#{ lennon vs. jo }

[gothwives]

lennon had finally gone numb. allowing himself to experience the emotions jo had triggered in him from their last confrontation was just too painful to bear, and so he'd shut them off altogether. pushed the hurt and the heartbreak down so far, he didn't really feel anything at all. the booze and the drug consumption that came with the territory of being a musician somewhat aided in that eradication of emotions, but he knew there was only so long he could bottle things up before he simply combusted. it wasn't healthy, what he was doing, but it was a hell of a lot less painful. every time jo was in the vicinity, lenny made a conscious effort to block out her existence, trying to ignore her as much as he possibly could. if he ever let his gaze drift in her direction, or focused in on her voice, that ache in his chest would deepen, and he couldn't have that. it was a bleak existence, living his life like she didn't exist. it threw him off to see her approaching where he huddled with a couple groupies out of the blue one night, his stomach sinking and the color draining from his face. before he could think to excuse himself somehow, she was right there in front of him, and lenny felt like he might be sick. "have you?" god knows why she'd be looking for him, of all people. it was his understanding that she wanted to put distance between them after her little slip up that one night, and now she'd sent him into a tailspin. he clenched his jaw as she tried to lure him away from everyone else, though he did comply with her request. it was just too hard, trying to say no to that face he'd fallen for so many years ago. "sure... let's talk." he had nothing to say to her, after their last conversation, but if she wanted to talk, he supposed he could listen. he waited until they were away from his other bandmates and the rest of the groupies before he grasped her elbow, drawing her in closer so they could speak in hushed tones. "what now? do you actually wanna talk, or did you get bored and come here to torture me some more?"

               the entire week after the party had been torture for jo. awkward conversations with a completely clueless bradley, the paranoid feeling that someone from the band might see straight through her and, what was possibly the worst part, the frustration of not being able to find a moment to speak alone with lennon. that had never been a problem before, the pair usually always finding at least a couple of minutes to catch up or just hang out without any specific agenda. not now, though, now it seemed like someone was around all the time. for someone who’d been so keen on begging they’d act like nothing happened, the brunette was pretty desperate for her gaze to find lenny’s during the band’s unofficial meetings or for her hand to brush against his as they went to pick up their coffee cups; it was about small moments she liked to believe no one else would notice but that had the power to help jo make sure her friend hadn’t decided to just mercilessly cut her off her life. and sure, perhaps it wasn’t really fair on her part to try and get the male’s attention instead of just giving him the space he could need. but that consideration didn’t stop her from walking straight to him as soon as she spotted him around the band buses, small groups of people all around eagerly chatting about the performance they’d just watched. she’d meant to find her boyfriend, congratulate him on the amazing show and excuse herself to go home; instead, here she was, barging in on a conversation with a smile so confident anyone would think she had failed to spot the groupies standing next to the bassist. “lenny, I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” jo’s gaze went to the girls for just one second before continuing.  “I was hoping we could talk? if I’m not interrupting anything important, of course.” she had no idea what she’d be saying, to be honest. but she’d been petty enough to believe wanting to spend some time with him was enough of a reason. at least, it used to be like that before things got complicated between them. 

[companion-showdown]

Showdown 2k24: Round 2

Everyone has been split into groups of 16 roughly by how well known they are and seeded within those groups to determin matches. There will be 16 polls posted every day (so two of the groups) except Friday. At the end of the round groups will be paired up and re-seeded ready for next time

the submission form for contestant propaganda is still open, you can find it here.

ROUND 1

Day 4

Mary Shelley vs Ikalla

Claudia Winkleman vs Cinder

Hector vs Sibling Different

Ruth Leonidas vs Susan Who

Alan Turing vs Peter Summerfield

John Lennon vs Dorothy (The Wonderful Doctor of Oz)

Tom Campbell vs Barusa

Peter Cushing vs Alison Cheney

Brian the Ood vs Penelope Gate

Hattie Munroe vs Gabby Gonzalez

Splinx vs Grayla

V.M.McCrimmon vs Patience

Andy Davidson vs Dormouse

The Squire vs Weeping Angel (Origins)

Cindy Wu vs Guinevere Winchester

Child Master (The Then and the Now) vs Koschei

previous and future days under the cut

Day 1

Jamie McCrimmon vs Sergeant Benton WINNER: Jamie McCrimmon

Vicki Pallister vs Zoe Heriot WINNER: Zoe Heriot

Barbara Wright vs Steven Taylor WINNER: Barbara Wright

Victoria Waterfield vs Sarah-Jane Smith WINNER: Sarah-Jane Smith

Jo Grant vs The Brigadier WINNER: Jo Grant

Ian Chesterton vs Leela WINNER: Leela

Liz Shaw vs Polly Wright WINNER: Liz Shaw

Dodo Chaplet vs Susan Foreman WINNER: Susan Foreman

Charley Pollard vs Mark Seven WINNER: Charley Pollard

Cass Fermazzi vs Molly O'Sullivan WINNER: Molly O'Sullivan

Oliver Harper vs Liv Chenka WINNER: Liv Chenka

C'rizz vs Lucie Miller WINNER: Lucie Miller

Iris Wildthyme vs Anya Kingdom WINNER: Iris Wildthyme

Erimem vs Bliss WINNER: Bliss

Hex Schofield vs Helen Sinclair WINNER: Helen Sinclair

Tania Bell vs Evelyn Smythe WINNER: Evelyn Smythe

Day 2

Bill Potts vs Nardole WINNER: Bill Potts

The TARDIS vs River Song WINNER: The TARDIS

Wilfred Mott vs Jack Harkness WINNER: Wilfred Mott

Amy Pond vs Martha Jones WINNER: Martha Jones

Clara Oswald vs Rory Williams WINNER: Clara Oswald

Ruby Sunday vs Rose Noble WINNER: Rose Noble

Kate Stewart vs Canton Everette Deleware III WINNER: Kate Stewart

Missy vs Donna Noble WINNER: Donna Noble

Bernice Summerfield vs Marie (Alien Bodies) WINNER: Bernice Summerfield

Chris Cwej vs Business Woman WINNER: Chris Cwej

Roz Forrester vs The Mortimer family WINNER: Roz Forrester

Rosie Taylor vs Compassion WINNER: Compassion

Fitz Kreiner vs Serena WINNER: Fitz Kreiner

Badger vs Wolsey WINNER: Wolsey

Sam Jones vs Claudia Marwood WINNER: Sam Jones

Homunculette vs Anji Kapoor WINNER: Anji Kapoor

Day 3

Ace McShane vs Mags WINNER: Ace McShane

Romana I vs Nyssa WINNER: Nyssa

Romana II vs Ryan Sinclair WINNER: Romana II

Graham O'Brien vs Mel Bush WINNER: Mel Bush

Vislor Turlough vs K9 WINNER: K9

Chang Lee vs Tegan Jovanka WINNER: Tegan Jovanka

Inston-Vee Vinder vs Grace Holloway WINNER: Inston-Vee Vinder

Peri Brown vs Yasmin Khan WINNER: Yasmin Khan

Frobisher vs ARC WINNER: Frobisher

Duh vs Josie Day WINNER: Josie Day

Ssard vs Chantir WINNER: Ssard

Gus Goodman vs Izzy Sinclair WINNER: Izzy Sinclair

Rose-the-cat vs Abslom Daak WINNER: Rose-the-cat

Majenta Pryce vs Maxwell Edison WINNER: Majenta Pryce

Kroton vs Ly-Chee the Wise WINNER: Kroton

Fey Truscott-Sade vs Destrii WINNER: Destrii

[peterstanslizzie]

Re-watching Lizzie Mcguire: Episode 1.25 (Facts of Life)

We should give this trio a group name. I mean, Andi Mack has the ‘Good Hair Crew’, which comprises of Andi, Buffy and Cyrus. So, it’s only fitting that we give this group a name. Any ideas?

- Gordo has too many eggs in one basket; On top of having to finish three book reports and a science project, he decided to burden himself even more by joining glee club. This is so he can diversity his school resume with non-academic activities. 

- Side note: It’s cool that the writers acknowledged that Miranda had joined glee club back in episode 1.14 since it was kinda randomly thrown into that episode. 

- Mr. Escobar clearly isn’t impressed with his students’ singing chops and urges them to practice at home. After their glee club session, Lizzie suggests to her friends they should try out for the ‘Fact-athlon’. They don’t think it’s a great idea since Gordo is already under a lot of stress.

Getting a reward is always good motivation

- But when Lizzie brings up the fact that the winners will get a free trip to Miami, the tone suddenly shifts from nay to yay. Plus. this would be a nice addition to Gordo’s already packed resume. 

Bring it on ‘Fact-athlon’!

Preparation

- Lizzie and Miranda are busy studying and quizzing each other History facts in Lizzie’s living room. Gordo arrives and is supposed to bring donuts for his friends but he ate them on the way. That’s literally me lol. 

- Gordo mentions to them that they need to get a faculty advisor for their team. Lizzie suggests a teacher who has a huge head but apparently, Kate has already snatched him; So I guess Kate’s also competiting in the ‘Fact-athlon’. Luckily, Gordo says they have Mrs. Trimmer as their back-up. 

“What does a cannibal call a phonebook? A menu”. I don’t think jokes are Lizzie’s thing lmao.

- The next day in school, Gordo draws up a study plan that recommends 4 hours of studying each day in preparation for the upcoming competition. I have a lot of respect for those who are willing to put themselves through these kind of things, even if it’s all for a prize. 

- We come to find out that Mrs. Trimmer has left the country (for no stated reason...) and Mr. Dig will be replacing her as their advisor for the ‘Fact-athlon’. I think Mr. Dig is great and all but good luck to them lol. I will still give him the benefit of the doubt though. 

Team Lizzie vs Team Kate

- We come to find out later that ‘Team Kate’ comprises of her, Claire and Larry; Smart strategy to rope in Larry. Team Lizzie is about to start their study session with Mr. Dig and they brought in with them every math book they can get their hands on from the school library. 

- But with Mr. Dig, you can’t expect to have a conventional study session with him; The only study tool he’ll be using to teach math is a deck of cards. This doesn’t sit well with Gordo because he feels that they should be studying from books and not from playing blackjack. Gordo and I share the same sentiment on this. 

- But after getting teased by Miranda for being an “old man at 13″, Gordo decides to go along with Mr. Dig’s creative way of teaching Math, Science, English and History. And we then get to see a montage of him doing just that. 

No shade but Team Lizzie is just clowning around whilst Team Kate is actually doing the proper preparation for the ‘Fact-athlon’. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Dig’s method of teaching by showing is definitely effective but when it comes to a trivia competition, cramming facts into your brain as much as you can in a short period of time is the best strategy. 

Day of the Fact-athlon

Team Kate is getting down to business but as you can see, 2 of the 3 members are a nervous-wreck

VS

Team Lizzie seems confident but maybe a little too confident

- The competition then kicks off with English History and Team Kate is owning Team Lizzie from the get-go. As expected, Team Lizzie doesn’t know all the black and white facts like the dates and names when it comes to historic events. 

- As Team Lizzie continues to get creamed in the ‘Fact-athlon’, Lizzie comes up with a plan to get out of the competition without forfeiting by telling Gordo to fake being sick and asking Miranda to trigger the water sprinklers. They follow the plan accordingly and manage to get themselves out of the embarrassing situation they were in. If I were them, I would be worried about getting punished for doing all of that lol.

I love how Gordo committed to his fake heart-attack though 

- After the whole fainting and water-sprinklers fiasco, Team Lizzie are sitting on the stairwell suffering from their epic defeat. Team Kate rubs in their faces that they’ve lost so badly that Mr. Dig is quitting as a teacher. Yikes! Now things are getting serious.

- The find Mr. Dig packing his things from the classroom and they plead with him not to quit. They tell him that they’ve learned a lot from him and he has shown them that learning can be fun and how seemingly boring subjects like World History can be interesting. Now that’s the ultimate goal of a teacher; To inspire his/her students.

- Also, it turns out that going to Miami wasn’t the best prize for Team Kate:

Kate got bit by sand fleas, Claire stepped on a sea urchin and Larry got extreme sunburn. Wow, they were really unlucky over there.

B-Plot: Matt and Lanny are Starting A Band

- In the kitchen, Matt asks his parents if they have any musical instruments lying around the house that they can borrow. Sam suggests his old guitar he had used when he was in his own band with his cousin and his friend called “Midnight Sam and the Love Patrol”. Matt, Lanny and even Jo don’t seem impressed with this and they even laughed at the idea that he was in a band. 

The song they were playing in this video was actually pretty good. I wonder if it’s an actual song in real life?

- Before I continue, I have always wondered why isn’t Matt in school for majority of these episodes whilst Lizzie is? I know this is a fictional show but it’s a funny pattern I’ve been noticing for quite some time now. 

- Anyways, they are holding auditions to find a third band member in the backyard and Matt’s parents seem to be okay with the idea; They are such chill parents, I can’t. After viewing a bunch of ‘meh’ performances (well I thought that the oboe player was pretty good), they finally get a good audition...from a grown man by the name of Rick Marotta.

This is an adult who wants to be in a band with a couple of kids....I have questions

- I looked up Rick Marotta and he’s legit a big-time drummer in real life! His credits include playing with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Steely Dan, John Lennon (as mentioned in the show) plus Carly Simon, Stevie Nicks and Randy Newman. Woah, impressive! But anyways, he is the best one so far and he gets the gig! Later, they start playing together for the first time and let’s just say, they don’t sound too good.

- It then escalates to the point where Sam and Jo can’t even stand the sound of them playing anymore. It’s cute how they don’t want to disappoint Matt by telling what he can or can’t do but if I were them, I would definitely put my foot down and ask them to stop the ruckus. Like please.

- We fast forward two days later on Sunday and Matt’s band is holding their first ever live performance and I must say; They look stylin’:

And they gave an incredible performance. Bravo! Of course it’s unrealistic for them to get so good after a short period of time but hey, I can definitely let this slide. 

- In the end, however, Matt and Lanny want to move on to another hobby instead of continuing on with their band *facepalms

Overall Thoughts

- I really enjoyed re-watching this episode. They did a great job making an episode that centers around a ‘Fact-athlon’ quite entertaining. Plus, the writing and the dialog used in this episode was really witty. Kudos to Douglas Tuber & Tim Maile for writing this episode. 

- I also like how they showcased the contrast between traditional ways of studying versus interactive/non-conventional ways of studying. Obviously, the former is more effective when it comes to trivia contests/quizzes but the latter makes students enjoy and really soak up what they’re learning. I also have to give props to Arvie Lowe Jr. for doing a great job as Mr. Dig in this particular episode. I loved seeing the bond between him and Lizzie, Gordo and Miranda. Teachers like him are absolutely gold.

- As for Matt and Lanny’s storyline, it was pretty good. I obviously don’t care about it as much as I do with the A-storyline but I definitely have to give them credit for their performance towards the end of the episode; It was great and I also like how Matt/Lanny didn’t annoy me as much as usual lol. 

[ao3feed-snape]

A Silent Song from the Ashes of Beauty

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/KbQYGqH

by ursalaminor

Disclaimer: This is a self-insert fanfic.

Jolie Jade Foland goes by many names. Jolie, Jo, Lie-Lie, Liar, Jolie Jade, JJF, John F., Fool, Errand, and many other names she absolutely despises. The journey of this young girl starts at the ripe age of eleven, on her adventures through Hogwarts with her best friend(s), the best brother ever, her crush(es), and many, many more paintings and ghosts... including some random Niffler named Joe.

Follow her through her journey in the depths of the Dark Forest, Dark Magic, Dark Classes, Dark Subjects, and a surprisingly Light Black boy. Or two. Or three? Who knows. It's Jolie.

(OC x Regulus Black)

Credits to J.K. Rowling for her amazing series! Also, to user 5774848 for the amazing title.

Words: 1073, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Regulus Black, Sirius Black, Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter, Petunia Evans Dursley, Filius Flitwick, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Frank Longbottom, Alice Longbottom, others - Character, Annalise Foland, Lennon Foland, Jolie Foland, Augustus Foland, Janet Foland

Relationships: they're kids - Relationship

Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Crack, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Complicated Relationships, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Action/Adventure, Eventual Romance, Friendship, Hufflepuff Pride, Gryffindors Being Gryffindors, Good Slytherins, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Rivalry, Sibling Rivalry, Sibling Love, Twins, (sort of), The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, POV Alternating, Long Shot, long fic, Sirius Black Has Long Hair, Hippie Remus Lupin, Character Study, Character Development, Worldbuilding, Evil Voldemort (Harry Potter), You-Know-Who - Freeform, First Wizarding War with Voldemort (Harry Potter), Check the First Tag Again, NO Swearing, Slow To Update, Slow Burn, Metamorphmagus

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/KbQYGqH

[tkmedia]

As it happened - England vs India, 3rd Test, Headingley, 4th day

Day four at Headingley, with Virat Kohli's India resuming against Joe Root's England. The visitors still trail by 139 runs. Can they produce another memorable comeback or will the hosts capitalise on their first-innings advantage? Get your updates on ESPNcricinfo's blog. All timestamps are local time. Ball-by-ball is commentary available here. And here's our live coverage in Hindi. (Please refresh your page for the latest)

It's all over. IT'S ALL OVER!

Overton takes the last two wickets. It's an utterly emphatic 76-run win for England.What a breathless morning. This was almost more impressive than the first day, when England had substantial help from the conditions. Here, they had blue skies over head, and two batters who were batting comfortably the day before. They had to work a little to open the tap early in the morning, but once they did, the dismissals came like a flash flood. India lost their last eight wickets for 63 runs; their last seven for 41. It was a continuous, rapid unraveling, and they will now have to pick themselves back up.Robinson got the most wickets by a distance, but England hunted as a pack. Anderson was excellent, and was unlucky to get more than his one breakthrough this morning. Overton, who had been good yesterday, came in to wipe out the innings. Moeen Ali produced a wicket with a terrific delivery in the middle somewhere. Sam Curran wasn't even needed this morning.Head over to our ball-by-ball coverage for presentation details. I'll be back with the full report a little later.

Robinson gets his fifth!

 Getty ImagesYou know the drill by now. It's fullish, it's outside off stump, angled in. Ishant doesn't move his feet, hangs his bat out, the ball takes the edge, the keeper swallows it. This is excellent reward for Robinson, who has been England's best bowler in the second innings. It's his second five-wicket haul, to go with the five-for he got in Nottingham, in the first Test of this series.India two wickets away from a big defeat.

When will the wickets stop?

Moeen Ali into the attack, and straight away, produces a big-spinning beauty, floating it up way wide of off stump, drifting it away slightly, before suddenly the ball dips, grips and rips past Shami's bat and back into his off stump. It's all falling apart so quickly for India, who would have begun the day with talk of batting four more sessions, and really gritting out the day. As good as England have been, there have been a lot of mistakes from India too.

Robinson strikes again! India lose fourth wicket for 24 runs

This time it's Pant. He ran at the bowlers a couple of times, attempting to flay them away, but missed. Then he tried a prod outside off stump to a length ball angled across him, and sent the ball to Craig Overton at third slip. India collapsing rapidly and emphatically. Mohammed Shami the No. 8, is at the crease.

Innings victory incoming?

India are rapidly running out of wickets and running low on hope. Anderson, who has bowled beautifully this morning, finally gets a wicket for himself. It's Ajinkya Rahane. This is a length ball outside off stump (you can probably guess I'm about to describe a classic Anderson dismissal). It's close enough to the stumps that Rahane feels like he has to play, so he pushes his bat out, hard hands. But of course, the ball moves away a touch, takes an appreciable outside edge, and Jos Buttler gobbles it up.England are almost into the tail now. Unless Pant produces something spectacular (and here's hoping), this could be over by lunch.That wicket, by the way, was Anderson's 400th at home. There are a lot of all-time great bowlers who didn't get 400 in total.400 Test wickets for Jimmy at home Only Muthiah Muralidaran has more (493)— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) August 28, 2021

But he's out now! Kohli's gone.

It's been a scintillating morning, and that over from Robinson - the tenth of the day - epitomised this. First, Kohli whips Robinson through midwicket for four to get to his fifty. It's not just his first half-century of the series, it's his first since February. Then he smokes the fifth ball of the over down the ground, beating a diving mid on, suddenly looking like he's gained some confidence after the nervy early overs.But Robinson has other ideas. Again he goes wide-ish of the crease, and angles a length ball at Kohli which the batter will feel he probably didn't have to play at. But he prods at it and sends a straightforward catch to Root at slip.India's two big middle-overs batters are gone. They are still 115 runs behind. England utterly ascendant.

Kohli v Jimmy heats up, and now Kohli's out... wait, no he isn't! DRAMA.

This is the high-octane battle of the series, has had a high octane over. Second ball, Jimmy pitches it up on a fifth stump line, angled in. Kohli is suckered into the drive as the the ball curves away, only juuuust beating his outside edge (he'd managed to nick the nearly identical delivery that got him out in the first innings.) Next ball, Anderson bowls an inducker and hits him high on the pad, but that one seems to be bouncing over the stumps.Last ball, England think they have him. Anderson is leaping into teammates' arms, and England are whooping, Headingley in ecstasy around them. The ball was slightly wider, and full, leaving Kohli again. There was a sound as it passes the bat and the umpire has raised his finger. But wait. Kohli reviews, after a quick chat with Rahane. The sound turns out not to be bat on ball, but bat on pad, and it's clear from snicko and the replay that Kohli hasn't hit it. He survives. Just. Thrillingly.

Biiig shout fourth over.... Pujara's gone!

 Getty ImagesPujara's been leaving dangerously all through the innings, particularly to Robinson, who has frequently angled balls in towards the right-handers' pads. This time it's cost him big. This was delivered from slightly wide of the crease and might have nipped back juuust a touch. Pujara is expecting it to swing away and shoulders arms, but it keeps coming with the angle, and hits him just outside off, mid-way up the front pad. Umpire Kettleborough declines to give it out, but this just looked so close on first viewing, it always felt like one England would review. They do. And ball tracking shows the ball crashing into the middle of off stump.Pujara's going to have to wait longer for that hundred. He doesn't add to his overnight total. Gone for 91.

Calling for predictions

Personally, I'm hoping for an early mini-collapse from India, before Rishabh Pant comes in and whomps a mindblowing 160 in the company of Mohammad Shami (a-la Angelo Mathews and Herath at Headingley, 2014), to get India about 100 runs ahead. This doesn't seem like enough at first, but then Jasprit Bumrah gets five wickets in a spell, and we go to stumps with England needing 20 to win and just two wickets in hand, setting us up for a tensest of fifth-day mornings.A boy can dream.

Showdown incoming

10:40am

 Getty ImagesThree days, 22 wickets, 725 runs, and it's all led up to this high-stakes morning at Headingley.In the blue corner are India's two most experienced batters, Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, who had skidded their way through the series on modest scores, but discovered something of their most resilient selves on Friday. They battled through difficult spells under gloomy skies to put on 99 together, giving India some hope of making England bat again. Pujara is on 91 - nine runs short of his first century in over 36 months. Kohli is five runs short of his first fifty since February. Happily for them, the sun is said to be out at Headingley, which technically should make batting easier.In the red corner, though, is the great grump-faced grandaddy of swing bowling, James Anderson, who frequently makes the ball do mocking orbits of the batter before it seeks out his edge then a pair of hands in the slips. He was unplayable at the top of day one, dismissing both Pujara and Kohli with outstanding deliveries. He'll have a brand new Dukes ball, which whom he has built a partnership more impressive than Lennon+McCartney (and which has lasted longer too). He'll also have a cohort of right-arm acolytes - Ollie Robinson (who was excellent yesterday), Craig Overton, and Sam Curran in support.Who will triumph? Stick around and find out.Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf Read the full article

[junker-town]

What was most popular the last time the Chiefs and 49ers won a Super Bowl

The last two times these two won the Lombardi Trophy, things were pretty different.

It’s been quite a long time since the Kansas City Chiefs won a Super Bowl. In fact, it’s been a whole 50 years — the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV in the 1969 season. Kansas City had the fourth-longest active drought without a Super Bowl appearance until it earned a bid this season.

The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, have won a championship more recently. Their last Super Bowl win came in the 1994 season, when the Steve Young-led 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers in Miami.

This year’s Super Bowl is also in Miami, but that’s about all that remains the same. A lot has changed in the world since the last time these two won championships.

Let’s take a look at what was happening in sports, TV, movies, pop culture, and technology the last time the Chiefs and 49ers won the Super Bowl.

1969 vs. 1994 in sports

1969

The New York Mets won the World Series, 4-1, over the Baltimore Orioles. Nicknamed the “Amazin Mets,” the victory was one of the biggest upsets in World Series history. The Mets it had a losing season each year before that.

The Boston Celtics were the NBA champions, as they defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. We saw the Celtics-Lakers rivalry heat up during this decade, and the two played in the finals six times — Boston won them all.

In college football, the Texas Longhorns won the national title, beating Notre Dame, 21-17, in the Cotton Bowl, and thus, Texas was truly back. What’s also interesting about this season is after the Longhorns defeated No. 2 Arkansas in December earlier that season, President Richard Nixon presented Texas with a plaque claiming the Longhorns to be the No. 1 team in the land.

1994

Major League Baseball strike: 1994 was a chaotic year for the MLB. Owners wanting to implement salary caps led to a players’ strike in August. It didn’t end for 232 days, the longest stoppage in MLB history, and there was no World Series. The strike cost management close to $1 billion, and players lost millions. It effectively ended Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson’s MLB careers, too.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers won the college football national championship by beating then-No. 1 Miami in the Orange Bowl. It marked head coach Tom Osborne’s first national title, though he’d go on to win two more in the 90s.

The Houston Rockets won their first-ever NBA championship, taking the seven-game series against the New York Knicks.

The O.J. Simpson chase: During Game 5 of Knicks-Rockets, NBC’s telecast was interrupted for the police chase of Simpson in his white Bronco:

Tonya Harding won the U.S. Figure Skating Championship. As you probably know, that was before she was later stripped of her title for her role in the attack on her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, which happened that same year.

1969 vs. 1994 in music

1969

The Billboard No. 1 song in 1969 was “Sugar, Sugar,” by a cartoon band named The Archies, from the animated TV show The Archie Show. Yes, this is incredibly weird to me, too.

Other big hits during this year included “Honky Tonk Women” by the Rolling Stones, “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In” by the 5th Dimension, and “I Can’t Get Next To You” by the Temptations.

The Woodstock music festival was held in August 1969. More than 400,000 people gathered on a farm in New York to see artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Grateful Dead, and Janis Joplin.

Photo by John Dominis/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images

The festival is known as one of the biggest and most important music events in history, lasting four days (it was originally supposed to be only three) while heavy rains caused delays of several acts.

The Beatles recorded their final album together, Abbey Road, which included classics like “Here Comes the Sun” and “Come Together.” That year, the group gave its final live performance, which took place on the roof of Apple Records.

1994

The No. 1 Billboard single for 1994 was “The Sign” by Ace of Base, which was the title track of the Swedish group’s debut album. This one was an absolute banger:

Other hits like “Don’t Turn Around” and “All That She Wants” were on this album.

Some other popular songs from this year included Sheryl Crow’s “All I Wanna Do,” and Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You.” This year Mariah Carey released her Christmas album, which is the greatest holiday album in history. I’m not 100 percent sure about that fact, but I’m right, OK? Hootie and the Blowfish’s Cracked Rearview Mirror album was released, though it became more popular the following year in 1995.

This was a pretty big year for debuting artists. Some of the more notable ones, to name a few: Weezer, Outkast, Beck, Notorious B.I.G., and Oasis.

Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain sadly died in April 1994.

1969 vs. 1994 world events

1969

One of the biggest moments in both the U.S. and the world history was the Apollo 11 mission, which successfully put the first-ever man on the moon. The mission, led by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, launched on July 11, 1969, and landed on the moon on July 20.

Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

On July 18, 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy drove his car off of a bridge in Chappaquiddick, which resulted in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, a former campaign worker of Robert Kennedy’s. Although the news made headlines in the beginning, it ultimately was largely overshadowed by the Apollo 11.

President Richard Nixon was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1969, for his first term.

On Dec. 1, 1969, a draft lottery was reinstated, for the Vietnam War. It was the first since World War II.

1994

Bill Clinton was sued for sexual harassment by Paula Jones while serving his first term as the President of the United States. The accusations Jones brought forward were allegedly from when Clinton was the governor of Arkansas in 1991. Judges allowed Clinton to avoid trial for the lawsuit until after he left office. Jones later settled her lawsuit in November 1998 after Clinton won the 1996 election.

The Republicans took control of the House of Representatives after Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America. Before Republicans took control. Gingrich signed the contract which laid out legislation that would be passed within the first 100 days of Congress.

Nelson Mandela was elected as South African’s president, in the country’s first-ever democratic election. The elections marked the end of apartheid in South Africa, and Mandela later established a commission to investigate human rights and political violations that happened during apartheid. Beyond his time in office, which lasted until 1999, Mandela is considered to be one of the greatest champions of peace and social justice, both in South Africa and around the world.

1969 vs. 1994 television and movies

1969

The No. 1 grossing movie was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It later won four Oscars, including for Best Original Screenplay.

The children’s television show Sesame Street debuted on PBS in 1969. Sesame Street is still airing new episodes on TV to this day!

Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In was the most-watched TV show, a sketch comedy show hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. The show featured actresses like Lily Tomlin and Goldie Hawn as performers, too.

1994

Seinfeld was the most-watched television show, while Friends and ER premiered this year. Nearly 22 million people watched the Friends premiere, and ER had over 23 million viewers. All three shows were the anchors of NBC’s Must-See TV lineup.

Disney’s The Lion King was the top-grossing movie that year, and other greats like Forrest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction were released.

Frasier won its first Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. It went on to win 112 Emmys until it last aired in 2004.

1969 vs. 1994 celebrities

1969

Celebrities born this year included: Brett Favre, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd (who’s a huge Chiefs fan), and Jennifer Lopez, who coincidentally is performing the halftime show at Super Bowl LIV.

Dwight D. Eisenhower and Judy Garland passed away. Eisenhower died of congestive heart failure. Garland was just 47 when she died of a barbiturates overdose.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney both got married this year, McCartney to Linda until her death in 1998, and Lennon to Yoko Ono until his assassination in 1980.

1994

Lisa Marie Presley married Michael Jackson. The marriage lasted two years before the couple filed for divorce.

Time to feel old! Celebrities born this year include Justin Bieber, Harry Styles, Dakota Fanning, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.

Richard Nixon and Jackie Kennedy both passed away. Nixon was 81, and he died after suffering a stroke. Jackie O passed away of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at just 64 years old.

Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley divorced after 10 years of marriage. Brinkley was said to have partially inspired Joel’s hit “Uptown Girl.”

1969 vs. 1994 Technology

1969

The first-ever ATM was installed in the U.S.: On Sept. 2, 1969, the ATM became available to the public at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.

This one could only give customers cash, though more ATM advancements came soon after.

Televisions looked a lot different!

On July 3, 1969, the internet’s first message was sent from UCLA: Two machines on campus that were linked together through ARPANET. There was an attempt to send “login” over the network to a group of Stanford students, but the program crashed after “l” was typed in.

1994

DirecTV’s first satellite digital television service launched. That year, there were just 320,000 subscribers.

Something called “Netscape Navigator” was the leading web browser at the time. I am 27 years old, and have no idea what this thing is:

Screenshot via Wikipedia

The IBM Simon debuted as the first-ever “smartphone” for sale: Thank God we have iPhones now.

Via Microsoft

There have been many changes in the 25 years since the 49ers last won a Super Bowl, and in the 25 years before that, when the Chiefs last earned the Lombardi Trophy. Fans of both teams are hoping they won’t have to wait as long to see them play in the Super Bowl again. But if they do, one thing’s for sure: the world will look a lot different.

[musicveinuk]

10 Times Artists Went Sparring: Round 5 - Damita Jo Vs Ben E King

10 Times Artists Went Sparring: Round 5 – Damita Jo Vs Ben E King

Following his departure from the Drifters in 1960, singer Ben E King wrote and released ‘Stand By Me’.

One of the greatest love songs of the 20th century, which inspired the 80’s film of the same title featuring the late River Phoenix, ‘Stand By Me’ went on to be recorded by Mohammed Ali, John Lennon and more recently performed by the Kingdom Choir at Prince Harry and Megan Markle‘s wedding.

[gothwives]

foolishly, lennon had hoped things would change between them after what they'd done. the tension between them had been brewing for ages now, culminating in a night he'd never forget as long as he lived. a night he'd been dreaming of for nearly as long as he'd known her, but the aftermath was less than desirable. even confronting her now, she looked like it was paining her just to speak to him. "no one's gonna know... they don't have to know." even though it was killing him to hold everything in, everything he'd usually share with his band, seeing as they were his best friends. best friends that he couldn't help but see as competitors at times, but best friends nonetheless. for once, he thought he'd finally won, all his patience and dedication paying off, just for things had gone back to normal as soon as she left his bed— worse than normal, actually, considering jo had been acting like he didn't even exist. "jo... do you honestly, genuinely think he's the one for you? i know you love him and all, but—" how could he put it into words without sounding bitter? as far as he knew, the man hadn't committed any acts of infidelity, but that didn't mean he was as devoted to jo as lennon was. "you don't have to settle for him. i know it'd be hard, and it might fuck with the band, but you should be with me. i'd be so fucking good to you, jo, you know i would. just gimme a chance... let me show you!"

☆ closed (lennon & jo) //@gcthika continued from here.

               number one: she wouldn’t be alone with lennon again, number two: she wouldn’t discuss what happened between them. that was the set of rules jo decided she needed to follow before stepping inside the party. yet here she was, breaking both of them the second the man approached her asking for a moment. “i haven’t been able to look at you,” she admitted, brown eyes finally finding his, the cool wind on her face doing nothing to make her feel less heated. “because… i think that if i do, everyone would know what we did.” her voice was barely a whisper. she was afraid she’d be too obvious, remembering all the ways he had touched her when she belonged to someone else. “i was confused and you were so great to me. but right now i can’t even look at him in the eyes either without wanting to cry, i don’t know what to do.” it’s not like she could tell her boyfriend. she was not going to be the reason why her relationship and an entire band ended. “it’s not that it didn’t mean anything, but it was just a moment of weakness between friends. something we can’t do again.” the look on her face was almost pleading, begging him not to make this more difficult than it already was.

[buddaimond]

More glowing reviews of Rob’s performance in The Lost City of Z

MovieKnights2016 (UK)

Robert Pattinson puts a great performance in as a side character.

Movie Hangover (UK)

By far the strongest performance, and I’m shocked to be saying this, is Robert Pattinson as Percy’s fellow explorer Henry Costin. Masked behind a truly magnificent beard, he gives a quiet internal performance, filled with loyalty to Percy and a dry wit that eases the somewhat heavy themes involved.

Demon Media (UK)

Pattinson shines, and I couldn’t help but think that the film would be better off for dedicating more time to his character.

Inside Robbie (UK)

I found myself wanting more Robert Pattinson, because he appeared to have an actual character and moulded into the role far more Hunnam did. There is a quietness to him, which allow there to be a mystery with his character and this in turn makes him incredibly watchable.

Culture Fly (UK)

Robert Pattinson is a delight as the sturdy best friend, Henry Costin

The Movie Sense

Robert Pattinson has given good performance too.

The Fan Carpet (UK)

Hunnam is captivating in the role, Miller puts in an impressive performance and Pattinson is quite unrecognisable as Fawcett’s bearded companion. 4 out of 5 stars

Elaine McIntyre

… trusty sidekick Mr Costin at this side (this last a nicely understated performance from a bushy bearded Robert Pattinson doing that Brad Pitt trademarked ‘hey I ain’t no hearthrob’ thang)”

The Times of Malta

Pattison [sic] offers solid support as Costin, Hunnam’s second, friend, and confidante; oftentimes he was the only one who truly believed in Fawcett’s venture while at the same time being the voice of reason.

Red Carpet Crash (DIFF 2017 – US)

We aren’t likely to watch a more beautiful or expertly photographed film this year… a terrific Robert Pattinson.

Film Ireland Magazine (UK)

Robert Pattinson, whose character could stand in for a John Lennon lookalike, was underused in the film, mainly to ensure that this film is primarily Percy Fawcett’s.

Screen Crush (US)

… (which includes a nearly unrecognizable Robert Pattinson beneath a bushy beard)… The Lost City of Z; its unhurried pacing, complex themes, and magnificent visuals that must be seen on a big screen make it feel like an artifact from an era of big-budget filmmaking that has been rendered essentially extinct by the franchisification of Hollywood.

Film Journal (US)

(Robert Pattinson, looking and acting slightly consumptive as usual) … the movie’s early scenes cast an immediate spell that holds throughout.

The New Yorker (US)

Pattinson cuts an unlikely figure, yet you follow his every move, and, from the instant at which he laughs at a snake on the forest floor, you wonder what compels him. Unlike Hunnam, he hints at mysteries held in reserve …

Flavorwire (US)

… but Robert Pattinson is terrific as his right-hand man …

Contact Music (US)

Patterson [sic] and Macfadyen add some texture as loyal and obnoxious colleagues, respectively.

Why So Blu (US)

The film works as a character study, with some nice supporting roles to help fill out the surroundings, which are quite wonderful to behold. When not being impressed by the stunning cinematography by Darius Khondji, enjoy the other performances in the film, such as Robert Pattinson’s Henry Costin …

The Smithsonian (US)

Also remarkable in the film is the movie star, Robert Pattinson, as Fawcett’s aide-de-camp, Henry Costin, who—with a huge bushy beard and tiny Victorian-age spectacles—is indistinguishable from the teen-heartthrob he played in the “Twilight” series of films beginning a decade ago. As a character in Gray’s film, Pattinson is stalwart and steady.

Rolling Stone (US)

… (a terrific Robert Pattinson), an assistant who sticks with Fawcett even on the battlefields of World War I. Pattinson gives Costin a quirky edge that rubs just right against Hunnam’s outer stiffness.

Time (US)

Robert Pattinson is wonderful as Henry Costin, Fawcett’s solemn, bearded, no-nonsense aide-de-camp. We barely see his eyes—they’re half hidden by small John Lennon-style glasses—but his bearing alone tells us what he’s thinking every minute.

FanboyNation (US)

The supporting cast is also excellent, with Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland each delivering solid performances.

Screen Rant (US)

[T]he most memorable side player in the film is easily Robert Pattinson (and his impressive beard) as Percy’s loyal and capable, if somewhat offbeat, fellow explorer, Henry Costin.

Rogert Ebert (Matt Zoller Seitz – US)

[A] terrific character turn by Robert Pattinson …

Miami News Times (US)

“an unrecognizably grizzled and charming Robert Pattinson”

Spectrum Culture (US)

… including his sturdy and witty sidekick Henry Costin (Robert Pattinson, delightful)

Jo Blo (US)

The supporting cast is uniformly solid, with Pattinson doing great work as the bearded, slovenly Costin, Percy’s trusted companion. Anyone still doubting that Pattinson can indeed be a fine actor should look no further than here.

The Mercury News (US)

Henry Costin (an excellent, heavily bearded Robert Pattinson)

Flickfilosopher (US)

Often, Robert Pattinson (The Childhood of a Leader, Life) as Fawcett’s aide-de-camp Henry Costin creates a much stronger presence just sitting quietly in the background.

Rogers Movie Nation (US)

The real revelation here is Pattinson, donning a bushy beard to play a crusty second banana, at long last liberated from the demands of a “Twilight” matinee idol. He growls and swallows his lines, wears loyalty in his eyes (Costin follows Fawcett into WWI) and gets across military competence in way you’d never have guessed when his face was covered in vampire glitter.

Paste Magazine (US)

Henry Costin (a generously bearded and faintly eccentric Robert Pattinson)

Filmdrunk (US)

Pattinson fares best as an actor, mainly because he’s the only one who doesn’t deliver all his lines with the feigned conviction of a high school mock trial student.

Popmatters (US)

Pattinson continues to wash the Twilight stink from his resume with another solid supporting role, even if his scraggly beard and tattered hat make him look like Torgo from Manos: The Hands of Fate.

The Atlantic (US)

Costin (easily Pattinson’s best screen performance to date).

Filmthreat (US)

Robert Pattinson is actually marvelous as Henry Costin. He turns in a truly standout performance as Fawcett’s aide de camp and fellow hearty adventurer. I didn’t recognize him at first under the beard and glasses, but there’s the man himself, acting his ass off with intense humor and presence and not a sparkle to be found anywhere. Mr. Pattinson, actor: welcome

Kaplan vs Kaplan (US)

Costin, played by a bearded, bespectacled and virtually unrecognizable Robert Pattinson. He, too, turns in a controlled but effective performance.

Reason (US)

Henry Costin (a bearded Robert Pattinson, surprisingly effective)

Los Angeles Times (US)

Costin, whom the thickly bearded Pattinson plays with wry, witty understatement.

Killer Movie Reviews (US)

Pattinson is equally good at Costin. Behind owlish glasses and a beard, there is a refined sense of irony that watches one of those ci-mention snakes curl around Fawcett’s feet and languidly comments that he might be too English for the jungle.

Reeling Reviews (US)

The film’s leads are well played by Hunnam, Miller and Pattinson and gather sympathy and give strength to their characters.

 The Filmfreak (US)

Robert Pattinson though, is the true surprise for me. As Henry, Pattinson commands a redemption tale through the eyes of a struggling alcoholic who now sees purpose for his life. He does it all in his best John Lennon appearance, and it is intriguing how easily this man loses himself in this role, despite a third act that is less than kind to the creativity of his character. Robert has earned a fan out of me because of his subtle delivery that constantly feels like the cloud of clarity for these characters. A cloud that rightfully earns him the status as Percy’s right hand man, a man who is always quick to cast a hilarious truth. 

Washington City Paper (US)

Pattinson disappears into his role—the thick beard hides his high cheekbones—and his understated comic delivery is a welcome reprieve.

Culturess (US)

It’s also easy to forget Robert Pattinson is in the film, as Fawcett’s aide de camp Henry Costin. Hidden behind a bushman bird, Pattinson plays the strong, silent type to perfection. Much of his performance is conveyed through reactions, proof that the actor is more than a pretty face.

The CW44 Tampa (US) Hunnam may just be average in the role, but luckily Robert Pattinson is there to carry the extra weight. Pattinson is almost unrecognizable as the loyal Henry Costin who accompanied Percy on many of his expeditions. The intriguing subject matter and the strong supporting performances from Sienna Miller and Robert Pattinson help make up for the lack of charisma in Charlie Hunnam’s leading role. Part 1 of Robert Pattinson’s reviews in TLCOZ.~ Updated as of Apr 24 2017

[mimi-berlin]

Bed-Week at Mimi Berlin

Simply because of the fact that it’s the first week of 2017 we, at Mimi Berlin, decided to spend this week in bed. We understand that not everyone is this privileged; so, if you really need to be outside here are some tips to cosy up on the cold winter streets >>>>>>>>>>

1980s puffer coat from Bill Blass

Duvet Coat by Maison Margiela fall/winter 1999–2000 (Screenshot from The Artist Is Absent: A Short Film On Martin Margiela | by YOOX Group)

Maison Martin Margiela (founded 1988), fall/winter 1999–2000, cotton, feather. Purchase, Gould Family Foundation Gift, in memory of Jo Copeland, 2010 (via metmuseum.org)

attributed to Hiroaki Ohya (大矢寛朗), 1999. But we, at Mimi Berlin aren’t sure about that….

VS Stress, Nina Uchida photographed by Takashi Homma for Gap September 1999

Joo Youn Paek, Pillowig (2005)

louise bourgeois photo by alex van gelder. from his book Mumbling Beauty Louise Bourgeois, 2015

1970s sleeping bag coat by Norma Kamali

‘Peace of history: John Lennon’s ‘Bed Peace’ art will be familiar ifyou’ve watched footage of his and Yoko’s famous under-duvet protestsin the 1960s – this artwork is expected to bring $100,000 The felt-tip pen on foam board art’s provenance goes back to John and Yoko’s seven-day “bed-in for peace” held in 1969.’ (via justcollecting.com)

(images via youtube.com / metmuseum.org / justcollecting.com / archivings.net / @marques_almeida / alarm-magazine.com / stkwo.com/ TripleGemini.etsy/ thamesandhudson.com)

See more about (puffer) coats on this blog

PS Did you know that Mimi Berlin is working on a photo essay on human life in bed? No? Then visit even the bedtimes are good here!

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tips to cosy up on the cold winter streets Bed-Week at Mimi Berlin Simply because of the fact that it's the first week of 2017 we, at Mimi Berlin, decided to spend this week in bed.

[gothwives]

none of this was what lennon wanted to hear, but it wasn't anything he hadn't expected. as much as he'd wanted to get his hopes up, he wasn't a fool. he and jo had a magical night together, but one night wouldn't be enough to erase a year of feelings built up between jo and brad. the opportunity to sweep her off her feet had come and gone— now all lenny could do was sit back and watch the love of his life fall deeper in love with another man. a man who would never deserve her, a man who would never treat her like lenny would. it absolutely tore him up inside. upon hearing the voice of another approaching where the two were huddled in the backyard, lennon broke away and shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, though it was too late. there was no way the frontman hadn't seen how his band's bassist was cradling his girlfriend's face, the tension was surely palpable from even several yards away. despite what should've been obvious, he still seemed oblivious. classic brad, he was likely too self obsessed to even consider the concept of his girl showing an interest in someone else. "everything's great. fantastic, actually. we were just talking about you." the truth rested just on the tip of his tongue, threatening to spill out at any second, but, for jo's sake, lenny held back. surely the look on brad's face once he found out what they'd done would be absolutely priceless, but he wasn't about to throw her under the bus before they'd sorted out their feelings. "it's a good song, huh? just another one of brad's genius creations. what would we do without you?" bitterness hung heavily in his tone, the scowl on his face contradicting his complimentary words. with one last lingering gaze at jo, he shook his head, reluctantly stepping away from the pair and heading back towards the house. "have a great night you two. don't do anything i wouldn't do..." @musingmixtape

               she didn’t believe it was too late either, she could still change her mind and do something impulsive and crazy like choosing the guy she didn’t even consider to be an option a week ago. the one who had always been nice and so very caring about her feelings even when it seemed like she was extremely close to breaking his heart. but for heaven’s sake, this was the girl who looked up the menu and decided what to order before she even set foot in any restaurant, spontaneity had never been her second name. and maybe lennon had a point, because the selfish option did sound tempting as he cupped her cheeks in a gesture that reminded her perfectly of how he’d touched her the last time they were alone; and the memory had her heart beating so loud she swore she could hear it. perhaps he could hear it too. the confirmation that lennon wasn’t mad at her for making things this complicated made her feel comforted, he was one of his oldest friends after all, they’d always know each other; but a small part in her, the one that believed she didn’t deserve to have a good man asking her for a chance when she had been taken for so long, assured her that this would be easier if he did hate her.

“babe, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” there was no moment to pretend, to take a step back or act more put together before brad was standing next to her, gaze scanning her with attention, the relaxed expression on his face turning into one of concern as his eyes moved from her to lennon. they’d never been precisely best friends. “what– is everything alright?” the male asked. she could only imagine the picture they were presenting for her boyfriend right now: her eyes shiny with tears, barely existing space between them, an electricity in the air that could probably start a fire in this damn backyard even when bradley was probably too self-centered to notice it. was everything alright? that sounded like a bad joke from the universe. “yeah… I was just talking to lenny about how much I loved the new song, this is so lame– but it got me all emotional.” she felt guilty the second the lie slipped past her lips, but what else could she say? the truth was not an option.

[gothwives]

judging by the look on her face, lenny figured jo was finally putting two and two together. how it'd taken her so long to finally realize his feelings for her bled beyond the lines of pure friendship, he couldn't say. though he'd never come right out and said it until now, surely his actions over the past decade could've clued her in at any time, if only she'd been paying attention. "yeah, i know. it's fucking pathetic, but it is what it is." he'd long since given up on trying to stifle what only grew as time went on, knowing that his love for her was just something he'd have to carry within him for as long as he lived. finally letting it out after all these years should've felt like a relief, but it'd only ended up kicking him when he was down. "it might be. might. you don't know that... how sure are you? like, seventy?" measuring your feelings for someone couldn't be boiled down to an exact science, lennon knew that, but he was still pushing his agenda forward, no matter how hopeless it seemed. if all else failed, at least he could say he really tried his hardest. otherwise, he'd just keep wondering what if. what if he didn't give up, and continued dreaming of the day they could finally be together, once and for all? would all that daydreaming pay off? "you don't have to be sure right now... don't you wanna try? it's not too late, i don't think." if brad had stopped dragging his feet and proposed already, maybe then lenny would take that as a sign that they'd never be together and give up this fruitless pining. it had to end at some point... holding out hope for an unrequited crush this long was juvenile. "are you trying your best for his sake, or your own? sometimes doing the selfish thing is the right thing..." sensing that she was in a fragile place, lennon gently cupped both cheeks, forcing her to meet his eyes as hers became glazed over with tears. "i don't hate you, jo... i could never— you're not a hatable person. do you believe me? you're everything, jo. and more." though her answer was less than satisfactory, it wasn't exactly a definitive no. she hadn't yet told him she didn't love him, so lenny was still willing to hold onto a speck of hope, no matter how fleeting.

☆ pairing: lennon & jo. // @gcthika continued from here.

               a broken sigh abandoned jo’s lips as nervous fingers covered her face for a fraction of a second, because she was just starting to realize what this had meant for the man standing in front of her. and while she didn’t want to be the cause he was hurting, she couldn’t be the fantasy he talked about, she couldn’t be it for two people. “fuck, lenny– I had no idea.” if she had known about his feelings, maybe she would have thought twice before making the first move and kissing him, or before asking him to take her to a more private place. it’s not like she was completely clueless. she had seen the way he always paid attention, how he smiled at her when they spoke, how he’d never had anything mean to say about her sticking around for so many band practices when technically anyone who wasn’t one of the musicians wasn’t allowed to be there; but she attributed it all to them being friends. and last night, right when she was upset and craving to feel wanted, she’d noticed the longing in his gaze. that timing had felt almost meant to be. “I know this is not what you want to hear, but I think it might be him. for me, it might be brad.” she just couldn’t be sure. the guilt of what they’d done was taking the mic in this moment, but that wasn’t all of it. lennon wasn’t lying when he mentioned bradley’s ego, and sure, he wasn’t perfect. but it was pretty obvious that neither was she. and her boyfriend had fought for her, he had tried to be better when things were rocky between them. didn’t she owe him the same courtesy? “I… I just don’t know, if the circumstances were different– it could have been great if it would have been you. but you can’t expect me to be so sure.” jo understood how frustrating this would be for lennon, but he was throwing a lot of new information at her that she hadn’t had the time to process. besides, it’s not like they could just give it a chance and see how it goes, it wasn’t a light and breezy decision. “and I know maybe I sound hypocritical and evil, but I’m really just trying my best…” last night, she’d given herself something she really wished for, she’d decided to ignore the consequences of her actions for a couple of hours, but that didn’t mean she could do it forever. the hot tears that were forming in her eyes were proof of that. god, they really shouldn’t be having this conversation here. “I understand if you hate me for this, I really do.” she assured, voice barely a whisper.

[gothwives]

musingmixtape​:

     jo nodded at the male’s words, desperately wishing she could believe him when he assured her that nobody was going to know. she’d never kept a secret this big in her heart. but the alternative of letting it out, being honest and facing the consequences was too terrifying. “no, don’t do that– you don’t get to do that.” the brunette protested in a strained tone, pointing an accusatory finger towards the male. choosing skepticism and frustration was easier than taking a moment to let his words sink in. to consider that perhaps, bradley wasn’t the man for her, that maybe she was settling. “this is not about me loving him.” which she did. of course she did. even when her emotions were currently a twisted mess in the pit of her stomach. “this is about me choosing him. and about you choosing your dream.” she owed that to herself, to try not to break. because if she did, she wasn’t completely sure she wouldn’t be asking lennon to prove his words and demostrate exactly how good he’d be to her. again. “and your dream isn’t me. it’s not some one night stand with a girl who’s been with the same boyfriend since she was eighteen.” because, how could it be? “it’s this band, the music, the thrill of being on stage, the groupies who’d kill to listen to you say to them what you’re telling me right now.” he was born to play for a crowd, and she seriously wanted to protect that. not to destroy everything he’d worked for and the band’s trust in him. in them. “I don’t want to lose you, lenny, but I can’t give you what you want either. can’t we just forget about last night and go back to the time when we didn’t feel like this?”

standing in a friend's backyard, desperately clinging to whatever spark remained between them, lennon couldn't help but wonder how they got here. it'd been a long time coming, the result of several years of built up tension and unrequited feelings— he'd fantasized about getting the chance to show jo just how he felt for god knows how long, but he'd never seen it playing out like this. it was bittersweet, getting to experience just how heavenly it was to be with her, only to know he could never have it again. "but it is about that, because if he wasn't in the picture, you'd be with me. right?" while lenny had held back on confessing his feelings for her when they'd first developed, he hadn't expected someone else to swoop in and steal her heart, let alone his best friend's brother. how could he compete with a guy like bradley? "you don't fucking get it, jo—" the laugh that fought its way out was one of pure frustration, running a hand through his hair to try and soothe the bitterness that'd manifested on his tongue. "i don't give a fuck about girls who only want me so they can say they bagged a bassist, ok? i could be in any band! maybe i'd enjoy it more knowing i don't have to compete with mr. perfect and his massive fucking ego. standing in his shadow isn't my dream, jo. it's you. you're it! you're the fantasy!" he hadn't noticed the increase in volume until he took a moment to pause, his own voice still ringing in his ears. it didn't matter whether anyone overheard or not, he was too fed up to hold it all in anymore. "you weren't some one-time lapse in judgment, jo. don't you get it? there's never been a time when i didn't feel like this. since seventh grade! it's always been you for me. always will be." baring his soul would no doubt put her in an uncomfortable position, which is why he'd never confessed his feelings before, but there was no way for him to continue to bite his tongue now that they'd crossed that line from friendship to something more. "tell me you don't love me. tell me you could never love me, and it's always gonna be brad, and i'll never bring it up again."