#stranger fan meet 2025

[finnoahsource]

So exciting! 🥳

Our boys will be at the Stranger Fan Meet in Paris, France (Grand Amphitheater, Palais des Congrès) on February 2, 2025

Something to look forward to!!! 🩵

[turn3tifosi]

VI. the winner takes it all

lewis hamilton x ferrari engineer!reader

lewis and you are no strangers, but the hurt that followed knowing him, makes his announcement for 2025 nothing but dreadful for you

series masterlist | main masterlist

You remember how it all started. The excitement, the passion, the shared dreams, and the relentless ambition. You and Lewis had it all. Or so it seemed. As a top engineer at Ferrari, you lived and breathed motorsport, but it was your relationship with Lewis that made the moments off the track truly special.

It was Monaco 2016, the night before the big race. The sky was clear, and the stars shimmered over the Mediterranean. You met Lewis at a gala, the kind of event where the air buzzed with champagne bubbles and the murmur of high society. Lewis, with his charming smile and magnetic presence, was the center of attention, but when he looked at you, it was as if the world stopped. You talked about cars, strategies, and everything in between. There was an instant connection.

Over time, your relationship blossomed. The thrill of sneaking away for secret dates, the late-night conversations about life beyond racing, and the quiet moments where you could just be yourselves. Those were the times you cherished the most.

One night, as you both lay on the balcony of his apartment overlooking the city, Lewis rested his head on your lap, a rare moment of vulnerability from the world champion. “You know, sometimes I really wish I could run away from all the fame and people, and live a quiet life with you,” he whispered, his eyes closed in contentment.

You ran your fingers through his hair, feeling the weight of his words. “No Lewis, you love this. You love the fame and the cameras, it’s me who wishes you could run away from it all. I’m the selfish one.”

But love is never simple, especially when it’s tangled with the relentless pressure of professional success. Lewis's career skyrocketed, and with every victory, every championship, the distance between you grew. You were proud of him, of course, but the endless races, the media frenzy, and the never-ending demands on his time left little room for you.

It all came to a head after his fourth world championship win. The victory party was grand, a glittering affair that went on till dawn. But amid the celebration, you felt like a ghost, invisible and alone. You tried to talk to him, but he was swept away by adoring fans, sponsors, and the endless parade of well-wishers. When he finally found a moment, you could see the exhaustion in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and for a moment, you believed he meant it. But apologies couldn't bridge the growing chasm between you.

You tried to hold on, but the nights grew colder, and the days lonelier. Eventually, the strain became too much. One evening, after a particularly brutal argument, you packed your bags and walked out of his life, leaving behind the man you loved and the dreams you had built together.

Fast forward to 2024. Your career at Ferrari flourished, and you buried yourself in work to forget the heartache. But fate, or maybe Lewis has a cruel sense of humor. The announcement came out of the blue: Lewis Hamilton was joining Ferrari for the 2025 season.

The paddock buzzed with the news, but for you, it was a gut punch. The thought of working with him again, seeing him every day, was almost unbearable. But you were a professional, and you wouldn't let personal history affect your work.

The first meeting was awkward, to say the least. You avoided eye contact, focusing on the technical briefing, the strategies for the upcoming season. But you could feel his eyes on you, a silent plea for acknowledgment.

Days turned into weeks, and the tension simmered. It all came to a head one evening after a particularly long day at the track. You were in the garage, going over some data, when Lewis walked in.

“We need to talk,” he said, his voice low and strained.

You didn’t look up. “There’s nothing to talk about, Lewis. Let’s just do our jobs.”

He stepped closer, his presence impossible to ignore. “I’m sorry. For everything. I know I hurt you. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but-”

You finally met his gaze, the familiar pain and longing in his eyes. “You might have won the races and championships, but you don't get my heart back.”

He flinched as if struck. “I know I can’t change the past, but I want to make things right. I miss you.”

The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable, but the wounds were too deep. “It’s too late, Lewis. We had our chance.”

He looked like he wanted to say more, but you turned away, focusing back on your work. The silence was heavy, laden with unspoken words and lingering regrets.

Working together was a constant reminder of what was and what could have been. Yet, slowly, a new dynamic formed. Professional respect replaced personal tension, and while the past remained a painful shadow, you both found a way to coexist.

Lewis never stopped trying to mend the rift. Little gestures, a coffee waiting at your desk, a supportive word during a tough day. But you held firm, guarding your heart against further hurt.

As the season progressed, Ferrari thrived. The collaboration between the engineers and drivers was seamless, and the team’s performance improved dramatically. There were moments, brief and fleeting, where you saw a glimpse of the man you had once loved, not the racing superstar, but the man who had shared his dreams and fears with you.

And in those moments, you wondered if, maybe someday, you could find it in your heart to forgive. But for now, you were content to focus on the present, the thrill of the race, and the drive to win.

Because in the world of motorsport, as in life, the winner takes it all. And you were determined to be a winner, with or without him.

[noahschnappinfs]

Noah is going to be in Paris on February 2, 2025 for the Stranger Fan Meet!

[tryingtodotheright-thing]

Hello Sunset - 8

AN: The opposite of last chapter, this was a really quick one to write. As always all constructive criticism is welcome. Your feedback fuels me :) We're going through a bit of a time lapse in this chapter, we'll be in 2026 when this chapter ends. We'll be mostly in the current timeline going forwards with some flashbacks.

PAIRING: Seungcheol x fem!reader

GENRE: exes to lovers, idol verse, angst

WORD COUNT: 4,240

WARNINGS: reader has anxiety and depression, swearing, mentions of alcohol, accidental overdose

Text in blue is spoken/written in Korean.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Current - 31 August 2025 - 26 February 2026

Y/N had a headache and wished that her cup of tea would solve all her problems as everyone said it would. The last 100 minutes had been painful to put it simply. After Joshua’s opening remark, Y/N froze up and lost all confidence to be brazen in front of the executives as Sian had instructed her to be. They played the game well and they knew it. The company counted on Y/N’s affection for Joshua and hoped that his presence would guilt her into cooperating. They weren’t wrong to think that but they didn’t count on Sian’s impenetrable wall that protected Y/N. The COO of HYBE had asked for cooperation, saying it was unfortunate that the pair had broken up but there was no need for things to not be amicable. Sian had immediately jumped in asking if HYBE had always cooperated and been amicable over the past 18 months. Before anyone could respond, she’d said that W Music and Y/N won’t be open to conversations unless an apology is issued on the statement issued back in January and that they apologise to Y/N for how they treated her. 

Y/N had stayed quiet through the conversation, not wanting to let the discussion get to her. If she stayed silent, she couldn’t be manipulated. Sian and the executives ended up in a heated back and forth and the translator who had joined the call was working extra hard to rephrase Sian’s words to be more diplomatic. At one point, Sian lost it and went on a rant about everything PLEDIS and HYBE had done. Sian recounted PLEDIS asking Y/N to sign a NDA when they found out she were dating S.Coups and getting angry with her when she refused to sign anything without Sian’s permission. She described how some staff did not respect Y/N and had been rude to her when members weren’t present and Y/N taking it all in stride to keep the peace. PLEDIS releasing the statement in January where they implied the two weren’t dating without telling Y/N and leaving her to deal with the backlash from the fans but not before warning her that if she puts out any statements, they would refute it. When Y/N flew in February to celebrate their one year anniversary, PLEDIS didn’t send security to receive her eventhough S.Coups had asked for this. They had instead told him she’d refused the guards, implying she was seeking the attention. Y/N was ambushed by paparazzi and fans and it was a horrible experience she wouldn’t easily forget. PLEDIS advised S.Coups to not meet her as planned and Y/N flew back two days later, disappointed and hurt after receiving another warning from PLEDIS to not meet S.Coups or the members until they say so. They’d said Seungcheol was receiving hate mail and that it’s affecting SEVENTEEN’s reputation so Y/N needed to distance herself.

As each incident was mentioned, Y/N winced at the memories and wondered if it was too early for a drink. She didn’t want to take a trip down the memory lane and wished Sian would stop. She didn’t want her wounds to be opened up in front of these strangers who would only be glad to deepen it and let it bleed if it didn’t make things worse for them. It was her fault really, though Sian and Emma would disagree. She didn’t speak up and put a stop to it. Hindsight came with regrets. Y/N had promised that she wouldn’t allow herself to be treated as the less important person in any relationship but then taken everything PLEDIS threw at her. What really hurt was that he never questioned it. He wasn’t naive like her. How did he not suspect something was wrong? The worst was when a few days after flying back to London, she’d managed to arrange a time for the pair to speak on the phone and make up. She’d used the call as fuel to keep going as she had abuse hurled at her on all media platforms by people who thought they could have a say on who she was and what she was allowed to do. She ended up in a car accident on the way home after a charity event, with a driver backending her car. She had been sat in the back passenger seat and took the brunt of the force and had to be taken to hospital. As the ambulance took her to the hospital, she’d asked Lily who had been driving, to ask for PLEDIS’ help to inform Seungcheol so he wouldn’t panic. They’d failed to tell him and he took that as Y/N acting out childishly. As she was lying on the uncomfortable bed with a concussion trying to read his words filled with so much resentment, she’d lost the will to fight. 

It was a wake up call for Joshua as all the things that had happened came to light. He realised that there was a lot he had been unaware of and he suspected there was a lot S.Coups could also be in the dark about s. He was horrified to learn that Y/N’s flat address in Seoul was exposed and that she had received hate mail disguised as packages and one of them even had razor blades hidden to harm her. Fame was a double edged sword, Joshua had been well aware of that. Sometimes the price to pay was too high and he didn’t want to lose yet another friendship he treasured because of it. The call came to an end with no agreed outcome. Seeing the disgruntled executives from his company complaining as they left the meeting room, it was a harsh reminder for Joshua that he was, at the end of the day, a product who was only treasured as much as he was profitable. As soon as the room emptied, Joshua texted Y/N timmediately to ask if she was free for a call.

Y/N sighed as she read the message. She was absolutely exhausted and drained but she knew he was persistent so it was better to get it over with. After a sip of her now lukewarm tea, she braced herself for the emotional conversation and called Joshua. As soon as he answered the phone, Joshua apologised that he couldn’t be there for her and asked if she was okay. The question opened a dam and Y/N couldn’t stop the tears. Just when she thought she had cried it all out, her body proved her wrong. 

“What happened, Y/N? I thought you both were so happy. Why didn’t you say anything to Coups? Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I don’t think I knew him and I don’t think he knew me. I thought we did but I think we rushed into it. We didn’t have that much time together before he enlisted and we just painted over the cracks everytime till it was too late and everything fell apart.”

Y/N reflected on how she now believes she was wrong to start a relationship with Seungcheol without agreeing their priorities for the relationship. They were on different pages, and the story was a tragedy. They did say never meet your heroes. 

“How can I help? How do I make things better?” Joshua couldn’t believe that his two friends he believed were perfect for each other could be going through such pain because of each other. 

“I don’t know. I really don’t know, Josh. I’m trying to heal myself and each day a new scar reveals itself.”

“Then tell me about them. I’ll be your friend Josh. Not Joshua from SEVENTEEN. I’ll listen and I’ll be there to halve your problems.” He negotiated, trying to keep his place in her life. He’d missed Y/N so much the past few months and he didn’t want to go on not speaking to her. 

She refused. 

“But that’s part of who you are. You can’t take it away, Josh. I don’t want to put you in the middle of the aftermath… I need space. Everything is still raw for me. I don’t think I can speak to you without thinking of him. That’s not fair to you or me.”

That hurt. For a moment, Joshua wished he had never introduced the pair. Maybe that was selfish of him but it really hurt to be told to stay away.

“Will you tell me? Will you tell me when you’re ready?” It was his last card, his last trick to turn the tide. She sniffled and agreed. Of course, she had said. I can’t survive without my Josh for too long. 

Y/N worked on herself over the next few months. She made a concerted effort to look after her health, physical and mental. She started seeing a therapist again, working through the underlying issues that often resulted in her subservient behaviour in relationships and her need for external validation. She worked on her relationship with food, starting with admitting that she saw it as a place of comfort but used it as a crutch too much that it was becoming unhealthy. She also mended her relationships with loved ones. She apologised to Sian and Emma for not respecting the commitment she made to them and the consequences her action had by hiding away and burrowing away in her pain. It had been selfish of her. Y/N thanked her friends, Rachel particularly, for being there to pick up the pieces without complaint. She made a conscious effort to celebrate her friends’ wins and achievement. She needed to invest the time and appreciate the people she loved now that she was in a better place. It wasn’t about owing people but about being grateful for the people who chose to stay in her life. 

She didn’t suddenly grow up and decide she needed to get better. Depression didn’t work like that. She’d tell herself I’ll do better the next day only to repeat and rinse the same every day, wishing she could find that burst of energy, that piece of motivation to turn around her life. It seemed Y/N needed to reach rock bottom first before things got better. She ignored the concerns from Sian, Emma and her friends. She was a grown adult, she knew what she was doing. She took her anger out on them and pushed them away. Rachel had left in tears after their last argument. Eun Ji had no time for her nonsense. She’d visited to tell her to get off her arse. She’d said Y/N was blind to the hurt she was causing her friends. They cared, they were there, weren’t they? Why was that not enough? Y/N wasn’t listening. Everything felt like an attack. She threw it back in Eun Ji’s face and said she never asked for any of it. Could she stop bothering her and leave already? Eun Ji had left in anger. She’d left Y/N’s brightly lit flat and didn’t return till it was dark, with an apology takeaway dinner and hope for a better conversation. She came home to find Y/N unresponsive. Y/N told the doctors she wasn’t suicidal. She just had a headache that wouldn’t go away and the normal dosage of paracetamol wasn’t doing anything for her. She was silent as she listened. She listened to the doctors’ concerns, to Eun Ji’s screams, to Rachel’s sobbing, to Sian’s disappointed sighs and to Emma’s shaky breaths. That was her turning point. So Y/N worked on herself over the past few months.

All of those things, she worked on whilst finalising her second full length album. This one would be a gift to her fans, those who had patiently waited over a year for new music. The creative process hadn’t been easy. It never was usually but this time she was going at it alone, taking the full reigns on the production to the visualisation of the whole concept. Her first album, Wanderlust, had been focused on the idea of falling in love for the first time, telling the story from the forming of a crush to the end of an unrequited love. Her EP had taken a deeper dive at the narrative, focusing on the emotions around a new beginning, where the last track of her first album had left off. Her second album, a personal essay to her younger self, encapsulated the self-discovery journey she’d been on the past year. It was titled Kintsugi, after the Japanese art form of repairing broken things with silver, platinum or most commonly gold. As she’d sent off the finalised product, Y/N felt as if she’d reached catharsis. However the album performed, she was proud of what she had moulded.  

And performed it did. The album was was released and was an instant success. It was number one on all the charts, in the West and across the globe. It received critical acclaim and she was praised for the creative direction she’d taken. Y/N patiently attended all the press and media events Emma had organised. She owed this to them and the fans. If someone turned on the TV, you saw Y/N. If your car radio was on, you were bound to hear Y/N’s song. Taking the pulse of the public, Sian and Emma agreed they should go ahead with the world tour they’d originally planned. It had been postponed indefinitely in the summer but all of the works had been in motion so it wasn’t too hard to pick things up and confirm everything. Y/N would kick off 2026 with her first world tour, Shining. 

Five months later, that’s how Y/N found herself in Kyoto again, taking a short break before her Asian leg of her world tour kicked off. She’d just wrapped up her last city in Europe, Amsterdam, and her next concert would be on 6 March in Tokyo. She’d be travelling to Tokyo in 3 days for rehearsals. She’d been organising surprise guests for at least one night where she had multiple dates in each city so it was important she had rehearsals in advance of each concert. She was slightly pleased at the warm reaction she received everytime her team sent out a request for someone to join her at a concert. However, it also meant that she had to show a polished and perfect performance at the rehearsals so people didn’t think they were making a mistake getting their reputation intertwined with hers. 

Y/N could feel her nerves take over and she focused on relaxing and grounding herself as she’d been practicing through yoga. The nerves weren’t just because of the tour and the hefty expectations that rose with each city she ticked off the list. It was because of where she was and what was coming up. Kyoto was a place close to her heart. It was the first place she travelled alone to when she was still a university student and unsure of where her life was going. It was the place she came to when she needed peace and protection from the rest of the world. It was also where she gave the last piece of herself to him.

They’d planned a week’s break to anywhere in the world that gave them enough privacy to seclude themselves and enjoy some days of freedom before reality set in. He’d taken her to the very own rental she was currently in as a surprise for her 28th birthday. At the time, he had been preparing to enlist in less than 3 weeks and Y/N had been terrified of what was coming. How could she say goodbye when she’d just found him? Would he be okay going through the intense bootcamp when he was till recovering from his injury? How could she make sure he felt safe enough to come to her with his worries when she already saw his walls going up in preparation? She held so many questions inside her but had pushed them all away for that week. It had been the best week of her life. Kyoto was still a place of peace for her but it was also painted with unfulfilled dreams.

“We’ll come back in two years as soon as I’m released. We’ll stay longer than a week. Then you’ll take me home to London, we’ll see your favourite places, greet your parents, go out with your friends and then I’ll ..”

“You’ll what, love?” 

“Secret!” He had said with his dimples out in full force even though he’d lost some of the flesh in his cheeks over anticipation of the near future. The smile had been slightly strained but he’d affectionately rubbed her left ringer finger just above where her couple ring rested. 

So many promises that would never come to light, Y/N thought. It was bittersweet. She hadn’t been back in Seoul since that disastrous last date of theirs. They’d fought the entire time and she’d angrily taken off her couple ring when he’d questioned if she was trying to bring attention to them on purpose. She didn’t have the ring anymore. It wasn’t hers to keep and she’d shipped it to Director Shim Jae Hyun. All she had was scars she’d healed to hopefully be stronger. She’d have to be as in two weeks, she’d be on Seoul’s soil. Y/N had been surprised when Sian suggested Seoul as one of the cities for the tour. She knew she wasn’t the netizens favourite star, she was more likely on the least favourite list. Sian had insisted though. She said she needed to overcome it and that she did have fans who would love to see her perform. As long as she didn’t have rotten vegetables thrown at her, Y/N would count it as a success.

Joshua would be coming to the concert. The friends had properly reconciled and had accepted each others’ olive branch. They’d agreed they wouldn’t talk about him or their relationship. Joshua already knew too much and she didn’t want to taint or influence his relationship with her side of the story. They were grown ups and could have a tacit understanding to ignore each other’s presence for Joshua’s sake. It’s what she’d told Joshua and Y/N hoped Seungcheol would cooperate. Y/N was excited to see Joshua and Vernon and Seungkwan, who would also join him. She’d missed them a lot. It had been hard to stop all contact with them and she was happy PLEDIS had loosened their strict rules, albeit reluctantly. They’d come to agree to Sian’s demands and had called a truce. Y/N wouldn’t openly talk about Seunghceol or SEVENTEEN and they would do the same. Of course, they still didn’t like her but Y/N was over trying to please them. They could accept her as she was and suck it up. They just needed to respect her boundaries. Maybe if she’d been firm in keeping those from the beginning, things wouldn’t have ended up this way.

30 March 2024

 The adrenaline rush was exhilarating and she wasn’t even the one performing. Y/N was backstage as the last round of preparations took place for the boys to go on stage. It was first night of the Follow Again Encore Tour and it would be Cheol’s first time back on stage after his hiatus. Y/N was nervous and excited for him. She knew how much it meant for him to be back on stage with everyone, especially as the clock ticked over his shoulder counting down to his next break in activities. He’d been working hard, too hard in her opinion, to catch up on what he’d missed on. He was a perfectionist and he was determined to show a performance that wasn’t lacking. No one held him to a higher standard than he did and she admired and equally worried about that. He’d been practicing choreographies, learning new ones and tweaking old ones so he wouldn’t hurt his still recovering knee. He pushed himself to the maximum and tested the limits of his resilience. Y/N knew some of that push came from his anxiety and baseless worries of not being needed, after all the members had been fine the past few months without him. Y/N hurt for him as he cried one late night in her arms. She’d kissed his tears away and reassured him but she knew that her words weren’t enough. He needed to hear it from his brothers but pride stopped him from speaking to them about his concerns. Y/N was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She didn’t want to break his confidence but the man was stubborn as they come and didn’t open up to his friends. 

“Y/N-yah, you’re going to cheer for me the most tonight, right?” Jeonghan broke her out of her deep thoughts. 

Joshua appeared out of thin air and jumped in, “No, I’m her best friend so she’ll cheer for me the loudest.”

“Nuh-uh. Noona loves me the most. I know she’ll cheer for me the most and the loudest.” Seungkwan butted in.

“Um, isn’t the answer Coups hyung? They are dating.” Vernon looked at the group as if he was the only one with any sense and that they were testing his patience, which they probably were. 

Normally, Seungcheol would join in, get wound up and turn his pout towards her to melt her composure. He must be really nervous because it didn’t seem as if her had even noticed the ruckus around him. Y/N gestured to the others to give them a minute. She sat next to Seuncheol who was getting a last minute touch up on his make up as he stared blankly at the mirror. When she looked to the make-up artist silently asking for some privacy, she gave Y/N an annoyed look and walked away in a strop. 

Y/N crouched in front of Seungcheol and clasped his hands, finding them unusually cold. She rubbed each palm between her hands to warm them, realising that he was going into a panic attack.

“Cheol? Cheol, love? Do you hear me?” 

He looked at her startled and his eyes were clouded and Y/N could see the tears gathering. 

“Oh, love. It’s okay. It’s okay, love.” She whispered in his ears as she gathering his in her arms and rubbed his back as he started to shake with silent sobs. The members rushed to him and started asking what’s wrong and what their brother needed but Y/N assured them he needed some space and air and she’ll let them know if he asks for them. Realising she had it in hand and that he didn’t want the attention or to be seen this way by his younger brothers, they moved away and hovered in the periphery. 

“I can’t … I can’t breathe.” 

“Baby, baby, look at me. Look at me, Cheol. You can breathe. I know you can. Focus on me. Take in a deep breath with me.” 

She put one of his hands on her heart so he could feel her her pulse and inhale of oxygen. 

“That’s it. That’s it, love. You’re doing a good job, Cheol. Okay, now I want you to -”

“What are you doing? You’ve messed up his makeup!” The make-up artist had returned with back up it seemed. She was fuming and the manager behind her wasn’t one Y/N recognised. He looked disgusted at the display in front of him and Y/N felt like scum at the bottom of his shoes. She ignored all of it and tried to help Seungcheol calm down. 

“Ignore them, Cheol. Look at me. Breathe in and squeeze my hands okay. Can you do that for me?”

Seungcheol tried to follow but the sudden crowd around him disrupted his focus. Y/N did her best to block what was happening behind her as Jeonghan argued with the manager to let Y/N help his friend. It didn’t seem as if he’d managed to convince as Y/N suddenly found herself being dragged away by a guard and she felt Seuncheol’s hands slip away from hers. She tried to argue with them but no one listened to her. The last glimpse she had of Seungcheol was him staring at her in despair as tears flowed from his eyes. 

Current - 28 February 2026

The haunted look in his eyes that night wasn’t one she would easily forget. She couldn’t easily forget the way she was berated by a PLEDIS executive or how he’d described her as a handicap for Seuncheol and the band. Y/N wished she’d found her voice then and that she had stood up for herself and their relationship. Maybe things would have been different. What if she’d stood firm? Could their dreams and promises then have been realised? It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered and it probably won’t be the last time. Seungcheol and her, with all their flaws, had fit together imperfectly to form a pretty picture. Y/N had made enough progress to accept that she had her part in the failure of their relationship. Sadly, she’d also grown enough to know that what ifs and maybes were just that. There was no point in living in the past anymore. So, she ignored the pang in her heavy heart and took peace in the interior garden in front of her as the kotatsu kept her warm, body and soul.

[theirloveisgross]

do you think he’ll come back? and tour again?

yes, absolutely. he loves it a lot. he loves it so much that he accepted to do the horrendous residencies. but it'll be a while... i hope it is a while. i think he'll do shows here and there, but a world tour? mmm. i'm guessing 2025. but maybe 2026. everyones knows 1D is touring in 2025 (HAHAHAHSGAHSA).

also, i'll use this post to... vent? rant? ramble? idk. but... love on tour has been a fucking emotional ride. tonight's show was so beautiful and special, and made me remember the great things i've experienced thanks to it... like, meeting one of my closest friends in real life a year after we met online through this fandom, at harry's show in sweden, was one of the highlights of my life. it was my first time seeing harry with a friend who loved him like i do and i will always cherish that day and the fun we had and how close we were (kitchen/jp forever, bitches). like, experiencing harryween with another close friend is also high on the list. like, going all out for kiwi with harry in the same room is to this day one of the most cathartic and joyful experiences i've had in my life, and i'll brag that i did it 7 times having only been to 5 shows, because, yes, i did live through thriwi. like, listening to harry's voice live is so so so beautiful and i will be waiting for the next time i get to do that again. like, singing wmyb with harry is one of the highlights of tour. every show. i mean, it's only the best song of his entire life, he said it himself.

but as there have been many good things, there have also been many meh things, in my experience... like, the shows i attended by myself in 2021 were NOT welcoming. sure, there was still a pandemic, etc etc, but the vibes were not great, and i had to put myself in an imaginary bubble and believe it was only me and harry, forget the rest and go hard to every song. like, the awful hateful comments and words i've heard/read by some fans towards other fans the past two years have been absolutely disappointing and horrifying, and i know that's what you pay when your audience grows, etc, but yikes, sometimes it sucks to be piled up with the same group of people. like, the fact that it was very obvious to me that harry didn't want the 2021 leg to happen (this is speculation, of course i don't know what harry thought). like, the fans that kept bringing disrespectful signs to his shows. if you wouldn't say that to a stranger you just met, why would you do that with harry? like, the residency shows in the us. i won't even elaborate further on that.

anyway, that's a lot of rambling. my brain loves having the sides? nuances? of everything, for some weird and annoying reason. but trust that i was an absolute puddle tonight, especially after harry's speech about us, because, yes, all the good things outweigh the bad ones. and i got you all and my friends, who love harry for who he is, and i hope more of his fans see that, and i hope there's more kindness and understanding on his next tour. whenever that might be.

so long, love on tour. you were... something! thanks for all the experiences!

[descubredonostia]

Bruce Springsteen in San Sebastian: Everything You Need to Know About the June 21, 2025 Concert

Bruce Springsteen in San Sebastian: The legendary Bruce Springsteen returns to San Sebastián with a highly anticipated concert that will take place on June 21, 2025, at Anoeta Stadium. This musical event promises to be one of the highlights of the summer in Gipuzkoa, bringing together thousands of fans eager to see the "Boss" in action. Tickets for Bruce Springsteen's concert in San Sebastián will go on sale on October 8, a key date for everyone who does not want to miss the show of the famous singer. Furthermore, ticket sales will include different options, allowing fans to choose between general tickets and VIP passes, which will include access to exclusive areas and unique experiences to enjoy the concert in an even more special way. The VIP passes could also include exclusive merchandise and a pre-concert experience, including access to a rehearsal or a meet-and-greet with some members of the band. In addition, it is planned to include a private reception with snacks and drinks in the VIP passes, where participants can enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere before the show. This will be an opportunity to meet other fans and share the excitement of the event in an intimate and exclusive setting. Additionally, for those who opt for the most expensive passes, access to a privileged area near the stage will be offered, ensuring an unparalleled view and a fully immersive experience where one can feel the full energy of Bruce Springsteen and his band. The concert will be an experience full of memorable moments and surprises, and VIP participants will be able to take home a unique souvenir thanks to exclusive merchandise, such as t-shirts, posters, and other commemorative items from this historic event.

Bruce Springsteen San Sebastián Tickets: Prices and How to Get Them

For those interested in attending the "Boss" concert, here is all the information about the tickets and how to get them. October 8 will be the day when fans can secure a spot for Bruce Springsteen's concert at Anoeta. Tickets will be available through the usual sales channels, including online platforms and authorized sales points such as Doctor Music, Entradas.com, Ticketmaster, El Corte Inglés, and Live Nation. Although official prices have not yet been confirmed, it is expected that there will be various options to suit different budgets, with ticket prices ranging from 70 to 150 euros, depending on the location in the stadium. Furthermore, different categories of tickets are expected, from general tickets to exclusive passes for the most dedicated fans, which could include access to privileged areas and exclusive merchandise. The more expensive passes will offer a closer experience to the stage, ideal for those who want to enjoy the show with a privileged view and feel part of the performance. Ticket sales for Bruce Springsteen in San Sebastián are expected to be swift, given the interest that each visit of the artist to Spain generates. It is recommended to stay attentive to the launch times and prepare payment details in advance, as high demand is expected for this musical event in San Sebastián in June 2025. In addition, to facilitate the process, it is advisable to register on sales platforms in advance, which can speed up the purchase when sales open. It is also advisable to consider group purchase options if you plan to attend with others, as some sites may offer discounts for multiple purchases.

A Legend in San Sebastián: Bruce Springsteen and His Previous Visits

Bruce Springsteen is no stranger to San Sebastián-San Sebastián. In fact, this will not be the first time the "Boss" performs at Anoeta Stadium, as he has visited the city on several occasions as part of his world tours. The last time Bruce Springsteen played in San Sebastián was in 2016, when he sold out all tickets and offered an unforgettable concert to his fans. The connection between the artist and the Basque audience has always been special, and it is expected that in 2025, it will once again be a magical night full of music and emotion. Fans who attended the 2016 concert still remember with emotion the moments when Springsteen stepped off the stage to interact with the audience, making everyone feel part of something extraordinary. Bruce Springsteen's concert at Anoeta is part of his "Bruce Springsteen Spain Tour 2025," a series of performances that will take him to several cities across the country. San Sebastián has become a must-stop for the artist, known for his marathon concerts full of energy, closeness with the audience, and undeniable musical quality. During his 2016 concert, for example, Bruce Springsteen surprised the audience with a special version of 'Thunder Road,' which he dedicated to the city and its fans. It was an unforgettable moment that captured the unique connection between the "Boss" and San Sebastián, which spectators still remember fondly. Springsteen is famous for his spontaneous interactions with fans, sometimes inviting them on stage to share unique moments, making each show unique. Additionally, each concert is different, as the artist tends to vary his repertoire and surprise with unexpected songs, adding an element of surprise and keeping the excitement alive at each performance.

The Hits You'll Enjoy at Anoeta

Bruce Springsteen has captivated the world with his best songs, ranging from classics like "Born to Run" on YouTube and "Dancing in the Dark" on YouTube to the moving "The River" on YouTube, the powerful "Badlands" on YouTube, and the iconic "Thunder Road" on YouTube. At this concert in San Sebastián, it is expected that the "Boss" will revisit many of his hits, along with some surprises that are often part of his concerts. There will be no shortage of ballads that touch the heart and rock tracks that get the whole stadium jumping. The variety of the repertoire, ranging from high-energy anthems to more intimate and personal songs, guarantees that every participant will find a moment that resonates deeply with them. Springsteen is known for adapting his repertoire depending on the audience and the occasion, so attendees at the Bruce Springsteen Anoeta concert will enjoy a unique and personalized experience. With more than 50 years of career, Bruce Springsteen has proven to be one of the greatest representatives of rock and an exceptional storyteller of stories about everyday life, love, and struggle. In addition to his greatest hits, it is likely that the "Boss" will present some of the songs from his latest album, adding a fresh and contemporary touch to the repertoire that has captivated several generations. Springsteen's live performances are known for their ability to create a sense of community, where each song is an invitation to share and feel the music as a collective, and Anoeta will be no exception.

How to Get to Anoeta Stadium

Anoeta Stadium, located in San Sebastián-San Sebastián, is easily accessible for both local residents and those traveling from outside the city. If you're wondering how to get there, the most convenient way is by public transport, as the stadium is well connected by bus and train services. Additionally, it is expected that schedules and frequencies will be reinforced on the day of the event to facilitate the arrival and departure of attendees. Local authorities may also set up special shuttle services from key points in the city, such as the train station and the historic center, to make transportation more efficient. For those who prefer to come by car, parking areas will be available near the stadium, although it is recommended to arrive early to avoid congestion issues. It is also a good idea to enjoy a walk to the venue, as San Sebastián is a very pedestrian-friendly city. For those coming from other cities, the train station and bus terminal in San Sebastián are within reasonable distance of the stadium, making access easy without the need for a private vehicle. There are also taxi services and ridesharing apps that will be operational during the event. Additionally, for those who want to take advantage of the trip for tourism, San Sebastián offers a wide variety of gastronomic and cultural options that make the trip even more attractive.

FAQs About Bruce Springsteen in San Sebastián

1. When will Bruce Springsteen's concert in San Sebastián take place? The concert will take place on June 21, 2025, at Anoeta Stadium. 2. When and where can tickets be purchased? Tickets will be available starting October 8, 2024. They can be purchased on platforms such as Doctor Music, Entradas.com, Ticketmaster, El Corte Inglés, and Live Nation. 3. What is the price of the tickets? Ticket prices for Bruce Springsteen in San Sebastián will range from 70 to 150 euros, depending on the location in the stadium and additional options, such as VIP passes. 4. How to get to Anoeta Stadium? The stadium is easily accessible by public transport, including bus and train. Special shuttle services will also be available from key points in the city. 5. What does the VIP pass include? The VIP pass may include access to exclusive areas, a pre-concert experience with access to a rehearsal, a meet-and-greet with some band members, a private reception, and exclusive merchandise. Read the full article

[failedbyfanime]

Boycott Fanime 2025. Do not buy your badge until Fanime meets our demands!!

As of the end of 2024 con, they have still not addressed the following primary issues:

- There are several unresolved cases of sexual harassment and assault, with the alleged perpetrators still on staff.

- The Code of Conduct that was released last month lacks sufficient structure to effectively address and resolve incidents, particularly those involving Staff.

- The legal case involving the former Chief Financial Officer of the Foundation for Anime and Niche Subcultures (FANS, Fanime’s parent organization), while now resolved, remains troubling. FANS has not taken any action to publicly address what happened and what they will be doing to prevent such embezzlement in the future.

- FANS is still listed as delinquent with the California Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. They have until June 25th 2024 to resolve this issue or face penalties and fees.

- There is still no Accessibility department to advocate for attendees, volunteers, or staff, leading to the oversight of blocking the only accessible ramp in the plaza, elevator malfunctions and closures, and placing accessible metal detector entrances in locations that are hard to find and travel to. Attendees should not have to rely on the kindness of strangers to carry them or their wheelchair down a flight of stairs.

- Numerous badge refund requests are still pending resolution, some from as early as 2020.

- There is still a clear lack of communication to address public concerns and issues that arise.

- Contradicting policy enforcements such as allowing the sale of counterfeit and illegal props and weapons in Dealer’s Hall, in direct opposition of FanimeCon’s own policies. This is separate from the fact that many of these are illegal to sell in California.

We have advocated for these and many other changes, which you can find on our website.

Failed By Fanime

[themovieblogonline]

Fantastic Four Casts Its Silver Surfer: It's Ozark's Julia Garner!

Marvel fans, get ready for a whole new Fantastic Four family! The crew just found their Silver Surfer, and it's none other than Julia Garner, the breakout star of Ozark. This ain't your typical superhero flick, though. We're talking a trip back to the groovy 1960s, the era when the Fantastic Four first blasted onto the comic scene. Meet the New Fantastic Four We already know Pedro Pascal is strapping on the suit as Mr. Fantastic, with Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn lighting things up as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach bringing the Thing to life. Now, with Garner joining the fam as a fresh take on the Silver Surfer, this Fantastic Four is shaping up to be epic! Garner's no stranger to the spotlight. This three-time Emmy winner stole hearts (and probably some wallets) as Ruth Langmore in Ozark. She also got Emmy love for her role as Anna Delvey, the infamous fake heiress in "Inventing Anna." So, yeah, she can handle a complex character, even one who might be surfing through space on a silver surfboard. A Different Kind of Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer's a complex character. Originally introduced as a herald for the planet-devouring Galactus, the Surfer's more than just a lackey. He's a powerful cosmic being with a strong moral compass. There's also a love story involved, as the Surfer is romantically linked to Shalla-Bal, the character Garner might be playing. Here's the twist: Garner won't be playing the classic Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd. Instead, she'll be Shalla-Bal, the love of Norrin Radd in the comics. This could open the door for a whole new storyline for the Silver Surfer, and we're here for it! Fantastic Four Blasts Off July 25, 2025 Mark your calendars, Marvel fans! The Fantastic Four are set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. With Matt Shakman (director of WandaVision) at the helm and a killer cast, this is one superhero movie you won't want to miss. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMI5w_f3U0w Read the full article

[finnoahsource]

Paris is so lucky cos in Feb they can get a Foah/Byler duo pic with Finn and Noah This is such a rare opportunity for fellow Bylers to meet the actors who portray our OTP I can't wait to see all their poses and interactions in the city of love :3

it's so exciting I can't wait! it all definitely gets the byler (and original four, it seems!) energy going for the year ahead before st5 release 🩵

they're the most expensive duo op listed, even they know how special of a chance it is 😝 hahaha

I hope lots of fans get the opportunity they've waited for! :)

[chilling-seavey]

Ok those pictures from the paparazzi video got me feeling some type of way haha I don’t know what type of blurb can be written with those pictures but like some type of errand running with the girls or going to a restaurant or something haha idk honestly but those pictures/video I just can’t handle it haha

I loveee making blurbs from pics it’s my favourite thing omg I had to jump to this ask RIGHT NOW because I wanna write this before my FEELINGS lessen because WOW 🤤 Florence is a lucky lady let’s just say that  🥴

(So obviously in the ABM universe covid-19 doesn’t exist (lucky bishes honestly) so I’m picturing these pics but without the mask lol)

These are (some) of the pictures I was inspired by (you can’t tell me the first one doesn’t look like he could be pushing a stroller):

October 14, 2025

When Lucy was first born, money was really tight – we’ve seen that come up a lot – so when Florence and Daniel’s one year wedding anniversary came around, they couldn’t really celebrate how they wanted to between not being to afford to go out and because they had three little kids around. But by the second year, money was more comfortable and the kiddos were a bit older and Daniel wanted to take his girls out for a nice dinner as a family.

Their anniversary fell on a Tuesday that year so after work, Daniel came right home as soon as he could to make their reservation time. Penelope and Clementine greeted him right away at the door, all ready to go in their little dresses, and he bent down to give each of them lots of kisses. Florence was in the nursery changing the baby into her fresh outfit and he joined them, greeting his wife with a few sweet kisses before turning to the squealing baby on the change table. He took over for her in getting Lucy ready to go as Florence packed the last of the diaper bag. It was all a bit rushed, but they were out the door and headed down the street in no time.

“Oh my gosh.” Daniel stopped in the middle of the sidewalk halfway there.

“What?” Florence turned back to him, the oldest two girls holding her hands.

“I didn’t change from work.” he looked in the reflection of a store window they were passing at his beige t-shirt and grey long sleeve underneath. “You all look so nice and I look-”

“Incredibly handsome.”

“Barely.” Daniel scoffed, ruffling a hand through his hair.

“You look just fine, baby.” Florence assured him. “You could be wearing a paper bag and I’d still think you were the sexiest man in the city.”

“Oh, thanks.” Daniel shot her a teasing glare as they continued down the sidewalk. 

It was sort of a chilly evening, Lucy bundled up in a jacket in the stroller as she tried desperately to get out and walk herself, but city streets meant having the least amount of kids running free was the safest bet. The restaurant wasn’t too far away so they arrived only a few minutes later, Clementine helping herself to the podium outside the front doors and greeted the hostess with a smile.

“I’m Clementine. We’re here for dinner!” she said, going up on her tiptoes to try and see the list on the host stand.

“Tell her your last name and how many of us.” Florence instructed softly, gently pulling her back from newly throwing herself at the hostess.

“Seavey and five!” Clementine said, taking her mother’s hand.

Daniel smiled softly down at his eldest and her proud smile as the hostess found their reservation.

“Dada!” Lucy shrieked with annoyance from the stroller, pulling at the little seatbelt desperately, “Out!”

“We can put the stroller in the back for you while you eat and bring it out when you’re ready to go.” the hostess offered as she gathered the menus in preparation to bring them to their table.

“That’d be great, thanks.” Daniel said, bending down to unclip the fifteen-month-old from the stroller and picked her up onto his hip.

“Down, dada!” Lucy cried, trying to wiggle from his grasp.

Daniel sighed and set her on her feet, taking her tiny hand in his own before she could run off on her own, “Stay with Daddy please.”

Lucy was more than pleased to be walking by herself, her hand wrapped around his finger as they followed the hostess into the restaurant, her little feet scurrying after the grown-ups. She was not a fan of the highchair at their table, pulling a pout up at him as he buckled her into it. With all three girls settled, Florence and Daniel sat beside each other with mirrored sighs and right away he tucked his hand in hers under the table as they looked at their menus.

“I want chicken nuggets.” Penelope said softly, reaching over the table to tap her finger gently in front of Daniel to get his attention.

“You can have whatever you want, bug.” he smiled, reaching out his left hand to let her hold it across the table.

“Mine!” Lucy frowned, stretching out from the highchair to smack her sister’s hand away from Daniel��s.

“Hey, you gotta share me.” Daniel squished the baby’s cheeks before holding out his palm to Penelope again. She grinned at him with those little dimples and wrapped her small hand around three of his fingers, twisting his wedding ring around one as he scanned the menu.

“What are you thinking?” Florence asked softly.

“Not sure. You?” Daniel glanced up at her.

She shrugged, keeping her eyes on the menu.

“Anything you want, okay?” he whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

Florence smiled at him and leaned in for a quick kiss.

Life with three young kids meant they almost always ate dinner cold, spending most of the time tending to the children; cutting meat, moving sides so they didn’t touch other things, or wiping sticky hands when offered out to them with a pout. But dinner was nice regardless, Florence and Daniel each treated themselves to a small steak and a glass of champagne each, catching Clementine’s sneaky hand around the stem of the glass trying to steal a sip just in time.

With a family fed and a successful debit card swipe, they started to head back home. Lucy was falling asleep by the end of dinner which meant getting her into her stroller was an easier feat than normal. They walked slowly back home, Daniel pushing the stroller and Penelope resting in Florence’s arms as Clementine led their group down the sidewalk.

The city lights sort of made Daniel’s blue eyes sparkle and Florence kept catching herself staring at him as they walked.

“I’m not a stranger, you know. You can come kiss me if you want to.” Daniel chuckled, looking over at her to meet her lingering stare.

“You’re just so pretty that I can make words sometimes.” Florence shrugged, sliding closer to link her arm in his.

Daniel only smiled at her and stopped walking long enough to kiss her, moving a hand up to her cheek to keep her close for a few more seconds, his lips locked with hers.

“Come on, people!” Clementine called from farther down the sidewalk, clapping her hands twice, “Chop chop!”

“Early bedtime for the girls tonight?” Daniel asked softly as they continued walking.

“You bet.” Florence chuckled, leaning her head on his shoulder as they approached home.

[thatonecurlygirl]

Biology of Billy Hargrove {2}

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Billy x Reader

Word Count: 2025

Read: Part One

The largest human organ is the skin. The skin of an attractive female he has he sights on always does him in. The rush of heat he always manages to pull to her cheeks with just a smile. The softness under his touch or the sheen of sweat on their skin once they’ve gone a round or two. Billy always had to have the feel of another’s skin even in the most minute way — just to feel something — and today not just anyone would do.

His eyes scan the crowded halls looking for one girl, in particular, the one he had dreamt about getting his hands on last night. It took him a few moments, playing a game of ‘where’s Waldo’ before his eyes landed on the hidden jewel he was looking for. With his signature smirk, he pushes past the girls making their way toward him and saunters right up to you. He doesn’t hesitate to reach out, run his fingers along the nape of your neck and chuckling when you shiver at his touch.

He can’t help but let his mind travel back to last night, your skin glistening with the pool water and the glow of the setting sun causing you to almost glow. You were like a painting, one worth to be hung up in those fancy-schmancy museums or something like that. Made him wonder why he hadn’t noticed you like this before, sure he knew you and that you were a babe but for some reason, he always just kept his distance and once you broke that barrier he’s not so sure he can keep that distance anymore. Now, you’re his new muse whether you like it or not.

Swatting the hand away from your neck, you turn around to see Billy standing there with his usual smirk. He leans against the locker beside yours, letting his eyes slowly roll down your body — head to toes and back up — eyes finally resting on yours when he decides to speak up.

“Morning sweetheart.”

“Morning Billy, can I help you with something?” You ask, rubbing the back of your neck and trying to rid yourself of the goosebumps that had made a path where his fingers trailed gently across your skin.

“Just came to say hi to my little stalkers.” He smiles with a wink, looking between you and Angie.

“Whoa, about that! We-” Angie begins to explain but is interrupted by Billy.

“No, it’s alright. I understand, your sweet y/n here invited me over last night and explained all she needed to. Although she could have gone into more… detail.” He smirks.

Angie’s eyes go wide in revelation of what Billy is talking about. Her head whips over to you who is standing there as if nothing he said bothered you a bit. With a quiet scoff, you shake your head and grab your English textbook, closing your locker.

“See you in class, Billy.” Is your only response as you walk past him, Angie quickly following on your heels and showering you in questions.

“What was he talking about?” Angie asks as the two of you take your seats in your English class, pulling your desks together so that they touch.

“I was going for a swim and thought, what better way to apologize for creeping than to invite him over to the pool.” You shrug.

“Or you just don’t want to admit you find him delicious and wanted to see him up close.” She was wagging her eyebrows with a wicked smile on her face.

“Not true!” You gasp, face completely defying what you just said. “Maybe just a little.” You whisper.”

You always know when Billy walks into the room because that boy demands all the attention. At first, the room goes quiet for a microsecond as if he is pulling all the noise and energy from around the room so that he can use it.

“Ah, little stalker, there you-”

“Mr. Hargrove, take your seat please.” Mr. Jordan says, entering the room and walking straight back to his desk.

With a groan, Billy drops into the desk directly behind you. Smiling when he sees you shift in your seat under the pressure of his eyes. After a couple moments of his quiet staring, you turn in your seat, glaring at him as he happily returns it with a wink.

“Today, we will be starting our partnered projects.” Mr. Jordan announces.

“We’ve got this project in the bag,” Angie says, nudging your side.

Mr. Jordan continues on with the details of the project but you can’t really focus on anything other than Billy twirling the eraser end of his pencil in your hair. You know that all he is really trying to do is get a reaction out of you and you are determined to deny him that reaction. Sure, Billy is hot and all but you don’t want to be just like all the other girls in this school. You’re happy just being acquaintances with Billy, admiring him from afar.

“Hey Mr. Jordan, I’ll take y/n,” Billy says, leaning back in his chair.

“Wait, what!” You ask, eyes wide as you finally tune back into reality.

“Looks like we’re partners, little stalker.” He smirks, leaning up in his seat to nudge you.

“No! Mr. Jordan, Angie and I were supposed to be partners. We are always partners!” You stand up out of your chair, making a scene.

“Exactly, you two are always partners. It’s time for a change, change is good.” Mr. Jordan says as he writes in his notebook, paying you no mind.

“Yeah, little stalker, change is good.” Billy chuckles.

“Stop calling me that.” You snap, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Oh, did I hit a nerve, little stalker?” He asks with an amused gasp. “I wouldn’t mind hitting a different type of nerve.” He whispers seductively in your ear.

You can’t help the shiver that runs down your spine, an involuntary reaction to his breathy words in your ear. Billy notices right away, he can see the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. He smiles when he sees you shiver ever so slightly when his breath fans across your neck.

“This is going to be fun.” He chuckles to himself as he leans back in his chair, pretending to listen to whatever Tommy H. Is spewing.

“You so owe me, like for the rest of your lives.” You groan pacing the room, the three young teens from yesterday along with the rest of the party, including the designated ‘dad’ Steve. “Now he won’t leave me alone.”

“Look, we are sorry, we didn’t know who else to go to,” Max says, throwing her hands up in the air. “If there was another option, we wouldn’t have brought you into this.”

“Yeah, well now we have to figure out how to get me out of this.” You groan plopping down on the couch. “Plus, it’ll do us no good having Billy chasing after me to get into my pants. He’ll just get in the way.”

“Not necessarily.” Lucas shrugs. “I mean if he is chasing after you and you are intentionally keeping him away from us… he will never get in the way.”

“He has a point,” Dustin says with a nod. “Plus, I heard you have a thing for Billy. Shouldn’t be too hard to take one for the team.”

“Who said I have a thing for Billy?” You whip around, facing Dustin, eyebrows furrowed. “Your cousin Lydia? She’s an idiot.”

“Denial.” Dustin chuckles.

“Okay, enough.” Steve intervenes. “It would come in handy to have someone we know that can keep Billy out of our hair but if you aren’t comfortable with it…” Steve shrugs.

“Well, I have to work with him for the next three weeks anyway.” You sigh. “You all still owe me though.”

A knock on the door has you groaning and pouting. With a sympathetic smile, Steve gathers the kids telling them it’s time to leave as you all make your way to the front door. When Steve opens the door, Billy’s face is dumbstruck with confusion and you can’t help the small amused smile.

“Well Harrington, I didn’t expect you here,” Billy says, his voice flat as the kids make a beeline out of the house. “You two playing some weird game of house or something?”

“You jealous?” Steve asks, stepping out of the door and onto the front porch with Billy.

“Of you, Harrington? Never.” He smirks.

“Can you just shut up and get in here so we can start on this, please?” You ask, pulling Billy’s attention away from Steve and to you.

“Eager aren’t we?” Billy smiles and shoulder checks Steve as he steps into the doorway. “ Later, Harrington.”

You stand in the doorway, watching Steve and the kids leave. When you turn around, your eyes meet with his beautiful blues. Slowly, Billy saunters closer to you, his gorgeous blue orbs not leaving yours as he walks close enough for your breath to mingle without your lips meeting, a surprising mix of his cigarettes and your minty gum. He lifts his hand up, almost in slow motion as he reaches past you and closes the door, stepping back and nodding to your backpack on the ground by the door.

“Where do you want to take this part, sweetheart?” He asks, looking around the living room. “Maybe the bedroom?” He smirks.

“Sure, whatever.” You sigh, grabbing your bag from off the floor. “Let’s go pretty boy.” You walk past him and up the stairs toward your bedroom.

The skin is the largest human organ and right now yours burn from the holes Billy is boring into you. The both of you sitting cross-legged on the floor, you with your nose in the book that the teacher had assigned to you and Billy with the book in his lap and staring at you, head tilted to the side. You try to ignore his eyes trained on you but the longer he looks at you the warmer your skin gets, accumulating a thin layer of sweat.

“Can you please stop staring?” You smack your book closed, looking up at him.

“I think it’s time for a break.” He sets his book on the floor, scooting it away from him and standing up to his feet. “Come on, little stalker, let’s go for a dip.”

“Billy, we are in the middle of-”

Before you can finish your sentence Billy picks you up and throws you over his shoulder. His muscles tight as he holds you still, rushing out of the room and down the stairs. Your heart almost stops at how fast he races down the stairs and out the back door, not wasting a second before jumping right into the pool. The water is cool, contrasting with the warm, late spring air. You breach the surface of the water, a few feet away from Billy.

“What the hell!” You gasp, wiping the water from your face and splashing him.

“Thought you needed to cool off a little bit.” He winks. “Plus, I like the way you look… like this.” He says quietly and pushes you against the edge of the pool, leaning into your lips and you let your eyes flutter closed.

Right before his lips come in contact with yours, you are interrupted by someone clearing their voice, a sound you are all too familiar with. Instinctively you push Billy away, putting as much space between the two of you as you can before you look up at your mom.

“You should probably head home.” You say quietly to Billy before climbing out of the pool and grabbing a towel from your mom. “I’ll bring your book by later.”

“Just bring it to school tomorrow.” He says with a smile, looking from you to your mother before heading out the back gate.

“Be careful with that Billy kid, he seems like trouble.” Your mother warns, turning to walk back into the house.  


“Trust me, mom, I know.” You sigh, looking back to the gate Billy just walked out of.

Taglist: @xicarcalii @dacremontgomerylover @super-strange-sons @the-ghostgirl-blog @admiralsixx

[brn1029]

Time for your Rock Report

Elton John and ABBA recently shared an incredible mash-up of "Chiquitita" and "Bennie and the Jets" on TikTok.

"Heard about this little mashup of Bennie and the Jets with @ABBA and had to get involved," Elton captioned the video, adding the hashtags "#piano #bennieandthejets #abba #eltonjohn #remix #pop #chiquitita"

ABBA's official TikTok account also shows the video with the caption, "Heard that 'Chiquitita' was trending again…with @Elton John!" The clip shows Benny Andersson playing the iconic intro to ABBA's 1979 hit "Chiquitita" on a black grand piano in what appears to be a studio. Elton then appears onscreen, sitting at a brown piano and launching into the intro to his 1973 hit "Bennie and the Jets" before flashing a wide grin.

Metallica have teamed up with "Stranger Things<" to launch a new line of "Hellfire Club"-themed merchandise.

The metal icons' 1986 track "Master Of Puppets" soundtracked a scene in the finale of the Netflix show's fourth season. In the final episode of the 4th season, Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) plays the song on guitar to distract hundreds of demonic bats as his friends attack the villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).

Munson is the leader of the "Hellfire Club," a Dungeons & Dragons group at Hawkins High.

"Eddie, this one's for you," Metallica wrote to announce the new merch line. "We're having the most metal meeting ever of The Hellfire Club so we're scouting out 'lost sheep' and outsiders to join. Do you think you have what it takes? Then suit up."

Poison frontman Bret Michaels has revealed that the band aren't likely to embark on another tour until 2025. However, he also teased his fans about an upcoming solo tour. Speaking to radio host Eddie Trunk for his SiriusXM show, "Trunk Nation," Michaels said, "I'm just saying '25 is probably when Poison will put a humongous world tour together and go back out and be incredible. And it'll be awesome." Poison are currently part of the The Stadium Tour, a co-headlining North American tour by British rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Mötley Crüe. The tour is set to conclude in September this year. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts are also part of the tour. The Stadium Tour was announced on December 4, 2019, and was set to take place in the summer of 2020. It was later announced that the tour would be rescheduled for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour was once again pushed back to 2022 due to the same circumstances.

[thissupposedcrime]

what do dmitry, alexi, and pyotr look like?? i'm v curious

Anon I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this question. I love you.

In Chapter 8/9 Yuri will meet Dmitry and that’s where I planned to detail his appearance but no one ever asked me about my OCs before so hot damn IMMA SAY A LOT ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCES AND RANDOM HEAD CANONS I COULD NOT FIT IN THE STORY.

Below are appearances (and other story details!) for Dmitry, Alexi, and Pyotr.

Dmitry (18, DOB 1/15/2006)

Name: Vershinin Dmitry Ruslanovich 

When he’s sick or Alexi is pleased, he occasionally calls him Dima

Height/body: 165 cm/5’5 (never grows taller). His legs are especially well defined but he appears more skinny than firm, almost waif-ish. In the off season, he sometimes appears scrawny, despite the fact he’s swallowing down as much food as possible. He doesn’t retain the weight. 

Eyes: Hazel (tinted more brown than green). They’re wide-set and rather large so Dmitry is an expert at the puppy dog look. It does not work on anyone who knows him longer than five minutes.

Nose: Pert and cute, has a few freckles sprinkled across it

Hair: Chestnut brown that, in certain lighting, gets mistaken for a dull red. Typically it is short and messy, as Dmitry is shit at caring for long hair and gets annoyed when it flies in his face. Currently he’s rocking a look like this (top photo). He likes using products in his hair because it stops the old ladies from ruffling it.

Face: Regardless of his age, there will always be an element of baby-face to Dmitry, slightly rounded at the cheeks, that makes him appear adorable instead of classically handsome. People will call him cute, not sexy, but he is good looking to many.

Smile: Very bright and full, always looks like he’s glowing when he smile. He frequently bites at his lips, so they’re normally reddish.

Complexion: His complexion is tanner than Alexi’s, so it’s a very ‘healthy tan’ sort of thing, even when sick. 

Other details:

Originally, during his junior career, his hair was longer. Dmitry’s an idiot who tried dyeing streaks of blue in his hair using a home kit. Unsurprisingly, it went badly and, to allow the damaged parts of his hair to recover, he chopped off most of it, but grew to like the shorter styles. Once he tried to rock a pompadour but Alexi refused to stand next to him when they walked down the street.

He’s spent his life climbing Alexi like a jungle gym and using his appearance to get away with murder. Unlike Yuri, whose cute looks mean no one takes his threats of rage seriously, Dmitry cared more about sneaking into places during dares or begging for another cookie.

He basically retains the body Yuri wishes he kept during his pro career, short and flexible, but lacks the work ethic of Yuri. Yuri not so secretly despises Dmitry for this reason.

For his part, one of Dmitry’s first introductions to Yuri Plisetsky is seeing him inadvertently concuss Pyotr when he throws his phone, so, from the start, the fear of God had been put into Dmitry, furthered once he saw Yuri’s terrifying Dance Mom and Unholy Beast Boyfriend.

Both Dmitry and Yuri are super fucking dramatic but Yuri’s is rage and pretending to hate everything while Dmitry is woe-is-me and complicated dares no one should complete.

Two older sisters (six and four years older than him, married and in college respectively), father frequently in America for business so it’s usually just him and his mother.

Best friends with Alexi since they were eight. His mother loves Alexi most (but Dmitry understands).

Honestly Dmitry’s probably lived this long because of Alexi. 

Alexi (17, DOB 5/22/2006)

Name: Rezansov Alexi Stepanovich

Dmitry is not allowed to give him pet-names.

Career: Still in Juniors, usually works with assistant coaches but Yakov looks forward to his planned debut in 2025. 

Delayed in senior level due to early puberty. Once he regained his skills, his progress was sacrificed when he lost a year due to an ugly accident. 

Height/body: 177 cm/5’10. The pinnacle of an athletic body, Alexi is long-legged, tone armed, and broad shouldered, meaning he easily navigates crowds that flock to him. Despite being younger, he has always been taller than Dmitry, who has been known to hide behind him during blustery weather conditions. Alexi is naturally active and mobile, a morning person who does not need coffee to keep his limbs under control.

Eyes: Gray eyes, frequently appear blue. Almond shaped eyes that naturally lift in the corner. He’s very sensitive to makeup so he refuses eyeliner. Luckily he has thick lashes so it isn’t often an issue he fights coaches with.

Nose: His nose was broken in the accident mentioned above and required minor surgery to repair when it didn’t heal properly, so he has a small scar, difficult to see if you’re not peering at him. Before the accident, it was very straight, with a pointed tip. Still sits well on his face.

Hair: Sandy brown, slightly wavy and smooth textured. He prefers clean-cuts and typically sticks with staples, like a classic crew cut. Whenever his hair grows out, Dmitry is on high alert because Alexi takes pride in being well trimmed. 

By March 2024 it has grown slightly longer, enough that strands are starting to fall in his face if he doesn’t style it.

Face: Much to Dmitry’s chagrin, it is uniformly agreed upon that Alexi is handsome. People (fangirls) have called him sculpted or chiseled. Square jawed, well proportioned features.

When sick, Dmitry goes on the fan forums and fights people who say.

Smile: Pale pink but full lips. He’s more of a smirk or smaller, sincere smile type than toothy grins like Dmitry. Has been accused of having resting-bitch-face, even when winning gold, so smiles are usually saved for his family or moments Dmitry isn’t giving him heart palpitations because he’s PLAYING IN TRAFFIC OH MY GOD STOP. Straight, pearly white teeth. 

Complexion: Pale, but not unhealthily so. Inherited from his mother’s fair coloring and complexion. Smooth skinned because, although puberty betrayed him in giving him so many inches in such a short time, acne wasn’t that bad. 

Other details:

Even before his accident, Alexi was the most likely to understand skating isn’t forever and has considered leaving before his body breaks down to attend college, prepare for another career.

No dramatic backstory, they met in elementary school and were only surprised not to have met sooner. 

Alexi is better at remembering the names of people’s spouses/children and recent events but Dmitry is better at socializing, especially with strangers.

Is both the youngest and most responsible of the skaters currently working with Yakov and his assistant coaches. 

Only child of a florist and an accountant. He has a good relationship with his parents but that didn’t stop Dmitry’s family from basically kidnapping him and making them one of their own. 

Dmitry is offended whenever Alexi claims to be an only child. You have two sisters. 

Besides Yakov, he’s probably the only one to realize Dmitry and Yuri are somewhat alike.

Pyotr (20, DOB 9/4/2004)

Name: Sonin Pyotr Aleskeevich

Called Petya by his girlfriend

Called ‘how are you alive right now?’ by everyone else

Career: Senior Male Figure Skater 2021-2024, moves on to Ice Dancing with girlfriend/future wife 2025-2029

Height/Body: 173cm/5’8. Everyone is confused that Mila is able to pick up Pyotr because he seems huge, more of his bulk on his upper level (strong arms) than legs. Muscular. He has a long neck that does nothing in warning him of danger. Pyotr is surprisingly light. 

Eyes: Dark brown eyes, spaced evenly apart from his nose. There’s nothing remarkable about them. Instead, people comment on the dark circles under Pyotr’s eyes, seemingly permanent. Whenever he loses a girlfriend or gets stressed over competitions, Pyotr defaults to watching cheerful foreign musicals, meaning he never sleeps.

Nose: snub-nosed (shorter, seemingly flat) but it works well on him, as his face isn’t overly long. 

Hair: Naturally curly and thick in a platinum blonde color. He typically keeps it loose and has been caught on tape confessing the length, well past his shoulders, makes headbanging to music better.

Face: Oval shaped, a few scars from acne along the side but easily hidden by makeup. Occasionally, while injured, he has been told he has a face only a mother could love. Isn’t considered handsome or ugly but things would be helped if people would stop hitting him so the swelling could go down.

Smile: He has a gap between his two front teeth, but smiles easily and happily. Unlike Dmitry, who sinks into moods, Pyotr actively works to keep up a cheery disposition. Has dimples.

Complexion: Typically ruddy due to the cold and time on the ice, but in the off season he loses a lot of the redness and rawness in his cheeks. 

Other details:

Does a lot of stupid shit like Dmitry, but is more a victim of circumstance than a perpetrator. 

Lacks an Alexi of his own to keep him in line or give him credibility when he has a good idea. People should listen to him more, but he becomes a joke character.

All concussions have come from other people (Yuri, Mila)

Although his love life is a joke, he is the one most consistently in a relationship and will soon fall in love with an ice dancer named Valentina and marry her. First to have a wife and family

Choreographs a lot of his own programs and specializes in artistry rather than complex moves.

Oldest of three, with a younger brother and sister. His aunt was a skater so he’s especially close to her.

Thank you anon who asked me about these losers. Please feel free to prompt me with questions or ideas.

Story: soldier boy, tripping over himself to win my praise

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1204

Monday, March 12, 2018

 The Jee Gang gathered at brother Kelly's house Sunday evening for a traditional Chinese dinner to finally celebrate the Year of the Dog. It was a lot louder than usual with extra children home. The cousins were here for the reception thrown for our niece Samantha and her new husband JD. They had eloped to Guam back in November but Sam is now home again from Japan. My sister Ava hosted a fun filled party at the Sala San Marco for her daughter and son-in-law Saturday night with the younguns dancing the night away. It was so nice to finally meet JD. His Mom flew up from Puerto Rico and his sister from Florida to join us. We left early to drive my Dad home after he finished his dance with his grand daughter. Dad was so happy and proud. I haven't seen him smile that big in a long time.

 It's March Break. Why not go down to your friendly neighbourhood comic book shop and get some fun and exciting reading to keep the kids quiet for a little bit. Comic books promote reading and will stimulate their imaginations. The stores will be very appreciative.

 Oblivion Song #1 - Robert Kirkman (writer) Lorenzo De Felici (art) Annalisa Leoni (colours) Russ Wooton (letters). I missed the boat on Walking Dead so this new book is my introduction to Robert Kirkman's writing. It starts off with a guy hunting people in a post apocalyptic city with big scary monsters. Turns out this hunter is a guy on a crusade. There are a bunch of twists in this debut that hooked me and the art has a European look that suits this story. I want to see what happens next.

 Infinity Countdown #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Aaron Kuder (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). If you're a dyed in the wool Marvel fan like me it's hard to resist this Infinity Stone story just for the sheer number of super heroes in it. This issue features the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Nova Corps. Everyone's favourite talking tree will surprise you and I hope the change is permanent but I doubt it. The final scene in Madripoor with another hint to the return of Logan starts a subplot that I'm eager to follow. I wasn't going to follow this cross over event because I'm already into Avengers: No Surrender, but they sucked me right in.

 Batman #42 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin (art) June Chung (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Poison Ivy has everyone on the planet mind-controlled except for Batman and Catwoman and one unfortunate soul who cannot eat vegetables. This is a cautionary tale for vegans. I think Selina is going to be crucial to the resolution of this story.

 Strangers in Paradise XXV #2 - Terry Moore (story & art). This issue is cool because it connects Strangers in Paradise with Terry's other major story Rachel Rising. It ends in quite a cliffhanger.

 She-Hulk #163 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (art) Frederico Blee (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I've followed Jennifer Walters from Savage She-Hulk #1 with that cover by John Buscema that's a part of this issue's cover, which hit the racks in 1980, the first year I worked in a comic book store. Jen's been through a lot since then and I have watched her with interest. I enjoyed this run but it looks like it is ending. That's too bad.

 Superman #42 - Patrick Gleason & Peter J. Tomasi (writers) Patrick Gleason (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Bizarroverse part 1. I'm not a fan of Bizarro. Translating the opposite language is super annoying. The first thirteen pages nearly turned me off completely but Patrick Gleason's art and Superboy's presence saved this issue. I've become quite fond of Jonathan Kent so I will hang in there to see what happens.

 Daredevil #599 - Charles Soule (writer) Ron Garney (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Between the killer Muse and Mayor Wilson Fisk, Matt has his work cut out for him trying to save lives in New York City. There's a costume change that old Horn Head makes at the end of this issue that isn't explained. I liked the new mostly black look and will miss it if the change stays. The next issue will be chock full of guest appearances.

 Avengers #683 - Jim Zub, Mark Waid & Al Ewing (writers) Paco Medina (pencils) Juan Vlasco (inks) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). No Surrender part 9. It's Jim Zub's turn to be at the top of the writers rotation. The fight to save Jarvis's life is won just in time for a startling secret to be revealed. I liked how this issue focused on the Beast and Nadia/Wasp without having to throw in a whole lot of other Avengers. There was an obscure one on the first page that I had to use Google to help refresh my memory. I learned something cool about the name Tara while doing that research. I love learning new things.

 Amazing Spider-Man #797 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Go Down Swinging part 1. One of my favourite penciller and inker teams does this issue and I hope they stay on for the whole story. I loved how Dan kept me guessing throughout this issue. I know it's a cheap trick but it worked for me and it ramps up the threat that the Green Goblin is to Spider-Man even more. I can't wait for the next issue.

 Captain America #699 - Mark Waid (writer) Chris Samnee (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Cap continues to fight in 2025 against the king who doesn't look much like the current #45 but we get it. The Hulk and the Thing guest star. My allegiance to this book is being slowly eroded and the last panel made me lose hope for reading future issues. The next one is going to be the milestone issue #700 so I will check it out but it better be good or else I won't be coming back.

 X-Men Red #2 - Tom Taylor (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Ive Svorcina (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The Hate Machine part 2. The team goes to Delhi, India to rescue a young technopath while anti-mutant sentiment escalates. I like any team that has Laura/Wolverine and Gabby/Honey Badger on it. The one page Logan appearance wasn't anything to write home about. I think he's just travelling around the world getting the lay of the land and seeing how things have changed since he died.

 Spider-Man #238 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Oscar Bazaldua (art) Brian Reber (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The new Sinister Six steal a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. I was not impressed with this issue. It just goes to show that not every Bendis book turns out to be a gem. It still moved the story along and gives us a hint to what Miles will be involved with after Brian leaves Marvel so this issue wasn't a complete letdown.

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[wbwest]

New Post has been published on WilliamBruceWest.com

New Post has been published on http://www.williambrucewest.com/2017/03/10/west-week-ever-pop-culture-review-31017/

West Week Ever: Pop Culture In Review - 3/10/17

  In movie news, a lot is going on with the Deadpool sequel. At the beginning of the week, it was reported that David Harbour of Netflix’s Stranger Things was being sought after for the role of Cable. While fans have wanted a bigger name, like Ron Perlman, Harbour is definitely gonna be cheaper, fitting right in with the movie’s budget. Meanwhile, it was reported that actress/singer Janelle Monae was the studio’s frontrunner for the role of Domino. Yesterday, however, Ryan Reynolds tweeted the above image, confirming that Atlanta‘s Zazie Beetz had gotten the role. I swear, with Donald Glover off Lando-ing in the Han Solo movie, and Zazie in Deadpool 2, Atlanta ain’t ever coming back. It’s already “on hiatus”, and I fear that it’s gonna be like Curb Your Enthusiasm – something Glover comes back to when he gets bored and has the time to do it. So, look for Atlanta season 2 in 2025.

In other movie news, the Valiant comic universe is getting closer to the big screen, as Dave Wilson has been tapped to direct the Bloodshot movie. Wilson comes from Blur Studio, known mainly for video game trailers, and co-founded by Deadpool director Tim Miller. If you don’t know anything about Bloodshot, you’re not alone. He looks like some kind of albino madman. From what I’ve read, he’s basically a zombie soldier who’s animated by nanites. I’ve never read a Bloodshot comic, though, so what do I know? Here’s where it gets interesting: there’s currently a webseries being made by Bat in the Sun called Ninjak vs The Valiant Universe. Starring Michael Rowe (Deadshot from the Arrowverse), the webseries pits the character of Ninjak against other characters in the Valiant Universe – where Bloodshot just happens to be portrayed by original Green Ranger, Jason David Frank. Now, JDF used to go to all of his convention appearances promoting the Power Rangers brand, but lately has been doing it dressed as Bloodshot. This project isn’t big enough to warrant that kind of dedication. No, I’m convinced he’s lobbying for the role in the big screen film. This is like when Sean Young used to go out in public dressed as Catwoman just so she’d get the role in Batman Returns. I don’t know whether to be impressed or saddened. I mean, he’s lobbying hard, but there’s no way he gets that role.

Though the news got sort of lost in the cycle last week, Nickelodeon announced that the new season of the 3D Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, premiering March 19th, would be its last. After five years, the show is ditching its serialized approach and is rebranding into an anthology format with the new title Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Once the series ends, a new 2D cartoon, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is slated to premiere in 2018.

In other TV news, folks are wondering if Glenn Howerton is leaving It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. The show aired its 12th season finale this week, where we learned that Dennis had a son from a layover in North Dakota. At the end of the episode, he decides that he can’t carry on as he’d been doing the past 12 years, and that he needed to leave and go be with his son. This episode aired the same day it was reported that Howerton and Patton Oswalt had been cast as leads in an NBC pilot where Howerton plays an Ivy League professor who loses out on his dream job, and ends up teaching high school science. Currently known as AP Bio, the series is produced by Seth Meyers and Lorne Michaels, so I think it’s likely it’ll be picked up. Now, Kaitlin Olson currently juggles working on Sunny and The Mick, but Howerton has a bigger role on Sunny, as he also writes and produces. In an interview with Uproxx, though, Howerton said that he wasn’t sure if he was coming back. He said the decision doesn’t have anything to do with his relationships with the other cast members. Sunny still has two seasons ahead of it, but even Danny DeVito recently mentioned that he might be done soon, too. The show really matured this season, as a lot of plotlines came full circle. I don’t even know what they’ll do with 20 more episodes (their seasons tend to be 10 episodes long), but I definitely don’t know how they’d do it without the character of Dennis.

In comic news, Marvel announced that Astonishing X-Men would be returning in July, written by Charles Soule, with art by…unknown at the moment. If you remember, Astonishing X-Men debuted as a miniseries during the “Age of Apocalypse” story in the mid 90s, but its claim to fame was the ongoing series written by Joss Whedon in the early ’00s. This incarnation of the team stars Old Man Logan, Archangel, Rogue, Gambit, Mystique, Psylocke, Bishop, and Fantomex. This, combined with the previously announced X-Men Gold, just proves that Marvel is trying to initiate a 1991-style refresh of the X-Men franchise, and I am here for it! This Astonishing team is basically a refresh of the 90s Blue Team from “adjectiveless” X-Men, while the team in X-Men Gold is pretty much a refresh of the 90s Gold Team from Uncanny X-Men. I love the Old Man Logan character, though I fear he’s approaching typical Wolverine levels of overexposure. Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see how Bishop redeems himself considering he spent the bulk of the last Cable series trying to kill a little girl. And it’ll be an interesting dynamic between mother and daughter Mystique and Rogue, as well as starcrossed lovers Rogue and Gambit. I still hate Fantomex, though, and I wish Marvel would stop trying to make him “happen”. Anyway,  I don’t get excited for much, comic-wise, but I’m really looking forward to this book.

In sports news, Jay Cutler was cut from the Chicago Bears after 8 seasons. Now, if you know anything about me, you know I don’t give a shit about sports. Still, there’s a funny anecdote here. You see, when Lindsay and I first started dating, Cutler was the starting quarterback of her beloved Denver Broncos. She bought me my first NFL jersey, which happened to be a Cutler jersey. After all, there was no way he was going anywhere, right? Well, he got cut after that season, and I couldn’t really wear the jersey anymore. He ended up going to the Bears, who had the same color scheme. I thought that meant I could still wear the jersey, but apparently that doesn’t fly with sports fans. Anyway, he’s also married to Kristin Cavallari of Laguna Beach/The Hills fame, so I guess there’s your pop culture connection to justify my mention of him.

Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Director Joe Carnahan has exited the third Bad Boys film, Bad Boys For Life. Maybe I’ll get around to finally watching the first two before this thing gets made.

Jason Isaacs was cast as Captain Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery. I…don’t know who that is, so it’s done nothing to get me excited about this show.

It was a week packed with renewals, as One Day At A Time was renewed by Netflix, Riverdale was renewed by The CW, and Baskets was renewed by FX. I pretty much only have interest in one of those shows. Can you guess which one?

Emma Dumont was cast as Polaris in Fox’s untitled mutant series, which will be interesting since she’s Magneto’s daughter and all…

The embargo for reviews of Netflix’s Iron Fist was lifted, and they weren’t pretty. It seems the problems are with the structure and not necessarily the casting, so it looks like the folks lobbying for an Asian American lead dodged a bullet there.

Who knew Josh Radnor had been working since How I Met Your Mother ended? Well, he’s not anymore, as his PBS series Mercy Street was canceled yesterday.

Now, I know Logan had a great week. It came out to rave reviews, and it opened to $238 million worldwide. Still, I kinda got things off schedule. You see, it got the West Week Ever last week before it had even performed. I don’t really want to start this trend of the same thing getting the WWE two weeks in a row just because I just had to see it opening night, hours before pushing “Publish” on the next post. So, yeah, Logan had a great week, but it was the best thing I experienced last week. Now, I’m gonna talk about the best thing I experienced this week.

Since its debut in 2015, I’ve been a big fan of the FXX series Man Seeking Woman. Starring Jay Baruchel (you know who he is, even if you don’t know his name), it follows Josh Greenberg, a down on his luck Millennial who tries to navigate the waters of modern day dating. Like a less contrived version of How I Met Your Mother, the first two seasons saw Josh go on date after date, trying to find The One, but always coming up short. That all changed this season, however, as he met Lucy. He meets Lucy in the season premiere, marries her in the season finale, and their courtship fills out the middle. Lucy’s not only perfect for him, but she also helped the show take on a new direction. We started seeing things from a female perspective, as the show became as much about her as it was about Josh. We got to see her deal with having to give up her fun party life to settle down. We see her deal with the temptation of another possible suitor. But in the end, she chose Josh. This season, it was as much Man Seeking Woman as it was Woman Seeking Man.

This week saw the season finale of the show and, as I mentioned, it focused on Josh and Lucy’s wedding. The show hasn’t been picked up for a fourth season yet, and I’m hoping it doesn’t. As much as I’ve loved it, it has served its purpose. Over the course of 30 episodes, it set forth a goal and it achieved it. Sure, there are a lot of shows that evolved past their initial concept (looking at you, Cougar Town), and I’m sure the show could keep going as we see Josh and Lucy navigate married life, have a kid, etc. But I think I like it where things ended up. We don’t have to see all of that to know it happens, and I don’t think the show as a whole would be any stronger if we did see all that. Instead of overstaying its welcome, I’d prefer it take the British approach of “less is more”. Three seasons is a good run, and it did what it set out to do. It found Josh a woman. Now, if they did want to continue the show in some capacity, I would love if they flipped it to Woman Seeking Man. You see, every season, there’s one episode that stars Josh’s sister, Liz, as we get to see her life in contrast to Josh’s. While Josh is an unlucky in love office manager who lacks ambition, Liz is a driven workaholic attorney – who also happens to be unlucky in love. The Liz episodes tend to be the strongest of an already strong season, and it’d be great to see more focus on her. Josh and Lucy could still pop up as supporting characters, but the focus would now be on Liz.

With all of this gushing, I haven’t really explained what’s so great about the show. After all, it probably sounds like a run of the mill sitcom, but it’s far, far from that. There’s a streak of absurdity to the show that really lends to its tone. For example, in the pilot, Josh’s girlfriend, Maggie, leaves him to date Adolf Hitler. Last season, Liz had an affair with Santa Claus, while Josh dates a girl whose ex-boyfriend was Jesus Christ. Yeah, it’s not your run of the mill comedy. You’ve got to see it to fully experience it, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

The season finale ends with a scene that brings the show full circle to the pilot. If there is another season, I hope they don’t fuck it up. If there isn’t, though, I love what they did, and how they did it. Everything was wrapped up with a nice bow, and it’s a strong series from beginning to end. That’s why Man Seeking Woman had the West Week Ever.

[themovieblogonline]

Fantastic Four Casts Its Silver Surfer: It's Ozark's Julia Garner!

Marvel fans, get ready for a whole new Fantastic Four family! The crew just found their Silver Surfer, and it's none other than Julia Garner, the breakout star of Ozark. This ain't your typical superhero flick, though. We're talking a trip back to the groovy 1960s, the era when the Fantastic Four first blasted onto the comic scene. Meet the New Fantastic Four We already know Pedro Pascal is strapping on the suit as Mr. Fantastic, with Vanessa Kirby as the Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn lighting things up as the Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach bringing the Thing to life. Now, with Garner joining the fam as a fresh take on the Silver Surfer, this Fantastic Four is shaping up to be epic! Garner's no stranger to the spotlight. This three-time Emmy winner stole hearts (and probably some wallets) as Ruth Langmore in Ozark. She also got Emmy love for her role as Anna Delvey, the infamous fake heiress in "Inventing Anna." So, yeah, she can handle a complex character, even one who might be surfing through space on a silver surfboard. A Different Kind of Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer's a complex character. Originally introduced as a herald for the planet-devouring Galactus, the Surfer's more than just a lackey. He's a powerful cosmic being with a strong moral compass. There's also a love story involved, as the Surfer is romantically linked to Shalla-Bal, the character Garner might be playing. Here's the twist: Garner won't be playing the classic Silver Surfer, Norrin Radd. Instead, she'll be Shalla-Bal, the love of Norrin Radd in the comics. This could open the door for a whole new storyline for the Silver Surfer, and we're here for it! Fantastic Four Blasts Off July 25, 2025 Mark your calendars, Marvel fans! The Fantastic Four are set to hit theaters on July 25, 2025. With Matt Shakman (director of WandaVision) at the helm and a killer cast, this is one superhero movie you won't want to miss. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMI5w_f3U0w Read the full article