#also while we’re on glams I want from square

[avalon821]

Tyr’s been having a blast on the mountain.

[mr-styles]

Harry Styles Got Shameless for Harryween, to the Surprise of Literally Nobody

The two-night Fancy Dress Party at Madison Square Garden, announced two years ago, was a Halloween treat worth the wait.

Ever since Harry Styles announced his Harryween shows in New York, almost two years ago, anticipation ran high. But Harryween was worth the wait. It was the hottest Halloween party in town, as fans took him up on his challenge to dress up for the occasion in Madison Square Garden. And to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Harry overdid it. On Saturday night, he came out as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, posing with his picnic basket, dress, hair bow, and ruby slippers. For Sunday, he covered Britney Spears’ “Toxic” in a Pierrot clown suit, and he relished every ruffle of it. “I must say, I feel fabulous,” he told the crowd on Night One. “Do you feel fabulous? Good! Now we’re going to sing a sad song.” The whole Harry philosophy in one line.

The weekend was billed as a Fancy Dress Party, but it was a lot more than that. Over two nights, Harryween was a delirious glam-pop orgy, and the crowning cherry-on-top moment for his amazing Love on Tour. Originally booked for 2020, Harryween got pushed back a year when the pandemic hit. It was a long overdue victory lap for his blockbuster Fine Line, which dropped in the final days of 2019. Before the lockdown, he got to do only one proper U.S. arena show, at the L.A. Forum, where Stevie Nicks joined him to duet on “Landslide.”

But because Harry has an insatiable appetite for wreaking ungodly chaos in our lives, he topped his own standards this past weekend. Every moment of Harryween had the essence of a Harry live show, which is creating a communal sense of joy that turns total strangers into a congregation of ecstatic revelers. As he told the crowd, “Please feel free to be whoever it is you’ve always wanted to be in this room tonight.” The boyish mischief on his face as he started the rare fan-fave “Medicine,” knowing full well he was about to intoxicate everyone with “Toxic” — just pure evil. Britney was right — a guy like him should wear a warning, although maybe a clown costume counts as one.

When Harry spoke to Rolling Stone about his debut solo tour, he summed up his live aesthetic. “To me, the greatest thing about the tour was that the room became the show,” he said. “It’s not just me. I’m just a boy, standing in front of a room, asking them to bear with him.” But the room really became the show for Harryween. So many angels, fairies, superheroes, queens, cowgirls, Britneys, Juliets, Eltons, Cher Horowitzes, “Good 4 U” Olivias, sunflowers, the Bring It On cheerleaders doing cartwheels on the floor. And the twin queens of this year’s Halloween: Megan Fox from Jennifer’s Body and Velma from Scooby Doo. Glitter everywhere. Sequins and wigs. Feather boas. One of the best audience signs: two fans dressed as zombies, with the placard “Eat People With Kindness.”

Nothing could have kept this guy out of a dress for Night One. As Judy Garland’s Dorothy, he kept prancing and skipping and curtsying. (Has anyone loved anything as much as Harry loves to curtsy?) At one point, he clicked the heels of his ruby slippers while guitarist Mitch Rowland played the psychedelic “She” solo in his Cowardly Lion costume. The whole band was decked out in Oz drag: drum goddess Sarah Jones as the Wicked Witch of the West, bassist Elin Sandburg as Glinda, keyboardist Ny Oh as the Scarecrow, keyboardist Niji Adeleye as the Tin Man, and percussion master Pauli Lovejoy as the Wiz. (In a band full of larger-than-life personalities, it took a special kind of cruelty to cast the shy guitar dude as the Lion, but Rowland worked that mane like a true king of the forest.)

Harry committed to the role, right down to the tiniest details. Even when he skipped off and onstage for the encore break, he refused to surrender his picnic basket. After introducing the band, he held up the basket and yelled, “Now also, make some noise for Toto!” For the encore, he glided right from the ballad “Sign of the Times” into “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” tipping his cap to the long queer histories encoded in the song. (Right down to how David Bowie interpolated it into “Starman.”) He captured the sad yearning in the tune, without playing it for laughs. Here’s to his Dorothy Era — let’s hope he keeps on following the yellow brick road.

For Night Two, he laced up in a Gucci clown suit full of ruffles and frills. It evoked Bowie in his classic “Ashes to Ashes” video, with a similar emotional impact. As Bowie said in the Seventies, “I’m using myself as a canvas and trying to paint the truth of our time on it. The white face, the baggy pants — they’re Pierrot, the eternal clown putting over the great sadness of 1976.” Between clowns and The Wizard of Oz, Harryween covered two-thirds of my childhood nightmares. (To complete the hat trick, he could have added the Abominable Snow Monster from Rudolph.)

This might have been a fancy-dress bash, but that didn’t make it fundamentally different from his other shows — at any Love on Tour stop, it’s tough to find any corner of the room that isn’t strewn with feathers. During one of the early-October NYC shows, he singled out a group of dads to roast their fashion decisions. “You want to know how I know you’re dads? Because you’re wearing a golf shirt to a concert. All three of you, tucked in!” There was a touching moment Sunday night when he announced, “We have a very special guest in the audience — he was here last time we were in New York. Golf Daddy is back! He’s STILL tucked in!”

Musically, this tour goes for high-energy dance pop, skipping some of the biggest ballads in his songbook to keep the vibe festive, especially the 15-minute jam of “Canyon Moon,” “Treat People With Kindness,” and the early One Direction oldie “What Makes You Beautiful.” For “Treat People With Kindness,” the fans on the floor had a country boot-scootin’ line dance — they worked out the choreography long-distance around the country. And on this queerest of annual holidays, “Lights Up” took on a new resonance. Fans passed around different-colored slips of paper and Harry asked them to shine their phones’ flashlights through them, creating a rainbow around the room — a statement of Harryween Pride.

On Sunday, he stunned the crowd by busting out “Medicine,” a Stonesy pansexual anthem that got cut from his debut solo album, yet became a highlight of his first tour. He milked the surprise, pausing midpose as Jones struck up the drum intro and pandemonium swept through the room. Everyone sang the hook: “The boys and the girls are in/I mess around with them/And I’m OK with it!” (It’s officially “them,” but it’s fair to say most fans sing “him.”) And he went right from that to “A guy like you should wearing a warning.” There were rumors all night he might dip into the Spears songbook, since his stylist, Harry Lambert, changed his Twitter header to a Britney photo a few hours before the show. Yet “Toxic” was a surprise, just a few weeks after he waved a “Free Britney” banner onstage. Three years ago, in Madison Square Garden for summer 2018, a fan asked Harry his favorite Britney song. When he replied “Toxic,” the fans started chanting, “Sing it, sing it!” “You want me to sing it?�� Harry asked. “Well, let me see … [Dramatic throat clearing] No.” But tonight he finally delivered his “Toxic,” and he went all the way into the song, taking his sip from the devil’s cup and slipping into a poison paradise.

The show ended, as always, with the glam-rock powerhouse “Kiwi,” which never fails to make the entire building wobble like a belly dancer. Fans on the floor gathered in a ring to create an awe-inspiring mosh pit. (At the Oct. 4 show, one of those moshing fans was Halsey.) It’s an amazing sight to witness from anywhere in the room, and it’s gloriously terrifying to get swept up in it, with the floor bouncing madly. The mania unleashed by “Kiwi” summed up everything Harryween was about: stepping into the light and finding out who you are. It was a Halloween weekend never to be forgotten.

[dltndvs]

Lee Sooyeon on first full-length album ‘you=i’, love, and her favourite Taylor  Swift song.

what’s the meaning of you=i? 

you equals to i. very grammatically incorrect, but i preferred the way ‘i’ looked over me.

is the theme of the album similar to the meaning?

yeah, actually! i can’t believe you asked-- i figured i was going to have to somehow work this into the conversation. didn’t get to how i was going to do that, but [laughs]. this album is split into the me, or ‘i’, who met love and ‘you’. it’s definitely an album about love, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be interpreted as a love story between two separate people, but also a journey to self-love.

elaborate more on the ‘you’ and ‘i’?

on the tracklist, the first 5 tracks are ‘i’-- side a, while the other 6 tracks are depicting the story after i’ve met ‘you’. the ‘i’ is definitely much more moody and melancholic than what anybody’d expect of me, i think, but it’s very much me. june actually cried when i let her have the first listen! ‘you’ is much more hopeful, and something that i think is very much needed after the ‘i’ tracks.

what’s your take on the story, and a brief explanation about each of the tracks?

as always, i want to leave enough up to the listener’s interpretation, whether it’s a love story or one where you find love within yourself.

workaholic is a new sound for me, but a challenge that i really enjoyed taking on. the mood and lyrics are more sombre than all of my previous releases, and i think the fact that it’s the lead single on my album is a little bit unexpected. i wrote this with the mindset of both lee sooyeon as well as an everyday salaryman. the song’s very straightforward. 

hard to love is actually the only song that’s really explicitly about a breakup, but it’s shrouded in a lot of self-blame. the korean title’s 나만 안되는 연애, which means a love that only i can’t have. there’s a line-- ‘it’s like i’m the only one living in a world like this.’ that i think is super heartbreaking. i actually got most of this done in one take, and when i was done with that one, someone in the studio asked me ‘who HURT you like that?’

to my youth is…i think everyone goes through times of sadness, where they need to both know that they’re not alone, but also to be comforted, and so i just felt like this was a track that very much needed to be released.

rest and as i am are both english tracks-- they both talk about wanting to be free and deciding to put down a lot of the expectations and living as you please. it’s sort of a bridge and warms you up for the ‘you’ tracks, while still being sonically cohesive. 

number 6, the grand dreams, is where it starts picking up. it’s a very warm sort of song that’s ‘as beautiful as a fairy tale’, and talks about being a main character in the story being told. the rest of the tracks are all really just about falling in love with the ‘you’ that the listener has met; whether that be someone else or yourself! 

bye bye my blue talks about loving someone so much you want to be bigger, be better for them in order to embrace them warmly, which is a very sweet sentiment to me-- the desire to change and to want to better yourself because you love someone. of course, sometimes you plateau and stagnate for a bit. your ocean’s about asking your lover for forgiveness and understanding-- to be kind to you as you work on yourself. it also reminds you about the love they have for you. 

bunny and lovelovelove are similar; english tracks that depict a love story with its own ups and downs. love’s something that always has to be worked on, and a choice you have to consciously make, whether it’s to love yourself every single day, or decide to love your significant other’s shortcomings. 

hold my hand is… yeah, it’s definitely a love song. it talks about wanting to be brave and pursue the love that you want. i think the composer of the song actually spoke more about it on a livestream.

what’s your creative process like? how was it like working on this album? 

i originally planned to release the ‘i’ tracks as a mini-album. i’d worked on the songs before, during and after my first hiatus. i was going through a really tough time, which i do… think come off in the lyrics. they’re all very personal; i actually took a few days to record ‘to my youth’, because i would just get too emotional and end up crying while in the booth. i honestly don’t think i’d have been able to do it without my best friend and producer, ash kwon. 

the ‘you’ tracks are all written, um, after september 2019? i spent a lot of my time off writing songs. not being able to sing and perform was what made me realise i wanted to do it forever, and so i just kept writing and writing like crazy. 

hold my hand was written by monroe-- the minute i was done listening to the guide, i just kind of went ‘okay, well, where are the lyrics, how soon can i get into the studio to record this?’ he’s a very talented person whose artistry i really respect, and it’s really amazing that i got to sing a song made by him. 

bunny was done in one-take in my home studio-- like, what you hear on the record’s the first take. i was just sitting down and it was not meant to be a super serious take, but for some reason, i got super into it? was reading the lyrics off my phone while i sang, and i actually was holding back laughter pretty much the entire last minute. failed very spectacularly during one of the ‘i’m your bunny’s, but it sounded good so we just left it in.

you mentioned that square (2017) was one of the first ever songs you’d written-- what’s changed in the 4 years since?

i was much younger in 2017, and when i wrote that, i was feeling very alone? i’ve always thought that i was sort of a complicated person personality-wise, and when i first started writing the lyrics, it was sort of an impossible hope for my future; to have someone be able to know, and fully understand and love me, which i didn’t think would happen. i was and still am someone who really wants to be loved, and i want to think that i’m doing my best to love and be loved now, which is really all there is to it, right?

the song was incomplete for the longest time, and it was only this year that i wrote a bridge that i actually liked enough to put into the song. my personal favourite lyrics are ‘you’re the only one who saw my yesterday, the one who knows i’m here alive, today.’ while the entire song talks about having someone who can comfort and be there for you, ‘my yesterday’ versus ‘i’m here alive, today’-- someone who’s seen the you who’s not reallty you yesterday but also the you that’s alive today and loves you just as much.

what’s your favourite taylor swift song?

new year’s day! i think my views towards love are very reminiscent in my songs. there’s a line from a show i recently watched that really stuck with me: ‘if soulmates do exist, they're not found, they're made. people meet, they get a good feeling, and they get to work building a relationship.’

it’s like, sure, there’s the glitz and glam and it’s nice and all that you’re with me when i’m the toast of the town, but to be with you in the resulting aftermath… yeah. i want someone who picks up the pieces with me. someone who stays even when we’re making mistakes, because that’s realistic, right? both the pretty and the ugly. there isn’t a perfect relationship, and i think the right person is someone who wants to work as hard as you do to build a good one.

what’s next for you?

i’d like to go home and nap. [laughs] a cold can of beer first, maybe. definitely more self-written and produced music. i’ve got a lot more up my sleeve.

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 8 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Guess what? We’re posting this today instead of tomorrow because we just love you guys so much, and your comments made us very productive today! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: A wild night in the club led to a miserable, hangover-fueled day for Violet--and then a frustrating week, as Fame rejected all of the assistant candidates.

This Chapter: In a last-ditch effort to find a new assistant for Fame, Violet gives Courtney a shot.

***

Never in Courtney’s life had she seen a room as white, spotless and intimidating as Galactica’s reception area. She sat on the pristine sofa, hands folded in her lap, anxiety gnawing at her stomach. She’d been sending out resumes for almost 2 months, ever since she’d gotten to New York, in a desperate attempt to find a job--any job--that would allow her to stay in the United States.

This was only her second interview so far, the first one being a disaster - she’d missed her train connection and arrived late and sweaty from running ten blocks, and then the hiring manager had spent the entire time talking straight to her chest, patting her on the ass as she left while telling her that she was unqualified.

Of course she was unqualified.

Courtney was a 21-year-old who’d just graduated a few months earlier with a philosophy degree and zero office experience. Her current under-the-table job, waitressing at an Aussie-themed steakhouse in Times Square, was not going to keep her in the country. (Although she was grateful to her friend Morgan for hooking her up with it, since she’d be flat broke otherwise.)

Courtney had to stay in the country if there was any hope of her real dream coming true, which was to become a professional singer and songwriter, and maybe even a Broadway actress, if she was lucky. If she could ever get so much as an audition, which had also not happened yet. The best she’d done so far was sometimes singing with Adore’s band, but punk rock wasn’t really her style, and though she was grateful to her bestie for giving her a shot, it always felt awkward and wrong.

While she waited to be called for her interview, she prayed with all her heart; she wasn’t sure she believed in god, but it couldn’t hurt, right?

She prayed that her connection to Adore would mean something here. That Violet would remember her. That Miss Fame would like her. That the hours she’d spent carefully putting together her current outfit, getting her roots touched up and press-on nails to cover her real ones (bitten down to the quick) wouldn’t all be a waste.

Courtney heard the sound of heels coming down the hall, and then Violet appeared from around the corner. Courtney felt relief washing over her, happy to see the beautiful girl she had instantly bonded with the other night.

It was actually amazing that Violet had come through for her, making sure that her application had made it to Fame herself. Courtney smiled brightly.

“Good morning, babes!”

Violet gave her a cursory smile back, quickly checking her watch. “It’s almost noon.”

“Oh, yeah,” Courtney swallowed, feeling like an idiot as Violet looked her up and down like a zoo animal. “I was just making conversa-”

“This isn’t a place for small talk,” Violet said, then pointed at her purse. “Leave that with Roxy.”

“What?” Courtney clutched the bag to her chest. “No!” It was one of her favorite accessories, a star-shaped silver handbag with pink iridescent piping. Not to mention, it contained her phone, wallet, keys, and pretty much everything important.

“Courtney.” Violet made a small, aggravated noise. “If you want any hope of getting this job, you will leave that thing here at the front desk where Miss Fame can’t ever see it.”

Whoever this Violet was, she was very very different from the fun, friendly girl she’d met at the club.

“Okay,” Courtney agreed reluctantly, handing the bag over to the receptionist, who pinched it between her thumb and forefinger as if it was covered in dog shit.

Courtney rolled her eyes.

It wasn’t an expensive designer handbag. So what? Surely she wasn’t the first girl to own a fun, cute, novelty purse.

“Come with me,” Violet then said, taking off back down the hall.

Courtney hurried after her, following her into an immaculate conference room with a huge table. Violet gestured to one of the chairs.

“Sit down please.”

Courtney sat, nerves still on edge.

“So…” Violet sat down across from her, notebook open, looking at Courtney’s resume. She clicked her pen. “How much do you know about Galactica? Miss Fame? What research have you done on the company?”

“Oh, um…” Courtney paused, deflating a bit. She’d been prepared to talk about herself, not realizing that there was going to be a quiz. “Well, I know that it’s a very...uh, influential fashion house. And that Miss Fame is the CEO. And…”

Violet waited for another second, before she sighed deeply.

“Let me explain. Miss Fame is one of the busiest and most sought-after people in town. She started this company with Raja Gemini when she was only 26 years old. They got accepted and won the Fashion Fund on their first try. They’re visionaries. Why do you want to work here?”

“Well, I’ve always loved fashion-”

“Have you now?” Violet said, giving her a stern once-over.

Courtney felt like those judgmental eyes would melt her very soul, and suddenly became extremely self-conscious about her choice of outfit. Was her skirt too short? Did her jacket not fit right? Was she wearing anything as offensive as that purse she couldn’t even take into the office? She gulped.

“Y-yes.” It was the truth, even if Violet didn’t believe her. Ever since she could remember, Courtney had loved putting together fabulous outfits. Usually with her brother, both of them getting glammed up and prancing around the house, pretending that they were posh ladies with all the money in the world. And when they were older, he was the one who dressed her up and escorted her to talent agents and auditions--her own little stage mom. “And I did some modeling as a kid in Brisbane.”

Violet rolled her eyes. “Please don’t say that, it won’t impress her at all.”

“Alright. Well, it seems like it would be a really exciting job. And Adore always talks about how wonderful Fame is-”

“Miss Fame,” Violet corrected her. “You aren’t her friend, call her Miss. And don’t mention Adore.”

“No? But she said-”

“She’ll think it’s tacky. She would never hire someone because of a personal connection. If you get the job, it’ll be on your own merits, not because you know Adore. And not because we danced in a club the other night. Don’t mention that either.”

“Okay. Got it.” Courtney bit her lip. This whole situation seemed less and less likely to work out, the few advantages Courtney thought she might have coming in slipping through her fingers like sand.

“Look, Courtney. Working as Miss Fame’s assistant is not some frivolous job full of exciting parties and fancy clothes, okay? It requires you to be organized, and smart, and always stay ten steps ahead of everyone. You’ll need to anticipate Miss Fame’s every need, before she even knows she has them. Is that something you think you can do?”

Anticipate needs before Miss Fame knows she has them? What in the fuck was Violet talking about? She wasn’t a psychic. But this was a job interview, and Courtney supposed that she should nod and smile.

“Yes. Yes, of course,” Courtney said. “I’m...very intuitive.”

“Mmhmm. And how are you with Microsoft office?”

“Pretty good, I think. And I learn very fast,” Courtney said.

“What about communication? Written, verbal...are you a good communicator?”

“Very!” Courtney exclaimed, gaining a little bit of confidence. Finally, something she knew she could handle.

“I’m gonna be honest with you. You don’t have a lot of experience and she has been very, very picky. So your best bet, when you go in with her, is to keep your mouth shut and just listen. This job isn’t about you, it’s about what you can do for her. You don’t matter. Does that make sense?”

Courtney nodded slowly.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being harsh. I’m just trying to prepare you so that you have half a chance.”

“Oh, I know! And thank you, honestly. I really need this job. My visa is-”

“For god’s sake, don’t mention your visa. If you get the job, HR will deal with that.”

“Right, of course.” Don’t mention the visa. Don’t mention Adore. Don’t mention the club. Don’t mention modeling. Courtney’s head spun, praying she’d remember anything she was allowed to say when Fame asked her questions.

“Look. Everyone in New York wants something from Miss Fame. If you’re her assistant, your most important job is to be the gatekeeper. You need to say no to people without them realizing it’s happening. You protect her from all the madness, support her so that her brilliant creative mind can thrive. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Definitely.” Courtney nodded emphatically, and she saw the first thing that almost looked like a smile on Violet’s face since she had arrived.

“Good.” Violet glanced at her watch. “I need to get back. You can stay here until she’s ready for you. But remember...don’t say anything unless you’re answering a direct question. Okay?”

“Okay,” Courtney said.

“Good luck Courtney, and don’t fuck it up.”

With that, Violet picked up her things and sailed out of the room, leaving Courtney alone. She held her breath for a full 10 seconds before letting out a huge sigh, head dropping onto her arms.

Soon, the sound of heels approaching again caused her to jump, spine ramrod straight as Violet threw open the door and snapped her fingers.

“She’s ready. Let’s go.”

***

Fame leaned back in her chair, assessing the girl in front of her with a discerning eye.

She was certainly a pretty little thing, bright-eyed and well-groomed, definitely the right look. Of course, her shoes were cheap and a bit scuffed, the chunky heels absolutely horrifying, but that could be fixed.

She was trembling like a leaf--although Fame didn’t particularly mind that part.  

Courtney had said very little (another mark in her favor), but from what she had offered, Fame appreciated the accent right away. Something about an Australian accent tended to both impress and intimidate Americans, which could easily work in her favor.

After watching her suffer in silence for a few moments, Fame leaned forward, asking, “So...Courtney, was it?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think you’ll bring to this job that no one else can?”

“Well...I work very hard, and I’m very organized, and, uh...I’m really good at playing dumb.”

Fame tilted her head. Well, this was certainly an interesting answer.

“Go on.”

“Violet, she said that most of the job is protecting your privacy and being a...gatekeeper for people who want your attention. That you have to do it in a nice way.” Courtney cleared her throat, continuing nervously. “I think I would be good at pretending I don’t know things, like where you are when you’re in the middle of something that they’re not allowed to know about. Like, um, acting innocent or like...”

Fame continued to listen, eyes narrowed slightly, watching with amusement as Courtney cringed a bit.

“I’m sorry, that was very long-winded. I think I’d be good at making people feel good even when I’m saying no to them.”  

“Hm.” Fame lifted her resume, looking it over one more time. She was inexperienced. Very inexperienced. But there was something about her that Fame found charming, even shrewd.

Besides, if she took longer to train, well, then Violet would just have to stay longer. Which was no skin off Fame’s back.

“Thank you, Courtney.”

“Oh.” Courtney seemed to realize that this was her cue to leave, standing awkwardly. “Thank you so much for the opportunity. It was an honor to meet you,” she said, looking like she wanted to say more, but deciding against it. Another plus.

“That’s all.”

***

Violet had never been happier to see the end of the workweek than when the clock struck 7 on Friday.

Fame would leave soon and then Violet would finally have time to tie up the loose ends of the day, which had gone by like a whirlwind.

Violet kicked off her shoes to rest for just a moment. She was feeling utterly exhausted but victorious.

Courtney had been hired, the girl shrieking so loudly when Violet had called to tell her the news that she almost burst Violet’s eardrum.

Violet leaned back, looking up at the ceiling, her eyes slipped closed. It was just a moment, just for one single moment.

“Ahem.”

Violet heard the cleared throat, but she was so tired she could barely open her eyes. The front doors were closed, the alarm set up on most floors, so it had to be someone from their own company.

“What can I help you with?”

“Is Fame still here?” Violet didn’t recognize the voice, the tone of it clearly male, but it didn’t matter who it was. They weren’t going to be allowed in.

“She is, but Miss Fame is not taking anymore meetings for today,” Violet sat up straight, and opened her eyes, “so if you could plea-”

Violet froze in place, the man in front of her someone she knew very, very well.

“Mr. Bertschy!”

“Hello.” Patrick smiled.

“Oh god, I am so sorry.” Violet stood up straight, quickly smoothing down her dress. Of course it was Fame’s husband. Of course. He often worked just as late as Fame, and since his offices were also in the building, he had keys and codes for everything. “I’ll call her right away for you sir, I’m so sorr-”

“There will be no need for that, Violet.”

Violet stopped immediately as she heard Fame’s soft voice coming from her office, the woman herself walking through her door seconds later.

“Hello darling.” Fame smiled, a tenderness in her eyes as she walked over that Violet very rarely saw. Fame leaned forward, gently kissing her husband.

Violet looked away quickly, Fame always preferring to keep her privacy around employees, from what Violet knew.

She felt like an absolute idiot that she hadn’t made the connection that the visitor would be Fame’s husband, Violet herself making the very dinner reservation they were on their way to now.

“Are you ready to go, darling?”

Patrick nodded and Violet hurried over to get Fame’s coat and purse from the closet. She walked over, holding it up so Fame could slip into it, the scent of her perfume filling Violet’s nose as she did just that.

“I expect everything to be ready Monday for our new employee.” Fame took her purse. “It will be your responsibility to train her, so be prepared to work overtime.”

Violet nodded. “Yes Miss.”

“Good.” Fame took her husband's arm, the two of them walking to the door where Fame stopped.  “Oh, and Violet.” Fame looked over her shoulder. “Put on some shoes.”

Violet looked down, horror rushing over her when she realized that she had forgotten to put her shoes on.

“Yes Miss, it will happen Miss, right away.”

***

Katya would be hard-pressed to name a place in the world she loved more than their building’s rooftop. What had begun as a little community herb garden and grilling station had expanded over the years into a sanctuary. The rows of trees and potted plants lining the sides provided shade, their own little oasis in the urban jungle. They were chosen specifically to attract birds and butterflies as a tribute to Max, her very favorite birder and someone whom Katya relied on as a source of calm in a hectic world.

With permission from Fame, Katya had blown through the last of her own personal trust fund with a complete renovation to the barbecue area, turning it into a fully functional outdoor kitchen and lounge area, perfect for their weekend brunches.

Trixie had gently questioned her at the time; as someone who grew up with so little, he needed money in the bank or he’d get anxious. But what he might never understand was how much joy Katya had gotten creating a place to share with their friends and neighbors, how the time they spent together was more valuable to her than money had ever been.

Katya’s father was an ambassador, and after their family moved to Washington D.C. from Russia when she was just 3 years old, her life was full of stiff formal dinners, itchy fabrics that made it impossible to sit still, and so many rules that it made her head spin.

What followed were years of stuffy New England boarding schools and regimented summer camps. Every second of every day was planned for her: Latin and classical piano, cotillion and horseback riding lessons. Katya tried, she really did, to live up to all of the overwhelming expectations, but at some point along the line, the pressure was too much and she’d just caved in.

Katya shook her head, not wanting to think about the dark years, how hard it had been to get to this point. Instead, she inhaled deeply, looking across the patio at her wonderful boyfriend, doing his very best to squeeze oranges into juice for their brunch.

“Looking good, sugarbutt!” she called out. “Work those muscles.”

Trixie flexed for her, making her giggle delightedly before returning to the table, arranging the baskets of warm breads and pastries that she had been baking since 6 am. She unwrapped the fruit and veggie platter, artfully carved into elaborate rosettes and whimsical little animals, admiring a particularly cute little kiwi turtle, giving him a secret kiss just before the door swung open to reveal their first guest.

“Kimberly!” Katya skipped over to Kim, greeting her excitedly. Helping her with the mountain of French toast and platter of bacon that she’d brought to share.

As usual, her generosity was overwhelming to Katya, part of the reason that she was one of her favorite neighbors. The other part being her absolute artistry. Katya had been in awe of her makeup skills since the first time she’d seen her work, that Galactica show she’d attended with Trixie so many years ago, nervous to return to a place which had been the scene of one of her most dramatic failures in life.

She and Kim were soon chattering away as they set the table, discussing the latest collection at the Brooklyn museum, an anime-inspired artist who they both adored.

Max showed up next, with a beautiful garden veggie frittata and a carafe of hot tea.

“Thank you, Maxi, this looks delicious,” Katya said, giving him a tight squeeze.

Shangela arrived soon after, with a tray of Southern-style mac and cheese that caused both Kim and Trixie to burst into spontaneous applause, and a large bouquet of colorful flowers, presented to Katya with a wink. Shangela was someone that Katya thought she’d never win over - she’d created a major headache for her during her brief time at Galactica, and would certainly not have blamed her if she’d kept a distance.

But Shangela was a forgiving sort of person—after all, she worked daily with her ex-girlfriend—and had no problem at all giving Katya a chance on her own terms when she moved in. Soon, they’d established a mischievous sort of friendship, a playful flirtation and little inside jokes that Katya wouldn’t trade for anything.

Shangela was just explaining the intricacies of her mac recipe to Kim’s wide-eyed appreciation when the door opened again, revealing Violet in a characteristically chic set of work-out clothes—only instead of brunch offerings, she held a yoga mat in her hands, a surprised look on her face as she backed away.  

“Oh, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to interrupt…”

“Don’t be silly!” Katya called, beckoning her over. “So glad you’re here!”

“I’m, uh…” Violet glanced at the yoga mat in her hands, tugging at the bottom of her matte black tank top.

“Trixie…” Katya put her hands on her hips. “I told you to invite Violet to brunch. You didn’t forget, did you?”

Trixie set the pitcher of orange juice on the table, a sheepish look on his face.

“Oops.”

“Ha! Busted,” Shangela teased, punching Trixie on the arm.

“Hey, come on. It’s been a rough week,” Trixie defended himself.

“I know,” Katya said, putting her arms around him from behind. “Violet, please stay. I promise next time, you’ll get a formal invite, but trust me, we’re thrilled that you’re here.”

“Oh, I...don’t know if-”

“Hey hey hey, it’s my favorite people…” Pearl said, strolling up to the table. The last to show up, as usual, holding a partially empty bottle of vodka and container of strawberries.

“Aren’t those the strawberries that Katya bought?” Trixie asked, one eyebrow raised. He gestured to the platter, where a handful of said strawberries had been transformed into jaunty little penguins.

“Are they?” Pearl asked.

“And thank you for bringing them up to share with our friends!” Katya enthused, hugging her roommate tightly. “You’re so thoughtful.”

Pearl cast a glance over at Violet, lips turning up in a smirk as she assessed her skimpy attire.

“Nice shorts, pumpkin.”

“I-I didn’t know, I’m sorry, I-”

Katya watched as Violet attempted to stammer out a reply, immediately noticing how pink her cheeks got under Pearl’s bold gaze. Well, that would either be the cutest match in history, or end in total disaster. For Violet’s sake, Katya hoped for the former.  

“Don’t be sorry. You look cute.” Pearl gave her a sexy wink and sat down, pouring some vodka into her glass.

“So, are we brunching or what?”

The rest of the group slid into their seats, helping themselves to the bountiful spread.

Max raised a judgmental eye at Pearl as he asked, “I assume you’re the one responsible for the racket at 3 am?”

“She said she’d be quiet,” Pearl shrugged, barely containing a sly grin. “Not my fault she lied.”

“No it ain’t, baby,” Shangela laughed, giving the blonde a fist bump.

“Can we please say grace? I’d like to give thanks that I don’t share a wall with Pearl,” Kim chimed in.

“Awww, Kimmy. Don’t be jealous,” Pearl licked her lips, “I’ve always got time for you.”

Kim threw back her head in laughter, a piece of Katya’s blueberry muffins in her mouth as she said, “Never change, Pearl. The women of New York would really be losing out.”

Katya seemed to be the only one noticing Violet’s face getting redder and redder at all the talk of Pearl’s sex life, as tame as the discussion was. Her fingers were twisted into the hem of her top, and seemed to be pulling at a loose thread.

All too familiar with the telltale signs of anxiety, Katya put a reassuring hand on her back and began to fill her plate. Something told her that Violet wasn’t big on rich, indulgent foods, so she began with a slice of fresh whole-grain bread and then some of her favorite little fruit creatures: a few of the penguin strawberries, of course, a kiwi turtle, and a little tangerine bear. She lined them up on Violet’s plate like she was arranging toys for a child, feeling unusually protective of this strange and beautiful new friend.

It took Violet a few moments to tear her eyes away from the very conversation making her so uncomfortable. She saw Katya’s handiwork and then glanced up at her, the two of them sharing a secret smile of camaraderie before Katya placed one last offering on her plate: an elaborate carrot rose.

Violet giggled, mouthing ‘Thanks,’ and Katya winked, leaning back happily to bask in the warm sunshine. Yes, she’d fit in just fine.

[aweirdkindofyellow]

Here I Am, There You Are Pt. 13

Jack Barakat x OC ‘Rachel has been best friends with Alex, Jack, Rian, and Zack since high school. What happens when one of them gets married?’

Part 13

I took a deep breath in as my stomach felt like it flipped. It was constantly in knots, sending shivers through my entire body. All I could do was stare off into the distance and breathe slowly to keep the contents of my stomach inside. The robe I was wearing both felt like it was choking me and like it wasn't wrapped around my body tight enough.

Everything in me wanted to run to Jack. But he wasn't here. I couldn't do that. Even if I could, it would ruin everything.

"Wow," my sister sighed heavily as she sat on the coffee table across from me, "you really need to get yourself together."

My eyes snapped towards her and I glared. As much as I wanted to retort something back, telling her to leave me alone, I really couldn't. There was too much fear that I'd throw up as soon as I opened my mouth and then my mind was racing so much that any words I said would get jumbled up anyway.

"It's your turn to get your makeup done," Anna added cocking her head towards the empty chair facing the mirror.

I shook my head in quick short motions. "Mom can go first."

"Rachel–"

"Mom can go first."

Anna just exhaled again and got back up to tell my mom to go next. I could tell that she wanted to slap me. Honestly, I would have slapped myself. I really was acting unreasonably. She was really holding herself back. Usually, she wouldn't hesitate to literally snap me out of it. She had done it many times over the years.

I continued to sit there on the couch, starting to bite on my nails before I realised they were acrylic and had just been done. It made no sense; I didn't know why I was such a nervous wreck. There wasn't really any reason to be. Sure, some cute romanticised nerves would have been okay, but I literally had to keep myself in check so that I wouldn't pass out.

"Hey," Sascha said softly, unlike her usual loud self, and sat where my sister had been just a second before. Only she was a bit more supporting and even took hold of my hand, her thumb running over my knuckles. "Everything's going to be alright."

"I know, I know." I nodded in reassurance, but the shake in my voice and tapping foot said otherwise.

"Everything has been planned perfectly and it's all going smoothly, there's nothing you've got to worry about."

I tried putting on my best smile and looked at her. Honestly, I didn't know if looking at her had been a good idea or a bad idea. On one hand, it made me happy, but on the other it started making tears drop from my eyes.

"You look so pretty!" I gasped, admiring her. I could barely see the way the mustard coloured dress and professionally done brown glam makeup looked through the way the tears blurred everything. But still, it was amazing.

"Oh no, don't cry!" She started fussing and reached out to try and wipe some tears from my cheeks.

"I'm so sorry," I sniffed as I tried to stop the tears by catching them before they even fell. "This is why I need to go last."

"We need to make sure you're ready, though."

"It will be fine."

1:30pm. That's how late it was. I still had an hour and a half before I had to be ready. That was more than enough time. For now, I could still rub my eyes freely. As long as I didn't lean too far back or ran my fingers through my hair, I would still be on track. My hair was already curled and in its updo, pinned together and all sprayed down. Touch ups were definitely going to happen, but redoing it would cause way too much stress.

"I come bearing information!" Ethan announced as he entered the room.

He was already completely ready to go. His ochre tie and navy suit were already on and fit perfectly. I told him he was allowed to join later, but he insisted on being there the entire time. Now he enjoyed being sent out to see how things were going.

I turned around in my seat to look at him while he closed the door behind himself again. Usually, it was just something small like the fact that the flowers had been placed on one half of the room. But every small thing interested me. It calmed my nerves just a little, especially since I could hardly go down and look myself.

"The guys are here and getting ready!" He said without waiting for a response from everybody. "Everything is going according to plan, or so I was told."

That time my nerves calmed down a whole lot. Just knowing that Jack was in the same building right now helped significantly. I didn't really know why that was the case. It wasn't like I thought he wouldn't show up, it was just a comfort having him close. For some reason, it finally made me feel ready to actually get ready.

While the girls cheered, Ethan came up to me and sat down next to Sascha.

His eyes went wide as he scanned my face. "Oh no, you weren't crying were you?"

"Good tears, though," I confessed. "I'm going to be crying many more times today."

"Okay, well..." he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a wrapped gift with a twine ribbon. "Jack told me to give this to you."

I took the gift from him and looked at it in curiosity. It was some weird square and thin shape. "We promised each other we wouldn't do gifts!"

Ethan shrugged. "I'm just the messenger."

I sighed and carefully pulled on the twine string to undo the bow. Honestly, I felt very guilty for not getting Jack something, but at the same time it also warmed my heart. So, I carefully lifted the corners with tape and revealed the gift below the wrapping paper. What was left in my hands was a CD case. The cover was just that photo of us together in the cue for the Blink-182 concert back in high school when Jack let me borrow his baseball cap.

Next, I opened the case, expecting to find a CD that I would not be able to play now, but that wasn't the case at all. Instead, there were multiple pages like a little book. I recognised the first page as the album cover for Cheshire Cat by Blink-182. On it, though, there was a note in Jack's hand writing: Baby, you make me smile like a Cheshire Cat.

I flipped to the next page and found another album cover with a note. Every single page was exactly like this:

With you in my life I'll never have to live by myself in my Dude Ranch again.

There's isn't one I can think of for this one, but I have to include it. It's an important album.

I can't wait to Take Off My Pants and Jacket ;)

I'm going to have to Blink-182 times to stop all the happy tears from falling.

Thank god we didn't live in different Neighborhoods back when we were kids.

I wouldn't want to live anywhere but in our house in California with you.

I'll love you until we're Ninety-nine.

I couldn't stop grinning as I flipped through multiple times. It was absolutely perfect. Although he was a much bigger Blink fan than me, Blink was still quite important in our friendship and relationship. They had always been in the background somewhere. Now, Jack was friends with Mark and he had been invited, but it was still so fitting.

I closed the CD and carefully put it down. "Okay, I'm ready to get married."

"You still need to get your makeup done and your dress on," Anna reminded me.

"I know," I sighed, "but I'd just go like this."

"It's not much longer now," my mom encouraged as she got up from the makeup chair, being done much earlier than the others because she didn't want much makeup on. "And it's all your turn now."

"Yeah, alright," I nodded and got up, "let's do this!"

I walked over to the chair in front of the large mirror and sat down, making sure my robe still covered everything. Of course, I wasn't just completely naked underneath it, I was wearing my matching underwear. But that set was for Jack to see after we got married. I decided to get us a little treat, I didn't want to ruin that by accidentally showing it off now. Sure, when I was going to get changed into my dress, I would need help. But that was different.

The makeup artist carefully tilted my head back a little and started her work. We had already practiced the look on me, so I knew it was going to look good, but it was the real deal now. I could feel that she was being more gentle and cautious with her brush strokes. I completely trusted her and everything she did. Afterall, I did choose her because of her talent.

We had chosen to go with quite a neutral look. The foundation she used on me was very light coverage and left me looking glowy. She still used all the products, including highlighter, and contour. Even blush was added to give me a nice warm look. Everything was used in moderation, though. The eye look just consisted of some warm brown tones, thin eyeliner, and a bit of mascara. I also had opted not to go with lipstick, although the shade she had chosen was very beautiful. Instead we just went with a simple light pink toned lip gloss.

She was done relatively quickly. Despite how simple it was, it still took a little longer than everybody else's looks. It was a classic case of a low effort look actually not being low effort. Everything had to blend perfectly to continue to look natural. It needed to look glowy, but not shiny, bronzed but not fake tanned.

When I looked in the mirror, I couldn't stop admiring it and thanking her. Every little thing we finished brought me that much closer to actually getting married to Jack. In just a short while, I would officially be Rachel Steward Barakat. Although I technically was keeping my surname, I was taking over Jack's as my new official one.

"We have thirty minutes until you've gotta go downstairs," our wedding planner, Maisie, announced, "so I'd say it's time to put on your dress!"

"Oh my god, okay." I nodded and stood up. The nerves were starting again. "Not long now."

"You're going to look so beautiful." Sascha clapped her hands together and grinned at me while my sister rushed over to where my dress was hanging in its protective cover.

I walked over to join Anna. She held onto the zipper and waited for everybody to come around before opening the cover, careful not to accidentally damage the fabric. Everybody awed at the dress. It was so different to what Anna had worn to her wedding, but it fit me perfectly. I didn't want all the lace and frills that she had. I went with something sleek and simple.

May, Jack's sister who was also one of my bridesmaids, put one of her hands on my shoulder. "Jack's going to love this dress."

"I love it," I laughed. She hadn't been there when I was choosing my dress, so this was the first time she had seen it.

Anna started pulling off the cover, leaving just my dress on its hanger. As much as we all enjoyed admiring it from afar, I did actually have to put it on so we could keep on schedule. So, Anna and Sascha nominated themselves to help me out. We went behind this screen that had been set up so I wouldn't be struggling around everybody. Putting on that dress was no joke. The skirt was made up of multiple layers to make it look fuller and there was no way for me to even try to reach the zipper. I was grateful for the help I had.

Once it was on, there was one thing left to do. I came from behind the screen and saw everybody gasp. I didn't want to smile yet until I actually saw myself as well. There was always a small fear that everybody was acting like I looked good to make me feel good. But then I turned around to look in the mirror, and I couldn't stop grinning either. I was so happy and knew I was only going to get happier as the day progressed.

My dress looked exactly as I had imagined. It was made out of a plain white fabric that was so smooth to touch. The top had a high neck neckline and no sleeves, leaving my shoulders exposed. Although my front was pretty much covered, my back was practically completely open, showing off the light tan I had. The skirt was a-line, clinching at my waist and connected to the top with a belt-like tin strap of fabric. The hem draped over the floor, creating a small train behind me. I already knew it was going to be impractical for our reception, which is why I could clip off the top layer to reveal a layer that only reached to the floor in the same fabric as the rest of the dress.

"You're so beautiful!" My mom gushed, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Mom," I sighed happily and accepted the hug she gave me. "You're going to make me cry!"

When we pulled away, her tears were already falling and I was trying my best to keep mine back. We all knew this was going to happen, but I still wanted to try to stop from messing up the beautiful makeup I had on.

"Oh, wait, here," Ethan interrupted, patting down his pockets and pulling out a tissue from his jacket. He reached over and handed it to me.

I quickly dabbed away the tears that were threatening to spill, looking up so I wouldn't accidentally close my eyes and let a tear drop. When I turned around to look at all the people I would have by my side, I saw they all had watering eyes. Well, all except Ethan. To make things even worse, my dad came into the room with Olive on a leash. His eyes fell on me and I could see his eyes twinkle.

He walked up to me and hugged me tightly. "My baby girl is getting married."

"Now I'm crying too," Ethan announced and sniffled. "Dammit."

I couldn't help but chuckle. We all still needed a second to compose ourselves before continuing on with the schedule. My hair was fixed and lightly sprayed down again and my makeup was lightly touched up, especially the area around my eyes. And then it was time to go out and find Jack.

We went downstairs and out the back of the church. My childhood church had some super nice gardens. Rather than just having the usual perfectly cut, bright green grass, they actually added some hedges, trees, and carefully picked patches of flowers. It was perfect for the easter egg hunts they always held, and it was definitely also perfect for our wedding photos.

Jack was already in the gardens with his groomsmen. Luckily his back was already to me, or else the first look would have prematurely happened. The photographer got into position while Alex told Jack that I was just down the path from them. The groomsmen left to go join my bridesmaids and parents to watch what would happen. I could feel the excitement pump the adrenaline through my veins. It was all happening.

When I was given the go ahead signal by the photographer, I started to approach Jack, careful not to ruin my dress this early in. The gravel path cracked underneath my heels and I tried my best to hold up my skirt just a little to keep it off the ground, but it didn't really do much.

"Are you ready?" I whispered as I put my hands gently down onto Jack's shoulders.

He took in a deep breath. "Can I turn around?"

"Yeah."

He shrugged his shoulders a few times to loosen up and then turned around swiftly. As soon as he got a glimpse, he yelled out, "fuck!"

I burst out with laughter. Of course that would be the first word he said to me after seeing me. It was exactly what I expected deep down. I was just glad we had decided to do this first look and not wait until the actual ceremony. He couldn't just scream it out in church.

"Shit, you look good," he stated a bit quieter and let his eyes wander up and down, slowly they started watering.

"Always the gentleman," I chuckled and gently put my hands on his cheeks.

"No, I'm serious," he took in a deep shaky breath, "are you sure you want to marry me?"

I nodded. "I wouldn't want to marry anybody else."

I didn't even need to stand on my toes to kiss him. It was like nobody was watching us anymore. At that moment, it was just us in that garden, surrounded by the green plants and colourful flowers, birds chirping from the tree tops. I didn't think it was possible for me to fall in love with him even more, but everything felt so right.

When we broke apart, Jack quickly and subtly wiped his eyes. "I'm so embarrassed right now. Here I am, fucking crying like a baby, and there you are looking all chill."

"I cried multiple times before I came down here, I just don't have any tears left to cry." I took hold of his hands.

He frowned and quickly wiped away another tear before returning his hand to mind. "I hope all good tears."

"Of course, nothing but. First, I got emotional when I saw Sascha after she was the first to be ready, then I cried when I just put on my dress and my mom cried, then I cried when everybody else was tearing up, then my dad came in and shed a few tears, and then Ethan joined in as well. You should be glad you weren't there."

"Hmm..." he faked a thinking face, pursing his lips and looking to the side. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, I think I could have dealt."

"You would have been bawling your eyes out," I remarked jokingly. "Oh! Also, I almost cried when I got that CD case. But I managed to stay composed. Totally acted like I wasn't melting inside."

He started grinning, his eyes finally drying up. "You liked it?"

"I loved it," I stressed. "I just feel guilty for not doing something for you!"

"You looking so beautiful is all I need."

We shared another kiss. It was so strange to think that those were our last few kisses before we were a married couple. In just an hour or so, we were going to be up there saying our vows. It was all so surreal, and I couldn't wait for it.

"You ready to get married?" I whispered against his lips.

"Definitely."

Our moment eventually came to an end. Although I wanted it to last forever, I became more and more aware that there were people actually watching and waiting to join. There were definitely going to be a lot more moments for Jack and I to have, so I didn't need to worry. The photographer told us he had gotten some great photos of it, which was one of the most reassuring things I had heard that day. I didn't want to forget anything. Next, he started to direct us how to stand for the posed photos. We had pictures of just us two, pictures with our parents, of course pictures with the bridesmaids and groomsmen, maid of honour and bestman, and even one with Olive for fun.

That hour of waiting until the ceremony started went by so quickly. It felt like no time had passed and Jack and I were already saying our 'see you laters.' He went to the altar with his groomsmen while I went in the opposite direction with my dad and bridesmaids. The doors were closed, but I could hear all the buzzing inside. My heart was going insane. It was beating so fast that I was afraid it was actually going to bruise my ribs.

The first chords and notes from the piano started playing, and I knew that it was actually happening. We had chosen to go with a piano version of I'm lost without you by Blink-182. It was only right to choose a Blink-182 song. Jack had always been a big fan and the shows we went to as teenagers really solidified our relationship, even if it was only a friendship back then.

May walked out first, joining her brother up and giving him a quick hand squeeze before standing on my side. Anna followed after her. Jack and I only had four people each by our sides, so everything went at a comfortable slow pace. The long seconds were making me more and more nervous, but I knew that if we were hurried, I only would have been more stressed.

"I'll see you up there." Ethan winked and gave me a big comforting hug before he also got the go ahead from the wedding planner to go down the aisle.

I didn't get to see him walk down the aisle, I was still hidden with my dad.

"Hey, I love you," my dad said as we got ready to walk as well. "You'll always be my baby girl no matter what. I am so glad that you found Jack. I can't think of anybody who I'd rather hand you over to."

"Thank you," I barely managed to get out, my throat clamping shut from both the emotion and nerves.

And then we got to go through the doors as well. Everybody was looking at me, but my eyes were fixated on Jack. He was staring right back at me, his smile even brighter than it had been before. This time, he was managing to keep his tears at bay. I just kept beaming back. It was one simple wedding, but it was so perfect. Jack was perfect.

When we reached the altar, my dad kissed me on the cheek and unhooked his arm from mine. Jack held out his hand and helped me up the steps, which I was so grateful for. The last thing I wanted was to fall during my wedding. He gave me a comforting little squeeze before letting go of my hand again.

I had almost forgotten about the bouquet I had been clutching to my chest the entire time until I got to hand it over to Ethan. It consisted of a large range of different flowers. Freesia, roses, hydrangea, brunia berries and astilbes. They were a mixture of white, pale yellow, brighter yellow, and a nice blue, following the colour scheme we had chosen.

As soon as I was standing there, facing Jack again, the pastor started the ceremony. "Welcome family, friends, and loved ones. As I assume you all know, we are gathered here today to join Jack and Rachel in holy matrimony. They have asked me to make this more personal, so I am here to provide.

"I have seen Rachel grow up. From the time I baptised her as the smallest baby up until this day I have always known she was destined for great things. I have only had the pleasure to know Jack for a much shorter time, but he is a bright loving man. Together, I can tell that they are a perfect match. They complete each other in a way you will find nowhere else.

"Jack, Rachel let me in on a secret and told me she loves the way you always find a way to make her smile. She loves that you manage to always compliment her even if she is having a bad day. You always find a way to cheer her up. You listen and always make sure you are there, no matter how far apart. Most importantly, she loves you for staying despite seeing her at her worst and never made her feel unwanted.

"Rachel, believe it or not, Jack also told me a few things about you. He loves your smile, your voice, and your caring nature. He loves that you stuck by him through all these years and were always somebody to rely on. He adores the way you fall asleep before him and the way you kiss him in the morning when you leave for work. There is nothing he wouldn't do for you.

"Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is a commitment in life between two people. It radiates with love, the familiarity of home, and eternal friendship. Your relationship will take more than love to last. It takes trust and commitment, a willing to face the unknown together.

"You have come together this day so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of this minister of His word and this community of family and friends and so, in the presence of this gathering, I ask you to state your intentions.

"Jack, do you take Rachel to be your wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, remain faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

Jack took his eyes off the pastor and looked at me with a small smile. "I do."

"And Rachel," the pastor now asked me, "do you take Jack to be your wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Do you promise to love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, remain faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." I nodded, not taking my eyes of Jack.

The pastor then directed his words towards the crowd again. "Who gives Rachel to be married to Jack?"

My dad stood up, his hands clasped together. "I and the rest of her family do."

He bowed slightly before sitting down. It sounded a bit sexist, handing me over to get married to Jack like I was some property that had no own will. However, it was tradition. It wasn't that way anymore. Now, it only showed that everybody in my family supported us and my choice.

"I believe you have written your own vows," the pastor led into the next section. "Jack?"

Jack reached back and accepted the folded up piece of paper from his brother, who was his bestman. He took a deep breath in and wrapped his hand around the microphone, which he brought to his mouth. "Rachel, I know I've told you this many times before, but I'm going to repeat it again. I thank you for sticking with me throughout the years. If you were to go back in time and tell 16-year-old me that I would be up here today getting married to you, I would have passed out. I fell in love with you back then and promise to love you for the rest of our days, even if you call me 'dude.' I will always believe in you and support you every step of the way. I've always got your back. Even when we get taco bell. I promise to always give you the better taco of the two."

And then it was my turn. I got my notes from Ethan. "When I first met you, I thought you were strange. To be honest, I do still think that, but I would be lying if I didn't say I love everything about you. I love your jokes, your loyalty, your understanding, and even how frustrated you get when your hair just isn't having a good day. Your friendship has always meant so much to me and I promise to always reciprocate it, even if it means letting you have the last slice of pizza. When we first started dating, I had no idea where it was going to take us. I never could have imagined standing here today, so in love with you. I promise that I'll always be there as your biggest fan, no matter how far away you are."

It was difficult not to start crying again during our vows. Both of our voices occasionally went shaky, especially when we made eye contact with each other. I wanted nothing more than to just kiss him already, but I couldn't do that yet. We were just minutes away, though.

"The wedding ring symbolises the promises you have just made to each other." The pastor took over again. "It is a visible sign of the invisible power of love that binds you together. Let them serve as a representation of the way you feel today and let it remind you during times of hardships. This love is eternal. Now, please repeat after me. With this ring I am giving you my promise–"

"With this ring I am giving you my promise," Jack was the first to repeat, recieving the ring from his brother.

"To always love you."

"To always love you."

"Cherish you."

"Cherish you."

"Honour you and comfort you."

"Honour you and comfort you." Jack winked at me, causing me to chuckle, the ring catching a bit of light and reflecting it.

"I promise that I will love you."

He inhaled, feeling the same excitement I was. "I promise that I will love you.

"And keep my heart open to you."

"And keep my heart open to you," he bit his lip, getting a little impatient.

"All the days of my life."

"All the days of my life." He finally got to put the ring on my finger.

His hands were trembling quite a bit, but he still managed to slide the ring on. I had already taken off my engagement ring and put it on my other hand for the time being. So he didn't have to worry about taking that one off first, which was probably a good call. The ring he had chosen was a perfect match with my engagement ring. It had the same band – the same rose gold weaving between the clusters of small diamonds. They were going to go so well together as a set, which is exactly what Jack had intended. I was going to switch back my engagement ring with it as soon as we were married.

"Rachel, please also repeat after me," the pastor then instructed me. "With this ring I am giving you my promise."

I was given the ring I had chosen for Jack by Ethan. "With this ring I am giving you my promise."

"To always love you."

"To always love you." I had to wipe away a quick tear when I stared into Jack's eyes.

"Cherish you."

"Cherish you."

"Honour you and comfort you."

"Honour you and comfort you."

"I promise that I will love you."

"I promise that I will love you." I could now feel the same impatience that Jack was feeling when he was repeating the words. I wanted to make this official already. I wanted to kiss him and call him mine.

"And keep my heart open to you."

"And keep my heart open to you."

"All the days of my life."

"All the days of my life."

I now got to slip the ring on Jack's finger as well. While my ring was quite thin and delicate, I didn't see that fit with Jack. I went with something much more robust. It was a dark gray tungsten ring that had a nice grainy texture. I thought something that was more that colour suited him much more than a simple gold or silver ring. To show that it belonged with mine, however, there was some sneaky rose gold on the inside. You couldn't really see it when it was on, but it was definitely there. It was visible from the top, but most people wouldn't look at Jack's finger that way.

"Jack and Rachel, you've come here today to declare your love and commitment to each other in front of friends, family, and God. It is my honour and delight to pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Jack didn't waste a single second. He hooked his arm around my waist and lightly pushed the palm of his hand onto the small of my back to bring me closer. I quickly managed to put my own hands on the back of his head to close the space even more. Everybody was clapping and cheering as our lips met halfway. I was sure that my parents were yet again shedding a few tears. But right at that moment, all I could think about was Jack. I wished to never forget the way I was feeling then.

When we finally parted, the pastor announced, "it is my pleasure to present to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Barakat!"

Jack and I couldn't stop grinning at each other. It was so surreal. We were actually married now. We were officially husband and wife. I was excited yet scared for what was to come. But I knew that Jack was going to be there by my side every step of the way. We were going to face it all together. Everything was going to be alright.

We walked down the aisle together, hand in hand. Everybody continued to cheer for us, which was one of the strangest feelings ever. Jack just continued to glance down at me with that goofy smile of his. It filled me with love every single time, warming my heart and making me feel like I was back in high school with some stupid crush.

Jack and I went all the way out of the church and stepped into the nice car we had rented to take us to the venue for our wedding reception. Everybody else was going to meet us there. It was at this very nice old barn that had some of the most amazing natural lighting. Around the venue was a large field, giving us both indoor and outdoor space for our guests to enjoy. With how good the weather was, it was the perfect venue.

Jack wouldn't stop holding my hand and kissing it the entire ride over. We didn't speak much, we were still enjoying the moment. Part of me wanted to jump up and down and kiss him all over. But the other part of me, just wanted to take it all in and relish it. My mind kept going over our vows again and again. I really didn't want to ever forget them. It was all so perfect. We were officially married now.

When we arrived, we didn't immediately go straight to the reception area. Although we were the first ones there, we weren't ready yet to be part of the party. There were still a few things to do before that. Those all were to happen in the building next to the barn, also known as the farmhouse. It was where smaller rooms and the bathrooms were. Now it was a great place for storage of extras and for us to get ready again.

As soon as we entered the farmhouse, we were greeted by the wedding planner's assistant. "Based on your smiles, I'm assuming everything went well."

I nodded and looked up at Jack, our hands tightly intertwined. "I don't know how others felt about it, but I thought it was perfect."

"Better than I could have ever imagined," Jack agreed, softly kissing me with a big smile. "Although I did really have to hold back from swearing in the church."

"You did surprisingly well, not even one slip up," I giggled.

The assistant wedding planner led us to the room where we got to wait as all the guests streamed in, both from the church and from people who hadn't been invited to the ceremony. They all got to enjoy the drinks at the bar and socialise while I got my makeup and hair retouched. I wasn't complaining, though. Neither was Jack. We'd get to make our great entrance and all our wedding photos would continue to look great.

Jack and I just got to relish in the fact that we had just gotten married while everybody around us did their job. They had all done this enough times to know when to interrupt and when not to. It actually got things done really quickly. As soon as everything had been touched up, I waltzed back over to Jack. I wrapped my arms around his neck, of course pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I wish I could drink and have fun with you," I mumbled, lightly brushing the hair on the back of his head with my fingers.

"We talked about this," he muttered back, "I won't drink if you don't want me to."

"I wouldn't want to put you through that kind of torture." I straightened out his collar.

"Well, I promise you I won't drink too much," he compromised. "I do actually want to remember every detail of today."

"And you don't want to get a bad case of whiskey dick on our wedding night," I whispered to him lowely so nobody could hear before giving him a much deeper kiss than I had given him since we had left the church.

We were interrupted by a whistle coming from the door. I checked to see who was in that direction to see Ethan walking in, Sascha right behind him.

"Keep that for tonight!" He teased with one horrible wink, almost as bad as Jack's winks.

I slowly dropped my arms off of Jack's shoulders. "Well aren't you funny?"

"Just think about it," he continued, holding back a mischievous grin, "everybody in that room knows you're going to bone when you leave."

"Oh, great, thanks." I shook my head and subconsciously took a small step away from Jack.

"You chose him to be your maid of honour?" Sascha judged me harshly. "You could have had me!"

"I know..." I sighed dramatically as if I was regretting my choice – of course I wasn't. "But, hey, I gave you the privilege of planning my bachelorette party."

"And it was the best one ever," she pointed out.

"Very true."

"Hey, so, when are you guys going to join?" Ethan redirected the conversation to what he initially came in for. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, immediately seeming distracted.

Still, I answered. "About ten minutes or so."

He hummed in response, obviously not caring much anymore, and started typing. "Okay, well, Chase is here, so I am going to go find him and I will see you again later."

With that, he left the room very quickly.

Sascha sighed and rolled her eyes jokingly. "We were actually here to help you out with your dress. Surprisingly, Ethan was the one who reminded me."

"Ooh, yes!" I looked down at the skirt of my dress which was still at its very long length. If I went into our reception like this, I would not be able to dance and it would be stained by alcohol and mud forever.

Sascha helped me undo all the seamless little clasps. Most of them were in the back, where they definitely weren't visible, so she was very useful. Although Ethan was my maid of honour, Sascha really technically was one as well. Ethan helped me with things like vows, checking on the planning, and hyping me up. Sascha, however, did the other jobs. She was more involved with the 'female' aspects; she didn't mind seeing me fully naked and gladly helped out with fixing my appearance. Of course, the bachelorette party had also been her job.

I understood why Ethan suddenly ran away, so I was in no way mad at him or upset with him. He was about to go into his sophomore year at college and pretty early on in his freshman year he met this guy. His name was Chase and he wasn't somebody Ethan would have usually hung out with back in high school. Chase was pretty shy and quiet, had very curly blonde hair, and wore round glasses. At first, Ethan was just glad to have made a friend, but they quickly started dating as well. I hadn't seen Ethan that happy in a while.

Once the final clasp of my dress was undone, Sascha carefully removed the skirt layer. She made sure to fold it delicately so things wouldn't crease and wrinkle and even hung it up for me.

"Damn..." Jack breathed out and checked me out again. "You look amazing."

"I'm still wearing the same thing!" I chuckled, brushing a piece of hair that was supposed to be framing my face behind my ear.

He continued to look at me with loving eyes. "You are beautiful."

It was another perfect moment to share a kiss. So we did. This time, it was only a brief peck, but it still radiated love.

"While I'm still here, would you like me to help you go to the bathroom before you join the party again?" Sascha suggested.

"That is actually a very good idea," I agreed with a single nod. There probably wasn't going to be much time during the reception for me to leave, so I was going to take this opportunity.

"Okay, let's go."

I started following her out of the room, but quickly ran back to Jack to deeply kiss him yet again. Even leaving him for a brief moment today already made me miss him. I didn't want to leave his side. It was amazing to think we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, and now it was also officially recognised.

Although Jack and I kept saying we didn't want to forget a thing about our wedding day, our reception was actually a blur to me. It went by so quickly. We had our first dance, I danced with my dad and Jack with his mom. Everybody enjoyed the live band we had chosen. It was all still going just as planned, at it was amazing. We even managed to get some food despite all the people who came up to us and congratulate us. I couldn't recall anymore who I had spoken to and who I hadn't spoken to. It all happened so fast. One moment, I was lost in my own little world dancing with Jack, the next we were stepping into the car to go to our hotel.

Jack had kept his promise and paced himself. He was only a little tipsy as we stood in the elevator, waiting to go up to our suite for the night. All I could think about as we were leaving our friends and family was that they all knew what was going to happen now. Ethan really did open my eyes up to that. But I wasn't going to let it stop me from enjoying myself.

As soon as we entered the room and the door shut behind us, Jack and I started the complicated process of kissing and taking off our clothes. He was very eager to take off my dress, yet still took good care of it. There was no throwing around with it, he even took the time to carefully place it on the armchair in the room. However, as soon as he saw the lingerie I was wearing, he had me pressed up against the wall, and all his inhibitions disappeared.

"I recall promising you we'd make a baby after we got married," I whispered against Jack's lips, taking this second to catch my breath and calm my rapidly beating heart.

"Really? When was this?" He chuckled deeply and started kissing down my neck.

I gave him some more access and brushed my hands through his hair in anticipation. "After our high school reunion."

"I was one drunk boy." He smirked against my skin, his hot breath flowing over me.

"I know." I rubbed my foot along his leg, biting my bottom lip as his hands started roaming freely again. "That's why you just say the word when you're ready, and we can give it a shot."

He broke away from my neck, making me feel cold, but the way he stared right into my eyes kept the fire brewing. It felt like he was staring for minutes, but it must have just been seconds. He grew a small smile and my heart skipped a beat.

"The word," he said quietly and pressed his lips against mine heavily.

[doof-doofblog]

EastEnders Iconic Episodes:- Pat & Frank's Affair

Tuesday 18th August 2020

Good evening everyone! We're back with a new week and a new iconic EastEnders episode! This week's episode has one of the most memorable scenes in it, which I'm sure you'll all know and recognise. Everything comes to blow when Peggy becomes aware of Pat and Frank's affair! This episode was originally aired 2nd November 2000! Incredible to believe that this episode is almost 20 years old!

I had no idea that this episode was 60 minutes long! This must've been a hour long special episode for Bonfire Night!  I don't recall much of this episode to begin with, being born in the 90s, I must've been around 9-10 years of age when this episode aired! Still can't believe I've come to the realisation that I've been watching EastEnders for nearly 20 years! Crazy! Anyway, the episode seems to start with Frank and Peggy already in the Vic, upstairs and Peggy seems to think that Frank is up to something, he's looked very dodgy as if he's trying to hide something! I believe that there is meant to be some kind of letter he has supposed to have written to her? Has that already been written and he has lost it? I'm sure as the episode goes all it'll all be revealed! Frank is looking ever so shifty as Peggy reveals to him that she's had a wasted journey, it looks as if he's terrified that she might know something! 

Ahhh so as far as I can make out, Frank is on the edge of ending things with Peggy. It's devastating to know that she literally has no idea at that moment in time! Frank makes his way downstairs and asks Mel whether she had been upstairs and moved something, I am certain that it's the letter to Peggy that Frank has written, because all of sudden something he his wanting seems to be missing! While Frank is being teased by the locals in the pub and sweating because he can't find his letter, it looks as if Pat is waiting at home to hear news from Frank. Barry goes under the stairs and pulls out a suitcase ... are Pat and Frank planning on running away together? Poor gullible Barry seems to think that it's his Dad, Roy and Pat who appear to be going away - even on the plastic bag it says "Second Honeymoon!" even Pat goes along with the story to hide the fact that it's actually Frank she's going away with. 

Back at the pub Frank has a word with Little Mo, seeing as she's the cleaner of the Vic, she may know the whereabouts of his letter. She confesses she was cleaning the kitchen and did see an envelope with Peggy's name on it, she might've put it in the bin but she can't be sure, even though Frank is eager to get his hands on the letter, he tells her not to worry. Can I just say how amazing it is seeing all these characters again - Roy, Barry, Frank, Little Mo, Lynne, Janine - the main thing I've enjoyed while watching these classic iconic episodes is seeing the old members of the cast, many who I would love to see return one day! Back at the house, Roy and Barry are persuading Pat to join them for the evening and she agrees - even though she is reluctant to do so!

Back in the Vic upstairs, Frank is rummaging through the bin , desperately trying to find the note - ahhh and Janine comes in! (We know Janine is a bitch, but to tell the truth, I've always loved her character!) She plays all coy with her father, playing her little games again not saying directly whether she had seen or read the letter left for Peggy. She informs him that Phil might have possibly seen it as he was looking for Peggy earlier! I don't recall seeing Phil in this episode, but will he be the one to actually show his Mum the letter?! All the locals are gathering downstairs to celebrate the holiday, Pat and Frank clock eyes on each other from across the bar and they both make an excuse the leave the Vic. Pat states she wants to be with the kids, and Frank dashes after her, claiming to Peggy that he's left his car lights on! I don't know about you lot, but I can already feel the tension in this episode, it's slowly building and building! Frank dashes to Phil's house, but - as far as I can make out - Phil has no idea what Frank is on about or what he's after, he asks why he lied about Janine moving to Manchester and whether he'd been up to something he shouldn't have, obviously Frank starts to squirm as he believes Phil knows!

Meanwhile, Peggy is serving her customers and the Vic is packed full of happy and lively locals. Pat is seen standing beside the bar when Little Mo approaches Peggy and reveals that she actually found Frank's note to her in her cleaning apron. Now Peggy is left in the dark about what the letter is about and who it's from, all she knows is that a letter addressed to her has been found. Pat eyes and ear prick up! She know's that the one which reveals everything! As Peggy is too busy serving her customers, she puts the letter to one side and carries on. Back at Phil's house, it looks as if Frank is almost begging to Phil to give him the letter back, which as us viewers already know, he hasn't got it! But it does also seem to appear that Phil knows about what Frank and Pat have been up to! Frank tries to appeal to Phil saying that he understands considering what he's been through with Sharon, and yet Phil makes the brilliant point that Frank is actually Peggy's husband and Pat is her best friend, which makes the whole situation a lot more worse! 

I just love that through-out this episode both Roy and Peggy have no idea what's about to happen and what's actually going on around them. In the Vic, Pat's eyes are firmly on the letter behind the bar, something is telling me that she's needing to go and fetch it before Peggy reads it. She takes it upon herself to make a move and says to Peggy she'll help her behind the bar, but Peggy insists that she stays the other side of the bar and asks her to hand out the sandwiches, much to Pat's disappointment. On the other side of the Square in Phil's gaff, Frank is still pleading to Phil to give him the letter, only after all this discussion, Phil has been toying with him ... he tells him he hasn't got it, Frank's eyes widen with worry, desperation and shock! Poor Peggy back at the Vic is still busy on her feet ... Pat eventually manages to worm her way behind the bar but unfortunately Peggy grabs the letter before she can get to it and claims that she's going upstairs to change, and she takes the letter with her. I'm sure back when this soap was originally aired, the viewers must've been on the edge of their seats. I know I am currently watching it and everything is building and building!! This is truly EastEnders at it's best!!!

Ooooohhhhh and there's the moment everyone has taken a gasp of breath!!! The phone rings while Frank is at Phil's - it's Peggy and she has a piece of paper in her hand, she pleads her son to come and see her straight away! She's left on her own in the kitchen and she tears fall from her face and she collapses in a wail of tears! She's read the letter!!! Phil walks into the Vic ready to console his poor mother, followed by Frank who once again clocks eyes with Pat behind the bar. They both have that silent knowledge and understanding between them that Peggy is about to find out everything and their cover is about to be blown! Upstairs, Phil and Peggy are sat together and Phil gets to see the note for the first time, Phil reveals to his Mum that Frank told him that both he and Pat bottled their plans to run away together. It is then that Phil says a terrific line to his Mum, which I believe kinda stayed with the legendary Peggy until he sad passing: "It's time for make-your-mind-up time, are you a Butcher or a Mitchell?!" ... As long as I can remember, Peggy was always proud of having the Mitchell name and she was always proud of the Mitchell family! It is THAT moment when Phil asks her, that she actually looks and thinks and you can see the look in her face change ... She is Peggy Mitchell!! 

Of course both Pat and Frank are frantic downstairs as they both come to the realisation that Peggy has the letter. Frank then pleads to Pat to change her mind about leaving together, it's the only way they'll be able to escape the situation. If they leave, neither of them would have to face Peggy. Pat doesn't know what say, she has her grandchildren and all of her family around her, would she really be able to leave it all behind? I don't know whether it's a way of him getting her to change her mind, but he says to Pat that he can't stay and face the music, he's going whether she decides to join him or not, but he makes it very well known to her that he has always loved her, absolutely tugging at her heart strings. Just as he goes to leave the bar, Peggy makes her appearance all glammed up.

We as viewers know full well that she's toying with Frank, saying how very cross she is with him ... Frank is visibly shaking in his boots ... This is the moment that this episode will always be remembered for ... Peggy rings the bell to make her announcement, both Frank and Pat stood beside her, looking nervous and uncertain to what she's about to do. I absolutely LOVE Barbara Windsor in this scene! Taking centre stage, behind the bar as Peggy Mitchell ... her speech starts very cheerfully to her fellow punters who have taken part in The Best Guy Competition, complementing each one and then making the point that one of them was actually meant to be her husband, Frank. I just LOVE how she's being so professional about her job role, making sure the children enjoy themselves, giving out prizes - while all the time Phil, Frank and Pat are watching her, watching and waiting for her to either finish her speech or see what she does next. As Peggy continues with her speech, she suddenly changes her tone and says there's an extra award to present - to both Pat and Frank, a lifetime achievement award for deceit and wickedness ... (this is when her locals are all looking confused and shocked!) She then brings out the letter to which both Frank and Pat look in dismay and disbelief as she starts to read the letter out aloud to everyone in the pub! The pub falls silent as she reads the words from the small piece of paper, the iconic moment as she says the words "I've never quite been able to stop myself loving Pat!" and how much hatred and power she puts into those words! It's so fantastic and what quite frankly makes the episode so memorable! I feel like this was the moment everyone's jaw dropped to the floor, both Pat and Frank stood beside her cowering in their corners, while the look on poor Roy's face is despair and shock! As she finishes the letter, everyone is in shock and as Peggy says she has the last prizes to hand out - she turns to Frank and whacks him across the face, you can hear his grown on how hard the slap was, she then turns to Pat and whacks her across the face, so hard that her earring falls out and in true Peggy style she leaves them to deal with the revelation on their own! 

The Queen Vic empties and Pat and Frank are left behind the bar on their own, as Roy is stood there with Phil watching the two of them. Roy is stood in silence, his eyes fixed on Pat. Frank attempts to explain to Roy that the reason they never left is because Pat decided to choose Roy over him, which I believe is far from the truth, Pat was just scared. She collapses in hysterical crying, so much she's gasping for breath, Roy is badgering her, asking questions such a where and how long! She clearly cant take the pressure anymore and she blares at him that there have been hundreds of times!! Meanwhile, upstairs Phil is consoling his mother, she's made her decision - she's a Mitchell and she's shown them that she is not to be messed with! Frank makes his way into the kitchen and Phil follows, demanding him that he leaves, even then Frank tries to turn it around and blame Phil for stopping him coming over to the Vic to find the letter before Peggy got hold of it ... but of course Phil wasn't to know, so of course he's just looking for excuses and for someone else to take the rap for him, but it is not going to work! 

Back downstairs Pat and Roy and talking things through, she's explaining herself to him, but to be honest, she isn't using her words quite cleverly. From what Roy and, the viewers can make out, she's explaining that Frank always makes her feel like she's young and 16 and enjoying life and yet with Roy, she feels as if her life is just passing her by and how with Roy, she'll just be 57! It's a horrible way to describe it to someone I think, I think it's very blunt and quite heartbreaking. I do feel for Roy, as he seems like such a gentleman who has just had his heart ripped out. While Roy and Pat are talking, upstairs, Frank tries to approach Peggy but she doesn't want to hear any of his explanations or excuses. He tries his best to explain himself but she has none of it and calls Phil to get him to leave! 

It's sad that even Roy reveals to Pat that he knew he was always second best to her, feeling that everything around him smelt of Frank or had a Frank-vibe to it. He even asks Pat if it was to do with the sex but I don't think her convincing is any good, she can barely look at him in the eye. But she does say that that is something that she doesn't care about anymore, but is she telling the truth? Next minute Janine comes out from behind the bar, wondering what has happened, Pat explains to her that her Dad is upstairs with Peggy and that he'll explain everything to her. As Roy and Pat leave the Vic, Mo, Charlie, Lynne and Little Mo are all talking about Pat, Mo making the statement that Pat used to be a prostitute in her younger days, little did they know that both Pat and Roy could hear every word she was saying, the both ignore the gossip and walk slowly home. 

Back at their home, Barry is sat waiting for his Dad. He's shocked to discover that he has come home with Pat in tow. Roy asks him politely to leave them to talk as Pat makes her way into the living room. I feel this was another moment when the jaws dropped for the viewers. Pat appeals to Roy and says that she simply doesn't deserve him, she gives him a hug but he doesn't reciprocate. He demands that if they're going to be happy they need to be honest with each other, she agrees and he starts be making the big and bold statement of never liking her iconic earrings. Now EVERYONE knows that Pat's iconic looks was always with her big earrings, and for someone to declare that they don't like them, is basically a bit punch in the gut for her. She looks at him in shock as he describes them as cheap and vulgar, as she is doing everything in her power to keep her marriage together, she simply removes her earrings in silence. At the Vic Frank is telling his daughter, Janine that he can't stay any longer. He needs and leave and once Janine is accusing him of being a bad father. He tries to worm his way into her good backs by explaining that she's a strong woman and she'll be able to cope, but she really isn't happy. Janine has always been Daddy's Little Girl, although she'd never admit it, she always loved her Dad deeply. But when he's saying he's leaving and that he's never realised how much he actually loves his daughter, it gives her the feeling that he's abandoning her again. She leaves as they're both in tears, Frank begs her not to leave on such sad terms but she can't bring herself to stay. Back at home Pat is trying to make amends to her husband but as Roy tries to explain to his son that they're going to make changes and try and sort things out, its then when Barry informs Roy about Pat's suitcase, Barry explains to him that she made up a story that she was going to take Roy away, when in fact it's the case she was going to use to run away with Frank. Barry informs his Dad that if he decides to look inside, he wont be happy with what he finds. Without a word, Roy unzips the suitcase and inside finds the bag which says "Second Honeymoon!" 

Pat walks in only to deny it all and say it was spur of the moment. Roy pulls out the items in the bag which reveal lingerie and massage oils. It hurts him deeply that she had lied to him when she claimed it wasn't about sex, but all this evidence made it perfectly clear. Pat begs her husband to believe her that it wasn't her idea, but Roy has none of it throws her out! Pat is left in pouring torrential rain, in floods of tears on her knees, her clothes all soaked on the pavement. Frank eventually gathers his things and walks towards his car in the pouring rain ... I remember watching this as a child 9/10 years old ... I know it sounds silly but it kinda frightened me, and i'll explain why ... as the camera follows Frank to his car, Pat is seen sat on Arthur's bench, still drenched in her big coat and crying her eyes out. Frank finds Pat's gloves in his can and quickly decides to take them back to Pat, only to be given another smack in the mouth by Roy! I know a lot of people were happy he did that, he should've done it a lot earlier! 

This is the moment that scared me a child, the way I see it now, it's a bit silly, but hopefully you guys will understand. So Frank is walking towards his car, he's looking low, beaten and drenched ... he's shouting out Pat's name ... calling for her, of course he has no idea where she is, it's as if he's calling desperately wanting her to maker herself known! Pat can only hear her soulmates voice calling her name and it breaks her, she covers her face and cries hysterically. He shouts at the top of his lungs "I'm sorry!" and then for the whole Square to hear "I LOVE YOU!" .... it's as if they've both come to the realisation that they can't have each other after everything that has happened. They are both lost souls! Pat calls out his name but it's too late as he already drives away in his car, he's unable to see her in the teaming rain and she watches in pure heartache as his car drives away. For a 9/10 year old, watching two people pretty much lose everything in the worst possible way, was pretty horrific. The last thing Frank sees as he drives out of Walford is his dummy set alight! 

Another brilliantly written episode and I can fully understand why it's made into the list of iconic episodes. Fantastic performances from Barbara Windsor, Pam St Clement and Mike Reid, such legends and I can’t applaud them enough! I'm sorry this post is late, but I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next iconic episode is going to be! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week! I'll be back very soon! Goodnight and look after yourselves! xXx

[allurefashionblogs]

How to Do a French Manicure

Let's find out what your thoughts are on this issue, as I've got my own thoughts on the matter, and I'd like to take an idea of how others feel about the subject. In the fall of last year, one of my closest friends got married and while we all got glammed up , she brought up an interesting issue. When she was getting the wedding nail done, her manicure specialist asked her what she wanted and when she replied 'a simple french manicure and pedicure', the lady said she would do it, however, it's a bit outdated. 1.) Ewww, who says that to a bride just a few days prior to her wedding (great method to get rid of the anxiety of getting ready for the wedding and unnecessarily)? and 2.) I'm sure I've never had an authentic French manicure in my life since I was in high school however I'm sure that it's an acceptable an ideal choice for brides I'm sure you're thinking, right? We aren't all Sophie Turner, rocking lilac nails on our wedding day and not thinking about it. She's so cutting-edge, we just can't be as competitive. 

There's nothing wrong with the classic French manicure, as I'll assure you that every bride, celebrity or not has brought it to the forefront of their minds. It's so timeless and clean, subtle and beautiful and all the things brides of today are looking for (not like brides from decades ago). It's also TBH it's likely remain that way for a long time, for as long as champagne, white, pink and rose gold, as well as all of the romantic, soft shades continue to trend.That is said, there is a certain simplicity that comes with a formal French manicure We thought we'd look around to see how subtle the nail trends could be. Nail artists nowadays are doing so numerous fun things to modernize and revive the slightly worn style. If you're thinking about what you'll be doing to dress up your nails to celebrate the occasion, then look below for some ideas. 

Instead of being traditional square and soften it. Choose a shorter round tip that's polished. We're loving this infinity-style French. Bands at the bottom and on the top. Selecting a light base color and adding glamour or avant-garde look by adding rhinestones or mini pearls to your designs  french manicure designs . One of our most loved nail artists, Betina Goldstein has just done this for the recently-minted bride to be a beauty director, Amber Kallor and oh my god we're in love. Nails that match her stunning Miu Miu bridal pumps. 

[astroellipse]

live blogging but it’s all one post and not actually live at all. this one is really long open at your own peril.

This has to be one of my favorite cutscenes in the game... I skipped most of the cutscenes in this questline with “Tsuyu” and whatever else went on because I don’t care for it, aside from some funny Asahi bits. And this cutscene is the KING of funny Asahi scenes, him just getting straight up murdered. It’s even funnier the second time around because now I realize... he was never actually acknowledged by Zenos. That was Elidibus controlling his body, simply using Asahi’s devotion for his own devices. And I realize now that Elidibus was trying to back up Emet-Selch’s own carefully laid plans, which... is something to keep in mind for later. I can’t wait to see more of Fandaniel later I love his/Asahi’s voice actor. And I know it’s fairly negative in this case but I can’t help but enjoy the campy villains...

And now I can finally stop skipping cutscenes! I realize I just now skipped the part where Alphinaud set out on his doomed journey to Garlemald, but... man I didn’t want to hear Gosetsu cry about Tsuyu I just hate that plot point so much. They really shoulda just let them die.

Oh my god I forgot that Gosetsu is bald now. I know it’s like a tradition thing and serious and everything but. Hhhh he looks so silly without it... Doesn’t help that it lets you see the outlines of all the polygons comprising his head...

Oh man I appear to have gotten events swapped around. Is it now that we see that energy source on the Azim Steppe? We’re about to go and put up that barrier in the Brume, which I’m pretty sure i thought came after ShB for whatever reason. I think I’ve mentioned it in a previous post... though that one I also think I deleted for an unrelated reason, I think because I was tired and got some details wrong and in my frustration and exhaustion threw the whole thing out. I’ll have to write down those particular thoughts again, after I see whatever it is that’s about to happen.

Oh man. i wonder if Hien doesn’t realize that Y’shtola is blind. They get to the Azim Steppe and he’s immediately like “Let me show you my favorite spot where you can see the pretty fields and sky :)” and she returns with “Yeah yeha okay let’s get on with what we came here to do”. Very funny. Actually Hien and Y’shtola are in general very funny together I like seeing him react to her talking to him like he’s an idiot.

So, the legend goes that a “wayfaring soul” came to the Steppe and received a sliver of Nhaama’s power in the form of a shard, and used it to cleft the earth and raise it to the heavens to avert calamity, then made an offering of blood. The sliver of power is Allagan technology, which was used to raise Azys Lla and create Dalamud. The dialogue has been very particular about referring to the person in this story as “wayfaring soul” and not shorter synonyms like “traveler”, which i think is probably deliberate? Especially with this now being the lead-up to ShB.

I guess now would be a good time to re-write some of my thoughts about the Steppe. It is not an original theory that Azim the god and Azem the ancient are related if not one in the same. They are both light, and related to travel. The WoL is expressly referred to as a traveler by Cirina’s grandmother, and iirc Azem is as well. Azim descended from the heavens to walk amongst his children, who are all nomadic. If they do have a relation, then the people of the Azim Steppe might be thought of as Azem’s people. I say this because I’ve been wondering why the Empire hasn’t touched the Azim Steppe, the real reason. The Xaela would make incredibly useful conscripts, and could be easily trounced by a suitably large magitek army during any one of their squabbles, or I’m sure the Empire could destabilize them in any other way. And that isn’t even to mention the large energy source hidden away in its cliffs, which have to be giving off some kind of signal. I wonder if the Empire ignoring the Steppe has anything to do with Solus and his sentiment for Azem.

I suppose I should actually get on with re-seeing this part, then.

God. I love y’shtola the bit with Magnai is so good. The voice acting. He sounds so hurt with his “Little...?”. “Look into my eyes” She’s blind you absolute dumbass.

Alright. Well. I didn’t actually gleam anything new. We’re about to go into the meeting sequence and. God. This is another one of my favorite cutscenes in the game. the visual effect used to represent the WoL’s soul being torn from their body is so cool... I wonder which outfit I should wear? I’ve changed all of them I think since uploading screenshots last. AST is cute and what I’ve been using for the last few quests to soak what little exp I can, but... this is a bit too serious for a cute healer in a skirt and glasses, plus the collar on the shirt would cover his face in some of the shots... DRG it is again then, I guess. It has sort of taken over as my primary class. I enjoy playing it more than BRD :\

“Let us hope that the coming meeting passes more peacably than the last such gathering in ala Mhigo” jfc Y’shtola. Hhhhhooooo here we go!!!!!!! Hhhhh I love Alisaie I remember this was the part that solidified her as precious little sister numero uno.... god... the scene where she gets taken away I’m already nearly tearing up I love Shadowbringers man holy shit.

Raha you dumbass!!!!! Endangering everyone like that. Literally takes five tries before he gets it right, and trying to explain everything while the WoL can’t rightly hear. I know he’s desperate but goddamn dude. Just. God. I’m so excited. I’m excited to see Urianger get to be an actual character again. I’m excited for the Scions to actually care about each other and especially the WoL. Also to see Doran grapple with these troubles as Secret did, finally finally learning why the hell he’s here, what Secret is and what he is, and... coming to terms with it. He was excited when it first happened, before his memory was sapped, mostly a product of being fused with Secret for so long without a will of his own, but... after experiencing all this, seeing these people as his friends. Learning to accept his place in the story much more easily than Secret...

There’s a reason I’ve kept the title “The Last Resort” on him. It’s for my own purposes. Secret has still not accepted that she as a person, though not her soul was created for the sole purpose of being a hero. If she can’t accept this in time... she might resort to letting Doran take the reins. Forfeiting her personhood altogether. This path would rely on unofficial lore about Fantasia, about how it warps reality to make it so that you were always this race or that... I might actually do it, too. I’ve done more things right with Doran, and I have friends on this server. I... suppose Secret would take Doran’s place in my personal narrative then. Which. Feels bad. Like a disservice to Secret, though... I suppose it doesn’t have to be. At this point Doran is still no less relevant to her. Secret will have simply gotten literally washed away with her memories.

I’m uh. Starting to think I might be too attached to Secret. The thought of having her not be my main character, of neglecting her in any way, of having to make this choice is. Making me genuinely emotional... though I suppose I’ve seen enough people on here talk about how they cry about ocs and whatnot.

Anyhow. I think I might change Doran’s hairstyle for Shadowbringers. might make it longer. It seems only appropriate, it having been so long... and something more elegant would be fitting. Maybe I’ll finally find and settle on an AST glam that is suitably pretty. I adore my current one for how cute it is but it doesn’t exactly fit ShB’s vibes.

Oh wait back to serious stuff. It’s funny that Lyse didn’t get called. G’raha explained it as the people closest to the WoL were called, and... for even Urianger to be called and not Lyse. It has funny implications.

MAN....... WHY does this game put Alisaie through so much :(((((((( Endwalker had BETTER give her and Alphinaud some damn good development like they implied. LET THE WoL BE THEIR OLDER SIBLING OR SOMETHING...... The WoL and Alphinaud were so good together during HW, and then them and Alisaie in this sequence and a few other scenes before now and during ShB but... it just doesn’t feel like it’s there during ShB, not with all the other adult characters around.

Granted I do this with every kid in this game. I saw Myste and even before I knew what their deal was it was just

this plays in my head every single time i see a kid. Let me adopt Unukalhai. Game. Game I am demanding now let the WoL care about others. That poor kid has just been sitting in the Solar for two entire expansions then some, and not even as a result of being a necessary quest npc stuck in a time bubble like Urianger’s double in the Waking Sands like he’s aware of what’s going on. I... actually imagine he might be relevant in Endwalker. Reaper comes with your very own voidsent, which means the void will be relevant again which might mean Unukalhai will be relevant!!! At the very least to the Reaper questline, if it has one.

Continuing the story again. Actually you know what LET THE WOL HUG THEIR FUCKING FRIENDS!!! It wouldn’t take THAT long to set it up for each different race which I assume is what keeps them from having the WoL physically interacting with much of anything but it would be SO GOOD!!! IT WOULD BE WORTH IT!!! I wanna give Alisaie a hug she’s suffering so much :(

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH IT’S HIM HIM HIM HIM IT’S EMET-SELCH FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES! HELL YES I’VE BEEN WAITING!!!!!!!!!I forgot he was introduced here!!!!!!!!!!! It sounds like his voice actor hasn’t settled into his voice yet at this point though :0 And his theme!!! i love his theme I thought it was so weird at first but it’s fitting...

Oh my god did they not update Varis’s model since his debut? Look at this shit

Why are his pupils square... and blown up as it is on my screen it’s like... i can see individual splotches of color on his texture??? Incomparison Emet-Selch’s eyes are still sharp up close and instead of weird splotchy skin you can see individual pores. I just. Why. Didn’t they update him???

OH LMAO RIGHT AND THEN VARIS JUST SHOOTS HIM! GOD. And the FACE they have him make. Emet-Selch is such a good character.

Actually I’ve decided that Garleans are just ugly. I think that’s just it actually.

And then there’s... Black Rose, was it called? This would be confusing to see if you didn’t do those sidequests in Gyr Abania. Granted they were to unlock aether currents but I imagine plenty of people skipped them. This would have been a very abrupt introduction, and it loses relevance so soon after...

Hmm. With the story bringing back what I now realize are forgotten/resolved tidbits about the Empire, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll bring back the Optimates, what with us finally seeing the Garlemald in person in Endwalker. They would make for a good enough rival faction.

I have... changed Doran’s hair... it’s really just his old hairstyle but longer, the highlights are even in the same place though they’re fainter. He has gone through subtle changes between expansions. First I changed his lips to a darker color, flip flopping between not wearing lipgloss to a peach color then to as dark as you can get without wearing actual lipstick. Then I changed his eyebrows, still short but angled slightly downwards. And now his hair is long... the implication is that he’s let it grow out over time. It looks nice with most of his outfits, even plays nice with DRG’s hood, though as I expected my previous AST glam is a no-go. It actually looks cute from the front but it sticks right through them hem in the back and we can’t have that.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh may have just spent 800k gil on a nice shirt. On the bright side my AST glam is now just about as pretty as I can get it. I took the vibe I liked from the old one and now Doran’s a little... uh... maybe I shouldn’t have given him long hair.....

Ah shit I haven’t put together a GNB glam yet and I’m running low on funds... the only reason I could even afford that shirt was bc one of my fc members gave me and the only other guy that was on 1mil one night at random :| I really like the current glam but... it’s too cartoony for ShB!!!! hhhhhhhh Maybe I’ll be able to utilize some of the next Scion set once I get it...

hhh back to story... there’s this person in my FC that’s super talkative, but 56 and married and getting into over-sharing territory :| not like... weird oversharing but man I don’t need to know you get hives that was unprompted. Chill otherwise and it IS like 12 but wtv.

Aw man if that guy in the most recent trailer really was the twins’ dad then no wonder Alphinaud is out here looking to make any man who’s nice to him out as a father figure. There’s Estinien, Arenvald, now Gaius... and you might count Urianger and Thancred, and maybe the WoL.

Oh, Ascian lore! There’s a hierarchy. Red masks stand above black, already knew this. Those joined to the Source stand above those adrift in the shard. I don’t think I would have understood this the first time.

“A silent agent of death... Now that I think on it, Black Rose may well possess the perfect aspect.” I... is this him pondering whether this is how the Calamity will take shape, or deciding it?

Oh I really don’t like Varis’s voice acting. I’m glad he dies soon. Although, that “... It was by design!?” was pretty good. So is that information that Garlemald is an Ascian construction is absolutely hilarious, as is Emet-Selch toying with Varis.

OH. Emet-Selch has all these clones because Varis choose him as a test subject while messing around with Allagan cloning technology. I thought for some reason that the clones had been Emet-Selch’s doing.

“I’ve a feeling this won’t be the last time his bravery in the Empire will serve us here in Eorzea.” Said by Raubahn about Alphinaud setting back Black Rose production. Probably obvious foreshadowing for Endwalker.

Sharlyan... attempted to negotiate peace with the Empire? That’s not exactly surprising, though it is still new to me. Tucked in optional standing-around dialogue from Alisaie

Oh my GOD I hate Varis and his idiot hat. This scene is so uncomfortable and not just because I have to hear Varis speak. All of the city-state leaders act like monumental shitheads just to create tension and let Varis put them down it’s stupid. You idiots you’re supposed to be engaging in peace talks not venting about the Empire. Put aside your pride and play parley with the single most hated man in the world. It’s literally all just to stall for time, why would they do any of this. And oh my god, who even let Aymeric speak here. He brings up his stupid little battle with the dragons or his daddy issues at every opportunity. Yes yes we all played Heavensward but I can assure you it was not for its politics or message about war. Like yeah that whole ordeal ended terribly. We just killed the evil people/dragons and that was that. Solved purely through force.

Hhhh I forgot about this. That Varis AGREED with the Ascians. “There will be but one race--a perfect race--as we were when time began.” HHghghh. Oh right and he freely admits the bit about Garlemald being built by an Ascian.

Hm. Currently the Ascians’ plan is to bring about more Calamities which would be terrible and kill lots of people. Fandaniel... wants to kill everyone. I wonder how he accounts for the other shards. Wouldn’t it have made sense to at least try and work with his fellow Ascians? Either to round all up all the souls in one place before blowing it all to hell, or by sabotaging their plans and creating more situations like the one that created the Void. Or if decimating the Source would kill everyone anyways.

“Don’t you dare leave me alone.” ALISAIEEEEEEEEEEEEE AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE THIS PART! I HATE IT! DON’T TAKE HER AWAY THAT SCENE HURTS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!

Taking a break to do my dailies for poetics bc I BARELY make the ilvl requirement for the next dungeon. anyhow. In this prae run there’s a Haurchefant look-alike called “Haurchefant Corpse”. He’s wearing a white suit and a halo, and is a scholar. I’m still laughing man wtf!!! Dude kinda sucks though he didn’t summon his fairy before the battle with Nero and only got out like two offensive spells lmao

Alright. Story again. G’RAHA. STOP BEING A CRYPTIC ASSHOLE!!! ALISAIE!!!!!!!!! HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I KNOW THEY REUNITE SOON BUT... HER REACHING FOR THE WoL... WHO LET THEM BOTH ONTO THE BATTLEFIELD!!!!! I’ll fucking cry man... this is cruel...

Oh my god I was looking to see if there were any story sidequests at this level i skipped the first time and saw that there IS story with Unukalhai that I haven’t seen, currently. Because I haven’t been able to do all of the savage trials with him... maybe once I get to 80 I’ll be able to convince someone to unsync them with me for first clears... the questline is called “Void Quests” too... Ah. To do this last questline you have to have ALSO done all the role quests. Good thing I’m leveling one of each currently lmao... wait. I don’t have a caster. I suppose I’ll have to level summoner on him after all...

“But no one is invincible, Doran. Not even you. So please, take care of yourself out there.” Foreshadowing of the WoL nearly getting merc’d on the battle field. Side note I had to look that up because I’ve been thinking of that word a lot lately. And now realize that it is not a real word but a gaming term? Also that it’s written like that. It comes from CoD4. Or. Actually. reading more I have no clue where it comes from though I did know it was in relation to mercenaries at its root even if its meaning doesn’t.

Ah... speaking of this is probably the last story bit I’m going to do before bed. Though. I... think this leads right into entering Norvrandt. Oh holy shit Doran’s forehead is so big now. he looks so goofy in this shot they took away his fucking eyebrows.

I’ve mostly been wearing his new AST glam since I changed his hair and that at least has glasses... and GNB wears a full-face mask and BRD has a half-face mask. But this. This looks like a lil bit silly ngl.

Ohhh I forgot you fight as Hien against Elidibus/Zenos... While waiting for the WoL to arrive. i love fighting as DRG against Zenos. Same reason as I enjoy using SMN. Fighting using the power of a beast, it’s fitting. Also goddammit G’raha... Why are you so stupid. My guy. Thank goodness Estinien is some kind of stalker because my god. Ohhhh riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight it’s later you actually go to Norvrandt. Rn you just get a lil peek at G’raha. Again, waaaay too recognizable. Literally not even a secret.

Hhhgh... hearing Aymeric speak to the WoL.... they are Friends it is Cute. He like... actually tries, I realize. He makes it clear that he’s fond of the WoL past the obvious hero stuff. Godddddddd this is adorable... Aymeric is still an idiot but he is an incredibly endearring idiot. Ah... and Count edmont comes to visit too. His fatherly relationship with the WoL is adorable as well... I still remember their moment during the DRK questline.

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhggggggg and Tataru crying about seeing the WoL... fwiends... ShB is GOOD. And the WoL goes and kneels in front of her.. ghghhh

Ahh that WAS finally the end of the intermediate stuff. Oh my god I love this game. Jesus christ this is so good. And I finally got the new travelling outfit! Hopefully this’ll give me an idea for a GNB glam... I... can’t use the body piece cause it’s too gaudy but the others would work maybe.

Oh shit I finally lost my sprout too! I’m gonna stop writing now just gotta finish up some business...

[makeademia]

The video that got my [spam] YouTube Channel Almost Banned **not clickbait**

(Comparing 1970′s College Music Scenes- Disco and Rock)

But yeah, stealing an entire theme song (and turning a project in late trying to preserve the least relevant part of the video ahaha) is fun. In my opinion, it was worth it. This is in no way implying that it’s good, though, so watch at the risk of your own valued time.

-AC

Transcript Below:

[Intro music]

Voiceover:

Ah, college.

Just like Hollywood romanticized high school with Grease and Dazed and Confused, I feel like college was a little bit romanticized today. In movies, all you saw were people drinking and partying and listening to really cool music but it turns out today, college costs an arm, a leg, and a kidney to go to. And there’s a lot more stress…to put it lightly.

So, what would it be like to just chill out and listen to music in the 70’s?

Upon doing some research, I found out that 1970’s colleges were dominated by two different music scenes: rock and disco.

And in this vlog, I’ll try my best to describe each one and I’ll even include a couple of anecdotes from my 1970’s parents…if they cooperate, but stay tuned to find out if they do!

Disco:

Happy Thursday, everyone.

So, I didn’t get the memo that my professor canceled class today and I’m here so there’s nothing left to do besides take over his room and teach you guys about 70’s music. So, let’s get started.

So, first I’d like to start off with the properties of disco. So, these were played at clubs and it was really played at any type of party. There was an occasion to listen to Disco. 

And, it was really influenced by genres that came before it so you kind of got the Funk elements that played into Disco as well as Jazz. 

And many of the songs had dance moves. Also, I believe it was illegal for people of the same gender to dance together but that got outlawed with the Stone Wall Riots, I believe, I haven’t taken history in a while. 

But, you had lots of sexual revolution—everything was very “do you”. 

Most of the songs were wild and upbeat. Electronic elements were quintessential to the funkiness or grooviness [groove, whoops] of Disco music.

 It kind of threw away the pre-conceived notions of what “good” music is. You’re not appraising Disco. It’s more of what’s there? And does it fit the setting? And that’s kind of where the occasion comes in again.

Rock:

So, let's start off with Rock. 

Keep in mind that Rock certainly isn’t anything new. It was very popular in the 60’s. Like, the 70’s wasn’t the “decade” of Rock. There’s almost a subgenre of Rock that became really popular called Acid Rock and also Psychedelic Rock. And there are tons more that fall into this category, but I’m just generally going to refer to it as Rock.

As opposed to Disco that took elements of different genres to make a new genre, it was more so the continuation of a genre that was already thriving. 

Also different from Disco, the way you heard Rock was mainly through the radio. So, in a way, it was reaching the same amount of people, just through a different medium. 

Unlike disco, there’s not an occasion to listen to Rock unless you’re going to a concert or something. 

70’s music really pushed people to think. It wouldn’t explicitly call out the social message. It was more to promote creativity and individualism within the listeners. 

Also, you had tons of different instruments used. Plus, elements of music that made it seem like they were edited. 

Even the softer side of rock had the same elements as heavier rock that came to fruition in the 70’s. It had this explosion. It was unpredictable and it was really creative.

 I will get into that more. It’ll make more sense, so I look forward to that. In the meantime, I am going to get into the similarities.

Rock & Disco:

They all have undertones of inclusion. You can be your own person and not only will I accept it but it’s something I want to celebrate. 

So, in that way, it was all very fluid. It was fluid musically bringing in electronic elements.

The 70’s did have people who were distrustful of the government just because of all the drama that went on in the 60’s, Watergate, and whatnot. You had the government and “The man” no longer relevant in music. It was its own degree of rejection.

Also, I can’t go without mentioning this—drugs! Those drugs prospectively being alcohol and cocaine for Disco and as we all can guess, Rock definitely did have a stronghold in stoner culture and acid trips, that’s something they took from the 60’s.

So, public consumption of alcohol and cocaine is still looked down upon. This was still very underground and it was not societally accepted but it did play into the music because the music is so fast and energetic and, you know, when have you seen that in other decades? 

And you’re with people and you have the free love thing going on and you can do whatever you want. It encourages your own choices and these are some of the choices.

Last thing we have here is young people, which is why I did this topic. Who makes stuff cool? College kids.

I will bring in examples of my parents. Disclaimer, they aren’t cool anymore but back in the day my parents definitely vibed with these things.

Mom & Dad Profiles:

So, contrary to what my retro baby pictures and my superb teaching on this topic may lead you to believe, I was not nor have I ever been alive in the 70s.

So instead, I brought you the more credible Tammy and Craig who were alive in the 70s.

Although they were merely teenagers at the time, I think they can still give you the spark notes

of the spark notes of how the music of the liberated college student trickled down to them.

Mom Interview:

A: So, this is my mother, Tammy

T: Are you still there?

A: Oh my God, we’re off to a great start

Q: How do you remember the rise of Disco?

T: Yeah, it was really popular when the movie Saturday Night Fever came out

A: Is that what made the term Saturday Night Fever?

T: Yeah. Well, I don’t know. I didn’t write that movie.

A:…Okay.

T: I didn’t like it, though. I didn’t like Disco music. Although, I did like that Bee Gees album.

A: What Bee Gees album? Well, actually—no. I don’t care. Um—

Q: What turned you off from Disco?

T: [cackles in English] I like more laid back songs where you can sing to the words and understanding the song more than getting up and dancing and more than, you know, being happy and peppy.

A: And you do not consider yourself a peppy person?

T: No

Q: When would you listen to Rock music?

A: Out with friends, hangin’ out in the neighborhood.

Q: Were other people this polarized on what genres they liked?

T: No, I don’t think that they were necessarily at odds with each other but, I mean, they did kind of stay on separate sides, you know. 

Q: Did your school band ever use Rock or Disco in their routines?

T: Um, the band would play like Rock n Roll Music

A: And that’s the school bands?

T: Yeah and we would dance to it or twirl to it

A: Okay, but not Disco?

T: No, not so much Disco.

Q: What’s your fondest memory of 70’s music?

T: I just remember sitting in my room a lot and just listening to album after album. I had like eighty albums.

Q: So rock was personal and interpersonal?

A: So with Rock it was more about like intimate connections with your friends and-

T: Yeah, and how the music related to your life. A lot of the music you could relate to your own life. And concerts were big too. As a teenager, I remember lots of concerts. That was the big thing.

A: Any other insights you have?

T: Nope

A: Would you like to be dismissed now?

T: Yeah [cackles]

Dad Interview: 

Q: How did you hear different kinds of 70’s music?

C: That's what you listen to it on my college radio stations or nightclubs, it was when you had stadium concerts, which had like pyrotechnics. Um, kinda like Led Zeppelin.

Q: What made people like these genres?

C: So you had kinda the vanilla you can think of it as almost like squares music on the Top 40 and then he had kind of people that were looking for something different. Even the disco was people looking for something different. Disco was kind of like the nightclub music but it was all associated with beauty and glamour and, you know, high fashion

Q: So there was some narcissism among Disco listeners?

C: Well, there were definitely in the ideas the Disco and even in Glam Rock there was narcissism but I think there are some of the opposite—you had the disenfranchised, the people that didn't feel like they didn’t belong like every generation had. I think it's always driven by youth; they're looking for a new sound or they're, you know, what they're playing on the radio doesn't express their thoughts and stuff but I think there are some people that get left behind and that just widens the chasm between the haves and the have-nots. 

Q: Is this how the peaceful attitudes of the 60’s dissolved?

 C :I think maybe you still had some of the innocence after the psychedelic 60s and and the British Invasion. Remember, back in the day, the 70s Beatles was broken up. You know, that kind of disillusioned people with-you kind of got this groovy, you know, a sense of getting along Well, yeah there's that but you know that not everyone identified with that groovy, happy, you now—loving feeling.

Q: Was it like this for Rock and Disco?

C: Because it became splintered, the majority of mass American people, you know, would listen. But those into Disco would never want to be around anything with Punk music, you know, that was dirty, that was raw trash to them, you know.

Q: What cool things arose from 70’s Rock?

C: And you also had the idea the develop of concept albums, you know, that it wasn't a bunch of singles on an album.

A: Like Pink Floyd?

C: Pink Floyd! Exactly! Like, Led Zeppelin, you know, I remember it being a big thing with Stairway to Heaven because it was like 17 minutes long and it was finally played on the radio. You also had this blissful lack of technical skills or development in the Punk movement. You know, they couldn’t play any instrument and just wailed away in and yelled and made noise and, you know, that it became a music genre.

Q: How was Rock made popular?

C: You couldn’t just say “Let's do it!”—no! You know, you had to go out to a bar or a concert to listen to music and then you would get to know it. You'd buy it, you know, an album and you go to a house party or something slam-dancing at the house party and play the music until your speakers blew. And it’s the same way with Progressive Rock into New Wave. Now that was really ushered in by the technological development of the synthesizer. You know, they started having a band without a guitar, which was unheard of back then. 

Q: How was Disco different and how was it similar?

C: There was a lot of sentiment about it, about Disco. Before then, you know, you couldn't you could hear but it really was pretty mindless music. It was just dance music.

Q: Was disco popular for non-club goers?

You also had, you know, people that weren't old enough to go out to clubs and stuff. They would start to listen to their older brothers or sisters’ albums, you know.

Q: How did the drug of choice for the listeners of each genre come to be?

C: So I think that's more symptomatic of the age and the partying and stuff, which drug in particular they did and how they did it or stuff like that, yeah. That might have been more based on the type of music it like ecstasy and rings go kind of go together. It wasn’t like they started doing raves because they were doing ecstasy was but it went along with the music and being out partying, you know, drugs and drinking are, you know, right or wrong, are gonna be a part of going to college or high school, you know.

Q: Why did the 70’s become known for these genres specifically?

C: Rock and Disco where desired have fun, the desire to party, the desire to share something with friends or, you know, significant other or trying to find a significant other…

[Music and Credits]

[shorthaircutsmodels]

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[aviationfiction]

XXII

Dante St. James

Exhilarating.

Intoxicating.

Addictive.

I’ve never felt anything as silky, velvety, and luscious against my skin until she meshed her supple lips into mine to create an unparalleled harmony between our mouths. The feel of her nails digging into the flesh of my neck enticed me; nearly beyond control, and I was left at her mercy as her flawless frame pinned itself to my own. Not to be outdone, I locked her into my arms and changed our positions so she was the one pinned against the elevator’s stainless steel walls instead of me. I’d poured every aspect of myself into that kiss; my tongue being the enforcer of my emotions and affections for the woman I was sharing it with. My hands relentlessly caressed, brushed over, and lightly grasped every accessible part of her, including the plumpness behind her that I so often find my staring at no matter what she’s wearing.

Time halted.

The world suddenly felt like a playground for only two souls and we’d lost ourselves into one another without care or concern of our location and it’s surroundings. In my blatant staring at Autumn as she enjoyed herself mostly with Mike and all of his antics, I realized that I undoubtedly have never set my eyes on anything or anyone more beautiful than she is. I thought I’d been a fool to believe that when I saw her for the second time as she formally greeted me at BlueStar. I’ve been to multiple countries, set my sights on mountains whether they were desert rocky or snow covered, seen the blues of the oceans, and most of all, walked amongst people from all of the world while taking in their similarities, differences, unique capabilities, and intriguing cultural backgrounds and yet this one woman superseded all of it. The essence of her soul is the embodiment of what it means to be genuine and her nurturing nature has not only entranced me, but has also been caring for my mind, body, and spirit since we’ve gravitated towards one another. She’s within my thoughts when I open my eyes every morning, implemented into my plans and schedule no matter how light or strenuous it is, and who I prefer to be around whenever time permits it…and even when it doesn’t.

I’ve seen a ton of films, read some of the greatest novels, and studied the works of the worlds greatest poets and writers. I’m not a discriminatory reader nor do I use my gender to limit my interests. I’ve taken in many different aspects of what romance is. Most importantly, I’ve had my attempts with it. Though unsuccessful, I’ve quietly sought for the undeniable heart to heart, mind to mind, and soul to soul tie to another human being who is perfectly suited for myself. In yearning for the emotional, I’ve tested out the physical aspects of it and though the climaxes came, the emptiness that followed took a blow to my gut time after time. In all of the kisses I’ve had over my nearly thirty years of living, none of them stimulated every aspect of myself in the manner that the one I had in the wee hours of this morning did. I nearly felt embarrassed as the chills followed by goosebumps, warmth followed by arousal, and the sparks followed by an endless need engulfed me and engraved the moment and her into my mind forever. A man my age was already supposed to have experienced all of that and tons more and yet here I am, nearly feeling like my purity is still in tact, and yet so pleased to know good things actually do come to those who wait.

“Yo!” I glance to the right of myself to give Mike the attention that he’d most likely been egging for for a couple of seconds and the look of confusion and agitation on his face matched the expression he’d given me just fifteen minutes ago.

“What’s up with you? You keep zoning out. This was a no for me as soon as we stepped inside. Fred’s not feeling it. Are you on board with that? Is it a no for you as well?”

He extended his arms outward to signify the space we were standing in and I turned in a complete circle to scan it’s perimeters once more and shook my head. Nothing about it drew any interest from me. Though I’m sure we could hire a contracting company for major renovations, consult with upscale interior design teams, and use our own expertise to turn this property into exactly what we’re looking for, I still don’t think it’d be enough. The square footage is odd. We pride our properties on intimacy and what we’re standing in is a social killer. Vegas is all about the glitz and glam; the grand nightclubs specifically constructed to make everyone feel like they’re someone of importance once they step past those velvet ropes. We’ve never cared for that style of ambiance and I’d rather we not start.

“Yeah, I’m on board with that decision. This is a no.”

“Cool. Let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”

“What’s new?” Mike raised an eyebrow as I took a jab at his endless hunger and he smirked.

“We’re going to find out over lunch. Nothing new is going on over here on my end, but I’m positive that you can’t say the same brother.” He glanced over at Fred for a co-sign and received exactly what he was looking when he chuckled and nodded his head as confirmation for the both of them plotting to intrude on what they’ve been curious about since this morning.

“Whatever. Lets keep it light. I’m taking Autumn out to lunch.”

“You can keep it light. I’m eating a full damn meal. You can starve until you eat with your woman if you want.”

The light chuckles between the both of them filled my ears until we were at the very front of the vacant establishment thanking it’s owner for allowing us to do a walk through on such a short notice. Though we’d make appointments with the others, we were given information about this property while viewing a spot over on West Flamingo Road. Once we gave him a call, he immediately agreed to drop what he was in the middle of handling and meet us here. Though it’s not what we we’re looking for, I respect his ethic.

“Grand Lux Cafe?”

“Fine with me.” I’d always preferred the international brand off of the Cheesecake Factory over it’s originator in the first place. The dishes were a decent spin on the best European cafes and French bistros. Whenever I’m over in Jersey at Mike’s house, we’d shoot over to the one right by Garden State Plaza and grab a meal that suited whatever the time of the day it was. He goes there so much that nearly all of the waitresses knows who he is. I’m sure his endless filtration plays a part in it as well.

“I do have a taste for those crispy Thai shrimp and chicken spring rolls. I’m with it.”

Though we could have left the car parked and walked down to the restaurant, the Vegas heat had already drained a ton of energy out of our bodies since our two hours of being out in it, so we drove. If it were up to me, I’d be in a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt while maneuvering around in this dreadful weather, but I dressed up in simplistic khaki pants, a Polo golf style of shirt, and Stan Smith’s collaboration with Adidas for my footwear. It’s not the business attire I’m used to for meetings but I could have shown up in a Hawaiian style button up shirt, shorts, and a pair of sandals for all these sharks could care. Money talks much louder than anything I could ever put on my back.

“Are we going to need drinks? Between you zoning out and that flustered expression on your face, I think alcohol might be needed.”

“Man, shut up.”

“So what happened after y'all left last night?” Fredrick cut straight to it just like I knew he would. He hadn’t even picked up his menu yet.

“Damn. Can we get the drinks first? Can we order the food?”

“I already know what I want. I want a Heineken and the Pastrami Burger. If I’m not too full, I’ll get the beignets for dessert. As a matter of fact, we can get them and share those shits.”

“Okay Mr. Prepared. I’m going with the Baked Rigatoni. Mai Tai for me. Jon B, what you getting?” A smirked danced along my lips and I couldn’t help but to laugh at yet another one of his cheap jabs at my complexion. He’s about the only person that I let get away with that.

“Crab cakes. Side of fries I guess. Mai Tai for me as well.”

“Good. That shit has four rums in it and you need all four of them to take you off of the edge of whatever you and Autumn were doing in that bed.”

“Sleeping? That’s what we did in that bed, Mike.”

“Aye man. You don’t have to be modest or lie to me. It’s just me, your best friend, shit, your brother. Y'all are two grown and single people. There’s nothing wrong with the pokey pokey.” Drips of water trickled down the sides of Fredrick’s mouth area as he failed to contain his budding laughter at Mike’s ridiculousness. “From the way you were staring at her last night, I figured you were bound to go for it. You looked like your damn head was about to explode.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the what?” His question to further Mike’s antics was followed with loud laughter.

“The pokey pokey.” Before I could knock down his assumption yet again, the waitress returned to the table for our order and my talkative best friend’s flirtation. What makes it amusing is he’s never serious about it. About ninety percent of the time he’s just playing around for either a reaction or a giggle out of whichever woman is wearing her uniform skirt too short or the pants too tight. It’s been his thing to do since we were teenagers and it’s not changing any time soon. I look forward to the day when he’s married and he has to resist doing it so that his wife won’t chew his head off. I’d pay to see that sight.

“Alright, the food and drinks are ordered. Now we small talk until it’s time to eat. Dante, the floor is yours. Well, the table. What happened?”

“The driver took us back to the hotel and were just talking the whole time. Autumn had a bit more to drink than I did so she was tipsy. Not drunk. She was walking and talking just fine, no slurred speech, and literally everything she said made sense. I’ve or rather we’ve been working in the nightclub business long enough to know when a person is wasted.”

“Yeah, she was sipping those zombies moderately until Fredrick started talking to her. I saw her gulp down the last drink she had. What did you or she say?” Mike turned his head to look at him and he shook his own nonchalantly.

“We were just having a casual conversation. Trivial. It’s really not important. Dante, continue.”

“So, we walked through the lobby talking, I called for the elevator, and as soon as it came, I stepped on first. She was apprehensive; I’m assuming now that I think about it. She was standing in-between the doors for a couple of seconds, just staring at me, and I took it upon myself to grab her waist and pull her inside so the doors would close. By now, she’s standing directly in front of me and I asked her if she had a good time. She never answered that and instead mentioned that I have a high tolerance for alcohol and I admitted that I hadn’t had that much to drink. From there, I randomly started talking about the club itself and she wasn’t listening to me. I could tell because her eyes were lowered and staring at exactly what she was going to go for next; my lips. I don’t know, Fred, I felt like this jolt of astonishment, relief, lust, and need all at once. It was the wildest feeling I’ve ever experienced and I don’t know if I should feel embarrassed or crazy for saying that.” I expected a few giggles and even those witless glances between the two of them but instead they sat there in silence accessing what happened between Autumn and I just as much as I was. Fredrick slightly slouched himself down and dropped his head back in as subtle shock while Mike took a sip of his water and awaited the rest of the details.

“A peck?”

“No. It was intense and potent. My hands were exploring every aspect of her curves as I pinned her to the wall of that elevator.”

“Tongue?” Mike’s eyes widened.

“Yes, man. Feeling. Grabbing.” I gulped down the knot in my throat. “Gripping.”

“Oh shit.” Fred mustered up a small smirk and he nodded his head in pride at the last verb I’d mentioned. I still can’t believe I did that myself. My hands went from resting on the small of her back to sliding down over the thick flesh below it. My subtle aggression was the cause of her moaning against my mouth and that only further enticed me to want and need more from her. My mind had gone beyond the moment. My eyes were tightly shut closed as she savored my mouth and yet I was fantasizing about my own nibbling at the most sacred part of her flesh. That embellished black dress that was such a sight to see suddenly become nothing more than a layer of inconvenience keeping me from what I yearned and damn near ached for.

“We were so caught up in the kiss that we hadn’t realized the elevator was called back downstairs to the lobby. We left this older couple mortified. Though we pulled apart and attempted to regain our composure in record time, they were so disgusted that they wouldn’t even get on. They just waited for the next one.” They’d finally had something to laugh at and wasted no time in doing so at the expense of Autumn and my embarrassment.

“Sounds like some teenager shit man. That’s hilarious.”

“It felt like it. Shit, it felt like my mom walked in on me or something along those lines.” I couldn’t help but to chuckle about it. Maybe it was the liquor but Autumn thought it was hilarious and had I not grabbed her waist and locked her at my side, she would have continued that kiss with no regard for their presence.

“And how did she end up in your bed?”

“I invited her to come up and watch a movie since she said she wasn’t tired. We just did it in the bedroom instead of sitting out in that common area. About ten minutes into the movie, she started falling asleep so I took her boots off and pulled the covers up over her. After turning off the TV, I got back in the bed, she kissed me goodnight, and we went to sleep. Nothing sexual happened.”

“A goodnight kiss as well? Well that’s a nice touch on things. She’s pretty bold. That must have been something that she’s been wanting to do for a while and finally just decided to give in. That wasn’t liquor or some random and impulsive act. If it was, she would have been embarrassed as hell after doing it and there wouldn’t have been a movie night in your bed or a goodnight kiss. She would have left you on that elevator and went about her business.” Fredrick’s statement was what I already believed. I’d been thinking about it while readying myself earlier and making sure not to awaken her as she peacefully laid there entangled in the sheets. I could feel the tension between us as we stood there on the peak for a while talking and eventually just basking in one another’s presence on the hue of the stars. I figured it’d be unspoken for and ignored much like it’s been for a little while now because I’ve been hesitant to address that elephant in the room and I’ve doubted that she’s ready to due to all of the circumstances in her life. The concept of the right time held so much conflict and complexity until that kiss. Now I’m left to wonder what’s next.

“And that opens up the floor for the what’s next question. What’s next?”

We took a pause when our waitress approached the table with the drinks and I gulped down just about half of the Mai Tai as I used as much mental capacity as I could to figure out an answer to that question. What’s next can’t be what I want because what I want contains plenty of greed.

“I don’t know. That’s a question that I don’t know how to answer.”

“Well, what do you want? Start there. You obviously want her. That’s been obvious since damn near the beginning. So right now, at this moment, in what manner do you want her?” Leave it to Mike to continue to push for depth with difficult questions to answer.

“I don’t know. There’s a part of me that feels like what I want is understandable and justified while there’s another part of me that feels like I need to take a step back and allow her to make that decision and to take whatever time that she needs to do so. I don’t want her to feel like I’m forcing her hand or disregarding what she just went through with her ex-husband. I don’t know what she’s ready for and I’d rather not make her burdens any heavier than they already are. The last thing she needs is pressure. Maybe she’s not ready to date or be in a relationship. If that’s the case, I can’t fault her for that no matter what disappointment that may inflict upon me. I don’t know. This shit’s confusing. Maybe we can just go with the flow and see how things go. Don’t people do that when they’re trying to figure things out?”

“So you want to coast in a sense? You’d like to have something with her with no strings attached right now. There’s no commitment or title just yet, but there’s an understanding that there’s an attraction and you’re just seeing where things go.”

“That also means that we can be involved with other people. I don’t like the way that sounds.” Fredrick snickered once I shot down his analysis while Mike raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

“Possessive already? Damn. Okay, so you want an understanding and agreement that you two are exclusively seeing one another, but there’s no title on it. It’s just an understanding. That sounds better?” I took a couple of seconds to assess Mike’s version of Autumn and I’s next step and eventually shook my head.

“I don’t like the way that sounds, honestly.”

“Man, you want the commitment then. You want a relationship. You want titles; boyfriend and girlfriend. You want to be able to claim her and introduce her to people with the appropriate title and you want to be able to feel like she actually belongs to you instead of the situation you two have being up in the air because there’s nothing official about it.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Is it? I’d like to think it’s what’s right but how can I say that when I’ve yet to actually court her? I may be skipping over the actual process. Am I not supposed to allow her to feel me out over the course of a couple of dates and then make her decision? Maybe. I already feel like she’s felt me out and the time frame of dates is trivial. I can take her on a date every single day with her as my woman and court her just as much as I would if she wasn’t. None of that stops once the relationship is real. I want she and I to have a life outside of spending time together when we’re out of town due to my work obligations. I want to be able to be in New Jersey spending time with her just as much as I want her to be spending time in New York City with me. Every trip we take doesn’t have to be about business. She and Stacey are right when they say that I need a vacation, but I have no interest in traveling to some part of the world and doing so alone. That’s not a vacation; it’s isolation and I’ve had more than enough of that before Autumn made her mark. I’d also rather not feel like I can’t speak to her, see her, touch her, and show her affection unless we’re hundreds to thousands of miles away from those familiar with us by the way of relation or friendship. I may be a private person but I’m not secretive.

“No.” Their response was in unison.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Shit, just hearing that come out of your mouth is super wild to me. I’ve been knowing you forever and I’ve never heard you sound this serious or invested about anyone. If that’s what you want, tell her that. If honesty has been an importance between the two of you thus far, then keep it that way and tell her what you feel and what you’d like. People get into relationships and still have to build. Neither one of y'all are running to a chapel any time soon nor are kids on your minds, so I don’t see what the big deal is.” Fredrick made it sound so simple, like he does with just about anything. He’s so smooth that he’d make you think jumping into a lion pit is as simple as taking a walk through a park. He rarely ever sweats over anything. The last time I seen the man stress out was over some fling of his mentioning a pregnancy and that eventually turned out to be negative result. Other than that, he’s as cool as a breeze and of course he’d believe that I’m supposed to have the same outlook on life.

“But I feel like I’m asking her for too much.”

“I don’t get it. You’re asking her for a commitment. Once you’re committed to someone, there’s a title on that. The way I see it, the only way that’s a big deal to her is if she wants to explore her options. Are you saying it’s too much because you believe that’s a possibility?” I could feel my stomach beginning to churn and suddenly every sip of the alcohol felt like a shot of fire tickling down my throat. I don’t have the answer to that question either. If I’m going by these couple of months we’ve spent together, I’d only be assuming that she’s not dating anyone or even considering it because she’s never spoken with me about that. If I look at it that way, I’m going to have to include myself into the equation of her lack of consideration. Maybe she does have options or is leaving the opportunity open for someone to step in but doesn’t want to let me know that. Women tend to be discreet with their dating lives and whatever is going on within their bedrooms because of male expectations and sexist fictitious laws crafted by men to keep them on leashes while we indulge in anything of our choosing. Autumn and I share a lot but I’m not Heather or Rachel. Women will always feel like those type of conversations are better suited for a female friend of theirs.

“I don’t know. Maybe. She’s newly single. Well, technically, her ex-husband’s been out of the picture for two years, but she’s newly single in terms of not being legally tied to anyone else and aside from all that she’s gone through in the midst of those two years, I know she was waiting until she and that guy were completely done and no longer tied to one another to move on with her life.” To soothe my throat, I took a sip of water and placed the glass along side the cocktail. “That’s honorable and I respect her for that. Now that she’s gotten that out of the way, whose to say that she wants to be tied to someone else so soon, you know? Maybe she is interested in seeing what’s out there.”

“Or maybe she’s not and she wants you. It’s been two years. That’s a long ass time man. I don’t care if she was still married and I mean that in non fucked up way. The man got involved with someone else, got engaged, and that woman is pregnant with his child. That happened within two years. No offense to her and the decision that she made but she didn’t owe him that. Yeah, there was a marriage license in tact but Autumn has been single for two years. I didn’t know there’s supposed to be some trial period or some type of wait period to date after divorcing someone. What kind of shit is that? Shit, if anything, he’s lucky. She could have went up in front of a judge during the divorce proceedings and hung his ass out to dry by claiming marital abandonment.” Mike’s lawyer talk earned a snicker out of Fred and he nodded his head in agreement with all that he’d said. “Talk to her and tell her what you feel. You’re never going to know until you do. Don’t be a bitch about this.”

“Shut up. I plan to. Today. I told the both of you that I’m taking her out to lunch. I also snagged tickets to the Boyz II Men residency so I’m going to take her to see that tonight. She’s extremely into R&B and soul music dating back all the way to the fifties so I know she’ll like that.”

“Boyz II Men concert with your girl? Cute shit man.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Mike.”

“My momma tells me to always speak things into existence. Say it, claim it, believe it, then go and get it. Follow the rules pink boy. I’m speaking it into existence for you.”

“You might have to go ahead and get it for him too because I have a feeling he’s going to shrink up today.” Fredrick’s joke sparked up Mike’s annoyingly snide snicker and the both of them eyed me just to see if I would crack under the pressure. Though they’re sitting here encouraging me, that wouldn’t stop them from having a grand ol’ laugh at my expense if I do shrink up in front of Autumn this afternoon. I can admit, as Stacey as said, I’m absolutely a shark in the boardroom. I can handle business without breaking a sweat but romance? I’m an amateur. I’ve remained stagnant in that area because I’ve yet to encounter someone who mentally and emotionally impacted me to the point of wanting more, until now. Autumn is that and I’m ready to explore what it means to have a meaningful relationship. I’m never going to know if I don’t experience it first hand.

“I have it under control.”

“And don’t get drunk and end up in some Vegas chapel either. I know you’re turning thirty and she’s fine as hell but slow your roll. Y'all got time.”

“You’re going to have to chill with all of that she’s fine as hell shit.”

“She’s not your lady yet. Until she is, I’m letting these compliments blast off brother. I’ll stop when you make me stop. Good luck.”

Fredrick raised his glass in ode to me and we all shared a laugh as we eventually tapped out glasses to commemorate the positive outcome that we all seem to be hoping for. I wasn’t expecting our conversation to result in the depth that it did but to say that I appreciate the both of them would be an understatement. That was one of those big brothers and little brother moments that we occasionally share but this time it was about a topic that the both of them love just as much as any man would. I’d finally given them something outside of work and my dreadful family to be informative about and all that they said was useful. I’d been stuck in my head trying to figure it all out on my own since waking up this morning but they aided in putting it all into perspective. The only person missing is Stacey, who is an expert at getting into everyone’s head whether you want her to or not. She would have been able to assess the entire situation effortlessly, but we’ll save that for another day. When I return to New York, she’ll either show up at my apartment or the office to nag the hell out of me for the details that I know for a fact that Mike has already given her. If all goes well between Autumn and I, she’ll erupt into a ridiculously over exaggerated celebration and damn near marry me off and if it doesn’t, she’ll be there to pick me up no matter if I’m hurting or not. They’re my family and there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t understand and cherish that.

“Oh and can you stay downstairs in her suite if y'all plan to celebrate with the pokey pokey? We’d rather be spared of those details.”

“Shut the fuck up Mike.”

My sweaty palms worsened during our walk through the hotel’s lobby and my ears drowned out just about everything happening around me, including yet another one of Mike’s rants about the high temperature outdoors. I considered going upstairs to our suite to truly figure out all that I would say to the woman who shook up my world in the wee hours of this morning but if I did go up there, I wouldn’t have come back down for a while and it would have resulted in me standing her up. No matter how many times I rubbed my hands down the sides of my pants and Fredrick squeezed my shoulders, I don’t think I’ll ever be as completely ready for this moment as I usually am for everything else. That’s the unpredictability of someone having partial control of your emotions. No matter what the outcome may be, I’ve already felt and learned so much. The difficult part is I’m already drawn her and the feelings that she evokes within me. Early on I feared it. Now I want nothing more than to immerse myself into her world.

“Get it together man.” I mumbled the words to myself as my knuckles tapped against the door to her suite. The taps were so minimal, I knew for a fact that she didn’t hear them. I did that for the sake of gathering my myself and finally knocked like any normal person would.

“I kind of thought you’d be back a little later. I know you all had a decent number of properties to look at.” She opened up the door with that statement already coming out of her mouth and my eyes immediately panned down to the mauve strapless romper and how it’s silhouette hugged every aspect of her curves that it could possibly cover. The floral design made it playful and yet the open back and the matching choker she wore on her neck gave it the spice that represents a part of her that tempts me like no other. Her hair being pulled back into a tight low ponytail left her breathtaking face to effortlessly outshine every other part of her and the natural make up pulled it all in for what she displays everyday: perfection.

“We saw all of them. We hated all except one which is why it went so quickly. There were some that were literal turn offs upon entry and there were others that we took our times walking through, but ultimately one of them garnered equal interest from all three of us.” I closed the door behind myself and slowly followed behind her as she headed in the direction of the master bedroom. My eyes couldn’t pull away from the sight if someone paid me their life savings to do so.

“What did you like about it?”

“It’s just about the same size as Baraya. Slightly smaller but it’s the atmosphere that we care about most. If we were interested in opening up one of those grand nightclubs like Drais, Hakkasan or Omnia, we would have done it a long time ago. We just want a place where people can actually come together and have a good meal and a good time at as well. Some choose to do either or. It doesn’t matter. It just needs to have the right vibe and that one property was near it but it needs some work.”

“Is the property worth the investment?”

“We’re still looking at the logistics but no final decisions are being made just yet. We’re going to wait it out and see if we come across anything else we favor.”

“That sounds fair enough. There’s no point in immediately investing into any property after seeing it for the first time. Take some time, look at others, check out the paper work, and come back to see it a second time as well. Is it on the strip?”

“Yeah, what you’re saying is right and it is on the strip.”

I stood in the doorway of the bedroom as she walked to and from the bathroom accessorizing herself. Her last trip inside of it resulted in her coating her lips with a nude lipstick.

“Which ones? Sandals or the Converses?” She held them up for me to see and I quickly pointed at the heeled sandals as their long laces dangled in front of her. The Converses would have been just as nice, but the heels were quietly for my viewing pleasure. They add another hundred levels to her already off the meters sex appeal.

“Did you eat anything?”

“I had a fruit parfait but in a bowl though with almonds in it. It was really good. I had it like an hour ago.” My follow up response flat lined as I watched her concentrate on carefully lasting up the sandals to her liking. There seemed to be a method to the madness that I didn’t quite understand because she was far more precise and exact than I expected her to be. When she finished and compared her second attempt, they were aligned as she needed them to be.

“We’re going to Due Forni Pizza & Wine for lunch.”

“Sounds good. It’s by here?”

“No. It’s actually like twenty five minutes away. We still have the Jeep, so I figured it’d be a nice little ride. What do you think? I can pick a place closer if you want.”

“No. I’d love to go on the ride. There’s more to Vegas than just the strip, so I’m glad you chose a place away from here.” She stood to her feet, grabbed her purse off of the bed, placed it’s strap on her shoulder, and she glanced in my direction. “Okay, I’m ready. Luckily you came here just in time for me to be ready. I didn’t have you waiting like yesterday.”

“I don’t mind waiting.”

“Yeah, right. You say that now.” Her giggle was light.

“Sexy. Very sexy.” I used my finger to point from the top of her head to the very tips of her toes and she sighed and full on laughed while shaking her head.

“You seem to think that everything I wear is sexy.”

“That’s accurate.”

“No it’s not but I can’t speak for you. All I can do is thank you. You look good yourself. I love it when you’re all suited up and yet I really love it when you’re casual. I can’t choose. That just means you look great at all times.”

“I appreciate that.”

She double checked her purse for the room key and I led the both of us our of her suite and down the hall to the elevator. Once the doors shut and confined us within the small space, I peered over at the overwhelming sight who was standing to the left of me tapping away at the screen of her phone. She has the height and figure of a runway model and yet she has this subtle thickness to her shape that truly takes form in her hips and thighs. Her legs are beyond comparison; making her stride graceful. Her facial beauty is so unique and striking; unlike anything or anyone I’ve ever seen before. She often makes fun of her forehead but it suits her so much. She has the eyes of a feline and their green color weakens me whenever I dare to stare into them. Her lips, the sight and feel of them; a dream.

God showed off with her.

“Are you going to use the valet?” My lip slowly eased from in between my teeth as she looked up at me and I quickly nodded my head.

“Yes. We have to wait in the front just like yesterday.”

Our wait wasn’t as long as I expected it to be. We stood along side one another no longer than ten minutes until the valet pulled up directly in front of the entrance. I helped Autumn into the passenger side of the car and put her seat belt on myself before getting in on the drivers side. She chose to use the Bluetooth to stream a nineties and early two thousands Hip-Hop playlist from Spotify and we were off just seconds after. Initially, we were in silence. She tapped her fingers against her lap in a nervous manner and I couldn’t fault her because I too felt the same as my hands gripped the steering wheel and my mind switch from thought to thought over and over again. Nas was our ice breaker. I took his verses of “If I Ruled The World” while she took Lauryn’s silky and infectious hook. Our heads bopped in unison while her rocking body made competition for the road. Song after song, I found myself stealing glances at her. I was paying less attention to the records and more so to her as she rapped along to literally every song. Lil Kim’s records excited her more than any of the others. I thought she’d morphed into Kim herself during her verse on Player’s Anthem. Her ponytail blew with the warm wind coming from the lowered windows and she used her hands to put emphasis on every word that came out of her mouth.

“Might have to change your name from Peaches to Lil’ Peaches.”

“Shut up! I love Kim. I was actually able to hang out with her a couple of times because she was good friends with Shane. Don’t ask me how my brother became such a good friend of hers because I truly don’t know. That man knew every damn body. He was loved.”

“Your brother had an interesting mind. It’s not surprising that so many people gravitated towards him. His book is a great read for young adults. It’s truly a guide to take you through the twenties. I appreciate that about it.” Her smile wasn’t solemn. Instead, it was one of pride and she nodded her head to confirm all that I’d said as accuracy.

“Absolutely. I remember when he was writing it. He started writing that book before he even hit his twenties. He’d hang all over New York City and have conversations with anyone he encountered to gain their perspectives on life. He was a life enthusiast and it showed in his free spirited nature. A liberal to the core too. That’s why he and Issac clashed so much. I loved everything about him.”

“I can tell he was special to you just as I know you were as special to him. He dedicated his book to you.”

“He wrote the book for me. That’s what he told me, so I’m going to have to believe it. He said to me my beautiful baby doll, this book is a guide for you to live your young adulthood to the fullest and I wrote it so you’ll know that no matter what you choose to do, I love you and it’ll be alright. I think I’m at the chapters about failure. Well, maybe I’m a little past it and getting to the part of picking back up and trekking on.”

“That’s one of the best parts.” Her eyes locked on me and she slightly dropped her head to the right.

“Of the book or life?”

“Both. Life because you’ve learned so much and you’re applying that to better yourself. There are people who don’t do that and end up creating a toxic cycle of screwing up but not you. You don’t carry yourself that way.”

“That’s true. I think for me, I don’t want anything more than to have an onslaught of joy in everything that I conquer. That’s it. Nothing will ever be perfect and I don’t want it to be because it’s not realistic and that’s boring. I like challenges. Overall, I want the joy though. Not happiness, joy. Happiness is based upon temporary pleasures and even some permanent ones, but joy is all about the sense of self. It’s true acceptance. You know, I’d say I need both.”

“Having both is a healthy balance.”

“What makes you happy?

“Currently?”

“Yes.” As I made a left into the parking lot of the restaurant I quickly glanced over at her and turned my attention back to the road. She was staring out of the window. As I awaited an answer, she turned to look at me but never opened her mouth to say anything. Instead, she unbuckled her seatbelt and awaited my next move.

“You’re not going to answer me?”

“Do I need to?” Her eyes widened a bit and she chuckled as she opened the door and hopped out of the truck. A huffed slipped past my lips as I accepted her avoidance to allow me into her head and I took the keys out of the ignition, opened the door, and stepped out. As I walked around the front of it, I used the keypad to lock the doors and Autumn playfully brushed her shoulder against my arm to garner my attention.

“It’s right here.”

“Excuse me?” I pushed the keys down into my pocket and watched as she gained a bit of a lead.

“What currently makes me happy. It’s right here.”

My smirked was nearly identical to her own and she playfully shook her head as I reached for the handle of the door and we stepped inside one after the other. The hostess seated us at a back corner booth at Autumn’s request and we settled on lemonade instead of indulging in the assortments of alcohol the bar was stocked with. She’d had enough last night and as our designated driver, I couldn’t do it.

“You know what you want?”

“Yeah. I’m getting the Spinaci pizza. It sounds so good; garlic spinach, ricotta cheese, mushrooms, peppers, and caramelized onions. You should get the Brasato pizza. Then we’ll share.” She pointed at what she was referencing to on my menu and I chuckled at her suggestion while reading over it’s ingredients.

“That actually does sound good. I’ll get it, even though it’s you who really wants it.”

“I do not. I just want to taste it.” Her eyes impishly rolled to the back of her head as I side eyed her and she nudged me in the midst of our laughter. “I’m sharing mine with you, so we’re even.”

“Yeah, okay Peaches. It’s okay to be greedy. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Whatever.” She nudged me again and her cinnamon and berry scent intoxicated me far more than any glass of wine could. When the waitress returned to the table with the drinks and took our order, silence invaded our space as she took a sip of her lemonade and scanned her eyes over our surroundings. I didn’t know whether to just come out with it or wait until her stomach was full to do so. Yet again I was left to figure out timing and this time there was no one to give me advice or a push to just go for it. It’s either now or I continue to sit around contemplating, hoping, and wishing, but never seeing results.

“Autumn.”

“Hm?” She didn’t look at me. She continued to stare at the painting to the left of herself.

“Why’d you kiss me last night?” We were close enough for me to feel her body tense up and shrink down in embarrassment. That wasn’t my intention and the sigh that came out of her mouth nearly made me cringe.

“I asked the question because I want to know if it meant to you what it meant to me.”

“I kissed you because I’d been wanting to do so for quite some time and I suppose my liquid courage knocked all of the fear out of me for just that moment and I went for it. I know it could have been in better taste but I wasn’t necessarily thinking about all of that.” She finally twisted her body so that her eyes and complete attention would be focused on me and I leaned on the table while nodding at what she explained.

“The taste was fine.” My tongue ran across my bottom lip as my nerves continued to rattle me. “You know, since the first time we’ve met I really couldn’t get you off of my mind. I thought of you after I braced you from falling, but it was non-stop after I’d seen you for a second time and truly took in all of you without you saying much of anything to me. I was baffled by your beauty but most of all, I was intrigued by your aura. Fredrick recognized you. He’d given me a bit of information that I could have found out if I Google’d you and your ties to your ex-husband but that wasn’t enough for me. It didn’t even touch the surface of what I wanted to know and still need to know. I want to say it was a mere coincidence that Isaac asked you to be my temporary flight attendant but that’d be cliche. I have faith so there had to be something more to that. That doesn’t just happen. From day one, you’ve been nothing but honest with me and you opened up and allowed me into your mind.”

“And you did the same.”

“Because you made me comfortable enough to do so. I don’t talk to many people nor do I care to share much about myself beyond who I am as a professional. Your honesty unknowingly to you was a push for me to be honest with myself and you’ve opened up the floodgates for a lot of demons that I’ve been avoiding to acknowledge. You’re making me look into myself and look for means to repair so much of the damage so that I can have that joy and happiness that you’re currently seeking.” Her infectious smile brightened up the room as it does anywhere we are and she rubbed my back in appreciation and encouragement for what I’d just revealed.

“You deserve joy and happiness. You’re too good of a man to allow those demons to get the best of you and control your destiny. It’s not worth it. You have too much life to live and too much good to come to let the past withhold you from enjoying it.”

“As do you. The thing is, right here and right now, I feel that. When I told you that I don’t think I give you enough credit last night, its because I hadn’t said any of this to you. It’s been hard to withhold this because I didn’t know when would be the right time to let you know. I didn’t want to overstep any boundaries initially and eventually it came to me not wanting to overwhelm you since I already had knowledge about what you’ve gone through. I’ve bit my tongue and even silenced myself before I went too far with my words a couple of times but that kiss gave me further ammunition to put my feelings out there. It’s beyond me liking you. I’ve liked you since we met. I want you.”

“Dante…”

“Let me finish. I don’t want you to feel pressured about any of this nor am I asking you to make a decision about me right now; not if you don’t want to. I just know that I want you and I’ve thought about what that entails and I can’t help but to want you with the appropriate title and position in your life. Maybe you just want to date me to feel me out a bit or maybe you don’t want to commit to anyone right now, which is understandable and I’d respect that but I’d like a chance. We can take it slowly in the midst of that. It’s not about me proving that I’m better than anyone or that I’m the perfect guy for you. I’d just like a chance to be along side you as your man while we live our best lives. That’s if…if you’ll have me.”

My heart thrashed against my chest after having sped up in pace word after word. Everything flew out of my mouth as quickly as it came to mind and none of it was what I rehearsed mentally throughout the course of the day. My emotions did the talking and allowed me to get it all out there to not only prove myself but to also alleviate the pressure I’d been experiencing for months. I’ve never done or said anything like that before and to live on this edge is exhilarating and frightening beyond what I could have ever imagined. No matter what she chooses, there’s no going back now and I’d never choose to do so. I’m all in. The question is, is she?

Her mouth fell agape as her nails lightly pressed into my back. The emotion in her eyes triggered the all too familiar fluttering in the pit of my stomach as I awaited what could make or break this moment.

“I’ll have you.”

I searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation but only found admiration for me. She’d chosen to soothe me by rubbing her hand against the nape of my neck just as she’d done last night but I needed more. As my arms locked around her petite frame, she leaned her head back to allow mind to align with the front of it and my lips meshed into hers in a burning hunger. It’d been such a challenge to refrain from relieving that agonizing desire for quite some time now and early this morning only served as a tortuous teaser. I had the urge to kiss her as soon as I opened my eyes and turned over to look at her. I fought it while readying myself to leave and also forced myself to refrain from awakening her for one as we were preparing to walk out of the door. In between my thoughts of this moment and how I’d go about it, her lips were embedded into my every thought and I could only fantasize about the moment when I’d be able to feel them against mine once again. The difference between the kiss we shared hours ago and now is the seal of our commitment to one another and the security in knowing that this is my reality now and I can share this kind of intimacy with her whenever I want.

“This is okay? You don’t mind public displays of affection?” Our lips met again after she’d gotten her question out and I quickly shook my head in the midst of the peck.

“No.” Her hand locked around the nape of my neck with subtle aggression and the moment only intensified when the both of her lips wrapped around my bottom one. I couldn’t help but to grab her thigh and draw her closer to my frame as she marked her territory by running her tongue across it and sucking it into her mouth. Yet again, the world seem to center around us and nothing else mattered; barely even the waitress who placed the two pizzas down on the table for us to consume.

“I’m so speechless right now. I can’t believe you said any of that.” The flustered smile on her face turned into a bit of a blush and my fingers lightly ran across her cheek in yet another gesture of my admiration for her beauty and essence.

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t think I was your type. I nearly wanted to kick myself in Paris when I finally began to admit to myself that I had feelings for you. Even this morning, I woke up and I was literally panicking because I thought that I’d truly crossed the line; so much to the point that I called my brother and quit.” My eyes widened as she revealed the last bit of information and she chuckled while nodding her head to confirm it as the truth.

“I called him back and fixed that long before you came to my room, but the first thing I could think of was to call him and create a barrier between myself and the potential embarrassment that would have happened if I wasn’t what you wanted.”

“You forgot that I was just as much into that kiss as you were?”

“This morning? Absolutely. All I kept thinking was that my drunken self pounced on you.”

“Well, you did…but I like it.” Our laughter rang out in the small corner that we were sitting in and she nudged me with her shoulder while shaking her head.

“Our first kiss could have been better though, don’t you think?”

“Nah, I liked that one.” Her shoulders dropped as she huffed and a smirk formed on her face as she reached to grab a piece of my pizza. The warmth of her body meshed with my own as she leaned into me and I leaned in to give it a try just as she had.

“I’ve been trying to show you that you’re my type ever since we met. Though I wasn’t verbal with it, in all the time that we’ve been spending together, there has been nothing more that I’ve been looking forward to other than that. I had my fears too baby. I thought I was out of your league initially. I didn’t think I’d be interesting enough for you.”

“I don’t know how. I was intrigued by you from the beginning.”

“I guess we were both so caught up in our fears, insecurities, and hesitance that we didn’t take the time out to actually pay attention to the signs that we were giving one another nor did we act on them…until now. The kiss aside, I’d been thinking of ways to ask you out on a date and I planned to do so after you returned to the east coast from Heather’s wedding festivities. I couldn’t wait much longer than that. Also, I didn’t want some guy out here to swoop in and ruin my chances because then I would have had to fight.”

“Oh, please!” She could barely chew on the bite she’d taken as she snickered. Immediately after she swallowed it down, her lips pecked mine.

“Can I be honest with you about something?”

“Anything.”

“When my ex and I got involved with one another we kept it to ourselves for the most part. Heather sort of knew about us but I was very limited with the information I gave her because it was a risky situation and I think me being young and so caught up into it, I enjoyed the thrill and adrenaline rush of being with him though it had the potential to be problematic. My family didn’t find out about Andreas and I until everything leaked out into the media and it was an ugly situation. There was a lot of fighting involved between my family and I and his mother had such a distaste for me. I chose a side and it was Andreas’. Once he took the Miami Heat coaching contract, I decided to leave UCLA and go to Miami with him because we agreed that we were going to get married. The only person who met him was Shane and it stayed that way. Even when I decided to take a breather two years ago, he never showed up to be with me during the mourning of my brother’s death or when I had the stroke. He was wrapped up in the NBA season and didn’t want to take a leave of absence. By the time he decided that he was going to come, I told him not to and the next thing you know, divorce papers were being served to me on a gloomy Friday morning.” She took a sip of her lemonade while allowing me to take in all that she’d said and I did my best to quickly understand what she was getting at.

“So no one other than Shane met him?”

“Right and that left a bad taste in all of their mouths. I skipped Isaac’s wedding because they didn’t want him there. They warned me not to bring him and I opted out of being apart of it and attending for the sake of my husband. That started a lot of tension between my brother and I and that tension is still very much between us currently. I fear what his reaction to us will be because you’re his client and he respects you for all that you are as a man but most of all as a professional. I’m nothing but the little sister who he believes is irresponsible, erratic, and childish. He’s disappointed in me because I left school and married young but overall, I think he truly resents me for choosing Andreas over him and he’s yet to let up on it. Now I’m with you. It’s tough.”

“Did you apologize to him for it? I’m not saying that you have to regret the decision you made but sometimes an apology works.”

“I do regret not going, honestly. I believe that could have been a moment for my family and I to make amends for all of the drama but instead, I reacted in a spiteful manner because I believed they were doing the same thing to me. I should have been there to support him but I refused. Hell, that was the first time I told Shane no. Now, I’ve yet to apologize to Isaac because we fight and his insults only make me want to insult him without a filter. He’s verbally vicious when he wants to be and he’s a pompous asshole the majority of the time. We clash a lot so I avoid him for the most part. So when it comes to you and I, that’s why I avoid displaying our personal connection in front of him. I can only imagine his reaction to it and if that man makes some type of assumption that I’m screwing you for what you have or that I’m involving myself with you in order to be spiteful towards him, my reaction’s not going to be one of my better moments.” Though the background situations differ, I can absolutely understand her strained relationship with her brother because I have one with my own and we’ve had the riff between the two of us ever since we were kids. In him being my older brother, I did crave for him to take me under his wing and be an influential figure in my life when I was past the toddler years but the more Matthew figured out where I came from, what happened between our father and his mother, and why his family dynamic changed, the more he pushed me away and lashed out in manners that I’d yet to understand. Richard eventually pitted he and I against one another and of course he favored Matthew because he owed it to him to do so; as did my mother. Despite all of that, I don’t think I truly took a disliking to my brother until they shipped me off to London for boarding school. It was at that point that I felt like an orphan. I still feel like one.

“You want me to talk to him?”

“No, of course not.”

“Autumn, I don’t want to hide. I want this to be as real and as normal as possible. I don’t want to creep around with you because we have no reason to do so. There’s nothing dishonorable happening here. We’re two people who took an interest in one another and developed a bond that has now turned into a relationship. What I do for a living and what you currently do for a living has nothing to do with that. You don’t ask me for anything but that doesn’t mean that I’m not going look out for you and look after you.”

“You don’t have to do all of that.”

“But I will because it’s what I want to do. I don’t want to have to hide that either. I want to meet your family because that’s where you currently reside and if I should want to come to pick you up, I’d hate for them to be surprised or confused. I don’t think you want that either. Why take them through that all over again? If you discuss it with your family, I believe that all will go well because it’ll be a much better approach than the one you took before and they’ll take it seriously. If you want me there for it, I’m in. You’ll meet my family too.” As she pulled her lip in between her teeth, she nervously nodded. “I don’t want to hide baby.”

“You want me to meet your family?”

“If I could avoid and hide you from the dysfunction that is my shitty family forever, I would. I can’t though. Richard has eyes and ears all over the place. So yes, in some type of manner, I’d like you to meet my family.”

“They can’t be that bad.” If she only knew what she was talking about. I’d like to believe that too but they’re fucking horrible as far as I’m concerned. No one deserves a set of parents like mine. They may have made sure I had luxuries and an expensive education but I would have easily traded that in for their love and moral support throughout my childhood. I wanted a soccer mom and one of those overbearing fathers who coached from the sidelines during their kid’s games. Though I had damn near perfect grades, I still wanted someone scolding the hell out of me and threatening to take away my favorite toys and game systems if my report card didn’t come in looking good. I wanted my mother to teach me how to treat a woman while my father schooled me on safe sex. I want to be assured that I was loved and cherished enough to turn to them for anything but I wasn’t. Aside from my uncle being there for me when he could, I raised myself.  

Autumn picked up and bit into another piece of the pizza that I was barely eating and lightly moaned in satisfaction. She hadn’t even touched hers.

“So my pizza is better than yours greedy?” She nearly choked on the piece she was chewing as she cackled against my shoulder. Though I hadn’t touched much, I could admit the braised short rib, calabrian peppers, red onions, and chinchurri were quite a taste.

“It’s so good and you’re not even eating it.”

“What are going to do with yours? You’ve yet to touch it.”

“Midnight snack, of course. I’ll save you some of yours.” I could actually picture her sneaking a piece of pizza and laying around on the couch watching some show of hers. She receives more pleasure from dough, marinara sauce, and cheese than I’ve ever seen anyone else have.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Enjoy it. You taste my pizza, I taste your lips. Deal?” Before she could take another bite, she gleamed in happiness and quickly leaned in.

“Deal.”

As her lips covered mine, she slowly ran her tongue across the slit of my own and I swiftly opened my mouth and permitted her warm tongue it’s entry. She granted me the best of both worlds within that moment.

I want this feeling forever.

A roar of laughter filled the twenty third floor of the Venetian without regard for the resting residents or the hour of the early morning. I inhaled the sweet scent of my woman’s body as my arm remained locked around her shoulders. Her right hand tightly intertwined with mine while her left held a frozen margarita she’d gotten as we randomly walked along the strip. It turned into a spontaneous outing after having an incredible time sitting front row and watching Boyz II Men literally serenade her song after song. Though she wasn’t the only woman within reach, she quickly became the target of Nathan Morris’ vocal affection and it didn’t stop at the direct singing. Even though they were supposed to be giving out roses to random women in the audience during their famous hit “I’ll Make Love To You”, both Nathan and Shawn seemed to return to Autumn multiple times which resulted in her having a damn bouquet worth of red roses to swoon over while singing along to the song as I fought the urge to stick a leg out and trip the both of them while they made their way back to the stage.

It was the dress. Actually, no, it was the entire package with the dress simply being the subtle enhancer. She looked like some mythical goddess of the sea as she confidently stood along side me all night long in an apricot colored mid-thigh length dress that was interestingly and intricately crafted like a coral reef all over. It’s deep v-neck opening and backless additions furthered the appeal and what damn near blew my mind were the matching platform sandals that covered her feet. I’d never seen anything like it on anyone before and she informed me that the Alexander McQueen pieces were just more old garb that had been collecting dust in her Miami closet for a couple of years. She was supposed to wear it to Adrienne Bosh’s birthday party but ultimately opted out of attending. Thankfully she didn’t, because it would have been a sight that I would have never gotten to see and my God, it’s one that no one should ever have to miss. It’s was what had the members of the nineties R&B group damn near drooling and also what caused her to be showered with dozens of compliments as we walked along the strip joking about the most trivial topics. Lastly, aside from my emotions being on an never ending and elated high, her choice in attire for our night out together played it’s part in my unabashed antics in being all over her. What I’d grimace and turn the other way over whenever I’d see couples out in public doing it, felt so natural and fulfilling to me tonight. Stacey would always tell me that when it’s real, you’ll know and I would quickly dismiss she and all of her soap opera dramatics, but I owe her now. I might not tell her how right she’s been because the gloating would be unbearable, but I’ll figure out a way to give her some form of credit.

“I put down my Boyz II Men roses when we got the drinks and I forgot them. I’m shitty.” After inserting her key card into the door, she waited for the green light to appear and opened it up for our entry.

“You had those old men trembling in their Depends.” As she walked towards her bedroom, once again we were joining one another in laughter. While she tossed her bag on the bed, I finished off what was left of my drink and disposed of the plastic cup. Autumn bought the drinks with earnings from her random luck at a penny slot machine she decided to play with while I took a phone call from Richard. She spent less than five dollars and walked out of that casino with five hundred dollars in her purse. Her win was far more hilarious than exciting to the both of us. She wasn’t even eager to win and it was clear that she didn’t know what she was doing since she’s never gambled before. Her curiosity got the best of her for the few minutes my attention wasn’t completely hers and the cards or should I say slots aligned for her.

“The show was so good though. Thank you for taking me. I love me some Boyz II Men.”

“You’re welcome Peaches. I figured you’d like it since you’re an old soul and all.” Her platform sandals were next on her agenda. While sitting on the edge of the bed, she unbuckled them one by one and carefully removed them from her feet.

“You say that like Boyz II Men aren’t during your time. You’re hitting thirty in a month old man. Speaking of, what do you want for your birthday?”

“Nothing.” As she stood up, her eyes playfully rolled to the back of her head.

“I figured you’d be difficult. I’ve been trying to think of a good gift for a few weeks now and I have ideas but I’m not sure which route I’m going to take. Give me a hint of something you’d like.”

“I like you.”When she huffed, her eyes repeated the gesture once more and a smirked danced along her perfect lips. As I stood in the door way, she inched closer until we were face to face and used her pointer finger to poke my chest.

“You have me and I’m not all that. Be serious.”

“You are all that and I’m being serious.” My chuckle forced her to cut her eyes. “But uh…maybe you, food made by you, in some place chosen by you? That sounds nice.”

“Me?” My eyes widened as an expression of curiosity arose on her face and I quickly threw my hands up in an honest defense.

“Not like that. Not like that. I mean you as in your presence, not you as in something else. You as in you.” The nervousness that arose within the pit of my stomach and eventually made it’s way to my face was an amusing sight for her to witness and she didn’t hold back from giggling while slightly holding her head to the side.

“I’ll take that into consideration. You staying down here tonight?”

“I can?” I hadn’t expected that invitation. Did I want it? Sure.

“Yes. I have an extra bedroom. Make yourself comfortable. We have a flight to take in a couple of hours.” I took a step back and my mouth fell agape as, I too, joined her in amusement.

“I can’t sleep in here with you?”

“Nope. You said that we’re taking things slowly. Remember?”

“I did say that but I didn’t mean this slow. We slept in the same bed upstairs.”

“I didn’t know there were guidelines. You said slow.” The teasing within her tone and the sultriness of her stance were on the verge of driving me up a wall and yet I could do nothing but stand there and allow her to have that power because I liked it.

“Platonic sleeping is slow.”

“Platonic sleeping? Ha! That’s a new one. Sweet dreams.” The kiss she planted on my lips worsened the fire already burning within me while the sight and sound of her bedroom door closing served as the extinguisher to put me out.

“Goodnight! You got that teasing shit from that show at Crazy Horse. I’m never taking you there again.” Like she’d been doing since we left out for our night out on the town, she cackled loudly enough for me to hear and I could still hear it as I made my way across her suite to the second bedroom.

I’m alright with slow.

I’m alright with whatever she needs from me.

But damn Autumn.

According to the pitch blackness surrounding the bedroom and the eerie silence that was cause for my eyes panning back and forth, I hadn’t been sleeping long. I removed my clothes a half an hour after lounging on the bed and answering e-mails that I’d received from A&M. Richard already informed me about the mandatory meeting happening within a day and the company luncheon that is to follow directly after but it didn’t stop the five reminder e-mails from coming my way. We’re hosting intern seminars and I’m scheduled to speak at three out of five of them. Matthew’s doing two. The only reason he summoned he and I to speak and then to observe is because our latest batch of interns is compiled of far more women than men. His knack for enticing interns is unmatched. After a week in the New York office, I’m off to the London office for a couple of days and then it’s back to New York for the MoMA Party in the Garden. This year’s event is being underwritten by Cartier. In the midst of trying to mentally access and properly pan out what had been added to my schedule, I nodded off to sleep.

Three hours. I only slept for two hours and it seems like I’m not the only one to have done so. I could hear Autumn’s footsteps pacing the floors as I laid in silence for the past couple of minutes. I mentally followed along with her every move until she surprisingly opened up the door to where I was resting. I could see her poking her head inside but it was clear that she didn’t know I was awake and it made me smile. Her next move was to step inside and quietly close the door behind herself. Her tip toeing nearly made me burst into laughter and flutters filled my core as she climbed into the bed on the left side.

“Slow huh?” She flinched at the sound of my choice and my laughter followed as she dipped down until her head hit the pillows.

“Why are you awake?”

“I just woke up. Why are you awake?”

“I never went to sleep. Couldn’t sleep.” As she slightly turned, I reached for her arm and pulled her to the middle of the bed and slid over until I was there with her. I left it up to her to pick a position and she chose to throw a leg over mine and mesh into my side until her head was resting between my neck and shoulder. We shared a peck once I turned my head and my arm rested over her back.

“Sweet dreams.” While my hand caressed her back, I listened to the sound of her breathing until it slowed to signify her slumber.

I didn’t have the urge to sleep.

No dream could be better than my current reality.

There’s no way possible.

[impvlved]

�� Is THAT what you call tact ?  You're as subtle as a  B R I C K  in the small of my back so lets end this call, and this conversation. And is that what you call a   G E T A W A Y  ?  Well, tell me what you got away with. ‘Cause you left the frays from the ties you severed and when you say BEST FRIENDS means  FRIENDS FOREVER .  ❜                                                                                    — Seventy Times 7, 1757 (2013)

yo yo yo, it’s linc comin’ at you with another muse because I am trash and cannot contain myself. This is my pop punk (don’t call his music pop punk to his face tho) baby Phoenix Henry! I have yet to write up his official bio but you can find his about page with some essential facts HERE and I’ll list a summary below!

Nix plays Jeremiah “Shooter” Schuman on Suburbia, so he’s been in acting for about three years now and he adores it. God. Anything involving creating and emotion? Sign him the FUCK. UP.

Once upon a time, two hella rich, hella famous Hollywood film producers had a child named Phoenix, and they just let him chill. He went to school in Burbank, California and a lot of the kids in his classes had parents in a similar position of fame, so there was never anything abnormal about his life. He’d go to class, return home to his mansion, and overall experience childhood just like anyone else -- except with added glitz, glam, and luxury. He discovered from an early age that he adored music. 

His parents had gotten him his first guitar and piano when he was four, in an effort to get Nix out of their hair, without realizing that their little ploy would lead to something so much greater. Nix began jamming out with his friends after school when he was ten, and slowly but surely the group of boys evolved to find their sound -- they competed in their first Burbank Battle of the Bands in 8th grade and won over three high school bands, which was a HUGE deal! The pressure was on then -- the group of boys chose their first name, The Switch, and began playing at middle school and high school dances, even landing a gig for the high school senior prom! Nix and his pals did this under their parents’ noses for a while, until they all turned 15 and they’d become “local celebrities” among Burbank’s youth.

Once Nix’s parents caught wind of the band, they ate it up. Mrs. Henry’s response to her son’s talents wasn’t to congratulate him, but rather tell him to work harder, push more -- she placed a call into her friends at Columbia Records and the boys landed a recording deal with one caveat: their name had to go.

Nix came up with their new band name the night before a world history test, when the group of boys’ attempts at a study group capsized. Playful banter and small food fights began (a deviled egg here, a mini hot dog there), but Nix found himself buried in a book of poetry his grandmother had given him for his 15th birthday. The poet? William Blake, one of his all-time favorites. After reading a particularly intriguing piece, Nix looked up, precisely when a small tea sandwich hit him square in the forehead. “1757,” he mused, closing the book. The other boys were silenced and immediately agreed. It wasn’t until later that they realized the name was a result of Nix’s love for poetry -- and the birth date of a one William Blake. In interviews with the band, the boys would tease Nix because of it, but his response would lack no confidence. “If you don’t roll with my boy Billy Blake,” he’d state, eyebrows lifted in defiance, “Then you can’t roll with me.”

So their first record was released in late 2011! And it just   e x p l o d e d   . Within 24 hours they had three songs in the U.S. Top 10 and 6 in the Global Top 50. In 2012, they toured for the very first time, and it only solidified their position at the top of the new punk movement. Suddenly, Nix’s parents took an interest in his life and wanted everything to do with him. They became the band’s managers and pushed the boys to their absolute extremes. Over the next few years, they’d release four singles and three albums -- and any time they weren’t in the studio, they were touring, headlining their own shows and appearing at festivals like Boston Calling, Warped Tour, etc. In 2014, 1757 was one of the Coachella headliners. 

Being the frontman of the band, Nix received the majority of fan enthusiasm -- of both the amazing and... creepy variety. Girls plastered his face all over their walls, fans recognized him even when he tried to go incognito. The fame invaded every single aspect of his life. And, unlike other big stars, the boy found it difficult to face it. In interviews, Nix let his bandmates do the majority of the talking. When he was asked about things, he’d offer nuanced, intelligent answers, but other than that he let his bandmates speak. This gave him the reputation of the “broody, sexy one.” Which, alright, could be kind of true, but he didn’t appreciate how everything about him was idealized and perpetuated as some sort of unrealistic romanticization of his character.

Nix became overwhelmed. His fans didn’t notice unless they really squinted but he began to look exasperated in interviews and backstage access videos. “Is it just me or is he getting hotter?!” was featured in a lot of YouTube comments on their music videos, but only Nix’s bandmates knew the truth -- the lifestyle was eating away at his resolve. And his parents pioneering their every move? It got tiring. They started imposing their opinions on Nix’s songwriting, discouraging experimentation, discouraging change. 

And then Zenith posted an audition for a new TV show, Suburbia. Nix slinked off to the auditions on a day they were supposed to be recording, and got the call about the role the morning after 1757 debuted one of their new singles on Saturday Night Live. Filming for season one aligned with their recording schedule, so he took on the role after consulting his parents, claiming it would be just a one-season gig. He’d record while filming, and finish just before the band’s summer tour would kick off.

After the first season aired, it became apparent that Suburbia was a hit and his character wasn’t going away. Nix fought to balance his two gigs and managed for a bit, until Zenith reached out and asked if he’d be willing to put in more time for Jeremiah’s role. Music had become a chore. The touring process started to toll him. Shortly after returning from a short Northeastern tour in 2015, Nix’s grandmother passed away -- and that was the last straw, the last thing that he needed to know it was time to quit.

The band understood; they’d all grown tired of how vigorously they’d been working. Some had dreams of going to university, others just simply wanted to live a normal life. So, while Suburbia filmed its second season, they worked on producing their fifth and final album. As the second season aired, 1757 kicked off their final world tour. They broke news of their hiatus in January 2017, and their final tour was extended for three months to accommodate for higher ticket demands. They parted ways victorious, and their fanbase still remains hopeful that a 1757 reunion may be underway in the future.

Nix is well aware he can’t outrun the fame he’s garnered from the band -- he’ll always be Nix Henry, 1757′s dreamboy, but now he feels that he can start anew. While venturing further into his acting career, Nix has begun recording a solo album to be released in late 2017 -- but this project has been kept top secret from most people in order to keep his parents from meddling with the project. Nix still runs his YouTube channel he started for the band, but its focus has become more geared to Q&A’s, vlogs, and snippets of original songs he’s written.

He loves words. (So it’s no surprise that he’s got quite the knack for them.) Often, when he’s not working, Nix can be found with his nose buried in poetry collections and the classics. He’s a prolific writer, often writing poetry double the rate at which he pens lyrics, which is perhaps why 1757 went down in the books as one of the most musically and lyrically nuanced bands of this generation.

You can absolutely expect me to pull songs from All Time Low, Blink-182, Brand New, The All-American Rejects, Sum 41, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Good Charlotte, The Wonder Years, Taking Back Sunday, Panic! at the Disco, Yellowcard, etc. and say they’re works of 1757. I like the idea of having tangible songs of theirs, and I’m legit pop-punk trash, so. Yes yes yes. If you ever have any recommendations/thoughts on songs that should be in their repertoire, hit me up! I’m always looking!

Nix is a gentle soul. He’s quite the flirt, but he’s quiet -- if he doesn’t see a reason to say something, he won’t. Music is his outlet and that’s where his emotions and thoughts are channeled. If he’s got an issue, he’s more likely to write a song about it than address it directly. See Seventy Times 7 (lyrics above the cut), a song he wrote about a girl who backstabbed him by cheating on him with one of his bandmates. Another example would be Soco Amaretto Lime (also stolen from Brand New), a song about refusing to grow up. See the lines: I’m gonna stay eighteen forever, so we can stay like this forever. And we’ll never miss a party ‘cause we keep them going constantly. And we’ll never have to listen to anyone about anything. ‘Cause it’s all been done and it’s all been said. We’re the coolest kids and we take what we can get. It’s one of their slower songs, more wistful, a bit melancholic. At the time, he was dating another musician he met at a festival, and his parents didn’t approve, hence the repeated lines of: You’re just jealous ‘cause we’re young and in love; you’re just jealous. 

Another example (I promise this is the last Brand New rant I go on, I just love them) is The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot, written pretty shortly after a breakup and -- more notably in his life -- his grandmother’s death. They were close, so his feelings about the situation kind of bled into the song’s original purpose. It was also a disguised letter to his parents following some conversations about toning down the band’s commitments -- It’s cold as a tomb, and it’s dark in your room when I sneak to your bed to pour salt in your wounds. So call it quits or get a grip. You say you wanted a solution, you just wanted to be missed. Call me a safe bet, I’m betting I’m not. Glad that you can forgive, only hoping as time goes, you can forget. He knows he’s a disappointment, he knows he’s letting them down, but this song was written on the cusp of his realization that he really couldn’t do it any longer.

Expect some song posts with lyrics and headcanons or self-paras of his writing process because I’m invested. Wooooooooo.

He’s got tattoos! A lot! And he wants more! Because the world is his canvas, honestly.

Talk to him about words. Tell him your favorite word. He will legitimately be so in love.

Heterosexuality? What’s that? The media’s convinced Nix is some type of ladykiller but he’s just... nope. It makes him laugh.

He has this inherent intensity in his gaze and expression. Like, he could be thinking about rainbows and puppies but fans will be like ‘omfg he’s obviously thinking about the implications of human existence right now’. But like..... also not a lie? He’s quite existential. His lyrics have been known to induce lots of crises, while simultaneously helping people out so it’s like... a huge paradox.

His lyrics are   A B S O L U T E L Y  the ones superimposed onto wilderness photographs on tumblr and reblogged as RP musings. Like, yes. Mhm.

There’s a live acoustic version of the band’s song, You’re So Last Summer (@ Taking Back Sunday, wooo) that brought his fanbase to tears? So yes. That’s kind of the direction his solo album is going in. Words still severe, abrasively true, but... The sound’s less loud and more subtle. Raw.

If I keep going I’m gonna like, put you all to sleep. So! That’s Nix in a nutshell! I want any and all the plots so please feel free to hit me up!! xoxo thanks for reading this long ass post

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Hello! Can you write about the RFA+V+Saeran getting into an accident and losing all their memories since like a few weeks before MC first came in the chatroom. So they totally forget about MC who's now a stranger to them. How will they act around MC (curious/distant) especially if they live together for example, will they be able to build back their relationship Thank you beforehand and have a good day!

This was so much fun to write! I tried to keep it somewhat spoiler free.

Zen

After the RFA party, Zen had an accident on set.

He was lucky to be alive, but as a consequence, he lost a decent chunk of his memory.

Including that of the past two weeks.

He didn’t remember Echo Girl.

He didn’t remember Unknown.

And he didn’t remember MC.

To the best of his recollection, he was single and sad before and finding out about MC seems too good to be true

His instinct would be to flirt with them, to jokingly ask about the life they had together. He’d think it was great to begin with.

He’d constantly be talking about how lucky he was.

That would pass though. It would turn to frustration once weeks have passed by and he doesn’t immediately remember. 

Zen is the one who goes on long ass bike rides to try and jolt his memory.

Jaehee

Something falls on Jaehee’s head in the storeroom

She gets the all clear; she’s fine health-wise and no one realises there’s anything wrong with her until she shows up at C&R and asks what Yoosung is doing there.

She would instantaneously be suspicious of MC, for so many reasons. MC, to the best of her knowledge, is an outsider to the group, a threat to the RFA etc etc and she does not remember having any reason to trust them.

She’d go over the chats and listen to everyone else’s character references. It would honestly be like a job interview.

Jaehee would honestly be ready to call the cops on MC at any point and tbh, I think MC would find it endearing.

MC driving Jaehee to the coffee shop and Jaehee not remembering her love of coffee related stuff and thinking the place is amazing, only for MC to be like IT’S YOUR PLACE. YOU OWN IT

Yoosung

Yoosung probably gets amnesia because of one of Seven’s pranks

tbh I think the eye situation will freak him out more

the moment he wakes up and has MC telling him that they’re his partner and asking what he remembers, he thinks he’s still in the prank

once he realises it isn’t, he doesn’t take much convincing and is determined to fall in love with them all over again

He’ll be curious about their relationship and want to know the kind of guy he was, like was he cool and romantic etc etc and why was it that MC fell for him

He will ask for replays of entire conversations

He’ll be a bit jealous of himself somehow because past Yoosung got to have all of these cute interactions with MC the first time around, haha

Low key wonders if MC prefers the past Yoosung

Yoosung is the one who asks MC to cook a particular meal or spray their perfume on his pillow to try and jolt his memory, when a decent percentage is just him crushing

Jumin

OKAY SO JUMIN

Jumin got into a car crash shortly after that first party. He wasn’t driving, I hasten to add. I feel like people  would assume he was, though.

Biologically, he’d be fine, but mentally…he lost the past few weeks.

Of everyone, Jumin would be one of the hardest to convince.

He’d think that MC was somehow involved with his father

None of MC’s story makes any sense and when the RFA back it up word for word, complete with evidence, I just feel like he’d distance himself from everyone.

He’d basically become convinced they were all lying and co-conspirators and he’d become VERY paranoid.

Regardless of the fact that he doesn’t know MC for one second, V is probably not around, he has been injured and does not remember what happened, he knows that his behaviour was weird and that something happened at C&R Glam Choi because it’s all over the news.

Jumin is basically going to start thinking that his accident was someone coming for his family and how bad this actually gets will depend on MC tbh. Are they able to find the right thread?

Seven 

Seven would actually be the easiest to convince of the facts, though not so much the feelings side of things

I think that he’s probably in the habit of double checking information all of the time anyway because agency work and abuse means he doubts his reality from time to time. It’s interesting that he has such a fondness for maths and computers, both of which can be erased or edited, but have no motivation in the matter. A person lies because they want to; a computer lies because of programming commands. 

He’ll go over the chats and databanks and know what happened, even if he completely distances himself from MC and basically forbids them from coming close to him because he doesn’t trust any of their feelings for him or vice versa. 

We’re back to square one in terms of Seven refusing to believe that he deserves love and blaming himself for what happened as a kid 

He’d probably think MC was a spy at least once

Saeran

TBH, big spoilers

I don’t think this one would be that much different

Post Seven route Saeran is in a very bad place

My thoughts are that he’d be suspicious of MC, get really upset at Seven and lash out at people, but 2/3 happen anyway???

MC would have to be patient and team up with Seven to build up his trust. It will happen though. He’s just been through a lot.

V

He got amnesia after a bad accident involving Mint Eye.

He was actually comatose for a while. It was bad.

Anyway, MC knew it was bad when the first thing he said while coming round was ‘Rika’

I think that V would not take that much convincing of the facts, but it would mess him up a lot.

He’d feel terrible for moving on from Rika (assuming this is his route *cough cough*) but also for doubting whatever feelings he had for MC, who seems like a nice person and is being very supportive of him in that moment

I think

And I’m basing this on Jaehee’s route stuff and just...him in general.

I think he’d pretend he remembered their relationship and the previous weeks, even though he didn’t, so he could carry the burden of remembering.

[mirrorreps]

Replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 Review

Hello ladies, you know who it is! I’m back yet again but this time I’m mixing it up a little. Today I’ll be reviewing the replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 in Monogram Canvas! While not technically a handbag, I believe the Louis Vuitton Keepall range deserves a mention as we all want to feel glam while we’re travelling too! (I got a replica Louis Vuitton passport holder too which I’ll review at a later date).

The Louis Vuitton Keepall has been seen in the hands and over the shoulders of many celebrities and prominent figures causing it to become the designer bag of choice for short trips away (such as weekend city breaks). Coming in several different sizes, I opted for the middle one and it has more than enough room to pack 3 full winter outfits with overnight essentials and cosmetics.

But does the Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 replica hold up to our scrutiny? Is it a true 1:1 mirror replica handbag? What about the quality of the famous LV monogram canvas and the zips? Keep reading to find out what we think!

Model: Louis Vuitton Keepall 45(Monogram Canvas)

Size:  17.7 x 10.6 x 7.9 inches

Price (Auth/Replica): $1880/$200

Replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 Photos:

Replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 Quality Analysis:

Upon first impression of my replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45, I can say that this bag is solid and definitely won’t break, perfect for travelling where it will be bumped about. Both the bag and the hardware are shiny and weighty just like the authentic model and the bag holds it’s shape just as well too.

The interior matches (although there is not much to match as it’s one giant pocket), the bag also comes with the locks that look and work just like the real thing. The leather feels soft and smells great and the monogram canvas is accurate with spacing and alignment not being an issue at all.

The stitching is perfect all the way around the bag (which is often difficult on non-square bags like this one). The strips are aligned on the front and back, and the handles are nice and thick. The red glazing on the handles is also color-matched.

The zipper is nice and secure, but also very smooth, giving it that designer feeling (I’m not the only one who feels like designer bag locks feel different am I?). The Louis Vuitton stamping is engraved correctly and is also straight. The strap is easy to attach and is nice and strong.

The seller was great, I always use this seller for my replica Louis Vuitton handbags and this replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45. This seller has a DHGate shop that they use to take card payments. This is rare in the replica handbag industry as many customers like to scam them by charging back even though they are getting a great product.

After payment, the bag was shipped within 24 hours which is lightning fast. It arrived on my doorstep via DHL only a few short days later and well within time before my holiday. This means I got to use it almost right away, meaning I can bring you this Louis Vuitton Keepall replica ASAP!

Advantages/Disadvantages:

Perfect For Travel

This is a perfect travel bag, maybe not for an extended holiday, but short trips such as business travel or a weekend city break, the replica LV Keepall 45 is unbeatable in my opinion. It’s deceptively spacious, seeming like a Mary Poppins bag at times, able to fit in anything and everything. Just when you think the replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 is full, it seems to magically create more space out of thin air!

Lightweight

While holding a lot, the bag itself is surprisingly light. I am by no means a big girl, but I have no problem carrying this LV Keepall replica over my shoulder for an extended period of time when it’s mostly full. I doubt I could do this with the handle alone.

Lockable

The Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 replica comes with a lock, which comes with two keys. These can be used to lock the zip closure should you need to check your baggage at the airport or leave it for a while. Unfortunately, this doesn’t prevent theft of the bag, but it’s better than nothing.

Adjustable Shoulder Strap

The bandouliere version of the replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 comes with an adjustable shoulder strap, allowing you to wear the bag over your shoulder if you so desire. A lot of people carry it on top of a roller suitcase. But for short trips, the shoulder strap is ideal.

Soft Leather

While for many replica handbags like the Replica Louis Vuitton Palm Springs Mini, this is an advantage, I believe it’s a disadvantage for the keepall. This is primarily a travel bag, and travelling is anything but predictable.

I’m sure you’ve been in an airport before, you will be pushed, barged and bumped in to. The keepall leather is soft, meaning it’s prone to scratches and scuffs, so if you’re looking to keep it in pristine condition, I’d maybe opt for a suitcase instead.

No Structure

This is common amongst LV bags, the replica LV Keepall 45 has no structure to support itself. This causes it to collapse inwards as if it’s imploding if it’s not full. I recommend keeping it stuffed even while not in use to help it retain its shape.

No Organization

Just one deep pocket is all you get with this baby, if you’re obsessed with organization like some girls, then this bag is your worst nightmare. There is a little chain on the interior near the zip opening. This allows you to attach a little key chain purse to it, so you can easily access things if you need them.

No Metal Feet

The ability to put a bag like this down without worrying about it getting damaged would be a lifesaver. Combined with the soft leather, it really could do with something to protect the bottom as when traveling, not all surfaces and clean and smooth.

Not Very Padded

If you need to check this bag, I wouldn’t put electronics or anything delicate inside it. The Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 replica comes with next to no padding. If it gets banged around, things inside will break.

Is the Replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 worth it?

If you’re tired of roller suitcases for short trips away, then we can’t recommend the replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 enough, it’s the perfect replacement for those awkward and cumbersome suitcases and it’s deceptively easy to carry. Aside from the soft leather problem, it gets two thumbs up from us!

Saving over $1600 off the retail price, it’s a no-brainer in our eyes. I could not find one major fault with this bag. This is why we can declare with confidence that this is a true Mirror Replica Handbag and you can purchase and wear it safely without every worrying about being called out! The Louis Vuitton Monogram canvas has been perfected by many high-quality replica handbag factories, meaning that this replica Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 passes all our tests! Thank you for reading!

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Design Milk Travels to… Bucharest, Romania

Bucharest may have been slow to ride the waves of gritty-to-glam resurgence that plowed through the other capitals of Eastern Europe earlier in the decade. But the post-communist capital of Romania is in its own quiet prime and has a humble beat to its step: streets see-saw between ornate communist structures and buildings falling into tender disrepair; modern restaurants are encased in brutal Neo-classical facades but resonate with laughter and warmth inside. Walking around, there are plenty of surprises to be had, parks to linger at, and monuments to uncover.

Where to Stay

Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of IHG

The InterContinental Hotel in Bucharest was the first skyscraper to be built in Bucharest and continues to be an imposing landmark in the city center, towering above the Bucharest National Theatre. The moon-shaped curve of the building allows each room to have a unique panorama of the city – so much so that during the Romanian Revolution of 1989, it was the go-to spot for foreign press to observe the protests in University Square.

In the morning, unobstructed sunshine creates beautiful auras on your balcony window. Room rates start at $35/night, which includes use of the spa area, gym, and a splendid intercontinental breakfast in the morning – for a five-star hotel, I’ve never met a deal quite like it.

Photo: courtesy Intercontinental Hotel Bucharest

Where I found myself spending the most time was on the rooftop pool and spa. The white ceilings, muted color palette, and pale timber furnishings lend this 22nd-floor wellness oasis an airy Scandi aesthetic. After a day of walking from one end of the town to the other, I looked forward to nothing more than to sit in the jacuzzi and observe Bucharesti traffic slow down to a steady shimmer on the main concourse.

Watching the sun set and the lights come on from the Intercontinental Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Mansion Boutique Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of the hotel

If you’re looking to live in Bucharest’s Old Town, the adults-only Mansion Boutique Hotel is where you’d want to be. While it has an imposing historic facade, its interiors are outfitted to be elegant and classy, and the themed rooms are anything but bland. Your room options include Zen, Industrial, Art Deco, French, but the most popular option is the Transylvania room, complete with handcrafted furniture and floral motifs.

The Mansion Hotel in Bucharest \\\ Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Photo: courtesy of the hotel

Notable mentions: Hotel Novotel Bucharest City Centre \\ Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town

Where To Visit

Photo: Keshia Badalge

To see Communism in all its splendor (or megalomania, as you see fit), you’ll want to visit the hulking mastiff of a building, the Palace of Parliament. Designed by chief architect Anca Petrescu with the help of approximately 700 architects over the span of 13 years, this Totalitarian and Neoclassical building personifies the sweeping socialist realism that took hold of Romania under Nicolae Ceaușescu, the dictator and personality of Communist Romania. It’s currently valued at €3 billion, making it the most expensive administrative building in the world; it’s also one of the most massive buildings in the world, even exceeding the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Heads up: you’ll have to bring your passport in order to gain entry to this building.

MNAC, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest \\\ Photo :courtesy of MNAC

After a heady serving of history and diplomacy at the Palace of Parliament, you’ll want to pop over to its new glass wing, which houses MNAC – Muzeul Național de Artă Contemporană al României, the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Bucharest. Once you’ve had enough indoor time, the lawns of the Parliament Palace that make up Izvor Park are perfect for lounging around or grabbing a snack.

Caru’ cu Bere serves hearty, traditional Romanian fare \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

For a more substantial meal, you can’t go wrong with the classical Romanian gastronomical icon, Caru’ cu Bere. With 130 years serving the thoroughfare on Stavropoleos Street, even locals have deemed this Gothic Revival restaurant “the soul of Bucharest.”

Stavropoleos Monastery at sunset \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

When you’ve got your fill of their house speciality of confit pork and braised sour cabbage, dip into the Stavropoleos Monastery down the road, an Eastern Orthodox stone monastery with stone-carved decoration and artful frescoes, where, if you come at the right time, you might just get to watch the nuns at work.

Stavropoleos Monastery \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Botanical Gardens of Bucharest are home to over 4,000 m² of greenhouses dotted along landscaped fields.

If being surrounded by grand draping plants and the natural warmth of greenhouses excite you, the Bucharest Botanical Gardens, with over 10,000 species of plants, can provide a delightful stroll. Or, to fully wind down, Bucharest even has the biggest wellness and entertainment center in Europe: Therme Bucharest, a tropical paradise with 9 swimming pools and 10 themed saunas under a modern glass and steel structure. If you want to take your experience up a notch, ask for Aufguss, an exhilarating, modern sauna ritual that’s meant to entertain your senses through smells and storytelling.

Notable mentions: Romanian Athenaeum \\ Revolution Square \\ Arcul de Triumf \\ Cișmigiu Gardens

Where To Shop

Exploring the city center of Bucharest is easy enough on foot and there are plenty of modern design stores housed in old facades.

Photo: Keshia Badalge

One of the Old Town’s main draws is the grand, regal bookstore, Cărturești Carusel – it’s housed in an architectural gem of a building and is often cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in Europe. Over four expansive floors, you can sip coffee at a cafe, browse English and Romanian texts, or shop for contemporary gifts to take home.

Spiral staircases at Cărturești Carusel \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The Romanian design store dizainar is always on the look out for young local design talents and is always a strong presence at the annual Romanian Design Week. Photo: Keshia Badalge

Most young designers in Romania have their eyes on being stocked at dizainar, and it’s obvious why: this cosy design store has consistently picked out promising Romanian designers and delivered their products through the dizainar online platform to the rest of Europe. It’s a ticket to being recognized both in your country and outside of it, and dizainar currently carries all kinds of furniture, lighting, accessories, ceramics, and books. If you’re looking for the holy grail of contemporary Romanian design, you’ll be in heaven here.

Mushroom salt and pepper shakers at dizainar \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

The CD section at Carturesti Verona. There’s dozens of sections dedicated to CDs, DVDs, clothes, accessories, bags, teas and more.

If you’re more into a laid-back, Carturesti Verona is an enchanting book shop, records store, tea room, and backyard hang out spot in one location. There’s a sizable collection of design, art, and architecture books that you can get lost in, but what we enjoyed most was simply walking around the expansive store, discovering new rooms hidden in small nooks and the treasures they held, like antique copper cups stacked around the staircase, carefully knitted scarves by the corner windows, or trendy color block izipizi glasses.

Final Thoughts

Walking around Bucharest in the evening \\\ Photo: Keshia Badalge

We were pleasantly surprised by all that Bucharest had to offer from dawn to dusk. Whether it’s relishing in the pleasures of an affordable and piping-hot pretzels at a traditional Romanian bakery in the morning, dancing to street performers serenading foot passengers in the Old Town, having a moment of quiet watching nuns pray in the monastery, or walking into the antique store to get a traditional Romanian hand painted egg, there are many treasures to be uncovered here in Bucharest – and the best time to visit might be now, before all the cosy wooden buildings are upheaved and retrofitted with modern interiors and the scars of Communism are bleached from the buildings’ facades. You’ll have to see it for yourself.

If you’ve traveled to Bucharest, Romania and have any additional favorite spots or recommendations for first time visitors, let us know below so we can share (and also check it out ourselves the next time we’re there).

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Disneyland Tips from an Annual Passholder

If you’ve been here long, you know we are ALL Disney obsessed. As soon as my husband started looking at prospective jobs in Los Angeles four years ago, I was excited for quite a few reasons, but mostly because I could possibly be living SO CLOSE to Disneyland. Fast forward four years, and here we are. You’d think my craving for all things Disney would have been satisfied with how often we go, but really, my love for it just grows with every visit! Haha 🙂 I get asked a lot what my best tips are for doing Disneyland and what I’d recommend, so here are all the delicious details in one post for fellow Disney lovers like me.

1. The first thing to remember is that you won’t get everything on your list! We were at Disneyland more than 30 days last year (that’s an entire month!) and we still didn’t experience everything that they have to offer in the parks. Before you go, decide what’s most important to you and to your group and focus on a few main things that you don’t want to miss.

(the twins first birthday in Disneyland)

2. You only need one app – the Disneyland official app. Through that app, you can make dining reservations, see where character meet-and-greets are in the park, check wait times, and see all the entertainment scheduled throughout the park that day. You can also access any photo pass photos that are taken throughout your trip, and use the Max Pass (more info on that in a minute!) through the Disneyland app. We’ve found it’s the most up-to-date when it comes to ride closures, wait times, and for entertainment schedules compared to other apps. You can also see information on each ride – like height requirements, thematic elements, and what age group the ride is best suited for.

3. It’s OK to bring young kids. In fact, I’d recommend it! Disney is so much more magical when experienced with little ones! The parks are incredibly kid-friendly, and even BABY-friendly. There are nurseries/baby changing stations in both parks that make it easy to take care of little ones. They even offer plenty of chairs for breastfeeding, entertainment for little ones that need a break, high chairs, a whole room dedicated to changing tables, and they even have a tiny toilet that you can use when you’re potty training toddlers (seriously, they think of it all). The care center in Disneyland is located right off Main Street by the First Aid center, and the one in California Adventure is located right by the Ghiradelli store. They also offer a ride-switch pass to parents, so if you’re there without additional adults to watch kids while you go on “big kid” rides. Just ask the cast member at the entrance to the ride for a rider-switch pass before you get in line. To those who questions whether or not it’s worth it to bring young kids who won’t remember anything, I say: THEY may not remember it, but I most certainly will. I mean, just look at that FACE!

(riding the Tea Cups – their favorite ride!)

4. Consider the time of year you’re going before you book your trip. The busiest times of the year are in the summer (June through August) and/or surrounding holiday weekends. If you’re looking for less crowds, try going in January through March or in September and October. If you want to experience the  EXTRA Disney magic during the holidays, always go sooner rather than later! (I.e. if you want to go for Halloween go at the beginning of the month when it’s first decorated or if you want to go for Christmas, go the last week of November or the first week of December before it gets too crazy). If you like to avoid crowds definitely skip the week leading up to Christmas and the week following Christmas. Usually the park is SO PACKED for those two weeks that the parks reach capacity around 11 AM. The weekdays in the parks are always less crowded, too. Saturday and Sunday are almost always more crowded.

5. Speaking of TIMING – when you are at the parks, it’s best to get there early, especially if you have little ones who want to ride all the rides in fantasyland and not wait 50 minutes (those rides don’t have Fast Pass or Max Pass options). The earlier you get there, the less crowded it will be. I’d recommend getting there as soon as the park opens (or even get in line BEFORE the park opens). If you’re staying at the Disney park hotels or get a 3-day park hopper with a magic hour, BE SURE TO USE IT! You can literally get on all the rides you want to ride before the park even opens to the rest of the general public. Then you can just enjoy the rest of your day soaking in all the magic and taking things slow (which is so nice when you have little ones!).

(Funniest photo bomb courtesy of some random man)

6. Take advantage of the Fast Pass feature! And in my personal opinion, GET THE MAX PASS! Fast pass is free, but Max Pass is $10, per person, per day (and it is 100% worth it). With Fast Passes, they are a physical ticket you have walk over to the ride to pick up and keep with you until it’s time to ride. While they are great and can get you on the ride in a short amount of time, you still have to take the time to walk to the ride to pick up the fast pass. When you use the Max Pass feature, it’s all ELECTRONIC! You can book a Max Pass through your mobile device from anywhere inside the parks without having to walk to each individual ride to pick it up. When you have young kids with tired feet, it’s well worth the investment (even if it’s just for one day).

7. Speaking of mobile devices, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be using the Disney app to check times, book max passes, and using your phone to take about 300 photos every time you’re there, so I would recommend getting a portable charger. THIS ONE is my favorite and can fully re-charge your phone 4-5 times. Worth every penny.

8. One of the best things about Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure are the SHOWS! Whether it’s fireworks, Fantasmic, Parades, light shows, or a sit-down show in a theatre, you really can’t go wrong. If you would rather not wait as long saving spots, several restaurants throughout the parks offer preferred dining packages with reserved seating areas (also worth the money with young kids, in my opinion). World of Color (which is my FAVORITE) also has Fast Passes available for reserved seating – get there early in the morning for better seating! The indoor shows are always a great, air-conditioned place to rest from the heat of the day, too.

(Watching World of Color – Liv just couldn’t look away!)

9. You KNOW it wouldn’t be a post of Disneyland recommendations without FOOD, right? Let me just tell you, the food in the parks is one of the best parts of the experience! I literally factor food into my budget for each trip to the parks because I just can’t get enough – and they are adding new things all the time. They have fun food festivals and specialty foods surrounding holidays or big events (like Pixar Fest, happening now through September 3rd).

Here is a list of all of my favorite foods to try and places to eat:

DISNEYLAND: Jolly Holiday: We love the grilled cheese and tomato basil soup, but our favorite thing on the menu is their raspberry rose macaron (pictured below). The matterhorn macaroon is also a fun, tasty treat.  Carnation Cafe: Good meatloaf, DELICIOUS fried pickles. Plaza Inn: I hear they have delicious breakfasts, but their FRIED CHICKEN is our favorite. Cafe Orleans: Get reservations, then order the Monte Cristo, Pommes Frites, and Beignets and thank me later. If you’re a fan of gumbo, I’d recommend that, too. Blue Bayou: Nothing beats that atmosphere, but the Gruyere Mac ‘n Cheese comes a close second. Their gumbo is hard to beat, too. (You’ll definitely need reservations here – you can book up to 60 days in advance). Bengal Barbecue: The safari skewers are actually pretty tasty and actually low-cal Red Rose Taverne: The grey stuff really is delicious! Also, POUTINE. Tiki Juice Bar: Every trip to Disneyland needs a Dole Whip. No question. Pooh’s Corner: We like to get our treats here because it’s usually a lot less crowded. I’d recommend the Tigger Tails, caramel apples, white chocolate raspberry cookies, and the chocolate-dipped peanut butter squares (most of these treats are available in both parks anywhere they sell confections). Carts throughout the park: You can never go wrong with the popcorn, churros, or their cream cheese filled pretzels!

DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE: Carthay Circle: Cutest old-hollywood glam atmosphere (and you’ll probably want reservations). We’ve done dining packages through here for World of Color and really liked it! (side note, it’s $$$, but I hate saving seats for 3 hours and trying to keep young kids entertained to get a good spot to see shows). Ghiradelli: We love their Ocean Beach Sea Salt Caramel Sundae, Nob Hill Chill (my husband’s fave) and the Sea Salt Caramel Quake Shake. Plus, you get a piece of chocolate just for walking through the door! The Cove Bar: Get the lobster nachos – or if you don’t like seafood, ask them to substitute tri-tip for the lobster. SO, so good. Their cotton candy lemonade is also a fun drink. (This will be renamed the lamplight lounge after Pixar Pier opens, but rumor has it some of the most beloved menu items will be staying put!) Flo’s V8 Cafe: Their breakfast is delicious, and they have sides for $2.99 that are the exact same size as a kid’s portion, so we get the kids sides for dinner every other time we’re at the parks! Cozy Cones: Their churros with dipping sauce, Red’s Apple Freeze, and the Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese bread cone are all delicious! Pacific Wharf Cafe: I’m not sure there is anything better on a cold day than a warm, sourdough bread bowl full of clam chowder. Schmoozies: My favorite place for ice cold fruity drinks on hot days at the parks, but they also have AMAZING donuts and cronuts (if you can get to them before they sell out!). Studio Catering Co: If you couldn’t get into the Cove Bar (they don’t take reservations!), you’ll want to try the “Obviously Nachos.” They are a close second to the Lobster Nachos. Corn Dog Castle: I’m not a huge corn dog fan, but even I will eat these corn dogs! Turkey Legs: Okay, so these aren’t my favorite thing (they’re a little greasy for my taste), but I feel like they are a right of passage in the Disney realm. You have to try it at least once!

That’s it! Have any more questions? Have anything to add to the list? I’d love to hear!

Looking to book your next Disney Vacation? Check out Get Away Today for great deals on tickets, rooms, and flights!

Source: https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/disneyland-tips-from-an-annual-passholder/