#if Noah/Finn are available during that time

[chirpsythismorning]

Clown makeup fully applied, if hypothetically byler was endgame and there are a few really incriminating scenes of Mike and Will alone in s5 to be had, leading up to that revelation… the skeleton crew filming with Noah and Finn alone for the first couple weeks of filming does sound like something they could do… Otherwise, if they filmed those scenes sporadically all throughout s5 production, random PA’s leaking it would be likely (end of s4 cabin scene leak teas). However, doing a few of their most incriminating scenes alone before most of the casual production are even there: no leaks…

[conflictofthemind]

love love love church gate, but people (tate and nance) are saying that finn and noah were not going to film there

idk I'm pretty serious about this one.

so noah and finn were in atlanta for only one day (on monday the 3rd of june) rehearsing for a scene - they flew out the next day.

wednesday june 12th this church scene was planned for filming but is cancelled last minute due to 'actor availability issues'.

the thing is, noah still had a very visible sty at that point and we know it stayed for weeks because of his posts. nobody else from the main cast other than possibly sadie was on set during this time.

people saying it was millie - they would not book millie knowing she was busy and it was her honeymoon. the actors also can't just drop out of shoots without a valid reason to do so because it costs production at least tens of thousands of dollars. whatever it was was an unprecedented problem.

the original source of this church information was atlantafilming (the pap who got a lot of those pictures that week). who tate is talking about is jared who hasn't actually been working with ST because of them trying to sue him previously. so i do trust atlantafilming more.

and nance just says whatever she says. I guess it remains to be seen but?

[sapphicslut777]

stranger things rehearsal dream

i had a dream that it was a Lovely summer afternoon in someone’s grassy, fenced-in back yard.. and i was on the set of stranger things 5!! i was an assistant to one of the duffers. he had me taking notes on a yellow legal pad and i was watching some of the scenes being rehearsed.

at first it was just finn wofhard and i. and ross (or matt??) was describing to us that this first scene was a scene between mike and will, in some kind of pentagram/ritualistic circle. he explained to finn that mike would be speaking chinese and will, japanese. he said that both of them would be using old styles of wicca/magic against one another. and that they would both be powerful in their own ways.. finn was excited about the idea of the script and delivered his lines nicely :3

then there was a pause in rehearsals and finn came over to me to get some notes. we were talking through a glass/school door of some kind?? but he had his long curly mullet, and he was asking me if i thought his delivery of the lines was okay, and where we had left off in the script. i told him that i thought he was doing great and we had just left off with a memory of younger mike playing with some kind of dog???

then more of the stranger things cast started coming into the back yard, as the sun started to set. everyone was there! and i continued to take notes as the scenes went on.. it was almost like no one noticed me there, but they were aware why i was there (to take notes/give suggestions).

in the group scenes, it was understood that the actors were in a school/college club of someone kind, where only certain students were allowed in..

one of the duffers explained to the cast that this next scene was when a new character (guillermo from what we do in the shadows??) discovered some snake carcasses in a secret place, hidden from the club room. he explained that each character was to get attached to one of these snakes before they died and they would be devastated once they found out that the snakes were dead.

he also had (guillermo) make a fire in the backyard, where he was going to find the snakes were roasting and see what they had eaten. i had to make the fire bc i’m cool and everyone was impressed. and it was super windy and dark at that point. but the duffer (idk why it was just one brother?) told us that the only way we’d “solve the mystery” of how the snakes had died was that they had each eaten something that was only available from the club room of the college.

at first we saw them in these big tanks of water, and i never saw the snakes actually dead which was chill. but i remember taking lots of notes on my single page of yellow legal pad paper. one was an address and one was a quote… i can’t remember what the quote was that i wrote down. i think it was during finn’s reading of the first scene. but i underlined part of it bc i thought it was so important??

also noah schnapp was one of the only cast who wasn’t there? even in the scene where finn was practicing a mike/will scene.. it was only finn, me, and a duffer.

(i havent been able to remember this much of a dream in a Long Time. and im extremely interested to see if i somehow managed to predict any aspect of season 5, when it comes out?!?)

[bluwavez]

🌊 || Indigo Waves is the EIGHTH mini album by DEEPDIVE, released by ANGELICO Entertainment on November 18th 2022. It’s available digitally and physically and has four tracks with “VIBE KILLA” being its title track. DeepDive promoted the track for FOUR weeks.

“VibeKilla” received 8 music show wins. They starred in their own reality show, held four virtual fansigns, two in person ones, and appeared on various variety shows, sometimes as a group or in pairs.

–– TRACKLIST :

THE ALBUM comes with a PHOTOBOOK of 68 PAGES, A CD, ONE out of SEVEN RANDOM PHOTOCARDS, 1 of 2 GROUP POSTERS, 1 out of 7 INDIVIDUAL MEMBER POSTERS, 1 out of 4 UNIT POSTCARDS, and a BEACH THEMED PEN. There are FOUR versions of INDIGO WAVES all with their own sets of photocards. You can drawn your OWN photocard HERE !

A LONG AWAITED COMEBACK ... Finally! The boys came back to much success though many fans were disappointed they came back with just a mini album. When asked why it took so long for the boys to come back, Finn said "Umm...Perfection takes time and so does Angelico I guess!" during a virtual fansign.

DESPITE THE WAIT ... DeepDive held the attention of the masses like they usually do! Their variety show appearances and reality show clips often went viral on social media. A pretty popular clip that went viral was a compilation of Cam and Finn giving each other a look whenever Blue would speak. Many Sirens used it as a reaction video and it later spread to local Twitter, gaining them more traction.

PHONE BILLS ... Went viral for it's name and the desperate way the boys sing the song, putting their whole backs into every stage of the song. "We all wrote phone bills. I made everyone write a line to the song so it would be a team effort," Finn spills in a separate fancall. "I named it phone bills because I thought it'd be funny, like, my phone bills are so high because I can't stop messaging that special person...and because our phone bills were overdue. I thought it was funny."

SUN&MOON ... Was very popular amongst fans due to Kiwoo revealing during their comeback showcase that he wrote it for Noah. "I wrote it a long time ago actually. I kept it to myself until I was ready to show it to Finn. I was scared I'd cry if we ever performed it but I won't cry." He told the crowd with a laugh. He later went on to cry during the performance and was comforted by his members.

THE MAMA AWARDS ... They attended this year and performed as well. Their stage was a collab stage with VENUS where the girls performed their latest comeback "ANTIFRAGIL" while DeepDive performed "VibeKilla" before coming together and performing a never before heard collab song "All Night." sending their fans into chaos.

ALL NIGHT ... Was later announced via Twitter to be an upcoming collaboration project between VENUS and DeepDive but only two members from each group would be participating. This angered fans but also intrigued them though the majority wished every member was involved. The line up has yet to be announced but the project is called DIVINITY.

OVERALL ... Amazing comeback! A majority of the fans were happy with it and just happy to see the boys active again. The boys are slated to be more of an active group in 2023 according to Angelico's 2023 roster but time will tell if Jinhwa is lying again!

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

do you have any thoughts on the theory that mike will be with the byers for most of s4? any predictions, theories, opinions etc?

I’m fairly sure that I’ve addressed this before, but perhaps you are a new reader for my blog. If that’s the case, then welcome! If not, then, eh, I’m home alone with nothing to do anyway.

What little we know about season 4 does seem to point to Mike being with the Byers for the bulk of season 4. Finn Wolfhard has been seen little during Atlanta filming, and, in fact, seemed to come in later on during the filming schedule. He was also slated to be filming in December. This was believed to be when filming would shift to Netflix’s New Mexico studio, where the Byers new home (apparently Southern California) would be shot.

We know from set photos that the season will take place in March. A school calendar shows Spring Break occurring late in the month, and, in fact, it starts with Will’s birthday on Saturday. This creates a scenario, which I think is very likely, where Mike goes to visit Will for his birthday. I don’t know if this is a planned trip or not. I know there’s a popular fan theory that Mike runs away, owing, at least in part, to scenes that make is seem that Karen is participating in some sort of search party. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Mike would need to be pretty angry and/or distraught to run off without telling his friends or family.

This fits in with the original table read photos from nearly a year ago. Finn was seated with Noah and Millie, rather than the other Hawkins residents. By itself, this maybe wouldn’t mean anything, but the other cast members did seem to be grouped together based on who they interacted with the most. I admit that I do not know the industry very well, but perhaps being close enough to see the person you’re speaking to allows for a better read of the dialogue. In this sense, it would make sense to seat people based on who they speak to most often.

As to how this would play out, I’m not really sure we have enough information to even predict. We don’t know if Mike was planning to go visit Will or if it ends up being an impulsive decision. We don’t know where his relationship with Will is at by then. Is he trying to make up for something? Is he insistent that they celebrate his birthday together? Why isn’t anyone else going? How does he get there? I originally thought he and Nancy would both go, allowing her to be the driver, but she seems to be in the Hawkins area for most of the season.

Does Will (or his family) even know that Mike is coming? I can foresee Mike coming up with an ill-thought-out plan where he decides to surprise Will. This invites a lot of potential misunderstandings, such as El assuming he came to see her. I’d hate to see her reduced to such a role, but we saw at the end of season 3 that she fell back into her obsession with him. I do think that this visit needs to address Mike in terms of where he stands with both El and Will, though.

Perhaps it is a planned visit, though, and Will and his family do know he’s coming. How will Mike react to the Byers new home? Does Will have any new friends? How would Mike react to that? Does El have any friends there? How would Mike react to that? Official information has been basically nonexistent regarding the Byers. All we really know is that Jonathan apparently has a friend there. Even the “leaks” contain very little information on this front, reflecting the fact that there’s just nothing to go on. I have to believe this means they intend this part of the plot to be very meaningful.

At the end of the day, though, all any of us can do is speculate. While I try to temper my predictions by going off any available information, I’m still liable to let my own personal preferences influence what I come up with. Even the fact that Mike goes to visit isn’t exactly proven. We won’t know anything for sure until the day the season finally launches. As for what I personally think happens, well, I don’t normally do this, but it IS Christmas, after all.

I think we get Mike in Hawkins in the days leading up to Spring Break. This much we know, as we’ve seen photos of Mike with Dustin, both in Hellfire Club shirts. Mike isn’t doing well in the months after the Byers leave, but everyone just assumes he’s heartsick over El. I think Mike joins the club, at Dustin’s behest, with Dustin perhaps suggesting that D&D would cheer him up. This will be the first D&D Mike has played since Will’s campaign, and this isn’t lost on him. This only makes him more miserable, and Dustin is confused. Lucas may try to explain it by telling Dustin about what happened with Will’s campaign, suggesting that Mike still feels guilty about it all. Basically, though, Mike can’t enjoy D&D without Will. It just isn’t the same. When Spring Break comes around, Mike packs his D&D stuff and heads for California. What happens next is hard to predict, but it’s safe to say that shenanigans ensue, misunderstandings are had, and supernatural danger creeps its way into their lives again.

I’ll try to find time to post tomorrow, but, just in case I can’t, Happy Holidays, my dear readers. I appreciate you all, and wish you nothing but the best!

[hyperfixation-stations]

Skank Quinn Analysis

This analysis is coming from someone who has experience working with mentally ill teens, a degree in psychology and someone who wants to continue working in the field.

Quinn Fabray is one of the most complexly written characters to ever appear on Glee. Quinn suffers from mostly inconsistent writing and unfinished plotlines, but actress Dianna Agron who plays Quinn, put on a masterful performance to let us see all that is going on with Quinn Fabray. Quinn is a highly divisive character and seems to have both as many supporters as she does haters. Quinn’s character seems to vastly change depending on the season and this post is specifically on season 3 (specifically skank Quinn Fabray, there will be a full analysis of Quinn coming later.

First some background on the character. Quinn Fabray is born as Lucy “Quinn” Fabray to two upper middle class parents in Ohio, she originally lived in a different area of the state before moving to Lima and attending McKinley for her high school years. When we meet her in Season 1 is captain of the school’s cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, and is in a relationship with quarterback of the football team Finn Hudson. Within season 1 we find out that she is pregnant with McKinley’s resident bad boy Noah “Puck” Puckerman and is kicked out of her home. Throughout the season she lives with Finn, Puck and later Mercedes Jones. At the end of the season she gives up her baby for adoption to Rachel’s birth mother Shelby Corcoron. After her mother goes to watch her at regionals where she goes into labor she is invited to move back home after her mom kicked her father out for cheating.

In season 2 Quinn comes back just as she did at the beginning of season 1, ready to be head of the cheerios and back to being top of the social ladder. Within the season she begins dating new student and potential new quarterback of the football team Sam Evans, this is Quinn’s best relationship of the over the course of the show, despite cheating on him with Finn about halfway through the season. After Sam finds out he breaks it off with her, leaving Quinn single for a few weeks before she begins dating Finn again. But once again for the majority of their relationship Finn doesn’t have eyes for her, he has eyes for Rachel Berry, whom he was dating at the beginning of the season but broke up with her after she cheated on him. During their relationship the pair get nominated for Prom Queen, something that Quinn hyper fixated on and tries to get the couple to win. During this time her past at her previous school comes to light, Quinn is a formerly bullied and nerdy child who lost weight and got a nose job to feel comfortable in her own body. Their relationship ends during the episode “The Funeral” when Finn breaks up with her after attending the Funeral Sue’s sister, Finn makes a speech about how he feels more emotionally connected to Rachel and is mad that Quinn doesn’t show enough emotion. This causes Quinn to say she has big plans for their nationals trip to New York, where she subsequently breaks down and wishes that someone would just love her, which results in a haircut.

When we meet Quinn in season 3, she has shed the baby doll dresses, cheerio uniforms and heels, for pink dyed hair, darker and baggier clothing that would fall into the punk/metal genre and she joins a group called the Skanks and has stopped going to class and Glee. Several times at the beginning of the season different members of the glee club try to recruit her back but to no avail. Within the beginning of the school year starting she finds out that the adoptive mother of her daughter has taken a teaching position at the school. Quinn continues her new and erratic behavior and ends up fighting with her former Glee teacher Mr. Schue after her former cheerleading coach recruits her to attempt to take down the Glee club once again. We start to see Quinn come back to herself when Shelby finds her one day and offers her a place in Beth’s life if she changes back to her old ways, she even gives Quinn a picture of Beth and this is the first time we see Quinn truly break down over the situation at hand. So Quinn dyes her back to it’s blonde color and begins to start dressing like she used to and rejoins Glee and even participates in the musical. She works up enough trust with Shelby where she and Puck are allowed to babysit Beth on their own, Quinn has devised a plot to frame Shelby for child abuse by planting things like a baby canibalism book and hot sauce. Shelby ends up finding out and bans Quinn from seeing Beth, Quinn continues to try and plot to get her daughter back the apex of this situation coming to light when she finds out that Puck has been sleeping with Shelby. She plans on telling the school and this will cause Shelby to lose her job and most likely custody of her child which would allow Quinn to get custody. She ends up being talked out of this by Rachel and decides to move on and begins to look at colleges to apply to.

Alright so let's unpack Skank Quinn!/Baby Stealing Quinn! Despite this being my least favorite plot line in the entirety of Glee it really does give us a look into what Quinn was going through at the time. Quinn has most likely been suffering from some kind of mental illness since the end of season 1, while Quinn comes back to school in full form in season 2 and appears to be her normal self she is most likely just masking what she is feeling because she believes that if she gets back to where she was pre-baby season 1, then she’ll feel better about everything. This would explain why she rejoins the cheerios, despite their toxic culture, and starts dating Sam who has the potential to replace Finn as quarterback of the football team (though I do believe that Sam and Quinn genuinely liked each other). It could also explain why she cheats with Finn on Sam, seems to desperately care about status and popularity and Finn is still quarterback of the football team and the two of them make the “perfect” high school couple, in terms of popularity which would explain her briefly wanting to go back to him despite loving Sam and choosing him in the end. So after Finn breaks it off with her season 2 for Rachel (again) and tells her that she doesn’t feel anything (despite watching her get kicked out and hears her claim that her family doesn’t talk about anything). So we now have her feelings of inadequacy about not being a good enough girlfriend and the lingering feelings she has about giving up her baby. So at some point in the summer between seasons 2 and 3, Quinn decides to give herself a full makeover. This was most likely a cry for attention by Quinn, if you have a teenager that has that drastic of a personality shift in only a few months then something is seriously wrong with them either in their home life or emotionally/mentally.

Quinn at this point has mostly been suffering from undiagnosed postpartum depression, postpartum depression or PPD occurs in about 1 in every seven woman or about 15 percent of woman and about 70-80 percent of women experience some kind of depression or sadness after giving birth (often called the baby blues), which many times intensifies into something more severe like PPD. Quinn also gave birth as a teenager which doubles her chances of getting PPD and triples her chances of getting some undiagnosed mental illness. Now you may be thinking well that only gives her a 30% chance getting PPD, however Quinn shows many symptoms throughout the show of having the disorder this includes things like: severe mood swings, withdrawing from friends and family, feelings of worthlessness shame or guilt, diminished ability to make good decisions, reduced interest in activities you used to enjoy, increased irritability and anger. Quinn may have even had a less severe case of postpartum psychosis which include obsessive thoughts about your baby, excessive energy and agitation, and attempts to harm yourself or your baby. Everything I listed is something that Quinn displays within the context of the show, with all of this information I feel like in good conscience any trained professional would diagnose Quinn with either PPD or postpartum psychosis.

So here you have a teenager with an undiagnosed mental illness and what appears to be no support system in place who is struggling with all of these adult feelings and no resources to put the name to what she feels. Now some of you may disagree with me when I say this but hear me out, up until this point Quinn has been failed by most of the adults in her life, season 3 Quinn had such a drastic personality shift that any adult should have recognized and checked in to see if everything is all right. Educators and those who work with students on a regular basis are given warning signs and Quinn's dramatic shift is something that to most educators would raise a red flag especially at her age. So I know many people think that when Mr Schue yelled at Quinn at the beginning of season 3, but in reality he should have checked in on her and made sure she was ok and everything was ok at home. Also a majority of the things he says to Quinn can be disproven. First off he says Quinn isn't a little girl anymore and when will she stop playing the victim, Quinn is most likely 17 and while we often believe that these characters should do better or should realize better they are still kids who have no real world experience and their brains are still developing for about another 10 years. Then he asks when Quinn is going to stop playing the victim, Quinn is a victim of shitty circumstances and bad parenting. Quinn was thrown out of her house at 15/16 by her parents and was then essentially homeless for nine months and sure you can argue that she got herself into that situation by sleeping with Puck (though like many I do believe it's rape or at best a morally ambiguous situation). Many people are not going to come out the other side without any issues, Quinn is still allowed to consider herself a victim of that situation because she had to learn and go through things that many teenagers don't. The biggest being that she doesn't have the unconditional love and support of her parents, those are people who are supposed to love you no matter your flaws and Quinn's parents threw her out at the first mistake she made. He then goes onto claim that Quinn has been trying to sabotage the Glee club since the beginning, and while that was originally the case there are plenty of times where Quinn sticks up for the Glee Club and does things (albeit not always publicly to try and help them). He then goes to talk about how she wasn't thankful for the Glee Club and all the times the helped her, this once again not true. We see her thank Mercedes for letting her live with them, she thanks Mr Schue for being a good teacher and tells him that he'll be a good dad one day, she forgives Rachel for telling Finn that he wasn't the babies dad. He finishes his rant by calling Quinn a trainwreck and is insulted that she blames him for all of this and that she should grow up. First of all no educator should be talking to one of their students like this, it's wrong and it could have caused Quinn to take drastic measures and do something bad to herself. Teenagers often blame and take their frustrations out on adults, specifically adults that they can trust, Quinn does not have many adults in her life that she trusts but she does trust Mr Schue, so she believes that if she yells and tests him and lets her anger out on an adult that she deems safe and that will still be there for her after the fact then maybe she will feel better.

Puck also makes a really good point during this time when she invites him over to her house to try and have a baby again, he says "we just spent a week helping with Santana with a problem that everyone already knows and no one took ten seconds to help you" and he's right. The Glee Club said some nasty things at her expense season 1 when she was pregnant and then they all watched her go back home to the house she was kicked out of. From what we see none of them really offer support or check in and see how she's doing after the fact, but we seem them band together to help Kurt with his bullying or Santana with her sexuality, put we don't see it happen with Quinn. Sure we see them sing Lean On Me to her and Finn and Mercedes does let her live with her but most of the time their content to let Quinn deal with her problems on her own.

In conclusion Quinn was most likely suffering from Postpartum Depression and was not receiving help from anyone in her life and was making all of these bad decision either as a cry for help or because she believed it would make her feel better. Quinn was a teenager girl dealing with adult problems and feelings that were often to big for her to name and this resulted in her lashing out and making bad decisions.

[sueboohscorner]

#StrangerThings Renewed for Season 3

Well, it looks we're going to be getting more awesome eighties references because Netflix announced on Friday that they've renewed Stranger Things for a third season. 

  The series co-creators the Duffer Brothers had previously confirmed that a potential third season would make a time jump ahead of a year to 1985, when the aforementioned classics ruled the box office. 

 "Even if we wanted to hop into the action faster, we couldn't," said Matt Duffer, when he told The Hollywood Reporter. "Our kids are aging, We can only write and produce the show so fast. They're going to be almost a year older by the time we start shooting Season 3...(so) it forces you to do a time jump."

  The Duffer Brothers also hinted that Season 3 would feature a rematch between Mind Flyer and Eleven, telling THR that the shadow monster is "very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven. It had not encountered her and her powers until that final episode. Now it knows that she's out there."

 Stranger Things' season two was, by all account, a smashing success. Although Netflix doesn't release any viewership data, Nielsen reported that a total of 15.8 million people watched the first episode during it's first three days of availability (starting Oct. 27th), putting it right on par with The Walking Dead's recent Live+3 DVR numbers. 

 Returning for Season 3 are series regulars Winona Ryder (Joyce), David Harbour (Jim), Finn Wolfhand (Mike), Noah Schnapp (Will), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Cara Buono (Karen), Natalia Dyer (Nancy), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan), Joe Keery (Steve) Dacre Montgomery (Billy) and Sadie Sink (Max).

 There are no information on the episode count for season 3. The first two seasons were consisted of eight and nine episodes. Maybe we'll get ten episodes? 

 You can catch the first two seasons of Stranger Things available on Netflix now. 

[hazelandglasz]

This Hating Game - A Klaine Prompt Big Bang Fic

Once again, all my thanks to @prompt-a-klainefic for setting up this event and all the mods for helping set up a schedule

All the kudos to @dashitrandom for creating such a beautiful, inspiring art (and for saving me from having to decide on a title)

All my gratitude to @bluecloudsupabove who agreed to beta my work and made sure that I didn’t make any mistake (if there are any left, it’s all on me!!)

Available on AO3

Inspired by this prompt : Kurt and Blaine couldn't stand each other in high school, maybe one was a jock/cheerleader and the other a nerd/glee clubber. Or they were bitter rivals for competition solos if they were both in glee club. Now they both live in NY and their friends set them up on a blind date, not knowing they went to the same high school

Eleven years ago

God that letterman jacket is heavy.

But you would have to pay Blaine a lot of money to take it off, even in the abnormally hot weather they’re having.

From what he gathered, the red and black piece of clothing is the only shield he can use in this school.

The only thing that will keep the bruises and the hits and the taunts at bay.

So it may be heavy, and polyester, and yes, a little bit smelly, but Blaine will wear it until he can leave Ohio behind in a trail of dust.

“Oi, Anderson.”

Blaine is torn between snickering or rolling his eyes.

He does both for good measure. “Yes, Puckerman?”

The wannabe badboy throws his arm around Blaine’s shoulder and pulls him close to walk down the halls. “You settling down alright?”

“Uh, yeah, yes I suppose.”

“Nobody givin’ you any trouble?”

Blaine looks up at Puck and smiles. “Not since I joined the team.”

Puck smiles back. “Good, good. And how’s it goin’ with the ladies?”

Blaine frowns and shrugs Puck’s arm off him. “Puck, you know--you know I’m gay right?”

“Guess I forgot,” Puck replies with a look of innocence that is far too practiced to be honest. “But you know who else is gay? Finn’s bro.”

“Would you look at that,” Blaine deadpans, even as his cheeks heat up. “What a coincidence.”

“I know right?” Puck is literally beaming now. “So it’s settled.”

“What’s settled?”

“You’ll go on a date with Hummel, and that way, we can triple date with Cheerios.”

“Who says I’m going on a date with him?”

It’s not that Blaine minds going on a date with the Cheerio co-captain--Kurt Hummel is all long, agile limbs and blue eyes--, he’s really protesting for the principle of Puck (and probably Finn) pushing the two out gays together.

“Oh c’m’on bro,” Puck pleads, lightly punching Blaine’s shoulder, “Quinn wants her bro to have a date or she won’t get out with us, and--”

“And you really want to go on a date with her?”

“Yeah.” Puck pauses before wilting in front of Blaine’s glare. “Among other things. Please, Blaine, come on, I’ll owe you.”

“Ah, now you’re talking.”

*

Blaine doesn’t know why he finally agreed--50% to get Puck off his back, 50% to actually go on a date with Kurt, probably--but he tries to calm himself down.

It’s just a date at Breadstix, with Puck and Finn.

Puck and Quinn are already making googly eyes at each other, and Quinn misplaced one footsie too many for Blaine’s liking.

If Finn could hurry up with Rachel and Kurt, that would be awesome.

Otherwise Blaine is just going to eat the whole basket of breadsticks, no matter how stale they are.

“Sorry we’re late, Kurt couldn’t--”, Finn starts as they finally arrive, but a glare and a well-placed elbow make him stop, “I mean, I couldn’t figure out what to, um, wear?”

Blaine barely holds in a chuckle at that, since Finn is wearing his usual “date outfit” of clean-ish shirt, jeans and letterman jacket.

As a matter of fact, the three of them are wearing their jackets.

Blaine decided to wear a bowtie, so at least he earns point for originality, doesn’t he.

Kurt sits down in front of him, and Blaine has to remind himself how to breathe. The co-captain of the cheerleading squad looks …

Amazing.

Stunning.

Casual, with his fitted jeans, white shirt and black waistcoat, but still classy.

That shiny brooch does wonders.

“You look good,” Blaine tells him with a crooked smile as an ice-breaker.

“I look great,” Kurt replies haughtily before dropping his eyes to his folded hands on the table. “But thanks.”

Blaine knows his cheeks are heating up, especially because Puck keeps on giving him sideway glances.

“You don’t look half bad either, Blaine,” Rachel says maybe a tad too loudly, and Blaine nods in acknowledgment.

Looking up, he sees the quick angry look Kurt throws her way before returning to him, and for a moment they just look into each other’s eyes.

Kurt’s cheeks are dusted pink and he snatches a menu to hide his face.

If anything, Blaine finds it very endearing.

“You do look good.”

Blaine peers up from behind his menu, to see Kurt watching him. “Hm?”

“The bowtie--it’s a nice touch.”

“Thank you.”

“A bit nerdy, sure, but I can appreciate a good accessory.”

Blaine smiles now, smoothing down one of the sides of the bowtie.

But before he can reply--

“Though it is a bit ironic, don’t you think?”

“Ironic?”

“A jock wearing what’s usually a nerd’s outfit?”

Blaine clenches his jaw. “I can’t be part of the football team and a nerd?”

Kurt lets out a snort of laughter, followed by Quinn and Puck. “Um, no, that’s not how school hierarchy works.”

“Too bad.”

Kurt rolls his eyes at Blaine, and if Blaine continues, he’s going to grind his teeth to dust. “What, you want us to believe you are sooo layered,” Kurt teases, slamming the menu down on the table and leaning towards Blaine.

“Um, Kurt, I wouldn’t--,” Puck, of all people, starts, but Blaine holds his hand up.

“No, Puck, let him continue,” he says, sickenly sweet.

Both Puck and Finn know that tone.

It usually precedes a storm of epic proportion--Azimio still remembers it.

“So nice of you to let me speak,” Kurt replies, tone just as sweet.

Their smiles could only be described as tight, and Finn exchanges a look with Rachel, who gives Puck a pointed look, who glances at Quinn for guidance.

“Um, guys, let’s order, I’m star-ving,” she cuts in with a wide smile and a flick of her blonde hair in Kurt’s face.

He blinks and Blaine leans back in his chair. “Excellent idea.”

*

The date doesn’t improve from there, but at least it doesn’t delve into a full-fleshed fight.

It’s when they all get back to their cars that it takes a turn for the worse.

Namely, when Finn and Puck start kissing Rachel and Quinn like they’re going to war and Kurt and Blaine are left to stand on the side like two awkward fifth wheels.

Blaine tries his best to look at anything but the two kissing couples and the boy next to him.

God knows he went into this date willing to have it ending with Kurt and himself engaging in the same activities, but now that he’s talked to the guy?

Yeah, no thanks.

Kurt sneaks a look at him, trying to catch his attention, and Blaine slowly, as slowly as possible, turns his head towards him with his best look of disdain.

Aka Blaine’s Bitch Please Number 5, copyright pending.

Kurt tilts his head towards the two couples and nods a couple of times, his eyebrows raising, as if suggesting …

“Have you lost your mind, Hummel?” Blaine hisses, recoiling from Kurt. “What exactly in that disaster of an evening gave you the impression that it was going to end in a big tonguefest?”

The kissing soundtrack ends, but Blaine cannot look away from the look of fury and shame that takes over Kurt’s face.

“Like it would be such a burden to try and improve this shitty evening with some make out with me?” Kurt retorts before sticking his nose in the air.

Blaine opens and closes his mouth a couple of times, looking for support from one of the bystanders. Funnily enough, none of the foursome looks his way.

Such an interesting sidewalk.

“A burden, maybe not,” Blaine replies, his temper getting the best of him. “But definitely not a pleasure either. You think this is all a game?”

“A game?”

Kurt’s voice is back to being sickly sweet, and it makes Blaine see red.

“Yeah a game. Are you here only so you can put a notch on your bedpost? Did you kiss the whole football team to prove something to yourself?”

“Blaine--”

“Buddy, you should stop right th--”

“No, you know what,” Blaine continues, unable and more importantly, unwilling, to stop now, because his crush on Kurt and his hopes at a high-school relationship just crashed and burned in the most ugly way, and he’s pissed. “I get that you want to defend him, because he’s your brother, and you want to defend him, because you feel like shit for everything you put him through and, or, because you are attracted to him or something--”

“Hey!”

“He’s got a point, Noah.”

“Hey!!”

“--but I’m done trying to coddle the poor little cheerleader who was bullied and uses his position at the top of the food chain to bully back.”

“Ex-cuse me?!”

Kurt stepped closer at some point during Blaine’s rant, and they’re practically in each other’s face.

“I see you, Hummel,” Blaine says between his teeth, his cheeks burning, “and I see that you entertain yourself by looking down on everybody that you deem beneath you. Guess what--you’re not better than anybody in this school, and you should get used to be average for the rest of your life.”

“How dare--”

“Guys, see you tomorrow at practice. Ladies, goodnight. Kurt … well, see you around the school, I guess.”

On his way back to his car, he can hear Quinn’s whisper echoing across the parking lot.

“Didn’t know he had it in him.”

---

Today

Blaine smoothes down his black shirt and checks his reflection in the mirror across the restaurant.

Unique was adamant that this was the blind date to end all blind dates--nay, the last blind date he would ever need to do, because his date was his soulmate.

Setting aside the fact that maybe, just maybe, Unique had a weird passion for Blaine’s love life, he was willing to try.

The appeal of romance, the thrill of maybe finding the one man who would make his heart race? Yes, Blaine was all for it.

Unique had only agreed to tell him the first name of the Mystery Soulmate, and that he was hot, and that he would wear something red.

And so shall he.

Hence the red pants.

The fact that they showcase his ass like no other pants in his closet is a definite bonus.

His beard is trimmed, for once, Blaine made sure to be on just the right side of hispter.

He cleans his glasses with the hem of his shirt before returning his attention to the door, looking for a tall man with a “perfect sense of fashion, you can’t miss him, Blaine, Kurt really does stand out in a crowd.”

That name made Blaine freeze, but he dismissed that feeling--it’s not such an unusual name, after all, is it.

Many men are called Kurt.

It’s New York after all, maybe Kurt just arrived from Europe and Blaine will get to explore all that Old continent vibe.

There is no reason for Unique’s Kurt to be Kurt Hummel.

God knows it’s water under a bridge, but the memory of his date with the head cheerleader, back when he was just starting at McKinley, still makes his face burn with shame.

How mean did he get, without any real provocation.

So the date was a doozy--that’s not a reason to tear into a guy who was just trying to survive highschool, just like Blaine did.

He had such a bad temper as a teenager--thank God for therapy and boxing (and yoga).

Oh well, Blaine tells himself, water under bridges.

He has grown, they all did. Kurt grew up too--Blaine wonders where he is now …

He can always check Facebook later, if the blind date doesn’t go as wonderfully as Unique predicted.

“I can’t believe this.”

Blaine looks towards the voice that just spoke--high, yet masculine, strangely familiar.

His eyes find a torso, toned and lean, covered in a red leopard sweater, and he looks up and up and--

And frankly, he can’t believe this either.

“Kurt? Hummel?!”

Because there is no doubt in his mind that this man is Kurt E. Hummel, all grown-up and glaring at him.

Something tells Blaine that he should not find this particular detail as hot as it does.

“Small world,” Kurt replies, arms crossed and index tapping his elbow.

Blaine leans back in his chair and reaches for his bowtie. “Indeed.”

They look at each other until Kurt has to move out one waiter’s way, and Blaine takes advantage of the few seconds of relief to compose himself.

“What should we do now?” Kurt says, probably more speaking to himself than asking an actual question.

Blaine doesn’t have to think too hard to decide how to reply. “Care for a do over?”

“Excuse me?”

The tone is still the same, superior and cutting, but Blaine has grown.

He doesn’t let it have the same crumpling effect.

“I think it’s safe to say that we both wish the … date we had, if we can call it that, never happened, correct?”

Kurt tilts his head to the side, and would you look at that jawline, it would feel amazing under my lips …

“I suppose.”

Blaine mentally slaps himself out of his fantasy. “Then I offer a do over. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other.”

Kurt squints at him, as if gauging him. “For real?”

Blaine puts his left hand over his heart and raises his right hand. “Scout’s honor.”

Kurt looks down, trying--and failing--to hide his smile. Then he pulls out the chair and sits down.

Blaine has no idea why he feels so relieved.

“Some things never change,” Kurt says softly. “Once a dork, always a dork.”

Blaine cocks one eyebrow at him and Kurt blushes, raising his hands in front of him. “Sorry, sorry, do over, my bad.”

“Hi,” Blaine replies, offering his hand. “I’m Blaine, you must be Kurt?”

Kurt considers the offer before shaking it. “Indeed. Very nice to meet you.”

Blaine barely manages to contain his beaming smile. “And you. Unique was particularly insistent that this was her best matchmaking.”

Kurt smirks at that, crossing his arms on the table. “Let’s see. So tell me, Blaine, what do you do?”

Blaine smiles at Kurt before answering.

Game on.

*

Somewhere between the main dish and the dessert, Blaine finds himself in a position he didn’t foresee.

He doesn’t want the evening to end.

Kurt is … the most interesting man Blaine has ever met.

Charming, smart, with a sharp sense of humor--all qualities that Blaine’s latest dates sorely lacked.

He asks Blaine many questions, pays attention to his replies, teases him a little bit about the whole Hipster™ look Blaine has going on, but in a playful way that is antithetic to how his younger self offered criticism.

The sparkle in his eyes in the soft candlelight does help to make this a delightful experience.

One that, as previously stated, Blaine doesn’t want to see ending.

“May I interest you gentlemen in a dessert?” Their waiter asks, and Blaine has a positive reply on the tip of his tongue when Kurt answers, “No, thank you.”

What?!

His dismay must show on his face, more than he’d like. Kurt frowns at him, and then his eyes widen in understanding.

“Oh, no!” He exclaims. “I didn’t mean--tonight has been great, but I know a wonderful place for cheesecake and they’re opened all night, and their soundtrack is more discreet so we could, you know, talk more peacefully, I just--”

Blaine reaches for one of Kurt’s flailing hands. “Thank you,” he says calmly, as calmly as he can that is, what with his heart beating madly against his ribs, rubbing his thumb over Kurt’s knuckles. “I would love that.”

Kurt opens his mouth and closes it, wrapping his fingers around Blaine’s hand. The corners of his mouth lift into a gentle, innocent smile. “I’m glad,” he replies, his voice slightly breathless. “So … cheesecake?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“It’s not in this neighborhood though.”

“I don’t mind, we can use some walking before such a treat.”

“Actually, it’s closer to my place.”

“In Bushwick?”

“Yes.”

Blaine only realizes now that he never let go of Kurt’s hand. There is a strange form of intimacy, in both the gesture and the words being said.

And Kurt hasn’t taken his hand away either.

“I don’t mind.”

Kurt’s eyes widen, and there is a barely perceptible tension in his hold on Blaine’s hand. “You … don’t?”

Blaine leans forward, covering their joined hands with his free one. “Tonight has been great indeed, I can only agree with you,” he says softly, keeping his eyes on Kurt. “And I don’t really want to see ending.”

“Same here,” Kurt replies, his earlier panic receding from his eyes. “We were both assholes as teenagers.”

“Just trying to survive in our own ways.”

“But now that I got to really talk to you,” Kurt continues, his eyes dropping to their joined hands, “I don’t know if I ever will want to say goodbye to you.”

“Who says you have to?”

Kurt’s smile widens until his eyes crinkle adorably. “Who indeed.”

*

The cheesecake turns into three, and changes into a walk on the banks of the Hudson river to watch the sunrise.

It’s only now, as the sky takes a pink, orange hue, that the conversation between the two men dwindles. The silence it leaves behind is comfortable, and Blaine mentally sends a thank you to Unique’s hunch.

They are perfectly matched, there is no doubt about that.

Kurt yawns before sitting on a bench, and Blaine follows his lead. Kurt keeps one arm over the back of the bench.

It only feels natural for Blaine to lean against it, stretching his legs with a sigh.

“Do you--” Kurt starts, a yawn cutting him short. “Do you have to go to work today?”

Blaine pets his beard, his eyelids closing on their own accord now that they are sitting down. “Nope,” he replies after thinking about it, popping the last sound. “You?”

“Maybe a couple of emails to appease the Powers that look over me,” Kurt replies, once again cut off by a yawn that makes his jaw pop.

(Blaine can hear it popping)

“But otherwise, free as a bird.”

“Wanna come sleep at my place?”

The words are out of Blaine’s mouth before he can rein them in, but for his defense, it’s sunrise and he didn’t get any sleep.

Not that he regrets it--the sleepless night or the offer--but it sounds a bit … a bit too forward.

Something dark appears in Kurt’s eyes. “Took you a decade, but you’re finally interested in a tonguefest, Anderson?”

Blaine can feel the tip of his ears heating up, and he straightens up, away from Kurt’s casual touch. “No! I mean yes!” he exclaims, backpedaling when Kurt’s face loses its teasing look. “I mean--,” he sighs, resting his elbows on his thighs. “You had to bring it up.”

Kurt’s laughter is slightly embarrassed. Blaine chances a look, and sure enough, Kurt’s face is turning a blotchy kind of pink.

Or maybe it’s the reflection of the sunrise on the Hudson.

Either way, it’s adorable.

“I couldn’t resist teasing you,” Kurt admits in a mumble.

“Fair enough.”

“F-fair?”

“Yeah, I deserve it--my teenage self was not a dream.”

Kurt barks out a laugh that ends in an undignified snort. “You and me both.”

“Glad we agree on that.”

“That being said,” Kurt continues, “I … I wouldn’t mind.”

“Mind what?”

The blush on Kurt’s cheeks only intensifies. “Oh God, you’re going to make me say it?”

“Yes please.”

Kurt squints at him before giving him a crooked smile. “Fair, uh?”

“Precisely.”

“Fine--Blaine Anderson, as a redo of our first, quasi non-existent date, would you like to bring this one to a close with a ki--hmph.”

Blaine doesn’t linger, and the kiss realistically lasts less than three seconds, four tops.

But it’s everything.

Soft and delicate, and yet powerful and Earth-shattering, if Blaine is being honest.

Kurt’s fingers barely brush against his cheek as they part, gentle like a fluttering wing. For a moment, Blaine loses himself in Kurt’s eyes, before closing his own and diving in for a second kiss.

As far as second kisses go, this one is to be remembered.

(They’re lucky it’s so early that the only witness to that kiss is a dog walker and her three dogs.)

--

Eventually, they part for the day, and Kurt is grateful for it.

While a good portion of him wanted nothing more than to take Blaine back to his apartment, get rid of that bowtie and those infuriating red pants, and test for himself the feeling of that hipster beard against his thighs (oh Lord yes), the rest of him still clings to his high school dreams.

Of dating Blaine Devon Anderson.

Of wooing him and being wooed in return.

Of having his romantic fantasy with a dreamboat of a man.

And now that they are adults, the dreamboat part is all too real.

Back then, sure, Kurt can admit that the persona he presented was pretty … abrasive, to say the least. He doesn’t blame Blaine for turning him down--even if he could have chosen other words to signify his disinterest …

Water under bridges, bygones etc., and Kurt is not entirely innocent in this matter.

Even after a decade, even with a beard and a pair of glasses, Kurt would have recognized him in any line-up.

Blaine Fucking Anderson.

Lying in his bed, Kurt allows himself to kick his feet in delight.

His teenage self would be delighted.

The moment Blaine had entered McKinley’s grounds, Kurt’s heart had started making somersaults that would have made Coach Sylvester very proud.

Kurt lost count of the number of times he wished he could have come to his defense when the rest of the school used the smaller boy as a punching ball.

Pushing Finn to offer a spot on the team to Blaine had been the right move, and seeing him in that red jacket only highlighted all the assets Kurt wanted by his side.

And then, that disastrous date night.

Over the years, Kurt has come to peace with it, with his behavior and the fact that while it cost him a potential boyfriend, it was the lightning bulb moment he needed to finally grow from an icy, kind of an asshole of a teenager into a confident and compassionate young man.

Blaine probably doesn’t know the impact he left on Kurt.

A ping from his phone derails Kurt from his walk down memory lane.

From Blaine

Can you sleep

Kurt smiles at his screen.

To Blaine

Nope

Me neither

I keep thinking about you

Is that too much

It’s too much, I’m sorry

Blaine

Honey

Calm down

Oh

What

I like that

Honey?

Hmhm

:D My honey bee?

Kurt Hummel I am blushing =^^=

Achievement then

Is it too much if I say that I want another date with you?

Not at all, keep going

May I invite you to come over to my place?

Keep going

And cook for you?

You can cook?

I am full of mysteries ;)

Cheeky

You like it, admit it

I do *///*

Good to know

Is that a yes though?

Cause I’d need to do some shopping (and cleaning)

I don’t mind if your place is a bit messy

Uh-huh, sure

Kurt looks around from his bed--apart from a pile of magazines and some clothes thrown over a chair, he’s no cleaning freak.

Wanna see my place, so you can calm down on the white tornado?

If you don’t mind, I’d rather see your apartment in the flesh when I see it for the first time

The romance of it, the promise hidden behind those words, make Kurt close his eyes for a moment, clutching his phone to his face.

Blaine Anderson, you charmer

… Really?

Not something I’ve been said often

Are you fishing for compliments? ;)

Nope--I just thought that while being romantic, I wasn’t good at it

At romance

Oh you’re good, trust me

I do

I will

Sooo tonight?

Count on me

Blaine texts him his address--Brooklyn too, just a different neighborhood--before bidding him a good day of rest.

With a kissy emoji.

*Holy shit*

Kurt is about to go a second date with a complete nerd.

His nerd.

It is on.

*

Blaine’s apartment looks like him.

The building is old fashioned but the apartment itself is pretty modern. Lots of light, comfortable furniture and knick-knacks on every shelf--Kurt can guess that some of them disappeared somewhere in Blaine’s room during his “cleaning”.

The kitchen is compact--a lot like the man presently using it, his back to Kurt while he sprinkles little pieces of chili flakes in a pan.

Kurt is sitting at the bar that links the kitchen to Blaine’s living room, and while his eyes cannot, for the life of him, move from Blaine’s ass (what), he lets his brain take unknown roads.

Like the ones that move the furniture around to fit his armchair and his bookshelf.

The ones cataloguing Blaine’s DVDs to see which ones are already in his collection.

The ones where Kurt can easily, so easily (too easily), see himself living here, for short.

It’s scarily exciting--a lot like Kurt pictures sky-diving.

“Ta-daaa.”

Kurt returns his attention to the man who is making all those changes happen in his mind without even knowing it.

On the counter, there are two plates that look absolutely divine. Pasta and shrimp--nothing too complicated, but it’s rich and creamy and it makes Kurt’s mouth water.

Like the man responsible for it, then.

“Linguine with creamy roasted tomatoes and grilled shrimps,” Blaine announces proudly as he grates lemon zest on top of the plate. “Buon appetito.”

Kurt is torn between devouring the dish or the cook himself.

He compromises, pulling Blaine towards him by grabbing his apron to press a kiss to his lips before picking up his fork.

He takes a bite and has to clamp his mouth before a truly pornographic moan comes out of his mouth.

Blaine’s cheeks are still bright pink when he sits down next to Kurt. “You like it?”

Kurt pauses mid-chew to nod enthusiastically. “That’s delicious,” he says, not even caring that he might have some sauce on his cheek.

(He does.)

(He actually looks like he used the sauce as a lipstick.)

(Not that it matters to Blaine.)

“I’m glad,” Blaine says, delicately twirling his fork until the pasta is wrapped around it. Kurt has to admit that Blaine has amazing table manners.

And that he’s jealous of a piece of cutlery when Blaine brings the forkful to his lips.

“What is it?” Blaine asks and Kurt mentally shakes himself from his trance. “Do I have something on my face? Or on my shirt?”

“Just something--” Kurt says, taking the situation to his advantage, cupping Blaine’s cheek and brushing his thumb across it, “--here, and it’s gone, there you go.”

Except that he keeps his hand in place and leans forward to kiss Blaine one more time.

And another.

And another one, that lasts longer.

“Does that dish heat up well?” he whispers against Blaine’s lips.

“I don’t know,” Blaine replies, bowing his head to kiss along the line of Kurt’s jaw. “I guess we’ll have to find out.”

“You read my min-hmph.”

They both stand up, and Kurt reaches to take Blaine’s face in both his hands, guiding his face to make the kiss dirtier.

Blaine presses himself against Kurt, wrapping his arms around his waist.

As delicious as the dish Blaine cooked was, it’s nothing compared to how sweet Kurt finds the sounds Blaine makes in the kiss, little moans and groans that go straight to his cock.

Kurt moves one of his hands away from Blaine’s cheek to slide it down his back and lower.

Blaine breaks the kiss and rests his forehead against Kurt’s chest, a whine building up in his throat.

“God,” he breathes out, “I want you so much.”

“Me too,” Kurt says as he kisses Blaine's cheeks, his nose, the small space between his eyebrows, “so fucking much. Room?”

“Room.”

When they have more time, when the need to touch each other is not as pressing, Kurt will take the time to look at Blaine’s room. He will tease him for the amount of bookshelves, for the collection of cameras littering every available space.

He will pose for the very same cameras when Blaine aims them at him.

But that’s for the future to see, because for now, Kurt couldn’t care less if the room was bare, as long as there was still a bed, a bottle of lube and a box of condoms.

Kurt would be hard pressed to tell who took off what from whom, but the end result is to his satisfaction, the moment he lands on the bed and Blaine climbs on top of him without any layer of clothing between them.

“Do you--what do--how do you,” Blaine says, his hands roaming up and down Kurt’s body.

Kurt looks up at him and smiles crookedly. “I have to say that I like the view.”

The blush on Blaine’s cheeks spreads to his neck and chest. Kurt reaches up to follow its path, caressing Blaine’s nipples in the process.

Blaine hisses, arching his body towards the touch. “Humph.”

“Ride me, honey,” Kurt says huskily, resting his hands on Blaine’s hips.

Blaine’s eyes turn even darker, a ring of hazel barely visible now in the soft light of his bedside lamp. “Great idea.”

“Mine usually are.”

“We’ll see.”

Kurt cocks one eyebrow at Blaine as he rolls a condom down his length. “Is that a challenge, Anderson?”

Blaine straightens up, rising to his knees to get his lube-covered fingers to his ass. “You bet, Hummel.”

A laugh bubbles up in Kurt’s throat, and he bucks up his hips to brush his cock to Blaine’s ass cheeks. “Hurry up, honey.”

“So impatient,” Blaine says softly, eyes closed as he fingers himself opened. “How long have you been waiting for this?”

“Probably as long as you have.”

“Hmmmm, probably.”

“Aren’t you ready?”

“Hmmm feels good, gimme a minute.”

Kurt looks at Blaine, the way he undulates his body, fucking himself above him, and something snaps.

So he reaches for the option standing proudly in front of him. Wrapping his fingers around Blaine’s hard cock, Kurt strokes it a couple of times before cupping his balls.

Blaine’s eyes fly open and his hands are on Kurt’s shoulders in a flash, pressing him down onto the mattress while he lowers himself down Kurt’s cock.

They both let out a noise of contentment as they finally get what they wanted, and Kurt returns his hands to Blaine’s hips. His thumbs draws circles onto the V drawn here, leading to Blaine’s nest of pubic hair.

“See,” he says, his breath already coming out in pants as Blaine moves on top of him. “A great idea.”

“Hm-hmm.”

“Blaine …”

“Hm?”

“Look at me, honey,” Kurt says softly.

Blaine blinks his eyes open again, and he slows down as a soft smile stretches his lips.

“You’re amazing.”

Blaine’s smile widens.

“I bet I can make you come before I do.”

The smile turns predatory, and Blaine rises to his knees again, keeping only the tip of Kurt’s cock inside of him before dropping without a warning.

The pace is relentless, and Kurt almost regrets turning it into yet another challenge.

Almost.

Because it’s so good, and once he manages to get over the initial shock, he gives back as good as Blaine gives.

At some point, Blaine removes his hands from Kurt’s shoulders, steadying himself with his palms flat against Kurt’s chest.

Kurt can feel his orgasm building up, and while Blaine’s movements are getting less precise, he can’t tell how close he is.

Desperate orgasm times call for desperate pleasuring measures.

Kurt sits up, wrapping one arm around Blaine’s torso while his other hand goes back to pumping Blaine’s cock.

Blaine is sitting flushed in his lap now, and the kiss they exchange is more an exchange of moans and panted breath than an actual kiss.

“I’m … close,” Kurt says, his hand resting on the swell of Blaine’s ass.

“Me … too--oh God Kurt yes just like that, I’m going to--I …”

With a desperate shouted whine, Blaine comes all over Kurt’s fingers, spurts of come landing on both their chests.

The sounds, the sensation, the whole build-up is enough to drive Kurt over the crest of his pleasure, and he smothers his shout in Blaine’s neck as he fills up the condom.

They stay in their position for a minute (or a lifetime, it’s a tomahto-tomayto kind of deal as far as Kurt is concerned) before Blaine pulls away, just enough to look Kurt in the eyes.

Sweat covers his face and beard, and stray curls are stuck to his forehead. His cheeks are flushed, and the sperm on his chest is starting to congeal.

He has never looked more perfect in Kurt’s eyes.

“I guess you won,” Blaine says, voice hoarse.

“Uh?”

“I came first.”

“Ah, yeah,” Kurt huffs a laugh. “I guess I did win.”

Blaine hums, rolling off of Kurt to lay down on his back on the bed.

Kurt rolls the other way, planning on going to the bathroom and find something to clean them both up.

As he stands up, Blaine lets out a small laugh.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking how things have changed between us.”

“Hm?”

“From hating each other to--”

“To … not hating each other?”

They both smile shyly at each other. “I honestly can say that I don’t hate you at all, Kurt Hummel.”

“Ditto, Blaine Anderson.”

“When you come back, do you care for a … rematch?”

Kurt can feel his cock valiantly trying to get up again already at the way Blaine wiggles his eyebrows.

At the picture he makes on top of his dark sheets, tan skin glinting like some sort of ancient golden statue.

A picture of hedonism.

“You’re on.”

~The End~

[chirpsythismorning]

I’m just gonna say this (in case) to save us from possible embarrassment, but I’m pretty sure the only people that have spoken publicly about when filming starts, was first David who said summer, then reiterated June. Followed by Noah who said May. And more recently Finn who has also said May. This means all it would take is another actor or multiple to come forward and essentially debunk the theory that only Finn and Noah start in May, by saying they too start in May…

Don’t get me wrong! I’m not trying to rule this out as being a possibility at all, nor am I trying to bring people’s hopes down! I just wanted to provide some context before this gets spread like it’s official, only for it to be debunked and for everyone on here to be bummed.

When David first mentioned when he’d start filming, it was in the middle of a question about him juggling another film he would be working on at the same time during summer 2023. So, it’s possible that he’s just waiting until June to start filming because it works better with scheduling alongside his other production.

When Noah first mentioned when he’d start filming, he talked about how he would start in May and how that worked out perfectly for him because his first year attending Penn will be complete in May (May 9th).

When Finn first mentioned when he’d start filming, there honestly wasn’t much he mentioned beyond the month filming would start. Though, I will say that Finn is currently filming the sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife until May. And so understandably he could very well have easily been in the same position as David, waiting until June, though apparently that’s not the plan at this time.

Tbh I think it’s very likely that filming will start in May for anyone/everyone in the cast that is available at that time (prioritizing filming for 5x01/5x02 most likely).

With s5, they’re going back to standard practice for filming tv shows, which means starting filming a new season while still in the process of writing the final episodes of that same season. Though it’s very possible (and likely) they could film some scenes out of order, it would be in their best interest, and especially with the younger cast-members in mind, to go in order by episode as much as they can.

But still, when you’re working with over a dozen A & B list actors, it’s hard to get everyone’s schedules to overlap. They’re obviously going to do their best to make each of the cast-members schedules work best for them and their other obligations, while also working each of their availability around each other so that they can film together.

At the very least it’s still good to know that Noah and Finn start filming around the same time bc it does presumably mean that they are trying to make at least those twos scheduling overlap from the start, meaning that they are likely to have scenes together in early s5.

But still, I wouldn’t be surprised if and when other cast-members join the mix and inform fans that they also start in May.

[digitalbloodhound]

Top 10

Research and picks

Killing Eve

A British spy thriller TV show produced by BBC, primarily starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh, based on the Villanelle novel series by Luke Jennings. The show centers around Eve Polastri, a bored British intelligence agent who gets involved in a web of assassinations committed by the psychopathic Villanelle (played by Comer), Eve and Villanelle form a unparalleled obsession with each other, which proves to be pretty fatal. Season One was written primarily by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and season 2 by Emerald Fennell. The series has been renewed for a third and fourth season now, with the third set to release this spring. The show has been nominated for just abut every award under the sun and has nabbed a golden globe, emmy, 5 BRIT awards, a SAG award, a Peabody award, and more.

Naps

The tradition of napping dates back thousands of years, with modern-day siestas originating in Spain. Spain’s influence has led to siestas becoming common in Spanish-speaking nations around the world, as well as Greece, Italy, The Philippines, Nigeria, and more. Siestas typically occur in hot climates, allowing people to sleep though the hottest part of the day and avoid the sun’s strong midday rays.

While the siesta has changed over time, it was once thought to be a physical necessity. It’s believed that Spain introduced the siesta centuries ago to provide their farmers with a time to rest during peak temperatures.

Though Spaniards are now famous for their daily two-hour break, the origins of the afternoon nap go back much further, dating back to ancient Islam. The practice was recorded in Islamic Law and was also written about in the Koran. Romans also regularly took daily naps.

Although the siesta is still popular today, it has evolved over time. Siestas have evolved into a time to break up the workday and see family.

Naps can restore alertness, enhance performance, reduce mistakes and accidents, and even help improve memory. SleepFoundation.org also states there are 3 types of napping: planned napping, emergency napping, and habitual napping.

Parasite

A 2019 black comedy thriller film directed and written by Bong Joon Ho co-written with Han Jin-won, filmed in South Korea. The film centers on the Kim family, who are in desperate need of work, they become involved with the wealthy Park family. Through deceit and some twists, the family’s paths become complicated and lies threaten to unravel, the families connection even becomes deadly. The film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, and Lee Jung-eun.

This film won international acclaim, was nominated for numerous awards and even took home 4 Oscars, 2 BAFTAs, a Plame d’Or award, a Golden Globe, a SAG award, and more.

Parasite is so popular it has gone on to even be optioned as an expanded series on HBO. The film also took in 257 million US dollars, a healthy amount over its 11.4-million-dollar budget.

Guitar/Learning Guitar/Guitar Solos

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings.[1] It is typically played with both hands by strumming or plucking the strings with either a guitar pick or the fingers/fingernails of one hand, while simultaneously fretting (pressing the strings against the frets) with the fingers of the other hand. The sound of the vibrating strings is projected either acoustically, by means of the hollow chamber of the guitar (for an acoustic guitar), or through an electrical amplifier and a speaker.

The guitar is a type of chordophone, traditionally constructed from wood and strung with either gut, nylon or steel strings and distinguished from other chordophones by its construction and tuning. The modern guitar was preceded by the gittern, the vihuela, the four-course Renaissance guitar, and the five-course baroque guitar, all of which contributed to the development of the modern six-string instrument.

The guitar has become popular in multiple iterations: acoustic, electric, bass. The guitar has also been popular through most any genre of music—whether is be pop, punk, classical, or country.

A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music written for a classical guitar, electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. In the 20th and 21st century traditional music and popular music such as blues, swing, jazz, jazz fusion, rock and metal guitar solos often contain virtuoso techniques and varying degrees of improvisation. Guitar solos on classical guitar, which are typically written in musical notation, are also used in classical music forms such as chamber music and concertos.

Guitar solos range from unaccompanied works for a single guitar to compositions with accompaniment from a few other instruments or a large ensemble. The accompaniment musicians for a guitar solo can range from a small ensemble such as a jazz quartet or a rock band, to a large ensemble such as an orchestra or big band. Unaccompanied acoustic guitar music is found in folk and classical music dating as far back as the instrument has existed, and the use of an acoustic guitar as a solo voice within an ensemble dates back at least to the Baroque concerto.

Electric guitar solos are among the most popular type of guitar solo, especially during the height of rock and roll music. “Shredding” and guitar solos go hand in hand, and guitar solos can come about in most any portion of a song. What guitar solo or style of guitar solo is best is a hotly debated topic.

Learning guitar can be done several ways, even without knowing music theory. Some famous guitarist learn the instrument all on their own, these days many video and online tools are available for the amateur guitarist. Books and instructional CDs or DvDs developed over time too. The instrument, like anything, can be difficult to master but, is worth it when you can create music.

Halo Top Ice Cream

According to its website: “Halo Top is light ice cream that actually tastes like ice cream.” The brand started at first with just four flavors but, has expanded as time goes on/ Cookies and cream, candy bar, sea salt caramel, birthday cake, chocolate, and more flavors are available for between 280-380 calories per pint. Delicious and (semi) nutritious. The ice cream comes in pint sizes, decorated with an ice cream scoop that states the calories per pint and a tub the shows off the facets of the flavor. The cap on the pint has a gold edge—hence the name Halo Top. Halo Top also has dairy pints, dairy free pints, keto options, and ice cream pops.

Screen Writing

Screen writing is the writing of a script for a film or TV program (on-screen, hence the name). Screen writing can be adaptive, adapting material that has already been created (like a book, comic, play, etc.) or screen writing can be original—creating entirely new content for the screen. Playwrights were some of the earliest recognized screenwriters, and these days awards and recognition is more readily given out for screenwriters in TV or film. Screenwriters often do double duty on set as well, with more and more screenwriters also operating as actors, directors, producers, or more on set.

Free College

Free college has been offered in a few capacities in the United States. Once you join the military for instance, you can go to college for free (with a few stipulations). Free college has also become a political standpoint that has been a touchstone of recent elections. Debt forgiveness is another facet of free college, for example New Yorkers who attend a state college will have debt forgiven with the Excelsior Scholarship, public servants for 10 years, teachers teaching at a school in need for four years, and more small subcategories of college grads—qualify for debt forgiveness. Free college is becoming a more widespread issue, in 2014, Germany's 16 states abolished tuition fees for undergraduate students at all public German universities. Five countries that offer a free or low-cost college education are Norway, Finland, Sweden, Germany, and France. For many U.S. students contemplating moving abroad for college, a key consideration is finding a program of study that is taught in English.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is an American science fiction, drama-horror web television series created by the Duffer Brothers and released on Netflix. The twins also serve as executive producers with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The series premiered on Netflix on July 15, 2016. Set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the first season focuses on the investigation into the disappearance of a young boy amid supernatural events occurring around the town, including the appearance of a girl with psychokinetic abilities. The series stars an ensemble cast including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery and Cara Buono.

The Duffer Brothers developed the series as a mix of investigative drama alongside supernatural elements portrayed with horror, science fiction and childlike sensibilities. Setting the series in the 1980s, the Duffer Brothers infused references to the pop culture of that decade while several themes and directorial aspects were inspired primarily by the works of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Stephen King, as well as anime and video games. They also took inspiration from strange experiments that took place during the Cold War and real world conspiracy theories involving secret government experiments.

Stranger Things has attracted record viewership on Netflix and has a broad, active, and international fan base. The series has received critical acclaim for its characterization, pacing, atmosphere, acting, soundtrack, directing, writing, and homages to 1980s films. The series has received multiple awards and nominations including 31 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, four Golden Globe Award nominations, a British Academy Television Award nomination, two Directors Guild of America Award nominations, three Writers Guild of America Award nominations, and three Grammy Award nominations. It has won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, two American Film Institute awards, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and three People's Choice Awards, among others. In September 2019, the series was renewed for a fourth season. The Duffer Brothers have said that Stranger Things is likely to end after its fourth or fifth season.

Callie Anne Diestelkamp (my cat)

Adopted June of 2012 at 2 months old, Callie is the youngest member of the Diestelkamp family. She is a rather skinny and loud but loveable cat. She is believed to be an American shorthair although her white coat with black splotches gives away no information on breed. Callie is disinterested by toys, loves food, enjoys forts and blankets and DISPISES most other cats. She is adorable and loved by all (especially me). She is almost 8, and is moving and grooving like a kitten.

Printmaking

Printmaking is an artistic process based on the principle of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface, most often paper or fabric. Traditional printmaking techniques include woodcut, etching, engraving, and lithography, while modern artists have expanded available techniques to include screenprinting.

A matrix is essentially a template, and can be made of wood, metal, or glass. The design is created on the matrix by working its flat surface with either tools or chemicals. The matrix is then inked in order to transfer it onto the desired surface. To print from a matrix requires the application of controlled pressure, most often achieved by using a printing press, which creates an even impression of the design when it is printed onto the paper or fabric. (More modern printmaking techniques, such as screenprinting, do not require a press.) The resulting print is often the mirror image of the original design on the matrix. One of the great benefits of printmaking (save for monotype) is that multiple impressions of the same design can be printed from a single matrix.

[michaelfallcon]

Heavy On Coffee Consumption, Slovenia Takes To Specialty

Slovenians are among the most enthusiastic coffee drinkers in Europe, and they may even be the champions in terms of caffeine consumption. According to Caffeine Informer, Slovenia consumes the fourth-most coffee by weight in the world (6.1 kg per capita) and their preferred preparation of coffee is Turkish. Not the thimble-sized portions you might be imagining, but rather giant, tar-rich mugs—full, several times a day, spiked with sugar and milk—lots of both. The world’s top three coffee consumers (Finland, Norway, and The Netherlands) tend to prefer filter roast (according to Nordic Coffee Culture, it’s the choice of 94% of Finns). Caffeine Informer estimates around 120 mg of caffeine per 12 fl. oz cup of filter coffee, but Slovenians will often take a 12 fl. oz mug of Turkish coffee for breakfast and another after lunch, each one bursting with an estimated 300 mg of caffeine. 86% of the 8,800 tons of coffee per year sold in Slovenia is ground coffee sold for Turkish preparation, with the former Yugoslav brand, Barcaffe, owning three-quarters of the market, as it has for decades.

This was once the only game in town. Prior to Slovenia’s independence in 1991 and subsequent entry into the EU, Barcaffe was among the precious few options available when it came to coffee (to buy other brands, Slovenes had to drive to Italy or Austria). There’s a bit of patriotic pride to drinking it, since it was a nationalized brand during the socialist period, but nowadays, with innumerable options available, it’s become a matter of habit. Slovenians drink espresso when out at bars, inspired by their Italian neighbors (Trieste, the home of Illy, is just across the border, and until World War I, was the largest city in Slovenia, before it was ceded to Italy), but it’s dark-roasted Turkish at the breakfast table. When visiting friends, bringing a bag of Barcaffe is standard practice as a thank-you-for-hosting-me gift. So, for a nation that was raised, for generations, on “boil three times” Turkish coffee prepared at home—introducing specialty coffee has been an uphill battle.

With a population of just two million, and a minuscule mass of culturati based almost exclusively in the capital, Ljubljana (population 300,000), Slovenia’s coffee landscape is occupied by very few players. When I asked Aleš Turšič, a founder of Stow Coffee Roasters in the charming mountain town of Kamnik, about the specialty coffee scene in Slovenia, he could list its protagonists on one and a half hands. The first in Ljubljana was Tine Čokl, founder of Čokl, a miniature coffee bar in the shadow of Ljubljana Castle. In Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city, he named Grega Blažič. On a nationwide (but still boutique) scale stand Omar and Katja Escobar.

Omar and Katja Escobar

From Honduras, With Love

Katja Escobar hails from Vrhnika, a town just southwest of Ljubljana with a cultural association with coffee. Slovenia’s most famous prose writer, Ivan Cankar (1876-1918), published a short story, “Skodelica Kave” (A Cup of Coffee), in which he evokes a Proustian moment and asks his mother to bring him a cup of coffee, while writing in his room in Vrhnika. The Escobars first met while both working on a cruise ship—Omar moved from his native Honduras to Katja’s  town, where they began a modest coffee roastery—Escobar Roastery—in their garage. They often travel back to visit family in Honduras, or explore other coffee countries, meet farmers, and arrange to ship green coffee to Slovenia to roast and sell there.

The Escobars are the most successful boutique roasters in Slovenia because they’ve found a sort of halfway sweet spot to convince Slovenians to drink better coffee. They produce single-origin roasts and sell them in bags with one-way degassing valves, but they grind for Turkish preparation (careful to include instructions not to boil the coffee, especially not three times). Not long ago, every Slovenian home had a hand mill for grinding coffee beans, but these days folks want speed at the sacrifice of quality and prefer pre-ground offerings. It is a harder revolution to muster, to get Slovenians to shift away from their mugs of Turkish coffee, and so the better part of valor was to offer them a better coffee to prepare the way they’re used to.

Escobar Roastery also appeals to the traditional home drinker’s market by offering very popular (though, they are aware, uncool among coffee crusaders) flavored options, like salted caramel (guilty as charged: I love this and enjoy drinking it as a sort of dessert). If they had their druthers, the Escobars would encourage the public to shift to other preparations and focus on cuppings and flavor profiles (and to stop flooding the mugs with milk and sugar), but the national atmosphere and habits still feel a long way from that. And so, they’ve devised a midway option that has allowed them to become the best-selling specialty roaster in the country.

Aleš Turšič

The Genius Loci of Slovenian Roasting

If you’re looking for a pro to roast coffee in Slovenia, Aleš Turšič is the go-to specialist. He learned the trade from the back forwards, one might say—his father-in-law was one of the few and first technicians specialized in repairing espresso machines in Yugoslavia, and Turšič worked alongside him. His interest in roasting grew from a visit to Coffee Source in Prague, where he learned the basics from Tomaš Hudec. He also trained with Damian Burghes from Vergnano SCA Academy and Patrick O’Malley of IBCA Coffee Academy. Stow Coffee Roasters, established in the former premises of the Stol (pronounced “stow”) chair factory, is ground zero in Slovenia for experimental roasting, cuppings, workshops for amateurs and professionals, and more. Yet, it’s basically a four-person operation, with Turšič roasting, and colleagues Peter Shevich running workshops and demos, and Damir Jusovic on marketing (with Turšič’s wife, Tanja Turšič, handling the bureaucracy).

Aleš Turšič is still searching for the best business model to bring Slovenians into specialty coffee modernity. He estimates that there are probably just a few hundred hardcore regulars, converts we might say, who go out of their way to try specialty coffees roasted to bring out the best of a coffee’s terroir. “It takes time and patience to sell consumers the story of great coffee,” he says, for them to understand that it will differ from the cliché coffee taste they’re used to. It may be the same beans, but a totally alternative experience, one more akin to tea or fine wines, exploring earthy, floral, or fruit notes. “There’s no need to explain this to those already in the fold,” he says, “but for newcomers, it takes a sales pitch. Slovenians who are willing to try inevitably like it, but they disassociate it with coffee. It would almost be easier if it were called something else entirely.” Still, they may opt for it when out at a hip cafe, but when preparing something at home, aside from those few hundred converts, people still want to make their morning cup in a Turkish copper džezve.

Alexander Nino Ruiz. Photo by Primoz Korosec.

The Best Colombian Coffee in Ljubljana

Telling a story behind each cup is painstaking work, but it is undertaken with enthusiasm by Alexander Niño Ruiz, a charismatic Colombian architect who moved to Poland, fell in love with a Slovenian there, and now runs Črno Zrno (Black Bean), an espresso-cup-sized coffee bar in the medieval heart of Ljubljana. It is regularly packed (which, admittedly, isn’t hard to do, since it’s probably about two meters wide and five meters deep) with locals, but also a steady stream of tourists. It was the only cafe recommended in a New York Times feature on Ljubljana, and this has resulted in its position as the primary target for coffee-hungry travelers.

The coffee is beautiful, with Ruiz sourcing from remote farms in his native Colombia, but he himself is really the star of the operation. People come in to chat with him… and to drink good coffee, but in that order. He’s been told by many customers that if they ever spotted someone else behind the bar, they probably wouldn’t come in. The result of Črno Zrno’s unique layout is that Ruiz speaks, one on one, with each customer, sounds them out about what they’d like to drink, introduces them to new roasts that he’s excited about, and otherwise presents them with a story, not just a list of coffees that most drinkers haven’t heard of. He is the selling point, and those who visit will try anything he recommends.

Crno Zrno Cafe. Photo by Primoz Korosec.

Converting Slovenians One Story at a Time

This story-first approach is slow, with the biggest headway in introducing specialty coffee to Slovenia and Croatia made through tastings at coffee festivals. The Escobars have introduced an annual coffee festival in their hometown of Vrhnika, drawing lines of customers eager not just to buy good coffee, but to buy it specifically from Katja and Omar, to chat with them about it, and get tips on preparing it. Ruiz has his own line of coffees that Turšič roasts for him, and they are experimenting with subscription mail-order beans or ground coffee business models—anything to make the transition to specialty coffee as easy as possible for stuck-in-their-ways customers.

For now, Slovenia remains a country with a love for coffee of a certain type, and it is upon the shoulders of the specialty coffee revolutionaries to woo the drinkers and bring them into the fold, one cup—and one story—at a time.

Dr. Noah Charney is a Pulitzer finalist and best-selling author and professor of Art History based in Slovenia. This is Noah Charney’s first feature for Sprudge. 

Photos by Primoz Korosec.

The post Heavy On Coffee Consumption, Slovenia Takes To Specialty appeared first on Sprudge.

Heavy On Coffee Consumption, Slovenia Takes To Specialty published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shebreathesslowly]

Heavy On Coffee Consumption, Slovenia Takes To Specialty

Slovenians are among the most enthusiastic coffee drinkers in Europe, and they may even be the champions in terms of caffeine consumption. According to Caffeine Informer, Slovenia consumes the fourth-most coffee by weight in the world (6.1 kg per capita) and their preferred preparation of coffee is Turkish. Not the thimble-sized portions you might be imagining, but rather giant, tar-rich mugs—full, several times a day, spiked with sugar and milk—lots of both. The world’s top three coffee consumers (Finland, Norway, and The Netherlands) tend to prefer filter roast (according to Nordic Coffee Culture, it’s the choice of 94% of Finns). Caffeine Informer estimates around 120 mg of caffeine per 12 fl. oz cup of filter coffee, but Slovenians will often take a 12 fl. oz mug of Turkish coffee for breakfast and another after lunch, each one bursting with an estimated 300 mg of caffeine. 86% of the 8,800 tons of coffee per year sold in Slovenia is ground coffee sold for Turkish preparation, with the former Yugoslav brand, Barcaffe, owning three-quarters of the market, as it has for decades.

This was once the only game in town. Prior to Slovenia’s independence in 1991 and subsequent entry into the EU, Barcaffe was among the precious few options available when it came to coffee (to buy other brands, Slovenes had to drive to Italy or Austria). There’s a bit of patriotic pride to drinking it, since it was a nationalized brand during the socialist period, but nowadays, with innumerable options available, it’s become a matter of habit. Slovenians drink espresso when out at bars, inspired by their Italian neighbors (Trieste, the home of Illy, is just across the border, and until World War I, was the largest city in Slovenia, before it was ceded to Italy), but it’s dark-roasted Turkish at the breakfast table. When visiting friends, bringing a bag of Barcaffe is standard practice as a thank-you-for-hosting-me gift. So, for a nation that was raised, for generations, on “boil three times” Turkish coffee prepared at home—introducing specialty coffee has been an uphill battle.

With a population of just two million, and a minuscule mass of culturati based almost exclusively in the capital, Ljubljana (population 300,000), Slovenia’s coffee landscape is occupied by very few players. When I asked Aleš Turšič, a founder of Stow Coffee Roasters in the charming mountain town of Kamnik, about the specialty coffee scene in Slovenia, he could list its protagonists on one and a half hands. The first in Ljubljana was Tine Čokl, founder of Čokl, a miniature coffee bar in the shadow of Ljubljana Castle. In Maribor, Slovenia’s second-largest city, he named Grega Blažič. On a nationwide (but still boutique) scale stand Omar and Katja Escobar.

Omar and Katja Escobar

From Honduras, With Love

Katja Escobar hails from Vrhnika, a town just southwest of Ljubljana with a cultural association with coffee. Slovenia’s most famous prose writer, Ivan Cankar (1876-1918), published a short story, “Skodelica Kave” (A Cup of Coffee), in which he evokes a Proustian moment and asks his mother to bring him a cup of coffee, while writing in his room in Vrhnika. The Escobars first met while both working on a cruise ship—Omar moved from his native Honduras to Katja’s  town, where they began a modest coffee roastery—Escobar Roastery—in their garage. They often travel back to visit family in Honduras, or explore other coffee countries, meet farmers, and arrange to ship green coffee to Slovenia to roast and sell there.

The Escobars are the most successful boutique roasters in Slovenia because they’ve found a sort of halfway sweet spot to convince Slovenians to drink better coffee. They produce single-origin roasts and sell them in bags with one-way degassing valves, but they grind for Turkish preparation (careful to include instructions not to boil the coffee, especially not three times). Not long ago, every Slovenian home had a hand mill for grinding coffee beans, but these days folks want speed at the sacrifice of quality and prefer pre-ground offerings. It is a harder revolution to muster, to get Slovenians to shift away from their mugs of Turkish coffee, and so the better part of valor was to offer them a better coffee to prepare the way they’re used to.

Escobar Roastery also appeals to the traditional home drinker’s market by offering very popular (though, they are aware, uncool among coffee crusaders) flavored options, like salted caramel (guilty as charged: I love this and enjoy drinking it as a sort of dessert). If they had their druthers, the Escobars would encourage the public to shift to other preparations and focus on cuppings and flavor profiles (and to stop flooding the mugs with milk and sugar), but the national atmosphere and habits still feel a long way from that. And so, they’ve devised a midway option that has allowed them to become the best-selling specialty roaster in the country.

Aleš Turšič

The Genius Loci of Slovenian Roasting

If you’re looking for a pro to roast coffee in Slovenia, Aleš Turšič is the go-to specialist. He learned the trade from the back forwards, one might say—his father-in-law was one of the few and first technicians specialized in repairing espresso machines in Yugoslavia, and Turšič worked alongside him. His interest in roasting grew from a visit to Coffee Source in Prague, where he learned the basics from Tomaš Hudec. He also trained with Damian Burghes from Vergnano SCA Academy and Patrick O’Malley of IBCA Coffee Academy. Stow Coffee Roasters, established in the former premises of the Stol (pronounced “stow”) chair factory, is ground zero in Slovenia for experimental roasting, cuppings, workshops for amateurs and professionals, and more. Yet, it’s basically a four-person operation, with Turšič roasting, and colleagues Peter Shevich running workshops and demos, and Damir Jusovic on marketing (with Turšič’s wife, Tanja Turšič, handling the bureaucracy).

Aleš Turšič is still searching for the best business model to bring Slovenians into specialty coffee modernity. He estimates that there are probably just a few hundred hardcore regulars, converts we might say, who go out of their way to try specialty coffees roasted to bring out the best of a coffee’s terroir. “It takes time and patience to sell consumers the story of great coffee,” he says, for them to understand that it will differ from the cliché coffee taste they’re used to. It may be the same beans, but a totally alternative experience, one more akin to tea or fine wines, exploring earthy, floral, or fruit notes. “There’s no need to explain this to those already in the fold,” he says, “but for newcomers, it takes a sales pitch. Slovenians who are willing to try inevitably like it, but they disassociate it with coffee. It would almost be easier if it were called something else entirely.” Still, they may opt for it when out at a hip cafe, but when preparing something at home, aside from those few hundred converts, people still want to make their morning cup in a Turkish copper džezve.

Alexander Nino Ruiz. Photo by Primoz Korosec.

The Best Colombian Coffee in Ljubljana

Telling a story behind each cup is painstaking work, but it is undertaken with enthusiasm by Alexander Niño Ruiz, a charismatic Colombian architect who moved to Poland, fell in love with a Slovenian there, and now runs Črno Zrno (Black Bean), an espresso-cup-sized coffee bar in the medieval heart of Ljubljana. It is regularly packed (which, admittedly, isn’t hard to do, since it’s probably about two meters wide and five meters deep) with locals, but also a steady stream of tourists. It was the only cafe recommended in a New York Times feature on Ljubljana, and this has resulted in its position as the primary target for coffee-hungry travelers.

The coffee is beautiful, with Ruiz sourcing from remote farms in his native Colombia, but he himself is really the star of the operation. People come in to chat with him… and to drink good coffee, but in that order. He’s been told by many customers that if they ever spotted someone else behind the bar, they probably wouldn’t come in. The result of Črno Zrno’s unique layout is that Ruiz speaks, one on one, with each customer, sounds them out about what they’d like to drink, introduces them to new roasts that he’s excited about, and otherwise presents them with a story, not just a list of coffees that most drinkers haven’t heard of. He is the selling point, and those who visit will try anything he recommends.

Crno Zrno Cafe. Photo by Primoz Korosec.

Converting Slovenians One Story at a Time

This story-first approach is slow, with the biggest headway in introducing specialty coffee to Slovenia and Croatia made through tastings at coffee festivals. The Escobars have introduced an annual coffee festival in their hometown of Vrhnika, drawing lines of customers eager not just to buy good coffee, but to buy it specifically from Katja and Omar, to chat with them about it, and get tips on preparing it. Ruiz has his own line of coffees that Turšič roasts for him, and they are experimenting with subscription mail-order beans or ground coffee business models—anything to make the transition to specialty coffee as easy as possible for stuck-in-their-ways customers.

For now, Slovenia remains a country with a love for coffee of a certain type, and it is upon the shoulders of the specialty coffee revolutionaries to woo the drinkers and bring them into the fold, one cup—and one story—at a time.

Dr. Noah Charney is a Pulitzer finalist and best-selling author and professor of Art History based in Slovenia. This is Noah Charney’s first feature for Sprudge. 

Photos by Primoz Korosec.

The post Heavy On Coffee Consumption, Slovenia Takes To Specialty appeared first on Sprudge.

from Sprudge https://ift.tt/2NNYVdM

[zularchie915308-blog]

Melaka Heritage Walk.

In the real life, there are actually preferred self-defense suggestions and also there are established self defense strategies. Due to the opportunity from James Hope's compensation in 1870 and also literary huge Mark Twain's (November 30, 1835 - April 21, 1910) see in 1871, the chasm was actually called Watkins Glen, as well as the spring, with merely a run-down reminder of its milling prime time, was actually named Glen Creek. Currently, Google.com performs deal with a little of a faucet dance below, where it can not contend also tough along with the existing Android phones available because a lot its presence is actually based on its Android mobile phone system software sustaining international market prominence and this definitely carries out not want to find a third Operating System jump into the mix.

Created almost 400 years ago, Hartford is among the earliest metropolitan areas in the United States Great American writer and humorist Score Twain the moment stated, Of all the beautiful Power4u-Blogonline.info towns it has actually been my fortune to find Hartford is actually the main." It's certainly not tough to imagine a younger Tom Sawyer or even Huckleberry Finn tooling down a Midwest river below - as a matter of fact, Twain called Hartford his home between 1874 and also 1891 and composed The Journeys of Tom Sawyer" and also The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in a 19-room Victorian Gothic property. On a street that has actually been actually mostly overtaken with new construction, the garage has continued to be, and the visual top qualities of the three-story property in addition to the garage are accurately evocative afterward duration, with its own aged, yellowing front and opulent brick emphases. In the United Kingdom many towns will certainly describe their primary freeway as the High Street (in the United States and also Canada it would certainly be actually gotten in touch with the Key Street-- having said that, from time to time "Key Street" in a city or even town is a street apart from the de facto primary highway), and much of the methods entering it will definitely be called "Roadway" even with the city setup. Market Center, formerly called the Criterion Oil Buildings and also later the Chevron Platforms, is actually a sophisticated consisting of pair of high-rises at 555-575 Market Street in the Financial District of downtown San Francisco, The golden state That functioned as the head office from the Chevron Corporation until 2001. I always do a questionnaire of second hand establishments when I go somewhere new, to create a type of mental stock: this set possesses fantastic outfits; this set is actually messed up so ensure you simply go when you have considerable amounts of time to dig; this set is actually also costly; this is actually absolute best for furniture; this set deserves checking out back on regularly, this set is actually rubbish ... and more. This time around, nevertheless, I was creating an inventory while looking for one thing particularly. How accurate this relevant information is actually, I carry out not know yet am very happy to take on faith that at one time there existed a group from individuals listed below in The United States phoned Lamanites who were actually descendents from Laman or even probably Lamech or Lemuel the kid's of Lehi (Likhi) who were actually the ancestors from an ancient Israelite folks from the first productions who were the boys from Cain which was actually the son from the very first two human beings, Adam as well as Eve and also these children were actually the father or grandfather of Noah as well as eventually the progeny from the little ones from Abraham; information located in the Bible; and also all descendents from the flood ahead to the here and now day were actually descendents of the sons of Noah due to the fact that all people of the Planet died during the time of the Great Flood. James' regiment, Firm B from 2nd Vermont Infantry, was held in reservoir; James helped make sketches just before and after the battle as well as took another look at the combat zone many opportunities primary to paint breathtaking memorials to bloodiest day in US army history. So I would certainly merely inquire you to remain to offer us time in comprehending that however all information factors that our team're observing to-date are actually still extremely, very beneficial; therefore beneficial that just what our experts talk to you about in September in relations to a rollout schedule for 2018 in between remodel stores as well as combination and also extends and also brand new shops, our team're beginning that process as early as post-holiday along with the following 2 markets. This pathway with its fantastic patisseries, ice-cream parlors and coffee shops, is actually the center among one of the most positive communities from Istanbul, consisting of tree-lined streets and also well-planned real estate areas, in addition to Çamlıca Girls High School set in a wonderful tree-lined garden. The ache from betrayal is actually extremely real and has a substantial effect on the lifestyles of all those which have experienced this. This is one of those agonizing life experiences that have the power to modify folks's hearts as well as stays permanently.

[yahoo-roto-arcade-blog]

Fantasy Hockey pickups: Who should you add on the waiver wire?

Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi is skating with Connor McDavid, which is reason enough to add him in your fantasy league. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

By Neil Parker, RotoWire Hockey Writer Special to Yahoo Sports

A noticeable trend in this space through two months is the lasting availability of young players who have pedigree and are scoring. The waiver-wire “last-calls” for Mathew Barzal and Brock Boeser, for example, lasted far longer than they should have.

Perhaps there are a lot of shallow leagues. Still, make no mistake, the salary-cap era and refocus on speed and talent across the NHL has tilted the ice in favor of young scorers.

Kevin Fiala has been a lock in this column all year, and Jesse Puljujarvi could be on the verge of exploding. These are high-end talents playing in top-six roles, so don’t be afraid to take a chance on them.

Here’s the schedule for the next scoring period from Dec. 18-24:

Two games: Flames, Blackhawks, Golden Knights

Four games: Ducks, Bruins, Blue Jackets, Flyers

All other teams play three games next week

Ensure to keep tabs on who is cut in your leagues, and also remember to check the handful of the previously covered players listed below.

Yahoo ownership rates as of Dec. 14.

FORWARD

Tyler Johnson, TB (35 percent): A return to a top-six role has led to an uptick in offense for Johnson. He’s a proven scorer and has now recorded three goals, six assists and four multi-point showings during an active five-game point streak. He has the potential to score at a point-per-game pace moving forward.

Jesse Puljujarvi, EDM (9 percent): A holdover from last week, the Finn is still skating with No. 1 center and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, so Puljujarvi is a worth a roster spot in most settings for that reason alone. The fourth overall selection from the 2016 draft has also chipped in while skating atop the depth chart with three goals and five points through his past five contests.

Kevin Fiala, NSH (17 percent): For whatever reason, Fiala remains available in oodles of leagues. He’s currently riding a five-game point streak with four goals, three assists and 21 shots, and his 2.97 points per 60 minutes is a rock-solid mark. Scoop him up, folks. The Swiss native is a legit talent.

Mathieu Perreault, WPG (20 percent): There’s nothing to like about Perreault’s fourth-line assignment at even strength. Yet, he’s still marked the scoresheet in nine of his past 14 games for eight goals, seven assists and six power-play points. The 29-year-old veteran can also help in the PIM category. Additionally, he’s posted four consecutive 40-point campaigns despite missing at least 11 games in each of those seasons.

Evgenii Dadonov, FLA (24 percent): After missing eight games with a shoulder injury, Dadonov is back on the waiver wire in plenty of leagues. He returned to the lineup Tuesday and has recorded seven goals, 18 points and 58 shots through 23 games for the season, so he projects to pick up where he left off and provide serviceable offense in the majority of settings moving forward.

Phillip Danault, MON (8 percent): The 24-year-old center is currently centering Max Pacioretty and Paul Byron and has collected three goals and three assists through his past six contests. Danault certainly isn’t a universal asset, but he’s provided respectable offensive numbers dating back to the midway point of last season. There’s potential here in deep leagues.

Evan Rodrigues, BUF (0 percent): The Boston University standout is still finding his way at the highest level, but the results have been noticeable of late. Rodrigues has been skating on the No. 1 power-play unit and picked up two goals and an assist through his past three games. His ceiling is low and expectations should remain in check, but there’s appeal in cavernous settings.

Michael Raffl, PHI (2 percent): At this stage of Raffl’s career, you know what you’re getting from the 29-year-old winger. He’s a streaky scorer who shouldn’t be counted on as a year-long contributor in most settings. Raffl is currently receiving top-six minutes on a line with Jakub Voracek and Valtteri Filppula and has notched five goals and three helpers through his past nine contests, so the Austrian is worth a look until the offense dries up.

DEFENSE

Tyler Myers, WPG (43 percent): A mainstay in this space over the past month, Myers’ fantasy value might receive an added boost with Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom both nursing lower-body injuries. Considering the Texas native has three goals, 10 points, 27 shots and 12 PIM through his past 15 games, he projects to continue posting solid numbers with the uptick in ice time.

Matt Niskanen, WAS (43 percent): Good players on good teams usually provide good fantasy numbers, and Niskanen has done just that since returning from an upper-body injury. His offense doesn’t jump off the page, but with two goals, seven points, 34 shots, 23 hits, 18 blocked shots and a plus-10 rating through his past 14 contests, there’s a lot of cross-category appeal here.

Sami Vatanen, ANA (13 percent): Without a point through his first five games with New Jersey, this could prove to be a buy-low spot for Vatanen. While Taylor Hall’s knee injury could hurt the Devils’ attack, this is still one of the better offenses in the league, albeit somewhat surprisingly. Expect Vatanen’s role and talent will lead to offensive production sooner than later.

Vince Dunn, STL (0 percent): With Alex Pietrangelo (foot) on injured reserve, Dunn has skated with the No. 1 power-play unit the past two games. It’s been a quiet debut for the rookie with just two goals and assists through 30 games. He had 50 shots on goal and 45 points in his first AHL season last year, so there is some upside in cavernous settings for the 2015 second-round selection.

GOALIE

Antti Raanta, ARI (23 percent): With just a single start since Nov. 22, there’s a reason Raanta is so wildly available. However, his .919 save percentage and 2.68 GAA are solid marks, and he’s going to see the bulk of starts moving forward. Injuries have hurt his value to this point, but there’s a slim chance Arizona will turn things around enough for the Finnish netminder to post respectable numbers moving forward.

James Reimer, FLA (24 percent): The veteran has allowed three goals or more in seven of his past eight games for a 3-2-3 record, .897 save percentage and 3.34 GAA. Those are underwhelming numbers, but with Roberto Luongo (lower body) out of action, Reimer should be owned and can be turned to with modest confidence in favorable matchups.

Philipp Grubauer, WAS (5 percent): There have been some disappointing starts from the German this season, but at this stage of his career, his track record outweighs any blip on the radar. Grubauer’s stopped 66 of 68 shots (.971 save percentage) through his past three appearances and owns a career .920 mark with a 2.36 GAA through 77 games. At worst, he’s a goalie to monitor and stream when he gets the starting nod.

Players to consider from past columns: Josh Anderson, Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Pavel Buchnevich, Marian Gaborik, Sam Bennett, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Bjugstad, Adam Henrique, Nick Schmaltz, Derek Stepan, Jesper Bratt, Artem Anisimov, Tom Wilson, Mikko Rantanen, Jakub Vrana, Reilly Smith, Tomas Hertl, Micheal Ferland, Craig Smith, Mathew Dumba, Erik Johnson, Johnny Boychuk, Shea Theodore, Brady Skjei, Darnell Nurse, Noah Hanifin, Alexander Edler, Esa Lindell, Jakob Chychrun, Jacob Markstrom, Thomas Greiss, Aaron Dell, Steve Mason, Darcy Kuemper, Malcolm Subban.

[darkwaterspromoblog-blog]

▼ NOW PRESENTING

Name: Finn Thaddeus Mikaelson Age: 31 Birthday: December 28, 1985 Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Police officer at Mystic Falls police department Family: Elijah Mikaelson (brother), Kol Mikaelson (brother), Henrik Mikaelson (brother), Niklaus Mikaelson (half brother) Species: Werewolf (untriggered) Playby: Chris Evans Availability: Open

▼ SPECIES STATISTICS

Werewolf

Date triggered: Not yet triggered

Killed: Not yet killed

Pack: None

Status: N/A

▼ SOMETHING WICKED

Finn Mikaelson was born in London, England, along with his older brother Elijah Mikaelson, his younger brother Kol Mikaelson, Henrik Mikaelson and his half brother Niklaus Mikaelson. Finn also had a younger sister named Rebekah Mikaelson who was killed by hunters during the full moon. Unlike his siblings however, Finn didn’t grow up in London. Right after he was born, he was taken away by a pack that his father Mikael Mikaelson had been rivals with for a long time. Mikael’s pack encountered their rival pack when Finn was only six weeks old, with Mikael’s enemies taking his newborn son away from him. Mikael soon went looking for his son, wanting to get him back from his rivals, but young Finn was never found. Elijah had only been three years old at the time and doesn’t remember much, but ever since Finn was taken from the family, Mikael and his wife Esther Mikaelson vowed to protect their children, no matter what. It was bad enough that Finn had been taken from them and they weren’t about to let it happen again to another child. Mikael found it hard to admit defeat, but he knew how much the other pack despised him and his own pack, so he was almost sure that Finn had been killed by them and was no longer alive. Nothing could be further from the truth however. The pack took young Finn away to America, with two of its members promising to raise the little boy as their own. Those people were none other than the parents of Richard Lockwood and Mason Lockwood, wanting to take Finn in and raise him alongside their two other sons. Mason was only two years old at the time while Richard was older, but they still accepted Finn as their little brother all the same, never questioning where he came from. Since the Mikaelson family remained in London, the Lockwood family didn’t fear them coming to Mystic Falls where they chose to raise their sons, including Finn. Ever since Finn was little, his adoptive parents told him that he was a Mikaelson, but they also told him bad things about his family and that they were no good for the little boy. They convinced him that his family was bad and that was enough for him to never want to find them or even get in touch with them in any way.

He only carried their last name, but he promised to never abandon the Lockwood family because he grew to care for and love them a lot. During his high school years, Finn was a pretty quiet guy, knowing that that was the best way to live because he didn’t want to trigger his werewolf curse. His adoptive parents had told him about the werewolf gene ever since Finn was ten years old, so he was well aware of what could happen and how it all worked, so he tried his best to live a normal life and remain untriggered. At age eighteen, Finn told his adoptive parents that he wanted to become a police officer and while they were skeptical at first, he managed to convince them. He’d always been very careful and he knew he could realize his dream job and not cause a death. After taking the police exam, Finn managed to get a job at the police station as a police officer, working alongside Elizabeth Forbes and Noah Stilinski, both people he’d always looked up to. All these years, Finn never bothered to look for his real family and simply forgot about them while back in London, Mikael and Esther chose not to tell their children about him. The only one who kind of remembers is Elijah, which makes him the only way to find out about Finn being related to the Mikaelsons now that Mikael and Esther were killed by Klaus. Finn has no idea about any of it though - he doesn’t know Elijah triggered his curse, that Kol and Henrik are twins, that Klaus killed his parents and is actually his half brother, or that Rebekah was killed by hunters and that her death is why his family is now coming to Mystic Falls. He’s been living his life with the Lockwood family and is actually really proud of Richard for being the mayor of the small town. Of course, it’ll only be a matter of time before the truth comes out and Finn discovers that his brothers are in town and that they’re related. When that secret is revealed, his entire world will surely be put upside down, but unlike his adoptive and his real parents, the children have no idea about the packs being rivals - especially since both Finn’s adoptive and real parents have passed away.

▼ TANGLED WEBS

Elijah Mikaelson

Elijah was only three years old when Finn got taken away, but he doesn’t remember much about his younger brother. Finn has no idea that he has a big brother since he wasn’t raised with his siblings, but with their parents being gone, Elijah is the only one who can access the truth - if he can remember Finn at some point.

Kol Mikaelson

Kol doesn’t know anything about Finn and he’s never met his older sibling since he hadn’t been born yet at the time. The two brothers were never able to establish a bond because Finn was taken away from the family, but if the truth ever does come out, would Kol even believe that Finn is his brother?

Henrik Mikaelson

Unlike Kol, Henrik has a much softer side and people view him as the nice twin. But like his twin brother, he also never met Finn and has no idea he has another older sibling out there, or that they’re all in Mystic Falls together now. Though, Henrik would be more inclined to believe that Finn is their sibling than Kol would.

Niklaus Mikaelson

Klaus is another person who has no idea about Finn’s existence. Their parents never told any of their children anything and kept him a secret for many years to come. Finn doesn’t know that Klaus killed their mother and father, but would he even believe that it happened when that secret is revealed? And more importantly, will Klaus welcome Finn into the family?

Mason Lockwood

Finn was raised alongside Mason and Richard, seeing both men as his brothers and always having been close to them. Though Finn was closer to Mason, who often acted like the overprotective, older brother, wanting to make sure his sibling was kept safe. When Mason moved away, Finn grew closer to Richard and also to his brother’s son Tyler.

Tyler Lockwood

Tyler has always seen Finn as an uncle, just like how he’s always seen Mason. He knows that Finn isn’t a Lockwood by blood, but he’s always been close to the older man all the same - especially after Mason left town and Tyler needed someone in his life, someone who wasn’t as strict as his dad.

Phoebe Lockwood

Finn, like the Lockwoods, doesn’t know anything about Phoebe, or that Richard had a one night stand with the girl’s mother before getting pregnant with her. Though he’s not a Lockwood by blood, he’s still protective of them and won’t easily trust Phoebe. She could just be another gold digger, someone looking for money and claiming Richard is her father for it.

▼ PLOT  || CHARACTERS || APPLY || FAQ/ASK

[darkwaterspromoblog-blog]

▼ NOW PRESENTING

Name: Finn Thaddeus Mikaelson Age: 31 Birthday: December 28, 1985 Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Police officer at Mystic Falls police department Family: Elijah Mikaelson (brother), Kol Mikaelson (brother), Henrik Mikaelson (brother), Niklaus Mikaelson (half brother) Species: Werewolf (untriggered) Playby: Chris Evans Availability: Open

▼ SPECIES STATISTICS

Werewolf

Date triggered: Not yet triggered

Killed: Not yet killed

Pack: None

Status: N/A

▼ SOMETHING WICKED

Finn Mikaelson was born in London, England, along with his older brother Elijah Mikaelson, his younger brother Kol Mikaelson, Henrik Mikaelson and his half brother Niklaus Mikaelson. Finn also had a younger sister named Rebekah Mikaelson who was killed by hunters during the full moon. Unlike his siblings however, Finn didn’t grow up in London. Right after he was born, he was taken away by a pack that his father Mikael Mikaelson had been rivals with for a long time. Mikael’s pack encountered their rival pack when Finn was only six weeks old, with Mikael’s enemies taking his newborn son away from him. Mikael soon went looking for his son, wanting to get him back from his rivals, but young Finn was never found. Elijah had only been three years old at the time and doesn’t remember much, but ever since Finn was taken from the family, Mikael and his wife Esther Mikaelson vowed to protect their children, no matter what. It was bad enough that Finn had been taken from them and they weren’t about to let it happen again to another child. Mikael found it hard to admit defeat, but he knew how much the other pack despised him and his own pack, so he was almost sure that Finn had been killed by them and was no longer alive. Nothing could be further from the truth however. The pack took young Finn away to America, with two of its members promising to raise the little boy as their own. Those people were none other than the parents of Richard Lockwood and Mason Lockwood, wanting to take Finn in and raise him alongside their two other sons. Mason was only two years old at the time while Richard was older, but they still accepted Finn as their little brother all the same, never questioning where he came from. Since the Mikaelson family remained in London, the Lockwood family didn’t fear them coming to Mystic Falls where they chose to raise their sons, including Finn. Ever since Finn was little, his adoptive parents told him that he was a Mikaelson, but they also told him bad things about his family and that they were no good for the little boy. They convinced him that his family was bad and that was enough for him to never want to find them or even get in touch with them in any way.

He only carried their last name, but he promised to never abandon the Lockwood family because he grew to care for and love them a lot. During his high school years, Finn was a pretty quiet guy, knowing that that was the best way to live because he didn’t want to trigger his werewolf curse. His adoptive parents had told him about the werewolf gene ever since Finn was ten years old, so he was well aware of what could happen and how it all worked, so he tried his best to live a normal life and remain untriggered. At age eighteen, Finn told his adoptive parents that he wanted to become a police officer and while they were skeptical at first, he managed to convince them. He’d always been very careful and he knew he could realize his dream job and not cause a death. After taking the police exam, Finn managed to get a job at the police station as a police officer, working alongside Elizabeth Forbes and Noah Stilinski, both people he’d always looked up to. All these years, Finn never bothered to look for his real family and simply forgot about them while back in London, Mikael and Esther chose not to tell their children about him. The only one who kind of remembers is Elijah, which makes him the only way to find out about Finn being related to the Mikaelsons now that Mikael and Esther were killed by Klaus. Finn has no idea about any of it though - he doesn’t know Elijah triggered his curse, that Kol and Henrik are twins, that Klaus killed his parents and is actually his half brother, or that Rebekah was killed by hunters and that her death is why his family is now coming to Mystic Falls. He’s been living his life with the Lockwood family and is actually really proud of Richard for being the mayor of the small town. Of course, it’ll only be a matter of time before the truth comes out and Finn discovers that his brothers are in town and that they’re related. When that secret is revealed, his entire world will surely be put upside down, but unlike his adoptive and his real parents, the children have no idea about the packs being rivals - especially since both Finn’s adoptive and real parents have passed away.

▼ TANGLED WEBS

Elijah Mikaelson

Elijah was only three years old when Finn got taken away, but he doesn’t remember much about his younger brother. Finn has no idea that he has a big brother since he wasn’t raised with his siblings, but with their parents being gone, Elijah is the only one who can access the truth - if he can remember Finn at some point.

Kol Mikaelson

Kol doesn’t know anything about Finn and he’s never met his older sibling since he hadn’t been born yet at the time. The two brothers were never able to establish a bond because Finn was taken away from the family, but if the truth ever does come out, would Kol even believe that Finn is his brother?

Henrik Mikaelson

Unlike Kol, Henrik has a much softer side and people view him as the nice twin. But like his twin brother, he also never met Finn and has no idea he has another older sibling out there, or that they’re all in Mystic Falls together now. Though, Henrik would be more inclined to believe that Finn is their sibling than Kol would.

Niklaus Mikaelson

Klaus is another person who has no idea about Finn’s existence. Their parents never told any of their children anything and kept him a secret for many years to come. Finn doesn’t know that Klaus killed their mother and father, but would he even believe that it happened when that secret is revealed? And more importantly, will Klaus welcome Finn into the family?

Mason Lockwood

Finn was raised alongside Mason and Richard, seeing both men as his brothers and always having been close to them. Though Finn was closer to Mason, who often acted like the overprotective, older brother, wanting to make sure his sibling was kept safe. When Mason moved away, Finn grew closer to Richard and also to his brother’s son Tyler.

Tyler Lockwood

Tyler has always seen Finn as an uncle, just like how he’s always seen Mason. He knows that Finn isn’t a Lockwood by blood, but he’s always been close to the older man all the same - especially after Mason left town and Tyler needed someone in his life, someone who wasn’t as strict as his dad.

Phoebe Lockwood

Finn, like the Lockwoods, doesn’t know anything about Phoebe, or that Richard had a one night stand with the girl’s mother before getting pregnant with her. Though he’s not a Lockwood by blood, he’s still protective of them and won’t easily trust Phoebe. She could just be another gold digger, someone looking for money and claiming Richard is her father for it.

▼ PLOT  || CHARACTERS || APPLY || FAQ/ASK