#the lapel coming 2nd on my list

[keiyaku-tako]

About

Preface: This may include spoilers and also includes headcanons that I have of Azul. Warnings: Bullying, fatphobia, body image issues, mentions of eating disorders Note to self: add stuff from voiced lines Side note that this is a very long post as it has all the canon information that I could find on him (it took me like two or three days on the Wiki </3) as well as multiple headcanons (which are in purple, things that haven't been directly stated (to my knowledge) are also in purple). This is also not very well organized at the end. Feel free to use this as a general information list about Azul and ignore the purple bits if you just want the canonical information.

Name: Azul Ashengrotto Nicknames: Roi d’Effort (Rook), Tako-yarou (Leona)

Date of Birth: February 24 (Pisces) Age: 17 (2nd year at Night Raven College)

Dorm: Octavinelle Class: Class C (No. 3) Club: Board Game Club Best Subject: Alchemy

Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him Orientation: Panromantic & Demiromantic

Homeland: Coral Sea (specifically, the far northern reaches of the Coral Sea where the water is cold enough for icebergs) Species: Octopus mer

Languages: English (fluent), Japanese (fluent), Spanish (learning) Height: 176 cm (5'9) Dominant Hand: Right

Hobbies: Coin collecting Pet peeves: Leaving things to luck Favorite Food: Japanese-style Fried Chicken (kara-age) Least Favorite Food: Healthy foods Talent: Mental Arithmetic

Overview:

Azul is a merperson from the Coral Sea attending Night Raven College. He is a second year and is the dorm leader of Octavinelle. There are rumors floating around him that he is able to fulfil any wish that a person may want in exchange for their most prided quality.

Appearance:

Azul has fair skin and is of average height. He has short, wavy hair that is layered and light-gray in color, with one strand spiraling down on his left side (not unlike a tentacle). The back of his hair is shaved into an undercut in the back. His eyes are a slightly darker shade than his hair. He has a mole under the left side of his lip. He is usually seen with thin, rectangular, silver half-rimmed glasses (he's nearsighted). He is most often seen wearing his dorm uniform. It is slightly different from the other Octavinelle students, the most notable feature being the long, lavender-gray coat (that has a purple underlining) over his shoulders (he is always struggling to make it stay in place, but he has just practiced enough so that the coat won't fall when he walks). He is known for this coat. He wears makeup (sharp and thin eyeliner under the eye, with a deep purple color) every time he wears his dorm uniform (this comes from his respect for the Sea Witch and how she paid attention on how she looked). He has a white button up undershirt, a black double breasted suit with a purple underlining (that he keeps unbuttoned, a lavender-gray scarf with fringed ends (with the Octavinelle logo on one end) (the scarf drapes over both of his shoulders and under the suit's lapels), and a purple bowtie. The uniform also comes with a black cummerbund and slacks, white gloves which are buttoned at the wrist, long purple socks with a pattern consisting of wavy lines and circles (which symbolize the ocean waves and air bubbles) and a black fedora with a lavender-gray hat band which is tied with a neat bow. He has a purple pin in the shape of a spiral seashell over the bow. He wears black dress shoes with block heels and silver buckles on the sides. In his ceremonial robes, he wears thick black eyeliner. He only wears eyeliner in his ceremonial robes and dorm uniform. He carries a black cane with him, which has a silver handle that represents an octopus. He walks with his chin up, chest out, and back straight; he makes sure to look dignified and smart, and to not look like a slob. He takes great care in dressing properly; he makes sure to wear classy and stylish clothes where he can, even if the situation doesn't really call for it. He loves styling himself after all, especially since merfolk don't usually wear clothes or dress up. He is most often seen with a faint smirk (which is practiced to the point where you can't tell if he's faking it or not). His smile is often pleasant but is also forced. He prefers to have a well-defined/accentuated figure, and tightens his belt often. He uses a transformation potion to maintain his human form. Transformation potions require government authorization and specialist supervision, and only medical mages can issue prescriptions for them. Licensed potion pharmacists are the only ones who can formulate them. Overall, it is a very highly regulated field which Azul takes great interest in (which is fitting, as it has to deal with him). To add to this, those who take these types of potions can undergo major physiological changes, which causes the treatment of their injuries to require more care - this is why it is illegal to practice medicine on them without a specialist license. He has to take it as prescribed. At first, it only lasted for three days max with one dose, but with recent advancements, one dose lasts for 7-10 days. He doesn't like the taste (because it's not very good in general) so he's happy that he can take fewer doses. In his mer form, he is bigger than Jade and Floyd; he has ashen gray skin, as well as eight tentacles arms where there should be legs. He seems more mature than the other second years. His voice is a practiced lilt, and he makes sure to sound as pleasant as possible. However, this sometimes makes others think that he is being "fake."

Personality:

At first, Azul seems friendly and willing to help others. However, this is all an act to lure people in to create a deal with him. He is well known around Night Raven College for these deals and his rumored abilities that allow him to grant any wish. He can convince almost anyone to sign a contract with him, as his deals seem to be completely in the other party's favor. However, he only makes deals with those that make him gain a benefit in the long run.

He is skilled in every aspect in the classroom. In addition, he can create study guides that accumulate test knowledge from the past 100 years, resulting in a study guide that can help people get really high grades with just one night of studying. He also has plenty of knowledge on study ideas for different types of people, so people who often struggle with their studying can always come to him for help. He also tutors Kalim from time to time and would be willing to help tutor others as well (for the right price).

He runs Mostro Lounge, which is a cafe/dining establishment at Night Raven College. Azul is often searching for ways to expand Mostro Lounge and/or ways to improve it (such as adding items to the menu). He loves thinking of ways to entice customers, and currently his point-card system is making him very pleased (with the system, you get one point for a 6-Madol drink special and 3 points for ordering something off the 15-Madol limited menu; once a person earns fifty points, they get a free consultation with Azul (the same as he did for his contracts - they can get more things by filling three point cards). He was able to open it after making a deal with Crowley in his first year to release all the students he had controlled then and give back all their powers.

He puts on a composed and polite facade, but his politeness does slip every once in a while if he is taken by surprise. However, he is quick to go back to being polite and composed.

He tends to play on other people's sympathies to get what he wants, especially when making deals... This helps him get what he desires easier.

He may seem extroverted, but he is truly introverted. Not many people know many deep things about him (and truly, the people who know the most are Floyd and Jade). Other than that, he always enjoys relaxing in the Mostro Lounge or VIP Room if there are no people around, and his own dorm room if there are. A long day of socializing and making deals with others can wear a person down, after all. Part of his introversion comes from his cautiousness in forming attachments with others, especially considering his backstory.

He definitely has moments of severe doubt and anxiety, as well as insecurity. However, he does his best to hide all of this, only showing it to the people he trusts most (read: basically only his family); he's a businessman, after all, and has to put up a good front. He still gets insecure over himself, but he's trying hard to ignore his insecurities and doubts. He has to be strong in order to survive in this society.

He enjoys thinking with his head, and even the games he plays mostly deal with strategy and thinking in general. Mindless games that rely on luck or nothing at all irritate him as they can be unpredictable. However, this in turn makes him want to make the game as predictable as possible (which, according to Idia, is very annoying during club meetings). He first joined the board game club due to Ortho introducing him to to a game that mimicked business strategies.

He analyzes everything carefully, and makes sure to think of all possible outcomes, which makes him enjoy games of strategy such as developing land, managing a business, or making a trade deal, or ones like chess. No doubt he almost always wins. These games also helped him have a greater nerve when taking risks, and helped grow his business skills.

Although he doesn't seem like he gets competitive, he can and will be if pushed there (mostly if Idia riles him up (especially if Azul loses in a game), but one simply needs to be condescending to him to make him competitive). This competitiveness can also make him stubborn, and focused on whatever he wants to do.

At Mostro Lounge, he generally spends him time in the VIP Room, only coming out if there is trouble. He gives orders to Jade and Floyd, but mostly trusts them (well, trusts Jade the most, anyway) to do their work. He does scold Floyd often, whether for being too rash or laying on the tables. He has forced Floyd to sit perfectly upright (in a seiza) for hours as punishment (and wouldn't hesitate to do it again)

He also spends some of his time trying to make his dishes and drinks look more presentable, whether by adjusting the ingredients or adjusting the plates that they are on. Sometimes he even adjusts lighting to fit in with the time of day.

He prides himself on having top grades in every subject, maintaining a rank in the top 10. He always puts an overwhelming amount of effort in whatever he does as he believes that there is no harm in putting forth effort, especially as it can leave a good impression on others. He loves Alchemy the best - especially since one can make gems or gold in that class. He loves that as long as you follow the procedure, nothing unexpected will happen. He enjoys learning high-level potions. (On that note, he is always wanting to get a higher score than Riddle, which he has not achieved yet). He is a really hard and diligent worker (though sometimes one might struggle to see that...)

He also takes pride on being a housewarden in his second year - he's in a position of power in a prestigious school, having control over a historic dorm. Now wouldn't that impress some people?

Due to him being an octo-mer, he's sensitive and wary by nature; this makes him unable to sleep in unknown locations. He's much more comfortable staying guard, even if that means losing sleep. However, he still wants to keep a good sleep schedule (it is failing haha-)

Powers:

Azul is a relatively slow spell caster, but he has precision and control. He's a pretty good person that can analyze situations and play support. He's calm and efficient, and prefers to assist those around him. He sometimes takes too much time in thinking, which could be a negative trait. He keeps a cool head when faced with curveballs, and makes sure not to overuse his magic (as his magic pool isn't large enough to sustain them, even though he utilizes a wide range of spells). He relies on his quick thinking, and is always cautious with his magic. He likes efficiency over speed. He has excellent control over his magic. He personally prefers using ice magic.

"I can grant any wish, no matter how far-fetched. Isn't that what the rumors say, and why you came here to me?"

Signature Spell:

Azul's signature spell, "It's a Deal," allows him to use a golden contract to grant a wish to the person who wants it in exchange for something they have, most often their prided quality or ability (either magical or physical). He mastered this spell at a very young age. The other person has to sign the contract for it to come into effect. If the person fails to fulfil the contract's conditions, they will be bound to work under Azul. Although he can take a person's power directly without using his contracts, he doesn't normally do this; doing so would cause rapid blot accumulation and cause him to overblot. In addition, doing this would cause the other person immense pain. The contract works as a limiter and basically helps Azul from overusing his magic. Also, absorbing power indiscriminately is designated as a forbidden class of magic; however, mers chosen by the mirror receive special allowances to grant them a human form in which they can attend classes comfortably. To fulfil a person's wishes, Azul can only do so much - he is limited by his knowledge, and can only fulfil terms that involve things he knows (as his signature spell doesn't automatically grant said wish). Therefore, he makes sure to grant wishes that take little to no effort on his part to do, such as making potions. Additionally, he makes sure to have the other person give something of high value to him. He is currently forbidden from taking anyone's powers again (even under contract) by Crowley.

Physical Power:

Physically, Azul doesn't have much power. He dislikes classes that involve Physical Education, and although he will try his best, he still is near the bottom. Flying classes are the worst for him as he cannot get used to nothing being under him except for the broom. In the water, there were more ways to maneuver himself... He is definitely thinking of creating a potion or something of the sort to help fly easier, but that's not high on his list of priorities right now. He is the one who struggles most with flight in his class (unsurprisingly, since it's only been little over a year since he started walking on land). His broom always flies off whenever he loses focus, so he needs to focus extra hard. In addition, he can barely fly straight - he's the only housewarden that can't fly. Despite all of this, he puts in an extremely high amount of effort and is able to get grades that are enough to pass the class. He claims that he does not dislike flight classes, and if you say he's not showing any effort, he'll get mad.

Background:

Being an octopus mer, Azul was a rare subspecies of mer. His limbs were in stark contrast to the pretty fins that all the other mers had, and add in him being chubby and a crybaby? There were loads of things that the little elementary schoolers had to bully him about.

Azul used to be very happy as a child before the words of the other people around him got to him. He was a sweet child, many teachers would describe him as "angelic."

However, around when he was seven years old, the little mers started seeing all the differences between them and Azul. "He's a slow swimmer." "He has ugly limbs, look at all the suckers he has! Haha!" "He's fat." "He spits out ink! Gross."

All these words weighed down on Azul and gave him many insecurities (that he still has to this day).

He gradually started to not go out and play (not that he had many friends to begin with), instead focusing all of his energy on studying and trying to be better than the other mers intellectually. He knew he couldn't catch up to the faster, stronger mers, but he thought that working hard on intelligence would be more beneficial to him. This worked as he was able to find his Signature Spell much earlier than anyone else his age. This spell was crafted specifically so he could get his revenge from his bullies.

He met Jade and Floyd while they were still in elementary school - they had always been in the same class as there weren't enough small mers their age to fill another class, but neither Floyd nor Jade had taken much interest in him. However, in the later years of elementary school, they had gotten to know each other a bit more and became friends.

It was also during the later years in elementary school where he developed his eating disorder. He started to force himself to eat healthier foods, even asking his mother for healthier recipes. He also counted his calories and weighed himself almost obsessively, always working for his "ideal" body type. It worked somewhat, as he did get thinner, but it caused his mental health and physical health to plunge, and that was a time when very few people saw his genuine smile.

Azul started using his signature spell in middle school, which was almost immediately found out by Jade and Floyd (much to Azul's disappointment). He wanted it to be a secret for a bit longer, after all. But it couldn't be helped; those two knew him best, after all.

He worked hard to erase all memories of his past, such as graduation photos with his "old self" in it. He also never forgot any of the remarks that the people at his elementary school told him, making sure to observe them before creating a contract with them. This allowed him to press on their weak points to get what he wanted (which was, most often, their prided quality). As there are not as many merfolk as there are humans, it was quite easy to keep track of everyone who had hurt him.

After coming to Night Raven College, he studied harder than ever. This was the first time he started making study guides for tests for others and creating contracts in exchange for them, and that went over successfully. He got a surprising number of guests considering it was his first time - they must have been pretty desperate.

Being at Night Raven College made him have an obsession with staying human. He's always working to see if he can figure out a way to change a transformation potion so that he can maintain his human form for longer periods of time, or one that can help him take less of the potion with still as large of an effect... (It's illegal but he doesn't really care as he's not actually making anything - though he wants to, of course). He's not sure what he should do, but he loves how he looks as a human. He thinks he looks slimmer this way, and this is making him feel more unhappy whenever he has to be in his octopus form.

Overall, he enjoys Night Raven College and can't wait to learn more things and make more money.

The overblot incident was an unfortunate thing to happen... But it had barely any effect on his record. So it doesn't bother him at all. It won't mess up his future plans. So he's totally not concerned about it (he is).

Family:

Azul has a very good relationship with all members of his family. Although his biological parents are divorced, the divorce didn't actually affect him very much; he still manages to spend time with everyone as much as he can.

He is very proud of how smart and resourceful his family is, and would most likely pick his family over his business (he might cry and be heartbroken while doing it, but still).

With his biological father, he doesn't get to see him much (they live in different parts of the Coral Sea) but he still enjoys talking to him every so often when they find the time in their schedules. However, his biological father also has a new family now (he started meeting someone while Azul was in his last year of middle school) so now he doesn't see his father that much as he doesn't want to mess with his father's relationship.

Azul loves his mother? She's one of his biggest inspirations. She manages a family restaurant, after all - it was one of the inspirations for the Mostro Lounge. However, the restaurant was more cute and for little kids than the refined Mostro Lounge. He has tons of respect for her, and she in turn loves seeing her son's achievements, and she invests in Mostro Lounge, giving Azul a bit of money if need be to cover costs. For the most part, though, Azu can handle himself, so that's not needed.

The restaurant was originally a small location owned and operated by her alone, but has now grown into the most famous restaurant in the Coral Sea. She is considering maybe branching off onto land to get more customers (and hopes Azul could help a bit if she ever does go with this plan).

Azul's mother loves him so much, she has a pile of baby pictures that Azul doesn't even know about (she never shows them) but she would show them to company if anyone ever came. (If Azul somehow finds out, he wouldn't even be able to edit them because Azul's mother would go on a rampage if she found out. And she will find out because while her son is out enjoying his dorm life, she takes out those baby pictures and cries seeing how cute he was when he was little and dependent on her.) She calls him her precious little pearl sometimes. Azul has tried to get her to stop calling him that (to no avail).

One of the major things that she gets mad about with Azul is the fact that he's obsessed with wanting to become human. She's a very practical woman, and she knows that whatever effort he tries will most likely be in vain. And, he has similar traits to one of the Great Sevens (and herself, as she is an octo-mer too)! Why should he want to change himself? She does get it, at least partly - but she still gets kind of annoyed when he brings it up. She just wants what's best for her son, after all.

Azul also used to help out at his mother's restaurant, whether it was helping prepare foods when he was little or giving ideas to his mother to help expand her business. It was here that he got a talent for analyzing ingredients in foods, mostly due to the fact that he would go with his mother to popular restaurants and cafes to test their foods and see if they could use those ideas to create new and better products. This is an instinct that has carried over to his management of Mostro Lounge, and he does check out any new food item in Sam's shop or the kitchen (if it is a food item that would appear in a cafe, of course). In general, he's pretty good at recognizing items by sight (like what basic type of drink something is, for example) but his abilities are even more showcased when he has a taste of the item, as he can list the various ingredients.

In addition, she would close down the restaurant on his birthday to have a special celebration. His family along with all of the staff were welcome to come (he didn't have many friends, and even Jade and Floyd never did get to go to the restaurant much, mostly because he still has pictures of his younger self there (which he's not certain if his mother will show or not) and he doesn't like that). The staff all love him like he's another child of theirs (he basically grew up surrounded by them) and many of them send him gifts. Obviously, the staff loves Azul's mother as well, and they have a fairly casual relationship with each other. At the parties, there was fancy decor and music, and his mother made sure to make a delicious meal for him with all of his favorite foods, making a bit more than was necessary. But it's for her sweet son, so who can judge? (Lately, Azul never finishes off everything, and it's been a worry of hers that he isn't getting enough to eat or that he's getting bullied again)

Azul's step-father is also another person that he respects a lot. Azul is not related by blood to him, but he thinks of him more as a father than his actual father. He and Azul's mother got acquainted during her divorce proceedings as he was the lawyer. Being a lawyer, Azul got taught all sorts of things from him about making contracts, the little pieces of information you should add to nudge toward a result that you want… All that. They spend lots of time together reading over contracts - Azul even suggests things that his step-father should add from time to time now that he's getting used to creating them. Azul's step-father is surprisingly nice and sincere, but he is quite the businessman and nothing slips by him. He wishes that Azul would follow in his footsteps and be a bit nicer to others (oh, but Azul is nice to others. Wouldn't you agree?)

Azul was an only-sibling, so he was kind of pampered while he was growing up. He loves his family a lot, but he still kind of wants a younger sibling. But he knows that that would cause him to lose the precious time he has with his parents about discussing business, so he also doesn't want siblings.

Azul's grandmother is a powerful mage (said to be one of the greatest mages in the world), and he can't even try to go against her. Azul always says "yes ma'am" to her just because she has really powerful magic and he respects her immensely. Of course, she would never use it on her darling grandson... But you could never be too careful. Although she did help out the less fortunate and the poor, often helping out her neighbors whenever they needed it, that didn't mean that she didn't have a temper. Better to be safe than sorry.

She was often the caretaker for Azul since Azul's mother was so busy, and she usually tended to spoil Azul, especially when he was younger. However, as he got older and she started to help him with his magic, he started to see more of her stricter side. Being with her was where he grew his love for Alchemy.

There are also rumors flying around that she's related to the great Sea Witch... But she denies everything. No one knows for sure whether she's telling the truth or not, though.

He doesn't open up about his family very often because he doesn't want them to be used in his contracts/otherwise taken advantage of. This is why he always speaks formally about his parents, and offers very little information about his backstory.

Likes:

Money, having power, fried chicken/kara-age (as well as other fried foods), looking at shipwrecks and old architecture, strategizing, going thrift shopping, affectionate gestures.

Dislikes:

Being indebted to someone, turning back into his octopus form, rude remarks, eating healthy foods, feeling helpless, useless, or dumb.

Extra:

He probably has memorized the Periodic Table (since he likes Alchemy? Idk)

He's probably a Choleric or a Melancholic

MBTI: ISTJ

He has undiagnosed anxiety, and has an eating disorder of some kind.

He used to hole up in an octopus pot whenever he was feeling sad so he didn't have to show anyone his tears.

He probably practices swimming better in his human form so he doesn't have to rely on his octopus form to get around in the water.

He and Sam are always fighting for customers. Sam is usually on the losing side when it comes to items similar to Mostro Lounge's, so he tends to try harder with the other items, such as regular supplies. Still, Azul is always looking for ways to expand, so Sam can never be too careful. Azul is always impressed by Sam's ability to stock up on expensive, rare, and nearly impossible to require items, though.

He has blackmail and secrets about most people in the school, especially those who had made deals with him. However, he wouldn't blab so openly about them... If you'd like to know, you need to have an adequate payment. (This blackmail can and will be used to force others into making deals with him.)

He can produce ink, but he mostly uses it to write contracts and spells (although he used to cry ink in the form of tears when he was younger - one could always tell when he had been crying due to the black streaks running down his face).

He also has venom, but it's not lethal enough in a bite to harm regular humans... However, with a high enough concentration, it could work. (He is not working on making something like this, where would you even get that kind of idea?)

He cannot camouflage himself, though he wished he had that ability when he was younger and trying to hide from the other merfolk. His octopus pot had to do, though.

He gets really annoyed when people use "octopi" instead of "octopuses" and it's an easy way for a person to get dragged into a lecture. Which is, you know, fun. (Also, he does not have tentacles. You are mistaken if you call his limbs that. They are called arms, limbs, or appendages.)

He enjoys reading to relax; mostly, he reads autobiographies from entrepreneurs - he borrows them from the school library and reads with the lights turned down low. He usually tends to read before he goes to bed. He also sometimes looks at his coin collection or decor to relax - it's needless to say that he finds his dorm room very comforting.

Coin collecting in particular has become fun for him, finding coins that are worth much more than their face value? It's so exciting. He has started visiting shipwrecks to try to find more of the coins - all in all, it is fascinating to him. He has around 200 coins in all, and he thinks of them as a sound investment if he ever gets bored of coin collecting. Although finding them is exciting, he also regularly sees if he can buy coins.

Similarly, he sometimes goes to thrift shops/second hand stores to see if there are any items of high value listed for a cheap price. He oftentimes resells items that he got (because he needs to make a profit) but sometimes he does buy items from those stores just for decoration or for him to have. It's rare, though.

Beds were another thing that was interesting to him when he first came onto land. They were really soft - a stark contrast to the hollows of shells and conches that he had slept in before. He doesn't really need a pillow (he uses whatever is recommended by the store), but he enjoys how soft they are.

If he could choose anyone for a brother, he'd pick Ortho. He's really sweet, cute, would care for his brother and he can do calculations, help with Mostro Lounge (as well as any other businesses he may create)... The list goes on.

If he could go to another dorm, he would choose Scarabia; the different culture and climate and such of the Scalding Sands interests him, as it is completely different than the Coral Sea (and the part he is from is particularly frigid, while Scarabia is known to be quite hot). Also, he would love to make connections to people from there so he can get high-quality products.

Every time they play a game in P.E., Azul tries to strategize. Especially if it's a sport (such as basketball, volleyball, football, etc), he knows he can direct others so his team can win without him getting in the way too much. He has a keen eye, he just isn't cut out for actually doing sports.

He rarely praises others honestly, so being praised by him is a great honor (or so he thinks - he would never say this out loud though).

Every time he goes on a trip, he has to research extensively beforehand. Every trip. But if he's been there multiple times, he doesn't research as much, just checks up on any new things that might have arrived.

He enjoys singing, and doesn't really care if he's in the spotlight or not. He doesn't do well when he gets a lot of praise about it though. He has obtained this power from one of his contracts.

He loves traveling by different modes of transportation! Public trains are not his favorite, but shinkansen (bullet trains) and airplanes are always enjoyed!

Time efficiency is key for him. So whether it be working on a plane, listening to an audiobook while walking, or immediately doing other tasks after finishing his work in class, he never has free time. Even if he seems like he has free time, that is all just carefully planned out according to his plan to entice customers.

When he has no specific plans, he does self-care for his mind and body. For his self-care of the mind, he tends to wake up early in the morning, grab a cup of whatever he's in the mood for at the moment, and read a business book or an economic newspaper, check the news, or see what is currently trending. He finds it intriguing and is an ingrained habit in him that he can't break. If someone told him to stay in bed and relax, he'd just get more and more anxious and feel like he needs to do something. For his self-care of the body, he does circuit training, alternating between weight training and aerobic exercises for his exercise. This is (hopefully) helping him improve his physical skills. He really hopes it is.

He used to dance a bit under the sea (in secret); he doesn't have the endurance to do it on land, though.

He didn't wear glasses while he lived under the sea, but after he came on land, he made a conscious decision to get them (both for seeing better and to make himself look smarter). He wants to get a different pair of glasses sometime for fashion's sake. (Every time he does any type of physical activity, his glasses slip and he is so close to just buying a pair of sports glasses to combat that. So close. (It's really comical)). He wouldn't usually choose round-framed glasses.

He's good at getting gifts; he will observe and think logically about what a person would like the most, and use his information network as well to help get a suitable item. Not that he gives gifts often, but still.

Halloween in the Coral Sea was a very... Interesting event. Unlike regular Halloween, there were no costumes. Every so often, merfolk disappeared due to ghosts or whatnot. To fend against this, there was music to prevent the ghosts from getting lonely and bioluminescent algae lanterns to stop mers from wandering into the spiritual realm. Unlike on land, Halloween with mers is less of a fun event and more of a thrilling one. However, there were some fun parts; Azul always enjoyed collecting shells and starfish for decoration, and still does; he loves finding rare types. He also made a craft for Halloween once when he was younger that his mother still has; she puts it out every year without fail. (Azul also loved the bottles of bioluminescent algae that were a staple for Halloween in the Coral Sea - he thought they were beautiful. Now, he's wondering if he can make something similar that's more vibrant and profitable... But as it is a seasonal item, he isn't fully certain if he should try to go for it.)

He used to enjoy mushrooms but now every time he eats them, he is reminded of the two weeks of nonstop mushroom cuisine (due to Jade).

He knows how to play the piano, and has played in a band with Jade and Floyd (with Floyd on the drums and Jade on the bass). The eventual reason why they stopped was both because Floyd kept speeding up the tempo or doing his own thing without warning, and Azul and Jade found it difficult when rehearsals were nothing like the real event (Azul got really annoyed with Floyd, but Jade just went with it - Azul half-jokingly thinks that this is due to "twin telepathy"), as well as Azul getting busy with writing his contracts. Despite all the trouble, both Jade and Azul were able to change their music to fit with Floyd's. They did have a lot of fun in the band. Azul does admit that Floyd is exceptional on the drums, as well as the other instruments that he can play. Azul sometimes records himself playing the piano to create original music for the Mostro Lounge to play (and to suit the ambience he wants to create). Overall, the experience with improvising from the band has helped him play better pieces. He has also studied Music Theory extensively, also seeing if people on land listen to different types of music. He used to use the music as a form of escapism when he was younger, playing melodies and writing lyrics.

Azul hates wasting food (coming from his business sense, perhaps?) and he tries to waste as little as possible, having compost bins (Jade may have pressured him into having them, but hey, it helps). He has also made a little garden of sorts to grow some ingredients that they use frequently.

He often gets put on planning committees at NRC; he enjoys this and always is trying to make the highest profit possible for Mostro Lounge and himself.

He follows by the saying "haste makes waste."

He's always cautious and wary of traps.

He has stock investments, which he checks on regularly; he enjoys reading the morning and evening papers that focus on world and economic news.

On his days off, he often leaves campus under the pretense of market research.

He hates getting protected because that would mean that he's seen as weak.

When taking tests, he always looks through the whole thing and starts with the problems that are worth the most points.

He has played some video games before (due to Floyd's insisting that he should do so) but he never took much interest in them unless they were dealing with business (which the type of games that Floyd chose weren't like that, so...)

He is currently abstaining from fried foods, but every time anyone offers him anything fried... He's half-drooling (not that he will show that) and hates himself every time he doesn't accept the offer.

He sighs a lot ("oh, the woes/struggles of a benevolent person")

He would rather not have candles on his cake as it ruins the presentation when you go to eat it (although he admits the candlelit flames can be pretty).

He doesn't understand pie-throwing for a birthday ritual; he wants to learn more about terrestrial customs, but he finds that many of them simply puzzle him.

He finds that many students become very reasonable once he puts on his dorm uniform... He finds this pretty amusing.

He always puts his right shoe on before his left shoe on the mornings he needs to be his best - it's mostly superstition, but one can never be too careful.

All of the furniture in Mostro Lounge is suited to Azul's tastes; saying they look bad would be akin to calling his taste in furniture bad.

Another interesting thing on land is cologne; he has a liking to it and enjoys researching different types to find even better ones.

He has studied how people on land dress (for quite some time), and the thing is - he usually loves formal and professional clothes. So you rarely find him in anything like a plain-colored t-shirt.

He still counts his calories, although not as obsessively as his middle school days. It bothers him that there are no calorie labels in the school cafeteria.

He hates the feeling of sweat on his skin - it makes him want to dive into the ocean to cool off.

He eats a proper diet, and makes sure that he gets all the nutrients he needs.

He was against camping in tents at first, but now he finds tents oddly soothing; they're similar to being in an octopus pot with how dark and snug inside they are.

He dressed up as a mummy for Halloween at Night Raven College mostly because he was unfamiliar with them (as it is impossible to be mummified underwater). He has accidentally tripped over the bandages.

He has sold off excess candy that he got at Halloween. It was a win-win situation.

He references dishes from his mother's restaurant for the limited-time menu for Mostro Lounge during holidays and other events.

He keeps his favorite coin in his pocket for good luck. It's not the one with the most value - it's the one he finds prettiest to look at. He takes great care not to misplace it.

He enjoys clothes with hoods, as he likes dark and confined spaces. He has also hidden in boxes as a child.

He enjoys intellectual work more than ceremony prepwork.

He enjoys the ceremony robes as more people take an interest in him when he is wearing them outside of school grounds.

He delivers lectures on efficient studying methods, and the sign-up sheet always gets filled.

He got prescription goggles for Alchemy (so he could see better and have eye protection).

He rarely uses writing instruments that make it hard to write a signature - after all, one never knows when one needs to make a contract.

He is absolutely amazing at making homemade medicine. Though it comes at a steep price.

He hates classes that are vague (such as Language Arts and art classes in general). He enjoys getting results that are clearly defined (such as classes in the science and math field). However, he still excels either way.

He thinks Alchemy is wonderful here because he can get so many different ingredients. (And add to that his access to private channels... He has so many experiments that he can try).

He usually uses parties as business opportunities.

He is often inspired by the Sea Witch and even has a snail shell badge on his hat after what she used to store her magic; he often wonders if he should store his own magic in the badge as well.

He often gets annoyed by Lucius (Trein's cat) because he won't be quiet. It's a waste of lecture time.

He hates stairs. He has tripped off of them multiple times when he started walking on land. And it always hurts painfully once he falls. At least his wind magic is good enough so he can right himself quickly, but still. It is such a pain.

He can use all of his limbs (eight arms + human arms) to write.

He's still trying to get Jamil to be friends with him. (Unfortunately, it isn't working.)

He has given a fancy cup to Idia for his birthday; on Azul's birthday, Idia has given him a board game that he's always wanted and played it with him.

He gave a shoeshine kit to Floyd for his birthday, and a large water tank (for use as a terrarium) to Jade; on Azul's birthday, Floyd and Jade pranked him (which happens every year). On a different occasion, they burst into his room and gave him a cake at midnight. Jade has also made a special brew of tea and given it to Azul (though he apparently looked very suspicious when he did that).

Ace has given a pillow (made of viscoelastic polyurethane foam) covered with a silk pillowcase to Azul on his birthday.

Azul gave some seasonings to Jamil for his birthday (that Jamil had wanted but never told anyone about)

Silver has offered to do anything for him on Azul's birthday because Azul lent him a textbook.

He's not good at dealing with the unexpected.

He dislikes Vargas because he does not perform well with tasks involving physical endurance, and Vargas is all about exercise/muscles.

10% of the profits from Mostro Lounge go to Crowley/the school.

Jade says that Azul can be "easily misunderstood" by those around him.

Azul has forbidden Jade from wearing a cute eel-motif T-shirt that Floyd got for him.

Drying up is fatal for mers.

He occasionally lends rare books to Sebek.

He gets along well with Ruggie as they both dislike losing money and insist on being compensated for anything they do, and dislike feeling indebted to anyone.

He enjoys having a room to himself; although he didn't mind sharing a room with the tweels as a first-year, he had to admit the pranks were tiring.

He is wary of gestures of goodwill and unconditional kindness, believing that people are kind to just get something they want from him.

He can talk with animals; this power was one he had obtained via contract.

He is quite strong in his octopus form, as octopi are pure muscle (according to Floyd).

Azul has multiple hobbies and serves on many school committees; he hopes that this will help him make more connections and find new avenues that could lead to new business.

All mers who want to live on land go on a "land boot camp" which is a month-long course where they are taught the basics of living on land such as the types of food, what fire is, the importance of clothes, how to breathe and how to walk. Most mers don't actually end up living on the surface even though many want to. (This boot camp was founded by a mermaid princess from the Coral Sea who married a land prince (from the Sunshine Lands) and wanted to prevent the culture shock that she had suffered - the Sunshine Lands and mers have maintained friendly relations ever since the marriage). It is an excellent volunteer-run organization that accepts mers from all ways of life, and if asked for, can provide transformation potions for free (but that is only for "promising youth"). Azul thought the offer was too good to be true, but he eventually realized that the founder did it out of the goodness of their heart. (There aren't many mers who want to go on land anyway, so they can cover the high cost without going bankrupt - still, they want more mers to use their services to spread kindness (as kindness leads to more kindness)). He put in an application there as soon as he got accepted into Night Raven College.

He memorizes both the revenue and gross profit from Mostro Lounge for each day.

He sometimes gets put into despair when he has only a few customers.

He and Jade share a healthy rivalry.

Jade helps inform Azul of what is going on in the school so he can keep track of everybody.

Floyd has hydrodipped one of Azul's hats before, and Azul was definitely not pleased about it; he magically returned it to its original state without even putting it on.

Rook has said that Azul has the makings of a fine hunter.

He would take any opportunity to get ahead of others.

He is not embarrassed to admit that he does not excel at exercising. However, this is a sensitive subject for him, as he often snaps at naturally athletic people and says things like "what would you know of my suffering."

He is good at bluffing.

He would never willingly do something to devalue the information he has, preferring to not do more than what is necessary.

He enjoys gathering intel.

He can be bribed fairly easily.

He wants to extend his business into Briar Valley, but he finds himself struggling to make connections with anyone in Diasomnia.

He loves making connections with others for future business, and he often tries to do this by doing favors for others.

Azul rarely lets people touch his contracts, if ever - he only entrusts them to Jade from time to time and panics if it seems like they will get damaged.

He runs the website for Mostro Lounge.

He sees the struggles he went through when adapting to life on land as a strength.

Azul often encourages Idia to take pride in himself as a dorm leader - he has a friendly & competitive relationship with him.

He became a housewarden around 6-7 months after the school year had started.

He will not give up on his dreams. Period. Some of his dreams include being valedictorian, opening a second Mostro Lounge branch, starting a delivery business, selling tableware, running a hotel, and getting into the leisure industry.

He's good at math, specifically Algebra. More specifically, Systems of Equations. He has to be good at them to calculate sales and whatnot, after all.

He dominates class discussions. It's not his fault, he has a lot of ideas and enjoys analyzing things.

He does tend to make fun of his underclassmen, especially if they tease him first.

He’s not super good at romantic stuff? He isn’t really used to it, after all, and social interaction was something that he sorely lacked during his childhood (including having crushes, obviously, because he was bullied and then focused on his studies). After getting a romantic partner (or before he confessed, or when he got a crush, etc), he watched a lot of romantic movies and read romantic novels to see how people would act with their romantic partner. He’s seen how his mother & step-father acts with each other, but he wanted to know more (for “research purposes”).

During the relationship, he’s a very very sweet partner, and he tries his best to take care of his partner and treat them well. He’s not big on PDA; he’s more affectionate when he’s alone with the person he loves. (His main love languages are acts of service and quality time, he’ll give gifts but he wants them to appear more thoughtful (so on special occasions, unless it’s like free drinks from the Mostro Lounge), and he does give some words of affirmation. Physical touch isn’t something he does often (his partner will most likely be more physically affectionate with him than he is)).

Character playlist:

#azul ashengrotto #twst azul ashengrotto #disney twst azul ashengrotto #twisted wonderland azul ashengrotto #disney twisted wonderland azul ashengrotto #azul #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #azul ashengrotto roleplay #azul ashengrotto rp #twisted wonderland roleplay #twst rp #twisted wonderland rp #twst roleplay #disney twisted wonderland rp #disney twisted wonderland roleplay #roleplay #rp #about #about Azul Ashengrotto #Spotify

[poirott]

Hercule Poirot's Iconic Look in Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989 - 2013)

One object beautifully sums up David Suchet's Hercule Poirot. The tiny "lapel pin vase", a metal brooch holding a cut-down flower, was present through much of the 24 years of the series. It is both a significant object from a particular story (The Chocolate Box), but also an emblem of Poirot's character. The Belgian detective is meticulous - in his detection, but also in his dress, in his groomed moustache and in his immaculate modern (for the 1930s) flat. - BBC News Magazine, November 15 2013

#poirot #hercule poirot #agatha christie #perioddramaedit #tvedit #david suchet #poirotedit #*edit #poirot 1x02: murder in the mews #poirot 5x01: the adventure of the egyptian tomb #poirot 5x06: the chocolate box #poirot 8x01: evil under the sun #poirot 10x02: cards on the table #poirot 11x04: appointment with death #the element of poirot's look i love the most is definitely the coat #the lapel coming 2nd on my list #love checking out which floral accent he's using in the lapel from ep to ep #the varying colors and styles of the flowers show he cares about details <3 #his cufflinks and ring match the vase stone

[supremeinlilac]

A Winter Surprise

Prompt: Something like where reader is an airline pilot and they haven't seen each other in a long time due to reader's work. So reader is coming home for the Christmas holidays and goes to pick up Cordelia from the academy in her pilot uniform coming straight from the airport. Maybe the people there don't know about reader so they're hella confused.

Reader takes Cordelia to Switzerland or somewhere else snowy to celebrate intimate Christmas together. Maybe the reader proposes there? Could you add some snowy walks, hand holding and window shopping and something else hella mushy and sweet? Like Cordelia has hearts for eyes 24/7.

Pairing: Cordelia Goode x Reader

Word Count: 4725

PART 2 HERE

A/n: Thank you once again for this AMAZING prompt!! I loved writing it, and I think it turned out even better the 2nd time lmaoo :) anyway this is going to have only 2 parts because I ran away with myself but I decided to merge the first 2 parts into this one lololol, the second part is a little soft smut because why not.

Also, I really haven’t proof read this, so please let me know if I’ve accidently left a note to myself in this haha. Anyway, I hope this is okay <33

You loved your job wholeheartedly, there was no denying that. It gave you room to experience everything you wanted, from travelling to new places that you could explore on days off, to seeing different cultures and learning languages. Plus, the feeling of being above the line of clouds, watching the earth move slowly beneath you never failed to draw in a breath of admiration. It gave you so much perspective, and helped to keep you grounded, for lack of a better word. Seeing the world below you, so small in the grand scheme of things made you appreciate everything.

You missed your girlfriend selfishly though. Your work as a pilot meant you might have to go months without seeing her and feeling her soft touch. It meant you’d both be frustrated and lonely in these times; which was starting to put a massive strain on your relationship. You’d argue while together about your work schedule, prompting you to take more shifts which never helped in the long run.

Christmas was coming up and you’d not seen her since the start of November, having been mercilessly booked with flights that left you across the world from her. You had planned to surprise Cordelia at Christmas. Well, it was more than one surprise you had up your sleeve; but the first was returning two days early to collect her. Zoe and Mallory were in on your heist, fully committed to handling the school’s affairs for two days for Delia to up and leave.

At your arrival at the academy, girls’ eyes lingered on you as you walked up to the heavy front doors. You supposed they weren’t aware of your job, having only seen you in civilian clothing. Smiling at their confusion, you rang the doorbell, falling backwards slightly to wait. Madison opened the door after a few seconds, eyes widening at your uniform and giving a short whistle. “Damn girl, looking good!” she chided, eyes flicking down your smart navy uniform. Her lips tugged up at one side and she waved her hand so you could enter. “I bet Delia loves a woman in uniform.” She teased; smirk set on her face as she swatted the back of your slacks when you passed. “She’s in the kitchen, I’ll go and get here.”

“No don’t. I’ll find her.” You stopped her with a hand on her wrist, wanting to find your girlfriend yourself. Madison straightened up immediately, hand coming up to her face in a mock salute. “Yes Ma’am.” She spoke seriously, before giggling and pulling you into a hug.

“I’ve missed you Y/n. You have a good time with Cordy, kay?”

“Missed you too Madison.”

Watching her disappear up the stairs before turning and heading for the kitchen. Seeing Cordelia’s shadow on the wall as you approached, you smoothed down the lapels of your uniform and stood against the doorframe. Delia had her back to you, stirring a drink and swaying to the music from the radio. You watched her, waiting for a time when she’d put the mug down so you could make your presence known without the fear of her burning herself on the drink.

Clearing your throat, her head lifted and she turned quickly, gasp leaving her lips and a momentary shock making her freeze. Snapping out of her trance, Cordelia practically threw herself onto you, arms around your neck as she took in your familiar scent.

“You told me you weren’t coming back until Friday!” she accused, grip not faltering on you as you held each other. Her hands stroked your hair when she finally pulled away, just enough to allow you to still hold her.

“I managed to get off early, I thought I’d surprise you.” You smiled when she pressed a lingering kiss to your forehead. Cordelia hummed in response, letting you know that she was most pleasantly surprised by your early return.

“Speaking of surprises… We’re going away for Christmas. I managed to pull some strings and get us some tickets” you started to dance with her, pulling her into a light rhythm as you laughed. “We’re going to Switzerland Delia!”

“A white Christmas?” She beamed at the vigorous nod of your head, head falling backwards and eyes closing, picturing the both of you in a warmly lit café by the snowy mountain.

“I love you and your surprises my dear.” She breathed, pulling you by the back of the neck into another kiss she spoke through the chaste kisses, “I’m glad- that- you’re- back.”

A group of the young girls came giggling into the kitchen, forcing you to part, blushing with your hands still together. They stopped when they saw you, silence falling over the space as they didn’t know what to do having interrupted your reunion. “Girls.” You spoke warmly to them, sensing their discomfort, and you pulled the Supreme behind you, past them.

Ascending the stairs to your shared room, you felt Cordelia’s gaze on your back, making you sway your hips slightly to tease.

“You look so good in that uniform baby girl.” She purred, eyes on your butt as you walked in front of her. A quick glance behind you saw the familiar glint of lust in your girlfriend’s eyes, and the smirk that painted her lips.

“But I think I still prefer what’s underneath.”

 You change into a favourite top of yours and jeans while Cordelia busied herself with packing on the bed beside you. She rambled about the happenings of the academy, everything you’d missed in your months absent, pausing on the packing when she’d reach an exciting bit, arms coming up to exaggerate the story.

You told her about the new countries you’d visited and which little romantic places you wanted to take her when she didn’t have so much business to care for anymore. You didn’t want to linger on the thought of what actually had to happen for the title of Supreme to be passed on; focusing instead on the beautiful places that you longed to take her, but probably never could.

After her initial shock of being offered a white Christmas abroad with you, her responsibility to the school ebbed her back into her senses. “But how am I going to run a school if we’re abroad?” she questioned, her perfectionism spiking as she started to worry, “not to mention my duties as Supreme. There’s just too much to think about. What if-” you’d cut off her upcoming rambling with a lengthy kiss, which she relaxed into; eventually giving in to you.

Describing how Zoe and Queenie had offered to run the school in her absence, insisting how competent they’d become and that Delia had helped form them into wonderful young ladies during their time at Miss Robichaux's. Myrtle had spoken to the board on your behalf, stating how Cordelia needed a break in order to be at her best for the order, and how this would be the best thing for everyone. She’d goaded at the men who’d disagreed, saying sarcastically that it was only for two weeks and if they couldn’t control things for that amount of time then they should rethink their position there.

Closing her case with a snap of the clasps, she smiled, having made up her mind. “It is only two weeks.” She agreed with a nod of her head, sliding up to you and tilting her head. “But we can do a lot together in that time” she kissed you, hands at your waist and a glint in her eyes before walking away. You whined at her pulling away, grasping at the fabric of her blouse.

“There’ll be plenty more time for that, sweetheart. Now where did I put my shoes?” She asked, squeezing your chin once before ducking to look under the bed. You picked up the shoes by the door and pushed them into her hands, lifting her case and wheeling it through the door.

Cordelia insisted on speaking to the older girls before you departed, quizzing them on the class rota and giving them a folder which she said contained detailed lists of what needed to be done, which some of the girls shared knowing glances at one another at. You had to practically pull her away lest she overwhelm the girls; or get too anxious over what may happen in her absence and decide it would be better to simply stay.

 On the plane Cordelia sat by the window and you beside her; you had the pleasure of such a view on a daily basis. The plane was relatively quiet for this time of year, almost half the seats remaining unoccupied as it took off, meaning you had the row empty, and where somewhat private.

“Why do you have a list of things you do everyday? When you do them everyday?” you grinned across at your organised Supreme who had opened a Sudoku puzzle and was staring at it with concentration, tongue poking out between teeth.

“You never know when your lady knight in shining armour is going to whisk you away on holiday, now, do you?” bumping her shoulder with yours, eyes still on the puzzle. “Helps to be organised, is all. And hey! It came in useful didn’t it?”

 Leaving the airport, you pulled your coat tighter around yourself, a shiver prickling over the exposed skin at your neck. The view was already breath taking, you heard Cordelia gasp next to you as she set her case on the ground and raised her head. The snowy mountains peaked in the distance over the buildings of the small city which held the airport. Everything was bright; blindingly so as the sun breamed onto the snow covering the house and pavements.

“It’s gorgeous, my love.”

“Just wait till we get to Zermatt, D.”

You’d booked a small cabin house in Zermatt, a quiet town in Switzerland that your co-worker had recommended. He’d said it was never too busy, which would make it perfect for your intimate winter trip with Cordelia that you’d gushed about. You took the single mountain train that took you into the town, faces pressed to icy windows at the views.

The train journey was short into the town, filled with surprised gasps and pointing out animals that passed. You let your head rest on Cordelia’s shoulder, fingers laced with hers as you both took in the passing snow topped trees and vast frozen lakes. After about 20 minutes of stretching mountains, the train pulled out to reveal your pretty little town of lights.

“There it is.” You pointed to Cordelia, and she let out a small noise at the sight of where you’d be staying. In the dusk of the evening, the town was illuminated by a warm orange glow of cabin house lights, mountains looming behind and enveloping the town in a calm nook of the valley. Pine trees scattered through the cabins, leading to a forest off to the side of the town, climbing into the mountains.

“It’s so beautiful. How did you know about this place?”

“My co-pilot, Mark, do you remember meeting him at that fancy Houston party?” Cordelia nodded, eyes still trained on the town we were now looming in on. “He saw me searching for places and recommended a few places that would be quiet. Said that it pays to be a pilot; you know about the most beautiful places that no one else does.”

 When you arrived at the cabin, giddy with excitement from the built up of the trip, Cordelia wasted no time with using her magic to transport your bags inside so that you could look around. The wooden floors creaked beautiful under foot, socks slipping slightly in your haste to see the rooms. There was a cosy living room with a fireplace and a note saying that wood had been stocked out the back, and soft sofa’s with plush red throws draped over the back. The kitchen was old fashioned with a wooden island, and the walls decorated with wintery scenic photography.

The house was warm, and through the door towards the back of the floor you were met with tiled flooring and large wooden beams covered in hanging fairy lights. The hot tub sat in the middle of the room, the ceiling a gaping glass sheet so you could look up to the sky, framed cinematically with snow dusted trees and the shimmering lights.

Cordelia called you back from your slight daze at the rooms, to follow her voice through to the bedroom. She was lazed on her side in the middle of the bed, seductively stroking the blanket and winking. You laughed at her antics, “we’ve only just got here D, you can’t always be in the mood.”

She grinned, sitting up and pulling you down to straddle her, bopping you on the nose and squeezing your cheeks. “For you, my darling. I am always in the mood.” You blushed, squirming on her lap before forcing yourself to move off her and grabbing her hand.

“Come on, you have to see in this room!” you voiced enthusiastically, practically dragging her after you in your hurry to show her what you’d found.

After having explored the cabin thoroughly you both showered, scrubbing off the feeling of travel from your bodies, before pulling warm clothes on and skipping out of the door with hands held to explore the small town under the hood of the afternoon, sky just beginning to darken as the sun dipped behind the mountains.

The town was so peaceful and warm, despite the snow, due to the glow of the lights and the eery lack of the quiet hum of traffic and bustling crowds. Houses looked too perfect with the undisturbed layer of snow that coated the rooves and painted a scene of perfect calm. You and Cordelia had your faces pressed against the glass of one of the small shops, watching a intricate wooden music box tinkling on the display stand, hands linked as she pulled you inside.

The tiny high street contained a small selection of these shops, selling little trinkets to the few tourists that found themselves inhabiting the cabins in winter. Cordelia had bought you a little pendant necklace with your birthstone embedded into, which she’d told you she’d get engraved back home with your initials. You couldn’t help but go back to the store the next day, alone under the guard of getting alcohol from the shop while she ran a bath, and purchasing her the same necklace with her own stone in. You thought she’d appreciate the notion that you both held something so close to your heart that the other also had next to theirs; a reminder that even when you were away for work, you’d always be there.

Eventually, you both found yourself in a cosy little café, nestled in the back in a two-person booth, warm in the glow of the wooden cabin. In an attempt to rid your bones of the deep chill that had settled throughout the day, you ordered steaming hot chocolates with cream and marshmallows. They’d come promptly, and you thanked the waitress before sinking your chin into your hands to stare admiringly at the woman opposite, only to find her in much a similar position, having been beaming, watching you interact with the serving staff.

Cupping the mug with both her hands, shoulders hunched under her chin, Cordelia sipped at the drink, leaving a small line of cream on her upper lip as she set it back down on the table. You smiled goofily at her, reaching to thumb the offending cream from her face, before setting it between her lips to clean off.

“You’re cute.”

“Says the one with a whipped cream moustache.”

You bickered playfully back and forth, feet kicking under the table as you sipped your hot chocolates and ate flapjacks. A warm fuzzy feeling settled in your stomach at the two of you simply relaxing and drinking together; you realised it had been a long time since you’d both been so carefree and without worry to just enjoy the others company.

 The morning sun shone onto the tracks left by your boots in the deep snow behind you, as you both trudged down the unkept pathway towards the secluded train stop. Excluding the small indents of a foxes paws; yours are the only prints that marred the otherwise perfect snow, creating the eery illusion that you were the first to have stepped foot there at all. Cordelia's hand found yours in your coat, fingers linked in the pocket of warmth in the surrounding freezing air. Wisps of condensation danced in front of you at every shivered exhale.

Snow fell peacefully around you as you both talked, speaking in hushed voices as if you would disturb the tranquility; like a pebble into a glassy pond. The sounds around you almost seemed muffled by the soft pillowy snow that enveloped the tree branches and make them bow towards the  ground. Delia gushed about how she'd never seen such beautiful views and how she couldn't get over waking up next to you and seeing the snow counted mountains in the distance out of the window.

You bit back the desire to reach down and pack the snow tightly into a ball, or fall backwards into the blanket and make a snow angel right there, smile wide as you’re returned to a childlike state of excitement and innocence in the presence of snow.

The red paint of the train peeked through the trees ahead of you, stark and conspicuous against the bright white of everything else. Cordelia let out an animated giggle as she set of towards the clearing, pulling you behind her with breathless mumbles of encouragement.

“Come on, what do we want? Front or back?”

The carriage seats were soft and plush as you settled against them, breath steamy against the cool glass when you pressed warm cheeks against it. It was peaceful, you were both among the silent few on the first train of the day that lead to the summit of the looming Gornergrat. The train rumbled beneath you as it became alive, shuddering as it slowly pulled away from the stop, wheels moaning in ached protest as it began its ascent.

Your fingers tingled at the change of temperature on the train, colour blooming back into paled cheeks at the comforting warmth. You both shed gloves and scarves to the seat opposite, hands brushing lingering snow from hats and shoulders as to avoid them melting and seeping invasively into cold clothes. The Supreme took your hand between hers, cupping it and bringing it to her face to blow warm air into her palms, rubbing the numbing cold feeling from one hand before repeating the action on the other.

Out of the window, you could see the rest of the train curl around the corner of the mountain in front of you, the drop into the valley below steep and dangerous just to the side of the track. Cordelia loved to look down into the vast space below, seeing the miniaturized trees and cabins, just the thought of the sheer height made your stomach clench uncomfortably and your head spin, clutching to your girlfriend’s hand. You knew that this feeling was irrational; you spent everyday up thousands of feet above the clouds, piloting planes, but then you had full control of the situation, knowing that nothing could go wrong. This was different.

It started to snow just before the train pulled up at the peak of the mountain, giant dancing snowflakes whirling through the air and turning the sky white with their abundance. You both shrugged hats and scarves back on and shoulders hunching protectively as the door swung open, leaving at the mercy of the elements outside.

Algid winds nipped sharply at your cheeks as you stepped off the train, spontaneous tears forming at the invasive breeze on your face. Cordelia’s hair whipped wildly around her face, only stilled slightly with her hat, framing her excited eyes as she turned to you, smile wide and hands up in the air as if reaching for the sky.

The snow was deep as you trekked the short distance towards the viewpoint, snowfall easing as you reached the edge, clearing the sky in front of you to reveal the clear views that spread before you. Cordelia reached the fencing first, turning to wave a hand to hurry you up and join her.

At the viewpoint, you both let collective gasps leave your lips at the panoramic scenery. 5000 feet above the tiny orangely lit town where you’d been mere hours before. Necks craned to see better, your finger pointing and enthusicastically shouting that you could see your cabin below; a pinprick of brown against the background of overwhelming, white-washed landscape.

Breathless at the sheer view you’d been gifted with of the Alps and the Matterhorn, you both fell into a deep silence. You knitted your brows together, looking forward as you felt in your pocket, breathing deep and building yourself up in your mind to do what you had planned this whole trip for.

“I am so sorry that my job causes me to be so absent.” You mused, elbows coming to rest on the bar of the viewpoint. You both continued to stare at the views as Cordelia mirrored you, elbows leaning on the bar. “Baby, we all have to work. I’m just glad we get to-”

“I quit my job.” You blurted out, causing her to stop and turn to face you. “You what?” Staring at you from behind wide eyes, you repeated yourself, finally tearing your eyes from the winter view to glance at Cordelia. The surprise on her face was not well hidden, neither was the fact she was saddened to hear that you’d quit the job you’d once dreamed of.

“You don’t need to that my love. I know it makes you happy.” Her gloved hand came to hold yours, eyes sincere as she squeezed your hand in hers.

“I got a new job. Its seasonal so I only have to work January through March and then September. Its better than what we’re doing now, right?”

Cordelia nodded, turning to face you. “That gives us so much more time together; thank you.” You fiddled in your pocket to retrieve you phone, having to strip your hands of the warm gloves that covered them to unlock it. You had told Delia that you wanted to show her something on it, but you accidently let the device slip from your fingers and into the snow by her feet, disappearing into the layers of snow.

“I’ve got it.” She assured you, and you let her crouch down to retrieve your phone, slipping down yourself behind her. She straightened up and turned around, smile faltering as she took in your position. “Y/n.” She warned, voice wavering and eyes darting to look for other people that may be nearby. “What are you-”

“I love you Delia. I love you so much and I know that you love me too.” Her hands came up to her mouth when she realised that you weren’t joking, eyes filled with adoration as she listened.

“The moment I knew that I would follow you anywhere, and that you were the one; my only one, was when you looked after me in March when I had that Spanish flu. I couldn’t leave the bedroom in case I passed it onto the girls, and you stayed with me the whole time, caring for me when I was too weak to do it myself.” Cordelia was crying now, beaming through tears which she kept wiping away with gloved fingers, and nodding along with you words.

“Well this is me staying, D, I want to stay with you for the rest of our lives. I love you.” She mouthed ‘I love you too’ back, head leaning to the side slightly as she wanted nothing more than to pull you into a hug and never let you go.

“I love that you make me whole, and that when you smile, I feel like I might actually die, because you’re so beautiful Deils. I love that you are nothing like Fiona, and that you stick up for me, and that we make memories together and that my most beautiful moments are with you.”

“I can’t wait to have moments just like right now for rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”

You slowly opened the box to reveal the ring that glimmered against the harsh light of the sun; eyes lifting to meet Cordelia who was staring at you unwavering, hands clasped at her chest. She was nodding fervently, laugh bubbling out through her smile as she pulled you up into her by your hands.

“Yes, my darling. Yes of course I will!”

After shakily slipping the ring onto her finger, relief and happiness drawing fresh tears upon both of your cheeky; you let Cordelia admire it against the background of the mountains. Rising onto toes to press a lingering kiss to her temple, her fingers sprayed apart as she held them up to the light.

“Come here you.” She coaxed, fingers wrapping round the back of your neck and drawing you into a passionate kiss. It was the ultimate memory, to kiss, now newly fiancés at the peak of a snow-capped mountain in Switzerland.

 Returning from outside, Cordelia lit the fire with a dexterous flick of her wrist, settling down on the couch with a sigh. Her legs spread across the whole couch, back resting at one end. Her eyes searched for you, twisting to look down the corridor at you walking towards her.

“Come here baby.” She cooed; arms extended towards you in invitation for you to settle between. You gave her a quick peck on the lips and a gentle squeeze before lying between her legs and resting your head against her shoulder, nuzzling your face sideways into her neck, inhaling the lingering smell of her perfume on her pulse point.

She wrapped her arms around you, and you let out a surprised squeal as she pressed her cold palms suddenly against the warm skin of your stomach, muscles rippling instinctively under her touch. “Sorry baby.” She apologised, placing a kiss to the hair on the crown of your head before letting her chin rest there.

“It’s okay, I just wasn’t expecting it” you giggled, relaxing again as her fingers drew absentminded patterns on your torso, her breath tickling the hair atop your forehead as she exhaled.

You both sat in the comfortable silence that enveloped you, having been apart for so long you basked in the fact you can simply hold one another and just exist. Cordelia’s thumb brushed softly against your own knuckles and you hummed in appreciation at the candidly loving action.

That night, Cordelia found herself propped on her side, head lying on her bunched-up pillow and allowing herself a quiet moment of observation. She missed these simple aspects of your presence. The comfort you brought her, even in sleep as she watched your chest rise and fall evenly and undisturbed.

You stirred slightly, face scrunching up momentarily before relaxing into a peaceful expression again, making Cordelia hold her breath to not wake you. Hair had fallen to block you face so she reached out delicately to tuck it back behind your ear, her eyes brimming with tears that she gets to simply watch you sleep like this.

Overwhelmed with her love for you beside her; she fell into a rhythm of her thumb on your cheek, tracing the freckles and light marks that marred your skin beautifully. You always expressed your dislike for these, but Cordelia would always silently shake her head in objection, knowing you would believe her voiced adoration.

“When did I get so lucky?” she whispered, leaning forward to brush lips lightly over yours before returning to her pillow and hooking an arm over your hip.

Dipping into sleep, she found herself vowing to prolong her reign as Supreme for as long as she could, never wanting to leave you alone and vulnerable. Especially while you slept, she thought. You look so pretty when you sleep. So pretty. She drifted off, arm draped protectively over your waist, pulling you closer in sleep.

#sarah paulson #cordelia goode #sarah paulson x reader #cordelia goode x reader #ahs #american horror story #ahs apocolaypse #ahs imagines #sarah paulson imagines

[wowweeharrystyles]

Part 13 | Nerves & New York City | 9.7k words

‘Sequins & Zippers’ Summary: An internship with Harry Lambert transformed into a job of a lifetime - Aurora Del Gatto finds herself touring the world with the one & only Harry Styles as his ‘Head of Wardrobe.’ Aurora is nothing but nerves & excitement as she packs her bags & almost 100 custom designer suits that belong to an unbelievably kind rockstar. She never thought she’d fall in love on top of it all.

a/n: here it isssss, thanks for being patient with me y’all. hope you enjoy 💕 

Sequins & Zippers Masterlist

General Masterlist

Don’t forget that reblogs help writers out a ton !!! 

love y’all, mean it. 

“Aren’t you warm in those corduroy pants?” Aurora asks Harry as he comes over to take a swig of water from the bottle she has sitting on the seat next to her. 

“Trying to get me to take off my trousers, love?” Harry quips back as he untwists the cap. 

“You’re annoying, you know that right?” She says before she adjusts the leg of her old worn out jean shorts and brings the straw of her iced coffee to her lips. “But seriously, I’m just sitting out here and I’m warm, how can you not be in those pants?” 

“I’m fine Ror, really.” 

“Whatever you say,” she singsongs, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. 

The sun is shining bright in the almost cloudless sky. Harry is playing catch with Mitch and Adam and a few crewmembers jump in and out of the game as the morning turns into afternoon. Harry was excited to be back at Hersheypark Stadium and the seasoned crewmembers were too, with it being the only outdoor stadium in the entire tour. 

Aurora has never loved the heat much, though. Between the inevitable sunburn she always gets no matter how diligent she is with applying sunscreen and the chaffing of her thighs from shorts that always end up riding up while she walks, she finds it hard to focus on how the sun feels on her skin. She finds it even harder whilst just watching Harry run around in those lilac corduroy pants. She doesn't find it hard to watch as his t-shirt pulls from where it’s trying to stay tucked into the waistband, his laurel tattoos peaking out every so often when he reaches up to catch the baseball. She hides her lingering gaze behind her sunglasses and her smirk around the straw of her coffee. 

Aurora’s phone ringing pulls her out of her stupor and she shakes her head as she watches Harry run off to catch the stray ball that’s flying through the air. 

“Hi mom!” Aurora answers her phone. 

“Hi Honey, how are you?” 

“I’m good, we’re in Philly right now, trying to enjoy the sun and beautiful day as much as we can before getting to work.” 

“Good, you shouldn’t be working too hard anyways.” She can tell her mom is smiling through her voice. “I was just calling to confirm our plans and such for NYC.” 

“Oh yeah of course! I’m so excited to see you and dad!” 

“We’re way more excited to see you, trust me,” her mom laughs.

“Yeah so, we should get to NYC on the 19th and we can get into our airbnb around 1pm.” 

“Ror, are you sure you want us to stay with you? We can just travel back and forth or get our own hotel room.” 

“No mom, I asked to get an Airbnb so we could stay together. Haven’t seen ya in since March, I wanna spend time with you!” 

“Well, what about Harry?”

“He'll probably stay with us, if that’s alright. He’s got a handful of stuff to take care of while we’re in the city, a few meetings and friends to see, but he’s coming to dinner with us on the 20th. Wants to do the whole official meet the parents thing,” Aurora explains and her mom can definitely hear by the tone of her voice that she said it with an eyeroll. “Then I thought we could go back to the airbnb and play games or watch a movie, just a normal family night. I think Harry would like to be a part of that.” 

“Why do you say it like that?” 

Aurora pauses before she answers. “Just think he’d like to have a relaxing night, something more normal than ordering room service or a business meeting, some real family time.” Aurora looks up from the chipped polish on her fingers and meets Harry's eyes across the open aisle of seats. They mirror each other's smiles. “2 nights at MSG are a big deal. I-I, I just know how he gets and I don’t want him to stress too much or be alone the night before.”

“We can do dinner a different night,” her mom suggests

“No, no, he’s the one who asked to do it that night in the first place.” 

“Oh okay, dinner and games night it is.” 

“Great, and then the next day is MSG night 1 and I thought I’d show you around the arena and what that's kinda like. They’ll be food at the arena but you can go out for dinner if you want. You’re still planning to leave the next morning, yeah? You can stay for the 2nd night if you want, I have spare tickets.” 

“Okay sounds good. No, go ahead and give those tickets to someone else. Your dad and I have to get back, he has to leave for a conference later that day,” her mother responds before going on about the different places her and Aurora’s dad have planned to go to. Even though they live fairly close to the city, they don’t go as often as they would like and have a list of their favourite places they always have to stop by. Aurora knows she’ll definitely be tagging along to the Fabric District with her mom as some point too. 

Aurora entertains her mother on the phone for a bit longer before she starts to notice crew members getting back to work, Mitch and Adam retreating to the air conditioned trailers and then Harry coming to sit next to her, finishing off his water. 

“Mom, I gotta,” she starts as Harry presses a kiss to her head, “I gotta go. Gotta get to work.” A kiss to the back of her ear. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.” A kiss to the vein in her neck causes her shoulder to rise to her ear. “Love you, mom. Bye!” A kiss to the base of her neck, near her collarbone. “You’re annoying,” Aurora barely says before Harry kisses her square on the lips. She giggles when he pulls away and stands up, grabbing her hands and pulling her with him. 

“Come on, I’ve gotta train and you should get out of the sun.” Aurora looks at him with a questioning look. “You’re getting a little pink,” he says sweetly as he presses his finger to her shoulder and they watch as the spot turns white and then to a bright pink. 

“Oh great,” she says. 

Harry laughs lightly and wraps his arm around her shoulders lightly as they walk towards the side of the empty stage and back towards the trailers. 

The sunset surrounds the entire stadium, a baby pink and orange glow creates the most beautiful lighting and only adds to the overall energy of the audience. Aurora can’t help but gaze at Harry and watch him watch the crowds that have come out to see him. He’s left his mint green suit jacket in his dressing room and rolled up the sleeves on his white shirt. The lens of his sunglasses glow golden as he adjusts them on the bridge of his nose. A familiar intro of a song starts and Aurora walks over to stand next to him. 

“Ya know,” Aurora starts, knocking her hip against Harry’s, “if I weren't standing here next to you, I’d definitely be in the audience at one of these shows, singing along to ‘Olivia’ at the top of my lungs with a drink in my hand.” 

Harry tosses an arm over her shoulder as he continues to look into the audience from the makeshift backstage area. He sets his red solo cup down on top of one of the large black crates. “Would you now?” 

“Sure would.” Harry tightens his arm around Aurora’s shoulder and tucks her in closer to him. 

It’s not until they head back into his trailer to get his suit jacket that he teases her more about it and kisses her to make up for it. 

“Why’s it that I’m wearing a pastel suit but the jacket you’re wearing is black?” 

Aurora looks down at her clothes. High waisted jean shorts, a cream silk tank that’s tucked in and a less conspicuous suit jacket. Harry’s black suit jacket to be specific. She had taken the black Gucci jacket with her to take to the dry cleaners after the Ft Lauderdale show and it hadn’t made it back to the wardrobe cases yet. 

“Well you only have one mint green suit and you need it tonight, so I thought I’d borrow this one instead.” Harry hums, a smirk quirking up one side of his mouth. He takes the lapels of his jacket and opens up the right side to take a look at the label sewn in. ‘Gucci’ is embroidered into the patch and underneath is Harry’s name. He hums again, a full smile flashing at Aurora now. 

“You’ve always enjoyed seeing your name on me,” Aurora barely whispers. Harry’s hands move from his grip on the jacket to sneaking around Aurora’s waist underneath said jacket. His lips fall to her neck and the sounds of the crowd wash away for a moment. She giggles from the featherlight touch. 

There’s a knock on the door. Without a doubt it’s the stage manager needing Harry to get his mic hooked up. Harry groans and drops his head to her shoulder. 

“Come on,” Aurora starts, “you’ve got a show to do.” She pulls his head from her shoulder and adjusts his jacket one last time before pushing him out of the trailer. 

Aurora watches the show from near the edge of the floor, leaning against one of the cement barriers. She pulls the jacket around her tighter as the night breeze comes through. Aurora’s heart swells when Harry picks a little girl out of the audience from in front of him at the B Stage. 

“Do you have things in your ears? You’re very small,” Harry asks, accent thick. The crowd echoes in ‘aws’ and Aurora can’t help but smile. “Are you okay?” He asks next, accent still thick but voice pitched up an octave. “Having a good time? Good.” 

He sings ‘Sweet Creature’ and Aurora can’t help but think about how he might react with her little cousins or maybe the kids of his friends. Then she thinks about how she might get to witness that and has to stop herself from letting her mind run totally free and reaching the idea of what a family of their own would look like years down the road. 

| | | | | 

The doorbell rings as a text comes through Aurora’s phone. Her parents are here. She looks at Harry, whose nerves are written on his face and it could be from a number of reasons. Aurora caresses his face for a moment, meeting his eyes and then kisses him softly before the doorbell rings again. 

“Relax, it’ll be okay,” she tries to ease. 

“Easy for you to say.” 

“Now you know exactly how I felt when I met your mom,” she trails off as she reaches for the door. 

“Rory!!” her mother exclaims as she walks through the now open door. Her mother tosses her bag on the bench in the small walkway and hugs Aurora tightly. 

“Hi mom,” Aurora says, voice muffled against her shoulder. 

“Aurora!” her father greets her next, waiting for his wife to let go of their daughter so he can greet her properly. 

Aurora’s mom pulls away and goes straight to introduce herself to Harry. She hears the interaction while she hugs her dad. 

“Harry, dear, so happy to finally meet you!” 

“Pleasure’s all mine, Mrs. Del Gatto.” 

When Aurora pulls away from her dad she introduces him to Harry and they exchange a handshake. Aurora doesn’t miss the tough face her dad tries to put on and Harry’s nervous smile. 

Harry’s phone rings and he reaches in his pocket to turn it off quickly after glancing at the caller ID. Aurora knows it’s Jeff. It’s always Jeff. 

“Harry actually has to head to some meetings,” Aurora says. 

“I’m really sorry and hate to leave but my manager tries to get in as many meetings when I get a day in a major city, especially in New York,” Harry explains. 

“No worries at all, dear,” Aurora’s mom eases. 

“I’m all clear for dinner tomorrow night and hopefully can join you beforehand,” Harry says as he grabs his bag from the couch in the living room only a few feet from where they’re standing. Harry reaches for Aurora’s mother and kisses her on the cheek, “Lovely to meet you. And you, sir,” Harry nods at Aurora’s father. Harry turns to Aurora who is still standing near the door. 

“Have a good afternoon of meetings. Just text me if anything changes, yeah?” 

Harry nods before kissing her lightly, his free hand squeezing her hip. When he pulls away from Aurora he takes a moment to look at her and then tucks a tendril of hair behind her ear. 

“Love ya,” he rushes out when he’s halfway out the door and Aurora blushes before saying it back. 

| | | | | 

- Meeting #3238734823 done. How’s your day so far? - 

- hahaha how many more to go? Mom and I dragged Dad to the fabric district so I’m doing great-

- hm about a million more to go, it feels like. Haha wish I was with you. - 

- Harry, if you were here I would be making you choose fabric to make you a new suit. - 

- wait, can we make that happen even though i’m not there?” - 

- uhm, DONE.- 

- done deal. Okay, heading into meeting #3238734824. I’ll call you when I’m heading your way. -

“Is that Harry?” Aurora’s mom asks as she tries to peak over her shoulder. 

“Yeah, he was just between meetings.” 

“Doesn’t seem like he gets much time off.” 

“Well, not so much right now, I guess. Being in the city makes it a perfect time for them to get some stuff out of the way. He normally actually has days off. Anytime it’s not a show day he gets to do whatever he pleases.” 

“Whatever he pleases?” she asks accusingly. 

“Mom…” Aurora groans. “I know it’s your job as a mom to be skeptical but please have an open mind.” Aurora’s mom purses her lips. “He’s good. Really good. And by ‘Whatever he pleases’ I mean he gets to make his own plan and decision and luckily for me, most of the time it’s something with the 2 of us, or we hang out with his band or the crew.” Aurora sighs, now. “I get that his life is totally different, but you gotta be open minded, Mom, please. He’s trying so hard and you purposefully trying to find things that are wrong won’t help you or us.” 

“You’re really serious about him, aren’t you?” Aurora nods sheepishly. Her mom can read her daughter almost too well and she realises she hasn’t taken the time to do so enough now that they’re together, in person, right now. The thought of her baby, her youngest, traveling the world with a boy, who is a stranger to her (no matter how famous he is), is terrifying to her as a mother, but she sees that she needs to get past that. “I’m sorry, I promise not to jump down his throat. I can see how important this is for you both.” 

“I really don’t want to add anymore stress to him and he so badly wants you to like him but if you’re going to pick him apart, I can’t put him through dinner.”

“Rory, honey, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be this way. I seriously promise not to add to his stress.” 

Aurora sighs, for what feels like the millionth time in the past 5 minutes. “Thank you. I just want so badly for you to like him.” 

“If he makes you happy, really truly happy, then I trust you and will love him.” 

Aurora drops the basket in her hand and wraps her arms around her mother in a hug. A final sigh from Aurora’s mouth and it’s the last bit of worry that leaves her chest. The familiar scent of her mother’s clothes is comforting and she realises in this moment how much she missed her. 

“Mom,” Aurora says as she hugs her mom tighter, “I’m really happy you’re here. I missed you a lot.” 

“Aw honey,” her mother replies, pulling out of the hug. She takes Aurora’s face in her hands, “I missed you, too. Come on now, let's finish up here, shouldn’t make your dad wait too long.”

| | | | |

“Harry, sweetie, family dinner typically means no phones at the table.” Aurora’s mom explains after Harry pulls his phone out of his pocket for a 2nd time. 

“Mom-” 

“No, your mom is right,” Harry cuts Aurora off. “I’m sorry, I’m turning it off now.” 

“If there’s something you need to take care of first, you can,” her mother offers when she sees the rosy colour blush on her daughter’s cheeks. 

“No, there’s nothing important right now.”

“Har, everything okay?” Aurora asks when she sees his finger hover over the ‘slide to power off’ screen. 

“Yeah, yeah, just a lot of texts coming through about tomorrow.” With that one sentence, Aurora knows what’s happening. She reaches her hand to hold onto his wrist closest to her and gives it a squeeze. 

“Moms know what’s best I guess, right?” And Harry laughs at that, the whole table erupts in laughter. 

The laughter dies down as their waiter brings their food to the table. Once everyone is busy with their meal, Aurora turns to Harry. “You okay?” she asks, voice almost at a whisper. 

He nods, “Yeah, I’m alright. Probably should’ve turned my phone off earlier anyways. Everyone is trying to see me or come to the show.” 

“Everyone you want to be there is already on the list and if they want to come that bad they’ll find a ticket. Honestly, they should have already bought a ticket.” 

“Ror, be nice.” 

“I am! Just saying it how it is,” Aurora retorts with a small shrug. 

Harry leans over the short distance between them and presses a kiss to Aurora’s temple. With a blush ghosting onto her cheeks, they go back to their entrees in front of them. 

“So, what’re your plans after the tour is over?” Aurora’s dad asks Harry. 

“Uhm,” Harry stutters, looking towards Aurora briefly before back to her father, “I haven’t given it too much of a concrete thought yet, I suppose.” 

“Nothing work wise planned?” 

“No, I try to take time off between projects. I definitely think I’ll need some time before I get back to the studio and think about recording another album. There’s been whispers of other projects and things, but I’ve been focusing on this tour and I’ll have a look at what might come next after I take a break.” 

“That sounds like a smart idea,” Aurora’s dad agrees. 

“Speaking of plans come the end of the tour, honey,” Aurora’s mom turns her head towards her, “what have you been thinking of doing?” 

“Oh there might be something in the works but nothing is for sure yet,” she says, pushing her fork around on her plate haphazardly. 

“Rory,” Harry chastises, “don’t down play it like that. It’s for sure and you know it. You should tell them the news.” 

Aurora peels her eyes from her plate and looks at Harry then to her parents. Their eyes are eager. She sighs as Harry reaches his hand under the table to squeeze at Aurora's thigh. 

“Uh, so Harry Lambert called the other day when we were in Boston and he offered me a full time, permanent job.” 

“Rory! That’s so exciting!” her dad exclaims. 

“Wow! Yes! So you’ll be Harry’s stylist? Permanently?” Her mom begins with the questions. Aurora was unsure of how to tell her parents this new opportunity, traveling and moving is always a hard topic for her mom and add in the possible judgement and concern, Aurora couldn’t figure out an easy way to share the news. .

“Well that’s part of it, yeah, but it’s so much more than that. Lambert has his own styling business so I’m working with him on that.” 

“So you’ll be moving back to London?” Her mom asks, a frown appearing on her face.

“Actually, no. I’ll be his point of contact, here in New York City. I’ll travel when needed for things, like to London or LA, especially for Harry’s stuff as he gets back to work later on in 2019 but I’ll live here and do a lot of shoots and jobs here to help Lambert as he keeps expanding and so he can stay in London more and take care of business there.” 

“Whew, I thought you had fallen in love, gotten a new job and were about to leave for London permanently,” her mom shares and Aurora’s shoulders tense. 

“Mom…” Aurora groans, almost a little upset that that is what her mom is choosing to focus on rather than the job she’s officially landed. 

“Aurora, we are so excited for you,” her dad adds, knowing exactly how this conversation is going. “Aren't we, dear?” He encourages his wife. 

“Oh of course, yes! But you can’t blame a mom for being worried about you moving so far away.” 

“It’s fine,” Aurora brushes it off, shoulders tense still. Harry squeezes her knee under the table, reminding her he’s right there with her. She knows her mom is happy for her but she can’t help but feel a twinge of guilt every time her mother comments about her moving. A permanent residence in New York City, she thought would have sufficed, but her mom can’t overlook the idea of all her kids leaving home and moving away when it was her who encouraged them to do so in the first place. 

Harry takes it upon himself to change the topic and begins to ask Aurora’s dad about his work. Aurora quietly finishes her food as Harry charms himself into the position of her dad's new best friend. They bond over old records and Harry can’t help but ask him about the few times he saw Fleetwood Mac in concert. Aurora and her mom simultaneously roll their eyes when he begins the family famous story of his first ever concert. Harry is engulfed in the conversation but there are only spare seconds that he’s not engaged with Aurora in some way. A hand on her knee, sometimes a squeeze to her thigh, his arm resting on the back of her seat and then moving to her shoulders when their empty plates are taken away. 

Harry and Aurora’s mom playfully fight over who gets to pay the bill and Harry compromises with the idea of picking up wine (beer for him and Aurora’s dad) and dessert on the way back to the airbnb. Aurora’s mom smiles to herself when she signs the bill and puts her credit card away. Aurora can tell she’s happy and actually enjoying the evening even through some of the rocky bits. 

“Why don’t we meet you back at the apartment?” Aurora suggests to her parents, looking for some way to get some sort of moment alone with Harry. “We’ll grab dessert and drinks while y’all get comfy and pick a game.” 

Aurora’s parents agree to the plan and Aurora knows they’ll talk about Harry all the way back and Aurora’s mom definitely makes some sort of ‘All Knowing’ face, surely catching on to the idea of a moment alone, an evening walk alone with the city lights. 

Harry isn’t one to shy away from a kiss or two but he hasn’t been able to properly kiss Rory in what feels like way too long. Under a street lamp, Aurora’s parents far down the block behind them walking in the opposite direction, he pulls her to a halt. He tucks some stray hair behind her ears as a small smile quirks up on his lips. Aurora mirrors it in a split second. Harry cradles Aurora’s head in his hands and finally kisses her the way he’s wanted to since he saw her rush up to him in front of the restaurant earlier this evening. His hands fall to her waist and the almost silky cotton is soft and he remembers noticing the pearl white trim on the neckline. It’s a dress he hasn’t seen, a dress Aurora had been saving. Aurora melts under him and she releases her weight into him. Harry’s hands don’t seem to stop moving for the few minutes they kiss under the flickering street lamp. When they pull away from each other Harry runs a feather light finger tip over the pearl white trim, starting at Aurora’s shoulder. Even in the New York summer heat, goosebumps follow his path. Aurora’s hands rest on the back of Harry’s neck and her thumbs play with the curls that grow longer and longer day by day. Harry kisses her forehead, sighs and then pulls her into his chest, his arms wrapping all the way around her waist. Harry hides his face into Aurora’s hair as a group walks past them and squeezes Aurora tighter. 

“Everything alright?” she asks him. 

“Yeah, missed you today,” he whispers. “Did I do okay?” 

Aurora pulls away from him so she can get a look at his face. “Okay? Are you talking about dinner?” He nods. “Babe, you were great.” 

“I’m sorry for making you tell them about your new job.” Aurora shakes her head. “I didn’t know you were worried about telling them. I shouldn’t have said anything.” 

“No, I’m glad you did. Made it easier with you there. My mom’s just always been so tough to share that excitement with. She gets over it eventually, she did with college, with my internship, with tour. The initial reaction is just hard cause she doesn’t go straight to being excited.” 

They start walking down the street again and Harry reaches for Aurora’s hand and she gladly takes his. Harry’s quiet for a moment but Aurora pays no mind to it. 

“I don’t know if it helps at all, but I’m proud of you. Incredibly excited for you,” he says when they turn a corner. Aurora spots the italian bakery lit up at the end of the block. Harry kisses the top of her head and the smile on her face grows. 

“Thank you,” she replies and squeezes his hand. “Know you’re only excited cause this means I’ll still be working with you.” 

“Hmm… definitely part of it,” he laughs, “But even if you had to work in some random city, with something nothing to do with me, I’d still be proud and excited for you. Always will be, no matter what.” 

Aurora stops dead in her tracks and pulls him in for a kiss. “I love you a whole fucking lot, did you know that?” 

“Had a feeling,” he whispers around a smile, his dimples deep. “Come on, I’ve got a craving for chocolate cake.” 

When they let themselves into the apartment, Aurora’s parents have changed into some more comfortable clothes and are sitting in the living room, setting up a game of Monopoly.  Once Harry and Aurora have changed as well and Harry has poured everyone a drink and cut the chocolate cake he was craving, they settle on the floor in the living room. 

2 glasses of wine and a slice of cake later, Aurora is most definitely winning the game of Monopoly and Harry is horribly losing and has had to ‘borrow’ from the bank a handful of times. Aurora’s not sure if it’s the wine and chocolate or if it really is the ease of the evening that is making her so undeniably happy. Harry laughs along with the teasing from Aurora’s dad and happily refills her mother’s wine glass. He seems relaxed and worry free right now and Aurora’s thankful for that. Tomorrow will come and it’ll be a different story, but right now she takes this in. This moment in an unfamiliar apartment, with 3 of the people she loves most in the world. Harry steals a few glances every now and then, his hand lingers on her back or thigh every so often and Aurora plays with his grown out curls when she slides closer to him on the floor. 

“Aurora, I should’ve brought your monopoly game from home!” Aurora’s mom says. 

Harry’s brows furrowed in confusion because, here they are, playing monopoly but he can’t ask what’s so special about the one back home because Aurora quickly shoots a look at Harry before she gives her mother a look that could most definitely kill. 

“Mom! Please don’t,” she pleads before she’s laughing. 

“It would’ve been funny!” 

“Oh what? Just like how you thought me bringing my One Direction posters on tour would be funny?” 

“Dare I ask?” Harry adds in. 

“Aurora made-”

“Mom!” 

Harry wraps his arms around Aurora’s waist, “Rory, you shouldn’t interrupt your mother. Quite rude isn’t it?” he jokes. 

“Aurora made a monopoly game for a class project one year and it was One Direction themed,” her mother shares. 

Aurora groans before dropping her head into Harry’s chest, hiding her blush. 

“Oh, did she now?” he teases. 

Aurora knows she won’t hear the end of this for days, but she endures the teasing with a smile on her face and it's most definitely not because of the wine but because she is laughing with Harry and her mom and her dad. She needed tonight, they all did. 

| | | | |

When they get to MSG, Harry shows Helene an old photo that he’s found on instagram. Fans had been tagging and tweeting it to him all morning and he smiles at the memory of it. He wants to recreate the photo, a way to keep a record of his journey. Helene loves the idea and tells Harry to meet her in the empty audience in 15 minutes. 

“Okay, I’m gonna go get the wardrobe ready,” Aurora says about 10 minutes later. 

“Oh, you’re not coming with?” Harry asks, trying to hide his disappointment. 

Aurora tilts her head at him and she recognizes the look on his face. She saw it last when they were at the O2 in London, weeks ago. “I can come with, if you want?” 

“I don’t want to put you behind schedule.” 

“Don’t have much of a schedule and it’s still early. Come on let’s go find Helene!” She reaches for his hand and pulls him down the hall with her. “Everything alright?”

“Mhm, you know you keep me calm,” he says quickly, like it’s something everyone knows. Aurora brings his hand up to her face and presses a kiss to the back of it. 

Aurora recognized the photo when Harry showed it to her this morning and now she laughs along with Harry and Helene as they try to get the perfect photo. Harry has a red bandana tied around his head, controlling his bed head and Aurora looks from the photo from 2012 to the sight in front of her. The cowlick at the crown of his head is exactly the same but the difference in the width of his shoulders is something Aurora can’t get over. Even in the baggy black t-shirt she can see the way his back muscles contract when he moves his arms and the way his waist tapers into his hips. 

It feels like they take forever taking the photo once Aurora is only focusing on Harry’s back and then the difference between his bare arms to his now tanned, tattoo covered muscles. She sighs and pinches her bottom lip between her thumb and pointer finger. 

“Ror!” Harry practically yells, both him and Helene laughing. 

“Sorry what?” she says getting pulled out of her thoughts. 

Harry gives her a look and Helene says something about needing to be somewhere and photos that need editing. “Where’d ya go just then?” Harry asks. 

“No where, just thinking.” 

“I know that look…” Harry drags on. “Come on.” 

Harry pulls her up from the chair and pulls her along.

And that's how they end up giggling on the couch in Harry’s dressing room. Harry’s hovering over Aurora, the kissing has halted for a moment. 

“Ror, how did this even happen?” Harry asks between giggles. 

“They’re YOUR fancy Gucci pillows that caused the problem!” 

Harry’s hands work at the strands of Aurora’s hair that have gotten caught around the beads that cover the pillow. She whines when it pulls slightly but can’t help but continue to laugh at the situation. 

Finally, she’s free from the pillow and Harry tosses it to the floor. His smile is the last thing she sees before he’s kissing her again. His hips drop to hers and she can’t help but give in to the feeling and pull him in closer to her. Her hands sneak under his t-shirt and up his back. 

Harry’s phone rings but they ignore it.

Then Aurora’s does too and they ignore that as well, until it rings non stop. 

Harry groans, “you should probably get that.” Harry pulls away and sits back on his feet, knees still on either side of Aurora’s hips. He reaches towards the table and grabs her phone. He passes it to her below him and she rolls her eyes. 

“It’s my mom, they’re probably here,” she groans. Harry grins, his dimple sinking deep. 

Harry shifts slightly which causes Aurora to groan but for an entirely different reason. Harry laughs lightly and pulls down the tank she’s wearing as he was the one to push it up to get his hands on her skin in the first place. Aurora closes her eyes for a second to collect herself. Harry moves off of her and looks at his phone and rolls his eyes. 

“More people coming out of the woodworks?” 

“Mhm,” he hums, elbows resting on his knees. Aurora rubs his back soothingly and presses her lips to his neck. 

“I was gonna give my parents a tour and show ‘em everything, but I can push it back if you want me to?” Aurora offers.

“No, go spend time with them. I need to workout anyways and sound check is earlier than normal. You can bring them to soundcheck if you want!” Harry sighs, “I’ll be okay.” 

“Yeah I’ll bring ‘em round.”

“You’re coming to the preshow thing Jeff set up right?” 

“Mhm,” Aurora hums, “and I’ll have your suit ready before then so we can just change you into it right before Kacey starts. Sound alright?” 

“Okay, good. Yeah, that works,” he rushes out and his shoulders drop heavily. 

“Hey, promise you’re good right now? You can come with, if you want.” 

“Yes, I’m good, thank you,” he says, a blush rising to his cheeks. “Boxing will help for sure, always does.” 

Aurora takes his head in her hands, tucking some messy curls back in place, surveying his eyes quickly before she leans in to kiss him softly. 

The navy blue bandana tied around his neck makes Aurora smile as he moves around the room with a red solo cup in his hand. Everyone else in the room has booze in their cups but no one pays any attention to the fact that Harry has ice water in his. The room is loud and Aurora doesn’t love the chaos of it all so she focuses on Harry. He smiles at her from across the room when he sees a glimpse of her behind the head of whoever he’s talking to. She gave her parents the full tour of backstage and let them see a glimpse of what her life looks like lately. They left to get dinner before coming back for the show and Aurora’s glad to be able to be there for Harry for the night without distractions. 

Aurora mingles with a few people she’s met before, but always keeping an eye on Harry. She’s star struck a handful of times as she watches Anna Wintour come and go, Zach Braff hang out near the bar, and Rob Sheffield chat with Helene. Even with the starstruck moments, Aurora has fun with what is easily deemed as her tour family. A few times, Harry meanders over to her and drags her along to introduce her to someone new. Repeatedly he refers to her as “his Aurora” and everytime Aurora blushes which earns her a kiss to the cheek or a squeeze to her hand or hip. In turn, she tugs on the bandana around his neck a few times.   

As the crowd in the small room thins out, Harry takes it upon himself to make a spectacle of checking his watch and pulling Aurora out of the room with him, shouting about how it takes time to look good and that he hopes everyone enjoys the show. 

“You know, that first night in Basel, I recognized your nerves the second they hit you,” Aurora begins as she watches Harry button up his black shirt. He turns around to face her, the long fabric hanging from the collar reminiscent of that first night she helped him get ready. “You got really quiet, really fast,” she continues as she starts to loop the fabric into a bow, “and even though in the end I helped, I was panicking inside. It was the first night, I barely knew you, I was just trying to do my job, but then,” she sighs when she’s happy with the look of the bow, “then I realised, in that exact moment, that maybe I had more to offer for you, that calming your nerves, minutes before you got on stage in front of thousands of people, was something I could help with.” Aurora grabs the cream Gucci jacket from the hanger. “Something I knew about, something we could level on.” 

After Harry slides both arms into his jacket he turns around to Aurora. “I wasn’t used to having someone there with me, to help me, no one really ever noticed when I got nervous.” 

“I hope you know that I’ll always be there, be here, for you,” she adds as she buttons his jacket closed. “I think, that was the moment, even though I didn’t really figure it out till now, that you were more than just this big rockstar that sauntered around the stage in his custom Gucci wardrobe to me, that there was something more there.” 

Harry huffs as his hands rub up and down Aurora’s arms. There’s a sparkle in his eye that was there a second ago, a sparkle that turns into a welled up tear in his waterline. He blinks it away. He smiles at her and Aurora carefully pulls him into her, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, careful not to mess with his hair or the perfectly steamed suit. 

“You good?” 

“Always good when you’re around,” Harry says, his voice soft as it gets lost in Aurora’s hair. 

The hallways to the stage entrance are loud and the energy hasn’t changed all day. Everyone is excited and their shouting their “good luck’s” and “break a leg’s” at Harry as he passes by. Aurora follows behind him and his band with Helene by her side. Mitch wraps his arm around Sarah’s waist and Helene snaps the moment. Everyone’s buzzing but Aurora keeps an eye on Harry a few feet in front of her. Harry holds open one of the double doors that has a sign that says “Stage Entrance” taped on it. Helene walks through last before Harry takes Aurora’s hand and ushers her in before he walks through too, the door shutting quietly behind them. 

His band finds their place on stage and Helene heads to the audience. Harry squeezes Aurora’s hand one last time and then kisses her temple as the opening track begins. 

“Just be careful in those flares, they’re a tripping hazard,” Aurora yells, with a laugh, up to Harry as he takes the metal steps 2 at a time. 

Aurora doesn’t waste any time getting to the audience and finding her parents in the mix at the back of the pit. She gives them both a quick hug just as Alex’s voice comes over the speakers. 

Should we just search romantic comedies on Netflix and see what we find? 

When the screen rises and Harry begins to come into view, gasps fill the pit along with screams as the giant flares come into view. Aurora doesn’t miss the chest heightening breath Harry takes before letting out a shaky breath through pursed lips, his shoulders dropping back to their relaxed height. The second the crash of Only Angel hits, Harry’s totally and completely carefree. Aurora turns to see her parents' reaction from their spot next to her. The surprise in their eyes in the abrupt change in music makes Aurora laugh. The surprise turns to amazement when the entire audience is singing along. 

When Harry makes his way back to the mainstage after Sweet Creature, Aurora’s mom turns to her. “I understood why you loved him before, but now I really understand.” It makes Aurora giggle and blush a bit. 

| | | | |

Aurora’s sitting in the empty audience, 3 rows behind the pit, her sneaker clad feet resting on the chair in front of her. She’s tired, exhausted. Between her parents being in the city, a handful of random friends trying to see her, Harry’s friends and family everywhere, a secretly nervous Harry, and a job to do, she’s managing a lot right now. But right now, in this moment and for the next few minutes she gets to sit, drink her iced latte and not care that she’s wearing her last clean pair of leggings and one of Harry’s random t-shirts. She’s got nowhere to be, no one to entertain, no job to do. 

A newly familiar intro begins and Aurora can’t help but laugh a little at Harry in his tall white socks, Adidas sneakers, black workout shorts and his rainbow TPWK tshirt. She’s used to seeing Harry dressed like this, but not while he’s on a stage, while he’s singing and playing his guitar, his vocals echoing more than normal through the empty arena. It’s barely 10am and Harry and Kacey’s voices aren’t where they will be when they perform this special duet later tonight, but Aurora enjoys moments like this. They sing through the chorus a handful of times, making a few harmony changes and in between each run, Adam’s kids cheer from the floor right in front of the stage. 

Aurora can see the dark circles under Harry’s eyes from where she’s sitting but doubt anyone else notices them. She helped him manage his nerves leading up to last night’s show and his solo debut on the MSG stage went off without a hitch but a wave of emotions took over once they had both left the arena. Aurora could tell something was off with Harry. Once they closed the door to their bedroom for their time in New York, Harry sunk to the bed, his arm over his face. His chest heaved quickly before a slow, shaky breath was released. 

“Hey,” Aurora said softly, sitting down on the mattress next to him. She reached for the arm covering his face. “You okay?” she asks, confused. He had been totally fine all evening, no sign of anything bothering him, no disappointment from the night, nothing. She’s caught off guard. 

“Not really sure why this is happening,” he says, his voice shaky. Aurora lets her hand rest against his chest, her thumb moving softly back and forth in a soothing manner. She can see his face now, but his eyes stay closed. She watches tears build up on his eyelashes, but gives him a moment and doesn’t say anything. Harry eventually lets out a heavy breath through his nose, his hands take the one that is resting on his chest. He brings her hand to his face and kisses her palm softly. “Just a lot happened today, I guess,” he says in the end. 

“You guess?” Aurora says in disbelief. “A lot did happen today and you can come down and react to it in any way you need.” Harry hums, lets go of her hand and reaches out to her. 

“Will you lay here with me for a second?” He asks in a soft voice. 

“Whatever you need,” Aurora responds as she lays down next to him and fits herself into his side. “I’m proud of you.”

“Please, Ror,” Harry whispers. 

“No, I’m gonna tell you. I’m proud of you. Tonight was incredible. You should be proud of yourself.” 

“I am.” 

“Good.” 

And even though he was happy and proud of himself he still continued to let tears fall from his eyes. Exhaustion from the nerves, the empty place in his heart where Robin lived because he kept dwelling on the idea of him being in the audience to see what he did, the toll touring in general takes on his body, the added stress of Aurora’s parents. Aurora whispered about the amazing moments during the show and repeatedly told him how much she loved him as she ran her fingers through his hair until he eventually fell asleep. 

So the dark circles are there for a reason and nobody else notices or needs to know why. Harry wanted one last rehearsal with Kacey before sound check later and wanted to be able to relax (as best as he could) for the majority of the day. And relaxing and having fun is what he had on the agenda for the afternoon. A few more cups of coffee and he would be ready for the official Harry Styles World Tour Table Tournament. When they walked into MSG the tables were already being set up, official leaderboards being hung on rolling whiteboards and a shiny, engraved trophy on display nearby. 

Aurora is off the leaderboard faster than the competition even started. She doesn’t even make it far enough to play against Harry. He’s a pro at this point. Table Tennis is a weird niche tour sport Aurora thinks. Harry loves it, plays it everyday, almost and Aurora teases him about him being the best because it’s the only thing he’s done as consistently as touring and performing. 8 years of table tennis under his belt has leant him the skills. She thinks he shouldn’t be allowed to compete today. Even 4 months of touring for Aurora and she can’t get the hang of it, so she watches from the side, laughs with the group and watches the dark circles disappear from under Harry’s eyes. 

With no surprise, Harry wins the tourney. Literally no one in all of New York City is surprised but they still cheer for him when he scores his winning point and then everyone is crowding around him, giving him high fives and slaps on the back -- there isn’t a single trace of a dark circle under his eyes now. Aurora knows that for a fact when she gets a good look at him up close when he picks her up off the ground in a hug while still cheering.

A few hours later Aurora is standing in her usual spot in the dressing room with the steamer heating up nearby and the large wardrobe case open in front of her. She smiles when she reaches for tonight's suit. A turquoise version of the golden Calvin Klein suit he wore back in Australia. 

“You coming out with us, tonight?” Harry asks Aurora from where he’s sitting in Ayae’s chair as she messes with his hair. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Aurora questions back, confused. 

“Well, ya used to decline my invites all the time,” Harry says matter of factly. 

“That was before and anyways when was the last time I turned you down?” 

“Harry, leave the poor girl alone,” Ayae pipes in. “She already deals with you enough as it is.” 

Aurora and Ayae laugh together as Harry whines about being teased. Aurora’s thankful for the ease of the evening, the disappearance of Harry’s nerves and exhaustion. Aurora’s parents are gone and though it was an easy few days for the most part, there’s still a wash of relief over the couple. 

Once Ayae is done with Harry she wishes him good luck and then goes to find Mitch and Adam. 

“So you’re coming with tonight?” 

“Harry, of course I am,” Aurora says with a roll of her eyes. “Gotta celebrate, right?” 

Harry just smiles and kisses the top of Aurora’s cheek before he takes his trousers from her hand. Aurora takes the now well known and iconic TPWK tank (just as she predicted) from the hanger and passes it to Harry. And then, just like every night of tour, she holds his jacket by the collar and Harry turns his back to her and slides one arm, then the other, into the sleeves. Aurora pulls as the shoulder seams, making sure they’re sitting just right before he turns around to face her. His eyes don’t leave her face as she makes a few minute adjustments to the collar before she buttons it close. Aurora doesn’t drop her hands right away, she takes a moment, the familiar spot comfortable and Harry takes the opportunity to rest his forehead against hers. A small moment between just the 2 of them calms the recurring nerves in Harry’s chest. Harry pulls away after a moment, a squeeze to Aurora’s hip before he does. No words are needed but miles upon miles of thoughts are shared between them in that moment. Aurora gives him a smile as he disappears into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

Aurora slips out of her sneakers and pulls her heels out of her bag. Final night of MSG feels like the perfect occasion to dress up a bit more. She touches up her red lipstick before Harry’s back. He stops in his tracks in the door as if he didn’t notice her fully just minutes ago when she was helping him into his suit. 

“Wow,” he says now “Ror.” He shakes his head and then walks over to her. He plays with the flimsy fabric at the hem of her tank, then his hands grip at her waist. His calloused fingertips find the skin at the top of her black jeans, underneath the tank and he rubs small circles at the plushy skin of her waist. “You look really pretty, Rory,” he almost whispers. 

And just like any moment they have before a show, they’re interrupted by someone calling Harry’s name from the hallway. They groan in unison. 

“Where are you gonna watch from?” 

“You’ll have to find me.” 

Harry finds her in the audience with ease and his signature smirk appears when he does at the beginning of Ever Since New York. It's at this moment Aurora thinks about the importance of New York. 

I’ve been praying, ever since New York

This song had been written before they had met, about something totally unrelated but New York holds this cloud of memories, some strong enough that he had to put into a song, a song he plays every single night. This week will be added to the cloud of memories in New York and with Aurora moving back to the city come the end of tour, she’s sure they’ll create more here too. 

The audience erupts in screams when Harry brings out Kacey to sing with him. “You’re Still The One” begins and Aurora remembers the first time she ever heard this song. Too little to remember it all perfectly but she still remembers her mom singing it in the kitchen while baking cookies and little Aurora being entranced by the music, her mother carefree, hair tied up in a bun while she sang it to Aurora. 

When Harry played the short list of songs he was considering, Aurora put her vote on this track and Kacey loved it just as much. Now, as the song plays and Kacey sings along with Harry, the majority of the audience is singing along too. Harry can’t help but smile from time to time and it sparkles like Kacey’s rainbow dress. 

At another point in the show, Harry makes a scene in front of his band and shows off his Table Tennis tourney trophy. 

There are moments like this sprinkled throughout the show. Harry fully carefree, enjoying his time and the audience equally having the time of their lives. 

During Medicine, his mic cord gets caught but it doesn’t take away from the impeccable performance of the unreleased song, it only adds to it. 

As he walks down the alley between the pits, he collects handfuls of bouquets on his way to the B stage. Harry finds Aurora quickly, a huge smile on his face and then tosses the bouquets at her in the mix. 

Aurora doesn’t miss the shakiness of his voice during Sweet Creature and from her spot in the mix, she can see him perfectly. His head tilts up to the 300 level seats during the instrumental and he takes in a short breath before blowing out a breath through pursed lips, trying to hold back tears. It’s the sight in front of him, the emotion of the song, the reminder that he’s performing for the 2nd night for a sold out MSG that gets to him. 

Harry answers a fan’s question at one point, about what his favourite Britney Spears song is. Toxic, of course. And Aurora laughs as the audience erupts in a chant of “Sing It!” to which Harry responds, without surprise to Aurora, a simple, “no.” 

The energy in the room is something she’ll never be able to describe in a million years. There’s never a lull, never a dip, never once anything Harry does receive less than an ear deafening scream. 

The ground shakes during “Kiwi” and Harry makes the crowd scream the New York line back to him. It’s a moment where the entire audience has one goal and they achieve it, following through with Harry’s request to let go and be whoever they want to be. 

The energy doesn’t stop when he leaves the stage. The ringing is louder than normal in Aurora’s ears but she doesn’t care and the red lipped smile on her face stretches from ear to ear. Harry doesn’t care about the lingering print of red lipstick on his face when Aurora kisses his check the second he pulls her into a hug. He keeps her close while people come up to congratulate him & rave over the show. 

They make it to his dressing room almost an hour later & Harry collapses to the couch right away. Aurora sits down next to him & Harry pulls her in close to him. He doesn’t take long to get his lips on hers, but there isn’t an urgency in the kisses. The kisses are slow & deep & almost pondering like he isn’t sure where he wants this to go right now. 

Aurora takes it upon herself to start pushing his jacket off his shoulders to get her hands on more of his skin. It doesn’t go much further. The kisses slow down to a stop & they just sit there for a moment, both knowing that if they don’t actually stop now they will run into someone interrupting them. 

They go through the post show routine as usual. Harry’s sweaty suit gets hung up to dry & Harry jumps into the shower while Aurora puts everything away. She praises him over & over about different parts of the show as he messes with his wet curls & changes into clean clothes. A blush repeatedly rises to his checks & he resorts to getting her to stop fawning over his show by kissing her against the dressing room door. 

“Come ‘ere, Angel,” Harry says as he offers an open arm to her, “need my girl by my side at all times.” He’s got one hip popped out slightly and a hand on his pool stick. 

“Was getting you another drink, rockstar,” She says as she hands him a fresh Old Fashion, his drink of choice for the evening. Harry presses a kiss to the top of Aurora’s head as he takes the glass from her hand. 

The game of pool has been put on pause as one of Harry’s friends reads Rob Sheffield's Rolling Stones article about MSG night 1 as loud as he can. There’s hoots and hollers every so often from the group they’re with in reaction to some of the comments Rob has written. 

That’s confidence. That’s cheek. That’s arrogance. That’s a rockstar.

Bowie-glam raunchfest Kiwi.

His generous spirit was contagious all night. Shine on, you crazy diamond. 

Harry doesn’t let Rory leave his side most of the night. He even takes the opportunity to show her how to properly use the pool stick in the most cliché romcom way. Aurora doesn’t shy away though, she only encourages it more every time. 

They seem to be sharing every single feeling tonight, warmth, excitement, release of stress, love, & they can’t get enough of each other. 

It’s nearly 3am when Harry’s twirling Aurora around in circles in the almost empty basement of the bar. The group has thinned out but neither of them are paying much attention to what’s happening around them. Aurora’s cheeks hurt from the sheer length of time she’s been smiling at Harry. His tortoise rimmed reading glasses seem to appear out of nowhere & his dimples haven’t gone away in hours. As Aurora adjusts her grip on Harry’s shoulders & the small bit of sweat through the rainbow Kacey Musgraves T-shirt he’s wearing doesn’t bother her. 

One last turn in the middle of the open floor has Aurora dizzy & stumbling over her feet & then Harry’s. Harry grips at Aurora’s waist a bit tighter as he steadies her. He lands a sloppy kiss on her lips before guiding both of them to sit at the nearby booth. Aurora swings her legs onto Harry’s lap with the only goal to get closer to Harry in mind.

In this small basement of a bar in New York, with his Rory all over him, Harry is sure that this is where he’s supposed to be.

comments & feedback ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS welcome & appreciated !!!

#harry styles imagine #harry styles writing #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry styles x reader #sequins & zippers #aurora on tour #harry styles fanfiction #one direction imagine

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Happy Throwback Thursday! A day for great memories (wink!)

Wednesday was a brilliant day for me! Nothing in particular happened but I had a long list of things to do and I did them all! Lists of ‘Things To Do’: some people hate them, some people swear by them. I have been known to procrastinate (probably why my eyesight is going) but – yesterday – I was like a man possessed. Tick, tick, tick! What a feeling of satisfaction!

Those of you that are self-employed and work from home, you know how hard it is to motivate yourself sometimes! You wander from room to room, looking for excuses to get out of work, looking for things to eat, looking for distractions. I know! I’ve been there (many times!) But, some days, you’ve got to grab your own lapels (or anything you like) and straighten yourself out! “Look, you lazy git” it will begin. “You’ve got a job to do, now bloody do it!” And then you grab a huge bag of crisps and start another Netflix box set!

The bank holiday weekend is approaching but, where I teach, they don’t observe bank holidays, so I will be working on the Monday. Good thing I enjoy my job! Nevertheless, after a weekend with Lady Wesker and my brother, I will be in good spirits. It’s going to be funny on Sunday if my brother decides to come down to the Mi-Soul event at Shoosh! He looks like me, so loads of people are going to be greeting him as Lindsay and will be mightily confused when he says, “No, I’m not Lindsay.” Poor bugger! Hopefully, he’ll have his camera with him? He takes amazing photos! I will definitely have my camera and my mobile with me, so nobody is safe! Now I just need to decide what outrageous shirt to wear, if I can get it past my lockdown belly!

My beautiful friend, The Temptress Of Tottenham, Theresa Tee Mills is in a high state of excitement! Her favourite reggae singer Carroll Thompson is coming to Dicey Reilly’s Edmonton on Saturday, October 2nd. She would LOVE to go with a fellow Carroll Thompson fan, so please contact her direct ASAP. That one is going to be busy!

Extra hour on Saturday, so ‘The A-Z Of Mi-Soul Music’ starts at midday. My executive producer this week is Moany Em (Emma Peters) and she has done a superb job of choosing acts and songs.

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all. My ambition is to get to 100 reviews for ‘Whatever Makes Them Dance’ (90 so far) and 40 reviews of ‘Keep It Fun’ by the end of the year, so please read and review at least one of them. I thank you.

#mixcloud #mi soul #lockdown #new blog #dj #music #coronavirus #books #weekend

[cowboy-canoodler]

Jemima ‘Jim’ O’Drarey

Character Reference list for my RDR2 OC

Name: Jemima ‘Jim’ O’Drarey

Age: 29

Occupation: Fistfighter, Outlaw, Sister to Nora-Jane

Nickname(s): ‘Jim’ (Don’t EVER call her Jemima or you won’t see the sunrise)

Equipment: Her fists, Combat and throwing knives, handgun, bow and arrows

Physical Information

Face Claim: Bright green eyes, olive skin, thick eyebrows, strong jaw, larger lips, roman nose

Obvious Features: Scar across her left cheek, bruised face and knuckles, very muscular, green eyes

Height: 6’ 2”

Hairstyle: Long, Jet black, hastily cut, almost always down and always dirty with mud and blood

Clothing: Red and white long sleeved shirt, brown leather trousers, red and brown half chaps, black and silver boots

Personality

Positive: Quiet, Sarcastic, Good listener, strong willed, good hunter

Negative: Stubborn, “Punch first think later”, once she sits down good luck getting her up again

Neutral: Takes care of most of the heavy lifting, she DOESNT have LuMbAgO

Likes: Drinking, fighting, betting money and winning,  SEAN MACGUIRE, smoking, shit that just hurts, waking up before the sun,

Dislikes: Betting money and loosing, being told “no”, not getting to punch someone who really deserves it, being told she can’t do something because “she’s a woman”, rifles, the U.S. Army

Origins:

Family History: ‘Jim’ was the result of an unwanted sexual act between her mother, a native american called ‘Speaks with Lillies’ and Colonel Albert Abberneth. Her mother ran from her tribe when she found out she was pregnant and raised you alone for 10 years, until her mother was found by a gang who threatened her and Jim, her mother was eventually killed and Jim ran for her life and hid. After a few days of walking Jim came across a cabin that housed an Army deserter, James ‘Jim’ O‘Drarey, he adopted her and raised Jim for 6 years until the army found him and killed him, Jim adopted his name and set out for revenge. She built up her body and practised brawling and grew to an astonishing 6′ 2″ she now goes form town to town fighting well, drinking alot, and winning all of her bets until shes found by Nora-Jane and taken to the Van Der Linde camp.

In Camp

How They Joined: Jim was drinking in the Valentine Saloon on a cool summers night, there was talk of a new gang coming into town. ‘Great just what we fuckin need’ the whiskey here was alright, but not the best she’d tasted. It had been a quiet night, hardly a brawl until she saw some little girl walk in, long curls and a cheery demeanour. ‘She’ll get eaten alive in here and that ain’t none of my business’ through the night the little girl was really becoming popular, and stealing everything worth stealing, ‘damn she’s not half bad’ but she got caught, a stupid mistake nothing more. He was one hell of a big guy, but Jim was bigger, the man shouted bloody murder at this child and before Jim knew it she had crossed the bar and punched him out cold with one hit, “Anyone else wanna try me? Or her?” a shout that shook everyone to the core, except the girl. When Jim left she was there waiting for her, “You should come back with me to my family, you look lonely” ‘I am lonely, she’s sharp’ “Sure” and then she was taken back to the gang.

Where They Sleep: Under no tent, with nothing but a bedroll and a bottle of whiskey, the furthest from the camp, probably under a tree

Where You Can Find Them: Punching a tree to practice, or sparring with someone, or doing chores

Request Mission: A Clover shaped brooch, to pin on her lapel that reminds her of Sean

Family

Mother: Speaks with Lillies (Deceased)

Father: Blood: Colonel Albert Abberneth, Surrogate father: James ‘Jim’ O’Darey (Deceased)

Siblings: None blood related, she considers Nora-Jane her only real family

Relationships with Gang Members

Dutch: Jim admired Dutch but is wary of him as she sees his slow decline, he treats her fairly but he almost always asks more of her than the others. She’ll come back from a hunting trip with two deer and he’ll still ask her to go early next morning for more.

Arthur: She confides in Arthur about her past and how she feels about the gang members, he listens and doesn’t judge her, everyone needs someone to talk to about things, in the end she sides with Arthur indefinitely

Hosea: Hosea is her 2nd surrogate father, he begins to teach her to write, and she becomes extremely attached to him quickly, he brings out her personality and trust, she borrows his books to practice her reading but no one ever sees where she goes to read and they dare not follow her.

Romance

Her and Sean make quite the pair, she first met him after he’d been rescued and they had a major drinking competition,no one knows who won but they were both still awake and drinking when the others started rising for chores. He brings out the laughter and humour from Jim, something someone hasn’t been able to do for a long time, his accent gets her the most, her father was Irish and it held a special place in her heart. The others don’t know how Sean managed to tame Jim or even talk to her, they’re scared shitless of this 6 foot 4 galumphing woman, but Sean finds it amazing. He clings onto her for dear life, she picks him up and kisses him, and when she’s carrying a massive dead stag with one arm? Well, mark him down as scared AND horny, don’t even ask about when she’s chopping wood with her shirt off and a loose undershirt drenched in sweat underneath, she’ll give him so much affection and winks in public, and Sean returns each one of them tenfold. His death hits her hard, she runs into town and drinks until she’s blacked out, and she wakes up to the rain and Nora-Jane wide eyed to all the bodies around her, unconscious and beaten. “Lets go home, Jim”

Theme Song

“You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” by Josh Turner (She came from this song lmao)

Horse

Name: Boudicca

Breed: Dapple Grey Shire

Colors: Grey with speckled White and Silver

#TADAA #RDR2 #Red dead redemption2 OC #RDR2 OC #Jim

[patriotsnet]

Who Is Running For President For Republicans

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/who-is-running-for-president-for-republicans/

Who Is Running For President For Republicans

List Of Republicans Who Opposed The Donald Trump 2016 Presidential Campaign

2020 Election – 5 Republicans Who Might Run For President (Why Donald Trump will be the GOP Nominee)

This article is part of a series about

e

This is a list of Republicans and conservatives who announced their opposition to the election of Donald Trump, the 2016 Republican Party nominee and eventual winner of the election, as the President of the United States. It also includes former Republicans who left the party due to their opposition to Trump and as well as Republicans who endorsed a different candidate. It includes Republican presidential primary election candidates that announced opposition to Trump as the nominee. Some of the Republicans on this list threw their support to Trump after he won the presidential election, while many of them continue to oppose Trump. Offices listed are those held at the time of the 2016 election.

Early March 201: Between Super Tuesdays

After Super Tuesday voting, but before winner-take-all voting was to begin, nine states, two territories and Washington, D.C. held their primaries and caucuses. During this period, 377 delegates were at stake. On March 3, 2016, the day before Carson dropped out of the race, Romney criticized Trump in a heavily publicized speech. Later that day, there was another GOP debate, which again featured Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich. Carson did not participate in the debate, as he announced the suspension of his campaign the next day, narrowing the field to four; he subsequently endorsed Trump on March 10, 2016, the day after Fiorina endorsed Cruz. Meanwhile, as the prospect of a Trump nomination became more imminent, establishment Republicans pressured Romney or House Speaker Paul Ryan to enter the race; Romney had already decided not to enter the race on January 30, 2015, while Ryan announced he would not enter on April 13, 2016.

In the Virgin Islands caucuses on March 10, a slate composed wholly of uncommitted delegates was initially elected. However, the entire slate was later disqualified by the territorial party and was replaced by the elected alternates two uncommitted, two for Rubio and one each for Cruz and Trump. The dispute later went to court. Also on March 10, there was a debate in Florida between the four surviving candidates, which was conducted in a more civil tone than prior debates.

March 512 results Candidate

Delegates won:1

I Made A Decision To Live My Life In Service

Brock Pierce is a former child actor who appeared in the Mighty Ducks franchise and starred as the presidents son in the 1996 comedy First Kid. But thanks to his second career as a tech entrepreneur, hes also probably a crypto currency billionaire.

Why is he running for president? Partly because he is deeply concerned by the state of the country.

I think that we lack a real vision for the future I mean, what kind of world do we want to live in, in the year 2030? What is the plan? Where are we trying to get to, you know? You have to aim for something. And I see mostly just a lot of mud being thrown around, not a lot of people putting forth game-changing ideas. Its getting scary. And I have a view of what to do.

For the last four years, Mr Pierce has focused on philanthropic work in Puerto Rico, where his foundation recently raised a million dollars for PPE to give to first responders.

Asked what Americas priorities should be for the next four years, he suggests the country stops pursuing growth for growths sake, and measures its success by how well life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are upheld.

I have many liberal tendencies, just like I have conservative tendencies, Mr Pierce says. And I think its time we take a collective breath and a brave step into the future, because all of these ideologies have something to teach us.

And if he doesnt pull it off? Mr Pierce says he has offers.

Recommended Reading: Congress Denies Funding For Benghazi

Former Us Ambassador To The United Nations Nikki Haley

Haley, 49, stands out in the potential pool of 2024 Republican candidates by her resume. She has experience as an executive as the former governor of South Carolina and foreign policy experience from her time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley was a member of the Republican Partys 2010 tea party class. A former South Carolina state representative, her long shot gubernatorial campaign saw its fortunes improve after she was endorsed by Sarah Palin. Haley rocketed from fourth to first just days after the endorsement, and she went on to clinch the nomination and become her states first female and first Indian-American governor.

As governor, she signed a bill removing the Confederate flag from the state Capitol following the white supremacist attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston. She left office in 2017 to join the Trump administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Quinnipiac poll found she was at one point the most popular member of Trumps foreign policy team.

I think that shes done a pretty masterful job in filling out her resume, said Robert Oldendick, a professor and director of graduate studies at the University of South Carolinas department of political science.

Haley criticized Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, saying she was disgusted by his conduct. Oldendick said he thought her pretty pointed criticism of the president will potentially cause some problems.

How Biden Won: Ramping Up The Base And Expanding Margins In The Suburbs

It brings the number of states Biden flipped from Trumps 2016 column to five, including Arizona, which last voted Democratic in a presidential race when it backed Clinton in 1996.

Biden also flipped Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, three key northern industrial states that ultimately delivered the White House to Trump four years ago. Biden also won a single electoral vote in Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, which last voted Democratic for former President Barack Obama in 2008.

Electors from each state and the District of Columbia are expected to vote on Dec. 14. The new Congress will then count the votes and certify Bidens victory on Jan. 6, two weeks before the inauguration.

But Georgias political activity is far from over. The state will hold two runoff elections on Jan. 5 for both its U.S. Senate seats, which are currently held by Republicans.

Recommended Reading: Secret Service Lapel Pin Meaning

The Long Race For The 2024 Republican Presidential Nomination Begins

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa In the past week alone, Nikki Haley regaled activists in Iowa, Mike Pence courted donors in California and Donald Trump returned to the rally stage, teasing a third campaign for the White House.

The midterms are more than a year away, and there are 1,225 days until the next presidential election. But Republicans eyeing a White House run are wasting no time in jockeying for a strong position in what could emerge as an extremely crowded field of contenders.

The politicking will only intensify in the coming weeks, particularly in Iowa, home to the nations leadoff presidential caucuses and a state where conservative evangelicals play a significant role in steering the direction of the GOP. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is slated to visit on Tuesday, and others, including Pence, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to appear in July.

The flurry of activity is a sign that there is no clear frontrunner to lead the GOP if Trump opts against a 2024 campaign.

It definitely feels early, but it doesnt feel like its a bad idea based on the situation, said Mike DuHaime, a longtime Republican strategist. The party has changed, the voters are changing and I think the process has changed. And I think many of the candidates have realized that.

We won the election twice, he said. And its possible well have to win it a third time.

As for Trump?

Sen Marco Rubio Of Florida

Like Cruz, Rubio would enter the 2024 presidential race with heightened name ID and experience from his 2016 run. One of Rubios biggest challenges, though, could be his fellow Floridians. If DeSantis and fellow Sen. Rick Scott run, there could be just one ticket out of Florida, a Republican strategist said.

Rubio, 49, is married to Jeanette Dousdebes and they have four children. He graduated from the University of Florida and University of Miami School of Law and was speaker of the Florida House of Representatives before running for U.S. Senate in 2010.

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Confidence Interval: Republicans Will Win Back Congress In 2022

natesilver: Good pick.

nrakich: Yeah, Pence has led almost every 2024 poll so far that hasnt included Trump. It goes back to what I said earlier about name recognition a lot of the time, the early front-runner wins and you dont have to overthink it.;;

geoffrey.skelley: Pence was my No. 2 pick for these reasons. Plus, vice presidents who run for the presidency have a pretty good history of winning nominations! Think of Joe Biden, Al Gore, George H.W. Bush, Walter Mondale. As Nathaniel wrote back in 2019, its often been a successful stepping stone to the presidency.

alex: Not bad, Sarah! But to play devils advocate: If Trump doesnt run, but the GOP is still the party of Trump in 2022 or 2024, would someone who didnt overturn the election go far?

sarah: Excellent point, Alex, which brings me to my second pick. Pence isnt the most charismatic, and as has been pointed out, the idea that the GOP moves in a more moderate direction might not be the direction the party is interested in heading in. And while I know some like Geoffrey are convinced that Trump is gonna pull a Cleveland and run again as I said up top, I dont buy it I think Republicans are going to be OK with someone else at the top of the ticket as long as they stick to Trumps agenda. And if Im right, who better than Trumps eldest son, the heir apparent?

Its grievance politics 2.0 that maybe has the potential to win back Republicans in the suburbs.

geoffrey.skelley: Oh man. DJTJ?

Other Candidates Who Filed To Run For President In 2024 But Are Not Currently In The Race

Republican Lawmakers Are Terrified Of Trump Running For President Again

Other than Democrats and Republicans there are other Third Party candidates and Independent candidates who will seek their name on the ballot in 2024. While a Third Party or Independent candidate has never won the general election it does not detour their efforts to win the Presidency. Below is a list of registered candidates for each additional party.

Also Check: How Many Democratic Presidents Have Republicans Tried To Impeach

Trumpworld Is Already Weighing Veeps For 2024 Hint: It Aint Pence

The former president is keeping tabs on the field and hes all but decided to ditch the guy he ran with last time.

07/23/2021 04:30 AM EDT

Link Copied

Donald Trump and his advisers are convinced that if he runs again for president in 2024, the Republican nomination will be his. Their confidence is so supreme that they view almost all of the emerging field not as competition but as possible vice presidential picks.

No formal vetting process is in place, and there is no expectation that Trump, should he run, will do so unopposed in a Republican primary. But allies of the former president are already keeping tabs on how GOP officials with presidential ambitions are addressing Trump himself and the legitimacy of Joe Bidens election.

You cant wait to run for president, said one Trump adviser. But those doing it now look like theyre dancing on the grave and the political bodys still warm.

As things stand now, Trump is extremely unlikely to run again with former Vice President Mike Pence as his number two, advisers say. Some Trump aides have also written off Pences political future, at least at the presidential level, privately arguing that he has failed to capture anything close to the same kind of enthusiasm as Trump. They point to anger among the most diehard Trump supporters over Pences decision to carry out his Constitutional duty in certifying Bidens election win.

Filed Under:

Trumpism Suffers Untold Damage In Its Collision With The Us Capitol

It is not an accident that Trump, following the advice of onetime adviser Steve Bannon, spoke approvingly of Jackson in 2016. When he entered the White House, Trump hung Jackson’s presidential portrait in the Oval Office overlooking the Resolute Desk.

It is not hard to imagine Trump invoking the spirit of Jackson’s 1828 campaign against the “corrupt bargain,” if he runs in 2024 against “the steal” .

Jackson, the ultimate outsider in his own time, makes a far better template for Trump than either Cleveland or Teddy Roosevelt â even though the latter two were New Yorkers like Trump.

Two New York governors, two decades apart

For now, Cleveland remains the only two-term president who had a time out between terms. When he first won in 1884, he was the first Democratic president elected in 28 years, and he won by the micro-margin of just 25,000 votes nationwide. He won because he carried New York, where he was governor at the time, adding its electoral votes to those of Democratic-leaning states in the South â which preferred a Democratic Yankee to a Republican Yankee.

Potent as it was, that language backfired by alienating enough Catholics in New York to elect Cleveland, himself a Protestant. His margin in his home state was a mere thousand votes, but it was enough to deliver a majority in the Electoral College.

A statue of Theodore Roosevelt in New York City. After leaving office, Roosevelt tried unsuccessfully to return to the White House.hide caption

toggle caption

Recommended Reading: Did Parties Switch Platforms

President Trump Your Legacy Is Secure Stop The ‘stolen Election’ Rhetoric

As many on the left have pointed out, the 2020 election was less a repudiation of Trump than a narrow loss for a man who proved just unpalatable enough for a critical sliver of his coalition.

Sean Spicer, a former Trump press secretary, told The Post his ex-boss would be an instant front-runner in a 2024 primary. He has a rock-solid base, I just dont think that there is anyone else who even comes close.

Teasing a potential run in 2024 would at the very least ensure Trump stays relevant and in the press for years to come.

If Trump himself passes on the opportunity, his two very political children Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump could also potentially pick up the mantle. Trump Jr. has long acted as an outside surrogate for his father online and in the press and connects strongly with his base. Ivanka, meanwhile, has years of administration experience under her belt as a White House adviser to her father.

Odds On Which Candidate Will Drop Out Next

When the early state primaries and caucuses are ongoing, sportsbooks usually post a fun political prop on the next candidate to drop out. These futures odds tend to focus on the side that is in opposition to the incumbent, but in 2024, we expect to see legitimate challengers on both sides of the aisle.

However, if Biden makes it through his first three years in good physical and mental health, there is a strong likelihood that the 2024 campaign could be a repeat of 2020: Biden vs. Trump. The heat of these campaigns is still a long way off, and anything can happen between now and then, but the odds are the highest and most profitable the further out bettors lay action on them.

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‘i Made A Decision To Live My Life In Service’

Brock Pierce is a former child actor who appeared in the Mighty Ducks franchise and starred as the president’s son in the 1996 comedy First Kid. But thanks to his second career as a tech entrepreneur, he’s also probably a crypto currency billionaire.

Why is he running for president? Partly because he is deeply concerned by the state of the country.

“I think that we lack a real vision for the future – I mean, what kind of world do we want to live in, in the year 2030? What is the plan? Where are we trying to get to, you know? You have to aim for something. And I see mostly just a lot of mud being thrown around, not a lot of people putting forth game-changing ideas. It’s getting scary. And I have a view of what to do.”

For the last four years, Mr Pierce has focused on philanthropic work in Puerto Rico, where his foundation recently raised a million dollars for PPE to give to first responders.

Asked what America’s priorities should be for the next four years, he suggests the country stops pursuing “growth for growth’s sake”, and measures its success by how well life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are upheld.

“I have many liberal tendencies, just like I have conservative tendencies,” Mr Pierce says. “And I think it’s time we take a collective breath and a brave step into the future, because all of these ideologies have something to teach us.”

‘We don’t like either candidate’

And if he doesn’t pull it off? Mr Pierce says he has offers.

List Of United States Republican Party Presidential Tickets

This is a list of the candidates for the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the Republican Party, either duly preselected and nominated, or the presumptive nominees of a future preselection and election. Opponents who received over one percent of the popular vote or ran an official campaign that received Electoral College votes are listed. Offices held prior to Election Day are included, and those held on Election Day have an italicized end date.

Recommended Reading: Have Democrats Tried To Impeach Every Republican President Since Eisenhower?

[captainswanatk]

CS 12 Days of Christmas: Day 10

Today’s prompt: Christmas throughout the years (any time period)

This chunker of a one shot follows Emma and Killian over 10 Christmases. There’s scenes from each Christmas, some longer than others. I tried to include different kinds of scenes. This one includes their daughters from my other one shot series. Not important to read that to read this. There is some sexual content in the beginning (Newlyweds). Not explicit, but enough that I felt like I needed to include a warning. Mild language as well. Really only for that first Christmas. It’s quite fluffy after that.

AO3  FF 

Ten Christmases

1st Christmas. Newlyweds.

Emma shoved Killian against their front door after waiting impatiently for him to open it to let them inside. He'd let her go in first, only to have her grab him by the lapels of his coat and yank him in after her. He'd had just enough time to close the door with his foot before being getting pushed back up against it. Emma then proceeded to kiss the holy hell out of him.

They'd just enjoyed a wonderful Christmas party and Emma had had the time of her life. She had a nice buzz going from the alcohol and, with Henry staying over at Regina's, had felt the need to drag her husband home and take advantage of him.

It was officially Christmas Eve; their first as a married couple. And Emma intended to make the best of it. She'd thrown herself into getting ready for Christmas. This naturally included educating Killian about the holiday as they didn't have Christmas in the Enchanted Forest. He found the whole thing fascinating, though nothing piqued his interest more than mistletoe.

Emma had been amused to wake up to find a sprig of mistletoe over the doorway to their bedroom one morning. And their bathroom. And their closet. And stuck to the roof of her Bug. She'd laughingly informed him that people generally didn't put mistletoe in their cars and he'd argued that more people should. After the kiss he'd promptly given her in said car to prove his point, she hadn't been able to disagree.

Suffice it to say, Emma and Killian had been happily putting the mistletoe to good use. Especially once Killian had insisted that the newlywed phase should last for the entirety of the first year of marriage and Emma was completely on board with that idea. Much to Henry's chagrin and general disgust. Well, poor Henry would just have to deal with it.

Besides, Henry wasn't home at the moment. As much as she loved her son, Emma couldn't help being thrilled about that as she continued to kiss Killian senseless under the mistletoe that hung over their front door. She shoved his coat off his shoulders before sliding her hands down to unfasten his belt.

"Emma." Her name came out on a partial whimper as she practically slithered her way down his body. "Love, you don't have to..."

"Ssh," she ordered, shooting him a wicked smile while she freed him from his jeans. "Consider this an early Christmas present."

"Emma...fuck." Killian's eyes closed and his head fell back against the door while she proceeded to thoroughly and enthusiastically pleasure him with her mouth. She'd had him reduced to unintelligible grunts and groans in no time, his hand sliding into her hair at one point. Not to try to control or force her movements, but because he simply needed to touch her.

His thoughts generally consisted of a string of curses mixed in with her name while she drove him to the point of pure madness. If he hadn't already been married to her, he would've wanted to marry her on the spot on the merit of what she was now doing to him alone. Bloody hell. Emma had learned how to wreck him in the best possible ways. And she enjoyed doing it. May the gods help him, getting him off turned her on.

By the time she was done, Killian was pretty certain that she could ask him to do absolutely anything for her and he'd do it. If she'd asked for the moon, he would've found a way to bring her the bloody moon. Which, if he was being honest, had been the case ever since he'd fallen for her. He would do anything for this amazing woman. This just intensified that desire.

He was still trying to figure out how to come back to earth when she slithered her way back up his body. "You're welcome, baby," she murmured against his lips.

The response he gave to this was something along the lines of "mmmfngph". It was a sound that he was quite certain he'd never made before, ever, but that was what she'd reduced him too. Nonsensical mumbles. The bloody minx that was his wife merely giggled in response to this.

A goofy smile spread across Killian's face as his eyes closed once again. He didn't think he could ever tire of hearing his wife giggle. It was quite possibly the most adorable sound he'd ever heard. And heaven knew that she hadn't done nearly enough of that in her life. He made an effort to make her giggle as much as possible.

He opened his eyes, expecting to find her still standing in front of them, but she wasn't. A quick glance around and he found her in the kitchen, reaching up to pull down a glass from a cabinet. He peeled himself away from their front down and made his way to her.

Emma had gone to get herself a glass of water and was just about to ask if he wanted one too when he came up behind her. Sliding his arms around her, he tugged her to him. "Hey," she said in greeting.

"Hey," he replied. "I think we need to have a talk."

"About what?" she asked.

"About what you just did to me," he answered, bringing his lips right to her ear. "I'm afraid that you may have just landed yourself on the naughty list, my love."

"Oh, what Santa doesn't know won't hurt him," Emma answered, a smile tugging on her lips.

"But you forget. Santa sees everything," Killian reminded her. "What's that line from the song? About him knowing if you've been bad or good?" Killian's Christmas education had naturally included listening to Christmas music. "And you, my dear, have been very bad." His lips brushed against the sensitive spot just underneath her ear, making her shiver.

"Yeah?" Her voice was husky as she continued. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Isn't it obvious, Swan?" Emma's eyes fluttered closed as he kissed her neck, his lips soft against her skin. The stubble on his face always providing such a nice contrast in sensations. "I'm going to have to punish you. The kind of behavior you just displayed, well. You simply cannot do something like that and not expect...consequences."

"You don't scare me." The breathiness in her voice belied her words, but she found it hard to care.

"You are a brave lass," he purred. "But that's not going to save you." Emma gasped as he suddenly spun her around to face him. "I've got you in my clutches now."

"Do your worst," she challenged. "I dare you."

"Don't worry, love," he assured her. "I will." With that, he crushed his lips against hers. Emma soon found herself being lifted onto their kitchen table.

It really was a good thing that Henry wasn't home.

It was some time later, after Killian had proceeded to thoroughly ravage his wife and while she was still trying to catch her breath. "Merry Christmas Eve, love," he murmured against her lips.

"Merry Christmas Eve," she managed.

2nd Christmas.   Playtime.

It was Christmas and Emma was feeling especially playful as she lured Killian outside. She'd woken up before him for a change and the two of them had enjoyed a nice breakfast as they exchanged gifts, just the two of them. Henry had spent the morning at Regina's and would be coming over to their house so the three of them could head out to Snow and Charming's house together.

And now she had the overwhelming urge to do something fun. "A snowball fight?" he asked, skeptically. Christmas had evidently turned his wife into a five-year-old with the body of an adult.

"Oh come on!" she insisted. "It'll be fun."

"Henry is due to arrive at any moment," Killian reminded her. "And then we're going to have to go."

"You know what I think?" she asked and he detected a note of challenge in her voice.

"What's that?"

"I think you're too chicken to fight me," she informed him, earning herself one of his classic eyebrow raises.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said that I think that you, sir, are a chicken," she repeated.

"Oh, I see what you're doing here," he nodded. "You're trying to goad me into a fight. Well, I hate to break it to you, love, but it's not going to work."

"We'll see about that," she muttered.

"I'm going to start loading the car, alright?" He asked, turning to go back inside. "Maybe we can have a fight la-" He stopped when he felt a snowball hit him in the back. "Hitting a man when his back is turned? Bad form, love."

"So, why don't you do something about it?" Emma asked, defiantly. "Oh that's right, I remember. You're a chicken, that's why."

"Swan..." he said, slowly turning around to face her.

"Yes, chicken?" she answered, innocently.

"This will not work," Killian said, calmly. "Now come on, we'll have a nice snowball fight later on with the rest of our fa-" This time it wasn't a snowball that cut him off. No. It was the sound of Emma clucking. "Oh, now that's real mature, Swan," he shook his head at her, even as his lips quivered. "I'll give you points for effort. But calling me a chicken and making chicken noises is not going to get you want you want."

"You know what?" she asked, an impish smile appearing on her face.

"What?" he asked, warily.

"I was wrong," she said, surprising him. "You're not a chicken." She waited a beat. "You're a codfish."

There was a long pause.

"What did you just call me?" he asked, slowly.

"You heard me." Emma began sauntering over to him. "I called you a codfish." She watched a muscle in his jaw twitch. "You know what's interesting? You always go on and on about how horribly inaccurate the Peter Pan movie is. 'That's not how it bloody happened, Swan,'" she said, in a terrible imitation of his accent. "They got a couple of things right though, didn't they?"

"Swan..." This time there was a hint of warning in his voice.

"You really don't like being called a codfish, do you?" She sounded positively gleeful. "Then I bet you'll really hate this." She took a step closer. "Captain Hook is a codfish," she taunted in a singsong voice.

"Swan?"

"Codfish?" She had the audacity to flutter her eyelashes at him when she said this and he couldn't help being completely charmed. He struggled to keep it from showing, however.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," he said, moving closer to her. "Me trying to avoid a snowball fight was actually just me being a gentleman."

"Nah, that's not it," she argued, waving her hand in dismissal. "You just know that you're going to lose. Because you're a codfish." She watched him work his jaw for a moment.

"Swan?"

"What?"

"Run," he advised, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Emma let out a shriek as he charged. It was on. All out war as they began pelting each other with snowballs. The battle went on for quite some time until she managed to hit him right in the face with a snowball.

"Ha!" Emma whooped. "You are a codfish." She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Captain Hook is a bloody codfish!" she crowed, yelping a second later when he caught her around the waist.

"Take that back," he growled. Or rather, he attempted to growl. It was hard to sound threatening while he was laughing.

"Never!" she cried.

"Take it back." Now she squirmed as he held her against him with his left arm and began tickling her. Emma made a wild twist in an effort to escape, managing to throw them completely off balance. They fell to the snow covered ground in a tangled heap of limbs, laughing. After a brief wrestling match, Emma emerged victorious as she straddled him, pinning his arms above his head.

"I win," she declared, her eyes twinkling. "Admit it."

"Alright, fine. You win," he acknowledged, trying to regain his breath. "This round. This isn't over, Swan."

"Oh, I know," she assured him. "I can't wait until I can beat you again."

"Please, you got lucky this time," he teased.

"Keep believing that, buddy," she countered. She watched him for a few moments, smirking. "You know, I'm enjoying this. Having you at my mercy."

"At your mercy, am I?" he asked, his eyebrow lifting again. "Tell me, love, what exactly do you plan on doing with me, then?"

"Well, for starters..." Her gaze lowered to his lips. "How about this?" She leaned in to kiss him. "Yeah, I think I like this," she murmured, kissing him again. The kiss slowly grew more heated as she released his arms to touch his face. She let out a muffled squeal against his lips as he suddenly rolled them over. Emma had never made out in the snow before, but it made for an interesting contrast. The cold of the air and the snow against her back versus the heat from his body. From his lips.

Emma let him think that he'd taken control for a few moments before flipping them over again. She rolled her hips against his, making him growl into her mouth.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, neither of them heard Henry approach. "Guys? Are you ba-...oh gross!" Henry exclaimed. Emma instantly wrenched her lips away from Killian's.

"Henry!" Her voice seemed abnormally high as she quickly sat up and back on her heels. "Um, Merry Christmas!" She smiled at her son, who looked absolutely horrified. Not to mention completely grossed out.

"You...I...what the hell?!" Henry sputtered, as Killian sat up.

"We were just playing," Emma offered weakly, swatting Killian's shoulder when he let out a snort of amusement in response.

Before immediately throwing her under the bus.

"Your mother started it," Killian said quickly.

"Seriously?!" Emma asked, gaping at him. "You're just going to rat me out like that?

"You did!" Killian answered, shooting her a look before looking at Henry. "She did!" At Henry's incredulous look, Killian went on to add, "She called me a bloody codfish! Was I just supposed to let that go? I think not!"

Henry merely made a strangled kind of noise as his eyes darted wildly between his mom and stepdad.

Now as Emma looked back and forth between her husband and her son, the entire situation suddenly struck her as incredibly funny. There she was, straddling Killian's legs in the snow. Her husband's hair was full of snow and sticking out in every direction, making him look completely ridiculous. Emma imagined that she must look equally ridiculous. That, combined with the way they'd been making out in the snow like a pair of hormonal teenagers.

And poor Henry's mouth just kept opening and closing as if he couldn't find the proper words to express his horror at witnessing this. He reminded her of a fish. A codfish, perhaps.

The giggle escaped before Emma could stop it.

"Mom!" Henry sounded absolutely mortified now that he'd gotten a word out.

"I'm sorry," Emma managed, before making the mistake of looking at Killian. Who by this time had schooled his face into an expression of total innocence. Save for the way his eyes were sparkling. The giggles came in full force then and she buried her face against Killian's shoulder in an effort to muffle them.

"Was there something you needed, lad?" Killian asked, formally. That only served to make Emma laugh even harder.

"We...we should...should probably get ready to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house," Henry managed after a moment. "If you two think you can control yourselves!" It was Emma's turn to snort as a fresh wave of giggles overtook her.

"An excellent suggestion, my boy," Killian nodded, his own lips quivering in response to his wife's merriment. "How about you start loading up the car and we'll join you shortly, aye?"

Now Henry nodded, instantly turning on his heel to leave. He glanced back, shaking his head at them in disgust and then went into the house without further comment. Emma, meanwhile, was desperately trying to get a hold of herself. There were tears in her eyes as she pulled back.

"Alright there, Swan?" Killian asked, grinning at her.

3rd Christmas. Baby on the way.

Killian rolled over, intending to snuggle up against Emma. Only to find her side of the bed empty. He frowned as he proceeded to sit up and scrubbed his hand over his face before glancing at the clock on his bedside table. It was just after midnight, which meant that it was now officially Christmas.

He got out of bed and padded out of their bedroom to go looking for her and found her curled up on their living room couch, looking peaceful as she admired their tree. She'd turned the tree lights back on when she'd come downstairs. Her hands rested against her still flat abdomen. He'd just opened his mouth to say something to her, closing it when she began to speak. But not to him.

"Merry Christmas, little one." Emma's voice was soft as she smiled down at her stomach. "You know, me and Daddy only found out about you a couple of weeks ago, but we already love you." She laughed a little. "I know I've told you that before, but you're just going to have to get used to hearing it. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and we're probably going to be saying it to you all the time. Yes, we will. Because we do and I know that I never want you to think otherwise. Daddy won't want that either."

"No, we want you to know that you're loved. That you're the product of true love. And you know what else? We've been waiting for you for a long time. Knowing that you're here now is the best Christmas present I could ever have. Yeah. I can't wait until we get to meet you! Until I get to hold you." A pause. "What? Oh I know I've told you that before. Get used to hearing that, kid."

Another pause. "Can I tell you a secret? As much as I want to meet you, I'm a little nervous too. I just want to be the best Mommy I can be for you. But I'll make mistakes. I'm not perfect. But I can promise you that I will always do my very best. That I will love you and protect you and do whatever I can to make you happy." Emma gently rubbed her stomach. "We'll figure it out together, okay? And we're both really lucky, do you know why?"

"We're lucky because we have your Daddy and he is going to be an amazing father. What's that?" Another paused. "Yes, I know I've told you that before too. We're going to talk about Daddy a lot. I don't want you to ever forget how lucky we are. And you wanna hear something really silly? Daddy's worried that he won't be an amazing which is silly because I know that he will. Your Daddy is amazing," Emma breathed. "He's such a good man with such a good heart and he'll make you feel like the most important person in the whole world. He'll love you, no matter what. And he'll stay by your side. He will always, always be there when you need him."

"And he will always come up with new ways to make you laugh. And he'll teach you about life and how to stay strong when things are difficult. Your Daddy's been through a lot and he always bounces back. He'll teach you how to do the same." Emma's eyes lit up as she thought of something else. "And you know what else? Daddy gives the best hugs. You're going to feel so safe in his arms, yes you will. Safe and treasured. And that's exactly what you will be in your daddy's arms. And mine. Oh, I can't wait to meet you, little one." Emma looked up when she detected movement, a smile appearing on her face when she spotted Killian. She glanced back down at her stomach. "And guess who's here, baby? Daddy!" Looking back at Killian she asked, "How long have you been there?"

"A little while," he said, his voice thick. "That was..." He shook his head. "You humble me, Swan."

"I'm just telling our baby the truth," she said, lovingly. She patted the spot next to her on the couch. "Come join us."

"I think you give me far too much credit," he said, still fighting to speak over the lump in his throat created from her sweet praise as he sat beside her. "And yourself far too little. You're going to be an amazing mother." He brought his hand to her stomach. "You have an amazing mother, little one," he said to it.

"Oh Killian," Emma said, letting out a sigh of contentment. "Can you believe that we'll have our baby to hold next Christmas?"

"I can't wait," he said, smiling at her. "Just knowing that our little one is growing inside you right now is more than I ever thought I could have. I love you so much, Swan."

"I love you more," she said. "Merry Christmas, Captain."

"Merry Christmas, my love," he said, gently brushing his lips against hers. "And Merry Christmas to you as well, our little one."

4th Christmas. Catalina's first Christmas.

Emma didn't think she had ever been more excited for a Christmas than she was this year. Because this year, she got to share it with her precious baby girl. Catalina had been born in August and so this was her first Christmas.

A bright smile was on Emma's face as she went into her daughter's nursery and set about getting her ready for the day. A fresh diaper was the first order of business. The next step was dressing her in a Christmas onesie with the words My First Christmas in script on it with an adorable cartoon of a snowman beside it. Emma hummed "Santa Baby" the entire time she was getting Catalina ready in what would likely be her first outfit of the day.

"There you go, my special little Christmas miss," Emma grinned at her baby who smiled back. "Why don't we go wake up Daddy. What do you think? Do you wanna wake up Daddy? Let's go."

Emma headed back to her and Killian's bedroom, finding him still sleeping in their bed. Unperturbed, Emma carried Catalina over to the bed and sat down. "Say wake up, Daddy!" Emma prodded Killian's leg with her foot, grinning when Catalina started babbling along with her. "You tell him. Say wake up Daddy, you're missing my first Christmas!"

"Daddy's up," Killian mumbled after another moment. A sleepy smile was on his face when he opened his eyes. "Good morning, girls." He yawned, moving into a sitting position before reaching for Catalina. "A very Merry first Christmas to you, my little love," he cooed to his daughter, cuddling her close and kissing the top of her head. "And a very Merry Christmas to you, as well, my wife."

"Say Merry Christmas, Daddy," Emma said. "Merry Christmas!"

Catalina responded with another round of babbles.

"Close enough," Emma laughed.

Emma's cheeks hurt from smiling. Both her house and her heart were full. Her parents had showed up later that morning with a very excited Neal. Her little brother was three years old and seemed to enjoy trying to make his little niece laugh. Something that all everyone in the family enjoyed doing ever since she'd first laughed earlier that month.

A competition of sorts had broken out, initially between Neal and Henry. They had taken turns making funny faces at Catalina, trying to see who could make her laugh the most. Henry had made a solid effort, but Neal had ultimately won that round. Then there'd been a recess when Catalina had started crying. That was when Emma had been forced to intervene. Her baby girl had been hungry and in need of a nap, so it'd been Mommy to the rescue.

After a while, Snow had gone up to get her and bring her back downstairs. Catalina's good spirits had returned now that she'd been fed and had a nap and so the next round of competition began. This one between Killian and David. At the moment, David was holding her. Emma couldn't help snickering as David's most recent funny face went over like a lead balloon. Catalina was completely unimpressed with it.

"Ha!" Killian laughed. "Sorry mate, but I have the home advantage with this one. Behold." With that, he broke out his secret weapon: the eyebrow wiggle. It was a pretty consistent giggle maker, proven by the way Catalina started laughing. The eyebrow wiggle got the big laughs. Unfortunately for the rest of the family, no one else could move their eyebrows the way Killian could.

Come to find out, whereas Catalina was amused by Killian's eyebrows? Neal found them absolutely mesmerizing. "How do you do that?" Neal asked, his voice full of awe.

Now the entertainment shifted from the men trying to make Catalina laugh to Neal trying to imitate Killian's eyebrow movements with absolutely no success whatsoever. Emma couldn't help giggling as David walked over to her, with Catalina still in his arms. "I can't believe it," he said. "Outdone by a pair of eyebrows."

"Aw, you still make me laugh, Dad," Emma assured him.

"Well, thank you," David grinned at her.

"And you know, she might not be laughing, but Catalina seems pretty happy to be hanging out with her grandpa," Emma added, smiling at the way Catalina was watching David's face.

"Can't blame her for that, now can we?" David's smile softened as he looked at his granddaughter. "You love your grandpa, don't you, princess?" He asked and was rewarded with a beaming smile. "Yeah, you do. And Grandpa loves you too. Yes, I do."

There was a pause while both David and Emma watched Catalina. "Gosh, she looks just like you," David said, finally. "She's so beautiful." He looked at Emma. "You're both so beautiful. And you're doing a great job with her."

"Aw, Dad," Emma said, embarrassed now.

"I mean it. You're a wonderful mother, Emma," David told her, sincerely. "You make me so proud, you know that? You do."

"Thanks Dad," Emma said quietly. "I love you, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do," he smiled. "But I love hearing it." He leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "I love you too."

"Merry Christmas, Dad."

"Merry Christmas, Emma."

5th Christmas. Another baby on the way.

Pregnant. Emma was pregnant with her and Killian's second child. She'd found out a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and then proceeded to spend the next couple of weeks trying to figure out how to tell Killian.

It wasn't that she'd been worried about his reaction. They'd talked about having another kid and she knew that he was completely on board with the idea. She'd known that he'd be happy to learn that they had another little one on the way. But she'd wanted to find the perfect way to tell him.

And then Thanksgiving had been coming up and it'd be their year to host dinner. Emma had been caught up in making sure that they had everything they needed. It'd been the day before Thanksgiving and Emma had decided that they should make all the desserts on Snow's advice. They'd waited until they'd put Catalina to bed for the night and then had gotten to work.

Mostly work. A flour fight had broken out at one point. A fight that had left both Emma and Killian practically covered in flour. They'd eventually called a truce, knowing that they still had work to do. Once they were done, Emma had announced that she was going to take a shower and get all the flour out of her hair and that we was welcome to join her. If he wanted.

He did. Getting clean had never been more fun. Later, when they had settled into bed, Killian had made an offhand comment that maybe they'd just created a new life. Emma knew an opening when she heard one. She'd simply smiled at him, telling him that they'd already done that. Killian had been thrilled at the news, thrilled to know they had another baby on the way. Set to arrive sometime around June 20th the following year.

It was Christmas. This year they'd spent the day at Snow and David's farmhouse and had opted to stay the night. Emma, Killian and Catalina had been put in the guest bedroom while Henry was bunking with Neal.

Catalina was nestled in between her parents, sleeping peacefully while Emma and Killian watched over her. "You know, sometimes I look at her and can't believe that we made her," Emma said, quietly. "Our sweet little angel." With the way the light from the bedside lamp was shining on Catalina's soft blonde curls, she really did look like an angel.

"Aye," Killian agreed, smiling as he lovingly ran his finger down Catalina's cheek. "And now we have another one on the way."

"Catalina's going to be a great big sister," Emma decided. "Don't you think?"

"Absolutely," Killian nodded. "Our baby is going to have the best big sister in the land. Along with the best big brother, in Henry."

"I hope this one has your eyes." Emma brought a hand to her stomach. "Seems only fair. I mean, Catalina got mine."

"Yes, and they're absolutely beautiful. Just like yours," he said. "But I must admit that I wouldn't mind my second born having my eyes." There was a pause. "They're like my mother's, you know."

This piqued Emma's interest. Killian rarely ever talked about his mother. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I wish I remembered her better. I just remember her in bits and pieces. I remember her voice. She used to sing to me and Liam and she had such a beautiful voice. But when I try to picture her, I can't do it. The picture I have of her is very, oh, what's the word? Fuzzy, I suppose. It's not clear. I know she was raven haired and sometime after she died, Liam told me that I had her eyes. It comforts me sometimes." He laughed a little at himself, feeling self-conscious.

"I bet your mother was beautiful," Emma said, quietly. "And now I really hope that this one has your eyes. Maybe it'll help him or her feel closer to their Grandma Jones." At this, Killian smiled, but it was a sad kind of smile. "You miss her, don't you?" Emma asked after a moment.

"I'm not so certain that you can miss one you barely remember. I suppose I miss the idea of her more than anything else," Killian replied, thoughtfully. "But it's alright. I have you, after all."

"Yeah. You do have me. And Henry and Catalina." Emma reached over to take his hand and guide it to her stomach. "And this little one."

"Aye." He smiled at her. "Lucky me."

"Lucky us," Emma corrected.

6th Christmas. Clara's first Christmas. Killian woke up on Christmas morning to find Emma still fast asleep beside him. She was hugging her pillow and her knees were curled up almost to her chest. She looked, frankly, adorable. So much so that he'd resisted the urge to wake her from her peaceful slumber. He'd just gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before getting up and out of bed.

There was a part of him that wished he could go back to sleep, but he was awake now. He decided, instead, to check on his other two girls. Starting with his Catalina. She was over two years old and had what often seemed like an inhuman supply of energy. Killian felt like he spent a fair amount of his life chasing after her. It helped keep him in shape, that was for sure. Plus there was the infectious way she would laugh whenever he caught her and he always enjoyed making his girls laugh.

Though upon checking on her, his energetic little toddler was surprisingly still asleep. Her arms and legs were spread out in all different directions, making her look like a human starfish. He knew that she would likely wake soon, slipping back out of her room to check on his Clara. Nearly six months old now. He couldn't believe it had almost been six months already.

He was careful to keep quiet as he approached her crib, fully expecting her to also still be asleep. And surprised to find that she wasn't. Clara was wide awake and appeared to be examining her tiny hands. "Well, good morning!" he greeted her, reaching down to lightly tickle her tummy with his finger. "And how are you on this fine day, hmm? Did you sleep well, my littlest love?" He smiled when she reached up towards him. "Alright, you. Come here to Daddy."

"Happy to see that I'm not the only early riser around here," he said as he leaned down to pick her up. "You know what today is, don't you?" He lifted his eyebrows, pretending to give her a moment to think about it. "It's your first Christmas!"

Clara's response to this was to start gumming on the side of her fist. "I can see that you're beside yourself with excitement," Killian chuckled, bestowing a kiss on her head. "Well, this is a very special Christmas, I must say. Why? Because you're here, of course! Oh, and I'm so happy you're here, my darling. Yes, I am." He smiled at her while gently pulling her fist out of her mouth and holding it. "Daddy loves you so much, do you know that?" He was rewarded with a smile. "Oh, now you see, how can I ever resist that smile? I suppose I can't, now can I?"

She responded with something that almost sounded like dada, but not quite.

"You're right, of course. I'm obviously not meant to resist that smile. The very notion!" His smile softened as he watched her. "Merry first Christmas, Clara. I love you."

7th Christmas.   The little Christmas elf.

Emma dreamt that she was trapped in a bouncy house while a little elf kept calling her name. As she woke, she realized that of course she wasn't really trapped in a bouncy house. But the bed *was* bouncing. The elf, as it turned out, was her three-year-old daughter. Catalina had climbed up on the bed on Killian's side, which Emma noted was otherwise empty. Save for her little daughter who was bouncing on her knees.

"Wake up, Mommy! It's Christmas!" Catalina exclaimed, her voice bursting with excitement. "Mommy, it's Christmas!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" Emma said, attempting to match her daughter's enthusiasm and not quite succeeding. "Merry Christmas!" She sat up and opened her arms, nearly getting bowled over when Catalina hurled herself into them. "Good grief," Emma laughed. "Alright, my little Christmas elf." She eased her daughter back. "Do you know where Daddy is?"

Before Catalina had time to ponder this, Emma and Killian's bathroom door opened and Killian came out of it. "Daddy!" Catalina cheered, scrambling over Emma and down to the floor. "Daddy! Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" She made a beeline for him, launching herself into his arms when he crouched down. "Guess what! Guess what, guess what, guess what!" She took a breath. "Guess what?"

"What?" He asked, excitedly. "What, what, what?" Now Killian took a breath in imitation of her. "What?"

"It's Christmas!" Catalina pulled back and started hopping, her joy apparently so great that she couldn't keep still. "Daddy, it's Christmas!"

"My heavens," he said. "You could show a little enthusiasm, aye?" It was his turn to laugh as he put hand and hook on her small shoulders. "Calm down, my little love! You're going to wear yourself out."

"But it's Christmas!"

"I know it is," he assured her. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas, Daddy," she replied, sweetly.

"Now, what shall we do, do you think? Go back to bed?" he teased.

"No!" she protested, looking utterly scandalized by the very suggestion.

"Shall we clean our rooms?" he asked.

"Daddy!"

"Okay, okay, okay," he laughed again. "How about this? Shall we go see what Santa's left for us?" This was met with a resounding yes.

"Come on, Daddy!" Catalina grabbed his hook and attempted to pull him to his feet. "Daddy, come on!" Now he stood, shaking his head at an amused Emma. "Come on, come on come on!"

"What time are your parents getting here?" Killian asked her. Catalina, meanwhile, was now trying to tug him towards the door.

"Probably in a couple of hours or so," Emma answered. "They were going to have breakfast and open their presents together first. Then they'll be on their way over."

Catalina dropped Killian's hook, opting instead to stand behind him and push on his legs to try to propel him forward. "Come on, Daddy!"

"I think someone wants to go downstairs," he quipped.

"You think?" Emma grinned at him. "Go on. I'll get Clara."

"Aye, I'll deal with this one." Killian said, suddenly pivoting around and sweeping Catalina up into his arms. He then spun them around, making her dissolve into giggles.

8th Christmas. Family Cuddles.

It was Christmas Eve and the Jones family was snuggled up together on their couch. A fire was roaring in the fireplace. The house was full of Christmas decorations, the tree being the grand focal point over near the side door. In Emma's opinion, this was the prettiest Christmas tree that they had ever gotten.

Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair. As quiet as dinner could be with a four-year-old and a two-year-old, that is. They were having the big family get together tomorrow, but tonight it had just been the five of them. Henry had gone up to his room sometime after dinner, not wanting to partake in the family cuddle session. That had been expected, but Emma had hoped that he'd at least stick around for the story. As much as Emma hated admitting it sometimes, Henry was officially an adult now. He'd turned eighteen back in August. She supposed to she should be happy that he'd been so willing to join them for dinner.

Besides, it was hard to feel too sad while she had Clara nestled in her lap and Killian beside them. Catalina had settled in her father's arms, her back resting against his chest. And the three Jones women sat mesmerized while they listened to Killian read The Night Before Christmas.

In Emma's opinion, Killian's voice was absolutely made for storytelling. She could listen to him speak for hours. His voice was so warm and inviting. Killian had a knack for drawing one into the story he was telling. Be it from a book or a memory or something he was just making up as he went along.

Now the story had finished, much to the dismay of the Jones girls. "Read it again, Daddy," Catalina requested.

"I would love to, lass, but I think it's time for you girls to go to bed," Killian said, gently.

"Just one more time," Catalina pleaded. "Please Daddy?"

"Please Daddy?" Clara echoed.

"Yeah, please Daddy?" Emma put in, unable to resist. Killian shook his head, a smile on his face.

"I'm clearly outnumbered here," he chuckled. "Alright, my girls. I'll read it one more time and then you little ones really need to go to bed. Aye?"

"Aye," Catalina agreed.

"Very well." He bowed his head to kiss the top of her head before flipping back to the beginning of the book, though he knew the story by heart at this point. "'’Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house...'"

9th Christmas. Relaxation.

Emma was a little stressed out.

Correction: she was very stressed out.

It just seemed like she had a million things to do to get ready for the holiday. Food to prepare, a couple of last minute gifts to buy - one of them for her father and the other for Killian. Even though Killian being Killian always said he didn't care much about gifts. Not for himself, at least. He enjoyed buying gifts for those he loved, especially when he'd found them something that they truly loved.

But he always said he didn't need presents and she knew he meant it. For Killian, just getting to spend time with his loved ones was enough. But dammit, she wanted to get him something special. She just had no idea what.

She had Christmas cards to get in the mail, even though she often questioned why she felt compelled to send them when they were only going to people in town. People that Emma would be seeing and thus, able to wish them a Merry Christmas in person. But whatever. She was going to mail out the cards anyway because she felt like she might get thrown out of town otherwise.

Not that that would ever actually happen. Storybrooke needed its Sheriff, after all. And besides, Emma had come to think of most Storybrooke residents as her extended family. There was absolutely zero chance of her getting tossed out of town. And yet she still felt an inexplicable need to mail them. It was madness.

Then there was all the wrapping to be done. She had not wrapped a single present and the pile she had of Christmas presents stuck in her closet seemed to grow each time she'd looked at it. Emma could practically feel the presents taunting her every time she went into her closet. "You'll never get us wrapped, see!" She imagined them saying. For whatever reason she imagined the presents talking to her as if they were part of some kind of classic gangster movie.

It was quite possible she was losing her mind.

Correction: she was absolutely losing her mind. The other day she'd actually asked Regina if she knew of any spells that caused gifts to mysteriously multiply. Regina's response had been to ask if Emma had been drinking.

Emma had taken that as a no.

Maybe she should start.

Okay, that probably wasn't a good idea. She did enjoy a drink every now and then, but getting hammered wasn't going to help anything.

She just needed to focus, is all. She'd taken a good first step and asked David if he'd mind covering for her at the station a couple of days this week so she could check some things off her list. He had agreed.

Her father was a saint. He truly was. Prime candidate for sainthood right there, in Emma's eyes.

Except that when he'd agreed with no begging on her part, she'd said he was a prince. And then made a lame joke about how he really was a prince and charming. So that's why they called him Prince Charming. Yeah, it was lame. Very lame.

And it had lead to David asking if she'd been drinking.

The fact that two people in her life had found cause to ask Emma if she'd been drinking based on her behavior seemed to give credence to the losing her mind theory.

It was ridiculous. Why she should be so stressed out this year after surviving every other Christmas up until this point was beyond her.

She needed to get it together and get some things done. So she could relax a little bit. And stop acting like some kind of neurotic, stressed out pod person.

Everything was going fine the first day. She'd gotten a lot of her shopping done, both gift and food related. Save for a special gift for Killian. She still had no ideas. But she'd at least managed to make a dent in her Christmas cards.

On the second day, her mission was clear. It was wrapping time. If only she didn't completely hate wrapping presents. She'd gotten better at it over the years; she could make her presents look pretty nice now. But she hated it. And despite checking some things off her list, she was still incredibly stressed out.

To the point that when she'd run out of tape while wrapping something for her mother, she'd started crying tears of pure frustration. Naturally Clara, her sweet and sensitive three-year-old, was there when it happened and had started crying too. The fact that Emma, notorious for the walls she had built to protect herself, was somehow raising a tender-hearted daughter who cried whenever others cried somehow made Emma cry even harder.

Especially since she felt guilty for inadvertently making her baby girl cry. Trying to calm a little kid down while you were crying yourself was not an easy task. It had been sometime during this little crying session that Henry had come home with Catalina. Henry had done Emma a favor and picked up his little sister from her dance lesson and been alarmed to come home to find his mom and littlest sister in tears. He'd managed to get them both to calm down with assistance from Catalina.

Henry had then sent his sisters into the living room to play and asked Emma what on earth had upset her in the first place. Come to find out? Crying because she'd run out of tape made her son wonder if she had been drinking. Because of course that was what he would wonder.

By the time Killian had come home, Emma had been slightly calmer. Henry had kept his sisters entertained while she actually finished her Christmas cards. Had even zipped out to get them in the mail. One of her most annoying tasks was officially done.

And Killian, bless him, had returned home not only with takeout from Granny's for dinner, but tape. Oh yes, her husband had known they were running low and had thought to pick some up. If they weren't already married, she'd want to marry him just for that.

But then Emma had gone back to her closet in the hopes of getting more wrapping done after dinner. Only to let out a strangled scream of frustration as she looked at them. The present pile had grown, once again. She would swear to it.

"Alright, Swan?" Emma turned to find Killian standing there looking bewildered.

"How does that pile keep growing?! I swear, it wasn't that big earlier," she complained, narrowing her eyes when he opened his mouth. "And no, I have not been drinking, so don't ask me if I have."

Killian thought about saying something, but chose not to. Deciding to wait for her to explain instead.

"I'm losing my mind," she confessed. At his eyebrow lift of encouragment, all her holiday related frustrations started pouring out of her. "Christmas is in two days. Two. Days." She lifted two fingers in demonstration. "And I've lost my mind. I'm so stressed out and I don't know why! I don't know how you can be so damn calm. And I rea-"

Evidently, Killian's solution to his wife rambling off a stress filled rant was to kiss her silly midsentence. "You need a break, love," he murmured against her lips. "Allow me to help you."

"But..."

"Ssh." He grabbed her hand and towed her into the bathroom. "I'm going to draw you a bath," he informed her, going to the tub and starting to fiddle with the faucet.

"A bath?" she asked, confused. "Now?"

"Aye," he nodded. "As I said, you need a break. And it'll help to relax you."

"But the girls..." she trailed off.

"What about them?"

"We need to get them to bed," she reminded him.

"I shall attend to our girls," he promised, reaching for the bottle of her favorite bubble bath that she kept by the tub and pouring some under the running water. "Don't you worry about that. Don't worry about what you have left to do. Don't worry about anything at all."

"Oh Killian." Heaven help her, she was getting weepy again as she watched the tub fill with water. As long as they'd been together, as long as they'd been married, there were still times when Emma couldn't believe she had someone willing to do something as simple for her as draw her a bath. Still times when it took her breath away.

It was such a small thing in the grand scheme of things. Especially when compared to some of the things he had done for her. Like trade away his beloved ship in order to find her and bring her home. But to someone like Emma, the seemingly little things he did for her meant so much more than she could ever tell him.

He turned to look at her after shutting the faucet off, his face softening at the expression on hers. He understood. She knew he understood. And loved him all the more for it. "Come here, my love." He opened his arms and she fell into them.

"Thank you," she whispered. It wasn't just for the bath and he knew that too. "I love you."

"And I you," he said, easing her back to give her a gentle kiss.

"Killian?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know what to get you for Christmas," she confessed, tearfully.

"My darling Emma," he sighed, kissing her forehead. "Is this one of the things that's been stressing you out?"

"Yes."

"You do realize that you are the single greatest Christmas gift I could ever ask for," he said, his voice ringing with sincerity. "You and our girls and Henry. As long as I get to spend the day with you all, I'll be perfectly content."

"I knew you'd say that," she said quietly.

"I mean it," he said.

"I know you do." She leaned it to rest her forehead against his. "I still want to get you something."

"Very well," he nodded. "Enjoy your bath. That's what I want for Christmas."

"That doesn't count," she argued.

"It does so count," he countered. "You're putting too much pressure on yourself this year, love. I know it's because you always want Christmas to be special for the rest of us and I love that about you. But if you ask me, you don't take nearly enough time for yourself. You've more than earned it. So let me worry about what needs to be done while you shut the rest of the world out for a while. Let me pamper you, Swan. That's what I want. Alright? Enjoy your bath."

"I guess I can do that," she smiled at him.

"Good."

10th Christmas. Christmas Cookies.

It was a day for baking. Snow had more or less commandeered Emma and Killian's kitchen, armed with recipes for all kinds of different cookies. Most of them were cookies that she made every Christmas, but there were a couple of new recipes she wanted to try mixed in.

She'd put everyone to work, handing out recipes to the adults and Henry and supervising their efforts. They were responsible for making sure that the cookies were made properly. The children, meanwhile, got to decide how they wanted the cookies to look. They got to pick which cookie cutters would be used and decorate them when they were done.

"Alright Catalina," David was saying as he smiled at his oldest granddaughter. "We have a very important decision to make. Do you want these cookies to look like stars?" He held up the star shaped cookie cutter in one hand. "Or bells?" The bell shaped cookie cutter was in the other. "Or we could get really crazy and do stars and bells. What do you think?"

"Hmm." Catalina tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked back and forth between the two. Deciding which cookie cutter to use was serious business, don't you know. "Both."

"Star and bells," David nodded. "A bold choice, but I like it. Do you want to help me cut them out?" An enthusiastic nod. "Alright. Pick your weapon." It was to be the bell cookie cutter for Catalina. Neal, meanwhile, was occupied putting frosting on one of the other batches of cookies.

And Clara was on what Snow had called sprinkle duty. Like her sister with the cookie cutters, Clara took her sprinkle selection seriously. Snow had come armed with an absurd selection of sprinkles to choose from.

"Mom, don't you think we have enough by now?" Emma asked.

"Oh, you can never have too many cookies at Christmas," Snow replied. "I was thinking we could make little bundles to pass out to our friends. Oh, and Henry, you'll have to take some to Regina's when you go back to her house."

Regina had been invited to the cookie making party, but had come down with the flu and been unable to attend. So it had just been the Charming Jones clan with Henry acting as the representative for the Mills family. At least that's what David had called it.

"Hey Snow, last year you made those mint and chocolate cookies. Are we not making those this year?" Killian asked.

"You mean these cookies?" Snow asked, handing him the recipe card for the cookies in question with a flourish. "Did you really think we wouldn't make these? I know how much you love them."

It was true. Killian wasn't anywhere near as much of a fan of sweets as the rest of the family generally was, but there were some he couldn't resist. And these were one of them.

Not that he was going to admit it.

"I was asking for Clara," he protested. "They're her favorite."

"They're your favorite too, Daddy," Catalina piped up.

"Don't you have cookies to help Grandpa cut?" Killian asked, playfully, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

By the time they were done, Emma imagined that they could open up their own bakery. But then the more she thought about it, the more she realized that her mother had been right.

You can never have too many cookies at Christmas.

#cschristmascountdown #cschristmas #cs ff #cs fanfic #emma swan #killian jones #mommy emma #daddy killian

[freeonlineontivablr]

Making Video for Your Training Events

Why should I make movie?

Before I begin showing you"how" to make great video, allow me to share with you why you need to do so.

Primarily I feel that all coaches, be they corporate or self employed, ought to be capable of utilizing the world wide web to help development and learning. I am not saying you have to be a coder or flash developer, but you need to have the ability to find your way around internet based software and applications and have a good appreciation of this cloud and Learning Management Systems.

This leads onto movie. Video isn't Brand new. A lot people utilize DVDs on our classes, YouTube clips and internet video to show ideas and theories. But how a lot of us really create video and utilize these clips on our classes or within our blended learning delivery.

Learners Consume video daily. The ubiquitous use of Smartphones and Tablets imply that everybody has the capacity to devour movie. Individuals now prefer to see a video than just read a web page, YouTube is the 2nd most popular search engine, even following Google, and it's very popular with the Generation Y. And movie may paint a thousand words.

More Importantly video may catch a demonstration and may be swallowed by tens of thousands of individuals simultaneously. Could be paused, re-wound, replayed. Can you really do this with a live coach?

Video Is Very Good for eLearning, Can be sent through your LMS, is participating and anticipated from the tech savvy student. If we do not offer movie, we are falling behind the curve.

Let us take a look at just how. You will be pleasantly surprised just how readily it could be learnt.

How Can I Create Video?

There Are two methods for producing video. Outsourcing the entire job into a dedicated manufacturing company or DIY - do it all yourself. Outsourcing is where many companies go but this alternative is hugely costly and will only let you generate small footage but the outcome is always first class.

DIY is significantly less expensive and provides you more control. There are 3 ways that you can achieve this. Equip a studio with all the gear you'll need, use your Smartphone or use your notebook or PC webcam.

Smartphones

Your Smartphone will Produce adequate video that may be edited with software to generate a reasonable final outcome. Do end up some kind of tripod. To get a few pounds you'll be able to purchase a tripod that is specifically made for Smartphones. I picked up one this season out of eBay and utilize it for students to record their videos in my classes. The gadget stops the jerkiness which will happen without.

Smartphones can be utilized "selfie" design to capture you speaking about your subject on place if you desire. I am frequently seen walking my dogs self-recording myself sharing a selling hint or thought. It adds realism to the footage, ethics that studio movie does not have. The significant downfall is noise, it is only second rate. It is possible to purchase lavaliere microphones for #50 that fix the issue and provide your video professional audio. However, these are fiddly and eliminate the portability benefit of this telephone.

Another difficulty is Shifting the video on your PC or notebook for editing. Many Smartphones upload movies to cloud storage and because video dimensions are tremendous, this procedure can be quite cumbersome. It is ideal to push your Smartphone to your PC and move the footage from cable.

Webcams

All these Come installed in tablet computers, notebooks and could be gotten for a couple pounds for PCs. They create very good excellent footage and can easily be edited since the documents reside in your own PC after listing. However, the sparks just seem like webcam movies. People do not examine the camera once they capture themselvespreferring to examine the screen and the output appears stilted, only a trainer speaking to the pc.

Backgrounds generally are inferior, perhaps a bookshelf or a wall.

You Can capture your Skype output enough. For #20 you can purchase software that can capture your Skype video conversation with a person and output it as a picture file.

I have done this quite successfully When interviewing specialists or SMEs. Lately I interviewed on Skype, for one hour, the UK's most prosperous protection salesperson. I used the program to catch the meeting and produced a string of clips that had both of our pictures side by side. The sound has been OK and it had a feeling of enthusiasm and edginess that made it quite engaging.

Studio

If You wish to have the ability to make a huge array of videos, and then you truly wish to put money into a studio together with the capacity to record video will. Afterwards I'll show you six kinds of video that can add variety to the mix and you may just do all these if you've got a completely kitted out studio.

Ideally your studio Ought to Be large enough to house all The kit, should be able to control external lighting and ought to get an element of noise proofing too. Corporate coaches will be considering a spare space, self-employed cousins will probably be considering a spare bedroom, garage or research.

Based upon Your budget you can Solid evidence that the walls with rugs or wrought iron coverings and purchase blackout blinds to vague all outside lighting. Or you may just shut the windows and ask everybody nearby to keep silent.

You Need a minimum of gear to Have the Ability to create video and here is your shopping list in no Specific order:

   A giant whiteboard to Generate whiteboard style videos

   A green screen background to make Chroma Key or green display video

   A camera. Pay nicely here, Choose a prosumer version, but most contemporary Camcorders will create really great HD video. Make sure it records to a SD card so that you can conveniently move the last footage into the PC. Do not use the onscreen editing programs, utilize applications on your PC.

   Tripods to your camera.

   Autocue device like a tablet computer. You place this with a gadget which Attaches itself to the tripod so that the autocue is simply under camera degree. Autocues are helpful for those who have not memorised the demonstration or speak That you are videoing.

   Lavaliere microphones wirelessly attached to a camera. Sound taken In the camera is second speed. Your students will forgive you for Second speed footage but will probably be less pliable with poor sound. You can Purchase a directional external mic that sits along with this camera However a lapel mic lets you move around and pick up Fantastic sound.

   Lighting. This really is the most important aspect in creating really Professional movie. As a minimum you will need two or three difficult"barn Door" design lights which may light your green screen and whiteboard And thicker lighting to light your subjects face and body. Google Lighting and you will discover dozens of businesses which'll advise you. I invested About #300 on light.

   Editing applications for your PC. These aren't expensive, around #100. Do not rely upon your PC's free offering, these do not have the attributes you need. More about that later.

[byorhonda492871-blog]

MIOSM Participation Certification Registration.

Contact concert planner, Jill Staton, along with the headline of the tune your pupils are going to conduct in their video! All instructors are motivated to get innovative and instruct as well as sing along with their trainees any kind of variety of the Concert tracks any time throughout March-- whenever that fits into their college as well as community routines! To see more information about http://sinenfermedad.info/el-tratamiento-de-las-eco-slim/ visit our web-site. From August 31 to September 5, Mercury reverses with Leo. Using this eclipse in your 1st house of appearances, you could help make a vibrant external adjustment, like a substantially various hair style, a wardrobe or even a tattoo design overhaul. For some Pisces, this lunar eclipse could be a wakeup phone call to stop a self-destructive behavior for at last. Plan an all-school perform from Show for Music In Our Institutions Month popular music! Coming from August 31 to September 5, Mercury supports through your eighth property from common wealth and shared projects. During the Obama years, the minority Democrats provided the majority of the elect swiping the financial obligation roof and they performed it even with talking to unavailing for well-maintained votes that didn't advancement Republican priorities. In 2002, the fine arts, including music, were deemed a primary scholastic subject matter" along with mathematics, science as well as English in federal government education plan. Possess students listing ways in which music belongs from their daily lives. My musical life experiences were equally as necessary to me, in relations to forming my growth, as my political take ins or my scholastic life. August 12-September 5: Mercury retrograde Communicator Mercury brings in an About-face, and also that backtracks with Virgo up until August 31, making you experience significantly misunderstood. This eclipse can also deliver a significant press to journey, research or post your ideas. Problem Times: August 2-January 2, 2018: Uranus retrograde Shock-jock Uranus has a five-month backspin with Aries. Found students with lapel stickers to wear during the course of MIOSM. This month can discover you struggling to maintain your energy up throughout the very first 3 full weeks, as the Sun slogs with Leo and your twelfth home from remainder, closing as well as ends. Ask company individuals to give a recently bought billboard to promote music education and learning.

On August 4, your judgment earth, Jupiter, latches right into a hot square () along with shadowy Pluto in your second house from job and also funds. The month closes on an alliance keep in mind, with the help of the sunlight moving right into Taurus, your 7th house from individually relationships, on April 20. For the following four weeks, you are actually about the vibrant duos, in love, business, and also friendship.

10 Remarkable Things You May Gain from gel.

You Will certainly Certainly never Idea That Knowing gel May be Therefore Beneficial!

Since the Republicans' failure to repeal and change the 2010 medical legislation, some lawmakers have actually covered utilizing the CHIP reauthorization as a motor vehicle for policy improvements must help maintain the medical insurance market. At that point on August 21, the second payment of 2 RARE Leo brand-new moons-- an overall photo voltaic eclipse-- happens sweeping belong an interesting possibility to form a trick relationship.

Ten Tips To Steer clear of Failing In gel.

August 12-September 5: Mercury retrograde Mercury, ruler of tourism, communication as well as innovation, helps make an About-face once again, leading to problem in these areas. While eclipses press our team into bold new surface, rear-facing retrogrades urge our company to decrease, review and also reconnect with recent. But privileged for you, there is actually some anchoring power being available in. Until August 22, the Sun remains in Leo and your 2nd home from work, everyday regimens and surveillance. Communicator Mercury is retrograde (- retrograde) coming from August 12 until September 5, which may interfere with communication, trip and also innovation. Wealth is actually goinged your technique starting August 21, when the second from two RARE Leo brand new moons (and also a powerful solar eclipse) properties in your unconstrained nine home. On August 4, extensive Jupiter in your career field locks interrupt a hot square () with computing Pluto in Capricorn and your very first house of identification. Lindsey McPherson at Roll Telephone call performs a pleasant project from setting traits out for you thus you may start to obtain a sense from the difficulties Donald Trump and legislative Republican politicians will certainly be encountering when they come back coming from getaway. This is actually the next of this year's rare back-to-back Leo brand-new moons, thus look back to the seeds you grew on July 23.

[kobikoachman]

The gray suit is a classic piece of menswear. It is the perfect suit color for showing off your style at work while projecting great confidence. Let’s look at the possible shirts, shoes, and accessory combinations for a gray suit.

Gentlemen!

You probably have heard it before – Your first suit should NOT be Black. Go for either a solid navy blue or a solid charcoal gray suit. These suit colors should be the first you should get.

You should always choose a charcoal gray suit over a black suit when you first start building your suit collection. When you must have had 3-4 suits you may then go for the black.

Tip: Here are the first five (5) suits you should own

The Navy Blue (1st/2nd), Charcoal Gray (1st/2nd), Medium Gray (3rd), Light Gray (4th) and then Black (5th)

We’ve talked previously about the powerful Navy Blue Suit, so today let’s look at The Classic Gray Suit which offers at least 3 main shades and varieties namely – Charcoal, Medium, and Light Gray.

ABOUT THE GRAY SUIT

The gray suit looks sharp in two piece, three piece, or double-breasted suits and is certainly one suit you would wear and expect your class and style to be instantly noticed.

They come in plain or patterned form (check, windowpane or pinstripe) and are perfect for office wear, and other forms of professional styling. Pair this suit with the right dress shirt, a power tie, the perfect combination of accessories and a pair of dress shoes to add that sleek twist to your classic corporate look.

Here is a complete list of all the shirts, shoes and accessories that you can pair effortlessly with your gray suit so you can look the part at all times.

  1: The Charcoal Gray Suit | The Best Shirt and Shoe Combinations

The Best Shirts To Wear With A Gray Suit

The Charcoal Gray suit will go with most shirts in your closet. Here are some top shirt colors you can pair with a charcoal gray suit.

White shirt

Light Pink shirt

Light Blue shirt

Navy Blue shirt

Lilac or Light Purple shirt

Black Shirt

Light Gray Shirt

Asides the white and black shirt, the rest can come in plain, striped or mixed color.  For striped shirts – stick to narrow or thin vertical stripes. Check out the rules of pairing your shirt, tie, and suits.

  The Shoe Colors To Wear With A Charcoal Gray Suit

The following shoes will go with the gray suit – Oxford, Brogues, Double Monk strap, Dress Loafers, formal pumps etc.

A charcoal gray suit is a formal suit, pairing it with a black shoe is the best option. Although it can go with Dark Burgundy Shoes. Avoid pairing it with brown or tan shoes as it makes it look informal. Here is the summary:

You CAN pair with any of these two shoe colors

BLACK SHOES [Best Choice]

BURGUNDY SHOES [2nd Choice]

NEVER PAIR with

BROWN SHOES

TAN OR LIGHT BROWN SHOES

    2: The Medium/Light Gray Suit | The Best Shirt and Shoe Combinations

Medium Gray Suit

Light Gray Suit

The Best Shirts To Wear With A Medium or Light Gray Suit

Here are the Shirt colors you can pair with a medium or light gray suit.

White shirt

Light Pink shirt

Powder Blue shirt

Lilac shirt

Light Gray shirt

Black Shirt

The shirts can also come in plain, striped or mixed color. See picture below.

    The Shoe Colors To Wear With A Medium or Light Gray Suit

The medium or light gray suit goes with all shoe colors. To select the particular one you want to wear, you just need to choose the shoe that compliments the accessories you’ve introduced in your outfit.

You CAN pair with any of the four basic colors of shoes and even more. It is the most versatile suit color.

BROWN SHOES

TAN OR LIGHT BROWN SHOES

BLACK SHOES

BURGUNDY SHOES

      The Accessories To Wear With A Gray Suit: Charcoal/Medium/Light Gray Suits

Wear eye-catching accessories to complement your gray suit look. A nice pocket square and tie combination, man bag (in black color preferably), a classy wristwatch and beautiful men’s bracelets will certainly boost your look.

Here are the details:

Pocket square – Introduction of the pocket square to your outfit polishes your entire look. Throw in a patterned pocket square that compliments your tie to elevate your gray suit look.

Ties – As a basic rule, your tie should contrast with the suit. The following ties should be a good start – Black Tie, Red Tie, Navy Tie, Maroon Tie, Blue Tie, Green Tie. Also, check out the meaning behind each tie color it should guide you when trying to make a power statement with your tie.

A Classy Man Bag – a sleek one in real leather, good quality and in modern designs.

A Good dress watch or a diving/sports casual watch is perfect for a business look.

Bracelets – invest in bracelets and adorn yourselves with the right combination. Keep it simple but sophisticated when in a professional setting.

Others Accessories – Belt, Cufflinks, Tie Bar, Collar Pin, Lapel Pin, Socks etc.

      FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope that this article has given you some insight on the best possible style combinations for your gray suit. It is important to remember all the crucial points which we have discussed here and let it guide you when next you are dressing up your gray suit. Making some little changes in your wardrobe and style of dressing is guaranteed to distinguish you from the crowd.

If you need help with your outfits or you are interested in wardrobe change, do contact us or send an email to [email protected]. Also, visit our STYLING SERVICES PAGE to see various services we offer and choose from, then we can begin with a quick style consultation.

  WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR STYLE?

As you all know, you should dress how you want to be addressed and THE FIRST STEP TO BEING RESPECTED IS TO LOOK RESPECTABLE.

If you are serious about improving your sense of style, dressing well and becoming a classy gentleman, I recommend reading the KOBI KOACHMAN ULTIMATE GUIDE TO MEN’S STYLE | A HANDBOOK FOR THE MODERN GENTLEMAN. We guarantee you that if you follow this guide, you will begin to look great, feel great and become a well-rounded classy gentleman in as little as 30 days.

As usual, the social media share buttons can be found at the end of this article. Feel free to share this article with whoever you think would find it useful.

Thanks a lot for stopping by… Until Next Time, Continue to Do Well, Live Well and Dress Really Well. Be Classy!

Yours in Style,

Kobi O. Mbagwu (Mr. Kobi) Founder, MrKoachman.com Connect with me

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The Gray Suit: Best Shirt, Shoe & Accessories To Wear With A Gray Suit The gray suit is a classic piece of menswear. It is the perfect suit color for showing off your style at work while projecting great confidence.

#charcoal gray suit #gray suit #gray suit shirt tie combinations #light gray suit #medium gray suit #men&039;s fashion #men&039;s style #mr koachman #power suit for men #style tips #suit guide

[blackscarabfilmz]

Since no one asked me any of the questions, but I really wanted to answer them, I’m gonna do it anyway. (Questions originally from: dorotheemcshane)

Top 3 Doctors 2nd Doctor, 4th Doctor, 12th Doctor (Honorable mention to 11th cause he was my first)

Top 3 companions Jamie McCrimmon, Sarah Jane Smith, Bill Potts (Honorable mention to Ace, but I haven’t seen that much of McCoy’s era so I only really know her from Remembrance and Battlefield)

Favourite quote “Unlimited rice pudding, et cetera, et cetera!” The entirety of the Pandorica Speech The Doctor’s speech in Genesis of the Daleks “It’s either Romana, or Fred!” “You’re a beautiful woman, probably” “Well, there's a chance of anything. Statistically speaking, if you gave typewriters to a tree full of monkeys, they'd eventually produce the works of William Shakespeare. Now, you and I know that at the end of the millennium they'd still be tapping out gibberish.”

Favourite Dalek story Dalek or The Daleks (Honorable mention to: Masters of War from Big Finish)

If you could pick any companion to travel with any Doctor, who would it be 12th Doctor and Jamie. Scottish Doctor, Scottish Companion, Scottish Master, let’s do it!  

How much EU have you seen Lots of Big Finish, some novels, some comics. Mostly Big Finish and mostly David Warner and McGann.

Favourite companion/doctor relationship The Doctor and Bill.

OTP? Amy and Rory?

NOTP? The 11th Doctor and Clara.

Any ships ? I’m not really a shipper when it comes to Doctor Who. 

First Doctor you saw 11th Doctor

Favourite Doctor Classic: 2nd - Modern: 12th

First story you saw on TV The Curse of the Black Spot (That intrigued me enough to stick around for the new ep that was up next, “The Doctor’s Wife” which made me a fan)

How long have you been a fan for Since 2011 I think. So around 6 or so years.

If you could travel with one Doctor, who would it be Can’t go wrong with the 2nd Doctor.

Favourite TARDIS interior? This is tough... but it’s a tossup between the current one (current until probly December) or the Eighth Doctor’s.

How much classic who have you seen A whole bunch. Seen probably all the main important ones plus some of the crap. Considering that Classic Who has more episodes per story, I’ve probably seen more Classic than Modern.

Favourite Cyberman story Tomb of the Cybermen (Honorable mention to: Spare Parts from Big Finish)

Favourite one off monster Raston Warrior Robot from The Five Doctors (Wish it wasn’t a one-off though)

Least favourite story Ooh, this is a toughie. Delta and the Bannerman, probably.

Did you cry whist watching any stories? Face the Raven, at the end at least. Like, legitimate tears, it was the first time I had ever cried during a TV show.

Least favourite Doctor (why?) I don’t really have a least favorite Doctor. They’re all good in their own ways. I mean, Hartnell is probably bottom of my list just because I happen to like everyone else a little more. Not that Hartnell is bad, it’s just that because so much of him is missing, I haven’t seen that much.

Least favourite companion (why?) Grace Holloway. She just didn’t really make an impression on me.

Any era’s that you would like to know better? The Burning Times

Favourite EU companion? Bernice Summerfield of course!

Favourite episode (or top 3 if thats too hard) Heaven Sent

Weirdest piece of merchandise you own A prop replica of the Fifth Doctor’s celery stalk lapel pin.

Anything you want to see in the next season A non contemporary companion, or a non human companion that’s more fleshed out than Nardole.

Thoughts on the current Doctor Capaldi is brilliant. He is my Doctor.

In your opinion, will the Doctor ever be ginger? He could be, in the future, his personal future that is, which could be the past.

Thoughts on the sonic glasses? Personally I didn’t like them because they didn’t really look like Time Lord tech. They were just sunglasses. 

#doctor who #ask meme #not gonna let a silly thing like no one asking me questions stop me from answering questions

[patriotsnet]

Who Is Running For President For Republicans

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Who Is Running For President For Republicans

List Of Republicans Who Opposed The Donald Trump 2016 Presidential Campaign

2020 Election – 5 Republicans Who Might Run For President (Why Donald Trump will be the GOP Nominee)

This article is part of a series about

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This is a list of Republicans and conservatives who announced their opposition to the election of Donald Trump, the 2016 Republican Party nominee and eventual winner of the election, as the President of the United States. It also includes former Republicans who left the party due to their opposition to Trump and as well as Republicans who endorsed a different candidate. It includes Republican presidential primary election candidates that announced opposition to Trump as the nominee. Some of the Republicans on this list threw their support to Trump after he won the presidential election, while many of them continue to oppose Trump. Offices listed are those held at the time of the 2016 election.

Early March 201: Between Super Tuesdays

After Super Tuesday voting, but before winner-take-all voting was to begin, nine states, two territories and Washington, D.C. held their primaries and caucuses. During this period, 377 delegates were at stake. On March 3, 2016, the day before Carson dropped out of the race, Romney criticized Trump in a heavily publicized speech. Later that day, there was another GOP debate, which again featured Trump, Cruz, Rubio and Kasich. Carson did not participate in the debate, as he announced the suspension of his campaign the next day, narrowing the field to four; he subsequently endorsed Trump on March 10, 2016, the day after Fiorina endorsed Cruz. Meanwhile, as the prospect of a Trump nomination became more imminent, establishment Republicans pressured Romney or House Speaker Paul Ryan to enter the race; Romney had already decided not to enter the race on January 30, 2015, while Ryan announced he would not enter on April 13, 2016.

In the Virgin Islands caucuses on March 10, a slate composed wholly of uncommitted delegates was initially elected. However, the entire slate was later disqualified by the territorial party and was replaced by the elected alternates two uncommitted, two for Rubio and one each for Cruz and Trump. The dispute later went to court. Also on March 10, there was a debate in Florida between the four surviving candidates, which was conducted in a more civil tone than prior debates.

March 512 results Candidate

Delegates won:1

I Made A Decision To Live My Life In Service

Brock Pierce is a former child actor who appeared in the Mighty Ducks franchise and starred as the presidents son in the 1996 comedy First Kid. But thanks to his second career as a tech entrepreneur, hes also probably a crypto currency billionaire.

Why is he running for president? Partly because he is deeply concerned by the state of the country.

I think that we lack a real vision for the future I mean, what kind of world do we want to live in, in the year 2030? What is the plan? Where are we trying to get to, you know? You have to aim for something. And I see mostly just a lot of mud being thrown around, not a lot of people putting forth game-changing ideas. Its getting scary. And I have a view of what to do.

For the last four years, Mr Pierce has focused on philanthropic work in Puerto Rico, where his foundation recently raised a million dollars for PPE to give to first responders.

Asked what Americas priorities should be for the next four years, he suggests the country stops pursuing growth for growths sake, and measures its success by how well life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are upheld.

I have many liberal tendencies, just like I have conservative tendencies, Mr Pierce says. And I think its time we take a collective breath and a brave step into the future, because all of these ideologies have something to teach us.

And if he doesnt pull it off? Mr Pierce says he has offers.

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Former Us Ambassador To The United Nations Nikki Haley

Haley, 49, stands out in the potential pool of 2024 Republican candidates by her resume. She has experience as an executive as the former governor of South Carolina and foreign policy experience from her time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley was a member of the Republican Partys 2010 tea party class. A former South Carolina state representative, her long shot gubernatorial campaign saw its fortunes improve after she was endorsed by Sarah Palin. Haley rocketed from fourth to first just days after the endorsement, and she went on to clinch the nomination and become her states first female and first Indian-American governor.

As governor, she signed a bill removing the Confederate flag from the state Capitol following the white supremacist attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston. She left office in 2017 to join the Trump administration as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Quinnipiac poll found she was at one point the most popular member of Trumps foreign policy team.

I think that shes done a pretty masterful job in filling out her resume, said Robert Oldendick, a professor and director of graduate studies at the University of South Carolinas department of political science.

Haley criticized Trump following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, saying she was disgusted by his conduct. Oldendick said he thought her pretty pointed criticism of the president will potentially cause some problems.

How Biden Won: Ramping Up The Base And Expanding Margins In The Suburbs

It brings the number of states Biden flipped from Trumps 2016 column to five, including Arizona, which last voted Democratic in a presidential race when it backed Clinton in 1996.

Biden also flipped Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, three key northern industrial states that ultimately delivered the White House to Trump four years ago. Biden also won a single electoral vote in Nebraskas 2nd Congressional District, which last voted Democratic for former President Barack Obama in 2008.

Electors from each state and the District of Columbia are expected to vote on Dec. 14. The new Congress will then count the votes and certify Bidens victory on Jan. 6, two weeks before the inauguration.

But Georgias political activity is far from over. The state will hold two runoff elections on Jan. 5 for both its U.S. Senate seats, which are currently held by Republicans.

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The Long Race For The 2024 Republican Presidential Nomination Begins

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa In the past week alone, Nikki Haley regaled activists in Iowa, Mike Pence courted donors in California and Donald Trump returned to the rally stage, teasing a third campaign for the White House.

The midterms are more than a year away, and there are 1,225 days until the next presidential election. But Republicans eyeing a White House run are wasting no time in jockeying for a strong position in what could emerge as an extremely crowded field of contenders.

The politicking will only intensify in the coming weeks, particularly in Iowa, home to the nations leadoff presidential caucuses and a state where conservative evangelicals play a significant role in steering the direction of the GOP. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is slated to visit on Tuesday, and others, including Pence, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to appear in July.

The flurry of activity is a sign that there is no clear frontrunner to lead the GOP if Trump opts against a 2024 campaign.

It definitely feels early, but it doesnt feel like its a bad idea based on the situation, said Mike DuHaime, a longtime Republican strategist. The party has changed, the voters are changing and I think the process has changed. And I think many of the candidates have realized that.

We won the election twice, he said. And its possible well have to win it a third time.

As for Trump?

Sen Marco Rubio Of Florida

Like Cruz, Rubio would enter the 2024 presidential race with heightened name ID and experience from his 2016 run. One of Rubios biggest challenges, though, could be his fellow Floridians. If DeSantis and fellow Sen. Rick Scott run, there could be just one ticket out of Florida, a Republican strategist said.

Rubio, 49, is married to Jeanette Dousdebes and they have four children. He graduated from the University of Florida and University of Miami School of Law and was speaker of the Florida House of Representatives before running for U.S. Senate in 2010.

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Confidence Interval: Republicans Will Win Back Congress In 2022

natesilver: Good pick.

nrakich: Yeah, Pence has led almost every 2024 poll so far that hasnt included Trump. It goes back to what I said earlier about name recognition a lot of the time, the early front-runner wins and you dont have to overthink it.;;

geoffrey.skelley: Pence was my No. 2 pick for these reasons. Plus, vice presidents who run for the presidency have a pretty good history of winning nominations! Think of Joe Biden, Al Gore, George H.W. Bush, Walter Mondale. As Nathaniel wrote back in 2019, its often been a successful stepping stone to the presidency.

alex: Not bad, Sarah! But to play devils advocate: If Trump doesnt run, but the GOP is still the party of Trump in 2022 or 2024, would someone who didnt overturn the election go far?

sarah: Excellent point, Alex, which brings me to my second pick. Pence isnt the most charismatic, and as has been pointed out, the idea that the GOP moves in a more moderate direction might not be the direction the party is interested in heading in. And while I know some like Geoffrey are convinced that Trump is gonna pull a Cleveland and run again as I said up top, I dont buy it I think Republicans are going to be OK with someone else at the top of the ticket as long as they stick to Trumps agenda. And if Im right, who better than Trumps eldest son, the heir apparent?

Its grievance politics 2.0 that maybe has the potential to win back Republicans in the suburbs.

geoffrey.skelley: Oh man. DJTJ?

Other Candidates Who Filed To Run For President In 2024 But Are Not Currently In The Race

Republican Lawmakers Are Terrified Of Trump Running For President Again

Other than Democrats and Republicans there are other Third Party candidates and Independent candidates who will seek their name on the ballot in 2024. While a Third Party or Independent candidate has never won the general election it does not detour their efforts to win the Presidency. Below is a list of registered candidates for each additional party.

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Trumpworld Is Already Weighing Veeps For 2024 Hint: It Aint Pence

The former president is keeping tabs on the field and hes all but decided to ditch the guy he ran with last time.

07/23/2021 04:30 AM EDT

Link Copied

Donald Trump and his advisers are convinced that if he runs again for president in 2024, the Republican nomination will be his. Their confidence is so supreme that they view almost all of the emerging field not as competition but as possible vice presidential picks.

No formal vetting process is in place, and there is no expectation that Trump, should he run, will do so unopposed in a Republican primary. But allies of the former president are already keeping tabs on how GOP officials with presidential ambitions are addressing Trump himself and the legitimacy of Joe Bidens election.

You cant wait to run for president, said one Trump adviser. But those doing it now look like theyre dancing on the grave and the political bodys still warm.

As things stand now, Trump is extremely unlikely to run again with former Vice President Mike Pence as his number two, advisers say. Some Trump aides have also written off Pences political future, at least at the presidential level, privately arguing that he has failed to capture anything close to the same kind of enthusiasm as Trump. They point to anger among the most diehard Trump supporters over Pences decision to carry out his Constitutional duty in certifying Bidens election win.

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Trumpism Suffers Untold Damage In Its Collision With The Us Capitol

It is not an accident that Trump, following the advice of onetime adviser Steve Bannon, spoke approvingly of Jackson in 2016. When he entered the White House, Trump hung Jackson’s presidential portrait in the Oval Office overlooking the Resolute Desk.

It is not hard to imagine Trump invoking the spirit of Jackson’s 1828 campaign against the “corrupt bargain,” if he runs in 2024 against “the steal” .

Jackson, the ultimate outsider in his own time, makes a far better template for Trump than either Cleveland or Teddy Roosevelt â even though the latter two were New Yorkers like Trump.

Two New York governors, two decades apart

For now, Cleveland remains the only two-term president who had a time out between terms. When he first won in 1884, he was the first Democratic president elected in 28 years, and he won by the micro-margin of just 25,000 votes nationwide. He won because he carried New York, where he was governor at the time, adding its electoral votes to those of Democratic-leaning states in the South â which preferred a Democratic Yankee to a Republican Yankee.

Potent as it was, that language backfired by alienating enough Catholics in New York to elect Cleveland, himself a Protestant. His margin in his home state was a mere thousand votes, but it was enough to deliver a majority in the Electoral College.

A statue of Theodore Roosevelt in New York City. After leaving office, Roosevelt tried unsuccessfully to return to the White House.hide caption

toggle caption

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President Trump Your Legacy Is Secure Stop The ‘stolen Election’ Rhetoric

As many on the left have pointed out, the 2020 election was less a repudiation of Trump than a narrow loss for a man who proved just unpalatable enough for a critical sliver of his coalition.

Sean Spicer, a former Trump press secretary, told The Post his ex-boss would be an instant front-runner in a 2024 primary. He has a rock-solid base, I just dont think that there is anyone else who even comes close.

Teasing a potential run in 2024 would at the very least ensure Trump stays relevant and in the press for years to come.

If Trump himself passes on the opportunity, his two very political children Don Jr. and Ivanka Trump could also potentially pick up the mantle. Trump Jr. has long acted as an outside surrogate for his father online and in the press and connects strongly with his base. Ivanka, meanwhile, has years of administration experience under her belt as a White House adviser to her father.

Odds On Which Candidate Will Drop Out Next

When the early state primaries and caucuses are ongoing, sportsbooks usually post a fun political prop on the next candidate to drop out. These futures odds tend to focus on the side that is in opposition to the incumbent, but in 2024, we expect to see legitimate challengers on both sides of the aisle.

However, if Biden makes it through his first three years in good physical and mental health, there is a strong likelihood that the 2024 campaign could be a repeat of 2020: Biden vs. Trump. The heat of these campaigns is still a long way off, and anything can happen between now and then, but the odds are the highest and most profitable the further out bettors lay action on them.

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‘i Made A Decision To Live My Life In Service’

Brock Pierce is a former child actor who appeared in the Mighty Ducks franchise and starred as the president’s son in the 1996 comedy First Kid. But thanks to his second career as a tech entrepreneur, he’s also probably a crypto currency billionaire.

Why is he running for president? Partly because he is deeply concerned by the state of the country.

“I think that we lack a real vision for the future – I mean, what kind of world do we want to live in, in the year 2030? What is the plan? Where are we trying to get to, you know? You have to aim for something. And I see mostly just a lot of mud being thrown around, not a lot of people putting forth game-changing ideas. It’s getting scary. And I have a view of what to do.”

For the last four years, Mr Pierce has focused on philanthropic work in Puerto Rico, where his foundation recently raised a million dollars for PPE to give to first responders.

Asked what America’s priorities should be for the next four years, he suggests the country stops pursuing “growth for growth’s sake”, and measures its success by how well life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are upheld.

“I have many liberal tendencies, just like I have conservative tendencies,” Mr Pierce says. “And I think it’s time we take a collective breath and a brave step into the future, because all of these ideologies have something to teach us.”

‘We don’t like either candidate’

And if he doesn’t pull it off? Mr Pierce says he has offers.

List Of United States Republican Party Presidential Tickets

This is a list of the candidates for the offices of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States of the Republican Party, either duly preselected and nominated, or the presumptive nominees of a future preselection and election. Opponents who received over one percent of the popular vote or ran an official campaign that received Electoral College votes are listed. Offices held prior to Election Day are included, and those held on Election Day have an italicized end date.

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