#officially one of my fave red carpet looks

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MAY 24

Who cares what the calendar says? Ryan Gosling has declared summer is officially here! 

Between longevity of the “Beavis and Butt-Head” Saturday Night Live sketch I shared last month, his extremely fun red carpet appearances, and the wonderfully fun The Fall Guy,  he’s been everywhere, and I have no complaints about it. 

But The Fall Guy and the other new releases in this Round Up aren’t the last summer movies to look forward to. I stopped by KMOV to preview some of the movies I’m most excited for this summer, including a star-studded rom-com set in the ‘60s, a legacy sequel action spectacular, a mystery starring a recent Best Actress nominee, and a prequel for a genre I rarely like. Let’s take on the summer as Ryan Gosling commands in The Fall Guy: “Jean-Claude, attaqué!” 

May Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Fall Guy (2024)

Most movies go to great pains to hide their seams, but not The Fall Guy. And who needs to when a behind-the-seams look can be so fun? Summer 2024 is starting off with a bang because it’s a blast both as an action-adventure and as a romantic comedy, making it one of the easiest movies to recommend to just about anyone. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch out my review for KMOV. Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA (2024)

It’s not hyperbole to say I adored this weird and wonderful talk show experiment. Experts on palm trees and coyotes did most of the talking, Bill Hader and Pete Davidson couldn’t stop giggling, and John Mulaney kept asking about what kinds of cars people drive. Only a handful of clips have been added online from this live six-episode series…

"The Map of Los Angeles"

"Reverse Borat"

"Oh, Hello Manson Tour"

"Nepo Babies"

…but if Mulaney ever decides to resurrect his late night format of taking calls, discussing non-urgent topics, and creating sketch comedy with his friends and seismologists, I’d watch it every night.

3. IF (2024)

Not everything about the logic of IF hangs together, but one of the beauties of an original world is not being encumbered by mythology and continuity. IF is about dreaming big, and it’s for kids and families who want to be dazzled by a story imaginative in every sense of the word. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. SNL Round Up

That’s a wrap on season 49! These sketches will be holding me over till the Saturday Night Live’s golden jubilee begins in the fall: 

“Teeny Tiny Statement Pin” (4618 with Dua Lipa)

“OBGYN” (4618)

“Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2” (4619 with Maya Rudolph)

“Weekend Update: A Woman Who Insists She's Not Mad” (4619)

“Monologue” (4620 with Jake Gyllenhaal)

“Dad Has a Cookie” (4620)

“Fast Fashion Ad” (4620)

“NYPD Press Conference” (4620)

And if you're still laughing at "Beavis and Butt-Head" from Ryan Gosling's episode last month, don't miss these behind-the-scenes articles about the viral fave:

“Heidi Gardner Couldn’t Prepare for What She Saw,” Vulture.com (2024)

“Ryan Gosling’s Viral Beavis and Butt-Head Skit Was 5 Years in the Making,” gizmodo.com (2024)

5. Zillow Gone Wild (2024-)

@ZillowGoneWild has been one of my best Instagram follows for years, so you know I’m all in on the HGTV series. Can you live inside a former missile silo? Did you know a real-life house inspired the dwarfs’ cottage in Snow White? How would you renovate a 17,000 square-foot church to make it a home? Host Jack McBrayer is stopping by the craziest Zillow listings (and more than once in my hometown of St. Louis), which you can imagine inspires hilarious commentary along the way.

MORE MAY CROWD-PLEASERS // Olivia Rodrigo’s bonus tracks on GUTS (spilled) (2024) are five more album-worthy pop-punk bangers and folksy bops // Even though I find puppets unsettling, the Prime rom-com Música (2024) is proof Camila Mendes has the “it” factor and writer/actor/director/musician Rudy Mancuso should direct a full-blown musical // Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) is the least successful of the modern Apes franchise, but I’m still in on this dystopian adventure world // It’s a shame Rutherford Falls (2021-22) was cancelled just as it was finding its groove in Mike Schur’s canon with its big ideas like The Good Place, its small town cast of characters like Parks and Recreation, and its problematic lead like The Office // Angela Lansbury time travels to the Antebellum South in a mystery with thorny issues still relevant today in Murder, She Wrote: The Last Free Man (2001)

May Critic Picks

1. The Way We Were (1973)

After a longer-than-planned hiatus, SO IT’S A SHOW? has returned! We’re breaking our typical mold in our seventh and final season (much like the seventh season of Gilmore Girls—IYKYK), and after a quick catch up in ep. 137 (though not without plenty of discussion of what the Palladinos are working on right now and a new Gilmore children’s book), we dig into our newest pop culture reference. In ep. 138, we’re discussing the the ‘70s weepy The Way We Were, which features a Palladino-esque heroine, Robert Redford in a cable knit sweater, heartache, laugher, and Communism all in one neat package! We discuss the cultural changes in parenting since then, why the Gilmores reference this movie several times in the series, and yes, Robert Redford in that cable knit sweater. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. Persuasion by Jane Austen (1817)

Jane Austen—you ever heard of her? She’s pretty good! Though it always takes me a minute to get into the rhythm of her writing, her characters and plotting never disappoint. This romantic comedy focuses on lovers separated by society reuniting almost a decade later, and as always, their story is funny and swoon-worthy.

3. Audrey Hepburn in Paris by Meghan Friedlander (2024)

I have admired Audrey Hepburn as a performer, fashion icon, work-life balance enthusiast, and humanitarian since I was 15, and the creator of Rare Audrey Hepburn has captured the beauty of each of those roles in her first book. With a journalistic attention to detail, Meghan Friedlander reports on the sets, theaters, and fashion houses Hepburn graced during her frequent visits to France. This book is both a unique biography and a gorgeous coffee table book that fans of Hepburn, fashion, and film history won’t want to miss.

4. Thelma & Louise (1991)

Kyla and I also chatted about the crime classic Thelma & Louise on SO IT’S A SHOW?. What does this movie have to say about female friendships? What did we think of THAT ending? And is Rory totally a Thelma? We discuss that and more in ep. 139. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

5. Good Reads

Recently I’ve been reading and thinking about…

The movies…

“Ryan Gosling’s Best Co-stars Are His Jackets,” Vulture.com (2024)

"The Power of the Planet of the Apes,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“‘Mum Knew What Was Going On’: Brigitte Höss on Living at Auschwitz, in the Zone of Interest Family,” TheGuardian.com (2024)

Men and women…

"Trying to Decipher a Man’s Mind? Now There’s a Name for That,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

“Why Your Big Sister Resents You,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Executive Women Are Wearing Sequins to Work. ‘I Made the Decision to Be Seen,’ WSJ.com (2024) 

“The Menstrual Mood Disorder You’ve Never Heard About,” TIME.com (2024)

“Scientists Calculated the Energy Needed to Carry a Baby. Shocker: It’s a Lot,” NYTimes.com (2024)

“Australian State Appoints Official for ‘Men’s Behavior Change’ as Outcry Over Violence Against Women Grows,” CNN.com (2024)

America…

“How America Got Mean,” TheAtlantic.com (2023)

“Why Americans Suddenly Stopped Hanging Out,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave,” AtlasObscura.com (2024)

“How to Be Less Busy and More Happy,” TheAtlantic.com (2024)

“America’s Best Decade, According to Data,” WashingtonPost.com (2024)

Asia…

“China’s Age of Malaise,” NewYorker.com (2023)

“How China Miscalculated Its Way to a Baby Bust,” WSJ.com (2024)

“China Is Pressing Women to Have More Babies. Many Are Saying No,” WSJ.com (2024) 

“Overworked South Koreans Unwind With Pet Rocks—‘Like Talking to Your Dog,’” WSJ.com (2024)

“The Land That Doesn’t Need Ozempic,” TIME.com (2024) 

The Internet…

“Our Entire Society Is Becoming Addicted to Sports Gambling,” NewRepublic.com (2024)

“Hold Your Clapbacks,” ChristianityToday.com (2024)

“Stop Filming Yourself at the Gym Already,” WSJ.com (2024)

“Is Uber Strangling the Restaurant Business?,” insights.som.yale.edu (2024) 

MORE MAY CRITIC PICKS // The Moulin Rouge! National Tour finds new ways to update my beloved musical // Like all Douglas Sirk films, Magnificent Obsession (1954) looks incredible // Sofia Coppola and Celine Song chatted on the A24 podcast, and they spoke to my soul // Amy (2015) is making everyone wonder why Back to Black was ever made (keep reading for more on that new biopic) // Born to Kill (1947) is an underrated film noir // Caroline Polachek’s album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You (2024) is scratching the Imogen Heap itch I’ve had for awhile now // The scandals Ryan Gosling and George Clooney are caught up in The Ides of March (2011) already feel quaint, but I’m still thinking about days later

Also in May…

Young Woman and the Sea is a little choppy, but it’s good pick for family movie night. Read my full review for ZekeFilm.

I watched my worst movie of the year so far, the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. Read my full review for ZekeFilm or watch my review on KMOV.

Photo credits: Zillow Gone Wild, Persuasion, Audrey Hepburn, Good Reads. All others IMDb.com.

[geohenley]

zoetaylormakeup: Always such a pleasure getting beautiful @aiysha_hart ready for the #baftas using @chanel.beauty styled by @millermode hair by @bjornkrischker #chanelmakeupartist #bafta #chanel #aiyshahart #chanelmakeup #naturalmakeup #perfectskin #smudgedeyeliner

[pleasingsatellite]

can you do something with lucy boynton??

i think she would match harry's vibe

liked by yourinstagram, harrystyles and 242,452 others

harry_lambert met gala details

view all 2,426 comments

harryfan1 omg I love them

y/nfan1 a serve

harryfan2 wait are they going together???

harryfan3 ARE THEY DATING???

y/nfan2 my faves together shut up

liked by y/nfan1, y/nfan2 and 235,426 others

yourinstagram hey I’m in a new show on Netflix

view all 1,425 comments

y/nfan1 and I will be watching

y/nfan2 no one looks as good as you promoting a show

harrystyles would rate it 9.5/10

↳ yourinstagram fuck

↳ harrystyles you’d get a 10/10 if you were in it more

harryfan1 HARRY FLIRTING ON MAIN

liked by y/nfan1 and harryfan1 and 75,525 others

people Harry Styles and girlfriend y/n arrived to the golden globes together making this their second red carpet together!

view all 654 comments

harryfan1 best dressed there

y/nfan1 I’m so happy for them

y/nfan2 and when she leaves the show with all the awards

harryfan2 HE LOOKS SO GOOD

y/nfan3 they compliment each other so nicely

liked by harryfan1, harryfan2 and 54,415 others

hsdaily during a recent interview y/n was asked if he has any plans to act with harry and she said that something might be in the works but she can’t say anymore than that!

view all 2,267 comments

harryfan1 NEW MOVIE NEW MOVIE

y/nfan1 this is literally all i’ve dreamt of

harryfan2 they better be serious

y/nfan2 pls be a romcom

harryfan3 harry coming for the EGOT

liked by harrystyles, anyataylorjoy and 236,281 others

yourinstagram stay tuned 🤫

view all 2,526 comments

y/nfan1 RED ALERT

y/nfan2 what does this mean????

harrystyles I’m tuned in.

↳ yourinstagram same

harryfan1 they stay flirting on instagram

harryfan2 MOVIE ANNOUNCEMENT

liked by yourinstagram, jefezoff and 345,628 others

pagesix It’s official!!! Harry Styles and girlfriend y/n are going to be in an upcoming drama film together! The couple who made their red carpet debut together last year at the Met have teased an upcoming film together for the past couple months and we now have confirmation that it’s happening!

view all 2,527 comments

harryfan1 SHUT UP

harryfan2 a drama?????

y/nfan1 I CALLED IT

harryfan2 we’re getting actorry again

y/nfan2 the content we’re about to get

liked by harryfan1, y/nfan2 and 45,728 others

harryandy/n Harry and y/n out in NYC yesterday!

view all 453 comments

harryfan1 they look so good

y/nfan1 they start filming soon omg

harryfan2 I met them too! they were so nice and thanked everyone for all the love on the new film announcement!

y/nfan1 angels

sorry this request is late, I lost the message 😔 (tumblr app sucks when it comes to messages) I hope y’all enjoy this 🫶🏻🫶🏻

[spidermaninlove]

Seeing Z and Timothy on the red carpet is making me more excited for the NWH red carpet. I mean Zs look for FFH was one of my faves and I love this Dune red carpet dress. And Law getting to dress both Tom and Zendaya for the same carpet after becoming insta official is making me so excited😄😄😄

Law loves dressing his irl Ken & Barbie! I, too, am excited to see what he does with these two for NWH press and the premiere.

[lucys-key]

Unexpected Encounters (Eren Yeager x Reader)

Part 2: We Meet Again

Rating: Mature (18+ only)

Warnings: Some light alcohol use in this chapter, language, and ~passionate~ making out

A/N: Thank you for the positive response on this story! I had to include some of my fave frat party songs in this chapter LOL. Future chapters will contain smut, so I am changing the rating to NSFW/18+ :)

...

It had been two weeks since you began classes at Shiganshina University, and you were still just starting to get your bearings.

Overall, you had to say that things were going fairly well. Move-in was easy enough, and you were proud of how cute your dorm looked. Your roommate was a petite blonde girl named Historia who you immediately became friends with. Her girlfriend, Ymir, was also often in your room, so they became the people you spent the most of your time with.

There had also been a freshman orientation during the week before classes started, but you didn’t really end up making any other solid friendships from it, with the exception of Annie. She lived down the hall from you and was the one other person besides Historia and Ymir who you spent time with. Annie was in your orientation group, and the two of you had bonded over how exhausting the orientation was and had remained friends ever since.

It was a Friday evening, and you were walking to your dorm with Annie and her roommate, Hitch. You thought that they made an extremely funny pair, as Annie was not very expressive or energetic, and Hitch was the complete opposite. Their personalities complemented each other, however, and no matter how much Annie complained about Hitch’s attitude, you could tell that she liked her.

“I can’t believe it’s Friday again!” Hitch exclaimed as the three of you walked. “We’ve made it a total of three whole weeks here!”

Annie sighed and said, “I can’t believe it’s only been three weeks. I feel like I’ve been here forever.”

You laughed and Hitch poked Annie’s shoulder. “Aww, cheer up!” she said.

As you continued to walk across campus, you passed one of the many frat houses. When Hitch saw it, she made a sound indicating that she had remembered something important.

“Oh yeah!” Hitch exclaimed. “The frats are open tonight!”

To be honest, the idea of attending a frat party kind of terrified you. For the last two weekends, the frats had not been open for their general parties because they were going through the recruitment process for new members.

You, as well as your friends, had chosen not to join Greek life. You figured that your first year of college was going to be stressful enough, and you didn’t need to add sorority obligations on top of everything else. Besides, you could always join next year or the year after.

“How exciting,” Annie said, making it clear that she was not, in fact, excited.

“Oh come on, Annie! It will be fun!” Hitch encouraged, but Annie didn’t give in.

Hitch frowned, but then her expression brightened as she said your name and asked, “Are you going out tonight?”

You honestly weren’t sure. Although the idea made you nervous, you weren’t completely against it.

“I guess I’ll have to see what Historia and Ymir are doing,” you replied, which was the truth. If they were planning on going, then you could definitely be convinced to go with them.

Hitch smiled and nodded at your response.

“Sounds good!” she said, and then began to talk about something else as the three of you continued to walk to your dorm hall.

Once you got back, you stopped at your door and waved to Annie and Hitch as they walked down the hall to theirs. You took your key out of your bag and unlocked the door.

“Hey!” Historia greeted you as you stepped into the room. You saw that she was lying clothes out on her bed while Ymir sat on the chair by her desk.

“What are you doing?” you asked after setting your bag on the floor by your own bed.

Historia continued to move her clothes around while she spoke.

“I’m trying to find an outfit to wear tonight,” she informed you. From the types of clothes Historia had laid out, you assumed that she was most likely planning on going to a party later.

“I keep telling her just to wear anything. It doesn’t even matter,” Ymir said from her place on the chair.

Historia frowned cutely at her girlfriend. “But I want to look good! It’s my first college party.”

Ymir mumbled something under her breath but then stood up to help Historia pick out an outfit.

You smiled as you watched the two of them, but then your phone buzzed from your pocket. You took it out and saw that Sasha had texted you with an update about how her day was going. She seemed to be adjusting really well at her school. You two still talked every day.

You typed out a reply to her message and began to scroll through your social media, but then Historia’s voice shifted your attention.

“Are you coming with us tonight?” she asked, looking hopeful.

You sighed, realizing that you really did want to go. Besides, if Historia and Ymir were with you, everything should be fine.

“Sure. I’ll come,” you confirmed. Historia let out a noise of celebration and Ymir smiled.

After a few seconds, you realized that there was a lot you needed to do before it was time to leave in a few hours.

It was about 7pm, and you wanted to get some last-minute work done before the weekend officially started. You also needed to shower and pick out an outfit for later.

You took a deep breath, suddenly feeling excited about what the night might have in store.

___

Three and a half hours later, you looked at your phone to check the time. It was 10:30pm and you figured it was almost time to leave. You looked at yourself in the large mirror that hung over the back of the door of your room. Since the weather was still very warm, you chose to wear a pair of shorts and one of your favorite tank tops.

After showering earlier, you did your makeup the way that made you feel beautiful, needing the extra confidence boost. The makeup still looked good and you decided that you were ready.

Historia was by her bed adding the finishing touches to her look, and Ymir was tying her shoes. When the three of you were ready, you all complimented each other on how you looked, and then left the room for the night.

When you stepped into the hallway, you saw Hitch coming out of her room, and to your surprise, Annie was beside her. You guessed she had been convinced to go after all.

Hitch waved at you guys and then walked over.

“You all look great!” she said. You saw Ymir put a subtle protective arm around Historia.

“Thanks, Hitch! You and Annie, too!” Historia replied, and then you all made your way out of your dorm building.

Your group ended up following Hitch, as she assured you all that she knew just the place to go. As you walked, you couldn’t help but feel the excitement in the atmosphere. There were people everywhere, and you could hear happy, drunken laughter and music as people spilled out of dorms and houses.

You walked for a few more minutes and eventually ended up in front of a large house. There were a lot of people hanging out outside, and you looked up to see the Greek letters above the porch.

“Come on!” Hitch said. You took a deep breath before following her up the steps.

When you got to the door, there was a muscular blonde guy standing by it talking to someone who you assumed to be one of his friends. You heard Ymir snort from behind you as she walked up to the two boys.

“Sup, Reiner?” she said, and the guy called Reiner scowled.

“They’ve got you newbies working the door?” Ymir continued to tease him. Reiner’s scowl only deepened.

“Nice to see you, too,” Reiner said, and then opened the door. “Just go in already.”

Ymir smiled in triumph, and then you all walked into the house.

“How does she know him?” you asked Historia, and she laughed.

“I know him, too. The three of us went to high school together. He and Ymir have never really gotten along,” Historia informed you. You laughed and nodded in understanding.

You walked through the large house and saw people everywhere. There was a large living room where people were sitting, drinking, and talking, but it seemed like the majority of the action was happening in the basement. You heard music and saw tons of people walking through the living room to go downstairs, so you and your friends followed them.

When you got to the bottom of the stairs, you were surprised by how big the basement was. It was like the house had been designed to host huge parties, which, you think, it probably was. The overhead lights had been dimmed significantly and colorful LEDs were the primary source of light. The main part of the basement didn’t have carpeting, and that’s where people were packed together and dancing, holding red plastic cups in their hands.

“Do you want to get something to drink?” Historia asked, but she almost had to shout because the music was so loud.

Thankfully you heard her and nodded in response instead of trying to speak over the music. Historia said something to Ymir, and then she began to walk towards the dance floor. Historia gestured for you to follow and you grabbed her hand as she led you through the mass of people.

She veered off to the right where there was a small room that had been converted into a makeshift bar.

You looked around and saw a bunch of frat guys standing behind the counter handing people drinks. You couldn’t see their faces because the people in front of you were too tall, so you and Historia waited for them to move. You felt your phone buzz and took it out of your pocket to check it, but then Historia pulled you forward as space became available in front of the counter.

You were still looking at your phone, but then your attention immediately snapped up when you heard Historia speak.

“Hey, Jean!” she exclaimed.

Jean? Did you hear that right?

Sure enough, a familiar face was standing behind the counter. You had to keep your mouth from opening in shock. Somehow you had absolutely no idea that Jean went to your school, or that he had even been planning to go there in the first place. You hadn’t seen him on campus since you got there three weeks ago.

“What’s up?!” Jean enthusiastically greeted Historia, and then he turned to look at you. He was clearly just as shocked as you were.

His initial surprise didn’t last long, however, as he grinned and said, “Oh shit! Hey!”

Historia looked between you and Jean, putting together that the two of you knew each other from somewhere. When Jean took two cups from the counter and began to fill them, Historia turned to you and asked, “You know Jean?”

You nodded and leaned in closer so she could hear you. “Yup. Went to high school with him.”

Historia giggled and then looked back at Jean as he finished filling the cups with what you assumed was a mixture of all different types of alcohol.

“Here you go!” Jean said and handed the cups to you and Historia.

Before you turned around to leave, Jean gave you a knowing look. You weren’t sure what it meant, so you decided to ignore him and walk with Historia back out to the party.

It took you guys a while to find the rest of your friends, but you eventually found Ymir and Annie standing off to the side, looking like they were chatting about something. As you approached them, Hitch suddenly appeared and ran up to Annie to grab her hand.

“Come on!” she urged, and before Annie could object, she was being dragged to the dance floor. You laughed as you watched, but then Historia took Ymir’s hand and gestured for you to follow.

“Let’s go dance!” Historia exclaimed. You followed them, trying your best not to spill your drink as you maneuvered through all of the dancing people.

Eventually, the three of you found a spot that wasn’t so crowded, and you laughed as Historia tried to get Ymir to dance to the beat of “Hotel Room Service.”

Ymir took a drink from Historia’s cup and then relented, letting herself relax as she began to dance with her girlfriend. You took a sip from your cup, too, and felt yourself loosen up. You looked to your left and saw Hitch and Annie moving toward you. You laughed at Annie’s expression, but you could tell she was having a good time.

You danced with them until the song ended, not caring about how you looked and just letting yourself have fun.

After the song was over, your ears got a brief reprieve as there was a pause before the next one started playing. You took another drink, and from where you were standing, you could see the stairs that led to the basement. You saw a group of guys walking down them, and you recognized Reiner and the boy he was talking to at the door of the house. There were two more people behind them, but Reiner and his friend were blocking your view of their faces.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, it was clear that they were all pretty popular as a bunch of guys, who you assumed were in the frat, walked over to greet them and clap them on the back. You snorted at the obnoxious display.

You turned your gaze away from them as your phone buzzed from your pocket. You decided that you should probably check it since you remembered it had also buzzed earlier. But when you looked, it was just Sasha informing you that they had chips at the party she was at. You laughed and sent some celebratory emojis back.

“How was door duty?!” you heard Ymir yell over the music. You looked up to see that Reiner and his friend had made their way onto the dance floor and were standing near you and your friends.

“None of your business,” Reiner asserted, and then said something to his friend that you couldn’t quite make out, but sounded something like, “What’s taking him so long?”

You didn’t know what that meant, and you didn’t have much time to think about it as Historia grabbed your arm started dancing with you. Her movements were dramatic, and you laughed as you danced with her. You had both discarded your empty cups onto the floor with everyone else’s.

You heard Reiner say, “Oh, there you are,” and almost at the same time, felt your back hit something.

You immediately turned around to apologize to whoever it was you had bumped into, and when you did, the other person also turned around to face you. When you saw who it was, you froze.

Because standing in front of you was Eren Yeager.

You kind of stared at him for a second, not knowing what to say or do. You hadn’t seen him since the night you two happened to meet over the summer.

What was he doing in a frat house at your college?

But then you looked down at Eren’s white shirt, and sure enough, the name of your school was written on the front. It appeared that your college was also his college.

Not knowing what else to say, the thing that came out of your mouth was, “You go here?!”

Eren had been staring at you, too, but he laughed after your question.

“Yeah, and I assume you do also?” he asked.

You nodded, still in shock that you had run into him unexpectedly for a second time. Eren looked similar to how he did when you saw him over the summer. His hair was tied back in his usual style, but he had on loose-fitting basketball shorts instead of sweatpants. You also noticed that he had tiny black studs in his ears, which he hadn’t been wearing the last time you saw him.

Eren smiled and then leaned down until his mouth was next to your ear so he didn’t have to talk over the music.

“Funny we keep running into each other like this,” he said.

The air was warm, but you shivered as you felt him so close. Although you hadn’t seen Eren since the summer, he had never really left your mind. You met him when you were so young, and you weren’t sure what you had expected his more mature, adult-self to be like, but you certainly hadn’t been prepared for the Eren that stood in your room at home and in front of you now at this party.

As you looked at Eren’s handsome face, which was illuminated by the colorful flashing lights, you decided to forget about everything else and just enjoy the fact that you were able to see him again.

“Club Can’t Handle Me” was playing over the speakers, and you lightly touched Eren’s arm and looked into his green eyes, grinning mischievously.

“Want to dance?” you asked.

Eren seemed surprised at first, but then he returned your grin as he took your hand and pulled you closer.

You giggled as you put your arms around Eren’s neck, and his hands found your waist. He definitely wasn’t the most coordinated person ever, but it didn’t matter. His movements were enthusiastic and fun, and you were having such a good time. You felt the heat from Eren’s body wherever it made contact with yours.

When the chorus of the song came around, Eren began to mouth the words dramatically, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

He leaned down and asked, “Having fun?”

You nodded at him enthusiastically, and he smiled brightly in return. You saw that a piece of his hair had come loose from where it had been tucked behind his ear, so you brushed it back into place.

“I like your long hair,” you told him before you could stop yourself.

Eren’s eyes widened slightly at the compliment, but then he smirked.

“Really?” he asked playfully.

You regretted telling him for a second, but then you decided to just go with it.

“Yeah. It suits you,” you confessed.

Eren smiled and then brought his lips next to your ear to make sure you could hear him.

“You know,” he said, “I didn’t recognize you at first when we met over the summer.”

You laughed as you remembered that night.

“Yeah, I bet I looked pretty different,” you said. “Six years is a long time.”

“Mhmm,” Eren breathed, and you could hear his words right next to your ear. “You looked good, though. Still do tonight.”

You felt your entire body become hot as your heart rate sped up significantly, the words ringing loud in your ears despite the music. You didn’t know if it was the alcohol that was making you feel so affected by the compliment, or if it was just the fact that it was Eren who had said it.

After a few seconds, Eren moved his head so were looking into his eyes again. You decided that it was most definitely Eren himself who had you all nervous and flustered. Everything about him was suddenly intoxicating, and you couldn’t bring yourself to look away from his face.

You both stared at each other until your gaze flickered down to his mouth. Your heart rate sped up even more as you realized that you really wanted to kiss him.

It seemed like Eren was thinking the same thing. He watched as your eyes lowered to look at his mouth and he inhaled sharply. He moved his hand from your waist to place it gently on your cheek.

You looked back into Eren’s eyes, seeing your same desire in them. You unwrapped your arms from around his neck and moved them to rest your hands on Eren’s chest. You didn’t care about the music or all of the lights and people around you—the only thing you could focus on was the boy in front of you.

Eren slowly moved his face down until it was mere centimeters from yours. Your entire body felt like it was on fire as Eren looked into your eyes one last time.

“Is this what you want?” he asked, his voice just loud enough so you could hear it over the music.

It wasn’t even a question what you wanted.

“Yes,” you breathed, and Eren smiled.

“Me too,” he whispered, almost to himself, and then brought both of his hands to your face and closed the final gap between you.

It was like nothing you had ever experienced before. As Eren’s lips met yours, you immediately responded to his touch, moving your lips against his eagerly. You could still feel Eren’s hands on your face as he continued to kiss you passionately, making you melt into him completely.

You moved your hands across Eren’s broad chest, feeling the solid muscle through his shirt. He made a noise of approval low in his throat as he expertly parted your lips to explore your mouth with his tongue. You could taste whatever alcohol he had drank earlier that night, and you moved one of your hands from his chest to gently trace the line of his jaw before running it through his hair. Eren moved his hands to your waist and pulled you even closer so there was not even an inch of space where the front of your bodies weren’t touching.

You didn’t know how long you and Eren stayed like that, but eventually, you pulled away from each other, both of you breathing heavy. You stared at him, sort of in a state of disbelief that that had just happened. You’d often mentally roll your eyes at people who shamelessly made out with each other at parties, but you decided that you were beginning to understand the appeal.

Eren appeared to be just as discomposed as you. You had no idea what to say to him after that. You didn’t have to think about it for long, however, as Eren broke the tension.

“Uh…” he said, not able to find any real words to use.

“Yeah…” you replied after a moment, and then you both started to laugh.

Although you hadn’t expected the night to go this way, you had absolutely no complaints. You weren’t sure what this meant for you and Eren’s relationship moving forward, but you decided to worry about that later.

Eren looked like he was about to say something, but then someone came up and threw an arm around his shoulder.

“Yo, Eren, the Pres needs us.”

It appeared that Jean had been released from his job as bartender. You assumed that the “Pres” he was referring to was the president of the fraternity.

“Okay, can you give me a fucking minute?” Eren asked. Jean turned his head to get a better look at who Eren was with.

When he saw you, his eyebrows raised comically, and he smiled knowingly.

“Ahhh, I see,” Jean said, and then he moved his arm off of Eren’s shoulder. “Don’t be too long, though!” Jean called as he walked away.

Eren let out an exasperated breath once Jean was gone.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “New member duties and all.”

You smiled and nodded in understanding. “I get it. You better go, then.”

Eren smiled, albeit regretfully, and then leaned down once more so his face was next to your ear.

“I guess I’ll see you around,” he said, your name leaving his lips at the end of the sentence. You didn’t think you’d ever get used to hearing Eren’s voice so close like that. You didn’t get a chance to respond, however, as Eren had already turned to walk away.

You watched him as he walked until the mass of dancing people blocked your view. You smiled to yourself, so glad that you had chosen to go to this party after all.

You looked around and saw that Reiner and his friend had also gone somewhere else, presumably to the same place as Eren. Before you could look for your friends, you felt someone run up to you and start hitting your back repeatedly.

You turned around and saw that it was Hitch. She had the funniest smile on her face as she exclaimed, “Oh my god! Oh my god!” repeatedly.

“You saw that?” you asked, now feeling shy.

“Yes ma’am,” she said, and then playfully hit your shoulder again. “How could I not?! That was you and EREN FREAKING YEAGER! How do you know him?!”

You laughed at her excitement and said, “It’s a long story.”

Hitch raised her eyebrows suggestively and you shoved her lightly in return.

“It’s not like that,” you tried to convince her.

Hitch just continued to smirk. “Whatever,” she said. “I told you this party would be fun.”

You couldn’t agree with her more.

Read part 3 here

[nillial]

ok pick your fave: "why are you whispering" or "you don't see me" with kravitz and lup and maybe also taako? :0

Kravitz’s shift is almost over.

Almost. 

Until a woman runs into the Fantasy Hot Topic, her hair out of place, her arms full of what he can only assume is stolen goods, and shouts over the towers of folded clothes, “You don’t see me!” Then she throws her merchandise into the bowl of pins, pulls up her hood, and pretends to browse the hats.

Two seconds later, security skids onto the carpeted floor. After scanning the room, he asks, “Hey, you seen a lady come in here? Elf, long undercut, bad dye job? She stole some candles from Bath and Body Works. And then makeup from Sephora. And jeans from American Eagle.”

He glances at her. She bristles as the ‘bad dye job’ comment.

Kravitz returns his attention to the mall cop at the entrance. “She didn’t come by here,” he says. “How’d she hit three different stores without anyone stopping her?”

He furrows his brow. “I’m losin’ her, gotta go,” he says, running off in order to avoid the hit to his ego.

The moment the coast is clear, she tugs her hood off her head and grabs her stuff from where she’d tossed it. “Bad dye job,” she mutters under her breath. “Fuckin’ wannabe Tom Selleck, ugly mustache, power-tripping piece of shit. Bad dye job. My hair is impeccable, thank you.” 

Kravitz leans onto the cashier counter. “Candles?”

-

She turns towards him. “They smelled good,” she tells him. “Here. Sniff.”

She shoves one of her candles in his face and Kravitz, who doesn’t know how to say no, complies and takes a sniff. It really does smell good— it’s some kind of fruity pineapple scent, but, in Kravitz’s opinion, it’s not worth running from the security guard to get. 

He holds out a hand and lowers the candle away from his face. “Uh huh.”

As she’s rummaging through the rest of her things, she asks, “Hey, can I have a bag, bud? My purse is too small for all this shit.”

He’s already covered for her and agreed to smell some candle she stole, so why the fuck not? He produces a plastic bag from behind the counter and hands it to her. She starts piling her stuff inside. “Oh, yeah,” she says, sticking a hand out for him to shake. “I’m Lup. Thanks for covering my ass.”

He takes it. “Kravitz. My shift ends in two minutes and I don’t wanna have to deal with a shoplifter.”

“I promise I don’t usually get caught. I’m good at this.”

“But not at dying your hair?”

She presses a hand to her chest, offended. “Ouch, Krav. Ouch.”

“Krav?”

“Like— like Kravitz. I mean, it says Dan on your nametag.”

“Yeah, I don’t know who Dan is.” He peers over the counter and into her bag. “What’d you need all this stuff for, anyway?”

“I didn’t need it, per se. But I do have a date with my boyfriend later, so…” She pulls a red off-shoulder crop top out of her bag. “What do you think of this? Too much?”

Kravitz is saved from having to answer by a man who looks almost identical to Lup striding into the store and yelling, “There you are, you fuckin’ backstabber!”

He is, admittedly, pretty handsome. Kravitz ignores this fact and instead focuses on how to slip out without either of them noticing. He wants to go home.

Lup swivels around to face him. “I’m not a backstabber! I was shopping, Taako! I almost got arrested!”

“Seems to me like your chattin’ it up with some guy who never left his goth phase.” The man, who, evidently, is called Taako, saunters up to the counter and leans against it. “No offense, my dude.”

He glances down at his attire. “I don’t— I— I just like dark colors.”

“Uh huh.” Taako turns back to Lup, who Kravitz assumes must be a sister of his. “Hey, you’ll be happy to know I wasn’t kidnapped and killed at the food court where you left me to die.”

She holds up her bag once again. “Shopping!”

“Stealing,” Kravitz corrects her.

Lup shoots a glare at him. “Shh.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Taako snatches the bag from her, shuffling things around inside until he finally finds one of the candles she took. “This is mine now. Penance for abandoning me. Hey, guy, who are you?”

Before Kravtiz can say anything, Lup cuts in with, “My best friend who got the mall cop off my ass. The mall cop who told me I had a bad dye job. Can you fuckin’ believe that, Taako? If you saw him and his stupid goddamn cheap toupee— God, what an asshole.”

“Best friend?” he asks. “I just now met you.”

She glances over at him. “What, you have another bestie?”

He stays silent. She’s got him there.

Lup tugs her bag over her shoulder. “Well, if you ever wanna hang, me and Taako stop by the food court for lunch, like, all the time. We’re easy to find. And, uh, I promise I won’t hide out in Hot Topic next time Paul Blart comes after me.” She digs around in her bag one last time and sets down the fruity candle she showed him earlier. “Here. For your trouble.”

Taako removes his elbows from the counter. “See you, um…” He glances down at his nametag. “Dan.”

“Kravitz,” he tells him, stepping out from behind the counter. “And my shift is officially over. See you at the food court some day, I guess.”

The two of them wave him goodbye and make their way out of the store, talking in low voices about “How did you get caught, you dingus?” and “It’s not my fault, it’s this lady who…”

Kravitz stares at the Bath and Body Works candle on the counter. It stares back at him.

What the fuck just happened?

[calypsoff]

Sixty Two.

Today is Grammy’s day, and I am feeling the full throttle of being lost in a room full of designers, I am just here confused as hell. I am so glad Rorrey is here with me, I asked him to stay longer but also Robyn’ family have come and it’s nice to have them; they are currently keeping me sane because this home is busy. We have had people coming in and out for Robyn, her dress is too tight so Mel had to rush out and now his partner Adam I think, he’s using my office to come up with a backup plan, he was supposed to be dressing me, but it’s been scrapped, and they are rushing around Robyn, me on the other hand. I am waiting for JC to cut this shit off my head “Hi everyone, where is she?” Looking behind me at Jen “upstairs in our bedroom, she’s not happy. Tell her that I will bring her some food up, it’s coming” Jen pointed at me “good, I will go up then. Wish me luck” she walked off, I got to make sure my babies are fed now, I got to take care of my wife “is it always like this busy?” I asked Rorrey “bro, it’s bad. But not as bad as the fact Robyn doesn’t fit in her dress so I can only imagine how annoyed she is, usually it flows so yeah. How you feeling? You’re going to be there with Robyn, in the limelight. Her husband, you know what. Embrace it, you’re out there winning. Fuck what anyone says because we know your heart bro, we know you so whatever they say means nothing. Enjoy yourself, get in there. You smile too, there will be a lot of flashing lights, but you be there for my little sister and my nephew or niece, it’s y’all day. It ain’t even Grammy’s night, it’s y’all night. Trust me” I chuckled “makes me feel nervous when you say that I know that people won’t be expecting Robyn pregnant, they going to see it now officially” rubbing my chest grinning “Boys, Chris” looking behind me “food” Frank held it out, we have Frank at the door because the door is open, so you never know “oh yeah thank you” getting up from the couch, taking the bag from him “hey family!” Noella walked in with my favorite princess “oh wow, forget Robyn. Look at Majesty” walking around the couch towards her “hey” hugging Noella “hey you, big day for you. I’m excited, you not going to take your fave?” Shaking my head “duty calls, got to feed Robyn” I know she’s going to be so hungry “oh yeah, you do that” walking around Noella to go upstairs.

Knocking on the door lightly and pushed it open, my eyes widened. Luckily it’s just women in here because I would have blown a fuse and the three men are gay because she’s naked, I dislike that “let me put my robe on then, the fuck!? Why didn’t any of you tell me to try these dresses on beforehand!? My body shape has fucking changed, how stupid! How fucking stupid!” Closing the door behind me “why isn’t your hair cut!? You’re not going like that” oh she’s spotted me “soon, I bought you food” Robyn finally put her robe on, well she needed too. She’s a little stressed out, she looks so stressed “come, let’s go and sit in the corner” Robyn shook her head “I don’t have time” pulling a face at her “you don’t have time for me” she put her head down as her smile grew “maybe a couple of minutes then” I chuckled “I’ll take that, come. Let’s just, actually let’s just sit in the spare room. The room I never took all the stuff out of” walking back out of our bedroom “yes Chris, we need to decorate the baby room” I had to start her off “I know” opening the bedroom door and walking inside the room “I will do it, I promise” sitting on the edge of the bed “if you can” opening the bag for Robyn, I got her a chicken salad because if I get her anytime fried she would say I’m adding weight onto her “you really got me food” placing the bag at the side of me “of course I did, you just need to relax. You’re really stressing out, nobody is more stressed out then the people around you that want to make you perfect” opening the box “true, just that I want to be perfect and it’s like I can’t be” stabbing my fork in the salad and chicken and holding it up too “what, don’t cry” placing the fork in the box, placing my arm around her, I was going to ask what is it but I didn’t, let her just cry it out and then I will.

Rubbing Robyn’ back, she laughed to herself “I’m just hormonal, sorry” shaking my head laughing “don’t be, just eat. Here” lifting the fork up to her mouth “I just got overwhelmed, it’s nothing bad” she said before eating from the fork “it’s ok, I got you. It’s a lot happening, yes you are the superstar but it’s a big event where you are for one pregnant so there is a lot of emotions in that but you’re revealing something that is very close to you and letting the public in, it’s a lot on your shoulders too. You may think you don’t feel good and stuff, but you do. You’re actually the most beautiful pregnant woman I have ever seen” holding the fork up to Robyn’ mouth and looking at her, Robyn is so teary eyed “I don’t deserve you” she sobbed out, she did that and a bit of chicken came out of her mouth and onto my arm “sorry” she laughed wiping my arm “anything else? Stop crying, you’re going to look amazing. I can’t wait to see you all dressed up” using the back of my hand to wipe her tears “I have my foundation on, you wiped it” letting out an oh laughing seeing my hand full of it “just eat, you need too” she ate finally, she is feeling emotional “it’s not about me, I will be there for you. This is your day Robyn, it really is. And I will be there with you, you don’t need to speak to anyone when walking that carpet either” Robyn rested her head on my shoulder “I think when the dress didn’t fit over my bump I just had a meltdown, but they will fix it for me. I know it, thank you for being a good husband to me. I should be the one prepping you, this is a big thing for you” eating the salad myself because she ain’t eating and I’m hungry “we got each other, you will be fine” feeling my phone ringing “I think JC is here, I need to go down. But eat this ok, you need to keep the baby fed now” Robyn moved her head back from me “love you” pecking her lips “love you too, I’ll come and check on you later” passing the food to Robyn.

I swear I have a soft spot for Majesty, she is the cutest little thing “look up for me bro” JC said, majesty is nosey, she is like what the hell is happening. Lifting my head up as he finished my line up “you going to look the cleanest in that bitch bro, trust me. The thing is I have had many phone calls about haircuts but then you messaged me, I was like ok I need to go to him. You’re a good man so I had to come out here for you” I grinned “all done” looking back down at Majesty “you ain’t scared are you?” She smiled at me “let me take a video bro” fixing Majesty in my lap “cool, you know I appreciate you coming out. I know you had a lot going on, you had many other clients so good looking out” I can’t believe he did come out for me “not a problem, just look down for me” looking down smiling at Majesty, I just went for a clean cut. Nothing special, JC walked around me “looking good brother” looking up smiling “shoutout my nigga JC for lining me up” Majesty yelped out “with my niece, she is giving you a shoutout” I chuckled, she is here trying to be involved “thank you” I said again, I appreciate him so much for this. He didn’t need to do all that, but he did come out here for me “have a good one out there though bro, big hype for you” I chuckled shaking my head, I don’t know about that shit.

The press is going wild for Rihanna, like every headline about the Grammys is about Rihanna coming. Tapping on the video “Rihanna will be performing but will she be pregnant, she has teased the world and hasn’t been seen in public for what could be months. She’s hidden behind her Instagram so I think this even will be Fenty’ day, it is I don’t care what you say. The pictures she posts could be old for all we know, I am interested to see if she is and if she is, you can catch me on the flip side going crazy. Her husband has been seen out on several occasions with her brother. One thing about him and I’ve read people talk about him because we don’t know him besides he’s just a regular guy, they say he’s always kind and always there to say hi and has never denied a picture with fans and always spoke if they ask and we really, we honestly hope that we get to see what Rihanna is doing” this E news discussion thing is deep “you reading up huh?” Rorrey said laughing at me “erm not really, it was on my timeline on my Instagram so I just thought I would look. But I get it, I get that Robyn is feeling the pressure. Why do people care so much? I really didn’t care for celebrities like that, I don’t’ anyways now but people really care” it is so weird to me “people are obsessed with my sister, at times I am like why? But she sells” he has a point, but I don’t like the obsession, the way they are counting down on her.

It's nice that Rorrey and Noella are here, I mean all of her team are here in this house, they are here supporting Robyn, but she has been upstairs forever, she is taking her damn time up there. I hope she is ok with everything; I know there is a lot going on with the Grammys “so are you both going to be there? At the Grammys?” I asked “how does it work? Do I just follow Robyn? I am not even sure what the fuck I am doing” I asked either Noella or Rorrey to answer “so you walk the red carpet, different for you because you’re her husband so like at first you just let her ahead and then usually once done we go but with you I think it will work like she goes ahead first and then they may shout you or Robyn will wave you over, stand with her. Just look around and let the photographers take the pictures, once that is done you walk further along. There may or may not be interviews if so you will just wait there with her. Then you walk in, someone will show you to your seats, with it being Robyn it will be front row. You sit with her, she will at some point be asked to go to get ready to perform. Either me or Noella will come out and sit in her place while she performs so we can watch it, we are going to be there but backstage. Then she will come back to her seat, but you will just remain where you are. Just let it flow Chris, that is how I say it” nodding my head, I think I will be ok “Chris, hey. Come with me” Adam said to me “follow me” he laughed, getting up from the couch “be nice with him!” Rorrey shouted, following out of the room and following Adam “sorry, just behind but we had to change your suit colour too so yes. I am in the office, so we needed to match with your wife, we had to change this last minute, but we got there so you are wearing white please do not dirty it” walking into the office “this is so nice, yeah. I think it will match my new cut. Sharp as hell” I chuckled.

Fixing my belt on my white pants, these are crisp white, so I need to be extra careful with myself “are you done? I am coming in Chris” Adam said and opened the door “you look perfect, so I have some accessories for you, I picked out the watch” turning to Adam “watch? Really?” Adam opened the box “this is Richard Mille, white gold. This costs around seven hundred and fifty thousand, but you will be wearing this for the night, celebrities don’t keep many jewellery, companies give them things to wear to show off their rand and I got you this” my eyes widened, I am in shock “bro, this is expensive. And it’s on my wrist, this is making me nervous” I chuckled, watching him put the watch on my wrist “wow, I am shook. Amazing, this is dope bro” I am so excited “so I just give this back to you at the end of the night” he nodded his head “yes you do, and we have this gold ring, just put it on any finger your like and that is it. You just need to put your suit jacket on” I grinned wide, taking in a deep breath “I am so excited, I am wearing a watch this expensive “come here” Adam grabbed the suit jacket, holding it open for me. He is rushing me “your wife is down; she is glammed up. Are excited” putting my jacket on, he pressed his hands down on my shoulders “I feel like I am getting married all over again, is she happy? That is all I want, is her happiness” turning to Adam “she is, we have made her happy” that is all I care about.

Pressing my suit down as I made my way out “looking good Chris” Mel winked at me “thank you, your man got me good” making my way to the living room “your groom is here, oh wow Chris. You look so nice. Ready for your big day” Noella complimented me “thank you” I chuckled, I cheesed seeing the back of Robyn. I know the back of my wife, she is wearing red “let’s see then, I am here to see you” I said, Robyn looked behind her and I swear she looks so perfect, her eyes just glistening bright “wow” I breathed “oh my god, Chris you look so handsome” she turned to me, the red gown elegantly showing her bump, her bump look so perfect, the gown has a little trail to it but not too long for her “I love this dress twin, you look so good. Oh wow Robyn, I love it. From your face to your body, your makeup is perfect, wow” Robyn chuckled “you like it, you look in love again” she doesn’t even realise how amazing she looks “but everyone please, how amazing does she look, the boys did an amazing job. I know today was a little messy, but you did it, all of you. The Grammys aren’t ready for you Robyn, wow. I would kiss you, but I don’t want ot mess your makeup, beautiful Robyn. I am like so lucky to have you” Robyn put her head down “you’re make me shy, god. I am getting nervous just thinking about getting out of the car, we need to leave now by the way, we are going to be late” nodding my head, I guess this is it.

I can’t stress this enough, Robyn looks amazing. Her bump looks so good, she looks good. She is glowing, she is happy. I love it, this makes me happy. We have her team here in the car with us, just so they can go over Robyn that she looks perfect “so are we late?” I questioned, she seemed to have made it seem like we are “not late, on time for me. Only the losers go early Chris, but once I get out of the car, Tina is going to be there and so is Jay Brown. I will be walking, and Chris please keep up, I need you there with me. Tina will be telling me where to go and stand, she will have this information, anything you hear from the paparazzi you ignore. Fuck them, I am not answering any questions, for now I am saying this, but things can change but just stay close to me. But most of all, have fun. Big day for you too Chris, you are the most handsome man Chris” so she says when she looks like that “you look like a whole meal, I look like nothing compared to you. Robyn you look amazing, you’re glowing. I am so lucky to have you” everyone in the car cooed out “isn’t Chris so cute” Adam said, I wish they wouldn’t do that.

[bigmafluff]

Unreal Love Story “Henry Cavill” chapters 1-3

Sequel To My Story “Tom Hiddleston”

Summery

“ Tom Dear ! She is gone!” His mother says when her son barges thru her front door. Diana Hands a sobbing Charlie to His Stunned father Leading  them into the house to a computer sitting @ her kitchen table with a flash drive in it.    Just as Tom is about to say something . His Mom hush's them both and starts the video.   I start with calming Charlie through the computer.  “ Hello Little one . I'm am sorry I have to leave you so. But You are a strong young man . Sometimes even stronger than your father at times. Just know that I love you dear one and will always be your special friend . Now dry those tears and Go see Nanna . So Your dad and I can talk.” I said to Charlie thru the computer. Tom Knew after that our relationship was over maybe had been over for a while.

Chapter 1 

Numbness,& NASCAR

I couldn't Stay in London. It hurt too much all I saw was pain. I couldn't go home yet still felt like I failed myself some how so home wouldn't work. So I numbed myself out in Cali.   I did what I swore I wouldn't. I went full Party Girl. Between the parties ,clubs, Bars I was wasted most of the time.  But I knew that being In Love Like this before then Losing love has it's down side . Tom and I had been it for 3 years. But towards the end I was more His son's nanny than his girlfriend . Most of his friends warned me this was one sided . He never got over Sophia Di Marino ,Charlie's Mom. The split was Mutual. I'm Not mad to be truthful. Annoyed really that I let it go on this long ..

So California I went , to numb the hurt. I don't give a rat's ass what they say about better to have Loved crap ! It still hurt's dammit!  So Party Shannon I became. I still wrote my stories without impairment. By day I was the mildly hungover writer coffee in hand . Luca was still Daydreaming so I was still writing. But @ night Let's just say in the great words of Bill & Ted .” Party on Dudes” So I did. Shaking my ass Beer in hand in a club in south beach !  Rockin' out to Pink. I am vaguely aware I am Jamming with a rather large Englishmen Go Figure ! He has a familiar tone I can't place ,frankly all I see is curls ,beard & muscle , Cause I'm too drunk and don't care but he was hot and can grind Like no other. But even though I was no lady ,he was a gentleman And at the end of the night I was in my Hotel room clothes and dignity intact.

Woke the next morning with another hangover that I never use to get when I was younger. They still Suck! UGH! I'm about to start typing when I get a feed from TMZ. “TWH PROPOSES TO SDM!” I switch on my TV and sure enough The rock on her finger is massive and Charlie Looks so Happy .   The numbness lifts along with the pain . I can see the sun again so I finally pack my stuff .

But not for England . I head home. I decide I need time with my son . So Arkansas, Hot Springs that is.  Although when I get there I find out my son is in Florida . In Daytona Beach. At the Racetrack!  My nephew Christian and his wife Kiki took Lucas to a NASCAR race and Somehow Lucas Landed a job as head mechanic for Carlos Contreras's race team. Shocked as I was,  I get on a flight to Florida it is a good shocked but WOW.  I got a Hotel room and then went to the track . Took me a little convincing to get in  . Security walked me to the Pit where I found my baby boy covered in grease. Under a car . When Lucas jumped up and hugged me they left us alone . test moment's in a parent's life is seeing your child seceded at something he loves. This was Lucas's dream !Like writing is for me. It was his turn. Lucas Introduced me to Carlos with sparkles in his eyes . Carlos seemed to Like what My  Son does. Even tells me that Because of my Boy, Carlos has won 8 races. How more proud can I get I am in tears.  While I was here I went to a few races and Lucas and I raided the theme parks. Then one night Lucas had a grown up moment and told me I had to go back to the U.K.. He said I write my best stuff there and I need to make peace with Myself. How did my Autistic Son get so smart. Then he tells me. He is a big Guy now and He didn't need his Mom to hover.

Chapter 2

Something New

So once I'm back in London. I dust off My flat that Luke made sure I got despite me moving in with Tom. Besides writing, a few friend's gave me the intro to the London night life and I found a outlet to unwind . But I didn't drown myself like in Cali. But I still maintained my Party Mama status. Also I am exercising regularly, to compensate for the Night life . But I found that I have way's now that I am Back to make exercising fun. I do the Gym of course. But I also like rollerskating in Hyde or St. James park, when it's sunny. I found a Ice Skating rink that is 7 day's a week.  And there is a indoor pool at the Gym I go to. .

But I realized some things while I was home in the states. I can't ever forget where I came from . So I pay it forward to 4 special organizations for charity and I never write them off my taxes . I went back to church I actually found a Nazarene church in the U.K. Honestly Church is what keeps me semi sober in the clubs on Friday and Saturday. No hangovers in Gods house .So I have been busy. By maintaining the order of my life like I did way before when My soul purpose was being a MOM. God, Family Friends career is a new addition but not that high on the list.  

I found a way to keep myself going .My heart has even healed to a point and I am actually making good friends with “ The Hiddleston “ I can't even comprehend The fact that Sophia took Tom's name . I didn't think her agent's would let her do that. Any how I Am officially Aunty Shannon to Charlie and he even still talks to Lucas and they talk cars regularly according to Tom. As for right now though I'm actually doing more than writing I am at The Harold Pinter theater in London as a Producer and assistant to Kenneth Branaugh the director of a play Based on one of my fan fiction stories .  It's a Vampire Love story with a family twist.  No Not Twilight no blood sucking fairies here. But what has me excited is the cast . Tom is in it along a whole bunch of my fave idol's Including Henry Cavill as the male lead. . OK! I fibbed Kenny doesn't need me the whole time so I am writing when I am not teaching Charlie Who is acting for the first time. Tom is One Proud Papa! I will tell you what. And Charlie Looks like he is having a wonderful time despite playing a Girl demon!

also I do have a little Mystery of my own I am trying to solve. Every morning when I get to work. Yes I'm getting paid for this production. I go to my seat and drink my coffee but I find a different colored long stem lily in the seat . I asked Tom. If Charlie was doing it and I even ask Ken. None said It was them. Both even offered to investigate with me . Saying they have a little experience because they played P.I.'s

I was actually flattered I had an admirer. I just hope I won't regret taking the Lily more seriously. Anyway The play is gearing up for opening night I called Lucas's aide Reed to Se if He will be able to be in London for my Play . Which If it does well it will head to the States and go on Broadway.  Now tell me if that ain't totally awesome. I.K.R.  We as far as my Book's are concerned Luca start's Middle School. So Social interaction and puberty mixes in with his amazing world which should make for a wild ride for our readers. My honorary nephew is even reading them which make's my heart sing  Oh! So I don't leave it out my lily was Aquamarine and silk today not real but it had a pink bow and it sparkled . He-he! Who ever this is knows I like things that sparkle. It makes me giddy.

Opening Night!!!!

My Lucas is here . Looking Just Like he did Prom Night When he took my god daughter to the prom. My boy is So handsome. Lucas has been working out so My lucas is Tall and Jacked thanks to His Buddy Phillip Hull. We get to ride in a Limo It will be Lucas's first time in one. Me! I'm In all Red  Long red hair with a touch of gray at the temple and proud of it. A Long Jessica rabbit dress that sparkles in the light. Red flat's I ain't that crazy . It's gonna be a long night and I am in my 50's   Heels are not in the program. I had red cloves and a red silk Shaw. I felt amazing and all my boy could say is Wow mama Look Pretty! LOL! I am also excited not only for the play but according to the Little note I got with My Red Rose that was sitting in my seat on the last day of practice. I get to meet my admirer tonight too

So Lucas and I are off Lucas is Like a school boy Looking around and he is also a little nervous. I can tell he Keeps Playing with his collar and tie. I made sure Luke had a pair of ear buds and his fave music in a MP3. And sunglasses to help with Lucas's experience. Plus so he doesn't have to deal with the red carpet stuff Reed is here so Lucas will be with me only for a few pictures then Reed  will take him inside while I deal with the popularity this sold out play has caused . New York here we come!!!!!!

  Lucas went inside as planned. And Luke is by my side in his place as my escort. Luke felt I shouldn't be alone. Because of the split and Tom's marriage. Even though Tom and I are cool talking about and he is even here with Taylor so I'm cool. I was having lot's of fun taking little interview's and pictures and such. Luke always said I was surprisingly  easy going in the lime light and it shows tonight. `Sophia , Ken and I had some fun with the photo people and Kissed Each side of Tom's cheeks while he was trying to pic up Kenneth, then we Bent down to Kiss Ken's cheeks when Tom dropped him on his butt ,our booties where purposely in the air.  Let's Just say we made Kenny's night! I was all in good fun  Tom told me that Charlie was inside with new Hot wheels car's to show Lucas cause they are NASCAR ones.

Finishing up the pictures and fixing to go inside I was about to give up hope on there being an admirer. When I went to take one last. Picture, Henry Cavill came to Join me in the picture and whispered in my ear to Look down, as he grabbed my waist for the picture . I did. And their was a pink Lily and a white rose in his hand tied in a pink bow. Let's Just say that pic had my mouth hanging open and Henry laughing as we went in to the theater.  Let the new dance begin.

Lois Lane never Got Superman this way Ha! 

Chapter 3

Don't jump! One moment @ a Time.

As far as the play went it was as major success. I couldn't pay attention at all . I was staring at Henry the whole time In awe of all of this.As far as I was concerned it was like I had never tasted this before . I won't lie, it scares the shit out of me .  I was a ball of nerves the whole play . It was Thomas all over again. @ least that was what I thought. Until Henry asked if I would sign a book for is Nephews Daughter who has Down syndrome. I was politely surprised . He then introduced himself to my Son. Which Lucas can recognize any actor who has ever played a Superhero or villain . Henry was one of our faves. He asked if we wanted to grab a bite to eat . Lucas always could eat. Even in his 30's endless Belly! Can you see 3 adult's in fancy dress in Mc. Donald's. I Loved it Because Henry took the liberty to date Lucas first. To me that Mc. Donald's was 5 stars. The Limo dropped 2 very full and sleepy men at My son's Hotel.  I was sparkling in happiness. We pulled up in front of my flat but Henry wouldn't let me out yet. I think he wants to talk . So naturally I listened. 

fore I could even say anything He Quieted me and held my hand .  Baby Blues connected. Then he spoke. “ Shannon I know what you went through with Hiddleston. I grilled him after meeting you . Actually I'm kinda surprised he didn't rat me out. Story for another time. Now that you understand my intent. I want time. Time to know you. Also before you get nervous, will it help If I got permission from Lucas to date you and Charlie Hiddleston second's the permission. I'm normally a prideful Man But Shannon something inside Tell's me I am supposed to started something new with You. I want get to know you Date you proper. If anything let's see where it goes. Even if we don't connect more personally . We can at least catch a grind to a tune and groove like buddies”.

My breath hitch because I just realize that dude I was grinding with in California at that club. The English Dude. That was Henry!!!!! He notices my blush and Shakes his head showing me the bracelet. I smack his shoulder Laughing my Blush off. Then I told him I am willing to try and if all else fails Partying in New York won't get boring . Then he kissed my Palm and let me out . I gave him my # and told him to give me a call when he was ready to try. The Limo waited till I was Inside. But instead of Leaving The door opened and Henry came running up to me . Grabbed my waist, pulled me close and Kissed me.  We exploded!!!!

Hand in Hand at JFK airport Henry and I go straight to the Hotel .  No Not for that .  We came early so Henry  could as he says Court me proper. LOL!   There is nothing I'd rather do the then run all over NYC for the first time with Henry. I have jumped in fully no comparing to any other love . This is true Eros and I'm going with the flow. That was our agreement for each  other  the next morning after the Play. To Just Love & enjoy till the fluffy lady quits singing.

I exploded because of SuperMan!

{None of this story is real the pic are from Googles images !!!!!!!!!!!!}

[miraizu]

C-ta x A-ya sad fic idk how to ask

For future reference, I prefer to not write canon x canon, HOWEVER

1. It’s Shuuen no Shiori, my fave horror series 2. I had a really good idea for this

also, every a-ya/c-ta fic is a sad fic...  tb h....

Warnings: Murder, implied stalking, implied su*c*de

        In all honesty, A-ya hadn't planned on coming to school today.  His parents were out of town again, and he knew they were going to have a quiz in Japanese History that he wasn't prepared for, but he couldn't stay in his house.  The feeling of being watched was only getting worse. Items were now going missing in his home, and while it may be paranoia, he only got more and more on edge.  Ever since this 'Demise Game' began, and they were all looking out for a traitor...

        A-ya just couldn't sleep.  It didn't help that B-ko was officially missing and presumed dead.  Had she ran off?  Unlikely.  More likely than not, she had fallen victim to this Kokkuri-san.  E-noru had also dipped out, although at least he was still texting their group chat, keeping them updated.  The remaining four were trying their hardest to stop this game, but to no avail.

        Soon, A-ya felt, death would take him, too.

        Nobody was in the club room today, not even C-ta, who usually waited around for him.  The room where it all started was eerily empty, and once again A-ya felt the gaze of invisible eyes on his back, watching his every move.

        He wasted no time in leaving the school.

        Certainly, the black-haired teen didn't want to go back to his home.  To be alone, feeling watched 24/7?  No.  Instead, A-ya shot C-ta a quick text letting his childhood friend know that he was coming over.  There was no response - also unusual.  C-ta was the type to text back immediately.  His lack of response and his absence from the club room...

        A-ya wasn't an athletic person by any means, but he ran like his life depended on it as he reached C-ta's house in what felt like record time.  His breathing was heavy, and he knocked briskly on the door.

        No answer.

        Growing impatient, A-ya tested the door knob only to find it unlocked.  Immediately, his anxiety rose up, and he rummaged through his school bag before pulling out a box cutter.  A weak weapon, but it was better than nothing, and A-ya didn't know what could be in store for him here.

        What if C-ta was already . . . ?

        No.

        No.

        He refused to think of that.

        Quietly, A-ya crept through the silent house, stopping outside of C-ta's room - there were noises in there.  Was that C-ta?  Or somebody - something - else?  Even quieter, A-ya pushed open the door, but despite his guard already being up, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw.

        The monitors caught his eye first, seeming to be connected to cameras.  Around C-ta's house?  No.  A-ya recognized the video footage right away, a sick feeling clenching his stomach tightly as he looked into his room through a computer screen.  The feeling of being watched all the time, the eyes.

        Next was C-ta, hovering over a plush rabbit on the ground, one that A-ya had realized was his stuffed animal, a gift to him from C-ta himself.  C-ta had stabbed into the plush, muttering something unintelligible underneath his breath.  A-ya's bag dropped from his shoulder, hitting the floor with a loud thump.

        "C . . . ta . . ?"

        The brunet in question turned around hastily, green eyes widened and frenzied.  "A-ya!  This isn't - no, you don't understand, I'm trying to protect you!"

        Clarity struck A-ya.  The traitor, all along, was . . .

        C-ta stood up, eyes trained on the pocket knife gripped tightly in A-ya's hand.  The taller male took a step forward.  A mistake.  Immediately, A-ya had swung his arm forward.  It was just meant to be a deterrent to prevent C-ta from getting closer as A-ya gathered his thoughts, but by then C-ta was too close, and the box cutter lodged itself into the side of C-ta's neck.  Both teens were taken by surprise as A-ya ripped the box cutter out, stumbling back.

        Instantly, C-ta's hand went up to try and cover the gaping hole, dark red seeping through his fingers and dropping to the floor.  Somehow, he stayed on his feet, swaying as if he was going to pass out.

        "I wasn't . . . I loved . . . yo . . ."

        There were no long lasting goodbyes.  Before C-ta could finish his thought, he had fallen to the ground, blood staining the white carpet.  Green eyes had grown glossy and still, and A-ya stumbled back, scarlet eyes widened in horror.

        What . . . What had he done?

        No.

        No no no n ononononononononononono.

        Somebody was screaming, and after a moment, A-ya realized it was him.  He had killed C-ta.  He had killed C-ta.

        Shit.  Shit shit shit.

        You were the traitor after all . . . 

        The voice that spoke in his head wasn't his own, but was directed at himself.  If he was the traitor, then logically speaking, if he died...  Would D-ne and E-noru be safe?

        Did it even matter anymore?

        He raised the box cutter to his face, the blade and handle stained red.  Slowly, almost catatonically, A-ya positioned it in front of his right eye, glancing one more time at the body of his dead best friend.

        Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san . . . 

        The traitor was me.

[kinghoranshit]

Tell Me a Lie (NH) Ch 3

Word Count: 2,065

Warnings: Swearing

I snapped a pretzel in half and munched on it. I dipped the other half into the small jar of peanut butter and popped it into my mouth before I flipped the piece of paper to the other side. I was deep in editing mode for Stone Cold. 

I had talked to my manager about the upcoming events since there were red carpet dates already locked down for later that year, and she approved them, along with congratulations on the romance. But I was not able to get any definitive days off to truly work on Stone Cold, so I was still back to my weird schedule to get it finished on time. 

Out of bad habit, I clicked my power button on my phone and looked at the screen for anything to distract me for a short second. There was a message from Niall. 

N: Yoo, it’s go time . 

L: Really? What about publicity photos?

N: This is gonna work better . I’m gonna use one of our old selfies . 

L: Haha You mean from backstage in Chicago? That was like 6 months ago... 

N: It’s the only recent once we’ve got , Kelly . 

It’ll work 

L: I guess you’re right.

N: I am (: 

Be ready for it . 

Now, an Instagram notification came up and I already knew who it was from. I pulled down my notifications bar to see it and tapped it. I swear my heart stopped at the caption. 

@NiallOfficial: You know I don’t like lying to you all, but I’ve kept this a secret . For the sake of wanting our first few months to be only us . Well , those few months turned into a full year . I couldn’t be happier with this woman ! She makes me feel like I’m on cloud 9 . She even makes the golf losses better haha

He’d also tagged me. It was another requirement for social media; all posts had to be tagged. I was suddenly super nervous. This was actually it. There were so many new follows, likes, and comments on my account, and people were commenting congrats underneath Niall’s; though it wasn’t hard to miss a few of the mean wishes. 

K: So…. this is really it?

N: Yup . You got this , Kelly !   

K: There weren’t that many restrictions to the socials, surprisingly…

Do I have to follow people back? 

N: Haha no ! Follow who ya want 

K: Cool

A Twitter notification popped up on my top bar. I pulled it down to see Niall had tagged me in a photo there as well, and it was similarly worded to Instagram. At least it wasn’t a total copy and paste, that wasn’t necessarily Niall’s style. The Twitter notifications also started to flow in and I knew there had to be some way to filter them or this was going to be overwhelming.

K: Please tell me there’s a way to filter the notifications 

N: Absolutely , under your settings there should be a way to just get ones of people you follow 

If you get verified , I’ll help you with those 

K: Who said anything about me getting verified? 

N: Kelly , don’t act so cavalier love . It’ll happen eventually . 

I’ll walk you through it , I had Modest to help me and you’ve got me to help you

K: Duh duh DUHHHH

N: Okay , if you don’t want it I won ‘t give it to ya 

K: You know you will anyway

You loooove me 

N: Augh

You’re right 

***

I finally gathered the courage to thoroughly go through my Twitter notifications. I figured that the most recent ones may not be necessarily nice since I had been MIA for a few days after Niall’s initial post. But could they really blame me? I didn’t think so. 

My Twitter followers went from literally 450 to 38K. Just cause I was Niall’s “girlfriend”? That’s just… I couldn’t lie, I never followed the boys’ girlfriends or PR girlfriends, whatever they were to them. I didn’t have much to say to this. 

I decided to make a tweet first before doing anything else. 

@kellygarden: Sorry I’ve been MIA y’all. About to get interactive though! How about a Q&A? Hashtag #AskKelly :) 

I used the time of people asking questions to go through some of those following me and follow a few. And when I say a few, I mean a few. I might do a follow spree at some point and do a hundred or a couple hundred people. 

I about shit my pants seeing some of those who were following me that I was already following. Like Tom Holland, all the 5SOS boys, the other lads from One Direction, and Selena Gomez. Holy shit. What? Why? I was having a hard time believing this, but I couldn’t stop a smile from crossing my lips. So unreal. 

I searched my hashtag now and looked at some of the questions, replying to some. 

@Fuckmeniall: @KellyGarden Was it love at first sight? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Fuckmeniall First off, love your @ . It was more like love at first coffee - we met at a cafe in London :)

@DamagedQueen: @KellyGarden Hw old r u? Wt do u do? #AskKely PS luv ur layout<3

@KellyGarden: Aww thanks so much! I’m 24 and a novel editor for a publishing house in London. 

@Jocylnbitch: @KellyGarden I don’t really like you, but I have a question about Niall. What’s he like in bed? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Jocylnbitch: Glad to hear your opinion about me. And I don’t think that’s any of your business. 

@Rylanroll: @KellyGarden R u a virgin? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Rylanroll Are you old enough to be asking this question? But no, I’m not.

@Hannable: @KellyGarden If you could clone yourself, would you? Why? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Hannable I would. As selfish as this is, I’d have my clone to do my work so I could go see the world and be with Nialler.

@Uplousass: @KellyGarden Have you met the other boys yet? Freddie? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Uplousass Props for the @, I’m dying! *laugh crying face emoji* I haven’t... and I’m not going to force any of them to meet me if they choose not to. 

@NiallOfficial: @KellyGarden How far are you up my ass? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @NiallOfficial I would be Hella far up if you weren’t so far up mine already :P

@Michael5SOS: @KellyGarden CAN I MEET YOU?! ASDLFKAS #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Michael5SOS DLKASLGA YEAH IF YA WANT 

@lukecummings: @KellyGarden Have you ever written fanfiction? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @lukecummings I have, but they’re cringy af. I’m not kidding on that. They will never resurface the web. 

@Astheticnolan: @KellyGarden What are you favorite smells on earth? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Astheticnolan COFFEE, books, rain, You&I perfume, flowers, Niall’s cologne

@Haywire: @KellyGarden What’s your music taste? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Haywire My music library is on crack. I could be listening to 1D, then it could go to Skillet, Ed, Counting Crows, M83, etc. It’s a wide range, except no Country.

@Luke5SOS: @KellyGarden Is that lame band 5SOS not in your music library? :(

@KellyGarden: @Luke5SOS Pft yes, yes they are in my music library. It’s full of lame bands lmfao

@Daylight5SOS: @KellyGarden Have you talked with the other boys? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Daylight5SOS Yeah, Louis. 

@Louis_Tomlinson: @KellyGarden Do look forward to officially meeting you. Freddie son says hi.

@KellyGarden: @Louis_Tomlinson I look forward to it as well. Stay safe you two x.

@Penofhope: @KellyGarden Favorite genre to write? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Penofhope Fiction. YA. Mainly Fantasy and Sci-fi. 

@Clotheswhore: @KellyGarden What's your aesthetic? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Clotheswhore By your @ I’m going to assume you mean my clothes aesthetic? I’d say it’s a little bit of everything - I can’t stick to one thing lol

@Niallsride: @KellyGarden Do you drive? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Niallsride I do. Both car and motorcycle/bikes.

@Monaymaker: @KellyGarden Do you drink? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Monaymaker I do socially.

@Harry_Styles: @KellyGarden I look forward to meeting you. Niall is a lucky guy. All the love. H. #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Harry_Styles Thank you so much, H! Soon I hope x.

@Horanyass: @KellyGarden How many kids do you want? Gender ? Would you like to have them with Niall? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Horanyass 2 or 3, any gender, and if I happen to have my kids with Niall then I’d be happy about it :)

@Styleskid: @Kellyiebabes Fave bromances of 1D and 5SOS? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Styleskid All the ones with Luke and Niall, Cashton, and Lilo. 

@5Saucelove: @KellyGarden Pancakes or waffles? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @5Saucelove Waffles all the way! X.

@Horanhasmyheart: @KellyGarden Have you heard any songs off Niall’s upcoming album? #AskKelly

@KellyGarden: @Horanhasmyheart Nope, he’s super secretive about it. I’m gonna be just as shook as all of you! Looking forward to it! 

I looked at all the ones I answered, smiling a bit at a few of them. I didn’t realize how many I answered or how much time had passed. I had to be on a work call soon, which could go until midnight because of the time difference. 

@KellyGarden: Gotta get back to work. Thank you all for the questions! I’ll be doing another one of these soon, yeah?

I didn’t wait for any of the replies before I locked my phone and set my laptop up for Zoom. 

***

I huffed, observing the cherry patterned and floral dresses in my hands, and the pile of other choices I thought about taking to LA. I was so indecisive right now. How many outfits did I really need? Five days worth, but on top of some clothes for clubbing possibly, and pjs. But if I packed something I didn’t want to wear, I didn’t really want to wear the same thing. Why was I like this?

I huffed once again and flopped down onto the mass. I leave tomorrow and need to get this sorted out. After another half hour of stalling, I willed myself to get back up and actually pack. I decided on six solid outfits, on top of one clubbing fit and pjs. It seemed like the safest route.

N: Get in loser , we’re going to see Paps 

K: Hah hah like oh my god they don’t even go here 

I finally just packed. How’s LA? 

N: Kelly, you’re such a procrastinator 

LA is ready for you 

K: But I don’t know if I’m ready for LA 

N: Ooo so cliche , you’re both ready. 

See you tomorrow x

K: See you tomorrow xo

***

As much as I’d love to say I could handle getting myself to my flight on my own, I couldn’t. I hadn’t flown in a few years and that had been with a group of others. I was flying by myself now, and I have to do all the checking in and such as well. 

I took a deep breath as I approached the security check line. I set my purse and backpack in one bin and my duffel in another before setting them on the metal rods that would take it through a detecting machine. I waited for the woman to wave me through the detecting machine, and I went through fine. I mean, I didn’t have anything that would set it off. 

Once my stuff came through the other end of the metal rods line, I grabbed it and put the bins in the pile that was started. When I started walking away to find my gate, I realized I was stupid to be so nervous about going through the line. 

Finding my gate wasn’t hard. It helped that the Cedar Rapids Airport was small. There’s like eight gates. I settled myself in a seat to wait until boarding was called. I took my phone out and busied myself with Instagram and Tumblr; I just scrolled through my feed, liking and reblogging stuff. 

“Gate B is now boarding. If you are first class, you have a separate line. If you are G1 for the coach cabin, you can now board.”

That was me. 

I took another deep breath, grabbing my three bags, and I walked over to the woman. She took my ticket, ripping off the part she needed, and then handed it back to me. “Enjoy your flight.”

“Thanks,” I replied. 

I walked through the terminal and onto the fairly small plane. It was more of a jet. I found my seat and settled everything. I followed the directions given by the fly attendant as I waited for the plane to actually take off, and finally, we moved to be on the runway and ascended into the air. 

Next: Ch 4

[Masterlist]

[evesbeve]

TUA Inktober 2019 (Day 5. Umbrella)

“Official” TUA Inktober Prompt List by @totallyevan

SO THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FAVE DRABBLE SO FAR, I THINK! Hope you like this as much as I did writing it!

(Read this on AO3 or FFN!)

___

It’s raining on the premiere of her new movie.

Normally it wouldn’t matter. Allison Hargreeves is always escorted by a limousine to her premieres, so she finds herself on the red carpet pretty quickly; inside, where it’s warm and dry, and in the spotlight.

Today the limo runs out of gas on the way.

Her agent is cursing on the phone, and Allison is looking at the raindrops roll down the window. They’re dancing on the glass, they’re outside, they’re free, and Allison is stuck waiting.

She doesn’t think about it for more than one second; Allison grabs her umbrella and steps out of the vehicle, despite her escort’s horrified looks. She tells them it’s only a ten-minute walk, and that she’s going to be fine, and then she leaves.

(Maybe she rumors them into letting her go.)

She’s walking down the street now, in her blue sleeveless dress, with nothing but her handbag and her umbrella. She kind of wants to kick off her heels and run down the sidewalk, but she’s gonna need more than just a rumor to fix things afterwards, so she keeps walking.

Five minutes later the wind’s direction changes, and suddenly the umbrella isn’t protecting her anymore. Her dress becomes soaked in rain, her hair is all over her face, and the raindrops are now dancing on her cheeks, dragging her makeup along with them.

Allison hangs her bag on her shoulder and grabs the umbrella with both her hands. Her gaze falls on the tattoo on her wrist, and for a second, she can’t move.

Umbrellas have never protected her.

Allison huffs and closes it. She leaves it on a bench. Someone else can have it.

Umbrellas have never stopped her either.

Allison keeps walking.

[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on Red Carpet Diaries, Book 3, Ch. 17

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week and what I’d like to see in the next chapters, because none of my friends play Choices so I have no one to comment the books with.

And… that’s a wrap!

I don’t know… I’m trying to find the words to describe the final chapter of this series and the truth is that it left me kind of speechless… and not in a good, positive way. Maybe my expectations on this chapter were too high?

We all knew this chapter was going to be fully focused on the wedding, so there are no surprises on that matter. However, I can’t help feeling like everything was insanely rushed, and that was pretty evident in many aspects of the wedding and the chapter in general. First, the amount of people that was missing was insane. For example, I expected to see Leo from Rules of Engagement and The Royal Romance as Chazz mentioned a few chapters ago that he would be one of the guests, but we didn’t see him. Also, when Roxanna asked me about who was going to receive an invitation, I remember saying Ryan Summers, but he wasn’t there (just as Josh Morello). Instead, we got Chris Winters and Cecile his wife (not complaining about this though, I had a hard time choosing Ryan over Chris). Not even Matt’s dad appeared and I was marrying his son!! Our mom only appeared if we decide that she would walk us down the aisle!! Why didn’t she help us with our dress?? And where was Ella??

We also had these extremely unexpected cameos and relationships that at some point got us all (even the MC) saying “WTF?!?!”. My absolute weirdos were Markus and Sara… like… really? I mean… why? how? Too weird to handle, in my opinion (and I actually thought that Markus was married… maybe he’ll use Sara as his new muse?). I also have mixed emotions on Chad and Gloria. This probably takes the second place on the ranking of the weirdest things I’ve seen in my two years playing this game (again… number 1 has to be Markus and Sara!), but at the same time, I feel this is a match made in heaven… as friends, of course! They may become my besties any day! On the other hand, I have to admit that I was glad to see Fatima doing the hair and makeup (you lied to us! you said you had no experience in other weddings, except your own… unless the RCD wedding occurs after the AME wedding in the Choices universe). And I’m actually wondering if the officiant is Steve from Perfect Match or if they just reused his face, but seeing him there was surprising, to say the least.

Anyway… I want to go back to the “missing” stuff. A lot of people are mad about the cake thing. And so I am. We did pay diamonds for the scene to get the cake, you know? So it wasn’t nice to discover that the cake wasn’t even shown during this chapter. Also, we had plenty of opportunities to get press points throughout the book, but there was no mention to it during the wedding… we didn’t even see the magazine with the exclusive coverage that was promised! It didn’t even impact the success of the movie… and let’s remember that we also got some of those points by buying diamond outfits. So yes… this is a MAJOR disappointment that makes me regret a couple of diamonds that I spent in this book. I also had a personal conflict with the wedding dresses and the hair, I think we needed at least one extra option. But this is very specific to my story. In my very specific case, my MC was a brunette with a long hair throughout the series, so her wedding look changed her face a lot… and that felt weird, especially because the normal hair didn’t seem to match any of the dresses. So in the end, I chose the look that disliked me the least.

The rest of the chapter went so fast that I’m still trying to decode what was that. From a lame wedding night (I don’t know… it wasn’t supposed to look like “another sex scene”, and it did), to a honeymoon that didn’t have any impact on the story (and that we’ll probably forget in a few days), it looks like some things were there just for us to say that they were present.

Things that I liked? I have to think about them a lot, but yes, I found at least three. First… Chazz and Crash are moving in together!!! I’m so glad that this happened!!! I know I originally wanted to see Chazz proposing Crash, but I have to admit that this made me pretty happy. We never got to see much of their relationship in the series, but I’m convinced that they deserve each other. So kudos to that!! Second, I loved to see that the MC and her LI (in my case, Matt) took their time during the wedding night to discuss the future and that they are even planning to make some hiatus on their careers just to have fun… I wish I could do that! I can barely go on vacation one week every two or three years! But I have to point that I’m still waiting for a real closure for Matt’s personal conflict… saying “everything is going great” just doesn’t make the cut for me as a reader.  And third, I have to say the extra scene. Getting the posters was absolutely worth it, in my opinion. It was special, as things went even back to the very first book of the series (by the way, the poster scene makes me think that they moved in to the MC’s house)… and there were some funny moments as well… it was like a compilation of bloopers in the movies where the MC and our friends participated. If you didn’t get the extra scene, look for it on YouTube… you’ll find some things that will make you smile (my faves were Chad vs. the protein shakes and the MC sneezing accident).

And this is how Red Carpet Diaries brings down the curtain. Unfortunately, I think that this series that started with a fantastic Book 1 was followed by some very lame Book 2 and ended up with a very mediocre Book 3. And this makes me so sad… and frustrated! There were so many plots that could have been explored or deepened… so many things happen in Hollywood and we didn’t even talk about them! It’s a shame because this series may have easily become a fan favorite (and we might even be talking about a Book 4 now) but I guess the writers (or PB/Nexon) decided to play safe instead of taking risks… and I think that was their biggest mistake. This is kind of a “go big or go home” situation, and they definitely ended up going home.

[woozifi]

how would you rank seventeen mvs by aesthetic?

ok, first off, please note that i spent like an hour watching and rewatching all 19 official mvs as noted by wikipedia, including unit mvs, so i can be certain that this list is correct. with that being said, i AM correct, this list is valid, and constructive criticism is absolutely NOT allowed.

Q&A: did i say 19?? haha just kidding this is a 20-MV LIST, i refuse to not include the best collab song and the most aesthetic mv svt has ever done. the colourful and sometimes almost too-bright (dare i say…highlighter-bright?) studyblr aesthetic that also meaningfully plays into the song and how the boyfriends feel like they’re being “quizzed” on their relationship skills? the absolute PEAK bf looks brought by a trio so iconic pledis’ coward ass has never put them together again ever since? jihoon’s fucking brown carpet sweater? ailee wasn’t in the mv because they knew i wouldn’t be able to take the sheer, potent perfection of it all in only 4 minutes.

AJU Nice: ok, the only reason this beats out clap is bc of that one bit with jihoon’s “heart” exploding and he’s falling backwards from the piano. let’s be real, it’s aesthetic enough that we’ll be giffing/editing that single shot for the rest of svt’s career. i can argue that this song, mv, aesthetic, and era in general is one of of svt’s most defining vibes. the suspenders really tied the whole thing together with a little bit of sexiness/maturity without taking away from the fresh youthful aspects that were so integral to svt’s concepts at the time, and the exploding confetti “hearts” were just so iconic!

CLAP: need i say more? the minimalist blocks of bright, solid colours in the background, the boys and their props purposefully smaller/centered to give everything a very “set”-like feel, which ties in perfectly with the mv’s entire meta filming concept. the computer glitches, the editing effects, the callbacks to the previous unit mvs in cute little dioramas?? excellent.

Change Up: YEAH WE FUCKEN KNOW IT!!! trust me, you’ll see me gushing about my love for svt’s solid blocks of colour and purposefully empty set design in a lot of these lists. y’all get the picture.

Adore U: shut up, this is a crazy aesthetic mv, and we can all thank pledis’ low-ass bankrupt budget for it. the shitty green-screen effects, up to and including that weird retro sci-fi bit, the blank and empty sets… god, even the pink and blue lighting that feels even more symbolic now thanks to our official rose quartz & serenity colours is aesthetic! adore u deserves this spot, and anyone who disagrees is free to fight me anytime.

Call Call Call: does it deserve to be this high in the list? probably not. did i put it up this high because i’m still not over how hot jihoon looks in this mv? probably yes. but ok, it is aesthetic, with the vibes & concepts of each of the 3 groups instantly recognizable and identifiable, it almost felt like 3 different aesthetics were used for each group.

Home: IT’S AESTHETIC!!!! that one purple set with all the lamps is already so fucking aesthetic i can barely stand it. i also lose my shit every single time in that one scene where the walls move. jeezus. so good.

Check-In: do i even need to say it. the gorgeous scenery, the chill vibes, mingyu’s aggressively orange hair? it’s ~*a e s t h e t i c*~

Pinwheel: i can’t say much bc every time i see their beautiful faces in this mv (and also jihoon’s really awful but still kinda attractive haircut) i feel like crying. anyway. it’s aesthetic.

Holiday: maybe it has the advantage of being filmed by wonwoo, but the aesthetics for this one are so soft and comforting. smth about the lower quality and occasional shakiness, the black border bc of the camera’s smaller screen, seeing the boys just playing around, going shopping, interlaced w/ shots of the scenery … it’s all so very natural and genuine. if it wasn’t for the purposeful scenes of them lipsyncing to their lyrics or dancing to the music, you could almost forget this is a music video!

Oh My!: the sleepy, dream-like quality of this mv is so unbelievably cute!!! and the clouds? the wonderland tea-party-like table with the sunflowers? ugh....so good. the only criticism i have is that the lighting feels slightly off in some of the sets, like it’s shining too much on their faces and making it hard to make out their features. and not being able to see svt’s beautiful faces is never aesthetic.

Mansae: okay, look, school concepts are always aesthetic. as usual, svt was on top of their fucking game with the bright blocks of colours, and their early eras were sooo good at sacrificing realism for hyper-funky-fresh sets and scenery. also, i just loved how they had their names in huge-ass labels on their school uniforms, it was a very clever idea for a new group with so many members.

HIGHLIGHT: okay, i could say that it’s because of the way they used lights, the flashes of deep red, the minimalist set to help emphasize perf unit’s dancing abilities … but in all honesty, i saw them in suits and my brain just blanked out. so here we are.

Trauma: the same themes of empty, minimalist sets and blocks of colour, albeit muted to suit the concept of the song! not my fave mv, but certainly an aesthetic one. side note: i don’t remember vernon looking so fucking hot in this mv.

Thanks: actual sets and scenery? in my svt mvs??? ok in all seriousness, the use of lighting was great in this one, with the ultra warm glows and the more realistic fluorescent ceiling lights ... bruh, it’s good.

BOOM-BOOM: one of the only mvs that has any coherent semblance of a plot, and immediately it’s the sort of fun, lighthearted, ocean’s 11 type of heist concept that svt can pull off easily. in terms of aesthetics, it’s not that great, but the use of colour and set design was really great.

Pretty U: it’s distressing having to rank one of my fave eras so low, but look….pretty u was kinda aesthetic but it wasn’t aesthetic enough. i mean, this was the era with the outrageously cute pink and blue suits and the fucking unbelievably entertaining musical-inspired choreo!!! and for some reason, the official mv couldn’t even let us see any of that? not to mention the camera seemed to love jumping from one member to another or filming their backs as they ran around, it was difficult to even really see any of their faces. the one aesthetic bit was the glow-in-the-dark bowling scenes, and nothing else.

LILLI YABBAI: look it’s just…it’s too BRIGHT. that being said, the saturation of the white and blue was great, and as usual performance unit looks like they’re about to single-handedly restore my faith (and attraction) in men, but i’m gonna argue that this mv…is not aesthetic.

Getting Closer: you fools, this mv isn’t aesthetic. the boys just look super hot. don’t get confused.

Don’t Wanna Cry: this might get some people mad at me, but listen…the aesthetic was a rooftop and a desert. like…..that was it. thank u, next.

looking back now, i realize i probably should have included shining diamond, but wonwoo’s hair upsets me in that mv so i didn’t want to.

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Germany to Eurovision with two total strangers turned friends overnight

First, S!sters, let me tell you how it works, hey!

I am never too sure why but German national finals just almost NEVER work in my exact favour. Granted, I have forgiven them for Roman Lob because I have had literally no other reason to hate him other than “eww he’s winning every single Unser Star für Baku show bar one he’s such an easy winner”; and maybe Michael too because my only vitriol towards him was that he’s such a great soul... but only on his non-ESC stuff? If I had anyone else at the time, it would have obviously been the energy of Xavier Darcy and his song too! But at the same time Xavier would have placed worse than Michael so I’ll assume that Michael was actually the best possible choice for Germany at the time? Sorry, voXXclub, Ryk and Ivy Quainoo fans.

But god damn Germany, you could have given us just at least SOME ounce of competitiveness this year, couldn’t you??? And you'll know exactly why do I feel this certain way about this next target of my reviewing. Meet Carlotta Truman and Laurita Spinelli that were assembled specially for the German national final (which hopefully gives you a bit of a heads-up of where are the things going) and have a song written especially for them to pretend to be something they are actually not looking like to be, without their involvement... this songwriting camp experience has turned them into S!sters. Got that? Even the exclamation point part? Good, because you'll probably never hear of neither them, nor their song "Sister", ever again. Just like it is accepted for a German entry as of lately, I suppose.

It starts off innocently enough, with the music-box-y sound, and then quickly escalates into the singing on top of a different set of instruments. If there’s one thing I can’t fault this song for, it’s the instant relatability levels this song hits you with: “I’m tired”, “I’m tired of competing”, “I’m sorry for the drama”, “I tried to steal your thunder”... if these aren’t moods. Now what does this message tie into? Of course one of the songwriters (Laurell Barker) talked about the message of it being somewhat related to women who get aggressive with one another for things and I think I remember that the choruses represent their unity or so. However, I’d like to interpret it a little differently. If I consult myself of the meaning of this song for myself, it is somewhat indeed about two sisters that find it hard to get along a LOT (e.g.: me and my sister irl), but the chorus represents that in the end of the day, they’re still sisters, therefore, they’re each other’s family parts and the “fire” burning in between of them is the sign of the by-default sisterly bond and that it can be strong. If I listen to Laurell, however (and I should because it’s HER song and HER interpretations should be official), it’s two women who probably compete for a man’s attention and get angry at each other when they either receive something from that man (”how dare you get more flowers from him than me!”) or they don’t (”it’s your fault he didn’t look at either of us today!”). At the end they’re just “tired of competing” and “tired of always losing” and secretly accept the fact that they should just get the man notice them both equally so he can hang out with two chick of one’s price, all at once. ^^

But what about how the song sounds? Well, that’s the problem. It’s just your standard average pop tune that doesn’t offer anything fun nor exciting. It uses simple instruments (guitars, music box), simple melodies (the main leitmotif progression on this song is C - E - lower B - C), even the simple stage presentation (the girls were dressed in black for this song on the NF). Simplicity is key, but for a country like Germany, they often tend to wander off into a painfully average or just plain ‘misunderstood-idea’ category. Cascada had a good tune but in a rapidly evolving Eurovision their act just looked completely uninspired - just some chick with a mediocre dress dancing on stairs with random camera shots to the backings. While the others were even more fun and intriguing (or diaspora overvoted them). Elaiza for some reason was uninteresting for most songwise, to say the least. Ann Sophie wasn't so bad but the German staging director did not get the gist that turning your ass against Europe is a no way points magnetiser, not even from the thirsty guys looking for attractive Eurowomen. Jamie-Lee was so-so but she refused to let her otaku look go away for her Eurovision performance, therefore everything looked so confusing and there was no absolute point in anything, not even in those laser trees. And Levina was... ehhhhh... and like someone said on Twitter few days ago, this was a song with no staging. It's sad to see Germany sending something cookie-cutter but it's even more awful when they send something remotely decent but their staging sucks at the end. Even the one for "Sister" is not gonna feature the spinning platform they had in the NF originally for Tel Aviv, that's a shame.

Well if there’s something I can admire the song for is that the girls kind of sound good when they do the song live? Unlike San Marino 2018 (which is also two girls only paired for a national final that never knew each other in their lives but having to pretend to be besties after winning the NF they sang on), they truly sell the thing nicely without making it out to be a mess. The spinning platform might have helped a bit more and with it being gone so is the magic I guess, but I guess the ladies might make it work some more at SOME point (at least with their singing)... Also the structuring of the song is pretty smeared out but interesting. I'd expect them to go "oOoOo SISTER! WahOoO SISTE-ER!" after the whole chorus but Carlotta and Laurita are rebels - they use it after half a full chorus, omitting the second chorus line. And they manage to somehow bring that chorus back, so they can end it with proclaiming once more that something "[shines] like city lights, torches in the skYYY". Then they go all like "don't you try to hiiiiide iiiit, dON'T YOU TRY TO HIIIIIDE IIIIIT... SISTER!" and the music box closes everything. Bookends. And its simplicity is nice enough to not bother me, and the instrument touches (again, guitar, and they even tried to make the chorus slightly majestic, with strings I suppose, and thise backings that repeat the song's leitmotif melody) are quite delightful in itself, so that it wouldn't be boring, melred out vanilla with maple syrup - instead it's a bit more 'orchestral' vanilla. It's vanilla that's at least accompanied with some vocal strenght. I do imagine playing just that "oOoOo SISTER" part alone in a background of a fancy ball, with red carpet, punch bowl, silver sparkly dresses and chandelier lights. Everything of there filmed from top view until camera pabs to someone that looks like Anne Hathaway.

In the end I actually kinda like this, and I even liked Levina to some degree 2 years ago (but wasn’t fond of Jamie Lee and Ann Sophie, the better of the average German entries). It stands its ground out more than them - it has more going on for itself without needing to sound like a ripoff of another song or an anime fangirl staging. It has some nicer things going on for itself that I could care about (like the ‘orchestrale’). I have a feeling I might not like the girls' chemistry on stage and that it won't transmit to the viewing audience’s TV screens though, but more on that on the below résumée:

Approval factor: It’s... approvable, nothing much of complete approvable, but the feeling of liking this is there, so go ahead with it Germany...

Follow-up factor: Do I need to say more on this? You know what, these last two years for Germany proved that they decided to not improve on their result, Michael Schulte was just a fluke and if the Germans were more cloudcuckoolanding on last year’s German NF, they would’ve sent that only vanilla NF song they had in there...

Big 5 factor: If (emphasis on “if”) S!sters are staged nicely - decent vocals (no voicecracks like Levina), a bit better staging, “believable” chemistry - they maaaay escape bottom 2 at best, maybe even explore some more beyond the bottom 5... if anything else fails, bottom 5 is locked. I mean, they have plenty of places to fuck up in, like, making the girls look way too fake happy at each other at the end, or just let them scream “SISTEEEER” at each other with no mutual emotions exchanged at each other. Just like Italy was feared to look like last year - two men yelling angrily/passively-aggresively at each other. So can be S!sters, but the catch is that they’re’nt the fan faves. And they’re singing in English. And barely anyone of the “locals” would care about them anyway, just like the Eurofans don’t. (Also can S!sters get better stage clothes for Eurovision? Please? That’s just my flop suggestion, idk if it will give them better points but I would dress Laurita in a white suit (white crop top, white coat, white pants, even the stilettos white). Just because... they could play ying-yang with each other. Laurita can still have red lipstick on if she wants btw)

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

Soooooo, Unser Lied für Israel. To be honest with y’all, this wasn’t a very favourable edition for me because, for one, I have never heard of any of those final NF acts. Wish they admitted Kasalla to the lineup, so then I could’ve had another clear favourite next to the first one down below that I’ll be talking about in this bonus. Second of all that... like I said, I wasn’t very hyped about this NF much unlike last year, where even some “who is she where did you find her” people tried their asses off to be appealing, and hey, a mediocre German NF filler-declared-winner did not win for once! (instead she went for judging talents in her actual home country and even danced a bit to that country NF’s winner song while it was performed as a competitor) This year, not only don’t I have an act that I would actively mourn of its NF loss, but also aside from my apparent favourite, the songs weren’t even that likeable by me. Yes, a lot of them were nice and Germany certainly upped their game, but I feel the same way I felt with Dora - only one good song, then another decent favourite that I have I guess, but that’s it. Let’s find out who won this NF for me and some other things:

• Look Germany, I found you your saviour you seemingly rejected! Well yeah fine, she didn’t do well with the international jury and S!sters did (only because the biased German juror pushed them into 1st), but let’s all agree her song would be a-bangin’. Meet Aly Ryan and her stylish synthpop tune “Wear Your Love”, complimented with a cool stage show, with projected stripes and everything! The expert jury rewarded it with 12 points rightfully, I’d say. Germany should’ve followed suit :) (also the trumpets remind me of a British NF fan flop from last year, “Legends” by Asanda. Is it just me???)

(this might as well just not matter anymore now that Aly’s management thought that it’s the best idea to block the fans that go to her DMs... granted that some artists could really use some privacy Instagram-wise, but that’s what disabling DMs is for. At least Aly still has fans though, unlike most other ULfI candidates. She should have enjoyed her attention, no? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) UPDATE: despite this people still would’ve wanted to see Aly win, and I agree. Some minor things are forgotten anyway and the artists are loved still if anything.)

• Not necessarily my favourite now but there was this cool chick going by the moniker Lilly Among Clouds. Nothing particular in her song “Surprise” sounds like there’s a happy sky with few clouds - it’s very much so a cloudy sky with a slightly dramatic storm coming out of them, complemented with Lilly’s bold vocals and the tone in her voice, and those orchestrals were something (and this song has an orchestral-based music video if anything). The song dragged in between a lot of the parts (verses felt like a passenger in a vast desert and the choruses were like a big oasis) but maybe those in-between song parts were to signify the calm before the storm, the warning before the “surpriiiiiiise”. Would have been a bold choice for Germany, this chick. Oh and I didn’t put a video down below (instead it’s linked somewhere) because I still have this screenshot on my phone. I love it.

• Besides those two, there also were two other remarkable ladies, and they they have a lot of things in common, besides their dark skin and that they’re ladies - BB Thomaz and Makeda. Two powerful ballads and two powerful vocals! Granted they were not my faves (I like 1,5 of both those songs combined though) but I admire their singingwork. It was magical. Not to mention are their songs themselves - BB Thomaz sang “Demons”, a quite personal song about overcoming one’s fears, bullying, naysayers, depression and everything like that, and also spawned this iconic line I am probably going to use on my T-shirt someday: “my demons can go and *dramatic thump* themselves!”. But I would’ve liked it more if the whole song sounded just like the verses - granted, it makes sense for her to go all showtune-y happy when she declares that her demons can go and *you know* themselves as she’s no longer dependent on them, but I found the choruses cheesy either way. Whereas Makeda, the sweet lil lovely gal, decided to go for a romantic ballad about not hating a guy after he breaks her heart. Her song “The Day I Loved You Most” is one big role model of mine now when it will come to my future relationships: I will never have to worry about the days when my non-existent future BF is a dick to me - instead I will rather cherish the good ole’ days in my heart without whining big time about our broken-off relationship! Yeah that’ll do I suppose. It was a nice ballad to me. Makeda also nailed one damn big great highnote live and that’s how I understood why International Jury and Eurovision Expert Jury loved it so much. Televote dares sink Makeda and uproot S!sters? For shame. Inb4 y’all ask me “but what about the other two?!?” - lol they’re not worth your attention. They’re just twink songs. I like one of them enough to be my 2nd of ULfI, but lbr, no one and absolutely no one, cared about them. That’s all.

• This NF started off with the hosts collectively attempting to make “You Let Me Walk Alone” sound somewhat funny? idk? and then Michael came back to save his own goddamn song out of the entrance door from the audience and right onto the stage <3 amazing. 

• Yet again, I commend the hosting of this show that has, and how much does it try to make a knock-off Eurovision, ever since last year ❤ Starting with the logo, continuing off with live commentary during the ending and the beginning of performances, including interval acts, and a sequenced voting ❤ One of the few complaints I have is that the postcards seemed waaaaay longer than each individual competing entries? I know I tl;dr with my reviews a lot here but some NF shows just get out the stories of singers' lives rather quickly and painlessly...

• ULfI decided that it'd be a good idea to outrival Festivali i Këngës in terms of ridiculously unnecessary interval acts. Yeah. There was this cowboy guy with glasses doing his own tunes, then him again on another interval act (I forgot but wasn’t his name Udo?), then Lena at some point (one of the better interval acts actually), then Michael Schulte, then this one dude from a band Revolverhed (who later voted as part of the International Jury as the German juror and... 12′d S!sters out of his The Voice mentor bias for one of his ladies. Yeah yeah, rigging...)... there were just a little too many, that’s what I’m saying.

• Now how exactly did we all know of the victory of the S!sters? Why, with voting sequences, of course! At first we have had this international jury made up of random specific people, usually giving 12s to S!sters, Makeda or some other twink. S!sters won it, then came the Eurovision panel whose votes were co-read by ... GASP! WILLIAM FROM WIWIBLOGGS!!! ;O don’t worry though he did not dun goof anything this time - the 12 from the Eurovision panel went to Aly Ryan. Sounds hopeful enough, right?? Well, hell no, as then came the televoting results, announced by Mr. Jon Ola Sand and he announced the 12 to S!sters! Oh German televoting, why did you allow yourselves to be THIS brainwashed and decline the good progress since Michael???? I will never forgive Germany for pushing S!sters this far. Putting them up together last minute and also last-minute adding them to the lineup, giving them the pimpslot, making a person who knows one of the S!sters more personally a German 'representative' of the International Jury... unacceptable.

• IDK where to find this but there was this part of the winner reprise where the blonde S!ster (that’s Carlotta) was so overwhelmed with joy that she struggled to open her song straightforwardly and instead let all the tears and laughs(???) take over her. It’s obvious this happens during all those winner reprises that the winner cannot really contain their emotions for what joyballs the victories have rendered them to, but that moment still sticks out to me. The other S!ster (Laurita) was much more collected and later on both of them carried on the right track and sang the rest of this whole thing decently!

For now I’d just wish them viel Glück in Tel Aviv and I hope that their friendship last longer than Jessika’s and Jenifer’s from last year! (probably not because like these two, S!sters are bound to flop, and separate as immediately as the unfortunately-formed class group project participants, just like Jenifer from Jessika)

[sunbrights]

fic: drop dead twice

fandom: danganronpa characters/pairings: peko & fuyuhiko, with a handful of original characters (the POV character is original, for reference). kuzupeko. rating: m notes: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVE @thewildwilds (whose birthday was yesterday, but still)!! she is a wonderful friend and a gem of a human being, and this is based off of her 1950s AU which is rad as hell. If nothing else, I'd recommend reading her fic set in this universe before reading this one to get some context!

CONTENT WARNING: this story depicts an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship (not the kuzupeko relationship), as well as physical child abuse. I don't consider the scenes extended or graphic (though someone please let me know if you don't feel the same and I'll adjust this warning), but they are more than single-line references to off-screen happenings. please read with discretion!

read on AO3

The Kuzuryuus don’t have any children. It doesn’t seem like it at first glance, at least; Sachiko ties back the curtain in the living room to peek out into the cul-de-sac when they start unloading the moving truck, and there’s not a crib or toy or playpen in sight.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. Everyone has their own struggles in life, and Sachiko would never pretend to know someone else’s. It’s interesting, that’s all. The lady of the house is still young, even if she looks quite a bit older than Suzume down the street, who’s already heavy with her first. There’s time.

Keep Reading

[quell-tea-salon]

THE IDOLM@STER SideM 3rdLIVE TOUR - GLORIOUS ST@GE Fukuoka (2018/3/25) event report

Cast: S.E.M, Cafe Parade, THE Kogado, Legenders, Mofumofuen, Beit (Pierre and Minori only; Kyoji (Ume-chan) was at Anime Japan).

This is going to be long and messy and full of CAPS. Cast members are referred to by their nicknames. The set list, if you don’t mind spoilers.

Where do I start? My heart is so full.

My day started like this: I was exhausted even before the concert because I had been in the queue for the merchandise booths for FIVE HOURS since 8:30am. There was SO many people, and no doubt many, like me, had traveled interstate or even from overseas. As Fukuoka’s concert was the only one held in West Japan I think that many fans from this side of the country would make the effort to come even if they didn’t have a ticket for the concert (anyone could visit the merch booths and there were cinemas nearby showing the live-viewing). Anyway, I was planning to buy the rubber wrist bands but they all sold out within the first hour. I had to keep changing my shopping list while checking twitter updates about stuff that had sold out, and by the time I reached the booths pretty much everything that I wanted was gone, save the official pamphlet and Fukuoka limited edition charm (in pic above). I’ve attended events before so I should have known what to expect, but I was still shaking my head in disbelief ^p^ On the bright side I made friends with the person who was in line next to me (a BeitP!) and after we were finally done with the booths we barely had time to grab lunch before the show started.

There was another long (but thankfully fast-moving) queue to enter the concert hall as staff did ID checks, then yet another line for the bathroom. By the time I made it back to my seat, it was 6 minutes to start time OTL Unfortunately I didn’t have much luck with seating this time; I was two thirds down the back of the hall and could barely see the ground level of the stage. ...And of course there was a tall dude a few rows in front of me blocking my view of the middle of the stage >_> I had to keep reminding myself that I was lucky just to be there. (Sitting in the back rows isn’t all bad though; more on that later.)

The show kicked off with the standard sponsors and messages from Yamamura on the main screen. Then the lights dimmed and the whole cast appeared on stage to perform Reason!! It took a while for it to set in that I was actually physically present at a concert and not watching a live-viewing T_T For today’s concert Totto (Hazama-sensei) covered Shugon’s (Teru) solo parts in the song. Later he introduced himself as the MC for today! While I was happy for him tbh I was also a little worried bc Totto can be fuwafuwa (fluffy.... if you get my drift), but I knew Yoshiki would support him. Thankfully Totto was a decent if mostly absent (lol) host, and even Enokiya, usually a salty tsundere, was surprisingly serious for the most part *Maita P’s everywhere clutching their chests* Furukawa and Shohei both said that they were happy to be here as Fukuoka/Kyuushu is their hometown. They both spoke a few lines (in-character) in the local dialects :D During Legenders’ turn Kasama-san shared a cute story about Fuumin - apparently it was Fuumin’s first time on a plane and after landing his ears felt weird so he said “I think I left my ears in the sky!” which Kasama-san thought was such a cute thing to say wwwwwwww Fuumin turned bright red... Koma-chan was just happy to be near the ocean ww (the convention hall was right along the water).

After the intro talk the lights dimmed again and as soon as we heard taiko drum beats we quickly set our pen lights to fluro pink - it was From Teacher to Future! S.E.M appeared in the ouendan cheer outfits and recited the lines from ep5 (as per Makuhari day 2) before striking the Pose of Passion as the crowd cheered :D Again, they shed the ouendan coats before singing. This time Cafepa were the background cheerleaders!! (Later, Enokiya said that he felt whoever was behind him (Asselin iirc) hit him with their pompom a couple of times ww)

Next was Mofumofuen with Welcome Happy Kira Park! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SONGS TO DO CALLS WITH! It was sooo much fun and there were all so adorable T_T To this day I’m still in awe of Yano every time Nao’s voice comes out of his mouth lmao

Cafepa was up next with Cafe Parade! As a fan of Furukawa I was excited to finally get to see him live and he didn’t disappoint. Idk why but today he cranked up the seduction to 100 and his Asselin was.. ajfh;ajfk;ahk;s Asselin u ok why are you dripping sex appeal.......... this is not the Asselin that i know... Also i was wearing concert earplugs (bought a pair after realising that attending so many concerts was gradually damaging my ears; didn’t help that Japan’s concerts are RIDICULOUSLY LOUD) but I could still feel his insane vibrato through the ear plugs O______O But I digress. Cafepa are always rly fun to watch on stage as their performances tend to be dramatic and have a musical flair.

Legenders - Symphonic Brave. I was shaking bc MY OCEAN BOYS!!! It’s my least fave Legenders song but I’ve gradually warmed up to it after watching them perform it on LV a few times, and i rly do love the vocals. Combined with the visuals on the monitor this song makes you feel like you’re soaring through the sky and that anything is possible... Sadly Koma-chan wasn’t performing well today (I briefly wondered if he had a cold or something bc his voice was rly weak in both volume and control), but Kasama-san and Fuumin were amazing! I love the use of mic stands in this song T_T

Kogado - Tsuyoku Toutoki Kemonotachi. Each time they perform this song they do a brand new fight sequence during the bridge; usually Shohei is the one who comes up with the moves (with help from the dance instructors) but for Fukuoka, all three Kogado members worked together and performed a badass fight scene complete with explosive sound effects www

For the next song, a grand staircase decorated with red carpet unfolded on the main screen and Pierre appeared on the upper level of the stage. Mahou no Stair!!! (Yes!!!!!! We knew that Pierre and Minori were definitely singing their solos since they were unlikely to do any Beit songs without Kyoji, and it also happened to be the last day for Beit in the tour.) As Pierre made his way down the stairs towards the lower level of the stage, the steps lit up in red, mimicking the red carpet, while the staircase on screen shifted so it looked like Horieru was a prince gracefully descending upon the ballroom to join us for a dance ;______; Tbh I’m not fond of Pierre’s solo as it sounds rather flat (a pity considering Pierre has such a cute genki voice) but he was super cute and princely and melted every heart in the vicinity T_T At the end of the song he made a gesture like he was waving a magic wand to cast a spell (the main screen behind him showed a sparkly golden spiral) and when he moved aside to retreat from the stage MINORI APPEARED ON THE UPPER LEVEL HOLDING A BOUQUET T______________T Pierre had summoned Minori!!!!!!!!! We screaaaaamed omg Beit medley T______T

During Cherish Bouquet TakaP unleashed his sparkly princely charisma by 5000000% and killed a bunch of people (both girls and guys) in the audience [FANSERVICE INTENSIFIES] By the end of the song most of us were dead.... and when he held out the bouquet towards us (the camera) our SCREAMS lol istg ;;;;;;;;;;;;

Then both Pierre and Minori appeared on stage again wearing blue happi kimonos as the next song’s intro played AND WE LOST IT BC IT WAS FUN FUN FESTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEIT!!!!!!!! GROUP SONG!!!!!!! THEY’RE DOING BEIT SONGS AFTER ALL!!!!! T__________T AND FUNFUNFESTA IS MY #1 FAVOURITE SONG TO DO CALLS WITH omg i felt sooooooo spoiled at that moment...... There was so much to love about this part. Pierre usually dances with his Kaerre plush in this song but this time he was holding Kyoji’s pierre plush (the blue one!)  so Kyoji could perform with them ;___; And both Pierre and Minori were super generous with the fanservice! TakaP’s winks are so destructive >< During the catering part konamono was replaced with “Ramen!” (specialty dish of this region). THEN KOGADO BURST ONTO THE STAGE, ALL WEARING HAPPI KIMONOS AND CARRYING A MIKOSHI PALANQUIN djhfaglhgdfLJHGLFHJDSdf they were hopping and cheering and it was both hilarious and amazing to see Kogado like this......... Really there was so much happening, my heart could barely keep up ;;;;;;;

Shinonome was up next with Piece Montee. This whole sequence was really cute! During the song he mimicked making a cake, piping cream and taste-testing before finally being satisfied with his creation. A HUGE (like, human-sized) balloon art cake was wheeled out onto the stage. After Shinonome left the stage, the lights dimmed and Nao-kun appeared, admiring the cake which had a plate saying “Happy birthday Nao!” on it!!!! NAO-KUUUUUNNNNN THE BIRTHDAY BOY <3<33333

Nao was the cutest thing during Hop Step Hai, Ship T___T He kept admiring the cake and looked soooo happy... He even showed us his fluffy tail and i just jhdfkj;gf;KDF,lkl just, an angel ;;;;;;;;;;

Later during the talk segment, Yano thanked us for all the love, support, and birthday wishes, and said that while he’s feeling incredibly happy and blessed, he has no doubt that Nao is feeling even happier and at the top of the world. It was also Minori’s birthday around that time, so as a double birthday celebration they asked us producers for a favour. We all held up our pen lights in red to mimic candles on a birthday cake, and when Minori and Nao made the motion of blowing out the candles we turned off our pen lights all at the the same time. The hall and stage lights were completely dimmed for this and it was a really pretty sight T_T Happy birthday, Nao and Minori!!!!!!!!!!!

Then it was time for Mofu In The Park, another super fun song to call along to! ME ME! PYON PYON!! GAO GAO!!!!!!!!!!!! This was Mofu’s last day in the tour and they really gave it their all ;___;

THE NEXT PART......IS WHERE I DIED. When i heard the song intro play i FLIPPED MY SHIT BECAUSE I RECOGNISED IT AS SECRET! PLAYFUL! DRIVE! which is a song from the St@rry Collaboration series (the extra CDs that came with the anime BD/DVDs) and NOBODY EXPECTED THIS BECAUSE IT WAS BELIEVED THAT THEY WERE SAVING THOSE SONGS FOR FIVE ST@R PARTY DKJFA’JGFA;KJGAF;IYLAKYJK

So i was in disbelief already and my brain barely had a second to process that this song belongs to S.E.M and Jupiter before S.E.M APPEARED FROM THE SHADOWS ON AN ELEVATED TROLLEY DECORATED IN BRIGHT RAINBOW LIGHTS AND I JUST DIEEEEEDDDDDDDDD ajbgadjakhaf;l ok so i kinda expected a trolley to come out bc i noticed the staff running around and looking like they were securing the routes, but i wasn’t expecting it to be S.E.M, much less them singing this...sinfully sexy song ;_______; The trolley started from the left side of the stage and made its way around the perimeter of the concert hall, doing a left into the walkway RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BLOCK OF SEATS WHERE I WAS (they were so close omg S.E.M!!!! BEFORE MY EYES!!!! crying forever) before ending its journey on the right side of the stage. As per tradition they were throwing rubber balls at the audience (sadly not in my direction ><). Jirou-chan and Rui were perfect idols and dishing out fanservice the entire time //// Hazama-san was amazing and beautiful and stoic ajhgfsaldgsl god i love SEM so much ;;;;;; As the trolley passed in front of me JIROU-CHAN POINTED AT ME!!!!!!!! At that moment i was actually grateful for getting a shitty seat at the back of the hall sobssss Jirouuuuuuuuuu ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

I REALLY love this song but i have to admit i was barely paying attention to the singing because i was... distracted....... haha... Also this performance changes things for Shizuoka because if SEM did their collab song without Jupiter there’s a chance that DraSta will sing Etranger without Beit. Oh my god. I’m shaking just thinking about it. I’M JEALOUS OF EVERY SINGLE PERSON ATTENDING SHIZUOKA T_T pls say hi to my babies on my behalf.... Anyway, back to the concert.

Tbh i was already 1000000% satisfied with the concert after SEM’s performance lmao but the set list continued to blow my mind... One of the solos i was hoping to hear was Saki-chan’s Favourite ni Odorasete, AND THAT WAS THE NEXT SONG!!!!!!! I started out not rly liking Kobapyon’s voice for Saki-chan because he does this weird squeak that a lot of female seiyuu do too for cute moe characters, which ig kind of describes Saki-chan... But the more i learned about Saki-chan the more i started to like him (her? they? idk which pronoun Saki-chan prefers, pls do enlighten me if you know) and his solo is such a cute and catchy song T_T Kobapyon is srsly really cute in person as well.... just a bundle of angelic cuteness and ribbons tbh.... To top it off, the guest performers for this song were Minori and Pierre!!! Minori was at the top of the stairs and as Saki-chan approached he gave him a bouquet, which Saki-chan happily accepted. Then Minori held out his hand like a fking prince and held Saki-chan’s hand and escorted him down the stairs AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH (the crowd wouldn’t stop screaming ajkh;skjfg). At the bottom of the stairs was Pierre, sitting on a bench and reading a book (iirc). Saki-chan bade Minori farewell and approached the bench, and Pierre pulled out a handkerchief and set it on the bench for Saki-chan to sit on JKAHGLFHGLAHG WHO EVEN DOES THAT ANYMORE OH MY GOD T_______T Saki-chan danced with the both of them in turns and just looked like a beautiful princess with her princes... (I just remembered a tweet i saw about this... “Saki-chan with B(eit) LOL BURUZON CHIEMI REFERENCE) By this point the audience had died again from both jealousy (of Saki-chan) and just overall bliss from getting to witness this cute af performance. Compare this to last year when SEM were the ones escorting Saki-chan and got slapped in the face instead LOL. (When this was brought up during talk time Yoshiki was like “Oh, so it’s fine if it’s Takatsuka?” LMAOOO)

The CafePa medley kept going! Next up was Roll’s One Whole Wonderful. Roll is SO cute!!! TwT He mimed being surrounded by cakes and took a bite from all of them before breaking into the HAPPIEST smile, omg just precious ;;;;;;; Why is CafePa full of cuties ;;;;;;;;;;;; My heart was purified ;;;;;;;;; Then the rest of CafePa joined him on stage for Reversed Masquerade. I love this song more and more each time i see it. I especially the single-file march they do towards the end ;w; 

I started yelling again when the next song played because it was another one that i had been hoping to hear!! Amehiko’s Sweep Your Gloom!!!!!!! (Lol before the concert i was like “I’ll be happy if i get to hear this ONE song. And maybe these others too if i’m really lucky” and i got to hear pretty much all the songs on my list dhjgladhflajdh BLESSED) I love Amehiko’s smooth voice so, so much and this song, despite the serious and uplifting lyrics, sounds sexy af bc of Kasama-san’s voice //// To make the performance even more amazing (THIS KEEPS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE CONCERT ISTG WE ARE SO LUCKY) Rui and Jirou-chan joined the stage as the backup dancers and i wished that i had extra pairs of eyes to watch all my favourites doing the moody sensual dance T_T

As a LegeP i was still feeling giddy and happy AND THEN SORA APPEARED ON STAGE FOR FLOWING FREEDOM omggggggggg my heart >_____< I LOOOVE this song and Sora did such a great job performing it T_T Fuumin was even wearing red contacts to match Sora’s eyes and the text graphics on the main monitor was really stylish and well done, so much so that i found myself watching the graphics half the time. Next, rounding up the Legenders medley was Legacy of Spirit. Legenders’ starting point! This LegeP couldn’t have asked for more TwT (I guessed that they would save Chris’ solo for Shizuoka.)

Finally it was The Kogado’s turn again! They’ve performed RAY OF LIGHT at every appearance in the tour and it just gets better each time!! Just kickass in all aspects and I love Ren singing in a higher tone, esp that last note of the chorus *__*

Back to SEM with ∞ Possibilities! I’ve heard this song a million times but i’ll never get sick of it. We cheered each time Hazama-sensei hit that goosebumps-inducing note in “koeTEEEEEEE” ;____;

Next was yet another song on my wish list! Hazama-sensei’s Learning Message! Like everyone else I’m absolutely in love with Totto’s amazing vocals and the song’s technopop instrumentals are to die for. Imo this song’s key sounds a tad high for Hazama’s in-character vocal range but Totto never fails to deliver a strong vocal performance >< In true SEM tradition he had some weird dance moves haha (someone on twitter interpreted them as possible math symbols).

Beit took the stage again for Smile Engage!!!!! Ahhh THE representative Beit song T_T Horieru and TakaP were sparkly and charming as usual but tbh the vocals sounded a little thin without Kyoji...

SEM joined them on stage next for Eureka Diary. As with the previous songs i think Minori sang most of Kyoji’s lines? I have to admit that I don’t really like this song but it was great seeing Beit and SEM on stage together ;w;

We were in the last segment of the concert which followed the standard template - Beyond The Dream, costume change break/”Encore!” yelling time, then GLORIOUS RO@D, and lastly, DRIVE A LIVE. Iirc Jirou-chan sang Touma’s solo part in GloRoad? I was jealous of the people sitting in the front half of the hall as it was raining paper/foam stars with the Glorious St@ge logo. But more importantly I was ecstatic to be able to participate in yelling “WE ARE 315!!!!” during Drive A Live T_______T I’ve never felt closer to the im@s community and the 315 idols.....

I don’t remember much from the ending talk but I do recall SEM attempting to speak in the local dialects, a somewhat teary-eyed Murase addressing F-LAGS who were watching the LV, Beit & Mofu & Kogado expressing gratitude for the support they’ve received (last day for all these groups), and SEM blowing a synchronised kiss at the camera before disappearing from the stage right at the end akjgfa;kgjfas; *clutches heart*

This day will be a treasured memory of mine for years to come.... Ngl, because i didn’t have a great view from my seat at times I kinda wished that i could’ve split my body in two to watch the concert live and the LV at the same time. But SEM drove by in their rainbow limo trolley within metres of my seat and Jirou-chan shot me in the heart so there’s that.... And while it’s a shame that my main baes DraSta weren’t at Fukuoka, the amazing set list gave me everything else that i wanted, plus more. So much more T_______T Thank you, 315Pro. This P will keep working hard to support our idols!!