#oh yeah and james is a surfer

[darlingstarbby]

twinkling with the stars chapter one snippet 

coming february 18, 2023!

[unconventional-lawnchair]

Like my father pt 2 {burb}

Sirius x Potter!Reader

An: Already writing part 3. This can also be read as a solo.

CW: Amos Diggory slander, not proof read, use of y/n, bad dates, just cheesy fluff,

Summary: Reader has a bad date and Sirius comes to the rescue

Wc: 2451

Part one Part three

“I genuinely can't believe you let her walk out that door with him.” James groaned from the love seat where Lily had found a perch in his lap.

It was just a few months after your graduation when you informed your family and co. that you were seeing someone. Someone four years older, Amos Diggory. James protested, Sirius protested, even your mother did. Didn't stop you from accepting his date invitation. Nor did it stop you from leaving to go out to eat with him either.

Lily rolled her eyes, gently nudging James with her elbow. “Oh, come off it, James. She’s not a child anymore. She can handle herself.”

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, every part of him was tense, despite how he played it cool. “Drop it, mate.”

James sat up straighter, glaring at Sirius with indignation. “Drop it? Are you serious? She’s going out with a guy who’s practically an adult! What if he tries something? You know how boys are at that age!”

“Yeah, he's one of them.” Remus muttered and took a sip of his tea, earning a smack from Sirius.

“Stop talking like she isn't old enough to make her own choices.” Sirius huffed, crossing his arms defensively. “She was bound to start dating eventually.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I can’t worry! I mean.” James pointed at Sirius and then back at himself. “He's older than us. I don't like it.”

“Maybe he is, but she’s not going to be alone with him in a dark alley, James. They’re going to a restaurant,” Remus chimed in, giving an amused sigh. “Let her live a bit.”

“This conversation isn't happening again.” Lily groaned as she stood up, grabbing James by his hand. “We're going to bed.”

James looked up at Lily and squeezed her hand with an affectionate, hell, lovesick look. “Yes ma'am.”

“Whipped.” Sirius huffed and Remus gave him a look.

“Goodnight all.” James waved before he pointed at Sirius with a glare. “You're gonna lose her, mate. Get your shit together.”

Sirius flipped him off before he sunk back into his bed. Sighing threw his nose and sank into the couch.

“You can't ignore it forever, Sirius.” Remus muttered and Sirius gave a scoff.

“Oh, but I can. And I will. She trusts me, she likes me, she thinks I'm just the greatest. I'm okay with that.” Sirius sighed and Remus gave a huff.

“Sirius, if she likes this guy-”

“Then I'll be happy for her.” He interrupted and ran his fingers a bit more purposefully through his hair. “She'll find someone worth her time.”

“Ugh. Is this how it felt talking to me?” Remus mumbled and Sirius rolled his eyes.

“I'm nothing, Remus. I don't have a damn thing to offer her. Not even my name means more than hers.”

Remus frowned. “That’s not true, and you know it. You’re a good guy, and you care about her. That counts for something. She wouldn't care about anything else.”

“Yeah, but it’s not enough,” Sirius grumbled, his voice laced with frustration. “I’m just her brother’s best friend. Some couch surfer her parents pitied. I’m not what she needs. Not when she could have someone like Amos. He’s got it all; looks, charm, and a future ahead of him. What do I have? A knack for getting into trouble and a penchant for living on the edge?”

“Sirius,” Remus interjected firmly, leaning forward. “You know she doesn't think like that. You haven't even given her the choice.”

“But she so often picks the wrong one.” He groaned and Remus shook his head.

“Just think about it, mate. I'm going to bed, you coming?”

“No I uhm���” Sirius glanced at the window and bit his cheek. “Think ima stay up for her. You know, to lock up after her.”

Remus slowly smiled and nodded, dismissing himself.

~~~

Sirius was shocked awake by the sound of the house phone ringing. He hissed and rubbed his eyes, having fallen asleep on the couch.

He groaned, the muffled ringing echoing through the house as he squinted at the clock on the wall. It was well past nine, when you should have been home. Who in their right mind was calling this late? He internally nagged himself for not being awake to welcome you home.

Reluctantly, he pushed himself up from the couch, his body stiff from the awkward position he had been in. As he shuffled toward the kitchen, he could hear the phone ringing again, the sound almost piercing his ears. He reached the phone just as it stopped, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, it started ringing again.

“Ugh, bloody hell.” He muttered, picking up the receiver a bit more aggressively then needed. “Potter residence, what-”

“Sirius? Is that you?”

At the sound of your voice he almost toppled over. “Bambi? The hell? What are you still doing out?”

“Uhm.. dinner ran a bit later than I thought.” You whispered and you began to ring your fingers through the cord. “Would it.. would it be too much to ask you to come pick me up?”

Sirius thought about what you were asking for a moment, you didn't exactly sound thrilled to be there.

Not that he had to think about his answer for too long.

“Of course, bambi. Just stay put, yeah?”

“Okay, I’ll be here.” You sounded relieved, and Sirius could picture you visibly relaxing on the other end of the line.

He hung up the phone and quickly grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch, his mind racing with questions.

Sirius slipped on his shoes and headed for the door, he paused and quickly grabbed a pair of your sneakers before hurrying out.

It wasn't long before he got to the restaurant. Walking at night wasn't Sirius’s idea of fun, but the idea of you sounding so nervous and scared, he didn't even realize how fast he was moving. Some fancy place he was sure you'd never be found dead in. Even with your family’s status, you'd more often than not be found in diners.

He walked in, standing awkwardly at the waiting area. He peeked over the hostess stand, looking around the restraint curiously, only able to spot Amos sitting at a table alone. He furrowed his brow, before he felt a tug at his sleeve.

Turning around to see you, smiling up at him. The same smile you shot him when you headed out earlier tonight.

“Hey, little bug, what's going on?” His entire demeanor turned soft, and your smile faltered just a moment.

“I just wanna go home.” You whispered softly and Sirius took a glance back at the table, able to see Diggory looking around curiously.

He nodded and wrapped his arm around your waist, escorting you out of the restaurant to the grand stairs that lead to the sidewalk. He pointed down to the last few steps. “Sit.”

You huffed but did as you were told. Watching as he kneeled in front of you and took off your heels, replacing them with your sneakers.

You hugged yourself, the noodle strap dress doing very little to cut the cold. “Thank you, Siri…”

He sighed a bit at the nickname, standing up and taking your hand to help you up. “Did you call me all the way out here to ditch some boy?”

“Merlin, Siri, he's such a git.” You hissed and looped your arm around his. Clinging to what little warmth he gave off, as he began to lead you home.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a mix of concern and curiosity flooding his thoughts. “What do you mean? What happened?”

You leaned into him a bit more, seeking comfort from the chill in the air and the whirlwind of emotions from the evening. Not used to the more casual treatment from men. Usually, being James Potter’s sister was a reminder enough for men to go above and beyond for your attention.

Given your brother was the boy who would dedicate his Quidditch Cup wins to his girlfriend or declare his love with obnoxious displays. Of course, {Y/N} Potter wouldn't entertain anything less. Seems Amos figured a pretty face was enough. “It started off fine, but then he just… I don’t know, he got too flirty and it felt really off. I thought I could handle it, but he just kept pushing. I felt uncomfortable, and I didn't want to make a scene.”

“Flirty how?” Sirius asked, keeping his voice low and steady, trying to gauge how serious the situation was. Debating on if it was worth running back in.

“He kept talking about how pretty I looked and how lucky he was to be with me.” You explained, your voice barely above a whisper. “At first, it was nice. I mean, you know I like being flattered.”

“What? No. I would have never guessed.” Sirius mocked and you hit his side with a huff.

“Shut up!” You laughed lightly, but the tension in your voice betrayed your discomfort. “But then he started getting too personal, asking if I was a good kisser and if I wanted to go back to his place after dinner. It just felt… wrong.”

Sirius felt a surge of anger course through him, and he tightened his grip on your arm as you walked together. “Did you tell him to back off?”

You nodded, looking down at your feet. “I did, but he just brushed it off and laughed. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I just made up an excuse about needing to call you. It was the only way I could get out of there.”

“Good thinking.” He praised, his voice softening. “You did the right thing. You don’t have to put up with that kind of behavior from anyone, no matter how charming they might seem.”

You looked up at him, slowly your bottom lip began to quiver and he gave a surprised and panicked look. Before his expression slowly turned soft. “Oh, bambi.”

“I didn't like it.” You whispered, quickly lifting your free hand to dry your gathering tears. “It was my first date and I hated it.”

“Hey, hey.” He whispered and stopped walking. Lifting his hand to shoo away your own, using his thumb to dry your tears. “Hey, none of that, it wasn't your fault.”

“He was so gross.” You whined out and he tutted, pulling away as you took a shaky breath. “And his cologne smells awful.”

Sirius gave a startled chuckle and you slowly smiled up at him. “Smelt like a mix of cheap aftershave and desperation.” You added, a hint of laughter breaking through your earlier distress. He gave a louder laugh as he began to lead you back down the street.

“How cruel of you.” He chuckled and you shook your head, giving a small sniff. “How cruel of me? How cruel of him! I had to smell it all night, I'm the victim here.”

Sirius couldn’t help but smile at your determination to find humor in the situation despite how upset you had been moments earlier. “You’re absolutely right.”

You giggled, the sound warming Sirius’s heart. It was nice to see you lightening up, even if just a little. “I mean, really, if you’re going to wear something that strong, at least make sure it doesn’t smell like it came from the bargain bin. My dad has better smelling cologne and he actually gets it from the bargain bin.”

He shook his head. “Do you even know cologne? Is that even on your radar?”

“Well, no but.. I like my dads. And yours.” You hummed and leaned in closer, taking a small whiff of him before you scrunched up your nose. “Not this one. The green bottle.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk creeping onto his face. “The one I wore at Hogwarts?”

You laughed, your tension easing. “Definitely. It smells way better than what that git was wearing. You’d have all the ladies swooning.”

“Ah, but I’m not trying to swoon anyone tonight.” He hummed, his tone suddenly more serious as he looked down at you. “I’m just focused on getting you home safe.”

You met his gaze, a mix of gratitude and warmth filling your chest. “I appreciate that, Sirius. It means a lot to me.”

“Course. Next time you need a date, you just let me know, and I’ll screen them first,” Sirius offered, half-joking but also completely serious. “I’ll make sure they meet the ‘Sirius Standard.’”

You laughed. “The Sirius Standard? Oh please, I know how you treat your girls.”

“Not my girls. They aren't my girls.” He chuckled and you rolled your eyes.

“You don't have girls anymore? You've changed, Black.”

“Who needs girls when I got you to look after? Too much work if you ask me.” He huffed and you slowly smiled, fiddling with the threads of his warn jacket.

You guys eased into a calm silence. It wasn't long until you were home, and he was lifting up his keys and kneeling down to take off your shoe. You gave a sleepy yawn, looking down as he stood infront of you.

He did a double take, noticing how you chewed your lip.

“What's on your mind, bambi?”

“Just.. boys. Is it weird, Siri? That I haven't dated yet?”

“What? Doll, is that why you went out with him?”

“... maybe. Just.. James got to me the other day. I haven't dated anyone, that can't be normal.”

He cooed and walked over to you, “It's not, but it's special. You know what you want. That's a good thing.”

You looked up at him, your expression thoughtful. “You really think so?”

“Absolutely.” He affirmed confidently. “You’re not going to settle for just anyone. You’ll wait for someone who makes you feel safe and happy. That’s way more important than just dating for the sake of it.”

You smiled softly. “Thanks, Sirius. You always know how to make me feel better.”

“That's my job, isn't it?” He grinned back at you, before lifting up his arms. “Come ‘er.”

You giggled and hurried over to him, slipping your arms around his waist and nuzzling your face into his chest. He wrapped his arms around you and held you close, giving you a tender kiss on your forehead.

“Don't go rushing into things, bams. You've got a lot of years to find someone.” He whispered against your hair and you absolutely melted into him. Not noticing as the stairs from the second floor creaked and James peaked down to look at Sirius. Giving him a smile and hurrying back upstairs.

“Siri?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we watch a movie tonight?”

“Is it Grease?”

“... maybe.”

[suzie-shooter]

Screaming Meals - Le Mans commentary highlights 10.06.23

 J: It's quarter to three, race is due to start at three o'clock. Obviously, you know, told Marcus to get here at two. C: Still not here.

J: I think the Cadillacs should have a good race. I mean it broke down in qualifying yesterday, it couldn't manage to do 45 minutes and now it's got to do 24 hours.

C: Roland Garros, women's finals, at the moment. J: Who's in that? C: Swiatek and [...] I don't know the other person. J: I went to school with someone called Swiatek. [...] But he was called Matthew so it's probably not him.

C: Why am I eating? Bit of a rough morning really. J: To say the least. Clem's parked up on struggle street.

C: Hoping for a moist affair.

C: Damn, my ramen's going to go everywhere. J: Ramen's going to be great ASMR as well, slopping and slurping everywhere like some kind of deranged ignoramus.

J: "What were Marcus' thoughts on James' last stream?" I think he quite liked it - I don't think he watched it 'cause he was racing so I don't know if he has too many thoughts on that stream. Nothing really happened, and yeah from his point of view he was a bit busy, so...

C: "Did Marcus like the Detroit track?" J: He loved it actually. C: D'you know what, you can ask him when he arrives, but, fucking, probably won't arrive. J: He's not officially late for another seven minutes.

C: So James is doing a 24 hour stream. J: I'm not.

C: Great mouthfeel. If I could paint a picture with words for ya,  it's ah, it's really good. J: I've said it before and I'll say it again, you have a real career waiting for you in food blogs.

C: I'm gonna take a couple of the old chillies out there. J: What an absolute - front cartilage. C: No, listen, I'm a backbone. Oh! Front cartilage, that's the opposite of a backbone. J: There you go, well done.

C: Loving the shorts too. J: Thank you. They were on sale. In 2014. C: Where'd you get those? J: I believe these are Billabong actually? C: Billabong? I didnt take you for a surfer. J: Yeah, I actually, I thought about learning surfing in September of 2017 and then quite quickly had the realisation that I was due to move to London in 2 months and it would be absolutely pointless.

J: [Marcus has] let us down, he's let himself down,  but more importantly - C: He's shaving his legs. J: He's let you guys down.

J: Let's see if Bourdais fucks it. C: That's not very nice James.

J: I'd love to see a replay of it, 'cause it was actually quite funny [...] oh it'd really tear your undies, on lap one of Le Mans, to put it in the wall like that.

C: Yeah, no, Dyson Airwrap, allows me to really straighten my hair in the mornings there and, er, allow me to have a bit more of a - bit more control.   J: Control's important. Just tell that to Jack Aitken.  

C: We've just got a slight issue really, getting new guests on. J: Yeah, no one seems to be keen. C: No one seems to be keen  these days. J: I'm not sure what's happened...

J: I left for Monaco, and I packed two hats and I returned with four. And I didn't even buy one.

C: Not only is it absolutely massive but it's also bent. (Alain Prost's nose)

C: Shall we give Marcus a call, see what he's up to? [...] Yes mate, you've got 750 people waiting for you to arrive, but you seem to be 40 minutes late [...] ah, fuck him. *hangs up*

C: Thing is, we promised Marcus and he's just not quite delivered. J: Yeah...I feel sorry for the woman who ends up with him.

C: A lot of people asking whether I should be sitting their Business A Levels - I actually participated - partake - ah - partook in the business exam a couple of years ago. J: Must have done well in your English one as well.

J: As an organisation, two thirds of us - well, three quarters with Rory - do care about you, the fans. Marcus is a scoundrel and a traitor. C: He's a sort of a Han Solo character. J: What, he gets it on with his sister? C: Yes James. J: I'm not accusing anyone of anything there. I regret I said that actually, but I've said it now.  Okay, so they're saying I was wrong there. C: You've fucked it up again.

J: I'm thinking that we're gonna need to reach out to the Serbian star and maybe start some kind of merch line: Novalak Djokovic.

J: So hot as well. Turned himself into a real DILF actually, Dan Carter. C: Absolute DILF. Dan Carter. Who's the biggest DILF for you? J: Ah what, just full stop, or in a certain area, or field? C: Full stop. J: It's probably got to be, um, Ryan Reynolds. C: Yeah, I was going to go with Ryan Reynolds. J: Yeah, he's a total DILF. C: Toto Wolff, in the comments. J: I feel like he'd be pretty boring in the sack. Patrick Dempsey, I mean you want to talk about hot old dudes and Le Mans, he's obviously got this team racing here.

J: Kimi Raikkonen there getting an honourable mention for, I'm assuming the DILF chat. C: Ah Kimi - pretty -  I mean -  probably not a - I wouldn't say he's a very vocal lover. J: Nah , he'd be a very silent lover. He'd be - I mean similar to Formula 1 media he'd communicate only in grunts and groans I believe. Very monotonous in his delivery of his love.

C: "Josef Newgarden qualifies as a DILF now." J: He does technically qualify as a DILF if - if he floats your boat, and you know, just speaking for myself there he's certainly floating mine.

J: I'm sure somebody knows what's going on here but it's not us. C: I've got no fucking idea.

(Screaming Meals technical gremlins make an appearance, giving us a brief glimpse of their kitchen)

J: Fixed! Fixed! How good! Just like the Formula 2 championship. C: I'm distancing myself so far away from that comment.

J: Where were we? I think we were talking about DILFs? C: Tom Hardy. DILF? J: Yeah, he's actually not my flavour of crisps to be honest, actually, Tom Hardy. He's quite short. I mean, you know, I'm not on the market, I'm just saying. C: You never cease to amaze me.

C: "Marcus being a male bimbo again." J: That would imply that at some stage he's actually stoppped being - 'cause you've said again - that implies that he's stopped being a male bimbo, whereas he's not.

J: "Marcus is Ken coded" - do you know what that means? C: Nope.

J: Clem's shades not quite dark enough to hide the fact that his eyes are now closed.

*Clem keels over sideways* J: Seem to have momentarily lost Clement Novalak, but I'm sure he will return.

J: 4.09 arrival predicted from Marcus Armstrong. C: Which is currently another 15 minutes. J: That's actually bang on 69 minutes late from Marcus Armstrong, you'd expect nothing less to be perfectly frank.

C: "Take a shot each time Clem yawns" - you're gonna be dead.

C: You're looking pretty moist.

C: Max Fewtrell. Doing the cooking. Probably doing a stream on cooking. J: Caged in his gimp suit on a leash.

J: I've been getting vastly mixed reviews on my long locks. C: It sort of looks a bit pubey at the back. J: Ally hates it. Ally fucking hates it. Which is why I'm keeping it.

C: First time he's actually text me since - hold on hold on - 17th May. J: There's a text string of Clem - I hope you don't mind me exposing this - there's three texts in a row from Clem to Fewtrell going - "Brother, I have an idea, a good one too" and he's just blanked him, he's not replied. Wise man. When Clement Novalak texts you to say he's got a good idea, don't fuckin' respond.

J: It really gets deep inside my goat. C: You do have a nice goat.

J [talking about buzzcuts]: Do you think it has like the same effect as like your downstairs, where it makes it look much bigger? C: I wouldn't want to have a massive head. J: Yeah exactly, that's what I'm thinking. C: 'Cause then it would make my massive honker look even larger. J: Yeah, no you don't want that. I can't afford my honker to look much bigger. I'm talking about my nose.

J: You do a good impression of a whipcrack actually. C: I just spat all over myself. J: Tune into Screaming Meals and watch two guys spit all over each other.

C: If I get a Pret [coffee] I'm gonna throw my phone out the window. J: Actually no you shouldn't do that it might kill someone. We're 28 floors up.

J: Actually I'm going to put the shot glasses in the freezer. Do you think I should put one in for his - his friend as well - do you think she's with him?

J: Yes it is a massive bottle of Corona, your eyes aren't deceiving you, Clem's not actually that small.

J: Is that our doorbell? I've never heard that before.

J: I had dinner with Marcus and a friend of his yesterday - can't remember her name - and he was still trying to insist that he's 6 ft tall.

J: "James show us the snazzy shorts you're wearing"

M: How are ya? C: You're three minutes late so that's  three shots. J: No, no, no you're an hour and thirteen minutes late.

M: How are you feeling? C: Pretty rooted. Where are we going tonight?

M: I'm not having any shots. I'm not drinking today. I've got to do some stuff later.

C: You disappoint me. M: I know. C: Every day. M: Yeah, I know.

J: My back is absolutely destroyed from carrying this shit. C: Yeah James, you do carry.

C: Marcus? M: Yo. J: Where do you stand on DILFs?

J: Up in the hypercar field it's been real bumper to bumper. C: C&B, bumper to bumper. J: Is C&B meaning what I think it means?

J: I hate to be fussy but could you two bastards move over a bit? C: I need to lie back and have a wee sleep.

M: Did you tell them we did a pod yesterday? J: No. M: Were we keeping that a secret? J: Yeah, we were.

M: Is this slaving away? I can't think of anything better than sitting back, watching the race, feet up on the table. C: No, get your grippers out! M: Oh the grippers are out by the way everyone. C: Disgusting, piece of filth. J: [...] five minutes, and it's underwear off, shoes off, grease in the hair.

J: "Marcus is raw-dogging his shoes" - yes!

M: By the way I have actually - I've started washing my hair everyone. You'll find out in the pod. C: And wearing deoderant. M: And wearing deoderant as well. C: And do you know what, you look better and I'm starting to think that - M: I am better. J: You might even just taste better. C: Pfffff what the fuck?? J: I was just going with the senses there. You said look, the obvious next choice was taste.

M: When we went to Long Beach weren't we meant to do an intro video? J: We wanted to do something like that, but we did run out of time because we were being cancelled and you had an indycar race to do.

M: Do you still have this as your background? J: HoyteyJ and Minougey? Hoytey. C: You've taken Hoytey off yours M: I've had to change mine. C: Yeah, I know why. J: What is it now? M: It's a dog. J: Well that's a bit rude. C: That's a bit rude. *James screams* M: It's literally like - no - it's a labrador, it's literally a little baby labrador, no! C: Oh shit yeah [chat's] just gone off. M: Come on!

C: I don't have a CV. I arrive, I say - Clement Novalak, enchante.

J: What? M: Heart rate J: Is 34? M: Yes. J: Are you alive? M: When I'm sleeping it dips down. J: When you're asleep your heart rate is 34? M: Yes. My Oura ring stops counting when it goes under 33. J: Does it assume you're dead?

C: It was the first night I had redbull vodka in about six months [...] I was doing a long distance run mate, in my bed. J: Don't need to know any more details than that.

C: Can you fucking - leave your grippers away from my grippers? J: Yeah, that's quite aggressive. C: With that fucking massive toenail. M: I just wanna play footsie [...] yeah, we're playing footsies everybody.

J: Imagine having the audacity to leave people waiting an hour and a quarter, and then just being on your phone.

M: Clem are you okay mate? Good.

J: Fuckin' hell, you selling tickets there mate? M: Gun show there. J: Watch Marcus now get competitive and not be able to resist getting his guns out.

J: What's going to run out first, our countdown to 22 hours, or the iPad battery? That might be the most interesting battle we've got going on here.

J: Thanks so much for sticking with us for the last couple of hours [...] we don't know anything that's going on in the race and we've made almost no effort to find out.

[ginnyrules27]

Okay so I saw 'Once Upon a Studio' yesterday and I mean...I did not ask to be punched in the gut with emotions Disney! Spoilers under the cut in case you haven't seen it yet

-First off, just the concept of the animation studio almost being like Night at the Musem where the pictures come alive was so much fun.

-TREASURE PLANET GOT ACKNOWLEDGED! I GOT TO SEE JIM IN HIS JACKET ON HIS SOLAR SURFER!

-Dodger with Vanellope in the candy racer was adorable!

-Hearing Peter Pan say 'Here we go!' felt so weird when it wasn't followed by Jack Sparrow saying 'We have our heading', those commercials were the pinnacle of my childhood

-Did I mention Treasure Planet?!

-The 2D and the 3D animations really melded well together, especially the scene where Moana's holding Flounder!

-There's an elevator gag that made me burst out laughing when I first saw it

-ROBIN WILLIAMS' VOICE AS GENIE! And no, it's not AI! Disney got permission from Robin Williams' estate to use outtakes from Aladdin for this.

-Milo Thatch getting ready in the men's bathroom with Gaston, Chicken Little, Prince John, the Headless Horseman, Thomas O'Malley, and Doc! Oh, and the Cheshire Cat!

-Antonio Madrigal happily making his way to the photo with Pascal, Cri-ki, Pua, and Meeko and saving Jaq and Gus from being eaten by a lizard-type thing (okay I haven't seen the Rescuers Down Under so I don't know all the characters by name lol) with some help from Pluto!

-Kristoff and Sven hanging out with Ryder!

-"Come on puppies, you're going to get nightmares" is Kristoff's only line and it's to the 15 Dalmatian puppies watching Night on Bald Mountain and yet I feel that's peek Akiho energy and it may find itself into one of my fics

-ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN STEALING MONEY FROM SCROOGE AFTER THE PUPPIES KNOCKED HIM OVER!

-Pat Caroll's voice is the voice of Ursula and I'm loving the thought that the original voice actors stay the voices of these characters after their deaths

-Also what movie is the blue blobby thing from that's following Ursula?

-Also also why did Flounder need water but Ursula can walk around in her half octopus form?

-Can't have a Cinderella cameo without someone losing a shoe

-CINDERELLA HAS THE CORRECT COLOR FOR HER DRESS!

-"Eric, get your dog!" You can pry the fact that the princes are friends out of my cold dead hands!

-"Go Max go!" Aww, I love the fact that Cinderella can be goofy when she's not living with her abusive step family!

-The moment with Mickey and Walt's photo and 'Feed the Birds' in the background...yeah it's okay, I didn't need to do anything but cry for the next seven days

-Jeremy Irons as Scar!!

-"Make it pink" "Make it blue" was such a good bit

-The classic Goofy scream!

-STITCH!

-All of them coming to sing When You Wish Upon a Star...Mirabel playing with Scat Cat, Belle singing with Beast, James Woods as Hades' voice, Jodie Benson reprising the voice of Ariel...just all of it!

-Snow White bringing Asha from Wish to stand next to her with Mulan on the other side and characters from Disney's 'Dark Age' on either side in the background

-Speaking of the Dark Age characters, how do you think they were treated during all this at the time? Especially Black Cauldron since that almost saw Disney Animation close its doors but it was nice to see all the characters be part of the short

Safe to say I loved every second!

[returntosaturn271995]

Thursday, April 20th: Oh Mona Lisa, I’d pay to see you frown

Today is Hitler’s birthday. I hate that I know that and I legit can’t forget it. It’s also 4/20, so I gave Emily Hershman a shout out as she’s the biggest stoner I know. 

But yeah. Fun fact. 

In honor of not living under a Nazi regime, I took a mirror selfie in my workout clothes because my body looks fire and I’m not going to be taking any pictures with Kelly and Kendall at dinner tonight. I’ve been thinking a lot about vanity lately and talking about it with friends, I might transcribe the jumble in my notes app here. The relation to beauty and image and how little it has to do with self-care will follow me to my grave. 

I got a lot of fire emojis, so thirst trap accomplished. It’s only a little shameful. Vanity is just such a satisfying sin sometimes. My daily beach walk was punctuated with two white labs, blooming California poppys, and an ocean view full of kite surfers. The soundtrack is still “Panic! At the Disco”.

Kiera and I texted about how weird it is how so many Mormons are hot. James still has a head cold (I may actually hate him now). Lisa and I are hitting up the Poway Farmers market. My book club is reading The Midnight Library for our next meeting June 15th and Leah is hosting a Sunday Funday to celebrate finishing some kind of school thing.

The weekend is going to be poppin’ you guys! (My imaginary readers). 

After my run, I made a smoothie because I promise myself not to let anymore fruit rot. Then I did hip flexibility yoga, which was honestly confusing but I feel like it worked, then I rolled out my mat and stretched out my legs again. I can wrap my hands around my legs and my anterior tendons are surprisingly not as ramrod stiff as my back legs. My daily meditation was about picturing a serene person and then pretending to be them, like a statue of Buddha or a cat lying in the sun. I chose to imagine myself as Dolly Parton smiling out the window and getting sunlight on her face. Then I imagined myself as Nesta the Valkaryie. 

I keep thinking of more and more mental health jokes. 

“The secret to happiness? Anti-depressants and sunscreen. I usually just use whatever brand is at the bottom of my bag. And for sunscreen I love Banana Boat!” 

[blubushie]

Continued.

You see that bit? "Dusty-black ute"?

Holy fuck? What? Was Mick supposed to have a different car in this scene?

It's worth noting that all points up to now, Mick's blue Ford has been referred to as a "truck", but this one it's referred to as a ute. So what gives, Greg?

Is he driving this? American-bodied Ford truck?

Or this? Australian-bodied Holden ute?

Because both are called utes in Australia--newer trucks, the massive toddler-killers, are called trucks usually, but old Fords like that are usually utes when they've got a tray. Since Mick's lacks a tray, it'd be a truck... So now I'm wondering what ute he's supposed to be driving.

However it's worth noting that the "ute" has spotlights, so I'm actually pretty sure it IS supposed to be his usual blue truck. I'm not sure what Greg meant by dusty-black.

"Sweeps his hair back ... regaining control." I bet he thinks he's cool.

"Shaking her limp hand" HE'S SUCH A DORK

We didn't get the nose-breaking I don't think...

Oh he's so mad

I love when he talks to himself cuz I think it's amusing.

I mentioned this before, but I honest to god thought Paul was just smoking a hand-rolled cigarette (durry) and not a joint. Knowing that he was actually stoned while all this happens is SO amusing for me. Worst trip of his life, poor bloke </3

Save the ring for Mick, mate.

Also--yeah, he's a surfer in this. Apparently he's not that good at it.

Mick is also FAR more aggro in this scene than the final film. In the final film him using his rifle was the last resort after his truck is wrecked on the tree. In the script, he's using it from the start.

I find it amusing how "wagging his tongue" is mentioned here and not everything Mick says plus the porcine snorting and tapping his knife on the passenger window we have in the final film.

Yeah so in the script they actually ESCAPE Mick during the chase...

And we get some backstory on Paul.

I giggled.

I'm also sad we didn't get this scene either, because it woulda been an INCREDIBLE jumpscare.

NOW we get the scene in the final film where Mick uses his rifle.

I love moments where Mick's skill gets to be shown off. As an additional show of it, in the script the Jeep hadn't come to a stop already. I'm sure that changing that was meant to be a testament to Mick's lethal efficiency and brutality--shooting fish in a barrel, essentially--but in the script, Mick makes this shot while Paul is driving away with Katarina.

"You owe me, boy." I like that this was said so early in the script--something Mick will repeat over the rest of the film. I wish it'd made it into the final film as the first instance of the verbal motif regarding the debt Paul's got to Mick. Instead we just got angry old man.

He also doesn't leave her body in the script--merely shoves her body unceremoniously into the boot instead.

Fun trip. Haha. Double entendre.

Btw we're closer to Sturt Creek (in the script it's called "Sturt's Rest") than we are to Hall's Creek, and apparently this frustrates Paul for some reason. Just go to fucken Sturt, mate. ← Knows damn well Sturt Creek ain't shit and you're unlikely to find anyone there

Ok while Ruby is an excellent choice for this song and I'd have KILLED to have heard Mick sing it, I still think Lion Sleeps Tonight was the better choice for this scene, simply because it has massive funnyfactor.

However this specific choice of song, with Mick chasing Paul, especially if they'd gotten John to very heartfully sing "Oh Ruby, for god's sake, turn around" would've been hilarious for the MickPaul shippers.

PAUL

(I reckon this was cut cuz it was deemed too uncharacteristic of him)

We've now reached the roo scene...

It's worth noting that in the final film Mick is laughing this whole time. In the script I can picture him saying it with some level of genuinely apology and that image is hilarious to me.

Call Mick James Bond the way he spits one-liners.

Wolf Creek 2 script... analysis thingo

Warning, this is gonna contain spoilers for the TV series, and the movie, and the books, and what all have you. So read at your own discretion.

Also I'm gonna hang a bit of shit on Greg McLean in this in the typical friendly Aussie ribbing fashion. Yeah yeah I know Aaron Sterns also co-wrote the script, but between Greg, and Aaron (who also co-wrote Origins), and Brett McBean (who co-wrote Desolation Game), the only common denominator between the movies, the telly series, and the books is Greg. So you're the one copping shit, mate.

Also this is gonna be bloody long and will probably take a day or so for me to finish going through, so check the reblogs ay.

I wrote up a whole thing about this and then it got deleted cuz I closed the tab so I'm kinda pissed about that but anyway-

This number is actually closer to 38,000 average per year, but 98% of missing people in Australia are found in the first three months--these are "short term missing persons". Long-term missing persons are much rarer.

Additionally this number is massively skewed. These aren't people just disappearing into the outback. Australian national policy is that ANY MINOR in state care MUST be reported missing when they miss curfew. In 2023, 55,000 people were reported missing. Of them, 37,000 were children, 99% of which were found within one week of being reported as missing. This means that 67% of missing Australians are missing children found within a week.

I'm only mentioning this because I'm a former missing Australian child, and I think these statistics being included in the title sequences is funny given how they're taken so out of context. Ooooo spooky scary outback serial killer? Nah just teenagers going AWOL.

Model confirmation.

Greg does this often--spells shit incorrectly (usually with American spelling). It's tyres, mate. Fucken Melbu- [I am taken out back and shot like a lame horse]

Taking a moment away from hanging shit on M-lburnians to praise Greg for his prose. Genuinely--I love the prose in this script and how skilled he is at getting the image in his head across to his actors to replicate.

-1 for not calling it a gunbox. But +1 for being Like That about the knife.

The feigned innocence gets me. (I mean, to be fair, he IS innocent here of what they're about to drag him about--just ignore the dead chick in the meatlocker in the back of the rig.)

It's arse, you git. We aren't Americans.

I just wanna giggle about this because a lot of time when people picture sociopaths in media, it's "wanton disrespect for the law". Which really isn't the case. It's more "respectful of the law so long as it suits us" and Mick reflects this. He knows wanton disrespect of it would draw attention. Bloke's careful.

Also Greg spelt "arsed" here properly. So he knows.

Had a perfect opportunity to introduce international audiences to "bogan" and blew it. Shame, Greg. Shame.

This would've been the FIRST thing out of a cop's mouth when they rapped the window, not waffling beforehand.

[tap tap, motioning to roll the window down] "G'arvo, licence, registration, proof of insurance." Followed by noticing the rifle racked on the window and "Licence for that too. You have any other weapons?" and THEN they start checking your shit.

Sauce have been pulled over by police a few times, usually for a blow in the bag. (I am also careful.)

I didn't get to see what darts he smokes and I'm gonna whinge about this forever. I bet it's Winfields. Fucken bet. Bloke's smoke.

That escalated quickly. (Greg's edge is showing.) Also they'd have asked about the rifle a LOT sooner.

"An evil not quite human." Iunno maybe this is just the disorders in me speaking but after that shit I'd fucken shoot 'em too. That's very human actually I reckon.

Also at one point in this scene Greg calls a windscreen "windshield". There's something in M-lbourne's water. I'm not gonna keep screencapping mistakes like that but I will keep bitching about them. He misspells "metres" too as "meters".

I'm glad we have this moment in the show, when he tells the Kiwi--forget his name, soz mate--to dig. And then starts monologuing to him about how much he hates Kiwis (funny callback to Cutter from Origins--aw, Mick, look who still holds a grudge). But I'll be arsed if this isn't a great sequence, and I'm slightly bummed we didn't get it.

[sugaredge]

frances' favourite songs from different bands

oasis - live forever

mazzy star - wasted

brian jonestown massacre - my man syd

smashing pumpkins - cherry

portishead - threads

cramps - human fly

nick cave and the bad seeds - henry lee (ft. pj harvey)

pogues - if i should fall from grace

flaming lips - she don't use jelly

nirvana - dumb (acoustic)

blur - country house

pulp - underwear

placebo - nancy boy

vines - get free

white stripes - blue orchid

jesus and mary chain - never understood

pavement - cut your hair

vaselines - son of a gun

knife - ny hotel

pixies - is she weird

travis - she's so strange

bright eyes - lover i don't have to love

gossip - coal to diamonds

queen - bijou

rolling stones - bitch

velvet underground - pale blue eyes

pj harvey - c'mon billie

neighbourhood - how

cranberries - how

veruca salt - volcano girls

muffs - oh nina

stone roses - waterfall

sounds - no no song

christian death - romeo's distress

elastica - connection

lost pigs - she said

peace - from under liquid glass

b*witched - c'est la vie

supergrass - diamond hoo ha man

trio - wildflowers

zero 7 - in the waiting line

vaccines - weirdo

knack - my sharona

abba - dancing queen

teskey brothers - carry you

foster the people - sit next to me

mgmt - time to pretend

kills - black balloon

butthole surfers - pepper

siouxsie and the banshees - christine

mercury rev - delta sun bottleneck stomp

television - friction

r.e.m. - orange crush

warlocks - shake the dope out

swervedriver - english subtitles

wire - i feel mysterious today

sleater-kinney - little mouth

young marble giants - credit in the straight world

raincoats - fairytale in the supermarket

flipper - ever

gang of four - ether

teenage fanclub - the concept

lemonheads - my drug buddy

violent femmes - color me once

cracker - low

la roux - i'm not your toy

bauhaus - bela lugosi's dead

charlatans - the only one i know

primal scream - zombie man

radiohead - high and dry

gogol bordello - start wearing purple

fleetwood mac - landslide

kooks - sofa song

boo radleys - wake up boo!

james - laid

manic street preachers - your love is not enough

telescopes - i fall she screams

spiritualized - cop shoot cop

spacemen 3 - lord can you hear me?

galaxie 500 - strange

slowdive - machine gun

dr dog - heart it races

fruit bats - humbug mountain song

edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros - home

shakespeare's sister - wish you were here

ash - burn baby burn

transvision vamp - i want your love

von bondies - c'mon c'mon

jet - cold hard bitch

beta band - dry the rain

drugstore - alive

sonic youth - 100%

glasvegas - go square go

smiths - william, it was really nothing

fountains of wayne - hackensack

lush - for love

kitchens of distinction - drive that fast

my chemical romance - cubicles

xray spex - oh bondage up yours

damned - machine gun etiquette

joy division - disorder

echo and the bunnymen - nocturnal me

chinese stars - shake the nurse

pink and brown - messy bessy get undressy

ravonettes - kill!

yeah yeah yeahs - zero

shins - caring is creepy

remy zero - fair

garbage - only happy when it rains

sleeper - inbetweener

verve - drugs don't work

lightning seeds - lucky you

sparklehorse - it's a wonderful life

bay city rollers - saturday night

beastie boys - paul revere

wannadies - you and me song

florence + the machine - dog days are over

gun club - she's like heroin to me

t.tex - 20th century boy

porno for pyros - pets

led zeppelin - whole lotta love

saboteurs - steady as she goes

patridge family - i think i love you

beach boys - help me, rhonda

chromatics - shadow

ok go - here it goes again

buffalo springfield - for what it's worth

simon & garfunkel - mrs robinson

doors - changeling

noisettes - don't give up

adverts - bored teenagers

eels - love of loveless

moldy peaches - nothing came out

magnetic fields - i don't believe you

stooges - gimme danger

teenage jesus and the jerks - orphans

wipers - romeo

public enemy - don't believe the hype

edie brickwell & new bohemians - what i am

jimmy eat world - pain

x - because i do

pretenders - brass in pocket

luscious jackson - naked eye

first aid kit - hard believer

runaways - i wanna be where the boys are

helium - baby's going underground

smoking popes - pure imagination

scarce - all sideways

scars on broadway - chemicals.

xx - angels

le butcherettes - henry don't got love.

descendants - silly girl

dead milkmen - punk rock girl

big star - daisy glaze

raconteurs - consoler of the lonely

witchcraft - please don't forget me

boomtown rats - she's so modern

distillers - dismantle me

now now - oh hi.

black sabbath - heaven and hell

spits - die die die

marked men - don't lose it

misfits - teenagers from mars

a tribe called quest - the jam

filter - hey man nice shot

harvey darger - flagpole sitter

catherine - four leaf clover

medicine - slut

bats - sir queen

cure - m

suede - she

weezer - pink triangle

moonpools & caterpillars - moonpool

archers of loaf - mutes in the steeple

melvins - shevil

mew - special

weepies - all that i want

dead kennedys - kill the poor

black flag - tv party

morphine - you look like rain

magnapop - lay it down

stranglers - peaches

queers - fuck the world

daisy chainsaw - i feel insane

beast make bomb - 1234

blouse - into black

rilo kiley - accidntel deth

gin blossoms - hey jealousy

velocity girl - i can't stop smiling

haim - forever

out crowd - drugsick

asteroid #4 - wicked wire

sex pistols - anarchy in the uk

cat's eyes - cat's eyes

esben and the witch - marching song

pastels - nothing to be done

broadcast - come on let's go

l7 - diet pill

sunny day real estate - friday

meat puppets - plateau

superdrag - do the vampire

tripping daisy - i got a girl

primitive radio gods - women

spacehog - cruel to be kind

godspeed you! black emperor - mladic

super furry animals - crazy naked girls

slits - i heard it through the grapevine

my bloody valentine - only shallow

dandy warhols - bohemian like you

black rebel motorcycle club - took out a loan

marcy playground - sex and candy

toadies - possum kingdom

presidents of the united states - peaches

sponge - slowed

verve pipe - freshman

dishwalla - counting blue cars

oblivians - i'll be gone

half japanese - charmed life

civil wars - poison and wine

felice brothers - whiskey in my whiskey

dresden dolls - girl anachronism

jawbreaker - boxcar

youth brigade - did you wanna die

agent orange - it's all a blur

cosmonauts - shaker

sugarcubes - regina

blonde redhead - 23

cocteau twins - lazy calm

magazine - shot by both sides

swirlies - pancake

lilys - dimes make dollars

chapterhouse - pearl

sleeping years - dressed for rain

feelies - let's go

drop nineteens - kick the tragedy

maccabees - toothpaste kisses

nada surf - popular

faces - ooh la la

hives - abra cadaver

tlc - waterfalls

sixpence none the richer - kiss me

aqua - barbie girl

nothing but thieves - wake up call

happy mondays - step on

darkthrone - transilvanian hunger

blossoms - cut me and i'll bleed

public access tv - metropolis

circles - gonna get to you

jacques - scum in a bottle

dead weather - treat me like your mother

johnny thunders and the heartbreakers - born to lose

[maybebanks]

A Smile

JJ Maybank x reader

Warning: Luke being creepy (angst)

A smile tugged at your lips as you stared at a sleeping JJ, his breathing was soft and slow. He was calm, for the first time in weeks. But then again, he was sleeping.

You brushed his hair off of his forehead, his blonde hair slightly damp, for there was a lack of air conditioning in his house.

After spending the night at a kegger, both of you were too drunk to be rational, JJ knew your parents wouldn’t approve of you drinking, so the only other option was his place. (John B said no)

You were only a new friend to JJ, but as soon as you two met, everything clicked. Your personalities through your banter, and you couldn’t forget about the constant mindless flirting.

Deciding that noon was a good time to wake up, you poked his chest, hoping to wake him up.

“JJ,” you whispered.

He groaned in response, moving his hands over his eyes.

“Aw c’mon! You promised me you would teach me to surf,” you giggled, nudging him again.

“You remember that? We were pretty hammered last night,” he mutters.

You pry his hands away from covering his face, “get up,” you demand.

He slaps your arm, “don’t tell me what to-“ but then he looks at you weirdly, in a shock and confusion, then he lifts up the covers to the bed, looking under.

“What are you doing?” You chuckle, he looked slightly flustered. But quickly calmed down.

“Just..checkin’,” he answers, shortly.

“Checking for what?” you groaned, now stepping out of his surprisingly comfortable bed.

“If we...had sex or not,” JJ replies, nonchalantly.

Your eyes widen, “as if, Maybank,”

He rolls his eyes, then gets up and throws on a boat t-shirt.

You were wearing your top from last night, with a bikini under, it reaked of alchohol and weed.

You pulled at it and sniffed, “Ugh! JJ did you smoke on me or something, this smells like ass,”

“You think ‘I smoked on you’? Girl you crazy, maybe your drunken memory is not so good after all,” JJ shrugs, throwing you one of his clean shirts.

You catch the shirt, “No! No way. I don’t smoke,” you attempt, trying to convince yourself.

JJ laughs quietly, “you did smoke. And didn’t cough once! I’m proud of you babe,”

“You are corrupting me,” you mumble, turning around and pulling off your shirt.

“Damn,” JJ whispers.

You whip your head around at him, he is looking at your chest as you change, thankfully you had a bikini on, but still.

“JJ, f you,” you insult and finish getting dressed.

JJ opens his bedroom door and you walk out, he doesn’t follow you, instead goes into the kitchen.

“Your not gonna walk me out? How rude,” you joke.

“Who do you think I am? A gentleman?” He responds, causing a laugh.

“Not even close,”

“Shit! I think the hose is on!? I gotta go outside and turn it off, see ya later, and meet at the cove for surfing at 6:00,” JJ calls, then jumps out the side door.

You smile at the thought, surfing with the best surfer in the OBX, though you would never tell him that.

You continue to leave, opening the second screen door to the porch. Soon after, you realize you aren’t alone.

You gasp loudly at the figure of a man, he is wearing a tan t-shirt and is turned away, working on something mechanically.

You stumble over a small beer cooler, and land on your butt on the ground.

He turns sharply, his expression seems to be masked. He has a smirk on his face, then he turns off his machine.

He approaches you. You shuffle quickly to your feet again.

“Hello, pretty thing,” he compliments, but it only makes you nervous, “what are you doing here?” He says the last part angerly.

“Um..so sorry to bother you Sir, I was just leaving,” you apologize, then reach for the door.

“Not so fast,” he orders, then approaches you, his steps echoing on the wood floors.

You freeze, not knowing much about JJ’s dad, but being terrified of his vibe.

He reaches towards your face, tracing a finger down your cheek, “pretty girl,” he repeats, moving his finger down your arm, then tugs against your shirt.

“Sir-I really have to..I should. Can you please..stop? Please,” you whimper.

“This is my boy’s shirt. You spent the night, didn’t you. So you come under my roof, and expect to just sneak away like the slut you are!? Huh?! Yeah my boy can fuck you, but he will never love you. So stay the fuck, away bitch,” he yells, his teeth were grinding together, his face inches from yours.

His hand grip your waist harshly, you cry out in pain. Feeling violated. He stares you down.

“We didn’t have se-“ but before you can finish, he has shoved you out the door, not even giving you a final glance before returning to his work.

You didn’t have a car, so you just started to walk. The tears hadn’t came yet, you felt numb. If JJ’s father could say those thing, do those things, was JJ capable. And the things he said, would JJ never love you?

After what felt like hours of walking, you see Kie, she is laughing with John B, they are alone.

Every bone in your body is telling you to hug her, get help in the state you are in. But you felt hopeless, would she see you just as JJs dad did? After all you were still wearing JJs shirt.

Checking your watch, the clock read 5:59. You were suppose to meet JJ by now. No matter how much you wanted it at first, the mere idea of being with JJ right now made you weak in the knees.

So, abandoning everyone, you headed home. Locking yourself in your bedroom for the next day or two.

—

“Have y’all heard from Y/n? I haven’t seen her in two days,” Kie asks, a worried expression readable on her face.

“She blew me off for surfing the other day,” JJ adds.

“Guys I’m worried, can we go to her house, check on her?” Kie asks.

“Sure, I’m cool with that,” John B approves.

“Didn’t she say not to ever go to her house?” Pope reminds. In the past, you told the pogues to never go to your house, your parents were disapproving of them.

JJ rolls his eyes at Pope, “What’s the worst that could happen?”

—

JJ knocked one your door for the fifth or sixth time now. Your parents weren’t home, but you were. Trapped in your room, trying to ignore them.

“Maybe she’s not home?” Kie questions.

“Oh she’s home. She just...avoiding us or something,” JJ responds between knocks.

Finally, you roll out of bed.

“Fine! I’m-coming!” You shout. From inside, it hurt your head to yell, but your brushed it off. It was the standing up that was the worst.

You haven’t eaten in a day in a half, you felt weak and light headed.

“See, I told you,” JJ responds.

But as soon as you make it down the stairs, your vision blurs to black, seeing stars.

In seconds, you collapse onto the floor.

A loud thud stops JJs bickering, all of the pogues freeze in worry.

“Y/n?” JJ asks slowly, “y/n are you okay?” He repeats suspiciously.

No answer.

“We’re coming in okay?!” JJ warns, then attempts to open the door, knowing something is off.

The door clicks and pulls back, locked.

“Open the door!” John B demands.

“I’m trying!” JJ exclaims.

Kie grabs JJs arm, “lets go to the back!”

Luckily, the back door slid open with ease, and JJ and Kie rushed inside, instantly seeing you, on the floor.

“Oh my gosh, is she breathing?!” Kie shouts, JJ checks your pulse.

“Somethings wrong!” JJ exclaims, noticing odd details like the fact that you are still wearing his shirt.

“Pope! Call 911!”

“I think she’s breathing!”

“You think? Shit! Come on Y/n, stay with us,”

—

The hospital monitor beeps slowly. One after another.

JJ and the pogues wait outside. His head is in his hands, recalling a memory.

“You’ll be okay JJ,” Y/n assures, smiling. JJ had just been beaten up. You had brought him to the hospital, despite his protests, it was what he needed.

“Excuse me Miss, what is the name? We’d like to inform his parents,” the nurse asks. JJ’s hand squeezes yours. His eyes communicating something to you he couldn’t say with his words.

“Um, this is James.” You reply.

“Last name?” She asks impatiently.

“Dean.” You reply, she eyes you suspiciously.

“I know. Weird coincidence.” You add.

“A number I can call?” The nurse asks.

Then you gave the nurse your number, later answering the call in a fake old lady voice and telling the hospital that the son James Dean, was okay. Later you even covered the hospital fines. JJ never told you how greatful he was.

The nurse approaches and informs all of the pogues that Y/n was going to be fine. Just fainted due to lack of fluids and food in her body.

After an hour, you were cleared to leave.

Later in the day, JJ forced you to eat a huge burger. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to eat, just that the lingering feeling of wrong was washing over you when you were with JJ, with anyone.

1 day later

You and the rest of the pogues were at the Chateau. You still were acting and feeling off, but no one pointed it out.

JJ went to his house to drop off his surf board, it was taking longer than it should.

But after 20 minutes, JJ approached and entered the Chateau. Shocking everyone.

No one spoke, they could only stare at JJ’s cuts and bruises.

“Wh-what happened?” You feared you knew exactly what happened.

“Nothin’, just ran into my dad,” he shrugged, but his jaw was clenching angerly.

A shiver struck through your spine.

“You’re dad hit you?” You asked, looking around to see if anyone else was shocked by this. They were just solemn.

“Yeah. Sorry my life isn’t a perfect story like yours is Y/n! Sorry I’m fucked up! God you really should look at yourself, the pogue princess act is getting real old,” he insults.

You look at him in pure confusion, why was he talking it out on you. You had enough heartache at the moment.

“What the hell JJ!” Pope shouts.

“This isn’t her fault,” Kie points out. But this only adds to his fury.

“Ohh, this IS her fault. She went and saw my dad, WITHOUT my permission and now he thinks...god I don’t even fucking know. I just know you shouldn’t have done that,” JJ seethes, looking at you with something close to hatred.

Your eyes began to water, his insults seemed to be true, you only ran into his dad, not on purpose.

“JJ- I didn’t... he... I’m sorry! I didn’t mean for this to happen!” You couldn’t form words, you couldn’t stand up for yourself.

“Idiot! You’re such an idiot!” He groans.

John B steps up and grabs JJ by the shirt, “how was she suppose to know about your dad when you didn’t even tell her. Dude, get out. You need to chill out somewhere else,”

JJ scoffs, giving everyone a dirty look before leaving through the front door.

He kicks over something in the lawn.

Stunned, everyone stares at you, you feel small, weak, and horrible for causing JJ to get beaten by his dad.

Instantly, you jump up, following after JJ.

“JJ wait! I ran into him on accident ! It was after I slept over at your place. He was there. He made me,”

“He made you what?” JJ said, a little softer now.

“He made me talk to him, he thought we had sex. That’s why he was mad. I tried to tell him the truth but he....” you stop yourself when your breathing becomes difficult.

“Did he touch you? Y/n, did he? I swear to god if he touched you-“

“No, he didn’t JJ I’m fine, I’m sorry I made him hurt you. I’m sorry,” you apologize, wanting to hug him, but something was restraining you.

“Shit!” He curses, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m really sor-“

“Stop Y/n, just stop. You shouldn’t say sorry. It’s my fault. Come here,” he says, looking like he is about to cry.

You don’t move, you were scared he might touch you like his dad did.

He steps closer, and you step back.

He reads you like a book, “why are you lying to me Y/n?”

“I’m not,” you mumble. He grabs your shoulders gently.

“It’s me Y/n. JJ. I’m not him. I saw what he did to you, we had to go to the hospital for god sakes. So please, tell me the truth. Did he touch you?”

“I’m not lying,” you mutter.

“Jesus, Y/n,” JJ says, he looks at you again, “don’t hide from me, answer my question, did that bastard lay a hand on you?”

“I already feel shitty enough, can you please stop asking me-“

“Y/n. Look me in the eyes and tell me. Did he touch you? Did he hurt my girl,”

You can’t look at him, only able to mumble out a small, “yeah,”

At this, JJ wraps his arm around your figure, you return the hug, only soft cries leaving your lips.

[pixie88]

I'm a bit late in updating some of my fics so I thought I'd do a Sunday Six 😘

Yours Truly

Adam took them out for dinner that evening, after the ordered Ellie made her way up to the bar to grab a glass of water "Alright mate?" she hears a male voice ask next to her turning in his direction, she notices his big blue eyes first. "Hi!" she smiles politely and turns back towards the bar, "you're a Pommie! What brings you here, mate?" she rolls her eyes before turning back towards him "a what?! and I am also married and not interested!" she warns him.

"Oh come on, you know, Pommie. Can't play cricket, drinks a tonne of tea, Lizzie and Phil, James Bond, Pommie! Anyway, nothing wrong with a bit of fun!" he touches her arm and she pulls away "Do we have a problem here?" she heard his Scottish accent "No, but is an Irishman about to walk in?!" the stranger turns back towards her "so what do you say sweetheart?" he asks completely ignoring Adam.

She groans showing her annoyance "I say meet my husband!" she nods towards Adam "Like I said, I'm not interested!"

The Neighbour

"Are you going to reply?!" Alana asks him as he closes the app "No, leave him, wondering.." they are cut off "Dean?" the pair look up and notice a red head walking over "Elise! Hey!" Dean stands to greet his date, he places a kiss on her cheek "Yeah, it's a bit crowded in here isn't?" she looks down at Alana, sizing her up which Alana notices.

"Hi! Elise, I think I heard Dean call you, I'm his neighbour Alana nice to meet you!" she smiles warmly at her "Yeah, likewise!" is all Elise offers before looking round, "Shall we grab a table?" she asks him, he looks down at Alana "Yeah, right I'll see you later!" he waves Alana off as Elise is dragging him to the furthest table away from her.

Lola places two glasses on the table in front of her "Who was she?" Lola nods towards Dean "His date, Elise!" Lola looks over to the pair "Is she nice?" Alana shook her head "Nope!" the pair laugh "Perfect for him then!" Lola jokes.

Teddy

"Is this really necessary?" Lyla gets into the tattooist chair Dean nods and whispers "like I said it will keep demons from possessing you."

"But what about Teddy?" She looks up at him "I added a charm to that surfer anklet you put on him!" She tuts "They're Amber beads! To help with teething!" He shook his head "Whatever they are. Never leave him without that charm on!" The tattoo artist takes a seat next to her "Ready?" He looks to her "I guess!"

An hour later she looks down at the new ink on her shoulder "it looks quite cool actually!" She says looking in the mirror. She saw him smile in the mirror until her eyes caught his, his smile dropped "Ready?" he asks. She nodded and pulled down her top, paid and followed Dean out. "Do you think Sam is ok with Teddy?" he chuckled "Sam, will be fine. Can I ask you something?"

Tagging but no pressure: @lem-20 @aussieez @secretaryunpaid @gloriousalmondvoiddreamer @palmaviolet @rookiemartin @khoicesbyk @wombatsxkookaburras @beautifuluknownvoid

[maria-scribbles]

glitter + crimson (let’s start a riot)//part five

summary: in the aftermath of hurricane agatha, the pogues are thrown into a mess none of them are ready to deal with. things that don’t exactly top sailor’s ‘fun things to do this summer’ list: surfing in the middle of a hurricane, getting punched in the face by a stupid kook, and stumbling upon a mystery that turns her and her friends into the damn scooby gang. when she said she wanted an exciting summer, she should’ve been more specific. 🙃

word count: 8.1k+ (it just keeps getting longer and longer 😅)

ship: jj maybank x oc (sailor flynn)

warnings n stuff: mentions of abuse/neglect/gambling addiction, child abandonment, anxiety, self-worth issues, jj being both soft af and hot for his best friend, weed usage, underage drinking, unresolved sexual tension, sailor being thirsty, swearing, guns, fighting, blood, that one trope where two characters only call each other by their nicknames/last names until they don’t because of ~reasons~ that makes me lose my shit every time (like a lot of the obx fandom, i also headcanon that jj stands for jesse james), references to the three stooges (jj=moe, pope=larry, and john b=curly and that’s a fact lmao), to all the boys i've loved before, avengers infinity war, and david attenborough, and a line heavily inspired/influenced by taylor swift's "dress" (a song that happens to be on the playlist for this series)

a/n: we’re finally entering canon territory, y’all (with a few tweaks, of course!) but i’m determined not to make this a rehash/retelling word for word of the show ‘cause that’s just no fun, so expect smaller pieces (vignettes, i guess?) of storytelling as i expand on canon with sailor and the rest of the pogues. think of it like a mixtape of sorts, but with words instead of music if that makes sense lol. this part originally covered episodes one and two but i wrote so much that i had to split it, so we're just covering most of episode one for now (i still can't even believe how much shit actually goes down in the pilot lol). i was veryyyy excited to write the kegger at the boneyard 'cause some ~juicy~ stuff happens there lol. fun fact: the title of this part is a term used by surfers to refer to getting up at the ass crack of dawn to hit the waves. as always, this is unbetaed so any mistakes are mine. enjoy! 

gif credit to @jj-maybnks​ 

~Masterlist~

part five: dawn patrol 

The next morning, Hurricane Agatha hits the island with all the force of a knockout punch; the sound of rain pounding against the roof echoes impossibly loud throughout the Chateau but Sailor’s bewildered shriek is even louder.

“You’re gonna what the what?!”

John B shrugs as the stunned redhead, lounging on the couch, looks away from watching the storm and fixes him with a wide-eyed stare.

“I’m gonna surf the surge.”

“Hell yeah, bro!” JJ yells from his spot as her footrest, punching his fist in the air and she sends him an exasperated look, both at his enthusiastic encouragement of John B’s downright moronic idea and the fact that she already misses the feeling of his thumb drawing circles on her bare ankle.

“Are you two insane?”

“Possibly.” John B states, grinning when JJ follows that up with, “Absolutely.” The blond boy pushes Sailor’s legs off his lap as he stands which earns him another displeased scowl from the redhead. “Come on, Sail. Live a little.”

“Oh, I’ll live alright, but you idiots won’t,” She takes his offered hand, letting him pull her to her feet and then down the hall after John B as she continues, “because this is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

“See, this is why we keep you around,” He replies, laughing when she dodges his attempt to ruffle her hair and dashes forward to beat him to the spare room. “We do something stupid, you and Kie read us the riot act. It’s tradition.”

Sailor grabs her long-sleeved rash vest -if she’s going to sit on the beach to keep an eye on these fools in the middle of a damn hurricane, at least she’ll wear something that offers a little bit of warmth- and heads to the bathroom to change. “Yeah, and then I’m there to patch you up when you inevitably hurt yourselves.”

“Can’t help that you have that healing touch.” His cheeky response floats through the closed door and she catches herself smiling -wide and just a little bit sappy- in the mirror.

After a quick detour to pick up Pope, who’s already drenched from sneaking out his window, the pogues (sans Kiara who never answered John B’s text in the group chat and, knowing her parents, was probably on hurricane lockdown) head to the beach, where the rugged gray surf hammers against the shore with unrelenting brutality. Sailor trails behind the others as they grab their boards and make a break for the water, blatantly ignoring the barriers that read ‘beach closed’ in large, impossible to miss letters. A few hundred feet down the coast, she can barely make out The Sandbar all boarded up for the storm and she thinks of her mother, wondering if she's riding it out inside or at home; either way Carmen's all alone and Sailor's stomach twists with guilt, both for letting her phone battery die so she didn't have to answer her calls and for leaving in the first place, even though it was the right thing to do for her damn sanity.

“These signs are here for a reason, guys!” She calls over the howling wind, squinting through the rain at the rough waves with her hands tapping uneasily against her thighs. Watching John B run into the ocean with reckless abandon (Pope following with a little more caution, thankfully) immediately puts her anxiety on edge so she sits down heavily on the wet sand, wrapping her arms around the knees pulled to her chest and looks up at the blond boy who stayed behind. “Aren’t you gonna join the other stooges?”

JJ shrugs at her question, glancing out toward their friends before dropping his board to the ground and taking a seat behind the trembling girl, his chest to her back. “This one can’t just leave you hanging out here all alone, lookin’ all sad and shit. It’s kind of pathetic.”

“Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special, J.” She smirks and scoots back in the sand, lips curling into a full-fledged smile when he lifts his arms to drape them over her shoulders. As he tucks her securely against his front, the warmth of his body helps ward off the biting chill of the rain, and so does the fact that he knows her so well, that he knows this is exactly what she needs to help calm the panicking butterflies in her stomach.

He leans close, lips brushing against the shell of her ear when he whispers his next words like a secret, low and just for her even when there’s no one around to hear them. “Trust me, Sail, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

She suddenly finds those butterflies in her stomach fluttering for a whole different reason.

-

The Chateau sits in complete darkness, the power having been knocked out since they returned from dropping Pope off at his house that afternoon. Sailor thinks it’s about ten at night as she lies on her back on the mattress of the sleeper sofa, listening to the wind rip through the trees outside with Binx curled up at her feet. The spare room was way too hot without a working fan, even after she braided her hair off to the side and changed into a crop top and shorts, so she and JJ had returned to the living room where it was cooler, if only by a little bit.

John B has already retreated to his room for the night; he’d been acting quieter than usual since their little adventure at the beach but between a lantern-lit dinner of semi-stale cereal and passing a joint around, she never got the chance to ask if he was okay before he made his escape. JJ lies beside her with his limbs all askew and from the slow rise and fall of his bare chest she’s 99% sure he’s out like a light until, out of the blue, he mutters into the stagnant air, “Can’t keep your eyes off me, huh?”

She blinks heavily -that weed must’ve hit her harder than she thought because she hadn’t even realized she’d been staring- when he lazily turns his head to stare back, a halcyon grin on his face and in the dark, his pupils are blown so wide she can barely see the blue of his irises. Her hand itches with a longing to sweep that one stubborn strand of hair away from his forehead but instead she blindly slides it to the left until she finds his and holds on tight; his fingers automatically lace with hers even as the space between his eyebrows furrows and the smile falls from his lips.

“Sail?”

“I don’t think my dad’s ever coming back.” The redhead’s mouth blurts before her brain can catch up, heavy words lingering like a storm cloud ready to downpour. The thought had been weighing on her heart for a while now, from when she’d first suspected it two months ago, and it feels bittersweet to finally admit it out loud, even when she hadn’t planned doing it.

Her bedmate is silent for a long time as he looks at her through the shadows and she focuses on the touch of his palm against hers instead of the awful mounting pressure behind her eyes -hadn’t she promised herself she was done crying over her dad?- until he asks quietly, “Why? I mean, good riddance 'cause he's kind of the worst, but why?"

“A feeling,” She murmurs around the sudden lump in her throat, biting the inside of her lip hard enough that she tastes the metallic tang of blood on her tongue. “He...he usually comes back after a month or two but this time it’s been almost five.” A bitter laugh escapes from her chest and she shakes her head. “I guess he finally decided he’s done dealing with my worthless ass.”

JJ’s eyes flash like lightning as he rolls over to face her, the hand not entwined with hers reaching up to cup her cheek. “Sail, shut up. Don’t you dare say that.”

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s true,” She says sharply, words acerbic and biting and full of a self-hatred that’s been poisoning her heart ever since she was old enough -eight and far, far too young- to discern the way her dad’s love for her was fickle at best, non-existent at worst. “I could’ve been a better daughter- a perfect daughter- and he might still be here and my mom wouldn't hate me. I should’ve tried harder-”

“Jesus Christ, Sailor!” He interrupts, calloused yet gentle thumb wiping away the tears she just now registers sliding down her cheeks and the shock of hearing her full name come from his mouth makes the rest of her vitriolic thoughts fly out the window. “Do you even hear yourself right now?”

The image of him blurs through the darkness in shades of black and she closes her eyes, jaw clenched in an attempt to quell the tremble of her lip as he goes on in his low, soft voice, “You should’ve tried harder to do what, huh? What could you have possibly done better?”

She’s quiet for a long time, so long that her tears run dry and all that remains is smeared salt on her skin because she doesn’t have an answer. What could she have done? That terrible thought in her mind rears it’s ugly head again, the one that tells her she’s not good enough, that everything’s her fault because she doesn’t do enough, but when she asks it what more she can do, there’s no reply. There never is.

“Hey, look at me.” She hears the rustling of sheets and feels his fingers slip from hers before they come to rest on her cheek, both hands now cradling her face; she opens her eyes to find him hovering over her and the sheer lack of distance between them makes her heart skip a beat. “You...”

“What about me?” Her voice cracks as she speaks and in a mirror of her from earlier, JJ shakes his head, causing that stubborn strand of hair to once again fall into his eyes.

“I wish you’d see yourself the way I do.”

Her breath catches in her throat. “And how do you see me?”

“Fucking amazing.” He says simply and in the dark, she can barely see the flush slowly starting to creep up his neck. “Smart, brave, and loyal as hell. A beautiful badass who doesn’t take shit from anybody. A girl who listens when someone needs to be heard.”

The redhead stares up at him with wide green eyes as he goes on and on, listing all these wonderful little things that her traitorous mind has a hard time processing, let alone believing; he really thinks about her like this? “You care so damn much,” “You’re kind but not afraid speak out,” “You’re the one I trust the most.”

Her hand slowly releases its tight grip on the sheets and slides up his bare arm, feeling the heat of his skin under her palm as she touches his face, not trusting herself to speak because she’s so afraid of saying something dumb or stupid and ruining everything ('like I always do,' her mind echoes).

“You’re my best friend, Sailor, and yeah, you’re not perfect. You drink and you smoke weed and you don’t get straight As in school but fuck, you’re real and so not worthless.” He says each word with such conviction that its impossible not to believe him, as much as her brain screams at her not to. “And I want you to know that what your parents think of you doesn't matter at all, got it?"

Without warning, she flings her arms around his neck and JJ loses his balance, falling onto her with a soft oof of surprise but Sailor doesn’t even feel the extra weight as she rests her face against his shoulder and finally finds her voice. “Thank you.”

He takes her with him when he rolls onto his side, arms wrapped tight around her waist and nose buried in her messy braid. “Just...trying to do the right thing, I guess. For once.”

She pulls back at his words, then leans forward and slowly presses her lips to his flushed cheek, just missing the corner of his mouth. She lets them linger for a beat longer than necessary before leaning back -not too far, just enough- and looking him in the eye. “Thank you, Jesse.”

He usually hates being called by his first name (she found that out pretty quickly into their friendship, “never call me Jesse” being one of the first things he ever said to her) but he just looks at her with a soft, endearing smile on his face as he leans back onto the bed, once again bringing her with him. “Promise me something, Sail?”

She glances up at him from his shoulder and meets his eyes. “Yeah?”

His fingers tuck an escaped red curl behind her ear. “Just...be you. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks.”

She wishes it were that easy, that she could just step inside her mind and flip a switch and she could stop all those thoughts that’ve plagued her for years but it’s not. It’s gonna take time -time and a lot of patience and maybe even a miracle- but damn it, she’s gonna give it her all, not just for herself but for him and the rest of the pogues, too, the best friends she's ever had, so she nods and settles back down at his side. “I’ll try my best, J.”

“I know you will.”

-

"Sail, you're the best swimmer out of all of us. Think you can dive down there and check it out?"

The redhead peers over the edge of the HMS Pogue and into the water, where the murky shape of the sunken Grady-White sits thirty feet down on the bottom of the marsh, then nods at the rest of the pogues, an excited grin on her face.

"No problem," She answers John B, hopping up onto the very tip of the boat's bow with practiced ease before diving headfirst into the water to JJ's yell of "diver down!" It's dirtier than usual because of the hurricane but she doesn't let that stop her as she swims down and down until she reaches the top of the boat and pulls herself the rest of the way onto the deck, carefully scanning the area for...fuck. Honestly, she's got absolutely no clue what she's looking for but she assumes she'll know when she sees it.

'It' turns out to be a motel key, resting all alone on the floor by the steering wheel and she quickly reaches out to snatch it, sliding the silver key ring around her finger securely. When she pushes off toward the surface, she leaves the ghostly Grady-White behind with more questions than answers. 

The rest of her friends are lined up in a row along the boat's railing, all staring at her with near identical expressions of anticipation as she breaks through the water and holds the key aloft with a triumphant smile.

"The Summer Winds Motel called, they want their key back!"

-

A little later that evening, Sailor would really regret finding that damn key but right now, she's having a great time dancing at the Boneyard with Kiara at the traditional post-hurricane kegger, second refill of beer in hand, spiked with Fireball from the flask tucked in her back pocket. To her, dancing's a lot like surfing -steady feet, swiveling hips, snapping shoulders- and she thinks that might be the reason she's so bad at it, anticipating the fluidity of water instead of the solidness of dry land. Or it could be that she just doesn't have rhythm when she's a little buzzed. That works, too.

"Ow, Sail!" Kiara winces as the redhead steps on her foot again, rolling her eyes fondly when she throws her head back with a loud, tipsy giggle.

"My bad, Kie!" She twirls in the sand, hair dancing around her shoulders like fire, and finds herself spinning right into a herd of dancing tourons, all too drunk to care that she's spilling her beer all over their feet. Large, olive-skinned hands grab her waist to spin her again and she laughs, smiling over her shoulder at a cute dark-haired touron as he slides one palm over to settle against the bare skin of her lower back. She pushes one hand on his shoulder with just enough resistance that he doesn't get too close into her personal space as he leans in to speak in a low Southern drawl, brown eyes turned a pretty bronze in the glow of the nearby bonfire.

"This probably isn't the best thing to say to a beautiful girl but you kind of dance like a giraffe."

Sailor bursts out laughing at that. "Hey, I think giraffes are very elegant creatures so I'll take that as a compliment!" 

The boy grins and she smiles, too, letting him take her free hand and pull her into the throng of dancing bodies. He's almost as bad a dancer as she is but he's fun to talk to and together they gleefully show off their worst moves until their feet hurt -she's lost count of how many times she stepped on his toes- and her solo cup is empty. "Come on," She says and this time, she's the one to grab his hand and lead him over to the closest keg, where John B's dishing out beer with an expert flourish.

"'Sup, Sail," He lifts his chin in greeting as he fills her cup, smirking when she immediately pulls out her flask and adds a long pour of Fireball on top. "Who's your friend?"

"JB, this is Adam, he's visiting from Tennessee. Adam, meet John B, one of my best friends and a total moron," She makes quick introductions, smiling into her drink as he scowls and playfully sprays some beer at her feet before filling another cup and holding it out to the other boy with a jab at her expense.

"Be careful around her, man. She's a handful." 

The touron accepts the drink with a shrug and a quick wink in her direction. "Good thing I happen to like 'em a little crazy."

Ugh. More than a little miffed at that, she rolls her eyes and takes a long sip of beer to hide her annoyance when Adam laughs and slings his arm around her shoulders. Calling her a giraffe was actually kind of cute in a very weird, endearing way but he instantly lost whatever points he had with her the second that 'c' word came out of his pretty mouth. She glances around the Boneyard while the boys start talking about surfing (she scoffs to herself, what does a farm kid from Tennessee know about that?), scanning the crowd for the rest of her friends and a chance to ditch him. Kiara's sitting on a big piece of driftwood, chatting up a stunning, deeply tan girl with glossy black hair -she waves when their eyes meet and shoots Sailor a cheeky grin before returning to her conversation- while the ever awkward Pope seems to be stuck in the middle of one of his rambles about autopsies as he stands around the fire, the willowy blonde beside him looking more and more uncomfortable by the second. She'd deliberately lost track of JJ a while ago, after she watched him getting a little too close to a tiny brunette, his hand low on her back as she passed him a drink and ran her fingers up his bare arm, coaxing that killer smile of his onto his face (that girl may have gotten his smile but Sailor got his eyes and they watched her until she pointedly turned away).

Honestly, she's a bit -okay, a lot- peeved. Here she is, thinking that they're the closest they've ever been before (they've always been close, ever since that day in sixth grade, but this is a whole different kind of close), and just when she feels like she may finally be ready to admit some things, some feelings, he's off doing who knows what with another girl; to be fair, she's off with another guy that she'd, until a minute ago, fully planned on kissing, but that's only because of him! Him and some weird need she has to keep him looking at her, to make him jealous -she shakes her head and takes another swig of her whiskey-spiked beer. Nope, nope, not gonna think about that. 

Poor Pope looks like he's really struggling so Sailor pushes all thoughts of her blond best friend from her mind and goes to rescue him, ducking out from under Adam's sweaty arm and walking away without a backwards glance, ignoring the confusion in his voice as he calls her name. She pushes through the crowd to her friend and steps right in front of the girl he's trying to talk to, grabbing his hand with her free one.

"Come dance with me?"

The smile of pure relief that breaks out over his face makes her own widen as he lets her pull him back through the mass of bodies to a less-crowded part of the make-shift dance floor, the tension bleeding out of his hunched shoulders with every step.

"You're an angel, Sailor." 

She laughs and wraps her arm around his shoulders, leading him in a carefree twirl across the cool sand. "Tell me something I don't know."

Like a leaf caught up in a whirlwind, he's helpless to resist her infectious joy as they dance, grinning like fools and poking fun at each other; for a while, the redhead tries to forget about stupid, clueless boys and focuses on Pope who, while still a clueless boy, doesn't expect anything from her but pure, unconditional friendship that she's all too willing to give (although she did have a teensy little crush on him when they first became friends, she got over it pretty fast the second he started talking about the bodily functions of dead bodies in explicit detail). She shares her drink with him, giggling at the way his face morphs from curiosity to disgust to delight at the taste of her cinnamon beer concoction and lets him down the rest while she drinks straight from the flask that she pulls from her back pocket. 

"You've got a shadow." Pope says, slightly nodding his chin over her shoulder and she takes his hand again, slowly spinning herself under his arm to take a quick glance, rolling her eyes when she spots Adam staring at her from the edge of the crowd. "You know him?"

"Unfortunately. Thought he was cute, then he called me crazy." She tucks the whiskey away with a shrug at her friend's sympathetic wince, then steps closer to him and raises a conspiratorial eyebrow. "Wanna help me tell him to take a long walk off a short cliff?"

"Uh-"

"I think I can help with that," A familiar voice cuts off Pope's reply as JJ suddenly appears at her side, slipping his hand into her back pocket to spin her right into the circle of his arms before he plucks the flask from the other and takes a big sip in one smooth kinda sexy move. "Straight Fireball? Damn, Sail."

The redhead carefully schools her features into a blank mask but her body has other ideas, one hand instantly settling on his chest like it's second nature and her face flushing from more than just the alcohol as she casually replies, "You know I like things a little spicy." Completely aware of the way he's watching her every move, she snatches the whiskey back and downs the little bit that's left, trying and failing to ignore the thrill that shoots through her at those bright blue eyes of his darkening when her tongue darts out to lick her lips. Pope rolls his eyes at them both before muttering a quick 'see ya' and hastily melting back into the crowd. 

"So, who're we telling to fuck off?" His voice is just a little strained and she feels her cool facade start to crack as she scowls, subtly tilts her head toward where Adam's still staring at her with an expression that looks like he ate a sour lemon. JJ spins her around to take a very conspicuous peek and her mouth curls into a grin, mask breaking completely when he shoots the touron a glare that screams 'try me, I dare you'; the heat from his hand still in her pocket burns as he leans in until his forehead rests on hers. "Let's give him a show."

Sailor hums and pretends to mull it over even as she coyly snakes her arms around his neck and pulls him closer, the harder panes of his body sliding almost sinfully against her softer curves as they sway together, "I don't know, you looked pretty cozy with that other girl earlier..." Is it kind of petty to bring it up? Yes, yes it is, but she can't resist toying with him like he did to her, just as she can't help the breathless gasp that escapes her lips when his fingers press hard into the toned flesh of her ass through her shorts.

"Why, Flynn, are you jealous?"

"Please, I saw that glare you gave him. If anyone's jealous, it's you, Maybank." She fires back while carding both hands through his hair and the pure gratification she feels at his slight shiver is nothing short of euphoric. Out of the corner of her eye, she barely takes notice of the frown Adam sends their way before he turns and stalks off toward the other side of the beach; honestly, she's so caught up in JJ and everything about him -the slow swing of his hips, the hands burning hot against the strip of her back exposed by her crop top, the darkened look in those ocean eyes- that she'd completely forgotten about the touron she danced with earlier in an effort to forget the boy she's dancing with now. She should've known it wouldn't have worked: Sailor could never forget JJ, no matter how hard she tries. He's like a permanent mark on her, a tattoo inked in gold, a beautiful, wonderous scar that she never wants to fade away.  

"Seems like we scared him off so I don't have to worry about that anymore." His flushed face is so close she can feel his breath on her lips as he speaks and her eyes quickly flick down to his mouth on their own accord.

"And what about me?" She asks, twirling her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck, heart beating fast in anticipation as he smirks wickedly at the way her own face turns cherry red.

"Sail, babe, you don't have to worry about a damn thing."

All one of them has to do is tilt their head and everything will fall into place and she can once again know what it's like to kiss him-

"Let it go, Topper!" A sudden, annoyed shout breaks the two apart before they can close that final distance (Sailor's not sure who would've made the first move and she's both relieved and disappointed they won't get to find out), turning away from each other in tandem toward the gathering mass of bodies chanting 'fight, fight!' at the shoreline. 

"JB, he's not worth it!" At the sound of Kiara's voice, they take off running across the sand and shove their way to the front of the crowd just in time to see Topper Thornton in all his frat boy glory get absolutely slammed with a hard punch to the jaw, courtesy of John B. The kook barely hits the ground before he's back on his feet and lunging forward to tackle him into the water, landing a hit of his own square in the eye.

"What the hell happened?" Sailor grabs Kiara's elbow and the dark haired girl looks at her with wide eyes as the boys continue to roll around, exchanging brutal blows while a stunned Pope watches from her other side.

"I don't even know, they just started wailing on each other!"

JJ stands silent to Sailor's right, jaw clenched and hands curled into fists as he stares at the brawl and she reaches over to wrap her fingers around his wrist, thumb calmly running circles on his skin.

"Top, seriously! Stop it!" Sarah Cameron stands in the sand just before the crashing waves, yelling furiously at her boyfriend and throwing her arms in the air when he ignores her. "What is wrong with you?"

The moment Topper lands three punches in a row on John B's battered face, Sailor decides she's seen enough. She rushes forward without thinking to grab the blond boy's arm, pulling as hard as she can in an attempt to get him off her friend and barely has time to register what's happening when the fist he was aiming at John B suddenly swings at her. It connects solidly with her left cheek and makes her stumble back, her hand flying to her throbbing face before she goes down hard onto her butt in the surf. 

"What the fuck, Thornton?"

"Did you just punch a girl?"

"Ohhhh shit!"

A cacophony of voices yells from the shore as the kook boy stares down at her, momentarily stunned when he realizes who exactly he hit, and it gives John B an opening to wrestle him back into the water and land a solid punch right to his nose. Everything happens so fast after that that the redhead, still reeling in a wide-eyed daze, has a little trouble keeping up. First, Kiara and Pope splash through the waves to her side, kneeling down to help her to her feet with their arms around her waist. Second, Topper gains the upper hand and straight up tries to drown John B, holding his head under the water while Sarah screams at him to stop. And third, JJ -reckless, bold, protective JJ- pulls out that damn stolen gun, effectively bringing the whole mess to a grinding halt when he stalks forward and presses the barrel to the side of Topper's head.

"Your move, broski." He threatens and the beach is so quiet everyone can hear the click of the safety being switched off. The kook slowly raises his hands in the air and John B emerges from the water, stumbling forward onto his hands and knees with a horrible wet cough.

It's all too much for Sailor's poor tipsy self to take. The world spins beneath her feet as her head starts to pound and her shaking fingers fail to find purchase on Kiara's and Pope's shoulders.

"Guys, I don't feel so good," She manages to whisper and their looks of concern (the former) and panic (the latter) are the last thing she sees before her legs give out and everything goes black.

-

The first thing she registers is the pain that radiates from the left side of her face, her whole head throbbing with every beat of her heart and the sound of loud whispering right by her ear isn't helping at all. 

"That's the best you can do, J? Seriously?"

"The power's out! I can't exactly pull ice out of my ass, Kie."

Something semi-cold gently rests against her cheek and she audibly sighs at the little bit of relief she feels, her hand sluggishly rising to hold it a little closer as she mumbles, "I wouldn't want your ass ice anyway." At least she tries to: her mouth feels like it's full of cotton and she's pretty sure the only thing that comes out is unintelligible gibberish.

Sailor opens her eyes and finds herself lying on her back on the sleeper sofa at the Chateau, a passed out John B to her right. Pope sits on the edge of the mattress by his side, holding a beer bottle to his friend's black eye and he sends her a relieved smile when he notices she's awake.

"There she is," JJ says from her other side and she turns to face him, not at all surprised to find him already looking at her, and the unabashed concern in his eyes sends a golden warmth through her whole body. Her fingers slip down the hand that's still holding the bottle to her cheek so she can run her thumb over the delicate bones in his wrist in a silent thank you.

A different, softer hand rests on her knee and she tears her gaze away from his face to smile at Kiara as she says, "Good to see you're okay, Sail."

The redhead sinks back into the pillow in embarrassment and covers her eyes with her free hand. God, she really passed out, didn't she? She passed out after taking one lousy punch to the face by a fucking kook, no less. How completely mortifying. She swallows thickly and sounds like a chain smoker when she says, "I'm so sorry, guys. I'm a total idiot."

The other three conscious pogues start protesting all at once -apparently there's many, many, different ways to say she's not an idiot- and the resulting volume of their combined voices is enough to make her headache even worse. She sits up and scoots back until she's propped against the couch and sets the now warm beer on the side table before massaging both of her temples.

"Will you please shut up, I can feel my brain beating in my skull."

For a second, there's wonderful, blissful silence and then:

"Holy shit, thank you," A groggy voice says to her right and she turns to watch a bleary-eyed John B claw his way back to consciousness. "You guys are fucking loud."

"He lives!" JJ shouts, ignoring the four glares sent his way and reaching over to clap his hand against the brunet boy's shoulder. "Welcome back, dude."

"Ugh," He suddenly rolls onto his stomach -Pope deftly catching the bottle when it nearly falls from the bed- and his muffled voice floats out from the pillow he shoves his head under like an ostrich in the sand. "Knock me back out."

"Aww, poor baby." Sailor gives his back a sympathetic pat and chuckles softly when he blindly feels around for her arm, pushing it away with another deep groan and a 'fuck off, Sail' that lacks any type of venom.

"Okay, now that you're both kind of conscious, let's agree that neither of you will ever fucking do that again. Got it?" Kiara addresses John B and Sailor as she stands from the bed and crosses her arms, fixing the latter with a piercing look that makes her feel like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar; she opens her mouth to defend herself but before she can say anything, Kiara turns her furious gaze to JJ and points an accusing finger at his face. "And you! What the hell were you thinking pulling that damn gun out, huh?"

"Jesus Christ, Kie!" He suddenly rockets to his feet and throws his hands in the air. "Sail got socked in the face and JB was getting fucking drowned, I wasn't really thinking much at all!”

The dark haired girl can't seemed to think of a response to that and looks away, staring at the floor with her jaw clenched as Pope, ever the mediator, rises to his feet, too, and rounds the bed to step between them placatingly.

"Let's just drop it for tonight, okay? They need to rest." He says, nodding toward the two still on the bed before wrapping his hand around Kiara's elbow and turning her toward the front door. She immediately pulls her arm from his grasp but still nods in agreement, the hard look in her eyes softening when she glances at her injured friends.

"Yeah, okay." She says and glances down at her watch, wincing when she catches sight of the time. "My parents'll kill me if I'm not home soon, anyway."

"Come on, I'll take you guys home." JJ says with a conciliatory look in her direction as Pope tosses him the Volkswagen's keys from his pocket and when she nods back, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, Sailor knows that all is forgiven, at least for now. 

"Are you sure you're good to drive?" She asks and immediately rolls her eyes at his sarcastic reply of "Yes, Mom," and the obnoxious wink he shoots her.

The trio leaves after a quick round of goodbyes and John B waits until he hears the sound of his van driving away before finally emerging from under the pillow and rolling onto his back.

"Sensing the immediate danger has passed, the ostrich cautiously pulls its head out from the sand..." She says in her best David Attenborough impression, laughing when he tosses the pillow at her head with an amused grin.

"Ha ha. I was trying to avoid getting a Kie lecture," He explains, running both hands down his face with a heavy sigh. "It feels like my head's gonna explode."

"You and me both, dude." She carefully probes at her swollen cheek and is more than a little surprised to feel the beginnings of a scab forming near her eye. She knew Topper landed a solid punch but she didn't realize how solid that hit was until now as she catches sight of the tiny bit of drying blood left behind on her fingertips. 

"That looks like it hurts. You okay?" John B asks and she looks up from wiping her hand clean on her shorts, stiff from dried saltwater, with a wrinkle of her freckled nose.

"I'm alright. How about you? No offense but your eye looks like shit."

"I'll live." He answers with a shrug as he pulls himself upright on the mattress and leans his head against the back of the couch. "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" 

He sluggishly turns his head to look Sailor in the eye and shrugs again. "For trying to help me out. Sorry I got you punched."

She smirks and reaches over to give his hand a brief, friendly squeeze as she replies, "It's not your fault I got myself punched. I'm sorry your ass almost drowned."

He snorts at that and she's relieved to hear it, knowing that he can still joke around and he's not, like, completely traumatized or something. Poor guy's already got enough to deal with without adding a mental breakdown to the list. She swings her legs over the edge of the mattress and slowly stands before taking a tentative step forward; when her knees hold and she doesn't fall flat on her face, she makes her way to his side and holds both hands out to him with a small, lighthearted smile.

"Yeah, you're delirious. Near death experiences do that to you." She says, helping him to his feet and, after looping his arm over her shoulders and sliding hers around his waist, the two teenagers carefully shuffle down the hall in the dim light of the emergency lantern on the kitchen table to his room, where she unceremoniously dumps him onto his bed. "Sleep it off. And for the love of God, please change. You smell terrible."

She goes to leave as he laughs again, tugging his shirt off and tossing it into the growing pile of clothes near the closet before saying, "Hey, Sailor?"

The redhead pauses with one foot in the hall and leans against the doorframe. "Yeah?"

"You know you're a badass, right?"

She laughs and sends him a wink but her heart is oh so light as she turns and heads to the spare room, calling back over her shoulder, "Nice to see someone acknowledge it. Now go to bed!"

-

The sound of the Chateau's front door opening and closing startles Sailor awake and she blinks heavily, wondering when exactly she'd fallen asleep. Last thing she remembers she was staring out at the fireflies through the open window as she steadily ran her hand down the length of Binx's back and their ethereal glow, combined with the breeze dancing around her shoulders, must've pulled her right under. Down the hall, she hears a loud thump, followed by JJ cursing as he runs into something and she giggles to herself, rolling onto her side to face the hall. He appears in the darkened doorway a minute later, rubbing his knee with a scowl on his face and she laughs louder at his quiet, venomous hiss of "fuck that fucking chair."

"Rude. It's not the chair's fault you always run into it." She teases and he shoots her a flat, unamused look before turning to glance down the hall toward John B's room, his fingers holding tight to the door frame.

"He's okay, you know. Told him to get some sleep." His head swings to face her when she speaks with soft words and even in the dark, she can see the way his tense shoulders slowly relax and his hand loosens, falling back to his side as he nods, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

"And you?" He asks, his eyes never wavering from hers as he kicks his boots off and pulls his shirt over his head; the sight of his messy hair and the muscles in his arms make it a little hard for Sailor to breathe, the gentle wind she once thought of as cool now doing nothing to help calm her flushed skin when she scoots over in bed to give him room to lie down next to her. Binx looks as disgruntled as a cat can look as he loses his comfy spot and jumps down from the bed, only to immediately leap onto the windowsill and stretch out.

"What about me?"

JJ rolls over to face her, reaching one hand up to cup her injured face and runs his calloused thumb under the cut on her cheekbone. "Are you okay?"

Nodding, she shifts closer and lays her head on his outstretched arm, covering his hand with her own and effortlessly fitting her fingers into the spaces between his. "I'm fine. Even better, now."

He leans forward to rest his forehead against hers. "Good, 'cause I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

When those pesky butterflies come raging back with a vengeance, she realizes she's fighting a battle she hopes to lose.

-

The sound of a conversation in the kitchen, low voices drifting through the closed door of the guest room wakes Sailor early the next morning. Sunlight filters in through the windows and she squeezes one eye shut against the painful brightness, the other still squished into JJ's shoulder. His arm is a welcome weight slung over her hip and his deep, even breaths are soft against her forehead as he sleeps on, dead to the voices down the hall. With the corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile, she smooths his fine blond hair away from his face and runs her fingers along his jawline before carefully sliding out from under his arm and quietly heading toward the kitchen.

Pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, she rounds the corner and stops short when she catches sight of the person standing by the table, her cheerful 'good morning' getting stuck on her tongue; she was expecting Pope and Kiara, not the goddamn sheriff! Shooting John B a wide-eyed look that makes him shake his head (what the fuck did that even mean?!), the redhead forces a smile and hastily offers her a wave.

"Uh, good morning, Sheriff. Sorry to interrupt, just, uh, grabbing some water."

She just nods in acknowledgement before turning her attention back to the brunet boy and Sailor breathes an inaudible sigh of relief. Holy shit, is that woman scary. She heads to the sink and keeps one ear on the conversation as she quickly fills a glass with water and pops two aspirin, the headache from last night made even worse by the addition of a whiskey hangover. 

"I didn't realize you had company, John B. Wild night?" The sheriff asks and Sailor meets her friend's eyes again, her anxiety rising when she sees his thinly veiled panic. Her back to Peterkin, she silently implores him to say something, anything -hell, she even tries to subtly mime surfing with her hands to help him out- but he stays silent, so she gathers her courage, plasters a smile on her face, and twirls to face her.

"Busy day, actually. We went surfing all day after cleaning up the yard." She says, jerking her thumb toward the heap of broken branches piled by the fire pit visible through the living room window; when the sheriff turns to look, she quickly elbows John B in the side, ignoring his huff of surprise as she nods her head in her direction.

"Yeah, surfing! All day." He blurts out, sending Sailor a lukewarm glare when she quickly mouths 'what the fuck was that?' before they both straighten up and spin back to the older woman just as she turns to face them again.

"Right." Peterkin hums and arches one eyebrow as she glances back and forth between the two teenagers. "Now tell me, how'd you both get those bruises? They look pretty painful."

"Oh, this?" Sailor asks, pointing at her cheek with a casual shrug, "I tried to hang ten and bit it pretty hard. My board caught me right in the face."

Peterkin looks at her for a beat longer than normal and the redhead does her best to keep her expression neutral as her palms start to sweat. "Surfing, really? Thought you were pretty experienced in that department."

John B adds, offering some much needed back up, "Even the pros wipe out every once in awhile, you know?" He crosses his arms and leans back against the counter. "My board got me good, too."

"Yeah, it just was not our day," She says with a nervous chuckle, refilling her water and slowly starting to back out of the kitchen, pretending she doesn't see the dismayed look her friend sends her way; her anxiety can't take another second of the sheriff's piercing gaze and she needs to get away fast, lest she start recounting every single second of their activities both legal and not so legal- from yesterday in explicit detail. "And I'm still pretty tired so I'm just gonna go back to bed for a bit. Nice talking to you, Sheriff."

After disappearing around the corner before either of them can reply, she creeps down the hallway, keeping her footfalls as light as she can, and she's so focused on trying to listen in on what Peterkin's saying that she runs smack into JJ, standing in the doorway of the spare room. His arm instantly darts out to wrap around her waist and pull her close, keeping her from falling right on her butt as he says, "There you are-"

"Shhh!" Sailor hisses quietly, covering his mouth with her hand, "The damn sheriff is here!"

He mumbles something into her palm but she she holds a finger to her lips, pushing him back into the room and softly closing the door behind them before pressing her ear against it and dropping her hand from his face. He mirrors her position with a question clear as day in his wide eyes, 'what the fuck?', arm still looped around her lower back.

"She's grilling him about yesterday," She says simply, then turns her attention back to the faint voices floating through the door. The duo listens in silence, trying and failing to discern what's being said until they hear the sound of the sheriff's boots on the front porch and her squad car tires crunching through the gravel as she drives away and they exchange a worried look. JJ had it right: what the fuck, indeed. 

"Holy shit, guys," John B's voice suddenly says from the hallway. The door opens before they have time to back away and it sends them sprawling to the floor in a twisted pile of limbs; the brunet boy -who'd usually find something like that hilarious- barely reacts to their position and sends them both a tense frown, his next words dropping like a damn anchor in the marsh.

"We need to go check out that Grady-White again, and fast."

Sailor groans and lets her head fall back onto the floor with a thunk. "Here we go."

-

let me know what you think! fun fact: ostriches actually do put their heads in the sand, but it's not because they sense danger. female ostriches bury their eggs to keep them safe from predators and they'll occasionally stick their head into the sand to check on them and give 'em a lil turn 😊

taglist ❤: @sinkbeneathwaves​ @jiaraendgame​ @hmsjiara​ @maysbanks​ @alexa-playafricabytoto​ @sunflowerbecca​ @obxlife​ @obx-adventures​ @sexualparkour​ @coltonparayyko​ @miawantsapuppy​

[taejeonie]

taehee in america!!

— i can’t find a gif from one of their interviews :// also the events aren’t in sequence,,whatever i remember watching will appear here so if i missed something, u guys can tell me!!

okay so taehee’s like

different

like most of the tweets were ‘american air changed taehee’

like in korea she’s chill, semi-shy but still chaotic

but in america it’s that but x82848, minus the shy part it’s like gone now

and she’s more interactive with czennies so that’s probably why (*^_^*)

like in one of their interviews someone asked, “okay, so i have a question from tumblr...do you know tumblr”

“yes i know tumblr ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)”

and she loved doing rpd with them it’s so cute

she kept hyping them up and dancing in the sidelines

but when cherry bomb comes on

she was like: this is my song. must. dance.

and she was center for the nananananana part so it was p e r f e c t

when they did flinch she was paired with doyoung

james was trying to talk to them but they were mODELLING

let them do their work james

“oh i see how it is now”

her eyes flinched a bit when the fruit came out but they didn’t notice....hopefully

anyways youngtae won

speaking of interviews

awkward faces. disgusted faces. bored faces. fake smile faces.

‘oh shit did they just say that?’ faces.

“so how’s it like being the only girl in the group?”

in her head she’s like: stfu i didn’t go to america for this ಠ╭╮ಠ

but outside she’s like: hahahaha looks like i gotta answer this ∩^ω^∩ gotta pay rent u know?

the genius interview oh god markhee was a MESS

they kept pinching each other when they had to explain the s t e a m y parts of the song so johnny did it for them

in the end they just gave up on explaining so she said “you don’t have to take the lyrics word by word, line by line. you can take it however you want and the feelings aren’t just limited to a significant other. it’s just love between two people and that could be a friend, a partner-“

inside they’re like “good job, taehee. good job,” until she says

“-your mom.”

and when they were teaching cherry bomb she couldn’t keep her mouth shut

“okay so you spread your legs like this” - johnny

“that’s when you feel the air coming in” - mark

and when doyoung thought it couldn’t get any worse

“oh, really? i don’t” - taehee

and yuta, taeyong, johnny, and mark just try to hold their laughter

doyoung @ the rest: just smile and wave boys, smile and wave

also stayzens got crumbs of (han) jisung and taehee’s friendship when they were guessing the dance based on the silhouette

when the choreo for ‘get cool’ showed she immediately answered

“oH OH GET COOL STRAY KIDS”

she scared everyone with her excitement but that’s okay bc they got a point

“that was fast,” the host told her

*proudly* “yeah i’m friends with one of them”

taehee stans were served

she wore dresses to award shows bUT THERE WAS A TIME SHE WORE A SUIT

everyone died

she looked amazing hot spectacular show stopping

#miamiwithtaehee

“hey guys! welcome back to my channel ( ◠‿◠ ) so today we would be going toOoOoOo miAMIIIII *fake sound effects* um so like we’re going to buy some stuff for the beach coz like it’s really hot hahahaha but that’s because i’m here *slowly pulls shades down*”

“why do you talk like that”

“just let me be, mark. let me be.”

but she went back to taehee mode so it’s aight

“taeyong oppa broke his slippers and the sand’s really hot so i don’t know how he survives.”

“noona~”

“hAECHAN I DONT WANNA GET WEEEET”

she gets caught anyways

and hyuck drags her to the deep deep deep part

but she knows how to swim :>>

#athletic

she came back to shore to dry off,,,so she watched the surfers with jungwoo while the others are having fun

“waahh, that’s so cool. did you see that?”

“my dad taught me how to surf back in australia”

“really? :OO”

“yeah but that was when i was still younger. i think i forgot now.”

“woah” jungwoo’s amazed by this girl

OH MY GOD WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT 19 EMOTIONS

so when she was asked to do flirty

she got shy, that was the shyest moment of her life but you gotta do what you gotta do

*starts twirling a piece of hair on her finger* “hey,,,,” *winks*

then she starts playing with her hair more aggressively until she had to stop and fix her hair bc the manager told her to

producer: is that how you flirt?

taehee: i don’t flirt. *confidently* people flirt with me ;))).

johnny, off-screen: excuses! this is why we don’t let her out

her and johnny just kept giving commentary on poor mark it’s hilarious

*mark raises his eyebrow*

“you’re so flirty”

“damn, that eyebrow tho. i’m swayed.”

taehee kept eating ice cream

like everytime the camera pans to her she’s just eating ice cream

when they watched alicia key performing ‘if i ain’t got you’

she was star struck

markhee: Aw sHIT

when she rapped “knet knet talk talk” she blew up the whole bird app

she was feeling herself everytime they performed it was sexc

american air really is different

concerts omg don’t get me started

johnny started shaking his booty as a joke but then there’s taehee on the side of the stage lowkey twerking

you know how bp were feeling themselves during their cons?

well taehee is just like that and czennies wERE SO LOUD

her ‘baby don’t like it’ fit .....

it was different from the boys’ since she’s wearing like a dress like damn what if she sLIPPED

she was wearing a blindfold too

her performance is still flawless tho i mean it’s taehee come on

and when they performed ‘superhuman’

istg that markhee part everyone flipped

they were so close (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡

like i swear they could feel their breaths on each other’s faces

but it’s what the czennies want and you gotta give it to them even if the management said nO

#rebel

markhee stans were fed this season they kept hanging out with each other

they rode that horse carriage thing together

they ate donuts together

they shopped together

they messed up their korean and english at some point together

best friend goals

taehee was so excited for the dodgers game she was so adorable in the jersey

she was more than glad to be the first pitch and list off the names of the players to the members

jungwoo and hyuck trapped her so they could get on kiss cam

she was struggling

but that’s okay bc she still gets to see the dodgers play

brooklyn boys

the title’s still boys the producers are like whatever just name it brooklyn boys

after they ate they went shopping right

taehee was in the ‘don’t forget your tools’ team

taeyong mom johnny dad jungwoo child mark child taehee child

“i wanted to be the cousin!!”

“.....taehee child”

#markheebesties we love it

markhee separated from the group for a while to buy ingredients to make cocktails for the older members + staff

“you know how?”

“yeah, my dad taught me.”

“your dad is so cool.”

“i know right- *immediately* mom, i still love youuu <3333”

“we’re both minors and we’re the ones getting alcohol”

“mark, we’re in america. we’re not minors anymore.”

but later on they don’t drink alcohol to respect their korean culture :>>

when jungwoo wanted to get the pie thingy and taeyong won’t let him it was comical

mark’s like that youngest good kid

jungwoo’s like the middle kid who wanted to bUY SOMETHING BUT THEY WONT LET HIM

and taehee’s the eldest bad influence kid

*whispering* “just hide it. yeah, hide it in there. then just put it out when they’re paying for it*

mark’s just laughing off cam they were so serious

anyways they’re cooking and taehee made the guac :p

she kept on laughing at markwoo it’s cute

but she kept on eating the other group’s pasta

“hey! why do you keep eating our food?”

“diversity.”

they complimented her on her guac since she doesn’t cook that much

but she’s a great cook she learned from taeyong!!! and her dad

when they were playing beer pong the maknae line was sOOO HYPED

“LIKE A WHAT?” “LIKE A LIGHT”

“LIKE A WHAT” “LIKE A LIGHT”

and hyuck’s just looking at them weirdly like wtf hahaha markhee tingz i guess

she acted like a ring girl every time they switch to the next round

“wAIT LET ME WALK” *catwalks from side a to side b*

while they were karaoke-ing she made the cocktails and mark watched her

she kept doing tricks with the cups to make mark laugh

she let the staff taste it and they were amazed she’s such an angel i swear

“this one’s for you!!!!”

“is it good?”

“oh i should add more of this? okay, hold on”

and then the older hyungs came and were amazed

doyoung doesn’t even drink but she managed to get him to have a taste

when they were all going to sleep, she chose the bed at the very end

she used mark’s arm as a pillow

they all kinda...didn’t shower...

jk they still smell great ig

“mark you stink”

“shut up”

and then they fell asleep but the others caught them

“mark and taehee are asleep”

“really?” *laughs*

“i’m not asleep i’m just closing my eyes”

“okay but taehee’s already snoring”

*sleepily* “i DONT SNORE!!!”

[mundancheemudomo]

The “objectively” bad movies that I love (Vol.2)

Vol.1

(English is not my first language)

Glass (2019) (37% on rotten tomatoes)

The secondary characters of Unbreakable and Split (except Cassie) are of little use to the story, serving only as a witness. (Why don't they do anything during the climax ?!) The institute that guards Kevin, David, and Elijah has such bad security, it's absurd. The final plot twist comes out of nowhere, and the bond between the three main characters is forced. But I love this movie for the actors  (especially James McAvoy and Samuel L Jackson), the drama, the directing (It's a Mr. Night Shyamalan movie after all), but also for its wonderful message, although bringing oddly.

Dragonball Evolution (2009) (15% on rotten tomatoes)

Ok, this movie is REALLY bad. I haven't read any Dragonball manga, watch any episode of any series in this universe, and yet this movie remains a huge insult to this manga. The story goes way too fast and connects silly references and fan services. Goku, in this movie, has the typical "personality" of a moronic teen movie, with all the clichés that follow. Picollo, the villain, is at the height of ridiculousness. The costumes are ugly (Even a bad cosplay looks better), not to mention the sets, the special effects, which are ... that's what. And I like this film for guilty pleasure. Like Venom, this is the kind of movie that's so bad it gets funny. And some fights are honestly cool to watch. Oh, and I forgot, the story is inconsistent from start to finish.

Speed Racer (2008) (40% on rotten tomatoes)

There, it’s the opposite, I don’t understand the lynching for this film. I specify that I don’t know at all the manga. Ok, some scenes are not very useful, and the little brother is annoying. There are quite a few clichés, and even some grossness, which can be odd for a film that seems to be family-friendly. But damn, the atmosphere that reigns is energetic, warm, sparkling! The racing scenes are insane! Michael Giacchino's music is both epic and moving! The characters are almost all very endearing, and the visual style is colorful and out of the ordinary! When I rewatch this movie, I'm on fire!

Speed (1994) (94% on rotten tomatoes)

Yeah, this movie has 94% ... I don't really understand. The villain is ridiculous, action takes precedence over logic and common sense. The basic situation is absurd, and it's the typical action-packed American movie genre, where the main character (played by Keanu Reeves) seems to be the only one with an ounce of intelligence and the extras are there only. to scream in terror. And yet I, too, love this film. The action is gripping, the sense of speed and danger is palpable throughout, and the character of Sandra Bullock is funny. Oh, and the music is quite memorable.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver surfer (2007) (37% on rotten tomatoes)

The special effects have aged badly. The Fantastic Four are all ridiculed several times in the film. The story is predictable, the villain very forgettable, and the romance is a shambles. Even Stan Lee's cameo is forgettable! However, the action scenes are nicely choreographed, some references make you smile, some jokes save a bit of dubious humor. As for the silver surfer, he is classy, and gives off a mysterious aura, certainly classic, but all the same intriguing.

Chappie (2015) (32% on rotten tomatoes)

Ok. The story has a lot of potential, but is little used. The characters guarding Chappie are cartoonish, and the villain is just a brainless bastard. Just as Chappie's evolution can be disconcerting. But this is the whole point of his ambivalent character, he is a child who does not know what to do or believe, and who evolves in a hostile environment. Hans Zimmer's music is fairly secondary, but proves effective in quiet and / or dramatic moments. The special effects and the designs of the robots are stunning, because they are very realistic (except their rabbit ears ...). As for the end, I find it surprising and touching.

Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) (57% on rotten tomatoes)

Quite honestly, I don't see a lot of flaws for this movie, why is it poorly rated? For certain characters put too much in the background, or too cliché? For some weird visual effects? The fact that it's a remake of an old Disney classic? However, it is a magnificent tribute to this film, but also to magic, and especially to cinema. Those who have seen the movie, and the climax will understand. In addition, the moral on lying is fine. This is not a movie with the saying "Oh no, lying is bad." On the contrary, it recalls that if it can be harmful, it also allows to keep a serene climate, that it can help in a quest, and that it very often brings dreams. This is the definition of cinema, and of fiction!

Small reminder: the word objectively is not in quotes for nothing. Even in the worst movies, you can find a quality that will make you love it. Don't be ashamed of your tastes, whether it's for the movies or whatever.

[glenncoco4]

Should We Clean That Up?

Chapter 8 of What Happens Next?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

They step out onto the sidewalk outside the theater, laughing as the shaggy blonde recalls one of the funniest parts of the movie. Seeing as though their dinner reservations are only a few blocks down, the two couples decide its a nice night for a walk and start their way towards the restaurant.

They’re waiting at the crosswalk when Talia shakes her head, looking at her partner. “It’s already a month into 2006 and we’re just now going out? How is that possible?”

“I don’t know, but I’m really glad we're doing this.” James’ hand releases his girlfriend’s as his arm finds its way around her shoulder.

“Us too. It’s gonna be awhile before we can do this again.” Marty nods in agreement, his palm finding his wife’s belly as she rests her head against his shoulder.

They’re about to start walking across the street when the lawyer feels a warm sensation down his leg and Kensi stop in her tracks. “Oh my god.”

“Baby, your water broke.”

“I’m not due for 2 weeks.”

He can see the wheels in her head turning and does what he does best. With either hand on the side of her face, he gets her to focus on him. “I know. Baby, I know. We’re gonna do this, okay? You and me.”

Taking a deep, calming breath, she nods relaxing as he places a kiss to her lips. He turns her towards the cab that James has already hailed, guiding her towards the open door as she turns around to look at the wet puddle she’s left on concrete. “Should we clean that up?”

Huffing a laugh, he shakes his head. Motherhood is already changing her because the Kensi Deeks he knows would never offer to clean something up willingly. “No. No, we have to go to the hospital, baby.”

Talia looks almost as frantic as her partner was a few minutes earlier. “Do you guys need us to do anything?”

“Yeah, come to the hospital with us while your nephew is being born.”

The brunette lets out a guttural moan, making everyone’s eyes go wide.

“Here are the keys to my car, just meet us at Cedars.” Marty toss their key towards James and quickly shuts the door, telling the cabbie to drive now.

XXXX

“Ah, it feels like I’m shitting a knife! Why won’t you bitches help me?”

The nurses can’t help but smile. Considering the way some of the mothers talk while giving birth Kensi’s a breath of fresh air.

Marty feels her grip tighten on his hand, but if its what she needs then it’s the least he can do. “Come on, baby, you’re doing so good.”

She shakes her head, feeling completely drained. Knowing that he has all the faith in the world in her she wants to continue, she just…“I can’t.”

“Yes, you can. I love you so much. I know you can do this.” His lips find her temple giving her that last little bit of strength she needs.

With one final push she feels the pressure give and the room fill with cries. The doctor lifts up their baby boy giving them both a glimpse of his precious little face.

“He’s so beautiful, baby.” His eyes find her exhausted ones as his thumb rubs back and forth across her cheek soothingly. “You did so good.”

Using the last bit of strength she has left, the new mom leans forward placing a kiss on her husband’s lips. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

At the sound of the nurse calling him, Marty turns around easily taking his boy from her hands to hand off to his wife.

Once she pulls her gown off her top half, Kensi readily takes her precious baby boy in her arms, placing him against her chest. Her tears begin to flow freely as her eyes roam every tiny feature of his beautiful face.

“Oh, baby. Why are you crying?”

“I love him so much.”

Marty smiles, taking hold of her chin and brings his lips to hers for another kiss. “That’s our boy.”

About 15 minutes later the door of their room opens up as Julia shyly peaks in. “Up for some visitors?”

“Of course, come in.” Deeks wipes the tears away from his eyes, standing up from his place on the bed but not taking a single step away from his whole world.

A beaming Julia and Talia step in followed by Don and James. Both women taking place on either side of the bed as they coo over the newest addition of their family.

Marty sends his father-in-law a smile at the feel of the ex-Marine’s squeeze on his shoulder. “You did good, son.”

He grins, shaking his head as his eyes lock with her chocolate orbs. “It was all her.”

After the newest Deeks is passed around and finally placed back in his daddy’s arms, Marty is so mesmerized that he can’t even process what everyone else around him is saying.

Doing her best to contain her excitement, Talia finally asks the question that everyone’s been wanting to ask. “Alright, what’s my nephew’s name already?”

Kensi locks eyes with her husband, getting an answering nod as he takes his places next to her once again. “Everyone meet Finn Alexander Deeks.”

“Oh, I love that.” Julia beams.

“Finn. Should’ve expected nothing less from a couple of surfers.” The older man shakes his head, not surprised in the least but full of so much joy he doesn’t know what to do with it.

The new mom rolls her eyes at her father, seeing right through his tough veneer. “You love it…grandpa.”

Don turn towards his wife, eyes glistening as he repeats his daughter. “Grandpa.”

An hour later everyone says their goodbyes, sending love to the new family and talks about visiting them soon.

After they left, Kensi fell asleep from exhaustion almost immediately so Marty takes a seat in the rocker a few feet from the bed, cradling his son in his arms. “Hey there, Finn. I’m your daddy.” Finn’s little fingers wrap around one of his and the tears in his eyes return. “You see that beautiful woman over there, sleeping? That’s your mommy. Let me tell you kid, you hit the jackpot in that department.”

“He hit the jackpot in the daddy department too.”

At the sound of her voice Marty looks over towards her with a smile.

Getting up out of the chair, he hands her their newest addition and slides onto the bed next to his wife as she scoots over. His arm goes around her shoulders as she curls into him. Their son in her arms. His lips find the top of her head and he lets out a contented sigh and for the first time the baby boy opens his eyes. Wow. He never thought he could ever be this happy in his life, but here he is with his beautiful wife whom he’s absolutely head over heels in love with and their baby boy. Just wow.

XXXX

12 Days Later

Kensi watches his tiny arms stretch in the air and she falls even further in love with him. His little nose, his furrowed brow as he dreams reminding her exactly of his daddy when he sleeps.

“Hey.”

She turns back, looking at her other love who’s waiting for her on the couch.

Marty knows exactly how she feels about their boy especially when he’s sleeping. Hell he wakes up a few time a night and goes to the nursery to make sure he’s still breathing. “He’s okay. We’re right here.”

“But I miss him.”

“You do know that’s him in the bassinet, right?”

She rolls her eyes, but can’t help the smirk that forms on her lips at the sight of confusion written on his face.

His confusion slowly morphs into a pout and the puppy eyes make themselves known. “Come cuddle with me, I need love too. Finn got you all to himself today.”

“Not my fault you had to prep for trial.”

Finding her place on the couch next to him, she burrows herself into his body as his arm comes around her, his palm finding its place on her thigh.

“Is Valentine’s Day different now that we have a baby?” She tilts her head back, trying to get some reassurance from her love.

God he loves her so much. She’s everything he never knew he wanted and he’s gonna love her every single day. He’s gonna cherish and love her for the rest of their lives. He leans forward, pressing his lips to hers. “No, because you’ve always been my baby."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: A few lines taken from the best scene of Baby Mama.

[peeterparkr]

clear|19|t.h.

CHAPTER 19: SUN AND MOON

pairing: surfer!tom x reader

word count: 5.8k 

warnings: angst, death mention, it’s a funeral... I mean, cancer mention, fluff, too?, OH AND THIS IS LIKE 100% WRONG AND MADE UP, this is in no way accurate greek mythology 

summary: the sun and the moon were lovers. 

series masterlist playlist previous chapter next chapter

wanna be tagged?

Hello! So, there’s only one chapter left and an epilogue. This has been one hell of a ride and I thank everyone who’s been reading this story.  Please tell me what you think, your comments make my day. I’m on my finals and I’m super stressed so maybe a little cheering up? I loved writing this, ngl 

“We all have a purpose in this life,” she hid a sob. “I'm sorry… I've never been good at giving speeches… ”y/n said into the microphone as she glanced at the people who had come. They were in a church, they had already prayed and some had told stories. However, y/n thought she would have to speak for her grandfather. No matter how many tears she could shed, she needed to tell the story. "Pops ..." She cleared her throat, feeling like her voice was about to break. "My grandfather once told me that if I ran into someone, it was a miracle, a reason for being," she said with a little more security. “Everyone has a path and little by little we get together or we get separated, sometimes our paths go parallel and we don't know it until they cross,” She looked at Joanne to feel more confident. "There are roads that are destined to come together, then to get away, but in the end, they find their way back to each other" her eyes fixed on Tom. "My grandfather believed that his path was destined to come together, with my nana’s," She smiled, as a tear fell on the sheets of paper she was reading from. "Sometimes, I think so too, about him and my grandmother ..." she said as she closed her eyes. “I think there was no other couple more destined to be, and finally, they are together again. ” 

y/n sighed, watching the many faces that were accompanying her in her sorrow, in her pain, people who loved her grandfather. People who she was surprised they were there. She saw Jared, Marcus, Lex and even Claire. They all had that sad look upon their faces, with pity for her. Three years ago, she hadn’t been able to stand in that same place. She remembered it, how no words had come for her nana, just tears and tears full of despair, of pain. She hadn’t come to the point where she had by now. She was still suffering, but she knew that her pops had been aware of it. She had grown. And when Nana happened, Matty had happened too. 

And she saw some familiar faces who had been there, too, when Nana was gone. But, really, she hadn’t paid attention to them. She did now because they’re the ones who stay.

She saw new faces, too. She saw the other boys in the workshop and some boys she had seen at parties. It was no secret that her grandfather was loved. The good old Mr. James. Some, y/n supposed, were former students of his grandfather from his time teaching at the local high school.  y/n, for the first time, saw that his grandfather, despite his grandmother's death, had not been alone. 

"I think death is not ... something we should fear,” she cleared her throat. “My grandfather said it was the only thing we had for sure," y/n continued, as she bit her lip, her eyes locked on her mother. “That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt any less. It hurts for the one who stays, but it remains for us to honor his memory and live for them. He asked me to do that, to live a great life,” she sighed. 

Y/N smiled sadly and sweetly. “That’s what pops did, lived every day, as if it were the last. He wanted the sun to rise every day, and if it didn't, he enjoyed the rain, the cloudy day, ”she continued. "Sometimes, the days will be dark," she looked around, and then she saw Tom’s family, too. "He told me, you are in charge of giving them colour, of giving them light, with that little brush of yours he’d say, with which you always paint, the world is your canvas, Doodles," she smiled again. "He said that his brightest light was gone and that's why he was looking for her light in different things, like in that old blue Aston Martin, he always said that light is never gone, he told me, whenever you’re in a dark room, you just need a spark to lead your way, a single light and everything will become clearer, because when the night is the darkest, a single light will become the brightest," she sighed. "I guess, he went to look for her.” She said as she turned to see the old photograph of her grandparents. "His light… His moon,” she let out a soft, almost inaudible and dry chuckle. “He used to tell me a story when Joanne and I were little ..." She began, while Joanne approached her. Her sister squeezed her hand while the two saw the paper. 

“The moon and the sun,” y/n sentenced. “I think there is no better way to honor my grandfather than telling this story ... ”y/n said. She and Joanne saw each other before taking a deep breath, ready to read it. “I might just say, even though he was a teacher, he had a vivid imagination, and this might be mythologically incorrect but… So endearing to hear.” 

A quiet laugh was heard from the audience. 

"He’d start with… Rumor has it that two young lovers named Moon and Sun fell madly in love with each other," Joanne began to read the story. 

"Hera, in form of a star, goddess of marriage and birth, was jealous that a couple of mortals could love each other in such an intense way and went down from the Olympus, to prove that their romance was not true," y/n continued. 

“Expert in the power of seduction, shining brightly, the goddess tried to conquer the young man, but he vehemently rejected her by saying: ‘My lady, you are undoubtedly the most beautiful and sweetest woman there is, but my heart is only for my beloved moon. She is more desirable to me than gold itself, ”Joanne could barely read. 

“Furious for not being able to woo him, and jealous that her own relationship would never be as bright as theirs, the goddess sent the lovers apart from each other, forever. She turned the young man into the star that would illuminate the day and the woman would illuminate the night, so they would never coincide in the sky. She was sure that their love would be extinguished, ”y/n said, knowing the story by heart. Her eyes kept seeing Tom. 

“However, their love persevered, that of time and distance, They died each night and each morning so the other could breathe, they’d bathe  in the ocean and dry in the sky. Longing to be closer but always apart. And each time they were apart they’d make their most magnificent entrance painting a beautiful pink and orange canvas, or a sprinkled black one. They’d be art to the other. Aphrodite, goddess of love, was inspired, so she intervened so that the Sun could at least touch the face of his beloved again, and he told the Sun that whenever he wanted to see his beloved Moon he should try his best and then he could see the edge of his beloved's face. Since then in the days when the temperature is high, it is that the sun shines with all its intensity and you can see the silhouette of the Moon on the horizon because the Sun wants to look at its beloved Moon from afar.  ” Joanne finished. 

“And Aphrodite wanted them to touch, Aphrodite wanted them to become one with the other, when the two lovers merge back into one body, if only for a brief moment…to make the most beautiful art, we see it in the sky, a total eclipse of two hearts merging into one soul,” y/n let out a tear. “I want to believe now... that my grandparents are finally in their eclipse, I finally believe that this eclipse will be eternal,” said y/n. “The sun has risen up to his moon.” 

Some of them smiled, y/n’s mother shed a tear, and looked down. There were some other people saying their goodbyes, nothing like y/n’s. A few people approached her after the funeral. 

Tom was right by her side, all the time. Squeezing her arm if she ever needed assurance, and holding her hand if he saw her play with it. A lot of people said their condolences. Words that’d go into the void. Y/N was...calm. 

And not the type of calm she’d been at the beginning of the summer, which was calm confused with passiveness, and lack of energy and interest. No, she was truly in a sense of peace. 

After receiving the news, Tom had seen her, sinking to the ground to hug her sister. Y/N had told him that she was always the one to comfort Joanne, since they were children, so when it was time for Joanne to comfort her, she didn’t have a clue. And Tom had seen y/n, excusing herself from Joanne, saying she’d call their mother. But Tom had seen her walk out of the lighthouse to sob by herself. Haz told Tom to go and calm her, Tom knew better, to leave her alone. 

Tom was sad, too. But this was not his sorrow. He saw her doing it again, excusing herself from everyone. 

“Y/N, I’m sorry for your loss, your grandfather was fantastic.” 

“James would always brighten up my day.” 

“I’m very sorry.” 

“My condolences.” 

Words that were barely sticking to y/n. Tom just saw her smile to them, and hug her sister. Joanne was devastated. 

She walked into one of the halls of the church, it was dark, and nobody could see her. 

Tom followed after her this time. “Y/N?” He called out for her as she gulped down a sob. 

“Yeah?” She tried to clean up her tears with a blue handkerchief. Her pop’s handkerchief. “Sorry, I was just--” 

“It’s okay to cry, you know?” Tom walked over. 

Y/N sighed. “I know, I know… I just, I’ve been the girl who’s sad for so long, maybe right now, I just, need to be the strong one. For my mum, for Joanne.” 

Tom cupped her cheek, it was still dumped from her tears. “You said it yourself, you can let yourself be blue.” 

Y/N sighed. “It’s easy,” she sighed. “I guess what I’m trynna say is...I’m sad, but I’m okay, I’ll get through this. I meant what I said.” 

“The sun and the moon?” He asked. 

“Was it...bad?” 

“You once turned everything beautiful,” Tom assured her. “Your pops once told the story to me, that’s why he had a chain with a Sun around his neck, and … I assume that your nana wore the moon… Which one are you wearing around your neck?” 

Y/N smiled, just slightly as she pulled it out from under her shirt, the Sun. “Yes,” she gulped and licked her lips. Her eyes blurred down with tears. “I just-” And then her voice was breaking. “I just… I can’t help but feel guilty, I came over here to visit him and I… barely spent time with him because-” And she couldn’t finish her sentence before she was crying against Tom’s chest. 

Tom didn’t say anything, he knew it. With her, he should stay quiet, he should let her speak. 

Especially because Tom was feeling guilty. “This was not how the Summer was supposed to end,” she managed to say before catching her breath. 

He hugged her, because, it was all he could do. 

She cried, just for a bit longer. She was joined by her family then. 

And Tom knew he had to give her space. Because Tom knew that part of trying to mourn a death comes with guilt and comes with blaming other people. Tom believed he’d be blamed. But he also knew y/n was full of guilt because he hadn’t been on the surfing competition. Not that it mattered, but y/n had blamed her crying on that. Saying that he should continue with his life, that he needed to continue it. 

It made Tom think. Everything y/n had said. 

Especially about the sun, and the moon. How they were always apart from each other, how the moon wasn’t present sometimes. How sometimes, it faded out, leaving only a dark sky, with stars shining out. How each night the Sun had to die in order for the Moon to shine. And he knew that story by heart, because he had heard it about a million times, too. Whenever he was helping Pops with that blue Aston Martin. He’d always tell it. 

And y/n had told the short version. She didn’t tell everything the two lovers had to face once they were separated. 

How the Sun, due to Hera’s wishes and burning jealousy, was transformed into a god, so he’d be admired. And she turned the moon into the darkness, so everyone would avoid seeing her, and so no one could admire their beauty. Hera would say it, the moon’s hideous and should be feared. 

And everyone loved the Sun, how everyone wanted to warm up with him, and how it would bring life to their homes, inviting them to bathe in the ocean. The moon, instead, brought cold and uncertainty, making the ocean big and scary. 

And everyone enjoyed the presence of the sun, while people would hide for the moon. For a moment, the lovers forgot about each other, granting Hera’s wishes to separate them. And the moon missed her lover, and she just wanted to be seen. Just a fresh air in the midday sky. 

And Aphrodite had been a fan of their love, so he brought the moon to the middle of the day, where the Sun would see her, and only her. And it just took him a glance to remember everything, her embrace, and the way she shined even when everything was dark. And he fell in love with her again, with the parts that are seen and the parts which she hid. And the sun would shine a little less bright sometimes to see her up there, to let hear breath in the middle of the day. 

The Sun asked to touch her again, to feel her. Because they were once one, and know they were two whole parts of a heart, willing to skim with each other. And so their wish was granted, but Aphrodite’s power wasn’t as powerful, but their love was, and it’d grow stronger each time they were apart just making them both look forward to their next encounter. 

Tom liked that story, he had always wanted to have an epic story. Maybe he wasn’t the sun, or the moon, but maybe he was a star, shining over, that maybe was passed by, probably unnoticed. 

But y/n saw him. 

Like no one did. Like the bright, small star he was. But she saw him. 

So it was no surprise that he saw her, too. And he had gone to her, and he had taken her away, to the valley, to the shack, to the lighthouse. To places where y/n could be blue. And to places where he could bring her to his arms. Places where y/n didn’t have to play strong. 

A day came when he went in search for her, in one of those days when he knew she’d be feeling cold. It had been raining. The lights were reflected on the pavement from the water that was silking his path. 

Joanne had said she was gone. 

And Tom feared. Just a little. Because there was a part of him that though that maybe she had thought about it. That maybe she wasn’t strong enough. 

Maybe she had to let him go before the worse could happen. 

And he was having second thoughts about his big decision. Because going to London, meant having chemos, and getting chemos was trading his life for more years. That’s the way he saw it. Getting the life sucked out of him so he would get more chance to live. Talk about a contradiction. 

And Tom knew he didn’t have to pull out the cancer card, not now, not now that y/n was going through her sorrow. Which was incredibly calm. 

Because even when he took her to her freedom, she didn’t overreact, she never sobbed. She would be… quiet. 

And Tom was afraid. Because he remember what Joanne had told him a year before, how y/n wasn’t the one to drastically cry or yell, like Joanne did. No, y/n was… distant. Y/n, according to Joanne, is able to heal if she yells and cries and sobs. When she doesn’t, then, things are going down. 

And he was scared that it’d bring her to her doom. He remembered the quiet girl he had met, and how Tom wouldn’t be there to help her. 

That’s why he had to stay, for longer. As long as he could. 

That day, when she wasn’t home and she hadn’t told him where she’d gone, the first thing he did was stare into the garage. He confirmed it. 

The blue Aston Martin wasn’t there. But the Aston Martin wasn’t fully working, and with this rain? Y/n was probably stuck in a place.

Although, she hadn’t called anyone for help, he knew she was stubborn enough to not ask for it. 

Tom picked up some towels, and blankets and he knew he had to search for her. 

Maybe it would become a tradition, to look after the other in the rain. And the sky was so dark, so dark, he couldn’t see the sun or the moon. 

The only lights came from the lightning, and the only music he was hearing was the thunder clapping. The road was muddy, and not clear enough. 

He couldn’t find y/n. But he… had a certain feeling. So he went to the blue valley. 

And there, he saw her. Leaning against the old blue Aston Martin, letting the rain soak her down from head to toe. She had her arms crossed and was wearing a hoodie she had borrowed from Tom. 

She had been crying. Which was, a good sign, Tom knew. Y/N was letting it out. 

Tom approached her and pulled down the window. “Hello, lady, do you need any help?” He asked, as y/n looked up, with a small smile, as droplets of rain were pouring down her face. 

“Do you happen to know anything about cars, mister?” Y/N looked up as she approached to the window. Tom reached out to cup her face. 

“I do know I have one where you won’t get wet,” Tom laughed. “C’mon get in.” 

Y/N blinked as she stepped back. She laughed but then smirked. “Well, I wouldn’t be bragging about not getting a woman wet.”

Tom’s eyes widened. “What?” He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He burst out in laughter. 

Y/N chuckled. “I don’t...I don’t know.” 

“And just so we’re… Clear, we haven’t had any trouble with that,” Tom winked at her. “Now get in the car.” 

She giggled as she shook her head. “Let me enjoy the rain.” 

Tom sighed. “Alright.” He parked right in front of her car and stepped out with her.

“Stop, you might get sick.”

Tom chuckled. “Can’t get any more sick,” he said as he walked over to her with open arms. 

She snuggled close to him. “Thank you.” 

He smiled. “How are you feeling?” 

“Like I am living my favorite bedtime story,” she confessed. 

“The sun and the moon?” Tom wondered. 

Y/N smiled. “Yeah, just...another version.”  

Tom raised his eyebrows. He kissed her forehead. “How long have you been here?” 

“A bit, I wasn’t planning on… the car stopping.” She chuckled. “But my phone ran out of battery and I…” 

Tom smiled. 

“And I decided I might as well enjoy the rain.” 

“Why did you take the Aston Martin? You knew it wasn’t ready,” Tom pushed. 

“I guess, because I thought it’d give me answers,” she shrugged. “I realized, I don’t even know the questions.” 

The rain was silking their clothes as they stayed hugging each other. Y/N felt Tom rubbing her back, as the riveting rattling from the raindrops were harmonizing to them. 

“Besides,” she looked up at him. “Maybe I was hoping a surfer would rescue me again from a car malfunction.” 

He chuckled. “You were so annoyed to see me that one time.” 

“I was.” 

Tom frowned. “Angel!” 

She laughed. “I didn’t like you! I can’t lie about that,” she admitted. 

He lifted her chin and placed a soft peck on her lips. 

“Weird thing, because I felt like I loved you even before I met you,” Tom declared. She grinned. 

“How wonderful life is, now you’re in my world,” she whispered as she connected her lips with his. 

Tom rested his forehead against hers. 

She smiled. “You know… The car might not work… But the radio does,” she grinned. “Would you dance in the rain with me?” 

Tom grinned. “Really?” 

She chuckled as she reached inside the old Aston Martin. 

“I don’t know what will play, though,” she admitted. “It...is…let me see if I can work it out.” 

Tom laughed watching her. “Need any help?” 

She tried pressing the buttons, and a loud scratch was heard. Tom laughed. 

But then a few notes playing on a piano were heard. Y/N smiled and chuckled to herself sadly. The biggest irony, or coincidence, or… magic.

Tom felt his heart warm up as soon as he heard the piano notes and listened to the familiar tune.

Love Me Tender. Elvis Presley.the first song they’d ever danced to. 

Y/N felt a tear falling down her cheek, Tom was quick to wipe it. Y/N got out of the car again as she took Tom’s hand in hers. 

He pulled her closer. 

“You know, for someone who told me he didn’t dance. You sure have been dancing a lot with me,” she chuckled, as he wrapped his arms around her, letting the song move them. 

“And for someone who claims not to like me you sure have been proving me wrong,” he grinned. 

She blushed. 

“Things have changed, this summer was more than I could ask for,” she admitted. “But the summer is over now.” 

Tom hugged her closely. “The summer is over.” 

“Is this a goodbye?” She asked with fear. It felt like suddenly asking made the rain turn into snow. They turned cold and suffocated. 

Tom shook his head. “It’s—it’s a new beginning.” 

They sang under their breath. “Love me tender, love me true. All my dreams fulfil. For my darling, I love you, and I always will.” 

They danced along under the rain as the song played in the background, merging with the raindrops and just accentuated by the thunder. It seemed like the melody was prettier under the rain, it sounded more natural. 

And though the skies were grey and the dirt was brown, they were seeing light surrounding them. 

They grinned and clumsily danced, feeling their bodies against the other. Knowing there would never be twice a love like theirs, not ever.

The song finished and they shared a single kiss, under the rain. 

They got into the old Aston Martin. They needed to stay quiet, for a bit, take at the moment. Because maybe they hadn’t realized it until then. But the summer was over. The summer was coming to an end and they didn’t have anything planned. 

“The summer went by fast,” she whispered. 

Sure, Tom has said he’d go to London. Easier said than done. There needed to be planning and there needed to be love. But there was barely any time, and Tom didn’t know if he needed to continue with it. 

He needed to sort out everything. Especially, because he was feeling so… selfish. Because right now, it was the summer ending, but later? How could he know about the future? There was no easy way to say it, the possibilities of him staying were ceasing. 

Tom gulped. “Can you… can you turn on the heating?” He asked her. 

“Oh shoot, right, sorry…” She gulped, as she tried to start the car. 

“Don’t you wanna head home?” He asked her. 

She shook her head. “No, I don’t… I… I need to get this back running.” A sudden sense of urgency got into y/n who tried to re-start the car several times, she was breathing quickly. She was not listening to Tom. 

“Y/N, it can’t be fixed, not right now! Not with this rain, look tomorrow… I’ll bring down a truck and take it to the shop.” 

“No, no, I need to fix it, it can’t be… broken forever,” she cried. She got off the car as the rain was getting worse and worse. She was muttering to herself, that she needed to get it done. 

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N!” Tom was behind her. “Angel, love, c’mon.” 

“The car… I need to… I need to get it back running, I was so… distracted with dancing that I forgot I was trying to get it back on, I was supposed to get it back running but I--” She started to shake as she was talking and mumbling to herself. She had opened the bonnet and just stared at everything. She had closed it and opened it several times. 

“Tom... I need to fix this,” she sobbed. “The car… I was… I shouldn’t get distracted, I…” 

And Tom understood why the sudden urge to repair the car, this wasn’t about the car. He took her in his arms. 

“Y/N, angel, calm down,” he mumbled into her ear. “Angel, angel.” 

But she didn’t hug him back, she fell to the ground instead, desperately sobbing, while Tom could do nothing but hold her tight. Although he wasn’t feeling well, and the rain was getting much worse by the moment. 

Tom couldn’t make this about him, y/n needed him. But he hadn’t been feeling well. Not since the morning. And before he knew it, he was falling down to the mud. 

Next thing he knew, he woke up to yelling. He barely opened his eyes but he saw them. Y/N and his mother. 

“What were you thinking? He can’t be in the rain!” She said. “It’s your fault he’s here… He was doing fine, and everything he’s done lately circles around you!” 

Y/N stepped back, “I’m...I’m very sorry.”

“Mum, no,” Harry stepped in. “She’s been of great help! She got Tom to go back on therapy!” 

Nikki closed her eyes. “But Tom’s lost his mind, everything he does is stupid and pathetic and she keeps on making him do all these stunts!” 

Y/N looked away. 

“He climbed a Ferris wheel! He risked his life,” Nikki was being irrational. Tom watched them, knowing better. He knew his mother didn’t mean all of that, but that was the reaction they’d get whenever Tom got into trouble. You can’t blame her, the woman’s desperate. Her son is ill. Her son is dying. And she had grown fond of y/n but there were many things she disapproved of their relationship, mostly including things which Nikki found inappropriate for a kid with cancer to do. 

“I’m very sorry,” y/n said again. “Mrs Holland I… I’m very sorry.” 

“It’s alright, dear, he’s fine,” Dom intruded. Nikki glared at her husband. “He’s fine,” he assured her. “I just talked to the nurse, he just needs rest, he’s dehydrated, nothing with his vitals, he’s fine. They’ll just keep him at bedrest tonight in to check him in.” 

Y/N looked down. “I’m really sorry.” 

Tom saw her leave and frowned. Harry sighed as he followed after her. 

“I’ll… I need to talk to Dr. Green.” Dom said before walking off. 

Nikki frowned and then turned into the room, seeing Tom was awake. “Oh, thank god!” She said as she rushed to him to take his hand. “You’re so cold--” 

“Mum-” 

“You shouldn’t be out there--” 

“Mum, I know!” 

Nikki stepped back. 

“I’m fine.” 

“You’re not, I saw you this morning, you looked pale.” 

Tom looked away. “Yes, yes I know, but it was my fault, not y/n’s, okay?” He looked her in the eyes. “Y/N is not the one who’s put me in this, mother, alright? Neither are you.” 

“But if only you hadn’t been in the rain-” 

“You heard dad, it’s not the rain, I was dehydrated, that’s on me, okay?” Tom closed his eyes. “I try to ignore it okay? Yes, I knew I was feeling bad… But I simply ignored it. Because it had to be about y/n, because all summer has been about me! It’s always her worrying, and it’s always her making me feel normal, it’s always her trying to make me forget, and I can’t-... I can’t keep on shielding her from being normal herself, alright? ” 

Nikki blinked. 

“This had nothing to do with the rain, and I’m sorry mum, but today, it had to be about her, because she has to act tough with all of this, and I… I saw her, she feels guilty, because she was supposed to spend time with her grandpa and all she did in the summer was take care of me.” 

Nikki took his hand in his. “I’m--” 

“I love her, mum, and she’s made me see things I hadn’t before, alright?” Tom continued. “And I know I’ve done some pretty stupid stuff for her, but I… I’ve also realized many things.” 

Nikki sighed. 

“I’m sorry--” 

“I know, I know it’s hard mum…. But, don’t blame it on her, especially not now.” 

Nikki gulped down her guilt. She had snapped at y/n without any reason, honestly. She knew that. And Tom knew it. It was the biggest side-effect his illness had brought. His calm and loving mother losing her senses. This hadn’t been the first time they had their differences shown. It seemed like both of them had a very different approach to Tom’s illness. 

“I’m just trying to protect you,” Nikki said. 

“And…dad too, and Harry, and Sam, even Jared” Tom sighed. “You know, everyone has a saying on what I should feel like, on what I should do, but no one understands it, because none of you...You all forgot about it, didn’t you?” 

“Forget what?” 

“I forgot it, too. That I’m still Tom.” Tom pushed. “She made me remember.”

“I never forgot…” 

“No, ma, but you did,” Tom sighed. “I… I feel like my life changed, everyone turned to see me, I suddenly became someone always watched and every one pitied me, and… Then she came around, and she made me realize I’m more than pills, I’m more than this.” 

“You’ve always been, Tom,” Nikki assured him. 

“But… for a while, ma, I hadn’t felt it, I hadn’t felt alive, I was just… a dead man living,” he explained. “And suddenly she came, with that sketchbook of hers and that paintbrush and she just… Painted me, she painted back the colour on me.”

Nikki smiled. 

“Yes, I know I’ve done some pretty stupid things, but… I realized I should, because I’m young, alright? I should be doing that kind of stuff, I should be dancing with her in the rain, and I should continue to climb on Ferris Wheels, burst into songs and for a moment… Forget about this, alright?” 

“I’m… going to apologize to her.” Nikki stood up as she looked around the room, she picked up some blankets. 

She went through the halls that she knew by heart, already. She had been harsh. She had let it all overcome it, because everything had grown. But to be fair, her nerves were constantly on a spike. Just waiting for the worst. Always living a nightmare. Hiding from everyone so no one could see her tears. 

She went to the cafeteria, ordered two coffees. Nikki feared y/n had left. But for her surprise, she hadn’t. She was at that old blue waiting room with her clothes still soaking. Her head was on her hands. 

“I have to apologize to you,” Nikki said as she handed her a coffee and covered her with the blanket.

“No, I get it, it’s my fault, I’m very sorry” Y/N said with tears on her face. 

“No, no I shouldn’t have snapped at you,” Nikki side hugged her. “You’ve only helped Tom.” 

“I… I sorry, I forgot he shouldn’t be in the rain today, I just…” She gulped. “I was… I was…” 

“You were making my son feel alive,” Nikki admitted. “And that’s what you’ve been doing all summer. You meant well and I guess… I haven’t been fair on you, your grandpa just passed, I should have--” 

“No, it’s alright, really, I get it,” Y/N gulped. “It’s difficult to remain calm. I didn’t today.” 

“What happened then?” Nikki turned to her.

“I actually couldn’t… I guess the same thing that happened with you, denial, trying to blame it on someone else,” Y/N confessed. “That’s when it happened, I… I was so distracted again that I didn’t see Tom wasn’t feeling well.” 

“It’s not your fault,” Nikki told her.

“I don’t know… I think Tom and I were very irresponsible this summer,” y/n pointed out as she took a sip from her coffee.

Nikki shook her head. “No, you’ve been young” 

Y/N gulped as she shrugged. “I guess we were both trying to forget our life, I tried to forget the reason why I came here because I didn’t want to accept it.” 

Nikki waited for her to continue. 

“I was the only one who knew that pops was sick… And I used to snap that way before, because I tried to avoid it. I tried to forget about it, but, it can’t be ignored for much, we were supposed to see pops all summer because we knew that day would come,” y/n conffessed. 

“I’m sorry.”

“But I guess I thought that if I tried to forget it, it wouldn’t happen…If I avoided it, it would… fade out?” Y/N sighed shaking her head. “And I think that’s what Tom’s been doing, forget about it.” 

Tom’s mother sat back, realizing how well this stranger knew her son. How could she not see it? How had she been blind all this time? 

“But it can’t go away.” 

“No, it can’t,” Y/N agreed. 

“That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be happy, that shouldn’t mean he is not Tom anymore,” Nikki sighed. 

“Your son will never stop being him,” y/n said. “He’s a fighter,” she continued taking Nikki’s hand in hers. “And he’s just like sunlight, warming up everyone.” 

Nikki smiled. “He is.” 

“And he will keep on fighting,” y/n assured him. “And I want to be with him, I want to help him fight.”

“He doesn’t want to keep fighting,” Nikki sighed. “I’ve tried-” 

“He’s going to London, Nikki,” y/n sentenced. “He promised me.” 

Nikki’s eyes widened as she looked at her. “What?” 

“He’s the sun, and he will keep on shining.” 

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[writethehousedown]

Sunshine Brighter Than Blind Love (Scyvie) - Zyan

a/n: this is not surfer AU, i know. but hear me out: i’ll post the remaining chapters during the make up period, don’t think i’m leaving you hanging. title is taken from the LP song “Girls go Wild” for no apparent reason, I just liked it - now, have some soft gals! the fic is settled in a wild west period. a cowgirl au, if you will. hope you enjoy! sideblog is @chachkisalpaca as always x

“Don’t you think it’s hot today?” Scarlet asks, lying on a pile of hay and fanning herself with Yvie’s hat. Yvie stops grooming one of Scarlet’s father’s horse to look at her, her brow cocked.

“Hot? In the middle of July? Of course not,” she deadpans, making Scarlet frown and childishly stick her tongue out at her. Yvie chuckles, going back to work. “You could be inside the house, where it’s much cooler than here, y’know,” Yvie comments, but Scarlet dismisses her with a wave of her hand.

“Nah, inside is no fun. My mama’s been insistin’ to teach me embroidery, but that’s boring,” she says, moving around the hay and finding a more comfortable position. “I like hangin’ out with you much more.” Yvie smiles at the compliment, slightly biting the inside of her cheek.

She’s not sure why Scarlet likes her or why she risks getting grounded by her parents every time she comes to the stables just to hang out and talk with Yvie, who definitely shouldn’t be getting distracted from her job by talking with her boss’ daughter, but she doesn’t complain. Scarlet is kind, quick witted, and fun to be around.

Well, she’s not so fun when she takes off the layers of clothing and lays in the hay in a see-through silk gown that allows Yvie to see every curve of her body without the corset. It’s distracting, but she doesn’t say a word about it, because she shouldn’t be getting distracted by Scarlet like that.

Scarlet sits upright in the hay, pulling her soft auburn hair in a loose bun with a piece of lace, tying it in a little bow. Yvie takes a vow to not look at her or else she won’t be able to pull her gaze off again.

“Yves,” Scarlet calls. Yvie hums to let her know she’s listening. “D’you wanna go for a swim?” She asks cheerfully, staring at her with a toothy smile.

Surprised, Yvie looks at her, tilting her head to the side. “But I have work to do,” she simply says. Scarlet pouts, folding her arms. She looks cute as all hell.

“Oh, c’mon! Dad’s not home and my mama’s off to her friend’s house,” Scarlet tries to persuade her, but Yvie cocks a skeptical brow. Both of Scarlet’s parents horses are taking a nap at the stable.

She shifts her weight from one foot to another, “Huh, last time I checked, Storm and Buttercup were over there.” Yvie points with her chin towards the entrance of the stables, but Scarlet cocks a brow, standing up and jumping a little to see over the fences. She curses when she notices it’s true.

“Ah, damn. You got me, they’re home, I just want you to come with me to the river. I’m sweating in places I didn’t know could sweat,” she admits with a shrug. Yvie chuckles, pinching her cheek.

“Then take a bath, silly.”

“I would, but where’s the fun in that?” Scarlet says, folding her arms and throwing herself back into the pile of hay with a groan.

Yvie laughs wholeheartedly. Scarlet sometimes can be a bit of a brat —collateral effects of being an only child, she supposes— but she’s nothing like some other girls from families she’s worked for. As far as Yvie knows, Scarlet is a sweetheart compared to them.

And because she’s a sweetheart —and maybe because Yvie fancies her the tiniest, minuscule bit—, she lets out an over the top groan and folds her arms, too.

“I guess I have to accompany you to the river, don’t I?”

A giddy, child-like smile appears on Scarlet’s face as she claps excitedly. Somehow, Yvie knows she’ll regret this.

***

Yvie regrets this. Very much so.

Scarlet makes her walk for almost half an hour to get to the river, first and foremost. And then, when Yvie thinks they’re just going to sit by the shore and wet their feet, Scarlet shamelessly strips from her clothes and dives right into the water, leaving Yvie frozen for a moment.

“Well, what are you waiting for, an invitation? Aren’t you joining me?” She cheekily asks, almost as if she knows what she does to Yvie.

Yvie nods dumbly, because she’s forgotten how to speak, apparently. She’s starting to unbutton her shirt when she finds her voice again. “Don’t look, please.” Scarlet puts her hands up to cover her eyes and turns around, and Yvie hastily gets rid of her clothes, setting them next to Scarlet’s.

The water is cold, and it soon relieves the heat. Yvie lets out a small pleased moan, and taps on Scarlet’s shoulder to let her know she can turn around already. She has a bright, cheery smile as she slightly splashes her.

“This is nice,” she says, oddly sheepish. She takes advantage of it to wash her hair and Yvie gives her some space, pressing her knees against her chest as she watches her.

“This is better than cleaning horse shit, yeah,” Yvie concedes, and Scarlet chuckles.

The sun is peeking through the trees, everything is in silence, with the exception of a few birds chirping, and the river’s water splashes against the rocks, creating a beautiful symphony.

As Scarlet untangles her hair, it occurs to Yvie that she looks like those mythical creatures from far away lands she’s heard her father talk about — women with a sobrenatural beauty and being way too kind to be real. The name nymph rings in Yvie’s mind, and she finds it fitting for Scarlet.

“Y’know, you never told me why did you start working at my family’s ranch,” Scarlet says, combing her hair with her long, slender fingers.

Yvie bites the inside of her cheek, not only because she’s trying to stop her eyes from scanning down Scarlet’s body, but because she’s not sure if she wants to talk about her father yet. Her mama has told her not to say a word about him, to just reply that he abandoned them if anyone asks where he is, but there’s something about Scarlet that makes Yvie unable to lie to her.

“We needed the money. It’s been hard since dad left,” she confesses, digging her nails in her thighs. Her dad’s been on the run from the authorities since Yvie can remember, coming back for a day or two after months of radio silence. She hopes one day he can stay with her forever.

Scarlet shoots her a worried glance, focusing her attention on her.

“Oh, darling,” she coos, coming closer to her. Yvie gulps. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.” She does. But she’s not expecting Scarlet to understand it. “Can we talk about something else?” Yvie begs, and Scarlet nods.

“I don’t know if I’ve told you, but you’re like, my only friend,” Scarlet is quick to comment to change the topic. Yvie laughs, not believing her for a second. “For real! The girls my mama makes me hang out with don’t like me. You’re the only one with good taste in this town,” she says, attempting to flip her wet hair over her shoulder with a cocky expression.

Yvie doesn’t laugh this time; she’s heard how men talk about Scarlet in the saloons. Most of the time she can’t believe they are talking about this Scarlet, the one in front of her, with a smile as bright as the sunshine — they say she’s a spoiled brat, impossible to stand, and that if it wasn’t for her fortune, she’d never find a man to marry.

No wonder, men are stupid; Yvie would give up everything she has just to get Scarlet to like her back.

“For the record, I don’t like you,” Yvie deadpans, earning a smack in the arm from Scarlet. “See? You’re violent! Why would anyone like you, Miss Scarlet?”

A loud laugh bubbles in Scarlet’s throat, and Yvie realizes this is the first time she’s heard her laugh so carelessly.

“Oh, shut up, you! I know you love me.” She winks at her, and for a moment Yvie holds her breath. She knows she’s joking, that she doesn’t actually know. But she can’t help the tinge of panic that invades her.

“I absolutely do, that’s why I let you steal my hat whenever you want,” she says with an eye roll, pinching one of Scarlet’s cheeks. What she said isn’t technically a lie, but of course she won’t tell that to Scarlet.

Scarlet softly slaps her hand away, giggling slightly as she sits with her legs crossed, the water covering everything from the neck up.

“Can I tell you something?” She suddenly says, staring intently at Yvie. Yvie bites her lower lip, trying not to jump into conclusions as she nods. Scarlet sighs heavily before speaking. “Promise not to judge, ‘kay?” Scarlet anxiously twirls a strand of her hair around her index finger, and Yvie nods again. “So. You know we moved in a year ago, but do you know why we moved in the first place?”

There have been some rumors surrounding the James family, especially Scarlet, but Yvie knows it’s just things people say. So she shakes her head no.

Scarlet sighs again before continuing, “There was this girl that worked for us, Eileen, and she was just so, so beautiful.” She looks past Yvie, the nostalgia invading her gaze. Yvie’s heart gives a jump, “And I thought- I thought she also felt butterflies in her stomach when we were together.”

Yvie freezes, her brain short-circuiting. She’s not sure if she heard that right, or that she understands what Scarlet is saying. It feels like a dream, and she sure as hell doesn’t want to wake up.

“My parents found out, fired Eileen, and decided we’d move as far as possible, in case Eileen had told anyone.” Scarlet finally pulls her gaze to meet Yvie’s. Yvie’s stomach flips the moment she scoots herself closer, without breaking the eye contact. “So, I must ask you, before you turn into even more of another Eileen and I have to move houses again, to stop saying you love me if you don’t mean it.”

It takes Yvie a full minute to realize what Scarlet just said, and even when the words sink in, she’s unable to believe it. Scarlet is looking at her as if she’s a wounded animal and she’s pleading for mercy; she flinches when Yvie brings a hand to meet hers, so she just leaves her hand hanging halfway.

“I’m not Eileen,” she begins, and almost right away she sees how disappointed Scarlet looks. “I’m Yvie, and unlike Eileen, I do mean it when I say it.”

Scarlet’s eyes grow wide, blinking repeatedly in astonishment, and Yvie slowly tries to reach for her hand again. This time, she doesn’t flinch; instead, she laces her fingers with Yvie’s.

“For real?” Scarlet musters, and Yvie nods with a soft smile.

“For real.”

Yvie shifts her position a little, taking Scarlet’s chin with her free hand and attracting her face to deposit a soft kiss on her lips. Scarlet is surprised for a moment, but soon she follows Yvie’s pace.

They know what they’re doing is dangerous; anyone could run into them and they’d inevitably be hunted down, because in the eyes of the law, this is wrong.

But as Scarlet wraps her arms around Yvie’s neck, pulling her closer and smiling into the kiss, there’s nothing more important in the entire world.

tags: scyvie, scarlet envy, yvie oddly, fluff, lesbian au, wild west au

[alyseofwonderland]

Alyse Reads The Goldfinch, Part 2

What follows is my best attempt at liveblogging. I had the books as an audiobook in hopes that I could keep it from taking even more of my life from me. This was perhaps a mistake. I think I broke Siri trying to make notes. The notes that are rambly are the ones I dictated.

I entirely blame @rollono​ for my suffering. But I am also aware that it seems to give her joy. 

Every time I reference Tara, I am talking about @wellntruly​ who’s own live blog of the book was the only roadmap I had to follow in this waterlogged wasteland of a novel.

Part 1

I thought Tara was making up the Camel-hair coat bit but APPARENTLY NOT.

Architecture has that much to do with the city and or northern Europe, really? I mean, “whitewash” doesn't everybody do that?

Nina ( @proud-librarian​ ) is going to have a lot to say about their descriptions of the Netherlands and Amsterdam in this book. like oh my God!

Theo Deckard doesn't understand how thermostats work.

This isn't satire? I don't understand we're like three minutes in and it has to be satire. right. right?

Who the hell says my mother and I didn't like my father much? like what.... what is this? what am I reading? what is happening? what.... I don't understand.... okay maybe fine whatever

This feels like it should be... I don't know.... satire is the word I'm looking for again. I don't want to just repeat what Tara, said but Jesus. the start of the story is he is rich enough to have a Doorman but not rich enough to afford the fancy private school, and him and his friends break into vacation homes in the Hamptons. what is this? what is this? I just... just.... just write a Jane Austen or Lord Byron novel if that's what you want to do just do that. do that.

My audiobook app just turned itself off in the middle of a passage because it decided I didn't need to listen to Theo talk about whatever he was talking about.

Curse you, Donna Tartt, for also being in the "all things coconut smell like suntan lotion" club. I did not want to have this in common with you.

I am laughing so hard it turns silent into my steering wheel because the audiobook reader makes Tom Cable sound like a surfer dude from the 70s,  and I. cannot. handle. that.

"I like to think of myself as a perceptive person" is basically the way that I know that Theo has about Harry Potter level skills of observation when it comes to the people around him.

Y'all this book would be so much better if Theo actually thought like a 13-year-old that he is supposed to be in the intro part. That would just be peak comedy, which is really what I'm looking for.

Audrey Decker and the Laura Moon from American gods are now the two people that I have ever known to call men "puppy" which I still find alarming, in both cases. Surprisingly they also both die, so I guess more things they have in common.

The longer this book goes on the more clear it is that I am not bougie enough for its contents. ( timestamp 30 minutes)

(GIF BY @rollono​ BY MY REQUEST FOR EVERY TIME THIS BOOK MAKES ME FEEL POOR)

I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to think that a 13-year-old would know this much about their parent's job and be able to ask questions. I'm trying to think of what my dad was doing when I was 13, and I mean I know where he worked, and I know who his boss was, but if you tried to ask me daily issues or me giving advice... oh my gosh. I just can't. nobody talks like this.

I’m making a face akin to Kermit the frog. 

I threw up in my mouth a little at the description of Pippa walking past in the museum.

Did we just describe a 12-year-old girl's arms as marble? is that what just happened? did I just have to listen to that?

Theo has given me a lot of like “Golden State killer” vibes right now with his desire to poke around through all these people's homes and stuff. like this is clearly the Visalia ransacker's motivation in the 70s. I know too much about true crime, that's what's happening right now.

The true-crime serial killer alarms keep going off in my brain.

I know Tara already mentioned how ridiculous the Murphys bed story is but it really is incredibly ridiculous and breaks the tension of the entire scene that is occurring at the time (laughed uncontrollably to the point that Siri typed nonsense)

I get it, Donna, you know things. You do not have list every fire truck to prove it.

Let's take a child to a dinner at 3 am. Really Donna?

Why does Donna insist on giving me the text of signs around whats going on? Why did I just listen to the smoothie specials while an emotional scene is occurring?

Donna, did you just call Mrs. Barough a weasel?  [afronted gasp]

OI!  (me shouting when Donna says that Andy was weird for being lactose intolerant.)

Pukes in my mouth a little at the term 'high verbal'. I get it, Donna, you think you are smarter than all of us stop being a dick.

Donna Tartt would make it to r/iamverysmart in like a minute if she understood how the internet worked.

WHO TAUGHT HER ABOUT FMA?

Okay, so either Donna Tartt knows someone who lost a parent and basing this off them or like went through it herself because I am white-knuckling through the grief bits trying not to have my own trauma response to the situation. Or she wrote Theo with like the exact grief I had. Her incessant need to list things in a room is the only thing between me and a spiral of remembering my dad's death.

ANDY IS A RAY OF LIGHT AND DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE IN THIS FAMILY OR IN THIS BOOK!

Five whole hours before the first sight of Hobie. Like Jesus.

I miss Terry Pratchett.

Hobie thank you for making this book interesting again.

Hobie is now my main squeeze and I won't hear a word against him.

POE DIDN'T INVENT SCIENCE FICTION FUCKING MARY SHELLY DID. DONNA WHAT THE FUCK.

The Hobie part of the story just makes me more sure that a version of the movie should have been without the Baroughers (sp?) and only included Hobie and Pippa.

Any is a murderino. I love this baby boy.

Aw, I love Hobie so so much.

Donna if you call Andy annoying one more time you are gonna catch my hands. (She just referred to his voice as annoying twice in a conversation and I swear to god I will rip this character out of her snobbish clutches she doesn't deserve him.)

Theo on this we agree, I too enjoy Hobie.

Hobie is the only person who belongs in this novel and he's a god damn delight.

SEVEN HOURS AND THE PAINTING HAS COME UP AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LITERAL HOURS.

Theo straight up using Spanish to fuck over his father is just *chef's kiss.

I can see how much contempt Donna has for Xandra is longer and deeper than this book will ever be.

I am going to suplex Larry Decker I swear to god. (i have a very particular trigger to spouses bad-mouthing the dead one due to personal experience.)

Necco wafers are no one's favorite candy Donna. You can't just say shit like that and expect anyone to believe you.

I have just realized that Donna Tartt has never been to a public library. How do I know? Witchcraft books are never on the shelves. Ask any librarian. They are stolen pretty much the moment we buy them.

I am standing dead in the tea aisle at the store because Theo just thought it would be “gay” to tell the doormen he has known almost his whole life he is gonna miss them.  (hours later I realize this is her backtracking in edits going "shit shit shit I have to add the repression in somewhere for those dumb readers that don't understand art" and I hate it more.)

Mrs. B is ready to physically fight Larry and I would pay real money to see it.

WHY DOES DONNA KNOW ABOUT DRAGON BALL Z?!? Step away from the things I love Donna I don't trust you near my media. (Also why she does reference it she clearly has NO concept of what DBZ hair would even look like to expect me to believe any child could achieve it.)

oh my god, Boris. I'm so happy to see you.

I am happy to report the audiobook narrator does not do an Australian accent for Boris. Thank the lord.

I knew I was going to love Boris but like a few minutes in I adore him.

It's interesting to me that Theo and Boris seem to have received similar amounts of attention/affection from non-parent adults, but while Theo finds it uncomfortable Boris soaks it in.

The Australian part of Boris's accent seems impossible.

*sobbing audibly into my keyboard* Popchyck

Boris you sweet like socialist.

Comrade Boris we need you in this election.

I'm sad he (Boris) doesn't get to go to college and like piss off every yuppie and hippie, and just make Philosophy 100 and Government 250 absolute hell for everyone.

Drunk Boris at Thanksgiving is a gift.

Me listening to this book before Boris: half paying attention, fucking around on my computer, doing chores. Me after Boris shows up: staring at the middle distance determined to listen to every fucking word because this prison sentence of a novel is finally interesting.

James: you said the author is a snob and you aren't enjoying the main character.  Me: yeah James: then stop reading it. Me: No, then Donna and her Anna Wintour knock off hair cut will win. James, frowning and backing out of the room: k sweetie.

6:30 am is too early to hear Theo Decker describe his bed as "our bed"

I WAS RIGHT. Boris belongs in college making every American white kid absolutely furious in every Poli-sci.

Larry Decker calling Theo and Boris his "kids" made my heart skip a beat.

So the nurse notices they don't have vitamins and smell but doesn't call child services. I mean I know that I learned that school nurses are less likely to call CFS on white kids than they are on black kids but like god damn.

The sheer salt of Theo refusing to learn the name of Boris’s girlfriend is so hilarious.

Now *this* is gay.

The truth is Theo is ready to cut a bitch.

Fellas is it gay to do shots while your boyfriend talks about his girlfriend?

Theo trying to set up Boris with like a nice polite girl who won't fuck him is fucking hilarious. This poor baby gay.

Theo (and Donna cuz she writes him) have never heard of learning disabilities and I will legit throw down.

LARRY IS A SCORPIO IN CANON?! I thought that was something from the fan fics. omg Ally hates this.

No one wears white sport coats Donna stop trying to make it happen.

Boris totally knows what's going on with Larry and he's just trying to look out for Theo because he loves Theo but oh my gosh Boris why do you make me feel so many feelings!

Please, Donna, I am begging you to stop telling me what the light from the sun looks like at different times of the day. I just can't take it anymore. Every scene of Theo in Xandra's house does not need the qualifier of what type of sunlight he is seeing. Some times fine. But every time?

My entire stomach just dropped when I realized what Boris has done, and I'm just I'm so sad. this is not how I wanna start my commute to work today.

I have just had my first moments of being very proud of Donna's writing, because long long time ago, in the same chapter, she had the bit about how Xandra will say "apparently" when she's being bitchy with Theo and now in a conversation where Theo isn't paying attention to her she says "apparently" to Larry and I just had to stop and say this, this is the writing I'm looking for Donna. This is clever and interesting and I LIKED IT. Stop making lists and do more of this.

Friendship ended with Book Boris, Movie Boris is my best friend now.

I don't understand how the director and the screenwriter of the film could move who said those lines and then not make it gay. Like, commit to your choice.

My mom: You finish that book yet? Me, angrily: No. My mom slightly worried: do you like it? Me: unclear.

NEW CHAPTER!

Theo, I need you calm all the way down when you are looking at Pippa.

Love this lawyer. I want to be his friend.

God poor Pippa. All the shit she goes through and she still has to put up with Theo's weird obsession.

Theo, you slid right back into the serial killer habits in a second and I want you to stop it.

Oh god, I feel that in my soul. Like "no sir you have it wrong I look more like the parent I like best." (also I do look more like my dad. like way more like him)

I am begging someone to get Theo some kind of hobby or help or something so he stops acting like a victorian ghost.

I am gonna have to get the actual book so I can see what weird spelling is going on with the text messages. I just know its weird. The narrator does it in such a weird voice.

We spent so much time dealing with emotional issues and other whatnot that going back to the bit about the painting feels like a huge tonal shift in the book. I'm like staggering around confused.

Literally no one uses strawberry shampoo.

Love that Theo ‘s final plan is the one Andy purposed an eon ago.

Salty that Theo is getting the cool college experience that Boris would have crushed.  I would have paid good money to watch him make the philosophy department cry.

[kermit in the car gif]

Yo! Theo struggling to deal with school is like exactly my semester after my dad died.  

The adults attempting to force him into different living arrangements is so what we dealt with post my dad’s death.

Grisha! (Russians the only people I trust atm)

Tara was right, Andy's death comes off like a joke!

I gotta say, Crime Theo is my favorite Theo so far.

I don't know which serial killer Donna was channeling to write the parts about Theo being obsessed with Pippa, but it is just so intensely a serial killer vibe I cannot even begin to describe the look on my face; the feelings I'm having. I'm just like this man is going to kill someone. he's going to kill a lot of people. not only that it's going to be a lot of women because he doesn't view them as people. that's what I'm getting from this it's. Theo doesn't think women are people.

If Theo was on reddit he would be part of r/niceguys and r/iamverysmart.

If I have to listen to him drone on about his fantasies of Pippa for one more minute I will kill myself in the baking aisle of Aldis.

HES HOARDING HER HAIR?! HER UNWASHED CLOTHES?!? Please someone put him in jail.

[the sound of me throwing up in the frozen food section as Theo describes Kitsey]

Donna don’t try to act like you didn’t add that foreshadowing yourself about Andy. You crack me up you relentlessly snob.

How is Theo just The Worst all the time?

Theo freaking out because two gay guys know what’s up with him is just *chef’s kiss

Me having seen only the movie: Theo and Boris should get redemption and a romance run away. Me now: [ gif of “Ive had enough of this guy” from IASIP]

I mean I understand that John Crawley was a coward in so many of his directorial choices, but the fact that he didn't put the second meeting of Theo and this Lucius guy into a crowded weird restaurant where they're both getting hit by the waiters as they go past is just the weakest move you could've made. because this makes it so much funnier.

I'm with Hobie.

honestly this book should've just been 20 hours of art crime and like to shave off a good 10 hours of LISTS because that's what 10 hours is. give me 20 hours of art crime. I would love to watch each sale happen that would've been riveting to read but instead.... this.

Bish, you like those earrings or I will cut you.

Theo salty, while Kitsey picks out new china, is so fucking hilarious.

him just like "why are we buying new plates when my job is literally to find plates that were made by craftsmen?!?!” but being too fucking repressed in his bullshit to say anything, so he just making some poor sales lady suffer.

my friend Ally: “Theo’s repression makes everyone suffer is a good summary of the book.”

Alternative version of this book that would have been 8 million times better: Theo gets into art crimes but is also a serial killer. We don't know the second bit but it begins to start dawning on us as women seem to disappear from his social circles and weird hints of thoughts about blood and rivers.  Bonus points if it ends with him on the run from the law with his only vaguely criminal (by comparison to serial killer Theo) boyfriend. We are left to wonder if they will be gunned down in the chase or if perhaps there will be one more body to great the river.

Theo's textbook serial killer nonsense is only comparable to the sheer petty gay energy he gives off.

The power trip he gets from being like "hahaha yes I have bagged the ice princess who wanted nothing to do with me when we were kids" is just so gross and hilarious.

Theo realizing he is not the only sociopath in the room is just *chef's kiss.

Boris, did you really send some guy to just watch your ex?

Boris, I am begging you. You have made Grisha so upset.

Donna shying away from describing Boris comes off, if you don't know who we are talking about, as weird and slightly racist.

You have the internet Theo, you can look up when movies are going to start. You are not living on the moors.

HOW IS THIS BOOK NOT A SATIRE OF AMERICAN PYSCHO FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE BONERS FOR ANTIQUES?!?

Boris returns. I have almost forgiven him for what he put me through.

Maybe "fuck you" can be our always.

*tries not to cry when I realize that Boris' friends have heard about Theo

bless Aneurin for everything he did for this reunion in the movie.

Why is Boris such a slut? Why will I forgive him for anything?

Is it gay to think about the guy you used to jack off as handsome when you meet each other again?

Genetics means those kids can't be Boris' unless his mother was blonde. (Theo kind of agrees.)

My soul has left my body at the concept of Boris having a wife and kids.

I'm not saying I endorse crime, I'm just saying a mobster front with a pun in the name is really on-brand for me.

Knowing what I Know. That Boris thinks Theo is gonna try to kill him when they go for the "surprise" just makes the whole thing so tragic and sad.

Boris and his dog REUNITED AT LAST. I'm not crying. I'm fine.

Interesting that the next story we hear is about Gyuri's dead "brother" right after Boris says that Theo is "blood of his heart, his brother". Like. I might not be the biggest history buff in the world but I know gay code when I see it.

I mean I knew this was gonna happen, but I can't help but feel personally betrayed by Boris once again.

Donna, stay away from stuff about computers. Your attempts to use them make me, a technology expert, cringe.

Boris like "you don't deserve this dog. I deserve this dog."

"Babe I get that you are a WASP at heart but I need you to fight with me like a Russian now." - Boris to his disaster husband

"Did I lie?" "YES" (me laughing so hard I'm practically crying)

why does no one in this book appear to exchange numbers or like airdrop contact info.

Does Donna think that people only have iPhones?

Ally who is CTRL F reading this book "'Every few hundred pages she's like 'oh yeah, it's modern times...they're texting and there's emojis!' Seriously, there was the mention of emoji's and my soul escaped my body for a minute because it had no tether to time or space" @aces-low​

Off the top of my head, the name that Donna is not saying for this Horace to guy is Volkswagen.

Instead of being in the mob Boris should run an animal shelter.

Boris being Bitchy and jelly when Theo is talking to the German guy is just so cute. You two deserve each other with your weird shit.

If Donna wasn't a coward this book would have had Theo just getting eyeballs deep in art crime with Boris and his associates.

Adding a sin for making me listen to whatever that just was.

Things Donna forgot to list in "girl food": chicken wings, bread, rolls, other types of bread, garlic bread, a bit more bread, maybe cookies, eight more cookies, 20 more cookies, every type of chocolate humanly imaginable, jam, and barbecue ribs.

What do ankles have to do with being attractive?!?!?! this isn't the Victorian age! 

(from Ally re this comment: “I'm now convinced that every day Donna sat down to write this book she spun a wheel with different years on it, and that's the year the book was set that day”)

I didn't mind Kitsey cheating on Theo, because he doesn't even really like her. Until just now, when I realized that Mrs. B knows about it and she's keeping it from Theo, and my heart broke into 1 trillion pieces. she is the closest thing he has to a mother and he realized that she kept it from him, and I should not be crying in my car before my special Valentine night dinner.

James just walked in during a part describing Pippa and goes "Men writing women, huh?" and I had to pause the book, turn to him and say "a woman wrote this" and he just looks at me like 0_0

Mrs. B clutching Theo's hand so he won't leave her alone with Smalltalk-old-man is honestly the cutest thing in this entire book.

Hobie being able to be spotted from a distance at all times! I have a friend who is 6'5" and we can find him in crowds so easily!

Perhaps the funniest moment of this book is Theo saying "if girls loved assholes then Pippa would love me". buddy I'm going to post this entire book to r/niceguys

I WANT MORE ART CRIME! Why did you make me listen to 15 hours of boring nonsense when we could have had ART CRIME!

I deeply enjoy Boris's commitment to being a dramatic goofball, falling to his knees just be annoying.

Movie Boris appears in a dramatic way. Book Boris is just like there and also shoving food in his face and walking out of the party still eating all the food he just put in his cheeks like a chipmunk.

Hobie just like "if you want to run off with your gay love i'll cover."

Theodor Decker you get back in there and make sure that thief stays away from Nicole Kidman she has been through enough already!

Theo, I know that you don't actually have brains for anything besides drugs, crimes, being weird about women, and your own ass, but you could at least listen when people speak.

Theo is such a mess. He doesn't belong in modern times. He deserves to be Jack the Ripper.

I know the narrator is saying croissant the "correct" way. But every single time it happens I'm so fucking confused because who just leans into a french accent that hard for a single word?

Theo offers an actual good idea that Boris is going to use later and they all look at him like he's crazy.

I know "my brand" is "man holding gun" but listening to Boris assemble a gun I'm like "oh goodness I need to lay down". *fans self

Theo suddenly "I have made a huge mistake"

It's interesting to me how reluctant Boris is to make Theo a larger part of the heist. Theo reads it as frustrating but I read it like a kind of care and affection. He doesn't want his friend mixed up in something he can't handle, despite the fact that he wants Theo close so he can get him the painting back.

I see now why the heist in the movie was so fucking confusing. You need the Horst stuff and like a bunch of other nonsense that does not translate well to screen unless you re-write all the connections, which John Crowley was not willing to do.

Really love the "women drop their mark the first time" bit.

me: Theo I swear to god stop being high and sick in your room and go get some actual clothes and medication or at least don't make me listen to so much of it

this book is not 30 hours long. its 15 hours of a book and 15 hours of Donna going "gotta get that word count up or people with think I'm weak". Please, Donna. I don't need to hear this one thing happen for so long. It adds nothing to the tone, the themes, the plot, or the ambiance. You are just writing words for words sake.

The first suicide note was so well crafted that I honestly want Theo to kill himself now. If he can manage to write the others pretty okay I will be happy with this ending.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that the ghost of a dead loved one appeared on Christmas Eve.

I'm sorry who doesn't respond to "didn't you get my text?" with "my phone was dead" instantly?

me listening to Theo throw a tantrum at Boris because neither of them is capable of explaining themselves and like speaking as normal humans do: "It would have been better if Theo died"

Why must I be forced to listen to Donna make these scenes longer because these people don't talk like people?

Thud by Terry Pratchett does a much much better job of asking the question "can we trust our hearts and be the person we want to be?" And it honestly gives a better answer. And has you know, clever writing.

I thought it was like Over. I did. I was like "oh this is it wrapping up" ONLY THERE IS 30 MORE MINUTES AND I WANT TO SCREAM!

Me certain the book is over: i mean maybe this is a good ending

Me seeing i still have 30 more minutes: this is the worst book ever

This book held me fucking captive for over a week and all it left me with was like a few good lines, burning hatred for the main character, and the desire to go into Donna's home and rearrange all her stuff. 

also, I now hate antiques. out of spite.

don't read The Goldfinch. it's not worth it y’all.