#and having a very very serious juliette spiral like. LOOK AT HER | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

doomonfilm · 3 years

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Review : Breaking News in Yuba County (2021)

In an effort to be fully informed and knowledgeable at year’s end, I’ve decided to start doing my 2021 release marathon now, as the wheels of film production are seemingly back in full swing. With an army of streaming services and Netflix DVD at my disposal, full (or at least fuller) coverage should be easier to attain, so I went down the list and started queueing things up. One of the first DVDs to reach my home was Breaking News in Yuba County, and I’ve got to say that things are definitely off to a great start.

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Though Breaking News in Yuba County more than likely did not set itself out to be a cautionary tale or a deeply symbolic reflection of our times, it must be given notice for its unflinching look at how sociopathy and a lack of empathy have led to deplorable acts seemingly becoming the norm. Outside of Steve and Jonelle, there really isn’t anyone in this film that doesn’t run off of selfish intentions, a general disregard for others or some level of deception. Center to this universe is Sue Buttons (played wonderfully by Allison Janney), who seemingly finds her power and affirmation in the dual realization of her husband’s infidelity and the immediate relief of responsibility due to his heart attack. This moment becomes a clarifying and freeing event for her, swinging her completely to the opposite side of abusive restraint by turning her into a criminal pathological liar, not to mention an attention-seeking fame junkie willing to say anything for her moment in the spotlight. The levels of entitlement, toxic restraint and willful ignorance she puts up are astounding, making pure criminals like Mina, Ray, her husband Karl Buttons and Mr. Kim pale in comparison.

It is this narrative catalyst that spirals things wonderfully out of control in the most entertaining and oddball ways possible, and all of it is served in a very straight-laced, matter of fact way that amplifies the hilarity. Writer Amanda Idoko does a great job balancing Sue’s desperate spiral into madness, Karl’s fear-based actions, Petey’s errant assumptions, Mina and Ray’s criminal exploits, Nancy’s need to be valued and the duo of Det. Harris and Steve’s twist and turn-filled investigation, leaving us with plenty of comedic and dramatic stimulus, punctuated at the end by a few outrageous bursts of properly-toned violence. What really stands out is how the actions of one or two have a way of ballooning out to the point that the wake of destruction takes victims that did not deserve to become victims while someone like Sue Buttons, as skewered as her perception is, can seemingly benefit and move forward in a blissfully ignorant manner due to her disassociation. Maybe that’s what makes stories like these work so well... despite the intentions of the writer(s), the mixture of relatability and outrageousness leaves just enough grey area for viewers to fill in the blanks with personal experience to make a connection or attain a deeper understanding.

There is nothing necessarily flashy or standout about the technological production aspects of the film, but then again, Breaking News in Yuba County clearly was not made to be visual bells and whistles. One thing that does immediately stand out, however, are the costuming and hair choices in this film. There is an interesting blend of outdated fashion, evergreen fashion and personality-exuding haircuts (and wigs) that immediately give our characters a sort of visual shorthand for viewer understanding (ie Nancy is serious, in comparison to Gloria Michaels being shallow and exploitative) while also playing as funny in many cases. The comedy is also handled in a very nuanced and dynamic matter in terms of both writing and performance, with it being wholly apparent that all parties involved “get” the joke they are trying to convey, and are all going about making sure that their various levels of dry deliveries and nonchalant reactions to horrifying situations play consistently.

Allison Janney has some serious dramatic and comedic range at her disposal, and it is on full display in Breaking News, as she swings between a meek and mild-mannered disregarded housewife, an attention-seeking sociopath and professional victim with relative ease. Regina Hall matches this energy with a matter-of-fact, no-nonsense put-upon approach that, in tandem with a keen eye for detail and a strong judge of character, makes her a narrative lightning rod for key events. Mila Kunis turns in a surprisingly strong and subdued performance as a second-tier news anchor that is begrudgingly dependent to a sister who marginalizes her accomplishments and a stepbrother who makes financial promises with dirty money. Jimmi Simpson gets to set his trademark comedic snark and smugness to the side for a victim role that is heavy on concern, fear and desperation, all played with a eye-opening amount of dignity despite the drastic and outrageous circumstances. Simpson is set up against the foils of Awkwafina and Clifton Collins Jr., who have surprisingly wonderful chemistry as they channel unique shades of the same volatile mixture of sinisterness and dry comedic wit that feed off of one another. Appearances by Wanda Sykes (who is always hilarious), Matthew Modine, Samira Wiley, Ellen Barkin, Bridget Everett, Dominic Burgess, Keong Sim, Chris Lowell and the wonderful Juliette Lewis round out the strong cast.

I doubt that Breaking News in Yuba County will garner any sort of awards recognition next spring, but I’d be willing to bet that this film will likely find itself a cult audience at some point down the road. During my viewing, films like Fargo, I Care A Lot and the criminally underrated Drowning Mona all came to mind, meaning that this film sits in the midst of very good company. To my knowledge, this film has not been well-received by critics, and the general viewer consensus is only slightly better, but I found it to be entertaining and worth my time, and would definitely recommend for those that don’t take their entertainment too seriously.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #TateTaylor #BreakingNewsInYubaCounty #AllisonJanney #MilaKunis #Awkwafina #ReginaHall #WandaSykes #JulietteLewis #SamiraWiley #JimmiSimpson #CliftonCollinsJr #MatthewModine #EllenBarkin #BridgetEverett #DominicBurgess #KeongSim #ChrisLowell

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abdicatedarchive · 3 years

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she’s here || juliette and florence

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: florence’s dorm room // late january

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: juliette x florence.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: none

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: after seeing her ex on campus, juliette goes to her boarding school friend’s college dorm room to talk things over.

Juliette came into Florence's room and shut the door. "She's here" she said dramatically with her eyes huge. "She, like she is HERE. She goes here. This school. How did no one tell me?" she proclaimed in exasperation as she walked further into the room to start pacing. "I had no idea, how did I not know? How could I have transferred here and not known?" she asked, continuing to pace. She had seen Stevie, and she didn't know what to do, so she had ducked behind a bush and darted all the way here across campus.

Florence looked up from her book, eyes wide but an amused smile on on her face. Her roommate was out of the room at the moment, but they still usually kept it unlocked until one of them went to bed or they were both in class or something. "Slow down, slow down," she said, setting the book down. She had barely caught a word. What on Earth was Juliette panicking about? "She? Who are you-- Oh..." It dawned on her just then. Of course she meant Stevie. There was really only one girl that her friend would ever bring up like that. "Wait, what? Okay, in my defense, I don't really know the girl. Otherwise, I would have said something to you."

Juliette was spiraling, "I cannot slow down! This is crazy. What are the odds? Why didn't I know about this? What if my parents find out? They're going to think I transferred here just to be with her. I haven't seen her in so long, I was finally moved on" she said, ending with a whine. How could she have done this to herself? Why was fate so cruel. She continued to pace around the room until she worked herself up enough that she just laid down on the floor, face down. She rolled over after a minute, "Even this floor lay is not helping! Nothing will help! God is so cruel"

Okay. Crisis mode. Florence had dealt with this before. Now that she knew what exactly was happening, she could work on fixing the problem. Standing up, she moved to Juliette's side and squatted down beside her. "Okay, deep breaths, Jules. Come on. In, 2, 3. Out, 2, 3," she recited, hands on her own knees. While she waited for Juliette to continue breathing, she started thinking. If she talked while Juliette focused on breathing, that was less time for the girl to work herself into a meltdown. Well, more of a meltdown. "Honestly, your parents don't need to know anything about that. You certainly didn't know. I didn't know. What can I do to help you manage this?" she asked. She needed Juliette to refocus so that she could figure out how she could solve this problem.

Florence always seemed to know what to do when Juliette was panicking. She stared at the ceiling and focused on her breathing under Flo's guidance. Juliette kept breathing at the same pace, "Maybe she doesn't go here and is just visiting. There are a few people from my old high school here, can you do that thing I told you to never do? Will you look her up on instagram for me on your phone so you can actually see the account?" she pleaded, looking up at her friend with desperate eyes. "Just see if it says anything about her going here" said the girl sitting up and putting her head between her knees.

"That's true. She could just be visiting someone she knows," Florence repeated. It was good that she had Juliette thinking about other possibilities for why her ex was on campus. When she asked about Florence checking Stevie's account, though, she grimaced. She had sworn up and down that she would not do that, no matter what Juliette said. "I don't know, Jules. Is that really a good idea? You've been doing really well, and that might start a downward spiral." If it came down to her friend needing to know if Stevie attended Brindleton, then Florence could think of another way to find that out. If she checked the girl's Instagram account, then that could easily lead to Juliette asking her if any girls were pictured on there. That would certainly not help.

Juliette groaned, "Please please please please, just this one time" she begged, "You don't even have to show me or anything, just check to see if she's here a lot or if she goes here." Juliette was desperate for answers, she just needed to know. "I swear if you don't tell me I'm going to go and break into the registration office and find her file which will include her phone number and then I'll call her. You don't want that for me! So look. her. up." She wasn't going to do that at all, that would be ridiculous. Juliette had never done anything that would get her in trouble, it wasn't her way.

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, the blonde stood back up and sat down on her bed. She knew Juliette was desperate, but she had made a promise that she wouldn't check Stevie's social media for her. Florence was a woman of her word. "You would not. Look, I'm not going to check on there, but we can still find out. You said that some people from your old high school are here, so what about checking in with them? What about your friend Jonah? He knows her, doesn't he?" she asked.

Juliette was about to cry to get what she wanted, a deep seeded last resort she used only on her parents. But then Florence mentioned Jonah ... Jonah freaking Keller. He totally knew that Stevie was here. "Oh my god, he didn't tell me on purpose!" said Juliette, completely understanding why. Then she had surprised him at school, how could he have mentioned it. It wasn't that he was free of blame ... it's just Juliette knew she would have done the exact same thing. "You're right. You can't look it up. We said no socials, ever. A promise is a promise" she said, thinking about how she would definitely have to make a finstagram after this hangout so she could look, but she knew she shouldn't. "I need to find someone to date pronto, she's probably seeing a ton of people. Oh no, that means the lesbian pool here is going to be soooooo small for me if I don't want a Stevie ex" said the girl lifting her head from between her knees to look at the other girl.

A rush of relief flooded Florence when Juliette realized Jonah could let her know. She had seen the look on her face, the one that signaled tears would come any minute. Florence couldn’t handle tears. Thank God she was off the hook. “We even pink swore,” she reminded her old roommate. Catching the girl’s eye when she looked up, Florence shook her head. “Girl, first of all, I really doubt that Stevie’s been dating that much in her first year of college. There will be plenty of Stevie-free lesbians for you to date. Second, even if she is dating, that doesn’t mean you need to do that, too. If you’re happy by yourself, be by yourself.”

Juliette nodded her head about the fact that they had indeed pinky swore after a very serious i need to let you go conversation with Stevie and they had blocked each other on everything. That day had been really bad. She smiled a weak smile, "She has her ways, I'm sure she's been around the block. But this school is big enough, there will be someone" Juliette said to her friend. She thought for a moment if she was happy by herself, and as much as Juliette loved her solitude. She had grown accustomed to actually having friends in the last few years, "I don't have to be by myself anymore, I transferred here to be with you and Marina and Jonah and Gabrielle. It's going to be great, we're having so much fun already. I promise days will not be like this. I live in a Stevie free world, and it is going to stay that way as long as possible. All I have to do is not draw attention to myself, which won't be hard at all" she said confidently as she took her friend's hand and gave it a quick squeeze before she got back into her own personal space and stood up.

"Exactly. It's definitely big enough. There might even be a whole major that she hasn't touched, so that's something to consider." She hoped that Stevie wouldn't actually 'get around' like Juliette was saying, but she also realized that she didn't really know Stevie. Maybe she was that type of person. Either way, it would be sad if Juliette had to be around all of that. "Well, when I say by yourself, I don't actually mean physically by yourself," Florence clarified, squeezing the girl's hand in return. "I just mean single. Like, of course you have me and your other friends, and we will have a blast. I'm so happy you ended up transferring after all." Florence had some friends, but it usually took her a while to warm up to people. Now that she had Juliette here, maybe it would be easier to make some more friends.

The brunette smiled at her friend, "You know what would be absolutely darling? If I hosted a get together to get you introduced to my old friends. It'll be like worlds colliding" she thought that might be the perfect thing for everyone to get acquainted. There was a lot to love about everybody, and she knew that they would love Florence just as much as she did. Juliette walked around the room while she was texting, "It will be perfect, and it will totally drive Chanel up the wall. She likes Marina ... and Gabrielle, but Jonah will remind her of Wren and she won't be able to be in the room" she said with a devilish smile. Things between them got petty pretty quickly, both prone to childish things when they were around one another.

Florence grinned. She was happy that they had gotten past the topic of Stevie and the panic that had surrounded Juliette. "That sounds like a great idea. I mean, I kind of know Jonah, but it would be great to meet the others," she said. Plus, she thought to herself, the whole point of going to college on the other side of the country was to get out of her comfort zone and make more friends, so a get together with Juliette's friends would be perfect. At the mention of Chanel, Florence nodded. "Oh, absolutely, and any chance to annoy she-who-must-not-be-named is perfect. Getting her out of your room is even better."

"Yeah definitely, I can't wait for Jonah to get to be in person for my mental breakdowns instead of over face time" said Juliette with a giggle. "I would love to get her out of the room, Lord knows she kicks me out any chance she gets. I should snitch to Wren, but I don't want him to know I'm here ... or upset him for that matter" Juliette tacked on. She knew Chanel was kind of going through it, not that she was going to bother asking. "We can do tea or something, and I can get those little finger sandwiches. I do love tiny foods" she said, getting herself off track. Florence was used to her tangents though, she swore she was never this talkative with anyone else. Their brains felt linked.

Laughing along with her friend, Florence said, "I will definitely appreciate having someone to tag team with to comfort you during those breakdowns." She never minded comforting Juliette or talking her down from a panic like she had just done. That was just who Florence was; she looked out for her people. The thought of having someone who possibly knew the girl even better ( or at least knew her from before boarding school ) was appealing, though, for situations that Florence didn't have much knowledge or experience with. "And when she kicks you out, you know you are welcome in this room, but I'm sure it would be nice to return the favor and kick her out for once. Wren is... the guy she dated, I'm assuming? The nice one." She tried to keep up with the details of Juliette's friends, but sometimes it was a little difficult without knowing them. That, and the fact that she immediately filed anything to do with the Prada knock-off (Schmidt, 2021) as irrelevant information. "You do. I remember. Little finger sandwiches sound great. Maybe I could bake some tiny cookies, but I haven't tried baking in the dorm kitchen yet, so we'll see how well that goes..."

She was happy that she was always welcome here, it was a nice thing to know that she didn't always have to crash at Jonah's. She wanted Florence to like her new roommate too, and branch out a little. When Juliette finally came out of her shell back before boarding school, she was actually really happy to have friends. She hoped that maybe this could be that time for Florence. "I will definitely take you up on the offer" she replied, giving her friend a warm smile. "Yeah yeah, the nice one" Juliette confirmed for the other girl. She knew there was a lot of names to keep up with, "He's in the band with ... you know, and a few other people." She regretted thinking about Stevie again, but since she saw the other girl it was impossible to get her off her mind. She focused in on the party plans, "Yes yes! The little cookies! I'll feel like a giant" said Jules, making notes in her phone about what she needed to get and who she wanted to invite. "Gabrielle will hopefully come, I hope you two hit it off. Oh and Marina, she's a little intimidating but she's a huge dork I promise. Just get her talking about pens and she becomes the softest human being of all time."

"Oh, right! Him. You'll have to show me a picture again sometime. I've probably seen him around." There were so many people that she was sure she'd probably met some of them last semester in orientation or other classes. Then again, it was a big enough school that she probably could go the entire four years without meeting them if Juliette weren't here to introduce her. Laughing quietly at Juliette's excitement, Florence leaned back on the wall her bed was up against. "I will make it happen just so you can feel like a giant," she promised. "Okay, cool. I assume Jonah will be there?" she asked, making a mental note about the two girls that were mentioned, especially the intimidating one.

"Yeah, I'll invite Jonah, Marina, Gabrielle. I think that's it. Everyone else I was friends with ... they're ya know ... her friends" she said, skirting around saying the other girl's name for a moment, "and even worse they're friends with prada knockoff" Jules added with a little bit of an eyeroll. "Now I know I have to avoid Wren, but at least him and Chanel are broken up so he's probably avoiding my little corner of the universe anyways" said Juliette, running her finger along the bedding that went with the one in her room. Soon enough they could switch rooms around so she could be free of Chanel. "Have you met anyone here worthwhile that I should invite to feel like a giant?" she said, a kind smile appearing on her face. She wanted Florence to have her own friends as well, and maybe they could all be a big group. That was if and only if Marina and Gabrielle were on their best behavior, she had no reason to worry about Jonah.

Florence grimaced in sympathy when Juliette mentioned that her other friends were friends with Stevie and Chanel. That certainly made things awkward. “Well, I think that the five of us make for a pretty great group.” She was actually relieved that there wouldn’t be too many people. She was trying to be more open and inviting, but it was a lot of effort. Besides, what was wrong with having only a couple good friends? She got along well with everyone she met. It was just the part about letting someone get too close that she didn’t do well with. Juliette was one of the lucky ones that had been allowed into her protective walls. She put a certain distance between herself and others usually. It left less room for heartbreak. “Not really,” she said with a shrug. “I think feeling like a giant is a privilege only certain people should be privy to.”

It would be nice, "It will be a pretty great group" said the girl, feeling good about being here again. For a moment, she thought she might need to take the semester off and go home. She was so worried about looking like a crazy person, or messing with her own progress of getting over Stevie. How does one even get over Stevie Summers? It seems like an impossible task. "Oh only the best of the best in this world deserve to feel like a giant, especially when they're already small. Tall people, like really tall people ... no rights" said Juliette, trying not to think about the tall lady. That's what she loved to call her. She had to focus on not focusing on Stevie. It was time to focus on Florence.

Florence started to worry when she saw a wave of panic flash across Juliette's eyes again, but she was lucky that it seemed to dissipate quickly as she started talking about feeling like a giant. "That's fair," she said, laughing. "Am I a really tall person or just tall?" She wanted to know if she would be considered to have rights to feel like a giant. Florence certainly wasn't short at 5'8", but there were a few girls that were still taller than she was. "What kind of cookies would you want?"

Juliette smiled kindly, "You're just tall, you're not like ... a tall person" said the girl. There was a difference between tall people and people who happened to have a height advantage. It was about the energy. She also wasn't too tall. "I think maybe snickerdoodles? Or a lemon cookie? Something besides chocolate chip?" the brunette suggested. She wanted everything to be perfect for the party, all the right vibes hit.

Laughter filled the room. Talking about being tall versus being a tall person was suddenly very funny. "Got it. I'm tall but not a tall person," she repeated, still laughing. "A lemon cookie sounds amazing. You're brilliant." She made a mental note to check for a good lemon cookie recipe later that night.

"I think you're the perfect height for you" said Juliette softly, she really appreciated her friend. Sometimes she wish she had met her before she felt like she was crazed over the Stevie thing. She felt like she was always dominating the conversation because she couldn't get her mind off the other girl. It was a problem she was all too aware of: her selfishness. "I'm glad we're on the same wavelength. As per usual." She pushed the thoughts of her callousness from her mind and did her best to focus on the moment with her friend, whom she was very happy to be reunited with.

"Well, of course. Have we ever not been on the same wavelength?" Florence asked. She got off her bed again, leaning down to open one of her desk drawers that held a couple cookbooks, specifically for desserts. She passed one to Juliette and opened another drawer to fish out the mini sticky notes. Florence figured that looking through the recipes and marking which ones they wanted to try would be a good way to really make sure that Juliette had settled down and get her mind off Stevie altogether. She hopped back onto her bed with the other cookbook and flipped it open in her lap. "Do you like your classes here so far?" she asked, making small talk.

Juliette knew Florence's tactics at this point, trying to give her something to occupy her time instead of what she really wanted to do ... which was to look up Stevie on Florence's instagram so that should could have a peak at what Stevie was up to. She wondered if Jonah would tell her anything, or if he would also be operating under the code of silence. She would definitely go see Gabrielle after this, maybe she would let her look. "I am enjoying my classes, this school is definitely a better fit for me. Not too small" said the girl as she looked over to her friend. It really was better for her here, with people she liked. She had been so deeply lonely at her other college.

"I'm glad you think so. I'm definitely glad you're here," she told Juliette. It didn't sit well with her that her friend was at a school she didn't like, so she took it upon herself to start convincing her to transfer. With Jonah at Brindleton, too, Florence couldn't think of a reason for Juliette not to transfer. Granted, she hadn't realized that Stevie also attended the school, but she was still glad to have her best friend with her again. "And now we can do another bake day," she said, pointing to the book Juliette was holding. "You think anybody will mind if we take over the little kitchen for a weekend?" She grabbed the sticky notes and put one on a page with cannoli cheesecake bars. There were sticky notes all through the cookbooks from other times she and Juliette went through them, but somehow she hadn't marked this one yet.

"How could I have fun at my last school when all of my favorite people were here having a good time without me" said Juliette with a smile as she touched her friend's knee. "And now you can have an even better time" she said giving her friend's knee a squeeze before she put her hands back into her own lap. "I think we can pay off anyone we want to with cookies and they will be under your spell" the girl chimed letting a little giggle out as she started to look over the cookbook that her friend had handed her. "Also just so you know, I am on operation super sleuth. So don't tell anyone I'm here because I don't want it to get back to her" Juliette warned. Nothing was going to get in the way of her having a good time here, even if she had to hide in the shadows about it.

Florence raised a brow at ‘operation super sleuth’ and looked at Juliette. “Seriously? I mean, I won’t say anything, but you know she’s probably going to find out eventually, right?” she asked. From the sounds of it, a lot of Juliette’s old classmates went to this school, and if they still talked to one another, the news was likely to spread to Stevie. Shaking her head, a little doubtful, she returned to the pages of her cookbook. This was why she didn’t date anyone. It sounded really complicated if things ended.

Juliette was under the impression that she could probably make it a couple of months at least, if not her whole university experience, without Stevie finding out. Everyone seemed very cool with not letting Juliette know that Stevie was here, so perhaps ... perchance ... they would do the same for Stevie. "That's an eventually problem" said the brunette, "and for now, I am safe and sound. No one is crying or showing off relationships. I simply just go here."

“Let’s hope that it stays that way, with no crying,” she said, offering a smile. “You know how I am with crying. I’ll start crying, too, and that’s just not a good look on either of us.” She leaned her head back against the wall. It was a shame that she couldn’t do more than bake to keep Juliette preoccupied. Well, if she dated, she knew that the girl would be invested in that, but Florence just didn’t date. She had so many other things to do.

"I can't promise no crying, but I can also save it for late at night" said Juliette, a smile still clearly presenting on her face. She had no idea how she would react to her first interaction with Stevie after all this time. But there was a glimmer of hope that it would be happy, and that they could be friendly because they had both moved on. She wasn't expecting playlists or a declaration of love, but she also wasn't expecting it to be emotionally detrimental. It was just bust that they stay separate for as long as they could.

Florence tilted to the side to nudge Juliette’s shoulder with her own. “Well, I can’t have you crying alone either. We’ll have to watch some tearjerkers if you end up needing to cry. That way you can blame it on something else,” she suggested. If Juliette needed to cry, Florence would be there for her with a box of tissues and her favorite snacks. They were getting back to the topic of the ex-girlfriend again, and she needed to keep Juliette from dwelling on the situation for too long. “Hey, so you mentioned something about your friend and pens earlier,” she said, brows knitting together. “What is that about?”

Juliette nodded, "sounds like a plan". Florence was always there for her, even when Jules felt like way too much of a mess to function. Juliette laughed, "Marina and her pens, she loves stationary stuff. I mean so do I, we always get one another specialty pens for birthdays and Christmas. Or watching stationary hauls on youtube. It's a niche community for sure" explained the brunette, "there's just something about finding the perfect pen, you never go back."

"That sounds interesting. I'll have to look up some of that stuff so I can be prepared," Florence said. She knew she didn't have to do anything to that extreme, but she liked being prepared in that way. She was more likely to make a good first impression on Juliette's friends if she knew what to talk about. Besides, she might end up finding a new interest herself, she thought as she stuck a note to another recipe. //END

#juliettexflorence #threads || florence and juliette #florence and juliette || 001 #juliette: thread

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