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jisungsmochi · 4 years

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valentine’s day with the dreamies ❤️

hella belated valentine’s day scenarios / dates with ot7 dream hehe <3

mark lee:

took a while for him to decide on a plan for the day

didn’t want to disappoint you )):

settled with a nice trip to the beach, waiting to watch the sunset as you both had a nice dinner together

he wanted to take you away from the chaos of both your busy lives and just have time to relax with each other

he knows how tired you’ve been lately and just wants to give you some healing time

and he also wanted to profess his love for you on the beach

listening to the waves crash on the sand, the calling of seagulls, the laughter of other couples and families around you

as the sun started setting, you were leaning into mark’s side, his arm draped around your shoulders

he wrapped the both of you in a blanket as you reminisced about your relationship

“remember how you were scared shitless to ask me out? i thought you were going to faint”

“i was not scared! i just ate a bad sandwich that day” mark grumbled, hiding his face in your shoulder

you gently stroked his hair as you continued the trip down memory lane

the sky was now a mix of purple and pink hues

you immediately jumped up, pulling out your phone, to snap a picture of the gorgeous scenery

mark slowly met you, pulling your phone down, holding his hands in yours

he leant down to place a soft kiss on your lips, causing you to smile in between the pecks

“i love you” he mumbled, barely loud enough for you to hear

“i love you too”

he ended up pulling out his own fancy camera, taking quick snaps of you being silly infront of the sunset

he eventually asked a nice lady to take some photos for the both of you in which she couldn’t help but coo

“you two make a beautiful couple”

heat rose to both your cheeks, too flustered by the compliment of a stranger

you spent to the rest of night chatting, too caught up endless conversations

huang renjun:

“hey, if your cute ass isn’t here in 10 minutes i’m packing up all the paints and sulking in my room for the rest of the day”

renjun texted you the morning of valentine’s day

you were already on your way to surprise him with your own small gift, having him rush you was adding to your nerves

this would be be first official valentine’s day you’d be spending together so you wanted everything to be perfect

you enthusiastically knock on his door, in which he opened instantly

he pulled you inside, dragging you to the backyard where he set up a nice picnic blanket with paints and canvases on a small table

you couldn’t help but admire all the effort he put in

you gave him a quick hug, your hold lingering on him for longer than he thought

you handed him your gift bag, filled with snacks he loved and a panda plushie with a heart attached to it

he pouted at how adorable your gift was, pulling you down to sit with him

“thank you for the gifts, babe! i hope you also like out little painting date!”

he queued up a tutorial video as you both started recreating the beautiful landscape shown

although you weren’t the best artist he had ever met

renjun couldn’t stop giggling at how concentrated you were with every stroke

“something funny?”

“nah you’re just the cutest”

subtle compliments like that was his specialty

you continued to paint as you snacked on various fruits and biscuits as well as caught up on current events in your lives

it was now time for the big reveal of your artworks...

renjun obviously outshone you but he still insisted you hang both paintings in his room for the memories

he’d take lots of polaroids to put into his photo album of your memories

huang renjun didn’t see the big deal in grand gestures for valentine’s day, as he saw every day, as a day to treat you well

lee jeno:

this boy would wake you up at the crack of dawn, practically jumping on you to go biking with him

you had flashbacks to the previous night where you agreed to go with him but immediately regretted staying up to watch new episodes of your favourite drama

jeno dragged you around your shared apartment like a rag doll, helping you change and stay awake

you knew how excited he was to take you biking for the first time, you didn’t want to crush his spirit

so you started slapping your cheeks and jumping up and down to remain awake, which jeno found amusing

you followed closely behind him as he led you through the trail

his initial idea was to get to the top before sunrise so you both could watch it together

but once he reached half way, jeno had an inkling that you were way behind

he was right

he stopped completely to wait for you, more concerned about how you were holding up rather than getting to the top

you were huffing and puffing

“why’d you stop? we have to get to the top!”

“have a sip first, babe” he pats your back as he hands you his water bottle

you felt bad for holding him back, but his concerned expression eased your mind

“we don’t have to get to the top, the sun will rise either way! who says we can’t just watch it from here?” he smiles widely at you

what did you do to deserve him?

you both stood with each other, his arm draped around your waist

the sun slowly started rising, your tired eyes glimmering in admiration

jeno’s eyes were fixed on you tho,, so proud that you attempted to bike with him

he was usually the one who always wanted to do things you liked

but when you agreed to go on this date with him, it just about made him pass out

he felt on top of the world with you by his side

this was a date he will never forget

lee donghyuck:

“really? a couple’s cooking class?” your boyfriend whined (he really loved doing that)

“yes! renjun suggested it to me, it will be fun, i promise!” you plead

as much as he loved to bicker with you, he saw how excited you were to participate in this class for valentine’s day

“do you know what we’re cooking at least?”

“i think we’re baking a cake, actually”

shouldn’t be too bad...he thought to himself

but boy was he WRONG

you both came to realise that you were not the best cooking duo in your friend group

but it didn’t mean you were gonna give up, after all, having donghyuck as your boyfriend made you as competitive as him (if that’s even possible)

he read the instructions as you grabbed the ingredients and threw them in a bowl

he would hype you up from the side like

“that’s my baby, you beat those eggs!” “our cake is gonna look so freaking good”

you would get flustered, earning a smile from the chef teaching the class

once the decoration stage came along, donghyuck insisted he do it on his own

he refused to let you watch him as he did the finishing touches

the chef revealed each cake one by one, when he got to yours, he gave you both a soft smile

“you two make such a sweet couple”

you looked down at the cake, the words

“i love you always and forever” were written on the surface

you were about to burst into tears at how sweet your boyfriend was

when you got home, after taking hundreds of photos with the beautifully decorated cake

you both devoured it like animals while watching tv together

a simple, yet memorable valentine’s day date — you couldn’t wait to tell your friends all about it

na jaemin:

as some of y’all know, jaemin used to be a short speed track racer

so naturally he was down for your idea of going ice skating for valentine’s day

you weren’t aware of how skilled he was at skating — as you yourself were merely a beginner

so when you saw how knowledgeable jaemin was when you entered the ice skating rink, you started feeling nervous

jaemin helped strap your skates on, carefully guiding you to the rink

you were still under the impression he was just as bad as you, but once you both stepped on the ice, he was immediately stable

god, he could even skate backwards

this must be so embarrassing for him to see

you started pouting,

“what’s wrong, baby?”

“i didn’t know you could skate so well! i’m so embarrassed, i can barely skate two metres!”

“i can teach you, don’t worry so much” he smiled softly at you, hands gripping yourself tightly

you couldn’t stay mad at him, immediately following his instructions

thirty minutes later, one really bruised butt cheek and some elbow bruises from falling down so much, you started getting the hang of it

jaemin let go of your hands and let you skate towards him, once you reached him, he wrapped you in his arms tightly, still gliding on the ice

your faces were so close, you could feel his breath fan your cheeks

you gave him a quick peck, mumbling a quiet ‘i love you’

jaemin couldn’t contain how adorable you were, giving you another quick kiss before telling you he loved you more than life itself

you both skated for a while, listening to throwback love songs playing over the speakers

he rarely let go of your hand, even when you insisted you were getting the hang of skating alone

he treated you to some french fries and ice cream after you finished skating

you laughed and chatted the day away, without a care in the world

being inlove with jaemin was something you would never trade for anything else in the world

zhong chenle:

a homemade dinner was always something you raved about to chenle

so once valentine’s day approached,, he made sure to give you the best dinner you could have ever imagined

he was on a call with his mum, following her instructions for the most perfect creamy pasta

you on the other hand, decided to make chocolate covered strawberries to have after dinner

you asked jaemin for help but then he just screamed he hates strawberries and left

you were placing the finishing touches on the desserts when your phone dings that chenle was ready for you to come over

you dropped everything, rushing to find the outfit you had picked earlier that day

you carefully wrapped the box of strawberries before making your way to his place

he practically swung the door open for you, pulling you to the dining table

he was hella dramatic and had those fancy covers for the food,, so he could surprise you

you just chuckled at his antics, placing a soft kiss to his cheek which made him heat up

he slowly revealed the meal he worked hard on the entire afternoon

your eyes glimmered at the sight, your mouth beginning to water

“how’d you know i love creamy pasta?”

“i listen to you when you talk, ya know”

you both enjoyed a pleasant dinner, chatting all about recent events in your life

the meal was delicious,, but it was now time for dessert

chenle practically ripped open the box, devouring one strawberry before you could even show off your creations

“you animal” you softly shove him, taking one for yourself

the rest of the night was filled with commentating cheesy romance movies and snacking on the desserts

once you finished eating, chenle handed you a small box

you opened it slowly, your jaw dropping at the gorgeous ring he had bought for you

he bought you both promise rings oop

you squealed before tackling him in a warm embrace

nothing felt better than being wrapped in his arms

park jisung:

sungie: meet me on the rooftop at 8:30

you: uhhh you’re not gonna fight me, are you?

sungie: shut up and get ready

you giggled at his response, giddy about seeing your boyfriend on valentine’s day

you weren’t sure what he had planned, but you were sure he put a lot of thought into it

even tho jisung doesn’t voice his thoughts, something is always going on with that boy

you made your way to the said rooftop he referred to, cautiously walking over to him

he set up two beach chairs with a small table filled with both of your favourite snacks

you also noticed two telescopes placed in front of the chairs, smiling widely to yourself

“is this what i think it is?”

“yes! we’re stargazing tonight! i know how much you’ve been wanting to do so”

you sat down next to him, taking your own telescope in your hands

you couldn’t believe he organised this date, from the fairy lights around the railing of the rooftop to the soft r&b playlist playing in the background

it was perfect

jisung couldn’t take his eyes off you, too eager to determine if you truly liked the idea

when your eyes met, you couldn’t help but lean closer to him

jisung didn’t pull away, smirking to himself before suddenly pecking your lips

jisung also wasn’t usually the one to initiate affection, so this was just another surprise you could never get over

you both giggled, pointing out the different constellations you could make out

you chatted about random things, from video games to school, to when jaemin yelled at chenle’s s/o for making chocolate covered strawberries

everything felt at ease when you were with jisung

he knew you didn’t want such a big fuss for valentine’s day, but you could have never suspected he’d do this all for you

“thankyou for all of this”

“anything for my baby”

and in that moment, you knew, you were falling inlove with park jisung.

#nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #nct fluff #nct dream scenarios #nct imagines #nct writing #nct fic #nct dream reactions #jisungsmochiimagines #jisungsmochi masterlist

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missramu · 3 years

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Back with the kisses!

Hiya! I know it's been a while, but, good news! Have some sappy JKRM beach episode

Kiss number 26: as an apology

“Are you ready, hun?”

The doctor asked while he went down the checklist. Organized as he was, he insisted on checking every item that was lying by the sofa right in front of him, in order to make sure they wouldn’t forget to bring anything important. It was finally August, and Jakurai’s summer holidays had just started. And, with that, their summer trip.

“Ngh-- Almost! Oof!--”

Replied the younger one, as he tried to close a small suitcase by sitting on top of it. Jakurai, intrigued by his partner’s frustrated noises, went to see what was going on in their bedroom. As soon as he stepped inside, he found the designer struggling with his luggage.

“What on earth could you be possibly packing, Ramuda-kun? We’re going to stay at the hotel for a week, not a month.”

The doctor said that mockingly, but Ramuda stopped right on the spot, looking at him as if he just asked the most stupid of questions. How dare he question his fashion needs?

“And? You never know when you will need fancy clothes! What if I need more shirts because I get mine dirty? Or--!”

Jakurai sighed, drawing a half-smile on his face. This was their usual procedure, after all. Ramuda insisted on packing –excessively– extra clothing, and he had the task of making him see he didn’t need that many.

“You never cease to amaze me.”

After a quick rearrangement and a couple of pouty faces, Jakurai made the pink-haired man realize it was alright to leave behind a three-piece suit –which he wouldn’t have needed anyway– as well as, at least, 7 extra shirts and tees. No need to say that it took them a little while, because Ramuda was stubborn and refused to leave without the garments, but the doctor managed to convince him. He just knew too well how to deal with him at this point.

“It’s good to be ready ‘just in case’, but that was… exaggerated”

Once everything was settled, Jakurai checked his mental list again, trying to recall if something was missing. Meanwhile, Ramuda fastened his sandals and waited at the entrance, swinging his feet back and forth playfully.

“Good thing we’re driving there, cuz if we had to take a train, we’d have probs missed it by now”

The taller man raised an eyebrow as a response, turning to face him.

“Says the one who made us lose our time because he couldn’t decide whether he should bring a blue or yellow sweatshirt on August”

“But!-“

“A sweatshirt. August.”

Ramuda puffed, unwilling to recognize his defeat. The doctor gave him a small pat on the head, offering him his suitcase as a truce.

“Let’s go, then. Our holiday awaits, doesn’t it?”

The younger’s gloomy face suddenly lit up, and it only took the designer a small jump to stand on his feet again. He waited with their luggage outside –since he was already wearing shoes– while the doctor checked every door and window. He knew they had asked their teammates to keep an eye on their apartment just in case, but he couldn’t help but double-check before leaving.

“C’mon, Jaku! It’s gonna be night by the time we arrive!”

It was undeniable that the younger man was excited. Sure, he had the liberty to have his holidays whenever he felt like –benefits of self-employment–, but going on vacation together felt… different. It felt better, just like the old Kuujaku Posse days. It wasn’t their first trip together, he knew that. The designer could never forget their training camp, after all. However, he was beyond excited: it was their first trip to the beach since he got the mastectomy. Ramuda couldn’t wait, and Jakurai was also looking forward to it.

As soon as they got everything in the car and were ready to go, the doctor started driving to their destination: Oarai Sun Beach. They were in for a ride that would be two hours long, which the designer was planning to spend between snacks and Instagram stories while his partner drove. Besides that, Ramuda had a self-imposed duty in every single one of their road trips, and that was to take pictures of the scenery and, more importantly, of his boyfriend. Jakurai wasn’t the only one fascinated by his partner; and the younger man loved to see how every single scenery and light managed to boost up his partner’s mature beauty.

The hours went by, and before they could realize it, they were already reaching their destination. The pink-haired man screamed enthusiastically as he saw the sea through the window, losing interest even on the snacks he was eagerly devouring merely 30 seconds ago. After 20 minutes or so, they arrived at the hotel, did the check-in, and rushed to the beach. Jakurai would have loved to take his time, but his partner’s actions didn’t seem to agree with his ideas.

Energetic as always, Ramuda rushed towards the sea as soon as he saw it from the seafront promenade, without caring about the sun cream nor leaving his tee somewhere that wasn’t the sand after launching it. That took Jakurai by surprise –although he should have seen that coming–, quickly finding himself running after his partner, as if he was running after a dog who had something in his mouth that he wasn’t supposed to have.

“AMEMURA-KUN! CAREFUL! THE BODY MUST ACCLIMATE SLOWLY! –“

The designer laughed at the top of his lungs, ignoring his partner’s yelling. Having fun was his top priority right now.

“Oh, shoo! Don’t be such a party pooper! The water’s warm!”

The doctor stopped at the shore, sighing. The younger man was already splashing around in the water, and there was nothing he could do against that. Oh well, at least he was happy.

“You could have waited until I had prepared everything here… Or until you had cream on”

He complained again, as he picked up the t-shirt from the sand, shaking it a little before folding and putting it inside the bag. While the designer was swimming around, the doctor started to set up their beach umbrella, as well as two chairs and a small fridge. He watched Ramuda having the time of his life, now free from the burden of having to wear swimming t-shirts and a binder under it. He could see his boyfriend jump, swim and run in the beach with a liberty he hadn’t had before; and, for him, that was enough to make the trip worth it.

The taller man took his time with the sun cream, and he headed to the water only after being sure it was absorbed. The pink-haired man didn’t hesitate to approach him, sporting a pink and white striped short swim trunk, decorated with lollipops. It was part of his new summer collection, as well as Jakurai’s: his had a light-grey and white plaid pattern and was knee-length. Although it wasn’t as colourful as Ramuda’s, it still had his touch, since it had little lilac plum blossoms around, as well as lilac laces.

Spontaneous as ever, the smaller man jumped into the doctor’s back, taking his chance to braid his hair and make said braid into a low bun. He left a kiss on his partner’s shoulder before jumping back into the water, splashing around once again.

“I wonder how many ways of braiding my hair you know”

Ramuda laughed cheerfully, swimming by Jakurai’s side as he entered the water.

“I’ve always liked to do your hair! So there’s nooo absolute way I’ll ever stop doing so!”

Jakurai stopped walking as soon as the water reached his waist, took a deep breath and submerged for a couple of seconds. Ramuda clapped and followed him to do the same, only to find out that, while that depth was acceptable for Jakurai, it covered his chest and almost his neck. The doctor tried to suppress a laugh at the scenery of his partner floating because of his short height, but in the end, the effort was in vain.

“What’s so funny?! Not everyone’s a damn tower, you know!”

Jakurai laughed again, picking the designer up and letting him sit on his shoulders.

“Then, how does it feel to be one, then?”

The pouts and complains quickly were changed by laughter, as he held tight onto his head, watching his surroundings from his privileged seat.

“It feels… weird! But it’s also funny! It’s like I could crush everyone under my feet like widdle ants!”

They both laughed at the designer’s comparisons, and after a couple of minutes, he took the freedom to launch himself back into the water from his shoulders, swimming somewhere where he could reach without problem –or, at least, stand–. Pitying him, Jakurai followed his partner and stood by his side once he found the perfect depth for himself: now the water was at Ramuda’s waist level, and barely reached Jakurai’s hip.

“That’s on you for being so tall, you know”

The doctor sighed, shaking his head.

“And there’s nothing I can do about that either, my little one”

Ramuda splashed him in response, cracking a laugh. Accompanied by that laugh, the doctor saw behind his blue eyes that he had mischief planned. Whatever it could be, he had no idea.

Like a shark ready to attack its victim, the younger man kept watching his partner closely. The doctor realized his gaze upon him, and although he was ready to counteract, he didn’t pay too much attention to it. He thought that, perhaps, Ramuda would get tired of waiting and would eventually forget whatever he had in mind ready to mess with him. However, he was wrong in thinking that, and he definitely should not have let his guard down. It is not as if he had ever had his guard up around Ramuda, after all.

As soon as the designer noticed him trying to go out of the water, he ambushed. His plan was to run towards him and throw him back into the water. Still, it was quickly thwarted by Jakurai’s height; since he just kind of stumbled against his legs on an attempt to sink him.

“OH, C’MON!”

Jakurai watched him bump against him, raising an eyebrow with curiosity. Ramuda crossed his arms with frustration, sitting in the water by his side.

“Was that your attempt at… sinking me?”

“Yes! And it didn’t work!”

The lilac-haired man laughed playfully, ruffling the younger’s wet hair.

“I’m sure you can do better than that”

Obviously, Ramuda took that personally. He got up and sat back in the shore, arming himself with patience. There, he waited until the doctor tried to leave the water again, and prepared his attack once more: this time, he charged against Jakurai’s knee pits and successfully made him fall into the water. What he didn’t plan, though, was that he would fall with him too, making a splashing mess that could have ended in broken bones if it weren’t for the doctor’s quick reflexes.

“What were you thinking now, Amemura-kun? You could have hurt yourself! What if I had fallen on top of you? Did you think we could have gotten serious bruises, or even worse?”

The designer quivered at his partner’s angry tone, lowering his head while he was being scolded. He just wanted to joke around, but ended up taking it so seriously that he didn’t really think it through. The fact that surprised the designer was that Jakurai wasn’t concerned at all about himself, but rather about him.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

He replied in a quiet voice, looking at Jakurai with honest puppy eyes. The doctor tried to hold his ground, but Ramuda did know well his weaknesses. He clicked his tongue, sitting on the shore and placing his boyfriend on his lap.

“Are you alright? Does it hurt somewhere?”

The designer climbed onto his lap, hugging him and leaving a shy kiss on the taller-man’s lips. Jakurai replied tenderly, pressing him against himself in an embrace, as he realized it was Ramuda’s silent apology.

“Next time you’re tempted to do such a thing, at least do it where the water covers me”

Ramuda nodded, and said gesture earned him another kiss as a way of settling things up.

#hypnosis mic #hypmic #ヒプノシスマイク #jakurai jinguji #hypnosis mic jakurai #ramuda amemura #hypnosis mic ramuda #jakuramu #jakurai x ramuda #trans character

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saundraswriting · 4 years

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Confessions

SUMMARY: A little light hearted AU of episode 6. Where Geum Jan-Di has rejected Gu Jun-Pyo. But he stills hasn't quite gotten the idea yet. The beach trip is the catalyst for Yoon Ji-Hoo to realize what is right in front of him.

NOTES: I am just trying to soothe my soul here. Nothing major, this series isn’t anything consecutive, Just my series of au’s and fix-it’s.

WARNINGS: Nothing much, possible panic/anxiety attack triggers and piss poor CPR/ medical inaccuracies.

You can read it directly on Ao3 here.

Masterlist // Ao3 // The Misc. Adventures of Geum Jan-Di and Yoon Ji-Hoo

The trip to New Caledonia was a welcome surprise for Sinhwa High's own Wonder Girl Geum Jan-Di and pleasant sidekick Chu Ga-Eul and a must needed vacation for the F4 boys. The flight was long, but smooth. The landing was a little rough causing Jan-Di's legs to shake as she stood up. Ji-Hoo was at her elbow grip light and stabilizing.

"You alright? Ears don't hurt? You're not dizzy?" He asked lowly. Jan-Di shook her head, leaning into his grip slightly.

"No, I am fine sunbae. I am just a little unsteady is all. I haven't flown before so I am happy my first time was with my friends. Jun-Pyo will only make a little fun of me." Jan-Di smiled. Ji-Hoo nodded in agreement, helping her get her carry on down. They were the last two off, Ji-Hoo keeping a hold of her to escort her off the plane.

There were stairs attached to the plane and parked a bit from the bottom was a limo where the others were already getting in. Ga-Eul was patiently standing outside for her friend while Yi-Jung waited to help her into the car. Once she saw Jan-Di she waved and accepted his help into the car.

"You have one very loyal friend there, Jan-di." Ji-Hoo said. He took her bag as they walked down the stairs, hoping to minimizer her clumsiness.

"Yeah. I wish I had her at school instead of Min-Ji, then I would have avoided the sleeping around scandal." Jan-Di said it nonchalantly, forgetting that he had been in France when that happened.

"I am sorry. The what scandal?" Ji-Hoo froze on the stairs. Jan-Di turned to him from the first to last stair, surprise evident on her face.

"No one told you? Oh, you were still in Paris when this happened, sunbae?" She finished going down the stairs, Ji-Hoo following her. "I was invited by Min-Ji to a club. She spiked my drink and set me up with a random student to take pictures. The article was spread through the news, that the scholarship student was an undignified woman. That was also around the same time that I had rejected Jun-Pyo, but we were trying to be friends, so the point was to make it seem like I was cheating on him." Jan-Di grew sullen and quiet. They made it to the car in silence.

"Jan-Di, let's both enjoy our time here, okay?" ji-Hoo said, he much preferred her smiling to her frowning.

"You're right like always, sunbae. It would be rude to bring everyone down with my sadness. This trip is a gift in itself. I should enjoy it!" Jan-Di pumped her fist laughing.

"Aish, are we gonna leave anytime today?" Jun-Pyo demanded pushing the door open from the inside.

"Yeah, yeah. We're coming. Keep your shirt on." Jan-Di waved off his impatience. 'She has grown, not letting him step all over her.' Ji-Hoo thought.

The car ride to the resort was quiet, broken up mostly by Jan-Di and Ga-Eul's comments of appreciation. The two of them pointed out a lot of the pretty scenery and took a few pictures. One memorable moment, Jan-Di opened a window and leaned out to get a picture of the town in the distance. The car hit a bump and with a yelp almost feel out, the F4 all grabbed her ripping her back into the car with various curses. Ji-Hoo casually locked the windows to prevent another attempt, and the girls returned to pointing out interesting things, like almost falling out a car happened everyday.

They got to the resort a while later, the room were small buildings on the water attached with various walkways. Their luggage had already been delivered to their rooms. 'The flight was rather long, a shower and change of clothes wouldn't be a bad idea. If I hurry Ga-Eul and I can walk along the beach for a bit before dinner.' Jan-Di texted her friend explaining her idea. Ga-Eul agreed easily.

The two of them walked the path to the beach, The two of them talking about shared memories and catching up. Jan-Di's habit of getting picked up and harassed by the F4 and others didn't leave them much time to talk. "Jan-Di, are you really not going to date Gu Jun-Pyo sunbae?" Ga-Eul asked. "I know you still have feelings for Yoon Ji-Hoo sunbae. Did you reject Jun-Pyo to go out with him?" Ga-Eul asked again. Jan-Di had always appreciated the way Ga-Eul forced her to see her feelings.

Jan-Di stopped walking, digging her toes into the sand. "I rejected Gu Jun-Pyo because he is rude, demanding and overbearing. I rejected him because I have no romantic feelings for him, but I appreciate all his has done for me. I rejected him because I am sure I don't love him, but also I don't think he loves me. I confuse him, and that makes him want to have me in his life, but he doesn't know how to make friends. That is all we will ever be. And that is okay." Jan-Di explained honestly. She was glad Ga-Eul had asked, she missed talking with her friend. "I asked Seo-Hyun unnie to stay, I told him to go after her. I did that. I was the one who pushed us apart. I only wanted to make him happy. Sunbae had been so sad and I didn't know what to do. I loved him too much to be selfish, even though I desperately wanted to. I don't know what to do. Before, I knew where we stood. Now, he seems more open, more willingly. Like whatever was holding him back isn't there anymore." Jan-Di hugged herself, watching the way the sun reflected on the water. "I don't know where we stand anymore. I don't know what to do, and I feel like I am just pushing him farther away. Ga-Eul, what am I supposed to do?" Jan-Di sniffed, her emotions causing her eyes to grow wet and sting.

"I wish I could help. All I can tell you is to talk to him. If he came back for you, if he and Seo-Hyun worked everything out, then you are right. The thing holding him back is gone. He worked through his feelings already. He is just waiting for you to catch up." Ga-Eul said. She was ashamed she couldn't offer more or better advice. he didn't know that Jan-Di felt this strongly, or was thinking this hard about it. Jan-Di was overly simple sometimes but she was loyal and caring and didn't like making her friends suffer, taking on the burden to get through it on her own. "Whatever you do, be honest. And be strong. He deserves the truth too." Ga-Eul pulled Jan-Di's arms off herself, pulling her best friend into a tight hug. Squeezing tight, she took as much of Jan-Di's weight as she could trying to also lend her some strength. Ga-Eul heard her sniffling something into her shoulder. "I can't hear you if you don't speak clearly." Jan-Di took a deep breath moving her face to perch on her shoulder instead of in it.

"I don't want to lost Ji-Hoo sunbae. I love him. I want to be by his side always." Jan-Di confessed. Ga-Eul smiled at the air and rubbed her back, mumbling soothingly into her ear.

After a while, they sat down on the beach. They watched the sunset begin and talked about what had been happening to Jan-Di. She had hidden a lot of the bullying that had been happening to her, not wanting to concern her friend. They talked so long, the boys from F4 came down calling their names.

"Ga-Eul? Jan-Di? Are you guys down here? It's time to eat. We were getting worried. Come on!" Yi-Jung called seeing them. The two girls waved and hurried over, dusting themselves off as they went, laughing at each other.

"Hope you weren't waiting on us. We lost track of time." Jan-Di apologized, Ji-Hoo looked at her closely. Her voice was waterlogged and he could see the redness around her eyes. 'She's been crying. I will talk to her later.'

"No. We just were coming to find you but you weren't in your rooms." Woo-Bin told her. He also noticed she had been crying. He looked over at Ji-Hoo in concern. Ji-Hoo nodded to show he saw and would take care of it.

"Let's go eat." Jan-Di brightened at the idea of food.

"Is that all you think about? Food?" Jun-Pyo asked, he was trying to joke but it fell flat. Jan-Di's eyes shimmered wetly, she looked back to the beach. "Jeez, lighten up, laundry girl." Jun-Pyo stalked off, the others following him. Ji-Hoo stayed back to walk with Jan-Di. Their journey was slow, Jan-Di barely picking up her feet. "Jan-Di, what happened? Why were you crying?" Ji-Hoo tried to ask.

"Ji-Hoo sunbae, I want you to know something. I am so glad you are back. I missed you greatly while you were away. I have something else to tell you but I need more time. When I am ready, can I find you?" Jan-Di uncharacteristically serious.

"Of course. Geum Jan-Di, I am here for you whenever you need me." Ji-Hoo said. His words seemed to ease some of her anxiety. She stood up straighter and began walking instead of shuffling. It wasn't long before they met the others at the table of the restaurant. Dinner went off without a hitch. Everyone was talking and laughing and enjoying the food. They stayed till close, before Jun-Pyo paid the bill, claiming he invited everyone, the least he could do was pay.

The next morning dawned warm and bright. Everyone decided on a swim and then beach barbeque. Jan-Di was changed and off like a shot, Ga-Eul chasing after her. The others followed at a more sedate pace. Woo-Bin helping Yi-Jung with the catering for lunch. Jun-Pyo stopped Ji-Hoo on the path.

"Hey. It's been a while since we caught up last. Everything okay?" Jun-Pyo asked his oldest friend.

"Jun-Pyo, why didn't anyone tell me Jan-Di was being bullied so much?" Ji-Hoo knew Jun-Pyo was trying to avoid the conversation. He has asked several times how things were going, how Jan-Di was handling his absence but Jun-Pyo dodged his questions every time.

"I-uh-you" Jun-Pyo stuttered. He took a deep breath. "I honestly didn't know. Shortly after you left, We grew close and then she rejected me. I didn't take it well and with your leaving she was seen as the reason for the F4s disbandment. Once I got wind of it I claimed otherwise and that seemed to help. I eventually swallowed my pride to realize that she was right. I love her, she has been the source of a turning point in my life. I can never repay her for that. but I am not in love with her." Jun-Pyo and Ji-Hoo walked a few feet silently. "The news got around that she had rejected me, so the bullying turned into a massive scandal on her character. A girl who pretended to be Jan-Di's friend concocted the whole thing. We only found out because we had our sources. She never told us. Ever. She never asked for help, she never said anything. I know that we consider her friends, but I don't know if she considers us friends." Jun-Pyo spoke honestly, if a little hesitantly.

Ji-Hoo stayed quiet, absorbing what Jun-Pyo said. Ji-Hoo knew it to be tribute to Jan-Di's presence that Jun-Pyo was so serious and caring now. "She said something about the scandal when we got off the plane. We talked a little while I was away, she didn't tell me anything about the bullying. She would talk about you all. She always was positive about what she said." Ji-Hoo said. They were almost to the others, they watched Jan-Di pull her shirt off, hurrying to the water. She plunged right in while the other three got ready slower, putting on sunscreen and organizing their belongings. "Come on, let's hurry. They'll have all the fun without us." Ji-Hoo and Jun-Pyo hurried to the beach, each swiping one of the lounging chairs to settle into.

Jun-Pyo was relaxing watching his friends enjoy the beach. Ji-Hoo was lightly dozing. Ga-Eul was walking along the beach. Yi-Jung and Woo-Bin were beginning to arrange lunch. Jan-Di was still swimming.

"Jan-Di! Come in now! It's lunch time!" Ga-Eul called out to her friend. Jan-Di waved at her but made no move to come back to the beach. "Geum Jan-Di! You need to come back in!" Ga-Eul called again.

She took a few steps into the shallows, worry pitching her voice up. "Jan-Di! That is enough. Come back please!" Ga-Eul called again. She shuffled forward some more.

"Ga-Eul, what's wrong?" Yi-Jung asked from the beach.

"Something is wrong with Jan-Di. She is just flailing in place. She won't come in." Ga-Eul began to panic in earnest. "Jan-Di! I'm coming. Hold on!" Ga-Eul tried to go deeper but was stopped by Yi-Jung. She turned to bark something at him but was distracted by the blur of bronze skin and auburn hair.

Ji-Hoo raced paced her to dive into the water, swimming with speed and grace to where Jan-Di's failing was slowing down. He grabbed her, laying her on her back to wrap an arm around her. He began pulling her and himself to shore. Once she got to the shallows Yi-Jung and Woo-Bin helped carry her to a lounge chair Jun-Pyo readied. Ga-Eul tried to come forward but was held back by Yi-Jung. Jan-Di laid on the chair, limp and unconscious. Ji-Hoo checked her pulse and airways and not finding any, began to do chest compressions. He pressed firmly in the center of her chest. He counted to 30 and then pinched her nose to push his breath into her lungs. 'Come on, love, breathe for me.' He prayed. Pulling away, he saw it didn't work. He bent down and began a second round of CPR. 'Jan-Di, come on. I have something to say. You can't leave me alone already'

The other boys stood in silence, concern freezing them in place. Ga-Eul stood pressed into Yi-Jung's side and shoulder seeking comfort. They watched Ji-Hoo go through the second round of compression, knowing Jan-Di's chance shrunk with each minute. Ji-Hoo bent to being the third round when Jan-Di jerked, water spewing out of her mouth, coughing wetly. Ji-Hoo turned her on her side, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. He crouched down whispering comforting words into her ear, trying to beat the panic he was sure to come.

"Come on, let's give them a minute. We can get ready for lunch. They should be here any second now." Jun-Pyo pulled everyone's attention away from the two. Ga-Eul resisted Yi-Jung for a moment before complying. In no time at all, Ji-Hoo was alone with Jan-Di.

"You're okay. I am right here. You're fine." Ji-Hoo was murmuring. Jan-Di breath was coming in starts and stops, she was shaking. Ji-Hoo reached over and grabbed both their shirts. He threw his one and then gingerly helped Jan-Di into hers. Jan-Di sat up still trying to catch her breath. "Jan-Di, you're fine. You got a really bad cramp from over swimming, I rescued you. I had to do some CPR cause you weren't-"Ji-Hoo's voice broke. "You weren't breathing." He finished.

He wasn't sure what he was expected Jan-Di to do, but lurching into his chest and wrapping her arms tightly around him was not it. She pressed her face into his shoulder, trying to calm her breathing and stop her tears but couldn't seem to. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tighter. He didn't like her crying but somewhere deep inside him was pleased her tears were for him, in all the time he had know her, she only cried around him, pride bloomed in his chest at being the keeper of her tears.

"Ji-Hoo sunbae I was so scared. I tried to call out but I kept going under. I thought I was going to drown. I thought I was going to die. I would have if not for you. Thank you sunbae, for saving me again. I am sorry I got your shirt wet." She was speaking into his shirt but her could hear her just fine.

"I am glad you are okay. It would have broken a number of people's hearts. I will always do everything in my power to save you, not matter what. If you being alive end with nothing but a wet shirt then I will do it all over again. Jan-Di, it is okay to be scared. I was scared too. Everyone here was." His words seemed to help and hinder at the same time. Jan-Di pressed closer but her tears had finally stopped.

"We can stay here for a bit. They all are working on lunch. I don't want to push you too hard. I also don't want you getting in the water for a while. You went through a lot today, I don't want you pushing it." Ji-Hoo ran his fingers through her hair, trying to memorize how Jan-Di felt in his arms.

"I didn't plan on getting back in today. I think I had enough ocean today. I just really want some food and a nap." She paused humming thoughtfully. "And a shower" She giggled.

Ji-Hoo held her a little tighter, unadulterated joy thrumming in his veins. "I am so glad you are okay. You have no idea how scared and panicked I was."

Jan-Di's fingers gripped his shirt tight. "I am okay. Everything is fine. Thanks to you. You saved me." Jan-Di's voice was warm in his ear. She leaned back, beaming at him. "Let's get some lunch." The two of them got up, Jan-Di was a little unsteady but with Ji-Hoo's help she made it to the table with no problem.

The group dispersed after lunch to do their own thing. Jan-Di and Ga-Eul walked around the town near the resort. That is where she found a tabloid with the cover story being how Seo-Hyun was getting married. Jan-Di bought it with no hesitation, she would ask Jun-Pyo if there was any truth in the story. On their walk, Jan-Di was drawn to a woman selling flowers. Seeing as she had Jan-Di's attention she explained you only gave the flower to you one true love, and if they accepted then you would live happily ever after.

"Jan-Di, take it. You can give it to Ji-Hoo. It wouldn't hurt." Ga-Eul encouraged. Jan-Di frowned in consideration.

"Ga-Eul, I don't know. Sunbae is like prince charming, he deserves Cinderella. I am just the scullery maid. I don't want to bring his reputation down by getting closer." Jan-Di looked down, eyes dull and flat.

"If I may, You will never know if you don't try. Take one. I hope it is well received." The woman handed Jan-Di a plant. The two girls left, to continue shopping and sight-seeing before dinner. After dinner F4 and the girls were sitting around chatting Jan-Di forgetting she had left the magazine from earlier on the beach chair where Woo-Bin was now sitting. He had flipped through and upon seeing the story of Seo-Hyun turned to Ji-Hoo. Ji-Hoo didn't have much to say on the matter and as such had walked off a while ago. Jan-Di got up decided this would be the time she would begin paying Ji-Hoo back for all the support he gave her. She back tracked to her room and grabbed the love flower.

Ji-Hoo was exactly where she thought he would be, sitting on the boat he had borrowed to take her fishing on after lunch to keep her out of the ocean. She held the plant behind her back, remembering why she was here. She put the plant in the cool sand, standing before Ji-Hoo silently. She was here for him, she would wait for his acknowledgement.

"Why aren't you with the others?" He asked not looking up. He didn't have it in him right now to comfort her if she needed it. 'I maybe over Seo-Hyun noona but it still hurts that she is getting married. I miss her.'

"You are more important. I didn't want you to be alone." Jan-Di told him. Ji-Hoo finally looked up at her, surprise evident on his face. "I am sorry, Ji-Hoo sunbae. Seo-Hyun unnie is so important to you." Jan-Di's voice cracked on a small sob. "Maybe if you go back, you can talk her out of it, maybe you can win her over finally."

"No. We discussed our futures. We aren't meant to be. Some loves are purely platonic. The love Seo-Hyun and I share is. We will always be there for each other, be we can't be the only one for each other." Ji-Hoo smiled at Jan-Di, who had tears on her cheeks. "You just knew her better than I do." The comment seemed to increase her sadness. "He is a French nobleman. He is good for her. I approve of him."

"Sunbae, You have to be happy then, no matter who you choose in the future. I can't bear for you to be unhappy. If you are unhappy then I will be too." Jan-Di hesitated, trying to calm her tears. "Ji-Hoo sunbae, you have done so much for me, I don't have much to offer in return except myself. I will be there for you whenever you need me." Ji-Hoo stood up and pulled her into a hug. He knew that wasn't what she wanted to say.

"Jan-Di, what if I chooses you? What if you make me happy?" Ji-Hoo whispered in her ear. He felt her tense, he held her tighter, and she relaxed again. "How could I not love a woman who cares for me as much as you do? I only regret not understanding how I felt sooner."

"Ji-Hoo sunbae. Remember how I had something to tell you?" Jan-Di asked. Ji-Hoo nodded, walking backwards to the boat so he could pull her down tucking her under his arm.

"I have a secret." She paused. "I didn't want you to go to France, after Seo-Hyun unnie. I thought that with her leaving maybe you would see the simple common girl that was next to you. Then I realized I don't hold a candle to her. Let alone you look at me when she had been there for so long. I decided to instead of oppose you to support you. I decided your happiness was more important than mine." Jan-Di looked over the water, biting her lip. "It broke my heart to see you walk away in the airport and know it was me who pushed you away. I told Ga-Eul when we got here, I felt like I had cause a great rift in out friendship because I got greedy. When you came back, I was okay staying in the background, I knew eventually I would leave your life or you would find someone fitting for it. But you were different. You didn't seem as...distracted. You were more open with me and it made me hope. I grew to understand, the crush I had on you was nothing compared to the love I began to feel." Jan-Di covered her face with her hands, she could feel the heat on her cheeks.

"Jan-Di, My Jan-Di, Are you saying..."Ji-Hoo couldn't finish. He didn't want to assume with her. Assuming led to nothing good the last time.

Jan-di uncovered her face and gathered her courage, walking over to pick something out off the sand. "I am in love with you, Yoon Ji-Hoo. If you please accept this as well as my confession." Jan-Di held out the small white flowering plant, he cheeks as red as flames, eyes glinting determinedly.

Ji-Hoo turned around to grab a similar plant. "Geum Jan-Di. I, too am in love with you. If you please, accept this as well as my confession." Ji-Hoo grinned at the silently crying Jan-Di. He blinked, and noticed he was crying too.

They swapped plants, laughing and crying. They put the plants on the boat, and Ji-Hoo pulled her close once more. "How could I not love you. You care so intensely. I would be lost without you." He pulled her into a soft kiss, pressing his lips chastely against hers, relishing in the closeness. 'Never again will I be cold, with Jan-Di by my side.' He thought.

Jan-Di leaned into his strength. 'Never again will I be lonely, with Ji-Hoo by my side.' Jan-Di thought. She gripped the sides of shirt, enjoying the warmth he put off, the stability, the comfort.

After a few seconds of innocent pressure, Ji-Hoo moved his lips capturing her top one between his. The broke their kiss to hug one another. The feeling of eyes on them had them pulling apart. They turned to see Jun-Pyo angrily staring at them. Ji-Hoo and Jan-Di turned to face them, Ji-Hoo lacing their fingers together.

"How dare you. I can't believe you would take advantage of her like this. You should be ashamed." Jun-Pyo snarled at Ji-Hoo. Jan-Di stepped forward to block Ji-Hoo from his anger.

"Gu Jun-Pyo! We talked about this. You confessed to me once upon a time. I rejected you very nicely. I want us to be friends, Jun-Pyo. I told you then that you were too late or maybe too early. Remember? I wasn't ready for anything you had wanted to offer. Please don't make this hard on us. Support us as our friends. I love you Jun-Pyo but I will never be in love with you." Jan-Di told him. She clung tightly to Ji-Hoo's hand.

"Pathetic. He is only confessing to you because Seo-Hyun rejected him. How can you be someone's second choice? How can you love someone that would treat you like that?" Jun-Pyo demanded. Jan-Di felt Ji-Hoo's grip loosen. She hung on tighter.

"You wouldn't see me as your first choice, Jun-Pyo. Stop deluding yourself. Your business will always be first. Ji-Hoo might have loved someone before me, but that doesn't mean I am his second choice. His loves me. Even with the damage I will cause to his reputation. Ii am a simple commoner, and people will resent that. I am glad to be by his side as long as he will let me, until the day our love may run out. Unlike you. If I was to be with you, we would be forced apart and grow to resent each other over time. I am happy to be by Ji-Hoo's side, for how long that may be." Jan-Di seemed to fun out of steam, her grip growing lax in Ji-Hoo's.

"I am glad to stand by you forever. Jan-Di, I plan on marrying you one day. I have the freedom of choice. You are that choice." Ji-Hoo tightened his grip on her hand. He was speaking to her. He raised his voice to be heard by Jun-Pyo. "Jun-Pyo, please. Accept us. We are your friends. Treat us as such. Don't let this be the wedge that drives us apart." Ji-Hoo pleaded.

"Aish." Jun-Pyo stormed off, leaving nothing but tension and apprehension in his wake. Jan-di tried to shake off Ji-Hoo's grip and attention. She hadn't meant to be so aggressive with Jun-Pyo but she was tired of this coming up. She thought she had made her opinion well know before.

"When you reject Jun-Pyo before, he took it well but no one else did." Ji-Hoo said. Jan-Di looked at him waiting for him to ask a question. 'Her rejection of him offend the female students especially her so-called friend to the point they tried to ruin her reputation. And he had the nerve to think she would rethink her answer.' Jan-Di, what were you talking about earlier with Jun-Pyo?" Ji-Hoo finally asked.

"When I rejected him before, I told him that he wasn't in love with me. In the long run of things, I am nothing but a weak attempt at a rebellion. On top of that if I had accepted then one day I would be left alone and heartbroken because I will never be the most important thing to him." Jan-Di explained. She made to move back to the boat but was stopped by a gentle tug on her arm.

"Jan-Di, that isn't what I meant and I think you know that." Ji-Hoo was patiently waiting for her answer. This time when she stepped back towards the boat Ji-Hoo followed her. "I love you, I don't want you going into this will misconceptions."

"I love you too. I also know that you are a very well know and important person. I also know that I am not. I want to be with you for as long as I am able but I won't jeopardize you or your social standing because I am next to you." Jan-di bit her lip and played with the hem of her shirt.

"I may be of high social standing and have some pull in the upper class but I will not let that get in the way of us. I was serious, I have the freedom of choice being who I am. I plan on choosing you. One thing you need to understand is where Jun-Pyo will leave things to work out with minimal interference, I will be next to every second I can. You are no longer alone." Ji-Hoo explained. Jan-Di stared at him, considering what he said. The idea was a little novel to her, she wasn't one to be easily influenced, but the other girls had slowly gaslit her into believe she was a source of problems among the F4.

"I trust you. I will rely on you, then." Jan-Di sagged against Ji-Hoo, the emotions of the night catching up to her. She blinked slowly, sighing heavily. "I am glad I came along. I am glad you came back. Who knows where we'd be if you hadn't."

"Jan-Di, I couldn't leave you if I tried. You can rely on me. I would be honored if you would. Now how about we go back to our rooms? We should get some sleep so we can enjoy the rest of vacation." Ji-Hoo handed both plants to Jan-Di then crouched before her. "Get on. I'll carry you back."

A little bit later Jan-Di took the plant Ji-Hoo gave her and stepped towards her door. She turned quickly pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Night, Ji-Hoo." She ducked quickly into her room.

Ji-Hoo stood frozen, fingers pressed to wear Jan-Di's lips just touched, a soft smile on his face. "Good night, sweetheart."

#boys over flowers #boys over flowers au #Geum jan-di/ yoon ji-hoo #The Miscellaneous adventures of geum jan-di and yoon ji-hoo the series #geum jan di #yoon ji hoo #saundrasays #saundraswriting

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OK, March 8

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bruce Springsteen

Page 1: Big Pic -- as part of Coach's latest campaign Jennifer Lopez posed with a supersized pink version of their new Pillow Tabby purse

Page 2: Contents

Page 3: Contents

Page 4: Chris Harrison gone for good? The Bachelor host's future with the show remains uncertain after his controversial interview with Rachel Lindsay

Page 6: Since the start of his career Justin Timberlake has endured his fair share of scandals but after welcoming his second son with wife Jessica Biel over the summer and celebrating his 40th birthday, he is confessing that he feels immense guilt about the past and he won't be making the same mistakes in the future -- Justin's done some soul-searching and accepts that he's wronged a lot of people over the years with his own terrible mistakes and he says he's still a work in progress, but step one has been to stand up and admit he's hurt too many women -- in addition to a boozy night out with his Palmer costar Alisha Wainwright in 2019 and his part in the now-infamous Nipplegate incident with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl, Justin recently came under fire again due to the documentary Framing Britney Spears which showed him exploiting his breakup from Britney Spears to help his solo career -- Justin's learned from his mistakes and has a lot more sensitivity about the impact of his actions on other people and that's the big difference between the Justin of today and his old, immature self and that self-awareness was evident in an emotional statement that he posted apologizing to both Britney and Janet for the errors in his ways -- his words drew praise from his wife Jessica who says he's come a long way as a husband, a father and more importantly, a human being

Page 7: Wendy Williams is on the prowl for a new man and he's got to be husband material and she is ready for a serious commitment -- Wendy's been staying up until all hours of the night checking out guys online and on exclusive dating apps and she wants someone age-appropriate, fun, kind, independent and of course has no history of cheating -- she's feeling very optimistic and even buying new perfume and clothes and jewelry for all the dates she hopes to have once lockdown lifts

* Texas native Matthew McConaughey is seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring to become the state's next governor -- he's been putting out feelers to see if he's got sufficient support and if enough donors are willing to write checks, he'd mount an aggressive run in 2022 -- he's already gotten the thumbs-up from his wife Camila Alves and their three kids -- at this point, he needs to see an actual path to winning because he's not interested in just making a protest statement; don't be fooled by his aw-shucks attitude, Matthew means business

* Now that Keeping Up With the Kardashians is coming to an end, the hunt is on for a new family to replace the clan and one reality pro is poised to nab the prize: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna -- there's already been talk about Lisa picking up the torch and her family is camera ready, consisting of husband Harry Hamlin, and their daughters Delilah Hamlin who's dating Love Island's Eyal Booker and Amelia Hamlin who's dating Scott Disick

Page 8: Things keep going from bad to worse for Armie Hammer -- he was forced to drop out of his upcoming movie Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez after direct messages he allegedly sent to women in which he described himself as a cannibal and detailed disturbing sexual fantasies were leaked online -- Armie was also fired by his talent agency WME and now the disgraced star may get cut from his new film Next Goal Wins which has already been shot -- he's radioactive and everybody knows it and his completed but unreleased work is getting a second look as studios want to do damage control, and that includes another of his finished projects Death on the Nile where his part could end up on the cutting room floor -- he's a pariah now and it's hard to see how he's ever going to come back from this

* Jennifer Aniston has always had a spiritual side but these days she is taking things to a whole new plane -- Jen has surrounded herself with psychics and has been doing Goddess Circles with the same group of close friends for 30 years, but now she's taking courses to learn to heal herself and be her own guru -- BFF Courteney Cox has been a big influence and Jen's learned a lot from Courteney, who's had a long-term interest in mediums, astrologists and horoscopes, and she's trying to fuse it all together into her own brand of spirituality -- Jen's had a lot of time alone, which has only deepened her questions about the universe and how she can make the most of her life and she's determined to find the answers

* Princess Eugenie is over the moon after welcoming her first child, a baby boy with businessman husband Jack Brooksbank but now the new mom is torn about taking time out from her royal responsibilities -- Eugenie would love to take a long break from everything and focus solely on raising her son however she knows deep down how much she's needed, especially since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are showing no signs of coming back -- as she weighs her options, Eugenie is looking to her multi-tasking cousin-in-law Duchess Kate for some inspiration because she's impressed by how Kate is able to juggle her official duties while raising three young kids

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars captivate in enchanting puff-sleeve numbers -- Bel Powley, Aubrey Plaza, Lupita Nyong'o

Page 11: Kaitlyn Dever, Lucy Boynton, Margaret Qualley

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Hilary Swank vs. Madeline Brewer, Bella Hadid vs. Devon Windsor, Alison Brie vs. Dua Lipa

Page 14: News in Photos -- Tayshia Adams and her fiance Zac Clark felt on top of the world when the visited the Empire State Building together

Page 15: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend were inseparable while out and about in Beverly Hills, Bill Murray and NFL player Larry Fitzgerald Jr. were among the many stars to shoot their shot during a charity golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Rita Ora performing on an episode of the U.K. show Dancing on Ice in Hertfordshire

Page 16: At the Australian Open Serena Williams came out on top during the fourth round, Bachelorette alum Jordan Kimball and fiancee Christina Creedon couldn't wait until they got home to enjoy Candy Pop popcorn's new Peanut M&M's flavor from Sam's Club in Houston, Heidi Montag spent the day hitting the slopes at Lake Tahoe

Page 17: Hailey Bieber starring in Beyonce's new Ivy Park x Adidas collection

Page 18: Brody Jenner had a blast snow tubing while shooting the second season of The Hills: New Beginnings in Lake Tahoe, Avril Lavigne stepped out with her new boyfriend Mod Sun for a romantic dinner in West Hollywood

Page 20: Justin Bieber looked like he'd just hopped out of bed in a sweater and checkered fleece pants in L.A., Robin Thicke in front of a piano in L.A.

Page 21: Steve Martin doubled up on face coverings on the set of his new project Only Murders in the Building in NYC, Michelle Obama on her new show Waffles + Michi, Cardi B spoiled herself with high-end goods during a day of shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills

Page 22: Brooke Burke romancing with boyfriend Scott Rigsby on Valentine's Day, Lucy Hale accessorized her look with her newest rescue pup Ethel in L.A., Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon masked up for a snowy outing in NYC

Page 24: For Galentine's Day Vanessa Lachey snacked on macarons and sipped on wine in L.A.

Page 25: Bella Hadid alongside models Mayowa Nicholas and Heejung Park in Michael Kors' new campaign for the Spring 2021 collection, Hugh Grant stepped out for some fresh hair in London, Sofia Vergara kept it casual during a visit to a pal's house in Beverly Hills

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley's Rocky Mountain retreat

Page 28: Marriage isn't easy especially during a global health crisis but for Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard divorce is not an option -- Kristen said she and Dax at the start of the pandemic were at a point in their marriage where they definitely needed a little therapy brush-up and every couple of years they're being very antagonistic towards each other and they don't want that so they go back to therapy and figure out how they can serve their team goal better and it's been incredibly helpful and even in the toughest times they always have each other's back and they're committed to being each other's biggest support systems -- while their relationship may never be perfect, they're happy and love each other and that's what matters most

Page 29: Now that Tom Brady has won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has set his sights on the next prize: baby No. 3 with wife Gisele Bundchen -- they've been telling friends they hope to make an announcement by summer at the latest and Tom and Gisele have been super loved-up since leaving Boston and moving to Florida after the QB signed on with the Bucs and the change of scenery has worked wonders on their love life and put them in baby-making mode -- the duo, who recently bought a $17 million spread on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, plan to build a luxury mansion there complete with a nursery and they hope to be all settled in when the new arrival comes -- they've never felt healthier or been happier

* Aaron Rodgers looked positively giddy when he revealed he had a fiancee, Shailene Woodley at the NFL Honors, but the QB is dreading the next step: bringing her home to meet his parents because it's no secret that Aaron's been estranged from them for years and the last thing he wants is for Shailene to get caught up in the drama -- Shailene wants Aaron to clear the air with his folks, but he's not ready to do that and he doesn't want to bring Shailene into a toxic environment

* It's only been two years since Miranda Lambert married Brendan McLoughlin but she's already itching for some alone time -- she's headed to Texas in April for her first concert in over a year and she's told Brendan he shouldn't come because it will be all work and no play but she really wants to get away from him for a while and after the pair's recent road trip together, Miranda is desperate for some space -- sometimes Miranda feels like she's living with a baby because Brendan whines and complains about life on her farm

Page 30: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's romance is heating up fast, so much so that she's practically handed over the keys to her Calabasas estate and she loves having Travis sleep over and sometimes he'll stay the whole weekend -- he gets along famously with her children and Travis has been a friend of the family for years, so the kids have pretty much known him their whole lives and they'll do fun stuff together like hiking or playing video games and Travis loves making breakfast and showing off his pancake-flipping skills --Travis is spending so much time at Kourt's place that he's moved a bunch of his stuff in to make it easier for his kids Landon and Alabama with ex Shanna Moakler to visit him there -- everyone's convinced they'll be living together full-time before you know it

* Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were met with a flurry of well-wishes after they revealed they're expecting baby No. 2 -- the couple decided to wait until Meghan was safely into her second trimester to share the news and they only told a handful of family members before the public and they wanted to cherish this secret for as long as they could -- Harry and Meghan have been nesting at their Montecito mansion and have been busy prepping the nursery and making sure it's eco-friendly with energy-efficient lighting and they're keeping it as plastic-free as possible

* Love Bites -- Clare Crawley and Dale Moss reunited, Kit Harington and Rose Leslie welcomed a baby boy, Paris Hilton and Carter Reum engaged

Page 32: Cover Story -- Bruce Springsteen's private world -- he's an open book in his songs, but here's Bruce's untold story of his struggles with depression and regret -- he still has dark thoughts from time to time but therapy and medication have helped a great deal

Page 36: Stars' Cheating Confessions -- sometimes all you can do is beg for forgiveness; these celebs have all had to plead their case -- Donny and Debbie Osmond, Jude Law and Sienna Miller, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith

Page 37: David Letterman and Regina Lasko, Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling, Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish

Page 40: Interview -- Elizabeth Olsen -- the Avengers star dishes about getting witchy again for Marvel's mind-bending WandaVision

Page 42: Golden Girls -- how these Golden Globes nominees get their award-worthy figures -- Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Lily Collins

Page 43: Kaley Cuoco, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Seyfried

Page 44: Aadila Dosani's vegan recipe for Chickpea and Potato Soup

Page 46: Style Week -- Ashley Graham is the new global brand ambassador for self-tanning label St. Tropez

Page 48: What's Hot Right Now -- create a naturally gorgeous, flushed look with fashion designer Jason Wu's namesake makeup collection

Page 49: Haute hippie retro jeans -- take a trip back to the '70s with Revice Denim's ultra-cool capsule, Los Angeles Lovers -- Delilah Belle Hamlin

Page 50: Flower Power -- floral prints are spring's hottest trend -- rock the pretty blooms for a fresh, boho-chic look -- Kaia Gerber

Page 52: DIY Blowout -- these foolproof finds deliver impeccable hair right at home -- Drew Barrymore

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 55: Q&A with Mary Fitzgerald of Selling Sunset

Page 58: Buzz -- after months of playing it coy, these celebs confirmed their relationships on Valentine's Day -- Scott Disick and Amelia Hamlin

Page 59: Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker, Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Halsey on not conforming to conventional beauty standards, Anderson Cooper on coparenting with his ex, Ashley Graham on the importance of self-care, Kate Winslet on feeling like a fish out of water in Hollywood

Page 61: Tom Holland on the plot of the next Spider-Man flick, Mila Kunis joking about keeping her family entertained during quarantine, Drew Barrymore when asked if she's ever been skinny-dipping, Madelaine Petsch on playing a teen in Clare at 16

Page 62: Horoscope -- Pisces Lupita Nyong'o turned 38 on March 1

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Riz Ahmed

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purplesurveys · 4 years

Text

1031

Do you usually take blame or blame others? Depends on the context, I guess? When things go wrong on a very deep and personal level between me and people I deeply care for, I usually try to find reasons to blame myself. But if it’s something superficial, like if someone messes up at work through no fault of my own, then I’m able to point my finger to whoever fucked up.

Have you ever been to a McDonald’s in another state? I’ve been to McDonald’s in different provinces and also in different countries. The McDonald’s we went to in Baguio was so surreal because we discovered that they were still using styrofoam containers that they had already phased out years ago everywhere else, and they also never changed the original spaghetti and chicken recipes I grew up with. It was such a blast from the past. As for other countries, I’ve tried out the McDonald’s in Malaysia, Indonesia, and China and made sure to order items that we didn’t have back home.

Have you ever seen 50 First Dates? Yeah, it’s one of my semi-guilty pleasures. It’s such a cheesy movie, but idk the concept is unique and the supporting characters made the whole movie enjoyable for me.

Do you like or hate the smell of fish? The fishy smell at the market can be pretty strong and bleck, but generally I don’t mind the smell of fish. I live in an archipelago, man. We live and breathe seafood. Idk anyone in real life who doesn’t like fish.

Have you ever been to Sea World? No.

Do you know someone who suffers from short term memory loss? I don’t think so, no.

Have you ever read any of John Green’s books? Yeah, but the only one I’ve gotten to read in full was The Fault In Our Stars. I also got to start on The Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns, but because I only borrowed those copies from friends I never got to read either until the end. All were okay, but I don’t find John Green’s writing to be as great as it was once hyped up to be.

If so, which one is your favorite? I guess TFIOS, since that’s the only one I got to read through to the end.

Are you a protective person? With my loved ones and pets, yes.

Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Yeah I’ve felt a lot but fortunately it’s never been a severe one. Just super brief earthquakes where the most that happened to me was a little swaying.

Would you rather go to a beach or city for a vacation? I love beaches, but a change in scenery would also be nice because I already go to beaches for vacations fairly often. City.

Does your license plate number contain the number 8? I never actually memorized my plate number LOOOOOOL I think so? It’s either a 6 or 8.

Were you ever a ghost on Halloween? Nope.

Has someone ever held the door open for you? Yeah, security guards tend to do that for customers/guests. Sometimes, nice strangers that I enter a place with will do it for me too.

Are you a fan of penguins? I think fan is pushing it far lol. I like penguins, but I’m not obsessed.

Have you ever stayed up all night on a school night? Just a handful of times, and it was always as part of a groupwork. I’d never willingly go through an all-nighter for myself.

What’s your favorite brand of chips? Doritos or Pringles. We also have a local brand that makes these deeeeeelicious salted egg chips, but I’ve never actually taken note of what the brand is.

Has anyone ever sang to you? Not to me. But a lot of people have sung around me.

Are you a good painter? No. That’s why I opt for paint-by-number kits, because those come with a guide haha. I can’t actually craft images by myself – that skill belongs to my sister who has an insane talent for painting.

Before buying a car, do you usually test drive it? I’ve never bought a car by myself; my dad takes care of the car purchases. I know he test-drove the Vitara, but idk about the other cars we have.

Have you ever written a poem and then read it aloud? Hmm, I don’t write poems. I don’t find the vast majority of them appealing, and only once in a while will there be a poem that is able to speak to me.

Do you like pineapple? Nope.

Have you ever met your favorite author? I don’t have a favorite.

Do you look more like your mom or dad? Most comments point to my mom, but I’ll get the occasional remark that half of my face is my dad’s as well. I’m a good mix of both.

Have you and your best friend ever liked the same person? This hasn’t happened before.

When was the last time someone called you babe or baby? Maybe August? I’m not too sure. It’s been a few months.

Do you have an older brother? No. But I’m super close with my eldest cousin on my mom’s side and we grew up together and all that, and I pretty much consider him my older brother. He’s definitely more a brother than a cousin to me, and it has always felt and been that way.

Are you a fan of art? Yes, especially paintings and dioramas.

Did you get your mom or dad’s eyes? My mom’s, I think? I really don’t know, I’m bad at recognizing this kind of stuff. You’d have to ask people who actually see me on a daily basis.

Have you ever seen the movie My Girl? Is this the one with the really sad scene of a boy’s funeral and the girl’s like, “He can’t see without his glasses”? I haven’t seen the movie, but I’ve heard about that scene a million times.

Do you watch Teen Wolf on MTV? Ugh, MTV’s teen shows are such a cringefest to me. I never followed it, but I’ve had to watch a few eps back in high school when my friends would watch it while we were at someone’s place. Not my cup of tea.

When it was on, did you watch Cory In The House on Disney? I watched a few episodes, especially when it was still new. But we were also in the process of moving then and we didn’t have cable for a few years in our new house, so I had to miss out most of it.

Do you have any blackheads? I don’t.

Do you have any freckles? Nope.

Do you have a movie that you have to watch during the summer every year? No, but I have something similar. I like watching Love Actually at least once every year, during the Christmas season. I like watching Two for The Road once a year as well, regardless of the time of year.

Do you think that life isn’t fair sometimes? I mean yeah. It doesn’t revolve around me, so I know it won’t always be fair.

When was the last time someone bought you flowers? Valentine’s Day last year.

What was the last book you read? Midnight Sun. Haven’t touched it since September, though.

How many books do you plan to read this summer? It’s past summer, and I haven’t been doing a lot of reading in general.

Does your house have a dishwasher? No, not a common appliance here.

Do you know anyone who has a flower tattoo? I probably do. But I haven’t seen people outside of family for so long that I can barely remember who has which tattoos. I’m pretty sure I know someone who has flowers.

Do you like the name Carter? It just reminds me of the underwear brand honestly, so not a fan.

Have you ever had a secret admirer? No. Should there be one, they shouldn’t be having high hopes; I wouldn’t be interested in the least.

How many different languages can you say goodbye in? There’s English, Filipino, Korean, Spanish, German, French, Japanese – 7.

Agree or disagree: You like Adam Sandler movies. Disagree for the most part, but 50 First Dates is cute.

Did the last type of shoes you wore have laces? Yups. I wore sneakers when I went out to get Starbucks last Friday evening.

How much money did you spend yesterday? The charging cable that I ordered arrived yesterday, so I had to shell out ₱140 for that.

What genre is your favorite movie? It’s a romcom/drama. My other favorite is a drama.

Are you texting anybody right now? Nope. I’m all alone today, which is the way I want to be for this weekend.

Who was the last person you were in a car with? My parents.

Do you like the picture on your license/I.D. card? I really do, hahaha. I don’t know why the people at the LTO gave me a pass, but I had been allowed to smile with my teeth. That helped make my license photo turn out super well and I no longer feel embarrassed whenever I have to take it out and present it somewhere.

What’s your favorite thing to snack on while watching a movie? Potato Corner fries. Can’t be any other type of fries.

When was the last time somebody hit on you? July or August when this random guy slid into my PMs. I had never had so much fun blocking somebody so fast.

Was the last person you met a male or female? The last new person I met was male.

Which one of your friends do you feel most comfortable around? Angela or Andi.

Do you own a map of the world? I mean, I guess. I have a collection of the World Almanac for Kids books, and it had always included a world map in its Countries chapter every year.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.

Is the light on in the room you’re in? No, doesn’t have to be as it’s bright out and I can see the sun from my window.

Who did you last spoon with? Gabie.

Are you currently watching TV? No.

Have you ever had surgery or stitches? Never. Hope I’ll never be needing one.

Do you own any clothing that has animal print? I have a tank top with cheetah print that I sometimes wear at home.

Does your family eat dinner together? Yes, every evening. We don’t eat together when my dad is working abroad, but since he has stayed home for all of 2020 because of Covid, we’ve gotten to eat together as a family all year.

Where do you work? Somewhere in Metro Manila; I’m not giving the city away.

Are you in high school? I got out of there nearly five years ago.

Do you have a TV in your room? I used to, but not anymore.

Are any of your electronics charging right now? My phone and laptop both are.

What was the last video game you played? Mario Kart 8.

Are you hungry?: I can def go for a snack, or maybe even a full meal. It’s taking everything in me not to order Popeye’s or Army Navy from Grab rn.

What color is the chair you’re sitting on?: I’m sitting up in bed; my sheets are blue with gold/yellow prints.

What did you buy last time you went to the store?: I got bottled coffee when I went to 7-Eleven a week ago.

Do you like salsa that has fruit in it?: ...Don’t all types of salsa have fruit in them though? It would be brand-new knowledge to me if I was told not all salsas have fruit.

Have you ever opened up your computer to clean the fan on the inside?: No. I’d rather have professionals do that.

Can you count in binary?: No, and I never even understood how it works.

Do you think stained glass windows are pretty?: No. Mostly because it reminds me of cathedrals.

Are you a chocoholic?: Nah. I like chocolate, but I can live without it.

Are you scared of snakes?: I mean if they were venomous or obviously wanted to eat me whole, of course. But I’ve also already held a couple of snakes before.

Have you had your wisdom teeth removed?: No.

Do you like hard or soft pretzels better?: Soft all the way. I find the hard ones too salty.

What was the last magazine or catalog you looked through?: I don’t even remember. Maybe Tatler? My grandma has loads of those at her house.

When was the last time you wore a raincoat?: I don’t think I have ever worn a raincoat.

Have you ever been carded when buying something?: Idk what that is but nothing out of the ordinary has ever happened to me whenever I’ve made a purchase, so I’m gonna go ahead and say no.

Do you eat meat?: Yep.

Corn and mashed potatoes, or beans and rice?: Both pairings aren’t really a part of our cuisine, so neither sound appealing to be honest. As someone who thrives on rice, I hate the idea of eating beans with it; so I would go with corn and mashed potatoes even though I’m having a hard time imagining how it would work.

Can you sleep with the light on?: I probably can, but it would take me a lot longer to fall asleep.

What’s your operating system of choice?: Mac/iOS.

Have you ever broken a bone?: Never.

Do you have a favorite highlighter color?: I don’t have a favorite color to use, but I prefer pastel shades in general over neon.

Do you have a flashlight?: My phone has a built-in flashlight, but we also keep a couple of emergency flashlights at home in case of blackouts.

Do you like watermelon?: I like some watermelon-flavored stuff like candies, but I’m not fond of the fruit.

…Honeydew?: Hahahahahaha. BoJack Horseman, anyone? Anyway, I’ve never had honeydew and probably wouldn’t like it considering my established opinion on fruits.

Can you shoot a gun?: I’ve never tried, so I’ll say no. I’ve always been meaning to go to a shooting range though; I feel like it’ll be such a cool experience.

Do you like salad?: Not for the most part. The only kind I enjoy is spicy tuna salad, which only has lettuce in it alongside tuna sashimi and spicy mayonnaise.

When was the last time you smashed your finger?: I don’t know if I ever have? This doesn’t ring a bell to me.

What color is your computer?: Silver/gray.

Have you ever made ice cream in chemistry class?: No, my chemistry classes in high school and college were never that fun.

Has anyone ever walked in on you while you were on the toilet?: Sure.

What color hair do you have?: Black.

Do you use the microwave often?: I wouldn’t say so; just a couple of times a month.

Are you good at spelling?: Sure, I’d claim that. Thank the movie Akeelah and the Bee; that movie made me super passionate about spelling and dictionaries for a time. I can still feel its effects today because I’m still very much particular about spelling more so than any other kind of writing/language mechanic.

Have you ever petted a donkey?: I’ve never even seen one before :o but I’d love to have the chance to pet one, heh. It would make me so happy.

When was the last time you went to the doctor’s for a physical?: 2016.

Do you like a lot of ice in your drinks?: Sure.

Have you ever painted a room? Never have, but would like to give it a try.

#survey #surveys #multiple ones again so feel free to chop up #might make this a thing just because #we'll see!#but i most likely will

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applegelstore · 6 years

Text

My sis and I are through with the actual main plot of KH3, so I can officially go back to scheduled ToZ fangirling now. …Well, I promised Cray a bit of fix-it-fanart, so after that, I guess.

Hit the cut for a resume. It got super long and has endgame story spoilers, so you might not want to stumble upon it by accident.

Another extra big shoutout (again!) to @crazayrock for bearing my liveblogging on Discord, screaming without context and occasional spoilers. And linking me fluffy Soriku doujinshi. Here, have my favourite, spoiler-heavy excerpt of our conversation:

Okay anyway, let’s get started: GAMEPLAY

Kingdom Hearts 3 is BEAUTIFUL. The gameplay is so smooth and intuitive that you can immediately get to playing like you’d never done anything else; in fact so smooth that I doubt I will ever be able to pick up the first game ever again. It’s always been fun, but the looooooong years’ gap actually did wonders to the gameplay.

The keyblade form changes are fun and keep things fresh, you can do flashy triangle button shit every other minute, and shotlock is still insanely useful without being a game-breaker.

It seems easier than the first two main games, though?

The gummi ship is still a pain in the ass to steer, but I do enjoy the open world-like travel options (even if there’s not… much to discover except heartless lasering the shit out of you). I’m also eternally grateful that they kept the gummi ship thing from KH2 where you can just use a new gummi ship once you got the blueprint and don’t buy actual fucking legos as in the first game.

Thank you, Square. Not thanking you for the dumb cherry flan game, though.

The Caribbean being basically an open world stage was delightful! Apparently what our resident island kid needs is a big ship and tropical islands to plunder.

VISUALS AND STUFF

PRETTY LIGHTS EVERYWHERE

The long gap between the games also did wonders to the visuals.

There’s finally, FINALLY a few towns with actual NPCs you can talk to. Why it took the team so many years and the Gods know how many games is beyond me. The magic effects are beautiful, the animations smooth (honestly you can hardly tell apart cutscenes and fully rendered CGI scenes in this day and age of the PS4. I’m probably the only person still amazed by this because the only games I played on PS4 before were a few hours of Child of Light and of course Tales of Zestiria and Berseria. No, I still haven’t played FFXV but that’s a topic for another day). How far videogames have come.Even space finally looks like space, lol. Not really high-end what the PS4 can do I assume but god, it’s such an amazing and much needed upgrade from the terrible textureless colourful tubes you flew through before.

No excuse for the terrible battleship thingy before the Keyblade Graveyard, though. I got lost and beaten up so many times and crashed against more walls than I can count.

Nothing beats the World that Never Was, but the Keyblade Graveyard also has creepy cool potential, as does the beautiful but ghosted City in the Sky.

Still not getting what’s with JRPGs and very Definitely Final Dungeons (TM) that are basically space. …………or heaven. Or nothing. I’m getting the bad kind of original NGE TV series ending vibes. But. Okay.

The soundtrack is splendid

.……I miss Traverse Town and Radiant Garden, however.

Which brings us to:

THE WORLDS

I guess I can live with no more Final Fantasy characters being there (although I always loved that), and the meta jokes in Toy Story world really got me. Seeing Disney characters calling the KH villains call out on their shit was delightful. …the KH characters lampshading their own games’ sloppy dialogue writing was delightful.Still, those Disney worlds are always so much more in my head than what I actually get to play. This has been bugging me ever since the first game and it still does. I do not expect or want to replay the entire movies, but would it hurt to give the cutscenes some goddamn background music? Whenever there’s cutscenes, either the world’s usual BGM keeps playing or the music stops altogether. Together with the shortened dialogues and generally drastically shortened plots with odd cuts, that leads to scenes that are awkward at best. They never even remotely have the impact the movies had. You just sit there and think “oh wow that is so silly and awkward”.

Dancing scene in Corona? My favorite scene in Tangled. Zero impact on me without the lovely BGM (at least they made it a minigame so the moment isn’t over after 3 secs). Just for example. You can ask me like, world by world, but I can think of only exception off the top of my head and it’s not helping:

Let it Go of course. Listen guys, I actually love the song. But it’s so overused (and Frozen is an overrated movie at best that doesn’t deserve its hype in the slightest) that I can’t even really enjoy it being there. Like.

 IF THAT’S OKAY WITH YOU,WHY DIDN’T YOU INCLUDE LITERALLY ANY OTHER ORIGINAL SONG FROM THE ORIGINAL MOVIES. Instead of BGM just not being there entirely, or in odd, cringey re-renderings that nobody wants to listen to (*cough* Atlantica *cough*).

Why torture me and not give me the one good scene from At World’s End (the up is down scene) when you had the chance?Kingdom Hearts is also prone to super lazy level design and wasting chances at wonderful scenery for no apparent reason other than I suppose empty cliffsides are quick to render. All games before did that, and KH3 is, sadly, no exception. We get to see a bit of Corona and Athens and they finally have NPCs, too, but you cannot even get near Arendelle. You cannot enter Elsa’s palace. You spend the entire time there climbing around in the snowy mountains of Norway, and unfortunately it looks less interesting than one would expect from the lovely concept art that the film unfortunately never used.You cannot enter Rapunzel’s tower although Sora can apparently parkour his way up even without her help.

………In short, the places you can go are, again, very limited, and a lot of interesting places and scenes you never get to see.

And to follow the plot you still only need the stuff that does NOT happen in those Disney worlds because they’re all beach filler episodes. It’s always been like that, but I keep wondering whether I’m the only one bothered by that. I’m also still salty they didn’t introduce a single new world from a 2D animated movie.

Also, as I said, I miss Traverse Town, it felt so warm and welcoming and beautiful.

And I get behind The World that Never Was missing although I loved it there, but why not give us back Radiant Garden? Destiny Islands since they’ve been restored? Disney Castle?

As much as I love the series, it never fucking lives up to its own potential. Idk whether it’s made more difficult by copyright issues or whatever, I just know that it bugs me.The first two games also had like twice as many worlds.

PLOT

I mean it’s never been deep; however, it’s complicated. No analysis or whatever from me because plot analysis and meta writing bore me like seven hells, just my emotional reaction: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  Okay, bad news. I got into it expecting nothing, and still got disappointed. I don’t actually enjoy the prospect of writing essays about it, but here’s my tea with it; in not particular order:

1) the pacing is terrible. Nothing happens for like 30 hours and then suddenly like 20 characters’ arcs are (naturally poorly) resolved within the last few hours of cutscenes. Build up anyone? At least they actually did pick up Maleficent and the box thing again. …In the epilogue.

2) Speaking of build ups, Sora’s breakdown could have been developed nicely and steadily over the game to feel natural, and instead it’s hinted at in the beginning by everyone picking on him, but then it’s never further developed and comes out of fucking nowhere. Like. For real? It felt terribly OOC.

3) Why on earth have they shown 90% of the plot in the trailers already, and why are those scenes so massively disappointing in context

4) Kairi. Oh god, Kairi. What are we gonna do with you. I want to love her, I really do, but she’s a prime example of shittily written female leads. Mostly because she’s not leading. It’s not her fault. She’s just a fictional character. But honest to God, Nomura, why. Her screen time is almost nonexistent, and she’s entirely use- and helpless whenever she’s on screen (which isn’t often). Her ONLY point in the plot is being rescued because she is fucking useless. Why. Just why. Why waste her character like that. All we know is that she’s shoehorned into being the token love interest, but she has zero plot relevance and there is even less build up of her relationship with Sora. It’s all tell and NEVER show; and not even much telling, either. She has literally zero direct interaction with in the entire game before they share their paopu. The question remains: why are straights like this

5) On a related note: look, I don’t even ask for (or expect, or even hope) my ship to be canon. Squeenix doesn’t exactly have a rich history in queer representation. I’m totally fine with Sora and Riku being best friends. BUT. Building up Sora as the most important person in Riku’s life (and arguably, vice versa) over the course of several games, just to then hardly have them interact in the finale and then SUDDENLY bring back Kairi into the equation, who hasn’t interacted with him since the ending of KH2 (except for one unsent(?) letter) is just piss poor writing, period.I actually love Cray’s suggestion she gave me over Discord: let Sora, Kairi and Riku all share a paopu together (and let them group hug, too, you cowards). It would have been the perfect message to send (Sora as truly all-loving hero, and loving all your friends equally; romantic love isn’t more important than platonic love and doesn’t need to be singled out). Really sad that this isn’t what happens. Apparently that wouldn’t have been no homo enough.

LET THE DESTINY TRIO GROUP HUG YOU COWARDS 

Do Riku and Kairi even interact once in the whole game?

 HOW IS THIS A TRIO, IT’S JUST A SHITTILY WRITTEN LOVE TRIANGLE

6) Time travelling is a bitch, Christ. It doesn’t solve plotholes or can be played for drama, it just adds MORE plotholes. It just got WORSE. The cloning blues and people not aging doesn’t help, either.

7) Just so you know, I care absolutely zero for wild fan theories. You’re not Nomura. I want a statement from the man who wrote this shit himself why on bloody earth Sora dies when he apparently successfully found and brought back Kairi (and since nobody aged a day, apparently it didn’t even take that long lol). DUDES, THIS IS KINDA PART OF THE PLOT, AND YOU DON’T BOTHER TO EXPLAIN IT INGAME???? And how was Ienzo/Zexion able to revive Naminé while Kairi was still missing/dead/whatever…?

Okay so in short the writing is worse than ever and that’s saying something.

However, let’s try to find something good in this trainwreck; it wasn’t all bad. There’s some really nice scenes which sadly are better enjoyed without any context at all.

So, guess my favourite scenes.You had time enough, here’s the solution:

1) Purifying uhm er rescuing Aqua. Poor girl. She deserves the rest. Poor, poor Aqua. The only properly wirrten female in the whole damn franchise. Also the only person other than Riku who fucking gets shit done.

2) The Gayblade (TM)

3) Happy Axel in the reunion with his kids. Oh god, the poor chap deserves it so much. Thank you, Nomura. I don’t care that it makes pretty much no sense. Make him happy. Give him his friends back. Just give Axel all his friends and let him happily set things on fire. Hi I love Axel

4) The party at the beach cutscene before the credits roll. Axel and Xion get clothes. Half the organization is on our side now. I almost teared up at the Wayfinder trio saying goodbye to Eraqus’ forceghost. Hey come on he’s the voice of Luke Skywalker

5) Sully yeeting Vanitas

6) Woody calling out Xehanort that nobody loves him

7) Jack Sparrow bad breathing Luxord

I wish we had gotten:

1) justice for Kairi

2) a happy Zexion, the poor emo kid. Well maybe now he will be, with all the orga members who changed sides now, lol.

3) I will never trust mobile games ever again so I don’t want to play KHUX but I would have loved to learn about the Keyblade Wars :;)))) 

WHAT WAS THE KEYBLADE WAR ABOUT CAN WE SPEND MORE TIME IN THAT COOL CITY IN THE SKY WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH MIKLEO I MEAN THAT EPHEMER KIDDO

 WHAT’S WITH THE MASKED DUDES AND DUDETTES FROM THE MOVIE 

WTF WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM AFTER THE MOVIE???? WHERE THOSE KEYBLADE USER NAMES ACTUAL MOBILE GAME PLAYER NAMES??? Next game? PLEASE?

I really, REALLY hope the epilogue means we will get Xiggy/Luxu as our new big bad and we learn more about the five dudes and dudettes from the movie. Please. PLEASE. I’m so up for it. Them finally pickung up the bit with Maleficent and the mysterious box again? Hell yeah.

The secret movie was really unexciting in comparison, although I laughed very hard at the “Verum Rex” scene in Toy Story world. Maybe that’s why it was much cheaper to unlock than in KH1 and KH2.

4) give Ven a drink

DLC ideas I would actually pay for because I’m a sad human being: 1) more Disney worlds 2) Japanese audio 3) at least one of the following as permanently playable characters: Riku, Kairi, Axel, Ven, Aqua. At least as a guest member as in KH2. THIS SUCH A BIG STEP BACKWARDS I’M FUMING

FINAL THOUGHTS

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a hella lot of fun, beautiful, and also moving when it sets its mind to it. Unfortunately it doesn’t always do so. I don’t feel like it wasn’t worth the wait; it was. However, I’m very salty how rotten the writing is. I do not mind logical fallacies, I do not mind the cheesiness and cringeyness; however, I do mind how so many interesting characters do not get the screentime they deserve, and Kairi is a very bad joke.

I’ll probably find more to nitpick about (Gods. Just. Don’t come up with dub excuses why Sora is lv 1 in each game. JUST LEAVE IT BE. You don’t explain why Donald and Goofy are lv 1 again, either. JUST. LEAVE. IT. BE. The sacrifice was dumb and not even moving, I’m just still furious that Kairi’s ONLY point in the plot is being so useless that it’s literally getting herself KILLED and she needs constant rescuing to the point that Sora has to sacrifice himself for her, effectively. Kairi deserves better, Sora deserves better, I deserve better than to think about this absurdity.…I’m just… gonna cherry-pick the good bits from the lore and try to pretend the finale didn’t exist, I guess. GODS.

#long post #random rambling tag

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mst3kproject · 6 years

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1103: Avalanche

As I understand it, the point of a disaster movie is the same as that of a slasher, or an episode of reality TV – we’re here to watch terrible things happen to people we either don’t care about or indeed, outright despise. The same principle lay behind the Roman gladiatorial games, in which prisoners of war were made to fight to the death in a public place – entertainment at the expense of somebody who doesn’t matter. I guess fiction is the most ethical way to indulge this urge, since it’s the version in which no real people get hurt except maybe a couple of the stunt guys. Our consciences can take comfort in the fact that they at least got paid.

Now that I’ve said that… is it really worth describing the plot? As in The Deadly Mantis, who the people are in this movie and what they’re doing is really beside the point… but oh, well. A woman named Caroline arrives at a ski resort owned by her asshole ex-husband Dave, who is hosting some kind of winter sports competition for its grand opening. This is vaguely shifty but I don’t know why. It doesn’t matter anyway because a zillion tons of snow fall on them. Caroline and Dave survive but she doesn’t take him back. Dave pretends to be sorry he’s such a shifty asshole but never really seems to mean it. The movie doesn’t so much end as it just loses momentum until it finally gives up.

Avanalche is not a movie that would have ended up on my Episodes that Never Were list, and I think that’s because it’s just not silly enough. I tend to think of an MST3K-able movie as one that is somehow inherently ridiculous and if you go through the Episodes that Never Were, you’ll find a few like Fiend Without a Face, that got there by virtue of absurdity alone. Avalanche is more or less about things that could actually happen and presents them in a pretty boring way, and therefore feels rather meh to me.

Make no mistake, though, it is still extremely bad. The scenery is pretty but can’t carry the movie. Most of the actual avalanche is stock footage, and when they need actors and avalanche in the same shot they composite the latter over the former so badly that I can only pity the poor effects people. Mia Farrow and Rock Hudson don’t manage to infuse Caroline and Dave with any real life, but the lines they’re given are so dreadful that I want to blame this on the script rather than their acting. You stifle me – I need my space! is not something that gets blurted out during an argument – it’s something said in a level voice while the marriage counsellor nods approvingly! Rock Hudson seems to spend most of this movie yelling impotently at people on phones.

As an aside, stage names like ‘Rock Hudson’ and ‘Touch Connors’ always make me wonder – did people call them by those names in casual conversation? Did co-stars say things like hey, Rock, did you see the script update? and Touch, can I borrow a pen? Did Dwayne Johnson decide to start using his real name because people called him ‘Rock’ and it was weird? Did people call Dany Garcia ‘Mrs. Rock’? I bet Ray Dennis Steckler actually asked people on set to call him ‘Cash’ and they wouldn’t do it because it was stupid.

Back to the movie. We watch various of the sports events and sometimes what’s going on is kind of impressive, but only if you’re already into things like ski jumping. If you’re not, you’re just watching people you don’t know do the same thing over and over. The snowmobile race is kind of fun because we get to watch people crash and go flying, but the rest are just dull – as I pointed out in my review of Racket Girls, you can’t get into a fictional contest unless you know the characters enough to know who you want to win. The bit with the kid dangling from the broken ski lift serves absolutely no purpose except to tug on our heart strings, and it fails precisely because we can see right through that.

The biggest problem with Avalanche, and the number-one reason it’s so damn boring, is the way it treats the people overtaken by its disaster. Even disaster movies have to be about people, but there’s a right and a wrong way to do it, best illustrated once again by that description of the Jaws franchise: Jaws is a movie about people reacting to a shark, while the sequels are about a shark eating people. Watching a shark eating people can be fun, particularly if they’re people we hate, like the spider-bait in Giant Spider Invasion, but it doesn’t last. In a movie called Avalanche we should get to know the characters just well enough to see the changes wrought in them, and how they conform to or deny our expectations, in the desperate circumstances that follow. Instead, Avalanche sets up all these people’s lives and stories outside of the disaster, and then simply leaves them there with no closure because the disaster itself renders closure impossible.

Take the two figure skaters: I think they’re supposed to be rivals and old friends? Their story is set up for the blonde one to have her big moment in which she finally gets the spin right and her friend applauds her even as it means she loses the contest. Instead, they both get buried in snow and die.

Take the skier’s affair with the brunette skater. His wife catches him in bed with her and they fight about it the next morning. We want to see him get punished for his behaviour while she runs back into the arms of the TV reporter who we’re told was her awkward ex-boyfriend. That would be an end to this story. Instead, the skier freezes to death, the reporter falls from a ski lift and somehow manages to miss the fireman’s net that was literally right under him, and the wife in a moment of tragic irony is overwhelmed by the avalanche just as she was about to commit suicide anyway (very tasteful, am I right?).

There’s a series of other background stories that go nowhere. Caroline throws herself at a photographer to make Dave jealous – they both survive but can’t actually get together at the end because it would be weird. Dave’s Mom hangs out with McDade the accountant and they seem to be falling in love, but then they both die when their ambulance falls into a ravine and explodes! There’s a few other things that go on with the sports competitions, including the cheating skier trying to break a speed record and a male and female snowmobile racer who hate each other, but none of this matters because none of these stories have an ending! It’s all just set up to try to make us care when everybody dies, like the brief time we spent getting to know each victim in The Horror of Party Beach.

Disaster movies often try to suggest that the ‘bad’ people in them are being punished for their misbehavior by this outside force. Avalanche does quite a bit with this motif, by trying to make Dave personally responsible for every poor decision that leads up to the catastrophe. Dave had the trees cut down. Dave refused to cancel the grand opening despite the weather. Dave insisted that his lawyer or somebody fly in during the fog. When the plane crashes on the mountain and starts the slide, this is Dave’s fault, and Dave even says so at the end as he and Caroline drink champagne directly from the bottle.

Yet the thing is… it’s not. The plane crash was not inevitable, and even if it were, it wouldn’t automatically cause an avalanche. All these things could still have happened without producing that result. If the plane had crashed ten feet to the left there might have been no slide, or it might have missed the resort. Or none of that could have happened and there could still have been a disaster. One of the reasons avalanches are so dangerous is because even very tiny things can set one off. A bear sneezes on a mountaintop and pow! Your hotel gets buried. Things could have been done to prevent the situation but they might not have worked.

It’s even dumber to imply that the skier’s hypothermia is his punishment for cheating on his wife. The two are in no way connected. In mad science movies, the villain is killed by something they created which is seeking revenge. In a disaster movie, both the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ human characters are caught up in the same events that really have nothing at all to do with their personal decisions. Trying to call this ‘karma’ just makes you wonder about all those nameless people in the stacks of body bags, and what awful things they did that the gods of this universe think they ‘deserve’ this.

The ending sucks, too. Caroline and Dave basically just stand around and say “well, I guess that happened” and then she leaves. I think we're supposed to be glad they're not getting back together but that really didn't seem like it was gonna happen anyway. Nothing’s resolved. Nothing can be resolved when pretty much everybody whose problems we were supposed to be interested in is now dead.

Do you know what this movie needed? Bigfoot. Bigfoot lurking in the trees to scare people who venture out in the snowstorm. Bigfoot jumping out of the woods to frighten skiers and snowmobilers into crashing! And just picture it – at the grand finale, Bigfoot marches in with an army of forest creatures ready to dig the humans out of the mess and save the day! Out of all the Season Eleven movies not to have Bigfoot in them, why Avalanche when it was clearly the one that needed him most?

#mst3k #reviews #avalanche #tw: suicide #70s

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greysfanpage388 · 7 years

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Starting Over

Hey guys- I'm finally back again after so long! Sorry for the long gap in between this fic and my last fic- real life and also the lack of motivation for writing got in the way. But I really wanted to write something canon, so this came up.

This fic depicts my take on what should have happened on the show during episode 5 of season 14 and after that. Instead of Owen breaking up with Amelia after returning back home and both of them exchanging rings and agreeing to see other people, I feel that what should have happened is the both of them realizing that they make each other happy and agreeing to start anew in their relationship.

This is chapter 1- which is shorter than the length of my usual fic nowadays.

Special thanks goes to the lovely @ jia911 for helping me to proofread this

Enjoy!

I sit on the pier lost in my thoughts, after having dropped Megan off at her house in L.A. where Riggs and Farouk were waiting for her. The cool autumn wind is blowing in my face. It is fast approaching winter, and I notice that the wind has been getting colder lately.

Colder. Just like my relationship with Amelia.

I really don't know what happened between us. It hurts so much to think about it. Our marriage is complicated, our current status is complicated, our entire relationship is complicated.

My sister Megan's advice rings in my head. 'I want to see you happy. And that might mean you have to break up with some of your ideals.' she had said. Her beach plan makes her happy. But what about me? What makes me happy? I used to think that having a family and raising my family nearby my parents and Megan would make me happy. But Megan made me question now- what actually makes me happy? Maybe my idea of a big happy family was just to make up for the emptiness I felt at losing my dad at such a young age. Maybe, just maybe, having a family isn't necessarily the thing that makes me happy after all. Maybe I need time and space to find my own happiness, whatever and wherever it is.

Am I really happy? Am I really happy with Amelia?

Our entire relationship has been so rushed, to think of it. We started having sex, agreed to go steady, got engaged and married to each other at such a fast pace. We barely even dated or got to know more about each other before diving into marriage. And now, we are suffering the consequences of our haste actions and decisions.

Now that Amelia had her tumor removed, is she still the same person? Is this really the Amelia Shepherd that I know and love? How much of her personality before the surgery was due to the tumor and how much of it was actually her?

Do we actually know each other? Do I know her favorite color, her favorite song, her favorite artist, her favorite movie, her favorite food? Does she know mine?

Are we really happy together?

I do recall being happy having her wrapped up in my arms and cuddled up next to me. I do recall being overjoyed when she proposed to me, and my heart leaping with joy when she walked down the aisle towards me on our wedding day. Gosh, she looked so beautiful that day!

But now I wonder- was this just a transient euphoric phase? Was it just our hormones racing? Was it just me being so excited to find a woman to settle down and start a family with?

I shake the questions away from my head immediately. Amelia is not just any other woman. She is a woman with the ability to make me furious and mad at her, but at the same time so in love with her. There's something about her which makes me lose control of my emotions. There's something about her which ignites my passion, fills my entire soul and every fiber of my being.

I stare out at the calm water of the sea and feel the cold breeze on my face. The sun is now starting to set, leaving a colorful and picturesque scenery of the sky, which is now filled with shades of orange, red and pink. There is something about sunsets which calms the soul.

I look at the many couples walking past me - obviously in love, holding hands and smiling at each other. One couple stops just a few feet away from me and start kissing passionately, lost in their own world. They seem blissfully unaware of my presence. I shake my head, smiling to myself. My mind involuntarily drifts back to Amelia. We never shared an ice cream together, went for long walks in the park together, or did fun activities together. Now that I think about it- maybe we had done it the wrong way. Maybe the way to be truly happy again together is to go on dates together and to get to know each other better. Who knows, maybe I will love her even more, the more I learn about her. Maybe we can give our relationship a brand new start, a refresh button.

My phone vibrates. It's a text from Amelia.

‘Just wondering whether you're coming home tonight. Dinner is ready. xoxo .' the text read.

As I sit there and read the message, I realize one thing- I have been taking her for granted. She's waiting at home for me, while I'm sitting here alone in the pier, envying other couples.

‘Ok, I'll be back soon.' I text back my reply as I get up from my spot. At this very moment, I decide that what truly makes me happy is having someone to share my life with, regardless of whether children enter the picture. More specifically, this someone is called Amelia Shepherd.

_______________________________________________________________

Amelia greets me with a dimpled smile as I walk through the main door of the house. A quick glance around the house shows me that she had spent the day tidying the entire house, even though she should be resting. A heavenly aroma wafts into the living room from the kitchen. It smells of grilled chicken. I feel another pang of guilt at not having stayed at home with her to help out with the housework. What kind of husband am I? She is still recovering from brain surgery and yet here she is, cleaning up the whole house and cooking for me!

‘I cooked some grilled chicken.' she smiles at me as she tiptoes to kiss me tenderly on the lips. I feel a tingling sensation running down my spine at her touch. Surely what we have between us is real, or else I wouldn't feel this way. I gently and passionately reciprocate the kiss.

We reluctantly pull away from the kiss as we look at each other in the eye.

‘I'm sorry, Amelia.' I apologize. ‘ Í'm sorry for just leaving you at home like this. It was so random, Megan moving to L.A. I just wanted to make sure that she arrived safely in L.A., so I offered to accompany her on the drive there. I mean, who knows what might have happened on the way…'

‘ I get it, Owen.' Amelia says smiling as she leads me to the kitchen where our delicious looking meal is waiting. ‘You're being the protective elder brother, looking out for your sister as always. How is she?'

‘She says that living by the oceanside makes her happy. She is now reunited with Nathan and Farouk. I would think that she's happy.' I reply as I help her to transfer the newly warmed up dishes from the kitchen counter to the dining table.

‘I can help her. My good friend, Charlotte is the Chief of Staff at the St Ambrose's Hospital there. Maybe I can help recommend her for a job in the hospital. ‘Amelia offers in an earnest tone. I cannot love her more at this moment.

‘Wow, you don't have to do that, Amelia. She'll find a job once she's ready.' I say. ‘But thanks so much for offering to help my sister. That's very noble of you.'

‘I do it because she's your sister.' she replies, winking.

‘Who called our marriage a sham, although we both know it's anything but that.' I think to myself. I just smile in reply instead.

_______________________________________________________________

Half an hour later, we are sitting at the dining table, opposite each other. There is now a tense atmosphere in the air, as we both tuck into the delicious chicken. Amelia seldom cooks but when she does, she can whip up a scrumptious meal. As I continue pretending to focus on the food, my mind races as I try to think of what to say to her. This isn't fair to her, I realize. Yes, she did scream in my face that she didn't want a baby shortly after agreeing to not wait and start trying for a baby. Yes, she did run away from me and avoided me for several months, making me blame myself. Finding out that she had a brain tumor explained her behavior, and now that her tumor had been removed, her erratic behavior seems to have gone with it. She initially offered me an out, claiming that she didn't know how much of it was her and how much of it was the tumor, and that she was afraid she would change into an entirely different person now that the tumor had been removed from her. I refused to accept her offer, claiming that I married her, not the tumor and that we were together in sickness and health. I asked her to come home with me instead, an offer which she finally accepted. Now that she's home, I am supposed to step up and take care of her as she recovers from her surgery. Instead, I leave her alone at home as I go on a spontaneous road trip with my sister. Instead of being mad at me, this new tumor free Amelia stayed at home, cleaned the house and made me dinner instead.

‘The chicken is delicious.' I finally say, as she blushes. The best I can do for her now is to compliment her cooking and show my appreciation for her efforts. Without the tumor, she seems to be more controlled and inhibited in her actions, but she's still the same old sassy, passionate, smart and kind-hearted person.

‘Thank you. ‘she says. ‘ It took a few hours for me to prepare the whole thing.'

‘ No, thank you.' I say as I take her hands in mine and we link hands across the dining table. ‘Thank you for taking the trouble to prepare this for me when you should have been resting.'

She smiles but doesn't say anything, as silence fills the kitchen once more and we continue concentrating on our food.

I try to form the exact sentence in my head to say to her.

‘ Amelia- I think we should start over again. Start anew and get to know each other better.' or

' Amelia-- there are still so many things that I don't know about you. I want to get to know you better.'

Which sentence sounds better?

She breaks the silence instead.

‘So- how was the road trip with Megan?' she asks. ‘Did you both manage to reconnect with each other? '

‘Well- it was good at first- we stopped at an abandoned funfair which we used to go to as kids, and reminisced our happy childhood memories there for a while. We even did our own version of carpool karaoke. ‘I chuckle. ' Then shortly after, she yelled at me, accusing me of always controlling her life and denying her the position she had always wanted in the army.'

‘ Derek was always like that too. ‘ Amelia recalls as she chews on another piece of her chicken.

‘ Then as we stopped by the oceanside, she told me how the ocean makes her happy, and that she had vowed to herself to stay by the ocean if she were to get out of captivity. She then proceeded to ask me what makes me happy, because she wants to see me happy.

‘So what makes you happy, Owen? ‘she asks me, as our eyes lock. She seems to be searching for an honest answer in my eyes.

I suddenly become tongue-tied as I struggle to find the exact answer. With her staring at me like that, my mind is blank.

‘Well, I….' I stutter as I scratch the back of my head. ‘You make me happy.' Is what I want to say, but no words come out. Amelia has this special ability to render me speechless.

Amelia places the cutlery a little too forcefully on her almost empty plate.

‘I get it.' she says in a calm, monotonous tone. ‘I can't make you happy. You need to find someone who makes you happy. A woman who can give you the large happy family you've always hoped for. And that woman isn't me.'

‘Amelia- no I didn't mean that. ‘I defend. ‘ You make me happy, you really do. I want to be happy with you, children or not.'

‘You hesitated. ‘she claims. ‘You were thinking about what really makes you happy. I don't think I truly make you happy. You need time and space to think about what truly brings you happiness.'

Her words hit me hard, like a sledgehammer.

Before I can reply, she gets up from her chair and runs to the bedroom.

I am left alone on the dining table as I bury my head in my hands. What have I done?

My conscience tells me that I should waste no time in going after her and giving her a proper explanation. I cannot let her go this time, not after she has come home to me.

I quickly get up from the chair and run into to the bedroom.

_______________________________________________________________

As I enter the bedroom, I can hear her sobbing silently, her sobs muffled by her pillow. She is lying on our bed, her head buried in the pillow. She lifts her head a little, but doesn't acknowledge me.

I sit on the bed next to her.

‘Amelia.' I call out softly and gently.

‘ Go away.' she mumbles into the pillow, still not moving from her current position.

‘ Amelia. ‘I repeat, not budging from my position either. ‘I'm sorry I hesitated, I was just tongue-tied because the question caught me off guard. You make me happy. I'm the happiest when I am with you. Everything about you brightens up my life. Your smile, your dimples, your laugh, your voice, your snarky comments, your passion for your job, your big and kind heart. You alone make me happy, and I really mean it.' I say earnestly as I pat her gently on the shoulder. ' I'm the happiest when I'm cuddled in bed next to you. discussing a case with you, having a meal in the hospital cafeteria with you, or even paging you to the ER to review a patient. Just spending time with you makes me happy.'

A few long seconds pass before she finally lifts her head and adjusts to a sitting position to look at me. Our eyes meet, I think I have this pleading look in my eyes.

She studies my facial expression and the look in my eyes.

I guess she can see the earnest look in my eyes as she finally sighs and says ‘Ok, apology accepted.'

To my pleasant surprise, she reaches out her hand to mine and our hands link. A dimpled smile slowly forms on her face, making my heart melt. Yes, seeing her dimpled smile is one of the things that makes me truly happy.

‘Do you know what truly makes me happy? ‘ she asks.

‘What? ‘I ask, pretending to be curious, although my heart was hoping for the answer 'you.'

‘You. ‘ she answers, making my heart leap for joy. ‘I realize that I'm the happiest with you too. Everything about you- your passion for your job, your loyalty and honesty, your kind heart, the way your eyebrows furrow when you're so focused on something, makes me happy. Just spending time with you makes me happy too. ‘ she adds as we hold hands. I pull her closer to me as I wrap her in my arms, feeling her warmth. Oh, how I miss holding her in my arms! I think she misses being in my embrace too as she snuggles in closer to me, and we remain in that position for quite some time.

‘Just learning more about you makes me happy too.' she says as she gently traces patterns on the palm of my hand.

‘Same here.' I admit. ‘I want to know more about you, Amelia. ‘What is your favorite movie? Your favorite actor and actress? Your guilty pleasure? Your favourite singer? Your favorite color? I love learning new things about you- you never cease to amaze me.'

‘I want to know more about you too.' she says as our eyes meet again. ‘ You never told me your favorite stuff too. Oh my God- We hardly know anything about each other! ‘ she exclaims, exasperated.

I chuckle. She can be so cute and adorable sometimes when she's frustrated.

‘Calm down.' I say, rubbing her back gently. ‘ We already know a lot about each other, and we have plenty of time to get to know each other better. We have the rest our lives to learn everything about each other.’

‘ So we're really starting anew.' she says smiling, her eyes now sparkling. I haven't seen that sparkle in her eyes for such a long time.

‘Yes, we are. ‘I confirm earnestly. ‘A brand new start for us.'

This thought makes me nervous, but excites me more than anything. We are giving our relationship a fresh start. It's like pressing a reset button on our relationship and starting all over again.

Her dimples show yet again, which again melts my heart. I realize that there is so much about this woman that amazes and intrigues me, I want to know more about her and have a brand new start with her.

‘So since we're starting anew, why don't I invite you on a date? We have never really dated before, have we? ‘I suggest as I wink at her.

I realize that this is true, we never went on a real date before. Our ‘dates‘consisted mostly of spontaneous sex in the hospital on call rooms or the trailer, or lunch in the hospital cafeteria. Blame it on our busy jobs- we barely had the time to go on proper dates before, due to our conflicting schedules.

She giggles in reply. I really miss this melodious sound.

‘So after being married to each other for several months, you finally invite me on a date.' she says incredulously. The wink in her eye though tells me that she's playing with me.

‘Yes, we are an unconventional couple. ‘I say, winking back at her, earning another giggle from her. ‘We do things backwards. We aren't a boring couple, that's for sure!'

‘ We are an interesting couple indeed. ‘she agrees, as she holds her pillow in her hands. ‘So where do you wanna go for our first official date?'

I place my fingers on my chin as I pretend to think hard. In fact, I already have the perfect place at the back of my mind.

‘How about Canlis? ‘I suggest. It is one of the most posh and romantic restaurants in Seattle, and one of our favorites although we don't visit it often.

Her eyes fly wide open in response.

‘Canlis? I was thinking of just a simple date in any coffee house down the road.' she says, a genuinely surprised tone in her voice. This shows me what a humble and simple person she is.

‘ The treat is on me.' I insist. ‘The gentleman is supposed to pay for the first date.'

‘Of course, you're the traditional man who pays for the first date - I should've known! ‘she teases as she nudges me playfully on the elbow.

‘I am, my dad raised me up with these set of values.' I say seriously. ‘He taught me to be a gentleman and to always respect women.'

‘I like that. ‘she says nodding her head in approval.

'So deal. This Saturday night. I'm not on call that night, and I believe you aren't either?' I confirm with her as she shakes her head.

'Nope. I'm not. Deal.'

After we have both showered, we spend the rest of the night cuddled in bed chatting away, completely at ease with each other. We start off with small talk, and gradually progress to catching up with each other's lives over the past few months we had been separated. She confesses to me about how afraid and alone she felt when she first discovered about her brain tumor, and how excruciatingly painful her recovery from the brain surgery was. It makes me feel really guilty about almost breaking up with her that moment right before I discovered about the tumor, and feel bad about how I wasn't with her when she first woke up from the surgery. But that was all in the past now, and I vow to myself to be with her through thick and thin from now on. I also confess to her how guilty and horrible I felt upon learning that my sister Megan was being held captive while I was moving on with my life for the past 10 years. I explain to her that that was why I spent a lot of time in Megan's room, I was trying to make up for the lost time and the guilt about my sister. She nods in understanding, rubbing my arm sympathetically as she listens attentively to my confession.

After we have chatted for hours, Amelia finally falls asleep in my arms, the weight of the day and recovery from surgery taking its toll on her. I smile to myself as I watch her sleep. She looks so beautiful and peaceful when she is sleeping, like an angel. I miss waking up in the morning or lying awake at night watching her sleep. It was and still is one of my favorite things to do. I can watch her sleep for hours- this is another thing which gives me happiness. I relish the soft feel of her skin touching mine, and the warmth of her body in my embrace, something which I really miss from the time we were apart. I realize how lucky I am to have this woman in my life- and I vow to never let her go again. I can't wait to get to know her better and unravel more mysteries about her. I am excited to start a brand new relationship with her and to go on my first official date with her. We make each other happy, we are meant for each other, this I'm sure of. We are going to do this together.

This is it guys- chapter 1 of my latest post season 14x5 fic. I really hope you enjoyed it! I'm planning the next chapter to be their first official date and them getting to know each other better and rediscovering each other. Do let me know if you would like that!

As usual- comments, reblogs, reviews and messages are very much appreciated. I'm actually not so sure what to think of this- so do let me know what you think. I would really love to hear from you, thank you so much for your support!! <3 <3

#owen hunt #amelia shepherd #omelia #omeliafics #omelia fanfiction #ailing's fics #grey's anatomy

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my-wonderland-imagination · 4 years

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The Anti-ed Danger

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.”

~ Stephen King

The Smile

Chapter one:

I wasn’t always so untrusting, I used to trust anyone, everyone who I spoke to or even smiled at me. When I smiled, laughed with people, I thought it was love; that people actually cared about me but I soon learned this wasn’t the case. My mind and heart was so innocent, pure and sweetly naȉve before a certain… let’s call it an ‘innocent’, happened then after that I started hearing the voices. They showed me what the world was really like and they helped me understand the truth behind the cruel-ness of reality. They taught me how to stop caring about what others thought and they showed me how to survive. That’s all I did now, I survived.

I suppose I should explain a bit about myself. Who I am, what I do, how I became like this, why I’m doing this… I guess I should start at the beginning. Seventeen years ago, on August 13th in the year 1993, a silent child was born. The moment her eyes opened, she smiled the sweetest, purest smile and captured the hearts of everyone around her. Her unfortunate name was Rosalyn Mae King. She was born with small tufts of shocking white hair and bright emerald green eyes. Fast forwards to when she’s five years old. She’s back in that same hospital, in the very same room she was born into. Only this time, she’s not smiling and she’s unsure on if she’ll ever smile again. She was brought into a world full of love and happiness, but after those five blissfully oblivious years, she was left alone in a world full of darkness and evil. That little girl learnt a harsh lesson that day, she learnt that the world isn’t full of cupcakes and rainbows but full of corruption and pain. Even with the help from the voices inside her head, she never understood why it had to be her.

After that moment in time, things only went downhill from there. Forced into the care of an estranged aunt from her father’s side, the girl grew up very quickly; always on the move from one town to the next, moving all around the globe without any escape from her unforgiving past.

Throughout the years, the girl grew, changed then grew again; everywhere she went, she learnt new ways to adapt and survive each and every scenario thrown at her. And each time she would finally mastered blending in, they moved and she was forced to start all over again. There wasn’t a moments rest, wasn’t a chance to enjoy anything, just constant change. Perhaps that’s why she became the way she did, quiet and secretive, observant and shy, yet dangerous and destructive, frightful and sly. Just a single glance at her and you’d never guess there was anything wrong with her. You’d never guess how dangerous she really was.

Now I’m getting off track, where was I? Right, surviving. If you haven’t already guess, I’m Rosalyn Mae King, the little girl who turned messed up at age five. That was twelve years ago, twelve years of moving about and hating every moment of it. The bright side of it was my cousin, Lillian. She always stuck up for me against my aunt and the people who tried to drive me out of their town. She was my first and my only best friend, the only person who could stand being around being around me and the weird things, dangerous things that always seemed to happen when I was around. She was the only person who believed me about the voices and tried to help me understand them. She was the only one I trusted with the truth. Until I met them, they helped me become a new person, a happier person.

---------------------------XXXXXXXXXXXXX---------------------------

“A month? You barely lasted a month, A FUCKING MONTH! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU CAN’T EVEN LAST A MONTH OF BEING NORMAL! God, you worthless freak!” My aunt Francesca yelled, her eyes snapping to me repeatedly in the mirror as we drove out of Long Beach, New Jersey. My cousin, Lillian, rolled her eyes to me and started to mimic her mother.

“I cannot believe you managed to get us kicked out after a goddamn month… You know what, I can, I can believe that. I had date for God’s sake, a date set for this friday by the way. He was actually into me! What can’t you ever think of others for once in your pathetic life?! It’s all about you, isn’t it? It always has to be about you! The world doesn’t revolve around you, Rosalyn. In fact, you’re not even a fucking blimp on it, no one would even miss you if you suddenly disappeared!” I watched as her face started to turn into an ugly shade of purple of purple as she yelled, keeping silent. Lillian started making faces at her mother’s head, making fun of her words, trying to get me to laugh. I slowly shook my head at her and turned to stare out at the passing scenery. Feeling a poke in the arm, I turned back to Lillian in question. She held up her iPod and a spare pair of earbuds, smiling softly at me. She always knew how to cheer me up. Taking the earbuds, I watched her press play on our playlist and let the sounds of Sanity Falls wash away all my sadness of the day.

‘Can you feel it?’ I heard a voice whisper.

‘What are you waiting for? You’re story isn’t over…’ The voice whispered, breaking through my slumber.

‘It feels good knowing what you did. YOU DID THIS, HE’S NOT COMING BACK! HE EARNED IT, YOU BOTH DID!’ The voice was getting louder, almost screaming at me before it started laughing maniacally at me, mocking me. I tensed up in fear, I knew that laugh.

‘You all thought I was gone, not worrying about anything. But I’ve been here this entire time, keeping an eye on this. You stopped paying attention! You’re weak, just like HIM!’ It laughed, mocking me as I shook in fear, desperately trying to wake up, trying to open my eyes.

‘This isn’t over, I am in control now! You better be careful, because I’ll always be here, always there, always watching. Say goodbye to the one you love! See you soon, little girl.’ It uttered, the words echoing in my ears. Manic laughter jolted me awake, fear freezing me from within. I no longer felt safe.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. We were still in the car, driving to god knows where, there wasn’t anywhere safe for me. It was barren land of nothing but trees, there wasn’t even a speck that indicated that any human being had even discovered the wasteland of trees. Perhaps I would find eternal peace here, this was my last chance to hide from it all, my last chance to start over again. I felt a nudge on my arm and turned my head towards the source, my Lillian. She gently tugged an earbud out of my ear and leaned close to whisper to me,

“Hey Ros, you okay? You looked like you were having an episode, was it the voices again? What did they say?” I stared back at her, unable to speak. I was scared to, we both thought the manic voice had just disappeared, gone for good. I used to listen to that voice the most, it taught me a lot, it showed me how to survive. It was my greatest and only ally, before it showed it’s true colours. It was dangerous, it caused more trouble for Lillian than it did to me. She was the one who always cleaned up the mess I created, but she also took a heavy hit with all the bullying and abuse from others as well. Even from her own mother, my aunt.

I shook my head at her and leaned my head to rest against her shoulder. I heard the whispers of the voices startup as I snuggled myself closer to her side, Lillian watched me in concern. I whispered against her neck, watching out for my aunt,

“It’s back Lil, it’s back and it’s worse than before. I’m scared that this time it’ll kill someone, It’s dangerous.” I shuddered in fear and tucked my face into the soft skin on the crook of her neck. She was my only safety net, my angel in this lonely world. I felt rather than heard her suck a deep breath in and turn to me, wrapping her arms around me tightly,

“Are you sure? Rosie are you absolutely certain about that? Is it really back?” she asked, her face nuzzling itself into my hair, hiding under my hood. This was our secret code to stay quiet with our secret conversations, about the voices anyway. Aunt Francesca didn’t believe me about the voices, she just thought I was a monster who was far too dangerous to be alive. She wasn’t completely wrong, only it wasn’t me. Not completely anyway. It was the Anti-Me, the me that took over when the manic voice came out to play. It was as if it controlled my every word, my every action and it was the reason behind every consequence against both Lillian and I.

I nodded and sighed softly. All I knew was that we were in big trouble. I only hoped that this time no one would end up hurt or worse, dead. Onto the next town and the next adventure. Good luck to them all.

#family #blood #first person #love #crazy #anti #voices #devil #evil #dark

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sippin-on-red-wine · 7 years

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High Tide | Chapter 4: Crazy Game of Poker

Title: High Tide, Chapter 4: Crazy Game Of Poker Author: @sippin-on-red-wine Rating: 17+, Mature (Sexy times) Word Count: 8,555 Author’s Note: I was hesitant to write this chapter, not sure if I was able to present the scene so that you could all imagine it the way I want you too. I hope that it comes through the way I intended!

Would love to see your feedback/requests/constructive criticism. Hit me up lovely ladies. And without further ado....

**Please like/re-blog!**

Previous Chapter

It was a hazy New England morning, thick mist shrouding the entire shoreline. The ocean, what little you could see of it, was a dark, dull steel color. A perpetual drizzle fell from the gray sky. Ed and I had spent most of the morning making love; slow, unhurried, just savoring every moment. It was quite intense, in the best possible way.

I had finally dragged my sorry butt out of bed, pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra. Ed was still snuggled up under the covers, naked, watching me put away baskets of laundry.

“When’s your birthday, Kenn?”

“Oh, you just missed it, I'm afraid. August 18th.”

“I see...that explains some things,” he said with a wink.

“Like?” I set a stack of jeans down on top of my dresser, crossing the room over to the bed.

“Well you're a Leo, then, aren't you? Confident, sexy Lioness….”

I smiled, cocking an eyebrow. “That's right Teddy, and don't you forget it.” I pounced on the bed, straddling him, holding myself up on all fours.

“To be fair… I do have this,” he said, pointing to the great lion on his chest. “Oh and this, too,” fluffing his hair up.

“I’d say you're more of a lion cub, my dear,” I teased.

“I resent that, love. Are you staying in bed with me now?”

I kissed him on the forehead. “No, Cubby, it’s time for us BOTH to get up for the day.”

“I’ve already gotten it up today, more than once actually --”

“Cheeky!” I cried, climbing back out of the bed.

He laughed, threw back the covers and tugged on his faded sweats, sans boxers. “I’m going to head home, babe, I’ve got laundry of my own to do.”

“Okay, baby. I’ll be over at the shelter later today, by the way.” I set my little basket of clean socks on top of my dresser and started to pair them together.

Ed came up behind me, resting his head on my shoulder, his strong arms wrapping around me. “You have such a big heart, Kendra. I really love that about you.” He kissed the back of my neck. “I’m going to work on some music later, I think. Can I take you out to dinner tomorrow, though?”

I spun around, turning to face him. “Oh, shit - I totally forgot. I actually will be down in Portland for the night tomorrow, I’m going to see my favorite band, O.A.R.”

“They do ‘Hey Girl’, right?”

“Yes, that was probably their most mainstream single. Do you, like, want to come with me? I’ve only got one ticket but I could see if I could get another. They play a really fun show.”

“I would go anywhere with you, love, that was a silly question. I’m in.”

The sky was still lonely & gray, it didn't make for the most picturesque road trip. But the ruggedly handsome man in the passenger seat more than made up for it.

“I love this weather, it reminds me of home,” he had said, shifting his weight in his seat so that he could rest his left hand on my thigh. He looked hot as hell, dressed in dark denim jeans, gray sneakers and a navy blue long-sleeved cotton thermal shirt, a subtle “V” dipping down in the front to expose a bit of cream colored skin. “Have you been to England?” He asked.

“Actually, no. I'm not super-well traveled. I tend to stick to tropical-beach-paradise destinations when I vacation.”

“Oh, you don't know what you're missing. Endless gray skies in the English countryside! And THE BEST food. I can't wait to take you there.”

Butterflies fluttered around in my stomach, as they often did when Ed casually mentioned plans for our future. It sort of eased that elephant-in-the-room anxiety.

“I'm really stoked for the show, babe,” I said, sneaking another glance over at Ed. “But I'm even more excited for ho-.”

I faltered, regretting the words as soon as they were about to fall out of my mouth: Hotel Sex. It always been a novelty for me -- what was it about hotels that spiced up the intimacy a little bit? Was it just the change of scenery? It probably wasn't that hygienic when you really thought about it. But my stomach had sank as I realized that Ed had probably had far more hotel sex than I would ever care to think about.

I stammered, not wanting to finish my sentence.

“Babe?” He asked inquisitively.

“Um, I was going to say.. hotel sex...” I said, my voice trailing off. I felt super awkward at this point. Get over it, the past is the past.

“Hey, you.” He rubbed my leg. “Come back. You belong here, with me, thinking only about all the hot hotel sex WE are going to have tonight.” He chided, gently.

“Shit, I’m sorry. You’re right.” I took my right hand off the steering wheel to rest it on top of his. He pulled his seat belt loose, leaning over to kiss me on the cheek.

“Could I borrow your phone, love? I forgot to bring my little Nokia and I should probably call Stu and give him a heads up that we are going out.”

“You got it. Tell him I said sorry for the, uh, mooning incident…. Blame it on the wine, yeah?”

He cackled, having apparently already forgotten all about that. I handed my cell over, watching him futz around on the screen. “Android crap,” he muttered, finally finding the keypad and punching in Stuart's mobile number.

I could very faintly hear the phone ringing, then Stu gruffly picking up.

“Oy, mate! It's Ed. What's up? Oh, I've forgotten my little flip phone, I'm calling from Kendra's - oh, yeah, she said she is very sorry for the, ah, incident the other night. Ha, I'll tell her. Yeah, so, we are going to a concert down in Portland, Maine tonight - just wanted to give you a….. Yeah, no, it's smaller, an old historic type theater, Aura something or other? Probably about 1,000 cap, max. It's O.A.R., yeah. Really? Great. Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks, mate. No, she's... yeah, it's good. I'll call you tomorrow. Bye.”

He struggled to hang up, somehow flipping the camera open by mistake. He switched the view around and held his right hand out toward the passenger window to snap a selfie of us. “Smile, love!” And handed the phone back.

“Hey, so, guess what? The band is actually with Atlantic as well, so that works out quite nicely.”

“Was Stu worried about like, security?” I asked, not wanting to sound stupid, but honestly wondering if Ed normally traveled with security people or a bodyguard.

“Well, yeah, I mean it shouldn't be that much of an issue, in this area at least. But the label will have security there so, it's an added bonus. OH - turn this song up!” He cried.

“Body like a back road,

Drivin’ with my eyes closed,

I know every curve like the back of my hand,”

He started singing along, his animated hands coming to life in time with the song. I turned up the volume and sang along.

“Doin’ fifteen in a thirty,

I ain't in no hurry,

I'ma take it slow just as fast as I can.”

We had made it to Portland and checked into the Danforth, having first stopped to get snacks & beer for the room. Ed was sprawled out on the king-sized bed, atop the duvet, while I changed into my concert clothes.

“I’m disappointed, love, I thought you’d be wearing your cute little yoga outfit all evening.”

“Nope, sorry, just wanted to wait until the last possible moment before having to put on a real bra,” I joked. Half-joked. I plopped my overnight bag down on the bed beside him, rummaging through to grab everything I needed. I headed into the bathroom to change. If any open nudity ensues, we probably won’t make it to the concert...

He was flipping through stations and had settled on a rerun of a Simpsons episode. I could hear him from the bathroom, rumpling the chip bag and popping the top on another beer. I got dressed quickly, donning a pair of distressed skinny jeans, an off-white crop top t-shirt and a red plaid shirt over the top of that, unbuttoned. I brushed through my hair, having already straightened it earlier that day, and through on some mascara and eyeliner. All set. I came out of the bathroom, balling up my comfy clothes and tossing them back into my duffel.

“I take it back, I’m no longer disappointed,” Ed said, giving me a once over. “Help me finish this beer and we can get going.”

I happily obliged, taking the bottle from his outstretched hand and finishing the rest in one fell swallow. Ed got up from the bed, clicking the tv off. He pulled on a gray beanie that covered most of his adorable fluffy mop of hair.

I grabbed my over-the-shoulder purse and threw in room key, cash, ID and a credit card along with a hair tie and coconut chapstick. “OH, I nearly forgot!”, I exclaimed, once again digging through my overnight bag. I pulled out four brand new packs of playing cards. “Would you mind tucking these in your pockets, Ed, they don’t fit in my little purse?”

He eyed the decks of cards, “Um… what are these for?”

“You’ll see!” I said with a wink, and tucked them into the back pockets of his jeans, copping a bit of a feel. I tugged on my cream-colored converse lowtops and we were on our way. The hotel door closed behind us and we headed down the hallway to the elevator, hand in hand. He pressed the down arrow button and we waited until the doors popped open with a Ding!

The elevator was empty, save for us. Ed hit the Lobby button and immediately turned around, pushing me up against the wall of the elevator. His mouth was at my neck; his hands stroking the few inches of my stomach that were exposed in my crop top. “I already can’t wait to get back to the room with you, love...” He growled at my throat, the faint scent of ale floating up to my nose.

Another Ding! And we were stopping on another level to pick up more passengers. Ed quickly backed away and stood next to me, holding my hand innocently again. I glanced at him through the corner of my eye and he was smirking, clearly very pleased with himself. You’re going to pay for that, Sheeran.

We crossed the black and white check tile of the lobby floor out to the street. The theater was only a few blocks away, and with Ed in long sleeves and a beanie, we didn’t have to worry much about being recognized. We strolled down the sidewalk, old brick buildings rising up on either side of us. The air was definitely brisk, that lovely scent of fall that could only be described as ‘brisk.’

There was a short line down the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the theater. We stopped to queue up, and Ed drew me into his chest to warm me up a bit, resting his chin on top of my head as he so often did.

Eventually we got to the front of the line, and I pulled open my phone with our GA tickets. We made our way in, walking past the merch stand and getting in line to grab a couple of beers.

The theater was really old but had recently been renovated, so it had that rustic-but-modern feel. Luckily there weren’t many people here yet, at least in the General Admission section, so we walked in and got great spots about 5-6 people back from the stage. GA took up about half of the main floor, with proper seats on an incline behind the section. There was also one balcony level.

We drank our beers (begrudgingly, as all they had was Miller Lite on tap) and chatted while we waited for O.A.R. to come out, talking mostly about music.

“First concert you ever attended?” He fired off.

“2001. N*Sync. No Strings Attached tour. Top 5 best nights of my life, to date.”

He cackled. “I love that. And where did you learn to sing?”

“Erm, I don’t really… I’m not a ‘singer’, Ed, let’s be real. But I did a lot of musical theater in my younger years, and I was a Madrigal Singer in high school.” He had a puzzled look on his face. “Like, we dressed up in renaissance-style outfits and sang Christmas carols at nursing homes and grocery stores…”

“PLEASE tell me there are photos of this,” he cried out. Just then, the lights began to dim in the theater.

The band came out on stage, the crowd coming alive.

Ed…………..

Kendra had absolutely lit up as soon as the band came out and played a riff from their first number. It was a 5 piece band, including a saxophone.

The crowd was totally alive, the band clearly had a pretty dedicated following.

“I put my two hands up, I surrender,

Come and lock me up, here forever,”

Kendra was super into the song, singing the lyrics back at the band, throwing her arms up into the air, spilling a bit of her beer as she waved them around. She whipped her head around, giggling, and mouthed “Sorry!” I watched as she slammed the rest of her beer, right down the hatch. This girl.

The band played on, the crowd getting increasingly more fired up, Kendra included. She was bopping around, wiggling and shaking along with each song. The lights shone down on us from the set behind the band, highlighting the sheen on her skin from dancing so much. At one point she handed me her purse, shrugging off her plaid shirt and tying it around her waist. Fuck, she looks good.

She turned around to face me, grabbing my hands and pulling me into a dance with her. The song was bright, percussion-heavy, and the dude on the sax was really giving it. We jumped and threw our arms up in the air, laughing at each other.

At the close of that song, the lead singer switched out to an acoustic guitar. “Let's slow things down a bit, for all the lovers out in the crowd tonight,” And the crowd hushed.

She had turned back toward the stage to watch. I pulled her in, close to my body, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. She turned, facing me, wrapping her arms up around my neck.

“I just wanna make you laugh,

I just wanna see that smile,

Babe we're only here, oh for a little while,

I just wanna hold you til we fall asleep,

I want love, I want us, I want you, I want me

I want peace,”

She sang the words to me, smiling, our eyes just locked onto one another’s. And I knew. I didn't know if it was this little bubble we were living in, or because I was so miserable before her. Maybe she was another vice for me, her beautiful body & soul intoxicating me every moment we were together. Her beautiful, expressive brown eyes. Maybe it was the way she doubled over in laughter, or cried when those sad animal commercials came on tv.

I didn't know if she felt the same way, but I didn’t care. She had come into my life right when I least expected it. She felt like home.

It was too soon, sure. But in that moment, our sweaty bodies pressed together, a shower of colored lights shining down on us, I knew I loved her.

Kendra…………..

Is he having a good time? I can't tell. Does he think they suck? OH, fuck, I love this song --

'Peace’ had ended and the band was kicking it back into high gear with 'Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes’. Ed was standing beside me, watching me pretty intently. I found it a bit odd, as usually, at a concert, you watch the band… but… whatever.

A couple more songs passed, and then O.A.R. hit us with the golden ticket: the opening riff of That Was A Crazy Game of Poker. The crowd went fucking mental; as did I. I cheered, then quickly turned to Ed. “Baby! It’s time!” and I reached into his back pockets to grab out the decks of playing cards. “Here, help me open these..” I requested.

Marc, the lead singer, was doing the lead-up part. “Here I am, once again, life-life in my hands, I’m playing cards with the devil again…. Oh no, oh my…”

I quickly shucked the cards from their little cardboard box, and Ed followed suit.

“Oh myyyyyyyy….. Twenty thrown down, in my…”

It was a spectacle, in the best way possible: Playing cards were raining down all around us, as the crowd started launching theirs toward the stage. Cards of every suit were floating down from the balcony, too. Ed looked up and around with a sense of childlike wonder. He folded his cards up into a bridge, as if he were going to shuffle them, and sent them launching up, straight above us, into the frenzy of red, black and white.

The song was in full-force by this point. “That was a crazy game of poker.. I lost it all,” I saw Ed mouth “Fucking cool.”, then he grabbed me around my waist and kissed me. It was like the whole scene disappeared; the stage, the lights, the deafening music, the whole crowd that surrounded us. All that was there was him & me, our lips locked, holding each other. I wanted so badly to run my fingers through his hair so I pulled off his gray beanie, fluffing those curly locks up with my fingers, then held his face to mine as we explored each others mouths.

The song ended, audience roaring with cheers and applause. Ed was grinning down at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The lights began to come back on. There weren't many exits, so we stayed put while most of the crowd began to slowly filter out.

“Did you have fun, Teddy?” I asked.

“Yes, absolutely. The card thing was so cool. They played a great show. You've seen them live before, yeah?”

“Oh, gosh, yes - quite a few times. I still need to make it out to Red Rocks one of these times. Their concert album from there is my favorite.”

“In Colorado? I've played there. It's quite cool, being in the side of a mountain and all.”

“What? No way! Are you stopping there again on your tour that's coming up?”

“Um, no, the upcoming tour has venues a bit... bigger than that.”

“Looks like we can clear out now,” I said, nodding to the main exit.

“Are you ready to go home, so soon?” He flashed that devilish grin at me.

“Well after your little declaration in the elevator…” I said, tucking my thumbs in the waistband of his jeans.

“Mmm, that's right,” he said, playfully biting on his bottom lip. “Afraid you’ll have to wait a bit longer, love. That is, unless you don't care to meet the band?”

My eyes widened. “WHAT?!”

He smiled, pulling me in close and kissing the tip of my nose. “Yeah, well like I said, we’re label-mates and it would be rude of me not to introduce myself…unless you’d rather just head back now,” he said with a wink.

“Um, HELL. No.” He laughed. “I wasn't expecting this, Ed, it's really sweet. Thank you.”

He rubbed his thumbs over the tops of my hands, which he was holding between us. “Well in reality, you should be thanking Stuart, he made the call. But, please don't thank him with a kiss. I'll take the kiss.” He said, pointing to his scruffy cheek.

“Smart ass,” I retorted, giving him a peck, and pinching his ass at the same time.

“She's feisty!” He laughed, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me toward the stage. There was a door to the right with an out-of-shape dude dressed in all black standing outside of it. Oh, security, I mused.

Ed approached, dropping my hand and gave the guy a handshake and pat on the shoulder. He tilted his head up and must have said the right thing, because the guard stepped aside, opening the black door.

“Thanks, mate,” Ed said as we passed by. The door led to the wings of the stage, past all the drops. It seemed like Ed knew exactly where he was going, a skill which I attributed to him having spent a lot of time in venues just like this one. We heard some loud conversations coming from down a hallway, at the end of which was a partially open door labeled “GREEN ROOM” when Ed looked back at me over his shoulder. “Excited, love?” I nodded, indicating No Shit, trying to keep my cool.

Marc, the lead singer, was perched on the arm of a sofa and saw us walking up to the door. “Hey!” he shouted with a smile, striding across the room, hand outstretched. He pulled Ed in with a slap on the back. “Nice to finally meet you, brother! Come on in!”

“Yeah, you as well! Sorry it hasn’t been sooner,” Ed replied. Holy shit. They were all there. Marc, Jerry, Benj, and Chris - plus a few people I didn’t recognize. Ed tucked his arm around my waist, bringing me forward. “Hey, this is Kendra.”

“Lovely to meet you!” Marc said as he pulled me in for a quick hug. The room erupted in sounds, everyone standing up to shake hands and introduce themselves to Ed. “What’d you think of the show?” Marc asked.

“It was great - as ALWAYS! Huge fan of your music.” I saw Ed taking selfies with some women on the other side of the room.

“Yeah, you’ve been to many shows?” He asked.

“Sure, a handful. Think I saw you for the first time back in like, 2003 at Summerfest in Milwaukee?”

“Shit - we love playing there! Are you from Milwaukee? My wife, Tess, is -- Tess, come here!” He reached his arm out, beckoning the tall, beautiful blonde that was taking selfies with Ed.

The room was a flurry of conversations, Tess coming over to meet me, introducing her friend Jenna (who was married to Benj). Ed was making his rounds, talking animatedly with his hands, even more so than usual.

Eventually Ed wound up back by me. “So, the guys have an after-party set up downtown to celebrate the first night of their tour, do you want to go check it out?” He had a big grin on his face.

“Yes, let's go,” I replied, taking his hand.

“We’ll meet you guys down there, yeah?” Ed called out, waving, and we walked out of the room.

We climbed an old, dimly lit staircase to the second story. A bouncer sat outside the door. He gave us a quick once-over and motioned us inside. It was a pretty cool loft bar, all full of exposed brick and metal accents. Typical ‘industrial chic’ style interior. What looked like old railroad ties were mounted to the ceilings as beams. The floor was hardwood, shiny, so it must have been resurfaced.

The bar was to the left, spanning along the entire south wall. Glass shelves lined the wall, littered with liquor bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors. There was a DJ booth, a small stage area and a dance floor. On the other side of the room were high-backed booths lining the walls, with cocktail tables in front of them, and ottomans on the other side of the tables. Seemed like a cool place.

I followed Ed to the bar, sidling up next to him. The bartender looked young, he was dressed in all black and had a buzzcut. He spotted us at the end of the bar, and if he recognized Ed, didn’t show it. “What can I get for you?”

“Yeah - your best white tequila - anything but Patròn. Five shots of that, shaken with a shot of passionfruit juice - do you have that?” He nodded. “Great, yeah, five shots of tequila, one shot passionfruit, shake it over ice and poured. We’ll take two of those to start, thanks mate.”

I cocked an eyebrow. Tequila, for me? Wouldn’t have been my first choice, but there was something sexy about Ed ordering for me.

Ed…………..

I laughed, watching Kendra from across the room. She was teaching a couple of gals next to her how to shake bar dice and they had probably done, oh, maybe four shots in the last half hour? She had already been quite buzzed and as it was pretty late in the night, I figured this would really put her over the edge.

I had been tempted to really throw it in, too, but wanted to kind of take things slow as it was the first time we were out at a party together. Admittedly, it was really easy for me to fall down the party “rabbit hole” and end up sleeping in the grass somewhere on the way to where I needed to be.

I walked toward the bar, Kendra catching my eye. Her face lit up and she came to meet me halfway, throwing her arms around me like she hadn't seen me in a few days.

“Teddy!” She cried, throwing her arms out. She cupped my face, giving me a big smack on the lips.

“Hi, love, having fun?” I asked.

“Yes! So much. Gosh, I haven't been out in soooo long.”

“Do you want to head back to the hotel soon?”

She glanced at the clock behind the bar. “Oh, holy shit. It *is* late! Yeah, we can get going, let's just say goodbye?”

We were sat in the backseat of the taxi. Kendra let out a big *huff*

“Ed. I haven’t had tequila since college, and I forgot there was a reason for that, but guess what……..there’s a reason for that.”

I chuckled. “And why exactly is that?”

“This!” She cried, pointing at herself.

“You’re thoroughly pissed, aren’t you?”

“No! Am I? YOU should be pissed at ME. Sorry about… this.” Again, she just gestured up and down her body.

“No, love, ‘pissed’... like, drunk?”

“OH God. No. Well, true, I can’t feel my knees right now.” She giggled. Then gasped. “Ed, did I embarrass you at the bar? Is that why you wanted to go?”

I kissed her on the tip of her little button nose. “No, baby, you didn’t.” I said, rubbing the top of her thigh.

“I am starving. Can we get pizza, Teddy?” She rose up on her knees, swinging a leg over my lap, now straddling me in the backseat of the taxi. “I need pizza. And sex. Pizza and sex, please,” Her mouth was on my neck.

The cab driver looked back at me in the rearview mirror, clearly not amused. I grabbed onto her hips, gently lowering her back down onto the cool leather seat. “Come on, you, the driver can't see out the window. Keep it in your pants for a minute, yeah?” I chuckled.

“I can't keep it in my pants for pizza, Teddy.”

“Here, give me your phone, I'll find something to order.”

She dug in her little purse, extracting her cell and handing it over. “You're my hero.” She looked like a cartoon character with throbbing red hearts in place of her eyes.

I ran a quick Google search for pizza delivery, as we pulled up in front of the hotel. I handed the driver a $50 note for his trouble. I climbed out of the taxi, dialing the pizza place, and walked around to the other side of the car to get the door for Kendra. She quite resembled a fawn learning to walk, as she uncrossed her legs and stepped up and out of the cab.

“Hi, I'd like delivery please? To the Danforth, downtown? Room 112.” Kenda threaded her arm through my elbow, and I closed the car door behind her. “Yeah can I get an extra large pepperoni, please?” We headed into the hotel lobby.

“EXTRA CHEESE PLEASE!” She chimed in, leaning over to shout into the phone.

“Did you get that? Okay, great, thanks mate.” I hung up the phone and slipped it into my pocket for safekeeping.

“Ah, pizzaaaaaa.” She sighed, clinging onto my arm, flashing those big almond-shaped eyes up at me.

“You are so silly, d’you know that?”

“You are so SEXY, did YOU know THAT??” She exclaimed. We were stopped in front of the elevator, her not-so-quiet tone echoing up to the tall ceilings in the lobby. I glanced over at the older gentleman who was behind the reception desk. He gave me a head nod and a wink.

Ding! The doors opened, and I gave her a little push on her bottom into the elevator. “Get in there, love,” I said with a sly smile.

She was on me instantly, wrapping her arms up around my neck. I lifted her up, holding her up against the elevator wall again, like before.

I kissed her neck, she giggled. I nipped her earlobe, more giggles. “Tell me more about 'tequila in college’...” I breathed into her ear. Giggles.

Ding! We were at our floor. I set her down, gently, making sure she was going to remain upright.

”“2-4-1 Margarita night. BIG margaritas, Teddy. Like fishbowl-big.”

“Say no more. Come on,” I tugged her by the hand, leading her down the carpeted hallway to our room. “You’ve got the room key, yeah?” She rummaged around in her little purse, finding the key card and pulling it out. She scanned it in front of the door and pushed it open. We walked in, she instantly flung off her purse and kicked off her chucks.

She untied the plaid shirt that was still wrapped up around her waist, throwing it down on the bed. “Ed, I’m going to rinse off in the shower! I got so sweaty tonight,” She was unbuttoning her distressed jeans, shimmying them down over her hips. She was wearing a plain black thong underneath…. Yum. Her crop top came off next, her clothes now abandoned in the middle of the room. She was wearing an elaborate lace bra, a pale creamy color against her olive-y complexion.

I was leaned up against the door, still, admiring the view. “Want me to join you, love?” I asked.

“I’m going to be quick! You stay here in case the pizza guy comes!”

She picked up her overnight bag and carried it toward the bathroom, stopping in front of me, standing up on her tiptoes to give me a kiss.

I kicked off my trainers, locating the T.V. remote and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to find a movie or something to put on. Kendra was singing in the shower, loudly. A country song, by the sounds of it. At least she’s a happy drunk, I mused. I hadn’t realized how sloshed she was until we left the bar.

There was a knock at the door, Kendra must have heard it too, because the shower promptly shut off. I swung open the door and paid the delivery driver. Our room didn’t have a proper table so I sat the pizza down on the bed, then went over to the little mini fridge, hoping it would be stocked. Ginger ale, perfect.

She emerged from the bathroom, still wet from the shower. She was all wrapped up in a big fluffy towel, her dark hair piled on top of her head.

“Oh, fuck yes.” She said (to herself? I think?), plopping down on the bed in her towel. She unhinged the cardboard box, snatching a slice up in one hand, and the tv remote in the other. She took a big bite, literally moaning, “This is sooo good.” God, was she cute.

I brought her over some napkins and a can of ginger ale. “I’m going to take a quick shower too, babe.”

“Here, have a bite of this first, it’s sooooo good.”

I obliged, taking a bite of her gooey, cheesey pizza. “Oh, shit, this IS good,” I said, taking the slice out of her hand. I walked away with a wink. She just shrugged and dug into the box for another slice, flipping through channels on the T.V.

I scarfed down the rest of my slice, grabbed my duffel and headed into the shower. I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the walk-in shower, adjusting the knobs until I got the right temperature.

“Babe! Jurassic World is on!” She hollered from the other room. Her voice was muffled, her mouth likely full of pizza.

I stood under the hot spray, ruminating over the day, the moments flashing by my eyes like Polaroid snapshots. Kendra, cruising down the highway, laughing as I told her stories about stupid shit I'd done. Kendra, jumping and throwing her hands up at the show. The way her hair fell over her shoulders when she wrapped her arms around my neck. The flurry of playing cards, falling down all around us. Watching her strike up a conversation with any random nearby person at the bar. Surprising me by pulling the cigarette from my hand on the bar's balcony and taking a deep drag of it. Kendra, “I can't keep it in my pants for pizza, Teddy.”

I realized I was just standing there, daydreaming, and I made quick work of shampooing my hair and soaping up the body. I rinsed off and popped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to dry off.

I slipped on a pair of boxers from my duffel, then towel-dried my hair as best I could.

Shutting the light off in the bathroom, I came out to find Chris Pratt riding a motorbike alongside four Raptors on the television..and, Kendra, passed the fuck out. She was propped up against the headboard, a mountain of pillows behind her. She was clutching the TV remote with one hand, and her other hand was in the pizza box beside her. I retrieved her cell off the dresser and snapped a picture, the scene was too good not to.

Oh, I should have known. Get a little grub in the girl and she'd go right to sleep. I've been cockblocked by pizza.

I walked around to her side of the bed, slithering the remote out of her hand, and tossed it over to my side. I gathered up the pizza box, setting it on the dresser. I didn't want to move her too much, so I found an extra blanket in the front closet and covered her up.

She didn't so much as stir through all that commotion. I hit the lights and slid under the sheets, watching the raptor squad try to take down the Indominous. Sweet dreams, sweet girl.

Kendra…………..

My brain registered that I was awake, taking a full minute to send the signals to my heavy eyelids to open.

Where -- Oh, hotel.

I gave myself a mental body scan. OK - slight headache, nothing near what you deserve for how many drinks you had last night. Stomach is good. Shit, I'm naked? No. Got a towel on. Lovely. Throat feels funny - OH MY GOD did I smoke last night? I totally did. Need water.

I was almost in a sitting position, propped up on a number of pillows. The TV was still on, casting a hazy glow over the room. The curtains weren't shut, but it was still pitch dark outside. The clock on my nightstand read 4:37a.

I looked down to my left, Ed was asleep, under the proper comforter, his head laying on a throw pillow from chair in our room. Memories from the night before (or, same day?) rushed back. You boozy idiot. Molesting Ed in a taxi, shouting in the hotel lobby and stuffing your face with pizza before passing out in a towel. Get your shit together.

Poor guy. He really had the patience of a saint, didn't he? Perhaps he deserves a reward….

I slipped out of bed, tripping over my tired feet to the bathroom. I slammed a glass of water straight from the faucet, and brushed my teeth.

Ed was still asleep, his mouth partially open, snoring quietly. Was he naked? All that peeked out from the comforter was his left arm, in all it's tattooed vibrancy. He definitely doesn't have a shirt on..

I crept over to the bed, slowly peeling back the covers to expose this sexy man. Shoulders, chest, belly… a thick, gray waistband of his favorite boxer briefs. Fuzzy, muscled thighs... yummy.

He groaned, rolling over on his side, apparently unhappy with his warm covers being taken. I dropped the towel, discarding it in a pile around my feet, and sidled in next to him in the bed, pressing every inch of flesh against his exposed skin.

I dragged my fingertips down his bicep, scratching likely. He began to stir, waking slowly, his feet stretched out at the end of the bed. I kissed the back of his neck, a wet kiss, sucking on his pale skin, nibbling at the close of the kiss.

He rolled over, stretching his limbs in the process

“Hi, baby..” I spoke softly, wanting to wake him up gently.

“Mmmm. Hi.” He rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”

“Shhhh,” I pressed my fingers to his lips, quickly following up with my mouth. I rocked him backwards, til he was lying flat on his back. I pulled myself on top of him so that our bodies were chest-to-chest, loving the feeling of his hot skin on mine.

I reached back to find his cock, already firming. I traipsed my fingers over the thin fabric, stroking him slowly, feeling him come to life under my touch.

I kissed Ed’s collarbones, letting my wet lips drag over his skin as I made my descent. I let the tip of my tongue dance over his nipple, flicking softly. He groaned, the vibrations rippling down his torso. Ed brought his hands up to my shoulders, applying a bit of pressure, essentially guiding me downwards, showing me what he wanted. Sexy.

I increased the pressure on his cock, pressing into it, now fully erect. I kissed down the soft curve of his belly, leaving a little nip on his hip bone.

I sat back on my heels, tugging the elastic band on his boxers down, his rigid cock springing free. I dragged the boxers down and over his ankles, discarding them on the floor.

I settled in, laying on my belly between his legs, my knees bent up behind me, ankles crossed. I gripped the base of his cock properly, and ran my flattened tongue up the underside of his shaft, wetting it with my saliva.

I repeated this, tantalizing him with my tongue,until I heard his heavy breathing. I propped myself up on my elbows, one on either side of his hips, my full breasts resting just below his pelvis.

I flicked my hair over my shoulder, the long tresses falling back into place almost immediately. He must have noticed my struggle, because he threaded his fingers through my hair, pulling it away from my face, wrapping his knuckles up in it. I glanced up at him, locking my eyes on his.

I moved my hand up to the plump, pink head, rubbing the underside with my thumb - then enveloped the whole tip on my mouth, swirling my tongue all around him. He groaned, again, “Fuck,” tumbling out of his mouth.

I took him into my mouth, slowly, flattening my tongue as it glided over his shaft, feeling the thick vein that protruded slightly.

He pushed his hips up toward me, in a soft thrusting motion. I took the hint and started sucking him harder, meeting each thrust with my mouth; hot and wet over his shaft. I took him deeper into my throat, relaxing my gag reflexes, letting his tip brush up on the roof of my mouth, way in the back.

“Fucking love your mouth, baby,” he breathed, his voice ragged. “Just like that, yeah,”

I cupped his balls with my free hand, massaging lightly. He was responding, thrusting up into my mouth a little faster. I hummed, taking him deep into my mouth, faster and faster, the vibrations certainly reaching him. He gripped my makeshift ponytail a little tighter, his breathing ragged.

“Kenn, I'm going to come, yes, fuck - unghh!” I took his full length into my mouth, his warm fluids running down my throat.

I eased up on his shaft, licking up the sticky fluids.

Ed let go of my hair, smoothing it off and away from my face. “It's so hot when you swallow for me, love…” Ugh. His dirty mouth will be the end of me.

“I like making you feel good, Teddy,” I said, simply. Raising up on all fours and climbing back up to rest my head next to his.

“You're not sleepy again, are you?” He asked, flipping his body on top of mine, pinning me down. “Because I am not nearly done with you, yet...” He growled at my throat. Fuck.

His hand reached down to my core, dipping just a fingertip into my folds. “Mmmm,” he moaned.

I was dying for more of his touch, wriggling under his hold, desperately seeking more friction on my pelvis. “Teddy,” I whined.

“Turn over for me, baby?” He used his fingertips to gently guide my body, flipping me over so that I was flat on my tummy. I turned my cheek to the side, laying it against the cool, smooth sheets, my arms laid flat above my head. Ed was sitting back on his heels, anchored between my legs, one of my knees on either side of him. I was super exposed in this position. Ed's hands were tracing my outline, stopping to stroke the pale expanse of skin that was my under-breast, using feather-light strokes.

His talented hands wandered down to my ass next, rubbing and kneading my cheeks and low back. He pushed his thumbs into the small of my back in tight circles, melting away any stress that had been living there.

The hands moved back down to my ass, his flat palms warming the skin there, running over every piece of exposed flesh.

The small length of one fingertip just barely touched my slit. “Is this okay, Kendra?” He asked quietly, stroking me up and down.

“Yes, fuck yes, Teddy,”

His rough finger traced the outline of my opening, then dipped in, just knuckle-deep. I groaned, pushing my butt out towards him, exposing myself even more.

He was rubbing circles into the small of my back with one hand, as he sank a second finger into my slick hole, twisting as he pulled in and out. “You’re practically dripping, darling girl, do you like taking me in your mouth that much?” Why yes, I do.

He pulled out, leaving a noticeable void where I was just starting to get warmed up. “Nooo,” I sputtered.

“Relax, kitten, I've got you,” his voice was low and husky now. He gripped his rock hard cock, smacking it lightly on my ass.

He leaned forward over my body, grabbing two of the fluffy pillows at the top of the bed. “Lift up?” He said, gripping my hip bones and helping raise up my pelvis, sliding the pillows under me. My whole core was elevated now, ass up in the air, my upper body slanted downward. I stretched my arms out ahead of me, bracing myself on my forearms.

He lined up his tip with my opening, wetting the head in my folds, practically dripping at this point. I shook my hips back and forth, softly, teasing him. “Mmmm, feisty…” he muttered.

His cock entering me was pure fucking bliss, his rigid shaft sinking into me, my pink flesh giving way to accommodate his girth & length. “Fuck,” tumbled out of his mouth, a hard emphasis on the 'k’ sound. It was our first time in this position, the sensation of him entering me from behind totally new. His hands were flattened on my back, fingers splayed out, running them slowly up my spine as he took his time entering me.

The angle was different than what I was used to with him, and when he finally sank into me fully, there was a tiny twinge of pain on my back wall. I drew in a sharp breath, relishing in the feeling.

He anchored his hands on my hips and started to work in and out of me, sooo slowly, pulling all the way out of me with each thrust. I pictured him; his silky ginger hair ruffled down over his forehead, his head hung low and he was undoubtedly paying very close attention to the connect and disconnect of our bodies. Ed was a watcher, that much was for sure.

The ridge on the head of his cock dragged at my wet opening with every pass, the sensation was fucking delectable. I loved when he fucked me this way, slow and purposeful. The moments between each thrust were practically suspended in time, my breath gated, waiting for the next wave to crest.

Our physical chemistry was off the charts; I had never experienced anything like it. In past relationships, I was always a little insecure or nervous during sex, but Ed could put me in the most vulnerable position and it only served to turn me on more.

I was whimpering, torn between wanting this achingly slow lovemaking, and wanting to be well & truly fucked. Ed had way more patience than me.

I pushed my hips back against him, meeting each thrust. He released his hands from my hips, dragging his fingertips over my ass, rubbing and kneading the soft flesh. I intensified my pace, pushing myself over him again and again, a little faster each time. He eased off on his own thrusting, letting me take the reins, his hands falling to his sides.

“Yes, baby, fuck my cock, yes,” he sputtered.

I found my rhythm, taking him into me as deeply as I could, his cock hitting that front wall with a thud and a dull ache. The groans spilling out of Ed’s mouth were like nothing I had heard from him before; they were wild, primal. It drove me crazy.

His hands were on me again; his left grabbing hold of my hip, taking back some of the control. His right hand snaked down, around my front, finding my clit and applying just steady, unrelenting pressure. No circles, no grinding, he just held his thumb and middle fingertips to my sensitive little bundle, his thrusts into me pushed my pelvis up against his fingers and the pillows, giving me the pulsation I needed.

It was so unbelievably sexy, Ed fucking me from behind, burying his cock in me, his breathing heavy and ragged. His calloused fingertips steady on my clit, God, his brain must be torn… instinctively probably wanting to just fuck me like his life depended on it, but needing me to get off, too, before he could let himself go.

I swear my nerves were singing, the constant pace on my clit matching the thrusts as I took Ed in, over and over, his pelvis colliding into me. I was climbing, climbing -- swiftly sailing up towards that white-hot heat. I hung on to it as long as I could, trying to delay the inevitable, the struggle making it that much sweeter.

“Ohmygod - Teddy - Fuck,” I shouted, and it all came crashing down. I clenched my thighs together, riding out the aftershocks, my vaginal muscles contracting around him. He leaned over me, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on each of my vertebrae.

The scruff of his ginger beard scratched up against the skin between my shoulder blades, his fingers reaching up to comb through my hair. “I want to see you, Kendra.” He eased off of my back, pulling the pillows out from under me, and quickly slipped out of me. I shifted my weight, turning onto my back. Ed nudged himself between my thighs again, and propped one of the discarded pillows behind my head. This sweet, tender man who brushed the stray hairs off my face and ensured I was comfortably propped up was the same man who had been fucking me wildly, guttural sounds spilling from his mouth just minutes ago. I scored, big-time.

“Teddy, I --” What. Shit. No. “T-think you are so amazing,” Did I falter? “That felt so amazing.” Okay, you got it.

He grinned, gripping his cock and sinking into me once again. “I think you are so amazing, too, Kendra..” and his mouth came crashing down on mine, his desperate need transferring to me. “I love the way you come undone for me..”

Our bodies crashed together, rocking totally in sync. I let my hands wander his his back; touching, teasing, scratching. He was gliding into me in long, steady strokes, like he was just trying to get as close to me as he possibly could. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his breath moist and hot on my skin. I brought a hand up to his hair, twisting his curly locks into my fingers.

“Harder, Teddy,” I moaned into his ear, his body responding immediately.

He propped himself on his hands, kissing my forehead, pounding into me again, frenzied. I brought my hands up to my breasts, rolling my nipples between my fingers. I squeezed my eyes closed, straining my head back, moaning -- I knew full well this would be quite the sight for him.

“Yes, baby, yes,” I cried out, eyes still clamped closed. I let go of my breasts, letting them sway up and down as he fucked into me.

“Do you want me to come for you, Kenn?” He could barely get the words out.

I opened my eyes, then, meeting his gaze directly. “No, Teddy, don’t come yet --”

I watched him fall over the edge as soon as the words were out of my mouth, a series of breathy Ah, ah, ahs tumbling out of his mouth as his hips stuttered into mine. He collapsed onto my chest.

“I’m sorry - I couldn’t hold on,” he rasped.

I ran my fingers through the damp curls at the back of his neck. “It’s okay, Teddy, I figured telling you not to come would only make you want to come more…”

“You’re fucking right it did,” He kissed me; open-mouthed but no tongue. “I’m going to get up now...any second.”

I pulled him in, closer to me, wrapping my arms around his sexy shoulder blades. “Shh, just stay here with me,” I whispered. I bent my right knee, bringing it up towards my waist, cradling Ed between my legs, his cock still solid inside me, and we both closed our eyes and drifted off.

#ed sheeran smut #ed sheeran #ed sheeran fanfic #ed sheeran mature fan fic #Ed&Kendra #Pizza #Masterlist #Smut

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cookiedoughmeagain · 8 years

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Haven DVD Commentaries: Resurfacing, Season One, Episode 12

Season One, Episode 12, Resurfacing. Commentary by Charles Ardai, Consulting Producer / Writer

He is a novelist and publisher and was involved in publishing the original Colorado Kid novel.

So writing for TV is new to him and he comments on how collaborative a process it is; very much a team effort.

The actor playing Hank was cast at the last minute and had maybe a day’s notice before filming and he comments that the guy did a great job. The boat on the beach was an addition by the production crew, as the script specified pieces of a boat only.

This whole first scene was suggested by the director, as the original version opened with a crowd of people stood around the wrecked pieces of a boat. But the way they shot it was more like a horror movie.

Then we have Audrey and Nathan’s first scene after her decision to leave the FBI; an important relationship moment between the two of them. They wanted to do a lot of relationship work between them during this episode, but it’s difficult because they’re apart for a lot of it, so they had to get as much out of this first scene of them together as they could. And this was important to the actors to build on the relationship too. Lucas as being “an incredible actor” who did a good job with the exposition to make it sound natural.

Liking the way the shot pans from Audrey and Nathan straight to Hank and Vera; this was all down to the director. Panning straight from one to the other making it feel more cinematic. Vera was named after his mother.

Liking the scenes in the Garrick house; they’d wanted to do a Haven version of a haunted house story.

The actors playing the Garrick kids as being “pros” in their jobs.

In the police station (the building we see is actually the Lunenberg town hall) where they talk to Hank about the corrosion on the boat: this scene was originally to be filmed on the beach, but they ran out of time to film there, so had to move the location.

They were careful to make sure that they had a legitimate reason for why the boat sank, so they did the research to work out the back story for how the accident occured (“galvanic corrosion”), and they had all the details even though the script didn’t go into them.

Vera confronting Tracy about her husband’s death as where the “emotional heart of the episode” begins.

The stunt where Vera is thrown against the door, was done by putting the stunt woman in a harness with a cable run through a hole drilled in the door, and on the other side two guys who pulled on the cable to pull her against the door (in her padded outfit). He notes it’s interesting that sometimes stunts are more simply done than you expect.

He says it’s not an accident that the family’s surname is Garrick, or that her husband’s name begins with J. and that we’ll get into that later.

He likes seeing his name up on the screen because it’s still so new to him.

Emily Rose as conveying sympathy really well.

Nathan and Duke as “the other core of the episode”. They wanted to “have that B story be substantive” and they went through a lot of drafts to show the backstory between Duke and Nathan. And finding it important to give them some scenes together to show their relationship and to give a taste of why these guys who liked each other as little kids became enemies later. And then he adds; “plus they’re really cute. A lot of viewers love these two cute actors and putting them together is always fun”.

He talks about the red herrings they set up; maybe the issue is a stressed out and telekinetic mother, maybe it’s a ghost.

Loving the shot of Audrey and Nathan leaning back against the bronco, arms crossed:

He comments that there were no aerial shots in the early episodes, but once they hired a helicopter to take some, they made good use of them. Then we see Duke talking to his contact and Nathan drives up in the bronco; this was the first scene that was shot for the episode. They shot the driving a few times (Lucas was actually driving) because it’s a steep road and ‘there was a lot of work to get it to stop in the right place’.

Eric added the physical aspects to his interactions with Carl as he tries to arrange the meeting he wants; Duke grabbing him wasn’t written into the script, but was all Eric’s idea and he comments it worked well. This was shot outside the Gull.

Episode nine (“As You Were”) was originally due to be shot at the Gull, but “the set didn’t permit it. The second floor wasn’t strong enough to put a camera crew up there, so we weren’t able to shoot there. And of course Carpenter’s Knot worked out beautifully.”

The “Duke hates spots” line; he acknowledges that fans have commented on that line a lot, but refers to it as “a little throw away” - it seems it wasn’t a big deal for the writers.

He refers to the “these things run in families” line as something they’ve had in the show before, “these things pass from father to son, and mother to daughter”, and that the concept of families is important in this episode because it’s all about the reveal of Audrey and Lucy, this woman who might be her mother.

With the Garrick kids in the house, he refers to the “sleazy boyfriend”. Originally in the scene where the boyfriend gets thrown over the counter they were going to have all the contents of the kitchen (plates, knives, whatever) getting thrown all over the place, but in the end it would have been too much and also they didn’t have time to shoot it, so they went with the more modest version.

When the eye of suspicion turns to Brooke, he comments that this isn’t inappropriate; “you might imagine that a girl who’s about the age of puberty, in a world inspired by Stephen King who created Carrie; it’s not inconceivable that this girl might be telekinetic.”

Then we see Duke and Nathan talking, where Duke is explaining that someone’s out to kill him. Originally in the first draft “the two of them ended up at a motel, it was going to be very film noir, at night with the motel sign flashing on and off” and they were to meet “a thug in the mode of Sidney Greenstreet from Casablanca”, but this was replaced to what we see with the lobster pots in the background just because “it’s more Haven”. Not wanting to use the conventional tropes of hard case crime fiction (though he says how much he loves them), because it doesn’t fit in with Haven.

[obligatory comment about how beautiful the scenery is] ;)

Acknowledging the criticisms they had that it makes no sense that Nathan would rub the counterfeit money because he can’t feel it anyway; “that was an oversight on our part”

“The one thing that was in the original script that I’m sorry we didn’t get to do was that the two of them [Nathan and Duke] had to share a motel room because there was only the one room left, and we had some fun with that.”

Audrey finds Brooke; this originally took place at the Garrick boatyard. It was to be shown all messed up to imply that Brooke’s telekinesis had wrecked the place, but this would actually have been done by the two bad guys that we meet at the end. But boatyards are thin on the ground and it’s not a trivial thing to set up shooting in one, so they ended up changing it. But he was sorry to lose the boatyard.

Brooke’s reaction to Audrey’s suggestion she might be Troubled as a taste of how ordinary people in the town might view the Troubled. We’ve seen Troubled people before, we’ve seen the Rev with his ‘fire and brimstone’ reaction, but what about the ordinary people of the town? Do they envy these people with fantastic powers?

Back to Duke and Nathan at the Gull as the waitress brings their drinks and Duke swaps them over; this as “a bit that Eric added; why should Nathan get the beer, he’s on duty”.

The beer is fake brand that the art department developed. Wanting to open up the backstory between Duke and Nathan just a touch, but not too much; just a glimpse because you don’t want to show the entire back story too fast.

In the first draft there was a story with a dog; Duke would have kidnapped Nathan’s dog when they were kids, to get back at Nathan for getting his father in trouble. Nathan thought Duke killed it, but in fact he’d just sold it. But the tacks story was added by Jim Dunn and he likes it as having more of a Stephen King feel. Because they want viewers to feel that they’re watching something that’s legitimately part of the Stephen King universe. And the tacks story as the perfect mixture of gross and creepy on one hand and emotionally affective as well.

He picks up on Nathan’s line about not talking to a girl for two years after and comments this is something that’s going to “make the female viewers of the show love him even more; this wounded puppy look that he gives there”

The brick through the Garrick window; Michael’s seizure and the implication he might be behind everything as building up another piece to the puzzle. Also as something that tells us that James might well have been Troubled since the point earlier about how these things run in families.

The newspaper that gets scrunched up in mid air was originally going to burst into flames, but they had a firestarter a couple of episodes before [“The Hand You’re Dealt”] and so didn’t want to do flame twice. “We try not to repeat ourselves”. Earlier when Vera was slammed against the door, this was originally written that she went through the window, but they’d already had someone crashing through a window, in Harmony, so they changed it. Plus this was was a bit cheaper to film.

He tries to avoid spoilers for the episode in what he’s saying, in case people watching haven’t already seen the whole episode

“If you look carefully at the furnishings of the house, you’ll see that there’s some Stephen King books scattered around. We do that in almost every set; there’s some Stephen King book, somewhere”.

Duke and Nathan at the Gull getting ready to enact their plan with Stoney. Again some of this was added by Eric who “gave a lot of thought to exactly why the characters are dressed the way they are” and he added the bit where Duke “ruffles Nathan’s hair; another bit I know fans love”. As Duke walks away, he comments that he loves these little moments and how they are something you can’t really write into a script, because the body language etc. is really all down to the actors and their chemistry on set.

At one point the story line for this meeting with Stoney had Duke and Nathan having to spend the night in Nathan’s truck, with them waking up together, but they weren’t able to film that in part because there was no way to take the cover off the truck to film it.

Audrey talking to Tracy about James being under pressure and the seizures he had. And them talking about Lucy so it ties into Audrey’s personal story as well.

It being very deliberate that the early episodes didn’t have too much about Lucy or the mythology, because they wanted it to be easy for people to start watching at any point without having all this intricate stuff that wouldn’t immediately make sense. Not wanting it to be like Lost which he refers to as a great show, but being difficult to get into after the beginning because there was too much to catch up with. So the first few episodes were consciously designed to be more stand-alone.

They also had the back story figured out for who Stoney is and why she cheated Duke, but it didn’t all go into the episode because it didn’t need to.

They were originally going to use “Lucas” as the name Nathan is using for this, but that seemed a bit too cute [as it’s the actor’s real name] so they went with Sheldon.

It was something that was in the concept of this episode from early on that Nathan and Duke would briefly switch roles [cop and crook] and that we would get to see them each succeeding a little in each other’s territory. And this contributing a to a little thawing of the ice between them.

Audrey talking to Michael in his dad’s study. “We wanted to tell a ghost story, but not have an actual ghost”. The stories of Haven (so far at least) have not included the iconic horror movie characters like vampires, werewolves or ghosts. So here they took advantage of the character of the comic book character of the Flash to tell a ghost story that isn’t a ghost story. And so that’s why the character is called J. Garrick (the name of the original Flash in the 1930s). He says that in anything he’s written, the character names will tell you something about it; “I can’t help myself.”

He spoke to Stephen King about this episode at the beginning of writing it. King talked about the character as someone working so hard and multi-tasking so much and working and so fast that he vibrates out of phase with the world; a cross between Boxer, the overworked animal from Animal Farm and the Flash - so that’s who the James Garrick character is.

They would have liked Hank to appear again towards the end of the episode, just for the symmetry of it, but there was no natural place to do it.

As Duke apologises to Nathan for the tacks, he comments “And there’s the thaw. Nathan doesn’t look like he’s accepting the apology, but later we’ll see the two of them together. In an earlier episode Nathan talked about how he would never go to the Grey Gull and at the end of this episode we see them together.” He talks about how these nice little moments are almost ways to reward reviewers for staying with the series. And how he thinks of each episode as a chapter in a longer book; so a 13 chapter novel, rather than 13 short stories.

Emily as doing a great job with the emotion on her face when James is telling her about what happened when the boat went down.

As Audrey has to tell Tracy that her husband is in fact not dead, he refers to similarities with the movie Ghost. “We didn’t want to do Ghost, but we wanted some of that same emotional resonance.”

The Garrick’s honeymoon being in Nova Scotia as being a bit of fun since that’s where they shoot. And he comments that Nova Scotia and Maine look at lot alike.

Audrey as having to come to terms, not only with the fact that James is alive and in this altered state, but also that she is able to touch him when his own wife isn’t - she starts to understand that she has some special abilities in relation to the Troubles.

The two ‘bad guy’ characters who are responsible for the boat going down, as being important for two reasons. First of all to provide the dramatic structure to the episode, but also because they didn’t want Duke to be the one who supplied the parts that sunk the boat and killed people. Partly because James was a friend of his, but also because “we just don’t want Duke to be that bad. He’s a smuggler and he’s a criminal and he’ll do bad things, but we don’t want the audience to really hate him” and if he were knowingly supplying bad parts that led to people’s deaths, that would be too much. So we have the Fortunas instead.

He wonders how often people’s Troubles are on public display, saying that he likes to think that people who aren’t Troubled nevertheless have to see the Troubles often enough that it “becomes part of the fabric of their lives”. Then he adds, “Of course it’s only once what every 20 years, 27 years, 30 years. The Troubles don’t come predictably, but when they do come, everyone has to deal with them; not just the Troubled people.” He talks about enjoying watching the crew film the stunts and how they add extra punch to an episode.

They wrestled with the idea of why this was the last time they could see James, until they came up with the idea that every time he comes back it takes a bit out of him. And talks about how there’s a bit of hope that he might still be around and able to ring the bell; “ a little bit of It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Also having long discussions about what the world would look like from James’ point of view while he’s moving so fast; it’s not in the episode, but they like to think about the implications of the Troubles to help with giving internal consistency.

He likes to think that when James talks about ringing the bell, he’s just giving them false hope, because he has to say something positive to his kids. “But what do I know? Maybe he’ll be ringing the bell every Sunday.” And then James is talking about Lucy; and this as “the key to the whole episode”

How they talked a lot about where Audrey’s scar would be. It was originally going to be her hand, but it had to be somewhere we hadn’t already seen, and that wouldn’t be regularly seen going forward. “So the sole of the foot was a good solution.”

He mentions that someone online worked out how much money Duke is earning based on the amount of fake money they’re playing with at the end, and how this should mean he would be incredibly rich, so why is he “in worn out clothes and on a rusty boat”? He figures that Duke “spends his money as quickly as he gets it. He’s not a saver and he indulges in his caviar and his wine and so on, and before you know it, the money is gone.”

Where Duke and Nathan are talking over cards at their lines; ”Technically you arrested my ass,” “Funny old world”, he comments this is one of his favourite lines from the episode - and one that remains from the first draft. “Writers fall in love with one thing or another that they write; there’s no reason for it.”

Audrey talks to Tracy in the Gull - this was the second scene shot for the episode and he talks how impressed he was with the actors shooting out of sequence and how they bring these emotions up from nowhere; producing emotions on demand and how different it is to being a writer and how impressive he found it.

The music used as having added a lot to the flavour of the show. When Audrey stops to see Duke and Nathan drinking together; “Two men in her life; there’s no place for her at the table. Not today.”

And then Audrey is on the beach; “And now we find the truth. And in some sense, the whole season has been leading up to this moment.” Audrey as finding a past that she didn’t know was missing.

He talks about his hopes for Season Two, including “With luck we’re going to be able to keep this true to the original book”

#I have lots of thoughts about many of these points - but I will have to add them later #haven syfy #haven dvd commentaries #1.12 - resurfacing #awesome nuke moments we were denied #it's so interesting to get an insight of how an episode comes together

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endlessarchite · 6 years

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Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet

Since our daughter started elementary school a few years ago, spring break has become an increasingly precious opportunity to get away, clock some quality family time, and soak in some long-overdue warm weather. Last year’s spring break vacation to Cape Canaveral, Florida checked all of the right boxes and we were tempted to just repeat that trip again this year. But we pushed ourselves to see if we could make this year’s getaway even better and explore a new part of Florida while we were at it – and we are SO GLAD WE DID. So for anyone else looking for a great family vacation spot or, like us, if you’re just ready to start dreaming about next year’s spring break – here’s a quick recap of our family’s trip to South Florida.

Where We Went

Our #1 priority for the trip was “guaranteed beach weather,” and going to South Florida was the most convenient destination that could guarantee us hot temperatures in early April. We love a good road trip, but we wasted four days driving to Florida and back last year… so we decided to give flying a go this year (a first for us with both kids + the dog). A couple of airlines fly direct to Fort Lauderdale from our airport here in Richmond, VA, and we remembered Fort Lauderdale very fondly from our first book tour, so we figured anything within a 30-minute drive of that airport would be perfect. We actually ended up in a small area north of Fort Lauderdale called Pompano Beach and spent most of our time in nearby towns like Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Lighthouse Point (seen below), and Deerfield Beach, so we never actually stepped foot in Fort Lauderdale proper.

We haven’t flown as a family since our 2012 trip to Hawaii when our daughter was nearly 2 years old. Our hellish red-eye flight back to Virginia (there was lots of crying and zero sleeping) planted a deep-seeded fear of flying with children for several years, but now that she’s almost 8 and our son is 4, it felt like a 2-hour direct flight to Florida would be an easy way to dip our toes back into the family flight waters.

The flight went even better than expected. We flew Spirit Airlines (we’re infamously cheap travelers) and even though they nickel-and-dime you for everything from carry-on bags to in-flight water, it ended up being noticeably less expensive than our next best option, JetBlue. We were even able to bring Burger (our chihuahua) with us without any trouble. He flew to Alaska for our honeymoon, so he has proven himself to be a travel champ (yes, we brought our dog on our honeymoon, and yes we know how that sounds). See him there chilling at Sherry’s feet while she sports what she calls her “nervous travel face”?

A rental car was also a must on our list, so we got a minivan to ensure we’d have enough room for luggage, car seats, and beach gear. We brought car seats with us (we weren’t guaranteed that the rental place would have them since we were arriving really late at night) and thankfully Spirit will check car seats and strollers for free. We talked a little bit more about juggling the dog, the dog crate, car seats, bags, and kids at an airport in podcast episode #92 if you’re curious how that went…

Where We Stayed: A Private Rental

Last year’s trip taught us the wonders of renting a house for spring break. Even though we could all pile into a hotel room, we’ve never regretted at least considering the option of not sharing walls with other vacationers (especially when we’ve got kids and a dog with us). Heck, sometimes a beach rental for the week actually breaks down to being cheaper than a hotel when you do the math to figure out the per-night cost. Last year our rental in Cape Canaveral was 1 of 3 units in a building, so we did have people above us and we all shared a communal pool. It ended up not being a problem (the other renters didn’t use the pool very much, so we had it mostly to ourselves) but this year we looked around online for a detached home with its own pool that was still within our budget, and thankfully we found this one.

We searched across Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway for pet-friendly rentals with a pool located within 30 minutes of the Fort Lauderdale airport. We found this gem in Pompano Beach on HomeAway and we could not recommend it more highly. It. Was. Awesome. Not only did the kids love having the entire pool to splash around in, but Burger LOVED having free reign of the yard (last year he had to share a fenced area with another dog, and let’s just say they quickly became frenemies).

The interior furnishings are pretty much what you’d expect from a vacation rental (nothing that felt fancy or precious – which is AWESOME when you’re traveling with kids) and the beach wasn’t really within easy walking distance like the listing says, but the pool was PERFECT and the house and neighborhood were pleasantly very quiet and private. It just took us a few minutes to drive down to the beach and we always found parking (which was nice and cheap), so we really ended up loving everything about it.

The house was located in a small residential neighborhood on Terra Mar Island, a little island in the Intracoastal Waterway. This little bit of separation from the main thoroughfare helped it feel like a secluded and charming suburb – unlike all of the high-rise hotels and condos along the oceanfront. It felt nestled, private, and un-trafficed… even though it was close to everything.

The house itself was surrounded by tall thick foliage on all sides – making it feel like you had the whole island to yourself. We skipped the beach entirely for a couple of days because we were having so much fun just hanging out by the pool. And yes, Sherry has never been more convinced that we need a pool at our own house than after this vacation. #helpme

For any other families who might rent this place: they warned me ahead of time that they didn’t provide beach or pool toys (just chairs, towels, and a beach cart). We certainly weren’t going to bring buckets and shovels on the plane, so we planned to buy them at a dollar store once we got down there… but a previous renter had left a couple for us – along with a pool float and ball. We also picked up some beach toys and pool noodles at the CVS just down the street, all of which we left for future renters – so here’s hoping the cycle continues.

What We Did: Beach, Pool, And Eat

We are very chill vacationers and this spot was perfect for that. I know some families love to cram in tons of new activities and sightseeing on vacations, but our goal for this trip was just to unwind and be together, so we consciously avoided the pull to overschedule ourselves. Our kids love spending hours playing in the sand and making up games at the pool, so that’s pretty much all we did – breaking to eat lunch or dinner as needed (we had all of our breakfasts at the house, which was a nice way to save a little money).

The beach we drove to was at Lauderdale-By-The-Sea because it was close (about 5 minutes away) and super charming (see below!). Parking was extremely easy and affordable, and there were some restaurants and shops we could walk to from the beach. The beach always had people on it, but by no stretch would I call it crowded. We always got a spot that felt like it was ours and the kids could build in the sand and run in and out of the water without worrying they were splashing sand on other people and stuff like that. The water was the perfect temperature and “temperament” for us all to play in (read: not too rough, but enough waves to keep things interesting).

I’m sorry not to have more exciting recommendations for what to do, but our typical spring break agenda is usually: beach, pool, eat, nap, repeat. We did venture down to the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk one day because it promised some new scenery, but a thunderstorm rolled in right as we arrived so we were rained out of actually enjoying it. The good news is that by the time we drove home, it was done raining and the kids jumped right back into… you guessed it… the pool.

Where We Ate: Good Food With Good Views

I mentioned that we ate breakfast at home each morning, but we ate out for pretty much every other meal. You guys gave us some FANTASTIC recommendations on Instagram, which we now want to pay forward to anyone else who might be reading this and planning a trip, so thank you for helping to make our trip better than Yelp ever could have. Our first dinner was at a place in Pompano Beach called Beach House because, well, how could we not?

There was a little bit of a wait on a Tuesday night, but we just hung out on the beach until our table was ready. Whoever designed the restaurant outdid themselves (the woven lanterns swayed in the ocean breezes that blew through since the entire restaurant was open-air) and it was very kid friendly. We’re not really food critics, but I’ll say that we both enjoyed our meals a lot! I had ceviche and Sherry had some sort of “life-changing salad” that she couldn’t stop talking about for the rest of the trip.

The next night we tried a restaurant called Cap’s Place in nearby Lighthouse Point, which had been recommended to us because you have to take a (free) boat to get there! You park at this small dock in a town called Lighthouse Point, and this little watercraft picks you up and shuttles you about five minutes across a lake to the restaurant.

The restaurant itself has a really cool backstory: it was built on top of a beached barge and got its start nearly 100 years ago as a rum-running club and casino during the prohibition. They showed us a list of the famous people who’ve eaten there over the years, ranging from FDR to Paris Hilton, so the whole experience was quirky and super memorable. The building was dark and tough to photograph, and while the meal wasn’t our favorite of the trip, the whole boat-to-the-restaurant thing was the most fun meal-related experience we had on the entire trip. So we definitely recommend it!

We also headed back out to Lighthouse Point for another meal at a place called The Nauti Dawg Marina Cafe, which was right around the corner from Cap’s Place. The food was solid and we got to eat right along the marina, so the kids had fun watching boats come in and dock. There was a wait for this restaurant as well, but near the marina was this really colorful collection of townhouses that we walked around while we waited, keeping count of all of the lizards we could find sunbathing on people’s stoops. Our lizard-count got to over 50 (!!!) and as you can imagine, Sherry was extremely excited the entire time – as were the kids.

Our last meal was at the Ocean Grill & Tiki Bar located in the Beachcomber Resort right near our rental in Pompano Beach. I feel like I should have more to say about the food at each of these places, but it honestly was mostly about the location each night. Sitting right by the water and ordering dessert for the kids was the most fun part. At this restaurant we got to eat beachside in an oversized tiki hut. This was literally the view from our table:

Honestly, a lot of the food blended together because most places had similar menus of seafood, salads, and burgers. We were just excited to find so many interesting dining experiences that were kid friendly. All of the places we mentioned above had kids menus (Beach House’s was verbal, so you had to ask the waiter to list everything) and none of them required any special dress code. We also ate more casual lunches at places like BurgerFi, Lunch Room, and Aruba Beach Cafe.

But one of our most memorable finds of the trip was this place, called… wait for it… Bean & Barnacle.

For those who have followed our blog for a while, you may remember that while Sherry was pregnant with our daughter, we referred to her as “Bean” and when she was pregnant with our son, he was dubbed “Barnacle” (by his sister, who was going through an Octonauts phase at the time). So to see that odd pairing of words emblazoned on a Florida coffee shop was such a funny surprise. We stopped in for gelato, and the interior was pretty cool too.

We’ve been home over a week now, and we’re all still mourning the fact that we’re not still in Florida on vacation. It seriously was one of the best trips we’ve taken as a family, and it makes us so eager to take another (and a lot less scared to fly with the kids). So I hope that sharing some of the details are helpful to anyone else who’s contemplating a trip there.

Speaking of which, here are some of our past vacation posts if you’re looking for more travel ideas:

Our Anniversary Trip To Puerto Rico

A Summer Vacation To Destin, Florida

Hawaii Part 1: How We Saved Money

Hawaii Part 2: What We Did

The post Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet appeared first on Young House Love.

Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet published first on https://bakerskitchenslimited.tumblr.com/

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truereviewpage · 6 years

Text

Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet

Where We Went

Where We Stayed: A Private Rental

What We Did: Beach, Pool, And Eat

Where We Ate: Good Food With Good Views

But one of our most memorable finds of the trip was this place, called… wait for it… Bean & Barnacle.

Speaking of which, here are some of our past vacation posts if you’re looking for more travel ideas:

Our Anniversary Trip To Puerto Rico

A Summer Vacation To Destin, Florida

Hawaii Part 1: How We Saved Money

Hawaii Part 2: What We Did

The post Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet appeared first on Young House Love.

Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet published first on https://aireloomreview.tumblr.com/

0 notes

billydmacklin · 6 years

Text

Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet

Where We Went

Where We Stayed: A Private Rental

What We Did: Beach, Pool, And Eat

Where We Ate: Good Food With Good Views

But one of our most memorable finds of the trip was this place, called… wait for it… Bean & Barnacle.

Speaking of which, here are some of our past vacation posts if you’re looking for more travel ideas:

Our Anniversary Trip To Puerto Rico

A Summer Vacation To Destin, Florida

Hawaii Part 1: How We Saved Money

Hawaii Part 2: What We Did

The post Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet appeared first on Young House Love.

Our Family’s Favorite Spring Break Yet published first on https://carpetgurus.tumblr.com/

0 notes