#i can read about fans' love and appreciation for Louis' music for hours<3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[gracefullou]

Thank you for the recs! I will be sure to check them out! I'm loving the back to you studio version, and hope we can get a digital download or it goes on streaming (but also still waiting for paradise 😭)

I became more aware of Louis' solo stuff probably last year, not long before FITF came out? I saw lots of videos of his tour going around social media and it looked like the shows had a good energy! I never really had a 1D phase so wasn't really aware of much. I listened to walls and enjoyed it so kept on eye on his upcoming releases and found bigger than me to be so good! And out of my system had me hooked and so excited. Then faith in the future blew me away tbh, became my album of the year basically. I was a little nervous about going to the tour on my own but braved it and had so much fun!

Favourite songs are such a hard choice because I tend to have moments with different ones but if I was picking right now it would probably be:

Walls: DLIBYH, Walls, Defenceless

FITF: Out of my system, chicago, holding onto Heartache, Saturdays, all this time

I just love love love the bruised optimism of a lot of Louis' songs. I think Saturdays and all this time capture that really well!

What are your favourites? And sorry for the long message!

Omg i love everything about this! Bigger than me and out of system are so good i'm glad they had you hooked and excited for the album. Louis' music in general is so good you just have to give it a chance and you'll be hooked. And fitf is just out of this world, isn't it? my absolute favorite album 🫶🏽. Walls is a very good album too, it will always have a special place in my heart 🥹. My top songs from walls right now are dlibyh, fearless, defenceless and of course pop perfection always you. Except for all this time and maybee holding onto heartache I can't really choose favorites from fitf 😭 i'm just obsessed with every single one. Bruised optimism is a good way to describe Louis' songwriting! I love it. I'm so glad you went to see him and had a great time. I couldn't go to the fitfwt and i'll always mourn that but hopefully i'll be there for lt3 tour. I must admit paradise wasn't a favorite of mine but it grew on me especially after he played it at afhf and i love it so so much now so i hope he'll release it on streaming eventually.

[claryaastark]

Endlessly

04162020

March 25, 1920

Dear You,

I am writing this letter just to let you know that I still miss you so much, my love. Being far from home is not easy, I made a lot of adjustments here in our dormitory. We do a lot of scheduled daily tasks, also the housemistress is very strict. I cannot eat my mom's special calderata, I don't really like the foods here, the amount is small and it tastes way too different from my mom's cooking. I miss the smell of my father's brewed coffee as I woke-up every morning. I miss the sound of the water from the Estero and the cool breeze of the wind from my window. I miss Binondo, and most importanly, you.

It's 8:30 in the evening, the housemistress will do the head count and evening checking at 9. Writing this letter for a short span of time is not easy, especially now that I am expressing how much I long for you. I still remember the first time that we met. I was riding the Kalesa with ate Maria, on the Calle Escolta. And I saw you lifting a sack of flour on the famous Pan De Sal bakery. You held my hand and help me get down from the Kalesa to get the orders from your shop. And that moment of time, I fell inlove with you. I remember the times when I used to sneak from our house's window during dark and we are going to ride the boat and roam along the Estero de Binondo. You are holding my hand, and we are both hoping not to get caught. As we look at the stars above, and the moon shines through us. We used to do a morning walk on the Calle Real Palacio and enjoy the scent of the fresh Kalachuchi. You also love to pick a pink gumamela, and put it beside my ears while telling me how lovely I am and how much you want to be with me.

I can't also forget the time that you held the guitar and sing for me in the Plaza Moraga during the town's feast. I was so happy that time and I feel like I was the luckiest woman in the world. You held my hand, and asked for the permission of my parents. And we danced. We danced under the stars while you speak to me, telling me how beautiful I am that night, telling me how much you appreciate me. After that, you ask me to marry you and I said yes. We were just so happy.

But the world is uncertain and things always change. Two months before our wedding day, a letter came to me. I was accepted by my dream university here in Baguio City. This is something that I've been waiting for a very long time, this is my dream. But chasing this dream for myself also means losing you. And I don't want that to happen. I tried not to chase this dream for myself and just be happy with you. But you pushed me, you pushed me to do this for myself. You made me choose this dream instead of you. It's hard, but you promised that you will wait for me. Even if it takes forever.

But promises are meant to be broken. I know that you won't read this letter and there is no chance of seeing you again. But I want you to know, that I still mourn for you. That I will never have the chance to move on and get over from that night. That night when a letter came to me telling that you died from an accident. It still feels like a dream to me. All our hopes, all of the things that we planned together were just gone, in a snap. I can't do anything, I can't force things to happen. It hurts, I still cry every night my love. I miss you so much. And writing this letter is just my way to live in a dream. A dream that you and I are still together. Maybe another place, maybe another time. Till then, let's say goodbye I see you in another life. You will always be my love, my life and my everything. I know that will meet again, someday. Someday.

Forever Your Love

~

Today is March 25, 1970. It was so weird that I saw this letter out of nowhere while cleaning my dorm. And upon reading this, I didn't notice that I was already crying. I can feel the pain of the woman who wrote this. I don't know who this person is, nor the ending of their story but I hope that she found her happiness.

I pick the letter and put it on the box of my stuff. I insert my newly purchased CD on the Sylvania console stereo. This is a gift from my father before I left Cebu to study here in Baguio city. He knows so well that I love music so much and it was some sort of magic that makes me feel comforted. I played Let It Be, the last song that was released by my favorite band, The Beatles. Two weeks had passed since Paul McCartney stated that he is leaving the band. It was heart breaking especially for me, who is a big fan of this band. Sadly, I prepare for my morning class while listening to their last song.

Long day was over. Everything is just typical. Acads, people, routine. Though it was still tiring. I am a Fine Arts student in University of The Philippines here in Baguio City. Living an independent life is not easy. I miss my family so much, I miss my mom's cooking, my dad's silly joke as we spend our time under the mango tree during siesta. I miss my friends in Cebu, the sea, the farm. I miss everything about my home. The sun is setting and I am walking along the busy street of the Session Road while wearing my earphones. I decided to eat my dinner alone on Inihaws, my favorite restaurant here. While eating my dinner, I noticed a boy who keeps staring at me. I tilted my body to block his view, it feels awkward and creepy. As I continue to eat my food, I can see on my peripheral vision that he is still staring at me. I heaved a sigh and look directly to his eyes, I waved my hand and patted the seat beside me. Asking him to come and sit.

“What are you staring at?" I asked arrogantly.

He pouted his lips, pointing my plates and artworks. Ah, so he's looking at my artworks.

“What about them?" I asked him.

“They're nice and classic, I love them. Fine arts?" He talks so manly and attractive, uhh?

“Yup. There is just something that I saw this morning which inspired me for my plate today"

I explained as we both looked on the sketch of a woman riding a Kalesa, and a man who is holding her hand, they are both alive and smiling. They are the people on the letter that I read this morning.

The conversation went smoothly. I found out that he is an Architecture student on Saint Louis University, we are both into arts. I got no stuff to do this evening, so I decided to go with him as he asked me to have an evening walk along the Session Road. We talk about our interest, arts, music, things that we are fond of. We got a lot of things in common. He talks a lot, and I like how quick-witted he is as he tells a lot of jokes. We didn't notice the hour, it was already 10 in the evening. I do not as well, but I don't feel scared on this man that I just met few hours ago. I feel comfortable and we have this sort of connection like we knew each other on the past. We spent the night telling each other's story. We went to his small art room, and he painted me. He ask me to hold a plastic flower as I smile while he is painting me. It seems like I met a stranger, and this whole night is like a fairy-tale.

It was already 3 in the morning, we are sitting on the grass while we look on the city lights below. It was so beautiful. As well as the man beside me, he is lovely. I didn't ask for his name but it feels like I already know him so well. He tilted his head on my direction and caught me staring at him, he smiled and out of nowhere, his face turns sad.

“I'm married" he said.

I was shocked. I was hurt, and there is something that stings on my chest.

“I know you since we were freshmen, I first saw you sketching on the Inihaws. You are alone and you seem so committed with your passion. I find it so adorable, the way you move your hand, the way you put your hair on the side of your ears. The way you frown your forehead as you make some mistakes. I fell in love with you, the first time I saw you. Since then, I always follow you. I see you walking on the street while wearing your earphones. I always see you eating alone on the Inihaws. I always see you smiling on the street vendors, you are adorable as you say your good morning to them. And when I finally decided to introduce and show myself to you. My mom from Sagada called me. Asking me to come home. That day, I went home to Sagada. I saw my ex-girlfriend, and she has a child — our child. We were a stubborn, inlove teenagers during high school. We broke up just like a typical puppy love story. But I didn't know, that I got her pregnant. My son is already two years old when she showed up. She can't raise our child alone, so she decided to tell it to me and my family. Two months after, we get married."

My heart is aching as I listened to his story, I feel bad for him, I feel bad for us. I didn't speak a word. I just let myself stare on the city lights below. I can't process my thoughts right now. Feels like the fairytale is finally over. Surprisingly, he held my hand.

“I love my son, he is the reason why I am working hard to become an Architect. I love her mother, but not the way that I love you from a far. I fell in love with you and you deserve to know it. I was so happy loving you from afar, and thank you for that. Maybe another place, maybe another time. Till then, let's say goodbye I see you in another life, Stella"

He called my name, and he left.

Those were the last thing that he said that night. And I never saw him again. Maybe, maybe someday we will have the chance to love each other not just from afar. We will be together, someday.

~

March 25, 2020. This is it, this is the day that me and friends are finally seeing each other! After one year of not meeting everyone because of College, we're finally going out today. We chose the art exhibit as a venue for our date today. I'm excited! I kissed my mom as I went downstairs for breakfast, she teased me that our plan for today will be cancelled because of my excitement. I love my mom so much but sometimes, I hate her for ruining my moments hmp. I eat my favorite egg roll and decided to ignore her.

The time is 2:30 in the afternoon. I am already prepared for today's meeting. I drove the car and play my classic OPM playlist. I love music so much, and I can't live without it. Kamikazee's Tagpuan is currently playing, I bang my head and sang along with the melody of the song. It's 4 in the afternoon when I arrived at the venue. It is odd because I see no familiar face here. I opened my phone to ask where they are, and found out that the exhibit plan was cancelled during the last minute. And they decided to just eat on the restaurant nearby our place. I don't know what to feel, I feel bad for not checking my phone before leaving the house. I feel bad for being excited, mom is right. I don't know but I kinda felt lazy to go on the restaurant near our place because I traveled to get here for 2 hours. My excitement just all went down. I get in the car and think. Upon fighting with my thoughts I decided to just stay here and continue the exhibit plan, alone. It is a new experience though.

I went inside and everything feels amazing. I’m not an artsy kind of person, I don’t have any talents in art but one thing is sure — I really do appreciate art. I love to spend my time on looking at the green grass outside, the blue sky above and the beauty of nature. I do love aesthetic things because it reminds me that despite of being cruel, beautiful things on this world still exist. The ambience is nice, the people are few but I can see that they are enjoying the paintings inside the hall. I walk and took a photograph of the artworks. After that, I posted it on my instagram story and send it to our group chat to tell them that I can’t make it on our dinner anymore. And I decided to just stay here and stick to the original plan.

I roam around the hall and appreciate the beauty of art. While walking, a painting caught my attention. It was a woman with curly hair, and she was smiling from ear to ear. She was wearing a floral dress and holding a piece of rose. The woman seems so happy and I can feel the genuine emotion of the one who painted it. Is her boyfriend the one who painted her? It was romantic. Suddenly, I feel something weird and unexplainable on my chest, I can really feel something on this painting. Something that is connected with me.

“It was nice and classic, isn’t it lovely?”

I was shocked when someone has spoken out of nowhere, I tilted my head on the direction of the voice, it was a man. He was wearing a black shirt, and he is holding a camera. He is smiling sincerely while looking at the painting, weird but it seems like the voice came from the painting itself.

“Uhh yes. This painting feels so real and sincere. I can feel the emotion of both the painter and the subject” I said while looking directly at the painting. And I was smiling.

Our conversation went smoothly, and it seems like I found an instant date. He talks a lot and I found out that we were on the same University. He is an Engineering student, and he loves to play the guitar. I felt fascinated because I was attracted with men who are inclined to music. We roam around the hall and we were just so happy. Finally, long day is over and we bid our good byes. But before that, he asked for my phone number.

Oh shoot. I forgot to ask his name. But nevermind, I still have a lot of chance to meet him again. I smiled as my phone beeps and I got a text message from an unknown number.

“Take care, I had a good time. See you around” -Mr. Engineer

That’s the text message. I went home with a big smile on my face, the date with my friends have been cancelled. But I found a new experience today. Something more happy, and amazing. I lay in bed and look at the ceiling of my room along with its fake galaxy. I smiled as I remember the man that I met few hours ago. While giggling, I replied on his text message.

“Good night, Mr. Engineer! Had a good time too” -Ms. Psychologist.

To sum it up, we talk on the phone everyday. He always made my day, he always make me smile. He jokes a lot and he had a lot on his mind. He is quick-witted and very manly. After a few weeks of talking, I admit that I already had a crush on him. Along with that, we decided to spend our time together. And as time passed by, I am knowing him more and more.

We had the same interest in almost everything. We watched the same movies together. We listen to our favorite songs. We eat our favorite foods. Though we never share any of our favorite foods, especially him who can fight with anyone who touches his food, even me. We travelled places to taste various delicacies. We went to church regularly to pray. He became a part of my everyday. He loves picking a flower and putting it on the side of my ears. He loves playing the guitar for me.

It was really nice, to found someone who appreciates every little thing on you. Someone who can lend his ears and shoulder to listen. Someone who can cheer you up whenever you are feeling down. He loves kissing me, but loves hugging me more. I felt home and safe on his arms. It was weird but there is something that is telling me, that we really had the connection and we knew each other a very long time ago. All that he made me feel was something new. It was my first time, to fall inlove with someone. I had no doubts and regrets.

But the world is always uncertain, there are lots of things that we are unsure, so is us. We are just happy, and then in just a snap we parted our ways, and we fell apart. Maybe another place, maybe another time. Till then let’s say good bye, I see you in another life. I know that he is a blessing from God, and whatever it takes. We will meet again, someday.

Parang isang panaginip, Ang muling mapagbigyan, tayo ay muling magkasama.

Panatag na ang kalooban ko, At ika’y kapiling ko na Kay tagal kitang hinintay

I smiled as this classic song by Spongecola played on my car’s stereo. Today is 25th of March, 2025. And I am finally seeing him again. I smiled, a nervous smile mixed with excitement.

It was weird because last night, as I was fixing my stuff in our Ancestral house in Bagac, Bataan, I saw an old box . It was a collection of CDs, some of the albums are from The Beatles. And I saw a very old letter, the pen was already disappearing and it was already stained. The letter was from March 25, 1920. It was very old ; a hundred and five years ago. Along with the letter, I also saw an artwork. A sketch of a woman riding a Kalesa, and a man who is holding her hand, they are both alive and smiling on this artwork. I asked mom about this stuff, and she said that it belongs to my great grandmother, Stella. It was her stuff during her college days on Baguio City.

Anyway, after the very long wait. I am finally seeing him again.

The hall is full of people. I am wearing a red polka dots dress, I know that black is his favorite color but I want to show him something new. It seems like I was lost in the crowd and I can’t see him anywhere. But as I was walking through the sea of people, someone held my hand and whispered.

“You look so beautiful, baby. You never changed” I got teary-eyed as I heard his voice. Oh God, I miss him so much. I miss this man. The man that I lost and the same man that I found again. The long wait is over, we finally have the chance to be with each other. I hugged him tight, the only man that I ever loved, love and I will love wherever and whenever.

“Baby, I’m no angel, I’m just me. But I will love you endlessly” those were the words that I whispered through his ear.

“We parted our ways together, we fell apart but fate will always make a way for us. Time will always tell. In another place, in another time, we will always be together, our love is endless”

Words that I said, while directly looking into his eyes.

It’s 25th of March, year 2030. And today is our wedding day.

[lcdrarry]

LCDrarry proudly presents:

The LCDrarry Box Office Hits 2019

It's Reveals Day! Thank you so much for participating in and following along with the first edition of "Lights, Camera, Drarry"!

We hope you enjoyed the fest and all the wonderful creations as much as we did.

Your LCDrarry Mods, Suzi and Tami (@erin-riwen & @llap115)

PS: Now check out who wrote your favourite fics and created all that wonderful art under cut ;) And please share this post to show your appreciation! Thank you!!

Draco Malfoy’s Stupendous Seduction Seminar

Prompt: #3 | "Legally Blonde" - 2001 - Robert Luketic Author: @lettersbyelise Word Count: 8,700 words Rating: Explicit Warnings: No warnings

Summary: Draco Malfoy offers to help his coworkers to improve their seduction techniques, with unexpected consequences.

Read "Draco Malfoy’s Stupendous Seduction Seminar" on AO3.

Love, Harry

Prompt: #118 | "Love, Simon" (2018, dir. Greg Berlanti); "Alex Strangelove" (2018, dir. Craig Johnson) Author: Zzzara / @big-draco-energy Word Count: 26.4k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Summary: Harry Potter keeps a huge secret: that scary thing he can't tell anyone about. Until a mysterious penfriend changes his life, because he keeps a secret, too.

Read "Love, Harry" on AO3.

Harry Potter and the Disorder Of The Phoenix

Prompt: #93 | "Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix" (2007 - David Yates) Author: @postjentacular  Word Count: 1.3k Rating: General Warnings: It's all getting a bit meta

Summary: An exasperated werewolf-slash-professor, a decidedly not-dead drama queen, a brat, and a straight white man settle down to watch a movie. It goes as well as you'd expect.

Read "Harry Potter and the Disorder Of The Phoenix" on AO3.

Heavy Burden

Prompt: #132 | "Howl's Moving Castle" - 2004 - Hayao Miyazaki Author: ViridianJane Art Medium: digital Word Count: 225 Rating: General Warnings: N/A

Summary: Harry offers to help ease Draco's burden, and Draco can't find it in himself to refuse.

Enjoy "Heavy Burden" on AO3.

The Shape of Desire is Your Name

Prompt: #8 | "Call Me By Your Name" - 2017 - Luca Guadagnino Author: @dracoismytrashson​ Word Count: 44.6k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Internalized Homophobia

Summary: In those days, I often felt like I wanted to burn the world or I wanted it to burn me, scorch me with it’s mysteries and mundanities until I was a blackened strip of a thing, rapturously spent and reshaped into something far more interesting than I’d ever been. I was waiting for something to happen to me, some indelible experience to come along and justify this dangerous searing feeling inside me, this dormant volcano that felt at turns exciting and oh so volatile. I was certain Harry Potter was that thing. The match to my tinder.

Read "The Shape of Desire is Your Name" on AO3.

The Extraordinarily Magical Host Club

Prompt: #94 | "Ouran High School Host Club" - 2006 - Series Author: @bafflinghaze​ Word Count: 20.6k Rating: Teen and up Warnings: No warnings

Summary: One day, Harry Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World, breaks a one-hundred-thousand galleon magical artifact that belongs to the ‘Host Club’, consisting of six not-so-mysterious purebloods. Unable to be reparioed and Harry’s inheritance tied up in charities, Harry’s forced to work for the Host Club to pay back the damages! Cue all the hijinks that come with dealing with a bunch of (mostly rich) purebloods...and maybe a bit of romance, too??

Read "The Extraordinarily Magical Host Club" on AO3.

The Thing I Hate About You

Prompt: #140 | "10 Things I Hate About You" - 1999 - Gil Junger Author: ElleGray / @diligent-thunder​ Word Count: 1030 Rating: Mature Warnings: poetic mentions of blood, slut-shaming/use of the word 'whore'

Summary: An epistolary of a poet and his future lover, in which Draco is annoyed, Harry is a messy little shit, Blaise is a Bad Friend, and shit goes down in a flood of gin and hot chips. Ultimately, Draco laments his inability to master his heart, and oh so dramatically falls apart (in iambic pentameter).

Read "The Thing I Hate About You" on AO3.

A Series of Unfortunate Ghosts

Prompt: #61 | "A Christmas Carol" - 1984 - Clive Donner Author: bottseveryflavorbeans_jrayoh23 Word Count: 25.8k Rating: Mature Warnings: death talk, depression, self-hatred, physical and emotional abuse (not between H&D), suicidal thoughts

Summary: It’s sixth year and Draco Malfoy’s life is about to change thanks to some meddlesome ghosts who show him the path he is on is not the only path for him. Between their ghoulish advice and some deep soul searching, Draco regains some of the hope he lost.

Read "A Series of Unfortunate Ghosts" on AO3.

Nightingale

Prompt: #44 | "The Great Gatsby" - 2013 - Baz Luhrmann Author: Forgetticus Word Count: 5.6k Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: none

Summary: Harry, Draco, Millicent, Pansy and Blaise pile in the Duesenberg to go to a party in the Great Gatsby Universe.

Read "Nightingale" on AO3.

Hot Air

Prompt: #36 | "Avatar: The Last Airbender" - 2005 - Series Author: fantom_ftnoise / @fantom-ftnoise​ Medium: Digital Art Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: Rated T for a wee little rude gesture

Summary: When firebenders butt heads with airbenders, it can be explosive. For Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, it's just another year at Hogwarts School of Elements & Bending.

Enjoy "Hot Air" on AO3.

Revelation

Prompt: #127 | "Boy Erased" - 2018 - Joel Edgerton Author: Zzzara / @big-draco-energy​ Word Count: 26k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non-Con (not between H & D) - please read the tags & author notes!

Summary: I know I'm lost forever. From now on, I am not able to un-trust him. It's like falling in love, but deeper - more secure and safe. Something that's not easily undone, not with him. It’s a revelation. Have you ever fallen in trust?

Read "Revelation" on AO3.

Run Away

Prompt: #115 | "Titanic" - 1997 - James Cameron Author: carereren / @straightasdrarry​ Word Count: 5.8k Rating: Explicit Warnings: internalized homophobia, period-typical homophobia (set in 1912)

Summary: Draco Malfoy has to choose between love or his family as he boards the RMS Titanic.

Read "Run Away" on AO3.

Dying in L.A.

Prompt: #143 | "A Star is Born" - 2019 - Bradley Cooper Author: tsundanire / @breathofmine Word Count: 9.6k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Angst, Drug use, Implied/referenced alcohol abuse/alcoholism, implied/referenced drug addiction, mental health issues, addiction, implied referenced self-harm, Inspired by "A Star is Born", Ambiguous/Open ending.

Summary: After the war, Harry loses all sense of purpose. He travels the world aimlessly, from one spot to the next, chasing a high that never lasts. When the morning comes all that's left is a pounding head, and a foul taste in his mouth. Until he stumbles into a bar in L.A., where his past and present collide.

Read "Dying in L.A." on AO3.

Nobody Tells You How

Prompt: #137 | "Return to Me" - 2000 - Bonnie Hunt Author: @thirdeyeblinkings​ Word Count: 34.2k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Canon Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content

Summary: Draco never expected to find love once, let alone twice. But how does love work when your heart's still broken? **OR** Harry gets a heart transplant and develops feeings for Draco, but those two things are not related. Until they are.

Read "Nobody Tells You How" on AO3.

We Are Going Back In Time

Prompt: #68 | "Skyfall" - 2012 - Sam Mendes Author: GlitternGlow Word Count: 4.7k Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death (MCD), Swearing

Summary: Draco has been 007 for a while, his mother and father, even his friends are part of MI6. One day he sets his eyes on his new handler, a scruffy black-haired youth with enough balls to stand up to him. Can they beat Silva and bring him down before anything else happens? And will Draco have the guts to tell Harry how he feels?

Read "We Are Going Back In Time" on AO3.

Expecting to Fly

Prompt: #15 | "The Sure Thing" - 1985 - Rob Reiner Author: ruarcher / @coriesocks​ Word Count: 45.5k Rating: Mature Warnings: Excessive drinking, attempted kidnapping

Summary: While at university in America, Harry plans a cross-country trip to get laid. He doesn’t count on having to take this trip with Draco Malfoy.

Read "Expecting to Fly" on AO3.

Rest your heart in my hands

Prompt: #133 | "Moulin Rouge" - 2001 - Baz Luhrman Author: saphira_black Word Count: 2.7k Rating: Mature Warnings: implied sexual work (but not really)

Summary:His heart skipped a beat. A slender figure stepped through the curtains. The music changed and the whole crowd started to roar. "A man?" It was not more than a faint whisper, but the twins heard him, nevertheless. "You didn’t know? His name’s Draco Malfoy," answered Fred.

Read "Rest your heart in my hands" on AO3.

Lost in Blue

Prompt: #75 | "The Blue Lagoon" - 1980 - Randal Kleiser Artist: @sirene312​ Medium: Digital Art Rating: Mature Warnings: half-naked wizards ;)

Summary: [Fan Art] Harry and Draco accidentally get trapped on a desert island. A "The Blue Lagoon" movie AU

Enjoy "Lost in Blue" on AO3.

When The Universe Reels

Prompt: "Meet Me In St Louis" - 1944 - Vincente Minnelli Artist: @maesterchill​ Author: wishes to remain unnamed Word Count: 1.2k Medium: Digital Art Rating: Teen and up Warnings: none

Summary: After a week of convincing himself it wasn’t really a date—they were only taking a trolley ride together for Merlin’s sake—the agreed hour arrived and Draco waited anxiously at the trolley station. But where on earth was Potter?

Read "When The Universe Reels" on AO3.

Slick

Prompt: #59 | "Grease" - 1978 - Randal Kleiser Author: milkandhoney / @fictional  Word Count: 10.4k Rating: Teen and up Warnings: Slight Virginity Shaming

Summary: Slick is the word. Harry's bike is a bird. And Poor Draco's a sex noob.

Read "Slick" on AO3.

The Loudest Bang

Prompt: #51 | "MythBusters" - 2003 to 2015 - Series Author: @jeldenil Word Count: 1.2k Rating: Teen and up Warnings: none

Summary: “You’re not going to use a nuclear weapon on Gringotts’ strongest vault, Potter.”

Read "The Loudest Bang" on AO3.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

Prompt: #12 | "Pride & Prejudice" - 2005 - Joe Wright Author: epsilonargus Word Count: 23.9k Rating: Teen and up Warnings: none

Summary: It has been four years since the war. Mr. Henry Bennet is perfectly pleased with his domestic life at Longbourn, managing the affairs of his demanding mother and many sisters. But a new Muggle gentleman moves into Netherfield Park, and he brings with him a surprising figure from Mr. Henry's past ...

Read "A Truth Universally Acknowledged" on AO3.

Man Eater

Prompt: #25 | "Little Shop of Horrors" - Alan Menken Author: milkandhoney / @fictional Word Count: 2.4k Rating: Mature Warnings: Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence (not between H & D), Dark Draco, Implied Sexual Acts

Summary: “You can’t lie to me.” The plant released Draco and he stumbled, overbalanced by his own gangly limbs. “I've watched you. I've heard all your idle thoughts. All your whispered secrets. I know what Harry means to you.”

Read "Man Eater" on AO3.

I Wanna Get Better

Prompt: #139 | "One Day at a Time" - 2017 - Series Author: donnarafiki / @rose-grangerweasleyisbae​ Word Count: 5.0k Rating: Mature Warnings: Mental Health Issues, Mental Breakdown, Suicidal Thoughts, Depression

Summary: One night Draco comes knocking on Neville's door, with a tape recorder and a desperate need for a hug.

Read it now on AO3.

A week at the Humdinger

Prompt: #9 | "Pretty Woman" - 1990 - Gary Marshall Author: AhaMarimbas Word Count: 52.2k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/Non Con (not between H & D), Being Outed, Ace-phobia, Rude and Derogatory language

Summary: What happens when Europe's richest business tycoon asks London's poorest (probably) prostitute for directions? An adventure at the Humdinger, and a love story to last the ages. Or at least the week.

Read "A week at the Humdinger" on AO3.

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

Prompt: #33 | "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - 2004 - Michel Gondry Author: @thefifthbiscuit​ Word Count: 1.2k Rating: Teen and up Warnings: none

Summary: Harry's used to being recognised wherever he goes. Then he meets Draco Malfoy, possibly the only person in the wizarding world who doesn't know what Harry Potter looks like. Based on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Read "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" on AO3.

Four Years Gone

Prompt: #141 | "Point Break" - 1991 - Katheryn Bigelow Author: ladderofyears / @clemandben Word Count: 10.8k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Relationship breakdown, Bank Robbery, Sexually Explict, Obsession

Summary: Four years ago Harry Potter let Draco Malfoy fly away in a snow storm that no flyer could possibly have survived, and ever since that day his life has been on hold. Then, one day he receives a photograph of a Mountain Range. The Pir Panjal mountain range, in India. Draco is alive. Will Harry chase him, and give up everything he cares about?

Read "Four Years Gone" on AO3.

Our Husbands Are Gay

Prompt: #134 | "Grace and Frankie" - 2015 - Series Author: MarchnoGirl Word Count: 14.5k Rating: Explicit Warnings: Infidelity (not between Drarry), Explicit Sexual Content, Older Characters (60 yo)

Summary: As soon as they stepped foot inside, all his willpower crumbled once more. Draco grabbed Harry’s arm again, making him stumble backwards. “I can’t. Let’s run away. You and me; we’ll build our lives together somewhere else, somewhere far away. Please, say yes.” Harry turned properly to him and smiled softly. He adjusted Draco’s jacket, smoothing his hand down his chest and stopping at his heart. “I learned long ago that running away is not gonna solve my problems. C’mon, Draco.”

Read "Our Husbands Are Gay" on AO3.

Please help promote the fest by sharing your favourite submissions, so more people can enjoy all the amazing new Drarry works of LCDrarry.

Thank you! See you in 2020 ;)

[thenightling]

My horror dislikes list

I love horror, particularly Gothic Horror as a genre. However there are certain common types of horror or sub-genres of horror I don’t really care for.  Just because I don’t like it, it doesn’t mean I don’t understand it or can’t appreciate that others might like it.    This is just my personal opinion and I mean no offense to anyone.  And some of what I may list will be controversial to some.   Bear that in mind.  Horror that I don't care for:

1.  This one is probably the most controversial so I’ll list it first. 

Most controversial:  H. P. Lovecraft.   It's not that he is "too wordy" or "long winded." (Never insult me like that.)  It's not that I "don't get it."  It’s not that he uses “archaic language.”  (These are real things people have assumed when I tell them I don’t like Lovecraft).  I just feel he's overrated.  I don't like his antisemitism, which was considered extreme by 1930s American standards.  And I don't like how he's credited with creating certain concepts that weren't really his doing.  His ideas about long sleeping ancient / forgotten Gods or Old Ones can be found as early as Goethe's Faust Part 2, if not earlier.   Other authors that had similar ideas before Lovecraft include George MacDonald, author of Lilith.     Sometimes I like when other people adapt Lovecraft.  I liked Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald.  I liked the origin of Morpheus’ helm in Sandman: Overture (also Neil Gaiman).  I liked the two episodes of The Real Ghostbusters animated series inspired by Lovecraft.  I even like the spoof Lil Cthulhu.  But I’m just not a big fan of actual H. P. Lovecraft. This doesn’t mean I haven’t read it.  Nor does it mean I don’t understand it.  And I do appreciate his influence on pop culture.  I just feel he’s overrated.       2.  I don't like Rob Zombie movies.  It's all the same to me.  Boring, grimy, sweaty, eldgelordy- full of overused modern tropes like flickering lights, jump scares, and "I haven't showered in a month" antagonists.  He sucked the supernatural out of Halloween and there's nothing truly distinct about any of his films.  It's just a style that doesn't appeal to me. 3.   CG.  I love practical effects.  Most CG is lazy, cartoonish, and doesn't look like it's really there.  I know it can look realistic and gorgeous at time but most horror films don’t take that route.  Most horror directors use it lazily. There’s a Night of the Living dead 4 or 5 by the Syfy Channel where a manhole cover is clearly CG.  Why did a manhole cover have to be CG?!  And there’s CG blood in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is very distracting because it looks like jello flying at the camera.  The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris are already dated and very fake looking yet the transformation in An American Werewolf in London still gets to people today.  The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris didn't even look real by 90s standards.  They looked like beasts that escaped Who Framed Roger Rabbit.   In the Fright Night remake there's a scene where a windshield shatters in front of Amy's face and she screams on que but she doesn't flinch or blink, making it very clear the glass isn't really there.  Had it been sugar glass or ice to give the effect, there would have been a natural flinch.  I feel practical effects, if you can't guess how it was done, can be more unnerving and the reactions seem more real.  That's why some 80s fantasy is more unnerving for kids than some modern horror.    4.  Jump scares.  Jump scares are lazy.  Being startled is not the same as being afraid.  And when they add a musical chord to accompany the scare it's like idiot proofing ot say "This is where you should react."   The only jump scare that ever worked on me was when I was twelve-years-old watching Interview with the vampire.  Louis says "It's the carriage." and he goes down to the door. And you know damn good and well it's not the carriage.  He opens the door, there's no one there.   You know it's coming, but when he turns his head and Lestat's hand grabs his throat, I jumped the first time I saw that.  I knew it was coming.  But I still jumped.   To me a good scare is when it creeps in and crawls under your skin. When I was watching Let the Right One In I remembered thinking “Ah, this isn’t so scary.” and it was at the part where Eli climbs up the side of the hospital.  It was snowy outside, just as it was in the movie, and late at night.  And at that moment the power went out. For a split second (It was only a second) I thought “Oh, crap!  Vampire child’s gonna get me!”   And I was a grown woman in 2008.  I was twenty-six-years-old. Another incident that made me realize just how scary Gothic horror truly is was when I was watching a History Channel show about the real Castle Dracula.  And it mentioned the locals seeing mysterious lights and noises up in the castle so some priests were sent to bless the place.  A storm came in suddenly and the priests had to do the blessing from a distance.  (This was Poenari castle, not Bran.  Bran is used for tourists.  Poenari is where Vlad spent most of his time but it’s considered unsafe).  And as I watched this I remembered that storm summoning was supposed to be one of the vampire Dracula’s powers. At that moment the door creaked open And I practically leapt out of my skin.   That’s when I knew Dracula is actually scary.

I also had a nightmare once about being a werewolf in the style of The wolfman. In the dream I blacked out during the transformation and then suddenly it was hours or a day later and I knew I must have done something terrible and I found loved ones slaughtered.   I remember the guilt in that dream and I knew The Wolfman had reached me on a level most horror doesn’t, on a fear of what it must be like to be like him.           My most recent experience with a truly good sense of my skin crawling horror was watching an episode of DC Universe's Swamp Thing. A child is possessed with the ghost of Abby Arcane's dead childhood friend.   She's been singing their old song and acting ...well, weird.   "If you're her than prove it?"  She is smiling menacingly.  It looks like she'll do nothing.  Abby turns to walk away.  This is where most jump scares happen.  But it doesn't.  As she nears the door it slams shut but that isn't the end of it.  It's not just a stupid psych out jump scare the way most horror movies do now.  Instead the whole atmosphere of the room changes.  Everything becomes damp.  The lighting dims.   Everything becomes slightly off-kilter or "wrong" like in a nightmare.  It was so atmospheric, so spooky... It was the best Gothic horror moment I had seen in literally years.  I had goosebumps.  5.   The polarization of vampire fiction triggered by the Twilight fad.  Thankfully this is dying now.   But for a while vampires were divided into two styles.  The broody, whiny emo, or the mindless killing machine AKA "the Shark with legs."   I missed the balance of charming and charismatic, but also predatory.  I missed the likes of Frank Langella as Dracula and Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge. The Fright Night remake was disappointing for this reason.  I hate that vampires rarely shapeshift now.  I hate the nerfing of their powers.   And I hate that Jerry's human-side was erased as a reactionary response to be anti-Twilight.   It ruined the remake for me.  6.   Ghosts that movie like a broken VHS tape.  The jerking movement ghosts of ghosts that suddenly flicker or spasm and suddenly are a few stepped forward without actually moving...  This works in Ringu / The Ring because she IS a damaged VHS tape but in other ghost stories it doesn't really work for me.  it takes me out of the story and I notice it's following a trend. 7.    Torture porn.   Pity, and gross-out is not fear.  It's like how that game show / reality show  "Fear Factor" confused fear with disgust. "eat these random cow pies" isn't fear, folks.   Actually Torture porn kind of bores me . I don't feel fear.  It's just drawn out mutilation and torture.  I may feel pity for the character or be disgusted by the graphic mutilations but I'm not afraid of it.  And it's lazy and cheap.  8.   Next on Lazy and cheap...  Found footage.  I HATE found footage movies.   Shaky cam and screams into a camera don't do it for me.  And they all feel the same.    9.   Most Zombie Apocalypse movies.  Most recent Zombie apocalypse movies bore me.    There are a few exceptions like the original Night of the Living Dead, which, at the time it was made was unique and atmospheric but many zombie films attempt to imitate it and it becomes bland and formulaic.   I also liked Return of the Living Dead because it was one of the first Zombie Apocalypse movies.  It hadn’t yet become dull and predictable to me that everyone huddles together and it becomes more and more futile until there is no one left or it’s utterly hopeless.  And so as things became repetitive I started to dislike the ‘zombie apocalypse genre.”   Exceptions include Night of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead.  I also like the original White Zombie and I walked with a Zombie but those are pre-Zombie Apocalypse.   There are a few zombie films I like that aren’t that scary but I like them because they are different.  Those include “My boyfriend’s back.”  (Daddy, I love him!”  “He’s a zombie, you freakin’ idiot!”  I love that line).    And Warm Bodies.   And please don’t use Warm Bodies to discredit my status as a horror fan.  I just like it because it’s different.  First, R isn’t that bad of a protagonist.  He’s more well developed than Edward Cullen and he spends half the movie eating the brains of the dead boyfriend of the girl he’s pining for, carrying bits of brain in his pocket.  There’s no sugar coating that.   Also it’s one of the few zombie apocalypse movies to have a happy ending.  Yeah, it’s sappy and a bit hamhanded bu tit has a sweet message.  Sometimes it’s okay to like sweet.

 10.   Remakes that suck the supernatural out of a supernatural story.  I’m tired of gritty.  I’m tired of “grounded in reality.”  The supernatural is scary because it is unknown.  In the case of Child’s Play, a hacked AI doesn’t seem as creepy to me as a soul of a serial killer seeking a new host body. Also the cynical part of me suspects the “grounding in reality” is a direct ploy to get a release in China, which does not like supernatural content in American import movies. This is part of why Disney / Marvel has been downplaying Marvel’s supernatural side.  I miss supernatural horror.   I’m tired of remakes literally sucking out the soul.  

11. Bonus: Anything based on a “true case” by The Warrens.  I believe in the paranormal.   I respect paranormal research but The Warrens were known con artists, even among paranormal researchers.   If you look at most of their haunted house cases there’s a particular formula.  Woman moves into dream home with loving, Catholic family. Weird things slowly start to happen. The husband is skeptical / getting possessed.  The wife goes to the church for help.  The priests can’t help or nothing happens in front of them.   Desperate she attends a Warrens lecture.  Never fear, The Warrens are here!  And lo’ and behold, the house is full of demons!  Demons only The Warrens know how to Handle.  This happens in The Haunted (Not to be confused with The Haunting), it happens in Gave Secrets: the story of Black Hope Cemetery and pretty much every other haunted house story they got involved in.   They made book and TV movie deals and later bigger Hollywood movie deals.  Now half the horror and Parapsychology world thinks they were demonology heroes and not the con artists who once ‘exorcised a werewolf” (Look it up.)  I am not a fan of The Warrens.

[shemakesmusic-uk]

INTERVIEW: Elohim.

Los Angeles-based artist Elohim recently released her new EP Journey to the Center of Myself Vol.2.

Earlier this year, Elohim announced to the world her four-part Journey to the Center of Myself project, the first volume of which was revealed on June 25. The project came as a result of setting up a home studio during lockdown, which provided a creative period of inspiration reminiscent of her early years spent learning her craft; without rules, expectations, or schedules.

With multifarious production styles and a voice that lends itself as well to an EDM banger as it does a delicate piano ballad, the Elohim sound is hard to pin down. Journey to the Center of Myself Vol.1 was heralded by a variety of sounds, including Scandi-flavoured pop banger ‘Nice’, the chiming and ethereal melodies of ��Creatures’ reminiscent of the likes of Purity Ring, and lead single ‘Strut ft. Big Freedia’ - a surefire cut for the catwalk.

Whilst Volume 1 is seen as the beginning of Elohim’s passage to self-discovery, Volume 2, shows Elohim searching for a state of optimum happiness; stepping into a self-made dream world to find the confidence to handle any situation.

We had a chat with Elohim all about the EP, the project as a whole, the struggles she has faced in the industry and more. Read the interview below.

Hi! How has this year been for you so far? You've been very busy!

“Hi!! It has been an interesting year for sure. Somewhat emerging out of isolation has been a lot more difficult mentally than I thought it would be. And it is ok to admit that. I felt a bit alone but the more I talked to people the more I realized I wasn't. I played my first show in a year and a half this year in Chicago. I headlined, I played Lollapalooza and I played Hard Summer. I've been creating and releasing music. I feel lucky every day for those opportunities but they don't always come easy.”

You've recently released your new EP Journey to the Center of Myself Vol.2 which is the second installment of a four part project. Tell us how more about how the project came about and what this volume is about in particular.

“Before Covid hit I was on my headline "Group Therapy" tour and I had planned to release my full length album around shows in summer 2020. Everything changed and I went back to the drawing board.. aka my bedroom.. and made a ton of new music. I already had the title for my album Journey to the Center of Myself, but once I decided to actually make four volumes the title took on a whole new meaning. I really feel like over the last year and a half I really got to the center of myself. It felt like my first years of creating and producing but with way more life experience, shows, and releases. It just felt free.. none of us knew what was going to happen or when isolation would end.”

Musically, how is the Journey to the Center of Myself project different (or similar) to your previous releases? Were there any musical influences or sounds that you were able to incorporate on this that you hadn’t previously?

“The process of making a lot of this music was some of the most freeing moments I've ever experienced. I had many instruments all set up and ready to record. I was able to jump from a drum kit to an acoustic piano to an analog synth seamlessly. I love creating like this. I love being able to jam and get as weird as I possibly feel I need to at that moment... or be able to sit down at the piano and write a ballad. No rules, just freedom.” 

What was the most challenging part of creating Journey to the Center of Myself?

“Honestly the most challenging part was narrowing down the music into four different EPs. I created SO much music over the last year and a half. They all become my babies and they all are my favorite songs when I make them. So that was really the only challenging part.. having too much cool music... haha but in all seriousness it's actually such a blessing.”

What do you hope fans will take away from the project?

“I hope that in some way it makes the listener feel less alone in their own personal daily struggles. I want them to feel loved and appreciated. I make this music to give a magical, meaningful experience and everyone wants and needs something different and that is the beautiful thing about music. It can mean different emotions to everyone.”

And what can we expect from volumes 3 and 4?

“I really went deep and went to the center of me more so than I had before on volumes three and four. Three has some very dark, raw and real moments. I've told stories I've never told before on volume three, a side of me I've not shown. And as for volume four I self produced, wrote, created and sang in my bedroom during a global pandemic. The fourth installment is probably the most "me" music I've ever made. There are a lot of instrumental tracks. It is my calm, my peace, my love.”

You have collaborated with so many amazing artists over the years. Which has been your favourite so far and why?

“It is hard to say my favorite, but one of the most meaningful songs that came from a collaboration is ‘Love is Alive’ with Louis The Child. That whole day was really wild because we were both such new artists and had never met. But when we got in the room the flow was flawless. We danced around and made the song in a few hours! The most magical thing about music is that you create it out of thin air and then share it through the airwaves. Trips me out! Music is medicine.”

What struggles, if any, have you faced as an artist in the music business and how have you overcome them?

“There are constant struggles in music. Being an artist is really hard on the body, soul, and mind. It's a constant challenge to keep myself healthy while managing a music career. We want so much as humans, especially as artists living in a dream world in our brains all the time, that sometimes it is hard to enjoy what is right in front of us in the moment. I have to take time and look back on all I have done and how far I have come to really enjoy the present.”  

If there was one thing you could change about the music world today, what would it be?

“More emphasis on art, less emphasis on plays, likes, and views.”

100% agree! Finally, what else is next for you? I expect you're excited to get back on stage? Any non-musical goals?

“Non musical is to keep discovering myself and transforming into the best version of me.. an ongoing goal and aspiration. I am really excited to start playing shows again, collaborating, and getting to hug humans. Really looking forward to sharing a side of me I've never shared before and cannot wait to put volumes three and four into the world.”

[h-styles-babes]

No Control | Chapter Eight

Summary: 

Micky Bennett: college student, loyal friend, aspiring nurse, One Direction fan, Harry Styles enthusiast. Her best friend, Trevor, wins tickets to a show in New Jersey with meet and greet passes. Micky expects a quick photo op with the boys and a great night at the concert with her best friend. What she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.

*Please feel free to reblog and send feedback. It’s much appreciated :)*

To read previous chapters, you can go here.

*Gif is not mine.*

EIGHT

Trevor comes back to the condo just after six, bearing the gift of Thai takeout. Not knowing what Harry likes, he just picked up two orders of curry and two orders of chicken pad thai for us all to share. Harry gets excited over the curry like a kid in a candy shop, claiming it’s his favourite, which is just as well. We sit around the dining table with the TV on in the background, Trevor telling us about his day.

“You didn’t sleep with him?” I ask in slight shock. Not that Trevor is a slag or anything, but he’s only ever had hookups with this Chris guy and has never shown interest in it being anything but sex.

“No. We went to Times Square and window shopped, which turned into me actually shopping. And we went to lunch and actually talked and had a good time. Then we went to Central Park and walked and talked more. I found out that he’s actually really funny and he’s a pretty good guy.” Trev seems a little surprised by the turn of events of his afternoon, too, which is pretty funny to watch.

“All the times you hooked up with this guy, and you never had a real conversation with him?” Harry asks, a little astounded. Like the notion of not at least knowing a little bit about your sexual partner is a foreign concept to him. Maybe it is. 

Trev shakes his head. “I met this guy at a frat party the second week of the school year. I thought he was straight, since he was hanging out with all his frat brothers, making lewd comments about girls there. Came onto me later that night by kissing me and pushing me into his room. It never went beyond booty calls for us. I just assumed he was closeted gay or bi.”

“You should know better than to assume, Trev,” I point out. People assume he’s straight all the time, which makes for awkward situations for the girls who try to come on to him. 

He rolls his eyes and clicks his chopsticks at me. “Yeah, yeah, I know, mother.”

“So are you gonna see him again, beyond a hookup?” Harry asks, mixing more of his curry with the white rice on his plate.

“We agreed to go out next weekend,” he admits, his cheeks tinging slightly pink. I smirk at him as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose to try to hide it. 

“Aw, Trevor has a crush!” I gush, genuinely excited. I’ve only ever seen Trevor actually interested in someone else once in our whole friendship, and the guy was very much straight. “Chris is really cute, too. Good job on that one.” I nod appreciatively at his selection. He has that typical frat boy look going, with the light brown hair, baby blue eyes, and snapbacks, but his broad shoulders, pretty smile, and constant scruff more than make up for it.

“Thank you, thank you.” He pretends to take a bow at the table.

Harry’s phone rings from his jeans pocket, interrupting our conversation. He sighs when he sees the name, but promptly answers it. He’s mostly quiet during the call, except for the occasional affirmation or hum. When he hangs up he sighs again.

“That was Paul. Lads wanna go out tonight.”

“And you don’t want to go with them?” I ask, slightly surprised. Harry seems like the type of guy that likes to take opportunities as they’re presented. A night out in NYC or even Jersey seems like something a twenty-one year old guy would jump at. Though, Harry isn’t a normal twenty-one year old guy.

“It’s not that. They’re all going out, so that means Paul needs to be there, which means I have to go.” He takes the last few bites of his food before moving to take it into the kitchen.

“Leave it, I’ve got it,” I assure, placing a hand on his arm to stop him. I’m sad that he’s got to go, considering how amazing the day has been. I’m also not sure that I’ll ever actually see him again, considering the two different worlds we come from. It’s bitter sweet, having had such an amazing day with this man who was little more than fantasy in my head for years. He’s so much more than I could ever had imagined, and I’m so hesitant to give that up. “C’mon, I’ll walk you out.”

Harry grabs onto my hand and presses a sweet kiss to my knuckles, lingering there for a few moments before letting me pull him up with me. 

“It was good meeting you, Trevor,” he says, flashing my friend a smile. “I hope your date with Chris goes well.”

Trevor grins and nods. “It was nice meeting you too, Styles. And thanks. I’ll Tweet at you  and let you know how it goes.” He winks at Harry, which makes me giggle.

Harry chuckles and nods. “I’m looking forward to it. On the edge of my seat.”

“Later, loser,” Trevor calls as I pull Harry out the door. Harry chuckles as he wraps his hands around my hips, pulling me to his chest. 

“I like him,” Harry nods decisively.

“Me, too. That’s why I’ve kept him around so long. Plus, he’s loaded. Who doesn’t want a rich best friend?” I say sarcastically.

Harry’s smile is wide before it softens as he looks over my face. “I’m gonna try to make it back out here tomorrow. We don’t leave for Ohio until the day after. You’ll be around?”

I nod. “I’ll be here,” I assure.

Harry reaches into his back pocket and hands me his phone. “Give me your number so I can get ahold of you.”

I bite my lip and put my number in his contacts list. When I look up to hand it back, Harry’s hand is out in front of me, palm up, one of his rings in the center. It’s black and silver in a braided pattern.

“Yes, Harry?” I ask.

“Just in case I don’t see you again while I’m in America. I want you to have something to remember me by.” He seems a little shy, a light pink tinge spreading across his cheeks. 

“Harry, I could never forget you. Besides the whole ‘A list celebrity’ thing, you’re a pretty unforgettable person.”

He bites his bottom lip as he grabs my left hand and slips the ring onto my thumb, the only one of my fingers that it’ll fit. It’s still warm from his skin.

“Still, I want you to have it.” I hear his phone ding in my hand, and we both look down to see there’s a new text from Paul, most likely urging Harry to get back to the car. Harry takes it from me and puts it back in his pocket. “I will try my best to be here tomorrow.”

He reaches up and cradles my head in his hands, his thumbs softly stroking the apples of my cheeks. I wrap my hands around his wrists just to feel his skin on mine. Harry leans in and very tenderly presses our lips together in a slow kiss. I can taste the spice of the curry on his lips, but there’s also his natural taste lingering underneath. It’s intoxicating in the best way possible, making my lips tingle and my heart rate to accelerate. 

When he pulls back, I feel his breath puff against my face. I open my eyes to him licking his lips.

“I have to go,” he whispers. He tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear.

I rub my lips together and nod. “I know. Have a good night with the others.” 

He smirks and shakes his head. “I’ll text you. I still have more to learn about you.”

True to his word, only half an hour after I watch him walk out of the building, my phone buzzes with a message from an unknown number.

Lads want to go clubbing. Don’t make me go!! Don’t pretend you’re not going to love it. Go get pissed and dance with pretty girls. But ur not with me. Ur the only pretty girl I wanna dance with. Ur full of it, Styles. Actually, I think u were full of it earlier ;) I was…I already miss u inside me :( Fuck, don’t do this right now. Don’t make me hard in public, pet. U started it! Well, now I’m ending it. No dirty talk tonight. But I thought daddy liked dirty talk. Micky… Yes, sir? Don’t make daddy have to tell you again. I’m sorry, daddy.

There’s a lull in the conversation like there hadn’t been before. I figure that he’s probably getting to a club and chatting with his bandmates, so I shrug and set my phone on the armrest beside me. Trevor and I are watching an episode of Jeopardy on the couch, so I pay a little more attention to the game. It’s the beginning of Final Jeopardy when I get a text back.

Ooh, ‘daddy’, eh? Never realized H was so kinky.

My heart seizes a little at the message, realizing one of his bandmates got ahold of his phone. I don’t know how much the other boys know about Harry’s sex life, but they just learned a whole lot more about it, now. From what little I know about them, I know this information isn’t going to be kept to just whoever is texting me from Harry’s phone.

Oh dear. Who is this? Niall. Who is this? The name Micky is familiar. Wait…ur the bird from m&g yesterday. Oh shit. H scored last night. Holy shit. H GOT LAID THERE’S A GOD JESUS Niall, give the phone back to H pls. He’s in the loo. And we’re not done here. How old are u? I remember you being fit. Lads teased H about it after you left. Um…i don’t think i should answer anything w/o H. But, thank you, i think? C’mon, love. H would tell us anyway. Us?? I thought i was talking to Niall. Tommo and Li are reading over me shoulder. You 3 are the worst. TELL US! -Tommo Please -Liam I’m 21. Nearly 22 Oh thank god. -Liam Did you fuck him? -Tommo Ignore Louis -Niall

The messages stop for a moment, and I’m left staring at my phone screen in a sort of horror. Trev’s too absorbed in the episode of Wheel of Fortune now playing on the telly to notice my dilemma. My phone buzzes again, and I expect more slightly inappropriate text from Harry’s bandmates, but it’s ringing an incoming call from Harry instead.

I answer and walk down the hall to my bedroom. 

“Harry?” I answer, wanting to make sure I’m talking to the owner of the phone instead of his probably drunk and nosey mates. 

“Hiiii,” he draws out. I can hear music in the background. “I’m sorry about them. They were pre-gaming before I even left yours.”

“I’m sorry they saw our messages,” I laugh. “Hope you don’t mind them knowing you have a daddy kink.”

He groans, and I can just imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. “I mean, it probably would have come out eventually. I’m just gonna get mocked about it for a few weeks.”

I grimace. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault. Shouldn’t have left my phone on the table unattended.” I can hear other voices, yelling to be heard over the loud music, then Harry’s deep sigh. “And it’s begun. It’s only gonna get worse the more drunk they get. Especially Liam. Can’t handle his drink yet.”

“Maybe just get drunk so you won’t remember any of this in the morning,” I suggest jokingly.

“Be expecting some naughty texts around midnight, then. I’m a flirty drunk.”

“You’re always a flirt, Styles.”

“True. But now that I’ve had you, I can be more explicit. Have a good night, princess.”

“Goodnight, daddy.”

I fall asleep by eleven that night, despite my nap, having not had a whole lot of sleep the night before and a long day. I vaguely hear my phone buzzing on my bedside table at some point long after I’ve fallen asleep, but I’m too tired to check it. I have a pretty good feeling it’s Harry, but the messages will still be there in the morning.

I never get a chance to read them, however, because I’m woken by the buzzing of the intercom, someone requesting to be let up into the building. I check the clock with bleary eyes and see that it’s only nine in the morning. My first thought is maybe that Trevor forgot a key, or his mum is back from her trip and forgot a key. So, I quickly throw on the first shirt my fingers touch on my floor and trudge into the living area. The buzzer is still going incessantly when I reach it. I press the button to speak into the intercom.

“Trevor, I swear to God, if you forgot your key again, I’m just gonna leave your ass out there. This is the third time this month. And it’s only the tenth.”

“Not Trevor,” the voice comes back, crackly over the shoddy speaker. “But I come bearing breakfast and coffee and a day planned of sightseeing, so if you could be so kind to let me in anyway.”

“Harry?” I question. Last I had heard from him, he wasn’t sure if he was gonna be able to come into NYC today.

“Yeah, love. Let me up, I’m attracting a crowd. It’s like an episode of The Walking Dead out here.” There’s an urgency in his voice that I’ve only heard just now, so I quickly buzz him in, hoping he gets in without letting a crazy fan into the building. I unlock the door to the condo and wait for the knock on the door. I open in quickly to Harry, a drink carrier in one hand and a bag of delicious smelling food in the other.

“Jesus, Harry. You could’ve called or something,” I tell him, pulling him inside. He sets the food down on the counter and turns to pull me into a hug.

“I did, love. And sent texts.”

I look up at him and grimace. “I haven’t checked my phone. And I sleep like the dead.”

He chuckles, “I’ve realized. It’s alright, just telling you I wiggled my way into coming here today. There were conditions, though.” This time he grimaces.

I raise an eyebrow. “What conditions?”

There’s another knock at my door just as soon as the words are out of my mouth. Harry gives me a smile that says, ‘Please still love me after this.’ I glare at him suspiciously as I turn to open the door again.

“Ah, the famous Micky,” an Irish voice greets. And the voice definitely doesn’t belong to Paul. 

Liam, Niall and Louis stand in the doorway, each with different smiles adorning their faces. Liam’s is a genuine smile, though he looks a little worse for wear. Probably drank too much the night before. Louis is giving me that cheeky closed mouth grin that alerts me that he has something to say, but he’s trying his best to keep it in. And Niall looks absolutely giddy, eyeing me up and down in appraisal.

“Security said we had to all go out today. Publicity something or other,” Harry supplies as an explanation for why the entirety of One Direction is now entering the condo.

“Hello, boys,” I greet as I close the door. The four of them in here makes the space look uncannily small, like even this extravagant condo in Upper Manhattan pales in comparison to these four men.

“Morning, Micky,” Niall greets enthusiastically. 

Liam mumbles a good morning with a small smile, squinting. He’s very obviously hungover, though he’s trying his best. Louis grins and wraps an arm around my shoulder in a greeting hug. 

“I brought coffee and food as a peace offering,” Harry admits, wrapping an arm around my waist. He seems to look down at me for the first time and grins. “You look good in my clothes.”

I look down at myself and realize I’m wearing the shirt he gave me yesterday in order to leave the hotel. I blush. “I wasn’t wearing a shirt when you rang. Had to throw something on real quick.”

“Who’s the third coffee for, H?” Louis asks, taking a seat at one of the barstools lined up at the counter. “Thought we were just grabbing Micky.”

“That would be for me,” Trevor says, coming down the hallway from his bedroom, only in a pair of trackies and his glasses, his hair a little bit of a mess from sleeping. He nods at Harry in greeting before picking a coffee cup out of the drink carrier. “Thanks, man.”

“Figured she’d be more forgiving if I buttered you up, too,” Harry admits.

“Good move,” Trev nods. He takes a sip of the coffee and sighs. “So damn good.” He finally looks at me. “Might want to put some pants on, girl. You’ve got four attractive men looking at your pretty legs. And your ass hangs out of the bottom.”

“I’m wearing pants!” I object, appalled he thinks I’d come out of my bedroom without them on.  

He rolls his eyes. “I meant shorts or something. Jesus. Either way, they’re all still staring at you.”

“I’m in a committed relationship, mate,” Liam interjects. “I don’t look at other women like that.”

Trevor snorts unattractively. “Yeah, and I’m totally not gay. You’re full of shit, Payne.”

Niall cackles at Trevor’s casual call out of his friend and lightly punches Liam in the arm. Liam scowls at the Irishman and rubs at his arm, looking like a put out child.

I roll my eyes and extricate myself from Harry’s grasp. “You five behave. I’ll be back in a mo’.” 

“It’s a bit warm outside,” Harry calls. “And we’ll be doing some walking.” I throw him a thumbs up over my shoulder, thankful for the heads up about what to wear. I pretty much already have an outfit picked out in my mind, but the shoe choice now has to change. 

When I get to my room, I take off my t-shirt and go to my closet to pick out the appropriate items. I find the green crop top I had in mind and head to my dresser to find the black skirt with a thing white plaid pattern. I contemplate whether I should wear a bra, but figure the hot weather and the tight material of the shirt is reason enough not to wear one. I find a pair of no-show socks to wear with the maroon Converse I plan to put on later. 

I quickly change into my clothes and go to the bathroom to run some product through my hair to tame it a bit. If it’s warm, that means it’s most likely humid, and my hair doesn’t take too kindly to the moisture. I do what I can with it and then add a minimal amount of makeup just so I don’t look like a troll while out with the boys today. I can only imagine there may be some photos taken by some fans, and god forbid I be caught in one by accident looking like I just rolled out of bed. I don’t plan on being in any of them, but people can be sneaky. 

“All set, love?” Harry asks as I reemerge. I nod and smile as I sit on a side table to slip my shoes on. The coffee he brought is really calling my name, but I go for the food first, knowing I can take the coffee with me while we walk. 

“What are you all doing today?” Trev asks, still just standing, eating his breakfast sandwich and coffee in nothing but his trousers. 

Harry is sipping on his coffee, so Louis answers. “Bit o’ sightseeing. Hoping we can get away with goin’ some bigger places. People think we’re already on the road, so no one will be looking out for us.”

“Wanna go to the MoMA,” Harry says, passing me a sandwich. I thank him with a smile.

“You’re in New York, and yeh wanna go to a damn museum?” Niall asks with a crinkle of his nose in distaste.

“I’ll go with you, Harry,” I offer. “Lads can go do something else while we go there. Probably better if you split up for a bit, anyway.”

The boys nod and Harry looks at me, his fingers pulling at his bottom lip in a sign of contemplation.

“There’s a chance there’ll be paps today,” he warns slowly, his brow furrowed. “If you don’t wanna come, you don’t have to. I don’t want you to get overwhelmed.”

I reach over and put my hand over his with a smile. “I’m okay, Harry. I’ve got thick skin. We’re only friends hanging out while you’re in NYC.”

Trevor clears his throat and I see Louis’s eyebrows raise quickly on his forehead before settling back down, that same smirk I saw during the meet and greet taking up residence on his face again. I don’t know what garnered that reaction, but I ignore it. 

Harry’s eyebrows furrow further in what I perceive as worry, but then he nods. “Right. Still, just let me know if you need to tap out and come back here.”

I smile. “I will. Now come on. There’s a lot to see in New York.”

NINE

[elizabethschoices]

The Freshman, Book 4, Chapter Four: My Thoughts

So like, why bring luggage in the place if you were just gonna leave the next day? Seriously, save the arm work and just grab a few clothes to wear to bed and then to get dressed in the next morning. I’m either efficient or lazy.

So we’re going to go to a club, and apparently we gotta get there early because it fills up fast. Chris says we just had lunch, but then James explains that it’s in Manhattan, which is two hours away, more with traffic. Which means we gotta go now.

Someone texted James, and he got all frowny-faced. Who is it? Is it Yasmin? Some other chick? MOFO WE JUST BROKE UP LIKE?!?!

It’s his friend Teddy (Let’s have a game on the Teddy Picker) and apparently ol’ boy is trying to make it big in comedy. He invited James to open mic night. Apparently James has to rain check for poor timing. And I’m sitting here like bruh, fuck the club let’s go have a laugh.

I’m up for some comedy. Aww, Chris mentioned Tyler. I miss him! He’s always been a sweetie and a good friend. I wonder how he and Abbie are? Hopefully the exact opposite of Zack and Brandon.

Yay, we’re gonna go see a show! I’d much rather go to stand-up than some stupid club that’ll be jam-packed with too many people.

🎶ON THE ROAD AGAIN!🎶

By the time we get to Soho, it’s late afternoon and walking through the streets. Judging by how Zig and Zack (lmao alliteration buddies) are talking about how casually everyone is dressed, I sense a premium clothing option coming up. Yaaay.

😒🤑😟

So we get to the club and apparently it’s some kind of secret shit because James knocked and then a god damn eye slit opens up. They want a password.

Hello, The Freshman, allow me to introduce you to some bullshit trope we used in Rules of Engagement.

The password is given and literally WHAT THE FUCK WAS THE POINT?!?! WE WEREN’T EVEN GIVEN THE DAMN PASSWORD.

Whatever. Now we’re in the club and Teddy is on stage now. He was kinda hot until I lifted my iPad up a bit and actually looked at him.

Also, I don’t care what your joke is. If it ends with the punchline being ‘floundered’ then your joke isn’t fucking funny. Oh god is this guy gonna flop? Are we gonna have to act like we think he’s hilarious?

Apparently Teddy is actually pretty funny. I’ll believe it when I see it.

This game stresses me out sometimes. So we ditched a club for a comedy show and missed his show? Or did he finish it out and we got to see the rest? I’m lost and a detail-oriented person, Pixelberry.

Yeah, I’m not a fan of yours, Theodore.

So if we’re good friends of James, what is Teddy? Absolutely none of these options, that’s what. Whatever, I’m single so I’ll flirt. He’s *shudders* easy on the eyes.

Yeah, no, I take it back. He’s not hot and he’s damn sure not funny. His jokes are old and stale, and I can’t actually hear his delivery so it’s technically not applicable, but in my head that sucks too. He’s a god damned Amy Schumer.

I like him more when he’s not trying to be funny. We shake hands and then he squeezes into the booth. Together we all watch other stand-up artists perform, and then the emcee asks if anyone else wants to perform.

MC volunteers Zack (heh puns sort of whatever Tyler would appreciate it) who says he’s not that funny. I think he’s pretty humorous. Zig is probably funnier though, tbh. But Vasquez gets top marks.

(“Top marks for not tryin’!”)

Chris is such a Mary Sue, omg. Knock everyone’s socks off? Who says that? Ngl, probably me at some point.

God dammit MC I can’t be funny on command. I’m just a salty bitch. Oh fuck I brought the joke book no. This dumbass thinks a fucking joke book will woo the crowd who came for funny shit, not stupid, unoriginal stuff THAT SOMEBODY ELSE CAME UP WITH AND EVERYONE ELSE KNOWS. I hate my MC.

Ohh, roasting. My area.

I. Love. Zig.

The group is okay with it so we head onto the stage. Thank fuck she’s not gonna read out jokes from the book. I’d have deleted the app, s2g.

Yet implies we’ll be roasting ourselves. Well that’s no fun, having self-awareness. Breaks up her narrative without actually developing the character!

They say intelligent people have a hard time finding love. They say the same thing about assholes.

We’re gonna roast Zig because I’m sure there won’t be any ties to my failed relationship with James because that’d just be too hard.

Someone should pull MC off the stage because this is not funny at all. Ever noticed that when you try to do humor, you aren’t funny? But when you’re not, you can be hilarious?

Jfc so what you’re the Deborah of the group also what happens if you’ve named your MC Deborah? #NotAllDeborahs

I wear low-riding jeans, thank you very much.

Not funny, 0/10, thumbs down, DO. NOT. RECOMMEND.

Zack decides he’ll get on stage and I hope he’s actually funny. I don’t have high hopes. It’ll probably turn into a meltdown about Brandon and the single life.

FUCKING HELL THIS IS A CURSE NOT A GIFT

Sad music and talk about being single already. Fucking A, man. Hopefully it perks up.

No audience would say 'tell me about it’ about this shit, you cannot fucking play me Pixelberry.

I gotta lay off Louis C.K.

Zack has probably from the minute we met him been all about Brandon. What does he actually like? Idfk. Outside of Brandon, who is he? His entire story arc seems to revolve around crushing on Brandon, being in a relationship with him, struggling with long-distance with him, and then finally missing him post-breakup. I’m ready for a change, Zack.

Also, I came for comedy, not for Slam Poetry.

OH MY GOD THIS JUST TURNED INTO ONE OF THOSE OBVS FAKE TUMBLR POSTS WHERE EVERYONE CLAPS AT THE END

I hate this book.

Can it end? Please?

Do I want to go to Club Fuse? No, I want the chapter to end.

Is Teddy seriously trying to give us tips? Or wanting to collaborate? Or an experienced guy wanting to get some tips from two people who don’t know the field? Idk anymore, man. This has turned into some Full House type shit.

MC spots a red pantsuit and lmao Hillary Clinton, 2k16. Kaitlyn is calling us now. Honestly, despite previously not liking her all that much because of Book 3, I’ve cooled off a bit. She’s pretty cool for the most part. And I think this book would be ten times better with her in it full-time. We’ll see what happens when we get to her.

Again, wtf was the point? We got her approval on the outfit that I’m not going to buy, big fucking whoop. No new information was presented. No drama bombs. Absolutely nothing to forward the story in any way. This is all just filler content. This is just a bullshit story for money and not for the sake of telling a god damned story. I’m legit considering not reading this book any longer. But I need diamonds, so I’ll do it anyway. Doesn’t mean I’ll waste my time reviewing it.

We’re sticking to our old clothes.

I’m ready for this chapter to be over. I’m not even trying anymore. Ugh.

We get to the club and flirt with Teddy a bit, he bullshits with Zack. Asks for roasting tips. Hm. I am pretty fucking good at it.

He leaves. Another pointless conversation. MC says he’s into Zack? Good god shoot me. Teddy was screaming 'fuck me MC’ but nooo, we’re gonna turn it on Zack because why the fuck not, not like my MC is single, right?

I hate, hate, hate this book.

It’s great 'cause he’s fucking friendly, idk.

Also, MC, fuck off. He’s heartbroken still about Brandon so stop pushing him to someone else. He needs to fucking heal and he can’t do that by just “moving on” all of a sudden.

Zack says Teddy is into us. Fucking obviously. And of course this moron is gonna say he’s into both. I truly hate my MC. The boys come back with drinks. Fucking give me twenty, I wanna die.

And now we get the 'Zig is bi’ drop which would be fine if we weren’t talking about Teddy who is not fucking hot.

MC wants to go dance. Fall down and get trampled then, bitch. Ugh. I am so salty right now. Sorrynotsorry.

I am not wasting diamonds on Teddy. Let someone else grab him, idgaf. And great, throw Zig at some one-off character instead of me, someone who is single and also the main character.

Zack starts panicking because there are too many people and didn’t he happily go mosh last book? Whatever. I’m happy we’re out because the club wasn’t our scene.

We eat hot dogs for dinner and chill out. We start singing. Someone throw us a dollar or something. Or shoot us. I’m open to all kinds of things.

End chapter. I’ll consider reviewing the next one tomorrow, since I’m a week behind it but also very much hate this book right now.

[junker-town]

Our favorite SB Nation stories of the year

I am a lucky man.

As an editor for this website, I get to spend my days reading the work of the internet’s most talented collection of writers and reporters. And with the year winding down, I thought it only fitting that I collect just a small list of some of our favorite stuff we did this year.

I hope these can bring you some joy, open your mind to a new experience or perspective ... or at least give you something that can, however momentarily, provide you an escape from the family this season. Happy holidays from all of us at SB Nation.

Profiles

The future of tennis is here

Whitney McIntosh went to the U.S. Open to watch the legends of the game, and got swept up in the whirlwind that was Denis Shapovalov, the 18-year-old Canadian with the stringy blonde hair and the too-big smile.

How the process failed Jahlil Okafor

Jordan Brenner’s excellent profile showed Okafor at his most vulnerable — stuck in a void, failed by the Process, and spending his days at the movies, a 7-foot-tall Walker Percy character brought to the NBA.

The day Chris Long gave a season’s worth of game checks to charity

Charlotte Wilder spent two days with the Eagles defensive end as he decided to donate all his game checks of the season to charity, and dug in to find out why he had abandoned the Patriots ... and why he still played the game.

A day with Hornets assistant coach — and NBA lifer — Stephen Silas

Paul Flannery’s fascinating profile gives you a window in the life of an NBA assistant coach, its long hours, and the precise work that goes into preparing for every game.

How Mike Gundy came home and built Oklahoma State football

Bill Connelly traveled to Stillwater to get to know the man behind the mullet, and learned a lot about the changing program (and what T. Boone Pickens has to do with the whole thing).

Adventures

Escaping Kakuma: Soccer and the pursuit of meaning inside the world’s third-largest refugee camp

Louis Bien’s journey to Kakuma, a massive refugee camp in Kenya, goes beyond reporting on a soccer league and tells a painfully human story of dreams deferred and the cost of war, but manages to maintain hope throughout. One that stays with you.

How a soccer team embraced Atlanta's culture and captured the city

Atlanta native Harry Lyles Jr. went to an MLS game and came away with a new appreciation for his city, its fandom, and the beautiful game. Plus an unforgettable cameo from a security officer who may be Atlanta’s biggest soccer fan.

The 2017 Astros are a beautiful fit for the city of Houston

I wasn’t expecting Grant Brisbee’s funny, freewheeling report on this year’s Astros teams to leave me choked up, but that it did. A beautiful and perfectly crass essay on a team that a city needed.

Houston Cougars football is trying to fit the city that’s too big for a belt

I’ll be damned if any national sports blog this year wrote better about the city of Houston. Spencer Hall’s story of the University of Houston football team turns into the story of the city itself, its music and food, its grotesque, hulking beauty.

Racing the past in Jonesport, Maine

Charlotte Wilder’s loving story on lobster boat racing in a fading Maine town is serene and heartbreaking, and introduces you to a cast of ragtag, charming characters you will never forget.

The Wizards are finally capturing D.C.'s attention

Mike Prada’s piece on D.C. and the Wizards is a story of a team, two perfect stars in John Wall and Bradley Beal, and a city that’s changing so quickly it at times feels unrecognizable.

Forget San Diego and L.A., these are the StubHub Chargers

I loved this story — Louis Bien went to watch the Chargers play in their tiny, weird soccer stadium and, quite wonderfully, found the beauty in it.

College football at Fenway Park is a crass, silly money grab (and it’s beautiful)

Come for the opening sentence — my favorite of the year — and stick around for Charlotte Wilder finding the beauty in a big ole crash grab of a football game at one of baseball’s temples.

I watched Cubs-Nationals Game 5 in a D.C. bar and saw sports at its most casually upsetting

Alex Kirshner went to a bar in Washington, D.C. for a Nationals game and came away with a beautiful observation of baseball fandom at its most banally miserable.

Can NASCAR save itself when Dale Earnhardt Jr. is gone?

Charlotte Wilder’s deep dive into the world of NASCAR goes beyond a look at a sport at a crossroads. It’s also a story of inequality and hate, of fear, and the unstoppable force of time.

Leaving Tampa with Clemson fans, the happiest family in the country

Richard Johnson perfectly captured a fanbase at its most deliriously happy, the spiritual opposite to the Kirshner piece above. The disbelief, the joy, the alcohol ... it’s all there, rendered clearly in the moment by Johnson.

The Marlins are completely weird, but one day they’ll be a baseball powerhouse

Grant Brisbee may have jinxed the Marlins with this article (to be fair, I don’t think any of us saw the Jeter purchase and firesale coming), but it remains a beautiful, sharp, hilarious portrait of a franchise and a city.

Fiction

17776

Describing Jon Bois’ 17776 is a foolish endeavor. It is a look at the future of football, sure — as its unnerving false opening page tells us — but it is also a grand, Pynchonian exploration of time, meaning, and (im)mortality. As funny as it is haunting, this is a work I look forward to reading for years to come.

Investigations

Why do NFL teams ignore kickers?

I adored this story, a look from Adam Stites at the world of NFL kickers, who are underratedly important, excellent at their jobs, and with one notable exception, expected to coach themselves.

How do NBA players avoid injuries when they jump 3 feet in the air?

Tim Cato has found a niche industry in examining the beautiful minutiae of the game of basketball, and this was one of my favorites. He asks: How do men that are this tall and this strong manage to jump so high in the air ... and not break an ankle every time?

How the NCAA's investigation into Ole Miss trapped a Mississippi State player

Steven Godfrey’s richly reported and finely wrought investigation into the NCAA’s case against Ole Miss — and how it trapped a Mississippi State player in an inescapable, bureaucratic nightmare — is a necessary read for anyone still holding out hope for the ideals of amateurism.

How the Rockets made the wildest scheme in basketball analytics work

Another lovely breakdown from Tim Cato, who traveled to Houston (again, we owned Houston this year!) to find out about the grand experiment and how it was working. This season, his intuition has been proven even more spot on.

The NCAA didn't believe Donte Moncrief's brother could buy a car. So they launched an investigation

Steven Godfrey again shows us the inner workings of the NCAA, as well as its double standards and hypocrisies, with deep reporting and a clear head. The documents he obtained — including a letter from a hotel manager who had been duped by an NCAA investigator — bring the story to life.

A comprehensive timeline of Ezekiel Elliott's domestic violence case

Sarah Hardy worked tirelessly to report and compile a comprehensive timeline of the domestic violence case against Ezekiel Elliott, and in doing so built the most comprehensive, clear look at the case available. This is necessary and strong journalism.

Ezekiel Elliott's suspension and appeal, explained

Working alongside Hardy was Jeanna Thomas, whose own deep reporting and understanding of the league, its rules, and the criminal justice system, resulted in this excellent piece which provides a reader a complete understanding of a complicated and drawn out NFL saga.

A definitive timeline of Colin Kaepernick’s journey from football stardom

Tyler Tynes and Harry Lyles Jr. pored through countless stories to compile this definitive timeline of the Colin Kaepernick saga, illustrating how a solitary man’s protest sparked a national movement.

NBA players explain why they are going vegan and vegetarian

Kristian Winfield took an interesting idea and did the reporting to bring the story to life — identifying a trend in NBA players eating healthier and talking to the players themselves to understand why this is happening, and how it’s changing the league.

LeBron James' incredible taste in wine, explained by 4 experts

A perfect internet story — Tim Cato took a LeBron James Instagram post of his wine collection and got digging, speaking to wine experts and finding out that James’ taste was just as good as his game on the court.

Soccer’s ugly sexism is keeping women from coaching the beautiful game

This sharp investigation from Stephanie Yang combines deep research, statistical analysis, perfect anecdotes and a level head to illustrate a major problem in soccer.

How Pacers fans fell in and out of love with Paul George

Whitney Medworth does brilliant work every week capturing the ephemera of the NBA in her “B-Sides” column, but I also love her work on the Pacers and its fanbase. She perfectly broke down a relationship in this story on Paul George, a story I didn’t know I needed until I read it.

The State of Louisiana v. Cardell Hayes

Tyler Tynes dove fully into the case surrounding the killing of former New Orleans Saints player Will Smith, and showed not only what happened that night, but how a city, region, and history had come together to create a fatal and heartbreaking moment.

I watched in bewilderment while a man tried to return butternut squash because he thought it was cheese

James Dator’s first-person masterpiece on a trip to the grocery store. It seems insane, but this is the story I will probably remember the most from this year. How could one forget it?

Essays

My awkward, long-lost GeoCities page about Michigan football makes me feel 13 forever

Louis Bien’s nostalgic journey to the early world of sports blogging is fun and funny and sweet, an earnest look back at a time that was awkward, yes, but innocent and perfect in its own way.

There and back again: An immigrant's dream of being a soccer player

Zito Madu’s gorgeous essay on returning home to Nigeria, and facing the family that stays there, is so much more than just a postcard from a foreign land. It is a heartbreaking rendering of the idea that “you can’t go home again,” a look at what happens when dreams are forfeited, when you realize that you will never — can never — become the person that, as a child, you thought you might be.

I’m a Falcons fan. Not even 28-3 can break me.

Most people read Steven Godfrey for his richly reported investigations into the seedy underbelly of sport, but he’s at his most pure, and funny, when he’s raving about one of his favorite teams.

When the levee breaks

Spencer Hall’s preseason essay, for Every Day Should Be Saturday, is a look ahead at the coming year in college football, sure. It’s also a raw look at a nation Hall is struggling to recognize, at a time when it seems like finding hope for new beginnings is as impossible a task as there could be.

Bulls in 6

I don’t know if this is an essay, a rant, an argument, a devastating work of a broken man or a masterstroke of genius, but nothing made me laugh harder this year than Ricky O’Donnell’s “Bulls in 6”, a piece that manages to rip down an organization and show an undying love for it all in a few hundred words.

Bill Connelly for College Football Commissioner

Bill Connelly is not just one of our writers. He is also our candidate for College Football Commissioner, a job we desperately need to exist. (If only for Bill to fill it.) In his candidacy, he diagnoses all that’s wrong with the sport, and offers some beautiful solutions.

From Baghdad to Iwo Jima, an anthem for the dead

Matt Ufford’s wrenching essay manages to look at the current national discussion surrounding the protests in the NFL and beyond, and contextualize them from the perspective of someone who has served in the military. Run on Veteran’s Day, this piece changed the way I thought about protest, service, and what we mean when we thank those who serve.

NFL ratings are down because teams have no incentive to be good

Spencer Hall took a (quite frankly stupid) national debate about why people were tuning out of the NFL and examined it in purely economic terms. By taking out the heated rhetoric from both sides, he coolly shows what’s gone wrong with the league, and why no team ever has any incentive to be innovative, or good, in any way.

There is no escape from politics

Tyler Tynes’ comprehensive and bold year-end essay looked at a single weekend in the NFL — where players came together in protest as a response to Donald Trump — and showed how 200 years of history had led to that very moment.

Paul Pierce always knew how much time he had

It’s never easy to say goodbye to a player, but Paul Flannery managed to do so with grace and style in this goodbye to Paul Pierce. Flannery not only tells the story of the player, but of his relationship to the city of Boston, and examine why both were exactly what the other needed.

The NCAA has never had control

Jason Kirk and Mike Rutherford manage to take a look at the NCAA in 2018 and, in a few choice words, tear the whole thing down to its foundation. Kirk’s intro especially is one of my favorite things we ran on the site this year — a vicious, brief deconstruction of the entire amateur sports model.

The NBA isn’t just a diversion anymore

Paul Flannery took stock of the league at last season’s All-Star break and wrote a comprehensive, clear, and beautiful piece on the state of the league he’d been covering for years.

‘Unity’: The word the NFL is using to avoid talking about Colin Kaepernick

Zito Madu’s short essay on the weekend of protest in the NFL managed to identify a troubling trend, write it out beautifully, and define the national conversation for weeks.

What did I miss? Hit me up in the comments and share your favorite writing from SB Nation this year.