#and she was at boston AND at camden

[spacetrashpile]

everyone who's excited about pavlove tonight needs to thank motleydilettante on tik tok for her service because she is almost certainly the reason w.a.m.s got played in boston and pavlove got played tonight. thank her for this and for her spreadsheet.

[fuckyeah-jessicabiel]

Jessica Biel’s Pooch Is A Gift From Above!

When Jessica Biel came home to find her bulldog, East, with a mouthful of pink leather and ribbons, she was so mad she had to laugh. “I had left him home alone for an hour and he got into my closet, went into my ballet bag and took out my new point shoes.  I caught him with a pink ribbon dangling out of his mouth.  He looked up at me  with his big underbite, as if to say ‘Hmm?’ – with such a dopey looking face.”   East, an English and American bulldog mix was adopted by Biel’s beau, Chris when the two were just friends, but soonafter they became a couple – no – an inseperable threesome.  East is still brimming with puppy-ness  –  he’s very excitable – and a bit clutzy.  “He’s such a goon,” says Jessica affectionately, “he literally runs just as fast as he can and he’ll run into things!” She admits that East is a lousy judge of character, because he loves everybody.  “If you are going to pet him, he’ll fall in love with you – even if you are robbing the place!”

East was named by Biel as a tribute to the East Coast where Chris, a Massachusetts native, grew up.  The dog, though, seems to have fully embraced the California lifestyle.  At home, his favorite resting place is a dog bed made by Primative Pet, adorned with surfboards, although, Biel admits, “he sneaks up on my bed in the morning.”

Biel is best known for her role as Mary Camden on WB’s Seventh Heaven, a show revolving around the life of a Reverend and his ever-growing Rockwell-esque family.  The show, touted for its strong values and life lessons, often featured the family’s dog, Happy Camden. East and Happy did occasionally meet, as Jessica would bring her bulldog to the set all the time, but she reports, “Happy is a little skittish and East always wants to jump and play around.  I think she was a little scared of him.”

There is nothing to fear in this gregarious dog, unless you are a flower.  Yes, flora ranks as one of East’s favorite treats.  “He’ll rip them out of the ground and eat them and continue to walk down the street,” she laughs.  So much for having a garden!

According to Jessica, East has traveled many times by plane, but it is not so comfortable for such a big dog.  Biel says, “It’s very difficult to fly an animal his size – any longer than to Boston and the sedatives wear off and he’s hungry and he has to go to the bathroom.  I try not to fly with him so much.”  Car travel is more East’s speed, and Jessica has driven him across the country, opting not to fly.  “He’s great in the car.  He sticks his head out the window and his big floppy lips flap in the wind. It’s so cute.”  When he cannot accompany the actress or her boyfriend on a trip, East stays at the Calgrove Kennels, a boarding facility that Jessica raves about – describing the inside-outside facility with grassy areas and plethora of toys East can play with.  According to Jessica, it’s the next-best-thing to having East come along with them.

Jessica Biel, best known as the preacher’s daughter Mary Camden on Seventh Heaven, thinks her bulldog, East, is a gift from above!

Jessica says she worries about some of the health issues typical to East’s breed – bulldogs are notorious for having problems with their faces due to the wrinkes.  “He has some eye problems due in part to bad allergies.  On top of that, his lower eyelashes curl in and scratch his cornea.  He’s already had surgery on his right eye but it didn’t work.   He is due to have a second surgery soon.  It’s a serious situation, but we have a very good eye doctor for East.”  More than the surgery, it’s the recovery process Biel is concerned about.  “He will want to scratch and rub his eye so he will have to wear a contact lens as an extra layer of protection as well as a cone on his head to keep him from getting to his eye. It’s is really up to us to make sure he stays sedated for the week, contacts in, cone on, no scratching and no rubbing.”

Jessica loves East and understands what is involved when caring for an animal.  “It’s such a large responsibility.  I don’t think anyone realizes how much of a responsibility an animal is until they get one.   You can’t go out all night long.  You can’t spend the night at someone’s house without making sure someone’s watching him.  It has really changed my life a lot, but I don’t think I could live without him!”

Jessica has had animals growing up, and looks forward to seeing her two family pets Freckles and Kit Kat whenever she goes home.  “Freckles is this adorable Cocker spaniel who I have had since I was ten years old.  He’s this nice little old guy who follows my mom around no matter where she goes.  I’ve had Kit Kat forever.  She’s been alive since I was six years old – we rescued her from an animal shelter.  She’s a little skittish because she was abused as a kitten.”

Biel also has a cat named Blue who she adopted from a woman in Santa Monica who was finding homes for abused animals.  “I saw this white cat with blue eyes and called my dad and said, ‘we have to save this animal.’  I took him home and now he lives with my family.”  East did get an opportunity to meet his extended family, but Biel says, “My cats didn’t know what to think of him.  Freckles liked him but he’s a little bit old and East gets so excited, Freckles was like ‘alright puppy, chill out a little bit’”  East did get to expend his energy hiking in the Colorado mountains near Biel’s family home.

Since leaving Seventh Heaven, she has explored very different roles – an indulgent vixon in Brett Easton Ellis’s Rules of Attraction, and most recently, as Erin Hardesty in the remake of horror classic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  She’s also the face of Loreal, changing her hair color for the roles.   She says [changing my hair color] does not affect me as a person, but it does affect my wardrobe.”

Blonde or bruenette, Biel is always concerned with saving animals and giving her own pets the best care they can get.  She is involved with Fund For Animals, which Biel says, “promotes vegetarian and vegan diets and calls for the end of hunting – especially hunting for furs.  I don’t agree with people wearing furs.”  Jessica has also found a new charity, Noah’s Wish, that has sparked her interest.  She says, “you can be trained as a volunteer to save a dog, cat – any animal – in a disaster. You can also volunteer to foster an animal, so if a family has a dog and they had a flood or their home was destroyed by hurricane and they feel like they have to get rid of the animal because they can’t afford it or their living situation is not regular, you can take it in.  I would love to do that.”  Jessica says determinedly, “That’s what I’m going to work on next.”

For more information about Noah’s Wish, go to www.noahs-wish.org.

Source: Animal Fair, January 2003

[andydrysdalerogers]

Sliding Into Home ~ Oh Captain! My Captain! 

Pairing: MLB!Frank Adler x Abigail Hernandez (OFC)

Synopsis:

After a trade from Boston to Los Angeles, first baseman Frank Adler would seem to have it all. Money, women, an amazing niece, yes Frank should have it all. Except for one thing. One thing that left after a mistake five years ago. Los Angeles should be the chance to start over. Except she is supposed to be in Boston. Not his new medical director.

* A Frank Adler AU x Major League Baseball Story**

Warning: ANGST (i can't stress this enough), second chances, cheating, S~M~U~T!!, slow burn, drug use, abandonment issues, betrayal, domestic violence (i may have missed some), flashbacks

Dividers by me

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: The One With The World Series

Sliding Into Home Master List Main Masterlist

The bus ride from Camden Yards to the hotel is a quiet one. Frank sat next to Johnny, who was almost deathly still. He never said a word as he walked off, the Boston players running onto the field. The locker room was quiet, showers and dressing done without a word to each other. They gathered their belongings, made sure the uniforms were placed in the bins for the support staff to clean and walked onto the bus.  

The Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, walked to the front after the team had pulled into the hotel. “Men, we’ll have a debrief in the morning. This is just how the game goes. I don’t blame anyone, and you shouldn’t either. They just had magic tonight.  Get some sleep. We’ll meet at 9 AM and the flight is at noon.”  

Dave patted each player as they exited.  Their families were waiting for them, lined in their gear, solemn and quiet.  Frank sees Abby and Katie standing together, Mary in Scott’s arms, Marco wrapped around Susie. Frank blocks Johnny’s exit, allowing the rest of the team to exit.  “You know it wasn’t your fault.”  

“I know.”  

“Do you? Torch, Turner is a beast at bat. There was a 50/50 chance he was going to connect. It could have been anyone.”  

“But it was me. I let the team down, the city down, fuck, even my girlfriend and family.”  

“Johnny, no one is going to see it that way.”  

Johnny leaned back against his seat. “I knew going for my heater was a bad idea. But he missed it the first time. “ 

“You can’t beat yourself up with what ifs. Let’s get you to your girl and she can give you sympathy sex. It's better than victory sex sometimes.” Frank got up and got off the bus.  

“Hey Frank,” he turned back to Johnny. “Thanks.”  

“It’s what best friends are for.” Frank climbed down and Mary immediately ran into his arms. He held her tight as he felt her cry a little bit. “You ok Nugget?” 

Mary leaned back. “Shouldn't I be asking you that?” 

Frank shrugged.  “Probably but I think he needs this hug more than me.” He looked back at Johnny who was just now getting off the bus.  Mary ran to him and jumped up for a hug. Johnny’s reaction time was quick as he dropped his bag in time to catch her.  Frank walked over to Abby and Katie.  

“Is he ok?” Katie’s lower lip trembled.  

“He’ll be ok. Just needs some time and a few hugs.” Frank kissed her cheek. “Take care of him.”  

She nodded and walked over to Johnny and Mary.  Frank turned back to his wife. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring the trophy home like i promised.”  

Abby shrugged. “Guess you’ll have to make it up to me another way.”  She reached up on her tiptoes. “I am so unbelievably proud of you Frank Adler. You played your best and that’s all that matters.” She kissed him softly as he wrapped his arms around her.  

“Can I take you to bed Cricket? Lose myself inside you?” 

She gave him a soft smile. “Always Frankie.”  

After greeting everyone else and heading up to the rooms, Frank watched his wife get ready for bed.  She carefully brushed out her hair and removed her jewelry before taking off the jersey with his name on the back. She stripped out of the leggings and was just in her bra and panties.  He could see that she was studying herself in the mirror when Frank saw it.  He got up and walked behind her.  “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Tell you what?” She looked back at him confused.  

“Oh sweetheart.”  He placed his warm hands around her middle. Framing the slight swell of her belly. “Here is our baby.”  

Abby stared at the mirror. The belly wasn’t there this morning. “It’s our baby.”  

“I don’t care that I lost. I won everything I ever wanted.” He moved her hair to the side so he could kiss her neck. He let his fingers skate over his sensitive skin as he kissed and licked the spot behind her ear. “You are the most beautiful woman. Strong and amazing, growing my baby.” He dipped his hand inside her panties, eliciting a moan from his wife. “Shh, Cricket. Hmm, so wet love.”  

“Frankie, please don’t tease,” Abby whimpered.  

He let his finger slip in and moved slowly back and forth, listening to his wife mewl at the sensations. “Do you still love me even if I didn’t win?” 

“Of course...shit... fuck,” Abby stuttered as Frank added another finger. She gripped his forearms to keep from falling.  He was wrecking her, a little at a time.  

“C’mon Cricket, use your words,” Frank gently taunted. “Be a good girl for me.”  

“I love you, Frankie,” she breathed out.  “So proud of you making it this far.”  

“Good girl,” he whispered in her ear as he pressed down on her sensitive clit. Abby almost doubled over but Frank held her to his chest.  

“Frankie, please,” she begged. He scooped her up and placed her on the bed.  He undid the bra and threw it across the room.  He pulled down her panties and held them to his nose, inhaling the scent.  Abby almost cummed at the motion and let out a whimper.  

“What should it be Cricket? Should I taste you first or should I just fuck you until you can’t walk anymore?” Frank slotted in between her legs, his erection straining in his boxer briefs.  

“I... I...” 

“Ok then,” Frank sighed. He stood up and removed his boxers, his cock bobbing up. “Dealer’s choice it is.” He climbs next to Abby and turned her to the side.  He lifted her leg to curl around his hip to open her. “I don’t want to hurt Peanut, but I also don’t want to take you hard Cricket,” he told her gently. He gripped his cock and teased between her legs, notching at her clit.  

“Frankie, I can’t... please.”  

“Anything for you Cricket.”  He slid slowly, stretching her open slowly.  From this angle, she could feel everything and her back bowed. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. “Talk to me Cricket.”  

“So deep Frankie, I can feel you everywhere.”  

“God, you feel so good Cricket. My beautiful girl.” He rocked his hips, sliding in and out.  He took his time, skating his fingers over her skin, gently pinching her nipples. Her breathing changed and he knew she was getting close.  “Ready to come for me Cricket?” She nodded against his chest. “Come baby, you know that my good girl always goes first.”  

Frank lowered a hand to her clit and rubbed gently.  The sensations were like lighting up her body. 

“Frankie,” she cried as her head tossed back onto his chest and the world imploded, blinding her in white light.  

‘Fuck Cricket, so tight, so good, fuck,’ as he followed her into space, losing himself in the stars he sees in his eyes. He slowed, and stopped, staying inside her.  He could feel water land on his arm. ‘Cricket?’ 

‘I’m sorry, Frankie. I just... I wish you had won and,’ she sucked in a breath, ‘and you were happy and then we did this and it feels so good and I don’t deserve you and...” 

“Whoa, baby, stop.” Frank gently slipped out and turned Abby to face him. “Cricket, its one World Series. Hopefully there will be others.” He wiped the tears falling. “My Cricket, the hormones getting to you?” She nodded and he chuckled. “Everything is going to be ok.  Sleep sweetheart.” He adjusted her so she slept on his chest.  He loved that she was so passionate about his career. But now is time for him to focus on her and Peanut.  

Six weeks later... 

Frank ran into the clinic, running late from an endorsement meeting.  “Hi, sorry, I’m looking for Abigail Adler?” 

“We just took her back. Follow me,” a nurse said, buzzing him through the door. Frank pulled off his coat, the beginning of December bringing a cold front in. The nurse knocked and waited for acknowledgement before opening the door. Sitting on the exam table was a very unhappy, pregnant Abby with her arms crossed.  

“Cricket, I am so sorry.” Frank went to her side. “The meeting ran long and then I got caught in the school traffic and I'm sorry.”  

“I told you I could have rescheduled to avoid this, Frankie." Abby huffed as she turned her head away from him.  

“I know Cricket. But you were so excited to see the baby and find out the gender and everything and I didn’t want you to miss it.” Frank uses his finger to make Abby look at him. “I’m sorry.”  

“Are you excited?” she asked in a small voice 

“Are you kidding?” Frank kissed her nose. “Steve said I was giving off excited vibrations today and it was driving him nuts.”  

“Hello, hello,” the doctor came in. “Mr. And Dr. Adler, nice to see you again.”  

“Hey Dr. Montgomery,” Frank said. “How’s it going?” 

“Busy, as always but I know we are excited today to see, what was it you called your baby again Frank?” 

“Look, that is not my best moment,” Frank said. “We call baby Peanut now.”  

Dr. Montgomery and Abby laughed as Frank blushed slightly. “Well, let’s take a look at Peanut.  Abby, shirt under your breast and pants slightly down.  This will be cold.”  She squirted some gel and grabbed the wand.  “Do we want to know the gender?” 

“We do. We have our last team dinner of the year tonight,” Frank said. Gonna do a gender reveal.” 

“Sounds fun.  Is someone planning the surprise for you?” 

“Yeah, Susie and Katie are waiting for us to hand it over,” Abby explained.  

“Alright so no pronouns.” Dr. Montgomery moved the wand around.  “Well, here is Peanut,” she said. “Just taking some measurements but they are looking perfect.  Right size and weight for 21 weeks.  Here is their head and it looks like they are sucking on a thumb.”  

Frank and Abby grinned at each other as Dr. Montgomery flipped on the audio.  Their baby’s heart beat was loud and rapid.  “Whoa,” Frank said. “I’m still not used to that. It's so fast.”  

“Yeah, in the womb, the baby's heart is pumping so fast because the blood circulates quickly,” Dr. Montgomery explains. “But everything looks good. Abby, your weight is good, and your levels are great. I’ll print some pictures for you and put the gender into an envelope.” She handed a towel to Abby.  “I want to see you in four weeks.” 

“Thanks Doc,” Frank said.  

“I was sorry to see you lose the World Series Frank, but I know, next year is our year.”  She patted his back.  “See you guys later.”  

Frank took Abby’s hand, and they picked up the envelope and pictures.  “Peanut is cute, just like their mama.”  

“Shut up Frankie,” she replied with a smile. “Ready for the dinner?” 

“Yeah, Phelps and Roberts said they have a couple of year end announcements and then just the dinner.”  

“Well, I have to head back to the office,” Abby said.  “I’ll see you at home?” 

“Yeah, Nugget and I are gonna work on the nursery. Scott said they delivered the crib and dresser.”  

“What color?” 

“What part of surprise did you not understand Cricket?” A couple of weeks after the season ended, Frank asked Abby if he could decorate and set up the nursery.  He had promised that it would be gender neutral.  

Abby pouted. “Fine. I love you.”  

“Love you too Cricket.”  

A couple of hours later, Frank was getting Mary ready to go when he called up the stairs. “Cricket! We’re gonna be late!” 

“Patience is a virtue,” she called back down.  

“Not right now, it isn’t.”  

“Alright, alright!”  She walked down the stairs and Frank stopped. You know that saying that women glow when they are pregnant? Frank understood that saying now. Abby glowed as she walked toward in a cream colored sweater dress and brown boots.  Her bump was on display, her hair was in her curls and just held back with a cream headband.  

“Wow,” Frank breathed. “Cricket, you look beautiful.” 

Abby blushed. “Thanks Frankie.” He helped her into her coat, and they headed to the restaurant.  

The dinner was fun, the last time the team would together until spring training.  Some may leave and some retire.  As desert was being prepared, Todd Phelps and Dave Roberts stood in the middle of the room. It falls silent as Todd raises his hand.  

“Alright team, it was a heartbreaking end to the season.  But it has been one of the best seasons the Dodgers have ever had.”  Applause breaks out around the room. “Not only did we have two Golden Glove winners in Storm and Betts, we also have our league MVP and golden Glove winner, Frank Adler.” More applause and cheers for Frank, who flushed from the attention.  

“We are so proud of this team,” Dave continued.  “We know that there may be some changes that could happen.  But there are a couple of things we are certain off, our captains for next year. We have four men that we are bestowing this honor to. Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Johnny Storm and Frank Adler.”  

Frank sat stunned as Mary jumped in his lap and Abby kissed his cheek. Johnny looked blankly as Katie cheered and hugged him.  

“Johnny,” Dave says, “I know you think the loss was your fault, but it wasn’t.  Management does not blame you, the team doesn’t blame you. You have been a professional, sitting through media, taking blame that wasn’t yours. That’s the kind of leadership we are looking for in our organization and the perfect example we want to set.”  

The team cheered and congratulated their new captains as Katie and Susie set up the gender reveal. Katie whistled to get everyone’s attention again.  “We have one more surprise to finish. Mr. And Mrs. Alder, Miss Mary, we need you up here.”  The family moved to the front. An elaborate box was set up with a string to open it.  “On the count of three, pull the string and we’ll find out if we a boy or a girl joining our Dodger family.  Ready?” 

The whole room joined the count down. 

“THREE!” 

“TWO!” 

“ONE!” 

Oh, you thought I wouldn't give one more cliffhanger?  See you for the finale! 

NEXT

Taglist

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@firephotogrl74

@before-we-get-started

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@peaceinourtime82

[popentertainmentconcertreviews]

Gracie Abrams – Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA – March 17, 2023

It’s about time you get to know Gracie Abrams. She is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California. She released her debut EP “Minor” in 2020, followed by her second EP “This Is What It Feels Like” in 2021. Gracie released her debut album titled Good Riddance in 2023, including hits “I Know It Won’t Work,” “Difficult,” and “Amelie.” 

Earlier this year, Gracie announced her Good Riddance world tour, including dates in Brooklyn, San Francisco, Paris, London, and Philly! I was lucky enough to check out her show in the City of Brotherly Love.

To kick off the night, the Boston trio Tiny Habits took the stage to perform an acoustic set. The group performed singles “Tiny Things,” “One More,” “Hemenway” and even a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” Maya Rae, Cinya Khan, and Judah Mayowa perfectly set the tone for the rest of the evening, gearing the crowd up to see Gracie. 

The lights went down, and the crowd erupted with excitement. The first few notes of “Where Do We Go Now?” started playing and the energy in the room grew even more. She then played “This is What the Drugs Are For” and “21,” interacting with the crowd throughout each song. Gracie knows how to make a crowd feel appreciated. She held eye contact with fans her entire set, singing her lyrics to them while holding their hands. 

This show was special because it was not only Gabe Smith, a member of Abrams’ band’s birthday, but also St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate Gabe’s special day, a cake was brought out and the entire TLA sang “Happy Birthday.” To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, fans wore green outfits and accessories, including shamrock headbands and emerald-green cowboy hats. At one point during the show, someone passed their green cowboy hat, adorned with LED lights and a princess crown, to the front of the stage. Abrams happily took the hat and wore it for a couple of songs. 

Later in her set, Gracie went on to play fan-favorites “Camden,” “Feels Like,” and “I Miss You, I’m Sorry,” closing her set with “Right Now.” This was such a special show to attend because it not only included songs from all of her releases, but it is her biggest headlining tour.

She’ll also be heading out to open for Taylor Swift on her “Eras Tour” this April, so you’re in for an incredible show if you can attend any of those! 

Kayla Marra

Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: March 20, 2023.

Photos by Kayla Marra © 2023. All rights reserved.

[lboogie1906]

Tasha Smith (born February 28, 1971) is an actress, director, and producer. She began her career in a starring role on Boston Common, and she appeared in numerous movies and television series. She was born in Camden NJ and has an identical twin sister actress Sidra Smith. She has appeared in the films The Whole Ten Yards, Daddy's Little Girls, The Longshots, Couples Retreat, Addicted, Playas Ball, ATL, and Jumping the Broom. She starred as Angela Williams in Why Did I Get Married?, its sequel Why Did I Get Married Too?, and on the television series based on the movies, For Better or Worse. She began a recurring role as Carol Holloway on Empire. She made her acting debut with a small role in the comedy film Twin Sitters. She starred in Boston Common. She was cast in The Tom Show. She had a supporting role in The Corner. She had guest-starring roles on The Parkers, Without a Trace, Nip/Tuck, and Girlfriends. She made her directorial debut with the short film Boxed in, which premiered during the 19th Annual American Black Film Festival. She directed the television film When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, based on a true story. She directed an episode in Tales. She worked as Mary J. Blige's acting coach for her role in Mudbound. She appeared in Dolemite Is My Name and starred in Good People. She directed episodes of Star, 9-1-1, Black Lightning, Big Sky, Our Kind of People, P-Valley, and Bel Air. She directed Black Mafia Family. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNL_InrSPa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[allthingsdarkanddirty]

Start 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 & 𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 for 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄!

Have you started the 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 & 𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨 rock star series yet? For the first time ever, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬: a single mom, friends to lovers romance by Nikki Ash is 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 for a limited time on Amazon! So grab it before it goes back up to the regular price! 

♩Amazon (ebook, paperback, and audio) ☞ amzn.to/3y2nTi8

♩ Purchase signed copies of all my books ☞ https://authornikkiash.com/shop

♬ 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 ♬

Camden I’ve been in love with my best friend since high school. My biggest regret? Walking away without telling her. I planned to. But then catastrophe struck, making us part ways without a word. She left for Boston with her fiancé, while I left for L.A. with my band–Raging Chaos. For the next five years, I lived and breathed music, trying to forget the beautiful girl who shattered my heart without even knowing it. Until I see her again… I walked away once, and I've learned my lesson. Layla is my forever, not another item in my pile of regrets. And she's about to find that out.

Layla The moment I saw Camden on stage, something inside me came to life. His tragic song of unrequited love was a confession that had me questioning everything. Five years might’ve changed who we are—he’s a rock star and I’m a single mom—but my feelings for him are as strong as ever. His lyrics make falling in love seem easy. For him—maybe it is. Only I’ve learned the hard way that real life isn’t as simple as writing a love song.

(𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴: 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 21-25) 

𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 ☞ https://bit.ly/3MQRqSf 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗯𝘂𝗯 ☞ https://bit.ly/3BdDqzn

[joyffree]

Have you started the 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 & 𝙇𝙮𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙨 rock star series yet?

For the first time ever, Controlled Chaos: a single mom, friends to lovers romance by Nikki Ash is 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄

♬ 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 ♬ Camden I’ve been in love with my best friend since high school. My biggest regret? Walking away without telling her. I planned to. But then catastrophe struck, making us part ways without a word. She left for Boston with her fiancé, while I left for L.A. with my band–Raging Chaos. For the next five years, I lived and breathed music, trying to forget the beautiful girl who shattered my heart without even knowing it. Until I see her again… I walked away once, and I've learned my lesson. Layla is my forever, not another item in my pile of regrets. And she's about to find that out.

Layla The moment I saw Camden on stage, something inside me came to life. His tragic song of unrequited love was a confession that had me questioning everything. Five years might’ve changed who we are—he’s a rock star and I’m a single mom—but my feelings for him are as strong as ever. His lyrics make falling in love seem easy. For him—maybe it is. Only I’ve learned the hard way that real life isn’t as simple as writing a love song.

Hosted by Enticing Journey Book Promotions

[renoxvated]

⤏ send me “plots please”

Plot idea one! Elizabeth excels in diplomacy, of course– when diplomatic talks become heated it’s always nice to have a little backup with you. That’s where Roy comes in, all he has to do is keep quiet for a change and make sure she gets back home safe and sound, after Minutemen negotiations are finished. Of course that’s easier said than done. There would always be something for people to argue over in The Commonwealth, and with the rise of The Minutemen’s cause surely there would also always be some kind of detractors looking for power where they could, when arguments ensued. Elizabeth could trust herself to excel yet again in her skills at orating, but could she trust Roy’s own skills, whatever…those may be?

Plot idea two! The Railroad needing some assistance from the Minutemen leads Camden to head the operation, due to both his experience with the Minutemen but also his experience with the Railroad and Desdemona;  along with Roy in tow. They head to uncover a darker plot of missing synths turning up dead in the surrounding metros of the Railways, with little clues at their disposal-- but according to the reports something just seems so…off about these murders. Too many coincidences that need to be solved before any fingers start getting pointed at the factions and their alliances tested. There's plenty of secrets between the two of them too; it'll surely all be uncovered the more that unravels but at what costs? + bonus points that this is where Camden finds out Roy is a synth.

Plot idea three! for roy’s favorite ray of sunshine  A mission into the outer edges of The Commonwealth, to get rid of a particularly bad problem, leads to Colonel Lawson and The Courier, getting separated from the main unit of Minutemen with them, after a bridge breaks; effectively solving the original problem and keeping it at bay but leaving them the only two with it. Separating them in unknown territory during a sudden bout of bad weather, from everyone else, they have to work together to find their way back to Jamie’s unit and to– hopefully, safety. This could take place in either timeline of The Courier’s first time in Boston or sometime after he returns.

[runnning-outof-time]

Right in Front of Him | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Request: yes by anonymous

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x reader

Summary: Tommy Shelby threw himself into work after his family became deeply fractured from his own doing. (Y/N) is his new secretary, who's just been hired into the company and wants to make a good impression. This leads to Charlie making a solo trip to Small Heath and Tommy realizing that he may not be able to win the fight with his feelings this time.

Warnings: language

Word Count: 4256

A/N: I just hope this one makes sense. Enjoy! :)

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR THOUGHTS & COMMENTS HELP ME WRITE!

Let me know if you want to be tagged in future stories like this one!

"Good morning, Mr. Shelby," (Y/N) greeted her boss when she noticed him entering the office. His response to her was the same as it was every day. He glanced over in her direction, his eyes on her as he continued walking to the doors of his office. As he got closer to her, he nodded his head in a silent greeting without missing a beat in his step. She would have missed it if she wasn't looking, but in the few months she'd been working for The Shelby Company Ltd., she learned to look up.

Thomas Shelby was a man of few words. He liked to come into his office to get his work done and leave. He had no time for extra conversations, especially those that didn't regard business.

Business was the only thing on his mind. He had nothing else. His family was in prison because he put them there. Ada was back in Boston because he sent her there. His son, Charlie, was home without a father. The boy probably didn't even love his father anymore. After all he was the reason why his son got kidnapped. At times, Tommy was afraid to go near him. He was afraid that doing so would put the boy in harm's way again.

(Y/N) came onto the staff of the Shelby Company Ltd. after Tommy told Lizzie that she could take some time away from her job. It wasn't a surprise to him that she jumped at the opportunity. He could tell that she harbored resentment towards him for what he did to his family. He didn't blame her for it.

(Y/N) was young, but she knew her place. She did her work and she kept to herself. She didn't ask Tommy questions about the things that she had to complete. He liked that about her. He liked that she was punctual. He liked that she was thorough with the tasks that she took on. He liked her. But he couldn't let those feelings get in the way of his business, so he pushed them aside.

The end of her shift was approaching when a man entered the office. He greeted (Y/N) before telling her that he had some urgent items that needed to be given to her boss. She signed for them before taking them into her hands. After thanking the postman, she turned and made her way to the doors of Tommy's office.

"Mr. Shelby..." she started after she'd gone through the motions of knocking on the door and listening for him to let her in. She knew he was in there, but she still respected his authority. "An invoice was just delivered. It's from Mr. Solomons in Camden Town," she informed him from the doorway. Tommy glanced up from his desk as she spoke, and wordlessly waved her over to where he was sitting.

(Y/N) listened and moved so that she was now standing in front of his desk. She then gave him the invoice and waited silently as he looked it over. "Fucking hell," Tommy muttered under his breath as he dropped the paper onto the stack he'd amassed already.

Alfie had been hitting him with unnecessary charges after a smaller export operation of his had been found out by authorities. At times Tommy didn't even know why he was still working with the man. All he'd become was a thorn in the Birmingham gangster's side.

"I can send a reply asking for more information if you'd like," (Y/N) suggested after he finished mumbling about how his associate only sent him the amount that was due.

"No, it's fine (Y/N)," he waved off her idea as he rubbed his temples. He cleared his throat then before looking up at her, "thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Shelby," she responded, nodding her head slightly before she turned to leave his office.

"(Y/N), wait..." Tommy called after her, making her freeze in her place and turn to face him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I..." he paused, trying hard to find the words that he wanted to say to her. What did he even want to say to her? "Nevermind," he eventually waved her off, letting her go back to the work she'd been doing. She didn't question his change of mind and instead nodded once more before leaving his office.

"Good morning, Mr. Shelby," (Y/N) greeted her boss as she heard the sound of footsteps on the hardwood. She was finishing writing something in the book on her desk, so she wasn't able to look up right away.

"Who are you?" the voice that asked didn't come from her boss, but instead from a woman.

"Excuse me?" (Y/N) asked as she finally looked up to see an older woman standing in the entrance to the offices; a woman she hadn't met before. Her words held no attitude behind them. She was simply caught off guard by the question she got.

"Who are you?" the woman asked again, her eyebrows raised. (Y/N) could instantly pick up the intimidating air that she had around her.

"My name's (Y/N). I'm a secretary here," (Y/N) responded, a polite smile forming on her face.

The woman scoffed then. "The bloody nerve of that boy...puts his own family in prison and then completely changes the structure of the company. How old are ya, love? You don't look a day over twenty."

"I'm sorry?" (Y/N) was taken back by the woman's sudden outburst, as she had no idea where it came from and why she was so mad. "I don't believe I've met you before," she said then after refusing to answer the question of her age. She didn't see why that was important.

"We haven't met. I've been sitting in a cell for the last six months," the woman snapped back, although it seemed like her attitude wasn't being directed at (Y/N), but rather at the situation itself.

"I...I'm sorry to hear that," (Y/N) stammered out, unsure of what else to say. She didn't have a clue as to why this lady was speaking to her like this.

"He's really kept you in the dark on a lot, hasn't he?" the woman then asked as she quirked her eyebrow upward. (Y/N) stayed silent, which made the woman scoff again as she shook her head. "My name's Polly Gray, and I was the company treasurer. I'm not sure if I still hold the title, or if Thomas has pawned that off also," she introduced herself finally. "I came to find out."

"Mr. Shelby's not in today, Ms. Gray. I'm sorry," (Y/N) informed her then, her statement making Polly sigh again.

"If he's not in, and you're his new secretary, I'm going to need you to take this to him," she stated, holding out a sealed envelope then.

"Excuse me?"

"This needs to get to him. It's urgent," Polly explained further.

(Y/N) was still confused. "And I need to bring it to his home?" she asked.

"Assuming that that's where he is, yes," Polly nodded. (Y/N) stayed silent and thought about it for a moment. Then she took the envelope from the older woman's hand, deciding that making a house call to her boss might be better than facing whatever consequences Polly might have. In the short time since she'd met her, (Y/N) had found out that Polly was not a woman that you messed with. "A company driver will take you there. Thank you, (Y/N)," she informed her, nodding once more before she turned to leave the office.

(Y/N) let out a sigh as she moved to grab her jacket and purse. She made sure that the envelope was secured in her purse before she went out to the car that was waiting to take her to her destination.

The drive wasn't a short one, and it gave (Y/N) enough time to worry about what she was getting into. Surely her boss would be upset if she showed up at his home unannounced. There also was the possibility that he wasn't even there.

(Y/N) gazed up at the mansion in awe as she was helped out of the car. She knew that he had a big home — he was the CEO of a rather successful company, but she never thought she'd be seeing it in person. The enormity of it blew her away.

She walked up the small set of steps to the door and knocked on it, waiting a few moments until an older woman came to answer it . Of course he wasn't going to answer it himself. "Can I help you?" the lady asked.

"I have something to give to Mr. Shelby. I'm his secretary. Ms. Polly Gray wanted me to deliver it to him," (Y/N) explained the reason behind her being there. "Is Mr. Shelby in?" she backtracked when she realized that she should have asked that first.

"He is," the woman nodded, "I'll show you to his office," she said then before letting (Y/N) walk into the house. She was led through a few halls before they stopped in front of a closed door. The woman then knocked on the door and stepped inside, leaving (Y/N) out in the hall. She returned a few seconds later. "Mr. Shelby is on the phone at the moment. He should be finished soon," she informed (Y/N), who nodded her head. The woman then explained that she needed to attend to other duties in the meantime and that she couldn't stay with her.

So (Y/N) was left alone in the hallway. That was until the sound of little feet pattering off of the hardwood was heard. It made her look to her left, where she saw a young boy making his way toward her.

"Hello!" the boy chirped, a smile on his face.

"Hi," (Y/N) smiled politely.

"Who are you?" he asked then, quirking an eyebrow upward. (Y/N) knew then that this must've been Tommy's son, Charlie, because the boy looked so much like him when he pulled that expression.

"My name is (Y/N). I work for your dad," she answered, hoping that she was correct in inferring the boy's relationship to her boss.

"Do you want to come play with me, (Y/N)?" he asked then, a sliver of hope in his eyes.

The door to Tommy's office opened before she could say anything. "You can come in," he said, making (Y/N)'s eyes snap to him. "(Y/N)?" he questioned when he realized who was waiting for him. He'd opened the door and called for whoever it was without looking first.

"Hello, Mr. Shelby," she said softly as she felt her cheeks heating up just by looking at him. He looked different now. He wasn't in his usual three-piece suit, but instead only had on a plain button down and some trousers. His hair was haphazardly pushed off of his forehead. Even though his attire looked comfortable, he still gave off the aura that commanded respect. It pained (Y/N) to admit it, but she found the entirety of it attractive.

"She was gonna come play with me, dad," the boy that (Y/N) just remembered was standing next to her, said with a slight whine.

"She's here for business, son," Tommy responded to him, looking away as a pout formed on Charlie's face. The boy was really good at pulling it, and Tommy found it to be one thing that he often caved to.

"Maybe I'll come another day to play with you," (Y/N) told the boy without thought, making the child's expression perk up. She immediately wanted to backtrack on her statement when she realized that she was essentially inviting herself over to their home again, but no one questioned it.

"Ok," Charlie nodded before he turned and left the conversation.

"Come," Tommy said as he opened the door wider for her to follow him into the grand office. "What do you have for me?" he asked once they were seated across from each other.

"A note. It's from Ms. Gray. She said that it was urgent," (Y/N) explained as she handed it over.

Tommy suppressed a scoff as he heard what she said. "So you've met my aunt," he said as he opened the envelope.

"I have. She had some interesting things to say about myself and the company in general," (Y/N) responded, thinking back to the conversation she had earlier.

"We're not exactly seeing eye-to-eye at the moment. Which is why you were the one asked to bring this here, I'm guessing," was all Tommy said about the situation as he put his glasses on to read the contents of the paper in his hands. (Y/N) watched him carefully as his eyes glanced over the paper and she stayed silent as he scoffed at the end. "Figures," was all he said, and (Y/N) felt like it wasn't her place to ask him for more context.

"Is there anything you'd like for me to deliver back to Ms. Gray?" she instead asked, hoping that she could be of some service.

Tommy shook his head. "No. If I have something to say, I will say it to her directly."

"Oh. Ok," (Y/N) nodded as she dropped her gaze to her lap.

"I'm sorry you had to come out here because of family matters," Tommy said then as he dropped his glasses back onto the stack of papers on his desk.

"It's ok," (Y/N) practically repeated her last statement, not knowing what else to add to the conversation. "I'm just doing my job."

"Thank you for doing so. You're welcome to leave now."

"You're welcome, Mr. Shelby. Have a nice day," she said as she stood from the chair.

She then showed herself out of the office once she realized that he wasn't going to be leading her. She went through the several hallways she was led through earlier, hoping that they would bring her to the front foyer. She was almost out when she heard her name called from one of the rooms. "Charlie?" she questioned, seeing the boy peeking out from behind a door.

"Come play with me please, (Y/N)," he asked her, a slight pout on his face. (Y/N) stayed in her spot as she thought about his ask. She really shouldn't be sticking around; her boss told her that she could leave. But the pout he wore was so damn convincing.

"I don't know, Charlie..." she trailed off, but the boy was already exiting the door and grabbing hold of her hand. "Charlie," she tried again as he started leading her back the way she'd just come. This couldn't turn out well.

"My playroom's back here," the boy stated as he continued leading her further into the house.

"What are you doing, Charlie?" the voice of the very person (Y/N) was afraid would see this happening spoke from the end of the hallway the boy'd just turned down.

"I'm taking (Y/N) to my playroom," Charlie responded.

"She needs to leave, son. She can't be stickin' 'round to play with you," Tommy told the two and a half year old.

"No one comes here now, dad," the boy was now pouting, his head dropped in defeat. (Y/N) couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"She needs to go back to work."

It was evident that Tommy wasn't going to change his stance, so (Y/N) turned to the boy before crouching to his level. "How 'bout I'll come over another time? We'll play then," she wagered with the boy, again making a promise she really couldn't keep. She hoped that maybe he'd forget about it in a few days.

"Ok," he said softly while shaking his head.

(Y/N) also nodded and smiled softly before she stood to look at her boss again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shelby. I'll be leaving now," she told him, only glancing in his direction. She turned and left the hallway before either of the two Shelbys in it could say another word.

(Y/N) was just about ready to finish up for the day when she heard the door to the offices open. It was later in the afternoon, so she figured that her boss had returned from his business trip. "Mr. Shelby, you're..." she started speaking but then caught herself when she looked up to see just who had entered the office. She got the surname correct, but the person standing in the doorway was certainly not her boss. "Charlie?!" she practically exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Hi, (Y/N)," the boy greeted with a smile, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary...like him being there was normal.

(Y/N), on the other hand, was freaking out. "How did you get here, Charlie?!" she asked as she stood from her desk and hurried over to him.

"I asked a driver to bring me," he gave another nonchalant answer.

"You shouldn't have come here. You're only two. You could have gotten hurt or taken or something," she started rambling, still internally freaking out over the fact that her boss' son had just shown up by himself. She was now checking all over his body to make sure that he wasn't hurt while he giggled at her actions.

"I'm going to be three soon," he told her between his giggles. (Y/N) couldn't help but let out a laugh at the boy's answer.

"That still doesn't give you the ability to go on long drives by yourself, Charlie," she tried to stress to him.

"I got lonely, (Y/N). Dad’s away and sometimes the ladies in the house don't even want to play with me. And you said you'd come over to play but you never did." The pout was back, and (Y/N) was already about to shatter under its weight.

There was a moment's pause before she let out a long sigh. "Ok, Charlie. How about I come over now? Huh? You wait here for a few more minutes while I finish up and then we'll go back to your house and play," she suggested, hoping the kid would go for the plan.

Charlie was nodding before she was even done speaking. "I'd like that," he told her, a smile on his face. (Y/N) let out a breath of relief before she ushered him over to one of the empty desks and gave him some paper to draw on while she finished the rest of her tasks.

The two left the office en route to Warwickshire in under a half hour, and for the entire car ride home, Charlie couldn't stop talking about the toys he wanted to show (Y/N) and the activities he wanted to do with her. (Y/N) couldn't help but smile. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Every day after Charlie arrived at the office in Small Heath, (Y/N) made sure to go to his house after she was finished working. The little boy was beyond thrilled to have a new playmate. According to him, the other ladies in the house played with him, but they never got down onto the floor or into the game that they were playing like (Y/N) did.

Today, Charlie had orchestrated a plan to act out a story with his stuffed animals. He was the horse, of course, and (Y/N) was given a small dog. In the story, Charlie's character was the savior, and (Y/N)'s was the one in danger.

"Oh Mr. Horse, please come down and save me!" (Y/N) exclaimed in a dramatic voice as she sat on the floor right next to the couch. The dog she had was laying on the ground, looking hopeless.

"I told you, (Y/N), my name is not Mr. Horse, it's Sir Orion the Savior!" Charlie corrected her, a bit of a glare on his face.

"Forgive me, Charlie, but that's a tough name to remember," (Y/N) responded while trying to hold back her giggles. Not only was it tough to remember, it was also funny to say.

"Just try to remember it," he settled and she nodded before making her animal reach out again. "Save me!"

"I'm coming, Fluffy!" Charlie called out, giggling as he said the name (Y/N) had chose for her character. He then hopped down from the couch to scoop up the dog in his arms and bring him back up to 'safety'. "There you go, ma'am. I've saved you," Charlie spoke through his character then, his voice now dropped down an octave as he tried to sound tough. It just made (Y/N) giggle.

"Oh thank you, Mr...."

"Sir."

"...Sir Orion the Savior!" she said while stifling giggles that stemmed from the child correcting her.

"You're welcome," Charlie chirped in his normal voice, a wide smile on his face.

Clapping came from the doorway of the sitting room before anything else could be said, and (Y/N) couldn't stop her cheeks from heating up as she looked over to see her boss standing there. The thought of him coming home while she was there hadn't crossed her mind for some reason, and she felt rather shy all of a sudden. She stood from the floor and smoothed out her dress in an attempt to make herself look presentable.

"Mr. Shelby, I...I'm here because Charlie..."

"That was a wonderful play you two put on. I only saw the end of it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless," Tommy cut her off as he walked into the room. He'd been watching them play from the doorway for several minutes, and he found a large part of himself wanting this to be what he came home to from now on. "You found yourself a new friend, eh, Charlie boy?" he asked the smiling child as he ruffled his son's hair.

"I did. (Y/N) loves to play with me. She never says 'no' to any of my ideas," Charlie beamed up at his father.

"Never?" Tommy emphasized the word, his eyes widening as he looked down at the boy. (Y/N)'s cheeks were getting redder by the second.

"Never," Charlie shook his head definitively before he smiled over at the woman they were talking about. "I like (Y/N)," he said then, his statement making (Y/N)'s heart swell despite how shy she was feeling.

"I like her too," Tommy agreed, his eyes also on her. The gaze he gave her made her want to shrink into herself.

"Mr. Shelby, I'm sorry that I came over your house without asking you first. It's just that Charlie showed up at the office one day saying he needed someone to play with and..."

"Stop," Tommy held his hand up before she could continue. "You don't need to explain yourself," he shook his head then.

"Charlie, time for bed," one of the maids then stuck her head into the room to call for the young boy.

He began to protest, but his father gave him a look. "Go," he told the boy softly before kissing him on the top of his head. Charlie then nodded and hopped off the couch, moving over to (Y/N) to hug her legs before he exited the room through the open door.

(Y/N) couldn't stop her heartrate from picking up as she found herself alone with her boss…who was still looking at her a certain way that made her want to implode. She wasn't supposed to have feelings for him, right?

Tommy was the first of the two to speak. “I’ve been fighting my feelings for you for some time now, (Y/N)...” he started, his sudden confession almost making (Y/N) choke on her spit, “I’ve been throwing myself into work and ignoring everything else. But I can’t let my feelings sit idle anymore.”

“I...I don’t know what to say, Mr. Shelby...” she trailed off when she realized that she didn’t have the proper words to address his statement.

“Well, I’d hope you’d say ‘yes’ to a dinner invitation,” was his next statement; his smooth way of asking her on a date.

“And if I say yes?” she raised an eyebrow, finding a bit of confidence.

“Then I’d be a happy man,” he admitted, the corner of his lips tugging upward.

“Then yes,” she affirmed, a smile on her face.

“Mr. Shelby, Miss (Y/N)...Charlie wants you to say goodnight to him,” the same maid that brought Charlie up to bed said as she entered the room again.

(Y/N) glanced over at Tommy, unsure if he’d want her to join him in something private like that. Even if the maid had included her name in the ask, she still felt like that was family business. Tommy didn’t seem to mind though. “Let’s go say goodnight to him, eh?” he suggested, a soft smile on his face. (Y/N) nodded her head and let him drop his hand to the small of her back so that he was able to lead her out of the room and up to Charlie’s bedroom.

Tommy would have never thought that a new beginning was right in front of him this entire time. Thankfully, his son was there to make him realize that he needed (Y/N) in his life.

Tagged: @alreadybroken-ts @magicalxdaydream @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @golden-hoax @elenavampire21 @peaky-cillian @mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @julyzaa

MASTERLIST

[fuckyeah-jessicabiel]

Jessica Biel pour Eclat Magazine, Canada - Printemps 2003

FRENCH

AUX COTES DE Jessica Biel

Ex-vedette de 7th Heaven, Jessica est comblée : études supérieures, carrière en pleine ascension et un petit ami qui la dorlote.

Origines: Jessica est née au Minnesota le 3 mars 1982 et a grandi au Colorado. Elle vient tout juste de quitter l'Université Tufts de Boston pour poursuivre ses études en Californie où elle a acheté un condo.

Surnoms: Jess ou Jessie. Personne dans mon entourage ne m'appelle Jessica. C'est trop long et trop formel

Révélation: Le rôle de Mary Camden dans 7th Heaven décroché en 1996. (Désormais hors de l'équipe régulière. elle y fait quelques apparitions en tant qu'invitée.)

Où l'a-t-on vue? En adolescente rebelle dans Ulee's gold; la conquête de Freddie Prinze Jr. dans L'Amour à coup sûr; en étudiante sexuellement aventureuse dans Les lois de l'attraction.

Bientôt à l'affiche: En octobre, dans une reprise du classique Massacre à la tronçonneuse (1975). « Je suis fana de films d'horreur. Ç'a été génial de travailler sur ce projet. Le rôle et le tournage ont été les plus exigeants de ma carrière.

La proposition rêvée : jouer dans une comédie musicale à Broadway, comme Rent. (L'année dernière, elle figurait dans une production universitaire de Tommy.) *La musique a toujours occupé une place énorme dans ma vie depuis mon enfance. C'est ma plus grande passion.

Études: Aller à l'université n'est pas une question de diplôme mais, avant tout, une expérience. J'y apprends des choses que je n'aurais pas pu apprendre autrement. Enrichir mon esprit me rend plus forte..

"Quand mes cheveux m'ennuient, je change de couleur. Mais, je les teins aussi suivant les rôles. Pour l'instant, ils sont brun foncé et, dans quelques jours, je passe au blond."

Une peau superbe en cadeau : À l'âge de 12 ans, j'ai reçu de ma mère, à Noël, un ensemble de soins pour la peau. Je me souviens avoir pensé : "Me voilà une femme maintenant!". Je ne pourrai jamais la remercier assez de m'avoir montré comment prendre soin de ma peau. Aujourd'hui, je suis une vraie maniaque: nettoyant, tonifiant, hydratant, plus une crème pour le contour des yeux. Et j'applique tou- jours-toujours - une crème solaire pour la journée. »

Confidences : Mon petit ami (Chris Evans, la vedette de Pas encore un film d'ados!) a horreur du rouge à lèvres, alors j'ai adopté le baume.

Plein d'énergie : « L'exercice est un excellent antistress. J'ai l'impression de pou- voir me débarrasser de tous mes tracas si je me dépense à fond. Je fais du ballet tous les soirs-c'est épatant pour renforcer et étirer les muscles. Le jour, je cours dans Santa Monica, je-vais au gymnase ou je fais une séance de yoga bikram; j'adore ça!»

"Si vous êtes aussi fervente de la coloration que moi, il est important de revitaliser vos cheveux en profondeur. Une fois par semaine, je me couvre la tête de revitalisant que je laisse agir sous un bonnet. Parfois, je me fais donner un traitement professionnel."

Sport à gogo : J'aime presque tous les sports. Si quelqu'un joue à quelque chose, je le rejoins. J'ai joué au soccer pendant toutes mes études; j'aimerais bien faire partie d'une ligue adulte. »

Musique : « Je connais un tas de musiciens avec qui j'aimerais former un groupe. Je me fous de faire un tube vendu à un million d'exemplaires. Je veux simplement jouer de la bonne musique qui fait du bien.

Linge fétiche: Les maillots de corps pour hommes, blancs et très grands. Ça va avec tout.

ENGLISH

By the side of Jessica Biel

Former star of 7th Heaven, Jessica is fulfilled: higher education, thriving career, and a doting boyfriend.

Origins: Jessica was born on March 3, 1982, in Minnesota and grew up in Colorado. She has just left Tufts University in Boston to pursue her studies in California, where she bought a condo.

Nicknames: Jess or Jessie. Nobody in my circle calls me Jessica. It's too long and too formal.

Breakthrough: Landing the role of Mary Camden in 7th Heaven in 1996. (No longer a regular cast member, she made guest appearances on the show.)

Where has she been seen? As a rebellious teenager in Ulee's Gold; Freddie Prinze Jr.'s love interest in Summer Catch; and a sexually adventurous student in The Rules of Attraction.

Upcoming projects: In October, she will star in a remake of the classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1975). "I'm a horror movie fan. It was great to work on this project. The role and the filming were the most demanding of my career."

Dream proposal: To perform in a Broadway musical, like Rent. (Last year, she appeared in a university production of Tommy.) "Music has always played a huge role in my life since childhood. It's my greatest passion."

Education: Going to university is not just about getting a degree, but primarily an experience. I learn things there that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Enriching my mind makes me stronger.

"When I get bored with my hair, I change its color. But I also dye it according to the roles I play. Right now, it's dark brown, and in a few days, I'll go blonde."

A beautiful skin gift: At the age of 12, my mother gave me a skincare set for Christmas. I remember thinking, "Now I'm a woman!" I can never thank her enough for showing me how to take care of my skin. Today, I'm a true fanatic: cleanser, toner, moisturizer, plus an eye cream. And I always, always apply sunscreen during the day."

Confession: My boyfriend (Chris Evans, the star of Not Another Teen Movie!) hates lipstick, so I've switched to using lip balm.

Full of energy: "Exercise is an excellent stress reliever. I feel like I can get rid of all my worries if I exert myself. I do ballet every night—it's great for strengthening and stretching muscles. During the day, I go running in Santa Monica, go to the gym, or have a Bikram yoga session; I love it!"

"If you're as passionate about hair coloring as I am, it's important to deeply revitalize your hair. Once a week, I cover my head with conditioner and let it work under a cap. Sometimes, I get a professional treatment."

Sports galore: I love almost all sports. If someone is playing something, I'll join in. I played soccer throughout my studies; I would love to be part of an adult league."

Music: "I know a bunch of musicians with whom I'd like to form a band. I don't care about creating a million-selling hit. I just want to play good music that feels good."

Favorite clothing: Men's white undershirts, oversized. They go with everything.

[roxy206]

We All Need A Necklace That Says “Winner” — 10/18/2022

listen on Spotify | watch on YouTube

Baby Spice being Trixie’s favorite Spice Girl makes sense

Am I still scary — 😂 I laughed at that more than I should have

Katya is so sweet being like what’s so scary about Mel B

I am very curious why they had a wrap party at the end of this leg when they haven’t for any of the others plus it’s a pretty short break!

By the way we’ve gotta talk about that club we went to the other night

Wait wait wait wait hang on, KATYA is the one who suggested having a wrap party organized?? Our favorite hermit wanted to socialize??

I saw you walk in, I saw your face, & you left immediately — well 😂

Katya wanting the tea after missing it lol

👀 They went to see Smile together!

Learning where these ridiculous references come from though

What is the most vanilla thing you can imagine?

Omg the Wisco & Boston accents

Stopppp Amy Poehler listens to the pod??? That’s so cool!

Did I really just find out via Trixie & Katya that Tina & Amy are doing a tour?

Oh I’m sad they didn’t mention that Lady Camden was there! Camden would have loved that shout out

Veryyy interesting to hear Trixie is doing all these Halloween gigs to make up for last year & wouldn’t have opted to do them this year during break otherwise

Trixie’s schedule stresses me out

I’m sooo excited for Katya with this concert though & I love Trixie going why don’t you try to meet her & Katya being like I am trying everything to make that happen

No it’s literally so cute to hear Katya talking about being a fan

Lmao didn’t they talk about the winner necklace on the pod?? Or was it in Gooped. But either way 😂

Katya saying she wants to get into Dave & Busters games — please. do.

Why is Trixie touring stores? Please tell me this is a Trixie Cosmetics thing & not some other venture

[kennyhotshot]

welcome to london [georgia gaines]  you’ve lived here for [14 years] and are originally from [boston, mass., usa]  we see here that you’re pursuing a career as a [novelist] and currently reside in [kentish town, camden.]  you’re the spitting image of [tika sumpter], use [she/her] pronouns, you’re [38], and your anthem is [nothing without you by tanerélle]

This is my darling girl Georgia Gaines. A best-selling horror novelist! 

tw: child death

Georgia Terese Gaines grew up as the eldest child of Harlan and Erica Gaines. Harlan was a well-known and established law professor at Harvard University and Erica was an engineer. Having such accomplished parents, Georgia always felt as if she had to prove herself academically - something she at times, stressed over. 

As much as her parents wanted her to be happy, they also unintentionally put a lot of pressure on Georgia. Eventually, during her second year of university, Georgia burnt out. She wasn’t going out, she wasn’t going to her classes. She spent months in what felt like a fog. It wasn’t until her mother went to visit her that she got help. She took a year off of university before going back and changing from pre-law, to English. 

At 23 years of age, she was accepted into Cambridge for her post-graduate studies, intending to earn her Masters in Creative Writing. The move to England seemed to do wonders for Georgia and for the first time in her young life she felt free. She actually enjoyed what she was studying for once and enjoying her life. 

Creative Writing had become a sort of catharsis for Georgia and once she’d earned her Masters, she stayed in England, gaining employment in a publishing house as she worked on her writing. At first, she only published short stories and then at 28 years old, she sold her first manuscript - a horror novel by the name Blood on the Tree. From there she wrote two more novels, another horror Veronica Caine and a modern gothic, Quiet on the Lake. By this point she was becoming a rather common name in literary circles and a household name to boot. 

Success felt good for Georgia and that success extended into her personal life. She’d dated some over the years and just after the success of Quiet on the Lake, she met the man of her dreams. They fell in love quickly and only a year and a half after they got together, Georgia gave birth to a baby; Eden Rochester-Gaines. 

Despite her dark stories, Eden was the light of Georgia’s life and her next two novels were of a lighter fare but still of critical acclaim. Georgia and her partner began building a beautiful life together. She enjoyed being a parent and as they started trying for a second child, tragedy struck. Eden died. At four years old, her child was gone and Georgia’s world collapsed.

Depression struck once again and this time worse than before. Everything around her fell apart and she just didn’t have the energy to try and fix it anymore. The worst heartbreak came when her relationship eventually fell apart - people always say some relationships can’t survive losing a child and it seems hers couldn’t. After it was over, Georgia spent some time at home with her family; it felt like the only way to begin healing. 

She worked through her grief by writing another novel, her most personal to date; Hush Little Baby. It was no secret what the inspiration that book was about. She hesitated to have it published but her agent and friend thought it’d be good for her. She’s still unsure - she wants Eden’s father to read it first. 

It’s been two years now and though she’s still working through the grief, she’s slowly starting to come back to herself. Georgia doubts she’ll ever be over the death of her child but she is learning to live her life again.

[lboogie1906]

Tasha Smith (born February 28, 1971) is an actress, director, and producer. She began her career in a starring role on Boston Common, and she appeared in numerous movies and television series. She was born in Camden NJ and has an identical twin sister actress Sidra Smith.

She has appeared in the films The Whole Ten Yards, Daddy’s Little Girls, The Longshots, Couples Retreat, Addicted, Playas Ball, ATL, and Jumping the Broom. She starred as Angela Williams in Why Did I Get Married?, its sequel Why Did I Get Married Too?, and on the television series based on the movies, For Better or Worse. She began a recurring role as Carol Holloway on Empire.

She made her acting debut with a small role in the comedy film Twin Sitters. She starred in Boston Common. She was cast in The Tom Show. She had a supporting role in The Corner. She had guest-starring roles on The Parkers, Without a Trace, Nip/Tuck, and Girlfriends.

She made her directorial debut with the short film Boxed In, which premiered during the 19th Annual American Black Film Festival. She directed the television film When Love Kills: The Falicia Blakely Story, based on a true story. She directed an episode in Tales. She worked as Mary J. Blige’s acting coach for her role in Mudbound.

She appeared in Dolemite Is My Name and starred in Good People. She directed episodes of Star, 9-1-1, Black Lightning, Big Sky, Our Kind of People, P-Valley, and Bel Air. She directed The Black Mafia Family. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[gagosiangallery]

Katharina Grosse at Gagosian Beverly Hills

August 31, 2021

KATHARINA GROSSE Repetitions without Origin

September 11–October 23, 2021 456 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills __________ My works provide models for thinking through border spaces. . . . Consider the border between water and land—a concept of the border that is quite familiar. What does the ocean mean for me when I come from the land? What does it mean for those who come from the ocean? —Katharina Grosse Gagosian is pleased to present new paintings by Katharina Grosse. This is her fourth exhibition with the gallery and her first at Gagosian in Los Angeles. Grosse has expanded the scope and potential of painting beyond the frame to approach the scale and awe of nature and architecture in relation to site. Using a spray gun, she blasts pure liquid color over canvases, objects, buildings, and entire landscapes in audacious yet nuanced explorations of gesture and physicality. While Grosse’s bold formal innovations possess an undeniable liveness and freedom, they are also grounded in keen analysis; her chosen medium of spray paint is a tool for conducted improvisation and a catalyst for surprising reactions between material, support, mind, eye, and hand. In addition to her rigorous yet uninhibited technical approach, Grosse is keenly attuned to her working environment. Shifting between the studio and other less orthodox sites, she uses one to inform the other in a constant and fertile exchange. Her most recent paintings on canvas, with their jewel tones of green, ochre, ruby, and gold, allude to nature’s subtler chromatic palette, departing from the saturated technicolor for which she is known. Despite the impressive scale of these paintings, the effects of light, shadow, and outline evoke a microscopic view or the movement of floaters across one’s field of vision.

In some of the paintings on view, botanical matter is laid down as a stencil before Grosse floods the canvas with color. Left behind are thin, luminous ribbons that swirl around each glowing tableau, their forms rendered illusionistic and ethereal in the spray gun’s particle haze. In some compositions, ghostly tendrils and writhing strands press up against seemingly membranous surfaces; in others, sharply delineated “scars” in the painted surface presage Grosse’s other new experiment on view: unstretched painted canvases that have been layered and sliced to produce loose, trailing textiles that emphasize absence as much as the presence of the painted medium. Grosse’s use of stencil and outline also engages with an art historical lineage that touches upon botanical cyanotypes, camera-less Surrealist photograms, and early experimental cinema. Film provides a particularly rich source of inspiration for her practice; these canvases convey fluid, churning motion while also reflecting the ability of paint to halt time and capture the medium’s fleeting physical transformations. By substituting the passive and touchless nature of freeze-frames and light-based impressions with the forceful presence of the spray gun, however, Grosse pushes past her precursors into a contemporary idiom that suggests unprecedented relations between painting and the liveness of digital images. Katharina Grosse was born in 1961 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, and lives and works in Berlin and New Zealand. Collections include the Milwaukee Art Museum; Pérez Art Museum Miami; Baltimore Museum of Art; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; Centre Pompidou, Paris; and Kunsthaus Zürich. Recent exhibitions and installations include Two younger women come in and pull out a table, De Pont Museum, Tilburg,  Netherlands (2013); WUNDERBLOCK, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas (2013); psychylustro, Mural Arts Philadelphia (2014); yes no why later, Garage Museum of Contemporary Art, Moscow (2015); Seven Hours, Eight Rooms, Three Trees, Museum Wiesbaden, Germany (2015); Rockaway!, MoMA PS1 at Fort Tilden, New York (2016); The Horse Trotted Another Couple of Metres, Then It Stopped, Carriageworks, Sydney (2018); Wunderbild, National Gallery, Prague (2018); Mumbling Mud, chi K11 art museum, Shanghai, and chi K11 art space, Guangzhou, China (2018); Mural: Jackson Pollock/Katharina Grosse, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2019); Is it You?, Baltimore Museum of Art (2020); and It Wasn’t Us, Hamburger Bahnhof–Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin (2020). Grosse participated in the 56th Biennale di Venezia (2015); ARoS Triennial, Aarhus, Denmark (2017); and Helsinki Biennial (2021). Chill Seeping from the Walls Gets between Us, Grosse’s solo exhibition at the Helsinki Art Museum, remains on view until January 23, 2022. _____ Katharina Grosse, Untitled, 2021, acrylic on canvas, 131 ⅞ × 78 ¾ inches (335 × 200 cm) © Katharina Grosse and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Germany 2021. Photo: Jens Ziehe

[ilovefinncole]

Peaky Blinders Series 6 Episode 2: Black Shirt Recap

Tommy returns back to England and reunited with his kids and Lizzie. Ruby seems to be doing better now but they go for a drive as he wants to be sure that she is 100% better.

He has a seizure in the Shelby bathroom while he is having flashbacks from when he was a solider in the trenches in the war. Lizzie finds this and helps him. He has cuts and scrapes all over him.

He gives a speech at the Labour Party, Laura McKee shoes up and Arthur stands by her side. Tommy and her talk in the Garrison, and presents a letter from the US President, he reveals the truth of Jack’s mission.

Ada hears the whole conversation, she tells Tommy outside that she can’t be Polly. She says she found Arthur with a syringe in his hand she’s put him in bed.

Tommy later visits Alfie in Camden, he tells him that his Uncle Charlie passed away, at the hands of Jack Nelson and his gang.

He was shot in the Cotton Club. Alfie needs a final act for his Opera and Tommy says that he has written his final act. Alfie`s final act is called “America.” 

Tommy shows up at Oswald`s rally, but there is a huge problem. Arthur shows up at the front door, shouting and raving, he has completely gone crazy, over the top.

He says that Mosley invited him there and told him to wear a black shirt, Tommy sorts his out, taking him downstairs in a room to talk.

Tommy says he has written Linda is a letter and Arthur swaps shirts with Johnny. Lizzie is embarrassed by Arthur. 

Tommy and Lizzie has a tense meeting with Oswald and his mistress and soon to be wife, Diana Mitford. Lizzie reveals to Diana that she has fucked her future husband, so she knows things about him already. 

Tommy meets Jack Nelson in a church, where they discuss there aspirations and what they've accomplished in business. Jack reveals he wants to meet fascists. So, Tommy reveals to give him a full report of Churchill`s strategies, in exchange for South Boston and his Opium. 

Gina visits Michael in prison and they discuss there plans to Kill Tommy (the devil), Gina says that he will be out soon and he can kill Tommy and the future belongs to them. 

Tommy speaks in Parliament with Oswald and Winston present, Diana is watching from afar. He promises new reform in housing, after he speaks in Parliament, a man gives Tommy a letter from Lizzie saying that Ruby is sick and he needs to come home.

When he heads into his office, someone tries to attack him, Tommy fights with him, it wasn`t real it was all a dream, it was a vision.

Lizzie rings and urges Tommy to come home immediately, she says Ruby has a temperature of 101 which is high and nothing is working for her. Ruby says that the “Grey Man is coming for her and Tommy”. 

As Tommy gets back to the house, he rings Esme Shelby Lee, the wife of his dead brother John Shelby, he wants her to help and try to save Ruby`s life before its too late. 

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Employed To Serve are putting British metal back on top

For the past decade, Justine Jones and Sammy Urwin of Employed To Serve have helped elevate British rock and metal both on and off the stage, from Album Of The Year releases to their championing of new bands. Now, with fourth full-length Conquering on the horizon, the pay-off is being felt across the entire scene…

Some years ago now, at the end of her last job in retail, Justine Jones made a decision. Providing she could eat and had a roof over her head, she wasn’t, she told herself, going to spend her life doing anything that was “un-fun”. Instead, Justine decided, she’d navigate the world by working hard on the things she loved and that she truly believed in.

“I’ve never been content to be a cog,” she says. ​“I’ve always wanted to be like a very heavily involved person. I like having a say, I guess. I’ve never liked having a manager, in terms of work. I have got that childish, rebellious thing, like, ​‘Don’t tell me what to do.’”

Employed To Serve are not cogs. Nor are Justine and guitarist Sammy Urwin ones to sit around and wait for the lights to go green. With what the singer calls ​“our Hatebreed, perseverance attitude”, a self-starting, hands-dirty, DIY ethos that’s as much about enthusiasm for music and building a scene as it is firing up pits, they have become one of the most exciting British metal bands of the past decade. When Oli Sykes invited them to join the Bring Me The Horizon-curated All Points East festival two summers ago, he noted that they were ​“one of the few heavy bands around who I actually like”.

Kerrang! had got there before him, mind. In 2017, we crowned Employed To Serve’s second album, The Warmth Of A Dying Sun, our Album Of The Year. Its follow-up, 2019’s Eternal Forward Motion, was awarded a full 5K rating and a spot on our front cover, their second. When they gave us the nod a while ago that they were about to drop the first single from their brilliant fourth album, Conquering, coming this September, we didn’t even need to think about giving them a third.

Like Oli’s band, there’s an energy to Employed To Serve, an orbit around them that feels like it’s pulling in other bands, linking seemingly unlinked outfits together through sheer enthusiasm. Beyond the band, offstage, Justine and Sammy run Church Road Records from their home in the Surrey commuter town of Woking (a place notably annihilated by Martians in H.G. Wells’ War Of The Worlds). Through this, they can sign and put out music by bands that they like: the only real signing policy amounting to ​“bands that excite me”, says Justine. There’s as much gratefulness towards the artists they release – Svalbard, Palm Reader, Cruelty, to name but three – for trusting them to look after their records, as there is to anyone who gives their own band the time of day.

“As cheesy as it sounds, we’re lifers,” says Justine. ​“I love music. I love releasing it. I love that I do it for a full time job. I love playing live. First and foremost, we are music fans. Obviously, we love being in a band and stuff. But we just live and breathe music.”

As with so many things for so many people, the depth of this dedication was thrown into sharp focus as COVID took hold last year. At the end of 2019, Employed To Serve were on a winning streak. Eternal Forward Motion was one of the year’s most acclaimed releases, they band had spent a month on the road with Bury Tomorrow in Europe and the UK, and on New Year’s Eve, Sammy and Justine put a bow on their long-term relationship by tying the knot. In March 2020, just before lockdown ended touring for everyone, the band’s UK headlining run just about snuck in, and saw them sell out London’s Camden Underworld, a show that ended in chaos with the audience onstage triumphantly carrying Sammy on their shoulders.

When things ground to a halt, the gap left was palpable. Once source of reflection came in taking stock in what the band had achieved, while also having to find a replacement for guitarist Richard Jacobs. It’s an exercise the pair are admittedly used to, to the point where Justine says, ​“We probably look like dictators, like it’s the Sammy and Justine show.”

To wit, keen observers will note that they are the only members of Employed To Serve to be on both this Kerrang! cover and the last one. There’s no bad blood anywhere – Richard left to move to Japan with his wife, drummer Robbie Back has become a dad, bassist Marcus Gooda went on to focus on other things – it was simply the wage of getting older in a band. When life’s forks come up, you have to make a choice. For Sammy and Justine, the choice just happens to be to stay the course. Three new members have been drafted into the band – guitarist David Porter, bassist Nathan Pryor and drummer Casey McHale – but it still provided a moment of reflection for what was actually important.

Another, more serious bit of stock-taking came last September, when Justine resigned from her job as a label manager at Holy Roar records, after serious assault allegations were made against the label’s owner. Soon after, that label folded entirely.

But in both cases, where events could have sown doubt or caused serious damage, things instead bloomed. And so, Sammy and Justine turned Church Road – a small concern of Sammy’s for years already – into a full-time occupation and livelihood, taking on Holy Roar releases already on the slate and pressed, and releasing them herself. In the case of their first release, Svalbard’s When I Die, Will I Get Better?, there was barely a month to move everything over, and yet it still hit the shelves on the day it was always intended to. Because, looking back, it’s almost like there was no other consideration than to carry on.

“When everything happened, I thought, ​‘Maybe I could go to a bigger label or something.’ But that’s not where my heart is,” says Justine. ​“My heart is in finding bands in tiny little venues and then helping them grow into their second hours and stuff. And it’s just more fun. Obviously, it’s very scary [running your own label], and I’ve spent a lot of this past year very stressed. But I don’t have to answer to anyone – I just do the best I can for the bands because I love them. My favourite thing is sitting on Bandcamp with a coffee or a beer, and going through each genre finding the best bands of that day, or going through Apple Music or Spotify and finding new bands. It has been like that since I was a kid. So doing a record label just makes sense.

“Obviously I wish it was under better circumstances, but COVID has been almost like a blessing for this band, because it’s helped us regroup,” she continues. ​“It made us take stock of all the cool shit we’ve been lucky enough to do. Because sometimes when you get caught in the rat race of everything, you’re never really living in the moment. And then COVID happens, and you think, ​‘What do I miss?’ Friends, family, playing shows. And I’m like, ​‘Cool, I’m doing the right thing. Let’s get back to it.’”

For Justine, this meant becoming the boss. For Sammy, already a music obsessive with an apparent addiction to both old-school death metal and playing guitar in as many bands as possible as a member of Renounced and Motormouth (as well as playing in Glorious with Justine), it was an opportunity to dedicate his life to his passion even further. A gardener by trade, he’d lately found himself wondering what was beyond it.

“I was doing gardening work on and off for the last 10 or so years. I enjoyed the work, but sometimes I would kind of find myself being a little bit like, ​‘What’s the five-year plan?’” he says. ​“I’ll always do the band. But we got a few members going off and doing other stuff. I knew I had to find something else to do, because I wanted to do something in music that also fit around being in the band. I just knew I wanted to be with like-minded people talking about music all day.”

Sammy and Justine talk about music a lot. Get Sammy started on metal, and his enthusiasm quickly runs away with him. For Justine, their impending gig at Download Pilot a couple of days after our interview is as much about watching everyone else as it is their own show. Though one of the heaviest bands on the line-up, as a showcase of the breadth of rising talent the British rock scene has, appearing on the same ticket as Enter Shikari, Trash Boat, Creeper, Boston Manor, Neck Deep, Loathe and Conjurer is a large-scale version of what they’ve been driving at for years.

“It’s so funny, because it kind of sounds weird, but within the British scene, it makes total sense,” says Justine. ​“It’s a very rich scene at a minute, and it’s for all spectrums. You have bands like Orchards and Gender Roles on the Big Scary Monsters label, but equally, there’s loads of heavier bands, too. Everyone knows how hard it can be being a British band, because it’s hard to get over to America. And now, unfortunately, it’s gonna be hard to get to Europe [after Brexit]. So everyone’s got this thing like, ​‘We’re this little island here and we need to stick together and support each other.’ It’s a nice collective, and a moment in time to be a part of.”

“Even though we’ve written a more metal record [with Conquering] for us, that’s definitely not a statement of us closing the door,” says Sammy. ​“Obviously we’d love to tour with Gojira or Lamb Of God or something like that. But if Creeper came to us and said, ​‘Do you want to tour with us?’ we’d say yes.”

It was on such a line-up that Justine first appeared on the cover of Kerrang!, alongside Becky Blomfield of much-missed alt.punks Milk Teeth, with whom ETS were touring at the time. It not only showed two rising talents in the British scene, but also how well such different ends of it slotted together. Which was kind of the point.

“We were like the little metal sandwich in that tour,” says Justine. ​“But we worked well, because it was an example of this sort of British scene that’s going on at the moment.”

“People turned up who would be wearing ETS T‑shirts, and then singing along with Milk Teeth and vice versa,” says Sammy. ​“That’s so cool to see. Obviously there’s still a little bit of gatekeeping going on in the world of metal. But, for me, that was a really good sign of a shift.”

“It makes total sense. I don’t know why it’s not more of a thing, having mixed bills like that,” says Justine. ​“Everyone in our generation grew up listening to Slipknot and blink-182; two polarising bands, but it makes total sense. I listen to both of them religiously. So that actually kind of makes sense in a bill. It’s literally a music fan’s show. I remember Thursday opening for My Chemical Romance at Wembley on The Black Parade tour when I was 14, and Reuben opening for Billy Talent as well. I literally got to get into heavier stuff from those mixed line-ups.”

Put it to either of them that between their music, DIY attitude and simple lust for wanting to marshall a scene without walls, Employed To Serve could be called leaders, or at least the setters of examples for others to follow, and it’s a compliment they’ll take, but also something that they don’t want to take too much credit for.

“I mean, it’s for others to say, isn’t it?” says Justine. ​“We just have mental to-do list of stuff we want to achieve. And if that inspires people, that’s sick. It’s never like we try to be the leaders or anything.

“At the end of the day, I love the idea of kids getting into metal because of us and vice versa.”

As such an entry point, Conquering is a very good one. Ultra heavy and explosive, it leans even further into Sammy’s love of death metal OGs like Morbid Angel and Death, plus classic thrash, with shredding solos everywhere, as well as more vocals from the guitarist. And not even changing three-fifths of the band since their last album has had anything other than a sharpening effect. Fundamentally, Conquering is exciting, full of energy, and powered by a deep-set love for simply doing it.

“The floodgates have been opened, I guess, in terms of wearing our influences for this record on our sleeve,” says Sammy. ​“I like to think we still maintain the ETS that was there before, but it’s obvious that during lockdown and leading up to this record, for me it was about early Machine Head and Testament and Exodus and stuff. I feel like this is our chance to show that side of us a bit more.”

“It’s where I feel at home, as well, because I grew up listening to early Lamb of God and ​’90s-era Roadrunner Records bands,” adds Justine. ​“Straight-up metal, but not straight-up metal in the sense that we’re doing it by numbers. We sound like us, but there are more choruses and solos.”

“Lyrically, it’s similar to Eternal Forward Motion and touching on some pretty bleak stuff, but for the most part we tried to put a positive spin on it,” says Sammy. ​“I wanted put all of that energy into something positive. I didn’t want to say the same things again, because I didn’t want to make it sound like it’s the same record. I’d say it’s an even more positive record than before.”

The day we meet for this interview, long after the tape recorder goes off, conversation about bands and music continues into the small hours. Three days later, at Download, as Sammy chucks himself into the crowd at the end of the band’s set and Justine alternates between roaring her head off and smiling her face off, the delight in all this is self-evident. Employed To Serve are one of the best metal bands in the country – one of the best bands full stop, in fact – but on a broader scale, they also act as a reflection of an emerging wave of bands for whom being in a band is an act of joy, of doing something with your life, of not settling for things that are, as Justine says, ​“un-fun”.

“Stuff in the band does get to you sometimes and you do get grouchy or whatever,” admits Sammy. ​“But we realised that we’re also very fortunate people who have played with people that have become our best friends. It’s about taking stock and being like, ​‘This is fun.’ That’s what the album is about. It’s about not letting things in your life get the better of you. Because sometimes they do, and you find yourself getting all aggy, and you’re only doing yourself a disservice at that point, really.”

“I think Henry Rollins said, ​‘Tenacity over talent,’” says Justine. ​“We work hard, but it’s tenacity. You could be the sickest guitar player but just sit in your bedroom and never play a show. No.”

“I mean, I do set myself up for it, where I’m kind of pulling my hair out,” adds Sammy. ​“I’ve had times where I’ve had three or four band practices a week. And there’s a gig this night, and a gig that night, and I’ve got to do this, that and the other. But you’ve gotta be in it to win it. And when a cool gig comes about, or cool tour comes about, or you’re just really happy with what you recorded, that’s when you know it’s worth it.”

As they say themselves, Justine and Sammy are lifers. As other members leave to start families or move abroad to begin the next chapter of their lives, rather than feeling left behind, it’s almost made them realise even more quite what a special thing they have.

When it brings you as much happiness as doing this clearly does, what else do you need? And anyway, it’s worth it to not simply be a cog.