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permanentreverie · 1 year

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books read in 2023

1) get a life, chloe brown -> talia hibbert: jan 1 - 3

2) the night circus -> erin morgenstern (reread): jan 9 - 11

3) lost in the never woods -> aiden thomas: jan 6 - 15

4) on earth we're briefly gorgeous -> ocean vuong: jan 12 - 15

5) clap when you land -> elizabeth acevedo: jan 17 - 18

6) comfort me with apples -> catherynne m. valente: jan 18

7) not here to be liked -> michelle quach: jan 19 - 23

8) night sky with exit wounds -> ocean vuong (reread): jan 25

9) time is a mother -> ocean vuong: jan 27

10) anatomy: a love story -> dana schwartz: jan 28 - 30

11) babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translaters' revolution -> r.f. kuang: jan 24 - feb 2

12) next of kin -> hannah bonam-young: feb 3 - 4

13) tokyo ever after -> emiko jean: feb 5 - 6

14) once upon a broken heart -> stephanie garber (reread): feb 2 - 6

15) the ballad of never after -> stephanie garber: feb 7

16) tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow -> gabrielle zevin: feb 7 - 11

17) tokyo dreaming -> emiko jean: feb 11 - 13

18) the cruel prince -> holly black (reread): feb 15 - 16

19) the no-show -> beth o'leary: feb 17 - 20

20) time is a mother -> ocean vuong (reread): feb 20

21) sweet bean paste -> durian sukegawa: feb 22

22) before the coffee gets cold -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 24

23) the wicked king -> holly black (reread): feb 23 - 24

24) the queen of nothing -> holly black (reread): feb 25 - 26

25) tales from the café -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 26 - 27

26) daisy jones & the six -> taylor jenkins reid (reread): feb 28 - mar 2

27) before your memory fades -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 27 - mar 4

28) ninth house -> leigh bardugo: mar 3 - 6

29) hell bent -> leigh bardugo: mar 7 - 9

30) a good girl's guide to murder -> holly jackson: mar 10 - 11

31) portrait of a thief -> grace d. li: mar 12 - 15

32) good girl, bad blood -> holly jackson: mar 15 - 18

33) the last children of tokyo -> yōko tawada: mar 19

34) tiny pretty things -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 20 - 21

35) the youthful you who was so beautiful -> jiu yue xi (reread): mar 22

36) shiny broken pieces -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 23 - 24

37) the scarlet pimpernel -> emmuska orczy: mar 25

38) as good as dead -> holly jackson: mar 26 - 28

39) addicted to you -> krista ritchie & becca ritchie: mar 29 - 30

40) one of us is lying -> karen m. mcmanus: mar 30 - 31

41) kill joy -> holly jackson: apr 2

42) carrie soto is back -> taylor jenkins reid: apr 1 - 3

43) human acts -> han kang: apr 4 - 6

44) tender is the flesh -> agustina bazterrica: apr 6

45) this time it's real -> ann liang: apr 6 - 10

46) idol, burning -> rin usami: apr 11

47) i'll give you the sun -> jandy nelson: apr 12 - 14

48) the boundless -> kenneth oppel: apr 14 - 17

49) the great gatsby -> f. scott fitzgerald (reread): apr 17

50) beautiful little fools -> jillian cantor: apr 18 - 19

51) schoolgirl -> osamu dazai: apr 20

52) the witch haven -> sasha peyton smith: apr 22 - 23

53) the witch hunt -> sasha peyton smith: apr 24 - 27

54) a little life -> hanya yanagihara: apr 28 - 30

55) beach read -> emily henry (reread): may 1 - 2

56) no longer human -> osamu dazai: may 2 - 3

57) my dark vanessa -> kate elizabeth russell: may 3 - 4

58) the setting sun -> osamu dazai: may 5 - 6

59) the bridge kingdom -> danielle l. jensen: may 5 - 8

60) king of pride -> ana huang: may 8 - 10

61) happy place -> emily henry: may 11

62) the vegetarian -> han kang: may 10 - 12

63) the red palace -> june hur: may 14 - 17

64) the traitor queen -> danielle l. jensen: may 13 - 22

65) the sky is everywhere -> jandy nelson: may 22 - 23

66) beartown -> fredrik backman: may 24 - 25

67) deathless -> catherynne m. valente: may 26 - 28

68) notes on an execution -> danya kukafka: may 29 - 30

69) once upon a k-prom -> kat cho: may 24 - 30

70) almond -> sohn won-pyung: may 30

71) the white book -> han kang: may 31

72) my mechanical romance -> alexene farol follmuth: may 31

73) a room with a view -> e.m forster: jun 4

74) the poppy war -> r.f kuang: jun 5 - 6

75) the dragon republic -> r.f kuang: jun 7 - 10

76) the drowning faith -> r.f kuang: jun 11

77) the burning god -> r.f kuang: jun 11 - 15

78) emma -> jane austen: may 30 - jun 16

79) greek lessons -> han kang: jun 16 - 18

80) when marnie was there -> joan g. robinson: jun 18 - 20

81) bandstand -> richard oberacker: jun 21

82) white nights -> fyodor dostoevsky: jun 21

83) twisted love -> ana huang: jun 20 - 22

84) twisted games -> ana huang: jun 27 - 28

85) the bloody chamber -> angela carter: jun 28 - 29

86) my deepest secret -> hanza art: jun 22 - 30

87) coraline -> neil gaiman: jun 30

88) twisted hate -> ana huang: jul 1 - 3

89) sadie -> courtney summers: jul 4 - 5

90) twisted lies -> ana huang: jul 5 - 6

91) take a hint, dani brown -> talia hibbert: jul 6 - 7

92) better than the movies -> lynn painter: jul 16 - 17

93) act your age, eve brown -> talia hibbert: jul 18 - 20

94) beyond the story: 10 - year record of bts -> kang myeong-seok & bts: jul 17 - 20

95) love and other words -> christina lauren: jul 19 - 22

96) diary of a void -> emi yagi: jul 23

97) in five years -> rebecca serle: jul 24

98) us against you -> fredrik backman: jul 24 - 25

99) sirena -> donna jo napoli: jul 26

100) small things like these -> claire keegan: jul 26 - 28

101) exit, pursued by bear -> e.k. johnston: jul 28

102) red, white, & royal blue -> casey mcquiston (reread): jul 29 - 31

103) conveniance store woman -> sayaka murata: jul 31

104) the hurting kind -> ada limon: aug 2

105) one true loves -> taylor jenkins reid: aug 2 - 3

106) the deep -> rivers solomon: aug 6 - 7

107) all the lovers in the night -> mieko kawakami: aug 9

108) caraval -> stephanie garber: aug 6 - 10

109) we hunt the flame -> hafsah faizal: aug 16 - 18

110) we free the stars -> hafsah faizal: aug 18 - 19

111) i'm glad my mom died -> jennette mccurdy: aug 20

112) the ballad of songbirds and snakes -> suzanne collins: aug 21 - 22

113) kim jiyoung, born 1982 -> cho nam-joo: aug 22

114) legendary -> stephanie garber: aug 11 - 24

115) king of wrath -> ana huang: aug 23 - 24

116) the sisterhood of the traveling pants -> ann brashares: aug 27

117) out on a limb -> hannah bonam-young: aug 29 - 31

118) the winners -> fredrick backman: aug 1 - 31

119) the second summer of sisterhood -> ann brashares: aug 28 - 31

120) girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 4 - 5

121) forever in blue: the fourth summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 5

122) strange the dreamer -> laini taylor: sep 3 - 9

123) crying in h mart -> michelle zauner: sep 9 - 10

124) sisterhood everlasting -> ann brashares: sep 7 - 11

125) finale -> stephanie garber: sep 13 - 14

126) little thieves -> margaret owen: sep 11 - 16

127) les misérables -> victor hugo (reread): apr 3 - sep 18

128) business or pleasure -> rachel lynn solomon: sep 17 - 19

129) out there -> kate folk: sep 23 - 24

130) wuthering heights -> emily brontë: sep 18 - 24

131) painted devils -> margaret owen: sep 20 - 27

132) the foxhole court -> nora sakavic: sep 24 - 27

133) the raven king -> nora sakavic: sep 27 - 29

134) the hate u give -> angie thomas: sep 29 - oct 2

135) the king’s men -> nora sakavic: sep 30 - oct 3

136) the dead romantics -> ashley poston: oct 4 - 5

137) a discovery of witches -> deborah harkness: oct 6 - 12

138) mexican gothic -> silvia moreno-garcia: oct 13 - 14

139) the haunting of hill house -> shirley jackson: oct 15 - 18

140) the girl from the other side (vol. 1 - 11) -> nagabe: oct 19

151) fourth wing -> rebecca yarros: oct 22 - 26

152) king of greed -> ana huang: oct 26 - 29

153) yellowface -> r.f. kuang: oct 30 - 31

154) a curse for true love -> stephanie garber: nov 1 - 3

155) a study in charlotte -> brittany cavallaro: nov 5 - 7

156) dracula -> bram stoker: may 5 - nov 8

157) the joy luck club -> amy tan: sep 9 - nov 9

158) the murder of roger ackroyd -> agatha christie: nov 9 - 10

159) the last of august -> brittany cavallaro: nov 10 - 12

160) kamila knows best -> farah heron: nov 12 - 13

161) the case for jamie -> brittany cavallaro: nov 14 - 15

162) a question for holmes -> brittany cavallaro: nov 16 - 17

163) howl’s moving castle -> diana wynne jones (reread): nov 17 - 18

164) if we were villains -> m. l. rio (reread): nov 18 - 19

165) masters of death -> olivie blake: nov 20 - 22

166) jane eyre -> charlotte brontë (reread): nov 22 - 29

167) the name drop -> susan lee: dec 2 - 3

168) divine rivals -> rebecca ross: dec 6 - 7

169) the lightning thief -> rick riordan (reread): dec 9 - 11

170) the sea of monsters -> rick riordan (reread): dec 12 - 13

171) the titan’s curse -> rick riordan (reread): dec 14

172) the battle of the labyrinth -> rick riordan (reread): dec 16 - 18

173) the last olympian -> rick riordan (reread): dec 18 - 19

174) a study in drowning -> ava reid: dec 23 - 29

175) little women -> louisa may alcott (reread): dec 21 - 29

176) shadow of night -> deborah harkness: nov 1 - dec 30

177) the upside of falling -> alex light: dec 30

178) slade house -> david mitchell: dec 31

179) much ado about nothing -> william shakespeare: dec 31

180) romeo and juliet -> william shakespeare (reread): dec 31

#books read in 2023

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stardustshelb · 10 months

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"Strawberry" Part Three

TW: Language and sexual content

Word count: 7,470

Chapter Seven

I flipped over my pillow to let the cool side rest against my face. How could I possibly sleep now that I know who Josh really is? I had spent the last two hours spiraling out of control looking up every possible piece of information about him and the band. The weird moments I witnessed from earlier all made sense: The wearing of the sunglasses inside, the Google Voice phone number, the change in his mannerisms when I mentioned a tour. Oh, and I recognized his “assistant” alright. No, instead he’s the lead guitarist and Josh’s twin brother in the band. I didn’t know how I didn’t see it before. And I didn’t know if I was more angry or shocked. I couldn’t totally blame him for not telling me the truth. Then again, why was I so willing to accept that this connection we have is based on lies? I grabbed my phone off of the nightstand to check the time. 1:19 shined directly into my eyes. Riley and the girls will be landing in Nashville in a little over 12 hours. I really needed to get some sleep. I was physically and mentally exhausted, but my thoughts kept circling back to Josh. Do I tell him that I know? Do I pretend that I don't? Do I even contact him at all?

I got up and found my medicine bag on the bathroom counter. I grabbed my bottle of melatonin and took two pills. I was going to need an extra dose to sleep this madness off. I stared at myself in the mirror wondering how I even got into this situation in the first place. I walked back to my bed to see my phone lit up on the nightstand. I stared at the screen to see Plagiarism’s name across it.

Plagiarism: “Let me know if you can slip away this weekend. I’d love to see…and taste you again.”

I immediately flipped my phone face down and pulled the covers over my head. Can one overdose on melatonin? I’m going to need something stronger to get any real sleep. I closed my eyes and started a forced breathing routine, one of my anxiety coping skills, to get my heart rate to lessen. I unclenched my jaw and focused on my breathing to get some much-needed rest. Maybe this will have all been a dream and I will forget it by morning.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring; I rolled over and grabbed my phone to silence its ringing. I still felt exhausted despite getting my usual six hours of sleep. I felt like I was coming out of a coma because I started to question what was even reality. There’s no way last night was real. As soon as I shut off the alarm, I could see Plagiarism’s text was still on my phone. Ok, so last night really happened.

I decided to leave his text unanswered until I knew what the hell I was going to do. I desperately wanted Riley’s advice but the last thing I wanted to do was drag my drama into her bachelorette weekend. As her maid of honor, my focus needed to be solely on her. I got up and headed into the kitchen to start myself a cup of coffee before getting in the shower. I searched the cabinets for a mug and picked out a K-Cup from the carousel of coffees provided by the Airbnb host. I opted for a dark roast because I needed all of the caffeine I could get. I set up the Keurig and then went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

I stepped into the warm water coming from the shower head and washed last night’s memories off of me. Stop thinking about him. I wish he were in this shower with me. Stop it. I wish I could return the favor and make him feel as amazing as he made me feel. Stop. I wasn’t sure if the steam rising in the air was from the water or from my thoughts of him.

I heard my phone ringing and practically screamed as I was shaken from my thoughts. I wrapped a towel around my body and sprinted across the hallway to grab my phone. “Please don’t be him,” I said aloud as I checked the screen. “Well, shit, not him either,” I said in a sarcastic tone before answering the call.

“Hey,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed.

“Hey,” Kenneth said. I stared at my feet wondering what to say to him. We normally live separate lives back home. With his business being in the city, I’m typically washing my plate in the sink when he comes home for dinner. Our conversations lasted only a few words at a time. On the weekends, we lived our lives separately despite being in the same space. I find errands to run in town and he finds hobbies to complete at home; we simply coexist. It’s our normalcy.

“So, what are y’all doing tonight?” Kenneth asked, breaking the silence.

“I need to look at the itinerary Riley made to be sure, but I think we have reservations for dinner and then we will head to Broadway since it’s a Saturday night,” I said.

“Be careful,” Kenneth said. Where did this sentiment come from? Was he actually missing me?

“Thanks, we will be,” I said.

“The bed sure was lonely without you last night. Sassy didn’t even jump into bed,” he said.

“Tell her I’ll be home in a few days,” I said, disregarding his initial comment. Even when our bodies were mere inches from one another, I always felt lonely in that bed.

“Again with the damn dog,” he said in an angry tone. He still hadn’t sent me a picture of her like I had asked, but I didn’t feel like arguing with him.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “You know I miss you too,” I lied.

Riley and her friends would be at the Airbnb any moment. I still hadn’t texted Josh back because I wasn’t sure what I would even say to him. Reality hadn’t yet set in that a literal rock star was in between my legs last night. I did one last walk through the Airbnb to make sure everything was tidy and perfect when I heard a knock at the door. Why would the girls knock?

I opened the front door to find a young man holding a large bouquet of a dozen white roses and a box.

“Yes?” I asked the boy in uniform.

“I have a delivery for…Strawberry,” he said with a nervous pause. My jaw practically dropped to the ground. Before I could process what was happening, the boy was handing me the floral arrangement and white box. I accepted the surprise gifts and walked back inside to put them on the dining room table. I opened the mysterious box to find a dozen chocolate covered strawberries. I love an innuendo. I removed the card from the bouquet; I couldn’t let Riley see that the flowers weren’t for her. I planned to pretend that I ordered all of this for her when she got here. I opened the envelope and read the message on the card: “Thinking of you… -J” Good God. I held the card to my chest as I leaned in to smell the flowers. They were gorgeous and fully bloomed. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone sent me flowers. I heard the sound of car doors shutting and peaked out the window. Riley and her friends made it and were unloading their luggage from the rental car. I quickly ran to the room that I claimed and tucked the card from Josh in my suitcase. I grabbed my phone off the charger and noticed I had a text from Plagiarism.

Plagiarism: “Are you ok?”

Me: “Yes?”

Plagiarism: “Ok, just checking because I hadn’t heard from you.”

Me: “Thank you for my surprises.”

Plagiarism: “I’m full of them.”

Before I could respond, I heard Riley clear her throat while standing in my doorway. I was so involved in his texts that I didn’t even hear the girls come in. I tossed my phone on the bed and ran to give her the biggest hug. I wanted to cry because I was so happy to see her. It had been nearly six months since we had seen each other. You know that one person in your life who is your constant form of love and support? That’s my Riley. I squeezed her until she started to protest. “Ok, ok, let me go,” she said laughing. I finally set her free from the confines of my hug.

“You look so beautiful!” I exclaimed as I admired her white velour tracksuit. No doubt it was brand new just for the trip.

“Check out the back,” she said with a grin as she turned around. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a hot pink ribbon so it was easy to read the word ‘BRIDE’ embroidered across her back.

“I love it!” I said.

“We have lots to discuss, ma’am,” she said as she narrowed her eyes at me. “But we can do that later. Come on, I want you to meet some of my friends,” she said as she pulled me into the living room. I followed behind her until the distant chatter and laughter was getting louder. On the couch sat three girls whom I immediately recognized from Riley’s Instagram posts. The “Nashville Babes” were finally together under the same roof. I tried to fight the urge of feeling socially awkward because I felt like I was the odd-man-out. While two of them traveled from different places, it was obvious that they all shared a close friendship. Maybe if I had been more involved in the group text, I wouldn’t feel like I was such an outsider.

I smiled as Riley made my introduction to the group but I couldn’t help the weird vibe I received from Abby, Riley’s newest friend and colleague. I didn’t like the expression on her face as she stared at me. I know it’s probably my anxiety making me overthink things, but I definitely didn’t feel like she was a fan of me. But then again, why should she be?

Chapter Eight

I tried to shake the uneasy feeling off as we all got dressed and ready for our first night out. I examined the girls in their short skirts as a sea of hot pink glitter and sequins paraded through the living room. I looked down at my hot pink jumpsuit that I found on Amazon. I was so excited that I put it on as soon as it was delivered. I even held a fashion show for Riley on FaceTime. I once felt so hot in this outfit, but now I felt indifferent when I realized that I was once again the only one in the group who didn’t fit in. Riley wore a short, tight white dress with silver sequined booties. Her blonde hair cascaded into curls down her back. She looked like a total knockout.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Abby exclaimed as she started to rummage through her suitcase. She pulled out a rectangular box and handed it to Riley. Riley opened it and pulled out a hot pink sash that read “Bride to Be” across it in white glitter.

“Oh my gosh! How cute!” Riley squealed as she took it out of the box. Abby jumped up with safety pins in her hand to help Riley put it on. I couldn’t help but to feel a pang of jealousy. I should have thought about that. Way to go, maid of dishonor.

“Let’s get some group pictures before we leave,” Riley’s friend Brooke said.

“I brought my tripod!” Abby exclaimed happily. Ok, what doesn’t this girl think of?

“You’re always so prepared,” Riley said, kissing Abby on the side of her head.

We took what felt like 500 pictures before we were finally ready to leave for our dinner reservation. I grabbed my phone, lipstick and wallet and stuffed them inside the wristlet purse I bought for the weekend. We packed into the rental car, and I was glad Abby was in the driver’s seat. It wasn’t so bad sitting in the backseat with Riley’s friends Brooke and Maddie. They were nice; Maddie even volunteered to sit in the middle.

“Who wants to connect their phone to the car to play some music?” Brooke asked.

“I recently discovered a band I think you might like, Riley,” I said aloud.

“I actually made a Nash Bash playlist on Spotify for the weekend,” Abby said before Riley could respond. Of course she did.

“Hell yeah!” Maddie exclaimed as she reached for Abby’s phone. Maddie scrolled until she found the playlist and we listened to a plethora of pop music. I looked out the window and tried to remind myself that this was what a bachelorette weekend was all about. I concentrated on my breathing as the girls in the car yelled the lyrics to “WAP” at the top of their lungs. I felt my phone vibrate in my purse, and to my surprise, the name Plagiarism was on my screen with the message: “I’m free tonight.” I felt my face start to blush as I recalled what happened between us just last night. Dreaming of his touch, I desperately wished that I was free tonight too. I held the message down to “love” it before putting my phone back in my purse.

“Ooooh, is your husband sexting you?” I heard Abby ask. I looked up and saw that she was staring at me in the rearview mirror.

“I’m not married,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Oh, Riley said you were still with your high school sweetheart. I just assumed you’d be married,” she said. I studied her face in the mirror. I couldn’t quite place the look, but I didn’t like it. Or maybe I just didn’t like her.

“Not married yet,” Riley answered as she reached her arm back from the passenger seat to put her hand on my knee. I knew it was her way of comforting me.

We pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant that Riley apparently had to reserve six months in advance. It was one of the top rated spots in Nashville according to her. I wanted to cry when I looked up the menu online and saw the most affordable entree was $39 and that was for a damn salad. We walked inside and Abby led the way to the host stand to check us in. I glanced around this “must-do” restaurant and saw white linens draped across every tabletop. A fireplace roared in the middle of the lobby. I heard classical music performed live by a pianist in the corner of the lobby. I bet I was the only woman in the whole place not in a dress. I looked down at my jumpsuit and tried to remember the sheer happiness I felt when I tried it on for the first time. As if she could sense my uneasiness, Riley grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.

“This way, please,” the man from the host stand said as he waved for us to follow him. We made our way through the restaurant and walked past tables of designer clothes, watches, perfumes, and bags. Before we made it to our table, I heard a wild laugh that stopped me in my tracks. I knew that laugh. I stopped following the girls and turned to find where the laugh was coming from. Immediately, I locked eyes with a familiar face. The assistant from the plane–no, he’s not an assistant. Jake. I could tell that he was studying me as well trying to recall where he knew me from. It was then that I realized Josh was sitting across from him with his back to me. I could recognize his hair anywhere. Holy shit. I realized that I had been standing and staring at their table like a lunatic, so I tried to find where my table was. While I glanced across the room looking for hot pink sequins to catch my eye, I looked back at his table to find Josh was now turned around. When I made eye contact with him, he flashed that beautiful smile of his. I returned a smile to him when I saw Riley waving at me from the corner of my eye. I made my way to our table and tried to act as normal as possible.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” Riley whispered into my ear.

“Yes,” I said quietly, folding the white napkin across my lap.

“Did you tell him we would be here?” she asked. I looked up at her face with a shocked expression in my eyes.

“Of course not!” I whispered back.

“Secrets don’t make friends,” Abby said from across the table with a smug look on her face. Good thing I’m not your friend.

“What are we drinking?” Riley interjected with her impeccable timing.

“How about we order a bottle of wine for the table?” Abby asked. I didn’t even want to know how much that would cost, but I was along for the ride to give Riley the best weekend she deserved. I would worry about my credit card bill next month.

Our server approached the table holding a bottle of champagne in his arm like he was presenting us with a gift. “A bottle of champagne for the celebration,” he held out to us. Behind him, another server began placing champagne flutes in front of all of us while the man with the bottle prepared to pour.

“Oh, we didn’t order anything–” Brooke began.

“This was sent over as a gift,” the server responded as he finished pouring her glass. I turned around to see Josh raising his glass to me. That sneaky son of a bitch. I turned back around to see Riley narrowed her eyes at me as if she could read my mind.

“To Riley,” I said as I held up my glass of champagne.

“To Riley,” the girls repeated as we raised our glasses together. Before I took a sip, I turned back to Josh and raised my glass to him. He gave me a wink and I wanted to melt to the floor. I sipped on the glass of champagne and allowed myself to let loose a little tonight. Fuck Kenneth, Abby, the outrageous prices of this restaurant—I was bound and determined to have a great night.

We ordered our entrees and were making small talk about Riley’s wedding plans when I felt my phone buzz in my wristlet. I checked the screen to see his name. Plagiarism: “Meet me near the bathrooms.” I slid my phone back in my purse and took another sip of the champagne.

“Excuse me, ladies. I’m going to run to the restroom real quick,” I said as I began to stand up.

“I can go with you,” Riley began to offer.

“No, it’s ok. Trust me,” I said. I pushed in my chair and made my way to the hallway where the bathrooms were. When I rounded the corner, I found Josh standing there waiting on me.

“We can’t keep meeting like this,” he said laughing.

“I’m beginning to think you’re stalking me,” I said as I bit my lip.

“You look magnificent,” he said as I watched his eyes trail up my body. He moved closer to me, closing the space between us. I could feel my chest tighten as I struggled to breathe. I took a deep breath and inhaled his cologne. “I love a good jumpsuit.”

“Thank you. And thank you for everything today. The flowers, strawberries, champagne… You’ve really done too much,” I said. As soon as I finished speaking, he leaned in and kissed me. I met his kiss by pulling his bottom lip into my mouth and gave it a gentle bite. I felt his tongue swirl against mine. His hands moved across my back and up into my hair. He pushed me against the wall and moved his mouth to start kissing my neck.

“I want to taste you right now,” he whispered as he continued to kiss my neck.

“Ahem,” we heard a man clearing his throat as he moved past us to walk into the restroom. We both pulled away and stared at each other before laughing.

“Let’s continue this later,” Josh whispered into my ear.

“I can’t. We’re going out tonight,” I said.

“I’ll come by when you get home and sneak in when the girls go to bed. The ol’ high school crush climbing through the window bull shit,” he said with a laugh. I answered his offer with a kiss. Thinking about what he did to me with his tongue last night made me want to pass out right there in the hallway.

“I’ll text you when we’re headed back to the Airbnb,” I said trying to hide my smile.

“I’ll wait up,” he said as he kissed me on the cheek. He left the hallway and walked back into the restaurant. Before going back to our table, I decided I should probably take a glimpse at myself in the mirror to make sure I didn’t look like I had just made out with someone. I walked into the women’s bathroom and fixed my hair. I pulled out my lipstick from my purse to reapply when the door opened behind me.

“Are you shitting me?” Riley asked as she walked toward me at the sink. I bent down to make sure nobody was in the stalls who could hear us.

“I just saw him leave the bathroom hallway,” Riley said.

“Yes, we had a conversation,” I said, applying my lipstick.

“Oh, I’m sure there was a whole lot of talking going on,” Riley said as she put her hands on her hips. I looked up to see her giving me the look in the mirror. I put the cap back on my lipstick and turned to face her.

“Riley, I love you. I’m here for you. This is your weekend. Now let’s go eat,” I said, pulling on her arm.

“I just feel like there is so much you’re not telling me,” she said without budging.

“I promise I will fill you in later,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “Now come on before they think I’m shitting my brains out in here,” I said laughing.

“No, literally that’s why I told them I had to come check on you,” Riley said following me out of the bathroom.

After we finished dinner, we climbed into the car and headed toward the bar scene on Broadway. Abby so kindly volunteered to be the DD for tonight, and although I wasn’t planning on getting drunk, I still let her. Besides, I wanted to stick to my mantra from earlier about letting loose and making the most out of this weekend. The first bar we went to was blaring the most God awful country music, but it was packed. Before going in, I slid my engagement ring off and put it in my purse. If I wanted free drinks, I had to look the part. The bouncer let us in without having to pay the cover when he spotted Riley’s bachelorette sash. I’m sure the kiss she blew him helped influence his ever so generous decision.

We made our way through the crowd of 20-somethings and headed straight towards the bar. We spotted another group of girls who were dressed up in bachelorette garb. I know Nashville is a go-to destination for these types of celebrations. Riley squealed and hugged the other bride-to-be.

The girls in the other group started chanting, “Shots! Shots! Shots!” I could feel my throat starting to close with the idea of even taking one. I didn’t think we’d start the night off going this hard, but when in Rome, or I guess Nashville. The bartender laid out a line of nine shot glasses with sugar rims and poured some yellow liquid into all of them.

“What even is that?” I yelled to Riley over the sound of the raucous music and crowd.

“Lemon drops!” The bartender answered for her. Riley started grabbing the glasses and handing them out to everyone in both bridal groups. Abby grabbed one and I looked at her confusingly. I guess one shot wouldn’t hurt.

The other bride raised her shot glass to Riley and yelled, “To sucking the same dick forever!” I nearly choked before the glass even touched my lips. That’s one way to look at marriage. I winced as I threw back the shot preparing for the burn, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was smooth, delicious, and just tasted like lemonade. I could drink these all night.

“Another!” Abby yelled. The bartender saluted her and took our glasses back to prepare for another round.

“Just be ok to drive later, ok?” I leaned in to tell Abby.

“I’ll be fine,” she said with an annoyed tone.

When the bartender pushed another line of shots to us, we each grabbed one. I could see Riley was trying to think of something witty to say for our second round.

She cleared her throat. “To love, leather, and lace… And sitting on someone’s face!” she yelled aloud. Now that I could make a toast to because I remembered Josh’s talented tongue as I downed the shot.

After shooting my fourth lemon drop, I definitely started to feel the effects of the liquor. We made our way to the dancefloor and I felt myself loosening up. I didn’t know the song that was playing but I danced as if I choreographed the damn thing. I’m sure I looked like an idiot, but I was drunk, dancing with my best friend, and having a great time.

Chapter Nine

After we hopped from bar to bar, the girls were getting a little tired and feeling a lotta drunk. I knew I was under the influence, but I was still aware of what was going on. I couldn’t say the same for Riley; she was struggling to stay upright. That’s when we knew it was time to go. Thankfully, Abby stayed true to her word and was sober to drive us back. I climbed into the backseat and pulled out my phone. It took my eyes several seconds to adjust to what I was seeing and even then I couldn’t comprehend what I was reading. Shit, I’m more drunk than I thought.

“Play some damn music or I’m gonna puke!” Riley demanded in a drunken yell. Abby pulled up her playlist from earlier and selected yet another pop song that made all of the girls shriek.

“Oh shit, are you actually dancing back there?” I heard Abby say. And before I realized it, she was talking about me. I was swaying to the music while still trying to read the messages on my phone. Yep, drunk.

I started to compose my text message to Plagiarism: “I am drunkkkkkk and I want you so bad.”

“Are you on your way back?”

“Yes come over”

“You ok?”

“I want you so badddddddd”

“I can be there in 10 hours but you’d be asleep by then”

“WTF”

“????”

It was then that I realized I wasn’t texting Josh. I was texting Kenneth! Fuck fuck fuck fuck. I quickly swiped to delete our conversation so I wouldn’t make another texting mistake. I started to sweat from the nerves. I rolled down my window to get some fresh air. I was no longer swaying to the music and I felt myself sobering up quickly. I noticed Riley was passed out in the passenger seat while Maddie and Brooke were taking drunk selfies next to me. Don’t freak out… I could play it off tomorrow as being drunk. Surely it wasn’t obvious that I wasn’t meaning to text him.

When we got back to the Airbnb, we all played a role in making sure our bride-to-be made it safely to her bed. We took turns getting her ready: Maddie removed her heels and sash, Abby removed her fake lashes and put her hair up, Brooke put her phone on the charger, and I set out a small trash can next to the bed and placed a bottle of water on her nightstand.

I said good night to the girls and went to my room to text Josh. I still didn’t know how I wanted to approach confronting him with the information that I discovered, but I figured I would just cross that bridge when he got here. I pulled out my phone and verified that I selected the name Plagiarism from my messages.

Me: “Do you still want to come over?”

Plagiarism: “Of course I do.”

Me: “The girls are in bed. Text me when you’re in the driveway and I’ll meet you at the door.”

Plagiarism: “See you, soon”

Part of me wanted to stay in my hot pink jumpsuit, especially since Josh had such a reaction to it, but I didn’t want to lay in bed with it on after a night out. I changed into some comfortable pajamas and made my way to the kitchen to eat a chocolate covered strawberry from his delivery this morning. I admired the roses on the table, the ones Riley thanked me for, as I savored the sweet treat. Afterwards, I walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up everywhere else. By now my drunkenness had definitely worn off and I could thank my texting mishap from earlier for that. I still didn’t know how I was going to play that off when Kenneth called me tomorrow, but I had other things right now to worry about. I heard my phone vibrate and looked down to see a text from Plagiarism: “So should I ring the doorbell 50 times or just beat on the door until you open it?” I rolled my eyes at his joke as I made my way to the living room to let him in. I may be a grown woman, but I felt like I was sneaking my boyfriend in while my parents were asleep. It was kind of exhilarating. I peaked out the window but didn’t see his Jeep in the driveway. Confused, I texted him back.

Me: “Are you sure you went to the right house?”

Plagiarism: “Yes, I am literally standing on the front porch right now.”

I slowly turned the lock on the door to peek outside. Just like he said, there stood Josh. I put my finger over my lips to indicate for him to be silent. I opened the door wider for him to walk in, and when he moved past me, the smell of his cologne consumed me. I’m going to have to find out what that scent is. As I shut the door behind him, I locked it and then he grabbed my hand and led me to my bedroom. I felt every nerve ending in my body get warm. We made our way down the hallway and once we got to my door, he motioned for me to walk in first. I made my way into the room and placed my phone on the nightstand as he shut the bedroom door and locked it. I sat on the bed trying to keep my cool but I felt like I was going to combust at any moment. He made his way over to the bed and sat next to me. He lifted his hand to brush my hair behind my ear and I swear I was about to start floating.

“Where is your Jeep?” I asked him.

“I parked it on the side street so none of your friends would see it in the driveway if they got up early,” he said. I felt my stomach do a cartwheel. So he was planning on staying the night. I was going to suggest that wasn’t a good idea, but then, I wanted to savor the limited time I had left with him. “I’ll just slip out in the morning when you’re all getting ready. How was your first night out in Nashville?” he asked in the most sincere voice.

“It was a blast. Riley partied a little too hard, so she’s currently passed out. I even got a little carried away too,” I said, biting my lip.

He turned his body more to face me like I had all of his attention. “Oh?” He asked.

“Yes, but I’ve sobered up, so all is good,” I said with a laugh. The only intoxication I felt anymore was from being this close to his body.

“When I saw you in the restaurant earlier, I wanted to ditch my friends and take you away immediately,” he said.

“I mean, you got a little taste in the hallway of the restrooms. A really romantic location, I might add,” I said sarcastically. He leaned in close to whisper in my ear, “Oh, I have been thinking about your taste all day.” I immediately sucked in a breath of air with his foreward remark. He pulled away from me to look into my eyes. I studied his brown eyes and almost forgot all of the lies he had told me up until this point. I watched his gaze move from my eyes down to my lips.

“How about we finish what we started earlier?” he asked in such a seductive tone that I felt my cheeks flush. I nodded and he immediately pulled me into a kiss. I felt his tongue part my lips and he kissed me with such passion that I forgot we were trying to be quiet. I moaned into his mouth which seemed to encourage him. He immediately pulled my shirt off over my head and I felt his hands travel frantically up my body. He gripped the sides of my waist and pulled me on top of him. I straddled him as he undid the clasp of my bra behind my back while he continued to kiss me. With my breasts now exposed, he moved his mouth to kiss my chest. I felt him get hard underneath me, and my center was warm and wet. I needed him in a way that I had never needed anything before.

He lifted me up and turned his body to lay me down on the bed. He moved himself to the floor like he did last night. I knew what was about to happen and I could almost die from anticipation. I felt his hands slowly trail down the sides of my waist as he began to pull my pajama shorts off.

He asked, “No underwear?”

“I figured I’d save you a step,” I said with a grin. He returned the smile and maintained eye contact as I watched his face get closer to my entrance. As soon as I felt his mouth, I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I threw my head back on the satin sheets. Just like before, he performed a magic ritual with his tongue. I felt every twist and turn of his tongue on my clit as he made my back arch. His strong arms gripped my thighs and I inhaled deeply. I grabbed a pillow to put over my face to help stifle the noise as I moaned. I was so close to the feeling of ecstasy; I knew I was seconds away from cuming. I pulled the pillow tighter to my face as if I were trying to smother myself. I screamed with pleasure and Josh’s grip got tighter around my legs. My back arched again and I pushed my body up to where I was practically riding his face; he continued to lick me until I writhed beneath him. I let out another muffled scream into the pillow and felt Josh pull away. He removed the pillow and hovered over me with the most animalistic look in his eyes.

“Joshua Michael, you have ruined me,” I said with a deep sigh.

“Oh, Strawberry, this is just the beginning… Can I fuck you?” He asked. I answered his question by leaning up to start removing his pants. He put his hands on mine as if he were trying to stop me. “I need to hear you say yes before we–,” he began.

“Fuck yes,” I interrupted as I continued to remove his pants. He was bulging from his underwear and I wanted nothing more than to take him inside of me. He pulled a condom out of his wallet and I watched as he slipped it over his huge dick. He threw the wrapper on the floor and walked over to me on the bed. I stared up at him and waited in anticipation. He slowly climbed on top of me but hesitated before lowering himself. I glanced down to watch him position himself and I gasped when he entered me. Every good feeling I have ever felt up until this very moment would pale into comparison. He started to thrust slowly and I felt every cell in my body burst. I lightly dragged my nails across his back as he kissed my neck. His thrusts became harder and I felt him go deeper inside of me. I felt like my entire body was on fire. I moaned his name into his ear and listened to the sound of our bodies colliding. His teeth sank into my skin and every thrust was more addictive than the last. My orgasm came out of nowhere and I gripped his shoulders so tight that my fingerprints would leave him bruised. As if my release gave him permission, his movements got faster when his lips met mine. I felt his body tense. I moaned his name one last time before feeling him tremble as he came. His forehead fell gently to mine and our sweat mixed together. Both of us struggled to catch our breath as he slipped out of me. I still had yet to open my eyes because I felt as if I were no longer in my physical body.

After we had taken turns cleaning up in the bathroom across the hall, I anxiously waited for him under the comforter of my bed. I didn’t plan on him staying the night, but now I was looking forward to it. I just wanted to be near him. He came back into the room and shut the door quietly behind him. The only light remaining was the dim glow of the lamp on the nightstand. But the glow from his beautiful smile was all that was needed to illuminate the room. I slid over to make space for him to join me in bed. He was still wearing his sweatpants but kept his shirt off. I cuddled up against his chest and inhaled his enticing aroma. I laid my cheek against his pec and twirled my fingers across his stomach.

“I’m not ready to leave Nashville,” I said quietly.

“I’m never going to be able to eat strawberries again,” he said as he kissed the top of my head. “Nothing will taste as good as you.”

“Will you come back the next two nights?” I asked, looking him in the eyes.

“I think I can arrange that,” he said with that gapped grin. I snuggled to him tighter.

“Josh?” I asked, looking down at his waist.

“Yes?” He responded.

“I need to be honest with you, and I’d like for you to be honest with me,” I said with a lump in my throat. I was nervous about confronting him with the truth, but I couldn’t ignore it any longer. He didn’t answer me and instead I felt his body tense as he straightened up next to me.

“I know you aren’t a concert photographer…” I began. I still couldn’t look at him. I wondered what expression he had on his face, but I couldn’t bring myself to look. “I know you’re the lead singer in Greta Van Fleet,” I said with finality.

“I knew I fucked up by putting our playlist on your phone,” he said with a laugh. “When did you figure it out?”

“Last night after you left…” I admitted.

“And you’re just now telling me?” He asked in a surprised tone.

“I don’t think I’m the one in the wrong here,” I said, getting defensive.

“No, no, it’s not that. I just can’t believe you didn’t say something as soon as you found out,” he said, dragging his fingers over the hand I still had on his stomach.

“I didn’t know how to bring it up,” I said, finally looking at him.

“When you didn’t recognize me on the plane, I got excited. We have a rule in the band: We don’t fuck fans, so I–” he was saying.

“Wait. Was I just some sort of a conquest to you?” I asked, completely pulling away from his body.

“What?” He asked with a shocked expression on his face. I studied him for a second.

“You said you don’t fuck fans. Was that your only intention all along?” I asked, fighting the tears that I knew were forming in my eyes.

“Not at all, but listen, I don’t even know your name. You’re only here for a weekend. Jesus, you’re engaged to be married. I just didn’t see this as being anything serious,” he admitted. I was so angry but I was still channeling all of my energy trying not to cry. And the worst part? He was 100% right. Was I living in some fool’s dream world that this weekend was going to last forever? That he was going to fall in love with me and I’d follow him all over the world? I was just another one of his many hook-ups. Riley was right. I reached over and turned off the lamp so I could cry without him noticing.

“Talk to me. What’s upsetting you?” He asked.

“I guess I thought we had more of a connection, but I guess I was just an easy fuck,” I said allowing the tears to fall now that I was safe in the darkness. What was the most thrilling night of my life, with the best sex I’ve ever had, now turned into an embarrassing nightmare.

“My intentions were never to hurt you. I thought you and I were on the same page about what we wanted out of this weekend. This wasn’t going to be permanent… How could it be?” He asked in a way that I wasn’t sure was rhetorical or not.

“No, no, you’re right,” I said as I wiped my face hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“You’re not an easy fuck. Please don’t think that’s what this was. That’s not what interested me at all with you. I truly enjoyed getting to know you on the plane and I wanted to spend more time with you last night because I could tell your soul needed company,” he said as he wiped a tear from my cheek. Great, he could tell I was crying. “The sex was just an added bonus, but if you want me to leave, I will,” he said quietly.

“No, you can stay,” I said, burying my wet face into his chest.

He whispered quietly, “I would like to keep seeing you while you’re here, but if you don’t want that, I understand.” I snuggled closer to him and felt him pull me into a tighter hug. He was right. There was no way this was going to be permanent. Soon I’d be back to my simple life in my small town in Oklahoma. I’d be back to my lonely life with small town Kenneth. I’d be back to my life with no dreams of anything that would ever allow me to escape like I had this weekend.

“Good night, Josh,” I said with an ache in my voice and an even bigger ache in my chest.

“Good night, Strawberry,” he said with a tone that sounded oddly like mine. Before we drifted off to sleep in one another’s arms, I silently prayed that morning wouldn’t come so I could spend more time here in this moment.

“OH MY GOD!” Riley yelled as she stood in the doorway to my bedroom. I jolted up from my sleep to find Riley staring at Josh and me in my bed. Her eyes quickly moved to something on the floor and she yelled, “OH MY FUCKING GOD!” In a moment of panic, I looked to see what she was staring at… The condom wrapper on the floor.

#josh kiszka #joshua michael kiszka #greta van fic #greta van fleet #greta van fleet smut #josh kiskza fanfic

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destinyc1020 · 10 months

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I’ve just been having a look on Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and I’ve noticed something strange is going on. I think the hate mob are trying to spam negative reviews on the audience score. Or at least one person is anyway.

I noticed every time there was a few positive reviews, there would be two or three negatives straight after. And they all seemed to be constructed the same way. So I had a look at them. And these 8 names below have given TCR a half a star out of 5. When I looked on their profile, they have all only reviewed one other review in the past, and that is for the movie, Tetris, where they have given it half a star. What are the odds that these 8 people have reviewed both Tetris and TCR, and given them bad reviews. And have no other reviews. I’ve sent a couple of images to prove my point. This is one person doing this. I have reported them. I don’t think it’s going to do much good though.

Cheryl M

Martin V

Karyna T

Kenneth C

Robert A

Amanda P

Joseph K

Lisa R

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Ooop! Well well well.... What do we have here??

👀

Sounds like you caught some Review Bombers on RT Anon lol. 😅🤣

No surprise there!

Like I said, after I saw what happened with "The Little Mermaid", I definitely don't put my full trust in even "Audience Reviews" these days.

I've been ignoring critics for years lol.... But now, I'm not even putting my full trust in audience reviews anymore. Those reviewers haven't even seen the entire series, so how can they even possibly say that it's the "worst show ever". Like, seriously?? 😒 Just LIKE What you LIKE, and don't give two cents of a care about it.

#submission #thanks anon!#TCR #reviews #rotten tomatoes 🍅#busted!

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kingedmundsroyalmurder · 6 months

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Retro-Janeing: chapters 6-8

While the actual book club is nearly finished with the book, I am going to take us back in time to the beginning, because I fell way behind in chapter discussions and honestly I have Thoughts about the early ones. And maybe by going back and writing up the story in small pieces, I'll be able to figure out how I actually feel about it!

So we begin in an Andrew-less wasteland, with three incidents.

I'm doing these together, since they're the three trials of Jane's year. Looking at them together, they paint a very clear picture: nothing Jane does can please Grandmother. In the first incident, Jane does something she knows will upset Grandmother and gets in trouble for it. In the second incident, Jane does something she thinks is fully innocuous and gets in trouble for it. In the third incident, Jane does something she hopes will please grandmother… and gets in trouble for it. The pattern is clear, and Jane knows it as well as we do: there is nothing she can do. Grandmother will never approve of her, much less like her.

The kitten chapter also establishes the stakes, in case there was any doubt: Grandmother poisoned an animal because her daughter liked it too much. Crossing grandmother carries a threat of actual danger, not just icy silence and scorn. I don't believe grandmother would actually hurt Jane -- the family is socially visible and any harm to the child would come out quickly. But she is more than capable of, for instance, separating Jane and her mother permanently. Less drastically, she could absolutely forbid Jane from seeing Jody, or exert her social power on Miss West to get her to send Jody away. There are plenty of ways to break someone without hurting them physically.

We also for the first time learn Jane's mother's name. And not officially through the narrative either. Mary just lets it slip casually, in a dialog about something else. Like with Jane, we are left to infer her full name. Maud does a lot of in media res character introductions in this book -- just dropping details as if we should already know the people in question. It doesn't always work for me, but in this case it's a strong piece of character work. Robin, at this point, is barely her own person. She is her mother's daughter, her daughter's mother (as much as she's allowed to be). She is the sparkling party guest and the child that the servants all secretly pity. What started as probably a bit of a people pleasing nature has become a desperate need to be liked for her own survival. And so she carves pieces of herself away to fit the box she's been given (the box we will later learn she probably thinks she chose) and now, after so long, she's as much a symbol as a person.

LMM's subtle class issues are coming through in Mary, I think. She's the one adult in Jane's life who seems to like her and nurture her. Robin loves her but she's constrained at every turn. Mary, by virtue of being socially invisible as a servant, can actually get away with a lot more taking care of Jane. She lets her help with cooking, she covers for her when she can… an argument can be made that Mary is raising her. But Jane never once thinks of her that way. She likes Mary, but there's no real indication that she thinks of her as any kind of parental or guardian figure. As we see with Kenneth Howard, Jane will outsource her need for affection to a picture but not to the cook who's known her her whole life.

Speaking of Mary, this whole story is a repudiation of the idea that what folks don't know never hurts them. People not knowing things they need to know is like the whole foundation of the problems in this book.

Small, telling grandmother detail: "this is one of *my* best table-cloths." The house and everything in it is hers. Everyone else is here on sufferance. This comes shortly before "other people's wishes must be considered occasionally," a statement which in this context means "my wishes must be obeyed at all times."

And on to the affair of Kenneth Howard and the recitation, both of which, of course, infuriate grandmother for the same reason. An immediate disproval of the whole 'what folks don't know doesn't hurt them' thing. If Jane knew why her mother and grandmother reacted to these things the way they did, she would be spared a lot of torment here. And so would her mother. If Robin could talk to Jane about things -- both in the sense of being allowed to and of being emotionally strong enough to -- they would both be a lot happier. Not very happy, maybe, but at least able to feel united.

I don't mind that Kenneth Howard turns out to be Andrew. A bit contrived, but it's fiction. And it makes the whole Jane loving the picture and feeling immediately drawn to it make a lot more sense. She doesn't consciously remember her dad, but a part of her still recognizes and loves him. It's also required to make the fallout of the adults finding it make any sense.

I do wish we got more about Aunt Gertrude. Does she regularly go through Jane's drawers? She does the housekeeping, so possibly she does just straighten them regularly and Jane doesn't usually notice. (Jane seems like someone who'd keep her drawers neat, after all, so some extra straightening wouldn't necessarily be obvious.) Or does she deliberately snoop, to ensure that Jane isn't hiding anything? Was Jane seeming slightly happy all of a sudden, and it sparked an investigation?

Either way, seeing *Andrew Stuart's* face must have been a nasty shock to poor Robin. Is it a new photograph? Did she steal stealthy glimpses at it, trying to see how he'd changed? Did she feel like he was laughing at her behind his eyes? Robin standing chalk white next to her mother, ripping a red rose to pieces is such an evocative image. To quote a line from much, much later: "the rose that once has blown for ever dies."

#lantern hill book club

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undeath1245 · 11 months

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The disassembly drones' former names

I figured that I would share this headcanon with all of you sooner or later. You know each of the disassembly drones’ serial designations? Well, what if their letters were based off their former names back when they were worker drones? And I’m not talking about the first letter of their names. I’m talking about the name of the letter in each of their names. For example, N’s former name was probably either Kenneth, Bennett, or Leonard, and V’s former name probably either Venus, Vivian, or Genevieve. J’s former name was probably either Jamie or Jane, the latter of which I was initially going for Mary Jane (yes, the same name as the famous supporting character from Spider-Man). I’m unsure about CYN or Cynthia, though, largely because that she probably died long before the events of the series that she wasn’t converted into a disassembly drone. Besides, for all we know, she was going on a crazy, murderous rampage that she had to be put down. And if she was converted into a disassembly drone, her designation might be either C from the first letter of her name or T from a phonetic of her name (Cynthia).

The former names should go as followed:

A – Ada, Eva, Avery, Abraham, Adrian

B – Beatrice, Bianca, Phoebe; Sabine

C – Caesar, Cecil, Casey

D – Diesel, Delia, Deanna, Heidi, Nadine

E – Edith, Eden, Elaine, Ian

F – Efrem, Jeffrey, Stephanie

G – Giovanni, Georgina, Regina, Eugene

H – Rachel, Horatio

I – Isaac, Ivan, Isaiah, Ivy, Iris

J – Jane, Jamie, Jayden

K – Katie, Kayla, Casey

L – Eleanor, Elliot, Elias, Elvis, Elmer; Bella, Angelica, Melanie, Danielle, Michelle; Denzel

M – Emma, Emerald, Emmett, Emmerich, Clementine

N – Kenneth, Bennett, Benedict, Leonard, Henry

O – Ophelia, Olivia, Odette, Opal

P – Peter, Penelope

Q – Cueball, Queue

R – Archie, Armand, Charles, Harley

S – Essence, Estelle, Esther, Jessica, Lester, Marquess

T – Christina, Valentina, Misty

U – Ulysses, Unity, Eunice, Eustace

V – Venus, Vivian, Genevieve

W – Winston, Wilson

X – Xavier, Rex, Alexander

Y – Wyatt, Wyvern, Wyoming

Z – Ezekiel, Lindsay, Suzie

I also want to share that I used to have a theory that J, N, and V used to be regular secretary drones before being converted into disassembly drones, as well as my former headcanon that N used to be friends with his assigned human coworker.

Anyway, that’s all I have for this headcanon for now. This might be re-edited soon, but if you’d like to add in some additions, feel free to do so in the replies and reblogs. You can use this list as an outline for your OCs if you want. And I’ll see you all next time.

P.S. If Uzi were to transform into a disassembly drone, should her designation be either U or Z?

#Glitch Productions #Liam Vickers #Murder Drones #Serial Designation N #Serial Designation V #Serial Designation J #headcanon #theories

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jessicalprice · 1 year

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you got your known Minoans and your unknown Minoans (part one)

(reposted, with edits, from Twitter)

Image: The famous “Ladies in Blue” Minoan fresco.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Minoans. Everyone loves the Minoans, right?

(If you love the Minoans, you are not going to love this series of posts.)

Part One: The Case of the Very Victorian Goddess

Let’s start with a description of the pop culture perception of the Minoans: a peaceful ancient Greek culture with sophisticated, surprisingly modernist art, and extremely sophisticated technology like running water, who were lovers of beauty and peace.

So, I read Mysteries of the Snake Goddess: Art, Desire, and the Forging of History by Kenneth Lapatin. The author focuses on the (now, I believe, pretty thoroughly debunked) Boston Goddess, a supposedly Minoan ivory figurine of a snake-handling woman. She was an absolute SENSATION when she was first displayed.

Image: The Boston Goddess

Sir Arthur Evans, the most famous archaeologist of the Minoan civilization, dubbed her the "Minoan ambassadress to the New World." She made a 1967 issue of Mademoiselle's list of "art sensations" alongside Rembrandt, Picasso, and Rodin. The Museum's monthly bulletin for Dec 1914 proclaimed her an icon of a "wonderful prehistoric civilization which, after having lain submerged, like the lost Atlantis, for three thousand years, has been brought to light again..."

A comparison to Atlantis here is telling.

Victorian "race science" and Victorian occultism were inextricably linked, the latter demonstrating a passion for interpreting the myths of non-European cultures to reflect the ideas of the former. (Its descendants live on as Ancient Aliens theories, etc.) As archaeology became more popular and contact with ancient, sophisticated, and enduring civilizations such as those in India and China increased, white Europeans (especially the Brits) and Americans started to get uncomfortable.

So they started coming up with theories that hey, those people in the East who built all that amazing stuff, who were the "cradle of civilization," who invented the alphabet? They must have been taught by an even OLDER white civilization, now lost.

Image: The Palace of Atlantis by Lloyd K. Townsend, late 19th century, everyone is very Nordic-looking.

Hence the passion for stories about Atlantis and other lost continents. It just couldn't be true that those non-Europeans were building bigger, more sophisticated civilizations long before most (northern) European civilizations built recognizable cities at all.

That longing for proof of ancient European cultural superiority was in the air when excavations of Minoan sites began.

We must have The Oldest Masters

Now, back to the Boston Goddess. Lacey Caskey, writing for the museum, noted that the statuette's distinctive posture "seems not to have been an artistic convention, but a feature of the actual appearance of this aristocratic race."

This aristocratic race. Oof.

Lapatin observes, in the book, that "Minoan civilization was all the rage, for it seemed to provide Europeans with not only the roots of the ‘Golden Age of Greece,’ long considered the foundation of Western culture, but also a sophisticated early society in its own right, a rival to the 'Oriental' cultures of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia--known as the cradle of civilization..."

Victorian occultists, of course, tended to claim that their practices were derived from ancient Egyptian or Chaldean rituals. And again, even as they attempted to partake of the antiquity and sophistication of those cultures, they were also trying to prove that white people, or at least divine beings (rather than non-Europeans), built them. (It's always been a bit ironic to me that the Victorians clung to the idea of the superiority of Greece and Rome as the foundation for their ideas of the superiority of white people, while considering contemporary Greeks and Italians not fully white, but I digress.)

And lest you think that I'm hammering too hard on this point, some of the most prominent descriptions of Evans' finds praised the Minoan frescoes as "the Oldest Masters," and his work as proving the culture "bid fair rival to those of the Orient, and to give European Civilization an undreamed of antiquity."

It's hard to overstate the degree to which the archaeological motivation here was European insecurity.

High-Bred Beauty (and I Am Not, Alas, Describing a Horse)

And why was the Boston Goddess herself such a sensation? Her "exquisite characterization of fragile beauty," her "delicate, high-bred beauty." She is "demure," and "full of resolute charm." Professor Ernest Gardner, at Yale, described her head as "recall[ing] rather the sculptures of Gothic cathedrals of the thirteenth centuries."

Or, to be more explicit and just say the quiet part out loud, her face has also been described as "Anglo-Saxon," "European-looking," "Victorian," "Edwardian," and "Parisienne."

To understand what they’re talking about, let’s do a little compare and contrast. Here are some examples of faces from figurines that, to the best of our knowledge, are actually from Crete c. 1500-1200 BCE.

And here’s a close-up of the Boston Goddess’s face:

And here’s the face of a now-probably-debunked “Minoan” goddess at the Royal Ontario Museum (read more about her here):

To cut to the chase, eventually they did radiocarbon testing on the Boston Goddess, and the ivory was found to date from between 1420 and 1635 CE. (Not BCE. CE. As in the Renaissance.) A similar figurine, the Seattle Boy God, is made from ivory that's about 500 years old. That in itself is pretty fascinating! They were using old ivory for the forgeries.

What do these proven and suspected fakes have in common? Well, among other things, their very Victorian facial features: inset eyes, small pouty mouths, delicate noses.

Spoiler for where I’m going with this: There are reasons why the Minoans were such an archeological craze, and those reasons are highly political. Because of the ways in which a very specific agenda shaped it, fakes that showed people what they wanted to see were accepted as real (and in some cases, are still sort of accepted as real), and we can't trust a lot of what we supposedly "know."

In Part 2: Bagging On Sir Arthur Evans Forever.

#archaeology #atlantis #minos #crete #minoans #arthur evans #white supremacist archaeology #snake goddess #art forgery #minoan

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1indigoisles · 5 months

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Chapter 1 - Excerpt 1

Who in their right mind would choose to ‘live’ in a graveyard of a town in Rhode Island over one of the sunniest places in the world, Flagstaff, Arizona?

Well, I did.

Lila must think I'm crazy. She definitely did.

My mother (that’s Lila) had always been a traveler, a hare-brained traveler who had once left half of her possessions in the States on an immigration to India for the winter. What happened to that half, you may imagine? Only the unknown force that made Lila my mother knows. Don’t get me wrong, Lila’s the best, but we were less mother and son and more the adventurous traveler and her wary follower.

Why would I choose to travel then, since another option was given to me? Well, I’ll get to that.

My life story was simple. I wasn’t a miracle, but I wasn’t a mistake either. I just happened, and I happened at the wrong time. My father’s name is – or was, I don’t really know – David Garamond and that was pretty much all I knew about him. Lila was efficient in cleaning up mistakes from her past. But she wasn’t the secretive type either; she didn’t mind talking about her past, and would tell me stories about her time with David. She would talk like they were fairy tales, which many real-life love stories are before they burn out into ashes of leftover feelings where the fire of love and hope used to be.

Lila Teigen and David Garamond were high school sweethearts, and were still going on strong well into college. They were a stable couple, which was saying something, considering how young they were. Young love tended to go wrong. But nothing went wrong for them, at least not then.

After completing college, David asked for her hand in marriage, even though he never got the blessing. Both Lila’s and David’s families were against it, and they promised to turn their backs on the pair if they did get married. But that didn’t matter; they were deeply in love, intent on forever happiness, and expecting a child, which was why David had proposed in the first place. Nothing had gone wrong around this part either. David was the guy fantasy talked about, the hero of the story. Lila had really thought that that would be her happily ever after.

But real life doesn’t have a happily ever after. It never did.

And we have now arrived at the part where things went wrong.

David was nowhere to be found on the day before the marriage. He’d gone out on a stormy night, saying he had some last-minute things to take care of and just... vanished.

And that was where the story ended. Lila would tell me nothing about what happened after that, about any of her struggles with being a single mother, if she ever found David again, or even why she took up the habit of travelling around when it was obviously much easier and cheaper to settle down in one place.

No. Fast-forward 16 years as a nomad named Kenneth Teigen on this planet, and I am currently scowling at the million dollar question of where our next voyage will take us while still recovering from the shock of having to answer said question. ‘Most difficult decision of my life’ hadn’t exactly been on my birthday wishlist.

And it wasn’t as though we could go just anywhere, either, which actually made things a little easier. Lila’s job as a digital marketing strategist paid well and steadily enough, but I couldn’t exactly suggest we hop on the next plane to Greenland, now could I? Not that I ever would.

No, Lila had narrowed down my choices to two places that contrasted each other so much and were so far apart that I was fairly certain Lila had just dropped the question on my head as an elaborate prank.

"Flagstaff, Arizona, or Knightville, Rhode Island?" Lila had asked me when my school year in DC was over.

"What?" I looked up from my book, The Picture of Dorian Grey.

Lila unceremoniously flopped down onto the red bean-bag chair and regarded me seriously, which would have been comical, had she not said the things she was about to say. "What would you pick," she began again, slower, "Knightville in Rhode Island, or Flagstaff in Arizona?"

I replied, surprised, "And you're asking me this because...?"

"Because this decision is officially yours," Lila said, a smile tugging on her lips as though she were giving me some good news. "You are going to decide where we stay for the next year." There was a glint in her eyes that could only be described as defiance as she pronounced her last statement.

"No," I immediately told her.

The glint died away. "Why not?" she asked, like a child asking her parent why she couldn't get candy even though she'd done her homework.

"Because I have no idea what to choose," I said bluntly.

"But I gave you only two options," she protested. "It can't be that hard!"

"Hard?" I asked incredulously. "You're asking me to choose where we're going to live for the whole of next year!"

"Between just 2 places!"

"Doesn't make it much easier, Lila!"

She looked bewildered, and a little hurt too, for which I felt a twinge of guilt.

Seeing me soften, perhaps, Lila went full-on puppy-dog mode, and while I had seen it coming and should've been able to resist it, I couldn't.

So, cursing the next several generations of Lila's bloodline (which wasn't smart, since I was one of them), I conceded to her wishes with a grumble.

Now, I don’t know why I chose Knightville. It wasn’t as though it was a good travel destination or a hot tourist spot; it was cold, constantly raining and foggy, and the only colours it ever saw were white, black and different shades of grey.

I just felt, I don't know, compelled to choose Knightville, like there was something the remote town whose name I had never heard of before had that much less remote Flagstaff didn't.

I wasn't fond of the feeling.

Nevertheless, the choice was befitting. Apparently my great-aunt Charlotte (late) had once lived in an old, slightly rickety house at the edge of town. Apartments were non-existent in small communities such as this, and it wouldn’t cost Lila a penny (except for maintenance).

Plus, the house was kind of homely.

It was a one-storey dwelling, painted a pale blue, with a brown, slanted roof. The inside was all cream-yellow walls and creaky wooden floors and the smell of good old 1950s vintage.

I didn’t dislike it, so that must have meant something.

Dinner that night consisted of Chinese take-out and ice cream for desert. I hadn’t spoken much till now, sitting in mindless silence, thinking about nothing, and staring at a small, perfectly circular hole (or was it just ink?) in the wooden floor.

“This flavour of ice cream is amazing”, commented Lila. I’d been, after all, silent for an unknown period of time, and a brooding silence of any sort from my end rang alarm-bells in Lila’s mind.

The truth was, I’d had this strange feeling ever since Lila’s car careened into Knightville. I felt... out of my own body, like I was breathing something entirely other than oxygen, that I was eating foreign food, having this foreign food with another person, that I was in another world, with alien roots that ran in alien soil. Like I was someone else. It was a creepy feeling, and it made my skin crawl.

But none of this was real. This was probably my brain’s way of punishing me because I’d intentionally forced myself to survive in a place that I didn’t like when I had total opportunity to live somewhere else.

“It’s pistachio flavoured”, I said, coming back to reality, “one of the worst ice cream flavours invented in the history of bad ice cream flavours”. I scrunched my nose with distaste.

“It is not”, insisted Lila, “you just don’t like it ‘cause it’s weird. I happen to like weird. Quite a few people do. Weird is good.”

But I would not indulge myself in the weirder aspects of life. While Lila was fawning over her god-awful ice cream, I was silently enjoying classic chocolate.

#Land of Magic #Novels #Writing #Indigo Isles #Knightville #Tumblr Novel #Tumblr Author

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blot-squisher · 8 months

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( * tosses the SFW alphabet at you for Kenneth the Clown* >83)

SFW Alphabet Ask Meme for Surviving the Game Kenneth Chase

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?) Kenneth is incredibly guarded about his emotions, too used to being reviled by those around him. If he actually cares, he'll do anything to keep his partner or loved one safe. PDA isn't his thing, but behind closed doors? Good luck keeping his hands off you ;)

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?) If Maurice likes you... he'll consider liking you. Getting on his good side can be difficult. After a lifetime of hardship and misery, the Clown is slow to trust and even slower to let someone in. However, once he does start considering someone a genuine friend, they've got a good one. Someone messes with you, they'll likely never be seen again...

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?) PDA is a rare thing, but once you two get some alone time that's going to be all that's going on. Curled up on the couch or in a hammock together, there's no better way to spend the day.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?) Settling down would be a dream come true after a life on the run. It's hard to stay in one place long when you're part of a circus, and harder still when one of your hobbies is murder. Cooking has never been a passion for Kenneth, growing up with a father who spent all his money on booze he got used to eating whatever he could scrounge up. As for cleaning? Ehhh, he knows where all his stuff is even if you don't.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?) I hope you've got fast reflexes because there will be a lot of projectiles coming your way. Break ups hurt, and dealing with hurt is usually accompanied by raised voices and breaking things. That's all he's ever known.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?) It'll take a while to get to the point that Kenneth trusts you, but once he does, he'll want to show you. Settle down in a place all your own and start a family! A BIG family!

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?) On the outside, not at all. He's mean, gruff, and he'll slap you so hard your head does a three-sixty... But if you can get past that, gain his trust and show him you're genuine, he'll be as soft and gentle as possible. He knows what it is to be hurt, and if he cares about you, he's going to do everything he can not to hurt you.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?) Kenneth is just as touch starved as the others, but just like them it's going to be hard to get him to admit that. Once he does, he'll hold you as long as you'll let him, or until someone walks by.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?) He might have said it to Maurice once? He can't remember the last time it was said to him, so it's going to take a pretty long time for him to say it, even after he starts to like you.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?) Considering how hard it is for him to form genuine attachments, he'll get dangerously jealous if he thinks someone is trying to get between the two of you. First he'll get quiet. Biding his time. He won't take it out on you of course. But whoever's causing the problem better watch out...

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss their partner? Where do they like to be kissed?) Give him a kiss on the cheek and he'll be blushing like a beet under his greasepaint. Any more PDA then that and he's going to drag you somewhere private and cover you in kisses. Good luck getting out without a thousand lip prints from head to toe.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?) Kenneth is only a scary clown to teenagers and adults. Kids on the other hand? He'll keep them laughing and giggling for hours. Maybe it's because he never really got to be a kid himself.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?) Sleeping in is always the way to go. But Maurice needs breakfast, and he will push a window or door open and start chewing on whatever's closest if you don't get up in time.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?) Drinking by the fire till it's time to sleep. Sharing stories and maybe playing some cards. You might want to bring some earplugs though, because the man snores louder then Bubba's chainsaw.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?) Once Kenneth feels comfortable enough to open up to you, he's going to dump it all on you at once. He's never really had anyone to share with, so he's not sure if he's telling you too much or too little. So... you're getting all of it.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?) Incredibly quickly, mostly as a defense mechanism. Kenneth is used to people coming at him with nothing but ill intentions and found the best way to head them off is to bite before he barks.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about their partner? Do they remember every little detail they mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?) It depends on how much he's had to drink that day... But if he cares about you or what you're saying, he'll remember. He'll make sure he remembers. No one wants to be forgotten.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in their relationship?) The moment he realized his partner was genuine. They weren't hiding something or trying to manipulate him. They were just... honest.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect their partner? How would they like to be protected?) Have you ever seen a grizzly bear protecting its cubs? Kenneth thinks he doesn't need to be protected, but if his partner was to get between him and the person he's fighting with and stand up for him, it would rock his entire world. (in a good way)

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?) If you've reached that point, he's going to give it his all. You've given him something he'd given up on, so he's going to make sure you get everything you deserve and more, even if you don't think you do.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?) Kenneth has been a heavy smoker and drinker since he was a child. Those are hard habits to kick, even for a now immortal Slasher.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?) Bitch, he's fabulous and he knows it. But really, he prefers to keep himself covered. Heavy jacket, heavy paint. It hides the scars that he doesn't want anyone else to see, both inside and out.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without their partner?) He'd break the Realm in half if anything happened to his partner. Or in this case, his horse. Maurice is his closest friend after all.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.) Kenneth is actually excellent at poker and other card games. Card tricks in general, really. You pick up a lot living and working with the circus.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?) Be honest. Doesn't matter what it's about, but do not lie to him. Tell him what's on your mind. What's bothering you. If you go behind his back, you may as well get gone and stay gone. Without trust, what do you have left?

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?) If he doesn't have a reason to be up and about, chances are he won't be. He wasn't in the greatest of health before being taken by the Entity, and even though he's slightly better now, he's not exactly a picture of health. Just let the man rest. He needs it.

#sfw alphabet #kenneth chase #the clown dbd #surviving the game fic #ask meme

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killed-by-choice · 2 months

Text

Laniece Dorsey, 17 (USA 1986)

17-year-old Laniece Dorsey underwent a legal abortion at a Family Planning Associates facility in Orange County, California. Because of this, she never saw her 18th birthday.

On February 6, 1986, abortionist Kenneth Wright carried out the surgical abortion. Laniece soon lapsed into a coma. She was taken to a local hospital, but died later that same day.

The autopsy discovered a “thick adherent layer of fibrinous material containing moderate numbers of inflammatory infiltrates” in Laniece’s uterus. However, the medical examiner decided to list the cause of death as cardio-respiratory arrest as a complication of anesthesia.

Wright was sued for Laniece’s death. He already had a long history of malpractice lawsuits. These included but were not limited to permanent disability from injuries, “abortions” on people who were not even pregnant, and denying clients informed consent by failing to disclose risks of abortion. He was still allowed to continue his career as an abortionist, killing Josefina Garcia (he was listed as a co-defendant in her death) and Kimberly K. Neil.

The FPA corporation was founded, owned and operated by Edward “Fast Eddie” Allred. He and his facilities were accused of racism, which allegedly contributed to the subpar treatment and resulting deaths of Patricia Chacon, Mary Pena and Ta Tanisha Wesson. Allred showed his attitude towards pregnant Black teens like Laniece when he gave the following statement in an article in the San Diego Union:

“When a sullen black woman of 17 or 18 can decide to have a baby and get welfare and food stamps and become a burden to all of us, it’s time to stop. In parts of South Los Angeles, having babies for welfare is the only industry these people have.”

The abortion facility that killed Laniece was a member of the National Abortion Federation. FPA facilities have been granted this status despite a massive list of lawsuits, including client deaths. Women and girls killed by Edward Allred’s corporate empire of facilities include Denise Holmes, 16-year-old Patricia Chacon, Mary Pena, Josefina Garcia, Joyce Ortenzio, 19-year-old Tami Suematsu, Ta Tanisha Wesson, 13-year-old Deanna Bell, 16-year-old Nakia “Kia” Jorden, Maria Leho, Susan Levy, 18-year-old Christine Mora, Emmeko Reed, Maria E. Rodriguez, Chanelle Bryant and Kenniah Epps.

Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Case No. 86-0682-AK

Orange County Superior Court Case No. 51-04-15

"California Death Index, 1940-1997," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPMM-26K : 26 November 2014), Laniece Dorsey, 06 Feb 1986; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.

#tw abortion #pro life #unsafe yet legal #tw ab*rtion #tw murder #abortion #abortion debate #death from legal abortion #fpa #national abortion federation #black lives matter

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saturn7162 · 7 days

Text

The invention.

What's up chat, I havn't even started the next part of the SU fic, but here's an original story that I wrote for my PT test two days ago.

For as long as he could remember, Leroy K. Johnson had always struggled with reading. Whenever he was assigned a book, or something else to read, he kept finding that it was nearly impossible to comprehend what the text said. The letters would squeeze together, grow or shrink, even if he knew that wasn’t happening. However, he was a great listener, with an even better memory. He’d sit listening to his friends' long and over-exaggerated stories or facts about their current hyperfixation. He was constantly engaged in their conversations, asking questions and nodding along. He was incredibly brilliant too, coming up with amazing solutions to common problems among his friend group. So, with all of these traits and abilities, he came up with the perfect idea to solve his reading problem.

He sat his friends down and shyly explained his new thoughts. He thought, if he couldn’t read, why not make something that could read for him?

“But, if someone else is reading for you, how will you learn?” asked his friend, Kenneth B. Clark, or Kenny, asked him, the tips of his ears twitching.

“Well, I thought that if I listen to a book, and follow along, I’ll learn what the words are saying.” Leroy responded sheepishly. So, the group of friends got to work.

Wayne I. Anthony, the youngest, brought a brand-new sketchbook to draw out the new invention. Zachary H. Franklin liked asking questions: Was it going to be big, was it going to be portable, how would we record books. Every day at school, the boys would sit together, and come up with idea after idea, after idea. They went from late 6th grade, to 7th, then early 8th. Wayne filled up sketchbooks, notebooks, notepads, anything he could get his hands on, and write.

One day, when the idea was fully fleshed out, another friend by the name of Tyrone A. Smith, or Ty, suggested they come over to his house, for he had a large garage full of parts and pieces they could use to build their prototype. That day, as soon as the dismissal bell rang, the boys sped out of their classes and raced over to the front gate. Leroy jumped on his bike, Kenny put on his skates, Wayne on his skateboard, Ty on his scooter, and Zach with his running shoes.

They made it to Tyrone’s house in 10 minutes, panting and sweating under the hot Kansas sun. Tyrone swung open the door, greeted his parents, and grabbed a few popsicles for his friends before he raced over to his garage. He opened the large garage doors and the warm afternoon light filled the garage, injecting the group with the want to work.

On one side, sat two cars laying dormant, and on the other, was a full-fledged workshop. Half of the walls were lined with tool shelves, and the other was housing multiple manuals for all types of cars. In one corner was a blacksmithing area, Tyrone informed them that the area was completely off-limits. They laid down a tarp, set their bags on the corners, and got to work. Wayne dumped his bag onto the tarp, exposing sketchbooks, notebooks, laminated papers, and blueprints for their new invention.

They worked from 2:30 pm, to 9:03 pm. Their product was the outer shell. While it may not seem like it was a lot, it was a huge step forward. Week after week, they ran over to Tyrone’s house after school, and in early February, it was complete.

A blue plastic shell with a metal casing around the corners. A battery slot on the back and a place to put their recorded books. There were stop and play buttons, volume buttons, and a button to open the lid to the tape inserter. They carefully set it in Leroy’s bag and raced off to his house. Leroy slammed open his front door, grabbed a short book from his living room, raced up the stairs, and skidded to a halt at his mother’s bedroom door. He pounded on the wood, trying to rouse his mother from whatever she was doing. The door swung open and his mother looked down at them in irritation, which turned to shock at the sight of the slightly unkempt and dirty boys. Before she could get a word in, Leroy fished the device out from his bag and shoved it in her face along with the book.

“Hi mom! We finished the recorder! It can play music, and, and, and!!” He said eagerly, eyes shining brightly.

“Please let us record you reading it, miss Leroy’s Mom Johnson!!” Said the burly Zach. Ms. Johnson grimaced but nodded her head.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. Go downstairs to the living room. And take off those shoes.” She gestured to their feet which, sure enough, were clad in their dirty sneakers, converse, and boots. They fled back downstairs at the speed of light and tossed their shoes by the door, exposing their paws in soft socks. They sped over to the living room and crowded around a large blue rocking chair. Ms. Johnson came down the stairs, holding onto the railing and the record and book. She sat in the chair with the book in her lap and the recorder by her snout, and began to read.

The boys looked up in amazement as she read, spinning a tale for twenty minutes. Once she was finished, she closed the book and stood up quickly, stopping the recording and giving it back to the boys.

“There you are, Lee” She smiled as he took it.

“I’m going to go make dinner, you boys are welcome to stay if you like.” She suggested and walked to the kitchen, tail swishing behind her. The group looked at each other as Wayne rewound the tape. He pressed play as he gave it back and all was silent. Nobody said anything, Zach stopped breathing all together, and soon the recording began to play. Ms. Johnson’s voice came through the tape softly and the boys cheered.

The boys were elated, and with this invention, Leroy found it much easier to read. They never stopped making inventions and whenever one of the boys had a problem, they used their combined skills to solve it. With Leroy’s ideas, Kenneth’s curiosity, Wayne’s art and design skills, Zach’s strength, and Tyrone’s garage, they made an incredible team.

#oc #original character #writing #original story #fiction #not a fic #ocs #oc writing #oc story #story #short story #short

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babyiamperfectforyou · 2 years

Text

IT'S YOU

Chapter 7

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader

Word count: 2.5 k

Warnings: Coarse language.

A/n : Hey everyone, as promised, Here's the next chapter. Enjoyy!!!

Xoxo,

G and M

Previous part l Next part

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Y/N was nervous and excited at the same time. Nervous because she was going to see Harry, excited, also because she was going to see Harry. Was he okay? Even though Steffin told her that he was okay and that he just needed to rest, she couldn’t believe him until she saw Harry with her own two eyes.

She reached home and took a shower. After making herself some food, she decided to get ready. She couldn’t even decide what to wear, her thoughts revolved around one arrogant jerk named Harry Styles. After an hour of searching for clothes, she finally decided on an olive dress. Not too formal, not that casual either. She wore beige sandals with it and finished off her look with some lip gloss and some mascara.

She took her clutch, took her phone out and texted Daniel that she won’t be there, if he decided to drop by. She was trying to read a book when she saw Steffin’s car. She locked the apartment and went outside. Steffin, on seeing her, got out and opened the door for her. She thanked him and got in and saw his father, Mr Tomas in the car. He smiled at her kindly.

Kenneth Tomas, Steffin’s father, was living a retired life in the suburbs. He was in his early sixties, with a salt and pepper mustache and beard.

“Good evening Sir.” She greeted him.

“Good evening, Y/N, it's been a while, how have you been?” He beamed at her.

“I'm good, Sir. Everything is going great. How are you?”

“I'm fine. I heard that you were promoted?”

“Yes, I'm really grateful ."

“Steffin told me that you're one of the best employees in the company. I'm proud of you, my dear.”

“Thank you Sir.” She turned to Steffin, “Thank you Mr. Tomas”.

“Oh, Y/N, call me Steffin, you're not my employee right now, we're just friends, aren't we?”

“Um.. Okay.. Mr, I mean Steffin” She said and he chuckled.

“So, let's get going then, shall we?” asked Mr. Tomas.

“Yeah, sure, it's only a few blocks away from here. We'll be there in half an hour.” Steffin said and started the car.

During the journey, Y/N found herself zoning out. She was thinking about Harry. He was kind enough to bring her home and take care of her after she passed out, he was kind enough to prepare breakfast for her in the morning. She felt guilty for not checking up on him when he was absent for almost a week and assuming the worst when in reality, he was innocent.

She could have called him, but she let her ego get in the way.

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She was startled when the vehicle came to an abrupt halt in a familiar yard. Harry’s house. She remembered coming there once, at his promotion party.

She still remembers his house very clearly. They all got out of the car, Steffin had opened the door once again for her. Mr Tomas knocked on the door and waited for an answer.

The door swung open to reveal a very enthusiastic Anne, and she looked so happy to see them.

“Oh, what a pleasant surprise”, she said.

“Hey Anne, it's good to see you. When did you come?” Ken asked, giving her a sideways hug.

“I landed on Tuesday evening, I don’t even know what’s going on. He can’t even care for himself, how am I going to live in peace when he is this clumsy?”

She shook her head.

“Steffin, I didn't see you there. It's been a long time.” She patted Steffin on the shoulder and that’s when she saw Y/N. Even though she had seen her only once, she seemed to remember her.

“Oh my God, is that Y/N? Long time no see. How have you been kiddo?” She engulfed her in a warm hug.

“I'm good, how are you Anne?” She replied.

“Why don’t we take this inside?There's an old man who can't stand in the cold for long”, Ken said and everyone laughed.

“Oh I'm so sorry, come in guys” Anne invited them in.

“I hope you'll stay for dinner, I'm making stew and dumplings”, she added.

“Stew and dumplings? Yes, we’ll stay for dinner” Ken’s answer was spontaneous.

“Now tell me Anne, where's my boy ? How is he?”

“He’s in his room, Ken. The doctor has suggested complete rest for a couple weeks. He’s okay. It hurts sometimes. He can limp but someone should be here to look after him, at least for this week. He keeps saying no, though. I think it hurt his ego.” she laughed.

Steffin handed over the flowers he had brought and Anne took them away to cut the base and put them in a vase.

She came back a minute later and invited them to go with her to see Harry. The room was very neat and tidy. It accurately presented his character. There was a couch in the corner, a reading chair and table and on it, a stack of books could be seen. She suddenly thought about how messy her room always was and what he’d have thought about that when he spent a night there.

He was sleeping peacefully on the bed when they entered the room. His hair was messy from being on the bed for long.Y/N wanted to run her fingers through the unruly curls.He had a stubble on his face, indicating that he hadn’t shaved in a week. He was wearing a white t-shirt and grey shorts and his right leg, as well as his right hand, was bandaged. She had never seen him in comfy clothes before. It felt so domestic and intimate.

“Honey, wake up, look who’s here”, Anne told him softly.

His eyes fluttered open, he looked around and caught sight of Mr. Tomas. He smiled at him and tried to sit up, wincing at the pain.

Mr. Tomas helped him sit up, but he said he could do it himself.

“How are you, my boy?” Ken asked with concern in his voice.

“I'm fine…I'll just have to rest a couple weeks but I'm okay”, he said.

“I can see that. How did you get into the accident in the first place?” Ken asked.

“He says he doesn't remember anything.” Anne said, obviously not believing him.

“It’s the truth..I … Uh… don't remember anything, it all happened so quickly.”He countered.

“What do you mean you don't remember anything? You should have some idea how it happened.” Steffin cut in.

“I just…don't know,” he shrugged.

“I think you should inform the police.” Steffin’s voice was serious.

“I already told you the other day, there's no need for that, Steffin” Harry sighed.

“Huh? So you haven’t informed the police yet?” Y/N suddenly asked and everyone turned to look at her. That was when Harry noticed her. His face lit up.

“Y/N?” He asked.

“Uh…Hi…” She could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Hey" He breathed out.

“This is exactly what I was talking about.He wouldn't file a complaint” Anne interrupted.

“Fine, I'll do it, mum”,he seemed annoyed.

Y/N smiled seeing this interaction, she had never seen him lose an argument.

“Okay then, I'll get you guys something to drink and then get to cooking”, Anne announced.

“I'll help you, let them catch up with everything that happened.” Ken offered.

“No no, it's fine” Anne refused.

“Oh come on Anne, it’s the least I could do.” Ken said.

“Okay then, Harry, don’t leave your bed,” Anne said sternly.

Harry looked like he was about to protest but Steffin interrupted,

“I’ll make sure of that, Anne”

Anne and Ken left the room, leaving the three of them alone.

“So, how’s your little vacation going on, Harry? Having fun in bed, huh?” Steffin mocked.

“Oh, fuck off, Steffin”, Harry cursed him.

Y/N laughed as well, catching on to the innuendo. Harry looked at her, shaking his head, a lazy smile adoring his perfect pink lips. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn't realize Steffin taking her hand, asking her to follow him.

It didn't go unnoticed by Harry and he frowned.

Steffin pointed at Harry and said, “Come on, Y/N, I'll show you some of this gentleman’s embarrassing childhood pics.”

Harry’s whole demeanor changed at that. He looked somewhat scared.

“You wouldn’t.”, he said.

“Yeah? Try me.” Steffin smirked.

“I swear to God I will kill you.”

“Did you forget, Harry? You're not supposed to move from your bed”

“Don’t do it” he said through gritted teeth.

Y/N could see how close they were from that mere interaction, they must be good friends if he was to pull a trick like this.

Steffin’s hand never left Y/N’s. He dragged her towards Harry’s bedside table and started rummaging the drawers and took out an old photo album. He flipped through the pages and handed it over to her. In the photo was a young Harry, about 4 or 5 years old, grinning, one hand on his hip and the other curled into a fist. And, he was wearing a bra. He looked adorable, to say the least.

Harry buried his face in his hands.

She was not sure if he was angry or just embarrassed. So she tried to walk towards his bed to ask him but her leg hit the leg of the table and she tripped, falling face first. She caught hold of Harry’s bed in reflex, but fell either way.

“Y/N… Are you-”

Before Harry could finish, Steffin came over to her, bent down and picked her up and sat her on the edge of Harry’s bed and took her swollen ankle in his hand. He looked at her with concern.

“Shit. Um, I'll bring ice”, Steffin said.

“Uh, Actually, I'm fine, it's okay...Steffin.” She said. Even though her ankle had hit somewhere, it hadnt sprained, though it hurt. He did not wait for her response and left the room.

Harry watched the whole scene keenly. When did Y/N and Steffin get on a first name basis? He didn’t like the way his name rolled off her lips. Even though he was annoyed at this, he was worried for her.

Before he could ask if he could do anything, Steffin re entered the room with an ice pack in his hand. He carefully placed it on her ankle and put her leg up on a plastic chair.

“It’s going to be fine” He said and squeezed her shoulder gently.

Anne and Mr. Tomas had come with him to see if she was alright.

“Are you alright, dear?” Anne asked, concerned.

“Oh my god, I'm fine, I just hit my foot,” She said, embarrassed.

“This boy here scared us for a moment,” said Mr Tomas and punched his arm, and he just shrugged, smiling.

“Now, come on kids, I'll get you something to drink.” Steffin, Anne and Ken left the room.

“I'll be there, just a few minutes” Y/N said.

She looked at Harry, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Are you okay?”, he asked genuinely.

“Yeah, I'm fine, are you?”

“Am I what?”

“Are you okay?”

“Like you care,” he scoffed.

“What are you talking about? Of course I care for my-”

She wanted to say friend, but she did not know if they were friends, what if her saying that out angered him? So she said,

“Colleague .”

“Then, yeah, I'm good, colleague.” he huffed, putting extra emphasis on the word colleague.

She felt like his words contained pure hatred towards her and she didn't even know what she did. The sudden change in Harry’s behaviour confused her. It’s like he was back to being that asshole she was used to, and not the Harry she saw a few days ago.

“Why are you acting like this, Harry?,” she sighed.

“Like what?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Like you don’t like me coming here, or worse, like you don’t like me at all?”

He was not expecting that at all, he looked taken aback and somewhat…. hurt.

“You have a lot of people who love you and care about you, Y/N. So, you don’t have to worry about me liking you or not.”

“What happened to you, Harry? Last time we saw each other, you were friendly to me, what happened to that Harry? Why did you leave so urgently? What was that about?” At this point, she wasn't holding back either.

“I…I had something important come up.” He stuttered.

“Oh yeah? What was it?” She questioned.

Harry wore an exasperated expression. He tried to bring his hand up to his hair, but he tried to lift the plastered hand, grimacing.

Y/N suddenly sprang to her feet, not caring about her own pain.

“Hey, careful…”

She sat down near him, leaned down and examined his hand. She looked sad and concerned and Harry felt bad.

“Um… I am sorry, Y/N..I was just…”

“Just what?” Seeing his face, she sighed and said,

“You should learn to take care of yourself, Harry.”

“Yeah, I will,” he said, as if he didn’t want to disappoint her more than he already did.

“And about tuesday, I was just not in the mood to have breakfast and I had some errands to run, that's why I had to leave so soon. And besides, you had company, so it wouldn't have mattered even if I stayed. What was his name again?”

There it is, he didn’t like Daniel.

“Dan” she said timidly.

“Yeah, Dan” He spat.

Y/N felt like she had to tell him about Dan. She didn’t know why but she felt so.

“Dan has been my best friend since my childhood. He's been there for me through thick and thin. He's almost like my brother, no he IS my brother.”

Hearing that, Harry visibly relaxed. His frown disappeared. So, he wasn't her boyfriend. He replied, as if it hadn't affected him.

“You didn't have to explain anything to me.”

“I know, but I wanted to.”, she said and he smiled at her.

“Yeah?” He seemed happy.

“Yeah.” She replied with a soft smile.

His left hand found its way to the apple of her cheeks and his thumb caressed it. She saw his eyes flicker from her eyes to her lips, as if asking for her permission. Her lips parted in shock but she found herself leaning towards him. She was only an inch from him, his breath hot on her cheeks, when they were interrupted by Anne’s voice calling out to her from the living room,

“Y/N, where are you? Come have a drink”.

She suddenly pulled away from him. Her mind was racing, what just happened?

“Uh..Yeah, I'm coming…” She stuttered out and stood up.

She looked at him to realize that she had royally fucked up, because he looked shocked to his core. Did she just imagine him looking at her lips? Did she just try to kiss Harry?

“I…” She didn’t complete the sentence and ran out of the room.

-----------------------------------------

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