#i should start a footie live-blogging side blog

[kenonade]

beloved non-footie mutuals, please know that i am fine and not in any immediately dangerous situation. im just watching 22 men take turns kicking a ball around.

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 109

Happy Spooptober, everyone!

I’ve been planning since about February to do another camping trip this month, for the season.  I was super fortunately back in May to have some stories left over to share, that I didn’t have the opportunity for last time.  So thanks go to @catolicabuena for your submission, and to @dierotenixe for the PERFECT character to add to this chapter.

As always, thanks go to @zazen-rabbit, @baelpenrose, and @charlylimph-blog for being the beta readers and cheering section I need every day, no matter what.

As a reward for the clear, focused argument Charly gave in favor of Shalt-kri’i/Ekomari hostilities being over cultural misunderstandings earned her a reward of her choice.  I don’t know what Arthur expected, but part of me expected her to ask him something like throwing the class a party, showing up to teach class in sparkly footie-pajamas.  Her response, instead, left me convinced there was a conspiracy between her, Conor, and other mysterious parties to keep track of the Terran holidays.

“It’s almost Halloween,” she immediately pointed out. 

How? How did she say that so certainly? I wasn’t even sure it was Friday.

Oblivious to my thoughts, she tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Today’s Tuesday - “ See!? “Which means Halloween is just under two weeks away? I think?”

“Your guess is probably better than mine,” I admitted. “Between the extra long days, artificial light, and consistent temperatures, I have no idea anymore.”

“She’s spot on,” Tyche confirmed, without even looking up.  We were sitting in my living room, digging into ice cream while all the guys were at work.

“How - “ I sputtered. “How are y’all keeping track of this?”

Tyche rolled her eyes, while Charly snagged my wrist and shook it. When my datapad popped up, she gave me the deadest stare I had ever seen on her face. “There is a calendar on this thing. You do know that, right?”

My face and neck burned so hot, I was surprised my hair didn’t catch on fire. “I keep it on the daily view, so I can see all my appointments.”

“Which is why she has me and Alistair,” my sister pointed out lazily before scooping up another spoonful of dessert. “By the way, this pumpkin ice cream is pretty good.”

I nodded, having had a scoop earlier.  We had been trying every flavor we could think of.  

True to form, Charly’s was a screaming purple that honestly scared me, sprinkled with gummy bears and some kind of acid-green syrup. Every time she leaned my direction, I couldn’t repress the flinch. “Pumpkin is a good point. We should go camping again, and carve pumpkins.”

I could almost feel my ears pick up. “You mean like jack-o-lanterns?”

“Duhhhhh,” she scooped up a large enough bite to convince me it probably wasn’t toxic. “I know we can’t have open flames in the lab, but we can still put emitters in them.”

“Where are we even going to get pumpkins in time?” Neither woman would look at me. “What did y’all do?”  I sighed.

“We did nothing,” Tyche insisted, chin jutting out stubbornly. “Now Sam….”

An audible smack sounded when I dropped my forehead to my palm. “How big?”

Charly gave me the widest puppy-dog eyes she could. “How big are what?”

“The pumpkins…”

“Pretty big,” Tyche smirked. “I don’t think I’ve seen even you carve any this big, honestly.”

I wasn’t a professional carver by any means, or even competitive, but I had done some pretty big ones in the past, so I was a little excited to see these.

 A couple nights later, sure enough, several of us were carrying our camping gear to the now-less-eerie clearing where our previous camping trip had taken place.  Even though Sam had decided not to join us, we were greeted by the sight of six enormous pumpkins around the edges of the space.  In awe, I approached one and ran my hand over it - I actually had to lift my hand, seeing as the thing came nearly up to my hips. “How long has he been growing these?” I asked.

“Just over three months?” Conor huffed, setting down our gear. “The things love our best guess of Von’s environment, turns out.”

“No shit,” I whispered before clearing my throat. “I don’t think we have large enough containers for the guts and everything in these.”  The deal with camping in the Lab was that we had to take out everything brought in with or for us.  While Grey agreed to allow the jack-o-lanterns to decorate the area for the next two weeks - ostensibly as a study of decomposition - if we couldn’t remove the waste from the pumpkins, we couldn’t carve them.

Something that felt like plastic beaned me in the face. While I rubbed my face, I glanced down at my feet where whatever-it-was fell. 

Maverick started apologizing before I could figure out what I was looking at. “Oh god, Sophia, I’m sorry! I meant to toss that on top of the pumpkin!”

With a joking scowl, I glanced at the vegetable between us. “How bad does your aim have to be to miss that thing?”

“Are you okay?”

“Only if you tell me what just hit me in the forehead?”  I tried leaning over to pick them up again, but Conor beat me to it.

“They’re composting bags,” Maverick admitted. “I brought them just in case. They were the only thing large enough and portable enough to at least get in here.”

“It looks like a roll of garbage bags,” Simon pointed out skeptically, poking the roll of pseudo-plastic Conor was holding.

Conor smiled and shrugged. “Pretty similar.”

Soon, we were spreading out and setting up our gear in  a familiar pattern. Just as the last bit of gear was stuffed into the tents or spread on the ground, Antoine’s head snapped up and over his shoulder. “Does anyone else hear that?”

Silence fell as we strained our ears to listen.  The others started looking around, searching for something, before I was able to actually catch what they were hearing.  Finally, I was able to hear what sounded like music, but it was in a minor key that sent shivers up my spine.  It was another minute or so before I could make out words drifting through the trees. 

“ -  a year, and then

A few weeks, doubled, and tripled again,

A fire was struck by a warrior’s band

Meant for food, warmth, and a place to stand”

“What the - “ Tyche started wandering toward the music, clearly expecting us to follow. “It’s beautiful, but so sad.”

Reluctantly, I followed, reminding myself that this was a lab, that the faerie ring we were standing in was manufactured as a prank.

 “Yet one bough too many was placed inside

The flames roared to life as they screamed and cried

Tore down the trees as the warriors fled

And only ceased by the river’s bed

 The warriors slain, charred skulls and bone

Have remained in the forest for years, alone

Yet a magic imbued in their ashen remains

That entered a child who hid in great pain”

 I glanced over my shoulder, and saw about half our group behind me, including - “Arthur, why do you have your sword?”

“Because it’s steel,” he shrugged, like that actually answered my question. “Which means it has iron in it, and we’re in space, so any fucked up space-fae might not know the difference.”

 “In order to warn those who may stay

In the trees embrace, and walk away

The girl reads the thoughts of those who stand

On the ashes of noses, bowels, and hands

 She sends them away with a haunted scream

That tears into souls with a power unseen

No one has entered who has not fled

Only to drown in the river’s bed”

 Because that line was reassuring as I realized we were getting toward the artificial lake. Totally want to hear about drowning in a river bed, on a Halloween camping trip, sang by a creepy voice I didn’t recognize.  A voice that we were steadily getting closer to, no less.

 “For what place is safer from fire and flame

Than the rushing of water, a power untamed

The danger evaded, the human is saved

As their lungs are filled with a liquid depraved

 To step foot in the forest is to invite death

For though the child has drawn their last breath…”

 Tyche came to a sudden stop, both hands abruptly on her hips.  She glanced back at me, one eyebrow arched, and twitched her head toward the lake.  The voice was incredibly close to us at this point, so I peeked past her as carefully as I could.

Even in the low light of the BioLab during simulated-night, I saw a bright gleam of silver trailing through the water, interrupted only by a thick, red-gold cable draped halfway down.

“Their soul remains as though chained to the ground,” Nixe smiled with her eyes as she wound the song to a close. “And they’ll tear you apart until you are drowned.”

“Very funny,” Tyche half-scolded. “You did that on purpose.”

A lazy flick of her tail accompanied a cool glance over the surface of the water. “Perhaps,” she replied calmly. “And perhaps not. I often swim at night. And I like to sing, it’s in my nature.”

“But a song about ghosts, and vengeance, and drowning?”

“I’m a siren, Administrator Reid.” A bright flash of teeth that my brain told me were sharper than I knew they were. “All of my songs are about love, and revenge, and how else do sirens take revenge?” Another lazy splash. “I can’t exactly burn people at a pyre.”

“I loved it!” Charly spoke up from behind me. “We’re camping for Halloween, so it was perfect!” I had to admit, at least to myself, that she had a point.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one. From over my shoulder, I heard Arthur murmur “Siren or not, you’re insane.” A brief pause. “But I love the spooky music…”

I couldn’t be certain that she heard the comment, but Nixe’s eyes suddenly snapped over my shoulder to the side where it sounded like Arthur was standing. “Iron has no effect on me, Educator,” she stated firmly, flicking her tail to make a point. “But I mean none of you any harm, so please put the blade away. One near-death experience is plenty, thank you.”

A metallic rasp told me Arthur had acquiesced. “Apologies, I didn’t know it was you.”

“Were it anyone else, you still wouldn’t need that sword.” She tilted her head. “I would be there first.”

“Okay!” I interrupted, trying to break the tension. “Nixe, we’re camping and carving pumpkins.  Did you want to join us?”

Another smile, this one less terrifying. “I appreciate the invitation, but I have plans tonight.  I do apologize for interrupting your evening.”

“We were just surprised,” Charly explained. “But it was beautiful and perfect and thank you!”

With a nod, Nixe turned her body toward the artificial lake. “I am glad the song was appreciated.  Good night.”

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[undercoverwizardfanfiction]

12+ 1days of Flash fics! The Eve Before Christmas

Summary: One last story before Ficmas is done. All these stories had a special place in me heart, a few months ago someone stole all my fantasy writing and posted them to another website. And even though they were taken down it still left me in a emotional bad place. So i went through my friends on discord and asked if i could write stories for them to help combat the negativity i was feeling. (13 fics in one day, not bad right?) And the fact it made them so happy was well worth it. So here’s my last  one for a especially special friend who only deserves kind things 

for: @leleyume

Characters: Leo, Donnie, Mikey, and Raph

pairings: [sighs, sits down] ok buddy, because it’s Christmas i’m not going to throw a overly aggressive humorous pairing threat your way. But honestly? By now you should know this isn’t a blog for you. I’m not a shipper, so please leave my blog in peace. Or Else

“you awake?”

A part of Donnie thought about just not answering. But his innate desire to always have a smart ass comment ready forces him to answer, “Yes.” Before flopping over onto his side. Trying to find some semblance of comfort on the hard living room floor. He can hear Leo let out a whine behind him before a foreign foot nudges his hip from over his blanket, “Donnnieeeee I cant sleeeeeeep.”

“of course you can’t sleep. That’s what happens when you drink five glasses of hot chocolate,” with a more then nauseating amount of onion powder that made Mikey burst into tears. Leo lets out another whimper that draws a even louder sigh from Donnie as he rolls over. Because of the lights from the Christmas tree he had no difficulty seeing Leo’s pout, “What do you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t knowwww.” Again his foot came up to nudge him. Don glances over his shoulder to make sure that Mieky and Raph were still asleep (Raph was snoring so loud that it was causing the room the shudder every few seconds. Even though it was Leo’s own fault he couldn’t sleep, he still takes pity on him , “What did you get everyone for Christmas?” Donnie asks

Leo smiles brightly, “I got Mikey a new wok signed by Rupert Swaggert (don’t ask me how I got him to sign it) I got Raph a  new set of footie pajamas and Dad a new smart phone.”

“Um, you know last time we tried to give him something more high tech then a stapler he somehow ate it?”

“Yeah I know.” Leo says with a giggle,’ I wanna see how casey he breaks this one.”

As the tech savvy turtle he should have been offended at the disregard for technology. But he just snorts loudly, using his blanket to try and cover up his noise. A Christmas tradition they had had as long as time was everyone sleeping by the tree on Christmas eve to try and catch Santa which had seemed fool proof at the time (not that they knew that their ‘Santa’ was a ultimate ninja and impossible to catch). And though they had out grown Santa a long time ago (and by long ago he meant last year) it was still a tradition they intended to keep. Donnie didn’t want to admit how much more relaxed he felt with his brothers sleeping at his side.  Donnie rewraps his blanket around himself before settling down out his onto his pillow, “Don’t ask me what I got you, it’s a surprise.”

“Whaaaat noooo wouldn’t dream of it.” Though the look on Leos’ face told Donnie not only that he knew what Donnie had gotten him but he was also going to enjoy exchanging it for something he wanted. Donnie made sure of reach up and give him a kick in the stomach to convey how he thought about that as Leo twists away  “Ow ow! Brother abuse!”

“That’s not brother abuse,” Donnie sat up and held his pillow high over his head, “TTHIS IS BROTHER ABUSE!!!” he said bringing the pillow down hard on Leo as the turtle shrieked. Crossing his arms over his head to defend himself from the barrage before he twists around and snatches Mikey ,who had been sleeping on Leos’ other-side, and rolls over. The youngest awoke with a start and a equally loud shriek as he suddenly became a turtle shield,” Help!!!” Mikey shrank into his shell. Donnie grabbed Mikey’s shell by the lip and with one foot on Loe’s face tries to pry Leo’s shield away from him,’ “Face me like a warrior!!!”

“I cant i’m too much of a coward!” Leo begs letting out a loud mock sob as he tries to protect himself. They are so distracted with their tug of war that when a soft chuckling fills the air ti takes the two brothers a moment to notice the dark shadow over them. They slowly turned to see Raph standing over them, a wild grin on his face and a massive pillow in each hand, “Merry Christmas ya filthy animals” he says with a wicked grin

And that’s the story of how a midnight pillow fight lead to the living room catching on fire (though the presents had been safe ( and the four of them being grounded till next Christmas

[stevetervet]

Big school

Waga shu iesu Waga shu iesu Waga shu iesu Ware o aisu

We are on the way home from Ivy’s second day at school and I am being given a recital of ‘Yes Jesus loves me’ in Japanese. What has happened to our baby girl and who is this Kinder-ready young lady singing her heart out in the back of the car? Once my modern foreign languages lesson is complete, I start telling Ivy how much I enjoy collecting her from school and listening to her news on the way home when I’m cut short.

“I’d like to catch the bus,” she interjects. “Before I’m five.”

Life, it seems, is changing, with Ivy embracing everything head-on.

We’ve now been back in Albury for a month, adjusting to the increasingly warm weather and new routines while rekindling friendships we’ve made during previous stays. But while our surroundings are familiar and the street grid of Albury a road well-travelled, things are different this time. Whether permanent residency means forever, we will find out down the track, but we are here to stay, to put down roots, to live the Australian life and to get fully involved.

Some elements of that come more easily than others - one day you feel purposeful and productive, another quite isolated - but for us, like Ivy, this is ‘big school’, the real deal, real life. I don’t miss what I’ve left behind but I’m still searching for what’s ahead.

There’s no question it’s good to be back, though. I love how the AFL Grand Final fills a whole Saturday, like the FA Cup Final used to and still should. The MCG showpiece is almost as prominent as Christmas Day and even though this year’s match was totally one-sided (Richmond flogging GWS), sitting around the TV with friends and sharing good food over the course of several hours makes you feel like you’re part of a national event.

The NRL Grand Final (rugby league for the uninitiated) was an infinitely better spectacle, Sydney Roosters eventually getting the better of Canberra Raiders thanks largely to some controversial officiating. Rugby union’s World Cup has nowhere near the profile it enjoys back home - the sport simply isn’t that popular in Australia - but we did get to enjoy England’s big win over the Wallabies on free-to-air TV in a primetime Saturday evening slot, with Aussie coach Michael Cheika’s subsequent decision to quit getting more column inches than the entire tournament before it.

Of course, every code mentioned above is colloqiually known as ‘footy’ but there has, too, been football on the agenda thanks to my embryonic relationship with Murray United, the region’s biggest club - and one of its newest. There was a definite sense of ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’ when I was asked to co-ordinate a press conference for the unveiling of their new coach, having spent the last decade in newspapers, but it was just good to be back in that sort of environment. Hopefully it’s a role which grows over time (season starts early 2020).

It’s so good to be reunited with Liz and Ken Dick, friends we now consider family and whose hospitality has made this whole adventure possible. As well as sharing their home we continue to share many good times including recently eating at the Bethanga Hotel, where goats and sheep roamed between the restaurant tables, queueing for face painting (Ivy only) at the inaugural Gardenesque in the Albury Botanic Gardens and joining the crowds at the first Twilight Markets of this summer season.

Writing this blog has always been a good way of connecting with our friends and family, near and far, and I hope in time it will chart a different sort of journey in Australia as we look for a place of our own, jobs where we can really make a difference - and what time Ivy needs to be at the bus stop.

Because this is big school now.

[therestoomanyofthem]

Dads with kids

"Don't start a blog, no one wants to hear what you have to say." This was me about 30 minutes before I decided to write this. I'm no writer, I used to hate writing in school. I wasn't bad at it, middle of the way all through high school, no F's no A*'s either. I almost wanted to start this as a therapeutic exercise. Something to do when work got a bit quiet, something to do when things got on top of me at home. I could just open my laptop and start putting things online that I couldn't say out loud. I tried running, that didn't work. Cycling, nah. So I thought I'd try this, if it doesn't work or no one's interested, then I'll try something else.

I'm a Dad of three. Three was the number we wanted and three is what we got. We got there slightly differently to how we wanted however. We didn't expect twins to get us to that number, but it did and we had to get on with it. Our three are made up of our 6-year-old boy and our twin girls, 3. I'm a big football fan and have played lots of 5 a-side down the years, having my own 5 a-side team to manage wasn't something I had envisaged. It's hard enough to ask my little boy to turn off his new batmobile Christmas present, I'm convinced that thing will be the death of me. If these blogs do well and then suddenly stop, there's a good chance that car will have something to do with it.

I love my kids. All of them have their own little quirks that I hope they have for the rest of their lives. Our little boy has the same little smirk he had from when he was a toddler. A little side smile when he knows that I know when he's robbed my phone to play Angry Birds. Our girls couldn't be more different. One is brunette, the others blonde. One has brown eyes, one has blue. One still feels as though she weighs the same as she did at birth! The other doesn't, sorry twinny.

Individually, I'd have them a million times over again. Collectively however, is a whole other issue. I knew parenting would be hard, I only needed to ask my mum and dad to realise this. Of course I didn't ask though, did I. Because it's not something that we do. Some do, my respect for those that do open up about these things has increased as I've gotten older. Since high school, I've been apart of a friendship circle of five. One night, we all decided to meet up for a few pints to watch the footy and see where the night took us. Half way through, one of the circle had the courage to let us know that they were struggling with depression. You hear these stories that "oh, you'd never expect it from him" or "what's he got to be depressed about?" This was exactly the same. Always smiling, always making us laugh, a good upbringing. But here he was, tears in eyes asking for our help. This has stuck with me ever since. If this can happen to him, it can happen to me. He's ok now. We did our best to rally around him, but I'm aware not everyone does come out the other side.

I'm trying to link this back to parenthood, I suppose I should as that's the reason I've started this in the first place. Kids are hard, my kids are hard. I've mentioned their quirks, the way they make me laugh and wanting to hold them. But there's been times where I've just wanted to scream. Pulling cushions off the couch and leaving them in the middle of the floor, toys littered all over the place, not picked up and running round after the dog yanking his tail. I can just about get on board with all of that, I can almost shrug it off and just say "huh, kids."

The gripe for me and my wife is the fighting with each other (and us at times), the constant "no" when they're asked to do something they don't want to do. We've watched videos on how to be a better parent, we've watched ALL the videos. The ones that teach you how to talk to them, the ones that say "maintain eye contact", "if you raise your voice to them, they can shout at you" yada yada yada.

Our boy has almost grown out of it, he's hyperactive and bounces off the walls at 7am. But put a remote-control car in front of him and he's great. The girls are a bit different though. They don't share, if one is watching something on my phone, the other one has to be holding the phone also. Then the one holding the phone first kicks off because twin 2 is trying to take the phone from her. It's a vicious circle! Going out for something to eat with friends or family has become such a struggle that we try and get take out so we don't have to experience 'the look' from other people trying to have a nice quiet evening. "I'm sorry sir, is my twin daughter coming up to you asking for a chip annoying you?" No, staying at home is much safer for everyone involved. 

So I suppose the point of me starting this was to look at it from a Dads point of view. I see hundreds of Youtube videos, Instagram and Facebook posts and the majority look at it from the Mothers angle. That's ok, I understand why. The majority of people looking for help on these sorts of issues, tend to be Mums. Very few look at it from the Dads side. What do we do when all the child wants is the Mum. They fall over, wake up in the night, it's always followed with a cry for them. Whilst it's so re-assuring and heart-warming to see a mother calm her child, and god knows there's been times when I have been so thankful she's stopped them crying (and crying, and crying, and crying).It can be a bit disheartening that I couldn't do it. I can do the hugging and shushing as well, the fact we can never get that same bond with them can really get you down. 

I don't know where this help can come from. I don't know if it's something we as dads just have to suck up and get on with. That's fine as well. My whole point of starting this was, first and foremost to re-assure myself that it's ok for a Dad to feel a bit shutout. If along the way, there's a Dad that happens to read this and it helps them in some way, even better. 

Kids are hard, my kids are hard. But it's ok to feel this way, you're not the only one.

[heartsoftruth]

1/Hi, I apologize in advance for this long message but I just wanted to ask you if you had ever received insults or criticisms or even guys who harassed you because you're a girl who loves football? I'm asking you this because I live this constantly. Yesterday when Barça won the CDR I was so happy so I shared my joy on my social media and I commented on some FB publications related to the match and the majority of ppl on these pages are men so I have only received insults degrading messages.

Anonymous said:2/I was told to go back to the kitchen, that I should go back to clean, that I loved Barça only for cute players or that I probably didn’t know anything about football and was probably repeating what men around me were saying to look smart,.. I will not tell you everything they told me but it was really degrading and mean, I absolutely did not say anything bad, there were comments from guys who writed bullshit on the post but no one answered them but under mine there was like 100 replies.

Anonymous said:3/And I just wrote “I’m so happy and sad at the same time, I will miss Andres so much, it will not be the same without him..” On my other comments also I received insults like "Come suck my c*ck, you will be more useful” “oh a girl trying to make herself interesting by loving football” “shut your mouth bitch it’s a page for men here, go back to cook” And all that just because I’m a girl, if it had been a man who had commented the same thing they would have agreed with him.

Anonymous said:4/It’s unbelievable that a woman can’t love football as much as a man do without being looked at or asked to justify why she really loves football because if a girl likes football it’s surely because she’s in love with the players or wants to fuck with them or that she invents it to have the attention of men, because it is impossible that a woman can really love or understand football, so when it happens I have to justify myself so that they are convinced that I really like this sport..Anonymous said:5/It’s sad that in 2018 for a lot of ppl women = cooking, doing housework, pleasing men and keep quiet. Usually I avoid going into the football debates of my male friends or those of my family because they automatically make fun of me and my opinion is irrelevant. So if you have a vagina your brain is too stupid to understand football and enjoy it? I’m tired of having to hide my passion for football because I risk being insulted. It’s sad because I know I’m not the only one who suffers this..

Anonymous said:6/I discovered football when I was a child, I quickly became a big fan, I even played it many years but growing up my dad start laughing at me and telling me that I should be more interested in girls stuff and he asked me which player I was as much in love to continue to love football like that and the men around me told me that women’s football was not real football so I should stop playing it, my mother also agreed that I should stop because she was afraid that her daughter become a tomboy.

Anonymous said:7/I was stupid enough to believe theses bullshit and I stopped playing at my club. Yes I am feminine in general, I also like makeup, dresses, shoes and stuff like that but sometimes I like to wear my Barça jersey or football outfits too and when I walk in the street with it I get glances, guys who come to talk to me or say that I’m ridiculous with my jersey, one day 2 guys even come to ask me questions on the club to see if I really know about Barça and that it’s not just to get attention..

Anonymous said:8/It’s tiring and exhausting, I’d like to love this sport without suffering all that, what’s the deal with that, it’s a sport among many, why it’s impossible to let a girl enjoy this sport without belittling her? Why is it so difficult for men to believe that we really love this sport too without necessarily wanting to fuck with players? I’m tired, it’s getting depressing and with all the insults I received yesterday I feel like I’m going to be crazy, I really wanted to cry because of my anger..

Anonymous said:9/If you or the followers of your blog undergo this too, can you tell me how you do to support it or to finish with that please? And if there are guys who follow your blog I’d like them to explain to me, if they do these things, just why ? Why a woman who loves football should deserve so much hate and criticism and why it’s as difficult for guys to accept that women can love football too? I’m really sorry again for this long message but I’m really fed up.. 😫

Heey girlie!! OMG dont apologize for the long message! I feel like you needed to vent a little and then it’s 100% better to just write it all down instead of keeping it in. and DAMN you had all the reasons to vent, because what those neanderthals wrote to you MAKES MY BLOOD BOILLLLLLLLL FUUUUUUCK!!!

BOOOOOILLLLLL!!!! 

Im gonna reply to the parts in parts because otherwise the answer will be an unstructured mess. 

½/3: I dont even know where to start with my first off all comment with this ask! But pffff. It;s so so soooo sad that in 2018 people like that put comments under just a very normal and very correct post. It’s also really sad because probably right now you will think twice before commenting something under a footy Facebook thing. 

AND PLEAAAAASEE! Let me know what kind of FB page that is? I am literally fuming and almost on the verge of making a Twitter account for my Tumblr page to post it on here. It’s not fucking normal that when a girl says something about football guys talk like that. It’s not and it’s not ok. 100 replies under your comment? And all like that?? Pfff. Damn. FUMINGGGGG. 

I can understand you feel bad about it bc of all these people jumping on some kind of bandwagon behind their PC’s. Insecure bunch of dicks! 

4/5: Indeed we women have to know WAAAY more about football then men, because if we dont then we’re not serious about it or only watch it for the guys. “YESSSSS!!! THATS TOTALLY TRUE!!!! I watch 90+ minutes of football just for a few close-ups of the football players I like!!!11!1 Makes total sense” said no women who watches football ever. 

6/7/8/9: aaawhh… That is so sad… :( I can’t imagine how that must have felt as a child to be doing something you love but your parents make it out to be as if it was wrong. Not every girl likes pink and barbies just like not every guy likes blue and cars/football. Indeed I also love make up and getting dressed up etc etc. But I also love sitting in a cafe and watching football with a beer or something haha. 

I never wear a football shirt on the streets - unless im going to a match or watch in a cafe - today was the first time actually in my yellow PSG shirt haha. But no one said anything to me (other than a few hey girl). But it’s sad we have to prove something to these idiots… 

I think we’ve sadly all have had an experience like that. When I was younger and asked my friend at her party (or whatever it was) to see the football score a guy was like “what??? You dont watch it? Well then explain to me what off side is?!” That was the first time some guy asked me it and I did do it, but when someone would ask me it now I said: “You would ask a guy that too who says he watches football? Nope huh? So I won’t show you either!”

In Paris also on the way to the hotel the Uber driver was talking etc etc. And we spoke about football and I said how excited I am to finally see Neymar and hope he’s not injured anymore (because at the time he was stil injured and unclear if he would play) and all that blabla. And in one moment he said (in a joking way) oh you’re only here to see Neymar other than that you dont watch it. And I gave him a reality check real quick. My friend wanted to interfere and talk over it and I was like no no noooo. Lemme say my peace. 

Or at work people know I also love Neymar and then one new colleague thought it was funny (and maybe cool in front of the other guys) to say I only watch football for Neymar. And I gave him a reality check too. 

I used to bite my tongue when it came to that, but nowadays I’m like nope. I dont watch so much football for some insecure dick to be talking like that to me. 

But theres also many guys who you can just have a normal convo with about football. Like yesterday I had one with a guy I didn’t know and he was so chill. Or when I’m in the bar watching you also have guys normally coming up like are you also this nervous etc etc. During the Euro’s too. Met many friendly people who just spoke to us about football. Ok and s

What I also think is one of the problem is because many girls indeed just wear a shirt because it looks cute (which they of course can), but it makes it more difficult for us to be taken serious. Especially with tournaments like the Euros and WC many just watch football bc it’s fun with everyone in a cafe but they have no idea what they’re watching. And end up only confirming some of the thoughts by these neathertals. 

Can I ask you where you’re from btw?And please do tell which bs ass fb page you posted this one. I would be a good thing to create all these accounts to back you up or something. 

And indeed I’m curious too how other followers react to stupid comments like that?

And keep watching the sport you love girl! I know its tough at times being doubted to often for just watching something you like but lets hope that someday no one will question why we watch the sport we love. 

[raybansandcoffee]

I Want To Write You a Song (One Direction)

Seven Years Later… Annie

“Are you almost ready, Sugar?” Harry yelled from the other room as I slid the red lipstick across my lips. I replaced the lid, did one last check and walked towards the bedroom. “Ready,” I said as I leaned against the door frame. Harry was sitting on the end of the bed putting his boots on. He looked up at me, his hair hanging in his eyes. He flipped his head and I watched the curls move as if it was slow motion. “Fuck. Even after all these years you still know how to make my heart stop. When did you get this outfit?” I walked towards where he was sitting, my heels clicking against the herringbone wood floors in the room. I straddled his lap, my skirt sliding up before my fingers quickly ran through his long curls. His green eyes sparkled with the light that peaked in from the window from the city outside that transitioned in to night. He smiled and there it was, the gymnastics team in my stomach. Someone must’ve done a vault because I felt my heart get kicked to my throat as his dimples formed.

“A while ago. Lyla and I went shopping. Lizzy and Kim were at footie games for the kids. You were in meetings. So I told Lyla she was in charge of helping me find something that would drive you wild.” I’d opted for a short pale pink skirt that flared out from my waist and stopped mid-thigh. I had black tights, black heels and a black long sleeved top on. I felt his hands start to rub my thighs under my skirt. “Well, you look stunning. And I’m beginning to think we could be late to dinner.” He leaned forward finally kissing me as I felt his fingertips press hard in to my thighs. Just as my hands slid from his hair to the collar of his shirt there was a knock at the door. “Let's go!” Nate yelled. Harry huffed loudly and his head fell on to my chest. I could hear a small laugh sneak in to his heavy breathing. I kissed his neck and he whimpered softly. “After dinner. You. Me. This bed.” He was staring in my eyes. Those green eyes filled with lust and determination. “Deal,” I said kissing him and standing up. I pulled him off of the bed and quickly grabbed my phone and clutch from the table. Harry went to the armoire grabbing both of our jackets. I opened the door to find Kim and Nate waiting for us in the hallway. Nate was leaned against the wall next to the door checking email on his phone. Kim had a glass of champagne in her hand and was dancing to the sound of silence. “Already?” “You would too if you had my night last night. Nate’s little angel refused to sleep in her bed and would only sleep in bed with us. For being a three-year-old she kicks like she’s going to beat her older brothers for a spot with ManU already.” “I can’t even begin to say how proud I am that you can finally talk footie,” I said laughing. “Well, between he and Niall on Sundays and their plans for practice for a group of five and six year-olds to dominate their league, I can't even pretend like I don’t know. It’s upsetting. I’ve tried to get the boys to try basketball and they end up just hitting themselves in the head with the ball because they can’t get an arch to their shot. So they just kick it and proceed to play footie with their basketball, which is blasphemous.” “Mate, honestly that first trip here I never would’ve imagined you and Niall would be coaching a footie team of kids together,” Harry said laughing as he helped me put my jacket on and shut the door. “And I didn’t think you’d still be leaving the house with her lipstick smeared across your neck,” Nate said. I turned to see a red mark on Harry’s neck and couldn’t help but laugh as I reached to try and remove it. “But yes I also didn’t see Niall and I coaching footie together. But we are. I guess that is what happens when he marries your cousin. Which I also, never saw happening.” “Me either. But Lyla and Niall are quite adorable. Especially now that she’s got that tiny little baby bump showing,” I said. I watched Kim down the last of her glass of champagne. “Dimples, open the door and hide her empty glass in there.” Harry opened the door quickly and put the glass on the table inside the door. He took a peak in the mirror above the table at the lipstick on his neck. I saw him grab a tissue and wipe it off. “Does my lipstick look like I made that mark on you?” “Shockingly no. Somehow you don’t look like we were about to fuck, my neck however, did.” I laughed before lightly kissing his lips. “Good, now let’s go.” We headed to the elevator and I leaned in to Harry’s chest as he hugged me. “This is going to be our greatest trip yet,” he whispered. I glanced up at him and couldn’t help but smile. He looked really happy. “I know.” I turned to face Kim and Nate as they stood holding hands, her head rested on his shoulder. “So how many times have you checked in with Nana to see how the kiddos are?” “Only once, when we got to the hotel room,” Kim said. “We FaceTimed them so we could say hi.” “I may have text my Mum a few times on the train,” Nate sheepishly replied. “Loser.” Kim started to laugh at him. “Did she send pictures?” He nodded and pulled out his phone. “Aww look at Ollie!” Kim cooed as she looked at the phone. She flipped it and there I saw a picture of her youngest, Oliver, just six months old, covered in baby food. I could see his older brothers, Max and Jack, and sister, Evelyn, at the counter beside him. Nate’s mother had come down to London to stay with them and the kids’ nanny so we could go have this weekend getaway like we do every year. This trip was a few weeks later than usual and would be shorter than normal because Nate was in the middle of a big case. It had become tougher to get them away from their kids for long periods of time, four kids ages five and under meant that life was different for the Salsbury family than it had been when we first took this trip to Paris together seven years ago. “He’s growing so fast. I love that,” I said. Harry rubbed my shoulders. “He is pretty damn cute,” Harry said. “I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve seen him.” “Well, you two have been world travelers for a while,” Kim said laughing. “It’s been what a month almost two since you saw the kids.” “World Travelers?” Harry started laughing. “We spent some time in Los Angeles and she planned a trip for my birthday. We are less world traveler, more dual country dwellers” “I swear to you both. Next year for New Year’s everyone needs to not be pregnant and we need to go spend a week in Fiji. That was the best trip of my life. I literally just laid around in a bathing suit and watched him walk around shirtless. Well and there was sex. Fruity drinks with umbrellas and a lot of sex.” “I don’t need to hear about that,” Nate said pretending to gag as the door opened. We walked across the lobby of the hotel. I loved that we had come back to this hotel for this trip. It was where we stayed on our first trip to Paris, you could see the Eiffel Tower from the terrace off of our suite. The last several years we had rented flats so we had a kitchen and more space. This trip, being only Thursday through Sunday, we opted for the luxuries of a hotel. We stood waiting on the side walk for a moment until the car service that Harry had ordered arrived. It took off from the sidewalk and I laid my head against the window watching the city go by. People making their way in to small cafes for dinner or drinks. We’d come to Paris every year, sometimes more than once, and I was still mesmerized by everything I saw. “So Styles, did you get much work done in LA or Fiji?” “I mean….LA yes. Fiji not really. She got work done.” “I got a lot of the copy written for the book in LA and approved some of the layouts while we were in Fiji.” I was working on a book of my photography from over the years. I’d seen more of the world than I ever imagined and was approached by a publisher about my blog. We were putting parts of it together as a coffee table book with my photography. I had always kept my blog and been open about the relationship I had with Harry. We had several friends question if I should publish the book or even keep the blog, but I was excited. Nothing was going to be invasive in to our lives and we’d never felt like we had a negative reaction to sharing our lives through my blog. And to be able to show off the photos I’d taken over the last seven years of living in England and traveling around the world meant I was sharing my art, not just my life. “But he’s lying. He got work done.” “I wrote the introduction to the book, which I haven’t let her read. That’s all I’ve accomplished. I mean I got some stuff worked on with an artist in LA before we left. I maybe wrote a song or two while we were on vacation. Writing on vacation never seems like work, it seems like ‘the inspiration is there, take it!’ And she tends to just lay there reading so why not write if I can.” “They were great songs.” I turned to look at Harry and smiled as I squeezed his hand. “They were about you weren’t they?” Kim asked. I started to laugh. “You like every song he writes, especially if it’s about you. Conceited bitch.” I laughed harder. “Yes, me totally conceited.” “You do tend to love the songs I write about you,” Harry said. “Umm, excuse me, aren’t they all about me?” “Conceited bitch,” Kim said again. We all laughed. “Well, they are,” I said smiling. “I mean unless they are breakup songs in which case totally not about me. I’m not going anywhere.” “Good,” Harry said kissing my cheek. The car finally pulled up to the restaurant. I watched Kim glance out the window finally realizing where we were. She looked like her eyes got a little watery for a second. “Aww, how sentimental,” Kim said. “This is where we came for dinner our fist night in Paris seven years ago.” “And where I proposed to you,” Nate said as he helped Kim climb out of the car. “I love you,” Harry whispered in to my ear. “I love you.” I kissed him. “Now get out of the car, Dimples. It’s dinner time." “Yes, love.” He kissed me again and quickly jumped out of the car before reaching back and pulling me out. We walked inside, fingers intertwined as we always did if we went anywhere. Seven years later and we still looked for excuses to touch each other. We were quickly taken to the same private dining room that we’d eaten dinner in the first night in Paris on that first trip. We all sat in the exact seats we had sat in that night. I glanced around the room smiling. This tiny little dining room made perfectly for two or four people held a lot of memories for all of us. The waiter opened a bottle of champagne for us before leaving the room to give us time to look over the menu. “A toast,” Harry said. “To friendship, Paris, and love.” “Cheers,” I said clinking glasses with everyone and leaning over to kiss Harry. It was the same toast he’d made at our first dinner. That night he’d been determined that he was going to fit in to our group. It was early on in our relationship and a big night for Nate and Kim. Harry never had a reason to feel like he wasn’t a member of our little family, but I know there had been times where he was. He was younger, the new guy and trying hard to impress the friends of the girl he’d decided he was in love with. “You had something to do with this didn’t you,” Kim said looking at Nate after sitting her glass back down on the table. “I swear I didn’t,” he said. He held up his hands in defense and almost confusion. “Nope,” I said laughing. “For once Harry let me help plan. So I thought that it was appropriate to come back here for our first dinner this trip.” “Those two are so sappy and sentimental,” Nate said. “I know. It’s like they think we need help in the romance department. You’d think four kids would prove we still have a clue what we are doing,” Kim replied. I laughed and then felt the familiar feeling of Harry’s warm hand on my thigh. He was to my right which meant that I was using my hand to hold my champagne glass so instinctively he touched my leg instead of reaching for my hand. “Nah. It was a big night for us too. We got to travel together for the first time. It was the first time I saw Paris.” “It was the moment I knew you were it,” Harry said. He moved his hand to grab mine as I put the champagne down, kissing my knuckles. “I knew on this trip that I wanted to spend forever with you. That you were the missing part of my life.” “And you were mine.” “And you are nauseating tonight, as always,” Kim said. “We are the ones that are supposed to be reliving our engagement night, not you. You two got engaged in Lake Como. Not Paris.” Kim was laughing. “Hilarious that you got engaged that summer after you started dating and you still aren’t married. Slow pokes.” “Eh,” I said laughing. “What was the hurry? It’s not like either of us was going anywhere. Plus we’ve been busy. Everyone else has been having babies and he was busy with work.” We had gotten engaged in Lake Como. He’d been in Italy for tour and had a few days off. I wanted to be a tourist and go everywhere. I wanted to see the small town my great-grandparents left when they moved to America and started their new lives. I wanted to spend every second I could eating and sight seeing and enjoying Italy. He wanted downtime so he convinced me that we’d come back after tour, and off to Lake Como we went. We arrived to Lizzy, Frankie, Kim, Nate, Niall and Niki waiting for us. That first night, with our friends all around us, under the stars he proposed to me. It was the perfect night and the perfect setting. And just as he promised when he had time off we went back to Italy and saw everything I’d put on my list and then some. “You haven’t toured with One Direction in almost five years. You’ve spent that time acting and singing but not doing a lot of touring. And you,” she said pointing at me, “You’ve mainly just been traveling around, taking pictures, writing your blog and texting me about how hot he looks in nearly every country of the world. I’m pretty sure you could’ve found time to get married at some point in the last six and a half years.” “Probably,” I said laughing at her description of my life. I did text her often with descriptions of how hot Harry was in whatever city we were in. My favorite Harry, outside of ‘Anywhere in England Harry’ or ‘Los Angeles Harry’ was always either a city in Italy or France. Our best memories that weren’t normal every day life were somewhere in either of those countries. Whether it was travel or work, we’d spent quite a bit of time in both places. “It has just never seemed important…before.” “Before?” I watched Kim perk up in her chair. “Before,” Harry repeated. “What’s happening?” Nate asked. Kim smacked him. “They are finally gonna get married. When did you guys decide it was time?” “When we were in Fiji. I was laying there reading a book on our deck and enjoying the gorgeous weather and view. And he came out of the water after swimming, dripped water all over me and my book, then looked at me and said he was done waiting and it was time to get married. He wants my first book to be published with Styles as my name.” “So that’s part of this trip,” Harry said smiling at me before looking across the table. Kim and Nate were both sitting there with their jaws practically resting on the table in front of them. “We are here to get married. We had originally thought about it just being us and then realized that you two were the only people we wanted to have with us.” “WHAT?!” Kim and Nate both practically yelled. “Yeah, after all these years together we decided that it wasn’t necessary to have a large wedding. We just want to be married and we pretty much are already. This isn’t changing what our relationship is, just what my name is. So we are eloping.” “In Paris?” Kim asked. “In Paris,” Harry replied. “With just us?” Nate asked. “You’re our best friends, we couldn’t think of two better people to be our witnesses. We have a photographer in Paris that we know that is going to take pictures, her husband is normally her second shooter, but he also happens to be able to legally marry us. So we are getting married,” I replied. “When?” Kim asked. “Day after tomorrow,” Harry answered. “I figured that we should have a day in Paris to get you something to wear,” I said laughing. “So tomorrow we are shopping and then Saturday we are getting married.” “Holy shit. Congratulations,” Nate said leaning back in his chair. “That was not what I expected to do on this trip.” “We thought we should surprise you,” I said smiling. “So surprise!” “I’m so excited about this. Are you really going to publish your book as Styles?” Kim asked. I’d always been sort of adamant about keeping Catalano if I ever did actually get married. My family name meant the world to me. I had always thought that no matter where I was in the world if I was Annie Catalano it meant that I had my family with me. In the seven years that Harry and I had been together we had been through a lot and had changed my opinion about a lot of things, my name being one of them. “I am. I mean they don’t know that yet, but as soon as we are back in London I’m calling my publisher to let them know that they can publish this as Annie Styles. I know that the Catalano name has always been a huge part of my identity, but it’s time for Styles to be part of my identity too.” “It’s a big deal to give up a name. Leaving Scott behind was tricky, but at least I didn’t have to change any monograms,” she said jokingly. Nate just shook his head at his wife. They were still perfect for each other and always managed to even the other out. Whether Kim was in a weird mood or Nate was being too serious the other one always managed to center their relationship. “You’re still weird,” he said. “That’s clearly not going to change with age, unless I just get weirder.” “You do, Petal, you do.” Nate leaned over and kissed her cheek. “So no one at home knows about this?” “Nope,” we replied together. “Our parents do know,” Harry said. “They were supportive of this. They knew that a gathering of the Styles and Catalano families is always difficult to arrange so we are going to plan something at each home later.” “They knew as well as we did that we wouldn’t be able to get both of our families together in the next few months, especially based on our schedule.” “Your schedule?” “Well, Niall and I have been talking about it for at least a year. Louis and Liam are finally ready too. Life is settling. It’s time to go back in to the studio.” “You’re just trying to give me a heart attack aren’t you,” Kim said. “Pretty much,” I replied laughing. “The talk is that they go back in to the studio so that Niall is at home with Lyla for the birth and then the album comes out shortly after that. I also think it’s a trial run of having Freddie in school in London.” “And then we take the whole circus on the road. At least we are thinking of doing that,” Harry said. “Annie and Lyla are ready to live in buses again.” “I’m jealous,” Kim said. “I want to take the circus on the road, but members of our circus is likely not allowed in several countries.” “Yes, they are. Your circus is cute. You’ll have to bring them on the road or Aunt Annie will go through withdrawal symptoms.” “Deal! I could tour manage,” Kim said. It had been years since she worked at The Roundhouse. She and Lyla had opened their own business. They worked to curate an online store filled with the most desired items for people to give as gifts or buy for themselves. I’d gone on buying trips with those two and it was crazy the things that they got for free just so they would put a companies items in their store. They had just hit five years and thrown a huge party to celebrate. It all started in the kitchen of Kim and Nate’s first house as she was pregnant with the twins. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to return to the world she’d been working in once the boys were here. Lyla and Niall were planning their wedding and as we all shopped for the things Lyla needed the idea came to Kim. Why should people have to order these pieces from different places when they could put them all in one place? They were able to pick and choose what would be the next great housewarming gift or the go to new stuffed animal for a brand new baby. When you needed the perfect piece of art for your new office or the personalized gift to make your bridal party feel appreciated, theirs was the website you went to first. It was high quality goods shipped right to your door. They had even developed their own subscription service similar to Amazon Prime that offered expedited shipping to anywhere in England after the first year. At three years they had expanded to cover all of Europe. Last fall they opened their first few warehouses in the US so that the shipping option was now available to the US and Canada. It had been fun to watch them start this together. See them create this dream and build it in to the massive company it had become. Harry had tried to convince me to take their offer to be a partner with them when they first launched. He’d even offered to lend me the money to do it. When they became a million dollar company at two years I had slightly regretted my decision, but instead they allowed me to have my own curated section of their store and became the primary sponsor of my blog. The items I found when Harry and I traveled often ended up in my section of their store. I’d even done a few limited edition photographs that I’d taken and they had sold online. I was able to join them on their trips to meet with companies and take advantage of some of their freebies without feeling like I was in business with two of my best friends. They were in a position now where Kim had been able to take time off since Oliver was born, after this trip she was headed back full time so that by the time Lyla welcomed their first child she could the time she needed at home. “You haven’t dealt with musicians in a long time babe,” Nate said. “I don’t know that you have the patience for them. I sure as hell wouldn’t and I was in a band.” “I’m raising four kids under the age of five. I could handle the four children that make up One Direction.” I almost spit my champagne. “It would be a cake walk by comparison.” “You are probably right. Though we’ve all aged a bit since our last tour. I would think that Louis and Liam’s kids would cause a bigger stir than any of us would. We had dinner with Louis and El when we were in Los Angeles. It’s terrifying how much Freddie is like his Dad, he’s already a total smartass.” “How are Lou and El?” Kim asked. “Good. They are still enjoying LA, though you can tell they are both itching to get back home. I know it’s tough for them being away from their family as much as they are, but neither of them want to be away from Freddie just so they can live in England. I just wish Briana understood that without Johannah here that they try to have a much larger role with Louis’s brother and sisters and that by them being in Los Angeles the majority of the year they aren’t there for his family. But after several years she still doesn’t get it, so I’m not holding my breath.” “It’s hard,” Harry said squeezing my hand. “Louis will never feel like he’s doing enough for Dan and the kids. But Dan gets it, Freddie is who Lou needs to watch out for the most.” “Dan will always have support here and he is glad Louis is with Freddie. Lottie and Louise were in the office last week for meetings with Lyla and I. Their new line of lipstick and eyeshadow is getting ready to launch on the site. We will be the exclusive retailer for it. I’m excited. It’s geared towards brides and will launch in time for the spring and summer wedding season.” “That’s amazing.” “Yeah, so Lottie was telling me that she is finally settled in to a house. She’s literally across the street from Dan. She helps get the kids to school every day unless she’s on the road, but Fizzy is living with her now that she has a house. So Fizz is still helping out too. We should all go up and visit, we haven’t been up since last fall when Louis brought Freddie home to visit.” “We should. When we get home let’s look at the calendar and all go. Louis said they were going to be in England for a few weeks. I think they actually land tomorrow.” “That’s awesome,” Nate said. “Maybe Louis will be interested in helping us at tryouts for the footie team next week. I have been trying to get it arranged that the league the kids are in will let Freddie play when they are in the city and I think I finally get them on board.” “Oh dear god. Dimples, you are not allowed to start coaching with them. The four of you together is the worst nightmare of the women in your lives. And remember, we don’t have a child that is on that team.” “Kim told me I could pretend that Max was mine since he refuses to let her cut his hair.” “I tried to tell him that he didn’t have a choice and has to cut his hair. He keeps telling me that he wants to look like Uncle Harry. So, I’m going to start to petition you to cut your hair if he won’t budge. Everyone in my family is coming over Easter. If my oldest looks like he needs a man bun I might have a problem.” “I mean, I’d like to think that the kid doesn’t wear his hair a certain way just because I do. But if necessary I can have a talk with him about cutting his hair. Though he’s got some awesome hair.” The twins were the spitting image of Nate. Dark brown eyes, dark brown hair and curls for days. They were five going on 20. When they started school in fall they came home the first day to inform their mother and father that they each had three girlfriends and had already figured out that their teachers could barely tell the difference between them. Some couldn’t remember if Max or Jack had the long hair. They were already wise beyond their years and would be terrifying as teenagers. Evelyn was three and her mother’s mini-me. So much so that when she started talking Harry and I were positive she’d have a southern accent. There were times where her little posh London accent mixed with a y’all and I nearly cried laughing every time. I’m pretty sure her Uncle Harry tried to teach her these things when he babysat. Evie was just the perfect mixture of tomboy and ballerina. She chased after the football in the backyard in tutus and loved to be the center of attention at every gathering. She was her Daddy’s universe. Nate loved that right out the gate they had twin boys. Every man wants to see his family lineage carry on. But when they found out they were having a girl it was like his world changed. He drug me around home improvement stores until we found the perfect shades of blush pink and lavender to paint her nursery as a surprise for Kim when she was on a trip for work. Everything was pink or purple, despite this little girl’s mama’s favorite color being blue. And when that little girl came with her blonde hair and blue eyes, in true mini-Kim style, she came home from the hospital in a Kentucky onesie. It was pink at her Daddy’s request. We were all pretty sure that Kim and Nate were happy with their three kids. For the first year it was a struggle with three kids under three and the boys still being in diapers for the first part. Then one day she told me she was pregnant again and surprisingly didn’t look terrified at the idea of having another one in diapers again. And when little Ollie was born we all melted. This kid was beautiful, he looked like he should be on every diaper box or baby food jar. He was the child who was the perfect blend of Mom and Dad. Blue eyes and fair skin with Daddy’s dark curls. Kim was a rockstar with these kids, especially during the times where Nate had a case that took over his life, which had basically been the situation since Ollie was born. The times where we were home we always had a night with the kids. I jokingly called it birth control, but Harry just loved being with the babies. We’d discovered early on in our relationship that kids weren’t in the cards for us, so we decided to be the best Aunt and Uncle the world had ever seen. We perhaps spoiled our nieces and nephews, as well as our friends’ kids, more than we should. But almost everyone let us get away with it. It was hard for us to realize that we may never get to be a Mum or Dad to anyone other than the cat. But as with anything we’d faced in our relationship, we did it together and are stronger because of it. So we did what we could to spend time with the kids who were in our life. Our desire to be the World’s Greatest Aunt and Uncle meant on top of having a home in London and Los Angeles we also had a townhouse down the road from my brother and his family so that we could make trips to see the kids and not be stuck in hotels or my family’s houses for the usually extended trips. We tried to go home four or five times a year if we could. We were currently at the point where we had the longest stretch of the year, we went from Thanksgiving to my Dad’s birthday in March without going home. We would be home again in May for Mother’s Day and my Mom’s birthday, then in July for my niece’s birthday, then October for my nephew’s birthday and always back for Christmas and usually stayed until after my step-mom’s birthday at the beginning of December. It was always Christmas in England, which had been hard for my family to come to terms with at the beginning. But given that no one in Harry’s family celebrated Thanksgiving we were always in Iowa. It was perfect, we got to spend my favorite holiday with my family and Harry got to argue about American football with my brother. “Can we not let Max’s hair thing escalate to the point where Uncle Harry actually has to cut his hair? You know I get sad when it gets short.” “You loved it short the last time.” Harry winked at me. “Ugh, stop it. You could shave your head and still look hot. I just PREFER this length.” His hair was full of curls today, he’d actually refrained from putting it in a ponytail or bun before we left the house this morning for the train station. The first time he’d cut his hair while we were together was for his first movie role and since then it was the only reason he would cut his hair. Every time a role would require it I’d cry as I watched Louise cut off his hair and then spend the first month thinking I had this sexy new fiancé and then I’d start to miss the ponytail and the long curls. Luckily, his hair grew insanely fast. Our dinner tonight was magnificent. This had been a restaurant we visited over the years on our trips because of the sentimental nature for Nate and Kim. This was where he proposed to her. They’d been back together for a short time on that first trip but he wasn’t going to wait for her to realize that he wanted to spend forever with her. Harry had known that he was intending on proposing at dinner, which was why Harry arranged for our dinner to be in a private dining room. As we sat here tonight in between courses sipping on our champagne I couldn’t help but remember that night. We’d come for a late dinner after doing some exploring through Paris. Nate had been a little bit off but we usually took that as Nate being Nate. He had been distracted recently because of work and the new house. He had been putting together a proposal for his Dad to convince him that he should be able to work remotely while looking for a location to open a London branch of their firm so he didn’t have to live in a different city during the week. And then at dinner he opened the bottle of champagne and as he filled a glass for Kim dropped her engagement ring in it. He told us later that he’d hoped for some elaborate proposal but his nerves had gotten the best of him. So he put the ring in her glass. As she picked it up and Harry said his toast she managed to not see the large diamond staring at her. It wasn’t until she took her first drink and it hit her lips that she realized there was a ring in her glass. She pulled the ring out of the glass in her lips with the diamond facing out. Nate proceeded to get on one knee and stumble through asking her to marry him. He was so nervous and so completely in love. I cried, Kim cried, Nate cried, even Harry cried. That dinner was officially the shortest meal the four of us had ever shared. Nate and Kim returned to their hotel room to call families and celebrate in ways that normal people celebrate an engagement. Harry and I proceeded to have a night that felt like it was right out of a Richard Linklater film. We spent the night walking around and talking. I got to be amazed by the way Harry could fluently speak in French with any person who approached us. It was that night that we both realized that we were each other’s forever. I had known I loved him before we boarded that train at St. Pancras Station that morning but by the time we were welcoming in my 30th year on earth with a light dusting of snow and the sunrise I knew that he was it. We had continued this tradition often when we traveled. It was easier for Harry and I to walk around uninterrupted in the middle of the night and the things we were able to see and the conversations we were able to have remain some of my favorite memories.

Oh. My. God.

I can't believe I actually sat down and cranked that out this weekend.

I've always felt like there was an empty part of my heart because I'd abandoned this story. My life got complicated and I got lost from this world. But I knew I needed to come back at some point. And this weekend was some point.

I felt that it didn't fit to just pick up where I left off. Harry is 23 now and Annie would be 33. Advancing several years gives a chance for our characters to have grown as people. So we pick up seven years later partially reliving that first night in Paris for Annie's 30th birthday. We find out that Kim and Nate are happy. That Niall is married to Lyla! That Annie and Harry are as happy as ever and finally ready to get married, just not have a wedding. But what about Lizzy, Frankie, Patty, Niki and our other gang of misfits? Well they are going to get their deserved end as well.

My goal is to have this piece finished over the next few days or weeks. I have everything planned in my head and have already started the next chapter. And then pieces like Harry proposing to Annie, Nate and Kim's marriage, and how the hell Niall and Lyla ended up together may get told through Always In My Head if there is interest. So if there is please comment of message me to let me know. I love writing these characters but lost my drive for a very long time. Life got crazy. I fell in love and then unceremoniously fell out of love as so often happens in life. I landed my dream job and then was laid off from my dream job only to decide to just create my dream job. And in the midst of that I would occasionally pick up London Calling and hope that some day I'd be able to come back to this. And I finally have been able to.

So please. Comment. Message. Kik (raybandandcoffee). Twitter (@raybandsandcoffee). I want to know if people love where these characters are.