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harry-styles-sunflower · 4 years

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Wandering Hands Part 1

Hellooo everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely day! SO this is Part 1 of Wandering Hands.

What it is: You and Harry become friends but you come with certain baggage that might make any other man run.

Word count: 6.2k

Warning: death and angst? (lmk if i forgot one!)

Pls reblog if you like it :) Thanks in advance for the support!

~~~

It was a long day after work and you had no one but yourself to worry about tonight. It was Friday, you were at Joe’s, the bar across your apartment. You’d come in regularly. Only about every other weekend. You were drinking your troubles away with a Manhattan. The bar wasn’t too full, it was only happy hour. You heard the bell ding behind you meaning someone walked in. Some man approached the bar as you finished your drink.

“Hello, can I get a glass of your most recommended wine?” You felt him look over at you, “and a refill on whatever she’s having” he paid Joe and sat a stool away from you.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to” you slid your glass away from you.

“No problem, I wanted to” you nodded and watched the tv. Joe served you your Manhattan and the man his wine. You knew it was a glass of his Château Cheval-Blanc because you had had it yourself once. 4 years ago.

“You know, I never understood baseball too much.”

You drank your drink and looked at him from the corner of your eye. Was he talking to you or Joe? You looked around you and you were the only one close enough to hear him and Joe was busy.

“It’s a good sport if you understand it” you shrugged.

“Care to explain it to me?” He moved to the stool next to you.

You swallowed your drink and looked at the screen. You had no interest in getting a good look at the man next to you anyway.

“English?”

“Precisely.”

“The Red Sox and Yankees played in London a few years ago.”

“Wasn’t home.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah”

“Well Um. 9 innings, 3 strikes you’re out. Guy on the circle in the middle? That’s called a mound. His position is a pitcher- “

“Isn’t that what you guys pour juice out of?”

“Yeah we use the same word for a lot of things, don’t interrupt,” he smiled at you, “he’s a pitcher. He throws to the guy across him, the catcher. Catcher signals him what kind of ball to throw in between his legs. He does it based off the batter’s weakness. There’re 4 bases. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and home. When the batter hits it, he hopes no one in the outfield catches it or it gets out of park. If they catch it while it was in the air he’s out, if they catch it after it’s hit the ground he can run as fast as he can to whatever base is available. But like in order. Oh, also if someone in the outfield catches the ball, they’re gonna throw it to one of the basemen so they can tag the batter running. But if the batter touches the base before they’re tagged then they’re safe.”

He nodded along so you knew he was listening.

“Can I ask a question now?”

You nodded and sipped your drink.

“How do you know it’s a strike?”

“Oh, my bad. See the box on the screen? If it gets in there it’s a strike. Outside the box it’s a no ball but we usually just say ball.”

He nodded and gestured to your drink, “refill?”

“Oh no, I’m good. I need water” He ordered one for you and Joe gave you a knowing look and you just shook your head at him. You two were basically friends now. He’d gotten to know you over the past 4 years. You lived across the street for 5 but you came in 4 years ago. Joe came and gave you your water and you drank it slowly and watched the game. It was Yankees v. Red Sox. The Red Sox made a homer and you shook your head.

“Yankees fan?”

“Yep. We’re in New York. Kind of against the law to be anything else.”

He laughed and sipped his wine. He hadn’t drunken much, he gave you all his attention while you spoke. “My dad was a big Yankee fan. I’ve been one since the day I was born. My mom says she pushed me out and when the doctor put me in her arms the Yankees had won the game. We used to go to a game like every year when I was a kid.”

“Are they as fun as they seem?”

“Even better. During the commercials on tv, sometimes the outfield players play catch with the people on the side or they play a video of the players talking or play a game with the crowd”

“That’s pretty cool,” he put his hand in front of you, “I’m Harry by the way”. You looked at his hand and put yours in it and shook it.

“Y/n” you looked over at him. You finally took a good look at his face. He was gorgeous you couldn’t deny it. He had strong facial features. Short stubble and green eyes. They were bright. Different than your own dark eyes. He made eye contact with you for a few seconds before you turned back to the screen and drank your water.

“If you’re from England, are you here for business or pleasure?” It was New York, people came and went. Travelled. But in your small town about 30 minutes north from the city, no one really came through here unless they knew someone.

“I uh I’ve been here for about a year but I just moved to the area recently. Got a little tired of the city life, but didn’t want to be too far. I work as an editor at Simon & Schuster.”

“Wow. That’s a good job. Hell of a commute I assume?”

“About 1 hour every morning. It’s worth it. Sleep without the sound of horns or sirens”

“True.”

He turned on his stool to face you and you faced him. Your knees were touching.

“So, what do you do?”

“Teach. I’m a teacher. 7th grade social studies. Actually, I taught the Boston Tea party today” you smirked at him and put one arm up on the bar and leaned against your hand and one hand on your knee. Some fingers accidentally touched his knee but your knees were touching. You couldn’t prevent it from happening

“Ahh” he moved a pointed finger at you. You laughed and so did he. He had dimples. Cute. “Such a petty thing if you ask me” he shrugged.

You laughed and shook your head.

“A lot of history is petty.”

“Do you like teaching?” He put himself in the same position as you, his fingers brushing yours too.

“I guess. I love my kids and filling their minds with knowledge but the standards and requirements are a pain in the ass”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard about that. Not too much freedom”

“Yeah. Like if I want to take them to a museum, I need to find a standard that validates that museum will teach them according to that standard”

“Wow. The museums here are basically free too right?”

“Yep.”

He shakes his head and sips his drink.

“It’s been like an hour and you’re still drinking your wine”

“Well Ms. Judgey, it’s a good wine. I’m savoring it.”

“It is good. I’ve had it. And I’m not judgey. I was just saying it must be warm now.”

“Eh. It’s still chill. Thanks for caring though” he grinned at you.

You rolled your eyes and finished your water.

“When did you have it?”

“Huh?”

“The wine”

“Oh, um four years ago”

“That’s precise”

“It was on an anniversary of something.”

“Wedding anniversary?” He laughed.

“Death anniversary actually.” His face stilled and he became pale.

“Shit I’m so sorry for laughing.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

“Shouldn’t have assumed.”

You saw him looking at you like he wanted to know who it was but would never dare to ask. You debated telling him. You turned back towards the screen, leaving his knees cold. He felt he had lost any chance he thought he had with you. He liked talking to you.

“Joe, jack and coke please”

He nodded and brought it to you. You chugged it down. Harry put his head in his hands. He had driven you to drink. Yikes.

“It was my husband. He died.”

He lifted his head from his hands and looked over at you. You were a widow. You looked so young. He felt bad you had to go through such pain.

“I’m sorry for your loss”

“Thanks. It was 5 years ago. I’m alright”

He nodded. Too scared to say the wrong thing.

“He was in the service. Died in Iraq.”

“Oh wow…” he was surprised you were opening up to him. Perhaps it was the liquid courage.

“Came with the territory, I guess. We were together for 10 years. Married for 5. Widowed for 5 now. If you’re trying to do the math we were high school sweethearts. Started at 15. Married at 20. He died at 25. Yes, I’m 30.” You drank your leftover water.

“Erm… Wow. Well you look good” he was nervous.

You laughed lightly and said thanks.

“Guess I scared you away now didn’t I?”

“No no! Not at all I just don’t want to fuck up and say the wrong thing.”

“Harry it’s been 5 years I’m good. I’m religious, I coped well”

“Oh okay.”

“Stop being nervous!” You laughed.

“I can’t help it!” He laughed lightly.

“I’ve got a big curveball for you,” you turned to face him and you put your hands on his shoulders as he faced you.

“I see what you did there. Curveball” he tilted his head toward the tv.

“Ooh yeah. I didn’t even notice. Well are you ready?”

“I think?”

“I have a son.”

It was what he thought. Didn’t know if he fully expected it though.

“Okay. Curveball caught? Strike? What’s the big deal?”

“Wait what? You’re not thrown off?” You were shocked. His face barely twitched or showed any surprised expression.

“No?” He shrugged. “It’s a child. I guess I kind of expected maybe something after you said you were together for 10 years.” He finished his wine.

“Fair enough.”

“So, where is he? If you’re here”

“In-laws. They take him every other weekend. Or just from Friday till Saturday.”

“You get along with them?”

You shrugged. “I think they thought I wanted him to sign up for the force. I didn’t. Obviously. It’s a death sentence. I just wanted to support my boyfriend at the time,” He nodded as you spoke, “but they love Sam and are always there for him”

“Sam huh?”

“Samuel. He’s 7”

“Good age”

“Yeah. He’s a lil sarcastic but I blame myself. I could be that way so he’s only doing what he’s learned. But he’s really smart. He’s obsessed with rocks. Been that way since he could walk”

“That’s cute I won’t lie”

“Thanks” you laughed. You liked his company. He was easy to talk to. You had found it easy to open up. He didn’t seem creepy either. Like he just wanted to get in your pants.

“Well it’s been lovely boys, but I have a little boy I have to be up for in the morning. His grandma wants to have brunch”

You stood up and so did Harry.

“Wait let me walk you to your car.”

You lived across the street but he didn’t have to know that. Joe hid his smile when you said “okay”. Harry paid Joe for both of your tabs and walked out with you. It wasn’t too late, 6 pm. You walked to your car and his was coincidentally in front of yours.

“So um. It was nice meeting you. I enjoyed your company”

You fiddled with your keys and looked up at him.

“Yeah I did too.” you said.

“Would it be too forward if I asked for your number?” he was biting the inside of his cheek, you could tell.

Guys had hit on you before. But the wounds were too fresh and Sam was too young. He’s still young but he’s smart, and he knows some days you feel lonely. As much as you convinced him that he was the only man you needed he knew the truth. You liked his company and conversations. So, you said,

“I don’t think so,” you held your hand out for his phone and he placed it in your hand. You put your number in as “y/n 🥃🍷”. Ball was in his court now.

“Cute” you both laughed.

“I’ll text you” he said

“Mhm” yeah. Sure.

“Are you gonna get in your car?”

“Oh, it’s fine you don’t have to wait” please don’t make me get in my car. I live here.

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t wait until you at least got in to your car?”

Okay you were a little impressed. Fair enough.

“Very true actually. Well bye, Harry”

“Nuh uh. It’s see you soon. I’m serious about texting you”

“Okay” you laughed and got in your car.

He got in his and you waited for him to pull out.

Once he was past the traffic light you got out and went up to your apartment. You called Sam’s grandma the second you got in. He picked up with an ecstatic voice.

“Hi ma!”

“Hi baby, how are you? Everything okay?”

“Yeah! We’re bowling. I’ve gotten 2 strikes!”

“Oh wow. Look at you!”

“Grandpa says dad was good at bowling”

Your heart broke just a little. It bothered you a little when they spoke about him to Sam. You knew he was their son but they didn’t know how much Sam cried sometimes wishing he got to know his dad. You only spoke about him when Sam asked about him or mentioned him.

“Yeah he was actually. When we were younger, we went on a date and he won one round and I won the other. But we were too broke to buy another round so we left it a tie” you laughed at the memory. Just 15-year-old kids.

“You were broken?”

“No sorry hon, I mean we didn’t have enough money to pay for another round”

“Ohh okay.” You forgot sometimes Sam was only seven because he was so smart sometimes.

“Yeah. Well can you put your grandma on for me hon?”

“Yeah okay. I can stay over?”

“Yeah of course. As long as you want to and don’t feel forced to okay?” You knew sometimes he didn’t want to because of how much they spoke about his dad. On those weekends you faked he had a tummy ache.

“Yeah okay. Here’s grandma” he passed the phone to your in-law. You could never say ex. Your husband wasn’t an ex.

“Hello?” Her tone was already unwelcoming.

“Hey, just wanted to confirm we’re still on for 11?”

“Yeah. I haven’t cancelled.” Translation: did I tell you we weren’t going?

“Okay. Sounds great. See you there”

“Okay” she hung up.

“Yeah okay bye. Geez” you slammed your phone on the table and rubbed your temples. She was always so rude to you. When he died, she said it was your fault he left. She apologized for that but it was still something she said. You can’t take words back. You left your phone on the table and went to shower. You just wanted to take a warm shower, relax your muscles, wear some cozy pajamas, drink some tea, and watch friends until you fell asleep. Friends never did you wrong. So that’s what you did. You remember to set your alarm for tomorrow but you also remembered you left your phone on your kitchen table. With a groan because you found the position and you knew you wouldn’t find it again, you got up and got your phone. You saw you had a text from a random number. When you unlocked your phone, the message said

H: Hey, it’s Harry.

You felt bad for making him wait but whatever.

Y/n: hey

You got back into bed, not finding the position again and kept your phone next to you. Your phone lit up about a minute or two later.

H: what’s up? Did you get home safe?

Y/n: oh yeah. Thanks. You?

H: Yeah, I did thanks. So, what’s up?

Y/n: watching friends, you?

H: Same actually. Nick@nite?

Y/n: Yup 😂

H: I’m happy they play this. Especially since Netflix took friends off.

Y/n: Same. Friends is like my bedtime story now. I watch it every night

H: favorite character?

Y/n: I think it depends the season? Like I love Ross in season 9 and I love the rest. I couldn’t pick

H: I agree.

H: Would you want to FaceTime?

You thought about it. Did you want to?

H: We don’t have to if you don’t want to. (Sorry for the spam of messages btw)

You laughed at the last bit.

Y/n: we can FaceTime :)

“Harry would like FaceTime…” you slid your finger across the screen.

“Hello”

“Hey” he smiled into the camera.

“You look cozy” he was wearing a brown robe thing w a hood from what you could see.

“Ooh I am,” he looked up at the tv, “why are birth control commercials so odd?”

They were playing a commercial for lo loestrin fe and the cartoon bought what was supposed to be lingerie and was showing her boyfriend you assume.

“I hated that pill. It was the worst one I’ve ever tried”

“Really?”

“Yeah it made me gain weight and tons of acne”

“It sucks that all that comes with just trying to prevent pregnancy”

“Yeah. You males have it so lucky”

“Well if they came out with a male one, I’d take it”

You laughed a little too loud.

“You think you’d be able to remember?”

“I’d just take it in the morning. Like a vitamin”

You noticed the way he pronounced vitamin. It was a little different. Cute different.

“I used to take mine at night, just before bed. It was easier that way for me”

He nodded at you and the show had come back. You think that maybe that whole conversation was TMI for your first FaceTime call. The episode The One in Barbados. You both laughed at Monica’s hair.

“Kind of didn’t like the whole Joey and Rachel plot line” He said while looking at the tv screen. It was like you guys were together in the same room and his company was nice on this lonely night.

“Yeah same. It was wack” he laughed at that.

“I think I love phoebe”

“Same, Regina Phalange”

“It’s actually princess consuela bananahammock.” He said with a straight face. You cracked up at his little joke and kept watching the tv.

A few hours later and friends was over. You and Harry were basically playing 21 questions.

“any pets?” You asked.

“Nah, I work too long” you nodded.

“Favorite flower?”

“Sunflowers or tulips”

“Interesting choices”

“Thank you” you smiled. You were now in bed laying down against your pillow, “do you live in a house?”

“Yeah. Small but yeah”

“I used to, but a year after he died, I had to sell it. I like the small space better. It’s more homelike for just us 2”

He nodded and listened. “What time is lunch with your in law?”

You liked how he didn’t say ex in laws. It was a small thing but you noticed.

“11:00”

“Oh okay”

“Yeah”

“Y/n, um. I’d like to take you out. On a proper date. But I know you’re probably really busy. So, um do you think you could let me know when you’re free? If you wanted to go out on a date with me that is”

“Yeah sure” you bit back your smile. You had never done this before. Well not after your husband. It would be your first date in 5 years. You just got a good feeling from Harry.

“Oh okay” he was a little shocked.

“If not this week, then the next. Maybe Friday”

“Yeah that’s good with me”

“Well uh, I’m gonna go to sleep Harry. It was nice meeting you today”

“Yeah it was for me too, meeting you. Goodnight. Sweet dreams”

“Yeah thank you. Goodnight” you smiled and hung up. You felt giddy and happy. You looked at your bedside table and it was a picture of you on your wedding day staring back at you. You knew he would want you to move on already. You smiled and contently fell asleep.

~~~

You woke up around 9:45 to give yourself enough time to get ready. It was nice being able to sleep in a bit. Sam was always up by 8. You remembered your conversation with Harry last night. You haven't had a conversation like that in years. You'd just recently decided that you'd be open for a relationship but you weren't on any dating apps or anything either. Going with the flow you guess. You got ready quickly and drove to the restaurant where you were meeting your boy and your in-laws. You stepped out your car and so did they. Sam looked around before running to you. You opened your arms for him and he hugged you tight.

"Ugh my baby I missed you so much last night!" you kissed his forehead.

"I missed you too ma," he kissed your cheek.

You picked him up and spun him around making you both giggle.

"y/n", your mother in law said.

"Lydia, how are you?" She held her purse in front of her as you put Sam down.

"I'm good, you?"

"Good."

Your father in law approached you. He was quieter and more reserved. The loss of his son hit him hard. The two were close. He did watch out for you a bit more than Lydia. Lydia's priority was Sam, William's priorities were you and Sam.

"Hi William, how are you?"

He gave you a hug and you guys walked into the restaurant.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Good, thank you."

You guys got settled into a booth and you already knew what you all wanted. This wasn’t the first time.

"Sam told me his science teacher is being hard on him," Lydia spoke without looking away from you. She was looking at your clothes and makeup. Seeing if it was up to her standards.

"Yes, he told me too. I already told him what to do."

"And what was that?" Here we go. Here's the thing. Lydia was your husband's mother. When he passed, she wanted to be her grandson's mother as well.

You held in a sigh before speaking. "I told him to work hard during school but if she specifically targets him repeatedly to let me know and I'll handle it."

She nodded and stayed quiet. Thank God.

"Mami, your phone vibrated," Also, your husband was Italian. You were Hispanic so you were trying to teach Sam some of his Hispanic side as his grandparents taught him mostly his Italian side. They more so taught him stuff about the culture and food, but none of the language. They swore they knew it but you've never heard them speak it.

"Thank you for letting me know mijo, but since we're all together I'll check it later." you kissed his head.

You and your husband had done a good job. He was a perfect mix from both of you. He had brown curly hair, like you. Hazel eyes like his dad. Dark eyelashes like you. A button nose like his dad that was covered in freckles like yours. Plump lips like the both of you. The food came and you all began eating.

"We wanted to talk to you about something." you felt Sam put his hand on your knee. Uh oh. He was preparing you for something he knew you may not like.

"Okay, what is it?"

William spoke up, "Well, winter break is coming up and we wanted to take Sam away for a week."

You almost choked on your food. A week? Them? With your son? Were they insane? Okay maybe you were being a little dramatic but what?!

"Um, where?" you tried to seem open about the idea.

"Blue mountain. We would go snow tubing and other things in the snow." Lydia said.

"For a week? Snow tubing for a week? That sounds more like a weekend thing to me." you ate your eggs.

"Well we would look in the town for other things to do obviously," Lydia snickered like you had sounded ridiculous. She better not start with an attitude you thought. She was asking you for a favor not the other way around. So instead of giving her a direct answer, you said "I'll think about it." You needed to talk to Sam if this was something he wanted to do or they wanted to do.

You guys had finished eating and you all eventually said goodbye. Sam wanted to come back home instead of staying Sunday. Sometimes he just wanted extra time with you.

~~~

You were driving home from unsuccessful shoe shopping when you heard Sam's little voice come from the backseat.

"Are you mad?"

"No, I'm not mad. Why would you say that?"

"Because grandma was kind of rude to you when you said it wasn't a week long thing." Every year he became more observant.

"Well I mean I didn't like that but I'm not mad. I don't let your grandmother ruin my mood."

"Okay"

"Do you wanna go?"

"I don’t know… I do but not for a week. That's too long away from you."

Your heart warmed a little and you nodded. "I'd feel that way too."

"Did dad like snow tubing?"

"I'm not sure bud, we never went"

"Oh."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't go. I went when I was younger with my mom and sister, we made it a girl's trip. It was a lot of fun."

"Really? What if we went just us two?"

"Hm I don’t know bud; I think your grandparents might get sad. I think I can tell them it will only have to be for a weekend and then you and I could go another time. Just us two."

"Umm okay that sounds good. I agree."

"Good." you pulled in front of your building.

"What was dad's favorite season?"

"Fall. He hated the heat, but he hated being too cold. And he'd get the worst allergies in the spring and he had this weird pet peeve for sneezing. It was kind of funny seeing him get frustrated though. He would look like he wanted to rip his nose off." You held his hand as you walked inside. He giggled at what you said. When you both got inside to your apartment you both took off your shoes and sweaters. You had a picture of your husband on a small table by your entrance. Every time you walked in Sam would say "Hi dad!" to it. He asked if he could watch some Disney XD for a bit and you said it was fine. You were going to make some dinner. You checked your phone and saw Harry had texted you. You were a little shocked he kept up with talking to you.

H: Hey, good afternoon. I hope brunch went well :)

y/n: Hey it did, I guess.

H: You guess?

y/n: Eh they want something, felt like a setup?

H: Ah. I get what you mean. Sorry it happened.

y/n: It's alright. I got my boy back so I'm happy.

H: Good. I'd love to meet him someday to be honest. He sounds adorable.

You thought about his text. How would Sam react? He's always saying for you to get a friend but what would happen when you actually did? It made you nervous to think about. You felt your phone vibrate again.

H: Uh sorry if that was too forward.

y/n: No, its fine. It was sweet.

H: Okay good.

"Ma?"

You jumped up slightly like you had been caught doing something bad.

"Who are you texting? You never text this much" he was grinning at you. He was happy?

"Um none ya beeswax"

"It is my beeswax when it's taking time away from you cooking my dinner," you gave him a warning look. Dang smart ass. Gets it from you. He mumbled a "Sorry" and sat up on the stool and leaned on your countertop.

"I made a friend that’s all okay?"

"A guy friend?" he smirked.

You turned to get a pot. "Mhm"

"What's his name?"

"Harry."

"I like that name."

"You would like any name if it meant I had a friend."

He giggled and nodded. "Does he know about me?"

"Of course he does. You think I could not talk about you?"

"Okay okay," he blushed slightly, "Is he nice?"

"Yeah he's pretty nice."

"Are you gonna go on a date?"

"Samuel! He's a friend!" you playfully yelled at him.

"Mom I'm not 5, I know you might want a little BOYfriend"

"Sam you are 7, and how do you even know what a boyfriend is." you were talking to him as you gathered all your ingredients.

"Grandma told me about boyfriends and girlfriends"

"Now what is she doing telling you about that?" you looked at him.

"Well we saw a couple at the bowling alley and they kissed and I said ew and she said it’s because they were boyfriend and girlfriend so she explained what that meant to me."

"Hm, okay." you trusted she gave him a good and appropriate definition.

"Do you have a picture of him?"

"We just met yesterday" you say as you open and close cabinets.

"Does he like baseball?"

"I actually had to explain the sport to him. He's not from here." you started cooking.

"Where's he from? Is he from where dad used to work?"

"No, way off. He's from a place called England."

"Where the Beatles are from!"

"Exactly," you smiled at him. He was a classic soul.

“That’s cool”

“Yeah his voice is different too”

“I wanna meet him” he put his chin in his palm, “It’d be nice to be around another guy that isn’t grandpa.”

“He uh actually said he wants to meet you too but I think we should wait a bit. I think I should get to know him better before you meet him” You stir your pasta in the pot.

“Okay” he tapped your phone screen, “he texted you”

“Thanks, nosey” you took your phone and read his message. You had forgotten to respond.

Y/n: hey sorry was cooking dinner for the hungry boy and I

H: it’s alright. What’s on the menu?

Y/n: pasta. Penne ala vodka with some shrimp. Probably some garlic bread too. Lazy meal

H: lazy? sounds glorious.

You laughed as you texted.

“Oooh he’s making you laugh!” Sam giggled.

You covered your face and told him to go to his room to make sure he had done his homework. Tomorrow you were going to Chuck E Cheese so he wouldn’t have time to do it then.

Y/n: we’ll see how it tastes

H: do you like to cook?

Y/n: I do but I run out of things to cook so I get bored

H: yeah same. I like to experiment though.

You were feeling a little confident and flirtatious

Y/n: maybe you could show me sometime

H: yeah. That’d be fine with me 😊

You bit your lip unsure of what to say. It had been a while since you were back on the flirting scene. You felt your phone vibrate again.

H: are you vegetarian or anything? Gonna think of some ideas from now.

Y/n: I don’t follow any specific diet but I definitely don’t eat a lot of meat. More of a seafood person.

H: gotcha ;)

Y/n: ;)?

H: don’t like it?

Y/n: eh it’s alright 🤷🏻‍♀️

H: alright?

Y/n: mhmm

H: you’re teasing me, aren’t you?

Y/n: just a lil bit 🤏��

H: 😂😂

You finished up cooking dinner and called Sam. He came down quickly and mumbled a small yum.

Y/n: I’ll talk to you later. Gonna eat now.

H: okay 🥰

You served you and Sam plates and you both ate quietly as you watched some tv. You would say you were pretty lenient with Sam. He was very mature for his age and he respected you greatly. He barely gave you a hard time. You think he got that from his dad. His dad always wanted to please you any chance he got.

“Mami, can I sleep in your bed tonight?”

“How come, hon?”

“It’s comfier” you laughed at this because you would say the same thing to your parents when you were younger.

“Okay. But you know you can’t always sleep in Mami’s bed. You gotta sleep in your own some nights.”

“Yeah I know,” he smiled at you.

“Alright. Well can I trust you’ll bathe yourself good tonight? I don’t have to help you?”

“Yes ma, I’ll remember to wash myself good.”

“Okay, remember to get in between your toes and everything”

He nodded at you. You two finished your plates and you sent him off to shower. He kept the door open just in case he needed your help opening one of the bottles. You remembered the first bath you ever gave him. He was so much smaller compared to now and his dad kept complaining about how slippery he was. You were only 23 with a new job and new home but you were both so happy with your little boy. You cleaned up the kitchen and went up to bed where your little boy was already waiting. He had turned on the tv and was watching friends. You showered quickly before getting in bed with him. He cuddled up to your side and laid his head on your chest. You massaged your fingers into his damp curls until you heard him snore lightly. You fixed him onto your other pillow and fell asleep on yours.

~~~

The weekend had ended and you hadn’t heard from Harry. That was before you remembered you were the one who hadn’t answered. It was now Monday afternoon and you were picking up Sam from school. You worked at a middle school just a block away. Sam hopped into your car and told you about his day.

"Can I go to Justin's house tomorrow afterschool?"

"Is Justin's parents okay with this?"

"Yeah, we'll do our homework first too!"

"Alright, you better do it because when you get home I'm checking it all"

"Okay!"

You guys walked into your apartment and Sam went up to shower. That was the routine after school. He showers while you make a snack, after that he comes down and eats while you shower, you grade papers while he does homework, and then if he's done you let him watch some Disney channel while you make dinner. This is exactly how your evening rolls out and you decide to text Harry.

y/n: hey sorry. Busy day yesterday. You wanted me to let you know when I was free and I'm free tomorrow after 3...

You stop typing, "Sam, until when are staying at Justin's?"

"Until like 6? He said his mom was gonna cook"

"Okay," you continue typing,

y/n: Hey sorry. Busy day yesterday. You wanted me to let you know when I was free and I'm free tomorrow after 3 until like 6. I know its late notice so no worries if you're not free too.

You finish cooking, eating, and cleaning and you still hadn't heard from Harry. He was probably mad at you now. You sighed aloud and thought well it was nice while it lasted. You went over Sam's homework with him and then made sure he brushed his teeth before bed. You tucked him in and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight my love," you pushed his hair back off his forehead.

"Goodnight mami, goodnight dad" he blows a kiss toward the picture of him and his dad on his bedside table.

You walked out his room leaving his door ajar and walked down to your room. You grab your book and climb into bed. It was the book from Jane the Virgin. You related to Jane in multiple ways. As you were becoming a part of the fictitious world of the character Josephine you felt your phone vibrate.

H: Banzai, 3:30pm, Be there or be square.

You smiled at his assertiveness. It was kind of cute.

H: If that's okay with you.

y/n: Yes, that's fine lol😂😂

He could never be too serious you thought.

H: watching friends?

y/n: actually reading.

H: what are you reading?

y/n: snow falling, it’s from a show and stuff.

H: look at the publishing company

You looked and sure enough it was Simon & Schuster. Wow.

y/n: Wow lol, I never noticed.

H: I've read it, it's pretty good. More of a girly book, I think.

Y/n: I can’t imagine you reading this tbh.

H: it was a hard manuscript to get through. Kept me on my toes.

You continued texting and before you knew it, it was 2 in the morning.

y/n: wow its 2am.

H: I know. Time flew. You're so easy to talk to.

y/n: I could say the same about you.

H: I'm excited for later

y/n: so am I, free food.

H:😐😐😐

y/n: I'm joking!

H: sure you are.

y/n: I am, I'm excited too because I miss your company, its nice.

H: I don't have a company

y/n: Harry

H: okay okay, thank you. Get some rest, you've gotta be up early.

y/n: true, see you later! 😊

H: see you🥰

~~~

Part two is up now!

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #wanderinghands #wh

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pixiegrl · 3 years

Note

Also I would really love to read "I won't make it home for Christmas" with Lashton please and thank you, love you 💜

Amanda! Darling Amanda! I originally had another idea and then we were talking about soulmate AUs and this uh. Turned into that. I hope you enjoy it! For the holidays!

on ao3 at: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28205598

I won’t make it home for Christmas. The line has been tattooed onto Luke’s hip since his 13th birthday when he got his soulmark. He’d been giddy when he’d first gotten it, excited to have something so unique as the first thing his soulmate will say to him. The older he’s gotten, though, the less the tattoo has made sense. After all, why would that be the first thing his one true love would say to him? How can you tell someone you won’t spend Christmas with them as the first thing you’re supposed to say?

No matter how much Luke wants to find his soulmate, wants to meet this person, he’s pushed it aside and gotten on with his life. It was Ben who first suggested he become a flight attendant. Luke was antsy to get out of Australia, to get out in the world and explore, and to find the person he’s destined to be with. He jumped at the chance, finishing the university classes he needed to quickly and then immediately applying to the airline. It wasn’t long until he was going through training. It’s where he met Michael; sarcastic, funny, sharp Michael, who’s good at putting on his customer service face for people and making sharp remarks to Luke while they prepare drinks. They make a good team, if only because Luke laughs at Michael’s comments and Michael had talked Luke down from his panic attacks on their first few flights together. Luke would venture to call Michael his best friend, if Michael wouldn’t make fun of him immediately for it.

It’s how they’d met Calum, Michael’s soulmate. He’d been the co-pilot on one of their early flights. Michael had crashed into Calum in the middle of the cockpit, covering him in coffee and uttering Oh fuck don’t get me fired, and Calum had frozen for a moment before bursting into laughter. He peeled back his sleeve to reveal the same sentence on his forearm, saying “This isn’t how I expected to meet; that’s for sure.” Michael then ripped his shirt open in the middle of the cockpit area, showing off the mark on his rib cage with those same words, laughing wildly in the face of Luke and the other flight attendants telling him to put his shirt back on before someone complained to the airline.

Luke likes Michael and Calum, enjoys spending his time with the two of them even though it's frustrating to watch them kiss and stare at each other all starry-eyed, sappy and in love. Luke’s lucky that he doesn’t live with Michael anymore, happy to have some time away from the two.

The other downside of Luke’s soulmark is that he’s heard some variation of it over the years. He’s been a flight attendant for close to four years now, and he’d have trouble counting the amount of times someone has said something in relation to not being home for holidays or Christmas. Luke’s almost desensitized to the words now, unphased by it all. He’s never felt the connection or spark behind it that everyone else claims to feel when they meet their soulmates. So Luke is here, waiting on flight after flight, airport after airport, for his soulmate to appear.

Luke is positively miserable today, though. It’s Christmas Eve and he’s supposed to be getting on a flight from Boston to California and then to Sydney. Supposed to being the key word. He’s currently stuck in the Boston airport, his just one of many delayed flights piling up on the back of a snowstorm rolling in. Luke’s been hiding in the back corner of the airport, texting Michael and Calum, jealous they get the holiday off. They’ve been sending him photos of their Christmas cards, where they’re grinning in matching ugly sweaters and reindeer antlers. It’s cheesy and sappy and Luke has never been so jealous of soulmates before.

Luke’s airplane sends out an announcement that the flight will be delayed until tomorrow morning and advises everyone to find somewhere to spend the night. Luke hears the grumbles of the other passengers, rolling his eyes at how clueless people can be. Did they really think they’d be able to leave tonight, between the other flight delays and the snow? Luke shares a look with one of the other attendants across the way, shaking heads and equal looks of misery at the idea of finding a place to spend the night. Luke’s waiting for the okay from his boss before he tries to find a place to spend the night. Luke is desperate to get out of here, to find some food and to find a hotel room to shower and sleep in.

He’s scrolling through his phone, looking at photos from his family, and debating when he can get up to go find somewhere to spend the night or if any of the other attendants need a roommate when someone collapses into the seat next to him. Luke glances to the side, catching sight of brown curls, nice biceps, and a strong jawline. If Luke wasn’t exhausted and wasn't going to have to fight people to get a room in a hotel on Christmas Eve, he might try to flirt with the guy.

“I won’t make it home for Christmas,” the guy says. Luke hums, half listening.

“The first time in years I’ve had the holiday off and I’m stuck here, in a crowded airport. Not even sure I’ll be able to find a hotel at this point,” the guy says, glancing at Luke while he huffs a bit and rolls his eyes. He’s fiddling with his phone, leg bouncing. Luke hums, glancing down at his own phone, snorting at the picture Michael’s sent of him and Calum in their matching tacky Christmas sweaters, reindeer antlers and all.

“I’m sure there’s a hotel left somewhere; the snow’s only just gotten bad,” Luke says, nonchalantly, defaulting to his generic answer he always gives passengers when they complain to him.

“What did you say?” The guy sounds a little breathless, shocked. Luke sighs, putting on his customer service smile and turning to look at the guy. The smile slips from Luke’s face though when he makes eye contact with him. It feels like he's letting go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding, a tightness in his chest relieving itself. The world slides itself into place and Luke gets it. It’s stupid and cliche, but he gets it now. The feeling everyone has described to him over and over again, of coming home, of peace. Luke gets it now, staring at the man next to him.

“Oh,” Luke whispers, taking him in, curled brown hair and bright hazel eyes, a slow smile forming on his face. Luke can’t help a similar smile from forming on his lips, dimples creasing his cheeks.

The guy grins even wider, pulling the sleeve of his jacket up so Luke can see the sentence painted across the back of his forearm, flowing cursive and Luke’s words. Luke reaches out, unable to stop himself, and traces the words, sucking in a breath at the electric feeling that flows through him at the contact with his soulmate.

“Who knew I’d have to go to an airport in Boston to meet my soulmate?” He says, laughing. Luke realizes he has an Aussie accent too, and he laughs breathlessly because really, what are the odds. What are the odds he’d go halfway across the world just to meet his soulmate by accident in a shitty, cold airport, stuck here during the holidays until the snow stops. Although, Luke guesses, fate probably had a hand in this.

“Australia is a large country,” Luke says, pulling his hand back, blushing.

“It seems fate has decided we should meet here instead. Ashton,” He says, holding his hand out. Luke blushes again, shaking Ashton’s hand, finding it incredibly silly to be shaking his soulmate’s hand in an airport waiting area. Ashton snorts, lacing his fingers in Luke’s so they’re holding hands. Luke blushes even harder. He’s usually much smoother than this, he’s being ridiculous.

“Luke. I would show you my tattoo but it’s on my hip,” Luke says, gesturing vaguely in that area. Ashton smiles, tongue poking out a little. Luke’s immediately charmed by him.

“So I can tell what brings you to an airport on December 24th. Uniform stole my one-liner,” Ashton says, gesturing to Luke’s dress pants and shirt, the little name tag pin he’s wearing. Luke blushes.

“You have one liners prepared for picking people up in airports?”

“Always gotta be prepared. Never know where you might be a handsome stranger destined to be your true love.”

Luke rolls his eyes, “Well, what brings you to an airport on Christmas Eve? Since you mentioned wanting to get home.”

“I’m a session musician. We were finishing up recording and I was so sure I would be able to make it back home in time for Christmas. My sister’s gonna kill me.”

“Well, tell her you met your soulmate. She can’t be too mad about that.”

Ashton snorts, rubbing his thumb along the back of Luke’s hand. Luke stares at Ashton’s face, trying to memorize as much of it as he can. He wants to remember every detail to tell his family later, to describe the scene to Michael and Calum, to write into his wedding speech when he tells everyone about this moment.

“I bet you hear people complaining about not being able to make it home all the time. You know, being a flight attendant and all,” Ashton says. Luke smiles.

“Nothing quite as on the nose as you, though. Not from anyone as pretty as you,” Luke says, leaning over to brush a stray curl out of Ashton’s eyes and tuck it behind his ear. Ashton blushes, red dusting his nose and cheeks. It’s charming, Luke decides. Ashton is charming and cute and everything he’s ever wanted in a soulmate.

“Want to go get dinner? See if we can get a hotel room? Maybe between your uniform and my pleading, we can beg for a room somewhere,” Ashton asks.

Luke laughs, standing up and cracking his back, “I think we could manage that. Somewhere has to still be open at 6:00pm on Christmas Eve.”

Ashton grins widely, jumping up and slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. Luke smiles, pulling his jacket on and grabbing the handle of his rolling suitcase. Ashton grabs Luke’s hand, lacing their fingers together and grinning widely at Luke when he makes eye contact with him. Luke smiles shyly, cheeks pink, and curls falling in his eyes as he ducks his head.

They venture out into the cold of Boston, grabbing the first bus and taking it into downtown.

“What instrument do you play?” Luke asks, picking at some invisible lint on his pant leg.

“Drums. Sometimes I play guitar or sing, but my main love is drums. Well, my other love I guess,” Ashton says. Luke rolls his eyes, huffing fondly at Ashton. Ashton laughs, head tipped back slightly. Luke is charmed immensely by Ashton already. God, now he gets why Michael and Calum are so unbearable to be around.

“Do you live in Australia?” Ashton asks once his laughter has died down.

“Sort of. When I’m home I stay with my parents since they’re not too far. I officially own a place in LA. It’s my base airport and it’s easier to have a place there during my off times. Do you?”

“Yeah. I bounce between LA and New York most of the time being a musician. Boston was an accident. I was in London for the last month and was grabbing a connecting flight from there back to Australia for the season.”

“Maybe fate did want us to meet.”

“Could have done that without a snowstorm and flight delay.”

“Well, I wouldn't have met you without the delay,” Luke points out. Ashton shrugs. They fall into comfortable conversation, talking about their families, Michael and Calum, Ashton’s friends that he records with, their lives. It’s interesting, meeting someone who’s the other half of your soul. Luke feels like he’s known Ashton for years, comfortable and happy with him, but still like he’s learning Ashton. They haven’t let go of each other’s hands, fingers interlocked and resting in Luke’s lap while they talk, Ashton rubbing his thumb across the back of Luke’s hand.

They get off the bus when they make it to the city. Ashton pauses, taking a deep breath and turning to look at Luke.

“Do you wanna find a hotel and get room service? I doubt anywhere is open now,” Ashton says. Luke figures he’s probably right and nods. Ashton hums, pulling in the direction of where Luke can see a hotel in the distance.

They make it half a block before Ashton freezes, turning to look wide eyed at Luke, “Oh, I just assumed you’d want to share a room together. You don’t have to of course. I completely understand.”

Luke rolls his eyes, “Ashton, you’re my soulmate. Of course I wanna spend the night with you. I like talking to you.”

Ashton deflates, smiling, “Good. I just didn’t want to force you.”

“You’re not forcing me, silly. I’m happy to be with you,” Luke says. Ashton smiles, tugging Luke in, pressing a kiss to his lips. Luke startles before relaxing slightly, easing into the kiss and tilting his head slightly, letting Ashton pull him close, gripping his hips, brushing his thumb over where Luke knows his soulmark sits, curved letters and all.

“Since I’m already delayed for the holidays, maybe I can delay myself in LA. Since we’re going the same way,” Ashton whispers onto Luke’s lips when he pulls back. Luke grins.

“Are you asking to move in with me on the first date Ashton? How very forward of you.”

“Well, we’re meant for each other. Might as well skip a couple steps if it gets us there faster.”

Luke laughs, snorting slightly and burying his face into Ashton’s neck, “How about we settle on dinner and a hot shower first? See where it takes us.”

Ashton hums, “Only if I can see your soulmark.”

“Well, obviously. Only fair if you get to see mine since you showed me yours.”

“I look forward to it,” Ashton says, grinning, as he presses another kiss to Luke’s lips, taking a step back and pulling them both in the direction of the hotel. Maybe delayed flights on Christmas aren’t so bad. Not if they can lead Luke to his soulmate.

#5 seconds of summer #lashton #luke hemmings #ashton irwin #my writing #its a soulmate au and stuck in the airport #for my love amanda

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multific · 5 years

Text

Gender Reveal

Chris Evans x Reader

Request: Chris Evans x reader where you’re both married with four lil boys aged 5, 4 and twins aged 2 when you guys find out you’re expecting again but you don’t find out the gender as you guys love the surprise and are kinda expecting another boy but surprise! Baby Evans #5 is a lil girl and ugh Chris would be so so emotional to finally have his lil princess who has already got him wrapped around her finger! I love big Boston fam dad Chris stuff

A/N: This is such a great request! I had a lot of fun writing it! And the thought of Chris being over the moon for his little girl, is the cutest thing ever! Hope you like it! Enjoy~

A gender reveal party.

That was your best idea ever.

Even your husband of almost seven years thought that was a great idea.

When you got pregnant for the fifth time, you and Chris officially became bunnies. But you couldn’t help it. Your husband was an exceptional lover and an amazing father. Chris’ co-stars often joked about this though. They found it incredibly funny for some reason, but they were also really happy.

They watched Chris struggling to find love and happiness, so when you came around, it was natural that they rooted for the two of you.

And now, eight years later, pregnant for the fifth time. Your four boys were also excited for the new baby, although the twins, James and Jeremiah couldn’t really understand what was going on, being only two, all they wanted was to play. Your four year old, Scott, named after his uncle was mama’s little boy, he was always with you, always giving you massages and helping you around. Your oldest, William, was the proud oldest brother, when he was told that he would have to protect another sibling of his, he became more proud and happy. William was a lot like his father, it was like Chris got copied and pasted into his son’s body.

And finally, you, the proud mother of the children, wife of Christopher Robert Evans, the love of his life. You weren’t ready for another child, but fate had different thoughts on this. When you learnt about it all you could say was.

“Again?!”

But you were happy. Your children were your life, your everything. It also helped a lot that your husband was the best dad on the planet and the most supporting person throughout all of your pregnancies and just everything.

Although both you and Chris thought that the baby will be a boy, yet again, you still went with the idea of the party.

It was a nice thing you didn’t do before, and you saw videos of in on Youtube, that’s how it came about.

That’s how Chris found himself, with you by his side, ready to slice into the cake.

You take these kind of things seriously. So when you ordered the cake, you made sure that the frosting would be white and the sponge itself would be the colour of the gender, so even if you cut it, you will only see it once you pull the slice out.

As both of you held the knife, surrounded by your family and close friends, in your huge garden, ready to find out whether Evans Baby #5 would be another baby boy or a girl. You knew that Chris wanted a baby girl, and you couldn’t lie, you wanted a girl too, to finally be able to buy girly clothes, braid someone’s hair. When you asked your boys they said it didn’t matter.

And as Chris and you pulled the piece out, you both froze, while everyone cheered.

Pink.

“It-It’s a-a-a girl.” you said as you looked at Chris. His eyes were watering and he dropped the cake, hugging and kissing you. Soon, you realized the situation as well.

Happiness.

Pure, true and undeniable happiness.

And you knew, even if the cake would have been blue, your reaction would have been the same.

A little girl.

You couldn’t believe it.

***

And soon, there she was.

Born with a healthy, 7.5 lbs. (3.4 kg). Little Emily Evans.

You were still out of breath, you, Chris and the doctors still in the room.

“The mother first.” told the nurse Chris as he went to hold his child.

His daughter.

The nurse placed the small creature in your arms.

You were tired, but never tired enough to not be able to hold one of your child. She was crying, you were crying from happiness.

“Hey, little one. Welcome to the family.” you told her and kissed her head. She started to calm down to your voice, she must have recognized it.

“Look, Emi, there’s your father.” you told her as she looked at you, obviously interested. Chris sat down next to you, looking at her, but she looked at you.

“She’s beautiful. Like her mother.” he said with a calm voice. You noticed that he must have been crying, since his voice sounded like that, but you couldn’t look away from her, not yet.

After a few seconds, she looked at her dad then back at you.

“Hold her.” you told Chris, finally looking away from your daughter. Chris didn’t need to be told twice. You handed her to him and Chris stared to cry again.

“Oh god, you are beautiful, Emily.” he said. You looked at Chris.

When you gave birth, every single time, he was there with you, holding your hand, encouraging you, helping you, and when they were finally there, in his arms, he got so emotional. You could never forget his face. Every time, he showed a different kind of happy.

For William, he was the ‘first time daddy’ happy.

With Scoot, he was a bit braver, but he still cried when he saw that his boy had your eyes.

For the twins, James and Jeremiah, he was ‘worried happy’, because they were born before they were supposed to, and you had some difficulties, but in the end everything turned out perfect. Sure, they were both slim and tiny, but they were healthy, and they soon became strong and full of life.

And now, for his daughter, he was ‘whipped happy’. You could tell. Emily Evans had her dad wrapped around her tiny little fingers before she even opened her eyes. And as they locked eyes, Chris was in for it. His own little princess.

“Thank you, Y/N. For giving me everything and more. I love you.” he said as he finally looked at your smiling, happy-crying face. You looked tired, but still the most gorgeous woman in his eyes.

“I love you too, Chris.” he placed a kiss to your lips and to that your new-born made a sound.

“Opps, looks like my little Angel wants some attention.” said Chris as he looked back as his baby and gave her his pinkie.

“You are soooooo whipped, Evans.” you told him with a small laugh.

“Yeah.” he admitted with a smile. “I am.” you moved a bit closer to him and placed your head on his shoulder.

Soon, you fell asleep from exhaustion, the last thing you saw before your eyes got closed was your daughter’s smiling little face.

Chris let you sleep and he knew, when you woke up, you’d have to introduce the new addition to your family.

But for now, it was only the three of you in the room. With your breathing and his child’s small noises in the room.

You truly made him the happiest man. He thought he didn’t deserve all of this, that this was too much to ask for.

But no, this is his life. His life he shared with you.

And what a beautiful life it is.

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~Masterlist~

My taglist is open!

Feedback means EVERYTHING to me, so please take the time and tell me how you liked my story. Thank You~

#chris evans fanfiction #chris evans scenarios #chris evans fan fiction #chris evans imagine #Chirs Evans #chris evans imagines #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #daddy chris evans #chris evans fluff #pregnancy #pregnant au #pregnant reader #PREGNANT FANFICITON #mommy reader #avengers imagine

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alethia000 · 3 years

Photo

Korean boy band member Nichkhun on life as a K-pop idol

By: Natasha Gillespie-Wong

December 29, 2020

Singer, songwriter, rapper, model and now Hollywood actor, Nichkhun is a man of many talents. The Thai-American, who’s currently based in South Korea, gives Natasha Gillespie-Wong an insight into life as a K-pop idol. Moving effortlessly in front of the camera, Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul, better known as Nichkhun, obviously knows his best angles. A quiet confidence shines through as he expertly works each garment into the frame. A few more outfit changes, a quick snack and he’s ready for the interview. Without the cameras on him, Nichkhun’s demeanour changes and a soft-spoken, almost shy man sits before me.

Brought up between Thailand and California, Nichkhun was scouted by JYP Entertainment as a teenager in Los Angeles, and so began his whirlwind adventure to K-pop superstardom. Speaking fluent Thai, English and Korean, Nichkhun quickly became the darling of Southeast Asia. Now, he’s treading the boards in Hong Kong ahead of his Hollywood debut in Hong Kong Love Story.

You’re multilingual and have lived all over the world. What aspects of your international upbringing influence your work and work ethic?

I think being and living in different countries, experiencing so many cultures, opens doors. It gives you perspective. When I talk to someone who’s been around the world or has lived somewhere else before, they tend to be more understanding. Experiencing different cultures gives you an understanding of why people behave the way they do. So I think in that sense it plays a big role in my career and my work ethic.

When you’re working, you deal with a lot of different people, from different upbringings. A lot of the time people don’t even know they’re doing something you’re not used to so when you’re understanding of different cultures and norms, you don’t get frustrated. I really encourage my friends or people around me to travel more, not just for a couple of days, but to get out and meet local people and talk to them, learn a bit about their language and about their culture. I think that that really helps a lot and not just for work, but for your life.

You were scouted at 18 and had to learn to sing, dance and speak new languages. What new things did you learn about yourself through your work? Was there anything that surprised you about the training?

I was never very good at singing and dancing. [JYP Entertainment] recruited me to go to Korea. When I was there, I started training and they would ask me, “Why are you not good? Why can’t you sing? Why can’t you dance?” I was a bit taken aback because I thought to myself, “You saw my audition tape, you know what I can do”, which, to be honest, at the time was nothing. But then I started to understand that they just wanted to motivate me. I’m part of the company and I have to measure up to their standards.

The guys who were already in the company had some skills before coming in. So I had to work extra hard; I think that was the hardest part for me. Living and moving to Korea and adapting to Korea wasn’t that hard, just the training was not easy. I think what surprised me most about working in this industry is myself. I started off with no skills and zero confidence and I was so shy that I couldn’t even speak in front of a class to give a presentation or anything. I surprised myself. I think the first couple of times I went on stage, I thought I was going to freeze, but I didn’t. And that taught me that if you try hard enough, if you want something, you can do it.

I read that your mum never expected you to pursue performing as a career. What fuels your passion for the arts? Did you perform as a child at all?

When I was growing up, I would do school concerts and festivals but never anything serious. I never thought I would perform in front of a real audience, outside of my school. Once you’re on stage professionally, it’s a different story. When I found out that I could perform, maybe not that well or maybe not as perfect as I wanted it to be, that just drove me to be more thirsty and I just wanted it more. I just wanted to be better.

As a member of 2PM, what do you think your personality specifically brings to the group? And what are some of the challenges of working as a group?

I think I’m the international bridge that connects the group to places outside Korea. If the group were only Korean members, the reach would be very Korean. But because I’m there, I make the group a little more international. Me and Taecyeon, because he grew up in Boston.

In Korean culture, younger people usually can’t speak up to the older ones. But we’re all friends, colleagues, partners. So whatever problems we have we talk it out. It doesn’t matter if you’re the youngest or the oldest, we just call a meeting and we talk about it. I think that’s how we’ve remained so close for so long.

Because music is art, sometimes less is more but sometimes more is more so we have to find a balance. We haven’t perfected it, but we’re still on the way, still learning a lot. What I’ve learned is you can never satisfy the public completely.

What was it like to go out on your own as a solo artist?

I never thought I’d do my own music, because in 2PM I have five other members to cover for me if I make a mistake. But when they went off to the military, I promised the fans that I wouldn’t leave them. That’s when I came out with an album and started touring. I called my first solo album ME, because I wanted the fans to hear what I listened to or what I wanted to make, not what’s trendy. I never thought I could sing and dance all by myself for two and a half hours on stage, but I’ve done it. I just keep learning new things about myself through work. I’m very fortunate that this is my job, it’s a blessing. The music industry is so dynamic. Do you find it hard to keep up at all or do you not pay too much attention to that?

I don’t think about that much. To me, music is timeless. I listen to the same old songs that I like, and I think that’s just who I am. It’s not just with music but with fashion too. My fans are always saying, “Please go shopping! Please update your wardrobe!” But growing up, my dad would wear the same shoes until they broke. Then he would fix them and wear them more, until he couldn’t fix them anymore. So my mentality is very much, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? I find buying things for myself hard as well. I would rather spend money on things to share, like food and good experiences. I pay for things like taking my family on a trip. We all have fun, make good memories.

For me, the most important thing is staying true to myself, because the industry will always want something new. The latest sound or instrument, you might use it in your music, but then because it takes maybe four or five months to produce, the sound has changed. So that’s why with ME, because I didn’t know what the audience would want to hear at the time of release, I just stuck to what I wanted the public to hear. I’m not aiming for a number one hit song every time, I’m just trying to show off my colours.

How did you make the leap from music to TV and movies? Are the industries very different?

Acting was kind of a natural next step for me. In this industry, there are so many avenues you can explore. You start in music, you can move from performing to production or recording music to recording film. For me, I think I was always interested and intrigued by acting. I’ve had so many great opportunities, I got lucky and now I’m in an American film and it all came from a series of opportunities and me being fortunate.

The main difference I’ve noticed is the feedback. With music you get an immediate reaction from the crowd, you perform and you get recognition. With acting, it’s delayed. It can take months or even years for a movie to come out so the feedback is very, very delayed. I think that’s the only big difference between music and movies.

You’ve portrayed characters from a marathon runner to a student involved in a murder case. How has acting helped you discover new aspects of yourself?

The roles I’ve played so far have just been characters that people can relate to, that I relate to, it’s just a bit of myself. I’m not a method actor. I just kind of forget it when I go home and then when I’m back on set I get back into it. I don’t take it home with me; I don’t know if that’s good or bad.

Because I haven’t had a very intense, sophisticated role, I don’t know if I could pull to that extreme. I would need to spend a lot of time with a character like that.

I’m still in the learning stage and am always happy to have a new challenge. I’m just trying to go deeper with each character, even if he’s not a serious person or, you know, like a psycho killer. But still, I’m trying to dig in a little more, trying to give this character more dimension, and also bring a bit more fun. I think I’m just starting to learn to worry less about getting the script right and just becoming a character.

Before I was just feeling I can’t get the lines wrong. And that’s not the most important thing. You know, you can play around with characters, unless you meet a really strict director, which I haven’t yet. I think that’s the greatest thing about being an artist for me. You might get given a subject, but within that radius, within that circle, you can bounce around so much that you don’t have to be just one thing. I think that’s the beauty of the industry.

You’ve made a big impact helping UNICEF raise awareness and funds for children’s rights. How important is it to you to give back to society?

There are so many issues that we are blind to. Little things like clean water to drink, safe places. It’s very important that these kids have the opportunity to grow up to be healthy, educated and strong. I’m so thankful that UNICEF chose me to be one of their ambassadors. Being a spokesperson is more important than just donations. If I’m spreading the message, then that will hopefully have an impact on others too. In my position, I live off of people’s love so it’s very important for me to give some of that love back and not just take all the time.

Who is your #legend?

My parents. I’ve met so many great people throughout my life, but no matter where I go or what I do, I find myself thinking back to things my parents said. I’ve realised that you can have hundreds of idols in your life, whom you really respect, but the people you should respect the most are your parents. Even though I didn’t really listen to them as a child, they made me who I am today. I’ve been living on my own for 21 years now and I could have gone the wrong way, but thanks to my parents’ teaching I’ve managed to stay on a somewhat straight path. Whenever I went off the road a little bit, I always came back, thanks to my parents.

CREDITS Creative Direction and Styling / Alvin Goh Photography / Erfan Shekarriz Art Direction / Djiun Wang Videographer / Feicien Feng Video Editor / Feicien Feng & Simarpreet Kaur Panjeta Make-Up / Alvin Goh Hairstyling / Peter Cheng Assistants / Feicien Feng, Elizabeth Kezia, Lyly Chan, John Marcus, Kenna Chiu

Source: https://hashtaglegend.com/magazine/digital-exclusive/nichkhun-brooks-brothers-kpop-interview/

#2pm #nichkhun #photoshoot #interview #Legend #magazine #Hashtag Legend Magazine #Hashtag Legend

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quu-kii · 5 years

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Jake Gyllenhaal Filmography Ranking

My personal ranking of all Jake Gyllenhaal movies from October Sky onwards with some brief thoughts on each of the movies. Honestly the exact number ranking of these movies is probably not super accurate and could be liable to changes, but I tried my best with the ordering.

Amazing Tier (My favorites)

1. Brokeback Mountain - This is such an emotional and heartbreaking movie. I knew it was going to have a sad ending going into it, but still I was not prepared for how strongly it hit me in the feels. And it’s not just the ending that is sad; you can tell that the love between the two leads is doomed from less than the midpoint of the movie, and it keeps going downhill from there. Overall, I think the movie is a perfect tragic love story. As well, there’s this very subtle and natural feeling to the whole movie that is difficult to describe but works really well. There’s just something truly special about this movie that makes me want to place it as the #1 best of Jake’s movies.

2. Nightcrawler - A highly suspenseful movie with an amazing lead performance by Jake as the sociopathic lead character Lou Bloom. Jake is really a big part of what makes the movie great, as he is such a strong focus of it. Lou acts so off, but it’s just impossible to take your eyes off him, and he is so interesting to watch since you keep wondering what he will do next. The other part of what makes this movie great is the writing and dialogue. There are just so many memorable and great lines, especially for Lou. Along with these factors, the subject matter of the movie, that of the career of selling violent news footage to news stations, is pretty unique, and there are some interesting ideas and themes in the movie as well relating to success and the news media. Overall I really love this movie. If there’s one thing I would say I might not like about the movie, it is the music. It can have an uplifting and hopeful vibe in dark scenes, which lessens the tense mood of some scenes. But I understand that the music was made to reflect Lou’s mood in the scene, which is a very interesting decision in itself and helps add to Lou’s character, since you can notice the contrast between how disturbing the scenarios he is in are and how Lou himself feels in such scenarios. So I at least admire the music for this aspect.

3. Enemy - A tense and psychological movie. I really love the heavy and surreal atmosphere of this movie, added to by the yellowish filter which is present throughout the whole movie as well as the score, which is ominous and used to amazing effect in the movie to enhance the dark mood. Also, I think this movie is both enjoyable when taken in at face value, being about a man who finds that there is a doppelganger of himself, and when looking deeper at what the “real” story is, taking into account the symbolism and various small details placed throughout the movie. It’s an interesting movie to think about due to its openness to interpretation. And lastly, Jake does a great job playing the two lead characters in the movie; despite the characters looking the same, they give off quite a very different vibe.

4. Spider-Man: Far from Home - My favorite MCU movie. I love so many things about this movie: how it deals with the aftermath of the Blip in a light way, how it deals with Peter Parker’s character after Endgame and his desire to just be able to have a normal life, the overall story, the setting being Europe and having this fresh vacation feeling, the fight scenes, and of course Mysterio. Along with this, it has great music (especially Mysterio’s theme) and probably the best mid credits and post credits scenes in the MCU due to their plot relevance. All of the characters are very likeable too, from Peter and all his classmates and teachers to others like Nick Fury and Mysterio, which is important to me since likable characters is one of the most important aspects to me in any kind of story. This movie was such a pleasant surprise after Endgame, which was a great disappointment to me. Also, this movie is special to me because it’s how I discovered the awesomeness of Jake and thus indirectly the reason why I watched all his movies and made this list in the first place. I’m not sure if a future MCU movie can top this for me, but who knows.

Great Tier

5. Nocturnal Animals - A harsh movie with an interesting structure of having two main stories, with one of the stories being a story within the main story (I will call this story the 2nd story for brevity). I think the 2nd story is where the movie really shines. This story was so tense and much more interesting to follow compared to the main story, and Jake portrayed the emotions of anguish and despair so well in it. It’s also interesting to think about how the 2nd story links with the main story, which gives more depth to the overall story of the movie. I find this and Brokeback Mountain to be the most emotionally harrowing of Jake’s movies, which is definitely a compliment since I admire when a work is able to make me feel so strongly. Also, I have to note that I disliked that there was a random jumpscare in the middle of the movie. It doesn’t lower my opinion of the movie, but I really don’t like jumpscares and did not expect one in this movie.

6. Source Code - A really solid sci-fi movie about Jake’s character repeating through a time loop. It is the only Jake movie to make me cry due to me being a sucker for tragic scenarios involving time loops/parallel worlds. It was just a very engaging movie to watch due to the intriguing premise and the very good execution of said premise.

7. Zodiac - I didn’t know that this movie was based off true events until almost the end of it. So the whole time, I was expecting there to be a conclusive ending when there was no way this would be the case, since the Zodiac killer case to this day hasn’t been solved. Because of this, I felt initially disappointed about this movie from a story perspective, since all the clues from the movie seemed to lead to nothing. This is my biggest “flaw” about the movie (and it’s not really the movie’s fault), but this factor aside I really liked this movie. Jake, RDJ, and Mark Ruffalo are all great in it, and I love murder mysteries so much, so the story had me hooked on this alone. It’s so interesting to watch the characters piece together clues for the case and try to unravel the mystery, as well as seeing how the case progresses (or well, doesn’t progress at times) over the years. Also, this movie just feels really good to watch; as in, the scenes and shots flow together so well. It’s a great movie overall I think.

8. The Sisters Brothers - A western with a kind of laid back feel to it. Also supposedly it is a comedy, but I found it not funny at all. It’s not that I see the movie attempting jokes and find that they don’t work; it’s more like I don’t see the attempt at humor at all, unless maybe it’s kind of a weird dark humor thing. Anyways, I really like this movie, and it’s mostly because I really like the main four characters and their dynamics with each other. Jake does a great job playing his character John Morris and has an accent which is pleasant to my ears, though I was sad that he (as well as Riz Ahmed) wasn’t in the movie more. Even though I was watching the movie for Jake, I found myself liking John C. Reilly’s and Joaquin Phoenix’s characters, the two leads, a lot as well. It’s a movie that shines because of the characters for me.

Very Good Tier

9. Donnie Darko - A pretty unique coming of age story with sci-fi elements. I’m still not sure what to think of this movie, though I think I liked it. Some of my favorite scenes are where Donnie goes off on these rants about what he believes to be the truth. These scenes are amazing to me.

10. Prisoners - I actually find the story of this movie to be not that great. However, what elevates the movie is Hugh Jackman and Jake and their amazing performances. Funnily enough, I found myself siding with Hugh’s character and against Jake’s as they both simultaneously tried to solve the case. Also, this movie is just really exciting and engaging to watch and is maybe one of the easiest to recommend movies on this list due to these factors.

11. The Day After Tomorrow - This isn’t a very deep movie or anything, but it’s a really solid disaster flick in my opinion. I love the visuals, and Jake is such a cutie in this movie, a factor that really elevates it for me.

12. The Good Girl - It looked like a comedy or something from the outside, but actually this is a rather bleak movie. It’s one of the duology of the Jake-being-into-older-married-women movies (and the much better of the two for me). I find this movie pretty underrated.

13. October Sky - It’s an uplifting and inspiring movie, and I love how Homer’s relationship with his father is portrayed here.

14. Okja - I love the stylized vibe of this movie. Jake isn’t in the movie that much, but I really like every time he shows up. He goes full wacky here and it’s fun to watch.

15. Brothers - Tobey Maguire is the real star here. I think he was great in the movie and I could really feel the emotions of his character, especially after he comes back from the war and is in a troubled state of mind.

16. Stronger - A good based on real life movie about a survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing. Jake does a great job as usual, and I think the emotions of the story came through well.

17. Wildlife - A really simple and subdued story about a family, but I think it works well in the movie. It has a very quiet and natural feeling to it.

Ok Tier

18. Demolition - A quirky feeling movie about a guy trying to deal with the death of his wife. The scene with Jake dancing in the city is my favorite part. Also I thought Jake’s friendship with the kid in the movie was a highlight.

19. Bubble Boy - It's kind of a dumb movie with some maybe offensive humor, but I thought it was pretty enjoyable regardless. Jake is so adorable as the main character Jimmy, and it was fun to follow his journey across the country and seeing all the interesting characters he meets.

20. Proof - I thought it was pretty good, but then the movie ended just when I thought it was starting to ramp up the story to the conclusion. This factor brought the movie down for me.

21. Life - The monster design for this movie was pretty cool, and I liked the ending and the general space horror vibe. However, I didn’t feel much for any of the characters.

22. Everest - It was ok, but I wasn’t really into any of the characters here.

23. Southpaw - I think this movie is very impressive for Jake’s resume, considering how he trained a lot and learned boxing for it. However as a movie itself, I didn’t really feel much for it and felt like it wasn’t doing much special in the story department. I liked some of the parts in the earlier half though.

24. End of Watch - I just wasn’t feeling this movie. Maybe it was the found footage style or something. I feel a bit sad about not digging this movie since I see it is generally one of the more well liked ones in Jake’s filmography.

25. Jarhead - I really don’t like the vulgar tone throughout this movie, but I do like the general story and message. Also the movie looks really good.

Not That Great Tier

26. Velvet Buzzsaw - I love Jake’s character Morf so much as well as the general premise. However the movie itself wasn’t too great: I found most of the characters besides Jake’s to be unlikable, and also the movie felt cheap. It’s very disappointing since the concept for the movie (horror in an art gallery) seems so promising.

27. Prince of Persia - This was the first Jake movie I saw back in the day around the time of its theater release. I have to say I find this to be Jake’s weakest acting performance out of all his movies. For me, good acting is when the actor feels very natural as the character and is somehow magnetizing to watch. But for some reason I did not get a very natural vibe from Jake as Dastan in this movie. I do think he looks very beautiful in this movie though with his long hair, so that’s a big plus. The story of this movie feels pretty cliché and kind of lifeless in a way, but I still liked it alright.

28. Highway - I don’t really like the sleazy tone of this movie. However, I think Jake is very adorable in this movie and has this pure wide-eyed vibe about him (despite him being a drug dealer and sleeping with prostitutes and such).

29. Rendition - I found this movie to be aggressively boring for the most part. There’s this subplot which I was unsure why I should even care about until a reveal near the end of the movie, when it was too late to start caring at all. However Jake in a bloody shirt towards the beginning of the movie makes for some good screencaps and gifs, and I learned about the term extraordinary rendition through searching about it after the movie.

30. Moonlight Mile - I guess this movie might be considered technically good because it tells the story it sets out to do fairly well, but I just found it very boring. There is a part towards the end with Jake’s character being very emotional which I really liked.

31. Lovely & Amazing - It's actually decent, but really not my type of movie. It’s the 2nd of the duology of the Jake-being-into-older-married-women movies.

Just No Tier

32. Accidental Love - I actually enjoyed the beginning parts of this movie (though what’s with the constant dutch angles in the earlier parts?), and ironically it is around the point of the introduction of Jake’s character where I felt like it started to nosedive. I felt my soul slipping away and my IQ dropping by the end of the movie.

33. Love & Other Drugs – I really, really don’t like this kind of raunchy sex comedy movie. That’s all.

#jake gyllenhaal #text #brokeback mountain #nightcrawler #enemy #spiderman far from home #nocturnal animals #source code #zodiac #the sisters brothers #donnie darko #prisoners

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sophiacresta1-blog · 4 years

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Vermont’s Luxurious Boutique

In the heart of downtown Burlington, Vermont the unique and trendy boutique, Liebling, caters to women looking for a classy wardrobe. The welcoming store sits across from other small businesses, as well as large corporate stores, such as Patagonia. The window displays convey the true luxury and high-end brands that are found inside, catching the eye of any woman. Liebling identifies its style as, “Casual luxury.” While Vermont is known to be more laid back and casual, everyone needs some chic items in their closet as well. Liebling is German for favorite, darling, and love. Perhaps Libeling wanted its customers to think of the store as their favorite.

Katchen McElwain just recently became the owner of Liebling after having a background with an interest in fashion. She says, “Definitely when I was younger I’ve always had a thing for fashion and clothing. I actually used to work at a cafe all throughout high school because I liked to buy my own clothes so it's always been an interest.” Although McElwain did not focus on fashion during her college education, she was interested in learning more about communication and business, as she says, “At UVM I studied public communication and community entrepreneurship so the community entrepreneurship kinda goes with the business owning thing.”

McElwain previously worked at Ecco, another clothing boutique in Burlington, and Liebling throughout college. She says, “ I really wasn’t sure what I would do afterwards. It's one of those things where you're like, ‘Woah I need a career soon. What am I gonna do with my life?’ So I was already doing what I was meant to be doing.”

There are two other staff members that work alongside McElwain. “Right now I just have two part time staff,” she says. “I feel like I’m there more than anyone else.” She describes her staff: “Adriana, she has a background in fashion. She went to the New School for design so she really cares about quality and fibers… Marley already loves clothes and was a customer beforehand. She's a friend of mine and she's just really good.”

Adriana

Marley

McElwain wants staff who are good with people and will be outgoing, while having a prior interest in fashion. McElwain says, “If you have an eye it's easy to sell to people because it doesn't feel like you're selling to them, it feels like you’re helping them pick stuff out.”

Liebling has been open since 2012 and although it is small, it has created a successful clientele. McElwain says proudly, “ I have customers that are a really strong repeat customer base so it’s nice to kind of know everyone pretty well. I feel like when I do the buying I can be like, “Oh you know like Tracy would love this.” McElwain knows her customers and their style so well that she has added a unique aspect to Liebling that many other boutiques do not offer. McElwain explains, “I definitely have customers that live in other states and they will call me for something and we send people pick boxes sometimes so then they can send back what they don’t want to keep.” These pick boxes allow customers who live far away to still be able to shop at Liebling and the staff will put together a box that includes several pieces that they think the customer will enjoy.

The downtown and involved location of Liebling has helped the success of the store. McElwain says, “I actually think being right around the corner from Church Street like the kind of main drag in Burlington it's kind of a destination you know and I feel like being on College Street, literally 30 seconds away from Church Street, we are right in that little sweet spot. It's actually really beneficial and College Street is really cute too because it's all locally owned businesses. It's definitely grown, we have gotten many customers recently and having Patagonia across the street is really helpful… The size of the store is really nice and we get a lot of nice sunlight too.”

Owning a small business or retail store in such a small town can be challenging to get customers in the door. McElwain is confident that Liebling stands out from other stores around her. She says, “A lot of the stores are more for high school and college students and I’d say we are more like an adult store and we really focus on quality, simplicity, and classy, but very high end. I feel like it's strong because there's not really any other stores like us in town so that's an advantage.”

McElwain contines, “The weaknesses are growing and getting new customers and figuring out how to get people at the door because winter, for all the stores in town, is a bit of a challenge because it's cold and no one wants to be out and about, so learning how to grow. I think social media definitely helps with that. I have a lot of people come in and say, ‘I have never been here before but I saw you guys online.’ Even just being near Church Street I get people from out of town and they will be like, ‘This is so cute’ and then they will make a point to come back when they are back in Burlington.”

Business can be slow on Sundays in Burlington, especially in the winter, so McElwain incorporated a new aspect to Liebling that is useful for her customers. She says, “I decided in January that we would not be open on Sundays… I would like it to be by appointment so on Sunday the store is technically not open but if someone wanted to call and schedule an appointment with me they would come in and the store would be closed and they could get personal shopping from me. I've done it before and it ends up being really fun because you can have snacks and wine and just like the one on one experience is really nice for a lot of people, especially for those who can’t really get here during the week. I have some clients who live in Montpelier and Stowe and they are busy with their jobs and Sundays are sometimes the best time for them to do their shopping.”

The process of purchasing clothes for a retail store is very extensive and the owner needs to know what the trends will be in the next seasons. McElwain explains, “I go to New York four times a year for the buying. June and December are the smaller buying trips.” Planning ahead is crucial in retail because when going on buying trips, the shopping is for the next seasons to come. So, it is important to know what styles and trends will be popular in the future. McElwain includes, “The December market is for spring, so the stuff that comes in like February and March. However, the February market I was just at is for fall, one of the biggest seasons.” “If you go with a budget it is kind of hard because if you see stuff you like you know you can only bring about a quarter of it into the store”, says McElwain. Schedules are built for the buyers, allowing them to make appointments with designers to look at their items. McEwlain says, “A lot of times there are models in the showroom so what you decide you like and they will try it on for you… Some stores will do the ordering right there but I always get my notes and then when I'm back in the store I look at the budget and do my buying off of what I saw and what I liked. It’s a fun process going to New York and doing the buying is really fun. Coming back and narrowing it down is the hard part.”

McElwain and her staff focus greatly on customer satisfaction and host events to thank their customers for shopping at Liebling. McElwain describes her events: “I try to do a holiday party and a spring party every year so I’ll send invites and will try to have something going on too like a clothing or jewelry trunk show. We have champagne and snacks and just make it a night of shopping and we always do gift bags.”

There is a wide range of designers that Liebling carries that are trendy, yet luxury. While clothing is the main focus, shoes and accessories are also popular at Liebling. McElwain describes some of her favorite brands in the store. She says, “One of my favorite designers is Nili Lotan, she is Israeli but she lives in New York, and her stuff is perfect for everyday. She does more special stuff like silk and more workwear but her everyday stuff is perfect for our customers. She has really nice sweaters and denim, just stuff that is easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. People can wear it both work and play and her stuff is great.”

“R-13 is another one of my favorite lines and they do beautiful denim that is all made in Italy but they are more of an edgier line so kind of like distressed stuff, but their quality is really good.” McElwain adds, “That's more of my edgier line and it's fun like it's very wearable but it's kind of a fun addition to the store instead of your more classic pieces, you get more of your fun pieces.”

McElwain also discusses the unique accessories that can be found at Liebling. She says, “We sell bags from B May, Barbara May, she is out of Detroit but she buys all the skins and leathers in Italy and we have carried her for a long time. We like how understated and clean her stuff is, so there’s no like heavy branding or anything. It's just really nice high quality bags that you can use everyday. I have a lot of customers that like her so much they will buy a new bag every season so those are great. I really love jewelry so I carry a lot of 14K and 18K, more like fine jewelry and diamonds and precious stones. I really like Sophie Hughes, she's out of Boston and she uses all recycled metals, which is more sustainable and conflict free diamonds, which is also really important to me. I would say we do gold and silver jewelry and then bags and nice scarves and then shoes like boots and sandals too.”

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robobrainmurdermysterytheatre · 5 years

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Fallout OC Interview!

I already tagged people, so I’m not tagging anyone in this. I took FOREVER because I thought every question needed an essay-length answer. Also because I went “Oh, I have SCREENSHOTS that would fit well with these questions 😏” then had to sift through the 9gb of screenshots I have to find them. Enjoy!

Rules:

1. Choose an OC.

2. Answer them as that OC.

3. Tag 5 people to do the same.

What is your name? Jack Daniel O’Kelley

How old are you? 24... no, 25 now. Actually, technically, 235.

What do you look like? I’m white, almost 6ft tall, blonde hair, freckles, blue eyes... well, they used to be blue, now they’re... weird... one robot arm, lots of scars, lots of tattoos... you’ll know me when you see me, believe me.

[Read the rest under the cut 👇 It’s long! I threw in a bunch of pictures for lookin’ at! Also, the story of how Jack lost his arm!]

Where are you from? Where do you live now? Boston, born and raised. Except, before the war. Now I live in Sanctuary. I pack up and winter out in the southwest, though! Hate the cold.

What was your childhood like? Before the age of 10? Not great. I was an orphan, grew up in an orphanage. I can’t complain, compared to what orphans in this time have to go through? Still... it was... not something I even want to talk about. But once my parents adopted me? It was nice, it was normal, mostly. They were good people. I didn’t want for anything. They made up for everything else I’d been through.

What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions? I’m General of The Minutemen, so I’d say we’re pretty friendly. The Minutemen have a good, solid relationship with The Railroad, and I personally do as well. We also have a good relationship with Goodneighbor, we always get supplies from there rather than Diamond City, if we can. And again, in a personal sense, I’m a big fan of the Mayor over there. Close personal friend! There are also some groups up north, in Far Harbor I’m on pretty good terms with: the harbormen, the synth refuge. Being popular with the Children of Atom from up there has perks that carry over into dealing with them in the Commonwealth as well. Oh! And the Atom Cats are definitely friends, they gave me a neat jacket and everything. They’re not really a militant faction or anything, they’re great to just hang out with and build cool power armor. They have a poetry night, too!

Tell me about your best friend. That’s just a friend? His name is Deacon. I’m pretty sure I’m not at liberty to tell you anything else about him, though. My other best friend is Piper, number one reporter in the wasteland. Very fun, very funny, very kind. We get drunk and sing showtunes together sometimes. She’s surprisingly good at fighting, more than once now I’ve seen her wreck with a minigun she just picked up from whatever enemy we just downed, but she’s still really good with that 10mm. She reminds me a lot of my late wife in a lot of ways. She’s doing amazing things, bringing truth to the people.

Do you have a family? Tell me about them! I had my family before the war... my parents and then my wife, Ray, and son, Shaun, later. They’re all gone now. I have my son... he’s a synth replica of my human son that he made of himself... it’s complicated... but it’s not. I love him. He’s more my real son than the old man I met nearly a year ago who was the person my human son became. And my husband, Danse. And everyone around us in Sanctuary, really, is family. We all love and support each other, that’s what matters, you know? Even some people outside of Sanctuary - Nicky in Diamond City is like a father to me, Longfellow up north on the island too... The Abernathy’s treated me kindly and helped me supply up when I first came out of the vault and I had no idea what was going on, they were the first people I saw, so they feel a lot like family, too... and the Railroad, like Deacon puts it, are just “one big dysfunctional family, with guns” and, well, working with them like I do, we’re family. I also have a cousin on my dad’s side that survived the war, Celeste! She has the best weed and is a big *ahem* fan of Mayor Hancock. I love her dearly.

What about a partner or partners? I’m married to Danse, he’s an amazing man. Besides being tall, dark and handsome, he’s dedicated, strong, loyal, smart, principled... he’s also the biggest softie I know, he’s compassionate and loving and oh, god, his sense of humor is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it dry but if you catch it, it’s amazing. I have no idea what he’s doing with a guy like me. We balance each other out really well, he helps me keep my shit together, and I help him cut loose. Our marriage is sort of open, we both have people from before we got together that are really important to us, so I have a boyfriend, too. He lives out in Vegas now, where he’s from, but I met him up here during a really dark time when I thought I didn't have anything left in me and had run away from everything. He gave me back the will to keep trying. Haley’s really special - smart as a whip, loyal to a fault, goodhearted, charming, one hell of a shot... Oh, and gorgeous. We’ve had a lot of fun together, just wish I could see him more often. And then there’s Preston. He’s just... everything that’s good and right about humanity. How could I not fall in love with him? He’s beautiful inside and out, he has a heart of pure gold, he’s fought so hard for everything he believes in. I didn’t even realize he had any kind of feelings for me until after I had already gotten together with Danse, but, after we worked out the whole open relationship thing, we got together and that was that.

Who are your enemies, and why? Number one on my shitlist are The Gunners. We’ve been whittling away their numbers, so they’re less of a threat than when I first encountered them. They’re still a legitimate enough with the firepower, organization and numbers they still do have. Anyone or anything that threatens the settlers or the Minutemen are enemies in my book. Things are pretty tense with the Brotherhood of Steel, as well. There’s no... official conflict with them at the moment, but they’re on thin ice.

But seriously, fuck The Gunners.

Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them? Ah, yes. I think if they weren’t trying to spearhead a synth genocide on my turf, we would be able to coexist just fine. I actually used to be in the Brotherhood, though it was mostly me being opportunistic, hoping they could help me find my son and getting to play with power armor and big guns and giant robots. My husband was, too. We were Paladins! Well... I kind of took his position after they kicked him out... he recruited me, he was my commanding officer - one hell of an officer, too, that’s why I field promoted him to Captain of the Minutemen. But I’m getting off topic - The Brotherhood, thankfully seems to have at least slowed down on the synth genocide bullshit after The Minutemen and our allies blew up The Institute. I gently reminded Elder Maxson that’s what happens when people fuck with my family. I haven’t had too many issues with them since.

[Knight O’Kelley 😏]

What about The Enclave? I’ve heard about them from multiple sources, I’m not sure how much of that information is good information, but from my understanding, they sound like assholes. Dangerous assholes.

How do you feel about Super Mutants? I feel bad for them. The ones out here in the Commonwealth were made against their will by The Institute. That’s bullshit. I’ll still kill them when they’re shooting at me, though. I’ve ran into a few friendly ones, there’s Strong and Erickson, and Virgil used to be a Super Mutant but now he’s a human again. I know there’s friendly, smarter Super Mutants in other areas. They’re people too, just like ghouls, just like synths, just like humans. If they’re friendly, I’m friendly, if they’re hostile, I’m hostile. Just wish there were more around here that weren’t hostile. They’re also excellent fighters, I definitely admire the no-bullshit approach they take to fighting.

What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in? Oh, boy, this one’s hard, I’ve been in some crazy fights. Probably The Battle for Bunker Hill, where everyone showed up to the party and I almost died. I was still working undercover at The Institute on the Railroad’s behalf, and so Me, Danse, Deacon, Preston, Hancock, and Mac all go out to meet this Courser. We had Danse in full power armor because we were worried about the Courser recognizing him, but he refused to stay behind because he was worried about me but I’m really glad he didn’t. So we meet this guy, the idea was that we were going to go with him to reclaim these four synths hiding out at Bunker Hill, but when we had a chance, instead we’d take him out and relocate the synths. Well, somehow The god damn Brotherhood of Steel got word of the synths hiding out there as well, so we go in and it’s just a clusterfuck, The Railroad agents, gen 1s, Brotherhood, Caravan guards, everyone’s firing at everyone everywhere. That made getting in easy, we just waded through the fire. We got down there, jumped this Courser and secured the synths. Then we had to fight our way out and in the process Danse’s armors broken, so he has to hop out, but we have everything pretty well handled. Then a second wave of Vertibirds roll in, they’re dropping guys, they’re firing on us from the air, everything is chaos again. They recognized Danse and they were out for blood, they start coming for him instead of the synths we’re protecting, which at least gave Preston, Deacon and Mac a chance to take the four kids to relative safety. So Danse and I are distracting them, trying to slowly retreat, but keep their attention on us enough the rest of our folks can get away. I’m on one side of the street and he’s on the other, just ripping into them. Then this grenade sails over my cover and lands right next to me. I’m pissed, I’m exhausted, I’m thinking, I’m going to throw this motherfucker back at them, there’s nowhere to run, we’re pinned down, fuck it. That was... the wrong call. Or I don’t know, I’m still here, so maybe it wasn’t. I reached down and next thing I know my ears are ringing and I’m flat on my back in the middle of the street in the most excruciating pain I have ever been in. Last thing I see before I black out is my gorgeous, heroic husband standing over me, absolutely fucking furious, unleashing complete and utter hell with that gatling laser on what’s left of the Brotherhood troops. And that’s how I lost my arm!

Have you ever fought a Deathclaw? Many. I hate fighting them, honestly. They’re beautiful creatures. Terrifying, but beautiful.

Do you like fighting? I’m so tired of fighting.

What’s your weapon of choice? In a perfect world, where I won’t accidentally blow up my friends? Mayhem, my quad-barrel missile launcher with a built in targeting computer painted Atom Cats colors. Generally, though, I go with my sniper rifle, Liberator, or the laser rifle Danse gave me, Righteous Authority.

How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?) As much as I’d like to think it’s my excellent combat prowess, mostly some combination of my skills and my charm have helped me stay alive.

Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them? Fuck Vault-Tec, fuck their mothers, fuck all their friends and fuck the vaults. Except Clarence, the salesman who sold me my family’s place in Vault 111. They fucked him over, too. He didn’t know. I can’t be mad. We’re friends. And Curie, technically, was Vault-Tec, when she was a robot, but that’s different. Oh, and the vault I kind of... own... now is OK, the original Overseer left when I did her freaky experiments wrong. It’s known as the Party Vault, now! But listen, I was frozen for 210 years in Vault 111, and as fucked up as that is, that’s probably one of the most benign things Vault-Tec ever did to anyone. They carried out some of the most horrific things I have ever heard of, they’re awful.

[Vault 88, the Party Vault!]

How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you? I don’t have to work too hard to deal with the radiation after the... “religious experience” I had when I “infiltrated” the Children of Atom for Acadia. I still don’t have an explanation for what happened, but, the radiation heals me and eventually dissipates itself after a while, when it even does effect me. Every so often during a bad radstorm I still have to pop some Rad-X. Before that, though, lots of Rad-X and Radaway and cowering in corners of buildings when radstorms blew through. Radstorms used to do a number on me, they’d give me panic attacks, hallucinations - and not the fun kind - make me sick. Not so much anymore, so that’s good.

What’s your favorite wasteland critter? Deathclaws. They’re majestic, they’re fierce and huge. They have interesting mutations that turn them neat colors. I think they’re a lot more intelligent than the average wasteland critter.

What’s your least favorite wasteland critter? Radroaches. Everyone said roaches would survive the apocalypse and not only did they survive, they got more disgusting. Yuck.

How do you feel about robots? Pretty fucking good! I’ve been fascinated with them since before the war. I was going to go into a career in robotics. I guess I kind of ended up doing that, since I build so many now. And Codsworth, who’s a robot, is one of my favorite people. So, yeah, pretty fucking good.

[These are babeys]

How many caps do you have on you right now? Twenty four thousand give or take. Don’t even think about robbing me of them.

Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla? Listen, Haley sent me a crate of Sunset Sarsaparilla once and that shit is way better than any flavor of Nuka Cola I’ve ever had.

Do you do chems? Yes. But strictly for business, not pleasure anymore. Before the war, I was addicted to Psycho and Med-X, and probably Mentats, back from when I was in Anchorage. Hell, even as a kid I would get high here and there. I would really do whatever I could get my hands on. But I cleaned up when Ray was pregnant. Once I lost her and Shaun, it was open season again, especially since chems seem to flow pretty freely in some places around here. I had it bad, my friends had to drag me more than half dead to a wasteland doctor more than once. But once I got Shaun back... I couldn’t do that to him, I couldn’t do it anymore. Sometimes the occasion calls for it, though, there are a lot of fights I wouldn’t have walked away from without the extra edge. I just have to watch it.

Do you ever think about the Pre-War world? A lot. I think about the life I had before, the people I cared about. I also think about the mistakes were made that got us to the place we are now, if anything to try to avoid making them again. If they’re even avoidable...

What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently? Not being able to protect my family in the vault. I don’t know what I could have done differently, I was trapped in there, what could I do? I think about it every day like maybe I’ll have an answer to that question, but I never find one.

What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve? Destroying the Institute, hands down, biggest achievement. They were the biggest roadblock to a functioning Commonwealth, and now they’re gone we can actually build something.

What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world?

Peace, for all three.

#sole survivor

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ariadenassau · 5 years

Text

AMERICANA TASK 001

LAYER ONE : THE OUTSIDE (OOC)

name: Ariadne Marie de Nassau

meaning of name: Ariadne is a Greek name, meaning “chaste” or “most holy”. Marie is a French version of Mary, and the meaning is debated, but can mean “sea of sorrow” or “rebellion”. Her last name, de Nassau, is literally “of Nassau” — she is a part of the House of Nassau.

aliases: Aria is her nickname from childhood and her preferred name.

place of birth: Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

race: Caucasian

nationality: Dual citizenship with France and the United States.

gender: Cis-female

sexuality: Mostly heterosexual

profession: A freelance journalist

eye color: Dark brown

hair style/color: Straight, chestnut brown hair to her shoulders, usually partly braided or in a plait.

height: 5’4” (164 cm)

clothing style: Simple, tailored, and clean-cut, Aria dresses in neutrals and soft materials. She's partial to creamy ivories and tans as opposed to bright colors, with the occasional baby pinks. The only jewelry she wears is a simple gold pendant and a sapphire ring, her birthstone.

best physical feature: Her eyes — both soft and piercing at the same time, the eyes are truly the window to Aria’s soul.

appearance: Very soft and muted, yet luxurious. Aria is from wealth, which shows, but she never flaunts it. She doesn’t wear much makeup and avoids showing too much skin. She looks professional and pretty, but not someone you’d turn around and look at twice in New York.

weight: 110 lbs (50 kg)

complexion: Fair during the winter, slightly tanner during the summer, as Aria darkens easily under the sun.

build: Slight and petite, she is quite skinny and small, without very many curves.

voice: Gentle, she rarely speaks over a shout. She doesn’t like to yell and upturns the ends of her sentences, as if she’s always a bit unsure of herself. She has a slight British/European accent from her upbringing abroad.

LAYER TWO: THE INSIDE (OOC)

fears: Spiders, roller-coasters, and disappointing her parents — although she is working on that last one,

guilty pleasure: The Bachelor. Aria will never admit to watching them, as she finds the entire idea trashy and degrading, but somehow, she turns it on every week when its airing with popcorn and a glass of wine.

biggest pet peeve: People who chew on their food loudly (bad table manners in general, really.)

ambition for the future: To find out who was behind Abby’s killing and write an entire expose on it.

one bad habit: Popping her pimples and skin blemishes.

one good habit: Washing the dishes immediately after she uses them.

one habit they can’t break: Her daily iced coffee (or two) from Starbucks.

one they’ve broken: Chewing on her nails.

LAYER THREE: THOUGHTS (OOC)

first thoughts waking up: “I need coffee.”

what they think about the most: Deep-set anxieties about her future and identity as an individual person.

what they think about before bed: All the errands and things she needs to accomplish tomorrow.

what they think their best quality is: Intelligence and writing ability.

what they think would completely break them: Finding love, and then losing it.

what they think was the best thing in their life: Discovering that she had a long-lost sister, and getting to reconnect with her.

what they think was the worst thing in their life: Losing that long-lost sister.

what seemingly insignificant memories stuck with them: Her childhood piano teacher smacking her fingers when she’d play the wrong notes.

LAYER FOUR: WHAT’S BETTER? (OOC)

single or group dates: Neither — Aria hates dates.

to be loved or respected: Respected.

beauty or brains: Brains.

dogs or cats: Dogs.

coffee or tea: Coffee.

showering in the day or night: Showering at night.

taking baths or taking showers: Taking showers.

tv or movies: Movies.

writing or reading: Writing.

platonic or romantic love: Platonic.

iced tea or lemonade: Iced tea.

ice cream or smoothies: Smoothies.

cupcakes or cake: Cupcakes.

beach or mountains: Mountains.

LAYER FIVE: DO YOU? (IC)

lie: “Yes — it’s a way to get information that I want out of people. But I never lie to hurt anyone.”

believe in yourself: “I hope that I do. I think that I do. Maybe not.”

believe in love: “I think love is out there, but I don’t know how to find it or if it even exists for me.”

want someone: “Maybe.”

work so that you can support your hobbies or use your hobbies as a way of filling up the time you aren’t working: “Well — neither. Writing is both my work and my hobby. So I guess I lucked out.”

have something you’re reluctant to tell people: “My ‘royal’ status. It doesn’t mean anything.”

have an opinion about sex: “It’s something lovely that can make two people’s bonds stronger, but... I don’t know. I don’t think I have a strong opinion either way.”

have many friends: “I have many acquaintances from work and school, but close friends? Probably not.”

have as many friends as you want: “Yes. I’m a bit of a loner, you see.”

have something to make a scene in public about: “God, I hope not.”

have something to give your life for: “A hundred percent — my career, my writing, and figuring out what the hell happened to Abby.”

have major flaws: “I… get too attached to people. It goes along with having such little close friends. The friends I do have, I keep very close to my heart, which means when I lose them… well, my world falls apart.”

have something you pretend or try to care about: “Um — politics?”

have an image you project: “I think I try to come off as more self-confident than I am. I’m also very polite to most people, even if I don’t particularly think the person is deserving of it.”

have something you’re afraid of: “Isn’t everyone afraid of something?”

think you’re polite or rude: “Definitely polite.”

LAYER SIX: FAVORITES (IC)

favorite color: “Hm. I love baby pink, but I also love cream and ivory as well.”

favorite animal: “Polar bears. They’re so majestic!”

favorite movie: “Lost in Translation. It was such a beautifully shot movie!”

favorite game: “I don’t play very many games.”

sound: “Oh! — the sound of sunny winter mornings back when I was in school in Gstaad. You can hear it when you open a window; the chilly breeze, the sound of snow underneath people’s feet… I miss it.”

song: “It changes, really, but I can always listen to anything by Frank Sinatra.”

band: “Is it cliche if I say The Beatles?”

outfit: “Well, it certainly depends on the season, but for the fall and winter, I love my tan crepe pants, an ivory cashmere turtleneck, and my Acne leather boots.”

place: “Switzerland. I spent most of my years there, and the landscapes are so beautiful.”

memory: “I think the first time I met Abby — I was so nervous, and I just saw her, and we talked for hours in her room afterwards. Her parents made hot cocoa, and we just sat there, laughing, crying… it was so wonderful, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

person: “Abby. Or my mentor back at Harvard. She was the one who helped me curate my writing to what it is now.”

show: “I don’t watch much television.”

LAYER SEVEN: AGE (OOC/IC)

age: 29

date of birth: September 2nd, 1990

day your next birthday will be: Thursday.

zodiac sign: Virgo.

age you lost your virginity: 18.

does age matter: “Age certainly matters if you’re younger, but once you pass twenty-five or so… who am I to judge?”

LAYER EIGHT: PERSONALITY (OOC)

moral alignment: Neutral Good.

enneagram: 4 - The Individualist

four temperaments: Melancholic

tropes: the soiled dove, the lost soul, the contrite, the taciturn

archetypes: The Sage/Innocent

tarot cards: Temperance

compassion: yes.

empathy: yes.

creativity: yes.

mental flexibility: at times, no.

passion: yes, for the right things.

stamina: yes.

physical strength: not much.

battle skill: not at all.

agility: a bit.

strategy: she’s always planning for her next move, so yes.

teamwork: yes, but she needs to be the leader.

strength: so much emotional strength.

intelligence: yes.

wisdom: partly, but still trying to find it.

dexterity: none; Aria has a rare muscular dystrophy that degraded the muscles in her hands and fingers.

constitution: a hundred percent.

charisma: only on certain occasions; otherwise, Aria is quite aloof.

LAYER NINE: FINISH THE SENTENCE (IC)

i love: “... good food. Can you blame me?”

i feel: “... lost.”

i hide: “... my feelings, my emotions, my thoughts.”

i miss: “... Abby.”

i wish: “... that I could know where life is taking me.”

i hate: “... people who think they can take advantage of my kindness.”

LAYER TEN: FAMILY (IC)

relationships: “I had a boyfriend. It’s awkward to talk about really, but he dumped me. Quite an awkward situation.”

parents: “My father is Prince Jean Louis, sixteenth in line for the throne in Luxembourg. My mother is Princess Charlotte Julie, formerly Charlotte Julie Vanderbilt.”

siblings: “Just Abby, who was fathered by my father and another woman. She was given up for adoption when she was a baby, which is why I never met her until I grew up.”

children: “No — although, maybe in the future.”

favorite childhood memory: “Oh — my childhood wasn’t that fun. But I guess, early on, my parents did take me out on trips on the boat in lakes in the South of France. Those were always nice.”

favorite childhood toy: “My stuffed bunny Juliette. I still have her.”

embarrassing story: “I fell asleep once in a bowl of yogurt in class. I was so tired staying up studying for an exam, that during it, I was eating my breakfast, and just… fell asleep.”

favorite family member: “Abby. I’m not very close to my parents, or anyone from my family, really.”

#americanatask001 #( there are things no one knows but she keeps them close to her heart | about. )

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aftgficlibrary · 6 years

Text

Minyard-Josten Rivalry Masterlist

coin toss by sashasea (shcombatalade) (G | 1/1 | 1,573)

A sort-of AU set during the single year of post-college pro-level where Andrew and Neil play for separate teams and the eight week period where their ‘rivalry’ was all anyone could talk about. Part 1 of coin toss universe

how it all starts by keihtkogane (T | 1/1 | 1,770)

Timestamps for the Minyard-Josten Rivalry ft. Neil and Andrew being shits, annoyed Kevin, trendmaker Nicky, etc. Part 1 of the minyard-josten ‘rivalry’

minyard-josten: a rivalry for the ages by dustbottle (M | 1/1 | 4,203)

After four years of playing together at Palmetto State University, Neil and Andrew end up on different professional teams. Neil is the new striker for the Atlanta Hawks; Andrew is goalie for the Boston Rebels. This is the story of their so-called rivalry. Three guesses as to who starts the rumours. (Spoilers: It’s Neil.) Part 2 of andreil: into the future

please tell me it’s just the fandom freaking out by onesweetmelody ( T | 7/7 | 16,573)

And finally, the Minyard/Josten Rivalry as told through social media. __ Neil Josten @neiljos10 Sadly @ajminyard isn’t too excited about that face off Neil Josten @neiljos10 Maybe @ajminyard will learn how to block an offside bouncer before then. Or any shot.

in which neil josten is a pr nightmare by coveryoureyes (T | Incomplete | 12,442)

Eve was not the best person in the world. Sometimes she didn’t hold the elevator open when she saw people rushing to catch it from the other side of the lobby. Cutting the line at Starbucks was a semi-regular action. But Eve did not deserve to be Neil fucking Josten’s publicist. Or, the one where Neil does what he wants, picks fights with reporters, discovers Twitter, breaks the internet, and really shouldn’t be allowed out of his house. Andrew does nothing to discourage him.

shut up and kiss me by emmerrr (G | 528 | 1/1)

“You’re incorrigible.”

“I’m proud of you,” Neil says. “What’s wrong with being proud of you?”

Part 17 of To live will be an awfully big adventure

Wait, Neil Has a Boyfriend? by samaykay912 (Not Rated | 1,231 | 1/1)

It was all Matt's fault that they were here. Who drops the bomb that the boy who doesn't swing have a boyfriend, and not expect them to do anything about it?

Or, where two of Neil's teammates walk in on the morning after Andrew and Neil reunite after they played against each other.

Chapter 18 of Glipses by goldveines (E | Incomplete | 21/?)

andreil + "your sarcasm is not amusing"

Cover Story by FreakingOutGirl (G | 1,015 | 1/1)

Neil doesn't like it when he sees the newest Exy Today!'s cover and Andrew is just having fun seeing Neil getting angry at everyone from Kevin to the editor.

Thea and Kevin grace the cover of a magazine and Neil is having none of it with the bullshit tagline.

The Name Game by minyrrds (G | 3,042 | 1/1)

What happens when Andrew and Neil change the names on their jerseys.

(also available as a podfic here)

Clickbait by Frostandcoal for ilgaksu (T | 5,431 | 1/1)

It is fitting that Josten is set to don a Dragons’ uniform. Like his new mascot, Josten is a fire-breathing, relentless, somewhat mythical creature whose very existence seems larger than life. And Minyard is the perfect manifestation of a Cyclone; an inescapable, violent maelstrom of unpredictability, where your only chance of survival is to hunker down and wait out the storm.

What happens when a dragon battles a force of nature? That’s what we’re all waiting to find out. The media reacts to teammates-turned-rivals in the summer before Neil Josten’s first year in the pro’s.

those to come by jaylocked (T | 4,282 | 1/1)

Neil Josten @njosten @aminyardofficial did they skip English lessons at angry midget academy? 5:23 PM - 94,203 likes - 84,502 retweets

Andrew Minyard @aminyardofficial @njosten i will fight u 5:30 PM - 84,302 likes - 68,394 retweets

(an AU where everybody plays Exy professionally, there is no backstory at all, Neil is technologically illiterate, and Andrew and Neil somehow develop a rivalry anyway)

Part 1 of pro exy, pro twitter au

The Future Is Brighter Than We Thought It Would Be (Social Media Is A Disaster) by CasTheButler (Not Rated | 2,695 | 1/1)

Georgie O'Reilly is freaking out. Andrew Minyard just called her to willingly arrange an interview. Not just any interview. An interview where he's going to tell everyone who his boyfriend is. Live. On Television. The ratings are going to sky rocket.

This took me a ridiculous amount of effort. A ridiculous amount for a ridiculous fic and I'm a little proud.

"I can't stop thinking about you." by drugstoreperfume (T | 1,696 | 1/1)

Neil and Andrew are on separate teams, and Neil has to come to terms with how much he truly misses Andrew when the distance is so far.

Series: Part 4 of drabble prompts for the exy kids

Goalie by IceAngels (Not Rated | 835 | 1/1)

This was just supposed to be a short thing about Exy players doing that thing that hockey players do when there's a fight, partnering up, but instead it became a kind of genesis story for the Josten-Minyard Rivalry.

Really just a short fun fic

Captured moments by simplydevotedtoyou (G | 8,710 | 1/1)

Neil has finally made it to pros, joining the RedSock Lions in Chicago. Andrew however is with the Houston Hornets.

When Andrew is asked about how he feels about seeing his ex team mate on an opposing team, he makes a comment which starts the supposed 'rivalry' between the ex team mates.

What the majority of people don't know is that Neil and Andrew are in fact together and have been since college, well that is until someone releases photos of them which show that the whole rivalry wasn't 100% real.

or Neil and Andrew are both too stubborn to let the other have the last word.

Series: Part 3 of What everyone doesn't see unless they look close enough.

'cause it's not what it seems by flickerfonds (Not Rated | 1,252 | 1/1)

based on a prompt from @exyprompts on tumblr -- okay but like an outside pov of the Minyard-Josten Rivalry where they’ve recently been transferred to the same team and the team is really edgy and tries to keep them away from each other, but then they get put in the same hotel room for an away game (obviously they request this) and the whole team goes through all of these antics to separate them because they think it is a mistakeTM

The Self I Am by dustbottle (E | 5,536 | 1/1)

Though Neil and Andrew have been on the same professional team for years, the Minyard-Josten rivalry is still going strong. No one has caught wind of the truth of their relationship – but maybe it’s time for that to change.

(Or: Neil and Andrew decide to come out. This is how it happens.)

Series: Part 4 of Andreil: Into The Future

The Truth Behind It by wematch (T | 2,801 | 1/1)

Neil finally makes a Twitter account the year after he leaves the Foxes. His PR has been nagging him about making a social media account since he joined the team but ultimately he uses it to annoy Andrew. Of course things escalate and the rumours of a rivalry between the two form, that is until Neil clarifies everything.

updated: october 29, 2018

#masterlist #masterlistmonday #theme:rivalry #theme:andreil #andreil #andrewminyard #neiljosten #futurefic #postcanon #theme:andrewminyard #theme:neiljosten #theme:postcanon

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tonguetiedmag · 5 years

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interview: sleep on it

With only a few shows left of their final club tour of the year, I chatted with Teddy Horansky (guitar, vocals) of Sleep On It before their performance in Denver about his newfound love for photography, Sleep On It’s most underrated song, and future music-- as well as some potential headline shows.

How are you?

Good! I’m very tired today. Just driving catching up with us--we drove overnight, but excited to be here!

Definitely a hard drive to and from Denver.

Yeah, it was just a far drive and we’re not sleeping that much, but it’s gonna be a good show; it’s sold out, and I’m happy to be here.

Good! Get any sleep last night?

Got a couple of hours in the van and a couple hours at our friends but it’s kind of sporadic. We’ve got a day off tomorrow which is good!

What are you guys doing?

Driving to salt lake ... this time we’re playing a venue we haven’t actually played before, Kilby court ... I’ve heard it’s outside but I don’t know for sure... I hope it’s not.

I hope it’s not either, for everyone’s sake! You guys always talk about promoting an inclusive environment at your shows, so I’m curious how you’ve seen the effects of that and how it’s affected fans?

I’ve always been in the mindset of a little bit goes a long way, just with talking to everyone at the end of the night, and making sure everybody is having a good time, we just try to promote that. And on stage; we try to have a very welcoming, inclusive environment, we want people to feel welcomed and safe at our shows. I think we’ve taken cues from other bands, we’re not the first one to do this stuff, but bands like the Maine go out of their way to have a close connection with the fan base. I think that ultimately makes fans of that band for life. It’s just something about that connection and being accessible.

Have you ever had fans comment on it? Either to you, or thanking you for it?

Yeah, all the time! We’ve got sleepyhead, that’s our street team, we’ve got a Facebook group and people post about it all the time in there. ..Obviously we can’t fix anything [messed up things in the world] but we can provide that safe space, it’s somewhere to go and have a good time for a few hours.

What’s your favorite thing about playing club shows?

Intimacy. Playing at warped tour and stuff you’re outside and it’s open air, and it’s cool and fun, but being really close to the fans in front of us on stage and that intimacy, we all feed off of that energy. Playing venue shows and just seeing that reaction right in front of you gets a little crazy and gets us feeling alive.

It’s your first club tour since Luka[drums] hurt his shoulder. How has it been having him back?

It’s amazing. It’s not really Sleep On It without Luka, and our friend Eric did a really great job filling in, but it’s obviously a situation we don’t want again-- we want to make sure Luka stays healthy. I would say he’s the “soul” of Sleep On It; his energy, his character, and he’s a phenomenal drummer. It feels good, it feels very natural.

What have you been listening to on drives?

Lately I’ve been listening to this podcast called “Lead Singer Syndrome” with Shane[Told] from Silverstein, where he interviews other bands, and that’s really cool. I feel like I, more than most of the guys listen to weird different stuff. I’ve been listening to the new J. Cole record a lot, there’s a lot of hip-hop I really like--I really like Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples and stuff like that. So I’ve been listening to that a little bit more,[and] a lot of people are putting out their end of the year best albums, so I’ve been trying to find more albums[that way].

Like the “Spotify Wrapped” stuff?

Yeah! That, and just people posting their top 10 albums of the year. I’m admittedly not the best at finding new stuff, so end of the year lists are really great because everyone loves all these records, so I check them out. I was also listening to boygenius yesterday which is Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers and another person[Lucy Dacus]...[they’re] not a supergroup but a side project thing, so that’s been cool.

Overexposed came out a year ago. Do you guys have plans to headline that album?

We’re going on tour with another band in the spring as direct support, hopefully we’ll be announcing that very soon. Two weeks after this tour is done we start recording LP2... I’ve been writing a lot [and] it’s been such a different process from writing Overexposed ; like we had a really long time to write it—everyone says you have your whole life to write your first record, and in a sense it’s kinda true, but this is the first time we’ve wrote a record while we’ve been touring a lot. ..I had some time before Warped Tour where I wrote a lot, and now I’m trying to write more and more and I feel pretty good about it. We’re going out to LA to do the record in January, so there’s talks of a headliner next year-- nothing is confirmed yet and there’s a lot of things up in the air, but we would definitely love to do some headlining shows next year.

What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not doing music?

Travelling. I love to travel, my girlfriend is a flight attendant so we love to take trips when we can--went to Tokyo earlier this year, that was really sick. We went out to Boston for a few days to visit my grandparents. I’ve also gotten into photography this year- I got a film camera for Christmas and had never done photography in my whole life, but I wanted to, and film photography just seemed really interesting to me... It coincides with—I like to travel, and now I like to take pictures, so it helps me experience wherever I am a bit more when I have my camera with me. I love doing that, and also just spending time with my girlfriend, my family and stuff like that. Exercise, which admittedly has taken a backseat recently with all the band stuff going on, but I try to stay active and physically fit as much as possible.

That’s really important, especially I’m sure with living in a van however much of the year.

Yeah, just mentally[it’s important].

In your opinion, what’s your most underrated song?

I think the title track from Overexposed . I don’t know, I mean people still like it—that’s one of our favorite songs, we like playing it live. We haven’t played it live in a while so it’s hard to say if it’s underrated or not, but I think that song is really awesome and hopefully we’ll be able to play it. If we do any headline shows next year I’m sure that’s one we’d like to play.

Where have you guys played it before?

I feel like we played it on the Four Year Strong tour last year, a while ago. We played it before the record even came out, it’s just a fun song to play live— and tours like this where we’re support, our sets are short so we’ve gotta play the hits.

Since Overexposed came out your guys fan base has grown quite a lot. How have you adjusted to that?

It’s been great. I feel like it continues to grow every day, especially being on tour out here. I just love seeing positivity, the community of the fan base. We really try to cultivate a fan base that’s really supportive of each other, so that’s super rad. We would love to play overseas next year, I feel like it could definitely happen, and expand that fan base internationally. It’s just been humbling—it’s a good thing.

And for Tongue Tied’s signature question— how would you describe your music to someone who can’t hear?

I would say it’s rock, it’s upbeat, it can be aggressive but also pop-driven, and that we try to be very honest lyrically; writing about songs dealing with sadness, but also hopeful songs—I think somewhere in there is what we sound like.

Check out Sleep On It online:

https://www.sleeponitband.com

https://www.facebook.com/sleeponitband/

https://twitter.com/SleepOnItBand?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Interview by: Liz Holland

#liz holland #music #live music #concert #sleep on it #interview #sleep on it interview

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thebookkeeperslibrary · 6 years

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The Time Page’s Wish: Ch. 9 - The First Mission

Fandom: Time Warp Trio

Author: The_Bookkeeper_96

Rating: G

Summary: It’s been four months and Uncle Joe is still missing. On his twelfth birthday, Joe decides it’s time to track him down. One wish lands them in the middle of a revolution. And it seems the only way to get them home is with the help of some untrustworthy thieves. As long as they don’t take The Book for themselves.

Read on AO3

Magical sunrises or not, getting up before the sun is in the sky sucks.

Joe stretches his arms out in front of him, letting out a huge yawn. He knew this was an important day. Cassius had stressed how key his awakening will be for his magic training. Not to mention how much better Joe would feel afterwards. He couldn't wait for these headaches to go away. He'd barely gotten any sleep last night because of them. Though in fairness, it could also have been his excitement for today's adventure.

His glass ceiling gave him a perfect view of the sunrise. The windows were dimmed enough that the light didn't blind him, but still allowed him to see the natural beauty of this strange world. The streaks of pink, orange, and purple slowly faded into a crystal blue sky. Only a few smears of green remained.

Joe slips out of bed and quickly gets dressed for the day. He has no idea what to expect and hopes he's dressed appropriately. Walking out into the main hall, Joe finds most of the others already gathered.

"So, we're really the only students at this school?" Sam asks. He, Arwen, and Juniper are immersed in conversation.

The girls both nod, but Juniper is the one who answers. "It used to house hundreds of students, but Rowena said that they had to shut most of the school down several years ago. Now, it's just for future Warp and Aether Wizards and their companions. But each Wizard is only allowed to bring three people with them. They really want to minimize the amount of people here."

"Why?"

Fred stands off to the side, eyes drifting over the room. He spots Joe and waves him over. "I am so glad you finally showed up, dude. Sam's been nerding out all morning."

"I'm trying to learn about our new home." Sam crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at Fred. "Maybe you should too since you're the one who wanted to come here in the first place."

Fred puts his arms behind his head. "It's a magic school on a magic planet with magic students. What else is there to know?"

Sam groans and looks to Joe for help, who rolls his eyes in response. It's too early to deal with Sam and Fred's drama. Instead, he scans around the room. "Where's Tessa?" he asks, noting that she's the only one missing.

"Sorry I'm late." Tessa struts into the room, almost as if she was waiting for her name to be announced. She yawns and rolls out her shoulders. "Ro and Cas wanted to squeeze in some last-minute training, and toss in a lecture or two," she mumbles the last sentence under her breath. "Is everyone ready to go?"

Tessa whips out a golden piece of metal from her belt, juts it out in front of her, and a white blade slices through the air. The metal sings as she waves it around, carving intricate patterns into the air. The golden handle, designed to look like shooting stars, wraps perfectly around her hand. The white blade extends almost three feet away from her. The gold design continues onto the blade of the sabre, shooting stars decorating it all the way to the tip.

The trio jumps away in unison, a mix of emotions on their faces. Sam is terrified, while Joe and Fred are much more curious about the weapon. "What's that?" they ask together.

"My Focus?" Tessa holds up her sabre. "It helps me control my tears. Wouldn't be very good if I tore this entire planet to the middle of the desert."

"What's a tear?" Joe stares her weapon up and down. Would he get one of those too? He tries to imagine himself swinging a cool sword around, and finds he quite likes the idea. He wouldn't just be a Warp Wizard. He'd be a Warp Warrior.

With a smirk and quick flick of her wrist, Tessa cuts her sabre through the air. A resonating crack sounds through the hall, opening up a purple portal. It's identical to the one the girls fell through last night at dinner. "This is a tear."

"A tear is Tessa's equivalent to your warps." Juniper explains. "She can rip a hole in the fabric of space-time and travel anywhere or anytime in the universe. Though her ability to travel through time isn't as strong as yours. Her strength is lateral movement."

Fred scratches the back of his neck. "Uh, last time I checked, Joe can't warp us anywhere without The Book."

The girls stare at Joe. "Sorry, I guess everything we know about you is theoretical from our studies. Warp Wizards are supposed to have complete control over time. I'm sure you'll get there once you start your training."

"You really can't warp without your book?" Tessa shrugs. "I guess that makes it your Focus. Shame, you could've gotten a darb weapon as your Focus." Her sabre retracts, and she places it back on her belt.

"A darb…? Nevermind." Joe crosses his arms. "My book is cool. It can stop time, warp us into the past and future, and-"

"Doesn't sound like much of a weapon. And without any training, you're going to be completely defenseless on this mission." Arwen exchanges looks with Tessa. "Which is probably why we're being forced to go along."

"Mission? I thought we were just taking Joe to be awakened." Sam steps away from the portal, still waiting to transport them to their destination.

"Yeah, but we have to get there first. If this is anything like Tessa's journey to be awakened, we're in for a few good fights."

"Fights?" Sam steps back even farther. "You know, on second thought. I think I'm going to stay right here. Where it's safe, and there are no fights."

"Awesome!" Fred clamps his hand down on Sam's shoulder, making him stumble. "A little action will be good for you, Sam."

"No, a salad is good for you. A nice walk through the park is good for you. A fight is not good for you!"

"Does he do this often?" Tessa watches Sam, a small crease forming in the center of her brow. "I can't listen to this the entire trip." The other two girls nod their agreement, each one watching Sam with a nervous look on their faces.

"He lives like this," says Fred, rolling his eyes.

"Well, now we know who the fun one is in your little trio." Tessa shoots a wink at Fred. "And if you guys are ready, we need to get going. It's going to take at least a day to get there, probably two."

The girls step into the portal and silently disappear. The boys, not having much choice, follow them through. Joe and Fred, pulling Sam with them, push through the portal. The purple gateway vanishes from the room, with no trace of the kids left behind.

Joe expected walking into a tear to feel like a warp. It did not.

Warping was like being pulled down a drain with lots of spinning that left you feeling nauseous. Excessive warping back to back could actually make Joe vomit. Tearing was like being shoved through a miniscule hole in the wall. It hurt. A lot. His body stretched and thinned out, twisting at all angles. He kept stretching and stretching. His skin burned and eyes watered. Everything was stretched as far as it could go. If this lasted any longer, Joe would rip into pieces.

It was over as quick as it began. A thousand rubber bands smacked against his skin as his body snapped back into place. Blinking away the tears, Joe watches as a new world fades into view.

"Where are we?"

"Earth, actually. Home sweet home."

"Does your home look like this? Because mine definitely does not."

Before them lays a city of ruin. Ancient, dilapidated buildings of marble and stone are sprawled out in a large circle. The pathways carve an intricate maze throughout the city. In the center of it all, a large castle looms. Several towers had fallen down and most of the walls are cracked.

The town is surrounded by a lush, green jungle, and in the distance, the sound of a crashing waterfall can be heard. Mountains and volcanos rise high into the sky, smoke pouring out from the top of some.

"This place is incredible!" Fred runs over to the edge of the cliff they landed on. The city sits miles below them. "But why are we here and not there?"

"The city is protected by a magical barrier. This is as close as I can get us. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."

"That's a lot of walking."

"Oh, come on. It's good for you." Arwen gives Fred a rough pat on the back. "For the jock-type, you sure are lazy."

"I am not."

"So, how do we get down there?" Joe, being more cautious than Fred, stands a few feet back from the edge of the cliff. He studies the city far below them. "Do we have to climb down?"

Tessa chuckles. "If you want to die, but there is path." She gestures to the gap in vegetation next to her. A dirt trail leads into the jungle. Joe can barely see ten feet before it disappears into darkness.

"Uh, it's a little dark."

"Good thing we have magic then." Tessa's hand sparks with purple lightning. Within a few seconds, the lighting forms a small ball in the center of her palm, the occasional spark still shooting off. "Shall we?"

"So where are you girls from?" The six of them have been walking for a while. The conversation comes and goes. They'd been walking in silence for too long. It had been making Joe uncomfortable.

The walk itself was nice enough. They were surrounded by vibrantly colored trees, flowers, and vines. The sounds of exotic birds resonated throughout the jungle. In different circumstances, this would have made a lovely vacation destination.

"Well, Arwen and I are from Boston," Juniper begins. "But Tessa is from-"

"Everywhere!" Tessa quickly interrupts her friend. "I'm a traveler of sorts, but I've been in Boston for two years now."

"That's what happens when you grow up in a circus," Arwen mumbles under her breath.

Tessa purses her lips, a stray spark of lightning striking the air. "Don't be jealous that my life is more exciting than yours, princess." She focuses again on the ball of energy in her hand, calming the lightning before any other stray bolts could escape. Her eyes are intensely dark.

"Wait, did you say Boston?" Fred looks from Juniper to the large, red B on Arwen's shirt. The dots slowly connecting in his head. "No, no, no." He digs his heels into the ground and folds his arms over his chest.

"What's wrong with you? Boston's a nice city." Sam raises an eyebrow at Fred. The whole group has stopped to stare at him.

"No city that is home to the Red Sox is nice." He speaks the name with such contempt that most of the group flinches. Fred places his hand over his heart. "Pure Yankee blood runs through my veins. I can't go on some quest with a Red Sox fan. It's sacrilege! I'd never be allowed back into Yankee Stadium!" He gestures to Arwen's shirt, sneering at the villainous letter.

"I'm surprised he knows how to use the word sacrilege," Sam mutters to Joe, who nods in agreement.

Arwen glances down at her shirt and shrugs. "Okay, whatever." She takes her shirt off, leaving her in just a blue tank top, and ties it around her waist. "Better, Yankee Doodle? Can we get going now?"

Fred's mouth open and closes like a fish out of water. " But, but…" He's at a loss for words. This was not the response he was anticipating. "You don't care? You have to care! The Yankee, Red Sox rivalry is the greatest rivalry in baseball history. Fans are sworn enemies of each other. How are you okay with all this?"

"I don't really care about sports," Arwen says, and Fred stumbles back in shock. "It's kind of a family thing to support the Red Sox, but I'm not into it. If you want a rivalry, go talk to my father. He'll give you the fight you want." She turns away and continues down the trail, abruptly ending the conversation.

The other kids follow her, and Fred drags his feet in the rear. He runs his hand down his face, his eyes narrowed at the ground. He begins to mumble to himself, but everyone leaves him to puzzle it out on his own.

Joe quickens his pace to catch up with Tessa. It's time for him to get some answers. Everything had been moving along so quickly, he hadn't had time to ask anyone any of the questions that had been buzzing around inside his mind. And he had a lot of them. "So, a circus, huh? That's pretty cool."

"Huh?" Tessa momentarily takes her attention away from her magic and blinks at Joe, as if she just now noticed he was there. "Oh, yeah. It was sort of a circus, carnival hybrid. My mom was a fortune teller, and my dad was an illusionist. Before this," she nodded towards her hands, "I was training to be an acrobat. But once I discovered my powers, I started focusing on them more."

"How did it happen? How did you discover your powers? I got The Book as a gift for my tenth birthday, but I didn't know I could do magic until my friends, my sister, and I warped to ancient China and there was this huge army, but only like twenty of us. One of the solider shot an arrow at my sister and was able to slow time right before the arrow hit her. But I've never been able to use magic like that before, and that was the only time that happened until Paris last week. It kind of seems like I can only use it in high-stress situations, but that doesn't seem very useful. I mean, you can use your magic whenever you want. You clearly have amazing control over it-"

"Joe!" Tessa snaps. She had been grinding her teeth through his entire speech and couldn't take it anymore. The ball of light in her hands had darkened and more lightning bolts were shooting out. "If we are going to be wizard partners for life, you have got to talk less. Your innocence is charming, bunny, but annoying."

Joe's cheek flare crimson. " Sorry, it's a bad habit… wait, did you just call me bunny? And did you say partners for life? Like marriage? I didn't sign up for that. That's-"

"You're doing it again, bunny." Tessa shoots him a sidelong glance before returning to the ball in her hands. The color gradually lightened back up, and the sparks died down. "Do you want me to answer your questions or not?"

Joe nods, finally silent. He gives Tessa all his attention, ready to learn as much as he can. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited about something.

"When I discovered my magic, I was eight and it was a complete accident. It almost killed me. I was practicing my aerial acrobatics, and my ropes came loose. I fell thirty feet towards the ground with no net to catch me." Joe opens his mouth to ask why she didn't have a net, but a quick glare from Tessa shut him up. "So, I panicked. As I was falling, all I wanted was to be safe. My eyes were closed, and I was screaming. Next thing I know, there's this loud cracking noise, and then my body felt like it was being pulled in a hundred different directions. Then it was over. I landed on something soft. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my tent, laying on my bed. I opened my eyes just in time to see a purple portal above my head disappear. No one else in the troop had seen or heard anything. I thought I had imagined the whole thing until I accidentally opened another tear two months later."

"What happened that time?" Tessa's story had only given Joe more questions, but he was fascinated with her. This was the kind of exciting life he had always wanted to live.

"And yes, I did call you bunny before. I think it's very fitting for you." Tessa ignores Joe's other question. "And I also said partners for life. Being a Warp or Aether Wizard is a life sentence. So, yeah, it is kind of like marriage, minus any romance." Tessa gives Joe a pointed look, wanting to make that part very clear. "And for the record, I don't have as much control over my powers as you think I do. I've only been at the academy for a few months. I've learned a lot, but after seeing what Rowena can do, I know I have a long way to go. Anything else, bunny?"

"Well, I, I guess not." Of course, Joe had a million more questions. What powers did Tessa have? Did she know all the powers he would have too? Was bunny a permanent nickname? But he needed time to process everything he had been told. Besides, he knew if he asked Tessa anymore questions, she would snap at him again. He didn't need that right now.

He concentrated on the path ahead of him. Soon, they would be coming upon the city. Not long after that, Joe would have his powers awakened. As long as he lived through the process, he tried not to think about the alternative, he would be a full-fledged Warp Wizard with crazy awesome magical powers. Everything he ever wanted would be happening. He just had to make it through the rest of this mission. Simple enough, right?

#time warp trio #fanfiction #twt #joe #sam #fred #oc #my post #kellie writes #kellie fanfic #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing #writing blog

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jessaadventures-blog · 6 years

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Week Eight: The Mass Exodus

A little red crab at Capullana caves!

This week was a good one; we had so many great volunteers and spent a lot of time bonding, adventuring, and going a bit crazy at times! Most everyone left this weekend, though, and now we’re down to only four volunteers. This week was memorable and a great last exciting week before I begin preparing to head to Patagonia (I have a lot of work to do).

The EcoHouse

Party time in the EcoHouse!

We didn’t get any new volunteers this week, and no one else arrives until over a week after I leave, and it’s weird to think that I won’t meet any more new interns before I leave!

Jack left on Tuesday to head back to Bristol for school, and it’s been weird not having him and his polite and “posh” self around the house; everybody misses him.

Andres left on Wednesday to go to a wedding in Canada, and isn’t coming back for quite a while, so I won't see him again. I’m really going to miss his joking and stories around the house. Michael came back on Wednesday (with a new haircut) to replace Andres leaving.

Orianna left yesterday to head back home to Boston and to school, and Seth and Claudia left today; Seth to go home to Indiana to start looking for a new job, and Claudia to head back to Bristol for her third year of university! Chris leaves tomorrow for the UK, which leaves only Ale, Joris, Anthony, and I in the house. I’ll have my own room and I’ll be the only girl (apart from Nai Ana) for the first time since I got here.

It’s sad to see everyone leave, we’ve had some really great times these past few weeks with so many people. At the same time, though, it’ll be nice to have some quiet and time to reflect and relax before I head to Patagonia and meet a bunch of new people and have minimal alone time for three weeks.

We had a pretty typical food week, with some new recipes thrown in. On Monday we went to Tranqui’s and most people got dessert at a cute little stand that just opened up nearby, we had tacos on Tuesday (of course), veggie burgers on Wednesday, pot pie on Thursday, and we did a special director’s night on Friday, when Diego, Nai Ana, and Michael made some AMAZING lasagna (a vegan and a vegetarian one) and a wonderful vegan carrot cake pudding. I was thoroughly impressed, we have to have the directors cook more! On Saturday we went to La Casona to try out their food for Orianna’s last night, but the food took three hours to come out and wasn’t that great. On Sunday we headed to Cora for lunch and Tranqui’s for Claudia and Seth’s last night!

Nai Ana’s vegan carrot cake pudding with chocolate sauce on top! It was incredible.

We also had some crazier nights this week. On Wednesday, after veggie burgers, Diego and Nai Ana made maracuya (passionfruit) sours (like pisco sours but with passionfruit too) that were amazing but very strong, and those combined with the several runs the boys went on for beers resulted in everyone getting pretty tipsy. We all ended up having a dance party and trying to salsa around the dining room, which was highly entertaining! On Friday we celebrated Nai Ana’s birthday (it’s actually today but we wanted to celebrate while everyone was still here) by making pisco sours, drinking beer, having a jam session with all the instruments laying around the house, and talking around a bonfire in the courtyard. Another fun night!

Work

Bonfire in the courtyard!

We tested the solar distiller again this week, after trying to seal up all the holes, and though we fixed most of the worst holes, there were still some little leaks and the drips weren’t falling in the water catch, so we got very little water out of it. This week we’re going to try to do one more fix so we can get enough water to put through the carbon filter and drink, but at this point there’s too many issues with the distiller to move it to the guild. It’s important that the technology and products we introduce to the community work well, are easy to use, and have the issues and kinks all worked out, because if the locals are introduced to a new technology and all it does is cause issues and not work they’ll stop using it and also lose trust in EcoSwell.

We’ve learned a lot from this pilot distiller, and it has helped us identify ways to make the next one much more functional and easier to use. So, though we’re doing one last test to see if we can get more water out of it, during this last week I’ll be working to finish writing a manual for building a functional solar distiller, incorporating the lessons I’ve learned from working with the current distiller, and I’ll be launching a crowdfunding campaign to fund the construction of the next distiller (so keep an eye out for that, I’d really appreciate you all donating what you can so my project can continue on to be a success and help the Lobitos community)!

Other than the distiller, we had planting day (I pulled weeds, thinned vetiver, put mulch on vetiver, and pulled more weeds), cleaning day (I got to deep clean the bathroom woo), and social media (mostly SteemIt posts). EcoSwell was on Peruvian National Television this week as well, which was very exciting! A show did a short segment (filmed in February) on EcoSwell and their mission, and it was really well done!

As I’m getting ready to head to Patagonia, I have a lot of preparation to do. We’ve been given six papers to read over before we come, along with five more papers about energy issues in Patagonia that I would like to read over to determine what I want to focus my research project on and get a feel for what we’ll be learning about down there. We also have a short essay to write about what we’re looking forward to and what we want to learn while we’re traveling around Patagonia. I’m trying to get all this done in my free time and in the evenings, and it’s all very interesting but definitely sucks up some time!

Adventures

Emerging onto the hidden beach at Capullana caves.

On Wednesday the whole house headed to Piscinas, some to surf and some to watch (I took pictures of the surfers) and it was really nice to watch the sunset (it was beautiful) before we headed back to make veggie burgers.

On Saturday we decided to take a hike to the caves so the people who hadn’t been yet could experience them! We ended up walking eight miles (round trip) on the dusty roads, having lots of interesting and fun conversations, occasionally running ahead of the others and scaring people, and listening for Cortarramas (the endangered bird). We reached the caves and scrambled down the ropes, spent time bouldering on some of the cliffs, exploring the caves (there were a lot of bats), chasing the little red crabs, and trying to spot blue-footed boobies. It was a great adventure and was a wonderful last outing with the big crew of volunteers. We also briefly met a big group of Peruvians who were on vacation, and we took a picture with them! They seemed excited to meet so many foreigners in a pretty random place. Capullana caves is definitely one of my favorite places in the area; it’s really beautiful and with a bit of work (cleaning up litter, making the ropes a little safer, doing some research on the ecosystem) it would be an amazing place for ecotourism!

The EcoTeam at Capullana Caves!

It’s weird to have so few people in the house now, and I already miss everyone that has left, but it’ll be nice to have some down time to focus on preparing for Patagonia and finishing up my work here. Only one more week here in Lobitos, and I’m definitely ready to head down south, meet new people, travel around, and spend time hiking around some of the most beautiful mountains and environments in the world! I miss everyone and home (I hear the smoke is finally going away), and I’m excited to head back to school too!

#EcoSwell #summer2018 #Lobitos #Peru

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Free Guy: How Jodie Comer Went From Holby City to Hollywood

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Talk about glamorous locations. It’s an overcast spring day in Boston, and Den of Geek is standing in… a parking lot outside an old flower warehouse. No, we haven’t made a wrong turn. This is the unassuming, on-location base camp for the cast and crew of Free Guy, a high-concept action-comedy set in (and out of) an explosive open-world video game. The forecourt is filled with rows of neatly parked, nondescript white trailers, which we’re ushered along until we reach one with a sign on the door that simply reads: “Molotov Girl”.

This is the temporary hangout for one of the film’s headline stars. After Jodie Comer’s big break onto the global A-list with TV phenomenon Killing Eve, Hollywood naturally came calling, and Free Guy marks her first starring role in a bonafide big-screen blockbuster. The native Liverpudlian, who started her career with guest appearances on shows including Holby City, Waterloo Road and Doctors, has clearly remained typically grounded, though—this is actually her day off from shooting and, as she beckons us inside with a beaming smile, she’s in the middle of clearing out her kitchen fridge.

“It’s been so much fun,” Comer enthuses about her time on the project so far (they’re only two weeks into the shoot), as we take a seat in her makeshift living room. “I’ve never done anything like this before, and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed because everything is new, but it has been so relaxed. There’s a lot of energy on this set and you’re encouraged to just roll with it.”

Warm, friendly and happy to chat despite the fact she’s not technically at work today, Comer is a million miles away from the character she’s (currently) best known for—Killing Eve’s murderous menace, Villanelle. And, despite the incendiary name, so is Free Guy’s Molotov Girl… The kick-ass heroine is actually an avatar, created by human programmer Millie to navigate the world of the game-within-a-film, Free City, and help non-playable character Guy (Ryan Reynolds) to save the digital playground he calls home.

“They both have their strengths, but in very different departments,” Comer explains. “Millie has created a version of herself—this badass chick who rides a motorcycle and is ridiculously cool—which I think is really interesting, especially in this day and age where so many of us are on social media and we kind of create this ideal of what it is that we want to be perceived as. There’s so much to play with within these two characters.”

Comer says that the dual role was a big part of why she ultimately decided to take the role, but for director Shawn Levy—the man behind the Night At The Museum franchise and a regular helmer on Netflix’s Stranger Things—it also allowed the filmmakers to “exploit Jodie’s unique talent”.

“The character in the game is very cool, incredibly empowered and in absolute control of the events around her,” Levy reveals when we catch up with him later, during a break from orchestrating a high-octane action sequence with Reynolds on the bank of Boston’s Charles River. “Whereas in real life, it’s not so simple for Jodie’s character, so we get to play two very different shades all with the same actor.”

The differences even encompass the characters’ accents: one American, one crisply British, both miles away from the endearingly Scouse twang that Comer carries in real life. It’s a skill that she’s well-known for—on Killing Eve, for example, she slips between varying languages and intonations, from French to Russian to Dutch to Italian, with absolute ease. And then… “All of a sudden, she speaks in her Liverpudlian accent—and you’re like, ‘What the hell? Where’s that person been all day?!’” says a still-surprised Reynolds.

The Deadpool star admits he hadn’t seen Killing Eve prior to working with Comer, but now considers himself “a massive fan”. “It’s seriously something that doesn’t happen, except maybe every 10 years, where a new actor arrives and doesn’t feel like anyone you’ve seen before,” Levy adds. “We saw dozens and dozens and dozens of actresses. But I think within four or five lines of her audition, Ryan and I looked at each other because it was like an apparition. She vanishes into the character. In real life, she’s just an incredibly sweet, warm young woman. But we’ve seen on Killing Eve and now in this movie, she’s able to transform and inhabit a role in a way that is stunning.”

In Free Guy, that transformation extends to Comer’s physicality, especially in the role of Molotov Girl. With the filmmakers opting to capture the in-game world in live action, rather than a digital depiction à la Ready Player One (“There’s something about seeing the avatars as real people that connects you to them more,” Comer says), it meant that the actors’ physical performances would be in sharper focus. And while she’s no stranger to onscreen action thanks to her stint as hard-edged hitwoman Villanelle, taking on a Hollywood tentpole meant that the bar was inevitably raised…

“Molotov Girl is a woman who I feel is very unlike myself,” Comer says, “so that kind of transformation is always fun to sink your teeth into. I would definitely say the physicality of her has been the biggest challenge, because she’s very fierce, and just also getting that stance that video game characters have, where they look strong and their shoulders are back… I’m a bit more kind of hunched in! So that’s something that I’ve had to be really aware of when I’m playing her and trying to get the stunts down.”

As well as some full-on fitness training, Comer was schooled in various martial arts before the shoot started—grabbing the opportunity to “learn a new skill” with both hands. “We have an incredible stunt team, so Hayley [Wright, Comer’s stunt double] takes over for all the really cool, hardcore stuff—and I’m happy to pass that baton over!” she laughs. “But I really want to try and do as much as I possibly can.”

The stakes may be high, but the thing that grounds Free Guy’s huge set-pieces is the humour and the human element—hence the choice of live-action over mo-capped, CG-tastic visuals. “Essentially at the centre of it is this emotional connection between these two characters,” says Comer. “They want to change the world but they feel like they are stuck in the background, and they kind of recognise that within each other. There’s a real heart at the centre of all the crazy stuff.”

Key to this was the chemistry between the two leads, which quickly became apparent for everyone in the audition room. “It felt very easy,” Comer recalls. “Even though we had our lines, Ryan and I were talking over each other and interacting in ways that weren’t actually on the page—and that was our first meeting. It’s hard to produce that chemistry when it isn’t there [naturally]. And that’s carried over to the set: Shawn and Ryan are very encouraging, so it feels safe to play around, to try things and if it doesn’t work, go back to something else.” Not that it’s all plain sailing, though… “I think people really underestimate how hard comedy is,” she laughs. “As soon as you try to be funny, it kind of just goes!”

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Free Guy’s comedy may be a lot broader than Killing Eve’s pitch-black humour, but, as with the stunts and physical feats, Comer says it’s all part of her ultimate goal: “to continue challenging myself”. Taking on new challenges is becoming something of a driving force for the actor, whose future on the A-list is looking bright. Next, she’ll be changing tack completely as the star of Ridley Scott’s weighty historical drama The Last Duel—a role that some are predicting could carry potential awards-season recognition. One thing seems certain, though: the cheery Scouser is likely to stay grounded, no matter how big or swanky the trailers get. Not that such things matter to her. “I don’t like sitting on my own in my trailer,” she says. “I’d rather be hanging out with people.”

Free Guy opens in cinemas on August 13.

The post Free Guy: How Jodie Comer Went From Holby City to Hollywood appeared first on Den of Geek.

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your-dietician · 3 years

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What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

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What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

The network’s coverage starts with the July 21 Seattle expansion draft, hosted by Chris Fowler on ESPN2. John Buccigross will host the NHL Draft two days later. Those shows will be produced by NHL Network.

When Gross spoke over the phone this past week, ESPN (which reportedly paid $410 million a year for seven years of NHL rights) and Turner ($225 million a year over the same period) still hadn’t divvied the games. The NHL had yet to release its 2021-22 schedule. Its puck- and player-tracking data has not seen the light of day.

“One thing we’re trying to get our arms around is what analytics teams and coaches use to showcase in our game coverage, our studio coverage,” Gross said. “Camera positions is another thing we’re looking at, talking to the league to see how we can showcase and document the games.”

Strategy and speed are the buzzwords Gross hears in his daily conversations with NHL people. Capturing both, while serving hard-core fans, hooking viewers from the massive pool of casual sports viewers who don’t give hockey much thought, attracting diverse genders and backgrounds . . . all are among Gross’s concerns.

“There has to be a level of entertainment without it being forced,” he said. “There’s really nothing worse on TV than forced fun. We have to find our spots, when we get [Chris] Chelios and [Mark] Messier together, who have a relationship. We’ll mix and match with other folks.”

Chelios and Messier, along with Steve Levy, will likely work the major events. “We know how that works,” Gross said. Hearing the two Hall of Famers, owners of some sharp elbows, chime in on player safety decisions should be interesting.

While he may not be hockey’s answer to Charles Barkley, Chelios does seem like a straight shooter. In a phone call, he acknowledged he wasn’t looking for a gig when he reached out to ESPN after the announcement. He was calling as a dad, hoping that his daughter, Lightning TV reporter Caley Chelios, was on the network’s radar.

“I like to think I’ll call it like it is,” said Chelios, 59, “Even though it’s a little different than when I played, hockey’s hockey.”

Messier, Chelios, Hilary Knight, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall were among the first names Gross mentioned when speaking about his roster, but a lineup has yet to be solidified. He noted that women will be featured prominently in on-air roles.

The list of local connections is long, from Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.), A.J. Mleczko (Nantucket/Harvard), former Red Sox play-by-play man Sean McDonough (Boston), Buccigross (who has Boston roots), Rick DiPietro (Winthrop/Boston University), ex-Boston College Eagles Blake Bolden and Bob Wischusen, and Emily Kaplan, a former Globie.

Gross said another fan favorite from the past, play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne, remains an option. He spoke with the agent for Thorne, 73, this past week.

“We’re not done yet,” Gross said. “We want to see what the schedule looks like, and what other decisions we have to make. We still have time.”

What’s the game-changing idea that will separate ESPN? It won’t be glow pucks and robots (fun as they were for younger fans in the ’90s). What’s hockey’s version of the K-Zone?

“Some people thought the first-and-10 line would be too intrusive,” Gross mused. “Now you can’t really watch a game without it.”

AWARD SEASON

One voter’s ballot in depth

Connor McDavid became the first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky in 1982, collecting all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy.DARRYL DYCK/Associated Press

I consider it a privilege to vote on year-end NHL awards as part of my duties with the Professional Hockey Writers Association. I’m not alone. My peers and I want to get it right.

When it came to this season’s MVP, I believe we did.

Connor McDavid earned all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy, becoming the second unanimous MVP ever (Wayne Gretzky, 1982). McDavid’s 105 points in 56 games goes down as one of the most dominant seasons in league history. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else.

In the voting bloc — trimmed from about 175 to 100 members, and dispersed regionally to address imbalances created by the divisional-only schedule — we saw some refreshingly progressive thinking, and as always, some strange calls. One Edmonton writer voted McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, second for the Selke. Draisaitl made strides this season, but it would be generous to call him an above-average defensive forward, much less elite.

In this space last year, I delved into my methodology, which blends in-person viewings, video study, and number-crunching. Obviously this season, I relied more on the latter two. I was among the few beat writers who traveled all season, but I only watched the East Division up close.

My ballot, and some quick takes:

Hart Trophy — 1. McDavid; 2. Auston Matthews; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Aleksander Barkov; 5. Brad Marchand.

Relatively easy calls. McDavid was incredible, and the other four were the driving forces on good teams. Marchand was ranked as high as No. 2 on six ballots.

Norris Trophy — 1. Adam Fox; 2. Cale Makar; 3. Charlie McAvoy; 4. Dougie Hamilton; 5. MacKenzie Weegar.

A youth movement, and an ECAC/Hockey East top three. Makar (UMass) missed 12 games, or 21 percent of the season, leaving the door open for Fox (Harvard), who was the Rangers’ MVP in his second season. McAvoy (BU) might be the best five-on-five defender in the game. Weegar opened eyes after Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Eleven blue liners earned top-three votes. Victor Hedman was down-ballot for me, after an injury-plagued regular season. Don’t ask me why someone gave Kris Letang a first-place vote. Fun fact: Fox is the first player of Jewish descent to win a major NHL award.

Calder Trophy — 1. Kirill Kaprizov; 2. Jason Robertson; 3. Alex Nedeljkovic; 4. Josh Norris; 5. Igor Shesterkin.

Kaprizov (27 goals and 51 points in 55 games) was a slam dunk, though Robertson had a brief midseason run that made it interesting.

Lady Byng Trophy — 1. Jaccob Slavin; 2. Jared Spurgeon; 3. Barkov; 4. Roope Hintz; 5. Johnny Gaudreau.

I’ve said before that writers should not vote for this. Referees should. Slavin, an elite defender playing heavy minutes, committed one penalty all season (for shooting the puck over the glass). Good enough for me.

Selke Trophy — 1. Barkov; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Joel Eriksson Ek; 4. Phillip Danault; 5. Joe Pavelski.

Barkov had a strong MVP case, but his 200-foot excellence was properly recognized here. Bergeron is still Bergeron. Could see Danault, after his lockdown playoffs, be front of mind for a lot of voters next season.

The PWHA does not vote on the Vezina Trophy (the general managers selected Marc-Andre Fleury), but we do pick the year-end All-Star teams. My goalies, in order, were Andrei Vasilevskiy, Fleury, and Juuse Saros. We also pick All-Rookie teams. I had Kaprizov, Robertson, and Norris as my forwards, Ty Smith and K’Andre Miller as my defensemen, and Nedeljkovic in goal.

ETC.

League will not rush to judgment

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is waiting for an independent review of the Blackhawks alleged cover-up of sexual abuse before proceeding.Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

The alleged cover-up of sexual assault by the Blackhawks was the leading topic in Gary Bettman’s annual pre-Stanley Cup Final news conference this past week. Rightfully so.

Bettman said the league learned of the allegations “relatively recently” and will wait for an independent review.

According to a lawsuit filed in May, a former Blackhawks player alleges he and another player were assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 championship run. The team’s leadership, which included current GM Stan Bowman, were allegedly informed of the incident by then-skills coach Paul Vincent, whom the players had told.

Aldrich later worked at a high school in Michigan, where he was convicted of sexual assault involving a student. He is now on Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Multiple ex-Blackhawks, including Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo (then with the Flyers), and Brent Sopel, spoke out this past week. One unnamed player told The Athletic that “every guy on the team knew.” Captain Jonathan Toews took issue with that, telling that outlet he didn’t hear about the allegations until the end of that summer. He said he couldn’t say for sure if the team “mishandled” the situation.

Bettman, a former lawyer, pumped the brakes. “Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next,” he said. “I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right.”

Let’s hope so.

Beijing Olympics not a given

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL has concerns over the feasibility of sending players to the Olympics next winter.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Later in his Q&A, Bettman shared the league’s “real concerns” over whether it was “sensible” to have a two-week shutdown for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Wait, what?

After sitting out 2018 — and watching interest in Olympic hockey wane — the NHL and NHLPA last summer collectively bargained to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, pending further agreement with both parties, the IIHF, and IOC. But there is no plan yet.

COVID-19 variants remain a worry, and NBC isn’t likely to lobby on the NHL’s inclusion following the expiration of the TV deal. The NHL hopes to release its 2021-22 schedule shortly after the Cup Final.

“Time is running very short,” Bettman said, which came as disappointing news to Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

“The Olympics is one of the biggest dreams of mine and I haven’t been able to participate in one. This might be the last chance I get. That sucks to hear,” said Hedman, who was left off Team Sweden in 2014. “When you get an opportunity to represent your country on the biggest stage, it’s one of those things that you’ll probably never forget. For me, it’s obviously something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life and something I want to do before I hang up my skates.”

Pride working on title defense

The Boston Pride, two-time Isobel Cup winners, are preparing a title defense for 2021-22.Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are deep into an Isobel Cup summer, hauling the trophy from New England lake houses to the Grand Canyon.

As he preps for a title defense, coach Paul Mara is playing his cards close. After a few defections, he’s using his newfound salary-cap space — the league doubled the ceiling to $300,000 — to bring in some outside help.

“Working on a few things,” he said.

The NWHL is feeling momentum entering its seventh season. An influx of sponsorship dollars, visibility from its Isobel Cup playoffs broadcast on NBCSN, and a lot of player raises have elevated the mood.

Since last month, the four franchises under league control — the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps — were sold to private owners, making it a league of six independent clubs. Expansion is on the horizon, with Montreal a primary target.

Also notable: This past week’s draft, which was streamed on Twitch, included appearances from a range of pro sports personalities, including NHL league and team executives, and USA Hockey reps. The NWHL hasn’t always had such vocal support.

For all the growth, players aren’t yet earning a living wage. Contracts are yearly. Outside opportunities create a talent drain.

The Pride lost president Hayley Moore to the AHL (vice president of hockey operations), replacing her with 1998 US Olympian Colleen Coyne. They are searching for a GM, after Karilyn Pilch this past week signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks’ scouting and player development department.

They also need a few good forwards. Mary Parker, Carlee Turner, and Lexie Laing departed for job and school reasons. Czech standout Tereza Vanisova signed with Leksands IF in Sweden, which will better help her participate in a demanding Olympic training schedule.

League MVP Jillian Dempsey, recovered from shoulder surgery, returns with All-Star linemates McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna, the No. 1 defense pair of Kaleigh Fratkin (two-time NWHL Defender of the Year) and Mallory Souliotis, and netminders Lovisa Selander and Victoria Hanson. That crew, plus whomever Mara can lure to town, should keep the Pride near the top of the standings.

Unlike last season, when the Pride got a boost from No. 1 overall pick Sammy Davis (BU) and six drafted rookies, the draft won’t have a major impact. Because they lost their 2021 first- and second-round picks when they traded up to select Davis, and dealt their third-rounder to Buffalo for future considerations, the Pride picked in the fourth and fifth rounds (Weston’s Finley Frechette and Beverly’s Abby Nearis, both forwards).

The NWHL’s player pool was thinned after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility, leading many of the top draft-eligible players to return to school. Because of that, Boston isn’t the only team that believes next year’s draft will be loaded.

Loose pucks

Bruce Cassidy (left) has been promoting from within, with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo (center) leaving for Boston University.Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Bruins have promoted from within of late, calling up coaches from Providence and the player development ranks. It makes sense that fourth-year P-Bruins coach Jay Leach would replace Jay Pandolfo on Bruce Cassidy’s staff, but player development staffers Chris Kelly and Jamie Langenbrunner will also get a look. Like Pandolfo, they were two-way forwards with long NHL résumés . . . As for Pandolfo, the move to BU gives him a shorter path to a head coaching gig. Albie O’Connell, who is entering the final year of his deal, has had a spotty run . . . Bruins strength and conditioning assistant Kenny Whittier also made the move to BU . . . A few first-timers joined NHL benches this past week, including two ex-players, Alex Tanguay (Detroit assistant) and Tuomo Ruutu (Florida assistant), and André Tourigny (Arizona coach). The latter move was particularly interesting, for a league that often recycles head coaches . . . Toews, after a year out of the spotlight with a mysterious illness, is back on the ice. He posted a video message to fans after a practice, saying doctors told him he has “chronic immune response syndrome,” a catch-all term for constant, debilitating stress reactions. Still dealing with a few symptoms, the Blackhawks’ captain believes the condition was brought on by a nasty bout with COVID-19 in February 2020, before the pandemic hit in full; the toll of 13 NHL seasons; and the year-round hockey training schedule he’s followed since he was a young teenager. “I think there’s a lot of things that just piled up,” he said, “where my body just fell apart.” He hopes to return in October . . . Edmonton trimmed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s $6 million cap hit, but took a beating on term, when it locked up the No. 2 center to an eight-year, $41 million deal with a full no-move clause. He will be 36 when it expires. “No contract is perfect,” GM Ken Holland acknowledged . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s take on game jersey ads, which are coming to the NHL sooner rather than later: “If we look like Formula One or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me.” . . . Glad to see college athletes everywhere get a chance to make some cash off their name and image, following the Supreme Court’s hammering of the paternalistic NCAA. A small step, long overdue.

Matt Porter can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.

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betweenironyandsilver · 6 years

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MUSICAL ASKS: ALL! OF! THEM! (or as many as you feel like doing)

only u would want to know my shitty Thots on musicals lmao (jk ily)

1. Favorite (Reprise)

for pure head-bobbing enjoyment, this honor goes to paris/look down (les mis), but for narrative purposes, i would pick the just you wait reprise (my fair lady) because i love how you can see how much has changed

2. Best Act 1 ending.

one day more (les mis) sure does get the blood pumpin'

3. If you could go back in time to see a certain production, which one would it be?

i would kill to see the original my fair lady with julie andrews and rex harrison

4. Who should write a musical?

i guess she already has her own musical tv show, but i would definitely go see an entire musical by rachel bloom

5. The routine you recreate when home alone:

nothing, really lol...i have the bad trait trifecta of being very self-conscious, a mediocre singer and also unable to dance

6. A duet you’d love to perform and with whom.

i want to perform confrontation (les mis) with someone, doesn’t even matter whomst

also i love bad idea (waitress) but i sadly do not have the vocal capacity for those higher notes so probably no one else should be subjected to that

7. A musical everyone can learn from.

sorry that like half these answers so far are les mis-related, but i do think that les mis has something for everyone, and it’s about LOVE and REDEMPTION and FORGIVENESS

8. Favorite set design EVER.

the great comet set design (or rather, theatre design) made me gasp out loud

9. Favorite person to play (insert role)

the main musical i follow extensively through multiple casts throughout the years is my fair lady lol and my favorite person to play eliza doolittle (excluding julie andrews obviously, who is god-tier and on a different plane of existence from us mortals) is lisa o’hare

10. Best digital #ham4ham

i didn’t watch these because by then i was getting a little fatigued about hamilton lol

11. Make up a name and the ingredients for a Waitress pie.

Too Scared to Graduate, Too Tired to Keep College-ing pie, which is filled with lemons and tears

12. Best tap number.

i love the little tap battle in bottom’s gonna be on top (something rotten!)

14. Express your love for the orchestras!

they’re all valid and lovely!!!!!! when i saw les mis at west end, we could look into the pit from our seats which was so cool

15. Favorite musical written by (insert composer, lyricist)

you didn’t give me a composer/lyricist lol so im gonna say that i love alan menken and howard ashman and my favorite musical by them is beauty and the beast

16. Which part (or parts) do you sing in One Day More?

you can sing all of them if you’re not a coward

17. A line that never fails to make you laugh.

My father newly dead and the funeral boiled eggs now coldly furnished for the marriage table/methinks another chef might have whisked our desperate eggs together as one (from something rotten!)

and i would be a lot more zen/and i would punch a lot of men/if i had my time again (from groundhog day)

18. An upcoming production you’re excited for.

THE MOULIN ROUGE MUSICAL IN BOSTON!!!!!!!!!!! i wanna see it so bad

19. Do you have any funny misheard lyrics from a showtune?

hmm, none that come to mind rn

20. A musical you would NEVER see with your parents.

well my parents don’t really like musicals so we’re already a little out of options, but they would probably hate musicals that are a little “out there”

21. Musicals can introduce you to new cultures, interests, fancy words and so on. Name 3 things you’ve learned from musicals.

i felt like i was missing a lot of the references in jesus christ superstar (and i was) when i initially listened to it, so i went and read up on the various biblical stories

after watching les mis in high school, i went and actually read les mis, which was fun, and that led me to read some other stuff by victor hugo as well

i didn’t know anything about leo frank before listening to parade, and it was interesting to read about

22. Favorite OBC.

my fair lady OBC forever, we stan a singing legend with a supposed four-octave range

23. Cast recording you know by heart.

>open my itunes

>only one album, the sound of music (film version)

>3000 plays

24. Cast recording for a long car ride.

i’m a little over hamilton but it is VERY fun to sing along to in the car

25. Favorite Miscast performance.

:( i don’t really watch these, sorry

26. I really like these ones so: make 2 musical related confessions.

i think wicked is overrated

i kind of wish we would stop making musicals about random movies

27. Showtune of the day:

‘s wonderful (funny face)

28. Who would play you in a musical about your life?

my life is not exciting enough for a musical

29. Who would play your best friend in a musical about your life?

see above

30. Who would play your romantic interest in a musical about your life?

romance?? in this economy??

31. 2 solos you’d love to perform.

if i had the vocal capacity, i would love to sing vanilla ice cream (she loves me) and stars (les mis)

32. Describe yourself with 3 musical theatre characters.

i’m very bad at describing my own qualities lol

33. A character that inspires you to be better.

jean valjean, hardened embittered convict turned loving father and CHRIST FIGURE

34. A showtune that always puts you in a good mood.

she loves me (from she loves me lol) is so fun and happy. the bit where he goes “i wonder why i didn’t want her/i want her/that’s the thing that matters/and matters are improving daily!” is so fun!

35. A showtune that makes you feel melancholic.

she used to be mine (waitress) makes me think about how i’m not really very happy with where i am in life, but also that i don’t know how to really address these issues

36. Best showstopper.

something rotten!/make an omelette; a bunch of dancing eggs on the stage that unfold their costumes to turn into omelettes? random musical and shakespeare references? could your faves ever

37. A place you consider to be your Santa Fe.

hmm...i guess greece?

38. The name of the prettiest theater you’ve been to.

lyric opera of chicago owns my entire ass

39. The most intense scene from a musical.

el tango de roxanne makes me go into cardiac arrest every damn time

40. A great cover of a showtune:

hmm i can’t think of anything off the top of my head

41. Put your phone on shuffle and write the first 2 showtunes that appear.

valjean’s soliloquy (les mis) and looking down the barrel of a gun (gentleman’s guide to love and murder)

(the worst part of this one was that the first two songs that came up on shuffle were showtunes)

42. Best design of a Playbill.

i don’t actually have particularly strong feelings about any playbill designs, they are mostly all nice!

#christina replies #witchfinder-major-saucepan

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