#vinnies takeaway

[clowndensation]

x do u understand my vision.

[atwhughesversion]

my takeaways from the first day of canucks training camp:

as much as it’s sad that demko is still injured, he sounded overall in good spirits so 🤞

vinny and jake are two of my new favs i think; they gave such good interviews!

lekky is gonna be so good 👀

WE STILL DON’T HAVE A PETEY X PETEY PICTURE AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY 😭

petey is back

this team is the epitome of found family

[twostepstyless]

Playing Santa

Fic Advent Calendar Day 24

Advent Calendar Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Authors Note: It's Christmas Eve and Y/N still have some chores to do. Matching pyjamas and a takeaway later, Harry gets excited setting up for Christmas morning.

As always, likes, reblogs and feedback is eternally appreciated. Just the Christmas Day fic to go besties - G x

Word Count: 1.6k

SFW

———

“Harry, wake up,” Y/N smacked him on the chest, lightly of course. Their bedroom was illuminated in the blue hue of the steadily lightening sky as the sun crept up on Christmas Eve. 

“Wha- huh?” Harry jolted from his slumber as Y/N hovered over him as she stood at the edge of his side of the bed. “Wha’ time s’it?” He croaked out. 

“Quarter to 8,” Y/N said.

“What the hell, y’said we were sleeping in today,” Harry’s fingers blindly reached for the cord of his bedside lamp, fumbling with it until his thumb found the switch, casting a soft glow of light around the room. 

“I said everyone else could sleep in, we’ve got too much to do,” Y/N clarified. 

Harry groaned, blinking his eyes open properly, to see her standing by the bed with scissors and wrapping paper in one hand and a roll of sticky tape around the wrist of the hand that she slapped his chest with. 

“What’s with the wrapping paper, thought we finished all of that the other night?” 

“We had, well, I thought we had, I woke up like an hour ago and remembered about some extra bits I had tucked away for baby Mabel,” Y/N said, referring to how she had absolutely spoiled their niece rotten for her first Christmas. 

“Jesus,” Harry groaned as he shuffled up the bed to sit with his back against the headboard then rubbed his chest where she had brutally woken him, “y’could have been a bit gentler with the wakeup call,” he pouted, it didn’t hurt but he wanted to see if he could get a special apology from her. 

“Oh, don’t be grumpy,” Y/N chastised with a fake roll of her eyes, “and I did try to wake you gently, I done the running my hand through your hair bit that y’like and you slapped my hand away, so call it pay back,” she laughed as Harry threw his legs over the side of the bed and pulled himself up to standing. 

“It’s Christmas Eve,” he whispered into the lowlight of their bedroom. 

“It is,” she smiled back before Harry gripped her chin between his thumb and finger and planted a kiss on her lips, “mm morning breath, very Christmassy,” she snickered against his pouted lip. 

*** 

They had nearly completed their chores for the morning, Y/N had finished wrapping Mabel’s gifts and had deposited them under the tree, Harry had walked the dog then brought him home to give him a bath when Vinnie decided to take a spontaneous swim in a pond when Harry let him off his leash to get him to run off some energy. 

“This bloody dog,” Harry called out when he entered the house, carrying Vince in his arms so he wouldn’t run through the house looking a lot closer to a brown retriever rather than a golden retriever. 

“Oh my god,” Y/N laughed as she met them in the hallway, Vince looked happy as he dripped muddy brown water onto Harry’s jumper, “what happened?” she gave Vince a scratch behind the ears before removing her hand to see it was covered in dirt. 

“Vincent here, the little knob,” Harry uttered under his breath, “I let him off because the park was empty and he bolted straight into the pond.” 

“Aw baby, did you just want to go for an outdoor swim like y’daddy does? Have a little Christmas eve bath so you’re all clean for Santa coming?” Y/N cooed at the dog who wriggled in Harry’s arms. 

 “It’s your rug if I drop him,” Harry warned, hiking up the dog who was far too big to be carried. 

“Oh hush, and go give him a bath, I’d maybe give yourself one as well, y’look like you went into the pond with him,” Y/N sent them on their way with a giggle. 

*** 

With Harry and Vince now washed and cleaned, matching fluffy hair from drying, the rest of the family awoke for a relatively calm Christmas Eve. They had spent some time organising their dining room so it would seat all thirteen of them for dinner tomorrow, fourteen if you count Vinnie who would no doubt be skulking under the table for scraps of the plates, a task that baby Mabel would surely take up. Tablecloths were ironed and laid over the tables and candles set in their holders, they had a small argument about which side of the plat the forks were supposed to lay that Jackie and Anne, their mother’s, swiftly put to bed by taking the bundles of cutlery out of their hands and sent them on their way as they took over to finish off the dining room. They took the privilege to order takeout for everyone for dinner as tomorrow would be a big cooking day and no one could even be bothered to look at pots or pans. Mabel, their niece, sat on Harry’s lap with her bottle sat in her own lap as she picked finger foods from his plate as Harry pretended not to notice but was really picking through his plate for soft pieces that she would be able to reach for. 

As it was Mabel’s first Christmas, the whole family was excited to make it special for her, not that she would remember any of it and she was too little to really process it, but she was excited at everyone else’s excitement and squealed and clapped her chubby little hands every time someone cooed or spoke to her. Y/N’s mum was at another level of excitement of celebrating her first grandchild’s very first Christmas. After they had cleared up from dinner and everyone was in the living room, she appeared with a bag full of presents in her hand and began giving them out to everyone, even the dog got one. In a flurry of torn paper and trips to bedrooms and bathrooms later, there were twelve people, one baby and one dog in matching pyjamas that read ‘Christmas Crew,’ across their chest with printed trousers to match. Mabel kicked her feet and squealed as her mother changed her into her matching sleepsuit as Harry held Vince still as Y/N tied the dog’s matching bandana around his neck. Next was, of course, enough photographs you could make an entire album out of the one evening. Harry got one of his nicer cameras out and was snapping away happily and set it on its timer from its place balanced on the fireplace to take a group shot. Y/N’s Dad, Steven and Anne’s partner, Richard had begun dishing out drinks and snacks as the family watched on as Nathan and Rosie, Y/N’s brother and sister in law and Mabel’s parents, took her through the ritual of leaving out a carrot for Rudolph and a Whisky and cookie for Santa, which Mabel reached for to try and shove in her mouth which when removed from her vice-like grip was met with a shriek and cry of sadness. 

“Okay,” Y/N’s brother said, reaching to take Mabel in his arms, “time for bed, I think,” Nathan waved Mabel’s little hand to everyone as fat tears ran down her cheeks as everyone waved back at her. 

Harry moved into action almost immediately ready to play Santa for the night, he passed the glass of Whisky off to Y/N’s father, fed Y/N a cookie and then passed one to his cousin Emma and one each to Anne and Jackie and then he took an almighty chomp out of the carrot, leaving the top with his bite marks on the plate as if he’d just fed it to a reindeer. 

Presents were set up and displayed for the next morning and the adult family members shared a nightcap and bid each other goodnight, departing to each of their bedrooms for the night. 

Harry and Y/N slipped under the covers, still clad in their matching pyjamas as Vince padded around in his bed at the foot of their bed, trying to find his perfect spot. 

“I can’t believe it’s Christmas tomorrow,” Y/N whispered into the dark. 

“I can, did all the decorations, and gifts, and food, and general yuletide joy not give it away?” Harry’s arms gravitated around her body, holding her close. 

“Don’t be an arse,” she laughed as he kissed the crown of her head. 

“Sixth Christmas together in the bag, m’heart.” 

“Mad isn’t it, did you ever think we’d get to six?” she asked, her hand slipping under his pyjama top she could feel his skin under her touch. 

“Yeah, I did, knew it before we even got to the first one,” Harry said, no hint of sarcasm evident. 

“Really?” Y/N looked up at him, brow furrowed. 

“Yeah, did you not?” his thumb came up to soothe out the line created on her forehead. 

“I mean I hoped, obviously, but these things are never set in stone, y’know,” Y/N explained. 

“I get it, but I told y’that first year and I told you a few weeks ago, if the rest of my Christmases don’t have you in them, I don’t want them,” Harry pecked her forehead. 

“I love you,” Y/N smiled. 

“I love you,” Harry said then looked over her shoulder to see the clock that was sat on her bedside table, “and, officially,” as the clock read 00:00, “Merry Christmas, my love.” 

Y/N’s eyes glanced to the time, “Merry Christmas, H.” 

———

Advent Calendar Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[finndoesntwantthis]

One big takeaway from the Bray doc is that he was such a genius but his ideas were constantly held down by old fucking men who thought they knew better. I mean we the fans always knew that when the characters he created lost when they shouldn’t have, it was big dumb Vinny’s fault. But his this makes me so mad we never truly got to see Bray’s creations play out the way he really wanted. Wrestler’s characters are so sacred to themselves, I hope the bookers learn to value their word on what the stories should be over anyone else.

[drtanner]

So given that I know I'm never going to get to play TotK I've spent the last two weeks watching Vinny's playthrough on YT and the only real takeaway I have is that it is 100% true that the person they chose to be in charge of Ganondorf has loved him for years and it shows. He is so pretty. He is so pretty. 11/10, would rub myself all over him like a cat and kiss a lot (with his enthusiastic consent).

Like yes Regular Ganondorf is very pretty already but then they had to go and give him a Demon Form, designed specifically to kill me, I think. I'm just glad that the plot was so simple and straightforward because every time he was onscreen all of the characters were all going OOOH THAT DEMON KING HE'S SO BAD HE'S SO EVIL and meanwhile I was just sat there like GOSH HE'S BEAUTIFUL :))))

I hope I can find the time to draw him at some point. :')

[leffee]

Day 26: Milkshake

Sunster: Good morning, Vinnie, how are you today?

Pay-to-Vin: sad 

Sunil couldn’t stop the silent gasp from escaping his mouth. Vinnie was sad and he was openly admitting it to him? To anyone really?

There was no time to wait! He grabbed the bare essentials from his room like his phone and wallet before skipping down the stairs. Taking one last item - his car keys, he left his house, though not before hurriedly making sure in the mirror that he looked at least presentable. His verdict? He could be better but was still good enough, there was no time to complain! 

Stuffing all his things into his jacket’s pockets, Sunil got into his car and stepped on gas. As he was driving fast, just below the speed limit, his mind raced with all the possibilities of why Vinnie could be sad. There were many of course, but that didn’t prevent him from worrying at all. As the local worrywart, Sunil went through negative emotions often, too often than he’d like, but at least he had his friends, especially his best one. Vinnie didn’t always have a solution, or if he had one it didn’t work each and every time, but he was always there unless it was the case of Sunil needing some room to breathe, then he would be with him through messages if his friend needed that. As thankful as Sunil was, as a small side effect it caused him to feel a bit out of place whenever the roles were switched. Nevertheless, he knew what to do to lessen whatever kind of stress his friend was going through.

After a few minutes which felt way too long to be just that, he arrived at his destination - his, and by default Vinnie’s, favourite fast-food place. He ran inside and frowned upon seeing a big queue to all the self-service checkouts. However, the ones to the regular cash registers were much shorter so with a hint of hesitation he took a place in one and started picking on his sweater while the line grew shorter with each minute until he was the one in front of the counter.

“Good morning, what can I get you?” The cashier asked politely.

“I um, have a big order,” Sunil started with a slight tremor in his voice.

“That’s alright, though it might take a while to get it prepared. Just tell me what you need, sir.”

“Here goes,” Sunil took a breath, “I need a strawberry milkshake, a big one that is, the largest one you have, and five… no, eight burgers and I would like it as takeaway.”

“Got it, a milkshake and eight burgers, any specific ones?” 

“No, just, something with meat, and no vegetables, is that okay? I don’t need anything particular, really.”

“Of course, eight non-specific burgers it is.” After paying, Sunil had to admit that the price was less than favorable but that was the last thing on his mind right now, and throwing in a “If possible, please try to complete it quickly”, he sat down on one of the closest empty seats and started tapping his foot on the ground as he waited.

He checked his phone, but no new notifications were displayed, no wonder since he seemed to have no Wi-Fi connection there. Some guilt tugged at his conscience for not replying at all to Vinnie’s message, but he knew what he was doing right now would pay off. 

“Order number 63 is ready.” Sunil flinched but got up once he heard his number. 

“Thank you so much.” He nodded at the worker and took the bags, there were four in total.

He managed to take a glance inside before throwing them inside the car, but since it was a perfunctory glance, he didn’t manage to count the items inside. Still, he trusted there was the right number as he fastened his seat belt and started driving again.

“Vinnie, it’s me, please open the door!” Sunil yelled before his fist even reached the door and started knocking frantically. He continued until the door opened, revealing his surprised best friend.

“Sunil? Hi, bud, what are you doing here? I mean, I’m happy to see you, but I didn’t expect to see you here, especially after you didn’t answer my message.”

“I am so sorry,” Sunil put his hands together, “but I left my house as soon as I got it. Speaking of, here.” He presented Vinnie with the four, grease-leaking bags. “For you.”

“Wh- for me?” Vinnie took the bags and stood aside to let Sunil inside. “What’s the occasion? It’s not my birthday or anything.”

“No, but you said you were sad… and so,” Sunil gestured at the four bags. “However, we’ll think about that in a second, first, please, tell me what happened.” He grabbed Vinnie’s shoulders causing him to almost drop the bags at the sudden touch.

“Oh, that? You mean when I messaged you like an hour ago that I was sad?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah, that,” Vinnie sighed and looked off to the side, “a package that I ordered didn’t come this morning.”

“...A package? What did you order?”

“A mug! One with the middle finger at the bottom, you know, like when you lift it and it’s visible?” Vinnie beamed but then his expression turned into a scowl again. “It was supposed to be here this morning so I got up unusually early, but I got a text that there was a delay, and it will arrive in the afternoon instead.” He huffed and folded his arms. And Sunil? His own arms fell to his sides.

“Oh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I thought something bad happened, I mean… worse than that and I…I…” He simply nodded towards the bags. Vinnie took a look inside of them and smiled wildly.

“Oh goodie, so much impossibly unhealthy and yet soooo tasty things for me? Thank you.” He turned back to Sunil. “Wait, wait a sec, you only buy me such foods and so many when I- when I-," He was unable to finish as he started snickering.

“I really thought you were upset!” Sunil slumped down and covered his face.

“Oh man, that’s hilarious,” Vinnie said between the remaining chuckles. “Me? Upset? Naaah. I mean, I’m not complaining, but I have to say I’m not really that hungry right now, maybe just…” Vinnie took out the milkshake, inserted the straw into it and sighed in contentment once he registered the flavor on his tongue. 

“Ugh, wonderful, who’s going to eat all that now then? Because I’m certainly not planning to consume all those burgers there.” Sunil's expression turned sour as he eyed the bags.

“Ahaha, yeah. Hmm,” Vinnie hummed in thought as he drank more of the milkshake, “I know! How about we just invite Zoe, Pepper, Penny, Minka and Russell here? I’m sure they’d appreciate some unexpected burgers.”

“At 10 am?” Sunil raised a skeptical brow. 

“Eh.” Vinnie shrugged but was already reaching for his phone while Sunil simply whined.

“Just do not tell them that I am the cause of why you have so many burgers on hand, deal?”

“Deal.” Vinnie smiled in amusement, took another sip through the straw, and clicked ‘send’.

--------------------------------------------------

Don't worry, Sunil got some of his money back 😬

And that mug Vinnie ordered? He's gonna use it with only specific guests, not his friends, dw.

[alitgblog]

Did I play the new litg episodes this week bc it is my blog's namesake? no. did I play the new thth3 episodes because that's a genuinely good game I'm excited for? also no. Did I continue playing perfect match despite it being so glitchy and having spelling errors and me seemingly being stuck with an LI i dont really like? Okay so hear me out

idk like the second chance romance thing got me (and yes I did twist with Stephen in litg all stars too) so I was like sure I guess match with Darcy, and then Natasha stopped talking to me? Awful. I don't understand how the show works at all. It's very discount love island-y. every now and then Nick Lachey shows up and I'm like oh shit Nick Lachey from 98 degrees??? what are you doing here?? (the only thing I know about the show is that he hosts lol)

I did enjoy the angst from Lidia showing up and Darcy straight up saying hey I have to give her a chance. Because something about him intentionally making that choice and not being stolen away made the story better tbh. Or maybe I just don't like all the lovey dovey shit all the time and I have to accept that yes your love interest in a romance game is supposed to like you 🤣

And he came back around but I understood the second LI (in my case, Natasha, who like, where have you been, girl???) was the better option by far, but idk I got sunk cost value in my head. So matched with Darcy and Natasha went home 😥

But I liked that arc. The rest of the game is a little nonsensical and hard to follow and definitely takes after litg's decision to fabricate drama for a five second cliffhanger at the end of every episode. And don't get me wrong, the ex storyline does all that too, but I think for the romance IF genre in general the takeaway is to have flawed characters that make shitty mistakes and have the player choose to forgive or not.

anyway,, Sage my bestie 🫶🫶🫶 Zara is a mess but whatever, happy for her and Vinny I guess. Vinny is also just a very funny character and equally as a dramatic as her so I appreciate that. It's hard to keep track of people, much like in LIB. Especially in the middle where it's like I think the game also forgot about Meredith. I also think either bc of the type of man they chose to draw or the art style itself, I'm not exactly a fan of the men just in terms of looks. Like they're not ugly but compared to the women??? it's a wonder why I'm sticking with Darcy

anyway I haven't even finished the season I just think there's probably not too much gonna happen post being girlfriend storyline. maybe Nikki will get her comeuppance and more silly Zara and Vinny drama but other than that? just playing to finish.

And THEN I will finish the new litg and thth episodes 🤣

[claws-for-hire]

Vixen looks away, sheepishly scratching the back of her neck. The bar is admittedly a bit of a wasteland. The tables need cleaning, the stashes are running low, and overall the interior of the Tavern itself echoes with an eternally run-down aura. "I mean, with our other work the bar isn't really the main priority anymore... Just a good cover for intel..."

But Vinnie interjects with a different takeaway. "You do anything interesting 'round here yourself?" he asks, reaching up to daringly poke at Xiao's shoulder. When Vixen shoots him a confused look, he simply shrugs. "What? She's asking for a reason, is she not? Maybe she's looking for a job. She does look kinda lonely, I don't think she has much going on."

"That's not—" Vixen sighs and gives up. "Whatever."

Xiǎo walks into the bar, hoping her giant figure didn’t bring too much attention to her. She looked around.

This should be easy enough. Just make the request and get out. All her problems will solved after this. Most of them anyway.

She sees two foxes at the counter and approaches them.

I hear you run a business that deals with some…undesirables here in Hell. Don’t tell me I’m mistaken? -🐶

@sinner-xiao

Vixen has to look up a considerable amount from behind the bar just to meet the girl's eyes. She blinks, pursing her lips momentarily as she processes the request, before her mouth slowly narrows into a sinister sneer.

"Undesirables, huh? You could say that. What's got you barking our way about it, hun?" she asks cautiously, careful not to tip off any of the unsuspecting patrons. She tosses a rag over her shoulder as she steps away for a moment. When she's sure no one is looking, she holds out her hand, sharp claws on full display. "And how much are you willing to pay?"

[ozfoodhunter1997]

[webozfoodhunter]

Are you a pizza lover if so place your order online from Vinnie's Vegie Cafe And Bar, VIC, and get 5% off on every order. browse the menu and place a pizza that is your favorite, we are ready to deliver the food to your doorstep.

[olivarose]

[stupidstupidratcreatures]

this is very long overdue anon sorry about that. sorry also that i didn't paragraph or organize this well. Vinny Gender Post Ahead, andre and avani and also anyone else planning to read/reading vanitas who isn't fully caught up there are huge spoilers here so don't look

i will be using he pronouns in this post because i used the specific words "the joker for boymoders" for a reason. i am aware that thinking of vinny as like closeted or an egg or whatever is not the intended takeaway, especially because the fucking mikhail thing is like an arm's length away from it, but also i do honestly think that vinny being intensely uncomfortable with The State Of Being Male is like an intended read. shinji ikari situation. except the author is trying to make a point instead of trying to create a guy that sucks. anyway:

1: his whole thing, the reason why he's Like That, is his sense of dread and revulsion at growing into something forced on him, painfully, from a young age, by someone far more proud of the role they could force him into than by the person he actually was, for reasons he wasn't given an explanation for until it was already* too late

2: his view of being a man, and especially playing the role of the Man to someone's Woman in a heterosexual relationship, exclusively as something harmful to others and/or himself (examples include: every single time he's appeared in the same scene as or thought about jeanne, the "convenient females" thing (yeah. sorry) where he leverages him being A Man and domi being A Woman to hurt her feelings so she tortures him harder. arguably also the thing he says to ruthven a few chapters later about "examining the queen's body" meant to provoke ruthven and luca into having a reaction to their female coworker's disrespect. probably one or two more but i don't feel like lookinf for them)

3: his monochrome outfit in the color associated with the pain in point 1, how that color is blue, the color Designated As Male, and how specifically evocative the outfit is of masculine formalwear/a suit (the collared shirt and waistcoat under a dark jacket**, the bowtie). the reason i think this is notable thinking about this and connecting these specific dots in this specific way are his gloves, which look exactly like luna's hands, that he wears specifically to cover up luna's mark. idk how to like put this to words but the thing of like dressing as, taking the name of, and playing the role of the thing he Doesn't Want To Become to kind of an exaggerated degree as an attempt to avoid having to confront the fact that it is Actually There And Branded On His Body and that it all makes him deeply deeply uncomfortable. the joker for boymoders, wearing their dysphoria gloves. obviously there is also something connecting to like. the sexual abuse necessary to create a gendered subject. the way luna's mark is framed as something awful and traumatic yet ultimately "helpful" for him to grow into an Adult Man. the way he reveals the mark at the bal masque in order to antagonize and provoke fear in the crowd. like i think i've always been a bit jokey about this but like i do think that this all being there like this is intentional

* i do not think there is ever an age where it's Actually Too Late to come out as trans and socially and/or medically transition, and also this is an idea that's ideologically repulsive to me. however i and i think most other trans people feel that way in bad moments, mourning a life you never had or feeling like you have to make up for lost time. i also don't know for sure if it's Actually Too Late for vinny, it seems a little late in the game and also uncharacteristic of mochizuki and the story to introduce something that would like be able to turn him back into a human or remove the mark or w/e. if something like this does get introduced i think it'll either be introduced as something completely beyond his grasp or noé will encounter it after he's died. or both

** i know it's drawn to be like a furisode but combined with the shirt, the waistcoat, and the bowtie it does Look Like A Suit in a way that doesn't seem accidental. also it has a collar and lapels

i dont know how to end this post. end of post

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Finally watched yesterday and today’s episodes. 

My main takeaway is that I continue to LOATHE Chas. I mean honestly, she’s accusing Charity of being jealous and wanting to one up her when she’s the one that keeps putting her dumb party on the day of the opening. Wake up to your insanely irritating hypocrisy Chas! God she’s the worst. 

And I don’t know how many people are going to be involved in tomorrow’s episodes but I doubt it will be the whole village and that’s about the only way this could be mildly interesting. If other people outside the bloody Dingle’s and their accessories had to choose where to go and this was actually a village story then it might be something but it’s just gonna be dumb and pointless and annoying and ugh. 

The one bit I did enjoy was Liv yelling at Noah for talking about her and Vinny and the sex thing behind her back. That made me happy. Noah is also the worst. 

As for the Mandy thing, I get that she’s upset but the whole going overboard thing is precisely why they didn’t tell her, which is exactly what she’d been doing with this engagement party in the first place. But also, I still doubt if they had told her about the wedding, that she wouldn’t have tried to talk Vinny out of it for whatever reason. I still think her being so positive about them getting engaged was out of character in the first place.  

I don’t know whatever. I can’t wait till we can move on from this nonsense and the pub nonsense and I can’t wait till Mack is free from Charity. 

[doof-doofblog]

"You'll Be Joining Ben In Prison!"

Tuesday 6th October 2020

Good evening everyone! I hope you've had a good Tuesday! After the big bombshell that ended last night's episode, I am so excited to see what tonight's episode has in store! I'm just going to start right away, the episode starts right where last night's ended! Frankie has just told Mick that she believes he's her Dad. I understand Mick is completely in shock, he doesn't seem to believe the poor girl, even insults her by saying he thinks she's ill! It's only when she mentions a name - Katy Lewis - that Mick realises she could be telling the truth. You can see he instantly recognises the name as soon as she says it, was it even before him and Linda got together?! Who knows, but I am really looking forward to finding out more about this!

At the police station, Callum has been called in, he is currently missing Lexi's dance grading. What could be so important that he had to be called in? I'm a little bit shocked that his boss is wanting to him to wear a wire, whilst living in the Mitchell household! After seeing Callum going behind Ben's back recently, I feel like he really isn't wanting to do this! He recognises that it's wrong, he's having doubts! But I do fear he'll be persuaded to wear it, believing he's doing the right thing, which he really REALLY isn't!!! I do feel really gutted as Callum starts to unbutton his shirt - does he feel he doesn't have a choice? Has he got himself in too deep now? I am really hoping that Ben will find out before it's too late, I can just see this going horribly wrong for Callum, in many many ways.

Back with Mick, he is still reeling from Frankie's news - as he stumbles along the street, to me it looks as if he wobbles into the fence, it looks as if he's about to have another panic attack! It's been a long time since he's had a serious panic attack, it's understandable that news such as big as finding out he could have another child would bring it on. As Frankie catches up with him, she begs him not to ignore her, at least hear her out and discuss it. Mick sees Max from across the Square and asks him to take the young lad home ... why do I sense that Max only agrees to take him as he knows Linda will be back at the house alone? That will obviously give them a chance to talk about recent events. As Max walks away with the little boy in tow, Mick agrees to talk with Frankie.

At the Atkins household, Gray returns from his meeting to find his house completely a mess! Pizza crusts laid all over the dining room table. He calls out to Whitney and asks her what happened whilst he was away, she explains to him that the poor kids hadn't eaten all day, so when she decided to treat them to a takeaway, the children got upset for having the wrong food. Gray apologises and Whitey tells him not to worry and not to take it out on his kids. Whitney explains to him that grief comes out in all sorts of different ways, the children are clearly missing their Mum and there's probably no way for them to tell anyone or show how they're feeling.

As Linda is busy working away, making herself and Mick a romantic meal, the buzzer of her flat goes, assuming it's her husband, she immediately lets them in. When Ollie comes running up the stairs, Max follows. Linda is clearly surprised to see him with her son, Max explains to her that Mick and Frankie have gone to the Prince Albert. Trying to be the good Samaritan, Max offers to help Linda with her cooking while she sees to Ollie. Did I sense a little bit of flirtation going on? When Linda says the words "No-one likes a show-off!" - I don't know, something is telling me that they do seem to like each other's company, it looks like there could be some attraction there. Whilst Max and Linda are at at the Carter's apartment, Mick is finally having his talk with Frankie. She reveals everything to him, how she found all his letters he wrote to her Mum and how she was always told that her Father had just walked out on her, but she came to realise it was the other way round. As Frankie is revealing everything to him, we see him grip his chair a lot tighter, is he on the verge of having another panic attack? It looks as if he's struggling to take in everything she's saying, but he seems to recall, and realises that what she is saying all makes sense, as he softly says "So that's why she left!"

Finally Callum arrives home, obviously we all know that he's now wearing a bloody wire underneath his clothing! We see Phil approach him as he comes down the stairs, he had previously asked Callum to try and find information on Raymond's adoptive family, whether they had anything on file. Callum admits that the family was clean, had no run-ins with the police, not even a speeding ticket. Phil thanks Callum for checking, as Phil is getting himself ready, Callum attempts to make small talk with him. Part of me is thinking that Phil isn't stupid, Phil will eventually get suspicious as to why he's asking about Danny all of a sudden, he pulls a look of suspicion straight away, but Callum quickly makes up the story that he'll be able to help if ever needed anyone else to work with. Hmm - I think this is going to go one of two ways - either Callum won't be able to get what he needs for the police, he'll be feeling under pressure and he'll eventually lose his job - OR - Callum will basically betray Ben and Phil, Phil will probably end up getting arrested for something he didn't do, or something? What do you guys think? Either way - I'm really not liking what Callum is doing right now. It's all going to end in tears!

At the Panesar family home, Vinny, Ash, Kheerat and Suki are all at home. Suki calls them round to the family table, informing them that she has something very important to tell them. She beings to thank her children for always stepping up and helping the family when needed, she explains to them that the police had approached her with a CCTV image in an attempt of her to identify who caused the attack on Martin. She tells Vinny that it was clearly him, but she informs them she didn't tell the police that. Vinny starts to panic as he fears his identity is going to be revealed. But then - she drops the bombshell and announces that it's Jag's turn to do something for his family - her children don't seem to understand what she means by this, it's only when Ash looks towards the washing and realises her brother's jeans are missing, she clicks on that her Mum has grassed up her own son to the police! Both Vinny and Ash are absolutely distraught, they look to Kheerat - who in all honestly looks absolutely speechless. He looks as if he's absolutely fed up with everything that is happening around him - grieving for the woman he loves and now realising he'll be losing his brother too. I think he realises there is no point in arguing and just simply says "Mum knows best!" - I think he's just purely defeated right now.

Out on the Square, Ben and Callum are ready to head off with Lexi to her dance grading. Lexi notices that her Grandad isn't with them, she asks her Dad's boyfriend why he's not coming. Callum explains to the young girl that he's got something else to take care of, but he'll able to watch a video recording of her later on. As Lexi rushes on ahead, Ben turns to his partner and asks straight out if Phil has actually gone to see Raymond, Callum admits that he has - I think it's then that Callum begins to feel guilty for what he's actually doing as Ben reveals to him that he fears for his Dad. If something was to happen and he wouldn't be able to see Raymond again, it would physically break him. It's true that Dennis meant a lot to Phil, he saw him as a soon - now Phil has the chance of being a Father to Raymond, he wants to grab that opportunity with both hands, but Ben fears if anything was to go wrong, Phil wouldn't be able to cope with another loss.

Back at the Carter's household, Max has finished working on Linda's meal for Mick. I'm just putting it out there, but do you think they're going to be an affair?! The more I see scenes between Max and Linda, the more I can see something happening between them. I mean, they've already kissed - what's going to stop them doing any more? I do believe that Linda loves Mick, but it's clear that he's not really been in her good books as of late, keeping an eye on her whilst she's surrounded by alcohol. Linda admit to Max that she fears her husband finding out that she took a gulp of vodka, but he promises her that he's not going to say anything. As Max goes to leave, he has one last thing to say to her, he reveals that he actually does have feelings for Linda, he understands that she's happily married and even compliments her and states the fact that she and Mick are a perfect couple, but he just felt that she had a right to know. With this knowledge, will Linda act upon it? Will they still be able to remain friends? There has been rumours and/or speculation that there could be a Max and Linda affair on the cards? But with Max promising to keep her secrets - will she feel the need to lean on him more and perhaps could things escalate for the two?

Back at Ruby's club, Mick is trying to understand what Frankie is wanting now she's revealed her identity. He informs her that he's unable to give her what she wants right now - with Linda being an alcoholic, if she was to find out about Frankie being Mick's daughter, it could set her off the edge. He explains to Frankie that he and her Mum was a long long time ago, and Linda isn't even aware of it. That's the big question now - will the rest of the Carter family find out and how will they react when they do? Especially Linda?! - OH THAT'S A STORY RIGHT THERE! - Linda finds out about Frankie being Mick's daughter, she feels betrayed, leans on Max and - boom - an affair starts!!! Haha! Too obvious?! Who knows?!

Meanwhile, on the Square, Habiba and Jags are leaving the Vic - they both seem really happy that they're relationship news is finally out and they have been accepted by the Panesar family, or so it would seem. As they discuss being open to the public about their relationship, Jags asks his girlfriend whether she's really truly happy with him, as she's assuring him a police car pulls up and suddenly a Police Officer is arresting Jags for the assault of Martin Fowler and for the robbery at the Minute Mart. Whilst all the commotion is going on in the Square, Suki appears from her home and watches as her son is being arrested and flung into the back of a Police car. Habiba and Jags are shouting in his defence that it's all a misunderstanding, she promises her boyfriend that everything will be okay. As the car drives away with Jags in the back seat, he calls out to his Mum as he sees her starring at him as the car drives past. Suki looks as if she's upset - but is she really? Why did she feel the need to set up Jags? I know it's silly to say, but is it because she doesn't like Habiba? Or is it because she thinks he's useless? Or did she just want to teach her son a lesson? I'm really unsure. What do you guys think?

Back at the Atkins household, Whitney has made sure that everything is looking clean and spotless. Gray re-joins her and thanks her for her help and support. As they begin to discuss Whitney's upcoming trial, Whitney can see how much Gray is struggling, she says to Gray that his children need him more than anything right now. They are all grieving and Gray needs to be with his kids. He begins to softly cry as he admits he's finding it hard without Chantelle, Whitney then makes the decision that she's going to call Gray's boss and inform her that he has stepped down from supporting her in court. She understands that he needs to be with his kids and not putting her first. Gray is reluctant to begin with, he states how much they've worked to build up her case, but Whitney is insistent - and instead, she agrees. Does this mean that Whitney is going to support herself in court, or is she going to get someone else in Gray's place?

Back at the Mitchell's, Ben, Callum and Lexi are all gathered around after seeing the little Tinkerbell at her dance grading. Phil is happily watching is Granddaughters performance on the phone. Callum is watching in the background how Phil is interacting with his Granddaughter, I'm sure it's making sense to him that all Phil cares about more than anything in life, is his family. He might've had a bad reputation back in the day, but his family has always come first. Phil gives his Granddaughter a doll as a present for being so brilliant, she leaves the room with a huge smile on her face, and Ben follows his daughter to get her ready for bed. With Callum free to talk to Phil alone, he asks how it was for him seeing Raymond, Phil opens up to him and admits it was hard, as he's literally just seeing his son in a hospital bed and he knows there's nothing he can do to help. He thanks Callum for filming the video of Lexi for him to watch, and gives him the biggest compliment he get receive "You're good for this family, Callum!" As Phil leaves the room, Callum smiles as he realises he's been accepted into the family, then his face becomes serious - for a moment, I thought, as he was alone, he would reach under his clothing and rip off the wire - but instead he gets out his phone and makes a call. Is guilt getting the better of him? I truly think he does not want to do this and he's going to make it perfectly clear to his boss that he wants nothing to do it - well, I hope!

Back at the Carter's, Mick and Linda are finally having their meal together, although Mick isn't looking interested in the plate of food that's been placed in front of him. Linda begins to ask whether he's alright, she asks about Frankie and Mick just doesn't want to talk about it! He leaves his plate of food and tells Linda to get off his case. You can see that Linda is feeling pretty annoyed by her husband, making him a romantic meal - which he doesn't seem interested in, trying to make conversation - only to be shouted at, and then to be rejected for the offer of having an early night together, to top it off their meal is interrupted my Frankie calling on the buzzer. Linda tells Mick that Frankie is waiting outside for him, is she going to get the wrong end of the stick and perhaps think that Mick is having an affair with Frankie - I mean, he did have a bit of thing with Whitney? Is this what causes her to fall into Max's arms? - Outside, Frankie waits patiently for Mick, as he opens the door ever so slightly, she tells him that all she wants is to get to know him, she's spent her whole life not knowing who her Dad was, and now she's found him - she's not going to let go! Mick slowly nods, is he going to end up having secret meetings with Frankie so they can get to know each other? Will Linda find out and take it completely the wrong way? I am so convinced that something like that is going to happen! What do you guys think?

The last scene of the episode tonight, Callum is finally standing up for what he believes in. He rips off the wire and confronts his fellow Detective and tells him he can't do what he's being asked of. He refuses to take part in it any longer. I feel relieved that Callum has come to his senses and realises what he's doing is wrong, he explains to his co-worker that he'll speak to his Supervisor and admit it was all a mistake. It's then that the Detective reveals the truth, it was only he and Callum who knew about the set up - Callum is left in shock, he really wasn't undercover after all. He's been used to do this Detective's dodgy work! He reveals to him that he has the recording of him assaulting Danny at the Arches, it's then he blackmails poor Callum and says if he doesn't do as he's asked, he'll be setting both he and Ben up and they'll both be sent to prison! Ooooooh what a dirty dirty man!!!! Callum is now backed into a corner, what the hell is he going to do now?!

I was so happy that Callum stood up to him and knew he was doing wrong! How is going to get himself out of this one now? Is there going to be a way for him to ask Ben or Phil for help? Can he perhaps subtly tell them that he's in trouble, being blackmailed and needs help! I'm kind of fearing what's going to happen to the Mitchell family now - not just Ben and Callum, but Phil also! What do you think is going to happen? Will Callum be able to turn things around and find a way out?! Overall a really good episode tonight, I really enjoyed it! I'll probably be back on Friday as I'll be working late on Thursday and will miss Thursday's episode. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week and I'll be back very soon! Goodnight folks! xXx

[welcometokeyhouse]

The first reviews of the first season are here and they’re mostly positive! A couple of key takeaways:

Alex Zelben, Decider: “I loved the first season of Netflix's Locke & Key adaptation, which brilliantly skirts the line between horror, drama, comedy and dark fantasy the comics by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez helped innovate.”

Kristen Baldwin, EW: “For a show that deals so intently with loss - of loved ones, of innocence - Locke & Key is a surprisingly rewarding endeavor.”

Rafael Motamayor, /Film: “Locke & Key is immensely rewarding for fans who have waited years for an adaptation of the comic, and it remains an intriguing and twisting tale of trauma and magic that will captivate a whole new audience.”

Matt Webb, TV Line: “Locke & Key isn't at all shy about revealing Keyhouse's incredible secrets; it just struggles to then do much with them, instead repeatedly hitting pause on any acquired momentum to dive back into high school dating/movie club drama.”

Vinnie Mancuso, Collider: “Locke & Key often doesn't go through its most interesting doors. Which is frustrating, because it is asking really intriguing questions.”

Keith Phipps, TV Guide: “Perhaps the show's troubled development history explains why this incarnation of the series seems determined to play it as safe as possible.”

Adam Barnhardt, Comicbook.com: “Locke & Key makes an iron-clad argument on why it should be one of Netflix's flagships moving forward, even more so in a world of cluttered comic book adaptations. The streamer has made something well worth the wait.”

[ginasneesby]

Paihia, bay of islands and the Northland

My first travelling experience was to go North from Auckland and check out the area there known as the Northland. I had been there briefly last time but I don't really remember what we did, looking on the map the town of Paihia was right in the bay of islands and didn't require a ferry to get to it, so I booked a hostel for 4 nights starting on a Saturday so I could meet some people and go to some bars. The journey up was pretty smooth, they were selling $8 tickets on certain films and the cinema was on my way up so it would have been rude to not stop and see something. I was on the road by about 12:30 and it was a straight shoot up the highway, there was a little bit of traffic but most of the driving was easy, the weather was good and there weren't too many people on the roads. I got to Paihia about 5 o'clock and checked straight into the hostel, it was easy to find as there are basically 3 streets in the town and they all stem from the same road which runs along the beach. I was in a 6 bedded dorm but I was first to check in so the guy said I could choose any bed including the double which was on the bottom of a bunk, I briefly thought about not taking it just in case there was a couple who would want it but then thought they would have paid for two beds anyway so fuck it; I wanted it!

As there was no one else in my room yet I didn't have anybody to automatically hang out with, but there were some people in the courtyard having some beers and I heard a British accent so I went to the shop at the end of the road, bought a six-pack and asked if I could join them. They were an interesting bunch of people two went to uni together in the UK, the girl was with a kiwi guy and lived in a nearby town whereas the guy was doing a PhD in fishing conservation and decided to do it there near his friend. The other girl was from America and knew the English guy through another acquaintance, she was going to be living with her boyfriend in Sydney but had a few weeks before starting work and so came to see him. They all worked in Conservation and Forestry which was quite interesting especially as New Zealand cares a lot about it's environment and native flora and fauna. I'm not sure my British humour came across the whole time, one of the girls was talking about eating avocado on toast when hungover and how disappointing it was and I said "well in fairness you brought on yourself by eating avocado!" I think she thought I was really having a dig and so give me a bit of a look. They kindly let me join them for dinner and we traveled up the street going from bar to bar ending up in a bit of a dive where you could play pool, the last game was really dragging on so we abandoned it and I decided to head back to bed at around midnight.

Sadly they were only there for that night so the next day I did my own thing, I looked up what was good around the area ventured out on foot to check out the beach and a nearby walk up in the hills, it was a pretty hot day and quite humid walking through the bush but the view from the top was beautiful with bright blue skies and clear seas across the bay. Tuesday was going to be waitangi day, celebratingwhen the treaty was signed between the Maori and British and it just so happened that the treaty grounds where in Paihia, so I headed over to see how much it would be to get in which was $50 for non-residents and given I have nothing to show I live in Auckland I would have had to pay that. However the women on the desk informed me that on waitangi day it would be free entry all day and there would be things going on but it would be quite busy, I hesitated to say New Zealand busy is not quite the same as England busy, grabbed a program and headed off. I went to some nearby waterfalls called the Huru Falls, which were pretty beautiful and hung around there for a bit in the sun, on the way back the sea looked very enticing so I parked along the road and went for a quick swim. There was a small Jetty out in the sea, and a bunch of kids were playing on it and annoying the teenagers on the other side, eventually the teenage boys got involved and started throwing the girls in the water, accompanied by many screams but they looked like they were having an amazing time. I dried off a bit while watching them laughing to myself as it reminded me so much of Holiday Club, I headed back to the hostel and sat by the pool reading my book for a bit but decided not to get in the water again. I was up early the next day so I grabbed something small for dinner and went to bed with some Netflix.

The next day I had pre booked a bus tour which went from Paihia along the 90 mile beach and up to Cape Reinga which is the most northern point of the country, the coach seemed to have the front of a proper truck which meant that it could drive along the beach and go quite fast. This was necessary as the tide was coming in as we drove up and he decided not to turn off at the halfway point so we were committed and just had to hope the water hadn't come in too far so we could get through at the top. Of course he's been doing this for years and can recognise when he's going to be able to get through and when he won't, although he did say that the day before he had to drive up a stream and over a hill to get to the other side as the water had come in too far and he would have sunk. Just off the beach he stopped at some sand dunes and gave us some boards to do a bit of sand boarding, there was a baby slope or a bigger slope which came down into some water so you would get wet, I was wearing my swimsuit under a little jumpsuit so didn't mind getting wet so I went for the big'n! Most people went for the other one but a couple of ladies joined me who were well into their 60s and loved it, I tell you what though if you've never climbed up a sand dune it is really fucking difficult, but damn it's good for your thighs. Going down was great fun I lifted up my feet for extra speed and managed to cross the whole stream once or twice, one of the ladies kept putting one foot deeper than the other in the sand making her go a bit sideways and eventually completely wiped out rolling off her board flying through the water and sending her sunglasses to the other side. She was fine though, probably a little bit bruised but she went back up and had another go, this time coming down straight. We were provided lunch, which was amazing, some barbecued meats and giant bowls of pasta, potato and green salads on a beautiful beach slightly further up the coast, there was even a little doggy to keep us entertained although once he'd eaten the flobby bits off the steak he wasn't interested anymore. We piled back on the bus and drove a short way up to our final destination which was Cape Reinga, we had close to an hour to walk down to the lighthouse and see where the two bodies of water meet, the Tasman Sea to the West and the Pacific Ocean to the East. You can see a clear line between the two as they were different colours something to do with the way they mix up the sand and sediment from the bottom, the walk down was easy as it was downhill and didn't feel like very far however coming back in the heat, uphill all the way was quite tiring and actually meant that I used up the hour very easily. We had an option of stopping at a famous fish and chip shop on the way home, but we were still quite full from lunch and so decided not to, we drove all the way back in one which was probably close to 3 hours but we were all tired by this point so it wasn't really a hardship. I was inspired though and later on in the evening went and got myself some fish and chips, I sat outside my room with a couple of beers and enjoyed the warm evening. I met a new girl who was staying in my room, she was also a nurse from Reading and was travelling for the year, also needing a break from the hardships of the NHS at the moment. She had a friend who lived in Russell which was just across the water, so I couldn't convince her to join me the next day as she had plans but we chatted that evening and the next.

Waitangi day- there was stuff going on all day and I was quite tempted to get up to watch the wakas coming in across the Harbour but this would have meant getting up at 5:30, I had booked myself on a boat tour in the afternoon so I was going to get in the car drive to the treaty grounds to have a look around and see all the other things that we're going on. However I got a call in the morning saying there weren't enough people so could they move me to a different boat tour which left at 12:30, technically this one was more expensive and included a stop at a small island where I could get a later ferry back included in the price; so I decided to do that. I still had about an hour and a half so I set out to the treaty grounds, it took me 20 minutes to go about a hundred metres so I abandoned it and decided to go after my boat tour, I did however notice a cafe that did amazing looking breakfasts which was right opposite the boat terminal so I jumped in there and had a huge pile of French toast which set me up for the day. The boat tour was great it went around the bay, stopped at a couple of Islands and then went out to Cape Brett which is a famous lighthouse on the edge of the Bay. The main sight to see however was called the hole in the rock which was, you've guessed it, a hole in a rock! Luckily the swell was not too big so we were able to drive through the hole to the other side, I love that this is a main attraction, but I have to say I did take some pictures of that hole and was quite excited when we got to drive through it. On the other side we did a bit floating around and then the captain suddenly started driving quite fast away from the rock, in the wake of the boat we noticed some bottlenose dolphins playing around in the spray. I was trying to think if I'd seen dolphins in the wild previously, but even if you have it's very cool when they pop up again especially as they were so playful and were jumping out just at the right time so I could take a picture. Thanks guys! On the way back I decided to get off at Otehei bay as I had a ticket for a later ferry, it was beautiful, the water was clear and it was set up for people to sunbathe so there were picnic benches with umbrellas and giant bean bags. I was tempted to get a beer but it was about $10 for 400 ml and I did want to drive to the treaty grounds later so instead I just sunbathed and had a dip in the water. The 4:30 ferry got back to Paihia about 5:15, I walked straight to my car and drove out to the treaty grounds which looked closed on first inspection but then walking around a bit I found an alternate entrance and headed in. There was a concert going on until later that evening, but it wasn't really my kind of music so I just walked around the marae and saw the wharenui and the flag pole with the 3 flags, New Zealand, union jack and the flag of the united tribes of nz. There were some huge carved wakas which were pretty cool to see and the house of William Hobson, who was the first british governor of nz, where the treaty was signed. I headed back to the hostel and repeated what I done the previous evening by sitting out with some food and had a couple of beers, everyone in the hostel seemed to be there in groups and unlike other hostel experiences I've had they didn't really seem to mingle with each other, eventually I was bored of being bitten in the early evening late I'm so moved inside instead.

I had to check out by 10 which was pretty simple I had a quick phone conversation with the parents as we had been missing each others calls for a few days, then jumped in the car and drove back to Auckland. I decided to go a different route and went over to the west coast which is the Kauri tree Highway, I stopped at the biggest tree called Tane Mahuta which is about 50 m tall and 14 m wide , they think he is around 2000 years old. After that stop I decided to drive straight back which was about 3 and a half hours in one but it was good to be home.

Now, where to plan for my next trip ?