SEGA. you and me, okay? i love you, please go see Sojiro if you get hungry, he'll take care of you.

I love you, too, Futaba. To this day, I am stunned at how good of a character you are despite every trope that should be set up against you. Thank you for being the best annoying little sister.

Sojiro wipes away tears as Reverie leaves, once and for all.

So Makoto just... owns a bus???? And everyone shows up to drive Reverie to the train station. Why does Makoto have a bus? Gosh, maybe that would have been in her SLink if I did, like, a single rank of it, lmao. Anyway.

For Unexplained Reasons that we are just gonna have to handwave, the fuzz are still tracking the Thieves I guess? So everyone decides to split up.

I just smiled so fucking wide. I was afraid this would end without anything on Maruki, and my hope was that he would get out of psience and psychiatry and start over.

And it seems he has. Honestly, taxi cabbing is a fantastic pick for him. He's good at gentle conversations and leading people to talk but not pushing them. Anything with that kind of thing, from hairdresser to driver, is a good fit for him.

I have a couple of favorites in this game but Maruki is on another level due to how phenomenal his writing and voice acting is. Sir, it has been a pleasure.

Everyone meets back up for a fast goodbye at the train station before the police are still???? chasing them???? wait maybe makoto DOESN'T have her license and instead she stole this van and that's the problem. Yep, headcanon accepted.

In the end, Persona 5 Royal is the story of a boy and his cat versus the world. What more could you want out of an ending?

HOLY SHIT AKECHI IS ALIVE

NOW THAT IS A FUCKING STINGER, BABY

THAT'S SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 5: THE ROYAL. THE STORY OF REVERIE VANTAS THE FIFTH IS A CLOSE, CHEERS! TIP YOUR WAITERS!

#p5 #persona liveblog

[tumbling-dyce]

Boogie – from the book Persona Non Grata published by powerHouse Books

Captured by one of the most influential photographers of street culture in the new millennium, these edgy and gritty – albeit stunning – images reveal and document the darker side of Bangkok, Thailand–the Land of Smiles.

#boogie #thailand #street photography #persona non grata #photo book #bangkok

[spearsbarron26]

Rajasthan Historical Sites Visit Package: Unveiling typically the Tapestry of Time

Introduction Embarking on a journey through the particular historical wonders regarding Rajasthan is similar to moving into an attractive tapestry woven using threads of wealthy culture, grand structure, and a regal legacy. This post serves as a guide to the Rajasthan famous sites tour bundle, offering an stunning experience into typically the state's captivating prior. Popular Historical Internet sites in Rajasthan Rajasthan boasts an variety of historical gemstones, each narrating stories of valor, romantic endeavors, and architectural brilliance. Among them, Méchant Fort, Hawa Mahal, and Mehrangarh Fort stand as well-known symbols of the particular region's opulent history. Unique Features of Each and every Historical Site Virulent Fort, having its elaborate blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture, narrates the testimonies of Maharaja Person Singh. Hawa Mahal, the "Palace associated with Winds, " captivates with its honeycomb structure, designed intended for royal ladies to observe the city's hustle. Mehrangarh Fort, towering over Jodhpur, reflects the system prowess of typically the Rathore dynasty. Typically the Allure of Regal Palaces Beyond castles, Rajasthan's historical palaces like City Palace and Udaipur's Lake Palace transport website visitors to an period of regality. Decorated with ornate rooms and sprawling courtyards, these palaces are usually living testimonies in order to the royal way of life. Cultural Experience By means of Folk Art plus Music Immersing inside Rajasthan's history runs beyond stone walls. The vibrant persons art and music, showcased in the particular form of boogie, music, and puppetry, provide an ethnical panorama. Guided Travels and Packages To be able to make the almost all of the historical expedition, opting for guided tours is definitely advisable. The Rajasthan historical sites tour package ensures a curated experience, delving into the traditional nuances with knowledgeable guides. Local Delicacies and Street Market segments A gastronomic satisfaction awaits as the tour integrates the flavors of Rajasthani cuisine. From dal baati churma to be able to ghewar, the culinary arts journey is really a remarkable part of the overall experience. Exploring local markets gives a splash of vibrancy for the trip. Difficulties and Solutions regarding Travelers Travelers usually face challenges similar to navigating throughout the huge historical sites. However, the tour deal addresses these concerns with well-organized itineraries and transport amenities. Sustainable Tourism throughout Historical Websites While relishing the historical grandeur, tourists are usually encouraged to embrace responsible tourism techniques. Preserving the architectural marvels and without loosing local traditions add to the durability of these internet sites. Testimonials and Testimonials Positive testimonials through tourists who experience embarked on the particular historical sites tour emphasize the enriching experience and typically the seamless execution of the package. Organizing Tips for an amazing Trip For possible travelers, planning is key. The article supplies insights into the particular best time to see, accommodation options, and also other essential travel suggestions. Capturing Jaipur Travels : Photography Tips To immortalize the journey, picture taking tips are contributed, guiding enthusiasts upon capturing the complicated details and panoramic views of typically the historical sites. Including Local Festivals in to the Trip Taking part in local fests like the Pushkar Camel Fair or even the Jaipur Literature Festival enhances the ethnic immersion, offering a good unique facet for the historical tour. Exploring Nearby Attractions Past the historical internet sites, the article recommends exploring nearby points of interest such as the Thar Desert or the Ranthambore Nationwide Park for a holistic experience. Realization In conclusion, the Rajasthan historical websites tour package unfolds the mesmerizing chapters of the state's history. From new marvels to cultural extravaganza, the trip promises an odyssey through time, departing indelible memories. FAQs May be the historical web sites tour suitable with regard to solo travelers? Absolutely! The tour accommodates solo travelers, supplying a safe plus enriching experience. What is the best time to be able to avail the Rajasthan historical sites visit package? The ideal time is throughout the winter a few months, from October in order to March, when the weather is enjoyable. Are the historic sites wheelchair available? Most historical internet sites have provisions intended for wheelchair access, making sure an inclusive expertise. Can one customize the particular tour package dependent on preferences? Yes, many tour operators provide customizable packages to cater to individual preferences. What social etiquette should visitors be aware of during the trip? Respecting local practices, particularly in spiritual sites, is crucial. Dress modestly and even seek guidance coming from the tourist guide.

#Jaipur Tour Package #Rajasthan Tours Package #Rajasthan Travel Package #Jaipur Travel Package #Jaipur Travels #Jaipur Travel Guide

[heydaytravelcompany]

More Disney Jollywood Nights Details and a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Preparing for the 2023 Walt Disney World Holidays

Santa may have elves, but our cast members are working their merry magic preparing for the Walt Disney World Resort holiday season, which officially begins Nov. 11, 2023! From new details about Disney Jollywood Nights, a new separately ticketed event coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, to a first look at favorite Disney holiday traditions, come along for a behind-the-scenes peek at what’s in store. Holiday Happenings: Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios It’s the glam holiday event we’ve all been waiting for: Disney Jollywood Nights! – a swanky Hollywood party filled with merriment, music, and spirited good times on select nights Nov. 11 to Dec. 20. This all-new separately ticketed event features new live stage shows, special character greetings, and the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Nighttime spectacular finale. Guests can also indulge in delectable treats and cheerful sips, dance the night away, and enjoy many of your favorite attractions. We’ve already shared a sneak peek at the Latin street party Holiday Fiesta en la Calle and fabulous food and drinks that guests can enjoy. But we’re excited to share more details today! Extravagant Entertainment Two mesmerizing new shows will immerse guests in the joy of the holidays. Head to Theater of the Stars and get ready for Disney Holidays in Hollywood, a star-studded variety show in the grand tradition of Tinseltown holiday specials – all with a twist of today’s Hollywood magic. With special guest stars including Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Tiana, Belle, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, there are plenty of surprises in store – including a brand-new original song by Tiana. Singers, dancers and live jazz musicians round out the talented cast of entertainers in this dazzling performance. Jolly vignettes remind everyone that the holidays mean something special to each and every one of us. Guests also won’t want to miss “What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along.” Enter a dreamlike adventure in The Hyperion Theater where Jack Skellington takes us on an ethereal exploration of “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Sing along to beloved songs from the iconic film and discover peculiar magic in unexpected places. Along the way, guests will conquer Oogie Boogie and be encouraged to follow their curiosity. New ‘Fits for the Fête Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and friends are donning new outfits exclusively for this glitzy celebration – and they invite everyone to do the same. The new outfits are inspired by the party’s vintage vibe, which celebrates the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Art directors, show producers and designers worked together to land on just the right combination of colors and fabric for these special looks. Delve into any old collection of ornaments from the ‘30s, ‘40s or ‘50s, and you’re sure to find an array of colorful pastels. And that’s exactly what we see here! Mint green and soft reds in sumptuous fabrics set the tone as you encounter Mickey & Friends Holiday Greetings in Animation Courtyard. The gang has just wrapped on the set of their new holiday film, and we're all invited to catch a glimpse of the magic! Even More to Adore A DJ will play the merriest of mash-ups, featuring a mix of smooth classics layered with modern beats. While tunes at the entrance set the tone for the evening, stroll around Echo Lake for a trip down a more recent memory lane featuring holiday music and characters from classic Disney Channel favorites, including Powerline Max, Rescue Rangers Chip ‘n’ Dale and Phineas and Ferb. Throughout the event, revel in oodles of spectacular entertainment. At Welcome to Disney Jollywood Nights, strike a pose for “The Gram” in front of a stunning new neon sign before joining the dance party. Disney PhotoPass photographers will be there to capture the moment, and complimentary digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass photos captured during the event are included with the price of the ticket.** Beyond marvelous entertainment, there’s so much more that’s new and fun. Since the night is Hollywood – get ready to pose for special photo opportunities. A Robotic Arm Magic Shot will capture red carpet moments with a glamorous, show-stopping video. There’s also a Camera Array Magic shot – seven cameras that will shoot a boomerang-style photo of groups in front of a Disney Jollywood Nights backdrop. Plus, enjoy your favorite attractions with lower wait times during this limited-capacity event, and a virtual queue will be in place for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.* Remember to link event tickets in the My Disney Experience app to be eligible for this virtual queue opportunity. And don’t forget: Disney’s Hollywood Studios will once again present Sunset Seasons Greetings nightly throughout the season, as The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is magically transformed into an array of holiday scenes as snow falls along Sunset Boulevard. Fractal Frenzy: NEW Frozen Holiday Surprise at Magic Kingdom Park At Magic Kingdom Park, “Frozen” friends from Arendelle are conjuring up something new and extra-special for the holidays. Join in the celebration of the new Frozen Holiday Surprise as Olaf and more than 100 of his Snowgie siblings decorate Cinderella Castle with festive touches. Appearing live on stage in new holiday looks, Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff each bring something special to the gathering. Festivities culminate as Elsa adds sparkling finishing touches, transforming Cinderella Castle into a shimmering crystallized palace – a look that will remain throughout the evening. Bringing this spectacle to life is no small feat, as lighting designers, video technicians, composers and even a full orchestra worked together to create this new holiday magic. Debuting Nov. 7, “Frozen Holiday Surprise” will occur nightly throughout the holiday season. Also, families and kids of all ages can enjoy the most wonderful time of the year at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a separately ticketed event offering warm-hearted fun at Magic Kingdom on select nights Nov. 9-Dec. 22. Making Magic: Walt Disney World Holiday Services The magic makers at Holiday Services neither sleep nor slumber. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but this team of designers, decorators, and other professionals ready more than 600 trees and 1,700 wreaths and hang nearly nine miles of garland each year. Santa would be proud! How long does all this merry-making take? Almost a full year. As soon as one holiday season wraps up, the Holiday Services team begins preparing for the next year. Whether they’re creating new items or making sure that existing decor remains merry and bright, our band of specialists ensures that the entire resort sparkles. Comfort & Joy: Gingerbread Galore at Disney Resort Hotels If guests have ever gazed in fascination at the larger-than-life gingerbread displays that appear each holiday season at Disney Resort Hotels, they’ve probably asked themselves how long it takes to create such wonders. Planning and preparation begin a full seven months ahead! The culinary team at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa starts mixing the fragrant dough for its life-size gingerbread house in May ahead of a two-month curing process. Individual shapes, from shingles to Mickey cookies, are baked and decorated throughout the summer and then stored for “construction” in November. The house itself takes three days to build. This year, guests can once more enjoy these stunning works of art in six Disney Resort Hotels, including a new display at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Look for displays – no doubt, with a few new surprises – at these locations. - Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge - Disney’s Beach Club Resort - Disney’s BoardWalk Resort - Disney’s Contemporary Resort - Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa - Disney’s Yacht Club Resort Delicious Doings: EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays At EPCOT, cast members have been dreaming up the menu and testing new recipes for EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth. Planning for this popular event starts a year in advance. The team focuses on creating dishes and drinks that celebrate the diversity of holiday traditions with comfort foods that inspire warm memories. Ensuring that each guest has a delicious encounter every time is top of mind for the team, so thorough testing is imperative. And, once that’s complete, it’s on to production. During last year’s festival, the culinary team baked more than 250,000 cookies in just five weeks for the event’s Holiday Cookie Stroll. Be sure to mark calendars for Festival of the Holidays, which begins Nov. 24. This year will bring several “firsts” to the festival. The all-new fireworks-and-laser spectacular Luminous the Symphony of Us will debut Dec.5, 2023. And, with EPCOT being home to The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary celebration, guests will find beautiful holiday decor at the park entrance commemorating the Disney100 celebration. More Merriment: Holidays Around Our World At Disney Springs, guests can shop, dine, and play amidst a wonderland of beautiful decor and an incredible array of dining options beginning Nov. 10. Be sure to save time to visit Santa Claus at Once Upon a Toy, and don’t miss the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth. Nineteen Disney-themed trees will be on display throughout the shopping, dining, and entertainment district. Plan at least one nighttime visit to experience snowfall in Town Center for more unforgettable memories. Cheerful decor and festive flotillas are some of the holiday highlights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. In addition to meeting with favorite Disney characters and Santa himself, guests can interact with a Merry Menagerie of life-size, artisan-sculpted animal puppets daily on Discovery Island. The park’s iconic Tree of Life also awakens each evening with a colorful tableau of wintry tales accompanied by a musical score. With so much to see and experience, there’s no end to the delight that holidays inspire at Walt Disney World Resort. Plan your visit today. *Guests attending the event can request to join the queue beginning at 6:00 p.m. Each Guest can request to enter this virtual queue no more than once per event. This is only available for Guests on the day of the event they are attending, and their specific event tickets must be linked to their My Disney Experience account in order to join the virtual queue. Guests attending this special ticketed event do not need to be in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to request to join at the time the queue becomes available. ** Disney PhotoPass service is subject to Disney PhotoPass terms and expiration policy at https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/photopass-terms-conditions. Online registration is required. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. (The Twilight Zone® is a registered trademark of CBS, Inc. and used with permission pursuant to a license with CBS, Inc.) Read the full article

[pulsdmedia]

The Week Ahead 9/18-9/24

The party is just about to get started, and do you have your tickets? New York City doesn’t stop, and we’re here to make sure you don’t either, giving our members exclusive access to the most fabulous fêtes in the City That Doesn’t Sleep...

$45 To Oktoberfest: 3 Hours of Unlimited Beer, Live Music, Food & More

Grab a stein, gather your closest pals, and savor fall with flavors aplenty via the time-honored tradition of Oktoberfest at Black Forest Smith Street - think  unlimited beer, live music, and so much more for just $45. Imbibe swig after swig from your massive stein and find boozy bliss thanks to pours of beloved German brewery, Hofbräu Munich. They'll be serving up HB Original, HB Dunkel and HB Oktoberfest as the live band begins to play. Soon enough, you'll be ready to hit the dance floor! When hunger shows up to the party, German sausages, giant pretzels, flatbreads, schnitzel, and the like will be available for purchase to tide you over and add to the authentic German atmosphere. Throw on some festive Lederhosen and come ready for an unforgettable Oktoberfest in the company of your favorite people...

Dance As The Sun Comes Up At The William Vale

Dance with The William Vale as the sun rises with stunning skyline views. They start with a yoga flow and move into a magical dance party with humans who are there to move their bodies, minds and souls and orient towards joy. See you on the dance floor.

$49: End Of Summer Rosé Soirée: 2 Hour Open Bar with Appetizers 

Sip & savor at The Patio at Charlie Palmer Steak’s End Of Summer Rosé Soirée, complete with eats and endless drinks for you and your crew. Enjoy a mix of sweet and savory cuisine, all meant to elevate your sips, be it the multi-award winning Mirabeau Still & Sparkling Rosé Wines or the Rosé-Inspired Cocktails. This pale pink vino offers up delicate, elegant, delicious tasting notes that will pair perfectly with the glamorous, effervescent scene. Before it gets too cold, you'll catch the final warmth of summer as you delight in the al fresco feels awash in lush greenery, pops of color, and the energy of Midtown, all within an intimate space away from the hustle and bustle. While you're at it, dive into eats like Gin-Infused Cupcakes, hearty Fish Tacos & tasty Everything Fries. Prizes will level up the fun, and music will have you boogying at this revelrous fête that will have you dreaming of Summer 2023...

Soia & Kyo Sample Sale

Soia & Kyo is taking over NYC for two days - packed with jackets, knitwear & accessories! This is how you prepare for the ultimate fall wardrobe! Cash, credit card, Paypal, and Venmo are accepted.

$15 Ticket To The Rescue Me Singles Party With NYC's First Responders

As fall arrives and the temperatures start to cool down, heat things up with a fireman, policeman, or other first responder at the "Rescue Me" Singles Party! The city's most eligible firefighters, EMS/paramedics, cops, & military men will be ready for a night of flirtation & fun. Mix & mingle with the city's bravest bachelors, getting to know them with icebreakers, prizes, potent drinks, and a bit of swapping numbers. Whether you're in search of a fling or a perfect match, you've come to the right place. Hit the gorgeous patio at Katch Astoria and sip on drinks for purchase to build up come liquid courage as you watch the hottest first responders compete in a contest, getting some fresh air when things get hot, hot, hot!

Head To The Broadway For A Performance By Winona Forever & Boyscott

Winona Forever headlines The Broadway with support from Precious Human! Winona Forever is an independent pop band from Vancouver, BC. Since 2015 the band has been releasing music that embraces the warm and free spirited leanings of home recording, producing a sound that is equal parts fresh and timeless.

[jonesinghardy]

SLIP OF THE TONGUE

PAIRINGS: Mat Barzal x Reader CONTENT: offseason, established relationship, day out at the beach / boardwalk, fluff (?), mentions of marriage WARNINGS: light PDA, kissing RATING: G WORD COUNT: 1.3k AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi this is my first Hockey fic, I’m very new to to hockeyblr. I saw a tiktok that inspired this. All my love to @rosesvioletshardy​ for getting me into hockey, she did more in like a month than Canadian culture (andm y dad) has been able to do in 24 years. She got the first peek at this fic while we suffered through the last playoff game :’) hope you enjoy! It’s very sweet.

Mat holds your hand firmly as you walk among the light crowd out along the boardwalk. There are small rides, game booths, food stands, street performers, and vendors selling their wares. Which is why Mat hasn’t let go since you left the restaurant where you’d had a light early dinner. 

Someone had gotten a little too much sun and that someone is now wearing your peachy red bucket hat that you’d chosen to match your bike shorts for the outing, and coincidentally (or not) also matched his t-shirt. Mat’s cheeks and nose are red, and his shaggy offseason hair peeks out from the hat in beachy waves. 

At the car, before dinner, when you’d put your towels and bags away, you kissed his cheek after pressing your lips to an icy cold water bottle, and swiped some aloe onto his face while he held another water bottle to his neck after gulping down half of it.

“I think you were overly ambitious with boogie-boarding, baby,” you’d teased him lightly, watching him smile, eyes closed as you finished tending to his ails. He’d pouted, but he was laughing as he leaned in to kiss you, humming happily if not a little defeatedly.

Now that he’s eaten he’s regained a little energy, and the offensive sun is close to setting, lighting the sky in tones of purple and orange and growing the shadows on the boardwalk. You’re in search of desert, and a little more entertainment before heading back home for the night. 

Mat squeezes your hand as the crowd thins out and you look back at him with a reassuring smile, still tickled by how your outfits matched today. Your linen top is cream with a peachy yellow partial circle shape on the front that you think looks like the sun, but Mat said looks like a fried egg. Your sandals match the yellow, his white shorts complement your shirt and make his thighs look scrumptious. Your hat matched your leggings and his shirt, but you think it looks cuter on Mat.

“There’s a soft serve stand over there,” he says, raising a brow and pointing with his free hand. You look in the direction he’s pointed and find it, nod, and start heading over to it together. 

There’s a family ahead of you when you arrive, giving you both enough time to pick something off the menu. Mat wraps his arm around your waist while you wait your turn. You decide quickly, a cone with raspberry drizzle, but he takes longer to decide after he sees options for both chocolate drizzle and chocolate dipped. 

The mother ahead of you is talking very loudly to the clerk behind the counter, prattling more like, going on about… my husband this, my husband that, in such a snooty and somehow simultaneously resentful way that it makes you grimace. You can’t even tell what her problem is. 

“I never wanna sound like that,” you say under your breath, rolling your eyes when Mat looks at you and snorts trying to stifle his laughter. 

“God, me either,” he says, shaking his head and giving you a little squeeze. “I think I know what I want.” He looks around and nods at a bench. “I’ll order, you wait here?” 

“Okay,” you say, scrunching up your nose when he gives you a quick peck and heads over to the counter with a little bounce in his step. 

You laugh and take a seat, looking around at the nearby stands and booths. The family has moved on, their kids' faces covered in chocolate and ice cream, but looking as content as can be despite what a grouch their mother seems to be. They’re passing a booth full of charming stuffed animals.

There isn’t any fixed carnival game to try to win to get a toy, just a man selling toys. Mat is still waiting and paying for your ice cream, so you get up and take a few steps closer. 

“Babe!” you call, and watch him turn toward you, hands in his pockets, brows raised curiously. You point over at the booth and he nods, understanding where you’re going. 

The toys are even more charming up close, your gaze travelling over them thoughtfully. You squish one of the sample toys and discover them to be utterly pleasant to press your fingers into. 

Just when you think you’re ready to choose, the grouchy mother calls the vendor from the other side of the bench. He looks at you apologetically and goes to help her, and you hear her again; my husband likes… my husband wants, what do you think is best for my husband…

It only takes a moment, and you try to tune out her gratingly irritating voice, but finally you get your turn. You offer the vendor a smile, pointing to two bear toys that kind of look like loaves of bread, one beige and one brown. He turns to retrieve them.

“The beige one for me, and the brown one for my husband,” you say, the word slipping off your tongue accidentally. Your cheeks flush. The vendor doesn’t know that Mat isn’t your husband, but your face feels hot and you let out a heavy, embarrassed breath, almost dizzy with the thought of it.

The vendor turns around and pauses, a skeptical look on his face. Your eyes widen and you turn around, meeting Mat’s stunned, shit-eating grin, holding your ice cream in his hands. 

“Did you hear that, man!” Mat says, voice cracking excitedly. The vendor laughs. “She called me her husband!” 

Now your cheeks are burning worse than his. But if anything can be compared to the sun, it’s his beaming smile. 

“I heard it,” the vendor replies, shaking his head amusedly. 

“Oh my god, you’ve gotta come to our wedding, man,” Mat says, handing you your ice cream and reaching a hand out to shake his hand. 

You break into giggles. “Mat, please,” you plead, fishing out a few bills to pay the man for the toys. He shakes Mat’s hand laughing, and puts the bears into a paper bag for you.

He’s practically bouncing as you step away from the booth, another disbelieving laugh leaving your lips as he loops his free arm around your waist and starts guiding you to the railing to watch the sunset. 

“It was a slip of the tongue—“ you say, embarrassed, amused, but he silences you with a kiss that quickly turns into a grin between you both. 

“Say it again,” he says, pulling back a bit to look at you, still playful but utterly earnest. 

“My husband?” you reply, tummy full of butterflies. Somehow he grins even bigger and chuckles quietly to himself. 

“I like how that sounds,” he says, “A lot. About as much as I like the idea of you being my wife.” 

It’s your turn to grin, and you bite your lip, cheeks aching from trying not to smile too hard. 

“Just the idea?” You tease, and he laughs again. 

“You’re gonna be my wife.” He’s so happy and so sure you have absolutely no doubts about how serious he is. “And it’ll be an honour to be your husband.” 

“You’re gonna make me cry in my ice cream,” you complain, playfully, pouting, but can’t help but laugh again when he kisses you. 

“You’re okay with that right?” He asks, uncertain for a second. 

You nod. “Are you proposing?”

He shakes his head sheepishly. “I’m proposing that I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he says, lifting his hand and stroking his thumb over your rosy cheek. “For now.” 

“For now,” you agree, leaning up to kiss him again. 

He holds your chin with his thumb and index. He tries to deepen it, and you indulge him for just a few seconds before you giggle. 

“Save that for later, our ice cream is gonna melt all over us!” 

He groans playfully. “Ice-cream? What ice-cream?” He kisses your cheek and steps back. 

Mat lifts his slightly melted, chocolate dipped and sprinkle-topped cone to his lips and winks. 

#mat barzal x reader #mathew barzal x reader #mat barzal imagine #mathew barzal imagine #mat barzal fic #my fic.

[liam-93-productions]

It is known to all that after the sonorous “hiatus” that the guys from One Direction decided to take in 2016, its members decided to experience new horizons as solo artists, Liam Payne being one of them. Since then, the Briton has gradually reaped his own trail of success. A new stage in his professional career that has come hand in hand with his debut album as a solo artist, 'LP1'. 

A new record project composed of 17 songs where the artist once again demonstrated his talent for music and composition. Songs with which he has managed to position himself at the top of the charts worldwide. Liam Payne is synonymous of success, so it is not surprising that great music stars such as J Balvin, Rita Ora or Zedd, among others, have chosen him for heart-stopping musical collaborations. Therefore, we will review some of the best collaborations that Liam Payne has launched so far in this new stage of his career as a solo artist. Without a doubt, a real delight for the ears. Are you ready? Let us begin! 

STRIP THAT DOWN feat. Quavo

The song with which the British artist decided to kick off the new stage of his professional career was 'Strip That Down'. A song that came with the hand of rapper Quavo and that quickly managed to position him in the musical trends of 2017. A song where Liam surprised all his fans by immersing himself in a completely different musical genre than he used to in his band, One Direction. ‘Strip That Down’ is a subject that hooks from the first verses, a situation similar to what happens with his official video clip. An audiovisual of almost 4 minutes that has achieved record figures by having more than 341 million views.

FAMILIAR feat. J Balvin

Seeing Liam Payne singing in Spanish has undoubtedly been one of the greatest wishes of all his Spanish fans. A wish that he was listened to by the British and made a reality, at least by singing a few verses, on his theme ‘Familiar’. A song that caused a sensation, especially when it was revealed that the artist with whom Liam had collaborated was J Balvin himself. A song where he delves into the Latin rhythm and in which the 27-year-old gives everything, also in the official video clip, including hip movement. In addition, it is worth remembering an important fact, and that is that the first time that Liam Payne sang this song on stage was in Madrid in 2018, in honor of all his Spanish fans. An impossible date to forget.

MIDNIGHT feat. Alesso

2020 will always be a year remembered for the global confinement to which all countries had to submit. For this reason, and to make the quarantine much more enjoyable, the Briton surprised all his followers with the premiere of a new single, 'Midnight'. A collaboration with DJ Alesso who managed to put a bit of rhythm and joy in such difficult times. A song that came along with his official video clip, also recorded in full confinement with each artist from his home, and that quickly became a success.

FOR YOU feat. Rita Ora

When it comes to star collaborations, what better company than Rita Ora. Both artists were part of the official soundtrack of the film ‘Fifty Shades Freed’. The last installment of the saga that managed to cross borders due to its enormous success, and with which both Liam and Rita showed that not only do they have a lot of chemistry in the video clip, but that their united voices are a real delight. Without a doubt, 'For You' has become one of the favorite singles for Valentine's Day.

LIVE FOREVER feat. Cheat Codes

One of the collaborations that are part of the tracklist of his debut album as a solo artist is 'Live Forever'. A song made with the American group Cheat Codes and with which Liam has once again experimented with new musical genres, always with his special pop essence, but with electronic touches. But, if the song is another level, the video clip is not far behind. From slow motion images, cliff jumps, the beach and Liam Payne through the air, are some of the elements that make up an audiovisual of heart attack. Without a doubt, a single with not ending up dancing is a challenge.

FIRST TIME feat. French Montana

Before his first album was released, the Briton released a compilation EP made up of several previously unreleased songs, including 'First Time'. A song in collaboration with French Montana where the British artist brings out the most romantic side of him with verses that have surely caused more than a sigh. A song with a soft rhythm and that stands out for the high notes with which Liam has once again left his fans stunned.

STACK IT UP feat. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie

If Liam has shown something with his songs, it is that he is capable of making us change our mood from one second to another, of making us sing and dance without realizing it. And it seems that the lively and danceable songs are one of the strengths of his musical style, proof of this, 'Stack It Up'. A song with rhythms very similar to those of his debut single, ‘Strip That Down’, and that comes from the hand of the rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie. A song that hooks you and with which it is inevitable to end up singing at the top of your lungs: “So I stack it up, man, I gotta work for it. Yeah, I got money on my mind”.

GET LOW feat. Zedd

Over the last few years Zedd has become one of the best-known DJs on the music scene, which is why the announcement of a collaboration with one of the most beloved British artists, Liam Payne, was a bombshell. Adjective that fits perfectly to the song they did together, 'Get Low'. A very danceable single where they combine pop rhythm with techno. A single that everyone likes, proof of this, its video clip. An audiovisual where both artists, microphone and piano keyboard in hand, roam the streets of London singing the song. Proof that, 'Get Low' manages to make children and young people not so young, dance and sing.

NAUGHTY LIST feat. Dixie D’Amelio 

Christmas isn't Christmas if Liam doesn't release his annual Christmas single. Songs to which the artist manages to apply a special and unique touch to one of the most special and beautiful times of the year. ‘Naughty List’ was his last Christmas song, a song in collaboration with Dixie D’Amelio with which the British wanted to break with the typical canons of Christmas songs and his sentimental style. ‘Naughty list’ is a playful track, just like the official music video for it. An audiovisual that has a scenography where there is no lack of a gigantic Christmas tree, lights, glitter and cheerful colors.Without a doubt, one more song with which Liam Payne has not disappointed anyone.

POLAROID feat. Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella

Happy, danceable songs that provide very good vibes are some of the adjectives that best define Liam Payne's repertoire of musical collaborations. Style to which is added ‘Polaroid’, a song with Jonas Blue and Lennon Stella that has become one of the most popular of the past year. And it is no wonder, the three artists demonstrated the good harmony and good vibes that exist between them, something that has been perfectly reflected in the single. A hymn to love at first sight that with its lyrics manages to tell a unique story worthy of a movie. One more song with which Liam Payne has once again shown that there is no musical genre that can resist him.

#liam payne #happy fm #press mention #lp1 #21.02.2021

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week - 37

Robert Bresson’s philosophical Pickpocket, inspired both by Raskolnikov from ‘Crime and Punishment’ and by Camus ‘The Stranger’. And in turn it inspired Paul Schrader, the other conflicted Christian filmmaker. Austere and mysterious.

✴️        

And so 3 by Paul Schrader (all starring Willem Dafoe):

✳️✳️✳️ The Card Counter, Schrader’s new masterpiece. A tortured soul seeking redemption in a ‘ballet of violence’, just like in many of his previous films. The part of the torture program in Abu Ghraib is tailored a bit too close to the real Mitchell / Jessen psychopaths. But OK.  8+ / 10

✳️✳️✳️ Affliction, a completely different set up: Nick Nolte’s turns into his drunk, abusive father in a cold New Hampshire winter. A sad story of how a family curse is passed through generations, without redemption. His poor daughter...

✳️✳️✳️ Auto Focus, atypical light Schrader pastiche about murdered actor Bob Crane’s friendship with John Henry Carpenter. Crane’s sexual obsession must have been the appeal to Schrader. Told as an uncanny pastel joke, that hides a dark and disturbed core.

✴️           

First watch: Sergei Parajanov’s homoerotic The Color of Pomegranates (1969), a stunning visual poem of nearly-ethnographic Armenian tableaux. Reminds me of Jodorowsky. The inspiration to Tarsem’s music video for R.E.M.'s ‘Losing My Religion’.

(Photo above) 

✴️       

In 1965-66 American-backed anti-communist militias tortured and executed up to a million ‘enemies of the state’ in mass killings in Indonesia.

The Act of Killing is a 2012 terrifying Danish documentary where a group of these now-old death-squad leaders recreate and reenact their actions from that time.

Indonesia, it seems, is not a very enlightened country.

The most original film of the week.

✴️        

Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, a privileged father-daughter drama. A new superstar actor lives at the Chateau Marmont, and spends some time with his 11 year old daughter. Contemplative with Coppola’s usual slow, long shots style, but pointless and bland. The parent-daughter part was OK, but the Hollywood-fame portion was uninteresting. Even the hot pole-dancing Playboy twins were not exiting.

✴️        

“Ah, the smell of goulash!”

First watch: Lubitsch’s That uncertain feeling, 1941 erotic comedy, full of sexual innuendos and double entendres that the Hays Code didn’t catch.

“Phooy!”

✴️          

Truffaut’s 4th film, The Soft Skin, with Catherine Deneuve’s dead sister, Françoise Dorléac. A married man falls in love with a young stewardess. After 3 New Wave originals, this was derided as a “bourgeois melodrama” and was a commercial failure.  

Always with Georges Delerue’s music.

✴️      

Orson Welles’s existentialist The Trial, based on Kafka’s novel. Starring unconvincing and too young-looking Anthony Perkins as a man accused of a crime he didn’t commit and which he doesn’t understand. Also with Jeanne Moreau. One literary bad dream with lots of absurdist going-ons. It all hinges on K’s feelings of guilt.

✴️        

A different kind of  a bad dream, the ultimate Orange County, CA very black “comedy” Very Bad Things. Like ‘The Hangover’, but worst-case-scenario bad.

✴️        

Recommended by my mom:

The Hundred Foot Journey, a predictable restaurant-porn about the second Michelin star in a “little, quaint French village”. By Lasse Hallström, who specializes in this kind of international fairy tales, and Oprah Winfrey. Commercial clichés and stereotypical tropes. 2/10

✴️        

"You're a cookie full of arsenic"...

Sweet Smell of Success - 2 slimy operators, “publicist” Tony Curtis and influential gossip columnist Burt Lancaster unethically conspire to destroy a jazz musician in a gritty Manhattan Noir. Another sizzling Ernest Lehman manuscript.

✴️      

Barry Levinson paid tribute to ‘Sweet Smell of Success’ in his debut feature Diner, with one of the kids wandering around saying nothing but lines from the film. So I watched it again. What a wonderful piece of triple nostalgia (1959-1982-2021). Perfect in every sense, especially when showing unexpected sides to each character: Boogie doing hair, Billy playing the piano, Eddie dancing at the strip club.

“You’re gonna finish this?”

Best film of the week!

✴️         

Best Sellers, the new Michael Caine vehicle. He’s a cranky, washed-up, bitter author, who’s drunk the whole time. His orange cat is the only other good thing in this lame “comedy”. With a horrible Aubrey Plaza. 2/10

✴️        

2 X Vanya’s:

✳️✳️✳️ The 2020 British stage adaptation of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, with Toby Jones as Vanya, and Roger Allam as the professor. It deals with purposeful life, beauty, money, and one of the first discussions of ecological problems in world literature.

✳️✳️✳️ I’m glad I waited to watch Louis Malle’s last film, Vanya on 42nd Street, after the BBC version. Even though it was filmed 26 years earlier, it was much more contemporary. The combined talents of David Mamet, Andre Gregory and Malle modernized the play into a brilliant whole. Wallace Shawn was great! 8/10

✴️        

Chaplin’s delightful 1922 Pay Day, first (?) tramp film where he has a (nasty, harping) wife.

✴️     

U Turn, Oliver Stone’s sadistic, disgusting and pointless mess. Sean Penn is a permanently unlucky schmuck, who “pulls up to a tiny no place in the Arizona desert”. Bad Tarantino clone.

Thanks a lot for the recommendation, Sammy! 1/10

✴️        

Because Norm Macdonald died today, I watched his Dirty Work. A grave mistake! His dry humor was good for a few sardonic one liners, but not for this stupid, sophomoric loser. 0/10

✴️      

42 enjoyable minutes of a crash course on fromage, how to cut it and how to serve it.

- - - - -

(My complete movie list is here)

#movies

[nsr-scrapped-records]

Team Sayu once sang "You are my dad, boogie woogie woogie" at DJ after/during a fight to distract them. It works, too well actually, the guy is stunned and ends up starting into space (haha) for hours. 💤🇨🇵

KGKGJKF, street smarts. RIP DJ for the day, the team broke them.

#not a textpost #callisto jams #💤🇫🇷

[feverinfeveroutfic]

chapter nineteen: a lick and a promise

“So Scott’s leaving,” Marla started, out of breath.

The two weeks following the gig in San Antonio and the announcement was in fact official at that point, such that it left everyone in disbelief as to what would happen next. Sam and Marla had taken their seats on the small but trim porch outside of their brand new apartment together right as the summer rain began to fall around them: Belinda had gone down the block for some drinks and a third chair for herself. It had been a two day affair moving Sam down to Hell’s Kitchen and out of the Bronx, but they finally managed to have her settle into the cute little place with a view of the harbor.

Sam herself nodded her head and fanned the side of her face with a road map Belinda had lent her. Even though she had tied up her hair and wore a sleeveless top, she still found herself hot and sweaty from it all.

“Yup, he said it just yesterday,” she replied, “they got home from Finland real late last night, and the word from the label is that he’s going back home to Queens today. No idea what happens after that.”

“They get a new guitarist, I assume,” Marla followed along.

“Haven’t heard anything official yet but there are some rumors going around right now. Add to this, Aurora is knee deep in her own affairs so I can’t talk to her right now but I would hope so…” Her voice trailed off. “By the way, have you heard anything from Metallica’s neck of the woods? Like how Jason’s been doing lately?”

“I haven’t, no,” Marla confessed. “I think their tour actually wrapped up.”

“When?” Sam was stunned.

“It was a while back, I know that much. Wouldn’t it be something if Kirk filled in for Scott, though?”

“Who would fill in for Kirk?”

“Lars? I heard they were planning on ridding of him after this tour.”

“Yeah, I heard that, too. Does Lars even play guitar, though?”

“No clue. I know James plays drums.”

“He does?” Sam laughed.

“Yeah, that’s according to Charlie! James can drum, Jason can play guitar, and Lars can sing.”

“Who would play bass?” Sam asked her.

“Didn’t Greg audition for them after Cliff was killed?”

“Yeah, he did. I can’t imagine him being with them, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“I kinda like Greg. I can’t imagine Testament without him, to be completely honest with you, Marla. Greggy, as Zelda calls him.”

“Or—ooh, I know!” Marla snapped her fingers.

“What?”

“Scott and Minerva can swap places!”

“Hey, that’s a great idea! But that means she would have to leave it behind, though. The Cherry Suicides are on fire at the moment.”

“Oh, right, right…” Marla sighed through her nose. “Why doesn’t Anthrax just carry on as a quartet?”

“No idea. It sets them apart, I guess—“ Sam then stopped in her tracks, and she thought about Joey’s sentiments on learning guitar himself. An old wound about to be taken to a new level. She turned to Marla.

“Is the phone hooked up?”

“Yeah, it was one of the first things I did the very second I brought my stuff here, along with make our beds and get Genie situated. Why?”

Sam nibbled on her bottom lip.

“I have an idea.”

She ducked into the new apartment, through the small but cozy living room and Genie, who had taken her place atop the little plush couch against the wall close to the front door, and into the kitchen. The phone hung upon the wall over the sink: she took the receiver and dialed Joey’s number.

It rang once. Twice.

“C’mon, Joey, pick up—pick up, pick up—“

“Hey, this is Joe Belladonna, I’m either out drummin’ or singin’, or playing hockey, so leave me a message and I’ll get back to ya—“

“Damn it,” she muttered. There was a beep.

“Hey, Joey, it’s Sam. Give me a call back if and when you can—it’s kind of important. I’m living at Marla’s new place in Hell’s Kitchen.”

Without another word, she hung up and returned to the porch with Marla, who looked up at her with a puzzled expression on her face.

“You think Joey might be onboard with it?” she asked her.

“We’ll see,” Sam answered; she thought back to that night in Syracuse, in which Alex had inadvertently opened that old wound for him. Down below the porch, she recognized Belinda's head of golden blonde hair against the light drops of rain around them.

“Looks like she's got some good stuff for us,” Marla saw her as well, and right then she leaned forward so as to better watch her. They hung there for a moment as she crossed the street and rang the buzzer.

“I'll get it,” Sam offered, and she doubled back inside to unlock the door downstairs and she left the front door open by about an inch. Genie slunk over to her and rubbed against her ankles, complete with a soft little purr; Sam stooped down and pet the top of her head, and she squinted her golden eyes at the feeling. She thought about Joey and his wishes to learn the guitar: she knew it would be a golden chance for him, and for Anthrax to take things to the next level. Genie's little black tail formed a little hook at the end and she stopped right underneath her knees, and she gazed up at Sam with those squinted eyes. She gave her a soft little meow and she pet her head again.

Belinda pushed open the front door with her hip and she showed Sam a grin, and she handed her the white cup in her right hand.

“Nice fresh limeade from the shop down the street,” Belinda said.

“Yummy.”

“Also, I just ran into Frankie down the block and he told me to tell you that they're doing auditions later today,” Belinda told her, “and I mean later today. Like within a couple of hours.”

“Which means we can walk on down to the rest of Manhattan and poke our heads in there if we so damn well please,” Sam followed along.

“If we wish, maybe. Although—it's hard to say 'cause we're not part of the band.” Belinda stopped right in her tracks. “Why, what's up?”

“She wants Joey to take Scott's place,” Marla joked from the porch.

“Why Joey exactly?”

“He's told me about wanting to play guitar at some point.” And she left it at that, lest she dig up something more by mentioning the whole thing between Joey and Alex.

Genie slunk over to Belinda and rubbed on her ankles as well; Belinda bent down to her and stroked her head and her back, and that little black tail shot straight up, complete with a slight hook near the end.

“So a couple of hours, you said?” Sam asked her as she took a sip of the limeade.

“Yeah. We can hustle on down there if we'd like. The rain's not so bad right now so we can boogie on down there right now if we'd like.”

“Hey, Marla, you wanna come along?” Sam called back out to the porch.

“Nah, it's been a long couple of days. I'll just chill out here and get myself settled in.”

“I'll come with ya, though,” Belinda offered as she set her limeade down on the box next to the door and scooped up Genie, whose purr grew louder at the feeling.

“So sweet,” Sam declared as she pet her head again and she pinched her eyes shut. Belinda then set Genie down on the couch and she picked up her limeade once again.

“It's a little further than you think, though,” Belinda pointed out. “So we can take the bus—and we've gotta get moving, too, 'cause I saw it on the way back here.”

“We're students, remember?” Belinda said to her as she took her card out from her jeans pocket.

“We are!” Sam turned to her purse, which she had hung up on the wall next to the door, and she took her student card out of her wallet. She spotted the Polaroid of Joey on the inside there, and she was quick to close the top so Marla wouldn't happen to look over and see it. The two of them bowed back out to the hallway and then back to the staircase. The rain had dissipated a little bit by the time they reached the sidewalk outside, and they strolled towards the stoplight up ahead of them.

“So where is it?” Sam asked her as she tilted her head back a bit to better take on the cool breeze around them.

“Right up here.”

Belinda hurried forth and Sam followed. Indeed, the latter spotted a sign on the curb in front of them with a bus inscribed on the front. She peered over her shoulder and the bus lumbered up to the curb behind them.

They reached the sign in time; Belinda climbed aboard first, and then Sam followed suit, and they congregated to the rung behind the driver once they showed off their cards.

“You girls are gonna drink down those things, Miss Grimes?” the driver asked them.

“We're not going far anyways, Jim—just a few blocks down towards Sixth Avenue,” Belinda assured him as she sipped on the limeade with a bit of haste so he couldn't ask her anything more. Sam turned to her and showed her a little smirk.

“You're good,” she remarked in a low voice.

“That's what I get for growing up down this way,” Belinda said with a shrug of her shoulders. They lurched forward to the light once it turned green and they lumbered forth; she turned to Sam again. “We're gonna be about two blocks away from Radio City Music Hall.”

Sam gaped at her.

“Wow, I had no idea they lived that close to that.”

“That, and Times Square, too. But I guess the room they're gonna be literally right there by Radio City. I can imagine life in L.A. being like that, too.”

“Kinda. You need a car to get around anywhere in L.A., though. It's not like you can just hop on the subway and go somewhere willy-nilly. Lake Elsinore is also a ways away from somewhere notable like Hollywood or Fontana.”

Within time, they reached Sixth Avenue, about two blocks from Radio City Music Hall; Sam pictured Anthrax playing there at some point in the future. The concrete building before them stood behind the curb in nondescript fashion, and Sam recognized Charlie's head of curls right outside of the door.

The bus pulled up to the curb right down the sidewalk from him, and the driver pulled on the parking lever for them. Sam stepped first and she was greeted by the little grin on Charlie's face and the new round of rain over their heads.

“Hey, girlies,” he proclaimed over the noise on the street.

“So auditions in an hour or so?” Sam asked him.

“Oh, yeah—got a few guys here already if you girls wanna see what's about to go down here—”

He held the door for them and Sam stepped inside of the small white walled front room first; beyond that was a carpeted space with a pair of large rugs suspended from the ceiling. They had been arranged into a semicircle over one spot on the floor: and right on the spot stood a low dark stool and a couple of amplifiers. One guy stood close to the rugs, and Sam recognized his long disheveled black curls down past his shoulders. The black hair dye had all but vanished, and so his little silvery plume stood high over his brow, despite it being a little bit on the thin side: but it seemed larger that time around, more of a plume rather than a small sliver the size of a silver dollar. His deep eyes stared back at her and his facial expression hardened.

“Oh, hi,” she greeted him in a soft voice; Alex flashed her a cold look and then he bowed away into the next room. She sighed through her nose: Zelda's words echoed through her mind right then. If only there was a way she could in fact talk to him about all that had happened between them. Here, she was bestowed a chance, and yet she had no idea if she could at that point.

“What's he even doing here?” Belinda asked her in a low voice.

“No idea. Hope he's not leaving Testament, though.”

“Yeah, talk about being on fire. Have you listened to their new album yet?”

“Nah, I probably should.”

“Okay, so we have Dave Mustaine coming—” Charlie was saying right behind them. “—he should literally be here like any minute now. Gus Pepa from Death Angel, Alex Skolnick from Testament, Minerva and Rosita both from the Cherry Suicides—and—then that's it. Alex is here, Gus is down the hall right now, and like I said, Dave should be coming like any second now. I think the girls'll be here any second, too.”

The front door opened right then and the three of them turned to find out who had just walked in: Sam recognized Dan's crown of hair upon his head, followed by Frank's lush dark hair, and then—

“Joey,” she muttered to herself, and she hoped that he wouldn't go off the handle at the sight of Alex being there at the moment. Zelda's words continued to run throughout her mind. Alex had gone off into the next room.

She had to do something right then and there should Alex be a part of Anthrax. She bowed into the next room after him; he stood there before his little black amplifier on the floor with a little red guitar before his little body. He raised his head and he showed her another cold look.

“What're you doing in here?” he demanded, and she moved closer to him.

“I wanna talk to you about something,” she started without a moment's hesitation.

“Are you going to give me another halfhearted apology?” he demanded, cold. He looked down at the amp again complete with a scowl on his face.

“No. You deserve better.”

He stopped, and then he raised his head and frowned at that.

“What do you mean?” he asked her. Sam sighed through her nose.

“I just—want to get to know you better,” she explained, “and I feel like I was way too over the top towards you each time we got together. Like, I want you to know that—” She paused for a moment in search of the right words. “—that I don’t mean to upset you or do anything like that. It’s just… I’m part of the fan club, and I’ve seen you guys—I even got to poke my head in on the recording process, too! And you gave Cliff that piece of paper.” Alex lowered his gaze to the floor and he stayed still, with his fingers across the fretboard.

“You’re still mad at me,” she muttered, to which she shook her head. She gave it a shot courtesy of Zelda, but it all came from her in the meantime.

Sam turned away from when he touched her arm: even with the calluses on his fingers, he had a soft touch.

“No,” he said in a low voice.

“No?” she stammered. “No what?”

“No, that—that’s very kind of you.” He showed her a thoughtful look. “Really, that's—nice of you.” He glanced past her to find if there was anyone else behind them. Belinda laughed at something Charlie said; another woman's voice floated in right then, but Sam couldn't tell if it was Rosita or Minerva. They had a few minutes for all she knew.

She returned to Alex, who had crouched down to his amp on the floor.

“I feel like—I'm kind of alone here,” she confessed to him.

“Why is that?” he asked her as he kept his eye on the dials.

“'Cause—I'm a California girl. I moved cross country a couple of years ago and even though I feel like I'm still an outsider here. So—if I seem a bit too much up to this point, it should be from that.”

He stood back up and about a foot from her. He gave his long hair a little toss back with a flick of his head, so it all rested about his head like a full mane from his crown. He was silent as he plucked at the strings a bit, such that hardly any sound came out.

“I mean, if there’s anyone who’s to blame here, it’s me,” he told her still with his eyes fixed on the amplifier. “I can be cold and hard, and… if I’m honest, I don’t really want to come off unbearable. Kind of like how… you feel.”

He turned his attention to her, and then he looked past her again.

“Looks like Dave's here,” he declared. Sam turned her head and she spotted that head of reddish orange curls in the next room.

“Looks like he might be going on first,” she told him as she returned to him.

“You know, I was a complete outsider growing up,” he started.

“You?” She was stunned.

“Oh yeah.” He set his left hand over his fretboard and then ran his fingers through his hair: the plume had a little bit of a shine to it. “The grays here are just tip of the iceberg. I think I told you this at Kirk and Rebecca's wedding, but my parents are collegiate professors. And add to this, they’re way older than my friends’ parents.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember you talking about that one time,” she recalled with a wag of her finger.

“Well, add to that, they both graduated from Ivy League schools and they're teachers, too. My mother is a professor at Yale and my father is an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley. I mean, that in and of itself is isolating on its own…” His voice trailed off a bit, and then he cleared his throat. “Now take that and combine it with their being close to forty when they have me and my big brother. Also combine that with the fact they're both non traditional Jews, who've moved out to the San Francisco Bay Area. Not completely out of place, but still very strange, especially for me. All of my friends back home are born to hippies, you know, those ‘flower children’ of the Late Sixties—all the Grateful Dead and music of the Sixties you can possibly imagine. And then you get to my parents and like Sinatra and Dean Martin.”

“Wow.” She raised her eyebrows at that. “So—you pretty much grew up on a totally intellectual scale.”

“Yeah, I really did.” He shrugged at that. “I actually had a few people think I’m gay when I was in school, believe it or not.”

Sam chuckled. “Why? ‘Cause you’re smart?”

“Yeah! I’m more interested in expanding my horizons and my mind than my genitals. They were like 'yeah, that Skolnick kid, think he's a little gay boy' and I'm like, 'what, 'cause I like to read?'”

She giggled at that.

“How long have you been playing guitar?” she asked him.

“How long? 'Bout ten years at this point. I started when I was just shy of nine years old—properly taught, too. My teacher was like a children's folk musician. And I'm sure you know by now of my actual teacher, Joe Satriani.”

“Yeah, he taught Kirk.”

“And how. Him, me, and also another guy named Steve Vai—I dunno if you've heard of him or not, but he's just fantastic. I was one of the youngest ones in that class, too, like fourteen. Kirk was almost twenty at that point and Steve was twenty two. I was just this teenage kid who had just entered high school taking lessons from this mysterious, like godfather type character in the back room of this music store in Berkeley, where I'm from originally.”

“How'd your parents take all of it?”

“They did it kinda—I want to say reluctantly. Like they weren't, and still aren't, a little too keen about it.”

Sam tilted her head a bit at that. “So—they're not musical?”

He shook his head.

“Nah. They're collegiate professors who teach—social sciences. Not so much music.”

“Well, what about your brother?”

“He kinda is musical, like I got my first taste of bass guitar because of him. But he's not so much dedicated to it like I am.”

“So—you're bit of a lone wolf. Like the oddball.”

“Pretty much, yeah. Especially at this point in my life. I just want to make music and add something to the world, but—” He shrugged his shoulders. “—I'm pretty isolated with it all. You got your friends and the people who follow you when on tour, but I go home knowing my parents aren't sure of it all. I mean, don't me get wrong—they are supportive of it, but they're just—”

“Reluctant,” she filled in.

“Reluctant. Very much so.”

She pressed her hands to her hips at that: Dave's laughter in the next room caught her ear, but she was more fixed on this boy before her.

“I was wrong about you, Alex,” she confessed.

He shrugged again. “I’m just kind of a tough nut to crack us all,” he said. “Why do you think my parents called me ‘meshuggah’ when I was first starting out? They're like 'my kid's meshuggah!'”

“And Lars is right about one other thing,” she added.

“What's that?”

“It sounds like a good band name.”

“Meshuggah?”

“Yeah.”

“I agree.” He showed her a friendly little smile. “I was wrong about you, too, Samantha. Although—if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm still a little unsure of you. Just—out of caution and thinking about everything you've said to me so far. It's just—how I am and how I was raised, too. But this was a nice little insight to you, though.”

Charlie poked his head into the room right then.

“Oh, there you guys are,” he proclaimed. “Joey's got a little treat for us.”

“For what?” Alex asked him, baffled. Charlie never answered, but he did gesture for the two of them to follow him back out to the main room. Joey walked up to Dave, who took his white flying V guitar off of his shoulder and handed it right to him.

“There's no way I can leave behind Megadeth, to be perfectly honest,” he confessed with a shrug, “but there's something about this boy here.”

Sam turned back to Alex, who gaped at her.

“So he pushes me onto grass but he gets honors from Dave, what the hell?” he muttered, to which she shook her head.

“Yeah, I don't get that, either,” she confessed.

“I'm gonna try it out here,” Joey declared as he slung the guitar over his shoulder and he took the little royal blue pick out from in between the strings. His arched his back a little bit and lowered the guitar down towards his waist. He set his fingers on the strings; Sam looked over at Alex and the curious expression on his face. He slid his fingers up the fretboard a little bit and he strummed at the same time. He went faster and faster and it took her a moment to realize that he was playing that song “I Am the Law.”

“Wow,” Frank remarked; Joey nodded as he played along, and his long curled black hair sprawled down his chest.

“Could you play 'A Skeleton in the Closet'?” Dan asked him.

Joey moved his hand up towards the head and he strummed faster that time around. He moved up all the while with those bars.

“My god, he's fantastic,” Dan declared.

“It's what I get for watching him when I first auditioned,” Joey told him over the noise of the guitar.

“Think we found our new guitarist!” Frank said. “Right on, Joey.”

“I will also say this, though,” Charlie began, “Scott left behind a couple of lyrics for us. One for a song called 'Who Cares Wins' and another called 'Now It's Dark.' I might have to save these for later because we're still focused on Among the Living.”

#fanfic #fanfiction #anthrax fanfic #anthrax #chapter 19 #testament fanfic #testament band #testament #alex skolnick #joey belladonna #charlie benante #frank bello #dan spitz #a skeleton in the closet #book three #fever in fever out #fever in fever out fanfic #also on ao3 #also on wattpad #writing #text

[withabackpackandcamera]

March 27th, 2021

Day 4: Beach Hopping in South Maui

This morning, we woke up exhausted and sore from the crazy, busy first two days of the trip. Because today was originally planned to be a chill, lazy day for recuperation, we took the morning slow and easy, waking up a little later and hanging around the hotel room. For breakfast, we just finished our dinner leftovers from yesterday evening instead of trying to gather up energy to go find a new place to eat. 

After looking through our schedule and doing some planning, we realized that there was still so much to see and do and that so many of the things we wanted to see and do required us to make the most of whatever good weather we came across here on Maui. Because the forecast for today was mostly sunny, we decided that it would be a better idea to take advantage of the sunny weather and go out and do stuff rather than just sit around and waste away a good opportunity to explore.

We ultimately decided that the best thing to do was spend the entire day exploring the Kihei, Wailea, and Makena areas of South Maui. The drive to Kihei, our first stop, took a little less than an hour in normal traffic. Because it was around 1:00pm by the time we arrived in Kihei, we decided that grabbing lunch at Kihei Caffe would be the best first thing to do since it was nearing closing time for the restaurant. Because we had just finished our leftovers, Cynthia and I weren’t particularly hungry by the time we got there. So instead of ordering a lot of dishes like we normally do, we just ordered the restaurant’s well-reviewed Loco Moco, a native Hawaiian dish that consists of a burger patty topped with gravy served on rice with a fried egg on top, and a mixed fruit smoothie. The Loco Moco was just enough for us to share and it was pretty good. Nothing crazy amazing but it hit just right for our not-yet-hungry stomachs.

Because we had found a convenient parking spot next to the restaurant that we didn’t want to give up, we decided to leave our car there and walk along the beach and park located across the street from Kihei Caffe. We strolled through Kalama Park and along the beach area right behind it until we hit Cove Beach Park. Because there didn’t seem like there were too many other places to walk to in the heat, we turned around and returned to the car to drive further down to the Wailea area, located about ten minutes further south. 

In Wailea, our first stop was at Pa’ako Beach, also known as Secret Cove Beach. The beach was located behind what looked like a typical, low-key neighborhood. After parking along the neighborhood streets, we walked through a gap in the stone wall and climbed down some rocks to get to the beach. Although it was nicknamed “Secret Cove Beach,” this beach was clearly no secret beach, as there were already a few parties lounging on the beach and enjoying the ocean views before we got there. But wow, the beach and cove were beautiful and so picturesque! A small stretch of sand lined the short coast. There were large volcanic rocks abutting the shoreline that crafted waterways for the oncoming waves and rushing water to sneak through. And on either end of the sandy beach were bunches of palm trees standing tall in the wind that together with everything else completed the stunningly picturesque scene and provided the icing on the beachy cake that made this little area look like the perfect example of tropical paradise. 

For the first time this trip, we actually took it easy. We laid our beach towels down and just hung out there, calmly taking in the beautiful sights and sounds. Every now and then, I would get up and take some photos or soak my feet in the cool water. After a little less than an hour there, we started to notice patches of dark gray clouds sneaking into the previously clear blue skies. Once we felt a couple of raindrops on our skin, we decided to pack up and head back toward Wailea to avoid the possible incoming rain. 

Before even beginning our trip back to Wailea, the skies quickly started to clear up again and the sun reappeared in the now blue sky. With this weather change, we changed our mind and decided to stop by the neighboring Makena Beach, also known as “Big Beach.” This beach was completely different from Secret Cove Beach because it was way bigger, the waves here were much crazier, and there were a lot more people there. Again, we laid down our beach towels and got comfortable in the sun. As Cynthia sunbathed, I watched the surfers and boogie boarders ride and flip over the waves. Because the waves at Makena Beach were pretty big at times, it made for the perfect place for people to catch the waves. And it was fun watching these people attempt crazy water stunts out there! 

Once the sun was bearing down on us and it got a bit too warm, we returned to the car and drove to The Shops at Wailea, a fancy outdoor mall with lots of fancy stores and boutiques. Because sunset was right around the corner and Secret Cove Beach seemed like an excellent place for sunset photography, we decided to chillax at the shopping center until it was time to head back over. While Cynthia explored the clothing boutiques and shopped, I walked around the mall and window-shopped in some cool stores. 

Eventually, we made it back to Secret Cove Beach with an hour to spare before sunset to stake our claim on a good spot to see the sunset. When we arrived this second time, there were a few more parties than before and the beach was definitely more crowded, filled with people waiting for the promising sunset. Because there was no good “one spot” I could find for all of the views I wanted to capture on camera, I left Cynthia and the beach towels in one area and set up my tripod in another area, hoping to provide myself with two options where I could best photograph the setting sun. I spent most of my time away from Cynthia once I realized that this “away” spot was the best spot I could find. And I stationed myself there and prepared for the sunset as time ticked down. Eventually, the orange sun started to descend in the sky, slowly making its way down toward the horizon past the scattering of clouds in the distance. The sight was beautiful. So warm, so peaceful. I tried my best to capture as many good shots of the sunset as possible but many of the shots were often interrupted with passersby and kids running in and out of the frame. Ugh. So annoying. 

By the time the sun had completely disappeared, leaving a little glow in the sky, I was done with my photography for the evening, and it was time to pack up and head back north toward our resort. But before heading back, we made the good decision to grab dinner in the South Maui area instead of having to rush to find a dinner spot in West Maui before everything closed. After a quick search, we committed to Coconut’s Fish Cafe in Kihei, one of the restaurants that I had starred on my Google Maps prior to the trip. 

Our restaurant of choice did not disappoint! After a brief wait in line to order, we ordered Coconut’s Fish Cafe’s coconut shrimp, clam chowder, and grilled mahi-mahi with Cajun seasoning served on brown rice with a side of salad. The whole meal was oh-so-delicious! SO YUMMY! And for such a good, affordable price! I can’t believe we had such delicious food in a restaurant that wasn’t even that fancy! 

With stomachs happily filled with good food, we drove back to the Royal Lahaina for the evening. After quickly dropping off our stuff in our room, we went downstairs to check out the pool areas behind the resort before making our way to Kaheliki Beach, located in the resort’s backyard. For half an hour or so, Cynthia and I strolled along the beach under the moonlit night, taking a few moments to enjoy each other’s company while listening to the calm ocean sounds. At one point, we even took a seat in the soft, cool sand and lay back to enjoy the evening clouds cruising by overhead. 

How nice it was just to sit and chill and take it all in. To be safe and socially distanced in Hawaii and to enjoy a little R&R during a pandemic. So very thankful for the opportunity. And so thankful for a nice, relaxing day in Maui. Until tomorrow! 

5 Things I Learned/Observed Today:

1. The town of Kihei has a chill, quotidian, everyday-life-type vibe compared to the west side. 

2. Wailea is the nice resort area of South Maui. Resorts. Golf courses. Nice shopping. Beautiful beaches. It has it all. 

3. Makena Beach is a great place for adrenaline-rushing water activities! With the waves as big as they are, it’s no wonder that the beach is full of boogie boarders and surfers!

4. Hawaiian Language Lesson! “Mahalo” means “Thank you” in Hawaiian. And “Aloha” can be used for “Hello”, “Love”, and/or “Goodbye”. 

5. ABC Stores are the 7/11 gift shops/markets/convenience stores of Hawaii. They not only sell your typical convenience store goods but also souvenirs, shirts, alcohol, beach gear, and much more! 

#withabackpackandcamera #huyphan8990 #travelblog #travel #blog #journal #Kihei #Wailea #Makena #Maui #Hawaii #pandemic #springbreak #beach #sunset #shopping #locomoco #boogieboard #surfing #KiheiCaffe #SecretCoveBeach #PaakoBeach #MakenaBeach #ShopsatWailea #landscapephotography #seafood #CoconutsFishCafe #palmtrees #islandlife #vacation

[jade4813]

The Lies We Tell Ourselves, Chapter 5

Fandom: Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist

Title: The Lies We Tell Ourselves

Rating: PG (I’m assuming it’ll stay there?)

Pairing: Zoey/Max

Synopsis: Max would do anything for Zoey. Including posing as her fake boyfriend to give her father one last “big moment” to celebrate with her. Nothing could possibly go wrong. After all, it’s only his heart that stands to be broken. Right?

Chapter: 5/?

Author’s Notes: Takes place after Zoey’s Extraordinary Glitch.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

“I can’t stop this feeling, deep inside of me. Boy, you just don’t realize what you do to me,” Zoey sang at a volume approximating the top of her lungs as she danced around her kitchen, popping toast onto a plate and giving the scrambled eggs one more flip with her spatula before dumping them on top. “When you hold me in your arms so tight, you let me know everything’s all right! I-I-I-I-I’m hooked on a feeling! I’m high on believing that you’re in lo-”

She broke off at the sound of a loud knock on her front door. She did a little boogie with her hips as she flipped off the stove in a smooth gesture. Then she danced her way over to the table to drop off her plate on her way to the door. At a much more reasonable volume, she continued to sing as she moved. “Your lips are sweet as candy and the taste stays on my mind. Boy, you got me thirsty for another cup of – Mo? H-hey! What’s up?”

He threw her a pointed look as he walked past her into her living room. “What’s up with me? I came over here to find out what’s up with you.”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. “I’m just getting ready for work, and -”

“You’re singing,” he finished for her.

She tried one more time to avoid the conversation. “So-o-o?” she asked, drawing out the word. “I…sing. On occasion. Sometimes.”

“Nuh-uh. I’ve lived across the hall from you for a while, and I can tell you one thing. You? Don’t sing. I sing. Other people sing. But you don’t sing.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he pointed one finger at her. “Zoey? Spill.”

“Oh, all right,” she huffed, collapsing into her chair to eat her rapidly cooling breakfast. “I’m in a good mood because, you know, it’s a beautiful day outside, and things are really going well for me at work, and also,” she took a big bite and ducked her head, hoping to obscure the words, “Max and I kissed.” Swallowing quickly, she looked up and threw Mo a wide grin. “So did you want a cup of coffee or something? I don’t have a lot of time, but -”

“But you are going to make time because I heard you, and you are not dropping that bombshell on me and then racing out the door.” Mo’s eyes were bright with excitement as he took a seat on the other side of the table. When Zoey didn’t say anything right away, he prompted, “So? Details!”

She sighed and started pushing her congealing eggs around her plate. “It’s…complicated.” That word again. She was starting to hate that word.

“Uh huh. I’m sure. So who kissed who? Did that man finally give in to the burning passion that’s been building up inside him for years? Or did you decide it was high time to take him for a test ride?”

She rolled her eyes. “Neither.” She paused. “Or both? I don’t know. In answer to your question, he kissed me. But I kind of made him.” At Mo’s confused expression, she explained, “Okay, so you’re probably going to think this is ridiculous, but I kinda…sorta…asked Max to pretend to date me. Just until my dad…just to make my dad happy for these last few weeks.”

She expected a wide range of reactions to her confession, but he just blinked at her a few times, stunned. “You’re pretending to date Max.” She nodded. “And so that’s why you two kissed.” She nodded again. “Because you’re pretending to date each other.” One more nod. “Which is definitely a thing normal people do. And I guess the only way could convince your family you were dating at that moment was to kiss him.”

Zoey couldn’t meet his eyes. “Well, technically nobody else was around. We were…practicing.”

Mo leaned back in his chair. “Right. If you’re going to pretend to date someone, it only makes sense that you have to practice pretending to kiss them. So you can do it convincingly. Out of curiosity, how many practice kisses did it take?”

She winced. Splaying her hands, she tapped her fingertips together and said meekly, “Well, that depends how you want to count them. Do you mean incidents of practice kissing, or number of times our lips may have met during those incidents?” Mo just cupped his chin in one hand and threw her an expectant look. “So…we only had that one incident. Um, so far. And as for the other question,” she began scrunching her face in thought, “I’m honestly not sure.”

“Well, since you’ve been singing “Hooked on a Feeling” all morning, I don’t think there’s any need to ask you how you liked the kiss. Or kisses.”

Zoey felt warmth spread from her chest, up her neck, to her face, and she assumed if she looked at her reflection at that moment, she’d see she’d turned bright red. “In all fairness, Max is…skilled…in the…arts…related to…the lips. And tongue.” She hid her mouth behind her coffee and mumbled in an undertone, “And teeth.”

Mo threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, I see. I had such high hopes for him. Good to know he didn’t let me down. So, I take this to mean you finally made your decision.”

“My decision?” she asked with feigned innocence, standing to take her dishes to the sink. She really would be late if she didn’t get moving. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t willing to let it go. “You’ve been torn between Simon and Max for months. I was hoping all this meant that you’ve finally decided to pick a side.”

“There’s no side!” she protested, throwing up her hands. “Simon is…a great guy. And attractive. And completely engaged to someone else. Max is,” she paused, waving one hand helplessly in the air as though trying to summon the words before continuing, “well, he’s Max. I’m not deciding anything because there’s nothing to decide! I am not in a place to get into a real relationship right now. This whole thing with Max is just…it’s all pretend. So that my dad doesn’t worry about me. And when it’s over…”

Mo’s eyes were sympathetic when he finished her sentence for her. “And when it’s over, the kisses stop. And eventually, he may move on to someone who doesn’t just want a pretend relationship. Is that really what you want?”

Zoey sighed as she shrugged into her coat and reached for the door. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I just…I can’t deal with anything real right now.”

Mo paused and put his hand on her shoulder as he walked past her into the hall. “Well, next time you decide to practice kissing with Max, you let me know how it goes. Soap operas have less drama than you do.”

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she jogged down the steps, though she found herself singing in an undertone again by the time she hit the street. “All the good love when we’re all alone. Keep it up, boy. Yeah, you turn me on. I’m hooked on a feeling! I’m high on believing that you’re in love with me…”

Was it her imagination, or was Max avoiding her? She’d tried not to read too much into his behavior, but every time she tried to grab a few moments with him alone, he suddenly remembered a very pressing appointment he needed to make. Or phone call. Or conversation. On the other side of the building.

As she stood on the top of the risers and watched him work at his desk, she couldn’t help but wonder. Was she really that bad of a kisser? Sure, she was a little out of practice, but she couldn’t possibly be that bad, could she? Not bad enough to justify him doing everything in his power to avoid having to kiss her again. The very thought was demoralizing.

Giving her head a quick, determined shake, she hopped down the risers and approached his desk. “Max? Do you have a minute?”

“Oh, hey, Zoey!” he greeted her with false cheer. “Ah, you know, I’d love to talk, but I have something I need to deal with first. For, um, for Joan.”

That did it. She followed him to their boss’s office, but before he could walk inside, she darted around him. “Hey, Joan?” she asked brightly, poking her head inside the office door. “I need to grab Max for a few minutes, okay? We’ll be right back.”

Joan made a disgusted face. “I do not need to know what the two of you do on your lunch hour. Just leave me out of it,” she replied, waving the two of them away.

“Great!” she replied, grabbing Max’s arm and propelling him towards the elevators. “Max, I think you and I need to go for a cup of coffee.”

“Well, we have a -” he began, turning towards the coffee bar.

She shook her head. “Outside. Just the two of us.”

The silence that fell between them was strained as they rode the elevator down to the ground floor and headed outside. Now that she had Max alone, she wasn’t sure what to say. They were a few doors down from SPRQ Point’s entrance when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. Stopping next to some concrete stairs, she climbed up the first step so she could look him in the eye. “Okay, look. There’s something I need to – I’m sorry about last night. I know I – it was pretty bad, huh?”

His face fell. “Bad? You’d really describe it as bad?”

She barely registered his disappointment too wrapped up in her own self-doubt. It wasn’t every day that a girl found out her kisses were so awkward, her partner would rather avoid her than risk hurting her feelings. “I was just nervous, you know? And, okay, I’m a little out of practice. But I think if we just…oh, to hell with it.” Before she could embarrass herself further, she wrapped her arms around Max’s neck and practically threw herself at him, launching herself into his arms as she pressed her lips against his.

Max let out a soft sound of surprise, his arms wrapping around her instinctively as she landed against his chest. But a moment later, they tightened, holding her steady as she deepened the kiss. She curled her fingers into his hair, which was somehow softer than she’d imagined, and almost wanted to cheer aloud when he started to kiss her back.

Last night, he had taken charge of the kiss, overwhelming her senses as he pulled her deeper and deeper into the embrace. This time, she was determined to set the pace. She brushed feather-soft kisses against his lips until they parted for her, and when she felt him try to take control, she teased him by pulling away slightly. He moaned, but he relented, and so she ran her tongue consolingly along the curve of his lower lip and deepened the kiss once more.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, locked in their embrace, but the soft sound of someone clearing their throat a few feet away finally penetrated Zoey’s mental fog and caught her attention. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Max and looked over his shoulder, almost falling over when she saw her mom, dad, Emily, and Howie staring at her.

“Mom! Dad! Wh-what are you doing here?” she asked, scrambling out of Max’s embrace and trying desperately to get her clothes in order.

Emily had her head tilted to the side, giving them both a considering look. Her mom looked amused, and though it was sometimes hard to read her dad’s expressions, she could swear there was both surprise and happiness in his eyes. For his part, Howie was looking at the sky, like he was searching for passing airplanes. “Emily had an appointment at the doctor today, and David’s hearing is running late, so she asked us to come along. We were just headed to lunch and thought we’d stop by and invite you to join us,” her mom explained. “You too, Max, of course.”

“If we aren’t interrupting anything,” Howie added dryly.

“Interrupting? Us? N-no! Of course not!” Zoey stammered, grabbing Max’s hand as she stepped down next to him. “We were just on our way to lunch, too. We’d be happy to join you.”

“You know, if you wanted some time alone, I could -” Max began, but Zoey squeezed his hand and threw him a threatening look.

“Don’t you dare.” If she had to face her family with the knowledge they’d just seen her make out with her fake-boyfriend in front of the entire world, she wasn’t going to do it alone.

They had walked only about a half a block before her sister-in-law commented, “So, I guess things really are fine between you guys.”

Feeling her cheeks heat, Zoey replied defensively, “Of course they are! We just…needed a little time. To get used to things.”

“Uh huh. Well, you better be careful,” Emily advised. “Last time David kissed me like that, I ended up like this.” She gestured toward her pregnant stomach.

Max let out a tiny, surprised puff of laughter, while Zoey inwardly cringed. “Ew!” she cried, only half-jokingly. She covered her face, though whether it was to avoid looking at Emily’s expression or to prevent Max from seeing her own, she wasn’t entirely sure. “I did not need to know that, thank you!”

“I’m just saying,” Emily remarked with an unrepentant grin.

In a voice slightly louder and a shade higher-pitched than usual, Max tried desperately to change the subject, “So, Mitch, did you see the game last week?”

Mitch shifted in his seat to look up at him, just as Howie said jovially, “So, Max. Mitch said you asked Zoey out using a flash mob. That’s pretty brave!”

Zoey’s stomach twisted into a knot, and she wracked her brain for a way to change the subject. She didn’t want to talk about this. Her family all thought that this story had a happy ending, but of course she knew it didn’t. She didn’t want Max to be hurt by the reminder.

She started to comment on the weather, when Emily interjected, “Especially since Zoey isn’t always good at dealing with big emotional moments.”

Her head whipped around as she turned to stare at her sister-in-law. “What are you talking about! I don’t have a problem with big emotional moments!”

“Which is why you ran away afterwards?” Emily pointed out. Zoey loved her sister-in-law, but at times like this, it was sometimes hard to remember that her bluntness was meant with kindness. After all, she – like everyone else in her family – believed that things had all worked out in the end, and Zoey had ultimately realized she reciprocated Max’s feelings. If she hadn’t, Zoey knew she wouldn’t be so cruel as to make light of such a painful memory.

Zoey wanted to console Max, but he was the one who gave her hand a quick, comforting squeeze. She looked up into his eyes and saw a quick flash of the heartache he tried to hide, but then he released her and shifted away. “Well, you didn’t see me dance. I only had three rehearsals, after all. Running away might have been the right call,” he joked, breaking out into a couple impromptu dance moves on the sidewalk. Redirecting the conversation away from her reaction to his confession. Making a mockery of his own pain to shield her from her own.

“Max, no,” she protested softly, reaching for his arm. Had he always done this, protecting her at the cost of his own feelings? She’d never thought about it before, but she had a suspicion the answer was yes, and it broke her heart. Determined to stop her family from unintentionally causing him further agony, she said loudly, “That’s not what happened. I -”

“Well, at least it all worked out, and you two realized you love each other. That’s all that matters. And it sounds like it was a wonderful gesture, Max. The kind of moment Mitch would have loved,” Maggie cut in, oblivious to her daughter’s inner turmoil. “He’s always been a sucker for those big, romantic moments. Haven’t you, Mitch?”

Her father indicated agreement, and the opportunity to clear the air was lost as the conversation redirected to more mundane logistical matters when they entered the restaurant. But Zoey noticed that Max didn’t reach for her hand again throughout lunch, or on the walk back to the office. She was only now beginning to realize how many small sacrifices Max made on her behalf. How many times she’d probably inadvertently wounded him, without even realizing it – not just now, but in all the years of their friendship leading up to this moment. What that must have cost him – and continued to cost him still, as he covered up his pain with humor and hid it from the world. From her.

She missed the warmth of his hand in hers.

Max groaned as he looked over at the clock. Curling his arm underneath his head, he glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. It was after two, and he was completely unable to fall asleep. He kept thinking about Zoey and their kiss. Kisses.

“They didn’t mean anything, Max,” he scolded himself, but even in the quiet solitude of his bedroom, his words lacked conviction. She’d kissed him earlier that day, hadn’t she? Of course, their whole pretend relationship was her idea, so that didn’t have to mean anything. But she hadn’t just kissed him. She’d kissed him. Like she meant it. Like she didn’t want to stop.

Maybe things had changed for her. They’d certainly changed for him. Maybe he should ask her. Would that really be so terrible?

Yes, it would. Because she’d already asked him for time, and he’d agreed to give it to her. He’d promised he wouldn’t allow himself to be confused by their fake relationship. She knew how he felt, and she’d already told him she wasn’t ready for more, and it wouldn’t be right to pressure her.

Plus, she’d said their first kiss was bad, earlier. And maybe she hadn’t mean it the way it sounded; he couldn’t be entirely sure. But still, he doubted anyone went from calling a kiss “bad” one minute to declaring their undying love in the next.

Bad. Bad? She’d thought it was bad? He’d thought it was pretty earth-shattering himself, but…no. He wasn’t going to allow himself to dwell on the thought she hadn’t been as moved by their first kiss as he was. Of course she wasn’t. Didn’t that basically sum up their whole relationship? That she barely noticed moments that left him wanting more?

So, no. He shouldn’t say anything. He should absolutely keep his feelings to himself. Keep repeating to himself that none of it meant anything.

But it felt like it had meant something.

Before he could resume his mental merry-go-round, torturing himself with questions that had no clear answers, he heard a sound at his front door. Sitting up, he strained to listen and heard it again. Light tapping, like someone faintly knocking.

Confused, he jumped out of bed and headed to the door. When he looked through the peephole and saw a familiar tumble of red hair, he caught his breath. Could it really be Zoey? Had he somehow conjured her there with his thoughts? Or was his sleep-deprived brain playing tricks on him?

He saw her shoulders slump as she stepped away from the door, her movements unsteady, and fumbled with the lock as he tried to pull it open before she could leave. “Zoey? What are you doing here?”

#zoey's extraordinary playlist #zep #zoey clarke #max richman #the lies we tell ourselves #clarkeman #zoman #zax #fanfiction #my fanfiction

[doof-doofblog]

"You Murdered Your Wife!"

Christmas Week Review

(Episodes Commencing Tuesday 22nd December 2020 - Saturday 26th December 2020!)

Hello everyone! I'm sure it's been a hot minute since I last posed, I hope you all had a brilliant week and a brilliant Christmas! This blog post is going to be a little different, there's quite a bit I've missed recently due to working over the Christmas period and also seeing family. So instead of posting a post about an individual episode, I'm going cover the whole Christmas run up and reveal in this one post! I hope it'll give me the opportunity to catch up with you and enjoy our discussions revolving around recent events.

So firstly, I'm going to start with Honey's Community Christmas Dinner! After all her hard work of bringing everyone together and putting on a fabulous Christmas dinner for the community, disaster strikes when the fridge stops working, causing all the food to be all ruined! Only of course, Jay is there to save the day, it's clear he's been swooning over her for months now and what better way to win her over than to gather together some last minute prepared food and to add the icing on the top, announce to their neighbours how much of a wonderful woman she is! During the festivities everyone is dancing in the street, whilst other locals including Denise, Jack, Bernadette and Patrick eat and drink and be merry. Also I just want to mention how hilarious Kim was, arriving drunk and throwing up through out the day and eventually getting up for a boogie with the rest of the locals. The day ended on a high when Jay and Honey were left in the kitchen cleaning everything up, only things got a bit hot when Billy caught them kissing! (We all knew it was going to happen eventually!) Elsewhere, Tina had been released on bail after being charged with Ian's attempted murder, however when a brick is thrown through the Queen Vic window, warning Ian that things are not yet over, Ian comes to believe that Tina is not behind his attack, as Gray and Shirley both vouch for Tina being at home at the time when the brick was thrown! Also, Max proposes the idea to Linda of doing a runner and leaving together for New Zealand, he claims that he fully believed Linda attacked Ian and reveals that he got rid of the murder weapon, thinking he was doing it to save Linda! Only when Linda announces that she's not responsible for Ian's attack, he worries that if the police find out about the Lucy Beale Award, he could be sent down for a crime he didn't do!! He's convinced that Linda loves him as much as he loves her, he tries to persuade her, mentioning that Mick doesn't show her any form of love or intimacy anymore!

--

After witnessing Honey and Jay locking lips, Billy is clearly devastated, he feels betrayed that the boy he brought up as his own and his ex-wife have been intimate behind his back. He's completely and utterly heartbroken that they could've done this to him! They catch up with him and promise that their kiss never meant anything! Even though by the looks in their faces, deep down you can tell they both have feelings towards one another. They give their word to Billy that it was a terrible mistake and it'll never happen again, to which he responds that if it ever does, both Jay and Honey will be dead to him! I do doubt though however that Jay and Honey will struggle to be away from each other. In other parts of Walford, things are looking bad for Tina, after her conversation with Shirley, she's shocked when he sister offers her some money and proposes that she does a runner, this leaves Tina feeling shocked, admitting that if she ran it'll make her look guilty. But Shirley is convinced with the amount of evidence building against her, she may have no other option but to run, as she's scared for her sister. Devastated that her sister doesn't believe her, later Tina turns to her brother, Mick. Surprisingly, Mick apologises to his sister for speaking to her in such an awful way previously, he suggests that she doesn't run and that she faces it head on, and he promises to be by her side when she does. Can I just mention what an absolutely amazing scene that was between Mick and Linda! After Max being found in his flat, Mick reveals that he's already aware about his wife's infidelity. Only when Linda arrives, she begs Max to leave whilst she tries to talk to her husband. This scene was absolutely brilliant, amazing performances by Danny Dyer and Kellie Bright! After trying to explain to her husband about her actions, she pleads to him to fight for her, she is literally crying and pleading to him to show her that he cares for her, even in just the smallest way! But when Mick says that if Max makes her happy, he won't stand in her way, she can't seem to believe the words she's hearing and slaps her husband around the face, just to get a response, even taking it a step further by threatening to have an alcoholic drink! When she desperately asks him "Why won't you fight for me?!" - he simply replies with "I have no fight left!" - This is absolutely devastating for the couple, for a split moment when Mick got up from his seat, I thought he was going to let rip, fling a chair over the room or something - but there was simply nothing! After realising that her marriage isn't going to be fought for, Linda heads back to Max, when he reveals he has actually fallen in love with her, she admits that she still loves her husband but it looks as if their marriage could well and truly be over. Elsewhere, Ian tries his absolute best to apologise to his sons, his intention is to apologise to everyone he's wronged in an attempt for all the death threats to stop, starting with Peter and Bobby. After he makes an emotional, pleading speech to his sons, they invite him to attend the community event later in the evening, Ian is more than pleased and thankful to have been able to rekindle his relationship with his sons. During the event, everyone is gathered at the Square, watching a slideshow of neighbours and friends they've lost over the previous years, whilst a beautiful choir sings Silent Night. Images of our favourite characters including Peggy, Abi, Chantelle, Pauline, Pat, Dot and Ethel are shown to the community, everyone is reminiscing and sharing happy tears as they share memories of loved ones, even Phil and Karen attend as their loved one's images pop up. Only everyone is in pure shock, none more than Ian, when an image of him appears saying "R.I.P Ian Beale!" Honey states that no one put that image in the slideshow, suddenly Ian becomes aware of everyone around him and realises that the person who attacked him is close. I loved this moment when as the choir carried on singing, every single suspect, slowly looked over to Ian to see his reaction - Bobby, Ben, Kheerat, Suki, Peter, Phil - it is absolutely mesmerising, fantastic editing and camera work! Absolutely loved it!

--

And then we come to the banger, THE BIG ONE! The Christmas Day episode!! Wow, wow, wow! Another jam packed one right?! There are 3 or 4 main things I want to cover in this one! First one being the big return of Lucas Johnson and his daughter Chelsea!!! This has been such a long time coming and what an epic return it was!!! I do feel sorry for Denise however, as obviously her plans for a traditional Christmas did not go to plan. Even though she took Raymond to his church, she was left absolutely stunned and shook with fear as Lucas appeared (once again) as a supposed changed man!! But what shocked her Christmas Day even more was learning that her daughter, Chelsea, had been seeing him, spending time with him and had been doing so for a few months behind her Mother's back. This deeply saddened Denise, and it understandably made the whole family on edge as they heard the news about Lucas returning! Even Patrick took it upon himself to confront the murderer. We can absolutely see instantly that Lucas hasn't changed his ways, clasping his fist whilst being confronted by Patrick, and then also approaching Ruby as she walks along the Square, alone! I know it's way too early to say, but has Lucas already spotted his next victim?! 

The next thing I want to mention is the Slater's - it looks as if it's a happy Christmas for the Slater family, even though Kat has her concerns that it could be Kush's last Christmas, they take full pleasure in enjoying presents, food and drinks! Even though Martin and Ruby plan to spend their first Christmas at home as a newly-married couple, they get dragged into spending their day with the Slater's. Before Ruby arrives at the household, Martin has already given out his presents and it turns out the one he gave to Stacey is a beautiful sparkling watch, as she's overwhelmed by the gift, we can see absolutely clearly that that gift wasn't in fact intended for her, however it's only later on after having drinks in the Vic with the family, poor Stacey gets completely the wrong end of the stick and kisses her ex-husband, informing him that she still feels the same way about him and they could work things out, only for him to sadly drop the bombshell that he accidentally mixed up the presents and in fact the watch was meant for Ruby and the keyring Ruby opened was for Stacey. However, the one thing that none of the Slaters are aware of, is that privately after buying herself a gorgeous new dress, Jean devastatingly finds a new lump. Does this mean that her cancer could've come back? What an absolutely heart-breaking thing to find out on Christmas! 

Following the devastating blow between Mick and Linda on Christmas Eve, Mick decides that they shouldn't pretend anymore and have Ollie separately on Christmas Day. This clearly upsets Linda as Mick walks away with his son. Much to Shirley's surprise, Tina has invited Mick and his son over to Gray's for Christmas dinner, Shirley is absolutely over the moon when she sees her son and Grandson appear on the doorstep. When everyone is sat around at the table, Tina and Shirley voice their thanks to Gray as he carves the Christmas turkey. Tina happily passes a gift to Mick which is revealed to be a picture of him, Katy and Tina as kids - this seems to really spook Mick but he thanks his baby sister all the same, however Shirley can see that her son isn't looking right, she urges for them to inform her what's the problem. Only instead of informing her about Katy, Mick informs her about Linda having an affair with Max. Furious, Shirley takes it upon herself to confront her daughter-in-law and is stunned when Mick follows announcing that she doesn't mean anything to him anymore. These words look as if they really hurt Linda, to her, it seems that her marriage has completely come to an end, she turns to Max and mentions that she could consider going away with him to New Zealand. 

Later on in the evening, after having altercations with Gray through-out the day, Tina decides to make it up to him and clear the dinner table and put all the cutlery away in the dishwasher, however in the most creepiest way, Gray informs her that she's put the cutlery in the wrong way, that the knives should in fact go blade-up! He watches her and it almost looks as if he's imagining doing to her what he did to Chantelle! I do fear for Tina, could she find out his secret and be his next victim? 

And Oh my god!!! The big one, the big reveal we've been waiting for! Early on in the episode, we can see that Ian is still completely on edge of countless death threats, he looks out of the Queen Vic window and sees his brother, Ben, playing with his daughter Lexi. Ben notices and makes a gun motion with his fingers towards his brother. Instantly this plays on Ian's mind and eventually he confronts him in the middle of the Square, when suddenly the police turn up and it looks as if they're hear to collect Ben, however much to everyone's surprise, they're actually there for Peter after it's revealed his DNA was found. To Ian's surprise he asks his son "Why?" to which he responds with "I enjoyed watching you squirm!". Earlier in the episode Sharon announces to her new husband that she's going to visit Denny's grave, during their drive up to the cemetery, Ian is talking about nothing but himself and how Peter could betray him. She doesn't look a bit interested in her husband's rant and in forms him to go back to the pub. Ian does as he's told and whilst Sharon stands by her boy's gravestone, she makes a call to Phil. At first we have no idea why she's calling him, but eventually it all comes clear - when he eventually makes it to the cemetery, she informs him that she wants Ian dead today!!! WHAT DID I SAY FROM THE BEGINNING?! I KNEW SHARON WAS BEHIND IAN'S ATTACK!!! It turns out that for months they've been waiting on hearing Dennis's voicemail and it looks as if the blonde vixen is out for revenge and justice for her son! A flashback shows us that it was actually Phil who attacked Ian that night but before he could finish the job, he was interrupted by Peter spray-painting on the doors and made his escape. It looks as if Ben missed his Dad by seconds as he walks over Ian's motionless body and voices that he had it coming! It looks as if Phil and Sharon had been planning this for months possibly, however when she informs Phil to go back and finish the job today, when Phil gets to the pub he finds Ben standing over Ian with a baseball bat and he comes to realise that he can't go through with it. If Ian's blood gets on his hands, it'll come back to his family - annoying as Ian is, he can't kill a member of his family, especially when it's his son's brother. When Sharon comes home to see that Ian is still alive, she confronts Phil and is devastated when he announces that he wants out of their plan to kill Ian, he voices that she's grieving and needs professional help to come to terms with her grief. But instead, Sharon calls him a coward and informs him she'll do it herself. As everyone goes home and everyone is with their families, Sharon is seen in the Queen Vic kitchen, crushing small pills, she melts them with a blowtorch, places them into a Christmas Pudding and serves them to Ian! After all the suspects that were listed, I had a VERY big feeling that Sharon would be the one behind Ian's attack! As much as I'd love to know how she got hold of the voicemail from Denny, I am certainly looking forward to seeing when Ian realises it's his new wife who's trying to kill him! Another fantastic Christmas episode!

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Finally coming to the final episode of this week, Boxing Day! Oh my goodness, this one had me on the edge of my seat and shaking!!! I'm sure you're all aware of what's got me shaking to the core!! That will be the thing I focus on last! Firstly, I'm going to focus on Sharon and Ian. After the previous day, Phil and Sharon bump into each other outside of the Vic, neither of them say a word to each other as they both have a silent knowledge of what's going on, it looks as if Phil is questioning her with his eyes, only his question is answered when Ian appears from the top bedroom window, shouting down to his wife. With the comfort of knowing that Sharon hasn't gone through with her plan, Phil walks way. Only little does he know that she's actually poisoning him! Later on in the episode, Sharon convinces Ian to show his face and step outside, even though he is reluctant to do so, and it just so happens that the first people he sees are his Mum and his son, Peter. Peter reveals to him that he's been released by police with no charges, leaving everyone completely by surprise. So that puts Peter out of the frame! 

Meanwhile, after Denise's huge shock at seeing Lucas the previous day, she and Kim take Raymond to the park for a kick about for a bit of space. Innocently, Ruby approaches the little boy and compliments his Christmas jumper, but it seems as if recent events have spooked Denise, as she calls the little boy to stay close to her. As she walks away with the little boy, it looks as if Ruby is feeling an emotion that she's never felt before. Later on when she and Martin meet up at the Vic, he apologies for the way they spent their first Christmas. However, something even more interesting is on Ruby's mind, she questions her husband whether he has the feeling that something in his life is missing, but when he simply can't think of anything and announces he has everything he wants, she drops the bombshell that she wants them to have a child of their own.

So the last and big section I need to talk about involves Gray and all members of the Carter family! The first thing I'll mention is the brief scene between Linda and Mick, as it comes to dawn on them that their marriage is coming to an end, Linda reveals to her husband that they should discuss new arrangements when it comes to Ollie, when each of them get to see him etc. Deep down you can see it's visibly hurting both of them that it's come to this, but what else are they supposed to do? Mick won't talk and Linda truly believes that her husband has lost complete interest and doesn't want her anymore. As Linda leaves with Ollie, Mick feels like he needs someone, of course his first person to contact is Katy. When she eventually returns to the Square, once again she starts to manipulate Mick, trying to convince him that moving away would be the best thing for him, pointing out that his marriage to Linda is over, what is keeping him in Walford? The fact that he does actually still love his wife and his family and his little boy!! Meanwhile whilst all this is happening with Mick, Gray is reeling after Tina let it slip in front of his children that Chantelle was planning on leaving him. This has left him out for revenge on Tina! Even Mitch has started questioning whether what Tina has said is true, which is clearly going to rattle Gray's cage, he points the blame straight onto Tina for his children not wanting to see him, to which she repeatedly apologises for. However, he seems to think that she has completely crossed the line. When he bumps into the Detective who's working the case of the attack on Ian, he reveals that Peter has been released without charge and also the witness they gave wasn't reliable and that Tina's case probably won't make it to court. Gray goes back and completely twists his words and informs Tina that she has to leave the Square today as the evidence against her is building and building! To their absolute shock, both Shirley and Tina begin to panic, Mick hears the commotion and questions what's happening, as Gray reveals that the police could be coming for Tina at any moment and she needs to leave quick, he proposes that he leaves the Square with her. Taking Katy's advice, he seems to realise that this could be his way out of Walford! Shirley is in absolute tears as she comes to the realisation that both her sister and her son could be leaving so suddenly. As Mick hurries home to grab his belongings, Tina informs Gray that she'll forever be thankful to him and will find a way to repay him, as he begins to make plans in booking a plane flight for them. Before Tina goes to grab her belongings, Shirley stops to give her a late Christmas present - which I have a huge feeling could be VERY important - a golden chain with her name on, Tina is weepy as she thanks her sister and tells her she'll miss her. As Shirley bids her sister farewell, I have a devastating, horrible feeling that this may be the last time Shirley will see Tina alive?! Later on as Tina rushes to grab her last few items from the shop, she bumps into the Detective and states that the witness they have for her is a liar, however he drops the bombshell about her witness being unreliable and that Gray should've told her, it becomes clear to Tina that Gray has been lying to her. As she arrives back at the house, Gray is finishing packing her things, it appears to be just the two of them in the house. Everything comes crystal clear to Tina that Gray wants her out of his house and out of Walford - I thought this was such an epic, gripping scene! I was fearing for Tina the entire time!! She confronts him about his lies and even comes to the realisation that the way he's treated her is exactly the way he treated Chantelle. Gray is absolutely stunned to realise that she is on to him and she has come to know the truth about how his wife died, she threatens him that she's been watching him and she knows exactly the type of person he his! But as soon as she mentions Chantelle, about the way he treated her and abused her, you can see Gray getting angrier and angrier, denying all allegations that Tina is throwing at him! I did feel that Tina was so brave to stand up to him, but I am fearing that this could be the last time we see Tina alive? She says those very important words - "You killed her! You murdered your wife!" and you can see it clear as day that Gray knows he's going to have to get rid of her before she reveals his secret.

I have to be honest but this episode has fantastic performances from Toby-Alexander Smith and Luisa Bradshaw-White! Are you guys fearing for Tina as much as I am?! I do feel that the gold chain with Tina's name on is going to be very significant! Will Gray murder Tina, get rid of her body and convince Shirley that Tina has actually fled, without Mick and left her chain behind?! Who knows? Either way, I don't know how Tina is going to escape the wrath of Gray now she's aware of his secret. What do you guys think? Did you enjoy the Christmas episodes as much as I did? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Thank you for reading, I apologise it's taken so long, but I hope you enjoy this post as much as I've enjoying writing! I'll be back tomorrow following tomorrow's episode - what will happen to Tina?! Love you all xXx

#eastenders #christmasweek #christmasreview #honeymitchell #jaybrown #billymitchell #karentaylor #denisefox #kimfox #lucasjohnson #lindacarter #maxbranning #mickcarter #ianbeale #sharonbeale #benmitchell #philmitchell #tinacarter #shirleycarter #katylewis #chelseafox #grayatkins #peterbeale #staceyslater #jeanslater #martinfowler #rubyfowler #kathybeale #patricktrueman

[chlostertalks]

The year was 2011.

I had recently completed my sophomore year of high school. I was still bummed about LeBron’s failure to win his first championship, this time with my favorite team: the Miami HEAT. However, I had just begun working at my first job; I was an office assistant in an infectious disease clinic between downtown Houston and Third Ward.

While I was being paid at the time, I knew I did not want to have a career in medicine. I wanted to be a lawyer then, one that could represent entertainers and athletes. I had watched a lot of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, but there wasn’t a legal drama about attorneys that were not practicing criminal law.

While watching an SVU marathon on USA, I then saw an ad about an upcoming series premiere featuring two lawyers and one degree.

My mom and I were immediately hooked to Suits. It was fresh, high-stakes, and involved rows of classic records in Harvey Specter’s suite. Thursday nights in the summer revolved around the couch upstairs and “Greenback Boogie”–and a glass of wine for my mom. The characters were quick-witted, from Jessica Pearson and Specter to Donna Paulsen and, of course, Mike Ross, for navigating his job and all his lies in the first place.

And then there was Rachel Zane: the paralegal with the stylish Banana Republic outfits who had something to prove against her father at a rival firm (“the guy from the Wire,” as we used to say about Wendell Pierce).

I began browsing Banana Republic and its outlet thanks to Meghan Markle, who played Zane. By the time I was in college, I followed her on Instagram and occasionally browsed the Tig.

I also remember standing in line at the grocery store and seeing a People Magazine cover stating that she had started dating Prince Harry. I laughed it off, knowing that Suits filmed in Toronto and that it would be hard for their schedules to coordinate. Plus, how would she have met Prince Harry anyway? It’s not like meeting another celebrity on the street or in a restaurant.

As their love blossomed, more of the world began to see who Meghan was: an actress, a philanthropist, a woman with a killer fashion sense, and an overall caring person. Being black myself, seeing a biracial woman walk down the aisle to meet the man she loves and join one of the most recognizable families in the world was stunning. The newness of spring, the cellist, the parade route–it was all gorgeous watching from home.

A jarring shift from the British public’s honeymoon phase with the couple to sheer nastiness soon arose.  

It’s saddening to inherently know that the hate and media scrutiny toward Meghan is a result of race. To constantly wonder if the tabloids would be this vitriolic towards her if she was not biracial and American. It’s disgusting to learn that the hatred was so severe that, compounded with the lack of security from the Institution, Duchess Meghan was, to put it bluntly, nearly bullied into suicide. Her merely breathing was seen as disrespectful to many.

Having worked in American media, we sometimes do take humanity for granted when critiquing celebrities’ performances on a field or in a film. These instances with Duchess Meghan, however, are chaotic and clearly racially motivated. It is but an example of a very deep and very ugly part of world history known as racism.

There aren’t enough words to describe learning that making Meghan feel so small that it would be easier if she was not alive anymore. It speaks to how grotesque and nuanced and horrid racism is, along with the people who continue its legacy, but also to how powerful love is. To how powerful it is to ask for and eventually receive help. To walk in healing, and to have support from a spouse. To be vulnerable.

To love. To be loved.

I thought it important to share how nasty and dehumanizing it can be when journalism and institutions lose control. I thought it noble that Meghan and Harry only shared what was necessary. I thought it brave for Meghan to speak when so many have weaponized her because of her identity.

I’m not sure if she’ll ever see this, but thank you for being you, Meghan. Thank you for always staying true to who you are, TV paralegal or Duchess or otherwise. Thank you for your philanthropic work, and for sharing your story. The world needs your light. Continue to inspire others positively–let that be your legacy.

#duchess meghan #prince harry #oprah winfrey #opinion

[highspiritbag]

14 Of The Safest Countries in Africa

A lot of people assume that the continent of Africa is unsafe. This has mainly been caused by false and bias portrayal by the media. When the average person hears of Africa, they automatically think of the worst, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. We have been to many countries in Africa and each country has its own unique gift and vibe and we have never had our lives in danger at any moment. We have even extended our stays in some of these countries because we were simply having too much fun. We believe that every single place on Earth should be visited at least once and it would be unfair to miss out on experiencing the beautiful continent of Africa. 

In recent years, Africa’s profile has been steadily rising due to the big media push surrounding Ghana’s Year of Return. This has put Africa on people’s radar as another destination to explore. For many, visiting anywhere in Africa will be a first-time experience so we decided to write a full list of the 20 safest countries in Africa. This list will highlight the places to see, what to expect and places to stay if you are a tourist visiting for the first time.

1. Rwanda

Rwanda is by far the safest country in Africa. The vibe of the country is very relaxed. If you want to travel solo to an African country. You have to start by visiting Rwanda. The crime rate is so low. According to the Gallup Global Law and Order Report, Rwanda is ranked as the 11th safest country in the entire World since 2017. In addition to this, the people are so warm and welcoming.

The place to visit in Rwanda is the city of Kigali. The city is very beautiful and a great display of African modernity. While you are in the city, we suggest you should visit the Genocide Memorial, the Inema Arts center, the Grand Presidential Palace, and many more. You will get a strong sense of the countri’s past, present, and future.

The nightlife in Kigali is unforgettable, there are many bars and clubs playing live music. There is always an event every night. For a night to remember, visit Iriba Bar, Pili Pili, K Club. The atmosphere, the drinks, the music, and the food will make you want to visit Rwanda every year. 

In terms of where to stay in Kigali. Definitely stay Kigali Serena Hotel. There are also some beautiful boutique hotels you can stay in such as the Heaven Boutique Hotel.

If you love to shop. You should visit the Kigali Cultural Village. There are so many stalls selling everything from clothing to art to food. The atmosphere is truly an unforgettable experience. I’m sure you will find something that catches our eye that will be the perfect gift for yourself or someone else.

One tip to note is that on the final Saturday of every month is Umuganda. It is basically a day of nationwide community service. So everyone does their part for the community by cleaning the streets and helping out with other general stuff. During this time a lot of places are closed or have limited opening hours. So be aware of this day when you are booking your flight and hotel. 

2. Botswana

Botswana has amazing political stability. As a result of this stability, it has led to a very low crime rate in the country.

One of the most exciting things about this country is the Wildlife. You will be immersed in the natural world so quickly. It feels like you are in another World. Kalahari Desert and many other areas offer epic views that have you photographic every single moment of your trip. There are other parts such as Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park.

There is so much diversity in terrain. If you enjoy outdoor activities a trip to Botswana is much needed as there is a wide range of outdoor activities, you can get involved in. One of the things you have to experience is the Moremi safari so you can have an opportunity to see the Big 5 which are the rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and buffalo.

Botswana is one of the friendliest and safest African countries and I am sure you will enjoy it thoroughly.

3. Mauritius

The beaches in Mauritius are absolutely beautiful. It is very safe and is known to have some of the most beautiful beaches in the World. There is also plenty of opportunities to see different varieties of wildlife. There are also opportunities to go hiking. The terrain of the country is made of mountains and dunes. It’s perfect if you like to be at one with nature while going on a hike.

In terms of where to, we recommend you stay in Balaclava. When it comes to which accommodation to choose, the best places to stay in Mauritius is Maradive Resort and Spa, Degrees Sud, The St Regis Mauritius Resort. Mauritius has many instagrammable boutique hotels that will make any guest feel like they are the King or Queen of The World.

When it comes to partying, the best place to party is in Grand Baie. There are so many cool beach parties with world-class DJ’s to enjoy. There are also many beach bars, sports bars, and clubs to choose from to ensure you have an epic night every night.

4. Seychelles

 Seychelles is absolutely stunning. It is located off the east coast of Kenya. It is made up of over 115 islands. Seychelles is mostly pretty safe. Most people that go and visit actually experience no problems. However, you still should remain very vigilant and don’t create opportunities to attract petty thieves. Just in case, it is advised to carry your High Spirit Anti-Theft Backpack to prevent any pickpockets from taking your most valuable items.

 Seychelles has a wide range of accommodations to suit any taste. The best places to stay in Seychelles are Mahe, Praslin, and La Digue.

These places are very tourist-friendly and have many bars and clubs so you can fully experience the Seychelles nightlife without holding back.

 In terms of getting around, you can island hop by using the island’s reliable ferries.

5. Ethiopia

 Ethiopia is extremely safe. Violent and Non-violent crimes are very rare. However, you have to still be vigilant of petty crime or pickpockets. It is important to have your anti-theft bag or High Spirit Bag with you to ensure your stuff is safe and secure while you travel.

 In terms of accommodation, hotels in Addis Ababa are really cheap. One of the places to stay in is Biruk Bed and Breakfast in Bole, which is an upscale neighborhood in the city. Also, you can consider staying in The Sheraton Addis. It’s a huge luxury hotel and will give you the experience of living like a celebrity for the entirety of your trip.

When it comes to the nightlife in Addis. It is second to none. All the best clubs and bars are in Belo or in Piazza. Due to the proximity, it makes it a little easier to bar hop and get a full taste of the Ethiopian nightlife.

6. Zambia

 Zambia is generally very safe. As with anywhere in the World, it is still important to still be vigilant especially in large cities.

 Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and there are loads of bars and clubs to get your boogie on. There are a few places we would like to recommend that will enable you to have an unforgettable night. We suggest you visit the Alpha Bar. There is always something exciting happening there. It is definitely worth checking out. Lusaka is a buzzing city, so we are sure that you will find some cool bars and clubs to have a good time.

 In Zambia, it is best to stay in a hotel that gives you easy access to different places in the city. Hotels like the Neelkanth Sarovar Premier and The Hilton Garden Inn are great suggestions for places to stay in Lusaka, Zambia. Their service and location are fantastic elements to ensure you have a wonderful time in Zambia.

7. Ghana

 Ghana is currently number 44 on the Global Peace Index. This is a huge indicator of how safe the country is and how modern and forward-looking the country is.

I remember being in Accra, which is the capital city of Ghana walking at night and it felt so safe. I didn’t feel unsafe for one second. Everyone is focused on their own thing and really welcoming and friendly.

 If it is your first-ever trip to Africa. We would suggest you visit Ghana first to get an experience of how great African cities and societies function. They say that Ghana is Africa for beginners. Once you have visited Ghana it will set the precedent of what you can expect when you visit other countries in Africa.

 For a number of years, the country has had great political stability and it is currently going through a transformation where it is opening itself more to the World. Which is a very exciting opportunity for the country and its people. As mentioned before, one of the things I loved about Ghana was how friendly and peaceful the people were.

 In terms of the nightlife. It is absolutely epic. There are so many bars, clubs, and restaurants in Accra, especially on Oxford Street in the Osu area. The vibe of the city feels positive, energetic and you feel very safe and secure.

 Places to stay are in Osu, Oxford Street, or East Legon. These are great locations as you will be in the center of the action and buzz in the city. Also, there is easy access to upscale bars, restaurants, and nightclubs to sink your teeth into.

8. Swaziland

 Swaziland is very safe. Swaziland actually has a low population. It currently only has over 1 million people in the country. The people are very friendly and welcoming.

 In terms of where to stay, you can stay at the Summerfield Botanical Garden or Mountain Inn. These are places where you will be embraced by the natural beauty of Swaziland.

 The nightlife is mainly in Ezulwini and Mbabane. There is live music, bars, restaurants. There are many places that give you the opportunity to soak up the atmosphere, culture, and the positive vibes of the country. 

9. Senegal

 Senegal is politically stable. As with anywhere in the World crime is usually a petty crime, which is mostly made up of pickpocketing. It is still important to take the necessary precautions and carry your anti-theft backpack with you, so you do not become an easy victim. But according to our experience, crimes against tourists are very rare.

 Senegalese are very positive and welcoming people. They are also very keen to share their culture with you. They treat people, especially tourists with respect, and are willing to go over and beyond to ensure you have a positive experience in their country.

 As you visit Senegal. We suggest you stay in the capital, Dakar. In the city, there is so much to do and you will get a full offering of the country’s vibrant culture and its people.

 In terms of places to stay. We would suggest staying in the Radisson Blue hotel. It is absolutely beautiful. The décor of the hotel is truly amazing and inspiring. It’s got an infinity pool, which gives you a beautiful view of the ocean. The rooms are state of the art and very modern. If you decide to stay there, you will definitely have a splendid time. If you want to stay in a boutique hotel. There are plenty of gorgeous boutique hotels that offer an elegant and vibrant experience. Boutique hotels such as The Djoloff Hotel and The La Residence Dakar are great choices for a unique and beautiful experience.

 The Senegalese love to party. The nightlife in Dakar is absolutely brilliant. There are so many bars to choose from. There is literally a bar or a club to suit every taste. If you decide to go on a night out in Dakar, check out Le Phare des Mamelles. The view in that bar is outstanding. Also, check out Le Patio. There is nothing more to say except that you will definitely have a night to remember there! 

10. The Gambia

 The Gambia is the smallest country on the African continent. It’s nickname is ‘The Smiling Coast of Africa.’ It is a very fitting nickname as The Gambia is actually one of the safest countries on the African continent. For tourists (travelling in groups or solo travellers) it is totally safe to travel around and it is trouble free. However, it is still important to take the necessary precautions because The Gambia does have a small issue with pickpockets. But if you remain aware of your surroundings or wear your anti-theft backpack in crowded areas you will be fine.

 In terms of where to stay. We would suggest you stay anywhere on the Senegambia strip as there are a lot of hotels, bars and restaurants. It is pretty busy, so we are sure you will be able to find some cool places to be entertained and get your groove on. We suggest staying at the Woodpecker resort or the Ocean Bay Hotel and Resort. A lot of the hotels in Banjul are pretty nice, so definitely find one that will give you then best deal.

 When it comes to the nightlife in The Gambia. A lot of the nightlife is mostly concentrated in Serrekunda, in the resort town of Kaloli. There are also plenty of wonderful bars and clubs in the township of Kotu to chack out as well.

 11. Malawi

 Malawi is a landlocked country. It is bordered by Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania. It is nicknamed as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa.’ It is very safe and is very popular amongst solo travellers. According to its history. It has never had a civil war. Which is very rare in the continent of Africa. In comparison to the region and its neighbouring countries, the crime rate is very low. According to the World Economic Forum Malawi is said to be one of the safest countries in Africa. However, as I keep mentioning. It is still important to take the necessary precautions to protect your belongings, just in case. There is nowhere on the planet that has no crime of pickpockets. So, it’s crucial to still be aware wherever you are in the World. 

If you are thinking of where to stay in Malawi. If you are staying in the capital city of Lilongwe. We suggest you stay at Latitude 13 degrees. The hotel is simply gorgeous. If you want to experience beachside luxury during your trip, definitely check out Kaya Mawa. It Is located on Likoma Island.

When it comes to nightlife, it has little bars and clubs that will satisfy the typical party animal. But it is very modest. However, there is an abundance of dancing displays and live music events that will be provided by the hotel or nearby bars in the area. 

12. Uganda

 Uganda is a very safe, secure, and politically stable country. According to the Government, there has been an increase in police on the streets. This has proved to be very effective as it has caused crime to be reduced by over 50% especially in the city of Kampala. The efforts in increasing police response and ensuring there is no civil unrest has solidified Uganda as a safe haven for group tourists and solo travellers from around the World.

 When it comes to choosing accommodation for your trip. Kampala has a wide range of luxury hotels and stylish boutiques to choose from. One luxury hotel that made a positive lasting impression on us was the Kampala Serena Hotel. The rooms are so beautiful and elegant. It has restaurants in the hotel that serve the most delicious meals. Definitely try some Ugandan cuisine and also try some authentic Ugandan coffee. It tastes like heaven. That is the best way I can describe it. There are other hotels such as the Kabira Country Club that also provide you with a luxurious African experience during your stay.

 Kampala’s nightlife is very well known amongst other African’s living in the continent. It is known that people from all over Africa travel to Uganda to experience Kampala’s wonderful nightlife. The clubs actually don’t close at 3 am, they are open till the next morning. Speaking from personal experience, the only times I have ever partied from night until in the morning (like 10 am in the morning) has been in Africa. African’s definitely know how to party. Especially Ugandans. If you are looking for some cool spots in Kampala to let your hair down. Definitely visit Hollywood in Kampala, also check out Guvnor. There are so many little bars and clubs where you can easily club hop and make your night one to remember

 13. Madagascar

 Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the World. Madagascar is a truly unique and beautiful island. The overall crime rate in the country is low so it is considered safe to travel to. If you are the type of traveller that likes an adventure Madagascar is the perfect destination. It has the World’s most unique biodiversity. During your visit, you will definitely see some rare plants and animals. In addition, the people are so friendly and kind. A trip to Madagascar will be a life-changing trip.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Madagascar. We suggest you stay in the North-Eastern part of the island, such as Nosy Boraha. Hotels such as Les Lemuriens and Samaria Lodge are great choices to have a unique and pleasant stay in Madagascar.

 When it comes to the nightlife. You should check out Taxi Be and Le point d'exclamation. They are both in the capital of Antananarivo. There are also loads of bars and clubs you can enjoy. There are also a lot of great spots for live music if you want a more immersive experience.

 14. South Africa

South Africa overall is very safe to travel to and explore. The country has so much natural beauty. There are many big cities within South Africa such as Johannesburg, Capetown, Durban, and many others that offer something different and special. There are some bits of petty crime such as pickpockets but as long as you have your anti-theft backpack with you and you keep your belongings close you will be fine. No country on Earth Is perfect and to expect perfection in a country is totally unrealistic. Another thing to be aware of is that tourist hotspots are controlled and protected by the authorities, so you will feel safe and secure during your trip.

South Africa is a very large country. It is the 9th biggest country in Africa. So when it comes to choosing a place to stay you will be spoiled for choice. If you are staying in Capetown, you may want to consider staying in the Atlantic View Capetown Boutique Hotel or Raddison Blu Waterfront. If you are staying in Johannesburg, you may want to consider staying at the Munro Boutique Hotel or Villa Simmone Hotel. If you are staying in Durban, you may want to consider staying at the Hilton Durban. Ensure you stay at a hotel with great customer service and great security. That is super important.

 South Africa has so much variety when it comes to the nightlife. There are so many clubs and bars in Capetown. In Capetown, there is an area called Long street, which has a lot of bars, clubs, and restaurants. Johannesburg has Rosebank and Durban has a lot of jazz clubs. There is something for everybody in these cities.

 Visiting Africa will be a unique experience. It will be like nothing you have experienced before. So, when you travel to any of the African countries, remember to immerse yourself in the culture, the vibe, and the activities. It will definitely make a positive impact on your life.

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