#guest starring mrs. pan cakes

[beebox-illustrations]

Nobody will ever be too old for breakfast faces, at least I won’t 🤔

Happy Sunday guys 🌻🐝

[mattzerella-sticks]

Enjoy the Present (1k, 14x15 ‘The Last Holiday’ coda, Destiel, Dean, Sam, Jack, & Cas)

(ao3)

Sam had a birthday, Jack had a birthday...

It would only be fitting for Dean to have one, too. It's expected, really. Yet the one Sam and Jack throw him still catches him by surprise. Maybe because he actually agreed with Butters, about having outgrowned birthdays. Or because his thoughts were pulled elsewhere because of some disappointing news.

If it's the latter, than a birthday will definitely take his mind off of that. Especially when it comes time for his present.

           Dean rereads Sam’s message as he walks into the Bunker’s main room. “Sammy!” he yells, “I’m here. What’s so damn urgent that you…” He trails off, catching sight of his brother and Jack, both adorned in festive gear. Tiny cardboard party hats sat atop their heads, colorful party beads hung around their necks, and party horns that announced his entrance. Them, as well as the single balloon tied to a chair and a covered cake platter, reveal Sam’s true intentions. “Oh no,” he sighs, tiredly chuckling, “really?”

           “Yes, really,” Sam says, Jack still blowing madly in the background, “it’s your turn.”

           “But we celebrated Jack’s birthday, like, a day ago.”

           “Three, actually.” Sam pulls the chair back, gesturing Dean forward. He relents, taking the seat of honor. Jack attacks a second after he’s settled, threading the ‘Birthday Boy’ headband through his hair. “Figured that was enough time for you to let your guard down.”

           He rolls his eyes but does not disagree with Sam’s statement. There were no faults that he could nitpick. Dean thought they were more than satisfied with the crash course of holidays Mrs. Butters put them through. That she left before his birthday, Dean hadn’t minded. She was right, in a sense, about how at his age there’s no point in celebrating one. But seeing Sam and Jack do this, it reminds him why he wanted one anyway. Makes him grateful despite the disappointment he suffered earlier in the day.

           Dean won’t focus on the missing space in their group, however. It might be his party, but he knows crying would kill the mood faster than their radar could ping a monster.

           “Well,” he claps his hands, staring at the platter in front of him, “show me what you got.”

           Jack unveils the cake, beaming. “I made it,” he tells Dean, “to return the favor.”

           “You didn’t have to do that –“

           “But I wanted to,” Jack continues, setting the cover aside. “It’s… not the first cake I made today. The third, actually. I hope you like it.”

           The green-frosted dessert slides a bit, top half slanted and unbalanced. ‘Happy Birthday Dean’ scrawled so messily he only knows what it meant given context clues. He swipes a finger across the side, taking frosting and crumbs of cake with him. Of all the cakes Dean saw, Jack’s… is here.

           Dean cannot judge too critically, having his own difficulties with cakes. When making Jack’s cake Dean certainly stumbled. Not greasing the pan enough, batter barely enough for two layers, frosting used as both decoration and glue. It turned out well though. Moist, fluffy, and rich. Dean saw himself baking more cakes in the future, perhaps when things have quieted down. He and Jack can learn together.

           “It looks great, kid,” Dean says, squeezing his wrist. “Why don’t we jab a candle in there so we can get to eating it!”

           Sam clears his throat, wincing. “About that…” he laughs, holding an unlit candle out. “Why don’t we just light it and you blow without having it… ruin the cake.” As if hearing Sam, Jack’s creation sinks further. Depressed at not participating with this tradition.

           Dean agrees, taking the candle from Sam. Jack taps it with his finger, lighting it. “Make a wish Dean!” he says, stepping back.

           A wish. There’s so much on his mind, that he could ask. Past the age of actually believing in wishes, Dean wonders if he should shoot for the stars. A quick end to their Chuck problem. An island retreat where Dean can grow old at. Superpowers and a kick-ass costume and shield. He spends so long thinking, the wax drips and burns his fingers. Chastising him for not taking it seriously.

           Reflecting again on what he wants, the answer is obvious. Dean closes his eyes and blows the flame out. “Okay,” he hands Jack the candle, “now can we dig into the –“

           Creeaaak

           Dean pauses, the front door opening above him. He looks up, on the edge of his seat. Doubtful. Wishing on a candle never works, especially that fast. But Sam and Jack exchanged twin looks that reeked of smugness, like they knew who this guest was. There’s only a short list of people it could be. Dean dare not hope…

           Cas meets his gaze from the balcony, a red bow wrapped around him like a sash. “Happy birthday, Dean,” he says, eyes crinkling from the weight of his smile, “I hope I’m not too late.”

           There’s no cake. No balloon. No party hats, beads or horns. Dean stands with enough force the chair topples over. “Cas,” he says, grin threatening to crack his face in twain. Voice raw with too much feeling. “What are… I thought you weren’t coming back today?”

           It ruined his entire morning. Waking, a voicemail on his phone from Cas about being delayed by a possible lead. Dean knew it was important for their mission, but the rejection stung. He went about in a haze, restructuring for another day without Cas. Holding off on the Dean Cave, the stack of movies he left there pointless without the other man. And why would he wash Baby when Cas promised Dean it’d be something they do together for once.

           The sun, having risen, continued across the sky. And Cas descended the stairs towards Dean. “It was Sam’s idea,” he explains, “that you might… appreciate the surprise. I’m sorry if I caused any undue worry, or stress –“

           Dean wraps his arms around Cas, nuzzling against his cheek. “Glad you’re here man,” he whispers, “every time you leave, the more I want you to come back.”

           “Dean,” Cas sighs, his hands tight on Dean’s waist. “Leaving has become increasingly difficult. Because I’d rather be here, with you, more than anything.”

           This is the moment. He knows it. His bones shake, and skin itches, because all that Dean hopes, fears, and feels has culminated for this brief second where Dean can finally put them all into words and be confident how Cas will respond.

           Except the second slips by. Dean leans back, Sam and Jack invading their space. “So,” he smirks, brows waggling, “you like my present?”

           Another time. There’ll be another chance. When they’re alone and can carry on uninterrupted. Maybe in the backseat of his Baby, heaven knows it’s been years since she’s seen something beautiful and bloodless.

           Dean lays his hands on Cas’s shoulders, smiling. “The best damn birthday present I’ve ever gotten, Sammy.”

[papermoonloveslucy]

MRS. COOPER’S BOYFRIEND

February 10, 1950

“Mrs. Cooper’s Boyfriend” is episode #75 of the radio series MY FAVORITE HUSBAND broadcast on February 10, 1950.

Synopsis ~ Liz decides that the only way to keep George's mother from coming over on Valentine’s Day is to get her a boyfriend.

“My Favorite Husband” was based on the novels Mr. and Mrs. Cugat, the Record of a Happy Marriage (1940) and Outside Eden (1945) by Isabel Scott Rorick, which had previously been adapted into the film Are Husbands Necessary? (1942). “My Favorite Husband” was first broadcast as a one-time special on July 5, 1948. Lucille Ball and Lee Bowman played the characters of Liz and George Cugat, and a positive response to this broadcast convinced CBS to launch “My Favorite Husband” as a series. Bowman was not available Richard Denning was cast as George. On January 7, 1949, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Cooper. On this same episode Jell-O became its sponsor. A total of 124 episodes of the program aired from July 23, 1948 through March 31, 1951. After about ten episodes had been written, writers Fox and Davenport departed and three new writers took over – Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and head writer/producer Jess Oppenheimer. In March 1949 Gale Gordon took over the existing role of George’s boss, Rudolph Atterbury, and Bea Benaderet was added as his wife, Iris. CBS brought “My Favorite Husband” to television in 1953, starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson as Liz and George Cooper. The television version ran two-and-a-half seasons, from September 1953 through December 1955, running concurrently with “I Love Lucy.” It was produced live at CBS Television City for most of its run, until switching to film for a truncated third season filmed (ironically) at Desilu and recasting Liz Cooper with Vanessa Brown.

MAIN CAST

Lucille Ball (Liz Cooper) was born on August 6, 1911 in Jamestown, New York. She began her screen career in 1933 and was known in Hollywood as ‘Queen of the B’s’ due to her many appearances in ‘B’ movies. With Richard Denning, she starred in a radio program titled “My Favorite Husband” which eventually led to the creation of “I Love Lucy,” a television situation comedy in which she co-starred with her real-life husband, Latin bandleader Desi Arnaz. The program was phenomenally successful, allowing the couple to purchase what was once RKO Studios, re-naming it Desilu. When the show ended in 1960 (in an hour-long format known as “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour”) so did Lucy and Desi’s marriage. In 1962, hoping to keep Desilu financially solvent, Lucy returned to the sitcom format with “The Lucy Show,” which lasted six seasons. She followed that with a similar sitcom “Here’s Lucy” co-starring with her real-life children, Lucie and Desi Jr., as well as Gale Gordon, who had joined the cast of “The Lucy Show” during season two. Before her death in 1989, Lucy made one more attempt at a sitcom with “Life With Lucy,” also with Gordon.

Richard Denning (George Cooper) was born Louis Albert Heindrich Denninger Jr., in Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was 18 months old, his family moved to Los Angeles. Plans called for him to take over his father’s garment manufacturing business, but he developed an interest in acting. Denning enlisted in the US Navy during World War II. He is best known for his  roles in various science fiction and horror films of the 1950s. Although he teamed with Lucille Ball on radio in “My Favorite Husband,” the two never acted together on screen. While “I Love Lucy” was on the air, he was seen on another CBS TV series, “Mr. & Mrs. North.” From 1968 to 1980 he played the Governor on “Hawaii 5-0″, his final role. He died in 1998 at age 84.

Gale Gordon (Rudolph Atterbury) and Bea Benadaret (Iris Atterbury)  are not heard in this episode. 

Ruth Perrott (Katie, the Maid) was also later seen on “I Love Lucy.” She first played Mrs. Pomerantz (above right), a member of the surprise investigating committee for the Society Matrons League in “Pioneer Women” (ILL S1;E25), as one of the member of the Wednesday Afternoon Fine Arts League in “Lucy and Ethel Buy the Same Dress” (ILL S3;E3), and also played a nurse when “Lucy Goes to the Hospital” (ILL S2;E16). She died in 1996 at the age of 96.

Bob LeMond (Announcer) also served as the announcer for the pilot episode of “I Love Lucy”. When the long-lost pilot was finally discovered in 1990, a few moments of the opening narration were damaged and lost, so LeMond – fifty years later – recreated the narration for the CBS special and subsequent DVD release.

GUEST CAST

Eleanor Audley (Leaticia Cooper, George’s Mother) previously played this character in “George is Messy” and “Dinner for 12″. She would later play Eleanor Spalding, owner of the Westport home the Ricardos buy in “Lucy Wants To Move to the Country” (ILL S6;E15) in 1957, as well as one of the Garden Club judges in “Lucy Raises Tulips” (ILL S6;E26).

Hans Conried (Mr. Anderson) first co-starred with Lucille Ball in The Big Street (1942). He then appeared on “I Love Lucy” as used furniture man Dan Jenkins in “Redecorating” (ILL S2;E8) and later that same season as Percy Livermore in “Lucy Hires an English Tutor” (ILL S2;E13) – both in 1952. The following year he began an association with Disney by voicing Captain Hook in Peter Pan. On “The Lucy Show” he played Professor Gitterman in “Lucy’s Barbershop Quartet” (TLS S1;E19) and in “Lucy Plays Cleopatra” (TLS S2;E1). He was probably best known as Uncle Tonoose on “Make Room for Daddy” starring Danny Thomas, which was filmed on the Desilu lot. He joined Thomas on a season 6 episode of “Here’s Lucy” in 1973. He died in 1982 at age 64.

Hal March (Mr. Jenkins / Mr. Crockett) first appeared on the “I Love Lucy” in “Lucy Fakes Illness” (ILL S1;E16) using his own name to play an actor posing as the doctor who diagnoses Lucy with ‘golbloots.’ March got his first big break when he was cast as Harry Morton on “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” in 1950. He eventually lost the part to Fred Clark who producers felt was better paired with Bea Benaderet, who played Blanche, and here plays Iris Atterbury. He stayed with the show in other roles, the last airing just two weeks before his appearance as Eddie Grant in “Lucy is Matchmaker” (ILL S2;E27). In 1966 he was seen on “The Lucy Show.”

Frank Nelson (J.Q. Williams, Chairman of the Bank) was born on May 6, 1911 (three months before Lucille Ball) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He started working as a radio announcer at the age of 15. He later appeared on such popular radio shows as “The Great Gildersleeve,” “Burns and Allen,” and “Fibber McGee & Molly”. This is one of his 11 performances on “My Favorite Husband.”  On “I Love Lucy” he holds the distinction of being the only actor to play two recurring roles: Freddie Fillmore and Ralph Ramsey, as well as six one-off characters, including the frazzled train conductor in “The Great Train Robbery” (ILL S5;E5), a character he repeated on “The Lucy Show.” Aside from Lucille Ball, Nelson is perhaps most associated with Jack Benny and was a fifteen-year regular on his radio and television programs.

EPISODE

ANNOUNCER: “As we look in on the Coopers it’s morning. George Cooper is eating breakfast, while Liz in the kitchen talking to Katie, the maid.”

Liz is planning the menu for an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner with George.

LIZ: “Hearts of beef, hearts of artichoke, hearts of lettuce, heart-shaped candy, and heart-shaped cake.” KATIE: “That oughta give ya heart-shaped heartburn!” 

Liz joins George for breakfast and notices that he has nicked himself shaving - several times.

LIZ: “You look like you have your face up in paper curlers.”

Liz confesses she used George’s razor to string beans! Liz apologizes with a smooch. She brings up Valentine’s Day, and George breaks it to her that his mother is coming. George reminds Liz that his mother always spends the holidays with them. 

LIZ: “It’s Valentine’s Day, not Halloween!  Can’t we give her a rain check until Groundhog Day or something?” 

Groundhog Day is an American folk tradition established in Pennsylvania around 1840, that supposes that if a groundhog comes out of his burrow and sees his shadow, we are in for six more weeks of winter. The tradition has inspired a Hollywood film and a Broadway musical.  Since the date is traditionally February 2 (before Valentine’s Day), Liz is really extending her hospitality into 1951! 1955′s “Lucy Goes to a Rodeo” (ILL S5;E8) opens with Ricky penciling in Lucy for a kiss on February 2nd, which Lucy notes is Groundhog Day. 

Liz is upset that her romantic dinner for two will become a threesome. she suggests that if his mother wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day she should get a boyfriend. George says she has no interest in men.

LIZ: “Well, she did once. Or did she win you in a game of Canasta?”

Canasta is a card game of the rummy family devised around 1939. It is most commonly played by four in two partnerships with two standard decks of cards. The game was mentioned several times on episodes of “I Love Lucy.” 

George comes around to the idea of getting his mother a boyfriend - but who? 

LIZ: “Gee, all I can think of is the Smithsonian Institute!” 

In “Never Do Business With Friends” (ILL S2;E31), Ethel complains that her washing machine is old enough to belong in the Smithsonian Institution. Dubbed ‘the Nation’s attic’, the Smithsonian museums (located primarily in Washington DC) will be mentioned again in reference to the antique Cadillac that Fred buys for the trip to Hollywood.  

George rushes off to work. The new bank Chairman is visiting. Liz tells Katie to plan to serve three for Valentine’s Day dinner. Liz says that her mother-in-law uses any excuse to visit - even Boys Week. 

Boys (and Girls) Week was a movement to help build citizenship among youth. The movement began in 1920 with boys. In 1934, Boys Week became known as Youth Week, and in 1936, Boys and Girls Week. A project of the Rotary International, their sponsorship ceased in 1954.  

Liz has invited Mother Cooper (Eleanor Audley) over to talk about the idea and before they know it, she has arrived.

LIZ (to Katie): “Well, speak of the devil-in-law.” KATIE (hushed): “How does she get in the house so quietly?” LIZ: “She’s got a muffler on her broom.”

No sooner is she in the kitchen when she is telling Liz that there’s dust on top of her bookcase.  Liz quickly changes the subject to dating.

MOTHER COOPER: “It would be nice to have dates, but not a man!”  LIZ: “Not a man!?!  Well, I don’t know any kangaroos!” 

Mother Cooper is intrigued by the idea, but doesn’t think anyone would be interested in a woman of her age.

MOTHER COOPER: “The man isn’t man living who’d have plain old me!” LIZ: “Well, we’ll dig someone up.”

Mrs. Cooper describes her ideal man. Liz urges her to compromise. Mother insists he is only 41 years old. As she leaves, she tells Liz to forget the whole thing. 

Katie tells Liz to try looking at the Sheridan Falls Friendship Center, where her sister found all her husbands. 

LIZ: “Katie, I’ll do it!  I’m going to get a man for Mother Cooper if I have to get an Erector Set and build her one!” 

Erector Set was a brand of metal toy construction sets which were originally sold by the Mysto Manufacturing Company in 1913, a successor to wooden Lincoln Logs and a predecessor to plastic LEGO. 

END of PART ONE After a short Jello-O commercial featuring announcer Bob LeMond providing a macaroon pudding recipe, the story resumes. 

Liz has embarked on her manhunt and we find her downtown at the Sheridan Falls Friendship Center. The building is marked by a large neon sign that says “Lonesome?” The doorbell sounds “Here Comes The Bride”. 

Thomas ‘Cupid’ Jenkins (Hal March), the founder, opens the door. 

LIZ: “I’d like to order a man!”

Liz immediately states that it is not for her, although Mr. Jenkins clearly doesn’t believe her. 

MR. JENKINS: “I understand perfectly. He’s a gift for a friend.”

Liz tells him it is for his mother-in-law. The phone rings and Mr. Jenkins answers it congratulating the caller on her success and promising to remove her card from his file. 

MR. JENKINS: “Goodbye, Lady Ashley.” (hangs up) LIZ: “Was that THE Lady Ashely?”

Sylvia, Lady Ashley (1904-77) was an English model, actress, and socialite who was best known for her numerous marriages to British noblemen and American movie stars. On December 20, 1949, she married Clark Gable, the fourth of her five husbands. The pair divorced in 1952. 

It turns out to be a different Lady Ashley. Liz and Mr. Jenkins fill out an application card for Mother Cooper. Although Liz describes her as ‘41, attractive and wealthy’, Mr. Jenkins immediately interprets that as ‘65, old battle axe, and broke’!  Liz wants someone to come to the house tonight. Mr. Jenkins promises the perfect man will come with a written 30-day guarantee!  

At the bank, George is visited by the new Chairman of the Board, J.Q. Williams (Frank Nelson). He wants to get to know the employees and George invites him over for dinner that evening. Unfortunately, their home phone seems to be out of order so he can’t alert Liz. He tells Mr. Williams the address to meet him there.

That evening, Mrs. Cooper is preparing to meet the gentleman Mr. Jenkins is sending over. The doorbell rings. It is Mr. Williams from the bank. Liz immediately assumes that he is from the Friendship Society and that the Mrs. Cooper he has come to meet is her mother-in-law.  

Liz doesn’t want Mother Cooper to know that he is an arranged suitor, so she asks him what they should say about his professional life.  

MR. WILLIAMS: “Let’s just tell her I’m Chairman of the Board at the Bank.” LIZ: “Come, now. Let’s not overdo it.”

Believing Mother Cooper to be George’s wife, he sits down next to her. Just then George comes home from work. Liz heads him off at the hallway to tell him that she’s arranged a Lonely Hearts prospect to come over for dinner. George is sure he’s a bum. 

LIZ: “You’ll die when you see him!” 

Before going into the living room to meet him, George tells Liz that he’s invited the new Chairman of the Board of the Bank to dinner - a Mr. Williams. Liz screams in horror and explains what she’s done.  The doorbell rings again. 

While George takes Mr. Williams aside to explain things to him, Liz answers the door. It is Mr. Crockett (Hal March again). Before he can get a word out, Liz immediately assumes him to be the man from the Lonely Hearts Club. She quickly instructs him to act like an old friend of hers and ushers him in to meet Mother Cooper.

MOTHER COOPER: “I liked the other one better.” 

The doorbell rings again, it is Mr. Anderson (Hans Conried), the man from the Sheridan Falls Friendship Center. He immediately assumes that Liz is the woman that Mr. Jenkins has sent him to meet!

MR. ANDERSON: “After 15 years of sending me lemons, he’s finally sent me a peach!” 

Liz is confused, but shows him in to the living room to meet Mother Cooper.  

MR. ANDERSON: “Shucks. Back to Lemons again.”

Having explained the confusion, George returns with Mr. Williams, who eagerly agrees to be Mother Cooper’s escort for the rest of the evening. Liz tells Mr. Anderson and Mr. Crockett to go back to the Friendship Center, but Mr. Crockett is confused. 

MR. CROCKETT: “What Friendship Center? I just came here to fix the telephone!”  LIZ: “Oh, no!!!”

END of EPISODE

In the live Jell-O commercial, Lucille Ball and Bob LeMond go South of the Border, where all the ‘J’s are pronounced like ‘H’. 

Lucille is Hosephine and her brother is named Himmy, who is strong as Jerkules. She reads a poem:

I know a little café It’s a perfect place to go  Because they always serve Jell-O vanilla tapio- Ca pudding. It’s delicious and tempting And you sap,  You also ought to order some Jell-O chocolate tap- Ioca. It’s so rich the kids all say it’s good I cannot rhyme Jell-O orange vanilla tapioca, I wish I could. 

Bob LeMond sums up her poem with one succinct line.  But Lucille concludes:

Those lines they tell the story, They cut the time in half.  They talk of Jell-O pudding, but they don’t get any laughs!

[omniversalobservations]

Blaise et le Chateau d'Anne Hiversere (2004)

Blaise et le cha?teau d'Anne Hiverse?re Author: Claude Ponti Language: French Summary: For Anne Hiversère's birthday, the chicks want to build a big castle for her. For this, they will go get chocolate in their chocolate mine, then sugar, flour and milk. When the castle is made, hundreds of invited friends will enter the castle to eat it. It will be a great and beautiful celebration. Blaise, the masked chick, takes care of everything.

Source: WorldCat

Blaise and the Castle of Anne Hiversère: This isn’t just any other day for Blaise and his friends. This is their best friend Anne Hiversère’s birthday, and they must bake her a grand cake castle! It will be a magnificent cake like no other, and to make it they must travel far and wide, gathering chocolate from their chocolate mine, flour from the slopes of the Flour Mountain, and sugar from the Sea of Sugar. Claude Ponti’s lush illustrations immerse children in a magical story led by the charming, unforgettable Blaise.

Source: Elsewhere Editions

Anne is six years old, and the chicks have gone to great lengths to offer her the most beautiful and most "irresistibly unbelievable" of castles.

Guests arrive by the dozen, straight out of albums, stories, cartoons, films, comics and television for this event. I know most of them: almost all of them have also been my friends for a long time! Even the picnic plates and the casting errors! But who cares: the party will be long and beautiful, and the cake engulfed until the last bite!

Source: Ginette & Caramel

(image via Twitter)

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[chikoriita]

It’s a Party Here in Twilight Town

Read on AO3.org

The rainy season was about to start on Destiny Islands, and the humidity hung in the air all around the islands. The sweltering heat tortured everyone and spared no one. She could feel the sweat beading under her hair while she ran. The cool air was a relief to Kairi as they scurried inside the grocery store. She grabbed a cart and pulled it close. They had their mission and needed to complete it in the time limit. Failure was not an option.

“How many candles did she ask for?” Kairi asked Riku.

He pulled out the list the good fairies gave him. Three different fonts jumped out at him. Why couldn’t the three of them ever agree on anything? It was impossible to decipher anything on this list.

“Riku! Time is of the essence,” Kairi urged.

He groaned. “I can’t read the list. It looks like Fauna asked for seventeen candles; one for each layer.”

Kairi nodded absently. “Wait!” She snatched the list out of his hand. The loopy script was clear. “She can’t be serious. We can’t have a seventeen-layer cake!” A family stared at her as they passed by.

“Fauna insists that with a little help, the cake will be excellent. I will admit,” Riku said sheepishly. “Merryweather looked less than optimistic.”

Kairi sighed, then squared her shoulders. “No stopping it now. At least we’re not baking it.” She handed the list back to Riku. She adjusted her headband. “Let’s go get the best candles we can.” With a fist bump, they set off.

—

Lea envied Riku and Kairi. They got the easier end of the tasks. Meanwhile, he and the Twilight Town gang were stuck decorating with Flora and Merryweather. The two fairies never got a long, and as the unofficial team leader, Lea had to make sure there were no casualties. Even if he had to follow their every order.

“A little more to the left, Lea! Don’t tarry Isa! The flowers won’t arrange themselves!” Flora directed. “We don’t want them to look helter-skelter.”

Isa muttered something under his breath and tightened his grip on the stems. Lea shot him a look. Not the time for any beserking. Isa frowned in return.

The red fairy brought them the pink banner. “Here is the centerpiece. Hang it over the stage, please, boys.” Flora shoved it into their arms. “I need someone much taller than me.”

Lea sighed and carried the cloth. The red banner did scare him a bit. Merryweather hated the color, and he knew better than to cross Merryweather. During their training, she set an enchanted mannequin after him when Kairi said that her favorite color was red. They were only saved because she was busy on the other end of the room. Hayner, Pence, and Roxas were following her lead and hanging blue stars everywhere. Olette and Xion spent all night making those stars, and he could admit that they were the only good part of the decorations.

“Merryweather!” Flora boomed. “We agreed on red stars.That blue garbage clashes with the theme!” She scolded her sister.

The fairy in question scrunched her face in anger. “We never said red anything, least of all that banner you’re hanging up!” With a point of her wand, Merryweather shouted, “Make it blue!”

Isa dropped the banner immediately and left Lea to take the brunt of the blast. The two fairies ignored the consequences of their fight and flew at each other for another round of arguing. The rest of the room was silent. Or it was until Roxas, the little punk, started snickering. Once he started the rest of them caught on. Lea turned and caught his reflection in one of the mirrors. His beautiful hair was blue. Not any blue, but just like Isa’s hair. What a travesty.

He heard Isa take a deep breath in, and before he could add any insight, Lea snapped, “Not one word.”

—

Ventus dodged a flying mixing bowl as he entered the kitchens of Le Grand Bistrot. “Whoa, is everything alright in here?” He asked worriedly. The kitchen was a mess. Spurts of flour covered the walls, and there were bits of egg shells all over the floor. Magical pots and pans danced all around him. He turned the corner to see three ghostly figures and Fauna, the green fairy. She wore a tan apron and her iconic hat on her head.

“Why thank you for asking dear. Without your help, I could not have possibly done it on my own!” The cheerful fairy said. Upon further inspection, the three ghostly figures were Terra, Aqua, and Naminé.

Aqua shook her head behind Fauna and mouthed, “Save yourself.” Ventus didn’t need to know any context to understand that he needed to escape.

“Ventus, please assist your friends in making a few layers of cake. I baked nine already!” Fauna flitted away to check on her nine layers of cake.

“How many layers?” Ventus asked for clarification.

Terra shook out some of the floor caught in his hair. “She wants to make it seventeen layers. One for every year. I told Aqua that it was unfeasible.” He glared at her.

Aqua raised her hands in surrender. “She said she made a cake for Aurora before. I didn’t know she meant with magic!” She pulled Naminé in front of her and started to wipe off the flour on her face. “Poor Naminé thought that this would be better than the other two fairies.”

Ventus smiled and pulled out his phone. “Actually Roxas just sent me this picture. I think you dodged an arrow there.” Naminé grabbed the phone from his hands and began giggling. Aqua took a peek. Poor Lea was looking blue in more ways than one.

“Come on guys. This cake won’t bake itself,” Terra chided. “It’s no party without a cake.”

The door burst open and revealed Scrooge McDuck. “Dinnae you worry lad! Little Chef is already on the job. He’s baking a beautiful tart for the event.”

Naminé piped up, “Who is Little Chef?”

Ventus patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t ask. You do not want to know.”

—

Time was running out. Donald and Goofy had the most important job of all, and they had no idea where to go. Tonight’s party would be incomplete without their target. No one had heard from him in weeks, but they didn’t lose hope. They spent the last week visiting all of his favorite worlds. Halloweentown, the Caribbean, Neverland, and even Atlantica! Not a word.

Donald, ever the calm head, quacked angrily. “Why is he so irresponsible? He knows he should have his phone on him at all times!” He smacked the controls on the Gummi Ship.

“Gawrsh, you don’t think he’s avoiding us, do you?” Goofy asked quietly. Donald crossed his arms and turned away. He couldn’t entertain those kind of thoughts. They would find him, and when they did, they would drag him to his own party!

“And Riku said he wasn’t in the realm of sleep?” Donald asked.

“He didn’t see him anywhere there…” Goofy trailed off. He wasn’t one to worry; things had a way of working out. Still, after everything all of them had been through, this would be their first real chance of celebrating everything after a long time. Hopefully, it all worked out.

—

He checked the items on his latest list.

Martial arts with Mulan

Belly roaring at Beast’s Castle

Sledding with Elsa and Anna

Frolic in the Corona Flower Fields.

It was invigorating. Before, he was too busy saving the worlds to enjoy the life he had. Now, he was free to see all his friends whenever he wanted. The lanes between were easier to traverse now that he had the power to travel in them. He pulled his phone out and snapped a selfie (is that what Chip called it? He needed to check with Ienzo). The Corona flowers were blooming for the spring, and it was a sight to see. He couldn’t help but take a picture.

‘Can’t wait to send this one to Kairi. She’ll be so jealous,’ Sora thought. Wait, there was a notification waiting for him.

From Kairi?

Event Invitation: Your presence is requested at Le Grand Bistrot, Twilight Town 7 PM MST. It is requested, but it is also mandatory. Do not be late, you lazy bum.

What? No one told him about anything in Twilight Town! He scrolled down to find various unread messages from Donald and Goofy. It was already so late.

He held his hand to the crown at his throat. He thought of the words of his master and all those before him. May my heart be my guiding key. He was late for a very important date.

—

“I feel a disturbance in the Lanes Between,” Master Yen Sid, from his seat at the table, called the audience to attention. “He is coming!”

Kairi stood on the stage. “This is not a drill! This place is a disaster, and the guest of honor is on the way. Everyone to your stations!”

The Guardians of Light were not party planners. The decorations were set on fire not once, but three times. Fauna’s cake melted all over the stage. Until five minutes ago, Donald and Goofy moaned about their wayward, missing ward. All the while, Riku and Kairi kept the hope that their best friend would make it to his own birthday party.

“Psst, lass,” Kairi heard the whisper behind her. Mr. McDuck held a pretty box in his hands. “This is the contribution from Little Chef with his compliments.”

She opened the box and found the most beautiful cake she had ever seen. “Mr. McDuck, this is too much.”

“Your boy will appreciate that more than, well whatever that is.” He gestured to the goop leaning over on the other side of the stage. Kairi knew seventeen layers would be too many. She was about to respond when Riku pulled her off the stage.

“He’s here. Turn out the lights!” He called to Hayner and Pence. Holding the cake tightly, she followed Riku’s lead to the front of the room. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.

—

The windows of the restaurant were dark. Was he that late? His stomach fell as he pushed the door open to the bistro. “Hello? Kairi?”

The lights flickered on and he was greeted by the warmest sight in the world. Riku, Kairi, and all of his friends shouting, “Happy Birthday Sora!”

The tears stung his eyes as Riku pulled him into a hug. “Happy birthday.”

Sora wiped away a tear. “You did all this for me?” He looked around. Stars hung from all corners of the room, and attached to each one was a version of his keychains. They hung a banner in his favorite colors, red and blue. And was that a cake on the stage? Even Sora could admit the cake was lackluster, but it was the thought that counted, right? “Thank you all, so much.” He sniffled.

“Hey don’t cry before you’ve cut the cake.” He heard Kairi say. Sora looked up to see her carrying another cake. One that he had seen before.

“Happy birthday Sora,” she whispered before throwing her arms around him. He held her tightly against him, wishing he could make each moment last forever tonight.

She wiped the tears from his cheeks. “You have always done so much for all of us. Not one of us in here would be here without you. This is a small token of our appreciation.” Kairi wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Riku draped his arm over his shoulder as well. “After all, you’re our guiding key. What better way to celebrate?”

Sora laughed. If he tried to say anything, he knew he would cry once again. “Then it’s time to party!”

—

Happy 17th Birthday Sora. No matter where you are, you are always in our hearts.

[celmation-gibson]

Today may be Cinco de Mayo & Free Comic Book Day, but Today is also National Cartoonists Day, and here is a Dedication to some of my Favorite Artists & Animators that really made Classical Art & Animation very Special even more, helping me Discover what a great Classical Art world is all about, and a Reason to draw more for a Living. Starting from Top Left: Mr. Henry Selick  'Nightmare Before Christmas', 'James and the giant Peach', and 'Coraline' Director  Sequence Director for 'Twice upon a Time'  Storyboard Artist for 'Return to Oz'  Visual Adaptor for 'Nutcracker: the Motion Picture'  Design & Directed a Few Mtv ID's from 1987-1990 Ms. Tina Nawrocki Animator on 'Cuphead' Designer and animator of Baroness Von Bon Bon and the mini-bosses for the level Sugarland Shimmy Also Animated Hopus Pocus, Pirouletta, Mr. Chimes, Pip and Dot and the Tipsy Troop. Mr. Genndy Tartakovsky  Great Cartoon Network Legend/Dreamer  Creator of 'Dexter's laboratory', 'Samurai Jack', the 2D Animated 'Star Wars: Clone Wars', and 'Sym-Bionic Titan'  'Hotel Transylvania' Director Mr. Ian McGinty Creator of 'Welcome to Showside' Comic Artist for 'Adventure Time', 'Invader Zim', & 'Hello Kitty' Mr. Max & Dave Fleischer Owners of 'Fleischer Studios', the Creative crew behind 'Betty Boop', 'Popeye', 'Superman', & 'Gulliver's Travels'. Mr. Patrick McHale Has worked on 'Adventure Time' as Creative Director from Season 1-2, Story Man, Writer, & Story Artist for the episode "the Enchiridion!" Writer & Story Artist for 'Flapjack' And Creator of the Marvelous 'Over the Garden Wall' Mr. Nick Cross Art Director for 'Over the Garden Wall' Currently Art director on Cartoon Network's Shorts Development program w/ Pilots for 'Craig of the Creek', 'Apple & Onion', & 'Infinity Train' Story Artist for the Time Traveling sequence in 'the SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water' Guest Story artist, Animator, & Director for 'Uncle Grandpa' Mr. Bob Camp Co-developer, story, storyboard artist, writer, director, producer, supervising director, creative diector, voice actor for 'Ren & Stimpy' Development artist & design leader for Rankin/Bass Programs like 'Thundercats', 'Silverhawks', 'Tigersharks', & 'the Comic Strip' Story Artists for Animated Films like 'Osmosis Jones', 'Looney tunes: Back in Action', 'Robots', 'Ice Age: the Meltdown', & 'Epic'. Layout Artist for 'the SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water' Mr. Bill Wray Background Designer for 'Ren & Stimpy' Creator of 'King Crab: Space Crustacean' Supervising Director on 'the Mighty B!' Mr. Ub Iwerks Co-Creator of 'Oswald the lucky Rabbit', 'Mickey Mouse', & 'Flip the Frog' Walt Disney's good friend & animator Mr. Pete Browngardt Creator of 'Uncle Grandpa' & 'Secret Mountain Fort Awesome' Voice of Uncle Grandpa, Festro, & Dingle Cartoon Network's Supervising Producer of 2013 Shorts like 'Lakewood Plaza Turbo', 'Tome of the unknown', 'Clarence', & 'Steven Universe' Ms. Katie Rice Co-Creator of 'Skadi' & 'Camp Weedonwantcha' Story Artist for Nickelodeon programs like 'the Mighty B!', the 'TUFF Puppy' episode "Forget me Mutt", & Revisionist on  'Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Mr. Frank Thomas One of Disney's Nine Old Men Good friends with Ollie Johnston Animator for Bambi & Thumper in 'Bambi', the dwarfs in 'Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs', Lady Tremaine in 'Cinderella', Queen of Hearts in 'Alice in Wonderland', & Captain Hook in 'Peter Pan' Co-Author of 'the Illusion of Life' Mr. Ollie Johnston One of the Disney's nine Old Men also Good friends with Frank Thomas as well Animator for Mr. Smee in 'Peter Pan', the Stepsisters in 'Cinderella', the District Atorney in 'the Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad', & Prince John in 'Robin Hood'. Co-Author of 'the Illusion of Life' Mr. Ian Jones-Quartey Creator of 'OK K.O. Let's be Heroes' Voice for Rad, Darrell, & Crinkly Wrinkly Past storyboard supervisor & storyboard revisionist for 'Adventure Time' Developer, co-executive producer, supervising director, storyline writer, & storyboard artist for 'Steven Universe' Mr. Richard Williams My Huge inspiration that changed my Life forever Animation director on 'Who framed Roger Rabbit' Master behind the Unfinished Masterpiece 'the Thief and the Cobbler' Mr. Don Bluth Legendary Non-Disney Animated Film master of the 1980's Master behind 'the Secret of NIMH', 'Dragon's Lair', 'An American Tail', 'the Land Before Time', 'All Dogs go to Heaven', & 'Anastasia'. Former Disney Animator Mr. Bryan Lee O' Malley Such Wonderful Graphic Novel artist Creator of 'Scott Pilgrim', 'Lost at Sea', & 'Seconds'. Mr. Pendleton Ward Creator of 'Adventure Time' & 'Bravest Warriors'. Voice of Lumpy Space Princess & Shelby Ms. Natasha Allegri Past Storyboard Revisionist & Character Designer for 'Adventure Time'. Creator of 'Fionna & Cake' and 'Bee & Puppycat'. Character Designer, Story Artist, & Director for 'the Summoning' Mr. J.G. Quintel Creator of 'Regular Show' & 'Close Enough' Voice of Mordecai & High Five Ghost Creative director, writer, storyboard artist for 'Flapjack' Mr. Jose Luis Moro Co-founder of Estudios Moro Creator of 'La Familia Telerin' Director & Animator for 'Cantinflas Show' Director, Animation Director & Character Designer for 'Katy Caterpiller' Additional Character Animator for 'All Dogs go to Heaven'

[princesse-de-ravenclaw]

How Would You Feel?

Part 2 to “Vulnerable.” Based loosely off of “How Would You Feel? (Paean)” by Ed Sheeran

Word count: 2,559

***************************************************************************************

Summer had finally arrived, and after a couple of weeks catching up and having family time, the Potters agreed to let Remus and Peter spend the night. Mrs. Potter’s birthday was coming up, and Y/N suggested that they bake her a cake-the muggle way- and the rest of the boys agreed, so long as Remus would should them how. “Alright, so we’ve got flour, baking powder, baking soda-” “Wait, aren’t baking powder and baking soda the same thing? Why do we need them both?” James interrupted Remus. “Merlin, no. They do different things and we need them both to do their jobs in the batter. Anyway,” Remus huffed and began repeating his list to make sure they had everything they needed. “Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, eggs, and milk. That’s everything for the cake, good. Now for the frosting…” Remus muttered. “Yeah, Prongs. Baking soda and baking powder are different, duh,” Y/N smirked. “Oh, yeah right, like you knew that,” James stuck his tongue out at her.

“Okay, we have everything we need. Everyone wash your hands and we can begin,” Remus instructed. The five teenagers did as they were told and Y/N pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail to keep it out of her face. “So, what’s the plan, Chef Moony?” Peter asked, rubbing his hands together. “Step one, set the oven. Prongs, would you?” Remus replied as he began setting up the bowls for mixing. “Y/N, here is a bowl. Measure out all of the dry ingredients and mix them together,” he handed her a bowl and took it upon himself to start measuring out the wet ingredients. “I’ll do the wet ingredients to ensure that no eggshells end up in he batter,” he announced. Just as Sirius began to speak up, the front door opened. “We’re home!” Euphemia’s voice sounded from the front door. “Go distract them!” Y/N hissed. Sirius, James and Peter rushed out of the kitchen.

“Okay, so, um, dry ingredients, as in….” Y/N trailed off, earning a chuckle from Remus. “Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt,” he smiled. “Don’t laugh at me, I’ve never done this before!” Y/N took a handful of flour and tossed it at him. “You did not,” Remus gaped at her. “I did, and I’m not sorry,” she smirked. “Oh, no? You aren’t?” Remus asked. Next thing Y/N knew, he was smearing room-temperature butter all across her face. “How about now?” “Godric, Remus that’s disgusting!” She whisper yelled, taking a handful of butter and rubbing it along his face. “Ughh! You’re right. That feels revolting. This will probably feel worse though,” he grinned. “What are you-” Y/N was cut off by Remus cracking an egg just above her head, so that it dripped into her hair and down her face. “You should see your face right now, Merlin, it’s priceless,” Remus laughed. “Wait, wait, its missing something, oh, there we go,” He chuckled, tossing some flour on her. “Remus, I will fucking end you,” Y/N warned, but she couldn’t stop the smile on her face as she spoke..

“Mum! What are you two doing here?” Sirius all but shrieked as the boys approached the pair. “We live here, dear?” Euphemia raised an eyebrow. “Right, but your birthday is tomorrow, dad, you should be taking her out to a romantic evening of dinner and dancing or something!” James cried. “We have guests, that would be rude,” Mrs. Potter shook her head. “Oh, no we don’t mind. We’re all just hanging around, trying muggle things anyway,” Peter spoke up. “See? We’re all good here! Go celebrate your birthday, you young, lovebirds, you,” James tried not to cringe at his own words. “You’re sure?” Fleamont asked the boys. “Yes, sir! Absolutely! Go have fun!” Sirius smiled brightly. Mr.. and Mrs. Potter looked at each other and shrugged. “Darling, if the kids insist…” Mr. Potter nudged his wife. “Oh, alright. You five be careful!” Mrs. Potter instructed. She hugged the three boys, kissing the tops of James’s and Sirius’s heads before turning to follow her husband out. “That was close,” Peter sighed once the pair were gone. “They’re gone!” Sirius called to the kitchen.

James, Sirius, and Peter entered the kitchen  to find flour all over the place, and Remus holding onto Y/N’s wrists as she tried to crack an egg over his face. “What in Godric’s name? You two are supposed to be the responsible ones!” Peter cried. “Um, he is supposed to be the responsible one, and he started it!” Y/N protested, not letting up on trying to reach his face with the egg. “I most definitely did not! You threw the flour first!” He laughed, moving to hold both of her wrists in one hand. “Because you laughed at me!” Y/N insisted. Remus reached his free hand over for another handful of flour. “You’re right,” he hummed. “I started it, so I’ll finish it,” he grinned, tossing the flour in her face. Y/N smushed both of her ands together, settling with the egg being crushed right over Remus’s chest. “You think that’s funny, hm? How about a hug?” Remus opened his arms and Y/N made to run away, but he was too quick for her. He placed his arms around her waist and picked her up, nuzzling his messy face against hers and into her neck, both of them laughing hysterically.

“Can we get to work on this cake, or would you two like to do this weird flirting thing until our parents are back?” James asked, raising an eyebrow. Y/N rolled her eyes as she untangled her hands from Remus’s and he let her go. The pair of messy teens grabbed their wands and waved them over each other and then around the kitchen, wordlessly cleaning up the mess. “Alright grumpy pants, let’s get to cooking,” Y/N smiled at James. Y/N did as instructed with the dry ingredients, Remus mixed the wet ingredients, and James and Peter took turns mixing the batter until Remus deemed it perfect. Sirius buttered and floured the pans and when the time came, he put them in and took them out of the oven. As the cakes cooled, Remus gave orders on how to make the frosting and soon, the cake was completed and frosted. “I’d say it looks pretty good for something made by four teenage dudes and a witch who has never done this before,” Y/N decided.

“You think mum will like it?” Sirius asked. The five teens looked at the vanilla cake covered in chocolate frosting. “I think she’ll love it, mate. Good call, Y/N/N,” James nodded. “Thank you, I do try,” Y/N took an exaggerated bow. “However, I suppose we should also thank Remus for teaching how to make the cake for mum,” Y/N playfully rolled her eyes and nudged him. “I can’t say that I’d like to do it again, but I had fun,” he shrugged. Everyone pitched in to help clean up the kitchen, and then they all made their way into the living room to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Potter to return.

They arrived a little after midnight, so as soon as they were through the door, Euphemia was swarmed by the teenagers in a sea of hugs and “happy birthday mum!” And “happy birthday Mrs. Potter!” The marauders practically carried her into the kitchen to present the cake to her. “This is lovely! Thank you, it looks delicious!” Mrs. Potter exclaimed. “It was Y/N’s idea,” James told her. “And Moony taught us how to make it without using magic. But we all worked together to make the cake, and then the frosting,” he explained. “This was a wonderful surprise. Thank you all,” Euphemia smiled, pulling everyone into a group hug. “Well, we may or may not have an early breakfast planned out, so I’m going to hit the shower and go to bed,” James spoke up. Sirius and Peter agreed, but Remus noticed Y/N remained quiet. As everyone dispersed to get ready for bed, Remus noticed Y/N slip into her and Sirius’s shared room and out the window, and he decided to follow her.

When he got onto the roof, Y/N was sitting with her knees to her chest, staring up at the stars. “Didn’t know you could cook,” Y/N spoke up, not taking her eyes off of the sky. “Didn’t know you had superhuman hearing,” he replied, startled. “Uh, yeah… in our old house, Sirius and I had to be really quiet. And also, it was best if we knew when someone was coming so we didn’t say anything that they didn’t want to hear,” she shrugged, finally looking over to Remus. “Need a little help?” “Erm, no, I think I’ve got it,” Remus shook his head and carefully made his way to where Y/N was sitting. “Are you good? Not gonna fall?” Y/N asked with a light laugh as Remus settled in next to her. “I’m quite alright,” Remus gave her a smile and she returned her attention back to the stars.

“I like to come out and look at the stars. I don’t know what it is, but all of that space makes me feel at peace,” Y/N spoke up. “I know,” Remus said with a light laugh. Y/N looked at him quizzically. “I see you sneaking up to the astronomy tower all the time while I’m doing prefect rounds,” he told her.. “And you’ve never said anything?” She asked him. “Don’t see a problem with a girl going out to look at the stars,” he shrugged. Both of them returned their attention to the sky and a comfortable silence fell on them.

“My mum taught me how to cook,” Remus explained, answering Y/N’s earlier comment. Y/N turned to face him. “She’s a great cook. Sometimes I help her make the meals at home, sometimes she tells me what to do and I make them myself.. It’s almost stress relieving,” he chuckled. “I never knew that,” Y/N smiled at him. A few moments passed before Y/N spoke up. “My mum taught me how to play piano,” she said quietly. “She did?” Remus raised both of his eyebrows.. “Yeah,” Y/N nodded. “I used to really love to play, but now it just brings back bad memories,” she paused, “She had always wanted a little girl, so before we started at Hogwarts, she used to do stuff like that with me. I was almost fluent in french by age 10, too.” “That doesn’t sound anything like her,” Remus said quietly, astounded by what Y/N had just told him.

“No. Sirius was always a troublemaker, but I think that’s because she made it so painfully obvious which of us was her favorite.” Remus stayed quiet, listening intently, so Y/N went on, “And then Regulus came along and it was like ‘oh look, another child to love more than Sirius!’ So Padfoot started causing more trouble. But I only ever got in trouble when I went along with something Sirius did. Even when we both got sorted into Gryffindor- which totally wasn’t an accident, by the way. He got sorted and then it was my turn and I begged that old thing to put me in Gryffindor with my brother.” Remus nodded, silently urging her to go on. “Anyway,” Y/N continued, “he got into more trouble than me about that because he wouldn’t keep his bloody mouth shut about it. But as we got older, I started to really take his side more, and that’s when the problems started. At least, for me,” she explained.

“And then the night that we left… I already knew that I wasn’t going to stay if he left, but I hadn’t planned on there being such a huge fight about it. They were beating the shit out of him, so I stepped in and yelled, and that’s when they threw the cruciatus curse on us and we left. Sirius had it way worse than I did but… it hurts like a bitch, I’ll tell you that,” Y/N recalled.

“I-I never knew any of that,” Remus said softly. “Well, I don’t like to talk about it,” Y/N shrugged. “They hit you with an unforgivable curse?” He asked. Y/N just nodded in response. “That’s- that’s horrible,” Remus furrowed his brow. “’S'alright. It’s over,” she shrugged. Remus reached over and put his arm around Y/N’s shoulders and she nuzzled into him before returning her gaze to the stars. “You’re being particularly open tonight,” Remus murmured. “I suppose I’ve just missed being able to talk to you,” Y/N shrugged, a hint of pink rising in her cheeks. “I really appreciate it. You being open with me, and talking to me. Being vulnerable,” Remus told her. Y/N turned her head to look at him, their noses just inches away from each other. “Well, you make it pretty easy,” she told him sheepishly. Remus only smiled in response. “I guess I just trust you a lot,” Y/N whispered, suddenly very aware of how close they were.

She had known for a while that her feelings toward Remus had changed, but she didn’t know if she was ready to admit that to herself. However, When they parted ways to go home for the summer, she realized that she’d missed him more than she had anticipated, and that she wanted him around. She felt free when he was around, like she could be herself, and talk to him about anything. “Y/N,” Remus breathed. Y/N looked at him, her eyes as big as saucers. “How would you feel, if I told you I loved you?” He asked quietly. He had wanted this for a long time, and he could tell that something had changed between them. “I’d feel pretty good about it,” Y/N said in a small voice. “You’d feel pretty good about it?” Remus repeated with a breathy laugh.

Y/N bit her bottom lip and nodded. “I-I feel the same way,” she told him quietly. “You do?” Remus grinned, and Y/N couldn’t help the smile that grew on her face as she nodded. Remus leaned in and placed a quick, but soft kiss to her lips, leaving them both smiling as they looked back up to the sky where the sun was now replacing the moon. “So, what now?” Y/N asked, leaning her head onto Remus’s shoulder. “Well, I’ve told you that I love you, and you feel the same way, so… tell me that you love me, too?” Remus suggested, looking down at her with a fond smile. Y/N lifted her head off of him and looked into his eyes. “I love you, too,” She told him with a smile. A light blush graced Remus’s face as he leaned in to kiss her once more, glad that she had finally let him in. He had loved her for years, and he was finally going to be able to show her what it was like to be in love. He couldn’t wait to take his time and spend his life falling deeper in love with her.

A/N: Thank you so much for 2k! I had a bunch of requests for a part 2, so I hope you all love it! Special thank you to @draqcnheartstrinq for helping me proof read and giving me opinions on how to improve the story before I posted it! ♡♡

Tagging my lovelies: @argentinemango @kbaille92 @allertonn  @espressoo-patronum @captain-amelia-bradley @phiauniverse @cluttersofclove @ginnylupin and @a-proud-huffleclaw (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed:) )

Masterlist

Buy me a cup of coffee

[dreamlover31]

Love Will Find a Way: Chapter 39

Streaks of sunlight peeked through the curtains, Rafael stirred from underneath the covers, he let out a groan as his eyes fluttered open. The sight before him caused his lips to curl up into a soft smile; the woman he planned to share his life with, the mother of his child and who had essentially completed the missing half of his soul laid beside him with her arms tucked under the pillowcase, her long dark hair had covered most of her face.

Rafael’s heart melted seeing her so at peace, God…her infinite beauty never ceases to amaze me, I wish I could keep her in such a state of tranquility. He reached forward and tucked the strands of hair obstructing her face behind her ear, Alexa moaned softly and nuzzled against her pillow, then slowly began to awaken from her deep sleep.

Her dark brown eyes creaked open, at first, her vision was blurred but gradually, it started to become focused; she smiled as soon as Rafael’s face came into view. The two of them just stared at each other in a blissful moment of silence before he spoke up.

“Good morning Mrs. Barba”

Alexa hummed, “Not for another month”

Rafael chuckled, his hand made a home on top of her bare shoulder and started rubbing soothing circles upon it, their thoughts drifted back to the events of the night before as they continued to lay side by side. The last few months had been a challenge for them, after those responsible for Rafael’s shooting were tried and sentence for their crimes, the focus shifted to planning the details for their upcoming wedding.

They had agreed that it would be a small, intimate ceremony with friends and family in attendance; as they pitched ideas as to where to hold the venue, Alexa settled on the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. It had held a special place in Alexa’s heart, Rafael had surprised her with an outdoor picnic in the Italianate center garden on one of the rare days off he had, so she felt it was an appropriate place; and Rafael couldn’t have agreed more.

After the venue was booked, the next step was to draw out the seating arrangements and write up the guest list, then came time to pick out the place for the reception; again, Rafael and Alexa came to an agreement on the location; the Italian bistro where they had their first date.

Once they received confirmation from the restaurant, the next step was getting Alexa and her bridesmaids fitted into their gowns, as well as Rafael and his groomsmen’s tuxes, the color scheme for the dresses were an elegant shade of ice blue while Alexa picked a strapless ivory gown with the tail end that flowed elegantly behind as she walked around the bridal shop.

Olivia, Amanda, Gladys and Lucia watched in awe at the young woman who looked as if she had popped out of a fairytale; when Alexa gazed at herself in the mirror, her eyes pricked with tears. Lucia came up behind her with a tissue, she nodded a thank you as she dabbed her eyes, an overwhelming feeling of pure joy and wonderment enveloped her; it became even more apparent that in a short time, she would become Mrs. Rafael Barba.

With the wedding attire situated, the final step was to pick out the cake, they settled on a traditional vanilla cake decked out in ivory fondant, but they left it up to the cake decorator to make out the design.

Ultimately, everything was finalized and Rafael and Alexa could breathe a sigh of relief, both felt like there was a need to celebrate given all the time and attention that was warranted.

A night of romance that consisted of a candlelit dinner for two, slow dancing to soft jazz music with the result leading to lying in bed staring up at the skylight watching the stars; as they cuddled under the sheets, sweet kisses and wandering hands escalated into the shedding of clothes and an all-night love making session. Thankfully, little Nadia slept soundly throughout the night, even as the tamed cries of Alexa’s orgasm ripped through her body.

Suddenly, their thoughts were interrupted by the cooing and babbling sounds that came through the baby monitor resting on the nightstand behind Rafael, they shared a chuckle before the sheets were pulled out from under them.

Alexa changed into a clean pair of underwear before slipping on her lavender Victoria Secret nightshirt with the words ‘Sleep on It’ scrawled on the front, meanwhile, Rafael pulled on a pair of grey sweats and a black V-neck shirt as he headed for the nursery. Alexa brushed out her hair while looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, then her attention focused on the reflection of her fiancé holding their baby girl in his arms, she set the brush down on the dresser and walked over to them.

“Hey, how’s my baby girl,” Alexa cooed as she gently stroked her hair and lightly pinched her cheek, she giggled as her baby responded with squealing and laughing. Rafael handed Nadia over to her mother, Alexa lifted her up in the air and began making faces, much to the baby’s delight. Rafael smiled at the two of them, he still couldn’t believe that this was his life, a wife and child seemed to be out of reach for him; and yet here he was, about to officially make his family complete.

“Hey, listen, why don’t we get some food in this little one and spend the whole day in bed together…as a family,” Rafael offered as he stood by Alexa and rubbed his baby’s back as she held her.

“I like that idea…” She turned to Nadia and asked, “What do you think sweetie?”

Nadia smiled and babbled in response, Rafael and Alexa giggled at the little one. The young Barba sat in her high chair while Alexa was busy at work making pancakes and sausages, Rafael sat at the counter as he entertained his daughter with kissing sounds and goofy faces. When Alexa brought his plate over, they shared a sweet, tender kiss then flipped those remaining in the frying pan on to a plate of her own.

They ate their meal in silence as Nadia looked on, but then she started fussing when the attention wasn’t directed at her, Alexa grabbed some formula from the fridge and removed the squirming baby from the high chair, with Nadia cradled in her arm; Alexa hand fed her the bottle.

With their plates emptied, Rafael loaded them into the dishwasher, from there, all three of them retraced their steps upstairs. They stopped by the nursery to grab some toys and story books for Nadia, and then re-entered the bedroom, the covers pulled up over them as the infant sat on top of Alexa’s lap.

The loving, doting parents bonded with their child through shakes of her rattle, acting out small plays with stuff animals with Rafael narrating and providing voice overs; both Nadia and Alexa laughed at his funny voices. Each of them read from the story books until the baby’s green eyes became heavy, she let out a yawn and slowly Alexa got up from the bed and went back into the nursery to lay Nadia in her crib.

While she was fast asleep, Alexa covered her up with the pink blanket and as soon as she made it back to the bedroom, she slipped back under the covers and cozied up to Rafael, he wrapped her up in his arms and nuzzled his cheek against her forehead.

“Hmmm…this is nice”

“I know…I can’t wait for the day that I make you my wife”

“Me neither…I love you Rafi”

“I love you too Lex”

In a matter of minutes, the sounds of their light breathing lulled them to sleep.

Tagging: @madpanda75 @laceybellerain @southern-magnolia @tropes-and-tales @madamsnape921 @teamsladsandgents @thatesqcrush @glimmerglittergirl @beccabarba

[yewavenue3-blog]

A Very Merry Australian Christmas Dinner!

Welcome to our 2018 Christmas celebration! This year for Christmas we feasted on a menu of ham glazed in mead, prawn, mango and avocado cocktail salad, a thousand layered smoked salmon crepe cake, crispy prosciutto potatoes and a fennel and sweet potato gratin and a black forest cake. And there was no shortage of Christmas cheer!

Of course no Christmas is complete without drama and our most pressing drama this year was whether my father would make it home for Christmas after his recent stroke. Thankfully, his progress has been good and he was allowed to come home for good.

Thousand layer crepe cake

I had my whole menu planned weeks in advance and decided to do a really Australian Christmas. What does that mean? For me an Australian Christmas means seafood and ham. We would be having 12 people over so I needed something large to serve everyone but I wanted it to be easy so ham it was.

So a month before Christmas I had chosen a ham. I didn't want to wait until the last minute and I also wanted to choose the perfect looking ham. So I asked my mother if she had room in her fridge to store it and we brought the 6 kilo beast to her house. But the day before Christmas Eve dinner she messaged me. Did she want us to defrost the ham? You see her instinct is to freeze everything and she had put it in the freezer!

Christmas tree bread, sweet potato & fennel bake, prosciutto wrapped potatoes and caper and cabbage salad

"What do I do?" she cried. We talked her through the cold water method for defrosting and after battling the huge queues to buy prawns and seafood we went to pick up the ham (crossing our fingers that it wasn't frozen inside, nightmares of food poisoning our guests foremost in mind).

Mead glazed ham

First to arrive was my Uncle Sam and his partner Lien who only arrived 5 minutes early (they're working on arriving on time and used to arrive 30 minutes early which is alarming for a busy hostess). Then my cousin Richard arrived and then my other cousin Roger with his partner Catherine and their kids Natalie and Jason.

Inside the crepe cake

Last to arrive was my mother, father and sister. I looked at my dad and asked, "Where is your rice?" because he usually turns up at all dinners with a bowl full of steamed rice. He shrugged his shoulders with newfound nonchalance. Could this be a new father that can go for a meal without his beloved rice?

Prosciutto wrapped baby potatoes

Of course there were the distinctly Chinese touches to Christmas. Lien told Catherine (who has always been an extra small size) that she had put on weight. Uncle Sam asked father, "How much you pay for your hospital visit?".

Individual Prawn Salads

There was of course way too much food. I packed up lots of it for everyone to take home as there was way too much for just us (although Mochi would disagree, she was eyeing off the ham all night).

Uncle Sam asking my father, "How much you pay for the hospital visit?"

My father had to leave after 2 hours on the dot as he gets tired although we all suspect that this rule also suits his personality perfectly as he never wants to linger after a meal. 1 hour and 55 minutes after we started he started kicking my sister under the table to signal that he wanted to go home. Then at two hours exactly he turned to Mr NQN who was giving them a lift home. "I go now?" he said.

Sweet potato and fennel smoked mozzarella gratin

Everyone else stayed for much longer. We ate black forest cake as nibbled on my Dear Reader Matilda's delicious ciamballette and biscottini which are so delicious that by the evening of Christmas Day there were only 4 cookies left!

"I can haz ham?" says Mochi

Afterwards we opened up presents. My main present was a karaoke machine which delighted me so much (I'm sure my neighbours will have the opposite reaction). While we unwrapped Mr NQN and I were watching a tv ad for Christmas from a supermarket and Mr NQN turned to me and said, "Do they know that nobody's Christmas is like that?".

So tell me Dear Reader, how was your Christmas? What did you eat? Do you make something different each year for Christmas or do you prefer to stick to the same menu?

Black Forest Cake

Thousand Layered Seafood Crepe cake

All Original Recipes by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Serves 16-20

Sparkling with jewels and with each layer spread with a delicious filling, this crepe cake is a show stopper. Don't feel intimidated by this though. If you do have a crepe pan, that makes things easier but it's fine without too. And yes a dozen eggs really go into it but I promise this will be a beautiful cake to remember and feeds many, many people!

For crepes

1 cup flour

1 cup buckwheat flour

12 eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1.2 litres milk

For filling

400g/14ozs. taramasalata

200g/7ozs. sour cream (full fat)

200g/7ozs. cream cheese, softened

40g/1.42ozs. French onion soup packet mix

75g/2.7ozs. tobiko or caviar

600g/21.2ozs. smoked salmon

pomegranate arils, cherry tomatoes, radishes, dill and chives to decorate

Step 1 - Blend the ingredients together in a large food processor (split in two or three if you need to). Allow to rest for 30 minutes. Then heat a crepe pan and add oil or butter.

Using the springform tin collar to shape the crepes so that they are even

The crepe after collar is removed and the edges trimmed

Step 2 - Place a 22cm/9inch spring cake collar on the pan and pour the batter in (about 200ml/7flozs. or so). Trim the edges with a butter knife, remove the collar and then flip over once one side is done. Repeat many times until all the batter is used. You can stack these on top of each other while you are making them and then cool them completely.

Step 3 - Blend the sour cream and cream cheese together with the soup mix. Set aside (make sure it's of a spreadable consistency).

Layering with smoked salmon

Step 4 - Place one crepe on a serving plate and then spread with the French onion dip and then alternate with the taramasalata and then add smoked salmon on some layers. Place a layer of the tobiko in the middle layer of the crepe and then keep doing until you've used up all the crepes and you have about 1/2 cup of the French onion dip left.

Step 5 - Place the French onion dip into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe around the crepe cake and then decorate with pomegranate arils, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced radishes, dill and chives. This cake is best made a day ahead and then refrigerated so that the dip is firm. Serve cut into slices like a cake.

Ham Glazed with Honey Mead and served with Ham Jam

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

1 large ham (around 6kilos)

Cloves

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup mead

1 tablespoon seeded mustard

1 chilli, sliced (optional)

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 170C/340F and line a large baking tray with parchment (one large enough to fit your ham). Remove rind from ham - you should be able to get it off in one piece and try to lift it off carefully leaving an even layer of fat underneath it. Stud with cloves lining them up so that they're in evenly spaced lines. Then score the fat.

Stud with cloves first

Then score using cloves as a guide

Step 2 - Mix the brown sugar, mead, mustard and chilli. Baste the ham all over with some of this mixture and then bake in the oven for 2 hours basting the ham with rest of the brown sugar mead mixture every 30 minutes.

Prawn, Avocado and Mango Cocktail

Christmas without prawns in Australia would just seem weird. Rather than have everyone's hands getting dirty peeling the prawns, I served a prawn, mango and avocado cocktail in a glass on everyone's place setting. The cocktail sauce was a big hit - if you've got some Old Bay seasoning please give this a go!

2kgs/4.4lbs prawns, shelled

1-2 avocadoes, cubed

1/2 large mango, cut into cubes

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chilli sauce

2 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Chives to sprinkle

Step 1 - Mix the mayonnaise, chilli sauce, ketchup, Old Bay and lemon juice together. Place the avocadoes, mango, pomegranate seeds, spicy mayonnaise in individual glasses.

Cabbage and Caper Mother In Law Salad

Inspired by a visit to Barzaari in Chippendale, this salad was just so delicious that I had to eat it again. Best of all, it was super easy too!

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon sesame oil

5 cups thinly sliced purple cabbage

3 tablespoons capers, rinsed well and patted dry

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Fresh parsley to garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Step 1 - Firstly mix the mayonnaise, maple syrup and sesame oil together. Then mix all ingredients together to ensure that there is an even distribution. Season with salt and pepper.

Crispy Prosciutto Potatoes

There's nothing better than a roast potato, I'm quite convinced. But then you wrap it in prosciutto and glaze it with maple syrup and you've got a super potato!

1.5kgs baby potatoes

2 tablespoons butter, cubed

2 tablespoons oil

15 slices (or as many as there are potatoes) prosciutto

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Step 1 - Par boil the potatoes until they are tender and then top with butter and oil bake them in a 230C/446F oven until crispy (around 25 minutes). This tastes great dipped in sour cream or aioli too.

Step 2 - Wait til the potatoes are cool so that they are easier to handle (you can do this ahead of time) and then wrap the potatoes in prosciutto and bake at 200C/400F for another 10 minutes or until prosciutto is crispy. Brush with maple syrup and place in the warm oven for 5 minutes. I added the maple when I warmed the potatoes up.

Fennel and Sweet Potato Gratin

Inspired by Sarah from Sarah Cooks, this fennel and sweet potato uses smoked mozzarella to give the dish a wonderful flavour.

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed

1.5 large sweet potatoes

300ml/10.6flozs. cream

1 onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

150g/5ozs. smoked mozzarella, grated

50g/1.7ozs. butter, cubed

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 210C/420F. Thinly mandolin the fennel and sweet potatoes and then place in a baking dish with the cream, onion, garlic and grated smoked mozzarella and dot with butter cubes. Bake for 40 minutes.

Source: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2018/12/26/christmas-dinner-food-australia-2018/

[thehungrykat1]

Marry Me At Marriott 2018 Dazzles The Runway Once Again

Marry Me at Marriott, the grandest and most spectacular bridal event of the year, held its 6th annual edition last July 30, 2018 as the country’s top fashion designers, personalities, VIPs, stylists, wedding suppliers, and soon-to-be newlywed couples gathered at the Marriott Grand Ballroom for this dazzling affair. Miss Philippines Universe 2018 Catriona Gray led the gorgeous lineup of celebrities and models who graced the elegant runway at the country’s biggest and most prestigious hotel ballroom.

This is my third time to attend this highly-awaited bridal and fashion show and no other hotel can pull off such an exquisite event but Marriott Manila. I still remember the first time I joined this by-invitation-only event in 2015 when they first opened the Marriott Grand Ballroom (Read: Marriott Grand Ballroom Celebrates Week-Long Grand Launch Extravaganza) and it just continues to get better. This year is even more special because they have even included a four-course dinner and wine pairing for the guests to go together with the bridal show. 

Before the dinner program starts, guests can have cocktails and explore the different wedding stalls and essentials displayed just outside the ballroom. Stylish and unique wedding cakes were on hand from Marriott Manila’s own cake designer, Chef David. Marriott’s in-house Event Studios crafts and designs their own dream weddings cakes for couples who decide to stage their grand wedding at the Marriott Grand Ballroom. 

Accompanying me that evening was a soon-to-be Marriott bride herself, Ms. Bettina Bacani of Life in Technicolor, who will be having her wedding at the Marriott Grand Ballroom next May. This event is just perfect for her as she is in the process of choosing the wedding suppliers and designers for her big day next year.

Some of these suppliers included Tris Events, Twin Princess Gems, Jo Malone, Caliber King Photography, Pat Dy, Jason Magbanua, Periwinkle, The Good Goods, and many more.

The ever-radiant Michelle Garcia, Cluster Director of Marketing and Communications for Marriott Manila, welcomed me and all the guests as we excitedly entered the grand ballroom for the start of the show which was directed by Robby Carmona.

The Marriott Grand Ballroom revealed another majestic masterpiece as it played host to this elegant dinner fashion show which seated over 700 guests that evening. The unique 200-feet catwalk easily fits inside the ballroom which was turned into a sparkling venue enchanted with ceiling accents by famed event stylists Gideon Hermosa, Michael Ruiz and Teddy Manuel.

The special four-course dinner was prepared by Marriott Manila Executive Chef Meik Brammer in line with their culinary advocacy promoting sustainable seafood (Read: Marriott Manila Launches Philippines Sustainable Seafood Week 2018), paired with lovely wines from Emperador Distillers. This is just how beautiful and romantic it could be when you choose the Marriott Grand Ballroom as the venue for your wedding reception.

Our first course was the Sustainable Shrimp with chili spiked tomatoes, ricotta and chives puree, plus frisee salad. This was paired with a glass of Gallo Chardonay with its dry and crisp finish and well-balanced round bright flavors of green apple, citrus and lemon.

Next was the Velvet Cauliflower Soup, poured onto a plate with crispy mushroom rangoon and orange zest infused olive oil. his second course was paired with Canyon Road Chardonnay and its crisp notes of apple and ripe citrus plus a hint of cinnamon spice.

For our third and main course, we had the Grilled U.S. Beef Tenderloin Steak with caramelized onions, truffle potato puree, and porcini cabernet pan sauce. The steak was cooked medium rare and is absolutely tender, especially with its smoky, beefy flavors enhanced by the dark cabernet sauce.

Our steak was paired with a glass of Gallo Merlot, a fruit-filled combination of red cherry, boysen berry and plum with chocolate notes and mid tannins.

For our dessert course, we were served the Mango and Guava with guava cremeux, mango white chocolate cream, chocolate sponge and platelets, coconut milk gelee, and meringe kisses. This was then paired with the Barefoot Moscato, a delightfully sweet wine with a lush and fruity aroma, full of juicy peach and ripe apricot flavors plus citrus hints of lemon and orange.

Special award and prizes were also given to lucky guests that evening as Marriott Manila partnered with several luxury brands to make the evening more memorable. Some of the prizes given were lippies from Bobbi Brown, scents from Jo Malone London, jewelry from Twin Princess Gems, and overnight stays at different Marriott properties in the Philippines.

The program was opened by Marriott Cluster General Manager Bruce Winton, starting with the collection of the Romanticist, Ms. Rosenthal Tee.

Miss International Philippines 2018 Ahtisa Manalo led the runway with models wearing beautiful designs that highlight their figures and embodies the soul and spirit of adventure.

Celebrity actress Lovi Poe stood out as the muse for Rosenthal Tee and she regalled the crowd with her presence and charisma.

The next designer featured at Marry Me at Marriott 2018 was the modernist, Mr. Mak Tumang. Miss World Philippines 2014 Valerie Weigmann opened the second act which featured the designer’s modern techniques, haute couture, and his continuous pursuit of luxurious elegance.

The highlight of the evening came when Miss Universe Philippines 2018 Catriona Gray slowly walked down the runway in a sparkling Mak Tumang creation.

The Philippines’ representative to the next Miss Universe pageant was the obvious Star of the Night as she gracefully worked the crowd in her elegant and shining evening gown.

Last but definitely not the least was another upcoming local talent, the Prince of Beads, Mr. Amir Sali. His collection has some of the more unique and eye-catching designs of the evening.

His muse was Miss Grand International Philippines 2018 Eva Patalinjug who even walked down the runway with a cute and charming kiddie model. 

The night’s festivities ended with a parade of all the models wearing their beautiful gowns and dresses. Marriott Hotel Manila has once again made Marry Me at Marriott 2018 the talk of the town. Congratulations to all the designers and congratulations to Marriott Manila for another successful evening.

Marriott Hotel Manila

2 Resorts Drive, Newport City, Pasay City

988-9999

www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/mnlap-manila-marriott-hotel

www.facebook.com/marriotthotelmanila

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 28th January 2018

This week was very, very busy so I’m going to get straight to the point here and look at our top ten, which has changed quite a bit to say the least.

Top 10

I suppose we won’t be having Eminem topping the chart for much longer, not even with Ed Sheeran’s help, as Drake’s most recent snoozefest has, in the first time in Reviewing the Charts history, debuted at number-one. All I have to say about this is... really? I’d rather have Lil Pump top the charts, at least he’s relatively interesting.

“Barking” by Ramz stays at number-two in the runner-up position as I just keep on losing interest in this dude.

At number-three, we have last week’s chart-topping “River” by Eminem featuring Ed Sheeran, and I’m not bothered, really, it’s okay, not amazing.

“IDGAF” by Dua Lipa is up by 10 spots all the way to number-four, and that’s just all for the best, this song is amazing.

“Tip Toe” by Jason Derulo featuring French Montana has made the top five, because the UK charts love me today, and decided this should go up three spaces.

The new arrivals are really messing up whatever traction Cardi B’s remix of “Finesse” by Bruno Mars ever had, now it’s down to number-six, but I do hope it makes a rebound soon.

“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran – now just Ed, without Beyoncé for some reason – is down four spots to number-seven, which means the UK is taking baby steps towards no longer caring about Ed Sheeran. Thank God.

We have another new entry into the top ten, with “This is Me” by Keala Settle and The Greatest Showman Ensemble up five spots to number-eight.

Our final new entry into the top ten is “Breathe” by Jax Jones featuring Ina Wroldsen three spaces up to nine.

To finish off our top ten, once again, is the non-mover “I Know You” by Craig David and Bastille.

Climbers

Other than the top ten having some major change-ups, we also have quite a few climbers and fallers, with the biggest climber being “Strangers” by Sigrid going up a massive 12 spaces to #14. “Feel it Still” by Portugal. The Man also hits the top 20 incredibly late, going up five spaces to #20 – seriously, why now? Is this all because of that advert? Not that I’m upset, this is a great track. “Him & I” by G-Eazy and Halsey also went up five spaces to #27, but if you care about that song at all, I don’t know what to say to you.

Other minor climbers include “Bad” by Steel Banglez featuring Yungen, MoStack, Mr. Eazi and Not3s up to #30 and “Bouff Daddy” by J Hus up to #26.

Fallers

Jesus. The amount of fallers this week is unbelievable, but not many of them are very large. The top twenty contains most of the major drops, with “I Miss You” by Clean Bandit and Julia Michaels dropping seven spaces, “Anywhere” by Rita Ora dropping six spaces, “Let You Down” by NF dropping four spaces, “Never be the Same” by Camila Cabello dropping eight spaces, “17” by MK dropping five spaces and "Decline" by RAYE and Mr. Eazi down three spaces to #11, #12, #13, #15, #16 and #18 respectively. "Havana" by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug is also down six spaces to #22, unfortunately, as is "Naked" by James Arthur, fortunately. "For You (Fifty Shades Freed)" is proving itself as a flop, with the Liam Payne and Rita Ora debut dropping eight spaces to #29. Justin Timberlake jumped down a 10-spot bridge down to #38 with "Filthy" with me as the cackling overseer.

Other minor falls include "No Words" by Dave featuring MoStack down to #24, "Wolves" by Selena Gomez and Marshmello down to #25, "rockstar" by Post Malone featuring 21 Savage down to #31, "New Rules" by Dua Lipa down to #34, "Dimelo" by Rak-Su featuring Naughty Boy and Wyclef Jean down to #35, "Let Me Down" by Jorja Smith featuring Stormzy down to #36, "All the Stars" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA down to #37 and "Silence" by Marshmello featuring Khalid down to #39.

​Dropouts

Maybe my theory is correct. The UK is getting tired of Ed Sheeran, and it's a damn good sight to see "Shape of You" finally drop out the top 40 from #39. Sure, it's still in the top 100, but who cares about the other 60 songs? Let's be fair here. "Man's Not Hot" by Big Shaq finally realises its status as a meme deep into the grave, and drops out from #18 to my glee. Stormzy and MNEK also drop out with "Blinded by Your Grace, Pt. 2" from #37, as does "My My My!" by Troye Sivan from #38 after its first week (​flop alert​). We haven't talked about the new arrivals yet, but I'm sure this is gonna be a good week looking at these dropouts, fallers and climbers. 

​​NEW ARRIVALS

​Let's see if this really is a good week by looking at our new arrivals. 

​#40 - "Sick Boy" - The Chainsmokers

Andrew Taggart can’t sing but he does his best here, I suppose, with his slightly nasal multi-tracked vocals over the oddly dark pop ballad, with simple piano melodies played over drums that are not trap snares or rattling hi-hats or steel pans, a first for Reviewing the Charts – yes, seriously. The synths in the bridge are pretty intense as well, making this a pretty powerful alternative rock song, which I can call an ironic anthem for sick boys, I suppose. They say that he’s the sick boy, and his singing voice proves their point massively. It’s not a bad song though, with a better vocalist and maybe, you know, not being completely all over the place in terms of structure, this could have easily been best of the week. We need more upbeat rock in the top 40, even if, yes, it is from the Chainsmokers.

​#33 - "These Days" - Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen

Four artists, all of which are hit-and-miss (excluding the complete nobody Dan Caplen), collaborate for something that’s completely out of all their leagues: a largely acoustic yet also largely electronic pop nostalgia ballad, with gospel choir vocals assisting Jess Glynne on the chorus and Dan Caplen channelling his inner Ed Sheeran. It’s actually pretty excellent for a generic pop song, in fact, I’d call it perfect. The vocaloid drop sounds so much like an electric guitar that I can pass it off as a guitar solo, and there’s some creative manipulation of the vocals here to create trumpet-like blares in the post-chorus. Macklemore’s slightly autotuned rap verse isn’t bad, but he doesn’t make much of an impression, especially at the end of his section where he’s overwhelmed by both Caplen and Glynne’s vocals as well as the elegant synths and (real) trumpets. This is essentially a representation of British popular music in 2017, but made so much more natural. Check this out, even if the Bon Jovi song of the same title is much better, just saying.

​#32 - "Fine Line" - Mabel featuring Not3s

We’ve had pop and rock so it’s about time for some boring reggae-rap, right? Nope! Mabel switches things up with a dancehall-influenced tropical R&B jam with a twinkly synth lead and cluttered percussion that could have been cleaned up to match the smoothness of the production and Mabel’s vocals, which make her sound better than she ever has, seriously, she sounds amazing on this track, for the most part. When she doesn’t sound amazing, she’s forcing Jamaican inflections that are so obnoxiously forced it’s borderline racist. Not3s can’t sing, so he decides to mumble back in the mix with Mabel bringing some liveliness to his verse, while he switches up his flow that combines rapping and singing into a weird mush of Future-like nonsense except much more audible. The one thing bringing these two songs down is the guest rapper, but again, their involvement is not noticeable enough to really make them bad songs, or even mediocre. This is pretty nice, and I hope when Mabel’s album comes around, this track is replaced with one without Not3s. Not3s’ name is fitting because his verses are comparable to leet-speak: they’re wastes of time and I’m sick of them.

​#21 - "Diplomatic Immunity" - Drake

I despise Drake to my very core because of his complete lack of interesting qualities, but when he really starts spitting, you have a really good song on your hands. This is no exception, with the orchestral intro leading into a chilled trap beat where Drake can just freestyle bars about, yes, bragging of course, but he pulls it off, with more enthusiasm than he usually has, and some really funny punchlines. While I wish the bass wasn’t as high in the mix as it is, it doesn’t affect the song that much. The several vocal samples of a female voice throughout the track had some soulful smoothness to an otherwise trap beat, making a beautiful contrast between the grittiness of the hi-hats as well as Drake himself (who now listens to heavy metal for meditation; thanks for that update, Aubrey) and the orchestral instruments, which break down into an intense outro which is probably one of the best and most interesting moments in Drake’s career. It’s not that hard, to be fair, but this is taking the cake. If the bass wasn’t as prominent as it was and Drake’s rhymes were tighter, this could have taken best of the week.

​#1 - “God’s Plan” - Drake

So, this is the big debut from Drake, and is it any interesting? No. Oh, you want me to talk about it? Too bad. Drake doesn’t deserve any more of my interest, and he doesn’t deserve any more of yours. The keys in the background make this a really hard listen, with the autotuned Drake crooning not helping, and when he’s not singing, he’s rapping, but the length of these verses are so short I can just ignore their existence. This is background music, and Drake is a background person who is unfairly pushed into the forefront. Drake has talent, but the sheer oversaturation of him on the charts and in the public conscience is too much for me to handle, and I’m sure it’s too much for Drake to handle. In this case, I understand why his music is so full of dread and reeks of laziness; he can’t truly make what he wants to make and what he has a passion for simply because he is afraid of his relevancy slowly fading away, and I can’t blame him in the world of one-hit wonders and stream-hungry Soundcloud rappers making undeserved waves in the mainstream because at this point, anyone can have a hit, and Drake is one of the very few true pop stars in the game right now. Does this sound familiar? Well, that’s because a similar situation happened between Lil Wayne and Birdman. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the Young Money tree, huh. This is still a bore of a song, though, and totally did not deserve to break all-time streaming numbers.

Conclusion

So, we ended this week on a slightly depressing note, but overall, this week is awesome, and I don’t think I can even give a worst of the week or a dishonourable mention because the only reason “God’s Plan” fails is because of its drab production and unenthusiastic vocals. Surprise, surprise! That’s Drake for you. Honourable mentions go to “Diplomatic Immunity” and “Sick Boy” by the Chainsmokers for being awesome anthems for the OVO label and... ironic sick boys...? The best of the week goes to pop perfection, as it probably will until I grow sick of the “so-perfect-it’s-boring” trend of songs that seem to be more popular in the UK than the US by a landslide, “These Days” by Rudimental featuring Jess Glynne, Macklemore and Dan Caplen. I’d make predictions but I don’t know what to expect, maybe a Fall Out Boy song or something? God knows. See ya next time on Reviewing the Charts!

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Can’t take the credit for the picture this week – that’s from Pixabay – but I was where this was taken, Dundee, on Friday. Had the dubious pleasure of driving across that old Tay Bridge and back on a flying visit to the town. Downside of being so danged busy last week is I am fluffing knackered and have done not a lot of anything interesting. Upside – I managed to complete another audio book.

Well – I take that back. I say I’ve done not a lot of anything interesting but over the weekend I did find the energy to attend the blogger/author bash organised by Kim Nash in Birmingham where I caught up with a number of lovely bookish friends old and new. Always a pleasure and the venue is really nice too. I have no pictures as evidence as I hate selfies, but there are some knocking about the old tinterweb if you care to look about.

Book post wise, apart from a few more Mr Men Christmas books that I bought myself for November’s Christmas month I have had none. Zip. Nada. Nothing for over two weeks now. I am pondering my imminent retirement from blogging as clearly everyone hates me 😦 Just as soon as I’ve read the four hundred plus books I still have waiting for me to read, I’m straight on it.

Bookish buys wise, I’ve had a pretty poor week too. Seems like everything bookish is drying up… I only bought 7 books, 5 of them were Mr Men and 2 of those were even preorders. The 2 non Mr Men books were preorders too. It’s like a virtual bookish apocalypse for me. Unheard of. In case you care, I preordered the new Carol Wyer/Robyn Carter thriller, The Silent Children, due in November, and Kelly Rimmer’s new book Before I Let You Go which is due out next year. Mr Men wise I preordered Mr Happy and the Office Party and Little Miss Shy Goes Online Dating. Yes. That’s right. Mr Men for Adults. I can’t wait. Mr Men for kids wise I am now the proud owner of Mr Men Meet Father Christmas, Mr Noisy and the Silent Night and Mr Men, A Christmas Carol.

Netgalley wise, I picked up four books, three of which are for blog tours so therefore not really adding to my total. Sort of. Ish. These were Bad Sister by Sam Carrington, A Cosy Candlelit Christmas by Tilly Tennant, The Lost Child by Patricia Gibney and Murder Game by Caroline Mitchell. Really looking forward to reading them all.

Reading wise, I’ve been fairly productive considering I had an 18 hour working day on Friday mucking up my plans. Still on track with the three books a week target at the moment so fingers crossed.

Books I have read

The Mistake by K.L. Slater

You think you know the truth about the people you love.

But one discovery can change everything… 

Eight-year-old Billy goes missing one day, out flying his kite with his sister Rose. Two days later, he is found dead. 

Sixteen years on, Rose still blames herself for Billy’s death. How could she have failed to protect her little brother?

Rose has never fully recovered from the trauma, and one of the few people she trusts is her neighbour Ronnie, who she has known all her life. But one day Ronnie falls ill, and Rose goes next door to help him… and what she finds in his attic room turns her world upside down.

Rose thought she knew the truth about what happened to Billy. She thought she knew her neighbour. Now the only thing she knows is that she is in danger…

The Mistake is a completely gripping thriller that will keep you up all night, from the top ten bestselling author of Blink, Liar and Safe with Me. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train.

Loved this. I only meant to start reading a few chapters, maybe half the book, because I was so tired already on Monday evening. Five hours and a lot of nail biting later I had finished. What a story. So many twists and such an occasionally dark but always compelling story, I can’t wait to share my thoughts on it as part of the blog tour. In the mean time you can preorder a copy here.

…

Snowflakes, Iced Cakes and Second Chances by Sue Watson

Escape to Devon for blustery walks along the beach, hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and proof that miracles really do happen, especially at Christmas. 

A year after she separated from her husband, Gianni, on Christmas Day, Chloe’s heart is still in pieces as she unpacks the decorations for her first ever festive holiday alone. That is, until the phone rings…

It seems Gianni’s new seaside restaurant is in trouble and Chloe must go to Appledore to save the business – and him. Equally famous for his experimental culinary extravaganzas and his explosive temper, Gianni has been really stirring up a sensation with the locals – and not in a good way! 

As pans fly and the temperature in the kitchen rises, Chloe’s calming influence and magic touch might just get critics back on side in time to save the restaurant from sinking like a sad soufflé. But will it be enough to save their marriage? 

Chloe came to Appledore in search of her Christmas sparkle, but when the snow clears, will she finally find the way back to her husband’s heart?

A laugh-out-loud festive treat that will give you the tingle of freshly-hung tinsel. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Abby Clements and Debbie Johnson. 

You know that with a Sue Watson book you are guaranteed a feel good, heart warming and very funny book and this was no exception. Chloe and Gianni are polar opposites – even their star signs are against them – but there is an irrisistible charm about the pair. Full of laughter, ice cream and dishes which sound like they’d make even Heston Blumenthal baulk, this is a book which will make you smile, if only for Gianni’s unique way of describing the beach… My review will be up soon as part of the tour but you can pre-order the book here.

…

The Preplexing Theft of the Jewel In The Crown by Vaseem Khan

The second book in the heartwarming and charming Baby Ganesh series.

For centuries the Koh-i-Noor diamond has set man against man and king against king.

Now part of the British Crown Jewels, the priceless gem is a prize that many have killed to possess.

So when the Crown Jewels go on display in Mumbai, security is everyone’s principal concern. And yet, on the very day Inspector Chopra visits the exhibition, the diamond is stolen from under his nose.

The heist was daring and seemingly impossible. The hunt is on for the culprits. But it soon becomes clear that only one man – and his elephant – can possibly crack this case…

Book two in the Inspector Chopra series sees our interpid hero caught up in the case of the theft of the Queen Mother’s Crown, believed to be an attempt to reclaim the Koh-i-Noor diamond for it’s rightful owner – India. I am loving this series and the setting and pace of the book are brilliant. I’ve listened to rather than read both of the first two books, with book three lined up for a weeks time when I travel to Bracknell. Each book has been laced with a side mystery and more than a little excitement involving the wonderful baby Ganesh. You can order a copy of the book here.

…

Her Last Secret by Barbara Copperthwaite

There are some secrets you can never tell.

The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.

They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse. 

But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant. 

But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.

Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?

Oh my. What an opening. And what a tale. An family nursing secrets, one of which could prove to be deadly. I loved the suspense in this book and was hooked from the first page. I needed to know what happened and why. I absolutely needed to know the secret Ruby was keeping and the reason for her rage. I am sure that when you read it, you will too. You can preorder your own copy right here.

…

Four books. Not quite as impressive as last week but given the week I’ve had, I’ll take it. Blog wise it was another full on week recapped below.

Alison Brodie, author of #Zenka

Guest Post: Billy McLaughlin, author of The Daughter

Review: She Did It by Mel Sherratt

#Blogblitz: Cold Blood by Robert Bryndza

#BookLove: Patricia Furstenberg

#BlogTour: The Frozen Woman by #JonMichelet trans. Don Bartlett

#BlogTour: Reach For The Stars by Colleen Coleman

Guest Review: Forgotten by Neven Carr

This week is just as busy with #booklove from my guest reviewer and older sister, Mandie and blog tours for Maria In The Moon by Louise Beech, Kisses From Nimbus by P.J.Riley, The Surrogate by Louise Jensen, House of Spines by Michael J. Malone, Operation Clean Up Day by Jason Tucker, We’ll Always Have Christmas by Jenny Hale and Lies That Poison by Amanda Fleet.

And finally, I’ll jsut say that my Bloody Scotland giveaway is now closed and the winner will be announced in due course. Watch this space.

Have a fabulously bookish week all. I shall be knee deep in paperwork as I try and prepare next years budget. No small feat believe me.

Jen

Rewind, recap: weekly update w/e 24/09/17 Can't take the credit for the picture this week - that's from Pixabay - but I was where this was taken, Dundee, on Friday.

[dumb-zombie-girl]

I love there art

Nobody will ever be too old for breakfast faces, at least I won’t 🤔

Happy Sunday guys 🌻🐝

[dreamlover31]

Love Will Find a Way: Chapter 39

Streaks of sunlight peeked through the curtains, Rafael stirred from underneath the covers, he let out a groan as his eyes fluttered open. The sight before him caused his lips to curl up into a soft smile; the woman he planned to share his life with, the mother of his child and who had essentially completed the missing half of his soul laid beside him with her arms tucked under the pillowcase, her long dark hair had covered most of her face. Rafael’s heart melted seeing her so at peace, God…her infinite beauty never ceases to amaze me, I wish I could keep her in such a state of tranquility.

He reached forward and tucked the strands of hair obstructing her face behind her ear, Alexa moaned softly and nuzzled against her pillow, then slowly began to awaken from her deep sleep. Her dark brown eyes creaked open, at first, her vision was blurred but gradually, it started to become focused; she smiled as soon as Rafael’s face came into view. The two of them just stared at each other in a blissful moment of silence before he spoke up.

“Good morning Mrs. Barba”

Alexa hummed, “Not for another month”

Rafael chuckled, his hand made a home on top of her bare shoulder and started rubbing soothing circles upon it, their thoughts drifted back to the events of the night before as they continued to lay side by side. The last few months had been a challenge for them, after those responsible for Rafael’s shooting were tried and sentence for their crimes, the focus shifted to planning the details for their upcoming wedding.

They had agreed that it would be a small, intimate ceremony with friends and family in attendance; as they pitched ideas as to where to hold the venue, Alexa settled on the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. It had held a special place in Alexa’s heart, Rafael had surprised her with an outdoor picnic in the Italianate center garden on one of the rare days off he had, so she felt it was an appropriate place; and Rafael couldn’t have agreed more.

After the venue was booked, the next step was to draw out the seating arrangements and write up the guest list, then came time to pick out the place for the reception; again, Rafael and Alexa came to an agreement on the location; the Italian bistro where they had their first date.

Once they received confirmation from the restaurant, the next step was getting Alexa and her bridesmaids fitted into their gowns, as well as Rafael and his groomsmen’s tuxes, the color scheme for the dresses were an elegant shade of ice blue while Alexa picked a strapless ivory gown with the tail end that flowed elegantly behind as she walked around the bridal shop.

Olivia, Amanda, Gladys and Lucia watched in awe at the young woman who looked as if she had popped out of a fairytale; when Alexa gazed at herself in the mirror, her eyes pricked with tears. Lucia came up behind her with a tissue, she nodded a thank you as she dabbed her eyes, an overwhelming feeling of pure joy and wonderment enveloped her; it became even more apparent that in a short time, she would become Mrs. Rafael Barba.

With the wedding attire situated, the final step was to pick out the cake, they settled on a traditional vanilla cake decked out in ivory fondant, but they left it up to the cake decorator to make out the design. Ultimately, everything was finalized and Rafael and Alexa could breathe a sigh of relief, both felt like there was a need to celebrate given all the time and attention that was warranted.

A night of romance that consisted of a candlelit dinner for two, slow dancing to soft jazz music with the result leading to lying in bed staring up at the skylight watching the stars; as they cuddled under the sheets, sweet kisses and wandering hands escalated into the shedding of clothes and an all-night love making session. Thankfully, little Nadia slept soundly throughout the night, even as the tamed cries of Alexa’s orgasm ripped through her body.

Suddenly, their thoughts were interrupted by the cooing and babbling sounds that came through the baby monitor resting on the nightstand behind Rafael, they shared a chuckle before the sheets were pulled out from under them. Alexa changed into a clean pair of underwear before slipping on her lavender Victoria Secret nightshirt with the words ‘Sleep on It’ scrawled on the front, meanwhile, Rafael pulled on a pair of grey sweats and a black V-neck shirt as he headed for the nursery. Alexa brushed out her hair while looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, then her attention focused on the reflection of her fiancé holding their baby girl in his arms, she set the brush down on the dresser and walked over to them.

“Hey, how’s my baby girl,” Alexa cooed as she gently stroked her hair and lightly pinched her cheek, she giggled as her baby responded with squealing and laughing. Rafael handed Nadia over to her mother, Alexa lifted her up in the air and began making faces, much to the baby’s delight.

Rafael smiled at the two of them, he still couldn’t believe that this was his life, a wife and child seemed to be out of reach for him; and yet here he was, about to officially make his family complete.

“Hey, listen, why don’t we get some food in this little one and spend the whole day in bed together…as a family,” Rafael offered as he stood by Alexa and rubbed his baby’s back as she held her.

“I like that idea…” She turned to Nadia and asked, “What do you think sweetie?” Nadia smiled and babbled in response, Rafael and Alexa giggled at the little one.

The young Barba sat in her high chair while Alexa was busy at work making pancakes and sausages, Rafael sat at the counter as he entertained his daughter with kissing sounds and goofy faces. When Alexa brought his plate over, they shared a sweet, tender kiss then flipped those remaining in the frying pan on to a plate of her own. They ate their meal in silence as Nadia looked on, but then she started fussing when the attention wasn’t directed at her, Alexa grabbed some formula from the fridge and removed the squirming baby from the high chair, with Nadia cradled in her arm; Alexa hand fed her the bottle.

With their plates emptied, Rafael loaded them into the dishwasher, from there, all three of them retraced their steps upstairs. They stopped by the nursery to grab some toys and story books for Nadia, and then re-entered the bedroom, the covers pulled up over them as the infant sat on top of Alexa’s lap. The loving, doting parents bonded with their child through shakes of her rattle, acting out small plays with stuff animals with Rafael narrating and providing voice overs; both Nadia and Alexa laughed at his funny voices.

Each of them read from the story books until the baby’s green eyes became heavy, she let out a yawn and slowly Alexa got up from the bed and went back into the nursery to lay Nadia in her crib. While she was fast asleep, Alexa covered her up with the pink blanket and as soon as she made it back to the bedroom, she slipped back under the covers and cozied up to Rafael, he wrapped her up in his arms and nuzzled his cheek against her forehead.

“Hmmm…this is nice”

“I know…I can’t wait for the day that I make you my wife”

“Me neither…I love you Rafi”

“I love you too Lex”

In a matter of minutes, the sounds of their light breathing lulled them to sleep.

[princessmisery666]

Too cute 🥰

Nobody will ever be too old for breakfast faces, at least I won’t 🤔

Happy Sunday guys 🌻🐝

[dean-winchester-is-a-warrior]

This is ridiculously adorable and I'm stealing all of your tags, Stacey, cause they were perfect!

Nobody will ever be too old for breakfast faces, at least I won’t 🤔

Happy Sunday guys 🌻🐝