#braces in santa monica

[oceanparkorthodontics]

Invisalign in Santa Monica is more than just aesthetics

How many times have you tried to compare Invisalign in Santa Monica with the age-old braces for correcting the problem of misalignment in your jaw or to get straighter and cleaner teeth? Those who have dental issues can relate well to the fact that gaps between the teeth, or misaligned jaw, or uneven bites can be painful. But who says that you have to live with it? Neither do you have to live like this, nor do you have to wear the tough braces to solve such dental problems because Invisalign Treatment in Santa Monica is a comfortable solution to all such issues?

Let’s have a closer look at what makes Invisalign in Santa Monica a better solution than braces:

• All this while you must have thought that Invisalign is opted for aesthetic reasons while the real work is done by the braces. What if you were told that you were living in a bubble and your theories were incorrect? Invisalign or the clear aligner trays are as efficient as the braces and, when worn for 22 hours in a day exert pressure on your jaw so that all kinds of misalignment can be cured. While braces are unappealing, Invisalign is aesthetically appealing and has an edge over the braces.

• Have you ever thought what may happen if the bite is improper? It can result in permanent damage to your teeth and lead to breakage. If you use Invisalign in Santa Monica, then you can easily treat this problem and save your teeth from wear and tear.

• Do you have TMJ pain? If left untreated, it can give you nightmares. Wearing Invisalign can come as a relief to TMJ pain which arises because of the misaligned jaw. Thus, if the jaw is properly aligned, you won’t face any such difficulties.

• Do you chew your food properly, or do you gulp it? Are you unable to chew because of crooked teeth? If this is the reason, then you better opt for Invisalign in Santa Monica because your digestion will be severely hit if you don’t chew your food the way it should be chewed. Your chewing ability and, thus digestion will improve by wearing Invisalign.

• The architecture of your bones will improve once your teeth are in their proper position. And for this to happen, you need Invisalign if your teeth are not properly placed.

• Do you chew your words while speaking or have you noticed that people are unable to hear what you say because of some unpleasant sounds every time you speak? This could be because of the misalignment in your teeth and with Invisalign, this issue can be easily addressed.

Apart from this, Invisalign can work as a mouth guard and help you while you play outdoor activities. If you still have questions regarding Invisalign, visit our website.

[javelinbk]

A week after taking the historic photo, Evans returned to the Santa Monica beach house on April 6, 1974, to have one of the most difficult conversations of his life. After dedicating himself body and soul to the Beatles for more than a decade, he was about to tender his resignation. It was the only way to forge his own path as a budding producer, songwriter, and talent scout. Thankfully, three of the Fab Four were in residence at the beach house that day, so he could say his farewells in person.

Girding his courage, Mal sought out John first. To his relief, the Beatle was sitting alone by a table in the living room. “I told him that I felt it was time for me to become my own person and do my own thing,” Mal later recalled. He had to admit that “doing his own thing” wasn’t entirely clear in that moment. “For too long, I had been resting on my laurels,” he told John, “not doing anything constructive for them nor myself except on a personal level, and I would never stop doing that, no matter what.” And with that, Mal braced himself for John’s reaction.

Without missing a beat, John piped up, saying, “It’s about time, Mal. I was wondering when you would come to it. You’re certainly capable of standing on your own two feet now, and I wish you all the luck in the world. If you ever need me, I’ll be there,” he continued, “and I know your songwriting will develop into a career for you.”

As it happened, Ringo’s reaction was more difficult to gauge. In Mal’s memory, the two old friends “sat together at the bottom of the garden, just lying back in the sunshine.” When Mal informed the drummer of his decision, Ringo went quiet. By contrast, Paul proved to be eminently more receptive, taking Mal in a warm embrace and saying, “Good on you, lad. I know you’ll be very successful—you deserve to be.”

That Sunday evening, [Mal] joined John, May, and a bevy of other friends for a seafood dinner at the Crab Shell, a bistro on Venice Beach. Harry was there, of course. He confided in Mal that Ringo had stayed up with him drinking well into the night and weeping as he took in the full measure of Mal’s decision. “Now that Mal’s left,” Ringo had cried to Harry, “the Beatles are really over.”

Excerpted from LIVING THE BEATLES LEGEND: The Untold Story of Mal Evans by Kenneth Womack (2023)

[nerdraging4point0]

Power Play // Chapter Two // Hockeyplayer!Noah AU

Tropes and tags: RPF:AU hockey player romance, angsty romance, hidden relationship, forbidden relationship, smutty, MF, multiple POV. 

Content Warning: angsty romance, hockey player shenanigans, locker room talk, smutty, aggressive hockey players, PinV, MF relationship, possessive male, protective male.

This work below is fictionalized ideas and stories involving real people but does not directly reflect their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. Please keep in mind that this is a work of fiction.

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The Uber screeches to a halt outside the fortress-like walls of the Rooks' practice facility, and I scramble out clutching my visitor's pass. After a few tense moments convincing the stone-faced security guard I'm not a crazed fan, the gates swing open. I stride up to the front doors, emblazoned with the iconic blood-red chess piece flanked by two onyx knights - the Santa Monica Rooks logo.

Though they only joined the NHL a couple years back, the scrappy expansion team has already captured the hearts of LA hockey fans - including my dad, former assistant coach for the Kings. When the Rooks came calling, offering him the head coach position, we were over the moon. Now I never miss a game even if it’s just on the TV.  I know the players by name, the chants by heart. This team is family.

And today, I got a glimpse behind the curtain.

The frosty air envelops me as soon as I step foot in the rink, sending a shiver down my spine despite my long sleeves. I cross my arms, bracing against the chill. As the team takes the ice to warm up, my eyes follow their every move with a nostalgic fondness. The sound of skates carving into the fresh sheet, the slap of pucks hitting boards - it all washes over me like a warm blanket. I let out a contented sigh, transported back to simpler times when I would gaze upon this familiar scene as a wide-eyed kid. 

 The players glide across the ice, circling each other in a blur of black and red during their warm-up laps. Legs churned in rhythmic strides as they maneuvered the puck through the cones. The only sounds were blades carving arcs and pucks slapping plastic. Every movement was executed with precision—their concentration evident as they tuned out the world, zeroed in on their drills. At the other end, some stretch and joke around, loose and relaxed. The heavy guitar riffs of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck" blast through the speakers—dad's preference, as always. I can't help but smile. This ice, this team, this music...it all feels like home.

From my spot high in the stands, I admire my dad's confident presence on the bench, his gaze intent as he surveys the players before him. Wearing the team's fleece zip up over his well-muscled frame, the dark fabric accentuating his rugged features. A beanie sat jauntily atop his artfully graying locks, complementing his trademark goatee, still as impeccably groomed as ever. He exuded an air of casual confidence - the easy charisma of a man who gets things done with style. Arms folded, he exchanges nods with Jack, leaning in to examine the clipboard that holds the secrets to today's strategy. Never did make it to the big leagues, but he just loved the chess match, the cat and mouse of setting up the perfect play. The thrill of that last second stretch pass springing the winger for a breakaway. The subtle joking with the refs, giving as good as he got. Win or lose, we lived for that locker room camaraderie. Yeah, he was born to bleed the colors, even if the pros weren't in the cards.

I make my way down towards the gleaming glass, the barrier between me and the warriors below, scanning the colorful jerseys for familiar names. There's number 42, Sanchez, the promising new center we acquired in the off-season. And McClain, number 18, our stalwart in goal, broad-shouldered whether in pads or street clothes.

Two skilled players glided smoothly across the ice, giving each other a friendly shoulder nudge and helmet tap as brothers in arms. Ruffilo sported jersey #22, zipping down the right wing with nimble speed and agility, always quick to jump on a scoring chance. Alongside him skated Sebastian, wearing #13. As right defenseman, he partnered on the blueline with the venerable Karlsson (#62). Together they formed the league's dream defensive pairing, scouted eagerly by rival teams year after year, yet steadfastly loyal to their coach through it all.

"Sarah!" My dad's voice thunders across the rink, making me jolt in surprise. I bolt toward him, nearly slipping over my feet in my excitement. Jack grabs my arm to steady me as we scramble into the box where Dad waits with open arms. I fling myself at him, breathing in the comforting scents of cinnamon and Old Spice that mean home. Though it's been months, as soon as his strong arms fold around me, no time has passed at all. I cling to him, my protector and hero, never wanting to let go.

“You're just in time,” he says with a glint in his eye. ‘We were just about to do a practice run. See how the team looks for the game tomorrow night.” 

The sharp trill of the coach's whistle pierces the rink, all eyes snapping to attention. "Alright team, gather round!" Jack bellows, his commanding voice echoing off the cold walls. "We've got a big game tomorrow and it's time to show me what you've got!"

The players scramble into position with new urgency, skates carving trenches into the ice. McClain slams into the net, face set with determination. Sanders follows suit on the opposite end, glove hand twitching with anticipation. Sebastian and Karlsson take their posts, sticks poised for battle.

"Let's run this play again - I want to see crisp passes and quick shots. And remember..." Jack pauses, scanning the tense faces around him. "Leave it all on the ice."

He blows the whistle once more. A flurry of movement erupts as the puck drops, skates tearing over the frozen surface. Shouts fill the frigid air as the team throws themselves into their practice, driven by the coach's steely presence and the promise of tomorrow's game.

The players are focused as they glide across the ice, passing the puck back and forth. Karlsson taps his stick, signaling to Sebastian. They move into position, ready to intercept the other team's attack. The center charges towards the goal, but Karlsson swoops in, poking the puck away. It slides to Sebastian who spins and dishes it off to Sanchez. Sanchez pivots and streaks towards the other end, driving for a counterattack. The scrimmage is intense as the teammates coordinate, aiming to sharpen their skills. Their precise passes and defensive maneuvers showcase their dedication during this hard-fought practice.

Sanchez fires a blistering shot that beats Sanders, the puck rocketing into the net. Sanchez triumphantly throws his stick skyward, but Coach quickly shoots him a warning glare - "One goal does not win a game." As Sanchez skates by, his piercing hazel eyes scan over me for a brief minute, before nodding to my dad. All business, Coach commands respect on the ice. My gaze follows him to position, where I notice Sebastian also watching from his position, momentarily distracted until Karlsson’s stick slap grabs his attention. The intensity radiates as both teams bear down, hungry for the next goal.

The players scramble up and down the ice, sticks clacking as they chase the puck. "Stay in your lane, winger!" Coach bellows, face red. "Defense, keep that blue line secure!" Sanchez barrels through, shoving past his own teammates to get to the net. Coach fumes. That hothead is sparking fights even among his own guys. "Sanchez! Cool it or you're benched!" Coach yells. Sanchez seethes, eyes blazing beneath his helmet. That punk better listen, or this practice will get out of control fast.

Sebastian swoops in and makes a clutch block, gliding on his skates backwards around the net and back into position as smooth as butter. Celebrating with a hearty stick-slap with Karlsson as they criss-cross on their way back to their spots. Just another day at the rink for these puck-stopping pros.

“Karlsson  and Sebastian are the league's top players right now,” my dad says, gesturing to the dynamic duo. “I’m fortunate to have them both.”

He goes on to provide insight into each player. Karlsson, a skilled Swede, transferred here a year ago and immediately found chemistry with Sebastian. As we discuss the roster, my dad analyzes each player's strengths and weaknesses. Ruffilo, for example, is quick and agile but weaker skating left. Sanchez has blazing speed but his ego can be a liability. Meanwhile, Sanders rarely sees ice time as McClain's backup. He remains quiet and reserved as a result.

My dad's wealth of knowledge about the team is clear as he gives me an in-depth scouting report on the players - their stats, records, backgrounds, and areas for improvement. His insightful descriptions provide a comprehensive view of the roster.

The boys look exhausted as they skate back to the bench, chests heaving as they try to catch their breath. Jack blows the whistle, signaling the end of the scrimmage. I take in their flushed cheeks and panting faces glistening with sweat. Sanders' sandy blonde hair is matted to his forehead, hazel eyes glazed over with fatigue. Sanchez wipes his brow, dark hair slick against his olive skin that contrasts sharply with his black and red jersey. Golden eyes meet mine briefly before glancing away. McClain rakes a hand through his unruly copper curls, mopped haphazardly on his head. Forest green eyes are ringed with dark circles beneath a smattering of freckles on his cheeks.

Ruffilo and Karlsson skate over to the bench, exhausted. Ruffilo’s shoulder-length black hair, normally pulled back in a tidy bun, is a mess of flyaways and frizz from his helmet. His piercing blue eyes stand out against his tan, sweaty face. Karlsson tosses his helmet aside, releasing his ash blonde hair which is only half pulled back after a grueling workout. Sweat drips down his forehead as he tries to catch his breath.

i'm so caught up staring at the team that I don't even notice Sebastian glide up next to me. He stops hard, ice shavings dancing around his skates. With his helmet off, I finally get a good look at his face. His dark brown hair falls loosely across his cheeks. His eyes are a soft brown too, and his slender nose and exotic bone structure give him an alluring look I can't place. His full lips are parted as he catches his breath, a barely-there mustache and goatee framing them. I'm transfixed, taking in every detail of his handsome face. Hockey has never been so distracting.

"Alright boys, tomorrow we face the toughest team in the league. They've got size, they've got skill. But you know what we've got? Heart. More heart than any team out there. When you step on that ice tomorrow, I want you to remember who we are. We're the Rooks. We never back down from a challenge. We never give up when things get tough. We pour our souls into this game because we love it. We play for each other, as brothers. Tomorrow when that puck drops, I want you to leave it all out there. Skate hard. Hit hard. Play your hearts out, men. I believe in each and every one of you. Now hit the showers and I will see you bright and early tomorrow." 

The players glided by, tapping fists with my dad as they headed off the ice. But my eyes stayed locked on Sebastian. He leaned off the boards and skated backward, gaze still holding mine even as he spun and drifted after his teammates toward the locker room. There was something magnetic about him - an intensity that pulled me in and wouldn't let go.

My dad wrapped his strong arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. "What do ya say we grab some dinner and chat?" he asked with a smile. I clung to his waist as we strolled out of the chilly rink, past the rows of locker rooms, to his cozy office. He rifled through papers on his cluttered desk, gathering his things before we headed out.

"Dad, why'd you want me to come down here today?" I asked. "You said you had something important to tell me."

He paused, keys in hand. "Let's talk over dinner," he replied, his eyes downcast.

I pressed further. "Why not now? Just tell me."

At that, my dad's shoulders slumped. His face fell. I knew then that this was big news - maybe as big as when he and Mom divorced.

"Well," he began slowly, "Jack's niece is going on maternity leave. We had another one lined up, but he took a position elsewhere. We're in a real bind trying to find a replacement nurse on such short notice to help care for the players."

He looked at me hopefully. I could tell this was difficult for him to ask, but nurse or not, I was ready to support my dad no matter what.

Noah's POV

The pads hit the floor with a thud as I stumbled back to the locker room, feeling about as graceful as a newborn giraffe. The boys were already going on about the coach's daughter, the new eye candy on the bench. Fiery red hair that melted into platinum strands, curves that went on for days - she had the boys drooling before she even opened her mouth.

"Dibs!" Sanders called out, grinning. "Maybe she can give me some one-on-one coaching after practice."

"You couldn't catch her if she was standing still, man," Nick laughed, peeling off his sweaty jersey.

"Let McClain take a shot," Pierce chuckled. "Red on red - I like those odds."

McClain just smiled and tossed his gear in his locker. Yeah, she was a distraction all right. Hard not to stare when she was sitting there looking like that. Had the boys fumbling more than usual out there today. But I gotta keep my focus. Eyes on the puck at all times, even with a smokeshow like her watching from the stands.

I fling my stick and helmet into my locker, peeling off my sweaty jersey and pads. Jolly plops down on the bench behind me, the team still chattering away about her.

"You know how it is, bro. The ladies, they always want a piece of the Jolly." He waggles his eyebrows and flexes, his accent making it sound more ridiculous.

I grab my towel and crack it against his back. "Yeah, yeah, keep dreamin' there, stud."

We were all a bunch of goofs when Naomi first started working here, even though she was Jack's niece. We'd give her a hard time and chirp her whenever we got the chance. But once we found out she was married and had been around for a few months, we eased off and let her be. I was sure this chick would be the same, if she stuck around. She didn’t seem like the hockey type.

The steam embraces me as I step into the showers, washing the sweat from my aching body. But the heat isn't enough to penetrate my sore muscles, throbbing from another grueling practice. My mind races, already on the ice for tomorrow's season opener on home ice. I know once I'm out there, stick in hand, the roar of the crowd drowning everything else out, the nerves will fade away. But right now, they're killing me. I close my eyes, let the hot water massage my shoulders, and visualize our victory.

We were so close last season - just two wins away. But this year, this is our year. I'm not settling for anything less.

That is, as long as Sanchez can get his head in the game. Don't get me wrong, the guy's got skills. But that ego of his just grinds my gears, you know? He's always showboating out on the ice when he should be focusing on the play.

It's gonna cause problems, I just know it. I gotta get him to tone it down and be a team player. Otherwise we can kiss that cup goodbye again. And I'll be damned if I let that happen. This is our time. I can taste it.

Nothing can distract me from that, not even her.

[i520u]

star-crossed ✩°｡ ⋆⸜

twenty. different

warnings: mentions of domestic abuse, substance abuse, also it’s a little suggestive if you squint

You spent almost the entirety of the day with Ricky. You’ve visited the downtown, and even spent a couple of hours at the funfair that was in Santa Monica Pier. He wasn’t quite ready to send you back home, which is why the two of you were spending the rest of the night by the beach. You found comfort in the sound of the waves and the wind gently blowing as the two of you enjoyed each other’s companies.

You looked into the distance as you and Ricky talked about things that didn’t seem to matter, but you knew you would remember every little detail for years to come. Little details like how he used to wear braces as a kid, his birthday being on National Strawberry-Picking Day, and things like how many juice boxes he had drank today.

“Are you cold?” He asked, eyeing you. You shook your head, your gaze still remained on the beach waves. It wasn’t a chilly night, so the winds felt like a friendly welcome. “Is something bothering you? Should I send you home?” He asked again, a hint of worry laced between his words.

This time, you darted your eyes to look at the blonde boy. It hasn’t been long since the two of you had started officially dating — maybe it was around 6 days? A week? You wondered why it took you so long to tell him the truth about your feelings, because looking back, it was quite obvious that he felt the same way as you did. Maybe you were just too oblivious and busy asking yourself whether he liked you or not.

Ricky gently grabbed your face, squeezing your cheeks together to bring you out of your own train of thoughts. “Heeeey. Y/N.” He called out, watching your eyebrows furrowing as he continued playing with your cheeks. “Don’t think about anything other than me when we’re together,” he sulked, a small pout forming on his lips. You let out a giggle at the sight of him, giving him a nod as a response. “Sorry.” You added.

Ricky released your face from his hands, he leaned closer to you with one hand on the surface of the sand as support. Your lips parted as your mind tried arranging your words before speaking it out, although your hard work of battling bilingual issues were ruined as he abruptly leaned closer to you to envelope you into a kiss.

His intention was for the kiss to be a quick one, almost like a peck. He just wanted to tease you a little, buy Ricky had overestimated himself. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had been dreaming of this day for so long that each time he plans on giving you a peck on the lips, his plan always backfires.

What was supposed to be a peck turned into a prolonged kiss, his lips gently moving against yours as you matched his rhythm. You could feel the butterflies in your stomach as your hand slowly slid up from his waist to his chest, tracing the outline of his muscles underneath his black top.

Ricky’s free hand made its way to the side of your cheek, holding you gently, and pulling you closer. You could feel him smiling through the kiss after you leaned against his hand like an instinct. He tilted his head to the side so he could kiss you better, his body leaning forward into you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, your hand running through his hair as the kiss was turning heated.

Ricky pulled away for a second to catch his breath, eyeing you down through his half-lidded eyes. He let out a breathless chuckle before leaning in to kiss you again with the same level of intimacy as before, his hand wandering around your body the more the kiss deepened.

You eventually pulled away, your cheeks flushed and your lips swollen from how sensual the kiss turned out to be. Ricky seemed satisfied with himself, a smile plastered on his face as he stared at you.

“You’re pretty like this.” He complimented suddenly, giving you a wink. It only made you blush harder. YOU looked away almost immediately, breaking off the eye contact with him as you felt flustered. “Maybe you should get distracted more often so I could kiss you like that again.” He continued, followed by a soft giggle as he watched how shy you had become after a few teasing from him.

You pushed your body up to stand up from the sand, and Ricky followed suit. “Do you want to go home?” He asked, and you nodded your head, glancing at the time from your phone’s screen. It was getting super late into the night, and you didn’t want to reach home at the crack of dawn.

As the two of you began walking towards Ricky’s car, he didn’t hesitate to put an arm around your waist, keeping you close to him as you made small talk with him about the day, and what you had in plan for the day after.

The drive from the beach to your house was quite a long one, but it wasn’t a problem for Ricky. He didn’t mind even if he had to drive for hours as long as he’d get to spent the entire ride with you. He had one hand on the steering wheel, and the other was gently holding your hand, his fingers intertwined with yours while you softly drew circles on the back of his hand.

“By the way, Y/N,” Ricky paused, waiting for your response. You hummed, signalling for him to continue. “Did you and Yujin get into a fight? When the two of you bumped into each other at school sometimes, he never looked happy.” He asked, you pressed your lips together upon hearing his question as you didn’t think he would’ve noticed. Was it that obvious?

Yujin had been angry with you ever since you told him to stay away from Gyuvin a few days (or a week? You really couldn’t remember how long it has been since it happened) back. You were aware of their friendship, you knew that Gyuvin genuinely adores Yujin like his own brother, but you just couldn’t risk having Yujin around Gyuvin when he’s in that state. You’re okay with Yujin being angry at you and even hating you, as long as he was safe and sound.

Of course a part of you felt bad that you were generalising everyone who struggles with substance abuse to be just like your father, but you really couldn’t find it in you to be empathetic towards Gyuvin — even if he was (is?) your friend. You just couldn’t risk it.

Your mother struggled getting a divorce with your drunkard father and even moved to the other side of the world where the people are different, the cultures are different, and even the language is different just so her children could live freely without fear. You were not going to let that freedom be jeopardised, even if Gyuvin mattered to you a lot too.

Ricky noticed how silent you’ve become, he wondered if he had asked something that was private to you. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He reassured. If he could give you a kiss on the head, he would. You shook your head almost immediately, “no, no. Sorry, I just got distracted.” You admitted. You inhaled a deep breath before telling Ricky what had happened between you and your brother. How he had went to hang out with Gyuvin, the weird text that Gyuvin sent you, and how you immediately demanded Yujin to go home. You told him basically everything.

“I know I’m being unfair to Gyuvin, it’s not that I don’t trust him. It’s just that I can’t risk leaving Yujin unsupervised with someone who’s not sober.” You sighed, you bit your lower lip as you started second-guessing your decision. “To make things worse, I told our mom about it, and now she doesn’t allow Yujin to see Gyuvin anymore for the time being. He can’t tutor Yujin anymore either, so that’s why he kinda hates me now.” You finished your explanation as you didn’t want to digress.

Ricky hummed in response as he took in everything you had just told him. He knew Gyuvin better than both you and Yujin, so you trusted that he would give a good input. “You did the right thing. Sober Gyuvin wouldn’t have allowed Yujin to be with him either.” His words felt assuring to you, the guilt had honestly been eating you alive for the past few days. Of course you care about Gyuvin, he’s your first friend when you came here. It’s just that Yujin is your priority.

Ricky flashed you a smile as he gave you a quick glance. “You should appreciate Yujin more. He’s clearly still naive. It’s a beautiful thing that doesn’t last long.” You felt yourself relaxing a little more upon hearing what he had said. Ricky was right, you were so busy worrying about Yujin hating you for restricting him from something, you didn’t realise that these were probably one of the few last times Yujin would ever act rashly due to his naivety. You had forgotten that he was still just a kid at heart.

You returned the smile, leaning closer to Ricky to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. The kiss surprised Ricky, his cheeks immediately turning red. “You’re such a good listener,” you told him, followed by a giggle as you watched him all flustered from your compliment. Ricky had a toothy grin, his smile was wide as he couldn’t help but get a little shy from the cute gesture.

With a soft chuckle, he tried to act casual. “Anything for you.”

When you arrived at your front porch, Ricky didn’t actually want to part ways with you. He wasn’t sure what made him so clingy, maybe he just liked being with you so much. “Well, I’ll see you on Monday at school?” You asked him, and he nodded in response. A slight pout evident on his lips as you began to put your belongings back into your handbag.

“Don’t forget your lipgloss,” he mentioned, reaching for the product that was mysteriously left on his side of the car. He wasn’t sure how it ended up there, but he wasn’t going to question it.

You leaned in to him to kiss him on the cheek again, although it didn’t worked out as well as you wanted to as he turned his head to hand you your lipgloss a second before you could kiss him. It ended up being a quick peck on his lips instead, but Ricky didn’t mind it, bringing you in for one more kiss.

He giggled afterwards, handing you the lip product. He waved at you as you began to leave his car. You leaned down to look at him through the window, “drive home safely!” You mouthed. Ricky nodded at your words, giving you an ‘OK’ sign. “Goodnight Y/N!”

masterlist | previous | next

synopsis ↯ in which you are paired up with ricky shen, who fully convinced himself that you purposely became his partner in order to date him.

𖤐 𖦹 ༘⋆⊹ nara’s note: next chapter is the last one + an epilogue I FEEL SOOOO SAD I LOVE THIS SERIES TOO MUCH

🏷️ ; @shiningstar-byulxx @jiaant11 @justemalove @okkomi @jeonghyeonsgf @blaycke @lvieee @softyminhee @starhyeon @rikislady @raeewe @se0ngmins @i-yeseo @aariiil @daydreamer5006 @ahnneyong @jayujus @girlokarina @aerxz @rikimylove @jisunglogy @pleasantgardendetective @mposkyje @ilovechanhee @livelaughlovelicky @igotkpoops @moonlightjungwon @imthewon @wycure @sunoosluvr @dumb-cxm-slxt @partiallyderived @sparklingsjy @jinkiseason @444yizhuo @wave2love @wtfhyuck

[turneradora]

Here is a new press article concerning "Rivals", with the new pic of Aidan as Declan O'Hara !

Thanks to Emma Jones for the written version 🙏🥰 ❤️🌹

EXCLUSIVE The secrets of autumn's biggest bonkbuster Rivals: Why Emily Atack ended up giggling through the sex scenes... and Jilly Cooper's inspiration for the real-life Rupert Campbell-Black

By Sarah Oliver For Weekend Magazine

Published: 06:52 EDT, 4 October 2024 | Updated: 06:54 EDT, 4 October 2024

Hard as it may be to imagine anyone eclipsing the sex appeal of Ross Poldark by being darker, sexier and even better with horses, someone has. Yes, ladies of Great Britain, Rupert Campbell-Black has landed straight from the pages of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 bonkbuster Rivals on your screens here in 2024, and you are all in trouble. A lot of trouble.

Rupert gives the best riding britches and bronzed biceps since Aidan Turner was seen scything topless. He’s hot hot hot, joining the Mile High Club on Concorde and serving up a scorcher playing naked tennis in the sun. Even dressed as Santa come Christmas, he’s the gift that keeps on giving.

So hat tip here to Alex Hassell, whose swarthy looks and CV as a serious Royal Shakespeare Company actor (he was garlanded for his Henry V) don’t immediately suggest him to play a blond-haired, blue-eyed, tabloid headline-hogging love rat. ‘I was slightly concerned at first,’ says Jilly, ‘because my Rupert in the book is blond and blue-eyed, and Alex is very dark-eyed and olive-skinned. But he’s such a good actor.’

From the moment he strides out of the loo having had supersonic sex (he makes Mach 1 at the same time as the plane) with the Daily Scorpion journalist ghosting his memoirs, Alex Hassell owns RCB, as Jilly fans call him. ‘I always believe in laying one’s ghost,’ he sighs as he swaggers back down the aisle, and the millions of women who grew up fancying the rotter know they’re in safe hands.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for Alex though. ‘Some days I’d be quite intimidated because the scene would describe Rupert walking into a room and everybody stops and looks at him and swoons,’ he says. ‘I was nervous about that, but everyone was told to act as if I was Harry Styles, and then my day turned into a wonderful day.’ So what does he think of Rupert? ‘While he is in many ways a s***, he’s not a bad man.’

Rivals is a riot and a romp, faithful to the book but with some sinuous updating to make what was the ultimate 80s tale of wealth, power and corporate backstabbing more nuanced. It is shagtastically good fun and if you’re old enough to have properly enjoyed the 80s, you’ll be drowning in nostalgia for those brash, optimistic champagne-fuelled years.

There are chaps in pinstripes and scarlet braces; women in power suits with root perms and earrings the size of a bin lid. Desk toys have an un-ironic place on boardroom tables and chintz runs amok in the English country house. Everyone is somewhere between slightly tight and completely plastered a lot of the time and can get up to mischief without being found out by their phone. The soundtrack alone will make you cry with longing.

‘We do it lovingly, but as the series goes on we address feminism, racism, sexuality, homophobia and snobbery,’ says showrunner Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who sees Jilly Cooper as a social commentator on a par with Austen or Dickens. ‘Rivals is a raucous party that gets darker. We keep our moments of joy, but the party gets a bit more warped.’

That’s not to say this new Disney+ eight-parter is any less fruity than the book. ‘If you had that copy you borrowed from your friend and it fell open at various pages – we’ve done all those bits,’ he acknowledges.

That classic Cooper sauce is still in there too. ‘How long do you spend on a cock?’ one guest asks Lady Monica Baddingham at a pheasant shoot. ‘Well, generally speaking, I can finish one off in 15 minutes or less, but my hands aren’t as quick as they used to be,’ she replies.

Or when TV technicians prep Rupert for his interview with TV journalist Declan O’Hara (played by Aidan Turner, yes, he of the topless scything). ‘The make-up artist is going to touch you up,’ they tell him. ‘I’d love her to,’ says RCB, ‘but I’m just about to appear on national television.’

There’s lashings of this since we are back in the (imagined) county of Rutshire, deep in the (real) Cotswolds, the setting for Jilly Cooper’s multi-million-selling Rutshire Chronicles series of novels. Riders, the first book, introduced Rupert as he chased Olympic showjumping gold. In Rivals, the second, Rutshire’s commercial TV station Corinium is up for franchise renewal and RCB is again at the heart of the action. ‘In bedroom and boardroom,’ promises Jilly, ‘the fight to capture the Cotswold Crown is on.’

Lord Tony Baddingham is Corinium’s boss. He’s on Concorde too, locking horns with Rupert, now a rising star in the Thatcher government, two of the ‘rivals’ of the title. He is played, with just the right amount of aristo-executive villainy, by David Tennant, persuaded to take the role by his wife, Georgia, also an actor and a huge Jilly Cooper fan.

‘I had my research fellow, who I live with, who could tell me anything I needed to know,’ laughs David, adding his casting caused a frisson at the school gate. ‘It’s a certain generation of women who go a bit giddy at the thought this has become a TV show. I just hope we can meet everybody’s fantasies…’

Well, if those fantasies include seeing Aidan Turner’s bare bottom you can tick that one off the list though he is, unusually for Rutshire, bedding his own wife at the time, rather than someone else’s. Declan O’Hara is Lord Baddingham’s star hire, married to fiery Maud, a man-hungry former actress.

Maud is played by Victoria Smurfit who really, really wanted the role and went full ‘Rutshire’ to get it. ‘I made this big decision where I thought, “Go big or go home.” It was December: freezing cold, ice on the ground, snow coming down through London. And when I arrived at the audition space, I had my coat on, and I walked in to meet the team who were in hats and gloves because it was even cold in the studio. I said, “Hello, I am Maud. You’re all dressed for London in December and – I threw my coat off and had this flimsy dress on underneath – I’m dressed for summer in the Cotswolds, darling!” Going home was quite chilly, I’m not going to lie, but it was worth it.’

In Rivals she specialises in making an entrance: do enjoy the scene with the camel.

As for Aidan Turner, with an absolute whopper of a moustache, Day-Glo yellow socks and a battered old Mini Cooper, he’s more workaholic dad than sex god. ‘That car, it’s got four gears but only three work,’ he groans. ‘The floor has holes in it. I think we maxed at 42mph. It was like driving a go-kart.’

Like all the actors, he knows his Mini isn’t the only bit of Rivals that could have looked clapped out in 2024, if not for the clever screenwriting. ‘I think we’re saying, “These are examples of the problematic behaviour that was acceptable at the time,”’ he reflects. ‘Some of it still does exist, but a lot has changed. It’s interesting to watch a show like ours and think, “We’re still doing that, maybe we should have left it in the 80s.”’

That said, ‘people having sex’, as David Tennant gleefully points out, ‘is timeless’ and all the characters are still aboard a classic Jilly Cooper sexual carousel. Baddingham is having an affair with his brilliant American TV producer Cameron Cook (now a black character), and Rupert is fending off Maud while falling in love with the eldest O’Hara daughter Taggie (played by Sex Education’s Bella Maclean), who’s only 20.

Electronics mogul Freddie Jones (Danny Dyer) and his wife Valerie are the nouveau riche trying to crampon their way up to social acceptance, but Freddie has feelings for novelist Lizzie, whose husband is Corinium’s ghastly news anchor James Vereker. Then there’s disgraced deputy PM Paul Stratton, newly married to his mistress Sarah (Emily Atack), who we first meet playing naked tennis with Rupert.

It’s a legendary Rivals scene (inspired by the tennis court at Jilly’s own house in the Cotswolds) where the tennis ball isn’t the only thing bouncing over the net. ‘The tennis scene was probably one of my favourites,’ says Emily. ‘It was a beautiful sunny day and I’d been exercising, I’d been – I wouldn’t say dieting, I love wine and pasta too much – but I’d been doing my sit-ups and my squats, and I was ready to do this naked scene!’

So it really is Love All, even among Rutshire’s lusty teenagers, for whom ‘I’ve got some Malibu upstairs’ is still a winning pick-up line. And this only takes us to the mid-point of the series: there are four further episodes and a lot more bed-hopping and dastardly boardroom behaviour to come.

It’s hard to overstate the scale, complexity and gleaming polish of the show, with its ensemble cast and Cotswold locations crammed with pale gold mansions, buttercups, bluebells and red phone boxes. (You might recognise 16th-century Chavenage House near Tetbury, which becomes the O’Haras’ home, The Priory, because that too was in Poldark.) There are sweaty horses, bounding hounds and huntsmen in their pinks.

Dinner parties start with pheasant and finish with pavlova, and guests disco dance until it’s time for a Survivors Breakfast. Picnics are enjoyed out the back of a Land Rover – green, what else – and Rupert Campbell-Black is secretly so lonely he shares his bath with his favourite black Labrador, Beaver.

The original book was 720 pages long and they’ve done it proud. Some days, according to Alex Hassell, there were 42 main characters on set at the same time, making it, he thinks, the biggest film unit in Europe.

Vintage Ungaro and Laura Ashley were sourced for the women, 80s-style suits handmade for the men. A safe had to be brought in to stash the 80s watches which are now worth an eye-watering amount. Someone’s mum knitted a bunch of pre-divorce Diana jumpers, Nafessa Williams, who plays Cameron Cook, modelled her ponytail on Sade’s and Danny Dyer drew on his own experience of snobbery as he, a working-class untrained actor, fought to break into theatre.

Emily Atack took to watching reruns of Top Of The Pops in which her own mother, the actress and singer Kate Robbins, appeared, by way of research. Everyone is wearing Wayfarers. Cadbury’s Fruit And Nut still comes in paper and gold foil while Wham!, Roxy Music, ABC and The Communards are on the radio. You can virtually smell the Elnett extra strong hold hairspray, the Drakkar Noir aftershave and the garlic chicken vol au vents warming through in an Aga somewhere.

Like the rest of the cast, Nafessa Williams knew what she was getting into with her sex scenes (Cameron has relationships with first Lord Baddingham and then Rupert). ‘I mean, we all knew what we were coming to do, so there were no surprises. I think it’s a matter of making sure you’re comfortable with each other and you’re listening and asking questions: is it OK to do this? Is it not OK to do that? It is a dance, so you essentially have to practise that dance before going on the dance floor.’

Plus, because Rivals is a bonkbuster – a label which has both supporters and critics among the cast – there was safety in numbers, as Emily Atack explains. ‘When we were doing all these scenes, we flocked to each other to talk about it, and support each other and really big each other up and we laughed about it. They were such a huge part of our bonding as a cast and as friends. It really interested me to see what nudity does to human beings – we were all like giggling teenagers, hugging each other, high-fiving each other, going, “Oh my God! Yes! You did it!”’

That said, they were all rigorously policed by not one but two intimacy co-ordinators, something which would not have happened had Rivals been turned into telly closer to the time the book came out. The intimacy team placed a partially deflated fitness ball between some of the actors so they could rock and create rhythm while having a physical barrier. Others were encouraged to use a tap-in tap-out psychological technique, clapping their hands before a take to signal to themselves they were in character, and then clapping at the call of ‘Cut’ to signal they’re themselves again. ‘We’ve been equal opportunities with sex,’ says Dominic Treadwell-Collins. ‘You will see an awful lot of willies.’

It was the only way to film the lovely, unbridled sort of sex synonymous with Jilly Cooper and the author, now a venerable 87 years old, is characteristically relaxed and happy about the outcome. ‘I trusted Dominic like mad,’ she says, ‘I knew it would be all right!’

A superstar writer since the 60s, made a DBE for services to literature and charity in this year’s New Year Honours, she wasn’t at all bothered when one of the actors, Lara Peake who plays Corinium PA Daysee, failed to recognise her at a read-through. ‘She came over and said, “Oh, you’re the lovely Daysee,”’ Lara recalls. ‘I said, “Yeah, I’m so excited. Who are you playing?” She was like, “No, darling, I’m Jilly…”’

‘Rivals is my favourite novel,’ confirms the author ahead of the series dropping later this month, ‘because I love the characters so much. Even the most ruthless display moments of vulnerability and the shyest show courage and integrity as true love blossoms.’

But can you believe it, RCB almost wasn’t in the book. ‘Originally, I intended to leave out Rupert, my hellraising hero, because in Riders he was cruel both to women and his horses,’ says Jilly. ‘But I missed his glamour and humour.’ She belatedly wrote him back in as a lead, reinforcing his place as one of the most lustworthy men in British fiction.

She says she loves the ‘ruthless glamour’ Alex Hassell brings to her creation, while admiring the greater vulnerability and tenderness the Rivals writers’ room has imagined for RCB today.

His casting has been the subject of heated debate everywhere from Mumsnet to The Tack Room, the online chat area of Horse & Hound. The actor almost withdrew from the first audition because he couldn’t see himself making everyone swoon but, by golly!, to borrow a Jilly Cooperism, he does. So much so he was sad when the shoot was over. ‘No one was looking at me like I’m the most sexy man on the planet any more,’ he says. ‘It was tough.’

Anyway, if you’d like to watch him make your screen melt, are old enough to remember the 80s, or young enough to think it must have been cool to be there, then clear eight hours in your diary because you won’t be able to stop watching Rivals.

But start early or you’ll be late to bed, and that would never do, not in Jilly Cooper’s world.

All episodes of Rivals are exclusively on Disney+ from 18 October.

[therainingkiwi]

Little details I noticed in the PJO TV show (episodes 5 & 6)

Hermes' keys have a little cadeuceus on the keychain. I wonder if it transforms into the full sized thing?

Sally probably read Percy the graphic novel version of the Odyssey, because graphic novels are much easier for dyslexic children to read!

At some point in his life, Percy has been to an orthodontist's office. So, either, sally has worked in an orthodontist's office at some point, or Percy has had braces. The former is much more likely, but the latter is WAY funnier. Does poor Percy have a palate expander in while the quest is going on????

The statue holding Ares' shield looks like a statue of Aphrodite (commonly depicted standing on/inside a giant shell, since she was born from seafoam).

Percy was told his dad would meet him in Santa Monica… but just like at the arch, it's not his dad meeting him. It's just an ocean spirit, one of Poseidon's representatives. Another disappointment from an absent father.

Speaking of that underwater scene in Santa Monica… Percy insists on continuing the quest, even though it's past the deadline. He does this specifically because he wants to find the master bolt. He DOES NOT do this to save his mom (and is even shocked when Poseidon gives him four pearls, so he can rescue his mom). Now that's what I call character development.

If Waterland is a water park, why does it have a ferris wheel? If it's not a water park, why is it called Waterland?

When the trio first meets Ares, Annabeth is actually the one who's hesitant to listen to him, and Percy is the one who eagerly agrees to his request. This is a really good way of showing how, after the incidents at the Arch, Percy has gained trust in the gods, while Annabeth is now much more wary of them.

I don't think I've ever been to (or even heard of) a diner that just PILES four cheeseburgers on top of each other rather than putting them all on their own separate plates.

Hermes is the god of thieves, who "exists beyond space and time." Annabeth pickpocketed him. I think this means that either Hermes let her pickpocket him, or that hat of invisibility is MUCH more powerful than we might think.

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

A Light in the Darkness {Part 03 of 07}

Pairing: Eddie Munson X Hargrove!twinsister Reader

Chapter word count: 2 K

Summary: After Billy died, you got stuck in a dark place, where you didn't have to deal with your feelings. Your friends don't know what to do but to drag you away from the many fights you pick. And life was dragging itself, an agonizing day after the other... Until Eddie Munson broke through the very high walls you built around yourself.

<- Previous part (02)

Next Part (04) ->

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

Light

There's peace in the darkness. If you could, you'd spend hours underwater, despite the cold clinging to your bones. With time, you learned to hold your breath for a minute, maybe a bit more, but you never really cared enough to count.

You only swim up, slowly, when your lungs are empty of oxygen, burning for it. Eyes open, you see the faint grey light of the moon on the surface getting closer and closer, until you finally break through, breathing in and out several times. Leaning on your back, you make yourself float, looking at the white moon among the stars. It's always beautiful here, and many times, when you spend too many hours in the lake, you thought about dying here. A peaceful, calm death. Maybe drowning, in the middle of the night when sleep overcomes you. Or hypothermia. Robin warned you about that some time ago.

But still, you come here, several times a week to clear your head.

Sometime later, you're not sure how long, when you swim to the surface again, you see the sky in the East starting to light up, thin clouds painted a dark orange. Sighing, you ignore how heavy your eyelids are after two sleepless nights. Looking towards the shore you came from, you're thankful you ended up close enough for an easy swim, so that's what you do.

Once your feet hit the sand, you walk the rest of the way, bracing yourself against the wind. It doesn't help much since your clothes are soaked. You can't get inside the car now, so you lean against the hood, waiting for the wind to dry you off a little. There's some muttering coming from the walkie you keep in the glove compartment, but you ignore it. They're asking where you are, and by the multiple voices, they woke each other up. “Stupid...” You mutter, because they don't have to treat you like a child. You're eighteen, you can go around as much as you like. Not even Neil can tell you what do to now, since he decided to leave - probably with another woman -. So they can chill.

It's a Sunday, so you don't have to rush to get to school. The sky is all painted blue when you finally move to get inside the car. But when you do, you don't move.

When you were kids, you and Billy used to walk through the streets after Neil did something. It was always a mess. He would be mad, walking three feet ahead, as you would follow, crossed arms and mumbling, cursing Neil under your breath. When you came here, that habit had died down, but things got much worse, so Santa Monica's streets were replaced by the many tracks in the woods around Hawkins. That's how you found Lover's Lake. And that's how you fought with him every time he warned you not to come here because he'd bring a girl here.

You'd give everything to have the chance to argue with Billy again. About anything, really.

He was your best friend, and throughout your lives, you only had each other to rely on when it came to the nightmare you lived in. And when your mother left... You became each other's heroes.

Many times you faced Neil when he was beating Billy, and Billy did the same when you were the target of Neil's anger.

Now you're alone.

Some months after Billy's death, you opened up to everyone about Neil. But after that, you never spoke of it again, and neither did them.

Taking a deep breath, you notice the tears rolling down and wipe them off with the back of your hand, starting the car. You're just about to put the gear on reverse when you hear a car getting close. Checking the review mirror, you don't have time to wonder who would be here this early when you see the van. Takes two seconds for you to recognize it. “Shit.”

Throwing your hands up in frustration, you reach for the glove compartment and takes the walkie. “Hey. Better answer me. What the hell is E-” A knock on the window makes you jump on your seat, shooting Eddie an angry stare. “What the hell is Eddie Munson doing here?” You finish the question as you push the door open. “What are you doing here?”

“(Y/N)?” Dustin's voice comes through the radio. “Are you okay? Over.”

Rolling your eyes, you bring the radio near your mouth. “Of course I'm okay. Why is Eddie here?”

“We were worried!”

“(Y/N), please.” Is Maxine who speaks now. “Where were you all night?”

“Went for a swim.” You reply, raising your eyes to meet Eddie's stare. He doesn't say anything, crossing his arms over his chest. “Lover's Lake.”

She takes a deep breath. “Can you please go back home? I've been looking for you since 4 in the morning. You didn't sleep yesterday, you didn't sleep today...” She trails off, and you can hear the hurt in her voice. “Do this for me, if you don't want to do this for yourself.”

Eddie's eyes narrow at the dialogue, and you try to read what's going on in his mind. “You guys need to know that I'm fine. A lot of people-”

“Don't bullshit us.” Steve's voice comes through. As usual, probably everyone was on the hunt for you.

“Yeah. You know what happens to your body after 48 hours of sleep deprivation?” Robin says, too fast for you to understand. “Well, I do. You'll pass out. Probably behind the wheel. And since you always drive sooooo slow, right, (Y/N)? You'll hit a tree or something and then, boom, next thing we know we're having a funeral.” You can hear her catching her breath on the other side. “Is that what you want? Huh? To leave us? To leave Max?”

“Of course I don't want that!” You shout back, gripping the walkie a bit too hard. “I don't-” It gets caught in your throat, a bitter lump that keeps you from saying anything else.

“Hey.” Eddie's voice is barely a whisper as he moves, slow and carefully, to take the radio from your hand. “Guys? I've got her, okay? I'll make her eat something and take her home. Someone come pick up her car.”

That makes you gasp, raising both eyebrows. You don't like people taking over your life like that. Never have. And you're about to say something when Maxine's voice makes you shut up. “Please, just... Make sure she's alright.”

“I will.” He says and pushes the button to cut the connection. “I know you want to get into your car and just drive away again, probably yell at me in the process, but do as she just said. Do it from them since you clearly don't care much for your own wellbeing.”

It hits you. It really does. Biting your lip, you give him the smallest of nods, that you don't even know what mean. “Okay. Mmm...” He gestures at a house half a mile away, by the lake. “A friend of mine lives there. I could grab something and we can eat by his deck over there.”

“No.” You're quick to say.

“I was expecting that,” Eddie mutters, searching in his pocket. “I... I have enough for some cheap breakfast by the road.” He looks up at you with an apologetic smile. “If I knew we'd have a breakfast date, I'd bring some money with me.”

“Just some advice, you're not funny.” Walking past him, you get into the passenger seat of his van, much to your dismay, watching as he mumbles something to himself and gets inside the car as well.

“I know just the place... But it's out of town.”

“You have to-” You begin, but force yourself to stop. Is he... Trying to be nice? Why would he, after you did nothing but be mean to him? Probably because of your friends. “Drop the act, Munson. You don't have to pretend to be nice just because of a bunch of kids.” Crossing your arms, you lean against the window as he starts to drive off.

“If I was in it just because of your friends, I'd just drop you home and be done with it.” He says, his tone more serious now. Glancing at him, your eyes meet his. “Don't act as if you got me all figured out.”

“I don't. That's exactly what I dislike about you.” You say, averting your eyes and looking at the road ahead. “Among other things.”

“Like what?”

“You really wanna know?”

“Yeah.”

“First of all, D&D is stupid, I don't know why you make it such a big part of your life. Second, you have this whole oh, look at how I'm weird vibe going on, which is also stupid.”

“You're breaking my heart, darling.”

“Yeah. And also, this van is ridiculous!”

“Now you're talking about my car, not me.” He speaks, taking a turn right and taking the chance to look at you. “Is it because you can't find anything else to complain about?”

“Your attitude right now is stupid too.” With that, you reach over to turn on the radio, putting on a music station that you like. Turning the volume up, you lean back against your seat, closing your eyes.

You're awakened by a soft hand shaking your shoulder. Rubbing your eyes, you look up at Eddie before looking around. “Where are we?”

“A couple of miles East of Hawkins.” He says, pulling the door open. “This 24-hour dinner has a nice breakfast menu so I got you some of the best.” When you get out of the car, Eddie jerks his head to the side. “There. Let's go.”

There's a set of wooden tables across from the dinner, near a fence. Looking over it, you see that this road is high, leading to the mountains, and down there, you can see the pine trees. It's a beautiful view under the morning sun.

“I have no idea what you like so I went for the obvious.“ Eddie says. “Vanilla cake, amazing by the way. And... Coffee?“

“I don't like coffee.“ You mutter after thinking twice. You don't want to come out rude after what he did.

“Me neither. I got myself a hot cocoa, you can have it.“

“No, it's okay.“ Sitting down, you pull the slice of cake as Eddie hands you a plastic fork. “How much do I owe you for this?“

“Guys usually pay when it's a date, right?“ He says with a shy smile.

“This is not a date, Munson. Do you really think this is how I show up for a date? “ Gesturing at yourself with the free hand, you bring the fork with a piece of cake to your mouth. “In a simple shirt and worn our jeans?“ You say once you swallow.

“Well, you look good like this to me so.“ He shrugs.

You know you do. Guys have complimented you before, even when you didn't put much effort into your looks. But this feels different. Eddie feels... Honest. Truly, no games are being played here. “Hm. Thanks.“

“You know what you need?“ He pauses, only to speak again when you shrug. “A party.“

“A party?“

“Yeah. I mean, I didn't get invited, obviously, but I'm sure you were. Kate's birthday or something?“

Nodding, you decide to steal a sip from his hot cocoa. “Yeah. Next Saturday.“

“You should go.“

“But you won't.“

“Wasn't invited.“

“Well, I can bring anyone I want.“

Eddie smiles. “Are you inviting me?“

“Only if you wipe that smile off your face.“

He raises both his hands in defeat, forcing his smile to die. “It's gone.“

“Good.“ You say, focusing on your cake.

The smile does come back to his lips, but you pretend you don't see it. And just like that, too fast for your taste, you decided to go to a party with Eddie... What's happening to you?

@lovesanimals0000

[oceanparkortho]

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[gallerygurls]

10 Things To Do in Santa Monica in 36 Hours Calling all adventurers. Brace yourself for a whirlwind tour through Santa Monica's vibrant streets. Grab our curated list of the top 10 must-see spots and make every second count.

[vivelapige]

10 Things To Do in Santa Monica in 36 Hours Calling all adventurers. Brace yourself for a whirlwind tour through Santa Monica's vibrant streets. Grab our curated list of the top 10 must-see spots and make every second count.

[angelenohq]

in the city of angels.

NAME: Diana "Kirby" Aguero FACE CLAIM: Camila Morrone AGE & DATE OF BIRTH: 26 & January 13th, 1997 HOMETOWN: Encinitas, California TIME IN LOS ANGELES: Six years NEIGHBORHOOD: Santa Monica OCCUPATION: Former pro-surfer, part time bartender

biography.

trigger warning: injury

Her parents, if you couldn’t tell, were major nerds back in the day. Enough so that they chose to name their daughter over their favorite superhero and then gave her a Nintendo character middle name. As much it baffles her now, it is only made worse by the fact that they began to just call her Kirby which ended up sticking and led her to live out her life known only as Kirby. She avidly avoids wearing pink because of it. The small family of three lived in a tiny house in Encinitas, a two minute walk from the beach, as her father worked as a computer engineer and her mother, an orthodontist. Her first memories are out in the water, the salt spraying in her eyes, as her father taught her to surf. She was hooked almost instantly. Her free time, after school and on the weekends, were either spent in the water or at the home of some of the other beach kids, watching surfing videos. Every surf competition that came to town saw Kirby pushing through the crowds so she could get the best view, her own board never more than ten feet away. She had the advantage of living in a part of the world with some of the best surfs and by having parents more than willing to indulge her.

The junior leagues got to know her name pretty quickly, as Kirby knew that her best bet was to take advantage of the fact that the internet was currently on the rise. She made sure her best bits were uploaded wherever she could find, so that by the time her pro career started just after her fourteenth birthday, Kirby was already on people’s radar. She began traveling to all the California meets, then the Hawaii ones, on her parents’ dime and she honestly had never felt so glad that her mother put metal in peoples’ mouths or that her dad fiddled with hard drives all day, just so she could feel the water beneath her fingers. However, at sixteen, they didn’t even need to back her with their money as Kirby found herself accepting multiple sponsorships, appearing on surf magazine covers, doing benefit comps. Her parents, bless them, made sure that the money she made was always put safely away for her, knowing that she’d have use for it later. How right they were.

Just after eighteen, Kirby set her sights on becoming a world champ. It was hard enough being a woman in the sport but with her goal to be the best in the whole world, regardless of gender, people tended to dismiss her. Kirby refused to let that stop her. She had a phenomenal team backing her, one that got her to every meet around the world and boosted her social media presence so she wasn’t just the surf girl - she was the surf girl. It helped that she was actually a force to be reckoned with. She surfed Nazaré for goodness sake. It was 2018, she was the most followed surfer on Instagram, she had just covered Sports Illustrated, the WSL championship title was in her goddamn grasp and she’d only be a year older than Kelly Slater when he won his (and he was her ultimate hero) when it happened. A freak accident, thrown off her board, hitting her back on the edge of a very sharp rock, and she nearly drowned. When she woke up three days later, in a brace, in a hospital room, Kirby knew it was over.

She was miserable for the year following. Her parents had moved into her old beach apartment (no, literally, it was on the beach, her back doors opened to sand) while she worked to recover in physical therapy. While her doctor had said she was more than welcome to go back out into the water, he advised against hardcore training as she once had done. Her career was done and she seemed to darken a bit. It took her nearly the whole year to even approach the tide. When she finally made it out onto the water, one early morning, sitting there as the sun rose, she sobbed for over an hour. That day, she came back to the apartment and told her parents she had to sell it. She couldn’t live there anymore ⏤ the sound of the crashing waves once brought her peace but now just served as a reminder. Kirby downgraded to a small apartment above a boutique in Santa Monica and while she’s kept her social media following, especially with her dry humor that mixes with her desire to cope with her trauma through jokes, Kirby has mostly kept herself out of the way from the surf world. Last year, she took a job as a part time bartender at a club in WeHo.

Realistically, she doesn’t have to work ever again but the need to have some structure in her life forced her out of the house. She’s happy … ish, nowadays, but when she closes her eyes at night, she can still feel the water beneath her fingertips sometimes.

[oceanparkorthodontics]

Orthodontic Treatment: The Straight Teeth Matter

The value of straight teeth for oral health and general well-being extends beyond just having a picture-perfect smile. Numerous advantages come with orthodontic treatment, which aims to cure abnormalities and misalignments in the teeth and jaws. The benefits of having straight teeth includes better oral hygiene, easier chewing and digestion, clearer speaking, improved jaw alignment, and a boost to self-confidence.

A common orthodontic procedure called Invisalign in Santa Monica uses transparent, removable aligners to straighten teeth gradually. The reasons for orthodontic treatment and the pursuit of straight teeth should be considered along with beauty.

Here are some orthodontic treatments that straight teeth matter:

1. Enhanced dental health

Because they are simpler to keep clean and maintain, straight teeth are less likely to have dental issues, including tooth decay, gum disease, and foul breath. When teeth are properly aligned, there are no gaps or packed regions where plaque and food particles can easily collect, making cleaning your teeth more efficient. Clear aligners are used in the popular orthodontic procedure Invisalign in Santa Monica to straighten teeth without traditional braces.

2. Enhanced digestion and chewing 

Effective chewing, necessary for healthy digestion, is made possible by well-positioned teeth. Biting and chewing food thoroughly can be challenging when teeth are crowded or misplaced. Teeth straightening can enhance nutrient absorption and digestion.

3. Speech clarity

Teeth are essential for producing speech. Speech clarity can be affected by misaligned teeth or jaw differences, which can make it difficult to produce some sounds. These problems can be resolved with orthodontic treatment, improving speech clarity.

4. The health of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and jaw alignment 

In addition to straightening teeth, orthodontic treatment aims to correct the jaw. TMJ issues, which can result from misaligned jaws and cause jaw pain, headaches, and trouble opening and closing the mouth properly, can also produce these symptoms. Orthodontic treatment can assist in reducing TMJ-related discomfort by realigning the teeth and jaws.

5. Improved psychological well-being and self-confidence

A beautiful smile results from having straight teeth, which can increase psychological well-being and self-confidence. People tend to have higher self-esteem, better social relationships, and feel more at ease in various social and professional contexts when they are more self-assured about their smiles.

6. Preventing dental trauma 

Teeth projecting or misaligned are more vulnerable to damage because accidents or sports-related activities are more likely to cause them to be broken or knocked out. The risk of dental injury can be decreased with orthodontics in Santa Monica by properly aligning the teeth.

To conclude

The importance of straight teeth goes far beyond aesthetic considerations. Numerous advantages of orthodontics in Santa Monica include better oral health, improved digestion, crystal-clear voice, and a healthier jaw joint. Additionally, having straight teeth lowers the risk of dental injuries and boosts psychological and self-confidence.

The orthodontic treatment enhances long-term dental stability and oral health by realigning the teeth and jaws. If you're thinking about getting braces, talking to a professional can help you better understand your options and the advantages they could bring to your life.

For more details about Braces in Santa Monica please visit our website: oceanparkorthodontics.com

[nikaeenorthodontics]

Invisalign Teens Santa Monica

Invisalign is a popular orthodontic treatment for teenagers and adults alike. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign uses clear plastic aligners to straighten teeth, making it a discreet and comfortable alternative. At Nikaeen Orthodontics in Santa Monica, we understand that straightening teeth can be daunting, especially for teenagers. We offer Invisalign Teen, an innovative treatment designed specifically for teenagers. This article will examine Invisalign Teen and why it's the perfect solution for straighter teeth.

What is Invisalign Teen?

Invisalign Teen is a transparent aligner system designed specifically for teenagers. Like traditional Invisalign, Invisalign Teen uses a series of custom-made, clear plastic aligners to straighten teeth gradually. However, Invisalign Teen is specifically designed to address teenagers' unique needs and concerns. For example, Invisalign Teen aligners have blue compliance indicators that fade over time, letting the patient and the orthodontist know if the aligners are being worn as directed.

Why Choose Invisalign Teen?

Invisalign Teen Santa Monica offers several advantages over traditional braces, making it an ideal choice for many teenagers. Firstly, Invisalign Teen aligners are virtually invisible, making them a discreet option for teenagers who may feel self-conscious about wearing braces. Secondly, Invisalign Teen aligners are removable, which means teenagers can eat and drink whatever they like without worrying about damaging their braces. This also makes it easier to maintain oral hygiene by brushing and flossing.

 Invisalign Teen aligners are comfortable and easy to wear. Unlike traditional braces, no wires or brackets can irritate the mouth. Invisalign Teen aligners are made from smooth, BPA-free plastic so that they won't cause any discomfort or irritation.

How Does Invisalign Teen Work?

Invisalign Teen works by gradually shifting teeth into their desired position using a series of clear plastic aligners. The aligners apply gentle, constant pressure to the teeth, slowly moving them into their desired position. Patients wear each set of aligners for about two weeks before switching to the next stage in the series. Patients typically visit their orthodontist every six to eight weeks to monitor their progress and receive their next aligners.

Conclusion

Invisalign Teen is a fantastic option for teenagers looking for a discreet, comfortable, and effective way to straighten their teeth. At Nikaeen Orthodontics in Santa Monica, we specialize in Invisalign Teen and have helped countless teenagers achieve a straighter, healthier smile. If you're interested in Invisalign Teen for your teenager, don't hesitate to contact us today to schedule a consultation.

[thevalicemultiverse]

It's been a hell of a journey, that is for DAMN sure. Alice wasn't sure if she was going to make it sometimes. Just all the bullshit she's had to go through. . .the Voermans, the warehouse, the plague Downtown, the absolute HELLHOLE that was Grout's mansion, the disappearance of the sarcophagus from the museum, tracking down Gary, braving Chinatown, getting the sarcophagus back from the Giovanni, locating the missing professor who knew how to open it, braving Griffith park with all the fire and the fucking WEREWOLVES, battling her way to Ming Xiao and the sarcophagus key, and then finally up LaCroix's tower, only to do battle with his Sheriff. . .it's been a LOT. More than any new fledgling (new to vampirism AND to California) should have to deal with.

But Alice has dealt with it all, gone in swinging and come out on top. She's managed to fight and subdue and conquer. And she feels like a great deal of that success is due to having Madeline by her side. Rescuing her from the Voermans was one of the best decisions she's ever made. Maddie's been there through thick and thin, from the earliest days in Santa Monica to this moment, where the Sheriff finally plummets from the sky (in a Masquerade break SO large Alice has NO idea how they'll cover it up, but that's not HER problem). It's just been -- nice, to go through all this nonsense with a friend. Someone who has her back. Someone who is currently applauding her success --

And then going "However, your fight is nowhere near over, Alice." And when Alice turns to ask what the hell is going on, she finds herself blinded by a bright light -- and then Madeline is no longer there. What the everloving -- "Madeline?" Alice calls, looking around, suddenly tense. What's going on?

"Brace yourself, Alice," Cheshire warns, back arched. "Some friends are not so friendly anymore."

she's done it.

no, they've done it.

they've both made it through their journey. beginning with alice "rescuing" maddie from the voermans, then through many wild goose chases, missions, favors, all of the above. they've traveled throughout the greater los angeles area, and ended up here, on top of the lacroix tower, where alice finally has taken down the sheriff.

madeline watches his corpse fall down, down below, crashing onto the pavement. she stares at him for a while, giggling to herself. everything's going according to plan, she thinks, her giggling slowly evolving into full-blown laughter. soon i'll join you, sheriff.

she turns to alice, smiling wide. she gives a slow clap, walking away from the edge towards her new foe. " you've done it! " she congratulates, allowing her arms to fall to her sides. suddenly, her fingers look a lot more claw-like and her eyes burn with excitement. " however, your fight is nowhere near over, alice. "

maddie gestures with her head to a sudden bright light, then just as she looks away...

she's gone.

@thevalicemultiverse

[whereonceiwasfire]

i can't think of any drabble ideas specifically rn, bUt something i like to do is try to write drabbles based off of songs that come on thru shuffle or something :P

Anon, I could kiss you. This is BRILLIANT, and I've never thought of doing this before. Thanks so much for sending this in! The first song that came up when I shuffled my library was "Santa Monica" by Everclear. The lyrics gave me very Vlad vibes, and the verses in contrast with the chorus felt like the present vs. a flashback/memory, so that's how this happened lol.

It’s a familiar, empty routine Vlad runs through as evening tapers off to night. The staff get dismissed; the lights down the halls get turned off as he passes, plunging entire wings of the manor into darkness; the silence presses in, ever-present and evasive. The ambient sounds—the soft scuff of footsteps, the quiet bustle of movement, the clatter of work in other corners of his sprawling home—dull to nothing as doors slam, and engines turn over, and vehicles rumble distantly away.

It leaves him with nothing but the cruel company of his memories. 

Vlad’s features are set, the prickling tightness across his chest starting already as he uncorks the cabernet on the counter before him—splashes red liberally into his wine glass. 

“We could go, right now. We could be in Wyoming by the morning. California the day after that.” 

He presses his eyes shut on the echoing whisper of his own voice—braces himself against the countertop, shoulders hunched, head bowed. 

“Vlad, you can’t be serious,”  she had said, soft features turned up on an uncertain, bemused smile, purple eyes flickering across his face like she was searching for some hint in his expression that he was messing with her. “What about school? What about, you know, graduating? Getting a degree?” 

“Who cares about any of that?” he said, grabbing her hands in his own, willing his own desperation through the connection, fingers gripped tight, like she might vanish—the shimmering mirage off an oasis—if he were to let go. 

“We do. We’ve all been working so hard for this,” she tried to remind him, and he let out an exasperated huff, releasing her to rake fingers back through his dark hair. She carried on in a calm, methodical voice, like she was trying to tame an animal. “You want to go to Santa Monica? Come on. You know I love you,” A platitude, and nothing more. “But you’re not really a beach bum, Vlad.” 

Her laughter was forced, unsteady as she said it. 

“I don’t care where we go. I just want to get far away from here,” he said, voice pinched, chest aching. 

He’d had to work so hard for everything back then—sprinting to one of his four different part-time jobs after class, trying to scribble out a semi-coherent report at three in the morning, filching food off his friends' cafeteria trays so he could opt out of the meal plan, cramming his threadbare clothes in with their wash because he rarely had the quarters to spare. He’d come bursting into whatever lab they’d managed to secure time in to test their theories, ragged, and exhausted, but desperate not to miss out. 

They’d be halfway through the experiment already, laughing, and standing close, exchanging glances between each other like secrets. The two of them weren’t anything, not yet, but he could see it happening as he was pulled in a hundred different directions—dropped shifts, verbal warnings, barely passing grades, inside jokes he kept finding himself on the outside of—unable to do anything but watch   

He’d just wanted something to be easy. A new start. A reset. He’d just wanted a chance.            

“Maddie, please,” he said, blinking hard. Weakly, he added an almost nonsensical, “We can live beside the ocean.” 

“What about Jack?” 

He should have known. The fact that she asked at all; he should have known. But he was young, and he was stupid, and he’d thought, if he could just…. 

His hand is trembling, unsteady, when he lifts the glass to his lips. 

Instead of letting it go, instead of laughing it off, instead of giving a dismissive wave of his hand and convincing her that he really had her going there for a second, Vlad had to ask the damn question. He had to push it.      

“What about Jack?” he said coldly.

Her features twisted into a disturbed frown. “He’s your friend too, you know? He would do anything for you.”

Vlad had let out a frustrated growl, scrubbing a hand down his face. 

“I know, I know. You think I don’t feel shitty about this? But, Maddie, c’mon. Everything comes so fucking effortlessly to him. He’ll be fine. I—” 

Vlad’s grip tightens around the glass in his hand, so tightly it starts to crack. 

He hadn’t wanted to say that he wouldn’t but that’s how he felt. That if he didn’t leave, if he didn’t get away, with or without her, he was going to lose his mind. 

Jack always had his own pull—his own gravity. He was loud, and boisterous, and charismatic. He’d had a way of talking to you that made you feel like the only person in the room—had a way of making whatever trivialities you shared with him feel like they were of the utmost importance. He made personal and professional connections as easily as breathing—stumbled upon so many of their discoveries together seemingly by accident. He had a family that actually cared, he had a bank account that wasn’t in the negatives, it didn’t take him months to convince people that he wasn’t actually as much of an asshole as he seemed at first blush.   

And Vlad had just known that, if he stayed, he was going to be stuck in his friend’s orbit forever. He would fade into the background—he would have to watch as everything he wanted was drawn to Jack instead.  

He sinks uselessly to the tiled floor, cradling the thinly cracked glass in his hands, tipping his head back against the cupboard with a heavy sigh. 

“Vlad,” Maddie had said gently, grabbing his hand and giving it a warm, reassuring squeeze. That had been all it had taken for his naive, fractured heart to hope. To hold on. 

She continued, smoothing her thumb over the back of his knuckles. “I know things are hard for you right now. But running away isn’t the answer.”

“Right,” he’d answered without conviction. 

“Plus,” she said with feigned brightness in her voice, turning that enchanting gaze up to him, lips tweaking with a genuine smile that made his chest hurt. “The prototype portal is almost done! We’re going to give it a test run tomorrow. You wouldn’t want to miss that now, would you?” 

“Guess not,” he said with a weak laugh.

With a vacant gaze trained across the room, Vlad lifts the cup back to his lips, drains the last of the glass in two long, hard swallows.  

"You can't fool me. I know you're dying to see if it works," she'd said, giving him a little chuck under the chin. A beat, as she grew more serious, and then she added, “It’ll get better. I promise.” 

"Okay," he said, nodding. He forced a shaky smile, met her eyes. "I believe you."

And he had.

But there’s not a day that goes by that he wishes he hadn’t.        

[crackers4jenn]

I finallyyy watched Good Mythical Evening. Gonna put my thoughts under the cut because of the ~nsfw content.

My favorite parts! An incomplete list:

Link asking Rhett if he's ever given a blowjob before, then looking and acting all sorts of put out when Rhett's silence implied mayyybe he had (and then lol at Rhett's quick clarification that, if he had, he'd have said he gave head--like this dummy didn't make the joke in the first place for us to all think what Link thought)

Link disassociating in the middle of the International dart game, and his many giggle fits during (plus his White Girl Wasted declaration that it was the best night of his life, omggg)

Drunk Link in general was SUCH A DELIGHT; he was so off the rails and I got such a kick out of Rhett and Stevie both defaulting to "DANGER DANGER DANGER" mode anytime he started really gettin' loose, and how the entire crew egged him on while also bracing for discomfort (see: Jenna's face journey during the segment where they acted out sex positions, ha ha ha!) He was so funny! His running bit he kept doing where he'd whisper to Rhett "we'll cut this bit out"? GREAT. Him craptalking Rhett all night, in full-on bro mode, always to Rhett's wide-eyed annoyance and alarm? I LAUGHED. His two or three moments of self-awareness, when he promised to dial it back? 😂😂

"I fucking love you too!!!" ♥️♥️♥️

BUT REALLY, that whisper challenge segment was like a fever dream. Link's aggressive competitiveness that manifested as like... locker room trash talk, the whispered things they were trying to get each other to guess/answer (what's your jerkoff technique!! the asshole/panic room one!!), the "santa monica yacht club"-esque moment of Rhett repeating "jizz" to a clueless Link... and then Link finally hearing it and immediately collapsing against the desk because Rhett had been jizzing in his face the whole time??? GOD.

Everything to do with the sex doll had me cracking up. That it ended with Link dragging it off screen, yelling as he went, while Rhett silently stood and watched? CHEF'S KISS.

Did Link TWICE mention he wanted to do stuff with Rhett and the vibrator? I mean, the first time, the "I'd turn around, it wouldn't be wrong" moment? Wild. But telling Rhett he wasn't gonna help him insert it, but he would control it??? I feel like I don't have enough question marks in the world, buuuut I also feel bothered that I'm not reading that exact fic right now, so. (HE'S NOT GONNA LUBE IT UP, BUT HE WILL HANDLE THE REMOTE TO THE THING THAT GETS RHETT OFF.)

I enjoyed so much of it, but I kinda wish Rhett spent less time making passive aggressive digs at Link and enjoyed himself a little more. For as in-your-face drunk Link was, and how recklessly he tried to stir shit up, Rhett was like circa 2014 levels of "don't get too close to me" no-homo. I get that they were on the job, and that Link was indeed probably four shots too drunk to rein himself in so someone needed to do it, but man! They never quite synced their levels of drunkenness up.

(I will say, I loved how defensive Link got when Stevie relayed that the chat wanted Rhett to drink more. Don't tell people to drink, ya weirdos!)

The More, too, was also a damn delight, and I feel some kinda way about Link not knowing what pegging was but getting visibly interested the second Rhett started describing just what it entailed. The v.o. from his dad was a moment of comedy gold.