#( e: charity masquerade )

[levibecker]

location: briar ridge charity masquerade sent to: @evelayton

The night was well underway with the raffle especially over, and as Levi made his way back inside through the chaotic crowd of masked individuals, the more his mind only became increasingly disoriented. Every guest had actually done a surprisingly decent job at keeping their identities hidden and no one person seemed to look the same to him. Or it was just the amount of drinks he’d already had. The more time went by, the quicker the night could actually come to a close and the party could all continue to wind down. Since his employer had hosted the event, he didn't have much of a choice but to stay until the party's end. For the good cause is what he’d toasted to earlier with one of his prior champagne flutes. 

Interestingly enough, his eyes caught a flash of striking gold in passing. One of the only things he could actually recognize. They intriguingly met at the bar earlier in their first run-in, their second they exchanged notable compliments on their attire and now..”Hey!” Levi turned to call after her amongst the loud music still blaring in the room at the same time, moving a few forward. “What number is this?” He mused, certain he wasn’t wrong with who it was and this would be yet another encounter between them of the night. 

[levibecker]

She was Bonnie? The reveal certainly proved practically impossible to wrap his head around. How could he have been that blind? It only made what little was left of his coherency at this point spiral further. Getting along with Leyla Yilmaz in any capacity just wasn’t in the cards. She had made that abundantly clear any time they happened to encounter another, and he truly couldn’t blame her either. Levi knew he could do nothing except endure the lasting weight on his shoulders from the devastation that bound them ten years ago. It ultimately was his own fault. That bed had been made and he had to lie in it, whether he accepted it or not. What truly left him in shock was that in actuality, he had gotten along with her. If even for a few short instances. That truly would remain the mystery of the whole catastrophic evening, as in reality, they were usually saying no words to each other or getting themselves into a tense argument. His shoulders shrugged at her voiced disbelief, what would it matter at this point? It didn’t and wouldn’t. Not one bit. “Should’ve known.” Levi scoffed with a sole shake of his head. “Bold of you to think that I thought of us as friends.” He sneered, motioning with a hand towards their building’s front door. “Go ahead. Get your head start.” He’d have no issue having some more time in the cool, night air right now anyway. 

No, no, no.. Leaning on her door now, Leyla was still incredibly intoxicated, enough for the world around her to be spinning some. She already regretted ever agreeing to have a night off, to get a taste of her youth back and let loose a little. Tomorrow would be exceptionally difficult. But this?! This was impossible to comprehend, and all too much to bear. How the fuck did she find herself getting along with the one person she couldn't stand on this planet earth? The one person who was tied to her greatest heartache of all, her deepest pit of grief. The Clyde to her Bonnie was simply the one person she could not allow herself to grow friendship with, which surprisingly, made her even more disappointed. "No, I know I'm drunk, but this is too much. You can't possibly be.." She shook her head, lost for words. It took a few moments for her to even process their interactions. Pressing her lips together, she stepped forward towards him, the venom unleashing from within. "Yes, they were my brownies," the brunette admitted unashamedly. "And I guess you're going to find out, huh?" She couldn't BELIEVE her fucking luck. Of all freakin' people on this planet earth, it had to be him. "—This never happened. The Bonnie, the Clyde.. the getting along. It's forgotten. I was drunk and not myself." Am drunk. "We are not friends."

[squadmuse]

DATES ALPHABET

THE MATT CASEY EDITION

A/N: @deanstead 's genius mind and fantastic Matt fics plus her anons have got me deep in the Matt rabbit hole, much love & kudos to them all… so here is my first ever Matt fic!

A - Amusement Park / Arcade

An arcade date definitely happens when you’re dating Matt. The two of you walk along Navy Pier one evening, it’s a lovely summer night and both so in love - you play shooter games, racing simulators, throwing games and more, with Matt winning you so many cuddly bears & animals.

B - Biking / Brunch

Brunch usually happens as a date for you and Matt to catch up after a long shift. You’ll meet each other there and get a booth, cuddling up and chatting away over some nice coffee or fruit juice, pancakes and fruit. The two of usually playfully steal bites of the others order.

C - Candlelit dinner / Cabin getaway

Matt will ask Kelly for use of his cabin once in a while, usually for the day during a holiday. The two of you unplug (not entirely due to careers) and enjoy being around nature.

D - Dinner Cruise / Drive-in Movie

The dinner cruise date is usually reserved for anniversaries and it’s something that you and Matt always look forward to and enjoy the nice meal on the water.

E - Eiffel Tower / Escape Room

Matt loves spoiling you and one time took you to Paris, France for a vacation holiday and one of your dates there was up the Eiffel Tower. He is a big romantic gesture guy and where else than the City of Love?

F - Football Game / Fireworks

The 4th of July celebrations are a date where you and Matt cuddle on a picnic blanket if he’s luckily not working, and watch the Chicago sky light up but if Matt is on shift then he’ll have you come to 51 and watch them there with you.

G - Gala / Glamping

A gala date happens more when Matt is an alderman but it happens once in a while for a charity or the firehouse. He looks extremely dashing in his dress uniform and you look lovely in your gown.

H - Hockey Match / Harvest Festival

Matt surprises you one autumnal Saturday with a date to a harvest festival. The two of you just enjoy the day, drinking cider, eating pumpkin pie and kissing in corn mazes together.

I - Interior Design Expo / Italian Restaurant

Somehow you and Matt ended up an interior design expo one weekend through his construction job and make it a date. Matt is in his element and thinks of ideas for his renovations etc. while you love the art and design side of things but the two love the merging of your interests.

J - Jacuzzi / Jogging

Matt Casey in jacuzzi is something we all need and it’s something you set up one date night staycation, bringing him to the warm jacuzzi to relax and enjoy which he does and does some more with you in your bikini.

K - Kayaking/Kickboxing

With you and Matt working shifts, one way you have dates is at the gym and you get him into trying out a kickboxing class with you and you both enjoy it.

L - Lakeside getaway / Live Music

A grateful survivor gifted Matt some tickets to a rock concert and of course he took you. Much like the Rush concert, the two of you got front row seats, met the band and got a backstage tour too.

M - Museum / Masquerade

You and Matt like to just spend quiet time with each other and Chicago is a wealth of museums that the two of you wander around hand in hand just enjoying the history around you both.

N - Nightclub / Nine Pin Bowling

Matt and you are very competitive and whenever there is a bowling tournament or game held in the firehouse then the two of you are revving each other up and riling up each other too.

O - Observatory / Orchestra Concert

The orchestra date happens when Matt is an alderman and the two of you are attending a benefit concert for the children’s hospital. It ends up being a soothing experience and the two of you enjoy the new date.

P - Picnic / Photoshoot

Matt and you will have picnic dates during the summer or spring, stretched out on the blanket enjoying each other’s company and laughing as you feed each other grapes or cuddling against a tree in the public park.

Q - Quiz Night / Quiet Time

One night Mollys holds a quiz night and of course you and Matt team up together to compete. He’s a smart guy - intellectually, emotionally & street, and so are you - so it’s no wonder that the two of you walk away with the top prize.

R -Resort Weekend / Road Trip

The road trip date happens when you and Matt go away for a long weekend or public holiday. You’ll pack the car up to go camping and roll the windows down, laughing and singing along to the radio.

S - Spa Day / Swimming

You’re big on keeping up your swimming abilities and the healing power of the water, so once or twice you have dragged Matt to your favourite pool or beach and just swim around. You do end up making out a few times but Matt tries to keep it PG-13 in public.

T - Tiki Bar / Tango Lessons

The tiki bar dates that you and Matt have, usually result in massive hangovers the next day but you both have a ton of fun and Matt is cute in his Hawaiian shirt and you’re cute with your luau on.

U - Upscale Dining / Unplugged Date

Matt enjoys just switching off and getting away from electronics. Sometimes the two of you will read together, just snuggle or sometimes cook

V - Valentines Day / Volunteer

Matt always makes sure he is the one organising your Valentines Day dates together and he always goes all out. Dinner cruises, fancy restaurants etc. these dates are very special to you and Matt.

W - Woodworking / Weekend

As Matt has his construction job, one way you end up sort of helping or doing something linked to his hobbies and skills is via woodworking, and he loves seeing how excited you get after creating something out of the wood.

X - eXcursions / eXpensive

Now an excursion date between Matt and you varies from date to date. It can be sailing and fishing, food tours, aquariums etc. they’re never the same and never boring.

Y - Yacht Cruise / Yoga

You love yoga and whenever you see that Matt is getting stressed out or worked up with his duties, you drag him to the yoga studio and get him into the different positions and he jokes that you want him more flexible for more mature reasons.

Z - Zoo / Zip Lining

You love animals and so does Matt, so the Lincoln Park Zoo is sometimes a date idea. Sometimes it’s a date shared between you both as you take the younger Herrmann kids out for the day or Boden’s son but either way, you and Matt just enjoy any time spent together.

[pumpumdemsugah]

And divestors will whine about how white women always got to be pink princesses or some shit. How the box of acceptable women hood has narrowed so much. I swear if a young black woman wore Halle berry’s old cut they would whine about how evil and masculine it is. How I wish all those women a white boyfriend, with the full blessing of the monkey’s paw.

Since covid in particular, divestors have become a cult of the worst self help advice masquerading as Black women empowerment just because now and again they're right about big issues. It's not all of them, but the ones that are hostile to feminism are usually just not smart at all. They don't read and I remember watching one and her saying she avoids anything feminist so she doesn't change her mind lol. Many of them have jumped out of the role of Black women being a sacrificial lamb for the Black community and think because they're right about that, they shouldn't be reflective of any other beliefs they have. If the Stepford wife thing isn't and hasn't worked for other women, why would it for us ? So many are so fixated on ' Black women didn't get to do X ' they're not even thinking ' is this even a good idea?' , ' am I going about this in a sensible reality based way ?' And they will hear this and think they're being asked to lower their standards and date a drug dealer and not, think about your pension if you're going to be a stay at home wife because men die before women; make sure you have work experience because "good men" leave women all the time

Literally all they do is make the box for acceptable femininity for Black women smaller and harsher and then pretend it's doing us a favour. They're pretending their doltishness is refinement because they don't act like cardi b. They're never avid readers or interested in art. They think because 19yros are taken in by their act because they wear midi-skirts that's going to be impressive by itself

They just like the aesthetics of social media ' old money ' style and that's not a problem by itself but the way they build all their ideas from that is stupid. They encourage the most irredeemable form of vacuousness for us like Black women benefit from people thinking we're dumb. They will call behaviour that's obviously a trauma response " masculine" and pretend they're worldly without any of the " work" of knowing anything about the world.

Black women and girls should be reading, going to galleries, building relationships based on compassion, travelling but these goats will have you believe it's masculine to be career focused as if inflation doesn't exist and we need more money for the same shit . A man that comes from ' old money ' typically marries within their social circle like all wealthy people do and if you want a wealthy man, you better get a good education and a good career so you're at the same conferences and office buildings as them

There are so many forms of anti- intellectualism on social media masquerading as self help. If you're fucked up in the head, seek help and if you want to transform your life it's not happening because you made a blog and use cursive font

It's good for Black women to focus on ourselves but Black Femininity types and divestors are getting crazier and crazier as a group ( individually some divestors are fine ). Many YouTube Black Femininity types hate ForHarriet but she is literally the one with an educated, probably high earning, I go to charity ball man because even though she's on social media, she's not acting loud and stupid and being a Harvard dropout still means you went to Harvard and they didn't.

I don't believe in lying to women about shit. Give them the facts and stop selling a fantasy and then an e-book. There are lots of ways to have a beautiful life full of love and safety as a Black woman but that takes effort and planning not content consumption

Black girls gain nothing by being isolated ( in an effort to stay pure ) and not learning about the world. If you can't figure anything else you can do but go to the club like those other ' hoodrats' congrats you don't have any hobbies or interests or friends. Work on that

[mamalaw1021]

Hey tumblr -

Next month, Kerry Taylor Auctions is running a charity event for The Bright Foundation featuring 69 lots of cinema costumes from Cosprop.

Lots include items like

Drew Barrymore's masquerade costume from Ever After.

Johnny Depp's costume for Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow.

Emma Woodhouse dresses from both Gwyneth Paltrow and Anya Taylor-Joy's Emma films.

Mr. Darcy's infamous wet shirt look from the A&E Pride & Prejudice.

One of Kate Winslet's costumes from Finding Neverland and one of Emma Thompson's gorgeous dresses from Howard's End.

As well as others worn by the likes of:

MADONNA • HEATH LEDGER • ELIZABETH TAYLOR • MERYL STREEP • KEIRA KNIGHTLEY •  MARGOT ROBBIE • UMA THURMAN • RENEE ZELLWEGER • HELENA BONHAM CARTER • JULIE ANDREWS  • JUDI DENCH • EDDIE REDMAYNE • DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Or costumes from TV dramas including: DOWNTON ABBEY • PEAKYBLINDERS • POLDARK • POIROT •

There's a lot of truly remarkable pieces here.

[levibecker]

“So, we start scouting the ocean now for them to take back with us?” Levi jested to Cali. With how much uneasiness there was leading up to the whole raffle results, he couldn’t be more satisfied with how it all ultimately turned out. He’d much rather use the time to catch up with a friend he hadn’t seen in a long while, which he didn’t want to let it taper off as long as it did again. Even better, they had alcohol, dessert, and a spectacular view of the moon reflecting off the ocean. What could be better? “Ok, say no more. I’m in.” He nodded with a grin that she could sneak him out to the back at the aquarium and introduce him one on one to the dolphins she directly worked with. As if Cali wasn’t cool enough doing what she did for a living. “I definitely need to visit you anyway.” It was a way for him to start changing things around to strengthen their friendship again. “Good, well make sure you tell her I said it.” He mused, taking another sip from his beer bottle. 

Thankfully, she didn’t suspect a thing that Marco had been the one that had jokingly charged at him as soon as he found out that he’d won the date with Cali. Levi knew well how much his good friend wanted the time with her. He figured he could easily play this off, right? “Uh..no. They still had their mask on. No punches were thrown, I swear.” Levi assured with both his hands up. A smirk began to form on his lips as Cali did notice where he motioned moments before, affirming for herself that she knew one of the figures in the near distance was Marco. “Yeah. Actually, I’m pretty sure I do know who he’s with…” He stated in recognition as it certainly did look like Kira to him. Wild he knew everyone within this weaving web.

Eating another forkful of the dessert, Cali nodded in agreement. It could've been an awkward hour making small talk with a stranger and although a part of her, that was bigger than she was willing to admit, had wanted to win the date with Marco, she couldn't complain about having the time with Levi. There were much worse ways to spend an hour than eating cheesecake and drinking beer with a view of the ocean at night. Even if her other view was her best friend on a date with another woman. "Either, but if you come to park, I can sneak you out back and introduce you to them. I'm with them for the rest of the month so stop by whenever, they'd love to meet you." Smiling at over at him, Cali nodded before looking down at the dress. "Thank you. I'm sure she'll love that, she was not budging on that decision."

Frowning a little as she took another bite of the dessert she had smuggled out there, Cali shook her head. No part of her even considered that it could've been Marco that he was talking about. "Do you know who it was? I really don't know of anyone in there that would say something like that." As they shook pinky fingers, Cali made a mental note to call Levi more. They had been friends for so long that there was no excuse as to why they shouldn't keep in touch more, especially when they were able to be so at ease with each other. "Hm?" Glancing up in the direction he pointed, she felt that annoying ache in her chest again as she looked at Marco on his date, the girl laughing at something he had said. "Yep, on his date." Her years of having a poker face over her feelings for the oldest Santos meant that her voice was still fairly light but it wasn't long before she finishing off her beer. "Do you know who he's with? I don't recognise her."

[agentc0rn]

Introduction

⭐Hello, my name is AC (not air conditioner by the way) You can also call me Ayamai too. Thanks for checking out my art blog. I like to draw landscapes and fanart mainly pokemon. I also like insects and writing. :) I sometimes privatize/delete some posts to organize/clean up just so be aware!

⭐I am on kofi and on instagram (agentc0rn06). Also on Cara.

⭐️ Please DO NOT repost/reshare my art without credit. You are free to use them for personal uses such as phone wallpaper, but other than that, please do not share without proper credits (I prefer if you ask beforehand if possible).

⭐ Commission

Here’s a quick link to check out my gallery of Pokémon fanart + additional ones below which comprise all of my proudest works.

my rambles

animatics - Powerless, Catch a Break, Final Masquerade, Break, A/Z

Comic- Triad of Kalos - A Wanderer's Entreaty, The Professor’s Elegy, The Visionary's Soliloquy.

Music

Ways to support Gaza:

Life for Gaza

Gaza funds - loads to fundraisers for different family

arab.org - clicks generate funds that go to gaza

gazaesims.com - purchase e-sim cards for gazans without internet

Crips for eSims for Gaza | Chuffed | Non-profit charity and social enterprise fundraising - Funding project for E-Sims

gofundme.com/f/careforgaza - sends funds to displaced families in gaza

Have a great day!

[longislandrealtor]

Save the date - Thursday November 21st

please join us in the annual Cosmo for Women Charity Event.

Get your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-annual-cosmo-for-women-charity-event-masquerade-gala-tickets-904739228387

[chokkokat-art]

My Shadouge Week 2020 entries! （＾Ｏ＾☆♪

[levibecker]

“Oh ok, nothing to worry about then. We can take him.” Levi smirked as Marco began detailing Cali’s significant other for him. Honestly, he was thankful to have found his best friend in the chaos to make light of the entire evening. It had been what he needed all along. “I guess that’s why the masks are actually good for one thing then.” Levi hinted upon hearing the assurance that it was Marco her boyfriend solely had an issue with Cali being around. Plus, the chef clearly had averted his gaze over in her direction, likely longing for the chance to at least speak. Exactly where Levi intended to come in, to try and give a little nudge that she needed towards Marco again. “You weren’t wrong though since I’m sure you did make it for her...” He slyly remarked as to him, it seemed as if his friend was just overtly stating a fact. “I think ‘pretty sure’ are your key words there, man. Maybe..give her another bracelet as a way to apologize? That might start a conversation with her?” Levi suggested, wanting to at least try and help Marco in his predicament with the girl at the center of his affections. 

“That’s my job. And I won’t let you give up here either.” He gave a joking smack to the chef’s arm in return. “Ok well, I should be able to come back to you with a decent report then that you can run with.” Levi nodded. “I guess I have been ‘won’.” He shook his head with a heave of his chest. “More like I’m trying to figure out who the hell at Paradise Point put my name in to the raffle...”  His eyes suspiciously narrowed in Marco’s direction to joke back with him. “Besides, you’re also going on one too you know.” 

A smirk tugged at his lips as he considered his best friend's predicament and just how much he could screw with Levi. "He's pretty tall, I'd say 6'5" at least. And really muscley, looks like he was the one who spent the last five years in prison, not me." he teased, before lightly punching Levi's arm. "You'll be fine, dude. Pretty sure he actually just has a problem with me spending time with Cali." With a roll of his eyes, Marco's gaze snagged on Cali across the ballroom, taking shots with Leyla. Without his permission, a smile tugged at his lips at the sight. But he was quickly snapped back to reality at his best friend's question. "I doubt it. Last time I saw the two of them, I may or may not have stirred the pot and told Aydin to ask Cali who really gave her that bracelet I made for her when we were like 15." Marco winced at the memory. It was not his finest moment. "I haven't talked to her since, but I'm pretty sure she's pissed as hell at me for interfering in her relationship."

At Levi's unwavering optimism on Marco's behalf, he couldn't help but laugh. "You better be careful man, you're gunna start getting my hopes up here, pretty soon." he teased. "Nah, that's it. I don't want to interfere anymore than I already have." he said with a shrug. "What about you, though? You're heading off on a date here in a bit too, right? Excited?" he prodded. Time for Marco to return the favor and poke around in Levi's personal life.

[levibecker]

location: briar ridge charity masquerade sent to: @valentincflores

After still being unable to find a viable escape route outside on one of the balconies, Levi returned back inside the ballroom again. Surely, the evening had to be closer to get the raffle results over with at this point, right? Though he wasn’t sure he could actually tell at the moment. What he did know was he just needed another drink. His feet carried him in the direction of the bar again as he couldn’t spot a champagne tray going around near him currently. Another disappointment. A long line would likely remain at the counter. Moving past masked party-goer after party goer, Levi didn’t expect to be this stumped either. No one around that walked by looked familiar to him either. He kept footing forward despite the crowd, yet finding himself halting as an individual seemed to cut him off right in his path, starting right at him as if he’d pointedly hit a nerve with them. “— Can I help you with something?” He asked in a puzzled manner while attempting to squint a bit to try and guess who it was.

[your-nanas-house]

Masquerade ball (Jerome VS Jeremiah)

Pairing: Jerpme Valeksa X Wayne!Reader; Jeremiah Valeska X Wayne!Reader

Warnings: dancing, laughing, fun, food

Summary: Going on a Masquerade ball with the Valeska twins.

Note: Sorry for the mistakes and the English. This is part of the event here 'Jerome VS Jeremiah' and you can choose the one (meeting Jerome or Jeremiah) you liked the most!

..............................................................................

The parties at Wayne Manor were often charity galas or maybe parties to celebrate something, but they were never that much intriguing and fun unlike that year when Bruce and his older sister Y/n had the idea to change things a bit to make it more entertaining that's why at that moment they were in the room surrounded by rich, snobbish people…their guests that were masquerading in what looked like period clothes. 

Maybe it was not a good idea to have a masquerade ball in Gotham city since you never know what might happen but that day they had taken a chance anyway, not giving a damn about what could happen but keeping their guard up by observing everything around them.

That was how Y/n noticed the presence of…

• Jerome • 🎭

a bizarre man, his dress was elegant but at the same time chaotic and colorful, his mask covered his face bringing out only his bright ginger hair and hazel eyes; the man had been busy with the buffet for a while looking around before meeting the y/e/c gaze of the young woman who was studying him, noticing how his eyes had closed slightly when he saw her, making her think he was smiling.

It didn't take long before they approached each other and started talking, ending up outside the room dancing in a silly way to the music while no one saw them; there was a lot of sharing that night between the two: sharing of food, of smiles, laughter, silly dancing and of their real faces at the end of the evening, finding themselves staring into each other's eyes without saying anything, leaving each other that way without a word but only with thoughts filling their heads until the next morning and even more.

🎭 • Jeremiah •

an elegant and somewhat mysterious man, his clothes were custom made and the colors he wore matched everything perfectly, his mask covered his face letting his mouth show but covering his eyes without revealing even the color of them; he didn't look as if he wanted to join the crowd of people but seemed more to be studying what was around him exactly like Y/n, in his gloved hand he elegantly held a glass of red wine which he brought closer some times to take a sip thing that he was doing even at the moment when his face turned toward the young woman after probably sensing her gaze on him. 

He was the first to approach with a quick but graceful walk, his lips had curved slightly upward giving her a polite smile that widened during the evening when the two spent their time chatting, waltzing with the couples who knew how to waltz, sitting on the terrace to breathe in some fresh air after so much movement without ever stopping talking enjoying their company until a laugh escaped from the lips of the man who saw Y/n's body freeze, her head turn slowly toward him looking at him with eyes of realization. The end of the evening had come for Jeremiah.

The one I preferred

Taglist:

@gabile18

@mrsfullbuster500

@trainer--taylor

@elizamalfoyy

@eovjjj

@animefan3223

@jeremiah-va1eska

@gothamchic16

@rabbiteggz

@dieg0brandos-wife

@rottenecstasy

@lazyexcuse

@teh-vampire-bunny

[levibecker]

“Good to know someone else around here agrees.” Levi concurred to her statement, scraping up what remained left on his own plate of food. “Exactly. I highly recommend anything on the buffet here, by the way. The restaurant on site did all the cooking, and my friend is one of the chefs. I couldn’t not support him.” He pointed out as his company went to grab some of her own from all the offerings laid out near them. “Probably both. I really need to interrogate them about that after this is all over, don’t I?” He lightly laughed with a shake of his head, even though he did intend to have that conversation with them. “I guess I shouldn’t rule that out entirely. You said you were a bidder, right?” Everything was running together right now. 

"I don't blame you, truthfully." Thea nodded, looking at the other as she herself began helping herself to a plate of the food in front of them. Might as well eat something since the rest of the night was kind of in the air; who knew what she'd find herself doing. "Plus with food and drinks this good it's nearly impossible to say no." she shrugged, looking at him for a moment as she offered him a small smile. When he admitted that his boss had been the one that had thrown his name into the bid, Thea smiled. "Either your boss is a tease or they want to see you succeed in more than just the workplace." she laughed. "You never know though; it could end up being the best night of your life." she shrugged. @levibecker

[arinmelnikov]

T H E S E   G O L D E N   A S H E S   T U R N E D   T O   D I R T

     Queenie was lying on the couch with her head in his lap reading a book when his phone rang, vibrating tunelessly on the cushion next to him. Though he had no plans to pick it up, Arin glanced down at it — and was given pause for a heartbeat when he spotted the initials on the screen: MH. His fingers abandoned their languorous journey through her lilac hair to pick the device up, thumb swiping to answer.    “Yeah?”      “Arin.” The agent’s voice was hushed, a quiet but clear murmur. “Are you with Queenie?”    “Why?”      “I have news for both of you.”      Exhaling soundlessly, he turned the speaker on and placed his phone flat on Q’s chest, his hand returning to her hair.    “Talk.”      “At the end of the week, there’s going to be a charity masquerade gala at Palace Hall. Downtown, seven-thirty on Saturday. Queenie, your brother and his wife will attend.”

     Arin’s fingers stilled and his gaze shifted, meeting Queenie’s with a meaningful look that said more than he could’ve conveyed with words in a fraction of a second. Matt went on.      “I’m sending you an invitation with which you’ll be flagged as investors from a weapons and technology manufacturing company out west called Militech, along with what I could find of the building’s layout. Use it or don’t, I don’t need to know — but whatever you decide, be very, very discreet. You’ll be surrounded.”      There was a short pause; nothing on the other end of the line.    “Alright.” Arin picked his phone up and ended the call, then watched the screen as the files the agent had mentioned ticked in with a short buzz each, one after the other.

[1ddiscourseoftheday]

Tues 16 Feb ‘21

I know I masquerade as a newspaper but in case anyone had forgotten that this was truly just a gossip blog, today should take care of that! No actual new events involving even one of our five primary subjects, but man- plenty of drama!

First off, Andrew Brady (The Apprentice, ex of Caroline Flack) has gone public with a (very) long and impassioned open letter to Dan Wootton on the occasion of the first anniversary of Caroline’s suicide, opening with “you and your blood sucking cronies on the showbiz desk of the Sun and the Daily Mail are scum. You’re all murdering scum. This is your judgement.” He blames Wootton (in his capacity as editor of The Sun, whose coverage of her personal crisis led to her suicide) for the breakup of his relationship with Caroline and for her death, and goes on to make some other, wider accusations: that Dan Wootton is a sex predator and “everyone knows it they’re all just too scared to say it because of what you will say about them”, but that he suspects it will come out soon and wanted to “give the exclusive on it.” He compares Wootton to Weinstein and says “you’ll all have your day in court.” The letter goes on to talk at length (I’m not kidding it is LONG) about his relationship with Caroline (and to call out some other people by name but not for anything so serious) and closes with links to a playlist, a charity fund, and a petition to make a holiday for her. The entertainment press reported heavily on the letter… as a “moving tribute” and saying he “penned a sweet and heartfelt tribute to Caroline”. Those parts are in there but that is, uh, some kind of reporting! One article opens with, “what did Brady say about Flack? This is what you need to know!” Wow. Brady responded to these readings of his letter by posting aggressively about the Wootton accusations, and starting an account specifically to go after Wootton (“making up for being a shit bag in my life”). Does Brady come across as somewhat manic in his posting, very much so unfortunately, but is Wootton a predator, I would say undoubtedly and rumors of specific transgressions ARE bubbling up as a result of this; one never knows what will take hold and what will be buried yet again, but I know many of us would love to see the sparks catch and burn that worthless piece of trash alive.

Bebe Rexha talked collabs on a live-- would she do one with Harry? She says she’d love to but she did one with Louis before, “so like is that allowed? Is that allowed, I’m not sure, I don’t know what that is,” hahahaha. Poor Bebe, they really should have given her some background before throwing her in the deep end, but watching her learn about this fandom on the go has been priceless so I can’t be sorry. Her most classic moment ofc was asking, “who’s Eleanor” (they had met on the Back To You MV set, but it seems no one bothered to mention E was supposed to be Louis’ girlfriend so she didn’t pay much attention), followed by some other hilarious moments of confusion over the years. Anyway, she’s referring having been endlessly fansplained to about what not to say about them, not to anything from higher up.

And in almost-news-items corner, we learned that Harry likes cotton candy, and the tabs dealt with the news drought by providing a real estate agent walk through of the “surprisingly average” and “pretty generic” “love nest” that Harry and Olivia are supposedly shacking up in (aka Jeff’s house, like owner like house I guess, which the papers finally figured out and stopped saying it was Harry’s), because yes: I too demand dinosaur shaped hedges when I want the ultimate in romance (and consider that “average”). I guess they didn’t get the gossip memo that those two flew the coop for the UK and the house is likely sitting empty-- or they did and this really is just a real estate listing! And finally an unauthorized leak was posted of the Charlie Puth song ‘Coming Over’ which ft Zayn (and Timbaland)- it was recorded a long time ago and scrapped it seems, but it’s on youtube for the moment.

[twopoppies]

Hey Gina! I’m looking for a fic where harry and Louis get off to a rough start. Jay was trying to set them up and they met a lotties wedding. Harry owned a strip club called halo and Louis was a trust fund baby who ran charities? I was just reading it arm I lost it and now I can’t remember how I found it lmao. Any help would be amazing. Thanks bestie luv u!

Hi sugar. It’s this one:

wings to break your fall by karamelised (E, 103K)

“I’m glad you like my clothes,” Harry whispers, sliding his arms further along the couch until he’s speaking directly into Louis’ ear. “Would you like me to take them off?”

or

strip club AU. Harry’s work and family are keeping him busy. He really isn’t looking for a relationship, doesn’t want one. He just wants Louis. Problem is, Louis has other plans.

Featuring: spilled drinks, meddling mums, accidental insults, a pivotal plot point masquerading as a private dance, Harry with wings, slow morning sex, a secret relationship, and tea that fixes everything.