#SHE'S GOT BETTE DAVIS EYES ; ( face )

[survivehcr]

tag drop

[ermesskiss]

what music I think jjk adults would listen to

✧ ft: satoru, suguru, nanami, shoko, choso, higuruma, toji, sukuna, and kenjaku ✧ a/n: been thinking about this for a minute, and I decided to write out my opinions/hcs

jjk student version here + jjk character playlist works here

· · ───────────── 𖥸 ────────────── · ·

✦ gojo

➥ Gojo is a very laid-back and fun guy, so I think he would listen to music that has that same energy

➥ He kinda reminds me of those moms who listen to the overplayed songs on the radio and always sing them, I don’t know to explain it, but that's him

➥ I think that he gets his song recs from his students in a attempt to bond with them

songs

♪ Heaven To Me: Tyler, The Creator ♪ Chanel: Frank Ocean ♪ Died and Came Back: Lil Uzi Vert ♪ Pop Style: Drake ♪ Wake Up in the Sky: Gucci Mane ft. Bruno Mars

───────────────────────────────

✦ geto

➥ I think Geto listens to a little bit of everything, alternative, rock, rap, R&B,  and hip-hop. I can’t really picture him strictly listening to rock and alt. It doesn’t feel right

➥ As Geto got older, I think his music taste changed. He still likes everything, but he leaned towards one genre rather than several

➥ When Mimi and Nana show Geto their favorite music, he adds the one he likes to his own playlist, and vice versa

songs

♪ Sextape: Deftones ♪ Passion Fruit: Drake ♪ Rental: Brockhampton ♪ 3005: Childish Gambino ♪ Even Flow: Pearl Jam

───────────────────────────────

✦ shoko

➥ I think the music that she listens to is very mellow and relaxing but might have some sad undertone to it from time to time

➥ She gives me older music vibes from the 70s to the 90s. Like Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, and Sade. I can’t see her listening to newer music

➥ I think she listens to more female artists than men; it’s not intentional. She does enjoy songs from men, but it’s a pattern. I also think that Shoko is a big fan of The Cranberries; I am a soul believer in this

songs

♪ Sunday: The Cranberries ♪ Bette Davis Eyes: Kim Carnes ♪ Fade Into You: Mazzy Star ♪ Landslide: Fleetwood Mac ♪ So Far Away: Carole King

───────────────────────────────

✦ nanami

➥ Student Nanami was emo, so he definitely listened to My Chemical Romance

➥ He started listening to more rock when he grew out of his emo phase. He prefers light rock rather than heavy

➥ When he gets sick of music, he puts on a podcast about business/the economy, or world events OR OR audiobooks

songs

♪ Helena: My Chemical Romance ♪ I Miss You: blink-182 ♪ Dust in the Wind: Kansas ♪ Dancing In the Dark: Bruce Springsteen ♪ Rocket Man: Elton John

───────────────────────────────

✦ choso

➥ He’s giving off rock and metal vibes, also like sub-genres of those

➥ His go-to music is rock, but I definitely think he listens to other music, something like R&B and hip-hop

➥ Like the great sibling, he is, he always gives Yuji the aux and listens to his song recs

songs

♪ Granite: Sleep Token ♪ Generation Dead: Five Finger Death Punch ♪ Enter Sandman: Metallica ♪ Chop Suey!: System Of A Down ♪ War Inside My Head: Suicidal Tendencies

───────────────────────────────

✦ higuruma

➥ Similar to Shoko, I think he also listens to older music rather than newer stuff, but it’s not because he doesn’t enjoy new music; he is just too busy and stressed to figure out what artist he likes and just stays to what he knows

➥ He’s a big Radiohead fan, and maybe The Smiths, too? Music that's kind of sad and angst, yk?

➥ Genre-wise, I think he would like a little of everything if he could sit down and enjoy music.

songs

♪ Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now: The Smiths ♪ Karama Police: Radiohead ♪ Wild Sex (In The Working Class): Oingo Boingo ♪ Eyes Without A Face: Billy Idol ♪ What’s Up?: 4 Non Blondes

───────────────────────────────

✦ toji

➥ Definitely listens to divorce dad music

➥ Drinks a nice cold beer while listening to Nickelback

➥ I think because Toji doesn't think highly of himself, I can see him listening to self-loathing music and music that relates to anger or internal turmoil

songs

♪ How You Remind Me: Nickelback ♪ Pancake Land: Element Eighty ♪ The Man Who Sold the World: Nirvana ♪ It’s Been Awhile: Stained ♪ Crawling: Linkin Park

───────────────────────────────

✦ sukuna

➥ So, at first, I was sure he would listen to heavy metal and rock because he has such an aggressive personality, but after I gave it some more thought canon, Sukuna would hate it. Music or noise that loud and obnoxious would annoy him.

➥ Acknowledging the fact that he was born in the Heian era and during that time, they listened to Gagaku (court music), which is either instrumental or vocal. It’s calming and relaxing in contrast to his persona

➥ Or he hates music altogether, idk; he's a grumpy old man. Everything pisses him off

songs

♪ Menace: Five Finger Death Punch ♪ Monster: Skillet ♪ Bullet With Butterfly Wings: The Smashing Pumpkins ♪ Push: Matchbox Twenty ♪ Geisha: Anthony Davilio

───────────────────────────────

✦ kenjaku

➥ Since he's over a thousand years old, imma say he has a very diverse taste of music and probably listens to a little bit of everything. If I were to choose what genre he likes most, I would say rock, both light and heavy

➥ Kenjaku enjoys listening to Marilyn Mason and Oingo Bingo. Marilyn Mason because he’s Marilyn Mason (derogatory) and Oingo Bingo because of their surrealist music, which I think Kenjaku would find them entertaining

➥ Listens to music that feeds into his delusions, motivating him to continue with his vision of the world he wants

songs

♪ Weird science: Oingo Boingo ♪ Aerials: System Of A Down ♪ Break My Stride: Matthew Wilder ♪ The Beautiful People: Marilyn Mason ♪ Everybody Wants To Rule The World: Tears For Fears

───────────────────────────────

✧ I currently have over 1.9k liked songs, so hopefully, there is enough diversity in songs and artists. i was going to do yuki, but it was stressing me out. Maybe in the future, I'll add hers. There is definitely more I wanted to add but my mind can only contain so many thoughts, unfortunately. ✧ Anyway, I want to hear other people's opinions and/or if people agree or disagree!!

[brittsekland]

"When I was first introduced to Ringo in Tramp, the London nightclub, I didn't see anything but his big, beautiful, deep blue eyes. He asked if my waist-length hair was my own, then tugged it to check. I replied: 'You could never buy hair like this in a store.' Somehow over that drink the conversation got around to how Ringo hates New York because it's full of cockroaches, so we clinked glasses and toasted the death of all cockroaches. I said he reminded me of Humphrey Bogart. Ringo - by this time I was calling him Richard - suavely lit two cigarettes in his mouth and gave me one. I couldn't help giggling. I thought he was doing a Bogart. Then I realised it was Paul Henreid who did that for Bette Davis in Now Voyager. As we held hands under the table, he asked if I would go to Vienna with him next day. I couldn't make up my mind. Ringo took me to a Mayfair disco and gave the doorman £100 to open up in the wee small hours so that we could dance for an hour. When Ringo toasted us with champagne he joked, 'The bubbles tickle my nose.' He has quite a large nose. It's quite adorable but his whole nose seemed to go right down into the champagne glass. Then Ringo's ex-wife Maureen happened to come up, stared, looked me up and down and joked: 'Who is this, Ringo, the next Mrs Starkey?' Ringo answered gently, 'Maybe Maureen, but be sure you'll be the first to know.' She was dismissed. He mentioned Vienna again, assuring me he wasn't in the habit of picking up girls and flying of with them."

      Stephanie made her mind up this time, collected her clothes and moved into Ringo's Dorchester Hotel suite.

      "I thought 'My God, I'm going to have to sleep with this man tonight.' I stared at the two double beds. I didn't want to sleep with him, have sex with him. I wanted to get to know him first. 'It's alright darlin,' Ringo said. 'That's your bed and the other one's mine.' I usually sleep in a football sweatshirt with knee socks but I thought, 'I can't put them on.' So I put on a nightgown..Ringo looked over the top of his newspaper and said, 'On second thoughts, darlin', that's your bed and it's my bed too -but only if you want it to be.' I said yes I want it to be that way for now. But I fell fast asleep and an hour and 15 minutes later I woke up to find Ringo standing over my bed. I honestly thought I was dreaming. He said it was time to get dressed and leave for the airport.

      "Later as we drove into Vienna from the airport, I wanted to use the bathroom. So we stopped at a little bar. Ringo insisted on coming with me and standing guard outside the ladies. Can you imagine? He has such good manners. Like the time he was in bed and found he had his back to me. He apologised and turned to face me - even though we were in the dark. Though we were already 'in like with each other,' as Ringo put it, that's where our days and nights of passion started, in that kingsize bed in the Bristol Hotel, Vienna... It suprised Ringo that I was so inexperienced, I think he was pleased I hadn't slept with many men."

- Stephanie La Motta on her relationship with Ringo Starr.

[greenerteacups]

hi!! adore you and your work!! sort of went down a rabbit hole today on your page scrolling through asks, and i just wanted to piggyback off a question you had received a while back on faceclaims for the lionheart characters (draco being skarsgard/jamie campbell bower coded weirdhot is the REALEST thing)- could you please tell us the same for the others? esp the slytherins: daphne, theo, pansy

i don't particularly have a logic for this, but i see hannah dodd as daphne and alice pagani as pansy, while im constantly confused between lorenzo zurzolo and louis partridge for theo. would love to hear about what you think!!

Oh thank you! You're very kind!

Hannah Dodd is a wonderful fancast for Daphne. I hope I don't change your mental image of her by offering another — the idea of having a personal imagining of a character I wrote is so very dear to me and makes me so happy, I'd be loathe to mess with it. Plus, I don't really see specific human faces when I'm writing, so these are just "well, if I had to cast, these guys would be really fun to watch tackle the role!"

That being said, Daphne I could also easily see being performed by one of those Old Hollywood actresses. She's got the classic yellow curls, big sad baby blue eyes, round face, that kind of thing. Young Grace Kelly, Mae West, that kind of girl. Astoria is repeatedly described as visually similar or identical, so she kind of gives me baby Bette Davis — something about that pinched little smirk of a mouth.

I love Alice Pagani as Pansy, honestly, no notes. Exactly captures the "thousand-yard-stare that could be exhausted contemplation of her own fucked-up life or a quick brainstorming session for ways to bitch you out." Also has the great "consumptive chic??" situation going on, which is very Pansy. I once also described as a young Christina Ricci, which is a similar if not identical vibe.

Theo doesn't get much description in terms of looks, but Draco thinks of him as "rat-faced" at one point, which leans him towards the partridge side rather than the usual svelte zursolo faceclaim (though I think Partridge is quite good-looking and does not deserve the appellation "rat-faced," in fairness). I've thought of him when I've seen pictures of David Mazouz and Jack Dylan Grazer, too. Those actors look younger, which makes it easier to capture Theo as he actually *is,* now, at 15, rather than how I imagine him looking as an adult. Which is a common problem in faceclaims! We're all so used to 30-somethings playing teenagers the cultural consciousness is not used to imagining realistic 15 year olds on-screen.

[maryrouille]

Divine intervention, mortal consequences. About MaXXXine (2024) by Ti West

Speaking about Ti West's latest work, I'll start with a quote from Kim Carnes' song, which we hear at the end of the film: She'll take a tumble on you, roll you like you were dice until you come up blue. Doesn't this perfectly describe our titular Maxine? She'll kill without hesitation if need be. She also has no problem doing whatever she's asked to do in auditions and on film sets. She casually drives past people protesting horror films, calling them satanic and completely out of place, while the Night Stalker hunts the city. Considering the earlier X and Pearl, I get the impression that Mia Goth's characters are devoid of human feelings. Even in the face of death, they seem to feel no terror as if nightmares were their profession.

Adult films are my profession

If we wanted to approach this film from a psychological perspective, we would have to ask ourselves what made our main character behave this way. Why does this young girl strive for fame, and crystal fame at that, because money doesn't turn her on, literally walking under dead bodies? We can look for the answer in a childhood focused on the cult of her own father and rebellion against extremely Catholic values. This would explain the path of a porn star who was far from modest and also was the easiest path for an uneducated girl to enter in her early days. Especially since in those years the pornographic film industry was gaining momentum. But still, rebellion and ease of work do not provide an answer to her downright disgusting pursuit of fame.

In my opinion, Maxine has not completely abandoned all the Christian values ​​instilled in her since childhood. Her desire for everyone to know her name is a pursuit of a kind of immortality, or eternal life promised in the Bible. It is also a kind of sanctification and elevation in the world of commercialism, because as a star she becomes someone above ordinary people, someone inaccessible to mortals. They can admire her brilliance only on a glass screen that shows icons but not people of flesh and blood.

Blonde Devil

Personally, I must also admit that I am fascinated not so much by the plot, but by the creation of the character of Maxine in this film. In X we see a simple girl dressed only in dungarees and blue eye shadow. Pearl shows us a modest figure of a girl with a bow in her hair and dresses to the ankles, which was a limitation of her time.

In MaXXXine, on the other hand, there is a much greater variety of stylizations of the character (at least in terms of appearance, because her general attitude - the devil - does not seem to evolve at all). The amount of clothing, hairstyles, and makeup that Maxine wears in different scenes is pleasing to the eye and captures the atmosphere of the 80s, which was basically like our main character: colorful, free, and sexy on the outside, but with an enveloping darkness underneath. This combination makes her opposite of the delicate, fragile and not very intelligent blondes of classic cinema.

Hypertextuality

What really caught my eye first was the number of references to characters and events from old Hollywood. Characters such as Theda Bara and Black Dahlia appear here. There is also the horror classic Psycho (1960) and the pornographic classic Behind the Green Door (1972). Ambiguity can also be found in the dialogues, which cleverly refer (often without the characters being aware of it, but only the viewer) to events from earlier films or the characterisations of actors. And so we have, for example, a sentence thrown at the character of Mia Goth herself, that no one has ever made it big by acting in a horror film. Neat, isn't it?

She's got Bette Davis eyes [song]

One of the greatest legends of the silver screen, Bette Davis, holds a place of particular honor in MaXXXine, as she opens and closes the film. I think it was best described by Julio Bardini, so I'll leave the quote here and the link to the whole article [here].

Both Davis and Maxine had to swim against the current on their own in Hollywood's male-dominated world in order to succeed. Davis started making a name for herself playing willful and sardonic roles on the big screen in the 1930s and 1940s. She challenged the audience's image of women with the fiery Julie Marsden in Jezebel, the hedonistic Judy Traherne in Dark Victory, and the witty Margo Channing in All About Eve. In the years following her breakout, Davis also had to fight Warner Bros. in court to be able to work on the projects she wanted at a time when actors were exclusive to studios.

In this business, until you’re known as a monster, you are not a star

I'll end with a quote from Bette Davis that opens the film. I think it's a timeless summary of the entire film industry. What are your thoughts on the final installment of the Ti West trilogy, or what are your expectations if you haven't seen it yet? Let me know! XOXO

[straykidsnerd255]

Hi, can i ask for a one shot with Elcid please ?

S/o is from the 21st century, she arrived the sanctuary and athena is looking for a way to bring her back to her century.

S/o decide to sing a song from her time, it is named 'bette davis eyes' it is from Kim Carnes, she plays it on the guitar and sing it. And Elcid who barely knows her listen to her. Thank you so much ! Have a nice day !

Here you go!  Here is a little one-shot for ya!<3

You sat on a stool that Tenma grabbed for you and you took the guitar and began to strum a tone. You closed your eyes as you pulled the notes of the song from your memory. You see, you were not from their time. Athena has been tirelessly looking for a way to help you return to your century but you knew it would take a long time. You smiled as the words flowed through your lips and the strumming of the guitar.

Elcid watched from where he was sitting on the rock near Sanctuary. He never understood why Athena even bothered to help you get back to your own time. He just wanted you to leave so that they could focus on their job. He knew he was being mean about it and he never would say anything to you, but he knew that if you stayed, they would be attacked. You had no power and they would have to hide you and protect you. He grumbled and crossed his arms as you started hitting your guitar softly. 

You closed your eyes and began to sing as you strummed the guitar. You had been left to yourself in the garden of Athena’s sanctuary. She was kind enough to give you a place to stay while you wait. You sturm the tone that you had been so familiar with and began to sing along to the music as it bounced in your mind. Singing was your escape from reality and you enjoyed every minute of it. You were unaware of one of the Saints standing outside the garden protecting you and making sure that nothing was to happen to you. You had met each of the Gold Saints and this time, Elcid was watching over you. 

Her hair is Harlow gold

Her lips sweet surprise

Her hands are never cold

She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll turn the music on you

You won't have to think twice

She's pure as New York snow

She got Bette Davis eyes

And she'll tease you

She'll unease you

All the better just to please you

She's precocious, and she knows just

What it takes to make a pro blush

She got Greta Garbo's standoff sighs

She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll let you take her home

It whets her appetite

She'll lay you on the throne

She got Bette Davis eyes

She'll take a tumble on you

Roll you like you were dice

Until you come out blue

She's got Bette Davis eyes

“You know, it is considered rude to stare.” You said, a smile on your face as you kept your eyes closed. Elcid chuckled before walking towards you. He leaned against the tree truck and smiled at you. “I can’t help it. You are very beautiful. Not to mention talented.” He said. You opened your eyes and turned your head to look at him. Elcid was tall. His hair always seemed soft but his eyes held a certain sadness in them. You never could tell what it was but you felt the need to stay close to him. 

As the week progressed, you and Elcid grew closer. He took you out on little dates here and there after confessing that he liked you. You always played on the guitar when you both sat in the garden as the night air washed over you both. The chirping of the crickets added to your music as you strummed. Elcid could feel his eyes growing heavier and heavier the longer he stayed out in the open with you playing. 

When the sun peaked out from behind the mountain, Elcid opened his eyes to find you lying against his side with your head on your chest. Breathing steadily as you slept. He couldn’t only look over your face as you slept. There was just something so domestic about you laying on his chest that it made his heart thump loudly in his chest. He suddenly dreaded the day that you would have to leave and return to your century. He didn’t want you to leave. He had grown so close to you and had shown you a vulnerable side of himself. Not to mention, you and him had shared a kiss. 

She'll expose you, when she snows you

Off your feet with the crumbs she throws you

She's ferocious, and she knows just

What it takes to make a pro blush

All the boys think she's a spy

She's got Bette Davis eyes

And she'll tease you

She'll unease you

All the better just to please you

She's precocious, and she knows just

What it takes to make a pro blush

All the boys think she's a spy

She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll tease you

She'll unease you

Just to please you

She's got Bette Davis eyes

She'll expose you

When she snows you

She knows you

She's got Bette Davis eyes

The day came when Athena found a way to return you back to your century. You stood in front of the swirling vortex before turning around. Elcid was watching you from the back of the room, sadness filling his entire being. You looked down at your feet before back to the vortex. “I don’t want to leave.” You suddenly said. Athena looked at you with a smile on her lips. “If you chose to stay here, the you that everyone in your century would forget about you. You would cease to be a part of that era.” She calmly stated before walking towards the vortex. 

You smiled at the goddess before nodding your head. “I understand. I would miss them yes. But the people here I know I would miss way more. I want to stay here.” You said, a determined look in your eyes as you turned to face Athena. The goddess nodded her head and lifted her hand up before waving her hand to the side. The vortex instantly closed up and with a ‘POP’ vanished from the area. You turned as you heard running footsteps and were met with a broad chest. You smiled knowing who the chest belonged to. 

“I can’t believe you stayed. I thought you would have missed your old life and would want to return.” Elcid said, pulling away from the hug. You smiled before shaking your head. “I miss it, yeah, but I would rather stay here and be a part of the saints than go back home and work for the rest of my life. I would rather stay by your side than leave your side and only realize that everything was a dream.” You said, intertwining your fingers with his. Elcid smiled before picking you up bridal style and jumping from the platform. 

You raised your arms like you were flying and laughed as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He watched you with the utmost gentle gleam in his eye. You were his everything. Ever since the two of you started dating, he knew that you would want to leave at some point but he never thought of the day you would deny going back home and staying here. His lips form the widest smile he has ever given and a laugh so loud and bright filled the air. You smiled and returned the joyous cheer as he dashed through the air. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too Elcid. Don’t you ever forget it.”

[minoukatze]

She’s got Bette Davis eyes… #bettedavis #oldhollywood #faceoftheday #portraitoftheday #sketchoftheday #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #minisketchbook #face #portrait #graphite #pencil #pencilart #portraitdrawing (at Bucks County, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn6A2n8shAF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[whileiamdying]

Human, All Too Human

In praise of Ingrid Bergman. By Sarah Kerr "The Billy Rose Tribute to Ingrid Bergman" Museum of Modern Art, New York City Dec. 22, 1997-Jan. 11, 1998 Ingrid Bergman had the greatest downcast eyes in history. That's what I concluded, anyway, when I first fell under the spell of old Hollywood movies and started making up trivia questions about actors and actresses as if they were the Brooklyn Dodgers. I'm not the only one who feels this way, either. Mention Bergman to a female cinephile and she'll let out a sad, admiring sigh. Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis had more zing, Carole Lombard and Katharine Hepburn were wittier, Joan Crawford had a certain compelling insanity, but Ingrid Bergman felt. She got her greatest effects in Casablanca and Gaslight and Spellbound and Notorious by swooping her eyes down to the floor and darting them back and forth, as if watching a mouse scurry across the room. She was the classic example of an intelligent, dignified woman turned by love into a big fluttering nerve.

O n the basis of triumphs like A Woman's Face, David O. Selznick brought her over in 1939. When she refused to pluck her eyebrows and had trouble slimming down (with a rather charming lack of vanity, she binged on ice cream and cookies to calm anxiety), Selznick introduced his new Swedish export as a wholesome Greta Garbo--what Garbo might had been like if she'd grown up on a jolly farm. There followed striking performances in a string of heavy-handed movies (Intermezzo, 1939; For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1943; Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1941) and then Casablanca (1942), which went so badly during the filming that everyone involved was sure it would be the bomb of the year. During the entire shoot, no one ever told Bergman whether her character, Ilsa, was supposed to be in love with her brave, freedom-fighting French husband (Paul Henreid) or with Rick (Humphrey Bogart), the American she used to love, who had turned into a bitter cynic. Bergman was naturally frustrated and confused--she considered leaving the picture--but her uncertainty translated on-screen into a gorgeously accurate portrait of the way lovers swing back and forth between longing and the fear of too much pain.

The story behind Casablanca is so often told that it wouldn't be worth retelling if frustration and uncertainty did not become the hallmarks of Bergman's high-Hollywood style. Sadly, perhaps, she was at her best playing a woman in love with a man who won't let her know where she stands. In Gaslight (1944), she was a loyal wife to suave Charles Boyer, who slowly poisoned her and led her to believe she was going mad. In two collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, she helped nudge the filmmaker toward his darker, late style, which pivots around a self-possessed heroine whose resistance to love needs to be broken down--often brutally. Like a piece of fancy candy, Bergman had a tough and shiny outside and an inside of bubbling goo. In Spellbound (1945), she was an overly intellectual psychiatrist who loses her cool when she falls for a colleague (Gregory Peck) who may be an insane killer. But her greatest role was in Notorious (1946), as Alicia Huberman, a self-loathing, hard-drinking daughter of a German spy who gets coerced into espionage herself by a U.S. agent (Cary Grant). He's too proud to admit that he loves her, so he encourages her to prostitute herself and risk her life by marrying the head of a Nazi conspiracy. The ending, in which he realizes she's in danger, breaks into the Nazi's mansion, and finds her rotting with poison (but beautiful as ever in the haunting chiaroscuro), may be the most romantic scene ever committed to film. It's typical Hitchcock and typical Bergman: The heroine must be tortured before she can get her reward.

Were the movies she made with Rossellini worth this nightmare? Sort of. Rossellini didn't believe in such hidebound concepts as "plot" or "dialogue" or "acting." For their first film together, Stromboli (1950), he asked Bergman to play a sophisticated war refugee who marries a poor Italian fisherman and feels trapped by his backwardness. He sent the actress to a tiny, parched island; surrounded her with amateurs; and told her to make the whole thing up. The result was simultaneously poetic and dull, natural and pretentious. The sound quality was terrible, the dialogue flat and awkward. But Stromboli was a little like an early personal computer: It was clumsy and painfully slow, but in its scriptless wanderings, it hinted at a powerful new freedom. A generation later it was cited as an inspiration by pioneers of the French New Wave.

Bergman made four more films with Rossellini; the two I have seen are intriguing and dull. Then they split, and she survived by performing on the European stage until the United States finally allowed her back in in 1956. She made a number of Hollywood films, a few of which MOMA showed, most of which are charming but disappointingly lightweight. Because she was so unfairly punished for the Rossellini affair, there's a temptation to elevate the reputation of her less celebrated films, to point out the bounty of interesting work that Americans have missed out on or ignored in favor of chestnuts like Casablanca. But I think she did her best and most unique work in 1940s Hollywood. When Bergman arrived, leading actresses were superwomen, admirable but hyperstylized, like Garbo or Hepburn. After 1949, the year she left, they tended to split into two equally fantastical categories: big-breasted bimbos (Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe) and anorexic princesses (Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn). In the middle was the supremely human Ingrid Bergman, sane but soulful, vulnerable but always able to attract and hold the love of men and audiences, for the simple reason that she deserved it.

Photographs of: Bogart and Bergman in Casablanca from Corbis-Bettmann; Bergman and Grant in Notorious, Bergman and Rossellini from UPI/Corbis-Bettmann.

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

My time has come

Sunbleached Girl - Shag Rock (She wants him, I want her / It's not my pot to stir / Pour a little sugar, she knows / I've got a sweet tooth for her ways / I'm addicted to her gaze / One step closer to the sun-bleached girl —> Ginny’s pov)

I’m Only Me When I’m With You - Taylor Swift (chrisginny vibes)

Bags - Clairo (the sapphic pining song™️)

Blue Light - Mazzy Star (There's a blue light in my best friend's room / There's a blue light in his eye / There's a blue light, yeah / I wanna see it shine)

The Dress Looks Nice on You - Sufjan Stevens (I can see a lot of life in you / I can see a lot of bright in you / And I think the dress looks nice on you)

Lover - Taylor Swift (My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue / All's well that ends well to end up with you / Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover —> Chris pov)

Lipstick - Buzzcocks (When you miss me / In your dreams does my lover have your face? / Ah when you kiss me / Does the lipstick on your lip stick on my face? / Ah will you miss me / In your dreams does your lover have my face?)

I Think We’re Alone Now - Tiffany (just feels like them)

Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield (unrequited chrisginny, where Chris is dating Chet)

Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (Her hair is Harlow gold / Her lips, a sweet surprise / Her hands are never cold / She's got Bette Davis eyes / She'll turn the music on you / You won't have to think twice / She's pure as New York snow / She got Bette Davis eyes —> Ginny pov)

It's The Girl - The Boswell Sisters (1930) (It isn't the progress that you always want to do / It isn't the mountain flowers or the mornin' dew / It isn't the love nest that brings love to you / It's the girl that makes you happy and it's the girl that makes you blue!)

can i get some suggestions of some very chrisginny songs?? i need some more for some playlists, our girls are very lacking in them and i feel bad lol

[nicethought]

[tcm]

Martha! Martha! Martha!! THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (’46) By Theresa Brown

“It would have been so different if you hadn’t run away. It would have been you instead of Walter. Or if you had stopped me. When I lifted the cane, why didn’t you stop me? You know how much I hated her. Why didn’t you stop me?” 

In April, TCM celebrates all things Oscar with their 31 DAYS OF OSCAR programming, and it frankly boggles my mind how Barbara Stanwyck never won a competitive Academy Award. She received nominations for STELLA DALLAS (‘37), BALL OF FIRE (‘41), DOUBLE INDEMNITY (‘44) and SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (‘48). She was such a good, solid actress. Starting off as a Broadway chorus girl, Stanwyck had been honing her craft in film since 1929. Never really the sweet, ingenue, girl-next-door type, there was often an edge and feistiness to even her most sympathetic characters. The bulk of the 1930s saw her in dramas, but THE MAD MISS MANTON (‘38) unlocked the screwball door.

It turns out Stanwyck could do comedy and drama (no easy feat being a double threat) and sling a line with the best of ’em. On second thought, perhaps she is a triple threat because she could do Westerns (I never saw Bette Davis gallop on a horse and no, rear screen projections don’t count). Or maybe even a quadruple threat because she could dance: (did you see her do that split in LADY OF BURLESQUE, ‘43)? In the 40’s, Stanwyck jumped another hurdle as she crossed the threshold into stone-cold, lethal ladyhood with DOUBLE INDEMNITY.

It’s often too easy to say someone is a good girl or bad guy. As soon as you ask WHY one does what one does...you realize folks are a little more complex than either or. That’s where I put Stanwyck as she delves into the dark side with THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS. I must have seen this movie, conservatively speaking, at least 11,329,853 times since the 1960s. It’s one of my top five favorite films. Stanwyck is great in this. I see her Martha Ivers as a woman trapped. The entire cast is terrific. Everyone fulfills the trope of characters we’ve become familiar with in the world of film noir. Along with Stanwyck, the film stars Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott and in his first screen appearance, Kirk Douglas as Stanwyck’s husband, Walter O’Neil.

Scott’s character here is a girl more on the good side than bad side of noir, and who’s been hurt by men...victimized. Oh, we see she knows she appeals to men, and they want to give her things. But then she’s often left holding the bag. In MARTHA IVERS she’s on parole and will be used by the law to corner Heflin. But before she betrays him, they’ve got a nice budding relationship going. She’s a little wary and can take care of herself, but ultimately she’s a lost, hurt pup. Composer Miklós Rózsa underscores her vulnerability with sweet romantic violins. She has no hidden agenda and just wants a ride out of town in the opposite direction the law wants to send her. She falls for Heflin. This time she might’ve picked right: a man who wants nothing from her. But before they go forward, he must go back.

It took me 40 years of watching this movie to really fall for Van Heflin and now...I’m hooked. I really like him in this film. Heflin plays Sam Masterson, the usual protagonist you see in film noir: the flippant, wise-ass, smart aleck: “The road turned and I didn’t.”  He roams from thing to thing...wears the requisite fedora. Sam is easy, breezy. And he stumbles into his past. While Walter might not bruise an olive, Sam doesn’t back away from a fight. Sam shows us a glimpse of hurt when he talks about his “people” who abandoned him. He’s sensitive to the hard-luck girl he picks up along the way without taking advantage of her. He’s also an opportunist. He figures out that from asking D.A. Walter for a favor, it might land him in the chips if he plays his cards right.

As an actor, Heflin faces the big kahuna in this movie: Stanwyck. This is their first pairing but it wouldn’t be their last. They co-star in EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE (‘48) and B.F.’s DAUGHTER (‘49). They’re both so accomplished opposite each other. Stanwyck has had some dashing leading men in her career, but for my money...very, very few of them can hold a candle with her like Van Heflin.

The Oscars likes Acting ( with a capital "A" ). I’ll begrudgingly admit, Stanwyck’s four Oscar-nominations come from showier performances. In them, she’s a terrorized, self-sacrificing, pistol of a showgirl with a cheap blonde wig living with some squirrely professors and wants her lover to murder her husband. She’s not showy in MARTHA IVERS though she does run a gamut of emotions and attitudes on her journey, and nothing beats Stanwyck when she has to desperately plead. Whether she’s steely, contemptuous, dismissive, sarcastic, desperate, desirous, loving or volcanic, Barbara Stanwyck has many gears she can expertly shift into. And any one of them should garner her an Oscar.

THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS is one of the best films noir. Riveting in how it unspools events, it’s all a noir should be, even without the flashback and narration. And please keep your eye out for Ann Doran’s five-minute bit as a secretary. She’s a dream. Simply a dream. They say you can’t go home again. It’s especially true in film noir. Well, time to watch the movie once more. Coming up on my 11,329,854th time.

[puckwritesstuff]

5. a song lyric to describe their physical appearance

I think I've already done this for Sigyn, and I think I used this song:

"Her hair is Harlowe gold, Her lips a sweet surprise, Her hands are never cold, She's got Bette Davis eyes." - "Bette Davis Eyes", Kim Carnes

A lot of the songs I have for LDGP don't have a lot of description, but one that does is actually for Jörmungandr:

"Your beauty is beyond compare, With flaming locks of auburn hair, With ivory skin, and eyes of emerald green." - "Jolene", Dolly Parton

Some of them are a little more oblique, like this one for Nari:

"Your grace is wasted in your face Your boldness stands alone among the wreck." - "Little Lion Man", Mumford & Sons

Or like this one for Sylvie/Vali:

"You say: 'Come over, baby, I think you're pretty.' I'm okay, I'm not your baby. If you think I'm pretty, You should see me in a crown." - "you should see me in a crown", billie eillish

And then there's this one for Loki, but I'm not sure anyone can take it seriously:

"He's so tall And handsome as hell He's so bad But he does it so well." - "Wildest Dreams", Taylor Swift

Thank you for the ask!

[mercurygray]

4 of 10; sorry, all spots have been filled and I can't accept any more requests!

For @broadwaybaggins

Hi, I'm Allison. 28 years old, she/her, medium-length dark brown hair and eyes that are *techinically* blue but can look green at times depending on the light and what I'm wearing. I'm curvy and on the short side (5'3" ish). I love theatre/acting, singing (I'm a soprano--no belting for me!), reading, watching movies and TV, and being apologetically passionate about things I'm interested in. I'm introverted for the most part, but when I'm comfortable with a person I can become extremely lively and chatty! I am an unabashed nerd and I will gladly have a spirited discussion or debate with you about the latest Broadway show or bestselling book. Something people are often surprised to learn about me is that I like watching sports (baseball, football, and hockey mostly) and especially going to games in person. I am fiercely loyal and my family and friends are incredibly important to me. I can also hold a grudge like nobody's business...though I'm not sure that's something to be proud of...

I've always been strong-willed and unafraid to speak my mind. If I was in the 1940s I'd like to find a way to be useful for the war effort, but I'm not brave or athletic enough to join the service, so maybe I would lend my theatrical talents to touring with the USO? Or organizing relief efforts on the home front!

Your parents weren't thrilled about you joining the USO. It's not like there wasn't work you could be doing at home. But that's the thing, isn't it? For a few hours, you ARE home to these guys - the girls next door, the goofy neighbor from down the street, and for a few hours, they're not soldiers, they're guys at a vaudeville show. Some jokes, some laughs, some dancing, someone pulling rabbits out of a hat. And there's always some kid in the front row who looks too young to be here enjoying himself far too much, back in the childhood he obviously left behind in the states because someone told him Uncle Sam needed him.

It's fun to watch from the side of the stage, seeing their faces light up for a while. Your bit's usually musical, though you've been known to tell a few jokes in between numbers.

In between tours, there's always canteen work; your troupe will be posted to the nearest big city to dazzle the guys who are there on leave, serving slices of pie and smiles aplenty and a dance, too, maybe, if your feet are feeling it. And everyone always wants to dance, convinced that you'll take one look at their goofy mug and it'll be true love, like that Bette Davis movie. (USO girls can't date - it's in the rules, even if you're the traveling entertainment.)

Tonight's dancing fool is a paratrooper, a kid from Ohio with big ears and an even bigger grin, here with a bunch of his friends from the Screaming Eagles - including, as luck would have it, some of those female soldiers the papers at home have been writing about. (Got some looks when they came in the front door, but that's settled now - more girls to dance with!) They've all commandeered a couple of tables to sit together and are having a grand time - up to and including ragging thier friend a little.

"Oh, come on, Hoob, let her have a break too!" one of the girls, a blonde with a big smile, says when the music stops. "You've been talking her ear off all night."

"I don't mind, really - it's all part of the job. Usually I'm just up on stage - don't get a chance to meet the audience."

"Still, you ought to have a break, too - even if it's just from Hoob's ugly face."

Hoob - or Donald, as he's more properly called - rolls his eyes and goes off to find another piece of cake, and you sit down next to his friend, grateful for a moment to be off your feet.

"I'm so glad they gave up making us wear pumps with our dress uniforms," she says, looking grateful herself as you ease your feet out of your shoes under the table to flex your toes and restore a little bit of circulation. "Ought to get you some jump boots, like we've got, so your feet stop getting stepped on."

"I don't think they'd match my dress," you said with a smile.

"It's real nice," she offers, looking it over once with obvious appreciation in her eyes. "And you looked ...so nice, up there, singing in it." It's a shy compliment, the kind delivered where you're...not quite sure how the other person's going to take it. (But she's got a sweet face, the kind that doesn't take advantage. Can jump out of airplane, apparently, but telling a girl she's pretty, really telling her, takes guts. )

"Oh, thank you ..." And that's when you realize - you've forgotten her name. (Hard to remember everyone's when you're meeting a crowd of thousands.)

"It's Connie," she says, with another one of those almost shy smiles that are really starting to tug at your heart, holding out a hand to shake. "Connie Schmidt." That handshake lingers a moment, and you find you don't mind at all.

[chiseler]

MONROE OWSLEY: No Good

An early 1930s fan magazine letter about Monroe Owsley reads like this: “He’s a slimy toad, a no-good rat up to trouble—and you feel he’s like that off-camera too!” The jury is likely permanently out on any off-camera sliminess, but Owsley was the center of many sordid rumors before his premature death in 1937 at age 36, when he supposedly had a heart attack after an automobile accident.

It was said around Hollywood that he was beset by drink, drugs, and gambling and that he had gay leanings and acted on them, though MGM starlet Anita Page said near the end of her life that he was in love with her in the mid-1930s. He was intensely in love with a lot of people, it seems, and furtive, and maybe a little wicked.

Whatever the cause of his messy private life, Owsley was a memorably odious man in Pre-Code cinema, and Bette Davis, who sparred with him in Ex-Lady (1933), called him “marvelously corrupt” in her memoirs. With his high forehead and large ears, his long nose and narrow eyes, and his tendency to bear down on others to shout and sneer, Owsley is as resolutely unappealing as anyone has ever been in movies.

Owsley was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and his mother was an actress, Gertrude Owsley. He took acting classes as a teenager and started appearing on Broadway in the 1920s before his film debut in The First Kiss (1928), where he was “the other suitor” to Fay Wray. Owsley got typecast after playing the part of the alcoholic brother Ned in the first film version of Philip Barry’s play Holiday (1930). In the better-known 1938 remake of Holiday starring Katharine Hepburn, Ned is played by Lew Ayres as dissolute but still very beautiful and poetic, whereas Owsley is a sour, nasty character barely able to contain his disgust with himself and his life. “We don’t need any saints in this family,” he tells his sister Julia (Mary Astor) when she is talking up her fiancé Johnny Case (Robert Ames). He has a real flair for ratty maliciousness here, for vitriol, and for heavy self-pity.

Owsley was a weak and caddish boyfriend and then husband to Barbara Stanwyck in Ten Cents a Dance (1931), confirming everything Stanwyck seemed to know about men whenever she looked them over. He throws a really pitiful little punch when trying to defend Stanwyck at her dime-a-dance job, so that she has to step in and give the guy who’s bothering them a real smack herself.

Owsley reveals his rodent-like little smile for the first time in Ten Cents a Dance, flashing his small teeth in a way to set your own teeth on edge. A gambler and a sponger, a snob and a complainer and a thief, he torments Stanwyck with his meanness and lack of quality until she finally shouts at him, “I don’t love you! I don’t even think enough of you now to hate you!” and then, “You’re not a man….you’re not even a good sample.”

Owsley pursued Claudette Colbert in his first scenes in Honor Among Lovers (1931), and he couldn’t stop his face from sending weird, resentful signals. Colbert marries him, and wouldn’t you know, it turns out he’s a worthless no-good cad, a drunk, a skirt-chaser, and a thief, nearly making Fredric March’s sexual harasser boss to Colbert look somewhat better if only by comparison.

“You haven’t even got sense enough to stay sober!” Colbert cries as their troubles mount in Honor Among Lovers, which makes Owsley get maudlin; he is particularly gross in his movies when he descends to contrite boyhood and expects his women to mother him. He winds up shooting March and snivels that he didn’t mean to do it right afterward, and then he tries to pin the blame on Colbert. A real winner!

In Indiscreet (1931), Owsley wore a mustache, as if he needed to look even more villainous. Gloria Swanson breaks up with him in the first scene because of his philandering, and so naturally he takes up with her sister, and this is supposed to be a comedy, so Owsley plays in a more comic key here, but not by much. “You’re not bad,” Swanson finally tells him. “You’re just not very bright.” Owsley was a drunken playboy pursuing a blond Joan Crawford in This Modern Age (1931), a Robert Montgomery role that he makes as unattractive as possible.

In the Clara Bow vehicle Call Her Savage (1932), Owsley was Larry Crosby, “one of the worst characters in Chicago.” He knocks girlfriend Thelma Todd down after breaking up with her, but she tells him, “You’ll come back…I understand your little…peculiarities.” Does she mean S&M? Homosexual proclivities? “I doubt there’s any sin in the calendar I haven’t been guilty of,” he tells Bow, who responds to his creepiness with peppy non-sequiturs. He spends their wedding night out on the town and abandons Bow, tossing some money at her. She visits him down in New Orleans, where he seems to be suffering from syphilis, and he physically attacks her, trying to strangle her, before she hits him over the head with a small wooden stepstool.

Owsley wore a mustache again to blackmail Kay Francis in The Keyhole (1933), and then he pursued Davis in Ex-Lady, where she told him, “Don’t be so persistent…it’s annoying,” and then, “Man… I’m souring on the lot of you!” Resentful of her boyfriend (Gene Raymond) seeing another women, Davis briefly succumbs to Owsley’s advances, flinging herself down on the floor to be kissed by him while drums beat from a bandstand nearby, a sure signal of a self-destructive impulse.

“Ya look pretty good to me,” Mae West tells Owsley in Goin’ to Town (1935), and this shows the great Mae’s imagination and generosity, for Owsley here is a sweaty, drunken, suicidal gambler with lines under his eyes set to marry her for her money (he will provide his family name). He was right at home with all the drinking in James Whale’s Remember Last Night? (1935), but the Production Code had by then put a cramp in his caddish style.

Owsley wound up making a movie with Martha Raye called Hideaway Girl (1936) and a last film at Republic Pictures, a musical called The Hit Parade (1937), before his death, which was a bit mysterious and had people in town talking. “Where does everybody finish?” Owsley asks Ann Harding in Holiday. “You die…And that’s all right, too.”

by Dan Callahan

[seostudios]

GEEK CHARMING: MARK LEE

pairing: mark lee x fem!reader genre: rom-com, fluff, angst, comedy info: high school!au, film-club-kid!mark, diva!reader, non-idol!au, mentions of other members (principle!sicheng, car!jeno, student-body-president!doyoung,  film-club-kid!johnny, film-club-kid!jungwoo) synopsis: You are Yonsei Academy's peachy princess, having the best boyfriend, the most fashionable friends of mos, always updated with the latest trends in fashion. But you come face-to-face with your own personal creature-self-professed film nerd, Mark Lee, when you scratch your Holli crystal-embellished ROSANTICA purse. In exchange for her purse repair she let Mark film her for his high school popularity documentary. Reluctantly, you let low-class Mark into your A-list universe, and you are stunned to discover that nerds can be pretty awesome at times. However when your pro-claimed, boyfriend charming prince dumps you flat, your life and social status drops. Would you still win Spring Formal Queen at Yonsei Academy now? Will Mark win the Annual Film Festival?  Could even you put together the pieces to bring back your happy-ever-after, with Mark 's help? warnings: swearing, mention of alcohol word count: 7.5k tag-list: @count-your-shadows​ @jimjamjaemin @minaczennie @renjunvinates @pervieve @rjoonie @marksrainbow@commentgirl @rarestgrace @08skrr @bangtanismylifw @traashytae @superheros-and-others @johnnysnipple @00-baejin-05

a/n: this is the longest writing piece i’ve written yet on this blog and it’s inspired by a disney movie?! behold geek charming starring mark lee. your local film club nerd entering the school’s prissy princess’s life but did that make her finally turn back from her arogant ways or did it make her more of a bitch!! >_< i’m actually so happy

"I'm proud to announce this year's Annual Yonsei Spring Formal Queen Kang-" 

"Hello? Y/n? Snap out of it." Your train of thought quickly crashed as you direct your attention to the student body president, Kim Doyoung. "Y-Yes?" You ask, straightening your posture. "I asked if you are applying for Spring Formal Queen?" He put a question to, waiting for a response. Viewing as you turn to Sooyoung, who delivers you a pen, jerking it out her hand, you grab the clipboard from the plastic table in front of you, signing your signature on to the paper. Making sure your sign was large enough to cover most slots of the page. 

"Toodles," You sang to Doyoung before you and the girls walk away. “Next!”

The three of you strut down the narrow hallway, Sooyoung and Yuna trailing behind you, "This year is going to be our year ladies," you look over on both sides to see them smiling wide grins enveloping onto their lips, as they stopped to walk at your pace, "Once I'm crowned Queen of the Spring Formal, it's guaranteed I'm the well-liked, prettiest and just overall the best here at Yonsei," you finish halting your steps at the door frame of the cafeteria. Looking over your shoulder, you make a gagging motion with your finger to the pack of hungry students. In front of you three, you decide to walk through the tables showing the two lingering behind how you'd win the students' heart if you already haven't.

Walking by a table with miniature stage set-ups, you see three students huddled together revising a script "Drama kids," You start "They'll be an easy vote seeing how they just adore my dramatic gestures," Making your way down a couple more tables "Film club nerds..." You start to roll your eyes coming up with a reason why they would vote for you. "You're like a movie star to them," Sooyoung quickly interjected watching as your flip your head to pose.

You stride down some more, "I can't believe you used to be friends with Shin Ryunjin." Yuna throws in as you walk by the stage crew table. "I know right," Sooyoung agrees. "It's a burden I carry, but at least I traded up to you two." You say earning beaming smiles on both sides.

"Y/n!" Someone called, skipping happily towards you. It was Jisoo. "I got bangs since you said they would suit me! I couldn't agree more, thanks!" She beams, "Of course, just want the best for you!" You smile, reciprocating the energy she gave off until she walks off to her friends. "See? People know I care. This will be a piece of cake."  You said before stopping in your tracks to see, Jung Wonyoung; your biggest competition at Yonsei Academy. Yuna and Sooyoung see you as someone superior to them (right?). As a higher-ranked princess here at Yonsei you shouldn't let such a wretched thing like Jung Wonyoung get to you, especially with that tacky head-band she decided to pair with her uniform. But what good candidate for Spring Formal Queen would you be without a little competition, winning was a given but winning unopposed is an embarrassment. The girls notice your stink-eye towards the table and rather than letting yourself get angered in front of your girls, you oppose chatting in the most unaffected way you could muster up. "Whatever, we all understand who's gonna be crowned Queen, why let someone who pairs blue polka-dot headbands with navy plaid uniforms get in my way?" They hum in response as you two make your way to the popular table.

Yuna and Sooyoung took their seats in front of Jihoon, your lovely, amazing, perfect boyfriend, as you walked around to sit next to him. "Hi baby," He said, which sounded scripted but, you paid no attention to since he was your prince charming! His looks over-looking his flaws, you leave a small kiss on his cheek before digging into your meal.

You are finished your meal, getting up and walking to the bin to throw. On your way back you- BAM! Right on the chest, you are greeted with the expired milk the canteen provides having it spill all over your chest,  drenched. "Ugh!" You cry, a boy in front of you with his lunch tray now on the floor, his hair scruffed up with a school-provided bow-tie. "You- You geek!" You bark as he is taken aback with his words, but he isn't afraid. "You are so gro-oss!" You shout emphasizing the word gross he's already tired of your shit and it hasn't even been a minute since your first encounter. Without hesitating he relates "Actually gross is one syllable-", "I don't care just go- just go read a book or something, you nerd!" You argue not wanting to hear what he has to say before marching away out the cafeteria.

The boy watches as you make your way out the commissary. He kicks his tray to the side, walking back to his table with a glint of annoyance struck onto him.

"Dark Victory of course. It stars Bette Davis, George Brent and most importantly Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca." Jungwoo said swiftly to the two geeks in front of him. Johnny, the only one of the three who could properly score a date with the popular kids started a debate on which film from the late 1930s to the early '50s was le Meilleur which is French for  'the best'. "Did you forget The Great Lie? Probably one of Bette Davis's only good films since she has co-starred with the one and only Mary Astor" He argues speedily. "Hello??" Nayeon says budding in between, "A Stolen Life will remain the best film from the 40s, 50s, and possibly forever I will and could go on about-", "Looks like Film Club's assistant president finally showed up," Johnny says cutting off whatever nonsense Nayeon probably had to add to their already ridiculous conversation. "Sorry, I got stuck in traffic with Yonsei's little princess," Mark says with an obvious eye-roll.

"Watch your words Markie,"  Jungwoo quickly told him. "Her dad-"

"Who funds 75% of the school!" Johnny added, Jungwoo turned to his side giving an annoyed stare before looking back in front of him to Mark. "Her dad who funds 75% of the school. Will ruin you if he gets notice of his daughter's uniform being spoiled with the cafeteria's milk from a film geek." He finishes sipping on his water. Nayeon turned to him, "He can get our club shut down within minutes Mark, watch how you talk to her." 

"So what? Like they'll even come close to us." Mark scoffs, "They're like a whole new alien species." The two in front of them nod, but Nayeon is a little too distracted with the tuna sandwich her mom packed her. "You guys is it just me or is the tuna moving..." Nayeon says slapping Marks forearm softly to grab his, then everyone else's attention. Just before she did Mark's attention was already taken by something- or should I say someone else. "Hey Ryunjin," He quickly says waving towards the girl walking by towards the exit, she turns around to wave before heading out. That's where Johnny inquired, "Face it. You and Ryunjin" He brings his hands up and around to make an 'x' with it, "Never gonna happen." He says watching his shoulders sag slightly, "You've been crushing on her since what? 8th grade, and having numerous occasions to ask her out and not doing so. You missed your shot awhile back unless we had a time machine you and name are a no-go." He finished now invested in what Nayeon's sandwich was up to.

"I-I'd go out with you!" Nayeon says dropping the sandwich into Johnny's hands. "Look, I don't even have time for dating why would I even ask Ryunjin out? I'm cool with being known by her. Plus there's no way I'd do it now, the school board's Annual Film festival is only a little over a month away, I'm our school's candidate how do I mess up because I was distracted by some girl with purple highlights" He said flat-out ignoring Nayeon. "That's true," Johnny says leaning in, "And you are our school best shot at bringing home that huge ass trophy, what's the other prize again?" Jungwoo said agreeing before taking a bite of his pasta. "It's a summer getaway to a Hollywood film camp, I gotta win," Mark said signing the application forms he had in his pocket. "I'm supposed to be a cinematic genius, so what better to do than murder the competition and bring home a trophy after going on a getaway trip to Hollywood to better my knowledge I'm gonna be like the Frank Capra or Victor Fleming around here!"

Johnny grabs Marks's application form to read the requirements, "You have to document something and make it worthwhile..." He read aloud, "What's the documentary about?" Jungwoo asked, "I have no idea." Mark said before snatching the paper. "He has no idea...." Jungwoo whispered almost inaudible in disappointment. Mark writes down ideas on the back of the paper while discussing it with Jungwoo, "So," Johnny starts, "Wanna go out with me?" He said. "No." Nayeon answers strictly as if she was waiting to reject the boy who's attention was back onto her tuna sandwich.

"Anyway, I gotta go hand this into Principle Dong." Mark said witnessing the awkward interaction before getting up and leaving the vicinity

He was playing with the hourglass on his office desk when a knock on the door was heard. "Come in!" He chirped and in came a student. "Ah, Mark." He sang motioning the boy to sit down while he took his legs off the desk. "Came to finally hand me those application forms I've been begging your little club to hand over I see." He said noticing the paper in hand. "Haha, Yea," Mark said avoiding eye contact as he brought his hand up to hand the paper. "Can't wait to see what one of my star students has prepared for the Festival." He said opening the folded paper reading aloud, "A documentary about how lunch ladies keep old food fresh, and our bellies full," His voice started off strong going quieter word by word, looking up at him. "Yeah, you know how the lunch ladies always give us the same green looking sauce every day, or the same batch of oatmeal cookies from months back, every time we sink our teeth into it. It tastes fresh! I've always wanted to know and I think it'd be a cool thing to find out" Mark your blabbering, Is what Principle Dong wanted to tell him so he'd shut up. He didn't want a lame documentary about something to make his school look bad in to be put out in front of dozens of other schools. "Mark." He stops the boy, "Your artistic vision is lunch ladies?" He asked. "Yes, NO! But yes? I'm struggling I can't come up with a good topic that's not gonna bore students and teachers." Mark said. Mr.Dong could see how strongly Mark expressed his struggles with a mere school contest, he probably wants that prize more than anything. He knows he shouldn't help him, since it'd be unfair but he wasn't gonna let him put out something that can ruin his reputation. "Stop playing safe Mark. Challenge yourself by widening your perspective maybe instead of documenting lunch and stuff that you know will bore people and try going after something to catch their attention." Mark's eyes slowly open as he looks up to Principle Dong nodding understandingly "Alright I get it, I get it" He says before clasping his hands together. Mr.Dong sees his improvement and instead of picking another student to compete he can rely on Mark who's now being ushered out the room by him, "Now don't forget I need a new proposal by tomorrow." He said before shutting his door.

"Dude I know exactly what Mr.Dong was getting at,"  Jungwoo tells him. Their school day was over about two hours ago and now they were at their part-time job, at Yong's, a popular little cafe in the middle of a jam-packed shopping mall. "Something challenging...like I don't know maybe a certain diva you encountered during lunch?" His eyes lit up, looking over his shoulder to look at a grinning Jungwoo who flipped his non-existent long flocks of hair like he was the diva. "You're a genius!" Mark said now ecstatic, but quickly going back to his little stressed self, "No, but then how am I gonna convince her?" He said placing his hand up under his chin. 

The bell rings by the entrance, which meant there was a costumer quickly brushing off crumbs from a cupcake he snuck in he turns around to see his proposal for the Film Festival itself. You looked different, you were wearing a pair of plaid pants with a tightly fitted black turtleneck, accessorized by dangling earrings, a heart pendant necklace and a simple gold chain. Your face was quick to cringe after seeing who was about to take your order, "Ugh It's you." You spit looking him up and down, he doesn't look too bad out of school you thought before handing one of the many many bags of clothes to your father's butler. "Here Minho, get a seat for us, please," You tell him watching him rush to one of the many empty seats. "Hi, Welcome to Yong's what can I get for you today?" Mark asked, tone sounding uninterested. "Shouldn't you be happy to see me? I am a miraculous sight for sore eyes," You said getting a half-suppressed laugh from Mark. "Anyway, I would like a grande green tea latte. one pump classic, nonfat, 6 enormous scoops of matcha, 195 degrees, and ABSOLUTELY NO FOAM." You finish, right before starting back up again, "And,  I would like a venti caramel frappe with extra caramel drizzle." You finish finally reaching into your purse to pull out your (dad's) card. When you go to hand the card you see not only Mark but also Jungwoo looking at you, mouths open, jaws almost touching the floor. "Did you not get it? Do I have to repeat my order or something?" You say with a hint of irritation, "Ah- No. Sorry it'll  be 15.50" Mark said averting his gaze from you.

After paying you, tell Mark, "bring it to my table will you?" before walking off to Minho.

"Dude go," Now's Mark's time to actually shine. He makes sure the drinks are perfect knowing ruining them could ruin his entire attempt.  He strides along between the tables finally towards your booth handing you both your drinks. But Mark just stood there, you motioned with your hand as you would to stray animals. "Why are you just standing there, go do your job?" You said already bothered, "Nope, I have a proposal for you.", "Whatever it is, No." You said not even wanting to hear what he's got to say, "I'm gonna ask anyway." He said towering over you and you seated butler. "I want you to star in my movie for the Film Festival this year," You look up, surprised an obvious smile dancing over your lips. "What's it about?" You asked still not sure, "You! I'll have to document your lifestyle til the Spring Formal." Mark said. You bit your lip not knowing to go through or not, but it was a nice ego boost, having someone film your daily life, letting everyone know you got the best friends and most fashionable friends, a prince-charming and a purse worth more than your teacher's salary. Jung Wonyoung, who's also a runner up for Spring Formal Queen having the football team paint her posters and make pins but what's that compared to a freaking movie documenting your life...Winning this year is gonna be easier than expected. "Deal," You said, Mark, cheers a little too loud before bringing his hand out to shake, you reject kindly before letting him know "Don't look like a freaking weirdo at school though. We can start tomorrow at lunch," You finish before seeing him run off to Jungwoo.

Finally home being able to rest from begin outrageously gorgeous today you skip down to your bedroom, hoping into the shower then changing into a more comfortable attire. As of now you were in the middle of your bed doing some homework before the phone went off, it was a notification from Ryunjin, she tagged you in an Instagram post of you and her when you were younger. Your mom took that photo on the first day of grade school back when you and Ryunjin were inseparable. Mom died later that same year and it was heartbreaking but you were stronger than that you knew you shouldn't pity yourself, or have others pity you simply because she passed away, she wouldn't want you to be like that. 

It was a brand new day and Mark was in the principle's office, don't worry this star is nowhere near in trouble when Mark hands in his proposal. "This is marvellous, I can see the growth Mark. Please keep me updated,"  Mr.Dong said watching Mark skip away cheerfully to lunch, where he'd meet you. Fridays at Yonsei were known as the only days of the week students didn't have to wear uniforms to school which often made them pull together a swagger (Johnny's words not mine) outfit for the rest of the school to see. Mark wasn't one to dress up on these days so today he decided to wear his black and blue striped t-shirt paired with black denim jeans,  his black hair parted in the middle this time. He did not look like a film kid. He looked like he belonged to sit beside you, "Hey" you were busy opening up your lunch when he stood behind you with his camera. "Oh-" In all honesty, you thought he'd be wearing baggy trousers and a worn-out shirt but you were filled with joy to see him looking presentable to you. "Hey, sit." You said to him, "I'm gonna just cut to the chase and record..." He said fiddling with the camera for a minute too long, "A few rules before you point that thing in my face," you started as he lifted his face to see you, "Absolutely no filming my left side, no hanging a minute later after filming I need you out of my sight when I hear you say cut." You were strict but not so sure if you meant it. He gave you a thumbs up before clicking record.

"So, Y/n why are you so determined to be Queen at the annual Spring Formal" Mark asked zooming in and out for a few seconds finally focusing, "Because it ensures permanent popularity and I can't fall from my throne can I?" You ask, "Aren't you already popular?" He asked looking up from the camera confused, "Companies at the top of the list don't need to advertise but they do it because..?" , "They need to stay at the top of the list," Mark says understanding where you were getting at. "Exactly, it's not easy to be popular like me nowadays," You say placing your hair behind your ear, "So not easy being like Y/n" Yuna said, Sooyoung agreeing. "Girls not now, this is my time-" , "Actually if they wanna add something they-", "Being popular isn't something you can just fool around with, it's like royalty to us hormonal teens. It's not easy, I gotta live up to these beauty standards, and be on my A-Game whenever." You finish. Not knowing what to say next you smile at the camera hoping Mark would do something- anything but suddenly your knight in shining armor is here- Jihoon takes a seat next to you. "Oh Babe!" You say kissing his cheek; making sure it was on camera. "Only 10's can get date 10's like Jihoon, we're perfect for each other!" You express, but Mark snickers to the scene unfolding behind you watching Yuna and Sooyoung roll their eyes at that certain sentence. "Are you coming to my game today?" Jihoon asked, before noticing Mark. "Why is there a fucking geek near us," He barks but you quickly come to the save. "Ji, we went through this. Mark here is going to be making a movie on how I win Spring Formal Queen." You say, gripping his hand slightly so he could get the memo. "He better not show up to my games", "Never, just eat." You said as he glares at the boy. "Alright, and cut." Mark said before getting up, "Thank you." 

"So...you don't have a job?" Mark asked filming you going through a bunch of clothes, you shake your head no. "You just shop til' you drop huh?" He asked amused at your simple lifestyle, "Of course, now don't come in here this is a school film." You said going into the change room. "Here she comes," You cheered (for yourself) minutes after changing into a short black skirt which was most definitely breaking dress code and a tight white long sleeve which had a deep cut in the back. Mark's mouth is slightly agape seeing you, you were gorgeous indeed he thought. "So tell me what it's like to be...." He trails off trying to find a synonym for the popular " Amazing? Well, there are levels of popularity, at the top moi, and at the bottom..you." You said giving him a grisly glare."Ou! Love these!" You acclaim to a pair of black heels, "Hate these." You say to a set of hot pink ones beside them. "I have two of these!" You declare cheerfully at a pair of white heels which shimmered with sparkles; definitely your style. "How do people get popular?" Mark asked, ignoring your admiration over ridiculously cruel footwear. "Well some are just born with it," You say then go in closer, covering your mouth in a whisper action, "But some gotta follow the diva's around for it." You said, clearly talking about Sooyoung and Yuna.

"Gonna try these on, out Geek," you said to Mark who was almost walking in there with you. "Oh- right sorry!" He said now moving over to your two (deemed) friends. "So, since she's not here... " Mark started  getting the camera up to focus on the two, "Do you have anything about Y/n you can spill?" He asked, "Like, does your popularity only come from following her around," Yuna was quick to fire back, "We may not be as popular as Y/n, but we do know some secrets..." She trails off letting Sooyoung start. "Like when Y/n doesn't get her way, she has the biggest hissy fit,", "And Jihoon is only with her cause he likes the attention, you know to she makes him feel better about himself," Mark couldn't understand how your two announced friends were fundamentally spilling everything about you to an insignificant camera and film nerd. "Behold!" You squeal opening the curtains, to reveal your outfit (which admittedly, had Mark's jaw drop). You were some-what dress shopping for the Spring Formal and you saw this magnificent dress, a silk orchid dress which fell all the way down to your knees frilling at the bottom. The right amount of skin and the right about of puff! You thought; pairing it up with black heels, "God, I look fantastic. What do you think?" You ask the three in front of you, "You-I think you look great!" Mark said the camera to his side, "Film!" You shouted suddenly, as he ponderously brought the camera back up. "Ladies?" You ask the two behind Mark, "You look so good!", "Agreed." They say. The four of you voted to get smoothies before departing and you were ever so willing to pay for all four, "So popular people can't hang out with... nerds?"  He asked filming you sip on the mango smoothie, "Of course we don't," He moved on, placing the camera down to take a sip out of his smoothie thinking there wasn't too much to embellish on, although you continue. "It's better that way, no interference. Why would a dime like me hang out with a nickel?"  You asked oh so wisely which made Mark mumble a WTF. "See, if you two were to go out... The school would go mad as a hatter and it's not gonna end well on both ends." Yuna adds you look to her in the seat beside you, giving her a warning look to 'not talk this is my movie' as she sinks in her seat. Mark sees the silence as an opportunity to ask a question from his cue cards filled with questions that would have something engaging, after finding something to grab not only your attention but the audience about to watch this's attention, he springs the question on you. What if you don't win Spring Formal Queen? "What if I don't? That's not a question, of course, I will? If I don't my life will be over!" You said sliding your drink aside stressing the word over. 

It was in the late hours of the evening and Mark was confined inside his bedroom, editing and stressing. How was this a high school documentary? She only cares about herself, 'fashionable' friends, and prince charming, in which two out of the three didn't even care about her. Maybe she's like this because of what it's like at home? He thought questioning about your at-home life was. Does she have a deep heart-aching past which makes her act like such a nuisance? Nah who am I kidding this isn't some movie. His night was mostly spent, under his blanket with a laptop screen shining into his eyes (probably the reason why he has contacts). 

Saturdays were beach days. That's what Jihoon always said. You'd meet him at the beach where all the (popular) kids from school would go on Saturday mornings, not to sun-bathe but to attend the main volleyball matches would be held. The teams were unauthorized, but for the student's entertainment, our Yonsei's official volleyball team would pick Saturday mornings for a friendly event against Joongdong High. You texted Mark beforehand to meet you there which took him a minute to agree on, but only if he brought his friends, Johnny and Jungwoo. "Hey, you're late!" You tell the boy who's jogging towards you with his tiny camera, you look behind him to see a taller fellow, "And you brought  friends..." You said uninterested and rather irritated, "I'm gonna help Mark, so you look extra beautiful today Y/n!" He quickly said chiming in; his effort in pleasing you was extraordinary. You give him a small smile before nodding. You look beside Mark to see a familiar face, "Johnny!" You cheer before embracing the boy, "Hey Queen Bee" He joked, as you slap his arm jokingly. You and Johnny's dads are business partners, which often made you two spend time together growing up so, in your world, Johnny was your only nerd. Mark just awkwardly stands the before Johnny scatters away with Jungwoo for soda cans, but Mark follows you. Mark was busy filming your little interactions with Jihoon before catching a glimpse of his Ryunjin. He thinks to himself, I can put the camera down for a second, before jogging to Ryunjin, who was getting a soda from the vending machine. "Hey," He said awkwardly. "Hi Mark, didn't come across to you being a beach guy..." She responded laughing at his getup in the hot climate. "OH, I'm just filming for Y/n." He stated catching 'O' shape form on her lips before they start talking casually. You back away, momentarily from the crowd to give yourself a little break, being gorgeous is a workout, you thought, before snickering. You look to your right to see Mark in the distance talking to a brown-haired girl, noticing the purple highlights, hidden between her locks, you realize it's not some rando,  it's Ryunjin. I have to get him out of there. You don't really think before grabbing a spare volleyball to flinging it over the crowd to Mark's head. Running over you ignore the girl aiding Mark, "Are you okay? You look okay. We don't have time for breaks." You said sternly before grabbing his arm and sprinting as fast as you could in a pencil skirt and orange stilettos.

"God, your so lucky I was your knight in shining armour out there. Saved you from your utterly wretched flirting." You tell Mark posing for the camera he set. "Flirting? What, no. Why would I flirt with Ryunjin?" He demanded panicked that you might do something knowing you. "Oh please, your crush on Ryunjin is way more obvious than Wonyoung's fake gold." You said adjusting the skirt you had on. "Can't believe I used to be her friend," You mutter, which he caught onto quickly, "Wait, what?", "Yea, in elementary but look at us now, way out of her league, she's almost at the bottom of the list with her, 'I'm in a rock band' getup." You spit before posing dramatically. 

You sit at the bench in front of the now, empty parking lot. Jihoon ditched you for 'pizza with the boys' to celebrate their victory along with the two friends who just needed to tag along for the sole purpose to tell everyone they hang out with the volleyball team during their free time. "Hey," Mark said sitting down beside you, "They left me and took my car." You say recalling Jihoon asking for your keys to drive to the pizza place. "Now I'm stuck here, do you have a car Mark, let's go somewhere." You whined quietly watching as Mark put his camera away, grabbing your hand to bring you away. "This is Jeno." Mark says, pointing to his Silver 1965 Oldsmobile, "He's getting old but isn't vintage a style you princesses adore?" He asked, chuckling before telling you to get in. "Spot on Film Geek!" You praise, before hopping in. You notice from the corner of your eye a group of kids from Yonsei walking by, you duck down, hiding from them "What are you doing now?" Mark asked confused, before noticing the batch walking down and taking a turn. "Okay Miss Popular, they're gone." He said a little insecure this time giving you a dry laugh. You notice from the corner of your eye a group of kids from Yonsei walking by, you duck down, hiding from them "What are you doing now?" Mark asked confused, before noticing the batch walking down and taking a turn. "Okay Miss Popular, they're gone." He said a little insecure this time giving you a dry laugh. The car failed Mark this time, and not wanting to break the already broken car he tells you "Let's bus it, this car isn't going to start anytime soon,", "What? No way I'm going inside a jam-packed van just for it to stop a block away from my place!" You argue. "God why don't you quit this diva act and just face were gonna walk back which is probably a little over two hours I know you won't ever do or take a thirty-minute bus ride which you should consider knowing your so-called prince took.", "What did you just call me? A diva? Hello?? I'm a star in your film!" You bark, now furious at the boy, "No. You are a stuck-up, arrogant, annoying brat who's in my film." He fired-back. No remorse at all. "You're-You're fired!" You shout. "No, this is my film you don't do the firing!" He said back, "Don't care, I'm the star here and I say you're fired!" You finish before he grabs your wrist, "Oh please I'm the only one who demands are going to be valid and I say you're fired." Mark finished walking away from the bus-stop down the street, leaving you alone and forced to call a cab.

Mark thinks he hit jack-pot, finally getting rid of you. "It's not too late to change projects right?" He tells himself on that gloomy Monday morning, combing his hair with his fingers in the mirror before going downstairs to eat breakfast. Here he was, eating a bagel in Principle Dong's office. "I'm afraid you can't Mark," He said towards the boy. 

"Hello! Yonsei!! It's me your future Spring Queen! Y/n! You want to better the halls of Yonsei? Vote for me, I'm sweet just like candy!!" You shout, the crowd you have in front of you, this was your way of campaigning. "Out of my way," Wonyoung says, grabbing the mic, to advertise and get people to vote for her. As per usual, she one-ups her opponent; you. "Oh my god, Y/n thanks for the advice on flirting, I finally got Wooseok to go with me for Spring Formal," Jisoo said, from behind making you turn with a happy smile, "So I can count on your vote?" Her smile faded quick, she mumbles a little something, before stuffing her face with the homemade cookie's Wonyoung provided, quick to run away.

It was almost the end of the school day and you were stuck in literature recapping on how to write proper paragraphs before your end of the year essay. You notice a semi-familiar face, Nayeon. You know she and Johnny are friends, so she must be close to Mark, you thought. You were gonna ask her to ask Mark to meet you but you'd rather not bring more geeks into your already geek-filled life. You read her phone screen that illuminated brightly in the dim-lit classroom. 'The Fifth Element is having a showing tonight,' A group chat called 'Hollywood's Trash' sent in, Mark would definitely be there. Writing down on a sticky note the address provided thankfully you slip it into your binder focusing your attention back on the lesson, this time with a smile.

You and probably the only other person you'd allow in your bedroom with you is Minho. He's been your family's butler for a little over 25 years now and has been with since day 1. Aiding since you unintentionally fell and cut a mark after attempting to bike without training wheels to strengthening you with your mother's passing. Minho was with you when he dropped you off at the very, very empty cinema. "They're probably inside, just wait until it's over which is..." He looks at his wrist, to his watch. "Another 10 minutes," He gives you an assuring smile before reaching over to open the door. "Knock em' dead," He tells you, before driving off. You sit on the sidewalk ledge with a soda in hand, sipping on it here and there until you began to see people walk out. Standing up, you pat down your skirt and look for anyone that resembles Mark. You see a short boy, black-parted hair and a graphic t-shirt paired with baggy trousers. "Mark!" You shout, he looks behind him to see your petite figure run up to him, "Hey," He said confused. "What are you doing right now?" you asked him eagerly, seeing him turn to Nayeon, Johnny and Jungwoo. "Yong's, we are totally digging sugar cookies," Jungwoo said before Mark could open his mouth, you smile leaning in a little closer to the odd trio,  "Mind if I tag along?", "No! Feel free." Johnny said, grabbing your forearm to drag you along. 

"God how can you guys drink those dreadful things," Nayeon said watching Johnny and Jungwoo gulp down smoothies. You and Mark already finished your drinks a while back, "Nayeon you do know, smoothies have a health glow about them? They’re often a fundamental part of cleanses, and they’re ubiquitous at health food stores and health-centric restaurants. And the smoothie trend is still going strong. Workout studios serve them up post-class, dietitians preach their powers and fit celebrities tout their nutritional prowess. The fruits used at Yong's are fresh and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits with low-sugar, employee's here have also learnt to provide fibre, calcium and vitamins A, C and K they add dark leafy greens like spinach or kale. "Y/n what the fuck??" Nayeon said. You stare at her dumbfounded... Have you said the wrong thing? Were you wrong?

It's still the early hours of twilight, and you are still wandering with Mark and his friends, roaming around the lit-up town. "So, since when did you get so smart?" Mark asked. The two of you were walking delayed to get a chance to talk after your dispute. "What do you mean I've always been like this," You said, a little offended he thought that low of your academic abilities. He mutters a 'wow' before continuing "Well I thought pretty diva's like you only cared about popularity and crowns," He said poking fun at our egotistic side. You gasp before laughing, "So you think I'm pretty?" You sneakily stated which made the boy stutter like crazy, he couldn't answer back without the rosy tint on his cheek growing so you continued on with a little heartfelt apology in hopes he'd continue the documentary. "Look I was hoping you'd let me hire you back to finish this stupid film," You started smiling eye-to-eye hopefully, "You mean, I could hire you back?" He said. "Yes, whatever. Just continuing this- whatever" you pointed at him, then back at you repeating his vigorously "whatever this is.", "Only under one condition, you being a little bossy duchess is not gonna be happening, I like the cool nerdy Y/n I saw at Yong's," He said, which you quickly fired back with 'I'm not a nerd!' You accept your mini defeat against Film Club boy, letting him know you need a ride home before anything. "Alright, get in."

"Wha-What are you doing?!" Mark asked, laughing so much he almost dropped to the floor. You invited him inside after he agreed to drop you off at home. "Making cookies duh!!" You cheer, grabbing all the chocolatey goods from the cabinet. He's quick to pull out his camera and hit record, "Welcome to my Y/n's baking show!" You sang, adding a  trumpet noise (with your mouth). "So, what's the new with you and Ryu?" You ask, sitting beside Mark diving into a very, very unhealthy mess you call a cookie, with Mark. "Nothing really, how are you and Jihoon." You sigh to look over at the spacious living room, Mark understands your silence and understands your having trouble in paradise. "How about I ask some of her band mates- who worship me. If they can ask Ryu to go on a date with you" You suggest to Mark with a soft smile. He looks at you, thoughtfully, "I got someone else on my mind nowadays..." He tells you with a crimson red colour visible on his cheeks. "I-I should get going now it's nearly ten." He says going to grab his things, you nod and walk towards the front door. Maybe some nerds are cool, you thought, before Mark went out. 

3 weeks. You've spent the last three weeks with Mark Lee. Getting to know him, documenting your- I mean our movie. He's been warming up to you, and you've been less of what he liked to call you; diva. You've started flaking out on some dates with the girls, just to film with Mark, you two have learnt more about him through the movie nights you spent over at your place after filming. He's really cool and you're grateful you stopped clowning around to know him.  Today you went over to Mark's place extra early since you wanted to give him a makeover. His dorky striped tees were getting old and you'd like to see him rock the nice clothes in his closet you knew he had. "Wear this, this and OH! Make sure to put these to use." You say handing him a pair of khaki pants, a yellow shirt, patch denim jacket and a beanie to wear. It was beautiful to see him actually clean up for once, he almost made you fall for his looks. "If Ryunjin doesn't ask you out, don't mind if I do," You said laughing "Aren't you too busy with Jihoon to look after me?" He said bluntly laughing before stopping to look for a reaction which was nowhere to be found, "Jihoon broke up with me because apparently, I'm a part of the geek team now!" You said chuckling, a hidden sadness underneath. "Hey, don't worry I've been a member of the geek squad for about my whole life I think we roll far better than rich snobs-", "Hey! Take that back I was one of them" You said punching his arm. "Don't worry you're good," He said laughing it off. To be honest his feelings for Ryunjin over the past few weeks have now shifted into distant memories after getting to know the real you. I think Mark's really been feeling lucky he's got you and he knows you're aware who he's got his eyes on now. You're parting his hand, in between his legs as he sits on the stool, his hands were sneaky to make their way to rest on your hips; you hum unaffected, but proceed to part it nice and neatly before ripping his hands from somewhere it shouldn't be.

It was D-Day. Spring Formal was no longer weeks away, it's hours. You had just recently gotten news that Mark's little documentary he's been making about and with you has won first place in the Annual Film Festival, due to this he had won the summer getaway to Hollywood film camp, which by the way, was exclusive. He was lucky, and he aspired and reached his goal like no other, you on the other hand... Let's just say Spring Formal Queen wasn't something you were looking forward to nowadays. But it did feel nice to win something at a party you didn't even bother to attend, you were too busy telling mark farewell at the airport to be at a function that was still being supervised by faculty. "Don't forget to text me, Mark," You tell the boy in front of you. Today Mark is sporting a red and black striped tee with an In The Row Leather Jacket (gifted by who else other than you!) and some dark blue jeans. "Can't believe you missed the fricken' Spring Formal to hang out with the film geek! Ah You really have evolved," He said standing in front of your hands reaching to nothing when he stuffs them in his jean pockets. "You make me sound like those Digimon characters you collect," You say ultimately making him facepalm at your words Digimon? Really Y/n? he thought before going into a fit of giggles, oh why should he correct you anyways you seem so cute."But no, I won't forget." He assures hand reaching out to rub your side. This time spent with Mark is something the old you would've retched at, but the current you? The current you are thankful, Mark helped you go back to your regular self, showing you that you didn't have to be some type of Barbie doll for some; what Mark called rich slobs. You were better than that now, and you had Mark. You've come to realize that Mark Lee isn't just that geek from the film club. He's above that. His place in your hear is indescribable. Who knew he would be the one to make your heart run laps from simple gestures. It's hilarious in a way, you'd be aggravated if he even came into your vicinity but now you'd be anticipating his visit.

"Mark," You start, watching his eyes light up at you call him. Your eyes meet, looking into one another's dark coffee bean orbs. Your gaze was sharp as if lined with shards of glass around the edges, his eyes. God, when your eyes met, you could see the glow in them, it was irresistible. That is when you finally realize, this newly discovered desire you found in yourself, is in Mark. He foresees your next moves bringing a hand up to your cheek, caressing it. "God, you're so beautiful," He whispers watching both of your arms trail up his torso to rest firmly on his shoulder. Leaning in, you finally taste his peach lips. His heart was racing, once he dipped his face down to you. He knew that once he places his soft pink lips on you, he wouldn't want to stop.  Breaking the kiss, you whisper, "Goodbye, Mark." Hand raising to ruffle his hair, "Make me proud out there," You tell him, leaving a less-heated peck on his lips. "Thank you, goodbye Y/n" He wanders off into his designated area before taking off almost immediately pulling his phone out. Is he really that addicted to elec- Oh, your phone rings. He's calling you, "I miss you already," he tells you the moment you answer. "I miss you too." You tell him. "I have to go, my Uber is here." you bit your lip, the words tangling up in the pit of your stomach, should you tell him the eight letters you've been longing to? "I love you, be safe." You look over the crowd to the seat to see him, looking for you. He brings the phone up back to his ear, "I love you too- Fuck so much," It looks like he's been waiting just as long.

Let's just say your happy ending took couple wrong turns but it looks like you finally reached your destination, in Mark's heart.

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

Nora Roberts Shit Like That

PART FORTY-THREE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of depression symptoms, plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 4.4K

Summary: Ella performs another exercise in spontaneity.

A/N: We've still got the epilogue left, but this is the final regular chapter. Sorry this took so long; endings give me writer’s block. Thank you so much for reading! I have absolutely loved writing this story. I hope you like this chapter! :)

By late May, summer was blooming early and warm and fragrant in Philadelphia. Ella pulled her hair back in a low bun as she padded out onto the terrace. The sun was finally going down, painting the sky a pinkish orange. In the small view of the city past the other apartment buildings, she could see the buildings beginning to light up, tiny and twinkly. Jess was already out there, with a copy of Sharp Objects in hand. He chewed on his eraser, his brows furrowed as he concentrated on the words. There were already chunks of Ella’s messy cursive decorating the pages, and she’d insisted he read it as soon as she finished it the week before. He was already three quarters of the way through.

“This book is fucking crazy, Stevens,” he said as she walked out, not looking up from the text.

“Yeah, cutie. That’s why I like it,” she told him, smiling widely and leaning against the railing next to him.

“So unpredictable,” he deadpanned.

“Whatever, James Dean,” she replied, rolling her eyes and snorting a laugh.

Smirking, he finally shut the book and tossed it back onto one of the mismatched armchairs. Following her gaze, he saw the flaming orangey sun descending behind the cityscape. With the evening light reflected against her freckled face, he could see the green flecks in her eyes when he turned to look at her.

At first, she had not wanted to go to the graduation ceremony at all. She certainly wasn’t walking across the stage in a gown. But, she decided to go for the undergrads she had been the teacher assistant for. They clapped in the auditorium, and went out with Chris, Leo, Matthew, and Mabel to try the new Italian restaurant, which ended up being decent. It wasn’t entirely unceremonious, but there wasn’t much fanfare. Jess didn’t expect Ella to want anything more. She’d ended up finishing her finals a week before the actual ceremony, anyway.

But, still, she was finally done. Chris had even ordered a cake for the table in celebration, despite Ella’s blushy protests. She doubted it would sink in for a while. She was a perpetual student, and was already beginning to feel anxious without steady classwork and homework. But she would start teaching her summer classes in a week or two, and she was planning to fill her time with art and helping out at Truncheon until then.

For the moment, though, she watched the sunset. She felt the night begin to cool down, breezes blowing past her. And Jess could practically feel her relax. Since deciding to take the job at Penn, she’d seemed calmer. He hadn’t realized just how heavily it had been weighing on her until after it was over. She was using vibrant color in her paintings again, which he hadn’t seen in what felt like years. She was coming around to Truncheon after her classes, spending nights with their friends up in the apartment. She was playing music with Leo and running lines with Mabel.

Of course, she still had days when she felt so hopeless about the state of her life, and honestly, the world, that she couldn’t even explain her sadness. But she was working on it. She was trying. It made Jess so proud he almost couldn’t handle it. Watching her, so comfortable in her own skin, made a tiny smirk form on his lips.

As though she could feel his gaze, she suddenly faced him again. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said lightly. “Just looking at you.”

“At me?” she mocked him with dramatic batting of her eyelashes and a breathy voice.

“What can I say? You’re irresistible,” he quipped with a shrug.

She rolled her eyes, trying to brush off the flush rising to her cheeks. “You have to stop saying Nora Roberts shit like that to me.”

“Never,” he shot back smugly.

“Jackass.”

“Nihilist,” he said, then pressed a kiss to her rosy cheek. “A nihilist with a master’s degree.”

“Yeah, it seems that way,” she said, her words a sigh.

“Hey, Stevens,” he began, tilting his head at her a little.

“Yes, Mariano?” she echoed, teasing.

“I’m really proud of you,” he said sincerely.

She bit at the inside of her cheek and smoothed her hands over her simple olive green dress, fidgety and blushing once more. “Thank you. I’m proud of me, too.”

Jess’s smile widened but he felt his heartbeat picking up, stomach churning with anxiety. He felt so wholly content standing next to her, so completely enveloped by love. Dimples and Bette Davis eyes and a loud laugh. So stubborn and passionate and understanding. She was the end and the beginning of everything for him, and he almost felt out of breath at the thought of what was going to happen next. He cleared his throat and ran a hand over his mouth anxiously.

“You okay?” she asked, noticing his uneasiness.

He nodded. “Yeah, Elle...yeah.”

Sighing, Jess decided to bite the bullet, rip off the bandaid. His hands were shaky with excitement. He went over to the suit jacket draped over the armchair behind him. Reaching into his inside pocket, he grabbed the small velvet box. Ella looked on in confusion, as he turned back around and landed on one knee.

A thick shadow of realization crossed her face and her mouth fell slightly agape. “No way.”

“Look, I know you don’t like the big romantic stuff. And please stop me if this all too much of a patriarchal mating ritual for you. But I love you and you love me and we love each other,” he began, looking up at her. He had told himself not to cry, but he was already starting to. With the sunset behind her, Ella looked ethereal and beautiful. “And we’re supposed to be together.”

She rolled her eyes though they were growing tearful, letting out a scoff as he repeated back his own words from years earlier. The night he had tried to get her to come with him to New York flashed across her mind, but her heart didn’t twist in pain at the memory. Instead, it fluttered pleasantly.

“You Hemingway motherfucker,” she whispered through a watery laugh, though she blinked away the tears.

He chuckled breathily, face hot with scarlet color. “I’ll take that one as a compliment. But...I think we should get married. What about you?”

A small giggle escaped her lips before she could help it and she just couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she spoke. “Y’know, most of the time, I don’t really see the point in getting married.”

Jess’s face fell for only a second.

“But that’s most of the time,” she said. “Not when I’m with you, James Dean.”

After a moment of shock on his face, he scoffed and gave a dramatic groan. “Fuck off, Daria.”

Ella shrugged. “Just thought I should give you a taste of your own medicine,” she told him, smile turning to a smirk. “But, if you still wanna marry me after that one, then I’d love to.”

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Really.”

Rising quickly, he enveloped her in a tight hug and kissed her. His lips were gentle and sweet, and almost reminded her of their first kiss so many years ago. Then again, each time he kissed her was pretty much as good as, if not better than, the first time. And, to her surprise, she felt no fear. Something clicked inside her, and she was completely certain. When she pulled away to look at him, she wiped at the stray tears which had fallen on his cheeks.

“I can’t believe you got down on one knee and everything,” she said.

He shrugged humbly. “I try.”

“That you do.”

He looked away from her intense gaze shyly and took a step back, holding the open ring box out to her. “Do you want this ring, by the way?”

“Ah yes! I almost forgot!” she said emphatically. As he had spoken, knelt down, she hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from his own. Brown and sparkling and kind.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw the tiny stone. A polished light purple amethyst shone in the center, and she took it out and slipped the thin gold band over her left ring finger, staring at it. It fit perfectly, and Jess almost couldn’t believe it. After having found it in a tray in the antique store, he’d thought at least some resizing would be necessary.

“I know it’s not huge or anything, but-”

“It’s perfect, Mariano. I mean, it’s fucking lavendar,” she said, flabbergasted.

Jess smirked a tiny smirk. “Yeah, well, lavender is for luck.”

.   .   .

Sat at the island with a paper open in front of him, Jess munched on his cereal. He couldn’t help the smile which was constantly tugging at the corners of his mouth. They were getting married. In all honesty, he hadn’t been entirely sure she would say yes, given her aversion to most things traditional and romantic. Then again, she had certainly seemed to come around to his idealist ways as of late, at least a little bit. And he’d wanted to do it the way it was usually done, on one knee with a ring box open in his hand. He didn’t know exactly what had possessed him to do so, but he was glad. She deserved something normal, something just the right amount of sweet.

Padding on bare feet, Ella waltzed towards the kitchen wearing nothing but one of Jess’s t-shirts, body and mind light from the night before. The early sunshine of the morning bathed the apartment in a sparkling golden glow, made more beautiful by their own joy, it seemed. On her finger, she wore the ring, still new and foreign. But she felt her heart speed up a bit every time she looked down at it. She, too, had been surprised at the way he’d proposed. But, somehow, it managed to feel perfect. It wasn’t over-the-top, but it felt like Jess. Earnest and charming.

He didn’t hear her, too engrossed in his reading, until she pressed a kiss to the top of his head on her way by. He winked at her when they made eye contact, and she rolled her eyes playfully in response as she put on some tea and coffee.

“Hey, Jess?” she asked, leaning over the counter across from him, mimicking their days at Luke’s Diner.

“Hm?” he said, looking up from the news with eyebrows raised.

“Do you wanna get married?” She bit at the inside of her cheek, slightly anxious.

“Well, considering I just proposed to you yesterday, I’d say yeah, I wanna get married,” he replied, teasing and slightly confused.

“No. I meant today,” she continued.

He chuckled a bit, but then saw she was serious. “Today?”

A smile blossomed on her face and she shrugged. “Yeah. Why not? Let’s just go down to the courthouse. We could call up Chris and everyone, to see if they wanna be our witnesses. ”

He gave a surprised scoff, raising his eyebrows. “Pretty spontaneous of you.”

She shrugged, a small smirk on her lips. “I learned from the best. I mean, do you really wanna spend all that money? I don’t really care about having a wedding. The whole tradition seems pretty antiquated to me, anyway.”

“Agreed,” Jess replied, nodding. “Except, what about Luke and Lorelai? And Lane?”

“I mean, we’ve all been to weddings. They’re pretty much the same every time. We can send them a card or something. I just wanna do it, Mariano,” she said, eyes wide and starry with excitement. “I don’t wanna wait. I mean, we’ve been together, more or less, for like, seven years.”

“Minus about four years in the middle there,” Jess pointed out, chuckling.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Like you weren’t pining for me that whole time, loverboy.”

“Hypocrite,” he shot back. “You really wanna do this””

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” she said, with the most certainty possible. It made Jess so happy he almost wanted to start crying.

“You sure you don’t wanna plan it out and everything? I know how much you love planning,” Jess said. His heart was racing in his chest at her proposition. But, he was waiting for her to second-guess it, for her feet to turn cold. He didn’t want her to doubt her decision later, even if the idea of marrying her immediately made him beyond ecstatic.

“I love you more, though,” she said. “But I only want to do it if you want to also. What do you say, James Dean? Is today our wedding day?”

His smile grew, and he was practically beaming. “Yeah. It is.”

.   .   .

After a couple hours waiting on cold, hard wooden benches in the lobby of the courthouse, with Chris snapping as many pictures as possible on his fancy camera (which he bought inexplicably) and Mabel fussing over whether she had done Ella’s makeup well enough, the six of them stood in the air conditioning of the courthouse’s makeshift chapel. In her hands, Ella held a bouquet of thirteen yellow daffodils Jess had picked up from the supermarket on the way. Her stomach was doing flips, her smile was beginning to hurt her cheeks. Despite the spontaneity of the decision, she was beginning to feel like she had been waiting forever. The period after arriving at the courthouse when Leo had to sweet talk one of his friends from high school, who worked as an administrator at city hall, into giving them a marriage license without the customary 24-hour delay had been agony. But they had pulled it off.

They had all made an effort to look presentable, though Ella could hear her mother’s voice in the back of her mind calling them ragamuffins. Jess wore a simple white button-down with black pants, along with his only pair of real leather shoes and a belt to match. Over it, he wore the suit jacket Ella had been so shocked to see him in when she’d first come to Truncheon’s open house. No tie, of course. The only white dress Ella owned was covered in a pattern of black flowers, and she found the traditional sentiments about virginity behind white dresses to be troubling, to say the least. Instead, she opted for a plain navy blue dress with spaghetti straps, made from satin. It was the fanciest piece of clothing she owned, bought for a party at Truncheon two months earlier that had ultimately been cancelled due to a phantom March blizzard. If she had known at the time that it was to be her wedding dress, she would have laughed in disbelief.

On her feet were her old black ballet flats. She felt as though not wearing them would violate old time’s sake. Her hair was curled and pinned half-back. Her makeup was minimal, with small winged black eyeliner and muted pink lip gloss, a little less than she would have done on herself. But Mabel had practically squealed with delight when Ella asked her to put together the wedding look. Her heart swelled at the sight of Matthew and Chris standing behind Jess, and the thought of Leo and Mabel behind her. After so long feeling out of place, Ella thought she was exactly where she was supposed to be, with the exact right people. If she didn’t know any better, she would have called it destiny. But, at the idea, she wanted to roll her eyes at herself. It was Jess’s job to pull out the Hemingway bullshit.

Jess. As he stood across from her, she could see the ghost of the boy she’d met at the diner back when she was a frustrated high schooler. Back when he had been an angry kid. She thought of love at first sight, and how silly it was, and how whole-heartedly he believed in it. A jewel of fondness sat warmly in her core, and her eyes shone brightly with affection. Even back then, he had given her some sort of lively joy when her world was flat, filled with monotony, drudgery, grief. He had shown her how life could be, if she stopped holding onto her pain so tightly. And she liked to think she had shown him a thing or two, as well.

He looked so grown up. Still, it often struck her how much he had changed. The stubble on his jaw, the slight crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiled his slightly crooked smile, or, of course, smirked. His more respectable haircut and his more mature way of dressing. But there would always be a part of him that was exactly the same as it always had been. The foundation that sometimes cracked but never crumbled. The two of them against the world. She thought, not for the first time, of how wholly she trusted in him, more than she ever had before. He felt safe. She felt like she had known him for all eternity. And she felt so sure of marrying him that it was staggering. She swallowed thickly as the officiant gave his dull spiel about legal commitment, which he probably gave to some hopeful young couple every day. Blinking back the happy tears, willing them not to fall and ruin the makeup Mabel had worked so hard on, Ella did as the officiant said and passed her bouquet to Leo behind her. She and Jess joined hands. For some reason, the gesture seemed a bit cheesy, but she did it anyway, not without a sardonic smirk. He gave her fingers a squeeze of reassurance, winking at her, reading her expression expertly. She almost snorted a laugh, but bit the inside of her cheek to stop it. The officiant asked who would like to say their vows first, and Ella immediately spoke up.

“I will,” she said, looking over at the man and then back into Jess’s eyes. “You’re the writer here and I have no interest in following whatever you’re gonna say.”

Jess laughed a little, along with the rest of them, and nodded. He took in a deep breath, still shocked at what was happening. For the life of him, he could not remember a time he had ever before felt so content. The small, nagging voice in his mind told him he didn’t deserve her. She was perfect, after all. But then, she wasn’t, was she? She was stubborn and pessimistic and sometimes stuck in her ways. He loved those things about her, too, even if he sometimes didn’t like them. He had loved her the moment he saw her, and still did, even after finding her flaws. And she loved him, even after finding his. The thought made the voice in his head go completely quiet, for the first time in a very long time. The broken pieces of the puzzles which made them up just happened to fit together exactly, and that was all that mattered, he decided. And he wasn’t scared. He wasn’t nervous about her falling out of love with him. He wasn’t worried about her realizing he wasn’t enough. Instead, he felt complete. He felt ready.

Ella cleared her throat, biting the inside of her cheek again. Then, after taking a moment to compose herself, she began: “So, here we are, Mariano. I’m really happy we decided to do this today, but that means we didn’t have time to plan what to say beforehand. And, like I said, you’re the writer here. So, I’m just gonna try my best...like we always do. We try for each other. I promise I’ll keep trying forever. Because there’s not been one second since I met you that I haven’t wanted to be with you. I miss you whenever you’re gone, even if you’re only gone for a minute. Even when I fucking hate you, I want you with me. Because you are the only person who’s ever made me feel like I’m home.”

Pausing for a moment, she blinked back her tears again. And she disentangled one of her hands from his, to wipe away the dampness on his cheeks with her thumb. His face reddened with embarrassment, but still, the small smile was ever-present on his lips. She clasped her hand in his once more, and continued.

“I love you, simple as that. I didn’t even believe in love when I met you. But then you came and fucked that mindset up royally. You gave me a bed when I was drunk, and you wrote notes in the margins of my books, and you showed me the Hudson River. And a million other things. I have never known a person who is more kind and intelligent and generous and thoughtful. And such a smartass,” she added, and everyone laughed.

She shrugged playfully, and squeezed his hands in return. “You’re the fucking best. You’re it, cutie. I know you know how I feel about that hopeless romantic bullshit you’re partial to. And I never thought I’d believe in soulmates. But, today, with you, I do. Because you’re mine, James Dean. And I’m yours. You once told me we belonged to each other, and I think that’s true. So, why not make it official in the eyes of the law?”

Again, they laughed. But Jess had to choke back more crying at her words. And he had to prepare himself for what he knew was coming. She had always been the better public speaker. He was so nervous he could barely contain himself, despite her beautiful vows. In fact, maybe even because of them. She wasn’t the writer, but she’d pretty much nailed it, he thought. For a fleeting moment, he felt sick from the anxiety. What if he fucked it up? But, again, she squeezed his hands.

And he felt more sure of himself as the officiant passed the torch to him. He cleared his throat, sniffed, and met her ardent hazel gaze. At once, he felt like it was just the two of them.

“I may be the writer, Stevens. But in just a minute everyone will see why I didn’t go into public speaking,” he began. She shook her head a little at him and giggled, urging him to go on. “When I came back to Stars Hollow for my mom’s wedding, all I could think about was you. You were everywhere in that town, even when you weren’t. I wanted to tell you how much I loved you, and I didn’t know how. Granted, the plan I came up with to tell you definitely wasn’t the best. But, while I was there, Luke gave me this book to help me...learn about open communication.”

She let out another laugh and her cheeks were mirthful roses.

“Hilarious, I know,” he deadpanned, and she kept giggling. The sound made his grin widen. “Anyway, I’ll spare you the details, even though you’ve been asking me for them for years. I always wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Pretty much since the minute I saw you, honey. Even if you can’t relate to that Hemingway stuff, as you so eloquently put it. But there was one part in the book that made me decide to tell you. The narrator’s talking about the divorce of these two middle-aged tragedies named Philip and Judy. The narrator says Philip would have figured out how much he loved Judy if he had asked himself a few questions.”

Pausing, he averted her gaze for a moment. “I can’t believe Luke isn’t here to see me put this shit in my vows. I’m sorry, Eleanor.”

She chuckled through the happy tears welling in her eyes. “It’s okay, cutie. It’s perfect.”

He cleared his throat, nodding slightly. Taking his hands out of her grip, he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out an old, folded book page. He opened it, looking down, and began once more. “He should have asked himself the following questions: ‘Whose phone calls or visits are never unwanted or too long? Do you see her face? Who would you most like to have in your life to ward off moments of loneliness? Do you see her face? When you travel, who would make your travels more enjoyable? Do you see her face? When you’re in pain, who would you most like to comfort you? Do you see her face? When something wonderful happens in your life, with whom would you first want to share the news? Do you see her face? Whose face appears to you?’”

After the recitation, he folded the piece of paper back up and tucked it inside his jacket.

“Did you keep that this whole time?” she asked, blurting out the question before she could stop herself. She was overwhelmed with affection at the gesture, and for the moment, she could see no one else besides Jess as he stood across from her.

“Yeah, I ripped it out before I gave the book back to Luke,” he explained, lowering his voice, conspiratory.

She laughed. “Thief.”

He shrugged, unaffected. “Que será, será.”

Stifling another laugh, she nodded and composed herself. “Just checking. Go on.”

He retook her hands gently. His joking air disappeared and all at once, he was feeling the full weight of his emotion again. Clearing his throat, he hoped to ward off the shake in his voice. “I saw your face every time, Elle. Every single time. I wanted you to be that for me, and I wanted to be that for you. Because you’re beautiful, and you’re brilliant, and you’re the most unselfish person in the world. And I don’t want to spend one more second not married to you.” Then, after taking a deep breath, he finished: “Eleanor Stevens, I have been in love with you since I was seventeen.”

A smile so wide it hurt her spread across Ella’s face. She shook her head at herself as she began to cry just a little harder. Before she could think to say anything else, she pulled him in to place an affectionate kiss on his lips.

“Hey, we’ve still got a few paragraphs to get through, kids,” the officiant scolded them gruffly, though not unkindly.

Images of a flannel-clad diner owner back in Connecticut appeared in Ella’s mind. She caught Jess’s gaze, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing. She bit her lip, and then put her head to his shoulder, laughing loudly. His arm wrapped instinctively around her waist. Standing there, leaning on each other, they shook happily with messy giggles.