#28 April 2019

[transgender-catboy]

Snowing in April... I have mixed feelings on this

[rageserenity]

It's 2024. Are you still thinking about movieverse!Cherik? Because I am.

For the past several months, there's only been a very slow trickle of posts/fics in the xmcu cherik tag. Let's try to breathe some life back into this incredible pairing!

With one clear winner of my poll, here's thirty prompts for the thirty days of April. (This is a super chill, laid-back event---do these in any order, interpret them as loosely as you like! Create in any medium! Fic, art, gifs, meta, incoherent screaming about the otp…all winners in my book.)

The only rule here is to cherik too close to the sun. Alright. Here are the prompts.

Mutual Pining

Doesn't really even need elaboration! Write that horrifically slow slow-burn. Gif every time McAvoy made insane fuck me eyes on screen. Make a playlist of songs about impossible love.

2. Alternate Meetings

There are endless quotes about how these two complete each other in a way no one they'd met before or after ever did. How else could they have met?

3. Erik Has A Telepathy Kink

This is basically canon. Let my boy get freaky!

4. Canon Fix-It

All the times Fox fucked it up. There are endless options.

5. Hurt/Comfort

Put them in that Situation. Put them in that Blender. Break them apart and put them back together ❤️‍🩹

6. Canon Compliant

Draw that missing scene! Gif your favourite cherik moment!

7. Beach Divorce

Make it worse. Make it better. Show it to us exactly how it was. Break it down in a 3,000 word meta. Go wild!

8. Domestics

Sometimes you just want to see them doing normal couple things. Erik put the gun down.

9. Found Family

The real heart of x-men!

10. Time Travel

There are SO many possibilities here. Stick them in a time loop. Give them a chance to change their past.

11. AU

Love a good AU!

12. There Is Only One Bed

Had to get this one in here. What better way to amp up the tension?

13. Genosha

By some miracle, cherik actually did end up together at the end of 2019s trash bag disaster Dark Phoenix. We aren’t making a big enough deal about this.

14. Declaration(s) of Love

Who says it first? How do they say it and when? Have they said it…without saying it?

15. Jealousy

Need I say more.

16. Reunion

These two have absolutely no chill.

17. Soulmates

Classic prompt, had to get this in here too.

18. The DOFP Aircraft

The TENSION here. Break it down for me. How does Charles feel about his injury? How does Erik feel about his injury?

19. Gay Mutant Road Trip

You already know.

20. Body Swap

SO fun when people have superpowers.

21. First Kiss

When? How? Who initiated it?

22. The Mansion

Mansion!content is a genre of its own.

23. Conflicting Ideology

Give me your theses. Who’s right? Can they ever reconcile completely? Write a fic where it drives them apart.

24. Sebastian Shaw

A trope unto himself.

25. Team As Matchmaker

They had to have known something was going on, didn’t they?

26. Cooking

Charles deserves a good meal. Also, imagine Erik using his powers in the kitchen. The sheer domesticity…

27. Hurt No Comfort

Plenty of scope with these two 🥲

28. Growing Old Together

Giving Sirs Ian Mckellan and Patrick Stewart their props as well!

29. Making Up

*pushes chess board across the table* sorry babe

30. Charles Xavier Did More For Mutants Than You'll Ever Know

Rising to each other’s defense. Only I can insult this man.

I will be tracking #revivecherik to reblog stuff! Here’s a fic collection for the same. Let’s get this ball rolling! Please feel free to send me an ask if you’ve got anything to say! And most importantly, let’s all have fun 😁

*I know a few of you preferred something like a gift exchange because of the commitment factor—I’m super down to organise a tiny one for the handful of us! If this promptathon doesn’t flop horribly, we can hopefully do a whole bunch of stuff :)

If you read this post all the way through, please reblog for reach! Thank you! Hoping you participate come April.

Shoutout to @inmymagnetoera for reaching out and helping with this!

[michaelnordeman]

Flowering currant/rosenrips and what I think is a bird cherry (Prunus padus colorata)/blodhägg. Värmland, Sweden (April 28, 2019).

[henryxdetamble]

Henry frowned upon approach, hearing his friend's retort and not understanding the cause of it. Briefly, he wondered if another Henry had something to do with that. He had been feeling unwell today, and it made him paranoid. "Please, man, I'm hardly the lecture type, not unless it's on literature." Eyeing him, he uncrossed his arms, figuring he was upset about something. "What are you doing down in the gutter? You're too hot to be a street rat."

After being unable to score the evening before, Adrian had found himself drifting between the rebel's dreams for the remainder of the night, unable to settle in his own. Some were peaceful, but most had been horrific, a compilation of PTSD induced nightmares and twisted distortions of memories. He couldn't forget them, and he was exhausted. So, going against his usual dealership, he'd hit up Mickey the next morning instead, needing some relief as soon as he could get it. He hadn't even made it home before he'd lit a spliff up, sitting on the sidewalk and watching the world pass him by. He was unsure how long he remained there, but he knew he'd missed the deadline for his training session. Again. He couldn't bring himself to care, it usually only served to make him feel worse afterwards anyway. Suspecting it was one of his guardian peers who he'd heard approach him, Adrian instantly turned his face, dipping his head. "I'm finally relaxed. So if we can save the lecture for another time, that'd be greatly appreciated."

[lovingyoulovinme]

✶ charles leclerc x reader ✶

2019

renaultf1team

Liked by danielricciardo and 96,486 others

renaultf1team It’s the super nice and ultra cool @yourinstagram! We 💛 her!

View all 1,884 comments

yourinstagram thank you for having me! 🐥💖

username who even is this?

⤥ username y/n y/l/n she's a model but she's been into f1 for awhile

danielricciardo Sorry for not winning for you like i promised @yourinstagram

⤥ yourinstagram 🤣🤣

username they finally invited a celebrity that knows about the sport

username manifesting she comes to more races her interview talking about how much fun she had was really cute

scuderiaferrari How can we get her in our garage?

⤥ renaultf1team She's ours sorry!

yourinstagram 🤭

username ferrari begging her to come to their garage 😭 need her and charles to meet tho

July 14, 2019

charles_leclerc

Liked by yourinstagram and 463,746 others

charles_leclerc P1 babyyyyyy ! Thank you to the team and to everyone that showed support this weekend.

View all 6,954 comments

scuderiaferrari 🥇❤️

username congrats charles ! !

username he will be wdc one day mark my words

yourinstagram proud!!!! 🐰🤍

⤥ charles_leclerc 😘

username they know each other????

username y/n has always said charles is one of her favorite drivers it wouldn't be surprising if they met when she came to silverstone

username YOU DESERVE IT

pierregasly 😮‍💨

username first season with ferrari and he's been killing it what a legend

username 🔥🔥🔥

September 28, 2019

2020

yourinstagram

Liked by charles_leclerc and 176,836 others

yourinstagram new years party with all my favorite people 🥵🥂❤️

View all 2,747 comments

username happy new years!!!

username the drink on her head 😭 shes so crazy i love her 🤪

username LECLERC?????

⤥ username one of her favorite people....

danielricciardo Thanks for the invite!

⤥ yourinstagram stfu u literally told me you couldn't come

danielricciardo 😣

username i would do insane things to get invite to a party thrown by y/n

username streets (mutual of mine whose friend went to the party) saying y/n and charles kissed at midnight

⤥ username anybody can lie and say they were there 😭 hell i could go on twitter and start a full thread abt it doesn't mean it would be true

charles_leclerc 💃🕺

⤥ yourinstagram moves so good they swept me off my feet

username 👀👀👀

January 2, 2020

leclercupdates

7,963 likes

leclercupdates clip of charles' from his twitch stream today 🫣

View all 45 comments

username i cant believe this is how we get confirmation they're dating 😭

username hes so dumb i love him

username he def didnt mean to say it bc the way his face turned into pure horror when he realized 😭

yourinstagram idiot

⤥ username Y/N HI

username his lil giggles i am so happy for them

April 6, 2020

yourinstagram

Liked by landonorris and 397,892 others

yourinstagram note to self: stop forgetting your keys (and tape your boyfriend's mouth shut)

View all 4,632 comments

username instagram and twitch official 🤭

username THE SECOND PIC AHHHHH

username not the shade

landonorris 😂

⤥ yourinstagram you think this is funny?

landonorris 🤐

username parents 🫶

charles_leclerc S'il te plaît, pardonne-moi, je ne voulais pas 🥺 (Please, forgive me, I didn't mean to.)

⤥ yourinstagram the french nor the emoji will work this time bye

username their doggies 🥹

scuderiaferrari Does this mean you'll be in our garage when the time is right?

⤥ username they are never giving up

username this is such pr

username her being friends with danny lando and pierre is my favorite thing ever

April 8, 2020

2021

charles_leclerc

Liked by pierregasly and 784,478 others

charles_leclerc Happy days before the start of the season

View all 4,698 comments

yourinstagram put a shirt on

username best couple in the world

lilymhe Who is the beautiful girl in the third slide?

⤥ charles_leclerc she's taken

yourinstagram that could change

username everyone being in love with y/n is so cute

username please never break up

pierregasly No photo of me?

⤥ username pierre third-wheeling them 24/7 😭

username her smile!!! 👼👼👼

February 6, 2021

deuxmoi via instagram

September 20, 2021

2022

yourinstagram

Liked by danielricciardo and 248,736 others

yourinstagram this must be the place 💒

View all 3,831 comments

username THE ENGAGEMENT RUMORS LOOKING REAL TRUE RN

danielricciardo 🤭

username wedding venue???? 🥹

charles_leclerc Je veux passer ma vie avec toi ❤️ (I want to spend my life with you)

⤥ yourinstagram lucky for you you're stuck with me

username THEY ARE SOOOOOOO

username third slide is so precious :(

pierregasly Can i be the **** ***

⤥ username BEST MAN???

arthur_leclerc No

lorenzotl No

username obsessed with the way they never confirmed the engagement rumors but are doing nothing to stop them

username i love them so much im sobbing

username it feels like just yesterday charles was accidentally confirming their relationship on twitch and now they're getting MARRIED

January 18, 2022

charles_leclerc

Liked by yourinstagram and 1,475,863 others

charles_leclerc Best day of my life forever. 👰‍♀️🤵🖤

View all 8,936 comments

username CRYING SO BADDDDDD

yourinstagram 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I LOVE U

⤥ charles_leclerc Love you more Mrs. Leclerc 🥰

username both of her dresses were so gorgeous oh my god

danielricciardo Party of the year

scuderiaferrari Congratulations to our two favorite people ❤️

username they look so unbelievable happy :( they deserve the world

lilymhe most beautiful bride!!!!!! and charles

⤥ yourinstagram sad you didn't stand up to object...

username this all happened because of alpine let's be honest

⤥ alpinef1team We got a thank you card in the mail 😊

username 🥹🥹🥹🥹

username they are soulmates im sure of it

pierregasly 🥂😛❤️‍🔥

username they got married on the 17th...exactly 3 years after they met 🥺

arthur_leclerc So happy ❤️

July 20, 2022

[breelandwalker]

The Unknown Librarian Who Saved Queer History

By Hugh Ryan for Harper's Bazaar Published: Jun 28, 2023

You probably don’t know the name Paul Fasana, but read enough LGBTQ history and he pops up in book after book over the last three decades—not in the text itself, but in the acknowledgments: Pink Triangle Legacies (2022); Language Before Stonewall (2019); Greetings From the Gayborhood (2008), Becoming Visible (1998). From 1995 until literally the week he died in April 2021, Fasana volunteered as chief archivist for the Stonewall National Museum, Archives & Library in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one of the oldest and largest independent queer archives in the United States.

Read the full article on Harper's Bazaar.

[sapchat]

IDK if this has been done but I went through the 3 reboots and did a timeline of events so you wouldn't have to!

Side notes: sometimes I use the first initial for who it is! also some of MW3 has timestamps. I also apologize for spelling. Also, lots of this shit happens over like 7-12 days April 6, 2019 Makarov bombs Verdansk Price, Ghost and Soap know each other at this point, have NOT met Gaz

Start of MW1 Oct 24 2019 'Al Qatal' moves gas Oct. 25 2019 Piccadilly Square Oct. 25 2019 Price meets Gaz Oct 26 19 Alex & Farah blow Barkov's bombs Same day destroy one of B's bases Oct. 27 19 Price and Gaz go to Picc Safe house Oct 28 19A&F go to Urzstan hospital for "The Wolf" Oct 28 19 P&G meet up w/ A&F for the Wolf Oct 29 19 Plan ambush for Butcher & Wolf - Hadir uses the gas, learn Hadir stole the gas Oct 29 19 PGAF Go to kill W, & get H Oct 29 19 PGAF kill the wolf, H is 2 Russia Oct 31 19 PGN go 2 Russia, Capture Kill Butcher (and traumatize a family) Nov 1 19 Hadir is handed over to Russia Nov 3 19 Take down Barkov's gas production plant & K Price meets Kate @ Tea shop makes TF 141 w/ Ghost, Soap, & Gaz END of MW1 - May 22, 2022 Soap goes side questing, turns green (idk I didn't watch the trailer (I did but I just know there's like green gas)) Start of MW2 July 15 22 Ghost Blows AlMazrah base (Honestly didn't get the point of us seeing this) Oct 28 22 GS Kill/Cap Mission for Hassan -> Find American Missiles not Hassan Oct 28 22 PG in Amsterdam for Missile info (Think they used it as an excuse to swim) Oct 29 22 Capture a cartel mem 4 info Oct 29 22 Alej. Go for cartel jumping border Oct 30 22 GSAlej go 4 Hassan safehouse They capture Hassan (picnic in the desert omg!) Oct 31 22 PG in Spain for Hassan info Kate gets caught Shepherd tries to abandon her Nov 1 22 PG meet with F to get Kate (they get her and get juicy gos on Shep) Nov 1 22 Soap goes into Casa de Sin Nombre Nov 2 22 Gulf oil rig, blows up by G&S (philip was here too) Nov 3 22 Soap & Ghost are fighting Shadow co Nov 3 22 SG go for Alej w/ Rodolfo. PG meet up Nov 3 22 141 goes for Graves Nov 4 22 Go 2 Chicago 4 Hassan & missile kill both END of MW2 - Kate (& tech. Gaz) learn about Makarov

Start of MW3 Nov 10 23 Makarov is broken out of jail 2am Nov 10 23 Farah is ambushed Konni got missiles around 6am Nov 10 23 141 go for Nuc Power Plant, P get gased 9am Makarov has been out for 6 hours Nov 11 23 They go for Missiles in Urzikistan Nov 11 23 Kate is going 4 intel on Makarov meets Yuri @ 3pm Nov 11 23 Makarov crashes plane, blames Farah and Alex go there 7:30-9:30pm meet with Kate and Nikolai in hanger Nov 12 8am Nov 12 23 they go for Milena 7pm Nov 13 23 they get Makarovs right hand man Nolan 11am Nov 14 23 They find Shepherd swimming at some point 9:30 Nov 16 23 SG stop Verdansk dam bombing Same time PG are at airsti Nov 21 23 141 go after Makarov Hacker Nov 21 23 They stop Makarov bomb, Soap gets killed. Price kills Shepherd after spreading Soap's ashes.

[thankyouforthememoriesworld]

Updated Version 2.

They were both overlapped in Minnesota for the North Tartan Summer Jam-June 2016. They had a lot of basketball overlap in June/July 2016 but again, separate age groups, with Azzi playing in a higher age group than Paige.

USA U16 Trials in May 2017 when they met.

Won Gold together with U16 on June 11, 2017.

Flew to Minnesota together where Azzi probably spent the summer doing her camping and State Fair in August 2017. Before this though: they participated in the North Tartan Summer Jam-June 2017 but different groups. I think that first birthday post from Azzi is probably from this tournament. Also, they may have also had an EYBL tournament in Indianapolis in July 2017. This is also when those crush snapchats were most likely sent because the song itself was released July 7, 2017.

Generally, they always have a lot of overlap in the summer because of AAU

Their visit to Maryland, Notre Dame and UConn in Fall 2017. Offered scholarships by UConn at that time.

Azzi and Paige were together at the beginning of Feb, training. Azzi's high school is WCAC Champs at the end of Feb 2018 and Azzi was also player of the year as a Freshman.

Late March 2018, both participated in the 2018 USA Basketball 3x3 U18 National Championship. Paige’s team got first, and Azzi’s got second. Paige’s team went on to rep in the youth Olympics.

April 2, 2018 Paige and her Hopkins teammates watched the UConn Notre Dame 2018 Championship game. Paige apparently watched this match up twice by April 2019 and Azzi watched the 12/3/17 game against ND in Hartford. Maybe overlap?

Paige and Azzi played in the Nike Boo Williams Invitational for their separate AAU teams in Virginia on April 20-22, 2018. Azzi's team (Fairfax Stars 17s EYBL) won platinum undefeated in their division where she stood out as one of the best players at 15 years old. Paige's team (North Tartan 15s EYBL) won platinum undefeated in her division. Geno was apparently at this tournament from what I read.

Paige was in DC to play in the Capitol Classic on April 28, 2018. You can watch the entire game if you want.

Reunited in Colorado May 2018 for USA trials.

The 11th annual North Tartan Summer Jam in Hopkins Minnesota was held June 15-17, 2018, where both Paige and Azzi's AAU teams played against each other. Paige’s team beat Azzi’s team 79-63 but both ended with a 3-1 record with Paige's team getting second place. Azzi watched Paige's final game.

Basically, together all of July because training was July 4-20, with a pre-tournament invitational in Latvia. Afterwards, won Gold with U17 on July 29, 2018.

Azzi attends her first Curry Camp in August 6-7 2018. She blows up after the three point contest. At this point I also assume Minnesota cabin trip and state fair was spent together. Azzi was recognized while on a cruise with Bueckers family after the contest (Date unknown but assuming summer). Azzi also helped with Paige's charity clinic at the end of August in Montana.

Azzi and her family were also in Minnesota for a family wedding in September 2018.

11/2/18 Visit to UConn together. Azzi’s sweet 16 on 11/11/18. We know Paige was there.

March 2019 Azzi is presented Gatorade National Player of the Year for Basketball. Azzi's team is 2nd in the nation.

Paige wins state championship on March 16, 2019. Azzi is there supporting (she's in that day after vlog episode of Paige's teammate wearing her St. Patty's day necklace and referred to as National POY which she just got beforehand).

Both of them flew to Montana and I'm guessing that's when the Yellowstone trip happened. Probably Spring Break.

Buckets with Bueckers camp in Montana - March 25, 2019. Azzi was there.

April 1, 2019, Paige commits to UConn (signs letter of intent in November 2019). I think this is also the day Azzi got her puppy Stewie.

April 4-6, 2019 Azzi’s high school team makes the Geico Nationals final but loses. Not sure if Paige was there.

April 13, 2019 Azzi tears hear ACL/MCL at USA 3x3 championship. Surgery on May 29, 2019 in Indianapolis. Paige was with her before surgery (video proof from Azzi herself).  

April 26-28, 2019 AAU together (Azzi not playing).

June 2019 – Paige participates in Summer Jam 2019 with Metro Stars.

July/August 2019 – After Azzi attends the ESPYS and SC30 Select Camp for both of them, Minnesota tradition (they have tiktoks from that time at the cabin and started their joint account that summer). I also think this is when that one Overtime video was filmed with the competition.

10/10-16/19 – Paige is in Doha Qatar for USA Basketball 3x3 tournament. Then she went to First Night at UConn and I think visited Azzi before she went to LA for ESPNW. Azzi visited UConn the week before First Night supposedly.

Dec 16, 2019: First HUDL recruiting video. End of December 2019, Azzi was presumably training with Mamba family in NYC.

Reunited in January 2020 in DMV. Azzi’s first games back from ACL were around this time and Paige was there (they filmed tiktoks together and there are videos of her in the stands). During her visit, Paige's second HUDL recruiting video for Azzi was published.

Azzi’s high school team wins state championships in early March 2020. Azzi travels to Minnesota in mid-March 2020 for Paige’s final but Covid shutdown occurs.

Paige stays with the Fudds from the end of April until June 2020 where she goes back for her graduation in early June and I think possibly packing up her stuff because I know her family was relocating to DMV at this time. She rejoins the Fudds in late June and stays with them and travels with them for Azzi’s GTS team up until end of July. Paige also gets her Gatorade award presented to her at the Fudd’s house on July 24, 2020.

Azzi is in Minnesota with her GTS in August of 2020 and Paige starts UConn.

Azzi visits Paige on her birthday and I believe tells her she’s committing to UConn in October 2020.

Azzi's Togethxr video of her day in the life with the facetime call was filmed November 5, 2020 (pop quiz had a date).

Azzi commits to UConn in November 11, 2020 and turns 18.

Paige's UConn season starts with her first games being cancelled because everyone is in a 14 day quarantine when one person tests positive. This was the reality of that time - they had to contact tracing and couldn't risk getting Covid during the season. They didn't have anymore cancelled games after the end of January but it certainly was an issue early on. UConn had nearly 75% of their courses online or hybrid for entire Fall 2020. Out of state students enrolled in online courses didn't live on campus. This was the reality of Paige's first year. Most likely not as social as people think and really just FTing Azzi at 1 AM apparently.

Azzi attends UConn-Tennessee game on January 21, 2021 to cheer on Paige.

Azzi attends UConn Final Four on April 2, 2021 and also attends the final (while being on FT with Paige).  

Paige has ankle surgery afterwards and hanging out a lot with the Fudds as she rehabs during April and May 2021.

Azzi has USA U19 Trials in May 2021. Then graduation and prom for high school at the end of May (Paige was present during this time). Then summer session at UConn. Paige has her ESPY award speech in July 2021.

Azzi wins gold with team USA before landing back in Mn in mid August 2021 and reunited with Paige and heading to UConn.

My God, you did it 👑. Here's Pazzi's updated timeline for the people.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Five Fics Friday: Year Five Masterpost

WHAT A SPECIAL WEEK, Y'ALL! This week marks the end of the FIFTH FULL YEAR I've done UNINTERRUPTED FIC RECS every SINGLE FRIDAY! This is quite the achievement, I think. I genuinely didn't think I would make it this long being a reliable source for guaranteed recs every Friday 💜 It's something I'm super proud of and something I really genuinely hope that you guys love as much as I love posting them. I SERIOUSLY couldn't do it without you guys, since I literally get these weekly suggestions primarily from y'all!

For anyone who is new to my blog, every SINGLE Friday I post up 5 fics recently added to either my Marked for Later list or my Bookmarks, or as a way to promote new fics suggested to me by authors as a Signal Boosted fic! I haven't missed a single Friday since its inception in 2019, and it's still going strong!! It's the ONLY guaranteed weekly list on this blog, since YOU GUYS provide me the content!! :D I love doing it, and it makes authors feel loved :)

Next Friday, September 27, 2024 starts year six, so until there, here's your opportunity to check out any lists you may have missed this past year!

There are over 1,300 fics on the lists below, and that DOESN'T count the bonus extended lists I do once in awhile!!!

Again, hope you enjoy and I hope you guys continue to support my fic rec lists. For anyone curious, these are the best lists to get fresh new fics, as often these lists feature fics that authors have posted recently! Enjoy!

PREVIOUS YEARS (2019 to 2023):

YEAR ONE MASTERPOST (Sept 29/19 to Sept 25/20)

YEAR TWO MASTERPOST (Sept 25/20 to Sept 24/21)

YEAR THREE MASTERPOST (Oct 1/21 to Sept 23/22)

YEAR FOUR MASTERPOST (Sept 30/22 to Sept 22/23)

YEAR 5 OF FIVE FICS FRIDAY:

September 29/23

October 6/23

October 13/23

October 20/23

October 27/23

November 3/23

November 10/23

November 17/23

5FF “LOKI” Bonus: November 17/23

November 24/23

December 1/23

December 8/23

December 15/23

December 22/23

December 29/23

January 5/24

January 12/24

January 19/24

January 26/24

February 2/24

February 9/24

February 16/24

February 23/24

March 1/24

March 8/24

March 15/24

March 22/24

March 29/24

April 5/24

April 12/24

April 19/24

April 26/24

May 3/24

May 10/24

May 17/24

May 24/24

May 31/24

June 7/24

June 14/24

June 21/24

June 28/24

July 5/24

July 12/24

July 19/24

July 26/24

August 2/24

August 9/24

August 16/24

August 23/24

August 30/24

September 6/24

September 13/24

September 20/24

[davidhudson]

John Singleton, January 6, 1968 – April 28, 2019.

[deliciouskeys]

Before Christmas, as promised, the last chapter. My holiday gift to people who have been reading this long journey of a fic, thank you so much for taking the time and partaking in my brain's delirious feverdreams.

[If you see errors, typos, annoying word repetition, I apologize in advance-- I self-betaed but... I'm... low on sleep because of work.]

Fic summary below the cut if you don't want to reread to remember what was happening.

Aug 28, 2022

Wherein on the anniversary of Ryan's death, Homelander takes a moment away from grieving to visit Vought Reproductive Labs and first hears about an intriguing solution to his problem

Sept 2&15, 2022

Wherein Homelander visits a super with an ability to reshape flesh and asks to have a very peculiar body modifying surgery

Sept 17, 2022

Wherein Homelander visits Billy Butcher with a very matter-of-fact proposition, delivered with a little more brutality than he intended, but isn't able to achieve his goal.

Sept 18, 2022

Wherein Homelander makes conciliatory gestures towards Billy Butcher and they try again, this time in Homelander's apartment.

Nov 15, 2022

Wherein Billy Butcher finds out that Homelander has achieved his goal and doesn't have any real intentions to leave Vought, and they have a falling out.

Dec 12, 2022

Wherein Homelander pays a visit to Dr. Sonnenberg again and contemplates telling Vought about his condition.

Dec 14, 2022

Wherein Homelander's announcement of his condition falls with a very strange thud in the Vought board room. He realizes they may not have his best interests at heart, and he comes crawling back to Billy Butcher if not for help then at least moral support.

Dec 15 & 24, 2022

Wherein Billy Butcher takes advantage of the rift and arranges for Homelander to cut ties with Vought completely. Homelander is reluctant but has few options. He’s placed under house arrest in Billy Butcher's dingy apartment until the FBI can get a deposition from him about Vought and he adjusts to his new life.

January 24, 2023

Wherein Homelander goes public with his pregnancy announcement, MM is really concerned about Butcher's plan, and Homelander and Billy Butcher continue to look for ways to live together and not strangle each other.

March 2, 2023

Wherein Billy Butcher and Homelander have a blowout fight over Homelander's reluctance to give straightforward testimony about all the abuses he underwent while being raised by Vought and they go to bed not entirely angry but not entirely reconciled either.

March 3, 2023

Wherein Billy Butcher faces the fact that he's grown attached to Homelander and resolves to be more patient and understanding. He and Homelander have a raw heart-to-heart which brings up strong emotions in both, and each of them has a lot of misgivings about how the relationship is really shaping up. Homelander has his first real pregnancy scare and has to break house arrest to tend to it.

March 29, 2023

Wherein Homelander and Billy Butcher are preparing to move into a nicer apartment, Homelander's house arrest ends, Homelander requests a baby shower, and he and Billy Butcher have one last go with his supersuit on before they are required to return it to Vought.

April 14, 2023

Wherein Homelander makes a happy discovery that his baby can see through him, and Billy Butcher brings tidings of a disturbing discovery about Ryan's fate. Something in Homelander snaps and he is newly motivated to fight back against Vought. Billy Butcher records notes for an entirely new deposition with a very different tone.

May 27, 2023

Wherein Billy Butcher's friends and friends-of-friends come over for a baby shower.

July 3-5 2023

Wherein Homelander is overdue and can't wait to give birth, but once the ordeal starts it never seems to end. Homelander goes into a bit of a fugue state before it’s over, but all's well that ends well.

July 8,9,17, 2023

Homelander and Billy Butcher are adjusting to life with a superpowered newborn, and despite difficulties, Homelander makes a concerted effort to return into the public eye and take back control of the narrative from Vought-planted stories about him.

October 18, 2023

Wherein Homelander testifies in a pivotal congressional hearing and fields questions from a hostile group of politicians who don't want to see Vought collapse, but at least Billy Butcher supports him behind the scenes.

August 27, 2025

Wherein Billy's aunt and mum pay a visit to the house in the Catskills where Billy Butcher and Homelander have opted to raise their superpowered toddler in relative seclusion from society, and Homelander has many misgivings about whether he's raising Lena right.

March 19, May 1, 2027

Wherein Billy Butcher contends with anti-supe sentiments and tends to Homelander feeling under the weather during the early days of his second pregnancy. Homelander lays the groundwork for rehabilitating the reputation of superpowered people in the wake of Vought's disintegration and the loss of that support.

October 31, Dec 25, 2027

Wherein Homelander experiences Lena's first trick-or-treating outing and he and Billy Butcher take stock of how they've managed to parent their daughter up until now. With the arrival of the second child, Homelander looks back and considers how grateful he is that his life has taken this sharp turn after a period of horrific grief.

[louisupdates]

WORLDMUSICAWARD: Happy 33rd birthday to the gorgeous, hugely talented Singer, Songwriter, Producer & Global Icon, #LouisTomlinson, who rose to fame as a member of #OneDirection, one of the best-selling Boy Bands of all time, and became a chart-topping, history-making, award-winning Superstar in his own right! 👏🎂🎉🌟🐐👑❤️

Louis has contributed more in songwriting to One Direction than any other band member, with credits on most of the tracks of 'Midnight Memories', 'Four', and 'Made in the A.M.' and on 38 songs across the band's discography, and was the main guy in shifting 1D's music towards a more mature sound...

Louis is an amazing Solo Artist and has so far released 2 studio albums, 1 live album, 11 singles, 1 promotional single and 11 MVs! Louis debuted at #1 in the UK with his 2nd studio album 'Faith In The Future' in 2022 which also reached #5 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the hit singles singles "Bigger Than Me", "Out of My System" and "Silver Tongues"! His debut studio album 'Walls' (2020) debuted at #4 in the UK & #9 on the Billboard 200, becoming the 1st new album for Arista Records in almost 9 years to hit the US top 10! Louis' debut single "Just Hold On" with #SteveAoki reached #2 in the UK, and was certified platinum! In 2017 Louis released "Just Like You", "Miss You" & "Back to You" with #BebeRexha, which was certified platinum in the US and UK! In 2019, he released "Two of Us", a Tribute to his mother, followed by the hits "Kill My Mind", "We Made It", "Don't Let It Break Your Heart" and "Walls" in January 2020!

Louis has embarked on 2 world tours! His 'Faith in the Future World tour' began in North America in May 2023. In the context of the tour, Louis performed in North America and Europe in 2023 and Asia, Australia and Latin America in 2024. In November 2023, after a sold-out concert at the O2 Arena, Louis was nominated for the Live Act Award at the Rolling Stone UK Awards. During the Latin America leg of his 2nd World tour, Louis made history, becoming the 1st male Solo Artist to headline Mexico City's Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez! He held a charity livestream of the event titled 'For Every Question Why', donating the proceeds to War Child UK. This year, Louis toured a summer 2024 festival circuit, including the Main Square Festival, Pinkpop, Ruisrock, Santander Music, Untold Festival, Sziget Festival, Frequency Festival, Victorious Festival, and Lollapalooza Berlin!

Louis has received numerous accolades including an MTV Europe Award for Best UK Act (2017), an iHeartRadio Music Award for Best Solo Breakout (2028), 3 Teen choice Awards for Choice Music Collaboration for "Just Hold On" (2017), Choice Male Artist (2018) & Choice single Male Artist (2020), a TDY award for Album of the Year (2020) for 'Walls' and most recently a Northern Music Award (2024) for Artist of the Year!

Louis is also a successful Producer and in 2015, he created his own record label, Triple Strings Ltd. In 2021, Louis founded and curated the indie music festival 'Away From Home' and in 2023, he officially launched his 28 streetwear-inspired unisex clothing line!

Louis is an active philanthropist and personally donated £2 million to Believe in Magic, which supports terminally ill children! He's also a Patron of the Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice. In April 2016, he joined the Soccer Aid 2016 star line-up, a biennial fundraiser for UNICEF. Louis actively supported the Black Lives Matter movement in May and June 2020, and attended the George Floyd protests in London.

[argyrocratie]

November 28, 2024

The Hong Kong government finally issued its verdict to the 47 members of the pro-democracy camp who have been detained for over three years—a long-awaited trial punctuated by multiple delays. The 47 were arrested in 2021 for organizing an unofficial primary to field pro-democracy candidates, so that the movement could consolidate candidates to maximize their chances of victory in the city’s Legislative Council elections in 2020. The strategy was intended as a legal way to continue Hong Kong’s democratic struggle, in light of the increasing repression of political dissent with the passage of the National Security Law (NSL) in 2020, which concluded a fiery, nearly-year-long mass movement between 2019 and 2020. 

Benny Tai, a key pro-democracy figure who also organized open mass assemblies that led to the Umbrella Movement in 2013, received the highest sentence—10 years, shortened from 15, as Tai pleaded guilty. Those charged come from a variety of ideological backgrounds, reflecting the political pluralism of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Some are the most visible figures of the city’s labor movements and the progressive left. “Long Hair,” Leung Kwok-hung, the city’s most prominent left-wing and Marxist activist, received one of the highest sentences among those not considered as one of the primary’s official organizers. Leung has been a longtime participant in militant struggles since the 1970s, organizing actions against the British colonial regime as a member of the Revolutionary Marxist League and later, April Fifth Action; and as a convenor of the League of Social Democrats (LSD), demonstrating against multiple US-backed imperialist wars from Iraq to Gaza, neoliberal globalization, and other local progressive causes.

(...)

The recent (revival of and) passage of Article 23 further reinforces these legal ambiguities to enable this unprecedented state of repression. For one, the article strengthens the state’s prosecution of “seditious” acts, identified as “the intent to endanger national security.” Even before the trial of the 47, the state has shown great willingness to capitalize on the vagueness of such wording to indict people for what it considers national security crimes. In 2022, two people were arrested for committing “acts with seditious intention”—posting messages on social media that “promote feelings of ill-will and enmity between different classes of the population of Hong Kong.” Apparently, simply naming social antagonisms between classes in one of the world’s most hyper-capitalist and unequal cities, in other words, counts as “sedition.”

(...)

What these examples and this trial’s verdict show is that the Hong Kong government has abandoned any remaining semblance of democratic norms—even as the rule of law has never really existed in the first place. Even before the passage of the NSL[national security law], unelected professional business sectors composed nearly half of the city’s legislature (a colonial-era system pro-Beijing forces lobbied to retain in the final years of British rule), while the government in Beijing reserves the final right to interpret any laws or legal decisions in Hong Kong. Many of the laws used against opposition figures and protestors are also ones directly inherited from the colonial era: for example, prosecutor Laura Ng directly cited an 1868 British law used to quell Irish rebellions to justify her verdict of the pro-democracy media outlet Stand News as “seditious” in 2022. In the first comprehensive study of the NSL, legal scholar Han Zhu describes these laws as “an unprecedented experiment,” and “a bizarre mixture of elements from socialist civil law, Hong Kong common law, and British colonial law.” The NSL’s improvisatory nature demonstrates that legality only serves now as a poorly assembled set of fictions that barely mask the state’s naked rule by totalitarian force. 

(...)

However constrained Tai’s political horizon is, some of his organizing solutions inadvertently opened avenues for the everyday masses to participate in collective self-activity and democratic deliberation. Acknowledging this allows us to understand why the state gave the heaviest penalty to the proponent of such a toothless and moderate tactic. The state was not really threatened by what such candidates may do in the legislature if they win—but by the potential resurgence of a militant, possibly revolutionary, mass movement that organizes beyond the chambers of LegCo, which it had only just contained by force. In 2020, the primary turned out 600,000 voters, making it the most-participated one in the whole history of Hong Kong. This renewal of energy after months of uncertainty and fear wrought by growing repression and the early stages of the pandemic threatened to revive the mass movement anew.

Tai and others’ political repression shows that mass movements that expose and challenge the hypocrisies of sham legality, rather than confinement within participation in legalistic or electoral politics, threaten the ruling power. In this vein, the most effective avenue for international solidarity is not appealing to the sham “democratic” institutions of the West, which have been eager to co-opt critiques of China for their own imperialist designs. And so, in this particular conjuncture, we must contextualize our critique of China’s further crackdown on Hong Kong activists in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces. Not merely gestural, it is a forceful recognition of the United States’ shameless hypocrisy that sees State Department officials condemning the kangaroo courts of Hong Kong while supplying an endless stream of arms and defensive technologies and vociferously shielding Israel from any legal consequence for its war crimes. 

...

[michaelnordeman]

Goldcrest/kungsfågel. Värmland, Sweden (April 28, 2019).

[yourdailyqueer]

Wayson Choy (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 20 April 1939

RIP: 28 April 2019

Ethnicity: Chinese

Nationality: Canadian

Occupation: Writer

Note: Is considered one of the most important pioneers of Asian Canadian literature in Canada, and as an important figure in LGBT literature as one of Canada's first openly gay writers of colour to achieve widespread mainstream success.

[underneathitalldeepdives]

Miranda's Messy Year

Consider this a "Miranda After Blake" post to serve as a companion to my "Gavin Before Gwen" deep dive. These messy exes!

Country singer Miranda Lambert has had her name mentioned in a lot of eyebrow-raising headlines over the years, but I think it's safe to say that her exploits from January 2018 to February 2019 were some of the messiest of her entire career.

It all starts when the country band Turnpike Troubadours signs on to open some shows for the start of Miranda's "Livin' Like Hippies" tour...

January 2018

According to People Magazine, Miranda and Evan Felker, lead singer of the Turnpike Troubadours, begin texting about his band's  upcoming appearance as an opening act on her tour in January.

At the time, Miranda has been dating singer Anderson East for over two years, and Evan has been married to wife Staci since September 2016.

Lambert and Felker reportedly connected via text message in January ahead of the tour. “They had never met and she had started texting him about looking forward to playing together and getting to know each other and maybe they could write because she really liked his writing sort of thing,” says the source. “It started very much about work. He was completely thrilled. By the time he was leaving for tour, it had become a lot flirtier.” During their one-and-a-half-year marriage, Felker and his wife were like “best friends,” says the source, and he was open with her about his texts with Lambert before heading out on the road. “He knew it was flirty and crossed a line with Staci. He showed her the whole thing and felt bad about it. It wasn’t sexual or anything, but he was like, ‘I don’t want to blow her off because this is the kind of money that can change our grandkids’ lives if I’m able to write with this person,’” adds the source. (People)

February 2018

The Turnpike Troubadours open for Miranda February 1, 2, and 3 at concerts in Washington and Oregon.

When the tour ended, Felker allegedly skipped his flight home to Oklahoma — where Nelson and Felker lived as newlyweds — and continued traveling with Lambert, telling his wife via email, “I’m not coming home this week,” according to the source. (People)

A few days after Evan allegedly tells his wife he's not coming home, Miranda posts a photo on Instagram on February 7, 2018, with lipstick writing on a mirror - "I do this thing called whatever I want."

Fans notice that Miranda's boyfriend Anderson has unfollowed her on Instagram around February 9.

People Magazine will later report that Evan "blindsided his estranged wife Staci Nelson, 33, with his sudden divorce filing in mid-February — 15 days after he met Lambert in person for the first time." In a conflicting report, Radar Online obtains divorce papers which state that Staci filed on February 28.

Whatever the case, less than a month after Turnpike's first show with Miranda, Evan's marriage is kaput.

March 2018

On March 7, 2018, Miranda posts an Instagram photo from a writing session that shows graphing paper and two cans of beer, including the Modelo brand — seemingly breadcrumbing her secret time spent with Evan.

A source tells PEOPLE that Felker is known to write with that specific type of paper and his drink of choice is Modelo beer. (X)

On March 27, 2018, Miranda and Evan are spotted together in New Orleans, though the candid pictures and eyewitness account don't come out in the media until later.

At the time the photos are taken by a fan, their relationship, his divorce, and her split from Anderson are all still not public knowledge.

“Miranda and Evan sat down on the same side of the booth,” the witness told RadarOnline.com about their hot and heavy date at the Ruby Slipper Café in the Big Easy on March 27. “We thought it was just a regular couple being cute on the same side of the booth, then we realized it was Miranda!" (Radar)

April 2018

On April 7, 2018, Miranda's split from Anderson East is announced after weeks of speculation that they had broken up.

On April 15, 2018, Miranda attends the ACM Awards alone. When she accepts Song of the Year for "Tin Man," she says, “Thank you guys so much for sharing my broken heart with me."

Though her recent breakup with Anderson is in the news, no one is wise to her connection with Evan just yet. That will soon change.

On April 24, 2018, Miranda's relationship with Evan is confirmed. People reports they have been dating for "several months." Details very soon trickle out about the overlap with Evan's now-heartbroken wife.

According to Us Weekly, the musicians began “spending a lot more time together” while on tour earlier this year. After nearly one-and-a-half years of marriage, Felker’s wife Staci Nelson reportedly filed for divorce in mid-February. Multiple sources confirm to PEOPLE the couple’s relationship took off after Felker opened with his band for three dates on Lambert’s Livin’ Like Hippies tour in early February. (People)

Staci's father is then quoted by Radar Online about the split:

Nelson’s father exclusively told RadarOnline.com that his daughter is “heartbroken” over the betrayal. “I don’t know Miranda, but from what I understand he was opening for her,” he said. “From what I understand, Evan asked for the divorce. All I know is hearsay, so I’m not going to pass that on.” When informed of Lambert’s man-stealing reputation, he responded, “I don’t like to spread rumors, but I’d say you’re on the right track.” (X)

Amid the swirling drama about Miranda's new boyfriend, her ex-husband posts a cryptic tweet on April 25 that people immediately assume is calling Miranda out.

Below is his tweet and a comment that he retweeted:

“Been taking the high road for a long time.. I almost gave up. But I can finally see something on the horizon up there!! Wait!! Could it be?! Yep!! It’s karma!!” 

On April 27, Staci posts a picture of herself seemingly crying with the caption: “PSA: If Staci Felker can make it through this week, so can you."

On April 30, 2018, a detailed story comes out in People Magazine about the entire situation, with a source blasting Evan for his behavior. 

Miranda Lambert‘s new boyfriend Evan Felker blindsided his estranged wife Staci Nelson with his sudden divorce filing in mid-February after his relationship with the country singer turned romantic. “The notion that [Felker and Nelson’s] divorce happened for any reason other than that is complete bulls—,” a source close to the couple exclusively tells PEOPLE of Lambert and Felker’s relationship, news of which broke last Tuesday. “[People are] making it seem like, ‘Oh, they got close while they were on tour together,’ as if the tour was six months long, but it was three days, and the first two of those he was still acting like he was in love with his wife,” the insider says, adding that Felker “didn’t even call home the third night.” Felker then “full-on ghosted” Nelson as Lambert shared cryptic posts via Instagram, the source says. On Feb. 7, Lambert posted a photo of her smiling in front of a mirror featuring the words “I do this thing called whatever I want” written in red. The source tells PEOPLE that if it wasn’t for Felker’s relationship with Lambert, “he would be talking to” his estranged wife and wouldn’t have filed for divorce on Feb. 16, adding that “the notion that he was planning to divorce [Felker] before he met her is complete insanity.” But Felker eventually called his wife in late March and “laid it all on the table, like, ‘Surprise!'” the source tells PEOPLE, adding, “He’s always the kind of guy where if he screws up he comes clean.” “He got sucked into it. He’s not a victim; he’s a grown man and should have said no,” says the source of Felker and Lambert, whose split from ex Anderson East was revealed in April following weeks of breakup speculation.

May 2018

US Weekly reports that Evan is looking to speed up his divorce from Staci. A source close to Staci seems to indicate that they think Miranda is behind Evan's sudden rush:

Evan Felker is in a hurry to move things along with new squeeze Miranda Lambert. The Turnpike Troubadours frontman filed a scheduling order to end his relationship with estranged wife Staci on Tuesday, Us Weekly reported. He did so out of fear his ex would 'unduly delay' their impending divorce, the mag claimed. However a source claimed Staci was surprised by the move, as she is just as keen to end things as he is. 'Anyone who actually speaks to Staci knows she has wanted out of this marriage for months,' the insider said. 'Evan is the one who disappeared again and changed his phone number. 'They both planned to end this quietly. StacI has never wanted to go to court and Evan told StacI he did not want to either, so there is probably someone a little more powerful dictating all of this.' (X)

July 2018

In early July, Staci says on social media that she and Evan - who is still dating Miranda - had reconnected recently and had been talking on the phone, but that he had ghosted her once again and didn't return her calls after she had a medical scare.

Less than a week after Staci's comments about her latest drama with Evan, the first photo of Miranda and Evan holding hands is taken in New York on July 18.

August 2018

On August 2, Staci alleges that Evan had reached out to her again which resulted in an unknown number, who she believes to be Miranda, calling her obsessively.

FYI, if you're crazy and crazy famous, this is how your number comes up. Wife's number doesn't change. Seems problematic. 10 times in one night. #insecure #rightfullyso The Idaho number is my husband. The other … is the person who is tired of him calling home.

On August 17, it is confirmed that Staci and Evan's divorce has been finalized.

But just a week after that, an article about Miranda in The Tennessean reveals that she and Evan have split.

People Magazine reports that Miranda ended the relationship because Evan "broke her rules."

“I don’t think it was a dramatic split, but he knew what he was ‘allowed’ to do based on her rules and he broke them,” says the source. “He did something that he knew she wasn’t going to approve of, she assumed he did it and he didn’t deny it.”

November 2018

Three months after her breakup with Evan, Miranda meets New York City Police Officer Brendan McLoughlin who is working security when the Pistol Annies perform on Good Morning America, on November 2, 2018.

Three days later, on November 5, 2018, Brendan's son with Kaihla Rettinger is born.

Once his relationship with Miranda is made public, People Magazine reports that Brendan spent Thanksgiving a few weeks after his and Miranda’s first meeting with Rettinger and his newborn son. 

It is unclear if he and Rettinger were still romantically involved at that time, but the source close to McLoughlin believes there was “overlap” between Rettinger and Lambert, as the source claims he “had a history of cheating.” A rep for Lambert had no comment.

January 2019

Miranda and Brendan secretly get married on January 26, 2019.

February 2019

On February 11, 2019, police are called to a restaurant in Nashville over a dispute between Miranda, an unnamed male friend, and other patrons of the venue.

Miranda Lambert had a heated exchange with a couple dining at a Nashville steakhouse, and things got so nasty she dumped a salad on a woman she says was provoking her … TMZ has learned. Sources close to Miranda say the food fight went down Sunday night at Stoney River Steakhouse, where the singer was dining with her mother and a family friend. We're told an older man started beefing with Miranda's buddy, and things started spiraling out of control. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … cops responded to a call about 2 men fighting, but by the time police arrived at the scene, Miranda and her party were gone. We're told cops didn't file a report. As for why Miranda felt compelled to dump her dinner on the woman … we're told the woman's husband picked a fight with Miranda's friend, which started in the men's restroom with a wisecrack about millennials and their phones. Eyewitnesses say Miranda had to be held back after the man came up to her table and started screaming … we're told Miranda started mouthing off and eventually walked over to the man's wife, got feisty with her and dumped a salad in her lap!!! (TMZ)

In 911 calls obtained by TMZ and The Tennessean, a female employee at Nashville’s Stoney River Steakhouse restaurant can be heard telling a Metro dispatcher: “I have two guests about to get into a fistfight… Miranda Lambert.” “She just ran out the door, and got into it with another couple right here… I’m sorry my manager just said call 911,” the employee explained. In a separate 911 call, a dispatcher can be heard asking what sparked the altercation. “Something happened in the restaurant between these two gentlemen, and another gentleman walked up to her table and started cussing him out,” the employee told the dispatcher. “This is the third time they’ve gotten into it, and now Miranda is trying to hit people, and she’s flipping plates on them.” In another call, a frantic employee pleaded with the 911 dispatcher for help. “There’s an altercation between two guests, and it’s about to get physical,” the employee explained. “Our managers are trying to hold them back but we can’t.” (The Tennessean)

Five days after the salad fiasco, on February 16, 2019, Miranda announces in an Instagram post that - surprise! - she is married to someone that nobody even knew she had been dating.

In honor of Valentine’s Day I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you Brendan Mcloughlin for loving me for.... me. #theone

People Magazine will note that it appears Brendan was the person with Miranda during the restaurant incident on Feb. 11:

The male companion who sparked Miranda Lambert’s salad-dumping drama reportedly identified himself as a cop — meaning signs seem to point to the fact that it was her new husband Brendan McLoughlin. The country star was dining at the Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill with her mother and the man Feb. 10 when an older man made a comment about “millennials and their phones” to Lambert’s pal in the men’s restroom, according to TMZ. Video footage obtained by the outlet shows Lambert’s male companion engaging in a spat with a fellow diner, while a woman recording the fight observes, “The guy that she’s with is very young…”

Shortly after Miranda's surprise marriage news, reports about Brendan's newborn son and the sketchy context surrounding his romantic life start to emerge.

Wedding bells almost rang once before for Brendan McLoughlin, the New York City policeman whom Miranda Lambert secretly married last month. The NYPD officer, 27, had been engaged to another woman — fellow Staten Island native Jackie Bruno — until just months before marrying Lambert, PEOPLE confirms. He proposed to his now ex-fiancée with a 1.21-carat, round, brilliant cut diamond ring, set in an 18-carat white gold band, a source close to McLoughlin tells PEOPLE. The ring and matching wedding band were worth approximately $15,000, according to documents viewed by PEOPLE. McLoughlin and Bruno’s relationship ended when Kaihla Rettinger, the mother of McLoughlin’s son, messaged his former fiancée to let Bruno know Rettinger was seven months pregnant with the police officer’s child and had been living with him and his family, the source reveals. McLoughlin’s son was born on Nov. 5, three days after he met Lambert, 35. Rettinger had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

The mother of Brendan's ex-fiancee also speaks to the press:

"She was engaged to Brendan and he cheated on her and got another girl pregnant," Jackie's mom Carol Bruno told Us Weekly. "It's all true." Carol added, "Jackie was in Sweden playing professional soccer, got injured and came home and the girl contacted her. She broke the news to her. [Brendan] tried to deny it and then begged her to stay with him. "She was only going for a few months to play, he was begging her to marry him before she left, even though he knew the girl was pregnant." (E Online)

When Staci Felker is asked in Instagram stories about her thoughts on Miranda's quickie wedding, her comment foreshadows an inevitable reconciliation with Evan:

"I did think the dress was really pretty and I wish she would call me and tell me how it was so easy for her to get over my ex because it hasn't been so easy for me."

As for Blake, People Magazine claims a source close to him says the following:

“He put Miranda in his rear view mirror long ago. Miranda brings nothing positive to his life,” says the source. “Their marriage ended and he moved on. Ever since, he is grateful every day.”

June 2020

Two and a half years after their split, Evan and Staci get remarried on June 24, 2020. 

In the book Red Dirt, excerpted by Rolling Stone in August 2020, Evan Felker said that he had reprioritized his life after trying to get sober:

"First and foremost, I found sobriety and recovery," he said. "And I stepped away from the road and got a clearer view of the world. I got back to just being me."

They have gone on to have two children together, a daughter and son.

In the years following, Staci has lightly addressed the topic here and there. On this Instagram story from 2022, she says it feels like it all happened to someone else:

As for Miranda and Brendan, though both engaged in pretty messy behavior in 2018, since announcing their marriage they have kept a pretty clean profile.

The only semi-scandals they have added to their resumes seem to have come in the last two years - Miranda's selfie-gate backlash in July 2023, and TikTok gossip about Brendan dancing with patrons of Miranda's restaurant in June 2024. 

They recently marked their sixth wedding anniversary.