#girl fire your editor. they are bad at their job

[marnz]

reading the new Tana French novel via audiobook and just sort of like :/ :/ thinking about the tight, propulsive plotting of her earlier novels…I’m 20% in and while the plot did land quite early compared to like, the witch elm, I’m not getting that gorgeous eerie feeling I got from In the Woods or The Likeness. Ugh! I’m in such a reading slump for books rn and I can’t decide if it’s because I’m not vibing with anything I’m reading or if it’s because my brain has suddenly developed a preference for a physical book as obsessed to an ebook or audiobook. I did recently read A Country of Ghosts via my tried and true method of ‘multiple hours of uninterrupted reading time in the bath without my phone and with a print book’ so clearly it is possible but, to give you an example of how powerful my book slump has been, I got to like 85%-90% of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo and was basically like “well. whatever.” and never finished it. That was fully a month ago :(

has anyone recently read anything that rocked their world? please advise.

[despacito-uwu16]

The Rising Action

Kenji Sato x Journalist! Reader

Enemies To Lovers | Foced Proximity | Pining

<- prev next ->

“Hit me like a poisonous dart. You were trouble right from the start. Should’ve ran I guess that’s my fault”. - I do by G-IDLE

⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺

“Ken Sato has received a 3rd strike. One wonders, how hard is it to hit a small ball, I bet a one-eyed zombie could hit a ball better than he can”. You say into your recorder.

“Wow, you are harsh”. Ami says as you end your recording.

“It’s called being honest. I report what I see”. You reminded her. “I mean have you seen the way he played today”?

“Yes Y/N, we’ve been watching the same game. But it got me thinking. When I interviewed Ken, he refused to talk about his family. He refuses to show vulnerability. It’s like he’s wearing some sort of mask. Something is going on with him, and when I know something, I don’t let go”. Said Ami.

“Wow, you are very determined”.

“At least get to know him before you start roasting him”. Ami suggested.

“Note taken”. You lied.

After graduating college, you were hired as an intern at the Los Angeles Magazine. You would stay at the office after midnight to revise and edit articles for other reporters. Eventually, your boss gave you your first assignment. Coincidentally, at a baseball game. You took in every detail of every player, noting all of the small mistakes and flaws of the games. Everyone looked like they didn’t know how to play, much to your disappointment. But it made juicy material for you.

That night, you were writing like you were running out of time. The article you wrote was on some of the players and their failures. The morning after, you got called in to the editor’s office. At first you thought you were about to get fired, but your surprise, he complimented on your writing style, asking you to cover another baseball game. Eventually, you got promoted to journalist within 6 months of working there, naming you the youngest journalist in the field. A year and a half later, you were offered a job at the International Review Journal. They pay twice as much as the last salary and you get to travel for your job. It didn’t take too long for you to accept it, and the next thing you knew, you were on your way to make your mark in the world.

Everywhere you went, your words impacted people and the way they perceive their favorite athletes. All of the readers love you, while the athletes feared and hated you. You didn’t care for the love and hate. What matters is you were unstoppable.

Now here you are in Tokyo, Japan watching the Ken Sato struggle. You felt bad that the Giants were on a loosing streak, but you didn’t feel bad for Ken. It was his ego that brought him here after all. You leaned back in your chair with your recorder in your hand, while watching Ken having a temper tantrum in front of his coach.

~

As you walked out of the stadium, you were fishing out your car keys when you realized something was missing in your bag.

“Where’s my recorder”?

Panic starts to settle in as you looked through your tote bag.

“Looking for this”?

You turn around to see Ken Sato, waving your recording device in front of you.

“Well, if it isn’t the walking loosing streak. I would say great game, but let’s face it, i’ve seen better”. You sneered.

“Y/N L/N, the pain in my ass, Let me guess, obsessing with me as usual”? He asks

“I’m not obsessed with you, and even if I were, I would rather launch myself out of Tokyo on a ten foot pole than fan girl over a baseball fuck up”. You rolled your eyes.

“You have really creative comments Y/N. I think my favorite one has to be when you called me the hare who couldn’t beat the tortoise. But slower and more stupider”. He laughs.

“I also noticed that I’m the only person mentioned in your commentary. Am I just a cover for the fact that you know nothing about baseball”?

“Of course I know everything about baseball. I just like taking notes on the most notable failures in baseball history”. You scoffed

He lets out a laugh that still annoys you to this day. “It’s nice to know I have a fan”.

“Once again, the only person obsessed with you is you”. You retorted.

“Says the person who followed me all the way here from California”. He tossed your recorder to you. “I’ve read some of your stuff online. Judging by your writing style, you should consider a career in fanfiction writing instead of sports journalism”.

“Fuck off Ken”. You said.

While he turned around to walk away, you gave him the middle finger, and he stuck up his in return.

You rolled your eyes as you got into your car.

“What an asshole. And for the record, I was here first”. You aggressively push your car key into the ignition.

You were back in your apartment, editing your article on your gray velvet couch. You took a sip of your pineapple smoothie as you reread the last paragraph you’ve just written.

“Ken Sato, “the best living player”, is now the best living curse. From being on cloud 9 to falling into the pits of underworld, he might as well drag the giants along with him. Tread carefully Sato, consider yourself a dead man walking. If looks could kill, we wouldn’t be Coach Shimura”.

Is this considered slander? Possibly. But to you, it’s called journalism. And the best part of the job is the chaos it causes post-publish.

After rereading and editing, you hit publish. You sat back and watched as the likes and views came in.

Later that night, you were celebrating the success of your latest article, alone. You downed the last of your dirty shirley, feeling content with yourself and the hard work you’ve put in. You were about to ask for the bill, when the bartender placed a martini in front of you.

“I didn’t order this”. You look up at the bartender confused.

“It came from the gentleman in the black blazer”. He points to the man sitting at the end of the bar.

You look over with curiosity to see the man sitting at the end of the bar. Only to be disappointed when you realized the guy was Ken. He got up and walks up to you.

You glare at Ken as he approached you. “What do you want”?

“Can’t a man treat a cute girl to a drink”? He takes a seat next you.

You’ve been down this road before. After you publish an article, the athletes either bombards you with threatening emails or bribe you with money or expensive gifts. Either way, it didn’t faze you.

“If this is about the article, I’m not taking it down or tweaking it to your liking”.

“I usually don’t give a shit about what you personally think of me. However, my career is on the line because of you”. He said, his onyx eyes giving you the death stare.

“Awww, it’s not my fault the world thinks you suck. Go cry about it”. You roll your eyes.

“I’m not begging for you to delete the article. Instead, I’m offering you an opportunity”. Kenji proposes.

You turn your body towards him. “Go on”.

“You come live with me for the next two months, get the Kenji exclusive. You get to ask any question, and you get to follow me around. It’ll make great coverage for the sports magazine”. He leans back in his chair.

“Okay and why would I want to live with you”? You scoff.

Kenji smirks. “You can decline the once in a lifetime opportunity to do this interview, or I can tell everyone about our little escapade during college”.

You glared at him. “Excuse me”?

“Imagine if people found out that Ken Sato, a baseball legend and Y/N L/N, his biggest hater had a one night stand during our junior year. That would seriously affect your following and your career, wouldn’t it”? Kenji condescends, leaving you completely disgusted.

“You’re not the only one who can play dirty Y/N”. He smirks.

Of all the annoying things Kenji does, one thing you did not expect from him is to straight out blackmail you. Another is the fact that he’s right. If people found out you slept with an athlete, you can kiss your promotion goodbye. For once, you were backed into a corner, and there was nothing you could do or say to save yourself. Swallowing your pride, you decided to take the defeat.

“Fine. I’ll come shadow you”. You surrendered reluctantly.

Kenji smiles from ear to ear.

“But if you pull some shady shit on me, I’m ending it”. You threatened.

“Won’t be a problem”. Kenji pulls out a pen and writes something down on a napkin.

“Here’s the address to my house. Arrive at my place on Sunday at 9 am sharp”. He hands you the napkin and hands some cash to the bar tender.

“I look forward to this interview Y/N”. He winks at you as he leaves the bar. You sunk in your seat appalled.

“What the fuck did I just agree to”?

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Likes, Comments and Reblogs are always appreciated :)

⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺

Tag list:

@imconfusedbutok @deadbydad-writes

@introvertthief @rdjsprincess

@boomboom-tanjiro2019 @moyadorogaya

@holylonelyponyeatingmacaroni @lovingyeet

@ofichan @nina-from-317

@lunaryasha @kocho-catt

@scarasw1f3 @mochminnie

@ritzes28 @aise-30

@ghostatrixx @aphroditis-world

@levi-09 @marshhbs

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[laniusbignaturals]

Please more modern Edward!

I’ll assume this is the same person who asked for titplay headcanons, so this will be NSFT. There’s also violence and grotesque toxicity. Be wary of that.

Absolutely disgusting first one but whatever - his nose is huge, and he likes to bare knucklebox, so naturally it’s been dislocated several times. Often he will just snap the bone back into place with his knuckles. This sounds cool on paper, but it doesn’t do anything to alter the ridiculous, nasally, congested tone that develops in his voice every time he sustains this injury, so. Cringe!

Edward doesn’t have as many tattoos in this universe, but he does have a branding on his arm from his time spent in a fraternity in college. He used a frozen brand, because he’s scared of fire. (I know.)

Joshua would love to strangle him but his neck is really thick and Joshua’s hands aren’t that big, so he can never do it as effectively as he would like to. This frustration increases the thrill for both of them, tbh.

Edward likes short bitches because he is a short bitch because he looks bigger standing next to them and they’re often just as pissy, spiteful and tense as he is.

As I’ve referenced in the past, Edward has done coke, but he’s not as big of a speedfreak/accelerant lover as you might assume of a man like him. Edward, constitutionally, is hardly ever calm, content or relaxed. Alcohol might soothe that need for others, but Edward severely dislikes the way heavy drinking debilitates his control over himself, so he doesn’t do it unless he’s desperate. Other depressants, like Xanax, Oxy and Neuroleptics have been known to work well on him. But these trips bring him dangerously close to like, meaningfully doubting himself. So he doesn’t do them often, and always acts like he’s forgotten their contents completely once they’re over.

On that note: Edward forgets a lot of stuff. It’s his superpower. It’s cus he’s a gaslighter, it’s cus he grew up without a sense of objective truth, it’s cus he saw a lot of things that small children can’t comprehend and learned how to stop accepting reality on command to stave off an immediate breakdown. It just sort of comes naturally to him, so much so that he’s confident this is human nature. And he’s sure as shit not gonna let objective fact get in the way of that judgement anytime soon.

Edward worked enough Real Jobs that he could always live comfortably before solidifying a corrupt position of power. By the time he’s in his late 50s/early 60s, they’ve really stacked up. He’s been an editor, a foreman, a bail bondsmen, a landlord, a professor (for court mandated community service hours,) a chef, and pretty much every other profession that’s easier if you’re a complete jackass. The long term affect of this Jack-Of-All-Trades lifestyle is that he doesn’t have shared life experience with most other people. This helps him isolate himself more comfortably.

Joshua once watched Edward slice up someone’s throat with a pair of garden shears. Afterwards, they went out to eat and Edward got him to break some Mormon food rules. It was a cute date.

Joshua’s got a big family, and he was fond of most of them. Edward might have an extended family, but if he does, he is rejecting them like a bad limb transplant. He actively does not want to know if he’s got any living half siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or cousins. He doesn’t even talk to his old high school friends. He will be an only child till the grave.

This is not an original thought, but he’s a beer guy. He’s that beer guy. The one who uses it as a part of his personality the way toxic white girls do iced coffee. Not only that it’s a weird sadomasochistic performance of gender, but also that he uses its purveyance and consumption as an expression of intimacy and camaraderie. Asking if you want a beer is Edward’s idea of affection.

Another thing Edward does for people he thinks he cares about is protect their ego. He will take your side when you’re obviously wrong and buy you a new blouse when you ruin yours and roll up all the windows in the car when you’re having a meltdown in the passenger seat. This behavior exists alongside intense possessiveness and sporadic cruelty because of course it does. Edward is sweet as antifreeze. The state of possession and the loss of autonomy is the only dynamic he believes to be worth maintaining, and even then, it’s more about the attempt than ever being fully successful. To receive his love is sickening.

Joshua has torn the buttons on Edward’s shirt to lick rivulets of wine off his breasts and pistol whipped him before jerking off on his bloody face and ashed cigarettes on him mid-fuck and called him every filthy degrading name in the book and Edward still identifies as the dominant between them. He is clinging to that pitcher’s mound like a ship in a storm.

He doesn’t believe in god, but there is room in his mind for hell. Deep down, he craves it. The grandiosity, the submission, the finality. Joshua likes this about him.

Have you ever broken into a house or apartment while the owner was at home? Edward has. It used to be for the purpose of stealing, but he didn’t give up the practice when he became economically stable. The truth is that he enjoys it. He enjoys busting in doors and breaking windows and hearing wives and daughters scream and making people feel scared & helpless in a place they thought was safe. This is such a brazen maladaptive recreation of his own trauma that he’ll sometimes find himself having uncomfortable emotions while doing it, so it’s an occasional occurrence. But still.

He had the most control over his body in his early and mid twenties, so during that era he had a quiet exhibition fetish. He’d get into bars, gyms, classrooms, bathhouses and libraries after hours with whoever he was fucking that month & get totally naked, savoring the fantasy of being seen and admired by dozens of eyes. His idea of beauty is an empty room. (No this doesn’t indicate anything about him what are you talking about.)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, November 26

Angelus: You could probably... tell me what I'm doing wrong. But honestly, I sorta hope you don't... 'Cause I *really* wanna torture you. (stares evilly)

~~Becoming part 2~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

downtown (where relationships are no-go) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Giles/Jenny, T)

light my fire by CallMeVampy (Giles/Jenny, E)

Untitled oneshot by the_widow_twankey (Angel/Spike, Buffy, G)

The One Where Spike And Buffy Go To Therapy by Spikelover4ever (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Home Sweet Home by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, PG)

[Chaptered Fiction]

A Spiky Holiday - Chapter 1 by ladyofthebrook (Buffy/Spike, T)

Faith, Hope and Trick or Treat - Chapter 1 by InMyOwnHeadItGoesLikeThis (ensemble, Jenny, Angel/Buffy, Willow/Oz, Xander/Cordelia, Giles/Ethan, T)

Cherry On Top, Ch. 4-5 by Maxineeden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Ready for it? Ch. 4 by Lilacsandorangeblossoms (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

One Chance, Ch. 24 by AtlantianDream (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Hell Hath No Fury, Ch. 3 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Dead End Plots, Ch. 22 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Bites, Ch. 2 by cawthraven (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

When Worlds Collide, Ch. 5 by grundy (crossover with Deborah Harkness' All Souls trilogy, Buffy, FR15)

Death Is Buffy's Next Great Adventure, Ch. 115 by Sharie (Harry Potter crossover, Buffy/Tom Riddle, FR15)

Neon, Ch. 1-25 (COMPLETE!) and other stories archived by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

Blood and Black Lace, Ch. 22 by SlayrGrl (Buffy/Spike, R)

Wraith, Ch. 5 (COMPLETE!) by simmony (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Video: Walk through of my sim 4 build of Sunnydale High by nikkiitalks ()

Digital drawing: Buffy and Giles by pocketsizedann (worksafe)

Comic: For the Faith/Buffy fans I know are out there by gremlinbong (probably worksafe, everyone's clothed)

Joke manip: Sadly, I must remind you that Angel tortured me. For hours. For pleasure. by drawandpaintbyfire (Angelus, Giles, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Controversial opinion - The Body is overrated, by Joshua

[AtS] Season 2 thoughts by Typical-Owl9521

I watched "That Old Gang of Mine" and I am so disappointed by how they choose to portray the dilemma in that by b3_k1nd_rw1nd

[Recs & In Search Of]

Spike & Dawn fic Wild and Wonderful by solstice recced by muse-write

[Community Announcements]

Our community is slowly growing! If you're interested in crackships or rarepairs for the buffyverse, consider joining! by otherworldlychemistry (btvscrackships)

[Fandom Discussions]

something about giles being the softened optimist in this world... [Wishverse] by jennycalendar

[Angel obviously does not own a bedframe] by all-seeing-ifer

In the official Buffy chess set they released, Buffy and Angel... by oveliagirlhaditright

Does anyone know how many Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show viewers there are today? by NoShip

My Account of the Willow and Tara money situation (and how Giles is essentially the bad guy) by Moon_Logic

Daily money post #4. How much do you pay a teenaged girl to do the most dangerous job in the world and how do you hide it? by V48runner

Plot Parallels - What Storylines Do You Identify With Most? by Ok_Seaworthiness2505

When a Vampire dies where does the Demon go? by Inspirational_Owl

Who would you like to have as your best friend in AtS and why? by JellyfishDry9464

Are there any morally gray demons on Buffy? by somehow_we_missed_it

How the film fits into the timeline (headcanon only). by DifficultRice7075

What is Buffy cooking during Pangs??? by Correct_Theory_8034

Do we ever see Angel cry? by moderndayrusalka

something that confused me on "Him" by sadhungryandvirgin

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[faithlike-potatoes]

So I saw Across the Spider-Verse

Rambling about my girl under the cut:

AU Earth-99001

Hero name Carmine, civilian alias Fay Fauster, she works as a writer/editor for the Daily Bugle. Originally from PA, she moved to NYC after college to find a job. After an assignment in which she interviews the Doctors Connors, she is bitten by her spider.

Her powers are roughly the same: super-strength, stick to walls, spidey sense. She was bitten by a tarantula, so she's a bit stronger than the "average" spider person. The bite also caused her hair to become tougher. Tarantulas have "urticating hairs," that they can fling as a defense mechanism, and so does Carmi. She can do this with all hair on her body, but doesn't use it very often because she doesn't want to rip the suit (she did not make any of her gear, but that's a whole backstory that I'll explain elsewhere).

Her webs work a bit differently as well, they are not organic, but cannot be fired like "normal" webs. Instead they activate with physical contact, so she needs to get close to slap a bad guy to wrap them up. Her webbing material is also closer to silk.

She's got little claws and minor mandible-adjacent growths in her gums, but the latter are more cosmetic (and inconvenient) than functional. Although! Her normal saliva does have some funky chemical properties and you will definitely have a bad time if it gets anywhere near your skin

Her eyesight did not improve :(

Fay (and by extension Carmine) is pretty much a pacifist. She dislikes conflict in all forms, and the idea of intentionally hurting others makes her physically nauseous. She much prefers to fill the role of passive observer: to wait, watch, and see how the situation is resolved or resolves itself. If becoming involved is not optional, her avoidant tendencies allow her to observe and analyse her environment to work through non-violent (or as close as she can manage) solutions.

As a civilian, she is quiet and nearly invisible, and enjoys it. She lives through what she writes. As a hero, she finds it surprisingly easy (when behind a mask) to pretend to be someone else, a character that is confident and witty. Her heart, however, stays the same. She is kind and believes in second chances.

Roommates and eventual bffs with Black Cat, has the Enforcers on speed-dial, is pen-pals with Electro, her suit was made by Vulture and Doc Oct, and effectively became a sister-figure for this universe's Lizard (Billy Connors = Newt)

((she took one look at her rogues gallery, said "i can fix them with the ✨power of friendship✨" and she was right))

[boysplanetrecaps]

The Great Produce 48 Rewatch: Ep 4, Short Hair (AOA) Challenge

Hello and welcome back to the Great Produce 48 Rewatch Recap Thingy! We’re chugging along through our first group challenge mission. We already saw the Love Whisper team, and in the previous post, we saw the Great Peekaboo F*ckup of 2018! Now it’s time for team Short Hair. What terrible, unforgivable, barely noticeable mistake will the MNET editors pick up on this time? Only one way to find out. Let’s dive in! 

We pick up at 16:53 in to episode 4. (Or use this link for it with Spanish subtitles -- best I can do right now, since hte other link doesn't seem to be working.) The whole Peekaboo performance was actually just a pre-credits sequence, as it turns out, and now the episode will… start, I guess. 

Lee Seungki calls the two teams up to the stage. Oh no! They all forgot to wear pants! It’s just like that dream I had the other night!

Team 2, who I’ll call “blue team”, introduce themselves as “High Class.” 

Left to right, they are:

Lee Sian, 19, from Idol School, who fell from C to D and was ranked 18th in episode 3.

Hasegawa Rena, 17, who auditioned alongside Noe, fell from D to F and was ranked 54th.

Imada Mina, 21, from theNever Ending Ferris Wheel group, who rose from D to C and was ranked 64th.

Ahn Yewon, 17, one of the YGK+ models, who has lived in F and is ranked 88th.

Matsuoka Natsumi, 21, also from Never Ending Ferris Wheel, who rose from F to C and was ranked 55th. 

(Originally, Tanaka Miku was in this group, but she had to leave due to an injury.)

The red team introduces themselves as “Sneak a Peek.”

Left to right, they are:

Yu Minyoung, 18, the always squinting mint polka dots wearer in Celeb Five who moved from A to B, ranked 32

Jo Yuri, 16, future soloist, the one who fell from A to F, ranked 19th. 

Takahashi Juri, 20, future member of Rocket Punch who auditioned with Mako, rose from B to A and is ranked 29th.

Kim Minseo, 15, yellow polka dots in Celeb Five, stayed in C, ranked 39th

Kojima Mako, 21, auditioned with Playing With Fire, rose from C to B and currently ranked 23rd. 

Kim Sihyeon, 18, future member of Everglow who rose from B to A and is ranked 13th.

Dance Bae notes that Red team has a lot of popular members, but that we never know who will win until the end.

Subtitles: now with 100% more Spanish! 

We zoom back to the practice of group 1 (red team), When we left off, this group was getting along really well and had chosen Juri as their center despite her polite protestations. We go to dance practice, and Dance Bae is NOT HAPPY with Juri’s performance. She stops and asks the group, “She wanted to be center and you let her? But it seems that she has absolutely no idea what she’s doing.” There’s supposed to be a “domino effect” movement -- where each moves in turn down the line -- and Juri is off-beat, ruining the effect. Since she’s in the middle of the line, it really has a major effect. Oh no!! Juri!! Dance Bae makes them do it again and again and again.

I should note that I love Juri from having watched Queendom Puzzle. In the now-times, Juri has a beautiful, smoky-toned voice, a ton of stage presence and charm, and a hilarious 4D personality.  She’s just great. But back in 2018, maybe some of this hadn’t settled in for her yet. 

Juri feels terrible about making her whole team anxious.

Dance Bae says, “I’m sorry but… you’re doing a bad job at the moment. This will hurt your feelings, but I don’t have a choice. With Juri here, you girls will have a problem. “

The editors splice in a picture of some rain to indicate how we’re all feeling.

LTR: Kojima Mako, Kim Minseo, Juri, Yu Minyoung, Jo Yuri, Kim Sihyeon 

Sihyeon stammers a bit, as we hear her voiceover saying that she feels like she’s been doing a terrible job as team leader, and that she’s worried about how sad this is going to make Juri. Before Sihyeon can say anything more, Juri says -- starting off in Korean and switching soon to Japanese -- that though she appreciates the opportunity, she thinks they should change positions to help ensure that the group wins.

Though Juri holds it together when talking to her group, bowing out gracefully, she interviews that she is upset that she didn’t do a good job despite how hard she worked.

They decide to vote for a new center, so they can show Dance Bae something different next time. They’re about to vote (and MNET does some annoying editing, whatever) when Jo Yuri says, “Actually, I think that Juri really suits the center from what I’ve seen, and I know she can get better with more practice.” Everyone seems to agree, and Juri begins to cry in earnest, harder than she cried when she thought she was resigning. 

“Juri, please don’t cry!”

“You can do it!”

Sihyeon says, “It has to be so hard for her. She had to learn a song she’d never heard, and on top of it she was the center. My heart is with her. I think she’d be feeling angry and discouraged if she had to give up the center position this way.”

Juri is grateful for their understanding. She tries again and works hard. Ganbarimasu! 

And then… it’s time for the performance!

Here is PD48 Editing’s blessed edit.

Mako, Yuri, Minyoung, Minseo, Sihyeon, Juri

Clockwise from bottom left: Minseo (kneeling), Minyoung, Mako, Juri, Sihyeon, Yuri (kneeling)

Jo Yuri: main vocal  Takahashi Juri: Sub vocal 1 Kim Sihyeon: sub vocal 2 Kojima Mako: sub vocal 3  Yu Minyoung: Rapper 1 Kim Minseo: Rapper 2

My thoughts: 

Overall, a really good performance, though not necessarily mind blowing or anything like that.  

Vocally, they sounded really good on the whole. Yuri hit the notes cleanly and well, with a nice vocal color, though she didn’t hold the notes quite as long as I think she should have. I mean, she’s 16, it’s fine. Juri’s voice wasn’t like it is nowadays, and that’s ok, she still did well.

The two rappers, Minseo and Minyoung, actually had a lot of energy and sounded about as good as you could hope they would. They also brought a surprising amount of charm and confidence.  

As usual it’s almost impossible to tell if their dance was synchronized because the camera work was focused on their faces, but what I could see looked mostly fine. Here and there I think I noticed Juri a tiny bit behind the beat, dance-wise, unfortunately. 

Stage presence wise, Mako, Juri and Yuri were the weaker spots. Mako had a cute smile that didn’t quite fit the “sexy” feel of the dance, and Juri looked a little scared the whole time, like maybe she was thinking about the dance steps or something. She wasn’t connecting to the performance. Yuri also sort of was just going through the motions. The way she sort of sang a given note and sort of stopped gave this energy:

If I could have stepped in and just changed things, I think I would have put Sihyeon in the center. She performed this like she was a lost member of AOA -- smiling, pouting, flirting, hair flipping, the whole nine. She did great. 

The MNET Edit:

We get a lot of reactions to Yuri’s various high notes, and some shots of the audience loving it in general. Not really any annoying instant replays, either.

The judges gush about how good Yuri was. Soyou says, “I’ve liked her since the beginning.” Dance Bae adds, “She’s a good dancer, too.” 

And that’s where we leave it for now, as Team 2 takes the stage.

Team 2 (Blue Team)

One more time:

Lee Sian, 19, from Idol School, who fell from C to D and was ranked 18th in episode 3.

Hasegawa Rena, 17, who auditioned alongside Noe, fell from D to F and was ranked 54th.

Imada Mina, 21, from the Never Ending Ferris Wheel group, who rose from D to C and was ranked 64th.

Ahn Yewon, 17, one of the YGK+ models, who has lived in F and is ranked 88th.

Matsuoka Natsumi, 21, also from Never Ending Ferris Wheel, who rose from F to C and was ranked 55th. 

(Originally, Tanaka Miku was in this group, but she had to leave due to an injury during this rehearsal period.)

When we left off, the Japanese members of the team had chosen Mina to be center over Sian, out of fear that making Sian the center would make them “Sian and the girls.” We were left with the question of whether that was a good decision. 

We dive right in with a voice over from Sian, saying: “At the beginning, I didn’t think it would be that important, but I felt it when we chose the center. The fact that you’re not from here could be an obstacle.” This overlays the shot of the Japanese girls choosing Mina, and this shot…

… Sian trying to teach herself the choreo while the other girls are sitting working on the lyrics.

There’s also this shot:

That’s not a mirror -- that’s a frosted glass wall. Some girls are practicing in the room, and some are practicing in the hall outside. Again, not working together. 

Sian interviews, “I didn’t even know what to do.”

We go to dance rehearsal, and Dance Bae is NOT HAPPY. Their formations are all off, and their synchronization is non-existent. It really shows how little they rehearsed it together,  and Dance Bae says that they’re all basically just doing their own thing. “How could it be so bad if you practiced? Have you practiced hard? Together?” 

Rena interviews, “We couldn’t practice dancing together as a team. The Koreans focused on practicing the choreography, but we Japanese were focusing on memorizing the words.” With different priorities, they were dividing up their time differently. 

We see the girls at dance/rap practice. It’s not great. Mina in particular is clearly having a lot of trouble with the fast rapping. Soyou give them this look:

Then she says, “I don’t really have much to tell you because I couldn’t really hear you well.” She sings a single line twice, once in full voice, and once in a breathy, hard to hear voice, to demonstrate the difference between how they should sound and how they actually sound.

Cheetah, that queen, says, “You’re not really close, are you?” And Sian thinks to herself, oh God, they noticed. It’s my fault because I’m the leader. I kept torturing myself like that.

That night at the dorms, Ah Yewon tells Sian that Cheetah was right -- that they’re not going to get anywhere the way they are, that they have to open up to each other and get closer. Sian decides that she’s right, that they have to try to practice openly together and try to understand each other. 

The next day, they’re in one of the rehearsal rooms, and I think they must have a translator there because Sian is speaking in full speed Korean. 

One of these people has to be a translator, right? Also, note that there are still six girls on the team.

Sian says, “It’s not like we didn’t want to be close. The problem is the language barrier.*

*Me typing this translation of a Spanish subtitle of a Korean sentence spoken to some Japanese speakers is so many layers of language barrier. It'd be even funnier if you, dear reader, are a non-native speaker of English. Especially if you also don't speak Spanish, Korean, or Japanese.

Mina says, “I’ll try more.” (I can’t tell if she’s speaking Japanese or Korean because there’s another sound at the same time she’s speaking, and she speaks really softly.)

Sian says, “I’ll try to learn some Japanese,” and Mina waves her hand from Sian to herself and back again. Sian adds, “I hope we can build up our team work.” The Japanese members nod in agreement, and then Sian says, “Oh god, they scolded us so harshly today! I hate getting negative comments!” And all the girls stand up for a big group hug. Yay! Oh no, it looks like Natsumi is crying! Boo! 

Natsumi voiceovers that she wants to help Sian build their teamwork. Yay team!

More “hwighting” and less fighting, please. 

The next day, Sian gives the Japanese girls something she made/wrote down, to help them remember the steps. They thank you and Natsumi reaches out to touch her hand in gratitude.

They all interview that they are working better as a team now. 

No one mentions it, but at some point Miku got injured and had to leave. That sounds really dramatic, MNET. She wanted to stay, from what I heard, so it had to be a pretty bad injury. There must have been a lot of tearful conversations on the topic. Maybe you’d want to show that? Or show the girls scrambling to redistribute parts and learn new formations…? Oh, but you can’t show it, because it makes you look irresponsible, like you’re not taking good enough care of these young girls and letting them get hurt because you push them too hard. Well, thanks, I guess. 

Anyway, by dress rehearsal, there are only five of them. The judges don’t smile much as they run through their performance, but at the end, Soyou tells them that they more stable than group 1, with good pronunciation and good teamwork. And Dance Bae even comes back stage to tell them that their hard work paid off.

“I’m very grateful!” … “I want to cry….”

Sian congratulations her team, and Natsumi begins to cry again. Who is this girl? Is she me? 

Sian interviews that she made themselves believe that they could do it, and then they did it. 

But can they do it on stage in front of an audience? Let’s find out!

The performance:

Here is PD48 Editing’s blessed edit.

Natsumi, Rena, Sian, Mina, Yewon

Clockwise from bottom left: Natsumi, Rena, Mina, Sian, Yewon.

Side note: What are these shoes? Are they… high heeled loafers? What is happening? 

My thoughts: First off, how does Natsumi get her hair THAT glossy?

I mean, all the girls have really pretty hair, but Natsumi’s is on another level. It’s like her hair is made of black onyx, or a dark iPhone screen, or something. It’s wild. Check out her fan cam to see it in action. 

Anyway, this was not quite as good as the other team, mostly because of the vocals. They were all on key, and no one made any obvious mistakes, but listening to them sing, it was impossible to imagine that this is a professional debuted group. They sounded like a high school talent show group. 

Lee Sian was brave to take on main vocals when that isn’t her area of expertise, so I don’t want to ding her too hard -- she sang well enough to be a sub-vocal in a real group. And that’s a compliment, I swear! So good job, Sian! Did she knock my socks off? No, but she did alright-right-right. 

The other four also did well considering, but it’s not as if I want to put this on a playlist and listen to it over and over. Of the three Japanese girls, only Rena seems to avoid the characteristic nasal sound common in these AKB48 members. Natsumi and Mina both have unpleasant vocal color, but at least they are on key, so they’ve made big progress. Main rapper Yewon raps kind of off key, which I know sounds crazy but part of what a rapper does is pick up on a tone to rap in, and Yewon didn’t do that quite correctly.  

Dance wise, I don’t really know, because the camera work is obstructive. Nothing really obvious goes wrong, I’ll say that. I think that 

Stage presence wise, I think this group has a slight leg up on the first group. They all have pretty good to great facial expressions, and they’re all reasonably confident-seeming. Yewon is a bit…

… too much. 

Mina has a great trick of letting her eyes close a little, and then opening them wider suddenly. It’s like, a power-smize!

 

It works. 

Revisiting the issue of center, and whether or not putting Sian in the center would have made it “Sian and the girls,” I think it’s relevant to note that Sian was the main vocal. If your center is also your main vocal, then it starts to feel like Destiny’s Child. So, yeah, it makes sense for someone else to be center, and Mina was the best choice among the remaining girls. I think they should have raised that issue during the discussion of who should be center, but maybe they did, or tried to, and had trouble with the communication. 

In the MNET edit, we see the judges praising their pronunciation, and praising Sian’s ability to look right at the camera. We also get a few instant replays of some of Sian’s high notes. 

When they’re done, the judges are proud of them, and Cheetah looks so cute.

“I’m proud of them.” “Me too.”

Dance Bae says that they, the trainers, think that Team 2 did better than Team 1, but notes that you never know how the audience will vote.

“Good job, everyone!”

The girls hug backstage, and Sian said that they’re hoping for a miracle. 

For this part, I have a link with English subs. 

The girls teleport to the locker room Results Zone…

More power to the transporters! We’re losing the signal! 

They’re sitting on like, foam rubber blocks. MNET, seriously, WTF?

Sian, Rena, Mina, Ahyoung, Natsumi

 Natsumi’s face (far right) is so expressive.

It’s time for the results. The background music is the same music they always used in Face Off when they were revealing the creature makeups, which is so funny to me. 

As usual, they reveal the results in a “versus” format -- Main vocal versus Main vocal, etc. What’s kind of strange is that we find out that there was no “sub vocal 1” on the blue team…? I guess that had been Miku’s part, but it’s not as if no-one sang those lines, so I’m confused. Anyway… 

Both the main vocals, Jo Yuri and Lee Sian, get a ton of votes -- 152 and 148, respectively. 

That’s fair as they both did well and are also pretty and popular. The second highest vote getters on each team were Japanese -- Mako on Red with 120 votes, and Natsumi on blue with 90. Juri is ready to blame herself if her team loses, but neither center did exceptionally well; Juri got 52 votes, and Mina got 36. Here is the full list:

Team Red (win):

left to right:

Yu Minyoung 28 Jo Yuri     152 Takahashi Juri 52 Kim Minseo 26 Kojima Mako 120 Kim Sihyeon 64              Total: 442, Average 73.67 

Team Blue (lost):

Very classy of them to applaud for team red. 

Left to right:

Lee Sian 148 Hasegawa Rena 50 Imada Mina 36 Ahn Yewon 16 Matsuoka Natsumi 90 Total: 340, Average: 68

Juri interviews, tearfully, that she feels bad about the whole thing. Her team was so nice and believed in her, and she feels like she let them down. “It’s because of them that I was able to go so far,” she says. “I’m so grateful to my team.”  

You know, my friends, if I wasn’t already a Juri fan from getting to know her on Queendom Puzzle, I think I’d kind of hate her at this point. MNET shoving her in my face, and focusing on her storyline above all else, it just makes me kind of irritated. I know Juri is awesome-sauce, though. So this is just further proof that MNET is The Worst. Thanks, dumbasses. Thumbasses. 

And with that, we’ll wrap up for now! Thanks for sticking with me so far! See you next time, when we cover Team Mamma Mia.

[castle-dominion]

c4x19 47 seconds

The protest bomb ep

heck yeah! Let's go protestors! Mum & lil bro thought this was an episode of Arrow at first

She's lucky there are no swears

Cool how he kno-- wait ringo was the drummer for the beatles, not this guy's name

She got anxious there bc the filming was just a bit later than she expected bc of the drummer

heck yeah!

FUCK NO

Love how the camera one was shocked for a sec but immediately started filming again

"if you've just tuned in" girl it has been like three seconds since the explosion & six seconds since you went live

Ah, her face, she did not expect people to be injured

Oof all these injured people here.

wait is that the mime? Poor fellow there.

there is still fire here?

five dead is a LOT... 28 injured, depending how bad they might still die. Why was it so bright earlier & now so dark?

Good on her, no comment, deal with press relations

Did she somewho she recognized?

Ooh the music today.

She actually listens to someone tell her she, nypd, is not allowed to enter the crime scene, which is under control of the fbi? Wowie.

I hope they get both lanie & perlmutter (& possibly slaughter's mortician girl & alexis) here looking at bodies.

Castle looks so shocked & sad.

Ok on the outfits, castle is wearing typical castle garb & looks hot as always, beckett has a nice grey turtleneck, ryan & esposito have coats & I can't see them v well rn but I like their coats & outfits rn so yeah. grey detective-looking jacket for ryan, black collar-up for espt it looks like. I'll give another update later.

Could still be a suicide bomber but with like a briefcase bomb not a vest bomb. Also who is your medic friend? I need character names & faces!

VG, someone whom I actually respect: Listen up, people! We're still piecing together what happened here, but what I can tell you – FBI and Homeland Security will be taking point on this investigation. [Beckett looks disappointed & esposito & ryan kind of follow suit.] NYPD will act in a support capacity. Our first assignment is to determine if any of the victims were targeted because of their involvement in the protest. Uniforms are bringing families to the precinct as we speak, so…let's go hold some hands and do our jobs.

"To sin by silence when we should protest makes…cowards of men."

Heck man, look at ryan's jacket! Squares!

Dang, they were tourists..? That's honestly rly sad. & they were planning on starting a family...

[04:03, INT. PRECINCT, BREAK ROOM - DAY]

[Castle stares out the window ((btw wearing a leather dress jacket)); Beckett approaches him from behind.] ((he is not interviewing anyone, he is not excited over the case... this is something))

KB: You good?

RC: Yeah. Yeah, it's just this case, you know? It kind of gets to you. How'd it go with the rest of the families?

KB: Um, one victim was the first kid in his family to go to college, and the other was a mother of two, so… about like you'd expect. No one seems to have been targeted, though. ((How many people? We have the recruiter, the tourist, the college student, & the mom. that is only 4, who is the other dead victim?))

RC: So their deaths were random. You know, most of our victims they…they die for a reason. You know, there's a logic behind it. It's a twisted logic at times, but…at least it makes some kind of sense.

KB: Yeah, but in this case, these people were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

RC: And their future and all their plans, everything is just gone in a flash. ((pUNintended))

[Beckett and Castle gaze at one another.]

KB: It makes you think about all those things in your own life that you don't want to put off anymore.

[Castle's mouth opens as he takes Beckett's meaning. Esposito enters, interrupting their confession of love.]

he says "troops" & I thought that was a colloquial term, just smth he said abt ppl congregating, but it could be actually the term for them.

I love how they show a clip of the bomb going off there. Good choice by the editor or whoever made that choice. I can't see it v well though & Ithought slowing it down I might be able to see more of it

OK SO: the reason I got into unus annus was bc during the protests in what, april, possibly may of 2020, I saw protest information including what it was like to get pepper sprayed, I saw the unus annus pepper spray video. Pepper spray sucks. They say to use milk but water is better (tho an acidic dairy product might help), however, be sure to wash AWAY from your eyes.

I bring this up because the fbi recovered a photo from one of the protestor's phones.

Do Not take photos! Don't include faces! Cover up any scars or tattoos, wear nondescript clothes. Turn off your phone's GPS, data, & wifi. In fact, turn off your phone entirely, only turn it on if you need to make an emergency call.

If a pig throws in a can of tear gas, you can cover it with a pylon & douse it with water.

Do Not wear suction swim goggles, if you get hit with a rubber bullet or even just thrown to the ground too hard, you can pop out an eye.

If you wear contact lenses: do not wear them if there is a risk of tear gas or pepper spray.

If you wear glasses: only wear them if you really need them, try to wear the most nondescript frames you have.

If you use mobility aides, use the nondescript ones, not the cane you personalized with stickers. If you use a wheelchair but can also use a walker/rollator, go for the rollator. You can still sit on it if you need to, but it is safer. If you do use a wheelchair, cover up the logo & anything you did to personalize it. I highly recommend using push-handle spikes to prevent people from moving you without consent. Hell on wheels is a business that sells them suited for your needs. You can get a pair that can be removed easily if you do need someone to push. Be aware, if rubber bullets are a risk, your mobility aid could be damaged.

& I repeat, do not take photos of protestors, I know it was a "good" thing in castle, but usually if the feds want photos of a protestor's phone, it is not good.

My question is though: why did they take a pic of where the bomb would have been?

47 seconds is a short zone, usually you have like a two hour kill zone

lots of names on the list wow.

Love the diagram on the board!

How did they get the names of all the ppl there tho? The injured ones maybe, but the ones who were just there? They would have run, they would refuse to give their names to pigs.

Holy moly only on the second intro rn! I have to go to work in an hour & a half!

Corinne: Do I look like I'm in the 99 percent?

Me: Uh, kind of. Do you have over 11 100 000 dollars?

Flashbacks are a good decision for this kind of stationary episode. (lol, really is stationary, they are in the station.) Like, even Castle is technically not in the top 1%, his net worth is like 4mil. There is a difference between rich-because-I-work-36-hour-shifts-as-a-surgeon-but-I-never-get-to-enjoy-my-mansion-because-I'm-at-work-all-the-time, inheritance-rich, rich-because-I'm-an-author-&-not-the-starving-artist-kind, & rich-because-I-commit-massive-wage-theft-on-all-the-employees-beneath-me. Now of course you can be hella rich, but the top 1% is about three standard deviations away from the mean. ofc statistics are probs wrong here. there is a wage GAP, not a nice bell curve. Anyway, you probably ARE within the 99%, just the rich side of it.

Good guy wearing a gas mask. There's the hoodie guy. There's the drummer.

Oh & btw you can LOOK at stuff online & buy them irl or vice versa. When buying my knives, I was told to go to a knife shop & test out the ones they had, find what I liked, & then buy it cheap online.

Box guy, "that's mine," spilled coffee

If he was carrying a bomb of course he'd look nervous & sweaty. Just like how the other dirty bomb the guy was calm bc he didn't know it was a bomb.

WEST SIDE WALLY! THE MAN IS BACK! Westside is one of my fave recurring characters.

(espt why do you look so weird when he says to call him westside.)

Johnny Law lmao

Love his sign. Will work protest for food. He is The Best.

Beethoven?

JE: Stop. Let me understand this. You…you saw Beethoven, [Ryan looks to the side on concern] the composer who's been dead for 200 years, in the plaza this afternoon?

WSW: Oh, yeah. And I bet that half-dead bastard is behind all this.

[Ryan clears his throat.]

KR: West Side, are you on any medications of any kind?

WSW: I don't see how that's relevant.

it's probably that he is NOT on medication lol. or hungry & dehydrated.

Man looks familiar. I swear tho, he's going to be real, not just west side's imagination.

You know, westside would look really good if they trimmed his beard, he's a really good looking actor.

Oh no, not more bomb threats...

RC: It's like trying to find Waldo in a sea of Waldos.

prioritizing interviews is a great idea.

RC: You know, the witnesses that were closest to the bomb aren't on our list. ((oof he right))

KB: *looks at him to continue*

RC: Maybe dead men do tell tales.

Jesse Freidman? More like Jesse fried-man eyo! Sorry that was distasteful. He wasn't even fried, he died in an explosion from blunt force trauma, not the fire of the explosion.

Oh poor alexis.

Except that Dr Parish said alexis needed to get stuff done. Lanie might say the same thing but Dr Parish said to get the personal effects done. You should at least talk to the staff & ask if you can take her home & let beckett know you're taking alexis home & staying, not talking to alexis for a minute like you implied when you said you needed a minute.

K but the film clips don't seem like they were what they were at the beginning of the episode

MR: Honey, do you ever wonder why I never visited you at the precinct the first year you were working there?

RC: I always thought it was because of the harsh lighting.

MR: (chuckles) Well, that was a consideration. No, I thought if I—if I saw you acting like a cop, I'd start thinking of you as a cop, and I just…whew. That—that brought on all manner of nightmares.

RC: How did you get over it?

MR: Eventually, you realize, your children are gonna make choices you don't like. Just a fact of life. ((this made my mom hug me so tight))

RC: Well, if the bombing proves anything, it's that bad things can happen no matter what you do. Nobody's tomorrow is guaranteed.

((In Cree the word for tomorrow is "IF the sun rises tomorrow" which implies that we don't KNOW that the sun will rise tomorrow, we just have FAITH that it will. wapaki. Edit: see the rest of this comment after the quote))

[Martha raises her eyebrows.]

MR: So…how do you plan to act on this realization?

RC: What do you mean?

MR: Oh, you know what I mean. Richard, how much longer are you gonna drag your heels before you tell Beckett how you feel?

[Castle shifts uncomfortably.]

MR: And I mean, while she is awake, not lying on the ground with a bullet in her chest.

((Wapaki comment, continued: I actually spell it wapaké bc that's how I was initially taught to pronounce it but other ppl say wapagi bc in cree k/g, t/d, n/ng, p/b, s/sh, & ts/ch are all both kind of considered the same. Ojibwe has different spellings but similar words: pimohte means walk, bimo'tee I think is it in ojibwe, & ojibwe is an anishinabe language so I saw an anishinabe word that meant "walk in a good way" & at first I didn't understand a thing, but then I saw the relation to the ojibwe word & I related it back to Cree. Languages are so cool. You know, I thought celtic languages would be removed from romance languages, I thought they might have a bit of german influence, but slainta means health in gaelgie (irish gaelic) & sante is health in french. That's the only relation I can remember rn but I think there was one more that I learned of recently.))

Martha is so right. I love her with all mu heart.

they are in LOVE!

RYAN NO YOU ALSO INTERRUPTED THEIR LOVE CONFESSION ACH (at least ryan is pretty)

castle it cannot wait until after the case, you never know if you have a tomorrow

This is why you turn off your gps.

That is a damn good friend!

Where did they get the audio from?

Andrew Haynes

I don't think he's planning on bombing you.

*just eating their food*

lmao he probably is not even in the 1%

She's making buddy buddy with him.

*all close to her*

lmao I hate him. Most of these people HAVE jobs, they just are still poor bc the wage is stupid. Besides, SOMEONE has to mop floors & wipe tables, who is going to do that job? They still deserve to live. Covid taught us which jobs are actually essential. Factory jobs, cashiers, medical professionals (including people like porters & janitors)

That's freidman, right? Who turned around Haynes?

Man this guy is so dumb.

& the longer you go, the more they forget & witness accounts get scrumbly.

The drummer <3 as a busker, I really respect him.

Well he's probably infamous, like that guy who plays the drum while on a skateboard in the city nearby. Everyone knows him. If he was drumming near the protest, he is probably going to be at the next protest.

I really respect him, not wanting to say anything. "I gave the wrong answer?"

Haynes should TOTALLY remain in custody.

VG: Not you Mr Castle, I have a special task for you

Me: "get out of my investigation?"

VG: I'mma get u to speedread

She actually thinks he has value uwu.

"no I'm not" she says & Iove her

ALEXIS' CHOCCY CHIP PANCAKES

Well he also does it bc he's in love with beckett

Well… they say genius… skips a generation WOW THAT'S--

Apparently, so does funny.

"Hey bobby" he says with a GUN

holy crap I need to take a pic of ryan's outfit

Man's an early greying bro.

Castle is back with COFFEE

"& I missed it?"

Castle acab moments

OH NO SHE'S NOW REVEALING THE TRAUMA THING.

Girl you can NOT remember every second of it. Different people have different reactions. Plus, at what point do you not remember?

& castle talks to her to himself

Talking to his mom. They have such a great relationship.

Maybe she didn't say anything bc she has that wall in her or bc she doesn't remember as much as she thinks

(But also bro you can't remember all of it, at what point do you not remember? Do you remember the surgery? No, they put you under. Do you remember every second of the shot & falling to the ground & that means "Every second of IT" it meaning the shot & nothing after.)

He's right. It is about MORE than books, more than HER even.

You can redirect love... & also he has worked with her for YEARS but he was pining with hope, not pining hopelessly

Castle you're communicating like a girl. You say these double entendres & half expect her to understand that you were watching.

There are only so many garage door opener frequencies out there so sometimes in big parking lots or alleys you can beep your car or try your garage door opened & someone else's will open.

*Tosses evidence bags FULL of that stuff*

He's a pickpocket?? I mean sexy ig but bro you're preying on OTHER POOR PEOPLE

The beethoven

& THEN THE MUSIC CHANGES LIKE THAT SO GOOD

Oh he has so much guilt bc he didn't mean to bomb anyone

WHY did they show freidman's photo? maybe bc he was the closest so he was chasing the backpack

RC: And since he placed the bomb between two dumpsters…

KB: He didn't think that anyone would get hurt. Then Bobby stole the backpack.

chronology!

"haranguing"

"business opportunity" lmao

How do they know it was seconds? Right they had his phone records w/o the ophone

Hold on, Westside knows that this is beethoven's 5th?

She called HIM? when?

Except when did SHE call HIM?

it was NOT the best vantage tho bc it exploded in a different place?

Except she would have had to continue reporting, she didn't just pop in for a few seconds, blow the bomb, then run to the storm drain

She KNOWS he's talking to HER but she DOUBTS it

Music recall & she gives congrats

captions said holler, sounded like he may have said yell. Does that mean he'll call her later?

LOVE HEARTBREAK GAACK

as always, thank you livejournal transcript https://scriptline.livejournal.com/64171.html

[palukoo]

okay amazing perfect thank you for the support!! i require very little encouragement to ramble <3

so, first off, general disclaimer that these are old movies-- there's gonna be some fairly egregious racism, misogyny, etc. enter at your own risk.

also, as i basically said in the original tags, there's a lot that i'm sure would go on this list that i just haven't gotten around to watching yet

i'm gonna break this down a little by rough "genre"/vibe, give some brief descriptions/info, and link to it (note: i haven't double checked all the links so if its wrong whoops sorry). but i do wanna give first just a general top 10 list. the order is rough bc i'm bad at rankings lol. i'll elaborate more on each one within those little sections under the cut.

All About Eve (1950)

The Women (1939)

Holiday (1938)

Ninotchka (1939)

His Girl Friday (1940)

Rebecca (1940)

Gaslight (1944)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The Lady Eve (1941)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

alright so now lets get into it! general note, I generally wanted discrete categories but some movies could or will be in multiple. also, from here on out, things aren't really in a particular order? the first few will tend to be favorites, but it's really not a hard and fast thing

Part 1: Screwballs!

Ninotchka (1939) - a Soviet and an aristocrat fall in love, which may not sound all that compelling, but it genuinely depicts Nina (Greta Garbo) with so much more respect and agency than you would expect. Things I think she would usually be mocked or vilified and made to atone for, she really isn't. Also, her autistic swag has bewitched me (and Melvyn Douglas) mind body and soul.

Holiday (1938) - working class man (Cary Grant) learns that his fiancee is insanely rich, though his plans to quit his job to take a vacation and find meaning in life, and his immediate witty rapport with her disillusioned, depressed sister (Katharine Hepburn), cause some issues for their intended marriage. This movie made me believe in love, and Cary Grant gets to do a lot of flips for no real reason which is fun.

His Girl Friday (1940) - newspaper woman (Rosalind Russell) is quitting her job working for her editor/ex-husband (Cary Grant) and intends to marry another man (Ralph Bellamy) and have a nice, calm, boring life, but there's a big story about political corruption and she needs the money her ex is offering her to cover it. Naturally, hijinks ensue. I'm a sucker for a news/reporter story, and Rosalind Russell does comedy so well it's crazy.

Bringing up Baby (1938) - a paleontologist (Cary Grant) just wants to get his intercostal clavicle, get his research funded, and go home to marry his extremely non-romantic fiancee, but the truly unhinged heiress (Katharine Hepburn) he keeps running into has to take care of a leopard and ropes him in on her chaos. I'm honestly underselling how wild this one is (true for most of these, really)

The Lady Eve (1941) - a con-woman (Barbara Stanwyck) and her father go after a very rich and flustered herpetologist (Henry Fonda) for his fortune, but she falls in love with him. When he learns she's conning him, he breaks it off. So naturally she decides to re-enter his life and exact her revenge via a disguise so brilliant he'll never see through it (there is basically no disguise)

The Philadelphia Story (1940) - a socialite (Katharine Hepburn) is getting married, but her ex-husband (Cary Grant), a reporter who is forced to cover this instead of real news (James Stewart), and his girlfriend/photographer (Ruth Hussey) get in the way of things, making said socialite question her views on relationships and herself. But really, to me it's about swingers <3

Ball of Fire (1941) - a nightclub dancer/moll (Barbara Stanwyck) finds refuge from the police who want her to testify against her mob boss boyfriend in a house full of professors, one of whom (Gary Cooper) is researching modern American slang but knows pretty much none of it. She knows plenty! And I feel obligated to mention that her name is Sugarpuss.

The Awful Truth (1937) - a married couple (Cary Grant & Irene Dunne) both think that the other is cheating on them, so they decide to get divorced and start pursuing other relationships. Only they also keep interfering in each other's relationships. Which could mean nothing.

My Favorite Wife (1940) - a woman (Irene Dunne) goes missing for several years, and when she is eventually declared dead, her husband (Cary Grant) remarries. When she is rescued/returned, things get complicated for the newlyweds, as her husband is still in love with her but doesn't know how to break things off with his new wife.

Note: The Talk of the Town and Design for Living would certainly be at home in this category, but I'm gonna hold off for now...

our "genres" get weirder/looser from here on

Part 2: Thrillers, Noirs, and Other Iconic Cinematography

Gaslight (1944) - do I even have to say anything for this one? A young woman (Ingrid Bergman) marries and she and her husband (Charles Boyer) move into the home she left as a child when her aunt was murdered. He begins to manipulate her into believing she is going insane so that she can't trust herself-- or be trusted by others.

Gilda (1946) - a man (Glenn Ford) begins to work for the corrupt casino owner who saved his life, quickly gaining his trust and taking on more responsibilities. The owner returns from a trip with a new wife (Rita Hayworth), who has a history with our protagonist. A lot happens from there! Note: it has an extremely unsatisfying ending imo, but I think it's still worth the watch. just be warned

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) - two sisters, one who was a very successful child star but not a very successful actress (Bette Davis), and the other who became a movie star after being largely neglected in childhood (Joan Crawford), live together largely as a result of the fact that the latter was injured in a car crash and since then has been paralyzed from the waist down. when she wants to find a way to escape her sister's volatility and outright abuse, things come to a head. Note: this movie is often considered camp. it's not really, I think people just like to trivialize old women rather than take the fact that this is a legitimate thriller seriously. hope that helps.

Mildred Pierce (1945) - when questioned by the police about her husband's murder, a woman (Joan Crawford) recounts the story of her divorce, single motherhood, and efforts and successes in starting and running a business to fulfill the needs and desires of her daughter (Ann Blyth).

Double Indemnity (1944) - an insurance salesman and a dissatisfied wife/femme fatale (Barbara Stanwyck) plot to kill her husband and stage it so that they get a large insurance payout. Everything does not go according to plan. This is a very quintessential noir.

Spellbound (1945) - a psychoanalyst (Ingrid Bergman) falls for her new boss (Gregory Peck) before realizing that he is actually suffering from amnesia and claims to have killed and taken the place of the man who was actually supposed to take the job. She doesn't believe him, and they work to find the truth. I'm half recommending this for its dream sequence tbh.

Vertigo (1958) - a retired policeman is hired as a PI to try to understand what is wrong with his old friend's wife who has been displaying odd behaviors. Her husband thinks she's being possessed by her great grandmother who committed suicide. Through his investigation and protection of her, the PI falls in love with her and tries to help her recover from her strange affliction.

The Birds (1963) - birds start attacking people like crazy! I don't know how to pitch this one except that it's a lot more about women and their relationships to each other than I was expecting

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) - three childhood friends are bound by one's accidental killing of her aunt. As adults, two of them are married, wealthy, and powerful (Barbara Stanwyck & Kirk Douglas). When the third (Van Heflin) returns to town, it brings up old feelings and worries, and highlights their differing views and desires.

Note: there's a lot of Hitchcock I could and probably should put here, but I don't think I'm really gonna be the first person to tell you to watch like, Rear Window or Psycho or even like Notorious. I know that's also true for the ones I did list, but whatever.

Additional note: Obviously Rebecca should also go here. duh. I'm just putting it elsewhere

Part 3: Emotionally Compelling Performances in Dramas? I Guess?

Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) - a woman (Rosalind Russell) is angered when she discovers that her mother is having an affair with a man she herself has feelings for while her father, who she is devoted to, (and brother) have been away at war. Things get further complicated from here. This is very much a classic family drama play turned movie.

The Heiress (1949) - a nervous and awkward woman (Olivia de Havilland) whose father resents her for not living up to his idolized memory of her dead mother falls in love and plans to elope against her fathers wishes. Her father suspects that the man is only after his daughter's money.

Now, Voyager (1942) - a nervous and awkward woman (Bette Davis) is driven to mental breakdown by her overbearing mother (Gladys Cooper). After her time at a psychiatric facility, her psychiatrist (Claude Rains) urges her to go on a cruise, where she falls in love with a married man (Paul Henreid) who only stays in his marriage because of his daughter.

An Affair to Remember (1957) - two people (Deborah Kerr & Cary Grant) meet on a cruise and fall in love, only they are both in other relationships back on shore. The longing is depicted extremely well imho.

Stella Dallas (1937) - a working class woman (Barbara Stanwyck) marries rich and has a daughter, who she is desperate to give the best possible life to. She struggles to fit into high society for her daughter's benefit as her marriage ends

The Great Lie (1941) - a man (George Brent) realizes that his impulsive marriage to a pianist/socialite (Mary Astor) is not actually legal, and soon decides to instead marry his long time on and off girlfriend (Bette Davis) and get a job as a pilot. When he goes missing and is presumed dead, the two women make a plan on how to handle the socialite's recently confirmed pregnancy.

Marked Woman (1937) - a nightclub hostess (Bette Davis) is pressured by the district attorney (Humphrey Bogart) into testifying against the mob boss who owns the club in a murder case. Shortly after, her sister comes to visit and ignores warnings about the club. Bette kind of gets to go off on Humphrey a little for like the law not caring about women and (heavily implied) sex workers.

Note: A lot of the thriller/noirs could also really easily and accurately be put here, as could some from the next category...

Additional note: A lot of Bette Davis movies could go on this list because she is always giving compelling performances, I just don't always love the surrounding movies that much. so honorable mentions: Deception, Dangerous, Of Human Bondage, Dark Victory (trigger warning: Ronald Reagan)

Part 4: Queer Themes/Queer Coded

All About Eve (1950) - a young woman (Anne Baxter) who is obsessed with a renowned theater actress (Bette Davis) makes her way into her inner circle before beginning to take over her life. It's also very funny and brilliant and Bette is so completely charismatic in it that it's crazy. If you watch one movie from this list, let it be this one.

Rebecca (1940) - a young woman (Joan Fontaine) marries a rich widower (Laurence Olivier) and is taken to live at his estate, quickly becoming frustrated and overwhelmed by how much is clearly influenced by his late wife-- particularly the housekeeper (Judith Anderson), who frightens her and was clearly obsessed with the former lady of the house. Meanwhile, she is also subject to her husband's constant critiques and outbursts.

The Talk of the Town (1942) - a labor activist (Cary Grant) takes refuge in an old friend's (Jean Arthur) house when he is falsely accused of murder. But his friend is renting her house out to a renowned law professor and soon to be Supreme Court Justice (Ronald Colman). Hiding his true identity due to the accusations against him, and with the help of his friend the activist tries to change the professor's view of the law. Oh, and they're in love.

Design for Living (1933) - two friends and artists (Fredric March & Gary Cooper) live together while struggling to find success. They meet and both fall in love with a woman, who in turn falls in love with both of them. She proposes that they all live together as platonic roommates so she can help them with their artistic careers. She does the second part of that very successfully.

The Children's Hour (1961) - two women run a school together, but their work and their lives are under threat when a student accuses them of being lesbians. This one isn't queer coded, it's just actually queer and of course quite tragic (suicide tw, and a lot of internalized homophobia leading up to it).

Part 5: Other??

The Women (1939) - a socialite (Norma Shearer) tries to navigate her next steps when she learns through gossiping friends (Rosalind Russell) that her husband is cheating on her with a shopgirl (Joan Crawford). I have to mention that this film is extremely notable in the fact that there are no men ever seen or heard in it. It is almost always talking about men, but they aren't ever actually there. This movie could also just be summarized as like "the girls are fighting." Everyone is incredible in this, truly, I am always thinking about them. This made me become obsessed with Ros and Norma (I was already obsessed with Joan)

Grand Hotel (1932) - at a hotel in Berlin, several guests' lives become briefly entangled, including a baron who has gone broke and become a thief (John Barrymore), a dying accountant (Lionel Barrymore), an uncaring industrialist working on a deal (Wallace Beery), a stenographer who wants to become an actress (Joan Crawford), and a depressed ballerina (Greta Garbo).

How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) - to be honest, I think this one is pretty self explanatory. Three women (Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable) try to find rich husbands while living together, but it's not quite that simple.

Auntie Mame (1958) - an aging, free-spirited socialite (Rosalind Russell) is given custody of her nephew when he is orphaned, and her ideals and lifestyle quickly clash with those of the bank who manages his inheritance. As her nephew is put into a private school and raised to be more conventional and upper class, she struggles at various times financially and emotionally, and they both try to maintain their close relationship despite the difficulty.

Dancing Lady (1933) - frustrated with her job as a burlesque dancer and reluctant to accept help from a rich man with clear ulterior motives (Franchot Tone), a woman (Joan Crawford) pursues a Broadway director (Clark Gable) to audition for his show. Eventually, during the course of her efforts and eventual rehearsals, she begins a relationship with the rich man as she grows closer to the director. There's a lot of dancing, which I personally enjoy.

A Letter to Three Wives (1949) - three friends (Linda Darnell, Jeanne Crain, Ann Sothern) receive a letter from another woman informing them that she has run away with one of their husbands. Because she does not specify, they all reflect on if it is their husband who has left through a series of flashbacks.

The Divorcee (1930) - when a man cheats on his wife (Norma Shearer) and tells her it didn't mean anything, she responds in kind. In outrage, he divorces her, leaving both miserable. Honestly, the reason I recommend this one is for Norma looking cute and also telling him, "I've balanced our accounts."

hi would anyone be interested in a old movie recc post/list from me?

[maggiedelusional]

Let Me Go

Pairing: Hangman x f!reader, (eventual) Rooster x f!reader

Warnings: none, very brief mention of sex, Angst, pregnancy

Word Count: 2.4k

Summary: Reader is married and shares a child with Hangman, Life and circumstance drives reader into Rooster’s arms, but Hangman isn’t giving up that easily

Author’s Note: Hi y’all, I am back from the dead. Truthfully, I haven’t written anything fiction for a freaking long time. I’m a political science major so I have been writing only research papers and journals for the past 3+ years. Please bear with me here, I don’t have an  editor or anything, will probably just make my little sister read it (but she’s the meanest person ik so it would basically be like having an editor). Anyways, I have recently become OBSESSED with Top Gun: Maverick and basically fell in love with the characters and their universe. This idea came to me as I was getting ready for work and I disassociated the entire drive thinking about this specific plot/story. Next thing I knew I was at work with no recollection of driving there lol. But I am deciding if this will continue to be a one-shot or if it should be a little mini series, let me know!

Rooster Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4tS2I0YnKUSrBOMSUCqLgh?si=6a1898d0be474904

Hangman Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2z4lAcBPvbCx19NWni8DVS?si=f7da4ba91773424e

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Italics is past

“Mommy! I can’t find my dress!” Your 4 year old daughter screams from her bedroom.

“Sweetheart, you have plenty of dresses, just pick one!”

“Not just any dress! I want the dress with daddy’s planes on it!”

You walk into her room, covered in pink pastel wallpaper with a gigantic pile of dresses greeting you and a missing 4 year old.

“Astrid! Where are you sweetie? Your dad is gonna be home soon and we need to clean this mess up.”

You see your daughter planted face down on the floor of her closet.

“Daddy is gonna hate me forever, if I don’t wear my dress!” She cries with a muffled voice.

You laugh as you shake your head, your daughter may look like you but definitely inherited her father’s flair for the dramatics.

You pick her up and sit on the ground, placing her on your lap.

“What makes you think your dad is gonna hate you if you don’t wear the plane dress?” You ask your daughter as you wipe the tears from her face.

“Because Daddy loves planes! That’s why he goes away all the time, so he could fly in the air! If I wear the plane dress then Daddy will want to stay here with us.” Astrid pouted.

Your heart breaks for your little girl. Jake’s job often took him away for sustained periods of time, often not knowing when or if he’s coming back. You never wanted to stand in the way of his dreams, and the arrangement was fine for a while. You kept busy with your job as an attorney at a large law firm, trying to pay your dues and work up to a partner. Then, on the special occasion that Jake would come home the reunion was always explosive.

What you had with Jake just worked for both of you. You were both deeply passionate and ambitious about your careers and it was comforting to know that you found someone who understood your drive. Most importantly, you loved Jake so intensely. Being with him felt like being on fire. It was the kind of love that had you screaming at each other at the top of your lungs at 3am, cursing his name, only to end with you under him as he fucked you on the nearest surface.

Getting pregnant changed that dynamic. Your mind wanders to when you first found out about your daughter.

The 3 ClearBlue Pregnancy tests sat on your bathroom sink, all adorned with the same terrifying word, “Pregnant”.

Your best friend breaks you out of your lull. “So no doubt, you are definitely pregnant, what are you gonna do?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” You reply. “This is coming at such a bad time, I’m up for an important promotion at work… and then I'm gonna have to go on maternity leave…and I can't drink alcohol or coffee!! I LOVE COFFEE. I can't stop drinking coffee! And then-” My bosses will NEVER Your best friend interrupts your tirade, “Okay (y/n) you need to breathe, stress is bad for the baby.” She says jokingly. You glare at her in response.

“Besides, you’ll have Jake right?”

“Oh shit, Jake. I forgot about that. What am I gonna tell him? This was not at all part of the plan. Kids were not even on the table!”

You suddenly hear the front door open and Jake’s booming voice as he travels up the stairs. “Hey sweets, I’m home!”

“Oh shit I forgot that he was coming back today. Quick! Hide the tests!” You toss the pregnancy tests to your best friend who fails to catch them.

“Eww no, I’m not touching those! You peed on them!”

“Come on work with me here! I don’t want Jake to see them!”

“What’s going on here? What don’t you want me to see?” You freeze as you hear your husband’s voice behind you. Jake looks on the ground to see the three discarded pregnancy tests scattered on the floor. He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Are those pregnancy tests?”

“Well this signals my exit, call me later (y/n). Jake, always a pleasure.” Your best friend says as she leaves the room.

Jake looks back and forth between you and the tests on the floor, you stand frozen in front of his gaze. Both of you break out of your daze when you hear the front door close.

“Jake…” You begin to say

“(y/n), please tell me those pregnancy tests aren’t yours.” Jake interrupts.

“Well I can’t because they are…” You reply with a sigh.

“So you’re… we’re pregnant?” Jake asks.

“Yes…” You respond meekly, bracing yourself for an argument and possibly a yell. Instead you were surprised to feel a set of strong arms around you.

“I can’t believe it, Sweets! I’m gonna be a daddy!” Jake smiles into the hug.

“You’re…happy?” You were very, very, confused. “I thought you didn’t want kids?”

“I know we haven’t talked about it, but I want a family with you (y/n). And I know that things are hard because I’m always away and you’re busy kicking ass as a lawyer, but I think we’re ready” Jake admits, giving you a soft smile.

“Jake, I’m scared. What if I’m not a good mother, I’m too career focused and I can’t be the doting wife and mother that you and our future child deserve.”

“Don’t say that (y/n) you are the smartest, most passionate, caring…” “And the hottest woman I know.” Jake adds with a smirk “You have been an amazing partner and I know you'll be an even better mother.”

You smile as you embrace Jake and pull him down for a kiss. “I love you Jake.” You tell him after you pull away. “I love you too Sweets.” He replies “And I promise I will be around more, even if it means saying no to missions. I wanna be able to see our baby Hangman grow up”

Except he didn’t keep that promise. He did take a leave after finding out you were pregnant and was home throughout most of your pregnancy and the birth of your daughter. But when he got called back to Miramar for a special detachment, he couldn’t say no. He came back from the mission still the cocky and self assured man that you loved but something had changed. After not being chosen to fly the mission and left as reserve he felt like he had something to prove. So every mission, every detachment, anything the Navy would give him he’d ship out. He had to prove that he was a better pilot than Rooster. Bradley Bradshaw, of course you knew your husband's rival, but that’s something to think about for later.

This resulted in huge rifts in your marriage. You were passed on for promotions and big cases because you had to miss meetings and retreats to take care of your daughter. Everytime Jake promised you he would come home, a new mission would come up that he couldn’t pass up. He missed out on Astrid’s first steps, her first words, the first day of kindergarten. So when he told you a month ago that he was coming home you honestly did not expect him to actually come.

You were used to Jake not coming home when he said he would, but your daughter whose eyes were full of hope and adoration for Jake still believed his empty promises and you did not want her little heart to be exposed to disappointment just yet. So if Jake bails again, you will actually kill him.

You pull yourself out of your thoughts and reply to your daughter.

“Sweetheart, your daddy loves you too! Not just planes, and you know all he wants to do is spend all of his time with you. Your dad just has a very important job and he does it to keep you safe.” You tuck your daughter’s stray hair out of her face.

“Now no more tears, you don’t want your daddy to see you crying and think you’re not happy to see him right?” You teasingly say to your daughter. Astrid gets up with the renewed energy only a toddler could have.

“No! Of course not mommy!” She screams as she runs back into her bedroom.

You pull yourself off the ground and follow your daughter into the room. You spend the next 20 minutes folding the giant pile of dresses and your very eager daughter putting them back in the closet. This pays off because you eventually find the infamous plane dress. Your toddler breaks out into squeals after seeing that you found her dress.

“THANK YOU THANK YOU!! I'm going to put it on before daddy gets here!!”

You smile to yourself as you watch Astrid run to change.

You walk downstairs to make sure that the rest of the house is in order, while Jake never complains about the mess, you know as a Navy man, cleanliness and order is hardwired into his brain. When you see that the house is to your standard, you sit on the couch, happy for a minute of peace after a busy morning.

After a few minutes you hear keys unlocking the front door signaling Jake’s return. You watch as Jake pulls his pack into the house and takes off his shoes, he stops as he feels your gaze on him. He gives you his signature cocky smile “Sweets!”

You were about to reply but instead was interrupted by the loud boisterous yell of your daughter.

“DADDY!”.

Astrid runs down the stairs and throws herself into her father’s arms.

Jake catches Astrid and spins her around in his arms.

“Well hi there Pixie! Did you miss me?” Jake smiles at your daughter.

Jake had a big sweet tooth, he loved chocolates and candies like he was an 8 year old boy. It was something you noticed when you first started dating, which is why he gave you the nickname “Sweets”. He couldn’t resist a Hershey’s bar when he was on leave and his love for Reese's cups was unmatched. You later found out that his favorite candy (for the life of you, you could figure out why out of all the candies in the world this was his favorite) were pixie stix. He always told you that he avoided candy whenever he was on mission, leaving it as a sweet treat at home after a job well done. But you couldn’t help but sneak a pack of KitKats and of course Pixie Stix whenever he left for deployment, staying true to your nickname.

When Astrid was born, you couldn’t believe how much love he held in his eyes for the little pink bundle, and you knew that she would have him wrapped around her finger forever. He nicknamed her Pixie, after his favorite candy.

“Look at my dress daddy!” Astrid exclaims as Jake places her on the ground. She twirled and ran around the room and you wondered how such a small human can have this much energy.

“Are those F-18s?” Jake asks you. You chuckle while nodding your head. “Where the hell did you find a dress with F-18s made for children?” Jake asks amusingly.

“I think you seem to forget how good I am at online shopping.” You reply with a smile, “and your daughter here INSISTED that she just HAD to have a dress with her daddy’s planes on them.”

Astrid smiles as she hugs her father’s legs. “Well you have a good eye there (y/n)”

“Thanks Jake.” You reply before sitting up from the couch and patting down your work skirt.

“Well I have to head out to work, I have a big case with lots of depositions to go over so I probably won't be home until after 7.” You inform him.

You crouch down to your daughter's level. “You’re gonna spend the day with Daddy. Remember to not let him eat too much candy, and make sure you don’t mess up your room again, okay sweetheart?” Astrid nods in response.

“Why aren’t you spending the day with us mommy? Daddy just came home!” Jake gives you a sad look.

You open your mouth to reply but before you could answer Jake tells your daughter “You know how daddy has to go away for his job sometimes? Well mommy also has an important job defending good guys so she has to go away for a few hours, but she’ll be back in time to tuck you in.”

Astrid looks down in disappointment but nods. “I just want to be with both of you, it’s been a long time since you’ve come home daddy.”

Your heart stings in pain knowing that your daughter didn’t know the rift that is currently between you and her father.

“I promise, after I go to work today, I will spend the rest of the week with you and your dad, okay sweetheart?” Astrid’s pout finally turns into a smile “Okay mommy! And we could all play and watch movies and bake cookies…and-”

You laugh as you pull your daughter into a hug. “Of course! I love you and I will see you later okay baby?”

“OKAY!” Astrid screams as she runs to her room to get her toys to play with. You and Jake watch her run up the stairs and disappear down the hallways.

You start to give Jake instructions

“All her snacks are in the pantry, there’s some chicken nuggets and fries in the freezer, but if she doesn’t want that you can always get her pizza or get a can of chicken noodle soup, she loves soup for some reason..” You stop your monologue when you notice Jake staring at you.

“I missed you Sweets” Jake says softly looking at your face.

You finally stop to look at him, still handsome as ever with his muscles apparent under his white shirt. He looked good, a little sadness in his eyes but you remind yourself that it would be a mistake to ask any questions.

You offer him a small smile as you put on your work pumps.

You open the front door and walk out of the house. You hear him ask a question that stops you in your tracks,

“You’re going to see him aren’t you?”

You feel a heavy weight settle on your chest, tears welling up in your eyes. Gathering just enough strength to look back at him,

“I’ll see you later, Jake.”

[ggukkiereads]

Fic Recs | Fake Dating AUs

This is based on asks for fake dating fics. Most of these favorites are reblogged with reviews. Others are still ongoing series I am reading whenever there is an update.

Members are organized per number of fake dating participation 😂

Jungkook

Mutual Help @personasintro​ - [39/?] | literally the only reason I visit Wattpad. | semi fake dating AU, Bestfriend AU, FWB AU, Slow Burn | F, S, A  

Aphrodite in War @jungblue​ - [2/?] | Exes AU, Fake Dating, Fratboy/Greek Life, Roommate AU, Enemies to Lovers  | F, S, A    (one of my favorite authors too! Like read all her fics)

Bitchin @kinktae​ - series [10/10 + 10 Years After] | fake dating, college au, jock!jk, smart!reader, E2L #holygrailfic (⭐)  

Blush @jhsbrat​ - JJK | one shot | friends to lovers, feat Jin (I remember looking everywhere for this because I thought the author deactivated 😭 so I was glad it got reposted)

The Proposal @hansolmates​ - JJK one shot | editor!jungkook x assistant, like the movie The Proposal

My Euphoria @moyochu​ - JJK | one shot | CEO!JK, Florist!OC, bought chocolate cosmos from her shop for his Mom and a plan ensues when OC needed a fake boyfriend (I reco’d this during one network’s JK’s week last year because I just adore how fluffy this fic is I binged on their fluffy catalog one time and I recommend their other works!)  

Proposals @pjxmin - JJK | one shot | pretend proposals to get free food from restaurants 🤭

Dating Plan @/jjkthclub - JJK | one shot | enemies to lovers, childhood friends, actually it’s more of a “Dating Trial” just so the moms will leave them alone (🥰)  

Piss Off Your Parents @littlemisskookie​ - JJK | one shot | Rich Kids who hate the pressure from their parents but JK is a rebel and OC roomed with him (and fake dated him) to piss off the parents (⭐)  

Love to Hate You @latetaektalk​ - JJK | series [4/?]  | fratboy! AU, fake dating! AU, college! AU, enemies to lovers! AU, rich kid! AU, angst, fluff 

Anpanman @honeymoonjin​ - JJK | one shot | fake date to get therapy (this is also hilarious?!?! like ridiculous premise but the author made it work. Anyway the link leads to my reblog and you can read my comments if you need convincing 🤭)  

Moonlight Melody + Part 2 @/gukyi  - JJK | two shot | 50k |  fake dating, orchestra AU (part of this fic rec list)

Coffee Shop Contract @/gukyi - JJK | one shot | 18k |  fake dating, college AU  

Better Late Than Never @rosaetae​ - JJK drabble, exes AU, fake dating (I love this scenario, there’s one funny moment here with Jungkook saying his feelings through a door) 

End Game @minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong - JJK | one shot | 12.1k | soccer player x cheerleader, fake dating AU, ex-Namjoon  

One Thing Right by hobios (now on AO3) - JJK | series [8/8] | more on fake marriage than fake dating but I’m throwing this in because this is my #holygrailfic  

Play Pretend @seokoloqy - JJK | one shot | 8.6k |  Athlete AU, Jock AU, Soccer Player!JK, Fake Dating AU, Friends to Lovers AU | S, A

The B.S.T. Mission @singguks - JJK | 11.2k | Secret Agents AU, Fake Dating AU | A, F, S ~ ongoing [3/?]

ILYSB @rkiverse - JJK | one shot | 11.1k | idol au, broken-hearted jungkook, love clinic staff reader, fake dating but not really (more of part of therapy) | F, A

It’s All Fun and Games @/cupofteaguk - JJK | one shot | slow burn, set up on blind date so they pretended to be dating to shut others up 🥰  

Collar Full @minloop​ - JJK | fluff, smut, friends to lovers, college au, ‘fake dating’ au for Jungkook's love project  

True Care @joonsgalaxy​ - JJK | series [7.5/?] | bodyguard!jungkook fake dating   

Baby I’m a Fool @suhdays​ - JJK | one shot | enemies to lovers, coworker  

Blank Check @pantaemonium​ and @sugaxjpg​ - JJK |  series [5/?] | fake dating AU, college AU, fratboy AU, fuckboy AU, jock!jk (been following this fic for years 🥰)

Beautiful Confession @btsracket​ - JJK | one shot | Friends to Lovers, OC just lost her job + boyfriend and only childhood friend to turn to

It Takes Two @junghelioseok​ - JJK | one shot | Christmas AU, fake dating, roommate au

From Home @gyukult​ - JJK | series [12/12] | rich kid!jk (but he was cut off and has to learn how to earn on his own), baker!reader, enemies to lovers, fake dating   

I Wished I missed My Ex @angelguk​ - JJK | one shot | College AU, Fake Dating

The Wedding Date @jjungkookislife​ - JJK | one shot | fake date for wedding  

💜 Jungkook is Over Party (#JungkookisOverParty) @extravaguk​ - series [4/?] | 11k+ | Fake Dating, College AU, Himbo!JK, Smart!Reader | F (so far)

→ Fics with parts/chapters of fake dating:

Cream and Sugar @gukslut -  series [6/6] | Smut, Humor, Escort AU, Barista AU, Enemies to Lovers, Asshole!Jungkook (this is also a gem! must read)  🥕

Midas @/gukyi - one shot | enemies to lovers, magical realism, CEO AU, OC has invisibility and JK turns stuff into gold . (okay just a segment where they pretended in front of the parents  

Fuckboy Jungkook Who Quotes Gatsby Part 5  Part 6   @btsinspirationtakesme - drabble series [6/6] | Fuckboy AU, Nerd!Reader, Enemies to Lovers, using literary quotes to win OC (Shakespeare, FS Fitzgerald, Neruda, etc) (so this is actually surprisingly cute?!?! I don’t even remember how I discovered this fic. Anyway there is one chapter where they fake date) 

Taehyung

Kismesis @jjkthclub​ - KTH | it’s pretend to be a couple during a wedding expo (for free food! like I would do the same lol)

The Holi-date @kpopfanfictrash​ - KTH | This neighbor!Taehyung is just...memorable you know? It’s a great romcom piece 🥰 

Love at First Oink @glodenclosetau - KTH | the only SMAU I’m putting here because this is a MUST READ. It has written parts and this is just the fluffiest cutest SMAU (also the first I’ve read in full because I have the tendency to read and miss on smau episodes before)  

Can’t Fake a Feeling @bubmyg​ - KTH, F2L, Fake Dating, College AU, Fuckboy  

Schemes and Tricks to Win Her Heart @crystaljins​ - KTH feat KSJ | series [5/5] | Fake Dating Chaebol/Rich Seokjin, Taehyung is Jin’s Little Brother, and OC is Tae’s bestfriend  (⭐) 

X and O @army-author​ KTH | fake dating, single parent, teacher AU 

False Pretense @v-hope​ - KTH | one shot | Fake Dating AU | F, slight A

La La Land by hoseokiehope (used to be on tumblr) - KTH | one shot | throwing this in because this is also a classic  

Crush Culture @chaangbin - KTH | fluff, angst, fake dating au, childhood friends to lovers, idiots to lovers, smut  

The Platinum Rule @taecalicook - KTH | two shot | you can read the JJK since this is a spin-off (but nor required), fuckboy!taehyung, fratboy  

Yoongi

Playing with Fire @houseofdemi-blog - MYG | series [8/8] |  Fake Dating AU, Rich Girl AU, Producer Yoongi, Bad Boy AU (this is a classic. a really great fic)  

First and Last Love @floralseokjin​ - MYG | Christmas AU, Exes who needed to pretend they’re still together because they haven’t told the family yet about the break up (this is 👌)  

When The Stars Align @itskimtaehyung​ - MYG | one shot | College AU, Roommates, cuffing season

The Heart Holiday @vanaera - MYG | series [3/5] | 92.3k | Office AU, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Dating AU  

Switching My Positions @cupofteaguk - MYG | solo artist!yoongi, manager!y/n, fake dating au, friends to lovers au 

Maybe So @joonary​ - MYG | two shot? [1/?] | fake date someone you already have feelings for (you have to read this - just so fluffy) 

Everglow @dreamyjoons - MYG | series [4/4] vague fake dating au, friends to lovers

Veil feat PJM @ddaenghoney​  - series [20/20] | slow burn, unrequited love, love triangle, fwb (pjm), producer!yoongi

Ink Nemesis @scriptaed​ - series [7/7] | fake dating, paparazzi!oc, idol

Seokjin

Better With You @ve1vetyoongi​​ - KSH | series [2/3] | help him inherit his trust-fund-baby-fortune  

Courtship Chronicles @/gukyi  - KSJ | one shot | friends to lovers, fake dating to show how fun dating could be  

Raspberry Truffles @gukyi​ - KSJ | one shot | F2L, fake dating

The Money Project @namjoonchronicles​ - KSJ | series [2/?] | fake marriage actually, they don’t like each other but Seokjin’s parents like her and he needs her to get on parents’ good graces  

Too Good To Be True @hueseok​ - KSJ | series [7/?] | college au, idiots to lovers, 10 things I Hate About You  

Taming of Bridezilla @cinnaminsvga​ - KSJ | one shot | fake date to least favorite cousin’s wedding

Jimin

Fake It Till It Works @glassbangtan​ - PJM | one shot | panicked and told Hoseok he has a GF and he’s looking for one who could pretend, Best Friend AU

Remedy for Mondays @dovechim​ - PJM | series [4/4] | Co-worker AU, Fake Pregnancy AU (lol), Fake Dating AU, fake baby daddy 😅 🥕

Happily Glazed @/bubmyg​ - PJM | one shot | fake date to cousin’s wedding, slice of life  

Call Me Baby @hueseok​ - PJM | one shot | friends to lovers, roommate au, college au

Namjoon

My Blood, Your Tears @nottojay​ - KNJ | series [5/?] | fake dated Namjoon who is the rival of her brother’s gang, Mafia AU (it’s incomplete though but good for bookmarking)

Until You Make It @versigny​ - KNJ | one shot | Christmas setting, co-workers   

My Only Wish @ppersonna - KNJ | one shot | Christmas AU, E2L, idiots to lovers  

Hoseok

Fakeation @theunknowncryptid​ - JHS | SMAU |  Inspired by the movie Just Go With It

Fake Love @aquaminwrites​ - JHS | Fake dating AU, enemies to lovers, fluff, smut, minor angst (you have to read all of the writer’s fics. her fics are just amazing. promoting her Taehyung fic Paper Cranes which is a favorite of mine too)  

*there is one Hoseok fic I really like but it was last updated in 2019 😥 so I didn’t include anymore but that’s such a great fic

There are new fake dating fics I’ve seen recently but I haven’t read them yet. Once I get to read them, I’ll update this with ones I’d like to recommend

🌷 posted: 2021 May 07 | updated: 2021 June 12 (indicated with a 💜)

🌷 other lists

🌷 I love to read so feel free to recommend a fic =)

[curmudggeon]

Southern Hope (Arthur Morgan x Female Reader)

❝ If by any chance...in another lifetime, we happen to see each other again, I'll come and find you. And I'll make you fall in love with me, over and over again ❞

In which romance novelist, Mary-Beth under the pen name of Leslie Dupont, writes a coming of age love story based on her favourite gang members in the past, You and Arthur.

Trigger Warnings; Violence | Blood | Angst | Sexual Intentions

A/N: This is a project I've been working on for quite a while. I had the idea in mind when I had the chance to experience the musical composition of Aaron Copland's quintessential American Dream, 'Appalachian Spring' -one of my favourite pieces with such a beautiful storyline. And I wanted to retell it in the form of a book that is available on my Wattpad (ongoing) for you to enjoy from Mary-Beth's POV. I hope you show love to this book as much as I loved writing it. Have a sneak peek at the prologue!

Read on Wattpad here for more chapters to come!

PROLOGUE

Leslie Dupont; Mary-Beth Gaskill

Lemoyne, Saint Denis

November 1907

-

“Mademoiselle Dupont, we expect your next manuscript to be submitted by next summer. Now is not the time to be reminiscing.”

Here we go again

Mary-Beth sighed as her editor, Céline Laurent, had warned her once more for not meeting the deadline to her books. She was in a crucial position in her life. After her debut as a romance novelist, The Lady of The Manor was an instant best-seller across the country. It was the kind of thing she specializes in, silly ol’ romances.

“I promise you, I’ll get it done by then.” Or maybe, at least not for now. She shouldn't have promised something she couldn’t keep, especially in the meantime.

“I’ll take your word for that, if you don’t meet the deadline by then. Y’know what will happen to your contract, Leslie.” Céline stood at the door frame of Mary-Beth’s office with hands on her hips and raised eyebrows.

She knew exactly what she had meant. In fact, she knew the consequences on the back of her head when she first signed that contract with her publishing company. Two more books were requested of her. Or else she would be evicted of her apartment and be forced to live along the streets of Saint Denis for the rest of her life. A life of luxury slipping between her fingers.

“Yes, ma’am,” Mary-Beth disclaimed, the moment her editor slammed the door as she left her office. Heaving yet another exaggerated sigh, she crosses her arms on the grand rosewood desk, flopping her head on top of it. “What am I going to do now…” She murmured into the crevice of her arms.

Mary-Beth was in the middle of a major writer’s block for a few months now. She lost sight of that imaginative space of hers, consisting of the most swoon-worthy romances to the picture-perfect life she portrayed through her characters. A part of Mary-Beth that her readers absolutely adored. But, her head was now a clouded space of everlasting void. It was difficult for Mary-Beth to come into terms of writing again, but she couldn’t quite identify what had put her into this position.

Once she gathered the courage to write again, it all came crashing down like violent tidal waves when she came face to the daunting blank page of nothingness —almost drowning her.

It was as simple as that. Come to work, have a cup of tea, sit down, and a blank page.

Every. Damn. Time.

Maybe it was because she was already nearing her mid-thirties, and she hasn’t found someone to sweep her off her feet. Maybe it was when she first held Tilly’s baby that she found the need to be a mother someday. Maybe it was the overwhelming response towards her writing, she felt the need to hide away into an abyss. Or maybe she couldn’t stop thinking about the time she had come across John again after so many years that the memories just come flooding back.

Or maybe, just, maybe. It was because it’s November.

The most dreaded time of the year. November, in which the seemingly fearsome Van der Linde gang had officially broken up. Guns were fired, ties were broken and deaths were grieved. An unforgettable, painful memory.

She would often think about campfire songs, the girls and, Miss Grimshaw’s constant nagging about undone chores. Oh, how best of friends Céline and Miss Grimshaw would have been if she had heard Mary-Beth had been slacking again. It was her coping mechanism, think more about the good times to get rid of the bad ones.

Mary-Beth remembered when she took in her hands at being a matchmaker. Prancing around the camp, she would eye her two best contenders. You and Arthur.

She knew from the start when you had laid your eyes on each other for the first time, she could see through the inexplicable connection in between. You were both extremely awkward when it came to small-talk or addressing each other as you walked by across camp. However, it never stopped Arthur to come to camp as soon as he could just so he could see you, even just for a second.

The conversation would often start with Arthur while on his way to Dutch’s tent,

“Hey,”

“Hey.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Yea sure…”

—and that would be it.

At the same time, every single day, at the course of sunset.

You poor socially inept fools.

Mary-Beth, Tilly, and Karen would always see the interaction happen in the middle of their afternoon chores. Grinning from ear to ear. They would elbow each other whenever there was something different about the correspondence.

One time, you would walk past him, suddenly kissing him on the cheek and scurrying away.

Arthur would stop in his tracks, stunned, with a hand-over where your kiss tingled on his skin. Then he would look back at you as you laid down, smiling to yourself against a tree with a book in your hands. And Dutch would yell his name, knocking him out of his stupor before he noticed he was staring for a little too long.

The girls would start applauding for your heroic performance, it was like a groundbreaking plot twist Mary-Beth couldn’t wait to write about when the idea came into mind.

The both of you were like a walking excruciating slow, slow-burn romance novel. That was when Mary-Beth would cue in her entrance as matchmaker as soon as the interaction slowly died down. Your story had to have a happily ever after in her book.

She would pester you and Arthur separately, mentioning each other’s names and slipping in hints of romantic intentions from the other side so the both of you can address whatever this relationship was.

Mary-Beth knew it was a mission accomplished the night Sean was rescued back to Horseshoe Overlook. When she stood aside of the camp watching Dutch and Molly ballroom dancing into the moonlight, she caught a glimpse of you and Arthur behind them. Running into the woods, hand in hand, giggling to yourselves like prepubescent teenagers.

After that night, it was a considered job well done when your chance encounters slowly turned into planned ones. He would take you on dates, and you would show him affection like nobody’s business. A perfect couple, your American dream.

Until it became a nightmare.

And Arthur had passed,

your Arthur.

Ever since then, Mary-Beth wondered what had happened to you. Were you still alive after all these years? She couldn’t imagine how hard you must be coping with the news. Or what if you didn’t know at all? Even when she asked John and Tilly, they said you disappeared that night he passed.

Not even a single trace. Where were you?

Mary-Beth dismissed the thought out of her head, lifting her head away from the desk. She had to let go of these memories for her own well-being. For what seemed like yesterday were merely years ago. But it couldn’t have hurt to reminisce just a bit, for old times sake.

The story of You and Arthur was unwritten, left to collect dust from the lack of content. The perfect example of a sepia-tinted photograph, forgotten. Mary-Beth believed the both of you deserved something much more than a devastating ending. She wasn’t as ruthless as the other authors she had met that held an iron fist when killing off their characters. Mary-Beth wasn’t like that.

And the idea came to mind. She was a romance novelist for a reason; to fulfil all the possibilities for the unconditional love you shared.

And so Mary-Beth picked up her beautiful fountain pen,

She began to write on the great desk in her quiet room.

To write the most beautiful story of the century,

You and Arthur. Arthur and you.

A perfect couple. The American Dream.

A life that could have been so much more,

A life to remember…

[aelinshryvrs]

HELP BRAZILIAN READERS

so, in brazil, we have this gigant publisher called ‘galera record’ and and they publish most of the big titles and authors (here’s a list of some authors and books, but there are many more)

the problem begins with the absurd price they put on the books. it’s so expansive, most people can’t afford it. when they released koa (one year after the book was launched) it was cheaper to buy the original, hardcover, signed copy then the portuguese one. but then you say “okay, it’s expansive, but you’re paying for a high quality product, so it’s worth it” right? no.

here are some of the problems we have with this publisher:

1. the translations

i’m going to use a recent exemple, but you can find stuff like this in basically all their books.

they released the brazilian version of house of earth and blood, by sarah j maas this semester, and it was one of the most expected books of the year. they whitewashed ALL the non white characters. Hunt, Fury, Juniper, Isaiah... you name it, they whitewashed. it was absurd. all the fans ware so angry, we made it to the trends and they said that in the next edition they were going to fix it. but if you had already bought it, it’s your problem. you keep the racist copy or pay for the new one.

like i said, you can find things like this in most of their books. here we have Raphael from tmi (Cassie Clare) saying “i’m not gay. i’m not straight. i’m not interested.”, and they turned to “i’m not gay. I’m straight. i’m not interested.”

they literally changed his sexuality

and this is an old book, they never fixed. besides changing characters races, skin color and sexuality (among other absurd things), their books are poorly translated. wrong words, characters names spelled wrong, changes in the original texts that are not necessary or make sense

2. bad quality of the books

besides the poor translation, the books have a low quality. like, really low.

the paper they use it’s terrible and gets yellow with months (in the pictures, 1° one is books that i have for six years from other publishers and 2° have 3/4 years)

we’ve been complaining about this for YEARS, they aways say they will change the papers, but never do.

besides this we have other problems: books with missing chapters, books with the pages glued together, with whole pages missing, the bumps of the books not aligned, literally anything you can think about. and yet they put an absurd price no one can afford

3. lack of professionalism

this one is the most recent one. yesterday, the main editor of the publisher was “talking” against pirate books. i understand. it’s her job. but then she compared piracy with RAPE, RACISM AND MURDER and then made this joke, referring to a case that is running here in brazil, where a girl’s rapist was sentenced with “guilt rape”, witch is basically saying he didn’t meant to rape her. that’s not even legal and it’s so so so disgusting and wrong. we are still fighting to have justice brought to this case and this girl, and the main editor of one of the biggest publisher in the country had the nerve and lack of character to make a joke saying that reading in illegal epubs is “guilt piracy.”, when most people who read in illegal forms don’t have the money to buy books. we don’t have many libraries. it’s either read in epubs or don’t read at all. so besides having no compassion with all these peoples, she used an serious and disgusting issue as a joke.

that’s not the first time she’s involved in cases like this, and yet she was never fired or reprimanded. they just ignore it, because she’s the heir of the publisher, so i guess it’s okay she does this kind of thing

we are basically hostage of this publisher because it buys all the big titles and it’s either give them money or don’t read the books we love so much.

most of us cant read in english or cant afford to buy international copies, so if we want our favorites, we need to buy it from them. the reason for this thread is to ask you to help us bring attention to this. we are tired of the disrespect this is and we want authors to know who their selling their work to, and to know what is happening here. so please, tag the authors, publishers, managers ANYONE you can think of that will read this and be able to do something to help. please. we are so tired of having to deal with this, we just don’t know what to do.

thanks for reading, i’m so sorry for any mistakes, and please share this and tag people

UPDATES: AUTHORS WHO SAW THIS AND MADE A STATEMENT

angie thomas

kalynn bayron

brittainy c cherry

rory power

kami garcia

holly black

v.e schwab

sarah j maas

shelby mahurin

colleen hoover

sabaa tahir

anthony horowitz

aiden thomas

cassie clare

we reached to every author i mentioned and more. thank you so much to everyone who helped us, it means the world to us!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, March 16

WILLOW: Yeah. So, how was your summer vacation? HARMONY: Well I was gonna go to France. But I didn't. I was dying to see the stores. WILLOW: Yeah, and the museums. HARMONY: Museums? WILLOW: Yeah, I heard they have them. You know, just a rumor you pick up on the streets. (They laugh.) HARMONY: You were always so funny Willow. You haven't changed a bit. WILLOW: No, you neither. HARMONY: Oh, maybe a little.

~~In The Harsh Light of the Day~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Haloran and Elandra by Liloldme (Buffy, LOTR xover, Not Rated)

Willow's Revelation by AJ Fields (myfanfiction) (Willow, Tara, T)

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Potters - Ch. 1 by BrennaLynn (Willow/Buffy, Harry Potter xover, T)

Slayers in New Orleans - Ch. 1-3 by daviderl (The Originals xover, T) COMPLETE!

The Job - Ch. 2 by JadeWine (Xander, Spike, Buffy, M) COMPLETE!

Glimpse into the Void - Ch. 8 by JadeWine (multiple xovers, M) COMPLETE!

Nights Like This - Ch. 6 by ashcrashed (Buffy/Spike, E) COMPLETE!

Here we go again, the two of us - Ch. 5 by LJ94 (wastedperfume) (Buffy/Spike, Tara/Willow, T) COMPLETE!

Athena Luthor - Slayer Travels - Ch. 54 by Hermione2be (Buffy, Smallville xover, T) COMPLETE!

Here we go again, the two of us - Ch. 5 by LJ94 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) COMPLETE!

The Rocky Road to Dublin - Ch. 7 by fortes775 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Better the Devil You Know - Ch. 18 by SlayrGrl (Buffy/Spike, R)

Bleeding Poetry - Ch. 86 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) COMPLETE!

Gods and Starships - Ch. 1 by Sithicus (Xander, Star Trek and Stargate xover, FR18)

Bleeding Poetry - Ch. 86 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Frosty - Ch. 1-5 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

My Oh My - Ch. 1-5 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, R)

Unclaimed Property - Ch. 16 by PuckRobin (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The DeSoto - Ch. 16 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

Trying - Ch. 13 by Pet35 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Fire Starter - Ch. 15 by Teuntje (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Want, Take, Have - Ch. 12-13 by bookishy (Buffy/Spike, R)

Behind Blue Eyes - Ch. 15 by Passion4Spike (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Jigsaw - Ch. 16 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, R)

Make Me Stay - Ch. 16 by Grief Counseling (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Mad Hatter - My Cuppa Tea - Ch. 16 by MissLuci (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Little Conversations - Ch. 16 by Chelle (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Recs & In Search Of]

Bangelus (Buffy x Angelus) fics recced by iwillrememberyoumarathon

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset: Giles in every Episode S1:E01 - Welcome to the Hellmouth (summary) by thecrazyknight

[Fandom Discussions]

POLL: Tournament Round 3: Battle of Shadow Selves (Faith Lehane vs Spike) by all-seeing-ifer

[judging some characters watsonian and other doylist - fandom meta] by fiapple

When Tara did her dance routine in the park by ILLYRIAN

Discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #17 (cont'd) by Taake

Discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #18 (cont'd) by Taake

Discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19 (cont'd) by Taake

Bad Horror Movies Featuring... [BTVS actors in horror movies] by Beached-Peach

Faith [did she properly repent?] by ROTEFitz

[David Boreanaz's] Irish accent in flashbacks is APPALLING by whenhoundsapart

SMG is such a great actress. Both she and Eliza did a fantastic job in This Year’s Girl and Who Are You? by Humble_Cucumber_5600

James Marsters and Whedon's relationship by journalist Teresa Jusino from the NYCC Panel Spotlight back in 2010. posted by MaterialGorlx

POLL: writers had absolutely no clue what to do with... by Opening_Knowledge868

Watching Angel for the first time and just finished Apocolypse, Nowish and want to actually puke by Natchamatcha

POLL: Battle of the Episodes Poll by Captainoats88

Where would you hide The Key? [not Dawn] by misscatied

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

90s Con March 17-19 in Hartford, CT [Julie/Darla replaces Amber/Tara] via dontkillspike

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[earnestly-endlessly]

Hi, how are you? Your blog is amazing and your recommendations have already allowed me to read wonderful stories, so thank you so much! I wonder if you could suggest me any cherik fics of them as detectives? I remember reading one a long time ago, but unfortunately I don't know the name and even less the synopsis. Thank you in advance for your help.

Thank you so much @remember5novemberv for your kind words. I'm so sorry this took me so long but I hope you enjoy this list. There are some excellent detective AUs in this fandom so you're in for a treat.

Cherik Detective AUs

Their Mouths Always Lie – keire_ke

Summary: Charles adheres to most police protocols like they are a personal code of conduct. Erik gets things done and over with, for better or worse. Raven knows what she's doing, most of the time. The serial killer kills, regardless. Police AU.

Guilty by Association – Reagan

Summary: While investigating the homicide of a John Doe who he suspects might've been murdered while working the streets as a prostitute, Detective Erik Lehnsherr finds an unexpected ally in a hooker named Charles who seems as determined as he to solve the case. As they become more deeply involved both with the case and each other, there's just one thing that Charles neglects to mention -- that he's really an investigative journalist, one quickly convinced that what they're dealing with is more than simple murder. cop!Erik, fake-hooker-slash-reporter!Charles, Modern AU.

Incy Wincy Spider – Tawabids

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a renowned homicide detective, with his husband Charles at home and his partner on the job, Moira MacTaggert. When a twisted serial killer starts targeting mutants, Erik and Moira are the perfect team for the job, especially since Erik himself is the mutant poster-boy of an NYPD trying to improve their image.

But what they don't yet know is that the serial killer is an old soul out of Erik's past, and his next move is to pull Charles into his web.

The Theory of Partnership Dynamics – Pangea

Summary: “Detective Lehnsherr, how wonderful to see you out on the job!” The fed in the front greets him as they draw nearer. He’s shorter than the other two by a full head, and he’s beaming at Lehnsherr as if completely undeterred by Lehnsherr’s paint-peeling scowl.

“What do the feds want?” Lehnsherr asks bluntly.

“You know I can’t tell you that,” the fed answers cheerfully. Then his gaze lands on Alex, and, impossibly, his grin gets even brighter. “Did you get a new partner?"

“No,” Lehnsherr says through his teeth while at the same time Alex says, “Yes.”

Charles’ Killer – luchia

Summary: When detective Charles Xavier finds himself hunting down a vendetta-driven serial killer, it doesn't take long for him to realize he's in over his head. It only takes a little longer for him to realize his killer is, too.

Demoted – JayPendragon

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is a detective-specialist with the NYPD Mutant Tactical Unit, ready to help out where his skills are needed. Or he would be, if he and his partner hadn’t been demoted. For the next four months, he is patrolling the Lenox Hill precinct with Azazel – if he doesn’t die of boredom first.

One night they are called in to investigate a potential case of domestic violence, yet the tenant assures them he is both alone and unharmed. However, there is something about this Charles Xavier that compels Erik to follow up.

Watching the Detectives – Clocks

Summary: Detectives Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are good friends and colleagues. However, when they go undercover at a Christmas party to nab a prime suspect, Erik keeps reminding himself to stay professional and ignore feelings of unexpected jealousy.

Oh, Sinnerman (Where you gonna run to?) – TintagelCastle (orphan–account)

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr is one of the best homicide detectives in New York. From small time stabbings to high end mob hits, Erik (and his equally scary partner Logan) makes sure all the bad guys get caught, searching for the final clue to nail his mother's killer. As a string of murders draws the net ever tighter on Erik's life's work, he needs to catch the nightmare of his past whilst continuing to be the darling of the Force...

And so what if he's completely in love with the British guy on Forensics? Who's he ever going to tell?

Wrap up my bones – waifornight

Summary: Damaged detective Erik Lehnsherr is grimly searching for a serial killer whose victims all have extraordinary gifts. But without any clues or leads he and his partner Logan are in the dark. Until Charles Xavier, abducted by the killer, escapes. Together Erik and Charles must confront something far darker than either of them had ever imagined.

Alternate Universe loosely based off the crime movie Kiss the Girls.

I’ll see your heart (and I’ll race you mine) – sirona

Summary: For Kriminalhauptkommissar Erik Lehnsherr, this case will change everything.

Paralyzer – Yahtzee

Summary: In 1965, Erik Lehnsherr has infiltrated the NYPD for his own purposes -- but his powers make him a brilliant detective. Yet that's not why FBI agent Charles Xavier has sought him out. It's because the mysterious killer they're both trying to find is murdering people like them: other mutants.

Their search for a madman binds them together. Their inner demons may tear them apart. But the greatest danger comes when the killer they're looking for looks back.

Wrap up my bones – waifornight

Summary: Damaged detective Erik Lehnsherr is grimly searching for a serial killer whose victims all have extraordinary gifts. But without any clues or leads he and his partner Logan are in the dark. Until Charles Xavier, abducted by the killer, escapes. Together Erik and Charles must confront something far darker than either of them had ever imagined.

Alternate Universe loosely based off the crime movie Kiss the Girls.

The Long Bright Dark – lachatblanche

Summary: Ten years ago Detectives Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr closed the case on a grotesque series of murders that continue to haunt them even in the present day. When they are pulled in for questioning a decade later, they finally have confirmation of something that they have both suspected for a very long time - that there is unfinished business for them to take care of and that the case they thought they had closed so very long ago is in reality still all too open.

A True Detective AU.

Finding North – ClarkeStetler, Goosenik

Summary: Charles and Erik are (loosely) friends with benefits. They don't share personal details, last names, or anything concrete about their lives. This is ruined rather spectacularly when Charles gets recruited by the Mutant Apprehension Division of the FBI. Surprised is a bit of an understatement for their reaction to finding themselves partnered up and sent out on cases with the team.

Closer (to God) – dsrobertson

Summary: Se7en/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo AU-ish.

Political journalist and editor, Erik Lehnsherr, has just lost £150,000 in a libel case against businessman, Kurt Marko. Down on his luck and in need of money, Erik is approached by the Metropolitan Police’s Detective Inspector Charles Xavier. Well-known for his investigative journalism, Erik is asked to help in the search for a serial killer in return for £200,000 if the killer is caught.

Wrapped up in murder, religion, and sex, Erik gets more than he bargained for.

Homo Sacer – unveiled

Summary: In a not too distant future, Detective Erik Lehnsherr meets Charles Xavier: street magician, former academician, and telepath.

One Good Day – troll_under_the_bridge

Summary: One case which is going to turn Charles' world upside down, while he struggles to pacify his boss, investigate murders and come to terms with the mess his life has become.

Playing With Fire – professor

Summary: Charles is a detective determined to catch a serial killer.

If the serial killer doesn't catch him first.

Hold on or let go – aesc, pearl_o

Summary: Teenage telepath Charles Xavier takes a job as a consultant, working with prickly police detective Erik Lehnsherr. Charles is used to being on his own and taking care of himself; he has no reason to think that his relationship with this stern, icy man is going to change any of that. (Also known as: Tough Little Baby Telepath.)

MCIS: First Case – Pookaseraph

Summary: Erik Lehnsherr considers himself a great MCIS agent, and he puts up with a lot from his boss - Moira MacTaggart - in the name of solving crimes against mutants, but he's not so sure about this new empath, Charles Xavier. Their first case together will test Erik's patience, but doubtless be the beginning of a brilliant friendship.

MCIS: Fathers, Sons, and Brothers – Pookaseraph

Summary: Alex Summers has a single case that he has obsessed about ever since coming to MCIS two years ago: Su-M-94-0708-0034, the murder of Christopher and Katherine Summers, and the presumed kidnapping and possible murder of Scott Summers. Very little evidence was found at the time, but hopefully a new team - and new leads - can shed light on the case that left Alex an orphan.

When the Crazies come to town – Chinchillaatthedisc0

Summary: Erik is a surly detective with zero people skills who has just been assigned the murder case of Kurt Marko. Prime suspect? Charles xavier. Who's no where to be found.

My old man is a bad man – faerie_ground

Summary: Sebastian Shaw dies at two am in the morning with a dagger embedded in his forehead. Detective Erik Lehnsherr is on the case, and the number one suspect is the recently widowed Dr Charles Xavier, Sebastian Shaw's husband.

Deep Cover – Subtilior

Summary: Omegas in heat? The perfect whores. Sebastian Shaw? The bastard who kidnaps them for his Hellfire Club. Erik Lehnsherr? A hard-boiled detective who's been on the Hellfire case for months. The catastrophe that unfolds when he goes in on retrieval and finds Charles Xavier still writhing in a Hellfire bed? .... Deep Cover.

A Murder of Ravens – AbandonedWorld

Summary:Charles Xavier is wrongfully accused. Erik Lehnsherr is a top-notch homicide Lieutenant who stumbles upon the case of a lifetime: a serial killer targeting mutants–and only mutants. Charles bides his incarceration waiting on a miracle, reciting Poe's timeless gem in effort to retain his sanity...

Note: Unfinished

[kingpreciouswrld]

I'll Be There For You

Fluff Prompt- “I just want to be there for you”

Pairing: Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Andy just wants to be there for Miranda, even if that means she works behind the scenes to help the editor.

A/N: My first official fanfic. I haven’t watched The Devil Wears Prada a lot and to be honest, I think I’ve only seen it twice, but I love this pairing so much that I wanted to research and study both characters and the movie before I wrote this. Took about two days before I was finally happy with the whole thing :3

_______

It’s been six months since Paris Fashion Week. Six months since she decided to stay. Andy didn’t know why she stayed. Well, she knew why, but it wasn’t for the fashion scene.

It was for Miranda.

The commanding, direct, cutthroat, white-haired fashionista who stole her heart. Miranda said that she saw herself in the young woman: strong work ethic, driven, and devoted. Was it a compliment? Andy likes to think so, yet it intimidated her so much. So much so that she almost walked out on the woman. But Andy didn’t dare to think about life without seeing the editor daily.

So she stayed.

_______

“Go to Cartier and get 25 necklaces. Watch them pack it, last time they were tangled and Miranda fired at least three people that day. Then go to Calvin Klein, the showroom. I’ll give you the address. Ask for Ivan, tell him we’re doing a reshoot tomorrow, we need at least ten skirts. Stay away from Liz, she isn’t that helpful and on your way back, pickup Miranda’s coffee. Remember, one no foam skimmed latte with an extra shot and three drip coffees with room for milk. Searing hot”

Andy shooed off the new second assistant while she stayed back to man the phones. Miranda was out for the morning and it was Andy’s job to train the girl. This was the fifth assistant since Paris and each girl was slowly getting better than the last. Andy was promoted to first assistant when Miranda moved Emily to the art department. The job duties weren't different from when she was second assistant though the dynamic between Andy and Miranda was.

Miranda had changed once they landed back in New York. There were Emily’s and Nigel’s promotions, both of which were surprising, yet the two were very excited and very grateful to the editor. Miranda had also started to open up around Andy. For someone who wasn’t fond of small talk, the editor would make comments about how incompetent people were or how some articles of clothing were hideous. Whenever Miranda wanted coffee she’d “order” Andy to get a coffee for herself. There are instances where Miranda would forego her infamous catch phrase and replace it with a quiet ‘Thank you.’ Each time she heard it Andy would break out into a blinding smile and each time Andy swore that she saw a small twitch of Miranda’s lips before her stoic mask was back in place.

It was the small things that Andy noticed. That’s why it was a big deal to her. For Andy, Miranda respects and trusts her to the point where Miranda could speak freely around her. Andy felt honored to see through the small cracks of Miranda’s walls and she could feel herself falling even harder for the editor.

From the beginning months after Paris till now, Andy swore to herself that she’d help to make Miranda’s life easier. Not just because it was her job, but because she truly cared for the woman.

_______

Just as Andy finished setting down a scalding hot coffee in the office, Miranda came flowing through from the elevator. Lips set in a firm line, her heels clacked against the floor with her brisk pace, never stopping even as she threw her coat on the second assistant’s desk. She had just come back from a showing at James Holts’ studio, surely it wasn’t that bad? Her curiosity was quenched when she got a message from Nigel and she groaned mentally.

Miranda had just gotten off the phone from her ex-husband, Stephen, as she pulled up to the building. Going off Miranda's icy entrance, Andy knew that Stephen had canceled last minute. Again. It was planned that he was to watch the twins for the weekend since Miranda would be out of town for the weekend. Andy knew the man was flaky and usually his cancelling wouldn’t be a problem because the girls had their nanny Cara but the girl was out of town herself. Hence why Stephen was supposed to watch them and now Andy has to deal with the fallout but she was determined to make sure the girls were safe and taken care of for the weekend.

Andy followed the editor as they entered her inner sanctuary, notepad and pen in hand. Miranda had her hand nursing her head, massaging a headache away. “Confirm Demarchelier for tomorrow then pick up Patricia and her medicine from the vet. Pick up everything on the list, Patricia’s on a new diet. Then pick up the girls and take them home. Dinner is in the fridge, bedtime is at nine and don’t give them any sugar past seven no matter what they say.”

The brunette stopped her writing and looked up at the editor. Miranda continued to flip through the magazine in front of her as if nothing had happened.

What?

….What?

“Mira-”

“That’s all.”

_______

After the initial shock, Andy made the necessary arrangements to stay with the girls. Andy quickly got Patrick on the phone for Miranda before she told the second assistant the plans for the rest of the day. The girl was scared to death about being the only assistant in the office but Andy reassured her that she’ll still be available if she had any questions and she left Runway.

Andy and Roy went around town. She picked up the St.Bernard and got groceries for the dog’s new diet. As Roy pulled up to her apartment, Andy’s mind was still reeling. Miranda didn’t outright say it, but she basically asked (okay well maybe told) her to watch the twins. The question was, why? She highly doubted the woman would entrust a different nanny, a practical stranger, to watch her precious girls, but why her? She’s sure the editor wouldn’t even trust Emily to watch the twins. Andy wasn’t complaining though, not at all. She felt honored and touched that she had Miranda’s trust and she’d be damned if she’d let the editor down. After packing a bag, she quickly made her way down to the town car and the two of them, along with Patricia, were off to Dalton.

Upon seeing Andy instead of their father, the twins perked up and practically threw themselves into the car. The three of them had bonded a bit after the Harry Potter incident. Every night that Andy delivered the book, the twins would come down and talk to her about their day. She’d help the girls with their homework assignments and even give the occasional advice whenever they had troubles with friends. They would always ask how their mom was at work and Andy always reassured them that their mother was just fine. They made Andy promise to look after the editor and Andy was more than happy to do so.

Throughout the rest of the evening, they had a little girls' night. They watched movies, painted their nails, and did each other's hair. Andy and the girls even pampered Patricia, painting her little nails on her front paws and putting a bunny ear headband on the dog. It was a bit of a struggle trying to get the ears on the St.Bernard which ended up with Andy chasing the dog around the room while the girls just sat back and watched the whole scene unfold, recording everything. The twins were ecstatic to spend more time with Andy and they weren’t surprised that their mother let her watch them. Alright, maybe a little surprised but they weren’t complaining. At dinner the twins talked Andy’s ear off, spewing suggestion after suggestion about what they should do or where they should go. Although she was happy about their enthusiasm, she finally got them to calm down when they all agreed that they’d talk more about the details in the morning.

_______

Her blaring alarm bounced off the walls of the guest bedroom as Andy groaned herself awake. Once she realized where she was and whose house she was in, she stared up at the ceiling getting lost in her thoughts. The fact that she had slept over in Miranda Priestly’s house and that she’s in here now was still mind boggling. Seeing the townhouse in all its glory was as if she had a small glimpse of Miranda’s world and Andy stood all amazed. She was seeing a different side to the fashion editor. The interior of the townhouse was amazing. The color schemes differed from floor to floor yet it all worked together. Colorful and abstract paintings hung on the wall but there were also things that held family value. There were paper birds that were strung together that were draped around a bookcase on the second floor, pictures of the girls were situated on the coffee table in the sitting room and Miranda being a lover of flowers and their meanings, had multiple bouquets of different flowers on every other table.

Miranda had given Andy, this small town girl who dreamed of being a journalist but actually became an assistant, this ticket to see a of what the editor’s life was like and all Andy could think of was why? She knows what she hoped the reason could be, but Andy didn’t want to get ahead of herself but you bet that she dreams of it being true.

Tired of stressing and guessing, Andy threw on her clothes and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. It was decided last night that they will have crepes and french toast for breakfast and Andy thanked her lucky stars that she lived and dated a cook. She cut up some fresh fruit, freshly squeezed some oranges, and started to make both batters.

Andy was focused on making a good breakfast so she heard the twins come trudging down the stairs before she saw matching messy red hair come around the corner. As she platted the last crepe, the twins sat down at the kitchen island and started to dig in. Even though they just woke up and were currently stuffing their faces, the two were as energetic as they were last night, spewing out even more suggestions than before. Caroline wanted to go to the art museum and Cassidy wanted to go to the zoo. Both options sounded wonderful to Andy and even she couldn’t choose what they should do first.

After a heated game of rock, paper, scissors, and negotiations it was decided that they will go to the art museum and grab some takeout from Shake Shack on their way home. Miranda would never take her children to a place such as Shake Shack but the twins specifically asked for it and Andy just couldn’t say no. It’s okay, Miranda didn’t have to know.

_______

The art museum was fantastic. Although Andy has been to the museum multiple times with her friend Lily, she was amazed to hear Caroline’s knowledge of the art work and the artists who created them. Caroline became a little tour guide of the group, making comments and giving out fun facts here and there. She knew both of the girls were smart. They were definitely knowledgeable in areas that differ from usual kids their age, but it always amazed her to see how vast their knowledge really is.

The trio made their way home, cutting through the park before stopping at Shake Shack. She hoped no one would recognize the twins or else Miranda would hear about it within the hour and she knew the girls wouldn’t rat her or themselves out. They looked over the menu for a while, debating on what they should get. Cassidy and Caroline got the shack burger while Andy settled for the chicken bites. The twins couldn’t decide on what fries they should get so Andy just got an order of regular fries and an order of cheesy bacon fries. God, if Emily was here she’d have a heart attack just hearing about the cheesy bacon fries. They were almost out the door until Caroline stopped them and said that you can’t eat Shake Shack without getting a shake.

With the twins sipping on their shakes, the trio finally made their way back to the townhouse. They all settled around the kitchen island and dug into their respective foods; the twins even picked some chicken bites from Andy’s plate and Andy always tried to swat their hands away. Caroline continued talking about the paintings and sculptures they’ve seen with Andy listening intently and nodding along. The subject changed when they started to talk about tomorrow, and Caroline went on her own knowledge spree about the different habitats and animals that were at the zoo.

Seriously, these kids amazed Andy.

_______

And that’s how Miranda found them.

The twins and Andrea were talking around the kitchen island with their greasy takeout and sugary milkshakes topped with extra whip cream and she watched with amusement as Andrea tried to keep her food away from the girls. Miranda stood in the doorway taking in the scene. She’s never seen the girls take to someone so easily before, aside from Cara. The three never knew this but Miranda knew about the late night talks they had. She would listen to the hushed conversations and smile to herself from the second floor hallway. Every time she heard her girls’ voices with Andrea’s voice, her heart fluttered.

Andrea wasn’t like anyone she knew. She managed to weasel her way into the editor’s heart and Miranda wouldn’t have it any other way. The girl was kind and sweet, yet hard working and determined. Andrea was a force to be reckoned with when she was given a task and she would always get things done in one way or another. To Miranda, Andrea was ethereal; the brunette would walk in a room and the atmosphere would feel lighter. Hell, her presence alone had the power to calm the fiery editor. Andrea was the warmth that slowly melted her icy walls. Miranda cared for the girl, more than a boss should.

Before Miranda could make her presence, she caught Cassidy’s eyes. “Mom! You’re back!” Caroline looked up towards the doorway before letting out a squeal. Both girls bolted towards the editor as Miranda opened her arms. The force of the impact from the girls caused Miranda to stumble backwards a bit with a little ‘oomph’ as she was attacked by the redheads. Kissing their heads, Miranda hugged the girls tightly, “We finished early and Donna was nice enough to give mommy a ride home.”

As the family had their little reunion, Andy looked away from the scene in front of her and tidied up a bit. When Miranda’s presence was known, it came rushing back to her that she was Miranda’s assistant. That was her boss. This was just another task Miranda had given her as an assistant. No matter how different the task was or how different things had changed between them, she will still be seen as an assistant. Right?

“Andrea.”

Andy snapped her head up. She was so concentrated on her thoughts that she failed to notice the absence of the girls. It left her and Miranda alone. Alone. Together. In Miranda’s kitchen. Oh God.

Miranda walked closer towards the brunette, eyeing the takeout on the table, “I see you’ve been spoiling my children with... greasy calories and sugar.” Andy chuckled nervously as she fidgeted with her fingers.

“The girls asked for it specifically and they used their puppy eyes. It was a tough showdown and I just couldn’t say no.”

Miranda hummed in acknowledgement before letting a small smile play on her lips. She knew all too well about those puppy eyes. She fell victim to them many times. “Understandable.” Miranda picked up one of the french fries from the paper bag and plopped it into her mouth, leaving Andy to stand in front of her with wide eyes. The editor looked up at the assistant with a raised brow and a small smirk, “Surely you know that even I indulge myself from time to time?”

Andy tried her best not to gape at the scene as the editor started to pick at the bacon cheese fries, “Of course Miranda. It’s just...I’ve never imagined Miranda Priestly eating bacon cheese fries with her fingers. I mean, maybe with a fork but still.” Andy was even more shocked when the editor let out a laugh. Not one of those fake, dainty laughs, but a real laugh. It was beautiful. It was all Miranda. “Be as it may Andrea, I’m not the one with cheese on her face.”

The brunette blanched in horror and faced away from the editor to try and wipe the leftover cheese off her face. How long has it been there? Why didn’t the girls say anything to her before? Did Miranda know the whole time? Why couldn’t she have said anything before?

Her thoughts were stopped as she felt a hand lift her chin up and wide brown eyes met soft and amused blue eyes. Miranda stood in front of her with a napkin and a small smile, “Silly girl.” As Miranda wiped away the cheese, Andy held her breath. She could feel her skin tingle under the editor’s hand. All of her senses were heightened and her sense of smell was filled with Chanel No.19. The two were closer than they ever were before and Andy was scared to move. Scared that if she did, whatever this moment was would end.

“Why?”

Andy’s brows furrowed ever so slightly. Miranda’s eyes flitted across the young woman’s face before searching her chocolate brown eyes. “You didn’t have to watch them. You could have declined. Yet you didn’t.” Andy held her breath. “Why?”

The brunette searched the editor’s own eyes and watched as the softened ever so slightly, a twinkle of vulnerability showing through and Andy knew that it was now or never.

“I just want to be there for you.”

A moment of pause followed, the two of them communicating through their eyes. Andy just wanted to show Miranda that she cared. She cared more than an assistant should. She cared about the woman’s life outside of work and that included the girls. It included everything and anything that crossed Miranda’s path.

Satisfied and a bit relieved with what she found, Miranda slowly moved her hand to caress Andy’s cheek, lightly rubbing her thumb along a soft skin.

“Thank you.”

______

A/N: I didn’t want to end it with dialogue but I felt like if I continued it, it would be too long for a prompt fic. Anyways, I tried lol BUT feedback is always welcome whether it’s negative or positive, both help with the writing process :)

[ptersparkers]

affection

summary: the two times jj maybank had rejected the affections of others and the one time he welcomed it.

warnings: hints at abuse (it’s not mentioned at all but it’s canon with jj’s relationship with is dad) and typos, probably.

(not my gif, i’m having trouble finding the editor)

add yourself to my taglist!

“You probably shouldn’t do that,” Pope warned the blonde tourist when she said she was going to say hello to him. By her posture, attitude, and everything about her, he knew she was going to try to get his attention in a promiscuous fashion. 

“C’mon,” she said, jutting her bottom lip out. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. JJ had engaged in small talk with her at last night’s party, but it didn’t go beyond speaking casually. You had arrived only to give John B. the towel that you had borrowed and left but JJ tried to catch up with you.

“He doesn’t like to be touched or hugged,” he said casually, leaning against a tree that hid him under the hot North Carolinian sun. 

“That’s not what I saw last night,” the blonde said, smirking as if she knew him better than his best friend since childhood. 

“Delusional,” Pope muttered as she began to walk away. John B. had come back outside with two water bottles in his hand and gave Pope one when he saw a stranger attempt, and failed, to get JJ’s attention by caressing his shoulder. 

He jumped back and knocked over the cleaning supplied for the surfboard he was working on. The girl gasped at his sudden expression and apologized over and over again before stumbling out of the space, not daring to look at Pope who hadn’t bothered to hold in a laugh. 

“Jesus,” JJ cursed. 

***

“Maybe my boredom will be cured if I walked into the ocean,” JJ said casually. Kiara had been scrolling on her phone for the past twenty minutes, waiting for John B. to set up the party in the boneyard. 

“That’s dangerous,” Kiara said, not looking up from her screen. 

“I’m so bored,” he said. “The sun’s not even down and the tourists are gonna be the same oblivious shits they always are.”

“That’s why you get drunk, JJ,” she said. “Tourists suck but it’s nice to escape for a little while.”

“Do you know when Y/N’s gonna be back from her shift?” 

“I think at nine,” she said. “She’s gonna swing by for a little bit and play it by ear.” 

“Okay,” he said, not wanting to press any further. 

When the sun eventually set and the air became a little cooler, three bond fires were lit and the place was scattered with teenage tourists who were looking for a good time and to party with the locals. It was no secret that JJ had previously enjoyed his trysts and used to have no attached feelings with people who would be leaving within a week or two. It seemed that the girls who came to the parties knew he would be there and it was almost like they had a secret game of who could catch his attention and who would last long enough flirting and, eventually, being led away from the party. 

It wasn’t like that every night. But sometimes, buzzed girls get brave when it comes to seeing someone they want to spend the night with. 

“Wow,” one girl said, laughing at whatever nonsense JJ had said. “It sounds like you and your friends get into a lot of trouble around here.”

He laughed and took a swig of his beer. “I wouldn’t call it trouble.”

“What would you call it?” 

“I’d say we’re adventurous,” he replied. John B. could see a few girls hanging around JJ’s every word in hopes that they were going to get lucky that night but he had to laugh at the futile attempts to seem like they were more worthy than anyone else at the party. 

“How long do you think they’ll last?” you asked, approaching John B. and standing next to him, leaning on a wooden fence. 

“Not even ten minutes,” he said. “They’ve been eyeing him like the last piece of meat.” 

“Don’t they always?” 

“What’s up with you nowadays?” John B. asked. “You’ve been working a lot more these past two weeks.” 

“One of my coworkers got food poisoning and I offered to cover her shifts,” you said, sighing. “I’m kind of exhausted but this ends tomorrow because she’s coming back to work and I’m ecstatic to relax and hang out with you guys.”  John B. nudged your shoulder and you two shared a laugh. The sibling-like bond strengthened with every heart-to-heart conversation you two had. 

“I think we’re all starting to go insane when you’re not here,” he confessed. “Kie’s getting annoyed with us. Pope keeps forgetting to bring snacks. JJ’s complaining that he has no one to talk shit about us with.” 

You laughed. “And you?”

“I have no one to annoy, duh,” he said matter-of-factly. 

“I think I need to sleep for a month straight before I do anything else,” you said. “Or at least have some time to take a decent nap without it being too hot to sleep.”

The conversation died down when you watched ahead and saw that JJ had tried his best to avoid the advances of the raven-haired girl when she tried to put her hand on his cheek. You had to admit, you felt bad for the girl when you saw the others she was surrounded by snicker, but you all knew they’d eventually try their hand at getting JJ alone for the night. 

JJ made up some excuse to leave them sitting by the branches and approached the two of you. 

“I’m gonna head back,” JJ said. “Too tired for this shit.” 

“Get some sleep,” you said in concern, handing JJ his jacket that was resting beside John B. 

“It’s really good to see you,” JJ said, backing away. “I’m sorry, those girls kinda freaked me out so I’m gonna go. I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

You and John B. nodded and waved goodbye, watching him disappear into the dark. 

***

“You busy?” a redhead asked, sauntering to where JJ and John B. were sitting. The Wreck wasn’t as busy in the late mornings before the lunch rush on Tuesdays and the two were sitting by the bar, enjoying complementary smoothies that Kie had given out. A group of girls were sitting not too far behind, seemingly encouraging her to behavior. 

“Kind of,” he said, averting his gaze. 

“I saw you at the party last night,” she began. “I wanted to say hi but you left before I could.” 

“Just had a lot of things on my mind,” he said nonchalantly as John B. desperately resisted telling this girl to leave them alone. 

“Well, would you want to come walk by the beach with me?” The redhead looked back briefly at her friends, who were giving her a thumbs up.

“No thanks,” he said with a fake grin. “But thanks for the offer.” 

The redhead, defeated, walked back to her friends without another word. 

You walked into The Wreck with a bikini top and jean shorts that were nearly soaked, Sarah trailing behind you. You had just come from a surfing session and convinced her to come out with you that morning before deciding to meet up with JJ and John B. at the restaurant for lunch. 

“I’m starved,” you said as Sarah left the room to go and use the restroom. JJ turned his head at your voice and grinned as you walked over to him, your arms stretched out to give him a loving embrace. He nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck and peppered it with loving kisses. 

“I missed you. I think you should quit your job and only hang out with me.” 

You laughed and pulled him from your body, moving wisps of hair from his eyes before stroking his cheek with your thumb. His eyes were trained on yours and you kissed the tip of his nose, which left JJ a blushing mess. 

“Oh, come on!” you heard someone yell from behind you. You turned around to see four girls frowning towards you. 

“Did I do something wrong?” you asked. 

“Other than be JJ’s girlfriend, I don’t think so,” John B. said, amused. 

“Whatever,” you said, turning back around and planting a kiss on his lips for all to see. 

“That’s my girl,” JJ said when you two parted, squeezing your hip. 

“Anyway,” Sarah said, clapping her hands, “I’m starved and the food Kie’s making is not going to eat itself.” 

You had to admit, while it was amusing to watch girls try to get on JJ’s good side, it was increasingly annoying when you noticed just how much people took notice of him. Was he good looking? Absolutely. Was his body sculpted by the gods? Of course. Was he your boyfriend and not some one night stand a tourist could enjoy? Why, yes.

There wasn’t a doubt in your mind that JJ would reject any advances that came his way nor would he ever entertain the idea of doing something that would end up with both of your hearts broken. JJ wasn’t stupid; he had spend so long pining after you and finding the right time to tell you how he felt to even think about dating anyone else, much less a tourist who didn’t mean anything to him. 

He was yours and you were his. Simple as that.