#got blasted STRAIGHT back to 2020

[codecicle]

ash I forget I can go in my friends inbox and send them little letters

have this audio file that I had unlabelled in my files from 2020. Let me know if you want more

[queen-of-the-avengers]

After All This Time

Pairing: CEO!Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.4k

Warnings: none

Summary: Car trouble puts you and your boss in an awkward position, especially when you two have so much history together.

Squares Filled: car trouble (2020) for @star-spangled-bingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated <3

x

It’s a straight shot from your house to your job. Instead of taking the main roads and confronting traffic, you take the back roads which takes an extra ten minutes, but you make up for that with your speed. The windows are down, your hair is blowing in the wind, and your music is on full blast. You pass the halfway point when the thermostat goes from the neutral position to the big bolded H. Smoke immediately starters pouring out of the engine, and you slam on your breaks to prevent the car from blowing up.

“Shit! No, please don’t do this to me,” you beg to no one.

You get out of the car and pull your hair into a high ponytail to keep it out of your face while you inspect the damage. You pull the hood up and a cloud of smoke bellows in your face. You quickly turn and cough violently.

“No, no, no, this isn’t happening now,” you gasp. “Not today of all days.”

You don’t have time to wait for an Uber or Triple A, so the only other thing you can do is walk to work… in heels… on a dirt road. The time it will take to walk to work will be the same time or more waiting for an Uber or Triple A. Not only are you going to be late for work but you’ll have to apologize to your boss about it. Normally, that wouldn’t bother you but your boss just so happens to be your high school boyfriend.

Steve was the perfect boyfriend. He treated you with respect, didn’t undermine your values, supported you through everything, and loved you unconditionally. Everyone in school thought you two would be together forever and there was a point where you thought that, too. Right before graduation, you got an incredible opportunity to go to a different country and do a study abroad in Russia.

Steve got into Harvard for business and wanted you to go with him. You two applied for Harvard and you both got in, but you really wanted to go to Russia to study for a semester. To spare the sad details, you two broke up. It was one of the most difficult things you have ever done because you were still in love with him.

After coming back to the States, he was already in another relationship with someone. You never thought your story would end the way it did but you forced yourself to move on. For years, you thought you did. You had a few boyfriends but none of them had an impact the way Steve did.

Then one day, you got an amazing offer to work for Captain Industries as a sales director for the entire sales department. One of the job duties as a sales director is to report everything to the CEO, and luck had it that Steve was the CEO. You often had meetings with the different department directors who touch base with Steve so he knows what’s going on with his company.

The first day on the job, you and Steve locked eyes in the first meeting of the day. It had been years since you two have spoken much less seen each other, so you didn't want to make a big deal in front of everyone. You thought he would have said something after the meeting but he left like you didn’t mean a damn thing to him. Maybe he didn’t remember you, but how can someone forget the person who was their first for everything--first kiss, first date, first time you two held hands, first time you had sex, and the first time you ever gave anyone a promise ring. He was the love of your life but maybe you weren't his as much as he was yours.

When you finally reach work, you immediately head to the bathroom to fix yourself up. You must look like a sweaty mess, and your reflection confirms it. Despite the headache forming from how high your ponytail is, you keep your hair up. If you were to put it down, you’ll look worse. You look at the time and curse when you realize just how late you are for your morning meeting.

Forty-five fucking minutes. Steve is going to chew your ass out. You leave the bathroom and interrupt the morning meeting with an embarrassed look on your face. Everyone turns to look at you including Steve. He looks at your hair before locking eyes with you. Time seems to slow down the longer he looks into your eyes but you break eye contact.

“Sorry I’m late. Car trouble,” you mutter.

You quickly take a seat, and the director of marketing slides her notes over to you. You look at her gratefully and look over the notes just as the meeting resumes.

“As I was saying,” Steve says, peeling his eyes from you, “statistics show a slight decline in demand for products. Frank, have you hired two more manufacturing engineers?”

“Yes, we’re training them right now. We have been working hard creating more product.”

“Good. Y/N, how is your department doing?”

You snap your head up to look at Steve and sit up a bit straighter.

“We lost Marissa since she went on maternity leave but we won’t let that stop us from not picking up the slack. Her duties have been spread out throughout the different managers to give to their employees. I have seen a rise in sales by ten percent.”

“Make it twenty.”

“Yes, sir.”

Meetings only last an hour since Steve is so busy so the next fifteen minutes go by easily. Jules lets you keep her notes to look over and copy if needed. Most people filter out immediately but you’re one of the last ones in so you can apologize to Steve directly.

“Listen, Steve, I’m sorry for being late. My car stalled on the side of the road on the way to work. I had to walk the entire way here.”

“I need your reports on my desk by the end of the day.”

“Okay,” you whisper.

He must not be over your breakup because this isn’t the Steve you knew. You gather your things and head to your office. You almost cry from how stressed you are because you still have to deal with your car. Not to mention your headache is getting worse and you don’t have a brush to fix your hair.

It takes all day to work on the reports for Steve so you’re one of the last ones in the office even though you still have two more hours until the end of the work day. You could leave since you’re salaried but you need to make up time for being late. You walk to his office and knock once on the door, entering when he gives you permission.

“I have the reports for you.” You walk over to his desk and place them there but you don’t leave just yet. “Again, I’m sorry for being late.”

“It’s fine, Y/N. It happens.” Steve looks up and sees you squeeze your eyes tightly from the headache you have. “Come here.”

Steve stands when you approach him, and he gently takes the elastic out of your hair. He threads all ten fingers into your hair and starts massaging the area, and you close your eyes in relief. You open your eyes and look at Steve to see him already looking at you, and he sees the question in your eyes.

“High ponytails give you headaches.”

You’re shocked he remembered that. You were on multiple sports teams in high school and instead of putting your hair in a ponytail like the rest of the girls, you put it in a tight bun at the base of your neck.

“You remembered,” you whisper.

“There’s a lot I still remember.” Steve takes his hands away but doesn’t step back from you. “Go to my personal conference room and take a nap on the couch. You’re overworking yourself.”

“Steve--”

“I don’t want to hear it. Go take a nap and then I’ll drive you home. I’ll pick you up and drive you home until your car is fixed.”

He must not be in a relationship if he’s offering to do this for you. You’re not sure how you feel about that--scratch that you do know how you feel but you’re not sure if he feels the same about it. You slowly walk to the door but pause before you can leave the room. You look at Steve who is already typing away on his computer.

“Now, Y/N,” he says without looking up.

You jump and immediately leave with a smile on your face. The time for you and Steve wasn’t right back then but there’s nothing stopping you from making it right now.

x

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[danganronpadedication]

DAY 6: DANGANTOBER

Day 6: Favorite SDR2 Character

I'm going to be 100% honest here, Hajime is my favorite SDR2 character, but I already talked about about him for Dangantober, and while he may pop up on a later date, let's give someone else a chance. Mikan is my favorite female SDR2 character, so let's talk about everyone's favorite nurse! Intro aside, I adore Mikan. I completely understand anyone who doesn't like her, there are definitely valid reasons to be uncomfortable with her, but I am Team Mikan. First of all, she's very important when it comes to my introduction to this franchise. Back in 2020, when I was looking for something to occupy myself during lockdown, I stumbled across this video on YouTube (created by Ivan Ace, though I think the mashup itself may have come from someone else), and really liked the sound and look of the characters.

Besides, I was big into Miraculous Ladybug at the time (I have since recovered) and Bryce Papenbrook was a selling point for me. I looked up playthroughs of Danganronpa, and never looked back.

Because of this introduction to the series, I had my information all out of whack. When I started THH, I 100% believed that Mikan was just hiding in the nurse's office, and when it unlocked, we'd meet her. I was sorely mistaken. Upon discovery of a second game with a lot of the characters that weren't present in THH, I felt vindicated and couldn't wait to start it. Initially, I really liked her design. She's got a calming, cutesy color palette of pinks and whites and purples, and she seemed like a very awkward, yet lovely person. While chapter 1 left me feeling a bit icky with certain moments that wound up being important to the plot, I still felt nice when she was onscreen. The game kept making me like her, and while I loved a lot of the other characters too, I counted her in my top 5 of the game. Her backstory really resonated with me too. I was a victim of bullying in the past, BEFORE I was a Danganronpa fan because I know someone will be like "Gee, a Danganronpa fan getting bullied? Next you'll tell me the sky is blue." In all seriousness, I have encountered more nice and kind Danganronpa fans, than toxic ones. Love you guys <3 I know what the effects of bullying can do to someone, it can make you more self-conscious, and prone to associating with more toxic people. I saw a lot of my recovering self in Mikan, and her being so likable was a real comfort to me.

Then, chapter three happened. I really liked Ibuki, and I was just coming around to Hiyoko, so imagine my shock when both wound up dead. I had no guesses, but I knew whoever it was, had to have been pretty crazy and calculating. I was right, because Mikan matched and exceeded the amount of freak I expected from her, and I LOVED HER FOR IT.

Her breakdown in trial 3 was so fun, she was straight up TWEAKING, and all the TikTok audios that started up around that time kept reminding me of how well voice acted those bits were. Which was jarring, since her English voice actress also voices one of the WORST AND MOST INSUFFERABLE MIRACULOUS LADYBUG CHARACTERS (a literal child, no more than ten). But, hey, the lady's got range.

Mikan was also my first glimpse into the Remnants plotline, which has since become the part of Danganronpa to fascinate me the most. Her talking about her 'beloved' in such an overzealous way was freak, and got me thinking about a more messed up story in the game. Shame that part was undercut by her blasting off into space, ala Team Rocket.

The Remnants of Despair stuff is very interesting to me, and Mikan provides a unique look into it that the others don't. It got me interested in the real life science behind the RoD's brainwashing, and the Kamukura Project, and both subjects could be their own, separate posts. Getting me interested in that topic is extraordinary, since if there's one thing you should know about Mod Tsumugi, it's that I am TERRIFIED of brainwashing, hypnosis, mind control, subliminal messages, and everything else in that vein. Definitely made the anime a hard watch, lol.

For the briefest moment in time, I fell out of love with her because I found out about what she did as a Remnant, regarding a certain body part (which I don't think was Junko's, Junko was merely pink paste on the floor, while Mukuro's body was largely intact and still resembled Junko but once again, different topic, different day. Maybe more of an ask). I think it's a needlessly messed up detail, that doesn't really do anything unless you really look for reasoning behind it.

Speaking in the same vein, I really wish Mikan wasn't sexualized as much as she is. Her usual outfit is normal, but we constantly get lewd pictures of her, and oftentimes, the joke around her is the fanservice. Every other outfit she's in, whether it's anniversary, Remnant, or swimsuit, it's very revealing, it just feels icky. Her execution's icky in the same reasoning.

Once I feel comfortable posting art on here, I WILL REDESIGN THE REMNANTS, AND I WILL GIVE MIKAN THE PLAGUE DOCTOR MASK AND BEAUTIFUL, NON-FANSERVICE LOOK SHE DESERVES.

Then, I watched the anime, and was reminded of why I liked her in the first place. She's so sweet, and awkward, and I just want to give her the biggest hug and have a nice little chat. She can mildly scold me about my sleep habits and vitamin deficiencies all she wants. You could really see her warming up to her classmates throughout the episodes, and even see some kind of friendly situation starting with Hiyoko. I liked how she seemed to find good friends with Imposter and Ryota (who I also have many thoughts on, tsk tsk).

Still quote her "lifetime movie" line every time I get a little nervous walking home despite doing it in broad daylight on busy roads.

But, I knew Junko's insidiousness was right around the corner. So, when she brainwashed Mikan into an Ultimate Despair first, I had to sit there and watch the beginning of the scary stuff, lmao. Very jarring for the whole arc to not just be slice of life, happy stuff. I really like undercover despair operative Mikan as a concept. You see it in the final episodes, where she's acting like her normal self, yet still aiding in the plan to start the Tragedy by separating Chiaki from the rest of the class and herding them all to the right spot.

She returns to her amazing self at the end of the anime, saving Hiyoko and they get a little moment that's still teasing but definitely feels less like bullying and more like friendly ribbing.

On a lighter note, I want her to be able to live a nice, calm life. Make her miracle cures that she wanted to, live in a quaint little area, rocking long skirts and turtlenecks, being comfy and cozy with tea in her hands and people who love her by her side.

Last thing, I swear. In Island Mode, if you follow Mikan's romance path (I did, after Nagito), she says she wants something bad to happen to Hajime so he needs her to nurse him for the rest of his life, and do you know what that man did?

Did he:

A. Run for the hills

B. Never speak to her again

C. Propose

HE MATCHED HER FREAK AND PROPOSED THE VERY NEXT SECOND

THATS THE CORRECT ENDING TO THE ROUTE, AND I WILL NEVER STOP LAUGHING AT THAT.

Quick shout-out to @hajihiko for their depiction of Mikan post-game, I really like the art, and the exploration of her psyche. And the short hair, *chef's kiss*.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 11/21/2023

awful lot of cooking content from me, who hates cooking but finds the evenings jittery and boring

listening

Doorbell by Sterling Press, off the spotify weekly recced playlist. i don't know that i like this song. i don't know that it's particularly good. goddamn if it isn't catchy. alt britpop, they hate being compared to blur but mmmm. you do hear it. notes of ska as well. a song to blast in your car when your spring break plans fell through and you're driving to the good target two towns away from your hometown.

i don't think this music video could have existed pre-pandemic-- idk doorbell cams were that ubiquitous or well known, despite heavy advertising from nest.

from an interview:

Speaking about the new release, they said, “We wrote the song in our mates garage using drum samples off YouTube. We spent all night writing it then in the early hours of the morning drove to Maccies to have breakfast and had it on repeat the whole time. We all fell in love with it straight away. These lyrics speak to the importance of authenticity and sincerity in your actions. In a world where appearances and pretences can be misleading, it's a reminder to be true to yourself and to avoid trying to impress others for the sake of it. “I feel like its an experience we all share. We all know someone who goes off to uni or gets a new job and you bump into them on the street and they act as if they have no idea who you are. I guess this song is reflection of our frustrations towards those people.”

they have what i would consider an unusual amount of hype and presence for a band that has exactly three songs out, but they've all been making music together and separately since well before the pandemic so maybe they've just finally broken out? i can't figure out who these kids are related to. i don't think it's a full on industry plant but i do think someone's dad has some money.

a friend once said she hated how eighties songs faded out like a printer running out of ink, and i do not particularly care for how 2020s songs end with the entire band vanishing underwater.

this song is truly not that deep but it is thoroughly stuck in my goddamn head.

listening: special podcast edition

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me. i am taking through a brain thing and having a weird workflow and brain problem. i have tried other apps with browser support and do not like them, and i cannot have my personal apple id tied to my work computer bc i have and frequently use a work apple id.

i have been listening to podcasts through Spotify ever since mmm november ‘20. it has not been a good experience but juggling the Apple Podcasts app through my phone (distraction minefield) and whatever im listening to or working on with the work computer is a nightmare. ethics of spotify aside, it is a tremendously successful all in one listening platform. i do not have the brainspace to manage my own music library, and support my favorite artists in other ways.

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me.

however, if you listen to enough podcast episodes, spotify does not seem to believe you when you tell it to unfollow a podcast. it just keeps letting you know hey this has a new episode. this got me stuck on a loop where i was listening to more and more episodes of two very prolific conspiracy theory debunking podcasts to the exclusion of almost everything else. this was not very good for my mental health.

i am not looking for solutions. do not say solutions at me.

despite the real annoyance of finagling a very distracting phone and the work laptop, i have gone back to Apple Podcasts and (after weeding out a variety of podcasts for a variety of reasons) started listening to friends at the table again. not sure why i stopped but i felt a weird amount of guilt around restarting?? the tablefriends neither know nor care. i have finally finished road to palisade and am excited but nervous about starting palisade proper

-

reading

a local religious thrift store has absolutely rancid vibes but does regularly have 6/$1 book sales. there were a couple older trade paperback comics the last time: the first three volumes of ULTIMATE XMEN and a radom What If? superman.

my trouble with the xmen, and i have to read something from it once every two years to remind myself, is that magneto is right. they will never be able to assimilate into white picket fence middle america, or even among the liberal coastal elites or whatever the term du jour was in 1999. the box will always be smaller and you will never be perfect enough. i did not enjoy this enough to continue bc of this fundamental disagreement with most xmen comics.

also it looks like this. magneto’s lair has an arch in the shape of the arch on the front of his helmet and that was pretty baller, but there’s a real. what was they gimmick blog about all the comic book women in contorted spine-breaking poses? it’s like that a lot. WHAT is ororo’s body doing there

-

watching

hey. what the fuck do you mean tomato sauce is that easy. i dislike tomato sauce and almost exclusively eat jar upon jar of aldi brand pesto. im not allergic bc tomatoes aren't tingly but it's just sort of Nothing all the time. what do you mean it can be good???

i don't actually remember why i'm subscribed to mr internet shaquille. perhaps, like so many other food things, it's kali's fault.

-

playing

g/enshinposting.

pulled this horrid little brat. very pleased with myself.

i do not. love. her story quest. it falls into the childrens' media trap of Sometimes It's Okay For Other People To Stomp All Over Your Boundaries If It's For The Good Of The Group! or perhaps this is just a thing i'm particularly twitchy about. either way, annoyed that other characters of this importance have gotten some deeply moving writing and so far furina has...not gotten that.

the next character i am excited about is lolita taylor swift, or geo-aligned lady with big fuckoff sword. from some early maybe-leaks i think she would pair beautifully with my playstyle and my pirate lady with big sword. my playstyle is mostly brute force damage. i hit things as hard as i can until they fall over and i've played the entire game (with some exceptions that required actual thinking about elemental reactions) that way. it pleases me.

re: the conclusion of the annapausis sidequest, genshin does a really good job of teasing out "ok in a world with actual gods, what does spirituality look like/what are the differing views on fate/how do people make sense of an afterlife". mostly this is gnosticism. and sometimes it's a real life occultist secret society (reskinned Rosicrucianism). fascinating writing choices.

-

making

turkey cottage pie with scalloped potatoes, bc i had a five-pound bag of russets that were starting to sprout. im just going to yoink this pic i posted earlier bc it is now half gone and in tupperware form

this is the first time ive ever cooked in a dutch oven and im in love. i thrifted this for $20 some weeks ago but bc the lid has some chips and rust i haven't used it. which is silly, bc the body of the oven is fine. de-rusting and seasoning the lid will wait for a day when i actually need it bc for now we can get by with doubled-over sheet of aluminum foil.

used this recipe: only had a pound of ground turkey and liberally stretched it with potatoes (i think about three and a half pounds out of five) and three pounds out of a cheap frozen veggie mix bag. did not include mushrooms bc i did not like them. threw in some bay leaves bc i have a giant bag of them, i think i almost doubled the wine bc i doubled the recipe, but i do not think i remembered to double the beef stock. i also shook in a liberal amount of italian seasoning bc i have a cheap jar from aldi i want to use up.

the final product was somewhat soupy. i anticipated that slicing the potatoes was going to be the longest part (mostly true, i had to take breaks) and kept them in a big bowl of cold water to stop them browning while i chopped and after i blanched them. i also could have reduced the filling down some more but i am not a patient woman.

not as intended but still yummy, which was a lovely surprise bc usually when i fuck recipes up i fuck them up But Good. plus new technique (dutch oven). if i make this again (likely) i will do instant potatoes on top bc this was a fuck of a lot of chopping for one recipe. thinking about getting one of those stupid little hand smash veggie choppers bc a full food processor is extremely out of budget.

[moonslaura]

rotten woods  —

tldr: former camp counselors who survived a cross-country trek after the blast, vaguely based on the breakfast club.

please note that below the cut there are vague mentions to the demise of like...so many people.

 

LABOR DAY, CAMP IDLEWOOD —

SEPTEMBER 2020 - After another idyllic summer in the Kennebec Valley, Maine, CAMP IDLEWOOD has emptied out, leaving behind the staff to pack up the canoes, close down the barn, and lock up the cabins. But first, there’s the end of the year bonfire, where beer flows steadily and counselors enjoy the camp just a little for themselves. It teeters on the edge of a John Hughes movie and a bacchanal for the most part, but THE BLAST turned IDLEWOOD summer slasher. How they survived ranges anywhere from happening to be down in a basement to drag out more frozen burger patties to other strokes of dumb luck. But when the sun rose, all that was left were five twenty-somethings in the gore-splattered woods. Not friends, not all of them at least, and certainly not prepared to explain what had just happened -- they buried what they could and cooled their heels. Someone would come, right? Some sort of authority?    PRESENT DAY - Bound together mostly out of necessity, the IDLEWILDE FIVE mostly stumbled their way to outpost in Carlsbad by accident. As conditions grow worse, they’re thinking of trying their luck on the outside once again. 

“THE PRINCESS” / OPEN / RESERVED FOR MOLLY Formerly a camper, THE PRINCESS came back to IDLEWOOD because she loved it, point blank, and spent the summer ensuring that GIRLS BUNK A had equally sunny memories. Perhaps: a silver-spoon daughter of a scion with soft hands, she’s taken the end of the world mostly in stride, despite possibly being unnfairly established as a weak link at the start of their adventure. She’s worked tirelessly to keep the group together and perhaps indulge in their humanity more often than not. What’s the point in surviving if there isn’t anything to look forward to?  “THE ATHLETE” / OPEN / RESERVED FOR JAY Tapped astThe de-facto leader as they stuck out from CAMP IDLEWOOD after THE BLAST. The prototypical golden boy, a consummate optimist, product of generational wealth — THE ATHLETE almost found a thrill in everything going shit-sideways. For once: there wasn’t a playbook to follow, no more eventual picket fence with 2.5 kids and a golden retriever, no more family firm and corner office or endless games of golf looming in his future. Currently, the most skeptical about leaving the safe-haven of Carlsbad, his constant optimism is starting to fail him. A straight shooter, a Fred Jones archetype, but who stays the same when the world ends? “THE CRIMINAL” / DARCY FARRELL / RESERVED 4 THE #1 CROCS APOLOGIST (SAV) He spent the majority of summer in the craft yurt or slipping off to smoke on the jetty dreaming of the different life he would have when he finally got the fuck out of dodge. Had a kindred relationship with “THE BASKETCASE” out of all of them before THE BLAST, though perhaps he didn’t quite understand how deep that went for her. A never-do-well that was only sort of straightened out after the apocalypse. A townie who had a golden ticket out of Maine, but that got blown to shit with THE BLAST. Adaptability is with its weight in gold these days, and he’s not gambling on Carlesbad anymore. “THE BRAIN” / NAME NAME / OPEN Took the job at CAMP IDLEWOOD because he thought it would help differentiate his already packed resume going into INSERT IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL HERE. THE BRAIN has always been determined to move up and onwards, high school sucked but eventually, he’d be the one to call the shots. Perhaps he wasn’t the most popular counselor at camp, but he’s found his opportunity to be a team player in the apocalypse, despite initial misgivings about “THE ATHLETE”. A “well rounded overachiever” in a previous life, THE BRAIN’S encyclopedic knowledge about science fiction constructed the “Don’t Be Stupid Rules” that have more or less kept them out of trouble as they trekked across the country. Sometimes feels like an unsung hero, but hey — the meek inherit the Earth, right? “THE BASKETCASE” / NAME NAME / RESERVED FOR BRETT Probably didn’t have any business (desire or inclination) being a camp counselor, but when your mom is the longtime camp director, it was more or less an expectation. Something of a loner, avoided the general jocularity of her coworkers and preferred to spend time by herself in the sick-bay or waiting for “THE CRIMINAL” to put down his hemp bracelets for a minute. Unrequited pining aside, the BASKETCASE has become something of their walking first-aid kit, but is itching to be a little braver at the end of times. Has certainly found her voice and a purpose in Carlesbad, and while she isn’t eager to strike out again, she figures that it's better to stick together than to be alone. 

[greensparty]

Movie Reviews: Heartbreakers Beach Party / Woman of the Hour

This week I got to review 2 very different movies: a long lost documentary getting a special 2-night screening this week and a new based-on-a-true-story thriller premiering on Netflix this week.

Heartbreakers Beach Party

During the 1982-83 era of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers they went on their tour cycle for their fifth album Long After Dark (watch for my album review of the re-release later this week) and during the tour, they documented it on 16mm. Some of the footage was featuring in an MTV special, which became a cult classic even though it aired only once. I remember seeing some of the footage pop up years later in the MTV Rockumentary on Tom Petty. This lost 16mm film is finally being released for the first time and it's being presented as "Cameron Crowe's First Film". It's a gray area if that is in fact true or not since Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which he wrote, was released in 1982 and Say Anything, which he directed, was released in 1989, but indeed, the former Rolling Stone writer did direct this documentary and is featured interviewing Petty! The doc, along with 20 minutes of outtakes and modern day recollections of Crowe, is finally being released as Heartbreakers Beach Party in a special 2-night screening at select theaters on October 17 and 20 (which would've been Petty's 74th birthday).

movie poster

For context, in the 1970s when Crowe was a teen he began working as a music journalist for Rolling Stone covering the big acts of the era. This was, of course, the basis for his masterpiece Almost Famous. Music has always played an integral role in Crowe’s prior films, i.e. Peter Gabriel being blasted from a boombox in Say Anything, the Seattle music scene as the backdrop to Singles, Bruce Springsteen’s “Secret Garden” as the romantic heart of Jerry Maguire or in the case of Almost Famous music isn’t just the backdrop, it’s the star of the film, front and center. After getting into screenwriting and later directing in the 80s, Crowe was still in the music world. He directed the 1983 music video for Petty's "Change of Heart" off of Long After Dark. In the years that followed, Crowe even added Petty songs to his movie soundtracks including "Free Fallin'" in Jerry Maguire and multiple songs in Elizabethtown. In the last few years, it's been cool to see Crowe balance narrative films with documentaries, notably his excellent Pearl Jam Twenty, so it's bittersweet to see him look back at his time with Petty. I'm a big fan of Crowe and it's always exciting to feel his passion for music running through his work. One of the highlights of my blog was when Crowe actually liked one of my tweets in 2020.

Crowe and Petty in 1983

The doc, co-directed by Crowe, Doug Dowdle and Phil Savenick (1952-2024), shows the band on the road, promoting the new album and some live performances. MTV apparently pulled it after it's one airing at 2AM because they felt it was too experimental, which is ironic as it seems like a straight-forward promotional special by today's standards. The footage of young Crowe talking with Petty is a joy to discover: a legend talking with a legend as they cruise around L.A. I wish there had been more of that. The live performances are great, but many of them are only snippets and not full performances. I never got to see The Heartbreakers live, but I did get to review the 2022 live release Live at the Fillmore, 1997 (which the Top Petty website actually shared on their website!!!), and it made me wished I had seen them live when I had the chance. The interviews with The Heartbreakers were mostly on the set of the "You Got Lucky" video. As I mentioned I had seen some of this featured in the MTV Rockumentary, notably the on-the-bus performance of "I'm Stupid". The special itself is about 1 hour and then they have about 20 minutes of outtakes interspersed with 2024 footage of Crowe with Petty's daughter Adria (a noted filmmaker I might add) talking about the documentary.

The film itself feels like a DVD featurette as opposed to a fully formed documentary, but the goal doesn't appear to be to make this into more than what it is, but to celebrate the long lost footage and what this moment was for The Heartbreakers at this point and time. This serves as a tribute not only to Petty who died in 2017 but also to bassist Howie Epstein who died in 2003.

For info on Heartbreakers Beach Party

3.5 out of 5 stars

Woman of the Hour

Anna Kendrick has been a secret weapon for quite some time. Mainstream audiences might know her for the Twilight, Pitch Perfect and Trolls movies, but she definitely earned her Oscar nomination for Up in the Air and has also continued delivering solid supporting roles in movies like 50/50 and Drinking Buddies. Now she's made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour, a based on a real life crime thriller that lands on Netflix and limited theatrical release this week after playing festivals since the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

movie poster

Not only does Kendrick direct but she stars as Cheryl, a struggling actress in 1978 Hollywood. After going to auditions and barely able to pay her rent, her agent books her a spot as as the bachelorette on The Dating Game. I know - hard to believe some of the contestants on that cheesy dating game were actors, right?! One of the bachelors on this particular episode is Rodney Alcala (Daniel Zovatto), a serial killer who had already murdered five women by the time of this taping. The film cuts around to various encounters Alcala had before and after that TV appearance. It shows the TV taping as host Ed Burke (a scene-stealing Tony Hale) tries to keep things moving and an audience member Laura (Nicolette Robinson) actually recognizes Alcala as the murderer of her friend.

the movie's set of The Dating Game

The film I found myself thinking of a lot when I was watching this was Jonathan Demme's brilliant thriller The Silence of the Lambs. I'm not saying this is anywhere nearly as good as that, but the genius in Demme's directing is that he had a female protagonist in a male dominated world and it's showing this subtle societal sexism and misogyny in the smallest moments. The story here is very different, but the way that Kendrick is shining a light on sexism even in the smallest ways in the 1970s says so much. Cheryl is giving the Hollywood dream her best shot, but the city is eating her alive and the audience is rooting for her, but within the dating show, where contestants are literally heard and not seen so at to hide who they really are, the sexism is on full display but in the guise of flirty entertainment. But the "you can't write this!" story of this serial killer appearing on a dating show, the undercurrent of terror becomes actual fear not the just suspicious of someone being a little icky. There are still a lot of questions left unresolved, mainly why would a killer go on a TV show, the least inconspicuous place imaginable at the time? But before you have a chance to question it, the film is on to the next victim encounter for you to watch through your fingers. Looking forward to seeing what Kendrick directs next!

For info on Woman of the Hour

3.5 out of 5 stars

[dyandyan0]

one month check-in 10.01.2024

its been one month since i move out here to oc and things have been going pretty OK.

when i last updated things were going very well, and they still are for the most part, but i think things have calmed down a bit and some of the excitement is wearing off and life is hitting me again. i just finished one of my first bigger papers of grad school (13 pages... yayy...) and honestly i procrastinated up until the very last second and turned it in with an hour to spare when i had about 3 weeks to do it. i also saw mitski on saturday, got a lot more drunk than i expected off of just 2 tall boys, and woke up the next day like yeah... i think that's the last time i'm going to drink for awhile

i drank a LOT this past month and i realized that my hangxiety has been getting worse, maybe because even though i've been having fun lately, i have been building up a lot of stress and and use drinking to kind of mellow out and get all social. however, by the time i sober up the next day, i'm straight up having heart palpitations and overthinking my entire life up to that point. ofc this doesn't happen every time i drink but it has happened enough this month where i'm like ok october i'm going sober (with the exception of like one party that i already agreed to)

anyways yeah so i saw mitski on saturday and honestly. i think i agree with those tiktoks that are like she doesn't hit once you find happiness and balance in your life. which is interesting because when i first started listening to mitski in 2020 i was in a super great place, i still just very much appreciate her music and her artistry but the peak of me listening to her and actually being super moved by her music was back when i was going through a break up which was... almost 3 years ago now. my mindset has changed a lot and i don't want to just listen to sad music when i'm feeling alright because it's reasonably a downer. she was also amazing live, but i couldn't help but feel like that was the most boring audience i have ever witnessed. literally a stadium with thousands of people and they were entirely still for what seemed like the whole set. obviously i don't expect someone to open up the pit at a mitski concert but even her upbeat most popular songs i barely saw anyone really even bobbing their heads. i hope i'm not being like tone deaf or something? i just feel like because of tiktok nobody wants to be "that guy" at concerts and get blasted for just trying to have a good time. i need to go to an emo concert again soon and rage.

on the way home from the concert i was drunk ranting to my friend bernard about random things. i told him i only cried twice this year (which compared to last year... i was crying like every other day because i was on hormonal meds). one time because my cousins death anniversary passed by and i was mourning him (which, reasonable. i don't want to get into), and another... over a guy

i didn't think i was gonna talk about this on here because i was like i don't know how public i'm gonna make this blog but i don't really think anybody's gonna actually read it and the chances of him finding and reading it are very slim so fuck it who cares. but i cried once around may over a guy who i had been (seeing, loosely) on and off for like almost two years. he was visiting home from new york and we went to huntington together and it was really nice. i've always enjoyed his company and thought he was a great, reasonable dude. we had a weird relationship but i personally never felt like he did anything to lead me in a certain way or purposefully make me feel bad. but he moved around may of 2023 to new york so i only really got to see him when he was visiting home, which was every few months or so. i had been pretty casual about him up until the last few times he visited, where i was like uh oh... actual feelings are starting to come up for me. i have too much pride to actually admit these kinds of things to people now, especially when i knew that there wasn't really a chance at that point that our dynamic would change, and i didn't even think i wanted it to. so i was stuck there being confused about my own feelings and what i wanted, and then he visited, and when i left his house i started to bawl my eyes out. it was just sad to think that we were gonna have to go back to being strangers again. i texted him a few days later pretty much ending things, and he agreed, and that was that. we still follow each other on social media, and when i saw that he was visiting home again this month, i was pretty broken up about it knowing i wouldn't get to catch up with him again. (even though i was the one who asked not to see each other again.... bruh)

i don't know if i learned any lessons from whatever we had was. i was sad over it, but it wasn't something that consumed my life in the way ex-boyfriends have. i think i'm becoming a bit to avoidant when it comes to dating and stuff for my own good, maybe i'm a little scared to make a connection like that again.

that has been on my mind a lot these past few weeks. that and my assignment that i kept putting off. i think i just want to actually lock in now and maybe fix my fucked up sleeping schedule. this next week is supposed to get hot again and i'm not looking forwards to that :(

[castlebyersafterdark]

“I think my biggest issue with tiktok culture and all the vibes of the types of videos people make is how everything is a lip sync or sing along like I'm glad he's having a blast but I want to actually hear NS talk more, he's got a nice voice and he's either really sweet or pretty funny!!! Js...”

That’s definitely not TikTok as a whole. There’s honestly such a diversity of content on the platform. Anything you can think of and things you can’t. Noah specifically, and I’m not judging him- he’s basic, and that’s okay- is clearly honestly just on the super mainstream side of TikTok, the side those who judge the app think TikTok is all about.

Your Charli D’Amelio’s and Addison Raes, etc. Even back in like 2020, he was very embedded in the basic scene- what used to colloquially be called “straight TikTok” in contrast with “alt/deep TikTok” (both of those terms have mostly died since that was kinda super simplistic and even cringe). But yeah.

I personally almost never see that side of TikTok on my FYP with the exception of Noah’s videos. I fully agree that it would be nice to see Noah do like podcast style Toks or other stuff.

If Finn were to embrace TikTok, I feel comfortable saying that Finn would have a wildly different experience on the app. They are opposites in almost every way 😭😭😭

Gotcha. My perspective is all stereotype and observation, I'll admit it. I don't think I'll ever download it and just occasionally click on what gets reposted on tumblr. Maybe I have a warped perspective. It's just one less app in my life as I've been trying to purge and lessen what I do online. Tumblr and a little reddit are my focal points and that's enough haha.

I really miss vine. And when youtube was good for silly stupid comedy stuff and short form vlogging. I don't go on there either much these days other than to look stuff up.

Other than all that - agreed about Finn. Would love to see what Finn used it for if he posted stuff, thinking of his weird little bizarre skits and non sequitur style dry humor videos from back when he was pretty young. What would he do now...

[girlwithnomemory1563]

hello?

i went out again and once again didnt end up going home with someone! don't let that fool you, i still verbally harassed random men bc i was drunk and bored! however, it was spring break at the college town i live in so the bar was so dead. like there was a wedding going on and we were dressed for the bar...LMAO WE GOT TO MEET THE BRIDE THO! AND CONGRATULATE HER !

it started with me like not even wanting to go tho bc we didn't have a secure place to stay for the night (fr was going to sleep in our non tinted cars) and i didnt know anyone who could get us some cheap alcohol bc once again, its spring break so no one was on campus jfc. but we were like determined bc my friend sami was finally in town for a thirsty thursday so we needed to go out. so eventually, my other friend misa came through for us!! i completely forgot she has her own little shed house so she offered it up for us to stay in and then got her grandmother (?? hello?) to get us some four lokos! so off we went!

we arrived to the empty ass parking lot and got like nervous bc why the hell is it empty....where is everyone...but alas, we started to down our four lokos anyways. we get to the point where we feel tipsy, so we all head in and like as we're getting our id's checked and everything, we peak into the literally dead ass bar. bro what? so we get in and go straight to the bathroom and have to devise a plan bc wtf are we doing here. how are there grown ass adults sitting on the smoking porch, dressed to the nines eating and enjoying each other's company? where is sexxyred? where is gasolina? WHERE IS MR 305 MR WORLDWIDE???

ultimately, we decide as long as we are drunk enough, we can have fun anywhere so we run back to the car and start chugging out four lokos. as we do this, a car pulls up next to us that has two men in it!! what a coincidence! at this point, we are already tipsy and chatty and just getting more drunk by the sip. so ofc me and misa, frequent thirsty thursday attendees, want to go chat with them! i mean, by this point, they've gone inside and seen that its dead and come back. and now they're just sitting in their car, with the doors open might i add so its almost like an invite, smoking a cigarette!! that is catnap to a cat and i am just a little kitty cat. and they've obviously seen us like leaning over to see them and us laughing and just being foolish since my car has no tinting whatsoever. but miss sami is being all like "noo we can't do that we dont know them blah blah blah" but that is the point! cmon ma! so we go over there and im instantly like "haiii is that a cig?" and its two guys, one that looks like a 2019/2020 tiktok eboy like had the cross earring and everything, and then another guy that had long hair and just looked greasy but also like a fun gi. a fungi... anyways, they give us a whole cigarette and entertain us for like a whole 20 mins! we all just chat with each other and i end up showing them the super cool awesome bass i have in my shitty car. then, they leave and we are stuck to our own decision making. do we call it quits now and just uber home while we can, or do we go back in and see what the ferk is up! we go back in!

we go back in and its like less dead now so we feel a little better, but there's still like just an awkwardly not small, not large, sorta medium sized crowd in the middle of the floor with people actually sitting down at the high tables and stuff. so to the bathroom we go and hype ourselves back up. we chat with some girls, hit the carts and vapes and then go back out there! still really the only ppl giving like...thirsty thursday and not dive bar in the south but its alright bc atp we are like blasted and crossed and just dancing together on the outskirts of the random dance crowd. this is when we meet the aforementioned bride! she was wearing a bridal dress and everything and she even showed us her groom (not cute, she could do better but as long as mother is happy). and then, as we keep dancing, we spot a guy we used to go to highschool with! sami is the one who notices him and is like "omg is that so and so" and i was like "omg yeh...should i go say hi.." and she was like, ofc, "omg no!" but this one i sorta agreed with bc i actually didnt know him that well, i just knew of him bc he was sorta popular but also sorta not? but i also was in yearbook in highschool so i knew of everyone even if they didn't know of me LMAO. so we keep dancing and then somehow, we are beside him! so sami is finally like "ok now go say hi" and like a sleeper agent activated, i just turn and go say hi to the feller!

he actually is like cute and was way cuter when i was drunk bc he was taller than me, so i get him talking and bring in misa and sami and we all chat. and then his random ass sister comes up to us, probably drunk, and is like "ooohh isnt he so cute? isnt my brother so cute?? god hes sooo cute and soo single" so i got the message but also like, hey girl we are just talking and catching up and youre doing alot rn whats up! she seemed sweet tho and we ended up talking with her too but that was just a weird ass first impression of her. then sami is like "didnt u used to do the fortnite dance all the time?" and he was all like "pshh no what i dont even...i dont even know how to" knowing full damn well that he knew how to fortnite dance. so we pull up a youtube video for him and he gets on stage and fortnite dances for us! so kawaii!! and he also tried to get the dj to play no hands but mr waka flaka like three times but he just kept playing some country ass shit every other song so we go to leave! our plan was to uber back to misa's shed house, but then the bouncer is like "uber doesn't run this late." what! what do now! we think and think and our new found friend is still with us and he's like "im taking my sister and her friends home." and then sami has the brilliant idea to make him take us home as well! except he didnt have enough room in his car. so he took his sister all the way home, came back to pick us up and then took us all the way home. free of charge. i was going to venmo him gas money but ive forgotten so many times now that i just dont want to text him anymore. and i ended up losing my ring in his car. and we texted abt it and flirted a little (hehehe) but i suck at texting so we havent talked in like a week LMAO.

but yeah, fun thursday! super tame but also super fun! i wish i was better at being a communicating human so i could still being chatting with that guy but alas. thats all.

[memoirmemories]

memoirs ; 1

ksshhhh...

h... i... thin-... ...king?

fu... ...tch-

slam!

piece of garb- oh, it's on! thank the stars. uh, this is all happening with no plan, of course. heh... names? irrelevant. the miracle here is that this blasted machine is operational. it's been an eternity, feels like... no, it's been actual months.

the sirens, they're my nightly lullaby now. lost track of time; i sleep when exhaustion takes over. my eyes, ringed with dark circles - the mirror in what i guess is a bathroom here doesn't lie. need to give some background, right? context. let me check the date...

papers rustling, things being tossed aside

where in the blazes did i put that... ah, here. yes, it's the year 7020.

i've lost track of how this year correlates with... well, your time. missed that detail. but i reckon it's a leap of millennia, four or five thousand years, perhaps? to anyone who's picking this up... you're probably doubting, thinking it's some elaborate ruse. i wish it were, but no. i've royally messed up.

rewind to 2020. picture me, your average gal, working from home, estranged from family. mundane, right? then there was covid, a wrench in my social gears. like everyone, i was searching for something, anything captivating amid the lockdown. hold on...

beeeeep

beeeeep

beee-

still have a moment. so, here's the crux of it: ever come across those time travel tales? seem far-fetched, don't they? well, i dabbled, did my research, and... i believe it worked. but something went awry. the details are hazy in my mind.

'how do you know it's 7020?' you might wonder. when i arrived, digital billboards – some still functional – showed the date. december 4th, 7018. that was my arrival. now it's january 29th, 7020. over two years here, though it feels like an eternity.

found this decrepit apartment-like place. miraculously, there's running water. electricity's a no-go, but stumbled upon a generator that runs on oil. there's this massive oil refinery nearby. enough to last years, i reckon.

but here's the kicker: it's as if humanity vanished. i'm not joking; excavated a few graves out of desperation. empty. no remains, no traces. animals, however, are everywhere. yet, haven't encountered a single human. there are androids, though. sparse, but troublesome. had a run-in with one; it demanded identification. thought it could help, tried explaining my situation. nearly got my head blown off. lucky for me, it had poor aim and was sluggish in pursuit.

here, i managed to snap a photo of this building with an old camera. you'd think future tech would be advanced, but this looks like it's straight out of the early nineties...

i've got more pictures, but first, gotta hunt down a battery for this archaic camera. i-

alarm blares in the background

oh no, wait, i need to- i have to get going, now! i'll, um, try to get back soon, hopefully...

transmission abruptly cuts off

[kirukkals]

Winter 2022 - Germany & more!

We had been wanting a holiday, a white christmas holiday and we got one. An unexpected work-related trip to Germany, and we grabbed the chance.

December 1st, 2022.

We boarded the Turkish airlines in Dubai and landed in Zurich. This was our second time in Switzerland, and our previous trip was in 2015 with our friend's family. We had been longing to come back. We didn't cover Zurich then, so ya, same country, but new city and this time during winter ! COLD! REALLY COLD! Ok, so it is not just Switzerland again. Our agenda was completely different. Read on…

A few days earlier...

Venkat calls mid day from work to tell me he has a business meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, during the 1st week of December. And as expected, my reaction was, yeaahhh.. I'm packing up.

We had been planning Germany for the past 4 years, and somehow it kept getting delayed - visa renewal, then we booked on a Russian airline for March 2020 & covid travel ban happened. When everything opened up, we didn't expect the Ukraine war, and Russian airlines were banned over EU airspace, so our Germany trip was far-fetched. Finally, it looked like it was time.

And I have to say, we were indeed very lucky to get a schengen visa appointment on such short notice. We quickly booked our tickets to the cheapest available option, which was Zurich, readied our papers for the visa process, and prayed a lot. It was all in a matter of 7 days, and when we received the visa sticker on our passport, we could already see snow.

We planned Switzerland & Germany, maybe the Netherlands if time permits. We never thought we would end up doing 7 countries in Europe in 13 days !

We decided to use the trains only for this trip, no self driving. Just mid the same year, we did a cross country drive in the Balkans. That goes in another blog for another day. So, let me stick to these 13 days now. We got a blast of a deal on the 10 day Global train pass over Black Friday sale, which can be used for most Schengen countries.

December 1st, 2022.

Zurich, Switzerland - Country 1.

We landed around 10.15 am. in Zurich. We were welcome to a 5 degree celsius kind of weather straight from a 25 degree in Dubai. As we stepped out of the airport to the train station, we realised the 2 layer clothing that we had would not be sufficient for the days to come. We took a train to our hotel Ibis. This is a really, really expensive country, and a triple room always costs more. A few years back, we had decided no more IBIS Budget, the room is always so small and the bathrooms… omg! Not again ! It was a transparent glass door for the shower with a translucent patch exactly where needed, not an inch higher or an inch lower. Separate toilet with proper door, but no lock. That is ok, but glass door for bath, and we travel with our girl (always!) She is 12 now! So, we pulled out the bedspread and hung it along the height of the door, creating the cover we needed, the first thing that we did after landing in Switzerland !!!

Evening, we went for a stroll to Lindenhof, and it ended up to be a hike, actually. The view from the top was spectacular. Being winter, no crowds at all. It was around 8 to 10 degrees celsius. And this time, we were prepared with jackets, gloves, snow boots, and all ready to take on the winter. So we assumed.

December 2nd, 2022.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein - Country 2.

Day 2, we decided to visit one of the smallest countries in the world, Liechtenstein. From Zurich, we took a train to Sargans and from there a bus to Vaduz, about 1.5 hrs for the total trip. Vaduz is one of the most beautiful, picture perfect little towns I would say. The castle towers over the entire place. The Prince of the country still lives there (lucky him!!), so the castle is not open for tourists. We just walked around the main town area for a few hours - castle, church, shops - beautiful & calm place. Definitely one of the richest in the world. We bought the smallest magnet to identify with the size of the country. We treated ourselves to a nice cup of Srilankan chai in the evening.

Evening we headed back to Zurich, to the Rapperswil, where the Christmas Market was put up. What a contrast to the calm Vaduz, it was buzzing with activity and lights, people laughing & drinking all the way! Zurich Lake is huge, and sunset was such a beautiful sight to watch! Temperature always starts to drop drastically after 5 p.m., and all around us, people are either smoking or holding a beer mug! We were the ones drinking hot chocolate and standing in front of the fireplace for some warmth.

Overall, it was a brilliant start to a much wanted vacation.

December 3rd, 2022.

Frankfurt, Germany - Country 3.

Here we come, Germany, finally ! Took the train from Zurich, about 4 hrs. As we entered Germany, the landscape changed visibly. You may call I am biased towards Switzerland, yes, I am, but still, I didn't find any beauty in the German landscape, not just yet. Just factories, lots of them, and more crowds everywhere.

Frankfurt, especially near the main station, where we stayed, was so crowded. You can see all kinds of people, immigrants, office goers, students, all busy running around, the place is not so clean, seemingly shady street corners, such a contrast from the neighbouring Switzerland, which was so neat, posh & calm. Frankfurt is a bustling business centre. We stayed in a place called Hotel Apollo, which had a big room, decent accommodation. The best part near where we stayed was Hotel Saravana Bhavan! What a blessing! And the train station connectivity helped us move around. We spent 6 nights in this place.

Christmas Markets in Germany are definitely quite famous and rightly so. It was ten, twenty, thirty times bigger than what we saw in Zurich! It was like a whole city in itself. The old town area was lit up in the evening, and the place was crowded like a music concert party ! We had to push through every street, like how we used to do in Ranganathan street, T.nagar during Diwali times! All Chennaiits can relate to this ! We had the famous kinderpunsch drink, tried the chocolates and pastries, so many small stalls, all handmade dolls, arty stuff and all so beautiful ! We walked and walked and that was the only day we were out late in the night I guess, for a long time despite the freezing cold ! (Temperature was 4 degrees or even less)

December 4th, 2022.

Black Forest, Germany.

My great friend from TCS days, Sara, lives in Germany. We met as a family in Baden-Baden and they took us for a drive to the Black Forest area. First, to the world famous cuckoo clocks in Triberg. What an amazing collection ! All handmade, authentic & beautiful wood art, 1000+ cuckoo clocks! Cost ranges from 50 Euros to over 1000 Euros! And yes, of course, we bought one for our home and to this day, our cuckoo coos beautifully, every hour.

We then went to the Triberg waterfalls and then the lake. Such a beautiful day, the weather was perfect, still very cold, but we did cope quite well. And we also managed to find an Indian restaurant, Rangoli, to have hot food in the middle of nowhere! An entire day spent with friends in such a lovely setting, is definitely unforgettable. Thanks to Sara & Mani for that !

December 5th, 2022.

Luxembourg - Country 4.

This country is a hidden beauty amidst Germany, Belgium & France. It takes about 5 hrs one way to reach from Frankfurt. We started early, so we could spend about 5 to 6 hrs in Luxembourg. All public transport is free here, people look cheerful & wealthy, yet another rich, well developed and maintained country. We walked to the main square, Grand palace, Notre-Dame, Christmas themes all around. We just had time to go to the town center where the mini Christmas market was warming up to welcome the crowds for the evening. We didn’t really have any agenda or particular places to cover, so we relaxed to take in the beautiful scenery around us.

Trams were crowded with university students in the evening, I in fact got left behind while boarding one, didn't have any money or mobile with me, but got into the next one quickly & I knew the stop to get down. Well, my husband's plan of leaving me behind didn't really work, haha! What a lovely place anyways to be left behind!

December 6th, 2022.

Brussels, Belgium - Country 5.

We boarded the train from Frankfurt morning, about 3 hrs to Brussels. Beautiful blue skies, amazing weather, (by this time, 7 or 8 degrees was actually pleasant for us), We indulged in Belgian chocolates, a must do thing. What a huge town square, architecture was especially notable in these buildings !!! Columns & Pillars in the Grand Palace were particularly intricate. Old style European architecture was all around, and we actually like such places. We visited the chocolate factory, but really, not worth all that hype. Think of it now, maybe we visited to escape the cold outside. Cadbury chocolate factory in the UK was actually much better and fun for kids & adults.

Unlike Luxembourg, Brussels was quite crowded and a big city, too. And yes, the most famous Mannekin Pis in Brussels! The story is that a little boy saved the city from dangerous fire by pissing on it. And so, there is this bronze statue in the city center, which shows a naked little boy pissing and creating a fountain. This is being decorated all through the year, some even worship, thousands of tourists visit to take pics, we did too. And the entire city had souvenirs showcasing this Mannekin Pis. So, later in the day, we headed back to Frankfurt after a stroll in the park.

December 7th, 2022.

Frankfurt, Germany.

Oh yes, I did tell you all that Venkat had a conference, it was today ! So, here comes our Mom & Girl day out. We went to the Christmas Market again and got some little cute stuff for the upcoming dad’s birthday. We strolled by the lake side, went to Eiserner Steg, the Iron Footbridge. And what is the obsession about hanging those lovelocks in the European bridges?!! Every place we have been to, we have seen this! May all the love flourish! We were just out a few hours without our man, it actually does get boring after a while.

December 8th, 2022.

Cologne, Germany.

Day 2 of the conference, but thankfully it got over soon. We could visit Cologne, and the most popular Cathedral there. If Frankfurt was crowded, Cologne looked nothing less, we visited in the evening, and the place was lit up totally. The Cathedral with its Gothic Architecture, alongside the Rhine River and the bridge, looks majestic in the evening lights. We were basking in the glory of the train journeys by now. All trains were neat and clean, had a coffee shop and ran nearly on time. Using the rail pass was a breeze.

December 9th, 2022.

Amsterdam, Netherlands - Country 6.

If Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof is a very huge and busy train station, Amsterdam Central is equally big and very impressive. Of course, I like Switzerland trains and stations better, but Amsterdam follows closely. About 4.5 hrs from Frankfurt and we checked into Hotel Koopermoolen. The entire trip being train journeys and mostly exploring the city center by foot, we made sure all our accommodation was very near to the main station. We headed out immediately after dropping our bags, and I have to tell you, we felt the real cold from here actually. We had headed up north from Zurich. Temperature was around 4 degrees at noon! We started wearing layered clothing, woollen, 2 jackets, gloves, scarves, exposing only our eyes!

Amsterdam is known as the “Venice of the North'' and rightly so. The city center, the picturesque canals and those vibrant buildings all around, it has a definite charm. We walked to the Anne Frank house, unfortunately, didn’t know we had to book in advance, didn’t expect such a big queue there, all slots were fully booked for the next 2 days. We had to settle looking from just outside. Having read the Anne Frank Diary, it was disappointing not to visit the house, maybe some other time. And the Netherlands is definitely worth visiting more than once.

With Christmas around the corner, nightlife was extremely radiant and festive. My cousin Pavi & family live in Amsterdam. We met them for dinner, and they took us to a lovely Indian restaurant, Pind Punjabi. Food was yumm and we all needed the hot food and the warm indoors. Thank you Pavi & Karthik!

December 10th, 2022.

Zaanse Schans, Netherlands.

What is a visit to the Netherlands worth without seeing the windmills?! I have always wondered if those windmills will look really like the ones I have read in books about. The countryside, toy town look is what all those illustrations show. We went to Zaanse Schans along with our cousin's family.

What a cold, foggy morning it was ! About 1 degree, it also started snowing lightly. This place recreates the look of an 18th/19th century village. It is a residential area, though so many tourists visit all around the year, there is a sense of calm and peace. And after a few kms walk, we could see the first of the windmills, the fans of which cut through the thick fog. What a sight ! I don’t know what attracts me to those wooden mills, but true to the stories i have read, I was indeed taken back in time. The walk across the bridge on the river Zaan while it was snowing was magical. Then we saw those colourful wooden mills, all in a row, and most of them were still running. They are used for making chocolates now, house a restaurant or coffee shop and sell souvenirs. This place is a must visit for all those going to the Netherlands.

We had a train to catch at 3 pm to go to Hamburg, so had to say bye to my cousins as well as the mesmerising Zaanse Schans.

December 11th, 2022.

Hamburg, Germany.

We reached Hamburg the previous night, around 8 pm. Stayed at Hotel Novum for a night. And this hotel was actually very good, bang on the road, right opposite the station and a spacious room too. Went to Hotel Saravana Bhavan for dinner. What a blessing that we found this place nearby wherever we went on this trip. Now, the prime reason we had been planning to visit Germany for many years was actually for this - to visit the famous Hamburg Model Railroad museum. Not many are aware of this, but here is one of the largest miniature railroad museums in the world. Model railroading is a popular hobby in Europe, US & Canada, and because we follow it too, this was a must visit place on our list. To give a brief, modellers collect model trains, build a landscape for the trains to pass through, all in reduced scale. The landscape can be imagined or recreate some city or village as a miniature model.

Morning we quickly got ready and headed out to the museum. We have to book tickets in advance and book our time slots too. Definitely the place kept up to its name and fame. Various regions around the world have been recreated on a small scale. And once into that magic, one won’t realise it is a miniature world. If the Switzerland snow mountain is the theme, it includes the scenery, the train tracks all around the mountains, people hiking, all the snow games, the lights changing to show day & night set up and so on. What precise details !!! Lots to learn from every model that was there. I won’t delve more here, we spent more than half a day there, and worth every minute.

Caught an evening train to Munich, long journey, about 6 hrs. Reached our hotel, Amba, around midnight.

December 12th, 2022.

Innsbruck, Austria.

As I mentioned earlier, when we started this journey, we thought we would go to Switzerland, Germany and maybe the Netherlands. After getting the Global train pass, from Frankfurt we quickly did the neighbouring countries. Nothing planned ahead. But this last day plan of visiting Austria came all of a sudden, and we thought, why not! Was debating whether to take Munich to Innsbruck train or to take Munich to Salzburg train. And Innsbruck it was, all for the good.

It had been snowing heavily last night, and we stepped on thick snow mid day as we got out of the train. Weather was minus 9 degrees, it was freezing and sunny at the same time. The sight of snow capped mountains with the scattered clouds across the bright blue skies stays in the memory even today. Entire city center was neatly planned, roads parallel & perpendicular, all leading to the mountains. Amazing landscapes, we had a much deserving hot lunch buffet at an Indian restaurant, Masala, roamed around more till we could no longer stand the cold. We headed back to Munich later in the evening.

December 13th, 2022.

Munich, Germany.

Our last day for this trip, we had our flight in the afternoon to Dubai. In Munich, it was Marienplatz, the town centre and the architecture is known for its centuries old buildings. Lots of history to be explored, but as tourists, time flies in Europe, we always never get enough.

At the airport, we had another no boarding episode. After covid times, this is becoming quite too often, at least for us! Turkish airlines most likely overbooked passengers, they wouldn’t admit that, would they?! We thought our web check-in was complete, they just said you cannot board, please go to the ticketing office, which was right opposite. There, they requested if we are ok to take the Emirates, direct flight to Dubai instead of Turkey layover. Oh yes, that is an upgrade and definitely a bonus for us after a lovely 13-day trip. So took the ever so comfortable Emirates and landed in Dubai the same night.

More magnets were added to our fridge and more European memories !

As we look back now, it’s amazing to realise how well the Schengen states are connected. We travelled 7 countries, 3300 km, hopped on and off 36 trains, and did not feel tired. In fact, it has only left us wanting more.

[josephthesnailshow]

Sammy the Catto

Warning: this trollpasta contains LOTSA swear words, I didn't write all of this, a website did, and I only wrote the original story.

Read the original here:

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I never thought bout postin here yo, but I gots a rap ta share wit you muthafuckas; just promise me dat you’re not goin ta laugh. There’s not a shitload I know bout dis thang, n’ I can’t process anything, so if I have shitty Gangsta or anythang else, I apologize. I’m bobbin up in dis biatch, so I can hardly write yo, but here’s a sentence ta describe it ta you, n’ it’s not straight-up good.

So, you know dem shows our slick asses like ta peep on televizzle, biatch? like SpunkBizzle SweatPants, Da Amazin Ghetto of Gumball, n’ others, biatch? I’m brangin these shows up cuz these is examplez of shows dat you n’ I used ta watch yo. Has you done never found anythang weird or creepy bout these shows, biatch? Admit it, you certainly did, n’ I did too yo, but it wasn’t as shitty as others think; dat shiznit was just fo’ tha comedy.

Aside from dem shows, let’s git ta tha rap I’m bout ta tell y’all fo’ realz. Again, I’m sorry if I don’t describe mah thoughts n’ vibe bout this; dis show just fills me wit dread, anyway yo. Here goes nothing.

In late November, I inherited a home n’ was up in tha process of clearin up what tha fuck was left of tha estate of mah pimped out-aunt, whoz ass had took a dirt nap, when I stumbled upon a straight-up odd STD of a obscure show. Da box was badly damaged yo, but tha disc was up in a seemingly slick condition. I aint talkin’ bout chicken n’ gravy biatch. Da mystery had piqued mah interest, so I loaded it up in mah STD playa ta check it out. There was no problems wit startin tha DVD, except fo’ a funky-ass black screen dat lasted fo’ 30 seconds.

Afta bout 30 seconds, tha text “Sammy tha Cat” slowly rolled across tha screen, followed by tha year 2019 up in a smalla font. This was dumbfoundin cuz mah pimped out-aunt took a dirt nap up in 2020, n’ we was only recently granted access ta her estate. I’m holla’d at nuff of these DVDs was peeped by a cold-ass lil lil pimp dat biiiiatch would babysit when her big-ass booty still lived at home. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch was at a nursin home from 2017 until her passing; I was interrupted, n’ tha show continues.

Afta tha title card, tha screen quickly fades tha fuck into white; tha white fades tha fuck into a gangbangin’ finger-lickin’ dirty-ass blasted of a lightly furnished, mostly empty room wit a thugged-out door ta tha left. Rather quickly, however, a big-ass pussaaaaay entas tha frame. Da pussaaaaay is prominently white but has black patches n’ spots, n’ you can put dat on yo’ toast. Da screen was straight-up blurry, so itz mad hard ta make up yo, but it appears ta be a thug up in a cold-ass lil pussaaaaay costume fo’ realz. As it turns around, I notice tha big-ass cheeks, googly eyes, n’ stitches on tha front portion of his body; tha odd proportionz of tha costume lead mah crazy ass ta believe it ta be homemade fo’ realz. Afta turnin around, tha pussaaaaay proceedz ta stare up in tha direction of tha camera fo’ what tha fuck felt like minutes until, again, tha screen goes white, which lasts fo’ a phat minute.

Afta all dem minutez of white screen, tha costumed playa is peeped smokin from a funky-ass bowl�”a bowl of what tha fuck appears ta be raw meat. Da source is unknown; I’ma leave it up ta you ta determine what tha fuck tha meat is fo’ realz. Afta emptyin tha bowl, tha playa leaves tha frame, only ta return bout 30 secondz lata holdin tha hand of a maxed biatch. I aint talkin’ bout chicken n’ gravy biatch. Da biatch was silent n’ frozen, n’ I’d almost assume dat biiiiatch was unconscious if not fo’ her footsteps alongside his muthafuckin ass. Da playa leadz her ta tha bedside n’ sits her down. I aint talkin’ bout chicken n’ gravy biatch yo. Dude sits down next ta her, until he eventually starts ta shake, n’ tha shakes start ta git worse n’ mo’ aggressive, n’ tha playa is now slightly turned away from tha biatch n’ is, once again, chillin straight-up still. This must have lasted fo’ multiple minutes until he reached back n’ grabbed tha biatch by tha neck. Da biatch lets up a funky-ass blood-curdlin scream dat is so bangin dat tha camera audio strugglez ta pick it up, n’ tha playa covers his wild lil’ fuckin ears n’ starts yelling. Da playa standz up, also pullin her up involuntarily. Da biatch is dragged by her neck n’ then dropped.

By dis point, mah ass is racing, n’ I be trippin n’ up in shock at what tha fuck I be afraid I’ve found. Y’all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! This felt too real n’ unhinged ta be some indie film yo, but filled wit dread, I continued ta peep it unfold. Y’all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Little do I know, however, dat I’ma soon wish I’d turned it off.

Afta droppin tha biatch, tha playa frantically runs all up in a thugged-out door ta tha left side of tha main room, like a lil’ small-ass closet, cuz his bangin right leg is still stickin out. When inside, da perved-out muthafucka shufflez round fo’ bout 10�”20 secondz until da perved-out muthafucka suddenly turns round ta reveal a long-barreled shotgun pointed directly toward tha biatch. I aint talkin’ bout chicken n’ gravy biatch. Da biatch, still blindfolded, is chillin on tha floor, unsettlingly silent. There be a overwhelmin sense of hopelessnizz dat flows all up in mah body as I peep her exist, straight-up oblivious ta what’s pointed at her n’ shit. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Biatch isn’t allowed ta peep it comin fo’ realz. Afta standin fo’ a moment, tha playa lowers tha glock n’ casually strutts over ta tha camera n’ turns it off. Da screen goes dark, n’ dat is tha last of tha contentz of tha DVD. Da biatch was presumably capped up in dis scene cuz I heard a gunshot durin it, n’ what tha fuck followed was tha blood-curdlin scream of tha biatch; tha show then ended.

Afta tha show ended, afta all dem minutez of boredom n’ some hesitation, I decided ta report tha disc ta tha local five-o department. They took it fo’ evidence yo, but I’d be lyin if I holla’d I’d heard anythang back. I became concerned bout what tha fuck had happened ta tha biatch, n’ I would prefer tha closure of knowin rather than tha uneasy ignorizzle dat I’ve been livin up in fo’ tha past few weeks. Ya Mom shoulda told ya, I been terrified of suttin’ I hoped wasn’t legit but was afraid might be. Dat shiznit was smokin me kickin it, so yesterdizzle I decided ta reach back tha fuck into tha box where I found tha original gangsta disc cuz I knew I hadn’t looked straight-up thoroughly tha last time fo’ realz. Afta anxiously siftin fo’ bout 30 seconds, a cold-ass lil convulsive shock is served up all up in mah entire body when I peep dat shit. To mah dismay, I spotted yet another unlabeled, damaged disc container chillin along tha border of tha box yo, but I couldn’t brang mah dirty ass ta bust a nut on it, much less open it, n’ eva since then, I’ve been feelin uneasy. I’ve thought bout disposin of it so I don’t gotta deal wit it yo, but I don’t wanna git rid of suttin’ dat may potentially be tha solution ta a cold-ass lil case. But fuck dat shiznit yo, tha word on tha street is dat there was mo’ than I thought.

Without hesitation, I grabbed tha STD n’ banged tha damaged disc. I was hopin fo’ mo’ evidence, n’ these was tha events dat occurred afta tha straight-up original gangsta disc: Da disc was fucked up but started wit tha pussaaaaay again, n’ da thug was poppin’ off ta a 5-year-old boy, n’ he axed tha pimp ta follow his ass ta tha same blender dat was up in tha previous disc, n’ he picked up tha pimp n’ turned his ass tha fuck into a smoothie, n’ tha pussaaaaay came back ta his closet n’ put tha long-barreled shotgun tha fuck into tha closet, lettin up a big-ass bust a funky-ass big-ass fart as though he regretted what tha fuck he’d done, n’ tha entire thang was cut, n’ tha STD ends.

I started dissin dis show n’ tha fact dat dis playa didn’t even put it up in tha nearby shop fo’ DVDs except fo’ mah pimped out-aunt’s doggy den dat I inherited, n’ I can KNOW why. Well shiiiit, it seems straight-up unrealistic fo’ some anonymous thug ta put they snuff film up in a hood store fo’ others ta watch. I turned off tha DVD, took it outta mah playa, n’ reported it ta tha five-o department. I shared some evidence wit them, n’ I have nuff thangs afta pluggin tha evidence.

This is up ta you ta answer: whoz ass was tha playa up in tha pussaaaaay costume, n’ is tha playa related ta mah pimped out aunt, n’ why was he cappin’ people, biatch? I’ma allow you ta figure it out; as fo’ tha second DVD, I ended up reportin it ta tha five-o as well. Upon again n’ again n’ again hittin’ up tha PD, I found up da thug was already servin time on lockdown on unrelated charges. They is now investigatin tha content of tha second STD of tha show.

I feared fo’ mah game; I had never peeped anythang unexplainable n’ weird until now, n’ ta dis day, a gangbangin’ feelin of dread be always comin over me, n’ I feel like I did suttin’ wrong. When I tell playas bout dis moment, they always give me strange looks, n’ they keep assumin I had a gangbangin’ finger-lickin’ dirty-ass shitty-ass nightmare when I didn’t; at least from tha lata events, dat shiznit was a nightmare.

I be sorry; dis should’ve been prevented yo, but cuz of mah curiosity, I wanted ta peep tha show cuz I wanted ta know what tha fuck it was. I be now feelin guilty fo’ what tha fuck just happened, even though I didn’t do anythang wrong.

I was gettin tired, so I went ta chill yo, but tha show stayed on mah mind while I tried ta chill, n’ I eventually went ta chill.

As I was tryin ta chill like a pimp ta forget bout what tha fuck happened todizzle, I started trippin, n’ dis trip seemed aiiight at first. I’ma share mah dream, if you can call it dis shit. To me, I call it a nightmare.

I be chillin up in mah chair, mah livin room is decently furnished, n’ mah TV is hustlin up in complete static. When tha static ended afta 12 minutes, tha oldschool Warner Bros. logo flashed on tha screen, revealin tha text “Sammy tha Cat.” I knew how tha fuck dis was goin ta go yo, but I don’t recall seein Warner Bros. all up in tha beginning. Was dis made by Warner Bros., biatch? Perhaps a lost show, biatch? I don’t give a fuck; I continued watching.

Da episode started wit tha camera pressed against Sammyz grill wit dat giant fake smile, n’ what tha fuck I could make up was dat there was finger holez where tha eyes are. Da thang I never heard from Sammy was his voice.

“Wuz crackalackin’ there biaaatch! “I wanna talk.”

His voice was cheerful, deep, n’ loud, n’ it sounded like da thug was old; da perved-out muthafucka was rappin up ta me; I tried movin yo, but I be havin dem trips where I can’t move at all; da perved-out muthafucka holla’d some sentences dat made mah ass break.

“Yo crazy-ass pimped out-aunt deserved ta take a thugged-out dirt nap.”

When dat sentence came outta his crazy-ass grill, it broke mah ass, n’ I held back tha urge ta cry like a muthafucka.

“I loved her, n’ she left mah dirty ass. When she left me, I was broke. Thatz why I tried ta make mah own show ta git mah scrilla back.”

Da voice was gettin closer from tha screen, n’ it almost sounded like da thug was whisperin up in mah ear. Shiiit, dis aint no joke. I fuckin started ta git chills; I could hold back tears as dopest I could. Y’all KNOW dat shit, muthafucka! Sammy saw me holdin back tears, then tha camera zoomed up in on what tha fuck rocked up ta be a gangbangin’ finger-lickin’ dirty-ass shotgun up in his hand.

I eventually stopped tearin up, lookin blankly all up in tha shotgun, mah eyes now bobbin. Right back up in yo muthafuckin ass. Sammy pulled tha trigger, tha cap hittin tha camera�”possibly tha cameraman too�”as I heard a funky-ass bloodcurdlin scream n’ saw dropz of blood, wit tha camera glitching.

Da televizzle turned off, n’ I heard a aggressive knock all up in tha door beside mah dirty ass. I had nowhere ta bounce tha fuck out. I accepted mah fate; Sammy barged tha fuck into tha room, holdin a sledgehammer; tha pussaaaaay ran towardz me n’ hit me wit tha sledgehammer; I went ta chill n’ be now unconscious.

I finally raised up from tha nightmare, n’ I be finally aiiight dat I be kickin it n’ well, wit no bruises or anything. I gots tha scam ta booty-call Warner Bros. Entertainment cuz I saw tha logo on mah TV durin tha nightmare, so itz appropriate ta do so.

I dialed tha company n’ axed dem if they eva had a gangbangin’ finger-lickin’ dirty-ass show called Sammy tha Cat or anythang related ta dat shit. I was kicked it wit by a unexpected response: they holla’d fo’sho, much ta mah shock. Da muthafucka whoz ass played Sammy was playaz wit tha playas behind Warner Bros., commonly known ta some playas as tha “warners.” Da show was up in tha works yo, but tha workers noticed dat tha playa was trippin like a muthafucka bout something, so they ended thang wit Sammy tha Cat entirely.

Sammy’s hustla was sufferin from schizophrenia, anxiety, n’ depression. I aint talkin’ bout chicken n’ gravy biatch. If I be bein honest, I kind of feel shitty fo’ him, despite tha fact dat da thug was a serial killa yo, but tha fact dat da thug was sufferin from three thangs make me pleased dat he on lockdown now, nahmeean, biatch? Da company even holla’d at mah crazy ass dat a shitload of tha crew thugz rumored dat da thug was responsible fo’ tha four Warners’ dirtnaps.

Now keep up in mind dat if you call tha company n’ ask dem bout Sammy tha Cat, they will try ta hide tha real deal by saying, “Fuck dat shit, they aint gots a gangbangin’ finger-lickin’ dirty-ass show called that.” I have tha real deal now, nahmeean?

We’ve been on tha call long, so our crazy asses hung up, n’ fo’ tha company’s sake, don’t call tha company n’ ask dem bout tha show, fo’ goodnizz sake, n’ if you’re wonderin how tha fuck I be bustin up in dis biatch, I be feelin down as a person, I have depression, n’ I have anxiety bout thangs now; I aint gots schizophrenia, however.

Anyway, fuck you fo’ readin bout mah experience, whoever is readin all dis bullshit. I wanted ta git mah rap up there somewhere, so peek-a-boo, clear tha way, I be comin’ thru fo’sho. I just want you ta be careful n’ be thinkin before you peep tha thang. If you wanna peep these thangs, do it at yo’ own risk.

[musicarenagh]

Lowtones Sets The Record Straight With Radio Just before the world came to a halt in February 2020, Oliver, Jack, Tim and George felt a musical connection between and this prompted them to join their forces and form the nascent band Lowtones in Norwich. Originally a four-piece, Jack and George are brothers and went to High School with Mav. George and Tim met playing football together. We have all played in groups together over the years, but mainly just for fun. Mav studied in Brighton and moved back to Norfolk at the beginning of 2020 got in touch with Jack and George about starting playing music together again. George knew Tim and got him involved. Simple as that. Listening to music from lowtones one would agree to the fact the band makes creating good song looks easy, as they effortlessly keep creating music, that is on par with their predecessors. Although the band blends different styles to make each song unique, the ethos of the band still remains the same and haven’t changed, or side tracked as they simply express the hardships of modern life and love The current single from Lowtones 'Radio' combines razor-sharp guitar riffs, driving bass-lines, lyrics dripping with intent, and drums that punch you in the gut. In a band were Oliver 'Mav' Mavilio is the main vocalist, Jack Abbott and Tim Cary plays the Guitar, while George Abbott blasts the drums, this is what everybody would expect from the quadruple. Follow Lowtones on Facebook Spotify Soundcloud Youtube Instagram

[joshldeleon]

Looks like I’m back Tumblr, and I’ve got another rehashed version of that old book I wrote at 19. Jeez, I’ve been on this app for a decade now, but look at me—all grown up and still writing! I’m proud of that🤙

But it’s been a wild last few years and I’m ready to jump back in and finish the Destiny Series I started way back when and complete this trilogy. And it all begins here.

I’m going to find a way for y’all or anybody interested to read it straight from my website; like mini episodes you imagine in your head rather than see on your screen. I’ve tried this before and I liked it, so I’m reintroducing the format here in the 2020s. I’m going to have a blast reading these again.

Thanks for always being here for us, Tumblr.

- J.L. Deleon

[joe9cool]

Collide - Justin Herbert - 9

Sara was on cloud fucking nine. 

Justin had just left for practice, they had a small breakfast together before he left, telling her he’d see her Sunday night. They were leaving straight for Texas after practice, which sucked Sara was going to miss him but she was otherwise happy 

“I could fall in looovve with you.” Sara sang as she twirled around his living room, her phone playing Selena on full blast from the bluetooth speaker. She poured herself a big mimosa while she was cleaning. It was a celebratory occasion afterall, she was happy, she officially had a man, who despite his injury blew her back out last night.

Selfish as this may, she wanted him to recover fast, not only for the team, but fuck. Justin was a whole foot taller than her, she wanted him to take advantage. Use that size to fuck her up. I mean she couldn’t complain, he ate her out like a starved man last night. She was in such a good mood, she didn’t even check twitter and it didn’t even bother her that Taylor would be working alongside her man. 

As she was dancing, she picked up Nova and swung her around, the cat looking confused. Her phone began ringing, and Sara saw that it was her Agent. She picked up. “Hello?”

“Sara I have some huge news,” Derek stated. He was known for getting straight to the point. “So guess who reached out to me?” Before she could answer, he cut in “Richelle Mead!”

She gasped. “The author? Of the Vampire Academy books?”  Memories of her being obsessed with the six book series in high school, camping out all night for the newest release, texting all her friends about Dimitri and Rose. 

“The one and only, and guess what? They are making a movie adaption of the books. Richelle is already scouting for the roles and she said she is very interested in having you play Rose!” 

“Shut the fuck up!” She jumped up and down, forgetting that she was holding an animal in her other arm. After setting the cat down with a quick apology, she began her celebration. “Did she give a timeline to anything?”

Derek sighed, “Nothing yet, we probably wouldn’t be looking at any finalization until the end of 2023. But the studio would be Lionsgate and they are looking to spend the money right now. You are the most sought out actresses, and a sure blockbuster.” She smiled, well it for sure would be an amazing opportunity.  “Keep me informed.”

“That’s what I am here for, baby. Also, Ben from Lord Huron reached out and asked if you would be able to sing on another track. They are rereleasing their album with a couple bonus tracks.”

“Oh that’s great! I still have Ben’s number! I will call him as soon as we are done.” They went over filming, and asked if she got the script for the new season of the show. Once they finalized that they hung up.

Once dressed and complete with hair and makeup (emphasis on makeup covering the hickeys on neck, she headed out to meet Ben and the others. Sara was a huge Lord Huron fan, discovering them in 2012 as a sixteen year old, and introduced the show’s audience to their music,  and they blew up. When The Lead singer reached out late 2020 and asked if she wanted to be a part of ‘I lied’ she freaked out, the song and the music video was a success, and as a thank you he painted the single album cover that hangs in her home. Justin asked about it the first time he came over, and she put a bunch of their songs on Spotify for him to listen to.

The studio the band was working at was a decent drive and with the LA traffic it was about a couple hours later that she walked into the old warehouse that he converted into a recording studio. After the greetings they got to work. Ben asked her what songs she wanted to sing on and she chose ‘Meet me in the City’ and ‘Drops in the Lake’. Meet me in the city was a very sexy song about lovers who were in a forbidden relationship and wanted to run away together. It made her think of her and Justin’s story.  Drops in the Lake was a sad song about Love lost and wishing you could go back in time. 

Ben was remixing in the booth and Sara decided to post a photo of the sound studio on her stories. Immediately people began replying, however one caught her eye,

HarryStyles: Glad to see you're in the studio again. Takes me back.

She stared at it. Why the fuck would he send this? What does this all mean? She had spent so many nights wanting this moment. All the thirst traps she posted on insta, all the moments she pretended she was living her best life with her friends while she was really drunk and down a self destructive path. Now she picked herself up, has someone else in her life and he's doing all of this? For what? He is still with Olivia and they seem happy. So why?

"Alright Sara" Ben's voice broke her from her trance. "So I'm gonna go in and record the first verse, and then you do the second. We will combine together for the chorus and you will sing the last line of the song." She smiled. "Oh that's my favorite line!" 

She watched as Ben stepped in the booth and the music began playing. She was on the couch, swaying back and forth and singing along. Since this was a re-record, she was up before she knew it. Once she got the cue she started to sing her part

Go home and say goodbye forever

Tell your ball and chain you won't be back around.

Forget the life you had and don't look back.

Get your courage up and drink this down.

If our love is so wrong, tell me why does it feel so right?

She closed her eyes and pictured the events of the night before. Justin untying the strings of the bikini before reaching his large hands up to cup her breasts. Her breath getting heavy as she felt his lips on her neck. Her reaching behind her and grabbing his length and stroking as she heard his moans. 

Her voice breathy as she sang the chorus

Meet me in the city baby

Meet me in the city baby

Meet me in the city baby.

Am I not the one you're dreaming of my angel?

Am I not the one you wanna love forever?

Sara stopped and opened her eyes and smiled at Ben. Who smiled back and pressed the mic 

that connected them to the booth. "You fucking killed it Sara! I love the voice at the end. You put so much emotion to it."

"Why thank you Ben." He was a great guy. They had so many things in common. His wife was the greatest as well. She had them over for dinner many times. As she came back into the room she saw he was messing the buttons(she didn't know what anything did. Despite Ben and Harry teaching her.) 

"So how's everything? Anything exciting?"

Ben cursed as he hit the wrong button.

Sara laughed and sat on the couch behind him. "Things are going good." She hesitated. "I'm seeing someone." Ben turned around to face her  "Really? Anyone I know?"

"Justin Herbert." He looked at her. "He's the quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers."

"Ah. Sports?" She rolled her eyes. "The football team." He laughed. "Now you know damn well if it isn't baseball I don't give a shit."

She laughed. "You're right, I should have known."

,"is it a new thing?" She nodded. "Three months. But Ben he is amazing, it's like it's been years. It's crazy, because we are total opposites but the same as. I'm an extrovert, he's an introvert. He hates the media and attention, it's pretty much my job. I'm short, he's tall. But I'm crazy about him in every way."

"Does he feel the same?"  She stopped." He does, but he has a hard time showing it. He's not the most romantic guy, but he's trying."

Ben nodded. "What?"

He sighed. "I'm not saying every guy I'd the same. But  when I met my wife I didn't have to try. Now granted you said he's an introvert, but I hope it's because of that. Sara, you're like a sister to me and I don't want to see you get hurt again."

It was almost the exact same thing Bella said to her. Which pisse her off. "It's different, I met his family. Trust me if you meet him you will see what I am seeing."

"What do you mean if?" 

"Well he is not really into the whole family and celebrity thing. So I don't know if he would be comfortable meeting my friends."

“This is someone you want to be in a relationship with?" That shut her up, and Ben knew he pushed a bit too far. "Listen."

"Let's just finish the recordings" She got up. "I have to use the bathroom" and she walked out.

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"Atta boy Herbo!!" Justin turned around, following the voice towards his Offensive Lineman who  was cheering, soon the whole locker room was yelling.

"What's going on?" Justin was confused, did he have a good practice, was it some milestone he hit?

"My boy made some lady very happy!" Mike hollered! Justin was still confused. "You don't see your back? Or more importantly feel it?"

"My man Herbo don't feel nothing! He got that dog in him!" The whole locker room laughed. Justin went to the mirror and turned around.

Holy shit 

There were scratches everywhere. From Sara's nails that were done when she was doing promo. He didn't even realize she was scratching that hard. Well, he did keep telling her to go harder. Whoops 

"Ayo! Who's the lucky girl? You still hitting Bisciotti?" 

He would never be able to escape that name. "No, actually my girlfriend did this."

Mike stopped. "Herb, you mean?" Justin nodded his head and smiled. Mike almost tackled him. "AYO Man!!! I'm happy for you! Look at you getting your head out of your ass!!! Sara is a great girl!!!"

"Wait Sara? That's her name?" Ekeler was invested as well now. He noticed his teammate was silent. "Come on man! This is huge our little man is growing up" he stood up to ruffle Justin's hair. 

"Wait, you met Sara?"

Mike laughed. "Well we met her in July when we went to Joe's wedding. Really cool, too cool for Herb. I don't know what she sees in him."

Justin blushed. Not liking all of this attention on him and the relationship. "Come on  guys, shut up." It came out weak and the group laughed even louder.

"You gotta let us meet her man! This is huge!" Sebastian swung his arm around Justin

"I don't know yet guys. It's too soon."

Just shoved off Sebastian's arm and headed towards the showers. Making sure to keep a good time for the team to get on the plane."

Ekeler looked towards the group. "Did you see how red he got? My man's in love "

After the shower the guys got their stuff ready. Justin sent a quick text to Sara.

J: Getting ready to board plane. Miss you already."

S: miss you . Get the W for me.

J: look at you speaking like a true football fan. 

S: learned from the best. Also I'll be watching in your jersey…. And nothing else. Want a picture for good luck?

Justin groaned. This girl was going to kill him

J: only if we win. And I don't throw an interception.

S: I'll blow you if you don't throw one. What am I saying. I'll blow you either way.

"Hey Herb what's with the pink face? Talking to ya girl." Bash came out of nowhere and looked over Justin's shoulder. "AYE AYE My man's getting laid Sunday night!"

"Fuck off" Justin's phoned dinged and he looked at it. It was a selfie of her blowing a kiss to him. Bash gasped.

"Get the fuck out." Justin tried to silence him but it was too late. "Dawg your girl is Sara Wozniak!" Grabbing the attention of the other players, who turned towards Justin. "Ayeee Herbos girl is Sara Wozniak"

Murmurs of "atta boy Herb" and "holy shit" came about. Bosa came over. "Sara Wozniak! Her show is my favorite! I binged the first two seasons in Quarantine."

Justin's face was really pink now. "We met at Joe's wedding, and hit it off."

Bosa shook his head. "That fucker, I didn't get an invite. I got to give him shit for that later." 

Before the conversation could continue Staley called them over to discuss some things before takeoff. Justin was in deep thought. Was he ready for Sara to meet all of these guys? Was it going too fast?

Then it occurred to him. He had a football game to win. This should be the furthest on his mind. He turned on his laptop and began to watch game highlights from the Texans games.

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Was it a bit early to start drinking? It probably was but Sara didn't care. After the studio Ben invited her to a local western bar with him and his wife for some drinks. It was 1pm, so not too bad. While Ben and Sasha sipped on their beets she enjoyed a spiked blueberry lemonade. 

"Hey listen, I'm sorry for making all these assumptions about this Justin guy. I should trust your judgment about it. He seems great." Ben smiled and Sara could tell that while he was sorry, there was some truth about his previous statements. "I know you guys are looking out for me and I appreciate it. But trust me it's been good so far. We got off to a rough start, but it seems that he is a better person. He's just stressed about the injury and the pressure of the team doing well."

Ben nodded. "Remember if he doesn't treat you right I'm a phone call away to beat his ass. I could too."

Sasha laughed. "Babe, he's 6'6 and you're barely 6'2 I don't know about that." Sara joined in  " actually I don't know if he's a fighter so you might have an advantage there Ben."

Halfway through their lunch Sara's phone began to ring, she excused herself when she saw Timothe's name.

"Hello Timmy!"

"Sara, my favorite girl, how are you?" She heard the smile on his face. He was always happy.

"I'm great, for what do I owe this phone call for?"

"I need you to do a huge favor and attend Virgil's birthday party as my date."

Every year since Virgil Abloh's death. A party was held on his birthday. He loved parties and he made his friends promise they would continue to celebrate his life. It was a big event that was held at a mansion. The best food, alcohol, and music. All of the celebs would be there."

Sara laughed. "You know damn well I wouldn't let you go to that party alone. Timmy. I will see you Saturday night." 

After plans had been made she returned to her lunch. 

Her phone buzzed again. It was Justin.

J: She lit a fire and now she's in my every thought.

Sara smiled. So he saw her story. He started following her a few days ago and began replying to all of her stories.  Some funny replies and liked a couple photos. He joked that she should take down all of her thirst traps. There was a little back and forth but eventually they came down. She didn't care, everything was going great.

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"Virgil Forever!!"

Her and Timothee screamed in the elaborate photo booth as it snapped photos. It was Saturday night, and the party for the late Virgil was in full swing as her and Timothee arrived late (her makeup artist couldn't get a lash to stick, and her black curve hugging dress designed for her by Virgil was impossible to find in her closet.) She and Tim arrived to a sea of paparazzi outside the mansion. No doubt the rumor mill was going to be running wild.

Sara had been dogging the questioning that Timmy had given her at her house when he walked into her closet and saw men's clothing. (Sara had stolen a little bit of Justin's shirts and sweatshirts) She had simply told him that she purchased them and they were clothes to relax around the house. He didn't believe that one bit but he left it alone until they were in the car. 

"So you are seeing someone?" Sara shrugged. "I've been on a few dates with some dudes. All douchebags."

"So you steal their clothes?"

"Well some I bought others I took after a hookup."

The subject was dropped when they arrived.  Drinks were poured, appetizers were served and photos were taken. She took photos with Naomi Campbell, among others. She had hit the dance floor after a few. Her heels were killing her, and so Timothee had to hold them while she switched into a pair of flats.

She was wobbling around looking for the restrooms. She went outside to catch some air. Coming across a few strangers she asked if they had a cigarette on them. Sara liked to indulge in one when she was drinking or stressed. She hadn't told Justin about her secret. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Unfortunately her cover was blown when he FaceTimed her. She wasn't thinking, and she picked up with the white stick in her mouth. "Heey baby." She slurred. 

His eyes narrowed. "What is in your mouth?" His tone was angry. Well fuck

She took it out of her mouth and blew out the smoke. "A cig, they hit the spot when drinking."

"Take that shit out your mouth." She giggled. "Make me. You're not here so I have to have something in my mouth."

Justin growled. "God you are so fucking dirty. I need to teach you a lesson when I get home. How many puffs did you take?"

She thought for a minute. "Probably like nine so far." She took another one. "That makes ten." Justin smirked. "What?"

"Just counting the ass spankings." She moaned. "Fuck you Justin Patrick!"

"Huh?"

"You always do this shit to me when youre not here! Leaving me a fucking mess that you can't satisfy."

Justin laughed. "But don't I always make up for it?" 

"I guess."

"Good girl. Now please do not ever let me catch you smoking again. It's an awful habit. And also please go home. I don't like you being drunk when I'm not around."

She wanted to push further. "You don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone around you."

"Well you're lucky I'm over this party and I need to prepare for the awful hangover tomorrow." He laughed.

He stayed on the phone with her the entire time she said goodbye to friends, and in the car ride to her place. (Which sucked when she realized most of her shit was at his house.) They hung up and she only had the energy to wash her face and strip naked from the curve hugging dress. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------*----

Sara was never drinking again.

It was a fucking miracle how she managed to pull herself together after last night. Well she had woken up to Heidi bitching her out after a clip of her singing the Jeffrey Dahmer line from the controversial song went viral. Big deal everyone else was. Heidi wrote up a apology to put outon her Twitter, even though the consensus among the people was that is was stupid to get mad at that. Everyone at that party was singing it as well.After throwing up a few times she put on her comfy shorts and an oversized t-shirt, skipping the makeup and the contacts she went over to Joe and Alisha's house to watch the game.It was off to a good start, Justin and the team looked good, well let's face it she was only focused on Justin the entire time.

At one point Joe got up to take a phone call and they showed a close up of number 97 on the field. Alisha sighed dreamily. "Bosa is so damn fine." Sara turned her head slowly to avoid dizziness. "Bosa?”

Alisha took a sip of her water. "Joey Bosa. Sweet man, he's huge. He weighs almost 300 lbs."

"Jesus." Sara muttered. "Imagine all that weight on you." Alisha choked and began to cough laughing. "Is it bad that I imagined it as well?"

Both girls were giggling as Joe side eyed them as he came back into the room "What's funny?"

"Sara was ogling Bosa. " his wife stated. "You bitch. I wasnt" Joe groaned 

"Not you too. You already have Herb."  Sara smiled. "Nothing wrong with looking."

"Speaking of Herb, I spoke with Ann-Sophie. He is treating you right? Cause I'll kick his ass." It was Sara's turn to groan. Fucking big mouth. Also what is with the guys wanting to fight Justin? Especially when they weren't even close to his size.

"First off, you are 5'10 and are not cracking 200 lbs. Second, everything is okay now. It was rough but we are official."

Joe sighed. "Listen, Herb is a good guy, he's just not used to living our lifestyle and I think he gets overwhelmed and doesn't know how to handle his feelings. He is football, football, football. He's had flings before but that's it." At the mention of flings Sara was curious. "What flings?"

"He hasn't told you anything?" Sara shook her head no. "Aww fuck, I shouldn't be saying anything. It's not my business."

"He won't open up to me about that, and to be fair I haven't said anything either. I swear I won't say anything." Joe paused. "You swear you won't mention anything?"

Sara shook her head yes

"Last I heard, he was sorta seeing a reporter for the NFL network. Can't recall her name, however it's not too much of a secret but they were trying to keep it on the down low. Could ruin her reputation. However they broke it off last season. She was traveling all over the place. Herb isn't into that. He's a hermit."

She snorted. "You're telling me, we've only been to Jerry's once. Not that I mind, but he's definitely a recluse." Joe laughed. Sara paused, unsure of how to ask the next question. "Do you think he would be seeing both of us at the same time?"

Joe didn't hesitate. "Nah, Justin wouldn't o

Do that to you. He's a good dude from a good family. What makes you think that?"

She didn't want to blow her cover of already knowing about Taylor. "I don't know. I guess since you've known him the longest you would know what he is like."

"Again He's a good dude. Just be patient with him, he's not used to a relationship." 

The conversation was interrupted by the Texans scoring and making it a close game. "WHAT THE FUCK! IM SORRY LOMBARDI NEEDS TO GO!" 

Alisha rolled her eyes. "Sara, do you want to come help me get some food out?" She nodded and followed her to the kitchen."

As she got out the microwavable snacks she stated to Sara. "You knew about the reporter didn't you?"

Sara tried  to look surprised. "Wait what? What makes you think that?"

Alisha smiled. " a woman always knows. We are always one step ahead. You'd think these men would understand that by now."

"When he got injured, I spent a few nights at his house. While he was out, she sent him a bear with an edible arrangement. It was signed 'your TayBae.' That's not someone who thinks the relationship cooled down. Then there were posts on Tumblr saying he picked her up from the airport over the summer. Which would have been right before he met me." She sighed. " I don't want to say anything, cause that would make me hypocrite with Harry but it's eating me up."

"Sara you can't do that. It wouldn't make you a hypocrite. Your relationship with Harry was long over before Justin came into the picture." She pondered over that.

"The only solace is that everytime he has been in LA I've been with him, the exception being when I was in New York."

"Well I'm not trying to sound like Joe, but if he asked you to be his girlfriend, he would have ended it. He isn't like that."

Sara believed it. "Okay"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We doing a victory Brisket at Herb's house? Justin looked up from his tablet to see the whole team smiling at him. "I don't know man. My ribs hurt and we should rest."

"You are so full of shit. I heard you ask the doc for an injection after the game." Bash began laughing. "Oh I get it Herb you in for a long night ehh. Atta boy!" The plane began laughing while Justin flushed red. He had a nice night planned with Sara, one that didn't involve the team."

"That's none of your business." Was all he could say and it sent the boys laughing harder. Mike jumped in. "Ayyee gathering at Herbs tomorrow who's in?"

The usual group chimed in that they would be there. He heard a new voice. "I'm in." He looked over and saw Bosa staring at the group. "I've been wanting to try this famous Brisket you all rave about. "Justin thought nothing of it. Although it was weird that he was joining them.

It was whatever, he just wanted to go home to Sara. He had some plans.

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Justin woke up. He felt refreshed.

Except he wasn't on the team plane, he wasn't even on the damn bus.

He was in bed. His bed. He looked around, seeing the usual. Nothing seemed different, until he looked at the photos on the wall. Which was weird, cause he didn't have photos in his bed.

There was one of his family, and one of him and Sara. He felt something on his finger and he looked. It was a shiny silver band. He held up his hand and inspected it. 

"Hi baby!" He looked up to see Sara enter the room. Her stomach looked a little swollen. "Your kid is really active today."

Before he could respond he woke up. He was gasping for breath. He was back on the plane. No one was paying attention. He rested his head and took a deep breath.

That was weird. That meant nothing 

Right?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How are your ribs?"

Justin let out a heavy gasp as Sara moaned. "You're seriously ughhhhh oh god baby asking me about my ribs?" He let out another moan as Sara rolled her hips "Fuck baby don't stop."

He was sitting on the bed feet down while Sara was riding him. As soon as he came through the door they were all over each other. Justin had shown her why it wasn't a good idea for him to shave his facial hair. (She had teased him before about shaving, she might have to rethink that)

She moaned as Justin started to suck and bite at her nipples. Once he discovered it as her weakness there was no going back. "God I love your tits." He took them both in his hands and squished his face in between them. "Mine, no one else gets to see these." Sara rolled her eyes. She had mentioned to him that she had a couple roles she had to turn down because they wanted full frontal nudity. She was okay with bras and sex scenes, even the illusion she was nude but that was it. She didn't expect Justin to be so possessive. It was fucking hot to be honest.

"Oh god babe I'm gonna cum!" Sara moaned as she came, him throwing his head back as she felt him release in her. They both collapsed on the bed. Trying to catch their breaths. Sara looked over at Justin and smiled, him returning the expression. "Sooo tomorrow.." He trailed off as she began tracing his chest. "Some of the guys are coming over tomorrow for a victory Brisket. I have to order a bunch of groceries."

"We can go shopping tomorrow. I can make some cookies or something." She couldn't hide the excitement in her voice as she thought about meeting his teammates.

"Naw I think we should just get delivery, it will be easier and you know…." He didn't finish the sentence. She already knew where it was going. He didn't want to draw attention, she exhaled. "I know you're right." She got up to use the bathroom  and she heard Justin get up and follow her. She decided to take a bath, she was surprised to see all the bath stuff he bought. 

Sara lit some candles and started the water. Looking for the bubble solution, she dumped a hefty amount. As she was doing this she felt his eyes on her.  "I'm sorry." He said

"For what?" She submerged herself, moaning as the warm water hit all the Sore muscles. 

"One day I'll be comfortable with being on camera and photographed. It's just intimidating. The fame, I guess it's just people prying into my life I don't like."

She nodded "I understand, trust me it's a lot. Everyone knows almost everything about you but honestly it silences people. I used to be like that. Closed off, but I feel like it gives people ammo to talk crap, to fill the narrative with what they want. I'm not saying life has to be an open book, but people can make things up." He smiled. "I guess. Can I join you?"

"You don't have to ask." He slipped in and rested his head against her shoulder as she laid kisses on his neck. "Are you trying to go for round two?" She laughed. "I mean," her hand slipped down and began to trace his abs. "I wouldn't be opposed. But you gotta be careful. I don't need LA coming after me because I put you out for the season." He snorted. "Die by fucking you is a dream."

She laughed and continued rubbing his chest, avoiding the mid section. Justin sighed. "Please don't stop."

And she didn't, and they did go for round two."

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"Alright guys. Practice and media tomorrow. I think we all know the keys to beating the browns next week." Staley turned off the projector and the guys got up. They had a workout, followed by some video review of next week's opponent. It was noon, and Justin had told the guys that were coming over to be at his home around three. He and Sara had delivered a bunch of groceries and she was running around making sure they had enough food prepared. She had texted him pictures of the salads she made as well as drinks. It was a lot, but some guys would be able to take home leftovers as well. Sara had Italian roots, she told him as such there was no such thing as too much food. 

Justin got home, showered and saw that Sara was dressed and ready. "Do you need my help with anything?" She shook her head no "you can start grilling whenever you want." He gave her a kiss and started seasoning the meat and got everything ready. Before they knew it it was 3 and some people started arriving. Once the fawning over who she was stopped everyone began relaxing.

Sara noticed Justin's demeanor was different. When he introduced her he just introduced her as 'Sara' no 'my girlfriend' or anything. She tried to not let it get to her. But he kept giving her one word answers and seemed to act like a friend would. She took a deep breath as she refilled her water. 'That's just how he is. ' she thought

'"Hi you must be Sara." A voice broke her from her thoughts. "Yes hi -"

In front of her was a very big, tall man. He looked like he could be straight out of Game of thrones. Joey Bosa. She smiled,  “Why yes I am, you must be Bosa.” He raised his eyebrows. “Look at you using my last name, you must have been watching me a lot on the field.” He held out a cake. “I am not a baker, so I just stopped at a bakery, I am Italian, so we never go to anyone’s house empty handed.” She took it, it was a chocolate bundt from Nothing Bundt Cakes “Oh my favorite, also Bosa, I knew that was Italian. I am as well.”

“Really? Wozniak isn’t Italian.”

“My mom’s side is Italian, her maiden name is Ricci.” Joey let out an ahhh .

Truth be told Joey had been there for quite some time, he had come in through the backyard and greeted the guys. He had noticed Justin failed to mention  that there was even a woman in the home, let alone his girlfriend. Mike had been filling him in all about this new relationship. Joey knew that his QB could be a douche when it came to girls. Justin was oblivious to Taylor wanting to be more than a hookup, Hannah from the Bachelor wanting to take their relationship public and he ended up dumping her. However, Sara Wozniak was not someone to play with. Call him fan crazed, but he always liked her movies, when he would catch interviews she seemed like a cool person. So far he was right, she was easy to talk to, and the fact that she went out of her way to throw together this shindig for hungry football players? Sara was a dream.

He was awestruck by her beauty, especially seeing her up close. Once he knew all the guys were outside, he made the excuse of putting the cake on the counter. Which led him here, paying more attention to the brunette beauty more than her own boyfriend. 

Speaking of Herb he interrupted the conversation when he opened the sliding door to announce the food is ready. As everybody began to fill up their plates Joey noticed that Justin sat by the team at the dining room table and began discussing plays, leaving Sara to sit by herself at the island. Once he got his plate he put it next to Sara, she looked up and smiled at him and he smiled back. His heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t the guy to move on his buddy’s girl, but if Justin couldn’t see what was in front of him, maybe she would start looking in a different direction, and he would be right in her line of sight.

A/N Hey guys, I apologize, I feel like this is a weak chapter on my end. I am just on a high after an amazing week 4. But Yes All I am going to say about Bosa is... It be your own sometimes *devil emoji*

Feel free to ask any questions, comment, show concern, my ask box is always open