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inloveforlokius · 1 year ago

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hey, I wrote a Oneshot of an Oc of mine and Gil Pender

English is not my native language, in fact I am Brazilian. I will post the original version in Portuguese too but for now stick with the English version. There will probably be errors in the English language because I put most of the things for Google Translate to do in English (Don't judge me, I'm still newbie at this).

Previously: Gil, on one of his trips to Paris in the 1920s, met a young attendant at a local cafe from the 20s who was walking along the narrow river Seine, known as Julye.

(the oc is of legal age)

Word count: 2611 words.

the denial of living in the present ♡

Gil Pender is an idiot man from Pasadena, California, in the United States and is about to marry an authoritarian preppy named Inez.

Since Gil got engaged to Inez, he has been having frequent panic attacks. He never understood the real meaning of his attacks, however, he thought it must be something about the book he was writing or his work as a Hollywood screenwriter.

Gil and Inez visited and stayed at a hotel in Paris.

The reason for this was that as Inêz's parents had done important business, the couple stayed for a while to enjoy the ride.

Inez was a beautiful and very intelligent woman, but she and her fiancé had almost nothing in common, the two were completely opposite people and not at all indifferent, Gil was always passionate about literature and the 20s, and dreamed of living in the City of Light after the wedding, more precisely in the rain as he told his fiancee, and he was willing to give up all his work as a screenwriter to become a writer, however, Inez wanted to live in Malibu, in the hot sand of California, after the wedding.

And although Gil loved his future wife there was something that made him feel out of place about her. Even when she had defended him from her own parents who criticized Gil about his illusions about politics and his choices.

But something happened as the couple's time in Paris went on.

In the blink of an eye, the two moved apart drastically, and of course the reason could have been that Inez had had a super crush since college on a man called Paul Bates, a kind of dashing gentleman who was going to give a lecture nearby. from Paris, And she stayed with this guy for a few nights in the meantime that Gil was taking his nightly "walks" to get even more inspired when he was going to write his romance.

However, Gil had no idea that she had kept the stupid pendant.

But Gil also had his secrets, for example: whenever (or almost every day) that Inez wanted to stay late somewhere with her parents or with Paul and Carol, he would always leave early and walk the streets of Paris until midnight and he did that instead of going to the Hotel Bristol where the two stayed waiting for Inez to return.

And when the clock struck midnight, a vintage car from the 1920s always passed by as if it were a taxi from the time and Gil always got into it because it would mean that he had gone to the year 1920, the year where he dreamed of living for so long. , it was a dream to be in Paris at that time where there were so many incredible artists and writers that he couldn't even describe, it was so spectacular.

And there he met the illustrious and talented F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Luis Boňuel, Man Ray, Ernest Hemingway and TS Eliot.

Gertrude Stein even read and evaluated the book that Gil Pender was finishing and it made his heart almost stop working with excitement.

EDuring these trips to 1920, Gil met a beautiful young girl, Adriana, he seemed to have liked or loved this young woman very much. She was known to be a prostitute and former lover of Picasso himself, but unfortunately, he himself realized that she was fascinated to other things like the golden age and I couldn't stop her from getting lost in another era trying desperately to fill her feeling of loneliness and emptiness.

Just like he did, but he would never admit it.

Gil discovered that Inez was probably cheating on him with Paul shortly after he returned to 2010 and he thought about this possibility with the help of words from one of his conversations with some of the best writers of the 1920s.

When he had the courage and discussed it with Inez, she simply admitted it after a while, causing the two to break up, as well as belittling him by calling him crazy, sick, among others.

Now, Gil no longer had Adriana, who lost her to the golden age, nor his ex-fiancée who left.

He was left ungrounded, confused, displaced but still free.

And now he was more anxious than ever walking around at 2 am in Paris in the 20th century...he knew he shouldn't be in another century trying desperately to escape all his morbid sadness that hit him like daggers in the back but therefore he he still couldn't stay definitively in 2010 knowing that he could live what he so longed to have.

He walked and walked while it was raining heavily on the narrow Seine River, he saw a young woman who made his eyes go a little wide and wide and made his heart flutter a little.

The beautiful lady was without any means of protection against the rain like Gil. She was wearing a loose and short black dress made of silk with satin gloves and black heels, she looked like she had just left a ball at that time, she had beautiful light blonde hair in the style of an almost classic Bob. like Marilyn Monroe.

The lady looks at Gil, seeing the man in a gray suit and red tie there looking at her fascinated, she approached him and spoke without hesitation, her voice was soft and sweet, as if it were a beautiful melody from Cole Porter's classic songs.

-Bonjour, you are lost? - she says looking at Gil, still unsure about the man.

- hey! Yes, I mean, no. -Gil says no with a fake, high-pitched laugh at the end of the sentence.

The woman nodded and turned to leave, but she stopped when she heard the man's voice again.

- Excuse me but are you American? - He asked hesitating while breathing faster. "What the hell got into you?" he mentally asked himself.

- no, I'm just a random Parisian but I learned to speak American English a few years ago - the woman smiles slightly, her red lipstick stands out on her adorable face .

- Could I know your name? - Gil asked, he had his hands in the pockets of the black dress pants he was wearing as he asked.

- well...my name is Julye, and would you be it? - Julye looks at him a little confused, the rain started to get thicker making the lady cross her arms and look down.

- oh, my name is Gil Pender - he speaks awkwardly and sees that Julye was bothered by the rain that had gotten heavier, he then went to her and guided her gentlemanly to under the bridge.

He was always taught by his mother to be a good gentleman, so he lightly puts his arm around Julye as they walk under the bridge out of the rain, she still looks at him suspiciously but with a hint of gratitude in her eyes. almost cyan blue.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I just wanted to make you less uncomfortable in this rain - Gil says, trying to clarify his intentions.

- Should I say thank you? - Julye says smiling sarcastically.

- I don't think it's necessary and if I may, why are you wearing that dress? It's cold today in Paris, you could catch a cold - Gil says with an air of doubt because although the woman looked stunning in the dress he didn't see the point in wearing it on this specific night.

- oh..well, I was in a bar before it started raining with Zelda and Scott - she says raising her face up to look at Gil, she was shorter than him.

-Zelda and Scott? Like the Fitzgeralds?

-Yes, themselves, do you know them? - Julye says looking into Gil's eyes when he asked.

- Yes! Yes, I've been out with them twice and I really admire Scott - he remembered, he was in 1920! He couldn't say how good Scott and Zelda were as if he were talking to someone in 2010 - but, well, on that note, what does a woman like you do?

-I'm an attendant at a local coffee shop, you should visit there, I work from nine in the morning to six in the afternoon - Julye says while looking away from Gil.

Gil blushed, the pretty girl invited him to go to the cafe where she works in such an adorable way? Yes, and it left him like a little pepper. Between that, he knew he could never go, especially because he only has access to Paris in the twentieth century from midnight to dawn... that is, he could never see it in his daily life.

- Thank you for the invitation, I will certainly go to the cafe - he says lying, The two then walked to a local bar out of the rain and in the meantime they talked about various things and Gil even forgot about his sadness about his and Inez's separation.

When the two arrived in front of the bar but didn't go in and instead they sat on a bench where the rain didn't hit and continued talking, and so much time passed that Julye ended up sleeping with her head on Gil's chest.

And certainly, Gil loved it and even stroked her hair while she slept. When he realized that it was going to dawn, he placed the lady on a bench and laid her down gently and placed his jacket on her, he left and as he walked through the streets, he realized that he had gone back to 2010, he looked back at that same place but he didn't even know. There was more bench, it was replaced by a large pole and the bar was now a jewelry store.

He gave a weak smile and sighed deeply - I'll see you again, I promise, Julye.

And so he did. Every day after midnight he goes back to 1920 just to look for the woman, he even knew her address so he could go to her house.

They talked about everything, Gil talked to Julye about cognitive actions and the fear of death that everyone has and at the end of the night, he always ends up leaving or sleeping on his shoulder. They understood each other, they talked about everything, literature, arts, artists, the future, their personal lives and more.

Julye didn't understand why Gil didn't want to see her during the day, they are friends and friends see each other during the day, she thought, so why is that?

On one of Gil's trips to 1920, he found Julye in a square near the elfiel tower. He hugged her and greeted her.

- Julye! It's good to see you - he says sweetly and smiles at her.

- Bonjour, Gil... - she says, leaving the hug, her eyes made it seem like she was in a dilemma.

- what happened? You look thrilled - Gil puts his hand on her shoulder and his face had such a softness that it would easily make someone tell him what he was hiding.

-I don't understand you sometimes. You say we are friends but we never meet during the day and you always disappear and then pretend that none of this happened... why is that? - Julye says a little angry and sad at the same time.

Gil pulls her and comforts her, and starts to talk - look... it's okay, I know I haven't been giving you explanations but I'm just trying not to hurt you and apparently I failed at that, I'm sorry - he says as he watches Julye lay on his chest.

- Look, you know when you have one kind of life during the day and at night it's like you're in another life? - Gil says, lifting Julye's face to look at her face to face.

- I think so... - Julye says quietly - so you kind of have two different lives?

-It's almost that, but I'll tell you something, when I'm here, with you I feel like this is my place - Gil smiles and Julye also smiles lightly caressing her cheek.

Even though Gil lied about some things, not all of them were lies, he really feels like when he's with Julye it's like he's in the right place.

The two stayed there, hugging each other, feeling the breeze of the wind, they were both in the early morning moonlight.

Gil sometimes wondered if he and Julye could be more than friends, but he never really persisted with that thought. .

He decided to lighten the mood by changing the route of his affairs.

- Julye, do you think I would be a good writer?

- Yes for sure! You are incredible at writing and if it is your passion then you should embrace it and not be afraid of failure - she says smiling, she has always supported Gil in all possible circumstances.

- Don't exaggerate, I'm not that good - Gil says and smiles seeing Julye pout.

- I disagree, you are very good at writing, you are like a poet - Julye says persisting in the idea - you should at least try to do what you like.

- Thank you, you really know how to keep me going - Gil smiles at her - that's what friends are for - Julye says and smiles too, she takes Gil's arm and the two walk down the sidewalk together.

- friends...yes, we are friends - Gil says walking with her.

At the end of the night, Julye turned to Gil and gave a smile that was pleasant to see.

- so this is where I say goodbye to you.

- Yes, I know, but first I want to test one of the theories Ernest Hemingway told me a while ago - Gil says, taking her hand.

-And what theory would that be? - She asked with a hint of curiosity.

Then Gil lightly pulled her by the waist until their lips connected.

He kissed her sweetly but firmly, Julye returned the kiss with the same soft intensity, placing her arms around Gil's neck and the two of them deepened the kiss, totally immense at the moment.

Julye bit Gil's lower lip, asking for passage and Gil gave in, making Julye slide her tongue into his mouth where their tongues meet, they now have their tongues almost dancing in Gil's mouth fighting for dominance.

They separate when they both become short of breath.

- so that was your theory? - Julye says breathlessly.

- Not exactly, but it made me realize and feel many things and one of the things I felt for those seconds when I kissed you was that I was able to dazzle immortality for a while - Gil says smiling, giving Julye a light peck.

It's like Ernest Hemingway said and believed that the moment two people who have a true passion kiss or have sexual relations, they can create a truce over the fear of dying and that's exactly what Gil felt with Julye, he managed for a few moments get a glimpse of what it's like to be immortal.

He felt like his heart was going to explode with so much love and he wanted to show Julye that day but time was about to run out so they said goodbye with a few more passionate kisses and sweet words of affirmation, and went each their way.

And Gil was still certain at that moment, he would still do and give all the love that Julye deserved.

#midnight in paris #fanfic #owen wilson #oc #my writing #oneshot #1920s #paris #scott fitzgerald #my fic #mobius #mobius x reader #gil pender

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miale1note · 10 months ago

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Mình vừa xem xong Midnight in Paris.

Bất chấp bệnh tật (đùa thôi! Mình phải vượt lên chứ), Paris luôn là một địa điểm ám ảnh mình. Có lẽ là những điều phù phiếm khiến mình say mê Paris đến vậy! Mình thích khung cảnh cổ điển, lãng mạn đó, mình yêu thích phong cách thời trang của họ. Paris luôn là điểm đến mà mình mê mẩn.

Và Midnight in Paris, như khiến mình ngơ ngẩn từ thước phim đầu tiên. 4 phút đầu tiên của bộ phim đặc tả từng góc của Paris từ sáng đến tối, từ nắng đẹp đến khi cơn mưa rơi xuống. Và mình công nhận là Paris đẹp mê hồn trong mưa. Bộ phim được viết kịch bản và đạo diễn bởi Woody Allen. Mình chưa bao giờ tìm hiểu về đạo diễn này, nhưng mà ông quay Paris đẹp quá đi thôi!

Tuy nhiên, câu chuyện không chỉ miêu tả vẻ đẹp của Paris, nó còn nói về sự chạy trốn hiện tại của Gil, của Adriana, và của rất nhiều người khác, anh sau đó dần tỉnh ngộ, nhưng trái tim lưu luyến với Paris, với vẻ hoài cổ của nó, nên quyết tâm từ bỏ hôn nhân và chuyển đến Paris để ở.

Gil là nhà viết kịch bản có triển vọng của Hollywood, anh cùng vợ chưa cưới - Inez đến Paris du lịch, khi bố của Inez đến làm ăn ở đây. Anh ngay lập tức say mê Paris và muốn dọn về đây sau khi cưới, trong khi đó, Inez- vợ anh, một cô gái con nhà giàu, khá phù phiếm, lại chỉ muốn sống tại Mỹ.

Câu chuyện bắt đầu khi Gil có thể quay về Paris năm 1920 hàng đêm, khi vuông nửa đêm vừa điểm. Ở đó, anh gặp rất nhiều nhân vật kiệt xuất, nổi tiếng của quá khứ. Ở đó, anh trải nghiệm những mong ước của mình. Được sống trong quá khứ, trogn hoài niệm ở thời đại mà anh cho là Thời Đại Hoàng Kim. Tuy nhiên, những người ở đó cũng có mong ước y hệt, họ không cho Paris năm 1920 là tươi đẹp, là hoàn hảo. Họ chán nhãn "hiện tại" - là cái thời kỳ mà anh mơ ước được sống. Anh dần nhận ra rằng "quá khứ" là phù du, Hemingway, Picasso không phải là "thuốc kháng sinh" cho cuộc đời anh.

Nhưng trong quá trình đó, mình, người xem cũng cảm nhận được cuộc sống của anh là đáng chán. Cơ bản không phải Inez là người xấu, mà Gil và Inez là người của hai thế giới. Gil lãng mạn, bay bổng, còn Inez thì thực dụng và thực tế. Họ bất đồng từ những điều nhỏ nhất. Họ không dành cho nhau, nên giã từ nhau là điều dễ hiểu và tốt đẹp cho cả hai.

Cuối phim, anh tìm thấy một cô gái Pháp, thích đi bộ dưới mưa với anh. Một sở thích mà trước kia Inez không hiểu nổi. Không biết trong tương lai, Gil còm lang thang hằng đêm trong thành phố hay không hay như anh nói "anh nuối tiếc nhưng phải rời đi" vì cơn mộng mị đó chỉ là phù du.

Bộ phim này đạt giải " Kịch bản gốc xuất sắc nhất" của Osar 2012. Đã 12 năm trôi qua, nhưng những thước phim về một Parsi lãng mạn, ngọt ngào, đầy cuồng nhiệt và nên thơ vẫn quá đỗi xinh đẹp và tinh tế. Cũng như câu chuyện của Gil, buồn bã nhưng cũng đầy thi vị.

#midnight in paris #film

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justbeenthinking · 1 year ago

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My most unexpected foreshadowing in ysblf is on the day betty goes to the horse riding club to meet armando to sign some papers for the bank. He asks her to stay bc they are meeting the RagTela people. Back in the car, he confirms that she's now Assistant to the President (which sadly didn't come with a salary increase 🙁), no more his secretary.

They come back and betty tells the cuartel about the promotion and they are all so happy for her. Patricia walks in to the restroom and the cuartel, to spite her, tells patricia that betty is now her boss and she'll have to take orders from her. And patricia says, betty will have to die and be resurrected before she takes orders from betty. And of course that's what happens metaphorically when betty assumes the presidency.

It's so unexpected bc it's so out of context and so early on the show and it's just something one would say to someone they hate but in retrospect, it comes true metaphorically.

My most favorite foreshadowing is on the day Adriana Arboleda appears. Cata walks in to betty's office with some papers and notices betty feeling low. She invites her to the Picasso exhibition and betty says she's too busy with work and armando will kill her if she doesn't finish up the costing reports tonight. Cata foreshadows future events to say that if armando kills betty, he'll have to commit suicide bc it doesn't make sense for him to live anymore.

Of course that happens when betty reads the letter and later when armando has the fight in the bar when betty is in cartagena. But also, when armando speaks to dona julia after reading the diary, he says, he'll pay for all his deeds with his life and his life/future does not make sense without betty.

ysblf has layers upon layers of foreshadowing in it. what’s your favorite? mine is the foreshadowing of betty and armando’s physical separation, when he’s supposed to go to palm beach and says ‘usted me va hacer mucha falta’—yeah dude u have no idea.

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blogdojuanesteves · 2 years ago

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BRANCUSI PHOTOGRAPHE

O escultor romeno Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957) um dos artistas mais célebres dos últimos dois séculos, decidiu que suas esculturas seriam fotografadas e divulgadas por ele mesmo. "Ele julgava que eram as únicas imagens capazes de traduzir o intercâmbio emocional entre o artista e sua criação", escreve a americana Elizabeth A. Brown, especialista em Arte Contemporânea e História da Fotografia, curadora do University Art Museum, UC Santa Barbara ,Estados Unidos, no livro Brancusi Photographe ( Éditions Assouline, 1995).

A publicação, passados quase 30 anos, ainda reveste-se de importância no entendimento do trabalho de Brancusi cuja produção se resume em apenas 215 obras, sendo que 40 delas seminais desapareceram ou foram destruídas e as conhecemos apenas por fotografias. Entretanto apesar de poucas esculturas produzidas nos seus 81 anos de vida, escreve Sanda Miller*, escritora romena radicada na Inglaterra e pesquisadora na Southampton Solent University, autora do livro Constantin Brancusi: A survey of his work ( Oxford University Press, 1995) e do mais recente Constantin Brancusi Critical Lives (Reaktion Books, 2010).

O escultor foi mais pródigo com suas fotografias. Seu legado foram 560 negativos na maioria produzidos em placas de vidro de grande formato e cerca de 1500 prints também importantes, porque são oriundas de negativos que não existem mais. Todo material estava no seu atelier junto com as câmeras, objetivas e produtos químicos para fotografia por ocasião de sua morte.

Para Elizabeth Brown, os livros de história de arte nos apresentam Brancusi como um artista meio recluso, uma espécie de ermitão místico, dotado de uma consciência sobrenatural. Em parte uma ideia suscitada pelas suas obscuras origens romenas. O escultor vivia sozinho em seu ateliê parisiense, que apesar de estar instalado no coração de Montparnasse, um bairro histórico, cujos bristôs eram frequentados por escritores e artistas famosos como o americano Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) e o malaguenho Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), parecia estar fora do tempo e da realidade, conforme vemos em suas fotografias, seja pelos seus autorretratos, pelas esculturas tratadas individualmente, ou as imagens mais panorâmicas que nos sugerem um lugar único e impregnado da arte, onde até mesmos os móveis haviam sido criados por ele mesmo.

Uma das primeiras fotografias realizadas por Brancusi, segundo a historiadora, representa um elemento basilar em sua obra. A criação de sua primeira escultura vertical, a representação de um homem em tamanho natural, inspirado diretamente pela célebre escultura de Antínoo (111-130) descoberta em Vila Adriana, atualmente nos Museus Capitolinos em Roma, parceiro amoroso e companheiro do imperador romano Adriano (76-138).

Para Sanda Miller, as fotografias de Brancusi transcendem o nível do registro e transbordam para o domínio da arte, embora seja difícil avaliar se seu interesse era principalmente capturar as qualidades estéticas de sua escultura ou se ele preocupava-se também com a realização de fotografias “artísticas”. Só há pouco, muitas imagens de Brancusi começaram a ser reconhecidas indo além do mero registro e sim como um elemento importante dentro de sua obra. Desde os anos 1970, uma série de exposições na Europa e nos Estados Unidos tornaram esses registros mais conhecidos e, por consequência, itens preciosos para colecionadores.

As imagens de Brancusi estão envoltas em certo mistério. Estima-se que ele começou fotografar ao mesmo tempo que iniciou suas esculturas, supostamente para fins de uma registro pessoal. Existem fotografias, já um pouco prejudicadas, de esculturas executadas enquanto ele estudava na Academia de Belas Artes de Bucareste entre 1898 e 1902 – esculturas que há muito desapareceram sem deixar vestígios. Portanto tais imagens representam o único registro delas, ainda que a qualidade e o estado de conservação das fotografias estejam longe de ser excepcionais.

Muitos artistas contemporâneos de Brancusi recorreram a câmera fotográfica seja pelo registro de suas obras, seja pelo auxílio para suas pinturas, caso do francês Edgar Degas (1834-1917) que fotografava suas famosas bailarinas, ou seu conterrâneo Pierre Bonnard (1869-1947) para seus lindos nus. [ Leia aqui review https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/630168233860857856/pierre-bonnard-e-a-fotografia ]. Entretanto, a ideia da imagem capturada através da luz para a concepção da arte , já havia surgido, dizem os historiadores, com o uso da câmara obscura, um aparato ótico que facilitava os desenhos. Descrito na Grécia antiga pelo filósofo Aristóteles ( 384 a.C-322 a.C), já estaria em uso prático desde 1558 quando foi divulgada pelo artista italiano Giovanni Battista della Porta (ca.1542-1597).

Algumas das fotografias do escultor mostram também que certos procedimentos seus seriam aprofundados posteriormente em suas obras. Como a obra "A musa adormecida" uma de suas mais conhecidas e importantes, uma cabeça em bronze de 1910, originalmente esculpida em mármore, cujo modelo foi a baronesa Renée-Irana Frachon. A peça faz parte dos acervos do Metropolitan (MET) de Nova York, da coleção do Centre Pompidou e do Art Institute of Chicago. Na fotografia surgem zonas escuras que rodeiam a boca, os olhos e a cabeça, provavelmente oriundas de inclusões calcáreas no mármore ou manchas de carvão. Para Elizabeth Brown, essa pigmentação nas imagens parecem entalhar a pedra e as manchas permitem vislumbrar a irreversível evolução da escultura.

A autora ainda especula que é o acaso que integra a fotografia no processo criativo de Brancusi, mas o que é certo, diz ela, é que pouco a pouco, suas imagens influenciaram suas obras até o ponto dele modificar suas esculturas, tanto no sentido próprio como no figurado, às vezes suas fotografias modificaram-se em função das necessidades do mercado. Era preciso ter as reproduções para mostrar uma nova peça a potenciais compradores.

Quando chegou a Paris em 1904, Brancusi tendia à abstração e ao experimentalismo, no entanto, continuou a produzir suas cabeças e bustos mais figurativos, geralmente destinados a compradores compatriotas. Para facilitar esse contato, o artista chegou a fazer cartões postais com suas fotografias. Um dos compradores que tornaram-se permanentes, e que estimularam o artista a fotografar, por meio de suas correspondências, foi o colecionador americano John Quinn (1870-1924), advogado em Nova York, conhecido por sua posição contra a censura e por ser patrono dos pós-impressionistas e dos escritores modernistas, dos quais também colecionava manuscritos. Nos anos 1920 era considerado o maior colecionador de pinturas modernas européias e fez parte da famosa Armorial Show de 1913, a primeira exibição de arte moderna americana e européia nos Estados Unidos. O advogado comprou seu primeiro Brancusi na 291 Gallery, do genial fotógrafo e dealer americano Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1945) originalmente conhecida como Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession, que funcionou de 1905 a 1917 na 291 Fifth Avenue, em Nova York, um dos marcos da imagem fotográfica em confluência com arte.

Ainda que as fotografias tenham imortalizado a imagem do artista, Elizabeth Brown acredita que seu propósito era influenciar o modo que um certo público artístico julgava sua obra e sua vida. De fato, suas composições trazem uma impressão de sinceridade e devoção, uma competência e concentração artística carismática que implicam em sua arte e, por analogia, reconhecem sua autoridade. É visível a organização do atelier de modo a salientar a dimensão de certas esculturas, além de que a imagem fotográfica era seu meio de expressão bidimensional preferido, a qual explorava suas possibilidades de expressão e forma.

Já as imagens publicadas em vida por Brancusi, constituem obras gráficas complexas, que ajudavam o artista a manipular seus planos de luz e sombra como um ensaio para suas construções espaciais. São diferentes pontos de vista de algumas esculturas e como elas relacionam-se entre si. Ainda assim, lembra Brown, as fotografias determinam novas linguagens pictóricas da época, como o Cubismo e o Construtivismo, ao criarem histórias interessantes quando as enxergamos em seu conjunto. " Sua fotografia estreita a maneira de interpretarmos as suas intenções e o modo que ele queria que elas fossem interpretadas.”

É certo que, ao contrário do que muitos pensam, fotografar uma obra de arte, principalmente uma escultura, é um processo dificílimo, ainda que o autor colabore com o fotógrafo, pois significa interpretá-la acima de tudo em consonância. Lembramos das imagens de escultura de Picasso, registradas com maestria pelo grande Brassaï (1889-1984) pseudônimo do fotógrafo e escritor húngaro Gyula Halász, são um exemplo dessa relação, que só traz resultado pleno a partir da proximidade entre artista e fotógrafo ( aqui no caso de Brancusi, um exemplo extremo) como observamos no livro Conversations avec Picasso ( Éditions Gallimard, 1964), publicado no Brasil em 2000 pela Cosac e Naify, uma obra acima de tudo envolvente, literariamente e em sua imagética. Um exemplo brasileiro que podemos associar é o belo livro Desenho da Utopia (Editora Olhares, 2016), do fotógrafo paulista Ruy Teixeira em parceria com o colecionador e historiador Jaime Vargas, representando e ambientando o mobiliário e a arte no país. [ leia aqui review https://blogdojuanesteves.tumblr.com/post/142471027231/desenho-da-utopia-ruy-teixeira-jayme-vargas ].

Os cartões postais de Brancusi eram assinados e datados com sua própria caligrafia e na época de sua estréia em Paris, exibidos tanto no Salão Oficial quanto no então famoso Salon d'Automne. Os postais conhecidos, exceto um, foram enviados ao seu amigo e patrono romeno, Victor N. Popp (1885-1955), que com o tempo comprou a maioria das suas esculturas. Juntamente com John Quinn, tornou-se também um dos grandes colecionadores do artista.

Sanda Miller argumenta que embora nenhum valor estético possa ser atribuído às fotografias de Brancusi de 1906 e 1907, (que por puro acidente histórico tornaram-se registros únicos e, portanto, valiosos das esculturas que o artista fez durante esse período), à época de sua correspondência com John Quinn o situação já era diferente. É razoável supor que a essa altura Brancusi já era um fotógrafo experiente, embora não treinado profissionalmente. Provavelmente consciente disso como um defeito, ele aparentemente decidiu corrigi-lo.

As primeiras informações documentadas sobre o desejo do escultor em melhorar suas habilidades fotográficas vieram do artista americano Man Ray (1890-1976), que mais tarde tornaria-se seu amigo. "Ele visitou Brancusi em 1921 para fazer seu retrato para seu arquivo de celebridades. Ele relembrou a visita vividamente: "Vim para Brancusi com a ideia de fazer um retrato dele para adicionar aos meus arquivos. Quando abordei o assunto, ele franziu a testa; ele disse que não gostava de ser fotografado. O que lhe interessava era ver algumas boas fotografias de seu trabalho: até então, as poucas reproduções que vira foram uma decepção. Então ele me mostrou a impressão que Stieglitz havia enviado para ele, quando sua exposição estava sendo realizada em Nova York. Era de uma de suas esculturas de mármore, perfeita em iluminação e textura: era uma bela fotografia, disse ele, mas não representava seu trabalho."

Man Ray acabou por ajudá-lo a adquirir o material necessário no dia seguinte à sua visita, comprando uma câmera e um tripé. O grande artista surrealista, também sugeriu um laboratorista para revelar e imprimir suas fotografias. Entretanto Brancusi afirmou que ele mesmo gostaria de fazer esta parte. Então ele construiu um quarto escuro em um canto do estúdio, sozinho como tudo que fazia no seu estúdio.

Um dos mais interessantes detalhes da fotografia produzida pelo artista são seus autorretratos, onde ele aproveita-se de praticamente todos elementos de seu estúdio. Suas poses, compara Elizabeth Brown, são semelhantes as celebridades que surgiram nas revistas de arquitetura. Curiosamente, revelam uma afinidade com a câmera, aproximando-se da própria preocupação com que reproduzia suas esculturas. A princípio segue o mesmo jogo de luz, empregando uma escala como a das peças, bem como a arrumação do atelier. Uma produção mais limitada, é claro, do que seu acervo. Mas, ainda assim importante pois mostram o artista trabalhando, definindo uma certa postura heróica de suas esculturas, segundo a historiadora, como na espetacular Coluna sem fim onde ele aparece com uma grande serra contra um enorme bloco de madeira.

Em alguns dos autorretratos percebemos também, uma sofisticada iluminação onde ele contrapõe o branco do mármore, colocando-se na área mais sombreada, e até mesmo cenas mais prosaicas, como instalar uma chaminé no atelier. Em algumas, transgride as "normas" fotográficas, moldando sua cabeça a certas esculturas, dando continuidade ao seu corpo, integrando-se à peça, uma prática desprezada pelos fotógrafos mais profissionais na época. Para Brown, as imagens são casuais e manipuladoras ao mesmo tempo, delirantes e "terrivelmente" sérias. Em contrapartida, realizou imagens mais relaxadas, fumando, em atitudes mais desenvoltas, "a imagem do boêmio sedutor" apresentando-se como um ser marginal radiante, como em um romance de Hemingway, analisa a pesquisadora.

Em resumo, Brancusi mostrava que sua arte não se limitava às abstrações. No entanto, amigos seus como o célebre fotógrafo e curador luxemburguês Edward Steichen (1879-1973 ) que pertence ao cânone do século XX, escreveu em um catálogo do amigo, para sua exposição na Brummer Gallery, em 1926, embora não creditado pelo escultor, que "a sua obra adquire sua significação dentro da abstração mais radical. Deste modo, revela-se plenamente em sua redução." Mas, para Elizabeth Brown, suas fotografias tendem ao contrário, a humanizar suas esculturas, fazendo surgir suas particularidades, suas simetrias, suas expressões: "ainda que estivesse profundamente fascinado pelo potencial da simplificação radical, ele sempre interessou-se pelas possibilidades expressivas de suas obras." Para o escultor a fotografia tinha a mesma medida de um desenho. Ser útil, mas secundária, embora a câmera fotográfica manteve-se como o instrumento mais interessante e ligeiro com o qual o artista explorou a sua própria força criativa.

Imagens © Constantin Brancusi Texto© Juan Esteves

*Sanda Miller também escreveu o livro Ana Maria Pacheco: Dark Night of Soul ( Ben Uri Gallery & Museum, 2001 )com fotografias do bestseller inglês John Hedgecoe (1932-2010) sobre a escultora e gravadora goiana radicada em Londres, artista associada na National Gallery de Londres, professora em universidades na Inglaterra e na Escócia, com exposições em renomados museus no Reino Unido, onde vive desde 1973.

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youwontlikethisblog · 3 years ago

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Picasso's Night

The previous post Adriana Arboleda brings you up to date with the analysis if you would like to go read it before you start reading this one :)

Now this day has been a pretty eventful one. For one: We witnessed Armando show contentment that morning when he saw Betty for the first time that day. Totally absorbed by her existence until Mario cleared his throat.

Armando screwed up big time when he made it seem and acted like spending some alone time with AA was a lot more important than Betty or the company. He yelled at her and said she got on his last nerve and since then Betty has been on a bad mood with Armando, who after Mario told him that Betty was jealous had a moment of realization and has been feeling pretty awful since then.

Interestingly enough as the night progressed and Betty was invited to the exhibition of Picasso's collection, Mario kept insisting that Armando go and speak with Betty since he was leaving to Miami the next day.

Though this time, unlike the last time he traveled, before Panama, Armando was a bit more hesitant to leave. It wasn't merely because of the new collection they were going to launch and it wasn't because of the state of company. Armando looked at Betty to see if he had any reason to stay, looking at his best friend for any excuse to stay.

After Marcela tells Betty to reserve two rooms at the same hotel they stayed last time and Mario agrees to them traveling he then starts to insist that Armando go speak to Betty and apologize for his behavior that day.

The one thing that Betty did begin to screw up on(aside from starting an affair with her hawt boss) is that now emotions begin to play a huge role, not in the personal part of her life but the professional.

Betty has always been good at maintaining a good separation of what is professional and what is personal(although most of the times when she didn't she was following Armando's lead or example) . At the start of their affair, the day after Armando kissed her for the first time, Betty stayed professional. Even afterwards, Betty stayed professional. When it has come to company time Betty has stayed professional except this time she didn't.

Her jealousy, her feelings took control of her, foretelling things to come, less than 24 hours away.

This also pushes Mario with this idea that Betty must be catered to by Armando in order to keep her under control, though Armando knows best and he knows Betty won't betray him, Mario keeps pushing this narrative and when Betty doesn't agree to it or deny she'll do it Mario understands this as her holding it over Armando's head because of what he did that day.

Writing this now has made me realize that that's the reason he wrote the letter to Armando, not as some stupid mistake or for Betty to find it, though that's a pretty good theory, is that he did it for Armando's sake. Here me out!

For one he truthfully believed that Armando would be stupid enough to screw up giving Betty her gifts and that it would ruin the relationship but the cruelty of this letter exceeded even his jokes behind closed doors, that Armando didn't find amusing anymore, even before he slept with Betty the first time. I'll explain this in the post regarding that fateful letter and from the point of view as a writer and why even that sequences of scenes was a bit choppy and had it's mistakes in execution.

Now here when Armando asks her if she will embellish the balance for him for the big board meeting she allows her anger and resentment to come above her labor obligations and she doesn't give him an answer, better yet she finds a way to ignore the subject. Yes you can argue that Betty was always motivated by her secret crush and her secret feelings for Armando to do all the things she did it in the past, like the first time she embellished the balance and while yes that is true. I have pointed out how Betty showed her love for Armando through her work. He had upset her as well in the past and she'd still do it because in the thick of it she couldn't see him fail when she had the "solution" in her hands but this time her feelings-though extremely valid since he did end up hurting her feelings not as his employee but as his girlfriend- come above everything because this time her ego, the one he was helping to build up, was crushed by the man himself and that is a mistake. Especially when it comes to something that doesn't only directly affect Armando but an entire enterprise where her friends happen to work in. This again foreshadows events to occur in less than 24 hours.

Later when he goes into her office to talk to her she tells him that she doesn't do that, but he interrupts her and tells her that he doesn't want to talk about that but that he wants to talk about Adriana and what happened in his office.

Again though Armando contradicts himself a lot when he is with Mario when we see him with Betty we know where the true nature of his worry or concern lies and it isn't the company but their relationship. The evidence in this is how he behaves when Mario brings up the company compared to his relationship with Betty.

After Betty leaves Mario explains why Betty was hurt and that he can't leave with Betty being hurt, angry, and resentful because she's got the company in her hands. Armando looks angry when Mario is explaining what his mistake translated to Betty. He's angry at himself, while Mario talks about the company Armando has his back to him, peaking outside of the blinds and then turns to him.

"What you're doing is throwing away all that work [we] put in the days before. You're practically telling her that the relationship is just a game. That for you the ninety sixties are a lot more important to you." Armando quickly looks at Mario when he says this, again he is maintaining himself composed and controlled with his emotions as his face doesn't give much of a reaction but the quick jerking of his eye sight allows us to know that this part, from all of what he has said, is a lot more important to him than the company, again because he trust Betty with it, and that he is more worried about the way he has offended Betty. "that this is made of paper and let me tell you something; an ugly wounded woman is more worse than a wounded tiger and that wound doesn't heal with pats on the back, no Sir."

This conversations motivates Armando, not to go talk with Betty since he already wanted to do that but to go searching for her so he could fix his mistake and clarify just how important she is to him.

At the exhibition Betty points out his needs with the models to which Armando tells her that she makes him feel like if he were some seggsually deprived man, which is true. This does make the assumption that Armando's conquests or what not where meant to be written as a borderline seggsual addiction behavior type of thing since she doesn't say "your infatuation, your affairs." she clearly says "your needs with the models".

The conversation here is important because it begins to open a can of warms. She tells him that he'd look good with her, that Adriana Arboleda and him would make a good pair. That their attractiveness complements each other.

"I understand asking for privacy for one thing only." We then see a frame of Armando(lol the painting behind him has to be comedic gold!) who glances away from her, lips with a slight frown but not tight or pursed, showing that he isn't mad or frustrated rather he is upset with himself. "You wanted to be alone with her. Besides I'm not asking for you to give me any explanations. At the end of it you are the president and I'm your assistant. Besides this all happened during work hours and since I've worked for you I perfectly know your needs with the models." She glances around and leaves as people get closer to them. Armando then goes after her.

Right now I'm going to admit that I was wrong, well somewhat. I wrote a post once saying that Betty was calling Armando Don instead of Sir as the relationship progressed but I was wrong. Betty uses the title of Sir as a term of respect for Armando. Even here when they've slept together and she's seen and felt the change of Armando towards her and their relationship she still calls him Sir or Don Armando, that doesn't change. However the somewhat mentioned does change when it comes to Armando. So I was wrong but towards who the theory fell upon. @el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle was right and there isn't much of an importance when it comes to Betty and what she calls Armando. HOWEVER let me preference this that the person I was pointing this theory towards was my bad however the theory of changing names or titles is correct.

If you've read my untitled post regarding my OC and her relationship and how that helped me realize how I wasn't sympathizing with Marcela and that not only was A+M relationship toxic but as well as dependent than I gave you some glimpse into my original writing and how that process helped me be able to understand this part of their relationship and now that this is out of the way, let me tell you why these last two paragraphs are here.

My OC has a habit of never remembering peoples names on purpose, she does it as a power move. As if saying "You're not that important for me to remember your name." she does it especially to annoy people. Also because she's distracted half the time judging a person when they're first introducing themselves. Armando does something similar with Betty on her first days or weeks at Eco Moda.

Men tend to ignore women who they aren't attracted to. Armando did this to Betty. On a professional level he didn't ignore her but as a woman he did. We knows this because it was clearly presented this way at the start of the novela. However I really made my self take notice of this when I re-watched the first half of the novela(I haven't seen the ending bc I tend to avoid things that I cannot control or expect).

My OC is introduced to a guy who she can't stand and at first she calls him all sorts of names starting with the letter 'C' until she managed to remember his last name and calls him that for the remaining of the beginning of the story until they become friends, she switches between Caleb and Anderson, often times calling him by his name when they are having friendly conversation. When they become good friends and establish their friendship he no longer is just Anderson to her but Caleb, someone worth remembering. This is a small detail that I thought would allow the reader to determine the change of tonality between these two characters and their relationships and honestly one of my favorite details to write so when I first noticed this, I got too excited and projected it onto Betty when in reality it was Armando.

Now that I've spoiled my own writing(that I'll most likely never publish) let me explain why I bring this up, finally.

Armando called Betty at the start of the novela "Emperatriz". Once they became more familiar and Betty corrected him and told him he could call her Betty, he finally remembered her name. It's important to note this small detail because just like I intended to write it, so did Fernando Gaitan(I'm assuming lol). He did know her name but he didn't care to register it. Marcela called her Beatriz in front of him, Mario called her by her name, everyone did except for him, and she[Marcela] got upset at him when she heard him call her Betty because in her[Morch] eyes that was a cute nick name to have for an employee, especially for an "ugly" secretary. Now the switch between Betty and Beatriz did happen before the affair started, however the switch was a little bit more noticeable as Armando began to blur the lines of personal and impersonal.

In this scene though and the scenes before this, whenever emotions were heavily involved, especially when it was regarding their relationship Armando calls Betty, Beatriz, in fact even when she wasn't present in the room and he'd talk to Mario about his feelings and why he felt guilty(before he'd shut off this part of him bc Mario would start making jokes) Armando referred to Betty as Beatriz and not Betty but when it came to talking about her as an employee and not a woman he'd refer to her as Betty, it happens this day as well. When he gets upset that she won't let him spend alone time with AA and he yells at her and calls her Betty.

Why am I bringing up this small detail in this post? In this scene and the scene in Mario's apartment this is very evident and signifies the growth of his feelings and his conscious commitment to Betty as a woman.

Finally, after a bit of arguing inside the museum they leave together, of course, after sneaking out because Marcela went to the museum trying to catch him.

It's also important to note that when they found out Morch was in the museum that Betty asked Armando if he had anything to drink. It's pretty standard for him to be drinking, tipsy, or even drunk when he goes out with Betty. The one time I can remember him being completely sober was when he had to confess his feelings for her, soberly, the day after he kissed her for the first time. I broke that down in another post :)

Other times while he hasn't been drunk or tipsy he has had a few drinks at the office, however again it's pretty standard for him to drink and she knows this but why is it something that is brought up here?

Betty attributes Armando's behavior, especially when he is this...stubborn in doing things that could expose their relationship when he has been drinking. Not only that but also because the night they first hooked up they both had been heavily drinking, especially Armando and it is important as the continuation of the night leads us to Mario's apartment.

Outside, in his car, Armando finally gets to clarify his actions as he apologizes and tells her that he only wants her to know that she's more important to him than any other woman and he isn't shy to name the woman as he says: "than Adriana Arboleda, than Marcela or any other woman." This sounds a bit rehearsed but not like the previous times where we can even notice in his tone of voice and his micro expressions that he does so for manipulation. A great scene to use as a contrast to this attitude of his in this scene is the one where he makes out with Betty, the night he fights Roman and Co(wrote a post about it too). This lets us know that he really did think about how to apologize to her. While here his tone is rehearsed his micro expressions aren't a show, in reality his behavior is natural and goes along with what he is saying.

Now Betty in a teasing tone replies to him saying "That's not true." (also because she doesn't believe him)and Armando in a very serious tone and even a seductive tone, gazing his eyes down her body and back to her lips tells her that of course it's true and leans in, placing his hand on her face and they start to kiss.

This shows us that Armando once again isn't only feeling his emotional attraction to Betty, which is what moved his physical attraction forward in the past but now he can tell the difference between these two and he is okay with them! This is a huge step for Armando because he no longer is denying these things from himself. In fact he encourages himself and Betty to have these desires for one another and that as the days progress since their first sinful night his desire for Betty only continues to increase.

When they pull away his phone starts to ring, Betty asks if it's Marcela and Armando's facial expression and tone tells us it is as he looks annoyed and pissed that she's calling him.

This reaction is also standard for him because it's the exact same expression he pulls every time Marcela calls him. Especially when he's with Betty. However this small detail we've been given through the past episodes and this night also hold much significance in future episodes when his reaction to her call no longer is standard behavior from him.

While at the start of this phone call his tone is very forced in "lovingly" speaking to Marcela, his micro expressions again show us that he is just pretending. This tone is one we've heard a bunch of times before and it's one that is solely reserved for Marcela. Even on her part she tries to speak "politely" and just as if she were simply calling because she was curious but as this conversation goes both their dances of trying to keep things peaceful and civil subside and they basically start a mosh pit where they become more hostile until Armando implodes on her.

Marcela in a her standard of questionnaire routine asks Armando who he's with, hesitant he admits he's with Betty.

Her reaction to this however isn't standard of just guilt, taking into consideration the events of the day and that even Armando has told her that Marcela stops nagging him when she knows he's with her and because she's also eavesdropped and heard Armando say that Marcela doesn't consider her as a femininely threat, much less a woman, she once again gets hurt.

One could assume Armando did this to cover his tracks in case anyone told Marcela that they saw them leave together. It's also not hard to believe that Armando is stupid and says things without thinking them through in the heat of the moment however what is more obvious is that he probably wanted to take Marcela off his back so he tells her that he's with Betty. The small pause he takes before he says this helps me determine this. It could also be that he did so in case anyone did tell Marcela he left with Betty.

As Armando implodes on Marcela for insinuating that he lied to her i.e that he's going to go off with his mistress, Betty shifts in her seat and then she looks uncomfortable, returning to her guilt.

In this scene Betty experiences first hand this toxic side of Armando, one she has seen as a boss to employee scenario but not as a significant other. She has heard and even been in the middle of their fights in the past and while even then she behaved professionally, and also guilty this time she shows a lot more emotions raging from being uncomfortable to even being upset with Armando. This however is a small taste to what she will experience first hand not as the bystander of this side of his but as the target of his toxic behavior.

Later in the car, as he drives, Betty, with a broken heart tells Armando she believes that he should go on his trip and try to reconcile his relationship with Marcela and reconnect while they're away.

Armando, nervous and scared asks her if that's what she really wants and the hurt that it might be, he asks(really demands) for her to look him in the eyes and tell him this. Which Betty doesn't. In this moment his phone rings.

Why do these small details play such a huge role?

Less than 24 hours away, Betty finds the letter which plays the exact rhythm in which Armando and Mario planned her downfall.

For one: While in the past Betty agreed to embellish the balance for the meeting, this night she did not and because of this Armando went out to look for her at the exhibit and then took her to his best friends bach pad and slept with her all so she would embellish that balance which would keep the board members at peace allowing Armando to continue as the president of Eco Moda.

Two: That Mario called him this night, while they were together, and while Armando "played" it off that Mario wasn't aware of their affair, when she later questioned him about it and he denied it, these conversations begin to makes sense to her.

We know that's not the case. While Mario spoke about the company Armando didn't seem that concerned or even motivated to go searching for her but it wasn't until Mario mentioned how sever it was what that he implied to Betty that AA was more important to him than her[Betty] and what that meant for their relationship and how she was suffering because of it that he was motivated to search for her as he said, a terrible fear was settling in him because of it. While yes, Mario suggested that they hook up so she could be happy again and forgive him and that way the company would still be in their hands and not Nicolas, Armando didn't need any motivation for that.

In fact he hasn't needed any inspiration or motivation sober or drunk to desire Betty, often not being able to stop himself from kissing her and more. Was this based on Mario telling him to do this?

No.

It wasn't because Mario suggested it(At the office). Unlike their first night where Armando kept calling Mario and kept asking for help and advice, this time Armando gets annoyed at Mario for calling him. Even his behavior is different. While before when Mario kept insisting that he slept with Betty to get it over with, Armando showed disgust or being repugnant to doing an atrocity of that magnitude towards Betty, this time his face was poker. He showed no real disgust towards the idea of seducing Betty as in he'd sleep with her, more that Mario yet again was using something he knew was important and special to the both of them[B+A] as a weapon for the "good" of the company.

When he hangs up his phone Betty points out that the direction he's driving isn't towards her house, to which Armando tells her if she really wants to go home.

"I think it's for the best." He turns to stare at her and then pulls to the side of the road.

"That you want me to take you home?" He asks in disbelief. Betty swallows hard, the corner of her mouth look a bit downward and she looks scared. "Damnit!" He hits his steering wheel and though he is angry, his tone is completely different to that of his tone when he is angry at Marcela. "Damnit, Beatriz, all I want is to be with you tonight, I leave tomorrow, remember? I went to the museum, exclusively, to pick you up, to see you, to feel you next to me, to be with you. When we bumped into Marcela I risked my life and I am still risking it to this moment. Everything I've done is to tell you that I adore you, that you're above Adriana Arboleda, that you're above Marcela, of-of all of them!" We can determine he is honest here as he stares at her, exclusively even when she doesn't stare back at him, she looks pained and confused herself. "and the only thing you can tell me is that you want me to go to Palm Beach(I LOVE the way he says Palm Beach it's just ugh so nice) and have a marvelous honeymoon with her so that we can grow closer." He looks down, away from her and then ahead of him. His voice was no longer harsh at the end more so becoming almost a whisper. "That's what you want? Okay! Right now I'll drive you to your house because it's what you're asking from me. I don't deserve this." (BAWHAHAHA ARMANI YES YOU DO, MY BOY).

Now in a non-contextual way one could simply asume that he is doing this all under the bias of manipulation towards Betty, especially that final line of "I don't deserve this." but when you take all the context clues and you look at the bigger picture there's more that plays in here and I'm not saying that Armando isn't manipulating Betty in this exact scene, he is very much doing so, however it isn't like in the past. This time he does so to get what he wants, which is to spend the night with Betty so he guilts her with this final part of "I don't deserve this- because I've risked so much to spend this night with you."

However taking aside that guilt trip manipulation, why does Armando stumble once in his words showing he isn't rehashing this previous speech? and why does he take a breather before he tells Betty that he'll drop her off at her house like she asked?

While the first apology was what he rehearsed with himself, this second time around it took him by surprise to admit that she was above all the other women because this apology wasn't based on a "lets just make up right now." it was an apology based in heart and the self-realization of how true that statement was for him that while yes Betty was above Adriana Arboleda in her significance to him and even Marcela who he's engaged to, she is now also above all women.

How true is this statement?

Well we see a change of behavior of his with women in the future episodes which proves, yet again, that this confession of his wasn't just an apology so Betty could forgive him, but an apology that was sincere and heart felt.

Betty finally gives in and tells him to wait. With tears coating her lashes she stares at him "Sir, forgive me." She speaks solemnly. Armando's entire body relaxes just a bit as he sits back on his seat. "Sir, forgive me. I want you to understand that-that this hasn't been easy for me. [The situation] with Adriana Arboleda and now the conflict with Ms. Marcela; it's killing me, Sir." His anger and hurt begins to simmer down. "I don't know what to do, how to behave. I-I think I'm acting very bad." She looks away from him, touches the side of her face in a worried and embarrassed manor while Armando stares at her and timidly(in his nature) asks her what truly worry's him.

"But do you want to be with me?"

"Yes, of course, of course. It's what I want most." She caresses the side of his face, he leans towards her hand "in the world." and now he looks like he's come back to life. Staring at her with a soft glow and when she pulls her hand down he looks at it and follows it until he stares back at her, feeling the absences of her touch and missing it. "But you leave tomorrow." They both look away from each other but Armando only does so for a micro second before he stares back at her. "and I won't be complete without you, Sir." Again we get a frame of Armando's reaction to this. "Not being by your side will not be any easier for me." As she speaks her tone is soft, timid however not wavering showing that while she is nervous to confess this to him, she isn't scared of doing so.

"Betty." He says so adoringly towards her. "Betty" he whispers and touches her face and honestly I believe his favorite part of Betty's face is the side of her face, by her earlobe cause he's always touching her there. "Nobody said this would be easy. We knew this road was going to be a difficult one but you know what? I am going to be missing you so much. I'm going to miss you a lot."

Again the words here are lost in translation he tells her "Usted me va a hacer muchísima falta." which roughly is saying that there will be a huge lack of her in him, causing him to yarn for her a lot and feeling that absences of hers will make him miss her in a very profound way because he needs her. This separation they're both fearful of is what brings the forgiveness to shore.

Now the post for that specific scene will need an entire post dedicated to it because there's so much! Just so much.

For this episode I had to watch it on the NBC app so maybe there was some scenes missing.

I don't know if anyone noticed how important the story of Picasso and his lovers was for this and how they showed the similarities to Armando and his lovers, specifically how toxic Picasso was(all though if we're being honest that dood sounds more abusive than just toxic bc we all got a lil toxicity in our system but that foo was straight up kidnapping his lovers and locking them up while he had other's on the side? Nah man call a hotline.) towards his lovers. Though I am not saying that Armando is a saint, I don't think he is as bad as Picasso, that dood needed a restraining order against him so he could just stay away from all women.

In all seriousness though the similarity was that though Picasso had lovers he cared for each of them especially his last two lovers, i.e Betty and Marcela and it foreshadowed just how jealous and pathetic Armando would become in the future.

I mean I love Armando, I had to learn to love him bc at first I didn't, but the behavior he displays in the future episodes while yeah one could explain them are not justifiable and I will get into detail on that in the future posts and the post I am still writing regarding his abusive/toxic tendencies.

Overall this episode, which on NBC is episode 68, was pretty straightforward with a lot of small details to look at and not really for the leading on of the scenes in Mario's apartment but overall where the story continues to get pushed.

In this episode, the episode when Armando fights Roman and Co. and her birthday night celebration and the previous night of this episode are nights that Betty goes back to prove that what she reads in that letter are true, especially this night, before they got to the apartment and just how much Armando "risked" to spend that night with her.

While she tries to believe that it's all a joke because she's certain that Armando was honest and heartfelt with her through his actions and not words, she doesn't trust him. I'll explain that a lot more further in that post.

Pushing forward the plot of the story though we see just how these two have truthfully grown close together and not just as friends but as lovers who are exploring their feelings a lot more now and while Betty is learning to open herself up again, Armando is learning to love for the first time.

I say that Betty is learning to open herself up again because it's true. While in the past she asked Armando why he was interested in her, she shared poetic talk about how the moon inspired poets and how guilty she felt when she saw Marcela, she hadn't opened herself up, not until the night at the hotel and that wasn't much, she barely opened up when Armando was asking her about her first time. This night she was a lot more open. She called out Armando's behavior point blank and period, no hesitation, she spoke about her opinion and then she spoke about how she felt, not regarding her insecurity but regarding their relationship and the absences she'd feel from Armando not being there. While before she'd just say "I need you." or "You mean a lot to me." this time she goes on to further explain her feelings to Armando instead of just saying the words, this time she elaborates.

Armando is learning to love for the first time, being humble in realizing his mistakes, his limits and also understanding just how his actions affect others but the most important thing is that he is learning to be at peace with his feelings for Betty. We saw it that morning when he first saw Betty, later in the office when Betty caught him making out with the AA picture and just how guilty and embarrassed he felt because Betty saw him. Unlike with Marcela where he was scared that she'd cause a while scene, this time the problem for him was that Betty wouldn't cause a scene but be hurt and dump him for it, which would be a big deal for him. We saw it later when Betty forgave him after the letter and gift and when he realized the huge mistake he made with AA in the way he treated Betty. All of these behaviors has shown an Armando who has accepted that he cares for Betty, not love, but cares for her deeply and that she is important to him.

Thank you for being patient with me and sorry that I haven't been as active. These past days have been pretty busy and they'll continue being so. I'll probably only be able to post once a week but I hope that the post become better quality that way as well since I'll have more time to really break down the episodes.

Well 'til next time! :)

#betty la fea #betty pinzón solano #beatriz pinzón solano #beatriz pinzon solano #betty ysblf #armando ysblf #don armando #armando mendoza #analysis of ysblf #ysblf #mario calderon

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gagosiangallery · 4 years ago

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Bustes de Femmes at Gagosian Paris

October 3, 2020

BUSTES DE FEMMES Paris 10th Anniversary Exhibition Opening reception: Saturday, October 10, 3–7pm October 10–December 19, 2020 __________ Gagosian is pleased to present Bustes de Femmes, a group exhibition focused on female portraiture to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the gallery’s central Paris location. Spanning a breadth of stylistic and conceptual approaches, the paintings, sculptures, and photographs on view demonstrate how the female figure has been reimagined and reconfigured by modern and contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds and traditions. Expanding upon the theme and format of the gallery’s first booth at FIAC, in 2010, Bustes de Femmes will be presented in environments both real and virtual designed by India Mahdavi, an architect known for her vibrant interiors that combine free forms with unexpected bursts of color. For this exhibition, Mahdavi will juxtapose each work on view with a fresh and joyful hue from her 2019 color collection Flowers. John Currin’s erotic and enigmatic depictions of women populate scenes suffused with tongue-in-cheek irony, rendered in luminous brushstrokes reminiscent of the old masters. Jeff Koons’s Gazing Ball (Rembrandt Lucretia) (2015) celebrates the appreciation of the achievements of others throughout human history. A hand-blown mirrored glass ball placed in front of a hand-painted re-creation of the seventeenth-century portrait transports present-day viewers into an illusory world inhabited by Rembrandt, his predecessors, and the titular ancient Roman heroine. For the past four decades, Cindy Sherman has used herself as her exclusive model—inventing an endless stream of visual identities while acting as stylist, set designer, and producer—to create photographic tableaux that address the conceit of self-representation and probe societal perceptions of women throughout history. In Untitled #552 (2010–12), Sherman, dressed in a bobbed wig and black dress with white gloves, scowls and poses with arms stiff at her sides. Harshly lit against a nocturnal treescape, her body dwarfs the scene behind her, inverting and feminizing the Romantic trope of nature overpowering the human.

Bringing together elements of religious iconography, advertising, and political propaganda from southern Africa and the United States, Meleko Mokgosi seeks to redress some of the ways in which Black subjects have become unattributed objects of empire and institution. In Mokgosi’s installation Objects of Desire 3 (2016–20), small paintings of women modeling for Afrocentric beauty advertisements are juxtaposed with text panels discussing the classification of so-called “primitive” art—a reference to the Museum of Modern Art’s controversial 1984–85 exhibition “Primitivism” in Twentieth Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, in which historical African artworks were problematically framed as anonymous sources for early European modernism. To make these works available to a wider international audience during this time of limited accessibility, Bustes de Femmes will include an online presentation that continues and extends the exhibition, and Mahdavi’s scenography as well. In a group of four paintings from Adriana Varejão’s 2015 series Kindred Spirits, the artist superimposes modernist paintings over delicate monochrome renderings of her own face—a blending of personal and artistic identities from past and present. Also viewable online is Henry Moore’s bronze sculpture Reclining Figure: Umbilicus (1984). Throughout his career, the reclining female figure formed a central font of inspiration for Moore, whose biomorphic abstractions imbue the human body with both a corporeal solidity and a weightless dynamism. On the occasion of this exhibition, Gagosian Quarterly will present a filmed conversation between Jeff Koons and art historian Diana Widmaier-Picasso. Bustes de Femmes will include works by Richard Avedon, Balthus, Georg Baselitz, Huma Bhabha, Cecily Brown, Glenn Brown, John Currin, Roe Ethridge, Urs Fischer, Alberto Giacometti, Romuald Hazoumè, Jia Aili, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Man Ray, Adam McEwen, Joan Miro, Meleko Mokgosi, Henry Moore, Francis Picabia, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Jenny Saville, Cindy Sherman, Spencer Sweeney, Cy Twombly, Adriana Varejão, and Tom Wesselmann, among others. _____ Glenn Brown, Christina of Denmark, 2008, oil on panel, 65 × 46 7/8 inches (165 × 119 cm) © Glenn Brown. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates, Ltd.

#Bustes de Femmes #Gagosian #Glenn Brown

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raleigh-ocean · 5 years ago

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the originals & valentine’s day | headcanons

Dara Ann Lynch

Billie couldn’t get her eyes off Dara, not today at least, but she had the feeling that she wouldn’t be able even if she was forced to. Her lover was searching for something in the wardrobe, clad in that flowery silk robe she had always owned and only that; her tattoos on display, thighs as well and even her scar was nothing compared to the beauty of the rest of her body; sporting again her hair short, disheveled from spending a day in bed with Billie; and then she singsang happily a ‘gotcha!’ and turned around with a tiny envelop in her hands.

“Close your eyes, honey,” and Billie looked at her like ‘do I really have to’ while sitting up in bed, which gained her a smirk and then the cutest pout ever, making her comply but open her arms so Dara could get in them, sitting in her lap. Which it was what the woman did automatically, having Billie’s arms circling her. “Was it that difficult, mhm? Okay, in the count of three. Three, two, one...”

When Billie opened her eyes, chin resting in Dara’s shoulder and caressing with her thumbs her belly over the robe, the tiny envelop was in reality a tiny velvet box. Open now, there was a metal pendant with a black stone - a black tourmaline - in between strings to hold it in place in the middle of it. “I know you don’t do the ‘stupid crystal stuff’ but...I have a friend that do handmade things with them, pulling a favor they owed me I got them to teach me and tada!” Billie lifted her hand so she could take it from the box by the silver chain attached to it. “Do you like it...?”

And Billie can only kiss Dara because she doesn’t even have words to say how much she likes it, loves it; she doesn’t know what to do to surpass this gift and, on top of all, she doesn’t want her lover to see how she actually teared up. Her chest is roaring, so loud that her heart hurts a bit, and when they finally broke the kiss the only thing Billie did was to press her forehead softly against’s Dara’s.

“Will you help me with the clasp, my Valentine?” she whisper softly, afraid to give away she’s really moved with the gesture.

She doesn’t need to say another word, because as soon Dara’s done, she can catch how full of love her lover’s eyes are filled with. And maybe Billie’s mind made up and making love to her once more was the best option, that sweet ol’ good love making.

At least it would give her time to rethink what to get her, because her now ‘lame’ plan of buying her a rose and inviting her for dinner sounded too little, too little for someone that deserved all the red roses Billie could buy in California and all the stars in the universe.

She was very much afraid of saying those three words Dara wanted to hear but let her take her time with, eight years already since they were together, but upon seeing how Dara’s eyes lit up in that way that made her younger later in the night when she gave her a whole bucket of roses...maybe, maybe, it made her feel that oh so awaited day was about to arrive.

Adriana Girardi

Sally has a hard time around these dates, who could blame her? But what she did not expect was for someone to get it worse than her.

When she had come downstairs, she couldn’t find an explanation of why Elizabeth had come down from her own room to the bar. But then she looked a bit better just to see how Adriana was all dressed up, days without actually doing so and just wearing sweatpants, with what it looked some really fancy clothes out of the 30s, her hair styled the same way and making Sally to picture her right there.

She was drinking from a tall champagne glass, as did Elizabeth, and then is when Sally managed to see that Adri was holding a dark blue velvet box in her free hand, dancing softly to the rhythm of the jukebox she managed to save in an auction.

“Every twenty years, she does that,” Elizabeth spoke up, hearing the silent question of her fellow ghost. “It’s a tradition already. She gets drunk on champagne and dance on her own for as long as she’s standing up, holding to the box she never gave her,” and her voice is not full of snark, there’s only a softness Sally’s sure she never heard in her. “My girl got it bad, Valentine makes her miserable...yet she manage to hold up to see another twenty years.”

Sally knew mere bits of Adriana’s life, but through the years together in the Cortez, she managed to catch as much as knowing her friend had lost someone so important that totally wrecked her. They stood there until Elizabeth had to pull her friend to sit in a couch nearby and Sally decided to sit by her side, full knowing Adriana wasn’t remotely sober enough to talk probably. But she stick to her, letting Elizabeth know she got her even when she was watching over from a corner of the bar. Adriana didn’t even muttered a word, she just sat there in silence and moving her arm just to keep the champagne getting in her system.

Worrisome? Of course, but rare? Not at all. She had watched the afflicted drink two whole bottles of vodka without blinking an eye, so this wasn’t weird at all. However, Sally was sad and needy and the question popped out of her when she saw how Adri managed to focus her eyes in something else that wasn’t her glass.

“Do you think someone will gift you something again?” it was a rude mumble, but it got the reaction of having her blink and look at her. “Today, I mean...I don’t think I’ll ever will anymore.”

And Adriana seemed to restart her whole being, like she really saw how from behind the drunk haze, something moved. And then her voice came out as steady as you can be after like ten champagne glasses.

“You wait here, okay? Don’t move, don’t you even dare, I’ll know,” her voice was so fucked up, but Sally stayed where she was. “Promise? Pinky promise.”

The only thing for Sally to do to let Adriana go was to accept her pinky. Then she set off somewhere, making Elizabeth to get in panic because she couldn’t be able to follow her, taking in count Adri was pretty much alive and could leave the Hotel as she pleased...which was what she always did, getting everyone worried.

However when she came back, a big box in her arms and a paper pocking out of her back pocket, Sally was too focused in her phone to notice her. Elizabeth’s features relaxed visibly but also she lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Under the surprised gaze of Elizabeth and Liz, Adri managed to stand up on a chair behind Sally and then...

...she started to shake the now open box to make a petal shower start to fall lightly over Sally. The woman looked up to her, between the tears and the petals, to see the dorkiest smirk in the other woman’s lips and when she ran out of petals, she jumped off the chair to look directly at her before handing Sally the paper.

“What’s this...?” Sally mumbled, finding out it was a card. In the front there was something very bad drawn, maybe could be a cat or a skateboard or a tree or maybe a Picasso, who knows, but when Sally opened the card...well, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud, more tears running down her cheeks. “You’re such a dork, smarty pants.”

“If someone deserves to have a good Valentine is you,” Adriana put her hands in her own hips. “So I’m genie for you, girl, what do we do today?”

Sally couldn’t help but stand up and hug tightly her best friend. From that year onwards, every Valentine’s Day Adri would gift her a card with the corniest pick up line, styled with Adriana’s illegally beautiful handwriting inside and illegally awful draw on the front, but Sally would always put the one she gifted her that year (the one with ‘Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?’) as her favourite of them all.

Adriana could hate Valentine’s Day with her all, think that she didn’t deserve anything, but seeing Sally enjoying...maybe that was enough for her. And Sally didn’t waste her last wish, because deep in her she knew one day she will need it to save her best friend...save her from herself.

Raleigh Ocean

“Did you really used our son as your Cupid?”

Wilhemina tapped the floor softly with her cane, drawing Raleigh’s attention from her laptop. Her wife was all cuddled in bed, glasses perched in her nose, and tired expression in her features. For sure that year didn’t start well, Raleigh still recovering from her breakdown in early January, but that day proved that there was a minimal chance that she was getting better. Raleigh quirked her lips ever so briefly, putting a hand to her lips and faking feeling offended.

“What are you implying, miss Venable? I would totally never do something so atrocious,” her voice was a bit monotonous, as usual these days, but Wilhemina heard the joking tint laced. “What’s a God to a non believer? If Cupid wanted to show up and do their thing, I have nothing to do with it.”

She closed the door behind her softly, shaking her head a bit. Eric, their nine years old son, had spent the day delivering tiny boxes with chocolates to those who were his family. Queenie, Zoe and Mallory, Madison, an scandalized Coco, Rhiannon and Victoria, and a delighted Misty (even a confused Kyle) had received the tiny gifts from the kid gladly. But when he had showed up to Cordelia and Wilhemina’s office, delivering the final part to both women, she had known her wife was behind everything.

Who used chili powder with homemade chocolate if it wasn’t Raleigh?

Cordelia, the old sap, had hugged Eric and thanked him right away, Wilhemina was sure she even teared up because she was like that. But she had seen how her kid didn’t get close to her afterwards, indulging in how his godmother was loving him, and she could see how he was hiding something in his hoodie. Oh how surprised Eric was when Mina asked him with a soft smirk if he was sent by his mother, which made Cordelia to look scandalized for a second but then Eric had put that lost puppy face that gave every lie away and she just knows. Eric quickly makes his way to her, kissing her cheek before she can catch him, and leaving her chocolates and something that looked very much like a book.

“Also that would mean you are Venus and I Mars,” Wilhemina reach for the bed and seats on the edge of it close to her wife. “Or maybe the other way around? Oh, that would be so romantic of you, but you forget that I’m a simple mortal upon your magnificence and not a God, as much as you repeat every so often.”

“Nerd,” it’s the only thing she can say before leaning to capture Ray’s lips with her own, getting a big kiss in return and a delighted hum.

“Not as big as you, mi reina,” and Ray looks at her directly in the eyes after pushing her glasses up in her head to rest, her tone ever so soft overwhelming the automatic one she has these days. “Did you liked your gift?”

And Mina couldn’t help but chuckle, looking at the copy of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ that she has in her lap right now. Pocking from the pages there’s a bookmark and she takes it so they both can look at it. Written in Raleigh’s hurried handwriting, there’s a date and a ‘would you like to take a walk with me?’, and before taking the bookmark out it was marking a bit of the sixth scene in the second act. Wilhemina memorized it, taking to her heart all that.

‘Beshrew me but I love her heartily, For she is wise, if I can judge of her, And fair she is, if that mine eyes be true, And true she is, as she hath proved herself. And therefore, like herself, wise, fair, and true, Shall she be placèd in my constant soul.’

“I hope this means we are taking a walk to the French quarter,” and Ray placed her laptop in the free side of the bed to be more comfortable, sitting with her back to the headboard and lacing her fingers with Mina’s. “And not actually flying to Italy.”

“If that’s what I wanted to mean, don’t you think I would have gifted you ‘All's Well That Ends Well’ or ‘King Lear’?” they both end up chuckling to that, because every surprise with Raleigh has a meaning in her perfect way. “I thought we deserved this, only us...but mostly you.”

“Little Cupid isn’t coming?” there’s a hint of worry in Mina’s voice but she’s now climbing to the bed, hearing the door getting magically locked.

“I got an A plus babysitter for that,” Raleigh was welcoming her wife with open arms, holding her close to her body and kissing slowly from her shoulder through her neck and her lips again. “This means we have a date?”

“Let me give you an answer later, I’m not really sure about it yet,” and the teasing tone in Wilhemina’s already means a big yes, but they know how to drag everything just for the sake of it.

“Oh, definitely you are Venus, how whipped you have Mars.”

That’s the last thing Raleigh says, because now both are too busy to think or say anything more. Having a bit of intimacy after weeks feels great, the thought of spending time away from their daily lives even better, but what makes Wilhemina feel that everything is finally moving forward again.

And overall, that her wife still had that soul that drew her in eigthteen years ago in a pub in Los Angeles, strong enough to make her move across the country barely a few days after they said ‘hello’.

Karina Sväre

Lana felt herself wanting to laugh, because this was truly something else. Well, she actually didn’t expect anything to begin with, but she couldn’t really picture Karina to do that.

Again, they’ve been off for a few years, but a couple months ago Lana had broken up with the girl she had been seeing for a couple years. It didn’t pain her that much, not this time at least, but after a few days of recovery she had showed up in Karina’s doorsteps with an invitation to get coffee and a couple new books she was sure her dearest friend didn’t have in her bookshelves.

Karina had welcomed her to her new home...and also her work space. She couldn’t say she was surprised when she had told Lana about what she wanted to do, to help all those girls and kids in need of a home, but what surprised her was that today the living room of Karina’s home had been decorated with some stuff to make it look thematic.

“Sorry,” a little voice came from behind her and when Lana turned around, a girl barely twelve was waiting with a cat in her arms to walk in the living room. “Aunt is in the kitchen, if you are looking for her.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” she didn’t even took off her coat, just walking towards where Karina was, in words of that little girl.

And when she arrived there, Karina was hand in hand with an older girl mixing something in a big bowl. Something twitched in her brain for a second, taking a better look to her lover and then...

“I can’t believe you cut your hair...that short, oh my.”

Karina turned her face enough to catch the surprise in Lana’s face, feeling how her ears were getting red and warm really fast. She was sporting an garçon haircut, her ever so black hair barely having white hairs here and there, which was a truly surprise because she had spent ten years growing her hair along the hippie movement. Lana couldn’t say she wasn’t a bit sad, mostly because she loved brushing with her fingers Karina’s hair, enjoying how soft was...but this new change suited her.

“Oh shut it,” was the first response she got from the woman, who was now gesturing the girl to leave it to her. The girl chuckled but complied, closing the door after her and leaving the two women alone. “Are you gonna give me a hand or should I kneel and ask, princess?”

That earned her a soft push to her shoulder before Lana took off her coat, leaving it in a chair from the tiny kitchen along her bag. And when Lana took the spoon from her hand, Karina kissed her shoulder with love.

“So this is what are we doing this year?” Lana smiled at the gesture, starting to mix the chocolate batter. “Spending Valentine’s at home instead of going to our favourite restaurant?”

“I thought it would help Carla and Vivien to adjust, being together with people,” Karina whispered, rubbing her ear a bit and getting the freckled skin there red. “I don’t know, maybe with this we make Georgie to come out of her room...” Karina sighed and looked at Lana with the shadow of a smile in her lips. “And I’m baking your favourite chocolate cake, so don’t complain.”

Oh, Lana won’t ever do that, as much as she liked to tease her lover here and there. Honestly, she kinda loved staying at home for once, being able to spend time in a space where they were safe. And, well, she had to admit that ever since Karina started her home for youth, it was more difficult to see where to make time to spend it together idly. That and Lana’s show getting that famous.

“Aw, you only bake my favourite cake when you...” then she realized that Karina was looking away, her hand in her pocket. “When you want me to stay for more than one night.”

“I’ve been having nightmares again and I thought...that maybe you could stay for a few days, if it’s okay with-”

And Lana didn’t let her finish the sentence, because she would say ‘yes’ a thousand times and more, without a doubt. She leant to capture Karina’s lips with her own, having missed her all that time they were apart, and then pressed her forehead to Karina’s so she could look at her eyes better. It always amazed Lana how green could be her eyes, but at the same time have gold and hazel around to bring it out.

“Of course it is, but you’ll have to lend me some clothes for the day, Nina,” was the only thing she said before going back to the task Karina asigned her.

“Yeah...” Karina was now beet red, fumbling with whatever she had in her pocket, and then her hand was in front of Lana’s view. “I got you this, by the way...I know it’s not much, but, well...”

When Lana opened her eyes, with the sweet memory fading as the make-up girl finished the last touches for the interview, her eyes went first to Marion and then to the ring in her left middle finger, an old golden band with a tiny green agate in the middle.

How could nothing meant so much?

That’s what she thought, taking in count the tiny chaos that was her old mind in that moment. A new Valentine and she was going to spend it giving an interview,..the interview in which she would tell the whole truth finally. How much she wished to not even be there, but the only thing she promised herself was to get through it and maybe, after dinner, she would indulge in calling Karina.

Telling her what she did during the day and maybe remind her about that Valentine’s day around mid eighties in which Karina almost made her stay forever by her side.

Danna Bishop

“And now, we will need a volunteer for the next trick, would someone in the crowd give us a hand?”

Ally couldn’t help but laugh at her fianceé’s antics, watching Danna faking to doubt who to pick out of none int the living room. Ozzy was with her, clad in a tuxedo almost identic as Danna’s, doing the same crowd searching until Ally raised her hand innocently. They both faked a surprised gasp and then Danna offered Ally her hand.

“The pretty lady in the front, please, come here,” Danna winked at Ally, making her giggle once again and they laced fingers almost immediately, matching rings meeting with a soft clink. “Now! I need my assistant to bring the deck, because we’ll get this lovely woman’s card!”

When Oz was off the retrieve the deck, somewhere in the kitchen, Danna took advantage to kiss the ‘volunteer’ all big and eager.

This was the first time in three weeks they had been able to relax, taking in count Ally’s new campaign was starting, so at least having a moment to breath was good. But Danna had differently ideas of what a ‘moment to breath’ meant, which went along the line of what they were doing now instead of the old ‘let’s have wine after dinner and maybe we can cuddle and then not cuddle?’. She always thought of the bigger picture, the bigger and unexpected picture that kept Ally’s life to get a boring turn.

And she loved that...and the way the tuxedo fit her in the right places, but that was another story.

When Ozzy finally made his way back, Roberto was following him with a tiny bow tie in his collar. The too tiny and maybe a bit ugly old chihuahua quickly made his way towards his humans, making Ally pick him up as soon as he was by her side and kiss his head lovingly. Danna smiled widely when Ozzy went to her with this big card deck, too big even for doing tricks, and Ally looked at them with somewhat of curiosity peaking out from her eyes.

“I’ll need you to pull a card and I’ll try to guess it,” she offered the deck and as soon as Ally touched one card, she knew it was handmade because of the paper. “C’mon hurry, hurry, magic waits for none.”

“Okay, love, just,” she laughed, supporting Roberto in her shoulder a bit while flipping the card to read whatever was there or see whatever drawing it had. But what she encountered wasn’t hearts, clovers, spades or diamonds; it was something completely different. “Wait, what’s this?”

“I don’t know, what is it?” oh, when Danna played dumb she got this softer look in her eyes and the goofiest grin on ever.

The ‘card’ displayed a few plant details here and there and in the middle, with elegant font, there was a tiny message. An invitation, well, it looked more like a reservation for a few days in a spa...in Los Angeles. It started to raise too many doubts in Ally the second she read it all, but then Danna put her hands in her face to make her look directly at her eyes.

“Danielle’s gonna watch over Oz so we can have some time alone, and she even agreed to take in Bobito too,” Danna smiled at Roberto, which had his tiny head all cuddled in Ally’s neck. “I got the flights, have the money aside for it, schedules, everything so you don’t have to worry about anything but enjoy.”

“But what about...”

“Mom, let mama take you in vacation, it’s a surprise! You always wanted to do that!” Ozzy took Roberto from Ally’s arms easily before stepping back a bit so he could watch them with a huge grin on. “And Damien told me they will show me a really cool comic store, so please let’s go!”

And when Ally only nodded with the softest ‘okay, we’ll go’, words stuck in her throat, Ozzy cheered and ran to his room leaving both Ally and Danna in the living room, speechless. Every second in silence passed with a heaviness and then a sob broke it. Ally got startled because it didn’t come from her, which was a surprise, and her eyes went to Danna. She was trying to press the heels of her hands in her eyes, trying to stop the fat tears running down her cheeks somehow.

“Ally, he called me mama,” something inside Ally vibrated with new strenght, enough to feel like she was able to fly in that moment, when Danna managed to say something without looking at her. “Fuck, he called me...fuck...”

It was supposed to be Valentine’s day, but right after Ozzy did that, that day was one of the most important for both Ally and Danna and not because of something any of them did for each other. They would go to the spa, for sure, they would have a blast there and Ozzy would enjoy his stay with Danielle, Damien and Audrey as much as if he was with them...

...but for the day, Ally was trying to not cry herself to death because her son gifted them two the prove that this was working out really well.

Dahlia Deen

Her body felt like she was going to break in a million pieces.

Dahlia had a while without feeling like that, but it was a good feeling this time. Well, good feeling, more like this time she was grateful of feeling like that instead of wanting to pull her hair out in a maniac tired rage. She barely managed to fall backwards in the bed, letting go a ‘ufhg’ when her column relocated after the whole day.

She wasn’t the best at building furniture, okay? Indeed, she had to check too many times the manuals to build it correctly, but she managed to do it with patience and a phone call to her dad when Shelby had went out to buy some sandwiches. But there was some kind of relief knowing that she managed to do something like that, taking in count they didn’t have much time before they arrived.

“You should take a shower, Li,” Dahlia had her eyes closed and hummed in response upon hearing Shelby’s voice. “You’ll feel better.”

“I don’t think I can get there By,” a soft laugh got out of her chest more than her throat, making her feel her joints hurt with the slight movement. “Do I even have bones and muscles?”

“Of course you do! Turn around and take off your shirt,” and Dahlia complied, because Shelby could tell her she wanted her to jump in the ocean and she would do right away. She didn’t mind at all, she indeed loved that part of them as a couple because Dahlia trusted in her wife with all she got.

Dahlia couldn’t see Shelby because her face was pressed to their pillow, not caring a single bit about her glasses getting a bit smashed by doing that, but she did feel her climbing in the bed and then straddling her like that. Groaning softly because of that, loving how Shelby’s weight pressed her body against the bed, and then giggled when the wet ends of her hair dropped some water droplets in her bare back. Shelby’s hands, sweetly cold, started to work and her fingers pressed in those spots her wife always had trouble with, doing wonders.

“The fact that you have healing hands is distracting me of the fact you are just in bathrobe sitting on my ass, you know?” Dahlia mumbled, turning her head enough to rest better in the pillow and Shelby laughed, leaning to press soft kisses down her spine. “Miss Deen, you’re such a tease.”

“Ah, am I, miss Deen?” they both laughed at that and Shelby pressed her fingers right in the base of Dahlia’s head to ease the knot there, earning a soft moan. “And having you strip like the easiest thing what makes you?”

A fool in love with an angel. Dahlia thought, keeping it for herself and just chuckling as a response. Things like this reminded her why they were together, why they decided to fight for each other and keep going, now with new rules, new feelings and new old heart.

Shelby kept massaging Dahlia with care, touching here and there as she knew. It was the least she could do, after being all day working around the house. It was easy to love Dahlia, she was caring and soft and too good for anyone in this world. Sometimes she wondered how Dahlia kept on loving her, many of them she wanted to ask her, but she knew it was something that her wife kept close to her heart. Focused on the task, Shelby barelly noticed how Dahlia had relaxed enough to start breathing deep and slow, falling asleep deeply.

“Happy Valentine’s day, dearie,” Shelby always felt calm when they were together, Dahlia always making her feel at ease and not on the verge of a violent outburst of unspoken feelings. She leant with care, leaving a kiss in the back of her head and then behind her ear, whispering her next words while taking off her glasses. “I love you more than words can say.”

At that, however, something unexpected happened. Shelby didn’t have time to climb down from the bed nor from her wife, because Dahlia turned around to place herself between her legs and over her, making her circle her waist with them thanks to that. Then she took advantage of the new position to kiss her fully on the lips, deep and calm as the ocean Dahlia was so afraid of.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything, or cook you something nice for dinner,” Dahlia managed to sound small and shy in such position, kissing Shelby’s neck slowly in between words. “It’s no excuse, I know, but...”

“It’s okay Li, I prefer you loving me all year long than showing me one only day that,” Shelby chuckled breathlessly at that, getting turned on as the seconds and kisses went by, her hands finding their right places at Dahlia’s nape while her wife loosened her bathrobe. “Also, you already gave me the greatest gift...”

And when Dahlia looked up at Shelby, which was a bit blurry because without glasses she was blind as a mole, she could discern the soft redness in her blue eyes. Something in her chest swelled up, all warm, sweet and maybe a bit scary...but the good one of scary, that type which made you be more excited and make your tummy churn for it.

That’s why they’ve spent the day reforming their shared office, building bunk beds and accomodating everything so the new lives they were gonna receive would be comfortable. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of thinking, a lot of everything so they finally were ready to be foster parents.

If there was one thing Shelby still wanted was to be a mom, but the only thought of getting pregnant again scared her to death and Dahlia didn’t want her to go through that again, and also she wasn’t sure she was ready to give birth now...or never. So adoption was the next thing they thought and then, well, there they were.

“You’re gonna be an amazing mother, By,” it was time for Dahlia to be breathless, pressing a new kiss to Shelby’s forehead. “I saw you with my nephews and nieces, you truly...glow. Even with the oldest, and you know how is Eva with her things.”

Shelby wanted to say something else, but she was moved by Dahlia’s words. It was going to be hard, that for sure, but she believed they were meant for this. They had overcome too many bumps in the road, they were in a place where they had been able to heal...and it was about time to take a new step in their lives.

Leah and Johnny were in their way, and Dahlia and Shelby were going to give them the home they deserved.

But for now, still childless, Shelby let herself drown in Dahlia’s presence and warm arms. She would have to shower again, that was for sure, but as soon as her wife had her hands on her, fingers caressing in the right places...well, let’s say Shelby knew her ocean arrived to swallow her whole.

Gabrielle Summers

Winter looked up to the doorframe once again, encountering another little bundle of mistletoe of all things tied up there. Annoyingly, she looked around to see if her girlfriend was somewhere to be seen and then jumped to take it off, not wanting the glue to ruin the wood and having their landlord make them pay for reparation.

Seriously, it was the seventh mistletoe she took off around the apartment and the place wasn’t that big! They weren’t even in Christmas, why was there mistletoe to begin with!?

And when she got to the kitchen, there were fake spiders with candies attached from Halloween here and there, making Winter to rub her forehead and sigh deeply before going to get all those things off...and maybe eat the candies while she was at it.

At times Winter didn’t know why Gabrielle was that way, but as she was cleaning the corridor from more spiders, mistletoe and...were those petals? she thanked to be with her in that tiny apartment in Queens. Indeed, she was very thankful of having such lovely idiot loving her every day, without a fail, because at the end of the day Gabrielle was her idiotic heroine, and that wouldn’t change for the rest of their lives.

Getting used to live without fear was...an experience, to be completely honest. But Winter still got nervous when things around her started to happen all of a sudden, per example, how their stupid apartment was decorated in all those things from different festivities.

However, when she opened the bathroom door, she felt herself loosen the grip she had over all the things she had been picking up to drop it in the tile floor. Feeling how her mouth opened a bit, speechless, Winter tried to wrap her head around the fact that her too tall girlfriend was barely fitting in the small bathtub they had, legs handling from one edge and over the other near the wall. There were more petals here and there and Gabrielle smiled widely at her, as if she wasn’t being so effortlessly sexy doing such stupid thing.

For some reason, Winter loved every weird stupid thing Gabrielle did.

“About time, Winnie,” she laughed, hazel eyes shining with happiness. “Wanna join me in this so special Valentine’s day?” Gabrielle was...charming to say the least, black short wet hair all back and strong arms waiting to hold her. “Oh, you found all the clues to find me, did you like them? I couldn’t buy like...dozens and dozens of petals, we don’t make that much money, so I had to get creative.”

Sexy, charming and all...but she was just the dorkiest of them all...and all hers.

Winter laughed from the deepest part of her soul, using her feet to kick the stuff she dropped and soon she was out of her clothes, trying to fit with Gabrielle in such tiny space. It was difficult for sure, but they managed to make it, Winter basically sitting over Gabrielle and having half her body out of the water though.

“You’re unbelievable,” Winter traced with her fingers the curve of Gabrielle’s biceps, taking her time and making the other girl to close her eyes in pleasure. “I thought I was going crazy with all those mistletoes.”

“Why do you freak out with harmless plant but not with murderous spiders,” Gabrielle chuckled at that, taking in count she hated spiders so much.

“Because spiders doesn’t bite and if you get under the mistletoe...that’s what you get,” she replied, giving a knowing look to her girlfriend, who only laughed because last Christmas their making out went overboard. “They are quite nice.”

“You are quite nice,” Gabrielle’s hand moved to caress Winter’s belly, slow, tracing her thumb over the skin there and getting Winter to roll her eyes back and bite her lip. “I took the night off from work, so...we have all day for us, honeybun,” there was a soft tint of sweetness in Gabi’s voice and that only made Winter to move her hips. “So...what my queen wants to do? Aside of the obvious.”

How could Gabrielle be like that? That was a question Winter always asked herself since the day they met. But also...how Gabrielle could look at her in the eye, knowing all what she did. She never replied, because Winter was the one asking always everything and nothing, but sometimes she got the feeling that the only thing Gabrielle wanted was to rebuild and forget about Michigan.

And that was something Winter was wishing too, to forget all the pain, all the trauma, all the nightmares that plagued her every night since they left.

“Having pizza on bed and watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’,” she mumbled in response, leaning in to kiss Gabrielle as her life depended on ti, making at the same time that the water threaten to overflow. “Buying that videogame in discount you liked and playing until I want to fuck you again, what does my knight in not that shiny armour thinks?”

They were weird, that’s for sure, but they loved each other very deeply and in a way they both feel like they belonged somewhere.

Joking between the walls of their tiny apartment in Queens, waking up every morning to go to uni hand in hand, eating lunch while talking about the day, bidding farewell when Gabrielle had to go to work and welcoming her home every night.

Gabrielle knew Winter hated many festivities, even Valentine’s day, but having her indulge was one of her biggest achievements. She knew her girlfriend indulged many times for her, but those times were she was just doing it because she actually wanted...well, those were trully a blessing.

“Knight in shiny armour is all in.”

Rowan Ramírez

Oh shit, his hands were sweating so bad.

Rowan was trying to calm himself down, rubbing the back of her neck and then trying to swipe his hands in the back of his thighs. In his head, all he could think about was all those tiny advices his sister gave him, going through them with the outmost care because he didn’t want to fuck this up.

After a while of trying to take a faith leap, Rowan finally did it after finding himself thinking all day and all night about Coco. He knew that it was going to be hard, taking in count they lived as far as each other in the other side of the country, but he wasn’t remotely scared of from trying to start the relationship. And that was almost more than a half year ago, time making him bolder and more like Raleigh than any of them expected...at least in the being stubborn and spontaneous in times of need.

However, he couldn’t figure out how all of that had brought him to New Orleans in secret just to surprise his girlfriend for Valentine’s day.

Maybe it was that he was head over heels in love with the blonde witch, that he wanted to make her as happy as he could, that he was trying to picture himself by her side as long as his mind could...and in between all of that, Rowan found himself finally knocking on the front door of the Academy.

Raleigh had let him in from the other house, so he didn’t have to go through the ‘the Academy’s barrier would want to eat you if you touch it’ part of the plan. After letting Sidonia know he wasn’t going to play fetch with her, kissing his baby nephew’s head and saying ‘hi’ to his sister-in-law, which was reading in the kitchen in that fine Sunday morning; he had armed himself with the bouquet of roses he bought in his way here and went to retrieve his girlfriend in the other house.

The waiting was so painful? He thought to himself, putting a lock of his hair behind his ear, trying to not go and start jumping to relieve some of his stress. But it was then when the front door opened, just to show Misty’s concerned face...that eased into a funny one as soon as Rowan came into view.

“Ahm...uhm, I-I’m here to...well, oh God,” fuck, fuck, fuck him and his shit ass nerves. Now words didn’t make sense in his head. But Misty took pity on him, putting a reassuring hand in his shoulder before throwing her head back enough to yell.

“Coco, there’s an Amazon guy in the door askin’ for you!!” and that only made Rowan to go beet red, because the white lie kept rolling in order to let him surprise his oblivious girlfriend. Girlfriend that was frying his phone, in her back pocket, with messages at that point of the day.

The new waiting time was even harder than before, but as soon as Rowan overheard the quick click click of Coco’s heels along feeling her magic approaching, he started to relax. He felt how her lips quirked in a goofy yet shy grin and when Coco realized it wasn’t an Amazon guy but Rowan who was waiting for her in the front door, her hands went directly to cover her mouth and her eyes visibly watered.

“Don’t cry pretty, please,” was the first thing Rowan said, because his inner panicker jumped in action. Then he handed the bouquet to her, still goofy grin on. “So...I hope you don’t have date for Valentine’s, because I’m asking you for one now,” he chuckled to let the last bits of nervousness go away and Coco hugged the bouquet to her chest with care before reaching for him. “Would you like to go on an ice cream hunt to the French quarter with this poor warlock in love?”

“Of course I do!” Coco let out the cutest yelp as response, Rowan finally taking her hand and pulling her close to lean and kiss her lips, a peck that started the biggest bonfire in his whole body. “Just let me take my purse and put the flowers...”

“No, no purses, I’m inviting you today,” Rowan knew Coco was happy to always pay for everything, but he had been working hard all year to earn money and spend it on his loved one for once. Maybe it was because of the way his mother raised him, that his aunt Abigail raised him, but he usually didn’t like to be treated to things (and Rowan only let his big sister to treat him because a) Raleigh was a bit scary; and b) ‘Twenty years apart gave me the right to treat you for another twenty, so shut up.’)

“And I’m taking the flowers, so!” Mallory appeared behind Coco, giving Rowan the biggest smile ever because of how happy it made her know her cousin was being happy and in love with her best friend. “Take her before she start her yearly rant about red velvet cake, Roro!”

Rowan complied, laughing at that because he knew how his girlfriend was with food. But having Coco by his side again, after months of chatting and videocalling through their phones and laptops...well, for him it didn’t matter if she went a bit overboard with her powers...and with her chatter, for that matter. He was always more like a listener than a ‘talker’, which was good for how many stuff Coco had to say, and Rowan tried to kiss Coco’s cheek from time to time to see her trail in whatever she was saying.

Overall seeing how happy was Coco, made all the sleepless night planning this trip worth it, but what made Rowan the happiest was that he was able to find someone who loved him for who he was.

Danielle Bishop

Audrey could tell Danielle was feeling on top of the world right now.

It obvious by the way she was talking more confident, her face glowing up without any trace of the usual tiredness she carried, and drinking red wine like it was water. Maybe that last bit was because she was a bit nervous, making Audrey to chuckle when a new anecdote fell from her lips because seeing her girlfriend nervous was truly a thing, taking in count it was more a thing of Danna than Danielle’s.

For Audrey, it was cute and heartwarming. Mostly because she didn’t expect to come home to having the kitchen all ready and set to have what it looked like a romantic dinner. Of course they’ve been exchanging messages, kisses and Audrey had woken Danielle up with a nice surprise just because. It was the third Valentine they spent together, being the first one and the second one spent having a little date to a coffee nearby to Danielle’s office because she was working on a case for several days and didn’t have much time, and Audrey was thankful that her girlfriend gave her such big private thing.

Damien wasn’t there, mostly because her father had come to visit her and he was spending as much time as he could with her, so they didn’t have to worry about her much aside of waiting for Dara’s call that she arrived to Billie and hers’ house safely since they wanted to have a bit of privacy for the day. The fact that Danielle’s ex husband was around, also, had them both worried and this was truly a shot of fresh air from thinking.

Cliché as it was, they shared their classic dinner in between laughs and kisses. As far as Audrey knew, Danna had helped Danielle to cook everything through videocall, which knowing both probably was full of yelling, reassuring words, two times almost giving up and Danna cheering the loudest when something turned out what it was supposed to be. But Audrey loved every bit of the cliché situation because her life wasn’t full of those at all, taking it with her whole heart because after moving in with Danielle, each day it passed it made her see that she was feeling at home finally.

It was a good sensation, it made her want to go back to Danielle’s arms all the time they were apart, to provide with the same love she was being pampered with. And after all those years, it was the only thing she wanted, being completely honest. Any doubt she had was reassured and kissed away, any problem that might rise was taken care diligently so it wasn’t a bigger problem...and having some control over the chaos that her life was, made Audrey to go and thank her partner endlessly...even more.

“Okay, are you ready for my amazing strawberry cake?” Dani announced, after downing her third glass of wine with, food finally gone and Audrey wanting to leave her seat and go reclaim her rightful spot in Danielle’s lap. “It’s ugly and maybe a bit too sugary? but I did it all by myself.”

“I’m sure it’s amazing, my darling,” Audrey was looking at Danielle dreamly, detailing how she chose the burgundy shirt Audrey loved and those dressing black pants that fit her too damn well, long black hair pulled back by her nervous hand and wide smile clinging to her lips and making her want to kiss it for the rest of the night. “You know I like sweet stuff.”

Audrey winked at that last thing, getting a big hearty laugh from Danielle and a kiss that knocked the air out of her lungs before she went to retrieve the cake from the fridge. She took advantage of that to check her phone, sending a picture to Billie of the whole table and brag about it, because why not? Audrey checked her texts while Billie replied and soon she got a picture of Dara, sleeping over Billie with the cutest pout in her lips and ‘I’ve tired out my Valentine :(’ under.

She giggled to that, typing a fast ‘you two are truly unbelievable’ before she overheard Danielle’s steps coming back. Putting down her phone, she waited for Danielle to put the cake in the middle of the table but her girlfriend had another plan it seemed. So she walked towards her, leaving the whole plate in front of her and then kissed her temple with love.

“Are you expecting me to eat all of this by mys-” Audrey started to say, but was cut mid sentence when Danielle didn’t go back to her seat, kneeling by her side so that way Audrey had to look down to make eye contact with her. “What are you doing there, silly?”

“Well, it’s kinda obvious...I think?” Danielle laughed softly at that, one of her hands resting in Audrey’s thigh while the other was out of view because she was getting something from inside her shirt. Like, Audrey saw her do that many times before, hiding stuff like money or her phone in her bra, so she was over that already...however she didn’t expect Danielle to pull out a tiny velvety box.

It was then when Audrey’s heart stop beating for a second.

“Look, all this time I tried to be sincere with you, and sometimes I wished to do things...in a better way, but it didn’t matter because we got through it and you never left me, even when I thought the worst of me, even when things weren’t as pretty as we both wanted,” Danielle was trying to keep looking at her and Audrey was feeling how her body re-started with the sudden speech. “I...well, after my divorce I didn’t think I would be able to love someone this...deep, but you didn’t give up on me, you showed me that not only me but both deserved another chance, and what the hell, we make a good Uno couple...and Damien loves you,” that drew a choked chuckle from Audrey, in the verge of the sob. Damien truly liked her, and that was one of the biggest goals she accomplished. “I thought we could step up our game...because you are the only one I see myself getting married with and I want to keep on make you happy till the end of our days and beyond. So, Audrey...would you marry me?”

And then Danielle opened the box with trembling fingers to show her girlfriend the gold ring with the tiny jewel in the middle of it.

Three years had passed and Audrey still couldn’t believe Danielle, of all people, had trouble to do long speeches taking in count her line of work. But she got why she couldn’t, because for years she didn’t show she had feelings at all and talking about something you so worked so hard to hide was difficult...and that’s when Audrey entered the picture, being emotional, being vocal about everything, showing her that it was okay to show what was inside without fear of judgement.

“Dani...” Audrey closed her eyes late, her tears spilling in a very dramatic turn of the events, but one that entered the million possibilities Danielle had planned in her head. “Of c-course I do, damn it, yes, yes and ten million times yes!”

it was time for Danielle to laugh, to let out the breathe she was holding in a ragged way because all the nervousness melted the moment she slipped the ring in Audrey’s finger. She didn’t take in count, however, that Audrey would take her to the ground, hugging her like no tomorrow and kissing her as if she needed her to keep being alive.

In between kisses, laughs and trying to make it to the couch, forgetting about the cake over the table, Audrey thought that Danielle, in the end, was what she was looking for all those years. She didn’t need someone that complied to everything she said, she only needed this someone to feel she was enough for her, that she was loved and cherished by her...

...and, as her fingers found every button from her favourite Danielle’s shirt, that someone finally had a face, and a body for that matter, to die for. Which wasn’t necessary but oh good Lord help her that it was a good plus.

Cold-hearted Severa

Mr. Mumbles cooed in her shoulder as they moved through the camp, feeling how a little happy tune was bubbling in her chest and getting through her as a little hum. Selene wasn’t much of a happy-go-lucky person, always worried about everything and nothing, but today she felt lucky enough to get things right through the day.

She was one of the few that were lucky enough not to get many looks when she went to town, so that morning she had rolled down along Jimmy to get some groceries there and also the bouquet of daisies and dandelions that she was now holding tightly in her grip. There was this giant field in the way from camp to town and she only trust in Jimmy to not spill the beans, so she had asked him to take her with him to pay a little visit.

Taking a few breathings to calm herself down, Selene used her nose to give a cuddle to her companion, her face taken hostage by the monkey like always. She chuckled and poked him in the belly, his weak spot, and then she was free to keep walking towards the siameses’ tent.

It was her main goal and the reason she was taking this big ass step, all the courage she had tied in a knot so it didn’t fly away. She had fixed the handmade bouquet specially for Bette, but since they both would see it, Selene had fixed it with two different flowers so that way both had something pretty to look at for a while.

Her heart was hammering its way in her chest, reminding her sweetly that she was very much alive. She was taking advantge that she saw them in the main tent to do this, because she wasn’t as courageous to actually look them in the eye to give them the gift. Selene didn’t want to impose in them, she much preferred to look from the distance and watch them being happy, knowing she wasn’t enough for any.

Bette and Dot had made it very clear that their feelings weren’t the same, and Selene took that to her heart, her love for both still there but also growing when Bette confessed later that she was confused about what to feel. That was enough for her, to be honest, she thought while leaving the tiny bouquet over their desk and starting to run back to Eve’s ban.

It didn’t matter they didn’t love her, she was pretty much content with being their friend at least, and as a friend she had left those pretty flowers to make this Valentine’s day better for them.

When she arrived with Eve, she looked at her with a lifted perfect eyebrow, asking silently why such hurry...only to see that Selene was handing her something. She loved the twins, that for sure, but Selene wouldn’t forget about her best friend and how much she also loved her.

“Is that for me?” Eve blinked confused upon seeing the tiny present, the one that Selene spent her savings in, and took it in her hands with care before unwrapping it. “Oh dear, it wasn’t necessary.”

But Selene smiled widely, in silence like always, waiting for Eve to see what was inside. She had taken note of how pretty her friend found those earrings she was now pulling out of the box, once they went to take a walk in town and passed by a jewelry shop. Selene was always taken little notes about what other people needed, it was common for her at this point.

“I can’t believe you went back and bought them,” Eve shrieked in delight, standing up fast to wrap her best friend into a tight hug before planting the biggest kiss on her lips, like she always did. “You’re a blessing for sure, sweetheart, thank you very much.”

Maybe Bette and Dot didn’t love Selene back, but when Eve looked at her with that shine in her eyes, it made Selene think about the possibilities of staying with her best friend for the rest of their lives.

She didn’t know what the future would hold for them, but as long as she kept at least Eve by her side, she was quite content to keep living her life as it was. She could learn to love better, she could learn to be more brave, maybe a bit more unspoken at times? And maybe someday she would be able to feel at ease in a place.

Because, yeah, the show was all she got but she couldn’t call it a home.

And when Eve asked her to get dinner only the three of them, because she always included Mr. Mumbles, Selene thought that maybe one day her true home would become a place in which none felt left out.

#the originals #dara ann lynch #dahlia deen #danielle bishop #danna bishop #raleigh ocean #cold-hearted severa #adriana girardi #karina sväre #gabrielle summers #rowan ramírez

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