#covid chic

[isbergillustration]

Today's inktober is courtesy of today's creative writing assignment, which you can read under the cut;

Mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, that used to be all you needed. Then you could go out, have as much fun as you like. Not here, though. Not any more. In other places, they got vaccines. Well, they are getting them. Twice a year, every year, because those are the important people. The ones with access. The same sort of people, maybe, who during the regular lockdowns have vast houses and gardens in which to isolate, not tiny shithole apartments. Have you tried walking up fourteen flights with post Covid lung capacity? It’s not fun. And in the mask, too. We’ve moved past the cloth and paper masks, most of us. They don’t last long enough, and they’re not sufficiently secure for when you use your one allotted day out waiting in queues all day with people trying to hide their coughs, who have somehow faked their tests. They never quite figured out a foolproof way to stop people from doing that. No, it’s proper gas masks, these days. I got mine off the net in the early days, I was lucky. It’s from the cold war and there’s probably remnants of worse stuff, but it’s got filters and it keeps the Covid and the smells out. So far.

I’ve only gotten it four times in the last five years, which is pretty good. I got a shot of Astra-Zeneca, back when they still bothered producing it, when they figured the leftover from the rich West were good enough for us. After the heart attacks and deaths. That’s all, though. No more shots for me, at least not of that kind. Maybe a few of some cheap vodka. If I can get any. It has been hard getting anything not local and dirt cheap for years. I’ve got contacts, but even they are becoming unreliable.

I finish closing up my protective suit, such as it is. It was sent by the government, three years ago now, and several patches are taped up from the inside, painted the pale grey white to blend in. I can’t afford a new one. I also can’t afford to get sick again. Last time it was months before I was able to function again, and that was back when Emily was alive. When I still had someone to- anyway.

As I close and lock the door behind me, the automatic disinfection shower starts. Before I can leave my little airlock made from cheap plastic, I have to get sprayed down. At least this time it is scented, but the scent they have chosen seems to be brackish water with rotting seaweed.

No one else on my floor is allowed out today. Can’t risk contamination. It works, I suppose, as a system. Part of these new blocks they built, designed for social distancing, as the ads say. Dirt cheap rent, so all the people with the highest risk get stuck in the same space, and are easier to quarantine. Means that other than the noises that seep through the walls, you don’t get to know your neighbours. I know there lives a family above me. I know that there’s only one set of running and jumping toddler feet I hear from there lately.

The fresh air would be nice if it wasn’t filtered through fifty year old filters, but I enjoy it anyway. You only get to go out every fourteen days, after all, and it’s been a while. If you’ve got a pet that needs air, or a small enough child, there’s exception. I’ve got neither, these days. I’ve got no one. It’s safer, I hear people say. You’ve got no one else you’ve got to worry about getting sick. No, I agree, not any more.

Within five minutes I reach the queue. It snakes through the few green spaces between the apartment buildings. It’s not to bad today. Two kilometres, maybe. I forgot to check the app before I left, and I can’t open the suit to get at my phone. No one can. Suppose that’s the bright side of this. We’re forced to talk to each other, because there’s nothing else. It’s hard, though, through the masks. A sort of sign language has developed, combined with gestures. It’s not proper sign language, for that you need to see the mouth, and have better finger mobility than these gloves allow for, but it’s enough. How are you? What about this weather, huh? Lost anyone? Condolences. Wonder if there’s fresh bread today. In other places people got into baking during the pandemic, but, well. With the price of things these days…

Later, after an efficient 5 hours of queueing, I got my shopping for the next two weeks done. It’s locked in my airlock for 24 hours for safety. Much of it is canned, don’t know what good the sanitiser does for that, but I’m no biochemist. My contact, though…

When I got home, I found an encrypted message waiting for me. After making sure it was safe, running it through decryption, it was there: an offer of a new underground vaccine. Not tested, no. This was that. Illicit search for human test subjects. And it paid, too. Not a lot, but enough to matter. Would I be interested?

Fcuk yes, I type, sending it before I can catch my typo, sign me up.

I haven’t even read the risks found in animal trials, but god, if it works? Anything for the kind of freedom those who can afford to go abroad and get the vaccines have. There’s parts of the big cities, blocked off from everyone who couldn’t get vaxxed. I hear it’s real bougie now, all nice and not constantly covered in trash. The environment is recovering too. Isn’t it nice, they say, strolling through sparsely populated parks, not even bothering to carry masks these days. Some of them don’t even have some remnants of long Covid symptoms. God. Most people have had it a number of times, now. And it doesn’t get easier. It’s worth a little, I check the list, vomiting, migraines, heart disease, certain cancers and strange dreams. A hint of kidney failure if you’re lucky. Poor mice. But hey, what have I got to lose?

#inktober #covid #inktober 2022 #gas mask #plague chic #illustration #ink #sketchbook #my art #artists on tumblr

[jeonghanssidechick]

min hee jin saying that hybe copied her idea for bts like babe this was them at debut idk if i'd be bragging about that

#kpop #bts #LOOK AT JUNGKOOK IM IN PIECES #hobi bby covid isn't for another 7 years <3 #this is not a drag at bts i love them dearly HOWEVER they debuted in the era where the best groups looked like losers #tae's hair is giving tho i cant even lie #2013 chic i'm afraid !! #i ult bts pls don't doxx me army #borahae iktr

[kdhume]

#long covid chic #or #i bought a bag of soil month ago but it's still in my car because even with my garden cart i haven't been able to carry it

[thesearenotphotographs]

Duran Duran and Nile Rodgers & CHIC at Forest Hills Stadium

On Friday, September 21, 2023, Duran Duran began to wrap up their FUTURE PAST tour at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY with Nile Rodgers & CHIC and Bastille.

I covered the final two acts for Impose Magazine and the full gallery can be found here.

#Duran Duran #Simon Le Bon #John Taylor #Roger Taylor #Nick Rhodes #Nile Rodgers #Nile Rodgers and CHIC #Forest Hills Stadium #COVID-19 #Audrey Martells

[advicerlaara]

Why You Should Incorporate More Vitamin D Into Your Diet, According To Experts.

You’ve probably heard people call vitamin D the “sunshine vitamin” — one that the body creates via UV ray exposure and that, when you get enough of it, can perk up your mood. But the benefits of vitamin D — more specifically, vitamin D3 — go far beyond putting a smile on your face (though that’s very important). It actually plays a key role in bone health, the strength of your teeth, and the power of your immune system. Keep reading to learn how.

How does vitamin D work? “Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is both a nutrient and acts as a hormone,” explains Melissa Prest, D.C.N., R.D.N., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Its main function is to help the body absorb and regulate calcium and phosphorous, ensuring they’re available to strengthen bones and teeth, she adds. It also aids in the absorption of magnesium, which supports muscle and nerve function as well as energy levels.

Vitamin D boosts the immune system, too, by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines, a molecule that signals inflammation, explains Heather Mangieri, R.D.N., a sports and wellness dietitian in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

There are two main types of vitamin D — vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Vitamin D2 naturally occurs in some plants, whereas vitamin D3 is found in some animals and produced by human skin via sunlight exposure. Mangieri explains that D3 is considered the more potent form of the vitamin because it “has been shown to raise levels higher and for a longer period of time than D2.”

Vitamin D benefits Ongoing research continues to uncover how crucial vitamin D is to overall health. “It’s involved in many metabolic pathways and scientists continue to investigate its role in heart disease, diabetes, depression, and multiple sclerosis, among others,” adds Mangieri. With that being said, here are some of the ways proper vitamin D levels can improve your overall well-being:

Strong Bones A vitamin D deficiency, especially in older people, increases the risk of fractures and fosters overall weak and soft bones, Prest explains. “This condition is called osteomalacia and can cause bone deformities, pain, seizures from low blood calcium levels, muscle spasms, and dental abnormalities,” she adds. Low vitamin D also increases the risk of developing osteoporosis or brittle bone disease.

Strong Muscles Although more research on the relationship between vitamin D and muscle mass is warranted, some studies have found high vitamin D levels to be linked with improved strength.

Improved Immunity Due to its ability to regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines, vitamin D has been found to help the immune system overcome bacterial and viral infections like pneumonia and even COVID-19.

Better Heart Health Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with heart disease and cardiovascular disease-related mortality. However, further research is needed to determine if supplementing vitamin D can improve those conditions.

Boosted Mood Low vitamin D has been scientifically linked to depression, and vitamin D supplements are sometimes used to treat it. However, more research is necessary to confirm that supplements can reverse symptoms of clinical depression.

Vitamin D sources Although vitamin D is found in some foods, they’re not foods that most people regularly put on their plates. “Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, and trout, as well as fish liver oils, are among the best natural sources,” says Mangieri. “Cheese, egg yolks, beef liver, and mushrooms also have small amounts.” Other foods like milk, yogurt, cereal, and orange juice are often fortified with vitamin D, meaning the nutrient is added in.

“It is difficult to get enough vitamin D from foods alone,” Prest admits. “We need to consume vitamin D and get some exposure to the sun to make sure we have an adequate supply available for our body to use.” With that being said, soaking up the sun isn’t always easy.

“Cloud coverage, season, distance from the equator, pollution, skin pigmentation, age, and wearing sunblock can all impact how much vitamin D your body is able to produce,” explains Mangieri. Plus, there’s the danger of skin cancer.

Mangieri adds that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s recommended daily vitamin D intake for children and adults is 600 international units (IU). “While I fully encourage a food-first approach,” she says, “when it comes to Vitamin D, a dietary supplement is often needed.”

Vitamin D deficiency It’s only necessary to supplement with vitamin D if you know for sure your levels are low, which Mangieri says is difficult to confirm without a blood test performed by a doctor. “Most symptoms are vague and can be easily overlooked,” she adds. “As a sports dietitian, I get concerned about a vitamin D deficiency when I see an athlete complaining of fatigue, bone pain, muscle aches, or presenting with multiple bone fractures or injuries.”

Other symptoms of a deficiency include muscle weakness and mood changes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Dietary supplements are products intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent, or cure diseases.

Vitamin D supplements You can get both vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 in supplement form. Vitamin D2 supplements are made by exposing the ergosterol in yeast to UV radiation, explains Prest, and vitamin D3 supplements come from the exposure of 7-dehydrocholesterol — obtained from lanolin in the wool of sheep — to UV radiation. “There is also an animal-free version of vitamin D3 made from lichen,” she adds, which comes from algae.

“For people following a vegan diet or avoiding certain animal products, they can contact the dietary supplement manufacturer to ask about the product’s ingredients, and how it was sourced and processed,” says Prest. It’s also important to note that vitamins and supplements aren’t FDA-regulated. If you need one, Prest recommends looking for a standalone vitamin D supplement versus a multi-vitamin to ensure you get enough of the nutrient.

“Look for brands with the USP verification mark on the label or that have been third-party tested through programs like NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice,” Mangieri adds. “By choosing supplements with these labels, you know that what is on the label is actually present in the product in the amounts stated.”

Most importantly, Mangieri suggests having a conversation with your doctor or a registered dietitian before starting the supplement. A professional, she says, can help determine how much you should take.

Finally, I highly recommended you: Click To check it More guides about the diet: Click to check it

#diet #healthy life #beauty tips #coronavirus #covid 19 #skincare #nutrition #weight loss #health and wellness #health #healthcare #low cal diet #diet plan #4n4 diet #marlene dietrich #the chic diet #healthy #clean eating #healthy eating #vitamins #supplements #health tips #nutrients #vitamin d #masculine #healthyliving #hydrate #testosterone #food #fitness

[heckaroniandcheese]

ok this is kind of a cute picture of me no ?

#im into my bedhead #covid test chic #my elf

[hammercarexplosion]

Liberal voice: "Omg drop the act. I know no one actually holds any strong political beliefs or morals. Who even actually cares about ending the falsified border "crisis" or stopping covid? Don't you just want to buy Chic-fil-a and Israeli produce instead of helping people?"

[vivian-at-home]

OOTD

tldr: pushing boundaries, did some shopping for cheap chic, and thanking friends

I am really pushing boundaries lately with some androgynous bits here and some outright girly bits there. I am also growing my hair out, and I'm going to get one of those laser things because research tells me that's the way to go. I am trying to get a referral to the clinic from my doctor because the last time it got derailed by COVID.

I am daring to do things I never would before; like shopping openly in the ladies department, keeping my nails painted, wearing pinks and pastels and neutrals, more form fitting clothing. Nothing exotic at all, just exactly what other ladies my age wear (assuming they still have a body as hot as mine lol). Nice tight butt lifting jeans, Doc Marten boots and other androgynous shoes like grey slip on runners, henley shirts, anything girly I can get away with. I have a couple of new skirts coming and I can't wait to try them out, I also got a couple of new pushup bras that nothing is gonna hide that I might have to wait to try out lol, unless it's under a winter coat or baggy hoodie 😳 Trying to conciously wear a bra every day, even to work. Gradually replacing all my boxer briefs with those ridiculously comfy and flattering boy shorts, wearing the standard black and white check coat with poofy hoodies, my pink camo beanie for the coming cold, etc. I am just wearing what I want to wear, and if that's a pearl necklace and LBD with leggings, that's what I am wearing. 🌈

Please consider I'm not 'out' to any extant at all (just to my siblings and mother and a couple friends), but I have found that pretty much no matter where I go, no one really bats an eye, so I just keep pushing those edges. Even in my former male life I was a bit of a fashion whore, always trying new styles but trying to be classy and elegant, so now as a woman, with the massive range of stylish colourful comfortable flattering and yes sexy clothing to choose from, I am an artist with a whole new pallette. Or maybe a kid in a candy store lol.

I am also well aware that I might be a lot more out than I think at work, and no one said anything, I mean girls notice things just as much as guys do, but it doesn't exactly frighten me to push edges when no one says anything amiright. Some girls look at me funny now though, not a bad thing, they smile differently, something I have noticed that is really distinctive . . . 🤭 girls that never talked to me, especially younger ones, now do . . . it's still fearful baby steps though, but HRT is the moving walkway, and I am very close

I really need to learn how to do makeup better, and maybe not walk like a guy with places to go, rather more like a window shopping lady; and a few other things, but I guess what I am trying to say is that I am doing what my mother always taught me, to have the courage of my convictions. Some might say I am far too old, or worse yet a pretender, and it shames me to say I sometimes feel that way because I didn't pursue this long ago when I realized who I am, but I am proud of who I am today, and excited about where I am going, and dressing the part in public is now becoming an important part of that. I am nowhere near as far along as many people here, not even on HRT and not even close to living life as a woman, but one day soon . . . . I'm just so tired of living like people expect me to rather than how I want to portray myself. 💪 So damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead . . .

I want to thank all the friends here who have encouraged and inspired me to be my true self, your support and bravery means more than you know ❤ @crossdresserica @beingjamielynn @gymbunnycandiehart @livemyalter @becoming-who-ive-always-been @gladtobeagirl @jonextsteps @cd-christamae @cd-sherri

#transisbeautiful #trans positivity #be true to yourself

[andreablog2]

Unironically I think Hillary Clinton has a respectable demeanor tbh I like how she didn’t really save face. Not a fan of her politics but I like her personality she’s the type of Scorpio I’d vibe w honestly I always found her kind of charming..there’s something wrong w me but no she’s so chic and cool in a way. I think it was creepy when she did the whole like grandmotherly shtick bc it wasn’t natural but whenever she’s on that like smug New England can’t be bothered on her blackberry tweed jacket hair laid frequency im like ….work ..honestly. She’s Americana & she’s a legend for losing to trump/just the way she didn’t even come out like I’d have a nervous breakdown if I lost to trump. I think she would have been a fine president probably better than Biden and definitely better than trump…covid never would have happened.

[beardedmrbean]

Migrants say they are still determined to make their way to New York City despite strong rhetoric from Mayor Eric Adams, who recently finished a four-day tour of Latin America.

Adams had embarked on a trip to Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and the Darién Gap, a dangerous jungle terrain between Panama and Columbia, where a large influx of migrants traveled through last month on their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Adams said that while the official position of the city is that the border should "remain open," they have made it clear there should be a "decompression strategy" so the Big Apple does not have to "carry the burden" of the national government.

"There is no more room in New York," he said. "Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not. We don't want to put people in congregate shelters. We don't want people to think they will be employed."

Despite this warning, more than a dozen migrants bound for the U.S. told The New York Times that Adams' comments would not deter them from reaching the city.

"I think he, as mayor, is defending his country," Johanna del Valle Acosta, a mother of three traveling from Venezuela, said.

"Suddenly, other countries see us as a threat, but we are good people who want to work."

On Friday in Quito, Carlos Gabriel Hernández revealed that he and his wife and two children had previously attempted to cross the Darién Gap. While the initial trip proved too treacherous, he said his family still has plans to reach New York.

Hernández said that he was offended to learn why Adams had decided to visit and claimed his arrival in the region would not change the minds of everyone coming through the border.

NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL WANTS TO ‘LIMIT’ WHO CROSSES BORDER, SAYS IT’S ‘TOO OPEN RIGHT NOW’

"How can you tell someone not to follow their American dream?" he asked.

The State Department has recently sent several delegations to the Darién region to discourage migration. However, these calls have often led to more migrants embarking on the trek. Adams acknowledged the limits of his efforts, noting that his calls will not change the minds of all those wishing to come through.

"There isn't one magic pill that's going to solve this crisis, and we need to be clear on that. But If we sit back and wait for the one magic pill, then we are going to watch this issue erode," he said.

During the mayor's trip to Mexico City, the Times spoke with 33-year-old Jhonatan Antony Velásquez Diaz, who traveled 33 days from Venezuela with his wife and 6-month-old daughter. During the journey, they were robbed at gunpoint. But the family continued after many friends told them they had received jobs in New York.

Adams said around 800,000 immigrants from the state of Puebla live in New York City, which has had to absorb over 120,000 more asylum seekers in the last year.

"That lifts me up and helps me to keep going," Diaz said. "No matter what, people are going to get there, and I'm not going to be discouraged by what a politician says or a mayor says."

Not everyone was as optimistic about their prospects once reaching the city. One man, Henry Aguilar, had been traveling through the jungle with his wife, three kids and a dog when he received a voice message from a friend.

"I've been here for a little more than a week, and I haven't been able to find work," the friend could be heard saying. "It's not as easy as they paint it."

The family is now planning on heading to Texas after receiving the news.

Other families who crossed into the U.S. have not been as fortunate as some migrants working in New York.

One Quito man, Raúl Alfredo Chic, chose to head to the U.S. after COVID-19 decimated his wood shop business. After traveling by foot, bus and boat, he was arrested and detained for two months in Texas. Back home, his equipment was stolen and extortionists attempted to shake down his wife.

Chica said that while Adams may be able to persuade some people to hold off on the journey, his family remains steadfast in their decision.

"Even after all that I went through, my wife now wants to go," he said.

#nunyas news

[thecrownnet]

THE CROWN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PREVIEW

Photo 1-6  Keith Bernstein/Netflix via The Sunday Times (Original Caption: Elizabeth Debicki as Diana with Dominic West as Charles, A hard reign: Imelda Staunton as the Queen and Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Jonathan Pryce with Natascha McElhone as Penelope Knatchbull, Khalid Abdalla as Dodi Fayed, Dominic West as Charles and Elizabeth Debicki as Diana with Teddy Hawley as Harry and Timothee Sambor as William, and Queen of hearts: Debicki as a downcast Diana.)

Photo 7 & 8 Keith Bernstein/Netflix were published earlier.

Why The Crown’s new season is the most controversial yet

Benji Wilson Saturday October 15 2022, 6.00pm BST, The Sunday Times

***SPOILERS***

Elizabeth II gets jealous, Prince Charles plots to depose her and Philip finds a young female friend. Series five of the Netflix drama tackles the royals’ nightmare 1990s

In the new series of The Crown we see Diana, Princess of Wales sitting on the sofa at Kensington Palace watching an ITV special called The Monarchy: The Nation Decides. The host, Trevor McDonald, poses the question: “Do you want a monarchy?” for the public to phone up and weigh in on — Diana picks up the phone and is seen voting no, again and again.

The programme really did happen — the result was 66 per cent in favour of the monarchy, 34 per cent against. But Diana voting is dramatic licence. This is what The Crown does, artfully blurring fact and fiction — and attracting millions of viewers. The fifth series of the Netflix hit comes out on November 9, nine weeks after the death of Her Majesty the Queen. Even if the series were a fawning biopic there would be accusations of insensitive timing but this one is set to stoke more fires than ever. The Sunday Times has seen all ten episodes — the first publication to do so — and as with previous series it makes for uncomfortable viewing for the Palace.

The Crown may be a drama, but it has an impact on our views of the royal family. The new series begins in 1991 with Charles and Diana’s doomed “second honeymoon” in the Med, takes in the Queen’s annus horribilis and stops before Diana’s death in 1997. No shortage of drama then.

The series was written at least a year before the Queen died, and filming was completed many months ago. It was to have been most noteworthy as an inauguration for The Crown’s third new cast, with Imelda Staunton taking over from Olivia Colman as the Queen, Jonathan Pryce from Tobias Menzies as the Duke of Edinburgh, Dominic West succeeding Josh O’Connor as Charles and Elizabeth Debicki following Emma Corrin as Diana.

What this series does is remind us how quickly public opinion of the royal family as individuals and an institution has changed over the years. Wherever you stand on the monarchy, The Crown is going to provoke heated discussion. Spoilers ahead . . .

Prince Philip’s new friend

Natasha McElhone joins the cast as Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, a close friend of Prince Philip’s until his death. Penny is the daughter of the Angus Steakhouse founder, Reginald Eastwood, and became part of the royal inner circle through her husband, Norton Knatchbull (it is a small royal world; Norton Knatchbull was Philip’s godson and a year above Prince Charles at the boarding school Gordonstoun).

Penny was 26 when she met Philip, then 58, and we see them becoming close friends, bonding over a shared love of carriage driving. When Penny’s five-year-old daughter Leonora died of kidney cancer in 1991, Philip stepped in to offer support.

Their friendship endured — Penny, now 69, was the only non-royal to attend Philip’s funeral service at Windsor Castle when it was scaled back because of Covid restrictions. The Crown speculates whether Penny and the duke were ever more than close friends.

When Philip meets Penny, as The Crown tells it, he is feeling useless and wanting interests outside the royal bubble. In The Crown Penny — a young, chic countryside countess — becomes a confidante for Philip. We see them alone discussing how he and the Queen have “grown in separate directions”. While out carriage driving together they touch hands — the camera zooms in and lingers on the touch — and he gives her his private phone number.

Knatchbull at Prince Philip’s funeral MAX MUMBY/GETTY IMAGES

At the end of the episode the Queen asks him if he thinks husbands and wives should keep secrets from one another in a marriage, intimating that she is aware something might be amiss.

This is familiar territory for The Crown: series two dramatised several allegations of the duke’s infidelity, including with the Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova, and this will only heighten speculation about Philip.

Penny’s beauty is readily acknowledged by the duke and the Queen in a bedtime discussion. He tells his wife that he has given up his autonomy and his career to be married to her and points out that they have different interests and passions — he wants companionship and the carriage-driving gang provide that. The Queen snaps back that his carriage-driving companion is his godson’s wife, half his age. “It’s friendship, Lilibet,” the duke says. “It’s not that sort of companionship. That would just make me even more lonely.”

Nevertheless, the Queen does feel compromised. In a key scene Penny is summoned to the stables at Windsor Castle for a reckoning. She has concluded — at the duke’s prompting — that Penny should be brought in to the royal family, not pushed out. “Should people happen to see the Duke of Edinburgh out and about with a beautiful younger companion it would be an irritation if they felt at liberty to jump to any wrong conclusions,” she says to Penny. “So why don’t you come in the car with me to church this Christmas at Sandringham? Nip all that in the bud.’”

Was the Queen a bad mother?

In 1992 Charles came to Windsor Castle to persuade his mother that he and Diana should separate officially. This was the Queen’s annus horribilis —three out of her four children were having marriage breakdowns, with the Duchess of York’s affair with her financial advisor revealed in the papers with a photograph of John Bryan sucking Sarah Ferguson’s toe. In The Crown this prompts a testy discussion between Charles and the Queen. “I’ve done as you asked, Mummy,” he says. “I’ve tried to make it work for 11 years. But there comes a point . . .”

It leads to a wider discussion about the marital difficulties of the Queen’s children’s and the whole role of the royal family as a moral example to the nation. At one point Charles says in exasperation that “if we were an ordinary family and social services came to visit they would have thrown us into care and you [the Queen] into jail”.

The Queen is later shown talking to the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey (played by Richard Rycroft) and conceding that such a run of broken relationships “begins to look like parental failure of the most awful kind”. As with most private conversations in The Crown, there is no verbatim record of either of these conversations. But in his 1994 authorised biography Charles did describe himself as “emotionally estranged” from his parents, while craving the “affection and appreciation” from them that they were “unable or unwilling” to offer.

Tampongate

Charles’s call to Camilla in 1989, recorded and sold to the press by an amateur radio operator, is featured here, and although the tape has been doing the rounds on TikTok since King Charles’s accession, our new monarch won’t thank Netflix for dredging the whole thing up again. In the tape, the full transcript of which was published by Sunday People in 1993, Charles says he wants to “live inside your trousers” and would therefore like to come back in another life as “a Tampax”.

In context, however, the tampongate episode is part of a more measured assessment of Charles’s character — the call is shown as part of a touching, private moment when Charles, on his own at a shooting weekend with friends, calls Camilla at her home to tell her how much he misses her. They bat ever more risqué suggestions back and forth about precisely what they would do were they with one another, but throughout it is a scene of genuine affection rather than lewdness.

The same episode also takes great pains to show Charles as a moderniser and champion for youth through the creation of the Prince’s Trust. He’s even shown attempting to breakdance at a Prince’s Trust event in 1985 where he is invited to the dancefloor. This may be more embarrassing than tampongate (highly recommended — it’s available on YouTube); our new King is willing but ultimately lacks rhythm.

Did Charles want mum out of the way?

For years Charles’s longing for the top job has been a running joke in Private Eye, but The Crown says unequivocally that he was indeed a frustrated king-in-waiting. Charles is shown summoning John Major (Jonny Lee Miller) to Highgrove for a secret meeting and effectively pitching to replace his mother. “What makes the Conservative Party successful? Its instinct for renewal and its willingness to make way for someone younger. For almost 60 years my great-great-grandfather Edward VII was kept waiting in the wings. He longed to be given responsibilities but his mother refused. And yet when his time came he proved his doubters wrong and his reign was a triumph,” he tells Major. Charles asks that Major, when he comes to Balmoral, judge for himself “whether this institution is in safe hands”.

The angriest he gets in the whole run is when confronting Diana with her comments from the Bashir interview that he was “unfit to be king”. “The expectation, the waiting for it [being king] to happen — look how miserable it’s made you,” she says over tea at Kensington Palace. “It’s not the waiting that’s made me miserable,” he counters. “It’s the years spent rotting in a marriage to someone trying to destroy me.”

Waltz with Bashir

The tell-all Diana interview in 1995, in which she said there were three people in her marriage, was watched by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK, or39.3 per cent of the population at the time. It isn’t recreated here — although the BBC says it will never air it again, you can find it on the internet — but Netflix and the writer Peter Morgan are pretty clear who is to blame for it happening. Martin Bashir (played by Prasanna Puwanarajah) is shown forging documents then lying to Earl Spencer. Ironically, given all that followed, Bashir then assures Diana that she should go with him, and not Oprah Winfrey, for example, because then she would be “protected by the best brand name in the world for integrity — the BBC”.

Diana v the deep state

Was Diana bugged by MI5? The Crown says indisputably that she was. There are numerous scenes of Diana roaming a deserted Kensington Palace, phoning friends and staff. Often the calls end with her hearing strange clicks and screaming down a crackling line at whoever might be listening in. In one incident the brake cables on her car appear to have been cut, leading to a dangerous near miss. The implication in The Crown is that Diana’s butler Paul Burrell’s “dark forces” were very much at work and that the Palace was behind them. Debicki’s Diana is superb, portrayed as lost, isolated and paranoid — but with good reason.

Fayed, Dodi and Diana

An entire episode is given over to Mohamed Al Fayed (Salim Daw, Oslo), his son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla, The Kite Runner) and their obsession with the royal family. Both actors, in particular Daw, are terrific, breathing life into figures portrayed so often as pantomime villains. For Fayed, the royal family was the golden ticket to entry and acceptance into British high society. The suggestion is that by spurning Fayed’s attempts to buy his way into royal circles (sponsoring a horse trial that he thought would get him to sit next to the Queen; buying and refurbishing Edward and Wallace Simpson’s French villa, then returning the contents to the royal family), the monarchy drove Diana towards the family of a fellow outsider.

Britannia for the scrapyard?

Episode one sets up the Royal Yacht Britannia as a metaphor for the Queen — “a floating, seagoing expression of me” is how she describes what she also calls her favourite home (before even Balmoral). The problem is that others, namely Charles, Philip and the British public, see “the boat” as outdated: “She’s so obviously past her best.” Should millions of pounds of public money be spent to keep the edifice afloat or should it be scrapped? Spot the metaphor — the relevance of the monarchy is a thread. Discussions take place just as a Sunday Times poll reveals that the public would like the Queen to be replaced by Prince Charles.

Series five of The Crown is on Netflix from November 9

Source: Why The Crown’s new season is the most controversial yet Benji Wilson, The Sunday Times October 15 2022

♚

#the crown netflix #the crown #imelda staunton #elizabeth debicki #natascha mcelhone #the crown spoilers #khalid abdalla #dominic west #jonathan pryce #the crown season 5 #the crown cast #annus horribilis #richard rycroft #prasanna puwanarajah #salim daw #timothee sambor #teddy hawley #thecrownnet

[the1975attheirverybest]

Ok ok ok I want to know YOUR thoughts

But also I will say the ball bit and the giant backpack?? Something about it feels very Sisyphean to me especially with the it’s kinda of my daily iteration line

Ok this is probably pretentious but it’s 4 am and I’m having a red Bull so here we are. I think the music video is about the secondary meaning of the song. The primary/ main one is social commentary, right? About the vaccinistas and the tote bag chic baristas and about masculinity and all that. But the music video is about being “Part Of The Band.” Literally. cuz Matty is the only constantly. We first start out with him surrounded by children. Which is a metaphor for him and the boys’ relationship. Like when his adulthood and personal issues are getting him down, his friendship with the guys and their capacity to tap into that playfulness and innocent bond that they created from when they were children is what gets him through. Like the drawing on the car then becomes drawing on HIM. Kind of reminding him to let go and mess around. then the ostensibly Sisyphean reference except it’s a hall not a rock. AND the kids (the boys) help him carry it. To the point where he eventually dresses up and leads them through it (again, the work morphing into playfulness becoming the thing that saves him). then we see the actual boys 🥹 (Ross looks fuckin amazing with that cello btw. And not for nothing but John Waugh? Legend.) and he gets to be part of the actual band and they’re doing their thing. Which is playing music. then we get what I imagine to be future versions of themselves. The older men. But notice how quickly they also start playing with mud and stuff? Mud is often what we use to describe murky “muddy” situations. Difficult. Resistant. Sticky. But they turn it into playfulness. Again tapping into the uniqueness of their friendship, their band, the way that being part of the band has allowed them to preserve these parts of themselves even as they’ve gotten older. Suddenly, the boys and the younger and older versions of themselves are ALL part of the band. Meaning that all of these versions of themselves exist within the band and that’s the magic of it. And finally, Mayhem. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 he shows up just after Matty’s heavy burden (which I imagine is a literal image of the ‘I’ve not picked up that…’ line). Matty did get Mayhem shortly after his relapse and right as we went into Covid. So, I imagine hes referencing the way that THAT relationship has also saved him. Cuz you quickly see him take off the burdensome bag, and run around on the beach with the dog and lean on him and hug him. Not to get overly sentimental but as a dog owner myself….I get that. I thought I was saving my dog from a pretty shitty situation when I got him but he saves me every single fuckin day.

IN SHORT: I think the video is about him and the boy’s friendship and the way that it has been his way out of some truly difficult stages of his adult life. The way that their career and their bond allows him to hold onto the playfulness and mayhem (pun totally intended) not only necessary for being an artist but necessary for enduring some pretty shitty stuff. So, I think, he’s just reflecting on the privilege of getting to be part of the band.

*sips red Bull pretentiously*

[ladylooch]

Letters in Your Last Name - Chapter 20

A/N: If you made me answer, in some way, what my absolute favorite chapter of this whole entire story is... it's this one. I have re-read this chapter over 100 times since I wrote it. It brings me comfort and joy!

Word Count: 5.5k

Warnings: SMUT 18+ Content, Swearing, fluffy.

The middle of September in Minnesota is always one last burst of electric colors right before the reality of winter begins to settle around us. It’s a combination of the brightest reds, yellows and oranges as the leaves and greenery prepare for the incoming cold. For Kevin and I, it reminds us just how close we are to the season starting.

We returned to the United States a week and a half ago, and after a brief quarantine with negative COVID tests, we are free to visit family again. We are currently on our way to surprise Alex, Felicia and the kids before getting sushi at our favorite spot in St. Paul. Kevin was the one who suggested the pop in visit, even though we will be seeing the adult Stalocks tonight for dinner.

Kevin is driving and has been unusually quiet today. Ever since we woke up, he is pensive, muted, and subdued. Unnervingly so for my usually goofy and boisterous boyfriend. In fact, I don’t think he’s looked me in the eye all morning. I reach over to his thigh and give it a squeeze. He removes one hand from the steering wheel and then laces our fingers together. I purse my lips and look at our entwined hands, before letting my eyes dance up his defined jaw to his eyes.

“Hi.” I say, squeezing his hand.

“Hi.” Kevin murmurs, but doesn’t take his eyes from the road.

“Is something wrong with my face today?” I joke.

“What? No?” He finally glances at me with a questioning look.

“Oh! So you can turn your head and look at me.” I scrunch my nose at him.

“I’m watching the road, babe.”

“Okay. But you barely looked at me this morning in the apartment too. What gives?”

“Just happy to be out of the house.” I squint my eyes in disbelief and wait until his eyes meet mine again.

“Something is up with you.” I insist, looking away from him and shifting deeper into my seat.

“Nothing is up.” He assures me bringing my hand to his mouth and kissing it gently.

Mhm, sure Kev. I think to myself. A fleeting wave of irritation seeps into my mind at how he is acting. Then the nervousness… Why would he be acting so weird? I think back to our summer in Europe and can’t pinpoint a time when he was so distant. Now, we are back to what is our “normal” life and he immediately creates space between us. Uh oh… is he having doubts about us? By the time we pull into the Stalock driveway, I am a ball of anxious nerves. When I see my two kiddos and their parents though, it all fades into the background.

“Auntie!” Sawyer and Serena scream and begin rushing towards us. Tears pinch my eyes at their excited faces and I fall to my knees in the grass to catch them both in my arms.

“Oh my gosh! My two favorite kids in the whole wide world!!!” I sing-song to them and rock them both together. They giggle incessantly and we share big smiles. “Did you miss me as much as I missed you?”

“More.” Sawyer sweetly says to me.

“What about me?” Kevin wonders from behind us. Serena immediately disentangles from me and rushes to Kevin’s arms.

“Hi Kevin.” She murmurs to him, petting his hair during their hug. I can’t help but laugh; She’s so in love with him.

“Hey, quit hogging them!” Alex jokes as him and Felicia come wandering to where we are standing. “Sam, you look so different now that you’re an international traveler. So euro chic.” Alex smirks at me.

“Ha.” I laugh and flip him the bird by pretending to scratch an itch. “Missed you, Al.” He wraps me into a tight hug.

“I’m kidding. Mostly you just look happy.” His tone becomes more sincere. “But we weren’t expecting to see you until later?”

“Yeah, we are going to sushi in St. Paul and thought we would swing by quick while the kids were here.”

“Wow, you are fancy now. Sushi and Parlour today?” He notes of the expensive, American style restaurant we are meeting them at.

“Well, Kevin is a multimillionaire so…”

“Sick brag.” He rolls his eyes.

“Like you’re not.” Felicia scoffs at him with an eye roll of her own.

“Kev, I’m glad you’re here actually. I have something to show you in the basement.” Alex jerks his head towards the door. “I got a new gadget this summer that I think you’ll like.” Kevin nods in immediate understanding and sets Serena back on her feet to follow my brother.

“What gadget?” I ask, wrinkling my nose at the weird change in conversation. I watch as Alex and Kevin murmur quietly to each other before disappearing into the house.

“Boy stuff.” Felicia shrugs. “I’m sure next he will show Kev his new John Deere lawn mower.”

“He did not.” I gasp at Felicia who shakes her head wordlessly.

“Don’t even get me started…”

“So, Kevin is acting weird.” I say to her once the front door shuts behind the boys.

“What do you mean?” She asks.

“He like… won’t look at me? He’s barely spoken to me all day. And he is just.. being weird! He’s not himself…” I trail off, narrowing my eyes at the closed front door.

“I’m sure he’s just anxious for hockey to start.” She waves dismissively. “I wouldn’t be too concerned. Your brother has been weird too since being ruled out for the season. Hockey players struggle with change. And the beginning of the season is always a lot.”

At the end of last season, Alex’s physical in Edmonton still didn’t look quite right after his heart condition. After a few more tests and seeing several specialists both here and in Edmonton, Alex made the decision to sit out for this year and let his heart continue to recover. Although hockey has been his life for a majority of his days, it’s not worth the actual risk of losing his life to continue to push forward. At this point, his future is up in the air and he is taking it day by day while focusing on recovery.

“Maybe.” I bite my lip. “I’m just nervous that maybe he’s having doubts…”

“About you?” She gives me an incredulous look. “Yeah, right. You spent the whole summer together in Europe, met his family, passed every test with flying colors, came back to the U.S. and he was like ehhhh I don’t know about her. Sam, the guy is crazy in love with you.” She finishes with a very pointed look.

“Yeah.. you’re right.” I shake my head and push the uncertainty from my mind. “Can I steal a bottle of water?”

“For sure. The kids wanted a snack anyway.”

We head into the house and grab the kids applesauce pouches, which they happily take back outside to keep playing in the driveway. Sawyer is shooting a ball at the hockey net and Serena is drawing with chalk. I grab my bottle of water and open it, sucking down a few sips of the cool liquid.

“I’m excited for tonight.” I say to her. “It will be nice to catch up after being gone all summer.”

“Yeah for sure! I want to hear all about your travels.”

“It was pretty incredible. His family is just…” I trail off and put a hand on my heart. “The sweetest. I’m so glad we got to spend so much time with them before we came home. Renata and I have been texting about when they should come visit us here.”

“Mom!” Sawyer comes dancing back into the kitchen. He tugs at Felicia’s hand. ”I’m still hungry.”

“You guys could come to sushi with us.” I offer, glancing at the basement door and wondering what is taking the boys so long. “They have teriyaki chicken and rice for the kids.”

“Thanks for the offer, but Al is going golfing soon and is supposed to take the kids with him while I go get my nails done. They were going to grab some food there.”

“Got it. Well, that will be fun too. Sawyer, go grab your dad and uncle Kev.” I shoo him to the basement door. We hear his galloping footsteps returning a few minutes later.

“Dad said they will be up soon.”

“What are they looking at down there?” I ask Sawyer.

“A red box.” He shrugs after grabbing a sip of his own water bottle.

“Ah… Sawyer go get your sister. You two need to get ready to go.” Felicia interjects, turning Sawyer’s shoulders towards the front door. I give Felicia a confused look.

“A red box?” I question, turning my palms up.

“Uh.. yeah he got a new box.. a... a tool box. Sorry the word escaped me for a second.” She waves her hands at me.

“And he wanted to show Kevin that? Maybe he’s going to teach him how to use some of those things. I’m pretty sure Kevin has never even picked up a hammer.” I joke.

Footsteps from downstairs can be heard again, but this time the adult males emerge from the basement.

“Kev’s coming golfing with us.” Alex announces as he enters the kitchen with Kevin in toe.

“Wait, what?” I sputter, taken aback. First of all, we were supposed to be going to lunch. Second, to my knowledge, Kevin doesn’t golf.

“Yep. Say goodbye.” Alex gestures before walking from the kitchen.

“Babe?” I question as he walks towards me.

“It sounds like fun.” Kevin shrugs in a way that is supposed to be nonchalant but comes out like an awkward dance of his broad shoulders.

“I thought we were going to sushi?” I pout. “And you’re just going to leave me here?”

“You and Felicia go.” He tells me as he pulls his wallet out and puts $200 in my hand.

“Okay, no. I can pay for lunch, that’s not my point.” I say as I attempt to give him the money back.

“Kevin!” Alex yells from the entry way.

“Gotta go.” Kevin tells me as he begins to walk towards my brother. “I’ll come grab you from here after.”

“Hey..” I pull at Kevin’s arm to stop him from walking passed me. I slowly slide my hands up his chest, linking them at the back of his neck. “Are you okay?” I wonder with a breathy laugh to showcase my confusion. “Did I do something…?”

“No, baby. I’m good. Just want to spend some time with your brother.” He assures me quickly, almost too quickly. “I’ll see you later.” He leans down and gives me a kiss that would knock my socks off if I was wearing any. I am dazed as he pulls away and strides from the kitchen, following Alex out the door. The kids run excitedly to Alex’s truck once they are all outside.

“He’s just going to leave me here.” I mutter, looking over at Felicia who just shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Want to go to lunch?” I ask holding up the money Kevin gave me. “Apparently it’s on Kevin.” I laugh.

“Oh yes! Let’s go get sushi! And you can come with to the salon, so we can both get our nails done for tonight!” She exclaims excitedly. “Girls day!” She calls as she rushes from the kitchen to grab her purse.

I shake my head in response, wondering if we should call the gas company.

Everyone in this house is acting like they’re high on something. _ _ _

The satisfying sound of heels clacking against concrete greets mine and Felicia’s ears as we step out of her SUV in the North Loop of Minneapolis. We are meeting the boys at Parlour in a few minutes. Apparently their golf game went too long and they didn’t have time to grab us from the Stalock house before our reservation. I’m looking forward to teasing Kevin about his golf game being the reason for their late day. Mostly though, after his weird behavior earlier, I’m glad to be spending the night together before he leaves for California. Felicia was gracious enough to swing by our apartment so I could change prior to dinner.

“I can’t believe pre-season is already here.” I tell Felicia as we step out of the parking garage and onto Washington Avenue. “This off-season went so fast.”

“Of course it did. You were running around Europe with the love of your life. Plus, time flies when you spend the whole day in bed.”

“Hey, we went site seeing.” I insist with a large grin.

“Sure you did.” She nudges me with her shoulder causing me to burst out laughing. “The start of the season is always exciting. Plus, Kevin is set to have a huge year.”

“Yeah he is! I’m really looking forward to having a relatively normal season. Actually being able to go to the games and have fans again is going to be huge.” I reach for the door of the restaurant and pull it open.

I step inside and immediately stop in the doorway. The restaurant, which is a very popular spot in Minneapolis, is completely empty. I glance behind me to Felicia, giving her a concerned look.

“Are we in the right place?” I whisper to her, glancing around again. Maybe they moved to a different building? She smiles as she steps towards me, handing me a single red rose that she did not have a minute ago.

“You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be, Sam.” I take the rose from her, feeling very perplexed as to what is going on. I slowly turn back to the restaurant. Again, it’s seemingly closed for the night and covered with rose petals, candles, and shimmery balloons. Candles are scattered throughout the space and champagne is chilling in buckets of ice. It looks set for some sort of private event.

“Felicia?” I turn back around, but she’s gone. The door is slowly closing shut again. “What is happening?” I mutter under my breath. Thankfully, a person who is seemingly with the restaurant appears. He motions towards the back of the restaurant that I know leads to a gorgeous patio that makes you forget you’re in the middle of a big city.

“Sam, Kevin is waiting for you on the patio.”

Everything inside of me stills.

Roses, champagne, Kevin’s behavior today, Felicia insisting I getting my nails done.

Oh my god. Is… Is this happening?

I swallow and nod because speaking feels completely impossible. The only sound in the restaurant is my feet scraping the wood floor as I steadily make my way to the back door. My heart flutters and butterflies have swarmed my stomach. Everything in me wants this. Desperately. I am hesitant as my hand reaches the cool metal and I push the door open. I step onto the patio, one foot forward, then the next one, until I’m around the corner of the building.

When I see him, I know.

I immediately cover my face with my hands as tears fill my eyes. As I pull my hands away, Kevin holds his out to me with a beaming smile. I let out a breathy, excited laugh as I step towards him. The patio has been transformed for this moment. String lights hang down on the brick wall behind Kevin along with pictures of our life together. In the middle of it all is a bright sign that spells out Kevin + Sam in white neon. Candles are lit all along the patio, and the same red rose petals from earlier lead me towards our future.

“Hi baby.” He says to me. He looks so delectable in his maroon suit. He’s wearing a simple, white shirt beneath with a solid black tie. Our hands connect and he pulls me towards him, finishing with a tender, affectionate kiss. I try to gain some semblance of composure before I speak.

“Hi.” I say back, trying to keep my body from shaking with excitement. He pauses for a moment, stepping back to take me in fully before returning his gaze to mine. I can feel the nervousness buzzing in his hands. He pulls in a deep breath, before he continues.

“Sam, when I moved to Minnesota, all I wanted was a fresh start. I wasn’t looking for anything like this. Things in Nashville were tough. Living in America felt like a means to an end. Every off-season, I would get on the first flight out to go back to what felt the most like home to me. That all changed when I met you. I hated returning to places that I used to dream of when I was here. Leaving you in America left me with a loneliness that life in Europe couldn’t fill. When I left last year because of COVID, I faced a difficult truth. Those places aren’t home to me anymore; it’s wherever you are.”

I close my eyes briefly as a single tear slips down my cheek. Kevin reaches out and brushes it away. I lean into his touch and open my eyes, Kevin a blur through my tears.

“I can’t imagine my life without you. This last year and a half has been hard. But you’ve been beside me through each moment. Before you, my only life goals were hockey related. Now, I want you to be my wife as much as I want to win the Stanley Cup.” My grin somehow stretches wider and he squeezes my hand at the recognition.

“You’re the perfect woman for me and the better half I need for the rest of my life. The only thing I want to change about you is the letters in your last name.” He pulls away and reaches for the red box in his pocket. He pops it open and bends down on one knee. I let out an audible gasp before bringing my hand to my mouth. The ring is exquisite. I want time to stand still as I take in the sight of him kneeling confidently before me. I bite my lip harder as it begins to quiver. “Samantha Stalock, you are my forever. Will you marry me?”

I bounce excitedly on my heels as I take in the gorgeous, 3 karat, halo cut diamond. The large stone is completely encircled by smaller diamonds, even more of them dancing down the band, with all the jewels held in a platinum setting. The stones reflect every strobe of light, twinkling so beautifully in the night. It’s breathtakingly stunning. Just like the man kneeling before me, asking for me to be his wife. There’s only one answer for him and it comes out in an excited sob:

“Yes!”

Kevin stands, grabbing my arms and tugging me in tightly to his chest. His lips find mine in a warm smooch while we exchange excited I love yous. He pulls away laughing, grabbing my left hand as more tears spill over my lashes. The photographer, who I didn’t even notice until right now, clicks away next to us as Kevin places the gorgeous, Cartier ring on my finger. When he’s done, he wraps his arms tightly around me again. I hold him close, feeling the energy vibrating off of him.

“Forever with you is a dream come true.” I tell him, holding his cheeks in my hands, bringing his face back to mine. Kevin pulls my lip into his mouth, lifting me into his arms. I lose myself in our kiss. Everything fades away and it’s just me and him with this reality of forever. I want to bottle this feeling and keep it in my heart always. “You were so weird earlier today. I was so confused!” I say to him when my heels hit the concrete again.

“Yeah, I couldn’t keep it together. I almost blurted out to you in the car that I was proposing tonight. That’s why Alex was forcing me to leave.”

“I thought that was so weird! I was like, why is he leaving me here!?” I laugh.

“I swear, at one point earlier this week, I almost dropped down in the kitchen without the ring because I didn’t want to wait anymore.” He nuzzles my nose, kissing me after in a way that makes my knees weak.

“This is perfect.” I tell him

“Good.” He nods to me, reaching for my left hand and looking at the ring. “Do you like this? Felicia and Laura helped me. If you want something else, we can find it.”

“Oh my god, Kevin, this ring is incredible.” I watch as it sparkles in the twinkling lights of the patio.

“It had to be to be worn by this incredible woman.” I blush and let out a tiny laugh. “My incredible woman. Forever.” Kevin finishes. “I love you.” He says it in a way that shows the depth and I feel warmth grow inside my chest.

“I love you, Kev.”

The photographer approaches us and begins to pose us for pictures. Each picture includes plenty of smooching, ring flashing, and holding each other. At one point, Kevin pops open a bottle of champagne and we cheer at the bubbles that spill out around our feet. Kevin truly thought of everything. I feel breathlessly happy as I sip on the bubbly liquid. The bubbles do nothing to settle my stomach and I don’t care. I never want to let go of this feeling. This moment has been magical- more than I could have ever expected.

“We should go inside.” Kevin says after the photographer disappears into the restaurant.

“Oh yeah, Felicia and Alex.. dinner.” I nod.

“Yeah.” He nods his head. “Felicia and Alex are in there.” We walk towards the door and he holds it open for me “After you.”

“You just want to see my ass in these jeans.” I joke.

“Damn right.” He slaps a cheek and then goes back for a greedy grope.

“Don’t start something you’re not going to finish.”

“I’ll be finishing that later.” He replies firmly. My heart speeds up in response, knowing our bed is getting a workout tonight.

When I step into the hallway, I feel like I’m floating back into the restaurant, Kevin’s hand is on the small of my back leading me through. We enter the large restaurant space from the hallway to a cheering crowd.

“Ah!” I yell in surprise, stepping back into Kevin who is laughing. His hands go to my hips and he gives them a squeeze. I bring my hand to my throat, closing my eyes and letting out a relieved sigh. In the excitement of the proposal, I completely forgot about what the restaurant looked like when I walked in. It sure is set for a celebration: ours!

“Thank God you said yes.” Kevin murmurs close to my ear as he encourages me forward.

Standing at the front of the group with beaming smiles is my family. My mom hugs us both first and then grabs her phone from my dad. I grin excitedly when I see both Renata and Jan on the screen.

“Look!” I wave my left hand excitedly to them. They express their congratulations and wishes of being there with us in person. After a few more minutes of excitement, Kevin tells them in Czech that we will call tomorrow to chat more. Next, my brothers line up for their hugs and congratulations. Nick hides his tears with a cough that his wife, Megan, rolls her eyes at. We both share a shrug, then we embrace.

“Surprise!” Felicia laughs as she pulls me in for the next hug. “Congrats, Sam! We are so thrilled for you, and for Kevin to join the family.. officially. I have to say, it was really hard to get you off the scent today.”

“Thank you.” I tell her. “I feel like you did a pretty good job. I just casually felt like I was overreacting all day.” She grimaces and mutters a sincere sorry. I hug her once more and releasing her to move towards my other brother who is surprisingly choked up.

“Al.” I give him a sympathetic look. “It’s okay. We will make Kevin become a Stalock.” I tease him, glancing over at my fiancé who shrugs in response.

“Whatever I need to do to keep you forever.”

“Yeah, happy wife, happy life will serve you well with Sam.” Nick jokes to him.

“I think Kevin is very aware of what he is getting into.” Alex says. He opens his arms to me and I step into his chest. He gives me a tight squeeze and I can feel the emotion in his voice. “Congrats. I love you”

“Love you. A lot.” I say as we share a small smile.

“Al, thanks for letting me date your sister.” Kevin jokes to him as they slap hands and hug.

“You and I both know I had no choice in that.” We all let out knowing laughs. “Love ya, bud. I’m thrilled to be getting another brother.”

More champagne finds its way to us and we make the rounds, saying hi, giving hugs and accepting well-wishes for our future. Most of the Wild team is here. The WAGS snap pictures with me and we all bubble excitedly about the upcoming year starting off on such a high note. As the night goes on, I find myself by Kevin less and less. We are being pulled in so many different directions that it is hard to stay in one area together. Finally, I break myself out of a conversation with Lauren, Felicia, and Kelly Talbot, dipping to the bathroom for a break. When I exit a few minutes later, Kevin is leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

“Come dance with me.” He encourages, taking my hand and leading me back to the open space.

Never Til Now by Ashley Cooke is playing softly and several other couples have stepped together to sway to the music.

“Hi.” I breathe out to him. “It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you.”

“Everyone wants a piece of us.” The fingers of his right hand lace with my left and he pulls my hand closer to his face to look at my ring.

“Admiring your work?” I ask him, a joyful glint in my eye.

“I scored a lot of goals to be able to afford this.” He jokes, letting my hand fall to a more natural position.

We step closer together and sway in sync with the music. I let out a happy sigh as his jaw brushes against my temple. I close my eyes and rest my face gently against his shoulder. Being in his arms like this is all that I’ve been wanting. My mind begins to play the day back and a realization comes over me. I slowly pull back to look at Kevin’s face.

“You were downstairs in the safe with Alex this afternoon.” I say to him.

“Yes.”

“That is the red box Sawyer was talking about. When he came upstairs, I asked him what you two were looking at and he said a red box.”

“Also, yes.”

“Sneaky, Kevin Fiala.” I narrow my eyes at him. “You keep secrets a little too well from me.”

“Only the good ones.” He promises, leaning forward and connecting our lips. When he pulls away, another epiphany hits me.

“We haven’t seen Al and Felicia since we got back. Did you buy the ring before we went to Europe?”

“Yes, I did. In fact, I bought that ring at the beginning of last season, right after I returned from Sweden. Alex has been keeping it for me.”

“What?” I pause, surprised. “Why did you wait so long!”

“Because you were obviously still a little unsure about us.” Kevin responds honestly and without frustration. “It felt important for you to have the summer in Europe and meet my family so that when you said yes, you were ready for all of this.”

“I’ve never been unsure about you.” I insist. I stop swaying to the music and hold his cheeks so he knows I’m serious. “I just wanted to know I fit. I didn’t want to be this person who came in and repainted your whole world.”

“Too late.” He leans forward and kisses my lips.

“Kev, I’m serious.”

“Baby, I know. None of that matters anyway. You said yes. Although, you promised me a million and only gave me one.” My mouth drops open and I let out a laugh.

“Ask me again then.”

“Will you marry me?” The words drip out of his mouth in a heavy whisper.

“Yes.. yes… yes.. yes.. ye-“ Kevin’s lips cut me off and we both laugh into our kiss.

When we walk into our apartment hours later, I moan a sigh of relief when I step out of my heels. I shrug my jacket off my shoulders and turn to look at Kevin as he closes and locks the door behind us. He leans his back against it and begins to tug at his tie to loosen it. I watch him with hungry eyes, slowly running my tongue along the edges of my top teeth.

“I hope you’re going to keep your promise from earlier tonight.” I say to him. He tugs his tie all the way through and the ends swinging teasingly down his chest. He begins to work at the buttons at his throat.

“What? About marrying you?” He wonders innocently. “Probably not tonight.”

“No, about finishing what you started.” I whisper to him as I place my hands on his chest, running my fingers up until I reach where his hands are still working on his buttons. I push them aside and continue his work. He melts into the door further as I finish the last button, brushing my hands dangerously close to his zipper. My fingers dance along his bare skin and go to his shoulders, shoving the white shirt to the floor with his suit jacket. “All night, I’ve wanted this.” I confess, kissing along his right collar bone and into the crook of his neck. Kevin’s hands go to my hips and pull me flush with him. He slowly moves my hips into him so I can feel how ready he is.

“This is all yours… for the rest of your life.” He reminds me. I can’t help the large grin that breaks out on my face. “Samantha Fiala.” He whispers into my ear while dragging out each vowel of my future name. His teeth catch my ear lobe and I sigh, dissolving into him. I wrap my hand around his neck and bury my face into it as he scoops me into his arms. My hot breath dances against his bare skin. He shivers in response.

When we reach our room, he sets me on the bed. I watch through lowered lids as his hands glide up my legs and tug my jeans down. He helps me pull my panties and shirt off until I’m naked beneath him. He undoes his belt and steps out of his pants, then his boxer briefs. In seconds, he is over me and his lips are on mine. As his tongue enters my mouth, he slowly inches into me. The combination of the tenderness of his body and the night has my heart swelling in my chest. I’m overcome with the emotions of it all and wrap myself tighter into him. As close as we are, it still doesn’t feel like enough. The only noises that fill the room are heavy breathing and our skin connecting.

“Baby?” I call softly to him, noting how quiet he is. In the dark, I can’t see his face well, so I hesitantly reach out for his jaw. He lets out a low groan and drops his head to my shoulder as he increases the tempo.

“Fuck, Sam, I love you so much.” He tells me earnestly as he pulls away to look into my face. “Having you like this for the rest of my life.. fuck me.” He lets out a laugh that ends as a moan. I bite my lip and giggle to him, feeling the intensity tighten within me with each movement of his hips.

Later, when we come crashing down from our high, we lay in each others arms. My head is on Kevin's chest listening intently to each thud of his heartbeat. I draw lazy shapes on his pec and feel comfort in the steady rising and falling of him beneath me.

“This will do.” I murmur to him while looking at the beautiful ring glowing in the darkness.

“The ring?”

“All of it. The ring, the sex, the man.”

Kevin responds by kissing the top of my head softly and tightening his grip on my naked body.

In moments, we drift to sleep in the unfailing glow of forever.

#letters in your last name au #kevin fiala #Kevin Fiala Fic #los angeles kings #my writing #hockey fan fiction #hockey writing #NHL writing