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footballfanfictions · 4 years

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Used to be the one I love - Julian Draxler (smut)

Spending all your time with your new friends And you take 'em all the places now that we been But you used to be the one I love Yeah, you used to be the one I love Say you wanna talk, how-have-you-beens I'm the only one you know that'll listen And you used to be the one I love.

It had been a few years since she had dated June; she wasn’t sure how many it had been now, she usually couldn’t bear to think about anything to do with him, or their time together. They hadn’t spoken to each other since that rainy July evening, the evening she had told him that he needed to follow his dreams all the way to Paris, and that she couldn’t go with him. It had broken her heart to do it, but loving someone is selfless; and there is nothing more selfless than letting the one that you love go so that they can pursue their dreams. How can you hold back someone like Jule? How could anyone bear to make him miserable? To drain all of that sunshine from him. He radiated it. He hadn’t taken it well. He’d cried, pleaded with her, promised that he would ask his agent to speak to London clubs so that he could be with her while she was at University. She told him that he wouldn’t get another opportunity like PSG, the giants of Ligue 1. He would have been a fool to turn them down for the Premier League at that time. But now…well… he was on the outskirts of the PSG squad and his talent wasn’t being utilised to its full potential. It was April, and the global coronavirus pandemic was in full swing. She was working from home, her eyes moving over the excel spreadsheet open on her laptop, when her phone buzzed.

Julian: How have you been? I know we haven’t spoken in so long x

She furrowed her brow, lifting her iPhone to read the message. Her mouth gaped open in disbelief that after all the time that had passed that he was actually texting her.

Not taking the pandemic that well. Working from home is hard.

She wondered what he wanted. Surely he wasn’t just texting for a catch up? She knew that he had a girlfriend now and wondered what she would think if she knew Julian was texting an ex. Julian: I don’t want to disturb you while you’re at work but can I call? xx

He had gone from one kiss at the end of the message, which she had not reciprocated in her response, to now sending two kisses like he used to when they were together.

I’m just doing some boring accounts stuff but I’m due a break, give me five minutes? x

She might have been overthinking it but she thought that one kiss was sufficiently friendly without crossing a line. She was going to use the next five minutes wisely, even if he couldn’t see her though the phone she wanted to look good to feel good and fill in the space where her confidence used to be. Julian turned her to jelly, always had done and probably always would. Her legs felt like jelly as she stood from her desk and brushed the remnants of the rich tea biscuit she had been nibbling on off of her pencil skirt. She tightened her ponytail and unbuttoned the top button of her blouse, hoping that it would help her to catch her breath when she heard his voice. She quickly downed the dregs of her cup of tea and darted to the bathroom to brush her teeth and reapply her mascara. She had done one eye when her phone rang. ‘Damnit Jule’ she cursed. Here goes she thought, tapping the screen to accept the call. She took in a deep breath, swiping the mascara wand to coat the lashes that she hadn’t managed to finish before his call. ‘Hi’ he said, sounding nervous. ‘What do I owe this pleasure to?’ she joked, feeling nervous and unsure of how she should be speaking to him. Was she flirting? Did he want her to? ‘It’s so hard not to call you my b-‘ ‘Don’t’ she cut him off. ‘I’m sorry’ he gulped and there was a long pause before he continued the conversation. ‘So I’m in London. I’ve had an offer from Tottenham and I’m seriously considering it. I wanted to get your opinion.’ She was too in shock to answer him for a moment, thoughts tumbling around her head, all in a muddle. Jule here, Jule in London, possibly even only a few miles away. Had this happened all those years ago they could have… ‘Will your girlfriend want to leave Paris?’ she asked. She knew that she was prying and she knew that she sounded every inch the jealous ex but she was desperate to know the answer. Had he told her? A part of her hoped that his girlfriend had gotten upset about it, that they’d had a fight and broken up, but that was probably too much to hope for. History doesn’t often repeat itself like that. She had been in that position the last time he had moved clubs and she had been the idiot that had let him go. She could have applied to study in Paris even though it had been her dream to travel to and study in London for as long as she could remember. ‘She doesn’t want me to leave Paris. She has a great apartment here in a really good part of the city, she has her dancing career…’ He trailed off and she just knew he was doing that lip biting thing that he does. ‘I’ll advise you the same way that I did the last time you were going to move teams. You have to follow your dreams. What is your head telling you to do?’ She could tell that he was anxiously and she wanted to speak soothingly to him to try to calm him down. ‘When I think about London I just think about the life that I could have had’ he mumbled. ‘What do you mean?’ she was pacing the room now while they talked, unable to stay still as anxiety fuelled her. ‘I can’t stop thinking about what we could have had. I could have signed for a London club back then, you could have studied and we could have come home to each other every night. I’d probably have proposed to you by now’ his voice was so quiet that she barely caught the last part of his sentence. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. ‘Jule…’ ‘You used to be the one I loved.’ He said, his voicing rising back to it’s usual level. He sounded really upset now, and very conflicted about more than just his transfer situation. ‘and now?’ she asked, trying to hold back the tears. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to hear that he didn’t feel that way any more even though she knew that was only logical, it had been years and even though she had never been able to move on, he clearly had. ‘Now I have a girlfriend who only wants to move in with me if its in her part of the city, if its on her terms. Who doesn’t tell me that she loves me, who doesn’t kiss me unless I kiss her first, who only like sex with the lights on in the missionary position. Do I need to go on?’ he sighed. ‘Some of those details were unnecessary for an ex girlfriend’s ears’ she bit her lip, walking out of the bathroom into her bedroom and laying down on her bed. ‘I guess what I’m looking to find out is if we could have a chance?’ he asked, sounding hopeful. ‘Unless there’s someone new in your life? I guess I should have asked before I laid my heart out on the line’. ‘Maybe we are better off talking about this in person.’ She suggested, thinking that meeting up in a public place would make her less tempted to do something with him that either of them might later regret. ‘If that’s what you need.’ he agreed. ‘We could go out for a meal and talk, but you might need to make a suggestion. I’ve only been here for a few hours.’ ‘How long are you here for?’ she asked. ‘Initially just the weekend to meet with Daniel Levy and my agent.’ ‘I’ll text you.’ she said, cutting the call off abruptly so that she could let out a short cry, filled with all the emotions she had been bottling throughout the phone call. If there was anything still there between them, she was certainly going to find out later that evening.

* ‘Hey heartbreaker’ Julian joked, greeting the girl he had left behind in that very city a few years ago. ‘Shit’ she said, looking through the window of the restaurant she had suggested that was definitely not open. ‘Did you forget the global pandemic?’ ‘You’re the one who suggested dinner’ she responded, rolling her eyes at him. It drove Julian crazy when she did that. ‘So we can just go back to yours and we can cook something.’ he suggested, playfully nudging her arm. ‘Unless you do actually have a secret boyfriend that you live with.’ ‘Don’t joke about things like that when you have a girlfriend waiting for you at home.’ she said, visibly upset. Julian realised that he had hit a nerve that he shouldn’t have and had crossed the line. When they were together she had been very candid about an ex boyfriend that had cheated on her and how that had made her feel. It was only natural that she didn’t want to make another woman feel the way that she had. ‘Sorry I shouldn’t have -‘ ‘It doesn’t matter’ she interrupted, side stepping so that there was about a metre between them. ‘Are you social distancing from me? I’ve had a covid test you know and I’m all clear’ he laughed. ‘I just don’t really trust myself around you’ she shrugged, shoving her hands into the deep pockets of her cardigan. ‘Well that makes two of us.’

A few dark alleyways later and they arrived at an apartment complex. The outside was painted blue and each of the apartments had a little balcony attached. Julian smiled saying ‘I can imagine you living here’. ‘Cut the small talk Draxler - you’re only here for one weekend.’ she muttered, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him up to her doorstep. At some point without his notice she had pulled out her keys which she was now furiously jamming into the lock and twisting as if every second it denied her was frustrating beyond measure. Then the door was open and she was pulling him through it, her hands were all over him, tugging his arms out of his jacket, thrust up the back of his white t-shirt and into the back of his hair. He crashed his lips against hers, pressing her back against the cool plastic of her door as he closed it behind them. He knew then that they weren’t going to make it to her bedroom. They were going to do it right there against her front door, and he hoped she didn’t have a room mate. He tongue brushed against her lips asking from permission that she granted, giving his bottom lip a gentle nip. ‘You’re always biting your lip when you’re nervous’ she whispered against his lips. ‘You make me nervous’ he whispered back, tangling his hands into her hair, lowering his mouth to her neck, pressing a serious of light kisses from below her jaw to her collarbone as he pushed the straps of her dress down her arms, following the movement of the fabric as it fell to her hips. He held her there against him, holding her hips tightly, pushing her against him, against his hardness before he pushed her dress down further, watching as it pooled at her feet. ‘Keep those on’ he mumbled, gesturing to her heels. She gave him a devilish smile before she pulled him back in for another open-mouthed kiss, broken only by her pulling his t-shirt up over his head. Her hands ghosted over his abs and he shivered involuntarily at her touch. ‘I love you’ he said, holding her head in place an inch from his so that they could look into each other’s eyes. ‘and I always will’. ‘Show me.’ she commanded. At that he lifted her off her feet, pushing her further up the door. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed against her. ‘I want to feel how much you love me.’ she continued. Her hands were on his shoulders now, holding him tight. He kissed her again while he dropped a hand back to her hip, grazing the lace at the top of her panties before he slip the hand inside of them, his thumb brushing lightly against her clit. He didn’t want to give her much yet. He used to really enjoy teasing her and he hadn’t had anything but vanilla for a long time. ‘Jule-‘ she moaned, gripping his upper arm. ‘What did you say?’ he teased, brushing one of his fingers against her wet slit, using the moisture to lubricate his thumb’s motions against her clit. ‘I haven’t had you for years, why are you making me wait longer?’ He disguised his smile by pressing his face into her neck, gently kissing her there. ‘Oh alright then… if you insist’ he said, about to reach down to unfasten his jeans, but her hands were there before his, popping the button open and pushing the denim down his muscular thighs followed in quick succession by his boxers, leaving him bare to her. ‘No more foreplay’ she groaned, bucking her hips against his hand, pushing the finger that had been at her entrance ever so slightly into her. He didn’t hesitate any longer. She gasped as his finger left her but he swiftly removed her underwear and gripped her ass, giving it a gentle smack, their lips crashing against each other’s once more as their desire took over and Julian pushed himself into her, letting out a low moan against her mouth at the contact. His thrusts were fast paced and hard as he tried to physically show her how much he had missed this, missed fucking her. ‘There’s no way I’m going to last long’ he groaned. ‘Good because neither am I’ she whispered back, and he watched a blush creep across her cheeks mixed with the glow of perspiration and excitement. He landed another gentle smack against her ass which had her grinding down onto him in a rhythm that mismatched his but caused a perfect amount of friction that had them both coming undone in seconds. He clung onto her as they came down from the high, trying to control his breathing and refill his lungs after holding his breath to climax. ‘Fuck’ was all she could manage to say. ‘Fuck, I love Tottenham Hotspur.’ He agreed.

#julian draxler #julian draxler imagine #julian draxler one shot #julian draxler smut #julian draxler fanfiction #football fanfiction

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tiannas-ocs · 3 years

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𝐈𝐈𝐈. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐃𝐎𝐆

masterlist

"Please tell me you don't think I'm crazy."

Flora just finished explaining the whole 'cute ghost band' situation to her best friend, April, over facetime. She wasn't entirely sure if she should even be telling her friend, realizing she should've asked Julie if it was okay first, but it was too late now.

"Bitch, I didn't call you crazy when you said you could paint the future, I'm not about to call you crazy now."

She didn't know how she got so lucky to befriend possibly the one person who wouldn't immediately think she was insane. Flo had told April about her psychic abilities only a few months into their friendship, and the girl was surprisingly really cool about it. The fact that they were both pretty desperate for a solid friendship probably helped. Even if April wanted to call Flora a freak and go around telling the whole school about her secret, she wouldn't. Flora was the only person, besides her parents, who actually genuinely cared about her. She wasn't about to screw that up.

Flopping down on the bed with a relieved huff, Flora pulled her phone back so April could see her whole face.

"Yeah, true. I'm really glad you believed me, or else I'd probably be in a mental institution right now."

April burst out laughing, her camera shaking as she did. "Aw, I'd still love you even if you were in a straitjacket."

Both girls had goofy grins on their faces, completely ignoring that it was morning and they should be getting ready for school. They hardly hung out much at school, both girls being in different programs. Flora had her art and April had her dance.

The girls talked about everything and anything, enjoying the chance to talk to each other. Flora was watching April's shaky image as she moved around her kitchen, making breakfast with her dads. Watching them make their food made Flora's stomach grumble and realize she hasn't even been downstairs to eat yet.

"Ugh, my tummy is angry with me." She lethargically gets off her bed, making her way to her kitchen to scrape something together for breakfast.

The Molina household wasn't big on breakfast, at least not anymore. It wasn't that none of them knew how to cook, but their mom was by far the best. Every morning, the whole family would work together to make breakfast, sitting down after and enjoying their meal together. Ever since Rose Molina passed, none of them bothered keeping up the tradition. Instead of an elaborate feast of breakfast foods, the most they'd put effort into now was frozen waffles and bagels. Sometimes eggs and bacon if they were up to it.

Flora grumbled as she looked back and forth between her toasted bagel and her friend's breakfast, with plates stacked with pancakes, omelets, fruit salad, and other mouthwatering foods. Looking around her own table, she noticed Julie had cereal and Carlos had grabbed some random leftovers from the fridge. Pathetic.

Still focused on her phone and what April was saying, Flo nearly jumped out of her seat when she got hit in the face with a soggy piece of cereal. When she looked up she noticed Julie pointing toward the garage, and got the message that she wanted to check on the boys.

"Hey," April stopped mid-sentence, glaring at her friend who interrupted her. "I gotta go, sorry. We'll talk later, 'kay?"

Processing her words, a smirk slowly formed on the other girl's face. "Ooohhh. Does this have anything to do with the cute gh-"

"Girls?! Cute girls?!" She frantically cut her friend off before she could reveal she knew Flora and Julie's secret. "Yup! You know me so well! Gotta go...think about cute girls! Okay bye!" She quickly ended their facetime, turning to Julie who was looking at her strangely.

"Don't look at me like that......c'mon let's go." The two girls headed toward the door, and before they fully made it out, she swore she heard Carlos mumble 'weirdo' under his breath.

Both girls entered the garage, Julie calling out for the three ghost boys. When she got no response, Flora sighed and looked down at the floor, noticing she was still wearing her fluffy slippers. With a jolt of panic, she realized she was still completely in her pajamas, and should probably hurry if she wanted to be ready for school.

"Hey, Jules, I'm gonna go get ready. I'll be-" She stopped when she looked back and noticed her sister staring longingly at the piano, and the sheet music their mom had left. Her heart swelled and she almost cried when she realized the girl was about to play for the first time in a year. Not knowing if she should leave like she planned, or stay to witness the momentous occasion about to occur, Flora stood awkwardly by the door as the first few notes began.

Tears found their way out of Flora's eyes as the song progressed, Julie's voice washing over her, feeling like a warm hug. The song was beautiful and personal. Although it wasn't actually her mom singing, it felt like she was hearing her voice for the first time since she died. And the longer she watched Julie belt out the lyrics, the more she saw Rose. She was so lost in the performance that she didn't even realize the boys had shown up until the song ended and Alex moved to comfort Julie. She closed her eyes, quickly wiping away her tears so they wouldn't catch her crying, but they were gone when she opened her eyes.

Shrugging off the boy's abrupt disappearance, Flo made her way to the piano with a beaming smile, eyes still red and puffy.

"Wow, Jules. That was...wow." She said breathlessly, still amazed.

The younger girl looked down at a page of the sheet music, a smile spreading across her face as she read a note at the bottom. Flo over her sister's shoulder to read the words 'Julie, you can do it' written in their mom's handwriting. Figuring she should give her sister some space, Flora squeezed Julie's shoulder before going to leave the garage, accidentally bumping into Flynn who had just walked in crying softly.

"And the only thing scarier than one girl crying is two girls crying." She heard Luke whisper-yell through the crack in the door and decided to mess with them.

Walking out of the garage, she burst into fake tears, throwing the boys into an immediate panic. She looked up through her blurry eyes to see the horror-filled expressions of the ghosts. Not being able to keep the act up, she cracked a smile and laughed at their faces.

"Omg, you should've seen your faces!" They all let out a collective sigh, grateful that they didn't have to deal with any more crying girls.

"Not cool, Flora." Reggie pouted and crossed his arms like a child, kicking a pebble with his foot.

"Yeah, don't scare us like that." Luke had his hand on his heart, playfully glaring at the girl.

"Or what? You're gonna have a heart attack? You're already dead." Alex and Luke groaned at her joke, rolling their eyes, while Reggie chuckled and pointed to her.

"Ha! She does have a point." He looks like he's about to give her a high five before his smile drops and he lowers his hand, realizing he can't.

"Thanks, Reg." A bright smile makes its way onto his face, causing the girl to smile back just as big. "I gotta go, but I'll see you guys later?"

She heard a bunch of rushed and mumbled responses as the boys went up to the window to spy on the girls. She rolled her eyes and walked away. Boys.

In the dark History classroom, April's face was lit up by the glow of her phone screen. The teacher was in an extremely bad mood and decided to put on a movie instead of teaching. Hidden Figures played on the projector, but only a handful of students were actually paying attention. Most were talking quietly, asleep, or like April, on their phones.

And then there was Flora Molina, hunched over her sketchbook, pencil moving furiously across the paper. Her eyes were pointed towards the paper, but she wasn't actually looking at it. Her eyes were glazed over, unfocused, and someone would probably think she looked like a crazy person if they bothered to look in the back where she sat.

The psychic's quick and jerking movements brought April's attention away from her Instagram feed. She quickly looked around the classroom to see if anyone else could see them, but everyone was minding their own business. She was just about to reach over and shake her friend when Flora snapped out of her daze and was brought back to the present.

"Oh thank god. You are so lucky the lights are off. You would've been recorded and turned into a viral sensation by now."

April's words fell on deaf ears as Flora's gaze was stuck on the image she had just drawn. Her eyes frantically moved across the page with a look of horror. There on the page was, once again, the face of the cute bass player, but not like before. This time, his face was scrunched up, contorted like he was in some sort of pain.

The girl's mind was running a mile a minute trying to figure out what it all meant. He was a ghost, surely he couldn't actually be in pain. But the longer she stared, the more she felt the pain. She instinctively grabbed her stomach, letting out a pained breath like she had been hit with some imaginary force. Well, this is new.

"Flo??? Omg, are you okay?!" Though April was whispering, she caught the attention of some other students, but they looked away as soon as the girl glared at them.

"Uhhh...yeah. Yeah, I think so." Flo slid the drawing closer to April so she could see it better. "This is one of the ghost boys I mentioned."

"Ooohhh he's a cutie. But what's up with the face?"

Flo looked back down at the picture, subconsciously rubbing her stomach as she contemplated her friend's question.

"Honestly, I wish I knew."

When Flora told the boys she'd see them later, she didn't mean in her bedroom.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

The boys jumped ten feet in the air, and if they weren't already dead, the murderous glare Flora was sending them surely would've put them six feet under. They all struggled to respond, stumbling over their words, and staring at each other frantically.

"We...got...lost?"

Her blood was boiling and her head spinning as she shooed Reggie away from her desk. "Hey! That's private!" She felt like she was about to cry as she realized they were probably looking at her "psychic art". She never even showed them to her family anymore, so she wasn't about to let three random dead dudes see them.

Reggie backed up quickly, afraid she'll lash out at him, even though she couldn't even physically harm him. "Woah Woah! Hey, sorry!" He put his arms up in surrender. "Jeez, Julie didn't even react this bad."

The boys quickly tried defending themselves while Flora registered his words.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You snuck into one sister's room, and instead of learning your lesson, you go to the other sister's room???"

When she got no response, she grumbled and muttered 'idiots' under her breath. She turned to Luke when she heard him clear his throat with his hand raised.

"Luke, this isn't a classroom. I'm not a teacher. Just speak."

Taken back by her bluntness, he struggled to form a response. "Sorry, uh...I was just wondering...why did you draw Reggie?"

Her eyes widened in panic as she looked down at his hand to see he somehow was able to pick up the drawing she had made of the bass player before they even met. Crap.

Reggie spun around at Luke's words, having previously been snooping around in her paint supplies with Alex. He rushed over to his friend, phasing through her furniture, and grabbed the drawing from his hands, though it took a few tries. She watched as he went through all kinds of emotions staring at the picture. Confused, creeped out, flattered, excited.

"This is really good!" He kept smiling at the picture, turning it around to show Alex who'd moved to stand next to Flora.

Alex nodded in agreement, looking down at the girl beside him who still had a nervous expression on her face. "He's right. Actually, all of those are great," he said gesturing to the drawing on her desk and paintings spread out around her room. "You're really talented."

She mumbled out a quiet 'thanks', though she was still upset they had been snooping around her room in the first place. Seemingly upset as well, Luke huffed and waved his arms around to get the guy's attention.

"Uh, hello? Are we just gonna ignore the obvious question?" The guys looked at him confused, while Flora held her breath waiting for him to say he was onto her secret. "...Why the hell didn't you draw me and Alex too?"

She let out a relieved sigh, though her relief didn't last long as she looked at the expectant look on the lead guitarist's face.

"Uh...um...I just haven't gotten around to it, is all?" Her statement came out more as a question, causing the boys to look at her curiosity.

"Wow. Julie was right. You are a terrible liar."

Luke and Reggie nodded at Alex's comment. She frowned as she snatched the drawing out of Reggie's hands, crumpling it up, and throwing it over her shoulder. Reggie let out a whine of protest, upset she had ruined the picture she made of him.

"Why would you do that?!"

"You had no right to go through my stuff like this."

Alex immediately picked up on the girl's upset tone and shared a guilty glance with the other boys.

"We're so sorry. We shouldn't have come in here without asking." He sent a pointed look to the other two. "Right, guys?"

They mumbled out their agreements, but they didn't seem as sincere as Alex.

"Alex is right, but...your art is so cool!" Reggie looked up at her with bright eyes and she couldn't help but smile. "You could totally make money off of these."

At that, her smile instantly fell. "No way. I don't even show these to people."

"What? Why?!"

She bit her lip at Reggie's question, wondering if she should just tell them. Besides Julie, it's not like they could go around telling other people. Plus, they're ghosts. They're no strangers to freaky supernatural shit.

"Because they......I don't know, I guess I just assume people wouldn't like them." She shrugs her shoulders and sits down on the edge of her bed, nearly falling off when Reggie jumps into the spot next to her.

"Are you crazy? Flora, you're beautiful!" His eyes go wide when he realizes what he just said, and his cheeks grow red when the boys start snickering. "Uhhh I-I mean...your art! Your art is beautiful! Not you." The boys are in full on hysterics now and Flo avoids his eye contact as he keeps messing up. "Not that you're not beautiful...I mean you.....uhhh........I'll shut up now."

"Nice one, Reg," Luke manages to say once his laughter dies down.

"Well...thank you. I think. But I'm just not comfortable showing people."

"Guys!" Alex is back over by her pile of paintings, motioning his bandmates over. "Come check this out." The boys rush to huddle around the painting he was looking at. Flora observed them curiously as they kept glancing back at her with confused and horrified expressions.

"What? What is it?" She got up from her spot on the couch, walking up to the boys and moving right through them to see what they were looking at.

"That's what killed us!"

Flo stared confused at what Reggie was pointing to. It was a small painting she had drawn months ago and had completely forgotten about, seeing as to her it was something insignificant and meaningless. But apparently not to the boys.

"Guys...that's a hot dog??? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, we died from bad hotdogs," Alex helpfully informed her with a smile.

Flora would probably be laughing if she wasn't going crazy trying to figure out what the hell was happening. I've never drawn something from the past before. What does this mean?!

"Well, this could just be a random hotdog?"

"No no no." Luke shook his head, eyebrows furrowed. "This looks exactly like the hotdogs that killed us. Most definitely."

She was nervous now, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable questions they would surely ask.

"Luke's right. H-How did you paint this?"

The boys could see her visibly getting more nervous the longer they stood there waiting for her to answer. It was obvious that she was hiding something, but she had no intention of telling them.

"I don't know what you want me to say, guys. It's just a coincidence. I wasn't even born yet!"

They didn't look like they believed her, but they nodded nonetheless.

"Okay. If you say so." Alex smiled reassuringly at her, hoping to ease her nerves. She gave him a smile back, though it was a weak one.

"Well, thanks for stopping by, but I have to get some homework done so...." She gestured to her door and luckily the boys got the message.

"Oh, right. No problem. Sorry for bothering you."

Flo appreciated Alex's politeness as he walked out, waving the boys over with him. She sent them one last wave before letting out a deep sigh and flopping on her bed when they were gone.

"Shit. That was a close one."

a/n: hhhnnnghhhh I'm really tired and can't be bothered to edit this. I'm so sorry i know there are probably like a hundred mistakes, but i hope it's at least somewhat coherent. I'll find time to edit soon, but Christmas is kind of a big deal in my house and there's a lot to get done these next few days. hope you enjoyed this chapter! please lemme know what you think by leaving a comment! interaction on my stories is what keeps me motivated btw.

#butterflies #flora molina #april miyamoto #julie and the phantoms oc #julie and the phantoms fanfic #jatp fanfic

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kyndaris · 4 years

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Date with Destiny (with a Capital D)

When I watched the announcement at E3 about Final Fantasy VII Remake, I was terribly excited. Though the Final Fantasy series has been one of my favourites since I first played Final Fantasy X, I have never actually played the original Final Fantasy VII.Instead, I read everything I could find and watched walkthroughs (including Dirge of Cerberus) as well as the film: Advent Children and Advent Children Complete. When Crisis Core released on PlayStation Portable (PSP), I also bought that to immerse myself in the entirety of the Final Fantasy VII universe. And when I told one of my close friends, Bleachpanda, about it, they were surprised that I had never played the original. But while I could have purchased the re-release on the PlayStation 4, I wanted to see the game that had captured the imagination of so many people in high definition quality.

As most people in Australia know, the game released a whole nine days earlier than it was supposed to: on 1st of April. After I had mistakenly taken the express train, I was perusing my messages and saw my friend post her excitement that Final Fantasy VII Remake was out. Immediately, I used my situation to my advantage and went to buy the game - despite the fact that I had no facial mask and was entering a shopping centre with a possible high risk of infection. After sweating up a storm by rushing to all the stores, I finally had the copy in hand.

However, it would not be until I had finished Yakuza 4 that I could begin my journey with Cloud and the Avalanche team. Suffice it to say, I was incredibly excited. From the score to Cloud’s lovely cheekbones. In fact, I could not believe my good fortune that I was actually playing the game. It didn’t seem real that I would have in my hands despite the ongoing pandemic. From there, my hype built as I defeated the Scorpion sentinel and moved on to the Seventh Heaven. When Tifa’s theme sounded, I had to resist the urge to shed a tear.

I might not have played the original, but gosh darn it, I loved the characters as much as any fan.

Even the little details were so exciting to see. Though there were several changes to the game, it was clear that the developers loved the game as much as its fans did. I liked how Cloud and the gang kept their victory poses for when they were in the Coliseum. The up-scaled Church, the bar, Wall Market and Aerith’s house. Learning more about many of the side characters also helped build a solid connection to them. From Jessie’s tragic backstory of her dad collapsing in Mako storage in her debut as the role of Princess at the Golden Saucer (goodness me, if she knew about the shenanigans of Cloud and the rest of the party, she’d probably throw a fit), to Bigg’s contribution to the Sector 5 orphanage. This even extended to the differences in Tifa’s and Aerith’s cleavage sizes. Not that I was paying particular attention...

Okay, maybe a little. But I’m glad that they also gave appropriate footwear and gear for the characters.

But my goodness, that pull-up challenge took me fifty minutes! It wasn’t even in the original! And the trophy did not feel worth it after how difficult Jules was. Never again!

Then the characters also called me out for going in the wrong direction. I’m not! I’m trying to explore every nook and cranny of this world Square-Enix has bequeathed us and to find as many items as I can find!

The combat, though, was the one that had the most changes. Gone is the turn-based battle system. While players can play on classic, according to my friend Bleachpanda, it was less than exciting. Particularly when the AI just stood around guarding most of the time. As for me, I played on Normal Mode. The battle mechanics felt like they used bits and pieces from other games: such as Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy XIII. It also incorporated elements of the original Active Time Battle system, but I found it frustrating that all of my more powerful abilities, and even items, were gated behind a slowly rising bar - particularly for the AI-controlled party members. Of course, Final Fantasy VII Remake also allowed players to switch between members and I found I had to do this on a fairly regular basis depending on the battle.

Also, your ATB abilities, spells and item usages could also be interrupted. This proved particularly frustrating in difficult battles where I was hoping to take advantage of an enemy’s weakness, only to be batted to the side because of an air attack.

It also felt, on numerous fights, that I had to think of these battles less like a turn-based battle and more like an action adventure, hack and slash. Instead of just absorbing spells and attacks, I needed to evade and guard. This was clearly evident in several solo battles with Roche and even Rufus Shinra. I had to read attack patterns, avoid some of their deadly moves and strike when they had an opening. All the while, trying to keep my ATB gauge up and ready for some quick healing or spell casting.

Let’s move on now to the characters and the story. But where to begin? How about the ending that proved incredibly divisive among many fans. My friend, Bleachpanda, was sorely disappointed by the presence of the Whispers and how the last two chapters transpired. She, unlike me, had been banking on nostalgia to pull her and was more excited to seeing the original recreated in perfect high definition. If you read her posts on Final Fantasy VII Remake you will learn that she was mightily disappointed that how Cloud manages to obtain his dress was very different (although she probably still liked our ex-Soldier shaking his tush on stage. Heck, I think everyone was channelling Aerith and shouting at our screens for Cloud to work it).

The whole talk of destiny and changing fate, though, probably left many fearing that the rest of the Final Fantasy VII Remake would be a very different beast from their childhoods. What with talk about alternate timelines and the possibility of time travel. As well as that last parting shot of Zack Fair. In fact, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that try to explain the ending.

Now, I profess, time travel has always sat ill with me. And Square-Enix has not always used it well. The first Bravely Default comes to mind as does Kingdom Hearts 3 and the time loops of Type-0. Or even what they tried to do with the Final Fantasy XIII franchise. All those retcons in FFXIII-2 made me wonder if it was all worth it. Lightning’s character development in the first game was all but forgotten and rehashed over Lightning Returns. Still, as this was mostly penned by the original writer (though people will still blame Nomura), I feel like much of the motivations and several story beats will remain the same. The settings will also not change and I am eager to see Cosmo Canyon, Nibelheim, Junon and so many other places.

In saying that, though, I’m not sure if Aerith will die. Or if she does, whether it will have the same shocking effect that it did in the original. Of course, by now, everyone and their mothers know what to expect and perhaps this was a way for Square Enix to keep players on their toes. What about Cloud falling into the Lifestream and Tifa trying to sort out his memories from the false persona he created? The slap fight between Tifa and Scarlet? My friend, Bleachpanda, just wants to see Professor Hojo surrounded by girls that are trying to flirt with him. Who knows. It might happen. Or it might not. Hence why so many are terrified at the direction of the new games.

The rest of the narrative, however, proved just as exciting with a few little additions along the way. Sephiroth appearing, though, in the second chapter threw me for a loop, even though I appreciated the foreshadowing. Chapter 4 was all devoted to learning and bonding more with the other members of Avalanche. I very much liked their expanded roles, although casting Gideon Emery as Biggs was a bit of a distraction as I could clearly hear his Balthier trying to break through, particularly in the earlier scenes. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Balthier. And Biggs is quite good looking himself.

This whole Midgar portion of the game also remained mostly faithful to the original Final Fantasy VII and its timeline. It also made things a little more realistic and showed fans of the original, more sides of the characters they had come to love. Also, I like that despite the love triangle being set up between Cloud, Tifa and Aerith, there was a strong sense of camaraderie among the girls. They lifted each other up rather than tear each other down. Even Jessie was trying to get in on the action with all the flirting she did. In fact, I just wanted to ship Aerith and Tifa for the long haul.

What I also thought cute was the little swear the left Aerith’s lips when the ladder fell and Cloud had to help lift her up. It was also comical to see Cloud try to pull his Buster Sword out when confronted by one of the other Sephiroth clones and having it catch on the door jam.

Barret, on the other hand, was a little preachy in the first few chapters. There can be no denying his love for Marlene, but it grated on me how much exposition he provided on the train ride back to Sector 7. Still, once we finally get into the meat of the games, I would love to see all their backstories, cry when appropriate and cheer for them when they finally emerge victorious.

I also liked many of the environmental story telling. Particularly in Chapter 2 and seeing the aftermath of what Avalanche’s actions had done. Granted, Heidegger and President Shinra had a hand in it, but it was clear that Jessie and many others were devastated by the damage they had wrought. It was also gut-wrenching to see the remains of Sector 7 after the plate fell. Reeve, in the form of Cait Sith, tried and failed to save the people and even though he was controlling an animatronic cat, you could still see his devastation.

Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy VII Remake. By the time the game ended, I felt a little bereft, wanting to see more of each character and really dive down deep into their psych. Just like before, Tifa is much more reticent and closed off. It warmed my heart that in Hojo’s lab, Aerith asked Tifa if she was okay. As someone who is also similarly guarded, it’s good to know that someone else cares. Red XIII was also a great addition in the last two chapters, though it was a shame we could not play as him.

The ending might have left a sour taste in the mouths of many, but I know that I, for one, am eager to see where the unknown journey takes us next and seeing old familiar faces. We still have Cid, Yuffie and Vincent to find! Also, Marlene is so cute and precious and must be protected at all costs.

#video games #final fantasy vii: remake #FFVII #Final Fantasy

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vrenaewrites · 4 years

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HUSH HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick thoughts: Prologue - Ch 11

Full video here.

We start right away with a bible verse which, if you’ve read any of my books, you know I’m a big fan of

We have a prologue from 1565 France…

The visual of a person perched on a gravestone and mistaking them for an angel statue at first is cool tbh

“Who are you?” “One of the devil’s brood”

The mind control parts of this I like, and I already have a feeling this is the gonna be the best part of this book

Except we don’t get another example of someone fighting it the way he is fighting it - nora doesn’t even realize it’s happening when it happens to her which isn’t as fun

The guy being maniped is a duke and the angel tells him no you’re half fallen angel so do what i tell you (nephilim)

This angel doesn’t have wings but a big cut in the shape of a V on his back

CHAPTER 1

The image of a barbie and ken taped to the chalkboard of the sex ed class is great

Her best friend’s name is V!

“Camera phones to take photos for the school E-zine”

Oh shit she’s a hoe

“V as in virgin” never mind

“It may not have occurred to you kids that sex is more than a 15 minute trip to the backseat of a car” lmaoooooooo

Is this book gonna be good? Did yall lie to me??

The school e-zine

V is a “few pounds over curvy” damn

V is my “untwin” i love that

“I’m all legs like a barstool”

The sex ed teacher is making them all sit by new people...in april…

She knows everyone except the transfer who of course is her new seat mate...this is a very convoluted way to get them to sit together

“It was a smile that spelled trouble with a promise”

“Human reproduction can be a sticky subject” LMAO

“Call me patch. I mean it. Call me.” and he winks

He takes pictures “of an ezine columnist who…” and describes a bunch of stuff about her and she’s like what the fuuuuuuck

And then he is like “you’re scared of what you can’t control”

He knows she plays the cello

She doesn’t wanna ask for another partner because she doesn’t wanna let him win and i’m like NORA CALL THE FUCKING COPS!!!!!!!!!! THIS GUY HAS BEEN STALKING YOU?!?!?!?

She has a cut on her wrist, her dad was murdered

At the end of class he gives her his number so she can get her answers - she no longer has it by chapter 18 but doesn’t remind the reader that she did have it written on her hand so we just think becca forgot nora already got his # for a bit

She’s a sophomore, he’s a senior

He has black eyes and wears all black because ofc

CHAPTER 2

They get a lot of fog and don’t have many neighbors

Mom is an auction coordinator so she’s not around a lot so there’s a german housekeeper that watches over her

But she leaves her alone at night...i already KNOW patch is gonna be “Watching over her” ala edward watching bella sleep i just KNOW

She’s thinking that patch seemed closed off but she liked what she had seen - aka his bod

“Smile that was part playful, part seductive” NOTHING about the interaction y’all had sounded seductive!!!!!! This is exactly like in crave when she’s getting horny that jaxon is yelling at her...like these men seem UNHINGED. Why is that sexy????

“Biology was my toughest subject, i teetered between an A and a B” i’m gonna punch you. I know you wanna go to ivy league so this matters but…

She calls patch!!!!

She asks if he wants to meet up to finish the assignment...you couldn’t...ask...over the phone??

“Nora” he says my name like it’s the punchline to a joke

He hangs up on her because he’s playing pool

She starts her assignment anyway: “jerk” “smokes cigars, will die of lung cancer, hopefully very soon” i laughed v hard tbh

“Excellent physical shape” and then crosses that out lmaooooooo

She flips a coin and it makes her decision: go to the arcade and confront patch

The cashier is pissed that she didn’t pay to get in so she sneaks by

“I was like a rolling snowball gaining speed and momentum” weird out of place metaphor but ok

Patch says she’s with him and the cashier lets her go

His black eyes are magnets clinging to her every move

She feels something different here, more animosity, more electricity...more horniness

“Queasy tap dance in my stomach”

Something about patch wasn’t right, something about him wasn’t normal, something about him wasn’t safe

“Biggest dream” “to kiss you” she doesn’t buy it so like good for her but still blech

Patch says he’s never been to school before and nora’s like you’re a liar

And he says he came because of her

He says “those cold pale grey eyes” are surprisingly irresistible

There are almost zero connections between what she’s saying and what he’s saying, as if he’s having a conversation with himself...it’s really hard to follow

“And that killer curvy mouth” ew

“You seem to know a lot about me,” i said, making the understatement of the year.

“Say provoke again, your mouth looks provocative when you do”

Her jaw twitches when she lies

He has a birthmark in the same place she has a scar...soulmate shit fer shure

She says after her dad died a strange presence felt like it was “orbiting her world, watching her from a distance” like...a guardian angel perhaps

She feels someone in the house with her and i’m calling it now: patch is “Watching over” her

CHAPTER 3

She’s trying to come up with reasons for patch not to be her partner anymore...he fucking ADMITTED TO TAKING PHOTOS OF YOU AND STUDYING YOU AND BASICALLY STALKING YOU. IF THE COACH WON’T LISTEN GO TO THE PRINCIPAL ABOUT THAT SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She’s anemic and has to take iron multiple times...a day??

“What qualities are you attracted to in a potential mate?” asks the teacher

She’s not ready so patch answers, “intelligent, attractive, vulnerable”

“How do you indicate if a female is interested?” and patch says, “if she’s biting her lip and playing with her hair the way nora is doing right now” lmao

“She’s game”

He puts his arm on the back of her chair and mouths “vulnerable” and while i would literally call the cops on a man for this, it was kind of hot in context

She tells coach she feels uncomfortable sitting by patch and he’s like, “not only are you gonna keep sitting by him i actually need you to tutor him.”

Fire this fucking guy IMMEDIATELY.

How lazy is this writing becca. How lazy. You couldn’t think of any other ways to make them spend more time together??

She and V go to the movies to write a review for the e-zine and v says: “can you imagine living your whole life without a clue that the only reason you’re being kept alive is to be used as a sacrifice?”

Do you smell that? The foreshadowing

V says patch’s dark side calls to her and nora is thinking, yeah no shit.

There was a dark magnetism, i felt lured to the edge of danger, at any moment it felt like he could push me over the edge.

Edge twice in the same sentence, crave’s editor has been in the game since 2009 apparently

V’s basically like nora you’re not attracted to anyone and nora’s like i haven’t found love and v’s like it’s about fun not love dumbdum

V says Patch would probably be “really good”

Nora says patch isn’t good for v and v says, “Careful, you’ll only make me want him more” and i’m like...i know this book came out when i was a freshman but somehow, becca fitzpatrick managed to put me from sophomore year in this book lmao

Marcy a cheerleader with “half a bottle of foundation on” and “¾ of an inch between her skirt and underwear, if she was wearing any” sits beside them

Yikes

She calls V supersize: YIKES

Marcy’s being a dick to V and V just goes, “you have food stuck in your teeth, chocolate ex-lax maybe?” i love this so much

Patch is at the library…

V’s like “i’m trying to read the title he’s checking out...how to be a stalker?” lmao i love V

V thinks patch is following nora but she’s kind of into it lmaoooo

Nora’s like he’s alluring but also fucking scary

She hits someone during a storm on the way home

He’s wearing a ski mask?!??!?!?!?

The car died oh my gooooooood

He’s tearing the door off??!?!?!!?

He punches through the window!!!!!!!!!

CHAPTER 4

She’s like totally freaking out but doesn’t wanna tell V that a dude almost tore the door off the car

She goes to V’s to avoid being alone

When she and v examine the damage...there is none…

She realizes the eyes behind the ski mask were black like patch’s eyes

She can’t remember hardly anything about the crash which is freaking her out

They meet some dudes called elliot and jules who is SIX FOOT TEN

They are probably other fallen angels that are after nora, and then elliott says he just transferred to their school from the prep school as of today, so yeah, this is what’s happening

Also...it’s fucking april. Who transfers schools in april

“You smell good” “it’s called a shower” lol

They’re having like an “are you following me” talk during the quiz

“I wanted my life to go back to the way it was before patch barged into my life”

I truly don’t know if it’s the delivery of the audiobook narrators that is making this issue SO GLARING to me but jfc

She confronts him after class to talk patch into asking to switch seats but he’s like “nah you’ve grown on me”

V really wants to sleuth around and read Patch’s file

CHAPTER 5

they go to the nurse’s office using nora’s iron pills as a distraction to get into the files in the front office

Nora needs to register her iron pills with the nurse...it is april...she has been taking pills out of her backpack all year...no one cared???

She says this is all because she thinks patch is stalking her - which no shit he admitted to taking pictures of you…

V called in a bomb threat from the pay phone outside!!!!!!! I’m fucking crying

Also if you guys don’t know what pay phones are, let me know

She’s trying to punch through the window in the door!!!!! V is the fucking greatest

IT WAS UNLOCKED ANYWAAAAAAY I’M SCREAMING

“As patch’s biology partner, i had a right to know”

The principal caught her but doesn’t suspect her

She meets back up with v at a mexican restaurant

The one patch works at!!!!!!

He asks her what she’s doing sunday night

“You’re getting cocky. I like that, angel” - bleck

“Not on a date, not alone” a hot thrill upon speculating what a night alone with patch would entail

Bitch!!!!!!! You just committed a crime to find out if this dude is STALKING YOU but you still wanna fuck him???????????

“Did you just call me angel? I don’t like it.” “it stays, angel” negging asshole

He brushes his thumb on her mouth and says “you’d look better without lipgloss” HARDIN SCOTT HAS ENTERED THE CHAT

“Interested? We’re talking about you, i’m fascinated.”

“You aren’t ready to know me”

I looked in your student file - BITCH. NORA. IF HE IS STALKING YOU. AND YOU FOUND OUT SOMETHING SERIOUS IN HIS FILE. THAT GIVES HIM SOOOOOO MUCH CAUSE TO LIKE...MURDER YOU?!

It’s totally empty. “I’m going to expose you” “i look forward to it”

“Why are you looking at me?” “because you’re nothing like what i expected” “neither are you, you’re worse”

CHAPTER 6

Elliott is in her gym class

The fog seemed to clog my lungs...fog and clog...don’t like it

Marcy miller… “that’s because you haven’t met anyone better, like me.” marcy twisted her hair around her finger. “You’ll hear all about me soon.”

He calls her gray, her last name, which is a trope i thoroughly enjoy

We describe marcy’s smile as toxic twice in 2 paragraphs

Elliott comes up behind her to help her with her batting stance

“Let me show you, like this, you feel that? Relax” EXCUSE ME

She hears her name in her mind said in someone else’s voice, it’s patch

“Batting lessons, nice touch” elliott is TOTALLY a rival angel guy

“I told myself i imagined the words because the alternative was considering that patch held the power to channel thoughts into my mind. Which couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.” this type of stuff makes me roll my eyes.

“Not yet” she hears in her mind, and ends up slamming it out of the park

She gets smashed in the head with the glove and ball, ouch

Elliott blows on her scraped kneeeeeeeee

“Had he talked directly to my thoughts? Was there some inexplicable link between us that allowed it happen? Or was i losing my mind?” meh

Elliott “i’m not gonna chase after an unavailable girl”

He invites her on a date

CHAPTER 7

There’s a convo with the housekeeper about “reinventing the sexy side” and not changing yourself for a boy…

V calls and is like “let’s go to the party on the coast”

Driving moccasins?

Damn V is like “you look like a boy, put some lipstick on”

And Nora isn’t wearing makeup because patch planted the idea in her mind - NEGGING!!!!!!!

The delphic coast sounds like a blast

The new ride is called the arcangel lmao

Patch is at the arcade omg

Jules looks as enthusiastic as three day old meatloaf - this is a very weird metaphor but i don’t mind it much?? It would have bothered me in crave but there haven’t been many in this book so far so it’s not like completely pulling me out of the moment

It’s a new day, and today, the name patch is really irking me. It sounds like a dog

V is STIRRING THE POT between Elliott and Patch god i love her soooo much

Elliott wants to talk to patch about leaving nora alone!!!!

V is a messy bitch who lives for dramaaaaaaaa

Nora goes to talk to patch so elliott won’t start shit

“He was tall and lean and hard and i was sure he had street fight scars under his clothes...not that i wanted to look under his clothes” LMAO

She asks what he’s playing and he says, “baseball, wanna stand behind me and give me a few pointers?” LMAOOOOO he hates elliott so muuuuch

Patch challenges her to a pool game, she punches his arm, he says “Careful they might think we’re flirting” this guy is MADDENING

“Part of me wanted to run away from him screaming fire, the other wanted to see how close i could get without...combusting” AHHHHHHH

He’s talking to her in her thoughts and then being like, “you know that sounds crazy don’t you?” GASLIGHT CENTRAL

“You scare me, and you’re not good for me” “i could change your mind”

“Meet me at the arcangel, i’ll be waiting”

CHAPTER 8

Nora goes to get cotton candy and sees the arcangel, and she goes

She gets the “cold heart-stopping feeling that someone is watching her” and spots a hooded figure

She runs into patch and he’s like “if you keep running away from me, you’re never gonna figure out what’s going on” and she’s been drinking dumb bitch juice so she’s like OHKAY.

Now she’s not scared of the arcangel because patch makes her feel safe...no he DOESN’T?!?!?!?!?

“If you ride without screaming, i’ll get coach to switch our seats” why do i feel like this is gonna be that scene in the movie fear where they hook up at the top of the ferris wheel

“I don’t scream, not for carnival rides.” not for you is her inner voice i assume and ommggggg

He sits in a car that shows demons ripping the wings off an angel, an angel sitting on a gravestone and watching children, then possessing a little girl

Okay foreshadowing

“Scared, angel?”

Our car flew demonically fast - we get it

Her seatbelt came undone and she fell out!!!!!!!

Oh wait...she didn’t? She ended up grabbing him and screaming??

CHAPTER 9

He offers her a drink from his soda can and she’s like “ooh my mouth where his mouth is”

Her phone is dead so she hitches a ride with patch...did he kill her phone with angel powers somehow??

V had left her!!!!?????

Ooh or did the boys kidnap her??

So she’s sure the mind-talking is real but not sure if the guy in the mask or the falling off the coaster is real…

Patch rides a motorcycle because ofc

He takes her home and then has her keys in his hand somehow

He is totally fucking with her, the key won’t turn if she uses it but he can get it to work

“Go ahead, i’m home alone” immediately i realized it wasn’t a smart thing to say

Self preservation has left the chat!!!!!!!! The same boy you thought was stalking you 3 days ago, you just told him you are home alone...dumb bitch juice

“Dorothea will be here soon. She’s old but strong, very strong” You would absolutely be the first to die in a horror movie, nora

He comes inside without her inviting him so he can make her tacos

He...knows where her kitchen is...fuck no

She is scared of him having a knife but also...goes over to him so he can show her how to make tacos…

So idk if most teens are so horny they’re literally willing to die for it, because i was on antidepressants when i was grace’s age and i had no desire to get busy...please let me know in the comments below if you ever went from scared of a dude to wanting to bone him at breakneck speed the way nora continually does in this book

“I’ll answer your questions if you make tacos”

This is a VERY horny scene where he stands right behind her and like whispers in her ear how to cut the tomato…

“Did you follow me to the library?” he smiles and she’s like OH FUCK I WANNA KISS HIM RIGHT NOW

NORA!!!!!!!!! FOCUS

“Scared?” “no” “maybe i’m just scared of -” “liking me?” “yes...wait no”

“I feel a scary attraction to you”

He lifted her onto the counter!!!!!

“You should go” “go here?” his mouth went to my shoulder “or here?” it moved up my neck AHHHHHHHHHHH

Her mom calls and she’s like “can i call you back?” her mom says “sure what’s wrong” and she HANGS UP LMAOOOOOOO

UMMMM THOUGHT HER PHONE WAS DEAD?!?!?!?

CHAPTER 10

V calls her and is like “i was looking for you all night” and nora is like “ummmm no you fucking left me???” and v’s like “DID Y’ALL KISS?!”

“I’ll pick you up at 4” “thought we were meeting at 5?” “circumstances have changed” lmao V for president tbh

We get a weird story about lionel dorothea’s godson daring nora to lick a broken piece of glass, “falling for patch would be like licking that shard”

This is the WEIRDEST analogy i think i have ever heard…

This is a first draft analogy for sure

She acknowledged that her phone had been dead so wtf happened

They go to victoria’s secret and she’s like “ooh sexy stuff ooh patch” wait i shouldn’t be thinking about dangerous patch

“I secretly enjoyed the attraction between us but the eeriness outweighed it” ma’am are you trying to lie to yourself or the reader because 1. It’s not a secret, 2. We (i) keep SCREAMING at you to have a shred of self-preservation but you threw it away for tacos

I’m going to flush patch out of my system like a detox diet, except last time i did that i binged” welp...i’m sure that’s not a sign…

Lmao V tries to take the clearance stickers off the clearance bras and puts them on the nice ones I LOVE HER SO MUCH

The hooded guy is watching her from outside…

But he’s gone before V sees him

V develops a diversion to get the hooded guy to follow her...but they can tell it’s actually a girl…

V gets hurt?!?!?!?!

CHAPTER 11

V is in the hospital with a BROKEN ARM THAT NEEDS SURGERY!!!!!

Patch is absent…

She goes to the new school psych...WHY ARE THERE SO MANY NEW PEOPLE COMING IN APRIL!!!!

She’s def also an angel

She brings up that nora is supposed to be tutoring patch and is like “all tutoring should be under adult supervision, and i don’t want you meeting alone” um...thank you for being reasonable because this dude is creepy but ALSO. Just...don’t have her tutor him…?

She goes to the computer lab in the library to look up reviews but then she’s like “i should google patch” but nothing

“No facebook, no myspace” OH MYSPACE!!!!!

She comes across a kinghorn prep article about a hanging, and finds out elliott was with the victim on the night of her death

Elliott is right behind her!!!!!

“Something cold flushed through me, like a blush, only opposite”

He’s like “Call your mom and tell her you’re taking too long at homework” and she’s like STRANGER DANGER

~~~

#hush hush #becca fitzpatrick #patch cipriano #nora grey #cringe review #cringe books #negative review #book review #booktube

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years

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LIZ LEARNS TO SWIM

June 11, 1950

“Liz Learns To Swim” is episode #92 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on June 11, 1950 on the CBS Radio Network.

Synopsis ~ George makes a bargain with Liz: If she'll learn to swim, they can go to the beach with the Atterburys for their vacation.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George's boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

REGULAR CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born as Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father's garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury) was considered the front-runner to be cast as Ethel Mertz but when “I Love Lucy” was ready to start production she was already playing a similar role on TV’s “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” so Vivian Vance was cast instead. On “I Love Lucy” she was cast as Lucy Ricardo’s spinster neighbor, Miss Lewis, in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15) in early 1952. Later, she was a success in her own show, "Petticoat Junction” as Shady Rest Hotel proprietress Kate Bradley. She starred in the series until her death in 1968. Gale Gordon (Rudy Atterbury) had worked with Lucille Ball on “The Wonder Show” on radio in 1938. One of the front-runners to play Fred Mertz on “I Love Lucy,” he eventually played Alvin Littlefield, owner of the Tropicana, during two episodes in 1952. After playing a Judge in an episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” in 1958, he would re-team with Lucy for all of her subsequent series’: as Theodore J. Mooney in ”The Lucy Show”; as Harrison Otis Carter in “Here’s Lucy”; and as Curtis McGibbon on "Life with Lucy.” Gordon died in 1995 at the age of 89.

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) is not in this episode, but is mentioned by Iris.

GUEST CAST

Hans Conried (Benjamin Wood, Liz’s Swim Instructor) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

This begins Conried’s history of playing Lucy’s instructors. Percy Livermore taught her grammar; Professor Gitterman taught her singing and acting.

Herb Vigran (Filling Station Attendant) made his "I Love Lucy” debut as Jule, Ricky’s music agent, in “The Saxophone” (ILL S2;E2) in 1952 and immediately returned in “The Anniversary Present” (ILL S2;E3) to play the same character. He will also play Mrs. Trumbull’s nephew Joe, the washing machine repairman, in “Never Do Business With Friends” (ILL S2;E31) and Al Sparks, the publicist who turns Lucy and Ethel into Martians, in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23). Vigran also played the man who sold Lucy and Desi The Long, Long Trailer (1953) and returned to work for Lucy in six episodes of "The Lucy Show” between 1963 and 1966. He died in 1986.

EPISODE TRIVIA

The day before this episode aired, Lucy and Desi were in New York City on their ‘vaudeville tour’ designed to try-out material for “I Love Lucy” and prove to the networks that they had good chemistry together. There they appeared on “The United Cerebral Palsy Telethon” hosted by Milton Berle and aired on NBC.

The script for “Liz Learns To Swim” was basically a remake of “Vacation Time” (aka “A Trailer Vacation To Goosegrease Lake” broadcast on April 29, 1949.

Unlike many episodes of “My Favorite Husband,” “Liz Learns To Swim” has no corollary on “I Love Lucy,” although certain situations and dialogue will be familiar to viewers.

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers tonight, summertime is fast approaching and Liz has roused her self from spring fever long enough to go on a shopping spree for some beach clothes.”

As the episode begins, Liz is showing Katie the Maid what she has bought for her summer vacation, including a skimpy swimsuit.

LIZ: “I want to look good for George. He’s going to see a lot of me this summer.” KATIE: “He’s not the only one!”

In “Off To Florida” (ILL S6;E6) Ricky thinks Lucy’s new skimpy new swimsuit is for Little Ricky!

RICKY: “Hey, look, Ricky! Mommy bought you a bathing suit.” LUCY: “That's mine!” RICKY: “Yours?!” LUCY: “Relax. It stretches when it's on.” RICKY: “See that it does!”

Lucy also buys a swimsuit that Ricky feels is too skimpy when shopping for their California trip in “Getting Ready” (ILL S4;E11).

In looking over their daily mail, we learn that the Cooper’s live at 321 Bundy Drive. Liz gets something from Weeping Willow Ranch, where they spent last year’s summer vacation. It is not a place Liz is anxious to revisit.

LIZ: “One week there and you understand why the willows are weeping.”

In “Vacation Time” from 1949 (the episode upon which this one is based) the resort was named Goosegrease Lake.

Lucy Carmichael visits a dude ranch called Tumbleweed Inn during a 1966 episode of “The Lucy Show.”

Liz wants to go to the beach with the Atterbury’s while George insists on going to the dude ranch. George agrees to go to the beach if Liz will first learn to swim.

Adventure-Loving Lucy Ricardo swam in the chilly Med before pedaling to Nice in “Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (ILL S5;E24). Fred calls her “the poor man’s Florence Chadwick” an American swimmer known for long-distance, open water swimming and the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, setting a record each time.

Liz’s neighbor, Mr. Wood (Hans Conried), teaches her how to swim - without ever leaving the living room! George is doubtful Liz can learn swimming without getting wet, so they agree to a test at the Country Club pool the next day. That night, Liz ‘swims in her sleep’ - nearly drowning!

At the pool next day, Iris (Bea Benadaret) brings Liz some water wings to wear under her swimsuit and fool George. To inflate them, Iris drags Liz to a Filling Station to use their air pump. But the water wings burst, just like Iris’s plan. Iris thinks of a loophole: Liz never promised George she wouldn’t use help - so Iris darts home for one of Rudolph’s life jackets.

Life jackets and Lucy Carter’s inability to swim were integral to “Lucy Rides The Rapids” (HL S2;E4), filmed on location on the Colorado River.

Liz puts on the life jacket and dives into the pool. George agrees to take her to the beach - even though Liz failed to inflate Rudolph’s life jacket. She swam without help! As soon as she realizes it, however....HELP!!!

HELP!!! Lucy pretends not to be able to swim so that Ricky can pretend to save her, all to get the attention of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in “The Hedda Hopper Story” (ILL S4;E21).

Lucy and Anthony Newley tread water in the Thames River in “Lucy in London” (1966).

Lucy and Desi relaxing in their pool at home in the 1940s.

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alexsfictionaddiction · 4 years

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Alex Recommends: March Books

I’ll begin with the obvious and say that a LOT has changed since my last recommendations post. I am putting together two blog posts related to COVID-19. One will centre around pandemic fiction and the other will be full of feel-good reads, so whether you want to read books that relate directly to our current situation or you want to escape it, there will be something for you at some point next week.

As for me, my anxiety has been very bad over the last couple of weeks and as a result, my reading pace has slowed somewhat. I always find it hard to focus when I’m stressed so I’ve been hiding away with Disney+ (the best purchase I’ve made in a long time) for most of the last week. I am struggling with the uncertainty of when I’ll kiss and cuddle my boyfriend and friends again so I have been crying a lot. However, I have been reading a little more over the last few days, so I still have some new book recommendations for you.

These are incredibly strange and scary times that we’re living in right now but I hope you’re all following the guidance and staying safe! -Love, Alex x

FICTION: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

I absolutely adored Josie Silver’s One Day In December last year and I was delighted to learn that she’d released another book. When her fiance Freddie dies in a car accident, Lydia’s life is naturally in pieces but she discovers that when she takes a certain sleeping pill, she can cross over into another version of her life where Freddie is still alive and well. Switching back and forth, Lydia knows that this cannot go on forever and eventually she will have to choose which version is truly right for her. This is another highly emotionally-charged novel from Josie Silver, who is a master at writing adorable romance and characters who take a long time to leave your head. Get the tissues on stand-by!

NON-FICTION: Inferno by Catherine Cho

I am making a point of trying to read more non-fiction this year because I’ve never felt like I read enough of it. Inferno is the memoir of a young Korean-American woman’s battle with pre and post-partum psychosis. It’s not something I knew very much about before but I am constantly trying to educate myself on mental health conditions -particularly those that aren’t often talked about. Inferno definitely ticked all of those boxes for me and I’m so glad I read it. It’s an incredibly intense, detailed and moving account that reflects not only Catherine’s psychosis but also on motherhood, retaining a sense of self and understanding how that self fits into society. Hugely informative and beautifully written, I struggled to put it down.

MIDDLE-GRADE: Winterborne Home For Vengeance and Valour by Ally Carter

April isn’t like the other kids in the children’s home because her mother is coming back soon, despite having had 11 different foster homes in the last nine years. She has no idea how she ended up at Winterborne House, the home of a billionnaire who disappeared years ago and is now being used to house helpless ‘orphans’ like herself. She does have a key though. A key that her mother left her with and that bears the same pattern as the Winterborne family crest -but what on Earth does it open? This is the first in a new middle-grade mystery series that combines elements of Tracy Beaker and Wells and Wong. I can’t wait to get back to this loveable cast of diverse characters!

YA: Grief Angels by David Owen

Grief Angels is the heartbreaking contemporary story of Owen, who has recently lost his dad and moves to a new town with his mum. There he meets Duncan, who he gradually forms a beautiful friendship with. But Owen is having very vivid ethereal hallucinations of a strange forest, where he must go on a journey to find his inner peace. This is one of the most stunning YA novels I’ve read in a long time and I was so invested in both strands of the narrative. As well as dealing with deeply serious subject matter, there is also plenty of exploration of teenage male friendships and an ending full of hope.

THRILLER: The Guest List by Lucy Foley

Having devoured Lucy Foley’s previous thriller The Hunting Party, I knew I’d probably do the same with this one. On a remote island off the Irish coast, power couple Jules and Will are getting married and they’ve invited 150 of their nearest and dearest to celebrate. So when someone ends up dead, which of the well-wishers doesn’t... well, wish them well? There’s a definite Agatha Christie vibe in the claustrophobic setting, suspicious characters and sinister atmosphere. It’s a slow-burning, heart-in-mouth mystery with plenty of unguessable twists that you’ll wolf down in no time.

#book recommendations #recommended #march recommendations #books #bookworm

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soutterlytaron · 5 years

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Double the Birthday, Double the Fun || Taron & Phoebe

Summary: It’s Sadie and Julian’s birthday, and they have a special gift for their parents... also, cake! Time: April 3rd, 2019

“Hey, Phoebe, look at this!” Taron called out for her excitedly, as he brought Julian and Sadie into the living room with him, one on each arm, and handed her Julian. “It seems that we’ve learned a new trick - both of them actually, but one at a time!” A few days ago, he had caught them standing in their crib, holding onto the railing and peering over it, happily extending their arms, as he had come into the room to get them ready for breakfast, and toppling over as soon as they had let go for the railing. And just this morning, he had caught them again, this time he had been able to watch how they had done it, and while he was sure that Phoebe might have seen it already, too, he wanted to show her as well. Sitting Julian down on the floor, he crouched behind him and held both hands out in front of him, and his son grabbed both and used them to haul himself up into a, albeit a little wobbly, standing position. “How cool is that?” Taron beamed at his wife and grinned broadly, as he started marching them in her direction, making sure to hold Julian up and be ready to catch him, when he fell. “I’m pretty sure Sadie can walk by now, but she’s waiting for Jules to catch up.” Picking him up, he set them in Phoebe’s lap and caught Sadie in his arms, who was flailing and babbling at him excitedly. “Don’t you, princess? You’ll show him how.” And, turning back to Phoebe, he grinned. “It’s their birthday gift to us, I think.”

---

There was never a day when the sight of her husband holding their two babies wasn’t melting her heart and making her beam brightly. The twins birthday had approached so quickly and really, she didn’t want to accept that they were actually growing up so quickly - although she had a feeling what T had to show her was something that would make the babies slowly growing up worth it and actually very adorable. “What is your daddy doing with Julian, huh?” She asked Sadie laughing, holding her baby girl happily while she watched Taron slowly helping Julian up before the two of them walked towards her, making Phoebe grin brightly, clapping a little and helping Sadie to coordinate a little clap herself. “Look at my smart little Boy, Look at the two of you!” She cooed happily and made sure to help Jules while Taron took Sadie into his arms. “I wouldn’t be surprised, don’t they say girls are a little quicker than boys?” Phoebe asked smiling, her hand holding Julian’s who was still waving his arms happily and very excitedly over his own achievements. “Look at your sister Jules, watch her and Daddy!” Julian was a Little more excited about the fact that he was able to play with his mum's hair, but Phoebe was looking at her husband and daughter “that’s a very sweet gift to us, don’t you think so? I mean I can’t think of anything cuter they could give us, really!”

—-

Watching Phoebe and Sadie interact always warmed his heart - Phoebe was such a natural with children, and he had admired that ability to talk to children and play with them so naturally from the beginning. With their own twins, it was even cuter than he could ever have imagined, and he observed them for a long moment, as Sadie started babbling and squealing in reply to her mother’s question. “Isn’t this cool, love? I mean - when did they learn how to do that?” Taron was so excited that he hadn’t even started to marvel about that, while he held onto his son’s hands and walked him along the little way to the couch. Seeing both clap made Julian try and clap, too, and lose his balance, which was the moment his father swept him up and gave him to Phoebe. “How fuc- incredibly great is that?” His happy daughter in his arms, he snuggled her close and received a smacking kiss from her. “I think so, let’s see how she does...” And he repeated the same with Sadie, who sat on the floor for a moment and looked up at him with a toothy smile. “How about it, Sadie-bell, do you feel like showing your brother how it’s done?” Helping her up the same way he had helped Julian, he watched fascinatedly, as she took her steps, with more confidence and less flailing, and even let go of one of his hands at the end. But once she started wobbling, he picked her up, and together with her plonked down right next to Phoebe. “In a little while, they’ll be running in all directions, and we’ll have the time of our lives following them.” Grinning at her, he leaned over to press a kiss to her lips. “What do you think, love - are they ready for a toddler cake now?”

---

Of course she had known that the twins were slowly starting to attempt walking, or holding themselves up, but she had no idea they had already secretly practiced or so it seemed. “do you think they are up at night practicing? Cause that’s what it seems like to me right now!” Phoebe jokes laughing, the look on her face a mix of one and pride as she watched her son master his first wobbly steps before he was back in her arms and the same action was repeated with Sadie, only that the little girl was by far more confident in her own little steps. “We will be running after them in no time!” Phoebe agreed, leaning over to first kiss her daughter's cheek and then her husband’s. “Is that an excuse cause you want to eat cake?” Phoebe asked grinning but, after placing Julian on the floor so he could crawl around and explore about, the brunette got up to walk in the kitchen, where two cakes were already awaiting them. One for the kids and one for her, Taron and whoever would join them in celebrating the twins birthday. “I know they probably won’t remember, but I still think we should light some candles for them, right?”

—-

“That would explain their ability to nap at the oddest hours during the day,” he laughed, and even more, as he tried to imagine their twins coaching each other and trying out different things to get a feel for what walking might be like. “I’m just -” Looking up at her with a brilliant smile, he gave a little shrug, “it’s a bit overwhelming to see them do that. It seems like yesterday, when they would lay in their crib and look up at us. And look at them now!” As much as he had joked about it, neither of the twins was a sloths, quite the contrary - they loved crawling and moving about, and Phoebe was right, once they started walking and running, they would be the ones running after them all day. Until then, he would marvel and enjoy the little steps they were doing. Taron closed his eyes at the gentle caress, and smiled at her. “I wouldn’t mind cake,” he replied cheekily, “but kids first.” His eyes followed her movements towards the kitchen, but then trained on Julian and Sadie, who were now both happily crawling along with the dogs and Whiskey who, having heard them in the living room, had come bounding in. “I’m just wondering, whether our dogs will walk our kids, or the other way around...” Perking up at her question, he turned around to face her. “We should light one each and then have them try and blow it out - not sure they can yet, but we can help them.” What was a birthday cake without candles? “Do you need help? I think our babies are in good company with our furry roomies right now.” Getting to his feet, he headed over to where Phoebe was standing, but always kept an eye trained on their offspring. “We should celebrate you, too, because it’s due to you they’re here one year on...”

---

“I think the dogs will pretend the kids walk them while actually it’s the other way around!” Phoebe told her husband with a grin, the thought of it so cute that she couldn’t stop smiling really. “I doubt they’ll manage it, but I want to see them try, is that cruel?” Nonetheless, she cut two tiny pieces of the soft cake they could easily munch on happily and put one little candle on each of them so they could see how the little munchkins would handle a candle. “It’s due to the both of us that they are both here today. Admittedly, a little more work on my part for a day - but you are very much a huge part of keeping them safe and sound now, so it’s really thanks to the both of us my love!” Making sure to put a piece of cake on plates for them as well, as well as pouring both some coffee she kissed his cheek and handed him his cup and plate, taking the kids ones herself. “Let’s see how they feel about a little flame, shall we?”

—-

Taron looked at her with a smile. “As long as they all find their way home… I guess that it doesn’t matter who leads whom. They grow up as siblings, essentially. At least I hope they do.” From the way they were all crawling around on the floor and the dogs were herding in the twins every once in a while, he thought that it rang truer than he had thought. “Not cruel at all, they should have candles and try. We can blow them out for them, and take lots of pictures.” Over his shoulder, he saw the human and dog tribe disappear towards the hall and dashed away to get them to move back towards the living room, where they met up with Phoebe and the cake. “For a day? Try nine months - I was just working at the beginning… a very enjoyable beginning, but still... ” With a broad grin, he picked up both Julian and Sadie and sat each on one of his thighs, so they could have a look at what was happening. “Mummy made you two a cake,” he told them and kissed both their cheeks. His cup and plate rested on the coffee table in front of him and he held onto the kids with both hands. “Do you want to do the honours?”

---

„I like the idea of them growing up as siblings - a little like Mowgli in the jungle!” Phoebe asked smiling, looking over at their babies happily crawling along with their first and furry babies. “I just feel bad for laughing, but I suppose they won’t see any harm in it after all, at least not until they are grown up and we embarrass them by showing them the pictures every year on their birthday!” When the twins and their puppies seemed to be crawling out of the living room Phoebe was thankful for Taron quick reaction and once they were all settled on the couch she joined them, two little cakes on separate plates in each hand, a little burning 1 candle on each of them. Looking at her two littlest ones who looked at her with big eyes she laughed a little “they really have no idea what’s going on - god years from now they’ll wake us up at 5 in the morning demanding presents and today? They are not even aware that this day is very special!” Looking back at her twins she smiled even brighter “it’s very special and it’s all about you two!” Almost on cue, the puppies came waddling over, as if to signalise that they were here and didn’t intended on being forgotten.

—

“Everyone needs a Balu in their lives!” he exclaimed and started humming the song he knew by heart, laughing, when their twins starting to clap along. “But they’ll have Bonnie and Clyde, Whiskey, Bean and Cousin It, plus Sheldon and Squid out there… who are hopefully doing well under all that ice.” It was still too cold for the turtles to come out of their hibernation, and while he checked regularly, also on Cousin It, he hadn’t spotted the two Louisiana Box Turtles yet. “If we make them think we laugh with them, it shouldn’t be too bad, we are laughing with them, after all. And about them, just a little.” The thought of them being embarrassed, when he and Phoebe would unpack all those old photos of them, was so cute that he grinned broadly at her. “Let’s be glad that we have a few years before that happens. Come on, guys, it’s time to make a wish.” It wasn’t his birthday, but as he blew out the candle for Julian, and with his help, he knew exactly what he wanted - for his family to be happy and healthy, and for them to live their best lives together. The puppies were looking up at them so hungrily, but Taron just tutted at them. “You’ve had your food, cake is not good for you.” And more quietly, “Thankfully, or I’ll have to share with even more people.” Happily humming The Bare Necessities, he started feeding his son, laughing, when he first made a face at the spongy texture of the cake, but then realised that it was yummy and opening his mouth wide. “He’s definitely taking after me!”

---

Taron singing around the house had become a sound, that beside his laughter, or the giggle of their children, perhaps was her favourite. She wasn't even sure if it had started with him preparing for rocket man, or even before that, but she just loved whenever the house was filled with his voice, or just the sound of him humming along to music. “We are always laughing with them in the end, right? Otherwise we’d be cruel and I think we are many things, but cruel parents isn't one of them!” Phoebe balanced Sadie on her knees as well as her little plate of cake, watching the little girl watch the flame, her eyes widening as Julien, well Taron blew it out. “Do you want to blow yours out too?” Phoebe asked Sadie laughing when she saw the girls little excited nod and therefor softly blew out the candle “make a wish baby!” And while she wasn't sure the little girl understood the concept of making a wish, Phoebe was sure to make one for her entire little family, her entire little universe that was right there in front of her. The puppies were their usual curious selves and Phoebe, despite Taron telling them no, fed them a tiny little piece of cake, not enough to harm them or make them feel bad, but just a little something. “We both know that I could make three cakes and you’d still grovel that you have to share it with too many people, but imagine what happens if we’d have more babies. You might never get any food!” They had never talked about more kids and yet, just talking about it did not necessarily feel like it was an odd thing to imagine really. Maybe not now, but in the future? Nothing made her laugh more than Julians sceptical face when he saw the cake and Taron tried to feed it to him and nothing made her prouder than the happy face once he actually tried it. “He certainly comes after you, although you never made a face at my food, you have more control over your facial expressions!”

---

“We’re anything but, but we’re easily amused - and they’ll learn about that sooner or later, and probably do the same eventually.” Or at least he could hope that their children would go through life with the same happiness, laughter and excitement in their hearts as he and Phoebe did. Julian stared sadly for a moment, when the candle went out, but then clapped his hands and reached over to his sister, as if to animate her to do the same. “I hope you made a wish, little lad, because I know I did,” Taron told him gently, then watched as Sadie and Phoebe blew out their candle. Again Julian clapped his pudgy hands together and he had to laugh at his son’s enthusiasm. “Someone is becoming a fan of candle blowing.” Amused, he shook his head, as he watched his wife feeding their dogs some of the cake, which made him almost miss her comment. “We’ll just have to make more cakes to feed everyone,” he laughed at her, and then leaned over, replying more quietly, “we could try aiming for a football team of our own. One day.” Funny, how it didn’t feel odd at all talking about having more children, when he remembered so clearly still, how much he had fretted about even having one… in the end, Phoebe had surprised him with two, and he couldn’t imagine his life without them. It would be sadder without Julian and Sadie, and definitely lost without Phoebe. Like the proud papa he was, he pressed a kiss to his son’s head, then kept feeding him the little piece of cake in bits and pieces, until it was all gone. “I’m better at hiding it,” he laughed at her, and reached over to kiss her cheek, too, “but generally, your cooking is really great. I just remember one dish that made me reconsider dating you for a split second.” His grin widened substantially, as he kept looking at her teasingly. “Remember vegan avocado and black bean chocolate pudding?” Not even their dogs, two at the time, had eaten the pudding that night.

---

“Candle blowing is exciting, I understand why he likes it!” Phoebe could watch her two babies interact all day, the way Jules was making sure Sadie was clapping along, animating her and vice versa, it was just heartwarming and something that made her heart burst with both, pride and joy. “Seems like an easily enough solution, just make more cake!” She agreed grinning, his whispered comment making her laugh a little “you’re aiming high now, aren’t you?” The brunette teased, but they both knew that her wish for children had always been there and a large family was something she always wanted. “Speaking of, cannot wait to meet Tez’s little girl soon, two more weeks and you two will have a new little friend!” Phoebe told the twins, turning her attention towards them halfway through the sentence. The boys certainly ate their cake quicker than Phoebe and Sadie, Sadie more focused on munching on it as well as playing with the cake much more than actually eating or finishing it. “Jules doesn’t seem to trust my cooking, or baking, the fact when he saw it said it all!” Phoebe exclaimed jokingly, a playful pout on her face that turned into an even more playful frown. “Oh, does that mean I now know what to cook if I ever want you to reconsider being with me? That means I’ll have to make sure it’ll never ever be cooked in your presence again!”

—

If there was something Taron couldn’t get enough of, it was watching his family be happy - be it Phoebe observing their children, or playing with them, or their twins playing and interacting with each other or their mother… there was something so serene and calming about it that he thought no video could ever capture all the happiness he felt during those moments. “Once they consciously learn about the wish-making, it’ll be the greatest thing about their birthdays,” he laughed along with her. “It worked for Marie Antoinette - at least for a little while - so why not for us? Though I’d like to be called “Mario Antoine”, if we were to stay with the analogy.” Leaning in, he showed her an ever widening grin, and whispered back, “Don’t I ever? You cannot blame me for trying. One of our children has to turn out athletic sometime...” Eyes widening at the realisation, he tilted his head to the side. “Is it time already? Wow, I didn’t realise we were cutting it this close now - she’s going to be precious, just like her brothers - and I can see the five of them causing havoc wherever they go in a few years’ time.” Over Christmas, their twins and especially Forrest had grown a tight bond and Taron couldn’t wait to see it grow and expand. With his sisters still too young, and Phoebe’s sister not ready for kids yet, they were the closest family in their age group they had. Suddenly, he started laughing. “I think that’s my fault - I’m the one with the underdeveloped palate due to my mum only being able to cook a few things in her little time off. He’ll learn that you don’t want to poison him, and look at how quickly he inhaled his cake! Now, he’s trying for mine, too.” Edging closer to her, he rested his chin on her shoulder, while he looked at her with big eyes. “I’d rather like staying with you for the rest of my life, and there’s so many other recipes we could try...” Trailing off, he raised his head and kissed the corner of her mouth gently. “I love you, Phoebe. Thank you so much for these two and for you being in my life.”

---

“I don't think it necessarily worked for her? I mean, unless you think being beheaded is a great way to go?” She teased her husband grinning but ultimately nodded “you are very right though, more cake is a great solution!” When he mentioned that one of their children would have to be an athlete eventually she rolled her eyes a little, of course jokingly, after all, no matter how much she complained about it, she was quite active and so was Taron. “Athlete I can deal with, but I just don't want to ever be a soccer mum, that's so not an option!” Sticking her tongue out, away from the eyes of her kids, not needing the now one year old twins to copy that action just yet. “Yes, Bodhi and Forrest are soon going to be big brothers, I can't wait to see Tez and meet the little girlie once its time!” There was no one closer to her than Teresa, especially when it came to their families. It was one of the things that made her the happiest, how close her best friends kids were in age to her own and how, in her mind, they will one day be best friends. “They certainly will, but it will be adorable. Bodhi will look out for them and all together they will explore, learn and absolutely cause havoc, that is for sure!” There was no doubt really and personally she had a feeling there’d be many vacations, bbq’s or just days spent all together, Tez, Mark, the kids, all close and one little constructed family. “Your mum is a great cook, but I think she judges my cooking a little? I mean, she certainly isn't loving the veggie and vegan idea, does she?” Admittedly, many people didn't love that, but Phoebe knew her body felt the best and after all, she’d leave it up to her kids if they’d want to choose it too one day. “You are sweet enough to try everything i cook - that's all I am asking for, my love!” Looking at Julian and how his little fingers were reaching for Tarons cake Phoebe grinned, certainly his father's son. “Come over here Jules, I think you can help your sister with her cake, I think daddy wants his cake to himself, am I right?” Balancing Sadie on one knee and Julian on the other she made sure the two shared the cake and weren’t quarreling about it, but it seemed to be a sweet sharing process so far. “And when in doubt we will always have Pizza!” Phoebe concluded laughing and kissed her husband back. “Oh my love, thank you, for being mine, ours, the best father and husband - and thank you for joining this adventure!”

---

Taron made a face, and then started chuckling at the mental image. “I hadn’t considered that ending - please let me keep my head?” His chuckling turned into a full-bellied laughter at the indignation in her voice, as well as the stuck out tongue. Leaving his hand in front of Julian’s eyes, he mimicked her and stuck out his tongue at her. “I still have no clue what a soccer mum is supposed to be, but if they like footie, why not? Whatever they want to do, they should try it, right?” Seeing Phoebe so excited about Tez’s impending birth made him realise yet again how close the two women were, and also how different his friends were compared to her and her family. Not in a bad way, but they weren’t even close to wanting to have a family, and while he loved them all dearly, he knew that they now lead a much different life to theirs. Taron, again, made a face, this time a pained one. “She loves you, but she’s the typical “you need everything to grow big, including meat” thinker?” He gave a little shrug - ever since he had started dating Phoebe, he had cut down on his meat intake significantly, although he still ate a bit of everything, especially fish. “I feel like we should give our children a bit of everything, at least have them try it all - although basing it on a vegetarian way of cooking is probably one of the healthiest ways to do it.” He turned to look at her softly. “I think that trying is better than saying no from the beginning, because I never know whether I might not miss out on something, if I don’t?” It was funny how their son immediately reacted to his name being called, looking up at his mother with a toothy grin and starting to move towards her, and with Taron’s help, he was safely sat on her knee soon enough. “Thank you,” he grinned and started munching of his piece of cake happily, and truly, he couldn’t possibly say that Phoebe’s cooking and baking was bad in any way - bar that one time. “I swear,” he told her between bites, “that you still love pizza more than me. I should be offended, but - I get it. I really, really do. And really, there’s no place I’d rather want to be than at your side - even with pizza being the third wheel in this marriage.” Laughing, he kissed her again lovingly, and then continued with his piece. As quickly as Julian’s piece had been gone, his was, too, and he sat back and patted his stomach with a satisfied thud. “What do you think about going out into the garden with the dogs and playing around with them, until guests arrive?” But he was so comfortable right now that he didn’t want to move right away.

---

“A soccer mum, I don’t know, isn’t that something people say?” Phoebe told her husband laughing but ultimately nodded “but of course, whatever they want to do, they can do - I know we will support them in whatever they will do, of course we will!” They both would support their children no matter what and no matter what she joked about she would prefer them to do something they felt passionate about rather than just do something for the sake of it. “Oh I know, she’s the sweetest and I love her, with all my heart. She’s a second mum and yet I can see her judge my cooking!” It was playful, always, she loved Taron’s mum like her own, loved his sisters like her own but she could never not notice the look on his mother’s face when she cooked and it happened to be meatless. They both knew it was the best for their kids to eat meat and she always knew she’d not force it on them without them deciding on it themselves. “No, no, no, no! If anything equally, but secretly I love you more, but don’t tell Pizza. Pizza isn’t allowed to know it’s not my greatest love!” Of course she was joking but she loved him more than anything. End of the story of course. Julian and Sadie’s piece of cake was gone in literal seconds, just like their dads piece. “Are you asking me to go outside with the kids while you take a nap?”

—

Taron looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. “I never met one, so I wouldn’t know what they look like in real life. I only know of them through films and tv. And I don’t think they’re that bad, or are they?” Some parents at the playground could be a little difficult, or mightily extra, as he called it, but he couldn’t imagine people being that uptight and pressed all the time. “We’ll see what they’ll enjoy. For now, we’ll go to baby swimming, they seem to love that.” He loved seeing them happy, and they seemed to love anything that kept them active, which wasn’t too bad for their parents, either, because they would be exhausted at night and sleep through, almost, at least. “I love how well you’re getting along, right from the start, actually. I remember her offering you thicker socks within five minutes of you being in Aber’ for the first time. I think you can disagree on some things, that’s healthy - and you can always try and convince her differently.” His grin was teasing, but playful. Food would always be a topic for them, mostly because both were big foodies, but also, because they didn’t agree on everything, either - but, all in all, he loved cooking for her, and loved her cooking, as well. Leaning in, his grin widened happily. “I won’t tell, if you don’t - your secret is safe with me, babe.” Pizza was and always would be one of his favourite foods - and hers. Apart from pasta and anything chocolate, which he had learned very early on. Humming happily at the memory, he turned his head towards her once more. “No, I’m offering to take the kids, the dogs, and you outside, so we can all have a bit of fresh air. Although -” Looking at their adorable twins, he realised that they were slowly getting sleepy from all the excitement and the food they had just eaten. “A family nap sounds just as good, don’t you think?” They could put them in their playpen and have the dogs sleep with them, while they napped on the couch for a little bit. “You and me cuddling up here, while they sleep. Sounds like heaven to me.”

#para #double the birthday double the fun #phoebe #featuring julian #featuring sadie

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lightsandlostbells · 6 years

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Druck episode 9-10 reaction

If they don’t renew this show I’m going to boycott Germany.

a huge thank you to everyone who translated Druck and made the clips accessible to the international viewers! I know it was a lot of work and the geoblock was a pain. I really appreciate the continued effort.

Episode 9

Clip 1 - Hanna comes for Matteo

Jonas is really closed-off in their conversation; he’s not that warm to Hanna, which is kind of interesting since I’d say the other Jonases were a little less frosty in this scene. Especially because German Jonas and Hanna have such strong chemistry. But I get why he’d still be upset, I think less time has passed since he and Hanna had the talk about him not understanding her? He hasn’t had much time to work through it so he still seems really wounded.

Clip 2 - Hanna and Jule

Hanna appropriately has a “stronger together” shirt for a scene in which girls commiserate over how boys are such dicks.

Jule and Hanna’s conversation didn’t really have the meat to it from their previous interaction to set up how friendly Jule is here, I would’ve preferred a little more hesitation and maybe an apology from Jule. A little initial awkwardness just to acknowledge that they didn’t leave off on a cozy note.

I do love the initiative Hanna is taking and that she’s the one to extend the invitation/olive branch to Jule. It’s a nice mark of maturity. We’ve seen some scenes of her gradually gaining confidence and being proactive so we can chart how her character is slowly but surely moving forward.

Clip 3 - Fight on the stairs

I dig this artsy paint-splattered stairwell. I felt like it also made the scene a little more tense and awkward (in a tonally appropriate way) - instead of them running into each other in a warmly lit stairwell or hallways with lots of light shining through the windows, they’re in a closed space (very awkward) with cool coloring and no sunlight. There really is no way to avoid this conversation once they run into each other, and there’s still ice between them, unlike with Eva and Jonas where you could tell they did enjoy seeing each other despite the awkwardness.

Nice details are added to Matteo’s family story, that the dad wanted him to come along but Matteo chose to stay behind and take care of his mom. Oh baby :(

Jonas got rougher with Samuel than I expected, like he seems dead inside talking to Hanna but he came alive to slam Samuel up against that bar.

To be fair, Samuel was kinda asking for trouble with that comment, which was unprompted and meant to provoke. You guys are also in a tight enclosed space, you can’t really avoid each other.

And Jonas doesn’t tear away from her grip, he firmly removes her hands. He is not happy with her at all.

Lmao, these random students staring at Hanna. She was just a bystander to that male aggression, yo.

Clip 4 - Drink your way out of obligations

Is it just me or did Sam’s hair get even bluer? Or is she just that radiant?

Nice that Mia acknowledged that Kiki behaved poorly even while expressing that they should include her. Because yeah, I feel bad for all the Vildes/Kikis knowing what they’re going through, but they also were nasty to their friends.

L O L Sam’s brilliant plan to get out of supervising the party - get drunk, get fired, go to the party. That’s kind of amazing. And they’re all like sure, we’ll roll with it.

Good that Amira mentions that Leonie and Sara called Kiki a slut previously and there’s a bit of a challenge between her and Kiki. Not a great look that Kiki wanted to disregard that incident at least in front of Amira, her defender.

You know, Kiki is one of the bigger jerks of the Vildes, but … I still kinda like her, I’m sorry! It’s not that she’s a great person, it’s that the way she’s acted and written feels very realistic. She feels like a clear social climber/popularity seeker but is messy enough to alienate people. Compared to the way that say, Kelsey is portrayed in Skam Austin, she’s also a jerk, but the depiction often veers into something cartoonish and broad - like a definite TV character. Kiki feels like a ton of people I’ve known in real life.

Sam is drawing an alien in her notebook to illustrate how her pal Kiki has gone to space. She also appears to have doodled a flower and a unicorn.

Clip 5 - Karaoke emotions

Okay, now THIS karaoke scene is exactly what I wanted from karaoke in S4 of OG Skam. Lovable scamps wailing their hearts out to beloved pop tunes.

Sam doing Wannabe by the Spice Girls!!! I'm not imagining that she dressed and styled her hair like Scary Spice, right?

YES AMIRA “DA QUEEN” IS NEXT! Dedicating it to her favorite Germans! Everyone cheering Amira :D :D :D Amira doing Rolling in the Deep!!!! We are blessed.

Are they all wearing pussy hats? Also love Hanna and Mia’s blatantly feminist shirts. Truly a ladies’ night.

It’s hilarious that Carlo and the other dude (do we know him?) are wearing matching pussy hats. Honestly from what I remember of him way back in the Dark Ages of March/April, he didn’t seem like a terrible dude. A bit obnoxious, but not rude or bad on Elias levels.

The Hanna and Matteo confrontation? My soul will never be ready.

Oh man, Matteo openly acknowledges his mom is going insane. There’s no feigned attempt to keep an optimistic attitude about his parental situation like with Isak. And he’s not putting in any effort to seem cheered up, except for having a drink.

Hanna doesn’t even toy with her food before eating it, she just lays it out for Matteo and confronts him directly about telling Jule.

And he looks so sad and depressed when she asks the reason. Worth noting that he doesn’t directly confirm her hypothesis that he has a crush on her, he just looks downcast and awkward.

He looks honestly near tears when he asks her how she couldn’t get it. Because as we know, he’s not really talking about him liking Hanna, he wants to know how she couldn’t understand his BLATANTLY OBVIOUS crush on Jonas.

A drunk Kiki appears! Does she have a tattoo on her arm??

And she gives Matteo a hug … have they met before? Lmao.

Kiki staggering in just in time to steal Amira’s spotlight, scream a thematically appropriate song about how she and Alexander could have had it all, and then collapse is the most Kiki-ish thing I can think of. Yeah, that’s exactly how it would go.

Also I thought “we could have had it alllll” could apply to Amira and Kiki’s relationship , heh. Especially because it ends up getting downgraded a lot from Sana and Vilde’s relationship? It was so important that Sana was the one carrying Vilde and sticking her fingers down her throat and letting her puke down her front, and that their relationship in particular was affirmed.

They just dragged Kiki to the nearest toilet and had her puke on some dude’s shoes (that’s Matteo’s friend, right?) which I will admit, more practical than carrying her like a romance novel heroine as a divine hymn plays.

Wow, so it’s just Mia tending to Kiki and we don’t get the girls all lying in bed together. On the one hand that’s a little disappointing; it’s one of the most iconic scenes of S1 and probably the whole show, and it’s a moment that really solidified the girl squad as a ride or die group of friends. But I also like them to try new things and not just redo big successful moments from the original show. I did like seeing Mia go through all these little steps of tending to Kiki, getting her dressed, sending a text to her mom.

Pretty big difference that it’s Mia and not Amira taking care of her, though; as mentioned above, the Amira-Kiki relationship is downplayed. Not super keen on that because Kiki was quite nasty to Amira and visibly hurt her feelings on several occasions, such as the bus stop incident and the disastrous group meeting. Sana was better at adopting a harder attitude and not letting the hurt show. But then again, Kiki is the one who really needs to grovel, not Amira.

Also ...HUGE break in POV since Hanna isn’t there but lol I’ve accepted it’s a losing battle even if I’m still not super fond of it. You win, less-than-tight third person POV. I surrender.

Mia has a text from Alexander, because what is truly desirable in a man you have rejected is him texting you about changing your mind close to midnight while you take care of your friend who he fucked and then ghosted passed out beside you in bed.

JONAS PLAYING THE GUITAR AND SINGING FOR MATTEO WOW WOW

while wearing a pussy hat lmao, BEST REMAKE JONAS

I’m sure Matteo loved Jonas playing and singing a song dedicated to him, only for Jonas to slow down and get more serious once Hanna entered. Not to mention shifting that eye contact from him to Hanna.

Lovely scene of Hanna and Jonas, I’m a broken record but they have SUCH good chemistry. They just seem so into each other, and overall I would say they felt so much that they liked each other.

NOOOOOO don’t break up! Please!

Episode 10

Clip 1 - Honas and Janna

Honas and Janna fucking ADORABLE.Them snuggling… you’re hurting me, Druck.

He took her nose! Goddamn!!!

I love all this backstory and delving into the beginning of their relationship. This honest conversation that takes its time and really lets them talk ... what Skam does at its best, man.

Jonas looks so heartbroken in this flash forward where he’s holding onto Hanna.

And that painfully raw moment where he asks if she regrets choosing him and the answer is an unspoken yes, owwww

All this emotional soul-baring, such as Hanna talking about how once she got with Jonas, she was only happy when she was with him, and dependent on him for happiness. And that she became paranoid Jonas would cheat on her and thought she deserved to get hurt. And that she changed her personality so he would like her and wouldn’t have a reason to leave her. Really happy how plainly Hanna stated the truths, even the raw and uncomfortable ones.

I know they just laid out all the reasons Hanna should be on her own and they should break up, but I don't want them tooooooooo

The way they hold each other and cry and draw it out for so long because they don’t want it to end!

“I still got your nose.” “You can keep it.” FUCK YOU, DRUCK!!!!!

You realize that we need this show to run for many more seasons and eventually Jonas will casually mention to Hanna that he’s still got her nose and she says, “I hope you’re taking care of it.”

And then one day he gives her a fake nose like on one of those Groucho Marx masks and she puts it on and IDK, this is all a buildup to them kissing again.

Hanna as an independent woman, wearing her Femme Future shirt. Nice.

They’re honestly up there with original Eva and Jonas for me. Round of applause for the director and actors for making this couple as likable and believable as they are.

Clip 2 - Mia and Kiki in the mooooorning

Oh jeez, this is a TOTAL break from the POV, I wonder what the logic behind it was?

I guess they're setting up S2. Or who knows, maybe there were scheduling conflicts with the actors and they couldn’t have everyone together.

Seriously, what’s Kiki’s tattoo? I’m sure it’s just because the actress happens to have one.

Kiki saying she wants to die, oh no. She looks miserable.

Although how dare you show Mia’s flat but not her roommates.

Clip 3 - Doctor visit

So only Mia went with Kiki? They’ve really downplayed her relationship with Amira, and the other girls as well. I mean in a way, it’s nice it’s just the two of them, and I presume Mia will keep this incident a secret. I hope this will affect their S2 dynamic a little.

I got so hyped for this scene, though. I adore this doctor.

Did she tell her she was pregnant at first just to mess with her??? Omg.

I doubt that’s the most professional approach but who cares, my love

Mia saying that the pregnancy was “Unplanned of course, she’s 17” and the doc mentioning the 5-year-olds in Peru or Chile who gave birth … I mean, 5-year-olds who get pregnant are the victims of rape, so hardly planned.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” but I want to see more of you! Can the whole cast just get like incredibly sick and have a reason to stop by?

Not only did she have an apple, she gave Mia a banana too, lmao! She just keeps fruit in her office for wayward teenagers not getting the proper nutrition.

We need this show to get to S3 so I can see this doc talking to Matteo.

Clip 4 - Mia giving Kiki the talk

I guess Hanna told Mia about hearing Kiki puke at school.

This is pretty direct referencing to Kiki’s ED when I think it’s been more or less implied before, in other versions. I mean it’s pretty obvious, it’s just not spelled out quite this much.

There’s also a more direct reference to Mia also having an eating disorder … “I know exactly how you feel.” That’s very pointed. Noora having an eating disorder was understated and mostly subtext in a lot of ways.

Again, a shame that Kiki and Amira’s relationship was downplayed, but hopefully the focus on Mia and Kiki in these scenes will add more to S2.

Clip 5 - Hero party

This was just a heartwarming clip so don’t expect commentary other than 😍😍😍.

Hanna and Mia and Amira just hanging out!!!!

Amira eating during Ramadan, though... the remakes are really bad at remembering this. (I’m not Muslim so if I’ve made a mistake in understanding when she can/can’t eat, let me know. And I do know that she can eat during her period, it’s more like in the absence of other acknowledgment of Ramadan, I tend to think it was an oversight.)

Amira giving Hanna a hug and telling her she’s strong … GOSH. Although she calls Hanna out on the similarities between what she did with Leonie and what Matteo did to Hanna, which I mean ... fair.

Amira encouraging Hanna to talk to Matteo .... I know this is for Hanna’s benefit, not Matteo’s, but man, I can’t wait for Amira and Matteo friendship. They’re both vulnerable kids with lots of buried feelings.

Oh my God, them putting on their security uniforms and being ADORABLE, ahhhhh! We get another slow motion power walk on the way to the party, Druck gets the essence of Skam.

Of course the power walk was just to lead up to them standing/sitting outside awkwardly.

Are they for real going to get drunk to avoid their responsibilities? Maybe not the best life choice, but in this situation, sure, why not.

Amira getting “high on Allah” was precious. GIVE ME S4 ALREADY.

Mia is drinking, which is quite a character divergence from Noora.

Was that a peace offering of beer from Leonie? Love it.

OH GOD JONAS AND MATTEO AND THAT OTHER DUDE ROLLING UP IN A CART

Sam is so magnificent. Her hair is a beautiful blue tower!!

And she and her brother are too cute! She brought him and his Bass Bus to liven up the night!

SHE TOLD HIM TO DRIVE INSIDE. THE BEEEEST

Matteo and Hanna <3333 She said she realized she’d done as wrong to her friends, and she asks if they can stay friends. It seems like a really genuine moment, guys. I wouldn’t blame her for keeping him on her shit list for a time but it feels like they might not drift quite as much as Eva and Isak did, since there’s maybe a bit more comfort between them here.

Mia says she’s worried that Kiki is drinking too much again and that’s why she’s not there, suggesting that she hasn’t told Alexander to apologize to her and that’s not the reason she wants to call her.

OH GOD THIS AMAZING ADAPTATION OF THE “FUCK, YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL” MOMENT

Mia tells Alex he’s creepy for that whole “no means I want you more” thing. She tells him it was blackmail to pressure her for just one date and then he’ll leave her alone. He tries the “fuck, you’re beautful line on her” and she turns around to make out with Hanna. Then she calls him a massive asshole and tells him she’s not her type, wink wink. She and Hanna walk away laughing.

This is the best remake, guys.

ALSO LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT HANNA AND MIA SMOOCH, A REMAKE FINALLY GAVE ME NOOREVA

On a more serious note, there’s absolutely reason to be concerned this is just queerbaiting. I doubt Hanna and Mia are going to be a couple, Mia and Alex are almost certainly going to have a romance arc, and the whole “two girls kissing in a bar so a boy can witness” is definitely enough to give off “barsexuality” vibes and make it seem like just a gimmick.

However, the production team has confirmed that Mia is bi, so hopefully that will be acknowledged in the show itself (other than “I don’t like labels” which is not actually an admission of bisexuality, and tbh which suggests that she won’t call herself bi on the show). But even if she doesn’t want to label herself, there are ways to address her interest in women and incorporate it into the story. And I hope to God they don’t make Alexander all “girls kissing is hot” or trying to pursue Mia even though she’s indicated she’s a lesbian (even if she’s really bi, her comment to him suggests she’s a lesbian), because that character does NOT need another reason to make me dislike him.

For real, Alexander better leave her alone after this, because Mia has told him she is not only not him, but not into dudes, and whether that’s true or not, he needs to accept it as truth. If they get together Mia has to make the first step in pursuing him.

Damn, this this makes me want to go back and rewatch S1 through shipper-tinted goggles. So was Mia really trying to hit on Hanna at the bar? I don’t know if that’s what they meant but I’m declaring it canon in my mind.

Plot twist: Toilet Sam pats Alexander on the shoulder here as foreshadowing for their upcoming love affair, Mia will be free to get together with a nice girl in S2.

Another plot twist: That awkward yet smoldering Jonas/Toilet Sam eye contact.

You know, if Alexander apologized to Kiki without any incentive - if Mia’s like “I’m gay” and then Alexander apologizes to Kiki anyway - then that makes me approve of him more, since he doesn’t think Mia is an option now. Unless he’s thinking, “Well, time to convert the lesbian!” But otherwise - a MAJOR step in improving Winterberg.

Kiki got a little sarcastic with Alexander, too. ”Wow, you know my name?: GOOD FOR HER.

Group hug! I still feel that the girl squad is a little disjointed, mainly on the Kiki angle, but that’s to be expected.

Mia giving Kiki a slice of pizza … very nice to work that in, nice. And Alexander apologized so that may have something to do with it, that her image-related insecurities stemming from his comment have been soothed.

Also, props to Mia for waiting until the other girls left to bring up Matteo’s gay porn to Hanna.

L M A O it only took Hanna 10 episodes to realize Matteo’s deeply gay looks and feelings for Jonas. That’s impressive because of all the m/m Isak/Jonas pairs, Matteo was by farrrrr the most transparent about his 😍😍😍😍😍

Speaking of, excellent smitten look Matteo gives Jonas there. Some of the remakes have been toning down the 😍😍😍😍😍 but no, Matteo is bringing it.

Awww, the cast dancing during the credits <3 <3 <3 Was this from their audition tapes or something?

General Comments:

This is my favorite remake. My ass will be so bitter if Druck out of all of them doesn’t get renewed. It’s the one that most captures the spirit of the original, has an age-appropriate and charming cast for the most part, great chemistry between the characters, and did a decent job of adapting the storyline while giving the story its own personality.

Moreover, Druck really captures the vulnerability of the characters, which is essential to Skam’s storytelling. A Matteo or Amira season really excites me because those actors have already displayed capacity for fragility in this season, and I think they could do decent jobs in their own seasons.

Plus, Jonas would be SO amazing in a Matteo season! If I already loved him in S1, when he’s at his worst, imagine how awesome he’ll be supporting Matteo during his coming out process!

Give me that Amira and Matteo friendship. Or Amira falling in love, jeeeeeeez. Matteo falling for a boy who can match him in longing stares.

I’ve had some reservations about Mia’s acting but she has honestly grown a lot on me as a character, I like how she’s written, and so frankly? Even S2 kinda has me excited. My personal feelings about the central relationship aside, Druck deserves a chance to have its S2 as much as any of the others.

IDK, it’s kinda frustrating that the geoblock and random production issues seem to have cut off a lot of the potential fanbase, so I hope the show gets another chance, and that they fix whatever lingering issues.

They definitely could do better with social media output and overall keeping the interest in the show flowing between clips.

Anyway, for the most part, I actually enjoyed Druck S1 quite a bit, and I truly hope I get to see more of these characters.

I don’t speak German, so if I missed some context, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

#druck reactions #this is a week late bc i got busy with life stuff #but i enjoyed these last clips so much that i did want to write something

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shorthaircutsmodels · 4 years

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Emma Stone's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles - 15+ - https://shorthaircutsmodels.com/emma-stone-short-haircuts-and-hairstyles/ - Emma Stone's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, I'm talking about the fairy cut, people. This isn't the first time it's been short, but it's shorter than it's ever been before. Update: as of October. He had 6 stone long hair, and since the cover was probably shot before then, there's a real chance of his cut. The 27-year-old actress adorns the cover of Vogue's November issue with a brand new cropped hairdo that is quite different from her. Emma Stone's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles Emma Stone's Short Haircuts and Hairstyles, Signature trendy lob (long bob). Although you may know Emma Stone as the best redhead, the actress ' natural hair colour is blonde. (She dyed her hair red for her star-made turn as Jules in Superbad, and it has since become her signature. 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This is evidence that sometimes an inch or two can make all the difference in the impact. Emma Stone's Hairstyles Emma Stone is one of Hollywood's most recognizable redheads, even if shdoesn't have a natural hair color. Emmâ € ™ s fair skin looks gorgeous with red hair, thanks to her freckled complexion and pink shades. Emma Stone's own personal hair wizard Mara Roszak: thinking about her new hairstyle. Emma Stone's Short Hair I decided to go straight to the source and join the help of a seasoned professional. Related: try our Hollywood make-up tool to see how redhead will look, the Los Angeles-based hairdresser who counts Mila Kunis and Lily Collins among her clients has arguably been a harbinger of classic style. After waiting patiently for two months for my date. Emma Stone's Hair Roszak dived into town a few days before the annual Met Ball and at a convenient time that was finally beginning to feel like spring in New York. 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Every time she comes into our sights, she is spotted with a gorgeous hairstyle. Here are the top 26 of Emma Stone's most impressive hairstyles. Take a look at them to see if you can pull them off. Emma Stone is the perfect woman all girls want to be. She is very attractive, beautiful and cherry. Emma Stone's natural hair color Every time she comes into our sights, she is spotted with a gorgeous hairstyle. Here are the top 26 of Emma Stone's most impressive hairstyles. Take a look at them to see if you can pull them off. Emma Stone natural hair colour Only in 2020 did Stone's hair change from almost black to icy, platinum yellow. And besides changing his tone, Stone is not afraid of the Clippers. So she ended her fling with extensions and chopped her shoulder length ' to make it into a jawbone grazing bob. This article will provide information on Emma Stone's short hair boom with Bob Hairstyle 2020. Emma Stone hair 2020 - 2021 But she cuts her hair and to discuss the brief bio before moving on to her basic style Emma Stone. Emma stone real name Emily Jean is a popular American actress. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, United on November 6, 1988. He was considered one of the winners of the Academy Award and Golden Globe Awards. Emma Stone strawberry blonde Emma Stone has enjoyed acting since she was a child. She attended the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix. Arizona, and performed in Kenneth Grahame's production of “the. Pearl wind of the Willos. If you're wondering if Bob is a good idea for your hair this fall, let's leave some insights in Emma Stone's way. Today, redhead (whom we love and adore) appeared on the carpet for his latest film, Birdman, at the Venice Film Festival. Best Emma Stone hairstyles images Look what you did to your hair. This is quite an incredible Bob doing sport, if we say so ourselves. It's no secret that everyone in Hollywood struggles to wrap their heads. 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As magazine covers are shot months in advance and Emma has still. Been spotted rocking a shoulder-length bob in recent weeks. Still, it wouldn't be out of character for The Amazing Spiderman star to get a tough, new look. She regularly gives fans great hair envy whether she is. Emma Stone bob hair Rocking a shoulder length style, adding a short bob or fringe, as well as coloring her hair in a variety of shades including Auburn, brunette and blonde. Summer is over (in case you haven't heard), but that hasn't stopped Emma Stone from continuing the season's trend of super-short bobs. Over the past few months, a number of celebrities.

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so-caffeinated · 7 years

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Slight deviation from the prompt. Right after I selected one, norah_beans on twitter basically threw down the gauntlet challenging me to write Olicity in Bed Bath and Beyond (after Marc’s comments earlier today). I’m bad at turning down challenges. So.... this happened. As with all flashfics, this is not betaed, edited or even reread. Completed in about two hours.

April 2020

“I don’t understand why we’re here.” Felicity blinks a few times as the automatic doors slide open and the bright sunshine gives way to the dull fluorescent lighting she generally associates with malls and grocery stores. She grabs a cart and swings Ellie off of her hip with practiced eased, sliding the not-quite-two-year-old into the built in seat, facing her before turning to Jules.

“Momma, I think I’m too big for the cart,” Jules announces. She’s five and dead-set on independence wherever she can grasp it. “It’s for babies.”

It would be sort of a tight squeeze with both of the girls up there and Ellie’s been teething lately, biting on anything and everything in arm’s reach in an attempt to cut her two-year molars. It would be best if one of those things within reach weren’t her sister.

“Okay, Jules, but stand on the end of the cart and hold on, okay?” Felicity asks, looking back toward her husband who’s been quickly distracted by some kitchen tools with functions she knows nothing about. “Honey?”

“Yeah,” he says, putting down the doodad and heading back to her side.

“This is going to be like Home Depot but worse, isn’t it?” she questions. He looks a little sheepish.

“They have some really nice kitchen things,” Oliver ventures. She stops and blinks at him.

“If we came all this way for a new slow cooker…” she warns, her tone vaguely threatening.

“No,” Oliver chuckles, nudging her so that they start walking. “We have a great slow cooker. Two of them, actually. We’re here for Roy and Thea’s wedding present.”

Felicity grinds to a halt at that and blinks up at him. “April Fool’s Day was earlier this week, Oliver. Not today. There’s no chance in he...heck that your sister registered at Bed Bath and Beyond for wedding gifts.” Her eyes dart to Jules and Ellie at her near-slip, but neither girl seems to have noticed.

“No,” Oliver replies. “She didn’t. But Roy saw something he wanted here and I figured it would be a nice gift.”

“Roy,” Felicity asks, her voice a deadpan.

“Yes,” Oliver agrees.

“Roy saw something at Bed Bath and Beyond that he wants,” Felicity continues in the same tone.

“He did,” Oliver confirms.

“Roy’s stepped foot into a Bed Bath and Beyond?” Her nose scrunches up as she asks the question. “Because I’m having trouble picturing this.”

“Well, last week we were out before patrol and-”

“Hold on,” Felicity says, gesturing wildly with one hand. “You and Roy went shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond together?” If her eyes are bugging out a bit, she feels like that’s understandable.

“In a… professional capacity,” Oliver allows, clearing his throat.

“There are some big blank spaces in need of filling in about now,” she informs him.

The door slides open behind them and Felicity is suddenly quite aware that in spite of the store being sparsely populated, it’s not like they’re alone for this conversation.

“Let’s walk,” Oliver says, as if reading her mind. She steers toward linens instead of kitchen goods because she knows her husband and they do not need to go home with a brand new juicer or meat grinder or ice cream maker or whatever.

“So what is it that Roy had to have?” Felicity asks as they pass an older woman with powder blue hair holding some ‘as seen on tv’ gadget and debating the validity of a coupon with a very tired looking employee.

“There’s this grill…” Oliver starts off. Felicity has to shake her head and laugh to herself because of course it’s a grill.

“A grill?” she asks with clear amusement.

“It’s the grill, Felicity,” Oliver tells her seriously.

“I find that funny mostly because I’m well aware that Roy’s indoor kitchen skills are on par with mine, but you put that man outside and suddenly he’s like an artisan chef or something,” Felicity informs him.

“There’s…” Oliver starts before wincing and licking his lips a little. That’s damned distracting, regardless of context and company. He’s clearly thinking, trying to find a way to voice his thoughts. She might not get why Roy needs ‘the grill’ but she does get that it means a lot to Oliver. That’s enough for her, but her curiosity still has the best of her. “You know what it was like for Roy growing up, the kind of life he had. He said the grill reminded him of this friend he had once, some kid in a slightly better part of the Glades who had a barbeque that wasn’t . He said it was sort of cool because the kid had a dad who stuck around and a mom who packed him lunch and made him eat his vegetables. I think it’s linked in his head with what a family is, what a family looks like. And I want that for him and Thea.”

The thoughtfulness of that socks her right in the gut. Because she knows. She remembers. She’d been better off than Roy as a kid, but not by a hell of a lot. She remembers rusty swingsets and hand-me-down clothes that never once fit her. She remembers eating bar food for days on end because her mom could bring home food they were gonna toss at work, but they didn’t have money for things like fruits and vegetables. So, it’s not a grill for her. That’s not the thing that resonates with her, but she gets the idea. She gets that very well.

“I think that’s an awesome idea,” she tells her husband when it becomes obvious he’s waiting anxiously for some kind of response. “I think you’re an incredibly wonderful, thoughtful, amazing man and I am a very, very lucky woman to have married you.”

“A very smart woman,” he corrects her with a grin. “Luck didn’t have a whole lot to do with it.”

“Says the man who survived a shipwreck for years only to return home and find me in the IT department miraculously able to retrieve nigh-unrecoverable data off a laptop someone used for target practice?” she questions with a quirk of her eyebrow.

“Okay, so maybe there was a little luck,” he allows, kissing her temple and draping an arm around her as they start moving the cart again.

They’re nearly through the bedding section, into the patio area, when Ellie gives a high pitched shriek. At first, Felicity panics, thinking something’s wrong, but no… no it’s just her almost-two-year old being totally on-brand.

“Rascal!” she declares loudly, making grabby hands toward the kids’ bedding section. Sure enough, there’s a racoon covered bedspread set up on a mattress and Felicity knows that her younger daughter is about to utterly lose it. “Gimmie Rascal!”

“That’s not how you ask for things,” Jules tells her little sister, shaking her head in beratement.

“Go ahead,” Felicity tells Oliver, nodding toward the grills as she lifts Ellie out of the cart. She’d reached so far that it was only by the grace of the seatbelt that she hadn’t fallen out headfirst.

“I’ll be fast,” he promises, clearly aware that things with Ellie might have a massive downturn in very short order. She’s grumpier than usual with the teething and her patience is slim.

“Ellie-bug…” Felicity says, turning the little girl so she can’t see the cartoon animal. Or, at least, she couldn’t without the absurd kind of flexibility only know to toddlers and yoga devotees. She cranes her neck to catch another glimpse of Rascal and Felicity bops her lightly on the nose to get her attention. It doesn’t work though. She’s far too in Rascal-mode. “Hey, look at me, missy.”

“My Rascal,” she insists, looking back to her mom with huge, watery eyes that quickly spill over with fat tears that roll down her face as her lower lip quivers.

Faker.

“He’s the store’s Rascal, Ellie. You have plenty of Rascals at home,” Felicity tells her sternly.

“I want,” Ellie insists with a sniffle.

“And I want my little girl to not be demanding and not cry her little eyes out when she can’t have something she wants,” Felicity says, holding her ground. “You are not getting the Rascal bedspread right now, Elizabeth. If you want it, you can ask for it as a birthday present, but don’t you dare pitch a fit right now.”

“Maybe if you’d asked nicely,” Jules sighs, shaking her head. Ellie is too busy sniffling with little hiccups into her mom’s shoulder to hear her sister, though, and that’s just as well because Felicity’s pretty sure it would lead to bigger tears and an attempt at an apology in a bid to take the bedspread home today.

But that’s not happening.

She and the girls move around the corner slightly, just enough that Ellie can’t possibly see Rascal anymore and she can watch Oliver as he talks animatedly with a salesperson who is clearly trying to talk him into a better model. Felicity gets why. It’s not like the grill Oliver’s talking about getting Roy is anything special - at least not on the surface. It’s probably barely average quality and certainly average cost. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about it. But, she knows, there will be to Roy.

Oliver heads back after a moment with a heart-stopping grin on his face. He’s so proud of himself right now. And he should be. For all the ways he saves his city, it’s little moments like this where he comes through for his family that really prove him to be a hero in every aspect of his life. At least, he is to her.

“It’ll be waiting for us up at the register in a few minutes,” he tells her, taking Ellie from her arms as she immediately reaches for him with wet, reddened fingers she’d been chewing on. She glares back at her mother like she’s holding a grudge. She probably is, right now, but it will pass shortly. “There’s a few other things I wanted to pick up before we go.”

“What kind of things?” Felicity asks, suddenly a little suspicious because why had he and Roy come here in the first place, again?

“Uh… some refrigerator water filters, a couple wine openers, a few… other things,” he answers, rubbing Ellie’s back.

“Didn’t you change the fridge water filter last week?” Felicity asks.

“Yeah, well… that’s, uh… that’s where I got the idea,” Oliver admits.

“What idea?” she questions warily.

“You know when you put those in, if you put them in wrong, how there’s a whole lot of pressure?” Oliver asks. “There’s a lot of force in those little things.”

“I’m aware,” Felicity replies.

“Well… Roy and I were talking about it and we thought they might be useful,” Oliver says, clearing his throat and looking around to make sure the salesperson is nowhere nearby. “For some new trick arrows.”

“...You and Roy came to Bed Bath and Beyond to look for supplies to make new trick arrows?” Felicity asks, trying to wrap her head around that idea.

“Yes,” Oliver agrees. “Yes, we did.”

That mental image… Oliver and Roy perusing the gadgets in the kitchen section… that’s a thing that’s gonna stick with her for a bit. Hell, she might need to hack the store’s security footage to see if she can actually catch a glimpse for herself.

“How frequently did salesgirls interrupt to see if they could help you two?” Felicity asks. She knows. She knows. It’s not like Oliver doesn’t draw interested looks wherever he goes. She’s used to that by now. But she’s also dead certain that he and Roy combined in a store like this had meant they’d had a whole lot more help than they’d wanted.

“That might be part of the reason I still need to go buy those filters and wine openers,” he admits.

“We’re here as your cover, aren’t we?” Felicity realizes.

“Maybe a little,” Oliver agrees. “But mostly you’re here because I want to spend my weekend with my wife, even if it’s spent doing something like shopping for refrigerator filters.”

“And Rascal?” Ellie asks, lifting her head to look at her father with wide, hopeful eyes. She knows the weak link in the parenting chain when it comes to batting her baby blues. But Oliver gives her a solid shake of his head, holding fast to the ‘no rewards for whining’ rule.

“Not today, Ellie-bug,” he tells her. “But if you and Jules are both good then I’ll pick you up some bubbles and chalk at the checkout and we can go to the park after this. Okay?”

Jules stands up straighter at that. “You’d better be good,” she tells her sister.

“You’ll get chalk either way,” Felicity murmurs, pulling the older girl to her side and quickly kissing the top of her head. “You’ve been very good today and I’m grateful.”

“I good!” Ellie insists, sounding a little annoyed.

“Glad to hear it,” Oliver says crisply, shifting her to his hip with ease and tilting his head toward the kitchen section. “Shall we?”

They do. And ultimately Jules and Ellie earn not only the chalk and bubbles, but candy, too, because their dad is a bit of a pushover when it comes to his girls. He’s also a little weak when it comes to kitchen gadgets. Neither the new meat grinder nor the new pasta maker that wind up in their cart surprise Felicity. But that’s okay. He talks the whole way to the park about the pasta dish he wants to make her for dinner tomorrow. He’s just… he’s happy. They’re all happy. Roy will be touched when he gets his grill and Oliver takes such joy in making his family a nice dinner and the girls are thrilled with their bubbles and chalk.

Tonight, he’ll hit the streets, hold the criminals of Starling City accountable for their many crimes. He’ll save three lives and prevent a burglary. He’ll make a difference with this city, as he does night-in and night-out. But right now, he’s making a difference with his family. And that, Felicity knows, is every bit as important.

cc: @dust2dust34

#ficon #flashfic friday #olicity #jules queen #ellie queen

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atlasandrose · 7 years

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june 2, 2017

the 16th day Alone dear Ben, i dreamed last night. i didn't precisely sleep easily, but i dreamed. and of course i dreamed of you. what else? it was another film festival, another movie you had filmed me in. you asked me to be your date and accompany you. i agreed. we went to dinner, and you were wearing a tux. i had on a pale, rose colored dress, light and airy. i don't really remember anything else but your smile. it was quiet, sweet. unassuming. no pressure. just the two of us on basically our first date. dream us were older of course but you get the picture. life is different now, stranger. but you're still in it. so it's all right that it's different. i watched your film today. come dance in the rain with me, like we danced on that rooftop. come dance with me, and fall in love all over again. brandi told me that your film won three awards. i'm so proud of you. for as long as i've known you you've wanted to make films, and i'm so stupidly glad that other people can see your talent at making them. i'd one day like to star in one of your films. i know that's selfish of me, but you have the eye of an artist and a poet and a lover, and i trust you to portray that in every film you make. did that sentence make any sense? i don't know anymore. today was a quiet day. emotionally and physically. everything was just a little bit subdued. i didn't expect you to actually show up this morning, but it was lovely to see you. i wish i could've seen you afterwards. the last day of real school. we had such grand plans for this summer. perhaps we can resurrect some of those. who knows. but you now have your camping trip. take beautiful pictures. surround yourself with the most lovely things the world has to offer. breathe it all in. enjoy. relax. find yourself again. i will too. and maybe one night i'll crawl into a tent with you, and we'll finally have decent sleep. but for now that's far in the future. i miss you horribly at times. but it's mostly okay. just a quiet pang in the back rooms of my heart. i love you jules ps: i wrote a new stanza to a poem i put together of our work. "you are the cold beauty of the Stars burning through the dark of Night i am the explosion of Colour in your world bleeding emotions raise me out of this Hell i’ve made take me to that safer place where you are King and Infinity sings" i don't know if it really makes any sense, but it made me feel something when i wrote it. and for me, that's enough. pps: sue asked me about you. we were talking about writing and my brain strayed to you and when she asked i warned her it was a long story and she said she didn't mind. this is what i said: “he and i have been friends for two years now. met him in my german one class back when i still believed i was a priss. well he's the exact opposite. darkness and ink on his skin and words on the paper. we got seated one in front of each other. probably two weeks into german he grabbed my phone and put in my password which he knew because the little fucker sat behind me. he put in his number and texted himself without telling me. that was the beginning. two months later when we were sitting together at a football game he realised he was falling in love with me. he never told me of course, because he's a prick and also the way that he realised is when he felt hella jealous that i was flirting with his friend, who was also really into me. so he never told me and let me believe that i really liked this other kid. then summer came and i got my first boyfriend (who i don't count because we mutually agreed we were better as friends and now we're as close as siblings), and i started talking to Ben again. i started to catch feelings for him in august. by late september i was falling hard. we wrote back and forth to each other, weaving narratives into our stories about two angels, one already fallen, one on the way down. we spoke in metaphors, never quite admitting anything. on october 17 i told him to ask me out. he refused over text. on october 18 he came to my class and asked me in person. my parents quickly found out and my dad, who hated him, disapproved. in november we ditched a football game to wander the campus and ended up climbing a big old tree, where i had my first kiss under the stars. in december, we went to an abandoned school and climbed to the roof. he gave me rose petals. we went to the mall and climbed the roof of a nearby parking deck (the same parking deck he and i climbed a few weeks ago and danced in the rain). i went to a show uptown with his mother and little sister and him. i went to dinner with his family for his sixteenth birthday. i bought him a ring. he still wears it on a leather cord around his neck. i still wear mine. in january my parents found out about my eating disorder and searched my phone. they found other things. i wasn't allowed to talk to him for three months. we still did, but we got caught three more times. for a while neither of us had our phones for almost the whole month and we only saw each other at school. then my parents relaxed a little bit. but only just slightly. and by then it was too late. something in our relationship had been stifled and killed in those months of punishment. by the end of april he knew he was going to end it. we went on a break for a week. it was supposed to be much longer but i hung out with him and a friend and the friend had to leave and it ended with Ben and i kissing again. i thought we were all right, and he let me believe it, for that day. the next day was our seven month anniversary, and i handed him a letter, as we normally do on our anniversaries. and i gave him rose petals. he also gave me a letter. half a page explaining why he couldn't continue. i understood. neither of us have really moved on. we remain friends, but every once in a while he'll say something and i know that there's something more there. i write letters to him, letters he'll never see. but it helps to get rid of some of the excess emotion.”

that’s our story. condensed, certainly. but that’s what it is right now. i wish... i wish it could be so many things. but that’s who we are right now. we’ll see how it goes.

#journal

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whereitglows · 7 years

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Five Times Micah Died (And One Time He Lived)

Part of The Real Unholy Trinity Universe, which I write with @shiverofjoy and @brushingpast. This piece is just by me.

Prompt: Work Song for our Hozier Series

Warnings: Blood, gore, injury, suicide, death

The boys are stuck in a time loop and Micah is the linchpin. He fucks up a lot before he gets it right.

When my time comes around Lay me gently in the cold dark earth No grave can hold my body down I'll crawl home to her My baby never fret none About what my hands and my body done If the lord don't forgive me I'd still have my baby and my babe would have me

one.

The room is spinning. It’s hard to get his eyes to focus, but out of his peripheral vision--which is pulsing red with his heartbeat, is that bad? It’s probably bad--he can see the scrawl of permanent marker across his formerly cream-colored bedroom walls. The three-headed beast with his friends faces on it seems to move, as if it’s shouting from the plaster and paint.

How much blood did he have to lose before the goddamn voices fucking stopped?

Apparently a lot.

They are still talking to him. Sometimes he thinks he recognizes them. Other times, not so much.

His phone vibrates, inches from his left hand where he had held it as be bled, reading the messages he had saved from his friends.

Lucian: You’re a good guy, Micah.

Jules: yeah man if anyone was getting into the Good Afterlife when you died it would be you, fuck what your mom says.

The voices are laughing at him when he dies.

two.

He cashes in the jars of change his mother hoards all over the house and buys a bus ticket. It takes him weeks, but he does it a pickle jar at a time, so that Tammy won’t notice. At the end of it all, with the help of some scrounging for cans and a few incidents of theft from his mother’s wallet, he manages to scrape together almost $400--twice as much as he had expected and more than enough to cover a one-way ticket to Minneapolis.

He considers going to Columbus. Strongly. But there is no chance he could show up at Lucian's family home. The streets of Minneapolis are a different story.

On a morning in April, he throws himself into a whirlwind of transportation. First, a cab from his town to the next town. A stolen bicycle, unlocked in front of a library, to the train station. (He leaves a note tied to the handle with where he stole it and hides a $20 bill under the seat; he hopes it will find its way back to its owner). A train from Rhinecliff to Poughkeepsie. A train from Poughkeepsie to New York City.

The city is loud, brash, and oppressive. It stirs up the silt in his brain, clouding his thoughts like river water. He leaves the relative brightness of Grand Central to a corner bodega, where he pulls his wad of change-jar money out of a jeans pocket and peels off an astounding $20 for a pack of cigarettes and a plain white lighter.

He doesn’t notice the man follow him out until the hand falls onto his shoulder and he jumps.

“Eeeeyyyy man, gotta light?”

Micah turns around. There is a man in baggy clothes, a black knit cap, and a tangled beard over a mostly-toothless mouth where an unlit cigarette bobbs in time with his words.

“Oh, yeah, I--” Micah reaches into his jeans pocket awkwardly, squeezing around the hip strap of his backpack. When he draws his hand out of his pocket, his clumsy money roll follows it. “Fuck, hold on--”

He never sees the man’s eyes light up. He never sees the knife.

He finally dies in an alley mere seconds after his bus pulls out of the garage, bound for Ohio, thinking, man, I never even fucking got to smoke a goddam cigarette. For a moment, he is standing, once again, in the bright lobby with the clocks and the ticket booths, but without the commuters. A tall, thin person with dark eyes, a long braid, and a red and gold sari approaches him. “You’re not supposed to be here yet,” ey say, sounding annoyed. Micah tries to speak and finds he cannot. The person rolls eir eyes. “Julian, get it right this time.” Micah thinks his friend’s name sounds more like an epithet on the person’s lips than a name.

three.

This time around, he makes it far enough to see them, and they are in a shitty car that Luc or Jules probably stole and they are driving through Ohio and fuck, who ever thought Ohio would be beautiful? But Jules is driving with one hand and Lucian is reading a well-worn book in the backseat and Micah is watching the sun set out the passenger side window. He has stolen the aux cord over everyone’s objections, and he trusts them enough to let the armor slip, to play something soft, like the dust motes drifting over the wheatfields in the distance.

The car swerves and Jules laughs. Micah’s head snaps around and sees Jules has traded one hand on that damn steering wheel knob-thing for both knees pressed to the wheel as he tears open a bag of chips. Suddenly the golden light of the sunset is gone, replaced by the red-black pulse of Micah’s tunnel vision and the tell-tale whispers that precede a vision.

“Jules--” he says through his distress. Jules laughs.

“Look ma, no hands!” he crows proudly. Lucian chuckles from the back seat and when Micah turns to look at him, half of his face is missing and Micah can see brain through his based in skull. He thinks he will vomit, turns to Jules to make him pull over, has no desire to vomit on his lap, but Jules is slumped back against the seat, eyes unfocused, tongue lolling out of a bloody, foaming mouth, and Micah lunges for the steering wheel.

The voices are persistent; he is sure he hears both Luc and Jules shouting at him as he yanks the dumb black knob hard to the right, even though they are dead, died somewhere in the golden sunset without Micah even noticing--

The car skids roughly from the highway, hits a ditch, rolls twice and lands upside down. Lucian, never one to impede comfort, has not been wearing his seatbelt and he is thrown around the sedan like a ragdoll. His head hits the half-open backseat window at just the right angle to tear the skin from one side of his face and break open his skull. Jule’s head whips back and one of the metal posts from the shitty, broken headrest impales him in the base of the neck. He is brain-dead before the car even stops moving.

Micah dangles upside down and somehow manages to undo his seatbelt, even though he’s sure that isn’t supposed to happen. He is screaming their names. Jules does not answer, but there is a rasped breath from behind him and he crawls across the ceiling of the car until he is with Lucian, holding his spasming hand.

“I fucked it up, Luc,” Micah cries. There is a stabbing pain in his back, near his shoulder. Perhaps he dislocated it when he dropped from his seat. “Luc, I’m sorry, I fucked it up, I fucked it up.”

Lucian’s functional eye swivels to look at Micah. His lips twitch in what might be a kind of a smile. “Not… fault,” he breathes. There is blood in his mouth. Micah finds one of Lucian’s hands and he is kissing the knuckles.

“I fucked up, I fucked up.”

“‘S always…. Next time…” Luc rasps. With surprising strength, he grabs Micah by the shirt and pulls him close. Micah smells blood and shit and gasoline. Is something burning? Lucian’s lips press to his forehead. “I… forgive you,” he says.

By the time the car burns, Micah has dragged Jules to be with them as well. Their ashes mingle in the corn fields.

four.

The duplex is narrow and old and sometimes the power goes out, but Micah loves it. He knows that they will leave soon--Luc is gone more often and Jules laughs whenever Micah mentions any time-frame longer than a few weeks--but for now, he loves it.

Usually.

Then there are nights like this, when Luc is gone somewhere and Jules has been holed up in his room for hours and Micah hasn’t spoken to a living soul since lunch. The internet is down again and so he can’t even watch Netflix on the ChromeCast in the livingroom. He’s read every book in the house by now and he can only imagine the derision he would face from the others if he was caught signing up for a library card with the duplex listed as his address. Still, he has checked every app on his phone twelve times and beat 2048 twice, and has seen neither hide nor hair of his friends.

He realizes the sun has finally set at the same time he notices the glow that flashes on-off-on against the wall of the staircase. From the accompanying curses, he can only assume it’s related to whatever Jules has been working on up there, alone.

After a short internal debate, Micah ascends the stairs, careful of the rough wood under his bare feet. He finds that Jules’ door is slightly ajar, and peeks in.

There is a black-purple light around Jules’ hands. He is staring at it with his brow furrowed. Severus, his snake, is on the floor in front of him and appears to also be watching intently. The light is shifting, changing form, and Micah can’t tell if Jules is encouraging it or fighting against it. At first it is the size of a softball, then a football, then a basketball. It shrinks then, back through the progression until it is golf-ball sized again. It does this several times, and the intense and uncharacteristic expression of concentration on Jules’ face never wavers. I’ve never seen him this focused on anything, Micah thinks.

Suddenly, the light flashes a bright red and grows to half the size of the room. Forgetting himself, Micah shouts in surprise and slips against the doorframe. The door swings open into Jules’ room. Jules’ head snaps around just in time to see Micah. He shouts and the ball of light continues to expand, until red is all Micah can see. He hears Jules’ voice--“Oh, balls! Not again, you nosey motherfucker!”--and then nothing.

five.

Lucian stands before him, but it is not Lucian. Jules has come up with a phrase for Lucian’s in-between moments, when he was neither Luc nor Lucifer--Lux. A crossing. An uncertainty.

This is not Lux.

“God fucking dammit, Micah,” Lucifer breathes. “What have you done?”

There is blood on Micah’s hands, in his hair. He can feel it on his torn t-shirt. He tastes metal on his tongue--is that blood, too, or only terror? Paul, the leader of the cult, slumps dead and cold in the corner of his office. There is darkness pulsing in the corners of Micah’s vision. The whispers slide over each other like the rasp of the sheets on Lucian’s skin.

“I didn’t want to,” Micah says. Is he speaking out loud? Does it matter? Probably not. If anyone can hear his thoughts, it’s the Light Bringer, isn’t it? “Lu--. He tried--.”

Lucifer’s skin--Lucian’s skin, with Lucifer’s intent--is cool on his face. His lips are soft, patient. Micah kisses him as if Lucifer is air and Micah is drowning, is trapped in a house fire, is halfway to the moon with nothing around him. Lucifer--Lucian--Lux’s tongue is sliding along his jaw, licking the blood from his face. Micah doesn’t mind. He twines his hands into Lux’s hair, staining it pink with Paul’s blood.

“I’m sorry,” Micah say, the words rasping in his throat. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“So am I, Micah,” Lucifer says. He pulls back from Micah’s neck where he has left bite marks that are already bruising. “I really hoped I didn’t have to do this this time around.”

His fist punches through skin and muscle, and up through Micah’s diaphragm like wet tissue paper. Then, suddenly, there is a look of horror on Lucian’s face.

“Micah, no,” he moans. He looks at his arm, buried up the elbow in torn and bloody flesh, and winces. He doesn’t try to move.

“I k-k…. I killed Paul,” Micah says.

“I know. Lucifer, he--we need Paul, he says we can’t go on without him.”

“What about m-m-me?”

“You’re the anchor point,” Lucian says. This means nothing to Micah. “Lucifer says… he says when you die, we get to try again.”

“I didn’t… didn’t m-m-mean t-to,” he manages, and he swears he feels Lucian’s fist against his lungs when he tries to breathe.

“I know, kid, I know,” Luc says. “It’s not your fault. We’ve done this before. I see it sometimes, in the blackouts. I don’t remember a lot, but Lucifer does. Sometimes he lends the memories to me.” He smiles weakly. “I’ve seen you do way worse. One time, early on, you killed me. Crashed the damn car.” He is quiet for a moment, his left arm quivering with the weight of Micah’s body. “I gotta let go now, Micah. I’ll see you next time around.”

“I killed someone, I--”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve all killed people somewhere in the loops.”

“Luc--”

“Sorry Micah. It’s time to go. I promise, you’ll find us again.”

six.

The building seems much higher now that he’s standing on top of it. The wind, barely noticeable from the ground, whips his hair around his face. He realizes it has grown long since he left New York.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asks his friends. Jules pats him roughly on the back.

“Of course it is! Paul is giving his press conference about the cult down there.” Jules points down what seems like an impossible distance, to where people scurry like ants around news vans that can’t be bigger than a soda can. “When you fall and you don’t die, it’ll prove to all his cronies that we’re telling the truth, and that we are who we say we are. Then we have the energy we need.” There is an unusual hunger on Jules’ usually playful face. “Can you imagine what we can do once our parlor tricks don’t drain us? How well you’ll be able to see the future, how far I’ll be able to teleport us? And not to mention Lux--I mean Lucifer. With enough power from believers, he said he’ll leave our good buddy Luc here all to himself and find a better way to--what was it? ‘Cross ethereal planes of existence’?” He falls silent and there is a faraway look in his eyes for a moment before he snaps back to himself. He looks almost guiltily at Micah. Micah has a feeling that, for the first time, he may have glimpsed the Antichrist hiding in his class clown of a friend.

“Besides,” Lucian chimes in. “If you do die, we know we fucked up somewhere along the line and we’ll just have to reset anyway.”

“Comforting,” Micah mutters. “What happens to you guys when I die, anyway?”

Luc shrugs. “Lucifer doesn’t usually share the memories of the other cycles. He just tells me they exist. From the few times you and I have caught glimpses of the same stuff, I assume he’s telling the truth.”

“We live,” Jules says shortly. He is still looking out over the Dallas skyline, as if he is searching for something. “Until we die. And then we just come back again. As babies. Until we meet each other.”

Micah isn’t sure what to say about that. The silence is thick and unbroken until Jules breaks whatever reverie he was in. “Anyway!” he says brightly. “Luc and I will head downstairs. When you hear your phone ring, that’s when you jump. Okay?”

Jules and Luc turn to leave down the series of fire escapes before Micah has a chance to answer.

It feels like he’s alone on the roof for hours, shivering a little as the wind picks up. Isn’t it always supposed to be warm in Texas? Why the fuck does he feel like his snot is going to freeze? Will it be even colder on the way down, with 33 stories to fall before he hits the pavement? Will he hit the ground? A car? People?

Will he land on his friends?

His phone rings, and he realizes it’s the ringtone he set for Lucian in a moment of sentimentality. He never thought he would actually hear it; they never call each other, only text in rare moments when they are not together anyway. Hozier’s deep, Irish voice sounds small and tinny in his pocket.

Boys workin' on empty Is that the kinda way to face the burning heat? I just think about my baby I'm so full of love I could barely eat

He takes a deep breath and runs. Don’t trip, he thinks madly. Don’t trip, don’t trip-- When he reaches the lip at the end of the roof, he vaults it like a gymnast. He has a moment to wonder if he’ll roll his ankle when he lands before he remembers he won’t be landing, at least not like he normally would.

He falls and thinks of roller coasters, of parachutes, of birds, and then of none of those things. The ant people are cockroach people, then mouse people, then dog people, and then he sees faces, whites of eyes, individual hairs blowing in the Texas spring wind--

He lands four feet to the left of Paul’s impromptu press-conference. His neck snaps. When his head rotates, he sees Luc and Jules leaning nonchalantly against a streetlight. Jules winks at him. People are screaming, he can tell eyes and cameras alike are turning to look at his broken body on the concrete.

He finds he can move his hands, gets them beneath his chest, pushes himself up off the sidewalk, feels the gravel embedded in his palms. He cracks his neck like he fell asleep wrong on the couch; peolple around him are too scared to do more than gasp. The screams, he thinks, will come later. He feels people near him, realizes Jules and Lucian are coming to stand at his shoulders. This is it. I’m the prophet now. Front and center. The ring of horrified observers has become a semicircular audience. Micah wants to touch his face, to see if it’s all still there, but he doesn’t dare. Instead, he turns to face the cameras.

“I’m alive,” he says to the cameras. “And it’s not because of Paul Sangano’s cult. It’s because I am the Prophet Micah.” He reaches to either side, finds Luc and Jules’ hands, and has an intense deja vu--dead in New York City, dead in Ohio, dead, dead, dead--and it rolls off of him.

“I am the Prophet Micah. I’m here to save the world.”

#micah the false prophet #the REAL unholy trinity #fiction #music #TRUHT hozier series #hozier #work song #amwriting #writers on tumblr #YA fiction #religious fiction #(sort of)

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neighbourskid · 4 years

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Goodbye 2015! You sucked.

(original date: 29 December 2015)

Ah, it is that time of the year again. Christmas is over, the year slowly but surely coming to an end....

And yes, we are doing it again. Looking back on the year, seeing all that wasn't good, everything that sucked. We see it everywhere.

January: 2015 will be my year, I can feel it!

December: Oh, nevermind....

It's all over the social media. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr... we see it everywhere, from everybody.

But this year you will not hear it from me. I do, of course, agree. This year sucked. Most of it really. There were so many shitty things this year. All the killings of black people, the wars all over the world, the incidents in Paris... you name it, it probably happened.

But, as I said, you will not hear any complaining from me. No. I will look back at all the good things that happened this year. And now I should probably stop rambling about what I could do and get started. So, without further ado: My year in, well, I guess, numbers.

2015 in Movies

As you, my dear readers, have without doubt noticed, I have watched a few movies this year. Well, a few is quite understated. All in all I have been to the cinema 30 times since last December. Which, for most people, is a lot. At least most of my friends told me that I was, and I quote here, bonkers, out of my mind, crazy.. you get the feeling. A few also said they could not afford such extravagances. My answer was mostly, "me neither". But I did go, still.

So, here are the numbers. Since last December, I have-

been to the movies 30 times

seen 26 different movies

seen one movie 4 and another 2 times

seen 3 movies in one afternoon & 4 in one week

been to the movies with 14 different people

been to the movies 12 times on my own

been to 16 different cinemas

And those, my dear readers, are the movies I've seen:

It was a good year of cinema, I tell you. Very excited for next year. Can't wait to try beating my record. And I tell you, I will try. I will also try and watch the Award ceremonies. And watch the nominated movies beforehand. At least that is the plan.

But enough of movies and cinema now. Let's move on to the next category. Because besides sitting in cinemas all year, I have also read a couple of books. You who read my blog have, of course, noticed that.

2015 in Books

At the beginning of this year I planned to read 50 books for the '2015 Reading Challenge', but I guess I failed.

But I did read, mind you. A lot. For school mostly, but right after I graduated I started reading the books I actually wanted to read, the books I had at home for a long time but never read. I read novels, memoirs, short stories, biographies.. I read a lot. But I think I bought even more.

So I guess, these are my numbers for books. In 2015 I've read-

21 books

around 4.5k pages

13 books for school

7 German ones

11 English ones

3 French ones

This here are the books I've read:

I mostly enjoyed reading the books I read on my own terms. But 'Frankenstein', 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' and 'The Hound of Baskervilles', which I all read for school, were brilliant as well. I loved reading them. They were the most interesting ones I read for school.

'Die Macht der Drei' was honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. While discussing it with my teacher for the presentation I had to have about it, we mostly laughed about how bad it was. The story would have potential, mind you, but it was so badly written. It was horrible to read.

The French ones were acceptable, but I barely understood a thing.

Right now I'm still reading 'The Sherlockian' by Graham Moore (the great chap who wrote the academy award-winning screenplay for "The Imitation Game"), which is a brilliant book as well.

I'm hoping to read more in 2016, trying the challenge again, probably.

Mooooving on now. What else happened in 2015? Humm..... My shitty memory is quite challenging when it comes to such things. Well, how about a top ten of good things that happened? Yeah, sound like a good enough idea.

Top 10 Things of 2015

10. Getting my teeth. It should probably be further up the list, but idk. It was painful getting them, but it was worth it. I have them now, which is all that counts.

09. Watching the Oscars all alone in my bed, all night long and then going to school without having slept a second. It was a great night. I enjoyed that and I will be doing that again next year. The ceremony really touched me somehow. I loved it.

08. The summer camp "Connected" I helped organizing this year. It was amazing, we had a great time. And if you wanna know more about it, read the blog post I made about it.

07. Having made sure that my friend and I can go to San Diego next summer, around time for Comic-Con. I feel like this should be way up the list, but it's just the planning. I know that if I make a list at the end of 2016 it will grace the top of the list. It will probably be the list. But the planning alone is already motivating me like nothing else.

06. Probably graduating from my school? Like, that I made it, that I did not fail. It wasn't a particularly nice event, but hey, it happened. So the three years of, well, suffering, were worth it. I had fun at some of the exams, but that was an exception.

05. I went to the Europa Park in Germany with my friend and we had the best time ever. It was so much fun, I tell you. It was great being away from everything for two days and just enjoying the moment, being there without having to please any people, being able to just be ourselves. Sigh, I miss it.

04. The week me and my classmates spent in Calella, Spain the week after graduation. We had an amazing time there. It was a beautiful goodbye to these people. I really enjoyed myself there. It was great.

03. Going to the Cinema so much...I think. Yeah. It was great. I really liked that. I love the feeling of sitting among strangers, experiencing the same thing for 2.5 hours and then leaving. Not alone. But somehow as a group. It inspires me. Really does.

02. I will put 'Warner Bros. Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter' on this place, because as much as it hurt my heart being there, as much as the nostalgic feeling was killing me inside...it was a truly amazing experience and I loved every second of it. It showed me what a tremendous impact Harry Potter had on my life, my childhood. J.K. Rowling formed so much of my life with her books. And I am very grateful for that. I nearly broke down into tears in the café of the studio, but it was....sigh, amazing. Truly was.

01. I knoooooooow it sound incredibly cheesy to put this on my place 1 of the top ten things that happened this year....but it was kinda the highlight. It really was. So, as you know, I've been to London this fall to watch Benedict Cumberbatch in Hamlet. And as brilliant as the play was (AND IT WAS ASTONISHING), my highlight happened three days later, when I went back to the Barbican, stood in the cold for what felt like forever to meet Benedict. And having this incredible man stand an arm's length away from me, smiling and looking at me was most definitely the best thing that happened this year.

Now that I have rambled on for, like, forever I will end this looking back post, with looking forward. Because that is something we all should do: Look forward. Not back. Don't dwell on past things. Don't drag yourself down for something that didn't work out the way you planned it. Look to the future. Keep moving forward!

The things I look forward to in 2016 are quite a few, I tell you. And I'd rather think about them, than about all the bad things that happened in 2015.

In 2016 I look forward to going to Letters Live! in March with a few of my friends. I look forward to maybe visiting my grandma's hometown in Italy. I look forward to our team weekend in February, our teenager party in April. I look forward to the two weeks my friend and I will be spending in San Diego next July. I look forward to meeting Zachary Levi. I look forward to starting my studies next Fall. I look forward to... 2016. And hopefully it will be a good year. Hopefully our world will come to good terms with itself. Hopefully some wars will end. Hopefully the refugee crisis will get a good solution. Hopefully, we can all be the best versions of ourselves. Hopefully we get to fulfil our dreams. Hopefully this will be our year!

And with that, my dear friends and readers, I wish you all a happy new year. I hope it will indeed be a happy new year for you.

With love,

Alex

#blog post #import from old blog #long post #2015 #end of year #movies #books #highligths

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ladystylestores · 4 years

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Catching Up With Beauty’s Leading Indie Brands – WWD

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For small beauty brands facing the economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic, focusing on digital direct-to-consumer business has been key to survival, and in some cases, growth.

“All we have is dot-com,” said Sasha Plavsic, founder of California-based clean cosmetic brand Ilia Beauty. “That’s the reality right now.”

In New York, Marius Morariu, cofounder and president of Tracie Martyn, said if the skin-care brand didn’t already have a d-to-c model established, “it would be a very different, sad story. Ultimately, with direct-to-consumer, you have more control. You have the data on your clients.”

He has had to rely on digital sales due to the temporary closing of Tracie Martyn’s New York City spa, a channel of revenue. Morariu, a holistic nutritionist, opened the space with facialist Tracie Martyn in the early Aughts.

“We’re staying connected with clients online, and driving the efforts into online sales,” Morariu said. The brand is also found digitally at retailers Space NK and Bluemercury. “So far, that’s what we’re doing, and so far, it’s working.”

But for how long? His team of 15, which includes contributors, “hasn’t changed, lucky enough,” since COVID-19 emerged, he said, but he’s “praying to God and meditating.”

He’s also busier than ever in search of investment. “I’m looking constantly for partners that can help me magnify the success of the channels that are currently still in place…to take the brand to the next level. This is also an opportunity to invest in brands that are doing well online and direct-to-consumer and help them scale. Capital is needed to scale in a major way.”

At Ilia Beauty, launched in 2011, Plavsic has been utilizing recent funding to broaden its consumer reach, which has contributed to “exponential” growth during quarantine.

“Because we aren’t investing in retail marketing, we could take some of those dollars and invest in digital marketing, which I’m surprised has been as effective as it has,” she said. The makeup brand received Series B financing via Sandbridge Capital in December, after first receiving funds about 18 months ago through Silas Capital.

“I think there’s a lot of people in our category that are after a certain demographic,” she continued. “If we look at our stats and data, that demographic for us is roughly 25 to 40 [years old]. However, there’s another demographic that we haven’t really looked at in more detail until recently and that’s roughly 40 to 65. We have a brand new customer there that is very strong, probably the strongest.”

The brand’s site is 10 times what it was a year ago, she added. When it’s out of stock, consumers head to retailers Sephora or Credo’s sites and vice versa.

“The response was — I’m going to use the word insane,” she said of the “silver-haired foxette” that graces the newer ads targeting this new customer on social media, including Instagram and Facebook.

“If you look at some of my cousin brands around me, the ones that are creating similar formulas or embody the clean ethos, we’re all doing very well,” Plavsic continued. “Many of us have had recent funding. Many of us are seeing explosive growth.”

Such a brand is Youth to the People — started in the Bay Area by cousins Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez — also backed by Sandbridge Capital and found at Sephora.

“It’s definitely been an interesting journey,” Gonzalez said of working in quarantine. “But we’ve been doing well overall.”

Neither Ilia nor Youth to the People have had to furlough or lay off any employees, a team of about 35 and 57, respectively. A way they’ve each adapted to the loss of brick-and-mortar sales during lockdowns is by quickly shifting the responsibility of their field teams, for example. Instead of being on-site at Sephora stores, they’re online to educate the public on products. More than ever, consumers are making purchases without being able to try the merchandise firsthand — a fact that is continuing even as more and more brick-and-mortar stores reopen, since testers are being banned in many cases as part of safety protocols.

For Youth to the People, it’s a group of 17 who are currently working to increase online engagement using live chats and free, 15-minute skin consultations on the brand’s site, Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“It’s not just about our skin care but about addressing any skin issues, tips,” Cloyes said. “It’s also been a great way to keep everyone active.”

Like many brands, their team has been making use of Zoom, the video platform, for work meetings. But the founders are also bringing their collaborative office atmosphere online by continuing to connect employees on a personal level through game playing and virtual happy hours.

For her part, Vintner’s Daughter founder April Gargiulo has been organizing weekly yoga classes for her team of 12. “Every Friday is our creative day,” she said. “It means you’re not doing Vintner’s Daughter work, you’re pursuing something creative, whether that is cooking, drawing, flower arranging.”

Gargiulo launched the skin-care brand in 2014 after two years of developing her Active Botanical Serum, a face oil infused with 22 botanicals, and now also offers an Active Treatment Essence to repair and protect the skin.

She, too, hasn’t had to let anyone go. “We have not seen a reduction of sales,” she said. “The majority of our retailers are digital first….At the end of the day, our products deliver performance. There is a true value in that. Anytime you’re in a recession or economic hard time, things that hold their value are sought out.”

She plans to launch a content section of the brand’s site, amplifying its pillars, which include sustainability: “From Day One, we’ve always felt like we did not want to subscribe to the kind of beauty industrial complex where you had to have a new product introduction every three months. We’ve always subscribed to this idea of universal beauty and that with fewer, you could do more and have less of a carbon footprint. With better made skin care, you can have better results.”

Those in the midst of product development are confronting new challenges. “Anything that resembles hand sanitizers, like pumps, is hard to source right now,” said Ouai founder and hairstylist Jen Atkin, who works with the likes of Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and the Kardashian-Jenner clan.

She looks to her 3.4 million Instagram followers to create new products for the brand, which now has close to 40 employees: “The little things are such luxuries now. That’s what we’ve been hearing from our community. They want to feel good…I think we’re all still in shellshock on the world kind of shutting down with no warning.”

When Italy became the virus’ new epicenter and ceased activity, Jules Miller — founder of The Nue Co. — found herself in a dilemma. There was “a massive boom in sales,” growing 20 percent, month after month, and yet she had to rely on the European country, where she sources the glass packaging of her otherwise U.S.-made organic, food-based supplements.

“It’s become a challenge to meet the demand,” she said, calling from England, where she’s originally from. She’s taking it day by day, though she added that she’s cut marketing spending by 80 percent and hired five more employees, bringing her team to 20.

“We’re 80 percent direct-to-consumer, and 20 percent is largely online retailers,” she continued. The brand is sold in 110 shops, including Nordstrom and Violet Grey. “We have such a local customer base, a 70 percent repeat purchase rate.”

She credits it to the effectiveness of the products, which range from targeting gut health to skin impurities. Since the virus, there’s been a surge in sales of the brand’s immunity supplement, which grew 400 percent, she said.

“People do finally get that beauty is about addressing your health and that wellbeing, the glow begins within,” Morariu shared.

According to Plavsic: “The consumer is ready for clean makeup.”

Other contemporaries in cosmetics like RMS Beauty — which was founded in 2009 — and newer brands like Tower28 Beauty and Lawless Beauty are surviving the climate. There have been no furloughs or layoffs, share the founders, who emphasize the benefits of not over-hiring and cutting down on unnecessary spending. And they attribute part of their success to the clean category. These days, buyers want to be responsible for the products they use.

“I remember 10 years ago when we started the brand and we would talk about it being clean and green, people weren’t really interested,” said RMS Beauty’s chief operating officer Elaine Sack. “I don’t want to say we were laughed at…”

“We were laughed at,” chimed in founder Rose-Marie Swift.

“The marketplace really has come around,” Sack added. “People really do recognize, with the coronavirus and the less is more concept, that you can feel beautiful in your skin.”

“And it’s still fashion forward and user friendly,” Swift said. “People trust my brand. They know how outspoken I am against the industry and the chemicals being used. People were first hesitant, but now they’re embracing it.”

Amy Liu, chief executive officer and founder of Tower28 Beauty, who’s worked in the industry for 16 years, said she’s noticed consumers “moving toward clean beauty,” too. Like her peers, she follows a strict “no-no list” of ingredients, free of toxics. “People feel safe using our products.”

Annie Lawless of Lawless Beauty agreed. Her brand’s ethos is about being clean without sacrificing performance, using highly pigmented, full-coverage makeup.

“Beauty is recession proof,” she said. “It’s an inexpensive form of self-care. And clean beauty feels more relevant now. Health, wellness, the environment are at the top of our minds.”

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