#my friend about her 30 years old birthday: London on Christmas to see my best friend!

[vole-mon-amour]

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[scrunchyharry]

here is a masterpost of all of my fics in chronological order of publication

✨ I roll and I roll, ‘til I change my luck

explicit | 8,295 words

“They’re not my best pictures.”

“I wouldn’t say that, I think you look quite good being manhandled by a bigger man.”

Louis chokes on his sip of hot chocolate, feeling it burn its way down his throat. He coughs a few times and then clears his throat. “I’m sorry?!”

“You heard me. You should do it more often, it might make you more humble. Maybe you’ll learn to respect people.” Or Louis is a bored, rich kid whose latest stunt got him arrested and forced to attend a fundraiser at an ice rink, Zayn is his unlucky partner in crime, Harry is the cute hospital volunteer who is having none of his attitude, Niall is the worst DJ in the world, and Liam is Leslie Knope.

✨ lead me out on the moonlight floor

explicit | 12,758 words

In all honesty, Harry was long forgotten, cast aside by a dimpled stranger and too much champagne. He was almost glad, now, that Harry hadn’t come, because he wouldn’t have met this stranger, this tall man who could make his heart flutter with a single glance.

Victorian!AU where Louis is a wealthy lord throwing a masquerade ball for his birthday and Harry is a toymaker who's only confident when he's wearing a mask.

✨ electing strange perfections

explicit | 10 chapters | 84,757 words

Back for the summer from university, 19-year-old Louis is faced with a massive problem: their new gardener is quite possibly the most gorgeous man he's ever met. Over the course of the summer, Louis and a 25-year-old Harry will learn that love can be found where you least expect it.

✨ scintillating

explicit | 23 chapters | 263,706 words

When Harry and Louis meet in Disney World during their family’s holiday, it’s love at first sight. Back in England, they fight against the distance to stay together, to make it work. When Harry signs up for The X-Factor, though, the precarious balance they’ve built is compromised.

Or the one where they fall in love, Harry wins the X-Factor, and everything goes to hell.

✨ taken by the wind

teen and up | 12,040 words

When he decided to move to London with his sister, Harry thought he would finally get to learn how to control his magic. He couldn't possibly have predicted that he would fall for her neighbour.

Or the one where Harry is a clumsy witch and Louis is making everything worse just by existing.

✨ signs and wonders

explicit | 29,005 words

On the surface, it looks like Louis Tomlinson has the perfect life; after all, he has the whole package: a white picket fence house (well, his doesn’t technically have a white picket fence, but work with him), a wife, a daughter and a dog. He has it all and he’s not even 30, yet.

On the surface, he could be the happiest man in the world.

The thing is, he never wanted this life. There was this boy, see, this Harry Styles, whose arrival made Louis question everything he thought he knew about himself. Before Louis could pursue it, though, before he could be brave and ask the boy out, one moment of bad luck on prom night, one single lapse of judgment, shaped his life in a way he never would have chosen. Between doing the right thing or turning into his own absent father, he knew what he had to do, even if it meant burying his dreams under the weight of a premature adulthood.

That is, until he receives an invitation for his school’s ten year reunion and sees that Harry will attend.

Could it be his second chance at happiness? At what cost?

✨ fondre ton absence

teens and up | 41,315 words

Harry had never really given much thought to the future. He preferred to let life steer him forward and to follow in the footsteps of Louis, his best friend from as far as his memory went, his lover, his everything. Louis knew better than he did what was good for him.

It changed drastically when Louis was ripped away from him, drafted and sent to the front to fight in a war that Harry had always been sure would never reach him. Too young and too sickly to follow, Harry was left on his own for the first time in his life.

When he thought things could not possibly get worse, Louis went missing at the Somme and was declared dead. While everyone buried and mourned him, Harry never moved on. If Louis were dead, he was sure that he would know it. Their lives were too entwined, he would know if half of his heart had died.

Determined to find Louis, Harry did everything he could in his quest to be reunited with him, except prepare for the state Louis might be in.

He did not prepare for the harsh truth he would have to face: was love possible without memories?

✨ the sanctity of patience

teens and up | 22,521 words

When young Lord Harry was chosen by King Louis of Bavaria to become his husband and prince consort, Harry thought all of his dreams had come through. His illusions came crashing down when he understood it meant living in isolation in the alpine castle of Neuschwanstein with a husband who turned out to be far from what he had hoped for.

His illusions vanished, Harry will have learn to appreciate what has and even, perhaps, fall in love with his imperfect husband and his castle.

✨ tempests of dust

explicit | 30,797 words

Louis lived an ordinary life, albeit in an extraordinary place. His family, alongside many others, were mandated to maintain the fortress of Bourbon-l’Archambault, one of the many castles belonging to the crown of France. It was thankless work, but it was a roof over their heads and a quiet, steady life. For all that he knew, the Crown had forgotten Bourbon-l’Archambault even existed, which suited him quite well.

That was until the Dauphin, Prince Harry, came to stay for a summer and decided that he would experience the life of a peasant, for his own personal growth, without any regards to how it would affect others. After a summer spent together, the thought of parting ways was too much to bear and they struck a deal: Louis would pretend to be a duke at the court of Versailles for a season: if after three months, he was miserable, Harry would let him return to his former life without making a fuss.

Did they really think it would be that simple?

✨ i can’t hurt you anymore

mature | 666 words

There was a boy who lived in the closet of Harry’s new house. Louis, he was called, and he was there when Harry’s family moved in, watching timidly as Harry unpacked his boxes, and when Harry asked if he wanted to help, he said he could not touch anything.

I’m Louis, he said, and we can be friends and I will never leave you if you promise to be with me forever.

✨ as in olden days

teens and up | 18,430 words

When his father insisted the entire family spend Christmas abroad in one of his new investments, Harry dreaded the prospect of being trapped for weeks in the biting Canadian cold, so far away from the roaring excitement of his London life. As he crossed half of the world to be buried under a thick blanket of snow, he never imagined he would meet a charming bellhop who would do his best to keep him warm.

[searching-in-silence]

Our story and thoughts about Jikook

Hi! I first of all love your channel!

I like to tell you my story and thoughts about Jikook. Sorry in advance if it’s too long! :-D

So since august 2020 I became an ARMY, I never heard of BTS nor K-pop before, I just saw the MV Dynamite and I loved it so much. What stood out for me was the dynamic of the boys. But what I also noticed in the MV saw something weird (to me), it was the look Jimin gave JJK before he jumped on his back, I was quite intrigued by this. Anyways I didn’t think of it much further and started looking at more MV’s of BTS and soon I only listened to BTS and watched their MV’s, interviews, old clips of them, RUN BTS,… every day,hours in a row. Jimin and JJK stood out for me but I didn’t think of them as possible boyfriends yet, I just thought Jimin was obviously gay and a cute flirty guy. I was not at all familiar with the term Shipping because it’s not something we do in our country with boysbands or actors, it doesn’t exist here. So me and my sister (she is 17, I’m 33 LOL) became ARMY at the same time in 2020. My sister was way more active on Insta, Twitter,… So it didn’t take long for her to discover shipping, soon she was a Taekook shipper, she said she shipped them because she loves these 2 guys most and because of their looks and their bond. I didn’t understand much of what she meant by this or why she would ‘ship’ them at all (like what is that and why?). Anyways Later on, around September/ October 2020 I noticed more signs of Jikook being something different: like 'arriving late at an interview, 'Jimin saying he was with JK at 4 am while minutes before JK told a different story, some RUN BTS moments that looked so intimate or gay to me. I don’t know, I had a strange but loving feeling with these two. And then BAM while watching some old video’s of BTS Rookie king, American Hustle,.. I got a recommendation for a Jikook video (first ever for me), I watched it and it felt like a puzzle came together. There were moments of concerts in it I hadn’t yet seen, there were very to the point analysis. I was just Jungshook :-O From then on I watched Jikook videos every day on top of everything BTS related. When watching old stuff from BTS I kept an extra eye on Jikook now and wow I was amazed by how slowly but obviously JJK started falling in love with Jimin. But it was only after I saw CGF Tokyo (I was quite late discovering that one) I was very much convinced of Jikook being in love/ being boyfriends. So there I was being addicted to the love between Jikook. One day I talked about Jikook with my sister, who’s a Taekooker. We never did before talk about Jikook specifically, we only talked about BTS in general but that day I asked her why on earth would you think Taekook are a couple while Jikook are obviously a couple. She then said that neither of them are real and showed me a lot of Taekook and Vmin video’s. After that my world came crashing down. I never saw another ship video before, only Jikook. I was so convinced I was witnessing a very beautiful and unique lovestory but then there was my younger sister telling me, I quote: “woman seriously, what did you think? They are all close friends who grew up together and are very much into skinship and fanservice, I’m sorry sis but none of them are dating and if they are then they’re a threesome, doesn’t make sense”. She was right, the interactions I saw between Jikook I could easily see between VMin and Taekook too. I secretly cried for 2 days and felt really bad, not believing in true love anymore. I know it’s weird at my age but that’s what it was like for me. My boyfriend really looked at me like I was a ridiculous teenager but I couldn’t help it. I thought I witnessed a true love couple in front of me but I was being played. I think 2 months went by, me ignoring everything Jikook, only watching BTS in general, luckily for me there was little interaction as in skinship anyways, except for the Christmas Dynamite video when Jimin was all cozy with JJK (I blamed it on fanservice) and then the iconic Black Swan performance, which I watched a 100 times over and cried for (I blamed it on the choreographer because Jikook do make the best dance pair); but then BAM all of the sudden there was the recent Vlive BE.T.S. and I was Jungshook, I was like 'come on, they’re all over each other, but why????’ I felt a little angry at Jikook about the 'fanservice’ this time because lately they didn’t do that a lot and I felt like they grew out of it and I was content with that since my heart was broken because of the fanservice before. It felt more fair to me that the members stopped doing fanservice. But no, there was Jikook again, right in front of all of us, flirting like they hadn’t seen each other in a while. Not just Jimin also JJK was looking at Jimin like a lover. It bothered me a lot because my heart was still healing from a 'break-up’ kinda feeling. But guess what happened next: I got a text from my little sister: “oh my god sis Jikook might be real after all” I texted her back “shut up, don’t laugh at me, I’m pissed”. and she: “No seriously, what is this, they flirt like there’s no tomorrow :-O Boyfriends after all?? ”… I was shocked that she of all people started believing in Jikook, while I finally saw reality because of her and her fiends. I start doubting Jikook again. So we came together and we wrote down some facts that could indicate Jikook being a real couple. Things Jikook did or said that they didn’t do with other members. I first wrote down 'it’s in their eyes, their stares’ but my sis reminded me that it goes for Taekook and Vmin as well so no, not a fact actually. But we came up with these facts:

1) GCF Tokyo, JJK planned this for Jimin’s birthday and it was all about Jimin, you could interpret it as a film for a very special friend but the song that goes with it and the fact that it was for his birthday were too suspicious and the most important fact: he ONLY did that for Jimin, not any other member after that. 2) Jimin is the most special member to JJK. He never gave gifts on B-days to members but he did gave Jimin a B-day present in 2017, just him, not the other members. After the members pointing him about this special treatment he did start giving everyone presents but back then it was only Jimin. 3) I can write a lot about why we think this but we are sure the members are not living together at the dorms anymore, only for work or maybe they crash there sometimes but they don’t actually live there anymore. So they take different cars from there home base to get where they’re going and Jikook always take the same care, especially since 2019, not really sure they live together although we could sum up some facts that could indicate they live together but we can say they at least want to be together before and after work, like almost all the time. An important one for us is that they were both late at the live MBC Radio show in September 2020. The excuse was they took a different highway then the rest and were stuck in traffic (they were like 30 min late). That doesn’t make sense at all, why would one of the cars take a different highway if they are all following each other to get there. We suppose they all gather at the dorms to go to there appointments to make sure they all arrive at the same time at their appointments. So the cars will be following each other, which we can see that is the case, all members always arrive at the same time in different cars (except Jikook, same car). So the excuse makes no sense, it’s either that they both left a lot later then the rest from the dorms (which would be weird) OR they came from a different place (their own place?) and indeed took that certain highway and got stuck in traffic because they weren’t following the other cars. Well that is more likely right? 4) Jimin took a long flight from Paris to S-K just to spend a few hours with JJK on his B-day at the evening. Sure Jimin is a great friend for all the members but this goes beyond that. Me and my sis wouldn’t even do that for each other (our B-days are at the same day, but 16 years apart so it’s special for us too), we would celebrate after our trip. 5) Billboard 1° interview “I was with Jungkook at 4 AM …we cried together”, the day before that interview there was a Vlive for JJK’s B-day and the tension there was weird between Jikook, they seemed unhappy. Jimin was trying to say something about JJK but was caught off twice, anyways he said it the day after: 'he was with JJK’ at that time, since they all don’t live together this is very questionable, all nighter friends forever?… We both found this significant. 6) We all know that Jimin really likes snow. Bon Voyage season 4: JJK got up early and climbed a mountain (without camera’s, so not for fanservice) to get a lump of snow and then gave it to Jimin. So this moment was sweet, romantic but also really awkward, the crew being there and Jimin’s very shy reaction. We believe JJK meant this moment to be just between the two of them (JJk got up early for this) but the crew spotted him and yeah soon ((unfortunately) like 10 people were watching JJK giving Jimin that gift. Jimin didn’t know what to do or say… Between friends it wouldn’t be that awkward or it wouldn’t even happen in the first place. My boyfriend wouldn’t even do this for me, it’s too corny. 7) Rose Bowl, it’s debatable that JJK actually sucked Jimin’s ear but he at least kissed it twice and in an intimate way, this kind of intimacy we couldn’t find between any other members (yes we did search) we saw some intimate moments between Taekook and Vmin that looked very suspicious too but it was not like that special Jikook moment. This is another level. 8) As far as we know they spend the most time together off work: going ice skating, going to the cinemas, touring in London, watching the first snow together. All this in their private time without crew and cameras, no fanservice here. So we can say that even though they already work all these hours together in a day they still want to spend time together after that. J-Hope and Jimin spend time together off work too but mostly it’s Jikook who spend most time together off work. They must really like each other cause honestly I love my boyfriend but no way that I would want to be with him as much as Jikook are together, I would feel suffocated. 9) We debated a while about this one, my sis found it more important than me. RUN BTS episode 116-117 were a member (blindfolded) had to touch/feel the pose the members took to guess the song. Quite intimate game in our opinion but hey it’s S-Korea and skinship is normal… Editors for some reason did not show us JJK touching Jimin, all the others were shown, only of Jikooks scene we didn’t get the footage, just a picture of it afterwards. OK in my opinion the picture is for fanservice but why on earth leave the scene out at all, was it too intimate?, was it too awkward for the crew to film? we don’t know but fact is it was not shown. Normally I don’t over-analyse things but sis is right when she says this one is very suspicious. Editors cut a lot of scenes for different reasons but this one is just too suspicious. 10) Ever since 2013 they are all nighter buddies and JJK loves sleeping in Jimins bed. Just facts.

There is so much more to say about Jikook, like their matching rings, wearing each others clothes but that is not exclusively for Jikook, we found that Taekook also did this. Jikook does it more but still it’s not just them so we don’t take it as proof. Also hand holding, hugs, stares, it’s not something exclusively for them, they all do that, and considering these boys were very young when they got together and lived together a long time as a family, are together 24/7, it’s not surprising that in a country where skinship is normal, these boys are all over each other like there are no boundaries. It’s normal for them. Tae, JJK, Jimin, J-hope are especially into skinship but it hits different with Jikook if you consider what goes on between them beside that. Also we think there is less skinship these days which is quite normal since the members are all grown up now, so it’s a bit surprising when we see Jikook still being quite touchy. About their songs there are a lot of theories too that we can support (I am you and you are me,…) but they are still just theories.

In conclusion: My sister now believes they are a couple LOL. How fast the night changes :-) Taekook is still her favorite ship but she believes Jikook are a real couple, go figure……

I’m personally still careful in what I choose to believe so I can’t be heartbroken again if they turn out to not be a couple after all. I believe Jikook are more than friends/brothers and are likely in love with each other, possibly a couple and maybe living together :-) But still there are many things that make me question them as a couple as well and there is also the possibility that they just come off as a couple because of that special bond they have but in reality they are not. I hope they are a couple though because it would make the world a more beautiful place, I can’t explain why…

Thank you for letting me write our story here and sorry for this book I wrote LOL

Lots of love JD & S (ARMY sisters and Jikook supporters)

FROM SIS : Thank you for trusting me with your story!!! I am glad you came forward with your experience https://youtu.be/MwMLw6FdycY (I hope you don’t mind my comment at the end of it)

[spidernerdsblog]

I forgot that you existed : Chapter one

A/N: okay chapter one is here going a little slow with the storyline wanted to add a little bit of details to the lives of the characters. I can guarantee in next chapter our hero will be in full form and not just in flashbacks. Hope you like it. Feedbacks and suggestions are always welcome.

Pairing : Tom Holland × Singer reader

 Summary: It's been more than five years since you and Tom have gone their own ways after a heartbreaking breakup which had left both of you shattered. Both of you thought that you were finally over with each other and were happy in your respective lives until you meet again at a reunion trip planned by your best friend and you realise you are still not done with each other.

 Warnings: none, flashbacks.

 Mini playlist: love story, ME! By Taylor Swift

We were both young when I first saw you

I close my eyes, and the flashback starts

I'm standing there

On a balcony in summer air

 Sounds of giggles and laughter " No! she is my best friend" Harrison exclaimed pulling you by grabbing your left hand towards him "No she is my best friend!" Tom said, pulling your right hand. You couldn't stop giggling as you were stuck between a tug of war between your two best friends who stated that you can only be best friend to any one of them not both. You were only 5 years old then Tom & Harrison both 3 years older than you but you loved hanging out with them.

Your parents shifted from LA to London for their work and coincidentally your house was in the same neighborhood as were of the boys. You all became friends through your mothers when they used to take you to the park when you were toddlers. You were the only girl of the whole boys gang consisting of Tom, Harrison, Harry and Sam and they were very protective about you. You used to boss them around.

 As Haz and Tom were quarrelling over whose best friend you were in the backyard of the Holland's house. Tom out of nowhere declared "if it's that so Y/N is my girlfriend" and gave a gentle peck on your lips, you stood there in shock and soon you started blushing as you covered your face with your hands and ran inside to your mother who was chatting with Nikki.

 You went up to your mom and asked innocently "Mom, Tom said that I'm his girlfriend and gave me a kissy like you give me every night before bed. Is he no more my best friend ?" Both the mothers started laughing as Nikki spoke  “no peanut he will always be your best friend and if you love bugs stay like this forever maybe he can be your husband too."

 You scrunched your face and said "eww!! I will not marry him"

 “why is that so? " your mother asked laughing

 "he always steals my chocolates" you said innocently “no I don't!! Tom said from behind as he entered the house with Haz, “yes you did yesterday only you took it from my bag at school” both of you now started arguing. Nikki and your mom burst into laughter after hearing it. That was the beginning of your love story.

 Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess

It's a love story baby just say "Yes"

 .........................................................

You loved to listen to songs as it helps to release your stress and this song of yours was very dear to you as it reminded you of some sweet memories. You were scrolling through the photographs that you had taken back when you were living in London together with the boys as you thought about that whole incident, your actual first kiss, you smiled and shook your head at the realization that you both had disappointed your mothers.

 You finally dialled Harrison's number he picked up instantly

 "Hey Y/N!"

 "Hello.. this is 911 what is your emergency?" You chuckled

 "You will never change will ya?"

 "That was the plan actually to never change"

 "Talking to you after a long time man missed your voice so much"

 "Me too Haz.. So how's everything going there?"

 "Yeah everything is fine here just wrapped up my new film."

 "Great!! How are the boys, Nikki and Dom?"

 "They are all fine. Harry is busy with his new film's plot, Sam as usual experimenting with new dishes."

 "An.. and how's he?" You hesitatedly asked

 "He's good too wrapped up Avengers 5 will be returning home tomorrow.

By the way congratulations for the success of your new album to be honest it's a badass album the lyrics are dope."

 You giggled.. "Thanks Haz"

 "So now are you free or still have any upcoming projects?"

 "I can never be free Haz I m always working, always thinking of lyrics for my next song. Leave all that, what was the emergency that you said to call so urgently?"

 "Ummm.. Y/N I want something from you."

"Anything for you Haz"

 "You have to promise me first Y/N that whatever I say you have to say yes"

 "When have I ever said you no anyways just tell me"

 "No! Y/N first promise me"

 "Uggh Okay Haz I promise now spit it out. Sometimes you really act childish." you rolled your eyes.

"I want you to come back home I mean back here at London I have planned a 10 days trip to Cornwall at my beach house which we all used to go every summer when we were kids it's a sort of reunion for the whole gang I have invited Z and Jacob too"

 "Haz you know I only go on Christmas every year to spend time with you guys because that is when I m free. And I'm pretty busy this month. I have a recording to be done next week for my upcoming single."

 "Y/N you promised you will not refuse me. I just want a little time from your busy life.”

 "But Haz…"

 "And also I'm gonna celebrate my 30th birthday there, your man is getting old love."

 "Umm... I don't know what to say Haz I'm confused"

 "If you're thinking about him I can assure you there will be no problem besides he is not single anymore so why worry?"

 That is the problem Haz you said in your mind.

 "Umm okay I'll give it a thought and let you know after confirming the availability of dates." You ended the call and fell back on your bed, your hands and legs spreading across the bed  like a starfish. You face palmed and groaned.

 You went into a deep thought, your brain still processing the whole conversation you had with Harrison. After a few minutes you heard your phone buzzing and you smiled as you looked to see who was calling. It was Zendaya, face timing you. You had seriously wished to talk to someone right now. You have very few close friends in the industry and Zendaya was one of them. You collaborated with her for your bad blood music video and you guys clicked instantly from that day you became really close. She was your 3am BFF and you both knew each other's darkest secrets. You picked up the call.

 "So Haz called you up didn't he?"

 "Bingo!! So what are you thinking?" Zendaya laughed

 "I don't know Z. I just feel scared. I know I have met him a couple of times during my Christmas visits after everything happened  but that was just a one day thing and this whole 10 day trip is freaking me out. I also don't want to disappoint Haz. I missed all of his birthdays for the past few years on purpose just to avoid Tom."

 " You are just over thinking babe everything will be fine and I will be there to cheer up your emotional ass. Besides as much as I know Tom is very chilled out he will not bother you."

 " I don't think so. He has a very cold attitude towards me even now whenever I go back home. "

 After you moved to NY you almost begged your parents to move here and stay with you but they were adamant of staying in London so once in a year you used to visit your family and friends during Christmas. The Christmas Dinner was always hosted by the Holland's after your break up you always panicked to go to their house. The first year when you went. The boys, Nikki, Dom welcomed you as if nothing had happened; they hugged you with joy. But when you went to give Tom a hug he just backed off and out of formality gave you a shoulder hug and you got your hint to stay away. He even brought his new girlfriend for the dinner which you thought he did on purpose to make you jealous or hurt you. And you were actually hurt at the thought that he really moved on so quickly. So you avoided family gatherings to prevent such awkward situations.

  "Babe your life doesn’t revolve around Tom he was a part of your life which is over. Start living your life. And we are in our early 30’s and still single don’t wanna die like that do you ??. Even if you want you can have your sweet little revenge by showing off that hot body on the beach and show that asshole what he missed." Z smirked.

 You quirked your eyebrows “So you're telling me to be a bitchy ex who doesn’t want to see her ex boyfriend happy”

 " Nooo!!! I didn’t mean that just show him how happy you are, that you are one of a kind, he will never find anyone like you in his life. We are gonna have a blast honey and you are coming so start packing."

 You had to finally give in with a deep sigh you said .."okay Z I ll go but if I jump off the cliff after all the mental stress I'm going to get in those 10 days you and Haz will be responsible for it." you laughed.

"Oh we won't want that. Besides you have handled more stressful moments than this you will be fine dramaqueen." Zendaya said.

 You talked to Alex about the whole trip to sort out the dates. He was a little sceptical at first about the whole reunion with ex trip , but he believed in you and gave you a nod for the trip. You informed the good news to Haz of your approval to the whole trip. Before you could leave for your unplanned vacation you had to finish recording and shooting for your new upcoming single featuring Breidon Urie.

 "I promise that you'll never find another like me

I know that I'm a handful, baby, uh

I know I never think before I jump

And you're the kind of guy the ladies want

(And there's a lot of cool chicks out there)

I know that I went psycho on the phone

I never leave well enough alone

And trouble's gonna follow where I go

(And there's a lot of cool chicks out there)

But one of these things is not like the others

Like a rainbow with all of the colors

Baby doll, when it comes to a lover

I promise that you'll never find another like

Me-e-e, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

I'm the only one of me

Baby, that's the fun of me

Eeh-eeh-eeh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

You're the only one of you

Baby, that's the fun of you

And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e"..............

 The song was soon officially released by the music company and the audience loved it and your work was done for the moment and now you could focus on the trip. All of a sudden you were really feeling excited about the whole thing. You and Z were constantly texting each other to plan about the journey.

 The day arrived and you met Z at the airport. "So ready for the battle?" she chuckled. You rolled your eyes and laughed "going on a battle would have been much easier compared to this I guess" but in your mind you were confident. Yes you had finally decided that you're ready to face Tom Holland to show him that you have also moved on. And to show him that he'll never find another like you.

 The nine hour flight was uneventful as both you and Z slept most of the time which proved that you both were in dire need of a vacation away from your hectic glamorous lives.

 It was around 5 ‘o’ clock in the morning in London when your plane landed. Both of you collected your check in luggages. Check out was hassle free as it was early morning with few people around and nobody recognised you as both of you were in your hoodies. As you came out of the exit door you started to look amongst the crowd and finally you saw those familiar icy blue eyes approaching towards you.

 “Ah!! Finally the star arrived” Harrison hugged you tight

“And all credit goes to you Z because our star has stopped listening to her best friend may be got someone else to replace me” he hugged zendaya and started laughing

“getting rid of you has been one of the failures of my life" you pouted

 "Ouch!" Harrison dramatically placed his hands on his chest as if hurt.

 "No one can ever replace you from my life you idiot" you lightly punched his arm.

 Harrison chuckled and said with a fake French accent "I m your chauffeur for the day, madame your car awaits at the parking lot."

 After you three put all your luggages in the car. Z and you sat at the back seat and Harrison sat on the driver's seat as he started the car. It was an approximate four hour ride to his beach house.

 " You know Haz I really missed the summer in London so glad I said yes to your plan."

 "The only thing I liked about London when I came for Spiderman:FFH shoot is the Harry Potter museum" Zendaya declared

 You noticed Harrison looked a little off today so you asked "you look a little bit stressed out Haz what's the matter bud?"

 "How do you read my mind so easily?" Harrison sighed.

 "I'm your best friend dumbo now tell me what is the thing that is bothering you so much?" you said with concern in your voice.

 "Okay I need to say you something, just don't be mad Tom will be bringing his fiancee too at the beach house. But don't worry everything will be fine I promise."

 Your face went expression less as you looked at Harrison then to Zendaya. You were starting to panic from inside. You let out a sigh and rolled your eyes as you leaned on Zendaya's shoulder. She rubbed your shoulder to comfort you as you thought in your mind "what a great start to this cursed trip."

..................................................................................

Taglists:If you want to be added send in an ask i will be happy to add you.

@sophs-library

[tabloidtoc]

OK, November 23

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

Cover: Jeff Bridges opens up about the fight of his life 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Lori Loughlin’s life behind bars -- Lori’s been having a hard time adjusting to her new reality

Page 6: The holiday season will look a little different for Prince Harry this year -- originally the plan was for Harry to travel to England around Christmastime and Meghan Markle reluctantly agreed though she was far from happy with the idea but now with new travel restrictions in place due to Covid-19 she’s told him there’s no way they’re leaving California which is crushing for Harry who was looking forward to spending the holidays with the royals especially since he missed out last year and he’s been horribly homesick these last few months and he misses the holiday traditions he grew up with even though he loves his life in America with Meghan and son Archie 

Page 7: Newly single Kelly Clarkson has been swooning over country crooner Brett Eldredge her collaborator on the flirty new Christmas tune Under the Mistletoe -- they spent lots of time together in the studio and on the phone and really bonded while they were cutting this sexy song, Brad Pitt’s most recent ex-girlfriend Nicole Poturalski has started talking to friends about what happened between them in detail and it’s an embarrassing mess for Brad who prides himself on privacy, after 16 seasons as colleagues and sparring BFFs on The Voice Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are besties no more because there was a lot of talk between them about keeping in touch and hanging out after Adam left the show but amid lingering tensions neither has made an effort and Adam may not even be invited when Blake marries Gwen Stefani

Page 8: Ever since Sofia Richie split for good from Scott Disick she’s been out every night with some really shady types to the dismay of her dad Lionel Richie who is not liking what he’s hearing about her partying and dating habits -- Sofia has already jumped into a new relationship with Cha Cha Matcha founder Matthew Morton and is hanging nonstop with his crew -- Lionel thought breaking free from Scott would mean a calmer life but it just sees like she’s gone off the rails, Betty White is already gearing up to celebrate her 99th birthday in January with a low-key yet reverent bash, she’s been linked to several Hollywood hunks of late but Lily James just wants her old beau back and she’s regretting breaking off her five-year relationship with Matt Smith -- since the split she’s been linked to Dominic West and Armie Hammer and Chris Evans and the onslaught has only made her miss Matt more -- Matt’s always had her back and Lily knows she made a mistake letting him go but Matt feels duped regarding all the rumors about her and other guys but she swears nothing happened and that she misses him

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars wow in romantic ruffled gowns -- Keke Palmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirsten Dunst 

Page 11: Lupita Nyong’o, Halsey 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Renee Bargh vs. Alessandra Ambrosio

Page 14: News In Photos -- Paris Jackson posed for a portrait in Beverly Hills days before releasing her debut solo album 

Page 15: Adam Brody with his newborn son in Malibu, pregnant Jinger Duggar stepped out in Venice with husband Jeremy Vuolo and their daughter Felicity for lunch, Lady Gaga on stage at a drive-in concert in Pittsburgh 

Page 16: Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell headed out for brunch with one of their twin daughters in Encino, Camila Cabello held on tight to one of her three pups while chasing another one who escaped from his leash in Miami, Pierce Brosnan playing golf in Hawaii 

Page 18: DJ Diplo took a dip in the ocean in Miami, John Legend took his Ford Mustang out for a spin with wife Chrissy Teigen and one of their dogs in Beverly Hills 

Page 19: Bella Thorne and boyfriend Benjamin Mascolo in Rome, Scott Disick was Ace Ventura for Halloween in L.A. 

Page 20: Ruff Life -- stars show love for their canine companions -- Ariel Winter and her latest rescue Cobey, Jamie Chung and her dog, soccer star Alex Morgan with her dogs Kona and Blue 

Page 21: Nev Schulman cuddled up with Dancing With the Stars partner Jenna Johnson’s dog Ziggy, PLEASE ADOPT, DON’T SHOP  

Page 22: Shawn Mendes on a walk in Miami, Kate Mara stopped by Target with her daughter, Ellen DeGeneres dressed up as a nurse who is her favorite superhero 

Page 24: Skai Jackson headed to rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars, Elizabeth Lyn Vargas of Real Housewives of Orange County gave a tour of her home, Joe Jonas strolling daughter Willa around the neighborhood 

Page 25: Thomas Brodie-Sangster attended the premiere of Stardust a biopic about David Bowie in London, Donnie Wahlberg and Steve Schirripa filmed a scene for Blue Bloods in Brooklyn 

Page 26: Taking over duties from Prince Harry his stepmother Duchess Camilla arrived at the Field of Remembrance to commemorate those who lost their lives in the armed forces in London, Amber Heard enjoyed a hike with her dog in L.A., Renee Elisa Goldsberry and Sara Bareilles and Paula Pell and Busy Philipps filmed a scene for Tina Fey’s upcoming series Girls5Eva in NYC 

Page 27: Offset delivered free food to voters waiting in line on Election Day, Ciara in Seattle 

Page 28: Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have finally become husband and wife in a low-key ceremony in the backyard of their L.A. home with just a handful of family and close friends like Steve Carell and Emma Stone were in attendance -- Ryan wore jeans with a button-down shirt while Eva wore a red dress from her own collection -- now that the party’s over Eva and Ryan have been talking about having a third child

Page 29: Reality hit Love Is Blind hooked viewers with its OMG premise but the show’s married cohosts Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey were decidedly less riveting and their presenting style was laughably wooden and stiff and while the duo is slated to return for the show’s second season Nick and Vanessa have been put on notice to spice it up, Tori Spelling is freaking out at the prospect of her husband Dean McDermott spending six months alone in Toronto which is the same town where he cheated on her seven years ago -- Dean has signed on to star in Canadian TV show Lady Dicks and while Tori should be thrilled that that he’ll be bringing in some income for their often-struggling family of seven she is preparing for the worst 

Page 30: While it appears Nina Dobrev and Shaun White have spent 2020 in hardcore flirt mode Nina’s friends have cautioned that this is a dead-end romance because Shaun shows up and posts pictures of them on social media but the fact is they’ve barely spent any time together and they hook up and then he goes back to his own place -- Shaun rarely invites Nina to either of his two Hollywood Hills pads and is proving his flaky reputation is legit, things are looking up for parents-to-be Kit Harington and Rose Leslie after a rocky start to their marriage the two are finally in a happy place -- Kit has stopped boozing and this baby has put a fire under him to be more accommodating and besides helping update and baby-proof the couple’s 15th century countryside manor Kit’s been more attentive to Rose in every way, Love Bites -- Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi split, Maya Erskine and Michael Angarano are engaged and expecting, Ashlee Simpson welcomed her second child with husband Evan Ross 

Page 32: Cover Story -- Jeff Bridges: I’m not giving up -- how the beloved star is coping during his brave health battle 

Page 36: Katherine Heigl why she disappeared -- the reason Katherine walked away from the spotlight ad how she found her way back 

Page 38: Home Alone turns 30 -- in honor of the holiday classic’s milestone anniversary secrets and trivia about the movie and its stars 

Page 40: Feel the Burn -- fitness fanatic Morgan Coleman is here to take your home workout up a notch 

Page 42: Healthy Holidays -- how stars stay fit and feeling their best during the festive season 

Page 46: Style Week -- Olivia Culpo has teamed up with her siblings on an exclusive collection for Macy’s 

Page 48: What’s Hot Right Now -- Madewell wants you to Make Weekends Longer with its new sustainable MWL collection 

Page 49: Steal Her Style -- Drew Barrymore 

Page 50: Dress the Halls -- festive pieces to rock through the holidays even if you’re celebrating at home -- AnnaSophia Robb 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 55: Q&A -- Jake Tyson

Page 58: Buzz -- Just weeks after Kim Kardashian West was slammed over her 40th birthday bash Kendall Jenner received similar criticism for throwing a jam-packed soiree for her 25th birthday 

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Cameron Diaz on having a baby at 47, Conan O’Brien on the props that were stolen from his late-night set, Sacha Baron Cohen joking that he and his wife Isla Fisher are not A-listers, Anne Hathaway on the embarrassing ways she handled the lockdown 

Page 61: Florence Pugh on her close relationship with her Black Widow costar Scarlett Johansson, Christine Quinn on not being bothered by negative comments, Chelsea Handler on crushing on New York governor Andrew Cuomo 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Lisa Bonet turned 53 on November 16 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Colin Jost

[the-coconut-asado]

Our Golden Girl’s Kitchen

A couple of years back, my cousin Doro announced she was going to publish a book of our grandmother’s recipes. It set all the cousins off on an odyssey of frenzied WhatsApps swapping memories, and in my case a mad dash to storage to find yet another of mum’s old scrapbooks, stuffed with fragments of recipes typed up on that onion-skin paper of the Mad Men era. 

Slowly but surely, recipes surfaced for Granny’s steak and kidney pudding (to this day, the name of our family WhatsApp group), tallarines (fettuccine by any other name) and more cakes and tarts than a whole series of Masterchef pressure tests.  

But Doro’s job was made much easier by someone else who had kept Granny’s legacy alive all these years. The person who, while Granny was a distant memory for many of us, was the biggest influence on our lives. At the end of the book, Doro wrote a dedication to her: “ Auntie Joan, I remember you, sometime before Christmas, making us stir the plum pudding and saying “don’t forget to make a wish!”; the chicken pie or Irish stew with dumplings you prepared when I used to come for lunch after university classes; the plum ice cream you always had in your “ancient” fridge and the smell of scones and cake on our birthdays.’

Last week, Auntie Joan died. 99 years of love, wisdom and many a raised eyebrow at each of us at one time or another. She had a delicious smile that hinted at secrets she might share with you some day, and even up to her mid-nineties kept a ramrod straight back, figure to die for and effortless elegance that prompted a 28 year old male friend to comment at my wedding that she was the only 68 year old he had ever fancied.Cheeky, but at the same time, kudos. 

If I’ve made her sound  like a warm embrace of a woman, she was. She was also a ninja. For most of her working life, Auntie Joan  - Joan Nolan MBE -  was Vice Consul at the British Embassy in Rosario, and later in Buenos Aires. She started volunteering there during the war, and eventually they started to pay her (nice of them), then promote her. 

This had upsides - her influence to help others (a guiding principle of her life), the opportunity to travel, and the people she met. She once told me of an Embassy cocktail party on board a ship attended by Eva and Juan Peron. She had little time for Peron, but was a little flattered when having started to leave down the gangplank he  abruptly turned back, sought Auntie Joan out, kissed her hand and apologised profusely for not having said goodbye. Manners counted for a lot with her, so the apparently off-hand Eva was barely mentioned in despatches.  

Her job also had downsides: held at gunpoint more than once, and in the constant company of a bodyguard after her boss was kidnapped (the inspiration for Graham Greene’s novel The Honorary Consul). One day a masked gang raided the embassy, rounded up all the staff, tied them up and locked them in the bathroom. But the ringleader treated Joan with weird courtesy, politely requested she enter the bathroom but left her unbound. Joan said afterwards: “ I think that man knew me. And if I ever see those eyes again, I will know who he was.” She kept looking but never did, but she did show us the hail of bullet holes the gang had let off at the outer wall of the embassy before they left. 

30 years on, at 85, clearly feeling she had been down this road before, she wrestled an armed thief trying to steal her friend’s car. ‘ Dear, I knew the gun was a toy’, she said breezily when I had my WTAF! Moment on a phone call with her.

Though all this time she looked after my grandparents and my great aunt until their deaths - pretty thankless and back-breakingly hard as they all survived to their nineties and in my great aunt’s case to 101 - as well as her husband Stanley who died when she was still young. Yet she still made time to feed, nurture and look out for her nieces and nephews as they travelled through her flat en route to school, college and work - and then her grand nieces and nephews as they repeated the cycle. 

Living in London, I didn’t see as much of Joan as my cousins, but felt just as close to her thanks to her copious letters. And it was her trips to London I remember most. Wafting glamorously into Gatwick in her boucle red overcoat, nipping up to Newcastle for the day to have lunch with a friend (when Dad retold the story, he always added, untruthfully,  ‘And the friend wasn’t even at home!”), leaving a cloud of delicate rose scent in her wake, a perfume that always reminded me of her apartment in Rosario. A bit like Buenos Aires itself, Auntie Joan was an evocation of the best bits of 1930’s Europe. 

And despite eating like a mouse in her own home - spreading her morning toast with what looked and tasted like wallpaper paste but was actually zero cholesterol cream cheese - her kitchen with its pots and pans, scoured and gleaming  within an inch of their lives, was in a constant hiatus of puddings, pies and roasts for the family as well as that iconic plum pudding at Christmas. And when we took her out to eat the appetite she kept hidden at home came tumbling out. I once witnessed her demolish a whole sea bass, noodles and a quarter of a peking duck when we took her to a restaurant in Chinatown. Unlike the rest of my family, she was unafraid of spice and heat. 

Serene, always; sassy,  sometimes. After all, Joan’s favourite TV programme when she came to visit us in London was The Golden Girls. In a life where everyone depended on her, she was someone comfortable with not needing to depend on anyone else - until old age meant she had to. I used to smile to myself when, in later years, she would end all of her stories with ‘And they said, “Joan, you are the ONLY one who could have done/ solved/ sorted/ this’’. And yet, if we don’t tell the world how talented, determined and capable we are - who else is going to? #thiswomancould

So here are two dishes that we all eat thanks to Auntie Joan - her plum ice cream (with some added spice from cinnamon) and her Spanish Cake, a delicate and sweet treat that evokes  those high teas that are still a family tradition. And finally, a dish that evokes the memory of lemon chicken, the dish that she and my daughter Lara would love to make together. 

Hasta luego, nuestra querida tia. We were so lucky to have you as long as we did. 

Plum ice cream

I have never eaten plum ice cream other than at Auntie Joan’s house and I have no idea why it isn’t a popular flavour commercially. My version only tweaks her original recipe - two egg whites rather than one, a stick of cinnamon and the seeds of a vanilla pod added to the plums as they poach. The brilliant thing about this ice cream - aside from it’s taste of autumn, log fires and sticky crumble - is that you don’t need an ice cream maker.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

300g red-skinned plums

175g caster sugar

¾ cup water

1 cinnamon stick

Seeds from one vanilla pod

Juice of half a lemon

300g double cream

2 egg whites

How to make

Seed and quarter the plums and pop into a pan with the sugar, cinnamon stick, vanilla seeds and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and continue to simmer on a low heat until the plums are soft and the liquid has become syrupy. Turn off the heat and leave for another 10 minutes - you really want the spices and the red skin of the plums to seep into the syrup. 

Turn the plums into a sieve and extract as much syrup and pulp as you can into a clean bowl, using the back of a spatula. Cover and chill for at least an hour. 

In two separate bowls, whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks (be careful not to overbeat or it will turn into butter) and the egg whites until they form firm peaks. 

Alternate folding the cream, then the egg whites, then cream, then egg whites into the plum pulp. 

Pour into a freezer container - or just use an oblong cake tin, cover and freeze overnight. Remember to take out of the fridge for 15 mins before serving. 

Spanish Cake

This is the perfect cake to eat with a cup of tea or coffee. Light and delicate from texture to flavour. Simple dust of icing sugar on the top and you are good to go. Auntie Joan’s original recipe as typed - which features in Doro’s book - is as spare with detail as one of Bake Off’s technical challenges. Fortunately I featured it in a column I wrote for Choice magazine a few years ago, so  have filled in the gaps. Makes 12-16 squares. 

Ingredients

125g melted unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

2 eggs, separated

125ml milk

600g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp mixed spice

Icing sugar to serve

How to Make

Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment.

Whisk the sugar with the butter until thick and pale. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat for a couple of minutes. 

Add the milk and beat again. Finally, sift in the flour, baking powder and spices and mix gently until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the cake batter. 

Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. The cake is ready when the top is golden and a toothpick or sate stick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Cool in the cake tine for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. When cool, dust the surface with icing sugar, cut into squares and serve. 

Quick Chicken with kale, haricots and caramelised lemon

Auntie Joan loved chicken, and when we visited Buenos Aires when my daughter Lara was little, she and Auntie Joan would love to make lemon chicken together. Am sure she would have loved this flavour-packed little number, courtesy of Alison Roman in the NY Times. 

Ingredients

1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 shallot, peeled and cut into 8

6-8 chicken thighs

1 400g can of haricot or cannellini beans

1 bunch kale, leaves only (discard ribs)

1tblspn sunflower oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil for dressing

How to make

Toss the lemon slices and shallots in a small bowl and season. 

Heat a large frying pan or skillet, add the sunflower oil, then add the chicken, skin side down. Press the chicken down with a spatula to ensure the maximum surface gets nice and brown. Cook for 5-8 minutes, then cook on the other side for a further 8-10  minutes until cooked through and the chicken skin is nice and crispy. Transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan. 

Add the lemon and shallot to the hot pan - stand pack as it will probably spit and sizzle. Cook, stirring gently, until the lemon has started to caramelise - about 3-5 minutes. 

Add the drained beans to the pan and season. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans soak up that caramelised chicken fat - about 4 mins. Working in batches, add kale and toss to wilt, seasoning again as you go. 

Return the chicken to the pan, along with the juices that have collected on the plate, and cook for a couple of minutes more. 

Serve, drizzled with a little olive oil, and accompany with some crusty bread. 

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: November Books

Somehow we are already in December of this truly crazy year. It has been a pretty tough year for all of us and I know we’re all desperate to see the back of it. However, there’s something about this month that has me feeling overly festive. I love this season anyway but this year feels special for some reason. 

I have plans to go home to London this month, so that I can spend my 30th birthday (oh hell yeah, that crept up quick!) with as many of my friends and family as I legally can. Hopefully Mark will be coming down with me so that we can spend my birthday and our anniversary together. He’ll then drive back up to Staffordshire to spend Christmas with his family while I’ll stay in London through Christmas and come back up at some point before New Year. This is all still a big IF things are possible and there are still lots of restrictions on what we can actually do over the festive season but I’m determined to make the best of it. 

I’ve been picking up freelance gigs sporadically over the past month. The flow of work has definitely slowed but I have been lucky enough to work on some great projects and my retainer client has been fantastic. The irregular money is the one thing I hate about freelancing but his regular monthly payments have really helped to ease my mind a little. I have no idea what next year holds for me career-wise. I may need to start actively looking for a more permanent job when Mark and I start looking to buy somewhere to live but for now, freelancing seems to be making me a small but reasonable living.

As always, here are some of the books that have been keeping me company recently. There are some real gems this month, so I hope you enjoy them too! I also hope that you’re all feeling warm and fuzzy about seeing the year out. I’m actually writing this tucked up in bed with a cup of chai, a jam doughnut and A Christmas Prince on Netflix. Why not join me? -Love, Alex x

SHOULD HAVE READ IT LAST YEAR: The Binding by Bridget Collins.

A binder has the power to extract a person’s darkest memories and trap them in the binding of a book, leaving the person devoid of their suffering. When his mental health begins to suffer, Emmett Farmer’s family send him away to become a binder’s apprentice. He is forbidden to learn the true workings of binding but then Lucian Darnay enters the workshop and Emmett feels a powerful connection to him, although he has no idea why. Set within a magical reimagining of the 19th century, this beautiful intricate novel is ultimately a tragic love story but it’s so immersive and layered that it’s also so much more than that.

FICTION: This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens.

Minnie and Quinn were born a minute apart in the same hospital but their lives are worlds away from each other. When they meet at a NYE party, the night before their joint 30th birthday, there is absolutely no reason why they should be friends -especially as Minnie grew up with the superstition that Quinn’s life could have been hers- but life appears to have other ideas. A wonderfully simple, cosy romance with more than one unlikely friendship and a host of eccentric, realistic side characters.

THRILLER: One By One by Ruth Ware.

When a group of co-workers turn up to a snowy mountain ski chalet for a team-building getaway, there is one guest who no one was expecting to be there -because she no longer works at the company. Then an avalanche hits and the bodies start to pile up... I am a massive fan of Ruth Ware and as expected, I ran through her latest with my heart in my mouth. The claustrophobic setting, plethora of suspicious characters with some truly harrowing motives and short sharp chapters make One By One a pulse-racing ride down a very steep slope.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery.

In the midst of World War Two, Col discovers that the imaginary friends from his childhood are actually real. They want to recruit him to help them overthrow the Midwinter King, who is planning on destroying the spirit world but Col has to get to London to save his sister from an incoming raid. Set against a backdrop of real terror and panic, this magical adventure is uniquely beautiful and thoroughly enchanting. So much of the Britain depicted reminded me of what has been going on recently, giving it a truly timeless air. An emotional, whimsical story about real friendship and bravery.

SHOULD HAVE READ IT YEARS AGO: See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt.

In Fall River, Massachusetts on the morning of 4th August 1892, 32-year-old Lizzie Borden cried out to her maid that her father had been brutally murdered. Later on, her stepmother is discovered with a similar, fatal axe wound. Friends and neighbours have no idea who would want to hurt the Bordens but those closest to them have their own, terribly dark tales to tell. I’ve been fascinated by the true story of Lizzie Borden, since I first read about it years ago and I’ve had this book for a long time. Of course, it is a fictional account of a horrific, still unsolved, murder but it’s also an exploration of how Lizzie, a single woman in her 30s, was viewed and treated by the patriarchal society of the 19th century. Wonderfully written and so captivating, it’s a must read for anyone interested in true crime, Victorian attitudes to women or both!

[butididntpourthewhiskeys]

50 Things I’m Convinced Tay & Joe Do - Baby Edition 

1. Taylor smirking at Joe who claims that the air in the doctor’s room is dry which is the reason why his eyes are watering right after they found out that they’re having a girl. 

 2. Joe’s protective hand constantly reaching for her belly at night whenever she’s changing her sleeping position. 

3. Joe opening his Christmas gift from her that was casually placed under the Christmas tree and him becoming incredibly emotional in front of both of their families because inside the little box, there is a positive pregnancy test. 

4. Taylor and Joe only telling their families and closest friends about her pregnancy at first because Taylor’s too scared to miscarry. 

5. Joe replacing all Nespresso capsules in their houses with decaf capsules because he knows how hard it is for her to waive proper coffee. 

6. Taylor developing a weird disgust towards roasted meat yet always attends dinner at Joe’s family and eats the Sunday roast even if most of it lands in the toilet just minutes after they get home. 

7. Joe always telling Tay that his mum won’t be mad if she’d tell her about her meat related nausea but Taylor still swallows the food anyway. 

8. Joe being overprotective, especially on these days when she’s not feeling well and he’s gone for work. So as soon as she doesn’t pick up her phone for a couple of minutes, he’d immediately call Andrea who then has to calm him down with a soft laugh and a gentle “both of your girls are alright, honey. She’s watching TV with me and her phone’s in the kitchen, so don’t worry.” while Taylor would roll her eyes at his protective behavior but deep down knows how incredibly thankful she is for it. 

 9. Scott always teasing Joe with referring to him as “Daddy over there wants some more potatoes, Andrea” or greeting Joe with “Hi Daddy, how’s it going?” whenever they see each other. 

10. Taylor trying to convince him that their daughter needs to have an old classic and British name such as “Hazel” or “Eleanor” and Joe reminding her that she’s giving birth to a baby, not an old lady. 

11. Taylor feeling incredibly maternal at the end of the second trimester and most of the time falling asleep with a pull string musical crib toy on her belly that plays one of her songs (a gift from her fans, of course). 

12. Joe spending at least half an hour cuddled up to her belly and talking to the baby after not having seen Taylor for a couple of days, always kissing the round belly and telling her how sad he is sometimes because Taylor gets to carry the baby around and feel her all day, but he can’t. 

13. Taylor and Joe constantly fighting about her wanting to wear heels tonight, and him getting angry because she could trip and fall. 

14. Taylor being mad at him for an entire day because she thinks that he thinks that she’s too stupid to walk on high heels for the length of one evening. 

 15. Joe figuring out that the only way to deal with her current hormones is to always give in and let her know how sorry he is and how right she was. 

16. Joe constantly finding her asleep at the weirdest places in the house. Once on a stool with head on the kitchen isle, once on the floor in her walk- in closet. 

17. Taylor feeling like a teenager again because she finds herself crying so often whenever he’s gone filming for a couple of days and she misses him badly. 

 18. Taylor being mocked by everyone in her family because she developed the habit to “free the bump” whenever she’s sitting on the patio and a ray of sunshine is crossing the sky. “The baby needs Vitamine D, guys. Shut up.” she’d say, enjoying the warmth on her belly.

19. Joe volunteering in applying cream on her belly to prevent stretch marks every night. 

 20. Taylor having an increased need for sex in the first months and Joe teasing her with it as much as he can, smirking and mumbling a casual “got it out of your system, love? If yes could you please move a bit so I can watch the rest of this movie? Thank you.” after she just came down from the fifth orgasm that day, sitting on his lap and distracting him from watching a movie on the couch in the living room. 

21. “So rude.” she’d mumble and receive a mischievous laugh from him before cuddling up in his arms again. 

22. Joe’s standard joke being “I mean, I was in the room when the baby was conceived to I might as well be in the room when the baby’s delivered” whenever he’s asked wether he’ll be in the delivery room or not and Taylor rolling her eyes every single time, “He thinks he’s so funny, it’s incredible.” 

23. Joe having the shock of his life when Taylor fainted a couple of times during the first weeks of pregnancy because of low blood pressure, which is absolutely normal yet scared the shit out of him. 

24. Joe literally calling her every two hours to remind her to drink water and eat something when she’s at a meeting because he knows that she forgets. 

 25. Joe literally going nuts after some online magazine releases an article calling Taylor “huge and lazy” because she apparently doesn’t work out enough during pregnancy which results in him wanting to sue the media outlet but Taylor calming him down because she doesn’t give a fuck about this kind of stuff anymore. 

26. Taylor feeling her baby kick for the first time when they’re at dinner with her parents and Joe really trying not to be too emotional and become a cry- baby but keeping his hand on her belly for what feels like the entire evening. 

27. Taylor craving nachos with whip cream on top. 

28. Taylor sitting on the examination couch while waiting for her doctor, trying her best to bat Joe’s hands away from the model of a fetus in a womb: “Stop touching it. You’ll break it!” When the small plastic baby pops out of the fake uterus and onto the floor, Joe’s eyes grow wide and she just rolls her eyes while watching him hysterically trying to put the model back together again before the doctor enters the room. 

29. Joe thanking her for carrying his baby and giving him his own little family whenever they both lay awake at night, but the pleasure is all hers. 

30. Taylor hiding her big bump and boobs under oversized sweaters because she’s insecure about her physical changes. 

31. Joe being well aware of her insecurities which makes him comment things like “you’re so stunning, baby. Is that shirt new?” or “you look gorgeous this morning, how’d you sleep?”. 

32. Joe noticing how motherly Taylor has become because of all the hormones in her body. So every time Patrick is joining them on a winter walk she’d remind the boy to fix his scarf because „it’s colder than you think“ and every time Patrick has a cold she’d cook him a chicken soup, even If he didn’t ask for it which is why Joe and him can’t help but tease her constantly by calling her ‚mummy‘. 

33. Taylor being embarrassed as hell for an entire week because her morning sickness was really bad while she and Joe were stuck in traffic and she had to throw up in a plastic bag after mumbling “I don’t want it to happen, I don’t want it to happen” while sitting next to him which resulted in her having vomit in her hair while crying and him calming her with a hand on her leg: “s’ fine, baby. C'mon. Just glad you feel better now.” 

34. Joe’s mum bursting out to tears as she opens her birthday present and finds an ultrasound scan, which automatically makes Tay emotional as well while hugging his mum for more than five minutes straight. 

35. Taylor often having trouble sleeping because she either struggles with immense nausea or her baby being super active. 

37. Joe waking up one night with tears in his eyes because in his dreams he was holding his baby in his arms and he could see what she looks like and smell her and hear her laugh and everything felt so real, which was the most amazing feeling he has ever felt. 

38. Joe noticing how Taylor craves his closeness even more since she’s pregnant which is why he pulls her into a long hug as often as he can or kisses her forehead more often. 

 39. Taylor showing literally everyone she knows her new “trick” that is placing objects on her huge belly like a tray. 

40. Joe counting all ten toes and all ten fingers on the baby, first thing: “just want to make sure you’ll be able to write some songs. Or make action movies..“ he’d mumble towards the baby, making Taylor laugh from afar. 

 41. Baby Alwyn- Swift having all of Taylor’s features, blonde curls included, but Joe’s lips and his rather introvert personality. 

 42. Joe holding the baby in front of Taylor’s tummy and mumbling a sleepy “we’ll have to put you back in there again if you don’t sleep, love. m’ warning you. The nights were a lot quieter with you in there.” which makes Taylor laugh and the baby stare at him confused before receiving a laugh and a small kiss from her dad. 

43. Taylor announcing the birth of her baby on Instagram with posting a black and white photo of Joe kissing tiny baby feet and the caption “Never felt so blessed in my life. Thanks for all the congratulations and kind messages.” 

44. Joe pretending to eat the baby’s foot or hand which always makes the little one laugh and Taylor as well. 

45. Taylor posting a boomerang on Instagram for fathers day that shows Joe blowing raspberries on the baby’s stomach with a smile on his face and captioning it with “you have changed my heart forever. Happy Father’s Day.” 

46. Joe already spoiling his little girl when she’s just a little toddler and Taylor really not liking it: “He can’t say no. Never. Now she’s just a baby but if he keeps that up our child will be a spoilt rat in a few years” she’d complain to her mom. 

47. Joe surprising Taylor with a vacation to the Bahamas because the baby hasn’t been sleeping at all in weeks and they both wander around like ghosts all day long which is why they both urgently need some relaxation away from London and Nashville.

48. Joe realizing that his baby daughter has a miniature version of his lips which is why he always holds her tiny face right next to his for comparison when they’re with friends and family. 

49. Joe giving the newborn on his arm a tour around their house when both of their parents came over for a first visit at home. He’d stop with her on his arms in the bedroom and mumble “..and this is where you were made, my love” which results in her family’s laughter and an embarrassed Taylor yelling “oh my god, Joseph. You are unbelievable.” 

50. Joe teaching his little girl how to give kisses and always claps his hands to cheer on her whenever her lips made the right move to meet his. After some time, the baby girl loves to give her daddy wet kisses and afterwards automatically claps her little hands as well which makes Joe and Taylor burst out in laughter every time.

[youngbradford]

Xmas Message For 2019

And here we go, my 19th annual year-end love letter online …Georgi Balinov and I rang in the new year at a giant party in Bangkok, halfway around the world. That foreign location, its beauty and tastes, set the tone for my 2019, a year of seeing the world, while stabilizing my life. Though often in flux or movement, 2019 was a year many things normalized over the year.

In January, almost immediately after arriving stateside, I crossed the pond and saw Michelle Visage perform in the West End with Peter Wish. Afterward, I played with her wigs backstage and walked her towards the queer kids lining up for selfies and autographs. I am very lucky to have Peter and Michelle in my life, kindred spirits both. One reminding me that fame, fortune, ebb, and flow, but that being real is what matters most. The other, a reminder to stay forever young. I visited Berlin yet again and did the usual, working, and playing, hard.

February appeared and I traveled to Philadelphia with Sandra Hansel, Georgi, George Sapio, and Anthony DeFilippis. We toured Lisa Roberts’ house, saw a Dieter Rams exhibit, dined with George Alley. In Lambertville, that Sunday, I bought vinyl and vintage hats. Later that month, I got a swallow tattooed on my hand, a symbol of flight and travel, and Warhol’s knives, blackened into my shin. An Eames exhibit in Oakland was a sweet way to end the month.

In March with my crew, Georgi, Khadyon Reid, Luis Urribarri, Anthony, and George, descended upon Salvador for Carnival. It was insane! I watched Anitta live, and danced in a sea of pushing, fighting, kissing Brazilians for days upon days. I felt unsafe and alive, threatened and excited. It was intense. Back home I got my other hand tattooed, again honoring my love of seeing the world. I traveled to Portland, came back to NYC at the end of the month, finally moving into our apartment, the one we bought 1.5 years before, that I designed, and had renovated head to toe. Finally, we had our dream home. The weekend we moved in, the place was still not ready, but we were sick of living without our things and in other people’s beds. Peg Kendall and Georgi’s mom came, and we worked our asses off unpacking and starting to make the 2800 square foot loft on west 13th street a home. We’d lived in Airbnbs and friends’ places for 19 months and it was tiring not having a home, not having most of our things. My art! My toys! My shoes!. Those months taught me how important a home, a safe place, and the oasis of my collections is to my mental health. From March on I felt more on solid ground and dedicated more energy to my career and friendships as a result.

In April we went to Coachella, seeing Ian and Jose Seronni, JJ and Andrey Lunin, and dancing in the desert of California. Multiple trips to San Francisco, catching glimpse of old friends, scaling my team at work, as I took on more and more responsibility.

In May, George Sapio and I celebrated (me a little early) a shared, fun birthday weekend at Soho Farmhouse. Joined by Matthew Kelleher, Mark Silver, Jaime Tanner, Matt Lynch, and others, we went shooting and feasted on pheasant in the English countryside.June was really busy, insanely so. 

For my 43rd in early June, I had a 30-person dinner party in our new place! We ended up at Club Cumming after, but before friends, new, and old, showered me with a vinyl record, the admission fee I’d set for my party. Lauren Foster, who has shared her home with us, was, appropriately, our first overnight guest. London, again, Berlin, too. Then home for Pride. Willam Ralphie hosted Bingo at eBay, Zach Augustine, David Mason Chlopecki, other loves attended. That weekend danced to both Madonna and Grace Jones on the pier and danced with 15K others at Javitz, where my favorite singer, Cyndi Lauper, belted “I Drove All Night,” her best song, at midnight. I stayed until the sun came up. NYC was electric that weekend. Parties, icons, friends from the world over … the city has an energy you could literally see and taste. I caught a few moments of the parade, overtaking lower Manhattan, and I smiled really big. God, it can feel good being gay! God, the world has improved for gay people (and yes, I know, we still have ways to go, especially for more marginalized LGBTQ groups). But I still took a moment to acknowledge the things that are better, that I have seen in my very gay lifetime. NYC that weekend was the ultimate place to reflect.

July 4th I went to Hamptons, with Ricardo, Brian, Felipe L. Mollica, others, guests of Anthony. Hosted Fab.com reunion, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, and took my team to Korea (where I shared a traditional Korean meal with Jae Hah), China (where I ate bird’s nests, jellyfish, sea snails, saw a Yves Klein show with Adnan Abbasi, and danced to 90s pop in a packed gay club), and Moscow (where I was amazed at how clean the city was and where I went to a traditional sauna and was whipped, naked, with tree leaves in front of dozens of Russian dudes in the nude). While in Russia a protest erupted, literally below the rooftop bar I dined in. Russia seemed freer than I’d expected, way more Western, up until this moment. I ended the weekend at a club at 3 AM, Russian women in high, high heels, dancing on the bar, vodka flowing like water. 2020 saw me traveling to places I romanticized as a child. Russia, one such place. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendships formed in Moscow, the food, and history. I want to return.

August, I was back in San Jose and Portland for work, then off again to Europe for vacation. We started our trip in Croatia, where Georgi and I kayaked around Dbruvnik’s harbor. Croatia’s cliffs and turquoise water did not disappoint, as we boated to islands and swam in caves. Driving south into Montenegro, the architecture reminded me more of Polish, Bulgarian trips, the water, greener. At the Amman we laid out next to The Beckhams, watching David kick a soccer ball with workers of the hotel, and watching Victoria read a book. Georgi and I then ventured to Mykonos, sunning til sunset and dancing til sunrise. A weekend trip upstate with our besties (including a guest appearance by Eric Lee, riding rides at the Colombia County fair, cooking pies, and grilling meats, ended our summer.

In September I went to Berlin and did Folsom and a speaking gig in front of 1K eBay sellers. I went again to Tel Aviv, meeting gay Israeli technology workers and a bevy fo Israeli start-ups. In Jerusalem, I returned to the wonderful Machneyuda with Gilad Ayalon, where they remembered me from my birthday the year before.

October saw us hosting my mother and my niece for a visit. We fell in love with Company XVI, a dance/burlesque/performance art troupe in Brooklyn. I took my mother to see Madonna, a night I will cherish forever. And we saw Dear Evan Hanson. A weekend in Miami with Lauren Foster and K was needed warmth. I took Georgi to see both acts of The Inheritance (so good!).  Then off to Berlin, again, and Paris, where I looked at art and went shopping for fall clothes. Halloween, in NYC, was brilliant and over the top; I went as white Pierrot clown. In Brooklyn, to Honey Dijon, we danced all night. Ralph Rucci, the American couturier reposted our photo on Instagram, calling it high-fashion, however, it was Georgi who won the night as Spock.

November I was in NYC early on, shopping with Thomas Cawson (who hooked me up with pink denim Helmut Lang), eating Christmas cookies, and being interviewed by Buzzfeed, a segment on 90s toys. I imitated a Furby. Then a week in Portland (I glow-in-the-dark-miniature-golfed), and off to Helsinki, catching up with former friends from Fab, One Nordic, Hem. Then to Lapland, with Georgi, George, and Anthony, lapping up wine, winter wonderlands, and dining on reindeer and elk. Dog sledding, snowmobiling, Northen lights! Another childhood desire checked from the list. Dinner with Michelle Case in London closed the month.

In December I went back to Berlin (my second home) and hosted a fundraiser for Single Step in our home. In one night Georgi and I helped raise $50K to help build Bulgaria’s first LGBTI center. It was also an impromptu holiday party: so many old friends together again in one room. And now Georgi and I sit in an airport lounge, awaiting our flight to Baltra, in the Galapagos. Once we land, we’ll board a 7-day cruise on a mega-yacht/small cruise ship. This, I feel, I have been waiting my entire life for.

I often write about how I was lonely as a kid. I was gay, I had a drug-addicted father, I grew up very poor. I oftentimes say music saved my life. But, I don’t write enough about the joy animals gave me too. I had so many pets: newts, turtles, tortoises, tree frogs, geckos, crabs, salamanders, etc. Caring for them, feeding them, gave me peace and allowed me to love. One turtle I had had a cracked shell. He lived in my room for many, many years. I always preferred him, with his defects, to the others. I think I feel the same about people.

As a child, I became obsessed with the Galapagos Islands, and mostly the tortoises. I would read about them in encyclopedias and race to see them at zoos. I always felt connected to turtles. They were my spirit animal. Later in life, I’d bloom, my feathers growing, my pride, alive. I’d no longer consider myself a turtle, my spirit animal changed. I told this story to my colleague Eben Sermon, who runs eBay’s German business: I always wanted to be a turtle. But I ended up a cockatoo. Eben brought this up last week in Berlin and it made me think a bit more about affinities for animals and how I have not had that connection as often as I probably should.

So this week, before we ring in New Years in Rio, I will honor the old me, the kid, the quieter Bradford, the sadder Bradford, by visiting those turtles, finally.

And I’ll marvel at the wonder of nature and evolution, both the evolution of animals and this world, and also the very real and dramatic evolution of my spirit and happiness.

Happy Holidays, Peace & Big Love

[ofjuliette]

[ brittany snow, thirty-two, cisfemale, she/her ] ━  did y'all see [ juliette “jules” hammond ] walkin’ into [ frostford public library? ] they’ve lived in frostford for [ sixteen years, ] and you can catch ‘em around town working as a [ librarian/author ]. I reckon they’re pretty [ effervescent & charismatic ] but I hear they can also be kinda [ garrulous & uncoordinated. ] if ya see ‘em around, be sure to say hi. ━ [ teenage pregnancy? ]

hey hi hello i’m hope and i’m watching scooby doo rn.  juliette’s intro is kind of long and i wasn’t sure if teenage pregnancy was technically a trigger or not so i just put it there just in case.  jules’ intro is kind of long but ??? she’s my baby.  there’s some wc at the bottom of the post but they’re p basic bc i’m trash™️ 

CHILDHOOD years -- 

juliette is the only daughter of marjorie and elias hammond.  she was born in greenwich, connecticut and lived in a big mansion.  juliette’s father is of old money and her mother is a former model turned socialite and housewife once juliette was born.  

juliette was born on november 19th, 1986 which was during the first big snowstorm of the year.  in fact, she was almost born in the car on the way to the hospital because of the snow.  

marjorie and elias never planned to have more kids, so they were happy with juliette and spoiled her with everything she could have ever wanted.  

in her childhood juliette spent a lot of time doing modeling ads for baby clothes.  marjorie was very much a “pageant mom” for the first five years of her daughter’s life until elias convinced marjorie to let juliette pick her own passions.  

juliette picked the arts and took piano and vocal lessons, when she got older she also learned other instruments such as the guitar, violin, and flute.  but her favorite would always be piano.  

she went to private school in greenwich, where she had to wear a uniform and the school was all grades.  

juliette was one of the smartest in her school, and wound up skipping two grades in elementary school because she wasn’t being challenged enough.  

during her early years there were many vacations that her parents would take her on and she often went into the city to visit her father at work or catch a broadway show with her mother.  

her father worked long exhausting hours and her mother often filled her time with chairing certain social events and causes.  

jules was often left alone after school in the care of their maid/nanny/chef winifried.  winnie is the adult who gave juliette the nickname of jules first, and winnie was with her all her life until she turned thirteen and her parents decided they didn’t need a nanny anymore.  winnie was also older at that point, so they hired someone new to help around the house for a couple of months until winnie retired.  

juliette was always outgoing as a kid, loved talking to new people and making friends.  she was the kind of kid who wanted to make sure everyone felt included.  and she was popular, if not just for her parents money and connections, but also for her own charismatic and charming personality.  

as a child she often entertained the idea of becoming a singer or somethin in the spotlight like her mom, but as the years went on it was harder and harder to hold onto a dream like that.  

TEENAGE years -- 

juliette was never a rebellious type, as she was content with how her life was.  sure, if she had things entirely her way she would have spent more time with her parents but otherwise juliette was a happy girl.  

she was still in touch with her old nanny once winnie left the household, often writing her letters and calling the woman whenever she felt she needed someone to talk to. 

in her early teen years juliette decided she wanted to go back into acting in commercials and such.  this led to a couple of claire’s commercials and even a guest spot in a mary kate and ashley olsen film ( winning london, if you want to know ).  

acting and singing were a big thing during her schooling.  she was always involved in the drama department in some form if it wasn’t on stage it was backstage helping out.  

she got to be good with a needle and thread, sewing a couple of mishaps in her high school productions to save money on sending them out.  

juliette was in a couple of local competitions for singing, but never anything big.  she did sing the national anthem at her high schools games though.  

juliette was in a pretty serious relationship at the age of fifteen-sixteen with someone in her high school.  they were two years older than her, since she had skipped a couple of grades, and she sincerely thought she was going to wind up marrying him after graduation.  

except at the end of september juliette was going to her doctor for a check up when she found out she was pregnant.  of course, her mother and father were shocked.  and her then-boyfriend left juliette once he found out.  juliette’s parents moved the teen into their apartment in the city with her father and she transferred to a different school for the rest of the year.  

juliette gave birth to a baby girl on april 29th, 2002.  her daughter, francesca winifred hammond was 7lbs and 4 ounces and 19 inches tall. 

juliette had always known she was going to keep her daughter, but still holding her baby in her arms after she was born was a whole other experience and it really was like wow i’m a mother.  she cried.  

juliette wasn’t at her high school graduation, but if she had been she may have been the valedictorian.  she still graduated in the top of her class.  

originally, juliette had been planning on going to columbia for their english program.  

but she decided instead to take a gap year and focus on being a mom.  

during this time she worked at a bookstore and had begun writing her own stories.  

she published her first book--a children’s “novel” just before her seventeenth birthday ( more like september of 2003 ).  it’s dedicated to her daughter.  

juliette soon realized that she wanted to move away from home.  it was too much of a reminder of what she could have been doing and what her parents wanted for her, and what she had thought she wanted.  she needed to find herself and figure out her life on her own.  

so juliette quite literally picked up a map and got in the car she’d gotten for her sweet sixteen and started driving down the highway with her daughter.  

of course, she’d told her parents beforehand.  she’d had a whole sit down conversation about moving out and on her own.  her parents were hesitant, since she was only seventeen at the time.  but they eventually agreed so long as juliette stayed in touch with them.  which she did.  

she happened upon frostford when she got a flat tire just outside of city limits.  

and frostford was everything that her hometown was not, so she wound up moving here at the age of seventeen, just before christmas time.  

her parents obviously paid for the house she lives in still.  it’s not like the mansion or even the city apartment she was used to when she was running around growing up but it has a porch and a yard and enough room for her and frannie, which was all jules wanted.  

for the first couple of years i’d imagine it was hard for her to fit in.  since she was seventeen and graduated high school prior, so most people her age were still in school.  and i’m sure more of the town busybody gossips would have been talking about how she’s seventeen with a baby.  so that wasn’t easy.  

but even with that, juliette did her best to get to know people and figure out a place for herself among the town.  

TWENTIES to NOW -- 

juliette had worked as a waitress for a couple of years while she was going to school.  despite coming from money ( and having her parents send her money every month to help out ) juliette was always determined to both pay her parents back for the house they bought her and make her own money.  

by the time frannie was in kindergarten jules was working at the diner during the day and going to college classes on her days off and taking some night classes.  

juliette graduated from college with a degree in library sciences and english literature.  

throughout frannie’s childhood, juliette worked on other books for kids.  she wanted the types of books she had read when she was a kid but something that her own daughter would love.  and frannie did love every book that juliette wrote.  

for a good six or seven years ( from the time juliette was nineteen until she was twenty-five ) juliette was known mostly as one of the more prolific children’s authors under 30.  she’d written well over 40 books since her first published children’s novel.  many of the novels are following one single story/character, but each novel is part of a whole universe where characters from one side story do pop up in others as well.  

juliette then graduated to young adult fiction, where she’s pretty much stayed since.  she writes mainly mysteries and historical projects.  she likes to balance her novels with a bit of different time periods.  and yes, she does in fact know that joseph turner the main character of her first original novel appears as a side mentioned character in her latest work.

juliette has worked at the frostford public library since she graduated from college.  she’s always loved to be around books.  

like i said back then, she often loved to daydream of being someone in the limelight when she was growing up.  you can still catch her singing a few tunes or hear the piano playing a melody from her house if she leaves the windows open, but otherwise she’s really given up on that part of her life. 

spends a lot of time with her daughter.  i imagine she’s had no contact with frannie’s father since everything that happened between them in high school.  

sometimes she wonders what it would have been like to go for singing, but make no mistake that she is in fact blissfully happy with how her life turned out.  she’s got her daughter, a blossoming career, and a happy home.  maybe the only thing she sometimes really wishes for that’s realistic is somebody to share it with? 

PERSONALITY AND MORE -- 

juliette is still as kind as ever.  she’s very charismatic and effervescent.  she doesn’t like to let anyone see her down ( even if she definitely has her moments of not being so well ). 

you wouldn’t know if she’s down unless you know her well enough.  but the signs are usually that she’s playing the piano a lot, she’s wearing a lot of loose fitting long sleeved things ( she likes to tug on the sleeves as a habit ), and her house smells like she’s been baking.  

jules often calls frostford her home and refers to greenwich/manhattan as the place where she was raised.  

juliette has a mix of a new york accent and a southern drawl from all the time she’s lived down south.  it’s definitely not so pronounced.  but when she’s angry ( which is rare, she’s not the type to raise her voice usually ) you can hear the northern accent come out.  

she will never be found without a pen ( colored ink, usually purple ), a notebook, and a reading book.  as she’s ready for any kind of situation or inspiration to strike her.  

her favorite candies include milk duds and twizzlers, and she’s a sucker for a home made pie ( she can make a good apple pie and a nice lemon meringue herself ).  

she absolutely loves when it rains, definitely the kind of person you’d find running out in the rain and dancing in it.  

quite clumsy.  she’s not a ballerina ( no matter how many lessons she had as a kid ) as her balance is always off.  

she’s talkative as hell when she needs to be and can tend to ramble on if you don’t 

is 100% a mom friend, is always there for her friends and anybody who she considers a friend.  

loves scooby doo and nancy drew.  kind of likes those simple mysteries that you could read over and over again.  one of her favorite books of all time is that was then, this is now by s.e. hinton. also loves a northern light by jennifer donnely and the luxe series by anna godbersen.  

POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS -- 

first friends in town

neighbors 

“enemies” who became friends 

frenemies 

people who know her writing 

co-workers 

for some reason i cannot think of any more connections but these were p basic anyway?? so uh come and plot with me and we can figure stuff out lol. 

@frostfordstart

[pauldeckerus]

The Top 200 Things I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving

Today is a big holiday in the US; it’s a day where we take time off to celebrate all the things we’re thankful for. We get together with family; over-eat a traditional Thanksgiving Day meal, and then we watch football until we pass out. It’s just about a perfect day.

I got up this morning feeling especially grateful for the many blessings I enjoy all year long, and I wanted to take a few minutes to share the things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. I believe counting your blessings is one of the best things a person can do (and that this list of 200 is only a start, is a real blessing to me for sure).

Here they are, (in no particular order):

I’m thankful….

1. that I got to marry the girl of my dreams (it’ll be 30-years this coming September)

2. for Keurig Coffee Makers

3. for little hole-in-the-wall restaurants

4. for having a big brother I could always look up to

5. that she said “yes!”

6. for the “Skip” button on YouTube ads 

7. when I hear the ringtone that lets me know my son is texting us

8. for Seinfeld reruns 

9. that I learned how to use Photoshop and Lightroom

10. for lazy Saturday mornings when we just chill

11. for Saturday College Football games and that our son chose a big football school (#rolltide!)

12. for Hulu and Netflix and Amazon Prime

13. for Maggie the Wonderdog

14. for how happy Maki the SuperDog makes my wife

15. for that first cup of coffee in the morning

16. that my wife got us a Latte maker

17. for big greasy double-cheeseburgers served in restaurants whose cleanliness is so suspect that my wife would never eat there.

18. for anytime I drive up to our house, and see our son’s truck sitting out front

19. that first morning hug from my wifey

20. that the Buc’s miserable season is mercifully almost over

21. that this year the Patriot’s aren’t as good as they usually are

22. for any chilly day here in Florida

23. for my daughter’s wonderful sense of humor

24. when my daughter shares her drawings with me

25. for CoffeeMate individual creamers

26. that my son was born with the built-in love of helping and looking out for other people

27. for the text my son just sent us as I’m writing this that brought tears to my eyes 

28. for my daughter’s laugh

29. for all the family traditions that my wife fosters and we all lover

30. that our kids get to attend great schools

31. for Dunkin Donut’s drive-thru in the morning, and that they’ll make your coffee just the way you like it

32. for Terry White

33. for the kind people who read my blog each day

34. for all the little things

35. for our cozy couch for watching TV

36. for Logic Pro X (the wonderful recording studio software on my Mac)

37. for Pizza, and the fine people who deliver them. 

38. for mornings where Maggie doesn’t bark at other children and parents in the car line

39. that my son is such a faithful person by nature

40. for Sunday night’s texting my buddy Jeff Revell as we watch ‘The Walking Dead’ together, while 1,000 miles apart

41. for our tradition of watching “Love Actually” again every Christmas

42. for living so close to Disney World

43. for how awesome my wife is at planning trips

44. for being married to such an amazing cook

45. for a really comfy bed pillow

46. for Rick and Susan Sammon

47. for all my guitars

48. for beautiful offices for us to work in each day

49. to have Jessica, Kim and Cindy work on my books

50. that people actually buy my books, which lets me keep writing them

51. for the smell of my wife’s cooking when I walk in the door

52. for times when just my daughter and I get to go out to lunch

53. for Moose and Sharon

54. for Dave, Peter, and Glyn 

55. for having such a wonderful mother and father growing up. 

56. for being able to play musical instruments

57. for having mentors whose wisdom and whip-cracking have helped immeasurably throughout my life

58. for Jeanne Jilleba who helps me so much each day

59. for having a great relationship with my mother and father-in-law

60. for having a mother-in-law who stepped in for my own mother when she passed away

61. for the trips my brother and I take together once a year

62. to Delta, their SkyClub, and all the upgrades I get each year

63. to Erik Kuna for being my friend

64. for all the folks who come out to my seminars each year.

65. that I still get to work with my friend Ted Waitt

66. for Levi, and Sally and Dianne for caring so much about our members

67. for Chris, Susie, Karen and Pam – I’m lucky to work with them

68. for my wife’s beautiful smile

69. for how my son always shares new songs he finds with me

70. for all the times my wife texts me a heart emoji

71. for somebody’s else’s fries

72. for how my friend Dave Clayton’s texts always make me laugh out loud

73. that my kids know they are loved completely and unconditionally 

74. for my Pastor and friend Douglas Poole

75. for Victoria’s sweet texts, and for what a joy she is

76. that I get to drive a car each day that makes driving a joy

77. for really good air conditioning

78. that I get to use such great camera and lighting gear

79. for Google’s news app on my phone

80. for my great Web team; Adam, Aaron, Yo, and Curt 

81. for everybody who checked on my wifey when she got in an accident

82. for black t-shirts with logos on them

83. for Dave Black, Kristy Sherk, Lindsay Adler and Peter Hurley, 

84. for the beautiful baby grand piano Kalebra bought for my birthday 20+ years ago

85. that I’ve been able to be a part of the Photoshop World conference all these years

86. for when great ideas pop in my head, and for being able to move on when it turns out some of them aren’t as great as I thought

87. for all my friends who came to the rescue

88. for the pretty drive to work in the mornings

89. for Juan, Steve, Jason and Christina

90. that my daughter and our niece are such great friends

91. that my son loves so many different kinds of music (everything from classic rock to Sinatra to rap to metal)

92. for all the times my big brother helped me, and guided me, when I was growing up.

93. for my apple watch and all the reminders it gives me

94. for weekends and days off

95. for the smell of coffee brewing

96. for Margie, Angela, Jacque, John and Rachel

97. for Maxx Hammond for being such a great friend to my son all these years, and for being an important part of our family

98. for comfortable shoes

99. for having a friend like Manny

100. for loving every minute with my family

101. for the men and women of our military 

102. for Julie, Kleber, Heidi and Cheryl

103. for the little Blackstar tube amp sitting on my desk

104. anytime I get to go to New York City

105. for our dear friend and partner Jean A.

106. for James Taylor

107. for all the awesome texts I’m getting from friends today

108. that my daughter still cares that I bake my special “Christmas Cookies” each year when we put up the tree (and I’m grateful she thinks Pillsbury mean ‘special’).

109. my guardian angel 

110. for bagels with cream cheese

111. for Larry Tiefenbrunn

112. for first responders

113. that my camera bag has four wheels

114. for Viktor and Ron

115. for Larry Becker, Rob Sylvan, and Dave Williams

116. for my friends Chicky Nando, and Big Mike, and Cathy B, and Mimo

117. for all the stuff in Erik’s backpack (since he always has that thing I need that I forgot to bring)

118. for waking up feeling great in the morning!

119. for Joe and Annie

120. that our dog Maki has a best friend in our son’s dog Nami

121. for beautiful clouds when I’m shooting a sunrise

122. for a yummy breakfast after a sunrise shoot

123. for my wife’s homemade chocolate-chip pancakes

124. for the sound of my wife’s voice

125. for mornings when I get up early and get a bunch of stuff done and I look up and it’s only 8:15 am

126. for landings in London

127. the quiet time my wife and I share with our coffee in the mornings before the kids wake up

128. My MacBook Pro and how much easier it makes my business life each day

129. for forgiveness 

130. that I realize what a privileged, blessed life I lead, and to whom I owe the thanks

131. that I start each day getting centered reading the Bible and daily devotionals

132. for how my daughter is always dancing

133. for the night’s where our family gets together to play games

134. for when we all lay on the floor, looking up and debate how tall the ceiling is in our living room

135. for our holiday trips to Disney’s Hollywood Studios

136. for cheese. Any kind of cheese. Even if it dispenses from a can

137. that somebody kept reading even though we’re down to number 137

138. that we have doggie treats when we really need them

139. for breakfasts at First Watch

140. for Carmine’s on W. 44th Street

141. for all the awesome instructors I get to work with

142. for empty middle seats

143. for my iPad and all the awesome apps, like the Kindle Reader

144. for the Texture app so I can read all my favorite magazines on my iPad

145. that I get to make new friends along the way

146. that people come to my workshops and I get to make new friends

147. for everyone who has stuck up for me in an online forum

148. for all the people who helped me along the way, and who may be gone, but are not forgotten

149. for the great companies and partners who sponsor The Grid

150. that I get to do a weekly live photography show and have such wonderful photographers as guests

151. for my Platypod Ultra

152. that my employees have a long weekend this weekend

153. for my lunch this week with an old friend

154. that we work so close to one of the best Cuban restaurants 

155. for Tara our awesome official Chilis server for over 10-years now

156. for how happy fresh flowers make my wife

157. to see how happy it makes Kalebra when we all eat our vegetables at dinner

158. for a beautiful yard for the doggos to run in. 

159. for Sundays when I sleep in really late

160. that my son left his awesome drum kit here so I can play it

161. that my old rock band from high-school still gets together to play our high-school reunion party

162. that I live in a very sunny place

163. for Google search

164. for every time my wife is cooking and says “I’m trying something different tonight.” It always leads to a delicious meal!

165. that I always remember our anniversary

166. that our family makes birthdays really special for each other

167. that we have a photographic art gallery and that we get to celebrate our member’s work there

168. that I have such a great art director for my shoots in Kalebra

169. for William C. Miller, my high school band director, who taught us more than music.

170. that I was born and raised here

171. for Deb, John, Bob, Sam, and all my friends in Boston

172. for the Sci-Fi Drive-In Theatre restaurant 

173. for Frank Doorhof

174. for all the summers in Sarasota at the beach when I was growing up

175. for getting to board early

176. for Larry Grace, Ed Buice, and Rob Foldy

177. for Superchargers

178. for when the dogs realize it was just a random sound and stop barking

179. for all the live concerts, Broadway shows, and performances I’ve experienced

180. for my wife’s guardian angel, who has been working overtime lately

181. for Zephyrhills bottled spring water

182. for the times my brother and I get to play golf

183. for the Genius Bar in the Apple Store 

184. for Chili’s chips and salsa

185. for now thoughtful my wife is

186. for afternoon’s at the movies

187. for the times when I could think of the perfect gift

188. for all the people who participate in my Worldwide Photo Walk and for the joy it brings me to see their smiling faces in their group shots

189. for everyone who has donated to the Springs of Hope Kenya orphanage

190. for all the wonderful gifts I treasure that Kalebra has gotten me over the years

191. for all my friends at Canon USA

192. for everybody who follows me on social media, and shares a kind word or says something nice about one of my images.

193. for every handmade birthday card my daughter has made for me

194. that my son is a way better version of me

195. for all the times when my wife knows exactly what to say and how to say it

196. that people are kind when they point out my typos on my blog

197. that I love to drive

198. that I still get to play with Scotty and Tony in a band. 

199. for how easy it was to come up with 200 things I’m grateful for

200. for God, and His Son Jesus Christ, for leading me to the woman of my dreams, for blessing us with such amazing children, for allowing me to make a living doing something I truly love, for always being there when I need Him, for blessing me with a wonderful, fulfilling, and happy life, and such a warm, loving family to share it with.

Here’s wishing you a Thanksgiving full of family, food, gratitude for our many blessings, and I hope your team wins this weekend unless you’re playing Alabama! #rolltide!

All my best, 

-Scott

The post The Top 200 Things I’m Thankful For This Thanksgiving appeared first on Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider.

from Photography News https://scottkelby.com/the-top-200-things-im-thankful-for-this-thanksgiving/

[lapenpalclub]

Snail Mail Is Getting People Through This Time

Letter writing has helped people meaningfully connect during this period of isolation, grief and unrest.

Snail Mail is Getting People Through This Time by Tove Danovich for The New York Times

Brianca Hadnot’s high school students in Houston started writing letters the day after George Floyd was killed.

“They felt unheard,” Ms. Hadnot, 30, said. “They can’t vote.”

As protests gained momentum around the country, she worried about them attending and possibly being tear gassed or shot with rubber bullets. Writing, she said, was another way the students could take action against police brutality.

“A letter is one of the most undervalued but important ways of expressing yourself,” said Ms. Hadnot, who teaches sophomore literature and writes under the name Brianca Jay. “It doesn’t have to be perfect or written with the best grammar and semantics and flowery prose. It just has to be you.”

The students, with help from other community members, have written 75 letters so far, addressed to elected officials including local legislators and the president of the United States.

Snail mail has taken on fresh resonance in this period of isolation, grief and unrest. Sympathy cards are selling out as the coronavirus’s toll continues to rise. Constituents are mailing in primary election ballots and addressing handwritten notes to local officials with compliments and complaints. (In some cities, they may also be sending letters to the police.) Many more are writing postcards to friends and loved ones, and calling for the United States Postal Service to be saved from its dire financial straits.

First-class mail has been a declining category for the Postal Service for over a decade. It will be a few months before the service publishes statistics on mail volumes for April and May, but it did see “significantly higher product sales” of items including stamps in April, according to a representative. A Postal Service survey whose results were published in May found that one in six consumers had sent more mail to family and friends during the pandemic.

Kenzie Myer, 21, said that she wasn’t a letter writer before the pandemic, which forced her to leave a study-abroad program in London and return to her home in Pennsylvania.

“I came back and hadn’t seen any of my friends from my home school,” Ms. Myer, a rising senior at Arcadia University, said. “I started sending them letters.” Most of them open with a disparaging line about her “garbage handwriting,” she said, then become more personalized.

For a friend whose 21st birthday passed in lockdown, she wrote about how she couldn’t wait to celebrate in person. For her partner, who lives in Australia, she writes “a lot of sappy stuff” and smears the page with roller-ball perfume. She posts her correspondents’ responses on her bedroom wall near her desk.

“Even though I can’t see the people that I love, they’re sending love back my way,” Ms. Myer said.

Justin Hodges, 46, moved to Chicago three years ago and soon received a postcard from a local candidate. “This was not some soulless mass production,” he said. “Someone took the time to spell my name correctly and draw stars and hearts. It’s more personal.”

Eventually Mr. Hodges, a former flight attendant and now self-described “stay-at-home cat dad,” started writing postcards for her campaign as a volunteer and then for an organization that encourages people in swing states to vote. Over the last month, he has written 500 postcards that will be sent to Wisconsin voters closer to the general election in November.

The coronavirus has made many people realize just how important the Postal Service is, Mr. Hodges said, even as it feels like it’s under siege. “We’ve gone to this online society, but letters encourage voter turnout and civic engagement. They’re warm and personal — tangible.”

When Laura Stanfill, 44, is ready to send out her weekly batch of letters, she and her 12-year-old daughter walk to the mailbox near their home in Portland, Ore. “We’ve made this ‘just the two of us’ walks. We wear our masks, and she complains about her mask and we talk,” she said.

On April 13, Ms. Stanfill’s best friend of over 30 years died of complications from Covid-19. She sent out sympathy cards. “Then I wanted to send more,” said Ms. Stanfill, who is a writer and the publisher of Forest Avenue Press. She started collaging cards with paper scraps and magazine clippings and sending them to friends, family and acquaintances alike.

“All this letter writing and card making is a way forward in my grief,” Ms. Stanfill said. In addition to the cards, she’s also exchanging “letters” with a pen pal by filling up a single notebook passed back and forth across the country. “We’re centered at home, and to be able to share something and send something to a person we can’t see feels really important.”

That sentiment seems to bridge generations. In Los Angeles, Ronan Bowie, 4, has enjoyed receiving riddles from his grandmother in Tucson, Ariz., by mail. “We’d have to wait a few days for the answer to arrive,” said Ronan’s father, Soren Bowie, 37. “That got him excited about the mail in a way he’d only been with packages before.”

Ronan started exchanging letters with his best friend from school. “I miss you” may be the only text in these letters, which are full of a lot of drawings and stickers. “They see each other on Zoom sometimes,” said Mr. Bowie, who is a writer. “But for a child, I think there’s something much more tangible to a thing you hold and have to find a place for in your house.”

“People’s worlds are really small, and the ways they used to connect with people aren’t really working,” said Christianna Wincek, 35. “When I was working full-time, mail was a chore,” she said, full of bills and things she didn’t want to deal with. “When I started spending the bulk of time at home, mail became an event.”

Ms. Wincek, a textile designer, has been home in Portland and unable to work since December because of chronic illness. That’s when she started writing letters: to friends and to people in assisted living facilities through a nonprofit called Letters Against Isolation.

Letters have also become part of an effort at home schooling for Katie Case, 41, who lives just outside of New Orleans and runs a real estate agency. She posted on Facebook asking people in her network to send their addresses if they wanted a letter from her son Henry, 4, who punches them out on the typewriter he asked for as a Christmas present last year. Most of them are short and written on Post-it notes or pieces of paper only a little bigger.

Ms. Case writes a companion note for each of her son’s letters, noting that between the small pieces of paper and typed words, “it looks a bit like a ransom letter.” In a letter to Ms. Case’s family friends who live by the beach,” Henry wrote simply: “Do you love sea monsters?” To a nearby friend whom Ms. Case described as her son’s “lady love,” he wrote: “You are lava girl. I am a talented electric rattlesnake with fire. I love you.”

People have sent thoughtful replies to Henry, who so far has shown less interest in receiving mail than sending it. “I’m saving them all, obviously,” Ms. Case said. “I think one day he’ll realize what a special thing this is.”

[alwaysanotherooc]

92 Things Tag

RULES: FINISH THESE 92 STATEMENTS AND TAG 20 PEOPLE. Thanks, @justhedeepsea for tagging me.This is gonna be so much fun!

THE LAST:

1. Drink: Water 2. Phone call: My Ma 3. Text message: Also my Ma 4. Song you listened to: Tell That Devil by Jill Andrews 5. Time you cried: Maybe a couple days ago...I’m a crybaby.

HAVE YOU:

6. Dated someone twice: HahahahahaHAHAHAHA I have never dated anyone ever, so HAHAHAHAHAHAHA no. 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Yup.  8. Been cheated on: See No. 6. Short answer, no. 9. Lost someone special: Not yet. 10. Been depressed: Been? More like have been since sophomore year. 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Ew no, I never wanna be that drunk.

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:

12. Azure 13. Lavender 14. Pink (All Shades)

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

15. Made new friends: Yeah, this fandom’s been really great for that! 16. Fallen out of love: Yeah. Not a deep love, mind you, or a reciprocated love, but yeah. 17. Laughed until you cried: Multiple times. I love when that happens. 18. Found out someone was talking about you: Oh yeah.  19. Met someone who changed you: Every person I’ve ever met has changed me a little. 20. Found out who your friends are: Yup. We’ll leave it at that. 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: I don’t think so...

GENERAL:

22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: None, at this point. 23. Do you have any pets: I don’t, personally, but my family has three cats and two dogs. 24. Do you want to change your name: I used to, I’m still thinking about it. 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: My best friend came up to visit me and we spent the weekend together. It was AMAZING. 26. What time did you wake up: Noon. It’s Sunday, the day of rest. 27. What were you doing at midnight last night:  Writing. ;) 28. Name something you can’t wait for: The Last Jedi, New Choices Chapters, James Ashton and Sean Gayle and Leah Myers to be loved the way they deserve, A Power Rangers sequel... 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: Two months ago now. 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: Make myself a millionaire. Don’t tell me money doesn’t solve problems, it does. 31. What are you listening right now: Say My Name by ODESZA feat. Zyra 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I have an uncle named Tom. 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: The idea that some people are lesser than others. 34. Most visited Website: Tumblr and YouTube, probably AO3 too. 35. Mole/s: None! 36. Mark/s: I have a scar on my eyebrow from this jerk I went to school with. Long story. 37. Childhood dream: Be a famous Oscar winning actress/author/director. 38. Hair color: Brown. 39. Long or short hair: Reeeeaal short. 40. Do you have a crush on someone: Not at the moment. 41. What do you like about yourself: ....my OC’s??? 42. Piercings: Ears, I would get more but I’m not sure what I want first. 43. Blood type: I have literally no idea, lol, hope that doesn’t come up. 44. Nickname: Em, Emmy, Countess (from my main blog) 45. Relationship status: Single af, and mostly ok with it. 46. Zodiac: Cancer! Born June 29. 47. Pronouns: She/Her 48. Favorite TV Show/s: Wynonna Earp, Phineas and Ferb (don’t JUDGE ME), NCIS, NCIS: LA, Still Star Crossed, the new Star Trek series looks LIT.  49. Tattoos: None yet, but I’ve got some planned. 50. Right or left hand: Right handed! 51. Surgery: I had my tonsils taken out when I was younger. 52. Hair dyed a different color: I had a pink streak in my hair in high school. 53. Sport: I used to play volleyball but I sucked at it, like, I was AWFUL. 54. Sexuality: Pansexual 55. Vacation: Scotland, London, Paris, Disney’s Castaway Cay, Mumbai, Hawaii. 56. Pair of trainers: I live in sneakers, so.

MORE GENERAL:

57. Eating: I’m munching on some carrots right now, so. 58. Drinking: Still drinking water. 59. I’m about to: Watch some Phineas and Ferb. (lisTEN DON’T JUDGE ME IT’S SO GOOD) 60. Fear: Heights, bugs, crashes, The Last Jedi being a mess because it probably will and I’m scared, the idea that some people are inherently better than others because of race, sexual orientation, gender, or religion...lots of things. 61. Waiting for: People to realize that they need to chill out and not be so awful to each other. 62. Want: A billion dollars and to be Queen of the world (That last part’s a bad idea, though, lol. I’d never get anything done.) 63. Get married: I always thought I would, and I’d still like to, but mostly I just want kids. 64. Career: I’m still in school, y’all. But I wanna be a financial planner. 65. Hugs or kisses: I prefer hugs, but right now I have this weird thing about being touched in any way shape or form. 66. Lips or eyes: Eyes, all the way. 67. Shorter or taller: Shorter. I’m about 5′4″ 68. Older or younger: I’m...younger?? I guess?? But I’d rather date someone who’s older than me if that’s what you mean. 69. Pastel or Neon: Pastel! 70. Nice arms or nice stomach: I could literally care less if they were a good person. 71. Sensitive or loud: I’m sensitive and I’m loud about it. I’m loud about everything, TBH. 72. Hook up or relationship: I’d prefer a relationship, but you never know. 73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant AF, I am a SCAREDY CAT.

HAVE YOU EVER:

74. Kissed a stranger: Nope. 75. Drank hard liquor: Not on its own. Ew. Why?? That stuff’s AWFUL. 76. Lost glasses/contact lenses:  All the freaking time, oh my GOD. 77. Turned someone down: Yep. One of those ‘nice guy’ types. 78. Sex on the first date: Never been on a date. I might, though, depends on what’s going on. 79. Broken someone’s heart: God I hope not.  80. Had your heart broken: All the time, I had so many broken hearts when I was younger, are you kidding? 81. Been arrested: Noooo, no thank you, cops are terrifying. 82. Cried when someone died: Carrie. Fischer. 83. Fallen for a friend: I...don't think so...

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

84. Yourself: Eh. 85. Miracles: A thousand percent yes. 86. Love at first sight: Not a deep love, but sure. 87. Santa Claus: No, but I believe there should be one, and I think Christmas is lit af. 88. Kiss on the first date: I would, yeah. 89. Religion: I do, yeah.

OTHER:

90. Current best friend’s name: Annie! She’s the sweetest, I love her. 91. Eye color: Green/Yellow. 92. Favorite movie: The Mummy (1999), Power Rangers (2017), The Force Awakens (2015), Rio Bravo (old John Wayne movie, it’s so GAY), McClintock (also an old John Wayne movie that has some great points about the dark side of American history buried within provincial Western town fun)

This was so much fun!! Thanks for tagging me, and anyone who wants to do this and hasn’t been tagged this is for you! I’m feeling lazy.

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

41 times Stephen King's dog Molly was the most evil beast on the internet

If you've ever read a Stephen King book you may think you know fear, but the truth is you won't have been confronted with real evil unless you've laid eyes on Molly.

SEE ALSO: 13 of the best Stephen King short stories you've never read

That's Stephen King's dog: a corgi who goes by the alternative name "the Thing of Evil," and who enjoys nothing more than striking fear into the hearts of humans and squeaky toys alike.

I am Molly, the Thing of Evil. You will not see me coming. pic.twitter.com/yVYjKpQAUo

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 1, 2015

From her plot to get Santa to her planned zombie dog-led conquest of Vermont, we've rounded up her most dastardly moments below.

1. The time she flashed this deeply evil grin.

Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, flashes a sinister smile after torpedoing the canine-feline peace talks in London. pic.twitter.com/WtBX8GMyxW

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 17, 2015

2. The time she took a truly wicked selfie.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, has taken a paws-on selfie for all her Twitter fans, and forced me to post it. Or else. pic.twitter.com/e9IF1S70uJ

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 2, 2015

3. Her first birthday.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, celebrates her first birthday. Her plans for Year Two are, well, unspeakable. pic.twitter.com/DZP80bazzk

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 15, 2015

4. The time she tried to pull the wool over her owner's eyes.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, tries to convince me she is a Thing of Good. I am not persuaded. pic.twitter.com/7JQcbhtjrS

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 26, 2015

5. The time she was too smart for her many enemies.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, waits for her Official Taster to make sure her evening repast isn't poisoned. pic.twitter.com/vrUHz8WzEV

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 20, 2015

6. The time she tucked into a typical breakfast.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, enjoys her usual breakfast of gin and juice while listening to Iron Maiden's Powerslave album. pic.twitter.com/yYy8Jzx9zg

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 11, 2016

7. The time she planned her conquest of Vermont...

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, considers unleashing her battalion of zombie Irish Wolfhounds on Vermont. pic.twitter.com/XesTH0KRkL

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 8, 2015

8. ...And New Hampshire.

Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, looks west, plotting her conquest of New Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/7HiR6s7wW5

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 20, 2015

9. The time she captured this unsuspecting victim.

Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, ruthlessly hunts down the Purple Dinosaur of Decency and crows over its dead body. pic.twitter.com/yhyab7vj5k

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 9, 2015

10. The time she introduced us to her equally evil friend.

Even a Thing of Evil needs a pal to chum with. This is Molly's friend Nom, aka Nasty Old Monkey. pic.twitter.com/VHTGhZkgiB

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 22, 2017

11. The time she showed off her gym routine.

Molly demonstrates the Thing of Evil Workout, also known as the Who Gives a Shit About Muscle Tone Workout. pic.twitter.com/r0jk2Cf865

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) May 3, 2015

12. The time she prepared for a new job.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, preps for her job as moderator at the next Clinton-Trump debate. If anyone can make Trump shut up, it's Molly. pic.twitter.com/GArJBSJp2K

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 27, 2016

13. The time she used her ball as a handy political metaphor.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, demonstrates what the world will look like after 4 years of Trump foreign policy. pic.twitter.com/He5Sl4RDfq

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 14, 2016

14. The time she had a pressing political engagement.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, meets with Donald Trump's White House staff. pic.twitter.com/XJO7OW5GNp

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) February 1, 2017

15. The time she tried her paw at "alternative facts".

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, tries to convince me it was her stuffed monkey who shit in the corner. Calls it an alternative fact. pic.twitter.com/OCDZSQZTrG

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 24, 2017

16. The time she claimed a new victim.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, sleeps contentedly with her latest victim. Ralph the Raccoon made the mistake of dissing her. pic.twitter.com/8TfiVvTsE5

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 14, 2017

17. The time she visited Mordor.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, discovers one ring to rule them all, one ring to bind them. It was in Mordor, where she is a frequent visitor. pic.twitter.com/7PmPsUlzCE

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 13, 2017

18. The time she was the most evil of them all.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, is in training to take on Pennywise and the Man in Black in a tag-team match. She says they'll both float. pic.twitter.com/jDem8jH5lo

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 1, 2017

19. The time she prepared to greet salesmen.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, lies in wait for any salesman foolish enough to approach the door. Her attack is silent; her jaws are deadly. pic.twitter.com/ts66spQVVQ

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 16, 2017

20. The time she took a short rest in order to plan new and unspeakable deeds.

Molly, aka The Thing of Evil, spends an afternoon thinking up new acts of wickedness. pic.twitter.com/NQKKldpvYZ

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 14, 2015

21. The time she celebrated New Year's.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, did a few too many Colt .45s on New Year's Eve. Still recovering. Loved Mariah Carey, though. pic.twitter.com/frswLaxbFQ

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 3, 2017

22. The time she longed to meet her owner's fans.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, wishes she were on tour with me, so she could eat snacks and bite a fan or two. pic.twitter.com/NbIssoPdy8

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 13, 2016

23. The time she got a new bed.

The library ladies gave Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, a new bed. She has decided not to hurt them. pic.twitter.com/ybPSMbrmjO

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 21, 2016

24. The time she did NOT want to be called cute.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, waits to bite the next person to tell her she's "such a cute little doggy." It's all in the eyes. pic.twitter.com/hVbjsjR7SX

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 21, 2016

25. The time she refused to play nicely.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, rests contentedly beside the corpse of her latest toy. pic.twitter.com/BawIbWlDU6

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 24, 2016

26. The time she went into hiding.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, hides from the FBI after stealing the mailman's bag of dog biscuits. Federal crime. pic.twitter.com/5Czav6alZt

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 9, 2016

27. The time she enjoyed Thanksgiving.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, enjoys her favorite Thanksgiving dessert: Zombie Cat Eyeball. pic.twitter.com/f70ILBhpH8

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 26, 2016

28. The time she inspired fan art.

Molly poses for her portrait after biting off the hand that feeds her. Painting by Matt McAllister. pic.twitter.com/9yuBYwVGzR

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 29, 2016

29. The time she went straight to jail...

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, finally went too far. Jailed for stealing cat food. Third offense. No parole. pic.twitter.com/MWBO4FIZFB

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 3, 2016

30. ...But then immediately busted out again.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, freed from jail. Certain feline witnesses disappeared. Molly says "I know nothing." pic.twitter.com/IIpIOGXLsL

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 8, 2016

31. The time she mourned Bill O'Reilly's departure from Fox.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, falls into a depression after finding out Bill O'Reilly has left TV. Vet prescribes Zoloft. pic.twitter.com/JJMZl2hOGr

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 21, 2017

32. The time she colluded with an accomplice...

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, discusses new forms of bad behavior with her Uncle McMurtry, Joe Hill's dog. pic.twitter.com/08KVX50NHV

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 27, 2016

33. ...And was forced to put him firmly in his place.

34. The time she refused to get into the Christmas spirit.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, stakes out Santa's probable landing site, hoping to bite the ass out of that red suit. Good idea. pic.twitter.com/sbCgm2ooY0

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 6, 2016

35. The time she began work on a novel.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, takes a break from writing her 1st book, THE DOGSHIT CHRONICLES. A sure beast-seller. pic.twitter.com/MdUl87J2MQ

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 8, 2016

36. The time she took her untamed rage out on a new ball.

37. The time she made a tactical decision.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, considers ripping my throat out and decides to wait at least until after din-din is served. pic.twitter.com/0WonRShPvb

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 28, 2016

38. The time her terror reached monstrous new heights.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, prepares to eat the entire State of Maine. This takes villainy to a new level. pic.twitter.com/sdahOZiizM

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 26, 2016

39. The time she got a chilling new portrait.

Molly's portrait, now hanging in the Hall of Evil. You may visit it in Derry, Maine. pic.twitter.com/clPi4mGIlN

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 26, 2017

40. The time she made her political allegiance clear.

Molly, aka the Thing of Evil, after believing Donald Trump was the CANDIDATE of evil, switches her allegiance to someone even worse. pic.twitter.com/ZkvrfPffE5

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) November 2, 2016

41. And finally, the place where it all began.

Molly, 2014: The origin of evil. pic.twitter.com/ZSlKM7uBdX

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 27, 2016

Molly: keeping things evil since summer 2014.

WATCH: ‘The Shining’ book and movie were terrifying in very different ways

[babegroot]

1-200 :-) :-)

okay 200 QUESTIONS UNDER THE CUT!! you’re so sweet i don’t deserve your love

200: My crush’s name is: lmao I don't have a crush rn ;(199: I was born in: a hospital :)198: I am really: odd197: My cellphone company is: Virgin196: My eye color is: really light brown195: My shoe size is: 5 UK194: My ring size is: god knows??193: My height is: 5'4192: I am allergic to: n/a191: My 1st car was: I DONT HAVE A CAR190: My 1st job was: nor do I have a job 189: Last book you read: 'astrology' by yasmin boland188: My bed is: big187: My pet: a cat 186: My best friend: i have more than one? sos but rn I've been best friends with Tory for almost seven years now BESIDES MY MUM BC SHES THE REAL G 185: My favorite shampoo is: a turkish one I bought ages ago 184: Xbox or ps3: ugh neither 183: Piggy banks are: useful 182: In my pockets: you can find a vaseline 181: On my calendar: you can always see 12091282 different things to do 180: Marriage is: something that i am not sure about179: Spongebob can: make me laugh 178: My mom: is my best friend 177: The last three songs I bought were? now or never, why'd you only call me when you're high and do i wanna know?176: Last YouTube video watched: what's up - 4 non blondes175: How many cousins do you have? 25174: Do you have any siblings? in total 5 (only 3 by blood, rest is only step)173: Are your parents divorced? yes 172: Are you taller than your mom? no 171: Do you play an instrument? no 170: What did you do yesterday? slept a lot [ I Believe In ]169: Love at first sight: no 168: Luck: yes 167: Fate: yes 166: Yourself: lmao not really 165: Aliens: yes 164: Heaven: yes? but not the way religious put it 163: Hell: read the answer to the above 162: God: not really 161: Horoscopes: YES160: Soul mates: yes 159: Ghosts: yes158: Gay Marriage: yesssssss157: War: sometimes it is necessary ngl 156: Orbs: ??????155: Magic: yes [ This or That ]154: Hugs or Kisses: hugs 153: Drunk or High: lmao i like both but high is less messy so 152: Phone or Online: depends a lot ugh 151: Red heads or Black haired: red heads? brunette? both amazing 150: Blondes or Brunettes: LOVE BOTH 149: Hot or cold: in the middle 148: Summer or winter: summer in brazil, winter in london 147: Autumn or Spring: spring 146: Chocolate or vanilla: vanilla145: Night or Day: night144: Oranges or Apples: oranges143: Curly or Straight hair: depends a lot 142: McDonalds or Burger King: mcdonald's141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: white 140: Mac or PC: pc139: Flip flops or high heals: LMAOOOOOOO SO FLIP FLOPS but high heels are so pretty? I HATE CHOOSING UGH 138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: ugly and rich? our society is fucked so im sorry137: Coke or Pepsi:  coke 136: Hillary or Obama: obama 135: Burried or cremated: cremated134: Singing or Dancing: both 133: Coach or Chanel: idk 132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: idk mannn 131: Small town or Big city: big city 130: Wal-Mart or Target: i dont have these around here 129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: adam sandler 128: Manicure or Pedicure: manicure 127: East Coast or West Coast: ??126: Your Birthday or Christmas: christmas 125: Chocolate or Flowers: flowers124: Disney or Six Flags: disney123: Yankees or Red Sox: ??[ Here’s What I Think About ]122: War: not always necessary 121: George Bush: idk about him 120: Gay Marriage: should be respected119: The presidential election: NOT AMERICAN118: Abortion: a woman knows what's best for her and for her child and being born is not always the best option 117: MySpace: never had it 116: Reality TV: ugh dramatic 115: Parents: important for our development 114: Back stabbers: die bitch113: Ebay: so useful 112: Facebook: an easy way to connect with family 111: Work: gotta pay the bills110: My Neighbors: smoke a lot but are pretty quiet 109: Gas Prices: who knows108: Designer Clothes: not always that cute 107: College: where you find yourself 106: Sports: i wish i could actually do it 105: My family: my everything 104: The future: scary [ Last time I ]103: Hugged someone: last week 102: Last time you ate: 2 hours ago 101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: uhhhhh i dont remember 100: Cried in front of someone: I don't remember 99: Went to a movie theater: SO LONG AGO 98: Took a vacation: vacation rn 97: Swam in a pool: i cant remember rah 96: Changed a diaper: last year 95: Got my nails done: ages ago 94: Went to a wedding: ??93: Broke a bone: never92: Got a peircing: august last year91: Broke the law: a couple of weeks ago for a birthday 90: Texted: hour ago [ MISC ]89: Who makes you laugh the most: my stepdad88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: i've left home and i miss my mum's cofffee87: The last movie I saw: why him?86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: going back to brazil this year85: The thing im not looking forward to: completing my exams84: People call me: difficult/the astrology girl 83: The most difficult thing to do is: actually revising 82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: never81: My zodiac sign is: libra80: The first person i talked to today was: katie79: First time you had a crush: when i was 10 78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my mum 77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: blair almost every single night76: Right now I am talking to: blair 75: What are you going to do when you grow up:  i have no clue

74: I have/will get a job: this summer73: Tomorrow: i'm revising with my friends72: Today: i'm staying in and feeling sad about not revising 71: Next Summer: i'll be in brazil70: Next Weekend: i'll be in ipswich 69: I have these pets: a cat, called pumpkin 68: The worst sound in the world: scratching a plastic surface 67: The person that makes me cry the most is: felipe 66: People that make you happy: my mum, sister and my brother 65: Last time I cried: last week 64: My friends are: SO MANY god i am not naming people here 63: My computer is: old 62: My School: is boring and got a long name 61: My Car: n/a60: I lose all respect for people who: lie and cheat 59: The movie I cried at was: "now is good"58: Your hair color is: dark brown57: TV shows you watch: brooklyn nine nine, from dusk till dawn,  riverdale and sons of anarchy56: Favorite web site: tumblr55: Your dream vacation: going around europe 54: The worst pain I was ever in was: idk 53: How do you like your steak cooked: medium52: My room is: quite big and bright51: My favorite celebrity is: eiza gonzalez? 50: Where would you like to be: in brazil, with my mum 49: Do you want children: yes 48: Ever been in love: yes 47: Who’s your best friend: my mum 46: More guy friends or girl friends: guy friends45: One thing that makes you feel great is: talking to my mum44: One person that you wish you could see right now: my brother43: Do you have a 5 year plan: kinda42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: not really 41: Have you pre-named your children: LMAO lowkey 40: Last person I got mad at: anees39: I would like to move to: brazil 38: I wish I was a professional: psychologist [ My Favorites ]37: Candy: n/a36: Vehicle: n/a35: President: n/a34: State visited: n/a33: Cellphone provider: n/a32: Athlete: n/a31: Actor: zane holtz30: Actress: eiza gonzalez29: Singer: maluma28: Band: the script 27: Clothing store: ?????idk 26: Grocery store: tescos25: TV show: brooklyn nine nine 24: Movie: the last song 23: Website: tumblr22: Animal: koalas21: Theme park: Thrope Park20: Holiday: summer19: Sport to watch: football18: Sport to play: none17: Magazine: none16: Book: milk and honey15: Day of the week: friday14: Beach: ??13: Concert attended: the 197512: Thing to cook: steak11: Food: bbq10: Restaurant: a restaurant in italy near my dad's friend's house9: Radio station: Capital FM8: Yankee candle scent: n/a7: Perfume: some cheap one from boots6: Flower: roses5: Color: white4: Talk show host: jimmy3: Comedian: idk 2: Dog breed: n/a1: Did you answer all these truthfully? yes thats why i look so confused

[thing-you-do-with-that-thing]

Full Attention

Characters: Reader (Y/N), Kit Harington, Kit’s Family (mentioned briefly)

Pairing: Kit x Reader

Warnings:  Being forgotten on one’s birthday (cause that must suck), implied smut, mention of cheating (not Kit), mention of past bad relationships. It is not as bad as in it sound. It is quite fluffy.    

Wordcount: 2000ish

A/N: This is my very first time to write Kit Harington and I have no idea how I did here. I hope someone out there will like even though I am mostly a SPN blog.

This is my entry for @deals-with-demons’s 200 follower celebration and she wanted me to mark which fandom. I guess it falls under Game of Thrones but it is a rp fic. My prompt was: “Oh you poor, poor baby.”

Thanks to the wicked awesome @blacktithe7 for betaing this for me. I would be lost without her as a friend and editor. Love you Erin.

***My fics are not to be saved nor posted on any other sites without my express written permission.***

You had told Kit you had an audition, and he had believed you because you had never lied to him before. At least not until now. You hated lying to him, even if it was to surprise him. Ever since you had met Kit, he had instantly become your best friend. Someone you could laugh and share your tears with. Someone you knew would always be there for you no matter what. You had know Kit for the past 5 years, but it hadn’t been until last year that he had finally kissed you on  New Years. To be completely honest, you hadn’t realised that you even wanted him to until his lips met yours. You completely froze up when he kissed you. Yes it was midnight, but you had expected a hug from your best friend and not a kiss from your future boyfriend. Right up until that moment you had been as unaware of his feelings for you, as of your own for him. Not until his arms were wrapped around you and you melted into his kiss. You felt as if the world stopped turning, and as if all the fireworks were solely for the two of you.

Since that moment, you had never wanted him to stop kissing you. He was no longer just your best friend. He was your lover and your world.

Trusting him hadn’t been easy in the beginning. You hadn’t had the best taste in men up until that moment, and truthfully, the tears you had shared with him prior to your kiss had been caused by other men. Men that had stood you up. Men that had cheated on you or made you feel as if you weren’t important.

Kit made you feel loved and safe even though you had been reluctant to trust him at first. Not because you hadn’t as his friend, but because your past romantic relation had taught you differently. He had been more patient with you than you had deserved. While you had blamed him for everything under the sun, things you deep down knew he would never do to you. Kit had never raised his voice at you, no matter how unreasonable you had been. He had just waited you out. He had waited for you to realise what you were saying, for you to break down crying in his arms as he whispered soothing words into your ear.

Slowly he had made you stop doubting him and your relationship. He was not any of your exes and it was not fair to keep holding your past against him. Kit had made it more than clear how much he liked having you wake up in his bed. He liked having you stay at his place for days, wearing his shirts and old sweatpants. Watching movies, cooking and laughing together, or crawling through his kitchen window drunk off your ass at 4 am in the morning because your boyfriend had forgotten his key.

He never made you doubt how much he loved having you around or how he wanted you with him all the time. He had just never actually said the words. Still, there was no doubt in your mind this was the right decision. Your surprise for him would be the best gift you knew how to give him.

Kit’s parents house were buzzing with life when you got there, but there was no actual sign of your boyfriend anywhere. You searched the house for a good few minutes, spending some time politely talking to his mom before sneaking upstairs to check his old room. You smiled as you realized your suspicion was right. He tended to retrive into himself when the world got too much. You knew how much he had loved his room as a kid, so this was the first place you had thought to look for him.

Your boyfriend had hid himself from all the commotion, sitting on his childhood bed reading a book, only looking up when he heard the sound of your voice.

“There you are,” you smiled, walking up to the bed and lowering yourself down next to him. Your heart skipped a beat just like it always did when his chocolate brown eyes found yours. No matter the situation, he always looked at you like you were the most important person in the world. He always gave you his undivided attention no matter what he had been doing, and you loved him for it. He always saw you; all of you.

“What are you doing up here? It’s your birthday. You should be with your family,” you gently scolded him, and he sent you an almost shy smile.

“Yeah well, it is also the day after Christmas. My entire family always descends on the house, and I am always kinda forgotten,” Kit mumbled almost sadly, staring down at the mattress between you. He looked like a wet puppy stuck on the outside of a glass door.

You tried to hold back you laughter, but a grin still slide across his face. He didn’t notice your amusement at first and he probably wouldn’t have if you had just been able to refrain from teasing him. You just couldn’t. He was pouting like a small child, and he was still your best friend. You couldn’t help but have a dig at him, even though this was clearly a sore spot for him.

“Oh you poor, poor baby,” you lovingly mocked him, making him look up at you in surprise. “Are you not getting enough attention?”

Kit faked a sulk, but you could clearly see the smile playing in the dark eyes you loved so much. “I never get enough attention,” he pouted, making you laugh and fling yourself into his arms. You wrapped your arms around his neck, knocking him onto his back with you on top of him, taking him completely by surprise. You kissed him deeply and passionately, loving the feel of his arms wrapping around your waist, as he started kissing you back.

You were both panting when you pulled back. Kit looked up at you with a curious glisten in his eye and a smile gracing his gorgeous features.

“You have my attention, Mr. Harington,” you teased in a sultry voice, making Kit laugh before letting his face fall back into his fake pouting look.

“Yeah, well, you left me this morning. So clearly you forgot my birthday baby girl,” Kit fake grumbled, making you roll his eyes at him.

“I didn’t forget you dumbass, and I didn’t have an audition,” you confessed, pushing yourself off the bed, grabbing his hand, pulling your surprised boyfriend after you.

“You didn’t? Then why did you…” The hurt in his voice was slightly more real this time, and it tore at your heart.

“I was getting a surprise ready for you. I’m sorry I lied, but I needed a few hours to…” you began babbling, but were stopped by Kit pulling you into his arms, softly kissing your lips before smiling tenderly at you.

“I trust you,” he whispered, and a big smile spread across your face. You grabbed your now laughing boyfriend’s hand, pulling him through the house and towards your car.

Kit had tried to get where you were going out of you, but you had steadfastly refused to tell him as he begged, sulked, and whined next to you, making you laugh as you manoeuvred through the London traffic.

“My apartment, Y/N/N?” Kit raised an eyebrow at you as you pulled up infront of his building. If he was disappointed, he hid it well. Instead, he smiled, and you knew your excitement must have shown when you nodded before jumping from the car and running around to his side to take his hand, almost dragging him towards the door.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming,” Kit laughed, making you pull a face at him before you stepped aside, letting him unlock the door.

“You could have used your own key you know?” Kit raised an eyebrow at you, but you just shrugged, letting him walk through the door and into his apartment. Only, it didn’t look exactly the way he had left it.

Your pictures were on his walls, and a few of his furnishings were traded with yours. Some of your trinkets were on the surfaces of the living room, and your pillows were spread across his couch.

You smiled as you saw Kit freeze up, taking in the sight, before slowly turning to face you. “What’s this, Y/N?” Kit asked quietly, but with clear hope in his voice, and you beamed at him.

“I know 30 is a big deal. I wasn’t sure what to give you. I wanted it to be something you would remember. So I decided to give you me. If you will have me,” you explained starting to feel a bit nervous, suddenly unsure if this had been what he really wanted. Kit hadn’t said a word. He was just staring at you as you rambled. “I didn’t throw any of your things out. The are at a storage place in…”

You didn’t get further before his arms were wrapped around you, and his lips silenced you with a sweet, tender kiss. A kiss that was so filled with love and affection it almost brought a tear to your eye before Kit pulled back with a teasing glimmer in his eye.

“Giving me you, are you? Does that mean all of you by chance?” Kit teased, never letting you out of his arms or letting his eyes leave your face. You felt a blush creep into your cheeks. You had been together for almost a year, and he still made you giggle and blush bright red like a schoolgirl talking to her first crush at times.

You had had this moment planned since way before Christmas, but actually doing it was nerve-wrecking. Usually you were not the one in charge of your adult moments. Well you had been a few times and you knew Kit didn’t mind one bit. The thought of what you were about to do made you blush even harder before you manned up and regained your composure. You bit your lip as you opened your jacket, revealing what you were wearing to him, or not wearing as the case might be. Kit’s dark eyes instantly turned almost black as his eyes roamed your very light dressed body. You let him take in the site of you for a few seconds before you let the jacked fall to the ground. You turned away from him, making your way towards your bedroom, turning in the doorway to see Kit standing in the same spot with his mouth slightly a gab.

You giggle, making a come her motion with your finger as you leaned against the doorframe, and Kit was on you in seconds, hungrily kissing your breath away, and it took all the willpower you possessed to pull away from him to speak.

“All of me, Kit. Forever, or as long as you will have me,” you promised him, and his face lit up in the sexiest smile you had ever seen. An amused, surprised squeal fell from your lips, when Kit’s hands closed around your waist and lifted you off the ground before throwing you onto the bed. Before you could even comprehend what had happened, he was on top of you, sweetly kissing your lips for a few seconds, only stopping long enough to make you a promise that rang through your head as he made love to you that afternoon in you new home.

“I’m never letting you go, Y/N/N.”

Kit Tag Team

@blacktithe7 @curliesallovertheplace @adriellej @nikolanna @my-youngworld88 @kitharingtonfanfiction @talkficstome @ftsgerald @imaginesheaven @mrsbarry-allen-1031 @macchimacchi-chan @supernaturallymarvellous @evansrogerskitten @a-girl-who-loves-disney @sleep4eternity @ashiewesker @breexwrites @14readwritedraw96 @mytestamentofyouth @audasia25